Charging connector for a vehicle

Abstract

A charging connector for a vehicle is provided, which includes a main body provided with a charging portion, a female terminal portion installed within the charging portion so as to be electrically connected to an external charger, and a female housing configured to accommodate the female terminal portion. The female terminal portion includes a plurality of female terminals configured to electrically connect the external charger to a battery of the vehicle, and a protective cap provided outside one side of each of the female terminals to protect the female terminals. Accordingly, damage to the female terminals is minimized to provide better electrical stability and reliability.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0066389, filed on May 24, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention disclosed herein relates to a charging connector for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a charging connector for a vehicle used when charging an electric vehicle. Background Technology

[0004] Recently, as environmental issues have become a major concern, environmentally friendly vehicles have been given significant emphasis for saving energy and preventing pollution. Consequently, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, biodiesel vehicles, and electric vehicles have gained attention as alternatives to vehicles powered by existing internal combustion engines.

[0005] Among these, the most technologically active vehicles are electric vehicles, which use electricity as their driving force. Based on the method of using electrical energy and the ratio of electricity used as driving force, electric vehicles are classified into EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs. Each of the EVs and PHEVs is equipped with both fast charging and slow charging units to receive power from external sources. Here, a charging unit and a connector with terminals are installed for electrical connection to the charger.

[0006] Here, in the charging section and charging connector provided in the charger for the vehicle, there is a limitation that the terminals may be damaged due to repeated separation. In particular, there is a limitation that when multiple male terminals are inserted into multiple female terminals as a whole, interference occurs between some male terminals and some female terminals, thereby damaging the female terminals.

[0007] Furthermore, there is a limitation that electrical stability may decrease due to damage to the terminals that generate high voltage during charging. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the aforementioned limitations, the present invention provides a charging connector for vehicles, wherein the female terminal installed in the charging connector for vehicles is protected to improve electrical stability and quality.

[0009] The present invention provides a charging connector for a vehicle, the charging connector comprising: a body having a charging section; a female terminal section mounted within the charging section for electrical connection to an external charger; and a female housing configured to accommodate the female terminal section, wherein the female terminal section includes: a plurality of female terminals configured to electrically connect an external charger to a battery of the vehicle; and a protective cap disposed on the outside of one side of each female terminal to protect the female terminal.

[0010] Each female terminal can include a contact portion electrically connected to a male terminal within an external charger, and a connection portion electrically connected to a battery of a vehicle through an electric wire, and the protective cap can include a first through-hole defined in an extension direction to surround the contact portion, a second through-hole extending inside the first through-hole, and a protective rib provided outside a distal end of the contact portion.

[0011] The contact portion can include a plurality of contact ribs cut to define a third through-hole in communication with the second through-hole, and can have a guide surface inclined inward such that a cross-sectional area of a distal end of each contact rib gradually decreases forward.

[0012] The charging portion can include a fourth through-hole in communication with the second through-hole and the third through-hole, and have a plurality of charging spaces in which the contact portions are respectively installed, such that the plurality of female terminals have a specific pattern, and the protective rib can be provided between the charging spaces and the contact portions, wherein a size of the second through-hole can be greater than a size of the third through-hole.

[0013] The protective rib can include a first protective rib provided between a distal end of the contact rib and the contact space to define the second through-hole, and a second protective rib bent and extended from the first protective rib in the extension direction and provided inside the third through-hole. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the application and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the application. In the drawings:

[0015] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a charging connector for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 2 is Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of

[0017] Figure 3 is Figure 2 is a perspective view of a female terminal portion of

[0018] Figure 4 is Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of

[0019] Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the V-V direction of Figure 3

[0020] Figure 6 is a view showing a state in which the protective cap is applied according to another embodiment; and

[0021] ​Figure 7 is a view showing a state in which the male terminal is partially coupled in a sectional view in the VII-VII direction of Figure 1 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, detailed descriptions related to well-known functions or configurations will be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the subject matter of the present application.

[0023] Further, for convenience of explanation, three axes are shown in some of the drawings, the X-axis direction is defined as a radial direction, the Y-axis direction is defined as an extending direction, a portion in which the charging portion is disposed in the extending direction is defined as a front side, and the opposite direction is defined as a rear side.

[0024] Further, here, the charging connector for a vehicle is defined as including a charging inlet provided in a vehicle body and a charging outlet provided in an external charging device and electrically connected to the charging inlet. However, to avoid repetitive description, the following description will be based on the charging inlet, and the following description can also be applied to the charging outlet.

