Ladeeingang

Abstract

A charging inlet 1 includes: an inlet housing 10 having a charging opening 15; an illumination device 20 that emits light La, the charging opening 15 being located within an irradiation area IA; and a reflective band 30 attached to an outer surface 13a of the inlet housing 10 to conform to the shape of at least a part of an outer periphery of the charging opening 15, such that the reflective band 30 is located within the irradiation area IA with the light La emitted by the illumination device 20. The illumination device 20 includes a light source 21 that emits the light La in different colors, and the light source 21 can emit the light La based on a radiation pattern corresponding to an operating status at the time of charging.

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging input. background

[0002] In the past, a charging port has been provided that is installed in a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and supplies power to a vehicle battery from outside the vehicle. Furthermore, a device for indicating a battery charge level may be installed near a charging port in the charging port. JP 2018-43744 A discloses a technology related to a vehicle lighting device including a light emitter installed near a power supply port (charging port) that prompts a user to perceive a power supply level (charge level) by changing color and flashing accordingly. Summary of the invention

[0003] In the vehicle lighting device disclosed in JP 2018-43744 A, two types of light emitters are assembled as part of a lighting unit, consisting of a plurality of light sources, light guides, lenses, and reflectors. This complicates the overall structure of a charging port. Even though these light sources are installed near the charging port, it is difficult to illuminate the entire charging port. Therefore, the light emitters are insufficient as lighting to support the user's power supply at night.

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a charging input having a display function and a lighting function with a simple structure.

[0005] A charging inlet according to one aspect of the embodiments / the present invention includes: an inlet housing having a charging opening; an illuminator that radiates light, the charging opening being located within an irradiation range; and a reflective band attached to an outer surface of the inlet housing to conform to a shape of at least a part of an outer periphery of the charging opening, such that the reflective band is located within the irradiation range with the light emitted by the illuminator.

[0006] According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a charging input with a display function and a lighting function with a simple structure. Brief description of the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a charging inlet according to one embodiment. Fig. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the charging inlet when a reflective tape is attached. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a charging inlet according to another embodiment. Fig. Figure 4 is a table showing a light emission pattern corresponding to each operating condition. Detailed description of the invention

[0007] A charging inlet according to each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the dimensional proportions in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of description and may differ from the actual conditions.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a charging inlet 1 according to an embodiment. Hereinafter, the directions are defined as follows, assuming that the charging inlet 1 is installed in a vehicle and a lighting device 20 is installed in the charging inlet 1. First, a Z direction corresponds to a vertical direction, and in the present embodiment, the Z direction also corresponds to a direction in which the lighting device 20 is mounted relative to the charging inlet 1. Furthermore, a horizontal plane orthogonal to the Z direction is defined as an XY plane, and an X direction and a Y direction are orthogonal to each other in the XY plane.

[0009] The charging inlet 1 is a connector installed in a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, that supplies power to a vehicle battery by connecting to a charging connector (not shown) located outside the vehicle. The outside charging connector is sometimes referred to as a "charging gun." The charging inlet 1 includes a terminal holder (not shown) for receiving a plurality of terminals, an inlet housing 10, the illumination device 20, and first reflective bands 30a.

[0010] The inlet housing 10 is made of a synthetic resin, with the front side thereof, which is exposed to the outside when connected to the charging connector, forming the exterior, and the terminal holder being attached to the rear side thereof. The inlet housing 10 includes, for example, a cylindrical portion 11, an insertion frame 12, a flange 13, a lighting device holder 14, and a locking hole 16.

[0011] The cylindrical portion 11 has a plurality of terminal receiving chambers 11a for individually receiving and protecting connecting portions of the plurality of terminals held by the terminal holder. The shape of each terminal receiving chamber 11a is cylindrical, into which an external terminal to be connected to each terminal can be inserted. The inlet housing 10 may have a different cylindrical portion than the cylindrical portion 11 to conform to various charging system standards.

