JP7094628B2 - Vehicle charging system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle charging system.

Conventionally, there is a charging device that charges a power receiving side connector mounted on an electric vehicle (EV) or the like by unmanned or automatically fitting the power feeding side connector. In such a charging device, when the connectors are fitted together, the contact sensor or the like is turned ON (or OFF) when the rod-shaped structure for determining the fitting misalignment is not inserted into the corresponding hole-shaped structure. Abnormality determination of the mating state is performed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In addition, the power receiving side connector and the feeding side connector each have a non-contact sensor, and by performing a positional deviation determination by the non-contact sensor before mating, it is determined whether the power receiving side connector and the feeding side connector are facing each other. (See, for example, Patent Document 3).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-3618 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-15073 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-981310

By the way, in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, the fitting determination is made when the fitting determination between the power receiving side connector and the feeding side connector is not performed or when the mutual connectors are misaligned to the extent that they cannot be corrected. There is room for improvement in that it is difficult. In Patent Document 3, the normality and abnormality of the fitting between the power feeding side connector and the power receiving side connector are determined, but since a non-contact sensor is required, there is room for improvement in terms of cost and simplification. be.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a vehicle charging system capable of determining whether the mated state of the power receiving side connector and the power feeding side connector is normal or abnormal with a simple configuration. The purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle charging system according to the present invention includes a charging device and a power receiving side connector provided on the vehicle, and the charging device is a power feeding side fitted with the power receiving side connector. The connector, a moving portion that fits the power feeding side connector to the power receiving side connector by moving the power feeding side connector from the standby position to the fitting position while the vehicle is stopped, and the power receiving side connector. A convex positioning portion that is inserted into the concave receiving portion provided in the above to make the power receiving side contact of the power receiving side connector and the feeding side contact of the feeding side connector face each other, and the feeding side connector. And the power receiving side connector move relative to each other in a direction orthogonal to the insertion / removal direction of the power feeding side connector, so that the guide portion for guiding the convex positioning portion to the concave receiving portion and the power receiving portion for the vehicle. In a contact state where the side contact and the power feeding side contact are in direct contact with each other, a charging unit that charges via the power feeding side connector and the power receiving side connector, and a communication unit that communicates with the vehicle. The communication unit includes a control unit that controls the charging unit based on the connector fitting information received from the vehicle, and the power receiving side connector is housed in the concave receiving portion and the concave receiving portion. The convex portion inserted into the concave receiving portion between the power receiving side elastic portion that is elastically compressed in the insertion direction by the convex positioning portion inserted into the concave receiving portion and the facing state and the contact state. The control unit includes a power receiving side switch configured to switch from an OFF state to an ON state by compressing the power receiving side elastic portion toward the insertion direction side to an on-stroke by the shape positioning unit. When the connector fitting information is information indicating the ON state of the power receiving side switch, it is characterized in that the charging unit is started to charge.

In the vehicle charging system, in the contact state, the power receiving side switch is turned off by compressing the power receiving side elastic portion to the insertion direction side by the convex positioning portion inserted into the concave receiving portion to the on-stroke. It switches from the state to the ON state.

In the vehicle charging system, the power feeding side connector has a concave portion that movably supports the convex positioning portion in the insertion / removal direction, and the convex positioning that is accommodated in the concave portion and inserted into the concave portion. The feeding side elastic portion is elastically compressed in the extraction direction opposite to the insertion direction by the portion, and the feeding side elastic portion is on-stroke to the removal direction side by the convex positioning portion inserted in the concave portion. It has a power feeding side switch configured to switch from an OFF state to an ON state by being compressed, and the feeding side elastic portion has an elastic force larger than the elastic force of the power receiving side elastic portion. The power feeding side switch maintains an OFF state when the feeding side elastic portion is compressed with less than an onstroke in the contact state, and the charging device switches from the OFF state to the ON state when the power feeding side switch is switched from the OFF state to the ON state. Further, it is provided with a notification unit for notifying the outside of information regarding the positional deviation between the power receiving side contact and the feeding side contact.

In the vehicle charging system, the convex positioning portion is a guide pin, and the concave receiving portion is a guide sleeve having a bottom for restricting the movement of the elastic portion on the power receiving side toward the insertion direction, and the guide is provided. The portion is formed on a facing surface facing the power feeding side connector, and has an inclined surface whose diameter is reduced from the facing surface toward the concave receiving portion.

