Charging arrangement with ring-shaped plug connection

The charging arrangement addresses manual operation and inefficiencies in electric vehicle charging by using rotatable contact elements and magnetic engagement for automated, flexible, and efficient charging.

DE102024109283B4Active Publication Date: 2025-10-16SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES AG & CO KG
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Patent Information

Application Number
DE102024109283
Authority / Receiving Office
DE · DE
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-04-03
Publication Date
2025-10-16
Estimated Expiration
2044-04-03

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing charging systems for electric vehicles require manual operation and complex mechanical components for plug connections, are limited by parking orientation, and suffer from inefficiencies in home charging setups.

Method used

A charging arrangement with a vehicle-side and movable contacting unit, featuring rotatable contact elements and magnetic engagement, allowing automated plug connection and disconnection without complex mechanical components, adaptable to various vehicle positions.

Benefits of technology

Enables automated, efficient, and loss-free charging without manual handling, suitable for home charging environments, offering flexibility and robustness against environmental factors.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

A charging arrangement 1 for charging an electric vehicle 2 is proposed, comprising a vehicle-side contacting unit 7 which can be arranged on the underbody of the electric vehicle 2, with a charging station 4 which has a contacting unit 8 which is movable relative to the vehicle-side contacting unit 7, wherein one contacting unit 7 has a male contact element 23 with outwardly facing contact bodies 24 and the other contacting unit 8 has a female contact element 28 with inwardly facing contact openings 29, wherein a contact body 24 for establishing an electrical plug connection 22 is received in a respective contact opening 29 in the axial direction relative to an axis of symmetry 100, wherein the contact bodies 24 and the contact openings 29 are designed as circular rings arranged concentrically to one another in pairs with respect to the axis of symmetry 100, so that the two contacting units 7,8 for producing the plug connection 22 with respect to the axis of symmetry 100 in the circumferential direction can be arranged in any manner rotated relative to one another.
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Description

[0001] The invention relates to a charging arrangement having the features of the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Charging systems for electric vehicles are known in which a plug connection between the vehicle and the charging device is usually operated manually. For home charging, wall chargers known as "wall boxes" are predominantly used. These are connected to a sufficiently powerful power connection on the mains side and, based on the signals received from the vehicle, control the electrical power supplied to the vehicle for the charging process. Automated charging systems are also known, which can independently close and open a plug connection, for example, using multi-axis robots.

[0003] The document EP 3687851 A1 discloses a first component of a charging device for charging a rechargeable battery of an electric vehicle, comprising a contacting element, wherein the contacting element can be connected to a coupling element of a second component to establish an electrical connection. A base and an arm arranged thereon are provided, wherein the arm is mounted on the base so as to be movable about and / or along several axes in order to guide the contacting element to the coupling element. A charging arrangement according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from EP 3 687 029 A1. Further prior art is disclosed in DE 10 2022 202 182 B4.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to propose a charging arrangement which is characterized by a particularly simple and automated plug connection.

[0005] This object is achieved by a charging arrangement having the features of claim 1. Preferred or advantageous embodiments of the invention emerge from the subclaims, the following description and the attached figures.

[0006] The subject matter of the invention is a charging arrangement that is particularly designed and / or suitable for the automated charging of an electric vehicle. In particular, the charging arrangement serves to charge an electrical energy storage device of the electric vehicle, such as a traction battery. Electric vehicles can be understood as both purely electrically powered and partially electrically powered or hybridized vehicles.

[0007] The charging arrangement comprises a vehicle-mounted contact unit that can be arranged on the underbody of an electric vehicle. In particular, the vehicle-mounted contact unit is arranged or integrated permanently and / or fixedly or immovably on the underbody of the electric vehicle. The vehicle-mounted contact unit is preferably designed as an underbody charging connection. In principle, the vehicle-mounted contact unit can be arranged at any location on the underbody of the electric vehicle. The vehicle-mounted contact unit is preferably integrated into an electrical axle of the electric vehicle. An optional subject matter of the invention relates to an electric vehicle with the vehicle-mounted contact unit.

[0008] The charging arrangement comprises a charging station. In particular, the charging station is designed as an underbody charging station, also known as an ACDU (Automatic Connecting Underbody Device). The charging station is preferably permanently connected to an energy source or a power source. Particularly preferably, the charging station is configured for conductive charging of the electric vehicle, in particular the energy storage device.

