Charging plug for an electric vehicle

Abstract

Charging plug for an electric vehicle, comprising a plug base (1) and a protective collar (2) which is open in the plug-in direction and detachably mounted on the plug base (1), wherein the protective collar (2) laterally surrounds a contact set (3) which comprises a plurality of contacts (33) which are each arranged in a protective sleeve (32), characterized in that the contact set (3) is non-detachably connected to the plug base (1) even when the protective collar (2) is removed.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a charging plug for an electric vehicle with a plug base and a protective collar that is open in the plug-in direction and detachably mounted on the plug base, wherein the protective collar laterally surrounds a contact set that comprises a plurality of contacts that are each arranged in a protective sleeve.

[0002] Such charging connectors are used to supply direct or alternating current to an electric vehicle and thus charge its battery. The direct or alternating current is provided by connection devices, usually in the form of boxes or columns, that are installed in private or public traffic areas. Connection boxes are usually mounted on a wall and referred to as "wall boxes." Charging stations are usually freestanding.

[0003] A connecting cable, at the end of which the vehicle-side charging plug is mounted, leads from the connection device to the electric vehicle. In addition to power supply lines that transmit the current to charge the battery, the connecting cable usually also contains signal or data lines that enable signal or data exchange between the connection device and the electric vehicle in order to exchange or coordinate charging process parameters. Accordingly, the charging plug has a plurality of contacts for the aforementioned lines. Various types of charging plugs with different connector faces for the contacts have become established on the market. Of these, the so-called "Type 2" charging plug for AC charging, for example, has a high market penetration. It has five contacts for transmitting the charging current and two contacts for signals.The contacts are each enclosed in individual protective sleeves to make the charging plug finger-safe. The entire contact set, with its multiple protective sleeves and contacts, is in turn surrounded by a protective collar that protects the contact set and also serves as an insertion aid into a corresponding vehicle-mounted charging socket. The protective collar also features recesses into which the vehicle's locking elements engage, preventing the charging plug from being removed during the charging process.

[0004] Electric vehicle charging plugs are subjected to significant mechanical stress due to the high number of plugging and unplugging processes. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for a charging plug to hit the ground or strike a wall, for example, when winding up the charging cable at a wallbox. It is also quite possible for a charging plug to slip from your hand and fall to the ground when plugging or unplugging. The protective collar generally serves its purpose of protecting the contact set, but is itself susceptible to wear and damage. Replacing the charging plug, for example on a charging cable that is firmly attached to the charging station or wallbox, is expensive in terms of the materials used, complex to implement, and impossible for users to carry out themselves.

[0005] From the publication WO 2018 / 192805 A1, a charging plug for electric vehicles is known in which the protective collar can be detached from the plug base, for example by being attached to the plug base with an easily accessible screw connection. After detaching the protective collar, the charging plug's highly electrically loaded DC charging contacts can be removed and replaced if their contacts are worn. A defective protective collar can also be replaced in the process. This saves material, as the entire charging plug does not have to be replaced if the load contacts are worn or the protective collar is mechanically damaged. However, replacement is reserved for qualified service personnel, as the removable charging contacts mean that finger safety is not guaranteed after removing the protective collar.Even though the charging plug should generally be voltage-free when not plugged into the vehicle, the described arrangement is not suitable for a safe replacement of the protective collar by a user.

[0006] From the publication DE 10 2018 100825 B4, a charging plug for an electric vehicle is known in which a front unit comprising the contact set and the protective collar can be removed from a plug base and easily replaced. Replacing this front unit consisting of the contact set and the protective collar is made possible by a second plug connection level between the unit to be replaced and the plug base. If the protective collar is damaged, the said unit can be replaced. This is less material-intensive than replacing the entire plug and, due to the design of the plug, can also be performed by untrained service personnel. However, the structure of the charging plug is complicated by the fact that the second plug connection level must be present between the replaceable unit and the plug base.In addition to the more complicated and therefore more expensive construction of the charging plug, the additional plug connection level with its separable contacts can also lead to higher contact resistance and thus possibly to charging losses and the risk of contact heating or overheating.

