US 11,752,891 B2
Charging system for a vehicle
Michael John Harmon, Westland, MI (US); Tithal Bhandari, Streamwood, IL (US); Hussain Z Tajmahal, Detroit, MI (US); Yejin Han, Detroit, MI (US); Ryan Warner, Ann Arbor, MI (US); and Rachel Williams, Fremont, CA (US)
Assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on May 27, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/332,163.
Prior Publication US 2022/0379759 A1, Dec. 1, 2022
Int. Cl. B60L 53/37 (2019.01); B60L 53/16 (2019.01)
CPC B60L 53/37 (2019.02) [B60L 53/16 (2019.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A charging station comprising:
a housing having a track;
a charging head secured to the track such that the charging head is slidable along the track and rotatable relative to the housing;
a plurality of electrical connectors disposed radially about the charging head, each of the electrical connectors having a different profile and configured to advance from and retract to the charging head; and
a controller programmed to, in response to parking a vehicle adjacent to the charging station and an electrical port of the vehicle having a profile corresponding to the profile of a first of the plurality of electrical connectors, (i) adjust a position of the charging head along the track to align the charging head with the electrical port, (ii) rotate the charging head to align the first of the plurality of electrical connectors to the electrical port, and (iii) advance the first of the plurality of electrical connectors from the charging head to connect the first of the plurality of electrical connectors to the electrical port.