According to the vehicle charging system according to the present invention, it is possible to determine whether the mating state of the power receiving side connector and the power feeding side connector is normal or abnormal with a simple configuration.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle charging system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a first schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power receiving side connector and a power feeding side connector according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a second schematic view showing a schematic configuration of the power receiving side connector and the power feeding side connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle charging system according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the charging device according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a third schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the power receiving side connector and the power feeding side connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a fourth schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the power receiving side connector and the power feeding side connector according to the embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle charging system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. The components in the following embodiments include those easily conceivable by those skilled in the art or substantially the same. In addition, the components in the following embodiments can be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention.

[Embodiment]
The vehicle charging system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. In addition, in FIG. 1, only a part of the vehicle is shown. FIG. 2 shows a facing state in which the power receiving side contact of the power receiving side connector and the power feeding side contact of the power feeding side connector face each other in the insertion / removal direction. FIG. 3 shows a contact state in which the power receiving side contact of the power receiving side connector and the power feeding side contact of the power feeding side connector are in direct contact with each other. FIG. 6 shows an example of a state in which the power receiving side contact of the power receiving side connector and the power feeding side contact of the power feeding side connector do not face each other and the guide pin is guided by the guide sleeve. FIG. 7 shows an example of a state in which the power receiving side contact of the power receiving side connector and the power feeding side contact of the power feeding side connector do not face each other and the guide pin cannot be guided to the guide sleeve.

In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the Z direction of FIGS. 1 to 3, 6 and 7 is referred to as a “plugging / unplugging direction” of the power feeding side connector with respect to the power receiving side connector. The direction orthogonal to the Z direction is referred to as the "horizontal direction", the X direction in the "horizontal direction" is referred to as the "depth direction", and the Y direction is referred to as the "width direction". That is, it is assumed that the insertion / extraction direction, the depth direction, and the width direction are orthogonal to each other. In particular, one in the insertion / removal direction is called the "insertion direction" and the other is called the "removal direction". The insertion / removal direction is not limited to the vertical direction, and the horizontal direction is not limited to the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle charging system 1 includes a power receiving side connector 105 provided on the vehicle 100 and a charging device 2. The vehicle 100 is an automobile equipped with a storage battery such as a battery 101 and configured to be able to travel by using the electric power stored in the storage battery. For example, an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid vehicle (HEV), or a plug-in hybrid vehicle. (PHEV) and the like. The vehicle 100 is electrically connected to the charging device 2 via the power receiving side connector 105, and the battery 101 is charged by supplying electric power from the charging device 2 to the battery 101. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle 100 mainly includes a communication unit 110, a control unit 111, and a power receiving side connector 105.

The communication unit 110, for example, performs wireless communication with a wireless communication device outside the vehicle. The communication unit 110 includes an antenna 110a. The communication unit 110 wirelessly communicates with the charging device 2 via the antenna 110a, and transmits predetermined information to the charging device 2.

The control unit 111 is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) mounted on the vehicle 100, and is connected to various electronic devices, a drive motor, and the like in the vehicle 100 including the communication unit 110 to control them. .. The control unit 111 can output a control signal to the communication unit 110 so as to transmit predetermined information to the charging device 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the power receiving side connector 105 is housed in an opening 106 provided at the bottom of the vehicle body between the front wheels and the rear wheels (not shown) in the vehicle 100. The power receiving side connector 105 is a charging inlet on the vehicle 100 side, and the power feeding side connector 31 of the charging device 2 can be fitted. The power receiving side connector 105 is electrically connected to the battery 101 in the vehicle 100 via cables 102 and 103. That is, in the vehicle 100, the battery 101 and the charging device 2 are electrically connected by fitting the power receiving side connector 105 and the feeding side connector 31, and the charging device 2 can charge the battery 101. The power receiving side connector 105 is isolated from the outside environment by an opening / closing shutter 104 that closes so as to cover the opening 106. The shutter 104 is configured to automatically open before the power feeding side connector 31 is fitted to the power receiving side connector 105, and automatically close when the vehicle is stopped or the vehicle is running other than when charging. By closing the shutter 104, the power receiving side connector 105 is protected from, for example, muddy water and stepping stones during vehicle traveling. The power receiving side connector 105 mainly has power receiving side contacts 121 and 122, a guide sleeve 123, a power receiving side elastic portion 124, a power receiving side switch 125, and an inclined surface 129.

