WO2011051781A1

WO2011051781A1 - Receptacle and plug, and connection device including the receptacle and the plug

Info

Publication number: WO2011051781A1
Application number: PCT/IB2010/002732
Authority: WO
Inventors: Noburu Hashimoto; Satoru Tanaka; Masaru Yoshida; Maki Kondou; Toshiyuki Takii; Takashi Kawamoto; Kouji Higaside; Eito Sakuma; Satoru Ueno
Original assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2009-10-30
Filing date: 2010-10-27
Publication date: 2011-05-05
Also published as: TWI414110B; TW201131904A

Abstract

There are proposed a plug and a receptacle capable of inserting plug pins of the plug into an insertion port easily. The receptacle (A) is provided with a receptacle block (2) and a door body (7). In the door body (7), there is provided a restricting part (87) that is in contact with a protruding part of a plug body of the plug (B) in the state where the door body (7) is in an opened state, and guides a position of the plug in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the plug pins.

Description

RECEPTACLE AND PLUG, AND CONNECTION DEVICE INCLUDING THE

RECEPTACLE AND THE PLUG

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a plug and a receptacle equipped with a door body opening and closing an insertion port into which a plug pin is to be inserted, and to a connection device having the same .

Background of the Invention

There is known a receptacle provided with a door body capable of covering an insertion port for the purpose of preventing dust deposition on the insertion port (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-365312) . In such receptacle, the door body is opened to expose the insertion port by a hand when a plug is inserted into the insertion port, and the door body is closed to cover the insertion port when no plug is connected to the receptacle.

As for the receptacle having such door body, there is a problem that an alignment of the plug pin with the insertion port is difficult because the door body and the plug interfere with each other when the plug is inserted. To solve the problem, a user may hold the door body by his/her one hand, and insert the plug into the insertion port by the other hand. In this case, however, the user must hold the door body so as not to interfere with the plug, which makes the work of inserting the plug into the receptacle so complicated.

-1-

C0NFIR ATI0N. C0PY Summary of the Invention

In view of the above, the object of the invention is to provide a plug and a receptacle capable of inserting a plug pin of the plug into an insertion port easily, and a connection device including the same.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a receptacle which is adapted to be connected to a plug provided with a plug pin protruding from a plug body, the receptacle including: a receptacle unit having a plug insertion surface in which an insertion port is formed and a pin receiver for gripping the plug pin inserted into the insertion port; and a supporting body protruding from the receptacle unit, wherein the supporting body is provided with a restricting part formed in a supporting surface facing to the plug body, the restricting part being in contact with a protruding part formed on the plug body when the plug is connected to the receptacle, so that the restricting part restricts a movement of the plug body in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the plug pin within a plane extending along the supporting surface, and guides a position of the plug body relative to the receptacle unit so as to align the plug pin to the insertion port.

In such configuration, since the restricting part provided in the supporting body comes into contact with the protruding part to guide the position of the plug relative to the receptacle so as to align the plug pin to the insertion port, the position of the plug relative to the receptacle is easily fixed, as compared with a configuration without the restricting part. Thus, the plug pin can be inserted into the insertion port with ease .

The restricting part may be configured by a recess formed in the supporting surface of the supporting body and accommodating the protruding part, the recess being provided with a slope portion tilting from a bottom of the recess to the supporting surface in the insertion direction of the plug pin.

In accordance with such configuration, since the restricting part is formed in the recessed portion, the position of the plug relative to the receptacle can be fixed only by providing a simple structure in the supporting body. Further, the slope portion formed in the recessed portion enables the protruding part to climb and pass over the recess easily. Accordingly, it becomes easy for the protruding part to move from the restricting part toward the surface of the supporting body.

There may be provided, on the supporting surface of the supporting body, a fixing part for fixing the protruding part in a state where the plug pin is gripped by the pin receiver, the fixing part being located closer to the receptacle unit than the restricting part in the insertion direction of the plug pin.

In accordance with such configuration, even if an unintended force, such as being caught by a cable, applies to the plug so as to detach the plug from the receptacle, the detachment of the plug from the receptacle is prevented because the fixing part keeps the plug in the state where the plug pin is gripped by the blade receiver.

The fixing part may be configured to be engaged with an engaging part, provided in the plug body in the state where the plug pin is gripped by the pin receiver, and to restrict the movement of the plug body along the orthogonal direction relative to the supporting body. In accordance with such configuration, even if a load is applied to the plug in the orthogonal direction in the state where the plug pin is gripped by the pin receiver, the movement of the plug is restricted in the orthogonal direction relative to the supporting body because the engaging part of the plug and the fixing part of the supporting body are engaged. Therefore, the detachment of the plug pin from the pin receiver due to the load applied to the plug in the orthogonal direction can be suppressed.

It may be configured such that the fixing part has a protrusion protruding from the supporting surface of the supporting body and the engaging part with a recess shape holds the fixing part from its both sides in the orthogonal direction.

In accordance with such configuration, since the engaging part has the recess shape holding the protrusion of the fixing part from its both sides in the orthogonal direction, the configuration of the fixing part and the engaging part for restricting the movement of the plug in the orthogonal direction relative to the supporting body can be simplified.

The recess may be configured to be divided into two recess parts by a partition provided therein. One recess part located closer to the receptacle unit in the pin insertion direction than the other recess part acts as the fixing part fixing the protruding part , and the other recess part acts as the restricting part .

In accordance with such configuration, the fixing part and the restricting part are provided by forming the partition in the recess; i.e., the fixing part and the restricting part are formed in one recess. Therefore, configurations of the fixing part and the restricting part are simplified.

The supporting body may be configured to have a door body capable of pivoting between a closed position in which the insertion port is covered and an opened position in which the insertion port is exposed outwardly, and the receptacle may further include a biasing member for biasing the door body to the closed position.

In the closed position, the door body may be configured to have a portion protruding beyond an outer periphery of the receptacle unit.

In accordance with such configuration, since the door body protrudes beyond the outer periphery of the receptacle, a finger or a plug body is hooked onto the protruding portion of the door body to move the door body to the opened position. Accordingly, the door body is opened more easily as compared with a case that the door body has no portion protruding beyond the outer periphery of the receptacle unit.

The receptacle unit may be provided with a decorative cover that covers other surfaces than the plug insertion surface while the plug insertion surface is exposed, and a protecting member that protects the decorative cover is provided at a position corresponding to the restricting part on a surface of the decorative cover when the door body is in the closed position.

The position corresponding to the restricting part on the decorative cover may often be in contact with the plug pin. When the plug pin comes into contact with the decorative cover, the decorative cover may be damaged and deteriorated. In accordance with such configuration, since the protecting member is provided at the above position, the damage of the decorative cover due to the plug pin can be reduced.

The receptacle unit may be provided with a contact surface that is in contact with the door body when the door body is in the closed position, the contact surface extending in parallel to the plug insertion surface.

When inserting the plug into the receptacle, a user recognizes the contact surface of the receptacle unit visually to understand an inclination angle of the insertion port with respect to the vertical direction. If the contact surface and the inclination angle of the insertion port are different from each other, the plug may not be inserted into the receptacle smoothly. In accordance with such configuration, since the contact surface is provided parallel to the inclination angle of the insertion port, the plug can be inserted into the receptacle smoothly.

The receptacle unit may be provided with an indicator indicating whether electric power is being supplied to the receptacle unit.

In accordance with such configuration, since a user is aware of the ON/OFF state of power supply directly via the indicator, there is no need to check the power supply state of the receptacle by using a device for controlling the power supply to the receptacle.

The receptacle unit may be attached to a wall surface, and a spacer may be interposed between the receptacle unit and the wall surface.

The pin receiver may be configured to have a pair of first gripping pieces arranged in a predetermined direction, and a second gripping piece arranged adjacent thereto in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction.

In accordance with such configuration, the first gripping pieces and the second gripping piece are allowed to receive the plug pins for both single-phase 100V and 200V. Accordingly, only by alternating the insertion surface without replacing a whole receptacle block, both the plugs for single-phase 100V and 200V are available.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plug adapted to be connected to a receptacle including a receptacle unit having a plug insertion surface in which an insertion port is formed, and a pin receiver for gripping a plug pin of the plug inserted into the insertion port, and a plug body provided with the plug pin protruding therefrom, wherein the plug body is provided with a protruding part to be in contact with a restricting part that is formed on a supporting surface of the supporting body facing to the plug body when the plug is connected to the receptacle, the protruding part protruding from a side surface of the plug body facing to the supporting surface, and wherein when the plug is connected to the receptacle, the protruding part comes in contact with the restricting part to restrict a movement of the plug body in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the plug pin in a plane extending along the supporting surface and to guide a position of the plug body relative to the receptacle unit so as to align the plug pin to the insertion port.

The plug body may be provided with an engaging part that is engaged with a fixing part provided closer to the receptacle unit than the restricting part on the supporting surface of the supporting body in the insertion direction of the plug pin in a state where the pin is gripped by the pin receiver, and restricts the movement of the plug body in the orthogonal direction.

The engaging part may be configured to have a recess shape holding the fixing part from its both sides in the orthogonal direction, the fixing part having a protrusion protruding from the supporting surface of the supporting body.

The plug pin may include two power electrodes and the protruding part may be formed to correspond to a position between the two power electrodes .

The both sides of the protruding part in the orthogonal direction may be configured to have a protruding amount that is gradually decreased as it goes from a center portion to an outer portion of the protruding part in the orthogonal direction.

The plug body may be configured to have planar holding parts provided in the both sides of the protruding part in the orthogonal direction.

The plug body may be configured to have a position indicator provided in a side surface of the plug body opposite to the protruding part .

In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection device including: a plug provided with a plug pin protruding from a plug body; and a receptacle into which the plug pin is detachably inserted.

The receptacle includes: a receptacle unit having a plug insertion surface in which an insertion port is formed, and a pin receiver for gripping the plug pin inserted into the insertion port; and a supporting body protruding from the insertion surface of the receptacle unit.

The plug body includes : a protruding part to be in contact with a restricting part that is formed on a supporting surface of the supporting body facing to the plug body when the plug is connected to the receptacle, the protruding part protruding from a side of the plug body facing to the supporting surface.

The restricting part restricts a movement of the plug body in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the plug pin within a plane extending along the supporting face and guides a position of the plug body relative to the receptacle unit so as to align the pin to the insertion port .

