Charging cable

Abstract

This charging cable provides a mechanism that facilitates storage by allowing the charging cable to adhere tightly to itself and maintain a consistent shape when the charging connector is connected to the charger, as the charger energizes an electromagnet placed on the retracted charging cable. [Solution] The charging cable 10 is connectable to a vehicle. The charging cable 10 comprises a charging connector 40 and an electromagnet 50. The charging connector 40 is located on the side of the charging cable 10 that is plugged into the vehicle when charging. The electromagnets 50 are arranged along the charging cable 10 at regular intervals and spaced apart from each other. When the charging connector 40 is connected to the charger 20, power is supplied from the charger 20 to the electromagnets 50.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging cable.

Background Art

[0002] The winding device described in Patent Document 1 can wind a charging cable.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The charging cable for an electric vehicle is heavy and hard, so it is difficult to neatly organize and manage.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The charging cable for solving the above problems is a charging cable connectable to a vehicle, and includes a charging connector provided on the side of the charging cable that is inserted when charging the vehicle, and electromagnets arranged at regular intervals along the charging cable and spaced apart from each other. When the charging connector is connected to a charger, the charger energizes the electromagnets.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] In the above configuration, when the charging connector is connected to a charger, the charger energizes the electromagnets arranged on the wound charging cable. As a result, the electromagnets attract each other by magnetic force, and the charging cables come into close contact with each other. Since the charging cable is likely to maintain a certain shape, it is easy to store. As a result, the charging cable can be neatly organized and managed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the charging cable and the vehicle during charging. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a charging cable. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing how the charging cable is stored after charging. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] This embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. First, the connection between the charging cable 10 and the vehicle 100 during charging will be explained. As shown in Figure 1, the charging cable 10 can be connected to the vehicle 100.

[0009] The charging cable 10 is connected to the charger 20 and is used extended from the charger 20 to the vehicle 100 during charging. The charging cable 10 has the necessary length to connect the charger 20 and the vehicle 100.

[0010] The charging cable 10 comprises multiple core wires (not shown) and supplies voltage and current from the charger 20 to the vehicle 100. The multiple core wires include at least a core wire for supplying voltage and current for charging and a core wire at ground potential. The multiple core wires are covered with a coating. Due to the high current density for charging, the core wires are thick, and the charging cable 10 is typically heavy and rigid. Therefore, the charging cable 10 is often used in contact with the ground between the vehicle 100 and the charger 20 during charging. However, it is not limited to this, and a lighter, more flexible charging cable 10 may be used without contact with the ground.

[0011] The vehicle 100 is equipped with a charging port 110. The charging port 110 is located on the side of the vehicle 100. The charging port 110 is retractable and can be closed when not in use. In one example, the charging port 110 is located on the left side of the vehicle 100 in the direction of travel, but in another example it may be on the right side, or multiple charging ports may be provided on both the left and right sides.

[0012] The charger 20 is connected to an AC power source (not shown) to generate voltage and current for charging the vehicle 100. The charger 20 has a connector 30 that secures one end of the charging cable 10, and the charging cable 10 is connected via the connector 30.

[0013] The connector 30 connects the charging cable 10 to the charger 20 and secures one end of the charging cable 10. The charging cable 10 may be detachable from the connector 30. The charging stand 60 is a stand for adjusting the height of the charger 20. The charging stand 60 is installed adjacent to a space where a vehicle 100 is parked, such as a garage or parking lot of a house, and the charger 20 is placed on the charging stand 60 so that it is at a height that is easy to handle.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, the charging cable 10 includes a charging connector 40 and an electromagnet 50. The charging connector 40 is located on the end of the charging cable 10 that is plugged into the vehicle 100 when charging, and is opposite to the end connected to the connection part 30. The charging connector 40 serves to connect the charging cable 10 to the charging port 110 of the vehicle 100. The charging connector 40 has multiple terminals, to which multiple core wires contained in the charging cable 10 are connected. Some of these terminals are mated with multiple terminals provided on the charging port 110.

