JP2972503B2 - Electric vehicle charging connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a charging connector for an electric vehicle, and prevents the connector from being connected in an incompletely fitted state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, electric vehicles are expected to be put to practical use from the viewpoints of environment and energy. In this case, the problem of charging the battery is indispensable, and the charging connector is one of important considerations. This connector is composed of a vehicle-side connector fixed to the automobile side and a power-supply-side connector connected to the power supply side, but since the charging operation is performed by a relatively large current, the two connectors are completely fitted. It is necessary to energize when the terminals are in complete contact with each other.

[0003]

In the actual charging operation, an operator grips the power supply side connector and press-fits it to the vehicle side connector. In this case, it is difficult to recognize the connection state even when the two connectors are in an incompletely fitted state only by performing the press-fitting, so that it is determined whether the connectors are in an incompletely fitted state or in a completely fitted state. It is difficult. If you cannot visually confirm the incomplete mating condition,
It is difficult for the operator to recognize whether or not the current can be energized.

[0004] The present invention has been devised in view of the above problems, and a purpose thereof is to provide a charging connector for an electric vehicle which can easily recognize that both connectors are in an incompletely fitted state. It is to provide.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a power supply-side connector is fitted to a vehicle-side connector, and both connectors are held in a completely fitted state to allow current to flow. And a biasing mechanism for biasing the power supply side connector in a return direction when the power supply side connector is fitted to the vehicle side connector, and further comprising the power supply side connector with respect to the vehicle side connector. In a half mating position before the mating is properly performed, a charging connector of an electric vehicle including a releasable locking mechanism for temporarily holding the two connectors is provided on one side of the two connectors. Are provided with ridges along the fitting direction of the two connectors, and a guide groove for receiving the ridges while guiding the fitting of the two connectors is formed on the other connector, and the locking mechanism is The ridge and the ridge And it is characterized in that it is arranged on the surface facing the inner groove.

[0006]

According to the above construction, the fitting of the connectors on the power supply side and the vehicle side is guided by the fitting of the projection and the guide groove. Then, the locking mechanism is locked when the two connectors are fitted to each other only to a predetermined depth, that is, a half-fitted depth position, so that both connectors are held at the half-fitted position. Furthermore, if the two connectors are deeply fitted, the locking mechanism is disengaged, and the two connectors reach the position of the proper fitting. Thus,
Power supply to the vehicle is allowed. If the fitting is interrupted before reaching the regular fitting state, the power supply side connector is pushed back by the urging mechanism.

[0007]

The effects of the present invention are as follows. Since both connectors are temporarily held in a semi-fitted state by the locking mechanism, there is no danger of falling off even if the hands are released at this position. In addition, the above-described locking mechanism is provided on the opposing surfaces of the ridge and the guide groove for guiding the fitting of the two connectors, that is, the structure in which the fitting guiding mechanism and the locking mechanism are shared. Because
Excellent arrangement efficiency can be achieved. Further, since the temporary locking can be performed together with the fitting operation of the connector, the operability is excellent.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The charging connector according to the present embodiment includes a vehicle-side connector 1 and a power-supply-side connector 2. First, the vehicle-side connector 1 will be described. A charging terminal 5 connected to a battery 4 and a signal terminal 6 for detecting a charging state and the like are incorporated in a cylindrical connector housing 3. Have been. A bracket 7 is provided on the upper surface of the connector housing 3.
A flip-up lid 8 is attached to the connector housing 3 so that an opening surface of the connector housing 3 can be opened and closed, and a seal ring 9 attached to the inner surface thereof can seal. A torsion spring 11 is wound around the mounting shaft 10 of the flip-up lid 8 to urge the flip-up lid 8 in the opening direction. However, although not shown in detail, the flip-up lid 8 is provided with a stopper means, and its open position is restricted to an angular position orthogonal to the connector housing 3.

