CN111883975A - Plug receiving device and charging station with such a plug receiving device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a plug-receiving device and a charging station with such a plug-receiving device, in particular giving a plug-receiving device (4) having a retaining member (12), a socket (6) and a locking member (14) ), wherein the socket (6) has an opening (22) for the insertion and removal of the charging plug (8) for the electric vehicle, the socket (6) being movably connected to the holder (12) in such a way that the socket (6) Can be swiveled around the transverse axis (Q) from the plugged position into the rest position and vice versa, wherein the locking element (14) is designed such that the socket (6) is locked when swiveled into the rest position, so that the charging plug (8) is secured in the socket (6) in order to prevent it from falling, and the socket (6) is unlocked when flipped into the plugged position, so that the charging plug (8) can be removed. Furthermore, a charging station ( 2 ) with such a plug receptacle ( 4 ) is given.

Description

Plug receptacle and charging station with such a plug receptacle

technical field

The invention relates to a plug receptacle and a charging station with such a plug receptacle.

Background technique

Charging stations are regularly used to charge electric vehicles. Such an electric vehicle has an electric drive for the forward movement, which is supplied with electrical energy by a battery, which is also part of the electric vehicle. To charge the battery, connect the battery to a charging station. For this purpose, the charging station typically has a charging cable on which a charging plug is arranged on the front side. The charging plug can be plugged into a complementary charging socket at the electric vehicle.

When not in use, that is to say when the electric vehicle is not connected, the problem arises that the charging plug must in principle be stowed away and is also exposed to various environmental influences, such as rain and dust.

CN 108 501 763 A describes a charging post with a tray (Platte, so-called plate), which tray has a gap. A charging cable with a charging plug can be hooked into the tray so that the charging plug is placed on the tray and does not fall off. In addition, there is a cover as a rainproof device, which covers the charging plug when it is put in. The cover is rotatable about a transverse axis so that the charging plug can be removed from the void.

In CN 207 449 638 U a charging station is described which has a chamber in which a charging cable with a charging plug is placed, so that the charging plug and the charging cable are protected from rain. In order to hold the charging plug, a socket is arranged in the chamber. The socket is oriented so that the charging plug can be removed obliquely downward.

In CN 107 054 152 A, a charging station is described, at which charging cables with charging plugs are positioned laterally and externally.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Against this background, the task is to protect the charging plug from environmental influences. Furthermore, the charging plug should, in particular, be as easily maneuverable as possible.

This object is solved according to the invention by a plug receptacle with the features of claim 1 and by a charging station with the features of claim 12 . Advantageous refinements, improvements and variants are the subject of the dependent claims. In this case, the embodiments for the plug receptacle also apply in a sense to the charging station, and vice versa.

The plug receptacle is used to receive the charging plug when the charging plug is not in use, that is to say to store the charging plug. The plug receptacle and the charging plug are preferably part of a charging station for charging the battery of the electric vehicle. For this purpose, the charging station has a charging cable on which the charging plug is arranged on the front side. The charging plug can be removed from the plug receptacle for charging and can be inserted into a complementary charging socket on the electric vehicle. After charging, the charging plug can be put into the plug receiving device again.

The charging station is preferably mounted stationary, that is to say stationary at a specific location. In one suitable configuration, the charging station is designed as a charging station or as a so-called wall box for installation on a building wall or the like, for example in a garage. When used as intended, the charging station is connected to an electrical network via which energy for charging the electric vehicle is provided. An electric vehicle is now generally understood to mean a vehicle with an electric drive, in particular a motor vehicle with an electric drive, preferably a PKW (passenger car) or LKW (lorry truck). The term "electric vehicle" also includes hybrid vehicles.

The plug receiver has a retainer, a socket and a lock. The holder is used on the one hand for the particularly stationary mounting of the plug receptacle, eg on the housing of the charging station or on the wall and generally on the mounting surface. On the other hand, the holder serves to hold the socket. For this purpose, in a suitable configuration, the holder has a U-shaped socket receptacle, for example a fork or a shell, with two side parts, for example two wings or two arms, which are opposite to each other. The side of the set surrounds the socket. The sockets are, for example, sheet-shaped, spherical, square or the like. The socket has an opening for insertion and removal of the charging plug. The opening is bounded by the inner side of the socket and is accessible in the plug-in direction. The charging plug is thus introduced into or removed from the opening in the plug-in direction. The opening is preferably designed to be complementary to the charging plug, so that in the inserted state the charging plug is fitted in the socket in a form-fitting manner. For this purpose, the inner side has a corresponding contour, also referred to as a plug-in contour, which is designed in particular on the electric vehicle similarly or identically to the charging socket.

