Portable charging adapter for an underfloor charging system, underfloor charging system with the charging adapter, and charging arrangement with the underfloor charging system

Abstract

A portable charging adapter 1 for an underfloor charging system 2 for charging an electric vehicle 22 is proposed, comprising a charging plug 7 for electrical connection with a charging socket 28 of the electric vehicle 22, an adapter charging port 8 for electrical connection with a charging robot 14 of the underfloor charging system 2, and a charging cable 9, via which the charging plug 7 is connected to the adapter charging port 8 in order to transfer electrical energy from the adapter charging port 8 to the charging plug 7.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a portable charging adapter with the features of the preamble of claim 1. The invention further relates to an underfloor charging system with the portable charging adapter and a charging arrangement with the underfloor charging system.

[0002] Current electric vehicles have a variety of charging port locations. A growing trend is the increasing interest in automating the charging process, with more and more proposals for ground-based, autonomously operating robotic systems that can establish a charging connection via a charging port located on the vehicle's underbody.

[0003] For example, German patent application DE 10 2014 226 357 A1 discloses a device and a method for automatically charging an electrical energy storage device in a vehicle. First, the position of a charging socket on the vehicle is determined based on vehicle-specific data. Then, a charging robot moves along the ground to the vicinity of the charging socket. The charging robot then establishes a galvanic connection between the charging station and the charging socket. To do this, the charging robot inserts a contact head connected to the charging station into the vehicle's charging socket. After the charging process is complete, the contact head is withdrawn from the charging socket, thus releasing the vehicle. A device for charging an electric vehicle is known from German patent application DE 10 2022 134 174 B4, which was published after the priority date of the present invention. Further prior art is described in German patent application DE 10 2021 130 777 A1.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to expand the charging possibilities of an existing underfloor charging system.

[0005] This problem is solved by a portable charging adapter with the features of claim 1, an underfloor charging system with the features of claim 4, and a charging arrangement with the features of claim 8. Preferred or advantageous embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims, the following description, and the accompanying figures.

[0006] The invention proposes a portable charging adapter designed and / or suitable for use with an underfloor charging system to charge an electric vehicle. In particular, the charging adapter enables the charging of an electric vehicle with a conventional charging socket via an underfloor charging system when the electric vehicle does not have a suitable underfloor charging port. For example, the charging socket can be located at the front or rear, particularly near the rear lights, or near the front or rear wheels. Specifically, depending on the charging socket's location, the charging adapter can be positioned at any point near the charging socket to charge the electric vehicle's energy storage system via the underfloor charging system.

[0007] The charging adapter has a charging plug designed and / or suitable for electrical connection to the charging socket of the electric vehicle. In particular, the charging plug is a Type 1, Type 2, preferably a CSS plug, or a CHAdeMO plug. Preferably, the charging plug can be connected manually, i.e., by a user, to the charging socket of the electric vehicle. Particularly preferably, the charging plug and the charging socket can be connected to each other via a plug connector.

[0008] Furthermore, the charging adapter has an adapter charging port which is designed and / or suitable for electrically connecting the charging adapter to a charging robot of the underfloor charging system. Preferably, the charging robot can be connected to the adapter charging port of the charging adapter automatically and / or autonomously. For this purpose, the charging robot can be equipped with a suitable adapter charging interface via which it can be connected to the adapter charging port of the charging adapter if the electric vehicle does not have an underfloor charging port.

[0009] The charging adapter has a charging cable through which the charging plug is connected to the adapter's charging port to transfer electrical energy from the adapter's charging port to the charging plug. Specifically, the charging plug and the adapter's charging port are permanently connected via the charging cable. Preferably, the charging adapter can be placed on a floor surface, with the adapter's charging port remaining stationary when connected to the charging robot and the charging plug moving when connected to the charging socket. In other words, the charging plug is movable relative to the adapter's charging port.

[0010] The invention is based on the understanding that all underfloor charging systems known from the prior art require a corresponding charging port on the underbody of the electric vehicle in order to charge the vehicle using the underfloor charging system. If this port is not present, the vehicle cannot use the charging service. The advantage of the invention is that the charging adapter makes it possible to charge electric vehicles with a conventional charging socket in an underfloor charging system operating with autonomous charging robots, even if they do not have a suitable underfloor charging port. Furthermore, the portable charging adapter allows for easy placement and handling by the user.

