JP2023019508A - charging connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of facilitating work of assembling a charging connector.SOLUTION: A charging connector 10 comprises: a power terminal 22; a signal terminal 24; a housing 50 that holds the power terminal 22 and the signal terminal 24; and a retainer 60 combined with the housing 50. The signal terminal 24 has a cylindrical part 25a provided at a tip side and into which a terminal of an external charging connector is inserted. A slit 25f is formed at a tip part of the cylindrical part 25a to divide a portion along a circumferential direction of the cylindrical part 25a from the other portion. A width dimension of a tip of the slit 25f is smaller than a width dimension of a wall such as a convex part 53g appearing at a rear end part of the housing 50 when the rear end part of the housing 50 is observed from an inserting/drawing-out direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

The present disclosure relates to charging connectors.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a vehicle connector such as a charging inlet mounted on a vehicle. In the vehicle connector, terminals are attached to the housing.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-83130

It is desired that the assembly work of the connector, such as the work of attaching the terminals to the housing, is easy.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technology that facilitates assembly work of a charging connector.

A charging connector of the present disclosure is a charging connector that is mounted on a vehicle, is mated with an external charging connector that is connected to an external power source of the vehicle, and is used for charging a battery that is provided in the vehicle, wherein the battery is charged. First and second power terminals used for power supply, which are thinner than the first and second power terminals and transmit signals between the outside of the vehicle and the control unit of the vehicle. a housing that holds a plurality of signal terminals, the first and second power terminals, and the plurality of signal terminals, and that is fitted with the external charging connector at a front end along the insertion/removal direction of the external charging connector; a retainer united with the rear end of the housing and holding the first and second power terminals and the plurality of signal terminals together with the housing, wherein each of the plurality of signal terminals is provided on the tip side. a tubular portion into which the terminal of the external charging connector is inserted, and a slit is formed at the tip of the tubular portion to separate a portion of the tubular portion along the circumferential direction from the other portion, In the charging connector, the width of the tip of the slit is smaller than the width of the wall appearing at the rear end of the housing when the rear end of the housing is viewed from the insertion/removal direction.

According to the present disclosure, the work of assembling the charging connector is facilitated.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a charging connector according to Embodiment 1 and its assembly mode. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the charging connector according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the charging connector according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the charging connector according to the first embodiment; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an electric wire with a terminal and its housing position. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating wire paths in the charging connector. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the difference in signal terminals. FIG. 9 is a rear view showing the rear end portion of the housing body. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the housing body and the signal terminals. FIG. 11 is a rear view showing the retainer. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a retainer. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating how the retainer presses the terminals from behind. FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which three types of signal terminals are accommodated in regular terminal accommodating portions. FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which one type of signal terminal is accommodated in three types of terminal accommodating portions. FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which another type of signal terminals are accommodated in three types of terminal accommodating portions. FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which still another type of signal terminals are accommodated in three types of terminal accommodating portions. FIG. 18 is a schematic rear view showing a state in which two types of signal terminals are accommodated in regular terminal accommodating portions. FIG. 19 is a rear view of the charging connector according to the second embodiment. FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a signal terminal. FIG. 21 is a rear view showing the retainer. FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the signal terminals are accommodated in the terminal accommodating portions.

[Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure]
First, the embodiments of the present disclosure are listed and described.

The charging connector of the present disclosure is as follows.

(1) A charging connector that is mounted on a vehicle, is mated with an external charging connector that is connected to an external power source of the vehicle, and is used to charge a battery provided in the vehicle, and is used to supply power to the battery. and a plurality of signal terminals formed thinner than the first and second power terminals for transmitting signals between the outside of the vehicle and a control unit of the vehicle. a housing that holds the first and second power terminals and the plurality of signal terminals, and that is fitted with the external charging connector at a front end along the insertion/removal direction of the external charging connector; and a rear end of the housing. a retainer that is combined with the portion and holds the first and second power terminals and the plurality of signal terminals together with the housing, each of the plurality of signal terminals being provided on a distal end side of the external power terminal; It has a tubular portion into which the terminal of the charging connector is inserted, and a slit is formed at the tip of the tubular portion to divide a part of the tubular portion along the circumferential direction from the other part, and the tip of the slit is formed. is smaller than the width of the wall appearing at the rear end of the housing when the rear end of the housing is viewed from the insertion/removal direction. Since the width of the slit in the cylindrical portion is smaller than the width of the wall of the housing, it is possible to prevent the wall of the housing from entering the slit when the signal terminal is not properly inserted into the housing. This facilitates the work of attaching the terminals to the housing.

(2) In the charging connector of (1), each of the plurality of signal terminals includes a wire connection portion provided on a rear end side to which a signal wire is electrically connected, and the tubular portion and the wire connection portion. and an intermediate portion provided between, wherein the intermediate portion has a protruding portion that protrudes from the cylindrical portion in a direction intersecting the insertion/removal direction, and the retainer extends along the wire connection portion. and a terminal pressing portion that presses the projecting portion toward the housing. As a result, the signal terminal is prevented from coming off by using the projecting portion. Since the projecting portion is sandwiched between the housing and the retainer to prevent the terminal from coming off, there is no need to deform the projecting portion when inserting the terminal into the housing.

(3) In the charging connector of (2), the retainer is formed with a through hole penetrating the retainer along the insertion/removal direction, the terminal holding portion is formed along the periphery of the through hole, and the through hole may be greater than the maximum width dimension of the intermediate portion of the signal terminal. As a result, the signal terminal can pass through the retainer through the through hole after the signal terminal is connected to the signal line, and the terminal pressing portion can be locked to the projecting portion after the signal terminal that has passed through the through hole is housed in the housing. can be done. This eliminates the need to connect the terminals to the signal lines after they have been passed through the retainer, thereby facilitating the assembly work of the connector.

(4) In the charging connector of (3), the terminal holding portion has a protruding tubular portion formed in a tubular shape surrounding the signal terminal on the wire connecting portion side of the protruding portion, and the penetrating portion The holes include a hollow portion of the protruding tubular portion, a terminal insertion hole positioned outside the protruding tubular portion, and a terminal presser formed in the protruding tubular portion and communicating the hollow portion and the terminal inserting hole. The minimum width dimension on the electrical connection part side of the projecting part of the signal terminal or the diameter of the signal wire connected to the signal terminal is equal to the width dimension of the terminal holding part side slit It may be the same or smaller, and the maximum width dimension of the intermediate portion may be greater than the width dimension of the terminal pressing portion side slit. Accordingly, after the signal terminal with the signal wire is received in the housing through the through hole, the rear end portion of the signal terminal or the signal wire can be inserted into the hollow portion of the protruding cylindrical portion through the slit on the side of the terminal pressing portion. Further, after the rear end portion of the signal terminal or the signal wire is accommodated in the hollow portion, the retainer moves along the signal terminal with the signal wire and is attached to the housing, whereby the signal terminal is accommodated in the protruding tubular portion. A distal end portion of the protruding cylindrical portion can be locked to the protruding portion.

(5) In the charging connector of (4), as the through-hole, one terminal insertion hole communicates with the hollow portion of the first protruding cylindrical portion via the first terminal pressing portion side slit. In addition, a shared through-hole is provided that communicates with the hollow portion of the second protruding cylindrical portion through the second terminal pressing portion side slit, and the common through-hole communicates with the first terminal pressing portion side. An insulating wall may be provided at a portion where the slit and the second terminal holding portion side slit are connected by a straight line. As a result, it is possible to secure an insulation distance for a plurality of signal terminals inserted into the housing via the shared through-hole.

(6) The charging connector according to any one of (3) to (5), further comprising a thermistor attached to the power terminal, and an electric wire attached to the thermistor, wherein the thermistor is connected to the power terminal. The wires of the thermistor may be housed in the housing together with the terminals, and the wires of the thermistor may pass through the retainer through the through holes. As a result, even if the thermistor is accommodated in the housing together with the power terminal, the electric wire of the thermistor can extend toward the inside of the vehicle. In addition, the thermistor can be arranged in the power terminal at a position close to the connecting portion with the mating terminal, so that the temperature detection accuracy of the power terminal by the thermistor is enhanced.

(7) In the charging connector according to any one of (1) to (6), the tubular portion has a tubular portion main body and a plurality of elastic pieces protruding from a distal end portion of the tubular portion main body, and the plurality of The elastic pieces protrude from positions apart from each other along the circumferential direction of the tubular portion main body, and the slits are formed between the plurality of elastic pieces arranged in the circumferential direction, and the tubular portion main body includes the tubular portion A body-side slit extending from one axial end to the other axial end of the body may be formed. As a result, there is room for deformation of the cylindrical portion in the radial direction during insertion and removal.

(8) In the charging connector of (7), the width dimension of the rear end portions of the plurality of elastic pieces is smaller than the width dimension of the tip portions of the plurality of elastic pieces, and the width of the rear end portion of the slit is It may be larger than the width of the tip of the slit. As a result, the plurality of elastic pieces are easily deformed in the radial direction during insertion and removal.

(9) In the charging connector of (7) or (8), the diameter of the cylindrical portion at the distal end of the plurality of elastic pieces is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical portion at the rear end of the plurality of elastic pieces. good too

[Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure]
A specific example of the charging connector of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

[Embodiment 1]
The charging connector according to the first embodiment will be described below.

<About the vehicle>
First, a vehicle in which a charging connector is incorporated will be described.

A vehicle in which the charging connector is incorporated is an electric vehicle that includes a power storage device and a motor. The vehicle runs by driving the motor with the electric power of the power storage device. The vehicle may be an electric vehicle having only a motor as a drive source, or a hybrid vehicle having a motor and an engine. A power storage device in a vehicle is charged with electric power supplied from an external power supply. The charging connector is configured such that an external charging connector can be inserted and electrically connected. The external charging connector is a connector for a charging cable extending from an external power supply.

Generally, there are normal charging and rapid charging as modes of charging a power storage device in a vehicle. Rapid charging enables charging in a shorter time than normal charging by allowing a larger current to flow than normal charging. For normal charging, it is assumed that a household power source or an equivalent external power source is used. In rapid charging, it is assumed that a dedicated power supply such as a charging stand is used. The charging connector of the present disclosure will be described as a charging connector that supports rapid charging.

