Electric vehicle charging gun

Abstract

The present application discloses an electric vehicle charging gun, which includes: a housing, a spring-type connector, a plurality of first cables, and a locking module. The housing is provided with a first cavity, a second cavity, and a first opening communicating the first cavity and the second cavity; the spring-type connector is disposed at the first opening; the plurality of first cables are disposed in the second cavity, and one end of each first cable is connected to the spring-type connector, and the other end is connected to a power supply unit. The locking module is disposed in the first cavity and is detachably electrically connected to the spring-type connector; the locking module includes a control switch and an electronic lock that are electrically connected, and the control switch and the electronic lock are integrated together; the control switch is used to control the electronic lock to perform a locking action to lock the electric vehicle charging gun; the electronic lock transmits feedback signals to the power supply unit through the spring-type connector and the plurality of first cables, and receives an unlocking signal from the power supply unit, and performs an unlocking action based on the unlocking signal to unlock the electric vehicle charging gun.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of charging guns, and particularly to an electric vehicle charging gun. Background Art

[0002] With the rising awareness of environmental protection around the world, the electric vehicle industry has developed rapidly. Among them, the electric vehicle charging gun is a very crucial component.

[0003] Currently, existing electric vehicle charging guns usually use a control switch to drive an electronic lock to actuate when the electric vehicle charging gun is plugged into the electric vehicle charging seat, thereby locking the mechanical lock structurally to avoid hot plugging during the charging process, providing guarantee for the safe use of the electric vehicle charging gun; and resetting the electronic lock when the charging ends (i.e., the electric vehicle charging gun is powered off), thereby unlocking the mechanical lock, and the user can perform an unlocking operation. Therefore, the electronic lock and the control switch become the most easily damaged devices during the actual use of the electric vehicle charging gun. However, the installation design of the electronic lock and the control switch in the existing electric vehicle charging gun has problems of complex structure, inconvenient installation, low assembly efficiency, and high maintenance cost.

[0004] Therefore, how to provide a solution to the above technical problems is an issue that those skilled in the art need to solve currently. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of this application provide an electric vehicle charging gun, which can solve the problems of complex structure, inconvenient installation, low assembly efficiency, and high maintenance cost in the installation design of the electronic lock and the control switch in the existing electric vehicle charging gun.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, this application is implemented as follows:

[0007] This application provides an electric vehicle charging gun, which includes: a housing, a spring - type connector (pogo pin connector), a plurality of first cables, and a locking module. The housing is provided with a first cavity, a second cavity, and a first opening communicating the first cavity and the second cavity; the spring - type connector is disposed in the first opening; a plurality of first cables are disposed in the second cavity, one end of each first cable is connected to the spring - type connector, and the other end is connected to a power supply unit. The locking module is disposed in the first cavity and is detachably electrically connected to the spring - type connector; the locking module includes an electrically connected control switch and an electronic lock, and the control switch and the electronic lock are integrated together; the control switch is used to control the electronic lock to perform a locking action to lock the electric vehicle charging gun; the electronic lock transmits feedback signals to the power supply unit through the spring - type connector and the plurality of first cables, and receives an unlocking signal from the power supply unit, and performs an unlocking action based on the unlocking signal to unlock the electric vehicle charging gun.

[0008] In the electric vehicle charging gun according to the embodiment of the present application, through the design that the spring-type connector is arranged in the first opening, the integration of the control switch and the electronic lock into the locking module, the locking module is arranged in the first cavity at the top of the housing, and the locking module is detachably and electrically connected to the spring-type connector, the assembly process can be reduced, and the electronic lock and the spring-type connector can achieve quick contact; when the electronic lock or the control switch fails, quick replacement can be realized, the maintenance cost can be reduced, and the maintenance efficiency can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application, and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions thereof of the present application are configured to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation to the present application. In the drawings:

[0010] Figure 1 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of an electric vehicle charging gun according to the present application;

