Locking device for a motor vehicle

Abstract

Locking device for locking a connection between a charging device (1) of an electric vehicle and the charging device (2) of a charging station, comprising a lever (10) with a bolt (11) attached thereto for locking a connection between a charging socket (1) and a charging plug (2), and an actuator (16) arranged or attached to the housing (7) of the charging socket (1) for pivoting the lever (10) between a locking position and a non-locking position, wherein at least a section of the lever (10) is guided in an arc around a section of the housing (7) of the charging socket (1), wherein the lever (10) is designed such that it is not only able to lock a connection between the two charging devices (1, 2), but also a cover or a flap, wherein when the cover orthe flap has been closed, the interior of the electric vehicle charging device formed by the housing is closed.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a locking device, preferably for a motor vehicle. A locking device comprises an actuator and a bolt movable by the actuator. The locking device is used, in particular, to lock a connection between a charging device of an electrically powered motor vehicle and a charging device of a charging station, allowing subsequent charging of a battery of the electrically powered motor vehicle.

[0002] A locking device for a charging socket as a charging device for an electric vehicle and a charging plug as a charging device for a charging station, which can protect against unauthorized removal of the charging plug, is disclosed in DE 196 42 687 A1. This locking device has an actuator with which a latch can be adjusted to lock the charging plug. This is done either by locking a pivoting cover or by directly locking the charging plug.

[0003] The subsequently published German patent application DE 10 2010 003 523 A1 discloses a locking device comprising an actuator with a latch, wherein the actuator is attached to a housing wall of a first component. A second component has a second housing wall. For locking purposes, the housing wall of the second component is pushed into an opening in the housing wall of the first component. The latch of the actuator is then pushed through a hole in the housing wall of the first component and further into a hole or recess in the adjacent housing wall of the second component, thus locking the two components together.

[0004] From the publication KR 10 0 940 510 B1, an arc protection device for a hair dryer is known, which can prevent the generation of an arc upon contact or release of a power contact unit. The arc protection device for a hair dryer comprises a stopper formed on one side of an arm connector of the main body and retracted and extended by a first elastomer; a rod inserted into the pivot axis installed at the position corresponding to the stopper and rotating along the second elastomer and the guide groove with the fixed radius; an arm connector housing connected to a projection installed at one end of the rod and the stopper, which is elastically expanded and retracted; and a rod rotating with the fixed radius by lowering the on / off switch.

[0005] From WO 2010 / 058 742 A1, a charging connector is known that can prevent a pulling operation while locked by making it easier to recognize that the charging connector is locked. The charging connector is provided with a lever housed in a connector housing body, the central portion of which is pivotally mounted, a locking claw formed on one end of the lever, and an unlocking button provided on the other end of the lever. When the charging connector is perfectly fitted to a terminal on the secondary battery side, the locking claw locks with a locking projection provided on the terminal on the secondary battery side, and when the unlocking button is pressed, the locking of the locking claw with the locking projection is released.The charging port is provided with a locking device including a locking unit and an operation restriction member that is moved to a prohibited position where pressing the unlock button is prohibited when the locking unit is locked and to a permitted position where pressing the unlock button is permitted when the locking unit is unlocked.

[0006] From the document DE 196 42 687 A1, a locking device for securing a charging socket on a vehicle with a traction battery is known, wherein a charging plug connected to a power source via a charging cable can be inserted into the charging socket to charge the traction battery. According to the invention, it is proposed that the locking device can be used to lock a charging plug inserted into the charging socket against removal. In an advantageous embodiment, the blocking effect exerted by the locking device is exerted via a pivoting cover, which serves to cover the charging socket in the closed position. In an alternative embodiment, the locking device exerts a blocking effect directly on the inserted charging plug, wherein here too the locking device can simultaneously be used to lock the pivoting cover in its closed position.

[0007] In a motor vehicle, it is particularly important that the components used are compact, especially since the number of electronic and electrical components in a motor vehicle continues to increase.

[0008] The object of the invention is to provide a compact locking device for a motor vehicle.

[0009] To achieve this objective, a locking device comprises the features of the first claim. Advantageous embodiments are set forth in the subclaims.

