Line set for charging station, charging station

Abstract

The invention relates to a line set (4) of a charging station (1) for charging an electrical energy storage device of a motor vehicle (2), having a charging cable (5) which has, at its free end, a connection plug (6) for electrical connection to the motor vehicle (2), wherein the charging cable (5) has one or more electrical lines (19) which are jointly surrounded by an electrically insulating sheath (9). It is provided that the sheath (9) has at least one electrical test line (11, 12) which extends along the charging cable (5) and is electrically insulated from the lines (19).

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The invention relates to a cable set for a charging station for charging an electric energy storage device of a motor vehicle, having a charging cable which has, at its free end, a connection plug for electrical connection to the motor vehicle, wherein the charging cable has one or more electrical lines which are jointly surrounded by an electrically insulating jacket.

[0002] Furthermore, the invention also relates to a charging station for charging an electric energy storage device of a motor vehicle, having at least one cable set as described above. Background Art

[0003] Cable sets and charging stations of the type mentioned at the beginning are known from the prior art. The number of available charging stations for electrically operable motor vehicles is continuously increasing. With the increasing number of electrically operable motor vehicles, in particular electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles, the number of usage operations at such charging stations also increases, so that the cable sets are subject to greater wear. In addition, there is a risk that the electrical lines, which may be made of copper, are damaged or stolen. When, for example, a motor vehicle drives over the cable set, the cable set may also be damaged due to incorrect operation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One aspect of the present application is to provide a cable sheath assembly for a charging station for charging an electrical energy storage device of a motor vehicle. The cable sheath assembly has a charging cable which has a connection plug at its free end for electrical connection to the motor vehicle. The charging cable has one or more electrical lines which are jointly surrounded by an electrically insulating sheath. It is characterized in that the sheath has at least one electrical inspection line extending along the charging cable and electrically insulated from the lines, wherein the inspection line is integrated into the material of the sheath, wherein the sheath has a plurality of mating parts of the inspection line, and the inspection lines are respectively coupled to each other through inspection resistors. The plurality of mating parts of the inspection line are arranged uniformly distributed on the periphery of the sheath. The sheath has two inspection lines arranged coaxially with each other, and an electrical insulator acts between the inspection lines. The insulator acts as a radial distance retainer between the inspection lines and can be deformed so that the inspection lines can be brought into contact with each other by squeezing the charging cable. The cable sheath assembly has the advantage that wear, damage or theft of the cable sheath assembly can be determined and reported simply and safely. Therefore, regular visual inspection of the cable sheath assembly can be dispensed with. For this purpose, according to the present invention, the sheath of the charging cable of the cable sheath assembly has at least one electrical inspection line extending along the charging cable, in particular parallel to the lines, and electrically insulated from the lines. If the inspection line is loaded with voltage, for example, the damaged inspection line can be detected in a simple manner and method in the case of identifying a current interruption. By the attribution of the inspection line to the sheath, the inspection line is damaged before the line of the charging cable itself, thus ensuring early identification of wear or damage of the charging cable. The electrical insulation from the lines ensures that no electrical contact can be formed between the electrical line and the inspection line which may lead to false reporting. Preferably, the inspection line extends over the entire length of the charging cable.

[0005] Preferably, the sheath has one or more mating parts of the inspection line, wherein the inspection lines are each constructed as described above, and the inspection lines of the mating parts are coupled to each other through inspection resistors. Thereby, sudden voltage drops or electrical short circuits can be simply and quickly identified. Here, preferably, one of the inspection lines is constructed as an output line, and one of the inspection lines is constructed as a feedback line, which each extend over the length of the charging cable and are coupled to each other through inspection resistors at their ends facing away from the charging station, i.e., at the ends facing the charging plug. Thereby, the lines can be electrically contacted in the charging station especially through a control device to monitor the state of the mating parts of the inspection lines. Thereby, in particular, interruptions of the inspection lines, such as cable faults caused by cracks, breaks or tears, can be detected. Thereby, complete separation of the charging cable can also be detected, for example, in the case of theft, wherein preferably, a plurality of such mating parts of the lines are distributed and arranged on the periphery of the sheath.