[0011] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a left view schematic diagram of the electric vehicle charging gun;

[0012] Figure 3 is Figure 2 a sectional view of the electric vehicle charging gun along line AA;

[0013] Figure 4 is Figure 3 a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the spring-type connector;

[0014] Figure 5 is Figure 3 an enlarged schematic diagram of area B of the electric vehicle charging gun;

[0015] Figure 6 is Figure 1 a partial exploded schematic diagram of the electric vehicle charging gun;

[0016] Figure 7 is Figure 1 a top view of the electric vehicle charging gun without a mechanical lock; and

[0017] Figure 8 is Figure 5 a corresponding connection schematic diagram of the spring-type connector and the electronic lock. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the relevant drawings. In these drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same or similar components or method flows.

[0019] It should be understood that the terms "comprising", "including" and the like used in this specification are configured to indicate the presence of specific technical features, numerical values, method steps, operations and / or components, but do not exclude the addition of more technical features, numerical values, method steps, operations, components, or any combination of the above.

[0020] It should be understood that when a component is described as "connected" or "coupled" to another component, it may be directly connected or coupled to other components, and intermediate components may occur. Conversely, when a component is described as "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another component, there are no intermediate components.

[0021] In addition, although terms such as "first", "second",... are used herein to describe different elements, these terms are only used to distinguish elements or operations described with the same technical terms.

[0022] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1 FIG. Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic structural view of an electric vehicle charging gun according to an embodiment of the present application from the left viewing direction. Figure 3 is Figure 2 a sectional view of the electric vehicle charging gun along line AA. As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the electric vehicle charging gun 1 includes: a housing 11, a spring connector 12, a plurality of first cables 13 and a locking module 14. The housing 11 is provided with a first cavity 111, a second cavity 112 and a first opening 113 communicating the first cavity 111 and the second cavity 112; the spring connector 12 is disposed in the first opening 113; a plurality of first cables 13 are disposed in the second cavity 112, one end of each first cable 13 is connected to the spring connector 12, and the other end is connected to a power supply unit (not shown). Among them, the power supply unit may be, but is not limited to, a charging pile; the spring connector 12 may include a base 121 and a plurality of spring terminals 122, the base 121 may be fixed in the first opening 113, and the plurality of spring terminals 122 may electrically connect the locking module 14 and the plurality of first cables 13, and the spring terminals 122 are connected to the first cables 13 one-to-one (that is, the number of spring terminals 122 is equal to the number of first cables 13); the number of spring terminals 122 may be, but is not limited to, 7 (as Figure 4 shown, Figure 4 is Figure 3 a three-dimensional structural view of the spring connector), and can be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0023] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 5 is Figure 3Enlarged schematic view of area B of the electric vehicle charging gun Figure 6 is Figure 1 Partial exploded schematic view of the electric vehicle charging gun. As Figure 3 、 Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown, the locking module 14 is disposed in the first cavity 111 and is detachably electrically connected to the spring-type connector 12; the locking module 14 includes a control switch 141 and an electronic lock 142 that are electrically connected, and the control switch 141 and the electronic lock 142 are integrated together; the control switch 141 is used to control the electronic lock 142 to perform a locking action to lock the electric vehicle charging gun 1; the electronic lock 142 transmits feedback signals to the power supply unit through the spring-type connector 12 and multiple first cables 13, and receives an unlocking signal from the power supply unit, and performs an unlocking action based on the unlocking signal to unlock the electric vehicle charging gun 1.

