JP2012234701A - Charge connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charge connector that can be reliably inserted in a device side inlet.SOLUTION: A discharge connector 100 comprises a second swing arm 20 swinging around a shaft 13 fixed to a body part 1 as a center; a protrusion part 21 that can project from a boundary between the body part 1 and an insertion part 2; and a second energization member 22 energizing the protrusion part 21 to be projected. Then, a lock part 33 provided at a tip of a slide rod 30 is locked to a rear end of the second swing arm 20 to prevent backward movement of the slide rod 30 by a third energization member 31. The slide rod 30 (slide switch 4) is fixed so that it is slid (pressed) toward the insertion part 2. Also, when the insertion part 2 is inserted in a device side inlet, the protrusion part 21 is pressed in contact with a peripheral edge of the device side inlet, and the second swing arm 20 swings. Thereby, a lock condition of the lock part 33 and the second swing arm 20 is canceled, and the slide rod 30 (slide switch 4) moves backward to a backward limit.

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging connector for connecting to an inlet of a device including a storage battery and supplying power to the storage battery of the device. In particular, the present invention relates to a charging connector that can be reliably inserted into an apparatus side inlet.

  In recent years, due to growing environmental awareness, electric vehicles (typically, electric vehicles) equipped with storage batteries (batteries) and driven by motors using the electric power (typically electric vehicles) have been widely used. The expansion of the charger is planned. In addition, standardization of quick chargers for electric vehicles is being promoted for the spread of electric vehicles (for example, Japan Electric Vehicle Standard (JEVS)).

  A technique related to a charging connector on the charger side is described in Patent Document 1, for example. In this method of using the charging connector, the leading end of the charging connector is inserted into the vehicle side inlet, and then the lever of the charging connector is further gripped to complete the fitting to the vehicle side inlet. At this time, when the charging connector is inserted, the hook protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the tip, engages with the recess provided on the inner peripheral surface of the vehicle-side inlet, and the charging connector and the vehicle-side inlet are locked. The Further, in the fitted state, the release lever is locked by energization driving of a so-called solenoid (mechanism component including an electromagnetic coil, a plunger, and a spring), thereby preventing the release lever from being erroneously operated during power feeding. On the other hand, when the charging connector is removed from the vehicle-side inlet, energization of the solenoid is stopped and the release lever is unlocked by the end of power feeding. Next, the release lever is operated to retract the hook that engages with the recess on the inner peripheral surface of the vehicle-side inlet, and the charging connector is pulled out from the vehicle-side inlet with the engagement released (Patent Document 1 (paragraph 0023-)). 0026))).

JP-A-7-192802

  The charging connector is desired to be excellent in safety and operability. However, the conventional charging connector as described in Patent Document 1 has the following problems.

  When the charging connector is inserted into the vehicle-side inlet and fitted, if the charging connector is not sufficiently inserted into the vehicle-side inlet (incomplete), the hook of the charging connector does not normally engage with the recess of the vehicle-side inlet. . As a result, a state where the fitting between the charging connector and the vehicle side inlet is incomplete (half-fitted state) may occur. However, even if the mechanical connection of the charging connector is in a semi-fitted state, if the electrical connection between the terminals is established between the charging connector and the vehicle-side inlet, power feeding can be started. it can. For this reason, when the user is unfamiliar with the charging connector, it may not be confirmed whether it has been securely inserted into the vehicle-side inlet. The charging connector may fall out of the vehicle inlet.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of its purposes is to provide a charging connector that can be reliably inserted into an apparatus-side inlet.

