Charging unit for electric vehicles

Abstract

A charging unit (1) for electric vehicles, the charging unit (1) comprising: a housing (2) for protecting electrical components arranged within the housing (2); at least one transparent window element (7) comprising a central viewing area (7a) and peripheral areas (7b) surrounding said central viewing area; wherein the window element (7) is attached to a window opening (12) provided in the housing shell (3) of the housing (2); and wherein the viewing area (7a) of the window element (7) is aligned with the window opening (12), and the peripheral areas (7b) surround the window opening (12) and are attached to an inner surface of the housing shell (3); and wherein at least one sealing arrangement (11) is provided between the peripheral areas (7b) of the window element (7) and the inner surface of the housing shell (3) in order to establish a watertight connection between the window element (7) and the housing (2);characterized in that the loading unit (1) within the housing (2) further comprises a window support element (13) which is adapted to generate a spring force (SF) and to press the edge regions (7b) of the window element (7) against the inner surface of the housing shell (3);

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF DISCLOSUREThe present disclosure relates to a charging unit for electric vehicles.The technical field of the disclosure is set forth in more detail in the preamble of the independent claim.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSUREVarious types of charging units and devices are provided for charging energy stores (batteries) in electric vehicles, such as cars, buses, trucks, other commercial vehicles, as well as two-wheeled vehicles such as electric scooters, bicycles, and motor bicycles. The charging unit may be a commercially available device that enables public charging. In such a case, there is a need to provide information about the charging process to the user. The information provided may include data on the current power and energy consumption, the amount of energy charged, the cost caused by the charging operation, and other information useful to the user. The data may be displayed on a display device or other visual display elements may be present which are remotely readable.The charging unit is provided with a housing which covers the necessary electrical and further components within a housing casing, so that these are protected securely and from moisture and other environmental influences. The housing jacket also offers protection against vandalism and the theft of components. The housing jacket has at least one viewing window which enables a visual connection from outside the housing to a display device or another visual object in the interior of the housing. Various arrangements for fastening the viewing windows to housing structures are already known. However, the known solutions have some disadvantages.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSUREAn object of the present solution is to provide a new and improved charging unit.The charging unit according to the invention corresponds to the features specified in the independent claim.Some of the preferred embodiments of the solution are disclosed in the dependent claims.The disclosed solution relates to a charging unit for electric vehicles, and an idea of the solution is that the charging unit comprises: a housing for providing protection for electrical components arranged within the housing; at least one transparent window element comprising a central viewing area and edge areas surrounding the viewing area; the window element is mounted on a window opening provided in the housing shell; and wherein a viewing area of the window element is aligned with the window opening and the edge areas surround the window opening and are fastened to an inner surface of the housing shell; and wherein at least one sealing arrangement is provided between the edge areas of the window element and the inner surface of the housing shell in order to provide a watertight connection between the window element and the housing. Furthermore, the charging unit comprises, within the housing, a window support element which is configured to generate a spring force and to press the edge regions of the window element against the inner surface of the housing casing of the housing. One concept of the present solution is thus to provide the window element with mechanical support from the inside of the housing.An advantage of the present solution is that the impact strength of the window element can be improved by means of the disclosed mechanical support arrangement. A further advantage is that the mounting of the window element by the window support element can be carried out quickly and easily. The spring force generated by the window support member securely holds the window member in position and also facilitates assembly.According to one embodiment, the charging unit can be, for example, a charge delivery unit, a charging station or a charge guidance unit.The charging unit can comprise the power electronics required for the charging process. Alternatively, the power electronic components may be remote from the charging unit and in this case the charging unit may comprise electrical components relating to the measurement and control of the charging process as well as to the performance of payment processes in connection with the charging process. Thus, the disclosed solution can be used in various types of charging devices for vehicles in a versatile manner.According to an embodiment, the window element is mounted on a vertical side surface of the housing jacket of the housing. The vertical side surface may be, for example, a front side of the charging device.According to one embodiment, the housing is provided with an openable and closable service door which is part of the housing jacket. The window member may be mounted on the service door.According to one embodiment, the window element is made of transparent plastic material, such as PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), also known as acrylic material. Alternatively, the window member may be made of polycarbonate material.According to one embodiment, the