Charging outlet

Abstract

A charging outlet coupled to a charging unit of a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: an outlet housing providing an installation space on the inside by coupling; and a charging relay unit installed in the installation space to relay an electrical connection. The charging relay unit comprises: a terminal assembly including a relay housing having a sealed space formed therein, a relay terminal unit connected to an external power source in the sealed space, and a coupling terminal unit coupled to the relay terminal unit on the outside of the relay housing and coupled to the charging unit; and a fire extinguishing unit installed in the sealed space to generate a fire extinguishing agent that is visually identifiable when the terminal assembly is overheated. Accordingly, it is possible to determine whether the terminal assembly is overheated, thereby facilitating maintenance.

Description

Charging outlet

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging outlet, and more specifically, to a charging outlet that is embedded in a vehicle body and coupled to a charging part of a vehicle connected to a battery to provide external power.

[0002] Interest in eco-friendly vehicles has increased to address environmental issues through energy conservation and pollution prevention. Consequently, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, biodiesel vehicles, and electric vehicles are garnering attention as alternatives to vehicles powered by conventional internal combustion engines.

[0003] Among these, the field of the most active technological development is the electric vehicle sector, which consists of vehicles that use electricity as their primary driving force. To this end, electric vehicles are equipped with a charging section connected to a battery to receive electrical energy from an external source.

[0004] In this case, a charging outlet connected to an external power source is integrated into the charging section of the electric vehicle to supply power from the outside. Furthermore, since electric energy is a major energy source managed by the state and presents the problem of difficulty in establishing supply infrastructure, there is a trend to increase the adoption of electric vehicles by installing charging outlets in public places for use by an unspecified number of people.

[0005] In addition, the charging outlet is an electrical component installed in a public place and used by an unspecified number of people, and high-voltage power is supplied for faster charging, and overheating occurred in the charging outlet due to repeated use.

[0006] As a result, there was a problem where the charging outlet became fixed due to damage to internal components caused by overheating, and there was a high possibility of secondary accidents, such as the explosion of a high-voltage external power source, if the heat spread to a fire.

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a charging outlet that is easy to maintain.

[0008] A charging outlet connected to a charging unit of a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: an outlet housing that provides an installation space inwardly by means of coupling; and a charging relay unit installed in the installation space to relay an electrical connection; wherein the charging relay unit is formed by a relay housing having a sealed space formed inwardly, a relay terminal part connected to an external power source in the sealed space, a coupling terminal part coupled to the relay terminal part and coupled to a charging unit on the outside of the relay housing, and a fire extinguishing part installed in the sealed space to generate a fire extinguishing agent that can be visually confirmed when the terminal assembly overheats, thereby making it possible to determine whether overheating has occurred in the terminal assembly.

[0009] The above relay housing has a recognition part formed on one side that allows the sealed space to be visually confirmed, so that the occurrence of fire extinguishing agent can be determined from the outside of the charging relay unit.

[0010] The above recognition unit is formed with a recognition body that extends from one side of the relay housing and has a communication space formed therein that communicates with the sealed space on the inside, and a window formed of a material that allows light to pass through so that the communication space is sealed and connected to one end of the recognition body, so that the communication space can be visually identified, and the presence or absence of fire extinguishing agent can be determined through the window.

[0011] The above window may be formed with a closing door that closes the end portion of the communication space, an extension portion that extends from the closing door and is positioned inside the communication space, and a sealing ring installed on the outer surface of the extension portion to seal the communication space.

[0012] The above relay terminal section is formed with a terminal case having an internal connection space and a relay terminal electrically connected to an external power source in the connection space, and is formed as a pair connected to different electrodes, and the fire extinguishing section is formed on one side of each terminal case to provide a fire extinguishing agent into the sealed space.

