Charging connector

Abstract

The present application relates to a charging connector including a mating portion, a main portion, a body, and a fastening member, wherein: the main portion includes a plurality of contacts that can be connected to mating contacts of a mating connector, respectively, and a housing that holds the contacts; the body at least partially houses and holds the main portion; the mating portion is located in front of the body in a front-rear direction; the fastening member fastens the mating portion to the body; and the fastening member is not in contact with the housing at least in the front-rear direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a charging connector, and more particularly to the structure of a charging connector. Background Technology

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses an example of a charging connector.

[0003] like Figure 18 As shown, the charging connector 90 of Patent Document 1 has a body 92 and a contact support 94. The body 92 has a contact element 921. Furthermore, the body 92 is connected to a cable 98. The contact support 94 is fixed to the body 92 with screws (not shown). The contact support 94 serves as a mating part for mating with a mating connector (not shown). With this structure, the contact support 94 can be easily replaced.

[0004] Patent document 1: JP 2018-163876A. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This type of charging connector may be damaged by its weight if accidentally dropped. Specifically, when the charging connector is dropped, there is a high probability that the mating part at the tip of the connector will directly hit the floor or ground.

[0006] In the charging connector 90 of Patent Document 1, it is unclear how the contact support 94 and the body 92 are connected to each other. However, it is speculated that an impact applied to the contact support 94 may be transmitted to the body 92 and may damage the internal structural components of the body 92, such as the contact element 921.

[0007] Therefore, in charging connectors, it is desirable to reduce the impact of drop impacts on the internal structural components of the body.

[0008] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a charging connector that can reduce the impact of the impact on the internal structural components of the body when the mating part is dropped.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention provides a charging connector including a mating portion, a main body, a body body, and a fastening member. In the charging connector, the main body includes a plurality of contacts capable of being respectively connected to mating contacts of the mating connector, and a housing for retaining the contacts; the body body at least partially accommodates and holds the main body; the mating portion is located in front of the body in a front-rear direction; the fastening member fastens the mating portion to the body; and the fastening member does not contact the housing at least in the front-rear direction.

[0010] In this charging connector, the housing is held in place by the body. Furthermore, the mating part is fastened to the body by a fastening member. The fastening member does not contact the housing, at least in the front-rear direction. This structure prevents or suppresses the direct transmission of impacts on the mating part to the housing.

[0011] By studying the following description of preferred embodiments and referring to the accompanying drawings, one can understand the purpose of the invention and gain a more comprehensive understanding of its structure. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a front perspective view of a charging connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 An exploded front perspective view of the charging connector, wherein the main body of the charging connector is held by a first body portion contained within the main body.

[0014] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 2 An enlarged view of the area inside the dashed line A;

[0015] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 1 An exploded rear perspective view of the charging connector, wherein the main body of the charging connector is held by a second body portion contained within the main body, and the first body portion contained within the main body is omitted.

[0016] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 1 An exploded front view of the body included in the charging connector;

[0017] Figure 6 It is shown Figure 1 Side view of the charging connector;

[0018] Figure 7 It is shown Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of the charging connector taken along the BB line;

[0019] Figure 8 It is shown Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of the charging connector taken along the CC line;

[0020] Figure 9 It is shown Figure 1 Front view of the charging connector;

[0021] Figure 10 It is shown Figure 1 A front perspective view of the housing included in the main body of the charging connector;

[0022] Figure 11 It is shown Figure 10Rear-view perspective of the casing;

[0023] Figure 12 It is shown Figure 11 Rear view of the housing;

[0024] Figure 13 It is shown Figure 4 A rear perspective view of the mating portion included in the charging connector;

[0025] Figure 14 It is shown Figure 13 Rear view of the mating part;

[0026] Figure 15 This is a rear perspective view showing the mating portion included in the charging connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 16 It is shown Figure 15 Rear view of the mating part;

[0028] Figure 17 This is a front view showing the housing included in the main body of the charging connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 18 This is an exploded perspective view of the charging connector disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0030] While the invention may have various variations and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but rather are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. The spirit and scope of the invention are defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0031] [First Embodiment]

[0032] refer to Figure 1 According to a first embodiment of the present invention, the charging connector 10 includes a body 20 and a mating portion 30. The mating portion 30 is located in front of the body 20 in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the mating portion 30 is attached to the front end of the body 20. In this embodiment, the front-rear direction is the Y direction. The negative Y direction points forward, while the positive Y direction points backward.

