Patent Application
20240017632
The invention relates to a charging device for an electric vehicle.
Charging devices for electric vehicles can use different standards to control charging processes. These standards include the Combined Charging System (CCS), which enables DC and AC charging, and CHAdeMO as a pure DC charging standard. DC charging is particularly important for so-called quick charging, in which charging times of less than an hour are achieved. Since high charging powers and therefore also strong currents are transmitted from the charging device to the electric vehicle during quick charging, the charging cable and charging plug are relatively thick or large and correspondingly heavy compared to pure AC charging. A charging plug holder is therefore typically provided on a charging plug holder to hold the charging plug on the charging device while the charging plug and charging device are not used for charging an electric vehicle. Given the weight load on the charging plug holder, charging plug holders are typically provided that have a clip or fork that engages in or on the grip of the charging plug to hold the charging plug.
The object of the invention is to introduce an improved charging device for electric vehicles.
This object is achieved by a charging device according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.
The invention introduces a charging device for DC charging of electric vehicles, which is provided with a housing, power electronics arranged in the housing, a charging cable which is connected to the power electronics and which leads out of the housing and has a charging plug at a distal end, and a charging plug holder arranged on the housing. The charging plug has a grip and a contact portion. The charging plug holder is designed to hold the charging plug. According to the invention, the charging plug holder has a first depression sized and shaped to receive the contact portion of the charging plug in an insertion direction and to hold the charging plug in a standby state of the charging device.
The invention is based on and includes the realization that numerous different charging plugs and charging cable designs are available, but the common charging plug holders are basically adapted to the shaping of the charging plug in its entirety, i.e. in particular also to the shape of the grip of the charging plug. Each manufacturer of charging plugs offers an associated charging plug holder, the shape of which is normally only suitable for the corresponding charging plug, but not for models from other manufacturers. This means that a manufacturer of a charging device has to commit to one supplier for the charging plug, since a mechanical interface adapted to the charging plug holder has to be provided on the housing of the charging device. For example, threaded holes must be provided in a specified number and at specified locations on the housing in order to be able to attach to it a specific charging plug holder for a specific charging plug. However, the specification of a single type and manufacturer entails technical as well as economic disadvantages. As a solution to these problems, the inventors have inventively recognized that a charging plug holder is then suitable for any form of charging plug according to a given charging standard, such as CCS or CHAdeMO, if it holds the charging plug at its standardized contact portion. For this purpose, the charging plug holder of the charging device has a first depression with a design that allows the insertion of the contact portion of the charging plug and, after insertion of the contact portion into the first depression and release of the charging plug, holds it in the charging plug holder.
According to the invention, the charging plug is held by the charging plug holder only at its contact portion and not at its grip. The grip of the charging plug is preferably arranged outside the first depression in the standby state. The contact portion is defined here as the part of the charging plug that is intended for contacting a charging socket of an electric vehicle and the electrical function and external design of which are standardized by the relevant charging standard, i.e. in particular according to the CCS or CHAdeMO standard.
Preferably, the contact portion of the charging plug is held in a frictionally engaged manner by the first depression in the standby state. This can be achieved by the effect of gravity and a twisting of the charging plug in the first depression of the charging plug holder and/or by frictional forces between the surface of the first depression on the one hand and the surface of the contact portion of the charging plug on the other hand.
The first depression particularly preferably tapers along the insertion direction. This simplifies the insertion of the charging plug into the first depression of the charging plug holder and at the same time ensures that the contact portion of the charging plug and the wall of the first depression come into contact with each other after the charging plug has been inserted sufficiently far into the first depression.
For example, the first depression may extend around a center axis running in the insertion direction and may have a bottom surface, through which the center axis passes, and a lateral surface facing the center axis. In this case, the center axis particularly preferably forms an acute angle to a horizontal line and the center axis rises in a direction opposite to the insertion direction. This ensures that the charging plug held by the charging plug holder cannot be pulled out of the charging plug holder against the insertion direction—for example by bending forces of the charging cable. In particular, the acute angle can be smaller than 45°. Preferably, the acute angle is between 10 and 20°, for example 12°.