In accordance with the present invention, there are proposed a plug and a receptacle capable of inserting the plug pin into the insertion port with ease and a connection device having the same . Brief Description of the Drawings

The other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an exploded perspective structure of a receptacle in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2A is a perspective view showing an exploded perspective structure of a receptacle block of the same embodiment, and Fig. 2B is a plane view showing a front structure of a pin insertion port;

Fig. 3A is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of a door body viewed from above in the same embodiment, and Fig. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure of the door body taken along line A-A in Fig. 3A;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure of the receptacle of the same embodiment;

Fig.5A is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of the receptacle of the same embodiment, which is viewed from below when the door body is in an opened state, and Fig 5B is a plane view showing a top structure of the door body when the door body is in a closed state;

Fig.6A is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of a plug adapted to be connected to the receptacle of the same embodiment viewed from above, and Fig. 6B is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of the plug viewed from below;

Figs. 7A to 7D are views for explaining a process of inserting the plug into the receptacle of the same embodiment, wherein Fig. 7A is a schematic view showing a relation between the door body and the plug when the door body is in the closed state, Fig. 7B is a schematic view showing a relation between the door body and the plug when the door body is in the opened state, Fig. 7C is a schematic view showing a state where the plug is inserted from the state of Fig. 7B, and Fig. 7D is a schematic view showing a state where a protruding part is accommodated in a restricting part;

Fig. 8 is a plane view showing the state where the protruding part is accommodated in the restricting part, viewed from below, in accordance with a positional relation between the door body and the plug of the same embodiment;

Figs. 9A to 9C are views for explaining a process of inserting the plug into the receptacle of the same embodiment, wherein Fig .9A is a schematic view showing a state where a holding part is engaged with the protruding part, Fig. 9B is a schematic view showing a state where the protruding part stays on a top surface of the holding part, and Fig. 9C is a schematic view showing a state where the protruding part is accommodated in an engaging part; Figs. 10A and 10B are views for explaining a process of detaching the plug from the receptacle of the same embodiment, wherein Fig. lOA is a schematic view showing a state where a user pushes the door body down, and Fig.10B is a schematic view showing a movement of the door body after detaching the receptacle;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of the door body in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of the plug of the same embodiment;

Fig. 13A is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the plug has been connected to the receptacle in the same embodiment, and Fig. 13B is a plane view of Fig. 13A viewed from below;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the receptacle in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;

Fig.15 is a perspective view showing a state where the plug is in contact with the receptacle of the same embodiment;

Fig.16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the receptacle is installed on a wall in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of a spacer in the same embodiment;

Fig. 18 is a plane view showing an appearance of the receptacle in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 19 is a plane view showing an appearance of the receptacle in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 20 is a plane view showing an elevational structure of the pin insertion port of the receptacle block in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 21 is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of the door body viewed from above in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 22A is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of the door body viewed from above in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 22A is a perspective view showing a prospective structure of the door body viewed from below;

Fig. 23 is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of the door body viewed from above in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 24 is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of the door body viewed from above in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 25 is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of the door viewed from above in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 26 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of a receptacle in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention, which is provided with a supporting body for fixing instead of the door body;

Fig. 27 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the supporting body;

Fig. 28 is a perspective view showing a modification of the supporting body;

Figs. 29A and 29B are perspective views showing a receptacle in accordance with a seventh embodiment of the present invention in which the receptacle is applied to a battery charging stand, and Fig. 29C is a front view of a main part thereof; and Fig. 30 is an exploded perspective view of the receptacle of the seventh embodiment .

Detailed Description of the Embodiments (First Embodiment)

With reference to Figs. 1 to 10, there will be described a first embodiment that specifies a plug and receptacle of the present invention as a waterproof receptacle installed on an outer wall surface of a house and a plug to be inserted into the waterproof receptacle.

As shown in Fig.1, the waterproof receptacle (hereinafter, referred to as "receptacle A") includes: a receptacle unit 1A provided with insertion ports 75 (see Fig. 2) into which plug pins 91 (see Fig.6) of a plug B are inserted; and a door opening/closing mechanism IB for opening and closing the insertion ports 75 while being provided in the receptacle unit 1A.

Hereinafter, a direction indicating front and rear sides of the wall surface is defined as "front-rear direction X", a vertical direction is defined as " up-down direction Z", and a direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction X and the up-down direction Z is defined as "left-right direction Y" . Further, in the front-rear direction X, a direction heading to the front side of the wall surface is defined as "forward", and a direction heading to the rear side of the wall surface is defined as "rearward" .

The receptacle unit 1A is provided with: a receptacle block 2 connected to an electric wire and serving to supply electric power from the wire to the plug connected thereto; and a body 3 in which the receptacle block 2 is accommodated. In the rear side of the body 3, a waterproof packing (hereinafter, referred to as "packing 4") is interposed between the wall surface and the body 3 in the front-rear direction X. Both the body 3 and packing 4 are screwed to a mounting frame 5 disposed on the rear side of the wall surface with screws SCI. The receptacle block 2 is screwed to the body 3 with screws SC2. Further, a decorative cover 6 is attached to a front face of the body 3.

The body 3 includes a body part 20 as a rectangular frame, and a holding section 21 protruding forwardly from the body part 20. The receptacle block 2 is accommodated in the holding section 21. Further, through holes 22 for inserting the screws SCI therethrough are formed at upper and lower ends of a central portion in the left-right direction Y of the body 3. Over the through holes 22 at the lower end, a cover 23 for covering the screw SCI is attached.

The packing 4 includes a body part 30 as a rectangular frame and a lid part 31 covering the front surface of the body part 30. In an upper portion of the lid part 31, there is provided a wire opening 32 having a rectangular shape formed through the lid part 31 in the front-rear direction X. Electric wires are inserted into the wire opening 32 from the rear side of the wall surface. In a joint portion between an outer periphery of the lid part 31 and the body part 30, a step portion 33 is formed over the joint portion. The packing 4 and the body 3 are engaged with each other by the step portion 33. Further, through holes 34 for inserting the screws SCI are provided at positions of packing 4 corresponding to the through holes 22 of the body 3.

The mounting frame 5 includes a body part 40 configured as a rectangular frame in which an opening 41 with an approximately rectangular shape is formed. In both sides of the opening in the up-down direction Z, mounting holes 42 formed through the body part 40 in the front-rear direction X are provided, so that screw members (not shown) are inserted thereinto to attach the body part 40 to a switch box (not shown) disposed in the rear side of the wall surface. Besides, in an upper and a lower side of the respective mounting holes 42, there are provided through holes 43 that are formed through the body part 40 in the front-rear direction X while corresponding to the through holes 34 of the packing 4.

The decorative cover 6 includes: a side wall portion 50 covering the holding part 21 from the front side and having a curved surface; and an upper wall 51 covering an upper portion of the side wall portion 50 and tilting upwardly as it goes backwardly. The decorative cover 6 is constituted by the side wall portion 50 and the upper wall 51 to be opened downwardly.

The door opening/closing mechanism IB includes a door body 7 for opening and closing the insertion ports 75, a shaft 8 attached to the door body 7, and a shaft support body 9 for accommodating and holding the shaft 8. The shaft support body 9 is attached to the body 3 with screws SC3. Further, a pair of coil springs (hereinafter, referred to as "springs 10") for biasing the door body 7 to the insertion ports 75 are attached to the shaft 8.

In the door opening/closing mechanism IB, the shaft 8 is inserted into a shaft through hole 9a formed in the shaft support body 9, and then the springs 10 are attached to both outer sides of the shaft 8 protruding from the shaft through hole 9a in the left-right direction Y. In this state, the door body 7 is attached to the shaft 8 at outer portions than the- springs 10 in the left-right direction Y, so that the door body 7 can pivot about the shaft 8. Accordingly, the operation of opening and closing the door body 7 is carried out by pivoting the door body 7 about the shaft 8.

In the receptacle block 2, as shown in Fig.2A, a receptacle unit 11 and a receptacle cover 12 serving as a case held by the body 3 (see Fig.l) are molded of a synthetic resin by injection molding. In an internal space defined by the receptacle unit 11 and the receptacle cover 12, there are received three terminal plates 13, four locking springs 14, and two release buttons 15. Further, the receptacle block 2 includes a socket cover 16 for receiving plug pins 91 (see Figs . 6A and 6B) , which is a different member from the receptacle unit 11 and the receptacle cover 12.

The receptacle unit 11 and the receptacle cover 12 respectively have a fixing part 11a and a fixing part 12a to be fitted with the socket cover 16. In a bottom wall lib of the receptacle unit 11, there are provided wire through holes 11c that are formed through the bottom wall lib in the front-rear direction X to communicate with the above internal space.

Electric wires are inserted into the wire through holes 11c. Further, in the bottom wall lib, there are provided operation holes lid for manipulating the release buttons 15, the operation holes lid being formed through the bottom wall lib in the front-rear direction X.

Terminal plate 13 is constituted by two power terminal plates 13A arranged in the left-right direction Y, and one ground terminal plate 13B adjacent to the power terminal plates 13A in the front-rear direction X.

Each of the power terminal plates 13A includes: a flat-plate base 60 extending in the up-down direction Z and the left-right direction Y; a pin receiver 61 extending downwardly from the base 60; a pair of locking spring contact portions 62 extending rearwardly from a lower end of the base 60; and a pair of wire contact portions 63 extending rearwardly from an upper end of the base 60. The locking spring 14 is accommodated between the locking spring contact portion 62 and the wire contact portion 63 in the up-down direction Z, while being in contact with the base 60. The release button 15 is interposed between the locking springs 14 disposed adjacent to each other in the left-right direction Y. The pin receiver 61 is provided with a pair of first gripping pieces 64A, and a second gripping piece 64B disposed adjacent to the first holding pieces 64A in the left-right direction Y.

The ground terminal plate 13B is provided with a base (not shown), a pin receiver 65, a pair of locking spring contact portions 66, and a pair of wire contact portions 67, like the power terminal plate 13A. Each pair of the locking spring contact portions 66 and the wire contact portions 67 are arranged to be separated from each other in the left-right direction Y. Further, the locking spring 14 is accommodated between the locking spring contact portion 66 and the wire contact portion 67, and the release button 15 is interposed between the locking springs 14 disposed adjacent to each other in the left-right direction Y.

The socket cover 16 includes a body part 70 having a substantially square shape viewed from the up-down direction Z. In an upper portion of the body part 70, a side wall surface 71 for fitting with the fixing part 11a and the fixing part 12a is provided. Further, in a lower portion of the body part 70, a recess 73 formed into a circular shape viewed from the up-down direction Z and recessed upwardly from an under surface 72 is provided. In a bottom surface 74 (plug insertion surface) of the recess 73, insertion ports 75 are provided.

