WO2022117154A1

WO2022117154A1 - Electromotive drive unit for motor vehicle applications

Info

Publication number: WO2022117154A1
Application number: PCT/DE2021/100960
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tim SONNENSCHEIN; Benjamin DJEDOVIC
Original assignee: Kiekert Ag
Priority date: 2020-12-02
Filing date: 2021-12-02
Publication date: 2022-06-09
Also published as: DE102020132025A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an electromotive drive unit for motor vehicle applications, in particular a locking unit for an electrical charging device of a motor vehicle, preferably an electric motor or hybrid motor vehicle. Said drive unit comprises an electric motor (2) and at least one transmission part (4) connected downstream thereof, furthermore a displaceable actuating element (1) and a control element (5) which is rotationally coupled to the transmission part (4) for impinging a sensor (6). According to the invention, the transmission part (4) and the control element (5) are axially decoupled, but are radially connected to one another in a rotationally fixed manner.

Description

description

Electromotive drive unit for motor vehicle applications

The invention relates to an electromotive drive unit for motor vehicle applications, in particular a locking unit for an electric charging device of a motor vehicle, preferably an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, with an electric motor and at least one downstream transmission part, also with a movable actuating element, and with a rotationally coupled to the transmission part Control element for applying a sensor.

Accumulators of electric or hybrid motor vehicles have to be supplied with electrical energy on a regular basis. This is done regularly using a charging infrastructure, which typically includes charging stations. For the charging process with electrical energy, the charging plug of the charging station is generally coupled to a charging socket on the motor vehicle and locked in a releasable manner. The interlock is necessary to avoid health hazards, for example, since high voltage is generally used at this point. The locking also ensures that only previously identified users lawfully draw the energy provided by the charging station and misuse is prevented. For this purpose, an identification of the operator and an authorization check using an identification signal usually takes place before such a loading process, as is basically described in WO 2010/149426 A1.

The actuating element is usually a locking element or a locking pin, as described in DE 10 2018 1 14 205 A1 of the applicant. The basic topological structure with the electromotive drive unit or locking unit on the one hand and an associated charging module on the other hand is also described in detail and illustrated here. For this purpose, the loading module already has the addressed charging socket of the electrical charging device. In order to now lock the charging plug of the charging infrastructure in said vehicle-side charging socket, the locking element or the movable actuating element in the present terminology is designed to be movable using the motor drive from the electric motor and the at least one downstream transmission part. As a result, the charging plug can be releasably locked in the charging socket of the electrical charging device. The locking unit can be a modular locking actuator, which is connected to the loading module during assembly.

In the generic state of the art according to CN 202695855 U, a control disk is already implemented, which is equipped with a ring gear and an actuating cam. A sensor or microswitch is acted upon with the aid of the actuating cam. For this purpose, a control contour on the control disk works in the axial direction on a switching cam. In addition, there is a spring i that acts on the control disk. V. m. realized the locking element or actuating element.

The state of the art has proven itself in principle, but still offers room for improvement. In fact, with such electromotive drive units or locking units, inaccuracies are observed in the triggering and activation of the sensor. As a result, the resolution is also limited. In other words, the sensor only provides imprecise information about the position that the actuating element has finally assumed. However, the exact position determination of the actuating element or locking element is essential for proper functioning.

This can be attributed to the fact that the sensor or microswitch is acted upon in the axial direction with the aid of the actuating cam and at the same time gear play is observed in this axial direction, in particular when there is a reversal of direction. This gear play leads to tolerances in the sensor loading, which in turn reduce the resolution. This is where the invention aims to remedy the situation overall. The invention is based on the technical problem of further developing such an electromotive drive unit in such a way that the overall accuracy of the sensor query is increased.

To solve this technical problem, the invention proposes in a generic electric motor drive unit for motor vehicle applications that the transmission part and the control element are axially decoupled but radially connected to one another in a rotationally fixed manner.

