JP5310248B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for connecting a battery unit to an electric vehicle.

  As a method of charging a battery unit mounted on an electric vehicle, a method of replacing a consumed battery unit with a previously charged battery unit at a battery exchange station replacing a gas station has been proposed. According to this method, it is not necessary to charge the battery unit that is currently installed, and it is only necessary to replace the battery unit with a charged one. Such a method is performed, for example, by an exchange apparatus described in Patent Document 1 below. In this exchange device, a housing on the electric vehicle side and a housing on the battery unit side are fitted to each other so that the terminal fitting on the electric vehicle side and the terminal fitting on the battery unit side are connected to be conductive.

  By the way, since the battery unit is heavy and cannot be manually replaced, the battery unit is lifted and lowered using a lifting device such as a hydraulic lifter or an electric lifter. First, both housings are shallowly fitted by a lifting device, and thereafter, a manual fitting is performed manually by a person using a booster provided in the connector, so that the final fitting is finally achieved. As an example of a booster, a rotatable shaft is provided in one housing, an opening that can accommodate the shaft is provided in the other housing, and a mechanism such as a cam mechanism or bolting is provided between the shaft and the opening. A configuration is conceivable in which the two housings are brought into close contact with each other by providing them.

Japanese Patent No. 3530870

  However, in the above configuration, the tightening force is easily transmitted at a portion close to the booster, and the tightening force is not easily transmitted at a portion away from the booster. Further, when the terminal fittings are partially distributed, the frictional resistance generated between the two terminal fittings is increased, so that the fitting timing is delayed. On the other hand, since the frictional resistance between the two terminal fittings is small in the portion where the terminal fittings are few or not arranged, the fitting timing is accelerated. Therefore, variation occurs in the fitting timing of both housings, and the fitting operation of both housings cannot be performed smoothly.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to smoothly perform the fitting operation of both housings.

The present invention is a connector for connecting a battery unit to an electric vehicle, and includes a first housing provided on the electric vehicle side, a second housing provided on the battery unit side and fitable with the first housing, A first terminal fitting housed inside the first housing, a second terminal fitting housed inside the second housing and connected to the first terminal fitting so as to be conductive, a rotatable shaft portion and a shaft portion A booster device that has a handle for rotating the housing, draws both housings together, a coil spring disposed around the shaft portion, and a metal sleeve that is provided on the shaft portion and receives one end of the coil spring And a metal collar that is provided in the first housing so that the shaft portion can be inserted and receives the other end of the coil spring. The coil spring is mounted between the sleeve and the collar in a compressed state. A spiral cam groove is formed in the shaft portion, and a cam pin that engages with the cam groove is formed in the second housing. The cam groove is terminated at the inlet side of the cam groove. A holding groove that extends to hold the cam pin at the end of the cam groove is formed, and the first terminal fitting and the second terminal fitting are each characterized by being radially distributed around the booster. Have.

According to such a configuration, since the first terminal fitting and the second terminal fitting are provided in a radially dispersed manner around the booster, the frictional resistance between the two terminal fittings can be dispersed, and the fitting timing can be reduced. Variations can be eliminated. Therefore, the fitting operation of both housings can be performed smoothly.
Further, according to the configuration in which the booster includes the rotatable shaft portion and the handle for rotating the shaft portion, the two housings are fitted and detached by operating the handle when the battery unit is replaced. be able to.

In addition, a coil spring disposed around the shaft portion, a metal sleeve provided at the shaft portion and receiving one end of the coil spring, and a shaft housing in which the shaft portion can be inserted in the first housing are provided. and a metal collar for receiving the end coil spring, according to the loaded Ru formed between the sleeve and collar in a compressed state, constituting a portion in contact with both ends of the coil spring mounted in compression in metal Therefore, there is no possibility that the sleeve and the collar are worn.

