Chargers and charging systems

Abstract

The present invention relates to a charger and charging system that can be adapted to sockets in various positions while preventing cables from getting in the way of the user. [Solution] A charger for charging an electric vehicle, comprising: a connector that can be connected to the electric vehicle; a cable connected to the connector; a power supply unit that can supply power to the electric vehicle via the cable and connector; a power supply housing that houses the power supply unit; and a housing having a cable housing that houses the cable, wherein the housing is of a horizontal type whose length along the ground surface is longer than its height from the ground surface, and the cable housing is located above the power supply housing, and the cable housing has a winding mechanism that can wind up the cable.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charger and a charging system. [Background technology]

[0002] Chargers for charging electric vehicles have been known for some time. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a vertically placed, separate-type quick charging stand that includes a main body housing formed as a rectangular parallelepiped box, a charging cable extending from the main body housing, and a charging connector formed at the tip of the charging cable.

[0003] Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 2 describes a horizontally placed charging device that includes a charging plug connected to an automobile, an output cable connected to the charging plug, a power supply circuit connected to the output cable, and a housing that houses the charging plug, the output cable, and the power supply circuit. In the charging device described in Patent Document 2, the housing is movable along a moving rail. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-070479 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-102914 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The separate-type quick charging stand described in Patent Document 1 is vertically placed and has a long charging cable, which causes problems for the user. On the other hand, the charging device described in Patent Document 2 has a housing that can move along a rail for movement, which allows the output cable to be shortened, but the output cable is fixed at a short length, which causes a problem that it cannot be used when the charging plug socket is located on the front side of the vehicle.

[0006] The present invention relates to a charger and a charging system that can be adapted to sockets in various positions while preventing cables from getting in the way of the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The charger of the present invention is a charger for charging an electric vehicle, and includes a connector connectable to the electric vehicle, a cable connected to the connector, a power supply unit capable of supplying power to the electric vehicle via the cable and the connector, a power supply housing that houses the power supply unit, and a housing having a cable housing that houses the cable, wherein the housing is of a horizontal type whose length along the ground surface is longer than its height from the ground surface, the cable housing is located above the power supply housing, and the cable housing has a winding mechanism that can wind up the cable.

[0008] In the charger according to the present invention, the housing may be configured to be detachable from the ground surface.

[0009] In the charger according to the present invention, the height of the housing may be 7 cm or more and 18 cm or less.

[0010] The charging system of the present invention is a charging system having a plurality of the above-mentioned chargers, and further comprising a power supply source that supplies power to the plurality of chargers, and the plurality of chargers are electrically connected in parallel to the power supply source. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The charger and charging system of the present invention can be adapted to sockets in various positions while preventing cables from getting in the way of the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of use of a charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an electrical connection configuration of the charging system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a charger according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the charger according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a plan view showing a charger according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the charger according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of use of a charger according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the inventions according to the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. Furthermore, in the present embodiments, the scale and dimensions of each component may be exaggerated, and some components may be omitted.

[0014] [Overall configuration of charging system] The charging system 1 according to this embodiment is a charging system for charging an electric vehicle 2. Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the charging system 1 includes a plurality of chargers 100 (six in this embodiment), a power supply source 200 that supplies power to the plurality of chargers 100, and a connection cable 300 that connects the plurality of chargers 100 and the power supply source 200.

[0015] [Charger configuration] As shown in Fig. 1, each charger 100 is disposed behind a car stopper 3a in a parking lot 3, and is electrically connected in parallel to a power supply source 200. Note that a connector 110, which will be described later, is not shown in Fig. 1.

[0016] As shown in Figures 2 to 6, each charger 100 includes a connector 110 that can be connected to the electric vehicle 2, a cable 120 connected to the connector 110, a power supply unit 130 that can supply power to the electric vehicle 2 via the cable 120 and the connector 110, and a housing 140 that houses the power supply unit 130 and the cable 120.

[0017] Connector 110 is configured to be insertable into a connector socket 2a provided on electric vehicle 2 (see FIG. 7). Cable 120 is a power cable for supplying power supplied from power supply unit 130 to connector 110. One end of cable 120 is connected to connector 110, and the other end of cable 120 is connected to power supply unit 130. Power supply unit 130 is connected to connection cable 300 and cable 120, and is configured to supply power supplied from power supply source 200 via connection cable 300 to electric vehicle 2 via cable 120 and connector 110.

[0018] Note that the connector 110, the cable 120, and the power supply unit 130 can employ various configurations that have conventionally been used in the technical field of chargers and charging systems for charging electric vehicles, and therefore detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0019] The housing 140 is of a horizontal placement type in which the length along the ground surface G is longer than the height from the ground surface G, and is configured to be detachable from the ground surface G. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the housing 140 has a rectangular bottom surface portion 141, a top surface portion 142 formed in the same shape and size as the bottom surface portion 141, and side surfaces 143 extending from the periphery of the bottom surface portion 141 toward the periphery of the top surface portion 142, and is formed into a thin box shape overall. The side surface portion 143 is configured from a front surface portion 143a located on the front side, a right side surface portion 143b located on the right side, a rear surface portion 143c located on the rear side, and a left side surface portion 143d located on the left side.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the length L1 in the vertical direction (depth direction) and the length L2 in the horizontal direction of the housing 140 are both longer than the height L3 of the housing 140.

