JP5531895B2 - Charging cable connection structure and vehicle charging port - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging cable connection structure for connecting a plug portion provided at the tip of a charging cable for charging from an external power source in a vehicle that runs on electric power such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and a charging port of the vehicle About.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles equipped with motors, power storage devices, and the like that run on electric power have begun to spread. In an electric vehicle not equipped with an engine that uses fuel such as gasoline as a power source, it is necessary to charge the power storage device from an external power source in order to run by a motor. Further, even a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine includes a vehicle that can charge the power storage device from an external power source. In such a vehicle, a charging port to which a charging cable for supplying power is connected is provided in the vehicle body, and the user connects the charging cable to the charging port of the vehicle at a charging station or a home parking lot. Thus, charging of the power storage device of the vehicle from the external power source is performed.

  The charging cable has one end connected to the vehicle and the other end connected to an external power source. One end of the charging cable is provided with a plug portion inserted into the charging port of the vehicle and having a plurality of metal terminals. The charging port of the vehicle is provided with a socket portion having a plurality of metal terminals that fit into the metal terminals of the plug portion of the inserted charging cable. The charging port of the vehicle is provided with one or a plurality of lids that cover the socket portion when the charging cable is not connected. When charging the power storage device of the vehicle, the user opens or removes the cover of the charging port of the vehicle, inserts the plug portion of the charging cable connected to the external power source into the socket portion of the vehicle, and starts charging. To do.

  Patent Document 1 proposes a power connector for charging a power storage device of an electric vehicle that can safely perform a connection operation. This connector is formed so that it can be inserted into the concave portion and has two rod-shaped electrode terminals provided in the concave portion of the electric vehicle, and is fitted into the two rod-shaped electrode terminals in the concave portion. Two holes are provided, and it is constituted by a charging device side connector connected to an external charging device. The power storage device side connector is provided with a shutter that closes the recess when the charging device side connector is pulled out, and an electrode protection member is slidably inserted into the rod-shaped electrode terminal. The charging device side connector is provided with an annular member that can be expanded and contracted around a portion to be inserted into the recess.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-266025

  The charging cable for charging the vehicle from the external power source includes one or a plurality of power lines and a grounding line for ground potential, and one or a plurality of charging cables for transferring control signals or control information. A signal line is included, and the plurality of lines are bundled. For this reason, the plug portion of the charging cable is provided with a plurality of metal terminals, and the socket portion of the charging port of the vehicle is also provided with a plurality of metal terminals that fit into these. When the user inserts the plug portion of the charging cable into the socket portion of the vehicle, the user needs to align the plug portion and the socket portion so that the plurality of metal terminals are correctly fitted.

  Thus, when connecting the charging cable to the charging port of the vehicle, the user cannot insert the plug portion into the socket portion unless the plug portion of the charging cable is accurately positioned with respect to the socket portion of the charging port. Therefore, there is a problem that charging cannot be started in a short time, and the operation is troublesome for the user. In particular, since a charging cable for quick charging has a certain weight, it is a burden for a user such as an elderly person to hold the charging cable for a long time for positioning the plug part and the socket part. There was a problem that was large.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a charging cable connection structure and a vehicle capable of easily performing a connecting operation of the charging cable to the charging port of the vehicle in a short time. Is to provide a charging port.

  The charging cable connection structure according to the present invention is a charging cable connection structure in which a charging cable is connected to a charging port of a vehicle. The charging cable is provided with a plug portion at one end, and the charging port includes a plug cable. A socket part into which the plug part is inserted; a lid body slidably provided between a position covering the socket part and a position not covering the socket part; and the plug part abutted on the lid body A contact portion; positioning means for determining a contact position of the plug portion with respect to the contact portion; and biasing means for biasing the lid body to a position covering the socket portion. When the socket portion is slid to a position not covering the plug portion, the plug portion positioned by the positioning means faces the socket portion.

  Further, in the charging cable connection structure according to the present invention, the lid body is provided so as to be slidable in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the urging means urges the lid body above the vehicle. It is characterized by being.

  Moreover, the charging cable connection structure according to the present invention is characterized in that the contact portion has a shape recessed downward.

  In the charging cable connection structure according to the present invention, the plug portion of the charging cable is provided with a convex portion or a concave portion, and the positioning means is a concave portion or a convex portion that engages with the convex portion or the concave portion of the plug portion. It is a part and it is provided in the said contact part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In addition, the charging cable connection structure according to the present invention includes a lock unit that restricts sliding of the lid when the plug portion is not in contact with the contact portion.