[0033] like Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the charging connector 10 also includes a main body 40. The main body 40 is connected to multiple wires 72 contained in the cable 70. Furthermore, the main body 40 is partially housed within the body 20.

[0034] like Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, the body 20 has a first main body portion 22 and a second main body portion 24, which are separable from each other in a transverse direction perpendicular to the front-back direction. In this embodiment, the transverse direction is the X direction. Figure 6 It can be seen that the first main body 22 and the second main body 24 are fixed to each other by using a plurality of screws 26.

[0035] Depend on Figure 2 and Figure 5 As can be seen, a plurality of elongated protrusions 201 are provided at the front end of the body 20. The elongated protrusions 201 protrude from the front surface 203 of the body 20 in the front-rear direction. In addition, the elongated protrusions 201 are located inside the outer edge of the front surface 203 of the body 20 in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction.

[0036] Depend on Figure 2 and Figure 4 It is understood that the body 20 at least partially accommodates and holds the main body 40. In this embodiment, the body 20 partially accommodates the main body 40.

[0037] like Figure 2 As shown, the charging connector 10 is also provided with a plurality of fastening members 50, which fasten the mating part 30 to the body 20. Figures 2 to 4 It is understood that each fastening member 50 consists of a screw 52 and a nut 54. In this embodiment, the number of fastening members 50 is four. However, the invention is not limited thereto. The number of fastening members 50 should be at least one.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, the screw 52 of the fastening member 50 has a head 521 and a shaft portion 523. In this embodiment, the screw 52 is a pan head screw. Furthermore, as... Figures 2 to 4 As shown, nut 54 is a square nut that appears square when viewed in the front-to-back direction. However, the invention is not limited to this. Screw 52 can be a screw with a head shape different from that of a pan head, such as a round-headed screw. Furthermore, nut 54 can be a nut of a shape other than a square, such as a rectangular nut. However, from the perspective of preventing rotation, nut 54 is preferably not a ring nut or a hexagonal nut.

[0039] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 5As shown, the body 20 has a plurality of nut retaining portions 204. The number of nut retaining portions 204 is equal to the number of fastening members 50. In this embodiment, the number of nut retaining portions 204 is four. Each nut retaining portion 204 has a nut receiving portion that opens inward in the lateral direction. The nut 54 is inserted into or press-fitted into the nut receiving portion and is received in the nut receiving portion. Therefore, the nut 54 is held by the nut retaining portion 204 or the body 20. For the nut 54 held by the nut retaining portion 204, forward and backward movement, lateral outward movement, and rotational movement about the axis in the forward and backward direction are restricted.

[0040] Depend on Figure 7 and Figure 9 As can be seen, the main body 40 is provided with a plurality of contacts 42 and a housing 44 for holding the contacts 42. The contacts 42 include a plurality of contacts with different purposes. Specifically, the contacts 42 include signal contacts and power contacts. The contacts 42 with different purposes have different shapes and different sizes. However, these differences are not directly related to the present invention, and therefore their description will be omitted.

[0041] Depend on Figure 4 and Figure 7 It is understood that each contact 42 is connected to at least one end of the wire 72 contained in the cable 70. The contact 42 corresponds to a mating contact (not shown) provided by the mating connector (not shown). When the charging connector 10 and the mating connector mate with each other, the contact 42 is electrically connected to the mating contact.

