JP5260464B2 - Connector connection structure for battery charging power receiving connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector connection structure for a battery charging power receiving connector that charges a battery by connecting a power feeding connector, which is a power source, to the power receiving connector.

  In recent years, for the purpose of reducing the exhaust gas from vehicles to a small extent, each vehicle manufacturer has become very high in the development of electric vehicles. In such an electric vehicle, each time the remaining amount of power of the battery, which is a power source of the vehicle, decreases, the battery must be charged at, for example, a home or a desk lamp. However, various charging systems that can be handled easily will be provided (for example, see Patent Document 1). As an example of this case, for example, an inlet part to which a power supply connector (power supply coupler) connected to a commercial power source at home can be connected is provided in the vehicle, and the power supply connector is connected to the inlet part of the parked vehicle when returning home. It is assumed that the vehicle battery is charged by sending power to the vehicle.

JP-A-9-161898

  By the way, in this type of charging system, the power feeding connector and the inlet portion need to be strongly connected so that the power feeding connector is not easily detached from the inlet portion during charging. For this reason, the power supply connector and the inlet portion are terminals of the power supply connector and the inlet portion that are further pushed in from the state (initial connection state) in which the power supply connector is simply temporarily inserted while aligning the power supply connector with the inlet portion. It should inevitably take two states, a state of connecting each other (connection completion state).

  Therefore, in the conventional charging system, when charging the battery of the vehicle using the power feeding connector, first, the power feeding connector is inserted into the inlet portion, and the laborious work of pushing further into the state from that state is given to the user. Therefore, there is a problem in that the battery charging operation requiring very labor is imposed on the user. In particular, there is a current situation that this type of power supply connector is still heavy, and it is needless to say that imposing such work on users is a big problem when considering the further spread of electric vehicles, Some countermeasures were strongly desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a connector connection structure for a battery charging power receiving connector that can easily connect a power feeding connector to the power receiving connector when charging the battery. There is.

Hereinafter, means for achieving the above-described object and its operation and effects will be described.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a power supply connector connected to a power source can be connected. When the power supply connector is connected to the power supply connector, the power supplied from the power supply connector is sent to the battery to charge the battery. In the connector connection structure of the battery charging power receiving connector, the power feeding connector can be attached by locking the transmission member that can rotate in its circumferential direction using the driving means as the driving source and the locking claw of the power feeding connector. A displacement member that is linearly movable along the axial direction of the transmission member; and a rotational motion of the transmission member using the drive means as a drive source is converted into a linear motion along the axial direction of the transmission member. Then, by pulling the power supply connector that is locked to the displacement member to the back side together with the displacement member, the power supply connector is connected to the power reception connector. Further comprising a conversion mechanism for the gas connection has as its gist.

  According to this configuration, when the transmission member is rotated in one direction by the driving means in the locked state in which the locking claw of the power supply connector is engaged with, for example, the engagement hole of the displacement member, this rotational motion is converted into the conversion mechanism. Is switched to a linear motion toward the back side of the displacement member, and the power feeding connector linearly moves to the back together with the displacement member. Thereby, the connection terminal of the power feeding connector comes into contact with the connection terminal of the power receiving connector, and the power feeding connector is electrically connected to the power receiving connector. Therefore, when connecting the power feeding connector to the power receiving connector, if the user engages the engaging claw with the engaging hole of the displacement member, the driving member pulls the displacement member to the back, and the power feeding connector and the power receiving connector. And are automatically electrically connected. Therefore, when the power feeding connector is connected to the power receiving connector, this operation is assisted (assisted), so that the connector can be easily connected.

  The gist of a second aspect of the present invention is the connector connection structure for the battery charging power receiving connector according to the first aspect, wherein the drive means and the transmission member are engaged with each other by a worm gear. .

  According to this configuration, since the driving means and the transmission member are connected by the worm gear, even if the power supply connector is forcibly removed from the power receiving connector, the worm gear is caught and the transmission member is moved to the pulling side. I can't. Therefore, the power feeding connector cannot be illegally removed from the power receiving connector, which is very effective from the viewpoint of security.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the connector connection structure of the battery charging power receiving connector according to the first or second aspect, the operating means operated when the locking claw is switched from the closed state to the open state, and the power feeding A restricting piece that locks the removal of the power supply connector by disabling operation of the operating means by preventing the locking claw from moving when the connector is pulled into the power receiving connector and takes an electrical connection state. The gist is that

  According to this configuration, when the power supply connector is connected to the power reception connector, the locking claw of the power supply connector is prevented from moving by the restriction piece, and the operation unit cannot be operated. As described above, if the power supply connector is locked, the power supply connector can be more reliably prevented from being illegally removed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the connector connection structure for a battery charging power receiving connector according to any one of the first to third aspects, the driving means is driven in a direction opposite to that when the two connectors are electrically connected. Then, the power supply connector is pushed out to release the connection state of the two connectors, and the power supply connector can be detached from the power reception connector.

