Support arm

• US 8,925,885 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishii, Daisuke, Ichikawa, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Tan
• Application Number:
  US13/879,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20130221177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 248/276.1, 248/292.11, 248/317, 248/325, 248/281.11, 320/114, 320/115, 320/2, 320/109, 439/527
• US Class Current: 248/280.11
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/00 Accessories fitted to manipulators, e.g. for monitoring, for viewing; Safety devices combined with or specially adapted for use in connection with manipulators safety-devices in general F16P; protection against radiation in general G21F
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/00 Apparatus or devices for controlling flow of liquids under gravity from storage containers for dispensing purposes separating and dispensing metered quantities of liquids G01F
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/00 Apparatus or devices for transferring liquids from bulk storage containers or reservoirs into vehicles or into portable containers, e.g. for retail sale purposes general disposition of plant in stations for supplying fuel to vehicles B60S5/02; for filling or emptying locomotive water tanks, e.g. water columns, B61K11/00; for refuelling aircraft during flight B64D39/00; liquid- handling ground installations specially adapted for fuelling stationary aircraft B64F1/28
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/00 Other supports for positioning apparatus or articles heads thereof F16M11/02 ; undercarriages thereof F16M11/20 ; adapted to be stuck in the ground A45F3/44 ; sockets or holders for poles or posts E04H12/22; Means for steadying hand-held apparatus or articles supports for measuring instruments G01D11/30; supports for casings of remote control switching devices H01H9/025
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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

Abstract

A support arm supports a charge connector which can be connected to a vehicle. The support arm includes a parallelogram linkage provided in a freely swingable manner, a gravity compensation apparatus for generating force canceling gravity acting on the parallelogram linkage, and a charge connector having a support shaft insertion portion supported by the parallelogram linkage and provided to be rotatable around the support shaft insertion portion. The support shaft insertion portion is arranged at a position of the center of gravity of the charge connector. According to such a construction, a support arm appropriately exhibiting a gravity compensation function can be provided.

Claims

1. A support arm for supporting a charge connector which can be connected to a vehicle, comprising:

a first arm portion provided in a freely swingable manner, the first arm portion having a first bracket, a second bracket provided at a distance from said first bracket, and an upper shaft and a lower shaft provided between said first bracket and said second bracket and pivotably coupled to said first bracket and said second bracket;

a gravity compensation apparatus having a spring portion supported by said second bracket, for generating spring force canceling, by said spring portion extending and contracting with swing of said first arm portion, gravity acting on said first arm portion;

a charge connector having a support portion supported by said first arm portion and provided to be rotatable around said support portion,

said support portion being arranged at a position of a center of gravity of said charge connector,

said first arm portion further having an L-shaped hanger portion connected to said second bracket, for suspending said support portion from above; and

a line routed along said first arm portion and connected to said charge connector,

said charge connector being held in such a position that said line is hung downward from said charge connector while external force is not applied,

said charge connector having a grip portion gripped during a charging operation, and

said grip portion being arranged below said hanger portion while external force is not applied to said charge connector.

2. The support arm according to claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism provided in said charge connector, for stopping rotational motion of said charge connector with respect to said first arm portion.

3. The support arm according to claim 1, wherein

said charge connector has a grip portion gripped during a charging operation, a connection portion which can be connected to the vehicle, and an intermediate portion provided to extend from said grip portion to said connection portion, and

said support portion is arranged between said grip portion and said intermediate portion.

4. The support arm according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second arm portion provided in a freely swingable manner and coupled to said first arm portion;

a line routed along said first arm portion and said second arm portion and connected to said charge connector; and

a guide portion provided at a position of coupling between said first arm portion and said second arm portion, for guiding said line.

5. The support arm according to claim 4, wherein

said guide portion has a curved surface which extends as it curves between said first arm portion and said second arm portion, and

said line is routed along said curved surface.

6. The support arm according to claim 1, wherein

said first arm portion has a first shaft and a second shaft arranged in parallel at a distance from each other and constituting a parallelogram linkage mechanism,

said first shaft is arranged above said second shaft when said first arm portion is positioned to extend sideward, and

said support arm further comprises a line fixed to said second shaft and connected to said charge connector.

7. The support arm according to claim 6, wherein

said second shaft is greater in thickness than said first shaft.