Closing device for an electrical charging socket, charging system, plug-in system and wallbox as well as method for actuating the closing device

Abstract

In order to provide a design that is as simple and robust as possible and also space-saving for a convenient-to-use locking device for an electrical charging socket, which preferably requires as few components as possible, an arrangement is proposed that has the following: - A housing comprising at least two parts, comprising a connection-side frame part (11) and a plug-side cover (12) as well as a plug-in opening (18); - exactly two panels (14, 14') held movable perpendicular to the plug-in direction between the frame part (11) and the cover (12) for releasing and at least partially closing the plug-in opening; - exactly one slider (15) for the spring-loaded movement of the two panels (14, 14') apart into their open position, in which they release the plug-in opening (18) - one or more tension springs (32) for spring loading and thus for generating a restoring force for restoring the two diaphragms (14, 14') together into their initial position; - an actuator (13) which can be actuated in an actuating direction by means of the charging plug during the plugging process for locking and unlocking the two panels (14, 14') in their initial position, wherein the actuator (13) is transferred from an unactuated position to an actuated position when actuated.

Description

The invention is based on a closing device for an electric charging socket according to the preamble of independent claim 1.Furthermore, the invention is based on a charging system, having the closing device according to claim 1 and the charging socket.The invention also relates to a plug-in system, comprising the charging system according to claim 14 and a charging plug, in particular a car charging plug.The invention furthermore relates to a wallbox, having a wallbox housing and a charging box arranged therein or thereon, wherein the wallbox housing has a mounting device, on which the closing device according to claim 1 can be attached.Furthermore, the invention is based on a method for operating the closing device according to claim 1.Such a charging socket can be designed, for example, as a socket connector and can be provided, for example, for charging an electric car. The charging box is preferably arranged in and / or on the housing of a so-called wall box and is thus a component of this wall box. The closing device can then be attached to the charging box or to a wallbox housing, i.e. to a housing of the wallbox, or optionally be mountable thereon and thereby also become a component of this wallbox. The wallbox can in turn be attached to the garage wall thereof from the inside, for example in a garage, or at least be provided to be attached to the garage wall from the inside. Alternatively, the closing device can also be attached to a charging column in the open air.Such closing devices are required to close electrical charging boxes of the aforementioned type on the plug side, for example against the penetration of dust and / or moisture into the plug region of the respective charging box and / or serve as-optionally additional-contact protection. The latter serves to avoid undesired electrical contact, for example by a finger or an elongate, electrically conductive object such as a screwdriver or a nail, a screw or the like, wherein this electrical contact is associated with a risk for living bodies and lives in the worst case.Prior ArtThe publication DE 102021107290 A1 discloses a closing device having at least one cover element for covering at least one electrical contact element of a plug connector in a plug-in direction. The closing device has a housing with a housing opening for actuating the closing device through a plug section of a mating plug guided in the plug-in direction. A coupling element is mounted in the housing such that it can be moved, preferably rotationally moved, and is coupled to the at least one cover element for actuating the at least one cover element between a closed position and an open position. At least one release element is mounted in the housing so as to be movable in translation and is configured to release or lock the coupling element. Furthermore, at least one actuating element is mounted in the housing such that it can be moved in translation and is configured to actuate the coupling element after the release in order to move the at least one cover element from the closed position into the open position.Document CN2142007 U provides a safety protection device for a charging station interface and relates to the technical field of charging stations. The utility model discloses a safety protection device for a load stack interface.Post-published document WO 2023192024 A1 discloses a shooting device with locking elements positioned to block access to a socket of an electric vehicle to protect it from damage. When an electrical plug is inserted into an opening of the locking device, the release of a locking mechanism will initiate. Once the locking mechanism is released, a pusher element in contact with the electrical plug is urged downwardly against a spring resulting in rotationally synchronized, displaced movement of the lock arms which retract behind the cover and expose the socket for access to receive the plug. As the power plug is pulled out of the socket, the spring pushes the slide mechanism upwardly to automatically return the closure members to the closed position.US 2018 / 0 109 048 A1 discloses an apparatus and a method for disconnecting a power cable. The apparatus may comprise a circuit in which a normally open first switch closes when the plug is inserted into the socket and a normally closed second switch opens in response to a signal, the power supply being transferred between the power cord and the circuit when the first switch and the second switch are closed, the power supply being prevented when either the first or second switch is opened.US 2012 / 0 282 806 A1 discloses a device which enables access to an internal electrical connection of a charging plug at the time of the charging process and also covers the internal electrical connection again after completion of the charging process, in order to prevent contact with the outside or to prevent the ingress of water, dust and the like.The document DE 10 2015 116 649 A1 discloses an electromobility charging interface socket for connecting an electromobility charging station to an electromobility vehicle. This electric mobility charging interface socket has a socket housing with a front