An electric vehicle (EV) charger 10 includes: a housing 12; a charging cable 18 with a charging plug 16; and a motorised charging cable dispensing apparatus. The charger has: a stowed configuration where the plug is at least partly surrounded by the housing; a ready-to-deploy configuration where the plug protrudes from the housing; and a deployed configuration where the plug and charging cable extend from the housing to allow the plug to be connected to a vehicle. In response to operation of a first control input, the charger activates the cable dispensing apparatus to dispense the plug from the stowed configuration into the ready-to-deploy configuration to allow it to be easily grasped by a user. The first control input may be provided as a switch or sensor on the housing, or via a smartphone app or other remote control. A second control input (e.g. buttons 26, 28 on the plug) may activate the dispensing apparatus to dispense the cable from the ready-to-deploy configuration to the deployed configuration. Motorised cable retracting apparatus may retract the cable back into the stowed configuration by means of either the first or second control input. The control input(s) may allow incremental control of cable dispensing/retraction.
Accessible electric vehicle charger
2024-05-15
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | B60L PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES , Antrieb von elektrisch angetriebenen Fahrzeugen / B65H HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES , Handhaben von dünnem oder fadenförmigem Gut, z.B. Folien, Bahnen, Kabeln / H02G INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES , Verlegen oder Installieren elektrischer Kabel oder Leitungen, Verlegen oder Installieren kombinierter optischer und elektrischer Kabel oder Leitungen |