JP2011234444A - Charging coupler - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging coupler for an electric vehicle, capable of ensuring higher safety in charging work and facilitating the charging work.SOLUTION: A charging coupler (1) includes a body part (18) and a grip (17). The body part (18) is provided with a locking part (24) engaging with a lock piece (15) of a charging inlet (9). A release button (26) of lock release means that releases the engagement of the lock piece (15) and the locking part (24) is provided at an upper central position of the grip (17).

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging coupler of a charging device that charges a battery of an electric vehicle driven by electric power.

Due to social demands for environmental or energy issues such as CO ₂ reduction to prevent global warming and fossil fuel depletion problems, electric vehicles equipped with batteries and powered by electricity have attracted attention and have been put into practical use. Yes.
In the future, when an electric vehicle having approximately the same running ability as that of a normal gasoline vehicle or the like is developed and spread, it is necessary to charge the battery of the electric vehicle smoothly and safely.

Here, the electric vehicle is charged by, for example, connecting a charging coupler of a charging device (not shown in FIG. 7) in a charging stand and a vehicle-side recess of the electric vehicle.
As shown in FIG. 7, the conventional charging coupler includes a coupler main body 101, a joint 102, a charging lever 103, a release lever 104, a lock arm 105, a grip 106, and the like.

When performing the charging operation, for example, when the charging lever 103 is brought close to the coupler main body 101 by grasping the charging lever 103 with a hand holding the grip 106, the joint portion 102 of the coupler main body 101 is moved in front of the coupler main body 101 ( It protrudes in the direction of arrow F in FIG. The lock arm 105 disposed on the outer periphery of the joint portion 102 is engaged with an engagement portion provided at a charging port (not shown in FIG. 7) of the electric vehicle, whereby the electrode at the projecting joint portion 102 protrudes. However, it joins with the electrode of the charging port of an electric vehicle, and it will be in the state which can be charged. And the charging device (charger main body) which is not illustrated in FIG. 7 is operated, and charge is started.
When the charging is completed, the engagement between the lock arm 105 and the engaging portion of the electric vehicle is released by operating the release lever 104 (pressing downward in FIG. 7). Then, the coupling between the charging coupler and the charging port on the electric vehicle side is also released.

Here, in the conventional charging coupler shown in FIG. 7, the operation of the release lever 104 has to be performed while holding the charging lever 103 and keeping the charging lever 103 close to the coupler main body 101.
However, it is difficult to operate the release lever 104 with a hand holding the charging lever 103.
For this reason, in the conventional charging coupler shown in FIG. 7, the release lever 104 must be operated with the hand opposite to the hand holding the charging lever 103. Had to be used. As a result, there is a problem that the efficiency of the work of releasing the connection between the charging coupler and the charging port on the electric vehicle side is lowered after the charging work, particularly after the charging is completed.

A charging cable for connecting the charging device and the charging coupler is connected to the grip 106 of the charging coupler. This charging cable is covered with a thick insulating material, and uses a thick conducting wire to withstand high voltages and large currents, so it is heavy and inflexible. Therefore, the worker who performs the charging operation of the electric vehicle must manually support the heavy charging cable in addition to the charging coupler, and the operability is not good. As a result, charging was a heavy labor.
In addition, since the charging cable is not flexible, a large load acts on the charging cable at the end of the grip 106 of the charging coupler when the charging coupler and the charging port on the electric vehicle side are coupled. A large load is also applied to the electrode of the coupler and the charging port on the electric vehicle side. Therefore, there exists a possibility of shortening the lifetime of a charging cable, the electrode 107 of a charging coupler, the junction part 108, and a charging port.

  Furthermore, the conventional charging coupler shown in FIG. 7 has protrusions such as a charging lever 103 and a release lever 104, and the protrusions are damaged due to a cause such as dropping the charging coupler. There are also problems.

Here, various battery chargers for electric vehicles have been disclosed. For example, a battery charger having a function of selectively switching between a battery that stores daytime power and a battery that stores nighttime power has been proposed (Patent Document 1). reference).
However, the related art (Patent Document 1) contributes to leveling the supply of electric power for the battery mounted on the electric vehicle, and does not solve the above-described problems.

JP-A-6-351107

  The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and aims to provide a charging coupler for an electric vehicle that can achieve both high safety in charging work and ease of charging work. Yes.