[0012] The insertion frame 12 is shaped according to the outer peripheral shape of the cylindrical portion 11 and is attached to a part of a housing disposed in the charging inlet (hereinafter referred to as the "external housing"). When the external housing is attached to the insertion frame 12, the vehicle battery is supplied with power from an external power source or the like, and the vehicle battery is charged.

[0013] The flange 13 supports the cylindrical section 11 and the insertion frame 12. The shape of the flange 13, which is Fig. 1 is merely an example, and the specific shape of the flange 13 is determined according to a specification of the vehicle in which the charging inlet 1 is installed. A surface of the flange 13 exposed to the outside is an outer surface 13a. In the present embodiment, the outer surface 13a is an inclined surface having an inclination angle θ of approximately 20 degrees with respect to a vertical plane. Openings of the cylindrical portion 11 and the insertion frame 12, which open outward from the outer surface 13a, form a charging opening 15.

[0014] The lighting device holder 14 holds the lighting device 20 so that the lighting device 20, as a lighting device, illuminates the loading opening 15 of the loading entrance 1. The lighting device holder 14 is arranged vertically above the loading opening 15 in the loading entrance 1 and protrudes in a box-like manner from the outer surface 13a of the flange 13. The lighting device holder 14 includes a receptacle 14a that receives at least a distal end of the lighting device 20. The receptacle 14a is open at a rear surface 13b on the opposite side of the outer surface 13a of the flange 13, and the receptacle 14a can receive the lighting device 20 through the opening.

[0015] Furthermore, the lighting device holder 14 has an illumination opening 14b that extends from the receptacle 14a to the charging opening 15. The illumination opening 14b is formed at a location where light emitted from a light source 21 arranged in the lighting device 20 can reach the charging opening 15. Fig. 1, both the light La emitted from the illumination device 20 through the illumination opening 14b and an irradiation area IA with the light La are represented by dashed lines.

[0016] The locking hole 16 is part of a safety mechanism located near the charging port 15 in the flange 13. When the exterior charging connector is connected to the charging port 15, the locking hole 16 partially engages with a locking claw (not shown) pre-arranged in the charging connector. This prevents the charging connector from falling off the charging port during a power supply operation. In the present embodiment, the locking hole 16 is located between the lighting device holder 14 and the charging port 15 in the flange 13.

[0017] The illumination device 20 emits the light La in which the charging opening 15 is located within the irradiation area IA. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the illumination device 20 is an illumination device that is attachably and detachably mounted on the illumination device holder 14 of the inlet housing 10. Fig. In Figure 1, the illumination device 20, which is arranged in the receptacle 14a of the illumination device holder 14, is schematically illustrated by dashed lines. The illumination device 20 includes at least a substrate (not shown) on which the light source 21 is mounted, a connector portion 22, and a housing 23.

[0018] The light source 21 is installed on the substrate surface, with the Z direction being a normal direction. Furthermore, the light emission direction from a light emission surface of the light source 21 is assumed to be the Z direction. Here, the light emission direction is equivalent to a normal direction of the light emission surface, assuming that the light emission surface is approximately flat. The light source 21 can be a light-emitting diode (LED), an organic electroluminescent (EL) element, or the like.

[0019] Furthermore, there is at least one light source 21. In the present embodiment, a light source 21 that emits light La of variable colors is adopted. The light source 21 may be, for example, an RGB color LED that emits multi-color light specified by RGB. When the light source 21 is turned on to emit white light La, the light La can be used as illumination light for illuminating the charging port 15. Furthermore, when the light La emitted from the light source 21 lights or flashes in various colors accordingly, the light La can be used as an indicator light suitable for indication and emitted based on a radiation pattern corresponding to an operation status at the time of charging.

[0020] In addition to the light source 21, such as the RGB color LED, the illumination device 20 may also include a light source 21 that emits monochrome illumination light, such as an illumination LED that emits white light. In this case, the light sources can be used for different purposes. If one purpose is to emit display light as a display function, light is emitted from the light source 21, which is the RGB color LED. While if one purpose is to emit illumination light as a lighting function, light is emitted from the light source 21, which is the illumination LED.

