Intelligent charging pile

Abstract

This invention relates to an intelligent charging pile, comprising: a body with an internal receiving cavity; a charging gun disposed on the front of the body; a winding and unwinding mechanism housed in the receiving cavity, including a DC motor, a cable reel, and at least two guide posts. The surface of the cable reel has a spiral guide groove, along which the cable is wound and wound and unwound by the DC motor. The guide posts are arranged parallel to one side of the cable reel, and their surfaces are fitted with freely rotatable sleeves that contact the surface of the cable wound in the spiral guide groove to guide the cable winding in an orderly manner. The body has a cable outlet communicating with the receiving cavity; a charging module disposed inside the body and located to the side of the winding and unwinding mechanism; and a human-machine interface disposed on the front of the body. The cable of the winding and unwinding mechanism extends to the charging gun via the cable outlet, and the cable is hidden within the receiving cavity in the retracted state. This invention solves the problem of highly integrated automatic cable winding and unwinding functions in charging piles within a limited space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electric vehicle charging facilities technology, and in particular to a smart charging pile. Background Technology

[0002] To enhance user experience, smart charging stations have introduced automatic cable retraction and extension functions. However, existing retraction-type charging stations have the following limitations: Charging stations using a bottom drawer-style retraction and extension mechanism require a large forward operating space when the mechanism pops out, significantly increasing the overall space occupied by the charging station and limiting its application in confined spaces (such as narrow corners or sidewalks). Another option, the rear-mounted roll-up design, allows for wall-mounted installation, but its retraction and extension mechanism is usually exposed or semi-hidden, causing some cables to still dangle and drag on the floor after retraction, affecting cleanliness and potentially causing cable wear. Simultaneously, the roll-up structure increases the thickness of the charging station, occupying more lateral space. Furthermore, both manual and automatic retraction-type charging stations often employ a fragmented layout for their charging modules, retraction and extension mechanisms, and human-machine interfaces, failing to adequately consider heat dissipation, maintenance, and inter-module safety and coordination issues in a highly integrated state. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a highly integrated smart charging pile that can solve the problem of automatic cable retraction and extension within a limited space, addressing the aforementioned technical issues.

[0004] The present invention provides a smart charging pile, characterized in that it includes:

[0005] The fuselage has an internal cavity;

[0006] The charging gun is located on the front of the device body;

[0007] The take-up and unwinding mechanism, housed in the receiving cavity of the machine body, includes a DC motor, a wire reel, and at least two guide posts. The surface of the wire reel is provided with a spiral guide groove. The cable is wound along the spiral guide groove and is driven by the DC motor for take-up and unwinding. The guide posts are arranged parallel to one side of the wire reel, and their surfaces are fitted with freely rotatable sleeves. The sleeves contact the surface of the cable wound in the spiral guide groove to guide the cable to wind in an orderly manner. The machine body is provided with a cable outlet communicating with the receiving cavity. The width of the cable outlet is not less than the width of the spiral guide groove, and the length is not less than the axial distribution width of the spiral guide groove on the wire reel.

[0008] The charging module is located inside the body and to the side of the retraction mechanism;

[0009] The human-computer interaction interface is located on the front of the device body;

[0010] A through-beam sensor, positioned near the cable outlet, is used to detect cable movement in order to determine whether the cable has reached its initial or limit position.

[0011] The cable of the retractable mechanism extends to the charging gun via the cable outlet, and the cable is hidden in the receiving cavity when retracted. The retractable mechanism, the charging module, and the human-machine interface are arranged in a non-overlapping three-dimensional arrangement in the internal space and front of the body.

[0012] In one embodiment, the DC motor is a brushless DC motor.

[0013] In one embodiment, a left side plate and a right side plate are provided within the receiving cavity, and the wire reel and guide post are installed between the left side plate and the right side plate.

[0014] In one embodiment, one end of the wire reel is rotatably supported on the left side plate via a universal turntable, and the other end is rotatably supported on the right side plate via a bearing fastener and a flange bushing, and is driven by the DC motor through a reduction mechanism.

[0015] In one embodiment, the outer flange of the universal turntable is fixed to the left side plate, and the inner ring is fixedly connected to the end of the wire reel, which is used to realize the rotational support of the wire reel and the angle adjustment of the charging pile.

[0016] In one embodiment, the take-up and undo mechanism further includes a slip ring assembly, which is positioned at the end of the wire reel where the universal turntable is located by a slip ring fixing member, for realizing the electrical connection between the cable on the rotating wire reel and the fixed power cable.

