Method for molding charging connector cover

Abstract

This invention provides a method for molding a charging connector and cover that can improve the visibility of the display unit. [Solution] In a charging connector 1 comprising a housing 3 having a mating portion 9 with an opening 13 into which a mating charging connector can be mated, and a cover 5 that closes the opening 13, a display portion 59 is provided on the surface 51 of the cover 5, and the display portion 59 protrudes from the surface 51 of the cover 5.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging connector and a method for molding a cover.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a charging connector, there is known one including a housing having a fitting portion formed with a width dimension into which a mating charging connector can be fitted, and a cover for closing the width dimension (see Patent Document 1). In such a charging connector, when the fitting portion is not in use, the cover closes the width dimension to prevent the mating charging connector from being fitted into the fitting portion.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the charging connector as in Patent Document 1 above, a display portion such as a display prompting the user to pay attention is provided on the surface of the cover. The display portion is provided on the surface of the cover by recessing the surface of the cover. However, when the display portion is recessed from the surface of the cover, the display portion is not prominent and the visibility of the display portion is reduced.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the problems of such conventional technologies. And an object of the present invention is to provide a charging connector and a method for molding a cover that can improve the visibility of the display portion.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The charging connector according to this embodiment comprises a housing having a mating portion with an opening into which a mating charging connector can be mated, and a cover that closes the opening, wherein a display portion is provided on the surface of the cover, and the display portion protrudes from the surface of the cover.

[0007] The method for molding a cover according to this embodiment is a method for molding a cover that closes an opening in a housing having a fitting portion into which a mating charging connector can be fitted, and comprises a first step of arranging a mold having a surface molding portion for molding the surface of the cover and a display molding portion recessed from the surface molding portion for molding a display portion on the surface of the cover, and a second step of molding the cover using the mold so that it has a display portion protruding from the surface of the cover. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for molding a charging connector and cover that can improve the visibility of the display unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the charging connector according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the housing of the charging connector according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a front view of the housing of the charging connector according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the cover of the charging connector according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a rear view of the charging connector cover according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a side view of the cover of the charging connector according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the mold used to form the cover of the charging connector according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The molding method for the charging connector and cover according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the charging connector 1 according to this embodiment is applied to a vehicle charging unit provided in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. The charging connector 1 is electrically connected to a power source (not shown), such as a battery or storage battery mounted on the vehicle. The charging connector 1 charges the power source by mating with a mating charging connector (not shown) provided on the power supply equipment.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the charging connector 1 comprises a housing 3 and a cover 5.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the housing 3 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The housing 3 has an outer wall 7 that extends in a cylindrical shape along the mating direction with the mating charging connector. Inside the outer wall 7, there is a mating portion 9 into which the mating charging connector can be fitted. The mating portion 9 has a mating outer wall 11 that extends in a cylindrical shape along the mating direction with the mating charging connector. The opening on the mating surface side of the mating outer wall 11 is an opening 13 into which the mating charging connector is inserted.

[0014] Here, the mating charging connector includes a standard charging connector (not shown) that charges the power supply over a normal period of time and a rapid charging connector (not shown) that charges the power supply over a short period of time. For this reason, the inside of the mating outer wall 11 of the housing 3 is divided into a standard mating portion 15 that can be mated with the standard charging connector and a rapid mating portion 17 that can be mated with the rapid charging connector. The opening formed between the outer wall 7 of the housing 3 and the mating outer wall 11 is closed by a decorative cover 19 that is assembled to the housing 3 via an engaging portion.

[0015] The standard mating portion 15 is positioned at the top inside the mating outer wall 11. The opening 13 of the standard mating portion 15 is a standard opening 21 into which a standard charging connector can be inserted. Inside the standard mating portion 15, a standard inner wall 23 is formed, extending in a cylindrical shape along the mating direction with the standard charging connector. Inside the standard inner wall 23, a plurality (seven in this case) of standard terminal housing chambers 25 are formed, extending in a cylindrical shape along the mating direction with the standard charging connector. The standard terminal housing chambers 25 are open on both sides in the longitudinal direction. The opening on one side in the longitudinal direction of the standard terminal housing chamber 25 is a connection opening into which the mating terminal (not shown) of the standard charging connector is inserted when the standard charging connector is mated to the standard mating portion 15. The opening on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the standard terminal housing chamber 25 is an insertion opening into which a terminal (not shown) for standard charging can be inserted into the standard terminal housing chamber 25. Terminals for standard charging are housed inside each of the plurality of standard terminal housing chambers 25 through their respective insertion openings.