  The charging coupler (1) of the present invention includes a grip portion (grip 17) through which a charging cable (5) is inserted, and a main body portion (18), and the main body portion (18) is charged at the tip of the vehicle (electric vehicle 3). In the charging coupler (1) having a connector portion (20: containing the electrode 19) connected to the port (9), the charging port (9) and the connector portion are at the center of the grip portion (17). An unlocking means (25) for releasing the connection with (20) is provided.

Here, the charging coupler (1) of the present invention has a cable (11) connected to the battery (11) for the electric vehicle (3) in order to charge the battery (11) of the electric vehicle (3) from the charger main body (4). It is connected to the charging port (9) connected in 10). The charging port (9) is provided, for example, in the vehicle-side recess (12), and is provided with a holding piece (lock piece 15) for locking the lid (14).
The charging coupler (1) of the present invention is connected to the charger main body (4) by a charging cable (5). The charging coupler (1) of the present invention includes a main body (18) and a grip (17), and an electrode (19) provided on the main body (18) is connected to the charging cable (5).

In the present invention, the mechanism for connecting the charging port (9) and the connector portion (20) is provided in the concave portion (24: locking portion) formed on the outer periphery of the main body portion (18) and the charging port (9). It is preferable that a holding piece (a member for holding the lid 14: the lock piece 15) that can be engaged with the concave portion (the locking portion 24) is provided.
Here, it is preferable that the said recessed part (24: latching | locking part) is formed in two places on the outer periphery of a main-body part (18).

And in this invention, a lock release means (25) presses the holding piece (lock piece 15) engaged with the recessed part (24: latching | locking part) formed in the outer periphery of a main-body part (18), It is preferable to have a member (release link 30) for releasing the engagement between the recess (24) and the holding piece (15).
The lock release means (25) is slid in the direction of the release button (26) and the charging port (9) connected in conjunction with the release button (26) being pressed. The member (release link 30) preferably moves radially outward in conjunction with the slide link (28) sliding in the direction of the charging port (9).

  Here, the member (release link 30) for releasing the engagement between the recess (24) and the holding piece (15) is preferably movable in two directions.

The concave portions (24: locking portions) formed at two locations on the outer periphery of the main body portion (18) are located at both ends in the radial direction (both ends of the diameter) of the main body portion (18) (or the connector portion 20). Is preferred.
The direction in which the member (release link 30) for releasing the engagement between the recess (24) and the holding piece (15) moves also moves to the outer periphery of the main body (18). ) Is formed, in other words, the outer side in the radial direction (both ends of the diameter) of the main body (18) (or the connector 20).

In the implementation of the present invention, even if the unlocking means (26) is accidentally operated during charging, the release prohibiting means (32) for prohibiting the operation of releasing the combined state of the charging coupler (1) and the charging port (9). Is preferably provided.
The release prohibiting means (32) is preferably constituted by a solenoid (35) having a recess (33) formed in the slide link (28) and a plunger (34) fitted into the recess (33). .

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, a member corresponding to the charging lever (103) in the charging coupler according to the prior art shown in FIG. 7 is not required. This eliminates the complicated and difficult operation of operating the release lever (104) while grasping the charging lever (103) required by the charging coupler of FIG.
According to the present invention, when releasing the charging coupler (1) and the charging port (9), the unlocking means (25) corresponding to the releasing lever (104) in FIG. 7 is operated (for example, the releasing button 26). Just press the button).
The operation of the unlocking means (25), for example, the operation of pressing the release button (26) can be performed with the hand holding the charging coupler (1) while the operator is holding the charging coupler (1). In particular, the operation of releasing the coupling state of the charging coupler (1) and the charging port (9) can be performed with one hand. Therefore, the efficiency of the work is improved.

  Here, in the present invention, the unlocking means (26) can be positioned at the center of the charging coupler (1), and the unlocking means (26) is positioned at the center of the charging coupler (1). The operator can operate (push) the unlocking means (26) with either the left or right hand. Therefore, the charging operation, particularly the operation of releasing the combined state of the charging coupler (1) and the charging port (9) is easily performed.

In the present invention, the connection between the charging port (9) and the connector portion (20) is provided in the concave portion (24: locking portion) formed on the outer periphery of the main body portion (18) and the charging port (9). It can be configured to be performed by engaging with a holding piece (lock piece 15) that can be engaged with the recess (locking portion 24).
Such a holding piece (lock piece 15) is originally provided in the charging port (9) in order to hold the lid (14) when the charging port (9) is closed by the lid (14) when not being charged. Therefore, when connecting the charging port (9) and the charging coupler (1) or the connector part (20), there is no need to add a separate member. Therefore, the charging coupler (1) of the present invention can be reliably connected to the charging port (9) of the existing electric vehicle (3).