<Charging connector in vehicle>
Referring to FIG. 1, a manner of assembling a charging connector in a vehicle will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a charging connector 10 according to Embodiment 1 and its assembly mode.

Charging connector 10 is attached, for example, to attachment portion 100 provided on the outer surface of the body of the vehicle. An example of the mounting portion 100 is shown in FIG. The mounting portion 100 is formed, for example, in a concave shape in which a part of a panel forming the body is concave inside the vehicle. A through hole 104 is formed in the bottom panel 102 of the mounting portion 100 .

A connecting portion with an external charging connector is provided on the front side of the charging connector 10 . The connecting portion includes a portion into which an external charging connector is inserted and electrically connected. A portion of charging connector 10 , including the connection portion, penetrates through hole 104 and is exposed to the outside of panel 102 . Another part of charging connector 10 is arranged inside the vehicle rather than panel 102 . Usually, the mounting portion 100 is provided with a vehicle body side cover 106 . The vehicle body side cover 106 is attached by a hinge or the like so as to be openable and closable. The vehicle body side cover 106 covers the opening of the panel 102 when the vehicle body side cover 106 is closed. When the vehicle body side cover 106 is opened, the charging connector 10 is exposed and can be accessed from the outside.

In the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 1, of the X, Y, and Z directions that are orthogonal to each other, the X direction is parallel to the direction in which the charging connector 10 penetrates the through hole 104 of the panel 102. be. The charging connector 10 and the external charging connector are connected in the X direction. The Z direction is, for example, the vertical direction. For example, when charging connector 10 is provided on the side of the vehicle, the Y direction is the front-rear direction of the vehicle. For example, when charging connector 10 is provided on the front or rear surface of the vehicle, the Y direction is the width direction of the vehicle. In the following description, the members that are not in the attached state are also explained according to the directions corresponding to the X, Y, and Z directions when they are in the attached state.

<Overall composition>
The overall configuration of charging connector 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7 in addition to FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the charging connector 10 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the charging connector 10 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the charging connector 10 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the terminal-equipped wire 38 and its accommodating position. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the route of the electric wire 30 in the charging connector 10. As shown in FIG. Note that the electric wire 30 is omitted in FIG. Also, in FIG. 6, some of the electric wires 38 with terminals are omitted.

Charging connector 10 includes terminal 20 , electric wire 30 , thermistor unit 40 , housing 50 , retainer 60 , electric wire cover 70 , lid unit 80 and grommet 90 .

<Terminal>
Terminals 20 include connector terminals 21 and relay terminals 28 . Connector terminals 21 are accommodated in housing 50 . The connector terminals 21 are connected to terminals of the mating connector. The number and type of connector terminals 21 are appropriately set according to the standard of charging connector 10 and the like. In the example of this embodiment, two power terminals 22 , six signal terminals 24 and one ground terminal 26 are provided as connector terminals 21 . The relay terminal 28 is interposed between the power terminal 22 and the electric wire 30 . The relay terminals 28 are provided in the same number as the power terminals 22 (here, two). The two power terminals 22 are an example of first and second power terminals. Either one of the two power terminals 22 may be used as the first power terminal.

The power terminal 22 has a mating connection portion 23a, a terminal fixing portion 23b, and a projecting portion 23c. The power terminal 22 further has a thermistor mounting portion 23d. The signal terminal 24 has a mating connection portion 25a, a wire connection portion 25b, and a projecting portion 25c. The ground terminal 26 has a mating connection portion 27a, a wire connection portion 27b, and a projecting portion 27c. The relay terminal 28 has a terminal fixing portion 29a and a wire connection portion 29b.

The mating connection portions 23a, 25a, and 27a are portions electrically connected to connector terminals of the external charging connector. Holes through which the screws S can be inserted are formed in the terminal fixing portions 23b and 29a. The power terminal 22 and the relay terminal 28 are electrically connected and fixed by being fixed by screws S at the terminal fixing portions 23b and 29a. The wire connection portions 25b, 27b, 29b are crimp portions having barrels. The signal terminal 24, the ground terminal 26, and the relay terminal 28 are crimped to the ends of the wires 30 corresponding to the barrels of the wire connection portions 25b, 27b, and 29b, respectively. Thereby, the signal terminal 24 , the ground terminal 26 and the relay terminal 28 are fixed while being electrically connected to the corresponding electric wires 30 . Projections 23 c , 25 c , and 27 c are provided in intermediate portions of each connector terminal 21 . The projecting portions 23 c , 25 c , 27 c are portions held down by the retainer 60 . The thermistor mounting portion 23d is a portion to which the thermistor unit 40 is mounted.

Each terminal 20 is formed by pressing (bending) a metal plate. The plate thickness of each terminal 20 may be set according to the allowable current value or the like. The thicker the plate, the larger the cross-sectional area of the conductor and the larger the allowable current value. In this example, the plate thickness of the signal terminal 24 is thinner than the plate thickness of the power terminal 22 and the plate thickness of the ground terminal 26 . Further, the plate thickness of the ground terminal 26 is thinner than the plate thickness of the power terminal 22 . The plate thickness of the relay terminal 28 is the same as the plate thickness of the power terminal 22 .

The signal terminal 24 is thinner than the power terminal 22 and the ground terminal 26 , and the ground terminal 26 is thinner than the power terminal 22 . The mating connection portions 23a, 25a and 27a of the power terminal 22, the signal terminal 24 and the ground terminal 26 are formed in a cylindrical shape. The mating connection portion 25 a of the signal terminal 24 has a smaller diameter than the mating connection portions 23 a and 27 a of the power terminal 22 and the ground terminal 26 . It has a smaller diameter than the portion 23a.

<Electric wire>
One end of each wire 30 is connected to the terminal 20 . The other end of each electric wire 30 extends outside from the grommet 90 . With the charging connector 10 mounted on the vehicle, the other end of each electric wire 30 is connected to another device mounted on the vehicle. Such a device is appropriately set according to the type of the electric wire 30, and is assumed to be, for example, a battery, an electronic control unit (ECU), or the like. The number and types of wires 30 correspond to the number and types of connector terminals 21 . In the example of this embodiment, the wires 30 include two power lines 32 , six signal lines 34 and one ground line 36 . One end of the power line 32 is connected to the relay terminal 28 . The power line 32 is connected to the power terminal 22 via the relay terminal 28 . One end of the signal line 34 is connected to the signal terminal 24 . One end of the ground wire 36 is connected to the ground terminal 26 . One end of the thermistor electric wire 44 is connected to the thermistor 42 .

Each wire 30 is a covered wire. The coated electric wire has a core wire 31a and a coating 31b covering the core wire 31a. The core wire 31a is formed by, for example, twisting a plurality of metal strands. The coating 31b is formed by, for example, extruding an insulating resin around the core wire 31a. A plurality of types of electric wires 30 having different thicknesses are used as the electric wires 30 . The thickness of the electric wire 30 is set according to the allowable current value and the like. Generally, in order to increase the allowable current value, it is necessary to increase the cross-sectional area of the conductor, and the thickness of the electric wire 30 is increased accordingly. Also, the thickness of the electric wire 30 generally correlates with the difficulty of bending the electric wire 30, and the thicker the electric wire 30, the more difficult it is to bend the electric wire 30. For example, when an easy-to-bend electric wire and a hard-to-bend electric wire are bent by the same angle, the radius of curvature of the hard-to-bend electric wire is larger than that of the easy-to-bend electric wire, and accordingly, a large arrangement space is required.

In this example, the power line 32 is thicker than the ground line 36 and signal line 34 . Therefore, the power line 32 is less likely to bend than the ground line 36 and the signal line 34 . Also, the ground line 36 is thicker than the signal line 34 . Therefore, the ground line 36 is less likely to bend than the signal line 34 . The power terminal 22, relay terminal 28 and power line 32 are used to supply power to the battery. Signal terminals 24 and signal lines 34 transmit signals between the exterior of the vehicle and the vehicle's control unit. The ground terminal 26 and ground line 36 are used for grounding.

<Electric wire with terminal>
The terminal 20 and the electric wire 30 are electrically connected to each other by crimping, and are fixed and integrated at a stage in the middle of manufacturing the charging connector 10 . Such an integrated wire 30 and terminal 20 is sometimes called a terminal-equipped wire 38 . In this example, a terminal-attached wire 38 in which the power line 32 and the relay terminal 28 are integrated, a terminal-attached wire 38 in which the signal wire 34 and the signal terminal 24 are integrated, and a terminal in which the ground wire 36 and the ground terminal 26 are integrated An attached wire 38 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal-equipped electric wire 38 may be covered with a shrinkable tube 39 to form a water stop. A shrinkable tube 39 covers the connecting portion between the electric wire 30 and the terminal 20 . As a result, it is possible to prevent water from splashing onto the connecting portion between the electric wire 30 and the terminal 20 and from entering the coating. The connecting portion between the electric wire 30 and the terminal 20 is the crimping portion between the barrels of the electric wire connecting portions 25 b , 27 b , 29 b and the core wires of the signal line 34 , the ground line 36 and the power line 32 .

The shrinkable tube 39 covers, for example, a portion of the terminal 20 that is in front of the portion to which the electric wire 30 is connected to a covered portion of the electric wire 30 . The shrinkable tube 39 is a heat-shrinkable tube 39 that shrinks when heated. The heat-shrinkable tube 39 is put over the terminal-equipped wire 38 in a large-diameter state before being heated. After that, when the heat-shrinkable tube 39 is heated and shrunk, it assumes a shape corresponding to the shape of the connecting portion, thereby being able to adhere to the connecting portion. For example, the inner surface of the heat-shrinkable tube 39 may be provided with a hot-melt adhesive. As a result, the hot-melt adhesive can fill the gap between the heat-shrinkable tube 39 and the terminal 20 and the gap between the heat-shrinkable tube 39 and the wire 30, and the waterproofness of the shrinkable tube 39 is enhanced. The inner surface of the heat-shrinkable tube 39 may not be provided with hot-melt adhesive.

In the terminal-equipped electric wire 38 , the water stop portion may not be the shrinkable tube 39 . For example, instead of the shrinkable tube 39, a resin such as an adhesive may be provided. Moreover, in the electric wire 38 with a terminal, the crimped portion may be exposed without being provided with a waterproof portion. The terminal-equipped electric wire 38 may be watertight with a rubber plug or the like.