As an embodiment of the present invention, the handle may be configured to be detachable from the shaft portion. According to such a configuration, when exchanging the battery unit, the handle can be attached to the shaft portion, the two housings can be fitted and detached, and the handle can be removed after exchanging the battery unit. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which an unexpected force is applied to the handle and both housings are unexpectedly separated.

  According to the present invention, the fitting operation of both housings can be performed smoothly.

The perspective view of the male connector in an embodiment Rear view showing back side of male connector Rear view showing the male connector with the handle removed Rear view showing the state where the electric wire is drawn out from the male connector Side view showing a state where the electric wire is drawn out from the male connector Front view showing mating surface side of male connector Front view showing the mating surface of the female connector Rear view showing back side of female connector It is sectional drawing which shows the normal fitting state of both connectors, Comprising: Sectional drawing which shows a mode that the terminal metal fittings of the big side are connected so that conduction | electrical_connection is possible It is sectional drawing which shows the normal fitting state of both connectors, Comprising: Section drawing which shows a mode that the terminal metal fittings of the small side are connected so that conduction | electrical_connection is possible Sectional drawing which shows a male connector single-piece | unit, Comprising: Sectional drawing which shows holding structure of the male terminal metal fitting of a large side Sectional drawing which shows a female connector single-piece | unit, Comprising: Sectional drawing which shows the holding structure of the large side female terminal metal fitting Sectional drawing which shows a male connector single-piece | unit, Comprising: Sectional drawing which shows the holding structure of the male terminal metal fitting of a small side Sectional drawing which shows a female connector single-piece | unit, Comprising: Sectional drawing which shows holding structure of the female terminal metal fitting of a small side

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. The connector for an electric vehicle according to this embodiment includes a male connector 10 provided on the electric vehicle (not shown) side and a female connector 30 provided on the battery unit (not shown) side. The connectors 10 and 30 are fitted by lifting the battery unit from the lower side of the electric vehicle to the body side so that the female connector 30 is shallowly fitted to the male connector 10 and manually operating the booster 50. Is called. As shown in FIG. 1, the handle 52 constituting the booster 50 is attached to the male connector 10 side. For this reason, for example, the fitting operation of both the connectors 10 and 30 is performed by operating the handle with the handle 52 facing the floor in the passenger compartment.

  This electric vehicle connector is used in a battery exchange type electric vehicle. The battery replacement system is a system that replaces the battery unit with another battery unit that has already been charged instead of directly charging the battery when the capacity of the battery constituting the battery unit decreases. Say. According to this method, when the battery capacity decreases during driving, it is possible to save the trouble of charging at the charging station replacing the gas station, and it is only necessary to replace the battery unit with a charged battery unit at the battery exchange station. Re-running is possible in time.

  First, the configuration of the male connector 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the male connector 10 has an outer shape having a substantially cubic shape. The outer peripheral side surface of the male connector 10 is constituted by an outer peripheral shell 12 having a rectangular tube shape. As shown in FIG. 6, a frame-shaped inner peripheral shell 14 is fitted on the inner peripheral side at the upper end side of the outer peripheral shell 12. Further, a male housing 16 is fitted on the inner peripheral side of the inner peripheral shell 14.

  Both the outer peripheral shell 12 and the inner peripheral shell 14 are made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and are formed by die casting. The outer peripheral shell 12 and the inner peripheral shell 14 are assembled together. On the other hand, the male housing 16 is made of synthetic resin, and a metal collar 17 is integrally formed at the center thereof. A shaft portion 54 constituting the booster 50 is inserted through the collar 17. As shown in FIG. 9, the collar 17 has an inner diameter that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 54. For this reason, the shaft portion 54 is rotatably inserted into the collar 17.

  As shown in FIG. 11 or FIG. 13, two types of large and small cavities 18 are formed in the male housing 16. Two types of male terminal fittings 60 of large and small are accommodated in the cavity 18. In the following description, the male terminal fitting 60 shown in FIG. 11 may be referred to as a large-side male terminal fitting 60, and the male terminal fitting 60 shown in FIG. 13 may be referred to as a small-side male terminal fitting 60. In addition, the configuration common to the large male terminal fitting 60 and the small male fitting 60 will be described with the large male terminal fitting 60 as a representative.