  In the present invention, there is provided a release prohibiting means (32) for prohibiting the operation of releasing the coupling state of the charging coupler (1) and the charging port (9) even if the lock releasing means (26) is erroneously operated during charging. If this is the case, a dangerous situation in which the charging coupler (1) is disconnected from the charging port (9) and the electrode (19) in the connector part (20) is exposed in a state where power is supplied can be prevented. The

It is a perspective view of the charging coupler and charging port of the present invention. It is a partial cross section figure of the charge coupler which shows the part of an electrode. It is a partial cross section figure of the charge coupler which shows the part of a lock release means. It is a partial cross section figure of the state which connected the charge coupler to the charge port. It is a partial cross section figure of the charge coupler and charge port which show operation | movement of a lock release means. It is a schematic diagram of the state which charges an electric vehicle with a charging device. It is a perspective view which shows the conventional charge coupler.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, with reference to FIG. 6, a mode in which the electric vehicle 3 is charged by the charging device 2 provided with the charging coupler 1 according to the illustrated embodiment will be described.
In FIG. 6, the charging device 2 includes a charger main body 4 and a charging coupler 1 connected to the charger main body 4 by a charging cable 5. Reference numeral 6 in FIG. 6 is a control panel provided in the charger main body 4, and reference numeral 7 is a hook that holds the charging coupler 1 that is not used.

The charged device 8 of the electric vehicle 3 has a charging port 9 and a battery 11, and the battery 11 and the charging port 9 are connected by a cable 10.
The charging port 9 is provided in a vehicle-side recess 12 formed in the vehicle body, and an openable / closable cover 13 is provided in the filling port 12.

The charging coupler 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the charging port 9 is provided in the vehicle side recessed part 12 of the electric vehicle 3 (refer FIG. 6), and the lid | cover 14 is provided in the front-end | tip.
The lid 14 is configured to be held at a position where the charging port 9 is closed by engaging with a lock piece 15 (lock arm).
An electrode 16 is provided in the charging port 9, and the electrode 16 is connected to the battery 11 via the cable 10 as shown in FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 1, the charging coupler 1 includes a grip (grip part: handle) 17 and a main body 18, and the grip 17 forms an angle of 90 to 120 degrees with respect to the main body 18. It is connected to do.
Since the grip 17 is connected to the main body 18 at an angle of 90 to 120 degrees, the charging cable 5 being charged hangs down along a natural curve, and the charging cable 5 to be supported by the charging operator While the length is shortened, the charging cable 5 is not bent at a steep angle at the end of the grip 17 (the end on the side away from the main body 18). The concentrated load is no longer applied at the end of the battery, and the durability of the charging cable 5 is improved.
When the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 are coupled, the charging cable 5 does not bend at a steep angle, and the repulsive force of the charging cable 5 causes the electrode 19 (see FIG. 2) of the charging coupler 1 or the connector portion 20 Moreover, since it does not act on the charging port (9), the durability of the electrode 19, the connector part 20, and the charging port 9 is improved.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electrode 19 provided in the main body 18 is connected to the charger main body 4 (see FIG. 6) via the charging cable 5 inserted through the grip 17.
The electrode 19 is fixed in the connector part 20 of the main body part 18, and the tip part 21 of the electrode 19 is made of an insulator. In other words, the electrode 19 is made of a conductor material except for the tip 21.
And the protection ring 22 made from an insulator is provided so that it can slide with respect to the connector part 20 in the aspect surrounding the front-end | tip part 21. FIG. The protective ring 22 is attached to the tip of a spring 23 fixed to the connector portion 20.
The tip portion 21 and the protective ring 22 made of an insulator prevent the electrode 19 (conductive portion thereof) from being exposed to the outside of the main body portion 18, and there is a risk that an operator who performs a charging operation contacts the electrode 19. Therefore, safety is ensured.

As shown in FIG. 2, an electrode holder 50 is disposed inside the connector portion 20 (inward in the radial direction). An O-ring 52 is disposed in order to maintain a sealed state at the boundary between the electrode holder 50 and the connector unit 20 and to ensure waterproofness.
Further, an O-ring 54 for maintaining a sealed state at the boundary portion is provided at a boundary portion between the connector portion 20 and the main body portion 18 in the radial direction.
Further, a packing 60 for maintaining a sealed state when the charging port 50 and the charging coupler 1 are connected to each other in the boundary portion in the axial direction (left and right direction in FIG. 2) of the connector portion 20 and the main body portion 18. Is provided.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 62 denotes an O-ring. The O-ring 62 has a locking portion 24 (FIG. 3) at the pin-shaped radially outer end of the release link 30 (see FIG. 3) shown in FIG. 3. It is provided to maintain a sealed state with respect to (see). The release link 30 and the locking portion 24 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 2, a packing 64 for maintaining a sealed state is provided at the boundary between the grip 17 and the main body 18.