[0013] The above relay housing has partition ribs formed to partition the sealed space so that each of the relay terminals connected to different electrodes is accommodated, and the recognition body is formed in a pair to communicate individually with each of the partitioned sealed spaces, so that it can determine whether overheating has occurred in each of the pair of relay terminals.

[0014] The above outlet housing is further formed with an open room section corresponding to the location of the recognition section, and the window is installed to be exposed to the room section so that the occurrence of fire extinguishing agent can be determined from the outside of the outlet housing.

[0015] As examined above, various effects including the following can be expected according to the means for solving the problem of the present invention. However, the present invention is not required to exhibit all of the following effects to be valid.

[0016] The charging outlet of the present invention is equipped with a fire extinguishing unit that generates a fire extinguishing agent visible to the naked eye when the terminal assembly overheats, so that the user can immediately recognize the occurrence of overheating.

[0017] In addition, the oxygen concentration inside the outlet housing is reduced through the fire extinguishing agent, and sparks are prevented, thereby ensuring electrical connection stability and preventing secondary accidents such as fire.

[0018] In addition, the charging outlet is equipped with a recognition unit that allows a worker to visually inspect the interior of the outlet housing, enabling the user or worker to more easily check whether fire extinguishing gas is being generated.

[0019] Accordingly, the operator determines the replacement of the fire extinguishing unit based on whether fire extinguishing gas was generated during charging, that is, previously, so there is no need to disassemble the outlet housing to check whether the fire extinguishing unit needs to be replaced.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a charging outlet of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1 from a different direction.

[0022] Fig. 3 is an exploded view of Fig. 1.

[0023] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the charging relay unit of FIG. 3.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of FIG. 4 from a different direction.

[0025] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view in the direction of VIa-VIa of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view in the direction of VIb-VIb of FIG. 4.

[0026] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken in the direction VII-VII of FIG. 3.

[0027] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of FIG. 2 with the first member of the charging outlet removed.

[0028] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view in the direction IX-IX of FIG. 8.

[0029] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, in order not to obscure the essence of the present invention, descriptions of known functions or configurations will be omitted.

[0030] For the sake of convenience of explanation, the direction in which electrical connection occurs is defined as the extension direction, the direction in which the housing body is joined is defined as the joining direction, and the direction that intersects perpendicularly with the extension direction and the joining direction simultaneously is defined as the crossing direction.

[0031] In addition, regarding the extension direction, the direction in which the inlet coupling part is formed relative to the charging outlet is referred to as the front of the extension direction, and the direction in which the cable part is extended is referred to as the rear of the extension direction.

[0032] However, the aforementioned direction is for the convenience of explanation and may differ when an actual charging outlet is applied; configurations that produce the same function and effect despite having different directions may fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0033]

[0034] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a charging outlet of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1 in a different direction, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a charging relay unit of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of FIG. 4 in a different direction, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view in the direction VIa-VIa of FIG. 3, FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view in the direction VIb-VIb of FIG. 3, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view in the direction VII-VII of FIG. 3, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of FIG. 2 with the first member of the charging outlet removed, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view in the direction IX-IX of FIG. 8.

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 9, a charging outlet (10) connected to a charging unit of a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention is formed by a relay housing (210) in which a sealed space (211) is formed inwardly by coupling, a relay terminal part (221) connected to an external power source in the sealed space (211), a coupling terminal part (222) coupled to the relay terminal part (221) on the outside of the relay housing (210) and coupled to a charging unit, and a fire extinguishing part (230) installed in the sealed space (211) and generating a fire extinguishing agent that can be visually confirmed by the terminal assembly (220), so as to be able to determine whether overheating has occurred in the terminal assembly (220).

[0036] The charging outlet (10) is a device that supplies electric energy from an external power source to the vehicle to charge the battery when connected to the charging part of the vehicle while connected to an external power source.

[0037] To this end, the charging outlet (10) includes an outlet housing (100) that provides an installation space (113) and a charging relay unit (200) installed in the installation space (113) that relays the electrical connection between an external power source and the charging part of the vehicle.