  The male terminal fitting 60 has a round bar shape as a whole, and a main body portion 62 having a flange portion 64 formed thereon, and a fitting surface side of the male housing 16 from the main body portion 62 (the lower side in FIG. A tab portion 66 projecting to the “surface side” and a barrel portion 68 projecting from the main body portion 62 to the back side of the male housing 16 (the upper side in FIG. 11 and hereinafter referred to as “back side”). Has been. The flange portion 64 is provided in a form that projects from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 62 in the radial direction. On the other hand, a front stop portion 20 that contacts the fitting surface side of the flange portion 64 is formed on the inner wall constituting the cavity 18. When the flange portion 64 comes into contact with the front stop portion 20, the movement of the male terminal fitting 60 toward the fitting surface side is restricted.

  A male plate 22 is placed on the back surface of the male housing 16 as shown in FIG. A male cover 28 is placed on the back surface of the inner shell 14. The male cover 28 is formed so as to surround the male plate 22. The outer peripheral end of the male plate 22 is pressed against the male housing 16 side by a male cover 28. Further, the male cover 28 is screwed to the inner peripheral shell 14. Thereby, the outer peripheral end of the male plate 22 is held on the back surface of the male housing 16. That is, the male plate 22 is fixed to the back surface of the male housing 16 by the male cover 28.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the male plate 22 is divided into three parts in detail. The first male plate 22A (see FIG. 11) corresponding to the large male terminal fitting 60 and the small male terminal are provided. It is comprised from a pair of 2nd male plate 22B (refer FIG. 13) corresponding to the metal fitting 60. FIG. Both the second male plates 22B are disposed on both sides of the first male plate 22A.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the male plate 22 includes a base portion 24 that contacts the back surface of the male housing 16 and a pair of cylindrical portions 26 that penetrate the base portion 24 in the thickness direction. Yes. Both tube portions 26 are disposed symmetrically on the left and right sides of the shaft portion 54. The end portions on the fitting surface side of both cylindrical portions 26 are in contact with the back side of the flange portion 64. As a result, the flange portion 64 of the male terminal fitting 60 is sandwiched between the front stop portion 20 and the tubular portion 26. Therefore, the male terminal fitting 60 can be firmly held in the cavity 18 even when the connectors 10 and 30 are repeatedly inserted and removed.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the tab portion 66 of the male terminal fitting 60 penetrates the front wall constituting the fitting surface side of the cavity 18 in the fitting direction of the connectors 10 and 30, and the inner side of the outer shell 12. It protrudes into the fitting space S formed in the. On the other hand, the barrel part 68 protrudes from the base part 24 of the male plate 22 to the back side, and is connected to the terminal parts of the two types of large and small electric wires W1, W2.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, the round terminal T connected to the terminal portion of the thick electric wire W1 is connected to the barrel portion 68 of the large male terminal fitting 60 by screwing. ing. In this way, since the electric wire W1 connected to the male terminal fitting 60 can be pulled out to the side, it is not necessary to secure a large space corresponding to the radius of curvature of the electric wire W1 on the back side of the male connector 10, The male connector 10 can be arranged in a narrow space in the fitting direction of both the connectors 10 and 30.

  On the other hand, the barrel portion 68 of the small male terminal fitting 60 is a so-called closed barrel, and the terminal portion of the thin electric wire W2 is directly crimped and connected by hexagonal caulking. In this case, the electric wire W2 is originally thin, and the radius of curvature does not increase as much as the electric wire W1. For this reason, even if the electric wire W2 is pulled out to the back side of the male connector 10 as it is and then bent to the side, it is not necessary to form a large space on the back side of the male connector 10, and the operation of the handle 52 is hindered. There is no fear of coming.

