JP2011192590A - Outlet plug of charging cable for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an outlet plug of a charging cable for an automobile, having a waterproof function that can avoid a problem that water drops sticking to an insertion detecting part in rain infiltrate into the outlet plug, without degrading insertion detecting accuracy of the insertion detecting part for detecting the inserted state of an outlet. <P>SOLUTION: The outlet plug of the charging cable for the automobile includes the insertion detecting part 15a energized and projected to the outside by an elastic means from a hole part 12a provided in an outlet connection surface 12 when pulling out the outlet and pushed into an inward direction when inserting the outlet. An expansible covering member 40 for covering the insertion detecting part 15a is provided inside an outlet plug body 10. One end of the covering member 40 is connected and fixed to a hole part 12a of an outlet connection surface 12, and the other end of the covering member 49 is fixed to the base end of the insertion detecting part 15a. The covering member 40 is contracted when pulling out the outlet to expose the insertion detecting part 15a to the outside of the covering member 40 and expanded when inserting the outlet to position the insertion detecting part 15a inside the covering member 40. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an outlet plug of a charging cable used for charging a charging vehicle such as a plug-in hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle.

  Charging a plug-in hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle is performed by connecting a charging stand and a charging vehicle with a charging cable. There are two types of charging cables: a type that is provided integrally with a charging stand (stand integrated cable) and a type that can be carried on a charging vehicle (portable cable).

  All of the charging cables have the common feature of having a connector for connection with the charging vehicle at one end. On the other hand, the other end of the cable is drawn into the charging stand with a stand-integrated cable and cannot be removed by the user, whereas with a portable cable, the outlet tap on the power supply side such as the charging stand is used for charging. There is an outlet plug to be plugged into. In addition to a charging stand, a normal outdoor outlet installed outside a general household may be used as this power source.

  Some outlet taps of a charging stand incorporate a protective device that interrupts energization when an outlet plug is accidentally pulled out during charging (Patent Document 1). However, such a protective device is usually not incorporated in an outdoor outlet installed outside a general household. In addition, since the internal structure of the outlet tap cannot be visually recognized from the outside, the user of the charging cable cannot confirm the existence of the protective device even when charging from a power source other than a general household. For this reason, when charging from an outlet tap that does not have a built-in protective device, if you accidentally pull out the outlet plug during charging, an arc will jump between the outlet tap and the outlet plug, and your hand holding the outlet plug There was a possibility of burns.

  There is a demand for an outlet plug having a structure capable of instantaneously interrupting energization by opening an internal contact when an outlet plug is accidentally pulled out during charging. For this purpose, it is preferable to mechanically link the linear movement caused by plugging in and pulling out the outlet plug and the contact opening mechanism, and the tip of the outlet plug body is elastic from the outlet connection surface when the outlet is pulled out. A structure in which an insertion detection unit that is urged outward by the means and protrudes and is pushed inward when the outlet is inserted is effective.

  When this structure is used, when the outlet plug is plugged into the outlet outdoors in the rain, water droplets attached to the insertion detection section may enter the outlet plug, so it is necessary to have a waterproof function at the site. It becomes. In general, as a structure for waterproofing the operating part, a structure in which the tip of the sliding part is covered with rubber packing from the outside can be considered. However, in this structure, it is necessary to accurately detect the insertion position of the insertion detection unit in order to ensure that the contact is reliably inserted by the linear momentum by inserting and extracting the outlet plug. However, the waterproof structure that covers the cover has a problem that it cannot be adopted because the detection accuracy of the insertion position of the insertion detector may be lowered.

JP 2005-294080 A

  The purpose of the present invention is to disconnect the power supply instantaneously by opening the internal contact when the outlet plug is accidentally pulled out during charging. The outlet plug is provided with an insertion detection unit that is urged outward by an elastic means to protrude and is pushed inward when plugged into the outlet, and can be used in the rain without reducing the detection accuracy of the insertion position of the insertion detection unit. An object of the present invention is to provide an outlet plug for a charging cable for an automobile having a waterproof function capable of avoiding a problem that water droplets adhering to the insertion detection part sometimes intrude into the outlet plug.