As shown in Fig. 2B, the insertion ports 75 include: two power-pin insertion ports 75a having, e.g. , a rectangular shape whose long side is extended in the left-right direction Y viewed from the up-down direction Z; and a ground-pin insertion port 75b with, e.g., a substantially circular shape. The power-pin insertion ports 75a are arranged in the left-right direction Y, and the ground-pin insertion port 75b is positioned between the power insertion ports 75a in the left-right direction Y and rearward of the power insertion ports 75a.

Hereinafter, a way of connecting and disconnecting an electric wire and the receptacle block 2 will be described schematically. When being connected to the receptacle block 2, the electric wire is inserted through the wire through hole 11c. Then, the electric wire comes into contact with the locking spring 14 and is pressed by the locking spring 14 against the wire contact portion 63. Thus, the connection of the electric wire and the terminal plate 13 is completed. When the electric wire is disconnected from the receptacle block 2, a tool such as a flat-blade screwdriver is inserted into the operation holes lid to push the release button 15 forwardly. Accordingly, the release button 15 pushes the locking spring 14 to decrease the force of the locking spring 14 pressing the electric wire. In this state, the electric wire is pulled backwardly to be disconnected from the receptacle block 2.

As shown in Fig. 3A, the door body 7 has a base 80 formed into a flat plate. In the base 80, a recess 81 recessed downwardly from a surface 80a of a center portion thereof is provided. At a rear end of the base 80, a pair of shaft support portions 82 having through holes for inserting the shaft 8 (see Fig.l) therethrough is provided. At a front end and a center portion of the base 80 in the left-right direction Y, a depression 83 curved downwardly is provided.

The recess 81 includes a bottom 84 forming a lower portion of the recess 81 and joint portions 85 joining the bottom 84 and the base 80. The joint portions 85 include a front slope face 85a joining the bottom 84 and the base 80 in the front-rear direction X and tilting backwardly as it goes downward, and a pair of side slope faces 85b joining the bottom 84 and the base 80 in the left-right direction Y coming closer to each other as they go downward.

In the central portion of the recess 81 in the front-rear direction X, there is provided a partition wall 86 protruding upwardly from the bottom 84 and joining the side slope faces 85b that are opposed to each other in the left-right direction Y. A rear surface 86a (see Fig.3B) of the partition wall 86 is formed into a plane shape extending along the left-right direction Y and the up-down direction Z. Besides, the partition wall 86 divides the recess 81 into a restricting part 87 positioned forward of the partition wall 86 and a fixing part 88 positioned rearward of the partition wall 86.

In the bottom 84 corresponding to the restricting part 87, a plane 84a extending along the front-rear direction X and the left-right direction Y is provided. In the bottom 84 corresponding to the fixing part 88, a plane 84b (see Fig.3B) similar to the plane 84a and a slope 84c tilting upwardly as it goes rearward are provided. The slope 84c is formed to have a tilting angle smaller than those of the front slope face 85a and the side slope faces 85b.

On a front face 86b of the partition wall 86, there are provided, e.g., two slope portions 89 joining a top face 86c of the partition wall 86 and the plane 84a, and tilting downwardly as it goes forward from the front face 86b. The slope portions 89 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction Y.

As shown in Fig. 4, the receptacle block 2 is fitted to a fitting part 24 provided in a lower end portion of the holding section 21 so that its position relative to the holding section 21 is determined. Specifically, the receptacle block 2 is inserted into an opening 25 provided in the fitting part 24 and comes into contact with a contacting face 26 around the peripheral edge of the opening 25, so that the bottom surface 74 of the socket cover 16 in which the insertion ports 75 are formed is positioned inwardly of the opening 25 of the receptacle A. In the state where the receptacle block 2 is fixed to the body 3, the recess 73 is arranged so as to tilt downwardly and rearwardly, while being opened downwardly. Accordingly, the bottom surface 74 and the insertion ports 75 are exposed downwardly.

As for the receptacle A, "a closed state" is defined by a state where the door body 7 is in contact with a bottom end surface 52 of the side wall portion 50 in the decorative cover 6 (the door body 7 illustrated by the solid line in Fig. 4) . The position of the door body 7 in the closed state is referred to as "a closed position". Further, the bottom end surface 52 is formed so as to be parallel to the bottom surface 74 of the socket cover 16.

The shaft 8 is disposed near the opening 25, so that the door body 7 can pivot downwardly from the closed position. Further, as indicated by a long dashed double-short dashed line, "an opened state" is defined by a state where the door body 7 is separated from the bottom end surface 52. The position of the door body 7 in the opened state is referred to as "an opened position" . Hereinafter, a direction of operating the door body 7 to the closed state or the opened state is defined as "an opening/closing direction W" . The opening/closing direction W corresponds to a direction in which the spring 10 biases the door body 7. In the opening/closing direction W, a direction heading to the closed position is defined as "a close direction", and a direction heading to the opened position is defined as "an open direction" . Further, in the closed position, the base 80 is kept pressed against the bottom end surface 52 of the decorative cover 6 by the spring 10 (see Fig.l) .

As shown in Fig. 5A, the bottom end surface 52 of the decorative cover 6 is formed to surround the recess 73.

Specifically, the decorative cover 6 exposes the bottom surface 74 downwardly and covers the receptacle block 2 from the front and the left and right side except for the bottom surface 74. Further, in the closed position, the door body 7 covers the insertion ports 75 (formed in the bottom surface 74) from below. At this time, the recess 81 is positioned to correspond to the insertion ports 75, and the base 80 comes into contact with the bottom end surface 52 along the circumference thereof.

In the closed position, as shown in Fig. 5B, the base 80 is protruded from the side wall portion 50 over the entire circumference of the side wall portion 50 of the decorative cover 6 to the front, and the left and right side. Further, the curved depression 83 of the base 80 is protruded from the side wall portion 50 to the front side.

A structure of the plug B will be described with reference to Figs.6A and 6B .

As shown in Fig. 6A, the plug B includes: a plug body 90 with a substantially cylindrical shape for being held by a user; and plug pins 91 protruding from the plug body 90 forwardly. Further, in the rear side of the plug body 90, there is provided a cable 92 for supplying an electric power received by the plug pins 91 to an apparatus (not shown) . The plug body 90 is molded of a synthetic resin by injection molding.

The plug body 90 includes: holding portions 93 with a flat shape provided on left and right sides thereof at a center portion thereof in the front-rear direction X and held by the user's fingers; a protruding part 94 protruding downwardly from a lower portion thereof; and a position indicator 95 provided in an upper portion thereof, for allowing the user to recognize visually the orientation of the plug B. The protruding part 94 is preferably provided so as to correspond to a position between a pair of power plug pins 94 (see Fig. 6B) . Thus, the user can recognize the position of the protruding part 94 easily when holding the plug body 90 to connect the plug B to the receptacle A.

The plug pins 91 include a pair of power plug pins 91a to be inserted into the power-pin insertion ports 75a, and a ground plug pin 91b to be inserted into the ground-pin insertion port 75b. The ground plug pin 91b is protruded further forwardly than the power plug pins 91a. Further, each of the power plug pins 91a is formed into, e.g., a rectangular shape whose long side extends in the left-right direction Y as viewed from the front-rear direction X, and the ground plug pin 91b is formed into, e.g., a circular pin shape. The position indicator 95 is, e.g., a rectangular protrusion extending in the front-rear direction X. In the case where the position indicator 95 is disposed in the upper portion of the plug B, the power plug pins 91a are arranged in the left-right direction Y.

As shown in Fig. 6B, the protruding part 94 includes: a lower end portion 94a; a front slope portion 94b tilting upwardly as it goes forward from the lower end portion 94a in the front direction; and side slope portions 94c tilting upwardly as it goes laterally from the lower end portion 94a in the left-right direction Y. Further, at a rear end of the lower end portion 94a, a holding face 94d extending upwardly is provided. A planar contact face 96 extending backwardly from the protruding part 94 is provided rearwardly of the protruding part 94 of the plug body 90. The external diameter of the portion of the plug body 90, corresponding to the contact face 96, is smaller than that of the other cylindrical portions.

The front slope portion 94b is formed to have a larger width in the left-right direction Y as it goes forward. The front slope portion 94b is provided with a recess portion 94e that is recessed upwardly and has a substantially triangular shape as viewed from below. The recess portion 94e serves to reduce the thickness of the protruding part 94, which prevents shrinkage or void from being formed in the protruding part 94 and around it.

With reference to Figs .7A to 10B, a process of connecting the plug B to the receptacle A and a process of disconnecting the plug B from the receptacle A will be described. Figs .7A to 7D show the process in which the plug B opens the door body 7 to be accommodated in the restricting part 87. Figs .9A to 9C show the process in which the plug B climbs and passes over the partition wall 86 to be accommodated in the fixing part 88 and then the connection of the receptacle A is completed. Figs.lOA and 10B show the process in which the plug B is disconnected from the receptacle A. Note that the cable 92 of the plug B is omitted in Figs. 7A to 10B.

With respect to the door body 7 in the closed position, as shown in Fig. 7A, the portion of the door body 7 that is protruded from the decorative cover 6 is hooked by the front end of the plug body 90, and the door body 7 is pivoted to the opened position. As another way of opening the door body 7, the user may open the door body 7 by his/her fingers.

As shown in Fig. 7B, the plug pins 91 are directed to the socket cover 16 to be inserted thereinto in the state where the plug pins 91 are located at the position corresponding to the bottom surface 74 of the socket cover 16. Hereinafter, a direction of inserting the plug pins 91 is referred to as "a plug pin insertion direction V" . In the plug pin insertion direction V, a direction of connecting the plug B to the socket cover 16 is referred to as "a connecting direction", and a direction of disconnecting the plug B from the socket cover 16 is referred to as "a disconnecting direction" .

As shown in Fig. 7C, when the plug B is inserted to the connecting direction, the protruding part 94 of the plug B comes into contact with the front end of the door body 7. When the plug B is further inserted in the connecting direction from this state, the door body 7 is further pivoted in the open direction by the front slope portion 94b of the protruding part 94. Accordingly, the lower end portion 94a comes into contact with the door body 7.

As shown in Fig. 7D, when the plug B is further inserted in the connecting direction from the state where the lower end portion 94a is in contact with the door body 7, the protruding part 94 is accommodated in the restricting part 87. Specifically, the protruding part 94 is guided into the restricting part 87 by the front slope face 85a of the door body 7 and then comes into contact with the bottom 84 of the restricting part 87. Thus , the door body 7 pivots in the close direction as the protruding part 94 is guided into the restricting part 87.