The socket is now movably connected to the holder in such a way that the socket can be pivoted about the transverse axis from the plugged position downwards into the rest position and vice versa, that is to say also from the rest position upwards into the plugged position middle. The transverse axis runs in particular horizontally. The plug-in direction is in particular perpendicular to the transverse axis and is correspondingly inverted with the socket. The locking element is designed in such a way that the socket is locked when turned into the rest position, so that the charging plug is secured in the socket in order to prevent it from falling out. Furthermore, the locking element is designed in such a way that when the socket is turned into the plug-in position, it is unlocked, so that the charging plug can then be removed. The docking position is used for insertion and removal of the charging plug, and the rest position is used for storage of the charging plug.

The core idea of the invention is, in particular, that the socket for storing the charging plug can be turned downwards. "Below" is generally understood to mean "towards the direction of gravity", and "above" is correspondingly "against gravity", in each case also including the direction of inclination. In a preferred configuration, the socket is oriented horizontally in the plug-in position, ie perpendicular to the force of gravity, and the plug-in direction is therefore also horizontal. In the rest position, the socket is tilted, in particular downwards, relative to the plug-in position, that is to say tilted by a tilting angle greater than 0°. The pivoting angle is up to 90°, in particular, in which case the plug-in direction is perpendicular to gravity. Particularly preferably, however, the pivoting angle is in the range of 30° to 60°, in particular 45°. A particularly comfortable handling of the charging plug is ensured by such a tilting angle, since the charging plug is typically of angled design and therefore has a curved handle.

By turning over, the opening is directed downwards, and the charging plug installed in this opening is thus generally directed downwards in the rest position, thereby effectively avoiding the risk of contamination, such as rain, dust, dust, small animals or similar environmental substances. Intrusion, since such dirt mainly falls from above, ie in the direction of gravity. Furthermore, in the plug-in position and when the charging plug is removed, any dirt that may have accumulated in the opening is advantageously automatically ejected from the socket by gravity, that is to say dropped off when turned into the rest position. come out or flow out. The penetration of dirt is further advantageously avoided, in particular by the fact that the charging plug is preferably mounted in the socket in a form-fitting manner. If the charging plug rests in a form-fitting manner on the inner side of the socket, it is expedient if a discharge gap or a discharge groove is formed in the opening in order to dislodge dirt when it is turned over. Overall, the charging plug is particularly well protected from environmental influences.

In the rest position, the charging plug hangs downwards out of the socket. The locking element now secures the charging plug in this resting position. The locking element advantageously prevents the charging plug from falling out of the socket in the rest position. Only in this respect does the locking element realize in a meaningful way an advantageous downward pivoting of the socket. The locking element is automatically activated when tilted downwards into the rest position and deactivated when tilted upwards into the plug-in position. The locking element is then associated with the inversion, so that the receptacle is thus automatically locked or unlocked by the inversion and the charging plug is fixed or released. In this way, an optimized and unambiguous fixation of the charging plug in the socket is ensured.

In an advantageous configuration, the locking element has a locking pin which is mounted so as to be movable in the socket. When pivoted into the rest position, the locking pin moves into the opening, that is to say out of the socket, engages in the charging plug and thereby locks the socket. Preferably, the locking pin engages in a recess, a through guide or a recess in the charging plug. Standard charging plugs, in particular for electric vehicles, usually already have one or more recesses, feedthroughs or recesses that are suitable for this. Conversely, when the locking pin is turned into the plug-in position, it is moved out of the opening, that is to say into the socket, the charging plug is released and the socket is thereby unlocked. In a suitable configuration, the locking pin is moved in and out laterally, that is to say parallel to the transverse axis, and for this purpose is supported and guided in the side walls of the socket.

