Cap opening and closing structure and charging connector

Abstract

To provide a cap opening / closing structure which reduces an opening speed of a cap with a simple structure, and to provide a charging connector.SOLUTION: A charging connector 1 including a cap opening / closing structure includes a housing, a hinge part, and a cap 10 having a housing part. The hinge part has: a spring 45 which biases the cap 10 so that the cap 10 rotates around a rotary shaft (a pin 43) from a closed position to an open position; a damper disposed around the pin 43; and an O ring 47 disposed between a small diameter part 21 of the damper and the cap 10. The housing part may house the damper and the O ring 47 and has an inner peripheral surface 172 including an upward inclination surface 173 extending along a circumferential direction of the rotary shaft. The O ring 47 is sandwiched between an outer peripheral surface 21A of the small diameter part 21 and the inner peripheral surface 172 of the housing part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cap opening and closing structure and a charging connector. [Background technology]

[0002] A charging connector mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle has a cap that can be opened and closed to cover a connection part that is connected to a mating connection part (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The charging connector described in Patent Document 1 includes a housing, a cap that is supported on the housing so as to be rotatable about a pin as an axis, and a torsion spring that biases the cap to rotate from a closed position to an open position. This charging connector also includes a damper that controls the torque of the torsion spring, and an inlet damper spring that is arranged between the damper and the cap, and the damper obtains a reaction force from the inlet damper spring. When the cap is opened by the torsion spring, the damper and the housing come into contact with each other at their opposing wall surfaces, generating a frictional force that acts as a resistance when the cap is opened. This charging connector also controls the resistance by partially providing slopes on each wall surface of the damper and the housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-101547 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the charging connector described in the above Patent Document 1 has a structure in which the resistance when the cap is opened is adjusted by the frictional force generated between the opposing wall surfaces of the damper and the housing, making it difficult to adjust. Therefore, although this structure can suppress the flapping of the cap, it is difficult to slow down the opening speed of the cap.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide a cap opening / closing structure and a charging connector that can reduce the momentum with which the cap opens with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the cap opening and closing structure according to the present invention has the following features. a housing having an opening; A hinge portion; a cap that is rotatably supported on the housing via the hinge portion between a closed position and an open position, the cap covering the opening at the closed position and opening the opening at the open position, The hinge portion is a biasing member that biases the cap so as to rotate about a rotation axis from the closed position to the open position; A damper disposed around the pivot shaft; an annular elastic member disposed between the damper and the cap; a housing portion provided in the cap and capable of housing the damper and the elastic member; the damper has a holding portion that holds the elastic member and a fixing portion that is fixed to the housing, The housing portion has an inner circumferential surface including a slope extending along a circumferential direction of the rotation shaft, The elastic member is sandwiched between an outer circumferential surface of the holding portion and the inner circumferential surface of the accommodating portion. 、 The inclined surface has a distance from the rotation axis that gradually increases along the circumferential direction, the holding portion extends along the rotation shaft and has a cylindrical portion having an oval shape when viewed in a direction along the rotation shaft, When the distance by which the elastic member is compressed between the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion and the inner circumferential surface of the accommodation portion in the major axis direction of the elliptical shape of the cylindrical portion is defined as a crushing margin, the inner circumferential surface of the storage portion including the inclined surface is configured such that the crushing allowance is largest when the cap is in the closed position, the crushing allowance gradually decreases as the cap moves from the closed position to the open position, and the crushing allowance is smallest when the cap is in the open position. Cap opening and closing structure.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the charging connector according to the present invention has the following features. A device equipped with the above-mentioned cap opening and closing structure, Charging connector. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The cap opening / closing structure and charging connector according to the present invention have a simple structure and provide the effect of slowing down the momentum with which the cap is opened.

[0009] The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the following description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a charging connector according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cap. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the damper. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the housing. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the receiving portion of the cap. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 1, showing the cap in a closed position. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6, showing a state in which the cap is in the middle of being opened. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6, showing the cap in an open position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a cap opening / closing structure and a charging connector equipped with this cap opening / closing structure will be described. For convenience of explanation, the following definitions are used to define "front", "rear", "up", "down", "left", "right", "front-rear direction", "left-right direction" and "up-down direction" as shown in Figs. 1 to 8. The "front-rear direction", "left-right direction" and "up-down direction" are mutually perpendicular.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a charging connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the charging connector 1 in a state where the cap 10 is closed, with the cap 10 seen through. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cap 10. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the damper 20. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the housing 30. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the storage section 17 of the cap 10 as viewed in the front-rear direction. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 1, showing a state where the cap 10 is in the closed position. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6, showing a state where the cap 10 is in the middle of being opened. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6, showing a state where the cap 10 is in the open position.