  The charging connector of this invention is for connecting with the inlet of the apparatus provided with a storage battery, and supplying electric power to the storage battery of an apparatus, and is provided with a main-body part and the insertion part provided in the front end side of this main-body part. This insertion part is inserted into the inlet on the apparatus side. The charging connector includes a first swing arm, a retaining hook, a first biasing member, a second swing arm, a protrusion, a second biasing member, a slide bar, and a third attachment. A force member. The first swing arm extends from the main body portion side to the insertion portion side, and swings about an axis fixed to the main body portion. The retaining hook is provided in a front portion on the insertion portion side from the shaft of the first swing arm, and can protrude from the insertion portion. The first biasing member biases the first swing arm so that the retaining hook protrudes. The second swing arm extends from the main body portion side toward the insertion portion side and swings about an axis fixed to the main body portion. The protruding portion is provided in a front portion on the insertion portion side from the axis of the second swing arm, and can protrude from a boundary between the main body portion and the insertion portion. The second biasing member biases the second swing arm so that the protrusion protrudes. The slide bar is parallel to the extending direction of the first swing arm and extends further rearward than the rear portion on the opposite side of the front portion of the first swing arm. The slide can be moved. The third urging member urges the slide bar in the direction of retreating. The slide bar is in contact with the rear portion of the first swing arm, and a pressing portion that swings the first swing arm in a direction opposite to the biasing direction by the first biasing member, and a second swing And a stopper portion that is stopped against the rear portion of the arm and prevents retreat by the third biasing member. When the insertion portion is inserted into the inlet, the retaining hook protrudes and is locked into the recess provided on the inner peripheral surface of the inlet, and the protrusion is brought into contact with and pushed into the peripheral edge of the inlet. Thus, the stop state of the stop portion and the second swing arm is released, and the slide bar is retracted to the retreat limit.

  According to the charging connector of the present invention, it is possible to confirm whether or not the insertion into the device side inlet has been reliably performed by providing the protrusion that can project from the boundary between the main body and the insertion portion. Thus, the insertion into the apparatus side inlet can be performed reliably. Specifically, before the insertion portion is inserted into the apparatus-side inlet, the stopper portion of the slide rod is abutted against the rear portion of the second swing arm, and the slide rod is prevented from moving backward by the third urging member. The slide bar is fixed in a state of being slid (pushed) to the second swing arm side, that is, the insertion portion side. Then, when the insertion portion is inserted to the back of the apparatus side inlet, the protrusion is brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the apparatus side inlet and pushed, thereby swinging the second swing arm, and the stopper portion and the second swing portion. Since the locked state with the moving arm is released, the slide bar is retracted to the retreat limit. Here, when the insertion portion is inserted all the way into the device-side inlet and the insertion into the device-side inlet is securely performed, the retaining hook protrudes and is locked into the recess of the device-side inlet. The device-side inlet is completely fitted and half-fitting is prevented.

  Therefore, it can be confirmed whether or not the insertion into the apparatus side inlet has been performed reliably depending on whether or not the slide bar has been retracted to the retreat limit, and the insertion into the apparatus side inlet can be performed with certainty.

  As one form of the charging connector of the present invention, it is possible to include a display unit that displays that the slide bar has been retracted to the retreat limit.

  According to this configuration, by providing the display unit, the user can easily determine that the slide bar has been retracted to the retreat limit, and it is easy to confirm whether or not the insertion to the apparatus side inlet has been performed reliably. Can be confirmed. The display unit is not particularly limited as long as it indicates that the slide bar has been retracted to the retreat limit. For example, the display unit may be displayed with characters, figures, symbols, or may be displayed with colors. Can be mentioned. A light (for example, LED) may be turned on or blinked. Further, in addition to such visual display, for example, sound may be displayed auditorily with sound or voice.

  The charging connector of the present invention includes a protrusion that can protrude from the boundary between the main body and the insertion portion, so that it can be confirmed whether or not the insertion into the device-side inlet has been performed reliably. Therefore, since the user can be alerted to the half-fitting of the charging connector, the user can be surely inserted into the apparatus side inlet. As a result, half-fitting of the charging connector can be prevented.