[0021] The vertical length L1 of the housing 140 is preferably 5 cm or more and 50 cm or less, and more preferably 5 cm or more and 40 cm or less, from the viewpoint of fitting the housing 140 within the area between the rear wheels and the rear end of the electric vehicle 2 and not getting in the way of the user.

[0022] The horizontal length L2 of the housing 140 is preferably 100 cm or more and 170 cm or less, and more preferably 100 cm or more and 130 cm or less, from the viewpoint of fitting the housing 140 within the width of the electric vehicle 2 and not getting in the way of the user.

[0023] The height L3 of the housing 140 is preferably 7 cm or more and 18 cm or less, and more preferably 7 cm or more and 16 cm or less, from the viewpoint of fitting the housing 140 within the area between the ground surface G and the lower end of the electric vehicle 2 and not getting in the way of the user.

[0024] The vertical length L1 of the housing 140 is the length along the front-to-rear direction between the outer surface of the front surface portion 143a and the outer surface of the rear surface portion 143c. The horizontal length L2 of the housing 140 is the length along the left-to-right direction between the outer surface of the right side surface portion 143b and the outer surface of the left side surface portion 143d. Furthermore, the height L3 of the housing 140 is the length along the up-down direction between the lower surface of the bottom surface portion 141 and the upper surface of the top surface portion 142. Note that the connector 110 is not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0025] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the housing 140 has a partition surface portion 144 provided between the bottom surface portion 141 and the top surface portion 142, a power supply accommodating portion 145 formed between the bottom surface portion 141 and the partition surface portion 144, and a cable accommodating portion 146 formed between the partition surface portion 144 and the top surface portion 142.

[0026] Power supply housing 145 is a space defined by the upper surface of bottom surface 141, the inner surface of side surface 143, and the lower surface of partition surface 144, and is configured to house power supply unit 130. Power supply housing 145 has a first insertion hole (not shown) for inserting connection cable 300. The first insertion hole is an opening formed in rear surface 143c, but is not limited to this and can be formed in any position. Connection cable 300 is connected to power supply unit 130 when inserted through the first insertion hole.

[0027] Cable housing 146 is located above power supply housing 145. Specifically, cable housing 146 is a space defined by the upper surface of partition surface 144, the inner surface of side surface 143, and the lower surface of top surface 142, and is configured to house cable 120. Cable housing 146 has a second insertion hole 146a for inserting cable 120 from the outside of housing 140 into cable housing 146, and a third insertion hole 146b for inserting cable 120 from cable housing 146 toward power supply housing 145.

[0028] The second insertion hole 146a is an opening formed in the right side surface portion 143b. The cable 120 is connected to the connector 110 when inserted through the second insertion hole 146a. The third insertion hole 146b is an opening formed in the partition surface portion 144. The cable 120 is connected to the power supply unit 130 when inserted through the third insertion hole 146b. The second insertion hole 146a and the third insertion hole 146b are not limited to the illustrated example, and can be formed at any position.

[0029] Furthermore, cable housing 146 has a winding mechanism 146c that can wind up cable 120. In other words, cable 120 is configured to be extendable (retractable) relative to housing 140. This allows cable 120 to be pulled out by a desired length during charging, and cable 120 to be wound up by winding mechanism 146c when charging is complete. This prevents cable 120 from getting in the way of the user, and also eliminates the need to gather cable 120 when charging is complete, thereby improving the user's work efficiency.

[0030] The winding mechanism 146c is provided at the end of the cable housing 146 on the left side surface 143d side. A known mechanism such as a cord reel can be used as the winding mechanism 146c. The winding mechanism 146c may be a manual type or an automatic type. Furthermore, the winding mechanism 146c is not limited to the example shown in the figure and can be provided at any position.

[0031] 6, the height L4 of the cable housing 146 is shorter than the height L5 of the power feeding housing 145. Specifically, from the viewpoint of increasing the volume of the power feeding housing 145, the height L4 of the cable housing 146 is preferably 63% to 700% of the height L5 of the power feeding housing 145, and more preferably 77% to 700%. The height L4 of the cable housing 146 is the length in the vertical direction between the upper surface of the partition surface 144 and the lower surface of the top surface 142. The height L5 of the power feeding housing 145 is the length in the vertical direction between the upper surface of the bottom surface 141 and the lower surface of the partition surface 144.

[0032] As the material for the housing 140, it is preferable to use aluminum, stainless steel, resin, reinforced plastic, ceramic, carbon, etc., from the viewpoints of weight reduction, safety, oxidation resistance, heat dissipation, etc.

