VEHICLE INCLUDES A REMOVABLE ELECTRICAL CHARGING PORT

Abstract

A motor vehicle comprising: - an electrical cable (1) extendable from a stowed position to an extended position, one of its two ends comprising an electrical plug (2) suitable for connection to an external electrical power source in the extended position, - a housing (3) closed by a movable hatch (4), housing the electrical plug (2) when the electrical cable (1) is stowed, - an elastic gripping means (5), attached to the plug (2), and capable of extending, by virtue of its elasticity, from a deformed position constrained by the hatch (4) in the closed position, to a position accessible by an operator's hand when the hatch (4) is open. Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: VEHICLE COMPRISING A REMOVABLE ELECTRICAL CHARGING PORT

[0001] The invention relates to the field of charging cables for electric motor vehicles, that is to say, comprising at least one electric motor machine and a battery powering this electric motor machine.

[0002] Recharging this battery, via this cable and an external power source, can be carried out according to the following types of charging, which will be chosen by the user: - in mode 2: at a maximum of 3.7 kWh, in alternating current, where an electronic box must be used (for example integrated into the charging cable), and connected to a standard domestic socket; - in mode 3: at a maximum of 43 kWh, in alternating current, where it is necessary to use a dedicated charging cable equipped with so-called "Type 2" connectors, and connect it to a charging station which integrates control, safety and charge regulation / programming functionalities; - in mode 4: at a maximum of 350 kWh, in direct current, by means of so-called "fast" or "very fast" charging stations which deliver direct current at a very high power level; these stations have a charging cable with a specific connector (Type 2 CCS Combo in Europe).

[0003] In the case of a charging cable integrated into the vehicle, for example for modes 2 and 3, the end of this cable intended to be connected to the external power source of the vehicle includes a plug that can be removed from the vehicle and integrated in a stowed position in a housing in the vehicle body, this housing being closed from the outside by a movable opening, for example a fuel filler flap.

[0004] For reasons of space, this pull-out grip must be as compact as possible and therefore does not have a handle or any particular gripping shape, so that in all cases the closing of this movable opening is never hindered.

[0005] This is an inconvenience for the user, who may have some difficulty grasping the pull-out plug due to lack of space for his fingers between the plug and the housing, this being all the more annoying as the operation is repeated for each recharge.

[0006] An objective of the present invention is to remedy the defects of the prior art, and in particular to facilitate the gripping and use of the pull-out grips while allowing its integration into a confined housing.

[0007] To achieve this objective, the invention proposes a motor vehicle comprising: - an electrical cable that can be deployed from a stowed position to a deployed position, a the first of its two ends comprising an electrical socket suitable for connection to an external electrical power source in the deployed position, - a housing closed by a movable hatch, and housing the electrical socket when the electrical cable is in the stowed position, - an elastic gripping means, attached to the grip, and capable of deploying by virtue of its elasticity from a deformed position constrained by the hatch in the closed position, to a position accessible by the hand of an operator if the hatch is open.

[0008] Unlike the prior art, the user does not need to grasp the grip because this retractable gripping device, thanks to its elasticity, not only does not interfere with the hatch's closure but also forms an easily graspable protrusion when deployed, i.e., when the hatch is open. Thus, the grip is easily removed from the vehicle, and the cable is easily deployed.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the invention, the elastic gripping means is for example secured to the grip by means of a pivot joint.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the invention, the elastic gripping means is for example attached to the grip by continuity of material of the grip.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, the elastic gripping means forms, for example, in the deployed position, a tab extending towards the movable hatch.

[0012] This tab forms, for example, a ring at its free end.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, the socket has a body now electrical connectors between them, and the housing has a bottom wall including a hole through which the deployable electrical cable slides when deployed, this body entering this hole if the plug is in the stowed position.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, this vehicle comprises: - an electric motor, and - a battery configured to power the motive machine, - an on-board charger configured to recharge the battery, the second end of the electrical cable being connected to the on-board charger so that the battery can be recharged by the external electrical power source to the vehicle.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the gripping means is at least partially colored in a color different from that of the socket and / or the housing.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, this vehicle comprises a body, the housing being formed by the body.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the invention, the hatch in the closed position is flush with the outer surface of the bodywork.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the invention, the hatch is a manually opened hatch.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the invention, the hatch is a motorized opening hatch.