  Further, the charging port of the vehicle according to the present invention is provided so as to be slidable between a socket part into which a plug provided at one end of the charging cable is inserted, a position covering the socket part, and a position not covering the socket part. A lid, a contact portion provided on the lid for contacting the plug portion, positioning means for determining a contact position of the plug portion with respect to the contact portion, and a position covering the socket portion; An urging means for urging the body, and when the lid is slid to a position not covering the socket portion, the plug portion positioned by the positioning means faces the socket portion. It is characterized by that.

In the present invention, with respect to the socket part into which the plug part of the charging cable is inserted, a lid is provided so as to slide between a position covering the socket part and a position not covering the socket part, and to a position covering the socket part. A biasing means for biasing the lid is provided. In addition, the lid body is provided with an abutting portion for abutting the side portion of the plug portion of the charging cable, and positioning means for determining the abutting position of the plug portion with respect to the abutting portion is provided so that the socket portion is not covered. The plug portion positioned when the body is slid is configured to face the socket portion.
Thus, the user can make the plug portion and the socket portion face each other in a state where the plug portion of the charging cable is positioned by performing an operation of sliding the lid by bringing the plug portion of the charging cable into contact with the contact portion. After that, since the plug portion can be inserted into the socket portion by pushing the charging cable, the charging cable can be easily connected to the charging port of the vehicle.
Further, since the lid is urged by the urging means, when the user pulls out the charging cable from the charging port, the socket portion is covered with the lid. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to close the lid, and the user does not forget to close the lid. Therefore, it is possible to prevent dust or water droplets from entering the socket.

  Moreover, in this invention, while providing a cover body so that a slide to the up-down direction of a vehicle is provided, a cover body is urged | biased upwards. With this configuration, when the user slides the lid downward, a downward force due to the weight of the charging cable with the plug portion abutting against the abutting portion is applied to the lid, so that the lid is slid The required user force load can be reduced.

  Further, in the present invention, the contact portion of the lid body has a shape (for example, an arc shape or a V shape) that is recessed downward of the vehicle. Thus, when the user brings the plug portion of the charging cable into contact with the contact portion of the lid body, the user only has to place the plug portion in the recess of the contact portion, and move the plug portion downward after placement. The lid can be slid by. Therefore, the connection operation of the charging cable can be facilitated.

  In the present invention, the plug portion of the charging cable is provided with a convex portion or a concave portion, the concave portion or the convex portion is provided at the contact portion of the lid of the charging port, and the plug portion is positioned by the engagement of the convex portion and the concave portion. It is set as the structure which performs. Thereby, reliable positioning can be realized with a simple configuration.

  Further, in the present invention, when the plug portion of the charging cable is not in contact with the contact portion of the lid body, the sliding of the lid body is limited by the lock means. Since the lid is biased to a position covering the socket portion, the lid is fixed to this position by the locking means. The locking means has a switch that is pressed when the plug portion comes into contact with the contact portion, for example, and is configured to operate a member that engages with the lid and restricts sliding in response to the switch being pressed or the like Any mechanism of a mechanical type or an electric type may be used. As a result, when the user does not charge, the lid is fixed so as to cover the socket portion, so that the socket portion is not exposed and dust or water droplets or the like are reliably prevented from entering the socket portion. it can.

  In the case of the present invention, the lid is provided so as to slide between the position covering the socket part and the position not covering, and the biasing means for urging the lid to the position covering the socket part is provided. An abutting portion for abutting the side portion of the plug portion is provided, positioning means for determining the abutting position of the plug portion with respect to the abutting portion is provided, and positioning is performed when the lid body is slid to a position not covering the socket portion. By configuring the plug part to face the socket part, the user has positioned the plug part of the charging cable by sliding the lid by bringing the plug part of the charging cable into contact with the contact part. The plug part and the socket part can be made to face each other, and thereafter the plug part can be inserted into the socket part by pushing the charging cable. Therefore, the user can easily perform the work of connecting the charging cable to the charging port of the vehicle in a short time.

It is a typical front view which shows the structure of the charging port of the vehicle which concerns on this invention. It is a typical front view which shows the structure of the charging port of the vehicle which concerns on this invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the structure of the charging port of the vehicle which concerns on this invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the structure of the charging port of the vehicle which concerns on this invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the structure of the charging port of the vehicle which concerns on this invention. It is a typical front view which shows the structure of the charging port of the vehicle which concerns on a modification.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof. 1 and 2 are schematic front views showing a configuration of a charging port of a vehicle according to the present invention. 3-5 is typical sectional drawing which shows the structure of the charging port of the vehicle which concerns on this invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a charging port provided on the side of the vehicle body. The charging port 1 is provided in a recess 1a formed in a side surface of the vehicle body and the like when viewed from the front.