[0016] The terminal for normal charging is electrically connected to the end of a wire (not shown) that is electrically connected to the power supply. The terminal for normal charging is electrically connected to the mating terminal of the normal charging connector when the normal charging connector is mated to the normal mating part 15. Due to the electrical connection between the terminal for normal charging and the mating terminal, the power supply is charged from the power supply equipment in a normal amount of time.

[0017] The rapid fitting portion 17 is disposed below inside the fitting outer wall 11. The frontage 13 of the rapid fitting portion 17 serves as a rapid frontage 27 into which a rapid charging connector can be inserted. Inside the rapid fitting portion 17, a rapid inner wall 29 extending cylindrically along the fitting direction with the rapid charging connector is formed. Inside the rapid inner wall 29, a plurality (here, two) of rapid terminal accommodation chambers 31 extending cylindrically along the fitting direction with the rapid charging connector are formed. The rapid terminal accommodation chambers 31 are open at both sides in the length direction. The opening on one side in the length direction of the rapid terminal accommodation chamber 31 serves as a connection opening into which a mating terminal (not shown) of the rapid charging connector is inserted when the rapid charging connector is fitted to the rapid fitting portion 17. The opening on the other side in the length direction of the rapid terminal accommodation chamber 31 serves as an insertion opening into which a terminal for rapid charging (not shown) can be inserted into the rapid terminal accommodation chamber 31. Inside the plurality of rapid terminal accommodation chambers 31, terminals for rapid charging are respectively accommodated from the insertion openings.

[0018] The terminals for rapid charging are electrically connected to the terminal portions of electric wires (not shown) electrically connected to the power source. When the rapid charging connector is fitted to the rapid fitting portion 17, the terminals for rapid charging are electrically connected to the mating terminals of the rapid charging connector. Through the electrical connection between the terminals for rapid charging and the mating terminals, the power source is charged from the power supply facility in a short time.

[0019] Note that the terminals for normal charging and rapid charging accommodated in the housing 3 are held in the housing 3 by a rear holder (not shown) assembled to the housing 3, but the housing 3 may be provided with locking lances engaged with the terminals.

[0020] The housing 3 is provided with a holding portion 33 for holding the cover 5 to the housing 3. The holding portion 33 is provided between the outer wall 7 and the fitting outer wall 11, and is disposed between the normal frontage 21 and the rapid frontage 27. An opening is provided in a portion of the design cover 19 where the holding portion 33 is located. The holding portion 33 is provided with a pair of elastic deformable locking pieces 35, 35 spaced apart in the height direction of the housing 3 and extending along the fitting direction with the mating charging connector. The free ends of the pair of locking pieces 35, 35 are exposed from the frontage 13 (design cover 19). Each of the pair of locking pieces 35, 35 is provided with a through hole 37 penetrating in the height direction of the housing 3. The opening edge of the end portion exposed from the frontage 13 of the through hole 37 serves as an engaged portion.

[0021] The charging connector 1 having the normal fitting portion 15 and the rapid fitting portion 17 in the housing 3 may not use the rapid fitting portion 17 when applied to, for example, a vehicle not equipped with a large-capacity power source. Therefore, the rapid frontage 27 of the rapid fitting portion 17 is blocked by the cover 5.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 to 6, the cover 5 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The cover 5 is provided with a cable 39 formed of a member having one end continuous with the cover 5. A fixing portion 41 is provided at the other end of the cable 39 by a member continuous with the cable 39. The fixing portion 41 is provided with an insertion portion 43 that can be inserted into the pair of locking pieces 35, 35 of the holding portion 33 of the housing 3. On the outer surfaces of the insertion portion 43 facing the pair of locking pieces 35, 35, engaging portions 45 protruding toward the pair of locking pieces 35, 35 are provided respectively. The engaging portion 45 is engaged with the engaged portion of the through hole 37 of the locking piece 35 in a state where the fixing portion 41 is assembled to the holding portion 33. By engaging the engaging portion 45 with the engaged portion, the fixing portion 41 is held by the holding portion 33. By holding the fixing portion 41 by the holding portion 33, the cover 5 can be held to the housing 3 via the cable 39 even when the cover 5 is not disposed at the rapid frontage 27. The cover 5 includes a closing portion 47 and a cylindrical portion 49.

