JP2010272242A - Connector-fitting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adjust positioning by moving only a connector part, at exchanging of a battery unit. <P>SOLUTION: A connector-fitting device for connecting a second fitting device (a battery unit side fitting device) 50, fitted on a battery unit side with a first fitting device (an electric vehicle side fitting device) 10 fitted on an electric vehicle side, is provided with a male connector 20 fitted on the first fitting device 10; a unit body 52 integrally fitted with the battery unit; a female connector 60; fitted on the second fitting device 50 and capable of insertion-coupling with the male connector 20; and a support plate 62; freely movingly supporting the female connector 60 to the unit body 52, in a horizontal direction. At connection to both the fitting devices 10, 50, the device is so constituted that the female connector 60 can be moved in a horizontal direction by the support plate 62. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector fitting device for connecting a battery unit to an electric vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an apparatus for exchanging a battery unit for an electric vehicle, for example, a device described in Patent Document 1 below is known. This is configured to include an exchange table on which the battery unit is placed and an elevating means for elevating and lowering the exchange table. The exchange table is provided with a plurality of freewheels with a part of the freewheel protruding. If it does in this way, since a battery unit can be movably mounted on an exchange table, position adjustment can be performed when fitting a connector on the battery unit side to a connector on the electric vehicle side.

Japanese Patent No. 3530870

  However, since the battery unit is heavy, a moving device for moving and holding the battery unit at a predetermined position and a sensor unit for detecting the position of the battery unit are also required. The whole becomes complicated and large. For this reason, it cannot be said that it is a good idea to support the battery unit so as to be freely movable, and it has been anxious to be able to adjust the position by moving only the connector part related to the fitting.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above situation, and an object thereof is to adjust the position by moving only the connector portion when replacing the battery unit.

  The present invention is a connector fitting device for connecting a second fitting device provided on the battery unit side to a first fitting device provided on the electric vehicle side, which is provided in the first fitting device. The first connector, the unit main body provided integrally with the battery unit, the second connector provided in the second fitting device and engageable with the first connector, and the second connector on the unit main body. And a support member that is movably supported in the horizontal direction. When the two fitting devices are connected, the second connector can be moved in the horizontal direction by the support member.

  According to such a structure, the second connector can be moved in the horizontal direction by the support member while the second fitting device is approached in the vertical direction with respect to the first fitting device, and the position can be adjusted as it is. Both connectors can be fitted. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the position while moving only the connector when connecting both the fitting devices.

The following configuration is preferable as an embodiment of the present invention.
The second fitting device is provided with a fixing member for fixing the second connector, and the support member houses a plurality of rolling elements in contact with the unit main body and the fixing member, and rotatably accommodates the rolling elements. You may comprise by the bearing mechanism which consists of a plate part formed with plate | board thickness smaller than the diameter of a moving body.

  According to such a structure, after fixing a 2nd connector with a fixing member, a fixing member can be supported movably by the bearing mechanism which consists of a some rolling element and plate part.

  The second fitting device may be provided with an adjustment spring that returns the second connector to the initial position.

  According to such a configuration, since the second connector can be automatically returned to the initial position by the adjustment spring, it is not necessary to manually return the fixing member to the initial position.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the position by moving only the connector portion when replacing the battery unit.

The perspective view of the connector fitting apparatus of embodiment Sectional drawing of the connector fitting apparatus which shows the state before bringing a battery unit close to the electric vehicle side Sectional drawing of the connector fitting apparatus which shows the state before the fitting start of both connectors Sectional view of the connector fitting device showing the normal fitting state of both connectors Partial expanded sectional view of the connector fitting apparatus which shows the state before approaching a battery unit to the electric vehicle side Partially enlarged sectional view of the connector fitting device showing a state before the start of fitting of both connectors Partially enlarged sectional view of the connector fitting device showing the normal fitting state of both connectors

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the connector fitting device of the present embodiment includes an electric vehicle side fitting device 10 on the upper side in the drawing, a battery unit side fitting device 50 on the lower side in the drawing, and the like. In this connector fitting device, a battery unit (not shown) is attached to the body side by storing the battery unit (not shown) in a storage part (not shown) on the body side from below the electric vehicle (not shown). The electric vehicle-side fitting device 10 is provided in the housing portion on the body side, and the battery unit-side fitting device 50 is provided on the upper surface side of the battery unit.

  Such a connector fitting device is used for a battery exchange type electric vehicle. The battery replacement system is a system that replaces the battery unit with another battery unit that has already been charged instead of directly charging the battery when the capacity of the battery constituting the battery unit decreases. Say. According to this method, when the battery capacity decreases during driving, it is possible to save the trouble of charging at the charging station replacing the gas station, and it is only necessary to replace the battery unit with a charged battery unit at the battery exchange station. Re-running is possible in time.

