U.S. patent application number 16/209481 was filed with the patent office on 2020-04-16 for connector and decking structure between vehicle body and battery comprising the same.
The applicant listed for this patent is Hyundai Motor Company Kia Motors Corporation Yura Co., Ltd. Invention is credited to Jae Young Jang, Jae Mun Jin, Yun Jae Jung, Min Jae Kim, Tae Hong Kim, Beom Joo Kwon, Il Kwon Park, Seung Woo Yang.
Application Number | 20200119477 16/209481 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 64604521 |
Filed Date | 2020-04-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200119477 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kwon; Beom Joo ; et
al. |
April 16, 2020 |
CONNECTOR AND DECKING STRUCTURE BETWEEN VEHICLE BODY AND BATTERY
COMPRISING THE SAME
Abstract
A connector and a decking structure between a vehicle body and a
battery including the same are provided. The connector includes a
first connector assembly that has a downwardly protruding guide pin
and a second connector assembly that is coupled to the first
connector assembly in a lower portion of the first connector
assembly and includes a guide aperture in which the guide pin is
accommodated.
Inventors: |
Kwon; Beom Joo; (Suwon,
KR) ; Jin; Jae Mun; (Suwon, KR) ; Jung; Yun
Jae; (Suwon, KR) ; Kim; Min Jae; (Hwaseong,
KR) ; Yang; Seung Woo; (Goyang, KR) ; Kim; Tae
Hong; (Yongin, KR) ; Park; Il Kwon; (Seongnam,
KR) ; Jang; Jae Young; (Suwon, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hyundai Motor Company
Kia Motors Corporation
Yura Co., Ltd |
Seoul
Seoul
Hwaseong |
|
KR
KR
KR |
|
|
Family ID: |
64604521 |
Appl. No.: |
16/209481 |
Filed: |
December 4, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R 12/91 20130101;
H01R 13/64 20130101; B60K 1/04 20130101; H01R 13/73 20130101; B60K
2001/0438 20130101; H01R 2201/26 20130101; H01M 2/1083 20130101;
H01R 13/629 20130101; B60K 2001/0472 20130101; B60L 50/64 20190201;
H01R 13/052 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01R 12/91 20110101
H01R012/91; H01R 13/05 20060101 H01R013/05; H01M 2/10 20060101
H01M002/10; H01R 13/64 20060101 H01R013/64; B60L 50/64 20190101
B60L050/64 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 10, 2018 |
KR |
10-2018-0120658 |
Claims
1. A connector, comprising: a first connector assembly having a
downwardly protruding guide pin; a second connector assembly
coupled to the first connector assembly in a lower portion of the
first connector assembly and including a guide aperture in which
the guide pin is accommodated; and a bracket assembly coupled to
the first connector assembly in an upper portion of the first
connector assembly and configured to couple the first connector
assembly to a fixing target, wherein the bracket assembly includes:
a fixing portion attached to a lower portion of the fixing target;
and an elastic member having a first end coupled to the fixed
portion and a second end coupled to the upper portion of the first
connector assembly and compressed and relaxed in a vertical
direction.
2. The connector of claim 1, wherein an end portion of the guide
pin has a width that gradually decreases toward a lower
portion.
3. The connector of claim 1, wherein an entrance of the guide
aperture is formed with an inclined surface having a width that
increases toward an upper portion.
4.-5. (canceled)
6. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first connector assembly
includes: a first terminal configured to form an electrical
connection and a first housing configured to accommodate the first
terminal, wherein the second connector assembly includes a second
terminal electrically connected to the first terminal when coupled
with the first connector assembly, and a second housing configured
to accommodate the second terminal and fastened to the first
housing when coupled with the first connector assembly.
7. The connector of claim 6, wherein a length of the guide pin is
determined such that when the first connector assembly and the
second connector assembly are coupled, an end portion of the guide
pin reaches an entrance of the guide aperture before an end portion
of the first housing reaches an end portion of the second
housing.
