US 12,139,030 B1
Lift mechanism for aligning charging elements to charge vehicle
Bryan Emrys Booth, San Francisco, CA (US); Vamsi Krishna Pathipati, San Carlos, CA (US); and Thomas Andrew Stoddart, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Zoox, Inc., Foster City, CA (US)
Filed by Zoox, Inc., Foster City, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 11, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/399,680.
Int. Cl. H02J 50/90 (2016.01); B60L 53/12 (2019.01); B60L 53/38 (2019.01); B60L 53/65 (2019.01); H02J 7/00 (2006.01); H02J 50/00 (2016.01); H02J 50/10 (2016.01); H02J 50/40 (2016.01)
CPC B60L 53/38 (2019.02) [B60L 53/12 (2019.02); B60L 53/65 (2019.02); H02J 7/0042 (2013.01); H02J 50/005 (2020.01); H02J 50/10 (2016.02); H02J 50/90 (2016.02); H02J 50/402 (2020.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for charging a vehicle, the system comprising:
a power source;
a charging coil electrically connected to the power source; and
a lift mechanism coupled to the charging coil, the lift mechanism being configured to transition between an extended state in which the charging coil is disposed in a first position proximate a vehicle coil of the vehicle to permit charging of the vehicle, and a retracted state in which the charging coil is disposed in a second position spaced from the vehicle, the lift mechanism including:
a plate for receiving a wheel of the vehicle,
a lever arm coupled to the plate,
a fulcrum about which the lever arm is configured to pivot for transitioning the lift mechanism between the extended state based at least in part on the wheel being positioned on the plate and the retracted state based at least in part on the wheel being removed from the plate, and
an actuator coupled to the fulcrum, the actuator being configured to adjust, based at least in part on a characteristic of the vehicle, a position of the fulcrum along a length of the lever arm.