In FIG. 3, on the outer periphery of the connector part 20 of the main body part 18, locking parts 24 are formed as concave parts at two positions spaced apart and corresponding to both ends in the radial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3).
The locking portion 24 is configured so that the lock piece 15 (see FIG. 1) of the charging port 9 (see FIG. 1) is engaged, and therefore, when the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 are coupled. In addition, the combined state is secured.

Here, in FIG. 3, the locking portions 24 are spaced apart at both ends in the radial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) in the connector portion 20 of the main body portion 18 (located at both ends of the diameter) and at two corresponding locations. The position where the lid 14 (see FIG. 1) is formed is the left side of the charging port 9 (right side as viewed from the charging coupler 1) as shown in FIG. This is because the right side of the charging port 9 (left side as viewed from the charging coupler 1) differs depending on the manufacturer of the electric vehicle 3 (see FIG. 6).
In other words, as shown in FIG. 1, the lock piece 15 of the lid 14 is on the right side of the charging port 9 (left side when viewed from the charging coupler 1) or on the left side of the charging port 9 (right side when viewed from the charging coupler 1). This is because it differs depending on the manufacturer of the electric vehicle 3 (see FIG. 6).

Since the locking piece 15 of the lid 14 is used (also used) to fix the charging coupler 1, the locking portions 24 are separated at both ends in the diametrical direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) and at two corresponding positions. 1, even if the lock piece 15 of the lid 14 is on the right side of the charging port 9 (left side when viewed from the charging coupler 1) as shown in FIG. 1, the opposite side (left side of the charging port 9: charging) Even on the right side when viewed from the coupler 1, the engaging portion 24 is engaged.
This makes it possible to cope with a situation where the position of the lock piece 15 differs depending on the manufacturer of the electric vehicle 3 (see FIG. 6).

In FIG. 3, the unlocking means 25 is provided in the charging coupler 1. The lock release means 25 is a mechanism for releasing the engagement between the locking portion 24 and the lock piece 15.
The release button 26 of the lock release means 25 is provided in the upper center of the grip 17. The release button 26 is urged by a spring 27 so as to protrude toward the charging port 9 (left side in FIG. 3).
A slide link 28 integrated with the release button 26 is provided to be slidable with respect to the connector portion 20. The entire slide link 28 is formed in a U-shape in FIG. 3, and a long hole 29 is formed at the tip thereof, and the long hole 29 extends in an oblique direction in FIG. 3.

The release link 30 is provided so as to be slidable in the radial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) of the connector portion 20. A pin 31 is erected on the radially inner side of the release link 30, and the pin 31 engages with the long hole 29 of the slide link 28.
The radially outer end of the release link 30 is formed in a pin shape, and the pin-like end portion (the radially outward end portion of the release link 30) is radially outward from the locking portion 24. It is configured to reach a position.
In FIG. 3, reference numeral 36 denotes a waterproof and dustproof oil seal.

The lock release means 25 of the charging coupler 1 is provided with a release prohibiting means 32.
The release prohibiting means 32 includes a recess 33 formed in the slide link 28 and a solenoid 35. The solenoid 35 has a plunger 34, and the plunger 34 is configured to be fitted into the recess 33.

Next, an aspect in which the electric vehicle 3 (FIG. 6) is charged by the charging device 2 (FIG. 6) will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.
At the time of charging, as shown in FIG. 1, the cover 13 of the vehicle-side recess 12 of the electric vehicle 3 (FIG. 6) is opened. Then, the lid 14 of the charging port 9 is opened by releasing the engagement between the lock piece 15 and the lid 14.
Then, the charging coupler 1 is detached from the hook 7 (FIG. 6) of the charger main body 4 (FIG. 6), and the main body portion 18 of the charging coupler 1 is pressed against the charging port 9 and pushed in as shown in FIG.

When the main body 18 is pushed into the charging port 9, the protective ring 22 moves to the grip 17 side (right side in FIG. 2) against the elastic repulsion of the spring 23 in FIG. (The conductive material in contact with the electrode 16 of the charging port 9), and the charging coupler 1 is connected to the charging port 9.
When the charging coupler 1 is connected to the charging port 9, as shown in FIG. 4, the lock piece 15 is engaged with the locking portion 24 to ensure the connection between the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9.

