Charging inlet

Abstract

A charging inlet (1) comprises: a plurality of terminals (10) for power supply; an inlet housing (20) that holds the plurality of terminals (10); a rear case (40) that is connected to the inlet housing (20); a plurality of inner terminals (70); and a rear cover (60) that is attached to a connection work port portion (44), which is an opening portion of the rear case (40), so as to close the opening of the connection work port portion (44). The rear case (40) includes an accommodating portion (41) that accommodates, at least, a base portion (12) of each of the plurality of terminals (10) and the plurality of inner terminals (70). The rear cover (60) has a top plate portion (61) including a hole portion (61c) that penetrates between an inner surface (61a) facing the accommodating portion (41) and an outer surface (61b) facing the outside. A filling portion (80) filled with a potting material is shaped in the remaining part of the accommodating portion (41). A portion of the filling portion (80) is exposed to the outside through the hole portion (61c) of the top plate portion (61).

Description

Charging inlet

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

[0002] Conventionally, there are charging inlets that are installed in vehicles such as electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid vehicles to supply power from outside the vehicle to the onboard battery. It is important for charging inlets to further suppress heat generation in order to accommodate higher output to shorten charging times. Patent Document 1 discloses technology related to a charging inlet that includes a cover structure with a cooling mechanism at the opening of a housing that houses part of a power supply terminal, which generates a particularly large amount of heat during charging.

[0003] US Patent Application Publication No. 2021 / 0021077

[0004] In the charging inlet disclosed in Patent Document 1, the cooling mechanism is provided in the cover structure that covers the opening of the housing, which makes the overall structure complex.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the conventional technology, and an object of the present invention is to provide a charging inlet that has a simple structure and provides heat resistance.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a charging inlet for connecting an external charging connector, comprising: a plurality of rod-shaped terminals for supplying power whose tips contact the external terminal of the charging connector; an inlet housing that holds the plurality of terminals with their tips exposed to the outside; a rear case connected to the inlet housing; a plurality of inner terminals that are individually connected to base portions of the plurality of terminals inside the rear case and individually connected to ends of a plurality of electric wires introduced from the outside; and a rear cover that is attached to the connection work port portion so as to close the opening of the connection work port portion, which is an opening in the rear case, and that allows the connection work between the base portions of the terminals and the inner terminals.The rear case has a storage section that stores at least the base portions of the plurality of terminals and the plurality of inner terminals, and the rear cover has a top plate portion that includes a hole portion that penetrates between the inner surface facing the storage section and the outer surface facing outward.A filling section filled with potting material is molded in the remaining portion of the storage section, and a portion of the filling section is exposed to the outside through the hole portion of the top plate portion.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a charging inlet that has a simple structure and provides heat resistance.

[0008] FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the front side of a charging inlet according to an embodiment. FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the back side of a charging inlet according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a charging inlet according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a charging inlet according to an embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the front side of a rear case according to an embodiment. FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing the back side of the rear case according to an embodiment. FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing the inside of a rear cover according to an embodiment. FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing the outside of the rear cover according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a charging inlet illustrating a filling portion molding process. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a rear cover according to another embodiment.

[0009] Hereinafter, charging inlets according to each embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional proportions in the drawings are exaggerated for the sake of explanation and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0010] Fig. 1A is a perspective view showing the front side of a charging inlet 1 according to one embodiment. Fig. 1B is a perspective view showing the back side of the charging inlet 1. Here, the front side of the charging inlet 1 refers to the side on which the charging port 21a is open facing outward. On the other hand, the back side of the charging inlet 1 refers to the side opposite the front side, which is hidden inside the vehicle when the charging inlet 1 is installed in the vehicle.

[0011] Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the charging inlet 1. Note that, for convenience, Fig. 2 depicts a filled portion 80 inside the rear case 40 that is actually formed by hardening of the potting material after the assembly process of the charging inlet 1, but that the filled portion 80 is depicted in an already hardened state.

[0012] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the charging inlet 1 corresponding to the section III-III in Fig. 1A. The cross-sectional surface in Fig. 3 is an imaginary plane including the central axes of both of the two power supply terminals 10.

[0013] The charging inlet 1 is installed in a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and is a connector for supplying power to an on-board battery by appropriately connecting a charging connector (not shown) from outside the vehicle. The external charging connector is sometimes referred to as a "charging gun." The charging inlet 1 can be applied to various existing charging methods, but in this embodiment, it is illustrated as being compliant with the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Furthermore, for structures and the like not specifically mentioned or shown in the following description of the charging inlet 1, structures that comply with the NACS regulations can be applied.

[0014] As an example, the following description will assume that a charging connector is connected to the charging inlet 1, and define the direction in which the charging inlet 1 moves toward the charging connector as the X direction. In this case, the direction in which the charging connector moves toward the charging inlet 1 is opposite the X direction. The forward direction along the X direction may be referred to as "front," and the backward direction may be referred to as "rear." Furthermore, a YZ plane perpendicular to the X direction is assumed, and define the Y and Z directions perpendicular to each other. The Y direction is approximately horizontal. The Z direction is approximately opposite the vertical direction.

[0015] The charging inlet 1 comprises a plurality of terminals 10, an inlet housing 20, a terminal holding substrate 30, a rear case 40, a rear holder 50, a rear cover 60, a plurality of inner terminals 70, a plurality of bolts 71, a plug member 72, and a filling portion 80.

[0016] Each of the multiple terminals 10 is a rod-shaped male terminal made of metal. In particular, the terminals 10 here correspond to terminals for charging, i.e., power supply, that are connected to female terminals (not shown) (hereinafter referred to as "external terminals") provided on the charging connector when the charging connector is connected to the charging inlet 1. In this embodiment, the charging inlet 1 complies with the NACS and therefore has two terminals 10: a first terminal 10a that functions as a DC positive or AC positive terminal, and a second terminal 10b that functions as a DC negative or AC negative terminal.

