Adapter for a charging plug of a charging cable, charging cable and procedure

Abstract

Adapter (10) for a charging plug (52) of a charging cable (51) for establishing compatibility between the charging plug (52) and a charging socket of an electrically powered vehicle, the adapter (10) comprising a charging cable section (11) for connection to the charging plug (52) and a charging socket section (12) for connection to the charging socket, characterized in that an actuating element (14) is formed on an outer surface (13) of the charging cable section (11) and wherein a locking element (16) for locking the charging plug (52) in the charging cable section (11) is formed on an inner surface (15) of the charging cable section (11), wherein the actuating element (14) and the locking element (16) are operatively connected such that the locking element (16) can be moved between an unlocked position (I) and a locked position (II) by actuating the actuating element (14).wherein when the locking element (16) is outside the locking position (II), at least one electrical connection between the charging plug (52) and the charging socket, provided by the adapter (10), is disconnected, so that a charging process is not possible, wherein at least one electrically operated actuator (17) for moving the locking element (16) between the unlocking position (I) and the locking position (II) is included, and wherein the actuating element (14) is designed as a piezoelectric switch, such that when the actuating element (14) is actuated, electrical energy is provided to move the locking element (16) from the unlocking position (I) to the locking position (II).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an adapter with the features of independent claim 1, a charging system with the features of independent claim 9, and a method with the features of independent claim 11.

[0002] Charging cables are used to charge electric vehicles. During the charging process, these cables are connected to the vehicle, specifically its charging socket, on one end, and to an electrical power source, particularly a charging station, on the other. A charging cable can also be permanently connected to an electrical power source at one end. If the vehicle's interface, especially the charging socket, changes, compatibility with existing charging cables and / or charging stations may be lost. To enable charging at differently designed charging stations or with different charging cables, adapters can be used. These adapters connect to the charging cable's plug, allowing the cable to be connected to the vehicle's charging socket.

[0003] Examples of adapters are shown in DE 10 2017 210 808 A1, EP 3 453 559 A1 and FR 3 010 581.

[0004] With existing adapters, a disadvantage has been identified: their functionality can depend on the vehicle's design. Typically, a locking element used to secure the adapter to the cable's charging plug must contact or be supported by a surface of the vehicle. This contact is then applied to the charging plug and adapter, and the locking mechanism engages when the plug is fully connected. Therefore, whether the adapter is effectively locked to the charging plug depends on the specific vehicle geometry, as this geometry determines the extent to which the locking element can make contact with the vehicle's surface.If the adapter is not secured to the charging cable, the charging process may be unintentionally interrupted, and a user may be endangered by arcing if the charging cable is unintentionally removed during the charging process.

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome at least one of the disadvantages described above, at least partially. In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide an adapter for a charging plug of a charging cable, a charging system, and a method for using an adapter that enable a reliable connection between the adapter and the charging cable or charging plug, regardless of the vehicle's design, and thus ensure the safe execution of a charging process.

[0006] The foregoing problem is solved by an adapter having the features of independent claim 1, by a charging system having the features of independent claim 9, and by a method having the features of independent claim 11. Further features and details of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims, the description, and the drawings. Features and details described in connection with the adapter according to the invention naturally also apply in connection with the charging system and / or the method according to the invention, and vice versa, so that the disclosure of the individual aspects of the invention always makes, or can make, reciprocal references.

[0007] According to the invention, an adapter for a charging plug of a charging cable is provided to establish compatibility between the charging plug and a charging socket of an electrically powered vehicle. The adapter comprises a charging cable section for connection to the charging plug and a charging socket section for connection to the charging socket.It is provided that an actuating element is formed on an outside of the charging cable section and a locking element for securing the charging plug in the charging cable section is formed on an inside of the charging cable section, wherein the actuating element and the locking element are operatively connected in such a way that the locking element can be moved between an unlocked position and a locked position by actuating the actuating element, wherein if the locking element is outside the locked position, at least one electrical connection provided by the adapter between the charging plug and the charging socket is interrupted, so that a charging process cannot be carried out.

[0008] In other words, it is proposed to provide an adapter for the charging plug of a charging cable, the adapter serving to establish compatibility between the charging plug and a vehicle-provided charging socket of an electric vehicle. The adapter includes a charging cable section for connecting the adapter to the charging plug of the charging cable. Furthermore, the adapter includes a charging socket section for connecting the adapter to the vehicle-provided charging socket.

