Charging connectors for electric and hybrid vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to a charging connector (1) for electric and hybrid vehicles (24), comprising a housing (6), charging contacts (2) arranged in the housing (6) which can be contacted through an opening (8) of the housing (6) by corresponding charging contacts (3) of a corresponding charging connector (4), a movable cover (10) which, in a covering position, covers the opening (8) and, in an open position, exposes the opening (8) for contact by means of the corresponding charging contacts (3), and a receptacle (12) arranged on or in the housing (6) into which the cover (10) can be retracted from the open position to a retracted position. In this way, a charging connector (1) with a cover (10) suitable for automated charging processes is provided.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a charging connector for electric and hybrid vehicles, comprising a housing and charging contacts arranged in the housing, which can be contacted through an opening in the housing by means of corresponding charging contacts of a corresponding charging connector.

[0002] Electric and hybrid vehicles have a rechargeable energy storage device, usually a high-voltage battery, which supplies energy to an electric drive motor when the vehicle is in operation. The storage capacity of these high-voltage batteries is limited, so they must be recharged regularly at a charging station. The battery is charged via a charging cable provided between the charging station and the vehicle. The charging cable, for example, in accordance with the European standard IEC 62196 Type 2, is equipped with a charging plug on one end that can be plugged into a charging socket provided on the charging station, and a charging coupling on the other end that can be connected to a charging plug installed in the electric or hybrid vehicle. For the purposes of this article, charging sockets, charging plugs, charging couplings and charging plugs are all referred to as “charging connectors”.Charging sockets and charging couplings have contact sleeves as charging contacts, and charging plugs as well as charging plugs that can be installed in electric and hybrid vehicles have contact pins as charging contacts that can be inserted into the contact sleeves.

[0003] Charging connectors in general can be provided with a cover to prevent contaminants such as dirt and liquids from the environment from entering the charging connector. Due to the exposed position in which the vehicle-side charging connector in particular is located, such covers are of increased importance for maintaining the functionality of the charging connector. This applies even more to the DC charging contacts, which are intended for DC charging on the vehicle side. Here, it is particularly important to exclude external environmental influences from interacting with the DC charging contacts as far as possible. Any contamination will undoubtedly increase the resistance when plugged into the corresponding charging connector. Corrosion and dirt particles increase the charging resistance, which in turn causes an increase in temperature in the charging connector and thus a reduction in the charging current.The charging process takes longer the more contaminants are introduced. Therefore, it is especially important to protect the DC charging contacts of the charging connector during AC charging to prevent environmental contaminants from entering the area of ​​the DC charging contacts.

[0004] One such case is a charging connector connected to a charging cable for AC charging according to the European standard IEC 62196 Type 2. Such a charging connector can be plugged into a charging connector installed in the body of an electric or hybrid vehicle and suitable for both AC and DC charging. The AC connector face of the AC charging connector contains the communication contacts, the protective contact, and the contacts for the outer conductor and a center conductor for AC charging. However, this AC charging connector does not have any DC charging contacts for DC charging, so the DC charging contacts of the charging connector are freely accessible to external environmental influences.

[0005] An outer conductor (also colloquially referred to as a phase conductor) is a conductor that is live during normal operation and can contribute to the transmission or distribution of electrical energy, but is not a neutral conductor. A neutral conductor is a conductor that is electrically connected to the neutral point and is capable of contributing to the distribution of electrical energy. In the European standard IEC 62196 Type 2, the contacts, which are referred to here as AC charging contacts, are designated L1, L2 and L3 (outer conductor) and N (neutral conductor), and the DC charging contacts are designated DC+ and DC. This understanding should not be contradicted by the fact that the European standard IEC 62196 Type 2 also recognizes an operating mode according to which direct current charging takes place via contacts L1, L2, L3 and N.

[0006] At the same time, there is a general drive toward increased automation in vehicle technology, particularly with regard to autonomous charging processes. Manually removable covers designed to prevent the entry of contaminants run counter to this fundamental drive toward automation.

