Charging device
The charging device addresses complexity and cost issues by incorporating a suspender system with a fixing portion, cable tie, and elastic locking device to facilitate easy attachment and prevent wear, ensuring smooth operation and vehicle protection.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-08-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-06
AI Technical Summary
Existing charging devices for electric vehicles have complex structures, are difficult to manufacture, expensive, require complicated assembly, and can cause wear and damage to vehicles due to inadequate fastening and contact with wires during charging.
A charging device with a suspender system that includes a main body with a fixing portion and wire guide, a cable tie for easy attachment, and a locking device made of elastic resin to prevent wear and vehicle damage, featuring a metal protective cover for the wire guide.
The device allows easy attachment and prevents wear, ensuring smooth operation and protection of the vehicle during charging.
Smart Images
Figure 2026038362000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a charging device for an electric vehicle. [Background technology]
[0002] A conventional charging device for electric vehicles is described in Patent Document 1. This charging device includes a charging cable having a connector at its tip end that is connected to the vehicle and a base end that is connected to a power source, a wire whose tip end is secured to the tip end of the charging cable via a fixture, a take-up reel for winding the wire toward the base end, and multiple suspenders attached to the charging cable so as to suspend the charging cable at multiple points along its extension in a displaceable manner relative to the wire. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes that the suspender in the charging device described above has a fixed portion for the cable and a sliding portion through which the wire passes slidably, and that the sliding portion is configured to be rotatable relative to the fixed portion (Fig. 4), thereby causing the sliding portion to automatically rotate in a direction that reduces frictional resistance with the wire, thereby suppressing the generation of frictional resistance. Patent Document 3 describes a power cord supply device. This device has a wire whose tip is fixed to the transport equipment side and whose base end is stretched so that it can be wound by a winder on the power source side, and a power cord whose ends are fixed to the transport equipment side and the power source side, and the power cord is suspended in a spiral shape by a hook that moves freely on the wire. The power cord follows the movement of the transport equipment. Patent Document 4 describes a bundling body used for charging cables for electric vehicles. This bundling body corresponds to the suspender in the charging device for electric vehicles described in Patent Document 1 and includes a bundling header (suspender body) and a cable tie. The suspender body is provided with a loop portion into which the wire is inserted and is fixed to the charging cable by the cable tie. The cable tie has a band portion provided with multiple triangular locking protrusions and a head portion provided with locking pieces to lock onto the locking protrusions. The suspender body is provided with a head locking portion that can lock the head portion of the cable tie. The head locking portion is a recess that opens to the side and can fit the head portion of the cable tie from the side. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-81874 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3190718 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 52-2458 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-40286 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] The hanging device in the charging device shown in Figure 4 of Patent Document 2 has a fixed part and a sliding part that are separate bodies, and the fixed part and the sliding part can be connected and disconnected. Compared to an integrated structure, the hanging device has a complex structure, is not easy to manufacture, and is inevitably relatively expensive. In the case of the cable tie described in Patent Document 4, which is used as a sling for hanging a charging cable on a wire, when attaching it to a charging cable, the user must fit the head of the cable tie into the head locking portion that opens to the side, hold the head with their fingers, grasp the bundling header and the charging cable to position them, wrap the band around the charging cable, and insert the tip of the band into the insertion hole in the head. This is a complicated task that requires the user to simultaneously hold the bundling header, cable tie, and charging cable in one hand. In both of the charging devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 3, when storing the charging cable, if the weight of the charging cable that is bundled together in a coil as the wire is wound up exceeds the spring force of the wire winding reel, the wire cannot be completely wound up, and therefore the bundled part of the charging cable cannot be pulled up and held above the ground, which causes the charging cable that comes into contact with the ground to become soiled. Furthermore, neither of the charging devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 3 proposes a specific structure for the fastener for securing the tip of the wire to the tip of the charging cable. Because this fastener is attached near the connector, it needs to be made of an elastic material, have no exposed metal components on its surface, and be easy to attach, so as not to come into contact with and damage the vehicle during charging. Therefore, an object of a first aspect of the present invention is to provide a charging device including a suspender that can be attached to a wire midway through its extension. An object of a second invention is to provide a charging device including a suspender that can be easily attached to a charging cable with a cable tie. An object of a third invention is to provide a charging device including a suspender that can prevent wear due to contact with a wire. An object of a fourth invention is to provide a charging device including a locking device for a wire and a charging cable that is easy to install and will not come into contact with or damage the vehicle during charging. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] In the following description, reference will be made to the reference numerals in the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. To solve the above problems, a first invention provides a charging device (1) including: a charging cable (3) having a connector (3a) at its tip end that is connected to a vehicle and a base end that is connected to a power source; a wire (5) having a tip end that is fastened to the tip end side of the charging cable (3) via a fastener (4); a take-up reel (6) for winding the wire (5) toward the base end; and multiple suspenders (7) that suspend the charging cable (3) so that the charging cable (3) can be displaced relative to the wire (5) at multiple points along its extension, wherein the suspender (7) includes a main body (8) through which the wire (5) is slidably inserted, and a cable tie (9) that secures the main body (8) to the charging cable (3). The main body (8) of the suspender (7) includes a fixing portion (81) that is fixed in close contact with the outer periphery of the charging cable (3), and a wire guide portion (82) that rises from the fixing portion (81) radially outward of the charging cable (3) and has a guide opening (82a) through which the wire (5) is inserted. The fixing portion 81 has a slit 81f extending from the contact surface portion 81c with the outer periphery of the charging cable 3 to the inner periphery of the guide opening 82a and intersecting with the cable tie 9, and is configured so that the wire 5 can be introduced into the guide opening 82a through this slit 81f while being extended. The second invention is a charging device 1, in which the fixing portion 81 includes a contact surface portion 81a that tightly contacts the flat surface 92d of the band portion insertion side of the head 92 of the cable tie 9, a support surface 81b that supports the lower jaw portion 92c of the head 92, a through portion 81d that inserts the band portion 91 of the cable tie 9 from the support surface 81b to the contact surface portion 81c side with the charging cable 3, and a guide groove portion 81e that extends from the through portion 81d and guides the tip side of the band portion 91 that has wrapped around the charging cable 3 to the insertion hole 92a of the head 92. The third invention is a charging device 1, in which a metal protective cover 83 is attached to a wire guide portion 82 of a suspender 7, covering the sliding surface with the wire 5 on the upper inner periphery of a guide opening 82a. A fourth invention relates to a charging device 1, in which a locking device 4 includes a locking device main body 41 integrally molded from elastic resin so as to fit onto the outer periphery of a charging cable 3 via a fitting groove 41a having a U-shaped cross section, a cable tie 42 that fastens the locking device main body 41 to the charging cable 3, and a retaining member 43 with a notch 43a that engages with the tip of a wire 5. The locking device main body 41 allows the wire 5 to be inserted together with the locking body 5a fixed to the tip, but includes a wire insertion hole 41e that prevents insertion of the retaining member 43 engaged with the locking body 5a. [Effects of the Invention]
[0006] According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging device 1 including a suspender 7 that allows the wire 5 to be introduced into the guide opening 82a through the slit 81f of the fixing portion 81 while the wire 5 is being extended. According to the second aspect of the present invention, a charging device (1) including a suspender (7) that can be easily attached to a charging cable (3) with a binding band (9) can be obtained. According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a charging device 1 including a suspender 7 that can prevent wear due to contact with a wire. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a charging device including a locking device for a wire and a charging cable is obtained, which is easy to install and will not come into contact with or damage the vehicle during charging. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention in use; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a charging device according to the present invention in a stored state; [Figure 3] 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a charging device according to the present invention in a state in which a longer charging cable is stored. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing a hanging tool attached to a charging cable in a charging device according to the present invention; [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a hanging tool attached to a charging cable. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main body of a suspender in the charging device of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a front view showing the main body of the sling device of FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 6 is a side view showing the main body of the sling device of FIG. 5. [Figure 9] FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the main body of the sling device of FIG. 5. [Figure 10] 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 7. [Figure 11] 1A is a plan view showing the relationship between the charging cable and the suspender when the charging cable is pulled out, and FIG. 1B is a plan view showing the relationship between the charging cable and the suspender when the charging cable is stored. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the charging device of the present invention in a mounted state; [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] The figure shows a fastener, where (A) is a front view, (B) is a side view, (C) is a plan view, (D) is a bottom view, and (E) is a cross-sectional view of the fastener. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0008] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown schematically in Figure 1, a charging device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a charging cable 3 having a connector portion 3a at its tip end connected to a charging port 11 of a vehicle 10 and a base end connected to the power supply of a charger 2, a wire 5 having a tip end engaged with the tip side of the charging cable 3 via an engaging device 4, a winding reel 6 for winding the wire 5 toward the base end, and a plurality of hanging devices 7 for suspending the charging cable 3 relative to the wire 5 so that the charging cable 3 can be displaced at a plurality of points along its extension.