  The recess 1a provided in the vehicle body is formed in such a manner that it opens in a substantially rectangular shape on the side surface of the vehicle body and is recessed in a substantially horizontal direction from the side surface of the vehicle body. The depth of the recess 1a is different in two steps in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, the upper side being shallow and the lower side being deep. The recess 1a is covered and closed with an outer lid (not shown). The outer lid may be provided so as to be detachable with respect to the vehicle body, or may be provided on the vehicle body so as to be freely opened and closed by a hinge structure or the like.

  A substantially cylindrical socket portion 10 is provided at the approximate center of the lower side (deep portion) of the recess 1a so as to protrude outward from the bottom of the recess 1a. The socket part 10 is provided so as to protrude from the bottom part on the lower side of the recess 1a so that the position of the projecting end part is substantially the same as the position of the bottom part on the upper side of the recess 1a. In addition, a plurality of metal connection terminals are provided in the socket portion 10 (not shown). The socket part 10 has a shape in which a plug part 51 provided at one end of the charging cable 50 can be inserted. When the plug part 51 is inserted into the socket part 10, a connection terminal of the plug part 51 and a connection terminal of the socket part 10 And the charging cable 50 and the vehicle (internal device thereof) are electrically connected.

  A slide inner lid 20 is provided in the recess 1a so as to be slidable in the vertical direction of the vehicle body between a position where the socket portion 10 is covered and a position where the socket portion 10 is not covered. The slide inner lid 20 has a plate-like lid body 21 whose bottom is convex in an arc shape and whose upper side is concave in an arc shape when viewed from the front, so that the lid body 21 slides in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. is there. An opening through which the lid body of the slide inner lid 20 slides in / out is formed on the lower side surface of the recess 1a.

  Further, the slide inner lid 20 has an eaves-like plug receiving portion 22 provided so as to protrude toward the outside of the recess 1a in the horizontal direction of the vehicle body along the upper side of the lid main body 21. The lid body 21 and the plug receiving portion 22 of the slide inner lid 20 slide integrally. The plug receiving portion 22 of the slide inner lid 20 has a plate shape that is curved in an arc toward the lower side of the vehicle body, and is located from the lid main body 21 of the plug receiving portion 22 at the approximate center (most recessed portion) of the upper surface. A groove-shaped positioning recess 23 that is long in the protruding direction is formed. The plug receiving part 22 is a part for placing the side surface of the plug part 51 of the charging cable 50 in contact with each other. The positioning recess 23 is for determining the contact position of the plug portion 50 with respect to the plug receiving portion 22.

  In the recess 1a, slide mechanisms 30 are provided on both the left and right sides of the slide inner lid 20 to hold the slide inner lid 20 slidably in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. The slide inner lid 20 is provided with elongated plate-like protrusions 24 on the left and right sides of the lid main body 21, and the slide mechanism 30 is rotatably provided on the protrusions 24 on both sides of the slide inner lid 20. It has a gear 31 and rack teeth 32 that are fixed in the vertical direction of the vehicle body and mesh with the gear 31. By adopting a configuration in which the slide inner lid 20 slides in the vertical direction while the gear 31 and the rack teeth 32 are engaged with each other, the slide inner lid 20 can be smoothly slid.

  The slide mechanism 30 includes a spring 33 that is interposed between the projecting portion 24 of the slide inner lid 20 and the vehicle body, and biases the slide inner lid 20 upward of the vehicle body. As a result, the slide inner lid 20 is urged to the position above the vehicle body, that is, to cover the socket portion 10 (see FIG. 1), and the slide inner lid 20 is slid downward against the urging force of the spring 33. Thus, the socket part 10 can be exposed to the outside (see FIG. 2).

  The charging cable 50 is connected to a power supply device installed at a charging station or the like. One end of the charging cable 50 is provided with a grip portion 52 for the user to grip, and the tip of the grip portion 52 is provided with a plug portion 51 to be inserted into the charging port of the vehicle. The grip portion 52 has a shape obtained by curving a column about 30 ° to 45 °, a plug portion 51 projects from one end surface, and a cable portion 54 extends from the other end surface.

  The plug portion 51 of the charging cable 50 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the outer diameter thereof is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the socket portion 10 so that the plug portion 51 can be inserted into the socket portion 10. A plurality of metal connection terminals electrically connected to the cable portion 54 are provided in the plug portion 51 (not shown), and when the plug portion 51 is inserted into the socket portion 10, the plug portion The connection terminal 51 and the connection terminal of the socket part 10 are fitted and connected, and the charging cable 50 and the vehicle (internal device thereof) are electrically connected.

