CN110341512B

CN110341512B - Charging interface and method for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN110341512B
Application number: CN201910260261.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: M.赫希; H.伦德尔; M.梅茨纳
Original assignee: Volkswagen AG
Current assignee: Volkswagen AG
Priority date: 2018-04-04
Filing date: 2019-04-02
Publication date: 2023-03-14
Anticipated expiration: 2039-04-02
Also published as: CN110341512A; DE102018205001A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a charging interface (1) for a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, for charging a traction battery of the vehicle, having a housing (4), a plug (3) which is arranged in the housing (4) in a non-use position and is arranged at least in sections outside the housing (4) in a use position, and a device for moving the plug (3) from the non-use position into the use position. Provision is made for the device to have at least one sensor (15, 18) for detecting a charging request of a user and at least one controllable actuator (11) for moving the plug-in part (3) into the use position.

Description

Charging interface and method for a vehicle

Technical Field

The invention relates to a charging interface for a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, for charging a traction battery of the vehicle, having a housing, a plug or plug connection which is arranged in the housing in a non-use position and which is arranged at least in sections outside the housing in a use position, and a device for moving the plug connection from the non-use position into the use position.

The invention also relates to a method for operating such a charging interface.

Background

Vehicles having a traction battery for electrically driving the vehicle usually require a stationary charging station that can be electrically connected to the vehicle in order to recharge the traction battery when required. Therefore, a charging interface for such vehicles is necessary, via which the vehicle can be connected in an electrically conductive manner to a charging station. For example, a charging interface is known from german patent application DE 10 2010 053 A1, which is arranged in a housing in the body of a vehicle, wherein the housing can be closed by a cover. The charging interface has a plug connector which is located in the housing in a protected manner by the cover plate. If the cover is opened by the user, the mechanical coupling between the cover and the plug allows the plug to be moved at least in sections out of the housing from the non-use position, so that the plug can be easily reached by the user. The plug is usually a connection socket into which a connection plug of a stationary charging station can be inserted.

A similar charging interface is also known from the publication DE 10 2012 022 101 A1. Furthermore, publication US 2016/0375783 A1 discloses a method for operating a charging interface, in which data for licensing a user or a vehicle are exchanged by means of a network for charging.

Stationary charging stations also require a charging interface, via which they can be electrically connected to the charging interface of the vehicle. For this purpose, the charging station usually has a connection plug which can be inserted into a connection socket of the vehicle. It is also known to arrange a connecting plug in a housing when not in use in order to protect said connecting plug against external influences and abuse. The charging interface can in principle also be designed in the vehicle as described above. However, due to weather, it is sometimes difficult for a user to reach the plug-in of the charging station. It is sometimes particularly difficult to grip the plug and guide it to the vehicle for connection to a charging interface at the vehicle.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved charging interface which ensures a simpler and more comfortable charging process for the user.

The object of the invention is achieved by a charging interface for a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, for charging a traction battery of the vehicle, having a housing, a plug arranged in a non-use position in the housing and at least partially outside the housing in a use position, and having a device for moving the plug from the non-use position into the use position, according to the invention, the device has at least one sensor for detecting a charging intention of a user and at least one controllable actuator for moving the plug into the use position. The advantage of this charging interface is that the plug-in part can be automatically guided to the user without the user himself having to apply force for this purpose. The plug is thereby automatically moved from the housing into a use position, in which it can be easily seen and taken by a user for connection to a vehicle or a charging station. According to the invention, the device has at least one sensor for detecting a charging request of a user and at least one controllable actuator for moving the plug-in part into the use position. The plug-in part can therefore be moved into the use position, if necessary, by means of the controllable actuator, wherein said movement is triggered as a function of the charging wish of the user. This charging request is detected by at least one sensor. This ensures that the user can easily handle the plug-in part at the charging interface.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sensor is designed as a contactless sensor. Thus, the user does not have to touch or mechanically operate a switch or a sensor to indicate the intention to charge. Thereby creating additional advantages in terms of comfort for the user.

