Electric or hybrid vehicle, with a first charging port provided with a contact-covering

Abstract

An electric or hybrid vehicle is provided with both a first charging port (2), having a first electric connector (20) arranged on the vehicle structure and accessible from the outside, for cooperating with an electric connector of a charging column, and a second charging port (3), with a second electric connector arranged under the vehicle floor panel and configured for receiving a cooperating electric connector carried in a liftable manner by an autonomous mobile robot (5) configured to position itself under the vehicle. The first electric connector (20) and the second electric connector are connected to a common electrical circuit. A contact-covering member (10) is removably applied to the first electric connector (20) to prevent access to the contacts (21) of the first electric connector (20) and to isolate said contacts from the external environment. A locking device (100), for making the contact-covering member (10) unremovable, is automatically activated when a charging of the electric battery (B) of the vehicle via the second charging port (3) is enabled.

Description

[0001] ELECTRIC OR HYBRID VEHICLE, WITH A FIRST CHARGING PORT PROVIDED WITH A CONTACT-COVERING

[0002] Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to electric or hybrid vehicles of the type including an electric traction motor, an electric battery to power the electric traction motor, and at least one charging port including an electric connector for charging the electric battery of the vehicle.

[0004] Background Art

[0005] In recent years, a new charging method has been proposed for electric vehicles, wherein the vehicle is provided with a charging port arranged beneath the floor panel and including an electric connector configured to receive a cooperating electric connector carried, in a liftable manner, by an autonomous mobile robot which is configured to position itself under the vehicle and is connected to an electric power source.

[0006] Solutions of this type are, for example, disclosed in EP 3 760472 A1 , EP 3 992 017 A1 , US 11 ,279,253 B2, and US 2022 / 194243 A1 .

[0007] Starting from these known solutions, the Applicant has addressed the issue of developing a vehicle equipped with both a conventional charging port and a second charging port of the above-mentioned type, with an electric connector arranged under the vehicle floor panel.

[0008] In developing such a solution, where the electric connectors of both charging ports are connected to a common electric circuit, the Applicant recognized the need to protect the user from the risk of accidental contact with the contacts of the first charging port during a charging operation via the second charging port.

[0009] Objects of the Invention

[0010] The object of the present invention is to solve the above-indicated problem.

[0011] In particular, an object of the invention is to provide a vehicle equipped with both a conventional charging port and a charging port arranged under the vehicle floor panel, in which user safety is ensured under all operating conditions, and in particular during a charging phase performed via the second charging port.

[0012] A further object of the invention is to achieve the above purpose with a solution having a simple and inexpensive structure.

[0013] Summary of the Invention

[0014] With a view to achieving one or more of the above objects, the invention relates to an electric or hybrid vehicle, including:

[0015] - an electric traction motor,

[0016] - an electric battery to power the electric traction motor,

[0017] - a first charging port, including a first electric connector for charging the electric battery, arranged on the vehicle structure and accessible from the outside, for receiving a cooperating connector connected to an electric power source, for charging the vehicle electric battery, said vehicle being characterized in that it further includes:

[0018] - a second charging port, including a second electric connector for charging the electric battery of the vehicle, arranged under the vehicle floor panel and configured for receiving a cooperating electric connector carried in a liftable manner by an autonomous mobile robot configured to position itself under the vehicle and connected to an electric power source, for charging the vehicle electric battery,

[0019] - an electronic control unit for controlling the charging of the vehicle electric battery,

[0020] - an interface connected to the electronic control unit, through which a user can selectively enable a charging of the electric battery of the vehicle either via the first charging port or via the second charging port, wherein the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector are connected to a common electrical circuit, wherein with the first electrical connector there are associated:

[0021] - a contact-covering member removably applied to the first electrical connector, so as to prevent an access to the contacts of the first electrical connector, and to isolate said contacts from the external environment,

[0022] - an electrically operated locking device, movable between a locking condition for locking the contact-covering member and an unlocking condition, said electronic control unit being configured for activating the locking device, so as to make the contact-covering member unremovable, when, through said interface, a recharge of the electric battery is enabled via the second charging port.

[0023] Preferably, the contact-covering member is a cap removably applied to a contact-holding body of the first electric connector, and having a configuration complementary to that of the contacts of the first electric connector.

[0024] In one example, the cap is made of an insulating elastomer material.

[0025] In an embodiment in which the contacts of the first electric connector are plug contacts arranged within respective cavities of a front wall of the body of the first electric connector, the contact-covering member has a body in the form of a cap, having a peripheral wall fitted around the contactholding body of the first electrical connector and a top wall having an inner surface including projecting portions configured to be received within the cavities of the plug contacts and having front receptacles configured for receiving respective ends of the plug contacts.

[0026] Naturally, in the case of any different configuration of the first electric connector and its associated contacts, the contact-covering member may have a complementary configuration.

[0027] In one example, the first electric connector includes a support structure defining a recess within which the contact-holding body of said first electric connector is located. The locking device is arranged within said recess and includes a latch member displaceable between an unlocking position and a locking position, in which the latch member engages a lateral cavity of the body of the contact-covering member so as to prevent its removal.

