VEHICLE CHARGING CONNECTOR

• US 20120064755A1
• Filed: 07/11/2011
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagata, Shuichi, Ichio, Toshifumi, Takada, Akinori
• Granted Patent: US 8,152,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/358
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/34 of parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5227 with evacuation of penetrating liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6275 Latching arms not integral with the housing H01R13/6276, H01R13/6277, H01R13/6278 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle charging connector is configured to be coupled to a vehicle-side connector to charge a vehicle battery via the vehicle-side connector. The vehicle charging connector includes a housing, a coupling portion provided on a housing, and a lever. The lever has a lever bar accommodated in the housing, a lock portion provided on one end of the lever bar and configured to engage with a lock receiving portion of the vehicle-side connector to maintain the coupling portion and the vehicle-side connector in a coupled condition, and an unlock operation portion provided on the other end of the lever bar and operable to release an engagement between the lock portion and the lock receiving portion. An upper surface of the lever bar includes a water guide adjacent to the lock portion. The water guide includes a slope surface having a downward inclination.

Claims

1. A vehicle charging connector configured to be coupled to a vehicle-side connector to charge a vehicle battery via the vehicle-side connector, the vehicle charging connector comprising:

a housing;

a coupling portion provided on the housing and configured to be coupled to the vehicle-side connector; and

a lever, wherein the lever comprises;

a lever bar accommodated in the housing;

a lock portion provided on one end of the lever bar and configured to engage with a lock receiving portion of the vehicle-side connector to maintain the coupling portion and the vehicle-side connector in a coupled condition; and

an unlock operation portion provided on the other end of the lever bar and operable to release an engagement between the lock portion and the lock receiving portion,

wherein an upper surface of the lever bar comprises a water guide adjacent to the lock portion, and

wherein the water guide comprises a slope surface having a downward inclination.

2. The vehicle charging connector according to claim 1, wherein the slope surface is flat.

3. The vehicle charging connector according to claim 1, wherein the water guide further comprises a vertex, and the slope surface is provided in a pair on respective sides of the vertex.

4. The vehicle charging connector according to claim 1, wherein the lock portion is arranged to protrude out from a front end opening of the housing, and

wherein the lock portion comprises a rear surface facing the housing and extending obliquely upward and rearward from the one end of the lever bar.

5. The vehicle charging connector according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises

an opening through which the unlock operation portion protrudes upward;

and

a water catching wall provided along an edge of the opening and configured to direct water away from a gap between the unlock operation portion and the edge of the opening.

6. The vehicle charging connector according to claim 5, wherein the water catching wall comprises an inclined surface extending downward from the edge of the opening.

7. The vehicle charging connector according to claim 5, wherein the unlock operation portion comprises:

a pressing surface;

a front surface extending downward from a front side of the pressing surface;

a pair of side surfaces extending downward from lateral sides of the pressing surface;

a rear surface extending downward from a rear side of the pressing surface,

wherein at least one of the pair of side surfaces and the rear surface comprises a recess, and

an upper edge of the recess extends along the pressing surface and is disposed above the edge of the opening when the lock portion is engaged with the lock receiving portion of the vehicle-side connector.

8. The vehicle charging connector according to claim 7, wherein the upper edge of the recess is disposed below the edge of the opening when the unlock operation portion is operated to release the engagement between the lock portion and the lock receiving portion.

9. The vehicle charging connector according to claim 1, wherein a drain hole is formed through a bottom wall of the housing.