JPH06310206A - Fitting device of charging connector in electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely perform the fitting of both housings with a small operating force. CONSTITUTION:When a lever 8 is grasped and pulled together with a grip 6 after both housings are half-fitted to each other as shown in (A), according to the counterclockwise oscillation of a sector gear 16, a pinion 15 is rotated in the same direction through an intermediate gear 17, and a connecting plate 10 is retreated from the advanced position by the gearing with a rack 13. In its early stage, the top end side of the connecting plate 10 is closed, the projection 22 of a vehicle-side housing 1 is fitted and engagingly locked into a fitting window 21, a power source-side housing is pulled on the vehicle-side housing 1 side together with a body by the following retreating motion, and both the housing are perfectly fitted to each other as shown in (B). When the lever 8 is returned to the original opened position, the connecting plate 10 is advanced from the retreated position to return back the power source-side housing together with the body, and in the end, the connecting plate 10 is released from the vehicle-side housing 1, and the body is pulled as it is, whereby the fitting of the both is released.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fitting device for a charging connector in an electric vehicle, and more particularly to a fitting device capable of performing a fitting operation with a relatively small force.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Practical application of electric vehicles is expected in the near future. In this case, the problem of charging the battery is indispensable, and the charging connector is one of the important issues to be considered. For example, since charging is performed with a relatively large current, considering the safety of work,
It is necessary to ensure that the vehicle side connector and the charger side connector can be completely fitted together.

[0003]

However, a large force is required to push both housings into a completely fitted state in which the terminals housed in each housing are firmly connected to each other. There is a risk of accidentally retaining the half-fitted state by remembering a corresponding load due to the frictional resistance of. If the charging current is applied as it is, heat will be generated at the terminals, or if both connectors are displaced from this state, sparks may occur.

An object of the present invention is to ensure that the two connector housings can be fitted with each other with a relatively small operating force.

[0005]

As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 has a lever, which can be gripped and operated together with the grip of the main body, in the main body by a spring elastic force. A gear mechanism that is pivotally supported by swinging in a return direction away from the main body and is driven in the forward and reverse directions in conjunction with the pulling or returning operation of the lever, and the gear mechanism. When a connecting plate that is driven backward and forward in response to the forward or reverse movement of the gear mechanism is accommodated, and both connector housings are in a certain half-fitted state in the connecting plate. Further, there is provided an engaging means for engaging with the connector housing on the vehicle side so as to be integrally movable by the backward movement from the forward position.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the vehicle-side connector housing is mounted on the tip of the main body so as to move back and forth, and the main body always has a lever that can be gripped and operated together with the grip of the main body. Is pivotally supported by a spring elastic force in a return direction away from the grip and is pivotally supported, and in the main body, a gear mechanism driven in forward and reverse directions in conjunction with pulling or returning operation of the lever and a vehicle side A connection plate that is connected to the connector housing and that is engaged with the gear mechanism and is driven forward or backward in response to the forward or reverse movement of the gear mechanism is housed.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the connector housing on the power source side is fitted into the connector housing on the mating vehicle side by holding the grip of the main body, and the connector housing is pushed into a certain half-fitted state. When the pulling operation is performed against the elastic force, the gear mechanism is driven in the positive direction, the connecting plate engaged with it moves backward from the forward position, first engages with the housing on the vehicle side, and then continues backward movement. The retracting force acts on the vehicle-side housing due to the fact that the vehicle-side housing is fixed, so that the movable power-source-side housing is retracted to the vehicle-side housing side together with the main body, and both connector housings are completely Mated.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, similarly to the above-mentioned invention, when both connector housings are half-fitted and then the lever is gripped and pulled, the gear mechanism is driven in the forward direction and the connecting plate advances from the retracted position. As a result, the housing on the power supply side is pushed into the housing on the vehicle side, and the two connector housings are completely fitted together.

When the lever is released and returned, the gear mechanism is driven in the opposite direction, the connecting plate retracts from the forward position, the housing on the power source side is pulled back, both housings return to the half-fitted state, and the main body remains the same. By pulling, the fitting of the two is released.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, by changing the lever movement of the lever, which can be gripped together with the grip, to the pulling movement of the connecting plate through the gear mechanism, the connector housing on the vehicle side engaged with the lever housing can be obtained. In the invention of claim 2, the lever movement of the lever is converted into the pushing movement of the connecting plate so that the connector housing on the power supply side engaged with the lever movement is moved to the mating side. Both connector housings can be completely fitted by pushing in, and in any of the inventions, it is possible to reliably perform a fitting operation with a small force, which conventionally required a large force and had many fitting defects. There is.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 4 show a first embodiment corresponding to the invention of claim 1. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle-side connector housing that accommodates male terminals and the like connected to a battery of an electric vehicle, and is fixedly attached to a predetermined position of the vehicle.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a power source side connector housing which accommodates female terminals and the like connected to a power source. The power source side housing 2 is provided in a front cover 5 provided at the tip of a gun-shaped main body 3. It is mounted with a gap between it and its inner peripheral surface, and grips the main body 3 to hold the power source side housing 2 in a fixed posture and insert it into the vehicle side housing 1 along the guide and push it. And both housings 1, 2
Is to be positioned in a certain half-fitted state by a temporary locking means (not shown).