[0015] The electromagnets 50 are arranged at regular intervals and spaced apart from each other along the charging cable 10. Each electromagnet 50 is a device that generates a magnetic field when an electric current is passed through it, and is typically constructed by winding a coil around an iron core. Multiple electromagnets 50 can be configured to attract each other when a magnetic field is generated.

[0016] The electromagnets 50 are embedded in the charging cable 10. The embedded electromagnets 50 are connected to each other by wiring (not shown) for supplying power to the electromagnets 50. The wiring for supplying power to the electromagnets 50 is housed inside the charging cable 10 along with several core wires for charging. The wiring is connected to the charging connector 40 and is configured to receive a DC current and DC voltage to drive the electromagnets 50. The terminals in the charging connector 40 are connected to the wiring.

[0017] In another example, the electromagnet 50 may be placed on the surface of the charging cable 10, including wiring (not shown) for energizing the electromagnet 50. In this case, the wiring for energizing the electromagnet 50 connects the electromagnets 50 to each other via the surface of the charging cable 10. The wiring is connected to the charging connector 40 via the surface of the charging cable 10 and is configured to receive a DC current and DC voltage to drive the electromagnets 50.

[0018] The electromagnet 50 is used to house the charging cable 10. More specifically, for a charging cable 10 that is wound in a circular shape over several turns, the electromagnet 50 is positioned at the same location for adjacent charging cables.

[0019] In the example shown in FIG. 2, when the charging cable 10 is wound circularly for n turns, the electromagnets 50 embedded in the charging cables 10 of the (n - 1)-th and (n + 1)-th turns adjacent to the charging cable 10 corresponding to the n-th turn are arranged so as to come to the same position on the circumference. Therefore, in this example, the intervals at which the electromagnets 50 are arranged are constant intervals. If the interval at which the electromagnets 50 are arranged is L, it is preferable that an integer multiple of L matches the length of the circumference when the charging cable 10 is wound circularly. Also, in another example, the interval at which the electromagnets 50 are arranged may be one per turn.

[0020] It is desirable that the position of the electromagnet 50 be visible from the outside when the charging cable 10 is wound. For example, a mark (not shown) may be attached to the surface of the charging cable 10. In that case, when winding circularly, the marks on the adjacent charging cables 10 will be arranged side by side in the adjacent direction.

[0021] When the electromagnet 50 is arranged on the surface of the charging cable 10, it is easy to visually recognize the position of the electromagnet 50. When winding circularly, the electromagnets 50 on the adjacent charging cables 10 will be arranged side by side in the adjacent direction.

[0022] Next, the storage of the charging cable 10 after charging will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, when charging is completed, the charging connector 40 is removed from the charging port 110 of the vehicle 100, and the charging cable 10 is wound circularly and hooked on a hook 80 provided on the charging stand 60 for storage.

[0023] Since the charging cable 10 is rigid, there is a risk that it may not become a compact state just by being wound circularly. Therefore, the electromagnet 50 arranged on the charging cable 10 is used. As described above, for example, winding is performed according to the marks attached to the charging cable 10 to create a bundle of the charging cable 10 wound over several turns.

[0024] The charger 20 is provided with a connection port 70 to which the charging connector 40, once charged, can be connected. When the charging connector 40 is connected to the connection port 70, a DC current and DC voltage are supplied to the terminals for driving the electromagnet 50 inside the charging connector 40. This allows the electromagnet 50 to be energized via the charging connector 40 after the charging cable 10 has been wound up. The connection port 70 serves as both a connection terminal for the charging connector 40 for driving the electromagnet 50 and a storage place for the charging connector 40 when not in use.

[0025] When the electromagnets 50 are energized, they attract each other through the insulation of the charging cable 10 by magnetic force, causing the charging cable 10 to stick together. This keeps the wound-up charging cable 10 together. The greater the magnetic force, the greater the holding force, but the magnitude of the magnetic force can be controlled by adjusting the current flowing through the electromagnets 50, taking into account the weight and stiffness of the charging cable 10.