  According to the same configuration, when removing the power feeding connector from the power receiving connector, the driving means is driven in the opposite direction to that when the power feeding connector is attached, and the power feeding connector moves to the near side together with the displacement member. Disconnected automatically. For this reason, the removal of the power feeding connector is assisted (assisted) by the driving means, so that the power feeding connector can be detached from the power receiving connector with an easy operation.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the connector connection structure of the battery charging power receiving connector according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the control means controls the pull-in of the power feeding connector via the driving means. , Wirelessly between detection means for detecting whether or not the locking claw of the power supply connector is locked to the displacement member, a device on which the power receiving connector is mounted, and an electronic key of the device. Collating means for performing key collation by the control means, wherein the control means is configured to displace the displacement via the drive means on the condition that the key collation is established while the locking claw is engaged with the displacement member. The gist is to carry out the drawing of the member.

  According to this configuration, not only whether the locking claw of the power supply connector is locked to the displacement member, but also the pulling of the displacement member is executed on condition that key verification using the electronic key is established. For this reason, since it is not necessary to perform arbitrary charging by a third party, for example, security can be improved.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when charging a battery, the connector connection structure of the power receiving connector for battery charging which can connect a power feeding connector to a power receiving connector easily can be provided.

The block diagram which shows the structure of a vehicle and a charging system. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows schematic structure of an electric power feeding connector. The disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of an inlet part. The block diagram which shows the outline of an electronic key system and a charging system. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of an inlet part. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inlet part before the latching claw of an electric power feeding connector engages. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inlet part of the state which the latching claw of the electric power feeding connector engaged. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inlet part of the state in which the latching claw of the electric power feeding connector was locked.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a power receiving connector of a plug-in hybrid vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the hybrid vehicle 1 includes an engine 3 and a drive motor 4 as drive sources for the drive wheels 2. The hybrid vehicle 1 travels by mechanically transmitting only the power of the engine 3 to the drive wheels 2, a mode in which power is generated by the engine power and travels by the drive motor 4, and the engine 3 and the drive It is possible to travel in various modes including a mode in which the drive wheels 2 are directly driven by both motors 4 and a mode in which the drive wheels 4 are traveled only without using the engine 3.

  A power split mechanism 6 that splits the power generated by the engine 3 into the drive wheels 2 and the power generation motor 5 is provided between the engine 3 and the drive wheels 2. The power generation motor 5 is rotated by the power of the engine 3 to generate power. A battery 7 that charges the generated power is connected to the power generation motor 5 via a converter 8. The battery 7 can be charged with the power generated by the power generation motor 5. The drive motor 4 is connected to the battery 7 via the inverter 9 and is driven by the supply of electric power stored in the battery 7.

  Further, the plug-in hybrid vehicle 1 not only charges the battery 7 with the power generated by the power generation motor 5 but also supplies the battery 7 with nighttime power from an external power source 61 of the vehicle 1, for example, a household outlet. It is possible to charge. For this reason, the plug-in hybrid vehicle 1 can travel a longer distance than the conventional hybrid vehicle with only the drive motor 4, and it is not necessary to operate the engine 3 for charging. It is possible to reduce the operation amount of the engine 3.

  The plug-in hybrid vehicle 1 can charge the battery 7 by a plug-in vehicle battery charging system 60 shown in FIG. In this case, the charging system 60 is provided with a charging device 62 that charges the battery 7 of the vehicle 1. The charging device 62 is provided with a power supply connector 10 as a connection point to the charging port of the vehicle 1. The charging device 62 converts, for example, AC (commercial power) 200V into DC using the external power supply 61 as a power supply, and supplies this DC voltage to the vehicle 1 via the power supply connector 10.

  An inlet portion 20 is attached to the plug-in hybrid vehicle 1 as a connection destination of the power supply connector 10 in the vehicle 1. The inlet portion 20 is a connector part into which the power supply connector 10 is inserted, and is mounted on the rear side surface of the vehicle body, for example, like an oil filler port of a gasoline vehicle. The inlet unit 20 sends the DC voltage sent from the power supply connector 10 to the battery 7 of the vehicle 1 to charge the battery 7 with electric power.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a connection mechanism 21 is provided between the power supply connector 10 and the inlet portion 20, when the power supply connector 10 is inserted into the inlet portion 20, so that the power supply connector 10 is pulled back and connected. Is provided. The connection mechanism 21 is a connection position where the terminals are connected by pushing further from the insertion position (for example, the state of FIGS. 6 and 7) where the power feeding connector 10 is simply inserted into the inlet portion 20 in a positioning manner. When pushing in (the state of FIG. 8), the movement of the power supply connector 10 is assisted. Further, the connection mechanism 21 can automatically lock the power supply connector 10 into the engaged state when the power supply connector 10 is slightly inserted, and can be in a locked state where the power supply connector 10 cannot be removed from the inlet portion 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cable 12 connected to the charging device 62 is connected to the base end 11 a of the main body 11 of the power supply connector 10. The main body 11 of the power supply connector 10 is formed with a grip portion 13 that is held by a user. A cylindrical fitting portion 14 to be fitted to the inlet portion 20 is provided at the tip 11 b of the main body 11 of the power supply connector 10. Inside the fitting portion 14, a plurality of connection terminals 14 a that electrically connect the power supply connector 10 to the inlet portion 20 are provided. The connection terminal 14a includes a power terminal serving as a power transmission path, a control terminal serving as a communication path for various control commands, and the like.