window element is made of glass, for example of hard glass.According to one embodiment, the window element allows visual inspection into the interior of the housing. The window element can thus serve as a viewing window for an electrical measuring device, a display device or a corresponding optical device, a screen or a signal device, which can be arranged behind the window element in the interior of the housing. A display screen of a power meter may be disposed within the housing to be readable through the viewing area of the window member.According to an embodiment, the window support element is an integral structure comprising a planar central portion oriented parallel to the window element. The element further comprises at least two support arms on opposite sides of the central portion. The central portion is provided with a central second opening and with support zones surrounding the second opening. The support arms are oriented at an angle with respect to the central portion. Fastening parts are provided at distal end regions of the support arms. The support arms serve as elastically bendable portions and can generate the spring force when the fastening members are mounted at fastening points provided inside the housing. In other words, a relatively simple support member with flexible support arms is used to provide the necessary force to secure the attachment of the window member. The central portion projects in the direction of the window element due to the obliquely running support arms. The support arms with the elastically flexible portions are reversibly deformed upon mounting of the window support member. A mounting force such as tightening of fastening screws causes the reversible deformation of the support arms because the support zones of the central portion are supported against the inside of the window member.According to one embodiment, the orientation angle and length of the support arms are selected to generate the desired force when the window support member is mounted to the attachment points. The design and dimension of the support arms depend, for example, on the position of the fastening points and on the transverse course between the fastening points and the window element. Of course, the bending stiffness of the support arms also influences the magnitude of the spring force generated.According to one embodiment, the window support element is made of metallic sheet metal material. In other words, the window support member is a mechanical window holder made of sheet material such as steel sheet or stainless steel sheet using conventional sheet metal working techniques such as cutting and bending. In this way, the window support element has a simple, stable, easily producible and cost-effective structure.According to an alternative embodiment, the window support element may be made of composite material, plastic material or another sufficiently rigid construction material capable of providing the reversible deformation and the generated spring force.According to one embodiment, two parallel, longitudinally formed mounting rails are provided on the inner side of the housing jacket, which are arranged at a transverse distance from one another, such that the window opening is located between the mounting rails. The window support member is fixed to the mounting rails. In other words, the window support member is located between the mounting rails and its fixing portions are fixed to surfaces of the mounting rails facing away from the inner surface of the case shell.According to one embodiment, the mounting rails are vertically oriented.According to an embodiment, the mounting rails are integrated parts of the housing structure. The mounting rails are thus structurally indivisible components of the housing jacket. The mounting rails can also serve as reinforcing elements of the housing in addition to functioning as fastening elements.According to one embodiment, the mounting rails are separate components which are fastened to the housing, for example to the inner side of the housing jacket.According to one embodiment, the housing jacket of the housing can comprise housing elements made of aluminum. The integrated mounting rails can be formed directly on the inside of the housing jacket by extrusion techniques.According to an embodiment, the cross sections of the mounting rails have T-shaped grooves that open in a direction facing away from the inside of the housing shell. The grooves are configured to receive slot nuts. The window support member is then fixed to the mounting rails by a plurality of fixing screws and the nuts disposed in the T-shaped grooves. In this embodiment, the surfaces of the mounting rails facing away from the inner surface of the housing jacket are used as fastening surfaces against which transverse fastening parts of the support arms are tightened by the fastening screws. An advantage of this embodiment is that the mounting rails can also be used for fastening other mechanical and electrical components within the housing.According to one embodiment, a first transverse thickness of the central visible region of the window element is greater than a second transverse thickness of the edge regions, as a result of which the central visible region is configured such that it partially protrudes into the window opening of the housing casing. In other words, an outer surface of the window element may be at the same level as an outer surface of the housing, which is advantageous for the external appearance of the charging unit. In addition, the assembly of the window element is improved if the viewing region projects into the window opening and lateral movements of the window element in the direction of the housing surfaces are thereby prevented.According to one embodiment, the window element is made of transparent plastic material and the edge regions with the smaller second thickness are produced by machining in order to provide the thinner edge regions. According to an alternative solution, the window element is produced in the desired cross section with the thinner edge regions by casting, injection molding or another production method, so that machining is not required.According to one embodiment, the sealing arrangement comprises