[0013] The charging connector 1 of this embodiment is provided in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and is electrically connected to a charging connector outside the vehicle for charging a battery mounted on the vehicle. The charging connector 1 is mainly made of synthetic resin, and is fixed to a body panel of the vehicle, etc. The charging connector 1 includes a cap opening / closing structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. This cap opening / closing structure includes a cap 10, a hinge portion H, and a housing 30.

[0014] The cap 10 is rotatably connected to the housing 30 via a hinge portion H. The cap 10 is rotatably supported on the housing 30 between a closed position and an open position via the hinge portion H. The cap 10 covers an opening 32 (see FIG. 4) of the housing 30 in the closed position, and opens the opening 32 in the open position.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 2, the cap 10 has a cap body 11 and a protruding portion 15. The cap body 11 is a substantially circular plate-shaped member and has a receiving groove 13 on its lower surface for receiving an annular packing 41. The protruding portion 15 protrudes leftward and downward from the left end of the cap body 11. The protruding portion 15 has a receiving portion 17 capable of receiving a damper 20 and an O-ring 47 to be described later, and a side wall 18 provided on the right side of the receiving portion 17 and spaced apart from the receiving portion 17.

[0016] The receiving portion 17 has a substantially circular plate-shaped bottom wall 175 and a receiving wall 171 erected on the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall 175, and has a substantially hollow cylindrical shape. The bottom wall 175 is provided with a pin insertion hole 19 through which a pin 43 is inserted at the center position. The pin 43 is a rod-shaped member made of metal and is an example of a rotation axis.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 5, the receiving wall 171 has upward slopes 173, 173 and downward surfaces 174, 174 on a part of the inner peripheral surface 172. The upward slopes 173, 173 are examples of slopes extending along the circumferential direction of the pin 43 (rotation axis). The two upward slopes 173 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center position O of the pin insertion hole 19 that becomes the center of the rotation axis. The upward slope 173 is formed such that the distance from the pin 43 gradually increases along the circumferential direction. Each downward surface 174 is a curved surface connecting between the two upward slopes 173. The inner peripheral surface 172 is configured such that the distances from the center position O are R2 < R3 < R1. R1 and R2 are the respective distances from the center position O to both end edges in the extending direction of the upward slope 173. R3 is the distance from the center position O to the intermediate position in the circumferential direction of the downward surface 174 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "intermediate position"). In the cap 10, the inner peripheral surface 172 is shaped such that the O-ring 47 accommodated in the receiving portion 17 climbs the upward slope 173 at the beginning of the opening of the cap 10 and gently descends the downward surface 174 at the end of the opening.

[0018] The side wall 18 is spaced apart from the bottom wall 175 of the housing portion 17 and extends parallel to the bottom wall 175, forming an accommodation space capable of accommodating the spring 45 between the side wall 18 and the bottom wall 175. The side wall 18 is provided with a pin insertion hole, through which the pin 43 is inserted, at a position corresponding to the pin insertion hole 19 in the bottom wall 175.

[0019] The hinge portion H includes a pin 43, a spring 45 as an example of a biasing member, a damper 20, an O-ring 47 as an example of an annular elastic member, and a housing portion 17.

[0020] The spring 45 is a metallic coil spring that biases the cap 10 so as to rotate about the rotation axis (pin 43) from the closed position to the open position.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the damper 20 has an insertion hole 25 through which the pin 43 is inserted, and is disposed around the pin 43. The damper 20 has a stepped, approximately cylindrical shape. The damper 20 has a small diameter portion 21 that holds an O-ring 47, a large diameter portion 23 that has an outer diameter larger than that of the small diameter portion 21, and two protrusions 27 that are fixed to the housing 30. The small diameter portion 21 is an example of a holding portion, and the protrusions 27 are an example of a fixing portion. The large diameter portion 23 has an approximately cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction, with the small diameter portion 21 provided on the front surface and the two protrusions 27 provided on the rear surface. The small diameter portion 21 has a tubular portion extending forward from the large diameter portion 23, and has an elliptical shape when viewed in the front-rear direction, i.e., the extension direction of the pin 43. The protrusions 27 are approximately rectangular parallelepiped members that protrude rearward from the rear surface of the large diameter portion 23. The two protrusions 27 are provided on the rear surface of the large diameter portion 23, one above the other with the insertion hole 25 therebetween.

