Connector and Charging Seat Assembly

A connector for connecting to a charging seat includes a housing, a cover, a conductive element or metal bar, and a connecting piece. The housing is formed with a terminal hole that allows one end of a charging terminal of the charging seat to be inserted. The cover is installed on an end of the housing and formed with a conductive element opening. One end of the conductive element is inserted into the housing through the opening of the cover. The connecting piece is provided in the housing and adapted to connect the one end of the conductive element to the one end of the charging terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. CN202211542028.9 filed on Dec. 2, 2022, in the State Intellectual Property Office of China, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a connector for connecting to a charging seat and a charging seat assembly including the connector.

BACKGROUND

In charging assemblies of the prior art, a copper wire is usually electrically connected to a charging terminal of a charging seat. In order to connect the wire to the terminal, a connecting terminal is typically connected at one end of the wire and fastened to one end of the charging terminal with a bolt. The connection operation associated with this arrangement, however, is very inconvenient, time-consuming and labor-intensive. Moreover, assembly of the copper wire and the housing of the charging seat is relatively complex, making it difficult to achieve automated production and requiring manual operation, greatly reducing production efficiency. In addition, in the prior art, as one end of the copper wire is inserted into the housing of the charging seat, if the copper wire requires replacement, the housing of the charging seat must be disassembled first before the wire can be removed from the charging terminal. This makes subsequent maintenance operations difficult.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a connector adapted to connect a charging seat includes a housing, a cover, a conductive bar, and a connecting piece. The housing is formed with a terminal hole that allows one end of a charging terminal of the charging seat to be inserted. The cover is installed on an end of the housing and formed with a bar opening. One end of the conductive bar is inserted into the housing through the bar opening of the cover. The connecting piece is provided in the housing for connecting the one end of the conductive bar to the one end of the charging terminal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a connector adapted to connect to a charging seat is provided. The connector includes: 1) a housing formed with a terminal hole that adapted to receive an end of a charging terminal of the charging seat; 2) a cover installed on an end of the housing and formed with a conductive element hole; 3) a conductive element or bar, one end of which is inserted into the housing through the conductive element hole of the cover; and 4) a connecting piece provided in the housing and adapted to connect the one end of the conductive element to the one end of the charging terminal.

According to another embodiment, a charging seat assembly comprises the above connector and a charging seat. The charging seat includes a charging seat housing, a charging terminal arranged in the charging seat housing; and an end cover installed on an end of the charging seat housing. The housing of the connector is fixed to the end cover of the charging seat. One end of the charging terminal passes through the end cover and is inserted into the housing of the connector to be electrically connected to the conductive element of the connector.

FIG.1is an illustrative perspective view of a charging seat assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.FIG.2is an illustrative exploded view of a charging seat assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.FIG.3is an illustrative exploded view of a connector housing10, an elastic seal14, a cover13, and an end cover23of a charging seat2according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.FIG.4is an illustrative perspective view of a connector1according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.FIG.5is a cross-sectional view along an axial direction of a charging terminal21,22of a charging seat assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown inFIGS.1-5, in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a connector1for connecting to a charging seat2is disclosed. The connector1includes a housing10, a cover13, a metal bar or conductive element11,12, and a connecting piece161,162. A terminal hole102is formed in the housing10that allows one end of the charging terminal21,22of the charging seat2to be inserted. The cover13is installed on an end of the housing10and a metal bar hole103is formed in the end wall132of the cover13. One end of the metal bar11,12is inserted into the housing10through the metal bar hole103in the cover13. The connecting pieces161,162is arranged in the housing10to connect one end of the metal bar11,12to one end of the charging terminal21,22.

In the illustrated embodiments, a snapping slot13ais formed on the peripheral wall131of the cover13. A protrusion10ais formed on the exterior of the rear end of the housing10. The protrusion10ais engaged into the snapping slot13ato fix the cover13to the rear end of the housing10.

