CONNECTION DEVICE FOR CHARGING A BATTERY DEVICE ON A VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a connection device (10) for charging a battery device on a vehicle, having an electrical alternating current interface (20) for receiving an alternating current connector and a direct current interface (30) for receiving a direct current connector (130), wherein the direct current interface (30) has a cover flap (40) which is mounted movably between a closed position (SP) which covers the direct current interface (30) and an open position (FP) which exposes the direct current interface (30). According to the invention, the direct current interface (30) has a catch mechanism (50) with a catch means (52) on the cover flap (40), said catch means locking with a mating catch means (54) of the cover flap (40) when in the open position (FP), wherein the mating catch means (54) has an actuating section (56) with which the direct current connector (130) makes contact and which unlocks the catch device (50) when the direct current connector is received in the direct current interface (30).

Claims

1. A connection device (10) for charging a battery device of a vehicle, having an electrical AC interface (20) for receiving an AC plug and a DC interface (30) for receiving a DC plug (130), wherein the DC interface (30) has a covering flap (40) which is mounted such that it can be moved between a closed position (SP), which covers the DC interface (30), and a released position (FP) which releases the DC interface (30), characterized in that the DC interface (30) has a latching mechanism (50) with a latching means (52) on the covering flap (40), which latching means latches with a mating latching means (54) of the covering flap (40) in the released position (FP), wherein the mating latching means (54) has an operating section (56) which, when the DC plug (130) is received in the DC interface (30), is contacted by said DC plug and releases the latching of the latching mechanism (50).

2. The connection device (10) of claim 1, wherein the latching mechanism (50) has a pretensioning means (58) which applies a pretensioning force to the covering flap (40) in the direction of the closed position (SP).

3. The connection device (10) of claim 1, wherein the covering flap (40) has a sliding surface (42) for the DC plug (130) to slide on when it is withdrawn from the DC interface (30).

4. The connection device (10) of claim 1, wherein the mating latching means (54) is mounted such that it can be moved between a latched position (RP) and a disengaged position (LP).

5. The connection device (10) of claim 4 wherein the mating latching means (54) has a spring device (55) which applies a spring force to the mating latching means (54) in the direction of the latched position (RP).

6. The connection device (10) of claim 1, wherein the latching means (52) has a contour section (53) for making sliding contact with the mating latching means (54) as the covering flap (40) moves between the closed position (SP) and the released position (FP).

7. The connection device (10) of claim 1, wherein the covering flap (40) has a covering section (44) which, in the closed position (SP), covers the DC interface (30) and leaves open the AC interface (20).

8. The connection device (10) of claim 7, wherein the covering section (44) at least partially covers the AC interface (30) in the released position (FP) of the covering flap (40).

9. The connection device (10) of claim 1, wherein a sensor device (60) is provided for identifying at least one of the following positions: closed position released position latched position disengaged position.

10. A DC plug (130) for insertion into the connection device (10) of claim 1, and further comprising a main body (132) with a contact section (134) for making contact with the operating section (56) of the mating latching means (54) of the latching mechanism (50).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] FIG. 1 schematically shows a connection device according to the invention in the normal state.

[0030] FIG. 2 schematically shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 with an open covering flap.

[0031] FIG. 3 schematically shows the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 before insertion of the DC plug.

[0032] FIG. 4 schematically shows the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3 after withdrawal of the DC plug.

[0033] FIG. 5 shows an illustration of a detail of a latching mechanism in the connection device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] FIGS. 1 to 4 show, in a schematic manner, how a charging process can be carried out with the aid of a DC plug 130 at the DC interface 30 of the connection device 10. To this end, the connection device 10 is equipped with two separate interfaces, specifically the AC interface 20 on the one hand and the DC interface 30 on the other hand. If a filler cap on an electrically driven vehicle is opened, the view as shown in FIG. 1 can be seen. In other words, the AC interface 20 is open for access by an AC plug. If, however, for a special case, charging with the aid of an AC plug is not desired, the DC interface 30 has to be exposed. In the closed position SP, the DC interface 30 is still covered with the aid of a covering section 44 of the covering flap 40 and accordingly is neither visible nor accessible.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows the situation when the covering flap 40 has been moved to the released position FP. Therefore, in this released position FP, the covering section 44 has also been moved to a position in which direct access to and inspection of the DC interface 30 is now possible. It should further be noted that the covering flap 40 is pretensioned in the direction of the closed position SP with the aid of a pretensioning means 58. In order to therefore keep the covering flap 40 in the released position FP according to FIG. 2 counter to this pretensioning force of the pretensioning means 58, a latching mechanism 50 is provided, as will be further explained with reference to FIG. 5 later.

[0036] Therefore, as soon as access to the DC interface 30 according to FIG. 2 is then made possible by moving the covering flap 40 to the released position FP, the DC plug 130 according to FIG. 3 can be inserted into the DC interface 30. To this end, the DC plug 130 is equipped with a main body 132. A contact section 134 which has a corresponding correlation in a geometric manner within the DC interface 30 is provided at the front end of said main body, which front end is also designed as an interlocking section or mating interlocking section for ingress into the DC interface 30. When the DC plug 130 is inserted into the DC interface 30, the contact section 134 makes contact with an operating section 56 of a mating latching means 54, as is illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 5 in particular. This leads to the latching functionality of the latching mechanism 50 being overcome. Therefore, in the inserted position of the DC plug 130, the pretension of the pretensioning means 58 is now applied to the covering flap 40 and moves said covering flap to a contact-making position with the main body 132 of the DC plug 130. On account of the latching of the latching mechanism 50 being overcome at this point, the covering flap 40 and therefore also the covering section 44 are automatically moved back to the closed position SP according to FIG. 4 again by virtue of the pretensioning force of the pretensioning means 58 when the DC plug 130 is withdrawn, as is schematically illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0037] FIG. 5 schematically shows how a latching mechanism 50 of this kind can be designed. If the covering flap 40 with the covering section 44 is moved to the released position FP, as is illustrated here in FIG. 5, the mating latching means 54 will slide over a contour section 53 and, in its latched position RP as is illustrated in FIG. 5, latch and secure the covering flap 40. As soon as the DC plug 130 is then inserted into the associated DC interface 30, contact is made between a contact section 134 and the operating section 56 of the latching means 54. In this way, the mating latching means 54 has moved back to the disengaged position LP, as is illustrated by an arrow in FIG. 5. A spring device 55 can serve to move that mating latching means 54 to the latched position RP with an associated force. As soon as the latching of the latching mechanism 50 is released, when withdrawing the DC plug 130, the covering flap 40 can be automatically returned to the closed position after the DC plug 130 is removed. Since contact is usually made between the main body 132 of the DC plug 130 on the one hand and the body of the covering flap 40 on the other hand here, a sliding surface 42 which can ensure secure sliding without snagging is provided in this embodiment.

[0038] The above explanation of the embodiments describes the present invention only on the basis of examples. It goes without saying that individual features of the embodiments can, provided that it makes technical sense, be combined with one another freely without departing from the scope of the present invention.