Vehicle layout and cable reeling device

Abstract

Vehicle arrangement with: a vehicle (3), and a charging cable (5), wherein the vehicle arrangement (1) is a preferably permanently and / or firmly attached, to or in the vehicle (3), preferably automatic or semi-automatic, cable reel device (7) for the charging cable (5) has, characterized by that the vehicle arrangement (1), preferably the cable winding device (7), has a first drying device (21) for drying the charging cable (5), wherein the first drying device (21) is directed towards the cable winding device (7) and / or towards the part of the charging cable (5) wound on the drum (11), and / or wherein the first drying device (21) is designed and / or suitable to dry the part of the charging cable (5) wound onto the drum (11) and / or to remove moisture and / or dirt.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle arrangement according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a cable winding device according to claim 9.

[0002] An example vehicle setup consists of a battery-electric vehicle and a separate charging cable. To charge the vehicle, one end of the charging cable (on the vehicle side) is electrically connected to the vehicle's battery, and the other end (on the charging station side) is electrically connected to a charging port on the charging station. After charging is complete, the charging cable is disconnected from both the vehicle and the charging station and manually stowed in the vehicle. Particularly in inclement weather, the charging cable is wet and dirty after charging, which can lead to soiling of the vehicle's interior and potentially mold growth on the still-wet cable. This setup therefore has the disadvantage of being less convenient to handle.

[0003] DE 10 2021 200 796 A1 discloses a storage system for an electric vehicle charging cable. DE 10 2018 211 344 A1 discloses a cable winding system and a method for operating a cable winding system. DE 10 2016 224 160 A1 discloses a motor vehicle with a charging cable. DE 10 2009 046 327 A1 discloses a generic vehicle arrangement. DE 10 2017 118 328 A1 discloses a charging station for charging an electrical energy storage device with a charging cable drying system. JP H11-42 291 A discloses a winding and drying machine for fire hoses. CN 2 18 434 332 U discloses a winding device for electrical equipment. German patent DE 10 2017 208 599 A1 discloses a motor vehicle with a connection device. A vehicle is known from US patent 2012 / 0 228 420 A1. US patent 2017 / 0 151 879 A1 discloses an electrical cable and a winding device for such a cable.

[0004] One object of the invention is to provide a vehicle arrangement in which the handling comfort of the charging cable is increased compared to known vehicle arrangements.

[0005] This problem is solved by the features of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

[0006] The invention proposes a vehicle arrangement comprising a vehicle and a charging cable. According to the invention, the vehicle arrangement includes a cable winding device for the charging cable, preferably permanently and / or rigidly attached to or within the vehicle, and preferably automatic or semi-automatic. The cable winding device allows the charging cable to be conveniently unwound in one operation and quickly wound up in a single operation without tangling. Furthermore, the charging cable cannot be accidentally left behind. In addition, the cable winding device allows the charging cable to be stored in the vehicle in a particularly space-saving manner.

[0007] In an exemplary embodiment, the cable winding device may be designed and / or suitable for unwinding the charging cable from a drum of the cable winding device in a single unwinding operation, preferably manually, and for rewinding the unwound portion of the charging cable into the cable winding device and / or, preferably automatically or semi-automatically, onto the drum of the cable winding device in a single winding operation under the influence of a winding force. The winding of the charging cable is thus performed with the assistance of the winding force. The winding process is therefore particularly energy-efficient and quick to carry out.

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, the cable winding device may include a spring return mechanism with a spring, preferably a coil spring. Preferably, a drum-side end of the spring is connected directly to the drum, and a vehicle-side end of the spring is connected directly to the vehicle or to a housing of the cable winding device. The spring return mechanism requires no electrical energy for operation, unlike, for example, an electric motor. The cable winding device is therefore particularly energy-efficient to operate.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the cable winding device may be designed and / or suitable for the drum to rotate in an unwinding direction during the unwinding process, preferably during manual unwinding, thereby building up a preload force in the spring that constitutes the winding force. Furthermore, the unwound portion of the charging cable may be retracted into the cable winding device and / or wound onto the drum during the winding process by rotating the drum in a winding direction while releasing the preload force in the spring. Under the influence of the winding force, the unwound portion of the charging cable is drawn into the cable winding device and / or wound onto the drum. The spring return mechanism represents a particularly cost-effective and easy-to-implement method for generating the winding force, for example, compared to an electric motor.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, the cable winding device may include an electric motor supported on a housing of the cable winding device and / or on the vehicle, and which is connected to the drum in a torque-transmitting manner. Preferably, the cable winding device is designed and / or suitable for the electric motor to transmit a winding force to the drum during the winding process, so that the drum rotates in a winding direction during the winding process and the unwound portion of the charging cable is drawn into the cable winding device and / or wound onto the drum under the influence of the winding force. A higher winding force can be generated easily by means of the electric motor, for example, compared to a spring return mechanism.This allows the winding process to be carried out more quickly, especially with heavy and / or long charging cables.

