Vehicle unit of a conductive charging system with a lifting and swiveling mechanism

Abstract

This invention relates to a conductive charging system (1) with a vehicle unit (2) arranged on a vehicle and designed to contact a contact plate of a base unit for setting a charging process with a contacting unit (3) arranged in or on the vehicle unit (2), wherein the vehicle unit (2) has a lid / closure / cover (5) pivotable about a pivot axis (4), wherein a lid drive unit (6) is provided to move the lid (5), wherein the lid drive unit (6) has a gearbox prepared to convert a rotary movement into a lifting / lowering / linear movement such that when a rotation is introduced into the gearbox, the lid (5) is temporarily pivoted / rotated and temporarily raised / lowered.

Description

The invention relates to a conductive charging system having a vehicle unit which is arranged on a vehicle and is designed to contact a contact plate of a base unit for setting a charging process with a contact unit which is arranged in or on the vehicle unit, wherein the vehicle unit has a cover / closure / cover which can be pivoted about a pivot axis.The prior art has up to now only been depicted in the form of prototypes and very small series for automated contact-making systems for charging electric or hybrid vehicles, since there is still no series conversion.In these systems (automated contacting underbody), a connection is formed between a first contacting part located on / on the floor and a second contacting part located on the vehicle as soon as both are at a sufficiently short distance from one another.The vehicle unit is exposed to the weather and soiling conditions on the vehicle underbody. It is thus clear that the actual contacting unit must be protected during the driving operation. For this protection, a component is necessary which normally reliably closes the region but can be opened during the charging process, for example a cover.From the prior art, only prototypes are known which realize a lifting movement simultaneously with a pivoting movement via a relatively steep thread. Another form of implementation dispenses with the lifting movement, wherein the lifting movement can in principle also be effected by means of a further drive motor. The lifting movement of the locking pin located opposite the pivot axis takes place via a separate drive.In addition, a seal is located between the cover and the housing of the vehicle unit, which seal protects the sensitive interior from the contaminants & splashing / jet water acting from the outside.The problem of prototypes known in the prior art is that, with simultaneous lifting and pivoting movement via a thread pitch connected to a large pitch, the cover has completely lifted from the seal after a small pivoting movement, but it requires a lot of installation space in the lifting direction. With a small gradient, this installation space is smaller, but the cover and the seal then slip relative to one another over a large angular range, which leads to high drive power requirements and also to wear of the seal. An additional drive for the lifting movement of the pivot axis leads to higher costs, and an additional drive for the locking pin.A first approach to separating the lifting and pivoting movement with a simple link is aimed in the direction "opening", but the difficulty arises in the direction "closing" that the lifting movement is also already triggered when the cover is blocked in the pivoting movement. In the case of a partially blocked cover, e.g. snow, a secure closing would not be ensured and the vehicle could not receive a start release, which is also referred to as a "remainer".It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a conductive charging system whose vehicle unit enables a simultaneous enabling of a lifting and pivoting movement.This is achieved according to the invention by the subject matter of claim 1.This is achieved according to the invention in that a cover drive unit is present, is provided for displacing the cover, wherein the cover drive unit has a gear mechanism which is prepared to convert a rotational movement into a lifting / lowering / pivoting / rotating / linear movement in such a way that, when a rotation is initiated in the gear mechanism, the cover is temporarily pivoted / rotated and is temporarily (preferably offset / separated in time thereto and / or, for example, simultaneously in phases) raised / lowered.Advantageous embodiments are claimed in the dependent claims and are explained in more detail below.Advantageously, the transmission comprises a torque input gear provided for engaging a drive pinion, the gear having a sleeve fixedly connected thereto. Within the sleeve there is a / an axle / bolt firmly connected to the cover, wherein a preferably transversely inserted pin is fastened / present in the axle / bolt. The pin is movably mounted in a slotted link of the sleeve in order to bring about a forced conversion