  The outlet plug of the automobile charging cable according to the present invention made to solve the above problems is an outlet plug arranged at the end of the automobile charging cable, and a hole provided in the outlet connecting surface when the outlet is pulled out. From an elastic means to protrude outwardly and include an insertion detection unit that is pushed inwardly when plugged into the outlet, and has an elastic covering member that covers the insertion detection unit inside the outlet plug body. One end of the covering member is connected and fixed to the hole on the outlet connection surface, and the other end of the covering member is fixed to the base end portion of the insertion detecting portion, and the covering member is contracted and inserted when the outlet is pulled out. The detection unit is exposed to the outside of the covering member, and is extended when the outlet is inserted, and the insertion detection unit is positioned inside the covering member.

  In addition, it is preferable to set it as the structure which provides the drainage groove | channel which goes to the edge part of an outlet connection surface from the hole of an outlet connection surface like Claim 2.

  The outlet plug of the automobile charging cable according to the present invention is an outlet plug disposed at the end of the automobile charging cable, and is biased outward by elastic means from a hole provided in the outlet connection surface when the outlet is pulled out. Protruding and provided with an insertion detection part that is pushed inward when plugged into the outlet, and has a stretchable covering member covering the insertion detection part inside the outlet plug body, and one end of the covering member is provided in the hole on the outlet connection surface The other end of the covering member is fixed to the base end portion of the insertion detecting portion, and the covering member contracts when the outlet is pulled out to expose the insertion detecting portion to the outside of the covering member. Because it has a structure that expands when plugged into the outlet and positions the insertion detection part inside the covering member, it does not reduce the detection accuracy of the insertion position of the insertion detection part. Sometimes water droplets attached to the insertion detecting unit can be avoided the problem of entering the outlet plug.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 2, rainwater can be discharged at any time by providing a drainage groove extending from the hole portion of the outlet connection surface to the end portion of the outlet connection surface, and the trip bar covering member contracts when the outlet plug is pulled out. In addition, it is possible to avoid the risk that the water that is pushed out together contacts the power plug or the like.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows embodiment of this invention. FIG. It is internal structure explanatory drawing of the state which pulled out the outlet socket. It is internal structure explanatory drawing of the same state as FIG. It is internal structure explanatory drawing of the same state as FIG. It is internal structure explanatory drawing of other embodiment. It is internal structure explanatory drawing of other embodiment. It is an expansion perspective view of an outlet connection surface. It is a perspective sectional view of FIG. It is a front view of the outlet connection surface of other embodiment. It is a front view of the outlet connection surface of other embodiment. It is a principal part perspective view of a state in which an outlet is inserted. It is front end part principal part explanatory drawing of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of a trip bar coating | coated member. It is explanatory drawing of the trip bar coating | coated member of other embodiment. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and reference numeral 10 denotes an outlet plug body provided at the tip of a charging cable 11. Although not shown, a connection portion to the automobile side is formed at the other end of the charging cable 11. The end face of the front end portion of the outlet plug main body 10 is an outlet connecting face 12, and two current-carrying plugs 13 and one ground plug 14 are projected. Moreover, the front-end | tip part 15a protrudes from the trip bar 15, and the front-end | tip part 15a functions as an insertion detection part. The power plug 13 and the ground plug 14 are fixed to the outlet plug body 10 and are inserted into the outlet tap on the power supply side. The trip bar 15 is connected to the outlet plug body 10 as will be described in detail below. It can be infested. An energization indicator lamp 16 and a test button 17 are provided on the upper surface of the outlet plug body 10. The test button 17 is a button for testing whether or not an earth leakage tripping mechanism described later operates normally.

  The internal structure of the outlet plug body 10 will be described below, but in order to clarify the shape and operation of each part, the frame 42 that supports each part is omitted in each figure. First, the entire structure will be described with reference to FIGS.

