Vehicle battery charging system contact unit, ground contact unit, and vehicle contact unit
The vehicle battery charging system contact units with sliding bearings and resilient fingers address mechanical stress and thermal expansion issues, providing robust and reliable electrical connections for consistent charging performance.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- EASE LINK GMBH
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-18
AI Technical Summary
Existing vehicle battery charging system contact units are prone to mechanical stress and thermal expansion, leading to unreliable electrical connections due to rigid connections between contacts and circuit boards.
The contact units feature vertically displaceable contacts within axial sliding bearings and electrically conductive pins surrounded by resilient fingers, allowing for relative movement to compensate for positional changes and maintain constant contact, with additional features like magnets for enhanced contact pressure and redundant contact extensions for reliability.
The design ensures robust and reliable electrical connections by accommodating mechanical stress and thermal expansion, ensuring consistent contact and effective charging, even under varying conditions.
Smart Images
Figure EP2025086610_18062026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Easelink GmbH
[0002] Our reference: E 2911 WO
[0003] Class / Class
[0004] Vehicle battery charging system contact unit, ground contact unit and vehicle contact unit
[0005] The invention relates to a vehicle battery charging system contact unit for contacting a mating contact unit when connecting the vehicle to a charging station, wherein the vehicle battery charging system contact unit comprises a circuit board, an outer wall, and several contacts accessible from the outside of the outer wall for contacting mating contacts of the mating contact unit. The invention further relates to a ground contact unit and a vehicle contact unit, each comprising such a vehicle battery charging system contact unit.
[0006] For electrically powered vehicles, conductive charging systems are known in which an electrical connection is automatically established between a vehicle-side part (also called vehicle contact unit) and a stationary part lying on the ground (called ground contact unit).
[0007] For this purpose, electrical contacts are usually present on the underbody of the vehicle, which can be brought into contact with the corresponding contacts of the ground contact unit if required.
[0008] Such a ground contact unit is known, for example, from WO 2019 / 052962 A1. This ground contact unit has a base at the bottom and an upper outer wall, between which a recess is formed to house the electronics. At least one circuit board is provided, which is electrically connected to contacts located on the outer wall. A vehicle contact unit then moves to these contacts to connect electrically when the vehicle needs charging. Numerous such contacts are provided on the upper outer wall; two, three, or more of these contacts (i.e., those contacts that touch mating contacts) then transmit the charging current when the connector is connected. The multiple contacts distributed across the outer wall allow the vehicle to be positioned relative to the ground contact unit without needing to be optimally aligned.Only those contacts, or some of those contacts, that are in sufficient contact with the corresponding contacts of the vehicle contact unit will eventually be switched to conducting current.
[0009] Similarly, in the vehicle contact unit, the contacts are arranged on an outer wall and are electrically connected to a circuit board.
[0010] The circuit board and the outer wall with the contacts, which are electrically connected to the circuit board, form a vehicle battery charging system contact unit for both the ground contact unit and the vehicle contact unit, which must function reliably for many years. In particular, it must be ensured that the electrical connections between the outer contacts and the circuit board remain intact despite the mechanical stress during operation.
[0011] The object of the invention is therefore to provide a vehicle battery charging system contact unit that is particularly robust. A further object of the invention is to provide a ground contact unit and a vehicle contact unit, incorporating such a vehicle battery charging system contact unit.
[0012] The task is accomplished by a vehicle battery charging system contact unit for contacting a mating contact unit when connecting the vehicle to a charging station. The vehicle battery charging system contact unit comprises a circuit board, an outer wall, and several contacts accessible from the outside of the outer wall for contacting the mating contacts of the mating contact unit. Each contact is vertically displaceable within an associated axial sliding bearing and is electrically connected to the circuit board. Furthermore, an axially extending, electrically conductive pin is provided, which is surrounded and contacted on its outer circumference by several radially resilient fingers that form the sliding bearing. The sliding bearing enables axial relative movement between the pin and the finger while maintaining constant contact.
[0013] According to the invention, the contacts are reliably and permanently connected to the circuit board by means of a sliding bearing and a pin. Unlike conventional vehicle battery charging system contact units, where the contacts are rigidly connected to the circuit board, the sliding bearings and pins can move relative to each other to compensate for positional changes that may occur due to mechanical stress or thermal expansion, particularly of the outer wall. In this way, the provided axial relative movement effectively avoids or reduces stresses, making the vehicle battery charging system contact unit particularly robust. The mechanical stresses that lead to sliding movement occur, for example, when a vehicle drives over the ground contact unit, which it tolerates.
[0014] According to one aspect, the vertical direction extends parallel to the axial direction.
[0015] In one embodiment, several fingers rest on the pen, ensuring good electrical contact in all relative positions.
