Charging system for an electric vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a charging system for an electrically powered vehicle (1), comprising a vehicle-side charging socket (9) and a charging plug (5) of a charging cable (7) which can be electrically coupled to the charging socket (9) during a charging process, and a locking actuator (11) which can be adjusted by electrical control between a locking position, in which an electrical coupling between the charging socket (9) and the charging plug (5) is locked, and an unlocking position, in which the electrical coupling between the charging socket (9) and the charging plug (5) can be released, wherein the locking actuator (11) has a mechanical emergency release (13) by means of which the locking actuator (11) can be brought into its unlocking position in the event of a fault by manually actuating an operating element (27) arranged at a distance from the locking actuator (11).wherein the operating element (27) is operatively connected to the mechanical emergency release (13) of the locking actuator (11) via a pull cable (23). According to the invention, the locking actuator (11) has a deflection via which the pull cable (23) can be guided in a predefined orientation up to the mechanical emergency release (13).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a charging system for an electrically powered vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] During the charging process of an electrically powered vehicle, the charging plug of a charging cable at a charging station is electrically coupled to a charging socket on the vehicle. In a vehicle of this type, the charging socket has a locking actuator that can be adjusted by electrical control between a locking position, in which an electrical connection between the charging socket and the charging plug is locked, and an unlocking position, in which the electrical connection between the charging socket and the charging plug can be released. Locking the charging plug in the charging socket protects against theft of the charging equipment; however, the locking mechanism primarily serves to prevent the charging plug from being pulled out under load. To remove the charging plug from the vehicle's charging socket, the user must usually first unlock the vehicle using a radio remote control.The user must then press a release button in the charging socket so that the charging plug can be removed.

[0003] The locking actuator of the charging socket features a mechanical emergency release, which allows the locking actuator to be mechanically adjusted to the unlocked position in the event of a fault by manually actuating a control element located at a distance from the locking actuator. The control element is operatively connected to the mechanical emergency release of the locking actuator via a pull cable.

[0004] In the prior art, the mechanical emergency release of the locking actuator has a shaft-hub connection consisting of a drive shaft with a drive lever projecting radially from it. A pull cable end is connected to the free end of the drive lever of the drive shaft in a force-transmitting manner. The drive shaft is connected to a bolt of the locking actuator via a gear stage. When the operating element is actuated, the drive shaft is rotated via the pull cable, allowing the bolt to be moved from its unlocked position to its locked position.

[0005] To achieve an effective lever arm length of the drive lever, the pull cable must engage the drive lever in a predefined cable pulling direction. To ensure this predefined cable pulling direction, the installation position of the locking actuator cannot be easily varied. Accordingly, the current state of the art limits the degrees of freedom when installing the locking actuator in the vehicle.

[0006] A generic charging system for an electrically powered vehicle is known from CN 10 9149 263 B. Its locking actuator has a deflection, via which a pull cable is guided to a mechanical emergency release. CN 110023134 B discloses a locking device with an energy storage device for a motor vehicle and a method for operating such a locking device. CN 109149261 B discloses an electronic lock that is capable of pulling a pull cable from any direction and has low drag resistance. The main application of the electronic lock relates to providing a charging socket for an electric vehicle. DE 10 2012 200 421 A1 discloses a charging device for an electric vehicle. The charging device has an electrical cable and a charging plug or a charging socket. The charging plug or the charging socket can be stored in a recess.A lock closes the recess when the charging plug or charging socket is removed. This protects the recess from moisture and dirt even while charging an electric vehicle battery. CN 109149263 B discloses a charging socket for an electric vehicle with an associated electronic lock.

[0007] The object of the invention is to provide a charging system for an electrically powered vehicle in which the vehicle-side locking actuator can be installed in the vehicle with a greater number of degrees of freedom compared to the prior art.

[0008] The object is solved by the features of claim 1. Preferred developments of the invention are disclosed in the subclaims.

