US 5,637,977 A · Connector assembly used in supplying electricity to a receiver

Abstract

This invention provides a charging apparatus for an electric vehicle which prevents a charging coupling from becoming overheated and melting upon charging. In the charging apparatus, when a lever 33 provided on a supply connector 2 is grasped, the supply connector 2 is completely fitted to a vehicle inlet 1 by a pair of stays 36 connected to the lever 33. A slide switch 42, which serves to open and close a charging circuit in the supply connector 2, is inhibited from being operated by a stopper face on the lever 33 under a normal condition and allowed to be operated when the supply connector 2 is completely fitted to the vehicle inlet 1. When a microswitch 44 associated with the slide switch 42 is turned to ON, a relay 90 in a charger 74 is energized to close the charging circuit, thereby enabling conduction from a power source to a battery.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A connector assembly for supplying electricity from a source to a receiver thereof through a coupling including an inlet on said receiver and a supply connector electrically connected to said source,

said supply connector comprising:
a housing containing supply terminals adapted to be detachably coupled to receiving terminals on said receiver;
a movable member on said housing for displacement of said inlet and supply connector relative to each other between a partial grip position and a complete grip position;
and
an enabling connector on said housing including a switch in a circuit effecting an electrical connection between said inlet and said supply connector only when said inlet and supply connector are in said complete grip position.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

08/259,189Filed 13 Jun 1994

Priority

JP 5-16843814 Jun 1993

Granted

10 Jun 1997

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification23 codes

B60L 3/04
Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy…:…
B60L 3/0069
Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train: relating to the isolation,…
B60L 53/16
Conductive energy transfer: connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
B60L 53/305
Constructional details of charging stations: communication interfaces

Connector assembly used in supplying electricity to a receiver

Life of this patent

Connector assembly used in supplying electricity to a receiver

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims7