Fan unit, conductive charging unit, motor vehicle and method for operating a fan unit

Abstract

The invention relates to a fan unit (28) for a conductive charging unit (12) of a motor vehicle (10) and a method for operating the fan unit (28). The conductive charging unit is designed to be automatically coupled to a charging plate (16) provided outside the motor vehicle and having a charging interface (24) in order to carry out a charging process for charging an accumulator (14) of the motor vehicle (10). The fan unit (28) is designed to provide an air flow (34) in a predefined direction; activate the provision of the air flow (34) according to a signal (S) indicating the start of a coupling process of conductively coupling the charging unit (12) to the charging plate (16) in order to carry out the charging process. The fan unit (28) is designed to deactivate the provision of the air flow (34) according to situation parameters (P) before the end of the charging process.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a fan unit / ventilation unit for a conductive charging unit of a motor vehicle, the conductive charging unit being designed to automatically couple with a charging plate provided outside the motor vehicle and providing a charging interface in order to perform a charging process for charging an accumulator of the motor vehicle, wherein the fan unit is designed to provide an air flow in a predetermined direction, in particular in the direction of the charging plate, and to activate the provision of the air flow according to a signal indicating the start of a coupling process in which the charging unit is conductively coupled to the charging plate to perform the charging process. The present invention also relates to a conductive charging unit having such a fan unit, a motor vehicle, and a method for operating the fan unit. Background Art

[0002] For example, DE 10 2016 121 355 A1 describes a vehicle connection device for electrically connecting a vehicle contact unit to a ground contact unit of a charging infrastructure. Here, the vehicle contact unit can move towards and away from the ground contact unit. The vehicle contact unit is fixed to the vehicle underside here. Here, the vehicle contact unit also has at least one air outlet for purging the ground contact unit. In addition, the vehicle contact unit can include a bellows having an inner cavity. The vehicle-side end of the bellows is fixed at the bottom of the vehicle, while the end of the bellows facing away from the vehicle is fixed to the vehicle contact unit. A plate is arranged at the end of the bellows, and an outlet for feeding air from the inner cavity of the bellows is provided in the plate. The plate also has a contact area in which at least two electrodes are arranged. For charging, the vehicle contact unit is lowered until a gap is formed between a base, for example the above-mentioned plate, and the ground contact unit. Before contact is established, the gap can be purged by means of the air outlet. Here, dirt, leaves or liquid already present on the ground contact unit are conveyed to the outside by a strong air flow. In addition, when the temperature is below freezing or when there is already a snow or ice layer, a heating device can be operated to remove the snow or ice layer and dry the contacts. Subsequently, contact is established and the motor vehicle is charged. Here, during the entire charging process, the valve of the air outlet remains open so that a continuous air flow should flow through the gap, and this air flow should cool the electrodes.

[0003] Since the charging process usually lasts for several hours, the overall efficiency is reduced due to the generated air flow. In addition, the fan always emits an unpleasant noise during the entire charging process. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a fan unit, a conductive charging unit, a motor vehicle and a method for operating a fan unit, which can improve the efficiency during conductive charging and at the same time enable reliable automatic conductive coupling of the vehicle-side charging unit to a charging plate outside the motor vehicle.

[0005] This object is achieved by a fan unit, a conductive charging unit, a motor vehicle and a method having the features according to the respective independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0006] In a fan unit of a conductive charging unit for a motor vehicle according to the invention, the conductive charging unit is designed to automatically couple to a charging plate outside the motor vehicle, which provides a charging interface, in order to carry out a charging process for charging an accumulator of the motor vehicle. In the fan unit, the fan unit is designed to provide an air flow in a predetermined direction and to activate the provision of the air flow on the basis of a signal which indicates the start of a coupling process of conductively coupling the charging unit to the charging plate for carrying out the charging process. Here, the fan unit is designed to deactivate the provision of the air flow on the basis of situation parameters before the end of the charging process.