[0023] The closing portion 47 is formed in a flat plate shape extending along a planar direction parallel to the rapid opening 27. The closing portion 47 is set to a size that can cover the end face of the fitting outer wall 11 where the rapid opening 27 is located. The closing portion 47 closes the rapid opening 27 when the cover 5 is assembled to the housing 3. The surface 51 of the closing portion 47 is provided with a gripping portion 53 for, for example, a worker to grasp. The back surface of the closing portion 47 is provided with a cylindrical portion 49.

[0024] Multiple (in this case, two) cylindrical sections 49 are provided in the closing section 47 to correspond to multiple (in this case, two) rapid terminal housing chambers 31. The cylindrical sections 49 extend in a cylindrical shape from the closing section 47 toward the rapid terminal housing chambers 31 as a single continuous member with the closing section 47. The outer diameter of the cylindrical section 49 is set to be the same as the inner diameter of the rapid terminal housing chambers 31. Multiple (in this case, two) slits 55 are formed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical section 49. Multiple (in this case, two) press-fit ribs 57 protrude from the outer surface of the cylindrical section 49, which are press-fitted into the inner surface of the rapid terminal housing chambers 31. The cylindrical section 49 is inserted into the rapid terminal housing chambers 31 with the cover 5 assembled to the housing 3. At this time, the cylindrical section 49 is elastically deformed by the slits 55, which reduces the insertion force of the cylindrical section 49 into the rapid terminal housing chambers 31. The outer surface of the cylindrical portion 49 is pressed tightly against the inner surface of the rapid terminal housing chamber 31, and the cover 5 is held in place by the housing 3. In addition, by providing press-fit ribs 57 on the cylindrical portion 49, the press-fit of the cylindrical portion 49 into the rapid terminal housing chamber 31 can be strengthened, and the cover 5 can be stably held in place by the housing 3.

[0025] The surface 51 of the closing portion 47 of the cover 5 that closes the rapid opening 27 of the housing 3 is provided with a display portion 59, such as an arrow, to draw the user's attention. The display portion 59 protrudes outward from the surface 51 of the closing portion 47. By making the display portion 59 protrude from the surface 51, the display portion 59 is formed three-dimensionally on the surface 51 of the cover 5, making the display portion 59 stand out. This improves the visibility of the display portion 59. The surface roughness of the display portion 59 is different from the surface roughness of the surface 51 of the closing portion 47. Here, the surface roughness of the surface 51 of the closing portion 47 is set to be rougher than that of the display portion 59. By making the surface roughness of the display portion 59 and the surface 51 different, a visual difference is created between the surface 51 and the display portion 59, making the display portion 59 stand out and further improving the visibility of the display portion 59.

[0026] As shown in Figure 7, the cover 5 on which the display unit 59 is provided is molded by a mold 61. The mold 61 has parts formed for molding the cable 39 and the fixing part 41, but these parts will not be explained here. In addition, for example, a pair of molds 61 are used, but here only one mold 61 will be explained, and the other mold will not be explained.

[0027] The mold 61 is provided with a surface molding section 63 for molding the surface 51 of the closure section 47 and a display molding section 65 for molding the display section 59. A processing sheet 67 with multiple fine holes (not shown) is placed in the surface molding section 63. By placing the processing sheet 67 in the surface molding section 63, the surface roughness of the surface 51 of the closure section 47 can be made rougher. The display molding section 65 is provided by recessing the surface molding section 63 so that it is lower than the surface molding section 63. The inner surface of the display molding section 65 is mirror-finished. By mirror-finishing the inner surface of the display molding section 65, the surface of the display section 59 can be made smoother. By recessing the display molding section 65 compared to the surface molding section 63, it is possible to easily place the processing sheet 67 relative to the surface molding section 63. For example, if the display molding section 65 protrudes from the surface molding section 63, it is difficult to align the edge of the processing sheet 67 with the end face of the display molding section 65 without any gaps when placing the processing sheet 67 on the surface molding section 63. On the other hand, by recessing the display molding section 65 from the surface molding section 63, the edge of the processing sheet 67 can be easily aligned with the edge of the display molding section 65 when placing the processing sheet 67 on the surface molding section 63. As a result, the processing accuracy of the surface 51 of the cover 5 can be improved, and the moldability of the cover 5 can be improved.

