Terminal assembly manufacturing method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of electric vehicle charging interface, and in particular to a method for manufacturing a terminal assembly, comprising: fixing a terminal in a mold cavity; obtaining a terminal cover integrally connected to the terminal by injection molding in the mold cavity, the terminal assembly comprising a terminal and the terminal cover, and the terminal assembly is inserted into a slot reserved in the charging gun head when installed on the charging gun head. The terminal and the terminal cover are integrally connected by injection molding, that is, the terminal cover is obtained by injection molding on the outside of the terminal, so that the position between the terminal and the terminal cover is accurate to ensure the charging effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of electric vehicle charging interfaces, and in particular to a method for manufacturing a terminal assembly. Background Art

[0002] With the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, the charging interface standards for electric vehicles are constantly improving. In the charging interface of electric vehicles, in order to ensure the insulation of the charging gun head, a terminal cover will be configured on the outside of the terminal.

[0003] The existing terminal cover is generally injection molded together with the charging gun head, and then the terminal is inserted into the terminal cover for installation. In this way, due to the shrinkage problem that may occur during injection molding, there may be errors in the size of the terminal and the terminal cover, and the position accuracy of the terminal inserted into the terminal cover is also difficult to control, which may result in poor position accuracy of the terminal after installation, affecting the charging effect. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a method for manufacturing a terminal assembly.

[0005] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A method for manufacturing a terminal assembly, comprising:

[0007] Fixing the terminal in the mold cavity;

[0008] By injection molding in the mold cavity, a terminal cover that is integrally injection molded and connected to the terminal is obtained. The terminal assembly includes the terminal and the terminal cover. When the terminal assembly is installed on the charging gun head, it is inserted into a slot reserved in the charging gun head.

[0009] Optionally, fixing the terminal inside the mold cavity includes:

[0010] The terminal is fixed by clamping the inner side of the terminal into the inner mold fixed in the mold cavity.

[0011] Optionally, injection molding is performed in a mold cavity, including:

[0012] Through the inner mold and the terminal to the inner side of the terminal cover;

[0013] The outer side of the terminal housing is molded by the mold cavity.

[0014] Optionally, molding the outer side of the terminal cover by means of a mold cavity comprises:

[0015] The annular limiting groove located outside the terminal outer cover is formed by the mold cavity.

[0016] Optionally, after fixing the terminal in the mold cavity, the method further comprises:

[0017] The strip-shaped shaping mold is clamped on the outside of the terminal; wherein the strip-shaped shaping mold includes a plurality of shaping strips, which are used to shape the connecting plate on the inner side of the terminal outer cover, and the inner side of the terminal outer cover includes a plurality of connecting plates that are integrally formed and connected, and the connecting plates extend along the length direction of the outer cover body, and the plurality of connecting plates are evenly distributed along the outer periphery of the terminal, and heat dissipation holes penetrating the inner side of the terminal outer cover are formed between adjacent connecting plates and the outer side wall of the terminal and the inner side wall of the terminal outer cover.

[0018] Optionally, the terminal includes a contact sheet, a terminal body connected to the outside of the contact sheet, and a signal line electrically connected to the contact sheet by integral injection molding. After the terminal is fixed in the mold cavity, the method further includes:

[0019] The position of the signal line is adjusted so that the signal line extends in the mold cavity along the length direction of the mold cavity and the end of the signal line extends out of the mold cavity.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the solution of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0021] The terminal and the terminal cover are connected by integral injection molding, that is, the terminal cover is obtained by injection molding on the outside of the terminal, so that the position between the terminal and the terminal cover is accurate to ensure the charging effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and easily understood from the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] Figure 1 The figure is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the charging gun head in the existing solution.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the charging gun head at AA in the existing solution.

[0025] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the electric gun head and terminals in the existing solution.

[0026] Figure 4 A schematic flow chart of a method for manufacturing a terminal assembly provided by the present invention.

[0027] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a charging terminal assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the terminal housing in the example shown.

[0029] Figure 7 An exploded view of the mold used to manufacture the charging terminal assembly in this example.

[0030] Figure 8 To fix the charging terminal to Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure after the mold is shown.

[0031] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure at BB.

[0032] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the signal terminal assembly provided for the implementation of this application.

[0033] Fig.11 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a signal terminal assembly provided for the implementation of this application.