[0017] In one embodiment, a Hall sensor and a central controller are also included. The Hall sensor is disposed at the end of the wire reel and is used to detect the number of rotations of the wire reel. The central controller is used to calculate the cable winding and unwinding length based on the signal from the Hall sensor and to determine whether the cable has reached its limit position or has been retracted to its initial position based on the signal from the through-beam sensor.

[0018] In one embodiment, an emergency stop switch is also provided on the front or side of the body. When triggered, it sends an electrical signal to the central controller. In response to the electrical signal, the central controller instructs the charging module to stop charging and controls the DC motor to stop running.

[0019] In one embodiment, a guide sleeve is provided at the cable outlet. The guide sleeve is made of silicone rubber and its inner wall is provided with raised textures to reduce frictional loss.

[0020] In one embodiment, the bottom of the receiving cavity is provided with a drain hole.

[0021] The aforementioned smart charging pile utilizes a cable reel with spiral guide grooves and guide posts with roller sleeves to guide and wind the cable in an orderly manner, ensuring that the cable is completely concealed within the receiving cavity during storage. This avoids the problem of requiring a large forward operating space in bottom drawer-type charging mechanisms, while also solving the drawbacks of back-mounted reel designs, such as cables drooping and dragging on the ground, being prone to wear, and occupying excessive lateral space due to increased body thickness. Furthermore, by placing the charging module on the side of the charging mechanism and the human-machine interface on the front of the device, and arranging these three components in a non-overlapping three-dimensional configuration, a compact layout of each functional module in a highly integrated state is achieved, effectively optimizing heat dissipation performance, maintenance convenience, and safe collaboration between modules. Based on this, the width of the cable outlet is not less than the width of the spiral guide groove, ensuring axial alignment of the cable with the outlet structure during winding and unwinding. This reduces friction, twisting, or jamming caused by dimensional mismatch, improving winding smoothness and cable lifespan. The length of the cable outlet is not less than the axial distribution width of the spiral guide groove on the cable reel, ensuring the cable reaches its initial and limit positions during reel rotation without jamming. A through-beam sensor is positioned near the cable outlet, directly detecting cable movement (such as changes in signal obstruction) to achieve accurate real-time cable position determination. This avoids the delays and misjudgments associated with traditional tensile or contractile force detection, enhancing the accuracy and response speed of automated control and making the cable winding and unwinding process more intelligent and reliable. This further strengthens the integration of the charging pile within limited spaces, improving overall practicality and safety, making it particularly suitable for space-constrained scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a smart charging pile according to one embodiment;

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Exploded view;

[0025] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A sectional view;

[0026] Figure 4for Figure 1 Another perspective sectional view.

[0027] Figure label:

[0028] 110. Body; 120. Charging gun; 130. Retraction mechanism; 140. Charging module; 150. Human-machine interface; 112. Receiving cavity; 132. DC motor; 134. Wire reel; 136. Guide column; 135. Roller sleeve; 117. Cable outlet; 56. Mounting flange; 55. Lifting rod profile; 54. Flange base; 51. First lifting fixing plate; 52. Second lifting fixing plate; 53. Third lifting fixing plate; 156. Front shell inner liner; 114. Left side plate; 116. Right side plate; 111. Universal turntable; 113. Shaft seat fixing component; 115. Flange bushing; 131. Slip ring assembly; 133. Slip ring fixing component; 160. Through-beam sensor; 170. Hall sensor; 180. Central controller; 118. Emergency stop switch; 119. Guide sleeve; 152. Dot matrix screen. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0031] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0032] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0033] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0034] The following is combined with Figures 1-4 The present invention describes an intelligent charging pile.

[0035] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, in one embodiment, a smart charging pile includes a body 110, a charging gun 120, a retractable mechanism 130, a charging module 140, and a human-machine interface 150.

[0036] The housing 110 has an internal cavity 112, and the charging gun 120 is located on the front of the housing 110. The take-up and unwinding mechanism 130 is housed in the cavity 112 and includes a DC motor 132, a wire reel 134, and at least two guide posts 136. The surface of the wire reel 134 has a spiral guide groove, along which the cable is wound. The DC motor 132 drives the wire reel 134 to rotate via a reduction mechanism. The guide posts 136 are arranged parallel to one side of the wire reel 134, and their surfaces are fitted with freely rotatable sleeves 135. These sleeves contact the surface of the cable wound within the spiral guide groove, guiding the cable to wind in an orderly manner and reducing friction. When the wire reel 134 rotates to take up or unwind the cable, the sleeves on the guide posts 136 contact the surface of the cable wound within the spiral guide groove. The cable is abutted and guided by the sleeves, ensuring that the cable is tightly and orderly wound or unwound along the spiral guide groove, effectively preventing the cable from tangling, jamming, or becoming tangled during take-up and unwinding. The body 110 is provided with a cable outlet 117 that communicates with the receiving cavity 112. The width of the cable outlet 117 is not less than the width of the spiral guide groove, and the length (extension in the axial direction of the wire reel) is not less than the axial distribution width of the spiral guide groove on the wire reel 134 (total width in the axial direction of the wire reel). One end of the cable connected to the charging gun 120 is moved out or retracted through the cable outlet 117.