[0038] Here, the outlet housing (100) is formed with a housing body (110) that is assembled to form an exterior, and an inlet coupling part (120) that is formed in the front of the housing body (110) in the extension direction and is directly connected to the charging part of the vehicle.

[0039] Specifically, the housing body (110) is formed with first and second members (111, 112) having the same shape and joined in a joining direction, and an installation space (113) is formed inside the first and second members (111, 112).

[0040] At this time, the installation space (113) has an opening (1131) formed in the front of the extension direction and an extension hole (1132) formed in the rear of the extension direction.

[0041] Accordingly, the opening (1131) is positioned so that the connecting terminal (222) is placed outside the installation space (113) while the charging relay unit (200) is installed in the installation space (113), and is positioned inside the inlet connecting part (120) that closes the opening (1131) and is connected, and the connecting terminal (222) is positioned inside the charging part of the vehicle.

[0042] Additionally, the extension hole (1132) allows the cable portion (300) connected to the relay terminal (2212) to pass through and extend outward, thereby providing a structure that allows the external device and the relay terminal (2212) to be electrically connected.

[0043] Accordingly, the inlet coupling portion (120) is formed to be open in the extension direction and has a structure that is coupled complementarily to the charging portion of the vehicle, so that it is directly inserted and coupled to the charging portion of the vehicle, thereby relaying an electrical connection through the coupling terminal portion (222).

[0044] Additionally, on one side of the housing body (110), an identification part (130) is formed such that the recognition part (213) is exposed upon assembly, thereby providing a structure in which a worker can visually check the inside of the recognition part (213) from the outside of the outlet housing (100).

[0045] To this end, the identification part (130) is formed by a through hole (131) formed by penetrating the housing body (110) through the combination of the first and second members (111, 112), and a receiving end (132) recessed inward along the outer surface of the through hole (131), so that the window (2132) is stably fixed.

[0046] Accordingly, the charging outlet (10) of the present invention provides a structure that can determine whether overheating has occurred in the charging relay unit (200) without disassembling the first and second members (111, 112), thereby enabling the manager to more easily perform maintenance on the charging outlet (10).

[0047] The charging relay unit (200) is formed with a relay housing (210) having a sealed space (211) formed on the inside, a terminal assembly (220) arranged on the inside of the relay housing (210), and a fire extinguishing unit (230) installed in the sealed space (211) that generates a fire extinguishing agent that can be visually confirmed when the terminal assembly (220) overheats.

[0048] To examine this in more detail, the relay housing (210) is formed with a sealed space (211) open to one side in the extension direction and a partitioning rib (212) that partitions the sealed space (211), thereby accommodating relay terminals (221) connected to different electrodes respectively to ensure electrical connection stability.

[0049] At this time, a recognition part (213) connected to a sealed space (211) is formed on one side of the relay housing (210), so that when a fire extinguishing agent is generated in the sealed space (211), a structure is provided that allows visual confirmation through the recognition part (213).

[0050] To this end, the recognition unit (213) is formed with a recognition body (2131) that extends from one side of the relay housing (210) and has an open end, and a window (2132) installed at the end of the recognition body (2131) to seal the open part, so as to be able to recognize the presence or absence of a fire extinguishing agent in the sealed space (211).

[0051] Accordingly, a communication space (21311) communicating with the sealed space (211) is formed on the inner side of the recognition body (2131), and the window (2132) is formed of a material through which light passes above a certain level, so that an administrator can recognize the fire extinguishing agent through the window (2132).

[0052] Specifically, the window (2132) is formed with a closing door (21321) that closes the end portion of the communication space (21311) and an extension portion (21323) that extends from the closing door (21321) and is received inside the recognition body (2131).

[0053] At this time, a sealing ring (21324) is placed along the outer surface of the extension part (21323) to seal the communication space (21311), i.e., the sealed space (211).