Besides, in this state, the plug pins 91 are positioned to correspond to the insertion ports 75 in the plug pins insertion direction V. Specifically, a tip end 91bl of the ground plug pin 91b is positioned to be inserted into the corresponding insertion port 75 (the ground-pin insertion port 75b) . On the other hand, the power plug pins 91a are positioned in front of the corresponding insertion ports 75 in the plug pin insertion direction V. In the above arrangement of the plug pins 91 relative to the insertion ports 75, when the plug B is moved to the plug pin insertion direction V, the plug pins 91 can be inserted into the respective insertion ports 75.

As shown in Fig .8 , in the condition shown in Fig.7D, a width

HI of the lower end portion 94a of the protruding part 94 in the left-right direction Y becomes substantially equal to a width H2 of the plane 84a of the bottom 84 in the recess 81 in the left-right direction Y. Accordingly, even when the protruding part 94 would be moved in the left-right direction Y, it is restricted by the recess 81. In other words , when the protruding part 94 would be moved to the left-right direction Y perpendicular to both the plug pin insertion direction V and the opening/closing direction W (i.e., the direction in which the spring 10 (see Fig. 1) biases the door body 7 in contact with the protruding part 94 in the opened position) , the restricting part 87 restricts the movement of the protruding part 94 so that the plug pins 91 are kept aligned to the insertion ports 75.

As shown in Fig. 9A, when the plug B is further inserted in the plug pin insertion direction from the state where the protruding part 94 is accommodated in the restricting part 87, the front slope portion 94b of the protruding part 94 comes into contact with the slope portions 89 of the recess 81. Then, the protruding part 94 moves to the top face 86c while sliding on the slope portions 89. The contact of the protruding part 94 with the slope portions 89 makes the door body 7 move in the open direction. Further, the power plug pins 91a are inserted into the corresponding insertion ports 75 (power-pin insertion ports 75a) .

As shown in Fig. 9B, when the plug B is inserted into the receptacle A while the lower end portion 94a of the protruding part 94 is in contact with the top face 86c, the door body 7 comes to be moved to the greatest opened position.

As shown in Fig. 9C, after passing over the top face 86c, the protruding part 94 is accommodated in the fixing part 88. At the same time, while the door body 7 pivots in the close direction, the contact face 96 comes into contact with the top face 86c and the holding face 94d of the protruding part 94 is brought into contact with the partition wall 86. In this way, the connecting of the plug B to the receptacle A is completed. Thus, the plug pins 91 are held by the pin receivers 61 (see Fig. 2A) . In this state, even if a force is applied to the plug B in the left-right direction Y, since the protruding part 94 comes into contact with the fixing part 88, it is possible to suppress the force from being transferred to the connecting portion between the plug pins 91 and the pin receivers 61.

As described above, only by handling the plug B, the plug B can be connected to the receptacle A while pivoting the door body 7 to the opened position, and also it is possible to provide a retaining mechanism for preventing the plug B from being disconnected from the receptacle A. In other words, a user can connect the plug B to the receptacle A and set the above retaining mechanism by holding the plug B with only his/her one hand.

Further, in such a state, the rear surface 86a of the partition wall 86 and the holding face 94d are perpendicular to the plug pins insertion direction V.

Even if the plug B unintentionally receives a force to disconnect it from the receptacle A by, for example, hooking the cable 92 (see Fig. 6A) , the plug B is prevented from being disconnected from the receptacle A because the holding face 94d is in contact with the rear surface 86a of the partition wall 86 in the plug pins insertion direction V. Especially, in this state, since the rear surface 86a of the partition wall 86 and the holding face 94d are both formed to extend substantially perpendicular to the plug pins insertion direction V and the holding face 94d is in plane contact with the rear surface 86a of the partition wall 86, the partition wall 86 receives a force applied in the disconnecting direction of the plug B from the front thereof .

Further, a portion of the plug body 90 to be inserted into the recess 73 has an outer diameter substantially the same as an inner diameter of the recess 73. Accordingly, the plug body 90 and the recess 73 have a slight gap therebetween. Herein, "a slight gap" means that a gap does not allow a user to put his/her finger thereinto. As shown in Fig.lOA, when a user disconnects the plug B from the receptacle A, the user pushes an end portion of the base 80 in the disconnecting direction to the open direction. At this time, the protruding part 94 has no portion overlapped with the partition wall 86 in the plug pin insertion direction V. In other words, the holding face 94d is in no contact with the partition wall 86. In the state, by pulling the plug B in the disconnecting direction, the user can disconnect the plug B from the receptacle A.

Since the base 80 is formed to have a larger size in the left-right direction Y than the outer diameter of the plug body 90 (see Fig.8) , the user can push the door body 7 more easily as compared with the case where the outer diameter of the plug body 90 is the same as the size of the base 80 in the left-right direction Y.

As shown in Fig.lOB, after the plug B is disconnected from the receptacle A, by the biasing action of the spring 10 (see Fig. 1) , the door body 7 pivots to the bottom end surface 52 of the decorative cover 6, i.e., to the closed position.

According to the present embodiment, the following effects are expected.

(1) The present embodiment is configured to form the restricting part 87 in the base 80 of the door body 7. According to the structure, since the protruding part 94 of the plug body 90 is accommodated in the restricting part 87, the position of a plug B relative to the insertion ports 75 in the left-right direction Y is fixed. Consequently, it becomes easy to align the plug B to the insertion ports 75 in the left-right direction Y.

The waterproof receptacle in accordance with the present embodiment is known in that the insertion ports are opened downwardly for the purpose of preventing rainwater from infiltrating into the insertion ports. In such waterproof receptacle, a user can hardly recognize visually the insertion ports, which makes it difficult to connect a plug to the receptacle.

On the contrary, the present embodiment can fix the position of the plug B in the left-right direction Y to the insertion ports 75 by the restricting part 87. Therefore, the lug B can be connected to the receptacle A only by moving the plug B in the plug pin insertion direction in that state.

(2) The present embodiment is configured to insert the tip end 91bl of the ground plug pin 91b into the ground-pin insertion port 75b in the state where the protruding part 94 is accommodated in the restricting part 87. Accordingly, since the protruding part 94 is accommodated in the restricting part 87, the position of the plug pins 91 relative to the insertion ports 75 can be fixed, in addition to fixing the position of the plug B relative to the insertion ports 75 in the left-right direction Y. As a result, the user can connect the plug B to the receptacle A more easily and steadily.

(3) The present embodiment is configured to form the slope portions 89 in the door body 7. Accordingly, the plug B can climb and pass over the partition wall 86 (the restricting part 87) easily only by moving the plug B in the plug pins insertion direction V from the restricting part 87. Thus, there is no need for the user to move the door body 7 in the open direction independently by his/her hand in order to make the plug B pass over the partition wall 86 (the restricting part 87) . As a result, the user can connect the plug B to the receptacle A easily. Further, the slope portions 89 are configured to join to the front side of the partition wall 86. Accordingly, the partition wall 86 is prevented from deforming forwardly and being damaged due to contacting the holding face 94d of the plug B to the partition wall 86. That is, the slope portion 89 also serves as a reinforcement of the partition wall 86.

(4) The present embodiment is configured such that the partition wall 86 is in contact with the holding face 94d, in the state where the connection of the plug B to the receptacle A is completed. Accordingly, it is prevented that the plug B is disconnected from the receptacle A unintentionally.

Meanwhile, as a retaining mechanism that prevents a plug from being disconnected from a receptacle, it is known that the plug pins and the pin receivers of the terminal plate are provided with engaging parts respectively and the respective engaging parts are engaged with each other to retain the plug in the state where the plug is connected to the receptacle. In such a retaining mechanism, however, an elastic deformation of the pin receivers becomes larger as compared with those of a pin receiver without a retaining mechanism. Accordingly, there is a problem that the stiffness of pin receivers tends to deteriorate.

On the contrary, in the present embodiment, since the door body 7 is provided with the partition wall 86 and the plug body 90 is provided with the holding face 94d, it is not required to provide the retaining mechanism constituted by the plug pins 91 and pin receivers 61. Accordingly, as compared with the structure in which retaining mechanisms are formed in the plug pins and the pin receivers respectively, the function of retaining the disconnection of the plug B from the receptacle A can be maintained, even when the number of connecting and disconnecting the plug B to and from the receptacle A is increased.

(5) The present embodiment is configured such that the recess 81 is formed in the base 80 and the partition wall 86 and the restricting part 87 are formed in the recess 81. According to such structure, a pivotal amount of pivoting the door body 7 in the open direction when the plug B is inserted into the receptacle A can be reduced as compared with the door body in which the partition wall 86 and the restricting part 87 are protruded from the base 80 in the close direction. Accordingly, since the force for opening the door body 7 can be reduced, the plug B can be inserted into the receptacle A easily.

(6) The present embodiment is configured to have the front slope face 85a in the joint portion 85 corresponding to the restricting part 87. According to such structure, the front slope face 85a guides the protruding part 94 into the bottom 84 when protruding part 94 is accommodated in the restricting part 87. Accordingly, the protruding part 94 can be accommodated easily in the restricting part 87.

(7) The present embodiment is configured to have the side slope faces 85b in the joint portion 85. According to such structure, the protruding part 94 is guided into the bottom 84 by being in contact with the side slope faces 85b, even if the protruding part 94 of the plug body 90 is misaligned with the bottom 84 of the restricting part 87 in the left-right direction Y. Accordingly, the protruding part 94 can be accommodated easily in the restricting part 87.

(8) The present embodiment is configured to protrude the base 80 more forwardly and laterally from the side wall portion 50. Accordingly, the door body 7 can be opened from the closed position in such a way that the protruding portion of the door body 7 is hooked by the plug body 90 or a user's finger.

Especially, in the case where the protruding portion of the base 80 is hooked by the plug body 90, since successive operations of connecting the plug B to the receptacle A are carried out by using only the plug body 90, a user can perform the above operations by his/her one hand.

(9) The present embodiment is configured such that the bottom surface 74 of the socket cover 16 and the bottom end surface 52 of the decorative cover 6 are provided substantially in parallel to each other.

Meanwhile, in the receptacle having the insertion ports 75 opened downwardly such as a waterproof receptacle, it is difficult for a user to recognize visually the insertion ports 75 as described above. Therefore, it is more difficult for the user to grasp an inclination angle of the plug B against the insertion ports 75.

On the contrary, in the present embodiment, the bottom end surface 52 recognized visually by a user is configured to be substantially in parallel to the bottom surface 74. Therefore, the user can easily insert the plug pins 91 of the plug B into the insertion ports 75 by determining the inclination angle of the plug B against the bottom end surface 52.

(10) The present embodiment is configured such that the width HI of the protruding part 94 and the width H2 of the plane

84a are formed to be substantially equal to each other. Accordingly, a movement of the protruding part 94 in the left-right direction Y is restricted. As a result, the plug B can be inserted into the receptacle A easily.