[0034] Fig.12 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure after the signal terminal is fixed to the corresponding mold according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] Fig.13 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first inner mold provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG.

[0036] Fig.14 Schematic diagram of the structure of the second inner mold provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG.

[0037] In the figure: 1. charging gun head, 2. terminal, 3. terminal cover, 4. terminal, 5. terminal cover, 6. connecting plate, 7. annular limiting groove, 8. first inner mold, 9. second inner mold, 10. first limiting part, 11. first forming part, 12. second forming part, 13. supporting part, 14. second limiting part, 15. third shaping part, 16. annular inner boss, 17. terminal, 18. terminal cover, 19. contact piece, 20. signal line, 21. first inner mold, 22. second inner mold, 23. first limiting part, 24. first forming part, 25. second forming part, 26. first supporting part, 27. second limiting part, 28. third shaping part, 29. second supporting part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the best embodiments.

[0039] Figure 1-Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the structure of the charging gun head in the existing solution is shown in FIG. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the charging gun head in the existing solution. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the charging gun head at AA in the existing solution. Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the charging gun head and terminal in the existing solution.

[0040] like Figure 1-3 As shown in , in the existing solution, the terminal cover 3 is integrally formed with the charging gun head 1, and the terminal 2 is inserted into the terminal cover. In this way, due to the shrinkage problem that may exist in injection molding, there may be errors in the size of the terminal and the terminal cover, and the position accuracy of the terminal inserted into the terminal cover is also difficult to control, which may result in poor position accuracy of the terminal after installation, affecting the charging effect.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown in , in order to ensure the sealing inside the terminal after the terminal is inserted into the terminal cover, a sealing groove needs to be provided at the rear end of the terminal, and a sealing ring 4 is clamped in the sealing groove, and the sealing ring contacts the inner wall of the terminal cover to achieve sealing.

[0042] like Figure 4 As shown, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a terminal assembly, comprising:

[0043] Step S110: fixing the terminal in the mold cavity;

[0044] Step S120: A terminal cover integrally connected to the terminal by injection molding is obtained by injection molding in a mold cavity. The terminal assembly includes a terminal and a terminal cover. When the terminal assembly is installed on a charging gun head, it is inserted into a slot reserved in the charging gun head.

[0045] In the implementation of this application, the terminal can be pre-machined and surface treated, which is different from Figure 1-3 As shown in the terminal, since the terminal in this example does not need to be directly inserted into the terminal cover, a sealing groove may not be provided on the outer side of the terminal.

[0046] In the implementation of the present application, the terminal and the terminal cover are connected by integral injection molding, that is, the terminal cover is obtained by injection molding on the outside of the terminal, so that the position between the terminal and the terminal cover is accurate to ensure the charging effect.

[0047] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal cover and the terminal are integrally injection molded into a terminal assembly, and then the terminal assembly can be installed in the charging gun head. The charging gun head can reserve a slot for the terminal assembly to be inserted, thereby realizing the installation of the terminal.

[0048] In an optional implementation manner of the present application, fixing the terminal inside the mold cavity includes:

[0049] The terminal is fixed by clamping the inner side of the terminal into the inner mold fixed in the mold cavity.

[0050] In the embodiment of the present application, an inner mold can be arranged in the mold cavity to fix the terminal and accurately position the terminal. Specifically, the inner mold can fix the terminal by being clamped on the inner side of the terminal.

[0051] In an optional embodiment of the present application, injection molding in a mold cavity includes:

[0052] Through the inner mold and the terminal to the inner side of the terminal cover;

[0053] The outer side of the terminal housing is molded by the mold cavity.

[0054] In the embodiment of the present application, the inner mold can fix the terminal by being clamped on the inner side of the terminal. The inner side of the terminal cover can be formed by the cooperation between the inner mold and the outer surface of the terminal.

[0055] The mold cavity is located outside the terminal and can be used to mold the outside of the terminal cover.

[0056] In an optional implementation manner of the present application, molding the outer side of the terminal cover through a mold cavity includes:

[0057] The annular limiting groove located outside the terminal outer cover is formed by the mold cavity.

[0058] In the embodiment of the present application, since the terminal assembly is inserted into the slot reserved in the charging gun head to achieve the installation of the terminal, in order to ensure the sealing of the terminal, an annular limiting groove can be set on the outside of the terminal cover, and a sealing ring is stuck in the annular limiting groove. The sealing ring contacts the inner wall of the slot to achieve sealing of the terminal.