<Thermistor unit>
The thermistor unit 40 measures the temperature of the power supply circuit. In the charging connector 10 for rapid charging, a large current flows through the power supply circuit for charging the battery, so the temperature of the power supply circuit rises correspondingly. By monitoring the temperature of the power supply circuit using the thermistor unit 40, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the power supply circuit from becoming too high. The thermistor unit 40 has a thermistor 42 and a thermistor wire 44 . In this example, a thermistor 42 is attached to each of the pair of power terminals 22 to measure the temperature of each of the pair of power terminals 22 . One end of the thermistor electric wire 44 is connected to the thermistor 42 . The other end of the thermistor electric wire 44 extends outside from the grommet 90 like the other end of the electric wire 30 . With the charging connector 10 mounted on the vehicle, the other end of the thermistor wire 44 is connected to an ECU or the like, for example. The thermistor wire 44 is thinner than the power wire 32 and the ground wire 36 . Therefore, the thermistor wire 44 is more likely to bend than the power line 32 and the ground wire 36 .

<Housing>
The housing 50 holds the connector terminal 21 at a predetermined position (a position where it can be connected to the connector terminal 21 of the external charging connector). The housing 50 is fitted with the external charging connector at the front end along the inserting/removing direction of the external charging connector. The housing 50 includes a housing body 51 , a vehicle mounting portion 54 and a wire holding portion 57 .

The connector terminals 21 are accommodated in the housing body 51 . The housing body 51 has a plurality of terminal accommodating portions 53 and an outer frame portion 52 . Each of the plurality of terminal accommodating portions 53 is formed in a tubular shape capable of accommodating the corresponding connector terminal 21 . The outer frame portion 52 is formed in a tubular shape surrounding the plurality of terminal accommodating portions 53 . At an intermediate portion of the terminal accommodating portion 53, the terminal accommodating portions 53 and the outer frame portion 52 are connected by a flat connecting portion. A lid unit 80 is attached to the front of the housing body 51 . A retainer 60 is attached to the rear of the housing body 51 .

Vehicle mounting portion 54 is a portion for mounting charging connector 10 to mounting portion 100 . The vehicle mounting portion 54 is formed in a plate-like shape protruding around the outer frame portion 52 at the intermediate portion of the housing body 51 . The vehicle attachment portion 54 is attached to the attachment portion 100 by screws S or the like, for example.

The wire pressing portion 57 presses an intermediate portion of the wire 30 extending from the terminal 20 . As a result, the vibration generated on the other end side of the wire 30 from the portion held by the wire holding portion 57 is less likely to be transmitted to the terminal 20, and the contact between the terminal 20 and the housing body 51 is suppressed. A block-shaped arm 56 protrudes in the Y direction from the outer frame portion 52 behind the housing body 51 . A wire pressing portion 57 is provided at the tip portion of the arm 56 along the direction in which the arm 56 protrudes from the housing body 51 . Three wire holding portions 57 are provided. Of the three wire holding portions 57 , two wire holding portions 57 hold two power lines 32 and the remaining one wire holding portion 57 holds one ground wire 36 .

<Retainer>
The retainer 60 prevents the terminals 20 from coming off from the housing 50 . Retainer 60 mates with the rear end of housing 50 to retain terminals 20 with housing 50 . The retainer 60 includes a terminal pressing portion 61 and ribs 69a and 69b.

The terminal pressing portion 61 presses the rear of the connector terminal 21 housed in the housing 50 . This prevents the connector terminal 21 from coming out of the housing 50 backward. Terminal pressing portion 61 includes a rear cover portion 62 and a plurality of projecting tubular portions 63 . The projecting tubular portion 63 presses the signal terminal 24 . The terminal pressing portion 61 further includes two power terminal pressing portions 63P and a ground terminal pressing portion 63G. The power terminal 22 is held down by the power terminal holding portion 63P, and the ground terminal 26 is held down by the ground terminal holding portion 63G.

The rear cover portion 62 closes the rear opening of the outer frame portion 52 . A plurality of protruding tubular portions 63 protrude forward (toward the housing 50 ) from the rear cover portion 62 . Each projecting tubular portion 63 is formed in a tubular shape. Protruding cylindrical portions 63 are formed at positions corresponding to the terminal accommodating portions 53 of the six signal terminals 24, respectively. The projecting tubular portion 63 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53 . Each protruding cylindrical portion 63 surrounds the signal terminal 24 on the wire connecting portion 25b side of the protruding portion 25c. Each projecting tubular portion 63 opens forwardly and rearwardly of the retainer 60 . When the protruding tubular portion 63 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53 , the rear end portion of the connector terminal 21 accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 53 is accommodated in the protruding tubular portion 63 from the front opening of the protruding tubular portion 63 . be. When each projecting tubular portion 63 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53, each projecting tubular portion 63 extends along the wire connection portion 25b of the signal terminal 24 to be accommodated. The tip of each protruding tubular portion 63 presses the protruding portion 25c of the corresponding signal terminal 24 toward the housing 50 from behind. The signal line 34 is led out from the rear opening of the corresponding projecting cylinder portion 63 .

Two power terminal pressing portions 63P and one ground terminal pressing portion 63G protrude forward (toward the housing 50) from the rear cover portion 62. As shown in FIG. The power terminal pressing portion 63</b>P is formed in a tubular shape like the projecting tubular portion 63 . The ground terminal pressing portion 63G is formed in a plate shape extending in the Y direction. Each power terminal pressing portion 63P presses the projecting portion 23c of the corresponding power terminal 22 toward the housing 50 from behind. The ground terminal pressing portion 63G presses the projecting portion 27c of the ground terminal 26 toward the housing 50 from behind. Through the rear opening of the power terminal pressing portion 63P, the power terminal 22 and the relay terminal 28 are screwed while being in contact with each other. The relay terminal 28 is arranged on the rear surface of the rear cover portion 62 . The rear opening of the power terminal holding portion 63P is closed by the relay terminal 28. As shown in FIG. The ground wire 36 is pulled out from a hole below the ground terminal pressing portion 63G.

The ribs 69 a and 69 b protrude rearward from the rear cover portion 62 . The ribs 69a and 69b separate the relay terminals 28 from each other. Further, the ribs 69a and 69b separate the relay terminal 28 and the signal terminal 24 from each other. The ribs 69 a and 69 b also position the relay terminal 28 . A portion of the relay terminal 28 that is connected to the power terminal 22 is arranged along the ribs 69a and 69b. The ribs 69 a and 69 b separate the terminal 20 accommodation space and the drainage space inside the grommet 90 . Dust or the like entering the drainage space from the drainage port 93 is suppressed from reaching the terminal 20 housing space. As a result, adhesion of dust or the like to the terminal 20 is suppressed.

The housing 50 and the retainer 60 are provided with locking portions. In this example, a locking protrusion formed on the housing 50 and a locking piece formed on the retainer 60 are provided as the locking portions. The housing 50 and the retainer 60 are kept attached to each other by the engagement of the engagement pieces with the engagement projections.

<Electric wire cover>
The wire cover 70 is attached to the wire holding portion 57 . The wire cover 70 prevents the wire 30 from coming off the wire holding portion 57 . The entire periphery of the wire 30 is covered by the wire cover 70 and the wire holding portion 57 . In this embodiment, two wire covers 70 are provided. One of the two wire covers 70 holds down the two power lines 32 . The other wire cover 70 of the two wire covers 70 holds down one ground wire 36 .

<Lid unit>
The lid unit 80 is provided in front of the housing body 51 so as to be openable and closable. The connection port of the housing body 51 is exposed by opening the lid unit 80 . Thereby, an external charging connector can be connected to the charging connector 10 . By closing the lid unit 80 , the connection port of the housing body 51 is closed by the lid unit 80 . The lid unit 80 has a lid 82 , a hinge unit 84 and a lock unit 86 . The lid 82 is attached to the housing body 51 via a hinge unit 84 so as to be openable and closable. A lock unit 86 keeps the lid 82 closed. An operator can operate the lock unit 86 to open the lid 82 during the charging operation.

<Grommet>
The grommet 90 is an example of an exterior member that collectively covers from the rear end portion of the housing 50 to intermediate portions of the power line 32 and the signal line 34 . Providing the grommet 90 as the exterior member is not an essential configuration. For example, a protector may be provided as the exterior member. Grommet 90 covers housing 50 and retainer 60 . Grommet 90 includes a first protector 91 and a second protector 94 . The first protection portion 91 covers the rear end portion of the housing body 51 and the retainer 60 . The second protection portion 94 covers the wire holding portion 57 . Grommet 90 is made of an elastomer such as EPDM, for example.

A housing drawer port 92 and a drain port 93 are formed in the first protection portion 91 . The front end of the housing body 51 extends outside the grommet 90 through the housing outlet 92 . Drain port 93 is an opening for draining water that has entered charging connector 10 to the outside. Such water is assumed to enter through the opening of the housing body 51 when the lid unit 80 is opened, for example. A binding band 98 is attached to the outer surface of the housing outlet 92 . Grommet 90 is attached to housing 50 by a tie band 98 .

A wire outlet 95 is formed in the second protection portion 94 . The other end of the wire 30 extends outside the grommet 90 through the wire outlet 95 . One grommet 90 is provided with three wire outlets 95 . Two of the three wire outlets 95 are provided for two power lines 32 . One power line 32 is passed through each of the two wire outlets 95 . The signal wire 34 , the ground wire 36 , and the thermistor wire 44 are collectively passed through the remaining one wire outlet 95 out of the three wire outlets 95 .

<Wire path in charging connector>
The power line 32 extends straight through the grommet 90 from one end connected to the relay terminal 28 toward the other end, and extends outside the grommet 90 through the wire outlet 95 . Therefore, one end of the power line 32 is not inserted into the through hole 64 of the retainer 60 .