The power receiving side contacts 121 and 122 are charging contacts of the power receiving side connector 105, and are arranged on the facing surface 127 facing the power feeding side connector 31 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The power receiving side contacts 121 and 122 are formed of, for example, a conductive metal plate (copper plate, copper alloy plate, etc.) as a base material. The power receiving side contacts 121 and 122 are formed into a predetermined shape that can be connected to the mating side contacts and the cables 102 and 103 by punching or bending the base material. The power receiving side contact 121 is connected to, for example, the + terminal of the battery 101 via the cable 102. The power receiving side contact 122 is connected to, for example, the − terminal of the battery 101 via the cable 103.

The guide sleeve 123 is a concave receiving portion, has a bottom on the insertion direction side, and accommodates the receiving side elastic portion 124 in the internal space. The guide sleeve 123 is configured such that the power receiving side contacts 121 and 122 and the feeding side contacts 32 and 33 of the feeding side connector 31 face each other in the insertion / removal direction by inserting the guide pin 34 of the feeding side connector 31. The end of the guide sleeve 123 on the removal direction side is connected to the inclined surface 129. The guide sleeve 123 communicates with the outside through the opening 128 provided in the facing surface 127. The guide sleeve 123 has a bottom 126 that restricts the movement of the elastic portion 124 on the power receiving side toward the insertion direction, and a moving plate 130 that enables expansion and contraction of the elastic portion 124 on the power receiving side in the insertion / removal direction. The moving plate 130 is configured so that the tip of the guide pin 34 inserted in the guide sleeve 123 on the insertion direction side abuts and moves in the insertion direction.

The power receiving side elastic portion 124 is housed in the guide sleeve 123 and is elastically compressed in the insertion direction by the guide pin 34 inserted in the guide sleeve 123. The power receiving side elastic portion 124 is made of, for example, a spring member or the like. The power receiving side elastic portion 124 returns the moving plate 130 to the initial position in the insertion / removal direction when the pressing force of the guide pin 34 toward the insertion direction is released.

The power receiving side switch 125 is from the OFF state by compressing the power receiving side elastic portion 124 toward the insertion direction side by an on-stroke or more by the guide pin 34 inserted in the guide sleeve 123 between the facing state and the contact state. It is configured to switch to the ON state. Here, the facing state means a state in which the power receiving side contacts 121 and 122 and the feeding side contacts 32 and 33 face each other in the insertion / removal direction. On the other hand, the contact state means a state in which the power receiving side contacts 121 and 122 and the feeding side contacts 32 and 33 face each other in the insertion / removal direction. Therefore, the power receiving side switch 125 is configured to switch from the OFF state to the ON state during the transition from the facing state to the contact state. The power receiving side switch 125 is connected to the control unit 111 of the vehicle 100. The control unit 111 monitors the ON / OFF state of the power receiving side switch 125.

The inclined surface 129 is a guide portion, and the guide pin 34 is moved relative to the guide sleeve 123 in a direction (horizontal direction) in which the power feeding side connector 31 and the power receiving side connector 105 are orthogonal to the insertion / removal direction of the power feeding side connector 31. It guides you to. The inclined surface 129 is formed on the facing surface 127 facing the power feeding side connector 31, and is formed so as to reduce the diameter from the facing surface 127 toward the guide sleeve 123 in the insertion direction. In other words, the inclined surface 129 has a shape recessed in a mortar shape from the opening 128 on the facing surface 127 toward the insertion direction. The inclined surface 129 comes into contact with the tip of the guide pin 34 on the insertion direction side and slides the tip toward the guide sleeve 123 to guide the guide pin 34 to the guide sleeve 123.

The charging device 2 is provided in, for example, a parking lot or the like, and charges the vehicle 100 parked in the parking lot. The charging device 2 connects the power supply side connector 31 to the power receiving side connector 105 on the vehicle 100 side, and supplies power to the battery 101 mounted on the vehicle 100 via the power receiving side connector 105 and the power supply side connector 31. .. The charging device 2 has a wireless communication function for wirelessly communicating with the vehicle 100 in addition to the charging function for the battery 101 of the vehicle 100. The charging device 2 includes a communication unit 11, a power feeding side connector 31, a connector elevating unit 14, a charging unit 15, a control unit 16, and a notification unit 17. As shown in FIG. 1, each of these parts is stored in a space under the ground 120 in the parking lot.

