Land-based electric vehicle charging plug

Abstract

A land-based electric vehicle charging plug has a plug base and a separate interface, which is secured to the plug base, wherein the plug base has an electrically non-conductive base body and at least one charging current base contact, which is fixedly anchored in the base body. The interface has an electrically non-conductive interface body and at least one corresponding charging current interface contact, which sits in a proximally accessible plug opening in the interface body.

Claims

1. A land-based electric vehicle charging plug comprising: a handle part including a handle part housing; a plug base fixedly anchored to a first distal end of the handle part housing and designed to remain on the handle part housing without being replaced, the plug base having: an electrically non-conductive base body, at least one charging current base contact for electrical connection to a land-based charging column, which is fixedly anchored in the electrically non-conductive base body, and at least one signal base contact that includes a contact bore and is fixedly anchored in the electrically non-conductive base body; a separate removable or exchangeable interface secured to the plug base, which is separate from the plug base and secured to the plug base, the separate removable or exchangeable interface including: an electrically non-conductive interface body including a proximally accessible plug opening, and at least one signal interface contact fixed anchored to the electrically non-conductive interface body and including a contact head to plug into the contact bore of the at least one signal base contact in an assembled state, a securing element to fix the separate removable or exchangeable interface to the plug base; at least one charging current interface contact designed to sit in the proximally accessible plug opening of the electrically non-conductive interface body.

2. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the at least one charging current interface contact further includes a plastically deformable or deformed mounting head at a proximal end, the plastically deformable or deformed mounting head sits in a corresponding mounting opening at a second distal end of the at least one charging current base contact, and the mounting opening is formed by a slit sleeve having a plurality of sleeve slits in an axial direction of the at least one charging current base contact.

3. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the proximally accessible plug opening has a conical shape.

4. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the proximally accessible plug opening is free of undercuts with respect to the at least one charging current interface contact.

5. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one charging current interface contact has, in the proximally accessible plug opening, a radial play of more than 0.2 mm.

6. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one charging current interface contact has, in the proximally accessible plug opening, a radial play of from 0.3 mm to 5.0 mm.

7. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one charging current interface contact further includes: a plastically deformable or deformed mounting head at a proximal end, a delimiting ring to limit radial mobility of the charging current interface contact inside the proximally accessible plug opening of the electrically non-conductive interface body and bearing against the plastically deformable or deformed mounting head, an elastic positioning ring, and a circular annular groove, in which the elastic positioning ring sits and adjoins the delimiting ring to center the at least one charging current interface contact inside the proximally accessible plug opening when the vehicle-based charging plug is not applied.

8. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the securing element cannot be opened without tools.

9. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 7, wherein the elastic positioning ring is arranged in an annular intermediate space disposed between the at least one charging current interface contact and an inner wall of the proximally accessible plug opening.

10. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrically non-conductive base body includes a threaded bore.

11. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 10, wherein the electrically non-conductive interface body includes a stepped bore.

12. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 11, wherein the securing element fixes the separate removable or exchangeable interface to the plug base in the stepped bore of the electrically non-conductive interface body and the threaded bore of the electrically non-conductive base body.

13. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein separate removable or exchangeable interface is designed to be regularly maintained.

14. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one charging current interface contact is mechanically harder than the at least one charging current interface contact.

15. The land-based electric vehicle charging plug as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least one charging current interface contact includes a blind bore at a second distal end of the at least one charging current interface contact to apply a corresponding contact pin of a vehicle-based charging plug.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail in the following text with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a land-based electric vehicle charging plug having a plug base and a mounted interface, and

(3) FIG. 2 shows the plug base and the separate and dismantled interface of the electric vehicle charging plug of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) FIG. 1 illustrates a land-based electric vehicle charging plug 10, which is suitable for plugging into a corresponding vehicle-based charging plug (not illustrated) in order to charge a traction battery of an electric vehicle. The charging plug 10 has a handle part 13, which is formed by a handle part housing 16 and defines a handle opening 15, which can be gripped by the hand of an operator.

(5) A plug base 20 is fixedly anchored at the distal end of the handle part housing 16. The plug base 20 is formed by an electrically non-conductive plastic base body 22 and two charging current base contacts 24 fixedly anchored in the base body 22 and a plurality of signal base contacts 26. Each of the figures illustrates a single base contact 24, 26. The base contacts 24, 26 are fixedly anchored in the base body 22 in such a way that they cannot be removed from the base body 22 without damaging or without destroying the base body 22. While the signal base contacts 26 are cast in the base body 22 in a form-fitting and captive manner, the two charging current base contacts 24 are each connected to the base body 22 in a captive manner by means of a corresponding clamping sleeve 70, which may be adhesively bonded to the base body 22, for example.