The two power lines 32 extend in the grommet 90 side by side in the Z direction. The two power terminals 22 are housed in the housing body 51 side by side in the Y direction. The difference between the direction in which the two power lines 32 are arranged and the direction in which the two power terminals 22 are arranged is absorbed by the relay terminal 28 . More specifically, the two relay terminals 28 are arranged on the rear cover portion 62 respectively. The two relay terminals 28 extend in a direction crossing the insertion/removal direction. Of the two relay terminals 28 , the relay terminal 28 A is connected to the power terminal 22 closer to the wire outlet 95 , and the relay terminal 28 B is connected to the power terminal 22 farther from the wire outlet 95 . The relay terminals 28</b>A and 28</b>B are aligned in the Y direction at the portions connected to the power terminals 22 , and aligned in the Z direction at the portions connected to the electric wires 30 . The relay terminal 28A extends straight along the rear cover portion 62 between the portion connected to the power terminal 22 and the portion connected to the power line 32 . The relay terminal 28B is bent away from the rear cover portion 62 on the way from the portion connected to the power terminal 22 to the portion connected to the power line 32 . The main surface of the relay terminal 28B changes direction between the portion connected to the power terminal 22 and the portion connected to the power line 32 .

One end of the signal line 34 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53 . The other end of the signal line 34 extends from the through hole 64 of the retainer 60 and bends inside the grommet 90 toward the wire outlet 95 of the grommet 90 . Of the plurality of signal lines 34 , the signal line 34A is connected to the signal terminal 24 located above the power terminal 22 , and the signal line 34B is connected to the signal terminal 24 located below the power terminal 22 . After extending from the through-hole 64, the signal line 34A passes between the pair of power lines 32, merges with the signal line 34B, and extends in the Y direction.

One end of the ground wire 36 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53 . The ground wire 36 extends from one end to the other end through the through hole 64 of the retainer 60 , bends inside the grommet 90 , and heads toward the wire outlet 95 of the grommet 90 together with the signal wire 34 . As described above, since the ground line 36 is less likely to bend than the signal line 34, the ground line 36 is bent more than the signal line 34 at the portion where the signal line 34 and the ground line 36 are bent from the X direction to the Y direction. The radius of curvature tends to be large. By pressing the other end of the ground wire 36 with the wire pressing portion 57 of the housing 50 and the wire cover 70 , the ground wire 36 is prevented from expanding excessively within the grommet 90 .

The thermistor 42 is housed in the housing body 51 together with the power terminal 22 . Accordingly, one end of the thermistor electric wire 44 is also accommodated in the housing main body 51 . The other end of the thermistor electric wire 44 extends through the through hole 64 of the retainer 60 to the outside of the rear cover portion 62 , bends inside the grommet 90 , and heads toward the outlet of the grommet 90 . The thermistor electric wire 44 passes through a portion of the through hole 64 that is used for inserting the terminal-equipped electric wire 38 . The thermistor electric wire 44 extends in the Y direction together with the signal line 34 while passing between the pair of power lines 32 .

<Relationship between housing body and signal terminal>
The relationship between the housing body 51 and the signal terminals 24 will be described with further reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. FIG. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing differences in the signal terminal 24. FIG. 9 is a rear view showing the rear end portion of the housing body 51. FIG. In FIG. 9, the connector terminals 21 are arranged in the same arrangement as the terminal accommodating portions 53 . 5 is a rear view showing the rear end portion of the housing body 51. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the housing body 51 and the signal terminals 24. As shown in FIG. 10, the signal terminal 24 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 8, and the housing body 51 is a partially enlarged view of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, in this example, the multiple signal terminals 24 have three types of signal terminals 24A, 24B, and 24C. Here, one signal terminal 24A, three signal terminals 24B, and two signal terminals 24C are provided. The signal terminal 24A is accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 53A, and the signal terminal 24B is accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 53B. The terminal accommodating portions 53A and 53B are located above the line connecting the centers of the terminal accommodating portions 53 of the two power terminals 22 in the Z direction. The terminal accommodating portion 53A is surrounded by three terminal accommodating portions 53B. The terminal accommodating portions 53B are located on both sides of the terminal accommodating portion 53A in the Y direction. One terminal accommodating portion 53B is positioned next to the lower side of the terminal accommodating portion 53A in the Z direction. The terminal accommodating portion 53A and the lower terminal accommodating portion 53B are positioned at the center of the terminal accommodating portions 53 of the two power terminals 22 in the Y direction.

The three types of signal terminals 24A, 24B, 24C have different shapes. In the three types of signal terminals 24A, 24B, and 24C, the shape of each projecting portion 25c is different from each other. In each signal terminal 24A, 24B, 24C, the first and second protrusions 25c extend in opposite directions. Among the intermediate portions of each signal terminal 24, a connection portion that connects the mating connection portion 25a and the wire connection portion 25b is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape. The first projecting portion 25c extends from one end of the semi-cylindrical connecting portion in a direction away from the connecting portion. The second projecting portion 25c extends from the other end of the semi-cylindrical connecting portion in a direction away from the connecting portion. The distance between the tip of the first projecting portion 25c and the tip of the second projecting portion 25c from the semi-cylindrical connecting portion is the maximum width dimension of the signal terminal 24. As shown in FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the up-down direction on the paper surface is the direction parallel to the insertion/removal direction of the external charging connector. In the protrusion 25c of the signal terminal 24, the dimension along the insertion/removal direction is the width dimension of the protrusion 25c. In the example shown in FIG. 8, width dimensions W1A, W1B, and W1C are the width dimensions of the projecting portion 25c of each of the signal terminals 24A, 24B, and 24C. As shown in FIG. 8, width dimensions W1A and W1C of the protrusions 25c of the signal terminals 24A and 24C are smaller than width dimensions W1B of the protrusion 25c of the signal terminals 24B. Also, the width dimension W1A of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24A and the width dimension W1C of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24C are the same.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the horizontal direction of the paper surface is parallel to the direction in which the projecting portion 25c extends from the semi-cylindrical connecting portion. The dimension along the extending direction of the first and second protrusions 25 c of the signal terminal 24 is the width dimension of the signal terminal 24 . In the example shown in FIG. 8, width dimensions W2A, W2B, and W2C are width dimensions of the signal terminals 24A, 24B, and 24C, respectively. As shown in FIG. 8, the width dimension W2A of the signal terminal 24A is smaller than the width dimensions W2B and W2C of the signal terminals 24B and 24C. Also, the width dimension W2B of the signal terminal 24B is smaller than the width dimension W2C of the signal terminal 24C.

Further, each signal terminal 24 has a cylindrical portion 25a as a mating connection portion 25a. The cylindrical portion 25 a is provided on the tip side of the signal terminal 24 . A terminal of an external charging connector is inserted into the cylindrical portion 25a. The tubular portion 25a has a tubular portion main body 25d and a plurality of elastic pieces 25e. The plurality of elastic pieces 25e protrude from the distal end of the tubular body 25d toward the distal end. A plurality of elastic pieces 25 e form the tip of the signal terminal 24 . A semi-cylindrical connecting portion protrudes rearward from the rear end portion of the tubular portion main body 25d.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the length dimensions LA, LB, LC are the dimensions of the tube body 25d of each signal terminal 24A, 24B, 24C in the insertion/removal direction. The length dimension LA of the tubular body 25d of the signal terminal 24A is longer than the length dimensions LB and LC of the tubular body 25d of the signal terminals 24B and 24C. The length LB of the tube main body 25d of the signal terminal 24B is the same as the length LC of the tube main body 25d of the signal terminal 24C.

The terminal accommodating portion 53 for the signal terminal 24 has a first accommodating portion 53d and a second accommodating portion 53e. The first accommodation portion 53d accommodates the tip portion of the signal terminal 24 from the projecting portion 25c. The first accommodating portion 53d is formed to be the same as or slightly smaller than the tubular portion main body 25d. The second accommodating portion 53e accommodates the protruding portion 25c of the signal terminal 24 and the rear end portion of the protruding portion 25c. The second accommodating portion 53e is sized so that the protruding tubular portion 63 can be accommodated therein. The second housing portion 53e is larger than the first housing portion 53d in the direction intersecting the insertion/removal direction, and a step is formed between the first housing portion 53d and the second housing portion 53e. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the rear end surface of the first accommodation portion 53d appears on the rear end side through the second accommodation portion 53e. When the signal terminal 24 attempts to move toward the distal end side of the terminal housing portion 53 from the predetermined position in the insertion/removal direction, the protruding portion 25c is caught by the rear end surface of the first housing portion 53d, and further movement is restricted. be.

Two recesses 53f are formed in each first accommodation portion 53d. The two recesses 53f are circumferentially separated from each other on the inner surface of the first accommodating portion 53d. The two recesses 53f are formed in a portion of the first accommodation portion 53d that accommodates the tubular portion main body 25d and the rear end thereof. A convex portion 53g is provided between the two concave portions 53f. The two concave portions 53f and the convex portion 53g extend from the rear end portion to the intermediate portion of the first accommodating portion 53d. The two recesses 53f are provided on both sides of the lowermost portion in the Z direction of the inner surface of the first accommodating portion 53d. The convex portion 53g is provided at the lowest portion in the Z direction of the inner surface of the first accommodating portion 53d. The two recesses 53f are recessed downward along the Z direction. The rear end of the recess 53f is recessed in the Z direction by a greater amount than the front end of the recess 53f. On the rear end surface of the first accommodating portion 53d, the concave portion 53f and the convex portion 53g form an uneven shape in the X direction.

A second accommodation portion 53e of some of the terminal accommodation portions 53B and 53C is formed with a groove 53h into which the projecting portion 25c is fitted. First and second grooves 53h into which the first and second protrusions 25c are respectively fitted are formed in the second accommodation portions 53e of the terminal accommodation portions 53B and 53C. The first and second grooves 53h are formed at positions separated from each other by 180 degrees on the inner surface of the second housing portion 53e. Each groove 53h has a size corresponding to the protrusion 25c to be accommodated. Each groove 53h is recessed in a direction corresponding to the direction of the signal terminal 24 from the inner surface of the second accommodating portion 53e. The signal terminal 24B is accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 53B such that the first and second projecting portions 25c extend in the Y direction. The first and second grooves 53h in the terminal accommodating portion 53B are recessed in the Y direction from the inner surface of the second accommodating portion 53e. The signal terminal 24C is accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 53C such that the first and second projecting portions 25c extend in a direction intersecting the Y direction and the Z direction. The first and second grooves 53h in the terminal accommodating portion 53C are recessed from the inner surface of the second accommodating portion 53e in a direction intersecting the Y direction and the Z direction. The first and second projecting portions 25c of the signal terminals 24B and 24C are accommodated in the first and second grooves 53h of the terminal accommodating portions 53B and 53C. This suppresses the rotation of the signal terminals 24B and 24C around the axis along the insertion/removal direction.