The communication unit 11 performs wireless communication with the vehicle 100. The communication unit 11 exchanges information with the communication unit 110 in the vehicle 100 by various wireless communication methods such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), and ZigBee (registered trademark). .. The communication unit 11 includes an antenna 11a. The communication unit 11 receives the connector fitting information transmitted from the communication unit 110 in the vehicle 100 via the antenna 11a. The communication unit 11 is electrically connected to the control unit 16 and outputs the received connector fitting information to the control unit 16. The connector fitting information includes, for example, information indicating an ON state of the power receiving side switch 125.

The power supply side connector 31 is a power supply port on the charging device 2 side, and is electrically connected to the charging unit 15 via a cable (not shown) or the like. The power feeding side connector 31 is fitted to the power receiving side connector 105 and is electrically connected to the power receiving side connector 105. The connector elevating unit 14 is electrically connected to the control unit 16 and is driven in response to, for example, a control signal received from the control unit 16. The feeding side connector 31 mainly has feeding side contacts 32 and 33, a guide pin 34, a feeding side elastic portion 35, a feeding side switch 36, and a concave portion 37.

The power feeding side contacts 32 and 33 are charging contacts of the power feeding side connector 31, and are arranged on the facing surface 38 facing the power receiving side connector 105 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The power feeding side contacts 32 and 33 are formed of, for example, a conductive metal plate (copper plate, copper alloy plate, etc.) as a base material, similarly to the power receiving side contacts 121 and 122 described above. The power feeding side contacts 32 and 33 are formed into a predetermined shape that can be connected to the mating side contacts and the cables 22 and 23 by punching or bending the base material. The power feeding side contact 32 is connected to, for example, the + side of an external power supply (not shown) via a cable 22. The power feeding side contact 33 is connected to, for example, the-side of the external power supply via the cable 23.

The guide pin 34 is a convex positioning portion, and is inserted into a guide sleeve 123 provided on the power receiving side connector 105 to receive power receiving side contacts 121 and 122 of the power receiving side connector 105 and feeding side contacts 32 of the power receiving side connector 31. , 33 are in a facing state facing each other in the insertion / extraction direction. The guide pin 34 is a rod-shaped member extending in the insertion / extraction direction and formed in a columnar shape, and the end portion on the insertion direction side is formed in a hemispherical shape. A part of the guide pin 34 on the extraction direction side is housed in the concave portion 37. The guide pin 34 has a length L1 in the insertion / removal direction. The length L1 is the length L3 from the facing surface 127 to the moving plate 130 in the insertion / removal direction of the power receiving side connector 105, plus the length L4 to the ON point of the power receiving side switch 125 (the length to the onstroke). It is set longer than the one. That is, the length L1 of the guide pin 34 in this embodiment has a relationship of L1> (L3 + L4). As a result, in the contact state, the power receiving side switch 125 can be turned on and the power feeding side switch 36 can be turned off.

The feeding side elastic portion 35 is housed in the concave portion 37 and is elastically compressed in the removal direction by the guide pin 34 inserted in the concave portion 37. The feeding side elastic portion 35 is made of, for example, a spring member or the like. The feeding side elastic portion 35 returns the guide pin 34 to the initial position in the insertion / removal direction when the pressing force toward the removal direction from the guide pin 34 is released. The power feeding side elastic portion 35 of the present embodiment has an elastic force larger than the elastic force of the power receiving side elastic portion 124.

The power feeding side switch 36 is configured so that the feeding side elastic portion 35 is compressed to the on-stroke side in the extraction direction by the guide pin 34 inserted in the concave portion 37 to switch from the OFF state to the ON state. .. The length L2 to the ON point of the power supply side switch 36 of the present embodiment is set longer than the length L4 to the ON point of the power receiving side switch 125. The power supply side switch 36 is connected to the control unit 16 of the charging device 2. The control unit 16 monitors the ON / OFF state of the power supply side switch 36.

The concave portion 37 has a bottom on the extraction direction side, and accommodates the feeding side elastic portion 35 in the internal space. The concave portion 37 supports the guide pin 34 so as to be movable in the insertion / removal direction.

