Charging inlet

Abstract

To provide a charging inlet which can position a central axis of a terminal to a housing with high accuracy.SOLUTION: A charging inlet 1 includes a plurality of terminals 2, a housing 5 storing the terminals 2, and a terminal holder 4 assembled with the housing 5. The terminal 2 includes a first connection part 21 formed in a solid columnar shape, a second connection part 22, and an intermediate part 23. On the outer periphery of the intermediate part 23, a resin component 6 is provided. The resin component 6 includes a cylindrical part 61, a plurality of ribs 63 which are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical part 61 and extend in an axial direction of the cylindrical part 61, and a flange 62. The housing 5 is formed with a press-fit hole 55 to which the cylindrical part 61 and the ribs 63 are press-fit. The flange 62 is sandwiched between the housing 5 and the terminal holder 4 outside the press-fit hole 55.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging inlet. [Background technology]

[0002] Connectors for charging the on-board batteries are attached to the bodies of electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such connectors are generally called "charging inlets." Examples of conventional charging inlets are shown in Figs. 7 to 10.

[0003] Charging inlet 501 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 is adapted to be fitted with a charging plug (not shown), and includes a plurality of terminals 502, a housing 505 that accommodates these terminals 502, and a terminal holder 504 assembled to housing 505.

[0004] Terminal 502 is formed by cutting, and includes first connection portion 521 formed in a solid cylindrical shape, second connection portion 522, intermediate portion 523 between first connection portion 521 and second connection portion 522, and flange 526 formed in an annular shape on the outer periphery of intermediate portion 523, as shown in Figs. 8 and 10. First connection portion 521 is fitted with a terminal provided on a charging plug. Second connection portion 522 is a portion connected to electric wire 503. Second connection portion 522 is formed in a cylindrical shape coaxial with first connection portion 521, and includes recess 524 into which electric wire 503 is inserted.

[0005] The housing 505 includes an inner housing 552 that houses a plurality of terminals 502, and a hood portion 551. In the inner housing 552, a first accommodating portion 553, a second accommodating portion 554, and a communication portion 556 are formed for each terminal 502.

[0006] First accommodating portion 553 is a space that opens to the front side of charging inlet 501, and accommodates the front half of first connecting portion 521. Second accommodating portion 554 is a space that opens to the rear side of charging inlet 501, and accommodates intermediate portion 523, flange 526, and second connecting portion 522. Communication portion 556 is a space that communicates first accommodating portion 553 and second accommodating portion 554, and accommodates the rear half of first connecting portion 521.

[0007] The terminal holder 504 sandwiches the flange 526 between itself and a rear surface 557 of the second accommodating portion 554 , thereby preventing the terminal 502 from slipping out of the inner housing 552 . [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-77573 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The above-described charging inlet 501 has a structure in which terminal 502 is assembled into housing 505, and since a fit tolerance is set, there is a problem in that it is difficult to accurately position the central axis of terminal 502.

[0010] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a charging inlet that allows the central axis of a terminal to be positioned with respect to a housing with high accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A charging inlet of the present invention includes a terminal, a housing that accommodates the terminal, and a terminal holder assembled to the housing, the terminal includes a first connection portion formed in a solid cylindrical shape, a second connection portion provided coaxially with the first connection portion, and an intermediate portion between the first connection portion and the second connection portion, and a resin part is provided on an outer periphery of the intermediate portion, the resin part includes a cylindrical portion, a plurality of ribs formed on an outer periphery of the cylindrical portion and extending in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion, and a flange, the flange is continuous with an end of the cylindrical portion on the second connection portion side and is formed in an annular shape with a larger diameter than the cylindrical portion, the housing includes a press-fit hole into which the cylindrical portion and the ribs are press-fitted, and the flange is sandwiched between the housing and the holder outside the press-fit hole. The plurality of ribs are crushed when pressed into the press-fit hole. It is characterized by:

[0012] The manufacturing method of the charging inlet of the present invention is characterized by sequentially including a terminal molding process of shaping the terminal by cutting, a resin part molding process of molding the resin part by insert molding in which the terminal is placed in a manufacturing mold for the resin part, and a plating process of applying a plating treatment to the exposed outer surface of the terminal other than the portion where the resin part is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, the central axis of the terminal can be positioned with high precision relative to the housing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of a charging inlet according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the charging inlet of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the terminal and the resin part in FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a plan view of the terminal and the resin part in FIG. 4. [Figure 6]5 is a front view of the terminal and the resin part in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a front view of a conventional charging inlet. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the charging inlet of FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the terminal of FIG. 9 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] A "charging inlet" according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0016] 1 to 3 is attached to the body of an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, etc., and is fitted with a charging plug (not shown). The charging inlet 1 includes a plurality of terminals 2, a housing 5 that houses the terminals 2, and a terminal holder 4 attached to the housing 5.

[0017] The terminal 2 is made of copper and formed by cutting. As shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5, the terminal 2 includes a first connection portion 21 formed in a solid cylindrical shape, a second connection portion 22 provided coaxially with the first connection portion 21, and an intermediate portion 23 between the first connection portion 21 and the second connection portion 22.

[0018] The first connection portion 21 is a portion that is fitted with a terminal provided on a charging plug.

[0019] The second connection portion 22 is a portion electrically connected to the electric wire 3. The second connection portion 22 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a recess 24 into which the electric wire 3 is inserted. The recess 24 opens on the side opposite to the first connection portion 21.

[0020] An annular groove 25 is formed on the outer periphery of the intermediate portion 23. A resin part 6 is provided on the outer periphery of the intermediate portion 23. The resin part 6 is molded by insert molding in which the terminal 2 is placed in a manufacturing mold.

[0021] The resin part 6 includes a cylindrical portion 61 , a plurality of ribs 63 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 61 and extending in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 61 , and a flange 62 .

[0022] The cylindrical portion 61 is provided at a portion closer to the first connecting portion 21 than the annular groove 25 of the intermediate portion 23. As shown in Fig. 6, in this example, ten ribs 63 are formed. These ribs 63 are arranged at equal intervals on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 61.

[0023] The flange 62 is connected to the end of the cylindrical portion 61 on the second connection portion 22 side, and is formed in an annular shape with a larger diameter than the cylindrical portion 61. The flange 62 is also formed with a larger diameter than any other portion of the terminal 2. The flange 62 is provided so as to fill the annular groove 25. The outer circumferential surface of the flange 62 is located outside the annular groove 25.

[0024] The housing 5 is made of insulating synthetic resin and includes an inner housing 52 that houses a plurality of terminals 2, and a hood portion 51 that surrounds the inner housing 52. The inner housing 52 is formed with a first housing portion 53, a second housing portion 54, a press-fit hole 55, and a communication portion 56 for each terminal 2.

[0025] First housing portion 53 is a space that opens to the front side of charging inlet 1, and houses the front half of first connection portion 21 therein.

[0026] Second accommodating portion 54 is a space that is open to the rear side of charging inlet 1, and accommodates a rear half of intermediate portion 23, flange 62, and second connection portion 22.

[0027] The press-fit hole 55 is a space recessed from the inner surface 57 of the second accommodating portion 54, into which the front half of the intermediate portion 23, the cylindrical portion 61, and the plurality of ribs 63 are press-fitted. The plurality of ribs 63 are crushed when press-fitted into the press-fit hole 55. This allows the central axis of the terminal 2 to be positioned with respect to the housing 5 with high accuracy.

[0028] The communication portion 56 is a space that communicates the first accommodating portion 53 and the press-fit hole 55, and accommodates the rear half of the first connecting portion 21 therein.

[0029] The terminal holder 4 comprises a cylindrical outer wall 41, a cylindrical pressing portion 42 provided for each terminal 2 and arranged inside the outer wall 41, and a connecting portion 43 connecting each pressing portion 42 to the outer wall 41.

