Charging device

Abstract

To provide a charging device that can reduce the twisting of the charging cable during charging. [Solution] The charging device comprises a charging connector, a charging cable whose first end is connected to the charging connector, a cable connection part to which the second end is connected, a charger that supplies power to the vehicle, and a holder that holds the charging connector. The holder is attached to the first side of the charger, and the cable connection part is attached to the second side of the charger. The charging connector is held in the holder by bringing it close with its tip facing the first side. When the charging connector is held in the holder such that the charging cable is positioned in front of the charger, the charging cable is twisted at a predetermined angle counterclockwise from the charging connector toward the cable connection part. The predetermined angle is the angle that generates a force that causes the tip to face toward the vehicle when the charging connector is removed from the holder.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charging device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-205312 (Patent Document 1), a charging device for a vehicle is known. The charging device includes a charging cable and a charging connector connected to the charging cable. The charging connector is inserted into a charging inlet of the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When the charging connector is inserted into the charging inlet, if the posture of the charging connector changes, the charging cable will be twisted. From the perspective of operability during charging, it is required to reduce the twisting.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a charging device capable of reducing the twisting of the charging cable during charging.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The charging device of the present disclosure includes a charging connector whose tip is inserted into a charging inlet of a vehicle, a charging cable having first and second ends, with the first end connected to the charging connector, a cable connection part to which the second end is connected, a charger that receives power supply from the outside and supplies power to the vehicle via the cable connection part, the charging cable, and the charging connector, and a holder attached to the charger and holding the charging connector. The charger has a front face facing the vehicle, and first and second side faces during charging of the vehicle.

[0007] The holder is attached to the first side. The cable connector is attached to the second side. The charging connector is held in the holder by bringing it close with its tip facing the first side. When the charging connector is held in the holder with the charging cable facing forward, the charging cable is twisted at a predetermined angle counterclockwise from the charging connector toward the cable connector. The predetermined angle is the angle at which the tip of the charging connector will point toward the vehicle when it is removed from the holder. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, it is possible to reduce the twisting of the charging cable during charging. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a front view of a charging device for electric vehicles. [Figure 2] This is a top view of the charging device and the electric vehicle. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the user's procedure when connecting a charging connector to an electric vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for identical components. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions of them will not be repeated.

[0011] Figure 1 is a front view of a charging device for electric vehicles. Figure 2 is a top view of the charging device and the electric vehicle. The electric vehicle is a hybrid vehicle capable of running using the power of at least one of the motor and engine, or an electric vehicle that runs using driving force obtained from electrical energy.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the charging device 100 is installed on a mounting surface 900 such as a concrete floor. The charging device 100 supplies power to the electric vehicle 800.

[0013] (Electric vehicles) The electric vehicle 800 includes a charging connector 810 and a lid panel 820. The charging connector 810 includes a lid box and a charging inlet. The lid panel 820 is attached to the lid box. The lid box serves as both an opening and closing mechanism for the lid panel 820 and a cover (a quasi-exterior design component) that covers the charging inlet. Even when the lid panel 820 is in the open position, the lid box prevents the charging inlet from being exposed.

[0014] (charging device) The charging device 100 includes a charging connector 10, a charging cable 20, a cable connection part 30, a charger 40, and a holder 50.

[0015] The charger 40 receives power from an external source. The charger 40 supplies this power to the electric vehicle 800 via the cable connection section 30, the charging cable 20, and the charging connector 10. The charger 40 has a base section 41, a main body section 42, and a display 43. The charger 40 further has a front section 401 that faces the electric vehicle 800 during charging, sides 402, 403, a top section 404, and a rear section 405.

[0016] The main unit 42 is mounted on top of the base unit 41. The display 43 is mounted on the front side 401. Side 402 is the right side when the user is facing the display 43 directly. Side 403 is the left side when the user is facing the display 43 directly.

[0017] The holder 50 is attached to the main body 42 of the charger 40. Specifically, the holder 50 is attached to the side 402 side. The holder 50 holds the charging connector 10. In the standby state until the user performs a charging operation, the charging connector 10 is housed (fixed) in the holder 50. Note that the holder 50 may be configured as a part of the main body 42 of the charger 40.

