JP2014003005A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector capable of electrically connecting with an inlet on an electric device side for a long period, and preventing its unexpected coming off from the inlet during power transmission.SOLUTION: A connector 100 is used for transmitting power between a cable C and a power storage device of an electric device, and includes a lock mechanism, a lock releasing mechanism, and a lock holding mechanism. The lock mechanism engages the connector 100 with an inlet when the connector 100 is inserted in the inlet, and locks them so as to prevent the connector 100 from coming off from the inlet. The lock releasing mechanism releases the locking of the lock mechanism so as to come off the connector 100 from the inlet. The lock holding mechanism uses a coil 51 and a solenoid 50 having a moving iron core 52 moved backward/forward by excitation of the coil 51 to make the connector 100 and the inlet in a locking state by the excitation of the coil 51, and then holds the locking state of the lock mechanism even if the voltage of the coil 51 is less than voltage during the excitation (including zero).

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for connecting a power storage device such as a storage battery or an electric double layer capacitor to an inlet of an electric apparatus that uses a power source as a power source and transmitting power between a cable and the power storage device. In particular, the present invention relates to a connector capable of conducting connection for a long period of time and preventing unintentional disconnection from an inlet during power transmission between an electricity storage device and a cable connected to the connector.

  In recent years, due to growing environmental awareness, electric vehicles (typically electric cars and plug-in hybrid cars) that are equipped with a storage battery (battery) and that run by driving a motor with that power have been popularized. Battery chargers are being expanded as an infrastructure for electric vehicles. In addition, standardization of quick chargers for electric vehicles is being promoted for the spread of electric vehicles (eg, Japan Electric Vehicle Standard (JEVS)).

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a charging connector of a charger. The charging connector includes a hook that engages with a recess provided on the inner peripheral surface of the vehicle-side inlet by inserting a tip end portion thereof into the vehicle-side inlet. In addition, a release lever that locks the charging connector and the vehicle-side inlet in an engaged state, and a so-called solenoid (a mechanical component having an electromagnetic coil, a plunger, and a coil spring) that holds the lock state of the release lever are provided. In the above engagement state, when the electromagnetic coil is excited, the release lever is locked by the plunger extending into the lock hole formed in the release lever. When the charging connector is removed from the vehicle-side inlet, the electromagnetic coil is demagnetized simultaneously with the end of charging, and the plunger is instantaneously retracted by the spring force of the coil spring to unlock the release lever. Next, the release lever is operated to retract the hook that engages with the recess, and the charging connector is pulled out from the vehicle-side inlet with the engagement released.

JP-A-7-192802

  In recent years, it has been considered to use the electric power charged in the above-described power storage device not for an electric device such as an electric vehicle but for an external device (for example, a home appliance or a medical device). ing. For example, it is conceivable to use a power distribution form in which the electricity rate is low during the nighttime period, to charge the power storage device at night, and to discharge the electric power stored at night during the daytime to an external device. The time required for rapid charging of an electric vehicle is about 30 minutes, the time required for normal charging of an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid car is about 6 to 8 hours, and the conduction time between the inlet on the apparatus side and the connector is relatively short. On the other hand, when the discharge of the electricity storage device is used for the external device as described above, the device-side inlet and the connector may be electrically connected for a long period of several days or more. However, when power is transmitted by connecting the inlet on the apparatus side and the connector for a long period of time, there is a possibility that a conductive member such as an electrical component inside the connector is overheated or its life is shortened.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of its purposes is that a continuous connection between the apparatus-side inlet and the connector is possible over a long period of time. An object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can prevent removal.

  The connector of the present invention is provided at the tip of the cable, and transmits power between the cable and the power storage device by connecting to the inlet of the electric device using the power storage device as a power source. A release mechanism and a lock holding mechanism are provided. When the connector is inserted into the inlet, the locking mechanism engages the connector with the inlet and locks the connector so that the connector is not detached from the inlet. The lock release mechanism releases the lock of the lock mechanism so that the connector and the inlet are released. The lock holding mechanism uses a solenoid having a coil and a movable iron core that is advanced and retracted by the excitation of the coil, locks the connector and the inlet by the excitation of the coil, and then applies the voltage of the coil during the excitation. Even if the voltage is less than (including zero), the locked state of the locking mechanism is maintained.

  According to this configuration, if the connector and the inlet are in the locked state in the lock holding mechanism, the voltage of the coil does not need to be maintained at the voltage when the locked state is thereafter set. Therefore, the temperature rise accompanying energization of the solenoid and its peripheral members can be suppressed, and the heat generation of the solenoid and the reduction of the life of the members can be prevented. Further, power consumption for exciting the coil can be suppressed, and power saving can be achieved. Even if the coil voltage is less than the voltage at the time of excitation (including zero), the locked state can be maintained. Can be prevented and the safety is excellent.

  As one form of the connector of the present invention, the lock holding mechanism is controlled by voltage control means for gradually reducing the voltage of the coil.

  According to this configuration, the magnetic flux at the time of exciting the coil is maintained by gradually reducing the voltage of the coil. The locked state can be held by the holding force (residual holding force) by the magnetic flux.

  As one form of the connector of the present invention, a form in which the solenoid has a permanent magnet that maintains the locked state even when the coil is demagnetized can be mentioned.

  According to this configuration, since the solenoid has a permanent magnet, the locked state can be maintained even when the coil is in a demagnetized state.

  As one form of the connector of the present invention, the cable side is the rear, a main body having a lock mechanism, a lock release mechanism, and a lock holding mechanism, and an insertion portion provided in front of the main body and inserted into the inlet. Is provided. The lock mechanism includes a swing arm and an arm spring. The swing arm is a member having an arm intermediate portion that is swingably supported by the main body, a retaining hook that is provided in front of the arm intermediate portion, and an arm rear portion that is behind the arm intermediate portion. . In the state in which the insertion portion is inserted into the inlet, the swinging arm causes the retaining hook to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion by the swinging, so that the retaining hook is engaged with and disengaged from the inlet. The arm spring biases the swing arm so that the retaining hook comes out of the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion. The lock release mechanism includes a release lever and a release spring. The release lever includes a lever intermediate portion that is swingably supported by the main body, a lever front portion that is opposed to the arm rear portion in front of the lever intermediate portion, and a lever rear portion that is rearward of the lever intermediate portion. And a rocking prevention part for holding the lever rear part at a predetermined rocking position. The release lever causes the arm rear portion to interlock with the lever front portion when the user swings the lever rear portion. The release spring biases the release lever in a direction in which the front portion of the lever is separated from the rear portion of the arm. The lock holding mechanism includes a solenoid slider. The solenoid slider is a member that is slid in conjunction with the movable iron core, and holds the lever rear portion at a predetermined swing position by corresponding to the swing prevention portion at the predetermined slide position. Has a blocking part receiver.

  The position of the lever rear portion when the lever front portion is farthest from the arm rear portion (the swing limit in the urging direction by the release spring) is the open position, and the release lever swing prevention portion at the open position. The position of the movable iron core when the blocking portion receiver is made to correspond is defined as a blocking position. The lock holding mechanism holds the lever rear portion at the open position by holding the movable iron core at the blocking position.

  According to this configuration, the maximum voltage is applied during excitation of the coil only when the movable iron core is moved back and forth to the blocking position, and when the movable iron core is fixed at the blocking position, the coil voltage is increased during the excitation. The movable iron core can be held at the blocking position even when the voltage is lower than the above voltage. Therefore, since the movable iron core can be held at the blocking position in the conductive connection state for a long period of time between the inlet and the connector, the release lever can be held at the open position accordingly. When the inlet and the connector are in a conductive state, the swinging prevention part is prevented from swinging by the blocking part receiver, so that the user cannot swing the lever rear part of the release lever, and the retaining hook is inserted into the insertion part. It is possible to surely prevent the outer peripheral surface from being in a sunk state.

