CONNECTOR

• US 20140091759A1
• Filed: 09/18/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: KAGAWA, Takuya, SHIBATA, Tetsuji, GODA, Jun, LEE, Haeree
• Granted Patent: US 9,187,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/529 Current
• 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 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• 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 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A connector main body of a connector accommodates a contact unit, a power cut-off unit that has an electric conductor unit, and open and close a power feeding path between an electrically driven vehicle and an electric power apparatus by bringing into contact or opening electric conductor unit, and an abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality that occurs on power feeding path, or receives an abnormality signal from outside, an abnormality transmission unit that, when abnormality detection unit detects abnormality or receives abnormality signal, mechanically opens electric conductor unit, and a handle that mechanically brings into contact or opens electric conductor unit in a state in which abnormality detection unit does not detect abnormality and does not receive abnormality signal. Abnormality detection unit detects at least one of a short-circuit current and an overload current that occur on power feeding path as abnormality.

Claims

1. A connector for electrically connecting between a device to be charged that has an electrical storage unit and an electric power apparatus that controls at least one of an electric power supply to the device to be charged and an electric power supply from the device to be charged, the connector comprising:

a contact unit configured to electrically connect an electric cable that is electrically connected to one of the device to be charged and the electric power apparatus to the other of the device to be charged and the electric power apparatus that is not connected to the electric cable; and

a connector main body,

wherein the connector main body accommodates;

the contact unit;

a power cut-off unit configured to have an electric conductor unit that is serially connected to the electric cable, and open and close a power feeding path between the device to be charged and the electric power apparatus by bringing into contact or opening the electric conductor unit;

a first abnormality detection unit configured to detect an abnormality that occurs on the power feeding path, or receives an abnormality signal from outside;

an abnormality transmission unit configured to, when the first abnormality detection unit detects the abnormality or receives the abnormality signal, mechanically open the electric conductor unit; and

an open-close mechanical unit configured to mechanically bring into contact or open the electric conductor unit in a state in which the first abnormality detection unit does not detect the abnormality and does not receive the abnormality signal, and

the first abnormality detection unit detects at least one of a short-circuit current and an overload current that occur on the power feeding path as the abnormality.

2. The connector according to claim 1,

wherein the open-close mechanical unit, when connecting the contact unit to the device to be charged or the electric power apparatus, brings the electric conductor unit into contact after the contact unit is connected, and when disconnecting the contact unit from the device to be charged or the electric power apparatus, opens the electric conductor unit before the contact unit is disconnected.

3. The connector according to claim 1,

wherein the first abnormality detection unit further detects at least one of a ground fault current, a leakage current, a contact failure with the contact unit and a temperature abnormality of the contact unit that occur on the power feeding path as the abnormality.

4. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising:

a signal receiving unit configured to receive an abnormality signal that is output from a second abnormality detection unit provided outside the connector main body,

wherein the abnormality transmission unit opens the electric conductor unit, when the signal receiving unit receives the abnormality signal.

5. The connector according to claim 1,

wherein the electric conductor unit is configured by a fixed contact maker and a movable contact maker that freely contacts with and separates from the fixed contact maker, and is accommodated in a first case made of an insulating material,

the power cut-off unit has permanent magnets of which an N pole of one magnet and an S pole of the other magnet are arranged opposite each other so as to sandwich an arc that is generated when the movable contact maker separates from the fixed contact maker, and a yoke that is magnetically connected to the permanent magnets and forms a magnetic path together with the permanent magnets, and

the yoke is arranged outside the first case, and the permanent magnets are arranged outside the first case at a position corresponding to the fixed contact maker and the movable contact maker.

6. The connector according to claim 5,

wherein the first case is configured by a second case that accommodates at least the power cut-off unit, the first abnormality detection unit, the abnormality transmission unit and the open-close mechanical unit.

7. The connector according to claim 5,

wherein the permanent magnets are arranged in proximity to the fixed contact maker, and rotates according to the movement of the open-close mechanical unit so as to change the direction of a magnetic field.

8. The connector according to claim 5,

wherein the power cut-off unit includes an arc extinguishing unit that is configured by an arc running plate to transfer an arc that is generated when the movable contact maker separates from the fixed contact maker, and an arc extinguishing grid plate that extinguishes the arc that has arrived through the arc running plate.

9. The connector according to claim 2,

wherein the first abnormality detection unit further detects at least one of a ground fault current, a leakage current, a contact failure with the contact unit and a temperature abnormality of the contact unit that occur on the power feeding path as the abnormality.

10. The connector according to claim 2, further comprising:

a signal receiving unit configured to receive an abnormality signal that is output from a second abnormality detection unit provided outside the connector main body,

wherein the abnormality transmission unit opens the electric conductor unit, when the signal receiving unit receives the abnormality signal.

11. The connector according to claim 3, further comprising:

a signal receiving unit configured to receive an abnormality signal that is output from a second abnormality detection unit provided outside the connector main body,

wherein the abnormality transmission unit opens the electric conductor unit, when the signal receiving unit receives the abnormality signal.

12. The connector according to claim 9, further comprising:

a signal receiving unit configured to receive an abnormality signal that is output from a second abnormality detection unit provided outside the connector main body,

wherein the abnormality transmission unit opens the electric conductor unit, when the signal receiving unit receives the abnormality signal.