CN114450189A

CN114450189A - Charging device for a motor vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN114450189A
Application number: CN202080068500.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: M·乔斯顿; F·奥兹多根
Original assignee: Kiekert AG
Current assignee: Kiekert AG
Priority date: 2019-08-21
Filing date: 2020-07-15
Publication date: 2022-05-06
Also published as: DE102019122418A1; WO2021032235A1; EP4017758A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a charging device for a motor vehicle (1), in particular an electric or hybrid motor vehicle. The charging device is equipped with a charging socket (2) on the vehicle side and a charging plug (3) on the charging post side, or conversely with a charging plug on the vehicle side and a charging socket on the charging post side. A locking element (4) which can be moved by the drive (5, 6) in an electrically driven manner is also provided for releasably locking the charging plug (3) in the charging socket (2). The drive (5, 6) is arranged in a housing (7, 8) from which the locking element (4) emerges with an adjustment stroke (S) that can be varied by the drive (5, 6). For emergency unlocking of the locking element (4), an actuating element (12, 12) is provided which can be manually loaded by means of a tool (11). According to the invention, the actuating element (12, 12') is indirectly and/or directly connected to the locking element (4) within the housing (7, 8).

Description

Charging device for a motor vehicle

Technical Field

The invention relates to a charging device for a motor vehicle, in particular an electric motor vehicle/electric vehicle or hybrid motor vehicle/hybrid vehicle, having a vehicle-side charging socket and a charging plug on the charging post side, or conversely a vehicle-side charging plug and a charging socket on the charging post side, and having a locking element which can be driven by a drive motor and which serves for the releasable locking of the charging plug in the charging socket, wherein the drive is arranged in a housing from which the locking element projects with an adjustment travel which can be varied by the drive, wherein an actuating element which can be acted upon manually by means of a tool is provided for the emergency unlocking of the locking element.

Background

The battery of an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle must be periodically supplied with electric energy. This occurs using a charging infrastructure, which typically includes one or more charging poles. For the charging process with electrical energy, the charging plug of the charging post is usually coupled to a charging socket on the vehicle side. However, it is also possible to connect the vehicle-side charging plug to the charging socket of the charging post. The charging post is equipped with a charging socket and a charging plug is provided on the vehicle side.

There is a need to releasably lock the charging plug with respect to the charging socket, for example, to avoid health hazards to the user. Since here it is usual to work with high voltages, which may be several hundred volts. Furthermore, the locking ensures that only previously identified users can legally obtain the energy provided by the charging post and abuse is prevented. For this purpose, operator identification and authorization verification are usually carried out prior to such a charging process by means of an identification signal, as is described in principle in document WO 2010/149426 a 1.

In the prior art according to CN 2029695855U, the adjustment of the locking element is typically performed by means of an electric drive. The electric drive itself consists of an electric motor and a downstream, usually multi-stage transmission. The multi-stage gear mechanism itself acts on the locking element via a cam.

Furthermore, a solution is known from the prior art according to DE 10201110809 a1, in which a locking device is implemented, which operates by means of a mechanical locking pin. The mechanical latch can be operated electrically. In this way, the mechanical latching fingers engage in grooves on the charging plug and thus lock the plug or the charging plug inside the charging socket by means of the locking device.

Another locking device, in particular for charging plugs, is known from the generic document DE 102011050783 a 1. In this case, an electromechanical drive for the locking element is also provided, by means of which a change between the locked position and the unlocked position of the locking element can be made. Furthermore, emergency unlocking has been proposed for emergency situations. In the emergency unlocking range, the locking mechanism is transferred from the locked position into its unlocked position.

Furthermore, such emergency or emergency unlocking devices are necessary when the vehicle electronics or the drive for the locking element or the locking device fails. As a result, the charging plug cannot be removed from the vehicle any more. It is thus almost impossible to achieve a further travel or even a dragging of the vehicle.

In DE 102011050783 a1, a pulling element is finally used for emergency unlocking, by means of which at least a part of the locking element can be moved in an emergency. The traction means can be a cable, a bowden cable or a lever or operating lever which ends in the vehicle interior, whereby the traction means can be operated by the user in an emergency. In this regard, the pulling means, for example in combination with the actuating lever, form the previously described tool and thus a manually loadable actuating element. This solution is structurally complex. In this case, the emergency unlocking can actually only be performed from the interior of the motor vehicle, but not from the outside. This is problematic when the vehicle cannot be reopened.