plate with a plug-face receiving opening and a rear side with a contact socket, and an inner part arranged in the contact socket with a plug face with a plurality of electrical contacts. On the front plate of the socket housing, a closure device separate from the socket housing is arranged. The closure device has a bearing holder which has a base portion extending along the front plate and parallel to the front plate, two holder fastening holes arranged in the base portion for detachably fastening the bearing holder to the socket housing, two fastening tabs arranged on the base portion and a bearing mounted in the fastening tabs for mounting a cover. The two holder fastening holes are arranged congruently with two of the fastening holes of the socket housing, so that the holder fastening holes overlap with the fastening holes when the bearing holder is arranged on the front plate and laterally with respect to the plug-in face receiving opening.The document DE 20 2013 009 038 U1 discloses an electrical plug-in device system. This has a first plug-in device element and a second plug-in device element compatible therewith, which can be joined to the first plug-in device element in a plug-in direction. Furthermore, the plug-in device system has a closure device which, viewed in the plug-in direction, is arranged in front of the first plug-in device element. The closure device has the following components: a) a sliding screen (110) having a through opening, in which the second plug-in device element (20) can engage, in particular can engage in a rotationally fixed manner, wherein the sliding screen is displaceable transversely to the plug-in direction, in particular perpendicularly to the plug-in direction, between a closure position and an opening position; b) at least one locking means, by means of which the displaceability of the sliding screen in the closure position is blocked and which is released by pressure acting in the plug-in direction on the locking means, wherein the locking means, when viewed in the closure position and in the plug-in direction, is arranged behind the sliding screen and extends as far as into the region of the through opening.A disadvantage of this prior art is that the known closing device takes up an undesirably large amount of space in the plug-in direction. In particular in confined environments such as smaller garages, etc., there is a particular need for wall boxes that have the flat design possible. In addition, such closing devices consist of an undesired number of parts, which results in an increased susceptibility to errors.In the prior art, there is thus the disadvantage that known solutions are undesirably complex and complicated in construction, have too high a space requirement, consist of undesirably many parts and are thus particularly susceptible to errors during operation and are complicated and cost-intensive to produce.Furthermore, there is a need in the prior art for a modular construction of a wallbox, having a charging box, wherein the construction allows an option for corresponding retrofitting by an automatic closing device. In particular, there is a need for the export of the wallbox in countries with particularly stringent safety regulations.Object Setting Up To AchieveThe object of the invention is to specify a design which is as simple and robust as possible and, in addition, space-saving for a closure device for an electrical charging socket which can be operated comfortably, wherein the closure device preferably requires as few components as possible. In this case, the comfortable operation is intended to make it possible in particular to actuate the closing device in a single movement sequence with little effort when inserting a charging plug, for example a car charging plug, by means of the charging plug together with the plugging operation. In particular, an existing wallbox which does not yet have an automatic closing device should be able to be supplemented / retrofitted by said closing device.The object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims.A closing device for an electric charging socket has the following components:an at least two-part housing, having a connection-side frame part and a plug-side cover and a plug opening running through the frame part and the cover for partially plugging a charging plug through in a plug-in direction for plug-connecting the charging plug to the charging socket;precisely two panels, held movably between the frame part and the cover perpendicular to the plug-in direction, for releasing and at least partially closing the plug-in opening;precisely one slide for spring-loaded moving the two panels apart from their initial position, in which they at least partially close the plug opening, into their open position, in which they open the plug openingone or more tension springs, by means of which the closing device is configured for the aforementioned spring loading and thus for generating a restoring force for the restoring movement of the two panels together into their initial position;an actuator which can be actuated in an actuation direction by means of the charging plug during the plug-in process for locking and unlocking the two panels in their initial position, wherein the actuator is transferred from an unactuated position into an actuated position during its actuation.A method for operating the closing device has the following steps:bringing a charging plug, in particular a car charging plug, in the plug-in direction to the closing device, behind which a charging socket is arranged, as viewed in the plug-in direction, and in the processspring-loaded actuation of the actuator in the plug-in direction by means of the charging plug;holding the actuator in its actuated position and simultaneously beginning the displacement of the slide by means of the charging plug perpendicular to the plug-in direction, therebypartially, already spring-loaded moving apart of the two panels at least out of a reach of the actuator, so that the panels can no longer be locked by the actuator;returning the actuator and simultaneously moving the two panels apart under spring load into their open position to release the plug-in opening;partially passing the charging plug through the plug opening and plug-in connecting the charging plug to the charging socket:pulling the charging plug out of the charging socket and out of the plug opening and removing the charging plug from the closing device;at least partially closing the plug-in opening by the two panels by the restoring force of the one or more tension springs;latching the