On the other hand, a lock mechanism for holding the flip-up lid 8 in a closed state is provided below the connector housing 3. The lock mechanism includes an operation shaft 13 having a return spring 12 built therein, which is mounted laterally and operably to be pushed in, and a stopper shaft 14 is disposed so as to be orthogonal to the operation shaft 13. It can be disengaged from the piece 15. Although not shown in detail, the stopper shaft 14 is vertically fitted into a groove (not shown) formed in the operation shaft 13, and a projecting shaft 17 formed on the outer surface of the stopper shaft 14 passes through the operation shaft 13. It is linked to the formed cam groove 18. As a result, the stopper shaft 14 is moved into the cam groove 1 by the pushing operation of the operation shaft 13.
8 can be raised and lowered by the guiding action.

A projecting ridge 70 is provided on the lower side of the connector housing 3 along the axial direction thereof. The protrusion 70 is provided with an engagement groove 80 of the power supply side connector 2 described later.
(See FIG. 9) to guide the insertion of the power supply side connector 2 into the vehicle side connector 1 and to lock the connectors 1 and 2 in a semi-fitted state in which they are temporarily held. It is. Guide grooves 74a and 74 for engaging with a plunger ball 84 described later are formed on both side surfaces of the ridge 70.
b is disposed separately on the near side and the back side, and an engagement recess 72 is provided between the two guide grooves 74a and 74b at a position corresponding to a half-fitting position for temporarily locking the connectors 1 and 2. It is recessed (see FIG. 9).

Next, the power supply side connector 2 will be described. The housing 19 of the power supply side connector 2 is formed in a double cylindrical shape composed of an outer housing 19b and an inner housing 19a. The coil spring 20 functioning as a mechanism is elastically mounted so as to be able to contact the opening edge of the vehicle-side connector 1, thereby assisting the separating operation of the power-side connector 2 from the vehicle-side connector 1. That is, when the power supply side connector 2 is inserted into the vehicle side connector 1, it is urged in the return direction. The urging force in the returning direction is applied to the guide groove 74 described above.
It starts to act on the power supply side connector 2 from the position where a and a plunger ball 84 described later engage. Note that an engagement groove 80 that engages with the above-described ridge 70 is provided along the axial direction on the lower side of the outer housing 19b (see FIG. 9). At a position corresponding to the above-mentioned temporary holding semi-fitting state of the engagement groove 80, a cylindrical portion 81 is provided on both sides in a direction substantially orthogonal to the engagement groove 80, and is provided here. The coil springs 82 are housed, and the plunger balls 84 held at these ends are respectively engaged with the engaging grooves 80.
To the groove side. The plunger ball 84 functioning as the locking mechanism is guided by being engaged with the guide grooves 74a and 74b of the ridge 70 when the connectors 1 and 2 are inserted, and is anchored in the engagement recess 72. To hold the connectors 1 and 2 at the half-fitted position where the connectors are temporarily held. Terminals respectively corresponding to the charging terminal 5 and the signal terminal 6 of the vehicle-side connector 1 are incorporated in the inner housing 19a, and are respectively connected to the power supply via cables 23.

A flip-up lid 24 for opening and closing the opening of the outer housing 19b is mounted on the upper surface of the outer housing 19b. That is, the flip-up lid 2
4 is rotatably supported around a support pin 26 by a bearing 25 formed on the upper surface of the outer housing 19b.
7 is wound and urges the flip-up lid 24 in a returning direction (a direction in which the housing 19 is closed). A lock piece 28 for holding the flip-up lid 24 at the open position is provided on an upper surface of a main body 29 connected to the rear part of the housing 19. The lock piece 28 can be locked and disengaged from the locking edge 30 of the flip-up lid 24 at its tip, and is assembled to the main body 29 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. Further, the lock piece 28 is urged by a spring 31 disposed at a rear portion thereof in a direction in which the lock piece 28 is locked with the flip-up lid 24.