For this purpose, another type of prior art according to document DE 102013222509 a1 proposes a charging module for charging an electrical storage medium of an electrically driven motor vehicle. An emergency unlocking device which can be manually actuated by means of an actuating element is provided, by means of which the locking element can be transferred into its unlocking position. A tool is also proposed, by means of which a manual operating force can be transmitted to an actuating element of the emergency unlocking device.

Known emergency unlocking devices are usually accessible from the outside, although when the flap for covering the charging socket is opened. The actuating element is, however, a swivel lever connected to the locking element, which is mounted externally on a housing that receives the drive and the locking element. In addition, the tool is provided with a through-opening which is closed by a thin separating layer made of plastic film. The separating layer or the through-hole temporarily encloses the additional guide. The guide is directed towards the actuating element or the oscillating lever and is used for a defined translational movement of the tool. This results in a relatively high construction effort. Furthermore, in the known teaching according to DE 102013222509 a1, the guide must be adapted to the tool to be used and to the motor vehicle itself, which makes universal emergency unlocking difficult. The invention herein generally provides a remedy.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is to further develop a charging device for a motor vehicle of this type such that the structural outlay is reduced and emergency unlocking can be carried out flexibly and simply on site using various available tools.

In order to solve this problem, the invention proposes, in a charging device for a motor vehicle of this type, that the actuating element is connected indirectly and/or directly to the locking element inside the housing.

In this case, the actuating element may be connected to the drive and/or the housing. Thereby indirectly loading the locking element for emergency unlocking. In this case, it has proven to be advantageous if the actuating element is designed, for example, as a crank which is mounted in a recess of the housing. The crank itself can then engage in a recess of the locking element and thereby serve to indirectly load the locking element by means of the actuating element. The crank, which is relevant and is supported by way of example in a recess of the housing, is arranged here permanently and according to the invention as an actuating element in the interior of the housing.

In this case, it can be provided, for example, that the recess is provided in the housing lower part, which is itself covered by the cover or the housing upper part, for supporting the actuating element embodied as a crank. In principle, the recess receiving the actuating element can also be formed as a component of the housing in or on a connecting part in the housing interior.

Alternatively or additionally, however, the actuating element can also be designed as a molding or profile on a transmission mechanism which is part of the drive. In this case, the locking element is also loaded indirectly. As already mentioned, the drive or electromechanical drive generally consists of an electric motor and a downstream single-stage or multi-stage transmission. In this case, for example, one of the transmission gears of the transmission can be equipped with a profile or a profile which defines an actuating element in its own right, by means of which the locking element is indirectly acted upon for emergency unlocking.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the actuating element is designed as a spring element, which is preferably formed as a spring element, and which is preferably formed as a spring element. It has proven to be advantageous here if the actuating element is designed as a projection or recess which is integrally arranged on the locking element. In this case, the actuating element is also a profile or projection, or a molding or recess, which, however, is not realized, for example, on a transmission gear, as in the case of the previously described indirect application of load to the locking element, but rather is embodied as an integral component of the locking element in the case of direct application of load. That is to say that the projection or recess is defined directly on or in the locking element as an actuating element when the locking element is manufactured. This is achieved particularly simply by the fact that the locking element is advantageously made of plastic, so that the actuating element can be defined directly in the casting process or injection molding process as an integral component of the locking element.

Alternatively or additionally, the gear mechanism, which is optionally connected downstream of the electric motor, is also made of plastic, for which case similar advantages are also obtained. This is because the corresponding profile or shaping on the transmission mechanism or on the transmission gear can again be defined without any problem within the scope of the injection molding process for the transmission gear concerned. A similar situation applies of course also in the case of a transmission made of metal.

Common to all the embodiments described above is that the actuating element is arranged in the region of the temporarily closed opening of the housing. In fact, in the viewing direction looking into this temporarily closed opening, the actuating element is located behind the opening, i.e. inside the housing according to the invention. In order to achieve a temporarily closed opening in detail, the opening is characterized by a region of reduced wall thickness that is closed and/or breakable.

Since the housing is typically designed as a plastic housing, the region of the opening with reduced wall thickness can be defined once again and again during the production process for the housing or the plastic housing. In the region of the opening, the wall thickness of the housing can thus be reduced simply, for example to a wall thickness of only half the original wall thickness. Preferably, the wall thickness can also be only one third or even one tenth of the usual wall thickness of the housing or plastic housing, so that this region of reduced wall thickness can be destroyed without problems by means of a tool for emergency unlocking in order to thereby access the actuating element located behind it.