  As shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 11, the shaft portion 54 includes a large diameter portion 54A in which a pair of cam grooves 55 are formed in a spiral shape, and a small diameter portion 54B having a smaller diameter than the large diameter portion 54A. Yes. A cam pin 32 formed on the female connector 30 side can be engaged with the cam groove 55. This point will be described later. The large diameter portion 54 </ b> A has an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the collar 17. For this reason, when the shaft portion 54 is inserted into the collar 17 from the fitting surface side, the step that becomes the boundary between the large diameter portion 54A and the small diameter portion 54B comes into contact with the end portion of the collar 17 on the fitting surface side, The shaft portion 54 is prevented from coming out to the back side.

  The small-diameter portion 54B has a form that penetrates the collar 17 and protrudes to the back side. A nut 56 is fixed to the protruding end of the small diameter portion 54B. A coil spring 57, a metal sleeve 58, a handle 52, and a washer 59 are mounted between the end portion on the back side of the collar 17 and the nut 56 in order from the fitting surface side. The coil spring 57 and the sleeve 58 are both made of metal and are disposed around the small diameter portion 54B of the shaft portion 54.

  The coil spring 57 is mounted in a compressed state, and the sleeve 58, the handle 52, and the washer 59 are prevented from coming off on the back side by a nut 56. For this reason, the shaft portion 54 is rotatably held in a state in which the shaft portion 54 is always urged toward the back side with respect to the collar 17. Further, since the portions that come into contact with both ends of the coil spring 57 mounted in the compressed state are constituted by the metal collar 17 and the metal sleeve 58, there is no fear that the collar 17 and the sleeve 58 are worn.

  FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the male connector 10 with the handle 52 removed as viewed from the back side. The rear side protruding end of the shaft portion 54 has a substantially square column shape. On the other hand, the shaft hole of the handle 52 is formed so as to be able to fit substantially fit to the protruding end portion of the shaft portion 54. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the handle 52 is mounted on the protruding end portion of the shaft portion 54, the shaft portion 54 can be rotated by operating the handle 52. On the other hand, when the handle 52 is not used, the handle 52 can be removed from the protruding end of the shaft portion 54. That is, the handle 52 can be attached to and detached from the protruding end portion of the shaft portion 54. For this reason, when replacing the battery unit, the handle 52 is attached to the shaft portion 54, the connectors 10 and 30 are fitted and detached, and the handle 52 is removed after the replacement of the battery unit is completed. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where an unexpected force is applied to the handle 52 and the connectors 10 and 30 are unexpectedly detached.

  Next, the configuration of the female connector 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9 or 10, the female connector 30 can be fitted into the fitting space S of the male connector 10. As shown in FIG. 12 or FIG. 14, the female connector 30 has a generally rectangular block shape as a whole, and a pair of outer peripheral shells 34 constituting the outer peripheral side surface of the female connector 30 are arranged in the fitting direction. ing. In the description of the female connector 30, the upper side of FIG. 12 is the fitting surface side, and the lower side of FIG.

  Both the outer peripheral shells 34 are each configured in a frame shape, and are formed in a rectangular tube shape that opens in the vertical direction as a whole by overlapping and screwing the outer peripheral shells 34 in the fitting direction. Both outer peripheral shells 34 are made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and are formed by die casting. Note that the outer peripheral shell 34 on the fitting surface side in FIG. 12 or FIG. 14 has a smaller dimension in the fitting direction than the outer peripheral shell 34 on the rear surface side.

  A pair of female housings 36 are accommodated on the inner peripheral side of both outer peripheral shells 34. The female housing 36 on the fitting surface side in FIG. 14 is secured to the fitting surface side by the outer peripheral shell 34 on the fitting surface side. A plurality of cavities 38 are formed in the female housing 36 corresponding to the cavities 18 of the male housing 16 in the fitting direction. The cavity 38 is formed so as to penetrate in the fitting direction. The cavity 38 is composed of two types of large and small cavities 38, and two types of large and small female terminal fittings 70 are accommodated in the cavities 38, respectively.

