Patent Publication Number: US-2022231446-A1

Title: Mounting bracket assembly for fixing charging socket and charging socket assembly

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present application relates to vehicle-mounted charging device technology, and more specifically, relates to a mounting bracket assembly for fixing a charging socket and a charging socket assembly. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     With increasing pressure on energy and environment on a global scale, the concept of energy saving, and environmental protection has penetrated into various fields. For the automotive industry, compared with traditional fuel and gas engine vehicles, electric vehicles using power batteries as a power source have gradually entered a wide range of practical stages due to their clean and environmentally friendly characteristics. With the gradual increase in the types and number of electric vehicles, in order to enable a on-board charging socket being used in cars of different models, in existing technologies, the charging socket is fixed on an adapter bracket, and then the adapter bracket with the charging socket is stalled on an electric car, thus the charging socket can be firmly installed on the electric vehicle by selecting a suitable adapter bracket; however, the charging socket and the adapter bracket are fixed by a bolt connection in the existing technology. It is necessary for an operator to disassemble and assemble multiple bolts on the adapter bracket when removing or installing the charging socket, which is cumbersome and leads to low work efficiency. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     An object of the present application is to provide a mounting bracket assembly for fixing a charging socket and a charging socket assembly, so as to solve technical problems of cumbersome procedures for assembling or disassembling the charging socket from the adapter bracket and low work efficiency in the existing technology. 
     In order to achieve the above object, a technical solution adopted by the present application is to provide a mounting bracket assembly for fixing a charging socket, which includes a mounting frame and a locking member. The mounting frame defines an installation region for receiving the charging socket, and the mounting frame is provided with a connection structure for installing the locking member. The locking member and the connection structure are movably connected to each other between a pre-locking position and a final-locked position. When the locking member and the connection structure are connected to each other at the pre-locking position, the charging socket is receivable within the installation region of the mounting frame. After the charging socket is received in the installation region, the locking member can be moved from the pre-locking position to the final-locked position, and the charging socket is detachably fixed in the installation region. 
     In one embodiment, the connection structure includes a limit guide groove and a limiting portion provided above the limit guide groove. The limit guide groove is defined in a surface of the mounting frame and configured to limit a moving direction of the locking member. An installation space is formed by the limit guide groove and the limiting portion for the locking member to be accommodated. 
     In one embodiment, the locking member includes a plug-in body, and each of two opposite side walls of the plug-in body is convex to form a pre-locking boss and a final-locked boss. The pre-locking boss is configured to restrict a movement of the locking member relative to the mounting frame at the pre-locking position, and the final-locked boss is configured to restrict the movement of the locking member relative to the mounting frame at the final-locked position. The final-locked boss and the pre-locking boss are arranged at an interval. 
     In an embodiment, each of two opposite side walls of the limit guide groove is provided with a fitting protrusion arranged between the final-locked boss and the pre-locking boss, where the fitting protrusion is configured to limit a displacement of the locking member. 
     In one embodiment, a bottom surface of the limit guide groove is concavely formed with a guide slot for restricting a moving direction of the locking member, and a bottom surface of the plug-in body is convexly formed with a guide rail suitable for the guide slot. 
     In one embodiment, the locking member further includes a pressing portion, a side wall of the pressing portion extends to form a limiting protrusion, and a side wall surface of the limiting portion is concavely formed with a limiting groove configured for receiving the limiting protrusion. 
     In one embodiment, a top surface of the pressing portion is provided with a driver structure, and the driver structure is a driving groove recessed on the top surface of the pressing portion. 
     In one embodiment, a surface of the pressing portion is provided with a skid-proof structure, and the skid-proof structure is a skid-proof protrusion protruding from the surface of the pressing portion. 
     In one embodiment, the mounting frame is also provided with a buckle arranged on a side wall of the installation region for a fix connection of the charging socket. 
     In one embodiment, a plurality of locking members and buckles are provided, and the plurality of locking members and buckles are arranged at intervals along a circumferential inner wall of the mounting frame. 