That is, due to the axial decoupling of the gear part and the control element, any axial movements of the gear part are not initially transmitted to the control element. Such axial movements of the gear part are often observed when the electric motor, including the gear part, changes direction. According to the invention, the resulting axial movement is no longer transmitted to the control element because the axial decoupling between the transmission part and the control element ensures this. The nevertheless radially non-rotatable coupling between the transmission part and the control element is now used to act on the sensor. Since the gear part and the control element are radially non-rotatably coupled to one another at this point, and therefore mesh with one another with practically no play, the control element follows every rotary movement of the gear part, so that the sensor acted upon by the control element depicts the rotational movements of the gear part with no or almost no play. Since the rotational movements of the gear part are directly associated with actuating movements of the actuating element or locking element, the respective position of the actuating element or locking element can be detected with high accuracy using the sensor and queried, for example, by a control unit.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the control element has a pin for axial decoupling from the gear part, which engages with play in an associated recess of the gear part. That is, the interaction between the pin on the control element and the recess of the transmission part that accommodates it is such that the pin in question has axial play within the recess, but radially in the recess is recorded without play. In principle, the reverse procedure can also be used. In this case the control element is equipped with the recess in question, whereas the gear part has the pin.

In this context, it has proven to be advantageous if the pin is arranged at the head end on an eccentric cantilever of the control element. This eccentric cantilever is typically one that is set up to interact with the actuating element. For this purpose, the eccentric arm, as part of the control element, can engage in a corresponding U-shaped receptacle of the actuating element or locking element.

In this way, rotations of the transmission part are transferred to the control element, which is also rotating. Due to the non-rotatable coupling between the gear element and the control element, the control element follows the gear part (in the direction of rotation) directly and with no or almost no play, while at the same time an axial play between the gear part and the control element is permitted due to the axial decoupling realized according to the invention. The rotating control element now engages with its eccentric arm in the U-shaped receptacle of the control element, which can consequently perform linear movements as a result. Since the control element acts on the sensor, this provides direct information about the position of the actuating element or locking element, with a resolution that is significantly improved compared to the prior art.

The pin is usually designed as a mounting pin. In this way, the control element and the gear part can be coupled to one another by means of an axial plug-in connection. That is to say, the control element and the transmission part can be connected to one another without the use of tools by making the plug-in connection mentioned between the two elements. Since the pin or assembly pin on the control element engages in the recess of the gear part, both elements are captively coupled to one another at the end of assembly. In this way, the control element and the gear part advantageously form a preassembled structural unit. Taken together, this structural unit, optionally including the actuating element, can be inserted into a housing that accommodates the electromotive drive unit as a whole. This simplifies assembly enormously, especially since this process can be carried out without tools and without the need for additional connecting means such as screws etc. for mutual coupling.

The control itself can now be rotated and guided axially in the housing in question. That is to say, the control element itself does not perform any axial movements due to its axial guidance, so that the sensor controlled using the control element generates perfect signals with a high resolution. In detail, a guide pin is generally provided for the axial guidance of the control element, which engages between the guide cheeks of the control element. This guide pin can advantageously be connected to or formed on the housing. In fact, the housing is regularly made of plastic or designed as a plastic injection-molded component, so that the guide pin in question can be defined in the housing directly during manufacture of the latter.

In contrast, an axle extension of the transmission part provides for the rotatable mounting of the control element. That is, when the transmission part is combined with the control element, the control element is plugged onto the axle extension in question of the transmission part with a rotary receptacle. At the same time, in the realized plug-in connection, the spigot designed as a mounting spigot moves on the head side of the eccentric arm on the control element into the recess of the gear part and engages in it. As a result of the realized axial plug-in connection, the previously mentioned preassembled structural unit made up of the control element and the transmission part is made available. In addition, the actuating element can then also be combined with this, in that the actuating element is placed with its U-shaped receptacle on the eccentric arm or the eccentric arm engages in the U-shaped receptacle. That is, the control element is rotatably mounted on the axial extension of the transmission part, which in turn is rotatably mounted within the housing. For this purpose, one or more associated receptacles or rotary receptacles are provided in the housing, with the help of which the transmission part is mounted on the one hand with the already mentioned axial extension and on the other hand with an opposite axial extension.