In an advantageous configuration, the locking pin is supported in a through guide which extends from the inside, ie from the opening in the socket, to the outside of the socket. In this through guide, the locking pin is supported by means of a locking spring which presses the locking pin toward the outside. In a suitable embodiment, the locking pin extends through the locking spring and the locking spring is supported in the through guide on the one hand on the inside on the socket and on the other hand on the outside on the collar of the locking pin , like in the spring mechanism of a ballpoint pen. In order to achieve automatic locking and unlocking during tilting, the holder is specially designed as follows: in the rest position, the holder covers the feed-through guide and thus prevents the locking pin from moving out; while in the plug-in position, the holder releases the feed-through The guide is, for example, in such a way that a recess is introduced into the holder and thus enables the locking pin to be moved out by means of the locking spring; in addition, the holder has a ramp which is arranged and designed in such a way that it is When folded into the rest position, the pass-through guide is drawn (überstreichen, sometimes referred to as sweeping) and the locking pin is thereby moved inwardly against the locking spring, more precisely against the spring force of the locking spring. The ramp first provides an offset space on the outside of the stop pin, which is continuously reduced when turned over, thereby pushing the stop pin inward. In the rest position, the locking spring then presses the locking pin so to speak from the inside towards the holder. In this way, a purely mechanical and particularly simple but at the same time particularly reliable latching mechanism is achieved.

As an alternative to or in addition to the purely mechanical locking element described above, in a suitable configuration, the locking element is designed in such a way that the locking pin is moved electrically. For this purpose, the locking element has an actuator (Stellglied, sometimes called an actuator), for example an electric motor, a servomotor or a relay, which moves the locking pin as a function of the position, in addition to or instead of the locking spring. Expediently, the plug receptacle also has a sensor and a control unit, for example a microcontroller, which detects the pivoting movement, and a control unit which activates the actuator accordingly in response to the pivoting movement.

In an expedient configuration, the locking element is designed to be lockable, that is to say, in particular, it can only be deactivated by means of a specific authorization, so that only specific persons can remove the charging plug and use the charging station. The locking element is thus locked with a lock in the rest position, either manually or automatically. In a variant, the locking pin itself is the lock. The authorization is, for example, the key for the lock, the input of a password or the input of a payment means.

In an advantageous configuration, the locking element is further designed such that the socket is locked in the plug-in position when the charging plug is removed in order to prevent it from being turned into the rest position. The position of the socket relative to the holder is fixed by this locking. This prevents the socket from being automatically turned downwards again after the charging plug has been removed, which would make it difficult to reinsert the charging plug into the socket. In this regard, handling is improved particularly preferably in the horizontal direction by the additional locking. Locking and unlocking are in principle independent of the locking, however expediently, the locking is only released when the charging plug is inserted into the socket, so as to be folded downwards after this, ie immediately before the fold-over and after the socket is turned over. before locking.

In an advantageous refinement, the locking element has a locking pin which is movably mounted in the socket by means of a locking spring. Furthermore, the holder has a locking recess, which is arranged and designed in such a way that, in the plugged position, the locking pin is pressed into the locking recess by means of the locking spring when the charging plug is removed, whereby the locking The socket is locked.

In a suitable embodiment, the locking pin extends parallel to the transverse axis and along a through guide in the side wall of the socket, like a locking pin. However, the locking pin is not movable in the direction of the transverse axis like the locking pin, but is movable perpendicular to this transverse axis, in particular in the plug-in direction so that the locking pin is movable when the charging plug is inserted As a result of its movement, it is pressed out of the locking recess against the locking spring. The locking spring is mounted thereon, in particular facing the rear wall of the socket, and thus presses the locking pin forward in the plug-in direction, that is to say in the direction of the opening, and here on the socket side is pressed into the locking recess, which here forms a stop for the locking pin. Expediently, the locking pin is fixedly connected to the longitudinal pin orthogonally. The longitudinal pins serve to couple the locking pins with the locking springs in the plug and improve the guidance of the locking pins. For this purpose, the longitudinal pins are guided in the plug-in direction in through guides in the rear wall of the socket and are supported towards this rear wall by means of locking springs. The feed-through guide opens forward into the opening, so that the longitudinal pin protrudes into the opening when the charging plug is removed. The locking pin then extends laterally from the longitudinal pin towards the outside of the socket. When the charging plug is inserted, it is pressed against the longitudinal pin against the locking spring, which then drives the locking pin and is pushed out of the locking recess, so that a subsequent movement about the transverse axis is possible. flip. As a result, a particularly simple, reliable and purely mechanical locking mechanism is achieved overall.

As an alternative to or in addition to a purely mechanical locking, an electrical locking is also conceivable and suitable, analogous to the electrical locking.

