Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means with distinct movement-actuating means to...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-08
2001-09-04
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means with distinct movement-actuating means to...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283781
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electricity-supplying connector used for charging an electric vehicle with electricity.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-316663, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electricity-receiving device is mounted in an electric vehicle, and this electricity-receiving device is provided with an electricity-receiving connector. On the other hand, an electricity-supplying device is installed at a home, a supplying station and others. The electricity-supplying device is provided with an electricity-feeding connector for electrical connection to the electricity-receiving connector in a fitted manner.
FIG. 10
shows a conventional electricity-supplying connector
80
taught by Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 8-78095.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, this electricity-supplying connector
80
comprises an electricity-feeding connector
81
, and an electricity-receiving connector
82
for electrical connection to the electricity-feeding connector
81
.
The electricity-feeding connector
81
comprises a connector body
84
mounted within a front half portion of a casing
83
so as to move forward and backward, a handle
85
mounted on a rear half portion of the casing
83
, and a pivotally-movable lever
86
provided below the handle
85
. An L-shaped cancellation lever
87
for locking the lever
86
is provided within the casing
83
, and a retaining projection
88
is formed at a distal end of the cancellation lever
87
. A terminal receiving chamber
89
is formed within the connector body
84
, and a male terminal
91
, having a coil spring
90
wound thereon, is received and retained in the terminal receiving chamber
89
.
The electricity-receiving connector
82
includes a connector body
93
provided within a shell
92
, and a female terminal
94
is received and retained in the connector body
93
.
For fitting the electricity-feeding connector
81
and the electricity-receiving connector
82
together, the distal end portion of the casing
83
is provisionally retained in the shell
92
, and the lever
86
is pivotally moved to advance the connector body
84
, so that the connector bodies
84
and
93
are fitted together, thereby electrically connecting the male and female terminals
91
and
94
together.
When the two connectors
81
and
82
are thus fitted together, a retaining projection
95
on the lever
86
is engaged with the retaining projection
88
of the cancellation lever
87
, thereby locking the lever
86
against pivotal movement, as shown in FIG.
11
. As a result, the fitted condition is maintained.
A seal surface
96
within the casing
83
is held in contact with a packing
97
, provided within the shell
92
, thereby keeping the electricity-supplying connector
80
in a waterproof condition.
In the above conventional electricity-supplying connector, a large pressing force is required for fittingly connecting the electricity-feeding connector
81
to the electricity-receiving connector
82
, and therefore the principle of leverage is utilized for this operation.
However, in order to obtain the larger pressing force, the electricity-supplying connector
80
itself must be formed into a larger shape. Therefore, there was encountered a disadvantage that the structure of the electricity-supplying connector
80
was complicated, so that the production cost increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the above problem in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electricity-supplying connector in which a large pressing force can be obtained without the need for increasing the size of the connector.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electricity-supplying connector which includes:
an electricity-feeding connector provided on a side of an electricity-supplying device; and
an electricity-receiving connector provided on a side an electricity-receiving device relative to the electricity-supplying device;
wherein the electricity-feeding connector which comprises:
a connector body having a plurality of terminals received and retained therein,
a handle which holds the connector body so as to move together with the connector body in accordance with the forward and backward movement of the connector body, wires, extending from the connector body, passing through the handle,
a casing in which the connector body and the handle are received so as to move forward and backward,
lever pivotally mounted on an upper portion of the casing, and
a toggle link mechanism comprising a drive link, pivotally supported at one end thereof so as to move in accordance with the pivotal movement of the lever,
a follower link, pivotally mounted at one end thereof on an outer surface of the connector body so as to move the connector body forward and backward, and
a fixing link, pivotally mounted at one end thereof on an inner surface of the casing,
wherein the other ends of the fixing link, the drive link and the follower link are pivotally connected together, and
wherein when a connected condition of the follower link and the fixing link is generally straight, a force of pressing of the connector body for the electricity-receiving connector is maximum.
In the first aspect of the present invention, the toggle link mechanism is provided at the electricity-feeding connector. More specifically, the toggle link mechanism comprises the drive link, pivotally connected at its one end to the lever, the follower link pivotally mounted at its one end on the outer surface of the connector body so as to move forward and backward, and the fixing link pivotally mounted at its one end on the inner surface of the casing. When the connected condition of the follower link and the fixing link is generally straight, the force of pressing of the connector body for the electricity-receiving connector is the maximum. Therefore, when this pressing force is the maximum, the fitting sides of the electricity-feeding connector and the electricity-receiving connector are closely abutted against each other.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the electricity-supplying connector further includes a spring member which is mounted on the lever to urge the same in a direction, opposite to the direction of pivotal movement of the lever, so as to prevent the shaking of the lever when the electricity-feeding connector is disposed out of fitting engagement with the electricity-receiving connector.
In the second aspect of the present invention, the spring member is mounted on the lever to urge the same in the direction opposite to the direction of pivotal movement of the lever. Therefore, the lever is pivotally moved against the bias of the spring member by applying an external force to this lever. When the lever is released during the pivotal movement of this lever, the lever is automatically rotated in the opposite direction by the spring member.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the electricity-supplying connector further includes:
a waterproof elastic member which is mounted on the fitting side of the connector body; and
a coil spring which is contained in each of the terminals received and retained in the connector body,
wherein when the lever is further pivotally moved after the connected condition of the follower link and the fixing link becomes generally straight, a resilient force, produced by the elastic member and the coil springs, and acting against the pressing force, becomes larger than the bias of the spring member.
In the third aspect of the present invention, the waterproof elastic member is mounted on the fitting side of the connector body, and the coil spring is contained in each of the terminals received and retained in the connector body. The connected condition of the follower link and the fixing link is made generally straight by pivotally moving the lever, so that the force
Le Tam
Sircus Brian
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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