diaphragms in their initial position on the actuator.A charging system has the electrical charging socket and the closing device arranged on the charging socket, through the plug opening of which a charging plug for plug-in connection of the charging plug with the charging socket can be partially passed.A plug-in system has such a charging system and a charging plug, in particular a car charging plug, i.e. a charging plug for electric cars.A charging plug is understood to mean a plug connector, which is usually wired and serves for charging rechargeable batteries ("rechargeable batteries"). Such charging plugs are well known to those skilled in the art. An essential design is the car charging plug already in common use. It serves for charging the batteries of electric cars, has a handle and a plug-in region ("turret shape") protruding at an obtuse angle thereto. The basic design of car charging plugs is standardized many times and / or is at least determined by common conventions that are universal to the manufacturer and is therefore to be assumed as known to the person skilled in the art.A wallbox has a wallbox housing and a loadbox arranged therein or thereon, wherein the wallbox housing has a mounting device, on which either a closure device of the aforementioned type is mounted and is therefore a component of the wallbox, wherein a simple closure flap can also be mounted as an alternative thereto. The closing device and the closing flap are thus optionally interchangeable, the selection of the closing device for example for export in countries or regions in which there are elevated safety regulations with respect to the automatic closing of the wallbox.A particular advantage of the closing device is that it functions "automatically", i.e. can be automatically closed by pulling the charging plug out of the charging socket. Furthermore, "automatically" can also mean that, by means of the charging plug to be plugged with the charging socket, it is also possible to open "automatically" together with the plugging operation in a continuous movement, since the plugging movement is ultimately carried out manually in any case.A further advantage of the closing device is that this closing device takes up only little space in the plug-in direction. In particular for confined environments such as smaller garages, etc., an extremely flat wallbox can thus be made possible.A further advantage is that the closing device consists of very few parts, which results in a high degree of robustness and thus a low susceptibility to errors and also low piece costs.The closing device is of simple construction and therefore has a small space requirement and is inexpensive and cost-effective to produce.Advantageously, this closing device thus has a particularly simple and robust and additionally space-saving design for a closing device for an electric charging socket which is also comfortable to operate and which requires comparatively few components. The comfortable operation also makes it possible to actuate the closure in a single movement sequence with little effort when inserting a charging plug, for example a car charging plug, by means of the charging plug together with the plugging operation.As already indicated, it is furthermore of particular advantage that the closing device can optionally be mounted on the wallbox housing of the wallbox and thereby optionally become a component of the wallbox, for example in exchange for a simple closing flap. In particular, the wallbox can have a mounting device for this purpose, whereby a certain modularity is advantageously ensured.A large number of designs are possible for the mounting device. The mounting device can be designed, for example, as a somewhat more complicated but comfortable latching device or it can also simply be a plurality of screw passages or the like, which can be designed, in particular, to be watertight and correspond to corresponding threaded openings of the frame part of the closing device in order to enable a screw connection of the closing device to the wallbox housing.This modular construction allows wall boxes, for example for export to the stated countries, which place increased safety requirements, for example, in terms of automatic closeability, to be converted with only little effort. The effort for the use of such wall boxes in countries with such stringent safety regulations is thus considerably facilitated.Advantageously, the aforementioned modular retrofitting ability can thus serve for adapting the wallbox to laws and regulations of individual states in which there are more restrictive requirements and requirements for the functioning of wall boxes. Furthermore, such modular retrofittability can offer planning safety for law regulations which may possibly become more stringent in themselves in the future, even in the country.Advantageously, the two diaphragms in their initial position close the plug-in opening to the maximum extent, i.e. in their initial position the two diaphragms are in the position in which they cover the largest possible area of the plug-in opening, with respect to their range of movement. Nevertheless, even in this position, a region can remain uncovered, which is then closed by the slide in an advantageous embodiment.Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims and the following description.In a preferred development, the closing device can have exactly two tension springs, of which one tension spring each engages on the one hand on one of the two screens and on the other hand on the housing, for example on retaining pins which are integrally formed on the inside on the cover and / or the frame part of the housing. Each of the two screens is then spring-connected to the housing via one of the two tension springs. This arrangement has the advantage that an optimized force transmission is made possible between the respective spring and the respective diaphragm. In addition, the spring force acts directly and thereby with no or only minimal friction losses on the respective diaphragm.In another preferred embodiment, the closing device can have exactly two tension springs, of which one tension spring each engages on one end of the slide and on the other side engages on the housing, for example on retaining pins, which are integrally formed on the inside on the cover and / or the frame part of the housing. Then the slide is spring-connected to the housing by means of the two tension springs. This arrangement has the advantage that the slide is held on the housing in a particularly stable manner and likewise with an optimized force transmission. In addition, the spring force acts directly on the slide and furthermore acts in a stabilizing manner on the overall arrangement.In a further possible embodiment, the closing device can have only exactly one tension spring. This tension spring can act on the slide on the one hand and on the housing on the other hand in order to exert force on the two screens via the slide. This arrangement has the advantage that, compared to the aforementioned embodiment, a further component, namely one of the two tension springs of the aforementioned embodiment, is saved.As already mentioned, the actuating direction of the actuator can extend in the plug-in direction. This is particularly advantageous, on the one hand, because an intuitive, self-explanatory operation is made possible as a result. Finally, this allows the shutters to be unlocked and the charging plug to be plugged in in one and the same direction of movement.In a preferred embodiment, the actuator can have a starting position locking the two panels and an actuation position unlocking the two panels. In addition, the actuator can have an actuating spring, by means of which it can be actuated under spring load. As a result, the actuator can be transferred from its unactuated position into its actuated position under spring load. The restoring force of the actuating spring can then automatically return the actuator from its actuated position to its unactuated position. The actuating spring can be a compression spring.This is particularly advantageous because it allows the two diaphragms, after they have been automatically returned to their starting position, to automatically latch on the actuator already in its starting position. For this purpose, the actuator can have an engagement slope on the latch side, on which the diaphragms engage during their return movement and move it slightly from its starting position, in order to thereupon latch, in particular with latching edges, on the actuator, in particular on latching hooks of the actuator, in that the actuator moves back into its starting position again by the restoring force of its actuating spring. Advantageously, the two diaphragms can thus automatically latch on the actuator when they are automatically moved together in their restoring position, so that the entire closing process is carried out automatically-and thus without the risk of a human failure.Advantageously, the slide can be held on each of the two apertures so as to be relatively movable perpendicular to the plug-in direction relative to each of these apertures. For example, the slide can have two elongated holes, in particular two protrusions each having one elongated hole. Each of the two apertures can have for this purpose in each case an actuating pin which engages into the respective slot. As a result, the corresponding holder has a dual function, namely on the one hand an actuating and force-transmitting function, since the disk e.g. moves vertically upward and the two panels thereby swivels aside. At the same time, however, the slide is thereby also held on the two diaphragms, i.e. it does not require any further mounting which allows movement, as a result of which the frictional forces are minimized. Furthermore, the design is simplified as a result. Finally, this dual function minimizes the design complexity.In a preferred development, the two screens only partially close the plug-in opening in their initial position. The slide then has a covering section which covers the region of the plug-in opening which is not closed by the apertures. The unactuated slide then completely closes the plug-in opening together with the apertures in their initial position.In a preferred embodiment, the two screens can be held on the housing, in particular between the frame part and the cover, in particular on a pivot pin of the frame part and / or of the cover part formed integrally on the inside, such that they can be rotated about an end-side pivot point and thus can be pivoted. As a result, the panels can be transferred in the form of a pivoting movement from their initial position into their position releasing the plug-in opening. Conversely, they can also be pivotable back from their position releasing the plug-in opening into their initial position. This advantageously allows a minimization of the frictional forces which occur only at the pivot point. For example, each of the two screens can have a circular through-opening at the end. The housing, in particular the cover and / or the frame part, can thus have the two said matching pivot pins, which each pass through the through-openings of the apertures, so that the two apertures are each held on the housing such that they can be pivoted about one of the pins.In a further advantageous embodiment, the apertures can each have an inwardly directed, rounded contour which, in the open state, substantially corresponds to the contour of the plug opening, so that the charging plug can be provided with a largest possible effective plug opening.In a preferred embodiment, the two diaphragms can be mirror-symmetrical to one another.In a further advantageous embodiment, each panel has a stop edge for stopping against the corresponding stop edge of the respective other panel. In particular, each of the two screens can have, on the cable connection side, on its stop edge a latching formation, in particular in the form of a latching web, for latching on the latching hook. In the initial position of the two screens, the stop edges of the two screens can then stop against one another.In a preferred embodiment, the slide can have an engagement edge, in particular a protruding engagement formation, at its end facing the actuator for displacing the slide by means of the charging plug. This is advantageous, on the one hand, because the interim actuation of the slide by the charging plug, which is perpendicular to the plug-in direction, is largely self-explanatory. On the other hand, this also facilitates the actuation by different designed charging plugs, the plug regions of which can be designed differently, for example slightly rounded, at the ends, for example, and are nevertheless suitable for actuating the slide without problems due to the said engagement formation.In a preferred embodiment, the closing device is configured to enable, by means of the charging plug, first an actuation of the actuator in the plug-in direction and subsequently also a holding of the actuator in its actuated position and at the same time an at least initial displacement of the slide perpendicular to the plug-in direction