  As one form of the connector of the present invention, the lock release mechanism is configured such that the user performs a two-stage operation in a state where the connector and the inlet are connected, and the connector and the inlet are engaged by the first-stage operation. A two-stage unlocking mechanism that unlocks the lock mechanism so that the connector and the inlet are disconnected by a second-stage operation without disconnecting the cable and the power storage device. Can be mentioned.

  According to this configuration, even if the connector cannot hold the movable iron core in the blocking position due to an abnormal situation, the connector and the inlet are disconnected after the power transmission between the cable and the power storage device is interrupted by a two-step operation by the user. Therefore, the connector can be safely removed from the inlet. Therefore, when the connector is removed from the inlet, discharge or the like between the contacts can be prevented, and the safety and the long life of the contacts are excellent.

  As one form of the connector of the present invention, the lock mechanism may further include a lock slider, the lock release mechanism may include a slider spring, and the main body may include a switch. The lock slider is a member that is slidably disposed within the range of the forward limit and the backward limit in the front-rear direction of the main body. The lock slider allows the retaining hook to protrude and retract at the backward limit, and above the backward limit. Hold the retaining hook in the above-mentioned protruding state. The slider spring biases the lock slider backward. The switch is opened / closed according to the sliding operation of the lock slider, thereby bringing the cable and the power storage device into a conductive / shut-off state.

  The position of the rear part of the lever when the rear part of the arm is swung by the front part of the lever and the retaining hook is operated in the submerged state is the release position, and the rear of the lever between the release position and the release position. A predetermined position of the part is defined as a midway swing position, and a predetermined position between the forward limit and the reverse limit of the lock slider is defined as a midway slide position.

  The release lever and the lock slider are engaged with each other as an engagement mechanism, an engagement mechanism for insertion position, an engagement mechanism for swing restriction, an engagement mechanism for slide restriction, and an engagement mechanism for removal position. And have. The insertion position engaging mechanism holds the lock slider at the forward limit against the biasing force of the slider spring when the lock slider is at the forward limit and the lever rear portion is at the open position. The swing restricting engagement mechanism restricts the lever rear portion to the midway swing position in a state where the lock slider is positioned forward of the retreat limit, so that the arm rear portion by the lever front portion Regulate the swing range. The slide restricting engagement mechanism disengages the insertion position engaging mechanism as the lock slider is positioned forward of the retreat limit as the lever rear portion swings to a midway swing position. Thus, the lock slider is allowed to move backward by the slider spring to the halfway slide position, and the lever slider is allowed to move back from the halfway slide position by returning the lever rear portion to the open position. The pull-out position engagement mechanism allows the lever rear portion to swing from the open position to the release position in a state where the lock slider is located at the retreat limit.

  The lock slider opens and closes the switch so as to conduct between the cable and the power storage device at the forward limit, and switches the cable and the power storage device at a position behind the forward limit. Has a switch operation part for opening and closing.

  According to this configuration, even if the connector cannot hold the movable iron core in the blocking position due to an abnormal situation, the connector has the engagement mechanism in which the release lever and the lock slider engage with each other, so that the inlet remains in power transmission. The connector can be prevented from being removed from the connector. Although the release lever cannot be set to the release position by the swing restricting engagement mechanism, power transmission between the cable and the power storage device is interrupted. Therefore, the release lever swings to the release position by the slide restricting engagement mechanism. The connector can be safely removed from the inlet. Therefore, when the connector is removed from the inlet, discharge or the like between the contacts can be prevented, and the safety and the long life of the contacts are excellent.

  As an embodiment of the connector according to the present invention, the engagement mechanism for the insertion position includes a lever front portion of the release lever and a stop projection provided on the lock slider and held against the lever front portion in the open position. Can be mentioned.

  According to this configuration, the lock slider can be held at the forward limit by the lever front part and the stopper projection part, and the retaining hook can be held out from the outer peripheral surface of the insertion part.

  As one form of the connector of the present invention, the swing restricting engagement mechanism includes a rear projection of the release lever protruding from the rear of the lever toward the lock slider, and an intermediate swing of the rear of the lever. And a reference contact surface of the lock slider that contacts the rear end protrusion at the moving position.

  According to this configuration, the lever rear portion of the release lever is regulated between the open position and the release position, so that the release lever is moved to the open position and the retaining hook is moved from the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion to the depressed state. Can be prevented.

  As one form of the connector according to the present invention, the slide restricting engagement mechanism includes a rear end protrusion of the release lever, a reference abutment surface of the lock slider, and a rear side protruding from the reference abutment surface toward the release lever. And a hooking protrusion that is hooked on the end protrusion.

  According to this configuration, in the first swing operation of the release lever by the user, the release lever cannot be set to the release position, but power transmission between the cable and the power storage device is interrupted. Therefore, when the release lever is swung to the release position, it is possible to prevent discharge between the contact points of the two, and the connector can be safely removed from the inlet.

  As one form of the connector of the present invention, the engagement mechanism for the pulling position includes a rear end protrusion of the release lever and a rear end protrusion that is recessed in a direction away from the release lever with respect to the reference contact surface of the lock slider. And a slider recess to be fitted.

  According to this configuration, since the connection between the cable and the power storage device is cut off, the release lever is positioned at the release position by the second swinging operation of the release lever by the user. Connector can be removed.

  As one form of the connector of the present invention, the lock slider and the swing arm are fitted to and disengage from each other so that the retaining hook is in the retracted state at the retreat limit and the retaining hook is held in the protruding state in front of it. For example, a fitting mechanism is provided.

  According to this configuration, when the lock slider is positioned in front of the retreat limit, the retaining hook can be held out from the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion.

  As one form of the connector according to the present invention, the switch includes an opening / closing button for opening / closing the switch, and the switch operation unit presses the opening / closing button at a forward limit of the lock slider, and releases the pressing of the opening / closing button at a halfway slide position. It is mentioned that a button projection is provided.

  According to this configuration, since the open / close button is opened / closed as the lock slider slides, the open / close button can always be opened or closed except that the lock slider is positioned at the forward limit. Therefore, when the release lever is located at the release position, the connection between the cable and the power storage device can be cut off according to the open / close state of the open / close button.

  In the connector according to the present invention, when the connector and the inlet are in the lock state in the lock holding mechanism, the release lever can be locked even if the voltage of the coil is less than the voltage when the lock state is set thereafter. Therefore, the temperature rise accompanying the conduction of the solenoid and its peripheral members can be suppressed, and the heat generation of the solenoid and the reduction of the life of the members can be prevented. In addition, when the inlet and the connector are in the conductive connection state for a long period of time, the lever rear part of the release lever cannot be swung, so that the retaining hook is reliably prevented from being depressed from the outer peripheral surface of the insertion part. It is possible to prevent unintentional removal of the connector from the inlet, and it is excellent in safety.

It is a right back perspective view showing a connector typically. It is a left front perspective view which shows typically the internal structure in the initial state of a connector. It is a right front perspective view which shows typically the internal structure in the initial state of a connector. It is a left rear partial exploded perspective view showing typically the internal structure in the initial state of a connector. It is a right rear partial exploded perspective view showing typically the internal structure in the initial state of a connector. It is a left view which shows typically the internal structure in the initial state of a connector. It is a principal part expansion right front perspective view which shows typically the solenoid vicinity of a connector. It is sectional drawing of the self-holding type solenoid used for the solenoid. It is a right view which shows typically the internal structure in the initial state of a connector. It is a right view which shows typically one state of the internal mechanism at the time of insertion of a connector. It is a right view which shows typically the state of the internal mechanism at the time of completion of insertion of a connector. It is a right view which shows typically one state of the internal mechanism at the time of removal | extraction at the time of the abnormality of a connector. It is a right view which shows typically another state of an internal mechanism at the time of extraction at the time of the abnormality of a connector. It is a right view which shows typically another state of the internal mechanism at the time of extraction at the time of the abnormality of a connector.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, a connector for charging the storage battery or discharging from the storage battery by connecting to an inlet of an electric vehicle including the storage battery as an electricity storage device will be described as an example. Moreover, in the figure, the same code | symbol shows the same part.

