Charge connector for electric vehicles

• US 5,536,173 A
• Filed: 07/20/1994
• Issued: 07/16/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Hotta, Yoshihiko, Ichikawa, Daijiro, Konda, Kazumoto, Fujitani, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHIEM M
• Application Number:
  US08/277,587
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 320/2, 439/188, 439/318, 439/321, 439/32, 439/34, 439/48, 439/135, 439/136, 439/142, 439/489, 439/490
• US Class Current: 439/34
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• 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 13/641 by indicating incorrect coupling; by indicating correct or full engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/66 with pins, blades or analogous contacts and secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. to a wall
• 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 connector including a locking mechanism to prevent a charge coupling from being broken when charging. A supply connector connected to a power source and a vehicle battery connector installed in an electric vehicle has a handle grip and a connector body attached to a distal end of the handle grip. The handle grip is provided in its interior with a lock mechanism which maintains and releases the coupling of the supply connector to the vehicle inlet and with a control which controls the lock mechanism. The control includes a detector for detecting a complete coupling of the supply connector to the vehicle connector. The control actuates the lock mechanism only when the detector detects the complete coupling and commencement of charging and releases the lock mechanism only when charging is stopped.

Claims

1. A supply connector for detachably coupling to a vehicle battery connector to charge a battery of an electric vehicle, comprising:

a supply connector body;

means for detecting an electrical connection between said supply connector and said vehicle battery connector;

means for detecting a complete coupling between said supply connector body and said vehicle battery connector after said electrical connection detecting means has detected said electrical connection;

a lock mechanism for locking and maintaining the complete coupling of said supply connector body to said vehicle battery connector in response to a detected signal of the complete coupling from said complete coupling detecting means and an ON signal from a charge switch in a charging device and releasing the locking of the complete coupling of said supply connector body to said vehicle battery connector in response to an OFF signal from said charge switch; and

means for detecting the locking and maintenance of the complete coupling due to actuation of said lock mechanism to generate a signal for closing a circuit and charging the battery in the electric vehicle.

2. A supply connector according to claim 1, wherein said complete coupling detecting means includes means for indicating an operating state of said means and wherein said coupling maintenance detecting means includes means for indicating an operating state of said lock mechanism.