  An insulating plate 20 is provided on the back surface of the outlet connection surface 12, and a fixed contact 22 having a fixed contact 21 is fixed at a lower position thereof. A base portion of the fixed contact 22 is upward. The power plug 13 is bent as described above. A movable contact 24 having a movable contact 23 is provided at the upper position. The base of the movable contact 24 is electrically connected to the charging cable 11. These fixed contact 21, fixed contact 22, movable contact 23, and movable contact 24 are all provided in pairs for two poles. As described above, since the fixed contact 21 and the movable contact 23 are interposed between the power plug 13 and the charging cable 11, charging is possible only when the movable contact 23 is in pressure contact with the fixed contact 21. In the state of FIG. 3, the contact is in an off state.

  The trip bar 15 is a narrow plate-like body that penetrates through the outlet connection surface 12 and extends toward the inside of the outlet plug body 10, and is always bulleted outward by an elastic means 25 such as a coil spring. Only the thin tip protrudes from the outlet connection surface 12. The rear part of the trip bar 15 is bent downward in an L shape, and the rear end part 26 has a triangular cross section as shown in FIG. A protrusion 27 is formed on the rear lower surface of the trip bar 15.

  Below the trip bar 15, a link mechanism and a rotating body 30 as a contact input mechanism are provided. The link mechanism includes a link pin 50, a latch member 51, a cross bar 555, a trigger lever 52, and the like. The rotating body 30 is positioned below the rear end portion 26 of the trip bar 15 and can rotate about an axis fixed to the frame 42. As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating body 30 is a substantially L-shaped member, and a protrusion 36 that is pushed by the rear end portion 26 when the trip bar 15 is pushed inwardly projects from the upper end portion thereof. Yes. An elastic means (not shown) is provided around the shaft 35, and the rotating body 30 is always urged in a direction (an anticlockwise direction in the drawing) in which the upper portion where the protrusion 36 is located approaches the outlet connection surface 12. Yes. Therefore, the rotating body 30 is at the basic position shown in FIG. A substantially U-shaped link pin 50 is rotatably provided at the tip of the rotating body 30.

  A latch 51 is connected to the tip of the link pin 50. A trigger lever 52 is pivotally supported by a shaft 53 between the trip bar 15 and the rotating body 30. When the trip bar 15 is pushed inward as described above and the rotating body 30 rotates in the clockwise direction of FIG. 4, the upper end of the latch 51 is first engaged with the hook 54 of the trigger lever 52, and the rotating body 30 is further rotated. When it is rotated in the direction, the lower end of the latch 51 presses the cross bar 55 in the left direction in FIG. 4 to move the movable contact 24, and the movable contact 23 is pressed against the fixed contact 21 to close the contact. Charging is performed in this state. However, if the outlet plug is pulled out during charging, the trip bar tip 15a protrudes outward from the outlet connection surface 12, and the trip bar 15 moves to the left, so the protrusion 27 rotates the trigger lever 52 clockwise, As shown in FIG. 5, the hook 54 of the trigger lever 52 is released from the upper end of the latch 51. At the same time, the rotating body 30 rotates to the position shown in FIG. 5 and pulls back the latch 51 in the right direction so that the pressing of the cross bar 55 by the lower end of the latch 51 is released. It leaves | separates from the fixed contact 21, and a contact turns off. In this way, the contacts are turned on and off in conjunction with the movement of the trip bar 15.

  A thin tip portion 15 a of the trip bar 15 that is an insertion detection portion is covered with a trip bar covering member 40 inside the outlet plug body 10. 2 and 4, the trip bar covering member 40 penetrates and covers the tip 15 a of the trip bar, and the other end of the trip bar 15 a disposed inside the outlet plug body 10. The elastic member is isolated and waterproof, and is disposed between the insulating plate 20 constituting the back surface of the outlet connection surface 12 and the main body portion 15 b of the trip bar 15.

