JP2011193682A - Receptacle plug for charge cable, and receptacle for charge cable - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a receptacle plug for a charge cable and a receptacle for the charge cable wherein safety can be secured of course by interrupting an electrical path when the receptacle plug is pulled out or when electric leakage is detected, and the electrical path can be reliably interrupted even in an incomplete insertion state. <P>SOLUTION: The receptacle plug is mounted on the tip of the charge cable for a charging vehicle. A rear end surface in a longitudinal direction of a case in which a link mechanism capable of interrupting the electrical path is housed is used as cable introduction surface 11, a front surface of the case is used as an abutting surface 12 with a receptacle tap, energization plugs 13 are projectingly provided at an upper part of this abutting surface 12 and a grounding plug 14 is projectingly provided at a lower part, respectively, and a part 1 for detecting insertion into the receptacle tap is projectingly provided at an upper position than that of the grounding plug 14. The insertion detection part 1 is preferably made to have a structure of being disposed on an upper side than the energization plug 13. A similar structure can be provided on the receptacle tap side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging cable outlet plug and a charging cable outlet 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 integrated with the charging stand (stand integrated cable) and a type that can be carried on a charging vehicle (portable cable). In the stand-integrated cable, the charging cable is drawn into the charging stand and cannot be removed by the user. On the other hand, in the case of the portable cable, the outlet plug is plugged into the outlet tap on the power supply side such as the charging stand. Is provided. In addition to the charging stand, the power source may be a normal outdoor outlet tap installed outdoors in a general home.

  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 tap installed outdoors in a general household. For this reason, in-vehicle cables store a link mechanism that can cut off the electric circuit on the outlet plug side, and when the outlet plug is pulled out or when a leakage is detected, the electric circuit is cut off to ensure safety. It is desirable.

  In many cases, the outlet tap is provided vertically on the wall surface or is provided obliquely downward for outdoor use. For this reason, when the outlet plug is inserted, the charging cable may be turned obliquely due to the weight of the charging cable, and a sufficient insertion state may not be maintained. Therefore, it is desirable to detect whether or not the outlet plug is correctly inserted, and to have a function of interrupting the electric circuit by the link mechanism when the plug is half inserted. However, there is no known prior art that focuses on this point.

JP 2005-294080 A

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is to ensure safety by interrupting the electric circuit when the outlet plug is pulled out or when a leakage is detected, and it is possible to reliably interrupt the electric circuit even when half inserted. It is to provide an outlet plug for a charging cable and an outlet for a charging cable.

  The outlet plug for a charging cable of the present invention made to solve the above problems is an outlet plug that is attached to the tip of a charging cable for a charging vehicle, and is a longitudinal part of a case in which a link mechanism capable of interrupting an electric circuit is housed. The rear end surface of the direction is the cable introduction surface, the front end surface of the case is the contact surface with the outlet tap, and a current plug is provided above the contact surface, and a ground plug is provided below the contact surface. In addition, an insertion detecting unit for the outlet tap is provided at a position above the ground plug.

  In addition, it is preferable to set it as the structure which has arrange | positioned the insertion detection part on the left-right symmetric line of the contact surface with an outlet tap, and it is preferable to set it as the structure which has arrange | positioned the insertion detection part above an electricity supply plug. In addition, it is preferable that the link mechanism for interrupting the electric path when detecting a leakage is provided at a position adjacent to the contact surface with the outlet tap.

Also, the charging cable outlet of the present invention is a power outlet plug into which a plug plug attached to a charging cable tip for a charging vehicle is inserted, and has a built-in link mechanism that cuts off the electric circuit when leakage is detected. A power plug insertion part is formed in the upper part of the contact surface and the ground plug insertion part is formed in the lower part, and an outlet plug insertion detection part is provided above the ground plug insertion part. It is characterized by.
In addition, it is preferable to make it the structure which has arrange | positioned the insertion detection part on the left-right symmetric line of the contact surface with an outlet plug, and it is preferable to make it the structure which has arrange | positioned the insertion detection part above an electricity supply plug. In addition, it is preferable that the link mechanism that interrupts the electric path when detecting a leakage is provided at a position adjacent to the contact surface with the outlet plug.