The connector elevating part 14 is a moving part. As shown in FIG. 1, the connector elevating unit 14 moves the power feeding side connector 31 from the standby position to the fitting position in a state where the vehicle 100 is stopped, so that the power feeding side connector 31 is fitted to the power receiving side connector 105. It is something to match. This standby position is a position where the connector elevating mechanism of the connector elevating portion 14 is in a bent state and the power feeding side connector 31 is stored in the space below the ground 120. The fitting position is a position where the power feeding side connector 31 is fitted to the power receiving side connector 105 while the connector raising / lowering mechanism of the connector raising / lowering portion 14 is in the extended state. The connector elevating unit 14 has a connector elevating mechanism including an actuator, a sensor, etc. (not shown), and the connector elevating mechanism raises and lowers the power feeding side connector 31 of the vehicle 100 in response to a control signal from the control unit 16. Move up and down in the direction (Z direction). For example, when the connector elevating mechanism is composed of a pantograph or the like, the connector elevating portion 14 is provided with a power feeding side connector 31 at an end portion of the pantograph in the expansion / contraction direction.

The charging unit 15 charges the vehicle 100 in the contact state via the power feeding side connector 31 and the power receiving side connector 105. The charging unit 15 is electrically connected to an external power source (not shown) including a commercial power source and the like. In the contact state, the charging unit 15 starts charging the battery on the vehicle 100 side from the external power source or ends charging according to the control signal received from the control unit 16.

The control unit 16 controls the charging unit 15 based on the connector fitting information received from the vehicle 100 by the communication unit 11. The control unit 16 includes, for example, a central processing unit such as an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an electronic circuit mainly composed of a well-known microcomputer including an interface. Will be done. When the connector fitting information is information indicating the ON state of the power receiving side switch 125, the control unit 16 causes the charging unit 15 to start charging the battery 101. In the contact state, the control unit 16 transmits a control signal to the charging unit 15 to start charging the battery 101 by the charging unit 15. The control unit 16 determines the charging state of the battery 101 based on, for example, the energization current value received from the charging unit 15, and ends charging the battery 101 according to the determined charging state.

Next, the charging operation of the vehicle 100 in the vehicle charging system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In principle, each step described below is executed by the control unit 16.

First, in step S1, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 has stopped. When the control unit 16 receives a stop signal indicating that the vehicle 100 has stopped from the communication unit 110 on the vehicle 100 side via the communication unit 11, it determines that the vehicle 100 has stopped and proceeds to step S2. On the other hand, when the stop signal is not received, it is determined that the vehicle 100 is not stopped and the vehicle waits until the stop signal is received.

Next, in step S2, the control unit 16 raises (moves) the power supply side connector 31 from the standby position to the fitting position by driving and controlling the connector elevating unit 14. The control unit 16 drives the connector elevating unit 14 by transmitting a signal for raising the power feeding side connector 31 to the fitting position to the connector elevating unit 14, and moves the feeding side connector 31 from the standby position to the mating position. Raise it.

Next, in step S3, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the power feeding side switch 36 is in the OFF state. The control unit 16 monitors the ON / OFF state of the power supply side switch 36, and if it is determined that the power supply side switch 36 has switched from the OFF state to the ON state, the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if the power supply side switch 36 remains in the OFF state, the process proceeds to step S4.

Next, in step S4, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the power receiving side switch 125 is in the ON state. When the control unit 16 receives the connector fitting signal indicating the connector fitting information from the communication unit 110 on the vehicle 100 side via the communication unit 11, the control unit 16 determines that the power receiving side switch 125 has switched from the OFF state to the ON state. The process proceeds to step S5. On the other hand, when the connector fitting signal is not received, it is determined that the power receiving side switch 125 is not in the ON state but in the OFF state, and the process proceeds to step S2.

Next, in step S5, the control unit 16 determines that the power feeding side connector 31 and the power receiving side connector 105 are normally fitted based on the determination results of steps S3 and S4, and outputs a charging signal to the charging unit 15. Then, charging by the charging unit 15 is started. That is, the control unit 16 determines that the power feeding side switch 36 is in the OFF state and the power receiving side switch 125 is in the ON state, and the charging unit 16 is on the vehicle 100 side via the power feeding side connector 31 and the power receiving side connector 105. The battery 101 is charged.