The present embodiment is configured to have the restricting part 87 on the surface 80a of the base 80, while defining a direction of pivoting the door body 7 downwardly as "the open direction". Accordingly, when opening the door body 7, a user can recognize visually the position of the restricting part 87. As a result, it becomes easy for the user to accommodate the protruding part 94 in the restricting part 87.

(12) The present embodiment is configured such that the rear surface 86a of the partition wall 86 and the holding face 94d are formed to be perpendicular to the plug pins insertion direction V, and the holding face 94d is in plane contact with the rear surface 86a of the partition wall 86 in the state where the plug B is connected to the receptacle A. Accordingly, the partition wall 86 receives a force of disconnecting the plug B on its front side, thereby improving the retaining function of the plug B against the receptacle A.

(13) The present embodiment is configured to have the planar contact face 96 in the plug body 90. Accordingly, a degree of engagement between the partition wall 86 and the holding face 94d can be increased as compared with a structure in which the contact face 96 is omitted and a portion corresponding to the contact face of the plug body 90 has an arc shape.

(14) The present embodiment is configured to have the spring 10 for biasing the door body 7 to the closed position. According to such structure, the door body 7 can automatically pivot from the opened position to the closed position. Therefore, a user can avoid leaving the door body 7 open.

(15) The present embodiment is configured to have: the recess 73 provided in the socket cover 16; and the insertion ports 75 provided in the bottom surface 74 thereof. Accordingly, when the plug B is inserted into the receptacle A, the connection of the plug pins 91 to the pin receivers 61 in the state where a user's finger is in contact with the plug pins 91 is avoided.

(16) The present embodiment is configured to have a slight gap between the plug body 90 and the recess 73, because the inner diameter of the recess 73 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the portion of the plug body 90 to be inserted into the recess 73. Accordingly, a user can avoid inserting his/her finger into the gap between the recess 73 and the plug body 90. As a result, such an effect is further advanced that the user can avoid connecting the plug pins 91 to the pin receivers 61 in the state where his/her finger is in contact with the plug pins 91.

Further, in the state where the plug B is connected to the receptacle A, even if a force of such as pulling the cable 92 is applied to the plug B to be inclined to the connecting direction, the inclination of the plug B relative to the plug pins insertion direction V is suppressed because the plug body 90 comes into contact with the recess 73. As a result, a bending of the plug pins 91 or a breakage of the insertion ports 75 can be suppressed.

(17) The present embodiment is configured such that the bottom surface 74 is provided inwardly of the opening 25 in the receptacle A. Accordingly, the infiltration of the water into the insertion ports 75 of the bottom surface 74 can be suppressed as compared with the structure in which the bottom surface 74 is provided at the same level as the opening 25 or outwardly of the opening 25 in the receptacle A. As a result, waterproof performance of the receptacle A can be further improved.

(18) The present embodiment is configured to have the front slope face 85a in the recess 81 of the door body 7. Accordingly, water is discharged downwardly via the front slope face 85a by opening the door body 7, even if the water infiltrates into the restricting part 87. As a result, the water is prevented from remaining in the restricting part 87, thereby preventing the water from infiltrating into the insertion ports 75 through the restricting part 87.

(19) The present embodiment is configured such that substantially the entire circumference of the base 80 in the door body 7 is protruded beyond the side wall portion 50 forwardly and laterally. According to such structure, a user can hook the door body 7 from every direction by his/her finger or the plug body 90 to pivot the door body 7 in the open direction. Accordingly, it is easier to open and close the door body 7, as compared with the structure in which the door body 7 is protruded beyond the side wall portion 50 forwardly or laterally. As a result, operability of the receptacle A is improved.

(20) The present embodiment is configured such that the base 80 is in contact with the entire circumference of the bottom end surface 52 of the decorative cover 6. Accordingly, the infiltration of the water into the receptacle A from between the door body 7 and the decorative cover 6 can be suppressed as compared with the structure in which the base 80 is in no contact with the bottom end surface 52 or is in partial contact with the bottom end surface 52.

Further, since the base 80 is especially biased to the bottom end surface 52 by the spring 10 even when the door body is in the closed position, a gap generated between the base 80 and the bottom end 52 can be reduced. Accordingly, an effect is further advanced that water is prevented from infiltrating into the receptacle A from between the door body 7 and the decorative cover 6. (21) The present embodiment is configured to have the curved depression 83 in the front end portion of the base 80. Accordingly, a user can open the door body 7 by hooking his/her finger on the curved depression 83 when opening the door body 7 by his/her finger. As a result, it becomes possible to open the door body 7 by the user's finger with ease.

(22) The present embodiment is configured to have the position indicator 95 on the plug body 90. Accordingly, a user can recognize visually the position indicator 95 to align an arrangement of the plug pins 91 to the insertion ports 75. As a result, the user can insert the plug B into the receptacle A easily.

(Second Embodiment)

A second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 11 to 13B. In this embodiment, the receptacle and the plug of the present invention are exemplified as a waterproof receptacle attached to an outer wall of a house and a plug to be inserted into the waterproof receptacle. The present embodiment has different shapes of the door body 7 and the plug body 90. Hereinafter, there will be described mainly on the differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment . The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

As shown in Fig.11, in a door body 7, there is provided a joint wall 89a joining rear ends of slope portions 89 in the left-right direction Y. The joint wall 89a forms a wall extending along the left-right direction Y and the up-down direction Z.

Herein, the restricting part 87 is an area of a recess 81 located forward of the slope portions 89. Further, a fixing part 88 including the joint wall 89a is an area of a recess 81 located rearward of the slope portions 89. Accordingly, a movement of the protruding part 94 (see Fig. 12) in the left-right direction Y is restricted by the door body 7 when the protruding part 94 comes into contact with the restricting part 87, and a movement thereof in the disconnecting direction of the plug pins insertion direction V is restricted by the door body 7 when the protruding part 94 comes into contact with the fixing part 88.

Further, on a right-hand side of the surface 80a of the base 80, an indicator 80b indicating an arrangement of the plug pins 91 (see Fig. 12) of the plug B and a voltage of the receptacle A is formed by integral molding.

As shown in Fig. 12, in a rear side of the protruding part 94 of the plug body 90, there is provided an engaging part 97 having a recess recessed upwardly and opened rearwardly. Further, side slope portions 94c of the protruding part 94 are formed into a curved shape protruding outwardly in the left-right direction Y.

As shown in Fig.l3A, the slope portions 89 and the engaging part 97 come into engagement with each other, in the state where the connection of the plug B to the receptacle A is completed. At this time, a holding face 94d of the protruding part 94 of the plug B comes into contact with the joint wall 89a in the plug pins insertion direction V.

As shown in Fig.13B, a width Tl of the recess of the engaging part 97 in the left-right direction Y is substantially equal to a width T2 of the two slope portions 89 (see Fig.11) in the left-right direction Y. Meanwhile, the width Tl of the recess of the engaging part 97 may be slightly greater than the width T2 of the two slope portions 89. In this case, the slope portions 89 can be smoothly engaged in the recess of the engaging part 97 of the plug.

In the embodiment, side faces of the two slope portions 89 in the left-right direction and inner faces of the recess of the engaging part 97 opposed thereto in the left-right direction Y are formed in planes extending along the plug pin insertion direction V and the opening/closing direction W. Thus, when the plug B tries to move toward the left-right direction Y by a force applied thereto in the left-right direction Y, the inner faces of the recess of the engaging part 97 come into surface contact with the side faces of the slope portions 89. Consequently, in the state where the connection of the plug B to the receptacle A is completed, i.e., in the state where the plug pins 91 are gripped by the pin receivers 61 (see Fig. 2) , the movement of the plug B in the left-right direction Y is restricted.

According to the second embodiment, the following effects are expected in addition to the effects (1) to (22) of the first embodiment .

(23) In this embodiment, the engaging part 97 and the slope portions 89 are engaged, in the state where the connection of the plug B to the receptacle A is completed. Accordingly, in this state, it is prevented that the plug pins 91 of the plug B are disconnected from the pin receivers 61 of the receptacle A due to the force applied to the plug B in the left-right direction Y.

(24) In this embodiment, since the engaging part 97 has the recessed shape for receiving the slope portions 89 therein from both sides thereof in the left-right direction Y, the structure for restricting the movement of the plug B in the left-right direction Y relative to the door body 7 can be simplified.

(25) The present embodiment is configured such that the side slope portions 94c are formed to have a curved shape protruding outwardly in the left-right direction Y. Accordingly, an appearance of the plug B is improved as compared with the case where a side slope portions 94c is formed to have a planar shape.

Additionally, when the plug B for an outdoor use is placed on the ground such as asphalt, the curved side slope portions 94c can avoid keeping the protruding part 94 in contact with the asphalt. Thus, the protruding part 94 of the plug B turns over apart from the asphalt. Accordingly, even if a vehicle rides on the plug B that is placed on the asphalt, it is possible to reduce a force of the vehicle pressing the protruding part 94 against the asphalt. Consequently, the protruding part 94 is prevented from being damaged.

(26) Since a waterproof receptacle is used in outdoor areas, water such as rainwater may infiltrate through between the decorative cover 6 and the base 80 of the door body 7. As shown by arrows in Fig. 4, such water passes the restricting part 87 of the base 80 by its own weight, infiltrates into the fixing part 88 by passing over the partition wall 86, and drips downwardly through a gap between the base 80 and the shaft body 9. However, since the restricting part 87 is recessed and separated from the fixing part 88 by the partition wall 86, some water may remain therein.

In view of the above, the present embodiment is configured to omit the partition wall 86. Therefore, the water infiltrating into the gap between the decorative cover 6 and the base 80, as shown by arrows in Fig . 11 , passes both sides of the slope portions 89 in the left-right direction Y, and infiltrates into the fixing part 88. After that, the water drips downwardly through the gap between the base 80 and the shaft body 9. Accordingly, the water is prevented from remaining in the restricting part 87.

(27) In this embodiment, the indicator 80b is formed on the surface 80a of the base 80. Accordingly, when connecting the plug B to the receptacle A, an operator can recognize visually the indicator 80b while the door body 7 is in the opened position. Therefore, since the operator can check whether or not the plug B is suitable for the supply voltage of the receptacle A, the operator can avoid connecting the plug to the receptacle A supplying an improper supply voltage.

Additionally, since the operator can check an arrangement of plug pins 91 by the indicator 80b, the operator may not check directly the position of the insertion ports 75. Therefore, it becomes possible to connect the plug B to the receptacle A with ease .