The groove 53h is not formed in the second accommodating portion 53e of some of the terminal accommodating portions 53A. The second accommodating portion 53e of the terminal accommodating portion 53A is formed to have a size that accommodates the projecting portion 25c. A rotation suppressing convex portion 53i is formed in the second accommodating portion 53e of the terminal accommodating portion 53A. The rotation suppressing convex portion 53i protrudes inside the second housing portion 53e from a portion of the inner surface of the second housing portion 53e. The rotation suppressing convex portion 53i is positioned on the trajectory of the protruding portion 25c when the signal terminal 24A rotates around the axis along the insertion/removal direction. As shown in FIG. 9, the rotation suppressing protrusion 53i is provided at a different position from the recess 53f and the protrusion 53g when viewed from the X direction.

A slit 25f is formed at the tip of the cylindrical portion 25a. The slit 25f separates a portion along the circumferential direction of the cylinder portion 25a from the other portion. Here, slits 25f are provided between the plurality of elastic pieces 25e. The plurality of elastic pieces 25e protrude from positions apart from each other along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical body 25d. Slits 25f are formed between the plurality of elastic pieces 25e arranged in the circumferential direction. In this example, in one signal terminal 24, three elastic pieces 25e are arranged in the circumferential direction. Therefore, one signal terminal 24 is formed with three slits 25f.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, the width dimension W3 is the width of the tip of the slit 25f in the signal terminal 24C. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 10, the width dimension W4 is the width dimension of the convex portion 53g in the terminal accommodating portion 53 of the signal terminal 24C. The width dimension W4 is the width of the wall appearing at the rear end portion of the housing 50 when the rear end portion of the housing 50 is observed from the insertion/removal direction. The width dimension W3 of the slit 25f is smaller than the width dimension W4 of the projection 53g as a wall. Therefore, when the signal terminal 24C is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53, the protrusion 53g is prevented from entering the slit 25f, thereby facilitating the terminal insertion.

The width dimension of the tip of the slit 25f in the signal terminals 24A and 24B is the same as the width dimension of the tip of the slit 25f in the signal terminal 24C. Further, the width dimension of the protrusion 53g in the terminal accommodating portion 53 of the signal terminals 24A and 24B is the same as the width dimension of the protrusion 53g in the terminal accommodating portion 53 of the signal terminal 24C. Therefore, even when the signal terminals 24A and 24B are inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53, the convex portion 53g is prevented from entering the slit 25f, thereby facilitating the insertion of the terminals.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 10, the width dimension W5 is the width dimension of the convex portion 53g in the terminal accommodating portion 53 of the ground terminal 26. As shown in FIG. The convex portion 53g of the terminal accommodating portion 53 of the ground terminal 26 is the narrowest wall among the walls appearing at the rear end portion of the housing 50 when the rear end portion of the housing 50 is observed from the insertion/removal direction. Here, the width dimension W3 of the slit 25f is smaller than the width dimension W5 of the wall. As a result, when each signal terminal 24 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53, any wall at the rear end portion of the housing 50 is prevented from entering the slit 25f, facilitating terminal insertion.

The slit 25f extends rearward from the tip of the tubular portion 25a. The convex portion 53g of the terminal accommodating portion 53 extends forward from the rear end of the first accommodating portion 53d. The rear end of the projection 53g is exposed when the rear end of the housing 50 is observed from the insertion/removal direction.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, the width dimension W6 is the width dimension of the rear end portion of the slit 25f. The width dimension W6 of the rear end portion of the slit 25f is larger than the width dimension W3 of the tip portion of the slit 25f.

The plurality of elastic pieces 25e are bent at intermediate portions so that the distal end portions of the plurality of elastic pieces 25e are positioned closer to the center in the radial direction than the rear end portions of the plurality of elastic pieces 25e. As a result, the diameter of the cylindrical portion 25a at the distal end of the plurality of elastic pieces 25e is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical portion 25a at the rear end of the plurality of elastic pieces 25e. As a result, the interval between adjacent elastic pieces 25e at the tip portion of the elastic piece 25e becomes smaller than the interval between adjacent elastic pieces 25e at the rear end portion of the elastic piece 25e.

Further, here, in each elastic piece 25e, the plate width of the rear end portion is smaller than the plate width of the tip portion. As a result, the interval between adjacent elastic pieces 25e at the tip portion of the elastic piece 25e becomes smaller than the interval between adjacent elastic pieces 25e at the rear end portion of the elastic piece 25e.

A body-side slit 25g is formed in the cylinder body 25d. The body-side slit 25g extends from one axial end to the other axial end of the tubular body 25d. As described above, the signal terminal 24 is formed by bending a metal plate. The circumferential length of the metal plate in the cylindrical portion main body 25d is slightly shorter than the circumferential length of the circle corresponding to the diameter of the cylindrical portion main body 25d. One end and the other end of the metal plate in the circumferential direction do not overlap in the radial direction and are separated in the circumferential direction. As a result, the space between one end and the other end of the metal plate in the circumferential direction forms the main body side slit 25g.

<Relationship between retainer and terminal>
The relationship between the retainer 60 and the connector terminals 21 will be described with further reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. FIG. FIG. 11 is a rear view showing the retainer 60. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the retainer 60. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining how the retainer 60 presses the connector terminal 21 from behind.

A plurality of through holes 64 are formed in the retainer 60 . Each through hole 64 penetrates the retainer 60 along the insertion/removal direction. The through hole 64 is formed at a position corresponding to the terminal accommodating portion 53 . A projecting cylindrical portion 63 is formed around the periphery of the through hole 64 . Each protruding tubular portion 63 has a protruding tubular portion main body 63a. The protruding tubular portion 63 that presses the signal terminal 24B further has a protruding portion pressing protrusion 63b. The protruding portion pressing convex portion 63b protrudes outward from the outer surface of the protruding cylindrical portion main body 63a. The projecting portion pressing projection 63b enters the groove 53h and presses the projecting portion 25c. The protruding tubular portion 63 that presses the signal terminals 24A and 24C does not have the protruding portion pressing protrusion 63b. In this example, one retainer 60 has four through holes 64 corresponding to the terminal housing portions 53 of the six signal terminals 24 .

Each of the four through-holes 64 has a hollow portion 65 of the protruding tubular portion 63 , a terminal insertion hole 66 and a terminal pressing portion side slit 67 . A hollow portion 65 of the protruding tubular portion 63 is a portion that connects the front opening and the rear opening of the protruding tubular portion 63 . The terminal insertion hole 66 is positioned outside the protruding tubular portion 63 in the direction intersecting the insertion/removal direction. The terminal holding portion side slit 67 is formed over the entire length of the projecting tubular portion 63 in the insertion/removal direction. The terminal holding portion side slit 67 communicates the hollow portion 65 with the terminal insertion hole 66 .

In two through holes 64A and 64B of the four through holes 64, one terminal insertion hole 66 communicates with the hollow portion 65 of one protruding tubular portion 63. As shown in FIG. The hollow portions 65 of the protruding tubular portions 63 in the through holes 64A and 64B are separated from the hollow portions 65 of the other protruding tubular portions 63 .

In two through holes 64C and 64D of the four through holes 64, one terminal insertion hole 66 communicates with the hollow portions 65 of the two projecting tubular portions 63. As shown in FIG. These two through holes 64C and 64D are shared through holes 64C and 64D. In the shared through hole 64C, one terminal insertion hole 66C communicates with one hollow portion 65C1 via one terminal pressing portion side slit 67C1, and communicates with another hollow portion 65C1 via another terminal pressing portion side slit 67C2. It also communicates with portion 65C2. In the shared through hole 64D, one terminal insertion hole 66D communicates with one hollow portion 65D1 via one terminal pressing portion side slit 67D1, and communicates with another hollow portion 65D1 via another terminal pressing portion side slit 67D2. It also communicates with portion 65D2.

The six signal terminals 24 are connected to the signal line 34 to form the electric wire 38 with terminals, and then pass through the retainer 60 through the through holes 64 corresponding to the terminal accommodating portions 53 in which the six signal terminals 24 are accommodated. Specifically, the signal terminal 24A and the signal terminal 24B adjacent to the left of the signal terminal 24B among the three signal terminals 24B pass through the retainer 60 through the through hole 64C. Of the three signal terminals 24B, the signal terminal 24B on the right side of the signal terminal 24A passes through the retainer 60 through the through hole 64A. Of the three signal terminals 24B, the signal terminal 24B located below the signal terminal 24A passes through the retainer 60 through the through hole 64B. The two signal terminals 24C pass through the retainer 60 through the through holes 64D.

Each of the four through-holes 64 is sized to allow the corresponding signal terminal 24 to pass therethrough. Each of the four through-holes 64 is larger than the maximum width dimension of the intermediate portion of the signal terminal 24 through which it passes. The maximum width dimension of the intermediate portion of the signal terminal 24 is the width dimension of the projecting portion 25c. Specifically, the through holes 64A and 64B are larger than the width dimension W1B of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24B. The through hole 64C is larger than the width W1A of the protrusion 25c of the signal terminal 24A and the width W1B of the protrusion 25c of the signal terminal 24B. The through hole 64D is larger than the width dimension W1C of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24C.

The maximum width dimension of the intermediate portion of the signal terminal 24 is larger than the width dimension of the terminal pressing portion side slit 67 . The intermediate portion of the signal terminal 24 cannot pass through the terminal holding portion side slit 67 .

The minimum width dimension of the wire connection portion 25b side of the signal terminal 24 from the projecting portion 25c or the diameter of the signal wire 34 connected to the signal terminal 24 is equal to or smaller than the width dimension of the terminal holding portion side slit 67. As a result, the signal terminal 24 or the signal wire 34 can move to the hollow portion 65 of the protruding cylindrical portion 63 through the terminal holding portion side slit 67 after the protruding portion 25 c passes through the through hole 64 . Here, the diameter of the signal line 34 is smaller than the width dimension of the terminal holding portion side slit 67 . The signal line 34 can pass through the terminal holding portion side slit 67 .

