The invention relates to a charging station for inductively charging an electric vehicle.
A charging station of said kind has a primary coil which cooperatively interacts with the secondary coil of an electric vehicle for the purpose of charging the latter.
The object underlying the invention is to disclose a charging station with which it is possible to achieve a particularly accurate positioning of the primary coil of the charging station relative to the secondary coil of the electric vehicle that is to be charged.
This object is achieved according to the invention by means of a charging station having the features recited in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the charging station according to the invention are disclosed in dependent claims.
According to the invention it is thus provided that the charging station has a movable primary coil which is able to generate a magnetic field for the purpose of charging the electric vehicle, the primary coil being movably mounted in such a way that it can be moved by the electric vehicle and positioned relative to a secondary coil of the electric vehicle when the vehicle drives into range of the charging station.
A significant advantage of the charging station according to the invention is to be seen in the fact that with said charging station a self-initiating or automatic adjustment of the primary coil of the charging station relative to the secondary coil of the electric vehicle can be effected when the electric vehicle drives into range, since the primary coil of the charging station according to the invention is specifically mounted so as to be movable. This enables the electric vehicle, when driving into the range of the charging station, to move or displace the primary coil and thus position or align the same in an optimal manner relative to the secondary coil of the electric vehicle. It is therefore possible within the scope of the movability of the primary coil to adjust the primary coil to the optimal position and thereby bring about an optimal energy transfer from the charging station in the direction of the electric vehicle.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the charging station it is provided that the movable primary coil is mounted on a rail in such a way that it can be displaced by the electric vehicle—when the latter drives into range of the primary coil—along the longitudinal direction of the rail (given corresponding orientation of the rail, i.e. for example along the direction of travel). By displacing the primary coil it is possible to make allowance for the fact that when the electric vehicle stops within the range of the charging station it will always have a certain parking tolerance which can be compensated by a displacement of the primary coil along the longitudinal direction of the rail.
In addition or alternatively it can be provided that the movable primary coil is mounted indirectly or directly on a carrier which is swivel able about a pivot and can be swiveled by the electric vehicle when the latter drives into range of the primary coil. Swiveling the carrier of the primary coil enables a lateral tolerance of the position of the electric vehicle within the range of the charging station to be compensated: For example, an optimal adjustment of the primary coil relative to the secondary coil can also be achieved even when the electric vehicle is not driven exactly centrally—referred to the position of the primary coil—into the charging station's range.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the charging station it is provided that the swivel able carrier has a rail or is formed by a rail which can be swiveled about a pivot, permits the primary coil to be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the rail and can be swiveled by the electric vehicle when the electric vehicle drives into range of the primary coil. By swiveling and shifting the primary coil it is possible in a very simple manner to achieve an optimal position of the primary coil relative to the secondary coil and consequently an optimal transfer of energy between the two coils.
It is furthermore considered advantageous if the movable primary coil is mounted on the swivel able carrier or the rail in a spring-loaded manner and can be pressed downward by the electric vehicle when the latter drives into range of the primary coil. Differences in height of the electric vehicles which may be due to differences in design or to variations in tire size or tire pressure etc. can be equalized in a very simple manner by means of a spring, thus allowing an optimal vertical positioning of the primary coil relative to the secondary coil.
A spring-loaded mounting of the primary coil can be achieved in a particularly advantageous manner if a telescopic device is arranged between the swivel able carrier or the rail and the primary coil, which telescopic device presses the primary coil upward in a spring-loaded manner and permits the same to be pressed downward by the electric vehicle.
In order to ensure that the primary coil assumes a predetermined starting position at all times in the initial state, i.e. before an electric vehicle drives into range and prior to the commencement of a charging operation, it is considered advantageous if the primary coil is retained in a spring-loaded manner and in the absence of any external application of force adopts a predetermined starting position. Preferably the carrier parts which retain the coil (e.g. carriers, rails, swivel able rails, etc.) are themselves also spring-loaded in such a way that at times when no external force is applied they assume a defined starting position predetermined there for.
The invention furthermore relates to an inductively chargeable electric vehicle which can be charged by means of a charging station as has been described above. According to the invention it is provided in respect of such an electric vehicle that the electric vehicle has a secondary coil and a positioning device which is suitable for positioning a movable primary coil of a charging device relative to the secondary coil of the electric vehicle.