  In the following description, the female terminal fitting 70 shown in FIG. 12 may be referred to as a large female terminal fitting 70, and the female terminal fitting 70 illustrated in FIG. 14 may be referred to as a small female terminal fitting 70. The configuration common to the large female terminal fitting 70 and the small female terminal fitting 70 will be described with the large female terminal fitting 70 as a representative.

  The female terminal fitting 70 has a round bar shape as a whole, a main body portion 72 having a flange portion 74 formed thereon, a connection portion 76 projecting from the main body portion 72 to the fitting surface side of the female housing 36, and a male housing from the main body portion 72. 16 and a barrel portion 78 projecting to the back side. The flange portion 74 is provided in a form protruding in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 72. On the other hand, a front stop portion 40 that contacts the fitting surface side of the flange portion 74 is formed on the inner wall constituting the cavity 38. The front stop 40 is formed in the female housing 36 on the back side. When the flange part 74 contacts the front stop part 40, the movement of the female terminal fitting 70 toward the fitting surface side is restricted.

  The connecting portion 76 has a cylindrical shape and opens on the fitting surface side. For this reason, the tab portion 66 of the male terminal fitting 60 can be fitted inside the connection portion 76. A plurality of bending pieces are disposed inside the connecting portion 76, and the tab portion 66 is sandwiched in the radial direction by the bending pieces. The female terminal fitting 70 having such a structure is called a so-called louver terminal, and has a high durability performance when the tab portion 66 and the connecting portion 76 are repeatedly inserted and removed, and thus is adopted in the connector for an electric vehicle in this embodiment. Yes.

  The connection structure of the barrel portion 78 of the female terminal fitting 70 is the same as the connection structure of the barrel portion 68 of the male terminal fitting 60, as can be seen from comparison between FIG. 3 and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a female plate 42 is attached to the back surface of the female housing 36 on the back side. A female cover 48 is placed on the back surface of the outer shell 34. The female cover 48 is formed so as to surround the female terminal fitting 70. The outer peripheral end of the female plate 42 is pressed against the female housing 36 by a female cover 48. Further, the female cover 48 is screwed to the outer shell 34. Thus, the outer peripheral end of the female plate 42 is held on the back surface of the female housing 36. That is, the female plate 42 is fixed to the back surface of the female housing 16 by the female cover 48.

  Although not shown, the female plate 42 is divided into three in detail, like the male plate 22, and a first female plate 42A (see FIG. 12) corresponding to the female terminal fitting 70 on the larger side, It is comprised from a pair of 2nd female plate 42B (refer FIG. 14) corresponding to the female terminal metal fitting 70 of the small side. Both the second female plates 42B are disposed on both sides of the first female plate 42A.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the female plate 42 includes a base portion 44 that contacts the back surface of the female housing 36 and a pair of cylindrical portions 46 that penetrate the base portion 44 in the plate thickness direction. Yes. Both cylinder parts 46 are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the opening 39 described below. The end portions on the fitting surface side of both the cylindrical portions 46 are in contact with the flange portion 74. As a result, the flange portion 74 of the female terminal fitting 70 is sandwiched between the front stop portion 40 and the tubular portion 46. Therefore, the female terminal fitting 70 can be firmly held in the cavity 38 even when the connectors 10 and 30 are repeatedly inserted and removed.

  An opening 39 for accommodating the shaft portion 54 is provided in the female housing 36. The opening 39 opens to the fitting surface side, and extends from the opening through the female housing 36 on the fitting surface side to the female housing 36 on the back surface side.

  A portion of the opening 39 on the female housing 36 side on the fitting surface side is constituted by a metal collar 37. The collar 37 is integrally formed at the center of the female housing 36 on the fitting surface side. As shown in FIG. 9, the collar 37 has an inner diameter that is substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the large-diameter portion 54 </ b> A of the shaft portion 54. For this reason, the large-diameter portion 54A of the shaft portion 54 is fitted and fitted to the collar 37 so as to be rotatable.