  First, the electric vehicle side fitting device 10 will be described. The electric vehicle-side fitting device 10 includes a base portion 12 that is integrally formed with a housing portion on the body side, a pair of first side walls 14 that project downward from both side edges of the base portion 12, and the like. Yes. Each first side wall 14 is provided with a pair of horizontal grooves 16 extending in the horizontal direction. On each first side wall 14, both horizontal grooves 16 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction. One end side in the longitudinal direction of each horizontal groove 16 opens to the lower edge of the first side wall 14, and a guide roller 74 described later enters each horizontal groove 16 through this opening.

  A male connector 20 and a pair of guide tube portions 18 are disposed between the first side walls 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the male connector 20 is fixed to the lower surface of the base portion 12 by a first mounting bracket 22. Further, both guide tube portions 18 are disposed on both sides of the male connector 20. Both guide tube portions 18 are provided so as to protrude downward from the lower surface of the base portion 12. The arrangement direction of the two guide tube portions 18 is arranged to be orthogonal to the direction in which the first side walls 14 face each other.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the male connector 20 has an outer shape having a substantially cubic shape. The outer peripheral side surface of the male connector 20 is constituted by an outer peripheral shell 24 having a rectangular tube shape. Of the four surfaces constituting the outer shell 24, three surfaces excluding the lower surface protrude further forward in the fitting direction than the opening edge 26 of the outer shell 24. The portion protruding forward from the opening edge 26 is hereinafter referred to as a “fitting receiving portion 28”. In the following description, the front-rear direction is based on the fitting direction of the connectors 20 and 60, and the mating surface side is the front side (front).

  A male housing 30 is fitted inside the outer shell 24. A plurality of cavities 34 penetrating in the front-rear direction are formed inside the male housing 30. The cavity 34 accommodates two types of large and small male terminal fittings 36. The large-side male terminal fitting 36 is disposed substantially at the center of the male housing 30, and the small-side male terminal fitting 36 is radially distributed with the large-side male terminal fitting 36 as the center. . In FIG. 5, the cross section in the position where the small male terminal metal fitting 36 is arrange | positioned at the upper and lower sides of the large male terminal metal fitting 36 is shown.

  The male terminal fitting 36 is formed in a round bar shape as a whole, and includes a main body portion 40 in which a flange portion 38 is formed and a tab portion 42 that protrudes forward from the main body portion 40. A tab insertion hole for penetrating the tab portion 42 is formed in the front wall constituting the cavity 34. A fitting space S is formed inside the outer peripheral shell 24, and a tab portion 42 penetrating the tab insertion hole projects into the fitting space S.

  Further, a barrel part 39 connected to an electric wire (not shown) connected to the body side is formed on the back side of the main body part 40. The barrel portion 39 has a different connection method between the large-side male terminal fitting 36 and the small-side male terminal fitting 36. That is, the large male terminal fitting 36 is connected to the electric wire by directly crimping the electric wire by hexagonal caulking, whereas the small male terminal fitting 36 is a round terminal ( It is connected to the electric wire by screwing it (not shown).

  The flange portion 38 is provided so as to protrude radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 40. On the other hand, the front wall constituting the cavity 34 is a front stop portion 35 that contacts the flange portion 38. The flange portion 38 is in contact with the front stop portion 35 from behind. Thereby, the male terminal fitting 36 is accommodated in the cavity 34 in a state in which the forward movement is restricted.

  A male plate 44 is mounted on the back surface of the male housing 30. The outer peripheral edge portion of the male plate 44 and the outer peripheral side portion of the male housing 30 are in contact in the front-rear direction, and are sandwiched between the retaining protrusion 25 provided on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral shell 24 and the first mounting bracket 22. ing. Thereby, the male plate 44 and the male housing 30 are fixed inside the outer peripheral shell 24.

  The male plate 44 has a plurality of cylindrical portions 46 fitted from the rear along the inner peripheral surface of the cavity 34. A barrel portion 39 is inserted inside the cylindrical portion 46. The front end portion of the cylindrical portion 46 is in contact with the flange portion 38 from the rear. Thereby, the male terminal fitting 36 is accommodated in the cavity 34 in a state in which the backward movement is restricted. That is, the flange portion 38 of the male terminal fitting 36 is sandwiched between the front stop portion 35 and the cylindrical portion 46. Therefore, the male terminal fitting 36 can be firmly held in the cavity 34 even when the connectors 20 and 60 are repeatedly inserted and removed.