[0016] Furthermore, at least three fingers can be provided, which are arranged in a rotationally symmetrical manner. This design has the advantage that the fingers are evenly distributed around the circumference of the pen.
[0017] Additionally or alternatively, the fingers can extend from a radial mounting plate and terminate freely. This makes the sliding bearings particularly cost-effective to manufacture, easy to assemble, and allows for slight radial spring action.
[0018] According to another embodiment, the sliding bearing or pin is attached to the circuit board and electrically connected to an electrical conductor on the circuit board. This ensures a reliable electrical contact between the circuit board and the sliding bearing or pin at all times.
[0019] Furthermore, the sliding bearing can be attached to the circuit board, and the pin can extend axially through an opening in the circuit board, particularly wherein the retaining plate rests on the side of the circuit board closest to the outer wall, and the fingers extend through the opening away from the outer wall. This allows the pin to contact the fingers of the sliding bearing on the side of the circuit board furthest from the outer wall, enabling a particularly compact design of the vehicle battery charging system contact unit.
[0020] In an alternative embodiment, the sliding bearing or the pin is attached to a plate-shaped component and electrically connected to an electrical conductor on the circuit board via an electrical wire. In this way, the sliding bearing or the pin is mounted on the plate-shaped component and thus spaced apart from the circuit board.
[0021] According to one aspect, the plate-shaped component extends essentially in a plate-like shape in a plane and has depressions with a depth and / or elevations with a height perpendicular to this plane, each of which corresponds to less than 20% of the maximum extent of the plate-shaped component in the plane.
[0022] Furthermore, the sliding bearing can be attached to the plate-shaped component, and the pin can extend axially through an opening in the plate-shaped component, particularly wherein the retaining plate rests on the side of the plate-shaped component that is close to the outer wall, and the fingers extend through the opening away from the outer wall. Thus, the pin contacts the fingers of the sliding bearing on the side of the plate-shaped component facing away from the outer wall, allowing the vehicle battery charging system contact unit to be designed to be particularly compact.
[0023] Additionally or alternatively, the sliding bearing or pin attached to the plate-shaped component can be electrically insulated from the plate-shaped component and / or from other sliding bearings and / or pins attached to the plate-shaped component in order to reliably prevent a short circuit.
[0024] According to one embodiment, the pin has a free end and a conical axial section spaced apart from the free end, in particular wherein at least one finger rests against the conical axial section. This design means that the deflection of the finger, and thus the force with which the finger rests against the conical axial section, differs from the axial position of the finger relative to the pin or the conical axial section. In this way, in a contacting position where the contacts of the contact unit are under pressure against the mating contacts of the mating contact unit, and thus the pin is axially displaced relative to the sliding bearing compared to an unloaded position, the finger can rest against a section of the conical axial section that has a larger diameter than a section of the conical axial section against which the fingers rest in the unloaded position.This ensures that the fingers, in the contacting position, are under preload against the conical axial section, thus reliably establishing electrical contact between the sliding bearing and the pin.
[0025] In this case, the conical axial section can taper towards the free end, which simplifies assembly.
[0026] Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle battery charging system contact unit can have at least one magnet designed to interact with at least one complementary magnet in the mating contact unit, so that in a contacting position, the contacts are pressed against the mating contacts of the mating contact unit. This ensures that the contacts reliably make contact with the mating contacts, allowing the vehicle battery to be charged effectively. Furthermore, the force with which the contact unit and the mating contact unit are pulled against each other by the magnets increases exponentially as the distance between the contact unit and the mating contact unit, and thus the distance between the corresponding magnets, decreases.In embodiments where a finger rests against a conical axial section of the pin, the contact unit can be designed by means of the magnets in such a way that, with decreasing distance between the contact unit and the counter-contact unit, the preload with which a finger rests against the conical axial section increases linearly, thereby ensuring a particularly effective current transmission.
[0027] In one embodiment, the contacts are each formed integrally with the corresponding pin or sliding bearing, ensuring a particularly reliable and permanent connection. Furthermore, this design allows for cost-effective manufacturing of the vehicle battery charging system contact unit. It can also be provided that the outer wall has a dedicated recess for each contact, in which the corresponding contact is axially movably mounted relative to the outer wall via a retaining section projecting into the recess. This further reduces stresses and, consequently, loads.
[0028] In one embodiment, the mounting section is a socket with the contact located on or forming the contact on its outer bottom surface. This design of the mounting section is particularly material-efficient.
[0029] In this design, the pin can protrude from the inside of the socket base, and the fingers can extend into the socket, resulting in a particularly compact vehicle battery charging system contact unit, especially in the axial direction. Alternatively, radial fingers, which in this case are attached to the base, can protrude from the inside of the socket base. These fingers are, for example, molded onto a disc that is centrally located to the fingers and supports them all, allowing the disc to be attached to the base to simultaneously hold all the fingers in place.
