JP6490726B2 - Vehicle side connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle-side connector.

  Among vehicles equipped with a battery, there is a vehicle that can charge the battery from a power source outside the vehicle. In this case, in order to electrically connect an external power source and a battery to the vehicle, a vehicle-side connector that is electrically connected to a charging connector that is electrically connected to a power source external to the vehicle is attached ( Patent Document 1).

  The vehicle-side connector includes a connector housing in which the charging connector is detachably held, and the charging claw of the charging connector is inserted into the connector housing when the charging connector is fitted to the vehicle-side connector. A locking hole is formed. The locking hole is reinforced by the reinforcing metal member because the locking hole is reliably locked even when the charging connector is repeatedly attached to and detached from the vehicle-side connector. The reinforcing metal member has a main body portion that contacts the outer peripheral wall forming the insertion opening into which the charging connector is inserted and surrounds the outer periphery of the locking hole, and extends from the end portion in the insertion direction of the main body portion to the outer side of the outer peripheral wall. A standing part is erected. When the connector housing is molded, the reinforcing metal member is present in the connector housing by integral molding, and the standing portion is embedded in the connector housing.

JP 2012-221611 A

  By the way, since a synthetic resin having a linear expansion coefficient different from that of the reinforcing metal member is used for the connector housing, the connector housing and the reinforcing metal member have different expansion / contraction in response to a heat change. Therefore, when the thermal change in the vehicle-side connector increases according to the use environment of the vehicle, stress concentration occurs in the connector housing due to expansion / contraction, which may reduce the durability of the vehicle-side connector.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the above, Comprising: It aims at providing the vehicle side connector which can suppress a durable fall.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle-side connector according to the present invention includes a resin connector housing in which a charging connector outside the vehicle is detachably held, and a reinforcing metal member partially contained in the connector housing. The connector housing is formed on the outer peripheral wall forming an insertion opening into which the charging connector is inserted, a housing portion projecting outward from the outer peripheral wall, and a locking claw of the charging connector The reinforcing metal member is in contact with the outer peripheral wall and surrounds the outer periphery of the locking hole, and the outer periphery from the end in the insertion direction of the main body portion. A connecting portion for connecting at least the main body portion and the standing portion is present in the connector housing, and the main body portion is provided with the locking portion. A through hole communicating with the housing portion is formed, the upright portion is located on the insertion direction side of the housing portion, and at least a part of the end surface facing the housing portion in the insertion direction and orthogonal to the insertion direction is It is formed to be exposed to the outside from the connector housing.

  In the vehicle-side connector, the standing portion may be formed such that at least both end surfaces in the longitudinal direction are exposed to the outside from the connector housing.

  In the vehicle-side connector according to the present invention, at least a part of the end surface perpendicular to the insertion direction of the reinforced metal member is provided even if expansion and contraction according to the heat change between the reinforced metal member and the connector housing are different. Since the resin connector housing is formed so as to be exposed to the outside, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of stress concentration in the connector housing, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in durability.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a vehicle-side connector in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the vehicle-side connector in the embodiment. Drawing 3 is an important section sectional view of the vehicle side connector in an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a reinforcing metal member in the embodiment.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment. In addition, constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be easily replaced by those skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same.

[Embodiment]
First, the vehicle side connector in embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a vehicle-side connector in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the vehicle-side connector in the embodiment. Drawing 3 is an important section sectional view of the vehicle side connector in an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a reinforcing metal member in the embodiment. 1 is an overall perspective view showing the vehicle-side connector in a state where the lid is open, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main part when the connector housing and the reinforcing metal member are viewed from the removal direction, and FIG. It is AA sectional drawing. Here, the X direction in each figure is the insertion / extraction direction of the vehicle-side connector in the present embodiment, X1 is the insertion direction, and X2 is the removal direction. The Y direction is the width direction of the vehicle-side connector in the present embodiment, is the longitudinal direction of the standing portion, is a direction orthogonal to the insertion / extraction direction, Y1 is the left direction, and Y2 is the right direction. The Z direction is the vertical direction of the vehicle-side connector, is a direction orthogonal to the insertion / extraction direction and the width direction, the Z1 direction is the upward direction, and the Z2 direction is the downward direction.