[0021] The connector portion 22 is arranged in a housing as an insulating member for holding a substrate and is connected to a vehicle-side connector (not shown) which forms, for example, a part of the charging input 1.

[0022] The housing 23 is formed of a light-transmitting material and houses and protects the substrate together with the housing in which the connector portion 22 is arranged. The housing 23 is connected to the connector portion 22 via a gasket (not shown). Therefore, the housing 23 can also function as a waterproof mechanism to prevent water from entering the interior space where the light source 21 is arranged.

[0023] Fig. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the loading entrance 1 when the first reflection bands 30a are applied, which are arranged in accordance with Fig. 1, which shows the charging input 1 after the first reflection bands 30a have been applied.

[0024] The first reflection bands 30a in the present embodiment are reflection bands 30 attached to the outer surface 13a of the flange 13 of the inlet housing 10. One surface of each reflection band 30 is a reflective surface for reflecting at least the light La incident from the light source 21. The back surface of each reflection band 30 is a surface to which an adhesive is applied in advance. Each reflection band 30 is attached in advance to fit the shape of at least a part of the outer periphery of the loading opening 15, so that each reflection band 30 is located within the irradiation area IA of the light La irradiated from the illumination device 20.

[0025] The information that each reflective band 30 is attached to conform to the shape of at least a portion of the outer periphery of the loading opening 15 means that, for example, when an opening such as the locking hole 16 is located near the loading opening 15, each reflective band 30 cannot be attached to the opening. In the present embodiment, the pair of first reflective bands 30a adapted to the shape of a portion of the outer periphery of the loading opening 15 is provided to avoid the opening such as the locking hole 16. As shown in Fig. 1, the pair of first reflection bands 30a has a symmetrical shape to each other with the loading opening 15 therebetween in the Y direction, which is orthogonal to the Z direction of the illumination device 20 in the direction of the loading opening 15.

[0026] The surface shape of the first reflection bands 30a is a curved shape that matches the shape of at least a portion of the outer periphery of the loading opening 15. In the present embodiment, the shape of the loading opening 15 is circular. Therefore, the surface shape of the first reflection bands 30a is also a portion of a circular, flat shape.

[0027] A circular reflective band 30 may be used if there is no other opening or the like that prevents the attachment of the reflective bands 30 near the loading opening 15 on the outer surface 13a of the flange 13.

[0028] The surface shape of the reflection bands 30 is not limited to a curved surface shape like that of the first reflection bands 30a.

[0029] Fig. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the charging inlet 1 according to another embodiment. In the charging inlet 1 shown in Fig. 3, instead of the first reflection bands 30a, which are shown in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, at the same location as the first reflection bands 30a, second reflection bands 30b are shown, each having a surface shape that is a combination of linear sections. In an example shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, each of the two second reflection bands 30b consists of a combination of two linear sections. Two linear sections of a second reflection band 30b are combined such that the second reflection band 30b is at least partially located near the loading opening 15. The second reflection bands 30b having this type of planar shape can have a function equivalent to that of the first reflection bands 30a by satisfying the condition that the second reflection bands 30b are mounted to conform to the shape of at least a part of the outer periphery of the loading opening 15, so that the second reflection bands 30b are located within the irradiation area IA of the light La emitted from the illumination device 20.

[0030] A radiation pattern of the light La emitted from the illumination device 20 will be described below.

[0031] Fig. 4 is a table showing a radiation pattern of the light La corresponding to each operating state of the charging input 1.

[0032] In a first radiation pattern, the light source 21 is white and flashes 4 times in 6 seconds. When the light La is emitted in the first radiation pattern, the operating status of the charging port 1 is assumed to be communicating with an external stand side where the charging connector is located.

[0033] In a second radiation pattern, light source 21 is green and repeats three rapid flashes every 6 seconds for three sets. Hereinafter, "rapid flashing" means that a flash is faster than the flash in the first radiation pattern. When light La is emitted in the second radiation pattern, the operating status of charging input 1 is assumed to be that charging has begun.