[0009] The charging station has a contacting unit that is movable relative to the vehicle-mounted contacting unit. In particular, "movable" is to be understood to mean that the contacting unit of the charging station can be moved at least parallel and / or translationally to the underbody of the motor vehicle, while the vehicle-mounted contacting unit remains stationary. Optionally, the movable contacting unit can also be moved vertically toward or away from the underbody. In particular, the charging station is stationary, with the movable contacting unit being partially and / or at least temporarily movable beneath the electric vehicle, preferably on a floor surface. Particularly preferably, the movable contacting unit is permanently connected to the energy source via a supply line.

[0010] One contact unit has a male contact element with outward-facing contact bodies, and the other contact unit has a female contact element with inward-facing contact openings, wherein a contact body is received in each contact opening to establish an electrical plug-in connection in the axial direction relative to an axis of symmetry. In particular, a charging process of the energy storage device can be carried out via the plug-in connection. The contact bodies are preferably received, preferably plugged, in the respective associated contact opening in the axial direction relative to the axis of symmetry. The axis of symmetry can be defined by a center axis of the male and / or female contact element.

[0011] Within the scope of the invention, it is proposed that the contact bodies and the contact openings be designed as circular rings arranged concentrically with respect to the axis of symmetry in pairs, so that the two contacting units can be rotated and / or rotated relative to each other in the circumferential direction relative to the axis of symmetry as desired to establish the plug-in connection. Simply put, the female and male contact elements form a plug-in connection that can be freely rotated about the axis of symmetry. In particular, the two contact elements can be contacted with each other in any desired rotational position or within any desired rotational angle range around the axis of symmetry.Preferably, the male contact element has a plurality of annular contact bodies of different diameters and the female contact element has a plurality of complementary annular contact openings of different diameters, wherein in each case a annular contact body has the same diameter as an associated contact opening.

[0012] In known charging devices that are positioned in a parking space via cable and remain there, the contact between the vehicle and the charging device is established conductively. In order to compensate for positioning tolerances of the vehicle, the charging device can be pivoted about a fixed pivot point and moved horizontally. For the contacting process itself, the contacting unit is moved vertically, with the mating contacting unit remaining stationary in the vehicle. The disadvantage of this stationary solution is that the cable and the charging device remain permanently in the parking space. In addition, larger parking tolerances cannot be compensated for, so the vehicle must always be parked in the same orientation relative to the exit. Self-driving charging devices with integrated battery storage are also known, which take over the positioning of the devices.The power is transmitted via an inductive transmission method. The disadvantage is that both the intermediate storage of energy in the charging device's integrated battery storage system and the power transmission via an inductive transmission method are associated with increased losses.

[0013] The invention is based on the realization that the majority of charging points in the future will fall into the "home charging" category, i.e., charging stations in private single-family and multi-family homes. Compared to semi-public and public charging, the advantage for the end customer lies in lower household electricity costs, as the charging installation can be privately depreciated. Furthermore, other advantageous fields for the end customer are opened up, such as direct charging of the vehicle with photovoltaic power, the possible use of the vehicle as a battery storage system to supply the building, and participation in Vehicle to Grid (V2G). In contrast to public charging at rapid charging stations, charging speed is far less of a focus for home charging, as the vehicle is regularly idle for long periods. What is much more important is obtaining the required amount of electricity from the power grid at the most cost-effective times.

[0014] The advantage of the invention is that the proposed charging arrangement enables an automated charging process that eliminates manual handling when connecting the charging station and requires no complex mechanical components to establish the plug connection. The mobile contact unit can be moved relative to the parked vehicle in order to contact the vehicle-side contact unit in any desired position within the vehicle. Due to the circular design of the contact elements, the plug connection can be established in any desired rotational position or rotational angle range of the contact units, whereby the rotational positioning of the movable contact unit relative to the vehicle-side contact unit can be neglected and the contacting process is significantly simplified.The vehicle-mounted contact unit can also be positioned anywhere on the underbody, allowing for a high degree of flexibility in the design of the vehicle-mounted contact unit. A further advantage is that the plug-in connection allows for power transmission without significant losses.