  A pair of upper locking claws 15 and a lower locking claw 16 are provided on the upper and lower sides of the fitting part 14 to hold the inserted state when the power supply connector 10 is inserted into the inlet part 20. . When the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are in a state in which the inlet portion 20 is sandwiched from both sides (solid line in the figure), the power supply connector 10 is held in the inlet portion 20. When the locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are tilted so as to open to each other (broken line in the figure), the power supply connector 10 can be detached from the inlet portion 20. The upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are in a closed state in a normal state, and are operated to be opened by pressing an operating portion 17 as an operating means on the upper side of the grip portion 13 of the main body 11. It is possible.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a cylindrical main body case 22 that forms the outer frame of the inlet portion 20 is attached and fixed to the vehicle body of the vehicle 1. The main body case 22 includes, in order from the outside of the main body case 22, a gear lift 30 as a cylindrical transmission member fitted inside the main body case 22, and a cylindrical shape fitted inside the gear lift 30. A lock slider 50 as a displacement member and a connector housing 40 as a cylindrical guide member housed inside the lock slider 50 are housed in the same axial position. Inside the connector housing 40, a connection terminal 49 is provided as a connection destination of the connection terminal 14 a provided in the power feeding connector 10. The connection terminal 49 includes a power terminal serving as a power transmission path, a control terminal serving as a communication path for various control commands, and the like.

  A motor housing portion 23 that houses the motor 18 as a driving unit is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the base end of the main body case 22. The drive shaft 18 a of the motor 18 is fixed perpendicular to the axial direction of the main body case 22. A worm gear 19 is fixed to the drive shaft 18 a of the motor 18. The worm gear 19 is exposed to the inner periphery of the main body case 22 and reaches the gear lift 30.

  Further, the main body case 22 is formed with a small diameter portion 24, a medium diameter portion 25, and a large diameter portion 26 having different inner diameters. The step part of the small diameter part 24 and the medium diameter part 25 of the main body case 22 is a first restriction part that restricts the movement of the gear lift 30 to the proximal side in the axial direction by the contact of the proximal end 31 of the gear lift 30. 27. A stepped portion between the medium diameter portion 25 and the large diameter portion 26 of the main body case 22 serves as a second restriction portion 28 that restricts the gear lift 30 from moving toward the base end side in the axial direction.

  On the outer periphery of the large-diameter portion 26 of the main body case 22, a pair of regulating pieces 38, 38 that hold the gear lift 30 inside the main body case 22 is provided. The restricting pieces 38, 38 are arranged at positions facing each other in the radial direction of the inlet portion 20, and have a shape protruding to the inside of the gear lift 30. The restricting pieces 38, 38 have a stepped portion at the base by forming the base portion with a large diameter. In addition to functioning as a retaining member for the gear lift 30, the regulating pieces 38 and 38 also have a function of pressing the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 from above when the power supply connector 10 is attached to the inlet portion 20. The restricting pieces 38 and 38 are inserted and fitted into insertion holes 29 and 29 respectively penetrating the peripheral wall of the main body case 22.

  The gear lift 30 is formed with a small diameter portion 32 and a large diameter portion 33 having different outer diameters. The inner diameter is also different from the outer diameter. The outer stepped portion between the small diameter portion 32 and the large diameter portion 33 of the gear lift 30 is such that the gear lift 30 moves to the proximal end side in the axial direction when the gear lift 30 comes into contact with the second restricting portion 28 of the main body case 22. It becomes the regulation part 34 which regulates.

  In the gear lift 30, a gear portion 35 that meshes with the worm gear 19 of the motor 18 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 32. Since the worm gear 19 and the gear portion 35 are engaged with each other, when the power feeding connector 10 is fitted to the inlet portion 20, the gear portion 35 is caught by the worm gear 19 and the gear lift 30 is displaced. Can be prevented from being disconnected. An inner step portion between the small diameter portion 32 and the large diameter portion 33 of the gear lift 30 serves as a restriction portion 34 that restricts the connector housing 40 from moving toward the base end side in the axial direction.

  The connector housing 40 has a small-diameter portion 41, a medium-diameter portion 42, and a large-diameter portion 43 having different outer diameters. In the outer stepped portion of the small diameter portion 41 and the medium diameter portion 42 of the connector housing 40, the connector housing 40 abuts on the first restricting portion 27 of the main body case 22, and the connector housing 40 moves to the proximal side in the axial direction. It becomes the 1st control part 44 which controls this. In the small diameter portion 41 of the connector housing 40, pin holes 46 that are fixed to the main body case 22 by pins 45 are formed in two places at the top and bottom. The outer stepped portion of the middle diameter portion 42 and the large diameter portion 43 of the connector housing 40 is such that the connector housing 40 abuts against the restriction portion 34 of the gear lift 30 and the connector housing 40 moves to the proximal end side in the axial direction. It becomes the 2nd control part 47 which controls. A pair of grooves 48 for guiding the lock slider 50 in the axial direction are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 43 of the connector housing 40 on the left and right sides in the direction along the axial direction.

  The gear lift 30 and the lock slider 50 are connected by a screw structure in which screw grooves extend along the circumferential direction of these members. That is, a screw portion 36 having a thread groove cut in the circumferential direction is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 33 of the gear lift 30, and a screw groove is also cut in the circumferential direction on the base end side outer peripheral surface of the lock slider 50. The gear lift 30 and the lock slider 50 are attached by providing the screw portion 51 and screwing the screw portions 36 and 51 together. Thereby, when the gear lift 30 rotates using the motor 18 as a drive source, the rotational movement is converted into the straight movement of the lock slider 50. That is, the screw part 36 of the gear lift 30, the screw part 51 and the protrusions 54 and 54 of the lock slider 50, and the groove parts 48 and 48 of the connector housing 40 function as a conversion mechanism.