[0024] Specifically, after the electric vehicle charging gun 1 and the electric vehicle charging seat are inserted into each other, the control switch 141 outputs a corresponding signal to the electronic lock 142, and the electronic lock 142 performs a locking action based on the signal sent by the control switch 141 to lock the electric vehicle charging gun 1 to the electric vehicle charging seat; in addition, after the electronic lock 142 performs a locking action, it transmits feedback signals to the power supply unit through the spring-type connector 12 and multiple first cables 13, so that the power supply unit starts to charge the electric vehicle through the inserted electric vehicle charging gun 1 and the electric vehicle charging seat. When the power supply unit detects that the charging is completed, it transmits an unlocking signal to the electronic lock 142 through the multiple first cables 13 and the spring-type connector 12, and the electronic lock 142 performs an unlocking action based on the unlocking signal to unlock the electric vehicle charging gun 1 from the electric vehicle charging seat; at this time, the user can separate the electric vehicle charging gun 1 from the electric vehicle charging seat.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , Figure 7 is Figure 1 Top view of the electric vehicle charging gun without a mechanical lock. The housing 11 may also be provided with a first positioning frame 114 and a second positioning frame 115. The first positioning frame 114 and the second positioning frame 115 are disposed in the first cavity 111. The first positioning frame 114 can position the control switch 141, and the second positioning frame 115 can position the electronic lock 142.

[0026] In one embodiment, the first positioning frame 114 and the second positioning frame 115 are located in different planes, and the first positioning frame 114 is disposed higher than the second positioning frame 115. In other words, the control switch 141 can be disposed on the plane P1, the electronic lock 142 can be disposed on the plane P2, and the plane P1 is disposed higher than the plane P2.

[0027] In one embodiment, the control switch 141 and the electronic lock 142 are fixed to the housing 11 by screws 2 (as Figure 6 shown). The control switch 141 and the electronic lock 142 are detachably mounted in the first cavity 111 located at the top of the housing 11 through the screws 2, facilitating the installation and removal of the control switch 141 and the electronic lock 142.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 3 、 Figure 5 and Figure 8 for Figure 8 a Figure 5 schematic diagram of the corresponding connection between the spring-type connector and the electronic lock. The electronic lock 142 includes a docking connector 1421; when the electronic lock 142 is disposed in the first cavity 111, the electronic lock 142 presses a plurality of spring terminals 122 of the spring-type connector 12 through a plurality of conductive terminals 14212 of the docking connector 1421, thereby electrically connecting the spring-type connector 12. Therefore, through the design of the docking connector 1421 and the spring-type connector 12, when the control switch 141 and / or the electronic lock 142 malfunctions and needs to be replaced, the electronic lock 142 and the spring-type connector 12 can achieve quick contact.

[0029] In one embodiment, the docking connector 1421 may include an insulating body 14211 and a plurality of conductive terminals 14212. Each conductive terminal 14212 may include a contact portion 142121 exposed on the surface of the insulating body 14211 for docking with the spring-type connector 12 and a foot portion 142122 received in the insulating body 14211; when the electronic lock 142 is disposed in the first cavity 111, each contact portion 142121 presses the corresponding spring terminal 122.

[0030] In one embodiment, each spring terminal 122 may include a holding portion 1221 fixed to the base 121 and a telescopic portion 1222 exposed outside the base 121 (as Figure 4 shown); when the electronic lock 142 is disposed in the first cavity 111, each telescopic portion 1222 is pressed by the corresponding conductive terminal 14212 and retracts toward the base 121.

[0031] In one embodiment, the electronic lock 142 may further include a waterproof ring 1423. The waterproof ring 1423 is sleeved outside the docking connector 1421; when the electronic lock 142 is disposed in the first cavity 111, the docking connector 1421 extends into the first opening 113, and the waterproof ring 1423 abuts against the side wall of the first opening 113 to achieve a waterproof effect.

