Abstract
A charging plug for an electric automobile has a plug head and an insulation body. The plug head and the insulation body are connected in a releasable manner in such a way that the insulation body can be exchanged.
Claims
1. A charging plug for an electric automobile, the charging plug comprising: a plug head and an insulation body, the plug head and the insulation body being connected in a releasable manner in such a way that the insulation body is configured to be exchanged, a plurality of contact pins comprising signal contact pins, a protective earth, and power contact pins, wherein the plug head includes a housing having a front plate, and the front plate includes a front surface which faces the insulation body and to which the power pins are mounted, a rear face opposite the front face, a first contact pin receptacle housing extending from the rear face for receiving contact pin receptacles that are configured to be connected to the signal contact pins and the protective earth, and a second contact pin receptacle housing extending from the rear face and located beneath the first contact pin receptacle housing for receiving contact pin receptacles that are configured to be connected to the power contact pins.
2. The charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact pins have contact points that face toward the charging plug.
3. The charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact pins are arranged in the insulation body and the contact pins include sealing rings.
4. The charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the power contact pins and the front plate are connected in a releasable manner in such a way that the power contact pins are configured to be exchanged.
5. The charging plug as claimed in claim 4, wherein: the plug head comprises cables and the contact pin receptacles, the cables and the contact pin receptacles being connected in a non-releasable manner, and the contact pin receptacles and the contact pins are connected in a releasable manner.
6. The charging plug as claimed in claim 5, wherein: the contact pin receptacles comprise signal contact pin receptacles and power contact pin receptacles, and the plug head comprises a contact shell, and the contact shell bears houses the power contact pin receptacles.
7. The charging plug as claimed in claim 5, wherein the charging plug has a handle.
8. The charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging plug has screw connections, clamping springs or rivets between the plug head and the insulation body.
9. The charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insulation body includes a rear surface that is positioned to face the front plate, and triangular shaped wings extending from the rear surface in the direction of the plug head.
10. The charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plug head comprises a contact shell, and the contact shell includes a first opening in which the first contact pin receptacle housing is positioned, and a second opening located beneath the first opening in which the second contact pin receptacle housing is positioned.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
(1) Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and are described in more detail below.
(2) FIG. 1 shows the example of an inventive CCS plug charger in accordance with EN 62196 Type 2 (IEC Type 2).
(3) FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the charging plug.
(4) FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show perspective views of an insulation body.
(5) FIG. 5 shows a plug head having fitted but changeable power pins.
(6) FIG. 6 shows the plug head having a dismantled front plate and a free view onto the pins lying behind for contact-connecting and receiving the changeover contacts.
(7) FIG. 7 shows the plug head having an additionally dismantled housing andwith the exception of the protective earthremoved lines.
(8) FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show the front plate having a contact shell and fitted changeover insulation body (plug face).
(9) FIG. 11 shows the perspective view of a power contact.
(10) FIG. 12 shows the contact mounted in an associated receptacle.
(11) FIG. 13 shows the contact mounted in an alternative receptacle.
(12) FIG. 14 shows the receptacle in detail without a contact.
(13) FIGS. 15, 16 and 17 show separation variants of the charging plug.
(14) FIGS. 18, 19 and 20 illustrate further aspects of the pin embedding and mounting.
(15) FIG. 21 illustrates a particular embodiment of the pin embedding having simultaneous mechanical embedding and formation of a contact protection system.
(16) FIG. 22 illustrates the geometric ratios of the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 21.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(17) FIG. 1 illustrates the two-part design of a charging plug (10) according to aspects of the invention, which in the present case is composed on the one hand of a plug head (11) having attached DC power contact pins (18) and on the other hand of an insulation body (12) having all of the control contacts. For the purpose of mounting, the charging plug (10) can therefore be mounted fully without the insulation body (12). The insulation body (12) is subsequently fitted andfor example using the screw connection (13) that can be identified in FIG. 2secured onto the plug head (11) by means of the power contact pins (18). In this way, as can be seen when viewing FIGS. 3 and 4 together, the control pilot contact pin (14), the protective earth (15) and the proximity pilot contact pin (16) are continuously connected to the plug head (11) by means of the insulation body (12) and the inner contact points (17) thereof.
(18) FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate the construction of the plug head (11) itself: While FIG. 5 illustrates the plug head (11) with preferably changeable power pins already attachedthe signal contact pins (14, 16) are located in this embodiment in the changeable insulation body (12), it is possible to see from FIGS. 6 and 7 the pins for contact-connecting and receiving the changeable contact pins (14, 15, 16, 18) located behind the dismantled front plate (21FIG. 5). FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate the front plate (21) with the contact shell (31) provided for mechanically holding the receiving pins in the interior of the plug head (11) and the fitted changeable insulation body (12).
