JP2014032765A - Inlet assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low cost inlet assembly capable of draining water, that has entered inside, efficiently to the outside.SOLUTION: On the back side of an inlet base 2b, a hollow space 21 surrounded by the inlet base 2b for securing an inlet being coupled with a connector to a vehicle, a sleeve 20 projecting to the back side of an inlet base 2b, and a retainer 40 covering the back side of the sleeve 20 is formed. At the lowermost part of the sleeve 20, a drain hole 22 penetrating the inlet base 2b and interconnecting the hollow space 21 and the surface side of the inlet base 2b is formed. The retainer 40 includes a protrusion 42 protruding to the inlet base 2b side. The protrusion 42 has a tapered surface 43 which approaches the inlet base 2b toward the vertical underside.

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure of an inlet assembly including an inlet to which a connector connected to an external power source is coupled.

  An electric vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle (HV) that travels by driving a motor with electric power stored in a power storage device has been put into practical use. In recent years, so-called plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHV) equipped with a system for charging a power storage device with electric power supplied from an external power source called a charging stand have been put into practical use.

  In such a plug-in hybrid vehicle, a charging inlet for connecting a charging connector is provided on a side surface of the vehicle (for example, a right rear fender of the vehicle). One end of the charging connector is connected to a commercial power source or the like. For example, in a parking lot or the like, the connector is connected to the charging inlet of the vehicle for a certain period of time.

  Conventionally, a charging inlet with a through hole in the retainer attached to the back of the inlet and a drain hole in the grommet attached to the back of the inlet for charging, in order to drain from the inside of the flooded inlet Has been proposed (for example, see JP 2011-249039 A (Patent Document 1)).

JP 2011-249039 A

  In the structure described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem of high cost due to the provision of a grommet on the back side of the inlet. In addition, since water is discharged from the inside of the grommet on the back side of the inlet to the outside, a through-hole for discharging water to the outside of the vehicle is required, resulting in a problem that the structure is complicated and the cost is increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost inlet assembly that can efficiently drain the water that has entered the inlet assembly to the outside. .

  An inlet assembly according to the present invention is an inlet assembly provided in a vehicle that charges a power storage device mounted therein using an external power source, and is connected to a connector connected to the external power source; and An inlet base that fixes the inlet to the vehicle, a sleeve portion that protrudes toward the back side of the inlet base, and a retainer that covers the back side of the sleeve portion are provided. A hollow space surrounded by the inlet base, the sleeve portion, and the retainer is formed on the back side of the inlet base. A drainage hole that penetrates the inlet base and communicates the hollow space with the front side of the inlet base is formed at the lowermost portion of the sleeve portion. The retainer includes a protrusion that protrudes toward the inlet base. The protrusion has a tapered surface that approaches the inlet base as it goes downward in the vertical direction.

  Preferably, in the inlet assembly, the protrusion portion is in surface contact with the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve portion.

  In the inlet assembly, the tapered surface at the tip of the protrusion and the inner surface of the drain hole are preferably continuous.

  According to the inlet assembly of the present invention, water that has entered inside can be discharged to the front side with a simple structure, so that water can be efficiently discharged to the outside, and the structure can be simplified, thereby reducing costs. it can.

It is a figure which shows a vehicle provided with the inlet assembly in embodiment, and a charging stand. It is a front view of the inlet assembly in an embodiment. It is sectional drawing of an inlet assembly. It is sectional drawing of the inlet assembly of a modification.

  Hereinafter, an inlet assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the embodiments described below, when referring to the number, amount, and the like, the scope of the present invention is not necessarily limited to the number, amount, and the like unless otherwise specified. The same parts and corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description may not be repeated.

(Vehicle and charging station)
FIG. 1 is a view showing a vehicle and a charging stand including an inlet assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. The charging stand 10 is an AC power source provided exclusively for charging a charger mounted on an electric vehicle such as the vehicle 1. The charging stand 10 may be a DC power source.

  Vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle that travels by driving a motor (not shown) with the electric power of power storage device B. The vehicle 1 may be an electric vehicle that includes only a motor as a drive source, or may be a hybrid vehicle that includes a motor and an engine.