8. A docking structure between a vehicle body and a battery,
comprising: a battery assembly having a plurality of first guide
pins that protrude upwardly; the vehicle body formed with a
plurality of first guide apertures configured to accommodate the
plurality of first guide pins respectively and having a battery
accommodation region to which the battery assembly is attached; a
first connector assembly coupled to the vehicle body and having a
second guide pin that protrudes downwardly; and a second connector
assembly coupled to the battery assembly, coupled to the first
connector assembly in a lower portion of the first connector
assembly, and including a second guide aperture in which the second
guide pin is accommodated.
9. The docking structure of claim 8, wherein an end portion of the
second guide pin has a width that gradually decreases toward a
lower portion.
10. The docking structure of claim 9, wherein an entrance of the
second guide aperture is formed with an inclined surface having a
width that increases toward an upper portion.
11. The docking structure of claim 10, wherein a width of an upper
end of the second guide aperture is greater than twice a maximum
tolerance that occurs in a process of attaching the battery
assembly to the vehicle body.
12. The docking structure of claim 8, further comprising: a bracket
assembly coupled to the first connector assembly in an upper
portion of the first connector assembly and configured to couple
the first connector assembly to the vehicle body.
13. The docking structure of claim 12, wherein the bracket assembly
includes: a fixing portion attached to a lower portion of the
vehicle body; and an elastic member having a first end coupled to
the fixed portion and a second end coupled to the upper portion of
the first connector assembly and compressed and relaxed in a
vertical direction.
14. The docking structure of claim 8, wherein a length of the first
guide pin is determined such that an end portion of the first guide
pin reaches an entrance of the first guide aperture before an end
portion of the second guide pin reaches an entrance of the second
guide aperture in a process of approaching the battery assembly to
attach the battery assembly to the vehicle body.
15. The docking structure of claim 14, wherein the first connector
assembly comprises: a first terminal configured to form an
electrical connection and a first housing configured to accommodate
the first terminal, and wherein the second connector assembly
includes a second terminal electrically connected to the first
terminal when coupled with the first connector assembly, and a
second housing configured to accommodate the second terminal and
fastened to the first housing when coupled with the first connector
assembly.
16. The docking structure of claim 15, wherein a length of the
second guide pin is determined such that when the first connector
assembly and the second connector assembly are coupled, an end
portion of the second guide pin reaches an entrance of the second
guide aperture before an end portion of the first housing reaches
an end portion of the second housing.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application claims priority to Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2018-0120658, filed on Oct. 10, 2018, the entire
contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this
reference.
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a connector and a docking
structure between a vehicle body and a battery including the same,
and more particularly, to a connector that simplifies a process of
assembling a battery to a vehicle body and a docking structure
between the vehicle body and the battery including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0003] Recently, as interest in environmental problems has
increased, technology development and demand for an
environment-friendly vehicle that uses an electric energy stored in
a battery to drive an electric motor and generate power have been
increasing. The environment-friendly vehicle is dependent on
distance or time during which it may be operated by one-time
battery charging, and thus a large-capacity battery system capable
of storing a substantial amount of electric energy is required for
environment-friendly vehicles.
[0004] However, as the size and the capacity of a battery system
are increased, a process of assembling the battery to a lower
portion of a vehicle body becomes complex. Since a manual operation
for connecting a separate connector is performed after a physical
coupling, a connection failure may occur due to negligence or error
of an operator.
[0005] The contents described as the related art have been provided
merely to assist in understanding the background of the present
disclosure and should not be considered as corresponding to the
related art known to those having ordinary skill in the art.
SUMMARY
[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a
connector capable of simplifying a process of assembling a battery
to a vehicle body and capable of eliminating a risk of
misconnection due to a manual operation of a connector and a
docking structure between the vehicle body and the battery
including the same.
[0007] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure, a connector may include a first connector assembly
having a downwardly protruding guide pin; and a second connector
assembly coupled to the first connector assembly in a lower portion
of the first connector assembly and including a guide aperture in
which the guide pin is accommodated.
[0008] An end portion of the guide pin may have a shape with a
width that gradually decreases toward a lower portion. An entrance
of the guide aperture may be formed with an inclined surface having
a width that increases toward an upper portion. The connector may
further include: a bracket assembly coupled to the first connector
assembly in an upper portion of the first connector assembly and
configured to couple the first connector assembly to a fixing
target. The bracket assembly may include a fixing portion attached
to a lower portion of the fixing target and an elastic member
having a first end coupled to the fixed portion and a second end
coupled to the upper portion of the first connector assembly and
compressed and relaxed in a vertical direction.
