Electrical plug and energy transmission arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9660392-B2
Application number	US-201314440425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2013
Priority date	Nov 5, 2012
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical plug ( 24 ) having a connection unit ( 36 ) which can be coupled to an electrical line ( 26 ) in order to transmit electrical energy, having at least one electrical contact pin ( 30 ) which has a plug section ( 32 ) and a coupling section ( 34 ), wherein the coupling section ( 34 ) is electrically coupled to the connection unit ( 36 ), and wherein the plug section ( 32 ) is designed to provide a releasable plug connection to an associated contact socket ( 18 ) in order to electrically couple the contact pin ( 30 ) to the contact socket ( 18 ), and having a detection unit ( 38 ) which is designed to) detect a tensile force which is exerted on the contact pin ( 30 ) and/or a movement of the contact pin ( 30 ) relative to the contact socket ( 18 ), and to provide a disconnection signal for interrupting the energy transmission process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrical plug having:
a connection unit which can be coupled to an electrical line in order to transmit electrical energy,
at least one electrical contact pin which has a plug section and a coupling Section, wherein the coupling section is electrically coupled to the connection unit, and wherein the plug section is designed to provide a releasable plug connection to an associated contact socket in order to electrically couple the electrical contact pin to the associated contact socket, and
a detection unit which is designed to detect a tensile force which is exerted on the electrical contact pin or a movement of the electrical contact pin, or both, relative to the associated contact socket, and to provide a disconnection signal for interrupting an electrical energy transmission process.

2. The electrical plug according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit is designed to provide the disconnection signal if the tensile force exceeds a force threshold value or the movement exceeds a movement threshold value, or both.

3. The electrical plug according to claim 2 , wherein the threshold values, that include the force threshold value and the movement threshold value, are determined in such a way that the releasable plug connection to the associated contact socket exists at least until at least one of the threshold values has been reached.

4. The electrical plug according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit has a force measuring device which is mechanically coupled to the electrical contact pin and which is designed to detect the tensile force based on a force between the electrical contact pin and the associated contact socket when releasing the releasable plug connection.

5. The electrical plug according to claim 4 , wherein the force measuring device is designed to detect a compressive force between the electrical contact pin and the associated contact socket when providing the releasable plug connection, and wherein the force threshold value is a detected value of the compressive force when providing the releasable plug connection.

6. The electrical plug according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit has a displaceable element which is held in an initial position by means of a preload force and which can be moved out of the initial position if the tensile force exceeds the preload force, and wherein the preload force is the force threshold value.

7. The electrical plug according to claim 6 , wherein the detection unit has a spring element for providing the preload force.

8. The electrical plug according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit has a pushing device which can be displaced based on the movement of the electrical contact pin, and wherein the detection unit is designed to provide the disconnection signal if the pushing device is displaced by the movement threshold value with respect to an initial position.

9. The electrical plug according to claim 8 , wherein the detection unit is designed to provide a switch-on signal for starting the electrical energy transmission process if the initial position of the pushing device is set.

10. The electrical plug according to claim 8 , wherein the detection unit further has a spring element which is designed to exert a force on the pushing device in order to displace said pushing device in accordance with the movement of the electrical contact pin.

11. The electrical plug according to claim 8 , wherein the pushing device has a sleeve which is disposed concentrically with respect to the electrical contact pin.

12. The electrical plug according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit is designed to provide the disconnection signal or a switch-on signal, or both, to a control unit for the purpose of controlling the electrical energy transmission process.

13. An energy transmission arrangement comprising: an electrical plug according to claim 1 ,
an electrical line which is electrically coupled to the connection unit of the electrical plug, and
a control unit which is electrically coupled to the detection unit of the electrical plug and which is designed to control the transmission of electrical energy across the electrical line based on the disconnection signal or a switch-on signal, or both, of the detection unit.

14. The energy transmission arrangement according to claim 13 , wherein the electrical line is further coupled to a traction battery of an electrically driven vehicle, and wherein the control unit is designed to interrupt a charging process of the traction battery based on the disconnection signal.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Eckert Bernd
• Mittag Andreas
• Faye Ian

Classifications

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title

• H01R13/7038 Primary

  making use of a remote controlled switch, e.g. relais, solid state switch activated by the engagement of the coupling parts · CPC title

• B60L53/16

  Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles · CPC title

• H01R2201/26

  for vehicles · CPC title

• Y02T90/14

  Plug-in electric vehicles · CPC title