[0030] The bushing can be axially spring-loaded and movably mounted to form the contact.
[0031] To seal the movable bushing against its outer, adjacent part, the bushing carries an annular sealing membrane that seals a gap to a surrounding component. For this purpose, the sealing membrane can be attached to the inside of the bushing and to a fixed, adjacent part on the outside.
[0032] Additionally or alternatively, each receptacle can be formed by an opening in the outer wall, the edge of which is drawn inwards on the outside, thus reducing the cross-section of the opening, particularly by a tapered shape, to form an axial stop for the mounting section. This ensures that the mounting section is reliably and securely held in the receptacle using simple means. According to one embodiment, contacts are each spring-loaded outwards, so that the contacts always assume or return to a defined position.
[0033] In particular, the spring is located inside the mounting section and surrounds the pin and fingers, making the vehicle battery charging system contact unit especially compact.
[0034] According to another embodiment, the circuit board is spaced away from or adjacent to the outer wall. Furthermore, one or more sealing elements are arranged, particularly between the circuit board and the outer wall, which seal the receptacles against the interior of the contact unit. This reliably protects the interior of the vehicle battery charging system contact unit against environmental influences such as moisture and dirt.
[0035] According to an alternative embodiment, the plate-shaped component is spaced away from or abuts the outer wall. Furthermore, one or more sealing elements are arranged, particularly between the plate-shaped component and the outer wall, which seal the receptacles against the interior of the contact unit. In this way, the interior of the vehicle battery charging system contact unit is reliably protected against environmental influences such as moisture and dirt.
[0036] It can be provided that the contacts each have several, in particular three, external contact extensions for contacting mating contacts. This redundant design ensures reliable electrical contact even if some of the contact extensions fail, for example due to corrosion.
[0037] In one embodiment, the vehicle battery charging system contact unit is part of a ground contact unit and the mating contact unit is part of a vehicle contact unit, or the vehicle battery charging system contact unit is part of a vehicle contact unit and the mating contact unit is part of a ground contact unit.
[0038] According to the invention, to solve the aforementioned problem, a ground contact unit or vehicle contact unit is also provided, comprising a vehicle battery charging system contact unit according to the invention with the aforementioned advantages and an outer housing that has the outer wall and a base wall spaced apart therefrom. The circuit board is positioned spaced apart from the base wall, and control electronics are housed in the outer housing.
[0039] Further advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings. These show:
[0040] - Figure 1 in a schematic representation of a device according to the invention
[0041] Vehicle contact unit with a vehicle battery charging system contact unit according to the invention and a ground contact unit according to the invention with a vehicle battery charging system contact unit according to the invention,
[0042] - Figure 2 shows a top view of the ground contact unit from Figure 1 ,
[0043] - Figure 3 shows a sectional view of the ground contact unit from Figure 1 ,
[0044] - Figure 4 shows a detailed view of a contact of the ground contact unit
[0045] Figure 3,
[0046] - Figure 5 shows a detailed view of a contact of the vehicle contact unit from Figure 1 ,
[0047] - Figure 6 shows a detailed view of a contact of the vehicle contact unit from Figure 1 according to a further embodiment,
[0048] - Figure 7 shows a detailed view of a contact of the vehicle contact unit from Figure 1 with a pin according to a further embodiment,
[0049] - Figure 8 shows a detailed view of a contact of the vehicle contact unit according to yet another embodiment.
[0050] The detailed description below, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which identical numbers refer to identical elements, is intended to describe various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter and is not meant to represent the only embodiments. Each embodiment described in this disclosure serves only as an example or illustration and should not be construed as preferable or advantageous over other embodiments.
[0051] All features disclosed below with reference to the exemplary embodiments and / or the accompanying figures can be combined alone or in any subcombination with features of the aspects of the present disclosure, including features of preferred embodiments, provided that the resulting combination of features is meaningful to a person skilled in the art.
[0052] Figure 1 shows a vehicle 10, for example a battery-powered vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, parked on or above a ground contact unit 12 for charging the battery or traction battery of the vehicle 10.
[0053] This ground contact unit 12 is placed on the ground or laid flush with the ground on private or public land and has a plate-like shape with a relatively low height.
[0054] Furthermore, the ground contact unit 12 is part of a charging station that is connected to the local power grid.
[0055] A vehicle contact unit 14 is attached to the underbody of the vehicle 10, which can electrically connect the vehicle 10 to the ground contact unit 12.
[0056] For this purpose, the ground contact unit 12 has several electrical contacts 16 and the vehicle contact unit 14 has several electrical contacts 18. The contacts 18 of the vehicle contact unit 14 form mating contacts for the contacts 16 of the ground contact unit 12, and vice versa.
[0057] The ground contact unit 12 and the vehicle contact unit 14 are part of a vehicle battery charging system 20.