[0009] The first connector assembly may include a first terminal
configured to form an electrical connection and a first housing
configured to accommodate the first terminal, and the second
connector assembly may include a second terminal electrically
connected to the first terminal when coupled with the first
connector assembly, and a second housing configured to accommodate
the second terminal and fastened to the first housing when coupled
with the first connector assembly. A length of the guide pin may be
determined such that when the first connector assembly and the
second connector assembly are coupled, an end portion of the guide
pin reaches an entrance of the guide aperture before an end portion
of the first housing reaches an end portion of the second
housing.
[0010] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure, a docking structure between a vehicle body and a
battery may include a battery assembly having a plurality of first
guide pins that protrude upwardly; the vehicle body formed with a
plurality of first guide apertures configured to accommodate the
plurality of first guide pins respectively and having a battery
accommodation region to which the battery assembly may be attached;
a first connector assembly coupled to the vehicle body and having a
second guide pin that protrudes downwardly; and a second connector
assembly coupled to the battery assembly, coupled to the first
connector assembly in a lower portion of the first connector
assembly, and including a second guide aperture in which the second
guide pin is accommodated.
[0011] An end portion of the second guide pin may have a shape with
a width that gradually decreases toward a lower portion. An
entrance of the second guide aperture may be formed with an
inclined surface having a width that increases toward an upper
portion. A width of an upper end of the second guide aperture may
be greater than twice a maximum tolerance that may occur in a
process of attaching the battery assembly to the vehicle body.
[0012] The docking structure may further include: a bracket
assembly coupled to the first connector assembly in an upper
portion of the first connector assembly and configured to couple
the first connector assembly to the vehicle body. The bracket
assembly may include a fixing portion attached to a lower portion
of the vehicle body and an elastic member having a first end
coupled to the fixed portion and a second end coupled to the upper
portion of the first connector assembly and compressed and relaxed
in a vertical direction. A length of the first guide pin may be
determined such that an end portion of the first guide pin reaches
an entrance of the first guide aperture before an end portion of
the second guide pin reaches an entrance of the second guide
aperture in a process of approaching the battery assembly to attach
the battery assembly to the vehicle body.
[0013] The first connector assembly may include a first terminal
configured to form an electrical connection and a first housing
configured to accommodate the first terminal, and the second
connector assembly may include a second terminal electrically
connected to the first terminal when coupled with the first
connector assembly, and a second housing configured to accommodate
the second terminal and fastened to the first housing when coupled
with the first connector assembly. A length of the second guide pin
may be determined such that when the first connector assembly and
the second connector assembly are coupled, an end portion of the
second guide pin reaches an entrance of the second guide aperture
before an end portion of the first housing reaches an end portion
of the second housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The above and other objects, features and other advantages
of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a docking structure
between a vehicle body and a battery to which a connector is
applied according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a connector according to
an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a bracket assembly and
a first connector assembly of the connector according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 2;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second connector assembly
of the connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present disclosure shown in FIG. 2;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing a docking structure between
a vehicle body and a battery according to an exemplary embodiment
of the present disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A' in
the docking structure between the vehicle body and the battery
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure
shown in FIG. 5; and
[0021] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling
relationship between a guide pin and a guide aperture of a
connector in an assembly process for implementing a docking
structure between a vehicle body and a battery according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] It is understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicular" or
other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in
general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility
vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles,
watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and
the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other
alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other
than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a
vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example both
gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.
[0023] Although exemplary embodiment is described as using a
plurality of units to perform the exemplary process, it is
understood that the exemplary processes may also be performed by
one or plurality of modules. Additionally, it is understood that
the term controller/control unit refers to a hardware device that
includes a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to
store the modules and the processor is specifically configured to
execute said modules to perform one or more processes which are
described further below.
[0024] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and
"the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood
that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this
specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude
the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As
used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of
one or more of the associated listed items.
