Alignment structure for a wireless charging station
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsLeann Vernon, Derek Hartl, Raymond C. Siciak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wheel guide for a vehicle charging station includes front and back sides, and a top extending between the front and back sides. The top defines an aperture sized to circumscribe a wireless transmitter of the charging station. The wheel guide further includes a pair of spaced apart wheel slots recessed into the top. Each wheel slot includes an entrance defined in the front side and a pair of longitudinal walls extending from the entrance toward the back side. At least a portion of each of the walls is configured such that a slope of the wall is shallowest at the entrance and becomes increasingly vertical in a direction towards the back side to guide a wheel of a vehicle towards a centerline of the slot.
Claims19
A wheel guide for a vehicle charging station comprising:
- front and back sides;
- a top extending between the front and back sides and defining an aperture sized to circumscribe a wireless transmitter of the charging station;
- and
- a pair of spaced apart wheel slots recessed into the top and each including an entrance defined in the front side and a pair of longitudinal walls extending from the entrance toward the back side, wherein at least a portion of each of the walls is sloped such that a slope of the wall becomes increasingly vertical in a direction towards the back side to guide a wheel of a vehicle towards a centerline of the slot.
A charging station for a vehicle comprising:
- a fork-shaped wheel alignment structure defining a pair of wheel slots each having a pair of guide walls extending from an entrance towards a terminal end, wherein a portion of each of the walls is configured such that a slope of the wall is shallowest at the entrance and becomes increasingly vertical in a direction towards the terminal end;
- and
- a charging transmitter disposed below the alignment structure.
An alignment structure for a vehicle charging station comprising:
- a front and back, and a top extending therebetween;
- and
- a wheel guide recessed into the top and including a pair of spaced apart longitudinal walls that each extend from the front towards the back, wherein a portion of each of the walls is sloped such that a slope of the wall is shallowest at the front and becomes increasingly vertical towards the back.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.