[0034] In a third radiation pattern, light source 21 is green and repeats four slow flashes in six seconds by dimming. In the following, "slow flash" means a flash that is slower than the flash in the first radiation pattern. When light La is emitted in the third radiation pattern, the operating state of charging input 1 is assumed to be that charging is in progress.

[0035] In a fourth radiation pattern, the light source 21 is green and illuminates continuously. When the light La is emitted in the fourth radiation pattern, the operating status of the charging input 1 is assumed to be that the charging process is complete.

[0036] In a fifth radiation pattern, the light source 21 is blue and repeats 4 slow flashes in 6 seconds by dimming. When the light La is emitted in the fifth radiation pattern, the operating state of charging input 1 is assumed to be a time-controlled charging process that has been set by a user to a desired charging time.

[0037] In a sixth radiation pattern, light source 21 is yellow and repeats two flashes in 6 seconds by dimming. When light La is emitted in the sixth radiation pattern, the operating state of charging input 1 is assumed to be in a mode requiring battery protection.

[0038] In a seventh radiation pattern, light source 21 is red and repeats 4 flashes in 6 seconds for 3 sets. When light La is emitted in the seventh radiation pattern, the operating state of charging input 1 is assumed to be that an error has occurred.

[0039] When the light source 21 emits the light La in the radiation pattern described above, the light La is reflected by each reflection band 30 located within the irradiation area IA and directed toward the user as reflected light. The user can recognize the operating state of the charging input 1 at this time based on the color, flashing interval, and the like of the reflected light.

[0040] In addition to each Fig. For each radiation pattern shown in Figure 4, an operating state type can be set. In addition, the color and the lighting or flashing state of each radiation pattern can also be set accordingly.

[0041] The effect of charging input 1 is described below.

[0042] The charging inlet 1 includes the inlet housing 10, which has the charging opening 15 and the illumination device 20, which emits light when the charging opening 15 is located within the irradiation area 1A. The charging inlet 1 further includes the reflection bands 30, which are attached to the outer surface 13a of the inlet housing 10 so that they conform to the shape of at least a portion of the outer periphery of the charging opening 15, so that the reflection bands 30 are located within the irradiation area 1A with the light La emitted by the illumination device 20.

[0043] First, the light La emitted from the light source 21 is used in the charging inlet 1 as an illumination light for directly illuminating the charging port 15, and therefore, the light source as an illumination function can support a user's power supply operation at night.

[0044] Furthermore, in the charging port 1, the light La, which also serves as an illumination function, is used as an indicator light for display, allowing the user to recognize an operating status such as a charging state in the charging port 1. Specifically, the light source 21 changes the color, lighting, or flashing state, or the like of the emitted light La according to the operating status of the charging port 1. The correspondingly changed light La is reflected by each reflection band 30 located within the irradiation area IA and is recognized by the user. The user can recognize the operating status of the charging port 1 at that time from the state of the detected light La.

[0045] Therefore, the light source 21 used as an illumination function and an indicator function is shared according to the charging entrance 1. Therefore, it is not necessary to dispose a light source for displaying an indicator at a portion corresponding to each reflective band 30. This can simplify the overall structure. In addition, each reflective band 30 disposed near the charging opening 15 illuminates clearly visible to the user. Therefore, visibility is not significantly deteriorated compared to the case where a light source is separately disposed at a portion corresponding to each reflective band 30. In addition, since each reflective band 30 can be easily processed, there is the advantage that the shape of each reflective band 30 can be easily changed according to the design of the charging entrance 1.

[0046] As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the charging input 1 with the display function and the lighting function with a simple structure.

[0047] Furthermore, the lighting device 20 in the charging inlet 1 may include a light source 21 that emits light La in different colors. The light source 21 may emit light La based on a radiation pattern corresponding to an operating status at the time of charging.

[0048] According to the charging input 1, as an indicator function, the user can easily recognize different radiation patterns of reflected light from each reflection band 30 based on the light La. This can easily prompt the user to recognize various operating states such as charging states.