  On the outer peripheral surface on the tip end side of the lock slider 50, an upper engagement hole 52 with which the upper locking claw 15 of the power supply connector 10 is engaged and a lower engagement hole with which the lower locking claw 16 of the power supply connector 10 is engaged. 53 are formed on the upper and lower sides, respectively. On the inner peripheral surface of the lock slider 50, a protrusion 54 inserted into the groove 48 of the connector housing 40 extends in the axial direction and is formed on the left and right, respectively. The lock slider 50 has a fixed position where the engagement of the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 with respect to the upper engagement hole 52 and the lower engagement hole 53 is fixed, and a non-fixed position where the engagement is not fixed. It is displaced in the axial direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle 1 is equipped with an electronic key system 70 capable of performing vehicle operations such as door locking and unlocking without the driver actually operating the vehicle keys. Yes. In the electronic key system 70, an electronic key 80 capable of transmitting a key-specific ID code by wireless communication is used as a vehicle key. The electronic key system 70 transmits a request signal Srq from the vehicle 1 as an ID code reply request. When the electronic key 80 receives the request signal Srq, the electronic key 80 includes its own ID code in response to the request signal Srq. In this system, the ID code signal Sid is returned to the vehicle 1 by the narrow-band wireless communication, and when the ID code of the electronic key 80 matches the ID code of the vehicle 1, the door lock is unlocked or executed.

  The electronic key system 70 will be described below. The vehicle 1 is provided with a verification ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 71 as verification means for performing ID verification when performing narrow-area wireless communication with the electronic key 80. Yes. The verification ECU 71 includes an LF transmitter 72 embedded in each door of the vehicle 1 and capable of transmitting an LF (Low Frequency) band signal to the outside of the vehicle, and an RF (Radio Frequency) band embedded in a vehicle body behind the vehicle. An RF receiver 73 capable of receiving a radio signal is connected. The verification ECU 71 includes a memory 71a in which an ID code is stored as a unique key code.

  On the other hand, the electronic key 80 is provided with a communication control unit 81 as a control unit for performing wireless communication with the vehicle 1 according to the electronic key system 70. The communication control unit 81 includes a memory 81a in which an ID code is stored as a unique key code. The communication control unit 81 is connected to an LF receiving unit 82 capable of receiving an LF band signal transmitted externally and an RF transmission unit 83 capable of transmitting an RF band signal in accordance with a command from the communication control unit 81. Yes.

  The verification ECU 71 intermittently transmits an LF band request signal Srq from the LF transmitter 72 to form a communication area around the vehicle 1. When the electronic key 80 enters the communication area and receives the request signal Srq by the LF receiver 82, the electronic key 80 responds to the request signal Srq and includes an RF code including an ID code registered in its own memory 81a. A band ID code signal Sid is returned from the RF transmitter 83. When the RF receiver 73 receives the ID code signal Sid, the verification ECU 71 compares the ID code registered in its own memory 71a with the ID code of the electronic key 80 to perform ID verification. When the ID verification is established, the verification ECU 71 permits or executes door locking / unlocking by a door lock device (not shown).

  In the charging system 60, the electronic key system 70 is used to establish ID verification, and charging is possible on condition that the power supply connector 10 is connected to the inlet unit 20. That is, the vehicle 1 includes a charging ECU 74 as a control unit that performs control related to charging. The charging ECU 74 can communicate with the verification ECU 71 via an in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network) (not shown), and when an ID verification establishment signal is obtained from the verification ECU 71, a flag for ID verification establishment is set in a memory 74a provided in the charging ECU 74. .

  Further, the charging ECU 74 is connected to a detection sensor 55 as a detection means provided in the connection mechanism 21 of the inlet portion 20. In addition, the charging ECU 74 manages the driving operation of the motor 18. The detection sensor 55 detects whether the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are engaged with the upper engagement hole 52 and the lower engagement hole 53, respectively. Is output to the charging ECU 74. When the charge ECU 74 acquires the detection signal, the charge ECU 74 sets a flag for detecting the claw in the memory 74a.

  The charging ECU 74 outputs a driving signal to the motor 18 when the ID verification establishment flag and the locking claw detection flag are set, and pulls the power supply connector 10 to the inner side by driving the motor 18 to connect to the inlet portion 20. When the connection terminals 14 a and 49 of the power feeding connector 10 and the inlet portion 20 are connected, charging of the battery 7 is started.

  On the other hand, in the charging system 60, the electronic key system 70 is used to establish ID verification, and the charging system 60 can be detached on the condition that the removal switch 75 provided in the vehicle 1 is operated. That is, the vehicle 1 is provided with a removal switch 75 that is operated when the power supply connector 10 is removed, and an operation signal is output to the charging ECU 74 when operated. When an operation signal is input from the removal switch 75, the charging ECU 74 sets a removal operation flag in the memory 74a.

  The charging ECU 74 outputs a reverse rotation drive signal to the motor 18 when the ID verification establishment flag and the removal operation flag are set in a state where the connection terminals 14a and 49 of the power supply connector 10 and the inlet portion 20 are connected. Then, the power supply connector 10 is pushed out of the inlet portion 20, and the power supply connector 10 is separated from the inlet portion 20. Since the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 can be opened by pushing the operation portion 17, the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are opened to supply power. The connector 10 can be removed from the inlet portion 20.