2 is a left rear perspective view schematically showing the vehicle charging connector according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged top view of a main part schematically showing the vehicle charging connector according to the first embodiment. 3 is a left side view schematically showing the internal structure of the vehicle charging connector according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a left rear perspective view schematically showing the internal structure of the vehicle charging connector according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a right rear perspective view schematically showing the internal structure of the vehicle charging connector according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a principal part expanded left view which shows typically the initial state of the fitting mechanism in the charging connector for vehicles which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a principal part expansion right view which shows typically the initial state of the fitting mechanism in the charging connector for vehicles which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a principal part expansion right view which shows typically one state of the fitting mechanism in the charging connector for vehicles which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a principal part expansion left view which shows typically one state of the fitting mechanism in the charging connector for vehicles which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a principal part expansion left view which shows typically another state of the fitting mechanism in the charging connector for vehicles which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a principal part expanded left view which shows typically another state of the fitting mechanism in the charging connector for vehicles which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a principal part enlarged top view typically shown in order to demonstrate the state of the slide switch in the vehicle charging connector which concerns on Embodiment 1, (A) shows the position of the slide switch in an initial state, (B) Indicates the position of the slide switch in the retracted position.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, a case where the apparatus including the storage battery is an electric vehicle (specifically, an electric vehicle) and the charging connector is a vehicle charging connector will be described as an example. Moreover, in the figure, the same code | symbol shows the same part.

(Embodiment 1)
A vehicle charging connector (hereinafter sometimes referred to simply as “charging connector”) 100 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to an electric vehicle inlet (vehicle side inlet) (not shown) to supply power to the storage battery of the electric vehicle. Used. The charging connector 100 is attached to the tip of a cable 200 extending from a charger (not shown), and is covered with a split aluminum alloy cover (right cover and left cover). The charging connector 100 includes an L-shaped main body portion 1, an insertion portion 2 provided at the front end of the main body portion 1, and a handle portion 3 formed on the back surface of the main body portion 1, from the rear end of the main body portion 1. Cable 200 is introduced. The insertion portion 2 is a portion to be inserted into the vehicle side inlet, and a notch 41 is formed so that the retaining hook 11 is exposed from the outer peripheral surface (see FIG. 2). The handle portion 3 is C-shaped, and is formed such that one end side extends along the upper surface of the main body portion 1 and the other end side is connected to the rear end of the main body portion 1. A part of the slide switch 4 is disposed so as to be exposed on the upper surface of the handle portion 3, and an LED lamp 5 is embedded below the back surface of the handle portion 3.

  The internal structure of the charging connector 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 show the state where the left cover is removed, and FIGS. 5 and 7 show the state where the right cover is removed. In each figure, the state before the charging connector 100 is inserted into the vehicle inlet and fitted (initial state). Is shown. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the main body 1 is provided with a cable 200 and stores mechanical parts and mechanism parts to be described later. The insertion portion 2 stores a terminal (not shown), and the terminal is stored in the terminal case 70. Hereinafter, a fitting mechanism for fitting with the vehicle side inlet in the charging connector 100 will be described. The terminals are arranged in accordance with a standard such as JEVS G 105-1993, and the description thereof is omitted here.

  The charging connector 100 includes a first swing arm 10, a retaining hook 11, and a first urging member 12 (see FIGS. 4 and 6). The first swing arm 10 extends from the main body portion 1 side to the insertion portion 2 side and swings about a shaft 13 fixed to the main body portion 1. The retaining hook 11 is provided at a front portion of the first swing arm 10 on the insertion portion 2 side from the shaft 13 and can protrude from the insertion portion 2. The first urging member 12 urges the first swing arm 10 so that the retaining hook 11 protrudes.

  In this example, the first swing arm 10 is a rod-shaped member, and a hole through which the shaft 13 is inserted is formed at the center, and is supported by the shaft 13 so as to be swingable. The retaining hook 11 is provided at the distal end of the first swing arm 10 and protrudes radially outward (upward) from the notch 41 (see FIG. 2) formed in the insertion portion 2. Is possible. The retaining hook 11 protrudes from the upper surface of the front end portion of the front portion of the first swing arm 10 and is formed in a wedge shape having an inclined surface inclined toward the front end side of the first swing arm 10. The retaining hook 11 is located at a position corresponding to a recess provided on the inner peripheral surface of the vehicle-side inlet when the insertion portion 2 is securely inserted into the vehicle-side inlet. The position of the retaining hook 11 is on the front side of the insertion portion 2 with respect to a projection 21 provided on a second swing arm 20 described later. On the other hand, the rear part on the opposite side of the front part of the first swing arm 10 across the shaft 13 is bent in an L shape, and the rear end part protrudes radially inward (downward) of the main body part 1. Yes.