[0054] Accordingly, the sealing power of the sealed space (211) where an external power source and electrical connection are generated is maintained to ensure electrical connection stability, and at the same time, the fire extinguishing agent is prevented from being discharged to the outside until the administrator checks after the fire extinguishing agent is generated in the sealed space (211), that is, after the user overheats the terminal assembly (220) when charging the vehicle.

[0055] Additionally, the recognition unit (213) is connected to a sealed space (211) in which a recognition body (2131) is partitioned so that it can distinguish and recognize when overheating occurs in either of the pair of terminal assemblies (220) connected to different electrodes.

[0056] However, in order to facilitate the installation of the window section, it is preferable that a plurality of extension ends be formed on a single closed door (21321) corresponding to the position of the recognition body (2131).

[0057] In addition, a protruding end (21322) is formed along the outer surface of the closed door (21321) so that the charging relay unit (200) is installed in the installation space (113) and is seated on the receiving end (132), allowing the window (2132) to be installed in correspondence with the position of the room-by-room section.

[0058] And, a fastening hole (21325) through which a fastening member passes is formed through one side of the closed door (21321), and a fastening body (2133) is formed on one side of the relay housing (210) corresponding to the position of the fastening hole (21325) so as to fix the window (2132) through the fastening member.

[0059] In summary, the relay housing (210) provides a partitioned sealed space (211) in which relay terminals (2212) connected to different electrodes are connected to an external device through a cable section (300), thereby providing a space where a stable electrical connection is possible between a high-voltage external power source and the relay terminals (2212).

[0060] At this time, considering that the fire extinguishing agent generated at a specific location in the sealed space (211) spreads to the entire space over time, a recognition part (213) is formed on one side of the relay housing (210) to check whether the fire extinguishing agent is generated from the outside of the charging relay unit (200).

[0061] At this time, the recognition unit (213) is formed to be exposed to the outside of the outlet housing (100) through the identification unit (130) while installed in the installation space (113). Here, being exposed to the outside means that a worker can check the communication space (21311) from the outside of the outlet housing (100) through the window (2132), and does not mean only that it is structurally protruding and exposed.

[0062] Accordingly, the manager can determine whether overheating has occurred in the terminal assembly (220) due to a failure of the charging system or while the user is charging the vehicle through the charging outlet (10) without disassembling the charging outlet (10).

[0063] In addition, it is possible to determine whether the extinguishing unit (230) needs to be replaced, thereby making the management of the charging outlet (10) significantly easier, and at the same time, if overheating occurs, the timing for maintenance of the charging outlet (10), such as system errors, can be determined through additional verification.

[0064] The terminal assembly (220) is formed with a relay terminal part (221) connected to an external power source in a sealed space (211) and a coupling terminal part (222) coupled to a charging part of a vehicle on the outside of a relay housing (210), so that as the charging outlet (10) is coupled to the charging part of the vehicle, the external power source is provided to the vehicle.

[0065] Specifically, the relay terminal section (221) is formed with a terminal case (221) that provides a space open in the extension direction and a relay terminal (2212) that is partially accommodated inside the terminal case (221), and is electrically connected to the cable section (300) inside the terminal case (221).

[0066] At this time, a sealing member (2213) is installed at the rear of the terminal case (221) in the extension direction to adjust the position of the terminal case (221) and at the same time seal the rear of the sealing space (211) in the extension direction.

[0067] Additionally, it is preferable that the terminal case (221) has an installation section formed on the outer or inner side where a fire extinguishing section (230) is installed, corresponding to the location where the relay terminal (2212) and the cable section (300) are electrically connected.

[0068] More specifically, when the fire extinguishing unit (230) is installed on the outer side of the terminal case (221), there is an advantage that the fire extinguishing unit (230) can be easily replaced, and when the fire extinguishing unit (230) is installed on the inner side of the terminal case (221), there is an advantage that it can be as close as possible to the part where the relay terminal (2212) and the cable unit (300) are electrically connected.