[0025] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a charging connector for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 1 Figure 3 is a perspective view of Figure 2 is a perspective view of a female terminal portion of Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 3 Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the V-V direction of Figure 3 is a view showing a state in which a protective cap is applied according to another embodiment, and Figure 6 is a view showing a state in which the male terminal is partially coupled in a sectional view in the VII-VII direction of Figure 7 Figure 1

[0026] Referring to Figures 1 to 7 , the charging connector for a vehicle 10 includes a main body 100 in which a charging portion 110 is provided, a female terminal portion 200 installed within the charging portion 110 and electrically connected to an external charger, and a female housing 300 accommodating the female terminal portion 200. The female terminal portion 200 includes a plurality of female terminals 210 electrically connecting the external charger to a vehicle battery and a protective cap 240 provided at one side outside of each female terminal 210 to protect the female terminal 210.

[0027] ​​​​​Here, the charging connector 10 for a vehicle is defined as including both a charging outlet provided in an external charger when charging the vehicle and a charging inlet installed at a side of the vehicle so that the charging outlet is coupled thereto. In other words, the charging connector 10 is configured to electrically connect the charger to the battery, and the female terminal portion 200 or the male terminal 20 can be installed in the charging connector 10.

[0028] Accordingly, high voltage is generated in the female terminal 210 and the male terminal 20, and in order to stabilize the charging, separation and damage of the female terminal 210 and the male terminal 20 at their regular positions can be minimized even if the female terminal 210 and the male terminal 20 are repeatedly separated.

[0029] To this end, the charging connector 10 for a vehicle according to the present application is characterized in that the protective cap 240 is provided outside the female terminal portion 200 installed therein. Hereinafter, in the following description of the present application and the accompanying drawings, the charging inlet will be described as a reference to avoid repetitive description and use of the same drawings.

[0030] The main body 100 is installed such that one side thereof is exposed to a vehicle body, and the charging portion 110 is provided at the exposed side to provide a space for connecting an external charger. Here, a plurality of charging spaces 112 in which fourth through holes 111 are defined can be defined within the charging portion 110 such that a plurality of female terminals 210 have a predetermined pattern. Accordingly, the plurality of male terminals 20 and the plurality of female terminals 210 can be integrally coupled to each other and designed according to a predetermined standard such that a user easily charges the battery.

[0031] Specifically, the recessed charging portion 110 to which the external charger is coupled is provided at one side of the main body 100, and the charging space 112 protruding from the charging portion 110 in the extension direction Y is defined such that a plurality of female terminals 210 are provided within the charging portion 110 in a predetermined pattern. Here, the charging space 112 has a fourth through hole in the extension direction Y such that the internal female terminal 210 of the charging space 112 and the male terminal 20 installed within the external charger are electrically connected to each other.

[0032] The female terminal portion 200 includes a plurality of female terminals 210 provided in the charging space 112 from the other side of the main body 100, a protective cap 240 provided outside the female terminal 210 to protect the contact portion 211 in contact with the male terminal 20, and a coupling seal 250 coupled to one side of the female terminal 210 to allow the female terminal 210 to be stably installed in the charging space 112 and prevent moisture and impurities from entering.

[0033] Further, the female terminal 210 includes a contact portion 211 which is defined with the charging space 112 at one side thereof and has a third through-hole 2111 to contact with the male terminal 20 to be electrically connected, a connection portion 212 connected to a vehicle battery through an electric wire at the other side thereof, and a coupling end 213 protruding in the radial direction X between the contact portion 211 and the connection portion 212 to guide the female terminal 210 to a position in the charging space 112 in the extension direction Y, and the coupling end 213 has a seating groove 2131 in an outer peripheral surface in which a coupling seal 250 is installed. Accordingly, the female terminal 210 is more stably connected to the male terminal 20.

[0034] Specifically, the contact portion 211 is cut in the extension direction Y to provide a plurality of contact ribs 2112 to be stably coupled to the male terminal 20. Here, the plurality of contact ribs 2112 are spaced apart from each other in the radial direction X with respect to a central axis of the female terminal 210 to define the third through-hole 2111 in which the male terminal 20 is inserted, and an inner surface of a distal end of each contact rib 2112 has a guide surface 2113 which is inclined such that a cross-sectional area is gradually reduced forward to minimize interference between the male terminal 20 inserted forward and the contact rib 2112.

