JPH114546A - Charging connector for electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging connector with toughness against dusts and capable of communicating charging information between an electric vehicle and the charging connector with no influence of noises. SOLUTION: A light receiving part on the electric vehicle side has a light emitting element 24 and a light receiving element. In a charging connector, a connector housing 14 has an element storing chamber 19 at its lower part. The light emitting element 24 and the light receiving element are stored in the element storing chamber 19. A communication outlet is ordinarily closed by a brush 46 to prevent dust from attaching to a light input/output part 17A of the light emitting and receiving elements. When the charging connector is mounted on the electricity receiving part, the brush 46 is dislocated backward, and thereby the light input/output part 17A is passed through the brush 46 and comes on the opened side of the element storing chamber 19. Then, the input/output part 17A is put opposite to the light emitting and receiving elements. At this time, a contamination slightly attached to the light input/output part 17A can be removed by the brush 46.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a charging connector for charging an electric vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to charge an electric vehicle, a charging connector connected to a power supply for external charging is attached to a power receiving portion of the electric vehicle to transmit power to a power storage device of the electric vehicle. At this time, it is preferable to control the charging while monitoring the state of charge of the power storage device and the like, so that it is necessary to exchange information between the electric vehicle and the external charging power supply. As a communication means for this purpose, a wireless communication system has been conventionally studied. In this technique, a communication antenna is built in a charging connector, and an antenna is also arranged in a power receiving section of an electric vehicle, and wireless communication is performed between the two antennas at a high frequency of, for example, 900 MHz band.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned radio communication system has various drawbacks, such as the Radio Law, so that the transmission output cannot be set large, and is disadvantageous in that it is susceptible to noise. In particular, when the charging method for an electric vehicle employs an electromagnetic induction method in which a high-frequency current flows through a primary coil provided on a connector side to transmit power to a secondary coil on the electric vehicle side, the communication frequency and the Although the transmission frequency is different, the transmitted power is orders of magnitude larger, so that the noise from the charging inverter device cannot be ignored and malfunctions are a concern. Moreover, in designing the wireless communication circuit, it is necessary to experimentally determine not only the shape and arrangement of the antenna on the connector side but also the shape and arrangement of the antenna on the electric vehicle side and proceed with the design, and the man-hour is considerable. It becomes something. On the other hand, in order to avoid the disadvantages described above, for example, optical communication using infrared light can also be considered. There is a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to stably transmit information without being affected by noise and to stably operate even in a situation where dirt is likely to adhere. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle charging connector that can be used as a battery.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric vehicle charging connector for charging a power storage device of an electric vehicle, and information relating to charging of the power storage device with a mating connector. And a wiping member for wiping a light entrance / exit portion through which an optical signal of the optical communication element enters / exits.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric vehicle charging connector according to the first aspect, wherein the wiping member wipes the light entrance / exit portion in accordance with the connector mounting operation with the mating connector. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric vehicle charging connector according to the first or second aspect, wherein a recess for accommodating the light input / output section is provided, and the wiping member extends across the recess. The brush is always positioned so as to close the opening of the recess, and the brush is displaced with the connector mounting operation with the mating connector, so that the light input / output portion moves from between the brushes to the mating connector. The feature is that a wiping interlocking mechanism is provided.

[0008]