[0009] An actuating element is formed on an outside side of the charging cable section, which is operatively connected to a locking element formed on an inside side of the charging cable section in such a way that the locking element can be moved between an unlocking position and a locking position by actuating the actuating element.

[0010] Furthermore, it is provided that if the locking element is outside the locked position, at least one electrical connection provided by the adapter between the charging plug and the charging socket is disconnected, thus preventing charging. In other words, the locking element must be in the locked position for all electrical connections required for charging between the charging cable section and the charging socket section to be functional and for charging to be possible using the adapter.

[0011] The adapter according to the invention offers the advantage that the locking element can be moved into the locked position and back into the unlocked position solely by user-defined actuation of the actuator. The locking of the adapter to the charging plug of the charging cable is thus completely decoupled from the vehicle geometry. This ensures that the adapter is always correctly locked to the charging plug. Unintentional interruption of the charging process due to a failure to lock the adapter to the charging plug, and the resulting risk to users of the charging cable, can therefore be effectively avoided. Furthermore, charging is prevented if the adapter is not locked. This prevents the formation of arcs if the charging cable is unintentionally removed from the vehicle's charging socket.

[0012] The outer side of the charging cable section is defined as an area that remains accessible to the user when the adapter is connected to the charging plug. Conversely, the inner side of the charging cable section is defined as an area that is inaccessible to the user when the adapter is connected to the charging plug. The unlocked position is defined as a position of the locking element in which, when the adapter is connected to the charging plug, the adapter is not locked to the charging plug and can therefore be detached. The locked position, on the other hand, is defined as a position of the locking element in which, when the adapter is connected to the charging plug, the adapter is locked to the charging plug and cannot be detached.

[0013] Within the scope of the invention, it may be advantageous that the charging cable section is compatible with a CCS1 type charging plug and / or that the charging socket section is compatible with a NACS type charging socket.

[0014] It is preferable that the charging socket section includes or is configured as an electrical connector. The electrical connector can preferably be compatible with a NACS (North American Charging Standard) type charging socket. Additionally or alternatively, the electrical connector can be configured as the male part of an electrical connector, while the charging socket forms the female part of the electrical connector.

[0015] Additionally or alternatively, the charging cable section may include or be configured as an electrical connector. The electrical connector may preferably be compatible with a CCS1 (Combine Charging System 1) type charging plug. Additionally or alternatively, the electrical connector may be configured as the female part of an electrical connector, while the charging plug forms the male part of the electrical connector.

[0016] Within the scope of the invention, it is conceivable that the functional connection between the actuating element and the locking element is designed as an electromechanical connection. This offers the advantage of a simple and space-saving design for the adapter. In particular, the actuating element can be designed as an electrical switch and / or push button. Alternatively, the actuating element can be designed as a touch-sensitive, in particular capacitive and / or inductive, operating element. A touch-sensitive operating element offers the advantage of particularly simple operation and increased user comfort.

[0017] Additionally or alternatively, at least one electrically operated actuator may be included for moving the locking element between the unlocked and locked positions. The actuating element may be operatively connected, particularly electrically, to at least one electrically operated actuator, such that by actuating the actuating element, the locking element can be moved by the actuator from the unlocked position to the locked position or vice versa. At least one actuator may preferably be designed as an electric motor, particularly a servo motor.

[0018] It is also conceivable that the actuating element is designed as a piezoelectric switch, so that when the actuating element is activated, electrical energy can be provided to move the locking element from the unlocked position to the locked position. This has the advantage that the operation of the adapter is independent of an additional power source. Furthermore, it results in a space-saving and simple design for the adapter.

[0019] Alternatively, at least one energy storage device can be included to supply at least one actuating element and / or at least one actuator. The energy storage device can preferably be designed as a battery. Additionally or alternatively, it can be provided that at least one actuator and / or at least one actuating element can be supplied with electrical energy via an electrical connection to the charging plug.

[0020] It is also conceivable that when the locking element is outside the locked position, a communication link between the charging socket section and the charging cable section is severed. In other words, it is preferable that the electrical connection between the charging plug and charging socket provided by the adapter, which is severed when the locking element is outside the locked position, is a communication link serving communication between a vehicle and an electrical energy source, in particular a charging station. The electrical connection that can be severed or established by the locking element can, in particular, be a control-pilot connection (CP connection). If a charging station registers that communication with the vehicle is interrupted, the charging process is usually terminated immediately.If the locking element is moved out of the locked position during a charging process, the current flow between the vehicle and the charging station is interrupted due to the broken communication link. This effectively prevents arcing in the event of accidental removal of the charging plug from the vehicle's charging socket.