[0010] The locking device according to claim 1 is intended to lock the connection between a first component and a second component. The connection between the two components can only be released again after unlocking. The locking device comprises an actuator that is arranged or attached adjacent to a housing wall of a first component. The locking device comprises a pivotably mounted lever that has a bolt. The lever can be pivoted using the actuator. The second component, for example, also has a housing wall. For locking purposes, the housing wall of the second component is pushed into an opening in the housing wall of the first component.The lever bolt is then pushed through a hole in the housing wall of the first component with the help of the actuator and further into a hole or recess in the adjacent housing wall of the second component, thus locking the two components together. Alternatively or additionally, the actuator serves to move the bolt out of the locking position. The two components can then only be separated again once the bolt has been moved back with the help of the actuator. The bolt can be moved directly or indirectly with the help of the actuator. If the bolt is moved directly with the help of the actuator, a force generated by the actuator is transferred to the bolt. If the bolt is moved indirectly with the help of the actuator, the force used to move the bolt does not come from the actuator, but for example from a preloaded spring.The actuator then enables only the desired movement of the bolt, for example by moving a latch of the actuator.

[0011] An actuator typically has an elongated shape. A latch of such an actuator can generally be moved back and forth parallel to this elongated shape between a position moved out of the actuator housing and a position moved into the housing. If such a latch is used to lock the two aforementioned components, the result is generally a relatively elongated and therefore less compact shape, formed by the first component and the actuator arranged on it. Such an elongated shape can be avoided by providing the lever with the bolt. It is then possible to arrange an actuator rotated by 90° compared to the elongated design, which enables a more compact shape and therefore a more compact installation space. This advantage justifies providing an additional component in the form of a lever and bolt.

[0012] More than one bolt can be provided to lock the two components together. For example, two bolts can be attached to the lever, which are moved directly or indirectly by the actuator to lock and / or unlock the two components together.

[0013] At least one component is part of a motor vehicle, namely the first component, comprising the housing wall and the actuator adjacent to it. The first component is a charging device, according to the invention, a charging socket. The second component is then a charging device of a charging station, according to the invention, in the form of a charging plug.

[0014] In the following, further advantages and configurations are illustrated using the example of a charging device for an electric vehicle, i.e. a motor vehicle with an electric drive and a charging device in a charging station.

[0015] In one embodiment, the electrical contacts of a charging device of the motor vehicle are protected in one or more recesses. Corresponding contacts, for example pin- or rod-shaped contacts of a charging device of a charging station, can be inserted into these recesses for the purpose of establishing electrical contact. An adjacent, in particular circumferential, housing surrounds the one or more recesses. Thus, a gap-shaped space remains between the recess(es) and the adjacent housing, in particular surrounding the recess(es), into which a corresponding housing of a charging device of a charging station can be inserted. An actuator is attached externally to the adjacent housing of the charging device of the electric vehicle.The lever's bolt can be moved by the actuator into the adjacent housing through a corresponding opening for the purpose of locking the charging device of the charging station, in particular perpendicularly relative to the adjacent housing wall. The corresponding housing of the charging device of the charging station comprises a recess or hole. The bolt enters this recess or hole, thereby locking the connection between the two charging devices and securing the charging device of the charging station against unauthorized removal. If a locked connection between the two charging devices is to be released, the bolt is moved out of the recess or hole in the housing of the charging device of the charging station with the aid of the actuator. The charging device of the charging station can then be removed.The same may apply to another bolt if more than one bolt is available for locking.

[0016] The actuator is arranged in particular so that a latch of the actuator can be moved "parallel" to the electrical contacts of the charging device. This means that a latch of the actuator cannot be moved perpendicularly toward or away from the electrical contacts as described in German patent application 10 2010 003 523.8. In comparison, the latch is moved at a 90° angle. This arrangement contributes to a compact design.

[0017] In one embodiment of the invention, the actuator is arranged such that a locking bar of the actuator can be moved parallel or at least substantially parallel to the lever bolt. This arrangement contributes to a compact design.

[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, the lever is pivotally connected to the housing of the first component, i.e. in particular to the housing of a charging device of a motor vehicle, in order to further improve the compact design.

[0019] In one embodiment of the invention, the bolt is mounted remotely from the pivotable mounting of the lever and preferably has a distance of at least one cm, preferably at least 2 cm. In particular, the distance between the bolt and the actuator is less than the distance between the bolt and the pivotable mounting of the lever. This ensures that moving a latch of the actuator from an initial position to a deformed position moves the bolt a sufficiently large distance to enable reliable and stable locking and unlocking.