In an advantageous configuration, a guide pin is arranged on the socket, which guide pin is in particular driven by the socket when it is turned over, that is to say in particular rotates on a circular track about the transverse axis. In a suitable configuration, the guide pin extends parallel to the transverse axis and through the side wall of the socket. The retainer has guide grooves for guiding the guide pins when the socket is turned over. Expediently, the guide groove extends around the transverse axis in a circular arc. The guide groove has two stops for the guide pin, which define the rest position and the plug-in position and limit the pivoting of the socket about the transverse axis. If the guide pin stops at one of the stops, the plug-in position or the rest position is reached, and further inversion is not possible. The guide grooves thus limit the pivoting angle already described above to a specific angular range.

In a particularly expedient configuration, the guide pin is at the same time the locking pin, that is to say the guide pin and the locking pin are identical and represent the same component, and the locking recess is the guide part of the slot. Through this dual utilization, a particularly simple mechanical design with a small number of components is achieved, which advantageously combines a plurality of functions and further advantageously places these functions in an operational relationship to one another. These functions are, on the one hand, the locking of the socket in the plug-in position and, on the other hand, the guidance of the socket when it is turned over and the limitation of the turning angle. Preferably, the locking recess is formed on the front side on the guide groove, ie starting from this stop which defines the plug-in position. The guide groove is thus generally constructed in an approximately L-shape with a rectilinear base, which extends in the plug-in direction and forms a locking recess, and which is connected to the base and compared to the base. In particular longer guide arms which extend arcuately along a circular track around the transverse axis. Starting from the plugged position, the guide pin is pushed out of the locking recess into the guide arm when the charging plug is inserted. Conversely, when pivoted into the plug-in position, the guide pin is pushed into the locking recess at the stop by the locking spring when the charging plug is removed.

In an advantageous configuration, the socket can additionally be pivoted about the vertical axis and can be snapped into a plurality of latching positions. The vertical axis is in particular perpendicular to the transverse axis and extends from top to bottom, ie parallel to the force of gravity. As a result, an additional pivotability is achieved, by means of which the plug receptacle is provided with increased flexibility during handling. The latching position is here a predefined angular position with respect to a pivoting about a vertical axis. For adjustment, the holder has a hinge, which requires a certain amount of force for actuating the hinge in order to pivot the socket from one latching position into the next latching position. The respective latching positions are defined, for example, by a cavity or the like in a sheet material (Scheibe, sometimes referred to as sheet material) as the first arm of the hinge and around a vertical axis, for example within an angular range of 180° and For example in 30° steps (Schritt). A spring-loaded pin or ball is then arranged on the second arm of the hinge, which is pressed into the corresponding recess and the hinge is thereby snapped into the associated latching position.

In an advantageous configuration, the plug receptacle has a light-emitting element which indicates whether the socket is locked or unlocked. The light-emitting elements are, for example, LEDs, which accordingly represent the status of the locking element, for example in a color-coded manner.

In an advantageous configuration, the plug receptacle also has a proximity light, which is activated automatically by means of a proximity sensor when the electric vehicle approaches for charging. This is particularly advantageous at night.

The charging station according to the invention has a plug receiving device as described above. The charging station is configured to charge the electric vehicle. In one possible configuration, individual or several elements of the plug-receiving device are positioned at other locations of the charging station and do not necessarily have to be part of the plug-receiving device. The charging station also has a charging cable on which a charging plug is arranged on the front side. The charging plugs are generally preferably standardized, ie standard charging plugs, in particular standard charging plugs for electric vehicles.

As an alternative to using the plug receptacle as part of the charging station, in principle, a converse design is also conceivable and advantageous in which the plug receptacle is mounted on the electric vehicle, if the vehicle is There is a charging plug that is plugged into the charging socket of the charging station for charging. Likewise, it is advantageous to use the plug receptacle in electric vehicles in which the socket of the plug receptacle is a charging socket into which a charging plug of a charging station is inserted. The rest position is then expediently at the same time the charging position in which electrical contact with the battery takes place in order to charge the battery. Since the socket is securely locked in the rest position, the charging plug cannot be accidentally removed during charging, whereby the safety during charging is correspondingly improved.