  The portion of the opening 39 on the female housing 36 side on the back side (hereinafter referred to as “the back side portion of the opening 39”) has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the large-diameter portion 54 </ b> A of the shaft portion 54. . Therefore, the large diameter portion 54 </ b> A of the shaft portion 54 is accommodated so as to be rotatable with respect to the back side portion of the opening 39.

  As shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 12, a pair of cam pins 32 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the collar 37 so as to face each other in the radial direction. The cam pin 32 is disposed at a position corresponding to the cam groove 55, and the two cam pins 32 are introduced into the inlets 55 </ b> A of the two cam grooves 55 when the connectors 10 and 30 are shallowly fitted. From this point, when the handle 52 is rotated to rotate the shaft portion 54, the side surface (hereinafter referred to as “engagement surface”) on the fitting surface side of the inner wall constituting the cam groove 55 engages with the cam pin 32. The connectors 10 and 30 are attracted and engaged with each other by the cam action associated therewith. The booster 50 includes a cam pin 32 provided in the collar 37, a shaft portion 54, a cam groove 55 provided in the shaft portion 54, a coil spring 57, a handle 52, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the end 55B of the cam groove 55 is formed in a horizontal direction (a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction), and from the horizontal portion to the inlet 55A side of the cam groove 55 along the fitting direction. The holding groove 55C extends. The holding groove 55 </ b> C is a groove for holding the cam pin 32 at the terminal end 55 </ b> B of the cam groove 55. The holding surface constituting the holding groove 55 </ b> C is connected to the engaging surface of the cam groove 55. When the cam pin 32 is engaged with the holding surface of the holding groove 55C, the fitting surfaces of both the connectors 10 and 30 are brought into contact with each other, so that both the connectors 10 and 30 are held in the normal fitting state.

  More specifically, before the cam pin 32 reaches the terminal end 55B of the cam groove 55, the fitting surfaces of both the connectors 10 and 30 come into contact with each other, and when the shaft portion 54 is further rotated from here, When the cam pin 32 is engaged with the engagement surface, the shaft portion 54 is drawn toward the fitting surface, and the coil spring 57 is compressed. When the cam pin 32 passes through the horizontal portion of the terminal end 55B of the cam groove 55 and reaches the holding groove 55C, the shaft portion 54 is pulled out to the back side by the elastic force of the coil spring 57, and the cam pin 32 becomes the holding groove 55C. It fits in vigorously. At this time, when the cam pin 32 is fitted into the holding groove 55C, a metal noise is generated, and when the cam pin 32 comes into contact with the holding groove 55C, vibration is generated and a good sense of moderation is obtained. It can be detected that a normal fitting state has been reached.

  By the way, when the two terminal fittings 60 and 70 are connected, a large frictional resistance is generated by the friction between the tab portion 66 and the bending piece of the connection portion 76. Further, in the fitting method in which the connectors 10 and 30 are attracted to each other by the booster 50, the closer to the shaft portion 54 or the opening 39, the easier it is to transmit the fitting force by the booster 50. However, when the number of connectors is increased, all the terminal fittings 60 and 70 cannot be concentrated near the shaft portion 54 or the opening 39, so that the terminal fittings 60 and 70 are arranged in a distributed manner. It is necessary to prevent the frictional resistance from locally increasing.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the respective terminal fittings 60 and 70 are arranged in a radially dispersed manner with the shaft portion 54 or the opening 39 as the center so that the frictional resistance between the two terminal fittings 60 and 70 is dispersed. . Furthermore, the male terminal fitting 60 is arranged point-symmetrically with the shaft portion 54 as the center, and the female terminal fitting 70 is arranged point-symmetrically with the opening portion 39 as the center, so that the shaft portion 54 or both sides of the opening portion 39 are doubled. The fitting force transmitted from the force device 50 is made equal. Thereby, the dispersion | variation in the fitting timing in the fitting surface of both the connectors 10 and 30 can be eliminated, and the fitting operation | work of both the connectors 10 and 30 can be performed smoothly.