[0028] Brief description of the drawings

[0029] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided purely by way of non-limiting example, in which:

[0030] - Figure 1 is a schematic side view of an electric or hybrid vehicle according to the invention, provided with both a first conventional charging port arranged on one side of the vehicle, and a second charging port arranged under the vehicle floor panel,

[0031] - Figure 2 is a simplified diagram of a control system for charging the electric battery of the vehicle in Figure 1 ,

[0032] - Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the electric connector of the first charging port of the vehicle in Figure 1 , with which there is associated a contact-covering member according to the invention, and

[0033] - Figure 4 is a perspective view of a section of the assembly of Figure 3, in the mounted condition of the contact-covering member, along a horizontal plane containing the line IV-IV of Figure 3.

[0034] Detailed description of the invention

[0035] In Figure 1 , reference numeral 1 generally designates an electric or hybrid vehicle including both a conventional charging port 2 and a second charging port 3 of the type arranged under the vehicle floor panel and intended to cooperate with an electric connector carried by a liftable arm 4 of an autonomous mobile robot 5, which is connected via a cable 6 to an electric power source (not shown).

[0036] The first charging port 2 of conventional type, may be made in any known way.

[0037] For example, the first charging port 2 may include an electric connector 20 of the type illustrated in Figure 3. In this example, the electric connector 20 includes a contact-holding body 20A configured to cooperate with a cooperating connector connected to a charging column. The contactholding body 20A of the electric connector 20 carries contacts for high- voltage AC charging. In the illustrated example, the electric connector 20 also includes a second contact-holding body 20B configured for low-voltage DC charging.

[0038] Still with reference to the illustrated example, the contact-holding bodies 20A and 20B include plug contacts 21 , 22 projecting into cavities 23 opening onto the external front surface of the connector 20.

[0039] Also according to conventional techniques, the first charging port 2 may be provided with a flap 2A (see Figure 1 ) for accessing the connector 20, provided in a known manner with an electric lock that locks the flap 2A in the closed condition when the vehicle is off with its doors locked.

[0040] The second charging port 3, arranged under the floor panel, is implemented in any known manner according to the technology illustrated, for example, in EP 3 760 472 A1 , EP 3 992 017 A1 , US 11 ,279,253 B2, and US 2022 / 194243 A1 . For this reason, the construction details of the second charging port 3 are not illustrated herein. The same applies to the autonomous mobile robot 5, which can be implemented in any known manner, with a lifting device 4 carrying an electric connector configured to cooperate with the electric connector of the second charging port 3. As already discussed above, in this charging mode, when a vehicle stops at a charging station, the autonomous mobile robot 5 positions itself underneath the vehicle and the lifting device 4 couples the electric connector it carries with the electric connector of the second charging port 3, whereby electrical energy can be supplied to the vehicle electric battery. The autonomous mobile robot 5 is connected to an electric power source (typically a charging column connected to the supply network) via the cable 6.

[0041] Figure 2 is a simplified diagram of the control system for charging the electric battery of the vehicle 1 . Reference B indicates the electric battery with which the vehicle 1 is provided, which is connected to an electric traction motor M of the vehicle. The electric battery B can be charged either through the first charging port 2 or through the second charging port 3. The electric connectors of both charging ports 2, 3 are connected to the battery B via two lines 7, 8 which merge into a common line 9. In the embodiment shown here, the second electric connector associated with the second charging port 3 is configured to allow only high-voltage AC charging.

[0042] With further reference to Figure 2, the control system of the vehicle 1 includes an electronic control unit E for controlling the charging operation, which is connected to both the first charging port 2 and the second charging port 3, as well as to a locking device 100, described in detail below, which is associated with the first charging port 2. In addition, the electronic control unit E is connected to an interface 11 through which the user can select a battery charging operation either via the first charging port 2 or via the second charging port 3.

[0043] As discussed above, during a charging operation via the second charging port 3, there is a risk that the user might inadvertently touch the contacts 21 of the electric connector 20 of the first charging port 2. More generally, there is a need to isolate these contacts from the external environment during a charging operation performed with the second charging port 3.

[0044] According to the invention, this problem is solved by associating with the electric connector 20 of the first charging port 2 a contact-covering member, generally indicated by 10, configured as illustrated for example in Figures 3 and 4.

[0045] In this example, the contact-covering member 10 is configured to cover only the contact-holding body 20A of the electric connector 20 of the first charging port 2, which is configured for high-voltage AC charging, since the contacts 22 for DC charging are not connected to the electric circuit to which the second charging port is connected.

[0046] Naturally, however, nothing prevents the contact-covering member 10 from also covering the contact-holding body 20B.

[0047] In the preferred embodiment illustrated here, the contact-covering member 10 has a cap-shaped body with a top wall 10A and a peripheral wall 10B. Also preferably, the body of the contact-covering member 10 is made of an insulating elastomer material.