[0042] like Figure 10 and Figure 11 As shown, the housing 44 has a partition wall 441 with a main surface (front surface) 4431, a plurality of covering portions 461, and a plurality of receiving portions 463. The partition wall 441 has an integrally formed front portion 443 and a rear portion 445. The front portion 443 is located in front of the rear portion 445 in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, in the front-rear direction, the main surface 4431 faces forward, and the rear surface 4451 of the rear portion 445 faces rearward. In a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction, the rear portion 445 protrudes beyond the outer side of the front portion 443, except for a portion thereof.

[0043] like Figures 10 to 12 As shown, the partition wall 441 has a plurality of holes 447 that penetrate the partition wall 441 in the front-to-back direction. The holes 447 correspond to the fastening members 50. The holes 447 are located near the edge of the partition wall 441. The inner diameter of each hole 447 is larger than the shaft 523 of the screw 52 of the fastening member 50 (see Figure 547). Figure 2 The outer diameter of the hole 447. In addition, the inner diameter of the hole 447 is equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the hole 325 of the mating part 30 (to be mentioned later).

[0044] Depend on Figure 9It can be seen that the cover portion 461 corresponds to the contact member 42. Furthermore, by... Figure 10 and Figure 11 It is understood that the covering portion 461 corresponds to the receiving portion 463. The covering portion 461 protrudes forward from the main surface 4431 of the partition wall 441. In this embodiment, the covering portion 461 has a base 465. Each base 465 is shared in a particular covering portion 461. However, the invention is not limited thereto. The covering portion 461 may not have a base 465 and may be independent of each other. The receiving portion 463 protrudes rearward from the rear surface 4451 of the partition wall 441. In the front-rear direction, the internal space of the covering portion 461 communicates with the internal space of the receiving portion 463 corresponding to the covering portion 461. Each receiving portion 463 is coupled to at least one other receiving portion 463. However, the invention is not limited thereto. The receiving portions 463 may be independent of each other.

[0045] Depend on Figure 11 and Figure 12 It is understood that the rear surface 4451 of the partition wall 441 is also provided with a rearwardly protruding anti-fall portion 449. Each anti-fall portion 449 has a plate-like shape extending in the lateral direction. The anti-fall portion 449 has a side surface 4491 facing outward in the lateral direction. The side surface 4491 corresponds to the hole 447 respectively. When viewed in the front-rear direction, each side surface 4491 faces the hole 447 corresponding to it.

[0046] Depend on Figure 7 It is understood that each contact 42 has a shape that is longer in the front-rear direction. Each contact 42 has a contact portion 421, which contacts a corresponding mating contact (not shown). The contact portion 421 protrudes at least partially into front of the main surface 4431 of the partition wall 441. Figure 7 and Figure 9 It can be seen that in a plane perpendicular to the front-back direction, the contact portion 421 of each contact 42 is covered by the covering portion 461. Furthermore, in the front-back direction, the end of the contact portion 421 of each contact 42 is covered by the covering portion 461.

[0047] like Figure 2 , Figure 13 and Figure 14As shown, the mating portion 30 is provided with a main plate portion 32, a plurality of surrounding portions 34, an edge portion 36, a plurality of first abutment portions 3231, and a plurality of receiving portions 3211. The main plate portion 32 has a front surface 321 facing forward in the front-rear direction and a rear surface (opposing surface) 323 facing rearward in the front-rear direction. The main plate portion 32 is formed with a plurality of holes 325 penetrating through the main plate portion 32 in the front-rear direction. The holes 325 correspond to screws 52 of the fastening member 50. In addition, the holes 325 correspond to holes 447 formed in the housing 44. The inner diameter of each hole 325 is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft 523 of the screw 52, ​​but smaller than the outer diameter of the head 521 of the screw 52. In addition, the inner diameter of the hole 325 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter of the hole 447 in the housing 44. The receiving portions 3211 correspond to the holes 325. Each receiving portion 3211 is recessed rearward from the front surface 321 of the main plate portion 32. The inner diameter of the receiving part 3211 is larger than the inner diameter of the hole 325. In addition, the inner diameter of the receiving part 3211 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the head 521 of the screw 52 of the fastening member 50.