[0006] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inspection lines of at least one mating part are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction. If the sheath is scratched or abraded due to wear and / or misuse until two inspection lines are partially exposed, then a short circuit, especially grounding, may occur, which can be simply determined by the advantageous construction of the charging cable. In the case of extrusion or bending, a short circuit may also occur when the side-by-side inspection lines come into contact with each other. In particular, at least two mating parts are arranged opposite each other in the circumferential direction to ensure theft identification. If the inspection lines of the two mating parts are separated, then it can be determined in a simple manner and method that the cable has been separated overall and there is likely theft of the charging cable.

[0007] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the inspection lines of at least one mating part or two different mating parts are arranged radially overlapping. Thereby, for example, the output line is located inside the sheath, and the feedback line is located outside the sheath. Preferably, the inspection lines of different mating parts are radially overlapping, so that defects can be gradually detected as cable faults.

[0008] According to a preferred improvement of the present invention, the corresponding inspection resistors are arranged in the connection plug. Thereby, the inspection resistors are especially safely protected and held by the housing of the connection plug. Thereby, the coupling of the inspection lines in the connection plug can be simply realized, which reduces the costs in terms of installing and manufacturing the line set.

[0009] Furthermore, it is preferably provided that a plurality of mating parts of the inspection lines are preferably arranged evenly distributed on the periphery of the sheath. By the evenly distributed arrangement, it is ensured that wear or damage of the charging cable can be detected when looking at the entire periphery of the charging cable. In addition, theft identification described above is ensured thereby.

[0010] Preferably, the corresponding inspection line is configured as a flat ribbon line. Thereby, the corresponding inspection line has a rectangular cross-section, which has a low height and a greater width compared to the height. Thereby, the inspection line has a favorable extension in the sheath through its width, by which it is possible to monitor the periphery of the charging cable generally or almost entirely with only a few inspection lines. In addition, the flat ribbon line can be simply and flexibly designed, so that when the charging cable is used and deformed, the inspection line is not damaged, and conversely, the inspection line deforms simply together with the cable. The width of the flat ribbon cable is suitably extended in the peripheral direction of the sheath.

[0011] Particularly preferably, the corresponding flat ribbon line is tangentially oriented in the charging cable, so that the width of the flat ribbon is tangentially oriented with respect to the sheath or the charging cable. The advantages mentioned above are thereby obtained.

[0012] Particularly preferably, the corresponding inspection line is encapsulated or injection-molded by the sheath, so that the inspection line is fixedly integrated into the sheath. For example, the charging cable can be inexpensively realized by an extraction method thereby.

[0013] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the sheath preferably has two inspection lines arranged coaxially with each other, and an electrical insulator acts between the inspection lines. The inspection lines are thus radially spaced from each other and preferably extend over the entire periphery or almost over the entire periphery of the sheath. What is achieved by the insulator located between them is that the inspection lines do not contact each other. However, in the event of cable damage, the interruption of the inspection line and the short circuit formed between the inspection lines due to damage are safely identified.

[0014] Preferably, the insulator is configured as a radial distance retainer between the inspection lines and can be deformed so that the inspection lines can contact each other by squeezing or bending the charging cable. The distance retainer is a flexible or deformable distance retainer, which can achieve contact between the inspection lines, especially the coaxially arranged inspection lines, under high loads of the load cable. Thereby, the overload of the charging cable can be safely determined by squeezing or bending. Preferably, the distance retainer is configured such that contact between adjacent inspection lines can be achieved before the deformation of the charging cable is so large that the lines guided through the charging cable are overloaded or damaged. Thereby, the monitoring of the operation of the charging cable is ensured, and in particular, a warning message is output before the lines themselves are overloaded or damaged.

[0015] Preferably, the insulator is configured as a pressure-dependent resistive film or as a perforated structure. Thereby, the distance retainer is ensured in a simple manner and method, such that the distance retainer allows electrical contact or electrical connection between two adjacent, especially radially adjacent, inspection lines only as the deformation of the charging cable increases more and more.

[0016] According to a preferred improvement of the present invention, at least one of the test lines is made of a temperature-dependent resistive material. Thereby, in addition to detecting cable faults, severe heating of the cable can also be detected. Thereby, for example, it can be recognized whether the charging process is not carried out correctly due to a defect in the motor vehicle or the charging station. In addition, based on the detected temperature of the charging cable, the charging process can also be influenced, for example, to avoid overheating of the charging cable. Thus, for example, when the preset limit temperature is exceeded, the charging current is reduced to avoid further heating.

