US Patent:
20130338820, Dec 19, 2013
Inventors:
Adrian Corbett - Mission Viejo CA, US
Robert Maniaci - Villa Park CA, US
International Classification:
B60L 11/18
Abstract:
An Automated Electric Vehicle Charging Station is disclosed. The Charging Station should can automatically connect to an electrically-powered vehicle and commence the recharging process. The charging process involves the charging station discovering and locating the vehicle's charging port. Once discovered and located, the charging station can reach out and make the electrical interconnection with the vehicle while the vehicle is located at an adjacent parking space. The charging station is retrofittable into an existing parking lot, in addition to its being a part of the original lot construction. A companion software application on a computing device such as a mobile phone may be used to activate and monitor the charging process, amd locating charging stations and providing customer billing status. Docking between the charging station robotic arm and the vehicle can be facilitated by a variety of locating/handshaking methods, including wireless signalling, video camera and infrared triangulation, for example.