Particularly preferably, the sensor is an ultrasonic sensor or a Lidar (laser radar sensor). This enables the sensor to detect objects in its reception range, in particular to detect the position and movement of the object. This enables, in particular, the distance of the sensor from the object, the size of the object and the direction of movement of the object to be detected. From these data, the charging intent of the user can be determined and differentiated from, for example, accidental movements of other objects. By appropriate evaluation, the charging intention can thus be easily recognized and the actuator can be controlled accordingly. Alternatively, the sensor is preferably a video camera sensor or a camera sensor. In this way, the surroundings of the charging interface can be detected optically, wherein an unauthorized object, for example a hand of a user or a charge intention indicator, can be distinguished from an unauthorized object, for example an unauthorized user, an animal or the like, by analyzing the image of the camera sensor in order to avoid an undesired triggering or a movement of the plug-in unit into the use position. The charging interface preferably has only one sensor. Alternatively, the charging interface preferably has a plurality of sensors, in order to achieve a three-dimensional localization or motion detection of the object, for example, by means of a plurality of camera sensors and by triangulation and distance measurement.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a control device is assigned to the charging interface, which controls the actuator in dependence on the sensor data of the sensor. If a charging request, in particular of an authorized user, is detected, the control device analyzes the sensor signal and controls the actuator. The control device is electrically and/or signally connected to the at least one sensor and the actuator.

The control device is designed in particular to distinguish a user having a charging intention from unauthorized objects in dependence on the sensor data. This has the advantage that an undesired displacement of the plug into the use position is avoided. For this purpose, the camera image is analyzed, for example, as described above, in order to detect a hand of the user or a recognition object (charge intention flag) held by the user.

Furthermore, charging electronics are preferably present, which are connected in an electrically conductive manner to the plug connector by means of a flexible charging cable. The plug-in part can thus be moved in an advantageous manner out of the way of the charging station, at least within the range permitted by the charging cable. This enables the user to easily guide the plug-in part to and from his vehicle to the charging station, so that the vehicle does not have to be positioned exactly in front of the charging station. The user can thereby easily carry out the charging process. The charging cable can be stacked, preferably folded or rolled in the housing, so that the charging cable can be stacked in the housing in an advantageous manner and can be stored in the housing when not in use, saving installation space. Preferably, a device for automatically winding up the charging cable is arranged in the housing. Such as a spring-biased winding device, as is also used in vacuum cleaners or other applications. This ensures that the charging cable is easily and reliably wound up and stacked in the housing.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the charging interface is designed as a stationary or stationary charging station. The charging interface is thus exposed to weather influences, so that the advantage is particularly shown here of an automated displacement of the plug into the use position. If, for example, after snowing, the charging station is covered with snow, and a contactless sensor, which is in particular designed as an ultrasonic sensor or as a laser detection and distance measurement sensor, detects the charging intention of the user, the charging plug is removed from the housing and can be easily seen and taken by the user.

The charging interface is alternatively designed as a charging interface of the vehicle. The user is also provided with an improved gripping ability of the plug-in part.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the plug connector is designed as a connection plug which can be inserted into a connection socket, in particular of a vehicle. The connection plug and the connection socket form a simple plug-in device, by means of which an electrical connection can be established between the vehicle and the charging station. This ensures a simple and reliable electrical connection.

The actuator is preferably designed as an electrically, pneumatically or hydraulically driven actuator and has an actuator element which can be brought into operative connection with the plug element indirectly or directly. This makes it possible to control the actuator at any time and to move the plug from the non-use position to the use position at any time.

The housing preferably has an insertion structure into which the plug-in part can be inserted by the user, wherein the actuator element is arranged movably in the insertion structure. By means of the insertion structure, a defined position is predetermined for the user, who can place the plug-in part in the position in the housing when the plug-in part is no longer required. The charging interface is designed in particular to allow the user to independently push or move the plug-in part back into the insertion configuration until the non-use position is reached. This makes it possible to dispense with an additional actuator for pulling the plug-in part back into the non-use position. Alternatively, the actuator is also designed to move the plug-in part back into the non-use position when not in use, in order to further increase the comfort.

The method according to the invention for operating the interface according to the invention is characterized in that a user with a charge intention in the surroundings of the charging interface is first monitored by means of the use of the sensor, and the actuator is controlled to move the plug-in part from the non-use position into the use position when the user with a charge intention is detected, so that the plug-in part can be easily seen and accessed by the user. This results in the advantages already explained above. The charging intent of the user is determined, in particular, by evaluating a camera image of a sensor designed as a camera sensor or by the distance, movement behavior and/or object shape of an object detected in the detection range of the sensor, in order to identify the user having a charging intent. In particular, the actuator is controlled only when the sensor detects that the detected object is moving in the direction of the charging interface, in particular within a predefinable speed range. In addition, if it is detected in a presettable time window that the plug element moved into the use position is not taken up and used by the user, the plug element is preferably moved back into the non-use position by controlling the actuator.