By means of the positioning device inventively provided on the electric vehicle it is possible in a particularly simple manner to achieve an automatic positioning (or alignment) of the primary coil of the charging station relative to the secondary coil when the electric vehicle drives into range of the charging station and consequently a particularly low-loss charging of the electric vehicle. The advantages of the charging station according to the invention therefore apply in an analogous manner to the electric vehicle according to the invention.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the electric vehicle it is provided that the positioning device is arranged on the floor pan of the vehicle and comprises two side walls spaced apart from each other (preferably oriented downward) which converge rearwardly toward each other and toward the secondary coil in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. The primary coil can be intercepted and aligned in a particularly simple manner by means of two side walls converging in a rearward direction toward each other (e.g. in a funnel-shaped or funnel-like manner); while the electric vehicle advances into range the side walls will namely deflect the primary coil sideways and move it into the optimal position underneath the secondary coil of the electric vehicle.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the electric vehicle it is provided that the positioning device is formed by means of an intercept pod, the side walls of which form the side walls of the positioning device, wherein the secondary coil is arranged at the rear end of the intercept pod viewed in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. A positioning device in the form of an intercept pod can be manufactured in a particularly simple manner, for example even in a single piece, such that an optimal positioning of the pod side walls relative to each other and relative to the secondary coil arranged at the end of the intercept pod is realized automatically already at the time of pod manufacture.
The invention furthermore relates to an arrangement comprising a charging station, as has been described above, and an electric vehicle, as has been described above.
The invention furthermore relates to a method for operating a charging station for the purpose of charging an electric vehicle. According to the invention it is provided in respect of such a method that when the electric vehicle drives into range of the charging station a movable primary coil of the charging station is aligned relative to the secondary coil of the electric vehicle by a positioning device arranged on the floor pan of the electric vehicle.
With regard to the advantages of the method according to the invention, reference may be made to the statements set forth above in connection with the charging station according to the invention, since the advantages of the inventive charging station substantially correspond to those of the inventive method.
It is considered advantageous if a primary coil which is slid able along a rail is displaced along the direction of travel by means of a positioning device arranged on the floor pan of the electric vehicle when the electric vehicle drives into range of the charging station.
In addition or alternatively it can be provided that the primary coil connected to a telescopic or spring-loaded device is pressed downward in the direction of the floor by means of a positioning device arranged on the floor pan of the vehicle.
Alternatively or in addition it can be provided that the positioning device arranged on the floor pan of the vehicle swivels a rail carrying the primary coil about a pivot in order to achieve an optimal positioning of the primary coil relative to the secondary coil.
The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments, where by way of example:
For clarity of illustration reasons the same reference signs are used in all cases in the figures for identical or comparable components.
Referring to
As can be seen in
The primary coil 40 is mounted on a carrier element 50 which is slid ably guided in a rail 60. By attaching the primary coil 40 to the slid able carrier element 50 it is possible to displace the primary coil 40 along the direction of the arrow P for the purpose of its adjustment relative to the secondary coil of an electric vehicle.
The arrangement of the control device 20 in the exemplary embodiment according to
In the exemplary embodiment according to
It is additionally provided in the case of the exemplary embodiment according to
When an electric vehicle drives into range of the charging station 10 it is accordingly possible to displace the primary coil 40 not only translation ally along the direction of the arrow P, but in addition also perpendicularly to the direction of the arrow P. It is therefore possible in the case of the exemplary embodiment according to
In order to avoid the control device 20 being moved as well together with the rail 60 when the latter is swiveled, said control device 20 is preferably mounted in a stationary manner at a fixed location next to the rail 60, as is shown by way of example in
In order in addition to achieve an adjustment of the primary coil 40 in the vertical direction also, the charging station 10 according to
The spring-loaded or telescopic device 100 is preferably embodied in such a way that it exerts a pretensioning effect on the primary coil 40 in such a way that the latter assumes a predetermined height above the rail 60 without any major application of force.
Also apparent in
The positioning device 210 can be formed for example by means of a one-piece intercept pod (made for example from plastic, e.g. fiber-reinforced plastic), the side walls of which form the side walls 211 and 212 of the positioning device.
In the drive-in situation shown in
The electric vehicle 200 is shown driving into range of the charging station 10 once again in a side view in a schematic representation in
Although the invention has been illustrated and described in greater detail on the basis of the preferred exemplary embodiments, it is not limited by the disclosed examples and other variations may be derived here from by the person skilled in the art without leaving the scope of protection of the invention.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2011/067798 | 10/12/2011 | WO | 00 | 4/14/2014 |