(19) One possibility for fastening the power contact pins (18) can be gathered from FIGS. 11 to 14. Here, there is noticeably a crimp connection (23) between the cable (22) and the power contact pin receptacle (24), whereas the connection (25) between the power contact pin receptacle (24) and the associated power contact pin (18) is produced, for example, through screwing, spring contact, crimping or plastic deformation of the power contact pin (18) in order to produce robust electrical contact.
(20) FIGS. 15, 16 and 17 highlight variants of the separation of the plug head (11) and the insulation body (12). In the case of FIG. 15, signal contact pins (14, 16) and protective earth (15) are thus arranged in the insulation body (12). Before the fitting thereof, the power contact pins (18) are first attached or exchanged. The signals necessary for the detection of the charging plug (10) are therefore also started later in the mounting and the changing process. An only partly maintained or mounted charging plug (10) would in this way not be identified and released. Apart from the permanent plug part or plug head (11), all of the parts are therefore provided for changing.
(21) In accordance with FIG. 16, the signal contact pins (14, 16) are instead mounted into the insulation body (12) between the plug head (11) and the insulation body (12) using circlips (26) or are even pre-mounted there as one unit (arrow 27). In this embodiment, the power contact pins (18) are mounted onto the power contact pin receptacles (24) in the plug head (11), wherein the mounting is preferably effected when the front plate (21) is dismantled. In this embodiment, the signal contact pin receptacles (29) in the plug head (11) are preferably likewise mounted in such a way that they are located behind the front plate (21) or in channels or recesses present in the front plate (21). The connection between the power contact pins (18) and the power contact pin receptacles (24) can in this case be a releasable connection, for example in the form of a screw connection, or a permanent connection, for example through a plastic deformation, such as is also present in crimping and crimp connections. The front plate (21) is mounted by means of the power contact pin receptacles (24) together with the mounted power contact pins (18) and by means of the signal contact pin receptacles (29) in such a way that the front plate (21) axially secures the power contact pins (18) against removal of the power contact pins (18) in the direction of the insulation body (12) and preferably also delimits in the radial direction through lateral walls in the front plate (21) (see also FIG. 18 and FIG. 19). For securing the power contact pins (18) when the front plate (21) is mounted against removal in the direction of the insulation body (12), the power contact pins can have a securing collar (37), which, when the front plate (21) is mounted, is delimited in the axial direction by a mating piece in the channel provided for passing through the power contact pins (18). Said delimitation can be formed, for example, in such a way that the securing collar (37) abuts against an edge formed in the front plate (21) owing to a reduction in the diameter of the channel provided for passing through the power contact pins (18), owing to which edge a further movement of the power contact pins (18) in the direction of the insulation body (12) is not possible without removing the front plate (21). The pins are also fixed by a circlip or securing ring (38FIG. 18) in order to form an assembly that can be exchanged as a wholefor instance for the purpose of maintenance.
(22) The embodiment shown in FIG. 16 furthermore shows an insulation body (12), which can preferably be delivered to the location of the charging station for an exchange as a pre-mounted assembled component having signal contact pins (14, 16) and changeover contacts for the protective earth (15) already inserted. In this embodiment, the signal contact pins (14, 16) and the changeover contact or contacts for the protective earth (15) are preferably inserted from the side abutting against the front plate (21) in the mounted state into recesses or channels provided for this purpose (see also FIG. 18 and FIG. 19). On the side facing away from this insertion side, the signal contact pins (14, 16) and changeover contacts for the protective earth (15) are axially delimited by an abutment, for example an edge formed by a reduction in the diameter of the recesses or channels, against which edge the front side of the respective signal contact pins (14, 16) and changeover contacts for the protective earth (15) abut necessarily. Within the context of the invention, said abutment can also be embodied at the same time as a contact protection system against contact of the conductive surfaces of the signal contact pins (14, 16) and/or changeover contacts for the protective earth (15) (see also FIG. 21). The signal contact pins (14, 16) and changeover contacts for the protective earth (15) can be axially secured on the insertion side, for example, by a securing system, after the insertion. Said securing system can be a respective circlip (26), as illustrated in FIG. 16. The signal contact pins (14, 16) and changeover contacts for the protective earth (15) can be embedded radially through the walls of the respective recess or channels in the insulation body (12), preferably with a slight radial mobility. A certain geometric flexibility, which simplifies the plugging ability in the case of non-perfect pin spacings and tolerances, with simultaneous securing can be ensured by elastic workpieces, for example O-rings or O-sealing rings (19) made of elastomers such as rubber, silicone or the like. The elastic workpieces permit certain radial movement under the action of force, as can arise, for example, during the plugging process, in order that the pins of the plug can align themselves with respect to one another with those of the corresponding socket, for example in a vehicle. In addition to the mentioned mechanical function, the O-rings or O-sealing rings (19) can additionally have a liquid-sealing function in order to prevent the ingress of liquids and moisture through the recesses or channels of the insulation body (12) into the interior of the plug. The pre-mounted insulation body (12) having signal contact pins (14, 16) and/or changeover contacts for the protective earth (15) and optional securing system, for example through circlips (26), can be changed in situ on the plug as a whole and can be mounted onto the front plate (21). Securing against the removal of the insulation body from the front plate (21) or from the plug head (11) by unauthorized individuals can preferably be effected by non-standardized tools, for example screws having screw heads not compatible with standards or deepened securing springs, which require special tools to be unsecured.