The control of the sensor is now carried out in detail in such a way that the control element is equipped with a control disk for the axial loading of the sensor. For this purpose, the control disc advantageously has a control contour for the sensor. The control contour is generally designed in such a way that it has axial regions of different lengths. Since the sensor is advantageously a switch or microswitch with a switching cam, the switching cam sliding along the axial regions of different lengths can now detect the exact position of the control disk. Since the control disc is rotatably connected to the gear part and rotationally free of play or almost free of play and the same applies to the coupling between the eccentric arm and the U-shaped receptacle of the actuating element, the position of the actuating element can be directly deduced from signals from the sensor or switch . A particularly high resolution with great accuracy is therefore made available for the position of the actuating element.

The fact that the control contour in question is provided on the control disk at the radially outer edge also contributes to this, so that a large adjustment path of the axial areas of different lengths is available for loading the sensor or switch, which explains the high resolution.

Due to the possibility of coupling the gear part and the control element to each other in the sense of the plug-in connection, which are also equipped with a releasable detent due to the pin engaging in the recess, the control element can basically be exchanged and, depending on the application, a suitable control element with the gear part couple. The fact that typically both the Transmission part and the control are each designed as plastic injection molded parts. As a result, the control element and also the gear part can be manufactured particularly easily and inexpensively. The actuating element is also usually designed as a plastic injection molded part. A particularly compact design is then achieved in that one of the two guide cheeks of the control element also takes over the function of the control disk. That is, the guide pin preferably formed on the housing for axial guidance of the control element typically engages between a guide cheek and the control disk, usually without play, so that the sensor controlled using the control disk emits the sensor signal with the desired resolution. As a rule, this sensor signal is evaluated by a control unit and converted into corresponding displacement paths of the actuating element.

As a result of this, a significantly improved resolution compared to the prior art is made available when detecting the travel path of the actuating element. This is of particular importance for applications as a locking unit for the electric charging device, because in this case the position of the actuating element or locking element is used to check, among other things, that the charging plug is securely held in the charging socket, so that the charging process can only then be started safely. It is therefore a relevant safety aspect in view of the high voltage transmitted in this area. This is where the main advantages can be seen.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing that merely represents an exemplary embodiment; show it:

1 shows the electromotive drive unit in a perspective overview,

Fig. 2 the transmission part and the control element in the course of their pre-assembly,

Fig. 3 shows the transmission part and the control element in the installed state in a detailed view and Fig. 4 the control in a perspective.

In the figures, an electromotive drive unit for motor vehicle applications is shown. Within the scope of the exemplary embodiment to be described in more detail below, the electromotive drive unit is used to releasably lock a charging plug of a charging station infrastructure with a charging socket on the motor vehicle. For this purpose, the electromotive drive unit has an actuating element 1, which in this case is designed as a locking element 1 or locking element or locking pin. Details of the structure of an associated charging module with the charging socket of the electrical charging device and the locking of the charging plug in the charging socket are described in the applicant's DE 10 2018 1 14 205 A1, which has already been referred to in the introduction and to which express reference is made.

That is, the electric motor drive unit is designed as a locking unit for the electrical charging device in question of the motor vehicle, not shown in detail, within the scope of the exemplary embodiment. It is therefore a locking actuator, as described in detail in the publication previously cited as a reference. In principle, however, the electromotive drive unit can also be used for other purposes. What is decisive is the fact that the actuating element 1 or the locking element or locking element 1 can execute the linear movements indicated in FIG. 1 along the double arrow. This allows the charging plug to be locked in the charging socket, for example. In principle, however, the actuating element 1 can also be used, for example, to move a motor vehicle door outward relative to a motor vehicle body. However, this is not shown.