[0049] Furthermore, the charging inlet 1 may include a pair of reflective bands 30. In this case, the pair of reflective bands 30 may correspond to the shape of a part of the outer periphery of the charging opening 15 and have a shape symmetrical to each other, with the charging opening 15 located therebetween in a direction orthogonal to a direction of the illumination device 20 toward the charging opening 15.

[0050] In the above example, the direction of the illumination device 20 toward the loading opening 15 corresponds to the Z direction. In this case, a direction orthogonal to the direction of the illumination device 20 toward the loading opening 15 corresponds to the Y direction.

[0051] According to the charging inlet 1, the shape of each reflective band 30 can be set in accordance with the configuration of the surroundings of the charging opening 15 in the inlet case 10 so that the visibility of the user is not impaired.

[0052] Furthermore, the surface shape of each reflection band 30 in the loading inlet 1 may have a curved shape to adapt to the shape of at least a part of the outer circumference of the loading opening 15.

[0053] In the example above, each reflection band 30 corresponds to the first reflection band 30a.

[0054] The light La emitted from the illumination device 20 is used as light to illuminate each reflection band 30 for visual display. Therefore, each reflection band 30 must be arranged within the irradiation area IA. Since the surface shape of each reflection band 30 has a curved shape that matches the shape of at least a part of the outer periphery of the loading opening 15, each reflection band 30 can be arranged more efficiently within the irradiation area IA. This allows for better visibility.

[0055] Furthermore, the surface shape of each reflection band 30 in the charging inlet 1 may be a combination of linear sections.

[0056] In the example above, each reflection band 30 corresponds to every other reflection band 30b.

[0057] According to the loading input 1, the shape of each reflection band 30 can be set more easily than that of each reflection band 30 having a curved surface shape, while suppressing deterioration of visibility.

[0058] In the above example, it is assumed that the lighting device 20, which emits the light La toward the loading opening 15, is a lighting device that is attachably and detachably mounted on the lighting device bracket 14 of the inlet housing 10. However, the configuration of the lighting device 20 is not limited to a lighting device indirectly attached to the inlet housing 10; rather, the lighting device 20 may be directly integrated into a part of the inlet housing 10.

[0059] Furthermore, in the above example, it is assumed that the light source 21 capable of emitting variable-color light La in the lighting device 20 emits the light La based on a radiation pattern corresponding to an operating state at the time of charging. However, it is not an essential condition that a light source capable of emitting variable-color light La be used as the light source 21. For example, only an illumination LED that emits monochromatic illumination light such as white light can be used as the light source 21. In this case, various radiation patterns corresponding to the operating states at the time of charging can be set by appropriately changing the flashing interval or flashing speed of the illumination light.

[0060] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of the parts may be replaced by any configuration having a similar function as long as they are within the scope of the claims. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

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

[0000] JP 2018-43744 A [0002, 0003]

Claims

[1] A charging input (1) comprising: an inlet housing (10) having a loading opening (15); a lighting device (20) which emits light (La), wherein the charging opening (15) is arranged within an irradiation area (IA); and a reflection band (30) attached to an outer surface (13a) of the inlet housing (10) to adapt to the shape of at least a part of an outer periphery of the loading opening (15), so that the reflection band (30) is arranged within the irradiation area (IA) with the light (La) emitted by the illumination device (20). [2] The charging input (1) according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device (20) contains a light source (21) which emits the light (La) in different colours, and the light source (21) emits the light (La) based on a radiation pattern corresponding to an operating state at the time of charging. [3] The charging entrance (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reflection band (30) is provided in a plurality, and both of a pair of reflection bands (30) of the reflection bands (30) conform to the shape of the part of the outer circumference of the charging opening (15) and have shapes that are symmetrical to each other with the charging opening (15) therebetween in a direction orthogonal to a direction of the lighting device (20) to the charging opening (15). [4] The charging entrance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a surface shape of the reflection band (30, 30a) is a curved shape to conform to the shape of at least the part of the outer periphery of the charging opening (15). [5] The charging inlet (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a surface shape of the reflection band (30, 30b) is a combination of linear sections.

Images