CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTION

• US 20160056589A1
• Filed: 02/19/2014
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: KAGAWA, Takuya, TAMURA, Hideki, KIDERA, Kazunori
• Granted Patent: US 9,647,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/665 with built-in electronic circuit H01R13/70, H01R13/719 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6683 with built-in sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/713 the switch being a safety switch
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/7135 with ground fault protector H01R13/7132 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00309 Overheat or overtemperature protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

Abstract

Connector for electrical connection includes coupler, cable, switch mechanism, failure detector and transmitter. Coupler is removably inserted in and connected to reception side connector provided in machine which is equipped with storage battery. Cable includes two or more electric wires including power line configured to be electrically connected to reception side connector via coupler. Cable is connected to device that performs at least one of supplying power to machine and receiving power from machine. Switch mechanism opens and closes electrical circuit between coupler and power line. Failure detector detects occurrence of failure of coupler. Transmitter transmits detection result of failure detector to device through at least one first electric wire of the two or more electric wires. Switch mechanism opens and closes the electrical circuit in accordance with control signal transmitted through first electric wire.

Claims

1. A connector for electrical connection, comprising:

a coupler configured to be removably inserted in and connected to a reception side connector provided in a machine which is equipped with a storage battery;

a cable comprising two or more electric wires that include a power line configured to be electrically connected to the reception side connector via the coupler, the cable being configured to be connected to a device that is configured to perform at least one of supplying electric power to the machine and receiving electric power from the machine,

an switch mechanism configured to open and close an electrical circuit between the coupler and the power line,

a failure detector configured to detect an occurrence of a failure of the coupler,

a transmitter configured to transmit a detection result of the failure detector to the device through at least one first electric wire of the two or more electric wires, and

a housing which is provided at an end of the cable and in which the coupler, the switch mechanism, the failure detector and the transmitter are housed,

the switch mechanism being configured to open and close the electrical circuit in accordance with a control signal transmitted through the first electric wire.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein

the failure detector is configured to detect two or more kinds of failures individually, and

the transmitter is configured to transmit, as one unified result, at least two kinds of failures of the two or more kinds of failures to the device.

3. The connector of claim 1, wherein the failure detector and the switch mechanism are configured to operate with electric power supplied from the device through at least one second electric wire of the two or more electric wires.

4. The connector of claim 1, wherein the failure detector and the switch mechanism are configured to operate with electric power supplied through the electrical circuit.