[0020] In one embodiment of the invention, the bolt is located between the actuator and the pivoting mount of the lever. This further improves the compact design.

[0021] According to the invention, the lever extends at least partially in an arc around the housing of the first component, i.e., in particular, around the housing of the charging device of an electric vehicle. This configuration serves, on the one hand, to enable a compact design and, on the other hand, to ensure that moving the lever by the actuator moves the lever's bolt a sufficiently long distance, thus enabling stable and reliable locking and unlocking.

[0022] In one embodiment of the invention, the portion of the lever located between the pivotable mounting of the lever and the bolt extends entirely or at least predominantly in an arc around the housing of the first component. The adjoining portion of the lever, which extends toward the actuator, preferably extends in a straight line, thus allowing access to the actuator with minimal installation space and material expenditure.

[0023] The housing of the electric vehicle's charging device provides an interior space for the electrical contacts that protects them from moisture and dirt. Therefore, a lid or flap is advantageously provided to seal this interior space, preferably in a moisture-proof and / or dust-proof manner.

[0024] In principle, the lever bolt is electrically driven back and forth between its two positions by the actuator, i.e. between its locking position and the position that allows a charging device of the charging station to be removed from the charging device of the motor vehicle. Alternatively or additionally, mechanical drive means such as a spring can be provided to move the bolt mechanically driven by the spring from one position to the other, for example from its non-locking position to its locking position. In this case, the actuator can only serve to unlock a lock, i.e. to move the lever bolt out of its locking position for the purpose of unlocking, in particular using an electric motor or a shape memory alloy.

[0025] In one embodiment of the invention, the open end of the bolt, which serves for locking, is ramp-shaped so that the bolt can be mechanically pushed out of its locking position, as is known from the latch of a door lock in a building, with the aid of the housing of the charging device of the charging station, preferably against the spring tension of a spring. This embodiment reduces the electrical energy required for the locking device. In particular, in a motor vehicle powered by an electric motor, it is particularly important to minimize the consumption of electrical energy. In this embodiment, in particular, an actuator is used which is able to move a bolt of the actuator out of the housing of the actuator by means of an electric drive.The actuator's electric drive is then generally not used to move the latch back toward the housing. A preloaded spring can instead be used to move the latch back toward the actuator's housing. If the actuator's electric drive is based on a shape memory alloy, cooling the shape memory alloy can be used to move the actuator's latch back toward the housing. Heating the shape memory alloy with an electric current then moves the latch out of the actuator's housing.

[0026] In one embodiment of the invention, the actuator comprises a mechanism with which the lever's bolt can be moved out of its locked position. This mechanism allows a locked connection between a charging device of an electric vehicle and a plugged-in charging device of a charging station to be unlocked even if an electrical or electronic component intended for unlocking fails. Such a mechanism can be easily actuated via a rod or a Bowden cable connected to an actuating device located in the interior of the vehicle. When the actuating device is actuated, a locked connection between the two aforementioned charging devices is unlocked.

[0027] According to the invention, the lever is designed such that it is not only capable of locking a connection between the two charging devices, but also a lid or a flap when the lid or flap has been closed, in order to thus close the interior of the charging device of the electric vehicle formed by the housing. The lever can have a further bolt which serves to lock the lid or flap. This further bolt, which serves to lock the lid or flap, is moved, for example, in one embodiment of the invention, into its locking position when the bolt for locking a connection between the two charging devices is moved out of its locking position and vice versa. Alternatively, the actuator can move a second lever with a bolt which serves to lock the lid or flap.For this purpose, the actuator may have one or more latches that can be moved into or out of the actuator housing and / or rotated about their respective axes. Moving and / or rotating one or more latches of the actuator can then pivot the lever(s) in the desired direction at any given time. Any combination is possible in this regard.

[0028] In one embodiment, the charging device of the motor vehicle comprises a mechanical and / or electrical detector, for example in the form of a microswitch, which can signal when a charging device of a charging station has been fully inserted into the charging device of the electric vehicle. The detector microswitch then enables or activates—preferably automatically—the movement of the bolt into its locking position. In particular, it is only subsequently possible to charge the battery of such a motor vehicle. For this purpose, a control device is preferably provided which prevents charging if the connection between the two charging devices has not been locked.

[0029] In one embodiment, the stroke of the bolt is at least 10 mm, which achieves a high level of theft protection, since the bolt can then reach relatively far into a corresponding recess or hole in the charging plug for locking purposes.