Description of drawings

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the attached picture:

FIG. 1 schematically shows a charging station with sockets in detail,

Figure 2 schematically shows the charging station of Figure 1 with the socket in another position,

Figure 3 schematically shows the charging station of Figure 1 with the socket in a further position,

FIG. 4 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the plug-receiving device in the plug-in position,

Fig. 5 schematically shows the sectional view of Fig. 4 with the charging plug inserted,

Figure 6 schematically shows a sectional view of the plug receiving device of Figure 4 in a rest position,

FIG. 7 schematically shows a side view of the plug-receiving device of FIG. 4 in the plug-in position,

Fig. 8 schematically shows the side view of Fig. 4 with the plug receiving device in the rest position,

FIG. 9 schematically shows a further side view of the plug-receiving device of FIG. 4 in the plug-in position,

Figure 10 schematically shows the side view of Figure 9 with the charging plug inserted,

Figure 11 schematically shows the side view of Figure 9 with the plug receiving means in the rest position,

FIG. 12 schematically shows a variant of the plug-receiving device.

Detailed ways

A charging station 2 is shown in detail in FIGS. 1 to 3 , which has a plug receptacle 4 with a socket 6 for a charging plug 8 . The charging station 2 is here designed to be stationary and, for example, as a charging station or as a so-called wall box for wall mounting. The plug receptacle 4 is generally used to receive a charging plug 8, which in turn is used to charge a battery of an electric vehicle (not shown in detail). For this purpose, the charging station 2 has a charging cable 10 on which the charging plug 8 is arranged on the front side. For charging, the charging plug 8 can be removed from the plug receptacle 4 and can be inserted into a complementary charging socket on the electric vehicle. After charging, the charging plug 8 can be put into the plug receptacle 4 again for secure and protected storage.

The plug receptacle 4 has, in addition to the socket 6 , a holding element 12 and a locking element 14 . The holder 12 is used on the one hand for a positionally fixed assembly of the plug receptacle 4 on the housing 16 of the charging station 2 and on the other hand for holding the socket 6 . The shown holder 12 has a generally U-shaped socket receptacle 18 with two side parts 20 which surround the socket 6 on opposite sides. The socket 6 has an opening 22 for insertion and removal of the charging plug 8 . The charging plug 8 is introduced into the opening 22 in the plug-in direction S or removed therefrom. In the present exemplary embodiment, the opening 22 is formed complementary to the charging plug 8 , so that the charging plug is fitted in the socket 6 in a form-fitting manner.

The socket 6 is pivotably connected to the holder 12 about the transverse axis Q, so that the socket 6 can be pivoted downwards from the plug-in position shown in FIG. 1 into the rest position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . In the embodiment shown, the socket 6 can additionally be pivoted about the vertical axis V, as can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 3 . However, flip and wobble are independent of each other. Currently, the transverse axis Q runs horizontally, the plug-in direction S is perpendicular to the transverse axis Q and about which it is turned over together with the socket 6 , and furthermore the plug-in direction S is perpendicular to the vertical axis V in the rest position and generally surrounds this vertical axis. The straight axis swings with the socket 6 .

The locking element 14 is designed in such a way that the socket 6 is locked when turned into the rest position, so that the charging plug 8 is fixed in the socket 6 and is prevented from falling out. Furthermore, the locking element 14 is designed in such a way that the socket 6 is unlocked when it is turned into the plug-in position, so that the charging plug 8 can then be removed. The plug-in position is used for insertion and removal of the charging plug 8, and the rest position is used for storage of the charging plug. In the rest position, the socket 6 is tilted downward by a tilt angle W of greater than 0° relative to the plug-in position. In the embodiment shown, the flip angle W is about 45°, as can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3 . Due to the angled design of the charging plug 8, comfortable handling of the charging plug in both positions is ensured.

As further indicated by FIGS. 2 and 3 , the opening 22 and the charging plug 8 mounted therein are generally directed downwards in the rest position, so that the ingress of dirt is avoided. The charging plug 8 is hung downward from the socket 6 . At the same time, every dirt that may have accumulated in the opening 22 in the plugged position and when the charging plug 8 is removed is automatically thrown out of the socket 6 when it is turned into the rest position. The penetration of dirt is further avoided by the fact that the charging plug 8 is fitted in the socket 6 in a form-fitting manner. The charging plug 8 is prevented from falling out of the socket 6 in the rest position by the locking element 14 . The locking element 14 is automatically activated when tilted downwards into the rest position, and is automatically deactivated when tilted upwards into the plug-in position.