[0017] One aspect of the present application is to provide a particularly stationary charging station, which is characterized by at least one line set according to the present invention and a control device, and the control device is electrically connected to at least one of the test lines to identify cable faults as described above.

[0018] The use of the line set according to the present invention is not limited to a particularly stationary charging station here. Thus, the line set, for example, according to another embodiment of the present invention is used as an additional or sole charging cable for an electrically drivable motor vehicle, so that the line set is guided together with the motor vehicle. The line set can also be used in other high-voltage applications where there are similar requirements for the charging cable as in a charging station for electric or hybrid vehicles.

[0019] Preferably, the charging station further has a device for indicating the detected cable fault. The device is particularly configured to generate an acoustic and / or visual signal, which will draw the attention of the user of the charging station to the cable fault or, if necessary, to the type of cable fault. The device is particularly configured to quickly inform the owner or possessor of the charging station about cable theft. For this purpose, the charging station further has a communication device, and when a cable fault is detected, the cable fault or the identified cable fault is automatically sent to a central database, for example, the owner of the charging station, by means of the communication device. Description of the Drawings

[0020] Further advantages and preferred features and feature combinations are particularly obtained from the description and the claims. Subsequently, the present invention should be explained in detail with the aid of the drawings. Here:

[0021] Figure 1 A charging station for a motor vehicle is shown in a simplified illustration;

[0022] Figure 2 A cross-section of a charging cable passing through the charging station according to the first application case is shown;

[0023] Figure 3 A cross-section of the charging cable according to the second application case is shown;

[0024] Figure 4A further embodiment of the charging cable is shown in a cross-sectional view; and

[0025] Figure 5 A longitudinal sectional view of a charging cable according to a further embodiment is shown. Detailed Description

[0026] Figure 1 A charging station 1 for charging an energy storage device of an electrically operable motor vehicle 2 is shown in a simplified illustration.

[0027] The charging station 1 has a fixed charging post 3 to which a line set 4 is connected. The line set 4 has a deformable charging cable 5 which is connected at one end to the post 3 and has a connection plug 6 for electrical contact with the motor vehicle 2 at the other end.

[0028] The charging cable 5 has a cable group 7 consisting of a plurality of electrical lines which are electrically connected on the one hand to the plug contacts of the connection plug 6 and are located on the other hand in the charging post 3 of the present electronic device, which is configured to control or regulate the charging process. For this purpose, the charging post 3 has in particular a control device 8.

[0029] The cable group 7 is surrounded by an electrically insulating jacket 9 which holds the cable group 7 together and bundles and protects it. Mate 10 of inspection lines 11 and 12 extends through the jacket 9. The inspection lines 11, 12 extend along the longitudinal direction of the cable on opposite sides of the cable 5 according to a subsequent embodiment and extend parallel to the lines of the cable group 7. The inspection lines 11, 12 are electrically coupled to each other by an inspection resistor 13, wherein the inspection resistor 13 is held in the housing 14 of the connection plug 6. At the other end, the inspection lines 11, 12 are electrically connected to the control device 8.

[0030] In operation, the control device 8 supplies a voltage to the inspection lines 11, 12 so that a current flows. If the cable 5 is damaged and one of the inspection lines 11, 12 is separated, then this is detected by the control device 8 due to the missing current, and a cable fault is identified.

[0031] The charging post 3 has in particular a device 15 for indicating a cable fault. The device 15 can be, for example, a screen or a loudspeaker in order to output visual and / or audible warning signals. The device 15 can likewise be a communication device which further conducts the message of the cable fault to the operator of the charging station 1.

[0032] Figure 2Another embodiment of the charging cable 5 is shown in a simplified cross section. The cable group 7 is not shown here for reasons of overview. Different from the previous embodiment, there are now multiple counterparts 10 of the test circuits 11 and 12, wherein the test circuits 11 and 12 of each counterpart 10 are coupled to each other through their own test resistors 13. The test circuits 11 and 12 are respectively constructed as flat strip circuits, which are arranged evenly distributed in the sheath 9 at least substantially tangentially on the periphery of the charging cable 5. Here, the output circuit and the feedback circuit of the counterpart 10 are adjacent to each other in the sheath 9 in the peripheral direction. At present, the charging cable 5 or the sheath 9 has a circular cross-section. The test circuits 11 and 12 of the counterpart 10 are therefore arranged adjacent to each other in the peripheral direction. As a result, the damaged parts can be detected by means of the test circuits 11 and 12 when viewed on the periphery of the charging cable 5. The accuracy of the identification of cable faults can be changed by the number and cross-section of the test circuits 11 and 12.