[0011] According to the invention, the charging adapter has a housing, the adapter's charging port being arranged on the housing in such a way that it can be connected to a complementary charging interface of the charging robot in a horizontal direction relative to a floor surface. In other words, the adapter's charging port is arranged within a floor clearance of the electric vehicle and / or close to the floor, so that the charging robot can directly approach the adapter's charging port. This means that the charging robot can move along the floor surface to connect either to the electric vehicle in an underbody area, preferably in a vertical direction, or to the charging adapter in a horizontal direction. In particular, the housing is designed in the form of a charging column, charging station, or the like, which can be placed or set down on the floor surface in a self-supporting manner.In its simplest form, the housing can be cuboid or cylindrical. The charging cable can be connected to the adapter's charging port inside the housing and / or routed out of the housing and connected to the charging plug outside. This results in a particularly compact and easy-to-use charging adapter.

[0012] In a further development, it is proposed that a base plate be attached to the underside of the housing, allowing the housing to be placed freely on the floor. Specifically, the base plate is dimensioned to ensure the housing is stable and / or tip-proof. For example, the base plate's surface area can be larger than the housing's footprint. Thus, a charging adapter is proposed that can be easily placed on the floor and remains stable when connected to the charging robot or electric vehicle.

[0013] According to the invention, the housing has a handle on its upper side. In particular, the handle serves as a grip for the user to carry the charging adapter. Preferably, the charging adapter is designed and dimensioned for one-handed carrying. The handle is particularly preferably positioned so that it can be gripped by a person standing upright. In simplified terms, the handle is located at thigh or hip height. In other words, the handle can be positioned at a height of 0.8 m to 1.1 m above the ground. Thus, a charging adapter is proposed that is characterized by particularly easy handling.

[0014] In a further specific embodiment, the adapter charging port is designed as an inductive and / or a conductive charging port. Specifically, an inductive adapter charging port is understood to be a charging port that enables wireless or contactless energy transfer, preferably by means of inductive coupling, between the charging robot and the charging adapter. Specifically, a conductive adapter charging port is understood to be a charging port that enables wired or contact-based energy transfer, preferably by means of a plug connection, between the charging robot and the charging adapter.

[0015] A further aspect of the invention relates to an underfloor charging system with a charging robot, which is designed and / or suitable for automatically and / or autonomously charging an electrical energy storage device in an electric vehicle. The underfloor charging system comprises the portable charging adapter as previously described, wherein the charging robot is electrically connected to the adapter's charging port in a first charging state in order to transfer electrical energy to the adapter's charging port. In other words, the charging plug can be supplied with electrical energy from the charging robot in the first charging state. In particular, the charging robot is designed to automatically travel to the charging adapter and / or to the electric vehicle and connect to it in order to charge the electrical energy storage device. Preferably, the charging robot is dimensioned such that it can travel underneath the electric vehicle.Therefore, an underfloor charging system is proposed which is also easily suitable for charging via a standard charging socket.

[0016] In a further development project, it is stipulated that the charging robot has an underfloor charging interface designed and / or suitable for electrical connection to an underfloor charging port of the electric vehicle. Furthermore, the charging robot has an adapter charging interface designed and / or suitable for electrical connection to the adapter charging port of the charging adapter. In principle, the underfloor charging interface and the adapter charging interface can be designed as two separate charging interfaces. Alternatively, the underfloor charging interface and the adapter charging interface can also be implemented as a single charging interface through which the charging robot can be connected to either the underfloor charging port or the adapter charging port.