at least one self-adhesive sealing element. An advantage of this embodiment is that the self-adhesive sealing element can be attached simply and quickly pre-assembled to the edge regions of the window element and subsequently used as a module. A further advantage is that the self-adhesive sealing element contributes to the generation of the fastening forces. In this way, the window member is held in position not only by the mechanical spring force of the window support member but also by the adhesive force.According to an embodiment, the sealing element may be made of rubber, silicone, rubber composite or another elastic sealing material.According to an embodiment, the sealing element has a double-sided adhesive tape configuration.According to an alternative embodiment, an adhesive sealant can be applied between the edge regions of the window element and the inner surface of the housing. In this case too, there is an adhesive connection between the window element and an inner surface of the housing jacket.According to an embodiment, the window support element is pressed by means of fastening screws or other fastening elements in the direction of the window element.According to one embodiment, the window support element is pulled by means of fastening screws or other fastening elements in the direction of the window element.Alternatively, according to an embodiment, the window support element is fastened by means of rivets or suitable quick-action coupling elements.According to an embodiment, the attachment of the window element is configured to provide sufficient impact protection according to the IK impact classification. The disclosed attachment using the window support member is designed to conform to the class IK10, wherein the window member is protected from impact energy of 20 Joules. The window element thus well resists external influences, for example by vandalism.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe disclosed solution is described in more detail below on the basis of some embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a charging unit; FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of a window element; FIG. 3 shows a schematic side view of a window element with a sealing arrangement; FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a window element before installation in a window opening provided in the housing jacket; FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of a window element after installation in the window opening and the mechanical support from the inside of the housing by means of a window support element; FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a window support member; FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of a mounting arrangement of a window support member to a mounting rail; and FIG. 8 shows a schematic illustration of a window support element arranged between two mounting rails, which supports a window element against an inner surface of the housing jacket.For the sake of better clarity, the figures show some embodiments of the disclosed solution in a simplified representation. In the figures, like reference numerals designate like elements.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSUREFIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a charging unit 1 which is provided for charging batteries of different electric vehicles. The charging unit 1 comprises a housing 2 which is provided with a housing casing 3 which has one or more housing claddings or housing structures, such as side claddings, a front cladding and an openable and closable maintenance door. The charging unit 1 can be installed outside or under moist environmental conditions, which is why the housing 2 must be designed to be dust-proof and watertight. The housing jacket 3 also offers protection against unauthorized access to the interior of the housing 2 in which electrical components are located.The charging unit 1 comprises one or more charging cables 4 with charging connections 5 which enable an electrical connection to the vehicle to be charged. In public use, the charging unit 1 further comprises a payment terminal 6 for performing payment for the charged electric power. The housing jacket 3 may be provided with one or more window elements 7 which allow a visual connection to the interior of the housing 2. An electricity meter 8 can be provided inside the housing 2 in order to provide data about the amount of electrical energy consumed and the price per unit of energy, for example per kilowatts hour (kWh). Moreover, one or more operable display panels 9 may be disposed within the housing 2 to provide selected information for the charging operation to the user. The electricity meter 8 and the operable display panel 9 may comprise one or more screens, display devices 10 or other visual communication means for providing the user with visually readable data through the window element 7.FIG. 2 shows a window element 7 which is made of transparent material, for example transparent plastic or glass, and comprises a central viewing region 7 aand surrounding edge regions 7 b. As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the central visible region 7 acan have a first transverse thickness T 1 which is greater than a second transverse thickness T 2 of the edge regions 7 b. In some cases it may also be possible to use a window element of uniform thickness.FIG. 3 shows that a sealing arrangement 11 can be provided on the edge regions 7 b. The sealing arrangement 11 can be an adhesive seal which is pre-assembled on the window element before the window element 7 is mounted.FIG. 4 shows that the housing shell 3 is provided with a window opening 12 for receiving the window element 7. The viewing area 7a can project into the window opening 12 and the edge areas 7b surround the window opening 12, as shown in FIG. 5. The sealing arrangement 11 provides a suitable seal between an inner surface of the casing 3 and the edge regions 7b when the window element 7 is mounted in position. An outer surface of the viewing area 7 acan be at the same level as an outer surface of the housing jacket 3 or alternatively be arranged at a relatively short transverse distance from the outer surface of the housing