JP2013179756A - Charge cable device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charge cable device which inhibits user's hand from getting dirty when the charge cable is housed.SOLUTION: In a charge cable device 10, a centroid of a grip 30 is positioned at the radial outer side of a cable 20. A holding part 31 is positioned at the opposite side of the centroid. Thus, when the grip 30 is put on a ground surface, a portion where the centroid lies tends to be positioned at the lower side and thus the holding part 31 is positioned at the upper side. The structure prevents the holding part 31 from getting dirty due to contact with the ground surface when the grip 30 is placed on the ground surface. Hence, the user holds the holding part 31 thereby holding and housing the cable 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging cable device that supplies electric power to a vehicle from a power supply such as a power supply stand.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a charging cable device is known in which a charging gun attached to a charging port of a vehicle is provided at the end of a cable extending from a power supply stand or the like that is a power supply. In general, a relatively long cable is used for the charging cable device so that it can be used for multiple vehicle types with different charging port positions, and it can also handle changes in the parking position and parking direction of the vehicle relative to the charging stand. Is done. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which such a charging connection cable is wound and stored in a box, and the cable is pulled out from the cord reel when charging.

JP 2010-115037 A

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above, when charging is performed by pulling the cable from the cord reel, the charging cable may come into contact with the ground during charging. Since the charging cable becomes dirty when it comes into contact with the ground, there is a risk that the cord reel will malfunction due to the dirt being caught. Further, if the cord reel is not used, there is a problem that the user needs to store the charging cable and the hand gets dirty.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a charging cable device that prevents a user's hand from becoming dirty when the charging cable is stored.

  The present invention employs the following technical means in order to achieve the aforementioned object.

  The present invention provides a cable (20) having a power line for supplying power from a power supply (12) to a vehicle (11), and a charging provided at one end of the cable and attached to a charging port of the vehicle when charging the vehicle. A gun (21) and a grip (30) provided on the outer periphery of the middle portion of the cable, the grip has a center of gravity in a virtual plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the cable, located radially outward of the cable, The charging cable device is characterized by having a gripping portion (31) for gripping a grip on the opposite side of the cable at the center of gravity.

  In this way, the center of gravity of the grip is located outward in the radial direction of the cable. The grip portion is located on the opposite side of the center of gravity. Therefore, when the grip is placed on the ground, the portion with the center of gravity tends to be down, so that the gripping portion is positioned above. Thus, when the grip is placed on the ground, the gripping portion can be prevented from becoming dirty due to contact with the ground. Therefore, the user can hold the cable and store it by holding the holding portion.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each above-mentioned means is an example which shows a corresponding relationship with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of a charging cable apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows a grip. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating operation of a charging cable apparatus. It is a front view which shows schematic structure of a charging cable apparatus. It is a perspective view showing grip 30A of other examples. It is a perspective view which shows the grip 30B of 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view showing grip 30C of a 3rd embodiment. It is a perspective view showing grip 30D of a 4th embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the grip 30E of 5th Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the charging stand 12F of 6th Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the charging stand 12G of 7th Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In some embodiments, portions corresponding to the matters described in the preceding embodiments may be given the same reference numerals, or one letter may be added to the preceding reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions may be omitted. In addition, when a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the other parts of the configuration are the same as those of the embodiment described in advance. In addition to the combination of parts specifically described in each embodiment, the embodiments may be partially combined as long as the combination does not hinder the combination.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, a charging cable device 10 is a charging stand that is a power supply when charging a battery mounted on a vehicle 11 such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle using a motor as a travel drive source. This is for supplying electric power from 12 to the vehicle 11.

  The charging cable device 10 includes a cable 20 extending from the charging stand 12 and a charging gun 21 provided at the tip of the cable 20. The cable 20 includes a power line for supplying power from the charging station 12 to the vehicle 11 and a signal line for performing communication between the charging station 12 and the vehicle 11. A connection terminal portion connected to a charging port (charging lid) of the vehicle 11 is provided at the tip of the charging gun 21.