[0033] If, for example, a test line 11 of one of the counterparts 10 is detected to be interrupted, a cut, break or tear is detected in the region of the charging cable 5. If an interruption of all test lines 11, 12 or of the counterparts 10 of the test lines 11, 12 is detected, a complete separation of the cable 5 and possible theft is detected.

[0034] If the sheath 9 is worn out due to friction and wear, as in Figure 2 As shown by way of example by the dashed line 16 in FIG. 1 , it may happen that the test lines 11, 12 in this area are exposed and are no longer protected by the insulating material of the sheath 9. If a short circuit or grounding occurs through the test lines 11, 12 in such a state (because the test lines are located in a puddle, etc.), the short circuit is also detected by the control device 8, and the damaged cable or insulation is reported as a cable fault. Preferably, the test lines 11, 12 are injection-molded by the material of the sheath 9 in order to achieve an advantageous integration.

[0035] Figure 3 Shown according to Figure 2 Another application case of the charging cable 5 of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is that the cable 5 is compressed in the radial direction, which can occur, for example, when the cable 5 is run over by the motor vehicle 2. According to the present exemplary embodiment, the compression has the effect that the two test tracks 11, 12 of the counterpart 10 are moved towards each other so far that they touch each other. The resulting electrical short circuit is also detected by the control device 8, and a corresponding cable fault is reported and displayed if necessary. The load of the charging cable 5 can thus be monitored during operation and, for example, the charging process can be interrupted in a timely manner, or a recommendation for replacing the charging cable 5 can be output in the case of a preferably predeterminable number of compressions that have occurred and been detected.

[0036] Figure 4 Another embodiment of the charging cable 5 is shown, which differs from the previous embodiment in that there is only one mating part 10 of the test line, wherein the test lines 11, 12 are coaxially constructed with respect to each other and are held radially spaced apart from each other by the insulator 17. The test lines 11, 12 are either integrated into the material of the jacket 9 or are applied to the inner side 18 of the jacket 9 spaced apart from the lines 19 of the cable group 7. In this case, an additional insulating layer 20 is assigned to the built-in test line 11 on the inward-facing side. The insulator 17 is preferably embodied as a pressure-dependent insulating layer (in particular in the form of a pressure-dependent resistive film) or a perforated structure, such as a honeycomb structure or a grid structure, in which the tabs of the insulator 17 keep the two sleeve-shaped test lines 11, 12 spaced apart from each other as long as no excessive radial pressure is applied. However, if excessive pressure is applied, then the test lines 11, 12 come into contact and a short circuit is detected by the control device 8.

[0037] Figure 5 Shows an advantageous refinement of the charging cable 5 according to Figure 4 the embodiment, in which the insulator 17 is configured as a distance retainer 21 or has such a distance retainer. This can be achieved, for example, by the mentioned hole or grid structure. Preferably, the insulator is made of non-conductive silicone material. The built-in test line 11 is advantageously configured as a conductive rubber line (conductive rubber), while the external test line 12 is preferably made of copper. The built-in test line 11 is kept spaced apart from the external test line 12 by the distance retainer 21. If excessive radial pressure is applied, then the distance retainer 21 preferably deforms elastically so that the test lines 11, 12 come into contact with each other or can come into contact with each other.

[0038] Preferably, the external test line 12 is configured with low ohms so that if the jacket 9 is damaged, then a ground can be identified. The test lines 11, 12 are preferred. Preferably, the test lines 11, 12 are configured as shielded lines in this case, in particular as network lines or spirally applied strip lines.

[0039] By means of the test resistance 13 it is possible to distinguish between a short circuit between the test lines 11, 12 and the separation of one or more test lines 11, 12 by tearing, cutting, etc. The active monitoring of the charging cable 5 can be manufactured and provided independently of the internal structure, i.e. the cable group 7, which includes, for example, charging lines and control lines for DC charging or AC charging.

[0040] The control device 8 has electrical connection points for each of the test lines 11, 12 in order to electrically contact the test lines. Cable faults are identified by evaluating the resistance values of the test lines 11, 12 and the test resistor 13, and optionally the charging cable 5 is also monitored to check whether the test lines 11, 12 are in contact with one of the lines 19 of the cable group 12.