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide a charging plug of the type mentioned at the outset, in which a damaged protective collar can be easily replaced by a user, wherein finger safety of the charging plug is to be ensured at all times and wherein the charging plug is to be characterized by a simple structure.

[0008] This problem is solved by a charging plug having the features of the independent claim. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0009] A charging plug according to the invention is characterized by the fact that the contact set is permanently connected to the plug base, even when the protective collar is removed. This prevents the removal of the protective collar from becoming a potential hazard and compromising the finger safety of the charging plug. Replacing a damaged or worn protective collar is possible safely, even for an untrained user.

[0010] In an advantageous embodiment of the charging plug, the protective sleeves of the contact set are formed integrally with a housing of the plug base. This is a simple and effective way to permanently design the protective sleeves. The protective sleeves can be manufactured from plastic, for example, using an injection-molded process, together with at least part of the housing. This also leads to cost-effective production of the charging plug.

[0011] Alternatively, the protective sleeves of the contact set can be arranged on a common base plate or formed integrally with it, with the base plate being permanently connected to the connector base without the need for special tools. This also de facto results in a permanent connection between the protective sleeve and the connector base.

[0012] In a further advantageous embodiment of the charging plug, the protective collar is mounted to the plug base with at least one screw. Preferably, the protective collar has a circumferential edge through which the at least one screw passes, and the plug base has at least one lateral bracket into which the at least one screw is screwed.

[0013] In further advantageous embodiments, the protective collar can be mounted on the plug base with at least one locking hook, or the plug base and the protective collar can each be provided with interlocking bayonet contours for mounting the protective collar on the plug base. It is also conceivable that the plug base and the protective collar are each provided with interlocking threads for mounting the protective collar on the plug base. The thread can be arranged on the protective collar, for example, on a threaded ring. In all of the cases mentioned, at least one screw can additionally be provided to fix the arrangement, which is then screwed into the plug base, for example, transversely to the insertion direction of the charging plug and secures the aforementioned locking hook or the bayonet lock or the thread.

[0014] In principle, the inventive concept can be implemented with a wide variety of charging plugs. It is particularly suitable for a Type 2 charging plug, as there is a great need for a simple and cost-effective way to replace the protective collar for this type of plug due to its widespread use and frequent use.

[0015] The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments and figures. The figures show: Fig. 1a a spatial representation of a charging plug in a first embodiment; Fig. 1b the charging plug Fig. 1 with protective collar removed; Fig. 2a shows a further embodiment of a charging plug in a spatial representation; Fig. 2b the charging plug according to Fig. 2a with protective collar removed; Fig. 3a, b each show a spatial representation of a charging plug in a further embodiment from different viewing directions and each with the protective collar removed; and Fig. 4a, b a side view and a spatial representation of a charging plug in a further embodiment, each with the protective collar removed.

[0016] In all illustrated embodiments, identical reference symbols identify identical or equivalent elements. For reasons of clarity, not every element in every figure is provided with a reference symbol.

[0017] In the Fig. Figure 1a shows a three-dimensional view of a first embodiment of a charging plug for an electric vehicle. The charging plug has a plug base 1 with a housing 11. The housing 11 is slightly curved, making it easy to grip. At a rear end, the housing 11 tapers toward a cable outlet 12, from which a charging cable (not shown here) exits. An anti-kink element can be provided in the area of ​​the cable outlet 12.

[0018] At the front free end of the plug base 1, opposite the cable outlet 12, there is a protective collar 2 comprising a sleeve 21 open to the front and a peripheral edge 23 preferably formed integrally therewith. Locking recesses 22 are formed at various locations in the sleeve 21. These locking recesses serve to lock a plugged-in charging plug using corresponding extendable latches of the associated socket into which the charging plug is plugged. Typically, the associated socket is a vehicle-mounted socket. Alternatively, a charging plug according to the application may also be designed for insertion into a connection device if the charging cable is not firmly attached to the connection device.