[0048] like Figure 2 and Figure 13 As shown, the surrounding portion 34 protrudes forward from the front surface 321 of the main board portion 32. Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 9 It can be seen that the surrounding portions 34 correspond to the base portions 465 provided to the housing 44. Then, each surrounding portion 34 surrounds and protects the cover portion 461 in a plane perpendicular to the front and rear directions.

[0049] like Figure 13 and Figure 14 As shown, the edge portion 36 extends along the edge of the rear surface 323 of the main board portion 32 and protrudes rearward. Each first abutment portion 3231 is disposed on the rear surface 323 of the main board portion 32 and located near the edge portion 36. In this embodiment, the number of first abutment portions 3231 is four. However, the invention is not limited thereto. The number of first abutment portions 3231 should be at least three. In this embodiment, the first abutment portions 3231 are protrusions that slightly protrude from the rear surface 323. As described later, the first abutment portions 3231 contact the second abutment portions 2011 disposed on the body 20.

[0050] Depend on Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 7 It is understood that when the housing 44 is held by the body 20, the rear portion 445 of the partition wall 441 of the housing 44 is located behind the elongated protrusion 201 of the body 20 and in front of the nut retaining portion 204 of the body 20. In the front-rear direction, the main surface 4431 of the partition wall 441 is located at the same position as or behind the front surface of the elongated protrusion 201 of the body 20.

[0051] like Figure 12 As shown, the housing 44 has a rearward-facing first contact portion 4453. Furthermore, as... Figure 5 As shown, the body 20 has a forward-facing second contact portion 2041. When the housing 44 is held by the body 20, the first contact portion 4453 and the second contact portion 2041 contact each other. With this structure, the rearward movement of the housing 44 relative to the body 20 is restricted. In other words, the first contact portion 4453 and the second contact portion 2041 position the housing 44 relative to the body 20 in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the second contact portion 2041 is a protrusion projecting forward from the front surface of the nut retainer 204. Furthermore, the first contact portion 4453 is part of the rear surface 4451 of the partition wall 441 and faces the second contact portion 2041 in the front-rear direction. However, the invention is not limited to this. The first contact portion 4453 may be a protrusion projecting rearward in the front-rear direction. In this case, the second contact portion 2041 may be a protrusion or part of the front surface of the nut retainer 204. In any case, preferably, the first contact portion 4453 or the second contact portion 2041, or both, are protrusions. This is to facilitate adjusting the tilt of the housing 44 relative to the body 20.

[0052] Depend on Figure 8 It is understood that before the housing 44 is held by the body 20, the nuts 54 are press-fitted into the nut receiving portions of the nut holding portions 204 of the body 20. When the housing 44 is held by the body 20, the side surface of each nut 54 held by the nut holding portion 204 faces the housing 44, but is separate from the housing 44. Specifically, the side surface of the nut 54 faces the side surface 4491 of the anti-drop portion 449 of the housing 44, but is separate from the side surface 4491. With this structure, the nuts 54 are prevented from falling out of the nut holding portion 204.

[0053] Depend on Figure 1 and Figure 2 It can be seen that the mating part 30 is attached to the front of the main body 20 and the main body part 40. At this time, by Figure 2 and Figure 7 It can be seen that the elongated protrusion 201 of the body 20 is located inside the edge portion 36 of the mating portion 30 in a plane perpendicular to the front and rear direction.