  The present embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described subsequently. First, a method for assembling the male connector 10 will be described. The outer shell 12, the inner shell 14, and the male housing 16 are assembled together in advance, and the male terminal fitting 60 is inserted into the cavity 18 of the male housing 16. When the male terminal fitting 60 is inserted into the cavity 18, the flange portion 64 comes into contact with the front stop portion 20 and stops in front. When all the male terminal fittings 60 have been inserted into the cavity 18, the male plate 22 is placed on the back surface of the male housing 16.

  Next, the male cover 28 is placed on the back surface of the male plate 22, and the male cover 28 is screwed to the inner peripheral shell 14. Thereby, the male cover 28 is fixed to the inner peripheral shell 14. At this time, the flange portion 64 of the male terminal fitting 60 is held in the cavity 18 because it is sandwiched between the front stop portion 20 and the cylindrical portion 26. Thereafter, the male connector 10 is attached and fixed to the body side of the electric vehicle. Note that the method for assembling the female connector 30 is the same as the method for assembling the male connector 10, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, when the male terminal fitting 60 is prevented from being removed by the cylindrical portion 26 of the male plate 22, the holding force can be improved significantly as compared with the case where a cantilever lance is formed inside the cavity 18. This is because when the cross-sectional area of the lance that contributes to retaining is about 15 mm 2, the tubular portion of the male plate 22 is about 1030 mm 2 because the sectional area of the tubular portion 26 that contributes to retaining is about 1030 mm 2. This is because the cross-sectional area 26 can obtain a cross-sectional area that is approximately 69 times that of the lance, and thereby a holding force that is approximately 69 times that of the lance can be obtained. For this reason, even if the connectors 10 and 30 are repeatedly inserted and removed, the male plate 22 is not damaged, and the male terminal fitting 60 can be strongly held in the cavity 18.

  Next, a method for fitting both the connectors 10 and 30 will be described. First, the battery unit to which the female connector 30 is attached is lifted by the lifting device so that the male connector 10 and the female connector 30 are shallowly fitted. Then, the cam pin 32 on the female connector 30 side is introduced into the inlet 55 </ b> A of the cam groove 55 of the male connector 10. Next, when the handle 52 is rotated to rotate the shaft portion 54, the cam pin 32 engages with the cam groove 55, and the two connectors 10 and 30 are pulled toward each other by this cam action. When the cam pin 32 reaches immediately before the end 55B of the cam groove 55, the fitting surfaces of the connectors 10 and 30 come into contact with each other. When the handle 52 is further rotated, the shaft portion 54 is engaged by the engagement of the cam pin 32 and the cam groove 55. When the cam pin 32 reaches the end 55B of the cam groove 55 by being drawn into the opening 39, the cam pin 32 fits into the holding groove 55C and is held at the end 55B of the cam groove 55. The operator can know that both connectors 10 and 30 have reached the normal fitting state by sound or vibration when the cam pin 32 is fitted into the holding groove 55C.

  Here, when the two connectors 10 and 30 are fitted, a force in the fitting direction is easily applied around the shaft portion 54 or the opening 39. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the terminal fittings 60 and 70 are distributed around the shaft portion 54 or the opening 39, the frictional resistance of both the terminal fittings 60 and 70 is locally increased and fitted. It regulates that the timing is different. Therefore, the fitting operation of both the connectors 10 and 30 can be performed smoothly.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the male terminal fitting 60 and the female terminal fitting 70 are provided in such a manner that the male terminal fitting 60 and the female terminal fitting 70 are radially distributed around the shaft portion 54 and the opening 39 of the booster 50. Friction resistance can be dispersed, and variations in fitting timing can be eliminated. Therefore, the fitting operation of both the connectors 10 and 30 can be performed smoothly.