[0032] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 3, the electric vehicle charging gun 1 may further include a mechanical lock 15, which is rotatably connected to the housing 11 through a rotating shaft 3 and covers the first cavity 111; one end of the mechanical lock 15 is provided with a hook 151 for locking the electric vehicle charging base, and the other end is provided with a pressing member 152; after the electric vehicle charging gun 1 and the electric vehicle charging base are inserted into each other, the control switch 141 is triggered to control the electronic lock 142 to perform a locking action to lock the mechanical lock 15, so that the hook 151 locks the electric vehicle charging base; after the electronic lock 142 receives an unlocking signal, it performs an unlocking action to release the locking of the mechanical lock 15, so that after the pressing member 152 is pressed, the hook 151 releases the engagement with the electric vehicle charging base. Specifically, the control switch 141 is located on one side of the connection between the rotating shaft 3 of the mechanical lock 15 close to the hook 151; when the electric vehicle charging gun 1 and the electric vehicle charging base are inserted into each other, the mechanical lock 15 rotates relative to the housing 11 to trigger the control switch 141, and the control switch 141 controls the electronic lock 142 to perform a locking action to lock the mechanical lock 15 (that is, to limit the mechanical lock 15 from rotating relative to the housing 11), so that the hook 151 locks the electric vehicle charging base; after the electronic lock 142 receives an unlocking signal, it performs an unlocking action to release the locking of the mechanical lock 15, so that after the user presses the pressing member 152, the mechanical lock 15 can rotate relative to the housing 11, the hook 151 releases the engagement with the electric vehicle charging base, and then the user can separate the electric vehicle charging gun 1 from the electric vehicle charging base.

[0033] In one embodiment, the electronic lock 142 may include a locking mechanism 1422 (such as Figure 3 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 as shown); the electronic lock 142 locks or unlocks the mechanical lock 15 through the locking mechanism 1422. Specifically, when the electronic lock 142 performs a locking action, it can move the locking mechanism 1422 to the locking position, so that the pressing member 152 cannot be pressed downward (that is, the mechanical lock 15 is in the locked state); when the electronic lock 142 performs an unlocking action, it can move the locking mechanism 1422 to the unlocking position, so that the pressing member 152 can be pressed downward (that is, the mechanical lock 15 is in the unlocked state).

[0034] In one embodiment, the electric vehicle charging gun 1 may further include a reset member 16 (such as Figure 3 as shown), the reset member 16 is arranged between the housing 11 and the pressing member 152 and is used to reset the pressed pressing member 152. Among them, the reset member 16 may be, but is not limited to, a spring.

[0035] In one embodiment, the electric vehicle charging gun 1 may further include a waterproof rubber plug 17, which is arranged at the first opening 113 (such as Figure 3 and Figure 5 as shown); the waterproof rubber plug 17 is arranged on the other side of the spring connector 12 relative to the electronic lock 142 and allows a plurality of first cables 13 to pass through. Therefore, a waterproof effect can be produced.

[0036] In one embodiment, the spring connector 12 may further include a positioning post 123 disposed on one side of the base 121 opposite to the plurality of spring terminals 122. The positioning post 123 can be used to pass through and position the waterproof rubber plug 17 (such as Figure 4 as Figure 5 shown).

[0037] In one embodiment, the housing 11 may further be provided with a second opening 116 communicating the external environment with the second cavity 112; the electric vehicle charging gun 1 may further include a charging plug 18 and a plurality of second cables 19. The charging plug 18 is disposed at the second opening 116, and the plurality of second cables 19 are disposed in the second cavity 112. One end of each second cable 19 is connected to the charging plug 18, and the other end is connected to the power supply unit (such as Figure 3 shown). Among them, the electric vehicle charging gun 1 can be a DC charging gun. The charging plug 18 may include two DC power terminal contacts 181 and 182, two charging communication terminal contacts 183 and 184, two charging connection confirmation terminal contacts 185 and 186, two low-voltage auxiliary power terminal contacts 187 and 188, and a protective grounding terminal contact 189 (such as Figure 2 shown).