A grip shaft 32 extends from the rear of the main body 29 along the axial direction for a fitting operation to the vehicle-side connector 1. A lever 33 for facilitating the fitting operation of the connectors 1 and 2 is provided at the base of the grip shaft 32.
It is attached so as to be squeezable around the rotation shaft 34,
A torsion spring 35 is wound around the rotation shaft 34 so as to urge the lever 33 in the opening direction. The lever 33 is linked with a pair of stays 36 which together with the lever 33 constitute a fitting assisting means. That is, the lever 33 is bent substantially in an L-shape, and is connected to the stay 36 by the connecting pin 37 at the bent portion.

Further, both stays 36 are shown in FIGS.
As shown in (1), they are inserted into the left and right sides of the gap between the outer 19b and inner 19a housings. A hooking hole 38 is formed at each of the distal ends thereof in a long hole shape, and can be hooked on a pair of protrusions 39 protruding from the outer surface of the housing 3 of the vehicle-side connector 1. Furthermore, in order to prevent the stays 36 and the projections from interfering with each other when fitting the connectors 1 and 2,
As shown in FIG. 5 (A), the distal end side is formed so as to expand at all times, and the above-mentioned both hook holes 38 are fitted into the guide projections 40 formed on the inner wall surface of the outer housing 19b. (See FIG. 7). However, when the lever 33 is squeezed and both stays 36 are retracted,
Along with this, the opening edge on the distal end side of the hooking hole 38 is forcibly deformed in the recessed direction along the inclined surface 41 formed at the distal end of the guide convex portion 40, whereby the outer peripheral surface of the vehicle-side connector 1 is brought into close contact. I will be. Also, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the plunger ball is inserted into the engagement recess 72 of the ridge 70 in a state where the connectors 1 and 2 are fitted to the half-fit position (semi-fit state). When the two connectors 1 and 2 are temporarily held by the mooring of the connector 84, the hook holes 38 and the projections 39 of the vehicle-side connector 1 are set to be aligned when the stays 36 are deformed.

A slide switch 42 for opening and closing a charging circuit (described below) shown in FIG. 8 is arranged on the upper surface of the grip shaft 32. The slide switch 42 has a slide body 43 inside the grip shaft 32, and a pressing plate 45 is attached to a lower surface of the slide body 43 toward a micro switch 44 that constitutes a part of a charging circuit.
When the slide switch 42 is operated to the ON position (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, the state shown in FIG. 6B), the contact point 46 of the micro switch 44 is pressed.

Here, the charging circuit will be described with reference to FIG. 8. A charging control section 48 (for example, a relay circuit or the like) for controlling the opening and closing of the charging circuit is provided between the power supply side connector 2 and the charger power supply 47. Is interposed. When the switch 42 is turned on by operating the switch 42 to the ON position (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 and the state shown in FIG. 6B), the micro switch 44 On the other hand, an output signal for opening and closing is generated through a power supply 47 for supply.
Is allowed only when the battery is closed, and the charging circuit is prohibited from being energized when the battery is open.

In the present embodiment, the slide switch 42 is in an ON position (a position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, FIG. 6).
(B)), the off position (FIGS. 1, 2 solid line, FIG. 6)
(See FIG. 3A) and a return position (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 6C). At both ON and OFF positions, the slide switch 42 is set in these positions as follows. It is kept. As shown in FIG. 6, a through hole 49 is formed in the slide body 43 of the slide switch 42 in the radial direction, and a spring 5 is provided here.
The balls 51 held therein and held at these ends are pressed against the inner wall side of the grip shaft 32, respectively. On the other hand, recesses 52 are formed on the inner wall of the grip shaft 32 at locations corresponding to both ON and OFF positions of the slide switch 42, and the balls 51 are anchored to these, so that the slide switch 42 Held in position. Further, an extruding spring 53 is attached to a rear portion of the slide body 43, and acts to displace the slide switch 42 from the return position to the off position. However, the ball 51 and the recess 5
2 is set stronger than the spring force of the push-out spring 53, the slide switch 42 does not move from the OFF position to the ON position by the push-out spring 53 alone. The ball 51 and the concave portion 52 can be dissociated by the above pushing operation force.