[0028] In this method of molding the cover 5 using a mold 61, first, a surface molding section 63 and a display molding section 65 are provided in the mold 61 (first step). Next, a processing sheet 67 is placed in the surface molding section 63 of the mold 61. Then, the cover 5 is molded using the mold 61 (second step), completing the molding of the cover 5.

[0029] Such a charging connector 1 includes a housing 3 having a mating portion 9 with an opening 13 into which a mating charging connector can be mated, and a cover 5 that closes the opening 13. A display portion 59 is provided on the surface 51 of the cover 5, and the display portion 59 protrudes from the surface 51 of the cover 5.

[0030] Therefore, the display unit 59 is formed three-dimensionally on the surface 51 of the cover 5, making the display unit 59 stand out and improving its visibility.

[0031] Therefore, such a charging connector 1 can improve the visibility of the display unit 59.

[0032] Furthermore, the surface roughness of the cover 5 (surface 51) and the display unit (display unit 59) are different.

[0033] Therefore, by creating a visual difference between the surface 51 and the display unit 59, the display unit 59 can be made to stand out, further improving the visibility of the display unit 59.

[0034] Furthermore, the method for molding the cover 5 is a method for molding a cover 5 that closes the opening 13 of a housing 3 having a mating portion 9 into which an opening 13 into which a mating charging connector can be fitted is formed. The method for molding the cover 5 includes a first step of arranging a mold 61 which has a surface molding portion 63 for molding the surface 51 of the cover 5 and a display molding portion 65 which is recessed from the surface molding portion 63 and forms a display portion 59 on the surface 51 of the cover 5. The second step is to mold the cover 5 using the mold 61 so that it has a display portion 59 that protrudes from the surface 51 of the cover 5.

[0035] Therefore, in the cover 5 molded by the mold 61, the display portion 59 is formed three-dimensionally on the surface 51 of the cover 5, making the display portion 59 stand out and improving its visibility.

[0036] Therefore, this method of molding the cover 5 can improve the visibility of the display unit 59.

[0037] Furthermore, in the second step, before molding the cover 5, a treatment sheet 67 is placed on the surface molding section 63 of the mold 61 to perform a surface treatment on the surface 51 of the cover 5 so that its surface roughness differs from that of the display section 59.

[0038] Therefore, by creating a visual difference between the surface 51 and the display section 59, the display section 59 can be made more prominent, further improving the visibility of the display section 59. In addition, since the display molding section 65 is recessed compared to the surface molding section 63, when placing the processing sheet 67 on the surface molding section 63, the edge of the processing sheet 67 can be easily aligned with the edge of the display molding section 65. As a result, the processing accuracy of the surface 51 of the cover 5 can be improved, and the moldability of the cover 5 can be improved.

[0039] Although this embodiment has been described above, this embodiment is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of this embodiment.

[0040] For example, in the charging connector of this embodiment, a cylindrical portion is provided in the closing portion, but the connector is not limited to this, and the closing portion may be configured to close only the opening of the housing without a cylindrical portion. In this case, an engaging portion can be provided between the housing and the cover to maintain the state in which the closing portion closes the opening.

[0041] Furthermore, while the surface roughness of the cover is set to be rougher than that of the display area, this is not limited to this; the surface roughness of the display area may also be set to be rougher than that of the cover.

[0042] Furthermore, while the cover has the cable integrated into it, it is not limited to this; the cover may be assembled to the housing without the cable. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1. Charging connector 3 Housing 5 Cover 9. Fitting part 13 Frontage 51 Surface 59 Display section 61 molds 63 Surface molding part 65 Display molding part 67 Processing Sheet

Claims

1. A housing having a mating portion with an opening formed therein into which a mating charging connector can be mated, A cover that closes the aforementioned opening, Equipped with, A display section is provided on the surface of the cover. The display unit is a charging connector that protrudes from the surface of the cover.

2. The charging connector according to claim 1, wherein the surface roughness of the cover and the display portion are different.

3. A method for forming a cover that closes an opening in a housing having a mating portion into which a mating connector can be mated, A first step involves arranging a mold that includes a surface molding section for molding the surface of the cover and a display molding section recessed from the surface molding section for molding a display section on the surface of the cover. A method for molding a cover, comprising a second step of molding the cover using the mold so that it has a display portion that protrudes from the surface of the cover.

4. The method for molding a cover according to claim 3, wherein, in the second step, before molding the cover, a treatment sheet is placed on the surface molding portion of the mold to perform a surface treatment on the surface of the cover so that the surface roughness differs from that of the display portion.

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