  Vehicle 1 is a so-called plug-in hybrid vehicle, and includes a charging system for charging power storage device B with AC power supplied from external charging station 10. This charging system includes an inlet 2, a charger 3, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 4. The inlet 2 is configured to be connectable to a connector 12 of a charging cable CA extending from the charging stand 10. One end of the cable 60 is joined to the inlet 2, and the other end of the cable 60 is connected to the power storage device B via the charger 3. The charger 3 converts AC power supplied from the charging station 10 into DC power that can charge the power storage device B in accordance with a control signal from the ECU 4 and supplies the power to the power storage device B.

  When connector 12 of charging cable CA is connected to inlet 2 of vehicle 1, pilot signal CPLT (described later) generated by ECU 100 of charging station 10 is input to ECU 4 via charging cable CA and inlet 2. ECU 4 controls charging of power storage device B by controlling charger 3 based on information such as pilot signal CPLT.

  On the other hand, the charging stand 10 includes a commercial power supply 11, a switching device SW, a charging cable CA, and an ECU 100. The commercial power supply 11 is a so-called single-phase three-wire AC power supply that is widely used in Japan and the like.

  Charging cable CA has one end connected to switching device SW via connecting portion 13 and the other end connected to connector 12. The connector 12 is a connector configured to be connectable to the inlet 2 of the vehicle 1. In addition, the connection part 13 may be comprised with a connector, and the charging cable CA and the charging stand 10 may be made detachable.

  The switching device SW is provided between the commercial power supply 11 and the charging cable CA. The switching device SW switches the voltage supplied from the charging station 10 to the vehicle 1 via the charging cable CA. Commercial power supply 11 and switching device SW are connected by power lines L1 and L2 and neutral line Ln. AC power of 100 volts is supplied from the commercial power supply 11 to the power line L1. The power line L2 is supplied from the commercial power supply 11 with 100 volt AC power whose phase is shifted by 180 degrees with respect to the power line L1.

  Power line L (+) of charging cable CA is directly connected to power line L1 from commercial power supply 11. The switching device SW has a switch circuit that connects the power line L (−) of the charging cable CA to either the power line L2 from the commercial power supply 11 or the neutral line Ln. The switching device SW switches the connection destination of the power line L (−) to one of the neutral line Ln and the power line L2 according to the switching signal S transmitted from the ECU 100 via the communication line L4.

  ECU 100 generates switching signal S and transmits it to switching device SW, and also generates pilot signal CPLT and transmits it to vehicle 1 via pilot signal line Lc. ECU 100 controls both pilot signal CPLT and switching device SW based on power command value Pcom input from the outside by a user operation or the like. Pilot signal CPLT is a signal indicating an allowable current value of charging station 10 (a current value that charging station 10 can supply to an electric vehicle such as vehicle 1 via charging cable CA). By transmitting the pilot signal CPLT to the vehicle 1, the allowable current value of the charging station 10 is transmitted to the vehicle 1.

(Inlet assembly 200)
Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the structure of the inlet assembly 200 in this Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 2 is a front view of the inlet assembly 200 according to the embodiment. As an example, the inlet assembly 200 is accommodated in an inlet opening 1h provided on a side surface of the vehicle 1 (for example, a right rear fender of the vehicle). The inlet opening 1h can be opened and closed by a cover (not shown).

  The inlet assembly 200 includes an inlet 2 to which the connector 12 is connected, an inlet base 2b that fixes the inlet 2 to the vehicle 1, and a cylindrical shape that surrounds the inlet 2 and guides the connection of the connector 12 to the inlet 2. The guide wall 2a is included. In the present embodiment, the inlet 2, the inlet base 2b, and the guide wall 2a are integrally formed of a resin molded product.

  A lock wall 2c that can engage a lock pin 12a (see FIG. 1) provided on the connector 12 side is provided on the outer peripheral upper end surface of the cylindrical guide wall 2a. A positioning groove 2h into which a positioning wall 12c (see FIG. 1) provided on the connector 12 side is fitted is provided on the lower end surface of the cylindrical guide wall 2a.

  When the connector 12 is inserted into the inlet 2, the lock pin 12 a gets over the lock wall 2 c by pushing in while positioning the positioning wall 12 c provided on the connector 12 side into the positioning groove 2 h. Thereby, the connection state of the inlet 2 and the connector 12 is fixed.

  When the connector 12 is pulled out from the inlet 2, the lock release button 12b (see FIG. 1) provided on the connector 12 side is pressed to release the lock pin 12a from the lock wall 2c. The connector 12 can be pulled out.