  In addition, a rectangular parallelepiped positioning convex portion 53 that is long in the axial direction of the plug portion 51 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the plug portion 51 at one place in the circumferential direction. The positioning convex portion 53 of the plug portion 51 has a shape that fits into the positioning concave portion 23 formed in the slide inner lid 20 of the charging port 1.

  As a result, when the user connects the charging cable 50 to the charging port 1 of the vehicle and performs charging, the gripping portion is arranged so that the positioning convex portion 53 of the plug portion 51 fits into the positioning concave portion 23 of the slide inner lid 20. The plug part 51 is positioned in the circumferential direction by gripping 52 and placing the plug part 51 on the plug receiving part 22 of the slide inner lid 20 (see FIG. 3).

  After placing the plug portion 51 of the charging cable 50 on the plug receiving portion 22 of the slide inner lid 20, the user pushes down the charging cable 50 holding the grip portion 52, so that the slide inner lid 20 is moved to the spring 33. It can be slid downward against the urging force (see FIG. 4). At this time, the weight of the charging cable 50 itself is added to the slide inner lid 20, and the user can assist the slide operation of the slide inner lid 20.

  When the slide inner lid 20 is slid to the lower end position of the slidable range (when it is slid to a position not covering the socket portion 10), the arc-shaped upper surface of the plug receiving portion 22 and the inner surface of the socket portion 10 are The lower end position of the slide is set so as to substantially match (see FIG. 2). Thus, when the user places the plug portion 50 of the charging cable 50 on the plug receiving portion 22 of the slide inner lid 20 and slides the slide inner lid 20 to the lower end position, the socket portion 10 and the plug receiving portion 22 The plug part 51 placed on the socket part 10 is opposed to the plug part 51 and the plug part 51 can be inserted into the socket part 10 along the upper surface of the plug receiving part 22 and the inner surface of the socket part 10 (FIGS. 4 and 4). 5). That is, the user can position the plug portion 51 in the vertical direction with respect to the socket portion 10 by placing the plug portion 51 on the plug receiving portion 22 and sliding the slide inner lid 20 to the lower end position.

  The above charging cable connection structure is provided with the slide inner lid 20 that slides between a position that covers the socket portion 10 of the charging port 1 and a position that does not cover, and the slide inner lid 20 is attached to a position that covers the socket portion 10 with a spring 33. At the same time, the slide inner lid 20 is provided with a socket receiving portion 22 for abutting the side portion of the plug portion 51 and a positioning recess 23 for determining the contact position of the plug portion 51 so that the socket portion 10 is not covered. When the inner lid 20 is slid, the positioned plug portion 51 is opposed to the socket portion 10. As a result, the user performs the operation of sliding the slide inner lid 20 in a state where the plug portion 51 of the charging cable 50 is in contact with the slide receiving portion 22, so that the plug portion 51 positioned by contact is inserted into the socket portion. 10, and thereafter can be inserted into the socket portion 10 by pushing the plug portion 51, so that the charging cable 50 can be easily connected to the charging port 1. Further, when the user pulls out the charging cable 50 from the charging port 1, the slide inner lid 20 biased by the spring 33 covers the socket portion 10, so that the user does not need to close the lid body, and the socket portion 10. Dust or water droplets can be prevented from entering.

  Further, the slide inner lid 20 is provided so as to be slidable in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the slide inner lid 20 is biased upward by a spring 33, so that the user can slide the slide inner lid 20 downward. In addition, since a downward force due to the weight of the charging cable 50 in which the plug portion 51 is in contact with the plug receiving portion 22 is applied to the slide inner lid 20, it is possible to reduce the load on the user.

  In addition, since the plug receiving portion 22 of the slide inner lid 20 has an arc shape that is recessed toward the lower side of the vehicle, the user only needs to place the plug portion 51 of the charging cable 50 in the recess of the plug receiving portion 22. Connection operation can be performed more easily. In addition, it is desirable that the arc-shaped plug receiving portion 22 has a shape that substantially matches the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical plug portion 51 so that the plug receiving portion 22 and the plug portion 51 are in close contact with each other.

  Further, a positioning convex portion 53 is provided in the plug portion 51 of the charging cable 50, a positioning concave portion 23 is provided in the plug receiving portion 22 of the slide inner lid 20, and the engagement of the positioning convex portion 53 and the positioning concave portion 23 results in the plug portion 51. By adopting a configuration that performs positioning in the circumferential direction, it is possible to realize reliable positioning with a simple structure.