[0030] In one embodiment, there is an actuating element in the vehicle interior that can be used to trigger the unlocking by the actuator. This prevents unauthorized persons from unlocking the bolt when the vehicle is locked.

[0031] In order to move the lever, the actuator can, in one embodiment, have a latch which can pivot the lever in the desired manner by a rotating movement and / or a sliding movement of the latch. The outer, open end of the latch can be provided with a thread, for example an external thread, which extends into a thread, for example an internal thread of the lever. If the latch is rotated about its longitudinal axis, the lever is pivoted due to the threaded connection. However, the threaded connection can also be used solely to pivot the lever by sliding the latch out of the housing of the actuator or vice versa. A combination of both movements can also pivot the lever in the desired manner. The latch of the actuator can have an external thread which passes through an internal thread of the actuator.If the bolt is rotated and the internal thread is fixed, this ensures that a rotational movement of the bolt simultaneously leads to a displacement of the bolt along its axis of rotation. Such a movement of the bolt can also be used to pivot the lever in the desired direction, utilizing the rotational movement of the bolt and the associated displacement of the bolt. If both the displacement of the bolt and the simultaneous rotation of the bolt are used to pivot the lever by both turning the bolt and moving the bolt, a small displacement is sufficient to pivot the lever sufficiently far.

[0032] They show: Fig. 1: Side view of charging devices of electric vehicles and charging stations Fig. 2: side section through loading devices in locked state Fig. 3: Top view of section through charging device of electric vehicle with actuator

[0033] Fig. 1 shows a section through a charging device 1 of a motor vehicle and a charging device 2 of a charging station. For reasons of clarity, electrical cables connected to the two charging devices 1 and 2 are not shown. The charging device 2 of the charging station has not yet been fully pushed into the charging device 1 of the motor vehicle. The charging device 1 of the motor vehicle is provided with spring-loaded electrical contacts 3, which are located in recesses between housing elements 4 of the charging device 1 of the electric vehicle. Two recesses are shown. At the base of each hollow-cylindrical recess is an electrically conductive contact 3, which can be pressed further towards the base of the charging device 1 of the electric vehicle against a preloaded spring 5 of the charging device 1 of the electric vehicle.

[0034] Since the charging device 2 of the charging station has not yet been fully inserted into the charging device 1 of the motor vehicle, its contacts 6 are not yet touching the contacts 3 of the charging device 1 of the motor vehicle. A lateral wall 7 of the charging device 1 of the motor vehicle extends around the housing elements 4, leaving a circumferential gap 8. A corresponding lateral, cylindrical circumferential wall 9 of the charging device 2 of the charging station is inserted into this cylindrical gap 8 in order to connect the charging device 2 of the charging station to the charging device 1 of the motor vehicle.

[0035] Adjacent to the side wall 7 of the loading device 1 of the motor vehicle is a lever 10, shown in section, from which a bolt 11 attached to it projects vertically. The lever 10 can be Fig. 1 actuator not shown can be pivoted, whereby the bolt 11 can be moved.

[0036] At the upper edge of the lateral, circumferential wall 7, there is a circumferential groove into which a sealing ring 12 made of elastic rubber is pressed. A hinged lid 13 is attached to the loading device 1 of the motor vehicle, with which the opening of the interior of the loading device 1 of the motor vehicle, formed, among other things, by the wall 7, can be closed in a dust-tight and moisture-tight manner.

[0037] One or more microswitches 14 are mounted at the bottom of the gap 8. However, such a microswitch 14 can also extend, for example, near the bottom through the side wall 7 into the gap 8.

[0038] Fig. 2 shows the situation when the charging device 2 of the charging station has been fully pushed into the charging device 1 of the motor vehicle and locked. The contacts 6 of the charging device 2 of the charging station now press the contacts 3 of the charging device 1 of the motor vehicle towards the bottom against the respective spring force of the pre-tensioned springs 5. The side wall 9 of the charging device 2 of the charging station now actuates the button of the microswitch 14. The microswitch 14 actuated in this way causes the actuator to move the lever 10 and thus the bolt 11 through an opening in the side wall 7 of the charging device 1 of the motor vehicle. If the microswitch 14 was actuated by the charging device 2 of the charging station, an opening in the side outer wall 9 is aligned with the opening in the side wall 7. The bolt is therefore then also pushed through this further opening.This locks the connection between the charging device 2 of the charging station and the charging device 1 of the motor vehicle. A plate-shaped portion 15 of the charging device 2 of the charging station is then pressed against the sealing ring 12 of the charging device 1 of the motor vehicle, thus sealing the charging socket against dust and moisture, even during charging.