[0059] In an optional implementation manner of the present application, after the terminal is fixed in the mold cavity, the method further includes:

[0060] The strip-shaped shaping mold is clamped on the outside of the terminal; wherein the strip-shaped shaping mold includes a plurality of shaping strips, which are used to shape the connecting plate on the inner side of the terminal outer cover, and the inner side of the terminal outer cover includes a plurality of connecting plates that are integrally formed and connected, and the connecting plates extend along the length direction of the outer cover body, and the plurality of connecting plates are evenly distributed along the outer periphery of the terminal, and heat dissipation holes penetrating the inner side of the terminal outer cover are formed between adjacent connecting plates and the outer side wall of the terminal and the inner side wall of the terminal outer cover.

[0061] In the disclosed embodiment, the inner side of the terminal outer cover may include a plurality of integrally formed connecting plates, so that a plurality of heat dissipation holes penetrating the inner side of the terminal outer cover may be provided between the terminal and the terminal outer cover. By providing a heat dissipation hole structure on the inner side of the terminal outer cover, the heat generated by the terminal during use can be effectively dissipated to avoid excessive temperature.

[0062] The strip-shaped molding die can be used for molding the connection plate inside the terminal housing.

[0063] As an example, the terminal may be a charging terminal, and the corresponding terminal assembly is a charging terminal assembly. Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a charging terminal assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the terminal cover in this example.

[0064] like Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the charging terminal assembly includes a terminal 4 and a terminal cover 5 integrally connected to the terminal by injection molding.

[0065] The terminal outer cover includes an outer cover body and a connecting plate 6 integrally connected to the inner side of the outer cover body. The terminal outer cover is integrally connected to the outer side of the terminal by injection molding through the connecting plate. The connecting plate extends along the length direction of the outer cover body. Multiple connecting plates are evenly distributed along the outer periphery of the terminal. Adjacent connecting plates and the outer side wall of the terminal and the inner side wall of the terminal outer cover form heat dissipation holes that penetrate the inner side of the terminal outer cover.

[0066] The outer cover body is integrally formed with at least one annular limiting groove 7 on the outer side, and the annular limiting groove is used to clamp the sealing ring.

[0067] Figure 7 An exploded view of the mold used to manufacture the charging terminal assembly in this example.

[0068] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure after the charging terminal is fixed to the mold is shown in FIG.

[0069] Fig. 9 The cross-sectional structure schematic diagram at BB is shown in FIG.

[0070] The mold includes: a first inner mold 8, a second inner mold 9 and a mold cavity (not shown in the figure), wherein:

[0071] The first inner mold includes a first limiting portion 10, a first forming portion 11 integrally connected to the rear side of the first limiting portion, a second forming portion 12 integrally connected to the rear side of the first forming portion, and a supporting portion 13 integrally connected to the rear side of the second forming portion;

[0072] The first limiting portion is used to clamp on the inner side of the terminal to fix the terminal;

[0073] The first molding part and the second molding part are used for molding the terminal cover end;

[0074] The second inner mold includes a second limiting portion 14 and a third shaping portion (i.e., a strip-shaped shaping mold) 15 integrally connected to the rear side of the second limiting portion;

[0075] The second limiting portion is used to clamp the terminal inside the second limiting portion and fix it to the terminal;

[0076] The third shaping portion includes a plurality of shaping strips for shaping the connection plate of the terminal cover;

[0077] The mold cavity is used to form the outside of the terminal cover.

[0078] Optionally, the first limiting portion, the first forming portion and the second forming portion are all columnar, the diameter of the first forming portion is larger than the first limiting portion, and the diameter of the second forming portion is larger than the first forming portion.

[0079] Specifically, the first limiting portion extends into the hole of the terminal to fix the terminal. The diameter of the first forming portion is larger than the first limiting portion, so that the first limiting portion can extend to an appropriate position in the terminal, and then the terminal is blocked by the first forming portion. The diameter of the first forming portion is smaller than the diameter of the terminal, so that the terminal cover forms an annular inner boss 16 at the rear end of the terminal, and the annular inner boss surrounds and blocks the terminal end to ensure that the terminal can be stably fixed. The second forming portion forms the end of the terminal cover through its side surface close to the first forming part.