[0019] The protective collar 2 surrounds a contact set 3 of the plug, which has a plurality of contacts 33, each of which is arranged in individual protruding protective sleeves 32.

[0020] The protective collar 2 is in the Fig. 1a is attached to the plug base 1 using screws 25.

[0021] After loosening the screws 25, the protective collar 2 can be removed, which is shown in the Fig. 1b. This figure shows that the screws 25 are guided through corresponding holes 24 formed in the peripheral edge 23 of the protective collar 2. A flange 13 is formed at the front end of the connector base 1, on which the peripheral edge 23 of the protective collar 2 rests. Brackets 14 are formed on the sides of the flange 13, with threaded holes into which the screws 25 are screwed.

[0022] Despite the removed protective collar 2, which can thus be easily replaced, the contact set 3 is inseparably connected to the plug base 1 by a user. In this way, the contacts 33 are still protected from contact by the protective sleeves 32 even when the protective collar 2 is removed. The protective sleeves 32 are arranged on a base plate 31, which here is formed integrally with the housing 11 of the plug base 1. Alternatively, the contact set 3 can also be formed non-integrally with the housing 11 of the plug base 1; in this case, however, a connection between the contact set 3 and the plug base 1 is designed such that it cannot be removed by a user. For example, the contact set 3 can be connected to the housing 11 by a screw connection from the interior of the housing 11, so that this screw connection is only accessible when the housing 11 is disassembled.However, this step is not required to replace the protective collar 2, so it cannot be performed accidentally by the user. Furthermore, the opening of the housing 11 and the detachment of the contact set 3 from the housing 11 can be prevented by the user by using screws with a special tool engagement that cannot be removed by the user with conventional tools.

[0023] The charging plug shown here is an example of "Type 2," which is widely used for AC charging technology for electric vehicles. Five of the contacts 33 are power contacts to provide three-phase AC current via three phase conductors plus neutral and earth conductors. In addition, two control lines are provided, which are connected via the two Fig. 1a and 1b, respectively, the two upper contacts 33. It is understood that the inventive design of the charging plug presented here, which is finger-safe even if the protective collar 2 is replaced by a user, is also transferable to other types of charging plugs than those of "Type 2".

[0024] In the Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b is another embodiment of a charging plug in the same way as in the Fig. 1a and Fig. 1b. The basic structure of the charging plug is essentially the same as in the first embodiment, to whose description explicit reference is hereby made.

[0025] The fastening of the protective collar 2 to the plug base 1 is different. In the embodiment of the Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b, two locking hooks 26 are formed on the end of the protective collar 2 pointing towards the plug base 1. When the protective collar 2 is in place, the locking hooks 26 engage in corresponding locking openings 15, of which a lower one is in the Fig. 2b is clearly visible and an upper one is only partially visible in the figure.

[0026] In addition to the locking mechanism, the protective collar 2 is secured by means of the screw 25, which in this embodiment is screwed transversely to the insertion direction of the charging plug into a screw opening in the housing 11 of the plug base and secures the lower locking hook 26 of the protective collar 2. This can be achieved, for example, by the screw 25 passing through a transverse bore of this lower locking hook 26. In an alternative embodiment, it can be provided to use only one locking hook, for example the one shown above in Fig. 2b and on the opposite side of the protective collar 2 only one insertion tab with a hole through which the screw 25 passes. Another difference in the embodiment of the Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b is that the protective collar 2 is not provided with a peripheral edge 23. In this embodiment, the peripheral edge is provided by the flange 13 of the housing 11 of the plug base 1.

[0027] In the Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b shows a further embodiment of a charging plug, which again has a similar basic structure to the charging plug of the previously described embodiments. The two Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b show the charging plug 2 from different viewing directions, whereby in both cases the protective collar 2 is removed from the plug base 1.

[0028] This embodiment also differs in the way the protective collar 2 is attached to the plug base 1, which in this case is implemented with a bayonet lock. For this purpose, the plug base 1 has a bayonet contour 16 on its housing 11 in the area of ​​the flange 13, into which the protective collar 2 engages with a complementary bayonet contour 27.