The basic structure of the electromotive drive unit or locking unit according to the illustration has an electric motor 2 and at least one downstream transmission part 3, 4. The exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1 shows that the electric motor 2 has an output worm on its output shaft that with a gear part 3 combs. The gear part 3 in turn has an outer ring gear and a central worm wheel, which in turn sets the gear part 4 of primary interest and downstream into rotation. The rotations of the gear part 4 are converted into the previously mentioned linear movements of the actuating element or locking element 1, as will be explained in more detail below.

A control element 5 rotatively coupled to the transmission part 4 is then of particular importance. The control element 5 is reproduced in FIG. 4 in an individual representation. A sensor 6 is acted upon using the control element 5 .

The sensor 6 is in turn interrogated by a control unit, not shown in detail, which evaluates the signals from the sensor 6 . From the signals of the sensor 6, conclusions can now be drawn about the actuating movement of the actuating element 1 in the linear direction indicated by the double arrow in FIG. According to the invention, this is achieved with particularly high resolution and precision, as will be explained in more detail below.

For this purpose, first of all and according to the invention, the transmission part 4 and the control element 5 are axially decoupled but radially non-rotatably connected to one another. This special design can be understood with reference to FIG. In fact, a pin 7 is provided for the axial decoupling of the control element 5 from the gear part 4, which engages in a recess 8 of the gear part 4, with play in the axial direction A and without play in the radial direction R or in the circumferential direction U However, when the connection between the transmission part 4 and the control element 5 is to be described in detail below, it results in the desired axial decoupling but in a radially non-rotatable connection.

For this purpose, the said pin 7 of the control element 5 is first of all arranged on the head side of an eccentric arm 7a. The eccentric boom 7a is in turn set up to interact with the actuating element 1 . For this purpose, the eccentric arm 7a engages in a U-shaped receptacle 1a of the actuating element 1, as the enlarged representation in FIG. 1 makes clear. As a result of this, rotational movements of the eccentric arm 7a correspond to the actuating element 1 carrying out the linear movements along the double arrow in FIG.

The control element 5 is also equipped with a control disk 9 to be considered in more detail below and, in addition, a guide cheek 10 . In addition, the control 5 still has a recording or rotary recording 1 1 .

With the aid of the receptacle or rotary receptacle 11, the control element 5 is plugged onto an axial extension 12 of the transmission part 4 when it is combined with the transmission part 4 . In addition to the axial extension 12, the gear part 4 also has another axial extension 13 located opposite. In fact, the housing 14 is a plastic housing which is designed as a plastic injection molded part. As a result, the receptacles for the axle extensions 12, 13 of the transmission part 4 can be easily defined in the housing 4.

The pin 7 on the head side of the eccentric arm 7a on the control element 5 is designed as a mounting pin, so that the control element 5 and the transmission part 4 can be coupled to one another by an axial movement in the axial direction A indicated in FIG. 2 in the sense of an axial plug connection. The recording or rotary recording 1 1 of the control element 5 is attached to the axial extension 12 of the transmission part 4 . At the same time, the pin 7 engages in the recess 8 of the transmission part 4 as a mounting pin. FIG. 3 now shows the assembled state. It can be seen that in this way the control element 5 and the transmission part 4 form a preassembled structural unit 4 , 5 . This structural unit 4, 5 can now be inserted into the housing 14 together, optionally including the actuating element 1. There is also the possibility of attaching the actuating element 1 with its U-shaped receptacle 1a to the eccentric arm 7a of the control element 5 and placing it in the housing 14 . Of course the coupling of the preassembled structural unit 4, 5 with the actuating element 1 can also be carried out later.

The control element 5 is mounted in the housing 14 in a rotatable and axially guided manner. The rotatable mounting of the control element 5 is taken over by the axial extension 12 of the transmission part 4, which engages in the associated receptacle or rotary receptacle 11 of the control element 5. An additional guide pin 15 now provides for the axial guidance of the control element 5. This guide pin 15 is connected to the housing 14 and is formed onto the housing 14 according to the exemplary embodiment. For this purpose, the guide pin 15 engages between the guide cheek 10 on the one hand and the control disc 9 on the other hand, so that the control disc 9 assumes a dual function, namely on the one hand for activating the sensor 6 and on the other hand as a second guide cheek i. V. m. The guide cheek 10. This is particularly clear from Figures 3, 4.