[0025] Hereinafter, a connector and a docking structure between a
vehicle body and a battery including the connector according to
exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0026] FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a docking structure
between a vehicle body 100 and a battery to which a connector is
applied according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, the connector and the docking
structure between the vehicle body 100 and the battery according to
an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may have a
configuration in which a battery assembly 200 may be fixed to a
lower portion of the vehicle body 100. During an assembling process
of the battery assembly 200, the battery assembly 200 may be moved
up from the lower portion of the vehicle body 100 and may be
transferred to the lower portion of the vehicle body 100 to more
accurately fix the battery to a battery accommodation region
previously provided in the lower portion of the vehicle body
100.
[0027] Additionally, coupling of a connector may be performed
concurrently in a process of coupling the battery assembly 200 to
the vehicle body 100 to thus omit a separate connector coupling
process. Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure
provide the connector that enables electrical coupling of the
connector through one process of transferring the battery assembly
200 to the lower portion of the vehicle body 100 to form a physical
connection and the docking structure between the vehicle body 100
and the battery including the connector.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a connector 1 according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to
FIG. 2, the connector 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present disclosure may include a first connector assembly 20 having
a guide pin 25 that protrudes downward and a second connector
assembly 30 coupled to the first connector assembly 20 in a lower
portion of the first connector assembly 20, and including a guide
aperture 35 in which the guide pin 25 is accommodated.
[0029] In FIG. 2, the first connector assembly 20 may have a female
connector structure and the second connector assembly 30 may have a
male connector structure, but the structures may be switched as
needed. In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the
guide pin 25 and the guide aperture 35 may be respectively provided
in the two connector assemblies 20 and 30 which are mutually
coupled to each other to more accurately locate a coupling position
of the two connector assemblies 20 and 30 in a process of
assembling the two connector assemblies 20 and 30. In other words,
when the first connector assembly 20 is attached to the vehicle
body 100 and the second connector assembly 30 is provided in the
battery assembly 200, even when an alignment tolerance of a
particular order occurs in an assembling process of the vehicle
body 100 and the battery assembly 200, since a coupling position
arrangement may be possible by the guide pin 25 and the guide
aperture 35 before terminal parts provided in the two connector
assemblies 20 and 30 are coupled to each other, the two connector
assemblies 20 and 30 may be coupled more accurately.
[0030] In addition, the connector 1 according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a bracket
assembly 10 coupled to the first connector assembly 20 in an upper
portion of the first connector assembly 20 and coupling the first
connector assembly 20 to a fixing target (e.g., the vehicle body
100). FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the bracket assembly 10
and the first connector assembly 20 of the connector 1 according to
an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the second connector assembly 30 of
the connector 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure shown in FIG. 2.
[0031] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the respective configurations of
the connector 1 will be more specifically described. First, the
bracket assembly 10 may include fixing portions 11 and 13 fixed to
a fixing target (e.g., the vehicle body 100) by a method such as
welding or screw fastening, and an elastic member 15 having one end
connected to the fixing portions 11 and 13 and compressed and
relaxed in a vertical direction.
[0032] The fixing portions 11 and 13 may include a bracket 11 in
direct contact with the vehicle body 100 and having a first end
fixed to the vehicle body 100 and a bracket holder 13 joined to a
second end of the bracket 11 to be spaced apart from the vehicle
body 100 by a predetermined distance. A first end of the elastic
member 15 may be fixed to the bracket holder 13 and a second end
may be coupled to an upper portion of the first connector assembly
20. The elastic member 15 operates to provide an elastic force in
the vertical direction, that is, to be compressed and relaxed.
[0033] Since a dimensional tolerance of the vehicle body 100 and a
tolerance of the battery assembly 200 may be different from each
other and mismatch may occur during the coupling, the vehicle body
100 and the battery assembly 200 need to be assembled with a
predetermined space to compensate for a mismatch. Since the space
may reduce the coupling force between the first connector assembly
20 and the second connector assembly 30, the elastic member 15 may
be applied to correct the distance in an exemplary embodiment of
the present disclosure. In other words, when the first connector
assembly 20 and the second connector assembly 30 are fastened, the
elastic member 15, for example, a spring, may provide a repulsive
force to the first connector assembly 20 in a direction of the
second connector assembly 30, thereby eliminating the influence of
the distance and maintaining a high coupling force between the two
connector assemblies 20 and 30.
