Mobile charging station and system with a charging station and a table device

Abstract

Charging station (100, 101), in particular a contact-based charging station, for charging a battery-operated table device (200), such as a table lamp, with a frame (1) which has at least one docking area (3) with a charging interface (4) on a top surface (2) for transferring electrical current to a battery of the table device (200) to be charged. On the upper surface (2) at least two docking areas (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) are arranged, each with a charging interface (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f) for transferring electrical current to each accumulator of a table device (200) to be charged.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a mobile, i.e., portable, charging station, in particular a contact-based charging station, also called a charging platform, for charging a battery-operated desktop device, such as a table lamp, comprising a frame having at least one docking area on its upper side for docking the desktop device with a charging interface for transmitting electrical current to a battery of the desktop device to be charged. Furthermore, the invention relates to a system comprising a charging station and at least one desktop device that can be coupled to the charging station.

[0002] Charging stations are well known in various designs. In particular, wired charging stations, such as those commonly used for home telephones, and wireless charging stations, such as those used for modern smartphones, are well known. Charging stations for desktop devices are also known, where such a desktop device could be, for example, a table lamp or a table speaker.

[0003] Current technology allows each charging station to charge the battery of one device. In other words, each battery-operated device is assigned a separate charging station. When operating multiple devices, such as a large number of table lamps in a restaurant, it is often necessary for all table devices to be charged simultaneously via one charging station each. This requires numerous electronic power connections or multiple power strips. Furthermore, each table device or charging station must be handled individually during transport.

[0004] From DE 20 2019 105 825 U1 a bedside table of a hospital bed is known in which an inductive charging station for charging a single end device is integrated into an upper shelf.

[0005] DE 20 2022 105 168 U1 discloses a mobile charging station for electrically charging an external battery, in particular a motor vehicle battery. The charging station comprises several charging interfaces designed as sockets. A separate charging cable is required between the charging station and the battery to be charged for a charging process.

[0006] DE 10 2017 123 742 A1 discloses a table with a charging function installed in a train compartment. This allows up to four devices to be charged simultaneously at one table. The table is permanently installed in the train.

[0007] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a mobile charging station which improves at least one of the above-mentioned disadvantages and enables a reduction in the charging time, in particular for a large number of table devices.

[0008] The invention solves the stated problem by a charging station having the features of the main claim and by a system having the features of claim 15. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are disclosed in the subclaims, the description and the figures.

[0009] According to the invention, at least two docking areas, each with a charging interface for transferring electrical power to a battery of a desktop device to be charged, are arranged on the top of the charging station frame. This allows the batteries of at least two desktop devices to be charged simultaneously using a single charging station. Consequently, only one power supply or an on-site power outlet is required to charge at least two desktop devices.

[0010] Particularly preferably, the frame is plate-shaped and at least six docking areas are arranged on the top, each with a charging interface for transferring electrical power to a battery of a desktop device that is to be charged. This allows up to six desktop devices to be charged simultaneously. Consequently, only one power supply or an on-site power outlet is required to charge at least six desktop devices.

[0011] The charging interface can be configured as a wireless or wired connection. A wireless interface can be, for example, an induction charging station. A wired interface typically has at least two electrical contacts, which, when brought into contact with the electrical contacts of a charging station, enable the battery of the desktop device to be charged. For secure and fast transmission of electrical power, the charging interface is preferably configured as a wired connection.

[0012] The charging interface is particularly preferably conical. The conical shape can in particular be designed as a conical elevation. In particular, a radially outwardly arranged side surface of the charging interface can be designed as an inclined or angled side wall. This conical elevation can engage in a conical recess formed on the tabletop device. The conical shape thus has the effect that when a tabletop device is placed at an angle on the charging station, the tabletop device is slipped or pushed into a designated charging position by the conical shape of the charging interface and with the aid of gravity. This always ensures a secure connection of the contact elements.

[0013] The charging interface preferably has at least two concentrically arranged and / or conically shaped electrical contacts with which the desktop device to be charged can come into contact when placed on the docking area. For example, a first contact can be designed as a pin arranged centrally on the underside and a second contact can be designed as a ring radially spaced from the pin and arranged around the pin. This makes it possible to place the desktop device on a charging station with its underside in any orientation. In particular, the desktop device can be placed on the charging station at any angle of rotation. Furthermore, the electrical contacts can be conical. In particular, at least one of the electrical contacts can be conical. In the case of a concentric arrangement of the electrical contacts, this can in particular be the radially outer contact.Preferably, the two – preferably concentrically arranged – electrical contacts are conical. In particular, a radially outer side surface of the electrical contacts can be designed as an inclined or angled side wall. In this case, too, the conical shape of the charging interface allows the desktop device to slide or push into a designated charging position by gravity when placed at an angle on a charging station, thus ensuring a secure connection between the contact elements at all times.