  The inlet assembly 200 includes an inlet cover 2d for protecting the inlet 2. The inlet cover 2d is connected to the guide wall 2a by a cover hinge 2e so as to be opened and closed. In addition, a lock lever 2f for fixing the closed state of the inlet cover 2d is provided. The lock lever 2f is also rotatably connected to the guide wall 2a by a lock lever hinge 2g.

  An inlet shield 30 is provided on the back side (the inside of the vehicle 1), which is the opposite side to the front side where the inlet 2 of the inlet base 2b is provided. The inlet shield 30 is made of a flexible material made of rubber, elastomer or the like. The inlet shield 30 is blindfolded so that the inside of the vehicle 1 cannot be seen. In addition, the inlet shield 30 suppresses the entry of moisture from the outside into the vehicle body.

(Water drain structure)
Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the water drain structure provided in the inlet assembly 200 will be described. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the inlet assembly 200. 3, a longitudinal sectional view of the inlet assembly 200 shown in FIG. 2 is shown. The left side in FIG. 3 corresponds to the outside side of the vehicle 1 (hereinafter also referred to as the front side), and the right side in FIG. 3 corresponds to the inside side of the vehicle 1 (hereinafter also referred to as the back side). The inlet assembly 200 is disposed so as to be inclined gently upward toward the outside of the vehicle 1. For example, the inlet assembly 200 may be tilted with a tilt angle of 20 ° with respect to the horizontal direction.

  A hollow cylindrical sleeve portion 20 projects toward the inside of the vehicle 1 from the back side of the inlet base 2b. A hollow space 21 is formed inside the sleeve portion 20. One end of the sleeve portion 20 is joined to the back surface of the inlet base 2b. The other end of the sleeve portion 20 is in contact with the retainer 40. The retainer 40 has an abutment surface 41 with which the end of the sleeve portion 20 abuts. The hollow space 21 is surrounded by the back surface of the inlet base 2b, the inner wall surface of the sleeve portion 20, and the contact surface 41 of the retainer 40, and has an outer edge defined.

  The peripheral portion 44 of the retainer 40 stands up toward the sleeve portion 20 and is provided so as to surround the outer surface of the sleeve portion 20. The retainer 40 also has a protruding portion 42 in which a part of the contact surface 41 protrudes toward the inlet base 2b. As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 42 is disposed in the hollow space 21.

  When the inlet assembly 200 is flooded, water may enter the hollow space 21 on the back side of the inlet base 2b from the outside of the vehicle 1. In order to avoid the water that has entered the hollow space 21 from further entering the vehicle 1 side, it is necessary to quickly discharge the water from the hollow space 21 to the outside of the vehicle. Therefore, the inlet assembly 200 according to the present embodiment has a water draining structure for discharging water to the outside of the vehicle so that the water does not accumulate in the hollow space 21 when water enters the hollow space 21. Is provided.

  Specifically, a drain hole 22 that penetrates the inlet base 2b and communicates the hollow space 21 and the front side of the inlet base 2b is formed at the lower end of the sleeve portion 20. Further, the retainer 40 has a protrusion 42 in which the contact surface 41 protrudes into the hollow space 21 at the lowermost portion in the hollow space 21. The drain hole 22 and the protrusion 42 constitute the drain structure of the present embodiment.

  When water enters the hollow space 21, the water flows downward in the hollow space 21 due to the action of gravity, so the drain hole 22 is formed at the lowermost part of the hollow space 21. An inner surface 23 of the drainage hole 22 facing the hollow space 21 is provided inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. The inner surface 23 is formed so as to be inclined downward from the inner side to the outer side of the vehicle 1 so that water flowing through the drain hole 22 flows from the hollow space 21 to the surface side of the inlet base 2b and is discharged to the outside of the vehicle. Has been.

  The protrusion 42 is formed by deforming a part of the retainer 40 in the thickness direction. When the retainer 40 is viewed from the back surface opposite to the contact surface 41, the back surface of the retainer 40 is recessed at the position where the protrusion 42 is formed. The protruding portion 42 includes a parallel portion 45 that extends parallel to the extending direction of the sleeve portion 20 and an inclined portion 46 that is inclined with respect to the extending direction of the sleeve portion 20. The parallel portion 45 is formed in an arc shape, and is arranged so that the cylindrical inner surface of the sleeve portion 20 and the parallel portion 45 are in surface contact with each other without any gap, and thereby, between the parallel portion 45 and the sleeve portion 20. The retention of water is suppressed.