[0039] In the Fig. 2, the charging socket 1 is shown with a cover 13, which can seal the interior of the charging socket 1 to prevent dust and moisture from entering. When the cover 13 closes the charging socket, the cover 13 also presses against the existing sealing ring(s) 12. The cover 13 can also have a wall element or a tab, which, when the cover is closed, extends into the gap 8 in the area of the bolt 11, so as to be locked by the bolt 11 via a corresponding opening or recess. This wall element or tab can also trigger the locking action by actuating a sensor 14.

[0040] The electrical contacts 6 of the charging plug 2 can also be spring-mounted, either additionally or alternatively. The contacts 6 of the charging plug 2 are also advantageously located in additional, for example, cylindrical recesses to provide improved protection against accidental contact.

[0041] In the Fig.Figure 3 shows a top view of a section of the charging device 1 of the electric vehicle. An actuator 16 with a latch 17 is arranged laterally next to the outer housing 7 of the charging device 1. The latch 17 is moved parallel to the electrical contacts of the charging device 1 in the aforementioned manner. With the help of the latch 17, the lever 10 can be pivoted about its pivotable attachment 18 on the housing 7. If the latch 17 is moved out of the housing 16, the bolt 11 is moved out of its shown locking position. This can occur against a spring force. A correspondingly preloaded spring is attached, for example, to the lever 10 such that the spring force of the spring can move the lever 10 into the shown locking position. Moving the latch 17 back towards the housing of the actuator 16 then results in the spring force moving the lever 10 into the locking position.This spring force can then also be used to move the latch 17 back to its initial position in the direction of the housing of the actuator 16 without having to apply electrical energy for this purpose.

[0042] The bolt 11 is positioned relatively far from the pivoting attachment 18 of the lever 10 to allow for a large stroke of the bolt 11. The bolt 11 is therefore positioned relatively close—as far as the design allows—to the actuator 16. Advantageously, the lever travel from the bolt 11 to the attachment 18 is longer than the lever travel from the bolt 11 to the latch 17, thus allowing for a large stroke of the bolt 11. List of reference symbols: 1 charging device for an electric vehicle 2 Charging device of a charging station 3 electrical contact 4 Housing element 5 preloaded spring 6 electrical contact 7 side wall 8 circumferential gap 9 surrounding wall 10 levers 11 bolts 12 Sealing ring 13 hinged lid 14 microswitches 15 plate-shaped area of the charging device of a charging station 16 Actuator 17 Actuator latch 18 pivoting attachment of the lever

Claims

[1] Locking device for locking a connection between a charging device (1) of an electric vehicle and the charging device (2) of a charging station, comprising a lever (10) with a bolt (11) attached thereto for locking a connection between a charging socket (1) and a charging plug (2), and an actuator (16) arranged or attached to the housing (7) of the charging socket (1) for pivoting the lever (10) between a locking position and a non-locking position, wherein at least a section of the lever (10) is guided in an arc around a section of the housing (7) of the charging socket (1), wherein the lever (10) is designed such that it is not only able to lock a connection between the two charging devices (1, 2), but also a cover or a flap, wherein when the cover orthe flap has been closed, the interior of the electric vehicle charging device formed by the housing is closed. [2] Locking device according to the preceding claim, characterized by that the bolt (11) extends through or can be moved through an opening in the housing (7) of the charging socket (1). [3] Locking device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the lever (10) is pivotally mounted on the housing (7) of the charging socket (1). [4] Locking device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the section of the lever (10) between its pivotable attachment (18) and its bolt (11) is arcuate or at least predominantly arcuate. [5] Locking device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the section of the lever (10) between its pin (11) and the actuator (16) is straight. [6] Locking device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the section of the lever (10) between its pivotable attachment (18) and its pin (11) is shorter than the section between its pin (11) and a latch (17) of the actuator (16). [7] Locking device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a bolt (17) of the actuator (16) can be moved back and forth between an initial position and a setting parallel to the movement of the bolt (11). [8] Electric vehicle with a locking device according to one of the preceding claims.

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