According to the connector of the first aspect, information is exchanged between the charging connector and the mating connector via an optical signal by an optical communication element. For this reason, it is possible to perform stable communication that is less susceptible to noise as compared with the wireless communication system. In addition, since there is no legal regulation by the Radio Law or the like, the degree of freedom in design is high, and the circuit design cost can be significantly reduced as compared with the wireless communication circuit. Since the wiping member wipes the light input / output portion of the optical communication element, even if dirt is attached to the light input / output portion, it is possible to prevent the dirt from being removed and hindering the progress of light for communication, thereby providing stable and reliable communication. It can be performed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the charging connector is mounted on the power receiving section, the wiping member automatically wipes the light guide section of the optical communication element in conjunction with the mounting operation. Eliminates the need to perform the wiping operation of the wiping member,
Usability is improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the wiping member normally closes the opening of the recess and the light input / output portion is located in a space isolated from the outside, the foreign matter to the light input / output portion is always provided. Can be prevented from adhering. Then, the wiping interlocking mechanism is operated in accordance with the connector mounting operation, and the light input / output portion appears from the space between the brushes to the mating connector side. Therefore, it is not necessary to open and close the recess every time, and the labor is not required. In addition, at this time, the light entrance / exit portion is wiped by the brush, and the slightly attached foreign matter is also removed.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

<First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. A power receiving unit 30 that opens outward is formed on the outer surface of the body of the electric vehicle,
The open surface can be opened and closed by a lid 35. The secondary unit 20 is arranged inside the power receiving unit 30, and a charging connector 10 to be described later can be inserted and attached here along the direction of arrow A.

The secondary unit 20 is configured by winding a secondary coil 22 around a secondary core 21 made of, for example, ferrite, and an output terminal of the secondary coil 22 is a power storage device for powering an electric vehicle. It is connected to a charging circuit 32 for charging a certain power battery 31 (shown only in FIG. 4),
The high-frequency electromotive force induced in the secondary coil 22 can be rectified to charge the power battery 31. As shown in FIG. 4, a charging state detection circuit 33 is connected to the charging circuit 32 so that the charging state of the power battery 31 can be detected.

The secondary core 21 has an L-shape as viewed from the side as shown in FIG. 1, but has an L-shape along the mounting direction A (left-right direction in FIG. 1) of the charging connector 10. The horizontal side is a cylindrical portion 21A having a circular cross section, and the vertical side of an L-shape perpendicular to the horizontal portion is a rectangular column portion 21B having a rectangular cross section. Further, the tip end surface (joining surface) of the cylindrical portion 21A intersects perpendicularly with the mounting direction A of the charging connector 10, and the side surface (joining surface) of the prismatic portion 21B is also the same with respect to the mounting direction A. So that they intersect vertically.
The secondary coil 22 is configured by, for example, winding a litz wire a plurality of times in a single-layer winding, and is provided on a cylindrical portion 21A of the secondary core 21 along the mounting direction A,
Accordingly, the winding axis of the coil is in the mounting direction A of the charging connector 10. The above-described secondary core 21 and secondary coil 22 are housed in a protective case 23 made of synthetic resin, and the protective case 23 is fixed to the power receiving unit 30. The protective case 23 has openings 23A and 23B for exposing the distal end surface of the cylindrical portion 21A of the secondary core 21 and the side surface of the distal end portion of the prismatic portion 21B, and the distal end of the cylindrical portion 21A is opened. It slightly protrudes from 23A.

On the other hand, the charging connector 10 includes a primary core 11 and a primary coil 12, which are provided on the handle 1.
3 are housed in a connector housing 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the charging connector 10 is connected to an inverter device 2 using a commercial power supply 1 as a power source, and the inverter device 2 causes a high-frequency current to flow through the primary coil 12. The inverter device 2 can control a voltage applied to the primary coil 12 by an inverter control circuit 3 as described later. Primary core 1
The connector housing 14 has the same shape as the secondary core 21 and has a cylindrical section 11A having a circular cross section that extends along the front-rear direction of the connector housing 14 (the mounting direction of the charging connector 10). , And the prism 11B extends downward. Further, the tip end surface (joining surface) of the cylindrical portion 11A of the primary core 11 also intersects perpendicularly with the mounting direction A of the charging connector 10, and the side surface (joining surface) of the prismatic portion 11B is also formed. Similarly, it intersects perpendicularly with the mounting direction A. The primary coil 12 is configured by winding a litz wire around the cylindrical portion 11A a plurality of times in a single layer, similarly to the above-described secondary coil 22, and the coil winding axis is similar to the secondary unit 20. The charging connector 10 has a configuration along the mounting direction A. The charging connector 10 is housed in a protective case 15 and fixed to the connector housing 14 similarly to the secondary unit 20, and a part of the primary core 11 is exposed through openings 15A and 15B provided in the protective case 15. doing.