  Next, the battery unit side fitting device 50 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the battery unit side fitting device 50 includes a unit main body 52 integrally provided with the battery unit, a support plate 62 mounted on the upper surface of the unit main body 52, and an upper surface of the support plate 62. A main fixing plate 64 and the like are provided. Further, a pair of second side walls 54 that are opposed to each other are integrally provided on both side edges of the main fixing plate 64.

  Each of the second side walls 54 is provided with a pair of cam grooves 56 extending obliquely with respect to both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. Both cam grooves 56 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction. Unlike the horizontal groove 16, both the cam grooves 56 have a closed shape. An extension groove 58 extending further downward in the vertical direction extends from the end (lower end) of the cam groove 56.

  A sub-fixing plate 66 is disposed above the main fixing plate 64 between the second side walls 54 so as to face each other. As shown in FIG. 2, a female connector 60 is placed on the upper surface of the sub-fixing plate 66. The female connector 60 is fixed to the upper surface of the sub fixing plate 66 by the second mounting bracket 68. A pair of guide poles 70 are disposed on both the front and rear sides of the sub-fixing plate 66 between the second side walls 54. Both guide poles 70 are configured to rise upward from the upper surface of the main fixing plate 64, and can be fitted to the guide tube portion 18. The direction in which the two guide poles 70 are arranged is orthogonal to the direction in which the second side walls 54 face each other.

  The female connector 60 can be fitted into the fitting space S of the male connector 20 as shown in FIGS. The female connector 60 has a substantially block shape as a whole, and has an outer peripheral shell 80 that constitutes the outer peripheral side surface of the female connector 60. A female housing 78 is accommodated inside the outer shell 80. A plurality of cavities 82 penetrating in the front-rear direction are formed in the female housing 78. These cavities 82 are arranged in correspondence with the cavities 34 on the male connector 20 side in the fitting direction. These cavities 82 accommodate two types of female terminal fittings 84 of large and small. FIG. 5 shows a cross-section at a position where the small-side male terminal fitting 84 is disposed on both the upper and lower sides of the large-side female terminal fitting 84.

  The female terminal fitting 84 is a so-called louver terminal, and has a round bar shape as a whole, and includes a main body portion 88 in which a flange portion 86 is formed. The tab portion 42 can be fitted inside the main body portion 88. A tab receiving hole for receiving the tab portion 42 is formed in the front wall constituting the cavity 82. Further, a barrel part 90 connected to an electric wire (not shown) connected to the battery unit side is formed on the back side of the main body part 88. In addition, the connection method of the barrel portion 90 is different between the large female terminal fitting 84 and the small female terminal fitting 84. Since this point is the same as that of the male terminal fitting 36, description thereof is omitted.

  The flange portion 86 is provided in a form that protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 88. On the other hand, a stepped portion 83 that contacts the flange portion 86 in the front-rear direction is formed on the side wall that forms the cavity 82. The flange portion 86 is in contact with the step portion 83 from the rear. Thereby, the female terminal fitting 84 is accommodated in the cavity 82 in a state in which the forward movement is restricted.

  A female plate 92 is mounted on the back surface of the female housing 78. The female plate 92 is prevented from coming out backward by the second mounting bracket 68. Accordingly, the female plate 92 is fixed inside the outer shell 80.

  The female plate 92 has a plurality of cylindrical portions 94 fitted from the rear along the inner peripheral surface of the cavity 82. A barrel portion 90 is inserted inside the cylindrical portion 94. The front end portion of the cylindrical portion 94 is in contact with the flange portion 86 from the rear. Thereby, the female terminal fitting 84 is accommodated in the cavity 82 in a state where the backward movement is restricted. That is, the flange portion 86 of the female terminal fitting 84 is sandwiched between the step portion 83 and the cylindrical portion 94. Therefore, the female terminal fitting 84 can be firmly held in the cavity 82 even when the connectors 20 and 60 are repeatedly inserted and removed.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, the tip of the guide pole 70 has a spherical shape, and the opening of the cylindrical portion 46 that receives the tip of the guide pole 70 has a mortar shape. For this reason, the guide pole 70 can be fitted to the cylindrical portion 46 while the tip end portion of the guide pole 70 is in sliding contact with the opening of the cylindrical portion 46. As shown in FIG. 3, when the guide pole 70 is fitted into the cylindrical portion 46, the battery unit side fitting device 50 is positioned at a proper mounting position with respect to the electric vehicle side fitting device 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of third side walls 72 are disposed on both side edges of the sub-fixing plate 66. Both the third side walls 72 are arranged in an opposed state, and a pair of guide rollers 74 are rotatably attached to the upper end portion of the third side wall 72. Both guide rollers 74 are each constituted by a metal bearing mechanism, and are arranged at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction. Both guide rollers 74 protrude through the cam groove 56 to the outside of the second side wall 54. The diameter of the guide roller 74 is substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the groove widths of the cam groove 56 and the extension groove 58, as shown in FIGS.

