Yazaki Corporation

Nissan Motor Company Limited

Takenori Ohmura

Shigeo Mori

Tsuyoshi Nakajima

Sosuke Yamamoto

Mitsuhiro Matsumoto

Seiji Kozono

Yoshitaka Tsushima

Masaya Okamoto

Kenji Sekinada

A connector fitting structure includes: a first connector including: a first housing that accommodates a first connection terminal; and a guide groove provided in the first housing; a second connector including: a second housing that accommodates a second connection terminal; a guide protrusion portion inserted into the guide groove; and a connector cover pivotable between a closed position that covers an opening to an accommodation space for the second connection terminal and an open position that does not cover the opening. The first connector and the second connector are fitted and electrically connected to each other. The guide protrusion portion is provided on the connector cover, accommodated in the second housing when the connector cover is in the closed position, and exposed outside the second housing and extended along a fitting direction of the first connector and the second connector when the connector cover is in the open position.

Connector fitting structure

A charging connector in accordance with the present invention includes: connector cases that house a connector fitting portion; a locking arm in which a locking claw retractable from an outer peripheral surface of the connector fitting portion is provided at a tip, and that rocks centering around a shaft core between a locking position and a releasing position; and a coil spring that biases the locking arm toward the locking position. The locking arm includes a lock releasing portion that is inserted into a through hole formed in the connector cases, and with which the locking arm can be operated to the releasing position from an outside of the connector cases.

Charging connector

A charging connector () includes a connector case (A,B) and a release lever () slidable in the connector case (A,B). The release lever () includes slide projections (). The connector case (A,B) includes slide grooves () in which the slide projections () are inserted. The slide projections () slide in the slide grooves () so that the release lever () is guided by the slide grooves () in a slidable manner. The slide grooves () include water drain grooves () provided on bottoms thereof and extending downward to penetrate the bottoms.

In the charging connector, in a movement process of a release lever from a start position to a completion position, a holding locking piece moves on a plane surface of the release lever with an urging force of a coil spring, and also an auxiliary locking piece slides over a top point between the plane surface and an inclined surface with an urging force of a coil spring. At the completion position of the release lever, the holding locking piece falls from the plane surface of the release lever to an upper-side locking groove portion with the urging force of the coil spring to be locked on a locking surface, and thus a tip end of the holding locking piece does not come into contact with a bottom surface.

A power-supplying electrical connector includes an engagement mechanism configured to engage a power-receiving electrical connector, the engagement mechanism having a pair of engaging members, and an indicator member configured to disengage from the engagement mechanism and move from a charging-disabled position to a charging-enabled position, when the engagement mechanism has engaged the power-receiving electrical connector. While the indicator member is held in the charging-disabled position, the engagement mechanism is configured to cause the first engaging member and the indicator member to disengage after a second engaging member of the pair of engaging members and the indicator member has engaged while the power-supplying electrical connector is attached to the power-receiving electrical connector, and while the power-supplying electrical connector and the power-receiving electrical connector remain attached and engaged, the engagement mechanism is configured to cause the second engaging member and the indicator member to disengage.

Electrical connector

A latching of a latch piece to a latch portion of a lock release unit is released with a latch claw being retracted in a connector fitting portion by swing of a latch arm. A latching of a lock piece to a latch portion of the lock release unit is performed with a lock claw being retracted in the connector fitting portion by swing of a lock arm and is released with the lock claw being protruded from the connector fitting portion by swing of the lock arm.

An electrical connector includes a lock claw and a latch claw. The latch claw is provided at a nearer side than the lock claw in a fitting direction where a connector fitting portion is fitted to a power receiving connector and is provided with the lock claw along the fitting direction.

A latching of a latch piece to a latch portion of a lock release unit is released with a latch claw being retracted in a connector fitting portion by swing of a latch arm. A latching of an auxiliary latch piece to the latch portion is released with a lock claw being retracted in the connector fitting portion by swing of a lock arm and an auxiliary arm.

In an electrical connector, a latch claw is provided at a nearer side than a lock claw in a fitting direction of a connector fitting portion to a power receiving connector. While the latch claw is retracted into the connector fitting portion, the latch arm swings to release the latching between a latch piece and a second latch groove portion. The latch arm includes a protrusionA that releases the latching between the second latch groove portion and a hold latch piece of the lock-release hold portion when the second latch groove portion and the latch piece latch together.

A half fitting prevention connector includes a cylindrical case, a connector body for supplying electric power that is slidably accommodated in a front half part of the cylindrical case, a lever rotatably attached to the cylindrical case, and a holder that has a lever receiving portion for receiving an end portion of the lever. The connector body is moved in the cylindrical case in accordance with a rotational operation of the lever. The holder is provided on a rotation locus of the lever. The end portion of the lever is received in the lever receiving portion of the holder in a state that the connector body is completely fitted with a mating connector by the rotational operation of the lever.

Half fitting prevention connector

A half fitting prevention connector includes a cylindrical case, a connector body, a lever, and a release lever. The release lever has a lock hole. An electromagnetic coil has a plunger. The plunger is arranged so as to face a microswitch. The electromagnetic coil is excited by connection between the signal terminal of the connector body and a signal terminal of a mating connector, and thereby moving the plunger toward the microswitch. The release lever is rotatable so that the plunger can enter the lock hole to press the microswitch in a state that the connector body is completely fitted with the mating connector and the plunger cannot enter the lock hole in a state that the connector body is half fitted with the mating connector.

In an electrical connector, a latch claw is provided at a nearer side than a lock claw in a fitting direction of a connector fitting portion to a power receiving connector. While the latch claw is retracted into the connector fitting portion, the latch arm swings to release the latching between a latch piece and a second latch groove portion. The power feedability determining mechanism includes a movable shaft moving in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction when a half-fitting state changes to a fitting state, and a regulation arm insertable into or extractable from an air gap of a lock arm according to the movement of the movable shaft. The regulation arm is inserted into the air gap to regulate swinging of the lock arm.

An arc discharge prevention connector includes a cylindrical case, a connector body, a lever, a handle and a release lever. The release lever has an action arm, a provisional latch arm provided on the action arm, and a complete latch arm provided on the provisional latch arm. A provisional latch piece and a complete latch piece are provided on the handle or the connector body. In a state that the provisional latch arm is engaged with the provisional latch piece, the power terminal is in contact with a power terminal of the mating connector and the signal terminal is in non-contact with a signal terminal of the mating connector.

Arc discharge prevention connector

In a power feeding connectora housing front side tubular partof a power feeding side connectorto be engaged with an inner periphery of an outer tubular wall partof a power receiving side connectoris provided, on an outer periphery at a lower end side thereof, with a raised partwhich overrides an inner peripheral face of the outer tubular wall partbefore an engaging length of the housing front side tubular partwith respect to the outer tubular wall partreaches a prescribed length, and the raised partcorrects a backwardly inclined state of the power feeding side connectordue to its dead weight into a state where axes of the outer tubular wall partand the housing front side tubular partare aligned with each other.

Growing community of inventors

Kakegawa, Japan

Takenori Ohmura