[0018] The charging connector 10 is also referred to as a "charging gun" or a "charging link". The charging connector 10 has a tip 11, a rear end 12, and a gripping portion 13. The gripping portion 13 is a portion that is gripped by the user. The charging connector 10 is held by the holder 50 by approaching with the tip 11 facing the side 402. During charging, the charging connector 10 is moved by the user in the direction of arrow A1. Specifically, during charging, the tip 11 is inserted into the charging inlet of the electric vehicle 800.

[0019] The cable connection part 30 is attached to the main body 42 of the charger 40. Specifically, the cable connection part 30 is attached to the side 403. Thus, the cable connection part 30 is located on the opposite side of the holder 50 with the charger 40 interposed therebetween. A charging cable 20 is connected to the cable connection part 30. The charging cable 20 is connected from the lower part of the cable connection part 30.

[0020] The charging cable 20 has ends 21, 22. The end 21 is connected to the charging connector 10. Specifically, the end 21 is connected to the rear end 12 of the charging connector 10. The end 22 is connected to the cable connection part 30. In the state where the charging connector 10 is held by the holder 50, the posture of the charging cable 20 is U-shaped in a front view of the charging device 100. In this example, the vicinity of the central part of the charging cable 20 overlaps with the pedestal part 41 in a front view of the charging device 100. In a top view of the charging device 100, the vicinity of the central part of the charging cable 20 is located below the main body 42.

[0021] In a state where the charging connector 10 is held by the holder 50 so that the charging cable 20 is positioned in front of the charger 40 (the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), the charging cable 20 is twisted by a predetermined angle in a counterclockwise direction from the charging connector 10 toward the cable connection portion 30. In this example, in a top view, the charging cable 20 is attached to the cable connection portion 30 in a state where the charging cable 20 is rotated about its axis by the predetermined angle in the direction shown by the arrow A2 in FIG. 2 (clockwise direction). Hereinafter, the predetermined angle is referred to as the "twist angle θ".

[0022] Symbols P and Q are shown for convenience of explanation. Symbol P indicates the position of a predetermined portion of the end portion 22 when the end portion 22 of the charging cable 20 is attached to the cable connection portion 30 without twisting. Symbol Q indicates the position of the predetermined portion of the end portion 22 when the end portion 22 is attached to the cable connection portion 30 with the charging cable 20 twisted as described above. As shown in FIG. 2, the charging cable 20 is connected to the cable connection portion 30 in a state where the predetermined portion is rotated in the direction of the arrow A2.

[0023] The twist angle θ is an angle at which the tip portion 11 of the charging connector 10 generates a force directed toward the electric vehicle 800 when the charging connector 10 is removed from the holder 50. In this example, the case where the twist angle θ is 90 degrees is shown. The twist angle θ may be smaller or larger than 90 degrees. For example, the twist angle θ can be in the range of 45 degrees to 135 degrees. The twist angle θ is preferably in the range of 60 degrees to 120 degrees. More preferably, the twist angle θ is in the range of 75 degrees to 105 degrees.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a user operation when connecting the charging connector 10 to the electric vehicle 800. In FIG. 3, for convenience of explanation, the charger 40 and the holder 50 are not shown.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, state (A) is the state in which the charging connector 10 is housed in the holder 50. Arrows A3 and A4 schematically represent the twist described above. In state (A), as described above, the charging cable 20 is twisted 90 degrees.

[0026] When charging, the user first grasps the charging connector 10 and removes it from the holder 50. Then, the user changes the orientation of the charging connector 10 from orientation (A) to orientation (B). That is, the user rotates the charging connector 10 90 degrees in the direction of arrow A5 (counterclockwise when viewed from above).

[0027] When the charging connector 10 is removed from the holder 50, the aforementioned twisting generates a force (hereinafter referred to as "restoring force") in the charging connector 10 that directs the tip 11 toward the electric vehicle 800. As a result, the user can transition the charging connector 10 from state (A) to state (B) with little force. Furthermore, the user will not mistakenly rotate the charging connector 10 in the wrong direction due to the restoring force.