     In one embodiment, the mounting frame is provided with a mounting portion for mounting the mounting bracket assembly to a preset position. 
     In one embodiment, the locking member is linearly movable between the pre-locking position and the final-locked position relative to the mounting frame. 
     In an embodiment, the locking member is linearly movable between the pre-locking position and the final-locked position along an installation direction perpendicular to the charging socket. 
     The present application also provides a charging socket assembly, which includes a charging socket and the above-mentioned mounting bracket assembly. The charging socket is detachably arranged in the installation region. A side wall of the charging socket is provided with a fixing structure suitable for the locking member, and the fixing structure is configured to be engaged with the locking member at the final-locked position to hold the charging socket on the mounting frame. The locking member is linearly movable between the pre-locking position and the final-locked position relative to the fixing structure. 
     In one embodiment, the locking member is linearly movable between the pre-locking position and the final-locked position along an axial direction perpendicular to the charging socket. 
     The mounting bracket assembly for fixing the charging socket provided by the present application has beneficial effects in that: compared with the existing technology, the mounting bracket assembly of the present application includes a mounting frame and a locking member. The mounting frame defines an installation region configured for receiving the charging socket and is provided with a connection structure configured for installing the locking element. The locking element and the connection structure can be movably arranged between a pre-locking position and a final-locked position. When the locking element and the connection structure are connected to each other at the pre-locking position, the charging socket is receivable within the installation region of the mounting frame, after the charging socket is received in the installation region, the locking member is moved from the pre-locking position to the final-locked position and the charging socket is detachably fixed in the installation region, such that the installation of the charging socket on the mounting bracket assembly is completed; when it is necessary to remove the charging socket from the mounting bracket assembly, the locking member is moved from the final-locked position to the pre-locking position to complete a removal of the charging socket from the mounting frame, which simplifies working procedures, and effectively improves working efficiency. 
     The charging socket assembly provided by the present application has beneficial effects in that: compared with the existing technology, the charging socket assembly of the present application includes a charging socket and the above-mentioned mounting bracket assembly, the charging socket is detachably arranged in the installation region. A side wall of the charging socket is provided with a fixing structure suitable for the locking member, which is configured to be engaged with the locking member at the final-locked position to hold the charging socket on the mounting frame. The locking member is linearly movable between the pre-locking position and the final-locked position relative to the fixing structure. When the locking element and the connection structure are connected to each other at the pre-locking position, the charging socket is receivable within the installation region of the mounting frame. After the charging socket is received in the installation region, the locking member is moved from the pre-locking position to the final-locked position, meanwhile, the locking member is fixedly connected to the fixing structure on the charging socket, and the charging socket is detachably fixed in the installation region, such that the installation of the charging socket on the mounting bracket assembly is completed; when it is necessary to remove the charging socket from the mounting bracket assembly, the locking member is moved from the final-locked position to the pre-locking position to complete the removal of the charging socket from the mounting frame, which simplifies working procedures, and effectively improves working efficiency. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       In order to illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application more clearly, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed in the description of the embodiments or the existing technology. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are merely some embodiments of the present application, for those of ordinary skill in the art can obtain other drawings on the basis of these drawings without creative labor. 
         FIG. 1  is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a charging socket assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 2  is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a mounting bracket assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 3  is a first three-dimensional schematic diagram of a locking member of the mounting bracket assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present application; and 
         FIG. 4  is a second three-dimensional schematic diagram of the locking member of the mounting bracket assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present application. 
     
    
    
     Among them, reference signs in the FIGS. are listed as follows: 
       1 —mounting bracket assembly;  11 —mounting frame;  111 —installation region;  112 —mounting portion;  12 —connection structure;  121 —limit guide groove;  122 —limiting portion;  1221 —limiting groove;  13 —locking member;  131 —plug-in body;  1311 —final-locked boss;  1312 —pre-locking boss;  1313 —guide rail;  132 —pressing portion;  1321 —limiting protrusion;  1322 —driver structure;  1323 —skid-proof structure;  14 —buckle;  2 —charging socket;  21 —fixing structure;  3 —sealing ring. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     In order to make the technical problem to be solved, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present application more comprehensible, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described here are merely used to illustrate the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. 