By the way, the slide switch 42 cannot be operated to the ON position unless the connectors 1 and 2 are completely fitted. That is, the end of the lever 33 on the rotation center side, which faces the pressing plate 45 of the slide switch 42, is the first stopper surface 54, and is pressed while the lever is gripped to a predetermined angle. The operation of the slide switch 42 to the ON position by contacting the plate 45 is prohibited.

The grip shaft 32 is provided with a lever lock plate 55 for holding the lever 33 in a gripped state during a charging operation. The lever lock plate 55 is provided horizontally along the axial direction. The lever lock plate 55 has an escape hole 56 on the upper surface so as not to interfere with the slide body 43, and a tip end portion is bent downward so that a part of the lever 33 is inserted and held therein. 57 is open. Lever 33
On the side, the lower side of the first stopper surface 54 is cut out in a step-like manner, and the portion where the first stopper surface 54 is formed is an insertion portion 58 that can be inserted into the holding hole 57. The lower step surface serves as a second stopper surface 61 and regulates the forward movement of the pressing plate 45 unless the lever 33 is gripped and operated to the completely fitted position. On the other hand, the rear end of the lever lock plate 55 is pressed by a spring 59, and the whole is urged in the forward direction. However, as shown in FIG. 1, the lever lock plate 55 is also always in contact with the first stopper surface 54 so that the forward movement is restricted.
When the stopper surface 54 faces the holding hole 57, the holding hole 57
The insertion portion 58 is inserted, and the lever 33 is held in a gripped state. Reference numeral 60 denotes a lamp that lights when the charging circuit is turned on.

Next, the operation and effect of the embodiment constructed as described above will be specifically described. First, when the operating shaft 13 of the vehicle-side connector 1 is pressed, the protruding shaft 17 is displaced along the cam groove 18 and the stopper shaft 14 is lowered. Then, the stopper shaft 1
4 is disengaged from the claws 15 of the flip-up lid 8,
The flip-up lid 8 is flipped up by the torsion spring 11 and held at the upper open position. On the other hand, the flip-up lid 24 of the power supply side connector 2 is lifted to the open position against the torsion spring 27, and the lock piece 28 is operated to engage with the locking edge 30 of the flip-up lid 24. 24
Is left open.

After the above operation, the grip shaft 32 is grasped, and the inner housing 19a of the power supply side connector 2 is opposed to the housing 3 of the vehicle side connector 1, and is pushed in as it is. When it is pushed to a predetermined depth, the engagement groove 80 of the power supply side connector 2 engages with the projection 70 of the vehicle-side connector 1, the plunger ball 84 clamps the projection 70, and engages with the guide groove 74a. At this time, the coil spring 20 is
And starts to urge the power supply side connector 2 in the returning direction. When the plunger ball 84 is further pushed in against the urging force, the plunger ball 84 slides along the ridge 70 while engaging with the guide groove 74 a of the ridge 70. Then, at the half-fitted position, the plunger ball 84 is anchored in the engagement recess 72, and the power supply side connector 2 is temporarily held against the urging force of the coil spring 20 (see FIG. 9). Further, at this time, as shown in FIG. 5A, the ends of both stays 36 are in an expanded state, so that the stays 36 do not interfere with the projections of the vehicle-side connector 1.

Next, when the lever 33 is gripped and the both stays 36 are retracted, the opening edges of the hook holes 38 slide along the inclined surfaces 41 of the guide projections 40, so that both the stays 36 gradually deform. Into the vehicle-side projection 39. If the lever 33 is further squeezed and operated, the stays 36 are further retracted, so that a pull-in force acts on the vehicle-side connector 1. As a reaction force, the power-supply-side connector 2 is pushed and pressed against the urging force of the coil spring 20, and finally the terminals of the connectors 1 and 2 are completely fitted with each other. During this time, the plunger ball 84
Is released from the engagement recess 72, and is further displaced to the rear side of the ridge 70 while holding the guide groove 74b on the rear side of the ridge 70. Although the urging force of the coil spring 20 continues to work, the completely fitted state is not released unless the lever 33 returns.