[0009] The invention is based on a charging system for an electrically powered vehicle, which has a vehicle-mounted charging socket and a charging plug of a charging cable. This plug is electrically coupled to the charging socket during the charging process. Furthermore, the charging system has a locking actuator that can be adjusted by electrical control between a locking position, in which an electrical connection between the charging socket and the charging plug is locked, and an unlocking position, in which the electrical connection between the charging socket and the charging plug can be released. The locking actuator also has a mechanical emergency release. In the event of a fault, the mechanical emergency release moves the locking actuator from its locking position to its unlocking position. This is done by manually actuating an operating element arranged at a distance from the locking actuator.The operating element is operatively connected to the mechanical emergency release of the locking actuator via a pull cable. According to the invention, the locking actuator has a deflection via which the pull cable can be guided in a predefined orientation to a mechanical emergency release. To reduce cable friction, the locking actuator deflection has at least one deflection roller or pulley, in particular one rotatably mounted on the locking actuator. The pull cable coming from the operating element can partially wrap around the deflection roller or pulley at spatially different angular positions and be guided in a predefined pulling direction to the mechanical emergency release of the locking actuator. Since the pull cable can be guided around the deflection roller at spatially different angular positions, a significantly greater number of degrees of freedom is available when positioning the locking actuator in the vehicle compared to the prior art.

[0010] In one technical implementation, the mechanical emergency release can be located inside the housing of a locking actuator housing. In this case, the pull rope can be routed from the deflection roller or pulley through a housing opening into the interior of the housing to the mechanical emergency release.

[0011] For example, the mechanical emergency release can be constructed as follows: The mechanical emergency release can comprise a drive element, in particular a drive shaft or a drive gear. A pull cable end can be connected to the drive element in a force-transmitting manner. The drive element can also be connected to a locking bolt via a gear stage. In this case, when the operating element is actuated, the drive element is driven by the pull cable, thereby moving the locking bolt from its locking position to its unlocking position.

[0012] Further measures to increase the number of degrees of freedom when installing the locking actuator in the vehicle are described below: Accordingly, according to the invention, the deflection has at least two deflection rollers. This allows the pull cable coming from the operating element to partially wrap around either one deflection roller or the other deflection roller in different spatial angular positions and, as the cable continues, to be deflected in a predefined pulling direction for mechanical emergency release. The two deflection rollers can preferably be aligned axially parallel to one another and spaced from each other by a roller gap. In this case, the housing passage can open directly into the roller gap to ensure the smoothest possible transition of the pull cable from the deflection into the housing interior.

[0013] In the above arrangement with the two axially parallel deflection rollers, the traction cable can be guided to the deflection rollers at any spatially arbitrary angular position, with the sole exception of a pulling direction aligned axially parallel between the roller axes, in which the traction cable is guided directly via the housing opening into the interior of the locking actuator housing without contact with the two deflection rollers. To further increase the number of degrees of freedom when installing the locking actuator in the vehicle, the deflection can have a total of four rollers. These can be positioned in a frame arrangement with mutually perpendicular rotation axes. The housing opening can open centrally into the interior of the frame defined by the four deflection rollers.

[0014] In an alternative design variant, the deflection pulley can be pivotally mounted in a bearing bracket that is connected to the locking actuator, in particular on the outside of the locking actuator housing. The bearing bracket can preferably be pivotally connected to the locking actuator about a pivot axis. This pivot axis can be aligned perpendicular to the deflection pulley's rotation axis. The pivot axis of the bearing bracket is preferably designed such that the deflection pulley can be pivoted about the housing opening of the locking actuator. The pivoting movement is designed such that the pulley cable can be guided smoothly through the housing opening to the mechanical emergency release at any deflection pulley pivot angle.

[0015] Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the attached figures.

[0016] They show: Fig. 1 to 13 are different views illustrating a charging system for an electrically powered vehicle according to the invention; and Fig. 14 is a view of a comparative example not covered by the invention.

[0017] In the Fig. 1 shows an electrically powered vehicle 1 during a charging process, in which a charging socket 9 of the vehicle 1 is electrically coupled to a charging plug 5, which is led to a charging station 8 via a charging cable 7. A locking actuator 11 is assigned to the charging socket 9. This is in its locking position ( Fig. 2a), in which the electrical coupling between charging socket 9 and charging plug 5 is locked.

[0018] Normally, the locking actuator 11 is electrically controlled between the locking position ( Fig. 2a) and an unlocking position ( Fig. 2b) adjustable. To remove the charging plug 5 from the charging socket 9 after the charging process, the vehicle user must first unlock the vehicle 1 using, for example, a radio remote control. The vehicle user must then press a release button (not shown) located in the charging socket 9, which unlocks the charging plug 5 from the charging socket 9.