  The charging stand 12 is also provided with a gun holder 13 for accommodating the charging gun 21. The gun holder 13 is realized by a recess that is recessed inward. The user can attach the charging gun 21 to the charging stand 12 by inserting the charging gun 21 into the gun holder 13 after completing the charging operation.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a relatively long cable 20 is used as the cable 20. This is to cope with the fact that the position of the charging port may differ depending on the vehicle type and that the parking position and parking direction of the vehicle 11 may differ with respect to the charging stand 12. Therefore, when the charging gun 21 is attached to the charging port of the vehicle 11, the middle portion of the long cable 20 is placed on the parking surface (the parking ground or floor surface) where the vehicle 11 is parked.

  The middle portion of the cable 20 includes a hand portion (end portion on the charging gun 21 side) located above the parking surface on the charging gun 21 side and a stand located above the parking surface on the charging stand 12 side. This is the portion excluding the side end.

  On the outer periphery of the intermediate portion of the cable 20, a grip 30 for the user to hold the cable 20 is provided. The grip 30 has a center of gravity in a virtual plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the cable 20 located outside in the radial direction of the cable 20. In other words, the mass balance of the grip 30 is biased so that a rotational moment acts on the cable 20. In addition, the grip 30 has a grip portion 31 for the user to grip the grip 30 on the opposite side of the center of gravity with respect to the cable 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the grip 30 is configured by connecting two triangular plates 32 with three vertices connected by three columns 33. The cable 20 is disposed so as to pass through the centers of the two triangular plates 32. Of the three cylinders 33, one that is located in the upper part of FIG. The material is selected so that the grip portion 31 is heavier than the remaining two cylinders 33. As a result, the opposite side of the grip portion 31 to the cable 20 becomes the center of gravity. Therefore, when the grip 30 is placed on the ground, the grip portion 31 is likely to rise upward due to the natural rotational moment.

  Further, the grip 30 is provided such that the displacement of the cable 20 in the axial direction is restricted and the cable 20 can be angularly displaced. Therefore, the grip 30 has a fixed axial position with respect to the cable 20. The grip 30 is formed at a predetermined position that is preferable for gripping the cable 20 in a compact manner when not being charged. Further, since the grip 30 can be angularly displaced with respect to the cable 20, when the position or posture of the charging gun 21 is changed after the grip 30 is placed on the ground, the grip 30 can be prevented from being turned over. .

  The charging stand 12 is provided with a grip holder 14 for mounting the grip 30. The grip holder 14 is a magnetic material such as iron, and the grip 30 contains a magnet. The magnet is built in the lower side of the triangular plate 32, for example. The grip 30 can be attached to the grip holder 14 by attaching the magnet of the grip 30 to the grip holder 14. By using the magnet, the degree of freedom of the mounting position with respect to the grip holder 14 can be improved. Further, in order to hold the cable 20 or the like, it may be attached to an iron part other than the charging stand 12 such as the vehicle 11. Moreover, the outer shape of the charging stand 12 may be configured from a magnetic material such as iron, and the entire side surface of the charging stand 12 may be configured to function as the grip holder 14. As a result, the degree of freedom for mounting the grip 30 can be further improved.

  Next, the operation of the charging cable device 10 having the above configuration will be described. After the charging of the vehicle 11 is completed, as shown in FIG. 3, the user first causes the charging gun 21 to be detached from the charging port of the vehicle 11 with one hand. Next, the grip 30 placed on the parking surface is held with the other hand.

  After gripping the charging gun 21 and the grip 30 of the cable 20, the charging gun 21 is mounted on the gun holder 13 of the charging stand 12 and the grip 30 is mounted on the grip holder 14 of the charging stand 12. Thereby, the cable 20 hangs down so as to meander in the vertical direction along the front surface of the charging stand 12, and is compactly gathered (see FIG. 4).