[0007] Based on this, the object of the present invention is to provide a charging connector with a cover suitable for automated charging processes.

[0008] This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Preferred developments of the invention are described in the subclaims.

[0009] According to the invention, a charging connector for electric and hybrid vehicles is thus provided, comprising a housing, charging contacts arranged in the housing, which can be contacted through an opening in the housing by corresponding charging contacts of a corresponding charging connector, a movable cover which covers the opening in a covering position and, in an open position, releases the opening for contacting by means of the corresponding charging contacts, and a receptacle arranged in or on the housing, into which receptacle the cover can be moved from the open position into a retracted position.

[0010] When a corresponding charging connector is mentioned here, this means, on the one hand, a charging connector which has the same plug-in face as the charging connector according to the invention, but one plug-in face has contact pins if the other plug-in face has contact sleeves, and vice versa.

[0011] The set comprising the charging connector according to the invention and the corresponding charging connector can therefore be plugged together. On the other hand, the term "corresponding charging connector" is also used here if the plug faces in the aforementioned sense only partially correspond, i.e., the corresponding charging connector, for example, does not have all the contacts present in the charging connector according to the invention, but the existing contacts of the corresponding charging connector correspond to the charging connector according to the invention in terms of their plug faces, so that the charging connector according to the invention and the corresponding charging connector can also be plugged together in this case.

[0012] The opening in the housing of the charging connector according to the invention is therefore designed such that a corresponding charging connector overlaps with the charging connector in a plugged-in state in a plugging direction such that a portion of the corresponding charging connector protrudes into the opening of the charging connector. The charging contacts of the two connectors are accordingly in galvanically conductive contact with each other. The cover is in the retracted position for this purpose. In the covering position of the cover, the opening is sealed against the ingress of dirt and liquids from the environment, preventing these from reaching the charging contacts arranged in the opening.

[0013] What is essential to the invention here is that the receptacle is arranged in or on the housing and that the receptacle is further designed to preferably completely accommodate the cover. In the retracted position, in this preferred embodiment, the cover is therefore completely in the receptacle and is therefore advantageously not in the way during the charging process when the corresponding charging connector is plugged together with the charging connector according to the invention. In contrast to conventional charging connectors, no additional space needs to be created on the charging connector according to the invention for the cover in the open position. Immediately before a charging process, the cover can be retracted so that the corresponding charging connector cannot cause damage to the cover. Likewise, the cover is always securely connected to the housing of the charging connector according to the invention.

[0014] In principle, the cover can be inserted into the receptacle in various ways. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the charging connector is further provided with a slider and a pivot bearing, wherein the slider is attached to the cover with the pivot bearing and the slider is arranged to slide in the receptacle. The cover is thus anchored in the receptacle by the slider, which is arranged to slide in the receptacle.

[0015] The pivot bearing allows the cover to be pivoted into the covering position like a hinge. The pivot bearing has a direction of rotation that defines a pivot, swivel, or rotation axis for the cover. In principle, the pivot bearing can be designed in various ways. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pivot bearing has a bistable spring that holds the cover in the open or covering position. The bistable spring thus transmits a torque to the cover between two different dead positions. In this case, the dead position refers to positions of the cover in question in which no torque exerted by the spring acts on it. A first dead position is in the covering position, and a further dead position is in the open position of the cover.Between these dead positions, the torque of the spring acts on the cover and moves it towards the first or the next dead position.

[0016] The cover can be retracted in various ways. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the charging connector additionally comprises an electromechanical actuator. The actuator is attached to a side of the slider facing away from the pivot bearing via a coupling rod arranged in the receptacle for power transmission, so that the cover can be moved from the open position to the retracted position with a linear movement of the actuator.