Next, in step S6, the control unit 16 determines whether or not charging by the charging unit 15 is completed. The control unit 16 determines whether or not charging is completed by, for example, the energizing current of the charging unit 15. When the control unit 16 determines that charging is completed, the control unit 16 proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, if it is determined that charging is not completed, it waits until charging is completed.

Next, in step S7, the control unit 16 outputs a lowering signal for lowering the power feeding side connector 31 to the connector elevating unit 14, and ends this process. The connector elevating unit 14 lowers the power feeding side connector 31 in response to the received lowering signal to detach the power feeding side connector 31 from the power receiving side connector 105. When the storage of the power feeding side connector 31 under the ground 120 is completed, the connector elevating unit 14 outputs a completion signal indicating the completion of storage of the power feeding side connector 31 to the control unit 16. The control unit 16 may transmit a charge completion signal to the vehicle 100 side via the communication unit 11 in response to the completion signal received from the connector elevating unit 14. In this case, it is preferable that the control unit 111 on the vehicle 100 side is configured to notify the driver and the like of the vehicle 100 in response to the charge completion signal received via the communication unit 110.

In step S8, the control unit 16 controls the notification unit 17 to notify, for example, the driver of the vehicle 100 of the positional deviation between the power receiving side connector 105 and the power feeding side connector 31. The control unit 16 outputs a notification signal for notifying information regarding the positional deviation between the power receiving side connector 105 and the power feeding side connector 31 to the notification unit 17. The notification unit 17 notifies the driver and the like of the vehicle 100 that the position shift between the power receiving side connector 105 and the power feeding side connector 31 has occurred in response to the input notification signal. The misalignment between the power receiving side connector 105 and the power feeding side connector 31 that require notification is accompanied by, for example, the movement of the vehicle 100 (or the connector elevating part 14).

In step S2, when the power feeding side connector 31 rises from the standby position to the mating position, the guide pin 34 is inserted into the guide sleeve 123 and the power receiving side switch 125 is turned on if it is in the facing state as shown in FIG. Switch to the state (Yes in step S4). At this time, before the power receiving side switch 125 is switched to the ON state, the power receiving side connector 105 and the power feeding side connector 31 are fitted and the feeding side connector 31 stops rising (FIG. 3). As a result, it can be determined that the power receiving side switch 125 is in the ON state and the power feeding side switch 36 is in the OFF state, and the power receiving side connector 105 and the power feeding side connector 31 are normally fitted.

On the other hand, when the power feeding side connector 31 rises to the mating position, if the power feeding side connector 31 and the power receiving side connector 105 are misaligned within a range that can be corrected, the tip of the guide pin 34 on the insertion direction side is It abuts on the inclined surface 129 (FIG. 6). At this time, a part of the force for raising the power feeding side connector 31 is distributed to the force for pushing in the horizontal direction by the action of the inclined surface 129. This horizontal pushing force guides the guide pin 34 to the guide sleeve 123 and leads to a normal mating state.

On the other hand, when the power feeding side connector 31 rises to the mating position, if the power feeding side connector 31 and the power receiving side connector 105 are misaligned within an uncorrectable range, the tip of the guide pin 34 on the insertion direction side. Abuts on the facing surface 127 (FIG. 7). If the power supply side connector 31 rises as it is, the guide pin 34 is pushed toward the removal direction side and the power supply side switch 36 switches from the OFF state to the ON state (No in step S3). As a result, it can be determined that the power receiving side switch 125 is in the OFF state and the power feeding side switch 36 is in the ON state, and the power receiving side connector 105 and the power feeding side connector 31 cannot be fitted normally. In this case, it is necessary to correct the stop position of the vehicle 100.