[0017] According to this advanced training, the charging robot is designed to charge the electric vehicle's energy storage system indirectly via the adapter charging interface using the charging adapter in the first charging state, or directly via the underbody charging interface in a second charging state. In other words, the charging robot can be connected either to the electric vehicle's underbody charging port via the underbody charging interface or to the adapter charging port of the charging adapter via the adapter charging interface. Specifically, the first charging state is to be understood as a charging state in which the charging robot can be indirectly connected to the electric vehicle via the charging adapter, or in which the electric vehicle can be charged via the adapter charging interface. Specifically, the second charging state is to be understood as a charging state in which the charging robot can be directly connected to the electric vehicle.The electric vehicle can be charged via the underbody charging interface. Specifically, the underbody charging system, preferably the charging robot, can be equipped with means for detecting and / or determining the position of the electric vehicle's charging port and / or the charging adapter, in order to enable the charging robot to automatically approach and / or connect to the respective port. Thus, an underbody charging system is proposed which, depending on the available charging port of an electric vehicle, is suitable for both underbody charging and conventional charging.

[0018] In one possible configuration, the charging robot is permanently connected to a power source via a supply line, with the charging adapter being connected to the power source via the charging robot during the initial charging phase. The power source can be a mains or electrical connection. For example, the supply line could be a flexible electrical cable with multiple electrically conductive conductors, providing an electrical connection between the power source and the underfloor charging interface and / or adapter charging interface. Optionally, data exchange can also take place via the supply line.

[0019] In an alternative embodiment, the charging robot is provided with an integrated energy storage device, with the charging adapter initially connected to the charging robot's integrated energy storage device. Specifically, the charging robot's energy storage device can be connected to the power source via a separate charging interface to charge it with electrical energy. Alternatively, the charging robot's energy storage device can also be connected to the power source via the adapter's charging interface to charge it with electrical energy. In simpler terms, the charging robot's energy storage device can be charged and discharged via the adapter's charging interface. For example, the charging robot's energy storage device could be a lithium-ion battery.

[0020] A further aspect of the invention relates to a charging arrangement comprising an electric vehicle and the underfloor charging system as previously described, wherein, in the first charging state, the charging robot is connected to the adapter charging port of the charging adapter via the adapter charging interface, and the charging adapter is connected to the charging socket of the electric vehicle via the charging plug to charge the electric vehicle's energy storage device. In particular, the electric vehicle's energy storage device is charged via the underfloor charging system via the charging adapter when the electric vehicle does not have a suitable underfloor charging port. In the second charging state, the charging robot can be connected to the electric vehicle's underfloor charging port via the underfloor charging interface to charge the electric vehicle's energy storage device when the electric vehicle has a suitable underfloor charging port.The electric vehicle can be a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV).

[0021] Further features, advantages, and effects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention. These will show: Fig. 1 a front view of a charging adapter for an underfloor charging system as an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 a schematic representation of an underfloor charging system with the charging adapter in a side view; Fig. 3 a schematic representation of a charging arrangement with the charging adapter and the underfloor charging system in a charging state; Fig. 4 the loading arrangement in the same representation as in Fig. 3 in an alternative charge state.

[0022] Fig. Figure 1 shows a portable charging adapter 1, which is for an underfloor charging system 2, as shown in Fig. The charging adapter 1, as shown in Figure 3, is suitable. It has a substantially cuboid and / or box-shaped housing 3, which has a base plate 4 on its underside and a handle 5 on its top. The charging adapter 1 can be grasped by a user via the handle 5 and manually placed anywhere on a floor surface 6 using the base plate 4. For example, the handle 5 is positioned at hip height. The base plate 4 provides a secure footing on the floor surface 6, with one area of ​​the base plate 4 being larger than the base of the housing 3.

[0023] The charging adapter 1 has a charging plug 7 and an adapter charging port 8, which are electrically connected to each other via a charging cable 9. The adapter charging port 8 is electrically connected to the charging cable 9 inside the housing 3. The charging plug 7 is electrically connected to the charging cable 9 outside the housing 3, with the charging cable 9 exiting the housing 3 via a cable gland 10. The charging plug 7 is, for example, a CCS Type 2 connector.

[0024] When not charging, the charging plug 7 is stored on the top of the housing 3. The housing 3 has a plug receptacle 11 for this purpose, e.g., a socket complementary to the charging plug 7, in which the charging plug 7 is held securely when not charging. The charging plug 7 has a handle 12 for handling, which is positioned at least approximately at the height of the handgrip 5 or at hip height. Thus, a charging adapter 1 is proposed which is characterized by particularly simple and ergonomic handling.