FIG.6is a cross-sectional view along an axial direction of a connecting ear10bof a charging seat assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.FIG.7is an illustrative view of a metal bar11,12connected to a charging terminal21,22of a charging seat2according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.FIG.8is an illustrative exploded view of a metal bar11,12and a charging seat2according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown inFIGS.1-4,7and8, the housing10has a front and rear end opposite in its longitudinal Y direction, as well as a bottom wall10cand a top wall10dopposite in its height direction Z. The terminal hole102is formed in the bottom wall10cof the housing10, and the cover13is installed on the rear end of the housing10. An installation hole101is formed in the top wall10dof the housing10, and the connecting piece161,162enters the housing10through the installation hole101. A connecting hole11a,12ais formed in one end of the metal bar11,12, and the connecting piece161,162passes through the connecting hole11a,12aand is suitable for threaded connection with a threaded hole21a,22aformed in the charging terminal21,22to fasten one end of the metal bar11,12to the charging terminal21,22.

As shown inFIGS.1-8, in the illustrated embodiments, multiple connection ears10bare formed on the outer side of the housing10. The connector also includes multiple connection screws15. The multiple connection screws15are used to connect the multiple connection ears10bto the connecting post23bof the end cover23of the charging seat2, respectively, to fix the housing10to the charging seat2.

A through hole106is formed in the connecting ear10b, which includes a first hole portion106aand a second hole portion106bthat are coaxial and communicated with each other. The inner diameter of the second hole portion106bis greater than that of the first hole portion106a. The second hole portion106bis used to position an end of the connecting post23bof the charging seat2, and the connecting screw15passes through the first hole portion106aand is connected to a blind hole2bformed in the connecting post23b.

The connector further includes an elastic seal14, which is installed in the rear port105of the housing10. The metal bar11,12passes through the elastic seal14. The elastic seal14is compressed between the inner wall of the housing10and the metal bar11,12to achieve sealing between the two. In this way, it is possible to prevent water vapor from entering the housing10through the rear port105of the housing10. A positioning step104is formed in the rear port105of the housing10, and the positioning step104and the cover13respectively abut against both ends of the elastic seal14to maintain the elastic seal14in the rear port105of the housing10.

FIG.9is a spatial arrangement view of metal bars11,12according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.FIG.10is a top view of metal bars11,12according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown inFIGS.1-10, in the illustrated embodiments, the metal bar11,12includes a first metal bar11and a second metal bar12with the same width. The first metal bar11and the second metal bar12are used to connect to a first charging terminal21and a second charging terminal22of the charging seat2, respectively. The first metal bar11and the second metal bar12are spaced and overlapped in the height direction Z of the housing10, so that the two longitudinal sides of the first metal bar11are flush with the two longitudinal sides of the second metal bar12. In the illustrated embodiments, the first metal bar11and the second metal bar12are inserted into the housing10along the longitudinal Y of the housing10, so that the surfaces of the first metal bar11and the second metal bar12are parallel to the transverse direction X and the longitudinal direction Y of the housing10.

The connecting holes11a,12aincludes a first connecting hole11aformed in the first metal bar11and a second connecting hole12aformed in the second metal bar12. The connecting piece161,162includes a first connecting piece161and a second connecting piece162that pass through the first connecting hole11aand the second connecting hole12a, respectively. The first connecting piece161and the second connecting piece162are used to connect the first metal bar11and the second metal bar12to the first charging terminal21and the second charging terminal22, respectively.

The dimension of the first connecting hole11aand the second connecting hole12ain the length direction of the metal bars11,12are greater than that in the width direction of the metal bars11,12. This allows the first connecting member161and the second connecting member162to move along the length direction of the metal bars11,12in the first connecting hole11aand the second connecting hole12a, respectively. In this way, the position error between the metal bar11,12and the charging terminal21,22can be absorbed, making the installation and operation of the metal bar11,12easier and more convenient. The central axis of the first connecting hole11aand the central axis of the second connecting hole12aare parallel to each other and located in the same plane perpendicular to the width direction of the metal bars11,12.

The first metal bar11includes a flat first metal conductor110and a first insulator112wrapped on the first metal conductor110. The first metal conductor110has a first connection end111exposed out of the first insulator112for electrical connection to the first charging terminal21. The first connecting hole11ais formed in the first connection end111.

The second metal bar12includes a flat second metal conductor120and a second insulator122wrapped on the second metal conductor120. The second metal conductor120has a second connection end121exposed out of the second insulator122for electrical connection to the second charging terminal22. The second connecting hole12ais formed in the second connection end121.

