terminal block

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to provide a terminal block that can appropriately suppress the movement of the pad relative to the insertion space along the axial direction. The terminal block (1) includes: a busbar (10) connected to a connecting object (2); a housing (20) having an insertion space (21) for the busbar (10) to be inserted along the axial direction (X); and a gasket (30) inserted together with the busbar (10) into the insertion space (21) to seal the annular space between the outer surface of the busbar (10) and the inner surface of the insertion space (21). The busbar (10) is configured to include: a pressing part (14) pressed and fixed relative to the housing (20) at one end of the gasket (30) in the axial direction (X); and a gasket retaining part (15) extending along the thickness direction (Z) of the busbar (10) at the other end of the gasket (30) in the axial direction (X) to retain the other end face (30b) of the gasket (30) in the axial direction (X).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to terminal blocks. Background Technology

[0002] As a technology related to conventional terminal blocks, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal block comprising: a base portion having a through hole; a busbar inserted into the through hole of the base portion; and a heat-resistant sealing portion that is in liquid-tight contact with the base portion and the busbar. A neck is provided in the busbar to restrict the movement of the dividing sealing member.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-161641 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] However, in the aforementioned conventional terminal blocks, although the movement of the dividing seal member relative to the through hole along the axial direction can be suppressed by necking, the assembly operation of the dividing seal member relative to the busbar (neck) may be time-consuming.

[0008] The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a terminal block capable of appropriately suppressing the movement of the pad relative to the insertion space along the axial direction.

[0009] Technical means for solving problems

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the terminal block according to the present invention comprises: a busbar extending along an axial direction and connected to a connecting object; a housing having an insertion space for the busbar to be inserted along the axial direction; and a gasket inserted together with the busbar into the insertion space to seal an annular space between the outer surface of the busbar and the inner surface of the insertion space. The busbar is configured to include: a press-in portion that is pressed into and fixed relative to the housing at one end side closer to the axial direction than the gasket; and a gasket retaining portion that extends along the thickness direction of the busbar at the other end side closer to the axial direction than the gasket and retains the other end face of the gasket in the axial direction.

[0011] Invention Effects

[0012] The terminal block of the present invention has the following effect: it can appropriately suppress the movement of the pad relative to the insertion space along the axial direction. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is an exemplary perspective view of the terminal block of the embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 This is an exemplary exploded perspective view of the terminal block of the embodiment.

[0015] Figure 3 This is an exemplary side view of the terminal block of the embodiment.

[0016] Figure 4 This is an exemplary top view of the terminal block of the embodiment.

[0017] Figure 5 This is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the terminal block of the embodiment.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0019] 1 Terminal block

[0020] 2 Connection Object

[0021] 10 busbars

[0022] 11 First connecting part

[0023] 12 Second connecting part

[0024] 13. Middle section

[0025] 14 Press-in section

[0026] 15. Pad Retention Section

[0027] 16 Slits

[0028] 20 housing

[0029] 21. Insertion into the spatial section

[0030] 30 Padding

[0031] 30b The other end face

[0032] X-axis direction

[0033] Y-axis width direction

[0034] Z-thickness direction Detailed Implementation

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, the constituent elements in the following embodiments include elements that can and are easily substituted by those skilled in the art, or substantially the same elements. In addition, in this specification, ordinal numbers are used only to distinguish parts, components, locations, positions, directions, etc., and do not indicate order or priority.

[0036] [Example]

[0037] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of terminal block 1 in the embodiment. Figure 1 The terminal block 1 shown in this embodiment is, for example, mounted in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, to relay the electrical connection between the first device and the second device. The terminal block 1 in this embodiment is configured to include a busbar 10 and an external terminal 3 of the first device (see reference 10). Figure 5 The external terminal 4 of the second device is electrically connected to the first connecting portion 11 located at one end of the busbar 10. In addition, in the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, the external terminal 4 of the second device is electrically connected to the second connecting portion 12 located at the other end of the busbar 10. In this embodiment, the external terminal 3 of the first device is an example of one of the connected objects 2, and the external terminal 4 of the second device is an example of another connected object 2. The first device is, for example, one of a motor and an inverter, and the second device is, for example, another of a motor and an inverter. Furthermore, the terminal block 1 is not limited to this example; for example, it can also be used for relaying the first or second device to wiring materials, relaying wiring materials to wiring materials, etc.

[0038] Furthermore, in the following description, the first direction among the intersecting first, second, and third directions will be referred to as "axial direction X", the second direction as "width direction Y", and the third direction as "thickness direction Z". Here, axial direction X, width direction Y, and thickness direction Z are approximately orthogonal to each other. Axial direction X typically corresponds to the extension direction of busbar 10, the insertion direction of busbar 10 relative to housing 20 (insertion space 21), and the depth direction (front-rear direction) of terminal block 1, etc. Width direction Y typically corresponds to the width direction of busbar 10 and the width direction (left-right direction) of terminal block 1, etc. Thickness direction Z typically corresponds to the thickness direction of busbar 10 and the height direction (up-down direction) of terminal block 1, etc. In addition, unless otherwise specified, all directions used in the following description are described as directions when terminal block 1 is mounted in a vehicle.