Finally, FIG. 4 shows the control element 5 in detail. It can be seen that the control disc 9 and the guide cheek 10 are each arranged and run concentrically in comparison to the axis or axis of rotation of the control element 5 defined by the rotary receptacle or receptacle 11 . In addition, both the guide cheek 10 and the control disk 9 are designed as circular disks of the same size, the center of which coincides with the previously mentioned axis or axis of rotation. As a result, the guide cheek 10 and the control disc 9 as a further guide cheek define a gap between them, in which the guide pin 15 already mentioned and formed on the housing 14 engages, specifically with no or mostly no play. As a result, the control element 5 can perform rotational movements about its axis defined by the rotary receptacle or receptacle 11 and is also secured in the axial direction A, so it can perform no or at most small axial movements in the axial direction A.

The control disk 9 is now equipped with a control contour 16, which can be seen in particular in FIG. In this way, a switching cam of sensor 6 designed as a switch is actuated or not actuated and the desired sensor signal is generated. In fact, one can see that the control contour 16 is equipped with a ramp at this point. If the switch cam of the switch or sensor 6 is now moved along this ramp or the ramp moves along the switch cam, the change in the sensor signal, for example from “on” to “off” or vice versa, can be detected. As a result, the sensor signal provides reliable and high-resolution information about the current position of the actuating element 1 or the locking element. In principle, it would of course also be possible to work with contactless sensors at this point, which is not shown.

The sensor or switch 6 is located in a corner of the housing 14. As a result, the sensor 6 is arranged radially at the greatest possible distance from the axis of the control element 5 defined by the receptacle or rotary receptacle 11. Consequently, the control contour 16 is also located radially on the outer edge of the control disc 9, so that a high resolution and great accuracy of the signal of the sensor 6 is achieved due to the long adjustment path of the control contour 16 observed due to the large circumference.

Reference list:

1 control element / locking element

1a recording

2 electric motor

3, 4 gear part

5 control

6 sensors

7 cones

7a boom

8 recess

9 control disc

10 guide rail

11 Recording or rotary recording

12, 13 axis process

14 housing

15 guide pins

16 control contour

A axial direction

R radial direction

U circumferential direction

S game

Claims

patent claims

1 . Electromotive drive unit for motor vehicle applications, in particular a locking unit for an electric charging device of a motor vehicle, preferably an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, with an electric motor (2) and at least one downstream transmission part (4), also with a movable actuating element (1), and with a control element (5) rotatively coupled to the gear part (4) for acting on a sensor (6), d a r c h e n s n n e n n s e i c h n e t that the gear part (4) and the control element (5) are axially decoupled but radially non-rotatably connected to one another.

2. Drive unit according to claim 1, characterized in that for the axial decoupling the control element (5) engages with a pin (7) with play (S) in a recess (8) of the transmission part (4), or vice versa.

3. Drive unit according to claim 2, characterized in that the pin (7) is connected at the head end to an eccentric arm (7a) for interaction with the actuating element (1).

4. Drive unit according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the pin (7) is designed as a mounting pin, so that the control element (5) and the gear part (4) can be coupled to one another by an axial plug connection.

5. Drive unit according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the control element (5) and the gear part (4) form a preassembled structural unit (4, 5) which, taken together, optionally including the actuating element (1) in a housing (14) is used.

6. Drive unit according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the control element (5) is rotatably and axially guided in the housing (14).

7. Drive unit according to claim 6, characterized in that for the axial guidance of the control element (5) engages on the housing (14) preferably integrally formed guide pin (15) between the guide cheeks (9, 10) of the control element (5).

8. Drive unit according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the control element (5) is rotatably mounted on an axle extension (12) of the gear part (4).

9. Drive unit according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the control element (5) is equipped with a control disc (9) for the axial loading of the sensor (6).

10. Drive unit according to claim 9, characterized in that the control disc (9) is equipped with a control contour (16) for the sensor (6).