[0026] In another example, the electromagnet 50 may be placed on the surface of the charging cable 10. In that case, the electromagnets 50 placed on the surface will come into close contact with each other when current is applied. The configuration is not limited to this, however, the core wire of the charging cable 10 and the electromagnet 50 may be attracted to each other, or the conductor wound in a ring shape around the charging cable 10 may be attracted to the electromagnet 50.

[0027] During charging, it is necessary to avoid energizing the electromagnet 50. This is because if the charging cables 10 stick together during charging, it becomes difficult to extend them for use. In this embodiment, magnets are not used instead of electromagnets 50 because, in that case, the magnetic force cannot be cut off, making it difficult to separate the charging cables 10 when extending them, thus making them difficult to handle. In this embodiment, since electromagnets 50 are used, by not energizing the electromagnets 50 during charging, it is possible to prevent the charging cables 10 from sticking together during charging.

[0028] In this embodiment, both the connector for charging the vehicle 100 and the connector for supplying power to the electromagnet 50 are configured to be charging connectors 40. Since there is only one charging connector 40, it is necessary to choose between charging the vehicle 100 or supplying power to the electromagnet 50, so the system is configured so that charging and power supply cannot be performed simultaneously. As a result, it is configured so that, in principle, power cannot be supplied to the electromagnet 50 when charging.

[0029] The electromagnet 50 is energized by connecting the charging connector 40 to a designated connection port 70 on the charger 20. When the charging connector 40 is connected to the connection port 70, the electromagnet 50 is energized, and the charging cables 10 come into close contact with each other.

[0030] If the charging connector 40 is to be reconnected to the vehicle 100, it is removed from the connection port 70, so the power to the electromagnet 50 is stopped, and the charging cable 10 is no longer in close contact. The operation of this embodiment will now be described.

[0031] In this embodiment, after winding up the charging cable 10, the charging connector 40 is connected to the charger 20, and power is supplied to the electromagnets 50 placed on the charging cable 10. This causes the electromagnets 50 to attract each other by magnetic force, so that the charging cables 10 are tightly packed together and maintain a certain shape.

[0032] The charging of the vehicle 100 and the energization of the electromagnet 50 are configured such that the charging connector 40 must be connected to different terminals for charging and energization, preventing simultaneous charging and energization.

[0033] <Effects of this embodiment> The charging cable 10 is connectable to the vehicle 100. The charging cable 10 includes a charging connector 40 and an electromagnet 50. The charging connector 40 is located on the side that is plugged into when charging the vehicle 100. The electromagnets 50 are arranged along the charging cable 10 at regular intervals and spaced apart from each other. When the charging connector 40 is connected to the charger 20, power is supplied from the charger 20 to the electromagnets 50.

[0034] With this configuration, after the charging cable 10 is wound up, the electromagnets 50, which are energized via the charging connector 40, attract each other by magnetic force, causing the charging cables 10 to stick together, allowing them to be stored in a bundled state. As a result, the charging cables 10 can be neatly organized and managed.

[0035] With this configuration, charging and power supply cannot be performed simultaneously, thus avoiding situations where the charging cables 10 are in close contact with each other during charging. As a result, when extending the charging cables 10 to connect to the vehicle 100, it is avoided that they may become too close together, making them difficult to handle. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 10...Charging cable, 20...Charger, 30...Connection part, 40...Charging connector, 50...Electromagnet, 60...Charging base, 70...Connection port, 80...Hook, 100...Vehicle, 110...Charging port, L...Spacing of electromagnet 50

Claims

[Claim 1] A charging cable that can be connected to a vehicle, The charging cable includes a charging connector on the side that is plugged into the vehicle when charging, The charging cable is provided with electromagnets arranged at regular intervals and spaced apart from each other, A charging cable that, when the charging connector is connected to the charger, energizes the electromagnet from the charger.

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