[0021] Within the scope of the invention, it is optionally possible to include at least one switching element, wherein the switching element can be actuated by moving the locking element into the locking position, and wherein actuating the switching element establishes at least one electrical connection, provided by the adapter, between the charging plug and the charging socket, thus enabling a charging process. In other words, the disconnection and establishment of an electrical connection, provided by the adapter, between the charging plug and the charging socket by the locking element can be achieved by including a switching element that can be actuated by moving the locking element into the locking position. At least one switching element can preferably be designed as a microswitch, resulting in a simple and compact design of the adapter.

[0022] Additionally or alternatively, the device may include at least one indicator element, which shows whether the locking element is in the locked and / or unlocked position. At least one indicator element may be a light source, in particular an LED, and / or a display. The use of an indicator element increases user convenience. In particular, it can alert the user that the actuating element must be used before the charging process can be initiated.

[0023] The above problem is further solved by a charging system according to the invention, comprising at least one adapter according to one of the preceding claims and a charging cable with at least one charging plug, wherein the charging plug is connected to the charging cable section of the adapter and the charging plug is locked to the adapter when the locking element is in the locked position. This results in the same advantages for a charging system according to the invention as have already been described for an adapter according to the invention.

[0024] With regard to a charging system, it is preferably provided that the charging plug comprises at least one locking element which is movable between a locking position and a release position, in particular by means of a locking element arranged on the charging plug, and wherein the locking element is connected to the adapter, at least partially, in a form-fitting manner in the locking position, so that the adapter cannot be detached from the charging plug, and wherein the locking element is secured against movement from the locking position to the release position by the locking element when the locking element is in the locking position. It is preferably provided that in the release position, the adapter cannot be detached from the charging plug.

[0025] The above problem is further solved by a method according to the invention for using an adapter comprising: - Connecting the charging cable section to a charging plug of a charging cable, - Actuating the actuating element to move the locking element from the unlocked position to the locked position, - Connecting the charging socket section to a charging socket of an electrically powered vehicle.

[0026] This results in the same advantages with regard to a method according to the invention as have already been described with regard to an adapter and / or a charging system according to the invention.

[0027] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, in which several embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings. The features mentioned in the claims and in the description can be essential to the invention individually or in any combination. The following are shown schematically: Fig. 1. A perspective view of an adapter, Fig. 2 a sectional view of an adapter, Fig. 3 a view of a charging cable section, Fig. 4 a view of a charging cable section, Fig. 5 a view of a charging system and Fig. 6. A view of a procedure.

[0028] The figures use identical reference numerals for the same technical features, even for different embodiments.

[0029] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic view of an adapter 10 for a charging plug 52 of a charging cable 51. The adapter 10 serves to establish compatibility between the charging plug 52 and a charging socket of an electrically powered vehicle. The adapter 10 is in Fig. 2 shown in a simplified sectional view.

[0030] The adapter 10 comprises a charging cable section 11 for connection to the charging plug 52 and a charging socket section 12 for connection to the charging socket. An actuating element 14 is formed on an outer surface 13 of the charging cable section 11, and a locking element 16 for securing the charging plug 52 in the charging cable section 11 is formed on an inner surface 15 of the charging cable section 11. The actuating element 14 and the locking element 16 are operatively connected such that the locking element 16 can be moved between an unlocked position I and a locked position II by actuating the actuating element 14. When the locking element 16 is outside of locked position II, at least one electrical connection between the charging plug 52 and the charging socket, provided by the adapter 10, is severed, thus preventing charging.

[0031] Fig. 3 and Fig. Figure 4 shows a simplified representation of the charging cable section 11 with the locking element 16 arranged on the inside 15. The operative connection between the actuating element 14 and the locking element 16 is designed in this case as an electromechanical operative connection via an actuator 17, by means of which the locking element 16 can be moved between the unlocking position I and the locking position II.

[0032] The adapter 10 includes a switching element 18, which can be actuated by moving the locking element 16 into locking position II. Actuating the switching element 18 establishes at least one electrical connection, provided by the adapter 10, between the charging plug 52 and the charging socket, thus enabling charging. The adapter also includes at least one indicator element 19, which shows whether the locking element 16 is in locking position II and / or unlocking position I.