Particularly preferably, the first depression has an inner shape that corresponds at least approximately to an envelope body of the contact portion of the charging plug. This means that the inner shape of the first depression does not have to have a shape complementary to each depression of the contact portion, thus also simplifying the insertion of the charging plug into the charging plug holder. However, it is advantageous here if the inner shape of the first depression has insertion aids of some kind provided in accordance with the relevant charging standard, such as guide rails.
The charging plug holder may have a second depression surrounding an opening of the first depression, such that at least a portion of the grip of the charging plug in the standby state is disposed in the second depression and spaced from a wall of the second depression. For example, the second depression may be at least approximately funnel-shaped, wherein the portion of the second depression having the smallest cross-sectional area of the second depression is located at the transition to the first depression, while the portion of the second depression having the largest cross-sectional area opens to the surrounding environment of the charging device. The second depression may shield the charging plug grip from environmental influences such as rain or snow, and may also help to suitably center the charging plug during insertion into the charging plug holder. Since in the standby state the charging plug grip is spaced from the wall of the second depression, the second depression can provide space for differently shaped grips of different charging plugs.
Preferably, the charging device has a drainage channel leading from a lowest point of the first depression into a surrounding environment of the charging device. The drainage channel can drain rain and splash water from the first depression into the surrounding environment, so that the charging plug can be stored as dry as possible in the charging plug holder. For example, the drainage channel may be formed as a slot on the bottom of the charging plug holder sloping towards the surrounding environment of the charging device.
The charging plug holder is preferably made of plastic. Plastic is cost-effective and can offer a good compromise between strength and flexibility to withstand the stresses caused by the insertion and removal of the charging plug during operation of the charging device. In this regard, the charging plug holder may be at least partially made of a partially transparent, particularly opalescent, plastic. The partially transparent or opalescent plastic permits, for example, backlighting of the charging plug holder, which is useful for signaling the readiness for operation of the charging device (or, in the case of a charging device having a plurality of charging ports, of the relevant charging port) by colored backlighting (for example, red for not ready for operation and green for ready for operation), in the context of user guidance when carrying out a charging process (lights as an indication of the charging plug to be removed or reinserted into the charging plug holder) or can also be used advantageously in poor ambient light to simplify insertion of the charging plug into the charging plug holder.
The invention will be explained in greater detail below with reference to illustrations of exemplary embodiments, in which:
The charging plug can be inserted into the charging plug holder 2 until the contact portion of the charging plug meets a bottom surface 7 of the first depression 5. A lateral surface 8 of the first depression 5 tapers along the insertion direction, so that the contact portion of the charging plug, which is designed with outer boundaries that are substantially parallel to each other, comes into physical contact with the lateral surface 8 during the insertion movement, and the frictional forces exerted by the lateral surface 8 on the contact portion increase with the insertion depth of the contact portion into the first depression 5.
The charging plug holder 2 additionally comprises a second depression 9, which has a larger volume than the first depression 5 and extends in a funnel shape around the opening of the first depression 5. The second depression 9 protects the grip of the charging plug from environmental influences such as rain or snow, and at the same time ensures that the first depression 5 is located further behind the housing side wall 3 of the charging device 1 so that the free contact ends of the contact portion of the charging plug are better protected from environmental influences.
In order to drain off water entering the charging plug holder 2 and, in particular, its first depression 5 from the outside, the charging plug holder 2 has a drainage channel 10 which, in the present case, is embodied as a gap which is open towards the space enclosed by the charging plug holder 2 and which slopes downwards from the lowest point of the first depression 5 towards a surrounding environment of the charging device 1.
The charging plug holder 2 of
In the perspective side view of
The charging plug holder 2 of
The invention has been explained in greater detail with the aid of illustrations of exemplary embodiments. The examples shown are merely intended to provide a better understanding of the invention and not to limit it as defined exclusively by the following patent claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2020 213 884.2 | Nov 2020 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2021/080136 | 10/29/2021 | WO |
