Abstract:
Disclosed is a below grade electrical power delivery device for powering auxiliary electrical equipment. The device comprises a container, a lid attached to the container, an electrical box attached to the interior surface of the lid and a terminal box attached to the interior of the container. A power supply is connected to the terminal box which in turn is connected to the electric box. The lid can be opened to reveal the electric box and to attach a cable to a receptacle in the electric box. There is also a drainage passage in the container and protective plates so as to protect the electrical equipment from water damage.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from provisional application no. 61/196,220, filed on Oct. 16, 2008. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to rest stop electrification and specifically to a below grade electrical device configured to provide an electrical outlet to vehicles at a rest stop. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Many long-haul truck drivers idle their truck&#39;s engines during rest periods to provide temperature control for the sleeper compartment, keep the engine warm during cold weather, and generate electrical power for appliances. 
         [0004]    Studies suggest that long-haul trucks often idle up to eight hours per day, over 300 days per year. Idling for such extended period of time consumes a significant amount of fuel as well as contributing to the emission of green house gases and other contaminants. Unnecessary engine idling also contributes to engine wear, which increases truck maintenance costs, and shortens engine life. Accordingly, it is understood that using a truck engine to power amenities is inefficient. 
         [0005]    One solution proposed to reduce engine idling is truck stop electrification. Truck stop electrification allows trucks to use electrical power from an external source. At properly equipped truck stops, drivers can shut the main truck engine off and plug into an electrical outlet that provides power for heaters, air conditioners, marker lights, and other accessories. Trucks need to be equipped with the required internal wiring, inverter system, and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to take advantage of truck stop electrification. 
         [0006]    An example of truck stop electrification is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,080 issued to Wilson et al., titled “Apparatus for Providing Convenience Services to Stationary Vehicles”. The patent described a supply panel that is configured to interface with the vehicle through a window or a service door. The supply panel provides convenience services such as HVAC service, electrical power, telephone, video, television services and the like. The supply panel has at least one conduit attached thereto to provide the convenience services. 
         [0007]    However, such a solution is expensive and difficult to implement. Further, more trucks are becoming equipped to provide there own services. For example, with the proliferation of wireless technology, many drivers have cellular telephones and notebook computers. Further, more trucks are being equipped with the required internal wiring, inverter systems, and HVAC systems to take advantage of an external power source. 
         [0008]    Accordingly, there is a need for a simple solution to provide truck stop electrification that can provide truck drivers with the necessary electricity to power the truck&#39;s convenience services. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    Accordingly, the present invention provides a subterranean electrical receptacle for installation at a vehicle rest area. The electrical receptacle provides an outlet configured for receiving a power cord from a vehicle. 
         [0010]    In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a below grade electrical power delivery device, comprising: a container having a top end opposite a bottom end; a movable lid having an interior surface, the lid movable between an open position and a closed position, the interior surface and container defining an interior a terminal box in the interior of the container, the terminal box for receiving electricity from a cable; and an electrical box in the interior of the container, the electrical box having a receptacle outlet for receiving a cable connection, wherein the receptacle outlet is accessible from without the interior when the lid is in its open position and the receptacle outlet is confined in the interior when the lid is in its closed position. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a side plan cut-away view of the electrical power delivery device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a side plan cut-away view of the electrical power delivery device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is an isometric view of the electrical power delivery device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the electrical power delivery device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the lid of the electrical power delivery device along line B-B of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a front plan view of the lid of the electrical power delivery device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a side plan view of the lid of the electrical power delivery device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is an isometric view of the lid of the electrical power delivery device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a front view of the terminal block of the electrical power delivery device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is a side view of the terminal block of the electrical power delivery device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  is an isometric view of the terminal block of the electrical power delivery device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0023]    For convenience, like numerals in the description refer to like structures in the drawings. Referring to  FIG. 1 , a front view of a below grade outdoor electrical power delivery device is illustrated generally by numeral  100 . The below grade outdoor electrical power delivery device  100  may be used for truckstop electrification for example. 