  The vehicle-side connector 1 in the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle (not shown), and is attached to, for example, a vehicle body (not shown) in a vehicle internal space formed inside the vehicle. The vehicle interior space portion communicates with the outside of the vehicle through the vehicle side opening. An openable / closable vehicle-side lid (not shown) is attached to the vehicle-side opening.

  The vehicle-side connector 1 is electrically connected to a battery (not shown) of the vehicle, and the charging connector 100 electrically connected to a power source outside the vehicle is electrically connected (see FIG. 3), so that at least The battery is charged with electric power from a power source outside the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle-side connector 1 includes a connector housing 2, a reinforcing metal member 3, a lid 4, and a lid locking receiving portion 5. The vehicle-side connector 1 is attached to the vehicle body so that the closed lid 4 and the vehicle-side lid face each other in the insertion / extraction direction. That is, the vehicle-side connector 1 is exposed to the outside of the vehicle when the vehicle-side lid is in an open state.

  The connector housing 2 is configured to detachably hold the charging connector 100 outside the vehicle. The connector housing 2 is formed by molding a synthetic resin material having insulating properties. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the connector housing 2 includes an outer peripheral wall 21, a housing portion 22, a locking hole 23, an electric wire holding portion 24, a packing 25, and a seal member 26. In the connector housing 2 in this embodiment, the outer peripheral wall 21, the housing part 22, the locking hole 23, and the electric wire holding part 24 are integrally formed.

  The outer peripheral wall 21 forms the insertion opening 2a into which the charging connector 100 is inserted. The outer peripheral wall 21 in the present embodiment is formed in a cylindrical shape when viewed from the insertion / extraction direction, and an insertion space portion 2a is formed as an internal space portion. Here, the insertion space portion 2 a is formed such that the end portion on the removal direction side communicates with the outside, and the end portion on the insertion direction side is closed by the electric wire holding portion 24. The outer peripheral wall 21 is formed with a flat portion 21 a parallel to the width direction on the upper side of the removal direction side of the housing portion 22. The flat portion 21a is formed to be recessed downward in the vertical direction from the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 21 excluding the flat portion 21a.

  The housing part 22 projects outward from the outer peripheral wall 21. The housing part 22 also fixes the connector housing 2 to the vehicle body. The housing portion 22 is formed to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 21 in a direction orthogonal to the insertion / extraction direction. The housing part 22 has a plurality of fixing holes 22 a surrounding the outer peripheral wall 21. The fixing hole 22a penetrates from the surface 22b on the removal direction side to the back surface 22c in the insertion / extraction direction, and is inserted with a shaft portion on which a fixing tool, for example, a male screw of a bolt is formed. The housing portion 22 is fastened to the vehicle body by screwing a bolt into a mounting hole having an internal thread formed in the vehicle body through the fixing hole 22a. The housing portion 22 has two pedestal portions 22d and 22e formed on the surface 22b. The pedestal portions 22d and 22e are formed by sandwiching the end portion in the removal direction of the outer peripheral wall 21 in the width direction. The pedestal portion 22d supports the lid 4 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction via the rotation axis S1. The pedestal portion 22e supports the lid latch receiving portion 5 via the rotation shaft S2 so as to be rotatable around the vertical direction. The housing portion 22 has a notch 22f formed on the back surface 22c. The notch 22 f exposes a part of the standing portion 32 of the reinforcing metal member 3. The notch 22f is formed such that the length in the width direction is longer than the longitudinal direction of the standing portion 32, that is, the length in the width direction. The cutout portion 22f is formed such that the length in the insertion / extraction direction is longer than the thickness direction of the standing portion 32, that is, the length in the insertion / extraction direction.

  The locking hole 23 is for inserting the locking claw 101 of the charging connector 100. The locking hole 23 is formed in the outer peripheral wall 21, in this embodiment, the flat portion 21 a. The locking hole 23 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape with the width direction being the longitudinal direction. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the locking claw 101 is supported so as to be rotatable around the width direction with respect to the charging connector 100, and is closed by a biasing member (not shown). ).