[0009] As clearly shown in FIG. 2, when not in use, the connector portion 3a is held in a connector holder 12 attached to the charger 2, and the charging cable 3 is bundled in a coil shape and hung on the hook body 63.
[0010] 1 and 2, two suspenders 7 are attached to the charging cable 3, but as shown in Fig. 3, more suspenders can be attached depending on the length of the charging cable 3. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, when the charging cable 3 is stored, one loop is formed on the charging cable 3 for each suspender 7, and the charging cable 3 as a whole is bundled into a coil shape.
[0011] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the sling 7 includes a main body 8 through which the wire 5 is slidably inserted, and a cable tie 9 that fixes the main body 8 to the charging cable 3.
[0012] The cable tie 9 has a known structure, comprising a band portion 91 having a sawtooth uneven portion (not shown), a head portion 92 provided at the base end of the band portion 91 and having an insertion hole 92a through which the band portion 91 is inserted from the tip end side, and a locking claw 92b on the inside of the insertion hole 92a that engages with the sawtooth uneven portion of the band portion 91.
[0013] 6 to 10, main body 8 of sling device 7 includes fixing portion 81 and wire guide portion 82, which are integrally molded from synthetic resin, excluding protective fitting 83 that is separately attached later. Fixing portion 81 is fixed to the outer periphery of charging cable 3 with a cable tie 9 in close contact with the outer periphery. Wire guide portion 82 has a guide opening 82a through which wire 5 is inserted.
[0014] The fixing portion 81 includes a contact surface 81a that tightly contacts a side surface 92d of the head 92 of the cable tie 9 on the band portion insertion side, a placement surface 81b that supports the lower jaw 92c of the head 92, a through-hole 81d that inserts the band 91 of the cable tie 9 from the placement surface 81b toward the contact surface 81c with the charging cable 3, and a guide groove 81e that extends from the through-hole 81d and guides the tip end of the band 91 that has wrapped around the charging cable 3 into the insertion hole 92a of the head 92. The fixing portion 81 also has a slit 81f that guides the wire 5 into the guide opening 82a. The slit 82f is formed in a direction intersecting the cable tie 9, and after the wire 5 has been introduced, the slit 82f is opened and stopped by tightening the cable tie 9.
[0015] The wire guide portion 82 stands outward from the fixing portion 81 in the radial direction of the charging cable 3, and has a guide opening 82a. As clearly shown in Fig. 1, the wire guide portion 82 allows the wire 5 to be freely inserted along the extension direction of the charging cable 3.
[0016] 11, the guide opening 82a is provided such that an imaginary plane S including its inner periphery is inclined with respect to the direction of the axis L of the charging cable 3 at the portion where the fixing portion 81 is in close contact. In the illustrated embodiment, the inclination angle is approximately 45°, but is not limited to this.
[0017] When not in use, the charging cable 3 is stored in a coiled state as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 11(B) shows the charging cable 3, wire 5, and suspender 7 in the stored state. In this state, the wire 5 is arranged linearly in a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the axis L of the charging cable 3 in a plan view. Because an imaginary plane S including the inner periphery of the guide opening 82a is inclined with respect to the direction of the axis L of the charging cable 3, the wire 5 extends straight in a plan view without coming into contact with the left and right peripheral edges of the guide opening 82a and meandering.
[0018] FIG. 11(A) shows the wire 5 and the suspender 7 when the charging cable 3 is pulled out. When the charging cable 3 is pulled out together with the wire 5, the charging cable 3, together with the suspender 7, is rotated approximately 90° around the vertical axis in a plan view (FIG. 11(A)) from the stored state (FIG. 11(B)). Even in this state, the wire 5 extends straight in a plan view without coming into contact with the left and right edges of the guide opening 82a and meandering. Therefore, even when pulling out the charging cable 3, the sliding resistance between the suspender 7 and the wire 5 does not increase, and therefore the operation of pulling out the charging cable 3 can be performed smoothly.