[0037] The charging module 140 is housed within the body 110 and located to the side of the retracting mechanism 130. The human-machine interface 150 is located on the front of the body 110. The cable of the retracting mechanism extends to the charging gun via the cable outlet 117, and the cable is hidden within the receiving cavity 112 when retracted, thus solving the problem of the cable dragging on the ground. The retracting mechanism 130, the charging module 140, and the human-machine interface 150 are arranged in a non-overlapping three-dimensional layout within the interior space and on the front of the body 110, achieving compact integration of each functional module. This optimizes overall heat dissipation and maintenance convenience, and reduces the overall space occupied by the charging pile.

[0038] The charging pile body 110 is connected to an external support via an installation structure consisting of a mounting flange 56, a lifting rod profile 55, a flange base 54, and a first lifting fixing plate 51, a second lifting fixing plate 52, and a third lifting fixing plate 53, achieving a stable and flexible wall-mounted or suspended installation. The receiving cavity 112 is defined by the outer shell of the charging pile body 110 and the inner front shell liner 156. The DC motor 132 is preferably a DC brushless motor to provide smooth, low-noise drive. A left side plate 114 and a right side plate 116 are provided inside the receiving cavity 112. The wire reel 134 and guide post 136 are installed between the left side plate 114 and the right side plate 116, forming a rigid support frame for the winding and unwinding mechanism 130. One end of the cable reel 134 is rotatably supported on the left side plate 114 via a universal turntable 111, and the other end is rotatably supported on the right side plate 116 via a shaft seat fixing member 113 and a flange bushing 115. The reel is driven to rotate by a DC motor 132 through a reduction gear mechanism. The outer flange of the universal turntable 111 is fixed to the left side plate 114, and the inner flange is fixedly connected to the end of the cable reel 134. This structure not only provides rotational support for the cable reel 134 but also allows for fine-tuning of the overall installation angle of the charging pile. The winding and unwinding mechanism 130 also includes a slip ring assembly 131. The slip ring assembly 131 is positioned at the end of the cable reel 134 equipped with the universal turntable 111 via a slip ring fixing member 133. This assembly ensures continuous electrical connection between the cable on the rotating cable reel 134 and the external fixed power cable, preventing the cable from tangling during winding and unwinding.

[0039] The smart charging station also includes a through-beam sensor 160, a Hall sensor 170, and a central controller 180. The through-beam sensor 160 is located near the cable outlet 117 and is used to detect the movement of the cable. The Hall sensor 170 is located at the end of the cable reel 134 and is used to detect the number of rotations of the cable reel 134. The central controller 180 calculates the cable retraction / unretraction length based on the signal from the Hall sensor 170 and determines whether the cable has reached its release limit position or has been fully retracted to its initial position based on the signal from the through-beam sensor 160, thereby achieving precise control of the cable retraction / unretraction length and limit position protection. A through-beam sensor 160, positioned near the cable outlet 117, detects the cable's movement near the outlet (e.g., changes in signal strength due to obstruction or passage) to determine whether the cable is being pulled out or retracted. This signal is combined with the rotation count detected by a Hall sensor 170 at the end of the cable reel 134. The central controller 180 then calculates the real-time cable length, accurately determining whether the cable has reached its release limit or has been fully retracted to its initial position, thus achieving automated control and safety protection during the cable retraction process. An emergency stop switch 118 is also located on the front or side of the main body 110. When triggered, it sends an electrical signal to the central controller 180. The central controller 180 responds to this signal, instructing the charging module 140 to immediately stop charging and controlling the DC motor 132 to stop operating, providing safety assurance in emergency situations. A guide sleeve 119, made of silicone rubber, is located at the cable outlet 117. Its inner wall has raised textures to reduce friction loss, protecting the cable sheath during cable retraction and extension. The bottom of the receiving cavity 112 is provided with a drain hole to promptly drain any liquid that may enter and prevent water accumulation inside. The human-machine interface 150 is a dot-matrix screen 152, whose display brightness is configured to automatically adjust according to the ambient light intensity to ensure visibility under different lighting conditions.