  The electric wire holding unit 24 holds a plurality of vehicle-side electric wires W that are respectively electrically connected to a plurality of charging-side electric wires that are electrically connected to the charging connector 100. Here, the vehicle-side electric wire W includes a signal line, a power line, and the like. The electric wire holding portion 24 is formed on the insertion direction side of the outer peripheral wall 21 and holds the vehicle-side electric wire W via a packing, a seal member, etc. (not shown). The electric wire holding portion 24 is formed so that the protruding portion 24a corresponding to each vehicle-side electric wire W protrudes from the end portion in the removal direction that closes the insertion space portion 2a into the insertion space portion 2a. Each protrusion 24a has a female terminal electrically connected to the end of the vehicle-side electric wire W, and has an opening communicating with the insertion space 2a at the end in the removal direction. Yes.

  The packing 25 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface orthogonal to the insertion / extraction direction of the portion inserted into the insertion space 2a of the charging connector 100. The packing 25 is formed in a ring shape, and is provided at the end portion in the removal direction on the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 21. The packing 25 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material having a lower coefficient of friction than the connector housing 2 and having elasticity.

  The seal member 26 improves the waterproofness between the connector housing 2 and the charging connector 100. The seal member 26 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface orthogonal to the insertion / extraction direction of the portion inserted into the insertion space portion 2a of the charging connector 100 over the entire circumference. The seal member 26 is formed in a ring shape, and a protruding portion that protrudes radially inward is formed. The seal member 26 is provided on the insertion direction side of the packing 25 on the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 21. The seal member 26 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin material that is more elastic than the connector housing 2 and the packing 25.

  The reinforcing metal member 3 is partly present in the connector housing, and improves the durability of the locking hole 23. The reinforcing metal member 3 is made of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel, for example, and includes a main body portion 31, a standing portion 32, and a connecting portion 33 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. The reinforcing metal member 3 in the present embodiment corresponds to the locking hole 23, and is partly located at the center in the width direction of the connector housing 2, at the end in the removal direction, and at the end in the upper direction. ing.

  The main body 31 is in contact with the outer peripheral wall 21. The main body portion 31 is formed in a flat plate shape, and is formed in a rectangular shape whose longitudinal direction is the width direction when viewed from the vertical direction. The main body 31 is formed wider than the locking hole 23 and surrounds the outer periphery of the locking hole 23. The main body 31 has a through hole 31a. The through hole 31 a communicates with the locking hole 23. In the present embodiment, the through hole 31 a is formed such that an end portion on the insertion direction side extends to the standing portion 32 via the communication portion 33. The through hole 31a has substantially the same shape as the locking hole 23 when viewed from above and below, and here, the portion excluding the end portion on the insertion direction side is formed in the same shape, and is formed at the center in the width direction and the insertion / extraction direction. Is formed. The main body 31 in the present embodiment is provided on the flat portion 21a. Here, the main body portion 31 is provided on the flat portion 21a so that the upper surface 31b on the upper side in the vertical direction is flush with the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 21 excluding the flat portion 21a.

  The standing portion 32 faces the housing portion 22 in the insertion direction. The standing portion 32 is formed in a flat plate shape, and is formed in a rectangular shape whose longitudinal direction is the width direction when viewed from the insertion / extraction direction. The standing portion 32 is formed so as to stand from the end portion of the main body portion 31 in the insertion direction toward the outside of the outer peripheral wall 21. The standing portion 32 in the present embodiment is formed from the end portion in the insertion direction of the main body portion 31 upward via the connecting portion 33. That is, the reinforcing metal member 3 is formed in an L shape when viewed from the width direction. Here, the standing portion 32 is located closer to the main body portion 31 than the housing portion 22 in a state in which a part of the reinforcing metal member 3 is present in the connector housing 2, that is, in the present state. In the internal state, the standing portion 32 has a front surface 32a, a rear surface 32b, both end surfaces 32c and 32d in the width direction, which is the longitudinal direction, and an upper end surface 32e in the insertion direction. It is exposed inside. The upper side of the front surface 32 a and the rear surface 32 b is exposed in the notch portion 22 f and the lower side is in contact with the housing portion 22 in the inherent state. Both end surfaces 32c and 32d in the width direction are part of the outer peripheral surface of the standing portion 32, and are all exposed in the notch 22f in the internal state. The upward end surface 32e is a part of the outer peripheral surface of the standing portion 32, and is entirely exposed in the notch 22f in the internal state. Here, the notch 22 f communicates with the outside of the connector housing 2. Therefore, the standing portion 32 is formed such that at least a part of the end surface orthogonal to the insertion direction, that is, at least a part of the outer peripheral surface in the width direction and the vertical direction is not present in the connector housing 2 and is exposed to the outside.