for unlocking the panels. This can be done, for example, by a suitable arrangement of the actuator relative to the slide, wherein this distance can be based, for example, on a standard size and / or a conventional / conventional design of a typical car charging plug. The closing device must therefore be configured to allow the charging plug, which is preferably a car charging plug, to keep the actuator pressed in the plug-in direction and at the same time to actuate the slide perpendicular thereto to such an extent that the two diaphragms move apart far enough so that the subsequently returning actuator initially does not latch them again. This is achieved in particular by the arrangement of the actuator and the slide. Both must be arranged close enough to one another in the closing state in order to be able to be actuated simultaneously by the charging plug, in particular by the car charging plug. Furthermore, the slide should move away from the actuator during its opening actuation.Upon further actuation of the slide by the charging plug-perpendicular to the plug-in direction and away from the actuator-the actuator snaps back by the restoring force of its actuating spring without latching the apertures, since these have already moved away from the reach of the actuator at this time. The panels then move into their open position by the further actuation of the slide and the charging plug can be partly guided through the plug opening and plugged in with the charging socket.Advantageously, however, the movement sequence is even more intuitive and easier to understand in practice than the above formulation suggests. In simpler words, the "handling" from the user's point of view is simplified to be approximately as follows:For unlocking, the charging plug is moved slightly below the plug opening in the plug-in direction towards the closing device. As soon as it has fully actuated the actuator arranged there, it abuts against the housing, namely against the cover of the housing. At this location, the cover can preferably have a plug-side contour for improving intuitive operation, which then deflects the charging plug somewhat "upward", i.e., in the direction of the plug opening. This improves at least the intuitive, self-explanatory operation. However, the charging plug initially holds the actuator pressed at this point in time, but already begins to abut against the lower edge of the slide and to move the slide somewhat upward when the actuator is held pressed. As a result, the two diaphragms already move somewhat apart. After the two shutters leave the reach of the actuator, the actuator loses contact with the charging plug and quickens back. However, the actuator can no longer lock the two panels, since they are already outside their range. The panels are brought into their opening position by further actuation of the slide and release the plug-in opening.The charging plug can now be plugged with the charging socket.When the charging plug is plugged in, the two panels are prevented from a restoring movement by the plug connector located in the plug opening by means of the slide held by the plug connector.After the charging process has taken place, the charging plug can be separated from the charging socket again and pulled out of the closing device again through the plug opening. As already described above, the two diaphragms then automatically move back into their starting position and relock at the actuator there.Exemplary EmbodimentAn exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and is explained in more detail below. The following are shown: FIGS. 1 a, b show a locking device with a car charging plug from an oblique cable connection-side perspective and from an oblique plug-side perspective; FIGS. 2 a, b show the closing device from the plug-side in the closed and in the open state; FIGS. 3 a- f show a 6-phase movement sequence of the plug connector relative to the closing device actuated thereby; FIGS. 4 a, b show the closing device in an exploded view from an oblique plug-side and cable connection-side view; FIGS. 5 a, b show a cover from the plug-side and the connection-side view; FIGS. 6 a, b show a cover from a plug-side and a connection-side view; FIG. 6 cshows two shutters pivotably supported on the cover; FIGS. 7 a, b show an actuator from two different views; FIG. 7c shows a compression spring; FIG. 7 dthe cover with the actuator with the compression spring and screens fitted on in the mounted state; FIGS. 8 a, b show a slide from a plug-side and cable connection-side view; FIG. 8c shows a tension spring; FIG. 8d shows the cover with the slide movably held on the panels in the mounted state and connected to the cover via two compression springs; FIGS. 9 a, b show a frame part from a plug-in side and a connection-side view; FIG. 9 cshows a closure device from a view on the cable connection side with a view of the frame part FIG. 9 d shows the closing device from a plug-side view with a view of the cover; FIG. 10 shows the closing device with a charging socket arranged on the cable connection side; FIGS. 11 a, b show an alternative closing device with a hinged lid in the closed and slightly open state; FIG. 12 shows the closing device from a plug-side view, having a light indicator.The figures contain partly simplified schematic representations. In part, identical reference numerals are used for identical, but possibly non-identical, elements. Different views of like elements could be scaled differently. Directional indications such as, for example, "left", "right", "top" and "bottom" are to be understood with reference to the respective figure and can vary in the individual representations with respect to the object represented.FIG. 1a shows a closure device 1 from a oblique angle of view on the cable connection side with a charging plug arranged in front of it on the plug side, which charging plug is designed as a car charging plug 2. The closing device 1 has a housing 10 which has a plug-in opening 18. The housing 10 has two housing parts, namely a frame part 11 and a cover 12.FIG. 1 bshows the same arrangement from a plug-side, oblique perspective. From this illustration, the more clearly the charging plug 2 is arranged somewhat lower in the drawing than the plug opening 18 of the closing device 1, i.e. the lower edge of its plug region 21 is arranged lower in the drawing than the deepest point of the plug opening 18, the plug direction running horizontally in the drawing. As a result, the charging plug 2 can, when moving in the plug-in direction toward the locking device 1, first actuate