[0017] Particularly with regard to autonomous charging, this allows for automated opening and closing of the cover on the charging connector according to the invention. For this purpose, the electromechanical actuator, via the coupling rod, performs a linear movement in the receptacle, which is transmitted to the slide. The actuator is preferably an electromechanical extendable and retractable piston, which is connected to the coupling rod for force transmission. Therefore, the actuator is even more preferably located behind the charging connector according to the invention, at a vertical level with the receptacle. In the present case, "behind the charging connector" refers to the position on the housing of the charging connector that is on the side of the charging connector facing away from the opening.

[0018] The actuator can therefore move the cover from the open position to the retracted position. With the bistable spring in the pivot bearing, the open position is characterized by the cover being positioned at a wider dead-center angle.

[0019] In principle, the transitions between the housing and the receptacle can be designed in various ways. According to a preferred development of the invention, however, the transitions from the housing to the receptacle are rounded in the direction of rotation of the pivot bearing, so that the cover with the actuator can be moved from the sealing position into the retracted position with a linear movement of the actuator. The transitions designed in this way create starting contours for the cover, which enable particularly advantageous actuator-driven extension and retraction of the cover. The cover can slide along the transitions, effectively preventing jamming or snagging. In this context, it is preferred that the receptacle is arranged vertically below the opening in the housing of the charging connector. Vertical here refers to the position in an installed state.

[0020] If the slider is now pulled deeper into the receptacle with the actuator, the cover releases from the covering position and slides along the transition between the receptacle and the housing, facing the opening. The spring releases from the first dead-position angle, and the torque moves the cover further, causing it to swing toward the opposite transition, the further dead-position angle. The cover is then in the open position and is retracted further into the receptacle.

[0021] The resulting movement of the cover, in turn, causes an oscillating movement opposite to the first oscillating movement, which is, however, limited by the receptacle. Thus, when the cover is retracted into the receptacle, the spring in the pivot bearing exerts a continuous torque on the cover in the direction of the first dead center angle, thus opening the housing and the charging connector. As a result, the cover automatically swings into the covering position when extended by the actuator.

[0022] In principle, the charging contacts can be AC ​​charging contacts or AC and DC charging contacts. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the charging contacts are DC charging contacts. This makes it possible to protect the DC charging contacts even when AC charging is taking place.

[0023] In principle, the cover can be designed in various ways. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover is provided with a circumferential seal on the side facing the opening, so that the cover seals the opening with the seal in the covering position. This increases the sealing effect of the cover in the sealing position. The seal, in particular, further inhibits the ingress of liquids into the opening. The seal can be made of a rubber or plastic material.

[0024] The housing can be designed in various ways. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the charging connector is additionally equipped with a sensor arranged in the housing, wherein the sensor is designed to detect the position of the cover and transmit it to the electric or hybrid vehicle. This means that an autonomous charging process can be initiated when the cover is verifiably retracted.

[0025] The invention further relates to the use of a system as described above on the vehicle body of an electric or hybrid vehicle.

[0026] The invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawings using preferred embodiments.

[0027] The drawings show Fig. 1a shows a charging connector according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention in a perspective view with a cover in a covering position, Fig. 1b the charging connector Fig. 1a with the cover in the retracted position, Fig. 1c the charging connector Fig. 1b in a partial sectional view, Fig. 2 a charging connector corresponding to the charging connector and Fig. 3 the use of the charging connector according to the invention on the body of an electric or hybrid vehicle.

[0028] Out of Fig. 1a shows a front view of a charging connector 1 with a cover 10 in a covering position according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention. This is a charging connector for installation in the vehicle body of an electric or hybrid vehicle, as shown schematically in Fig. 3. The present charging connector 1 is essentially, and in terms of its mating face, a charging plug in accordance with the European standard IEC 62196 Type 2. In addition to AC charging contacts (not further identified by reference numerals), a protective contact and communication contacts, the charging connector 1 has two DC charging contacts 2 for DC charging. The cover 10 is connected to a pivot bearing 16 on a Fig. 1c. The pivot bearing 16 is provided with a bistable spring that holds the cover 10 in the covering position at a first dead angle. Behind the housing 6, an actuator 20 is arranged, which is frictionally connected to a Fig. 1c, is connected to the slide 14 on a side facing away from the pivot bearing 16.