An exemplary embodiment of the locking element 14 is subsequently explained with reference to FIGS. 4 to 11 , which show different views of the plug receptacle 4 with the socket 6 in different positions. 4 to 6 show cross-sectional views along the transverse axis Q and the plug-in direction S. FIG. Here, FIGS. 4 and 5 show the plugged position, whereby the vertical axis V is perpendicular to the drawing plane, while FIG. 6 shows the rest position in which the vertical axis V is correspondingly inverted. In contrast, FIGS. 7 to 11 each show a side view of the plug receptacle 4 with the socket 6 in different positions. Here, the vertical axis V and the plug-in direction S lie in a drawing plane, to which the transverse axis Q is perpendicular. FIGS. 7 and 8 show the locking and unlocking of the socket 6 on one side of the plug-receiving device 4 . FIGS. 9 to 11 show, on the opposite side, the activation and deactivation of the locking of the socket 6 in the holder 12 . Figures 7, 9 and 10 show the plugged position and Figures 8 and 11 show the rest position.

As can be seen from FIGS. 4 to 8 , the locking element 14 in the exemplary embodiment shown has a locking pin 24 which is mounted so as to be movable in the socket 6 . On the inner side 26 of the socket 6 , the locking pin 24 moves out of the socket 6 , ie into the opening 22 , where it engages in the charging plug 8 (shown in FIG. 6 ) and thereby Lock socket 6. Conversely, the locking pin 24 is moved out of the opening 22 , that is to say into the socket 6 , when it is turned into the plug-in position, where the charging plug 8 is released and the socket 6 is thereby unlocked. In the embodiment shown, the locking pin 24 is moved laterally, that is to say parallel to the transverse axis Q, in and out, and for this purpose is supported in the through guide 28 in the side wall 30 of the socket 6 and guide. The through guide 28 extends from the inner side 26 to the outer side 32 of the socket 6 .

The locking pin 24 is supported by means of a locking spring 34 which presses the locking pin 24 in the direction of the outer side 32 . For this purpose, the locking pin 24 extends through a locking spring 34 and is supported on the socket 6 towards the inside 26 and on the flange 36 of the locking pin 24 towards the outside 32 . In order to achieve automatic locking and unlocking during tilting, the holder 12 covers the through guide 28 in the rest position, as can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 8 , and thus prevents the locking pin 24 from moving out. In the plug-in position, however, the holder 12 releases the through guide 28 in such a way that the recess 38 is brought into the holder 12 and thereby the locking pin 24 is moved out by means of the locking spring 34 , as shown in FIG. shown in 4, 5 and 7. Furthermore, the holder 12 has a slope 40 which cannot be seen in FIGS. 4 to 6 but can be seen well in FIGS. 1 , 2 , 7 and 8 . The ramp 40 is arranged and designed in such a way that, when tilted into the rest position, it runs through the guide 28 and thereby moves the locking pin 24 against the locking spring 34 towards the inner side 26 . The ramp 40 thus first provides an offset space, here the clearance 38 , on the outer stop pin 24 , which is continuously reduced upon turning over, thereby pushing the stop pin 24 inwards. In the rest position, the detent spring 34 then presses the detent pin 24 , so to speak, from the inside towards the holder 12 .

In an embodiment not shown, the locking element 14 is alternatively or additionally designed in such a way that the locking pin 24 is moved electrically. For this purpose, the locking element 14 has an actuator which moves the stop pin 24 as a function of the position. Furthermore, a sensor and a control unit are arranged, the sensor detects the tilting movement, and the control unit activates the actuator accordingly in response to the tilting movement.

In an embodiment also not shown, the locking element 14 is designed to be lockable and can only be deactivated by means of a specific authorization, so that only specific persons can remove the charging plug 8 . The locking element 14 is thus locked with a lock in the rest position, either manually or automatically.

In the embodiment shown, the locking element 14 is additionally designed in such a way that the socket 6 is locked in the plug-in position when the charging plug 8 is removed in order to prevent it from being turned into the rest position. As a result of this locking, the position of the socket 6 relative to the holder 12 is fixed and the socket 6 is prevented from turning downwards again on its own. Currently, this locking is only released when the charging plug 8 is inserted into the socket 6 so as to be flipped downwards after this, ie directly before flipping and before the socket 6 is locked.

For locking, the locking element 14 has a locking pin 42 which is movably mounted in the socket 6 by means of a locking spring 44 . Furthermore, the holder 12 has a locking recess 46 which is arranged and designed such that, in the plugged position, the locking pin 42 is pressed against the locking by means of the locking spring 44 when the charging plug 8 is removed. in the recess 46 , thereby locking the socket 6 .

