JP4893681B2 - Electric vehicle charging device and electric vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric vehicle charging device and an electric vehicle.

  An electric vehicle including a battery serving as a power source for the vehicle, such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, is usually mounted with a charging device for charging the battery. In general, a charging device mounted on an electric vehicle includes a cable for receiving power from an external power source, and a connector is provided at an end of the cable. This connector is normally provided fixed to the charging port of the vehicle body.

  For charging a battery mounted on an electric vehicle, an external power source dedicated to the battery mounted on the electric vehicle may be used. When the battery is charged with a dedicated external power source in the above-described electric vehicle in which the connector of the charging device is fixed to the charging port of the vehicle body, the vehicle is stopped near the external power source and extended from the external power source. The battery is charged by moving the power connector provided at the end of the cable to the position of the charging port of the vehicle body and connecting it to the connector provided at the charging port.

  Further, for example, in the electric vehicle charging device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the vehicle-side connector provided at the terminal of the charging cable connected to the battery of the electric vehicle is detachably attached to the power receiving unit provided in the vehicle body. . Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for charging a battery using a commercial power source by removing the vehicle-side connector from the power receiving unit, extending the charging cable to the outside of the vehicle, and inserting the vehicle-side connector into a commercial power outlet. It is disclosed.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an electric vehicle to which a winding type cord is applied as a battery charging cord for the electric vehicle.

  In Patent Document 3, in an electric vehicle power supply device that includes an inverter that drives a vehicle driving motor and a battery that supplies electric power to the inverter, between the high-voltage cables on the positive electrode side and the negative electrode side between the inverter and the battery. An electric vehicle power supply device is disclosed in which a capacitor is connected in parallel, and an external power supply for battery charging can be connected to each of the positive and negative high voltage cables between the capacitor and the inverter.

JP 11-299008 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-244832 JP 2006-50842 A

  When the connector provided at the end of the charging cable extending from the charging device mounted on the vehicle can be moved to a position away from the vehicle main body, the connector may fall to the ground and be damaged. Further, for example, when the connector and the rotating tire come into contact with each other while the vehicle is running, either or both of the connector and the tire may be damaged.

  An electric vehicle charging device according to one aspect of the present invention is an electric vehicle charging device used in an electric vehicle having a traveling motor that drives the vehicle, and power storage means that stores electric power to be supplied to the traveling motor. A charging cable having one end connected to the power storage means and the other end having a connector detachable from an external power source, wherein the charging cable is housed in the vehicle; The length of the charging cable is defined so that the connector does not reach the ground contact surface of a tire provided in the vehicle in the pulled-out state.

  In the charging device for an electric vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention, the length of the charging cable is defined so that the connector does not reach the position farthest from the grounding surface in the outer periphery of the tire. It may be.

  An electric vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention is an electric vehicle having a traveling motor for driving the vehicle and power storage means for storing electric power supplied to the traveling motor. An electric vehicle charging device is provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while charging the battery of an electrically powered vehicle, it is possible to reduce the possibility of breakage of the connector of the battery charger.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of an electric vehicle including a battery that serves as a power source for the vehicle. In the electric vehicle 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, a charging device (not shown) for charging a battery (not shown) is mounted in the trunk room. On the outer wall near the trunk room of the electric vehicle 10, a charging port 20 for receiving power supply from the outside is provided. The charging port 20 is provided with a lid 22 that can be opened and closed by rotating the shaft. When the battery is charged, the lid 22 is opened, and when the charging port 20 is not used, the lid 22 is closed. A vehicle-side connector 30 is detachably attached to the charging port 20. FIG. 1 shows an example of a state where the vehicle-side connector 30 is attached to the charging port 20.

  The battery included in the electric vehicle 10 is charged using, for example, an external power source 40 dedicated to charging the battery mounted on the electric vehicle. An external power supply connector 44 is provided at the terminal of the external power cable 42 attached to the external power supply 40. The battery of the electric vehicle 10 is connected to the external power source 40 by connecting the vehicle side connector 30 attached to the charging port 20 of the electric vehicle 10 and the external power connector 44. When the charging device is activated with the battery connected to the external power supply 40, the battery is charged.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a state where the vehicle-side connector 30 is removed from the charging port 20.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the inner wall 12 of the charging port defines a region 60 outside the electric vehicle 10 and a trunk room 70. A cylindrical body 14 is attached to the back wall 12 so as to penetrate therethrough. Both end portions of the cylindrical body 14 protrude into the region 60 and the trunk room 70, respectively. The space inside the cylinder 14 communicates with the region 60 and the trunk room 70.