     It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being “fixed to” or “disposed/provided on” another element, it may be directly or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being “connected to” another element, it may be directly or indirectly connected to the other element. 
     It should be understood that direction or position relationship indicated by terms of “length,” “width,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer” and the like, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which are merely used for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, it thus cannot be understood as a limitation to the present application. 
     In addition, the terms “first” and “second” are only used for descriptive purpose and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with “first” and “second” may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of these features. In the description of the present application, the term of “a/the plurality of” means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in an embodiment, it is provided a mounting bracket assembly  1  for fixing a charging socket  2 . The mounting bracket assembly  1  includes a mounting frame  11  and a locking member  13 . The mounting frame  11  defines an installation region  111  configured for receiving the charging socket  2 , and a connection structure  12  is provided on the mounting frame  11  configured for installing the locking member  13 . The locking member  13  and the connection structure  12  are movably arranged between a pre-locking position and a final-locked position. When the locking member  13  and the connection structure  12  are connected to each other at the pre-locking position, the charging socket  2  is receivable within the installation region  111  of the mounting frame  11 . After the charging socket  2  is received in the installation region  111 , the locking member  13  is moved from the pre-locking position to the final-locked position, and the charging socket  2  is detachably fixed in the installation region  111 , such that the installation of the charging socket  2  on the mounting bracket assembly  1  is completed. When it is necessary to remove the charging socket  2  from the mounting bracket assembly  1 , the locking member  13  is moved from the final-locked position to the pre-locking position to complete a removal of the charging socket  2  from the mounting frame  11 , which simplifies the working procedure and effectively improves the working efficiency. 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , as a specific implementation of the mounting bracket assembly  1  provided in this embodiment, the locking member  13  is linearly movable between the pre-locking position and the final-locked position relative to the mounting frame  11 . After the charging socket  2  is received in the installation region  111 , the locking member  13  is moved along a straight line from the pre-locking position to the final-locked position, and the charging socket  2  is detachably fixed in the installation region  111 , such that the installation of the charging socket  2  on the mounting bracket assembly  1  is completed. When it is necessary to remove the charging socket  2  from the mounting bracket assembly  1 , the locking member  13  is moved along a straight line from the final-locked position to the pre-locking position to complete the removal of the charging socket  2  from the mounting frame  11 , which simplifies the working procedure and effectively improves the working efficiency. Optionally, the locking member  13  may be linearly movable between the pre-locking position and the final-locked position along an installation direction perpendicular to the charging socket  2 . After the charging socket  2  is received in the installation region  111 , the locking member  13  is moved from the pre-locking position to the final-locked position in the installation direction perpendicular to the charging socket  2 , and the charging socket  2  is detachably fixed in the installation region  111 , such that the installation of the charging socket  2  on the mounting bracket assembly  1  is completed. When it is necessary to remove the charging socket  2  from the mounting bracket assembly  1 , the locking member  13  is moved from the final-locked position to the pre-locking position in the installation direction perpendicular to the charging socket  2  to complete the removal of the charging socket  2  from the mounting frame  11 , which facilitates operations for the operator, and beneficially improves the working efficiency. 
     Also, referring to  FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, the connection mode of the mounting frame  11  and an installation position preset on a vehicle body is not limited here, and connection modes such as detachable connection or non-detachable connection may be used here. Optionally, the mounting frame  11  may be provided with a mounting portion  112  for mounting the mounting bracket assembly  1  to a preset position. The specific structure and quantity of the mounting portion  112  are not limited here. Optionally, the mounting portion  112  may be provided on the mounting frame  11 . A plurality of mounting portions  112  may be provided, and the plurality of mounting portions  112  are arranged on the mounting frame  11  at intervals. The mounting frame  11  is fixedly connected to a preset position of the vehicle body in a screw connection, which is convenient for assembly and disassembly. 