[Overview of connector]
A connector 100 shown in FIG. 1 is provided at a distal end portion of a cable C extending from a plug (charging plug) inserted into a household power source (not shown), and is connected to an inlet (vehicle side inlet) of an electric vehicle (not shown). Used to transmit power between the storage battery and cable C. A power supply control device (for example, a power conditioner or a power controller) is connected to the home end of the cable. This power supply control device includes an operation panel, and performs AC / DC conversion, power transmission control, connector operation control in the event of an abnormality, and the like.

  The connector 100 includes a main body portion 1 connected to the tip of the cable C and an insertion portion 2 provided in front of the main body portion 1. The main body 1 includes a lock mechanism, a lock release mechanism, and a lock holding mechanism. On the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 2, a retaining hook 12 that constitutes the distal end portion of the swing arm 10 is exposed, and on the upper portion of the main body portion 1, a release lever 20 that interlocks the swing arm 10 is exposed. A lock slider 30 that slides forward and backward of the main body is provided below the release lever 20. When the connector 100 is inserted into the inlet, the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the vehicle side inlet, the retaining hook 12 is engaged with the inlet, and the engagement state is held by sliding the lock slider 30 forward. On the other hand, when pulling out the connector 100 from the inlet, the release lever 20 is pushed down and the lock slider 30 is retracted to release the engagement between the retaining hook 12 and the inlet.

  The connector 100 also includes a solenoid 50 that prevents the release lever 20 from swinging in order to restrict the release of the retaining hook 12 from the inlet. A solenoid slider 60 that slides in conjunction with the solenoid 50 is used to prevent the release lever from swinging. One of the features of this connector 100 is that when the solenoid 50 is used to maintain the lock state of the lock mechanism, the connector 100 and the inlet are locked by exciting the coil 51 (see FIG. 8). The voltage is to be less than the voltage at the time of excitation (including zero). Hereinafter, the structure of the connector 100 having the configuration will be described in detail.

[External structure]
The external structure of the connector 100 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. The main body 1 is a part in which mechanical parts and mechanical parts of the connector 100 are stored, and includes a bulging part 4 that bulges upward at the upper part of the cylindrical front end part. The box-like space in the bulging portion 4 accommodates pivot support portions of a swing arm 10 and a release lever 20 described later.

  The insertion portion 2 is a portion that is inserted into the inlet, and includes a notch 81 that exposes the retaining hook 12 above the insertion portion, and a guide protrusion that fits to the inner peripheral surface of the inlet. The insertion portion 2 is constituted by a separate member from the main body portion 1.

  A handle portion 3 that is gripped by the user is provided behind the main body portion 1. Here, the cross section is formed in a rectangular tube shape. A cable C is introduced from the rear end of the handle portion 3. The release lever 20 and a part of the lock slider 30 are arranged in the opening 5 at the top of the handle portion 3 so as to protrude in parallel from the main body 1 and be exposed.

  The material of the half-cracked cases L and R constituting the main body 1 and the handle 3 is plastic, specifically, polybutylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, fiber reinforced plastic, or the like.

[Internal structure]
The internal structure of the connector 100 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 2, 4 and 6 show the state where the left case is removed, and FIGS. 3 and 5 show the state where the right case is removed. In each figure, the connector 100 is inserted into the inlet and fitted (initial state). Is shown. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 3 shows the solenoid bracket 70 (FIG. 5) removed, and FIG. 6 shows the lock slider 30 in section.

  As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 6, a cable C (FIG. 1) is disposed in the main body 1, and mechanical parts to be described later are stored. The insertion portion 2 stores a terminal (not shown), and the terminal is stored in the terminal case 90. Hereinafter, a fitting mechanism for fitting the connector 100 to the inlet will be described. Note that the terminals are arranged in accordance with, for example, the specifications of CHAdeMO, and a description thereof is omitted here.

(Swing arm and arm spring)
The swing arm 10 is a member that engages and disengages the retaining hook 12 with the inlet by swinging the retaining hook 12 from the outer peripheral surface of the inserting portion 2 by swinging in a state where the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the inlet. The arm spring 15 biases the swing arm 10 so that the retaining hook 12 comes out of the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 2.

  The swing arm 10 includes an arm intermediate portion 11 that is swingably supported by the main body 1, a retaining hook 12 provided in front of the arm intermediate portion 11, and an arm rear portion 13 behind the arm intermediate portion 11. And have. Here, the flat plate member extending from the main body 1 side to the insertion portion 2 side is used as the swing arm 10. An intermediate arm portion 11 is provided in the middle of the longitudinal direction, and the intermediate arm portion 11 is supported by the bulging portion 4 so as to be swingable. Specifically, the arm intermediate portion 11 is constituted by a cylindrical bearing portion 11o having a circular hole, and is a round bar-like shaft that is pivotally supported by the shaft hole portion 82 (FIGS. 4 and 5) of the bulging portion 4. 11i is inserted. The swing arm 10 swings around the bearing portion 11o. The arm intermediate portion 11 may be swingable, and the shaft 11i and the bearing portion 11o may be an integral member.

  The retaining hook 12 protrudes and retracts from a notch 81 (FIG. 1) formed in the insertion portion 2 by swinging of the swing arm 10, and engages / disengages with a recess (not shown) provided in the inlet. The retaining hook 12 is provided at the tip of the swing arm 10. The shape of the retaining hook 12 is a wedge shape having an inclined surface that is inclined so that the thickness becomes thinner toward the tip end side of the swing arm 10. The arrangement location of the retaining hook 12 is a position corresponding to a recess provided on the inner peripheral surface of the inlet when the insertion portion 2 is securely inserted into the inlet.

  The arm rear portion 13 is a portion that is swung by a release lever 20 described below. The arm rear portion 13 is provided so as to be inclined toward the inner side of the main body portion 1 behind the main body portion 1 from the bearing portion 11o (arm intermediate portion 11).

  The arm spring 15 uses a torsion spring. Specifically, the torsion spring is disposed concentrically with the bearing portion 11o (shaft 11i), one end of the torsion spring is pressed against the upper surface of the arm rear portion 13, and the other end is fixed to the main body portion 1. Then, the swing arm 10 is urged in a swinging (turning) direction so that the retaining hook 12 comes out of the insertion portion 2. The swing of the swing arm 10 by the arm spring 15 is allowed until the front portion of the swing arm 10 contacts the inner peripheral surface of the main body 1. This state is the initial state of the swing arm 10.

  Further, the swing arm 10 has a penetrating portion 14 provided at the center of the front portion thereof. When the rocking arm 10 is swung in a state in which the lock slider 30 is positioned at the retreat limit described later, the through portion 14 is fitted with a hook stopper 32 (described later: FIGS. 2 and 3) of the lock slider 30. Thus, it is a part for putting the retaining hook 12 into a sunk state (arm fitting mechanism). Here, the through portion 14 is a rectangular through hole. In addition to the through hole, the through portion 14 may be, for example, a notch in which a part of the front portion of the swing arm 10 is notched. The backward limit here means a state in which the lock slider 30 is most retracted by the urging of the slider spring 39.

  The rocking arm 10 and the arm spring 15 and a lock slider 30, which will be described later, constitute a lock mechanism that locks the connector 100 so that the connector 100 is not detached from the inlet when the connector 100 is inserted into the inlet. Details of the locking mechanism will be described later as an operation procedure of the connector 100 and an explanation of the operation of the internal mechanism during the operation.