[0017] Note that a charging inlet that complies with a general standard includes, in addition to a terminal for supplying power, a terminal for grounding, a terminal for transmitting a signal used to allow charging to begin, and a terminal for transmitting a signal used to confirm the connection of the charging connector. Although not shown, the charging inlet 1 that complies with the NACS also includes these three terminals.

[0018] Terminal 10 has a tip portion 11 and a base portion 12. When a charging connector is connected to charging inlet 1, tip portion 11 is directly connected to an external terminal. Base portion 12 is located rearward of tip portion 11 and connects one of a plurality of inner terminals 70. Base portion 12 has a bolt hole 12a formed in advance along the axial direction of terminal 10. Note that, in each terminal 10, a plug 11a manufactured separately in advance is provided on tip portion 11, and other portions may also be configured by combining a plurality of members.

[0019] The inlet housing 20 is made of synthetic resin, holds the terminals 10, and forms an exterior portion that is exposed to the outside when the charging connector is connected. The inlet housing 20 has a cylindrical portion 21, a protrusion 22, a flange portion 23, and a mounting frame portion 24.

[0020] Cylindrical portion 21 protects and positions tip portions 11 of the multiple terminals 10 in an internal space whose axial direction is the X direction. A charging port 21a is provided at the front end of cylindrical portion 21 as an opening into which the tip portion of a charging connector is fitted when starting charging. A rear end of cylindrical portion 21 is a rear wall portion 21b through which multiple terminal holding holes 21c pass and hold terminals such as terminals 10. In other words, for all terminals held in rear wall portion 21b, all tip portions, including tip portions 11 of each terminal 10, are positioned in the internal space of cylindrical portion 21 but are exposed to the outside through charging port 21a.

[0021] The protrusion 22 protrudes forward from the rear wall 21b inside the cylindrical portion 21, with its base end supported by the rear wall 21b. The protrusion 22 is provided to protect the terminals 10, etc., or to prevent erroneous insertion of the tip of the charging connector, and engages with a hole pre-formed in the charging connector when the tip of the charging connector is fitted into the cylindrical portion 21. When the tip of the charging connector is properly fitted into the cylindrical portion 21 in this manner, power is supplied to the vehicle battery from an external power source or the like, and the vehicle battery is charged.

[0022] The flange portion 23 supports the cylindrical portion 21 and the mounting frame portion 24. The specific shape of the flange portion 23 is determined according to the specifications of the vehicle in which the charging inlet 1 is installed. For example, bolt insertion holes 23a that penetrate in the X direction are formed at multiple locations on the flange portion 23. Bolts (not shown) are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 23a when the charging inlet 1 is attached to a predetermined location on the vehicle.

[0023] The mounting frame 24 is attached to the housing connection opening 42a of the rear case 40 when the inlet housing 20 is connected to the rear case 40. In this embodiment, the mounting frame 24 is a tubular portion with a circular opening cross section. One end of the mounting frame 24 is integrated with the flange 23 on the back side opposite to the front side where the tubular portion 21 is continuous. The other end of the mounting frame 24 is an open end that enters the interior of the housing connection opening 42a.

[0024] The terminal holding substrate 30 mounts and holds terminals for signal transmission separate from the terminals 10 for power supply. The terminal holding substrate 30 is disposed inside the mounting frame 24 of the inlet housing 20. The terminal holding substrate 30 has a circular planar shape that covers the bottom surface 23b on the flange portion 23 side when disposed on the mounting frame 24. The terminal holding substrate 30 has a plurality of terminal through-holes 31 and a plurality of pin terminals 32 used for signal transmission and the like. Each of the plurality of terminal through-holes 31 passes through a terminal 10. That is, in this embodiment, there are two terminal through-holes 31: one for passing the first terminal 10a and one for passing the second terminal 10b. The plurality of pin terminals 32 are a group of terminals that are electrically connected to the terminals for signal transmission and the like.

[0025] Fig. 4A is a perspective view showing the front side of the rear case 40. Fig. 4B is a perspective view showing the back side of the rear case 40. Here, the front side of the rear case 40 refers to the side where the opening of the housing connection port 42a is open, i.e., the side to which the inlet housing 20 is connected. On the other hand, the back side of the rear case 40 is opposite to the front side and in the opposite direction from the X direction, which corresponds to the direction in which the inlet housing 20 is connected to the rear case 40.

[0026] The rear case 40 is made of synthetic resin, is connected to the inlet housing 20, and has an accommodating portion 41 that accommodates at least the base portion 12 for each terminal 10 and a plurality of inner terminals 70. In this embodiment, the accommodating portion 41 accommodates at least the base portions 12 for two terminals 10 and the two inner terminals 70 corresponding to each terminal 10. The accommodating portion 41 will be described in detail below. The rear case 40 integrally includes a housing connecting portion 42, a wire connecting portion 43, a connection opening portion 44, and a connector portion 45.

[0027] The housing connecting portion 42 connects the mounting frame portion 24 of the inlet housing 20. The housing connecting portion 42 has a housing connecting opening portion 42a and a first bottom wall portion 42b.

[0028] The housing connection port 42a is a cylindrical portion into which the mounting frame 24 is fitted when connecting the housing connection portion 42. The axial direction of the housing connection port 42a is along the X direction, which is the connection direction to the inlet housing 20. The opening cross section of the housing connection port 42a is a circle that is preset to match the shape of the outer periphery of the mounting frame 24 so that the mounting frame 24 can be fitted. One end of the housing connection port 42a is an opening through which the mounting frame 24 is introduced when fitting the mounting frame 24. The other end of the housing connection port 42a is supported by the first bottom wall 42b.