[0040] The aforementioned intelligent charging pile utilizes a cable reel 134 with a spiral guide groove and a guide post 136 with a roller sleeve 135 to guide and wind the cable in an orderly manner, ensuring that the cable is completely hidden within the receiving cavity 112 when stored. This avoids the problem of needing to reserve a large operating space forward in a bottom drawer-type charging mechanism, and also solves the defects of the back reel type solution, such as cable drooping and dragging on the ground, easy wear, and excessive lateral space occupation due to increased body thickness. Furthermore, by placing the charging module 140 on the side of the charging mechanism 130 and the human-machine interface 150 on the front of the body, and arranging the three in a non-overlapping three-dimensional manner, a compact layout of each functional module in a highly integrated state is achieved, effectively optimizing heat dissipation performance, maintenance convenience, and safe collaboration between modules. Based on this, the width of the cable outlet 117 is not less than the width of the spiral guide groove, ensuring axial alignment of the cable with the outlet structure during winding and unwinding. This reduces friction, twisting, or jamming caused by dimensional mismatch, improving winding smoothness and cable lifespan. The length of the cable outlet is not less than the axial distribution width of the spiral guide groove on the cable reel, ensuring the cable reaches its initial and limit positions during reel rotation without jamming. The through-beam sensor 160, positioned near the cable outlet, directly detects cable movement (e.g., changes in obstruction signals), enabling precise real-time cable position determination. This avoids delays and misjudgments associated with traditional tensile or contractile force detection, enhancing the accuracy and response speed of automated control and making the cable winding and unwinding process more intelligent and reliable. This further strengthens the integration of the charging pile within limited spaces, improving overall practicality and safety, making it particularly suitable for space-constrained scenarios.

[0041] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0042] The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A smart charging pile, characterized in that, include: The fuselage has an internal cavity; The charging gun is located on the front of the device body; The take-up and unwinding mechanism, housed in the receiving cavity of the machine body, includes a DC motor, a wire reel, and at least two guide posts. The surface of the wire reel is provided with a spiral guide groove. The cable is wound along the spiral guide groove and is driven by the DC motor for take-up and unwinding. The guide posts are arranged parallel to one side of the wire reel, and their surfaces are fitted with freely rotatable sleeves. The sleeves contact the surface of the cable wound in the spiral guide groove to guide the cable to wind in an orderly manner. The machine body is provided with a cable outlet communicating with the receiving cavity. The width of the cable outlet is not less than the width of the spiral guide groove, and the length is not less than the axial distribution width of the spiral guide groove on the wire reel. The charging module is located inside the body and to the side of the retraction mechanism; The human-computer interaction interface is located on the front of the device body; A through-beam sensor, positioned near the cable outlet, is used to detect cable movement in order to determine whether the cable has reached its initial or limit position. The cavity is provided with a left side plate and a right side plate, and the wire reel and guide post are installed between the left side plate and the right side plate; One end of the wire reel is rotatably supported on the left side plate via a universal turntable, and the other end is rotatably supported on the right side plate via a shaft seat fixing component and a flange bushing, and is driven by the DC motor through a reduction mechanism; The outer flange of the universal turntable is fixed to the left side plate, and the inner ring is fixedly connected to the end of the wire reel, which is used to realize the rotation support of the wire reel and the angle adjustment of the charging pile. The cable of the retractable mechanism extends to the charging gun via the cable outlet, and the cable is hidden in the receiving cavity when retracted. The retractable mechanism, the charging module, and the human-machine interface are arranged in a non-overlapping three-dimensional arrangement in the internal space and front of the body.

2. The intelligent charging pile according to claim 1, characterized in that, The DC motor is a brushless DC motor.

3. The intelligent charging pile according to claim 1, characterized in that, The winding and unwinding mechanism also includes a slip ring assembly, which is positioned at the end of the wire reel where the universal turntable is located by a slip ring fixing member, for realizing the electrical connection between the cable on the rotating wire reel and the fixed power cable.

4. The intelligent charging pile according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a Hall sensor and a central controller. The Hall sensor is located at the end of the wire reel and is used to detect the number of rotations of the wire reel. The central controller is used to calculate the cable winding and unwinding length based on the signal from the Hall sensor and to determine whether the cable has reached its limit position or has been retracted to its initial position based on the signal from the through-beam sensor.

5. The intelligent charging pile according to claim 1, characterized in that, An emergency stop switch is also provided on the front or side of the machine body. When triggered, it sends an electrical signal to the central controller. The central controller responds to the electrical signal, instructs the charging module to stop charging and controls the DC motor to stop running.

6. The intelligent charging pile according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cable outlet is provided with a guide sleeve, which is made of silicone rubber and has raised textures on its inner wall to reduce friction loss.

7. The intelligent charging pile according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the receiving cavity is provided with a drainage hole.

Images