Guide projections 16 are provided on both right and left sides of the connector housing 14 near the front end, and guide grooves 36 are formed on the inner surface of the power receiving portion 30 so as to correspond to the two guide projections 16. The tip of the guide groove 36 is inclined obliquely downward. Although not specifically shown,
A lock mechanism for mechanically locking the charging connector 10 in the power receiving unit 30 is provided to prevent accidental detachment when the charging connector 10 is mounted.

In the lower part of the front surface of the connector housing 14 of the charging connector 10, a thin and horizontally long element arrangement chamber 19 whose front surface is open is formed as shown in FIGS. A support wall 40 integrated with the connector housing 14 of the charging connector 10 extends from the back wall of the element arrangement chamber 19.
Are projected (see FIG. 3), and an infrared light emitting element 17 and a light receiving element 18 (see FIG. 2) corresponding to the connector-side optical communication element are arranged side by side on the front surface 40A.
Each of the elements 17 and 18 includes light input / output sections 17A and 18A through which an optical signal is emitted or incident.
A is attached so that A points forward. A slide cylinder 42 is housed in the element disposition chamber 19 so as to be movable back and forth (in the horizontal direction in the drawing), and is always urged forward by a spring 43. Further, a guide groove 4 extending in the front-rear direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the slide cylinder 42.
A stopper projection 45 projecting from the inner wall of the element arrangement chamber 19 is engaged with the stopper 4 to prevent the slide cylinder 42 from coming off. A brush 46 corresponding to a wiping member is provided in front of the two elements 17 and 18 in the slide cylinder 42. The brush 46 extends inward from the inner surface of the slide cylinder 42 and closes the opening 19 </ b> B on the front side of the elements 17 and 18 in the element arrangement chamber 19. Then, when the slide cylinder 42 moves to the back side, as shown in FIG.
6 between the light input / output sections 17A, 18 of the optical communication elements 17, 18.
A passes through and faces the front of the element arrangement chamber 19.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, a flat rectangular tube-like element housing tube 37 extending toward the front open surface side is protruded from the inner bottom of the power receiving unit 30, and an electric vehicle is provided therein. A light emitting element 24 and a light receiving element 25 (shown only in FIG. 4) corresponding to the side optical communication elements are arranged. The element accommodating cylinder 37 also functions as a wiping interlocking mechanism for displacing the slide cylinder 42. When the charging connector 10 is mounted on the power receiving unit 30, the element accommodating cylinder 37 enters the element disposition chamber 19 of the charging connector 10. To move the slide cylinder 42 to the element placement chamber 19
To the back side of.

Electrically, as shown in FIG. 4, the light emitting element 24 and the light receiving element 25 of the electric vehicle are connected to a charging state detection circuit 33, and light from the charging connector 10 is described later. The light receiving element 25 receives the signal, detects the state of charge of the power battery 31, and drives the light emitting element 24 accordingly, thereby outputting an optical signal to the charging connector 10 side. Further, the light emitting element 17 and the light receiving element 18 on the connector side are connected to the inverter control circuit 3, and the optical signal received by the light receiving element 18 is photoelectrically converted and given to the inverter control circuit 3, so that the power battery 31 is charged. The inverter 3 is used by the circuit 3 so that it can be performed properly.
Is controlled.