of a rotational movement into a longitudinal movement and vice versa.Preferably, in a housing preferably assigned to / housing the transmission, an additional gate / gate is provided, into which the pin likewise engages movably, in order to define at a predetermined switching point the time of the change of the transmission of the rotary movement to the longitudinal movement to the cover.In other words, the invention consists in that a combination of two slotted links is used for separating the lifting / pivoting movement of the cover, which two slotted links together represent the desired function. On the one hand, the transmission of the torque coming from the drive gear to the cover in both directions when the latter is in a "pivot range", wherein the pivot range covers a range of e.g. 0°-100° as viewed from the closed rest position. The cover angle corresponds to the gear angle. Furthermore, a conversion of the rotational movement of the drive gear into a lifting movement of the cover axis when the latter is in the "lifting range", wherein the lifting range represents a range in which the cover angle is 0° and the gear angle is in a range of, for example, 0° to -25°. A "transition region" between pivoting and lifting is somewhat smaller in certain embodiments. And finally, the enabling of the transmission of the gear movement is based on a movement of a transmission unit, by means of which a lifting movement of the locking pin can then be triggered, wherein the cover angle is 0° and the gear angle is in a range of, for example, -25° to -60°.The overall shape of the additional link / link (in the carrier component preferably differs from the overall shape of the link in the sleeve, so that a coordinated simultaneous pivoting and lifting of the cover is made possible.Preferably, at least one end section of the additional link / link is matched to the end section of the link in the sleeve in order to bring about a forced conversion of a rotational movement into a longitudinal movement.Advantageously, the connecting link has a trough-like section in order to force the pin to remain therein until a forced lifting path is reached when the rotational movement is initiated in the additional connecting link / connecting link and to make a positive connection available until then. As a result, a rotationally fixed (positive) connection is present in both effective directions of the pivoting movement between the gearwheel and the cover. The geometric form should furthermore advantageously be such that a change of the transmission of a rotational movement to a longitudinal / linear movement of the cover is predetermined. It is wanted that the forced lifting path of the link merges into an end section, the shape of which essentially only allows a lifting movement for the movement of the pin.The pin preferably has a cross section which is spherical, convex, elliptical or round. Alternatively, the cross section of the pin can also be polygonal, quadrangular or polygonal with rounded portions at the corners.Preferably, the transmission can be connected to a locking device via a conversion unit, wherein the locking device is designed to prevent a / any pivoting and / or linear movement, and the conversion unit is prepared to pass the rotational / linear movement of the transmission on to the locking device in such a way that a locking is effected. The primary focus of the locking unit is also / rather a uniform lifting of the cover in the direction of a seal arranged between the cover and the housing for purposes.Preferably, a cam on the one hand and a roller on the other hand are inserted between the gear and the conversion unit in order to cause the displacement of the cover in a locking direction in which any pivoting and / or linear movement is prevented.The advantage of the invention is that, due to the combination of two slotted links and their cooperation, the lifting and pivoting movement of the cover relative to the contacting unit of the vehicle unit can be configured in a cost-effective manner and in a reduced installation space without, for example, damaging the seal of the vehicle unit.The invention is also explained in more detail below with the aid of a drawing. The following are shown: FIGS. 1 aand 1 b show a schematic illustration of a conductive charging system according to the invention according to an exemplary embodiment in a schematic overall illustration, wherein the detail I of a cover drive unit according to a first exemplary embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 1 b; FIGS. 2 aand 2 b show a schematic representation of a conductive charging system according to the invention with a second exemplary embodiment of the cover drive unit at two switching positions / two times; FIGS. 3 aand 3 b show a greatly simplified representation of the realization of slotted guides for a conductive charging system according to the invention in a carrier component (FIG. 3 a ) and a sleeve (FIG. 