         [0024]    The outdoor electrical power delivery device  100  may be used at a vehicle rest stop to provide auxiliary electrical power to vehicles. For example the electrical power delivery device  100  may be used at a truck stop to provide auxiliary electrical power to trucks. The outdoor electrical power device is below grade or subterranean so that it does not interfere with vehicle or truck wheels. 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the electrical power device comprises a container  102  with a top end  124  and a bottom end  126 . The bottom end  126  is connected to a pre-cast concrete pad  114  and the top end  124  is connected to a lid  104  all of which, together, define an interior with each of the container  102  and lid  104  having an interior surface facing the interior. 
         [0026]    A terminal box  108  is connected to the interior surface of the container  102 . An electrical box  110  is connected to the interior surface of the lid  104 . 
         [0027]    The container  102  shown in the Figures is cylindrical with a hollow interior. However it will be apparent to a skilled reader that the invention described herein can be used with a container  102  of a different shape such as a rectangular cuboid. 
         [0028]    The container  102  may be made of steel or other suitable material known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Suitable material includes material that can withstand the weight of a truck for example. For example the container  102  may be a steel pipe with a diameter of 18 inches (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0029]    The bottom end  126  of the container  102  has a four legs  118  with each leg  118  having a planar surface  119 . Each leg  118  is attached to the bottom of the container  102  such that the planar surfaces  119  of the legs  118  are at an angle perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container  102 . The legs  118  (and their planar surfaces  119 ) extend outwardly and/or inwardly from the container  102  and are for attaching to a surface, such as the concrete pad  114 . In the embodiments shown, nuts  122  and bolts  120  extend through the planar surfaces  119  and into the concrete pad  114  with one pair of nut  122  and bolt  120  for each planar surface  119 . The legs  118  and hence container  102  are thereby secured to the concrete pad  114 . It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that alternative means of attaching the container  102  to a surface can be substituted with the nuts  122  and bolts  120  arrangements explained above without departing from the scope of the invention. 
         [0030]    The concrete pad  114  may be secured or formed or cast in the ground first before securing the container  102  to the concrete pad  114 . However, it is not essential that these steps be performed in this sequence; the container  102  can be secured to the concrete pad  114  before the concrete pad  114  is placed into the ground. Additionally, the concrete pad  114  may be placed in the ground such that when the container  102  is secured to the pad  114  the top end  124  of the container  102  is flush with the ground. Thus, the interior of the container  102  is “below grade” but the container is visible and provides no significant obstacle to vehicles passing there over. The concrete pad  114  has an aperture  150  therethrough underneath the bottom end  126  of the container  102 . The aperture  150  forms a fluid channel with the interior of the container  102 . There may be additional holes through the concrete pad  114 . 
         [0031]    The terminal box  108  is connected to the interior surface of the container  102  by a screw  116 . A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that alternative means of connection may be used to secure the terminal box  108  to the interior surface of the container  102 . In the embodiments shown, the terminal box  108  is attached at the midsection of the container  102  (with respect to the longitudinal height of the container  102 ). It is recognized that this invention may operate equally well with the terminal box  108  attached to other locations in the interior of the container  102 . 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIGS. 9 to 11 , the terminal box  108  comprises a rectangular metallic casing  906 , which is attached at one side to the interior surface of the container  102 . The opposite side of the casing  906  is open. A cover  908  is removabley attached to the open side of the casing  906 . The cover  908  may be fully removable from the casing  906  and/or attached by screws or other suitable attachment means. In an alternative embodiment the cover  908  may be attached by a hinge to the casing  906 .  FIGS. 10 and 11  show the cover  908  in an open position. Distribution lugs  904  and a cable outlet  902  are secured to the cover  908 . There is also a hole  911  in the cover  908  for allowing a cable to pass through. 
         [0033]    According to an embodiment, an underground cable (not shown) from a standard or conventional power grid passes through the aperture  150  in the concrete slabs  114  and connects to internal circuitry (not shown) of the terminal box  108 . Additional underground cable such as coaxial cable, Ethernet cable and copper twisted pair cable, for example, may also connect to the internal circuitry. By way of further example, the additional underground cable (e.g. coaxial cable, Ethernet cable or copper twisted pair cable) can either be modified by the electronics used to implement the internal circuitry or merely pass through the internal circuitry. Power from the grid (e.g. from the additional underground cables) can be multiplexed from a plurality of different power lines having varying voltages and currents. The distributions lugs  904  provide access points to the different power lines provided by the internal circuitry. Further, there may be an aperture in the side of the container for allowing an underground cable from a standard or conventional power grid to pass through. 