[0058] Furthermore, the vehicle contact unit 14 is part of a vehicle connection device 22 with a contacting actuator 24, which is designed to lower and align the vehicle contact unit 14 in axial direction A to contact the ground contact unit 12 and to raise it again in the opposite direction after the charging process in order to disconnect the connection.
[0059] In summary, the battery charging process works as follows: The vehicle 10 is driven over the ground contact unit 12. A vehicle contact unit 14, with its protruding contacts 18 on the underside, is then moved downwards in axial direction A towards the ground contact unit 12 by means of the contacting actuator 24. The ground contact unit 12 then determines which of its numerous exposed contacts 16 on the upper side have perfectly aligned mating contacts 18 on the vehicle. The power supply to some of these contacts 16 is then activated, allowing the charging process to begin.
[0060] In this context, the contacts 16 and the mating contacts 18 can be pressed against each other in the contacting position, for example by means of complementary magnets of the ground contact unit 12 and the vehicle contact unit 14, which press the two contact units 12, 14 against each other in vertical or axial direction A.
[0061] The ground contact unit 12 and the vehicle contact unit 14 each have at least one magnet for this purpose.
[0062] The ground contact unit 12 is described in some detail below with reference to Figures 2 to 4.
[0063] The ground contact unit 12 has a vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112 with an upper outer wall 26 on which the contacts 16 are arranged in a matrix-like distribution on the outside. The contacts 16 are arranged in a pattern which, in the embodiment shown, is a two-dimensional Bravais grid, more precisely a hexagonal grid, although the invention is not limited thereto.
[0064] The ground contact unit 12 comprises three ground connections 28, 30, 32, which are connected to a corresponding connection of a local power grid. Each of the ground connections 28, 30, 32 provides a different electrical potential. For each potential, a potential level is provided in the ground contact unit 12, which in this case is provided by a conductive layer of a circuit board 34 (see Figure 3) of the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112.
[0065] The circuit board 34 is arranged inside the ground contact unit 12 in a receiving chamber 36, which is bounded towards the ground by a base wall 38.
[0066] In this context, the circuit board 34 is arranged at a distance from the base wall 38 in axial, here also vertical direction A.
[0067] The base wall 38 and the outer wall 26 together with side walls form an outer housing 40 of the ground contact unit 12, which liquid-tightly encloses the receiving chamber 36.
[0068] In this case, the side walls can be separate components that connect the outer wall 26 with the base wall 38, or at least be part of the outer wall 26 or the base wall 38 in sections.
[0069] When the vehicle contact unit 14 is moved onto the ground contact unit 12, several contacts 18 of the vehicle contact unit 14 come into contact with some contacts 16 of the ground contact unit 12. The correspondingly paired contacts 16, 18 are detected by a control electronics unit 42 of the ground contact unit 12, which is connected to the circuit board 34 for signal transmission. Subsequently, some of these contacts 16 of the ground contact unit 12 are enabled by the control electronics unit 42, while others remain blocked, so that the charging process can begin.
[0070] In the illustrated embodiment, the contacts 16 of the bottom contact unit 12 are materially and form-fitted in complementarily designed recesses 44 in the outer wall 26 and extend from the top 46 to an opposite inner side 48 of the outer wall 26, which is opposite the circuit board 34.
[0071] In principle, the contacts 16 can be attached to the outer wall 26 in any way. Furthermore, the contacts 16 can extend any distance from the top surface 46 in axial direction A towards or into the receiving space 36.
[0072] For example, in an alternative embodiment, the recesses 44 can have a bottom with an end face onto which the contacts 16 are glued on the back and are flush with the top 46 of the outer wall 26.
[0073] The contacts 16 are each connected to the circuit board 34 via an axially extending current-conducting pin 50 as a rear extension of the respective contact 16 and a current-conducting socket 52.
[0074] The socket 52 has a radially extending retaining plate 54 (see Figure 4) and three fingers 56 that extend from the retaining plate 54 in axial direction A to a free end 58.
[0075] The fingers 56 are arranged rotationally symmetrically to each other. In the present case with three fingers 56, this means that the fingers 56 are each arranged at an angle of 120° to each other in the circumferential direction.
[0076] In principle, the socket 52 can have any number of fingers 56, in particular at least three.
[0077] Furthermore, in an alternative embodiment, the fingers 56 can be arranged in any circumferential direction relative to each other.
[0078] In all embodiments, the fingers 56 are each held under preload against a sliding section 62 on the outer circumference of the pin 50 via a contact section 60.
[0079] In this case, the sliding section 62 is cylindrical in shape.
[0080] In an alternative embodiment (see Figure 7), the sliding section 62 is formed by a conical axial section 100 of the pin 50, which tapers towards its free end 102, i.e., in this case, opposite to the axial direction A. For clarity, the spring 88 (see Figure 5) is not shown in Figure 7. The conical axial section 100 can form an angle <p zwischen 6 und 10° haben, beispielsweise 8°.
