If Apple wants to build an electric car and make it available to the public in some form, it really has to solve the problem of vehicle charging Unlike gasoline and diesel cars that hold fuel and leave alone at night, electric car users are used to charging their cars at night, because unused time is the best opportunity for this activity.
Apple may have its own MagSafe charger alignment system, and the contacts on the charging station will automatically be fully aligned with the corresponding contacts on the electric vehicle. In a newly approved revised Patent called "charging station with passive alignment mechanism", apple proposed such an engineering system that can stop the driver and make the vehicle start charging immediately.
The system mainly relates to a charging station whose charging plug is designed to be inserted into the receiving socket of the vehicle itself. The plug is connected to the sliding rod, and the position of the plug can be moved in the vertical and horizontal directions to allow the imperfect parking of the driver and the change of vehicle height. In operation, the vehicle will have a cover for the charging socket, which will be opened by moving upward when it approaches the charging station. The driver or autonomous vehicle system must try to bring the vehicle as close as possible to its intended destination to maximize the opportunity for proper connection to the charging station.
The parking work does not have to be perfect, as long as it is within the scope of allowing the charging plug to be connected. The rest of the patent explains that the plug can refine its position to where it is needed and can do so relatively passively. The charging point allows the plug to be pushed back by the vehicle through the movement of the sliding rod. For example, the driver moves the vehicle closer to the charging station to reduce the damage caused by the plug hitting the vehicle.
In order to increase the protection of potentially fragile charging plugs, there is a plate above the assembly to deal with any heavy impact. It will also help guide the plug to slide down and meet the socket by pressing the baffle of the vehicle. The baffle also has a certain angle to encourage movement to the socket itself. In order to further increase the appropriate connection opportunities, the area around the socket can also be used as a funnel to lead the plug to the socket. Apple also recommends using a magnet to secure the connection.
Finally, the charging plug itself will be able to rotate vertically and horizontally and change the angle to ensure that it can be perfectly in place once it is manipulated to the correct position. Apple submits a large number of patent applications every week, but although the existence of patent applications indicates the areas of interest in Apple's research and development work, there is no guarantee that Apple will use these ideas in future products or services.