In the embodiment shown, the locking pin 42 extends parallel to the transverse axis Q and along a through guide 48 in the side wall 50 of the socket 6 , like the locking pin 24 , only on the opposite side on one side. Furthermore, the locking pin 42 is not movable in the direction of the transverse axis Q like the locking pin 24 , but is movable perpendicularly to this transverse axis, that is, in the plug-in direction S. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and 9 and 10 , the locking pin 42 overcomes the locking spring 44 by means of it when the charging plug 8 is inserted and is pressed out of the locking recess 46 . For this purpose, the locking spring 44 is supported against the rear wall 52 of the socket 6 and thereby presses the locking pin 42 forward and here at the socket 6 laterally into the blocking recess 46 , which is Corresponding stops are formed here.

Currently, the locking pin 42 is fixedly connected to the longitudinal pin 54 orthogonally. The longitudinal pin 54 is guided in the plug-in direction S in the through guide 56 of the rear wall 52 and is supported towards this rear wall by means of the locking spring 44 . The through guide 56 leads forward into the opening 22 . The locking pin 42 extends laterally from the longitudinal pin 54 towards the outer side 32 of the socket 6 .

In the embodiment shown, the locking pin 42 is at the same time the guide pin 58 , however, in a variant not shown, the two components are realized separately. The guide pin 58 is arranged at the socket 6 and is driven from the socket on a circular track around the transverse axis Q when it is turned over. Presently, the guide pin 58 extends parallel to the transverse axis Q and through the side wall 50 . The holder 12 has here a circular arc-shaped guide groove 60 for guiding the guide pin 58 when the socket 6 is turned over. The guide groove 60 has two stops 62 for guiding the pin 58 , which limit the rest position and the plugged position and limit the pivoting of the socket 6 about the transverse axis Q to the pivoting angle W.

As can be seen from FIGS. 9 to 11 , the locking recess 46 is formed on the end side on the guide groove 60 , ie starting from this stop 62 which defines the plug-in position. The guide groove 60 is thus generally constructed in an approximately L-shape with a rectilinear base which extends in the plug-in direction S and which forms the locking recess 46 and which is connected to the base and is connected to the base. The bottom is compared to a longer guide arm, which extends arcuately along a circular track around the transverse axis Q. Starting from the plugged position, when the charging plug 8 is inserted, the guide pin 58 is pushed out of the locking recess 46 into the guide arm as shown in FIG. 10 . Conversely, when pivoted into the plug-in position, the guide pin 58 is pushed from the stop 62 by the locking spring 44 into the locking recess 46 when the charging plug 8 is removed.

As already described, the socket 6 can additionally be pivoted about the vertical axis V. Here, the socket 6 can be snapped into a plurality of latching positions, which are predefined angular positions with respect to the pivoting about the vertical axis V. FIG. For adjustment, the holder 12 has a hinge 64 , which requires a certain amount of force in order to pivot the socket 6 from one latched position into the next latched position. In FIGS. 1 to 3 , the respective latching positions are defined by the respective pockets 66 in the sheet 68 at the first arm of the hinge 64 and at the second arm of the hinge 64 (here the socket receptacle 18 ) accommodates spring-loaded pins or balls, not explicitly shown, which are pressed into the corresponding recesses 66 and thus the hinge 64 is snapped into the associated latching position.

Currently, the plug receptacle 4 additionally has a light-emitting element 70 which indicates whether the socket 6 is locked or unlocked. The light emitting element 70 is here an LED that presents the status of the lock in a color-coded manner. In an embodiment not shown, the plug receptacle 4 alternatively or additionally has a proximity light which is activated automatically by means of a proximity sensor if the electric vehicle approaches for charging.

FIG. 12 shows a variant of the plug receptacle 4 in which the locking element 14 is hidden, ie it is not visible from the outside. The socket 6 is constructed here as a sheet material which is cut off on the front side so that a front face is formed into which the opening 22 for the charging plug 8 is brought. The sheet material is positively enclosed on its flat side walls 30 , 50 by fork-shaped socket receptacles 18 . The socket receptacle 18 is rotatably connected as one arm of the hinge 64 to the other, here fork-shaped arm of the hinge 64 , so that the socket 6 can also pivot about the vertical axis V. FIG. The fork-shaped arms have a plurality of mounting holes, not specified in detail, for mounting on the housing or the wall.