[0020] The invention will be further detailed by describing non-limiting embodiments, and based on the single attached figure illustrating variants of the invention, in which: - [Fig.1] schematically illustrates a partial view in space of a vehicle according to the invention, this vehicle comprising a socket, a housing for this socket, and a gripping means according to the invention.

[0021] Thus this [Fig. 1] discloses a motor vehicle comprising: - an electrical cable 1 that can be deployed from a stowed position to a deployed position, one of its two ends comprising an electrical plug 2 suitable for connection to an external electrical power source in the deployed position, - a compartment 3 closed by a movable hatch 4, and housing the electrical socket 2 if the electrical cable 1 is in the stowed position, - an elastic gripping means 5, attached to the socket 2, and capable of extending, due to its elasticity, from a deformed and constrained position by the hatch 4 in the closed position, to a position accessible by an operator's hand if the hatch 4 is open.

[0022] The deployment of this electrical cable 1 is, for example, achieved by a user pulling the cable 1 through the socket 2, but primarily by the elastic gripping means 5, initially to dislodge the socket 2 from the housing 3. If the hatch 4 is open, the elastic gripping means 5 is deployed and the user can therefore easily grasp it by hand.

[0023] If the electrical cable 1 is in the stowed position, as illustrated in [Fig.1], the socket 2 is in the housing 3 and the closing of the hatch 4, whether manual or motorized, will have no difficulty in compressing or flexing the elastic gripping means 5 which will therefore not obstruct the closing of the hatch 4.

[0024] This elastic gripping means 5 is for example made of an elastomer-type material, or of a plastic material having shape elasticity for example of a thickness less than 1 mm and without possible buttressing with the hatch 4.

[0025] Housing 3 is a housing opening, for example, onto the exterior of the vehicle, in particular onto the exterior of the vehicle body, but not necessarily. It may be a housing within the vehicle's passenger compartment, opening into a storage compartment such as a trunk, for example, or opening into a doorway as another example (the open door or trunk allowing the deployment of the electrical cable 1).

[0026] This elastic gripping means 5 is, for example, attached to the grip 2 by means of a pivot joint, allowing angular orientation of this elastic gripping means 5 relative to the grip 2. For example, this elastic gripping means 5 also forms a protective cap or plug (not shown) for connectors internal electrical connections to socket 2. The pivot connection is for example achieved by a local thinning of the material forming the hinge, or alternatively by an articulated axis, or even by detachable clips.

[0027] The elastic gripping means 5 is, for example, attached to the grip 2 by the continuity of the material of the grip 2: Thus, the elastic gripping means 5 can be attached to the grip 2 along the 6 degrees of freedom, or even attached by a pivot joint through material thinning as previously described. Note that [Fig. 1] represents a version where the elastic gripping means 5 is attached along the six degrees of freedom to the grip 2 by the continuity of the material of the grip 2. Other attachment methods are of course possible: gluing, screwing, clipping, for example.

[0028] As illustrated in [Fig.1], the elastic gripping means 5 forms, in the deployed position as illustrated, a tongue extending towards the movable hatch 4. The expression "towards the hatch 4" will of course be understood as a direction oriented from the inside of the housing 3 towards the opening left by the hatch 4 if it is open.

[0029] It should be noted that in [Fig. 1], the movable hatch 4 is only partially shown: in fact, only the hinged part of the hatch 4 is represented, in the form of a gooseneck. This type of hinge is perfectly well known to those skilled in the art, for all kinds of openings such as, for example, rear trunk hatches, but also movable hatches 4 for accessing the fuel or additive filling points, or, as here, for accessing the charging port 2 for a vehicle battery.