with its plug-in region 21 the actuator 13, which is not yet actuated in this illustration. In this case, the charging plug 2 can be held and guided manually on a handle 22 slightly angled with respect to the plug-in region. A charging cable 23 is connected to the charging plug 2, which in turn is connected-usually via a further plug connection, not shown-to a battery, likewise not shown, to be charged-namely to a rechargeable battery ("rechargeable battery") of an electric car.FIG. 2 ashows the closing device 1 from a plug-side view in the closed state with a view of the two screens 14, 14' which are in their initial position. In this initial position, however, the two screens only partially close the plug-in opening, as can be seen particularly well in FIGS. 6 cand 7 c.Below the plug-in opening 18, the actuator 13 is shown in its starting position, in which it locks the two panels 14, 14' at the rear, i.e. on the cable connection side.In addition, a slide 15 can be seen. The slide 15 serves on the one hand to move the diaphragms 14, 14' apart. On the other hand, the slider 15 has a covering portion 154 which is provided for covering a region of the plug-in opening 18 which is not covered by the two screens 14 in their initial position. At the lower edge of the cover portion, the actuator 15 has an engaging formation 152 for its actuation by the charging plug 2.In FIG. 2 b, the closing device 1 is shown in the open state, i.e. the two panels 14, 14' have been pivoted into their open position by means of the slide 15 and are therefore no longer visible from this plug-in-side view. Only the engagement formation 152 can be seen by the slide 15, because it is likewise pushed out of the plug-in opening 18, namely upwards, and in turn releases a region of the plug-in opening 18. The actuator 13 is again in its initial position.FIGS. 3 a- f show six representations of different phases of the actuation of the closing device 1.FIG. 3a corresponds to FIG. 1b already discussed and is only shown for the sake of completeness of the sequence.In FIG. 3 b, the plug-in region 21 of the charging plug 2 is brought up to the actuator 13 of the closing device 1. The actuator 13 is not designated in this illustration for reasons of clarity.FIG. 3 cshows how the actuator 13 was actuated by means of the charging plug 2, namely with its plug-in region 21, under spring load by means of a compression spring 31 (the compression spring 31 cannot be seen here). The actuated actuator 13 unlocks the two panels 14, 14' at the rear (this unlocking process cannot be seen here).In FIG. 3 d, the charging plug 2 is guided upward, i.e. in the direction of the slide 15, compared to the preceding illustration, so that it abuts against the engagement formation 152 of the slide 15 from below.In FIG. 3 e, the slide 15 is already pushed a certain distance upward with two tension springs 32 (the tension springs 32 are not visible here) under spring load. The two diaphragms 14, 14' have opened at least to such an extent, i.e. they are pivoted relative to their starting position to such an extent that they have moved away from the range of the actuator 13. At the same time, the actuator 13 has returned to its initial position without locking the two diaphragms 14, 14'.In FIG. 3f, the plug-in opening 10 is opened by pivoting the two screens 14, 14' open and the charging plug 2 is partially inserted, namely with its plug-in region 21, or partially inserted through the plug-in opening 10. In this position, it can be connected in a plug-in manner to a charging socket 3 arranged on the cable connection side of the locking device. In this case, the slide 13 remains held in its opening position by the charging plug 2 and the apertures 12 likewise remain held in their open position.By pulling the charging plug 2 out of the plug opening 10, the closing device 1 is automatically transferred into a state as already shown in FIG. 3 a. The slider 13 and the diaphragms 12 are returned to their initial positions by the spring force of the tension springs 32. The diaphragms 12 are now locked again on the actuator 13.FIGS. 4 aand 4 b show the closing device 1 in an exploded view, also on the plug side or cable connection side.Between the frame part 11 and the cover 12, which together form the housing 100, there are an actuating spring 31, designed as a compression spring, two tension springs 32, an actuator 13, two apertures 14, 14' and a slide 15.FIGS. 5 aand 5 b show the cover 12 from the plug-side and cable connection-side directions. Below the plug-in opening 18, an actuating opening 120 for the actuator 13 is shown.On the inside, the cover has four screw studs 127, i.e. cylindrical formed-on portions each having a screw passage for screwing to the frame part 11.Furthermore, in the top drawing, two pivot pins 124 for pivotably mounting the two panels are integrally formed on the inside of the cover 12. Shown at the bottom are two engagement pins 123 formed integrally on the inside of the cover 12 which serve for the housing-side, one-side fastening of the respective tension spring 32.FIGS. 6 aand 6 b show, by way of example, a cover 14 from a plug-side and a connection-side view. The other diaphragm 14' is not shown here. It is designed mirror-symmetrically with respect to thisThe diaphragm 14 has a circular through-opening 140 at the end for pivotal suspension on one of the aforementioned pivot pins 124. In addition, the shutter 14 has a retaining pin 145 for movably retaining the slider 15 on a guide groove 150 associated with the slider. In addition, the cover 14 has a stop edge 146 for stopping against the corresponding stop edge of the other cover 14'. On the cable connection side, the cover has a latching formation in the form of a latching web 147 on its stop edge 146.FIG. 6 cshows the two shutters 14 pivotably held on the cover 12 in their initial position. Above the apertures 14, 14' there is still a free region 18' of the plug-in opening 18 in this illustration. The two apertures 14 are pivotably suspended with their respective through-opening 140 on the respective pivot pin 124.FIGS. 7 aand 7 b show an actuator 13 from a plug-side and from a connection-side view. The actuator has an actuating section 131 for actuation by the charging plug 2 and a latching region 134 for latching the two screens 14, and it also has a spring receiving section 132 for receiving the actuating spring 31, which is designed as a compression spring.The latching region 134 has two latching pins 137, each with an outer slide-on slope 136, and each latching edge 138 with an undercut 