[0029] The first bottom wall portion 42b is a flat portion perpendicular to the connecting direction. One of the main planes of the first bottom wall portion 42b faces the inner space of the housing connecting port portion 42a. The other main plane of the first bottom wall portion 42b faces the inner space of the tubular main body portion 43a of the wire connecting portion 43. The first bottom wall portion 42b also has terminal insertion holes 42c for inserting the base portions 12 of each terminal 10 into the tubular main body portion 43a when connecting the inlet housing 20 holding multiple terminals 10 to the housing connecting portion 42. The opening shape of the terminal insertion hole 42c is an elongated hole with a major axis set along the Y direction and a minor axis set along the Z direction so that two base portions 12 arranged side by side in the Y direction can be inserted into one hole.

[0030] The wire connection portion 43 forms a space portion that accommodates the ends of the plurality of wires 100 and connects the plurality of wires 100 to the base portions 12 of the corresponding terminals 10 via the inner terminals 70. In this embodiment, there are two wires 100. The wire connection portion 43 has a main body tubular portion 43a, a wire connection port portion 43b, and a second bottom wall portion 43c.

[0031] The main body tubular portion 43a constitutes the main body of the electric wire connection portion 43. The axial direction of the main body tubular portion 43a is along the opposite direction to the Y direction, which is the direction in which the electric wires 100 are introduced. The opening cross section of the main body tubular portion 43a is an elongated hole shape with the major axis set along the Z direction and the minor axis set along the X direction so that two electric wires 100 can be introduced in a parallel orientation in the Z direction. A portion of the outer surface of the main body tubular portion 43a is continuous with the housing connection port 42a. Another portion of the outer surface of the main body tubular portion 43a, which is located on the opposite side in the X direction from the portion continuous with the housing connection port 42a, is continuous with the connection work port 44.

[0032] The wire connection port 43b is one end of the main body tubular portion 43a and is an opening for introducing two electric wires 100 from the outside into the main body tubular portion 43a. In this embodiment, the opening cross section of the wire connection port 43b matches the opening cross section of the main body tubular portion 43a. In addition, the wire connection port 43b has a plurality of first locking protrusions 43d on its outer circumferential surface that engage with engaging pieces 53a provided on the rear holder 50 when the rear holder 50 is attached.

[0033] The second bottom wall portion 43c is the other end of the main body tubular portion 43a and is a wall portion that faces the opening of the electric wire connection port portion 43b in the Y direction.

[0034] The connection opening 44 is a cylindrical portion for performing the connection operation between the base portion 12 of the terminal 10 introduced through the terminal insertion hole 42c and the inner terminal 70 introduced through the wire connection opening 43b inside the cylindrical main body portion 43a of the wire connection portion 43. One end of the connection opening 44 is an opening for introducing the multiple bolts 71 and part of the tool used to fasten each bolt 71 during the connection operation. The other end of the connection opening 44 is supported on the outer surface of the cylindrical main body portion 43a, as described above. The opening of the connection opening 44 faces the opening of the terminal insertion hole 42c in the X direction via the cylindrical main body portion 43a. In other words, the axial direction of the connection opening 44 is aligned with the X direction. The cross section of the opening of the connection opening 44 is elongated, with the major axis set along the Y direction and the minor axis set along the Z direction.

[0035] The connector portion 45 is a cylindrical portion that houses the multiple pin terminals 32 mounted on the terminal holding substrate 30 while exposing them to the outside. One end of the connector portion 45 is an opening for connecting an external connector. The other end of the connector portion 45 is supported by the first bottom wall portion 42b of the housing connecting portion 42. The hole portion 45a of the connector portion 45 opens from the first bottom wall portion 42b to the inside of the housing connecting portion 42. In other words, the axial direction of the connector portion 45 is along the X direction. The cross section of the opening of the connector portion 45 is rectangular with long sides set along the Y direction and short sides set along the Z direction.

[0036] As described above, the rear case 40 has an accommodating portion 41 that accommodates at least the base portions 12 of the two terminals 10 and the two inner terminals 70. The accommodating portion 41 is a portion of the rear case 40 that forms an internal space that is interconnected. Specifically, the accommodating portion 41 in this embodiment includes a portion that forms the internal space of the housing connecting portion 42, a portion that forms the internal space of the wire connecting portion 43, and a portion that forms the internal space of the connection opening 44, all of which are interconnected. In other words, the accommodating portion 41 is a portion of the rear case 40 that is sealed when the open ends of the housing connecting opening 42a, the wire connecting opening 43b, and the connection opening 44 are all closed. In other words, in this embodiment, the internal space that accommodates the base portions 12 of the two terminals 10 and the two inner terminals 70 corresponds to the internal space of the wire connecting portion 43, but the accommodating portion 41 is not limited to the portion that forms the internal space of the wire connecting portion 43.

[0037] The rear holder 50 is made of synthetic resin and is attached to the electric wire connection port 43b of the rear case 40 so as to close the opening of the electric wire connection port 43b with two electric wires 100 inserted through the electric wire connection port 43b. The rear holder 50 integrally includes a plurality of support tube portions 51, a top plate portion 52, and an annular frame portion 53.

[0038] The plurality of support cylinder portions 51 are provided for each electric wire 100, and support the electric wire 100 by passing the electric wire 100 through the support cylinder portions 51 and coming into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire 100. In this embodiment, there are two support cylinder portions 51.

[0039] The top plate portion 52 is a flat plate portion that is perpendicular to the opposite direction to the Y direction, which is the attachment direction of the rear holder 50 to the electric wire connection port 43b. The top plate portion 52 supports the two support tube portions 51 on one main flat surface side, with each opening open on the other main flat surface side. The top plate portion 52 covers the opening of the electric wire connection port 43b when the rear holder 50 is attached to the electric wire connection port 43b. Therefore, the planar shape of the top plate portion 52 is set in advance to match the outer cross section of the electric wire connection port 43b. Furthermore, the top plate portion 52 supports each support tube portion 51 so that their central axes are aligned along the Y direction and are parallel to each other in the Z direction.