     Also, referring to  FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the mounting frame  11  of the mounting bracket assembly  1  is located on a side wall of the installation region  111 , the mounting frame  11  is also provided with buckles  14  for a fix connection of the charging socket  2 . By providing the buckles  14  to assist the fixed connection, it can not only improve a stability of the connection between the charging socket  2  and the mounting frame  11 , but also simplifies the working process and improves the working efficiency more effectively. The number of the locking member  13  and the buckle  14  is not limited here. Optionally, a plurality of locking members  13  and buckles  14  may be provided, and the plurality of locking members  13  and buckles  14  are arranged at intervals along a circumferential inner wall of the mounting frame  11  to ensure the stability of the connection between the charging socket  2  and the mounting frame  11  and to improve the reliability of the mounting bracket assembly  1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 to 4 , in this embodiment, the connection structure  12  of the mounting bracket assembly  1  includes a limit guide groove  121  and a limiting portion  122  arranged above the limit guide groove  121 . The limit guide groove  121  is defined in a surface of the mounting frame  11  and configured to limit a moving direction of the locking member  13 . An installation space is formed by enclosing the limit guide groove  121  and the limiting portion  122 , and the installation space is configured for receiving the locking member  13 . The pre-locking position and the final-locked position are both arranged in the installation space. The locking member  13  is firmly installed in the installation space and can be movably arranged between the pre-locking position and the final-locked position. The specific structure of the locking member  13  is not limited here. The locking member  13  includes a plug-in body  131 , and two opposite side walls of the plug-in body  131  are respectively convex to form a final-locked boss  1311  for restricting the movement of the locking member  13  relative to the mounting frame  11  at the final-locked position, and a pre-locking boss  1312  for restricting the movement of the locking member  13  at the pre-locking position relative to the mounting frame  11  at the pre-locking position. The final-locked boss  1311  and the pre-locking boss  1312  are arranged at an interval. The final-locked boss  1311  and the pre-locking boss  1312  both play a role in preventing the locking member  13  from sliding out of the installation space. Optionally, two opposite side walls of the limit guide groove  121  are respectively provided with a fitting protrusion arranged between the final-locked boss  1311  and the pre-locking boss  1312 . The fitting protrusion is configured to limit a displacement of the locking member  13 . When the fitting protrusion is located between the final-locked boss  1311  and the pre-locking boss  1312 , the locking member  13  is at the pre-locking position, the charging socket  2  may be placed on the mounting frame  11  in the installation region  111 . When the charging socket  2  is received in the installation region  111 , the locking member  13  is moved from the pre-locking position to the final-locked position, the fitting protrusion now is away from the pre-locking boss  1312  and snap-fitted with the final-locked boss  1311 , the charging socket  2  is detachably fixed in the installation region  111 , such that the installation of the charging socket  2  on the mounting bracket assembly  1  is completed. Optionally, a bottom surface of the limit guide groove  121  may be concavely formed with a guide slot for restricting the moving direction of the locking member  13 , and a bottom surface of the plug-in body  131  is convexly formed with a guide rail  1313  suitable for the guide slot. The guide rail  1313  at the bottom of the member  13  is received in the guide groove in the limit guide groove  121 , which is beneficial to restrict the moving direction of the locking member  13  sliding between the pre-locking position and the final-locked position, meanwhile, it improves an accuracy of the assembly of the mounting bracket assembly  1 . 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 2 to 4 , in this embodiment, the locking member  13  of the mounting bracket assembly  1  also includes a pressing portion  132 . A side wall of the pressing portion  132  extends to form a limiting protrusion  1321 . The side wall of the limiting portion  122  has a surface being recessed to form a limiting groove  1221  such that the limiting protrusion  1321  can be placed. The limiting protrusion  1321  provided on the pressing portion  132  is matched with the limiting groove  1221  on the limiting portion  122 , which further ensures the accuracy of the assembly of the mounting bracket assembly  1  and the accuracy of the moving direction of the locking member  13 , thus enables the locking member  13  to accurately move from the pre-locking position to the final-locked position. Optionally, a