[0025] Fig. Figure 2 shows an underfloor charging system 2 with a charging robot 14 and the charging adapter 1 in a first charging state, in which the charging adapter 1 is electrically connected to the charging robot 14. The adapter charging port 8 is located close to the ground or near the floor surface 8, so that it can be accessed by a self-propelled charging robot 14, as shown in Figure 2. Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the underfloor charging system 2 can be directly approached and electrically connected in a horizontal direction 100 with respect to the floor surface 6. For this purpose, the charging robot 14 has an adapter charging interface 15 complementary to the adapter charging port 8, via which the charging robot 14 is electrically connected to the adapter charging port 8 in the first charging state in order to supply the charging plug 7 with electrical energy via the charging cable 9. The adapter charging port 8 and the adapter charging interface 15 can be connected to each other either inductively or conductively.

[0026] The loading robot 14 can be moved on the floor surface 6 by means of at least one drive wheel 16 driven by an electric drive motor and can be supported on the floor surface 6 by means of one or more unpowered support wheels 17. For example, the drive wheel 16 and / or the support wheel 17 can be steered to move the loading robot 14 freely on the floor surface 3.

[0027] The charging robot 14 can be permanently connected to a power source 19 via a supply line 18, so that the charging plug 7 is supplied with electrical energy from the power source 19 via the charging robot 14. For example, the supply line 18 is a power cable, preferably a DC cable, and the power source 19 is a current source.

[0028] Alternatively, the charging robot 14 can have an integrated energy storage device 13, shown schematically, instead of the supply line 18, so that the charging plug 7 is supplied with electrical energy from the integrated energy storage device 13 via the charging robot 14. For example, the integrated energy storage device 13 is a lithium-ion battery. The integrated energy storage device 13 can, for example, be charged with electrical energy from the energy source 19 via the adapter charging interface 15 and also provide electrical energy for the charging plug 7.

[0029] Fig. Figure 3 shows a charging arrangement 20 with the underfloor charging system 2 in a second charging state. The charging arrangement 20 includes an electric vehicle 21, which is positioned on the floor surface 6. The electric vehicle 21 is, for example, a battery-electric vehicle which has an electrical energy storage device 23, e.g., a traction battery.

[0030] The underfloor charging system 2 has a charging station 24 installed on a wall 25, which is permanently connected to the energy source 19. According to the illustrated embodiment, the charging robot 14 is electrically connected to the charging station 24 via the supply line 18 and, if necessary, also via data and / or signal connections in order to charge the energy storage device 23 of the electric vehicle 21.

[0031] The electric vehicle 21 has an underfloor charging port 26 located on the underbody, which is electrically connected to the energy storage device 25. The charging robot 14 has an underfloor charging interface 27 complementary to the underfloor charging port 26, via which the charging robot 14 is electrically connected to the underfloor charging port 26 in the second charging state in order to directly supply or charge the energy storage device 23 with electrical energy from the energy source 19. For this purpose, the charging robot 14 is arranged below the electric vehicle 21 and connected to the underfloor charging port 26 via the underfloor charging interface 27. The charging robot 14 can be configured to automatically move to the underfloor charging port 26 and connect to it. The underfloor charging port 26 and the underfloor charging interface 27 can be connected to each other either inductively or conductively.For example, the charging station 24 can include a charging control unit which is set up to initiate and / or terminate the charging process.

[0032] Fig. Figure 4 shows the charging arrangement 20 in the first charging state, as already shown in Fig. The charging arrangement 20 comprises a conventional electric vehicle 22, which, instead of the underfloor charging port 26, has a charging socket 28 that is electrically connected to an energy storage device 23 of the electric vehicle 22. The charging socket 28 is to be understood as a conventional charging port of the electric vehicle 1, which is located, for example, above the rear wheels 29 or the front wheels 30. In order to charge such an electric vehicle 22 via the underfloor charging system 2, the charging adapter 1 is connected to the charging robot 14 via the adapter charging port 15 and to the electric vehicle 22 via the charging plug 7.