Within the scope of reusable solutions, the temporarily closed opening is closed, for example, with a rubber plug, a threaded closure, an adhesive film or the like as a closure. The tool is therefore inserted into the housing through the opening in such a way that the actuating element can be loaded by means of the tool. The locking element, which is normally in its locked position, can thus be transferred to its unlocked position during an emergency unlocking procedure. This applies not only to the case of indirect loading of the locking element for emergency unlocking, but also to the case of direct loading of the locking element for emergency unlocking.

The result is a charging device for a motor vehicle which is distinguished by a structurally simple construction and which makes it possible to ensure emergency unlocking of the locking element with completely different tools. The invention proceeds from the recognition that, in contrast to the prior art according to document DE 102011050783 a1 or document DE 102013222509 a1, no complex structures are required. In particular, emergency unlocking from the interior of the motor vehicle is dispensed with. This is because, in the event of a failure of the vehicle electronics, it is often not possible or difficult to access the vehicle interior. The invention therefore provides an emergency unlocking device which is realized directly from the outside.

Since the drive and the movable locking element, together with the housing receiving the two components, are usually arranged in the region of the motor vehicle body through a recess closed in the manner of a "fuel cap", they are in principle accessible from the outside. The charging socket is located in a recess closed by means of a flap and a housing is provided near the recess which receives the drive means and the locking element. Since emergency unlocking is typically necessary only if the charging plug cannot be unlocked relative to the charging socket, i.e. the locking element cannot be moved from its locking position into the unlocking position by motor, this corresponds to a functional position in which the recess is accessible and the flap is open. This is because the charging plug is plugged into the charging socket in this case.

According to the invention, the housing receiving the drive and the locking element is now standardized, since, unlike the prior art according to DE 102013222509 a1, neither additional guides for the tool nor a separating layer for closing the through-opening are required. Both the guide part and the separating layer require special design in the region of the recess closed by the flap in the motor vehicle. The invention specifically eliminates this special design for the motor vehicle, since the actuating element is arranged inside the housing which receives the drive and the locking element, and furthermore, is accessible with a tool through a temporarily closed opening in the housing when required. In other words, the charging device according to the invention can be installed or installed universally and without additional adaptation to the respectively equipped motor vehicle.

As a further advantage, moreover, different tools can be used for emergency unlocking. For example, it is possible to work with a simple screwdriver which engages from below a projection on the locking element as an actuating element for emergency unlocking, thereby displacing the locking element from its locking position into the unlocking position. The temporarily closed opening or the opening edge thereof can be used as a support for placing a screwdriver.

Alternatively, the actuating element can also be a profile formed on the transmission gear of the drive device. In this molding, for example, provided with a hexagonal hollow bore, a socket head wrench can be used if necessary for emergency unlocking. In other words, a possible adaptation to the tool used for emergency unlocking is generally carried out by the manufacturer by appropriately designing the actuating element. Without the need for additional adaptation on the part of the motor vehicle.

As a result, the overall construction effort is significantly reduced compared to the prior art. Therefore, cost reduction is also expected. Furthermore, a generic solution is proposed, which can be used independently of the motor vehicle. This is a major advantage of the present invention.

Drawings

The invention is explained in detail below with the aid of the drawings which show only one embodiment; it shows that:

figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a charging device in a perspective view and in partial section,

figure 2 shows a detail of figure 1,

figure 3 shows in perspective another second embodiment variant,

fig. 4 shows the subject matter according to fig. 3 in the open state.

Detailed Description

In the drawing, a charging device for a motor vehicle 1, which is shown only in fig. 1, is shown. The automobile 1 is an electric automobile or a hybrid automobile. The motor vehicle 1 is equipped with a charging socket 2 on the vehicle side. In addition to the vehicle-side charging socket 2, the charging device also comprises a charging plug 3 on the charging post side. As shown in fig. 1, the charging plug 3 can be detachably locked in the charging socket 2. For this purpose, a locking element 4 is used.

The locking element 4 is moved in an electrically powered manner by means of a

drive

5, 6. The

electromechanical drive

5, 6 essentially comprises an electric motor 6 and a single-stage or multi-stage transmission 5 connected downstream of said motor. The transmission 5 is equipped with different transmission gears 5, as can be seen, for example, in fig. 4. According to this embodiment, as is clearly shown in fig. 2, the end-side transmission gear 5 engages in a recess 4' of the locking element 4 by means of a pin Z.