[0019] 10, a pair of engagement grooves 82b for engaging with protective fittings 83 are formed on both edges of the upper part of the wire guide part 82. The protective fitting 83 is a molded product of an elastic metal plate material with a roughly C-shaped cross section having curved elastic engagement pieces 83a on both edges, and is engaged and fixed to the inner periphery of the guide opening 82a at the upper part of the wire guide part 82. When the protective fitting 83 is pressed into the inner periphery of the guide opening 82a, it elastically pushes apart the elastic engagement pieces 83a and then returns to its original shape by the engagement grooves 82b, allowing it to be engaged and fixed.
[0020] 1 and 2, take-up reel 6 is located below connector holder 12 and is attached to a vertical wall surface of charger 2 by mounting member 62. Take-up reel 6 is provided with a take-up drum 62 (not shown) inside case 61, and a take-up spring and other components that urge the drum in the direction of winding wire 5.
[0021] The case 61 is supported by a pivot perpendicular to the mounting member 62 so as to be horizontally rotatable to the left and right, and is provided with an outlet for the wire 5 at the lower part forward of the pivot.
[0022] The cable hook body 63 extends downward from the lower part of the case 61 and is curved forward at the lower end. The cable hook body 63 is made of a metal plate having a predetermined elasticity.
[0023] When the charging cable 3 is not in use, the wire 5 is wound up into the case 61 by the winding drum, as shown in Figure 2. In this case, by winding up the wire 5, the charging cable 3 is gathered into a coil and hung on the cable hook body 63.
[0024] As shown in Fig. 2, when charging cable 3 is pulled out from the state in which it is hung on cable hook body 63 toward vehicle 10 as shown in Fig. 1, wire 5 is pulled out from the take-up drum. In this pulled-out state, when connector portion 3a is connected to charging port 11 of vehicle 10, charging cable 3 is suspended from wire 5.
[0025] When the connector portion 3a is removed from the vehicle 10 and the user approaches the charger 2 to store the charging cable 3, the elastic force of the winding spring rotates the winding drum, and the wire 5 is pulled into the case 61. As the wire 5 is wound up, the suspenders 7 move closer to each other, and the charging cable 3 is wound into a coil and bundled.
[0026] When the charging cable 3 is bundled into a coil, for example, if a user pulls up the tip end of the charging cable 3 together with the wire 5, the coiled bundled portion is pulled up together and easily hooked onto the cable hook body 63. If the elastic force of the take-up spring of the take-up reel 6 is sufficiently high, the charging cable 3 can be pulled away from the ground and held there by the pulling force of the wire 5 alone, without being hooked onto the cable hook body 63.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 12, the fastener 4 that secures the tip of the wire 5 to the charging cable 3 includes a fastener main body 41 integrally molded from elastic resin, a cable tie 42 that secures the fastener main body 41 to the charging cable, and a retaining member 43 (FIG. 13) that engages with the tip of the wire 5.
[0028] 12 and 13, locking device main body 41 fits onto the outer periphery of charging cable 3 through fitting groove 41a with a U-shaped cross section. Locking device main body 41 has a body portion 41b and flange portions 41c at both ends of body portion 41b. Body portion 41b has, in the center thereof, a holding space 41d for retaining member 43 and a wire insertion hole 41e communicating with holding space 41d.
[0029] 13 and 14, a guide groove 41f that receives the cable tie 42 is formed on the outer periphery of the body portion 41b between the flange portions 41c. A flexible band guide piece 41g extends from one circumferential edge of the body portion 41b. The band guide piece 41g has a guide groove 41h that continues to the guide groove 43f of the body portion 41b, and is tightly fixed to the outer periphery of the cable 3 when the cable tie 42 is tightened.
[0030] A locking body 5a is fixed to the tip of the wire 5 (FIG. 12). The wire insertion hole 41e has an inner diameter that allows the locking body 5a to pass through but not the retaining member 43. Therefore, the tip of the wire 5 can be inserted into the holding space 41d from the outside through the wire insertion hole 41e.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 13, the retaining member 43 has a slit 43a through which the wire 5 passes but the locking body 5a does not pass, and fits into a holding space 41d shown clearly in FIG.