In the shared through hole 64C, an insulating wall 68C is provided at a portion where the terminal pressing portion side slit 67C1 and the terminal pressing portion side slit 67C2 are connected by a straight line. The insulating wall 68C is part of the protruding tubular portion 63 . The insulating wall 68C secures an insulating distance between the two signal terminals 24A and 24B passing through the shared through hole 64C.

Insulating walls 68D1 and 68D2 are provided in shared through-hole 64D at portions where terminal pressing portion side slit 67D1 and terminal pressing portion side slit 67D2 are connected by a straight line. The insulating wall 68D1 is part of the protruding tubular portion 63. As shown in FIG. The insulating wall 68D2 is a wall provided separately from the projecting tubular portion 63 . The insulating wall 68D2 extends downward in the Z direction from the end of the insulating wall 68D1. The four through-holes 64 are partitioned by the rear cover portion 62 of the retainer 60 . The insulating walls 68D1 and 68D2 secure an insulating distance between the ground terminal 26 and the two signal terminals 24C passing through the shared through hole 64C.

A rear opening of the cylindrical power terminal pressing portion 63P is closed by the relay terminal 28. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the thermistor electric wire 44 cannot be pulled out through the rear opening of the power terminal holding portion 63P. The thermistor electric wire 44 penetrates the retainer 60 through one of the four through holes 64 . For example, the thermistor electric wire 44 of the thermistor 42 connected to one power terminal 22 passes through the retainer 60 through the through hole 64A. The thermistor electric wire 44 of the thermistor 42 connected to the other power terminal 22 passes through the retainer 60 through the through hole 64C.

<Preventing incorrect assembly of signal terminals>
The prevention of incorrect assembly of the three types of signal terminals 24A, 24B, and 24C will be described with further reference to FIGS. 14 to 17. FIG. FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing three types of signal terminals 24A, 24B, 24C accommodated in regular terminal accommodating portions 53A, 53B, 53C. FIG. 15 is a schematic sectional view showing a state in which one type of signal terminal 24A is accommodated in three types of terminal accommodating portions 53A, 53B, and 53C. FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which another type of signal terminal 24B is accommodated in three types of terminal accommodating portions 53A, 53B, and 53C. FIG. 17 is a schematic sectional view showing a state in which still another type of signal terminal 24C is accommodated in three types of terminal accommodating portions 53A, 53B, 53C.

In the three types of signal terminals 24A, 24B, and 24C, the dimensions of the projecting portion 25c are different from each other as described above. Furthermore, the tube portion 25a of the signal terminal 24A is longer than the tube portions 25a of the signal terminals 24B and 24C. Accordingly, the signal terminals 24A, 24B, and 24C cannot be accommodated in the terminal accommodating portions 53 other than the corresponding terminal accommodating portions 53A, 53B, and 53C in a normal state. Here, the signal terminal 24 cannot be properly accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 53 means that the signal terminal 24 cannot be inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53, or that the signal terminal 24 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53. It also includes the case where the retainer 60 is not attached to the housing 50 in some cases.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the retainer 60 is attached to the housing 50 with the signal terminals 24A, 24B, and 24C being accommodated in the corresponding terminal accommodating portions 53A, 53B, and 53C, the protruding cylindrical portions 63 extend to the respective terminals. It is inserted into the second accommodation portion 53e of the accommodation portion 53 to a predetermined position. Thereby, the housing 50 and the retainer 60 can be locked at the locking portion, and the housing 50 and the retainer 60 are attached.

As shown in FIG. 15, the signal terminal 24A can be inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 53B and 53C. This is because the maximum width dimension of the signal terminal 24A is smaller than the maximum width dimension of the signal terminals 24B and 24C and the corresponding width dimension of the terminal accommodating portions 53B and 53C. However, the length dimension of the cylindrical portion 25a of the signal terminal 24A is longer than the length dimension of the cylindrical portion 25a of the signal terminals 24B and 24C. Therefore, when the signal terminal 24A is inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 53B and 53C, the protruding portion 25c of the signal terminal 24A is positioned rearward from the normal position of the protruding portion 25c. Therefore, when the retainer 60 is attached to the housing 50 with the signal terminals 24A inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 53B and 53C, the protruding tubular portions 63 are positioned against the terminal accommodating portions 53B and 53C in which the signal terminals 24A are accommodated. Cannot insert to the correct position. As a result, the housing 50 and retainer 60 cannot be locked at the locking portion, and the housing 50 and retainer 60 cannot be attached. Therefore, incorrect assembly of the signal terminal 24A into the terminal accommodating portions 53B and 53C is suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 16, the signal terminal 24B cannot be inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53A. This is because the maximum width dimension of the signal terminal 24B is larger than the maximum width dimension of the signal terminal 24A and the corresponding width dimension of the terminal accommodating portion 53A. Therefore, incorrect assembly of the signal terminal 24B into the terminal accommodating portion 53A is suppressed.

Also, the signal terminal 24B can be inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53C. This is because the maximum width dimension of the signal terminal 24B is smaller than the maximum width dimension of the signal terminal 24C and the corresponding width dimension of the terminal accommodating portion 53C. However, the width dimension of the projecting portion 25c in the signal terminal 24B is larger than the width dimension of the projecting portion 25c in the signal terminal 24C. Therefore, when the signal terminal 24B is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 53C, the rear end portion of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24B is located on the rear side of the normal position. Therefore, when the retainer 60 is attached to the housing 50 with the signal terminals 24B inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 53C, the protruding cylindrical portions 63 reach the proper positions with respect to the terminal accommodating portions 53C in which the signal terminals 24B are accommodated. Cannot insert. As a result, the housing 50 and retainer 60 cannot be locked at the locking portion, and the housing 50 and retainer 60 cannot be attached. Therefore, incorrect assembly of the signal terminal 24B into the terminal accommodating portion 53C is suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 17, the signal terminal 24C cannot be inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 53A and 53B. This is because the maximum width dimension of the signal terminal 24C is larger than the maximum width dimension of the signal terminals 24A and 24B and the corresponding width dimension of the terminal accommodating portions 53A and 53B. Therefore, incorrect assembly of the signal terminal 24C into the terminal accommodating portions 53A and 53B is suppressed.

In the above example, the dimension of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24B is larger than the dimension of the projecting portions 25c of the signal terminals 24A and 24C in the insertion/removal direction. Therefore, the combination of the signal terminals 24 that satisfies the first condition that the dimension of the projecting portion 25c of the first signal terminal 24 is larger than the dimension of the projecting portion 25c of the second signal terminal 24 in the insertion/removal direction is the signal terminal 24B. , 24C and a combination of signal terminals 24A and 24C.

In the above example, in the extending direction of the projecting portion 25c, the dimension of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24C is larger than the dimension of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminals 24A and 24B, and the dimension of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24B is It is larger than the dimension of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24A. Therefore, the combination of signal terminals 24 that satisfies the second condition that the dimension of the projecting portion 25c of the second signal terminal 24 is larger than the dimension of the projecting portion 25c of the first signal terminal 24 in the extending direction of the projecting portion 25c is the combination of the signal terminals 24 that satisfies the second condition. , a combination of the signal terminals 24A and 24B, a combination of the signal terminals 24B and 24C, and a combination of the signal terminals 24A and 24C.

In the above example, the signal terminals 24A and 24B are arranged on the opposite side of the signal terminal 24C with the two power terminals 22 interposed therebetween. Therefore, the combination of the signal terminals 24 that satisfies the third condition that the first signal terminal 24 is arranged on the opposite side of the second signal terminal 24 with the two power terminals 22 interposed therebetween is the signal terminals 24A, 24C and a combination of signal terminals 24B and 24C.

In the above example, the combination of signal terminals 24 that satisfies all the first, second and third conditions is the combination of signal terminals 24B and 24C. That is, the dimensions of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24B are larger than the dimensions of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24C in the insertion/removal direction. In addition, the dimension of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24C is larger than the dimension of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24B in the extending direction of the projecting portion 25c. The signal terminal 24B is arranged on the opposite side of the signal terminal 24C with the two power terminals 22 interposed therebetween.

<Regarding the holding state of the signal terminal>
Further referring to FIG. 18, the holding state of the signal terminal 24 will be described. FIG. 18 is a schematic rear view showing a state in which two types of signal terminals 24A and 24B are accommodated in regular terminal accommodating portions 53A and 53B.

When the signal terminal 24A is housed in the terminal accommodating portion 53A, a rotation suppressing convex portion 53i is provided at the position of the projecting portion 25c in the insertion/removal direction. Therefore, when the signal terminal 24A is about to rotate around the axis along the insertion/removal direction, as shown in FIG. rotation is suppressed. As a result, the rotation of the signal terminal 24A around the axis along the insertion/removal direction is suppressed to less than one rotation. This suppresses an increase in the twist amount of the signal line 34 connected to the signal terminal 24A.

Further, the rotation suppressing convex portion 53i continues to the rear end portion of the terminal accommodating portion 53A. Further, the rotation suppressing convex portion 53i is accommodated in the terminal pressing portion side slit 67 in the protruding cylindrical portion 63 that presses the signal terminal 24A on the rear end side of the protruding portion 25c. The terminal pressing portion side slit 67 is closed by the rotation suppressing protrusion 53i. The signal terminal 24A is allowed to rotate less than one rotation around the axis along the insertion/removal direction. Even in this case, the terminal pressing portion side slit 67 is closed by the rotation suppressing protrusion 53i, so that when the signal terminal 24A rotates around the axis along the insertion/removal direction, the signal terminal 24A or the signal terminal 24A is connected to the signal terminal 24A. The signal line 34 is prevented from being fitted in the terminal holding portion side slit 67 .

With the signal terminal 24B housed in the terminal housing portion 53B, as shown in FIG. 18, the first and second protrusions 25c are housed in the first and second grooves 53h, respectively. As a result, when the signal terminal 24B is about to rotate around the axis along the insertion/removal direction, the projecting portion 25c contacts the inner surface of the groove 53h, thereby suppressing further rotation. The amount of rotation of the signal terminal 24b around the axis along the insertion/removal direction is very small compared to the amount of rotation of the signal terminal 24A around the axis along the insertion/removal direction.