  Further, when replacing the battery unit, the handle 52 can be attached to the shaft portion 54 so that the connectors 10 and 30 can be fitted and detached, and the handle 52 can be removed after the battery unit is replaced. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where an unexpected force is applied to the handle 52 and the connectors 10 and 30 are unexpectedly detached.

  Further, since the portion that contacts both ends of the coil spring 57 mounted in the compressed state is constituted by the metal sleeve 58 and the collar 37, there is no possibility that the sleeve 58 and the collar 37 are worn.

  Further, since the terminal fittings 60 and 70 are sandwiched between the front stop portions 20 and 40 of the cavities 18 and 38 and the plates 22 and 42, the terminal fittings 60 and 70 are held in the cavities 18 and 38. Can be held strong. More specifically, the male terminal fitting 60 can be held in the cavity 18 by sandwiching the flange portion 64 between the front stop portion 20 of the cavity 18 and the male plate 22, and the flange portion 74 is attached to the cavity 38. The female terminal fitting 70 can be held in the cavity 38 by being sandwiched between the front stop 40 and the female plate 42.

  Further, by operating the handle 52, the shaft portion 54 can be rotated, and when the cam pin 32 engages with the engaging surface of the cam groove 55, both the connectors 10 and 30 can be pulled together and fitted. . Further, when the cam pin 32 reaches the terminal end 55B of the cam groove 55, the cam pin 32 is fitted into the holding groove 55C vigorously by receiving the elastic force of the coil spring 57. At this time, it is possible to detect that the connectors 10 and 30 are properly fitted by the feeling of fitting the cam pin 32 into the holding groove 55C (metal sound, vibration, etc.). Since the cam pin 32 is held in the holding groove 55C, the cam pin 32 can be restricted from moving from the terminal end 55B of the cam groove 55 to the inlet 55A side.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, the terminal fittings 60 and 70 are symmetrically distributed with respect to the shaft portion 54 and the opening 39, but according to the present invention, the terminal fittings 60 and 70 are attached to the shaft portion 54. The terminal fittings 60 and 70 may be simply distributed in a distributed manner without having to be arranged symmetrically around the opening 39.

  (2) Although the handle 52 is detachable from the shaft portion 54 in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, the handle 52 may be formed integrally with the shaft portion 54 and the handle 52 may be foldable. Therefore, when the handle 52 is not used, the handle 52 may be folded.

  (4) Although the protruding end portion of the shaft portion 54 has a substantially square column shape in the above embodiment, the protruding end portion of the shaft portion 54 may have a substantially hexagonal column shape according to the present invention.

10 ... Male connector 16 ... Male housing (first housing)
30 ... Female connector 32 ... Cam pin 36 ... Female housing (second housing)
37 ... collar 39 ... opening 50 ... booster 52 ... handle 54 ... shaft 57 ... coil spring 58 ... sleeve 60 ... male terminal fitting (first terminal fitting)
70: Female terminal fitting (second terminal fitting)

Claims (2)

A connector for connecting a battery unit to an electric vehicle,
A first housing provided on the electric vehicle side;
A second housing provided on the battery unit side and engageable with the first housing;
A first terminal fitting housed inside the first housing;
A second terminal fitting housed in the second housing and connected to the first terminal fitting in a conductive manner;
A booster device comprising a rotatable shaft portion and a handle for rotating the shaft portion, and pulling and fitting the two housings together ;
A coil spring disposed around the shaft portion;
A metal sleeve provided on the shaft portion and receiving one end of the coil spring;
A metal collar provided in the first housing so as to be able to pass through the shaft portion and receiving the other end of the coil spring;
The coil spring is mounted between the sleeve and the collar in a compressed state,
A spiral cam groove is formed on the shaft portion, and a cam pin that engages with the cam groove is formed on the second housing.
At the end of the cam groove, a holding groove extending to the inlet side of the cam groove and holding the cam pin at the end of the cam groove is formed,
The connector, wherein the first terminal fitting and the second terminal fitting are respectively radially distributed around the booster .   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the handle is detachable from the shaft portion.

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