(Third Embodiment)

A third embodiment will be described with reference to Figs . 14 to 15. In this embodiment, the receptacle and the plug of the present invention are exemplified as a waterproof receptacle attached to an outer wall of a house and

a plug to be inserted into the waterproof receptacle. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a protective plate is provided in the decorative cover 6. Hereinafter, there will be described mainly on differences between the present embodiment and the first embodiment. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

As shown in Fig. 14, at a center portion of the side wall portion 50 of the decorative cover 6 in the left-right direction Y, there is provided a recess 53 opened downwardly and recessed rearwardly . A protective plate 17 for protecting the decorative cover 6 is fitted in the recess 53 as a separate member. Further, the protective plate 17 is arranged to correspond to the restricting part 87 (see Fig. 3) in the left-right direction Y in the closed position of the door body. In other words, when the door body is in the closed position, the position of the restricting part 87 corresponds to the position of the protective plate 17 in the left-right direction Y. Note that the present embodiment has the protective plate 17 formed into a substantially planar shape by pressing the stainless steel.

By the way, in case of a receptacle having no such protective plate 17, when the plug B is inserted into the receptacle, particularly, when the plug B moves the door body 7 to the opened position, the door body 7 is pivoted in the open direction with a part of the plug body 90 being in contact with the door body 7. Especially, when the plug B moves the door body 7 to the opened position, the plug body 90 comes into contact with the curved depression 83 formed at approximately the same position of the restricting part 87 in the left-right direction Y. At this time, since an upper end of the plug body 90 is tilted rearwardly, the plug pins 91 may come into contact with a center portion of the decorative cover 6 corresponding to the restricting part 87 in the left-right direction Y. When the plug pins 91 come into contact with the decorative cover 6, the decorative cover 6 is scraped off and damaged because of being made of a synthetic resin. As a result, such problems may occur that the decorative cover 6 is eroded due to an oxidation of the scratches and an appearance of the receptacle is deteriorated.

In view of the above, the present embodiment, as shown in Fig .15 , has the protective plate 17 in the position corresponding to the restricting part 87. Accordingly, when the plug B moves the door body 7 to the opened position, the plug pins 91 of the plug B come into contact with the protective plate 17. Thus, the plug pins 91 are prevented from being in contact with the decorative cover 6.

According to the present embodiment, the following effects are expected in addition to the effects (1) to (22) of the first embodiment .

(28) The present embodiment is configured such that the protective plate 17 is attached to the decorative cover 6. Accordingly, the plug pins 91 can avoid being in direct contact with the decorative cover 6. As a result, it is possible to prevent such problems as an erosion of the decorative cover 6 due to an oxidation of scratches and deterioration of an appearance of the receptacle.

(29) The present embodiment is configured to use a stainless steel as the protective plate 17. According to such structure, the protective plate 17 is less likely to rust as compared with the case of using an iron as the protective plate

17. Therefore, it is suitable for the receptacle A used in outside areas.

(Fourth Embodiment)

A fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 16 and 17. In this embodiment, the receptacle and the plug of the present invention are exemplified as a waterproof receptacle attached to an outer wall of a house and a plug to be inserted into the waterproof receptacle. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a spacer is provided between the wall and the receptacle. Hereinafter, there will be described mainly on differences between the present embodiment and the first embodiment. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

As shown in Fig. 16, a spacer 18 is attached to the packing

4 on the rear side of a receptacle A. A waterproof packing 19 is attached at the rear side of the spacer 18. The waterproof packing 19 is also in contact with a surface of a wall WL.

As shown in Fig. 17, the spacer 18 includes a body part 100 with a frame shape. The body part 100 includes: an opening 101 provided in the center of the body part 100 for passing electric wires therethrough; and screw insertion holes 102 provided in the upper and lower portions of the opening 101.

In the meantime, an electric wire of which a conductor diameter is less than or equal to 2 mm (a first electric wire) can be bent by an operator ' s hand to be accommodated in the receptacle A. An electric wire of which a conductor diameter is more than or equal to 2.6 mm (a second electric wire) , however, can hardly be bent by an operator's hand to be accommodated in the receptacle A. For this reason, in the case where an operator accommodates the second electric wire into the receptacle A by his/her hand, the operator connects the second electric wire to the receptacle A with no bending of the second electric wire. In the case where the receptacle A is directly attached to the surface of the wall WL, however, it is difficult to accommodate the second electric wire in the receptacle A since there is no space in the front-rear direction X for accommodating the second electric wire.

In view of the above, in the present embodiment, the spacer 18 is interposed between the surface of the wall WL and the packing 4 in the front-rear direction, so that it is possible to ensure the space in the front-rear direction X for accommodating the second electric wire . Accordingly, the second electric wire can be accommodated in the receptacle A. Further, the spacer 18 has such a thickness that an amount of protruding the second electric wire forwardly from the surface of the wall WL is approximately the same as a distance between the electric wire connection portion of the receptacle block 2 (see Fig. 4) and the surface of the wall WL.

According to the present embodiment , the following effects are expected in addition to the effects (1) to (22) of the first embodiment .

(30) The present embodiment is configured to have the spacer 18 interposed between the surface of the wall WL and the packing 4. Accordingly, the second electric wire can be accommodated in the receptacle A without bending the second electric wire.

(31) The present embodiment is configured to have the waterproof packing 19 interposed between the surface of the wall WL and the packing 4. Accordingly, the water is prevented from infiltrating through between the spacer 18 and the surface of the wall WL.

(Fifth Embodiment)

A fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 18. In this embodiment, the receptacle and the plug of the present invention are exemplified as a waterproof receptacle attached to an outer wall of a house and a plug to be inserted into the waterproof receptacle. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that an indicator is provided in the receptacle. Hereinafter, there will be described mainly on differences between the present embodiment and the first embodiment. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

With reference to Fig. 18, an indicator 54 indicating whether or not electric power is supplied to the receptacle A is provided in the receptacle A. Specifically, at a center portion of the side wall portion 50 of the decorative cover 6 in the left-right direction Y, there is provided a through hole 55 having substantially a rectangle shape whose long side extends in the up-down direction Z. A cover 56 made of a transparent synthetic resin is attached to the through hole 55. On the rear side of the cover 56, a circuit board (not shown) on which four light-emitting diodes are arranged in the up-down direction Z is attached to the decorative cover 6. Note that the circuit board may be attached on the holding section 21 of the body 3. Further, not limited to the light-emitting diodes, other light-emitting devices may be used.

In the mean time, when no plug is connected to the receptacle A, it is sometimes the case that ON-state (conductive state) and OFF-state (nonconductive state) of electric power supply to the receptacle A are controlled by using a switch, a control panel or the like installed in the house.

In such case, a receptacle with no indicator 54 is hard to check directly whether or not electric power is supplied to the receptacle A. Therefore, in such a receptacle with no indicator 54, a user can check the ON or OFF-state of the receptacle by confirming whether or not electric power is supplied to apparatus connected to the plug B (see Fig. 6) when the plug B is connected to the receptacle. Accordingly, after connecting the plug B, the user knows that it is needed to set the ON-state of the receptacle through the switch, a control panel or the like in the house. As a result, the receptacle has poor operability .

In view of the above, in the present embodiment, since a user can check whether or not electric power is supplied to the receptacle A by the indicator 54, the user can confirm the ON- state of the receptacle A before connecting the plug B to the receptacle A. Accordingly, the operability of the receptacle A is improved.

According to the fifth embodiment, the following effects are expected in addition to the effects (1) to (22) of the first embodiment .

(32) According to the present embodiment, a user can recognize visually and directly whether or not electric power is supplied to the receptacle A. Therefore, before connecting the plug B to the receptacle A, the user can confirm the ON-state of the receptacle A. Accordingly, an operability of the receptacle A is improved.

The present invention may be, not limited to the aforementioned embodiments , modified as follows. Further, the following modifications can be applied to the above embodiments, and different modifications may be combined with each other for implementation. Furthermore, the above embodiments may be combined with each other to be carried out.

Although the fifth embodiment is configured to have the indicator 54 provided at the center portion of the decorative cover 6 in the left-right direction Y, the position of the indicator 54 is not limited thereto. The indicator 54 may be provided at a position that allows a user to recognize visually it. Accordingly, as shown in Fig. 19, the indicator 54 may be provided on a lower portion of the body part 20 of the body 3.

Although the third embodiment is provided with the protective plate 17 as a separate member from the decorative cover 6, the structure of the protective plate 17 is not limited thereto. One portion with higher hardness than that of the other portions of the decorative cover 6 may be formed on an area to be in contact with the plug pins 91 when the plug B is inserted into the receptacle. Accordingly, instead of the protective plate 17, scratch resistance coatings such as UV coating, which are cured and dried by radiating ultraviolet rays to the decorative cover 6, may be used as a protective material. Further, the above area of the decorative cover 6 may be molded of a synthetic resin having higher hardness than that the other areas of the decorative cover 6 by double-shot molding.

According to the above embodiments, the insertion ports 75 of the socket cover 16 of the receptacle block 2 include the power pin insertion ports 75a having a substantially rectangular shape whose long side extends in the left-right direction Y as in a so-called single-phase 200V receptacle . The insertion port 75 of the socket cover 16 is, however, not limited thereto. For example, as shown in Fig. 20, the insertion ports 75 may include a power pin insertion port 75a having a substantially rectangular shape whose short side extends in the left-right direction Y as in a so-called single-phase 100V receptacle.

Herein, since the terminal plate 13 includes the first holding pieces 64A and the second holding piece 64B, the receptacle A can be applied to both the single-phase 100V receptacle and the single-phase 200V receptacle only by preparing two types of the socket cover 16. Although the above embodiments are configured to have the terminal plate 13 including the first holding pieces 64A and the second holding piece 64B, the terminal plate 13 may include the first holding piece 64A only. In this case, the receptacle blocks 2 for the single-phase 100V and the single-phase 200V are necessary to be prepared.

In the above embodiments, the bottom surface 74 of the socket cover 16 and the bottom end surface 52 of the decorative cover 6 are formed to be in parallel to each other. The bottom surface 74 and the bottom end surface 52, however, may be formed at different angles from each other.

In the above embodiments, the base 80 is formed to protrude outwardly beyond the side wall portion 50 of the decorative cover 6. The base 80 and the side wall portion 50, however, may be formed substantially flush with each other forwardly and laterally .

Further, by forming a depression in the side wall portion 50, the depression being partially recessed rearward, even if the base 80 and the side wall portion 50 are formed substantially flush with each other forwardly and laterally, a portion of the base 80 corresponding to the depression functions so as to protrude from the side wall portion 50

In the above embodiments, the joint portions 85 of the recess 81 and the base 80 are formed to have the slope faces 85a and 85b. The joint portions 85, however, may be formed to extend perpendicular to the base'80.