  In this example, a torsion spring is used for the first biasing member 12 (see FIG. 4). Specifically, the torsion spring 12 is disposed concentrically with the shaft 13, one end of the torsion spring 12 is fixed to the first swing arm 10, and the other end is fixed to the main body 1. The first swing arm 10 is urged in the direction of swinging (turning) so that the retaining hook 11 provided at the tip of the first swing arm 10 protrudes from the insertion portion 2. A torsion spring 12 is attached. The swing of the first swing arm 10 by the first biasing member 12 is allowed until the front portion of the first swing arm 10 contacts the inner peripheral surface of the main body 1.

  Furthermore, in this example, a through hole 14 is formed in the center of the front portion of the first swing arm 10 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

  The charging connector 100 includes a second swing arm 20, a protrusion 21, and a second urging member 22 (see FIGS. 5 and 7). The second swing arm 20 extends from the main body 1 side toward the insertion portion 2 and swings about a shaft 13 fixed to the main body 1. The projecting portion 21 is provided in a front portion of the second swing arm 20 on the insertion portion 2 side from the shaft 13 and can project from the boundary between the main body portion 1 and the insertion portion 2. The second urging member 22 urges the second swing arm 20 so that the protrusion 21 protrudes.

  In this example, the second swing arm 20 is a rod-shaped member, and a hole through which the shaft 13 is inserted is formed at the center, and is supported by the shaft 13 so as to be swingable. That is, the first swing arm 10 and the second swing arm 20 are supported on the same shaft 13. The first swing arm 10 and the second swing arm 20 are arranged in parallel on the left and right. The protrusion 21 is provided at the distal end of the second swing arm 20 and can protrude radially outward (upward) of the insertion portion 2 from a notch 42 (see FIG. 2) formed in the insertion portion 2. It is. The protrusion 21 protrudes from the upper surface of the front end portion of the front portion of the second swing arm 20 and is formed in a wedge shape having an inclined surface inclined toward the front end side of the second swing arm 20. The protrusion 21 is located at a position where it comes into contact with the periphery of the vehicle-side inlet when the insertion portion 2 is securely inserted into the vehicle-side inlet. On the other hand, the rear portion on the opposite side of the front portion of the second swing arm 20 across the shaft 13 is bent in an L shape, and the rear end portion protrudes radially inward (downward) of the main body 1. Yes.

  In this example, a torsion spring is used for the second urging member 22 (see FIG. 5). Specifically, the torsion spring 22 is disposed concentrically with the shaft 13, one end of the torsion spring 22 is fixed to the second swing arm 20, and the other end is fixed to the main body 1. Then, the second swing arm 20 is twisted so as to urge the second swing arm 20 in the swinging (turning) direction so that the protruding portion 21 provided at the tip of the second swing arm 20 protrudes from the insertion portion 2. A spring 22 is attached. Oscillation of the second oscillating arm 20 by the second urging member 22 is allowed until the front portion contacts the inner peripheral surface of the main body 1.

  Further, the charging connector 100 includes a slide bar 30 and a third urging member 31. The slide bar 30 is parallel to the extending direction of the first swing arm 10 and extends further rearward than the rear portion opposite to the front portion of the first swing arm 10. It can slide in the direction. The third urging member 31 urges the slide rod 30 in the direction of retreating. The slide bar 30 is in contact with the rear portion of the first swing arm 10 and presses the first swing arm 10 in a direction opposite to the biasing direction by the first biasing member 12. And an abutment portion 33 that is abutted against the rear portion of the second swing arm 20 and prevents the third urging member 31 from retreating.

