Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100134067 | ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT SHARING FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS - Electric vehicle charging stations are coupled with a circuit sharing controller. Multiple electric vehicle charging stations are wired on the same electrical circuit. The circuit sharing controller implements a circuit sharing process that dynamically allocates electric current to charging stations on the same electrical circuit such that the capacity of the electrical circuit is not exceeded while permitting each of those charging stations to draw electric current through that electrical circuit for at least some amount of time. | 06-03-2010 |
20110269332 | BREAKAWAY MECHANISM FOR CHARGING CABLES OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS - A breakaway mechanism for a charging cable of an electric vehicle charging station includes a retention component and a breakaway component. The retention component is secured to the charging station and the breakaway component is secured to the charging cable. The charging cable passes through the breakaway component and includes charging wires that connect to connectors on the charging station. The breakaway component is adapted to disengage from the retention component at a predetermined pull force thereby causing the charging wires to disconnect from the connectors on the charging station. | 11-03-2011 |
20110279082 | SAFETY SUPERVISORY MODULE OF AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION - A safety supervisory module (SSM) of an electric vehicle charging station that controls flow of current from the electric vehicle charging station to an electric vehicle. The SSM includes a set of two or more processors to control operation of a contactor control circuitry of the SSM to open and close a set of contacts of a set of power supply lines to control flow of current from the charging station to an electric vehicle. Each processor independently determines whether an unsafe condition exists and asserts a relay enable signal to the contactor control circuitry only when an unsafe condition does not exist. The contactor control circuitry generates a current to energize a relay to close the set of contacts responsive to the relay enable signal being asserted by each and every processor of the set of processors, and inhibits closure of the set of contacts or opens the set of contacts to prevent electricity from flowing between the charging station and an electric vehicle when any of the set of processors is not asserting the relay enable signal. | 11-17-2011 |
20110316482 | ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT SHARING FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS - Electric vehicle charging stations are coupled with a circuit sharing controller. Multiple electric vehicle charging stations are wired on the same electrical circuit. The circuit sharing controller implements a circuit sharing process that dynamically allocates electric current to charging stations on the same electrical circuit such that the capacity of the electrical circuit is not exceeded while permitting each of those charging stations to draw electric current through that electrical circuit for at least some amount of time. | 12-29-2011 |
20120135626 | SELF POWERED ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING CONNECTOR LOCKING SYSTEM - A self powered electric vehicle charging connector locking system for locking and unlocking a charging connector of an electric vehicle charging cord includes an electric vehicle charging station and an electric vehicle charging connector locking holster. The charging station includes an electricity control device to energize and de-energize the charging cord to control a supply of electricity available to flow through the charging cord. Current does not flow through the charging cord when it is de-energized and some amount of current is capable of flowing through the charging cord when it is energized. The locking holster includes a charging connector locking holster inlet to receive the charging connector of the charging cord and a locking unit to lock the charging connector in the locking holster when it is inserted into the locking holster inlet and unlock the charging connector from the locking holster responsive to the charging cord becoming energized. | 05-31-2012 |
20120319660 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING GROUND IMPEDANCE OF A CIRCUIT - A ground continuity circuit is described. In one embodiment, a first voltage of a signal associated with an electrical line input to a circuit is measured with respect to a first resistance value of the circuit. A ground continuity test signal is asserted into the circuit that causes the resistance value of the circuit to change to a second resistance value. A second voltage of the signal is measured with respect to the second resistance value. A ground impedance value of the circuit is determined as a function of the first and second measured voltages and the first and second resistance values. | 12-20-2012 |
20130310999 | ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT SHARING FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS - Electric vehicle charging stations are coupled with a circuit sharing controller. Multiple electric vehicle charging stations are wired on the same electrical circuit. The circuit sharing controller implements a circuit sharing process that dynamically allocates electric current to charging stations on the same electrical circuit such that the capacity of the electrical circuit is not exceeded while permitting each of those charging stations to draw electric current through that electrical circuit for at least some amount of time. | 11-21-2013 |
20140266046 | Managing Electric Current Allocation Between Charging Equipment for Charging Electric Vehicles - A total amount of current drawn through a first charging equipment and a second charging equipment that wired on a same electrical circuit is limited to not exceed a maximum amount of electric current supported by the electrical circuit to prevent the electrical circuit from being overloaded, where limiting includes communicating a first current limit to a first electric vehicle connected to the first charging equipment to cause the first electric vehicle to limit its current draw to not exceed the first current limit, and communicating a second current limit to a second electric vehicle connected to the second charging equipment to cause the second electric vehicle to limit its current draw to not exceed the second current limit, where a sum of current being drawn at the first current limit and the second current limit does not exceed the maximum amount of electric current supported by the electrical circuit. | 09-18-2014 |