         [0034]    The electronics used to implement the internal circuitry are well known in the art and are not discussed in further detail to avoid detracting from the invention. Further, as will be appreciated, the number of different power lines as well as the corresponding voltage and current levels will vary depending on the implementation. 
         [0035]    An interior conduit  112  couples the terminal box  108  to the electrical box  110 . The interior conduit  112  provides a water resistant shell for covering any cables connected between the terminal box  108  and the electrical box  110 . Alternately, the interior conduit  112  may be replaced by a multi-purpose cable, having the necessary connections, wiring and interfaces to “plug-in” to the terminal box  108  to the electrical box  110 . 
         [0036]    The electrical box  110  is secured to the interior surface of the lid  104 . The electrical box  110  includes an interface for providing a user with access to the components provided. In the present embodiment, the electric box  108  interface contain the following components: a breaker 20 Amp, 1 Phase front mount; a receptacle outlet, 120 V, 20 Amp, GFI; a breaker 30 Amp, 1 Phase front mount; a receptacle outlet 120 V, 30 Amp A 3 Wire; a cable TV connector; a breaker 15 Amp 1 Phase, front mount; a receptacle outlet 120 V, 1 Phase, front mount; and a night light, 120 V. It will be appreciated that the components may vary depending on the requirements of the implementation. Accordingly, the receptacle outlets are configured for receiving a connecting power cable. The connecting power cable comes from the user and couples a load external to the electrical power delivery device  100 . 
         [0037]    A cover plate  210  extends inward from the interior surface of the lid  104  in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the lid  104 . The cover plate  210  surrounds the front and sides of the electrical box  108 . The cover plate  210  is removably attached to the lid  104  using screws or other suitable attachment means known to a person skilled in the art. Two hinge plates  206  are attached at one end by hinges  202  to the interior surface of the container  102 . The opposite end of each hinge plate  206  attaches to the cover plate  210  on each side of the electric box  108 . The lid  104  is thereby hingedly secured to the container  102 . The cover plate  210  may be made of a rubber compound. 
         [0038]    The cover plate  210  has a curved edge  275  opposite the interior surface of the lid  104 . Referring to  FIG. 6 , the curved edge  275  extends between two ends  276 . The curved edge  275  defines a parabola extending upwards (in the direction of the interior surface of the lid  104 ) from the two ends  276  thereby revealing a portion of the electrical box interface. 
         [0039]    The lid  104  will now be described in more detail. Referring to  FIGS. 4 ,  6  and  8 , the upper surface  410  of the lid  104  defines a circle with one flat edge  406  extending between the two hinge plates  206 . There is a notch  402  in the edge of the upper surface  410  of the lid  104  opposite the flat edge  406 . The hinge plates  206  are attached on the interior surface of the lid  104  and extend in a direction parallel to the lid surface  410  beyond the flat edge  406  ending in the hinge attachments  425 . 
         [0040]    Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the hinge attachments  425  (and hence the hinge plates  206  and lid  104 ) are attached to hinges on the interior surface of the container  102 . Alternatively the hinge attachments  425  may be attached to hinges on the interior surface of the metal plate  420 . Alternatively, the plate  420  may be made of a rubber compound. As will be recognized by a person of ordinary skill in the art, the lid  104  may be secured by an alternative suitable means to the container  102  which will allow the lid  104  to be open (at least partially revealing the interior of the container) and closed. 
         [0041]    In an embodiment, shown in  FIG. 2 , the lid  104  configured to open to a maximum of 80 degrees in relation to the top end  124  of the lid  104 . In this way the lid  104  will be biased to the closed position (i.e. abutting the lid stops  204 ). Alternatively, a spring or other biasing mechanism can be used to bias the lid  204  to the closed position. Further, the lid  204  may not be biased at all to the closed position. 
         [0042]    In an embodiment, the hinge attachments  425  are configured to break or shear upon impact. Thus, if for some reason the lid  104  is left in an open position and is contacted by a vehicle, the lid will break of at the hinge attachments  425 , reducing potential damage to the electronics  108  and  110  and the below-grade container  102 . 