[0007] Here, the present invention is based on the recognition that such a conductive charging system is mainly used for private use and is therefore usually used in a private garage. Therefore, a continuous water load is almost excluded at the private garage. Other contaminants, such as dirt, leaves, etc. also occur significantly less often at the private garage. However, even in the garage, for example, water or meltwater may drip from the vehicle onto the floor or generally onto the charging plate in winter. It is therefore advantageous for the fan unit to also be activated, as is common, at the start of the coupling process, i.e. before contact is established between the conductive charging unit of the motor vehicle and the charging plate, so that the provided air flow can be used to clean the contact surface. In addition, the present invention is based on the recognition that it is not necessary - at least not in all cases - to also activate the fan unit for the entire duration of the charging process. Therefore, by deactivating on the basis of situation parameters, it is possible to advantageously control the provision of the air flow as required, whereby the fan unit can often be deactivated in advance, i.e. before the end of the charging process, whereby significant energy savings can be achieved. As a result, the efficiency of the conductive charging system can be significantly increased overall, since the energy consumption of the fan during operation can be saved. In addition, the fan, i.e. the fan unit in general, can be designed to have a short service life and can therefore be cheaper. The duration of disturbing fan noise can also be reduced.

[0008] Here, a conductive charging unit and a charging plate outside the motor vehicle can provide a charging system as described at the beginning with respect to the prior art. In other words, the fan unit according to the invention is preferably applied in such a conductive charging unit of a motor vehicle. Such a conductive charging unit is therefore preferably arranged to be mounted on the motor vehicle on the bottom side, and the charging plate is accordingly preferably designed as a floor. Here, the contact between the charging unit and the charging plate is achieved, for example, in such a way that the charging contacts of the charging unit are moved out in the removal direction, in particular in the direction towards the charging plate, in order to couple with the charging interface of the charging plate, until finally a physical charging contact is established between the charging contacts and the charging interface.

[0009] Accordingly, the invention also includes a conductive charging unit for a motor vehicle having a fan unit according to the invention or a design of the conductive charging unit to be described in more detail below. Furthermore, it is particularly advantageous here that the conductive charging unit has charging contacts for coupling with the charging interface of the charging plate, wherein the charging contacts can be moved out in the removal direction for coupling with the charging plate, and the charging unit has a protective sleeve surrounding the charging contacts perpendicular to the removal direction, for example the bellows described at the beginning with respect to the prior art, which can be moved out together with the charging contacts. Here, the fan unit is also preferably designed to provide an air flow in the removal direction inside the protective sleeve before the charging contacts are fully moved out. Thus, when the fan unit or the charging unit is positioned correctly relative to the charging plate, the predetermined direction - in which the air flow is provided by the fan unit - points in the direction of the charging plate. In particular, the charging unit is also designed to be positioned on the bottom side of the motor vehicle, and the charging contacts are designed to couple with a charging plate constructed as a floor. In other words, the floor should be arranged on the ground.

[0010] Furthermore, the fan unit can have a fan or blower for generating an air flow and a control device for controlling the fan. The control device can also be designed accordingly to detect a signal indicating the start of the coupling process for conductively coupling the charging unit with the charging plate. For example, the start of the coupling process can indicate the moment when the charging contacts of the charging unit start to move out in order to contact the charging interface of the floor. The signal indicating the start of the coupling process can at the same time also be an activation signal for activating the movement of the charging contacts or related thereto. Here, the air flow or the fan does not have to be activated at the same time as the start of the coupling process, but rather the fan can be activated and thus the air flow can be provided only before a physical contact is established between the charging unit and the charging plate. Thereby, the contact surface can be effectively and reliably cleaned before the contact is established. The start of the charging process can be defined by the start of the current flow between the charging plate and the charging unit. Accordingly, the end of the charging process can be defined by the end of this current flow.

[0011] In an advantageous design of the present invention, the fan unit is designed to deactivate the air flow according to weather data provided as a situation parameter, where the weather data is current weather data and / or weather data related to a determined previous time period. By also being able to stop providing the air flow after a certain time at the start of the charging process, it is already possible to advantageously achieve, with the initially provided air flow, the removal of dirt and possible liquids, such as water, etc. from the contact surface. For example, if it is not currently raining or has not rained recently, then for example it can also be considered that there is no risk at all that, during the further continuation of the charging process, liquid penetrates between the charging unit and the charging plate, for example into small gaps, and may damage the charging process. Correspondingly, it is particularly advantageous to control and deactivate the fan unit according to current or recently past weather data. Here, for example, in particular the ambient temperature and the presence or probability of precipitation are particularly advantageous as weather data. However, the current cloud cover, air humidity or similar conditions can also be considered. Such weather data can, for example, be directly obtained by the motor vehicle, for example by means of existing temperature sensors and / or rain sensors, etc., or, if necessary, obtained from an external service via the Internet. It is also particularly advantageous here to consider not only the current weather data, but also the weather data related to the weather conditions of a specific previous time period immediately preceding the current moment. For example, if it has rained recently, the motor vehicle gets wet and the probability that residual liquid drips from the motor vehicle onto the floor, for example, is relatively high. Therefore, for example, if it is determined based on the weather data that it is dry at the location of the motor vehicle at present and in the last few hours, then the fan unit can, for example, be deactivated shortly after the start of the charging process, for example after a few minutes up to one hour. If, for example, it starts to rain during the course of the charging process when the fan unit has been deactivated, then the fan unit can, for example, be reactivated again.

