JP6097944B2 - Charging connector holding structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging connector holding structure in an automobile charging device.

  Charging an electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid car, or the like is performed by connecting these vehicles and the vehicle charging device with a charging cable.

  The charging cable includes a charging connector at the tip, and the charging connector is inserted into a plug portion provided on the vehicle side to charge the vehicle.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a charging connector when not in use is held by a charging connector holding portion provided in an automobile charging device.

  In the charging connector holding structure of Patent Document 1, the locking claw portion formed on the upper portion of the charging terminal portion of the charging connector is locked to the claw engaging portion of the charging connector holding portion, and then the charging connector holding portion is The movement of the latching claw is regulated by the provided lock mechanism to prevent equipment damage due to mischief or the like.

  A lock mechanism described in Patent Literature 1 covers a top portion of a locking claw portion engaged with a claw engaging portion, and restricts movement of the claw engaging portion being detached from the locking claw portion; The cylinder is operated by a drive signal transmitted from a return sensor that detects that the charging connector has been returned to the charging connector holding portion, and the restriction piece is engaged with the regulating piece via the link. To be moved.

  In the lock mechanism described in Patent Document 1, a locking claw detecting portion that detects that the locking claw portion is locked to the claw engaging portion is provided as the return sensor. This latching claw detection part is comprised from the slide piece pressed by the front-end | tip of a latching claw part, and the limit switch which detects that this slide piece was pressed to the depth direction.

  However, when the movement of the locking claw portion becomes worse due to factors such as deterioration over time or dirt, and the locking claw portion does not operate properly, the locking claw detection portion is connected to the claw portion. There is a problem that the locking mechanism cannot be accurately operated even when the charging connector cannot be detected to be locked to the joint portion and the charging connector is held by the charging connector holding portion.

JP 2012-19608 A

  The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and in a lock mechanism that restricts the movement of the claw engaging portion from the locking claw portion, the charging connector is locked in the state where the charging connector is normally held by the charging connector holding portion. It is to provide a technique capable of accurately performing the locking operation regardless of the state of the nail.

The charging connector holding structure of the present invention made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems is provided with a charging terminal part at the tip, and a charging connector provided with a locking claw part above the charging terminal part in the automobile charging device. A charging connector holding structure for holding in a charging connector holding portion, wherein the charging connector holding portion engages with a cylindrical portion into which the charging terminal portion is fitted, and the locking claw portion above the cylindrical portion. A return sensor that includes a claw engaging portion and detects that the charging connector is returned to the charging connector holding portion in a stage before the locking claw engaging portion and the claw engaging portion are completely engaged ; A locking mechanism that is provided inside the cylindrical portion and that is operated by a drive signal transmitted from the return sensor to regulate movement of the claw engaging portion from the locking claw portion; It is characterized by being provided adjacent to

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the charging connector holding structure according to the first aspect, the lock mechanism covers an upper portion of the locking claw portion engaged with the claw engaging portion, and the claw engaging portion is the locking claw portion. A regulating piece that regulates the movement away from the cylinder and a cylinder that drives the regulating piece to slide back and forth, and the regulating piece incorporates a biasing spring that is biased toward the charging connector. It is a feature.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the charging connector holding structure according to claim 2, wherein the charging terminal unit is provided with a connector pin at the tip, as the return sensor, by insertion of the connector pin, back from the cylindrical portion A slide member pushed in the direction is used.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the charging connector holding structure according to the third aspect , the connector pin is a ground pin.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the charging connector holding structure according to the third or fourth aspect, a covering cover that covers the periphery of the return sensor is provided in the cylindrical portion.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the charging connector holding structure according to the second aspect of the present invention, an abnormality determining means for detecting an abnormality by detecting that the urging spring built in the regulating piece is continuously pressed for a predetermined time. It is characterized by comprising.

  In the present invention, the charging connector holding portion includes a cylindrical portion into which the charging terminal portion is fitted, and a claw engaging portion that engages with the locking claw portion above the cylindrical portion, and the charging connector is the charging connector. A return sensor for detecting the return to the holding portion is provided inside the cylindrical portion, and is operated by a drive signal transmitted from the return sensor so that the claw engagement portion is detached from the locking claw portion. Because the lock mechanism that regulates the structure is provided adjacent to the cylindrical part, due to factors such as aging and dirt, the movement of the spring in the locking claw has deteriorated, and the locking claw has stopped working properly Even if it is a case, it is detected that the charging connector is returned to the charging connector holding part regardless of the movement of the locking claw because the return sensor is reliably pressed by the operation of inserting the charging connector with a human hand. Can always perform accurate locking

According to the present invention , the return sensor detects that the charging connector has been returned to the charging connector holding portion in a stage before the locking claw portion and the claw engaging portion are completely engaged. In a stage before the locking claw and the claw engaging portion are completely engaged, the regulating piece is slid forward and can be locked.