  In this example, a pressing portion 32 is provided at the distal end portion of the slide bar 30, and the slide switch 4 is connected to the rear end portion on the opposite side. The pressing portion 32 is formed in a wedge shape having an inclined surface that protrudes from the upper surface of the distal end portion of the slide bar 30 and is inclined toward the distal end side (see FIGS. 4 and 6). When the slide rod 30 (slide switch 4) advances toward the insertion portion 2 (forward), the pressing portion 32 contacts the rear end portion of the first swing arm 10 and the rear end of the first swing arm 10 By pushing up the part, the first swing arm 10 can be swung in the direction opposite to the biasing direction by the first biasing member 12. Thereby, the retaining hook 11 can be lowered and the retaining hook 11 can be retracted from the insertion portion 2. On the other hand, the stopper portion 33 is formed in a single piece projecting from the pressing portion 32 provided at the distal end portion of the slide rod 30 toward the second swing arm 20 side, and is inclined toward the distal end side. It has an upper surface (see FIGS. 5 and 7). When the slide bar 30 moves forward, the upper surface of the stopper 33 is inclined, so that the rear end of the second swing arm 20 can be pushed up and passed. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the stopper 33 is held against the rear end of the second swing arm 20, so that the slide rod 30 can be prevented from being biased by the third biasing member 31. Retreat is prevented. That is, the slide rod 30 (slide switch 4) is fixed in a state of being slid (pushed) toward the second swing arm 20 side, that is, the insertion portion 2 side. When the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the vehicle-side inlet, the protrusion 21 provided at the tip of the second swing arm 20 is brought into contact with the periphery of the vehicle-side inlet and pushed into the second swing arm. The second swing arm 20 swings so that the rear end of the 20 moves up. As a result, the contact state between the contact portion 33 and the second swing arm 20 is released, and the slide rod 30 is retracted to the retreat limit by the urging force by the third urging member 31.

  In this example, a compression spring is used for the third biasing member 31. Specifically, one end of the compression spring 31 is fixed to the support plate 43 fixed to the main body 1, and the other end is fixed to the slide switch 4. A compression spring 31 is attached so as to urge the slide rod 30 (slide switch 4) in the backward direction, that is, in the direction opposite to the insertion portion 2 side.

  In addition, the charging connector 100 includes a solenoid 50. This solenoid 50 has a plunger 51. The plunger 51 is moved in one direction by an electromagnetic coil (not shown) built in when energized and driven, and the plunger 51 is moved by a spring (not shown) built in when not energized. Return to the original position. In this example, the solenoid 50 is arranged behind the first swing arm 10 and on the opposite side of the virtual extension of the second swing arm 20 with the slide bar 30 in between, and in parallel with the slide bar 30. (See FIGS. 4 and 5). Further, the plunger 51 moves toward the insertion portion 2 side in parallel with the extending direction of the first swing arm 10 (here, the horizontal direction). In the initial state, it is not energized. A connecting portion 52 is attached to the distal end of the plunger 51 in the moving direction, and a pressing piece 53 is provided at the distal end portion. The connecting portion 52 has a plate-like piece extending toward the moving direction of the plunger 51, and a bent portion that protrudes upward from the tip side of the plate-like piece and extends below the front portion of the first swing arm 10. (See FIGS. 4 and 6). A presser piece 53 extending toward the insertion portion 2 (the retaining hook 11) is provided at the distal end of the connecting portion 52 (see FIG. 6). The presser piece 53 is located at a position facing the through hole 14 formed in the front portion of the first swing arm 10 when the solenoid 50 is in a non-energized state, that is, when the plunger 51 is in the original position. When the hook 11 is pushed in, the hook 11 is inserted into the through hole 14 formed in the first swing arm 10 in a loosely fitted state. On the other hand, when the solenoid 50 is energized and the plunger 51 moves toward the insertion portion 2 with the retaining hook 11 protruding from the insertion portion 2, the presser piece 53 advances to the retaining hook 11 side, It is located at a position where it comes into contact with the lower surface of the front portion of the first swing arm 10 opposite to the side from which the retaining hook 11 protrudes. At this time, the presser piece 53 is displaced from the through hole 14 formed in the first swing arm 10. Then, when the front portion of the first swing arm 10 abuts against the presser piece 53, the swing of the first swing arm 10 is restricted so that the retaining hook 11 is not retracted from the insertion portion 2. That is, the state where the retaining hook 11 protrudes from the insertion portion 2 is maintained.