  The vehicle side connector 30 is provided at one end of the vehicle side cable 50. The vehicle-side cable 50 is a cable for supplying power from an external power source to the battery when the battery is charged. The end of the vehicle side cable 50 opposite to the end where the vehicle side connector 30 is provided is connected to the battery. The vehicle-side cable 50 may be directly connected to the battery, or may be indirectly connected via a relay that connects / disconnects power. As in the example of FIG. 2, when the vehicle-side connector 30 is removed from the charging port 20, the vehicle-side cable 50 is drawn out of the vehicle through the space inside the cylindrical body 14. When the vehicle-side connector 30 is attached to the charging port 20, at least a part of the vehicle-side connector 30 is accommodated in the cylindrical body 14. When the vehicle-side connector 30 is attached to the charging port 20, the vehicle-side cable 50 is housed in a space in the trunk room.

  The cylindrical body 14 is provided with a slot 16 for detachably attaching the vehicle side connector 30. The slot 16 is configured in a groove shape with one end open. One open end of the slot 16 is provided on the end surface 14 a of the cylindrical body 14 on the region 60 side. The slot 16 extends from the end surface 14a of the cylinder body 14 in the axial direction of the cylinder body 14 by a certain length (a length smaller than the distance between the end surface 14a and the back wall 12). And is bent at the portion reaching the certain length and extends in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical body 14.

  On the circumferential surface of the vehicle-side connector 30, a cam protrusion 32 that is inserted into the slot 16 is provided at a position corresponding to the position of the slot 16 of the cylindrical body 14 (see FIG. 3).

  When the vehicle side connector 30 is attached to the charging port 20, the cam protrusion 32 of the vehicle side connector 30 is inserted into the slot 16. When the cam protrusion 32 reaches the bent portion of the slot 16, the vehicle-side connector 30 is rotated according to the groove of the slot 16 extending in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical body 14. Then, the cam projection 32 reaches the back of the groove extending in the circumferential direction of the cylinder 14 in the slot 16, and the vehicle-side connector 30 is prevented from coming off in the cylinder 14.

  When the vehicle-side connector 30 is removed from the charging port 20, the vehicle-side connector 30 is rotated in the direction opposite to that described above to move the cam projection 32 to the bent portion of the slot 16, and then the vehicle-side connector is removed. 30 is pulled out of the electric vehicle 10.

  When the vehicle-side connector 30 is removed from the charging port 20, the vehicle-side connector 30 can be moved to a position away from the outer wall of the electric vehicle 10 by the length of the vehicle-side cable 50. Thereby, for example, the vehicle-side connector 30 can be inserted into a power outlet (not shown) provided on an outer wall of a building or the like.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of how the vehicle-side connector 30 and the external power connector 44 are connected at a position away from the outer wall of the electric vehicle 10. When the vehicle side connector 30 is connected to the external power connector 44 as in the example of FIG. 4, for example, when there is an obstacle such as a wall on the side where the charging port 20 of the electric vehicle 10 is provided, the charging port 20 Even when there is not enough space to insert the external power connector 44 into the mounted vehicle-side connector 30, the battery can be connected to the external power source and charged.

  The vehicle-side cable 50 has such a length that the vehicle-side connector 30 does not contact the ground when the vehicle-side connector 30 is removed from the charging port 20 and pulled out from the vehicle. For example, referring to FIG. 5, when the length of the vehicle-side cable 50 is pulled out from the vehicle, the length of the pulled-out portion is determined by the mounting position of the charging port 20 in the electric vehicle 10 and the electric power. It is defined to be shorter than the distance d1 between the tire 18 of the vehicle 10 and the ground contact surface gr. Here, even in the same electric vehicle 10, the distance d <b> 1 can change depending on the tire pressure, the presence or absence of passengers or luggage, the state of the electronically controlled air suspension, and the like. For example, the lower the tire air pressure, the smaller the distance d1, and the more passengers and luggage, the smaller the distance d1. Further, for example, the distance d1 changes according to the electronically controlled air suspension setting mode. Therefore, in the state where the distance d1 takes the minimum value when the factors such as the above-described example of changing the distance d1 are taken into consideration, that is, in the state where the vehicle height of the electric vehicle 10 is the lowest, the vehicle of the vehicle side cable 50 The length of the vehicle-side cable 50 is defined so that the length of the portion drawn from the inside is shorter than the distance d1. The distance d1 is, for example, the tire pressure is the lowest pressure guaranteed by the manufacturer, the electric vehicle 10 is in the maximum loading state, and the electronically controlled air suspension setting mode is the mode that minimizes the vehicle height. Take the minimum value.