(Release lever and release spring)
The release lever 20 is a member that swings the swing arm 10 by swinging by the user and causes the retaining hook 12 to be in a sunk state. The release spring 24 biases the release lever 20 in a direction in which the lever front portion 22 described below is separated from the arm rear portion 13.

  The release lever 20 includes a lever intermediate portion 21 that is swingably supported by the main body 1, a lever front portion 22 that is in front of the lever intermediate portion 21 and is opposed to the arm rear portion 13, and a lever intermediate portion 21. A rear lever rear portion 23. Here, a release lever 20 is provided behind the swing arm 10 along the front-rear direction of the main body 1. The lever intermediate portion 21 is swingably supported by the bulging portion 4 of the main body portion 1. Specifically, the lever intermediate portion 21 is provided with a columnar shaft base portion 21o and a shaft hole portion 83 (FIGS. 4 and 5) inside the bulging portion 4 that protrudes on both sides of the shaft base portion 21o. The shaft rod 21i to be supported is integrally formed. The lever intermediate portion 21 is composed of a cylindrical bearing portion having a circular hole through which a shaft that is pivotally supported by the shaft hole portion 83 is inserted, like the arm intermediate portion 11, a member different from the shaft. May be.

  The lever front portion 22 is a portion that swings the arm rear portion 13 by swinging of the release lever 20, and is located below the arm rear portion 13 here. The lever front portion 22 is a portion that constitutes an insertion position engagement mechanism that engages with a lock slider 30 described later to hold the lock slider 30 at a predetermined position in front. The position of the lock slider 30 (FIG. 11) engaged with the release lever 20 (lever front portion 22) in this way is the forward limit of the lock slider 30. This engagement mechanism for insertion position will be described later together with the lock slider 30. The lever front portion 22 includes an arm pressing portion 22f on the side facing the arm rear portion 13 (substantially upper side), a protrusion advancing portion 22o on the opposite side (substantially lower side), an arm pressing portion 22f, and a protrusion advancing portion 22o. And a connecting portion for connecting the two.

  The arm pressing portion 22f is a portion facing the arm rear portion 13, and here includes a curved surface protruding toward the arm rear portion 13 side. As the release lever 20 swings, a part of the curved surface directly presses the arm rear portion 13 to swing the arm rear portion 13. The protrusion advancing portion 22o advances the lock slider 30 to the forward limit, and the lever front portion 22 moves over the stop protrusion 34 (described later: FIGS. 2 and 3) formed on the upper surface of the lock slider 30. It is the part that touches. It is preferable that the protrusion overpassing portion 22o has a shape substantially along the front surface of the stopper protrusion 34. Then, the lever front portion 22 can easily get over the stop projection 34. Here, the tip of the release lever 20 is provided with an inclined surface that is inclined so as to spread in the thickness direction. The connecting portion (the end surface of the lever front portion 22) is a portion that abuts against the back surface of the locking projection 34 after the lever front portion 22 gets over the locking projection 34, and holds the lock slider 30 at the forward limit. It is. The end surface of the lever front portion 22 is preferably substantially along the back surface of the stopper projection 34. If it does so, it will be easy to contact and stop to the contact protrusion 34. Here, the said connection part is comprised with the plane.

  The lever rear portion 23 is a portion directly operated by the user of the connector 100, and the lever rear portion 13 is swung by the lever front portion 22 by the operation. The lever rear portion 23 is provided at the rear end of the release lever 20 so as to be exposed to the outside of the connector from the opening 5 of the main body 1. The shape of the lever rear portion 23 is substantially a block shape.

  On the front surface (upper surface) of the lever rear portion 23, a plurality of protrusions parallel to the width direction are formed in parallel at equal intervals in the front-rear direction of the main body portion 1. This protrusion makes it difficult for the user to slip when the release lever 20 is operated (pressed).

  The release spring 24 uses a torsion spring. Specifically, the torsion spring is concentrically disposed on the shaft rod 21i (shaft base 21o), one end of the torsion spring is pressed against the upper surface on the front side of the release lever 20, and the other end is fixed to the main body 1. To do. Accordingly, the release lever 20 is biased in a direction in which the lever front portion 22 is separated from the arm rear portion 13. The swing of the release lever 20 by the release spring 24 is in a state where the lever front portion 22 is farthest from the arm rear portion 13, that is, the protrusion advancing portion 22o of the lever front portion 22 is other than the stop protrusion 34 of the lock slider 30. Allowed to contact the top surface. The position of the lever rear portion 23 at this time is the open position. On the other hand, the lever rear portion 23 is swung against the urging force of the release spring 24, and the lever front portion 22 swings the swing arm 10 to operate the retaining hook 12 in the retracted state. The position of the part 23 is set as a release position. A predetermined position of the lever rear portion 23 between the open position and the release position is defined as a midway swing position.

  The release lever 20 has a rear end protrusion 23p that protrudes from the lower rear end of the lever rear portion 23 toward the lock slider 30 (substantially downward). The shape of the rear end protrusion 23p is a wedge shape that narrows toward the front end side of the rear end protrusion 23p. The rear end protrusion 23p constitutes a swing restricting engagement mechanism, a slide restricting engagement mechanism, and a pulling position engaging mechanism as engaging mechanisms that engage with the lock slider 30. Each of these engagement mechanisms will be described later together with the lock slider 30.

  Further, the release lever 20 has a swing preventing portion 23b for holding the lever rear portion 23 at a predetermined swing position (the open position) at the lever rear portion 23. The swing preventing portion 23b is preferably projected in a direction substantially orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the movable iron core 52 in the solenoid 50 described later. Here, it is a trapezoidal plate-like member that tapers toward the lock slider 30 at the lower front portion of the lever rear portion 23.

  The release lever 20 and the release spring 24, and a slider spring 39, which will be described later, constitute a lock release mechanism that releases the lock of the lock mechanism so that the connector 100 and the inlet are released by a two-step operation. Details of the lock release mechanism will be described later as the operation procedure of the connector 100 and the operation of the internal mechanism during the operation.

(Lock slider and slider spring)
The lock slider 30 is a member whose main function is to hold the retaining hook 12 in an extended state, and is slidably disposed in the front-rear direction of the main body 1 within a range of a forward limit and a backward limit. The lock slider 30 is urged rearward by a slider spring 39.

  Here, the lock slider 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped slider rear portion 30b partially exposed from the opening 5 of the main body 1, and a stepped shape from the upper front end surface of the slider rear portion 30b toward the front side. And a flat plate-shaped slider front portion 30f extending in the direction of. In the lock slider 30, a pair of slide fins 31 protruding from the slider rear portion 30b on the left and right cases L and R side are fitted in guide grooves 84 (FIGS. 4 and 5) provided in the main body 1. Supported slidably. A projecting spring fixing portion 35 is provided on the front end surface of the slider rear portion 30b, and a slider spring 39 is fixed to the fixing portion 35.

  The slider spring 39 uses a compression spring. Specifically, one end of the compression spring is fixed to the spring fixing portion 35 (FIG. 6), and the other end is fixed to the spring stopper 85 (FIGS. 3 and 5) provided in the main body portion 1 (left case L). . The spring fixing portion 35 is a protrusion inserted into one end of the compression spring, and in this example, is constituted by a cross-shaped protrusion protruding from the front end face of the slider rear portion 30b. By attaching the compression spring, the lock slider 30 is urged in the backward direction, that is, the direction opposite to the insertion portion 2 side.