When the connection between the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 is secured, the charging start operation is performed on the control panel 6 (FIG. 6) of the charger main body 4 (FIG. 6) (for example, a charging start signal is input). ).
When the charging start operation is performed on the control panel 6 (FIG. 6), the solenoid 35 of the release prohibiting means 32 is excited. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, the plunger 34 extends from a state where it does not fit into the recess 33 of the slide link 28 (upward in FIG. 3) and fits into the recess 33 (FIG. 4).
When the plunger 34 is fitted into the recess 33, the slide link 28 is fixed in the state shown in FIG. 4, and the lock release means 25 does not function.

When the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 are connected as shown in FIG. 4, the charger main body 4 and the battery 11 of the electric vehicle 3 are electrically connected in FIG.
Then, by performing an operation of starting charging in the control panel 6 of the charger main body 4 (FIG. 6), the electric power from the charger main body 4 is supplied to the charging cable 5, the electrode 19 of the charging coupler 1 (FIG. 2), the charging The battery 11 (FIG. 6) of the electric vehicle 3 (FIG. 6) is charged via the electrode 16 (FIG. 1) of the mouth 9 and the cable 10.

Charging is completed, and a charge termination operation is performed on the control panel 6 (FIG. 6) (for example, a charge termination signal is input).
When the charging end operation is performed, the solenoid 35 of the release prohibiting means 32 is demagnetized, and the plunger 34 contracts from the state in which the plunger 34 is inserted into the recess 33 as shown in FIG. (See FIG. 5).
When the release button 26 is pushed in the direction of the arrow P against the elastic repulsive force of the spring 27, the slide link 28 moves forward (to the left in FIG. 5), and the pin 31 engaged with the long hole 29 is moved. , Move radially outward.

When the pin 31 moves radially outward, the release link 30 also moves radially outward, and the pin-shaped portion at the tip (radially outer end) is radially outward from the locking portion 24. And the locking piece 15 engaged with the locking portion 24 is pushed out radially.
By pushing the lock piece 15 radially outward, the state in which the lock piece 15 is engaged with the engaging portion 24 is released as shown in FIG. Then, the lock that secures the connection between the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 is released.

When releasing the connection between the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9, the release button 26 to be pressed to release the lock by the lock piece 15 and the locking portion 24 is provided at the upper center of the grip 17. The release button 26 can be easily operated with the right hand or the left hand with the hand holding the grip 17. Therefore, the operation of releasing the connection between the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 by pressing the release button 26 can be easily performed, and the workability is improved.
Here, even if the release button 26 is accidentally pressed during charging, the slide link 28 is fixed by the release prohibiting means 32 during charging and the release function by the lock releasing means 25 is disabled. Therefore, even if the release button 26 is accidentally pressed, the charging coupler 1 is not detached from the charging port 9, and the electrode 19 of the charging coupler 1 is exposed while power is supplied. Nor.

When the connection between the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 is released, the charging coupler 1 is hung on the hook 7 of the charger main body 4 (FIG. 6).
Then, the lid 14 of the charging port 9 is closed, and the state in which the lid 14 closes the charging port 9 by the lock piece 15 is ensured.
Furthermore, the cover 13 of the electric vehicle 3 is closed and the charging operation is completed.
In FIG. 5, reference numeral 70 indicates a packing for releasing the sealed state between the release button 26 and the main body 18.

As described above, according to the illustrated embodiment, the member corresponding to the charging lever 103 in the charging coupler according to the prior art shown in FIG. 7 is not provided. Therefore, a complicated and difficult operation of operating the release lever 104 while grasping the charging lever 103 required by the charging coupler of FIG.
In the illustrated embodiment, the member corresponding to the release lever 104 of FIG. 7 is the release button 26, and when releasing the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9, only a simple operation of pressing the release button 26 is performed. Thus, the engagement between the locking portion 24 of the charging coupler 1 and the lock piece 15 is released.
Since the operation of pressing the release button 26 can be performed with the hand holding the charging coupler 1 while the operator is holding the charging coupler 1, the charging operation, in particular, the connection state between the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 is released. Work can be done with one hand, improving work efficiency.

  Here, in the illustrated embodiment, since the release button 26 is located at the center of the charging coupler 1, an operation of pressing the release button 26 can be performed with either the left or right hand. Therefore, the charging operation, particularly the operation of releasing the coupling state of the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 can be easily performed.