[0015] In a specific embodiment, it is provided that the contact bodies and the contact openings are arranged on the respective contact element so that they taper coaxially with respect to the axis of symmetry and / or are vertically offset in the axial direction. Preferably, “coaxially tapered” means that the contact bodies or the contact openings rise from radially outside to radially inside in an axial direction with respect to the axis of symmetry, preferably an assembly direction of the plug connection. Preferably, “vertically offset” means that the contact bodies or contact openings lie in different radial planes of the axis of symmetry in the axial direction. In particular, the contact elements and / or the contact openings are arranged in a conical, tapered, or hemispherical manner in the axial direction with respect to the axis of symmetry.Preferably, the female contact element forms a negative shape complementary to the male contact element, which positively receives the male contact element in the axial and / or radial direction. Thus, a plug-in connection is proposed that can be produced easily, since the coaxially tapered shape enables centering of the contact elements.

[0016] In a further specification, it is provided that the contact bodies are formed by contact rings of different diameters, each of which is contacted by an annular mating contact located in the respective associated contact opening. In principle, the contact rings or mating contacts can each have the same thickness, in particular measured in the radial direction relative to the axis of symmetry. For example, the contact rings and / or the mating contacts can have a thickness of more than 1 mm, preferably more than 2 mm, in particular more than 3 mm. Alternatively, however, one or more of the contact rings or mating contacts can also have a different thickness, in particular measured in the radial direction relative to the axis of symmetry.Particularly preferably, the contact rings and / or the mating contacts are spring-mounted in the axial direction with respect to the axis of symmetry in order to compensate for axial tolerances between the two contact elements. For example, the contact rings are each formed by a cylindrical sleeve. In principle, the mating contacts can each be formed by an electrically conductive coating. Alternatively, however, the mating contacts can also be formed by a further contact ring, which is countersunk within the respective associated contact opening. In particular, the contact rings and the mating contacts are made of an electrically conductive metal, such as copper, gold or the like. By designing the contact bodies as contact rings, a particularly dimensionally stable plug connection can be realized.

[0017] According to the invention, one contacting unit has a magnetic and / or magnetizable base body and the other contacting unit has an electromagnet, wherein the electromagnet can be energized to establish and / or release the plug connection. In particular, the electromagnet generates a magnetic force in the axial direction with respect to the axis of symmetry, preferably in the assembly direction and / or a disassembly direction. In particular, the electromagnet can be actuated when the contact elements approach each other, whereby the plug connection is created under the influence of the magnetic force. In other words, an attractive force is generated by the electromagnet. Alternatively or optionally additionally, the electromagnet can be actuated to separate the plug connection, whereby the plug connection is separated under the influence of the magnetic force. In other words, a repulsion force is generated by the electromagnet.Particularly preferably, the electromagnet is assigned to the movable contacting unit, wherein the electromagnet can be supplied with electrical energy or current via the energy source. Optionally, the male contact element is locked or locked in the female contact element in the charging state, preferably mechanically locked. Thus, the electromagnet does not need to be further energized after the plug connection has been established. Thus, a plug connection is proposed that can be established or separated particularly easily and in an automated manner.

[0018] According to the invention, the electromagnet has a pole face that surrounds the axis of symmetry and / or the respective contact element, and the base body has a counterface that is complementary to the pole face. In other words, the contact bodies or the contact openings are arranged radially within the pole face or the counterface. In particular, the pole face and / or the counterface are aligned coaxially and / or concentrically with respect to the axis of symmetry. The pole face and / or the counterface can each be formed by an annular surface and / or be annular. Preferably, the pole face and the counterface each extend in a radial plane of the axis of symmetry. Alternatively or optionally additionally, the pole face and the counterface are aligned parallel, preferably plane-parallel, to one another. This enables a simple and symmetrical design of the two contacting units.

[0019] In a further specific implementation, it is provided that one contacting unit is designed as a plug and the other contacting unit as a socket, wherein the plug has a conically tapered guide surface on the outer circumference and / or the socket has a conically tapered guide surface on the inner circumference. In particular, the guide surface serves for centering and / or as an insertion aid for the contact elements when producing the plug-in connection. In particular, the guide surface of the plug or socket extends circumferentially to the axis of symmetry. Preferably, the guide surface is formed radially between the respective contact element and the pole face or the mating surface. The guide surface(s) can further simplify the production of the plug-in connection.