In the above embodiments, the spring 10 is employed as a biasing member. However, as long as it biases the door body 7 to the closed position, other members than the spring 10 may be employed as the biasing member. Although the above embodiments are configured such that the restricting part 87 and the fixing part 88 are provided in the recess 81, the structure of the restricting part 87 and the fixing part 88 is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in Fig. 21, the restricting part 87 may be formed by a pair of ribs 110 protruding upwardly from the base 80 of the door body 7, and the fixing part 88 may be formed by a recess provided rearwardly apart from the restricting part 87. Specifically, the ribs 110 are formed to have a rectangular parallelepiped shape whose long side extends in the front-rear direction X, and are separated from each other by a distance of H3 , which is substantially equal to the width HI of the protruding part 94 in the left-right direction Y. The protruding part 94 is to be accommodated in the space formed by the ribs 110 and the surface of the base 80. Further, the fixing part 88 is provided with a fixing face 111 corresponding to a front end surface of the recess and extending downwardly from the surface of the base 80 along the up-down direction Z. When the protruding part 94 is accommodated in the fixing part 88, the holding face 94d comes into contact with the fixing face 111.

In the above embodiments, although the slope portions 89 are provided in the front of the partition wall 86, the slope portions 89 maybe omitted. Further, a shape of the slope portion 89 is not limited to a smoothed slope, but may be, for example, a flight of stairs having a plurality of steps.

In the second embodiment, each of the slope portions 89 and the joint wall 89a is configured to have a shape protruding upwardly from the recess 81, i.e. , a back surface of the recess 81 is formed to have only a plane shape. The structure of the slope portions 89 and the joint wall 89a is, however, not limited thereto. For example, as shown in Fig. 22, a depression 89b recessed upwardly from the back surface of the recess 81 may be provided, and the slope portion 89 and the joint wall 89a protruding upwardly from the top surface of the recess 81 may be provided. In this case, the slope portion 89 includes a pair of side walls 89d extending in the front-rear direction X and the up-down direction Z ; and an inclined wall 89c joining the both side walls 89d in the left-right direction Y. Then, a space surrounded by the side walls 89d and the inclined wall 89c makes the depression 89b.

Although the above embodiments are configured such that the slope portion 89 and the partition wall 86 (the joint wall 89a in the second embodiment) are provided in the recess 81 of the base 80 in the door body 7, the partition wall 86 (the joint wall 89a) may be omitted, as shown in Fig. 23. In this case, the holding face 94d of the protruding part 94 in the plug body 90 comes into contact with rear end surfaces 89e of the slope portions 89.

Although the above embodiments are configured such that the slope portion 89 and the partition wall 86 (the joint wall 89a in the second embodiment) are provided in the recess 81 of the base 80 in the door body 7, the slope portion 89 and the partition wall 86 (the joint wall 89a) may be omitted respectively, as shown in Fig. 24. Even in this case, effects according to those of (1) to (3) in the first embodiment are expected.

Although the above embodiments are configured such that the recess 81 is formed in the base 80 of the door body 7, the recess 81 may be omitted as shown in Fig. 25. In this case, the partition wall 86 and the slope portion 89 are accommodated in the recess 73 of the socket cover 16. Therefore, when the door body 7 is in the closed position, the partition wall 86 and the slope portion 89 can be avoided from interfering with the socket cover 16. Accordingly, the base 80 is prevented from being separated from the decorative cover 6 due to the above interference .

In the above embodiments, the restricting part 87 is formed such that the tip end 91bl of the ground plug pin 91b is inserted into the ground insertion port 75b when the protruding part 94 is accommodated in the restricting part 87. The present invention is, however, not limited to the above. For example, the ground plug pin 91b may be positioned forwardly of the ground insertion port 75b in the disconnecting direction when the protruding part 94 is accommodated in the restricting part 87.

In the above embodiments, although the restricting part 87 has a recess that is recessed in the open direction from the surface of the base 80, the shape of the restricting part 87 is not limited thereto. The restricting part 87 may be formed so as to be protruded from the base 80 in the close direction. In this case, the partition wall 86 also may be formed so as to be protruded from the base 80 in the close direction.

Although the above embodiments are configured such that the protruding part 94 is formed in the plug body 90, the protruding part 94 may be omitted. In this case, the restricting part 87 accommodates a lower portion of the plug body 90, and the partition wall 86 comes into contact with the back surface of the plug body 90 (i.e., the end surface of the plug body 90 in the disconnecting direction) .

In the above embodiments, although the partition wall 86 is formed in the door body 7 to make up the retaining mechanism for preventing the plug B from moving in the disconnecting direction, the structure of the retaining mechanism is not limited thereto. For example, the retaining mechanism may be configured such that a through hole provided in the plug pins 91 is engaged with a protruding part provided on the pin receivers 61. Further, the above retaining mechanism may be omitted.

Although the above embodiments are configured such that the restricting part 87 and the fixing part 88 are divided by the partition .wall 86 in the recess 81, the structure of the restricting part 87 and the fixing part 88 is not limited thereto . For example, the recess 81 is separated into two parts in the front-rear direction X, and the front recess may serve as the restricting part 87 and the rear recess may serve as the fixing part 88. In this case, on the rear side of the restricting part 87, there may be provided a rear slope face tilting upwardly from the bottom of the recess 81 as it goes rearward. Accordingly, the protruding part 94 can climb and pass over the rear slope face from the restricting part 87 by only pushing the plug B in the plug pin insertion direction V.

In the above embodiments, although the receptacle A is applied to a waterproof receptacle for outdoor use, the receptacle A may be applied to an indoor receptacle.

(Sixth Embodiment)

A sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs . 26 and 27. In this embodiment, the receptacle and the plug of the present invention are exemplified as a waterproof receptacle attached to an outer wall of a house and a plug to be inserted into the waterproof receptacle. The present embodiment is different from the above embodiments in that a supporting body for supporting the plug body 90 is fixed to the receptacle unit 1A so as not to pivot, instead of the door body 7 provided pivotally. Hereinafter, there will be described mainly on differences between the present embodiment and the above embodiments . The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

Further, as shown in Fig.26, a supporting body 507 is fixed to the receptacle unit 1A at one end of a base 580 thereof, and the supporting body 570 extends from the receptacle unit 1A such that a surface 581 of the base 580 extends in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface 74 of the recess 74 in the socket cover.

The supporting body 507 has a substantially plane shape viewed from above, and on the surface 581 of the base 580 thereof, a pair of protrusions 510 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction.

The protrusion 510 is formed to have a triangle shape viewed from the lateral direction, which protrudes from the surface 581 of the base 580 of the supporting body 507. The protrusion 510 has : a slope part 511 tilting so as to increase a protruding amount thereof as it goes in the plug pin insertion direction (connecting direction) ; a contact part 512 extending in a direction perpendicular to the surface 581 of the base 580.

In the present embodiment, when the protruding part 94 of the plug body 90 is in contact with the protrusions 510, the supporting body 507 bends downwardly about a connecting position CP as a fulcrum point. Accordingly, the protrusion 510 is displaced in a direction away from the protruding part 94. Therefore, the protruding part 94 can climb and pass over the protrusion 510, and an operation of inserting the plug B into the receptacle A can be performed easily.

Additionally, in the state where the plug B is connected to the receptacle B, when a user presses the supporting body 570 downwardly by his/her hand, the supporting body 570 is bent downwardly around the connecting position CP as a fulcrum point. Accordingly, the protrusions 510 of the supporting body 507 move to a direction away from the protruding part 94 of the plug B, so that the protrusions 510 and the protruding part 94 do not interfere with each other when the plug B is disconnected from the receptacle A. Thus, it is not required to provide the supporting body 507 with a dedicated mechanism for moving the protrusions 510 to the direction away from the protruding part 94, thereby enabling to simplify the supporting body 570.

Meanwhile, as an alternative, a supporting body 607 as shown in Fig. 28 may be adopted instead of the supporting body 507. The supporting body 607 has a structure approximately similar to that of the door body 7 as shown in Fig. 21. A restricting part 687 includes a pair of ribs 610 protruding upwardly from a base 680 of a supporting body 607, and a fixing part 688 includes a recess formed so as to be separated rearwardly from the restricting part 687. Specifically, the ribs 610 are formed to have a rectangular parallelepiped shape whose long side extends in the plug pin insertion direction. Further, the ribs 610 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction Y by a distance of H3 , which is substantially equal to the width HI of the protruding part 94 in the left-right direction Y. The protruding part 94 is to be accommodated in the space formed by the ribs 610 and the surface of the base 680. Further, the fixing part 688 is provided with a fixing face 611 corresponding to a front end surface of the recess and extending downwardly from the surface of the base 80 along the up-down direction Z. When the protruding part 94 is accommodated in the fixing part 688, the holding face 94d comes into contact with the fixing face 611.

(Seventh Embodiment)

In the above embodiments, the receptacle and the plug are exemplified as a waterproof receptacle attached to an outer wall of a house and a plug to be inserted into the waterproof receptacle The present invention, however, may be applied to a plug and receptacle provided in a battery charging stand for electric vehicles. In this embodiment, a receptacle provided in the battery charging stand for electric vehicles will be described with reference to Figs. 29 and 30.

Fig.29 shows a battery charging stand (charging apparatus) attached to the receptacle, as an example. The battery charging stand 1011 shown in Fig. 29 is used for charging a battery mounted in an electric vehicle, which is, for example, installed upright outdoors . The battery charging stand 1011 has : a stand body 1012 with a vertically extending rectangular parallelepiped shape; and a door 1013 of, e.g., a horizontal open type provided at a position with a predetermined height in the stand body 1012. The door 1013 with an approximately quadrangular shape is provided to be opened and closed between a closed state shown in Fig. 29A and an opened state shown in Fig. 29B. As shown in Fig. 29B, the stand body 1012 is provided with a recess 1015 at a portion corresponding to the door 1013. Then, as shown in Figs. 29B and 29C, a receptacle A is attached to an approximately center portion of an inner side (installation surface) of the recess 1015. As shown in Fig. 29C, in the receptacle A of the present embodiment, insertion ports 1052 into which the plug pins 91 (see Fig. 6) of the plug B are to be respectively inserted are provided in a front surface of a receptacle unit 1020 of the receptacle A. Among the front surfaces of the receptacle unit 1020, a rectangular area including the insertion ports 1052 is covered with a door body 1080 which is in the closed state.