Next, the structure of the portion where the two housings are completely fitted together will be described.

On the front surface of the grip 6 of the main body 3, a lever 8 which can be gripped together with the grip 6 is swingably attached about a shaft 9 supported on the upper end side of the grip 6, and the shaft 9 is provided. By the elastic force of a torsion spring (not shown) attached to the lever 8, a swinging force in the returning direction which is separated from the grip 6 around the shaft 9 is urged to the lever 8, and the swinging is restricted at a position opened by a certain angle. There is.

A pair of connecting plates 10 are inserted into the gap between the connector housing 2 and the front cover 5 coaxially attached to the tip of the main body 3 at symmetrical positions on both left and right sides of the axis of the housing 2. This pair of connecting plates 1
In 0, the front end side is bent at an interval equal to the outer diameter of the vehicle-side housing 1 and the rear end side is bent so that the corresponding interval is narrowed, and the guide 11 is formed in the front cover 5. Along the front and back, it is free to move forward and backward, and the tip side is free to open.

A rack 13 is formed on the upper surface of the rear end of each connecting plate 10, and each rack 13 is engaged with a pair of left and right pinions 15 pivotally supported by a mount 14 provided in the main body 3. The pinion 15 is meshed with the sector gear 16 integrally swingably attached to the left and right ends of the rotary shaft 9 of the lever 8 via the intermediate gear 17, and when the lever 8 is pulled from the return position, The sector gear 16 swings counterclockwise in FIG. 3 around the shaft 9 and the pinion 15 rotates in the same direction via the intermediate gear 17, whereby the connecting plate 10 moves to the forward position shown in FIG. Is driven backward to the retracted position shown in FIG.
When the lever 8 returns, the sector gear 16 swings clockwise and the pinion 15 rotates in the same direction via the intermediate gear 17, whereby the connecting plate 10 moves from the retracted position in FIG. It is adapted to be driven forward to the forward position of A).

The outside of the gear mechanism described above is covered with a cover 19.

A fitting window 21 is opened at the tip of each connecting plate 10, and the connecting plate 10 is at the forward position on the left and right outer peripheral surfaces of the connector housing 1 on the vehicle side. When the connector housings 1 and 2 are fitted in a fixed half-fitting position, a protrusion 22 is provided in the fitting window 21 so as to be fitted therein.

Further, as shown in detail in FIG. 5, a protruding portion 24 bulging inward is formed on the rear end side of the portion of each connecting plate 10 corresponding to a wide interval, and the power source On the left and right outer peripheral surfaces of the expanded portion on the rear end side of the side housing 2,
A relief groove 25 is formed along the front-rear direction in which the protrusion 24 is fitted, and the tip of each relief groove 25 is located at a position corresponding to the protrusion 24 when the connecting plate 10 is at the forward position. It is located slightly behind and has an inclined surface. Therefore, when the connecting plate 10 is in the forward position, the projection 24 goes over the tip of the escape groove 25 and rides on the outer surface of the enlarged diameter portion of the housing 2, and as shown in FIG. The corresponding interval on the tip side of 10 is forcibly widened.

Further, the lever 8 is attached with a holding ring 27 for hanging the lower end of the grip 6 and holding the lever 8 in a pulled state.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

First, the grip 6 of the main body 3 is held without pulling the lever 8, and the connector housing 2 on the power source side is fitted in the connector housing 1 on the other vehicle side as shown by the arrow in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3 (A), it is pushed into a certain half-fitted state. At this time, since the connecting plate 10 is in the forward position and the front end side is open, the vehicle-side housing 1
The pressing is performed without hitting the protrusion 22 on the outer peripheral surface of the.

Subsequently, when the lever 8 is gripped together with the grip 6 and the pulling operation is performed against the elastic force of the torsion coil spring,
As described above, as the sector gear 16 swings in the counterclockwise direction, the pinion 15 rotates in the same direction via the intermediate gear 17, and the connecting plate 10 moves backward from the forward position by meshing with the rack 13. At the beginning, the projection 24 formed on the connecting plate 10 falls into the escape groove 25, so that the front end side of the connecting plate 10 is closed inward, and the fitting window 2 formed therein is formed.
The protrusion 22 of the housing 1 on the vehicle side fits inside the housing 1.

Due to the subsequent backward movement of the connecting plate 10, the front edge of the fitting window 21 is locked to the projection 22 and a retracting force acts on the vehicle-side housing 1, so that the vehicle-side housing 1 is fixed. From the power source side housing 2 to the vehicle side housing 1 side together with the main body 3,
As shown in (B), both connector housings 1 and 2 are completely fitted.