  The lock slider 30 is a member that holds the retaining hook 12 in the extended state in the state positioned at the forward limit, and allows the retaining hook 12 to protrude and retract in the state positioned at the backward limit. Specifically, the front end of the lock slider 30 has a rod-like hook stop 32 (arm fitting mechanism). This hook stopper 32 abuts against the surface opposite to the protruding side of the retaining hook 12 of the swing arm 10 in the forward limit state, and faces the penetrating portion 14 of the swing arm 10 in the reverse limit state. When the retaining hook 12 is in the sunk state, it is loosely fitted into the penetrating portion 14. That is, the hook engaging portion 32 and the penetrating portion 14 constitute the arm fitting mechanism. On the other hand, when the locking slider 30 is advanced beyond the retreat limit with the retaining hook 12 protruding from the insertion portion 2, the hook retaining portion 32 is displaced forward from the through portion 14 and formed in the terminal case 90. The guide groove 91 (FIGS. 2 and 3) is inserted. Thereby, the hook stopper 32 is interposed between the front portion of the swing arm 10 and the terminal case 90. Since the front portion of the swing arm 10 is supported by the hook stopper 32, the swing of the swing arm 10 is restricted, and the retaining hook 12 is maintained in a protruding state protruding from the insertion portion 2.

  The lock slider 30 is a member that opens and closes a switch 40, which will be described later, according to the sliding operation. The lock slider 30 includes a button projection 33 as a switch operation unit that opens and closes the switch 40. The button projection 33 is provided at a position for opening and closing the switch 40 when the lock slider 30 is positioned at the forward limit. Here, a button projection 33 is provided at the front end of the slider rear portion 30b so as to protrude downward.

  Further, the lock slider 30 is a member having an engagement mechanism for insertion position as a mechanism for mutual engagement with the release lever 20 described above. The engagement mechanism for the insertion position holds the lock slider 30 at the forward limit against the biasing force of the slider spring 39 when the lock slider 30 is at the forward limit and the lever rear portion 23 is at the open position. It is a mechanism to do. Here, a stop projection 34 is formed on the upper surface of the slider front portion 30f so as to protrude toward the release lever 20 between the lever intermediate portion 21 and the lever front portion 22. When the lock slider 30 is advanced to the forward limit, the stop protrusion 34 is abutted against the lever front portion 22 to constitute the insertion position engaging mechanism. The front surface of the stopper projection 34 is formed with an inclined surface with a low front so that the lever front portion 22 (projection overpassing portion 22o) can easily get over the stopper projection 34 when the lock slider 30 is advanced. On the other hand, the back surface of the stopper projection 34 is formed of a substantially vertical plane so that it can easily come into contact with the lever front portion 22.

  The lock slider 30 is a member having a swing restricting engagement mechanism, a slide restricting engagement mechanism, and a pulling position engaging mechanism as a mechanism that engages with the release lever 20 described above. In the state where the lock slider 30 is positioned in front of the retreat limit, the swing restricting engagement mechanism restricts the lever rear portion 23 to the above-described midway swing position so that the arm rear portion 13 of the lever front portion 22 It is a mechanism that regulates interlocking. In the state where the lock slider 30 is positioned in front of the retreat limit, the slide restricting engagement mechanism disengages the insertion position engagement mechanism as the lever rear portion 23 swings to the midway swing position. This mechanism allows the lock slider 30 to move backward by the slider spring 39 to the middle slide position, and allows the slider slider 39 to further move the lock slider 30 backward from the middle slide position by returning the lever rear portion 23 to the open position. . The midway slide position here refers to a predetermined position between the forward limit and the reverse limit of the lock slider 30. This predetermined position is a position where the protrusion overpassing portion 22o is allowed to get over the stop protrusion 34, but the backward movement of the lock slider 30 is not permitted until the retreat limit. The pull-out position engaging mechanism is a mechanism that allows the lever rear portion 23 to swing from the open position to the release position in a state where the lock slider 30 is positioned at the retreat limit.

  Here, the portions constituting these engagement mechanisms are provided in the slider rear portion 30b and are formed in a storage portion 36 for storing the lever rear portion 23 of the release lever 20. Specifically, in order from the rear side in the storage portion 36, a reference contact surface 36b that constitutes a rocking restriction engagement mechanism, a latching protrusion 36p that constitutes a slide restriction engagement mechanism, and a removal position And a slider recess 36c constituting the engagement mechanism (FIG. 6).

  The reference contact surface 36b regulates the swing range of the lever rear portion 23 to the extent that the lever rear portion 23 does not swing to the release position, that is, the swing arm 10 does not swing due to the swing of the lever rear portion 23. It is a part to do. Here, a part of the bottom surface in the storage portion 36 and a plane extending forward from the rear end of the bottom surface is defined as a reference contact surface 36b. The reference contact surface 36b is provided at a position in the storage portion 36 that divides the height (thickness) of the slider rear portion 30b into substantially equal parts. In the state where the lock slider is positioned in front of the retreat limit, when the lever rear portion 23 is swung downward, the rear end protrusion 23p of the lever rear portion 23 contacts the reference contact surface 36b. . The reference contact surface 36b and the rear end protrusion 23p constitute the above-described swing restricting engagement mechanism.

  The latching protrusion 36p is a protrusion-like part formed continuously at the front end of the reference contact surface 36b. When the release lever 20 is swung in the state where the lock slider 30 is located at the forward limit, the latching protrusion 36p is brought into contact with the reference contact surface 36b. Further, when the engagement of the above-described engagement mechanism for the insertion position is released and the lock slider 30 is retracted by the urging of the slider spring 39, the latching projection 36p is latched with the rear end projection 23p. Thereby, the lock slider 30 is held at the halfway slide position without being retracted to the retreat limit. As described above, the reference contact surface 36b, the latching protrusion 36p, and the rear end protrusion 23p constitute the slide restricting engagement mechanism.

  The slider recess 36c is a portion for swinging the lever rear portion 23 to the release position in a state where the lock slider 30 is positioned at the retreat limit. Here, it is constituted by a trough-shaped through-hole formed continuously on the front surface of the latching protrusion 36p. The slider recess 36c and the rear end projection 23p constitute the above-described pulling position engaging mechanism.

  The storage portion 36 has an insertion hole 36h through which the rocking prevention portion 23b of the release lever 20 described above is inserted in front of the slider recess 36c (FIG. 6). By this insertion hole 36h, the rocking prevention part 23b can be made to correspond to the later-described prevention part receiver 63.

  The rear end surface 38 of the lock slider 30 is formed with a hemispherical depression. This depression makes it easy to push the lock slider 30 with a fingertip when the user moves the lock slider 30 forward.

(switch)
The switch 40 is opened / closed according to the sliding operation of the lock slider 30 to bring the cable C and the storage battery into a conductive / blocked state. Here, the switch 40 is located below the lock slider 30 and when the lock slider 30 is in the forward limit, the switch operating portion (button protrusion 33) of the lock slider 30 opens and closes (presses and separates) the switch. Is provided. That is, when the lock slider 30 is positioned behind the forward limit, the switch 40 is not pressed (opened / closed). The type of the switch 40 is not particularly limited as long as it can be opened and closed according to the sliding operation of the lock slider 30. Here, a hinge / lever type micro switch is used. Specifically, an open / close button 41 for opening and closing the switch 40 and a switch lever 42 for pressing the open / close button 41 are provided. One end of the switch lever 42 is fixed to the micro switch with a hinge, and the other end of the switch lever 42 is positioned above the open / close button 41. This state is the initial state of the switch 40.

  The solenoid 50, the solenoid spring 54, and the solenoid slider 60 described below constitute a lock holding mechanism that holds the connector 100 so that the connector 100 is not detached from the inlet when the connector 100 is connected to the inlet. Details of the lock holding mechanism will be described later as an operation procedure of the connector 100 and an operation of the internal mechanism during the operation.