(23) In the embodiment of FIG. 17, the power contact pins (18) are additionally mounted in situ onto the power contact pin receptacles (24) in the plug head (11).
(24) FIGS. 18 and 19 show the component parts during mounting using the example of the protective earth (15) in the separated and connected state, respectively. While the inner pin (24) can lie in the plug head (11) in a mechanically fixed manner (radial play is superfluous in this case), signal or PE pins (15) are fixed in the insulation body (12), for example, by means of a securing ring or O-sealing ring (19). Said optional sealing ring (19) around the pin (15) ensures on the one hand the mechanical seat of the axially fixed pin in the insulation body (12) but permits in a targeted manner a radial play in order that all of the pins fit at the same time during the mounting process but also during the plugging process. Said sealing ring also seals the charging plug (10) in accordance with the required IP class.
(25) In this embodiment, for mounting in situ, initially the old insulation body (12) and then the old power contact pins (18) are removed. New signal contact pins (14, 16) are then placed and plugged onto the signal contact pin receptacles (29). If the signal contact pins (14, 16) are delivered separately from the insulation body (12), they can also be mounted and optionally fixed in the insulation body (12). The insulation body (12) having embedded signal contact pins (14, 16) is now brought and fixed by means of the power contact pins (18).
(26) That section of the contact pins (14, 15, 16, 18) that covers the associated contact pin receptacle (24, 29) can be designed in a manner susceptible to wear for just one plug cycle in order to improve the electrical contact. For example, said section can be softer than the contact pin receptacle (24, 29) and can press into the contact point thereof in a plastically deforming manner. The contact pin receptacles (24, 29) are connected to the cable (22) using conventional methods, for example are crimped or soldered.
(27) The signal contact pins (14, 16) can also be fixed mechanically from two sides. Each contact pin (14, 15, 16) is preferably fixed radially by at least one flexible O-sealing ring (19) or the like with sufficient play, but still with a substantially secure hold. The O-sealing ring (19) is exchanged as a wearing part together with the contact pin (14, 15, 16). A contact pin (14, 15, 16) is fixed axially by the end side of the insulation body (12), the opening of which is slightly smaller than the front face of the contact pin (14, 15, 16) and consequently presses said contact pin against the plug head (11) and the contact pin receptacle (29). An elastic intermediate piece on the end side can ensure permanent pressing of the contact pin (14, 15, 16) into the contact pin receptacle (29) in order that herefor example in the case of thermally caused changes in length, purely plastic deformations etc.there are no gaps over the lifetime of the charging plug (10). To support the mounting process, the associated depression in the insulation body (12) can be of conical shape. A specific depth of the contact pins (14, 15, 16) in the insulation body (12) is thus set by the O-sealing ring (19).
(28) FIG. 20 finally illustrates the contact separation during removal of the insulation body (12) using the example of the protective earth (15) and signal contact pins (14, 16). It is clear here that as soon as the insulation body is removed, the protective earth and signal contact pins (14, 15, 16) that are mechanically fixed in the insulation body (12) also fall. FIG. 21 illustrates a cross section of the insulation body (12) in accordance with an embodiment having, in at least one recess or channel for embedding the signal contact pins (14, 16), changeover contacts for the protective earth (15) and/or power contact pins (18), an abutment (33) on the end side of the insulation body (12) facing away from the front plate (21), which abutment is formed by a tapering of the diameter of the respective recess or of the respective channel. The abutment (33) simultaneously mechanically delimits the movement of the corresponding pin in the axial direction against removal, provides possible axial forces in the plugging process, during the mounting process of the insulation body onto the plug head (11) or counterpressure to latch the pins into pin receptacles of the plug head (11) and serves as protection against contact of the electrically conductive surface of the signal contact pins (14, 16), changeover contacts for the protective earth (15) and/or power contact pins (18) through openings on the end side of the insulation body (12) facing away from the front plate (21). The particular advantage of this embodiment consists in the simultaneous provision of a contact protection system and the mechanical embedding through the same element.
(29) FIG. 22 illustrates the geometric ratios of the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 21. For the contact protection system, the tapering of the diameter is formed here in such a way that the axial length (34) thereof is at least so great that the tip (35) of a standard or test finger, for example according to EN 60529 or EN 50274, cannot penetrate using the smallest segment thereof or the smallest rounded portion thereofmeasured at the local radius of curvature (36)so far through an opening that it can contact the conductive surface of a pin (14, 15, 16, 18). The radial length of the segment having a reduced diameter is also preferably increased by the prescribed creep path for the corresponding voltage of the pin.