When the outlet is pulled out, as shown in FIG. 5, the tip 15 a of the trip bar is pushed out of the outlet connection surface 12 by the elastic means 25, and the tip 15 a of the trip bar is exposed to the outside of the covering member 40. At this time, the trip bar covering member 40 contracts and is sandwiched between the insulating plate 20 and the end of the main body 15b of the trip bar 15.
When the outlet is inserted, as shown in FIG. 4, the tip 15a of the trip bar is pushed into the outlet plug body 10 against the elastic means 25 by the outlet tap. At this time, the trip bar covering member 40 is extended. Thus, the space between the insulating plate 20 and the end of the main body 15b of the trip bar 15 is covered.
In this manner, the trip bar covering member 40 extends and contracts the tip end portion 15a of the trip bar, and is always located inside the outlet plug 10.

As shown in FIGS. 12, 13, and 14, the trip bar covering member 40 has a locking piece portion 41 at one end, and the locking piece portion 41 is an insulating material constituting the back surface of the outlet connection surface 12. After being inserted into the groove 20a formed as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 at the top of the plate 20, it is fitted and fixed to the upper cover of the outlet plug body 10.
In other words, the trip bar sliding hole 12 a provided on the outlet connection surface 20 is connected so that the outer periphery of the trip bar sliding hole 12 a is in close contact with one end of the trip bar covering member 40. As shown in FIG. 13, the rear end portion of the trip bar covering member 40 is formed as the thinnest diameter portion, and is engaged with a groove portion 15 c formed on the main body portion 15 b side of the trip bar 15. The other end of the trip bar covering member 40 may be attached to the end of the main body portion 15b of the trip bar 15 by being brought into close contact with an adhesive or the like.
In addition, a peripheral groove portion 20b is formed on the peripheral edge of the plate 20, and a packing is fitted into the peripheral groove portion 20b to prevent water from entering from the outside of the housing.

  The housing constituting the outlet plug body 10 is configured by fitting an upper cover into the lower body. With this configuration, the end portion on the outlet connection surface 12 side of the trip bar covering member 40 is connected and fixed to the trip bar sliding hole 12 a formed on the outlet connection surface 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 16, the plate 20 is preferably formed with a drain groove 20 c penetrating from the concave groove portion 20 a toward the peripheral groove portion 20 b of the plate 20. According to this configuration, rainwater that has entered the trip bar covering member 40 can be discharged. The drainage groove 20c can be formed by attaching a plate-like member after forming the groove portion in the plate 20. In addition, the drainage groove may be formed on the surface of the outlet connection surface 12.

  The shape of the trip bar covering member 40 is preferably a shape that promotes drainage of rainwater, for example, a trumpet shape having a downward gradient toward one end as shown in FIG. By adopting such a rainwater discharge promoting structure, rainwater can be discharged at any time, and the internal rainwater is pushed out together with the contraction of the trip bar covering member 40 when the outlet plug is pulled out, and contacts the power plug etc. The risk of doing it can be avoided.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the trip bar covering member 40 is integrally formed with a stretchable member 40 a that covers the distal end portion 15 a of the trip bar 15 and a covering member 40 b that closely covers the main body portion 15 b of the remaining trip bar 15. The structure can also be made. According to the structure, waterproofing can be further improved.

  In addition, the outlet plug main body 10 incorporates an earth leakage tripping mechanism that pulls off the link mechanism and opens the contact when the earth leakage is detected. In the leakage trip mechanism, when leakage is detected by the ZCT (not shown) and the determination circuit determines that the leakage is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the solenoid 60 that is an abnormal cutoff device is excited and the solenoid 60 is energized. The plunger 61 held slidably is sucked. Further, the upper end 61a of the plunger 61 is engaged with an engagement portion formed in a bifurcated shape at the rear end portion of the trigger lever 52, and when the plunger is sucked, the trigger lever 52 has the back side centered on the axis. It is structured to rotate in the downward direction.

  The operation of the outlet plug of the present invention will be described below.