The first connection end111is spatially avoided from the second connection end121. In this way, the first connecting hole11aof the first connection end111is not obstructed by the second connection end121. Therefore, the first connecting piece161can be inserted into the first connecting hole11aof the first connection end111.

In the illustrated embodiments, the first connection end111extends along the length direction of the metal bar11,12. The width of the first connection end111is not more than half of the width of the metal bar11,12, and is offset to one side of the width direction of the metal bar11,12. The second connection end121is L-shaped, including a first extension portion121aextending along the length direction of the metal bar11,12and a second extension portion121bextending along the width direction of the metal bar11,12. The first extension portion121aextends along the length direction of the metal bar11,12beyond the first connection end111, and the width of the first extension portion121ais not more than half of the width of the metal bar11,12, and is offset to the other side of the width direction of the metal bar11,12. Therefore, the first connection end111and the second connection end121are spatially staggered from each other to ensure that there is no problem of mutual obstruction between the two.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a charging seat assembly is also disclosed. The charging seat assembly mainly includes the connector1and the charging seat2. The charging seat2includes the charging seat housing20, the charging terminal21,22and the end cover23. One end of the charging terminal21,22is used for electrical connection with the metal bar11,12, and the other end of the charging terminal21,22is used for mating with a mating terminal in a charging gun. The end cover23is installed on an end of the charging seat housing20. In the illustrated embodiment, a snapping slot23ais formed on the peripheral wall231of the end cover23, and a protrusion20ais formed on the outside of the charging seat housing20. The protrusion20ais snapped into the snapping slot23ato fix the end cover23to the end of the charging seat housing20.

The housing10of connector1is fixed to the end cover23of the charging seat2, and one end of the charging terminal21,22passes through a terminal through hole202formed in the end cover23and is inserted into the housing10of connector1through the terminal hole102of the housing10to be electrically connected to the metal bar11,12of connector1. In the illustrated embodiments, there are multiple connecting posts23bformed on the top plate232of the end cover23, which are used to respectively connect with multiple connecting ears10bon the housing10of the connector1to fix the housing10of the connector1to the charging seat2.

The charging terminal21,22includes a first charging terminal21and a second charging terminal22, with the central axes of the first charging terminal21and the second charging terminal22parallel to each other. One end of the first charging terminal21extends axially beyond one end of the second charging terminal22, so that the end face of one end of the first charging terminal21is at a different height position from the end face of one end of the second charging terminal22. One end of the first metal bar11of connector1is fastened to the end face of one end of the first charging terminal21by the first connecting piece161. One end of the second metal bar12of connector1is fastened to the end face of one end of the second charging terminal22by the second connecting piece162.

The charging seat assembly further includes a sealing ring17, which is arranged between the housing10of connector1and the end cover23of charging seat2to achieve sealing between the two. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water vapor from entering the housing10of connector1and the charging seat housing20through a gap between the housing10of connector1and the end cover23of charging seat2. In the illustrated embodiment, a sealing ring installation groove234is formed on the end cover23of the charging seat2, and the sealing ring17is installed in the sealing ring installation groove234.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned metal bar11,12can be an aluminum bar or any other suitable metal bar.

FIG.11is an illustrative view of installing a housing10of connector1onto a charging seat2according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.FIG.12is an illustrative view of inserting a metal bar11,12into the housing10of connector1according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The following will refer toFIGS.11and12to illustrate the process of assembling the charging seat product. Firstly, as shown inFIG.11, assembling the housing10, the cover13, and the elastic seal14of the connector1together to form a housing assembly100. Then, as shown inFIG.12, using connecting screws15to connect the housing10of connector1to the end cover23of charging seat2. Finally, as shown inFIG.12, inserting the metal bar11,12into the housing10of connector1, and connecting the metal bar11,12to the charging terminal21,22of charging seat2by the connecting piece161,162.

In addition, those areas in which it is believed that those of ordinary skill in the art are familiar, have not been described herein in order not to unnecessarily obscure the invention described. Accordingly, it has to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrative embodiments, but only by the scope of the appended claims.