  In the present embodiment, the plug receiving portion 22 of the slide inner lid 20 has an arc shape that is recessed downward. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other shapes such as a V-shape in which the central portion is recessed downward are used. Also good. In this case, it is preferable to match the shape of the plug portion 51 with the shape of the plug receiving portion 22 so that the plug portion 51 can be in close contact with the plug receiving portion 22.

  In addition, the positioning convex portion 53 is provided in the plug portion 51 and the positioning concave portion 23 is provided in the plug receiving portion 22. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the concave portion is provided in the plug portion 51 and the convex portion is provided in the plug receiving portion 22. It is good also as a structure which positions by positioning this by engagement of this recessed part and a convex part. Moreover, although it was set as the structure which biases the slide inner cover 20 with the spring 33, it is not restricted to this, It is good also as a structure which biases using another member. In addition, the slide mechanism 30 is configured to realize sliding by meshing the gear 31 provided on the protruding portion 24 of the slide inner lid 20 and the rack teeth 32, but is not limited to this, and the slide mechanism 30 is not limited to this. The slide may be realized with other configurations.

(Modification)
FIG. 6 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the charging port 1 of the vehicle according to the modification. The charging port 101 according to the modification has a configuration in which locking means for limiting the sliding of the slide inner lid 20 is further provided with respect to the charging port 1 shown in FIG. At the bottom of the positioning recess 23 of the slide inner lid 20, a switch 125 is provided that is pressed by the positioning recess 53 of the plug portion 51 when the plug portion 51 of the charging cable 50 is placed on the plug receiving portion 22. ing. Further, on both side surfaces of the slide inner lid 20, lock protrusions 126 are provided that protrude when the switch 125 is not pressed and are recessed when the switch 125 is pressed.

  In the recess 1a, a case for accommodating the slide mechanism 30 is provided on both sides of the slide inner lid 20. The case is formed with a recess into which the lock protrusion 126 is inserted when the slide inner lid 20 is slid to the upper end position. As a result, the slide inner lid 20 is urged to a position covering the socket 10 by the spring 33 when the plug portion 51 of the charging cable 50 is not placed on the plug receiving portion 22 and the switch 125 is not pressed. At this position, the lock protrusion 126 is inserted and locked into a recess provided in the case of the slide mechanism 30, so that downward sliding is restricted. When the plug part 51 is placed on the plug receiving part 22 and the switch 125 is pressed, the locking by the lock protrusion 126 is released, and the slide inner lid 20 can slide downward.

  Note that the lock projection 126 can be moved in and out in response to the pressing of the switch 125 using an electrical mechanism or a mechanical mechanism.

1 Charging port 1a Recess 10 Socket part 20 Slide inner lid (lid)
21 Lid body 22 Plug receiving part (contact part)
23 Positioning recess (Positioning means)
24 Projection part 30 Slide mechanism 31 Gear 32 Rack tooth 33 Spring (biasing means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 Charging cable 51 Plug part 52 Grip part 53 Positioning convex part 54 Cable part 101 Charging port 125 Switch 126 Lock protrusion (locking means)

Claims (6)

In the charging cable connection structure that connects the charging cable to the charging port of the vehicle,
The charging cable is provided with a plug at one end,
In the charging port,
A socket part into which the plug part of the charging cable is inserted;
A lid provided slidably between a position covering the socket portion and a position not covering the socket portion;
An abutting portion provided on the lid for abutting the plug portion;
Positioning means for determining a contact position of the plug portion with respect to the contact portion;
Biasing means for biasing the lid to a position covering the socket portion is provided,
The charging cable connection structure according to claim 1, wherein when the lid body is slid to a position not covering the socket portion, the plug portion positioned by the positioning means is opposed to the socket portion. The lid is provided so as to be slidable in the vertical direction of the vehicle,
The charging cable connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the biasing unit biases the lid toward the upper side of the vehicle. The charging cable connection structure according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion has a shape recessed downward. The plug portion of the charging cable is provided with a convex portion or a concave portion,
4. The charging cable connection according to claim 1, wherein the positioning unit is a concave portion or a convex portion that engages with a convex portion or a concave portion of the plug portion, and is provided in the contact portion. 5. Construction. The charging cable according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a lock unit that restricts sliding of the lid when the plug portion is not in contact with the contact portion. Connection structure. A socket part into which a plug provided at one end of the charging cable is inserted;
A lid provided slidably between a position covering the socket part and a position not covering the socket part;
An abutting portion provided on the lid for abutting the plug portion;
Positioning means for determining a contact position of the plug portion with respect to the contact portion;
Urging means for urging the lid to a position covering the socket part,
The charging port of a vehicle, wherein, when the lid is slid to a position not covering the socket portion, the plug portion positioned by the positioning means faces the socket portion.

Images