  Next, assembly of the inlet portion 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5. The inlet portion 20 is assembled by being assembled in the axial direction of the main body case 22 except for the regulating piece 38 and the pin 45.

  First, a motor 18 having a worm gear 19 fixed to a drive shaft 18a is prepared. Then, the motor 18 is accommodated in the motor accommodating portion 23 of the main body case 22 by being inserted along the axial direction of the main body 11.

  Subsequently, the gear lift 30 is housed in the main body case 22 by being inserted along the axial direction thereof. At this time, the base end 31 of the gear lift 30 abuts on the first restricting portion 27 of the main body case 22, the restricting portion 34 of the gear lift 30 abuts on the second restricting portion 28 of the main body case 22, and the gear lift 30 is 22 is positioned. Further, the gear portion 35 of the gear lift 30 is engaged with the worm gear 19.

  Then, the connector housing 40 is housed in the gear lift 30 by being inserted along the axial direction thereof. At this time, the first restricting portion 44 of the connector housing 40 abuts on the first restricting portion 27 of the main body case 22, and the second restricting portion 47 of the connector housing 40 abuts on the restricting portion 34 of the gear lift 30. The housing 40 is positioned with respect to the main body case 22 and the gear lift 30. The base end portions of the main body case 22 and the connector housing 40 are fixed by inserting and fixing the pins 45 at two locations, upper and lower.

  Subsequently, the lock slider 50 is housed in the gear lift 30 by being inserted along the axial direction thereof. At this time, the lock slider 50 is turned while the protruding portion of the lock slider 50 is passed through the groove portion 48 of the connector housing 40, and the screw portion 51 of the lock slider 50 is screwed into the screw portion 36 of the gear lift 30. The slider 50 is attached to the gear lift 30. As described above, the gear lift 30, the connector housing 40, and the lock slider 50 are all housed in the main body case 22.

  Then, the restricting pieces 38 are respectively inserted into the insertion holes 29 of the main body case 22, and the insertion holes 29 are crimped to fix the restricting pieces 38 to the main body case 22. Therefore, the pair of restricting pieces 38, 38 restricts the gear lift 30 accommodated in the gear lift 30 from moving to the front end side of the main body case 22.

  Next, operations of the power supply connector 10 and the inlet portion 20 when the power supply connector 10 is connected to the inlet portion 20 to supply power and charge the battery 7 from the external power supply 61 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 2, the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are opened apart from each other by pushing the operation portion 17. Then, the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are aligned so as to enter the gap 56 (see FIG. 6) between the main body case 22 and the lock slider 50, and the power supply connector 10 is kept in that state. By moving along the axial direction, insertion of the power supply connector 10 into the inlet portion 20 is started. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, when the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are positioned in the upper engagement hole 52 and the lower engagement hole 53 (insertion position), the power feeding connector Stop 10 insertion.

  Then, when the hand is released from the operation portion 17 in this state, the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 move to close, and as shown in FIG. 7, the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw are moved. The claw 16 engages with the upper engagement hole 52 and the lower engagement hole 53, respectively. As a result, the power supply connector 10 is in a locked state with the inlet portion 20 although the power supply connection terminal 14a is not yet connected to the connection terminal 49 of the inlet portion 20.

  Subsequently, the detection sensor 55 detects that the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are engaged with the upper engagement hole 52 and the lower engagement hole 53, and the above-described ID collation is established. If it is confirmed, the motor 18 starts to drive. When the motor 18 is driven, the worm gear 19 is rotated by this driving force, and the gear lift 30 is rotated via the gear portion 35 of the gear lift 30. The rotational movement of the gear lift 30 is caused by the engagement between the screw portion 36 of the gear lift 30 and the screw portion 51 of the lock slider 50, and the engagement between the groove portion 48 of the connector housing 40 and the protrusion 54 of the lock slider 50. It is converted into a linear motion in 40 axial directions (straight direction). Accordingly, the lock slider 50 moves straight to the back side of the main body case 22. At this time, since the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 of the power supply connector 10 are engaged with the upper engagement hole 52 and the lower engagement hole 53 of the lock slider 50, power supply is performed together with the lock slider 50. The connector 10 also moves straight to the back of the main body case 22.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 8, when the gear lift 30 makes one rotation, the lock slider 50 moves to the innermost part. At this time, each connection terminal 14a and 49 of the electric power feeding connector 10 and the inlet part 20 takes the state (connection position) which each connects. Further, the upper engagement hole 52 and the lower engagement hole 53 of the lock slider 50 are located immediately below the restriction pieces 38 and 38 and are pressed from above by the restriction pieces 38 and 38. Thereby, the upper side latching claw 15 and the lower side latching claw 16 cannot be displaced by the restricting pieces 38, 38, that is, take a locked state.