  Further, for example, the vehicle-side cable 50 has a length that prevents the vehicle-side connector 30 from contacting the tire 18 of the electric vehicle 10 when the vehicle-side connector 30 is removed from the charging port 20 and pulled out from the vehicle. You may have. In the case of this example, when the vehicle-side cable 50 is pulled out from the vehicle, the length of the pulled-out portion is the height from the ground plane gr at the mounting position of the charging port 20 (that is, the distance d1). ) And the diameter of the tire 18, the length of the vehicle-side cable 50 may be defined so as to be shorter. For example, referring to FIG. 5, the length of the portion of the vehicle-side cable 50 drawn from the vehicle is shorter than the distance d2 between the mounting position of the charging port 20 and the wheel arch of the electric vehicle 10. The length of the vehicle side cable 50 is defined.

  In the example of the embodiment described above, the vehicle-side cable 50 is housed in the trunk room of the electric vehicle 10, and the charging port 20 is provided on the outer wall near the trunk room. The storage position of the vehicle-side cable 50 and the installation position of the charging port 20 are not limited to the above example. For example, the vehicle-side cable 50 may be housed in a bumper in front of or behind the electric vehicle 10, and the charging port 20 may be provided on the outer wall near the bumper in which the vehicle-side cable 50 is housed. Alternatively, for example, the vehicle-side cable 50 can be housed in the engine room of the electric vehicle 10 and the charging port 20 can be provided on the outer wall near the engine room. In still another example, the vehicle-side cable 50 is stored in a storage space provided on the outer body wall of the electric vehicle 10 near the front, near the center, or near the rear, and the charging port 20 is formed on the outer wall of the vehicle-side cable 50 near the storage space. May be provided.

  Moreover, the structure for attaching the vehicle side connector 30 to the charging port 20 so that attachment or detachment is possible is not restricted to the example shown in FIG.2 and FIG.3. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, two cam protrusions 32 are provided on the vehicle-side connector 30, but the number of cam protrusions 32 is the same as the number of slots 16 provided in the cylinder 14 of the charging port 20. If there is, there may be one, or three or more.

  The vehicle-side connector 30 may not necessarily be detachably attached to the charging port 20 as long as the lid 22 covering the charging port 20 can be closed and accommodated in the vehicle.

  In the above, the example of the vehicle side cable connected to the battery for charging the battery has been described. In another example, a vehicle-side cable similar to the vehicle-side cable of the embodiment described above may be connected to a power storage means (for example, a capacitor) other than the battery and used for charging the power storage means.

It is a figure which shows the example of an electric vehicle provided with the charging device of one embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the example of a part of charging device of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of a vehicle side connector. It is a figure which shows the example of a mode that an external power supply connector and a vehicle side connector are connected in the position away from the outer wall of an electric vehicle. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the length which a vehicle side cable has.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electric vehicle, 12 back wall, 14 cylinder, 16 slot, 20 charge port, 22 lid, 30 vehicle side connector, 32 cam protrusion, 40 external power supply, 42 external power supply cable, 44 external power supply connector, 50 vehicle side cable .

Claims (3)

An electric vehicle charging device used in an electric vehicle having a driving motor for driving a vehicle and an electric storage means for storing electric power supplied to the driving motor,
One end is connected to the power storage means, and the other end includes a charging cable having an external power source and a detachable connector,
The charging cable takes a state housed in the vehicle and a state pulled out from the vehicle,
The length of the charging cable is defined so that the connector does not reach the ground contact surface of a tire included in the vehicle in the pulled out state.
The charging device for electric vehicles characterized by the above-mentioned. The electric vehicle charging device according to claim 1,
The charging device for an electric vehicle, wherein the length of the charging cable is defined so that the connector does not reach the position farthest from the grounding surface on the outer periphery of the tire in the pulled-out state. In an electric vehicle having a traveling motor that drives the vehicle, and a power storage unit that stores electric power to be supplied to the traveling motor,
An electric vehicle comprising the electric vehicle charging device according to claim 1.

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