[0048] The peripheral wall 10B of the cap-shaped body of the contactcovering member 10 is shaped and dimensioned to fit tightly around the contact-holding body 20A of the electric connector 20. Moreover (see Figure 4), the top wall 10A of the cap-shaped body of the contact-covering member 10 has an inner surface with projecting portions 23A configured and arranged to be received within the cavities 23 of the plug contacts 21 of the connector 20.

[0049] In addition, each projecting portion 23A has on its front surface a recess configured to receive the end of a respective plug contact 21 .

[0050] Thanks to the above-described configuration, the contact-covering member 10 is able to completely isolate the contacts 21 of the portion 20A of the electric connector 20 from the external environment, ensuring in particular that the user cannot touch the contacts 21 of the electric connector 20 during a charging phase via the second charging port 3.

[0051] According to the invention, a locking device 12 of any known type is provided, to lock the contact-covering member 10 in such a way as to make it unremovable from the contact-holding body 20A of the electric connector 20. In the example shown, the locking device 12 is housed in a recess R of a support structure 200 (see Figure 3) of the charging port 2 and includes a latch member 12A that is linearly movable between a retracted unlocking position and an advanced locking position, in which the latch member 12A is received in a lateral cavity 10C of the peripheral wall of the contactcovering member 10.

[0052] Naturally, the configuration of the locking device 12 may be of any known type and may involve a latch member with a rotary rather than a linear movement.

[0053] The actuator for moving the latch member 12A may also be of any known type (for example, a solenoid).

[0054] Returning to Figure 2, the electronic control unit E is configured to detect when, through the interface 11 , the user selects a charging operation via the second charging port 3. In this case, the electronic control unit E commands the locking device 100 to activate the extension of the latch member 100A, which locks the contact-covering member 10, preventing its removal.

[0055] As mentioned above, the locking device 100 is an additional element with respect to the lock that secures the flap 2A for access to the charging port 2. As is evident from the foregoing, the function of the contact-covering member 10 is distinct from that of the flap 2A, namely to isolate the contacts of the electric connector 20 of the first charging port 2 from the external environment.

[0056] As also indicated above, the contact-holding body 20A may have any different known configuration, and the contact-covering member 10 will be configured with a complementary shape to that of the contact-holding body.

[0057] Naturally, while the principle of the invention remains the same, the constructional details and the embodiments may vary widely from what has been described and illustrated purely by way of example, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Electric or hybrid vehicle, including:- an electric traction motor (M),- an electric battery (B) to power the electric traction motor (M),- a first charging port (2), including a first electric connector (20) for charging the electric battery (B), the first electric connector being arranged on the vehicle structure and being accessible from the outside, for receiving a cooperating connector connected to an electric power source, for charging the electric battery of the vehicle, said vehicle being characterized in that it further includes:- a second charging port (3), including a second electric connector for charging the electric battery (B) of the vehicle, the second electric connector being arranged under the vehicle floor panel and being configured for receiving a cooperating electric connector carried in a liftable manner by an autonomous mobile robot (5) which is configured to position itself under the vehicle and which is connected to an electric power source, for charging the electric battery (B) of the vehicle,- an electronic control unit (E) for controlling charging of the electric battery (B) of the vehicle,- an interface (11 ) connected to the electronic control unit (E), through which a user can selectively enable a charging of the electric battery (B) of the vehicle either via the first charging port (2) or via the second charging port (3), wherein the first electrical connector (20) and the second electrical connector are connected to a common electrical circuit (9), wherein with the first electrical connector (20) there is associated:- a contact-covering member (10) removably applied to the first electrical connector (20), so as to prevent an access to the contacts (21 ) of the first electrical connector (20), and to isolate said contacts from the external environment,- an electrically operated locking device (100), movable between a locking condition for locking the contact-covering member (10) and an unlocking condition,said electronic control unit (E) being configured for activating the locking device (100), so as to make the contact-covering member (10) unremovable, when, through said interface (11 ), a recharge of the electric battery (B) is enabled via the second charging port (3).

2. Vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the contact-covering member (10) is a cap removably applied to a contact-holding body (20A) of the first electrical connector (20), and having a configuration complimentary to that of the contacts (21 ) of the first electrical connector.

3. Vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the cap (10) is made of an insulating elastomer material.

4. Vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the contacts of the first electrical connector (20) are plug contacts (21 ) arranged within respective cavities (23) of a front wall of the contact-holding body (20A) of the first electrical connector, and wherein the contact-covering member (10) has a body in the form of a cap, having a peripheral wall (10B) fitted around the contact-holding body (20A) of the first electrical connector (20) and a top wall (10A) having an inner surface including projecting portions (23A) configured to be received within the cavities (23) of the plug contacts (21 ) and having front receptacles (21 A) configured for receiving respective ends of the plug contacts (21 ).

5. Vehicle according to claim 1 , characterized in that the first electrical connector (20) comprises a support structure (200) defining a recess (R) within which the contact-holding body (20A) of said first electrical connector (20) is located, and wherein the locking device (100) is disposed within said recess (R) and includes a latch member (100A) displaceable between an unlocking position and a locking position, in which the latch member (100A) engages a lateral cavity (10C) of the contact-covering body

Images