  The connecting portion 33 is a portion that connects the main body portion 31 and the standing portion 32. The connecting portion 33 is inherent in the connector housing 2, that is, embedded in the connector housing 2. The connecting portion 33 in the present embodiment is divided into two in the width direction by the through hole 31a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lid 4 allows the insertion opening 2 a to communicate with the outside in the open state and blocks the communication between the insertion opening 2 a and the outside in the closed state. The lid 4 includes a main body 41, a packing 42, and a locking claw 43. The main body 41 is formed in a disc shape, and covers the end of the outer peripheral wall 21 in the removal direction in the closed state. The main body 41 is supported at its left end in the width direction so as to be rotatable around the pedestal 22d and the vertical direction via the rotation axis S1. The main body 41 is urged by the urging member in the opening direction (clockwise in FIG. 1) among the rotation directions around the vertical direction, and movement in the opening direction is restricted at a predetermined position. . The packing 42 is in contact with the end portion of the outer peripheral wall 21 in the removal direction in the closed state. The packing 42 is formed in a ring shape, and is provided on a side surface facing the insertion space portion 2a in the closed state, on both side surfaces in the axial direction of the main body portion 41. The packing 42 is formed of a synthetic resin material that is more elastic than the main body 41. The locking claw 43 is locked to the lid locking receiving portion 5 in the closed state. The locking claw 43 is provided so as to protrude rightward from the right end in the width direction of the main body 41.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lid latch receiving portion 5 maintains the closed state of the lid 4 by latching the latch claws 43. The lid latch receiving portion 5 is supported so as to be rotatable around the pedestal portion 22e in the vertical direction via the rotation shaft S2. The lid latch receiving portion 5 is urged by the urging member in the closing direction (clockwise in FIG. 1) among the rotation directions around the vertical direction, and movement in the closing direction is restricted at a predetermined position. ing. The lid latch receiving portion 5 opens when the main body 41 moves in the closing direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 1), the locking claw 43 comes into contact, and a force that moves the main body 41 in the closing direction is applied. Move in the direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 1).

  Next, an insertion operation in which the charging connector 100 is inserted into the vehicle-side connector 1 in the present embodiment will be described. First, the user opens the vehicle side lid and opens the lid 4. Here, the user releases the latching state of the latching claw 43 by the lid latching receiving portion 5 by opening the lid latching receiving portion 5. At this time, since the main body 41 is biased in the opening direction, the lid 4 in the closed state is opened without the user rotating the main body 41 in the opening direction. Next, the user inserts the charging connector 100 into the insertion space 2a. At this time, each male terminal (not shown) of the charging connector 100 is inserted into each female terminal, and each vehicle-side electric wire W and each charging-side electric wire are electrically connected. In addition, the locking claw 101 contacts the end of the outer peripheral wall 21 in the insertion direction, rotates in the opening direction (upward in FIG. 3), and opposes the through hole 31a and the locking hole 23 in the vertical direction. Then, it rotates in the closing direction by the urging force and is locked to the locking hole 23 via the through hole 31a. As a result, the charging connector 100 is fitted into the vehicle-side connector 1.

  Here, when the charging connector 100 is moved in the removal direction with respect to the vehicle-side connector 1 while the locking claw 101 is locked in the locking hole 23, the charging claw 101 is inserted into the through hole 31a in the insertion / removal direction. The engaging claw 101 is in contact with the main body 31. Accordingly, the reinforcing metal member 3 is subjected to a force in the removal direction. However, since the standing portion 32 is in contact with the housing portion 22 in the removal direction, the force in the removal direction by the charging connector 100 is the reinforcement metal member 3. Since the connector housing 2 is received via the, the detachment of the reinforcing metal member 3 from the connector housing 2 is suppressed.