[0033] [Configuration of power supply source and connection cable] Power supply source 200 is, for example, a facility power source, a generator such as a solar power generation device, a power storage device, etc. Connection cable 300 is a power cable for supplying power supplied from power supply source 200 to each charger 100. Note that power supply source 200 and connection cable 300 can employ various configurations that have conventionally been used in the technical field of chargers and charging systems for charging electric vehicles, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0034] [Charging method] When a user wishes to charge the electric vehicle 2, the user parks the electric vehicle 2 in a parking lot 3. Next, the user grasps the connector 110 of the charger 100 and inserts it into the socket 2a of the electric vehicle 2 (see FIG. 7 ), and starts charging. At this time, the cable 120 is pulled out by a desired length from the housing 140, so the user can insert the connector 110 into the socket 2a regardless of whether the socket 2a is located at the front or rear of the electric vehicle 2. After charging is complete, the user winds up the cable 120 using the winding mechanism 146c and stores it in the cable storage section 146.

[0035] [Advantages of the charger and charging system according to this embodiment] The charger 100 of this embodiment is a charger for charging an electric vehicle 2, and includes a connector 110 that can be connected to the electric vehicle 2, a cable 120 connected to the connector 110, a power supply unit 130 that can supply power to the electric vehicle 2 via the cable 120 and the connector 110, and a housing 140 that has a power supply accommodating unit 145 that accommodates the power supply unit 130 and a cable accommodating unit 146 that accommodates the cable 120, the housing 140 is of a horizontal type whose length along the ground surface G is longer than its height from the ground surface G, the cable accommodating unit 146 is located above the power supply accommodating unit 145, and the cable accommodating unit 146 has a winding mechanism 146c that can wind up the cable 120.

[0036] According to the charger 100 having such a configuration, the cable 120 can be stored in the housing 140 when not in use, and can be pulled out by a desired length from the housing 140 when in use, thereby making it possible to accommodate sockets 2a in various positions while preventing the cable from getting in the way of the user. Furthermore, since the cable 120 can be wound up by the winding mechanism 146c after use, the task of bundling the cable 120 is unnecessary, thereby improving the user's work efficiency. Furthermore, since the housing 140 is a horizontal type in which the length along the ground surface G is longer than the height from the ground surface G, the cost required for installation at a high place can be reduced, and the risk of the device tipping over can also be reduced.

[0037] In the charger 100 according to this embodiment, the housing 140 is configured to be detachable from the ground surface G. The charger 100 having such a configuration can reduce the cost of fixing the charger 100 to the ground surface G and also makes it easier to change the location of the charger 100.

[0038] The charging system 1 according to this embodiment is a charging system including a plurality of chargers 100, and includes a power supply source 200 that supplies power to the plurality of chargers 100, and the plurality of chargers 100 are electrically connected in parallel to the power supply source 200. The charging system 1 having such a configuration can increase the number of devices that can be charged, thereby improving convenience.

[0039] [Variations] The charger and charging system according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0040] In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the housing 140 is detachable from the ground surface G has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The housing 140 may be fixed to the ground surface G.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the cable housing 146 is configured to house only the cable 120, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the cable housing 146 may be configured to house the connector 110 in addition to the cable 120.

[0042] In the above-described embodiment, the housing 140 is described as being a thin rectangular parallelepiped (hexahedron), but this is not limited to this, and various shapes can be adopted as long as it is a horizontal type in which the length along the ground surface G is longer than the height from the ground surface G.

[0043] It is clear from the claims that the above-mentioned modifications are included within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1: Charging system 2: Electric vehicles 2a: Outlet 3: Parking lot 3a: Car stopper 100: Charger 110: Connector 120: Cable 130: Power supply unit 140: Housing 141: Bottom part 142:Top section 143: Side part 143a: Front part 143b: Right side part 143c: Rear part 143d: Left side part 144: Partition surface 145: Power supply housing 146: Cable storage section 146a: Second insertion hole 146b: Third insertion hole 146c: Winding mechanism 200:Power supply source 300: Connection cable G: Ground surface

Claims

1. A charger for charging an electric vehicle, a connector connectable to an electric vehicle; a cable connected to the connector; a power supply unit capable of supplying power to the electric vehicle via the cable and the connector; a housing having a power supply housing portion that houses the power supply portion and a cable housing portion that houses the cable; Equipped with the housing is a horizontal type in which the length along the ground surface is longer than the height from the ground surface, the cable housing is located above the power supply housing, The cable housing has a winding mechanism that can wind up the cable. charger.

2. The housing is configured to be detachable from the ground surface. The charger of claim 1.

3. The height of the housing is between 7 cm and 18 cm. The charger according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A charging system including a plurality of chargers according to claim 1 or 2, a power supply source that supplies power to the plurality of chargers; The plurality of chargers are electrically connected in parallel to the power supply source. Charging system.

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