[0039] Figure 2 This is an exploded perspective view of terminal block 1. Figure 3 This is a side view of terminal block 1. Figure 4 This is a top view of terminal block 1. (Example) Figures 2-4As shown, the terminal block 1 is configured, for example, to include a busbar 10, a housing 20, a gasket 30, and a collar 40. The busbar 10 is a terminal accessory made of a conductive metal material and is electrically connected to the aforementioned external terminals 3 and 4. In this embodiment, three busbars 10 are arranged side by side along the width direction Y of the terminal block 1. Furthermore, the number of busbars 10 is not limited to this example; for example, two or more busbars 10 may be arranged side by side along the width direction Y.

[0040] The busbar 10 is configured, for example, to include a first connecting portion 11 located at one end in the axial direction X, a second connecting portion 12 located at the other end in the axial direction X, an intermediate portion 13 located between the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion 12, and a gasket retaining portion 15 described later. The first connecting portion 11, the second connecting portion 12, the intermediate portion 13, and the gasket retaining portion 15 are integrally formed from a conductive metal material. That is, the busbar 10 is formed into a crank shape by performing various processes such as bending on a metal plate to correspond to the shapes of each part of the first connecting portion 11, the second connecting portion 12, the intermediate portion 13, and the gasket retaining portion 15.

[0041] The first connecting portion 11 is electrically and mechanically connected to the external terminal 3 of the first device described above. The first connecting portion 11 extends, for example, along the axial direction X and is located at a position offset relative to the second connecting portion 12 along the plate thickness direction Z. The first connecting portion 11 is provided with a mounting hole 11a for mounting bolts or similar fastening components that secure the busbar 10 and the external terminal 3. The mounting hole 11a is a through hole extending through the first connecting portion 11 along the plate thickness direction Z, and is, for example, configured as a circular hole with a diameter larger than the shaft portion of the bolt. Therefore, the mounting hole 11a can, for example, absorb the positional offset of the busbar 10 relative to the external terminals 3 and 4 along the axial direction X.

[0042] The second connecting portion 12 is the part that is electrically and mechanically connected to the external terminal 4 of the aforementioned second device. The second connecting portion 12 extends, for example, along the axial direction X and is located at a position offset relative to the first connecting portion 11 along the thickness direction Z. The second connecting portion 12 is provided with mounting holes 12a for mounting bolts or similar fastening components that secure the busbar 10 and the external terminal 4. The mounting holes 12a are through holes extending through the second connecting portion 12 along the thickness direction Z, and are, for example, configured as circular holes with approximately the same diameter as the shaft portion of the bolt.

[0043] The intermediate portion 13 is the portion connecting the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion 12, extending along the thickness direction Z. The intermediate portion 13 includes, for example, a bent portion between the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion 12. The bent portion is formed, for example, by bending at an angle of approximately 90° relative to the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion 12. The intermediate portion 13 constitutes a step between the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion 12. The thickness direction of the intermediate portion 13 is along an axial direction X intersecting the thickness direction Z of the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion 12.

[0044] The housing 20, for example, holds the busbar 10, gasket 30, etc., and is formed of an insulating synthetic resin material or the like. The housing 20 is configured, for example, to include a housing body 22 and a housing protrusion 23 protruding from the housing body 22 along the axial direction X. In this embodiment, mounting holes 25 are provided at both ends of the housing body 22 in the width direction Y. These mounting holes 25 are for mounting fastening components such as bolts to fasten the housing 20 to a mounting object (not shown). The mounting holes 25 are through holes that penetrate the housing body 22 along the axial direction X. For example, a collar 40 is provided in the mounting holes 25 to prevent contact between the bolt (metal) and the housing body 22 (resin).

[0045] Additionally, the housing body 22 and the housing protrusion 23 are provided with insertion spaces 21 for the busbar 10 to be inserted along the axial direction X. The insertion spaces 21 are through holes (openings) that pass through the housing body 22 and the housing protrusion 23 along the axial direction X. In this embodiment, three insertion spaces 21 are provided in the housing 20 corresponding to the busbar 10, and these three insertion spaces 21 are separated from each other along the width direction Y.