[0054] Depend on Figure 2 and Figure 5 It can be seen that the main body 20 is provided with a second abutting portion 2011 facing forward in the front-rear direction. When the mating portion 30 is attached to the main body 20, the first abutting portion 3231 of the mating portion 30 (see...) Figure 13 and Figure 14The first abutment 3231 contacts the second abutment 2011. This structure positions the mating portion 30 relative to the body 20. In this embodiment, the second abutment 2011 is part of the front surface of the elongated protrusion 201 of the body 20 and faces the first abutment 3231 in the front-rear direction. However, the invention is not limited thereto. The second abutment 2011 may be a protrusion projecting forward from the front surface of the elongated protrusion 201. In this case, the first abutment 3231 may be a protrusion or part of the rear surface 323 of the main body portion 32 of the mating portion 30. In any case, either the first abutment 3231 or the second abutment 2011 should protrude in the front-rear direction. When either the first abutment 3231 or the second abutment 2011, or both, protrude in the front-rear direction, the rear surface 323 of the mating portion 30 and the main surface 4431 of the housing 44 face each other but are separated from each other in the front-rear direction. In other words, with the mating part 30 fastened to the body 20, the housing 44 does not directly contact the mating part 30.

[0055] Depend on Figures 2 to 4 It is understood that the fastening member 50 fastens the mating part 30 to the body 20. At this time, the head 521 of the screw 52 of the fastening member 50 is received by the receiving part 3211 of the mating part 30. Therefore, the head 521 of the screw 52 does not directly contact the housing 44. Furthermore, the inner diameter of the hole 447 of the housing 44 is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft 523 of the screw 52. Therefore, the shaft 523 of the screw 52 usually does not directly contact the housing 44. In other words, the housing 44 is usually located separately from the shaft 523. Even when the shaft 523 is in contact with the housing 44, when viewed in the front-rear direction, the shaft 523 is only inlaid in the inner wall of the hole 447, and there is a space between the shaft 523 and the hole 447. In addition, the nut 54 is held by the body 20 but is separate from the anti-drop part 449. Therefore, the nut 54 does not directly contact the housing 44. Therefore, the fastening member 50 secures the mating portion 30 to the body 20 without contacting the housing 44 at least in the front-to-back direction. With this structure, in the event of an accidental drop of the charging connector 10, the direct transmission of impact from the body 20 or the mating portion 30 to the housing 44 can be prevented or suppressed. Thus, damage to the body 40, or damage to the housing 44 and the contacts 42, due to the dropping of the charging connector 10 can be prevented.

[0056] [Second Embodiment]

[0057] The charging connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention has Figure 15 and Figure 16 The mating part 30A shown is used instead of the mating part 30, and Figure 17The housing 44A shown is used instead of the housing 44. Except for the mating part 30A and the housing 44A, the charging connector of this embodiment is the same as the charging connector 10 of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following description, we will focus on the mating part 30A and the housing 44A.

[0058] like Figure 15 and 16 As shown, the mating portion 30A has a plurality of first abutment portions 3231A, which protrude rearward from the rear surface 323 of the main board portion 32. The first abutment portions 3231A correspond to holes 325 respectively. When viewed in the front-rear direction, the shape of each first abutment portion 3231A is an annular shape surrounding the corresponding hole 325.

[0059] like Figure 17 As shown, the partition wall 441 of the housing 44A has a main surface 4431 facing forward in the front-rear direction. A plurality of second abutment portions 4433 are provided on the main surface 4431. The second abutment portions 4433 are portions that are part of the main surface 4431 and respectively correspond to the first abutment portions 3231A of the mating portion 30A. Furthermore, the housing 44A has a plurality of recesses 451, each of which is configured to abut the second abutment portions 4433. The recesses 451 are missing areas of the partition wall 441 in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The recesses 451 replace the holes 447 of the housing 44. The dimensions of each recess 451 are set such that when the mating portion 30A is attached to the body 20 (see figure) by using the fastening member 50... Figure 2 When ), 44A is separated from the shaft 523 of screw 52. With this structure, fastening member 50 can fasten mating part 30A to body 20 through recess 451 without contacting housing 44A.