  Next, the operation of the fitting mechanism in the operation of inserting the charging connector 100 into the vehicle-side inlet and the operation of pulling out from the vehicle-side inlet will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS.

  First, in an initial state before the insertion portion 2 is inserted, the retaining hook 11 and the projection portion 21 protrude from the insertion portion 2 by urging by the first urging member 12 and the second urging member 22 (FIG. 6, FIG. 7). In addition, the stopper 33 is stopped against the rear end of the second swing arm 20, so that the slide rod 30 is prevented from retreating against the urging by the third urging member 31. Therefore, the slide switch 4 connected to the rear end portion of the slide bar 30 is fixed in a state of being slid (pushed) to the insertion portion 2 side.

  Here, on the upper surface of the cover on which the slide switch 4 slides, a portion that is exposed when the slide switch 4 is pushed in and is not exposed when the slide switch 4 is retracted to the retreat limit is used for the display unit 45. (See FIGS. 4 and 5). For example, the display unit 45 is painted with a color different from the surroundings, so that the slide switch 4 is pushed in by the color, that is, the stopper 33 is held against the rear end of the second swing arm 20. Thus, it is possible to easily visually determine that the slide bar 30 is prevented from moving backward (see FIG. 12A).

<Insert operation>
When the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the vehicle-side inlet, the retaining hook 11 first comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the vehicle-side inlet, and the retaining hook 11 is pushed against the urging by the first urging member 12. . Since the retaining hook 11 has an inclined surface, even if it protrudes from the insertion portion 2, it can be easily inserted into the vehicle-side inlet.

  Next, when the insertion portion 2 is inserted to the back of the vehicle side inlet, the projection portion 21 comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the vehicle side inlet, and the projection portion 21 is pushed against the urging force of the second urging member 22 (see FIG. 8). Since the protruding portion 21 has an inclined surface, even if it protrudes from the insertion portion 2, it can be easily inserted until the main body portion 1 hits the vehicle-side inlet. Then, when the protruding portion 21 is pushed, the second swing arm 20 swings so that the rear end portion of the second swing arm 20 rises, so that the stopper 33 and the second swing arm 20 are moved. And the slide bar 30 is retracted to the retreat limit by the urging by the third urging member 31 (see FIGS. 8 and 9). At this time, the retaining hook 11 is positioned at a position corresponding to a recess provided on the inner peripheral surface of the vehicle-side inlet, and protrudes from the insertion portion 2 due to the biasing by the first biasing member 12. As a result, the retaining hook 11 is normally engaged and locked in the recess of the vehicle-side inlet, so that the charging connector 100 and the vehicle-side inlet are completely engaged. Thus, the operation for inserting the charging connector 100 into the vehicle-side inlet is completed. At this time, electrical connection between the terminals is also established between the charging connector 100 and the vehicle-side inlet.

  Here, on the upper surface of the slide switch 4, the portion that is not exposed when the slide switch 4 is pushed in and is exposed when the slide switch 4 is retracted to the retreat limit can be used for the display unit 46 ( (See FIGS. 4 and 5). For example, it is easy to visually indicate that the slide switch 4 (slide bar 30) has been retracted to the retreat limit depending on the character or color, for example, by displaying characters on the display unit 46 or painting a color different from the surroundings. (See FIG. 12B).

  Further, with the retaining hook 11 protruding and locked in the recess of the vehicle side inlet, the solenoid 50 is energized to drive the first swing arm below the front portion of the first swing arm 10. The presser piece 53 is advanced to a position shifted from the through hole 14 formed in 10 (see FIG. 10). As a result, the front portion of the first swing arm 10 abuts against the presser piece 53, so that the swing of the first swing arm 10 is restricted with the retaining hook 11 protruding from the insertion portion 2. That is, the retaining hook 11 is locked. Therefore, the retaining hook 11 does not retract from the insertion portion 2, and the engagement between the retaining hook 11 and the concave portion of the vehicle side inlet can be reliably prevented from being released. In this example, the terminal case 70 is provided with a guide groove 54 (see FIG. 4) for horizontally guiding the plate-like piece of the connecting portion 52 that connects the plunger 51 and the presser piece 53 of the solenoid 50. Since the connecting part 52 can be moved along the line 54, it is easy to advance the presser piece 53 to an accurate position in the horizontal direction. Further, the LED lamp 5 (see FIG. 1) is lit while the solenoid 50 is energized.