3 b ) in a special cover drive unit; FIGS. 4 to 11 show a schematic representation of the closing process, taking place over time, of a cover drive unit according to the invention; and FIG. 12 shows a schematic illustration of a conductive charging system according to the invention having a conversion unit according to the invention.The figures are merely schematic in nature and serve exclusively for understanding the invention. The same elements are provided with the same reference numerals.FIG. 1 ashows a schematic representation of a conductive charging system 1 according to the invention according to an exemplary embodiment. In FIG. 1 a, the schematic illustration of the conductive charging system 1 is depicted on the upper side. The conductive charging system 1 includes a vehicle unit 2 mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle unit 2 can be arranged on the underbody or on the side of the vehicle. The vehicle unit 2 has a contacting unit 3 which is designed to set a charging process for charging the vehicle with a contact surface of a base unit. The vehicle unit 2 also has a housing 14, with which it can be attached to the vehicle. The contacting unit 3 can be designed, for example, as a unit that can be extended from the housing 14 and have a contacting surface that is designed to contact the contact surface of the base unit. On the underside of the vehicle unit 2, i.e. the side facing away from the vehicle and facing the base unit, the vehicle unit 2 has a cover 5, which is mounted rotatably / pivotably on a pivot axis 4.In a first operating mode, in which the vehicle is in motion, the cover 5 serves as a closure and protection of the contact-making unit 3 against environmental influences, dirt and damage. On the underside of the housing 14, seals 9 are integrally arranged. The seal 9 is designed to be joined to the cover 5 by a press contact in order to hold it in a specific position in the various operating modes. On the side opposite the pivot axis 4, the vehicle unit 2 has a closure 25, which, in cooperation with the seal 9, holds the cover 5 in a closed position by applying an effective pressing pressure to the seal 9, so that the seal 9 deforms and presses the cover 5 against the closure 25. Optionally, a fan 23 is arranged in the vehicle unit 2. Furthermore, the vehicle unit 2 has an axle / bolt 11 which is arranged coaxially with the pivot axis 4 and is firmly connected to the cover 5 by means of, for example, screws 26.In a detailed view, a cover drive unit 6 is arranged on the left below the illustrated vehicle unit 2, which is designed to displace the cover 5, wherein the cover drive unit 6 has a gear mechanism which is prepared to convert a rotational movement into a lifting / lowering / pivoting / rotating / linear movement in such a way that, when a rotation is initiated in the gear mechanism, the cover 5 is temporarily pivoted / rotated and temporarily lifted / lowered. The gear mechanism of the cover drive unit 6 has a torque introduction gear wheel 8, which is provided for engaging with a drive pinion, wherein the gear wheel 8 has a sleeve 10 which is firmly connected to it and within which the axle / bolt 11 which is firmly connected to the cover 5 is arranged. A pin 12 is fastened in the axle / bolt 11 and is movably mounted in a slotted link 13 of the sleeve 10 in order to forcibly convert a rotational movement into a longitudinal movement. Furthermore, bearings 7 are provided on which the torque introduction gearwheel 8 is rotatably mounted. The exemplary embodiment shown shows a simple slotted guide with a closed cover 5. the torque introduction gearwheel 8 is used here to generate a pivoting movement and to lift the cover 5 in the closed region. The pin 12 and the connecting link 13 cause the transmission.FIGS. 2 aand 2 b show a schematic representation of a transmission unit 6 according to the invention according to a further exemplary embodiment. The basic structure of the transmission unit 6 shown in FIGS. 2 a& 2 bis similar to the transmission unit 6 shown in FIG. 1, but only the difference remains that instead of a single link, a double link, consisting of the link 13, which is arranged in the sleeve 10, and an (injection-molded) additional link / link 15 in a base plate-like (for example injection-molded) carrier component 26, which is arranged on the (plastic / sheet metal) plate-like housing 14 or is connected thereto, now brings about the pivoting and lifting movement of the cover 5.FIG. 2 ashows the cover 5 in the closed state. The axle / bolt 11 can be guided upward in the additional slotted link / slotted link 15 by the shape of the slotted link 13, so that no rotation of the cover 5 is possible any longer. In FIG. 2 b, the cover 5 is shown open and pivoted. The axle 7 of the bolts 11 is held in a depression of the slotted link 13 of the sleeve 10 by the positive guidance of the additional slotted link / slotted link 15 in the carrier component 26 and