[0030] This tab forms a ring 6 at its free end, allowing, for example, a finger to be inserted. But other ergonomic shapes can of course be provided, such as a hook shape or an extra thickness of material forming a shape that fits in with a user's finger.

[0031] The socket 2 has a body holding electrical connectors together, and the housing 3 has a bottom wall 7 comprising a hole 8 through which the deployable electrical cable 1 slides during its deployment, this body penetrating this hole 8 if the socket 2 is in the stowed position.

[0032] Extending from this hole 8, inside the vehicle, there is, for example, a storage system for the electrical cable 1, capable of storing the cable 1 in a spiral, accordion, or looped position, with or without automatic return to the stowed position, this system being known to those skilled in the art. When this cable 1 is deployed, it slides through this hole 8, whether or not it is guided by this hole 8. In [Fig. 1], this hole 8 extends into the housing 3, forming an open half-section in which the main part of the plug 2 is housed. The plug 2 is shown in the stowed position: it can be seen that there is not enough space between this body and the housing 3 and the hole 8 to insert a finger, and only the gripping means Elastic band 5 allows the plug 2 to be easily extracted from hole 8 and housing 3.

[0033] This vehicle includes, for example: - an electric motor, and - a battery configured to power the motive machine, - an on-board charger configured to recharge the battery, the second end of the electrical cable 1 being connected to the on-board charger so that the battery can be recharged by the external electrical power source to the vehicle.

[0034] This battery, not shown, like the electric drive unit or the on-board charger, are components perfectly known to those skilled in the art. This battery is also capable of being recharged by one of the charging methods described above and generally operates at a voltage between 150V and 1000V. It generally comprises several electrical energy storage modules, each module comprising several electrochemical cells. The electric drive unit is, for example, coupled to one of the vehicle's wheel sets.

[0035] The gripping means 5 is at least partially coloured in a different colour from that of the grip 2 and / or the housing 3. This colour is for example a paint-type coating, or a colour in the mass of the material constituting it.

[0036] This vehicle includes a body 9, the housing 3 being formed by the body 9, the hatch 4 in the closed position being flush with the outer surface of the body 9.

Claims

Demands

1. Motor vehicle comprising: - an electrical cable (1) deployable from a stowed position to a deployed position, a first of its two ends comprising an electrical plug (2) suitable for being connected to an external electrical power source in the deployed position, - a housing (3) closed by a movable hatch (4), and housing the electrical plug (2) if the electrical cable (1) is in the stowed position, characterized in that it comprises an elastic gripping means (5), attached to the plug (2), and suitable for deploying by its elasticity from a deformed position constrained by the hatch (4) in the closed position, to a position accessible by the hand of an operator if the hatch (4) is open.

2. Vehicle according to claim 1, the elastic gripping means (5) being secured to the grip (2) by means of a pivot joint.

3. Vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, the elastic gripping means (5) being attached to the grip (2) by continuity of material of the grip (2).

4. Vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, the elastic gripping means (5) forming, in deployed position, a tab extending towards the movable hatch (4).

5. Vehicle according to claim 4, the tab forming a ring (6) at its free end.

6. Vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, the plug (2) having a body retaining electrical connectors together, and the housing (3) having a bottom wall (7) including a hole (8) through which the deployable electrical cable (1) slides when deployed, this body penetrating this hole (8) if the plug (2) is in stowed position.

7. Vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, and comprising: - an electric power unit, and - a battery configured to power the power unit, - an on-board charger configured to recharge the battery, the second end of the electric cable (1) being connected to the on-board charger so that the battery can be recharged by the electrical power source external to the vehicle.

8. Vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, the means of grip (5) being at least partially colored in a color different from that of the socket (2) and / or the housing (3).

9. Vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, and comprising a body (9), the housing (3) being formed by the body (9).

10. Vehicle according to claim 9, the hatch (4) in the closed position being flush with the outer surface of the body (9).

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