Feeder connector

• US 5,639,256 A
• Filed: 03/03/1995
• Issued: 06/17/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Hashizawa, Shigemi, Fukushima, Hirotaka, Endo, Takayoshi, Inaba, Shigemitsu, Masuda, Satoki
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, HIEN D
• Application Number:
  US08/398,087
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 439/350-354, 439/357, 439/358, 439/488, 439/491, 439/188, 439/911, 439/310, 439/465, 439/252
• US Class Current: 439/358
• 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 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: H01R 13/623 Casing or ring with helicoidal groove
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/625 Casing or ring with bayonet engagement
• 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 13/62905 comprising a camming member H01R13/62933 and H01R13/641 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

The feeder connector is designed to prevent incomplete engagement of the feeding and receiving side connectors and to facilitate connection work when charging an electric car. The feeder connector comprises a feeding side connector A on the power supply apparatus side and a receiving side connector B on the car body side. The feeding side connector A has a connector body 1, a protective case 2 and a lock lever 12. The protective case 2 consists of a main case 2A made up of a cylinder portion 3, a half-cylinder portion 4 and a trough portion 5, all formed integral, and a subcase 2B. The connector body 1 is formed integral with the cylinder portion 3 of the main case 2A through a flange 19 formed along the periphery of the body. An opening 11 is formed ranging from the cylinder portion 3 of the main case 2A to the subcase 2B. In this opening 11, a lock lever 12 for the receiving side connector B is rotatably provided.

Claims

1. An electrical connector including:

a feeding side connector installed on a power supply apparatus side; and

a receiving side connector installed on a car body side, wherein the feeding side connector comprises;

a connector body accommodating a plurality of terminals;

a protective case enclosing the connector body; and

a lock lever pivotally attached through said feeding side connector by a locking pin for locking with said receiving side connector,

said protective case containing;

a lower main case including a cylinder portion accommodating the connector body, a first half-cylinder portion open at its upper half and formed integral with the cylinder portion, and a first trough portion extending downwardly and integrally formed with the first half-cylinder portion at an angle;

an upper subcase having a second half cylinder cover, a second trough portion for covering said first half-cylinder and said first trough portion of said lower main case and;

an opening extending from said upper half of said first half cylinder portion of said lower main case to an upper half of said second half of the upper subcase to receive said lock lever and enable pivoted movement of said lock lever with respect to said main case,

wherein the connector body is integrally formed with the cylinder portion of the main case through a flange formed along the periphery of the connector body, and the lock lever is pivotally attached within the opening for locking the receiving side connector.

2. An electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower main case is formed with an arc-shaped slider-accommodating chamber enclosing the opening;

a slider is mounted in the slider accommodating chamber so that the slider can be advanced or retracted relative to the lock lever between a preliminary locked position and a fully-locked position, and including engagement means cooperably disposed on said slider and said lock lever and operative to permit mutual engagement between said slider and said lock lever when the feeding side and receiving side connectors are incompletely engaged and said slider is in said preliminary locked position, and means operative to permit disengagement of said slider from said lock lever when said slider is moved to said fully locked position for manipulation of sad lock lever to attach said receiving side connector when said connectors are completely engaged.

3. An electrical connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the engagement means includes a locking claw formed on the slider and first and second longitudinally spaced holes formed in the lock lever for receiving said claw, and wherein, when the feeding side and receiving side connectors are completely engaged and said slider is in said preliminary locked position, engagement between the claw and the first hole is released and the slider is slidable to said fully locked position in which the claw is engaged with the second hole.

4. An electrical connector as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the protective case includes an indication means that blinks upon reception of a switch signal and means that is activated by the slider moving to the fully locked position to produce said switch signal.