The door body 1080 is formed to have a substantially rectangular shape viewed from the front in Fig. 29C, and is configured to be opened and closed around its lower end as a pivotal center. Since the other structures of the door body 1080 are the same as those of the door body 7 in the above embodiments, an explanation thereof will be omitted. After operating the door body 1080 from the closed state shown in Fig. 29C to the opened state in which the insertion ports 1052 are exposed, a user inserts the pins 91 of the plug B into the respective insertion ports 52. In this way, it becomes possible to charge the battery of the electric vehicle through the battery charging stand 1011. In the receptacle A of the present embodiment, only by an operation of inserting the plug B straightly, the plug B can be locked by an engagement with the door body 1080 in a retaining state in which the plug B is prevented from being disconnected from the receptacle A.

As shown in Fig. 30, the receptacle A is provided with: the receptacle unit 1020 in which the insertion ports 1052 are formed; and a decorative cover unit 1030 attached to the front side of the receptacle unit 1020. The decorative cover unit 1030 includes: the decorative cover 1060 with a rectangle box-like shape whose back side is opened; and a door opening/closing mechanism 1070. The door opening/closing mechanism 1070 includes: the door body 1080 with a rectangular shape capable of opening and closing relative to the insertion ports 1052; a shaft 1071; and a spring 1075 serving as a biasing member. Then, the door body 1080 is attached so as to be opened and closed relative to the decorative cover 1060 by the door opening/closing mechanism 1070. Since the structure of the door opening/closing mechanism 1070 is substantially the same as that of the door opening/closing mechanism IB described in the above embodiments, an explanation thereof will be omitted. Now, by using a receptacle unit of a surface plug receptacle (not shown) as the receptacle unit 1020, common parts are available between the surface plug receptacle and the receptacle unit 1020. Therefore, the decorative cover unit 1030 may be replaced by a decorative cover of the surface plug receptacle. In addition to the function of opening and closing the insertion ports 1052, the door body 1080 has such a function that engages with the plug body 90 of the plug B of which the plug pins 91 are inserted into the respective insertion ports 1052 to lock the plug B in the retaining state relative to the receptacle A.

The receptacle unit 1020 is provided with a housing 1021 having an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape as an example of a vessel body. The housing 1021 includes : a main body 1040 with a flat square box shape of which a front side is opened while being formed to have a rectangular shape as viewed from the front-rear direction X, the main body being molded of a synthetic resin by injection molding; and a body cover 1050 with a flat square box shape of which a rear side, which faces to the opening side of the main body, is opened, wherein the main body and the body cover are joined together by assembly screws (not shown) . The receptacle unit 1020 is fixed to an install surface by screwing four mounting screws 1022 that are inserted through four corners in the front side thereof and are penetrated to the back side.

In the receptacle unit 1020, there is accommodated a receptacle structure (not shown) to which an external electric wire is inserted and connected, the receptacle structure serving as a connection structure that supplies electric power from the external electric wire to the plug B. In an upper end of the receptacle unit 1020, there is provided a wire insertion port 1024 for inserting the external electric wire thereinto.

As shown in Fig. 30, on a front surface 1050a (front surface of the housing 1021) of the body cover 1050, a boss 51 with a rectangular plate shape protruding from the body cover 1050 in the front-rear direction X by a predetermined thickness is formed integrally with the body cover 1050. In a front surface of the boss 1051, three insertion ports 1052 are formed, and the plug B with a ground terminal is to be connected thereto.

The decorative cover 1060 is formed to have a square box shape of which a back side is opened in the front-rear direction X, and have the same shape and size as that of the main body 1040 of the receptacle unit 1020 in the plane view of the front-rear direction X. The decorative cover 1060 is connected to the receptacle unit 1020 by fitting or locking so as to cover the front surface side of the receptacle unit 1020. At a portion corresponding to the boss 1051 in the front surface 1060a of the decorative cover 1060, there is provided a plug insertion hole 1061 that is formed through the decorative cover 1060 and has a circle shape in the plane view of the front-rear direction X. A part of the plug body 90 on the pin side of the plug B is to be inserted into the plug insertion hole 1061. In the state where the decorative cover 1060 is fitted to the receptacle unit 1020, the three insertion ports 1052 are exposed through the plug insertion hole 1061.

Below the plug insertion hole 1061 in the front surface with a semi-cylindrical shape is formed integrally with the decorative cover 1060 so as to extend along the left-right direction Y by a predetermined width. The shaft holding part 1062 constitutes a part of door opening/closing mechanism 1070. The shaft holding part 1062 is formed to protrude from the front surface 1060a of the decorative cover 1060.

In the present embodiment, the door body 1080 is attached pivotally. In stead of the door body 1080, however, the supporting bodies 507 and 607 as described in the seventh embodiment may be attached so as not to pivot .

While the invention has been shown and described with respect to the embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims .

What is claimed is:

1. A receptacle which is adapted to be connected to a plug provided with a plug pin protruding from a plug body, the receptacle comprising:

a receptacle unit having a plug insertion surface in which an insertion port is formed, and a pin receiver for gripping the plug pin inserted into the insertion port; and

a supporting body protruding from the receptacle unit, wherein the supporting body is provided with a restricting part formed in a supporting surface thereof facing to the plug body, the restricting part being in contact with a protruding part formed on the plug body when the plug is connected to the receptacle, so that the restricting part restricts a movement of the plug body in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the plug pin within a plane extending along the supporting surface, and guides a position of the plug body relative to the receptacle unit so as to align the plug pin to the insertion port.

2. The receptacle as set forth in Claim 1, wherein the restricting part is configured by a recess formed in the supporting surface of the supporting body and accommodating the protruding part, the recess being provided with a slope portion tilting from a bottom of the recess to the supporting surface in the insertion direction of the plug pins .

3. The receptacle as set forth in Claim 1, wherein a fixing part for fixing the protruding part in a state where the plug pin is gripped by the pin receiver is provided in the supporting

Claims

surface of the supporting body, the fixing part being located closer to the receptacle unit than the restricting part in the insertion direction of the plug pins. 4. The receptacle as set forth in Claim 3, wherein the fixing part is engaged with an engaging part provided in the plug body in a state where the plug pin is gripped by the pin receiver, and restricts the movement of the plug body along the orthogonal direction relative to the supporting body.

5. The receptacle as set forth in Claim 4, wherein the fixing part has a protrusion protruding from the supporting surface of the supporting body, and the engaging part with a recess shape holds the fixing part from both sides thereof in the orthogonal direction.

6. The receptacle as set forth in any one of Claims 3 to 5 , wherein the recess is provided with a partition dividing the recess into two recess parts, and

wherein one recess part located closer to the receptacle unit in the insertion direction of the plug pin than the other recess part acts as the fixing part fixing the protruding part, and the other recess part acts as the restricting part. 7. The receptacle as set forth in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the supporting body is configured by a door body pivotable between a closed position in which the insertion port is covered and an opened position in which the insertion port is exposed outwardly, and the receptacle further comprises a biasing member for biasing the door body to the closed position.

8. The receptacle as set forth in Claim 6, wherein the supporting body is configured by a door body pivotable between a closed position in which the insertion port is covered and an opened position in which the insertion port is exposed outwardly, and the receptacle further comprises a biasing member that biases the door body to the closed position.

9. The receptacle as set forth in Claim 7, wherein the door body has a portion protruding beyond an outer periphery of the receptacle unit in the closed position.

10. The receptacle as set forth in Claim 7, wherein the receptacle unit is provided with a decorative cover that covers other surfaces than the plug insertion surface while the plug insertion surface is exposed, and a protecting member that protects the decorative cover is provided at a position corresponding to the restricting part on a surface of the decorative cover when the door body is in the closed position.

11. The receptacle as set forth in Claim 7, wherein the receptacle unit is provided with a contact surface that is in contact with the door body when the door, body is in the closed position, the contact surface extending in parallel to the plug insertion surface.

12. The receptacle as set forth in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the receptacle unit is provided with an indicator indicating whether electric power is being supplied to the receptacle unit.

13. The receptacle as set forth in any one of Claims 1 to 5 , wherein the receptacle unit is attached to a wall surface, and a spacer is interposed between the receptacle unit and the wall surface.

14. A plug adapted to be connected to a receptacle including a receptacle unit having a plug insertion surface in which an insertion port is formed and a pin receiver for gripping a plug pin of the plug inserted into the insertion port, and a supporting body protruding from the receptacle unit, the plug comprising: a plug body provided with the plug pin protruding therefrom,

wherein the plug body is provided with a protruding part to be in contact with a restricting part that is formed on a supporting surface of the supporting body facing to the plug body when the plug is connected to the receptacle, the protruding part protruding from a side surface of the plug body facing to the supporting surface, and

wherein when the plug is connected to the receptacle, the protruding part comes in contact with the restricting part to restrict a movement of the plug body in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the plug pin in a plane extending along the supporting surface and to guide a position of the plug body relative to the receptacle unit so as to align the plug pin to the insertion port.

15. The plug as set forth in Claim 14, wherein the plug body is provided with an engaging part that is engaged with a fixing part provided closer to the receptacle unit than the restricting part in the insertion direction of the plug pin on the supporting surface of the supporting body in a state where the pin is gripped with the pin receiver, and restricts the movement of the plug body along the orthogonal direction.

16. The plug as set forth in Claim 15, wherein the engaging part has a recessed shape holding the fixing part from both sides thereof in the orthogonal direction, the fixing part having the protrusion protruding from the supporting surface of the supporting body.

17. The plug as set forth in any one of Claims 14 to 16, wherein the plug pin includes two power electrodes and the protruding part is formed to correspond to a position between the two power electrodes.

18. The plug as set forth in any one of Claims 14 to 16, wherein the both sides of the protruding part in the orthogonal direction have a protruding amount that is gradually decreased as it goes from a center portion to an outer portion of the protruding part in the orthogonal direction.

19. The plug as set forth in any one of Claims 14 to 16, wherein the plug body has planar holding parts provided in the both sides of the protruding part in the orthogonal direction.

20. The plug as set forth in any one of Claims 14 to 16, wherein a position indicator is provided in a side surface of the plug body opposite to the protruding part.

21. A connection device comprising:

a plug provided with a plug pin protruding from a plug body; and

a receptacle into which the plug pin is detachably inserted,

wherein the receptacle comprising:

a supporting body protruding from the receptacle unit, wherein the plug body comprising:

a protruding part to be in contact with a restricting part that is formed on a supporting surface of the supporting body facing to the plug body when the plug is connected to the receptacle, the protruding part protruding from a side of the plug body facing to the supporting surface, and

wherein the restricting part restricts a movement of the plug body in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the plug pin within a plane extending along the supporting face and guides a position of the plug body relative to the receptacle unit so as to align the plug pin to the insertion port.