  A portion of both guide rollers 74 that protrudes to the outside of the second side wall 54 through the cam groove 56 is formed in the horizontal groove 16 of the first side wall 14 when the fitting devices 10 and 50 are brought close to the vertical direction. It is designed to enter. The groove width of the horizontal groove 16 is set to be approximately the same as the groove width of the cam groove 56 and the extension groove 58.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the support plate 62 includes a bearing mechanism including a plurality of spherical rolling elements 96 and a plate portion 98 that rotatably accommodates the rolling elements 96. The plate thickness of the plate portion 98 is made smaller than the diameter of the rolling element 96. For this reason, when the support plate 62 is disposed between the unit main body 52 and the main fixing plate 64, the unit main body 52 and the main fixing plate 64 are in point contact with the rolling elements 96. Accordingly, the main fixing plate 64 is supported by the support plate 62 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction with respect to the unit main body 52.

  The second side wall 54 and the unit main body 52 are connected by a pair of adjustment springs 76 disposed on the front and rear sides. These adjustment springs 76 perform a centering function for returning the female connector 60 to the initial position again when the female connector 60 is detached from the initial position in the horizontal direction.

  That is, when replacing the battery unit, it is necessary to adjust the position so that the female connector 60 can be fitted to the male connector 20. Here, the main fixing plate 64 is moved in the horizontal direction with respect to the unit main body 52 by the support plate 62, and the female connector 60 is moved in the horizontal direction from the initial position. For this reason, the adjustment spring 76 will be in the state extended rather than the initial state. Thereafter, when the connectors 20 and 60 are detached, the main fixing plate 64 can be moved by the elastic force of the adjustment spring 76, and the female connector 60 can be automatically returned to the initial position.

  Next, the attaching operation of both the fitting devices 10 and 50 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, both fitting devices 10 and 50 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and the battery unit is brought closer to the body side. The main fixing plate 64 is moved in the horizontal direction with respect to the unit main body 52 by the support plate 62 while the tip ends of both guide poles 70 are in sliding contact with the openings of both guide cylinders 18. As shown in FIG. 3, when both guide poles 70 are fitted to both guide cylinders 18, both fitting devices 10, 50 are in proper mounting positions (positions at which both connectors 20, 60 can be automatically fitted). ).

  If the battery unit is moved closer to the body as it is, the guide roller 74 is pushed into the main fixing plate 64 side by the upper surface of the inner wall of the horizontal groove 16 after the guide roller 74 enters the horizontal groove 16. Thereby, the female connector 60 is pushed into the main fixing plate 64 side together with the guide roller 74. At this time, the female connector 60 moves downward as a result of the guide roller 74 being pushed into the horizontal groove 16 in principle. However, even before the guide roller 74 is pushed into the horizontal groove 16, the female connector 60 is inserted into the female connector 60. It is also possible to push the connector 60 directly.

  The guide roller 74 moves along the cam groove 56 and also moves along the horizontal groove 16. That is, the guide roller 74 is engaged with both the cam groove 56 and the horizontal groove 16, and the two connectors 20, 60 are pulled toward each other in the horizontal direction by the cam action due to this engagement. At this time, since the guide roller 74 moves while rotating with respect to both the cam groove 56 and the horizontal groove 16, the frictional resistance between the guide roller 74, the horizontal groove 16 and the cam groove 56 decreases, and both connectors 20, 60 fitting operation can be performed smoothly.

  Thus, the female connector 60 is fitted in the horizontal direction toward the male connector 20 side. When the guide roller 74 reaches the end of the cam groove 56, the fitting surfaces of the connectors 20 and 60 come into contact with each other, and a normal fitting state is obtained. Since both the connectors 20 and 60 are fitted in the horizontal direction, the contacts of both the terminal fittings 36 and 84 do not slide in the horizontal direction even when subjected to vibration in the vertical direction, and the contacts wear. There is nothing. Furthermore, the connectors 20 and 60 can be automatically fitted in the horizontal direction only by bringing the fitting devices 10 and 50 close to each other in the vertical direction. Thus, even if the fitting direction of both fitting devices 10 and 50 and the fitting direction of both connectors 20 and 60 are different, it is sufficient to move only in the fitting direction of both fitting devices 10 and 50. The replacement work of the battery unit can be facilitated.