         [0043]    When the hinge attachments  425  (and hence the hinge plates  206  and lid  104 ) are hingedly attached to the container, the hinge attachments  425  and a portion of the hinge plates  206  are on the interior surface of the metal plate  420 . 
         [0044]    The interior of the container has six lid stops  204  near the container&#39;s top end  124 . The lid stops  204  abut the lid  104  when the lid  104  is closed over the top end  124  of the container  102 , thereby inhibiting the lid  104  from passing into the interior of the container  102 . The lid stops  204  may be rectangular pieces of steel welded to or otherwise attached to the interior of the container  102  extending in the direction of the central axis of the cylindrical container  102 . A person of skill in the art would recognize that other suitable stoppers which perform the function of preventing the lid  104  from passing beyond the stoppers into the interior of the container  102 . 
         [0045]    Opposing ends of a splash plate  302  are each secured to the hinge plates  206  (see  FIG. 3 ). Alternatively, the splash plate  302  may be attached to the electrical box  110 . Thus, when the lid  104  is closed over the top end  124  of the container  102 , the splash plate  302  hangs above the terminal box  108  between the terminal box  108  and the top end  124  of the container  102 . 
         [0046]    The top end  124  of the container defines an opening in the shape of a circle. The periphery  411  of the circle defined by the opening is on a single plane. A planar metal sheet  420  extends inwardly (i.e. towards the centre of the circular opening) from the periphery  411  along the same plane as the periphery  411  (i.e. perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container  102 ) towards its edge  407 . The edge  407  of the planar metal sheet  420  defines a chord on the circular opening of the top end  124  of the container. 
         [0047]    The opening at the top end  124  of the container  102  defined by both the circular periphery  411  and the edge  407  of the metal sheet  420  outlines the shape defined by the edge  320  of the lid  104 . However, the shape defined by the edge  320  of the lid  104  is slightly smaller than the shape defined by both the circular periphery  411  and the edge  407  of the metal sheet  420 . Thus a gap  404  exists between the lid  104  and the container  102  at the top end  124  of the container  102 . 
         [0048]    The entire device  100  is then placed into the ground such that the top end  124  is substantially coplanar with the ground. In an embodiment the device  100  is placed into the ground at a truck stop. 
         [0049]    If it rains, the water will pass through the gap  404  into the container  102  and through the aperture  150  in the concrete pad  114  into a drain. The cover plate  210  substantially blocks the water from going onto the interface of the electric box  110 . Similarly, the splash plate  302  substantially blocks liquid or water from splashing or running or dripping onto the terminal box  108 . Thus, water will not likely damage the electronic equipment contained in the device. 
         [0050]    In operation, a vehicle (e.g. a truck) drives near the device  100 . A person can then grasp the lid  104  using the notch  402  and rotate the lid  104  open around the hinge axis, thereby revealing the interior of the container  102 . The person can then plug the external power cable (not shown) into a receptacle  99  on the interface and close the lid  104 . When the lid  104  is closed the external power cable runs outside of the interior of the container through the notch  402  so that the lid  104  can close. With the lid  104  closed the external power cable extends through the notch  402 . 
         [0051]    The power from the grid going into the terminal box  108  is passed through the receptacle into the external power cable. The user can then use the electricity from the external power cable to power certain electronic devices (e.g. a radio) in his or her vehicle. 
         [0052]    The electricity consumed through the device may be recorded by a third party and the user may then be able to pay that third party for the amount of electricity consumed. Alternatively, the user may pay a flat rate fee for access to the device. Billing schemes for electricity are well known in the art and continue to develop, but are beyond the scope of the invention. 
         [0053]    Although the previous embodiment described truck stops, it will be appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the below-grade container  102 , as described herein may have other applications. For example, the container  102  may be implemented in parking lots to provide power to electric vehicles. By way of further example, the container  102  may be implemented and/or used in a Recreational Vehicle park, in an underground parking garage, in a person&#39;s driveway or house garage, on the side of the street, etc. A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the container  102  may be implemented and/or used anywhere a vehicle may park or rest in an idle state. 
         [0054]    One or more currently preferred embodiments have been described by way of example. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.