Until the fully engaged state, as shown in FIG. 1, the slide switch 42 has the two balls 51 fitted into the concave portions 52 and the pressing plate 45 abutting on the first stopper surface 54 of the lever 33. , Slide switch 4
In the case of No. 2, since the operation to the ON position is prohibited, a situation in which energization is started by mistake is avoided. Also,
Similarly, the forward end of the lever lock plate 55 is restricted by abutting the first stopper surface 54.

Then, when a completely fitted state is reached, as shown in FIG. 2, the holding hole 57 of the lever lock plate 55 and the insertion portion 58 of the lever 33 match, so that the lever lock plate 55 is advanced by the spring 50. , Insertion part 5
8 is inserted into the holding hole 57. By this, lever 3
3 is held in a gripped state, so that the lever 3
Avoiding the hassle of holding on to 3

When the lever 33 is completely engaged, the second stopper surface 61 is also displaced to a height allowing the push plate 45 to advance. In this state, the slide switch 42 is operated to turn the lever 33 to the off position. When the ball 51 is advanced from the ON position to the ON position, the balls 51 are fitted into the concave portions 52 corresponding to the ON position, and are held at this position. By increasing the urging force of the push-out spring 53 and operating the lever 33 to the completely fitted position, the slide switch 42 is turned from the off position to the on position (see FIG. 2) in conjunction with the lever 33 device. (From the position shown by the solid line, the position shown by the two-dot chain line)
May be moved. In this case, a moderation mechanism including the spring 50, the ball 51, and the concave portion 52 becomes unnecessary. Thus, when the slide switch 42 is displaced to the ON position, the pressing plate 45 presses the contact point 46 of the micro switch 44, so that the charging control unit 48 closes the charging circuit and the battery 4 of the automobile is energized.

If the push-fitting of the power supply side connector 2 is stopped before the two connectors 1 and 2 reach a completely fitted state, the power supply side connector 2 is half-fitted as shown in FIG. It is pushed back to the matching state. That is, the plunger ball 84 slides in the return direction of the ridge 70 while being engaged with the guide groove 74b, and is temporarily held at the half-fitted position by the mooring of the plunger ball 84 and the engagement concave portion 72. (See FIG. 9). Since the engaging force between the plunger ball 84 and the engaging concave portion 72 is set to be stronger than the urging force of the coil spring 20, the power supply-side connector 2 falls off the vehicle-side connector 1 only by the urging force of the coil spring 20. Never. As described above, when the two connectors 1 and 2 return to the half-fitted state, the operator returns the power supply-side connector 2 to the half-fitted position or the lever 3
Since it can be recognized from the open state of the connector 3 that the two connectors 1 and 2 have not reached the completely fitted state, the lever 33 is operated again to push the power supply side connector 2 into the vehicle side connector 1 as described above. It is sufficient to fix both connectors 1 and 2 completely.

When the charging is completed after the connectors 1 and 2 are completely engaged, the slide switch 42 is moved backward to the return position (see FIG. 3). As a result, the pressing plate 45 is separated from the microswitch 44, and the power supply to the charging circuit is stopped. Also, the slide switch 42
Is retracted to the return position, whereby the lever lock plate 55 is retracted against the spring 59. Accordingly, the insertion portion 58 of the lever 33 comes out of the holding hole 57, so that the lever 33 is automatically returned by the spring force of the torsion spring 35. Therefore, the power supply side connector 2
When the pull-out operation is performed, the power supply side connector 2 is urged in the return direction by the coil spring 20, and when the both stays 36 advance, the stays 36 return in the reverse order, and the plunger balls 84 also return along the guide grooves 74b. In the half-fitted state, the plunger ball 84 is temporarily held by the engaging concave portion 72 of the ridge 70 while being anchored. However, the plunger ball 84 and the engagement recess 72 are caused by the operator's extraction operation force exceeding a certain level.
And the plunger ball 84 is displaced by the urging force of the coil spring 20 in the return direction.
And the protrusion 70 and the engaging groove 80 are disengaged. Thus, when the engagement with the vehicle-side connector 1 is released, the removal of the power-supply-side connector 2 is completed.

