Storage compartment for a charging cable and a spare wheel

Abstract

The invention relates to a storage compartment (1) designed to be fitted to a motor vehicle and to hold a spare wheel, the compartment (1) comprising a first space (5) designed to receive the spare wheel, the compartment (1) comprising a second space (6) containing a retractable electric charging cable (7), the first (5) and second (6) spaces being separated at least partially by a movable partition, the second space (6) comprising winding means (9) designed to wind the cable (7) into the second space (6) and to unwind the cable (7) out of the second space (6). (Figure 2)

Description

Title of the invention: Storage compartment for a charging cable and a spare tire

[0001] The technical field relates to spare wheel storage compartments and motor vehicles having such compartments.

[0002] Electric vehicles are experiencing growing customer interest, while their driving ranges are constantly being improved by car manufacturers. These vehicles draw their electrical energy from onboard batteries, which must be regularly recharged by connecting them to a charging station powered by an electricity distribution network. To this end, the vehicles are generally supplied with a connection device comprising a charging cable suitable for connecting to the charging station and a suitable connector for connecting the charging cable to the batteries. When the vehicle is not connected to a charging station, the charging cable is generally stored in the vehicle for later use.

[0003] Car manufacturers take great care to facilitate the use of their vehicles and seek to maximize available storage space. Thus, storing a charging cable often reduces the available storage space. Furthermore, winding the cable into its compartment is sometimes complicated or simply not designed for it.

[0004] The spare tire presents a similar problem. When a motor vehicle is equipped with a spare tire, it is generally stored in the trunk, under a floor, or suspended beneath the vehicle. Therefore, in addition to the impact this has on storage space, accessing the spare tire usually requires the trunk to be empty, which can be problematic when it is not.

[0005] On some off-road vehicles, the spare tire is sometimes mounted externally, on the engine hood or on the rear hatch closing the trunk. This type of storage, however, has certain drawbacks, notably that the spare tire is exposed to the elements and that it degrades the vehicle's aerodynamic qualities.

[0006] Thus, there is a need for a solution to free up the spaces occupied by the charging cable and the spare wheel in order to offer increased storage space to the vehicle user.

[0007] The present invention aims to overcome the problems described above. In this technical context, one objective of the present invention is to provide a Storage compartment designed to accommodate a charging cable and a spare wheel, while also facilitating cable storage.

[0008] To this end, the present invention relates to a storage compartment designed to equip a motor vehicle and to accommodate a spare wheel, the compartment comprising a first space designed to receive the spare wheel, the compartment comprising a second space containing a retractable electric charging cable, the first and second spaces being separated at least in part by a movable partition, the second space comprising winding means designed to wind the cable in the second space and to allow the cable to be unwound out of the second space.

[0009] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle having at least one compartment according to the invention.

[0010] Thus, the compartment according to the invention offers an innovative solution for storing a spare wheel and a vehicle charging cable. The storage compartment according to the invention allows the charging cable to be wound, using the winding means, in the spare wheel compartment, in the second space. The separation between the first and second spaces is simple using the partition. The compartment is particularly advantageous when implemented to occupy part of the space freed up by the internal combustion engine in an electric vehicle.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the storage compartment, the winding means involve rotating the spare wheel around its own axis when it is positioned in the first space to wind and unwind the cable. Thus, a vehicle user is able to rotate the spare wheel to wind or unwind the cable, depending on the direction of rotation of the spare wheel.

[0012] According to one possibility of the storage compartment, the partition is mounted to rotate about an axis corresponding to the proper axis of the spare wheel, when it is arranged in the first space, the winding and unwinding of the cable involving a rotation of the partition.

[0013] Advantageously, the partition is designed to support the spare wheel located in the first space.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the winding means comprise a spool or a circular groove to allow the cable to be wound.

[0015] In one embodiment, the storage compartment includes elastic return means designed to guide the winding of the cable into the second space.

[0016] According to one possibility of the compartment, the first space includes centering means designed to allow the positioning of the spare wheel in the first space and its rotation around its own axis in the first space.

[0017] In one embodiment, the compartment includes a wall having an opening to allow the cable to pass from the second space to the first space.

[0018] Advantageously, the storage compartment is designed to be positioned under a front hood of the vehicle.

[0019] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0020] [Fig-1] [Fig. 1] represents a perspective view of a storage compartment according to the invention;

[0021] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] represents a perspective view of the compartment of [Fig.1], the partition being omitted;

[0022] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] represents a partial perspective view of a motor vehicle according to the invention showing the compartment of [Fig.1], the compartment being arranged under a front hood;

[0023] In these figures, the same references are used to designate the same elements.

[0024] A storage compartment 1 according to the invention, illustrated in the figures, is designed to equip a motor vehicle 2 and to allow the storage of a spare wheel 3. As illustrated in [Fig.3], the compartment 1 is in particular adapted to be placed under a front hood 4 of the vehicle 2. The compartment 1 according to the invention is particularly adapted to electric vehicles for which the volume under the hood 4 generally occupied by a combustion engine is at least partially freed up.

[0025] As illustrated in [Fig. 3], compartment 1 includes a first space 5 designed to receive the spare wheel 3. It is understood that the spare wheel 3 is, for example, a standard wheel or a space-saver spare. In the example illustrated in [Fig. 3], the first space 5 is directly delimited, at its upper part, by the cover 4, shown transparent. In the first space 5, the spare wheel 3 is, for example, positioned with its axle extending along a vertical axis of the vehicle 2.