[0033] Fig. Figure 5 further shows a schematic view of a charging system 50, comprising at least one adapter 10 and a charging cable 51 with at least one charging plug 52, wherein the charging plug 52 is connected to the charging cable section 11 of the adapter 10 and the charging plug 52 is locked to the adapter 10, provided that the locking element 16 is in the locking position II.

[0034] Fig. Figure 6 further shows a schematic view of a method 100 for using an adapter 10, comprising: - Connect 110 of charging cable section 11 to a charging plug 52 of a charging cable 51, - Actuating 120 of the actuating element 14 to move the locking element 16 from the unlocking position I to the locking position II, - Connect terminal 130 of charging socket section 12 to a charging socket of an electrically powered vehicle. Reference symbol list 10 adapters 11 Charging cable section 12 Charging socket section 13 Outside 14 Actuating element 15 Inside 16 Locking element 17 Actuator 18 switching element 19 Display element 50 charging system 51 charging cables 52 charging plugs 100 procedures 110 Connect 120 Actuations 130 Connect I Unlocking position II Locking position QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 10 2017 210 808 A1

[0003] EP 3 453 559 A1

[0003] FR 3 010 581

[0003]

Claims

[1] Adapter (10) for a charging plug (52) of a charging cable (51) for establishing compatibility between the charging plug (52) and a charging socket of an electrically powered vehicle, the adapter (10) comprising a charging cable section (11) for connection to the charging plug (52) and a charging socket section (12) for connection to the charging socket, characterized by, that an actuating element (14) is formed on an outer side (13) of the charging cable section (11) and wherein a locking element (16) for locking the charging plug (52) in the charging cable section (11) is formed on an inner side (15) of the charging cable section (11), wherein the actuating element (14) and the locking element (16) are operatively connected in such a way that the locking element (16) can be moved between an unlocking position (I) and a locking position (II) by actuating the actuating element (14), wherein when the locking element (16) is outside the locking position (II), at least one electrical connection between the charging plug (52) and the charging socket, which can be provided by the adapter (10), is broken, so that a charging process cannot be carried out. [2] Adapter (10) according to claim 1, characterized by, that the charging cable section (11) is designed to be compatible with a CCS1 type charging plug (52) and / or that the charging socket section (12) is designed to be compatible with a NACS type charging socket. [3] Adapter (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the functional connection between the actuating element (14) and the locking element (16) is designed as an electromechanical functional connection. [4] Adapter (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that at least one electrically operated actuator (17) is included for moving the locking element (16) between the unlocking position (I) and the locking position (II). [5] Adapter (10) according to claim 4, characterized by, that the actuating element (14) is designed as a piezo switch, so that when the actuating element (14) is actuated, an electrical energy can be provided to move the locking element (16) from the unlocking position (I) to the locking position (II). [6] Adapter (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that if the locking element (16) is outside the locking position (II), a communication link between the charging socket section (12) and the charging cable section (11) is interrupted. [7] Adapter (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that at least one switching element (18) is included, wherein the switching element (18) can be actuated by moving the locking element (16) into the locking position (II), wherein by actuating the switching element (18) at least one electrical connection can be established between the charging plug (52) and the charging socket, which can be provided by the adapter (10), so that a charging process can be carried out. [8] Adapter (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that at least one indicator element (19) is included, wherein the indicator element (19) can show that the locking element (16) is in the locking position (II) and / or unlocking position (I). [9] Charging system (50) comprising at least one adapter (10) according to one of the preceding claims and a charging cable (51) with at least one charging plug (52), wherein the charging plug (52) is connected to the charging cable section (11) of the adapter (10) and the charging plug (52) is locked to the adapter (10) when the locking element (16) is in the locking position (II). [10] Charging system (50) according to the preceding claim, characterized by, that the charging plug (52) comprises at least one locking means which is movable between a locking position and a release position and wherein the locking means is connected to the adapter (10) in the locking position, at least partially in a form-fitting manner, so that the adapter (10) cannot be detached from the charging plug (52), wherein the locking means is secured against movement from the locking position to the release position by the locking element (16) when the locking element (16) is in the locking position (II). [11] Method (100) for using an adapter (10), comprising: - Connecting (110) the charging cable section (11) to a charging plug (52) of a charging cable (51), - Actuating (120) the actuating element (14) to move the locking element (16) from the unlocking position (I) to the locking position (II), - Connecting (130) the charging socket section (12) to a charging socket of an electrically powered vehicle.

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