  In addition, the inner peripheral surface on the extraction direction side that constitutes the through hole 31a is flush with the inner peripheral surface on the extraction direction side that constitutes the locking hole 23, and is positioned on the upper side. Therefore, the latching claw 101 positively contacts the inner peripheral surface on the extraction direction side that constitutes the through hole 31a. Accordingly, since the locking claw 101 positively contacts the reinforcing metal member 3 having higher durability such as wear than the connector housing 2, deterioration over time can be suppressed, and the locking claw 101 can be securely received in the locking hole 23. Can be locked.

  As described above, the vehicle-side connector 1 according to the present embodiment is formed by exposing the end faces 32c, 32d, and 32e orthogonal to the insertion direction from the resin-made connector housing 2 to the outside among the standing portions 32 of the reinforcing metal member. These end faces 32c, 32d, and 32e are not in contact with the connector housing 2. Therefore, the connector housing 2 does not hinder the standing portion 32 from moving in the direction in which the end faces 32c, 32d, and 32e are formed, that is, in the width direction and the vertical direction. That is, the standing portion 32 is different from the connector housing 2 in terms of expansion / contraction due to thermal change, thereby suppressing the occurrence of stress concentration due to the contact between the end faces 32c, 32d, 32e and the connector housing 2. it can. Thereby, even if the linear expansion coefficients of the connector housing 2 and the reinforcing metal member 3 are greatly different, for example, even if they differ by one digit or more, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of stress concentration. Even if the expansion / contraction is repeated, it is possible to suppress damage due to deterioration over time, and thus it is possible to suppress a decrease in durability.

  Further, both end faces 32c and 32d in the width direction which is the longitudinal direction of the standing portion 32 are formed to be exposed from the resin connector housing 2 to the outside. That is, both end faces 32 c and 32 d of the reinforcing metal member 3 in the direction in which the length change is large are not in contact with the connector housing 2 when expanded / contracted due to a thermal change. Therefore, it is possible to reliably suppress the occurrence of stress concentration due to the contact between the two end portions 32c and 32d and the connector housing 2 in the direction in which the change in length is great due to the heat change, and it is possible to reliably suppress the decrease in durability. be able to.

  In the above embodiment, the end faces 32c, 32d, 32e orthogonal to the insertion direction of the standing portion 32 are formed to be exposed to the outside from the resin connector housing 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, the end surface orthogonal to the insertion direction of the main body 31 may also be formed to be exposed to the outside from the resin connector housing 2. In this case, it is preferable that both end surfaces in the width direction which is the longitudinal direction of the main body 31 are formed to be exposed to the outside from the resin connector housing 2.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle side connector 2 Connector housing 21 Outer peripheral wall 22 Housing part 23 Locking hole 24 Electric wire holding part 25 Packing 26 Seal member 3 Reinforcing metal member 31 Main body part 31a Through hole 32 Standing part 33 Connecting part 32c, 32d, 32e End face 4 Lid 5 Lid lock receiving part 100 Charging connector 101 Locking claw

Claims (2)

A resin connector housing in which a charging connector outside the vehicle is detachably held;
Reinforcing metal member partially in the connector housing;
With
The connector housing is
An outer peripheral wall forming an insertion opening into which the charging connector is inserted;
A housing part protruding outward from the outer peripheral wall;
A locking hole formed in the outer peripheral wall and into which a locking claw of the charging connector is inserted,
Have
The reinforcing metal member is
A main body that contacts the outer peripheral wall and surrounds the outer periphery of the locking hole;
A standing portion that is erected from an end portion in the insertion direction of the main body portion toward the outside of the outer peripheral wall;
A connecting portion where at least the main body portion and the standing portion are connected is inherent in the connector housing,
The body portion is formed with a through hole communicating with the locking hole,
The standing portion is positioned on the insertion direction side of the housing portion, is opposed to the housing portion in the insertion direction, and is formed such that at least a part of an end surface orthogonal to the insertion direction is exposed to the outside from the connector housing. To be
The vehicle side connector characterized by the above-mentioned. In the vehicle side connector according to claim 1,
The standing portion is formed such that at least both end faces in the longitudinal direction are exposed to the outside from the connector housing,
Vehicle side connector.

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