[0040] When the rear holder 50 is attached to the wire connection port 43 b, the annular frame 53 introduces the tip of the wire connection port 43 b into the interior and faces closely to the outer circumferential surface of the wire connection port 43 b. The annular frame 53 is continuous with the edge of the main plane of the top plate 52 on the side opposite to the side on which the two support cylinders 51 are supported. A portion of the annular frame 53 is elastically deformable and has a plurality of engaging pieces 53 a formed with engaging holes that each engage with one of the plurality of first locking protrusions 43 d when the rear holder 50 is attached to the wire connection port 43 b.

[0041] Fig. 5A is a perspective view that allows the inside of the rear cover 60 to be seen. Fig. 5B is a perspective view that allows the outside of the rear cover 60 to be seen. Here, the inside of the rear cover 60 refers to the side where the rear cover 60 is attached to the connection access port 44 of the rear case 40. On the other hand, the outside of the rear cover 60 refers to the side opposite the inside, which is exposed when the rear cover 60 is attached to the connection access port 44 of the rear case 40.

[0042] The rear cover 60 is made of synthetic resin and is attached to the connection access port 44 so as to cover the opening of the connection access port 44 of the rear case 40. The rear cover 60 integrally includes a top plate portion 61 and an annular frame portion 62.

[0043] Top plate 61 is a flat plate that is perpendicular to the opposite direction to the Z direction, which is the attachment direction of rear cover 60 to connection opening 44. Top plate 61 includes an inner surface 61a that faces storage section 41 when rear cover 60 is attached to connection opening 44, and an outer surface 61b that is the surface opposite inner surface 61a and faces outward. The planar shape of top plate 61 is set in advance to fit the external cross section of connection opening 44.

[0044] The top plate 61 also includes a hole 61c that penetrates between the inner surface 61a and the outer surface 61b. The opening of the hole 61c is circular. The hole 61c is located at the center of gravity of the top plate 61 in plan view.

[0045] The annular frame 62 is connected to the connection opening 44 when the rear cover 60 is attached to the connection opening 44. In this embodiment, the annular frame 62 is a cylindrical body with a constant wall thickness. A first end 62a, which is one end of the annular frame 62, protrudes in the X direction and is a connection end that connects to the connection opening 44 when the rear cover 60 is attached to the connection opening 44. A second end 62b, which is the other end of the annular frame 62, protrudes in the opposite direction from the X direction and is an open end that is exposed to the outside when the rear cover 60 is attached to the connection opening 44. Although not shown, the annular frame 62 may have, for example, multiple elastically deformable engaging pieces formed with engaging holes that each engage with one of multiple locking protrusions pre-formed on the connection opening 44 when the rear cover 60 is attached to the connection opening 44.

[0046] Furthermore, the annular frame portion 62 supports the outer peripheral edge of the top plate portion 61 with its inner surface 62c. Therefore, a first space S1 and a second space S2 are provided inside the rear cover 60, located opposite each other across the top plate portion 61. The first space S1 is a space provided on the inner surface 61a of the top plate portion 61, and is defined by a constant depth from the first end 62a to the inner surface 61a in the direction opposite to the X direction. The second space S2 is a space provided on the outer surface 61b of the top plate portion 61, and is defined by a constant depth from the second end 62b to the outer surface 61b in the X direction.

[0047] The inner terminals 70 are terminal fittings manufactured by machining a sheet metal material having a certain thickness. The inner terminals 70 are individually connected to the base portions 12 of the terminals 10 and also individually connected to the ends of the electric wires 100 introduced from the outside. In this embodiment, there are two inner terminals 70: a first inner terminal 70a connected to the first terminal 10a and a second inner terminal 70b connected to the second terminal 10b.

[0048] Here, a plurality of electric wires 100 corresponding to the respective power supply terminals 10 are connected to the charging inlet 1. That is, in this embodiment, two electric wires 100 are connected to the charging inlet 1: a first electric wire 100a corresponding to the first terminal 10a, and a second electric wire 100b corresponding to the second terminal 10b. Each electric wire 100 has a core wire 101 which is a conductor and a sheath 102 which is an insulator that covers the core wire 101. The end of the core wire 101 exposed at one end of each electric wire 100 is joined to one of the two inner terminals 70. The other end of each electric wire 100 is pre-connected to an object inside the vehicle, such as an on-board battery.

[0049] In this embodiment, the two electric wires 100 are introduced in the direction opposite to the Y direction into the rear case 40, which houses the base portions 12 of the terminals 10, each oriented with its axial direction aligned with the X direction. In this case, the first inner terminal 70a and the second inner terminal 70b may each have the following structure or shape.

[0050] First, the second inner terminal 70b integrally includes a second connecting portion 70f and a second joint portion 70h. The second connecting portion 70f is a linear flat plate having a second through-hole 70g at its tip. When the second inner terminal 70b is housed in the main body tubular portion 43a of the rear case 40, the second connecting portion 70f contacts the base portion 12 of the second terminal 10b while its main plane is maintained parallel to the YZ plane. At this time, the second through-hole 70g is positioned approximately coaxially with the bolt hole 12a of the second terminal 10b. The second joint portion 70h is continuous with the second connecting portion 70f in the Y direction and joins the end of the core wire 101 of the second electric wire 100b. In this embodiment, the second joint portion 70h is a crimping portion that crimps the end of the core wire 101 of the second electric wire 100b. That is, in the Z direction, the height position of the central axis of the end portion of the second wire 100b is approximately the same as the height position of the central axis of each of the bolt holes 12a of the first terminal 10a and the second terminal 10b.