[0029] In the covering position, the cover 10 seals an opening 8 formed in the housing 6. The opening 8 is in Fig. 1b, in which the cover 10 is shown retracted into a receptacle 12. The DC charging contacts 2 are released for contacting.

[0030] Fig. Finally, Figure 1c shows the charging connector according to the invention in a partial sectional view. The cover is also in the retracted position in this case. The receptacle 12 is formed in the housing 6 of the charging connector. The transitions from the housing 6 into the receptacle 12 are rounded in the direction of rotation of the pivot bearing 16. Thus, the transitions 19 form starting contours that prevent the cover 10 from snagging during retraction and extension. Since the slider 14 is arranged to slide in the receptacle, the cover 10 can be retracted into the receptacle 12 using the actuator 20.

[0031] The charging contacts 2 are in Fig. 1b, or 1c, are released for contacting with corresponding charging contacts 3, so that the charging connector 1 is now connected to a Fig. 2. This is a charging coupling that can be attached to a charging cable and connected to the charging plug. The charging coupling shown here as an example is for direct current charging and therefore has the corresponding direct current charging contacts 3, a protective contact, and communication contacts. Both the charging plug shown here and the coupling shown here comply with the European standard IEC 62196 in terms of their mating face. List of reference symbols 1 charging connector 2 charging contacts 3 corresponding charging contact 4 corresponding charging connectors 6 housings 8 Opening 10 Cover 12 recordings 14 sliders 16 pivot bearings 18 Coupling rod 19 Transition 20 Actuator 22 Vehicle body 24 electric or hybrid vehicle

Claims

[1] Charging connector (1) for electric and hybrid vehicles (24), with a housing (6), charging contacts (2) arranged in the housing (6), which can be contacted through an opening (8) of the housing (6) by corresponding charging contacts (3) of a corresponding charging connector (4), a movable cover (10) which, in a covering position, covers the opening (8) and, in an open position, releases the opening (8) for contacting by means of the corresponding charging contacts (3), and a receptacle (12) arranged in or on the housing (6), into which the cover (10) can be moved from the open position into a retracted position. [2] Charging connector (1) according to claim 1 with a slider (14) and a rotary bearing (16), wherein the slider (14) with the rotary bearing (16) is attached to the cover (10) and the slider (14) is arranged slidingly in the receptacle (12). [3] Charging connector (1) according to claim 2, wherein the rotary bearing (16) has a bistable spring with which the cover (10) is held in the open or covering position. [4] Charging connector (1) according to claim 2 or 3 with an electromechanical actuator (20), wherein the actuator (20) is fastened to a side of the slide (14) facing away from the rotary bearing (16) via a coupling rod (22) arranged in the receptacle (12) for force transmission, so that the cover (10) with the actuator (20) can be moved from the open position into the retracted position with a linear movement of the actuator (20). [5] Charging connector (1) according to claim 4, wherein the transitions (19) from the housing (6) into the receptacle (12) are rounded in the direction of rotation of the rotary bearing (16), so that the cover (10) with the actuator (20) can be moved from the covering position into the retracted position with a linear movement of the actuator (20). [6] Charging connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the charging contacts (2) are DC charging contacts. [7] Charging connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover is provided with a circumferential seal on the side facing the opening (8), so that the cover (10) seals the opening (8) with the seal in the covering position. [8] Charging connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, with a sensor arranged in the housing (6), wherein the sensor is designed to detect the position of the cover (10) and to send it to the electric or hybrid vehicle (24). [9] Use of a system according to one of claims 1 to 8 on the vehicle body (26) of an electric or hybrid vehicle (24).

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