Drawings

Further advantages and preferred features and combinations of features result, inter alia, from the foregoing. The invention is explained in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:

figures 1A and 1B show advantageous charging interfaces in different operating states,

FIG. 2 shows a first method of operating a charging interface and

fig. 3 shows a second method for operating a charging interface according to a second exemplary embodiment.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1A and 1B each show a charging interface 1, which is designed on a stationary charging station 2, in a simplified plan view. The charging interface 1 has a movable plug connector 3, which can be stored in a housing 4 of the charging station. In the non-use position, the plug 3 is completely located within the housing 4 as shown in fig. 1A. According to the present exemplary embodiment, the plug connector 3 is designed as a connection plug 5 having a plurality of electrically conductive contact pins (not shown here). The connector plug 5 is designed for insertion into a connector socket of a charging interface of the vehicle, in order to thereby establish an electrical connection between the charging station 2 and the vehicle, so that the vehicle is supplied with electrical energy from the charging station 2 for charging a traction battery of the vehicle.

The plug-in unit 3 is electrically connected to the charging electronics 7 of the charging station 2 via a charging cable 6. The charging electronics 7 are connected to a local current supply or power source, for example, via a connecting structure 8.

The charging cable 6 is of flexible design and is advantageously wound up on the winding-up device 9 in the housing 4. The winding device has, for example, a spring-biased wheel on which the charging cable 6 is tensioned.

The housing 4 has an insertion structure 10, into which insertion structure 10 the connection plug 5 can be pushed. The insertion structure 10 is furthermore equipped with an actuator 11 having an actuator element 12 located in the insertion structure 10. The actuator 11 is designed to be operated electrically, pneumatically or hydraulically in order to move the actuator element 12. The actuator 11 is designed to move the actuator element 12 in the direction of the insertion structure 10 in such a way that the connector 5 is pushed out of the housing 4 in sections. For this purpose, the actuator element 12 interacts, for example, with a drive stop 13 of the plug connector 3. For controlling the actuator 11, a control device 14 is present, which in particular also operates the charging electronics 7.

The charging interface 1 also has a sensor 15, which according to the present exemplary embodiment is designed as a contactless ultrasonic sensor or as a laser detection and distance measurement sensor. The detection range of the sensor 15 is indicated by wavy lines 16 in fig. 1A and 1B. The control device 14 is connected to the sensor 15 in terms of signals in order to evaluate the sensor data provided by the sensor 15.

The control device 14 controls the sensor 15 in this case to continuously monitor the surroundings of the charging station 2, which monitors whether an object 17 is moving into the detection range of the sensor 15. If it is detected that the object 17 is in the proximity of the sensor 15 and thus of the charging station 2, it is checked in particular whether the object 17 is an authorized object, for example in particular a human hand, which represents the charging intention of the user. In particular, the dimensions of the object 17 are also taken into account in order to identify the user. According to this embodiment, the object 17 is a user's hand. By evaluating the sensor signals, for example, the distance of the object 17 from the sensor 15 and the movement, in particular the movement pattern, of the object 17 can be recognized. If the movement pattern corresponds to a predetermined and therefore permitted movement pattern, the charging intention of the user is recognized and the control device 14 controls the actuator 11 in such a way that the actuator element 12 pushes the connector plug 5 out of the housing 4, as shown in fig. 1B. The connector 5 or the plug 3 is thus located outside the housing 4 and can be easily seen and accessed by the user. The user can then pull the plug connector 3 out of the housing 4 and guide it to his vehicle by continuing to unwind the charging cable 6 from the winding-up device 9, in order to insert the plug connector 3 there into the connection socket of the charging interface 1 of the vehicle. The charging process can then be carried out in the usual manner.

Fig. 2 shows an advantageous method for operating charging interface 1 or charging station 2 according to a flow chart. After the start in step S1, the sensor value of the sensor 15 is monitored in step S2. In step S3, the control device checks whether an object is present in the detection range of the sensor 15. If no (n, no) object exists, return to step S2. If, however, an object is identified (j, y), then in a subsequent step S4, an observation is made for a preset time period (t), the time period preferably being greater than 1 second. The objects are classified in a following step S5 according to the observation. For this purpose, it is first checked in step S6 whether the object 17 is a human hand, and if not (n) a human hand, the procedure returns to step S2. If, however, (j) the object 17 is identified as a hand, the process continues to step S7, in which step S7 the direction of movement of the object 17 or the hand is determined. In particular both the direction of movement and the speed of movement.

In the next step S8, it is checked whether the direction of movement of the object 17 is oriented toward the charging station 2. If it is not towards the charging station 2 (n), for example because the object 17 is moved past the charging station 2, the process returns to step S2. If, on the other hand, (j) the object 17 is detected as approaching the charging station 2, the plug element 3 is removed from the housing 4 by means of the actuator 11 in step S9, so that it can be accessed by the user as described above.