[0046] Additionally, a recess 24 (not shown) is provided in the housing body 22 to hold a sealing member. The sealing member seals the housing 20 with the mounted object (not shown), preventing foreign matter such as moisture from entering the interior of the housing 20. The recess 24 is recessed from one end face of the housing body 22 in the axial direction X toward the other end face in the axial direction X, and opens toward the end face in the axial direction X. The recess 24 is provided, for example, at the periphery of the housing protrusion 23, and is formed into a generally elliptical ring shape following the outer shape of the sealing member. The housing 20 integrally forms the housing body 22 and the housing protrusion 23.

[0047] Gasket 30 prevents foreign matter such as moisture from entering the interior of housing 20. Gasket 30 is formed, for example, from a component capable of elastic deformation such as rubber or resin. Gasket 30 is formed, for example, into a generally elliptical ring along the outer surface of the first connecting portion 11 of busbar 10. That is, gasket 30 is provided with an insertion hole 31 for the first connecting portion 11 of busbar 10 to be inserted along the axial direction X. Gasket 30 and busbar 10 are inserted together into the aforementioned insertion space 21, sealing the annular space between the outer surface of busbar 10 and the inner surface of insertion space 21. In this embodiment, three gaskets 30 are arranged side by side along the width direction Y corresponding to busbar 10 on terminal block 1. Gasket 30 is also referred to as terminal gasket, rubber plug, bushing, etc.

[0048] Additionally, the pad 30 is provided with a plurality of outer peripheral lips 32 and a plurality of inner peripheral lips 33 (see reference). Figure 5 The outer peripheral lip 32 is a generally annular, pleated waterproofing portion formed along the outer peripheral surface of the gasket 30. In this embodiment, for example, two outer peripheral lips 32 are arranged side-by-side along the axial direction X of the gasket 30. When the gasket 30 and the manifold 10 are installed together in the insertion space 21 of the housing 20, the outer peripheral lip 32 contacts the inner surface of the insertion space 21 and waterproofs the space between the outer peripheral lip 32 and the inner surface. The outer peripheral lip 32 is configured to fit tightly against the inner surface of the insertion space 21 through elastic deformation, sealing the annular space between the inner surface and the outer peripheral surface of the gasket 30.

[0049] The inner circumferential lip 33 is a generally annular, pleated waterproofing portion formed along the inner circumferential surface of the gasket 30. In this embodiment, for example, two inner circumferential lips 33 are arranged side-by-side along the axial direction X of the gasket 30. The two inner circumferential lips 33 are located at a position overlapping with the two outer circumferential lips 32 along the thickness direction Z. When the gasket 30 and the manifold 10 are installed together in the insertion space 21 of the housing 20, the inner circumferential lip 33 contacts the outer surface of the first connecting portion 11 of the manifold 10 and waterproofs the space between the inner circumferential lip 33 and the outer surface. The inner circumferential lip 33 is configured to fit tightly against the outer surface of the first connecting portion 11 through elastic deformation, sealing the annular space between the outer surface and the inner circumferential surface of the gasket 30.

[0050] In this embodiment, the busbar 10 is provided with a pad holding portion 15 that holds the other end face 30b of the pad 30 in the axial direction X. The pad holding portion 15 functions, for example, to press the pad 30 toward one end side (the inside of the insertion space 21) in the axial direction X when the pad 30 is assembled relative to the insertion space 21, and to prevent the pad 30 from moving (falling off) relative to the other end side in the axial direction X of the insertion space 21. In this embodiment, a pair of pad holding portions 15 are provided on both sides of the width direction Y of the intermediate portion 13. The pair of pad holding portions 15 extend along the thickness direction Z of the plate at the other end side in the axial direction X, approximately along the intermediate portion 13.

[0051] In addition, in this embodiment, a pair of slits 16 are provided between the middle portion 13 and the pair of pad holding portions 15 (see reference). Figures 2-4 A pair of slits 16 are, for example, cut-like openings for allowing elastic deformation of the intermediate portion 13 along the axial direction X. In this embodiment, the pair of slits 16 extend along the thickness direction Z and the axial direction X, extending throughout the space between the intermediate portion 13 and the second connecting portion 12. In other words, the padding retainer 15 is configured to include a base portion extending from the second connecting portion 12 along the axial direction X and an end portion extending from the end of the base portion on the side opposite to the second connecting portion 12 along the thickness direction Z. The padding retainer 15 has a generally L-shaped cross-sectional shape through the base portion and the end portion.