  According to this, when charging of the vehicle 11 is completed, the user grasps the charging gun 21 to release the charging gun 21 from the charging port, and then grips the cable 30 placed on the parking surface. Therefore, the cable 20 can be accommodated without touching the cable 20 as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling uncomfortable due to his hands getting dirty when the cable 20 having the intermediate portion placed on the parking surface is gathered.

  Conventionally, as a method of collecting the cables 20 without touching the cables 20 placed on the parking surface, a method of winding the cables 20 around a cord reel is known. However, in the case where the dirty cable 20 is wound around the cord reel, there may be a problem that it is difficult to perform winding well due to foreign matter or the like attached to the cable 20. Further, when the cable 20 is wound around the cord reel, there is a problem that the physique after winding becomes relatively large.

  According to the charging cable device 10 of the present embodiment, even if foreign matter or the like is attached to the cable 20, it is not difficult to organize the cables 20. Further, the physique after the cable 20 is assembled can be made relatively compact.

  As described above, in the charging cable device 10 of the present embodiment, the center of gravity of the grip 30 is located outward in the radial direction of the cable 20. And the holding | grip part 31 is located in the other side of a gravity center. Therefore, when the grip 30 is placed on the ground, the portion having the center of gravity tends to be down, so that the grip portion 31 is positioned upward. Accordingly, when the grip 30 is placed on the ground, the grip portion 31 can be prevented from being soiled due to contact with the ground. Therefore, the user can hold the cable 20 and hold it by holding the holding portion 31.

  In the present embodiment, the charging stand 12 serving as the power supply is provided with a gun holder 13 for mounting the charging gun 21 and a grip holder 14 for mounting the grip 30. As a result, the charging gun 21 and the grip 30 can be attached to the charging stand 12. Therefore, the user can store the cable 20 in the charging stand 12 with the charging gun 21 and the grip 30.

  In the present embodiment, the grip 30 is configured by connecting two triangular plates 32 with their three vertices connected by three columns 33, but is not limited to the triangular plate 32. As shown in FIG. 5, the grip 30 </ b> A can be configured using two Y-shaped plates 40 instead of the triangular plate 32, thereby reducing the weight.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the grip 30B is different from that of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the grip 30 </ b> B includes a flat bottom portion 50 that contacts the ground and a grip portion 31 </ b> B that protrudes upward from the bottom portion 50. The cable 20 is provided so as to pass through the inside of the connection portion between the bottom portion 50 and the grip portion 31B. The material and shape of the bottom 50 are determined so that the mass of the bottom 50 is larger than that of the grip portion 31B. As a result, the center of gravity is located in the bottom 50 and below the cable 20. Such a grip 30B is easily stabilized by placing the lower surface of the bottom 50 on the ground. Further, when the grip 30B is placed on the ground, the grip portion 31B is likely to be raised due to the natural rotational moment. Therefore, the same operations and effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be achieved.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the grip 30C is different from that of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the grip 30 </ b> C includes a flat bottom portion 50 </ b> C that contacts the ground, two side portions 51 that protrude upward from both ends of the bottom portion 50 </ b> C, and a grip portion 31 </ b> C that connects the side portions 51. The side part 51 is formed in a triangular plate shape. The grip portion 31 </ b> C is configured by a single cylinder that connects the apexes above the side portion 51.