The locking element 4 can thus be moved in the charging socket 2 by means of the drive means 5, 6 in order to releasably lock the charging plug 3, more precisely in its longitudinal direction L indicated by the double arrow in fig. 1. The locking element 4 can thereby be transferred by means of the drive means 5, 6 from the unlocking position shown by solid lines to the locking position shown by dashed lines and conversely from the locking position to the unlocking position. In the locked position of the locking element 4, the charging plug 3 is locked in the charging socket 2. In order to unlock the charging plug 3 relative to the charging socket 2, the locking element 4 must be transferred into its unlocking position, which is illustrated by solid lines.

The locking element 4 together with the drive means 5, 6 is at least partially received in a

housing

7, 8, which in this embodiment is a plastic housing. The

housings

7, 8 are composed of a lower housing 8 and an upper housing 7. In this case, the design can also be such that the upper housing 7 or the upper housing part covers the lower housing 8 or the lower housing part, corresponding to the illustrations in fig. 3 and 4.

The locking element 4 can protrude more or less from the

housing

7, 8 relative to the opening 10 of the

housing

7, 8 closed by the seal 9. The adjustment path S shown in fig. 1 corresponds to this and is changed by the

drive

5, 6. The adjustment travel S is adjusted between the unlocking position and the locking position of the locking element 4. The locking element 4 is here more or less exposed from the

housing

7, 8 or its opening.

According to the invention, an emergency unlocking of the locking element 4 is additionally now also achieved. Such an emergency unlocking of the locking element 4 is carried out by means of a tool 11, which in the scope of the variant according to fig. 1 and 2 is a screwdriver. In the embodiment of fig. 3 and 4, the tool 11 is configured as an allen wrench as shown. The actuating elements 12, 12' are loaded by means of the tool 11. According to the invention, the actuating element 12, 12' is located inside the

housing

7, 8. Furthermore, the actuating element 12, 12' is indirectly and/or directly connected to the locking element 4.

In the variant according to the illustration in fig. 1 and 2, the actuating element 12 is designed as a projection 12 which is integrally formed on the locking element 4. Alternatively, a recess can also be provided on the locking element 4. The locking element 4 can thus be loaded directly by means of the actuating element or projection 12. This is achieved in that the tool 11 or the screwdriver engages, as shown in the variant according to fig. 1 and 2, the projection 12 embodied as an actuating element 12 from below and transfers the locking element 4 from the locking position shown by the dashed line into the unlocking position shown by the solid line, i.e. according to this embodiment, in an upward movement.

In the variant according to fig. 3 and 4, the actuating element 12' acts indirectly on the locking element 4 in contrast. In this variant, in fact, the actuating element 12' is connected to the drive means and/or to the

housing

7, 8. To the extent that the detail illustration according to fig. 4 is visible, the actuating element 12 'is configured as a crank 12' which is supported in a recess 13 of the

housing

7, 8, in particular in the lower housing 8. The crank 12' additionally has a tool-side projection which, according to this exemplary embodiment, is designed as a hollow hexagon for engaging a socket wrench as the tool 11. The crank or actuating element 12 ' engages in the recess of the locking element 4 on the locking element side by means of a pin, so that in this example case the actuating element 12 ' or the crank 12 ' is rotated by means of the tool 11 or a socket wrench, and in this way the locking element 4 can be transferred from its locking position shown in chain line into the unlocking position shown in solid line by means of the tool 11 as desired in the event of an emergency unlocking.

Another possibility, not shown, is for the tool 11 or rather a flat-head screwdriver to be placed, for example, on a profile as an actuating element 12' on the transmission gear 5 and in this way to be used for emergency unlocking of the locking element 4. The transmission gear 5 can also be equipped with only a profile as the actuating element 12. In the illustrated range according to fig. 3 and 4, all variants have in common that, unlike the embodiment variants according to fig. 1 and 2, the associated actuating element 12 is not arranged directly and directly adjacent to the locking element 4 in the longitudinal direction or is molded onto the locking element 4, but rather: more precisely, the movement of the actuating element 12 is transmitted axially indirectly to the locking element 4 for emergency unlocking. This can be achieved by the crank 12' shown in fig. 4 by a shaping or profiling on the transmission gear 5 or also by a further application of the output shaft of the electric motor 6.

Common to both embodiments according to fig. 1, 2 on the one hand and fig. 3, 4 on the other hand is that the respective actuating element 12, 12' is arranged in the region of the temporarily closed opening 14 of the

housing

7, 8. In fact, in a front view looking into said opening, the actuating element 12, 12' is arranged behind the opening 14 in the

housing

7, 8, i.e. inside the

housing

7, 8. The opening 14 is now temporarily closed, that is to say only for a certain time.