[0038] In summary, in the electric vehicle charging gun of the present application, through the design that the spring connector is disposed at the first opening, the integration of the control switch and the electronic lock is used as the locking module, the locking module is disposed in the first cavity at the top of the housing, and the locking module is detachably electrically connected to the spring connector, the assembly process can be reduced, and the electronic lock and the spring connector can achieve quick contact; when the electronic lock or the control switch fails, quick replacement can be realized, the maintenance cost can be reduced, and the maintenance efficiency can be improved.

[0039] Although the present invention is described using the above embodiments, it should be noted that these descriptions are not configured to limit the present invention. On the contrary, this invention covers modifications and similar arrangements that are obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the claims must be interpreted in the broadest way to cover all obvious modifications and similar arrangements.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle charging gun, characterized in that, it includes: A housing provided with a first cavity, a second cavity, and a first opening connecting the first cavity and the second cavity; A spring-type connector disposed at the first opening; Multiple first cables disposed in the second cavity, with one end of each of the multiple first cables connected to the spring-type connector and the other end connected to a power supply unit; And A locking module disposed in the first cavity and detachably electrically connected to the spring-type connector. The locking module includes a control switch and an electronic lock that are electrically connected. The control switch and the electronic lock are integrated together. The control switch is used to control the electronic lock to perform a locking action to lock the electric vehicle charging gun. The electronic lock transmits feedback signals to the power supply unit through the spring-type connector and the multiple first cables, and receives an unlocking signal from the power supply unit, and performs an unlocking action based on the unlocking signal to unlock the electric vehicle charging gun; wherein, the electronic lock includes a docking connector. When the electronic lock is disposed in the first cavity, the electronic lock presses multiple spring terminals of the spring-type connector through multiple conductive terminals of the docking connector, thereby electrically connecting the spring-type connector.

2. The electric vehicle charging gun according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing is further provided with a first positioning frame and a second positioning frame. The first positioning frame and the second positioning frame are disposed in the first cavity. The first positioning frame positions the control switch, and the second positioning frame positions the electronic lock.

3. The electric vehicle charging gun according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first positioning frame and the second positioning frame are located in different planes, and the first positioning frame is disposed higher than the second positioning frame.

4. The electric vehicle charging gun according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control switch and the electronic lock are fixed to the housing by screws.

5. The electric vehicle charging gun according to claim 1, characterized in that, The docking connector includes an insulating body and the multiple conductive terminals. Each of the multiple conductive terminals includes a contact portion exposed on the surface of the insulating body for docking with the spring-type connector and a leg portion received in the insulating body. When the electronic lock is disposed in the first cavity, each contact portion presses the corresponding spring terminal.

6. The electric vehicle charging gun according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spring-type connector includes a base and the multiple spring terminals. Each of the multiple spring terminals includes a holding portion fixed on the base and a telescopic portion exposed outside the base. When the electronic lock is disposed in the first cavity, each telescopic portion is pressed by the corresponding conductive terminal and retracts towards the base.

7. The electric vehicle charging gun according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a mechanical lock which is rotatably connected to the housing through a rotating shaft and covers the first cavity; a hook for locking the electric vehicle charging seat is provided at one end of the mechanical lock, and a pressing member is provided at the other end; after the electric vehicle charging gun and the electric vehicle charging seat are inserted into each other, the control switch is triggered to control the electronic lock to perform the locking action so as to lock the mechanical lock, and the hook locks the electric vehicle charging seat; after the electronic lock receives the unlocking signal, it performs the unlocking action to release the locking of the mechanical lock, so that after the pressing member is pressed, the hook releases the engagement with the electric vehicle charging seat.

8. The electric vehicle charging gun according to claim 7, wherein, the electronic lock includes a locking mechanism; the electronic lock locks or unlocks the mechanical lock through the locking mechanism.

9. The electric vehicle charging gun according to claim 1, wherein, it further includes a waterproof rubber plug arranged at the first opening; the waterproof rubber plug is arranged on the other side of the spring type connector relative to the electronic lock and allows the plurality of first cables to pass through.

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