  The cable 20 is provided so as to pass through the inside of the grip portion 31C. Further, the material and shape of the bottom portion 50C are determined so that the mass of the bottom portion 50C is larger than that of the side portion 51 and the grip portion 31C. As a result, the center of gravity is located near the bottom 50C and below the cable 20. Such a grip 30C is easily stabilized by placing the lower surface of the bottom 50C on the ground. Further, when the grip 30C is placed on the ground, the grip portion 31C is likely to be raised due to the natural rotational moment. Therefore, the same operations and effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be achieved.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the grip 30D is different from that of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the grip 30D is configured by connecting two V-shaped plates 52 by three columns 33D. And the cable 20 is comprised so that the inside of the cylinder 33D located in the upper direction of FIG. 8 may be passed. Of the three cylinders 33D, one of the three cylinders 33D located above in FIG. The material is selected so that the grip portion 31D is heavier than the remaining two cylinders 33D. As a result, the opposite side of the grip portion 31D with respect to the cable 20 becomes the center of gravity. Therefore, when the grip 30D is placed on the ground, the grip portion 31D is likely to be raised due to the natural rotational moment. Therefore, the same operations and effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be achieved.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the grip 30E is different from that of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the grip 30 </ b> E is configured in an elliptic cylinder shape. The cable 20 is configured to pass through the center of the elliptic cylinder. The grip portion 31E is realized by a recess formed on the side surface of the elliptic cylinder. Further, a weight is provided below the grip 30E in FIG. Accordingly, the opposite side of the grip portion 31E with respect to the cable 20 is the center of gravity. Therefore, when the grip 30E is placed on the ground, the grip portion 31E is likely to be raised due to the natural rotational moment. Therefore, the same operations and effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be achieved.

(Sixth embodiment)
Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the grip holder 14F is different from that of the first embodiment described above. As shown in FIG. 10, the grip holder 14F is realized by an L-shaped hook 61 provided on the side surface of the charging stand 12F. An annular protrusion 60 is provided on the side surface of the grip 30E. The grip 30 </ b> E can be attached to the charging stand 12 by hooking the protrusion 60 on the hook 61. The grip holder 14F can be realized with such a simple configuration.

(Seventh embodiment)
Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the grip holder 14G is different from that of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the grip holder 14G is realized by a rectangular recess 70 provided on a side surface of the charging stand 12G. A claw portion 71 having elasticity is provided on the inner wall of the recess 70. By fitting the bottom portion 50G of the grip 30E into the recess 70, the claw portion 71 engages with the side surface of the bottom portion 50G, and the grip 30G can be attached to the charging stand 12G. The grip holder 14G can be realized with such a simple configuration.

(Other embodiments)
The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  The structure of the said embodiment is an illustration to the last, Comprising: The scope of the present invention is not limited to the range of these description. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the description of the scope of claims, and further includes meanings equivalent to the description of the scope of claims and all modifications within the scope.

  In the first embodiment described above, the charging cable device 10 extends from the charging stand 12 that is a power supply, but is not limited thereto. For example, a charging cable device in which a charging gun 21 is provided at one end of the cable 20 and a plug for an outlet is provided at the other end may be used.

  That is, instead of the charging cable device 10 extended from the charging stand 12, a single charging cable device attached to a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle (for example, mounted as an accessory) may be used. .

  In the first embodiment described above, the cable 20 has a power line for supplying power to the vehicle 11 from a power supply such as the charging station 12, but is not limited thereto. For example, the cable 20 may perform bidirectional power supply (power supply from the power supply to the vehicle 11 and power supply from the vehicle 11 to the outside of the vehicle 11) via a power line. Moreover, the cable 20 may perform only the power supply from the vehicle 11 to the outside of the vehicle 11 via the power line.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Charging cable apparatus 11 ... Vehicle 12 ... Charging stand 13 ... Gun holder 14 ... Grip holder 20 ... Cable 21 ... Charging gun 30 ... Grip 31 ... Grip part

Claims (3)

A cable (20) having a power line for supplying power from the power supply (12) to the vehicle (11);
A charging gun (21) provided at one end of the cable and attached to a charging port of the vehicle when charging the vehicle;
A grip (30) provided on the outer periphery of the middle portion of the cable,
The grip is
The center of gravity in a virtual plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the cable is located radially outward of the cable,
A charging cable device comprising a grip portion (31) for gripping the grip on the opposite side of the center of gravity to the cable.   The charging cable device according to claim 1, wherein the power supply is provided with a gun holder (13) for mounting the charging gun and a grip holder (14) for mounting the grip.   3. The charging cable device according to claim 1, wherein the grip is provided such that displacement in the axial direction of the cable is restricted and angular displacement is possible with respect to the cable. 4.

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