(Solenoid and solenoid spring)
The solenoid 50 operates a solenoid slider 60 (FIGS. 5 and 7), which will be described later, to prevent the release lever 20 from swinging and restrict the operation of the retaining hook 12 to the retracted state. The solenoid 50 includes a coil 51 and a movable iron core 52 that is advanced and retracted by excitation of the coil 51 (see FIG. 8). The solenoid spring 54 is a compression spring that urges the movable iron core 52 so as to return the movable iron core 52 to the original position together with the excitation of the coil 51.

  In this example, the solenoid 50 is disposed behind the swing arm 10 and below the release lever 20 and the lock slider 30 (see FIG. 2). The movable iron core 52 is in a direction substantially perpendicular to the movement direction (substantially up and down direction in this case) of the rocking prevention portion 23b of the release lever 20, and in the sliding direction of the lock slider 30 (here in the horizontal direction). Moving. In the initial state, the coil 51 is in a demagnetized state. When the coil 51 is excited in the initial state, the movable iron core 52 moves in the forward direction of the lock slider 30 (this state is referred to as an on state). The voltage applied to the coil 51 in this on state is the maximum voltage during excitation of the coil 51.

  After the movable iron core 52 enters the on state, the on state of the movable iron core 52 is maintained even if the voltage of the coil 51 is less than the maximum voltage at the time of excitation. As a method for maintaining this on state, for example, the voltage of the coil 51 can be gradually reduced (except for zero) by voltage control means. This voltage control means can be controlled by a power supply control device. Also, a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) circuit can be connected to the coil 51 to generate a PWM signal that is a pulse signal, and the voltage applied to the exciting coil can be controlled based on this PWM signal. When these voltage control means and PWM control are used, it is preferable to lower the voltage of the coil 51 as long as the movable iron core 52 can be kept in the on state. When the movable iron core 52 is returned from the on state to the initial state (out state), the voltage of the coil 51 can be made zero and the solenoid spring 54 can be biased.

  The solenoid 50 may be a self-holding solenoid. The self-holding solenoid includes a permanent magnet 53 that holds the movable iron core 52 in a predetermined position by a magnetic force even when the coil 51 is demagnetized after the movable iron core 52 is in the on state (FIG. 8). When the movable iron core 52 is returned from the on state to the out state, the polarity of the coil 51 is reversed to excite the permanent magnet 53 over the magnetic force. At this time, the coil 51 may be excited until the movable iron core 52 returns to the extended state, or the coil 51 is excited so as to cancel the magnetic force by the permanent magnet 53, and then the movable iron core 52 is energized by the urging of the solenoid spring 54. May be returned to the exit state.

(Solenoid slider)
The solenoid slider 60 is slid in conjunction with the movable iron core 52 and prevents the release lever 20 from swinging. Since the solenoid slider 60 is fixed at the distal end portion of the movable iron core 52, the solenoid slider 60 includes two pairs of shaft clamping portions 61 that sandwich the movable iron core 52, and a connecting portion 62 that couples the shaft clamping portions 61 (see FIG. 7). The connecting portion 62 is a plane substantially along the vertical direction and extends in the axial direction of the movable iron core 52. A pin hole 65 through which a pin 55 for fixing the movable iron core 52 is inserted is formed in the central portion. ing. The front end portion of the movable iron core 52 has a rectangular notch and is formed in a fork (see FIG. 8). A connecting portion 62 is fitted into the notch, and both are fixed by a pin 55. The solenoid slider 60 includes a top plate portion 60t extending toward the moving direction of the movable iron core 52 on the release lever 20 and the lock slider 30 side of the shaft clamping portion 61, and a blocking portion projecting upward from the upper surface of the top plate portion 60t. It has a receptacle 63 and a notch 64 on the tip side of the top plate portion 60t. The blocking portion receiver 63 corresponds to the swing blocking portion 23b of the release lever 20 at a predetermined slide position of the solenoid slider 60. The notch 64 does not interfere with the swinging of the swing preventing portion 23b accompanying the swing of the release lever 20 at the initial position of the solenoid slider 60.

  The solenoid 50, the solenoid spring 54, and the solenoid slider 60 are covered with a solenoid bracket 70 (FIG. 5). The solenoid bracket 70 is a two-step bent plate having a screw insertion hole 71 for fixing to the solenoid 50 and a protrusion insertion hole 72 for fixing to the main body 1 (here, the left cover L). It is. The solenoid 50 has a screw hole 56 for fixing to the solenoid bracket 70, and the bracket screw 73 is fitted into the screw hole 56 and the screw insertion hole 71, so that both are fixed. The inner surface of the main body portion 1 has a slider support portion 86 that supports the solenoid slider 60 and a bracket projection 87 for fixing the solenoid bracket 70. The solenoid 50, the solenoid spring 54, and the solenoid slider 60 are externally covered with the solenoid bracket 70 by supporting the solenoid slider 60 with the slider support portion 86 and fitting the bracket projection 87 with the projection insertion hole 72. The

(Other parts)
In addition, the connector 100 preferably includes a fuse 95 for suppressing a failure of the connector 100. As described above, the connector 100 is used to transmit power between a storage battery of an electric vehicle and a household power source. In general, since a storage battery has a higher voltage than a household power supply, it is preferable to provide a fuse 95 in order to prevent an overcurrent from flowing from the storage battery to the home.

[Operation procedure and operation of internal mechanism]
Next, the fitting operation in the operation of inserting the connector 100 into the inlet will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  In an initial state before the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the inlet, the retaining hook 12 is in a state of being protruded from the notch 81 of the insertion portion 2 due to the urging by the arm spring 15 as shown in FIG. The release lever 20 is located at the open position by the bias of the release spring 24. The lock slider 30 is located at the retreat limit by the bias of the slider spring 39. Further, the open / close button 41 of the switch 40 is not pressed. In the solenoid 50, the coil is demagnetized, so that the movable iron core 52 is out, and the blocking portion receiver 63 of the solenoid slider 60 does not correspond to the swing blocking portion 23b of the release lever 20, and is notched. 64 (FIG. 7) does not interfere with the swing of the swing preventing portion 23b accompanying the swing of the release lever 20.

<Insert operation>
When the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the inlet, the retaining hook 12 first comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the inlet, and the retaining hook 12 is pushed against the biasing force of the arm spring 15. Since the retaining hook 12 has an inclined surface, it can be easily inserted into the inlet even if it protrudes from the insertion portion 2. At this time, the penetrating portion 14 of the swing arm 10 is loosely fitted to the hook stopping portion 32 of the lock slider 30, and the retaining hook 12 is in a sunk state. When the pushed-in retaining hook 12 is positioned at a position corresponding to a recess provided on the inner peripheral surface of the inlet, the retaining hook 12 projects from the insertion portion 2 by the urging of the arm spring 15. As a result, the retaining hook 12 is normally engaged and locked in the recess of the inlet, so that the connector 100 and the inlet are completely fitted.

  In this state, the lock slider 30 is advanced to the forward limit. In the middle of the forward movement, as shown in FIG. 10, the release lever 20 moves over the stop protrusion 34 of the lock slider 30 against the urging force of the release spring 24 and moves over the stop protrusion 34 of the lock slider 30. It is urged by 24 and is again in the release position. As shown in FIG. 11, when the lock slider 30 is positioned at the forward limit, the hook stopper 32 is located between the lower part of the front portion of the swing arm 10 and the terminal case 90, and the through portion 14 of the swing arm 10. Advance to a position deviated from. As a result, the swing of the swing arm 10 is restricted with the retaining hook 12 protruding from the insertion portion 2.