  The outlet plug for a charging cable according to the present invention has an insertion detection unit protruding into the outlet tap at a position above the ground plug. In the outlet tap, the ground plug is specified to be arranged on the lower side in the vertical installation type and on the rear lower side in the diagonally downward installation type. For this reason, when the load of the heavy charging cable is applied to the outlet plug for charging cable of the present invention and is half inserted, the upper side is always away from the outlet tap with the lower side where the ground plug is provided as the center of rotation. Rotate. As described above, in the present invention, since the insertion detecting unit protrudes at a position that is easily separated from the outlet tap when half-insertion is performed, the half-insertion can be accurately detected to cut off the electric circuit.

  Further, if the insertion detector is arranged on the left-right symmetry line of the contact surface, it can be accurately detected even if it is half-inserted so as to be twisted in either the left or right direction. In addition, if the insertion detector is arranged above the energizing plug, it can be detected at the position farthest away when it is half-inserted, so that it can be detected with higher accuracy. Furthermore, if the link mechanism that cuts off the electric circuit when detecting leakage is provided at a position adjacent to the contact surface inside the case, the operation of the insertion detector can be transmitted to the link mechanism at a close position, and the structure is compact. Can be achieved.

  The charging cable outlet of the present invention has the above-mentioned half-insertion detecting function on the outlet tap side, and even when the charging cable outlet plug does not have the half-insertion detecting function, the half-insertion is accurately inserted. Can be detected to cut off the electric circuit.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows embodiment of this invention. It is internal structure explanatory drawing of the state which pulled out the outlet tap. It is a perspective view of the same state as FIG. It is an expansion perspective view of the rear end part of a trip bar. It is an expansion perspective view of a rotary body. It is a perspective view which shows an earth leakage tripping mechanism. It is internal structure explanatory drawing of the state in the middle of insertion of an outlet tap. It is a perspective view of the same state as FIG. It is internal structure explanatory drawing of the completion state of insertion of an outlet tap. It is a perspective view of the same state as FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the rotary body of the insertion start state of an outlet tap. It is explanatory drawing of the rotary body in the middle of insertion of an outlet tap. It is explanatory drawing of the principal part of a link mechanism. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows embodiment of invention of Claim 5. It is explanatory drawing of the internal structure of FIG.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown below.
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. The outlet plug main body 10 contains a link mechanism capable of interrupting the electric circuit, the details of which will be described later. The rear end surface of the outlet plug body 10 is a cable introduction surface 11 to which a charging cable is connected. The front end surface of the outlet plug main body 10 is an outlet tap contact surface 12, and two power plugs 13 and one ground plug 14 are projected, and the insertion detection unit 1 into the outlet tap protrudes. Yes. The energizing plug 13 and the ground plug 14 are fixed to the outlet plug body 10 and are inserted into an outlet tap on the power source side. However, the insertion detector 1 can be moved in and out of the outlet plug body 10. 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.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the energizing plug 13 is provided at the upper part of the outlet tap contact surface 12, and the ground plug 14 is provided at the lower part. The insertion detection unit 1 is provided at a position above the ground plug 14, that is, closer to the power plug 13 than the ground plug 14. If the insertion detector 1 is arranged on the left-right symmetric line of the outlet tap contact surface 12 as in this embodiment, it can be accurately detected even if it is half-inserted so as to be twisted in either direction. It is preferable because it is possible. Further, as in this embodiment, it is preferable to place the insertion detector 1 further above the energizing plug 13 because half insertion can be accurately detected at a position where it is easily separated from the outlet tap when half insertion is performed. The insertion detection unit 1 protruding outward from the outlet tap contact surface 12 is covered with a stretchable cover to have a waterproof structure so that rainwater does not enter the outlet plug body 10 even during rain. preferable.

  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 other than FIG. First, the entire structure will be described with reference to FIGS.

  An insulating plate 20 is provided on the rear surface of the outlet tap contact surface 12, and a fixed contact 22 having a fixed contact 21 is fixed at a lower position thereof. The base of the fixed contact 22 is The energizing plug 13 is bent upward. 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. 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, charging is possible only in a state where the movable contact 23 is in pressure contact with the fixed contact 21. Yes, the state of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 is the contact OFF state.

  The insertion detection unit 1 is formed at the tip of a narrow plate-like trip bar 15 that passes through the outlet tap contact surface 12 and extends toward the inside of the outlet plug body 10. The trip bar 15 is always springed outward by an elastic means 25 such as a coil spring, and only the insertion detection portion 1 at the tip protrudes from the outlet tap contact 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 31, a latch member 32, a cross bar 33, and a trigger lever 34. The rotating body 30 is positioned below the rear end portion 26 of the trip bar 15 and can rotate about a shaft 35 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. A slope 37 is formed inside the protrusion 36, and the upper surface of the protrusion 36 is a contact portion 38 with the trip bar 15. An elastic means (not shown) is provided around the shaft 35 and biases the rotating body 30 in a direction in which the upper part where the protrusion 36 is located always approaches the outlet tap contact surface 12 (counterclockwise direction in the drawing). is doing. For this reason, the rotating body 30 is in the basic position of FIG. A substantially U-shaped link pin 31 is rotatably provided at the tip of the rotating body 30.