is thus connected to the torque introduction gearwheel 8 in a rotationally fixed manner. The pin 12 and the link 13 as well as the additional link / link 15 cause the transmission.FIGS. 3 a& 3 b show a greatly simplified illustration of the slide blocks 13 and 15 according to a conductive charging system 1 according to the invention in each case in a position A of the cover 5, which represents the cover 5 in the closed position, and in position B, the cover 5 in the open position. This means that in the case of "cover to", the bolt is located in the region "A" in both slide blocks and in the "cover on" in the region "B".The additional link / slotted link 15 shown above is shown as a material recess in the carrier component 26 and has an end section 17 which interacts with an end section 16 which is formed as a trough-like section 18 of the link 13 shown below. The slotted link 13 shown below is also designed as a material recess in the sleeve 10. The developed view corresponds to an angle of 0-180° in the case of an embodiment with two guide sections of the pin 12, in the case of an embodiment with e.g. three guide sections of the pin 12, the view corresponds to an angle of 0-120°.FIGS. 4 to 11 show a schematic representation of the closing process of a cover drive unit according to the invention. The mode of operation of the two slotted guides 13 and 15 with one another in order to realize a linear and stroke movement of the cover 5 is illustrated in a very greatly simplified manner. In this case, the slotted guides 13 and 15 are inverted and the components are shown partially angled into the plane. In FIG. 4, the cover 5 is completely open, for example, shown with a cover angle of 110°. The seals 9 are relieved because the cover is pivoted open. The pin 12 is arranged on an end section of the slide blocks 13 and 15, respectively, which corresponds to the regions B in FIG. 3 b.In FIG. 5, the torque input gear 8 has moved so that the lid 5 is closed. The height of the cover 5 remains the same, since the pin 12 is guided at the same height in the slotted link 15.In FIG. 6, the torque input gear 8 continues to rotate, so that the lid is further closed. The height of the cover 5 remains the same, since the pin 12 is guided at the same height in the slotted link 15. The torque can be transmitted from the torque-guiding gearwheel 8 in both directions to the pivot axis 4, since the pin 12 is guided laterally on both sides in the slotted link 13 and this position is maintained by the vertical guidance of the slotted link 15 fixed to the housing.In FIG. 7, the end position of the cover 5 is almost reached. For example, the lid angle is in a range from 5° to 0°.In FIG. 8, the end position of the cover pivoting process is reached, so that the cover angle is 0°. By means of the shape of the slotted link 15 fixed to the housing, the pin 12 is raised from the previous position on further movement of the torque introduction gearwheel 8, the cover 5 is slightly raised via the axle / the bolt 11.FIG. 9 shows a further movement of the torque introduction gearwheel 8, wherein neither pivoting nor lifting movement of the cover 5 takes place.In FIG. 10, a further movement of the torque introduction gearwheel 8 takes place, wherein now a lifting movement of the pin 12 is established via the link 13 of the sleeve 10. A pivoting movement of the cover 5 no longer takes place, since the slotted link 15 fixed to the housing is limited.In FIG. 11, a plateau is reached, so that the seal 9 is pressed / closed in the target position. Despite the movement of the torque introduction gearwheel 8, no further lifting or pivoting movement of the cover 5 takes place.The lid 5 is then opened in the same manner in the reverse sequence of FIGS. 4-11.FIG. 12 shows a schematic representation of a conductive charging system 1 according to the invention with a conversion unit 19 according to the invention. the conversion unit 19 is arranged on the cover drive unit 6 and comprises an additional contour on the torque introduction gearwheel 8 in the form of a cam 21. The rotational movement of the torque introduction gearwheel 8 generates an offset movement of the transmission unit 19 via a e.g. eccentric / cam track in a plane offset with respect to the torque introduction gearwheel 8. The locking pin 24 thus performs a lifting movement. The locking pin 24 can be connected to the cover 5 in one piece or integrally.Alternatively, it is also conceivable to design the transmission unit 19 with a contour on both sides, provided that the transmission unit 19 is supported against lifting and lowering movement on the housing 14 / on the carrier component 26. On the torque introduction gearwheel 8, a corresponding further contour / eccentric shape in the form of an additional cam 21 must be present in order to transmit a force in this direction. The angular positioning of the stroke contour on the torque introduction gearwheel 8 relative to the link contour of