Electrical Energy Store Having a Remote Controllable Locking Device

Abstract

An electrical energy store for providing electrical drive energy for a motor vehicle includes an integrated locking device, which is designed for remotely controllable locking and/or unlocking of at least one electrical external contact of the energy store.

Claims

1. An electrical energy store for providing electrical drive energy for a motor vehicle, comprising: at least one external electrical contact of the energy store; and a locking device integrated in the electrical energy store, wherein the locking device is configured for remotely controllable locking and/or unlocking of the at least one external electrical contact of the energy store.

2. The electrical energy store as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking device is configured for physical and/or electrical locking and/or unlocking of the at least one external electrical contact of the energy store.

3. The electrical energy store as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking device is configured for a communication exchange with a communication unit, in order to perform the locking in reaction to a lock signal transmitted from the communication unit to the locking device and/or to carry out the unlocking in reaction to an unlock signal transmitted from the communication unit to the locking device.

4. The electrical energy store as claimed in claim 3, wherein the communication unit is integrated into the electrical energy store or is attached to the motor vehicle outside the energy store.

5. The electrical energy store as claimed in claim 3, wherein the communication unit is configured for direct communication with an external signal transmitter in a form of a remote controller, a portable hand-held device, a mobile telephone, a smartphone, a portable computer or a tablet, in order to trigger the locking signal in reaction to a lock command from the signal transmitter, and/or to trigger the unlocking signal in reaction to an unlock command from the signal transmitter.

6. The electrical energy store as claimed in claim 4, wherein the communication unit is configured for direct communication with an external signal transmitter in a form of a remote controller, a portable hand-held device, a mobile telephone, a smartphone, a portable computer or a tablet, in order to trigger the locking signal in reaction to a lock command from the signal transmitter, and/or to trigger the unlocking signal in reaction to an unlock command from the signal transmitter.

7. The electrical energy store as claimed in claim 3, wherein the communication unit is configured for wireless communication with the external signal transmitter via infrared, NFC, WLAN, Bluetooth or by way of mobile radio communication.

8. The electrical energy store as claimed in claim 5, wherein the communication unit is configured for wireless communication with the external signal transmitter via infrared, NFC, WLAN, Bluetooth or by way of mobile radio communication.

9. An electrically driven motor vehicle, comprising an electrical energy store as claimed in claim 1.

10. The electrically driven motor vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the locking device is connected for communication exchange with a communication unit attached to the motor vehicle.

11. A method for remotely controllable locking or unlocking of an electrical energy store, wherein the energy store comprises at least one external electrical contact and a locking device integrated in the electrical energy store, the locking device being configured for remotely controllable locking and/or unlocking of the at least one external electrical contact of the energy store, the method comprising the acts of: receiving, by a communication unit, a transmitted command for locking or unlocking the electrical energy storage; processing the transmitted command to form a locking signal or an unlocking signal; transmitting the locking signal or the unlocking signal to the locking device; and activating the locking device to lock or unlock the energy store in reaction to the locking signal or the unlocking signal.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the act of activating the locking device to lock comprises a physical and/or electrical disconnection of a contact of the at least one external electrical contact of the energy store.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the act of activating the locking device to unlock comprises a physical and/or electrical establishment of a contact of the at least one external electrical contact of the energy store.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the act of activating the locking device to unlock comprises a physical and/or electrical establishment of a contact of the at least one external electrical contact of the energy store.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transmitted command to the communication unit comprises an encrypted code for locking and/or unlocking.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the act of processing the transmitted command comprises a verification and/or decoding of the code.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transmitted command is received from an external signal transmitter in the form of a remote controller, a portable hand-held device, a mobile telephone, a smartphone, a portable computer or a tablet.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the act of: transmitting a confirmation signal of the communication unit regarding successful execution of the unlocking or locking of the energy store to the external signal transmitter.

19. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the act of: transmitting a confirmation signal of the communication unit regarding successful execution of the unlocking or locking of the energy store to the external signal transmitter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of an electrical energy store according to the invention.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of an electrical energy store according to the invention.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an electrical energy store 10 for the provision of electrical drive energy for a motor vehicle (not illustrated). The electrical energy store 10 includes an integrated locking device 11, which is designed for remotely controllable locking and/or unlocking of at least one external contact 13 of the energy store 10. The locking device 11 can, in particular, be configured for the physical and/or electrical locking and/or unlocking of the at least one external contact 13 of the energy store 10 in order to prevent unauthorized use.

[0041] The locking device 11 can, moreover, be configured for a communication exchange with a communication unit 12a, 12b, in order to perform the locking in reaction to a lock signal transmitted from the communication unit 12a, 12b to the locking device 11 and/or to carry out the unlocking in reaction to an unlock signal transmitted from the communication unit 12a, 12b to the locking device 11.

[0042] Two alternative variants of the arrangement of a communication unit 12a, 12b are illustrated, according to which the communication unit 12a, 12b is either integrated into the electrical energy store 10 or can be attached to the vehicle outside the energy store 10. The dashed illustration of the two communication units 12a, 12b is to be understood to mean that these are to be considered as alternatives, and are not to be provided at the same time. It is true that a simultaneous arrangement of two communication units is possible, but it is not intended.

[0043] The communication unit 12a, 12b in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 is designed for direct communication with an external signal transmitter 14, in particular a remote controller, a portable hand-held device, a mobile telephone, a smartphone, a portable computer or a tablet, etc., in order to trigger the locking signal in reaction to a lock command from the signal transmitter 14, and/or to trigger the unlocking signal in reaction to an unlock command from the signal transmitter 14.

[0044] For this reason, the communication unit 12a, 12b is configured for wireless communication with the external signal transmitter 14, in particular by way of direct wireless communication, for example via infrared, NFC, WLAN and/or Bluetooth.

[0045] FIG. 2 illustrates a largely identical second embodiment in which the elements which are identical or similar to, or which correspond to, the first embodiment according to FIG. 1 are identified by the same reference signs. The description given for FIG. 1 is therefore referred to for their explanation. The difference of the second embodiment according to FIG. 2 is that the communication unit 12a, 12b is designed for indirect wireless communication with the external signal transmitter 14, in particular by way of mobile radio communication. This means that in this case a communication between the communication unit 12a, 12b and the external signal transmitter 14 is not handled directly, but via a mobile radio infrastructure 20, for example a mobile telephony supplier.

[0046] FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram of a method for remotely controllable locking or unlocking of an electrical energy store, wherein the energy store 10 is configured as described above, in particular with respect to the description for FIG. 1 or 2 given above. The method is carried out by the following actions:

[0047] transmission 30 of a command for locking or unlocking to a communication unit 12a, 12b;

[0048] reception 31 of the command by the communication unit 12a, 12b and processing 32 the command to form a locking signal or an unlocking signal;

[0049] transmission 33 of the locking signal or of the unlocking signal to the locking device 11;

[0050] activation 34 of the locking device 11 to lock or unlock the energy store 10 in reaction to the locking signal or the unlocking signal.

[0051] In particular, the action of activating 34 the locking device 11 to lock can include a physical and/or electrical disconnection of a contact, internal to the energy store, of the at least one external contact 13 of the energy store 10.

[0052] The action of activating 34 the locking device 11 to unlock can moreover include a physical and/or electrical establishment of a contact, internal to the energy store, of the at least one external contact 13 of the energy store 10.

[0053] It is furthermore possible for the command (step 30) transmitted to the communication unit 12a, 12b to be an encrypted code for locking and/or unlocking. In particular, the processing 32 of the command can include a verification 32a and/or decoding 32b of the code.

[0054] The method can, only optionally, moreover include a transmission 35 of a confirmation signal of the communication unit 12a, 12b regarding the successful execution of the unlocking or locking of the energy store 10 to the external signal transmitter 14.

[0055] The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.