  Reference numeral 32 denotes a latch member having a central portion coupled to the link pin 31. The latch member 32 includes an upper piece 40 extending upward and a lower piece 41 extending downward. Further, the connecting portion A of the latch member 32 with the link pin 31 is supported so as to be movable only in the front-rear direction by a long hole 43 formed in the frame 42 shown in FIG.

  A trigger lever 34 is provided above the latch member 32 and the rotating body 30 and below the trip bar 15 so as to be substantially parallel to the trip bar 15. The trigger lever 34 is rotatable about a shaft 44 fixed to the frame 42, and is always urged counterclockwise by elastic means (not shown). The tip of the trigger lever 34 on the side close to the outlet tap contact surface 12 protrudes downward in the form of an edge, and serves as an engagement portion 45 with the upper piece 40 of the latch member 32. In the state of FIG. 2, the engaging portion 45 of the trigger lever 34 is not engaged with the upper piece 40 of the latch member 32.

  The lower piece 41 of the latch member 32 is bent at the lower portion and is adjacent to the cross bar 33 extending in the width direction. The cross bar 33 is always in contact with the movable contact 24. When the lower piece 41 of the latch member 32 pushes the cross bar 33 toward the outlet tap contact surface 12 side, the movable contact 24 as shown in FIGS. This has a function of bringing the movable contact 23 into contact with the fixed contact 21 by pressing. This point will be described later.

  In addition, the outlet plug body 10 incorporates an earth leakage trip mechanism 50 that pulls off the link mechanism and opens a contact when the earth leakage is detected. 51 is a ZCT for detecting electric leakage, and an electric wire penetrates through it. When the leakage current is detected by the ZCT 51 and the determination circuit 52 determines that the leakage is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the solenoid 53, which is an abnormal cutoff device, is excited and the plunger 54 is slidably held by the solenoid 53. Aspirate. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper end of the plunger 54 is engaged with an engagement portion 55 formed in a bifurcated shape at the rear end portion of the trigger lever 34. When the plunger 54 is sucked, the trigger lever 34 is pulled. Is configured to rotate in a direction in which the back side is lowered about the shaft 44.

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. 2 and 3, and the movable contact 23 is separated from the fixed contact 21 by the elasticity of the movable contact 24. When the outlet plug is inserted into the outlet tap from this state, the insertion detection unit 1 that is urged outwardly by the elastic means 25 from the outlet tap contact surface 12 is pushed into the outlet tap, so that the trip bar 15 is pushed into FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the elastic means 25 is pushed inwardly against the spring force.

  In the initial insertion state, the rear end portion 26 of the trip bar 15 presses the inclined surface 37 formed on the front surface of the protrusion 36 of the rotating body 30, and the rotating body 30 is moved backward about the shaft 35 as shown in FIG. Rotate. Accordingly, the pressing point by the rear end portion 26 of the trip bar 15 gradually moves to the tip end side of the protrusion on the slope 37 as shown in FIG. Finally, the rear end portion 26 of the trip bar 15 rides on the contact portion 38 on the upper surface of the protrusion 36 of the rotating body 30 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and thereafter the rotating body 30 is further rotated. Without passing through the contact portion 38.

  When the outlet plug is thus inserted into the outlet tap, the rotating body 30 is rotated against the elastic force by the rear end portion 26 of the trip bar 15. By this rotation, the tip of the rotating body 30 moves while rotating obliquely upward, and the pivoting portion B of the link pin 31 also moves while rotating obliquely upward. Accordingly, the connecting portion A of the link pin 31 moves to the outlet tap contact surface 12 side along the long hole 43 formed in the frame 42, so that the latch member 32 is also pushed by the connecting portion A of the link pin 31. Moving to the outlet tap contact surface 12 side, the upper piece 40 of the latch member 32 engages with the engaging portion 45 of the trigger lever 34. When the rotating body 30 further rotates from this state, the latch member 25 rotates using the engagement point with the trigger lever 34 as a fulcrum, and the lower piece 41 presses the cross bar 33 toward the outlet tap contact surface 12 side. The cross bar 33 presses the movable contact 24 to press the movable contact 23 against the fixed contact 21. As a result, the contact is turned on, and the power plug 13 and the charging cable 11 become conductive.