[0035] In other words, the third through-hole 2111 defined by the plurality of contact ribs 2112 has the widest area at a front side thereof, and the area is gradually reduced rearward, and also has the same area at a certain distance or more in the extension direction Y. Accordingly, when the plurality of male terminals 20 and the plurality of female terminals 210 are integrally coupled to each other, interference therebetween can be prevented to improve convenience of a user and prevent the female terminal 210 from being damaged to improve durability of a product.

[0036] The connection portion 212 is connected to an electric wire electrically connected to a battery of a vehicle to transmit power supplied from the contact portion 211 to the battery through the electric wire, and is disposed in the accommodation space 310 defined in the female housing 300 so that the electric wires connected to the plurality of connection portions 212 are gathered in one direction and connected to the battery without interfering with peripheral components.

[0037] The coupling end 213 protrudes in the radial direction X between the contact portion 211 and the connection portion 212, and in a state in which the female terminal portion 200 is installed in the charging portion 110, the coupling end 213 is in close contact with the outside of the charging space 112 to guide a position of the female terminal 210 in the extension direction Y so that the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 210 contact each other at a position designed in advance to secure electrical stability.

[0038] Further, the seat groove 2131 in which the coupling seal 250 is seated is recessed along an outer peripheral surface thereof to prevent impurities such as moisture from being introduced into the vehicle body through a gap defined between the plurality of charging portions 110 and the charging space 112, thereby providing a more stable electrical connection.

[0039] The protective cap 240 is provided outside the contact portion 211 to prevent the contact portion 211 from being damaged due to repeated attachment and detachment of an external charger for charging the vehicle and also to prevent the female terminal 210 from moving in the extension direction Y, thereby providing a stable electrical connection with the male terminal 20.

[0040] Accordingly, the protective cap 240 has a first through-hole 241 formed through in the extension direction Y such that the contact portion 211 is disposed therein, and in order to prevent damage and movement of the female terminal 210, a protective rib 242 extending to the inside of the first through-hole 241 and disposed in front of the distal end of the contact rib 2112 is provided on the front distal end of the protective cap 240.

[0041] In other words, the protective cap 240 has a first through-hole 241 accommodating the contact portion 211, which extends in the radial direction X from the front distal end of the first through-hole 241 to define a second through-hole 243 defined by the protective rib 242 disposed between the charging space 112 and the contact rib 2112, and is disposed in front of a plurality of contact ribs 2112 defined to be cut formed without interfering with electrical contact between the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 210 to minimize damage to the female terminal 210 that occurs when the male terminal 20 is inserted.

[0042] Referring to Figure 6 , the protective cap 1240 according to another embodiment of the present application is the same as the protective cap according to the foregoing embodiment, a first through-hole 1241 is defined in the protective cap to dispose the female terminal 210, and a protective rib 1242 is disposed in front of the contact rib 2112 such that the area of a second through-hole 1243 is smaller than the area of the first through-hole 1241. However, the protective rib 1242 includes a first protective rib 12421 extending in the radial direction X from the front distal end of the protective cap 1240 to define the second through-hole 1243 and a second protective rib 12422 bent at the distal end of the first protective rib 12421 to extend to the inside of the contact portion 211 in the extension direction Y, thereby fundamentally preventing interference between the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 210.

[0043] However, the second protective rib 12422 can cause interference when the male terminal 20 is inserted, and thus, in order to stable electrical connection, the cross-sectional area of the second protective rib 12422 can gradually decrease rearward, and has various shapes according to design.

[0044] Accordingly, the charging connector 10 for a vehicle according to the present application is provided with the protective cap 240 and 1240 protecting the contact portion 211 of the female terminal 210 contacting the male terminal 20 to provide better electrical stability and reduce the possibility of damage, thereby improving product durability.

[0045] The female housing 300 is coupled to the rear side of the female terminal portion 200, and the accommodation space 310 accommodating the connection portion 212 is defined to protect the plurality of electric wires and the portion in which the connection portion 212 is connected to each other from the outside, and guide the plurality of electric wires to extend in one direction so that the battery is easily connected, and interference with peripheral components is prevented.

[0046] Here, the accommodation space 310 also accommodates the rear holder coupled to the rear portion of the female terminal portion 200 to additionally fix the female terminal 210, and accommodates the extension rib extending to the other side of the main body 100 to prevent a short circuit with peripheral components caused by high voltage generated when the vehicle is charged.

