Electric vehicle charging cord set

• US 8,737,026 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2009
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ueno, Satoru, Minami, Youji, Mukai, Tatsuya, Goto, Kiyoshi, Mori, Shiro, Watanabe, Hirotoshi, Hayashi, Tomoyoshi, Takada, Yutaka, Ooya, Hiroshi, Kakiuchi, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAI, TIEN HUNG
• Application Number:
  US13/060,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20110149455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,740 Days
• Field of Search: 191/12.2 R, 191/12.4, 361/42
• US Class Current: 361/42
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/02 using take-up reel or drum
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An electric vehicle charging cord set includes a housing containing an interrupting device therein and a first cord provided at one end with a plug connectable to an outlet installed on a wall surface of a building and at the other end connected to one of the terminal units of the interrupting device. An electric vehicle charging cord set further includes a second cord provided at one end with a connector connectable to an inlet of an electric vehicle and at the other end connected to the other of the terminal units of the interrupting device. The housing includes a storage unit for extendibly storing the second cord, a stand for placing the housing on a ground surface and a transportation handle. The storage unit includes a drum rotatably attached to the housing. The second cord is wound on the outer circumferential surface of the drum.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle charging cord set, comprising:

a housing containing an interrupting device therein, the interrupting device being provided with a pair of terminal units and adapted to disconnect the terminal units from each other at the occurrence of electric leakage;

a first cord provided at one end with a plug connectable to an outlet installed on a wall surface of a building, the first cord being connected at the other end to one of the terminal units of the interrupting device; and

a second cord provided at one end with a connector connectable to an inlet of an electric vehicle, the second cord being connected at the other end to the other of the terminal units of the interrupting device,

wherein the housing includes a storage unit for extendibly storing the second cord, a stand for stably placing the housing on a ground surface and a transportation handle, and wherein the storage unit includes a drum rotatably attached to the housing for rotation about a rotational axis and provided with an outer circumferential surface, the second cord being wound on the outer circumferential surface of the drum along a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis,

wherein the interrupting device includes;

a switching mechanism configured to perform switching operation between the terminal units;

a control unit configured to control the switching mechanism; and

a power supply unit configured to supply a power to the control unit,

wherein the housing is provided with a holder portion for holding the connector in place,

wherein the holder portion includes a box-shaped holding part protruding from the housing, the holding part having flat rectangular surfaces and an opening on an upper surface of the holding part, and

wherein the holder portion is configured such that the connector is held within the holder portion in a state that a tip end portion of the connector is inserted into the holder portion through the opening.

2. The cord set of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an attached portion to be attached to an attaching portion installed on the wall surface of the building.

3. The cord set of claim 1, wherein the storage unit includes a driving device for rotating the drum in a direction in which the second cord is rewound.

4. The cord set of claim 2, wherein the storage unit includes a driving device for rotating the drum in a direction in which the second cord is rewound.

5. The cord set of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the second cord stored in the storage unit, and wherein the control unit is configured to control the switching mechanism to disconnect the terminal units from each other if the temperature of the second cord detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature.

6. The cord set of claim 2, further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the second cord stored in the storage unit, and wherein the control unit is configured to control the switching mechanism to disconnect the terminal units from each other if the temperature of the second cord detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature.

7. The cord set of claim 3, further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the second cord stored in the storage unit, and wherein the control unit is configured to control the switching mechanism to disconnect the terminal units from each other if the temperature of the second cord detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature.

8. The cord set of claim 4, further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the second cord stored in the storage unit, and wherein the control unit is configured to control the switching mechanism to disconnect the terminal units from each other if the temperature of the second cord detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature.

9. An electric vehicle charging cord set, comprising:

a plug removably connectable to an outlet supplied with a commercial electric power;

a plurality of vehicle-couplable connectors each removably connectable to a connector of an electric vehicle to feed a charging current therethrough to a battery of the electric vehicle; and

a selector unit to which the vehicle-couplable connectors and the plug are connected through a charging cable, the selector unit being configured to select one of the vehicle-couplable connectors and to allow the charging current to be fed to the selected vehicle-couplable connector,

wherein the selector unit includes;

at least one changeover contact switch each being configured to connect the plug to one of at least three contact points including one dummy contact point connected to none of the vehicle-couplable connectors;

an electric leakage detector unit configured to detect an electric current leakage from the charging cable when the charging current is fed to the selected vehicle-couplable connector; and

a control unit configured to control each changeover contact switch to connect the plug to the dummy contact point when the electric current leakage is detected by the electric leakage detector unit.

10. The cord set of claim 9, further comprising a rewinding unit for rewinding the charging cable.