  When the rotating body 30 rotates to the middle position shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the movable contact 23 contacts the fixed contact 21, and then the rotating body 30 further rotates to the position of FIGS. If the movable contact 23 is strongly pressed by the fixed contact 21, the contact pressure between the fixed contact 21 and the movable contact 23 can be increased. 9 and 10, even if the trip bar 15 is further pushed in, the rotating body 30 is not further rotated. Therefore, even if there is an error in the linear momentum of the trip bar 15, the trip bar 15 or The rotating body 30 is not destroyed.

  In the middle of the state shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 9, the pivot of the link pin 31 with the rotating body 30 is more than the straight line L passing through the connecting portion A of the link pin 31 with the latch member 32 and the shaft 35 of the rotating body 30. The landing part B moves upward. The elastic force acting on the rotator 30 is counterclockwise in FIG. 13 and when the pivot B is on the lower side of the straight line L, the rotator 30 is returned to the state shown in FIG. However, since the latch member 32 is engaged with the trigger lever 34 and the cross bar 33 is pressed in the right direction in FIG. When the intersection is exceeded, the state enters the stable side, and the states of FIGS. 9, 10, and 13 are maintained unless the position of the connecting portion A moves. For this reason, in a state where the outlet plug is inserted into the outlet tap, the contact-on state is stably maintained.

  However, when the outlet plug is pulled out from the state of FIGS. 9 and 10, the space between the outlet tap and the outlet tap contact surface 12 opens, so that the insertion detector 1 and the trip bar 15 are advanced outward by the elastic means 25. To do. Then, the protrusion 27 of the trip bar 15 comes into contact with the upward bent portion 56 of the trigger lever 34 and rotates the trigger lever 34 clockwise against the elastic force. When the outlet plug is further pulled out from this state and the trip bar 15 advances toward the outlet tap contact surface 12 side, the engaging portion 45 of the trigger lever 34 moves upward, and therefore the engaging portion 45 engages with the upper piece 40 of the latch member 32. Comes off.

  At that moment, the latch member 32 that has lost its upper support rotates in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 13 by the elastic force applied from the link pin 31, and the connecting portion A of the link pin 31 moves to the left. For this reason, the stable state of FIG. 13 which has been maintained until then collapses, and the rotating body 30 rapidly rotates to the state of FIG. 2 due to the elastic force, and at the same time, the pressing of the cross bar 33 by the lower piece 41 of the latch member 32 is released. Thus, the lower part of the movable contact 24 rotates to the right, the movable contact 23 trips away from the fixed contact 21, and the contact is turned off.

  If the outlet plug is thus pulled out, the contact is opened in conjunction with the outward movement of the insertion detector 1 and the trip bar 15 in a state where the power plug 13 is still inserted into the outlet tap, so that the arc is movable. It is formed between the contact 23 and the fixed contact 21, and the risk of an arc flying outside the outlet plug can be prevented. Since the arc formed between the movable contact 23 and the fixed contact 21 is the same as the arc generated during normal breaker operation, it can be easily extinguished and there is no problem. In order to perform this function with certainty, the projecting length of the power plug 13 from the outlet tap contact surface 12 is sufficiently longer than the projecting length of the tip of the trip bar 15.

  Also, when the outlet plug is in a half-inserted state due to the weight of the charging cable during charging, the contact detection unit 1 and the trip bar 15 are moved to the outside in the same manner as described above. it can. At this time, since the outlet plug rotates so that the upper side is separated from the outlet tap with the lower side where the ground plug 14 is protruded as the center, the insertion detection unit 1 is arranged above the energizing plug 13 as in the present embodiment. With the structure, half-insertion can be detected at the position farthest away, so that it can be detected with higher accuracy.

  If a leakage occurs between the outlet tap and the charging vehicle, the leakage is detected by the ZCT 51. If the determination circuit 52 determines that the leakage is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the link mechanism is operated to cause a trip state. And That is, when an output signal is output from the determination circuit 52, the solenoid 53 is excited to attract the plunger 54 downward. At this time, the trigger lever 34 engaged with the upper end portion of the plunger 54 rotates about the shaft 44 so that the outlet contact surface 12 side is raised. Accordingly, the latch member 32 and the trigger lever 34 are disengaged from each other, and the link mechanism is operated in the same manner as when the outlet plug is pulled out to be in a trip state.