[0014] Particularly preferably, the charging station comprises electronics with which each charging interface can be controlled separately. In particular, each charging interface can be connected in parallel. This allows the other charging interface(s) to continue operating in the event of a defect in an individual charging interface.

[0015] Preferably, the charging station includes a power supply that can be operated with both a 240V and a lower-voltage connection. This makes it particularly easy to operate the charging station on different power grids, especially in different countries.

[0016] In a further development of the invention, it is provided that at least one means for magnetic coupling to a desktop device is arranged on the upper side of the frame, in each docking area. The means can be designed, for example, as a permanent magnet. The means can be provided, for example, for aligning the desktop device relative to the docking area. For this purpose, at least one iron core or magnet can be additionally arranged on the underside of the base of the desktop device for aligning and / or fixing the desktop device to a charging plate, which can be brought into operative connection with at least one magnet correspondingly arranged on the charging station. This enables the desktop device to be held securely at a charging station.

[0017] The frame preferably has at least two handles arranged on the sides for carrying the charging station. The handles can be formed, for example, by recesses or openings in the frame. This allows for particularly ergonomic transport of the charging platform. Thanks to the previously mentioned magnetic holding force, it can also be safely transported with tabletop devices mounted on the charging station.

[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, the charging station is modularly expandable. In particular, several charging stations can be modularly linked.

[0019] Preferably, at least two charging stations can be connected to one another laterally next to one another and / or one above the other, in particular by means of an electrical and / or mechanical coupling. It should be clear that an arrangement side by side means the direction of the end faces of the plate-shaped charging stations. In particular, the charging stations can each be arranged next to one another with one end face. To reduce the space required, the charging stations can be extended one above the other. It should be clear that an arrangement one above the other means stacking the charging stations in the direction of the flat upper side of the frame. To enable a charging process in this case too, the modularly extended charging stations can be arranged at a distance from one another. This means that a large number of table-top devices can be connected to the charging stations and charged even in a relatively small space.

[0020] Particularly preferably, for a stacked modular connection of two charging stations, at least four struts, in particular acting as spacers, are provided, which space the two charging stations apart from each other and fix them to each other. The struts can, for example, be arranged in the corners of the frame on the top side of a first charging station and on the bottom side of a second charging station.

[0021] Preferably, an electrical connection can be established between the modularly arranged charging stations. Furthermore, it is advantageous if an electronic circuit can be created that allows all charging stations to be supplied with power from a single charging station. This means that only a single power supply or a single on-site socket is required for a large number of charging stations.

[0022] For convenient transport of the charging stations and tabletop devices, particularly in a restaurant, the charging station can be mechanically coupled to a trolley at the bottom, allowing a tower of several charging stations arranged one above the other to be transported using the trolley. The trolley can consist of a single frame with four casters designed to match the charging station.

[0023] According to the invention, a system for charging at least one battery-operated table device is also provided, comprising a charging station with the features according to one of claims 1 to 13 and at least one table device that can be coupled to the charging station.

[0024] Preferably, a charging interface is provided between the charging station and the tabletop device for charging the respective accumulator of the tabletop device, which has at least two electrical contacts arranged concentrically to one another.

[0025] Particularly preferably, magnetic means arranged corresponding to one another are provided on the charging station and / or on the tabletop device, which are suitable for at least temporarily fixing a tabletop device placed on the charging station, in particular in the docking area, by means of a magnetic holding force.

[0026] Ideally, the charging station can charge the batteries of at least six desktop devices simultaneously. This enables particularly effective and fast charging of a large number of desktop devices.