driver structure  1322  may be provided on a top surface of the pressing portion  132  to facilitate the operator to drive the locking member  13  to move between the pre-locking position and the final-locked position. The specific structure of the driver structure  1322  is not limited here. Optionally, the driver structure  1322  may be a driving groove recessed on the top surface of the pressing portion  132 , the structure thus is simple, so that it saves effort for the operator to drive the locking member  13  to move, thereby it is beneficial to reduce the difficulty of the work and improve the work efficiency. Optionally, the surface of the pressing portion  132  may be provided with a skid-proof structure  1323 , which is beneficial to increase a friction between the pressing portion  132  and the operator&#39;s hand, so that the operation is more labor-saving, and it is convenient for the operator to drive the locking member  13  to move between the lock position and the final-locked position and is beneficial to reduce the difficulty of operation and improves the work efficiency. The specific structure of the skid-proof structure  1323  is not limited here. Optionally, the skid-proof structure  1323  may be a skid-proof protrusion disposed on the surface of the pressing portion  132 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the present application also provides a charging socket assembly, including a charging socket  2  and the mounting bracket assembly  1  as above-mentioned. The charging socket  2  is detachably arranged in the installation region  111 . A side wall of the charging socket  2  is provided with a fixing structure  21  that matches the locking member  13  and configured to cooperate with the locking member  13  at the final-locked position and to hold the charging socket  2  on the mounting frame  11 . The locking member  13  is linearly movable between the pre-locking position and the final-locked relative to the fixing structure  21 . When the locking member  13  and the connection structure  12  are connected to each other at the pre-locking position, the charging socket  2  is placed on the mounting frame  11  in the installation region  111 . After the charging socket  2  is received in the installation region  111 , the locking member  13  is moved from the pre-locking position to the final-locked position, meanwhile, the locking member  13  is fixedly connected to the fixing structure  21  on the charging socket  2 , and the charging socket  2  is detachably fixed in the installation region  111 , such that the installation of the charging socket  2  on the mounting bracket assembly  1  is completed. When it is necessary to remove the charging socket  2  from the mounting bracket assembly  1 , the locking member  13  is moved from the final-locked position to the pre-locking position to complete the removal of the charging socket  2  from the mounting frame  11 , which simplifies the working procedure and effectively improves the working efficiency. The specific structure of the fixing structure  21  of the charging socket  2  is not limited here. Optionally, the fixing structure  21  may be a fixing slot formed as a recess on the side wall of the charging socket  2  configured for receiving the locking member  13 . Optionally, the locking member  13  may be linearly movable between the pre-locking position and the final-locked position along an axial direction perpendicular to the charging socket  2 . After the charging socket  2  is received in the installation region  111 , the locking member  13  is moved from the pre-locking position to the final-locked position in the axial direction perpendicular to the charging socket  2 , and the charging socket  2  is detachably fixed in the installation region  111 , such that the installation of the charging socket  2  on the mounting bracket assembly  1  is completed. When it is necessary to remove the charging socket  2  from the mounting bracket assembly  1 , the locking member  13  is moved from the final-locked position to the pre-locking position in the axial direction perpendicular to the charging socket  2  to complete the removal of the charging socket  2  from the mounting frame  11 , which facilitates operations for the operator, and beneficially improves the working efficiency. 
     Optionally, the charging socket assembly may also include a sealing ring  3  arranged between the mounting bracket assembly  1  and the charging socket  2  to seal the gap between the mounting bracket assembly  1  and the charging socket  2 . On the one hand, the frictional force between the mounting bracket assembly  1  and the charging socket  2  can be enlarged, which is beneficial to improve the stability of the connection between the two, on the other hand, it can effectively improve a sealing and waterproof performance of the charging socket assembly, play a certain protective effect on its internal components, and help extend a service life of the charging socket assembly. 
     The above embodiments are merely some preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included within the protection scope of the present application.