Feeding connector

• US 5,573,417 A
• Filed: 04/11/1995
• Issued: 11/12/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Hashizawa, Shigemi, Hasegawa, Toshiaki, Inaba, Shigemitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Hien D.
• Application Number:
  US08/419,935
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 439/32, 439/48, 439/135, 439/136, 439/142, 439/310, 439/352, 439/353, 439/357, 439/358, 439/372
• US Class Current: 439/310
• 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 13/629 Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances separate tools or apparatus H01R43/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/639 Additional means for holding or locking coupling parts together, after engagement, e.g. separate keylock, retainer strap
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/48 utilising a spring, clip, or other resilient member H01R4/52 takes precedence
• 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 feeding connector used for charging an automobile in which incomplete connection between a feeding connector half and a receiving connector half is prevented and the connection work of both connector halves can be easily carried out with small insertion force. The feeding connector according to the present invention comprises a feeding connector half and a receiving connector half, wherein the feeding connector half comprising: a case; a connector main body slidably accommodated in a front half portion of the case for accommodating a plurality of terminals; a handle attached to a rear half portion of the case; a slider for causing the connector main body in the case to slide; a rotatable lever of which intermediate portion is supported in the case, a working portion of the lever rotatably attached to the handle and an operating portion of the lever projecting out of the case; a locking means for locking the lever at a portion where the connector main body is locked to a connector main body of the receiving connector half due to a rotation of the rotatable lever; and a means for unlocking the lever.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising a feeding connector half and a receiving connector half, wherein said feeding connector half comprises:

a case having a front half portion and a rear half portion;

a connector main body slidably mounted within said front half portion of said case, said connector main body having terminal accommodating cavities for housing a plurality of terminals;

a handle including a main body portion and a slider, wherein said slider is slidably mounted in a drilled hole in a partition wall within said case for causing said connector main body to slide and said slider is integrally formed with said main body portion of said handle to form a dog-legged shape;

a rotatable lever having a working portion, an intermediate portion and an operating portion, said intermediate portion being between said working portion and said operating portion, said working portion being rotatably attached to one end of said handle within said case and said operating portion projecting out of said case;

a preliminary locking means comprising a pair of guide channels on a front end portion of said feeding connector half and rolling pins on a front end portion of a connector main body of said receiving connector half, said guide channels having a straight introducing channel extending from an open end of said feeding connector half in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of said feeding connector half and a locking channel circumferentially curved from an end of said introducing channel; and

a secondary locking means attached to said handle and adjacent to said rotatable lever for locking and unlocking said rotatable lever wherein said rotatable lever is locked after said feeding connector half and said receiving connector half are preliminarily locked to each other and then said rotatable lever is rotated to a position where said operating portion of said rotatable lever is rotated towards and near said handle so that said feeding connector half is completely locked to said receiving connector half.

2. An electrical connector comprising a feeding connector half and a receiving connector half, wherein said feeding connector half comprises:

a case having a front half portion and a rear half portion;

a connector main body slidably mounted within said front half portion of said case, said connector main body having terminal accommodating cavities for housing a plurality of terminals;

a compression coil spring surrounding said connector main body for urging said connector main body of said feeding connector half toward said receiving connector half;

a handle including a main body portion and a slider, wherein said slider is slidably mounted in a drilled hole in a partition wall within said case for causing said connector main body to slide and said slider is integrally formed with said main body portion of said handle to form a dog-legged shape;

a rotatable lever having a working portion, an intermediate portion and an operating portion, said intermediate portion being between said working portion and said operating portion, said working portion being rotatably attached to one end of said handle within said case and said operating portion projecting out of said case;

a preliminary locking means comprising a pair of guide channels on a front end portion of said feeding connector half and rolling pins on a front end portion of a connector main body of said receiving half;

said guide channels having a straight introducing channel extending from an open end of said feeding connector half in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of said feeding connector half and a locking channel circumferentially curved from an end of said introducing channel; and

a secondary locking means attached to said handle and adjacent to said rotatable lever for locking and unlocking said rotatable lever wherein said rotatable lever is locked after said feeding connector half and said receiving connector half are preliminarily locked to each other and then said rotatable lever is rotated to a position where said operating potion of said rotatable lever is rotated towards and near said handle so that said feeding connector half is completely locked to said receiving connector half.

3. An electrical connector comprising a feeding connector half and a receiving connector half, wherein said feeding connector half comprises:

a case having a front half portion and a rear half portion;

a connector main body slidably mounted within said front half portion of said case, said connector main body having terminal accommodating cavities for housing a plurality of terminals;

a handle including a main body portion and a slider, wherein said slider is slidably mounted in a drilled hole in a partition wall within said ease for causing said connector main body to slide and said slider is integrally formed with said main body of said handle to form a dog-legged shape;

a rotatable lever having a working portion, an intermediate portion and an operating portion, said intermediate portion being between said working portion and said operating portion, said working portion being rotatably attached to one end of said handle within said case and said operating portion projecting out of said case;

a preliminary locking means comprising a pair of guide channels on a front end portion of said feeding connector half and rolling pins on a front end portion of a connector main body of said receiving connector half, said guide channels having a straight introducing channel extending from an open end of said feeding connector half in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of said feeding connector half and a locking channel circumferentially curved from an end of said introducing channel;

a secondary locking means attached to said handle and adjacent to said rotatable lever for locking and unlocking said rotatable lever wherein said rotatable lever is locked after said feeding connector half and said receiving connector half are preliminarily locked to each other and then said rotatable lever is rotated to a position where said operating portion of said rotatable lever is rotated towards and near said handle so that said feeding connector half is completely locked to said receiving connector half; and

said secondary locking means for locking and unlocking said rotatable level comprising;

an ear-shaped piece attached to said working portion of said rotatable lever;

a locking plate having first and second ends opposing each other, wherein said first end of said locking plate is rotatably attached to said ear-shaped piece;

first and second guide rails, wherein said second guide rail is mounted on said second end of said locking plate and said first guide rail is mounted near said second end of said locking plate, said first guide rail being formed shorter than said second guide rail;

a locking bar having opposed first and second ends, wherein said second end of said locking bar is slidably mounted between said first and second guide rails, said locking bar has a notch in a side of said locking bar such that said notch opposes said shorter guide rail and said locking bar has a concave portion formed adjacent said notch so that said concave portion is nearer said second end of said locking bar;

a cam having a round portion and a projection, wherein said cam is attached to a middle lower portion of said locking plate and said projection of said cam mates with said concave portion of said locking bar; and

a tension coil spring disposed between said round portion of said cam and an intermediate upper portion of said locking plate, wherein said coil spring elongates to allow said cam to rotate on a pin to remain in mating engagement with said concave portion as said second end of said locking bar slides between said guide rails;

wherein rotation of said rotatable lever towards said handle causes a first end of said working portion of said rotatable lever to rotate closer to said locking bar so that said locking plate rotates and causes said locking bar to slide so that said second end of said locking bar slides between said first and second guide rails and said concave portion of said locking bar engages said projection of said cam to lock said rotatable lever; and

wherein a rotation of said rotatable lever away from said handle causes said projection of said cam to disengage from said concave portion of said locking bar and causes said locking bar to slide between said guide rails of said locking plate to unlock said rotatable lever.