  As explained above, when the outlet plug of the present invention is pulled out from the outlet tap or when leakage is detected, the electric circuit can be cut off to ensure safety, and also when it is half inserted The electric circuit can be surely interrupted. In addition, a link mechanism that cuts off the electrical path when leakage is detected is provided at a position adjacent to the contact surface with the outlet tap, so that the operation of the insertion detector can be transmitted to the link mechanism at a close position, thereby reducing the size of the structure. Can be planned.

  14 and 15 are explanatory views of an embodiment of a charging cable outlet tap according to claims 5 to 8. The inventions of claims 5 to 8 are the contents obtained by replacing the outlet plug mechanism with the outlet tap side, and the functions thereof are substantially the same, and the electric circuit can be interrupted when a half-insertion state is detected. . When such a charging cable outlet is used, even when the charging cable outlet plug does not have the above-described half-insertion detecting function, the half-insertion can be accurately detected to cut off the electric circuit.

  Preferably, an energizing plug insertion portion 61 is formed in the upper portion of the contact surface 60 with the outlet plug, and a ground plug insertion portion 62 is formed in the lower portion. Further, the outlet plug insertion detection unit 2 is provided above the ground plug insertion unit 62. If the outlet plug insertion detection unit 2 is arranged on the left-right symmetrical line of the contact surface 60 with the outlet plug, it can be accurately detected even if it is half-inserted so as to be twisted in either direction. preferable. In addition, it is particularly preferable to place the outlet plug insertion detection unit 2 further above the energizing plug insertion unit 61 because half insertion can be accurately detected at a position that is most easily separated from the outlet plug when half insertion is performed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Insertion detection part to outlet tap 2 Insertion detection part 10 of outlet plug Main body 11 of plug outlet 11 Cable introduction surface 12 Contact surface of outlet tap 13 Current plug 14 Ground plug 15 Trip bar 16 Current indicator 17 Test button 20 Insulating plate 21 fixed contact 22 fixed contact 23 movable contact 24 movable contact 25 elastic means 26 rear end portion 27 protrusion 30 rotating body 31 link pin 32 latch member 33 cross bar 34 trigger lever 35 shaft 36 protrusion 37 slope 38 contact portion 40 upper part Piece 41 Lower piece 42 Frame 43 Long hole 44 Shaft 45 Engaging portion 50 Leakage tripping mechanism 51 ZCT
52 Determination Circuit 53 Solenoid 54 Plunger 55 Engaging Portion 56 Upper Bending Portion 60 Contact Surface with Outlet Plug 61 Current Plug Insertion Portion 62 Earth Plug Insertion Portion

Claims (8)

  An outlet plug that is attached to the tip of a charging cable for a charging vehicle, and the rear end surface in the longitudinal direction of the case containing the link mechanism capable of interrupting the electric circuit is used as a cable introduction surface, and the tip end surface of the case is used as an outlet tap. A power plug is provided above the contact surface and a ground plug is provided below the contact surface, and a plug tap detection unit is provided above the ground plug. Outlet plug for charging cable, characterized by   The outlet plug for a charging cable according to claim 1, wherein the insertion detecting portion is arranged on a symmetrical line of a contact surface with the outlet tap.   The outlet plug for a charging cable according to claim 1, wherein the insertion detecting portion is disposed above the energizing plug.   2. The outlet plug for a charging cable according to claim 1, wherein a link mechanism for interrupting the electric path when detecting a leakage is provided at a position adjacent to the contact surface with the outlet tap.   A power outlet plug into which a plug plug attached to the end of a charging cable for a charging vehicle is inserted.It has a built-in link mechanism that cuts off the electric circuit when leakage is detected, and is located above the contact surface with the plug plug. A charging cable outlet tap, wherein a power plug insertion portion and a ground plug insertion portion are formed at a lower portion, and an outlet plug insertion detection portion is provided at a position higher than the ground plug insertion portion.   6. The outlet tap for a charging cable according to claim 5, wherein the insertion detecting portion is arranged on a symmetrical line of a contact surface with the outlet plug.   6. The charging cable outlet tap according to claim 5, wherein the insertion detecting portion is disposed above the energizing plug.   6. The charging cable outlet tap according to claim 5, wherein a link mechanism for cutting off the electric path when detecting electric leakage is provided at a position adjacent to the contact surface with the outlet plug.

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