[0020] In a further embodiment, it is provided that the movable contacting unit has a drive device which is designed to move the movable contacting unit relative to the vehicle-side contacting unit on a floor surface. In particular, the drive device comprises a drive motor and at least one drive wheel driven by the drive motor, via which the movable contacting unit can be moved relative to the vehicle-side contacting unit on the floor surface. Optionally, the drive wheel can be designed as a steered drive wheel. Particularly preferably, the movable contacting unit can be moved rotationally and / or translationally on the floor surface via the at least one drive wheel. In particular, the movable contacting unit can be moved relative to the electric vehicle in the vehicle's longitudinal direction and in the vehicle's transverse direction on the floor surface.Particularly preferably, the movable contact unit has a width with respect to the transverse direction of the vehicle that is smaller than the track width of the electric vehicle. Thus, the movable contact unit can be moved unhindered between the vehicle wheels underneath the electric vehicle. Particularly preferably, the drive motor is designed as an electric motor that is and / or can be supplied with electrical energy from the energy source via the supply line. Optionally, the movable contact unit has one or more non-driven support wheels. Thus, a movable contact unit is proposed that can be moved freely on the ground surface, regardless of the vehicle position and / or orientation.

[0021] In a further embodiment, the charging station comprises a positioning device configured to determine a position of the vehicle-side contacting unit on an underside of the electric vehicle and to move the movable contacting unit from a home position into a charging position to align the contact elements. In particular, the positioning device enables the position of the contact element of the movable contacting unit to be adjusted to the position of the contact element of the vehicle-side contacting unit while the vehicle is stationary. Preferably, the positioning device comprises at least one sensor configured and / or suitable for determining or detecting the position of the vehicle-side contacting unit. In particular, the sensor is assigned to the movable contacting unit and / or integrated into the movable contacting unit.For example, the sensor can be designed as a camera. Furthermore, the positioning device comprises a controller which is configured to actuate the drive device depending on the position of the vehicle-side contacting unit detected by the sensor in such a way that the latter is transferred into a loading position in which the contact elements are arranged in the correct position or at least approximately correct position relative to one another. For this purpose, the drive device can move the movable contacting unit beneath the vehicle until the position of the movable contacting unit or its contact element coincides with the position of the vehicle-side contacting unit or its contact element. The plug-in connection can then be established by vertically or axially moving the female and / or male contact element and / or by actuating the electromagnet.The positioning device can thus be used to easily adjust the positions between the two contact units.

[0022] In a further specific implementation, it is provided that the charging station has a protective housing, wherein the movable contacting unit is arranged in the protective housing when not charging or in the home position, in order to prevent the ingress of foreign particles when not charging. In particular, the protective housing is arranged in a stationary manner, for example on a wall, wherein the movable contacting unit is movable from the housing into the charging position and into the housing into the home position. Preferably, the movable contacting unit is arranged completely in the protective housing when not charging or in the home position. In particular, at least the contact element of the movable contacting unit is covered by the protective housing to prevent the ingress of dirt and water. By accommodating the contacting unit in the protective housing, a charging station that is robust against environmental influences is proposed.For example, the charging station is also suitable for outdoor installation, such as in parking lots, carports or the like.

[0023] Alternatively or optionally in addition, it is provided that the vehicle-side contacting unit has a protective cover, wherein the vehicle-side contacting unit is covered by the protective cover in the non-charging state in order to prevent the ingress of foreign particles in the non-charging state. In particular, the protective cover is movable, for example designed as a roller blind, wherein the protective cover is extended in the non-charging state and retracted in the charging state. In particular, the protective cover extends in a radial plane of the axis of symmetry and / or is movable in the radial plane. In particular, at least the contact element of the vehicle-side contacting unit is covered by the protective cover in order to prevent the penetration of dirt and water as well as damage from stone chips. The protective cover proposes a contacting unit on the vehicle that is robust against environmental influences.

[0024] Further features, advantages, and effects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention. It shows: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of a charging arrangement in a non-charging state; Fig. 2 the loading arrangement in the same representation as in Fig. 1 in a charging state; Fig. 3 a schematic sectional view of a vehicle-side contact unit of the charging arrangement; Fig. 4 an axial plan view of the vehicle-side contact unit from Fig. 3; Fig. 5 a schematic sectional view of a movable contact unit of the charging arrangement; Fig. 6 a schematic sectional view of a plug connection between the two contact units.