[0011] According to the invention, the vehicle arrangement, preferably the cable reel, comprises a first drying device for drying the charging cable. The first drying device is directed towards the cable reel and / or the portion of the charging cable wound on the drum. Furthermore, the first drying device is designed and / or suitable for drying the portion of the charging cable wound on the drum and / or removing moisture and / or dirt. The use of the first drying device reliably removes moisture adhering to the portion of the charging cable wound on the drum. This effectively and efficiently prevents mold growth in the area of ​​the charging cable.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, the vehicle arrangement, preferably the cable winding device, may include a second drying device for drying the charging cable. It is preferably provided that the second drying device is directed towards the portion of the charging cable located outside the cable winding device and / or towards the unwound portion. Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the second drying device is designed and / or suitable for drying the unwound portion of the charging cable and / or removing moisture and / or dirt. The use of the second drying device offers the advantage that the moisture is at least largely removed during the winding process. This significantly reduces the drying time required for the portion of the charging cable wound on the drum.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, the first drying device may be formed by a blower, preferably a hot air blower, or by a fan, preferably a hot air fan, and / or the second drying device may be formed by a blower, preferably a hot air blower, or by a fan, preferably a hot air fan. The blower and the fan each represent a cost-effective and efficient solution for removing moisture from the charging cable, for example, compared to a heating device.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle assembly, preferably the cable winding device, may include a wiper element, and the wiper element is designed and / or suitable for wiping moisture and / or dirt adhering to the unwound portion of the charging cable from the cable during the winding process. The wiper element has essentially the same effect as the second drying device and can be used in addition to or instead of the second drying device. Thus, the wiper element also advantageously contributes to reducing the drying time required for drying the portion of the charging cable wound on the drum.

[0015] Preferably, the wiping element is formed by an elastic and / or conically tapered sleeve, preferably an elastomer sleeve or a Teflon sleeve. It is preferably provided that the wiping element completely encloses the charging cable in its circumferential direction and / or rests against it, preferably directly. It is also preferably provided that the wiping element is arranged at or, viewed in a winding direction of the charging cable, in front of a feed opening of the cable winding device. By way of example, the sleeve may be conically tapered in an unwinding direction of the charging cable. Forming the wiping element by a sleeve represents a particularly cost-effective way to remove large proportions of the adhering moisture and / or dirt during the winding process.Furthermore, the tapered sleeve ensures that the charging cable can be reliably retracted and wound up even with coarse dirt adhesions and a relatively low winding force.

[0016] For example, the vehicle may be a battery-electric vehicle, preferably having a battery, and a vehicle-side end of the charging cable is electrically connected to the battery, preferably via a charging interface of the battery and / or permanently and / or firmly, and / or a charging station-side end of the charging cable can be electrically connected to a charging station.

[0017] For example, it may be provided that the charging cable is designed and / or suitable for allowing electrical energy to be fed into and / or drawn from the accumulator via the charging cable.

[0018] The invention further proposes a cable winding device, preferably a cable winding device as described above, with a first drying device for drying a portion of a cable, preferably a charging cable, wound onto the cable winding device, preferably a drum of the cable winding device. The cable winding device has essentially the same advantages as those already mentioned in connection with the vehicle arrangement.

[0019] According to the invention, the first drying device is directed towards the portion of the cable wound on the drum, and / or the first drying device is designed and / or suitable for drying and / or removing moisture from the portion of the cable wound on the drum. By using the first drying device, the moisture adhering to the portion of the cable wound on the drum is reliably removed. This effectively and efficiently prevents mold growth in the area of ​​the cable.