The vehicle charging system 1 described above includes a charging device 2 and a power receiving side connector 105 provided on the vehicle 100. The charging device 2 faces the power receiving side contact 121, 122 and the power feeding side contact 32, 33 by being inserted into the guide sleeve 123 of the power receiving side connector 105 and the power feeding side connector 31 fitted with the power receiving side connector 105. A guide pin 34 for making a state and a control unit 16 are provided. In the power receiving side connector 105, the power receiving side elastic portion 124 is elastically compressed in the insertion direction by the guide pin 34 between the facing state and the contact state, and the power receiving side elastic portion 124 is on-stroke in the insertion direction by the guide pin 34. It has a power receiving side switch 125 that switches from an OFF state to an ON state by being compressed. The control unit 16 starts charging when the power receiving side switch 125 is in the ON state. With the above configuration, the guide pin 34 of the power receiving side connector 31 is inserted into the guide sleeve 123 of the power receiving side connector 105 to be in a facing state. Therefore, when mated, the power is supplied to the power receiving side connector 105 with a simple configuration. It can face the side connector 31. Further, since the power receiving side switch 125 is switched to the ON state from the facing state to the contact state, it is possible to determine whether or not the connectors are misaligned according to the reception of the connector fitting information, and the mating state can be determined. Normality can be easily determined. Further, the guide pin 34 is moved by the action of the guide portion (inclined surface 129) and the force for raising the power supply side connector 31 by the connector elevating part 14 to move the power supply side connector 31 and the power receiving side connector 105 in the horizontal direction. Guide to the guide sleeve 123. This makes it possible to easily correct the misalignment when the connector is fitted.

Further, in the vehicle charging system 1, the power feeding side connector 31 has a power feeding side elastic portion 35 having an elastic force larger than the elastic force of the power receiving side elastic portion 124, and the feeding side elastic portion 35 is compressed with less than on-stroke and turned off. It has a power supply side switch 36 that maintains the state. As a result, in a state where the power receiving side connector 105 and the power feeding side connector 31 are normally fitted, the power receiving side switch 125 can be maintained in the ON state and the power feeding side switch 36 can be maintained in the OFF state. The mating state between them can be normally determined. Further, with the above configuration, the power feeding side switch 36 that detects an abnormality in the mating state does not switch to the ON state even in the contact state, so that it is possible to suppress an erroneous determination of the mating state.

Further, the vehicle charging system 1 has an inclined surface 129 in which the power receiving side connector 105 is formed on the facing surface 127 facing the power feeding side connector 31 and the diameter is reduced from the facing surface 127 toward the guide sleeve 123. As a result, the power feeding side connector 31 rises toward the fitting position, and the tip of the guide pin 34 in the insertion direction abuts on the inclined surface 129 and slides, so that the power feeding side connector 31 slides with respect to the power receiving side connector 105. The guide pin 34 can be guided toward the guide sleeve 123 by moving relative to each other. As a result, the misalignment of the power receiving side connector 105 and the feeding side connector 31 at the time of fitting can be easily corrected with a simple configuration.

(Modification example)
In the above embodiment, the vehicle charging system 1 having a set of guide pins 34 and a guide sleeve 123 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, it may have a plurality of sets of guide pins 34 and guide sleeves 123. In this case, a plurality of guide pins 34 may be provided on the power feeding side connector 31 side, and a plurality of guide sleeves 123 may be provided on the power receiving side connector side, or each connector may be provided with a guide pin 34 and a guide sleeve 123. It may be configured as follows.

Further, in the above embodiment, the power receiving side switch 125 is configured to switch from the OFF state to the ON state between the facing state and the contact state, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the power receiving side switch 125 is configured so that the power receiving side elastic portion 124 is compressed to the on-stroke side by the guide pin 34 inserted into the guide sleeve 123 in the contact state and is switched from the OFF state to the ON state. ing. As a result, the power receiving side switch 125 is switched from the OFF state to the ON state when the power receiving side contacts 121 and 122 and the feeding side contacts 32 and 33 are in direct contact with each other in the insertion / removal direction. As a result, the control unit 16 can stop the ascending of the power feeding side connector 31 by the connector elevating unit 14 in response to the reception of the connector fitting information, and can suppress the collision between the connectors in the insertion / removal direction, which is accurate. It is possible to fit the connectors together.

Further, in the above embodiment, the communication unit 11 communicates with the communication unit 110 on the vehicle 100 side by a wireless communication method, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the communication unit 11 communicates with the communication unit 11 by a wired communication method. It may be configured to do so. For example, the power receiving side connector 105 and the power feeding side connector 31 each include a contact terminal for communication, and the contact terminals for communication are electrically connected to each other by fitting the connectors to each other to charge the vehicle 100. It is configured to communicate with the device 2.

Further, in the above embodiment, the connector elevating unit 14 is not limited to the configuration having an elevating mechanism, and the power feeding side connector 31 is moved from the standby position to the fitting position to move the power feeding side connector 31 to the power receiving side connector. Any structure and configuration may be used as long as it is fitted to 105.