[0025] The Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 each show a schematic representation of a charging arrangement 1 as an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The charging arrangement 1 comprises an electric vehicle 2, which is arranged on a floor surface 3.

[0026] Furthermore, the charging arrangement 1 comprises a charging station 4, which serves for electrically charging an energy storage device (not shown) of the electric vehicle 2. The charging station 4 is arranged on a wall 5, e.g., a garage, and is permanently connected to an energy source 6, via which the charging station 4 can be supplied with electrical energy.

[0027] The electric vehicle 2 has a vehicle-side contact unit 7 located on the underbody, which is, for example, permanently and / or firmly integrated into the electric vehicle 2. For example, the vehicle-side contact unit 7 can be a component of an electric drive axle of the electric vehicle 2.

[0028] The charging station 4 comprises a contact unit 8 which is movable relative to the vehicle-side contact unit 7 on the floor surface 3 and which, in a non-charging state, as shown in Fig. 1, is accommodated in a protective housing 9 of the charging station 4 and in a charging state as shown in Fig. 2, is arranged outside the protective housing 9 below the vehicle 2. For example, the protective housing 9 is open in a longitudinal direction of the electric vehicle 2, so that the movable contact unit 8 can be moved in the vehicle longitudinal direction from a home position to a charging position or from the charging position to the home position.

[0029] The charging station 4 further comprises a wall charger 10 with an integrated charging controller 11, which is electrically connected via a supply line 12 to the energy source 6 and to the movable contact unit 8. The charging controller 11 serves to initiate and / or terminate the charging process. The charging controller 11 can be connected via a data connection 13 to a data network 14, via which a user can access and / or control the charging station 4, for example, using a mobile device.

[0030] The charging station 4 has a cable winding device 15, which is designed to automatically wind or unwind the supply line 12 connected to the movable contacting unit 8 when the movable contacting unit 8 is moved on the floor surface 3. The cable winding device 15 essentially comprises a cable winding drum 16 and a deflection roller 17, via which the supply line 12 is guided to the movable contacting unit 8. The supply line 12 is wound in sections on the cable winding drum 16 and then guided via the deflection roller 17 to the movable contacting unit 8. The cable winding device 15 thus provides only the required cable length, thereby preventing the supply line 12 from becoming tangled.

[0031] The movable contacting unit 8 has a drive device 18, which is designed to move the movable contacting unit 8 on the floor surface 3. For this purpose, the drive device 18 can be designed, for example, as at least or exactly one drive wheel 19 driven by an electric drive motor, via which the movable contacting unit 8 is driven. The movable contacting unit 8 also has one or more non-driven support wheels 20, via which the movable contacting unit 8 is movably supported on the floor surface 3. For example, the drive wheel 19 and / or the support wheel 20 can be steered in order to move the movable contacting unit 8 freely on the floor surface 3, in particular in the vehicle's longitudinal direction and in the vehicle's transverse direction.

[0032] The movable contacting unit 8 also has a positioning device 21, which is designed to detect a position of the vehicle-side contacting unit 7 located on the underbody of the electric vehicle 2 and to control the drive device 18 based on the detected position in order to transfer the movable contacting unit 8 into the charging position. For example, the positioning device 21 can comprise a CCD sensor for this purpose. In principle, the movable contacting unit 8 can comprise its own controller, which serves to control the drive device 18. Alternatively, however, the movable contacting unit 8 can also be controlled via the charging controller 11, wherein the supply line 12 can also be used as a data line to provide the sensor data to the charging controller 11 and, at the same time, to provide a control signal to the drive device 18.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the electric vehicle 2 is parked on the ground surface 3 and a charging process is started manually by a user or automatically by the charging station 4. For this purpose, the movable contact unit 8 is moved out of the protective housing 9 and under the vehicle 2 until the position of the movable contact unit 8 coincides with the position of the vehicle-side contact unit 7. Subsequently, the movable contact unit 8 is connected to the charging station 4 via a plug connection 22, as shown in Fig. 2, is connected to the vehicle-side contact unit 7, wherein a charging process of the energy storage device can be carried out via the plug connection 22.