[0020] For example, the second drying device may be directed at the unwound portion of the cable, and / or it may be designed and / or suitable for drying and / or removing moisture from the unwound portion of the cable. Using the second drying device offers the advantage that the moisture is at least largely removed during the winding process. This significantly reduces the drying time required for the portion of the cable wound on the drum.

[0021] The following describes embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying figure.

[0022] It shows: Fig. 1. A side view shows a section of a vehicle arrangement.

[0023] In the Fig. Figure 1 shows a vehicle arrangement 1. The vehicle arrangement 1 comprises a vehicle 3, a charging cable 5, and an automatic cable reel 7 for the charging cable 5. The cable reel 7 is permanently and securely attached to and within the vehicle 3 at the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle 3 is a battery-electric vehicle with a rechargeable battery. One end of the charging cable 5 on the vehicle side is permanently and securely electrically connected to the rechargeable battery via a charging interface on the battery. The other end 9 of the charging cable 5 on the charging station side can be electrically connected to a charging station. Electrical energy can be supplied to and withdrawn from the rechargeable battery via the charging cable 5.

[0024] The cable winding device 7 has a drum 11 onto which the charging cable 5 can be wound. The charging cable 5 can be unwound from the drum 11 in a single unwinding operation, namely by manual pulling. The unwound portion of the charging cable 5 can be automatically retracted into the cable winding device 7 in a single winding operation under the influence of a winding force F and automatically wound onto the drum 11 of the cable winding device 7.

[0025] The cable winding device 7, shown here only as an example, has a spring return mechanism with a spring, specifically a coil spring (not shown). One end of the spring, on the drum side, is connected to the drum 11 for force transmission. The other end of the spring, on the vehicle side, is connected to the vehicle or to a housing of the cable winding device 7 for force transmission. During the unwinding process of the charging cable 5 from the drum 11, the drum 11 rotates in an unwinding direction ABR, thereby building up a preload force in the spring that constitutes the winding force F. The cable winding device 7 is equipped with locking stops that prevent the unwound charging cable 5 from being unintentionally retracted.

[0026] During the winding process, the drum 11 rotates in a winding direction AUR as the preload force in the spring decreases. The charging cable 5, or in particular an unwound portion of the charging cable 5, is therefore drawn into the cable winding device 7 and wound onto the drum 11 as the preload force decreases and thus the winding force F is applied.

[0027] The cable winding device 7 has a first drying device 21 for drying the charging cable 5. The first drying device 21 is, for example only, formed by a hot air blower. The first drying device 21, in particular a hot air stream 23 flowing out of the first drying device 21, is directed towards the part of the charging cable 5 wound on the drum, so that the part of the charging cable 5 wound on the drum 11 is freed from moisture and dirt by the action of the hot air stream 23.

[0028] The cable winding device 7 can also include a second drying device (not shown) for drying the charging cable 5, in particular for drying the unwound portion of the charging cable 5. The second drying device can, here again only by way of example, be a hot air blower. The second drying device, in particular a stream of hot air flowing from the second drying device, can be directed onto the portion of the charging cable 5 unwound from the drum 11. Furthermore, the second drying device can be designed and suitable for removing moisture and dirt from the portion of the charging cable 5 unwound from the drum 11.

[0029] The cable winding device 7 also includes a wiper element 31, which is shown here only as an example to be formed by a Teflon sleeve. Viewed in the winding direction AUR of the charging cable 5, the wiper element 31 is positioned in front of an inlet opening of the cable winding device 7 and tapers conically in the unwinding direction ABR. The wiper element 31 completely encloses the charging cable 5 in its circumferential direction and rests directly against it. During the winding process, the wiper element 31 wipes away moisture and dirt adhering to the unwound portion of the charging cable 5.

[0030] Instead of the spring return device, the cable winding device 7 can be used in the embodiment according to the Fig.1 or, in another embodiment, also include an electric motor which then generates the winding force F instead of the spring. The electric motor can be supported on the housing of the cable winding device 7 and connected to the drum 11 in a torque-transmitting manner. In this case, the cable winding device 7 can be designed and suitable such that the electric motor transmits an electric motor torque to the drum 11 during the winding process, causing the winding force F, so that the drum 11 rotates in the winding direction AUR during the winding process and the unwound portion of the charging cable 5 is drawn into the cable winding device 7 and wound onto the drum 11 under the influence of the winding force F. Reference symbol list 1 Vehicle arrangement 3 vehicles 5 charging cables 7 Cable winding device 9 charging station side end 11 Drum 21 second drying unit 23 Hot air stream 31 Wiper element AUR winding direction ABR unfolding direction F winding force