[0081] The sliding section 62 is arranged at a distance from the free end 102.
[0082] The fingers 56 are designed to be elastic, so that they can spring in or out in a radial direction.
[0083] The fingers 56 extend through an opening 66 in the circuit board 34 and then conically inwards, in order to then run obliquely outwards again after the contact section, which forms the most radially inner point of the finger 56.
[0084] The contact sections 60 of the socket 52 form an axial sliding bearing 64 in which the pin 50 is movably mounted in axial direction A via the cylindrical sliding section 62.
[0085] The axial direction A here points in a vertical direction, i.e. perpendicular to the roadway B (see Figure 1).
[0086] In the illustrated embodiment, the pin 50 is attached to or part of the contact 16 and extends through the opening 66 in the circuit board 34, while the socket 52 is attached to the circuit board 34 and is electrically connected via an electrical conductor with a corresponding potential.
[0087] The retaining plate 54 rests on the side 68 of the circuit board 34 facing the outer wall 26 adjacent to the opening 66 and the fingers 56 extend in axial direction A through the opening 66, so that the circuit board 34 is arranged between the sliding bearing 64 and the outer wall 26.
[0088] Basically, the socket 52 can be attached to the circuit board 34 in any way.
[0089] For example, in an alternative embodiment, the retaining plate 54 can be attached to the side 70 of the circuit board 34 facing away from the outer wall 26. Furthermore, in another embodiment, the sliding bearing 64 can be arranged between the outer wall 26 and the circuit board 34. In this case, the opening 66 in the circuit board 34 can be omitted if the socket 52 is attached to the side 68 of the circuit board 34 facing the outer wall 26 by means of the retaining plate 54 (see also Figure 5).
[0090] The pin 50 is connected to the contact 16 by a material bond, for example by welding, soldering or bonding.
[0091] Of course, pin 50 can be electrically connected to contact 16 in any way, in particular in one piece.
[0092] In an alternative embodiment, the socket 52 is attached to the contact 16, while the pin 50 is attached to the circuit board 34 and is electrically connected to the corresponding potential via the electrical conductor.
[0093] In this case, the socket 52 can be integrally connected to the contact 16, in particular via the retaining plate 54.
[0094] The vehicle contact unit 14 will now be described in some detail using Figure 5.
[0095] The vehicle contact unit 14 has a vehicle battery charging system contact unit 114, which is similar in design to the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112. For the components known from the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112, the same reference numerals are used where applicable, and reference is made to the preceding explanations.
[0096] In contrast to the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112 of the ground contact unit 12, in the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 114 of the vehicle contact unit 14 the contacts 18 are each mounted via a mounting section 72 in a receptacle 74 in the outer wall 26 in axial direction A relative to the outer wall 26.
[0097] In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting section 72 is a cup-shaped bushing with a base 76 that projects axially A from the receptacle 74 beyond a bottom surface 78 of the outer wall 26. In an alternative embodiment, the base 76 can be flush with the bottom surface 78 or terminate at an axial distance from the bottom surface 78.
[0098] Furthermore, the receptacle 74 and the mounting section 72 can be designed such that the mounting section 72 is pivotably mounted in the receptacle 74 by an angle α (see Figure 6) relative to the axial direction A, for example by 2°. This allows a small offset or slight inclination of the vehicle contact unit 14 to be compensated for relative to the ground contact unit 12, thus ensuring particularly good contact between them in the contacting position.
[0099] The base 76, more precisely the outer surface 80 of the base 76, forms the contact 18.
[0100] In this context, the contact 18 in the present embodiment has three contact extensions 82 which extend outwards in axial direction A from the base surface 80 and each terminate in a free contact end 84.
[0101] The contacts 18 are connected to the mating contacts 16 of the ground contact unit 12 via the contact ends 84 when the vehicle contact unit 14 is connected to the ground contact unit 12 to charge the battery of the vehicle 10.
[0102] In principle, the contacts 18 can be designed arbitrarily, in particular with any number of contact extensions 82.
[0103] Alternatively, the contacts 18 can be formed by the base surface 80 and may not have any contact extensions 82.
[0104] As with the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112 of the ground contact unit 12, here the contact 18 is electrically connected to the circuit board 34 arranged inside via a pin 50 and a socket 52, which are in contact with each other in axial direction A, sliding like a sliding bearing 64.
[0105] The socket 52 is attached to the side 68 of the circuit board 34 facing the outer wall 26 by means of the retaining plate 54. The fingers 56 extend axially in direction A into the hollow interior 86 of the retaining section 72 and bear against the sliding section 62 of the pin 50 via the contact sections 60 under radial preload.