1 is an overall perspective view of an automobile charging device having a charging connector holding structure. It is a principal part enlarged view of the charging connector holding | maintenance part before charging connector holding | maintenance. It is a principal part enlarged view of the charging connector holding | maintenance part in the process made to hold a charging connector. It is a principal part enlarged view of the charge connector holding part after charge connector holding. It is explanatory drawing of embodiment which formed the downward direction of the front-end | tip part of a control piece in the notch shape. It is a principal part enlarged view of the charge connector holding | maintenance part in a half-fitted state. It is a whole perspective view of a charging connector holding part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the charge connector holding part in the process of hold | maintaining a charge connector.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown below.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the charging connector 1 when not in use is held in a charging connector holding space 3 formed in the automobile charging device 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the charging connector 1 includes a charging terminal portion 4 at the tip, and a locking claw portion 5 above the charging terminal portion 4. The charging terminal portion 4 includes a connector pin 6 composed of an electrode pin, a ground pin for a ground wire, and a communication line pin for a communication line at the tip.

  The charging connector 1 is held by the charging connector holding portion 7 in the charging connector holding space 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the charging connector holding portion 7 is engaged with the cylindrical portion 8 into which the charging terminal portion 4 of the charging connector 1 is fitted, and the locking claw portion 5 above the cylindrical portion 8. A claw engaging portion 9 is provided.

  A lock mechanism 10 is provided on the upper portion of the charging connector holding portion 7 to restrict the movement of the locking claw portion 5 engaged with the claw engaging portion 9 and maintain the locked state.

  The lock mechanism 10 covers the upper part of the locking claw part 5 engaged with the claw engaging part 9 and restricts the movement of the claw engaging part 9 separating from the locking claw part 5, and the restriction The restriction piece 11 includes a biasing spring 13 that is biased toward the charging connector 1 side.

  The cylinder 12 is operated by a drive signal transmitted from a return sensor 14 that detects that the charging connector 1 has been returned to the charging connector holding portion 7, and the restriction piece 11 is moved in the direction of the claw engaging portion 9 via the link 15. Move to. When the restricting piece 11 is in a position covering the upper portion of the engaging claw 5, the movement of the engaging claw portion 5 is restricted.

  In the present embodiment, as the return sensor 14, when the charging terminal portion 4 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 8, the slide member 17 that is pushed inward from the cylindrical portion 8 by the ground pin 16 of the connector pin 6 is inserted into the cylindrical portion. 8 is provided. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the apparatus is simplified by pushing the slide member 17 using the ground pin 16, but an operation pin dedicated to the return sensor can be additionally formed as the connector pin 6. Or the structure which pushes in the return sensor 14 with the whole charging terminal part 4 other than the connector pin 6 may be sufficient.

  As described in the column of the background art, in the prior art, the return claw 14 uses a locking claw detection unit that detects that the locking claw portion 5 is locked to the claw engagement portion 9, and therefore deteriorates over time. If the movement of the spring for operation of the locking claw 5 is deteriorated due to factors such as dirt or dirt, and the locking claw stops operating properly, the locking claw detection unit It is impossible to detect that the hook is engaged with the claw engaging portion 9, and there is a problem that the lock mechanism 10 does not operate correctly even when the charging connector 1 is held by the charging connector holding portion 7. In the present invention, the charging connector 1 is held by the charging connector 1 regardless of the movement of the locking claw portion 5 by using the slide member 17 pushed back from the inside of the cylindrical portion 8 by the ground pin 16 as the return sensor 14. Detecting that it was returned to part 7 Always it is possible to perform accurate lock operation.

  In addition, since the return sensor 14 of the present embodiment detects an operation in which the ground pin 16 pushes the slide member 17, the drive signal transmission to the cylinder 12 performed in response to the return detection is performed with the locking claw portion 5. This is performed before the claw engaging portion 9 is completely engaged, and the regulating piece 11 can be slid forward to be locked. Here, when the charging connector 1 is fitted to the charging connector holding portion 7 as shown in FIG. 8, the hook portion 5a and the locking receiving portion formed by bending the tip of the locking claw portion 5 downward. There may be a gap 100 that is operable to prevent the latching claw portion 5 from being half-fitted between the nine. When the return sensor 17 is operated after the locking claw portion 5 has passed over the locking receiving portion 9, the return sensor 17 is located at a position where the gap 100 is provided between the locking claw portion 6 and the locking receiving portion 9. Works. In this state, when the charging connector 1 is operated in the direction of pulling out, if the distance of the gap 100 between the latch receiving portion 9 and the latch claw 5 is moved, the return sensor 17 is also pushed back by the gap 100. Therefore, the detection of the return sensor 17 may be canceled. However, as shown in FIG. 3, the return sensor 17 starts from the stage before the locking claw part 5 and the claw engaging part 9 are completely engaged, and from the stage where the locking claw part 5 is positioned on the locking receiving part 9. Is formed so as to transmit a drive signal, and even when the charging connector 1 is moved in the direction of pulling out after the locking claw 5 is engaged, the position on the charging connector 1 side from the gap Therefore, the detection of the return sensor 17 is not released, and the fitting of the charging connector 1 can be detected with high accuracy. In addition, before the work for holding the charging connector 1 on the charging connector holding portion 7 is completed, the regulating piece 11 is slid forward, so that the engaging claw portion 5 is pushed downward by the regulating piece 11 and the engagement is performed. The pawl portion 5 can be guided to the pawl engaging portion 9. Further, the regulation piece 11 can also prevent the charging connector 1 from being pulled out by mischief. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, by forming the lower part of the distal end portion of the restriction piece 11 in a notch shape, the locking claw portion 5 can be more easily guided toward the claw engagement portion 9.