[0034] Fig. 3 shows the vehicle-mounted contact unit 7 in a non-charging state. The vehicle-mounted contact unit 7 has a male contact element 23, which has a plurality of electrically conductive contact bodies 24 pointing outward in the axial direction with respect to an axis of symmetry 100. The contact bodies 24 are circular in shape with respect to the axis of symmetry 100. For this purpose, the contact bodies 24 are designed as concentrically arranged contact rings, which are arranged radially spaced and insulated from one another on the contact element 23. The contact bodies 24 are arranged coaxially in the axial direction with respect to the axis of symmetry 100 or are arranged at a height offset from one another. For example, the male contact element 23 forms a V-shaped and / or conical recess that increases in the axial direction.

[0035] The vehicle-mounted contact unit 7 also has a cylindrical base body 25, with the male contact element 23 arranged radially within the base body 25. The vehicle-mounted contact unit 7 is designed as a socket, with the base body 25 having a guide surface 26 on its inner circumference that tapers conically toward the contact body 24 and serves as an insertion aid for a complementary plug. The guide surface 26 is designed to extend coaxially around the axis of symmetry 100.

[0036] The vehicle-mounted contact unit 7 has a protective cover 27, which shields or covers the vehicle-mounted contact unit 7, in particular the contact bodies 24, from the surroundings when not in the charging state. The protective cover 27 extends essentially in a radial plane of the axis of symmetry 100, wherein the protective cover 27 is movable in the radial plane to open or close the contact unit 7. For example, the protective cover 27 is designed as a roller blind.

[0037] Fig. Figure 4 shows the vehicle-mounted contact unit 7 in an axial view relative to the axis of symmetry 100. As can be seen, the contact bodies 24 are designed as circular rings of different diameters arranged concentrically to the axis of symmetry 100. In an exemplary configuration, the contact bodies 24 can be assigned from radially inside to radially outside as follows: DC+, DC-, PE (Protective Earth), AC (L1, L2, L3), CP (Control Pilot, BS PWM or HLC PLC), PP (Proximity Pilot).

[0038] As in Fig. 5, the movable contacting unit 8 has a female contact element 28, which has a plurality of contact openings 29 pointing inward in the axial direction with respect to the axis of symmetry 100. The contact openings 29 are circular in shape with respect to the axis of symmetry 100 and each serve to receive an associated contact body 24. The female contact element 28 or the contact openings 29 are designed to be complementary to the male contact element 23 or to the contact bodies 24. For this purpose, the contact openings 24 are arranged coaxially in the axial direction with respect to the axis of symmetry 100 or are arranged at a height offset from one another.

[0039] For example, the female contact element 28 forms a V-shaped and / or conical elevation increasing in the axial direction.

[0040] The movable contact unit 8 also has an electromagnet 30, which interacts with the base body 25 of the vehicle-mounted contact unit 7. For this purpose, the base body 25 is formed from a magnetic and / or magnetizable material. The electromagnet 30 has a pole face 31 concentrically surrounding the axis of symmetry 100, and the base body 25 has a counter-face 32 complementary to the pole face 31, as shown in Fig. 3. For example, the pole surface 31 and the counter surface 32 each extend in a radial plane of the axis of symmetry 100 and / or parallel to each other.

[0041] The movable contact unit 8 forms a plug complementary to the socket, which has a guide surface 32 on the outer circumference that tapers conically toward the contact body 24. The guide surface 32 is designed to be coaxial with the axis of symmetry 100. For example, the guide surfaces 26, 32 are designed to be complementary to one another or aligned in the same direction.

[0042] Fig.6 shows the plug connection 22, which is formed in the axial direction with respect to the axis of symmetry 100 between the vehicle-side and the movable contacting unit 22. In each contact opening 29, an associated contact body 24 is inserted in the axial direction and received in a form-fitting manner in the radial direction. The female contact element 28 has an electrically conductive mating contact 33 in each contact opening 29, via which the contact bodies 24 are electrically contacted. The mating contacts 33 can be designed, for example, as contact rings or a contact layer. The contact bodies 24 and / or the mating contacts 33 can be spring-loaded to compensate for axial tolerances. For example, the contact bodies 24 and / or the mating contacts 33 are made of copper or a copper alloy.