  First, when the outlet plug is not inserted into the outlet tap, each member is in the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, and the tip 15 a of the trip bar 15 is urged outward from the outlet connection surface 12 by the elastic means 25. Protruding.

  When the outlet plug is inserted into the outlet tap from this state, when the outlet is pulled out, the trip bar 15 in which the distal end portion 15a protrudes outwardly from the outlet connecting surface 12 by the elastic means 25 as shown in FIGS. It is pushed inward against the elastic force. At this time, the trip bar tip 15 a is covered with the trip bar covering member 40 inside the outlet plug main body 10, and is waterproofed by being isolated from other components arranged inside the outlet plug main body 10.

  When the outlet plug is plugged into the outlet outdoors in the rain, water droplets are attached to the trip bar tip 15a or rainwater enters from the trip bar sliding hole 12a formed on the outlet connection surface 12. However, according to the above-described configuration of the present invention, water droplets adhering to the tip portion 15a and rainwater entering from the trip bar sliding hole 12a enter the inside of the trip bar covering member 40. It is possible to effectively waterproof other constituent members disposed in the outlet plug body 10.

  If the trip bar covering member 40 has a shape that promotes drainage of rainwater as shown in FIG. 7, that is, a trumpet shape having a downward gradient toward one end of the trip bar covering member 40, the trip bar is temporarily tripped. Rainwater that has entered the inside of the bar covering member 40 is discharged to the outside of the outlet plug as needed, and then quickly discharged from the drainage groove 20c formed in the outlet connection surface 12.

  Further, when the outlet is pulled out, the trip bar tip 15a is pushed out of the outlet connection surface 12 by the elastic means 25, the trip bar covering member 40 contracts and the insulating plate 20 and the end of the body 15b of the trip bar 15 are connected. Is sandwiched between. At the same time, the rainwater accumulated in the trip bar covering member 40 is also pushed out and discharged from the hole 12a. At this time, rainwater that has entered the inside of the trip bar covering member 40 is quickly discharged from the drain groove 20 c formed in the outlet connection surface 12.

  In addition, if the packing which curves to the inner side of an insertion direction is provided in the outer periphery of the outlet connection surface 12, the rain water which penetrates along an outlet tap surface can be prevented. Further, by covering the peripheral packing with a cap, the outlet plug can be properly protected at the time of use.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Outlet plug main body 11 Charging cable 12 Outlet connection surface 12a Hole part 13 Current plug 14 Ground plug 15 Trip bar 15a Tip part (insertion detection part)
15b Main body portion 15c Groove portion 16 Power indicator 17 Test button 20 Insulating plate 20a Indented groove portion 20b Peripheral groove portion 20c Drainage groove 21 Fixed contact 22 Fixed contact 23 Movable contact 24 Movable contact 25 Elastic means 26 Rear end portion 27 Projection 30 Rotating body 40 Trip bar covering member 41 Locking piece 50 Link pin 51 Latch 52 Trigger lever 53 Shaft 54 Hook 55 Cross bar 60 Solenoid 61 Plunger

Claims (2)

An outlet plug arranged at the end of a car charging cable,
When pulling out the outlet, it is urged outward by elastic means from the hole provided in the outlet connection surface, and protrudes,
Equipped with an insertion detector that is pushed inward when plugging in the outlet,
Has a stretchable covering member covering the insertion detection part inside the outlet plug body,
One end of the covering member is connected and fixed to the hole on the outlet connection surface, and the other end of the covering member is fixed to the proximal end portion of the insertion detecting portion,
The covering member contracts when the outlet is pulled out to expose the insertion detection part to the outside of the covering member.
An outlet plug for an automotive charging cable, wherein the outlet plug is extended when the outlet is inserted, and the insertion detecting portion is positioned inside the covering member.   2. The outlet plug for an automotive charging cable according to claim 1, wherein a drainage groove is provided from the hole portion of the outlet connection surface to the end portion of the outlet connection surface.

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