Vehicle charger

Abstract

When the charging cable is stored in the charger, it often doesn't end up in a predetermined position, but rather in a different position each time. [Solution] The vehicle charger 1 comprises a main body 2 having a front portion 10 and a charging cable 3. The front portion 10 has a first magnetic material 14, and the charging cable 3 has a second magnetic material 20 that can be magnetically attracted to the first magnetic material 14.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle charger.

Background Art

[0002] As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-070479 (Patent Document 1), a vehicle charger is known. The rapid charger for an electric vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a main body housing, a control unit, an operation panel, a charging cable, a charging connector storage unit, and a charging cable receptacle. The charging cable receptacle has a function of holding an intermediate portion of the charging cable.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, when the charging cable is stored in the charger, the charging cable is not stored in a predetermined position and is likely to be stored in a different position each time.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to obtain a vehicle charger having a configuration that easily stores a charging cable in a predetermined position.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle charger according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a main body portion having a front portion and a charging cable. The front portion has a first magnetic body, and the charging cable has a second magnetic body that can be magnetically attracted to the first magnetic body.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the second magnetic material is magnetically attracted to the first magnetic material, making it easier to store the charging cable in a predetermined position.

[0008] In the above-described vehicle charger, the main body further has a first side portion adjacent to the front portion, the first side portion having a third magnetic material, and the charging cable having a fourth magnetic material that can be magnetically attracted to the third magnetic material. The main body further has a second side portion adjacent to the front portion and opposite to the first side portion, the second side portion having a fifth magnetic material, and the charging cable having a sixth magnetic material that can be magnetically attracted to the fifth magnetic material. With this configuration, the fourth magnetic material is magnetically attracted to the third magnetic material, and the sixth magnetic material is magnetically attracted to the fifth magnetic material, making it easier to neatly store the charging cable in the first and second side portions.

[0009] In the above-described vehicle charger, the second magnetic material may be iron. This configuration reduces the possibility that the second magnetic material provided on the charging cable may be attracted by magnetic force to iron structures other than the vehicle charger, such as a vehicle.

[0010] In the above-described vehicle charger, the second magnetic material may be configured to cover the charging cable around its entire circumference or to partially cover it in the circumferential direction. This configuration allows the shape of the second magnetic material to be selected in accordance with the design of the vehicle charger.

[0011] In the above-described vehicle charger, the first magnetic material may have a different color from the portion of the front surface surrounding the first magnetic material, and the second magnetic material may have a different color from the portion of the charging cable adjacent to the second magnetic material. With this configuration, the user of the vehicle charger can more easily recognize the positions of the first and second magnetic materials, thereby encouraging the user to store the portion of the charging cable containing the second magnetic material in the position of the first magnetic material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to this disclosure, it is possible to obtain a vehicle charger that has a configuration that makes it easy to store the charging cable in a predetermined position. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the vehicle charger 1 in the first embodiment, with the charging cable 3 not stored inside. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the vehicle charger 1 in which the charging cable 3 is stored, as seen from the first side portion 11, according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the vehicle charger 1 in which the charging cable 3 is stored, as seen from the second side portion 12, according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view showing a charging cable 3 covered all around by the second magnetic material 20 in Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view showing a charging cable 3 partially covered in the circumferential direction by the second magnetic material 20 in Embodiment 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the figures. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions of them will not be repeated.

[0015] [Embodiment 1] (Vehicle charger 1) Figure 1 is a perspective view of the vehicle charger 1 in Embodiment 1 with the charging cable 3 not stored inside. The vehicle charger 1 comprises a main body 2, a charging cable 3, and a charging connector 4. The main body 2 has a front section 10, a first side section 11 adjacent to the front section 10, and a second side section 12 (Figure 3) adjacent to the front section 10 and opposite to the first side section 11. The front section 10 has a first magnetic material 14 and an operation screen 17.

[0016] The charging cable 3 has a second magnetic body 20. The second magnetic body 20 is magnetically adsorbable to the first magnetic body 14 provided on the front part 10. The tip side of the charging cable 3 is connected to the charging connector 4, and the other end side is connected to the first side surface part 11 of the main body part 2.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the vehicle charger 1 with the charging cable 3 stored therein in Embodiment 1 from the side of the first side surface part 11, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the vehicle charger 1 with the charging cable 3 stored therein in Embodiment 1 from the side of the second side surface part 12.

[0018] The first side surface part 11 has a third magnetic body 15 (FIG. 2), and the second side surface part 12 has a fifth magnetic body 16 (FIG. 3). The charging cable 3 has a fourth magnetic body 21 (FIG. 2) that is magnetically adsorbable to the third magnetic body 15 and a sixth magnetic body 22 (FIG. 3) that is magnetically adsorbable to the fifth magnetic body 16.