  The start of energization of the solenoid 50 can be performed, for example, when power supply from the charger to the vehicle is started. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent the user from accidentally pulling out the charging connector 100 from the vehicle side inlet during power feeding, or the charging connector 100 from falling out of the vehicle side inlet.

<Pullout operation>
The energization of the solenoid 50 is stopped, and the presser piece 53 is returned to the original position (that is, below the through hole 14 formed in the first swing arm 10) (see FIG. 9). Thereby, the lock state of the retaining hook 11 is released. Stopping energization of the solenoid 50 can be performed, for example, when power supply from the charger to the vehicle is terminated.

  Next, the slide switch 4 is pushed into the insertion portion 2 side (forward) to advance the slide rod 30 and bring the pressing portion 32 into contact with the rear end portion of the first swing arm 10 (see FIG. 11). The pressing portion 32 abuts on the rear end portion of the first swing arm 10 and pushes up the rear end portion of the first swing arm 10, thereby moving the first swing arm 10 to the first biasing member 12. It is swung in the direction opposite to the biasing direction by. At this time, since the pressing portion 32 has an inclined surface, it is easy to push up the rear end portion of the first swing arm 10. Then, when the retaining hook 11 is lowered and the retaining hook 11 is retracted from the insertion portion 2 (see FIG. 11), the engagement state between the retaining hook 11 and the concave portion of the vehicle side inlet is released.

  In this state, by pulling out the charging connector 100 from the vehicle side inlet, the pulling out operation of the charging connector 100 from the vehicle side inlet is completed. After completion of the pulling-out operation, the slide bar 30 is retracted by the urging force of the third urging member 31 until the abutment portion 33 is stopped against the rear end portion of the second swing arm 20, and the initial position is reached. Return to (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

  The charging connector 100 according to Embodiment 1 described above has the following effects.

  It has a second swing arm 20 provided with a projection 21 that can project from the boundary between the main body 1 and the insertion portion 2, and when the insertion portion 2 is inserted all the way into the vehicle side inlet, a slide rod 30 (slide Switch 4) retracts to the retract limit. Therefore, it can be confirmed whether or not the insertion into the vehicle-side inlet has been performed reliably depending on whether or not the slide rod 30 (slide switch 4) has been retracted to the retreat limit. Therefore, even an inexperienced user can confirm the state of the slide rod 30 (slide switch 4), so that it can be securely inserted into the vehicle-side inlet and prevents the charging connector 100 from being half-fitted. can do. In addition, by providing the display units 45 and 46, the user can easily determine that the slide bar 30 (slide switch 4) has been retracted to the retreat limit, and the insertion into the vehicle side inlet is reliably performed. It can be easily confirmed whether or not.

  Insertion operation into the vehicle-side inlet may be an operation of simply inserting the insertion portion 2 of the charging connector 100 into the vehicle-side inlet. Compared to the charging connector (insertion + holding the lever) described in Patent Document 1 described above, Intuitive and easy to operate. In addition, the internal structure (fitting mechanism) of the charging connector 100 has a simple structure with a small number of parts, so it is highly reliable, and can be reduced in size, facilitated maintenance, and reduced in cost. Furthermore, by arranging the slide switch 4 on the upper surface of the handle portion 3, the pulling operation from the vehicle side inlet can be performed with one hand.