  When the lock slider 30 moves forward to the forward limit, the button projection 33 of the lock slider 30 pushes down the switch lever 42 of the switch 40 and presses the open / close button 41. When the open / close button 41 is pressed, the power supply control device energizes and drives the solenoid 50. The coil 51 is excited by this energization, and the movable iron core 52 moves and enters the on state. The solenoid slider 60 slides in conjunction with the movable iron core 52, and the blocking portion receiver 63 of the solenoid slider 60 corresponds to the swing blocking portion 23b of the release lever 20. The swing preventing part 23b and the preventing part receiver 63 may be in any state of fitting, abutting, and facing each other with a slight gap (play) therebetween. If the rocking block 23b and the block receiver 63 are positioned correspondingly, the voltage of the coil 51 is gradually lowered by the voltage control means as long as the movable iron core 52 can keep the engaged state. As a result, the lever rear portion 23 of the release lever 20 is located in the open position, but the release lever 20 is prevented from swinging and the swing arm 10 is prevented from swinging. As described above, the operation of inserting the connector 100 into the inlet is completed, the inlet and the connector 100 are electrically connected, and the power transmission is enabled. Thereafter, the storage battery is charged by an operation from the power supply control device.

  According to this configuration, even if the coil voltage is less than the maximum voltage when the movable iron core 52 is in the engaged state, the rocking block portion 23b of the release lever 20 and the block portion receiver 63 of the solenoid slider 60 are compatible. Therefore, even if the maximum voltage is not continuously applied to the coil 51, the release lever 20 can be kept blocked. Therefore, since it is not necessary to maintain the coil 51 at the maximum voltage during the connection between the inlet and the connector 100, it is possible to reduce the thermal influence on peripheral members such as the fuse 95 due to the temperature rise of the solenoid 50 (coil 51). 50 and member life can be prevented from being reduced. Further, power consumption for exciting the coil can be suppressed, and power saving of the power supply control device and the like can be achieved.

  In addition, in a state where the inlet and the connector are in a conductive connection state for a long period of time, even when the coil 51 is driven at a low voltage, the movable iron core 52 can be held at the blocking position, and accordingly, the release lever 20 is held at the open position. be able to. In this conductive state, the swinging prevention part 23b is restrained from swinging by the blocking part receiver 63, so that the user cannot swing the lever rear part 23 of the release lever 20, and the retaining hook 12 is inserted. It is possible to surely prevent the part 2 from being depressed from the outer peripheral surface. Therefore, in the conductive state, it is possible to prevent unintentional disconnection due to mischief of the connector from the inlet and the safety is excellent.

  Even if the connector 100 of the present invention is to be connected over a long period of several days or more, the movable iron core 52 is kept in the blocking position during that period. Even if the movable iron core 52 cannot be held at the blocking position due to an abnormal situation, when the connector 100 of the present invention is pulled out from the inlet, it is possible to ensure that both power transmissions are cut off. It is possible to prevent the connector 100 from being pulled out as it is. Hereinafter, the operation of pulling out the connector at the time of this abnormality will be described.

<Pullout operation>
When the solenoid 50 cannot hold the movable iron core 52 in the engaged state, the movable iron core 52 is in the out state, and the solenoid slider 60 is also retracted accordingly. The part 23b and the blocking part receiver 63 of the solenoid slider 60 do not correspond (FIG. 12). Therefore, the lever rear portion 23 of the release lever 20 can be swung.

  First, the lever rear portion 23 is swung by the user. At this time, as shown in FIG. 13, the rear end protrusion 23p of the release lever 20 contacts the reference contact surface 36b of the lock slider 30, so that the lever rear portion 23 (rear end protrusion 23p) of the release lever 20 Is regulated to the swing position on the way. Therefore, the lever front portion 22 (arm pressing portion 22f) of the release lever 20 does not contact the arm rear portion 13. Then, the locking of the lever front portion 22 of the release lever 20 and the locking projection 34 of the lock slider 30 is released, and the lock slider 30 is retracted from the forward limit by the urging of the slider spring 39. When the rear end protrusion 23p of the release lever 20 is hooked with the hook protrusion 36p of the lock slider 30, the lock slider 30 stops moving backward. That is, the lock slider 30 is not retracted to the retreat limit, but is held at the slider position on the way.

  As the release lever 20 swings, the lock slider 30 moves backward from the forward limit to the mid-slide position, and the button projection 33 of the lock slider 30 releases the pressing of the open / close button 41 of the microswitch 40. The electrical connection between the connector 100 and the inlet is released by a command from the power supply control device accompanying the release of the press.

  When the swinging of the release lever 20 is released, the release lever 20 returns to the open position again by the biasing force of the release spring 24. At that time, as shown in FIG. 14, the latching of the rear end projection 23p of the release lever 20 and the latching projection 36p of the lock slider 30 is released, and the lock slider 30 is biased by the slider spring 39. Retreat to the retreat limit. As a result, the release lever 20 can be swung to the release position. Further, in conjunction with the retraction of the lock slider 30, the hook stopper 32 of the lock slider 30 moves back to the position facing the penetrating portion 14 of the swing arm 10, and the lock of the retaining hook 12 is released.

  When the lock slider 30 is retracted to the retreat limit, the release lever 20 is swung to the release position. The rear end protrusion 23p of the release lever 20 is fitted into the slider recess 36c of the lock slider 30, and the lever front portion 22 of the release lever 20 contacts the arm rear portion 13 so that the swing arm 10 swings. By this swinging, the retaining hook 12 is in a sunk state, and the engagement state between the retaining hook 12 (connector 100) and the recessed portion of the inlet is released.

  In this state, by pulling out the connector 100 from the inlet, the pulling-out operation of the connector 100 from the inlet is completed. After the pull-out operation is completed, the release lever 20 returns to the open position due to the urging of the release spring 24, the retaining hook 12 returns to the extended state, and the connector 100 returns to the initial position.

  According to this configuration, even when the movable iron core 52 cannot be held at the blocking position, the connector 100 can be connected to the connector 100 from the inlet while power is being transmitted by having the engagement mechanism in which the release lever 20 and the lock slider 30 are engaged with each other. It is possible to prevent removal. Although the release lever 20 cannot be set to the release position by the swing restricting engagement mechanism, since the power transmission between the connector 100 and the inlet side is interrupted, the slide restricting engagement mechanism causes the release lever to When swinging to the release position, the connector can be safely removed from the inlet. Therefore, when the connector is removed from the inlet, discharge or the like between the contacts can be prevented, and the safety and the durability of the contacts are excellent.

  If the movable iron core 52 is kept in the blocking position in the solenoid 50 during the long-term connection between the inlet and the connector (normal state), the power control is performed when the connector 100 is pulled out from the inlet when power transmission ends. Power transmission is cut off by operating the device. At the same time as the power transmission is interrupted by the operation of the power supply control device, the voltage of the coil 51 of the solenoid 50 becomes zero. Then, the movable iron core 52 is brought out by the urging of the solenoid spring 54, and the solenoid slider 60 slides accordingly, and the correspondence state between the solenoid slider blocking portion receiving 63 and the release lever 20 swing blocking portion 23b is released. Is done. Therefore, the user can swing the lever rear portion 23 of the release lever 20. The subsequent operation of the connector 100 is the same as the above-described pulling operation.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the connector of the present invention is applied to a vehicle connector and connected to an inlet to supply power to a 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, or an aircraft, or an inlet of a power storage device installed in a home, building, factory, or the like has the same shape as the above-described inlet. That is, the present invention can also be applied to the case where the inner peripheral surface of the inlet has a recess.

  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 swing arm, the release lever, and the lock slider can be changed as appropriate. As the arm spring, the release spring, and the slide spring, the type of the spring may be appropriately changed according to the purpose.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used as a connector for transmitting power between an electric storage device and a cable by connecting to an inlet of an electric device that uses an electric storage device such as a storage battery or an electric double layer capacitor as a power source. It can be suitably used for a charger such as an in-hybrid car.