[0047] The rear holder 400 includes a holder body 410 disposed at the other side of the main body 100 and a support rib 420 extending from the holder body 410 in the extension direction to be in close contact with the rear side of the coupling end 213 of the female terminal 210 inserted into the charging space 112, thereby additionally fixing the plurality of female terminals 210 coupled to the charging portion 110 and improving the operability of workers during production, and also more stably fixing the female terminal 210.

[0048] In other words, the female terminal 210 is first fixed by the coupling end 213 disposed outside the rear side of the charging space 112, and then is again assisted in fixing by the support rib 420 disposed behind the coupling end 213 to minimize movement in the extension direction Y and maintain the initial position even when the external charger is repeatedly detached, thereby providing better stability and reliability.

[0049] Accordingly, the charging connector 10 for a vehicle according to the present application provides the protective cap 240 and 1240 disposed outside the contact portion 211 to minimize damage to the female terminal 210 due to continuous vibration and external force caused by vehicle operation, and even if the external charger for vehicle charging is repeatedly detached, provides more robust durability, thereby significantly improving the stability of the user and the reliability of the product.

[0050] As described above, according to the technical problem of the present application, various effects including the following facts can be expected. However, the present application does not need to exert all the following effects.

[0051] A charging connector for a vehicle can be provided with a protection cap provided outside a contact portion of each female terminal to minimize damage to the female terminal occurring when integrally coupled to a plurality of male terminals, and a protection rib can be provided between a charging space and the contact portion to minimize movement of the female terminal in an extension direction, thereby improving electrical stability and reliability.

[0052] Furthermore, a coupling seal in close contact with the charging space can be provided outside the protection cap to mainly fix the female terminal portion, thereby reducing fatigue during worker production, and also prevent moisture and impurities from being introduced into the charging connector for a vehicle, thereby improving durability of a product.

[0053] Furthermore, the contact portion can be cut to provide a plurality of contact ribs, and an inclined guide surface can be provided on an inner surface of each contact rib such that a cross-sectional area of each contact rib gradually decreases forward. Accordingly, interference occurring when the male terminal is inserted can be prevented, and also initial insertion force / withdrawal force can be reduced to improve convenience of a user.

[0054] In the foregoing, the preferred embodiments of the present application have been exemplarily described, but the scope of the present application is not limited to these specific embodiments, and the content obtained by appropriately changing within the scope described in the claims all belongs to the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A charging connector for a vehicle, comprising: The main body is provided with a charging section and a plurality of charging spaces formed in a predetermined pattern within the charging section, the charging section being configured to connect to an external charger. A female terminal portion, which is installed within the charging space, includes: a plurality of female terminals configured to electrically connect the external charger to the vehicle's battery; and a protective cap disposed on the outside of one side of each of the female terminals to protect the female terminals; A housing configured to accommodate the female terminal portion; The rear retainer includes a retainer body formed on one side of the main body, and a plurality of support ribs extending from the retainer body in an extending direction, the plurality of support ribs being inserted into corresponding charging spaces to secure the female terminal. Each of the female terminals includes: The contact portion is electrically connected to the male terminal inside the external charger; The connection part, which is electrically connected to the vehicle's battery via wires; and The connecting end protrudes radially between the contact portion and the connecting portion. The protective cap includes: A first through-hole, defined along its extending direction to completely surround the contact portion; and A protective rib extends into the interior of the first through hole to form a second through hole, and is disposed on the exterior of the distal end of the contact portion. The connection end is first fixed to the rear side of the charging space, and then fixed to the front side of the support rib.

2. The charging connector according to claim 1, wherein, The contact portion includes a plurality of contact ribs, which are cut to define a third through hole communicating with the second through hole, and the contact portion has a guide surface that is inclined inward such that the cross-sectional area of ​​the distal end of each of the contact ribs gradually decreases forward.

3. The charging connector according to claim 2, wherein, The charging unit includes a fourth through hole communicating with the second and third through holes, and The protective rib is disposed between the charging space and the contact portion. The size of the second through hole is larger than the size of the third through hole.

4. The charging connector according to claim 2, wherein, The protective rib includes: A first protective rib, disposed between the distal end of the contact rib and the contact space, defines a second through hole; and The second protective rib bends and extends from the first protective rib along the extension direction and is disposed in the third through hole.

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