[0106] The pin 50 is attached to the base 76 and extends in the opposite direction A inside 86 of the mounting section 72 towards the circuit board 34, ending in front of it.
[0107] In principle, the pin 50 can be attached to the mounting section 72 in any way or be formed integrally with it.
[0108] In the present embodiment, the pin 50 is connected to the base 76 both by form and by material connection.
[0109] Furthermore, the socket 52 in the illustrated embodiment has six fingers 56 which are arranged rotationally symmetrically.
[0110] Of course, the sockets 52 can also have any number of fingers 56, which are arranged in any way in the circumferential direction relative to each other.
[0111] A spring 88 is arranged between the circuit board 34 and the base 76, which biases the mounting section 72 in axial direction A away from the circuit board 34 and against an axial stop 90.
[0112] The spring 88 is a spiral spring that radially surrounds the pin 50 and the fingers 56 inside 86 of the mounting section 72 on the outside.
[0113] In particular, the spring 88 is axially supported on the circuit board 34 via the retaining plate 54.
[0114] Of course, in an alternative embodiment, the spring 88 can be designed arbitrarily.
[0115] Furthermore, the spring 88 can be attached at any point on the mounting section 72 to preload it in axial direction A.
[0116] The axial stop 90 is formed by a rim 92 that limits the opening 94 through which the receptacle 74 opens into the underside 78 or outer side 96 of the outer wall 26. In the illustrated embodiment, the rim 92 is radially inwardly drawn, whereby the cross-section of the opening 94 is smaller than the cross-section of the receptacle 74 axially spaced from the opening 94.
[0117] In principle, the axial stop 90 can be designed arbitrarily. For example, in an alternative embodiment, the axial stop 90 can be formed by a stepped or axially tapered wall section of the receptacle 74.
[0118] To seal the receiving chamber 36 inside the vehicle contact unit 14 from the environment, sealing elements 98 are arranged between the circuit board 34 and the outer wall 26, which enclose the receiving chambers 74 in a ring shape.
[0119] The sealing elements 98 are, for example, O-rings.
[0120] Of course, in an alternative embodiment, the receiving space 36 can be sealed by one or more sealing elements 98 of any design.
[0121] In this context, the circuit board 34 is located on the inside 48 of the outer wall 26, which makes the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 114 particularly compact in axial direction A.
[0122] Alternatively, a gap can be provided between the side 68 of the circuit board 34 facing the outer wall 26 and the inside 48 of the outer wall 26, which is sealed by the sealing elements 98.
[0123] With reference to Figure 6, a vehicle battery charging system contact unit 114 of the vehicle contact unit 14 according to a further embodiment is now described. The same reference numerals are used for the components known from the embodiment above, and reference is made to the preceding explanations in this respect. For clarity, the spring 88 (see Figure 5) is not shown in Figure 6.
[0124] In contrast to the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 114 shown in Figure 5, the sockets 52 in the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 114 shown in Figure 6 are not attached to the circuit board 34, but to a plate-shaped component 104 and are electrically connected to corresponding electrical conductors on the circuit board 34 via electrical lines 106.
[0125] Of course, in an alternative embodiment, at least partially instead of the sockets 52, the pins 50 can be attached to the plate-shaped component 104 and electrically connected to corresponding electrical conductors on the circuit board 34 via electrical lines 106.
[0126] The circuit board 34 is arranged at a distance from the plate-shaped component 104 in axial direction A between the base 38 and the plate-shaped component 104.
[0127] The sockets 52 are each attached to a mounting part 108, which is fastened in a mounting section 110 of the plate-shaped component 104.
[0128] The fastening parts 108 are made of an electrically conductive material, for example metal.
[0129] In one embodiment, the fastening parts are 108 turned parts, i.e. manufactured by turning.
[0130] The socket 52 is soldered to the mounting part 108 and then coated, for example nickel-plated or gold-plated.
[0131] In the illustrated embodiment, the socket 52 has no retaining plate 54 and the fingers 56 are attached directly to the mounting part 108.
[0132] Of course, in an alternative embodiment, the socket 52 can have a retaining plate 54 and be attached to the mounting part 108 via this plate.
[0133] In recording chamber 36, the electrical line 106 is electrically connected to the mounting part 108, for example by means of a terminal 116.
[0134] The plate-shaped component 104 is made of an electrically insulating material, for example a plastic or a ceramic. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastening section 110 is cup-shaped and projects beyond a base section 118 of the plate-shaped component 104 in the opposite direction A.
[0135] In this way, the socket 52 are reliably electrically isolated from each other and attached to the plate-shaped component 104 and electrically connected to the circuit board 34.
[0136] The cup-shaped mounting section 110 ensures that the contacts 18 are electrically isolated from each other even when a liquid, such as condensate, covers the base section 118 in the receiving space 36, as long as the liquid does not exceed the axial height of the cup-shaped mounting section 110.