Further, in the above embodiment, in the guide portion, the tip of the guide pin 34 on the insertion direction side comes into contact with the inclined surface 129, and the tip is slid toward the guide sleeve 123, whereby the power feeding side connector 31 and the power receiving side connector are formed. The position deviation in the horizontal direction from 105 is corrected, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the power feeding side connector 31 may have a configuration that allows it to move in the horizontal direction.

Further, in the above embodiment, the control unit 16 receives a stop signal from the vehicle 100 and determines the stop, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 16 may determine the stop of the vehicle 100 by detecting the contact of the wheel with the bollard by a contact sensor or the like.

1 Vehicle charging system 2 Charging device 11 Communication unit 14 Connector elevating unit 16 Control unit 17 Notification unit 31 Power supply side connector 32, 33 Power supply side contact 34 Guide pin 35 Power supply side elastic unit 36 Power supply side switch 100 Vehicle 101 Battery 105 Power receiving side Connector 110 Communication unit 111 Control unit 121, 122 Power receiving side contact 123 Guide sleeve 124 Power receiving side elastic part 125 Power receiving side switch 129 Inclined surface

Claims (4)

Charging device and
Equipped with a power receiving side connector provided on the vehicle,
The charging device is
A power supply side connector that fits with the power receiving side connector,
With the vehicle stopped, a moving portion that fits the power feeding side connector to the power receiving side connector by moving the power feeding side connector from the standby position to the fitting position.
A convex positioning portion that is inserted into the concave receiving portion provided on the power receiving side connector so that the power receiving side contact of the power receiving side connector and the feeding side contact of the power feeding side connector face each other in a facing state.
A guide portion that guides the convex positioning portion to the concave receiving portion by relatively moving the power feeding side connector and the power receiving side connector in a direction orthogonal to the insertion / removal direction of the feeding side connector.
A charging unit that charges the vehicle via the power feeding side connector and the power receiving side connector in a contact state in which the power receiving side contact and the power feeding side contact are in direct contact with each other.
A communication unit that communicates with the vehicle,
A control unit that controls the charging unit based on the connector fitting information received from the vehicle by the communication unit is provided.
The power receiving side connector is
The concave receiving portion and
A power receiving side elastic portion housed in the concave receiving portion and elastically compressed in the insertion direction by the convex positioning portion inserted in the concave receiving portion.
Between the facing state and the contact state, the elastic portion on the power receiving side is compressed to the on-stroke side in the insertion direction by the convex positioning portion inserted into the concave receiving portion, so that the elastic portion is turned on from the OFF state. It has a power receiving side switch, which is configured to switch to a state,
The control unit
When the connector fitting information is information indicating the ON state of the power receiving side switch, the charging unit is made to start charging.
A charging system for vehicles that features this. The power receiving side switch is
In the contact state, the elastic portion on the power receiving side is compressed to the on-stroke by the convex positioning portion inserted into the concave receiving portion, and the state is switched from the OFF state to the ON state.
The vehicle charging system according to claim 1. The power supply side connector is
A concave portion that movably supports the convex positioning portion in the insertion / extraction direction, and a concave portion.
A feeding side elastic portion housed in the concave portion and elastically compressed in the extraction direction opposite to the insertion direction by the convex positioning portion inserted in the concave portion.
The feeding side switch configured to switch from the OFF state to the ON state by compressing the feeding side elastic portion to the on-stroke side in the removal direction side by the convex positioning portion inserted into the concave portion. Have and
The power feeding side elastic portion has an elastic force larger than the elastic force of the power receiving side elastic portion.
The power supply side switch is
In the contact state, the elastic portion on the feeding side is compressed with less than the on-stroke to maintain the OFF state.
The charging device is
Further provided with a notification unit for notifying the outside of information regarding the positional deviation between the power receiving side contact and the power feeding side contact when the power feeding side switch is switched from the OFF state to the ON state.
The vehicle charging system according to claim 2. The convex positioning portion is a guide pin.
The concave receiving portion is
A guide sleeve having a bottom that restricts the movement of the elastic portion on the power receiving side toward the insertion direction.
The guide unit
It has an inclined surface formed on the facing surface facing the power feeding side connector and having a diameter reduced from the facing surface toward the concave receiving portion.
The vehicle charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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