[0019] The locking actuator 11 also has a mechanical emergency release 13, which is in the Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b is indicated to the extent necessary for understanding the invention. Accordingly, the mechanical emergency release 13 is positioned within a locking actuator housing 15. The mechanical emergency release 13 has a drive gear 17, which is drivingly connected to a locking bolt 21 of the locking actuator 11 via a gear stage 19. Furthermore, the drive gear 17 is connected in a force-transmitting manner to the end of a pull cable 23, which is guided outward through a housing passage 25. The other end of the pull cable is connected to an operating element 27, which is positioned at a distance from the locking actuator 11 in the rear of the vehicle within the trunk.

[0020] In the locking position, according to the Fig. 2a the locking bolt 21 in positive engagement with corresponding counter contours 22, 24 of the charging socket 9 and the charging plug 5. As soon as the operating element 27 is actuated with an actuating force F Bis pulled, a manual emergency release takes place, in which the locking actuator 11 moves into its unlocking position ( Fig. 2b). In the unlocking position ( Fig. 2b) the locking bolt 21 is disengaged from the form-fitting contours 22, 24 of the charging socket 9 and the charging plug 5.

[0021] As can be seen from the Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b, a deflection roller 29 is rotatably mounted on the outside of the locking actuator housing 15, directly adjacent to the housing passage 25, about a roller rotation axis D by means of a housing-side bearing bracket 33. The pull cable 23 coming from the operating element 27 wraps around the deflection roller 29 and is guided in a predefined cable pulling direction to the mechanical emergency release 13 of the locking actuator 11. The predefined pulling direction is also maintained when the pull cable 23 encounters the deflection roller 29 at spatially different angular positions. In this way, the locking actuator 11 can be positioned in different positions within the vehicle 1 with a large number of degrees of freedom, while the predefined pulling direction between the deflection roller 29 and the mechanical emergency release 13 is maintained independently.

[0022] In the Fig. 3 to 6, the locking actuator 11 has two deflection rollers 29 on the outside of the housing, which are aligned axially parallel to each other and are connected via a roller gap s ( Fig. 4) are spaced apart from each other. The housing passage 25 opens directly into the roller gap s, as can be seen from the Fig. 4. The pull rope 23 coming from the operating element 27 can therefore partially wrap around either one deflection roller 29 or the other deflection roller 29 in different spatial angular positions and be guided in the further course of the rope in the predefined pulling direction to the mechanical emergency release 13.

[0023] In the Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 shows exemplary traction cable paths in different spatial angular positions, which are intended to illustrate the large number of degrees of freedom in positioning the locking actuator 11 in the vehicle 1. Accordingly, the traction cable 23 can be guided in any spatial angular position up to the roller pair, with the exception of a pulling direction aligned axially parallel between the deflection rollers 29, in which the traction cable 23 is guided without contact with the deflection rollers 29 through the roller gap s and the housing passage 25 up to the mechanical emergency release 13.

[0024] In the Fig. 7 shows a further embodiment in which the deflection is configured with a total of four deflection rollers 29. These are positioned in a frame arrangement with rotational axes D aligned at right angles to one another. The housing passage 25 opens centrally into the frame interior defined by the four deflection rollers 29, thereby providing a smooth transition of the cable pull 23 from the roller arrangement to the mechanical emergency release 13.

[0025] In the Fig. 8 to 12, a further embodiment is shown, in which at least one deflection roller 31 is pivotally mounted in a housing-side bearing bracket 33 about a rotation axis D. The bearing bracket 33 is connected externally to the locking actuator 11. In addition, the bearing bracket 33 is pivotable about a pivot axis S ( Fig. 8 or Fig. 9) is pivotally connected to the locking actuator housing 15. The pivot axis S runs at right angles to the roller rotation axis D. The deflection roller 31 can be pivoted about the housing opening 25 of the locking actuator housing 15, in such a way that the pulley 23 can be smoothly guided from the deflection roller 31 through the housing opening 25 to the mechanical emergency release 13 at any deflection roller pivot angle.

[0026] In the Fig. 9 shows an embodiment which is essentially like the embodiment of Fig. 8. In contrast to the Fig. 8 carries the bearing bracket 33 in the Fig. 9 not only one, but rather two deflection pulleys 31, around which the pull rope 23 is guided through the housing passage 25 in the direction of the mechanical emergency release 13.

[0027] In the Fig. 13 shows a further embodiment in which the locking actuator 11 has a deflection formed as a curved guide tube 36. The pull cable 23 is guided through the guide tube 36 in the direction of the operating element 27. The guide tube 36 is pivotally connected to the locking actuator housing 15 with its housing-side tube end. Furthermore, the radius of curvature of the guide tube 36 is designed to be large enough to limit the cable friction between the guide tube 36 and the pull cable 23.