[0029] To attach the protective collar 2, it is placed in a slightly twisted position on the plug base 1 and rotated a few degrees to bring it into the correct rotational position, in which the two bayonet contours 16, 27 are also in engagement with each other. The rotational position is then fixed by the screw 25, whereby the screw 25 is similar to the embodiment of the Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b is screwed transversely to the insertion direction into a corresponding hole in the housing 11 of the plug base 1. The screw 25 blocks the bayonet contour 27 of the protective collar 2, so that it can no longer be rotated. In the illustrated embodiment, three interacting bayonet contours 16, 27 are formed. In alternative embodiments, the number of interacting bayonet contours 16, 27 can also be smaller, for example, only two, or even larger.

[0030] In the Fig. 4a and Fig. Finally, Figure 4b is another embodiment of a charging plug in a side view ( Fig. 4a) and a spatial oblique view ( Fig. 4b). The basic design of the charging plug corresponds to the previously described embodiments, to whose description explicit reference is hereby made.

[0031] The difference from the previous embodiments lies again in the type of attachment of the protective collar 2 to the plug base 1. Here, attachment is achieved using a threaded ring 28 formed on the protective collar 2. The threaded ring 28 is provided on its outer side with a thread 29, with which it is screwed into a corresponding counter thread (not visible in the figures) formed on the inner side of the flange 13. After the thread 29 of the protective collar 2 has been successfully screwed into the plug base 1, the protective collar 2 is again fixed in the corresponding rotational position using the screw 25 arranged transversely to the insertion direction. Reference symbol 1 plug base 11 housings 12 Cable outlet 13 Flange 14 side console 15 locking opening 16 Bayonet contour 2 protective collars 21 sleeve 22 Locking recess 23 surrounding edge 24 bore 25 screw 26 locking hooks 27 Bayonet contour 28 threaded ring 29 threads 3 contact sets 31 Base plate 32 protective sleeve 33 Contact 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] WO 2018 / 192805 A1

[0005] DE 10 2018 100825 B4

[0006]

Claims

[1] Charging plug for an electric vehicle, comprising a plug base (1) and a protective collar (2) which is open in the plug-in direction and detachably mounted on the plug base (1), wherein the protective collar (2) laterally surrounds a contact set (3) which comprises a plurality of contacts (33) which are each arranged in a protective sleeve (32), characterized by that the contact set (3) is permanently connected to the plug base (1) even when the protective collar (2) is removed. [2] Charging plug according to claim 1, wherein the protective collar (2) is mounted on the plug base (1) with at least one screw (25). [3] Charging plug according to claim 2, wherein the protective collar (2) has a peripheral edge (23) through which the at least one screw (25) passes and wherein the plug base (1) has at least one lateral bracket (14) into which the at least one screw (25) is screwed. [4] Charging plug according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protective collar (2) is mounted on the plug base (1) with at least one latching hook (26). [5] Charging plug according to claim 1 or 2, wherein for mounting the protective collar (2) on the plug base (1), the plug base (1) and the protective collar (2) are each provided with interlocking bayonet contours (16, 27). [6] Charging plug according to claim 1 or 2, wherein for mounting the protective collar (2) on the plug base (1), the plug base (1) and the protective collar (2) are each provided with intermeshing threads (29). [7] Charging plug according to claim 6, wherein a threaded ring (28) is arranged on the protective collar (2). [8] Charging plug according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the protective sleeves (32) of the contact set (3) are formed integrally with a housing (11) of the plug base (1). [9] Charging plug according to claim 8, wherein the protective sleeves (32) are manufactured from plastic in an injection molding process together with at least part of the housing (11). [10] Charging plug according to one of claims 1 to 7, in which the protective sleeves (32) of the contact set (3) are arranged on a common base plate (31) or are formed integrally therewith, wherein the base plate (31) is non-detachably connected to the plug base (1) without special tools. [11] Charging plug according to one of claims 1 to 10, designed as a type 2 charging plug.

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