[0080] The second inner mold clamps the fixing part of the terminal through the second limiting part to fix the second molding part to the terminal. The third molding part is also clamped on the outside of the terminal. The multiple molding strips of the third molding part are used to mold the connecting plate of the terminal outer cover so that the heat dissipation hole can be formed on the inner side of the terminal outer cover.

[0081] The inner cavity shape of the mold cavity is used for molding the outer side of the terminal cover, and the inner side of the mold cavity includes a slot molding portion (not shown in the figure) for molding a limiting slot.

[0082] After the terminal is fixed by the first limiting portion of the first inner mold, the mold cavity can be sleeved on the outside of the terminal, and then the mold cavity is closed, and the terminal cover is injection molded into the mold cavity to obtain a charging terminal assembly.

[0083] The supporting portion of the first inner mold can be connected to the demoulding mechanism to drive the charging terminal assembly to be moved out of the mold cavity and demoulded.

[0084] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the terminal includes a contact sheet, a terminal body connected to the outside of the contact sheet by integral injection molding, and a signal line electrically connected to the contact sheet. After the terminal is fixed in the mold cavity, the method further includes:

[0085] The position of the signal line is adjusted so that the signal line extends in the mold cavity along the length direction of the mold cavity and the end of the signal line extends out of the mold cavity.

[0086] The metal socket in the existing terminal is generally made of a long copper material, which consumes a lot of materials. The metal socket is connected to the contact piece of the terminal. Since the depth of the terminal is deep, the metal socket generally consumes a lot of copper material.

[0087] The current that the signal terminal needs to bear is extremely small. Therefore, if the length of the metal jack can be reduced while ensuring the function of the signal terminal, the consumption of copper materials can be reduced and resources can be saved.

[0088] In the embodiment of the present application, the contact piece is electrically connected to the signal line, and the signal line is extended out of the terminal cover, that is, the signal line replaces the metal jack to ensure the realization of the charging function.

[0089] By configuring a signal line to replace the metal socket, it is no longer necessary to configure a long metal socket in the terminal, which can reduce the consumption of copper materials and save resources.

[0090] In the embodiment of the present application, the signal line is wrapped in the terminal cover so that the signal line does not leak out and is protected from damage. The end of the signal line can be electrically connected to the corresponding component in the charging gun head.

[0091] As an example, the terminal may be a signal terminal, and the corresponding terminal assembly is a signal terminal assembly. Fig.10 The overall structural diagram of the signal terminal assembly provided for the implementation of this application is as follows: Fig.11 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a signal terminal assembly provided for the implementation of this application.

[0092] The signal terminal assembly includes a terminal 17 and a terminal cover 18 integrally connected to the terminal by injection molding, wherein:

[0093] The length of the terminal is shorter than the terminal cover, and the terminal is located at the front end of the terminal cover;

[0094] The terminal includes a contact piece 19, a terminal body integrally injection-molded and connected to the outside of the contact piece, and a signal line 20 electrically connected to the contact piece;

[0095] The signal line extends out of the terminal body, the middle part of the signal line is integrally injection-molded and connected to the side wall of the terminal outer cover, and the end of the signal line extends out of the terminal outer cover.

[0096] Fig.12 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure after the signal terminal is fixed to the corresponding mold according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0097] Fig.13 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first inner mold provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG.

[0098] Fig.14 Schematic diagram of the structure of the second inner mold provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG.

[0099] The mold includes: a first inner mold 21, a second inner mold 22 and a mold cavity (not shown in the figure), wherein:

[0100] The first inner mold includes a first limiting portion 23, a first forming portion 24 integrally connected to the rear side of the first limiting portion, a second forming portion 25 integrally connected to the rear side of the first forming portion, and a first supporting portion 26 integrally connected to the rear side of the second forming portion;

[0101] The first limiting portion is used to be clamped on the inner side of the terminal;

[0102] The first molding part and the second molding part are used for molding the terminal cover end;

[0103] The second inner mold includes a second limiting portion 27, a third shaping portion 28 integrally connected to the rear side of the second limiting portion, and a second supporting portion 29 integrally connected to the rear side of the third shaping portion;

[0104] The second limiting portion is used to clamp the terminal inside the second limiting portion;

[0105] The third shaping portion is used for shaping the inner side of the terminal cover;

[0106] The second supporting portion extends out of the terminal housing;

[0107] The mold cavity is used to form the outside of the terminal cover.