[0028] In state (B), the charging cable 20 is not twisted. After this, the user rotates the charging cable 20 90 degrees in the direction of arrow A6 (clockwise) with the cable connection part 30 as the center of rotation, while viewing the charging device 100 from above. As a result, the charging device 100 transitions from state (B) to state (C). In state (C), the charging cable 20 is twisted 90 degrees.

[0029] Furthermore, the user performs an operation to point the tip 11 of the charging connector 10 toward the electric vehicle 800. Specifically, the user transitions the orientation of the charging connector 10 from orientation (C) to orientation (D). That is, the user rotates the charging connector 10 90 degrees in the direction of arrow A7 (counterclockwise in a top view). This allows the charging connector 10 to be connected to the charging connector 810 on the electric vehicle 800. More specifically, the tip 11 can be inserted into the charging inlet.

[0030] The transition from state (C) to state (D) causes the charging cable 20 to twist another 90 degrees. Therefore, the transition from state (B) to state (D) results in a total twist of 180 degrees for the charging cable 20. More specifically, in state (B), the cable is not twisted, so in state (D), the charging cable 20 is twisted a total of 180 degrees.

[0031] (Comparative example) In the charging device 100, a 90-degree twist was intentionally created at state (A). In contrast, the case where the twist is 0 degrees at state (A) will be given as a comparative example to explain the advantages of the charging device 100. Specifically, two operational examples will be given as comparative examples.

[0032] (1) Example 1 The following describes the case where the charging connector 10 is moved, similar to Figure 3. In the comparative example, the charging cable 20 is twisted 90 degrees when transitioning from state (A) to state (B). Next, the charging cable 20 is twisted another 90 degrees when transitioning from state (B) to state (C). Finally, the charging cable 20 is twisted another 90 degrees when transitioning from state (C) to state (D). Thus, in this example, in state (D), the charging cable 20 is twisted a total of 270 degrees.

[0033] (2) Second example In this example, the state is transitioned from state (A) to state (C) (hereinafter referred to as "state C'") by moving the charging cable 20 to the same position as in state (C) without passing through state (B). Then, in a top view, the state is transitioned from state (C') to state (D) by rotating only the charging connector 10 by 180 degrees.

[0034] In this case, the transition from state (A) to state (C') causes the charging cable 20 to twist by 90 degrees. Next, the transition from state (C') to state (D) causes the charging cable 20 to twist by 180 degrees. Thus, in this example as well, in state (D), the charging cable 20 is twisted a total of 270 degrees.

[0035] (3) Advantages of the charging device 100 Thus, in the comparative example, the charging cable 20 is twisted 270 degrees in state (D), whereas in the charging device 100 of this embodiment, the charging cable 20 is twisted only 180 degrees. In this way, the charging device 100 makes it possible to reduce the twisting of the charging cable during charging. Therefore, the charging device 100 can reduce the burden on the user during the charging process. In this way, the charging device 100 can improve user operability.

[0036] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of this disclosure is indicated by the claims and all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 10,810 Charging connector, 11 Front end, 12 Rear end, 13 Gripping part, 20 Charging cable, 21,22 Ends, 30 Cable connection part, 40 Charger, 41 Base, 42 Main body, 43 Display, 50 Holder, 100 Charging device, 401 Front, 402,403 Side, 404 Top, 405 Rear, 800 Electric vehicle, 820 Lid panel, 900 Mounting surface.

Claims

[Claim 1] A charging connector whose tip is inserted into the vehicle's charging inlet, A charging cable having first and second ends, the first end of which is connected to the charging connector, The cable connection part to which the second end is connected, A charger that receives power from an external source and supplies the power to the vehicle via the cable connection part, the charging cable, and the charging connector, The charger is equipped with a holder that is attached to the charger and holds the charging connector, The charger has a front facing the vehicle when charging the vehicle, and first and second side surfaces. The holder is attached to the first side surface, The cable connection portion is attached to the second side surface. The charging connector is held in the holder by bringing it close with its tip facing the first side surface. In a state where the charging connector is held in the holder such that the charging cable is positioned in the front, the charging cable is twisted at a predetermined angle counterclockwise from the charging connector toward the cable connection portion. The predetermined angle is an angle that generates a force that causes the tip of the charging connector to face the vehicle when the charging connector is removed from the holder.

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