[0022] The O-ring 47 is an annular elastic member disposed between the damper 20 and the cap 10. The O-ring 47 is made of rubber, for example. The O-ring 47 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 21A (see FIG. 3) of the small diameter portion 21 of the damper 20 and the inner peripheral surface 172 of the housing portion 17 of the cap 10. The O-ring 47 can be biased in the entire circumferential direction and the radial direction about the pin 43. The size of the crushing margin of the O-ring 47 sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 21A and the inner peripheral surface 172 changes depending on the opening angle of the cap 10, and the reaction force applied to the damper 20 changes depending on the size of the crushing margin.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 30 has a housing main body 31, an attachment portion 33, and a hood portion 35. The housing main body 31 has a hollow cylindrical shape and is configured to be able to hold a connection portion therein that is electrically connected to a connection object outside the vehicle. The connection object outside the vehicle is, for example, a charging connector. The attachment portion 33 has a substantially rectangular plate shape and is provided with through holes at its four corners that are attachment holes to a vehicle body panel (not shown). The attachment portion 33 is fixed to the vehicle body panel by inserting bolts (not shown) through the four through holes and tightening the attachment portion 33 to the vehicle body panel. The hood portion 35 has a substantially hollow cylindrical shape that follows the outer periphery of the housing main body 31 and covers the upper half of the housing main body 31. The hood portion 35 is provided integrally with the attachment portion 33. The hood portion 35 has, on its outer periphery, a pair of retaining walls 37 and a pair of retaining walls that retain a lock portion for maintaining the cap 10 in a closed state, on the left and right sides of the hood portion 35, respectively.

[0024] The pair of retaining walls 37 are substantially rectangular plate-like members erected on the upper surface of the mounting portion 33 so as to face each other at a distance in the front-rear direction, and each has a pin insertion hole 37b through which the pin 43 is inserted. The rear retaining wall 37 has a retaining groove 37a on the front surface. The retaining groove 37a extends downward from the upper end edge of the rear retaining wall 37 and has a U-shape when viewed in the up-down direction. The size of the retaining groove 37a in the left-right direction corresponds to the size of the protrusion 27 provided on the damper 20 in the left-right direction. The lower surface of the retaining groove 37a is an inclined surface that slopes downward from the rear to the front. The pair of retaining walls 37 rotatably support the cap 10 by inserting the pin 43 into the pin insertion hole 37b with the protrusion 15 of the cap 10 inserted between the pair of retaining walls 37.

[0025] The charging connector 1 is assembled, for example, as follows. The damper 20 is accommodated in the accommodation portion 17 of the cap 10 with the O-ring 47 attached to the outer circumferential surface 21A of the small diameter portion 21 and the packing 41 attached to the accommodation groove 13. The spring 45 is accommodated between the bottom wall 175 and the side wall 18. In this state, the protrusion 15 is inserted from above between the pair of holding walls 37 of the housing 30, and the two protrusions 27 are inserted from above into the holding groove 37a of the rear holding wall 37, thereby fixing the damper 20 to the housing 30. Next, the pin 43 penetrates the pin insertion hole 37b of the holding wall 37, the insertion hole 25 of the damper 20, the inside of the spring 45, and the pin insertion hole 37b of the holding wall 37, and is prevented from coming off from the holding wall 37. In this manner, the cap 10 and the housing 30 are integrated together. A locking portion is attached to the right end of the hood portion 35 of the housing 30, making it possible to maintain the cap 10 in the closed position.

[0026] In the charging connector 1 configured as described above, since the damper 20 obtains a reaction force by compressing the O-ring 47, this reaction force and friction serve as a resistance for controlling the torque of the spring 45. By using the O-ring 47, the friction increases, making it possible to obtain resistance with a small reaction force. In the charging connector 1, since the upward slope 173 is provided on the inner peripheral surface 172 of the housing wall 171, the O-ring 47 is compressed between the small-diameter portion 21 and the inner peripheral surface 172 in the major axis direction of the small-diameter portion 21 (hereinafter referred to as the compression allowance).) varies according to the opening angle of the cap 10. The opening angle of the cap 10 is the angle formed between the cap 10 and the upper end surface of the housing 30.