[0012] In another advantageous design of the present invention, the fan unit is designed to deactivate the air flow according to data related to the current season provided as a situation parameter. For example, in winter, the risk of ice or snow on the floor increases. In addition, even if there is no precipitation suddenly, the melt water of the snow still on the roof may continue to drip down onto the floor after a long time. For example, there is no such risk in summer. It is particularly advantageous to also consider the current season in the fan control. For example, it can be stipulated that the fan generally runs for a longer time in winter months than, for example, in summer. But this can also depend in a more differentiated manner on the current and recently past weather data.

[0013] In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the fan unit is designed to deactivate the air flow based on data related to the last traveled route of the motor vehicle as a situation parameter. The background is that it is first advantageous to consider the weather at the location of the motor vehicle for determining how long the fan should be activated. For example, if it has not rained at the location of the charging plate now and in the past few days, it cannot be automatically assumed that there is definitely no water on the charging contacts. For example, it is possible that the motor vehicle has recently traveled in a completely different area where it has rained or snowed. If the motor vehicle is now charged, rainwater or melted snow water may accordingly drip from the motor vehicle onto the floor. In addition, for example, the location where the motor vehicle has recently been located can also be evaluated, especially with respect to devices located there, such as car wash facilities. If the motor vehicle has recently been washed in a car wash facility, it is also possible that residual liquid will fall from the vehicle onto the floor during charging or at least the probability of this will increase accordingly. Such a situation can also be advantageously considered in the fan control. Therefore, it is particularly advantageous that data related to the last traveled route of the motor vehicle is also considered when controlling the fan unit or the fan. In particular, the last traveled route and its position data can also be used to compare with the above-mentioned weather data for one or more regions of the traveled route. Therefore, the weather data for the last traveled route can also be specifically considered during deactivation.

[0014] In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the fan unit is designed to deactivate the air flow based on data related to the time since the motor vehicle last traveled as a situation parameter. If the motor vehicle has, for example, been parked at the same location for a long time and it has not rained at that location for a long time either, it is less likely that water or other liquids will fall from the vehicle onto the floor or from the environment onto the floor. Any existing liquid could originally be removed by the initial activation of the fan. Since it is possible to start from the dry state of the motor vehicle, it can also be considered in the above situation that after deactivating the fan, no new liquid can fall into the contact area.

[0015] As can also be clearly seen in the above embodiments, it is very advantageous to study parameters such as the time since the last travel and / or the situation of the last travel route in combination with weather data as additional situation parameters. In addition, it is correspondingly advantageous to consider multiple situation parameters, such as the situation parameters described above or to be described below. For example, it is also possible to determine, based on one or more situation parameters, the probability that no new liquid will fall onto the charging plate, especially into the contact area, after deactivating the fan. If the determined probability is higher than a pre-given threshold, the fan is deactivated; otherwise, for example, the fan is not deactivated or is only deactivated when the determined probability finally exceeds the threshold when necessary.

[0016] In another very advantageous design of the present invention, the fan unit is designed to deactivate the air flow based on data related to the characteristics of the location of the charging plate as a situation parameter, in particular the characteristic of whether the location is covered. If the charging plate and thus the charging location is in a protected area, such as under a carport or in a garage, then the charging plate at this location is subject to significantly less environmental impact compared to, for example, an uncovered charging plate. Now, this design can also be advantageously considered in fan control. If the charging plate is, for example, under a cover, the fan can be deactivated in advance. To obtain these data on the location characteristics of the charging plate, for example, vehicle data and location data of the motor vehicle can be used. If the motor vehicle is, for example, at the location of its home address, it can be assumed that the motor vehicle is charged by a privately installed charging plate during charging. The location of the charging plate is thus known, or it is known whether the charging plate is in the garage. If the motor vehicle is charged on a public charging plate, this can also be determined based on the GPS position of the motor vehicle. If it is not determined here whether the charging plate is under a cover, then, for example, the worst-case scenario can be assumed, i.e., the charging plate is in the open air. Alternatively or additionally, the environmental sensors of the motor vehicle can also be considered for determining the possible presence of a cover.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a motor vehicle having the fan unit according to the present invention or one of its design solutions or having the conductive charging unit according to the present invention or one of its design solutions.