[0027] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. Like reference numerals denote like components. They show schematically: Fig. 1 - a plan view of a first embodiment of a charging station according to the invention; Fig. 2 - a first side view of the charging station according to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 - a second side view of the charging station according to Fig. 1; Fig. 4 - a plan view of a second embodiment of a charging station according to the invention with a table device located thereon; Fig. 5 - a side view of the charging station according to Fig. 4 without tabletop device on it; and Fig. 6 - a perspective view of the charging station according to Fig. 4

[0028] In the Fig. 1 to 3, a first embodiment of the charging station according to the invention is shown, each with the reference numeral 100. The charging station 100, also called a charging platform, is used to charge battery-operated table devices 200, such as a table lamp. For this purpose, the charging station 100 comprises a frame 1, which has a plurality of docking areas 3 on a top side 2, at which a battery of the table device can be charged. As shown in the Fig. 1, the charging station 100 comprises a total of six docking areas 3. The individual docking areas 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f are all of the same design, so that in the following they will only be referred to with the reference number 3.

[0029] For transmitting electrical current to a rechargeable battery of the desktop device 200 that is to be charged, each docking area 3 comprises a charging interface 4. The individual charging interfaces 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f are all designed identically, so that in the following, reference is made to them only with the reference numeral 4. The charging interfaces 4 are designed as a wired connection and each comprise two concentrically arranged electrical contacts 5, 6, with which the desktop device 200 to be charged can come into contact when placed on the respective docking area 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f. In order to allow the table device 200 to slide into the correct charging position when the table device 200 is placed at an angle on the charging station 100, 101, the charging interfaces 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f each have a conical shape, as is particularly shown in the Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 is recognizable.

[0030] For transmitting electrical power from the charging station 100 to a rechargeable battery of the desktop device 200 to be charged, the charging station 100 comprises an electronics unit 7 (not shown in detail here). The electronics unit 7 is designed such that each charging interface 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f can be controlled separately. In particular, the charging interfaces 4 are connected in parallel to the electronics unit 7. This allows the other charging interfaces 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f to continue operating in the event of a failure or defect in one of the charging interfaces 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f.

[0031] To power the charging station 100, a power supply unit 8 with a power connector for an electrical connection to a socket is provided, as is particularly the case in Fig. 3. The power supply is designed to operate on both a 240V connection and a connection with lower voltage.

[0032] In addition to the charging interface 4, each docking area 3 comprises a means for magnetically coupling the charging station to the desktop device 200. In the present case, each docking area 3 comprises a total of four means 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d for magnetically coupling the charging station to the desktop device 200. The means 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d are, for example, permanent magnets, which can interact with permanent magnets correspondingly arranged on the desktop device 200 or with an iron core. In particular, the desktop device can be held on the charging station 100 by the generated magnetic field.

[0033] For transporting the charging station 100, the frame 1, in a side area, as shown in particular in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a handle 10, 11 is arranged on each of the charging stations. This allows the charging station 100 to be carried particularly comfortably. Alternatively, the charging station 100 can be transported on a trolley, which is not shown here.

[0034] The charging station 100 additionally comprises – particularly in the corner areas – four receiving areas 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d, on which – as described below – struts 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d can be arranged when the charging station 100 is expanded to include another – identical – charging station 100. The struts 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d serve in particular as spacers. The receiving areas 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d are designed as sleeves into which a strut 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d can be inserted.

[0035] In the Fig. 4 to 6, a second embodiment of the charging station according to the invention is shown, each with the reference numeral 101. The charging station 101 essentially corresponds to the charging station 100, except for the number of docking areas 3 provided. Thus, the second embodiment of the charging station 101 according to the invention comprises a total of 15 docking areas 3, at each of which a table device 200 can be charged. In the Fig. 4, the docking area 3 shown in the bottom right corner of the image shows an example of a tabletop device 200. The tabletop device 200 is embodied as a table lamp.

[0036] As in the Fig. 5 and Fig. As shown in Figure 6, the charging station 101 is modularly expandable. In particular, the charging station 101 is expandable with additional, identically constructed charging stations 101. Two identically constructed charging stations 101a, 101b are described below as examples. Of course, the charging station 100 described above can also be modularly expanded in the same way with a respective additional charging station 100.

[0037] In Fig. Figure 5 shows two charging stations 101 arranged one above the other. In this state, a total of 15 desktop devices can be charged simultaneously on both the charging station 101a located at the bottom of the image and the charging station 101b located at the top of the image. For this purpose, the two charging stations 101a and 101b are connected to each other; in particular, the charging stations 101a and 101b are coupled both electrically and mechanically.

[0038] The electrical connection between the two charging stations 101a, 101b is established via cable 16. The electronics 7 provides for all charging stations, in this case charging station 101b, to be supplied with power via a single charging station, in this case charging station 101a. This means that only a single plug cable 17 or a single plug is required for connection to a power outlet.