[0027] With reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, the operation of the opening of the cap 10 will be described. FIGS. 6 to 8 respectively show states where the opening angles of the cap 10 are 0 degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees. As shown in FIG. 6, when the cap 10 is in the closed position, the O-ring 47 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 21A of the small-diameter portion 21 and the upward slope 173, and the compression allowance in the major axis direction of the small-diameter portion 21 is the largest. Therefore, when the lock of the cap 10 is released and the cap 10 is urged by the spring 45 and starts to open, that is, when the opening angle of the cap 10 is 0 degrees, the resistance to the torque of the spring 45 is the largest. When the cap 10 is opening, as shown in FIG. 7, when the opening angle of the cap 10 is 45 degrees, the O-ring 47 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 21A of the small-diameter portion 21 and the intermediate position P (see FIG. 5) of the downward surface 174. The intermediate position P is a position where the distance RP from the central position O satisfies R2 < RP < R3. Therefore, when the opening angle of the cap 1 is 45 degrees, the compression allowance is medium, and the resistance to the torque of the spring 45 is medium. Further, when the cap 10 opens, as shown in FIG. 8, at the end state of the opening of the cap 10, that is, when the opening angle of the cap 10 is 90 degrees, the O-ring 47 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 21A and the intermediate position of the downward surface 174, and the compression allowance is the smallest, and the resistance to the torque of the spring 45 becomes small.

[0028] As described above, in the charging connector 1, the inner peripheral surface 172 of the cap 10 has the upward inclined surfaces 173, 173 and the downward inclined surfaces 174, 174 arranged symmetrically with respect to the center position O, and the crushing margin of the O-ring 47 is changed depending on the opening angle of the cap 10. With this configuration, the resistance of the damper 20 in the opening operation of the cap 10 is controlled. Therefore, by adjusting the inclined shape of the inner peripheral surface 172 of the containing wall 171 in the cap 10, the resistance by the damper 20 can be finely adjusted, and the cap 10 can be opened gently at a constant speed. In addition, flapping of the cap 10 can be suppressed. Furthermore, the reaction force of the O-ring 47 is applied symmetrically in the rotational direction with respect to the pin 43 (rotating shaft), and the structure is not such that a load is applied to one side of the holding wall 37, so that the cap 10 does not shift in position or break due to a load being applied to one side of the housing 30 or the cap 10. In addition, since the reaction force of the damper 20 is obtained by compressing the O-ring 47, it is possible to improve the ease of assembly and reduce costs compared to the case where the reaction force of the damper 20 is obtained by using a coil spring, for example.

[0029] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. The material, shape, size, numerical value, form, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the small diameter portion 21 has an elliptical shape when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, but it may have a shape such as an egg-shaped cam shape, such that the distance from the rotation axis is not constant, when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis.

[0030] Here, the features of the cap opening / closing structure and the charging connector according to the embodiment of the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [5].

[0031] [1] A housing (30) having an opening (32); A hinge part (H), a cap (10) that is supported on the housing via the hinge portion so as to be rotatable between a closed position and an open position, and that covers the opening at the closed position and opens the opening at the open position; The hinge portion (H) is A biasing member (spring 45) that biases the cap so as to rotate about a rotation axis (pin 43) from the closed position to the open position; A damper (20) disposed around the pivot shaft; an annular elastic member (O-ring 47) disposed between the damper and the cap; a housing portion (17) provided in the cap and capable of housing the damper and the elastic member, The damper has a holding portion (small diameter portion 21) that holds the elastic member, and a fixing portion (projection portion 27) that is fixed to the housing, The housing portion (17) has an inner peripheral surface (172) including a slope (upward slope 173) extending in the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft, The elastic member (O-ring 47) is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface (21A) of the holding portion (small diameter portion 21) and the inner peripheral surface (172) of the storage portion (17). Cap opening and closing structure.

[0032] According to the cap opening / closing structure of the above-mentioned [1], the elastic member is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the holding portion of the damper and the inner peripheral surface of the housing portion provided in the cap, and the inner peripheral surface of the housing portion has a slope extending along the circumferential direction of the rotation axis. Therefore, the compression allowance of the elastic member can be changed depending on the opening angle of the cap, that is, whether the cap is in the closed position or the open position. Therefore, with a simple structure, it is possible to reduce the momentum of the cap opening and suppress the flapping of the cap.