This embodiment has the above configuration, and its operation will be described below. To charge the electric vehicle, the lid 35 of the power receiving unit 30 is opened, and the tip of the charging connector 10 is inserted therein. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the distal end surface of the cylindrical portion 11A of the primary core 11 of the charging connector 10 contacts the distal end side surface of the prismatic portion 21B of the secondary core 21, and
The distal end surface of the cylindrical portion 21A of the secondary core 21 abuts on the distal end side surface of the prismatic portion 11B of the primary core 11, so that the two cores 11,
At 21, a closed-loop magnetic circuit having a square frame shape is formed. Also, since the element housing cylinder 37 on the power receiving unit 30 side enters the element arrangement chamber 19 as shown in FIG. 6, the slide cylinder 42 is pushed deep into the power receiving unit 30 by the element housing tube 37 and , 18 light input / output sections 17A, 18A
Passes between the brushes 46 and the opening 1 of the element arrangement chamber 19.
It appears on the 9B side and faces both elements 25 and 24 of the power receiving unit 30. In this process, the brush 46 is moved to the light input / output section 17.
Since A and 18A are wiped, even if a small foreign matter enters the slide cylinder 42 and adheres to the light entrance / exit portions 17A and 18A, this is reliably wiped and removed.

In this state, when a charging start switch (not shown) is turned on, an optical signal is first output from the light emitting element 18 connected to the inverter control circuit 3 and is incident on the light receiving element 25 of the power receiving unit 30. As a result, an electric signal is output from the light receiving element 25 to the charge state detection circuit 33,
Based on this, the state-of-charge detection circuit 33
1 is detected. Then, an electric signal corresponding to the state of charge is output to the light emitting element 24 to output an optical signal, which is incident on the light receiving element 18 of the charging connector 10 and converted into an electric signal. Then, the signal is given to the inverter control circuit 3 and is grasped as the state of charge of the power battery 31. The transmission and reception of the information on the state of charge is performed, for example, by converting the charge capacity measured from the terminal voltage of the battery into a digital value and transmitting the digital value by a general serial communication method. The inverter control circuit 3 controls the output voltage or the like, for example, according to the charge capacity of the power battery 31, so that the battery 31 is appropriately charged. When the charging of the power battery 31 is completed, this is detected by the charging state detection circuit 33, and the optical signal from the light emitting element 24 is given to the light receiving element 18 on the charging connector 10 side. A stop signal is output to the device 2 to end the charging operation.

After the charging is completed, the charging connector 10 is pulled out of the power receiving unit 30. Then, the element housing cylinder 37 of the power receiving unit 30 is pulled out from the element arrangement chamber 19 of the charging connector 10, and the slide cylinder 42 is
The brush 46 closes the opening 19 </ b> B of the element arrangement chamber 19 by being returned forward by the resilience of the element. Thereby, the light input / output unit 1 of the optical communication elements 17 and 18 is placed in the space isolated from the outside.
7A and 18A are located, so that even if dust or mud is applied to the charging connector 10, the light input / output sections 17A and 18A
Does not adhere to Moreover, in this process, the light input / output unit 17
Since A and 18A are wiped off by the brush 46, foreign substances attached during power reception are removed. The optical communication elements 24 and 25 on the side of the power receiving unit 30 can be protected from foreign matter by closing the lid 35.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the charging connector 10 side and the electric vehicle side are configured to transmit and receive information regarding charging by optical communication via infrared rays. It is difficult to receive and stable communication can be performed. In addition, since there is no legal regulation by the Radio Law or the like, the degree of freedom in design is high, and the circuit design cost can be significantly reduced as compared with the wireless communication circuit. Further, the brush 46 is moved in conjunction with the connector mounting operation, and the light input / output sections 17A, 1A of the light input / output sections 17A, 18A are operated.
Since 8A is wiped, even if dirt is attached, it is possible to prevent the dirt from being automatically removed and hindering the progress of light for communication, thereby enabling stable and reliable communication. Moreover,
The brush 46 always also serves as a lid for closing the open portion of the element arrangement chamber 19 and isolates the inside of the element arrangement chamber 19 from the outside, so that foreign matter is prevented from adhering to the light input / output sections 17A and 18A. Can be prevented.