  When the power supply connector 10 is detached from the inlet portion 20, for example, a removal switch 75 provided in the vehicle is operated. When the removal switch 75 is operated, the motor 18 starts reverse rotation and the gear lift 30 rotates reversely on the condition that the ID verification described above is established, and the lock slider 50 is moved to the front end side of the main body 11. The position is displaced. At this time, the upper engagement hole 52 and the lower engagement hole 53 are separated from the restriction pieces 38, 38, and the upper engagement claw 15 and the lower engagement claw 16 are separated from the restriction pieces 38, 38. The position restriction by the pieces 38, 38 is released. In this case, the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 can be opened by pushing the operation portion 17, so that the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are opened, The power feeding connector 10 can be detached from the inlet portion 20.

  In the present embodiment, the pair of upper locking claws 15 and lower locking claws 16 provided in the power feeding connector 10 are locked in the upper engagement holes 52 and the lower engagement holes 53 of the lock slider 50. Then, in this state, the motor 18 is rotated, the rotational force is converted into a linear motion, and the lock slider 50 is pulled back, whereby the connection terminal 14 a of the power supply connector 10 is connected to the connection terminal 49 of the inlet portion 20. For this reason, after inserting the power feeding connector 10 into the inlet portion 20, it is not necessary to impose an operation of pushing the power feeding connector 10 deeply in order to connect the connection terminals 14 a and 49 to each other. It becomes possible to carry out with easy work. Furthermore, since the half insertion of the power supply connector 10 is less likely to occur, the connection guarantee of the connection terminals 14a and 49 can be improved.

  By the way, since charging of this type of electric vehicle requires a relatively long time compared with gasoline replenishment of a gasoline vehicle, an operator cannot always stand by nearby during the charging. In particular, when charging is performed at a vehicle owner's house instead of a street charging station, rapid charging with a large current is actually impossible due to the need to prepare a special charging device. Therefore, for example, there is a high possibility that the vehicle 1 parked in the parking lot at home at night will be charged for a long time. In such a case, the power supply connector 10 is connected to the inlet portion 20 to start charging, and left in that state for a long time. In this case, for example, the power supply connector 10 may be removed from the charging inlet portion 20 to charge another vehicle, or the power supply connector 10 itself may be stolen.

  However, in the case of this embodiment, when the power supply connector 10 is completely inserted into the inlet portion 20, the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 of the power supply connector 10 are connected to the inlet portion 20. Even if it is pressed from above by the restricting pieces 38 and 38 and the operation unit 17 is to be operated, it cannot be pushed, that is, a locked state is obtained. For this reason, even if a third party tries to remove the power supply connector 10 from the inlet part 20 without permission, this cannot be executed. Therefore, power theft due to unauthorized removal of the power supply connector 10 or theft of the power supply connector 10 itself can be prevented. It becomes difficult to occur.

  Further, when the power supply connector 10 is connected to the inlet portion 20, when the removal switch 75 is pressed, the motor 18 starts reverse rotation on the condition that ID verification is established, and the power supply connector 10 is moved to the lock slider. 50 and move straight along with 50. Thereby, the locked state of the operation unit 17 by the regulating piece 38 is automatically released, and the electrical connection state between the power supply connector 10 and the inlet unit 20 is also automatically released. For this reason, since the release of the power supply connector 10 is assisted by the connection mechanism 21, the power supply connector 10 can be removed by an easy work.

As described above, according to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 of the power feeding connector 10 are brought into a locked state in which they are engaged with the upper engagement hole 52 and the lower engagement hole 53 of the lock slider 50, respectively. When the gear lift 30 is rotated in one direction by the motor 18, this rotational movement is converted into a linear movement toward the back side of the lock slider 50 by the conversion mechanism, and the power feeding connector 10 is moved back together with the lock slider 50. Move straight to. As a result, the connection terminal 14 a of the power supply connector 10 contacts the connection terminal 49 of the inlet portion 20, and the power supply connector 10 is electrically connected to the inlet portion 20. Therefore, when connecting the power supply connector 10 to the inlet portion 20, the user can engage the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 with the upper engagement hole 52 and the lower engagement hole 53 of the lock slider 50. For example, the lock slider 50 is pulled back by the motor 18 so that the power supply connector 10 and the inlet portion 20 are automatically electrically connected. Therefore, when the power feeding connector 10 is connected to the inlet portion 20, this operation is assisted, so that the connector can be connected by an easy operation.

  (2) Since the motor 18 and the gear lift 30 are connected by the worm gear 19, even if the power supply connector 10 is forcibly removed from the inlet portion 20, the worm gear 19 is caught and the gear lift 30 is moved to the disengagement side. I can't. Therefore, since it becomes impossible to remove the power feeding connector 10 from the inlet portion 20 illegally, the effect is very high from the viewpoint of security.

  (3) When the power feeding connector 10 is connected to the inlet portion 20, the upper and lower locking claws 15 and 16 of the power feeding connector 10 are prevented from moving from above by the regulating pieces 38, 38, It becomes a locked state in which the operation of the unit 17 is impossible. For this reason, even if a third party tries to remove the power supply connector 10 from the inlet part 20 without permission, this cannot be executed. Therefore, power theft due to unauthorized removal of the power supply connector 10 or theft of the power supply connector 10 itself can be prevented. It becomes difficult to occur.

  (4) When the power feeding connector 10 is removed from the inlet portion 20, the motor 18 is driven in a direction opposite to that when the motor 18 is attached, and the power feeding connector 10 moves to the near side together with the lock slider 50. The connection between the connection terminal 14a and the connection terminal 49 of the inlet portion 20 is automatically disconnected. For this reason, since the removal of the power feeding connector 10 is assisted, the power feeding connector 10 can be detached from the inlet portion 20 with an easy work.