[0052] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of terminal block 1. (Example) Figure 5 As shown, the manifold 10 has a press-in portion 14 at one end of the manifold 10 in the axial direction X, which is pressed into and fixed relative to the housing 20. The press-in portion 14 is located approximately at the middle of the first connecting portion 11 in the axial direction X, and is pressed into and fixed to the end portion 23a of the housing protrusion 23. In this embodiment, the insertion space 21 is configured to include a small-diameter portion through which the press-in portion 14 of the manifold 10 is inserted (pressed in), and a large-diameter portion through which the first connecting portion 11 of the manifold 10 and the gasket 30 are inserted (pressed in). The small-diameter portion is located at one end of the manifold 10 in the axial direction X (inside the insertion space 21), and is formed with an opening shape that is approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the outer shape of the first connecting portion 11. The large-diameter portion has a larger opening size than the small-diameter portion and is configured to be approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the outer shape of the gasket 30.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, with the manifold 10 and the gasket 30 integrated, the pressing portion 14 is pressed into the small-diameter portion of the insertion space 21, and the gasket 30 is pressed into the large-diameter portion of the insertion space 21, thereby assembling the manifold 10 and the gasket 30 into the housing 20 in an integrated state. At this time, the gasket retaining portion 15 holds the other end face 30b of the gasket 30 in the axial direction X, thereby suppressing the movement (dislodgement) of the gasket 30 relative to the insertion space 21 towards the other end side in the axial direction X.

[0054] As described above, in the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, the busbar 10 is configured to include: a press-in portion 14, which is pressed and fixed to the housing 20 at one end of the pad 30 in the axial direction X; and a pad retaining portion 15, which extends along the thickness direction Z of the busbar 10 at the other end of the pad 30 in the axial direction X, and retains the other end face 30b of the pad 30 in the axial direction X. According to this structure, the terminal block 1 can, for example, improve the assemblability of the pad 30 with respect to the pad retaining portion 15, and thus, by means of the press-in portion 14 and the pad retaining portion 15, suppress the movement (falling off) of the pad 30 along the axial direction X without using assembly components such as pad retainers other than the busbar 10. As a result, the terminal block 1 can appropriately suppress the movement of the pad 30 relative to the insertion space 21 in the axial direction X.

[0055] Furthermore, in the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, the busbar 10 is configured to include: a first connecting portion 11, which is disposed at one end in the axial direction X and connected to one of the connecting objects 2; a second connecting portion 12, which is disposed at the other end in the axial direction X and located at a position offset relative to the first connecting portion 11 along the plate thickness direction Z, and connected to the other of the connecting objects 2; and an intermediate portion 13, which is disposed between the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion 12 and extends along the plate thickness direction Z, and a pair of pad holding portions 15 are provided on both sides of the intermediate portion 13 in the width direction Y. According to this structure, the terminal block 1 can, for example, hold the other end face 30b of the pad 30 in the axial direction X by a pair of pad holding portions 15, and thus can more appropriately suppress the movement of the pad 30 relative to the insertion space portion 21 in the axial direction X.

[0056] Furthermore, in the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, a pair of slits 16 extending along the thickness direction Z and the axial direction X are provided between the intermediate portion 13 and the pair of pad holding portions 15. According to this structure, the terminal block 1 can, for example, suppress the elastic deformation of the pad holding portions 15 and the intermediate portion 13 together through the pair of slits 16, thereby more appropriately suppressing the movement of the pad 30 relative to the insertion space portion 21 along the axial direction X.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a pair of padding retaining portions 15 are provided on both sides of the width direction Y of the intermediate portion 13, but this is not a limitation. For example, an opening extending along the axial direction X may be provided in the center of the intermediate portion 13, and the padding retaining portion 15 may be provided in this opening. In other words, the padding retaining portion 15 may also be provided between a pair of intermediate portions 13 that are spaced apart from each other along the width direction Y.

[0058] The above examples illustrate embodiments of the present invention, but these embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiments can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, combinations, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the specifications of various structures, shapes, etc. (construction, type, orientation, form, size, length, width, thickness, height, quantity, configuration, position, material, etc.) can be appropriately modified for implementation.

Claims

1. A terminal block, characterized in that, have: A busbar that extends along an axial direction and is connected to the object being connected; The housing includes an insertion space for the busbar to pass through along the axial direction; and A gasket, which, together with the busbar, is inserted into the insertion space to seal the annular space between the outer surface of the busbar and the inner surface of the insertion space. The busbar is configured to include: a pressing portion, which is pressed into and fixed relative to the housing at one end side closer to the axial direction than the liner; and a liner retaining portion, which extends along the thickness direction of the busbar at the other end side closer to the axial direction than the liner and retains the other end face of the liner in the axial direction.

2. The terminal block according to claim 1, characterized in that, The busbar is configured to include: a first connecting portion disposed at one end in the axial direction and connected to one of the connected objects; a second connecting portion disposed at the other end in the axial direction and located at a position offset relative to the first connecting portion along the plate thickness direction, and connected to the other of the connected objects; and an intermediate portion disposed between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion and extending along the plate thickness direction. The padding retainer is provided on both sides of the middle part in the width direction that intersects the axial direction and the plate thickness direction.

3. The terminal block according to claim 2, characterized in that, A pair of slits extending along the plate thickness direction and the axial direction are provided between the middle portion and the pair of padding retaining portions.

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