139, which runs at an acute angle from the slide-on slope 136, for latching behind the latching web 147. The inclined slide-on surfaces 136 serve the purpose that the actuator 13 is automatically moved from its initial position for a short time by the apertures 14, which in turn are automatically resilient back, counter to the spring force of its actuating spring 31, and the retracted apertures 14, 14' with their latching webs 147 are automatically latched behind the latching pin 137 of the actuator 13, which is then resilient back.The actuating spring 32 is shown in FIG. 7c. This representation is self-explanatory to the skilled person. This is a comparatively short helical spring which is compressible in its rest position.FIG. 7 cshows the arrangement from FIG. 6 c, which has already been described, wherein the actuator 13 equipped with the actuating spring 31 is additionally accommodated in the actuating opening 130 with its actuating portion 131.FIGS. 8 aand 8 b show the slide 15 from a plug-side and connection-side view.The slide 15 has the covering section 154, which is provided for covering the above-mentioned free region 18' of the plug-in opening 18, which cannot be covered by the two screens 14 even in their initial position.The slide 15 also has two holding arms 151 arranged opposite one another on the cover section, at the ends of which in each case a guide groove 150 and a fastening hook 153 shown below the guide groove 150 are shown as an engagement for the respective engagement eyelet 323 of the respective tension spring 32.FIG. 8 cshows the tension spring 32 with its two end-side eyes 323.FIG. 8 d shows the cover 12 with the slide 15 movably held on the apertures 14 in the mounted state and connected to the cover 12 via two compression springs 31. From this illustration, it becomes clear at the latest to the person skilled in the art that the slide 15, when moved upwards in the drawing, is capable of pivoting the two apertures 14 pivotably suspended with their respective through-opening 140 on the respective pivot pin 124 open into their state unlocked from the actuator 13. At the same time, the cover section 154 of the slide 15 also releases the plug-in opening 18 by this opening movement (cf. FIGS. 2 a, 2 b ).FIGS. 9 aand 9 b show the frame part 11 from the plug-in side and from the connection side. The frame part 11 has a set of fastening openings 117 which serve for the screw connection with the screw studs 127 of the cover 12. In addition, the frame part has a set of mounting openings 118 which are not continuous for improved sealing. Threaded inserts with internal threads can be inserted into these mounting openings 118, for example, so that these are threaded openings. As a result, the closing device 1 can be mounted on a wallbox housing by screwing. Other fastening methods are also possible, for example the use of thread-free inserts in conjunction with latching pins of the wallbox housing.FIG. 9 d shows the preceding arrangement, namely the closing device 1 in the closed state again from the front for the sake of completeness, but corresponds to the illustration in FIG. 2 a.FIG. 10 shows the closing device from an oblique view on the cable connection side, namely with a view to its frame part 11. The plug-in region 31 of the charging socket is directed towards the plug-in opening 18 of the closure device 1. In this orientation, the charging socket 3 and the closing device can be mounted on the wallbox housing, not shown, and thus be a component of the wallbox.FIGS. 11 aand 11 b show an alternative closing device 1' which has only the housing or a simplified, alternative housing 10 and a simple closing flap 19 attached thereto for closing the plug-in opening 18.In connection with the invention, it is disclosed that the closing device 1 and the alternative closing device 1' together with the wallbox, comprising a wallbox housing and the loadbox, can form a system. The wallbox housing has a mounting device on which both the closing device and the alternative closing device 1' can be mounted. Then, according to legal requirements, either the closing device 1 or the alternative closing device 1' can be used.FIG. 12 finally shows the closing device 1 from a plug-in side view, wherein the closing device 1 has a light display 17. For this purpose, a transparent plastic insert is introduced into the cover underneath the actuator 13. A light-emitting LED is arranged in the housing 10 at this location. This serves to illuminate the closing device 1' on the plug side and thereby to facilitate operation in the case of poor lighting conditions.Although different aspects or features of the invention are shown in combination in the figures, it is obvious to the person skilled in the art-unless stated otherwise-that the combinations shown and discussed are not the only possible. In particular, mutually corresponding units or feature complexes from different exemplary embodiments can be interchanged with one another.List of reference characters1,1' Locking device, alternative locking device 10 housing 11 frame part 117 fastening openings 118 mounting openings 12 cover 120 actuation opening 123 engagement pin 124 pivot pin 127 screw pin 13 actuator 131 actuation section 134 latching region 136 sliding-on slope 137 latching pin 138 latching edge 139 undercut 14, 14' apertures 140 through-opening 145 retaining pin 146 stop edge 147 latching web 15 slide 150 guide groove 151 retaining arms 152 engagement formation 153 fastening hook 154 cover section 17 light indicator 18 plug opening 18' free region of plug opening 19 closure flap 2 charging plug, car charging plug 21 plug region 22 handle 23 cable 31 compression spring 32 tension springs 4 charging socket 40 cable inlet openings S plug direction

Claims