[0051] On the other hand, the first inner terminal 70a integrally includes a first connecting portion 70c and a first joint portion 70e. The first electric wire 100a, which is to be connected to the first inner terminal 70a, is introduced into the main body tubular portion 43a of the rear case 40 in parallel with the second electric wire 100b. Therefore, the height positions of the first electric wire 100a and the second electric wire 100b in the Z direction are different from each other. On the other hand, the first connecting portion 70c is a flat plate portion having a first through hole 70d at its tip. However, since the height positions of the bolt holes 12a of the first terminal 10a and the second terminal 10b in the Z direction are substantially the same, the height positions of the first through hole 70d and the second through hole 70g are also substantially the same. Therefore, the planar shape of the first connecting portion 70c is L-shaped so as to avoid the second connecting portion 70f, as shown in FIG. 2 . When the first inner terminal 70a is housed in the main body tubular portion 43a of the rear case 40, the first connecting portion 70c contacts the base portion 12 of the first terminal 10a while maintaining its principal plane parallel to the YZ plane. At this time, the first through-hole 70d is positioned approximately coaxially with the bolt hole 12a of the first terminal 10a. The first joint portion 70e is continuous with the first connecting portion 70c in the Y direction and joins an end of the core wire 101 of the first electric wire 100a. In this embodiment, the first joint portion 70e, like the second joint portion 70h, is a crimping portion that crimps an end of the core wire 101 of the first electric wire 100a. When the first inner terminal 70a and the second inner terminal 70b are housed in the main body tubular portion 43a, the first joint portion 70e and the second joint portion 70h are positioned approximately the same in the Y direction.

[0052] The plurality of bolts 71 are fastening members used to fasten the base portion 12 of the terminal 10 to the inner terminal 70. In this embodiment, there are two bolts 71: one that is fastened to the bolt hole 12a of the first terminal 10a after the bolt shank passes through the first through hole 70d, and one that is fastened to the bolt hole 12a of the second terminal 10b after the bolt shank passes through the second through hole 70g.

[0053] The plug member 72 is, for example, a rubber plug, and seals the gap between the electric wire connection port 43b and the plurality of electric wires 100. The plug member 72 has two electric wire through holes 72a through which two electric wires 100 are individually passed. The plug member 72 is tightly held inside the electric wire connection port 43b in a state in which the electric wires 100 pass through each of the electric wire through holes 72a while being in close contact with each other.

[0054] The filling portion 80 is formed by filling the remaining portion of the accommodating portion 41 with a potting material, which is an insulating filler. Here, the remaining portion of the accommodating portion 41 refers to the space excluding the elements disposed inside the accommodating portion 41, such as the base portion 12 of each terminal 10 and each inner terminal 70. In other words, after the filling portion 80 is formed, there is almost no space left in the accommodating portion 41.

[0055] In this embodiment, the potting material used to form the filling portion 80 is a synthetic resin that is liquid before hardening and hardens at room temperature. For example, a silicone-based resin, which has excellent heat resistance, electrical insulation, and flexibility, is used. However, the specific material of the synthetic resin is not limited to these examples.

[0056] Next, a manufacturing process of the charging inlet 1 will be described.

[0057] The manufacturing process of the charging inlet 1 includes a process of assembling the charging inlet 1 and a process of molding a filling portion that is performed after the assembly process. Note that the manufacturing process may be performed by a worker, or may be performed in a factory where some or all of the manufacturing process is automated.

[0058] In the process of assembling the charging inlet 1, first, an inlet housing 20 is prepared, which preliminarily holds a plurality of terminals, including the power supply terminal 10, and a terminal holding substrate 30. Additionally, a first electric wire 100a having a first inner terminal 70a attached to its end, and a second electric wire 100b having a second inner terminal 70b attached to its end are prepared.

[0059] Next, the mounting frame portion 24 of the inlet housing 20 is fitted into the housing connecting portion 42 of the rear case 40, thereby connecting the inlet housing 20 to the rear case 40. At this time, at least a portion of the base portion 12 for each terminal 10 is introduced into the interior of the main body tubular portion 43a through the terminal insertion hole 42c.

[0060] Furthermore, the tip end of the first electric wire 100a, to which the first inner terminal 70a is attached, and the tip end of the second electric wire 100b, to which the second inner terminal 70b is attached, are introduced into the interior of the main body tubular portion 43a through the electric wire connection port 43b. Then, after the gap between the electric wire connection port 43b and the two electric wires 100 is sealed with the plug member 72, the rear holder 50 is attached to the electric wire connection port 43b. At this time, the first through hole 70d provided in the first inner terminal 70a is positioned approximately coaxially with the bolt hole 12a of the first terminal 10a, and the first connection portion 70c is adjacent to the base portion 12 of the first terminal 10a. Similarly, the second through hole 70g provided in the second inner terminal 70b is positioned so as to be approximately coaxial with the bolt hole 12a of the second terminal 10b, while the second connection portion 70f is close to the base portion 12 of the second terminal 10b.

[0061] Next, each bolt 71 is introduced into the interior of the tubular main body portion 43a through the connection opening 44 of the rear case 40. Subsequently, part of a tool used to tighten each bolt 71 is introduced into the interior of the tubular main body portion 43a through the connection opening 44. Then, by tightening one of the bolts 71, the first connection portion 70c of the first inner terminal 70a is connected to the base portion 12 of the first terminal 10a. Similarly, by tightening the other bolt 71, the second connection portion 70f of the second inner terminal 70b is connected to the base portion 12 of the second terminal 10b.

[0062] After the fastening of each bolt 71 is completed, the rear cover 60 is connected to the connection opening 44 of the rear case 40. However, at this stage, the rear cover 60 is in a state where only the first end 62a of the annular frame 62 is in contact with the open end of the connection opening 44. This completes the assembly process of the charging inlet 1.

[0063] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the charging inlet 1 illustrating the filling portion molding process, which is drawn to correspond to FIG.

[0064] In the filling portion molding process, first, the charging inlet 1 after the assembly process is maintained in a position in which the X direction coincides with the vertical direction. That is, at this time, the inner surface 61 a and the outer surface 61 b ​​of the top plate 61 of the rear cover 60 are horizontal.