[0060] Depend on Figures 15 to 17 It can be seen that the first abutting portion 3231A of the mating portion 30A corresponds to the second abutting portion 4433 of the housing 44A. When the housing 44A is formed by the body 20 (see...) Figure 2 The mating part 30A is held in place by the fastening member 50 (see...). Figure 2 When fastened to the body 20, each first abutment portion 3231A and its corresponding second abutment portion 4433 come into contact with each other. Using this structure, the mating portion 30 is positioned relative to the body 20 in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the main surface 4431 of the housing 44A faces the rear surface 323 of the mating portion 30A in a state separated from the rear surface 323.

[0061] According to this embodiment, the mating part 30A and the housing 44A are in direct contact with each other. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of the mating part 30A relative to the housing 44A can be higher than the positioning accuracy of the charging connector 10. On the other hand, the possibility of an impact on the mating part 30A being transmitted to the housing 44A is increased. However, according to this structure, the impact transmitted from the mating part 30A to the housing 44A mainly has a front-rear direction. Therefore, the possibility of damage to the housing 44A when the charging connector 10 is dropped is approximately the same as the extent of damage when the charging connector 10 is dropped according to the first embodiment. In other words, damage to the main body 40, or damage to the housing 44A and the contact 42, due to the dropping of the charging connector 10 can be satisfactorily prevented.

[0062] Although the present invention has been specifically described above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and alternatives are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the charging connector 10 according to the first embodiment, the mating portion 30A of the second embodiment can be used instead of the mating portion 30. In this case, a second abutting portion 4433 is provided in the housing 44 instead of the second abutting portion 2011 of the body 20. Furthermore, in the charging connector 10 according to the first embodiment, the housing 44A can be used instead of the housing 44. In this case, the second abutting portion 4433 of the housing 44A is not necessary.

[0063] Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim the protection of all such embodiments falling within the true scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A charging connector, comprising a mating portion, a main body portion, a body body, and a fastening member, wherein: The main body includes a plurality of contacts that can be respectively connected to mating contacts of mating connectors, and a housing for holding the contacts; The body at least partially accommodates and holds the main body portion; The mating part is located in front of the body in the front-back direction; The fastening member fastens the mating part to the body; The fastening member does not contact the housing at least in the front-rear direction; When the mating part is fastened to the body, the housing does not directly contact the mating part; The fastening component is equipped with screws and nuts; The screw has a shaft and a head; The mating part has a receiving part for receiving the head; The body has a retaining portion for holding the nut; and The housing is located away from the shaft.

2. The charging connector according to claim 1, wherein: The housing has a front-facing main surface in the front-rear direction and a plurality of covering portions protruding forward from the main surface; Each of the contacts has a contact portion that protrudes partially to the front of the main surface; The contact portions of the contacts are respectively covered by the covering portions; and The mating portion has a surrounding portion that surrounds a plurality of the covering portions in a plane perpendicular to the front-back direction.

3. The charging connector according to claim 1, wherein: The mating part has a rearward-facing opposing surface in the front-rear direction and a first abutting part disposed on the opposing surface; The housing has a front-facing main surface in the front-rear direction; The main surface faces the opposing surface in a state where it is separated from the opposing surface in the front-back direction; The main body is provided with a second abutment portion facing forward; and The first abutting part abuts against the second abutting part.

4. The charging connector according to claim 3, wherein, At least one of the first abutting portion and the second abutting portion protrudes in the front-back direction.

5. The charging connector according to claim 1, wherein: The nut is a square nut; and The nut is press-fitted into the retaining part of the body.

6. The charging connector according to claim 5, wherein: The square nut is housed in the retaining portion; and The side of the square nut faces the housing in a state of separation from the housing.

7. The charging connector according to claim 1, wherein: The housing has a first contact portion; The body has a second contact portion; The first contact portion and the second contact portion are in contact with each other; and At least one of the first contact portion and the second contact portion is a protrusion.

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