[0030] Each retaining portion 42 is arranged in the second accommodating portion 54, and positions the second connection portion 22 and the end of the electric wire 3 inside it, and sandwiches the flange 26 between itself and the rear surface 57 of the second accommodating portion 54 to prevent the terminal 2 from slipping out of the inner housing 52.

[0031] In this manner, the terminal 2 is fixed to the housing 5 without any rattling in either the radial direction or the central axial direction.

[0032] The charging inlet 1 is manufactured through a terminal molding step, a resin part molding step, a plating step, a step of connecting the second connection portion 22 and the electric wire 3, a terminal assembling step, and a terminal holder assembling step, in that order.

[0033] In the terminal forming process, the terminal 2 is formed by cutting. The terminal 502 (see FIG. 10) of the prior art was formed by cutting from a base material corresponding to the diameter of the flange 526, resulting in a large amount of material being wasted during cutting. In this regard, the terminal 2 of this embodiment can be processed with the minimum necessary base material diameter, reducing the amount of copper material wasted, thereby enabling cost reduction.

[0034] In the resin part molding process, the resin part 6 is molded by insert molding in which the terminal 2 is placed in a manufacturing mold for the resin part 6. As described above, a part of the resin part 6 fits into the annular groove 25, so that the resin part 6 is unlikely to come off the terminal 2.

[0035] In the plating process, plating is applied to the exposed outer surface of the terminal 2 other than the portion where the resin component 6 is provided. In the terminal 502 of the prior art (see FIG. 10), plating is also applied to the flange 526 which does not require plating, resulting in a large amount of plating material being used. In this regard, in the terminal 2 of the present embodiment, plating is applied only to the necessary portions, so that the amount of plating material used can be reduced, enabling cost reduction.

[0036] In the terminal assembly process, the terminal 2 integrated with the resin part 6 is press-fitted into the inner housing 52. When press-fitting, as described above, the rib 63 is crushed, so that the terminal 2 is fixed to the housing 5 without any rattling in the radial direction. Therefore, the central axis of the terminal 2 is positioned with respect to the housing 5 with high accuracy.

[0037] The above-described embodiment merely shows a typical form of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In other words, the present invention can be embodied in various modifications without departing from the gist of the present invention. As long as the configuration of the present invention is still provided even with such modifications, it is of course included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 Charging inlet 2 Terminal 4 Terminal Holder 5. Housing 6 Plastic parts 21 First connection part 22 Second connection part 23 Middle Section 61 Cylindrical part 62 Flange 63 Ribs

Claims

1. A terminal, a housing that accommodates the terminal, and a terminal holder that is assembled to the housing, The terminal includes a first connection portion formed in a solid cylindrical shape, a second connection portion provided coaxially with the first connection portion, and an intermediate portion between the first connection portion and the second connection portion, A resin part is provided on the outer periphery of the intermediate portion, The resin part includes a cylindrical portion, a plurality of ribs formed on an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion and extending in an axial direction of the cylindrical portion, and a flange, The flange is connected to an end of the cylindrical portion on the second connection portion side and is formed in an annular shape having a larger diameter than the cylindrical portion, a press-fit hole into which the cylindrical portion and the rib are press-fitted is formed in the housing, the flange is sandwiched between the housing and the terminal holder outside the press-fit hole, The plurality of ribs are crushed when pressed into the press-fit hole. A charging inlet characterized by:

2. The flange is formed to have a diameter larger than any other portion of the terminal. The charging inlet according to claim 1 .

3. A method for manufacturing the charging inlet according to claim 1 or 2, comprising the steps of: a terminal forming process for forming the terminal by cutting; a resin part molding process for molding the resin part by insert molding in which the terminal is disposed in a manufacturing die for the resin part; a plating process for plating an exposed outer surface of the terminal other than a portion where the resin component is provided; A method for manufacturing a charging inlet, comprising the steps of:

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