Patent Application
20110290700
This nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. ยง119(a) to German Patent Application No. DE 10 2010 019 143.4, which was filed in Germany on May 3, 2010, and which is herein incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a housing, in particular for a charging box for an electric vehicle, with three side walls, a floor, and a cover, wherein an opening for the introduction of a pipe is formed in a first side wall.
2. Description of the Background Art
Housings and implementations thereof are known. Depending on the application for the housing, important aspects include: design; costs, especially for mass production; functionality, such as accessibility of the interior; replaceability; and/or other aspects. In the case of a charging box for electric vehicles, virtually all of these aspects must be considered.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a housing with an appealing design that can be replaced in a simple way with another housing of identical design yet nevertheless permits economical manufacture with a small number of parts.
This object is attained according to an embodiment of the invention in that three of the side walls are arranged in a U-shape, with an opening provided in the side wall forming the first side thereof. Provided on the second side forming the opposite side wall thereof is a pipe section that aligns with the opening and has a cross-section, in particular its diameter, which is larger or smaller than the cross-section of a pipe. The pipe and the pipe section can be slid one inside the other, and can be locked in a telescoped state.
This procedure offers the advantage that, once the lock has been released, the housing and pipe section together can be removed easily from a guide and are available for any desired further use, such as for maintenance, repair, or replacement. It is particularly advantageous for a first part of an electrical plug connector aligned with the opening to be attached to the side wall opposite the first side wall.
In addition, it is advantageous for the pipe to have, at its free end, a counterpart to the first part of the plug connector and to have an adequate length. This makes it possible to establish a reliable plug connection between the two parts when the pipe is inserted through the opening. By this means, the plug connection is released at the same time as the pipe is withdrawn from the housing. However, it is also possible to employ a classic plug connector with plug and socket, each of which has an electrical supply line wired to it. The connector is then slid into the pipe, and does not hinder unimpeded removal of the housing from the pipe when the supply lines are of suitable length.
The housing part is further simplified when the fourth side wall is made up of a curved part of the outer housing or a part of the circumferential surface of the pipe. The housing shell then includes two parts: i) the U-shaped housing part with the three side surfaces and ii) the outer housing with the integrated fourth side surface. The outer housing can be fabricated from a polycarbonate, while the U-shaped housing part can be made of a rust-proofed or non-rusting material. The three side walls forming the U-shaped housing part can be a one-piece sheet metal part that is rounded at its corners or edges. Without the rounding, and in particular in combination with the rounding, an especially distinctive design results when the opening is located in the upper third or quarter of the first side wall. This results in an overall pedestal-like appearance for the electric charging station, offering a high recognition value.
The use of the housing as an electric charging box is further simplified when the pipe is bent at an essentially right angle and, in particular, in an L shape. This produces two pipe sections of unequal lengths, of which the short pipe section is inserted through the opening, while the end of the long pipe section is fastened to the ground. The lengths of the long and short pipe sections can be, in an exemplary embodiment, approximately 150 cm and 45 cm. In order to achieve a fixed inclination of the housing cover to the ground, the short pipe section has on its circumferential surface an elongated protrusion extending parallel to the center axis of the pipe that is matched in an interlocking manner to a recess at the edge of the opening. In this way, rotation is prevented, since the combination of the recess and the protrusion provides a type of catch that accommodates or absorbs a torque.
This catch can be extended to a guide rail if the recess represents the start of a groove that is formed by a profiled strip adjoining the recess, the strip extending to the opposite side wall where it is connected thereto.
To ensure the intended function of the housing, it is advantageous for at least a first part of an additional plug connector to be mounted on at least one side wall. The housing is preferably equipped on its side surfaces (which is to say primarily also the floor or the cover) with the sockets or plugs of two or four additional plug connectors. The additional plug connectors initially include parts of conventional plug connections or power outlets or plugs (230V or 360V) and are mounted behind additional recesses on the housing so as to be freely accessible from the outside.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:
Corresponding parts are labeled with the same reference characters in all figures.
The pipe 19 or its pipe section 19a is provided at its connector end with a connector socket 17, which is designed to form a counterpart to the connector plug 15 in a pipe section 11 located on the side piece 5. In order to ensure proper positioning and orientation of the connector socket 17 and plug 15, a grooved or profiled rail 21 is provided in the housing 1 and a guide rail 23 is provided on the pipe 19. As a result, the housing 1 can be installed and removed along the arrow 13.
The pipe 19 has a short pipe section 19a, on which is provided a convexity in the form of a guide rail 23, which extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the pipe section 19a. The dimensions, which is to say the width and the height, of the profiled rail 21 are matched to the dimensions of a recess 31 (
The profiled rail 21, the pipe section 19a, and the recess 31 are shown in an enlarged view in
Also provided in the housing 1 is a component box 29. This box protects electrical components located therein from the effects of weather. Associated with the component box 29 are connector plugs 25, which are attached to one of the side pieces 3, 5 or to a cover 6.
Shown in
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE102010 019143.4 | May 2010 | DE | national |