[0039] The mechanical coupling is achieved via the struts 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d already mentioned above. The struts 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d serve in particular as spacers to prevent contact between the charging station 101b arranged above and the tabletop devices 200 arranged below, placed on the lower charging station 101a and not shown here. List of reference symbols: 1 frame 2 Top 3 Docking area 3a to 3f docking area 4 Charging interface 4a to 4f charging interface 5 electrical contact 6 electrical contact 7 Electronics 8 Power supply, mains connection 9a to 9d Medium 10 Handle 11 Handle 12a to 12d struts 13 Subpage 14 trolleys 15a to 15d recording 16 electrical connection 17 external power connection 100 charging stations 101 charging station 101a, 101b charging station 200 tabletop device

Claims

[1] Mobile charging station (100, 101), in particular a contact-based charging station, for charging a battery-operated table device (200), such as a table lamp, with a frame (1) which has on a top side (2) at least one docking area (3) for docking the table device (200) with a charging interface (4) for transmitting electrical current to a battery of the table device (200) to be charged, characterized by that at least two docking areas (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) are arranged on the upper side (2), each having a charging interface (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f) for transmitting electrical current to a respective accumulator of a desktop device (200) to be charged. [2] Charging station (100, 101) according to claim 1, characterized bythat the frame (1) is plate-shaped, and at least six docking areas (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) are arranged on the upper side (2), each having a charging interface (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f) for transmitting electrical current to a respective accumulator to be charged of a desktop device (200). [3] Charging station (100, 101) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized by that the charging interface (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f) is designed as a wireless or wired connection. [4] Charging station (100, 101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the charging interface (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f) is conical, in particular as a conical elevation. [5] Charging station (100, 101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the charging interface (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f) has at least two concentrically arranged and / or conically formed electrical contacts (5, 6) with which the table device (200) to be charged can come into contact when placed on the docking area (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f). [6] Charging station (100, 101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the charging station (100, 101) comprises electronics (7) with which each charging interface (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f) can be controlled separately, in particular each charging interface (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f) is connected in parallel. [7] Charging station (100, 101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the charging station (100, 101) comprises a power supply unit (8) which can be operated both on a 240V connection and on a connection with lower voltage. [8] Charging station (100, 101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat in each docking area (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) at least one means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) for magnetic coupling to a table device (200) is arranged. [9] Charging station (100, 101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the frame (1) has at least two laterally arranged handles (10, 11) for carrying the charging station (100, 101). [10] Charging station (100, 101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the charging station (100, 101) is modularly expandable. [11] Charging station (100, 101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that at least two charging stations (100, 101) can be connected to one another laterally next to one another and / or one above the other, in particular by means of an electrical and / or mechanical coupling. [12] Charging station (100, 101) according to claim 11, characterized bythat for a modular connection of two charging stations (100, 101) arranged one above the other, at least four struts (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) are provided, which fix the two charging stations (100, 101) at a distance from one another and to one another. [13] Charging station (100, 101) according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized by that an electrical connection can be established between the modularly arranged charging stations (100, 101), and in particular a circuit of the electronics (7) can be established in which all charging stations (100, 101) can be supplied with power from a single charging station (100, 101). [14] Charging station (100, 101) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the charging station (100, 101) can be mechanically coupled to a trolley (14) on the underside (13), so that in particular a tower consisting of several charging stations (100, 101) arranged one above the other can be transported by means of the trolley (14). [15] System for charging at least one battery-operated table device (200), comprising a charging station (100, 101) having the features according to one of claims 1 to 14, and at least one table device (200) that can be coupled to the charging station (100, 101). [16] System according to claim 15, characterized by in that, for charging the accumulator of the table-top device (200), a charging interface (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f) is provided between the charging station (100, 101) and the table-top device (200), which has at least two electrical contacts (5, 6) arranged concentrically to one another. [17] System according to one of claims 15 or 16, characterized bythat magnetic means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) are provided on the charging station (100, 101) and / or on the table-top device (200) which are arranged in a corresponding manner to one another and are suitable for at least temporarily fixing a table-top device (200) placed on the charging station (100, 101), in particular in the docking area (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f), by means of a magnetic holding force. [18] System according to one of claims 15 to 17, characterized by that with the charging station (100, 101) the accumulators of at least six table devices (200) can be charged simultaneously and in parallel.

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