Closing device (1) for an electric charging socket (4), wherein the closing device (1) has the following components: - an at least two-part housing (10), having a connection-side frame part (11) and a plug-side cover (12), and a plug opening (18), which runs through the frame part (11) and the cover (12), for partially plugging a charging plug (2) through in a plug-in direction (S) for plug-in connection of the charging plug (2) to the charging socket (4); - exactly two screens (14, 14'), which are held movably between the frame part (11) and the cover (12) perpendicular to the plug-in direction (S), for opening and for at least partially closing the plug opening (18); precisely one slide (15) for spring-loaded moving the two panels (14, 14') apart from their initial position, in which they at least partially close the plug opening (18), into their open position, in which they open the plug opening (18); one or more tension springs (32), by means of which the closing device (1) is configured for the aforementioned spring action and thus for generating a restoring force for restoring the two panels (14, 14') together into their initial position; an actuator (13), which can be actuated in an actuation direction by means of the charging plug (2) in the plug-in process, for locking and unlocking the two panels (14, 14') in their initial position, wherein the actuator (13) is transferred from an unactuated position into an actuated position upon actuation thereof.The closing device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the closing device (1) has two tension springs (32).Closing device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the tension springs (32) each act on one of the two screens (14, 14') and on the other side on the housing (10), so that each of the two screens (14, 14') is spring-connected to the housing (10) via one of the two tension springs (32).Closing device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the tension springs (32) each engage on one side at one of two ends of the slide (15) and on the other side at the housing (10), so that the slide (15) is resiliently connected to the housing (10) via the two tension springs (32).The closing device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the closing device (1) has exactly one tension spring (32), which acts on the one hand on the slide (15) and on the other hand on the housing (10), so that the slide (15) is resiliently connected to the housing (10) via the tension spring (32).Closing device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuation direction of the actuator (13) runs in the plug-in direction (S).Closing device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuator (13) locks the two shutters (14, 14') in its unactuated position and unlocks the two shutters (14, 14') in its actuated position, wherein the actuator (13) furthermore has an actuating spring (31), by means of which the actuator (13) can be actuated under spring action and the actuator (13) can be returned from its actuated position to its unactuated position by the restoring force of said actuating spring.Closing device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the two diaphragms (14, 14') latch on the actuator (13) when they are moved back together into their initial position.Closing device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the slide (15) is held on each of the two apertures (14, 14') so as to be relatively movable in relation to each of these apertures (14, 14') perpendicular to the plug-in direction (S).Closing device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the two screens (14, 14') are rotatably held on the housing (10) and can be transferred in the form of a pivoting movement from their initial position into their position releasing the plug opening (18) and from their position releasing the plug opening (18) into their initial position.Closing device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the slide (15) has, at its end facing the actuator (13), an engagement formation (152) for its displacement by means of the charging plug (2).Closing device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the slide (15) has a cover section (54), which completely closes the plug-in opening (18) together with the apertures (14, 14') in their initial position.The closing device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the closing device (1) is configured to enable, by means of the charging plug (2), both first an actuation of the actuator (13) in the plug-in direction (S) and then also a holding of the actuator (13) in its actuated position and at the same time an at least initial displacement of the slide (15) perpendicular to the plug-in direction (S) for unlocking the panels (14, 14').Charging system, comprising an electrical charging socket and a closing device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, which is arranged on this charging socket (4) and through whose plug-in opening (18) a charging plug (2) for plug-in connection of the charging plug (2) to the charging socket (4) can be partially passed.Plug-in system, comprising a charging system according to Claim 14 and a charging plug (2).The plug system according to claim 15, wherein the charging plug is a car charging plug (2).A wallbox, comprising a wallbox housing and a loadbox (4) arranged therein or thereon, wherein the wallbox housing has a mounting device, on which optionally both a closure device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 13 and a closure flap (19) can be mounted and exchanged with one another, wherein the closure device (1) is mounted on the wallbox housing by means of the mounting device and is thus a component of the wallbox.Method for actuating a closing device (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 13, having the following steps: - moving a charging plug (2), in particular a car charging plug, in the plug-in direction (S) to the closing device (1), behind which - as viewed in the plug-in direction (S) - a charging socket (4) is arranged, and in the process - actuating the actuator (13) in the plug-in direction (S) by means of the charging plug (2) under spring load; holding the actuator (13) in its actuated position and simultaneously beginning with the displacement of the slide (15) by means of the charging plug (2) perpendicular to the plug-in direction (S), thereby - partially, already spring-loaded moving apart of the two diaphragms (14, 14') at least out of a range of the actuator (13), so that the diaphragms (14, 14') can no longer be locked by the actuator (13); - recoil of the actuator (13) and simultaneously further spring-loaded moving apart of the two diaphragms (14, 14') into their open position for releasing the plug-in opening (18); partially passing the charging plug (2) through the plug opening (18) and plug-in connecting the charging plug (2) to the charging socket (4): after the charging process has taken place, pulling the charging plug (2) out of the charging socket (4) and out of the plug opening (18) and removing the charging plug (2) from the closing device (1); at least partially closing the plug opening (18) by the two panels (14, 14') by means of the restoring force of the one or more tension springs (32); latching the panels (14, 14') in their initial position on the actuator (13).

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