[0026] Compartment 1 further includes a second space 6 containing a retractable electric charging cable 7. The charging cable 7 allows the charging of a traction battery of the vehicle 2, not shown. For this purpose, it is connected to a device enabling the transmission of electrical energy to the battery of the vehicle 2.

[0027] As illustrated in [Fig.2], the second space 6 is, for example, arranged under the first space 5.

[0028] As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the first 5 and second 6 spaces are separated at least in part by a movable partition 8, shown in [Fig. 1] and omitted in [Fig. 2]. The partition 8 is, for example, removable to allow access to the second space 6.

[0029] The second space 6 includes winding means 9 designed to wind the cable 7 into the second space 6 and to unwind the cable 7 out of the second space 6. The winding means 9 include, for example, a spool or a circular groove 10 to allow the cable 7 to be wound. Furthermore, the storage compartment 1 advantageously includes elastic return means, not shown, for guiding the winding of the cable 7 into the second space 6. In the illustrated example, the cable 7 is wound in a plane corresponding to a horizontal plane of the vehicle 2.

[0030] As illustrated in [Fig.3], the second space 6 includes, for example, a wall 11 comprising an opening 12 to allow the passage of the cable 7 from the second space 6 to the first space 5 and then to the outside of the vehicle 2. Thus, when the cable 7 is wound in the second space 6, one end 13 of the cable, provided with a connection plug 14, comes against the perimeter of the opening 12, so that only the connection plug 14 is located in the first space 5.

[0031] As illustrated in [Fig. 1], the partition 8 has a disc shape. The partition 8 is designed to support the spare wheel 3 when it is positioned in the first space 5.

[0032] As illustrated in [Fig. 2], the first space 5 includes centering means 15 for positioning the spare wheel 3 in the first space 5 and allowing its rotation about its own axis within the first space 5. The "own axis" of the spare wheel 3 is understood to be the axis around which the spare wheel 3 rotates when mounted on the vehicle to ensure its movement. The centering means 15 include, for example, at least two rollers 16, in this case four rollers 16 arranged to contact the tread of the spare wheel 3 and to rotate when the spare wheel 3 rotates about its own axis.

[0033] In one embodiment of the storage compartment 1, the winding means 9 involve rotating the spare wheel 3 around its own axis, when it is positioned in the first space 5, to wind and unwind the cable 7. For this purpose, the spare wheel 3 rests on the rollers 16 which ensure its positioning on the partition 8. In the described embodiment, the partition 8 is then mounted to rotate about an axis corresponding to the axis The spare wheel 3, when positioned in the first space 5, rotates. Winding and unwinding the cable 7 then causes the partition 8 to rotate. The spare wheel 3 is thus also rotated along with the partition 8 on which it rests. The partition 8 is, for example, hinged on bearings to facilitate its rotation. The direction of rotation determines whether the cable 7 is wound or unwound.

[0034] In the example illustrated in [Fig.3], access to compartment 1 is made possible by means of one or more hatches 17 provided in the grille and / or the hood 4 of the vehicle 2.

[0035] Thus, compartment 1 offers an innovative solution for storing the spare wheel 3 and the charging cable 7 of the vehicle 2. The storage compartment 1 allows the charging cable 7 to be wound up in the second space 6. The separation between the first 5 and second 6 spaces is simple using the partition 8. Compartment 1 is particularly advantageous when implemented to occupy part of the space freed up under the hood 4 by the internal combustion engine in an electric vehicle 2.

[0036] The invention is not limited to the embodiment of the storage compartment described above, only by way of example, but other embodiments can be designed by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope and extent of the present invention.

Claims

Demands

1. Storage compartment (1) designed to equip a motor vehicle (2) and to accommodate a spare wheel (3), the compartment (1) comprising a first space (5) designed to receive the spare wheel (3), the compartment (1) comprising a second space (6) containing a retractable electric charging cable (7), the first (5) and second (6) spaces being separated at least in part by a movable partition (8), the second space (6) comprising winding means (9) designed to wind the cable (7) into the second space (6) and to allow the cable (7) to be unwound out of the second space (6).

2. Storage compartment (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the winding means (9) involve rotating the spare wheel (3) around its own axis, when it is disposed in the first space (5) to wind and unwind the cable (7).

3. Storage compartment (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the partition (8) is mounted to rotate about an axis corresponding to the proper axis of the spare wheel (3), when it is disposed in the first space (5), the winding and unwinding of the cable (7) involving a rotation of the partition (8).

4. Storage compartment (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the partition (8) is designed to support the spare wheel (3) disposed in the first space (5).

5. Storage compartment (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the winding means (9) comprise a coil or a circular groove (10) to allow winding of the cable (7).

6. Storage compartment (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises elastic return means designed to guide the winding of the cable (7) in the second space (6).

7. Storage compartment (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the first space (6) comprises centering means (15) designed to allow the positioning of the spare wheel (3) in the first space (5) and its rotation around its own axis in the first space (5).

8. Storage compartment (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the compartment (1) has a wall (11) having an opening (12) to allow the passage of the cable (7) from the second space (6) to the first space (5).

9. Storage compartment (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is designed to be disposed under a front hood (4) of the vehicle (2).

10. Motor vehicle having at least one compartment (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.