  Furthermore, the retaining piece 53 is advanced by the solenoid 50 below the front portion of the first swing arm 10 to directly prevent the retaining hook 11 from being retracted from the insertion portion 2. Therefore, even if a problem such as an impact, vibration, or damage to the first biasing member 12 that causes the retaining hook 11 to protrude occurs, the retaining hook 11 does not retract, and the recesses between the retaining hook 11 and the vehicle side inlet It is possible to reliably prevent the engaged state from being released. On the other hand, in the charging connector described in Patent Document 1, the engagement state between the retaining hook and the concave portion of the vehicle side inlet is released by locking the release lever and prohibiting the operation of the release lever. This is indirectly prevented. For this reason, when a trouble such as impact, vibration, or damage to the biasing member that protrudes the retaining hook occurs, such as when the retaining hook is retracted, regardless of the operation of the release lever, the retaining hook and the vehicle side inlet It is impossible to reliably prevent the engagement state with the recess from being released.

  Further, the solenoid 50 is disposed behind the first swing arm 10 and the plunger 51 moves in the horizontal direction toward the insertion portion 2 so that the presser piece 53 is positioned below the front portion of the first swing arm 10. It is easy to secure the installation space for the solenoid 50 by adopting the configuration to advance.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the charging connector of the present invention is applied to the vehicle charging connector and connected to the vehicle-side inlet to supply power to the vehicle storage battery has been described as an example. In addition, for example, an inlet of a power storage device mounted on a moving body such as a ship other than a vehicle, a submersible craft, or an aircraft, or an inlet of a power storage device installed in a home, a building, a factory, or the like is the same as the vehicle-side inlet described above. The present invention can also be applied to a shape having a recess on the inner peripheral surface of the inlet.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the forms of the first swing arm, the second swing arm, and the slide bar can be changed as appropriate. The first urging member, the second urging member, and the third urging member are not limited to the torsion spring and the compression spring, but may be rubber, for example, and the type of the spring can be changed as appropriate. . When changing the type of the spring, the arrangement of the spring may be appropriately changed according to the purpose.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a charging connector for connecting to an inlet of a device including a storage battery and supplying power to the storage battery of the device, and can be suitably used for, for example, a charger for an electric vehicle.

100 Vehicle charging connector (charging connector)
200 cables
1 Body part 2 Insertion part 3 Handle part
4 Slide switch 5 LED lamp
10 First swing arm
11 Retaining hook 12 First biasing member (torsion spring)
13 shaft 14 through hole
20 Second swing arm
21 Projection 22 Second biasing member (torsion spring)
30 Slide bar
31 Third biasing member (compression spring)
32 Pushing part 33 Stopping part
41,42 Notch 43 Support plate 45,46 Display
50 solenoid
51 Plunger 52 Connection
53 Presser piece 54 Guide groove
70 Terminal case

Claims (2)

A charging connector for connecting to an inlet of a device including a storage battery and supplying power to the storage battery of the device,
The main body,
An insertion portion provided on a distal end side of the main body portion and inserted into the inlet;
A first swing arm that extends from the main body portion side to the insertion portion side and swings about an axis fixed to the main body portion;
A retaining hook provided at a front portion of the first swing arm on the insertion portion side from the shaft, and capable of protruding from the insertion portion;
A first biasing member that biases the first swing arm so that the retaining hook protrudes;
A second swing arm that extends from the main body portion side toward the insertion portion side and swings about an axis fixed to the main body portion;
A protrusion provided on a front portion of the second swing arm on the insertion portion side from the shaft, and protruding from a boundary between the body portion and the insertion portion;
A second urging member that urges the second swing arm so that the protrusion protrudes;
Parallel to the extending direction of the first swing arm and extending further rearward from the rear portion opposite to the front portion of the first swing arm, and slidable in the extending direction. A simple slide bar,
A third urging member that urges the slide bar in a retreating direction,
The slide bar is
A pressing portion that abuts a rear portion of the first swing arm and swings the first swing arm in a direction opposite to a biasing direction of the first biasing member;
An abutment portion that is abutted against the rear portion of the second swing arm and prevents retreat by the third urging member;
When the insertion portion is inserted into the inlet, the retaining hook protrudes and is locked into a recess provided on the inner peripheral surface of the inlet, and the projection is pressed against the peripheral edge of the inlet. The charging connector is characterized in that the stopping state of the stopper portion and the second swing arm is released, and the slide bar is retracted to the retreat limit.   The charging connector according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays that the slide bar has been retracted to the retreat limit.

Images