List of reference signs

2 charging stations

4 Plug Receiving Device

6 sockets

8 Charging plug

10 Charging cable

12 Holder

14 Locks

16 shell

18 socket holder

20 side parts

22 openings

24 Stop pin

26 inside

28 Through guide (for stop pin)

30 side walls

32 Outside

34 Retaining spring

36 flange

38 (in the holder) gap

40 slopes

42 Locking pin

44 Locking spring

46 Locking gap

48 Through guide (for locking pin)

50 side walls

52 Back wall

54 Longitudinal pins

56 Through guide (for longitudinal pin)

58 Guide pin

60 Guide slot

62 Stopper

64 Hinges

66 cavity

68 sheets

70 Light-emitting elements

Q transverse axis

S Mating direction

V vertical axis

W flip angle

Claims (12)

1. A plug-receiving device (4),

the plug-receiving device has a holder (12), a socket (6) and a lock (14),

-wherein the socket (6) has an opening (22) for insertion and removal of a charging plug (8) for an electric vehicle,

-wherein the socket (6) is movably connected with the holder (12) in such a way that the socket (6) can be tilted about a transverse axis (Q) from a plugged position downwards into a rest position and vice versa,

-wherein the locking element (14) is configured such that the socket (6) is locked when flipped into the rest position, so that the charging plug (8) is fixed in the socket (6) in order to prevent falling, and the socket (6) is unlocked when flipped into the plugged-in position, so that the charging plug (8) is removable.

2. The plug-receiving device (4) according to claim 1, wherein the locking element (14) has a stop pin (24),

-the stop pin is movably mounted in the socket (6),

-the stop pin, when pivoted into the rest position, moves into the opening (22), engaging into the charging plug (8) and thereby locking the socket (6),

-the locking pin is conversely moved out of the opening (22) when the plug-in position is reversed, wherein the charging plug (8) is released and the socket (6) is thereby unlocked.

3. The plug-receiving device (4) according to claim 2, wherein the stop pin (24) is supported in a through-guide (28) which extends from an inner side (26) of the socket (6) to an outer side (32) of the socket, and the stop pin (24) is supported in the through-guide by means of a stop spring (34) which presses the stop pin (24) in the direction of the outer side (32),

wherein the holder (12)

-in the rest position covering the through-guide (28) and thereby preventing the stop pin (24) from moving out;

-releasing the through-guide (28) in the plugged position and thereby enabling the removal of the stop pin (24) by means of the stop spring (34);

-having a ramp (40) which is arranged and configured such that, when being tilted into the rest position, it runs over the through-guide (28) and thereby moves the stop pin (24) against the stop spring (34) towards the inner side (26).

4. Plug-receiving device (4) according to one of claims 2 or 3, wherein the locking element (14) is designed such that the stop pin (24) is moved in an electromotive manner.

5. Plug receiving device (4) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the locking element (14) is configured lockable.

6. The plug-receiving device (4) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the locking element (14) is further designed in such a way that the socket (6) is locked in the plugged-in position when the charging plug (8) is removed, in order to prevent a tilting into the rest position.

7. The plug-receiving device (4) according to claim 6, wherein the locking element (14) has a locking pin (42) which is movably mounted in the socket (6) by means of a locking spring (44),

wherein the holder (12) has a locking recess (46) which is arranged and designed in such a way that, in the plugged-in position, the locking pin (42) is pressed into the locking recess (46) by means of the locking spring (44) when the charging plug (8) is removed, thereby locking the socket (6).

8. The plug-receiving device (4) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a guide pin (58) is arranged at the socket (6),

wherein the holder (12) has a guide groove (60) for guiding the guide pin (58) when the socket (6) is turned upside down,

wherein the guide slot (60) has two stops (62) for the guide pin (58) which define the rest position and the plugged position and limit the tilting of the socket (6) about the transverse axis (Q).

9. The plug-receiving device (4) according to claims 7 and 8, wherein the guide pin (58) is at the same time the locking pin (42), and wherein the locking recess (46) is part of the guide groove (60).

10. The plug-receiving device (4) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the socket (6) is additionally pivotable about a vertical axis (V) and can be snapped into a plurality of positions.

11. The plug-receiving device (4) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the plug-receiving device has a light-emitting element (70) which indicates whether the socket (6) is locked or unlocked.

12. Charging station (2) having a plug receiving device (4) according to one of claims 1 to 11.

Images