To this end, in the specific case, the opening 14 can be closed by a closure 15, wherein this closure 15 can be removed, if necessary, as a rubber plug, for example, in order to ensure access to the actuating element 12, 12' via the opening 14. This is shown according to the embodiment variant of fig. 3 and 4.

Within the scope of the embodiment variant according to fig. 1 and 2, provision is made for the opening 14 to be closed again temporarily, to be precise in this case not by a closure element 15, but rather in the manner of the design of the region 16 of reduced wall thickness. This region 16 of reduced wall thickness is the following region of the

housing

7, 8, in particular of the lower housing 8: this region has a reduced wall thickness compared to the rest of the

housing

7, 8 outside the opening 14. In practice, the region 16 of reduced wall thickness can be provided with a wall thickness which is less than half, preferably even less than one tenth, of the wall thickness of the rest of the

housing

7, 8 outside the opening 14. Such a region 16 of reduced wall thickness can be defined in the

housing

7, 8 without problems, since the

housing

7, 8 or the

components

7, 8 are each injection-molded parts. The locking element 4 is also typically designed as an injection-molded part.

Now, in order to open the region 16 of reduced wall thickness, it is possible to pierce or break it in a simple and easy manner, to be precise by means of the tool 11, as shown in fig. 1. Thereby, the actuating element 12 there, which is designed as a projection 12, can be accessed, which projection is connected to the locking element 4. In this embodiment variant, the projection 12 is in fact molded onto the locking element 4 made of plastic. In any case, the actuating element 12 is accessible in this case, so that in the scope of this variant a tool 11 or a screwdriver can engage a correspondingly configured projection 12 from below, so that the locking element 4 can be transferred by means of the tool 11 from its locking position shown in chain lines into its unlocking position shown in solid lines. To this end, in this embodiment, the lower edge of the opening 14 may function as a seat for the tool 11. As a result of this emergency unlocking, the locking element 4 can be brought into its unlocked position, so that the charging plug 3 can subsequently be removed from the charging socket 2.

All this is achieved without problems and easily from the outside of the motor vehicle 1. Since in the locked state, a recess in the motor vehicle body of the motor vehicle 1, which receives the charging socket 2 and is mostly closed with a flap, is accessible. For this purpose, in the locked state, the corresponding flap (not shown) is opened and the charging plug 3 is in its locked state in the charging socket 2, that is to say in the locked position of the locking element 4. Starting from this, an emergency unlocking can then be carried out as described.

List of reference numerals:

1 Motor vehicle

2 charging socket

3 charging plug

4 locking element

4' recess

5 drive mechanism

6 electric machine

7 upper shell

8 lower casing

9 sealing element

10 opening

11 tool

12. 12' actuating element

13 recess

14 opening

15 closure

16 (reduced wall thickness) region

Z pin

L longitudinal direction

S regulating stroke

Claims

1. A charging device for a motor vehicle (1), in particular an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, having a vehicle-side charging socket (2) and a charging plug (3) on the charging post side, or conversely a vehicle-side charging plug and a charging socket on the charging post side, and having a locking element (4) which can be moved in an electrically driven manner by a drive (5, 6) for detachably locking the charging plug (3) in the charging socket (2), wherein the drive (5, 6) is arranged in a housing (7, 8) from which the locking element (4) emerges with an adjustment travel (S) which can be varied by the drive (5, 6), wherein, for emergency unlocking of the locking element (4), an actuating element (12) which can be manually loaded by means of a tool (11) is provided, 12) Characterized in that the actuating element (12, 12') is connected to the locking element (4) within the housing (7, 8) indirectly and/or directly.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating element (12, 12') is connected to the drive means (5, 6) and/or the housing (7, 8) and indirectly loads the locking element (4) for emergency unlocking.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the actuating element (12, 12 ') is configured as a crank (12') which is supported in a recess (13) of the housing (7, 8) and which engages in a recess of the locking element (4).

4. The device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the actuating element (12, 12') is configured as a molding or shaping on a transmission mechanism (5) which is an integral part of the drive means (5, 6).

5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the actuating element (12, 12') is constructed as an integral part of the locking element (4) for direct loading of the locking element.

6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the actuating element (12, 12') is configured as a projection (12) or recess integrally provided on the locking element (4).

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that an actuating element (12, 12') is arranged in the region of the temporarily closed opening (14) of the housing (7, 8).

8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the opening (14) is temporarily closed by a closure (15) and/or a breakable, reduced wall thickness area (16).

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the housing (7, 8) is constructed as a plastic housing.

10. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the locking element (4) and/or the transmission mechanism (5) are made of plastic.