[0065] 6, the potting material before hardening is introduced into the accommodation portion 41 through the hole 61c formed in the top plate portion 61 of the rear cover 60. At this time, the mounting frame portion 24 of the inlet housing 20 is fitted into the housing connecting port 42a of the rear case 40, preventing leakage of the potting material through the housing connecting port 42a. Furthermore, the plug member 72 and the rear holder 50 are attached to the electric wire connection port 43b of the rear case 40, preventing leakage of the potting material through the electric wire connection port 43b.

[0066] Here, the introduction of the potting material into the accommodation section 41 begins, and as it gradually progresses, it eventually extends beyond the interior of the connection opening 44 in the rear case 40 and reaches the interior of the first space S1 in the rear cover 60 that is connected to the connection opening 44. As the introduction of the potting material continues, the potting material eventually overflows from the hole 61c and continues to fill the second space S2 in the rear cover 60. The introduction of the potting material continues until the second space S2 is filled. As a result, the remaining portion of the accommodation section 41 in the rear case 40 and the first space S1 and second space S2 in the rear cover 60 are filled with potting material before the synthetic resin hardens.

[0067] In this embodiment, the potting material is made of a synthetic resin that hardens at room temperature, so the potting material hardens when left to stand, forming the filling portion 80. Here, the second space S2 in the rear cover 60 is also filled with the filling portion 80, so a portion of the filling portion 80 is exposed to the outside through the hole 61c in the top plate portion 61 and covers the outer surface 61b of the top plate portion 61. This completes the filling portion molding process for the charging inlet 1, and ultimately completes the manufacturing process for the charging inlet 1.

[0068] In the charging inlet 1, the filling portion 80 in the second space S2 of the rear cover 60 and the filling portions 80 in the first space S1 of the rear cover 60 and the accommodation portion 41 are integrated through the hole 61c. Therefore, the filling portion 80 prevents the rear cover 60 from falling off from the rear case 40.

[0069] For example, if the charging inlet 1 is manufactured in a factory with automated manufacturing processes, it is conceivable that the manufacturing process will proceed with multiple charging inlets 1 placed on a conveyor. In this case, the charging inlet 1 with the rear cover 60 attached to the connection opening 44 will be left on the conveyor for approximately 30 minutes, allowing the filling portion 80 to form naturally. In other words, as long as approximately 30 minutes have passed since the introduction of the potting material, the charging inlet 1 removed from the conveyor will be in a completed state, i.e., ready to be shipped as a product.

[0070] Next, the effects of the charging inlet 1 will be described.

[0071] First, the charging inlet 1, which connects to an external charging connector, includes a plurality of rod-shaped terminals 10 for supplying power, whose tip ends 11 contact the external terminals of the charging connector, and an inlet housing 20 that holds the plurality of terminals 10 with their tip ends 11 exposed to the outside. The charging inlet 1 includes a rear case 40 connected to the inlet housing 20. The charging inlet 1 includes a plurality of inner terminals 70 that are individually connected to the bases 12 of the plurality of terminals 10 inside the rear case 40 and individually connected to the ends of a plurality of electric wires 100 introduced from the outside. The charging inlet 1 also includes a rear cover 60 that is attached to the connection opening 44, which is an opening in the rear case 40, so as to close the opening of the connection opening 44. This allows the bases 12 of the terminals 10 to be connected to the inner terminals 70. The rear case 40 has an accommodation portion 41 that accommodates at least the bases 12 of the plurality of terminals 10 and the plurality of inner terminals 70. The rear cover 60 has a top plate portion 61 including a hole 61c penetrating between an inner surface 61a facing the storage portion 41 and an outer surface 61b facing the outside. A filling portion 80 filled with a potting material is molded in the remaining portion of the storage portion 41. A portion of the filling portion 80 is exposed to the outside through the hole 61c of the top plate portion 61.

[0072] In the above example, the plurality of terminals 10 correspond to two terminals 10, namely, the first terminal 10a and the second terminal 10b. In the above example, the plurality of electric wires 100 correspond to two electric wires 100, namely, the first electric wire 100a and the second electric wire 100b. In the above example, the plurality of inner terminals 70 correspond to two inner terminals 70, namely, the first inner terminal 70a and the second inner terminal 70b.

[0073] In the charging inlet 1, the remaining portion of the accommodation portion 41 that accommodates each terminal 10, which generates a particularly large amount of heat during charging, and the inner terminal 70 connected to each terminal 10, is filled with the filling portion 80. That is, the filling portion 80 is in direct contact with at least a portion of the terminal 10 and the entire inner terminal 70. Therefore, in the accommodation portion 41, the filling portion 80 can directly absorb and store heat from each terminal 10 and each inner terminal 70 during charging. Therefore, the charging inlet 1 can achieve heat resistance that complies with pre-defined charging standards with a simple structure.

[0074] Furthermore, in the charging inlet 1, the top plate 61 of the rear cover 60 has a hole 61c penetrating between the inner surface 61a and the outer surface 61b. Therefore, if the potting material continues to be introduced into the accommodation portion 41 when forming the filling portion 80, it eventually reaches the hole 61c and overflows, eventually resulting in the formation of a shape in which a portion of the filling portion 80 is exposed to the outside through the hole 61c. Here, when the potting material is introduced, the overflowing of the potting material from the hole 61c means that all of the spatial area within the rear case 40 and rear cover 60 that can be filled with the potting material, including the remaining portion of the accommodation portion 41, has been filled. In other words, because the potting material hardens without air present within the rear case 40 and rear cover 60, the filling portion 80 is formed densely. Therefore, with the charging inlet 1, heat can be stored in the filling portion 80 more efficiently.

[0075] Furthermore, the hole 61c provided in the rear cover 60 can be seen from the outside at least before the potting material is introduced. Therefore, when introducing the potting material, for example, an operator can visually confirm that the potting material has overflowed from the hole 61c, and can easily recognize that the spatial area that can be filled with the potting material has been filled. Therefore, with the charging inlet 1, it is easy to confirm that the desired filling portion 80 has been formed.