(6) The plug base 20 remains on the handle part housing 16 over the entire lifetime of the charging plug 10 without being replaced. The charging current base contacts 24 are electrically connected to a land-based charging column (not illustrated) by means of an electrical charging line 12. The signal base contacts 26 are each connected to the land-based charging column by means of an appropriate signal line 14. Charging currents of several 100 A are transmitted via the charging lines 12. Exclusively electrical signals are transmitted via the signal lines 14.

(7) A separate removable or exchangeable interface 30 is secured to the plug base 20, which interface is subjected to relatively high mechanical wear. The interface 30 can be exchanged with relatively little outlay when required, for example in the context of regular maintenance. The interface 30 has an electrically non-conductive plastic interface body 32, in which two charging current interface contacts 34 are mounted and a plurality of signal interface contacts 36 are fixedly anchored. All of the contacts 24, 26, 34, 36 are electrically conductive and each consist of a metal suitable for this purpose. The two charging current contacts 24, 34 each consist of a metal contact body 24, 34, wherein the contact body 24 of the charging current base contact 24 is mechanically harder than the contact body 34 of the charging current interface contact 34.

(8) The interface 30 or the interface body 32 is fixed to the plug base 20 or the base body 22 by way of a securing element 60. In the present case, the securing element 60 is a head-threaded screw, which is plugged in a deeply recessed manner in a stepped bore 64 of the interface body 32, and which is screwed in a corresponding threaded bore 66 of the base body 22 by way of its threaded shaft 62. The securing element 60 has a screw head 63, which can be contact-connected in a form-fitting manner to a corresponding special tool so that the securing element 60 can be screwed in or out only using the special tool.

(9) In the assembled state, which is illustrated in FIG. 1, a contact head 36 of the signal interface contact 36 plugs in a corresponding contact bore 73 at the distal end 72 of the signal base contact 26.

(10) The charging current interface contact 34 is designed in a substantially cylindrical manner and has at its distal longitudinal end an opening defined by a blind bore 54, into which opening a corresponding contact pin of the vehicle-based charging plug can be plugged. The charging current interface contact 34 has at its proximal end a plastically deformable or deformed mounting head 33, which in the mounted state sits in a corresponding mounting opening 23 at the distal end of the charging current base contact 24. A delimiting ring 49, which limits the radial mobility of the charging current interface contact 34 inside the plug opening 44 of the interface body 32, bears against the mounting head 33 in the distal direction. A circular annular groove 52, in which an elastic positioning ring 50 sits, adjoins the delimiting ring 49, which positioning ring centers the charging current interface contact 34 inside the plug opening 44 when the vehicle-based charging plug is not applied. The charging current interface contact 34 has inside the plug opening 44 a radial play R of approximately 0.5 mm so that the annular gap 48 between the charging current interface contact 34 and the inner wall 44 of the plug opening 44 overall is at least 0.5 mm.

(11) The distal end of the charging current base contact 24 is designed as a slit sleeve 23 having a plurality of sleeve slits 74 running in the axial direction. A plurality of latching rings 23 designed in a sawtooth manner in cross section are provided inside the mounting opening 23. When the mounting head 33 is plugged into the corresponding mounting opening 23, the mounting head 33 is plastically deformed so that it bears extensively against the corresponding surfaces inside the mounting opening 23, as a result of which a very low transition resistance is again realized permanently.

(12) In the assembled state, the charging current interface contact 34 sits in a proximally accessible plug opening 44 of the interface body 32, which is designed in a slightly conical manner, wherein the diameter of said plug opening increases in the proximal direction. The cone angle A between the axial and the inclined inner wall 44 of the plug opening 44 is, for example, 5. Owing to the slight conicity of the plug opening 44, the threading of the charging current interface contact into the plug opening 44 is made easier.

(13) An annular shoulder 45 is provided at the distal longitudinal end of the plug opening 44, the inner diameter of which annular shoulder is smaller than the outer diameter of the charging current interface contact 34 designed in a substantially cylindrical manner. The annular shoulder 45 supports the charging current interface contact 34 in the mounted state in an axial manner in such a way that a movement of the charging current interface contact 34 in the proximal direction is not possible, for example when the vehicle-based plug charger is removed.

(14) When a new, non-worn interface 30 is mounted on the plug base 20, the charging current interface contact 34 is initially plugged into the mounting opening 23 by way of the mounting head 33 thereof or is driven into said mounting opening using an appropriate tool. In this case, the mounting head 33 is plastically deformed so that it maintains contact fixedly and extensively in the mounting opening 23. Subsequently, the interface body 32 including the signal interface contact 36 fixedly anchored therein is axially fitted onto the base body 22, wherein the contact head 36 of the signal interface contact 36 is plugged into the contact bore 73 and is electrically contact-connected. Finally, the securing element 60 is applied using a special tool so that the interface 30 is finally fixed firmly to the plug base 20.