jacket. In both cases, the window element 7 is well protected by the housing structure 3.FIG. 5 shows that a window support element 13 is provided to press the edge regions 7 bof the window element 7 against the inner surface of the housing jacket 3. The window support member 13 is configured to generate a spring force SF when mounted in position. The window support member 13 is an integral structure including a planar central portion 14 which is parallel to the window member 7. The central portion 14 has a central second opening 15 and support zones 16 surrounding the second opening 15. In addition, two support arms 17 are located on opposite sides of the central portion 14. The support arms 17 include fastening members 18 at their distal ends. The inclined support arms 17 can serve as elastically bendable portions and generate the spring force SF when the fastening members 18 are mounted to fastening points 19 provided inside the housing. The support arms 17 are designed and dimensioned to flex B and generate the spring force SFwhen the fasteners 18 are pressed against the attachment points 19. The fastening points 19 can be projections on the inner side of the housing jacket 3 or other structures or surfaces against which the fastening parts 18 can be tightened or pressed.As an alternative to the pressure solution shown in Fig. 5, it is possible to apply a pulling force to press the supporting zones 16 against the window element 7. In this case, the window support member 13 may be rotated relative to the vertical axis, and the fastening members may be pulled toward the inner surface of the case shell, for example.FIG. 6 shows the window support element 13, which can be made from sheet metal material, for example stainless steel sheet. The fastening parts 18 comprise fastening openings 20 and elongated holes 21 for screw fastening.FIG. 7 shows that the fastening part 18 of the window support element 13 can be pressed by means of a fastening screw 23 against a mounting rail 22, which is screwed into a slot nut 24. The mounting rail 22 has a substantially T-shaped groove 25 configured to receive the nut block 24. When the fastening bolt 23 is tightened, a fastening force FFis generated, and reversible bending B occurs in the structure of the window support member 13.FIG. 8 shows two mounting rails 22, between which the window support element 13 is arranged. The fastening members 18 are fastened to the surfaces of the mounting rails 22 by means of fastening screws 23.The drawings and the description are provided solely for illustrating the inventive idea. The invention is defined by the claims and in its details the invention may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims

Charging unit (1) for electric vehicles, wherein the charging unit (1) comprises: a housing (2) for protecting electrical components arranged within the housing (2); at least one transparent window element (7) comprising a central viewing area (7a) and edge areas (7b) surrounding the central viewing area; wherein the window element (7) is attached to a window opening (12) provided in the housing shell (3) of the housing (2); and wherein the viewing area (7a) of the window element (7) is aligned with the window opening (12) and the edge areas (7b) surround the window opening (12) and are attached to an inner surface of the housing shell (3); and wherein at least one sealing arrangement (11) is provided between the edge regions (7b) of the window element (7) and the inner surface of the housing jacket (3) in order to produce a watertight connection between the window element (7) and the housing (2); characterized in that the charging unit (1) within the housing (2) further comprises a window support element (13) which is configured to generate a spring force (SF) and to press the edge regions (7b) of the window element (7) against the inner surface of the housing jacket (3).Loading unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the window support element (13) is formed in one piece and comprises a planar central region (14) which runs parallel to the window element (7) and at least two support arms (17) which are located on opposite sides of the central region (14); wherein the central region (14) is provided with a central second opening (15) which is surrounded by support regions (16); wherein the support arms (17) are oriented at an angle to the central region (14) and comprise fastening parts (18) at their distal ends; and wherein the support arms (17) are formed as elastically bendable portions which generate the spring force (SF) when the fastening parts (18) are attached to fastening points (19) within the housing (2).Charging unit according to claim 2, characterised in that the window support element (13) consists of a metallic sheet metal material.The loading unit according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that two parallel, longitudinally extending mounting rails (22) are provided on the inner surface of the housing shell (3) which are spaced apart transversely to each other such that the window opening (12) is located between the mounting rails (22); and wherein the window support element (13) is fastened to the mounting rails (22).Loading unit according to claim 4, characterised in that the cross-sections of the mounting rails (22) have T-shaped grooves (25) which are open in a direction facing away from the inner surface of the housing jacket (3) and are configured to receive slot nuts (24); and wherein the window support element (13) is fastened to the mounting rails (22) by means of a plurality of fastening screws (23) and the slot nuts (24) arranged in the T-shaped grooves (25).Charging unit according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a first transverse thickness (T1) of the central visible region (7a) of the window element (7) is greater than a second transverse thickness (T2) of the edge regions (7b), such that the central visible region (7a) partially protrudes into the window opening (12) of the housing casing (3).Charging unit according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the sealing arrangement (11) comprises at least one self-adhesive sealing element.

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