[0018] Here, the conductive charging unit is preferably arranged in the bottom area of the motor vehicle. As described, the charging plate to be coupled to the charging unit for conductive charging is preferably constructed as a floor. The charging unit or at least a part thereof, in particular the charging contacts, can be moved out in the direction of the floor in order to couple with the charging interface of the floor until a physical contact is finally established between the charging contacts of the floor and the charging interface. Here, a protective sleeve constructed as a bellows surrounds the charging contacts and protects the charging contacts from environmental impacts during charging. Here, in the state where the charging unit is moved out, the protective sleeve can contact the ground with its end. However, airtight sealing is not preferred for the case where air, that is, the air of the provided air flow, can also escape further out from the inside of the protective sleeve. In other words, the air flow provided by the fan can be guided outward through the inside of the protective sleeve in the direction of the floor.

[0019] The motor vehicle according to the present invention is preferably designed as an automobile, in particular a passenger car or a truck, or is designed as a bus or a motorcycle.

[0020] Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a method for operating a fan unit of a conductive charging unit for a motor vehicle, the conductive charging unit being designed to automatically couple with a charging plate outside the motor vehicle that provides a charging interface in order to perform a charging process for charging an energy storage device of the motor vehicle. Herein, the fan unit provides an air flow in a predetermined direction, particularly in the direction of the charging plate, and activates the provision of the air flow according to a signal indicating the start of a coupling process of conductively coupling the charging unit with the charging plate for performing the charging process. Herein, the fan unit deactivates the provision of the air flow according to situation parameters before the end of the charging process.

[0021] The advantages described for the fan unit according to the present invention and its embodiments, as well as for the conductive charging unit according to the present invention and its embodiments, apply in the same way to the method according to the present invention.

[0022] The present invention also includes improvement schemes of the method according to the present invention, and these improvement schemes have the features as described in connection with the improvement schemes of the fan unit according to the present invention and the charging unit according to the present invention. For this reason, the corresponding improvement schemes of the method according to the present invention are not described herein again.

[0023] The present invention also includes a control device for the fan unit. The control device may have a data processing device or a processor device, which is designed to execute an embodiment of the method according to the present invention. For this purpose, the processor device may have at least one microprocessor and / or at least one microcontroller and / or at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and / or at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Furthermore, the processor device may have a program code, which is designed to implement an embodiment of the method according to the present invention when run by the processor device. The program code may be stored in the data memory of the processor device.

[0024] The present invention also includes combinations of the features of the described embodiments. Therefore, the present invention also includes the following implementation schemes, that is, as long as these embodiments are not described as mutually exclusive, these implementation schemes respectively have combinations of the features of multiple embodiments among the said embodiments. Description of the Drawings

[0025] Embodiments of the present invention are described below. The figures show:

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a motor vehicle having a conductive charging unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0027] Figure 2 A flowchart showing a method for operating a fan unit of a conductive charging unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0028] The embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, in this embodiment, the components of the embodiment are respectively individual, visually independent features of the present invention, and the features also independently improve the present invention accordingly. Therefore, the disclosure should also include other combinations different from the shown combinations of the features of the embodiment. In addition, the embodiment can also be supplemented by other features of the present invention.