In the illustrated embodiment, the means for releasing the coupling state of the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 (lock releasing means) is the release button 26, and only includes a slide link 28 and a release link 30 that are linked to the release button 26. Therefore, a complicated structure is not required and the manufacturing cost does not increase.
Then, when releasing the coupling state of the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9, the slide link 28 is moved by pressing the release button 26, and the release link 30 is moved radially outward and moved radially outward. The released release link 30 moves in a direction to release the state where the lock piece 15 is engaged with the locking portion 24. As a result, the connection between the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 can be easily and reliably released.

In the illustrated embodiment, even if the release button 26 is accidentally pressed during charging (even if the unlocking means is activated), the solenoid 35 of the release prohibiting means 32 is energized. Since the slide link 28 is fixed, the state where the lock piece 15 is engaged with the engaging portion 24 is not released.
Therefore, a dangerous situation in which the charging coupler 1 is detached from the charging port 9 and the electrode 19 is exposed while power is supplied is prevented.

Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the locking portion 24 of the main body portion 18 is formed at two corresponding locations (both ends of the diameter) that are spaced apart at both ends in the radial direction. The lock piece 15 can be engaged with the locking portion 24 regardless of which of the left and right sides 15 is provided.
Therefore, even if the specification of the charging port 9 in the electric vehicle 3 (attachment position of the lock piece 15) is different for each manufacturer, the engaging portion 24 of the charging coupler 1 and the lock piece 15 are securely engaged, The charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 can be reliably coupled.

In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, the grip 17 is attached so as to form an angle of 90 degrees to 120 degrees with respect to the main body 18, so that the charging cable 5 extending from the grip 17 is connected to the grip 17. The charging cable 5 to be supported by the charging operator is not excessively lengthened by forming a natural curve from the end and hanging down. Therefore, the weight to be charged by the charging worker is reduced.
Further, the charging cable 5 that hangs down by forming a natural curve from the end portion of the grip 17 is not suddenly bent at the end portion of the grip 17, so that the end of the grip 17 is repelled by the repulsive force of the charging cable 5. The concentrated load is not applied to the part. Therefore, the durability of the charging cable 5 is improved.
At the same time, when the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9 are coupled, the repulsive force of the charging cable 5 does not cause a load to act on the electrode and connector portion of the charging coupler 1 and the charging port 9. The durability of the electrode, the connector part, and the charging port 9 is also improved.

In addition, the main body 18 and the grip 17 according to the illustrated embodiment are provided with O-rings 52, 54, 62, packings 60, 64, 70, etc., and are formed in a sealed structure. Excellent dust resistance.
In the illustrated embodiment, the release button 26 is provided, but a lever mechanism may be used instead of the release button.

  It should be noted that the illustrated embodiment is merely an example, and is not a description to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Charging coupler 2 ... Charging apparatus 3 ... Electric vehicle 4 ... Charger main body 5, 10 ... Charging cable 6 ... Control panel 7 ... Hook 8 ... Charged Device 9 ... Charging port 11 ... Battery 12 ... Vehicle side recess 13 ... Cover 14 ... Cover 15 ... Lock piece 16, 19 ... Electrode 17 ... Grip 18 ... · Charging coupler 20 ··· Connector portion 21 ··· Tip portion 22 ··· Protection ring 23 and 27 · · · Spring 24 · · · Locking portion 25 · · · Lock release means 26 · · · Release button 28 · .... Slide link 29 ... Elongated hole 30 ... Release link 31 ... Pin 32 ... Release prohibition means 33 ... Recess 34 ... Plunger 35 ... Solenoid 36 ... Oil seal

Claims (5)

  A charging coupler having a grip portion through which a charging cable is inserted, a main body portion, and a main body portion having a connector portion connected to a charging port of a vehicle at a tip, a charging port and a connector portion at the center of the grip portion A charging coupler, characterized in that a lock releasing means for releasing the connection is provided.   The charging coupler according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism for connecting the charging port and the connector portion includes a recess formed on the outer periphery of the main body and a holding piece provided on the charging port and engageable with the recess.   3. The charging coupler according to claim 2, wherein the recess is formed at two locations on the outer periphery of the main body.   The lock release means includes a member that presses a holding piece engaged with a concave portion formed on the outer periphery of the main body to release the engagement between the concave portion and the holding piece. Either charging coupler.   The charging coupler according to claim 4, wherein the member for releasing the engagement between the recess and the holding piece is movable in two directions.

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