As described above, in this embodiment, both connectors 1, 2
If the power supply side connector 2
Is pushed back to the half-fitted state and is temporarily held, so that the worker recognizes that it did not reach the completely fitted state. Therefore, the operator repeats the push-fitting operation to the completely fitted state again. In addition, since the power supply side connector 2 is temporarily held in the half-fitted state, the power supply side connector 2 is prevented from dropping from the vehicle side connector 1, and the push-fit operation can be performed again as it is, thereby improving workability. Further, since the power is allowed only after the terminals of the connectors 1 and 2 are completely connected, the power is not allowed at the half-fitted position, so that the power can be prevented from being erroneously operated. In addition, the power cannot be supplied unless the connectors 1 and 2 are completely movable, that is, in a state where both connectors 1 and 2 cannot be moved. Therefore, there is no situation in which the terminals are displaced during the power supply, and there is no fear of sparking. It is also planned. Further, since the lamp is lit during this time, it is possible to make an operator or the like recognize that the battery is being charged.

The present invention can be variously modified.
For example, the following modifications are conceivable. In the present embodiment, the stopper surface is formed on the lever 33. However, the stopper surface may be provided at another location or another type. In short, any place and method that always prohibits the operation of the slide switch to the ON position and detects the time of complete fitting and allows the operation is acceptable.
Further, the coil spring 20 is configured to apply an urging force from the time when the plunger ball 84 is engaged with the guide groove 74a. For example, the urging force in the returning direction immediately from the position where the connectors 1 and 2 are fitted to each other. May be applied, or an urging force may be applied from a position where the connectors 1 and 2 are temporarily held in a semi-fitted state. Further, in this example, the half mating positions are the two connectors 1,
Although the position is set at the position where the two terminals are in contact, the position can be arbitrarily set irrespective of the contact state of the terminals, such as at a non-contact position.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a state before fitting.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a completely fitted state.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a return state of the slide switch.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a half-fitted state.

5A is a partially broken plan view of the connector showing a normal state, FIG. 5B is a state in which the stay is deformed, and FIG. 5C is a state in which the stay is retracted.

6A is a cross-sectional view of a slide switch showing an off position, FIG. 6B is an on position, and FIG. 6C is a return position.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are enlarged cross-sectional views around a guide convex portion showing an expanded state, and FIG.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing a charging circuit.

FIG. 9 is a partial bottom sectional view showing a half-fitted state;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle side connector 2 ... Power supply side connector 20 ... Coil spring (biasing mechanism) 70 ... Ridge 72 ... Engagement concave part (locking mechanism) 82 ... Coil spring (locking mechanism) 84 ... Plunger ball (locking mechanism) )

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shinichi Yamada 1-14 Nishisuehirocho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. (72) Inventor Eiji Saijo 1-114, Nishisuehirocho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Wiring Systems Within (72) Inventor Hikaru Ito 1-114 Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. (72) Inventor Shigenichi Wakata 1-114, Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. (72) Inventor Tsutomu Tanaka 1-114 Nishi-Suehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. (72) Inventor Tadashi Miyazaki 1-114, Nishi-Suehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. (56) Reference Document JP-A-6-236780 (JP, A) JP-A-57-134876 (JP, A) JP-A-5-43484 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01R 13/56-13/72 B60R 16 / 04 H01M 10/46 101

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A power supply-side connector is fitted to a vehicle-side connector to hold both connectors in a completely fitted state so as to allow current to flow , and the power-side connector is connected to the vehicle-side connector.
Return the power side connector when mating with the connectors on both sides
The power supply side connector
Half-mating before the connector is properly mated to the vehicle-side connector
Removable lock to temporarily hold both connectors in position
Connector for electric vehicles equipped with a mechanism
And either connector is fitted on either side of the connector.
A ridge is arranged along the mating direction, and the connector on the other side is
A plan to accept the ridge while guiding the mating of both connectors
An inner groove is formed, and the locking mechanism is
A charging connector for an electric vehicle, which is provided on a surface facing the guide groove .