[0033] The charging robot 14 is electrically connected to the adapter charging port 8 of the charging adapter 1 via the adapter charging interface 15, and the charging adapter 1 is in turn connected to the charging socket 28 of the electric vehicle 22 via the charging plug 7 to supply or charge the energy storage device 23 with electrical energy from the energy source 19. The charging robot 14 can be configured to automatically move to the adapter charging port 8 and connect to it if no underfloor charging port 26 is detected on the electric vehicle 22. Thus, a user-portable charging adapter 1 is proposed, which makes it possible to charge electric vehicles 22 using an underfloor charging system 2, even if they do not have a suitable underfloor charging port 26. Reference symbol list 1 charging adapter 2 Underfloor charging system 3 cases 4 Base plate 5 handle 6 floor area 7 charging plugs 8 adapter charging ports 9 charging cables 10 cable glands 11 Plug socket 12 Handle 13 Energy storage 14 charging robots 15 adapter charging interface 16 drive wheel 17 Support wheel 18 Supply line 19 Energy source 20 Loading arrangement 21 electric vehicles 22 more electric vehicles 23 Energy storage 24 charging stations 25 wall 26 Underfloor charging port 27 Underfloor charging interface 28 charging socket 29" rear wheel 30 front wheel 100 horizontal direction

Claims

[1] Portable charging adapter (1) for an underfloor charging system (2) for charging an electric vehicle (22), - with a charging plug (7) for electrical connection to a charging socket (28) of the electric vehicle (22), - with an adapter charging port (8) for electrical connection with a charging robot (14) of the underfloor charging system (2), - with a charging cable (9) via which the charging plug (7) is connected to the adapter charging port (8) in order to transfer electrical energy from the adapter charging port (8) to the charging plug (7), wherein the charging adapter (1) has a housing (3), wherein the adapter charging port (8) is arranged on the housing (3) such that it can be connected in a horizontal direction (100) with respect to a base surface (6) to a complementary adapter charging interface (15) of the charging robot (14), and wherein a handle (5) is arranged on a top of the housing (3) by means of which the charging adapter (1) can be carried by a user. [2] Portable charging adapter (1) according to claim 1, characterized by , that a base plate (4) is arranged on the underside of the housing (3), by means of which the housing (3) can be freely placed on the floor surface (6). [3] Portable charging adapter (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the adapter charging port (8) is designed as an inductive or a conductive charging port. [4] Underfloor charging system (2) with a charging robot (14) for automatically and / or autonomously charging an electrical energy storage device (23) in an electric vehicle (21, 22) and with the portable charging adapter (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the charging robot (14) is electrically connected to the adapter charging port (8) in a first charging state in order to transfer electrical energy to the adapter charging port (8). [5] Underfloor charging system (2) according to claim 4, characterized by, that the charging robot (14) has an underfloor charging interface (27) for electrical connection with an underfloor charging port (26) of an electric vehicle (21) and an adapter charging interface (15) for electrical connection with the adapter charging port (8) of the charging adapter (1), wherein the charging robot (14) is configured to charge the energy storage device (23) of an electric vehicle (22) indirectly via the adapter charging interface (15) using the charging adapter (1) in the first charging state or to charge it directly via the underfloor charging interface (27) in a second charging state. [6] Underfloor charging system (2) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized by , that the charging robot (14) is permanently connected to an energy source (19) via a supply line (18), wherein the charging adapter (1) can be supplied with electrical energy from the energy source (19) in the first charging state. [7] Underfloor charging system (2) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized by, that the charging robot (14) has an integrated energy storage device (13), wherein the charging adapter (1) can be supplied with electrical energy from the integrated energy storage device (13) in the first charging state. [8] Charging arrangement (20) with an electric vehicle (22) and the underfloor charging system (2) according to one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the charging robot (14) in the first charging state is connected to the adapter charging port (8) of the charging adapter (1) via the adapter charging interface (15) and the charging adapter (1) is connected to the charging socket (28) of the electric vehicle (22) via the charging plug (7) in order to charge an energy storage device (23) of the electric vehicle (22).

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