[0033] [2] The inclined surface has a gradually increasing distance from the rotation axis along the circumferential direction. The cap opening and closing structure described in [1] above.

[0034] [3] The holding portion extends along the rotation axis and has an elliptical cylindrical portion when viewed in a direction along the rotation axis. The cap opening and closing structure described in [2] above.

[0035] [4] The inclined surface is configured such that the compression of the elastic member along the major axis of the oval shape is greatest when the cap is in the closed position, and the compression is least when the cap is in the open position. The cap opening and closing structure described in [3] above.

[0036] [5] A cap opening / closing structure according to any one of [1] to [4] above, Charging connector (1).

[0037] According to the charging connector having the configuration of [5] above, the elastic member is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the holding portion of the damper and the inner peripheral surface of the housing portion provided in the cap, and the inner peripheral surface of the housing portion has a slope extending along the circumferential direction of the rotation axis. Therefore, the compression allowance of the elastic member can be changed depending on the opening angle of the cap, that is, whether the cap is in the closed position or the open position. Therefore, with a simple configuration, the momentum of the cap opening can be slowed down, and flapping of the cap can be suppressed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 Charging connector 10 Cap 11 Cap body 13 Storage Groove 15 Protrusion 17 Storage unit 20 Damper 21 Small diameter section 21A Outer surface 23 Large diameter section 27 Protrusion 30 Housing 31 Housing body 32 Opening 35 Hood section 37 Retaining wall 37a Retaining groove 43 pin 45 Spring 47 O-ring 171 Containment Wall 172 Inner surface 173 Uphill 174 Downhill 175 Bottom wall H Hinge part

Claims

1. a housing having an opening; A hinge portion; a cap that is rotatably supported on the housing via the hinge portion between a closed position and an open position, the cap covering the opening at the closed position and opening the opening at the open position, The hinge portion is a biasing member that biases the cap so as to rotate about a rotation axis from the closed position to the open position; A damper disposed around the pivot shaft; an annular elastic member disposed between the damper and the cap; a housing portion provided in the cap and capable of housing the damper and the elastic member; the damper has a holding portion that holds the elastic member and a fixing portion that is fixed to the housing, The housing portion has an inner circumferential surface including a slope extending along a circumferential direction of the rotation shaft, the elastic member is sandwiched between an outer circumferential surface of the holding portion and the inner circumferential surface of the accommodating portion, The inclined surface has a distance from the rotation axis that gradually increases along the circumferential direction, the holding portion extends along the rotation shaft and has a cylindrical portion having an oval shape when viewed in a direction along the rotation shaft, When the distance by which the elastic member is compressed between the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion and the inner circumferential surface of the accommodation portion in the major axis direction of the elliptical shape of the cylindrical portion is defined as a crushing margin, the inner circumferential surface of the storage portion including the inclined surface is configured such that the crushing allowance is largest when the cap is in the closed position, the crushing allowance gradually decreases as the cap moves from the closed position to the open position, and the crushing allowance is smallest when the cap is in the open position. Cap opening and closing structure.

2. The inner peripheral surface of the accommodating portion is configured to include two upwardly inclined surfaces that are the inclined surfaces arranged symmetrically with respect to the rotation axis, and two downwardly inclined surfaces that are curved surfaces connecting the two upwardly inclined surfaces, the upward slope gradually decreases in distance from the pivot axis as the circumferential position moves in a direction opposite to the pivot direction of the cap from the closed position to the open position, and the downward slope gradually increases in distance from the pivot axis as the circumferential position moves in the opposite direction, and the magnitude of the decrease gradient of the distance with respect to the circumferential position of the upward slope is greater than the magnitude of the increase gradient of the distance with respect to the circumferential position of the downward surface, When the cap is in the closed position, the upwardly inclined surface of the inner peripheral surface of the storage portion is disposed opposite to an end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion in the longitudinal direction, and the elastic member is sandwiched between the upwardly inclined surface of the inner peripheral surface of the storage portion and the end portion of the outer peripheral surface, and when the cap is in the open position, the downwardly inclined surface of the inner peripheral surface of the storage portion is disposed opposite to the end portion of the outer peripheral surface, and the elastic member is sandwiched between the downwardly inclined surface of the inner peripheral surface of the storage portion and the end portion of the outer peripheral surface. The cap opening and closing structure according to claim 1 .

3. A cap opening / closing structure according to claim 1 or 2, Charging connector.

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