[0043] To establish the plug connection 22, the movable contact unit 8 is positioned relative to the vehicle-side contact unit 7 on the floor surface 3 and then moved in the axial direction with respect to the axis of symmetry 100 to connect the two contact elements 23, 28 to one another. In this process, the electromagnet 30 can be energized, generating a magnetic force acting axially in the direction of the base body 25, via which force the plug is pulled into the socket and centered via the guide surfaces 26, 32. As soon as the plug connection 22 is created, the plug is mechanically locked in the socket, and the power supply to the electromagnet 30 is interrupted. To release the plug connection 22, the electromagnet 30 can be energized in the opposite direction, so that the magnetic attraction force becomes a repulsion force, which causes the plug to be ejected. List of reference symbols 1 loading arrangement 2 electric vehicles 3 Floor area 4 charging station 5 Wall 6 Energy source 7 vehicle-side contact unit 8 movable contact unit 9 protective housing 10 Wall charger 11 Charging control 12 supply line 13 Data connection 14 Data network 15 Cable winding device 16 cable winding drums 17 pulley 18 Drive device 19 Drive wheel 20 support wheel 21 Positioning device 22 plug connection 23 male contact element 24 contact bodies 25 basic bodies 26 Guide surface 27 Protective cover 28 female contact element 29 Contact opening 30 electromagnet 31 Pole face 32 Counter surface 33 Counter contact 100 axis of symmetry

Claims

[1] Charging arrangement (1) for charging an electric vehicle (2), - with a vehicle-side contacting unit (7) that can be arranged on the underbody of the electric vehicle (2), - with a charging station (4) which has a contacting unit (8) movable relative to the vehicle-side contacting unit (7), wherein one contacting unit (7) has a male contact element (23) with outwardly facing contact bodies (24) and the other contacting unit (8) has a female contact element (28) with inwardly facing contact openings (29), wherein a contact body (24) for making an electrical plug connection (22) is received in each contact opening (29) in an axial direction with respect to an axis of symmetry (100), wherein the contact bodies (24) and the contact openings (29) are designed as concentric rings arranged in pairs with respect to the axis of symmetry (100), so that the two contacting units (7, 8) can be arranged in any circumferential direction with respect to the axis of symmetry (100) to produce the plug connection (22), wherein one contacting unit (7) has a magnetic and / or magnetizable base body (25) and the other contacting unit (8) has an electromagnet (30), wherein the electromagnet (30) can be energized to establish and / or release the plug connection (22), characterized by , that the electromagnet (30) has a pole surface (31) circumferential around the axis of symmetry (100) and / or the respective contact elements (23, 28) and the base body (25) has a counter surface (32) designed complementary to the pole surface (31). [2] Loading arrangement (1) according to claim 1, characterized by , that the contact bodies (24) and the contact opening (29) are arranged coaxially converging with respect to the axis of symmetry (100) and / or offset vertically from each other in the axial direction. [3] Loading arrangement (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that the contact bodies (24) are formed by contact rings of different diameters, which are each contacted with an annular counter-contact (33) located in the respective associated contact opening (29). [4] Charging arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the polar surface (31) and the opposite surface (32) extend in a radial plane of the axis of symmetry (100) and / or parallel to each other. [5] Loading arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that one contacting unit (7) is designed as a plug and the other contacting unit (8) as a socket, wherein the plug has a conically tapered guide surface (26) on its outer circumference and / or the socket has a conically tapered guide surface (26) on its inner circumference. [6] Loading arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the movable contacting unit (8) has a drive device (18) which is configured to move the movable contacting unit (8) relative to the vehicle-side contacting unit (7) on a floor surface (3). [7] Loading arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the charging station (4) has a positioning device (21) which is configured to determine a position of the vehicle-side contacting unit (7) on an underside of the electric vehicle (2) and to move the movable contacting unit (8) from a basic position to a charging position for the purpose of aligning the contact elements (23, 28). [8] Loading arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , the charging station (4) has a protective housing (9) wherein the movable contacting unit (8) is arranged in the protective housing (9) in a non-charging state, and / or that the vehicle-side contacting unit (7) has a protective cover (27) wherein the vehicle-side contacting unit (7) is covered by the protective cover (27) in the non-charging state.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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