  (5) Not only the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 of the power supply connector 10 are locked to the lock slider 50 but also the condition of the ID verification using the electronic key 80 is satisfied. Pulled in. For this reason, since it is not necessary to perform arbitrary charging by a third party, for example, security can be improved.

  (6) The gear lift 30, the lock slider 50, and the connector housing 40 are disposed in the same axial center position as the main body case 22 of the inlet portion 20, and are installed in the main body case 22. Therefore, the gear lift 30, the lock slider 50, and the connector housing 40 can be attached to the main body case 22 so as to be accommodated in order, so that the inlet portion 20 can be assembled by a simple operation that is easy to assemble. Become.

  (7) The restricting pieces 38 and 38 for positioning the gear lift 30 in the assembled state are attached by being inserted into the main body case 22 from the outer peripheral surface side of the main body case 22. For this reason, since this kind of positioning restricting pieces 38, 38 can be assembled to the main body case 22 after various members such as the gear lift 30 are assembled to the main body case 22, the restricting pieces 38, 38 can be connected to the gear lift. It is possible to attach the restricting pieces 38, 38 to the main body case 22 by simply performing work.

  (8) A pair of the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 of the power supply connector 10 are provided on both sides of the connection terminal 14 a of the power supply connector 10. Therefore, it becomes possible to connect the power supply connector 10 to the inlet part 20 more reliably.

In addition, the said embodiment can be implemented with the following forms which changed this suitably.
In the above embodiment, the groove portion 48 is formed in the connector housing 40 and the ridge portion 54 is formed in the lock slider 50. However, the ridge portion is formed in the connector housing 40 and the groove portion in the lock slider 50 is formed. May be formed.

In the above embodiment, the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are provided above and below the power supply connector 10 with the fitting portion 14 interposed therebetween, but may be provided only on one side.
In the above embodiment, the restriction piece 38 is inserted and fixed from the outer peripheral surface of the main body case 22 to hold the gear lift 30 inside. However, the restriction piece 38 is inserted and fixed from the axial direction of the main body case 22 to hold the gear lift 30 inside. You may make it do. Further, the regulating piece 38 may be formed integrally with the main body case 22.

  In the above embodiment, the gear lift 30, the connector housing 40, and the lock slider 50 are coaxially mounted to the main body case 22. However, if the assembly is easy, the gear lift 30, the connector housing 40, and the lock slider 50 are arranged coaxially. It does not have to be. That is, it goes without saying that the shape and structure of the transmission member, the displacement member, and the conversion mechanism can be appropriately changed as long as the operation conditions of this example are satisfied.

  In the above embodiment, the worm gear 19 fixed to the motor 18 is engaged with the gear portion 35 of the gear lift 30 to rotate the gear lift 30, but the drive shaft 18 a of the motor 18 is moved in the axial direction of the gear lift 30. The gear lift 30 may be rotated by providing a gear on the drive shaft 18a.

In the above embodiment, the motor 18 is applied as the driving unit, but other members such as a solenoid may be applied as the driving unit.
In the above embodiment, the connection mechanism is provided on the condition that the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are respectively engaged with the upper engagement hole 52 and the lower engagement hole 53 and that ID verification is established. 21 was driven. However, the connection mechanism 21 may be driven only on condition that the upper locking claw 15 and the lower locking claw 16 are engaged with the upper engagement hole 52 and the lower engagement hole 53, respectively. . That is, various conditions can be adopted as conditions for automatically connecting the power supply connector 10 to the inlet portion 20.

  In the above embodiment, the start condition for automatic removal of the power supply connector 10 is not necessarily limited to the operation of the removal switch 75 when the ID verification is established. For example, when the battery 7 is fully charged, the automatic connection state May be canceled.

In the above embodiment, the key authentication is performed by ID verification using the electronic key 80, but may be performed by mechanical verification using a mechanical key.
In the above embodiment, the electronic key system 70 may employ, for example, an immobilizer system that uses a transponder as an ID code source.

  In the above embodiment, the frequency of the radio wave used in the electronic key system 70 is not necessarily limited to LF and RF, and other frequencies can be used. Further, the frequency when radio waves are transmitted from the vehicle 1 to the electronic key 80 and the frequency when radio waves are returned from the electronic key 80 to the vehicle 1 are not necessarily limited to different ones, and these may be the same frequency.

In the above-described embodiment, a one-push engine start function may be added to the electronic key system 70 so that the engine enters an activated state by simply pressing a switch.
In the above embodiment, user authentication is not necessarily limited to key authentication using the electronic key 80, and other authentication such as biometric authentication may be applied.

In the above embodiment, in the connection mechanism 21, the lock mechanism of the operation unit 17 by the restriction piece 38 is not necessarily required, and this may be omitted.
In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the inlet portion 20 of the plug-in hybrid type vehicle 1, but the present invention is not limited to the plug-in hybrid type vehicle and may be applied to an inlet portion of an electric vehicle.

  -In above-mentioned embodiment, the connection mechanism 21 of this example is not necessarily applied only to the vehicle 1, If the apparatus and apparatus which have a rechargeable battery are used, the employment place will not be specifically limited.