[0028] In the Fig. 14 shows a locking actuator 11 according to a comparative example not shown by the invention. Accordingly, the locking actuator 11 has a shaft-hub connection formed by a drive shaft 35 with a radially projecting drive lever 37. The drive shaft 33 is connected to the locking bolt 21 via a gear stage (not shown). At the free end of the drive lever 37, a pull cable end is connected in a force-transmitting manner, the other end of which (not shown) is connected to the operating element 27. In order to achieve an effective lever arm length h ( Fig. 14) of the drive lever 37, the pull rope 23 must be connected in a predefined pull direction and to the drive lever 37. In the comparison example of the Fig. 9, the locking actuator 11 has no deflection, so that the installation position of the locking actuator 11 in the vehicle cannot be easily varied without changing the predefined cable pulling direction and thus the effective lever arm length. Therefore, in the comparison example of the Fig. 14 the degrees of freedom when installing the locking actuator 11 in the vehicle are significantly restricted compared to the invention. List of reference symbols 1 vehicle 3 charging stations 5 charging plugs 7 charging cables 8 charging stations 9 Charging socket 11 Locking actuator 13 mechanical emergency release 15 Locking actuator housing 17 Drive element 19 gear stage 21 locking bolts 22 Counter contour 23 Pull rope 24 Counter contour 25 Housing passage 27 Control element 29 Deflection roller 31 pulley 33 Bearing bracket 35 Drive shaft 36 guide tube 37 drive lever a distance s roller gap D axis of rotation S swivel axis F B Actuating force h effective lever arm length

Claims

[1] Charging system for an electrically powered vehicle (1), comprising a vehicle-mounted charging socket (9) and a charging plug (5) of a charging cable (7), which can be electrically coupled to the charging socket (9) during a charging process, and comprising a locking actuator (11) which can be adjusted by electrical control between a locking position, in which an electrical connection between the charging socket (9) and the charging plug (5) is locked, and an unlocking position, in which the electrical connection between the charging socket (9) and the charging plug (5) can be released, wherein the locking actuator (11) has a mechanical emergency release (13), by means of which the locking actuator (11) can be brought into its unlocking position in the event of a fault by manually actuating an operating element (27) arranged at a distance from the locking actuator (11), wherein the operating element (27) is operatively connected to the mechanical emergency release (13) of the locking actuator (11),wherein the locking actuator (11) has a deflection, via which the traction cable (23) can be guided in a predefined orientation to the mechanical emergency release (13), wherein, to reduce the cable friction, the locking actuator deflection has a deflection roller (29) or deflection pulley (31) rotatably mounted on the locking actuator (11), and wherein the traction cable (23) coming from the operating element (27) partially wraps around the deflection roller (29), optionally in spatially different angular positions, and is guided in a predefined pulling direction to the mechanical emergency release (13) of the locking actuator (11), , characterized byin order to increase the number of degrees of freedom when installing the locking actuator (11) in the vehicle (1), the deflection has at least two deflection rollers (29), and in that the pulling cable (23) coming from the operating element (27) partially wraps around one of the deflection rollers (29) and can be deflected in a predefined pulling direction to the mechanical emergency release (13). [2] Charging system according to claim 1, characterized by that the mechanical emergency release (13) is arranged in the housing interior of a locking actuator housing (15), and that in particular the pull cable (23) can be guided from the locking actuator deflection via a housing passage (25) to the mechanical emergency release (13). [3] Charging system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat the mechanical emergency release (13) has a drive element (17), such as a drive shaft or a drive gear, to which one end of the pull cable (23) is connected, and that the drive element (17) is drivingly connected to a locking bolt (21) via a gear stage (19), and that in particular when the operating element (27) is actuated, the drive element (17) can be driven via the pull cable (23), whereby the locking bolt (21) can be brought from the locking position into the unlocking position. [4] Charging system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by that the two deflection rollers (29) are aligned axially parallel to one another and / or are spaced apart from one another via a roller gap (s), and that in particular the housing passage (25) opens directly into the roller gap (s). [5] Charging system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the deflection is formed from a total of four deflection rollers (29) which are positioned in a frame arrangement with axes of rotation (D) aligned at right angles to one another, and that in particular the housing passage (25) opens into an inner side of the frame delimited by the four deflection rollers (29).

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