Vehicle charging connector and a receptacle enclosing the connector

• US 5,580,258 A
• Filed: 06/13/1994
• Issued: 12/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Wakata, Shigekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Application Number:
  US08/258,830
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 439/34, 439/142, 220/241, 220/245, 220/253-259
• US Class Current: 439/142
• 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 13/5213 Covers
• 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 structure of a vehicle charging connector includes a connector receptacle recessed in a body of a vehicle, a receptacle lid mounted on the receptacle to close and open an opening of the receptacle and having an opening open to the opening of the receptacle, the secondary connector including a connector lid closing and opening the opening thereof, and a butting member provided between an inner face of the receptacle lid and an outer face of the connector lid, the butting member butting against at least one of the receptacle lid and the connector lid when the receptacle lid is closed. When the receptacle lid is closed, the inside face of the receptacle causes the butting member to exert a force against the connector lid to ensure that the connector housing is closed by the connector lid.

Claims

1. A charging connector structure for charging the battery of a vehicle, said structure comprising:

a connector receptacle recessed in a body of the vehicle, said connector receptacle having an opening and a rear wall remote from said opening;

a receptacle lid mounted to said receptacle so as to be movable between positions at which the lid covers said opening and exposes said opening, respectively, so as to close and open said receptacle;

a connector housing mounted to the rear wall of said connector receptacle, said connector housing having an opening facing the opening of said connector receptacle;

a connector lid spring-biased towards a position at which the connector lid covers the opening of said connector housing so as to normally close said connector housing, said receptacle lid being movable between the positions thereof independently of the movement of said connector lid whereby one must first move the receptacle lid to the position thereof that exposes the opening of the connector receptacle and then move the connector lid off of the opening of said connector housing in order to gain access to the interior of said connector housing; and

a butting member longitudinally interposed between an inner surface of said receptacle lid and an outer surface of said connector lid, said butting member having a length greater than the distance measured between said inner and said outer surfaces of said lids when said receptacle lid is in the position thereof covering the receptacle opening and said connector lid is in the spring-biased position thereof such that said butting member is caused by said receptacle lid, when said receptacle lid covers said receptacle opening, to exert a force against said connector lid that forces said connector lid in the same direction that said connector lid is spring-biased thereby ensuring that said connector lid seals said opening of the connector housing, said butting member being out of concurrent engagement with said lids when said receptacle lid is in said position thereof at which the connector receptacle is opened, whereby only the force of the spring-biased connector lid need be overcome to open the connector lid;

wherein said butting member is mounted to said connector receptacle.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said butting member includes a resilient member which becomes compressed between said lids when said receptacle lid is in the position thereof that covers the receptacle opening and said connector lid is in the spring-biased position thereof.