100 connector C cable
L Left case R Right case
1 Body part 2 Insertion part 3 Handle part 4 Swelling part 5 Opening part
10 Swing arm
11 Arm intermediate part 11i Shaft 11o Bearing part
12 Retaining hook 13 Arm rear part 14 Penetration part
15 Arm spring (torsion spring)
20 Release lever
21 Lever middle 21i Shaft bar 21o Shaft base
22 Lever front part 22f Arm pressing part 22o Projection overpass part
23 Lever rear part 23p Rear end protrusion 23b Oscillation prevention part
24 Release spring (torsion spring)
30 Lock slider 30f Slider front 30b Slider rear
31 Slide fin 32 Hook stop
33 Button projection (switch operating section) 34 Locking projection 35 Spring fixing section
36 compartment
36b Reference abutment surface 36p Stop projection 36c Slider recess 36h Insertion hole
38 Rear end face
39 Slider spring (compression spring)
40 switch (micro switch (hinge lever type))
41 Open / close button 42 Switch lever
50 solenoid
51 Coil 52 Movable iron core 53 Permanent magnet
54 Solenoid spring (compression spring)
55 pin 56 screw hole
60 Solenoid slider
60t Top plate part 61 Shaft clamping part 62 Connecting part 63 Stopper part receiver 64 Notch
65 pin hole
70 Solenoid bracket
71 Screw insertion hole 72 Projection insertion hole 73 Bracket screw
81 Notch 82, 83 Shaft hole 84 Guide groove 85 Spring stop
86 Slider support 87 Bracket protrusion
90 Terminal case 91 Guide groove
95 fuse

Claims (12)

A connector for transmitting power between the cable and the power storage device by being connected to an inlet of an electric device that uses the power storage device as a power source, provided at the tip of the cable,
When the connector is inserted into the inlet, a locking mechanism that engages the connector with the inlet and locks the connector so that the connector does not come off from the inlet;
An unlocking mechanism for unlocking the locking mechanism so that the connector and the inlet come off;
Using a solenoid having a coil and a movable iron core that is advanced and retracted by excitation of the coil, the connector and the inlet are locked by excitation of the coil, and then the voltage of the coil is changed to the voltage at the time of excitation. And a lock holding mechanism that holds the lock state of the lock mechanism even if it is less than (including zero).   2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the lock holding mechanism is controlled by voltage control means for gradually reducing the voltage of the coil.   3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the solenoid includes a permanent magnet that maintains the locked state even when the coil is demagnetized. The main body having the cable side as the rear and having the lock mechanism, the lock release mechanism, and the lock holding mechanism,
An insertion portion provided in front of the main body portion and inserted into the inlet;
The locking mechanism is
A member having an arm intermediate portion swingably supported by the main body portion, a retaining hook provided in front of the arm intermediate portion, and an arm rear portion behind the arm intermediate portion; In a state where the insertion portion is inserted into the swinging arm, the swinging hook is engaged with and disengaged from the inlet by causing the retaining hook to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion by the swinging, and
An arm spring that urges the swing arm so that the retaining hook comes out of the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion,
The unlocking mechanism is
A lever intermediate portion that is swingably supported by the main body, a lever front portion that is opposed to the arm rear portion in front of the lever intermediate portion, and a lever rear portion that is rearward of the lever intermediate portion; A release lever that interlocks the arm rear portion with the front portion of the lever by swinging the rear portion of the lever by a user with a member having a swing preventing portion for holding the rear portion of the lever at a predetermined swing position;
A release spring that biases the release lever in a direction separating the lever front portion from the arm rear portion;
The lock holding mechanism is
A solenoid that is a member that slides in conjunction with the movable iron core and has a blocking portion receiver that holds the lever rear portion at a predetermined swinging position by corresponding to the swinging blocking portion at a predetermined sliding position. With a slider,
A position of the lever rear portion in a state in which the lever front portion is most separated from the arm rear portion;
When the position of the movable iron core when the blocking portion receiver is made to correspond to the rocking blocking portion of the release lever in the open position is set as the blocking position,
The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lock holding mechanism holds the lever rear portion at the open position by holding the movable iron core at the blocking position.   In the state where the connector and the inlet are connected to each other, the lock release mechanism performs a two-stage operation, and the cable and the cable without releasing the engagement between the connector and the inlet by the first-stage operation. 5. The two-stage lock release mechanism that releases the lock of the lock mechanism so that the connector and the inlet are disconnected by a second-stage operation by shutting off the electrical storage device. The connector according to item 1. Further, the lock mechanism is a member that is slidably disposed within the range of the forward limit and the backward limit in the front-rear direction of the main body portion, and allows the locking hook to protrude and retract at the backward limit, which is more than the backward limit. A lock slider for holding the retaining hook in the extended state in front;
The unlocking mechanism includes a slider spring that urges the lock slider backward,
The main body includes a switch that opens and closes according to the slide operation of the lock slider, thereby bringing the cable and the power storage device into a conductive / shut-off state.
The position of the lever rear part when the arm rear part is swung by the lever front part and the retaining hook is operated in the submerged state is a release position,
A predetermined position of the rear portion of the lever between the open position and the release position is a midway swing position;
When a predetermined position between the forward limit and the reverse limit of the lock slider is set as a midway slide position,
The release lever and the lock slider are engaged with each other as an engagement mechanism.
An insertion position engagement mechanism for holding the lock slider at the forward limit against the biasing force of the slider spring in a state where the lock slider is at the forward limit and the rear part of the lever is at the open position; ,
In a state where the lock slider is positioned forward of the retreat limit,
A swing restricting engagement mechanism for restricting a swing range of the arm rear portion by the lever front portion by restricting the lever rear portion to the midway swing position;
As the lever rear portion swings to the midway swing position, the engagement mechanism for the insertion position is disengaged to allow the lock slider to move backward by the slider spring to the midway slide position, and the lever A slide restricting engagement mechanism for allowing further retraction of the lock slider by the slider spring from the halfway slide position by returning the rear part to the open position;
An engagement mechanism for a pulling position that allows the lever rear portion to swing from the open position to the release position in a state where the lock slider is located at the retreat limit;
The lock slider is
At the forward limit, the switch is opened and closed to conduct between the cable and the electricity storage device,
6. The connector according to claim 5, further comprising a switch operation unit that opens and closes the switch so that the cable and the power storage device are disconnected from each other at a position behind the forward limit. The insertion position engaging mechanism is:
A lever front portion of the release lever;
7. The connector according to claim 6, further comprising an abutment protrusion provided on the lock slider and abutted against a front portion of the lever in the open position. The swing restricting engagement mechanism is:
A rear end protrusion that protrudes from the lever rear portion toward the lock slider, on the lever rear portion,
8. The connector according to claim 6, further comprising a reference contact surface of the lock slider that contacts the rear end protrusion at the midway swinging position of the rear portion of the lever. The slide restricting engagement mechanism is:
A rear end protrusion of the release lever;
9. The connector according to claim 8, comprising a reference abutting surface of the lock slider, and a latching protrusion that protrudes toward the release lever from the reference abutting surface and is hooked on the rear end protrusion. The extraction position engaging mechanism is:
A rear end protrusion of the release lever;
10. The connector according to claim 8, further comprising: a slider recess that is recessed in a direction away from the release lever with respect to a reference contact surface of the lock slider and into which the rear end protrusion is fitted. The lock slider and the swing arm are
11. The arm fitting mechanism according to any one of claims 6 to 10, further comprising an arm fitting mechanism that engages and disengages with each other so that the retaining hook is in the submerged state at the retreat limit and the retaining hook is held in the protruding state in front of the retracted hook. The connector according to claim 1. The switch includes an open / close button for opening and closing the switch,
12. The button operating portion according to claim 6, further comprising: a button protrusion that presses the open / close button at the forward limit of the lock slider and releases the press of the open / close button at the midway slide position. Connector described in.

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