[0137] In principle, the plate-shaped component 104 and / or the fastening sections 110 can be designed as desired.
[0138] In a further embodiment, the sockets 52 can be attached to the plate-shaped component 104 in any way insulated from each other and electrically connected to the circuit board 34.
[0139] In an alternative embodiment, the ground contact unit 12 can be designed analogously to the vehicle contact unit 14 shown in Figure 5 or Figure 6; in particular, the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112 of the ground contact unit 12 can be designed analogously to the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 114 of the vehicle contact unit 14. In this case, the underside 78 of the vehicle contact unit 14 forms the upper side 46 of the ground contact unit 12.
[0140] Furthermore, in an alternative embodiment, the vehicle contact unit 14 can be designed analogously to the ground contact unit 12 shown in Figures 2 to 4; in particular, the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 114 of the vehicle contact unit 14 can be designed analogously to the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112 of the ground contact unit 12. In this case, the upper surface 46 of the ground contact unit 12 corresponds to the lower surface 78 of the ground contact unit 12.
[0141] Vehicle contact unit 14. Furthermore, the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112 of the ground contact unit 12 shown in Figures 2 to 4 and the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 114 of the vehicle contact unit 14 shown in Figure 5 can, analogously to the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 114 of the vehicle contact unit 14 shown in Figure 6, have a plate-shaped component 104 on which the sockets 52 and / or pins 50 are attached and electrically connected via electrical lines 106 to corresponding electrical conductors on the circuit board 34.
[0142] In this case, the plate-shaped component 104 takes over the supporting function of the circuit board 34 and can, for example, seal the receptacles 74 against the interior of the contact unit 112, 114 by means of one or more sealing elements 98, which are arranged between the plate-shaped component 104 and the outer wall 26, analogous to the circuit board 34.
[0143] In all embodiments, the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 114 of the vehicle contact unit 14 forms a counter-contact unit for the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112 of the ground contact unit 12, and vice versa.
[0144] In this way, a vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112, 114 is provided, in which the contacts 16, 18 are each mounted axially displaceable to the circuit board 34 via the axial sliding bearing 64 associated with them and are electrically connected to the circuit board 34 on the other hand.
[0145] This provides a vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112, 114 as well as a ground contact unit 12 and a vehicle contact unit 12 with a corresponding vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112, 114, which are designed to be particularly robust.
[0146] Furthermore, the sockets 52 and the pins 50 can be connected to each other with minimal effort via a plug connection, making production particularly cost-efficient.
[0147] Another advantage is that the sockets 52 can also compensate for an offset in the radial direction, which allows the vehicle battery charging system contact unit 112, 114 to be manufactured with larger tolerances.
[0148] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 8, radial fingers 56, which in this case are attached to the base of the bushing, can project from the inside. These fingers 56 are, for example, integrally formed on the radial retaining plate 54, which is centrally located to the fingers 56 and which supports all the fingers 56, so that the retaining plate 54 can be attached to the base to simultaneously hold all the fingers 56 to the base.
[0149] The bushing can be axially spring-loaded and movably mounted to form the contact.
[0150] To seal the movable bushing against its outer adjacent part, the bushing carries an annular sealing diaphragm 120, which seals a gap to a surrounding component. For this purpose, the sealing diaphragm 120 can be attached to the inside of the bushing and to a fixed, adjacent part on the outside, here the outer housing 40.
[0151] For this purpose, the sealing membrane 120 can be held with its inner edge in a groove 122 in the bushing and has an outer edge with an axially projecting ring 121, which is positively locked in a groove 124 in the outer housing 40.
[0152] The radial outermost edge 125 of the sealing membrane 120 is clamped between the outer wall 26 and the component 104.
[0153] If the fingers 56 are made of a softer material than the pin 50, it is easier to replace them when they wear out if the fingers 56 are attached to the movable bushing, which is accessible from the outside and easier to disassemble.
[0154] The bushing has a projecting radial stop flange 126, which limits the maximum outer position of the bushing to the outer housing 40 and can strike a shoulder there when it is moved due to the pressure of the spring 88.
Claims
Patent claims 1. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) for contacting a mating contact unit (112, 114) when connecting the vehicle (10) to a charging station, wherein the vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) has a circuit board (34), an outer wall (26) and several contacts (16, 18) accessible from the outside of the outer wall (26) for contacting mating contacts (16, 18) of the mating contact unit (112, 114), wherein the contacts (16, 18) are each vertically displaceable in an associated axial sliding bearing (64) and electrically connected to the circuit board (34) on the other hand, wherein an axially extending, current-conducting pin (50) is provided, which is surrounded and contacted on its outer circumference by several radially resilient fingers (56) that support the sliding bearing (64). form, whereby the sliding bearing (64) forms an axial relative movement between the pin (50) and finger (56) under permanent contact.
2. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to claim 1, characterized in that several fingers (56) are in contact with the pin (50).
3. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least three fingers (56) are provided, which are in particular arranged rotationally symmetrically.
4. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fingers (56) extend from a radial retaining plate (54) and terminate freely.
5. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sliding bearing (64) or the pin (50) is attached to the circuit board (34) and is electrically connected to an electrical conductor on the circuit board (34).
6. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to claim 5, characterized in that the sliding bearing (64) is mounted on the circuit board (34) is attached and the pin (50) extends in axial direction (A) through an opening (66) in the circuit board (34), in particular wherein the retaining plate (54) rests on the side of the circuit board (34) that is close to the outer wall (26), and the fingers (56) extend through the opening (66) away from the outer wall (26).
7. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the sliding bearing (64) or the pin (50) is attached to a plate-shaped component (104) and is electrically connected to an electrical conductor on the circuit board (34) via an electrical line (106).
8. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to claim 7, characterized in that the sliding bearing (64) is attached to the plate-shaped component (104) and the pin (50) extends in axial direction (A) through an opening (66) in the plate-shaped component (104), in particular wherein the retaining plate (54) rests on the side of the plate-shaped component (104) that is close to the outer wall (26), and the fingers (56) extend through the opening (66) away from the outer wall (26).
9. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the sliding bearing (64) or the pin (50) which is attached to the plate-shaped component (104) is electrically insulated from the plate-shaped component (104) and / or from further sliding bearings (64) and / or pins (50) which are attached to the plate-shaped component (104).
10. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pin (50) has a free end (102) and a conical axial section (100) which is spaced apart from the free end (102), in particular wherein at least one finger (56) rests on the conical axial section (100).
11. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to claim 10, characterized in that the conical axial section (100) tapers towards the free end (102).
12. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) has at least one magnet which is configured to interact with at least one complementary magnet of the counter-contact unit (112, 114) such that in a contacting position the contacts (16, 18) are under pressure on the counter-contacts (16, 18) of the counter-contact unit (112, 114).
13. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contacts (16, 18) are each formed integrally with the corresponding pin (50) or the sliding bearing (64).
14. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer wall (26) has its own receptacle (74) for each contact (16, 18), in which the corresponding contact (16, 18) is axially movably mounted relative to the outer wall (26) via a retaining section (72) provided on the contact (16, 18) and projecting into the receptacle (74).
15. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to claim 14, characterized in that the mounting section (72) is a socket, on the outer bottom surface (80) of which the contact (16, 18) is provided or which forms the contact (16, 18).
16. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to claim 15, characterized in that the pin (50) protrudes from the bottom (76) of the socket on the inside and the fingers (56) protrude into the socket or that the radial fingers (56) attached to the bottom (76) of the socket protrude from the inside.
17. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to claim 16, characterized in that the bushing is axially resilient and movably mounted and forms the contact, in particular wherein the bushing carries an annular disc-shaped sealing membrane (120) which seals a slot to a surrounding component.
18. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that each receptacle (74) is formed by an opening (94) in the outer wall (26), the edge (92) of which is drawn inwards in the area of the outer side (96) so that the cross-section of the opening (94) is reduced, in particular tapering conically, to form an axial stop (90) for the retaining section (72).
19. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that contacts (16, 18) are each biased outwards by a spring (88), in particular wherein the spring (88) is located inside (86) of the retaining section (72) and surrounds the pin (50) and the fingers (56).
20. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that the circuit board (34) is spaced apart from the outer wall (26) or adjoins the outer wall (26) and in particular one or more sealing elements (98) are arranged between the circuit board (34) and the outer wall (26) which seal the receptacles (74) against an interior of the contact unit (112, 114).
21. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to claim 7 and one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that the plate-shaped component (104) is spaced apart from the outer wall (26) or adjoins the outer wall (26) and in particular one or more sealing elements (98) are arranged between the plate-shaped component (104) and the outer wall (26) which seal the receptacles (74) against an interior of the contact unit (112, 114).
22. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contacts (16, 18) each have several, in particular three, external contact extensions (82) for contacting mating contacts (16, 18).
23. Vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) is part of a Ground contact unit (12) and the counter-contact unit (112, 114) part of a vehicle contact unit (14) is, or that the vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) is part of a vehicle contact unit (14) and the counter contact unit (112, 114) is part of a ground contact unit (12).
24. Ground contact unit (12) or vehicle contact unit (14), comprising a vehicle battery charging system contact unit (112, 114) according to one of the preceding claims and an outer housing (40) comprising the outer wall (26) and a base wall (38) spaced apart therefrom, wherein the circuit board (34) is positioned spaced apart from the base wall (38) and control electronics (42) are housed in the outer housing (40).