Similarly to the signal terminal 24B, the signal terminal 24C also has the first and second protrusions 25c accommodated in the first and second grooves 53h, respectively, so that the signal terminal 24C is prevented from rotating about the axis in the insertion/removal direction. Suppressed.

The tubular portion main body 25d of the signal terminal 24A is longer in the insertion/removal direction than the tubular portion main bodies 25d of the signal terminals 24B and 24C. For this reason, the signal terminal 24A is supported by the terminal accommodating portion 53 over a longer distance along the insertion/removal direction than the signal terminals 24B and 24C in the tubular body 25d. This makes it difficult for the signal terminal 24A to rotate around an axis (for example, around the Y-axis or around the Z-axis) intersecting the insertion/removal direction.

The tubular body 25d of the signal terminals 24B and 24C is shorter in the insertion/removal direction than the tubular body 25d of the signal terminal 24A. Even in this case, the protrusions 25c of the signal terminals 24B and 24C are supported by the inner surfaces of the grooves 53h. As a result, the signal terminals 24B and 24C are also less likely to rotate around an axis extending in a direction intersecting the insertion/removal direction (for example, around the Y-axis or around the Z-axis).

<Relationship between ground terminal, housing and retainer>
The mating connection portion 27a and the wire connection portion 27b of the ground terminal 26 are examples of the ground terminal side tubular portion and the ground terminal side wire connection portion. The ground terminal 26 has a ground terminal side intermediate portion provided between the mating connection portion 27a and the wire connection portion 27b. The projecting portion 27c is an example of a ground terminal side projecting further than the ground terminal side tubular portion in a direction intersecting the insertion/removal direction. The ground terminal pressing portion 63</b>G of the retainer 60 extends along the wire connecting portion 27 b and presses the projecting portion 27 c toward the housing 50 .

Unlike the first and second protrusions 25c, the first and second protrusions 27c extend in the same direction (here, the positive side in the Z direction). The ground terminal holding portion 63G is formed on the front surface of the rear cover portion 62 at the peripheral portion above the terminal insertion hole 66D. The ground terminal pressing portion 63G is formed in a flat plate shape extending in the Y direction and presses the tip portions of the first and second projecting portions 27c.

In this example, the ground terminal 26 can also pass through the retainer 60 in a state where the terminal-equipped wire 38 is formed. As shown in FIG. 11, the through hole 64D is formed to have a size through which the terminal-equipped electric wire 38 of the ground terminal 26 can be inserted.

<Effects, etc.>
According to the charging connector 10 configured as described above, the width of the slit 25f of the cylindrical portion 25a is smaller than the width of the wall of the housing 50 such as the convex portion 53g. Therefore, when the signal terminal 24 is not properly inserted into the housing 50, walls such as the protrusion 53g of the housing 50 are prevented from entering the slit 25f. This facilitates the work of attaching the signal terminal 24 to the housing 50 . Also, the plate thickness of the signal terminal 24 is thinner than the plate thickness of the power terminal 22 . Therefore, the signal terminal 24 is more easily deformed by an external force smaller than that of the power terminal 22 . Even in this case, walls such as the protrusions 53g of the housing 50 are prevented from entering the slits 25f, so that walls such as the protrusions 53g of the housing 50 are prevented from entering the slits 25f and deforming the tubular portion 25a. be.

Further, the signal terminal 24 is prevented from coming off by using the projecting portion 25c and the terminal holding portion 61. As shown in FIG. Since the projecting portion 25c is sandwiched between the housing 50 and the retainer 60 to prevent it from coming off, there is no need to deform the projecting portion 25c when inserting the signal terminal 24 into the housing 50. FIG.

Further, after the signal terminal 24 is connected to the signal line 34, the electric wire 38 with the terminal attached to the signal terminal 24 can pass through the retainer 60 through the through hole 64, and the signal terminal 24 passing through the through hole 64 is accommodated in the housing 50. After that, the terminal pressing portion 61 can be engaged with the projecting portion 25c. This eliminates the need to connect the signal terminal 24 to the signal line 34 after passing through the retainer 60 , thereby facilitating the assembly work of the charging connector 10 .

Also, after the signal terminal 24 with the signal wire 34 is received in the housing 50 through the through hole 64 , the rear end portion of the signal terminal 24 or the signal wire 34 is inserted into the hollow portion 65 of the protruding tubular portion 63 through the terminal pressing portion side slit 67 . can be inserted. Further, after the rear end portion of the signal terminal 24 or the signal wire 34 is accommodated in the hollow portion 65, the retainer 60 moves along the signal terminal 24 with the signal wire 34 and is attached to the housing 50, thereby forming a projecting cylinder. While the signal terminal 24 is accommodated in the portion 63, the distal end portion of the protruding cylindrical portion 63 can be locked to the protruding portion 25c.

Also, in the shared through hole 64C, an insulating wall 68C is provided at a portion where the first terminal pressing portion side slit 67C1 and the second terminal pressing portion side slit 67C2 are connected by a straight line. Thereby, the insulation distance of the plurality of signal terminals 24A and 24B inserted into the housing 50 via the shared through hole 64C can be secured. Insulating walls 68D1 and 68D2 are provided in the common through-hole 64D at portions where the first terminal pressing portion side slit 67D1 and the second terminal pressing portion side slit 67D2 are connected by a straight line. Thereby, the insulation distance of the plurality of signal terminals 24C and the ground terminals 26 inserted into the housing 50 via the shared through-holes 64D can be ensured.

Also, the electric wire 44 of the thermistor 42 passes through the retainer 60 through the through hole 64 . Accordingly, even when the thermistor 42 is accommodated in the housing 50 together with the power terminal 22, the electric wire 44 of the thermistor 42 can extend toward the inside of the vehicle. Further, the thermistor 42 can be arranged in the power terminal 22 at a position close to the mating connection portion 23a, so that the temperature detection accuracy of the power terminal 22 by the thermistor 42 is enhanced.

Further, a body-side slit 25g extending from one axial end to the other axial end of the tubular body 25d is formed in the tubular body 25d. As a result, there is room for deformation of the cylindrical portion 25a in the radial direction during insertion and removal. Also, the width of the slit 25f of the cylindrical portion 25a is the width dimension between the adjacent elastic pieces 25e.

In addition, the width of the rear ends of the elastic pieces 25e is smaller than the width of the tips of the elastic pieces 25e, and the width of the rear ends of the slits 25f is larger than the width of the tips of the slits 25f. big. As a result, the connecting portion between the elastic pieces 25e and the tubular portion main body 25d becomes small, and the plurality of elastic pieces 25e are easily deformed in the radial direction during insertion and removal.

Further, the diameter of the tubular portion 25a at the distal end portion of the plurality of elastic pieces 25e is smaller than the diameter of the tubular portion 25a at the rear end portion of the plurality of elastic pieces 25e. This makes it easier for the plurality of elastic pieces 25e to come into contact with the mating terminals during insertion and removal.

[Embodiment 2]
A charging connector according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 19 is a rear view showing the charging connector 110 according to the second embodiment. The signal line 34 is omitted in FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing signal terminal 124 in charging connector 110. FIG. 21 is a rear view showing retainer 160 in charging connector 110. FIG. FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the signal terminal 124 is accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 153. As shown in FIG. In the description of this embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those described so far, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In charging connector 110, ground terminal 26 and ground line 36 are omitted. As a result, in the housing 150 and the retainer 160, the configuration related to the ground terminal 26 and the ground wire 36 is omitted. In addition, eight signal terminals 124 are provided in charging connector 110 . The eight signal terminals 124 are accommodated in groups of four with the power terminal 22 interposed therebetween. In the rear view of FIG. 19, the arrangement of the four signal terminals 124 corresponds to the four vertices of a square. The square is tilted 45 degrees so that one diagonal line is along the Z direction. In this example, all eight signal terminals 124 have the same shape.

Also in the signal terminal 124, a slit 25f is formed between the elastic pieces 125e. Also, in the housing 150, a wall such as the projection 53g appears at the rear end. In this example as well, the width dimension of the slit 25f is smaller than the width dimension of the wall, so that when the signal terminal 124 is inserted into the housing 150, the wall such as the protrusion 53g is prevented from fitting into the slit 25f. be.

As shown in FIG. 20, in the signal terminal 124 as well, the width dimension of the leading edge of the slit 25f is smaller than the width dimension of the trailing edge of the slit 25f. Also in the signal terminal 124, the diameter of the cylindrical portion 125a at the tip of the elastic piece 125e is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical portion 125a at the rear end of the elastic piece 125e. In the elastic piece 125e, the width dimension of the tip portion is smaller than the width dimension of the rear end portion. In the elastic piece 125e of the signal terminal 124, as shown in FIG. 20, the width dimension of the tip portion is smaller than the width dimension of the rear end portion. The diameter of the tubular portion 125a at the tip of the elastic piece 125e is smaller than the diameter of the tubular portion 25a at the tip of the elastic piece 25e.

The shape of the projecting portion 125c of the signal terminal 124 is different from the shape of the projecting portion 25c of the signal terminal 24. As shown in FIG. In the signal terminal 124, the first and second projecting portions 125c extend in the same direction as the projecting portion 23c of the power terminal 22 and the projecting portion 27c of the ground terminal 26 described above. The protruding tubular portion 163 is formed in a cylindrical shape like the protruding tubular portion 63 described above. The distal end of the projecting tubular portion 163 presses the first and second projecting portions 125 c toward the housing 150 . As shown in FIG. 22, the distal end portions of the first and second projecting portions 125c are pressed by the projecting tubular portion 163. As shown in FIG.

The signal terminal 124 also passes through the through-hole 164 of the retainer 160 after being made into the electric wire 38 with a terminal similarly to the signal terminal 24 . The maximum width dimension of the signal terminal 124 is smaller than the maximum width dimension of the signal terminal 24 because the first and second protrusions 125c extend in the same direction. Therefore, through hole 164 in retainer 160 is also smaller than through hole 64 in retainer 60 . Further, the retainer 160 is not provided with the shared through holes 64C and 64D, and is formed with eight through holes 164 corresponding to the eight signal terminals 124. As shown in FIG.