[0076] Furthermore, because the remaining portion of the accommodation portion 41 is filled with the filling portion 80, there is little or no spatial area in the remaining portion where air simply exists. Generally, air in an enclosed space has an insulating effect and can inhibit heat transfer. In other words, with the charging inlet 1, the spatial area where air exists in the remaining portion of the accommodation portion 41 can be minimized, thereby improving the heat transfer performance from the terminal 10 and the inner terminal 70 during charging.

[0077] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide the charging inlet 1 that has heat resistance with a simple structure.

[0078] Furthermore, in the charging inlet 1, the hole 61c may be located at the center of gravity of the top plate 61 in the planar shape.

[0079] When the potting material is introduced into the charging inlet 1, it overflows from the hole 61c located at the center of gravity of the top plate 61 in the planar shape. In this case, the hole 61c is positioned in the top plate 61 with the best balance in terms of distance from the outer periphery. Therefore, when the potting material overflows from the hole 61c, it can be assumed that the spatial region inside the rear case 40 and the rear cover 60 that can be filled with the potting material has been filled more evenly. Therefore, with the charging inlet 1, heat can be stored in the filling portion 80 more efficiently.

[0080] Furthermore, in the charging inlet 1, the rear cover 60 may have an annular frame 62 connected to the connection opening 44. An inner surface 62c of the annular frame 62 may support the outer periphery of the top plate 61. A portion of the filling portion 80 may cover an outer surface 61b of the top plate 61.

[0081] The filling portion 80 is electrically insulating and waterproof. Therefore, the filling portion 80, a portion of which covers the outer surface 61b of the top panel portion 61, functions by itself as a sealing member for the rear cover 60. Therefore, with the charging inlet 1, it is not necessary to separately prepare a sealing member that would be required if the filling portion 80 were not present. Furthermore, because the filling portion 80 is provided to cover the outer surface 61b, the amount of potting is greater than when the filling portion 80 does not cover the outer surface 61b. Therefore, with the charging inlet 1, the heat storage capacity of the filling portion 80 can be increased, which is advantageous in terms of achieving desired heat resistance.

[0082] In addition, in the charging inlet 1, the potting material may be a synthetic resin that hardens at room temperature.

[0083] With this charging inlet 1, the base portion 12 and the inner terminal 70 for each terminal 10 are connected to each other, and the filling portion 80 can be formed naturally by simply introducing the potting material before it hardens into the storage portion 41.

[0084] Furthermore, in the charging inlet 1, the synthetic resin may be a silicone-based resin.

[0085] According to the charging inlet 1, the filling section 80 is more suitable for storing heat, and therefore higher heat resistance can be obtained.

[0086] 7 is a cross-sectional view of a rear cover 65 in another embodiment that can be used in the charging inlet 1 instead of the rear cover 60. The cut surface in Fig. 7 is the same as the cut surface in Fig. 3 and passes through the central axis of the hole 66c provided in the top panel 66. Hereinafter, components that have the same configuration as those of the charging inlet 1 when the above-described rear cover 60 is used will be assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0087] The rear cover 65 is made of synthetic resin, similar to the rear cover 60 in the above embodiment, and is attached to the connection access port 44 so as to cover the opening of the connection access port 44 of the rear case 40. The rear cover 65 integrally includes a top plate 66, an annular frame 67, outer fins 68, and inner fins 69.

[0088] Top plate 66 is a flat plate that is perpendicular to the opposite direction to the Z direction, which is the attachment direction of rear cover 65 to connection opening 44. Top plate 66 includes an inner surface 66a that faces storage section 41 when rear cover 65 is attached to connection opening 44, and an outer surface 66b that is the surface opposite inner surface 66a and faces outward. The planar shape of top plate 66 is preset to fit the external cross-section of connection opening 44.

[0089] The top plate 66 also includes a hole 66c that penetrates between the inner surface 66a and the outer surface 66b. The opening shape of the hole 66c is circular. The hole 66c is located at the center of gravity of the top plate 66 in plan view. The thickness of the top plate 66 is set to be thicker than that of the top plate 61 of the rear cover 60 in the above embodiment. The hole 66c at least partially includes a minimum diameter portion 66d that has the smallest opening diameter of the hole 61c, and a tapered hole portion 66e. The tapered hole portion 66e is located between the opening end set on the outer surface 66b and the minimum diameter portion 66d, and has a shape in which the opening cross-section gradually decreases from the outer surface 66b toward the inner surface 66a.

[0090] The annular frame 67 connects to the connection opening 44 when the rear cover 65 is attached to the connection opening 44. In this embodiment, the annular frame 67 is a cylindrical body with a uniform wall thickness. When the rear cover 65 is attached to the connection opening 44, the connection end 67a of the annular frame 67 protrudes in the X direction and connects to the connection opening 44. The end of the annular frame 62 opposite the connection end 67a is continuous with the outer periphery of the top plate 66 and the inner surface 66a. Therefore, the rear cover 65 has a space similar to the first space S1 of the rear cover 60 in the above embodiment, but does not have a space corresponding to the second space S2. Although not shown, the annular frame 67 may have, for example, multiple elastically deformable engaging pieces formed with engaging holes that each engage with one of multiple locking protrusions pre-formed on the connection opening 44 when the rear cover 65 is attached to the connection opening 44.

[0091] The outer fins 68 are provided on the outer surface 66b of the top plate portion 66 so as to be exposed to the outside of the rear cover 65. In this embodiment, the rear cover 65 is provided with a plurality of outer fins 68 spaced apart at regular intervals while avoiding the positions where the holes 61c are formed. Each outer fin 68 is a plate-like portion that protrudes to the same height from the outer surface 66b. Note that the specific shape or arrangement of the outer fins 68 may be changed as appropriate.