  When the battery unit is further moved closer to the body from here, the guide roller 74 moves downward along the extension groove 58 as shown in FIG. In the state where the guide roller 74 is accommodated in the extension groove 58, the guide roller 74 is restricted from moving in the front-rear direction with respect to the inner wall of the extension groove 58, so that the detachment of both the connectors 20, 60 is restricted. That is, both the fitting devices 10 and 50 can ensure the play corresponding to the length of the extension groove 58 in the vertical direction while maintaining both the connectors 20 and 60 in the normal fitting state.

  Finally, the removal operation of the fitting devices 10 and 50 will be briefly described. When the battery unit is moved away from the body, the guide roller 74 is lifted away from the main fixing plate 64 by the lower surface of the inner wall of the horizontal groove 16, and both the connectors 20 and 60 are moved in the horizontal direction by moving the extension groove 58 and the cam groove 56. Leave. When both guide poles 70 are separated from both guide cylinders 18, the main fixing plate 64 automatically returns to the initial position under the elastic force of the adjustment spring 76.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the two connectors 20 and 60 are fitted, the guide roller 74 can be moved while rotating with respect to the upper surface of the inner wall of the horizontal groove 16. The frictional resistance is reduced, and the fitting operation of both connectors 20 and 60 can be performed smoothly. Further, when the connectors 20 and 60 are detached, the guide roller 74 can be moved while rotating with respect to the lower surface of the inner wall of the horizontal groove 16, so that the connectors 20 and 60 can be smoothly detached.

  After both the connectors 20 and 60 are in the properly fitted state, the guide roller 74 can be moved in the vertical direction and accommodated in the extension groove 58. In this state, even if the two connectors 20 and 60 are pulled in the horizontal direction, the guide roller 74 interferes with the inner wall of the extension groove 58 in the horizontal direction, thereby preventing the two connectors 20 and 60 from being detached. it can. Further, a vertical play corresponding to the length of the extension groove 58 can be secured between the fitting devices 10 and 50.

  Further, the position of the female connector 60 can be adjusted while moving the main fixing plate 64 in the horizontal direction by the support plate 62 by moving the battery unit in the vertical direction with respect to the electric vehicle. Can be fitted. Therefore, when replacing the battery unit, it is not necessary to move the whole battery unit to adjust the position, and only the female connector 60 can be moved to adjust the position.

  Further, the support plate 62 can be simply configured by a bearing mechanism including a plurality of rolling elements 96 and a plate portion 98. Further, since the main fixing plate 64 can be automatically returned to the initial position by the adjusting spring 76, the main fixing plate 64 does not have to be manually returned to the initial position.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) Although the support plate 62 is constituted by a bearing mechanism in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, an X-direction moving plate incorporating a plurality of rollers rotatable in the X direction and a plurality of rotatable in the Y direction. The support member may be configured by stacking a Y-direction moving plate incorporating a roller.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the female connector 60 fixed to the sub-fixing plate 66 is supported so as to be freely movable with respect to the unit main body 52. However, according to the present invention, the female connector 60 is directly supported by the support plate 62. May be.

  (3) Although the main fixing plate 64 is returned to the initial position by the adjustment spring 76 in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, the main fixing plate 64 is initialized by using an air cylinder or the like without using the adjustment spring 76. It is good also as a structure which returns to a position.

10. Electric vehicle side fitting device (first fitting device)
20 ... Male connector (first connector)
50 ... Battery unit side fitting device (second fitting device)
52 ... Unit main body 60 ... Female connector (second connector)
62 ... Support plate (support member)
64 ... main fixing plate (fixing member)
66 ... Sub-fixing plate (fixing member)
76 ... Adjustment spring 96 ... Rolling element 98 ... Plate part

Claims (3)

A connector fitting device for connecting a second fitting device provided on the battery unit side to a first fitting device provided on the electric vehicle side,
A first connector provided in the first fitting device;
A unit main body provided integrally with the battery unit;
A second connector provided in the second fitting device and capable of fitting with the first connector;
A support member that supports the second connector so as to be movable in a horizontal direction with respect to the unit main body,
The connector fitting device, wherein the second connector can be moved in the horizontal direction by the support member when the two fitting devices are connected. A fixing member provided in the second fitting device and fixing the second connector;
The support member includes a plurality of rolling elements that are in contact with the unit main body and the fixing member, and a plate part that rotatably accommodates the rolling elements and is formed with a plate thickness smaller than the diameter of the rolling elements. The connector fitting device according to claim 1, wherein the connector fitting device is constituted by a bearing mechanism comprising:   The connector fitting device according to claim 1, wherein the second fitting device is provided with an adjustment spring for returning the second connector to an initial position.

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