It is then advantageously checked in step S10 whether the user has actually picked up the plug-in part 3. For this purpose, the winding device 9 is monitored, for example, to detect whether the charging cable 6 is unwound. For this purpose, in step S11, the position of the winding device 9 or of the charging plug is monitored for a presettable period of time by one or more further sensors. It is thus confirmed in step S12 whether or not movement has occurred within the period. If no movement (n) has occurred, the plug 3 is pulled back into the insertion configuration 10 by the actuator 11 in a subsequent step S13, in which the plug 3 is protected against external influences. The method then returns to step S2 and continues to monitor the surroundings of the charging station 2.

However, if a movement is detected in step S12 as a result of (j) the plug being removed being detected in step S10, the method is terminated in step S14.

According to a further embodiment, the sensor 15 is designed as a camera sensor. A camera image is thereby generated as sensor data, which camera image is analyzed by the control device 14. In order to improve the recognition of the user, in particular of the hand, it is also possible to use a plurality of cameras or other sensors 18 in order to additionally enable distance measurement, for example by triangulation, by means of a plurality of camera sensors, or to enable a larger detection range/visibility range.

Fig. 3 shows a method for operating the charging interface 1, which is advantageously carried out in this case, wherein known steps are assigned the same reference numerals. Unlike the foregoing method, the movement speed is determined in step S15 after the movement direction is detected in step S8. For this purpose, in step S16, the currently detected speed is compared with a presettable speed range. If the detected speed is outside the speed range (n), returning to step S2. If, however, the detected speed is within the preset speed range (j), then in step S17 the object size is determined, for example in order to determine the distance of the user' S hand from the sensor 15 and/or for classifying the object 17. For this purpose, in particular, in step S18, the dimensions of the object determined by the camera image analysis are compared with a predetermined size range. If the size of the measured object is out of the preset range (n), the procedure returns to step S2. If the measured size is within the preset size range (j), the process proceeds to step S9.

In the present exemplary embodiment, charging interface 1 is associated with charging station 2, whereas according to another exemplary embodiment, which is not shown here, charging interface 1 is arranged on a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, in order to provide easier access to plug-in part 3 of the vehicle. The plug-in part is then preferably designed as a connection socket in this case.

List of reference numerals

1. Charging interface

2. Charging station

3. Plug-in connector

4. Shell body

5. Connecting plug

6. Charging cable

7. Charging electronic device

8. Connection structure

9. Winding device

10. Insertion structure

11. Actuator

12. Actuator element

13. Transmission stop structure

14. Control device

15. Sensor with a sensor element

16. Wavy line

17. Object

18. Sensor with a sensor element

Claims

1. A charging interface (1) for a vehicle for charging a traction battery of the vehicle, having a housing (4), a plug (3) which is arranged in a non-use position in the housing (4) and is arranged at least in sections outside the housing (4) in a use position, and having a device for moving the plug (3) from the non-use position into the use position, characterized in that the device has at least one sensor (15, 18) for detecting a charging intention of a user and at least one controllable actuator (11) for moving the plug (3) into the use position, wherein the charging interface (1) is equipped with a control device (14) which is designed to distinguish a user having a charging intention from an unauthorized object in dependence on sensor data, wherein the sensor detects the position and movement of the object in its reception range, thereby detecting the distance of the sensor from the object, the object size and the direction of movement of the object.

2. Charging interface (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensors (15, 18) are contactless sensors (15, 18).

3. A charging interface (1) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sensors (15, 18) are ultrasonic sensors or laser detection and distance measurement sensors.

4. A charging interface (1) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sensor (15, 18) is a camera sensor.

5. A charging interface (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control device controls the actuator (11) in dependence on sensor data of the sensors (15, 18).

6. A charging interface (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that charging electronics (7) are present and the plug-in part (3) is electrically connected to said charging electronics (7) via a charging cable (6).

7. The charging interface (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is designed as a stationary charging station (2).

8. A charging interface (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plug (3) is designed as a connection plug (5) which can be inserted into a connection socket of a vehicle.

9. The charging interface (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the actuator (11) is designed as an electric, pneumatic or hydraulic actuator (11) and has an actuator element (12) which can be brought into operative connection with the plug-in connection (3) indirectly or directly.

10. Charging interface (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that the housing (4) has an insertion structure (10) into which the plug (3) can be inserted, wherein the actuator element (12) is arranged movably in the insertion structure (10).

11. Charging interface (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle is a motor vehicle.

12. A charging interface (1) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the charging cable (6) can be stacked in the housing (4).

13. Method for operating a charging interface (1) according to one of claims 1 to 12, comprising the following steps:

-monitoring a user having a charging intention in the surroundings of the charging interface (1) by means of at least one sensor (15, 18),

-controlling the actuator (11) in order to move the plug (3) from the non-use position into the use position when a user having a desire to charge is detected.