[0092] The inner fins 69 are provided on the inner surface 66a of the top plate 66 so as to face the storage compartment 41 when the rear cover 65 is attached to the connection access port 44. In this embodiment, the rear cover 65 is provided with multiple inner fins 69, with adjacent fins 69 spaced apart at a regular interval while avoiding the formation positions of the holes 61c. Each inner fin 69 is a plate-shaped portion that protrudes to the same height from the inner surface 66a. The protruding height of the inner fins 69 is set so as not to interfere with the components disposed within the storage compartment 41 when the rear cover 65 is attached to the connection access port 44. Note that the specific shape or arrangement of the inner fins 69 in this embodiment may be changed as appropriate.

[0093] In this manner, in the charging inlet 1, the hole 66c in the rear cover 65 may include at least a tapered hole 66e in which the opening cross section gradually decreases from the outer surface 66b toward the inner surface 66a.

[0094] In the charging inlet 1, like the hole 61c of the rear cover 60, a portion of the filling portion 80 is exposed to the outside through the hole 66c, which results in the filling portion 80 being densely formed. Therefore, with the charging inlet 1, heat can be stored in the filling portion 80 more efficiently.

[0095] Furthermore, for example, when the potting material enters the tapered hole 66e from the inner surface 66a, an operator can visually check the extent to which the potting material protrudes from the tapered hole 66e and determine whether the potting material has been filled properly. In this case, the tapered hole 66e has a shape such that the opening cross section gradually decreases from the outer surface 66b toward the inner surface 66a, which has the advantage that the operator can easily check the protrusion of the potting material.

[0096] Furthermore, in the charging inlet 1, the rear cover 65 may have outer fins 68 provided on the outer surface 66b and inner fins 69 provided on the inner surface 66a.

[0097] As described above, if the potting material is introduced only into the hole 66c and does not reach the outer surface 66b of the top plate 66, the outer fins 68 can be provided in the portion of the outer surface 66b that avoids the formation position of the hole 66c. Therefore, in the charging inlet 1, the inner fins 69 are in contact with the filling portion 80, and the outer fins 68 are exposed to the outside. Therefore, the rear cover 65 can efficiently absorb heat stored in the filling portion 80 from the inner fins 69 and release it to the outside through the outer fins 68. Therefore, the charging inlet 1 can achieve more suitable heat dissipation performance with a simple structure.

[0098] In the above description, a potting material made of a synthetic resin such as silicone resin is used as an example of a potting material for forming the filling portion 80. However, the potting material for forming the filling portion 80 may be a synthetic resin such as silicone resin further mixed with a metal powder such as aluminum alloy powder. Such a potting material has superior thermal conductivity compared to potting materials that do not contain metal powder. Therefore, a filling portion 80 formed with such a potting material is more suitable for heat storage than one formed with a potting material that does not contain metal powder, and as a result, higher heat resistance can be achieved.

[0099] In addition, in the charging inlet 1, as an example where the direction toward the external charging connector, i.e., the protruding direction of the multiple terminals 10, is defined as the X direction, the routing direction of the multiple electric wires 100 from the rear case 40 is along the Y direction, which is a roughly horizontal direction. However, the embodiment of the charging inlet 1 is not limited to this. For example, even if the posture of the inlet housing 20 of the charging inlet 1 is the same as the above example, the routing direction of the multiple electric wires 100 from the rear case 40 may be along the direction opposite to the Z direction, which is a roughly vertical direction.

[0100] The entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-091594 (filing date: June 5, 2024) are incorporated herein by reference.

[0101] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims.

[0102] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Charging inlet 10 Terminal 10a First terminal 10b Second terminal 11 Tip portion 12 Base portion 20 Inlet housing 40 Rear case 41 Storage portion 44 Connection opening portion 60, 65 Rear cover 61, 66 Top plate portion 61a, 66a Inner surface 61b, 66b Outer surface 61c, 66c Hole portion 62 Annular frame portion 66e Tapered hole portion 68 Outer fin 69 Inner fin 70 Inner terminal 70a First inner terminal 70b Second inner terminal 80 Filling portion 100 Electric wire 100a First electric wire 100b Second electric wire

Claims

1. A charging inlet for connecting an external charging connector, comprising: a plurality of rod-shaped terminals for supplying power, the tips of which come into contact with the external terminal of the charging connector; an inlet housing that holds the plurality of terminals with the tips exposed to the outside; a rear case coupled to the inlet housing; a plurality of inner terminals that are individually connected to the base parts of the plurality of terminals inside the rear case and that are individually connected to the ends of a plurality of electric wires introduced from the outside; and a rear cover that is attached to the connection work opening, which is an opening of the rear case, so as to close the opening of the connection work opening, and that allows the connection work between the base parts of the terminals and the inner terminals, wherein the rear case has a storage section that stores at least the base parts of the plurality of terminals and the plurality of inner terminals, and the rear cover has a top plate section that includes a hole that penetrates between the inner surface facing the storage section and the outer surface facing outward, and a filling section filled with potting material is molded in the remaining part of the storage section, and a part of the filling section is exposed to the outside through the hole in the top plate section.

2. The charging inlet according to claim 1, wherein the hole is located at the center of gravity of the top plate in plan view.

3. A charging inlet as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear cover has an annular frame portion connected to the connection opening portion, the annular frame portion supports the outer periphery of the top plate portion on its inner surface, and a portion of the filling portion covers the outer surface of the top plate portion.

4. The charging inlet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a portion of the hole includes a tapered hole portion whose opening cross section gradually decreases from the outer surface toward the inner surface.

5. The charging inlet according to claim 4, wherein the rear cover has an outer fin provided on the outer surface and an inner fin provided on the inner surface.

6. The charging inlet according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the potting material is a synthetic resin that hardens at room temperature.

7. The charging inlet according to claim 6, wherein the synthetic resin is a silicone-based resin.

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