  The inclined portion 46 is formed so as to protrude toward the inlet base 2b as it goes downward in the vertical direction. The surface of the inclined portion 46 facing the hollow space 21 forms a tapered surface 43 that extends in an oblique direction with respect to the direction in which the contact surface 41 extends. The tapered surface 43 is farthest from the contact surface 41 at the tip of the protrusion 42. The tip of the protrusion 42 is connected to the drain hole 22. The protrusion 42 and the drain hole 22 are formed so that the tapered surface 43 and the inner surface 23 are continuous. The tip of the protrusion 42 may protrude into the drain hole 22, and a part of the parallel part 45 at the tip of the protrusion 42 may face the inner surface 23 of the drain hole 22, but the water between the parallel part 45 and the inner surface 23 may be From the viewpoint of suppressing the retention of the protrusions, it is desirable that the protrusion dimension that the protrusion 42 protrudes into the drain hole 22 is smaller. Typically, as shown in FIG. 3, it is desirable to form the protrusions 42 and the drain holes 22 so that the protruding dimension is zero.

  As described above, in the inlet assembly 200 of the present embodiment, the drain hole 22 penetrating the inlet base 2b is formed, and the protrusion 42 is provided on the retainer 40 on the back side. As a result, when the moisture that has entered the hollow space 21 reaches the retainer 40, the moisture flows downward due to the action of gravity, and flows along the tapered surface 43 as indicated by the broken line arrow W1 in FIG. Moisture that has reached the bottom of the hollow space 21 flows from the hollow space 21 toward the outside of the vehicle 1 through the drain hole 22 as indicated by a broken-line arrow W2 in FIG. Discharged.

  As a result, the moisture that has entered the interior of the inlet assembly 200 can be prevented from staying in the hollow space 21, and the moisture can be quickly discharged to the outside. Therefore, the moisture from the inlet assembly 200 to the inside of the vehicle 1 can be reduced. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of defects such as the intrusion of water or the freezing of moisture inside the inlet assembly 200. The water that has entered the interior of the inlet assembly 200 flows from the hollow space 21 through the drain hole 22 to the front side of the inlet base 2b and is discharged directly to the outside of the vehicle. Since the structure can be simplified, the manufacturing cost of the inlet assembly 200 can be reduced.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a modified inlet assembly 200. In the inlet assembly 200 shown in FIG. 4, the protrusion 42 formed on the retainer 40 has such a height that the tip of the tapered surface 43 does not reach the base end of the drain hole 22. Even if the inlet assembly 200 has the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the protrusion 42 having the tapered surface 43 is formed on the retainer 40, thereby reducing the amount of water remaining in the hollow space 21. The effect which can suppress retention of the water in 21 can be acquired similarly. 4 has a smaller dimensional accuracy requirement than the configuration in which the tip of the protrusion 42 shown in FIG. 3 is continuous with the base end of the drain hole 22 and the tapered surface 43 and the inner surface 23 are continuous. Therefore, it can be manufactured more easily.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described as above, the embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  1 vehicle, 1h inlet opening, 2 inlet, 2b inlet base, 3 charger, 4,100 ECU, 10 charging stand, 11 commercial power supply, 12 connector, 13 connecting portion, 20 sleeve portion, 21 hollow space, 22 drainage hole , 23 Inner surface, 30 Inlet shield, 40 Retainer, 41 Contact surface, 42 Protruding part, 43 Tapered surface, 44 Peripheral part, 45 Parallel part, 46 Inclined part, 60 Cable, 200 Inlet assembly.

Claims (3)

An inlet assembly provided in a vehicle that charges a power storage device mounted inside using an external power source,
An inlet coupled to a connector connected to the external power source;
An inlet base for fixing the inlet to the vehicle;
A sleeve portion protruding to the back side of the inlet base;
A retainer that covers the back side of the sleeve portion,
A hollow space surrounded by the inlet base, the sleeve portion, and the retainer is formed on the back side of the inlet base,
A drainage hole that penetrates the inlet base and communicates the hollow space and the front side of the inlet base is formed at the lowermost portion of the sleeve portion,
The retainer includes a protrusion that protrudes toward the inlet base.
The said protrusion part is an inlet assembly which has a taper surface which adjoins the said inlet base as it goes to a perpendicular direction lower side.   The inlet assembly according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion is in surface contact with an inner peripheral surface of the sleeve portion.   The inlet assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tapered surface at the tip of the protrusion and the inner surface of the drain hole are continuous.

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