[0108] Optionally, the first limiting portion, the first forming portion and the second forming portion are all columnar, the diameter of the first forming portion is larger than the first limiting portion, and the diameter of the second forming portion is larger than the first forming portion.

[0109] Specifically, the first limiting portion extends into the hole of the terminal. The diameter of the first forming portion is larger than the first limiting portion, so that the first limiting portion can extend to an appropriate position in the terminal, and then the terminal is blocked by the first forming portion. The diameter of the first forming portion is smaller than the diameter of the terminal, so that the terminal cover forms an annular inner boss at the rear end of the terminal, and the annular inner boss surrounds and blocks the end of the terminal to ensure that the terminal can be stably fixed. The second forming portion is formed for the end of the terminal cover through its side surface close to the first forming part, and the first support portion is fixedly arranged to support the first inner mold.

[0110] The second limiting portion extends into the hole of the terminal, and the diameter of the third forming portion is larger than the second limiting portion, so that the first limiting portion can extend into the appropriate position in the terminal, and then the terminal is blocked by the first forming portion. The third forming portion is used to shape the inner side of the terminal cover. The second supporting portion is fixedly arranged to support the second inner mold.

[0111] Since the terminal in the embodiment of the present application is relatively short, if a support mechanism is provided only on one side thereof, the positioning of the terminal will be deviated due to the short contact surface between the support mechanism and the terminal, thereby affecting the molding of the terminal cover and the subsequent use effect.

[0112] In the embodiment of the present application, by providing a first limiting portion in the first inner mold and a second limiting portion in the second inner mold, the terminal is supported on both sides of the terminal respectively, thereby ensuring accurate positioning of the terminal.

[0113] The inner cavity shape of the mold cavity is used for molding the outer side of the terminal cover, and the inner side of the mold cavity includes a slot molding portion (not shown in the figure) for molding a limiting slot.

[0114] After the terminal is fixed by the first limiting part of the first inner mold and the second limiting part of the second inner mold, the mold cavity can be sleeved on the outside of the terminal, and then the mold cavity is closed and the terminal cover is injection molded into the mold cavity to obtain a signal terminal assembly.

[0115] The above descriptions are only some embodiments of the present invention. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present invention. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a signal terminal assembly, characterized in that: The signal terminal assembly comprises a terminal and a terminal cover integrally connected to the terminal by injection molding, wherein the length of the terminal is smaller than the terminal cover; when the signal terminal assembly is installed on the charging gun head, it is inserted into a slot reserved for the charging gun head; the manufacturing method comprises the following steps: The terminal is fixed in the mold cavity, wherein the terminal is fixed by clamping an inner mold fixed in the mold cavity into the inner side of the terminal, the inner mold includes a first inner mold and a second inner mold, the first inner mold includes a first limiting portion, a first molding portion integrally connected to the rear side of the first limiting portion, a second molding portion integrally connected to the rear side of the first molding portion, and a first supporting portion integrally connected to the rear side of the second molding portion; the second inner mold includes a second limiting portion, a third shaping portion integrally connected to the rear side of the second limiting portion, and a second supporting portion integrally connected to the rear side of the third molding portion; the first limiting portion is used to clamp the terminal inside the terminal, and the second limiting portion is used to clamp the terminal inside the second limiting portion, and the first limiting portion and the second limiting portion are used to realize the support on both sides of the terminal respectively; wherein the diameter of the first molding portion is larger than the first limiting portion, the diameter of the second molding portion is larger than the first molding portion, and the diameter of the first molding portion is smaller than the diameter of the terminal, so that the terminal cover forms an annular inner boss at the rear end of the terminal, and the annular inner boss surrounds and blocks the terminal end; By injection molding in the mold cavity, a terminal cover integrally connected to the terminal by injection molding is obtained; wherein the first molding part and the second molding part are used for molding the end of the terminal cover, the third molding part is used for molding the inner side of the terminal cover, the mold cavity is used for molding the outer side of the terminal cover, and the annular limiting groove located on the outer side of the terminal cover is molded by the mold cavity; The terminal includes a contact piece, a terminal body integrally injection-molded and connected to the outside of the contact piece, and a signal line electrically connected to the contact piece. After the terminal is fixed in the mold cavity, the manufacturing method further includes: adjusting the position of the signal line so that the signal line extends in the mold cavity along the length direction of the mold cavity and the end of the signal line extends out of the mold cavity.

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