[0034] The elastic member 15 may also provide an effect of
attenuating vertical direction vibration (e.g., up-and-down
direction vibration while the vehicle is being driven) in an
environment in which the first connector assembly 20 and the second
connector assembly 30 are engaged with each other. The first
connector assembly 20 may include a first housing 21 and first
terminals 22 and 23 accommodated by the first housing 21 and the
guide pin 25. The first terminals 22 and 23 may be manufactured of
a metal material to form an electrical connection with a terminal
provided in the second connector assembly 30. The first housing 21
may accommodate the first terminals 22 and 23, fix positions of the
first terminals 22 and 23 and provide a guide structure for
coupling with the second connector assembly 30 and may be
implemented of a material such as synthetic resin, plastic, or the
like having an insulating property.
[0035] In a structure in which the battery assembly 200
incorporates and accommodates a high voltage battery, a low voltage
battery, and a controller configured to operate the high voltage
battery and the low voltage battery in one case, the connector 1
may be manufactured to be able to transmit a charged voltage, a
high voltage, and a control signal. In FIGS. 2 and 3, reference
numeral 21a designates a housing for the high voltage in which the
high voltage (the charged voltage) comes and goes, and reference
numeral 22 designates a terminal for the high voltage.
Additionally, in FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 21b designates a
housing for a low voltage through which the low voltage or the
control signal comes and goes, and reference numeral 23 designates
a terminal for the low voltage. As described above, the first
connector assembly 20 may include the guide pin 25 that protrudes
downward. The guide pin 25 may have a shape (e.g., an inverted
conical shape) with a width that decreases toward a lower portion
to facilitate insertion into the guide aperture 35.
[0036] The second connector assembly 30 may include a second
housing 31 and second terminals 32 and 33 and the guide aperture
35. The second housing 31 may fix and accommodate the second
terminals 32 and 33 at predetermined positions and may operate as a
guide when fastened to the first housing 21. Similar to the first
connector assembly 20, the second housing 31 may include a housing
31a for the high voltage in which the terminal 32 for the high
voltage may be accommodated in a position that corresponds to the
housing 21a for the high voltage of the first connector assembly 20
and a housing 31b for the low voltage in which the terminal 33 for
the low voltage may be accommodated in a position that corresponds
to the housing 21b for the low voltage of the first connector
assembly 20.
[0037] The guide aperture 35 may be a space where the guide pin 25
is inserted and accommodated and may be formed with an inclined
surface 351 and a width of an entrance of the guide aperture 35 may
thus increase toward an upper portion. A width of the uppermost end
of the inclined surface 351 may be appropriately determined by an
assembly tolerance expected in a process of coupling the vehicle
body 100 and the battery assembly 200 together. This will be
described again in a description of the docking structure between
the vehicle body 100 and the battery according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure to be described later.
[0038] Meanwhile, the guide pin 25 may be provided to facilitate an
alignment of the two connector assemblies 20 and 30 before the
first and second connector assemblies 20 and 30 are fastened to
each other and thus may be provided to have a sufficient length. In
other words, a length of the guide pin 25 may be determined such
that an end of the guide pin 25 reaches an entrance of the guide
aperture 35 before an end of the first housing 21 reaches an end of
the second housing 31 when the first connector assembly 20 and the
second connector assembly 30 are coupled.
[0039] FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing a docking structure between
the vehicle body 100 and a battery according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional
view taken along a line A-A' in the docking structure between the
vehicle body 100 and the battery according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 5. Referring to
FIGS. 5 and 6, when the battery assembly 200 is coupled to the
vehicle body 100, an area occupied by the battery assembly 200 may
have a size sufficient to correspond to about half a projection
area of the vehicle body 100. To assemble the battery assembly 200
to the vehicle body 100, the entire battery assembly 200 may be
transferred horizontally to a battery accommodation region of a
lower portion of the vehicle body 100 previously located in an
upper portion.