<Second Embodiment> This embodiment is shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. Hereinafter, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the same structures will be denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted. In the present embodiment, the optical communication element is
The cores 11 and 21 are attached to the protective cases 15 and 23. Specifically, the protective case 15 of the primary core 11
A through hole 51 is formed in the lower surface of a portion of the primary core 11 that covers the columnar portion 11A, and an optical communication element 50 of the charging connector 10 is provided therein with the light input / output portion 5.
0A protrudes from the protective case 15 and is attached. Although only one optical communication element 50 is shown in the drawing, two elements, a light emitting element and a light receiving element, are arranged as in the first embodiment. Also,
In the protective case 23 of the secondary core 21, a through hole 53 is formed in the same manner as the portion facing the through hole 51, and an optical communication element 52 on the power receiving unit 30 side is mounted inside the through hole 53. Brushes 55 and 56 are attached to the outer surfaces of the protective cases 15 and 23 in front of the through holes 51 and 53.

The operation of the present embodiment is as follows. When the charging connector 10 is mounted on the power receiving unit 30, the primary brush 55 is moved in the process by the light input / output unit 52 A of the secondary optical communication element 52.
8B, the secondary brush 56 wipes and passes through the light entrance / exit portion 50A of the primary optical communication element 51, and reaches the normal mounting state, as shown in FIG. 8B. ,
The optical communication elements 50 and 52 face each other. As described above, also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the foreign matter attached to the light entrance / exit portion can be automatically removed. Communication can be performed.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to the drawings and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition to the following, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In each of the above embodiments, the optical communication element of the charging connector 10 directly transmits and receives an optical signal to and from the optical communication element of the power receiving unit 30. The light guide member may be provided, and an optical signal may be transmitted and received via the light guide member. In this case, a portion of the light guide member where the optical signal enters and exits may be wiped by the wiping member. (2) The wiping member is not limited to the brush type, but may be a soft rubber wiping member. In other words, the wiping member only needs to be able to wipe the light entrance / exit portion to remove foreign matter. (3) In each of the above embodiments, an example is shown in which the present invention is applied to an inductive charging type charging connector that transmits power in a non-contact manner using electromagnetic induction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The optical communication system of the present invention can also be applied to a charging system of a type in which power is transmitted by contacting a terminal fitting.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a power receiving unit and a charging connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the charging connector.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing an arrangement portion of the optical communication element.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the same.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the state of attachment of the charging connector.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing a state in which the wiping member wipes the light entrance / exit portion.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of an arrangement portion of an optical communication element according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the operation of the wiping member wiping the light entrance / exit portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector for charge 17 ... Light emitting element (optical communication element) 17A ... Light input / output part 18 ... Light receiving element (optical communication element) 18A ... Light input / output part 19 ... Element arrangement room (concave) 30 ... Power receiving part (mating connector) DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 31 ... Power battery (power storage device) 37 ... Element accommodating cylinder (wiping interlocking mechanism) 42 ... Slide cylinder (wiping interlocking mechanism) 43 ... Spring (wiping interlocking mechanism) 46 ... Brush (wiping member) 50 ... Optical communication element 50A ... light Inlet / outlet 55: brush (wiping member)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An optical communication device for charging a power storage device of an electric vehicle, the device comprising: an optical communication element for exchanging information regarding charging of the power storage device with a mating connector; A connector for charging an electric vehicle, comprising a wiping member for wiping a light entrance / exit portion through which an optical signal enters / exits. 2. The electric vehicle charging connector according to claim 1, wherein said wiping member wipes said light entrance / exit portion in accordance with a connector mounting operation with said mating connector. 3. A recess for accommodating the light entrance / exit portion is provided, and a brush is provided on the wiping member so as to extend across the recess, and the brush always closes an opening of the recess. And a wiping interlocking mechanism for displacing the brush in accordance with the connector mounting operation with the mating connector and causing the light input / output portion to face the mating connector from between the brushes. Claim 1 or Claim 2
The connector for charging an electric vehicle according to the above.