[0041] Optionally, one or more of the above-described variants are combined with each other. Preferably, according to a further embodiment, in addition to the mating parts 10 of the test lines 11, 12 shown in Figure 2 there is a second mating part of the test lines 11, 12, which is arranged radially spaced apart from the first mating part in order to achieve an increased accuracy of cable defects and to gradually identify defects. By means of such a multi-layer arrangement, it is possible to detect, for example, at any time when the critical damage or impairment of the charging cable 5 is reached.

[0042] Advantageously, at least one of the test lines 11, 12 is made of a temperature-dependent resistive material, for example manufactured as a resistance wire or film, in order to monitor the temperature development in the charging cable 5 so that, if necessary, the charging process can be automatically interrupted in order to avoid overheating of the charging cable 5.

[0043] By virtue of the advantageous configuration of the line sleeve assembly 3, it is possible to quickly detect the manipulation or damage of the charging cable 5, for example also damage caused by a leak in the water-cooled charging cable 5, and corresponding measures or safety measures can be quickly taken by the control device 8.

[0044] Preferably, even when the charging cable 5 is not in use or no vehicle is connected to the charging cable 5, the charging cable 5 is actively monitored in particular by means of the test lines 11, 12 or one mating part 10 or a plurality of mating parts 10. In order to increase the manipulation safety, it is preferable to send a coded signal via the test lines 11, 12 so that, for example, an unauthorized charging process can be simply identified and blocked. The use of the advantageous line sleeve assembly 3 is not restricted here to a fixed charging station as described in the current embodiment. On the contrary, according to a further embodiment, the line sleeve assembly is associated with an electrically operable motor vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle, as an alternative or supplement to a common charging cable. In addition, the line sleeve assembly can be used anywhere where the user works with high-voltage applications, in particular with high-voltage cables that must correspond to the charging cable of an electric vehicle or meet similar requirements.

Claims

1. Line set (4) of a charging station (1) for charging an electrical energy storage device of a motor vehicle (2), said line set having a charging cable (5) which has, at its free end, a connection plug (6) for electrical connection to the motor vehicle (2), wherein the charging cable (5) has one or more electrical lines (19) which are jointly surrounded by an electrically insulating jacket (9), characterized in that, The sheath (9) has at least one electrical inspection line (11, 12) extending along the charging cable (5) and electrically insulated from the line (19), wherein the inspection line (11, 12) is integrated into the material of the sheath (9), wherein the sheath (9) has a plurality of pairs (10) of the inspection line (11, 12), and the inspection lines are coupled to each other through inspection resistors (13), wherein the plurality of pairs (10) of the inspection line (11, 12) are arranged uniformly distributed on the periphery of the sheath (9), wherein the sheath (9) has two inspection lines (11, 12) arranged coaxially with each other, and an electrical insulator (17) acts between the inspection lines, wherein the insulator (17) acts as a radial distance retainer (21) between the inspection lines (11, 12) and is deformable such that the inspection lines (11, 12) can be brought into contact with each other by the extrusion of the charging cable (5).

2. The line set according to claim 1, wherein The inspection lines (11, 12) of at least one pair (10) are arranged side by side when viewed in the circumferential direction.

3. The wire set according to claim 1, wherein, The inspection lines (11, 12) of at least one pair (10) are arranged radially overlapping.

4. The line set according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inspection resistor (13) is arranged in the connection plug (6).

5. The line set according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The respective inspection lines (11, 12) are configured as flat ribbon lines.

6. The wire set according to claim 5, characterized in that The respective flat ribbon lines are tangentially oriented in the charging cable (5).

7. The line set according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The respective inspection lines (11, 12) are encapsulated or injection-molded by the sheath (9).

8. The line set according to claim 1, characterized in that The insulator (17) is configured as a pressure-dependent resistive film or as a perforated structure.

9. The line set according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, At least one of the inspection lines (11, 12) is made of a temperature-dependent resistive material.

10. A charging station (1) for charging an electrical energy storage of a motor vehicle (2), having at least one line set (4) according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and a control device (8), the control device being electrically connected to at least one of the inspection lines (11, 12) in order to identify cable faults.

11. The charging station according to claim 10, characterized in that, The charging station (1) has a device (15) for indicating the detected cable faults.

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