[0069] However, considering that only the terminal case (221), relay terminal (2212), and cable section (300) are installed inside the sealed space (211) and the space is very narrow, the entire temperature of the sealed space (211) rises rapidly when overheating occurs, there is an advantage in installing the fire extinguishing section (230) outside the terminal case (221).

[0070] However, this is determined by considering some factors, and even when the fire extinguishing unit (230) is installed inside the terminal case (221), the same effect of the present invention is produced and falls within the scope of rights.

[0071] And the relay terminal section (221) accommodates relay terminals (2212) connected to different electrodes, and is installed in a partitioned sealed space (211) to block the relay terminals (2212) connected to different electrodes, thereby ensuring electrical connection stability.

[0072] Furthermore, the relay terminal (2212) connected to a single electrode is formed into multiple terminals connected to an external power source as needed, so that the terminal assembly (220) can be stably connected to a high-voltage external power source.

[0073] The coupling terminal portion (222) is formed as a pair by connecting to one of the relay terminals (2212) connected to different electrodes on the outside of the relay housing (210), and is positioned on the outside of the installation space (113) and formed on the inside of the inlet coupling portion (120).

[0074] Accordingly, the coupling terminal part (222) is positioned inside the charging part at the same time as the inlet coupling part (120) is coupled to the charging part of the vehicle, thereby relaying the electrical connection with the inlet coupling part.

[0075] In other words, the terminal assembly (220) is configured to relay an electrical connection to supply external power to the vehicle, and by separately forming a relay terminal (2212) connected to a high-voltage external power source and a coupling terminal (222) connected to the charging part of the vehicle, it facilitates maintenance while ensuring electrical connectivity.

[0076] In addition, relay terminals (221) connected to different electrodes are installed in a relay housing (210) to prevent electrical connection from occurring between them, thereby significantly improving electrical connection stability, and each terminal case (221) is equipped with a fire extinguishing unit (230) so that relay terminals (221) that have overheated can be distinguished and recognized.

[0077] The fire extinguishing unit (230) is installed inside the sealed space (211) and generates a fire extinguishing agent when the terminal assembly (220) overheats above a preset temperature to prevent a fire from occurring due to sparks caused by overheating.

[0078] Preferably, the fire extinguishing unit (230) is positioned on the outside or inside of the terminal case (221) corresponding to the location where the relay terminal (2212) and the cable unit (300) are electrically connected, and is positioned at a location where there is a high possibility of overheating occurring as a high-voltage external power source is electrically connected.

[0079] To this end, the extinguishing unit (230) includes a capsule containing a extinguishing agent, and the capsule is opened above a certain level so that the internal extinguishing agent spreads into a sealed space (211).

[0080] At this time, the capsule is formed with a visually identifiable fire extinguishing agent so that when the capsule is opened, the manager can easily recognize it. Specifically, the visually identifiable fire extinguishing agent includes a composition that generates color, thereby changing the internal color of the sealed space (211) when the capsule is opened.

[0081] Therefore, the administrator can immediately recognize that overheating has occurred in the terminal assembly (220) through the window (2132) if the enclosed space (211) has the same color as the fire extinguishing agent.

[0082] To this end, the window (2132) is formed of a material through which light passes through to a certain degree so that an administrator or user can recognize it, but it does not necessarily have to be formed as transparent; any material that allows for a recognizable change in color is acceptable.

[0083] In addition, the amount of fire extinguishing agent included per unit size of the fire extinguishing unit (230) is determined, and the amount of fire extinguishing agent generated varies depending on the superheated temperature of the sealed space (211) and the time during which the superheated temperature is maintained.

[0084] Therefore, it is desirable for the manager to establish a color standard based on the amount of fire extinguishing agent generated relative to the volume of the enclosed space (211), so that the remaining fire extinguishing agent can be additionally predicted.