Claims

Vehicle arrangement comprising: a vehicle (3), and a charging cable (5), wherein the vehicle arrangement (1) comprises a cable winding device (7) for the charging cable (5), preferably permanently and / or firmly attached to or in the vehicle (3), preferably automatic or semi-automatic, characterized in that the vehicle arrangement (1), preferably the cable winding device (7), comprises a first drying device (21) for drying the charging cable (5), wherein it is provided that the first drying device (21) is directed towards the cable winding device (7) and / or towards the part of the charging cable (5) wound on the drum (11), and / or wherein it is provided that the first drying device (21) is designed and / or suitable for drying the part of the charging cable (5) wound on the drum (11) and / or for removing moisture and / or dirt. Vehicle arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the cable winding device (7) is designed and / or suitable for the charging cable (5) to be unwound from a drum (11) of the cable winding device (7) in an unwinding process, preferably by manual unwinding, and that the unwound part of the charging cable (5) can be retracted into the cable winding device (7) and / or wound onto the drum (11) of the cable winding device (7) in a winding process under the influence of a winding force (F), preferably automatically or semi-automatically. Vehicle arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cable winding device (7) has a spring return device with a spring, preferably a coil spring, wherein it is preferably provided that a drum-side end of the spring is preferably directly connected to the drum (11) in a force-transmitting manner and a vehicle-side end of the spring is preferably directly connected to the vehicle (3) or to a housing of the cable winding device (7) in a force-transmitting manner. Vehicle arrangement according to claim 3, characterized in that the cable winding device (7) is designed and / or suitable for the drum (11) to rotate in an unwinding direction (AUR) during the unwinding process, preferably during manual unwinding, thereby generating a preload force in the spring that forms the winding force (F), and / or that the unwound part of the charging cable (5) can be drawn into the cable winding device (7) and / or wound onto the drum (11) during the winding process by the drum (11) rotating in a winding direction (AUR) while releasing the preload force in the spring, and the unwound part of the charging cable (5) being drawn into the cable winding device (7) and / or wound onto the drum (11) under the influence of the winding force (F). Vehicle arrangement according to claim 2, characterized in that the cable winding device (7) has an electric motor which is supported on a housing of the cable winding device (7) and / or on the vehicle (3) and which electric motor is connected to the drum (11) in a torque-transmitting manner, wherein it is preferably provided that the cable winding device (7) is designed and / or is suitable for the electric motor to transmit an electric motor torque to the drum (11) during the winding process, causing the winding force (F), so that the drum (11) rotates in a winding direction (AUR) during the winding process and the unwound part of the charging cable (5) is drawn into the cable winding device (7) and / or wound onto the drum (11) under the influence of the winding force (F). Vehicle arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vehicle arrangement (1), preferably the cable winding device (7), has a second drying device for drying the charging cable (5), wherein it is preferably provided that the second drying device is directed towards the part of the charging cable (5) located outside the cable winding device (7) and / or towards the unwound part, and / or wherein it is preferably provided that the second drying device is designed and / or suitable for drying the unwound part of the charging cable (5) and / or for removing moisture and / or dirt. Vehicle arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first drying device (21) is formed by a blower, preferably by a hot air blower, or by a fan, preferably by a hot air fan, and / or that the second drying device is formed by a blower, preferably by a hot air blower, or by a fan, preferably by a hot air fan. Vehicle arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vehicle arrangement (1), preferably the cable winding device (7), has a wiping element (31), and that the wiping element (31) is designed and / or suitable to wipe off moisture and / or dirt adhering to the unwound part of the charging cable (5) during the winding process. Cable winding device, preferably according to one of the preceding claims, comprising: a first drying device (21) for drying a part of a cable, namely a charging cable (5), wound on the cable winding device (7), preferably a drum (11) of the cable winding device (7), wherein it is provided that the first drying device (21) is directed towards the cable winding device (7) and / or towards the part of the charging cable (5) wound on the drum (11), and / or wherein it is provided that the first drying device (21) is designed and / or suitable for drying the part of the charging cable (5) wound on the drum (11) and / or for removing moisture and / or dirt.

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