  The timing of transmitting the drive signal from the return sensor 14 to the cylinder 12 may be immediately after the ground pin 16 starts to push the slide member 17 or may be after a certain period of time has elapsed from the start of pushing.

  When the charging connector 1 is in a half-fitted state or when the operation of the locking claw portion 5 is deteriorated, as shown in FIG. 6, the locking claw portion 5 and the claw engagement portion 9 are half-fitted. In this embodiment, as described above, since the urging spring 13 that is urged toward the charging connector 1 is incorporated in the restriction piece 11 as described above, the restriction piece 11 is in the half-fitted state. When the upper end of the locking claw 5 protruding upward is touched, the urging wing 13 contracts, so that the locking mechanism 10 is damaged or the locking claw 5 is pushed out by the restriction piece 11. Thus, the problem that the charging connector 1 falls can be avoided.

  Furthermore, by detecting that the urging spring 13 built in the regulating piece 11 has been continuously pressed for a predetermined time and having an abnormality determining means for determining abnormality, abnormalities due to locking claws, mischief, etc. can be detected at an early stage. Can be found in.

  While the restricting piece 11 is moved to the lock position, it is necessary to energize the lock mechanism 10, but the drive signal transmitted from the return sensor 14 is received and the urging force of the urging spring 13 If the restricting piece 11 is pushed forward, the time for moving the restricting piece 11 to the lock position is shortened, and the energization time to the lock mechanism 10 can be shortened.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a covering cover 18 that covers the periphery of the slide member 17 of the return sensor 14 is provided in the cylindrical portion 8. When the return sensor 14 is slid by the covering cover 18, it is possible to prevent a sliding failure due to dirt such as dust or dust, and to prevent sliding due to mischief. Further, a notch 19 for discharging rainwater is formed on the lower peripheral edge of the covering cover 18. By adopting this structure, rainwater is discharged without staying in the vicinity of the return sensor 14, so that it is possible to prevent water droplets from entering the slide member 17 when the slide member 17 slides.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Charging connector 2 Car charging device 3 Charging connector holding space 4 Charging terminal part 5 Locking claw part 6 Connector pin 7 Charging connector holding part 8 Cylindrical part 9 Claw engaging part 10 Lock mechanism 11 Restriction piece 12 Cylinder 13 Energizing spring 14 Return sensor 15 Link 16 Earth pin 17 Slide member 18 Cover cover 19 Notch

Claims (6)

A charging connector holding structure for holding a charging connector having a charging terminal portion at a tip and a locking claw portion above the charging terminal portion in a charging connector holding portion provided in an automobile charging device,
The charging connector holding portion includes a cylindrical portion into which the charging terminal portion is fitted, and a claw engaging portion that engages with the locking claw portion above the cylindrical portion,
A return sensor that detects that the charging connector has been returned to the charging connector holding portion at a stage before the locking claw portion and the claw engaging portion are completely engaged with each other is provided inside the cylindrical portion. In preparation for
A lock mechanism is provided adjacent to the cylindrical portion, which is operated by a drive signal transmitted from the return sensor and regulates movement of the claw engaging portion to be separated from the locking claw portion. Charging connector holding structure. The locking mechanism covers the upper part of the locking claw part engaged with the claw engaging part, and regulates the movement of the claw engaging part separating from the locking claw part, and drives the regulating piece to move back and forth. Consisting of a cylinder that slides on
The charging connector holding structure according to claim 1, wherein the regulating piece incorporates a biasing spring that is biased toward the charging connector. The said charging terminal part is equipped with the connector pin at the front-end | tip, and used the slide member pushed in the back direction from the said cylindrical part by insertion of the said connector pin as said return sensor . Charging connector holding structure. 4. The charging connector holding structure according to claim 3, wherein the connector pin is a ground pin . The charging connector holding structure according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising a covering cover that covers the periphery of the return sensor in the cylindrical portion . The charging connector holding structure according to claim 2, further comprising an abnormality determination unit that detects that the urging spring built in the regulating piece is continuously pressed for a predetermined time and determines an abnormality .