[0019] According to the shapes of the main body part 2 and the charging cable 3, the number of each or the total number of the first magnetic body 14, the second magnetic body 20, the third magnetic body 15, the fourth magnetic body 21, the fifth magnetic body 16, and the sixth magnetic body 22 may be increased or decreased and installed.

[0020] The second magnetic body 20 may be made of iron. Also, the fourth magnetic body 21 and the sixth magnetic body 22 may also be made of iron.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the charging cable 3 entirely covered by the second magnetic body 20 in Embodiment 1. The second magnetic body 20 may be configured to cover the charging cable 3 entirely. The fourth magnetic body 21 and the sixth magnetic body 22 may also be configured to cover the charging cable 3 entirely, similar to the second magnetic body 20.

[0022] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a charging cable 3 partially covered in the circumferential direction by the second magnetic material 20 in Embodiment 1. The second magnetic material 20 may be configured to partially cover the charging cable 3 in the circumferential direction. The fourth magnetic material 21 and the sixth magnetic material 22 may also be configured to partially cover the charging cable 3 in the circumferential direction, similar to the second magnetic material 20.

[0023] The first magnetic material 14 may have a different color from the portion of the front surface 10 surrounding the first magnetic material 14. The third magnetic material 15 may have a different color from the portion of the first side surface 11 surrounding the third magnetic material 15. The fifth magnetic material 16 may have a different color from the portion of the second side surface 12 surrounding the third magnetic material 16.

[0024] The second magnetic material 20 may have a different color from the portion of the charging cable 3 adjacent to the second magnetic material 20. The fourth magnetic material 21 may have a different color from the portion of the charging cable 3 adjacent to the fourth magnetic material 21. The sixth magnetic material 22 may have a different color from the portion of the charging cable 3 adjacent to the sixth magnetic material 22.

[0025] (Mechanism of Action and Effects) The second magnetic material 20 is magnetically attracted to the first magnetic material 14, making it easier for the charging cable 3 to be stored in its designated position. Therefore, after using the vehicle charger 1, it is possible to prevent the charging cable 3 from being scattered around the vehicle charger 1 instead of being returned to its designated position.

[0026] The charging cable 3 is easily stored in a predetermined position because the fourth magnetic material 21 is magnetically attracted to the third magnetic material 15 provided on the first side surface 11. The charging cable 3 is easily stored in a predetermined position because the sixth magnetic material 22 is magnetically attracted to the fifth magnetic material 16 provided on the second side surface 12.

[0027] By making the second magnetic material 20, the fourth magnetic material 21, and the sixth magnetic material 22 provided on the charging cable 3 out of iron instead of magnets, the possibility of the charging cable 3 being attracted by magnetic force to iron structures other than vehicle chargers, such as vehicles, can be reduced.

[0028] The second magnetic material 20 may be configured to cover the charging cable 3 all around, or to partially cover it in the circumferential direction, depending on the design of the vehicle charger 1. Therefore, the second magnetic material 20 does not restrict the design of the vehicle charger 1. The same applies to the fourth magnetic material 21 and the sixth magnetic material 22.

[0029] By coloring the first magnetic material 14 with a different color from the main body 2, and making the first magnetic material 14 stand out compared to the main body 2, the user of the vehicle charger 1 can be encouraged to recognize the storage location of the charging cable 3 and store the charging cable 3 in the designated position.

[0030] 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 rather than the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 Vehicle charger, 2 Main unit, 3 Charging cable, 4 Charging connector, 10 Front view, 11 First side view, 12 Second side view, 14 First magnetic material, 15 Third magnetic material, 16 Fifth magnetic material, 17 Operation screen, 20 Second magnetic material, 21 Fourth magnetic material, 22 Sixth magnetic material.

Claims

1. A main body having a front section, Equipped with a charging cable, The aforementioned front portion has a first magnetic material, The charging cable has a second magnetic material that is magnetically adsorbed to the first magnetic material. Vehicle charger.

2. The main body further has a first side portion adjacent to the front portion, The first side surface portion has a third magnetic material, The charging cable has a fourth magnetic material that is magnetically adsorbed to the third magnetic material, The main body further has a second side portion adjacent to the front portion and opposite to the first side portion, The second side portion has a fifth magnetic material, The charging cable has a sixth magnetic material that is magnetically adsorbed to the fifth magnetic material. A vehicle charger according to claim 1.

3. The second magnetic material is iron. A vehicle charger according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The second magnetic material is configured to cover the charging cable around its entire circumference or to partially cover it in the circumferential direction. A vehicle charger according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The first magnetic material has a different color from the portion of the front surface that surrounds the first magnetic material. The second magnetic material has a different color from the portion of the charging cable adjacent to the second magnetic material. A vehicle charger according to claim 1 or 2.

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