Next, the technical idea that can be grasped from the embodiment will be described together with the effects.
(A) In the connector connection structure of the battery charging power receiving connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the transmission member, the displacement member, and the housing of the conversion mechanism include a main body case of the power receiving connector. It is disposed at the same axial center position and is in an attached state housed in the main body case.

  According to this configuration, the transmission member, the displacement member, and the housing of the conversion mechanism can be attached to the main body case so as to be housed in order, so that the power receiving connector can be assembled by a simple operation that is easy to assemble. It becomes possible.

  (B) In the connector connection structure for a battery charging power receiving connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and the technical idea (A), a restriction piece for positioning and holding the transmission member on the body case of the power receiving connector is provided. The regulating piece is formed as a separate part with respect to the transmission member, and is attached to the main body case by being inserted and fixed from the outer peripheral surface side of the main body case.

  According to this configuration, the restriction piece that positions the transmission member in the assembled state is attached by being inserted into the main body case from the outer peripheral surface side of the main body case. For this reason, since this kind of positioning restriction piece can be assembled to the main body case after various members such as the transmission member are assembled to the main body case, the restriction piece does not interfere with the attachment of the transmission member. In addition, it is possible to attach the restricting piece to the main body case simply by work.

  (C) In the connector connection structure of the battery charging power receiving connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and the technical ideas (a) and (b), the locking claw of the power feeding connector is the power feeding connector. A pair is provided on both sides of the connection terminal.

  According to this configuration, the power feeding connector can be more reliably connected to the power receiving connector.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 2 ... Drive wheel, 3 ... Engine, 4 ... Drive motor, 5 ... Electric power generation motor, 6 ... Power split mechanism, 7 ... Battery, 8 ... Converter, 9 ... Inverter, 10 ... Feed connector, 11 ... Main body, 12 ... cable, 13 ... grip part, 14 ... fitting part, 15 ... upper locking claw, 16 ... lower locking claw, 17 ... operating part as operating means, 18 ... motor as driving means, 19 ... Worm gear, 20 ... Inlet part as power receiving connector, 21 ... Connection mechanism, 22 ... Main body case, 23 ... Motor housing part, 24 ... Small diameter part, 25 ... Medium diameter part, 26 ... Large diameter part, 27 ... First regulation , 28 ... second restriction part, 29 ... insertion hole, 30 ... gear lift as transmission member, 31 ... proximal end, 32 ... small diameter part, 33 ... large diameter part, 34 ... restriction part, 35 ... gear part, 36 ... Screw part, 38 ... regulating piece, 40 ... guide member Connector housing, 41 ... small diameter portion, 42 ... medium diameter portion, 43 ... large diameter portion, 44 ... first restriction portion, 45 ... pin, 46 ... pin hole, 47 ... second restriction portion, 48 ... groove portion, 50 ... Lock slider as a displacement member, 51 ... Screw part, 52 ... Upper engagement hole, 53 ... Lower engagement hole, 54 ... Projection part, 55 ... Detection sensor as detection means, 56 ... Clearance, 60 ... Charging system , 61 ... external power supply, 62 ... charging device, 70 ... electronic key system, 71 ... verification ECU as verification means, 72 ... LF transmitter, 73 ... RF receiver, 74 ... charge ECU as control means, 75 ... removal Switch, 80 ... electronic key, 81 ... communication controller, 82 ... LF receiver, 83 ... RF transmitter.

Claims (5)

A connector connection structure for a battery charging power receiving connector that can be connected to a power supply connector connected to a power supply, and that is charged with the battery by sending power sent from the power supply connector to the battery when connected to the power supply connector. In
A transmission member capable of rotating in its circumferential direction using the drive means as a drive source;
The power supply connector can be attached by locking the power supply connector and the displacement member is linearly movable along the axial direction of the transmission member.
The rotational movement of the transmission member using the drive means as a drive source is converted into a linear motion along the axial direction of the transmission member, and the power supply connector that is locked to the displacement member is A connector connection structure for a battery charging power receiving connector, comprising: a conversion mechanism for electrically connecting the power feeding connector to the power receiving connector by pulling the power feeding connector together with a member. In the connector connection structure of the battery charging power receiving connector according to claim 1,
The connector connection structure for a battery charging power receiving connector, wherein the driving means and the transmission member are engaged with each other by a worm gear. In the connector connection structure of the battery charging power receiving connector according to claim 1 or 2,
An operating means for operating the switching claw when switching from a closed state to an open state;
When the power feeding connector is pulled into the back of the power receiving connector and takes an electrical connection state, the operation means cannot be operated by locking the locking claw so that the power connector is removed. A connector connection structure for a battery charging power receiving connector, comprising a regulating piece. In the connector connection structure of the power receiving connector for battery charging according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
When the drive means is driven in the opposite direction to when both the connectors are electrically connected, the power supply connector is pushed outward to release the connection state of the two connectors, and the power supply connector can be detached from the power reception connector. A connector connection structure for a battery charging power receiving connector. In the connector connection structure of the battery charging power receiving connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Control means for controlling pull-in of the power supply connector via the drive means;
Detecting means for detecting whether or not the locking claw of the power supply connector is locked to the displacement member;
A verification unit that performs wireless key verification between the device on which the power receiving connector is mounted and the electronic key of the device,
The control means executes pull-in of the displacement member via the drive means on the condition that the locking claw is locked to the displacement member and the key collation is established. Connector connection structure for battery charging power receiving connector.

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