A groove 53h for accommodating the projecting portion 125c is not formed in the terminal accommodating portion 153. As shown in FIG. Instead, all of the eight terminal accommodating portions 153 are provided with the rotation suppressing projections 53i in the same manner as the terminal accommodating portion 53A. On the rear end side of the protruding portion 125c, the rotation suppressing convex portion 53i is accommodated in the terminal holding portion side slit 167 of the protruding cylindrical portion 163, as described above. Since the distance between the signal terminals 124 is short and the space is limited, the terminal pressing portion side slits 167A of the three through-holes 164A located in the middle of the eight through-holes 164 in the Y direction are The width dimension of the through hole 164B is larger than that of the terminal holding portion side slit 167B. For this reason, the rotation suppressing protrusion 53i that fits in the terminal pressing portion side slit 167A has a larger width dimension than the rotation suppressing protrusion 53i that fits in the terminal pressing portion side slit 167B. In the rotation suppressing protrusion 53i that fits in the terminal holding portion side slit 167A, the width dimension of the rotation suppressing protrusion 53i is increased by providing two small protrusions spaced apart in the circumferential direction.

[Appendix]
So far, it has been described that the signal terminal 24 is prevented from coming off from the housing 50 by the projecting portion 25c and the terminal pressing portion 61, but this is not an essential configuration. In addition to the projecting portion 25 c and the terminal pressing portion 61 , a structure that prevents the signal terminal 24 from coming off the housing 50 may be provided. For example, the signal terminal 24 and the housing 50 may be configured to engage with each other by means of lances, recesses, or the like.

Further, although the signal terminal 24 has been connected to the signal line 34 and formed into the terminal-equipped wire 38 and then passed through the retainer 60 through the through hole 64 of the retainer 60, this is not an essential configuration. do not have. The signal line 34 may be connected to the signal terminal 24 after passing through the retainer 60 . In this case, the terminal insertion hole 66 and the terminal pressing portion side slit 67 may be omitted as long as the protruding cylindrical portion 63 has front and rear openings.

Further, although the insulating walls 68C, 68D1 and 68D2 are provided in the shared through holes 64C and 64D so far, this is not an essential configuration. The insulating walls 68C, 68D1, 68D2 may be omitted from the shared through holes 64C, 64D. In this case, the insulation distance between the signal terminals 24 may be ensured without the insulation walls 68C, 68D1, 68D2, for example, because the distance between the signal terminals 24 is increased.

Also, although the wire 44 of the thermistor 42 has been described as passing through the retainer 60 through the through hole 64, this is not an essential configuration. The electric wire 44 of the thermistor 42 may pass through the retainer 60 through a path other than the through hole 64 . Alternatively, the electric wire 44 of the thermistor 42 may not need to pass through the retainer 60 by, for example, attaching the thermistor 42 to the rear end side of the rear cover portion 62 .

Further, although it has been described so far that the body-side slit 25g is formed in the cylinder body 25d, this is not an essential configuration. The body-side slit 25g may not be formed in the cylinder body 25d. For example, the main body side slit 25g may not be formed by overlapping one circumferential end and the other end in the radial direction.

Also, the width of the rear end of the slit 25f has been described as being greater than the width of the front end of the slit 25f, but this is not an essential configuration. For example, the width of the slit 25f may be constant from the front end to the rear end. Further, for example, the width of the leading edge of the slit 25f may be larger than the width of the trailing edge of the slit 25f.

Further, the diameter of the tubular portion 25a at the distal end portion of the plurality of elastic pieces 25e has been described as being smaller than the diameter of the tubular portion 25a at the rear end portion of the plurality of elastic pieces 25e, but this is not an essential configuration. do not have. For example, the diameters of the cylindrical portions 25a of the plurality of elastic pieces 25e may be constant from the front end to the rear end.

Note that the configurations described in the above embodiments and modifications can be appropriately combined as long as they do not contradict each other.

10, 110 charging connector 20 terminal 21 connector terminal 22 power terminal 23a mating connection portion 23b terminal fixing portion 23c projecting portion 23d thermistor attachment portion 24, 24A, 24B, 24C, 124 signal terminal 25a, 125a mating connection portion (cylindrical portion )
25b Wire connecting portion 25c, 125c Protruding portion 25d Tube main body 25e, 125e Elastic piece 25f Slit 25g Main body side slit 26 Ground terminal 27a Mating connection portion (ground terminal side tube portion)
27b wire connection part (ground terminal side wire connection part)
27c protruding part (ground terminal side protruding part)
28, 28A, 28B Junction terminal 29a Terminal fixing part 29b Wire connection part 30 Electric wire 31a Core wire 31b Coating 32 Power line 34 Signal wire 36 Ground wire 38 Wire with terminal 39 Shrinkable tube 40 Thermistor unit 42 Thermistor 44 Wire for thermistor 50, 150 Housing 51 Housing body 52 Outer frame parts 53, 53A, 53B, 53C, 153 Terminal accommodating part 53d First accommodating part 53e Second accommodating part 53f Concave part 53g Protruding part (wall)
53h Groove 53i Rotation suppressing convex portion 54 Vehicle mounting portion 56 Arm 57 Wire holding portion 60, 160 Retainer 61 Terminal holding portion 62 Rear cover portion 63, 163 Protruding tubular portion 63a Protruding tubular portion body 63b Protruding portion 63P Power terminal holding portion 63G Ground Terminal pressing portions 64, 64A, 64B, 164, 164A, 164B Through holes 64C, 64D Shared through holes (through holes)
65, 65C1, 65C2, 65D1, 65D2 Hollow portion 66, 66C1, 66C2, 66D1, 66D2 Terminal insertion hole 67, 67C, 67C1, 67C2, 67D1, 67D2, 167, 167A, 167B Terminal pressing portion side slit 68, 68C, 68D1, 68D2 insulating wall 69a, 69b wall 70 wire cover 80 lid unit 82 lid 84 hinge unit 86 lock unit 89 sealing member 90 grommet (protector)
91 first protection part 92 housing outlet 93 drain port 94 second protection part 95 wire outlet 98 binding band 100 mounting part 102 panel 104 through hole 106 vehicle body side cover S screw

Claims (9)

A charging connector mounted on a vehicle, mated with an external charging connector connected to an external power source of the vehicle, and used for charging a battery provided in the vehicle,
first and second power terminals used to supply power to the battery;
a plurality of signal terminals having a plate thickness thinner than that of the first and second power terminals and transmitting signals between the outside of the vehicle and a control unit of the vehicle;
a housing that holds the first and second power terminals and the plurality of signal terminals and is fitted with the external charging connector at a front end along the insertion/extraction direction of the external charging connector;
a retainer mating with the rear end of the housing to retain the first and second power terminals and the plurality of signal terminals with the housing;
with
each of the plurality of signal terminals has a cylindrical portion provided on the tip side into which the terminal of the external charging connector is inserted;
A slit is formed at the tip of the cylindrical portion to separate a portion of the cylindrical portion along the circumferential direction from the other portion,
The charging connector, wherein the width of the tip of the slit is smaller than the width of a wall appearing at the rear end of the housing when the rear end of the housing is viewed from the insertion/removal direction. The charging connector according to claim 1,
Each of the plurality of signal terminals further includes a wire connection portion provided on a rear end side to which a signal wire is electrically connected, and an intermediate portion provided between the cylindrical portion and the wire connection portion. have
The intermediate portion has a protruding portion that protrudes from the cylindrical portion in a direction intersecting the insertion/removal direction,
The charge connector, wherein the retainer has a terminal pressing portion that extends along the wire connecting portion and presses the projecting portion toward the housing. The charging connector according to claim 2,
The retainer is formed with a through-hole passing through the retainer along the insertion/removal direction,
The terminal holding portion is formed around the periphery of the through hole,
The charging connector, wherein the through-hole is larger than the maximum width dimension of the intermediate portion of the signal terminal. The charging connector according to claim 3,
The terminal holding portion has a protruding cylindrical portion formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding the signal terminal on the wire connecting portion side of the protruding portion,
The through-hole includes a hollow portion of the protruding tubular portion, a terminal insertion hole positioned outside the protruding tubular portion, and a terminal insertion hole formed in the protruding tubular portion that communicates with the hollow portion and the terminal insertion hole. and a terminal holding portion side slit,
the minimum width dimension of the electrical connection part side of the projecting part of the signal terminal or the diameter of the signal line connected to the signal terminal is equal to or smaller than the width dimension of the terminal holding part side slit,
The charging connector, wherein the maximum width dimension of the intermediate portion is larger than the width dimension of the terminal pressing portion side slit. The charging connector according to claim 4,
As the through-holes, one terminal insertion hole communicates with the hollow portion of the first protruding cylindrical portion via the first terminal pressing portion side slit, and the second terminal pressing portion side A shared through hole is provided that communicates with the hollow portion of the second protruding tubular portion through a slit,
The charging connector, wherein an insulating wall is provided at a portion of the shared through hole where the first terminal pressing portion side slit and the second terminal pressing portion side slit are connected by a straight line. The charging connector according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
a thermistor attached to the power terminal;
a wire attached to the thermistor;
further comprising
the thermistor is accommodated in the housing together with the power terminal;
The charging connector, wherein the wire of the thermistor penetrates the retainer through the through hole. The charging connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The tubular portion has a tubular portion main body and a plurality of elastic pieces protruding from the distal end portion of the tubular portion main body,
The plurality of elastic pieces protrude from positions spaced apart from each other along the circumferential direction of the tubular body,
The slits are provided between the plurality of elastic pieces arranged in the circumferential direction,
The charging connector, wherein the tubular portion main body is formed with a main body side slit extending from one axial end to the other axial end of the tubular portion main body. The charging connector according to claim 7,
the width dimension of the rear end portions of the plurality of elastic pieces is smaller than the width dimension of the tip portions of the plurality of elastic pieces;
The charging connector, wherein the width of the rear end of the slit is larger than the width of the front end of the slit. The charging connector according to claim 7 or claim 8,
The charging connector, wherein the diameter of the cylindrical portion at the distal end portion of the plurality of elastic pieces is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical portion at the rear end portion of the plurality of elastic pieces.

Images