[0032] Although there is a possibility that the locking device 4 may come into contact with or collide with the vehicle 10 when inserting or removing the connector portion 3a into or from the charging port 11 of the vehicle 10, it will not damage the vehicle body because it is made of an elastic material and has no exposed metal parts such as screws. It can be easily and securely fixed to the charging cable 3. [Explanation of symbols]
[0033] 1 Charging device 2 charger 3 Charging cable 3a connector 4. Locking device 41 Locking device body 41a Fitting groove 41b Torso 41c Flange 41d Holding space 41e Wire insertion hole 41f Guide groove 41g band guide piece 41h Guide groove 42 Cable ties 43 Stopper member 43a notch 5 wire 5a Locking body 6 wire reels 61 cases 62 Mounting material 63 Cable hook body 7 Lifting equipment 8. Lifting device body 81 Fixed part 81a Contact surface part 81b Placement surface section 81c Close contact surface part 81d Penetration 81e Guide groove 81f Slit 82 Wire guide part 82a Guide opening 9 Cable ties 91 Obi section 92 Head 92a Insertion hole 92b Locking claw 92c Mandible 92d Insertion side 10 vehicles 11 Charging port 12 Connector holder
Claims
1. a charging device comprising: a charging cable having a connector portion at a tip end thereof connected to a vehicle and a base end thereof connected to a power source; a wire having a tip end thereof engaged with the tip end side of the charging cable via an engaging device; a take-up reel for winding the wire toward the base end side; a plurality of suspenders for displaceably suspending the charging cable while twisting it into a coil shape at a plurality of points along its extension relative to the wire; and a cable hook body attached to the take-up reel for hooking the charging cable that has been converged into a coil shape below the wound-up wire, the suspender includes a main body through which the wire is slidably inserted, and a cable tie that fixes the main body to the charging cable; the main body of the suspender includes a fixing portion that is fixed in close contact with an outer periphery of the charging cable, and a wire guide portion that stands from the fixing portion toward the outside in the radial direction of the charging cable and has a guide opening through which the wire is inserted; The fixing portion of the hanging device has a slit extending from the surface in contact with the outer periphery of the charging cable to the inner periphery of the guide opening and intersecting with the cable tie, and is configured so that the wire can be introduced into the guide opening through the slit while being extended.
2. A charging device comprising: a charging cable having a connector portion at a tip end connected to a vehicle and a base end connected to a power source; a wire having a tip end engaged with the tip end side of the charging cable via a fastening device; a take-up reel for winding the wire toward the base end side; and a plurality of suspenders for suspending the charging cable displaceably at a plurality of points along an extension of the wire, the suspender includes a main body through which the wire is slidably inserted, and a cable tie that fixes the main body to the charging cable; the main body of the suspender includes a fixing portion that is fixed in close contact with an outer periphery of the charging cable, and a wire guide portion that stands from the fixing portion toward the outside in the radial direction of the charging cable and has a guide opening through which the wire is inserted; A charging device characterized in that the fixing portion comprises an abutment surface that tightly contacts the side of the head of the cable tie where the band portion is inserted, a support surface that supports the lower jaw of the head, a through portion that inserts the band portion of the cable tie from the support surface to the contact surface with the charging cable, and a guide groove portion that extends from the through portion and guides the tip side of the band portion that has wrapped around the charging cable into the insertion hole of the head.
3. 3. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein a metal protective cover is attached to the wire guide portion of the suspender, covering the sliding surface of the upper inner periphery of the guide opening with the wire.
4. The locking device includes a locking device main body integrally molded from an elastic resin so as to fit onto an outer periphery of the charging cable using a fitting groove having a U-shaped cross section, a cable tie that fixes the locking device main body to the charging cable, and a notched retaining member that engages with a tip end of the wire, The charging device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the locking device main body inserts the wire together with the locking body fixed to the tip end from the outer periphery into the mating groove, and is provided with a wire insertion hole that prevents the insertion of the anti-slip member engaged with the locking body, and a holding space that holds the anti-slip member within the mating groove.
5. The charging device described in claim 4, characterized in that the fastener main body comprises a roughly semi-cylindrical body portion having a guide groove on its outer periphery that receives the band portion of the cable tie, flange portions formed at both axial ends of the body portion of the cable, and a band guide piece extending from one circumferential edge of the body portion and having a guide groove that is continuous with the guide groove of the body portion, and which can be bent to fit closely to the outer periphery of the cable by tightening the cable tie.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
JP1977002458U
Binding body
JP2017040286A
Winding device with illumination
JP2018081874A
Charging device
JP3190718U