[0085] Accordingly, the manager can more accurately determine whether to repair, such as replacing the relay terminal (2212) or cable, and the timing of replacement of the fire extinguishing unit (230), thereby maximizing the effect of improving the ease of maintenance of the charging outlet (10).

[0086] The cable section (300) extends from the inside of the installation space (113) to the outside of the outlet housing (100) through the extension hole (1132) and is connected to an external power source. Specifically, the cable section (300) formed in the installation space (113) is electrically connected to the relay terminal (2212) inside the terminal case (221) to supply high-voltage external power.

[0087] At this time, the cable section (300) is formed by a plurality of cables each connected to a plurality of relay terminals (2212) connected to different electrodes.

[0088] Therefore, the charging outlet (10) of the present invention can determine whether overheating has occurred in the charging relay unit (200) by using a fire extinguishing agent that is visually identifiable, making maintenance of the charging outlet (10) very easy.

[0089] Additionally, the relay housing (210) has a recognition part (213) connected to a sealed space (211), and the outlet housing (100) has an identification part (130) in which the recognition part (213) is exposed, so that an administrator can recognize whether fire extinguishing agent is generated without disassembling the charging outlet (10), thereby maximizing the ease of maintenance.

[0090] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described illustratively above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and any modifications that are appropriately possible within the scope described in the claims fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. In a charging outlet connected to a charging part of a vehicle, An outlet housing that provides an installation space inwardly by means of connection; and It includes a charging relay unit installed in the above-mentioned installation space to relay an electrical connection; and The above charging relay unit is A relay housing having a sealed space formed on the inside, and A terminal assembly formed with a relay terminal part connected to an external power source in the above-mentioned sealed space, and a coupling terminal part coupled to the relay terminal part and coupled to a charging part on the outside of the above-mentioned relay housing, and It is formed as a fire extinguishing unit installed in the above-mentioned sealed space that generates a fire extinguishing agent visible to the naked eye when the above-mentioned terminal assembly overheats, A charging outlet characterized by being able to determine whether overheating has occurred in the above terminal assembly.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above relay housing is A recognition part is further formed on one side so that the above-mentioned sealed space can be visually confirmed, A charging outlet characterized by the ability to determine whether a fire extinguishing agent is generated from outside the charging relay unit.

3. In Paragraph 2, The above recognition unit A recognition body extending from one side of the above relay housing and having a communication space formed therein that communicates with the sealed space inwardly, and The above-mentioned recognition body is fastened to one end to seal the communication space, and the communication space is formed as a window made of a light-transmitting material so that it can be visually identified. A charging outlet characterized by being able to determine whether a fire extinguishing agent is generated through the above window.

4. In Paragraph 3, The above window is A charging outlet characterized by being formed of a closing door that closes the end portion of the communication space, an extension portion that extends from the closing door and is positioned inside the communication space, and a sealing ring installed on the outer surface of the extension portion to seal the communication space.

5. In Paragraph 3, The above relay terminal A terminal case with a connection space formed on the inside, and It is formed as a relay terminal electrically connected to an external power source in the above connection space, and is formed as a pair connected to different electrodes, The above digestive part A charging outlet characterized by being formed on one side of each of the above terminal cases and providing a fire extinguishing agent into the sealed space.

6. In Paragraph 5, The above relay housing is A partition rib is formed to partition the sealed space so that the relay terminals connected to different electrodes are each accommodated, and The above recognition body is Formed as a pair to communicate individually with each of the partitioned sealed spaces, A charging outlet characterized by being able to determine whether overheating has occurred in each of the pair of relay terminal sections.

7. In Paragraph 3, The above outlet housing is An open chamber is further formed corresponding to the location of the above recognition part, and The above window is Installed so as to be exposed in the above-mentioned room, A charging outlet characterized by the ability to determine whether a fire extinguishing agent is generated from outside the outlet housing.

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