the cover lifting pin in the torque introduction gearwheel 8 enables the chronological coordination of the lifting movements with respect to one another, wherein the lifting movements can be carried out almost simultaneously (if the eccentrics / cams 21 in the position which is illustrated in FIG. 7 ) but this would mean a higher exertion of force for the drive motor. Alternatively, the lifting movements can also take place successively.The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the figures. The foregoing description is, therefore, not to be considered as limiting, but illustrative. The following claims should be understood to mean that a said feature is present in at least one embodiment of the invention. This does not exclude the presence of further features. If the patent claims and the above description define "first" and "second" features, this designation serves to distinguish two (for example) features of the same type without specifying a ranking.List of reference characters1 Conductive charging system 2 Vehicle unit 3 Contacting unit 4 Pivot axis 5 Cover / closure / cover 6 Cover drive unit 7 Bearing 8 Torque introduction gearwheel 9 Seal 10 Sleeve 11 Axis / bolt 12 Pin 13 Link 14 Housing 15 Additional link 16 End section 17 End section 18 Trough-like section 19 Conversion unit 20 Locking device 21 Cam 22 Roller 23 Fan 24 Locking pin 25 Screws 26 Carrier component

Claims

Conductive charging system (1) having a vehicle unit (2) which is arranged on a vehicle and is designed to contact a contact plate of a base unit for setting a charging process with a contact unit (3) which is arranged in or on the vehicle unit (2), wherein the vehicle unit (2) has a cover (5) which can be pivoted about a pivot axis (4), characterized in that a cover drive unit (6) is provided in order to displace the cover (5), wherein the cover drive unit (6) has a transmission which is prepared to convert a rotational movement into a lifting / lowering / linear movement in such a way that, when a rotation is initiated in the transmission, the cover (5) is temporarily pivoted / rotated and temporarily lifted / lowered.Conductive charging system (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the transmission has a torque introduction gearwheel (8) which is provided for engagement with a drive pinion, the gearwheel (8) having a sleeve (10) which is fixedly connected to it and within which a / an axle / bolt (11) which is fixedly connected to the cover (5) is present, a pin (12) being fastened / present in the axle / bolt (11) and being mounted movably in a slotted link (13) of the sleeve (10) in order to bring about a forced conversion of a rotational movement into a longitudinal movement.Conductive charging system (1) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an additional gate (15) is present in a carrier component (26), in which the pin (12) likewise engages movably in order to define, at a predetermined switching point, the time of the change of the transmission of the rotary movement to the longitudinal movement to the cover (5).Conductive charging system (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the overall shape of the additional slotted link (15) differs from the overall shape of the slotted link (13) in the sleeve (10).Conductive charging system (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one end section (17) of the additional slotted link (15) is matched to the end section (16) of the slotted link (13) in the sleeve (10) in order to forcibly convert a rotational movement into a longitudinal movement.Conductive charging system (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the link (13) has a trough-like section (18) in order to force the pin (12) to remain therein until a forced lifting path (when the rotational movement is initiated) is reached in the additional link (15) and to make a positive connection available until then.Conductive charging system (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the pin (12) has a cross section which is spherical, convex, elliptical or round.Conductive charging system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the pin (12) has a cross-section which is polygonal, square or polygonal with rounded portions at the corners.Conductive charging system (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the transmission is connected to a locking device (20) via a conversion unit (19), wherein the locking device (20) is designed to prevent ( / any) pivoting and / or linear movement, and the conversion unit (19) is prepared to transmit the (rotational / linear movement) of the transmission to the locking device (20) in such a way that locking is effected.Conductive charging system (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a cam (21) on the one hand and a roller (22) on the other hand are inserted between the transmission and the conversion unit (19).

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