[0029] In the drawings, the same reference numerals respectively denote functionally identical elements. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic view of a motor vehicle 10 is shown, which has a conductive charging unit 12 for charging an accumulator 14 of the motor vehicle 10. For this purpose, the charging unit 12 can be brought into contact with a charging plate which serves as a floor 16 and is arranged on a foundation 18. The charging plate 16 and the vehicle-side charging unit 12 together form a conductive charging system. Such a conductive charging system is here - compared to a wireless charging system or an inductive charging system - a significantly more advantageous and more efficient alternative. Here, the contact between the charging unit 12 and the floor 16 takes place automatically, that is to say, the user does not have to manually establish a physical connection between the charging unit and the floor 16 for this purpose. Here, the connection is made from below. In other words, the charging unit is arranged in the bottom region 20 of the motor vehicle 10. The charging unit has a charging contact 22 which can be physically coupled to a corresponding charging interface 24 of the floor 16. Here, the charging contact 22 can be moved out and retracted in the direction of the floor 16. The direction of movement out is Figure 1 exemplarily indicated by an arrow R in. In order to protect the contact area, the charging contact 22 is additionally surrounded by a protective sleeve 26 which is currently configured as a bellows in a circumferential direction around the direction of movement out R. Thus, the protective sleeve 26 encloses the charging contact 22 in a hose-like manner. The protective sleeve 26 can also be moved out and retracted. This is carried out in particular synchronously with the movement out and retraction of the charging contact 22 in terms of time.

[0031] To reliably discharge water or moisture from the floor 16 first before contacting the charging contact 22, a fan unit 28 is also provided. The fan unit includes a fan 30 having a fan motor and a control device 32 for controlling the fan 30. The fan 30 is configured as a blower and can generate an air flow 34 when activated by the control device 32. Here, when the motor vehicle 10 is parked above the floor 16, especially in its prescribed charging position, the air flow 34 is provided in the direction towards the floor 16. The air flow 34 is guided through the bellows 26 here. To ensure that there is no dirt such as leaves or water on the floor 16 before establishing contact with the charging contact 22, the fan 30 is activated by the control device 32 long before contact is established. Here, the activation can be carried out according to a signal S, which indicates the start of the coupling process. This signal S can also be an activation signal for activating the charging contact 22 to move out in the direction towards the floor 16. That is, for example, if the charging unit 12 starts to move the charging contact 22 in the outwards direction R in the direction towards the floor 16, the fan 30 can also be activated accordingly.

[0032] Normally, such a fan operates during the entire charging process, which greatly impairs the overall efficiency of the charging process and is accompanied by significant noise interference. However, since such a charging system is mainly used for private purposes, the charging system is usually located in a protected environment, such as in a private garage. Continuous water loading is at least almost excluded in a private garage. However, of course, there may be water on the floor at the start of the charging process. In addition, water or melted snow water may also drip from the motor vehicle onto the floor during the charging process. Accordingly, it cannot simply be assumed that the fan can be disconnected after contact.

[0033] The present invention and its embodiments now advantageously solve the above problems in such a way that the fan 30 can be intelligently adjusted as needed during the duration of the charging process. In particular, the deactivation of the fan 30 can be achieved by the control device 32 according to the situation parameter P long before the end of the charging process. Input parameters for determining the cut-off of the fan 30 are, for example, weather forecasts, seasons, previous driving routes, the time since the last drive, and so on. This information is partly already present in the vehicle 10 as the situation parameter P or can be provided via a backend or Internet connection that all future vehicles 10 will have. Therefore, it is advantageously no longer necessary to activate the fan 30 under all circumstances during the entire duration of the charging process.

[0034] Figure 2A flowchart showing a method for operating a fan unit 28 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The method starts here at step S10: starting a coupling process for coupling the charging contact 22 with the charging interface 24. In the context of starting this coupling process, the charging contact 22 is moved out in the direction of the floor 16. In step S12, the fan 30 is activated when starting this coupling process, and the fan thus provides an air flow 34 in the direction of the floor 16. Then, in step S14, contact is achieved between the charging contact 22 and the charging interface 24 of the floor 16. An impedance measurement is performed in step S16, and it is checked in step S18 whether the impedance measurement is normal. If it is not normal, the method can be interrupted in step S20 and a fault notification can be issued, for example. If it is normal, the charging process is started in step S22.

[0035] Subsequently, in step S24, it is checked whether the detected situation parameter P meets a predetermined criterion. The situation parameter P can be one of the previously described situation parameters, such as weather data, the current season, the previous driving route, in particular the time since the last drive, or the driving distance covered in the last drive. These parameters P are only examples and are not exhaustive. For example, as additional situation parameters P, it can also be considered whether the floor 16 is located under a cover, for example, whether it is in a garage. Based on these situation parameters P, a probability calculation can be performed, and according to this probability calculation, it is determined the probability that no new moisture or water will appear in the contact area, that is, in the area of the floor 16 or in the contact area between the charging contact 22 and the charging interface 24. If the probability that no such new moisture will appear is high enough, for example, greater than a predetermined threshold, the fan 30 is deactivated in step S26. Otherwise, the check continues in step S24.