In this state, the holding ring 2 provided on the lever 8
When 7 is hung on the grip 6, the lever 8 is held in the pulling position, the housings 1 and 2 are held in the completely fitted position, and the charging is surely performed.

Retaining ring 2 when charging is completed
When the lever 7 is removed, the lever 8 returns to the original open position by the restoring elasticity of the torsion coil spring.
7 and 15 are driven in the opposite direction to the above, the coupling plate 10 is moved forward from the retracted position by meshing with the rack 13, and the housing 2 on the power source side is pushed back together with the main body 3 accordingly.

When the connecting plate 10 comes to the end of its forward movement, the projection 24 rides on the outer peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter portion of the housing 2 from the slope of the tip of the escape groove 25 to open the front end side of the connecting plate 10. The fitting window 21 is disengaged from the protrusion 22 of the housing 1 on the vehicle side, the locking is released, the housings 1 and 2 are returned to the semi-fitted state, and the main body 3 is pulled as it is to disengage the fitting. It

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the lever movement of the lever 8 which can be gripped together with the grip 6 is changed into the pulling movement of the connecting plate 10 through the gear train, and the vehicle side engaged with the lever movement. Since the connector housings 1 and 2 can be completely fitted by relatively pulling in the connector housing 1, the fitting operation can be reliably performed with a small force.

Next, a second embodiment corresponding to claim 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the second embodiment, the housing 2 on the power source side
However, the rear end side of the housing is fitted in the guide cylinder 31 attached to the back of the front cover 5 so that it can move back and forth in the front-back direction. A pair of extending connecting plates 10a are integrally connected, and the pinion 15 meshed with the rack 13 formed on the rear end upper surface of the connecting plate 10a swings integrally with the lever 8 shown in the first embodiment. The structure is such that it is directly meshed with the sector gear 16.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, when the connector housings 1 and 2 are half-fitted and then the lever 8 is grasped and pulled, the pinion 15 rotates in the clockwise direction opposite to the sector gear 16, The coupling plate 10a moves forward from the retracted position due to the engagement with the rack 13, and the power source side housing 2 integrally coupled thereto is pushed into the vehicle side housing 1 side and, as shown in FIG. 7, both connector housings 1,
2 is fully engaged and lever 8 is returned, pinion 15
Rotates in the opposite direction and the connecting plate 10a retracts from the forward position so that the housing 2 on the power source side is pulled back, the two housings 1 and 2 return to the half-fitted state, and the main body 3 is pulled as it is. The mating is designed to come off.

Also in the second embodiment, the lever movement of the lever 8 is also changed to the pushing movement of the connecting plate 10a, and the housing 2 on the power source side, which is integrally coupled with the lever 8, is pushed into the other side to complete the fitting. Therefore, similarly, the fitting operation can be surely performed with a small force.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view with a cover of the main body removed before assembly.

FIG. 3A is a front view of the main body when the main fitting operation is started and when the main fitting operation is completed, with the cover of the main body removed.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view of the main body.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway enlarged view showing a structure of an opening / closing operation portion of a connecting plate.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the inside of the main body according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a state after the fitting operation is completed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle-side connector housing 2 ... Power supply-side connector housing 3 ... Main body 6 ... Grip 8 ... Lever 9 ... Rotating shafts 10 (10a) ... Connection plate 13 ... Rack 15 ... Pinion 16 ... Sector gear 17 ... Intermediate gear 21 … Mating window 22… Projection 24… Projection 25… Escape groove

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tsutomu Tanaka 1-14 Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. (72) Eiji Saijo 1-14 Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Denso Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A device for fitting a power source side connector housing mounted on a tip portion of a main body into a vehicle side connector housing, wherein the main body has a lever that can be gripped together with a grip of the main body. However, it is always pivotally supported by a spring elasticity in a return direction away from the grip and is pivotally supported, and is driven in the body in the forward and reverse directions in conjunction with the pulling or returning operation of the lever. And a connecting plate that engages with the gear mechanism and is driven backward or forward in response to the forward or reverse movement of the gear mechanism. When the housing is in a certain semi-fitted state, an engaging means is provided for engaging with the connector housing on the vehicle side so as to be integrally movable by the retreat movement from the forward position. The fitting device charge connector in the gas automobile. 2. A device for fitting a power source-side connector housing mounted on a tip portion of a main body into a vehicle-side connector housing, wherein the vehicle-side connector housing is freely movable back and forth to the tip portion of the main body. A lever that is mounted and that can be gripped and operated together with a grip of the main body is always pivotally supported by a spring elastic force in a return direction in which the lever is separated from the grip. Includes a gear mechanism that is driven in forward and reverse directions in conjunction with pulling or returning of the lever, and a gear mechanism that is connected to the vehicle-side connector housing and that engages with the gear mechanism. A fitting device for a charging connector in an electric vehicle, which accommodates a connecting plate that is driven forward or backward in response to movement in the opposite direction.