[0040] To first reduce a tolerance in a process of determining a
position where the battery assembly 200 is disposed, the battery
assembly 200 may include a guide pin 201 that protrudes in a
direction of the vehicle body 100, i.e. upward. A guide aperture
for accommodating the guide pin 201 may be formed in the battery
accommodation region of the lower portion of the vehicle body 100.
In other words, in a process of assembling the battery assembly 200
to the vehicle body 100, an assembly starts to reduce the tolerance
by inserting the guide pins 201 of the battery assembly 200 into
the guide aperture of the vehicle body 100.
[0041] Moreover, the bracket assembly 10 of the connector 1 may be
coupled to the lower portion of the vehicle body 100 and the first
connector assembly 20 may be coupled to a lower portion of the
bracket assembly 10. The second connector assembly 30 may be
disposed in an upper portion of a case of the battery assembly 200.
In a process of forming the guide pin 201 of the battery assembly
200 described above, a tolerance in an arrangement position or a
diameter of the guide pin 201 of the battery assembly 200 may
exist, and a tolerance may exist in a diameter of the guide
aperture of the vehicle body 100 for accommodating the guide pin
201, and a tolerance may exist at a position where the bracket
assembly 10 is disposed.
[0042] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the
docking structure between the vehicle body 100 and the battery may
be completed by fastening the first connector assembly 20 and the
second connector assembly 30 of the connector 1 to each other, and
thus the first connector assembly 20 and the second connector
assembly 30 need to be able to offset the above-mentioned
tolerances and be mutually coupled before the first connector
assembly 20 and the second connector assembly 30 are fastened to
each other. In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure,
to offset the tolerances and achieve a connector coupling to a
precise position, a size of an entrance portion of the guide
aperture 35 provided in the second connector assembly 30 may be
determined based on the sum of all the tolerances that may be
considered in the entire process of assembling the battery assembly
200 to the vehicle body 100.
[0043] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling
relationship between the guide pin 25 and the guide aperture 35 of
the connector 1 in an assembly process for implementing a docking
structure between the vehicle body 100 and a battery according to
an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG.
7, when a radius d of an entrance of the guide aperture 35 provided
in the second connector assembly 30, that is, the uppermost radius
d of the entrance formed with the inclined surface 351, is
determined to be greater than the entire tolerance (e.g., when a
width of an upper end of the guide aperture 35 is set to be greater
than twice the maximum tolerance), even when the guide pin 25 of
the first connector assembly 20 is off of a center of the guide
aperture 35 by the maximum tolerance, the guide pin 25 may be
inserted into the guide aperture 35 and thus, the connector
coupling may be possible.
[0044] As described above, since the guide pin 201 of the battery
assembly 200 may first be inserted into the guide aperture 35 of
the vehicle body 100 in the assembling process of forming the
docking structure between the vehicle body 100 and the battery
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a
length of the guide pin 201 of the first connector assembly 20 may
be determined such that an end of the guide pin 201 of the battery
assembly 200 reaches an entrance of a guide aperture 35 of the
vehicle body 100 before the end of the guide pin 25 of the first
connector assembly 20 reaches the entrance of the guide aperture 35
of the second connector assembly 30 in a process of approaching the
battery assembly 200 to attach the battery assembly 200 to the
vehicle body 100
[0045] As described above, a connector and a docking structure
between a vehicle body and a battery including the connector
according to various exemplary embodiments of the present
disclosure may achieve a position arrangement (a physical
connection) of a battery assembly and a connector coupling (an
electrical connection) using a single process in a process of
mounting the battery assembly to the vehicle body. Accordingly, the
connector and the docking structure between the vehicle body and
the battery including the connector according to various exemplary
embodiments of the present disclosure may expect various effects of
simplifying a battery assembling process, increasing a storage
energy through the enlargement of a battery system applicable to
the process, and improving workability related to battery assembly
maintenance and repair, etc.
[0046] Although the present disclosure has been shown and described
with respect to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those
having ordinary skill in the art that the present disclosure may be
variously modified and altered without departing from the spirit
and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the following
claims.
* * * * *