[0036] That is to say, the check in step S24 can be carried out until finally the probability that no new liquid will flow out is high enough, and then the fan 30 is switched off or the charging process is ended. If it is the latter case, the fan 30 is also deactivated and the charging contact finally retracts again.

[0037] Overall, these examples show how, through the present invention, intelligent fan control can be provided in an automated conductive charging system, which allows the fan to be controlled as needed and intelligently, and thus the energy consumption can be significantly reduced. In addition, the fan can be designed to have a shorter service life and thus be cheaper.

Claims

1. A fan unit (28) for a conductive charging unit (12) of a motor vehicle (10), the conductive charging unit being designed to automatically couple with a charging plate (16) outside the motor vehicle, which provides a charging interface (24), in order to perform a charging process for charging an accumulator (14) of the motor vehicle (10), wherein, The fan unit (28) is designed for, - providing an air flow (34) in a predetermined direction; - activating the provision of the air flow (34) according to a signal (S) indicating the start of a coupling process in which a charging unit (12) is conductively coupled to a charging plate (16) in order to perform a charging process, characterized in that the fan unit (28) is designed for deactivating the provision of the air flow (34) according to a situation parameter (P) before the end of the charging process, wherein, based on the situation parameter (P), the probability that no new liquid will fall onto the charging plate (16) after deactivating the fan (30) of the fan unit (28) is determined, and if the determined probability is higher than a predefined threshold, the fan (30) is deactivated.

2. The fan unit (28) according to claim 1, characterized in that the fan unit (28) is designed for deactivating the air flow (34) according to weather data provided as the situation parameter (P), wherein the weather data is current weather data and / or weather data related to a previous specific time period.

3. The fan unit (28) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fan unit (28) is designed for deactivating the air flow (34) according to data related to the current season provided as the situation parameter (P).

4. The fan unit (28) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fan unit (28) is designed for deactivating the air flow (34) according to data related to the driving route of the motor vehicle (10) on which it last traveled provided as the situation parameter (P).

5. The fan unit (28) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fan unit (28) is designed for deactivating the air flow (34) according to data related to the time since the last travel of the motor vehicle (10) provided as the situation parameter (P).

6. The fan unit (28) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fan unit (28) is designed for deactivating the air flow (34) according to data related to the characteristics of the location of the charging plate (16) provided as the situation parameter (P).

7. The fan unit (28) according to claim 6, characterized in that The characteristics of the location of the charging plate (16) are the capping characteristics of the location.

8. A conductive charging unit (12) for a motor vehicle (10), the conductive charging unit having a fan unit (28) according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The conductive charging unit (12) according to claim 8, characterized in that The conductive charging unit (12) has charging contacts (22) for coupling with a charging interface (24) of a charging plate (16), wherein the charging contacts (22) can be moved out in a removal direction for coupling with the charging plate (16), wherein the charging unit (12) has a protective sleeve (26) surrounding the charging contacts (22) perpendicular to the removal direction, and the protective sleeve can be moved out together with the charging contacts (22), wherein the fan unit (28) is designed to provide an air flow (34) inside the protective sleeve (26) in the removal direction before the charging contacts (22) are completely moved out, and wherein the charging unit (12) is designed to be positioned on the underside (20) of a motor vehicle (10), and the charging contacts (22) are designed to couple with a charging plate (16) configured as a floor.

10. A motor vehicle (10) having a conductive charging unit (12) according to claim 8 or 9.

11. A method for operating a fan unit (28) of a conductive charging unit (12) for a motor vehicle (10), the conductive charging unit being designed to automatically couple with a charging plate (16) outside the motor vehicle, which provides a charging interface (24), in order to perform a charging process for charging an accumulator (14) of the motor vehicle (10), - wherein the fan unit (28) provides an air flow (34) in a predetermined direction; - activating the provision of the air flow (34) according to a signal (S) which indicates the start of a coupling process of conductively coupling the charging unit (12) with the charging plate (16) in order to perform the charging process, characterized in that the fan unit (28) deactivates the provision of the air flow (34) according to a situation parameter (P) before the end of the charging process, wherein, according to the situation parameter (P), the probability that no new liquid falls onto the charging plate (16) after deactivating the fan (30) of the fan unit (28) is determined, and if the determined probability is higher than a predetermined threshold, the fan is deactivated.

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