Terminal, method for manufacturing terminal, and charging device

Abstract

A terminal 100 comprising: a terminal body 10, used for transmitting current and an insulator 20 on the terminal body; the insulator comprises: an insulation cap 21 on the front end of the terminal bo

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. CN202510412720.7 filed on April 2, 2025 in the State Intellectual Property Office of China, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a terminal, a method for manufacturing the terminal, and a charging device comprising the terminal. Description of the Related Art With the development of the new energy vehicle market, competition in charging devices is becoming increasingly fierce. Not only are there higher requirements for the performance of charging devices, but also the lower the price of charging devices, the better. In the prior art, a charging device (such as a charging dock) typically includes a housing and power terminals arranged in terminal holes of the housing for transmitting charging current. The existing power terminal is made entirely of copper or copper alloy, which is relatively expensive. In the prior art, in order to position the power terminal in the terminal hole of the housing, a positioning flange needs to be formed at the rear end of the mating part of the power terminal, which will increase the material and cost of the power terminal. In addition, in the prior art, in order to achieve sealing between the power terminal and the housing, it is necessary to inject sealing component on the power terminal. However, the waterproof sealing effect of the sealing component injected on the power terminal is not good. In addition, in the prior art, in order to prevent human fingers from touching the front end of the power terminal, an insulation cap needs to be installed on the front end of the power terminal. Manufacturing and installing insulation the insulation cap separately is very time-consuming and reduces production efficiency. In addition, in the prior art, in order to lock the terminal in the housing, it is necessary to form a locking part on the terminal body that is suitable for joining with the housing, which will further reduce production efficiency and increase manufacturing costs. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to overcome or alleviate at least one aspect of the above-mentioned disadvantages. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal. The terminal comprises: a terminal body, which is an integral metal cold heading component used for transmitting current; and an insulator which is injection molded onto the terminal body in one go. The insulator comprises: an insulation cap which is injection molded onto the front end of the terminal body to prevent human fingers from touching the front end of the terminal body; and an insulation sleeve which is injection molded onto the outer periphery of the terminal body for positioning the terminal into a terminal hole of a housing. A hollow inner cavity is formed in the front end of the terminal body, and the insulation cap is joined into the inner cavity of the terminal body and protrudes from the front end of the terminal body. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the insulation cap comprises: a joint part which is injection molded into the inner cavity of the terminal body; and a protective part which is connected to the joint part. The inner cavity is in the shape of a blind hole with a bottom, and the protective part extends a predetermined length forward along the axial direction of the terminal body from the front end of the terminal body. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the insulation sleeve comprises a front insulation sleeve and a rear insulation sleeve spaced apart in the axial direction of the terminal body, and a sealing ring installation groove is defined between the rear end face of the front insulation sleeve and the front end face of the rear insulation sleeve for installing a sealing ring. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the terminal further comprises a sealing ring which is installed into the sealing ring installation groove, the sealing ring is suitable for being radially compressed between the exposed outer peripheral surface of the terminal body and the inner peripheral surface of the terminal hole of the housing to achieve sealing between the two. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the outer peripheral surfaces of the front insulation sleeve and the rear insulation sleeve are mated with an inner peripheral surface of a fixing part of the terminal hole of the housing to position the terminal in the terminal hole of the housing. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a snap slot is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front insulation sleeve, which is suitable for engaging with an elastic buckle in the terminal hole of the housing to lock the terminal in the terminal hole of the housing. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the snap slot is a circular groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front insulation sleeve. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a positioning recess is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the terminal body, which has a front positioning step and a rear positioning step opposite to each other in the axial direction of the terminal body; the front end of the front insulation sleeve is injection molded onto the front positioning step, and the rear end of the rear insulation sleeve is injection molded onto the rear positioning step to axially position the front insulation sleeve and the rear insulation sleeve. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the terminal body is made of copper or copper alloy. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the terminal is a power terminal for transmitting charging current for a charging device. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the terminal body has a columnar mating part for mating with a mating terminal, the insulation cap is injection molded onto the front end of the columnar mating part of the terminal body, and the insulation sleeve is injection molded onto the outer periphery of the rear end of the columnar mating part of the terminal body. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the terminal body also has a flat welding part for welding to power cable or a busbar, which is connected to the rear end of the columnar mating part. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing the above terminal, wherein the method comprises the following steps of: S10: providing a metal blank; S20: cold heading the metal blank into a cylindrical semi-finished product with an inner cavity and a positioning recess; S30: flattening the rear end of the cylindrical semi-finished product to make a terminal body; S40: placing the terminal body into an injection mold and injecting molten injection material into the mold to inject an insulator onto the terminal body in one go; and S50: after the injection material has cooled and solidified, removing the terminal from the injection mold. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises a step of: S60: installing the sealing ring into the sealing ring installation groove between the front insulation sleeve and the rear insulation sleeve of the terminal. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging device. The charging device comprises: a housing which is formed with a terminal hole; and the above terminal inserted into the terminal hole of the housing. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an elastic buckle is formed in the terminal hole of the housing, and the elastic buckle is engaged with the snap slot on the insulator of the terminal to lock the terminal in the terminal hole of the housing. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the charging device is a charging dock or a charging gun. In the aforementioned exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the terminal body is a one-piece metal cold heading component, which can reduce manufacturing time. In addition, the insulation cap for preventing electric shock and the insulation sleeve for positioning are injection molded onto the terminal body in one go. Therefore, the present invention does not require separate manufacturing and assembly of an insulation cap, nor does it require the formation of positioning flanges on the terminal body. Therefore, the present invention improves production efficiency and reduces production costs. In addition, a hollow inner cavity is formed in the front end of the terminal body, which can reduce the material used in the terminal body and further reduce the cost of the terminal body. In addition, in the aforementioned exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the sealing ring installed between the front insulation sleeve and the rear insulation sleeve can effectively achieve sealing between the terminal and the housing. In addition, in the aforementioned exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a snap slot suitable for engaging an elastic buckle inside the housing is formed on the front insulation sleeve, so the present invention does not require a locking part to be formed on the terminal body to engage with the housing. Therefore, the present invention can further improve production efficiency and reduce production costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other features of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an illustrative perspective view of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows an axial sectional view of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 shows an illustrative exploded view of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 shows an exploded sectional view of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 shows a plan sectional view of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 shows an illustrative view of a metal blank used for manufacturing terminal bodies according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 shows an illustrative view of a cylindrical semi-finished product used for manufacturing terminal bodies according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 shows an illustrative view of a terminal body according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 shows an illustrative view of a terminal body and an insulator injected into the terminal body according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional view of a charging device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE IVENTION Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing. According to a general concept of the present invention, there is provided a terminal. The terminal comprises: a terminal body, which is an integral metal cold heading component used for transmitting current; and an insulator which is injection molded onto the terminal body in one go. The insulator comprises: an insulation cap which is injection molded onto the front end of the terminal body to prevent human fingers from touching the front end of the terminal body; and an insulation sleeve which is injection molded onto the outer periphery of the terminal body for positioning the terminal into a terminal hole of a housing. A hollow inner cavity is formed in the front end of the terminal body, and the insulation cap is joined into the inner cavity of the terminal body and protrudes from the front end of the terminal body. According to another general concept of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing the above terminal, wherein the method comprises the following steps of: providing a metal blank; cold heading the metal blank into a cylindrical semi-finished product with an inner cavity and a positioning recess; flattening the rear end of the cylindrical semi-finished product to make a terminal body; placing the terminal body into an injection mold and injecting molten injection material into the mold to inject an insulator onto the terminal body in one go; and after the injection material has cooled and solidified, removing the terminal from the injection mold. According to another general concept of the present invention, there is provided a charging device. The charging device comprises: a housing which is formed with a terminal hole; and the above terminal inserted into the terminal hole of the housing. Figure 1 shows an illustrative perspective view of terminal 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows an axial sectional view of terminal 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 shows an illustrative exploded view of terminal 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 shows an exploded cross-sectional view of terminal 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 shows a plan sectional view of terminal 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 shows an illustrative view of a metal blank 10” used for manufacturing a terminal 100 body according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 shows an illustrative view of a cylindrical semi-finished product 10’ for manufacturing a terminal 100 body according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 shows an illustrative view of a terminal body 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 shows an illustrative view of a terminal body 10 and an insulator 20 injected into the terminal body 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional view of a charging device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a terminal 100 is disclosed. The terminal includes a terminal body 10 and an insulator 20. The terminal body 10 is an integral metal cold heading component used for transmitting current. The insulator 20 is injection molded onto the terminal body 10 in one go. The insulator 20 includes an insulation cap 21 and an insulation sleeve 22. The insulation cap 21 is injection molded onto the front end of the terminal body 10 to prevent human fingers from touching the front end of the terminal body 10. The insulation sleeve 22 is injection molded onto the outer periphery of the terminal body 10, used to position the terminal 100 into the terminal hole 40 of the housing 4. A hollow inner cavity 101 is formed in the front end of the terminal body 10, and the insulation cap 21 is joined into the inner cavity 101 of the terminal body 10 and protrudes from the front end of the terminal body 10. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, the insulation cap 21 includes a joint part 211 and a protective part 212. The joint part 211 is injection molded into the inner cavity 101 of the terminal body 10. The protective part 212 is connected to the joint part 211. The inner cavity 101 of the terminal body 10 is in the shape of a blind hole with a bottom, and the protective part 212 extends forward along the axial direction of the terminal body 10 for a predetermined length from the front end of the terminal body 10. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, the insulation sleeve 22 includes a front insulation sleeve 221 and a rear insulation sleeve 222 spaced apart in the axial direction of the terminal body 10. A sealing ring installation groove 201 is defined between the rear end face of the front insulation sleeve 221 and the front end face of the rear insulation sleeve 222 for installing a sealing ring 3. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, the terminal 100 further includes a sealing ring 3, which is installed into the sealing ring installation groove 201. The sealing ring 3 is suitable for being radially compressed between the exposed outer surface of the terminal body 10 and the inner surface of the terminal hole 40 of the housing 4 to achieve sealing between the two. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, since there is no injection molded insulator on the sealing area of the terminal body 10 in contact with the sealing ring 3, the sealing between the terminal body 10 and the sealing ring 3 can be ensured. In the illustrated embodiment, even if the insulation sleeve 22 injection molded onto the terminal body 10 undergoes slight deformation, it has no effect on the sealing performance of the sealing ring 3. Therefore, in this application, there are no special requirements for the material properties of the insulation sleeve 22, which expands the selection range of injection materials used for injection molding the insulation sleeve 22 and can reduce manufacturing costs. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, the outer peripheral surfaces of the front insulation sleeve 221 and the rear insulation sleeve 222 are mated with the inner peripheral surface of the fixing part of the terminal hole 40 of the housing 4 to position the terminal 100 in the terminal hole 40 of the housing 4. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, a snap slot 202 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front insulation sleeve 221, which is suitable for engaging with the elastic buckle 41 in the terminal hole 40 of the housing 4 to lock the terminal 100 in the terminal hole 40 of the housing 4. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, the aforementioned snap slot 202 is a circular groove formed on the outer circumferential surface of the front insulation sleeve 221. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, a positioning recess 102 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the terminal body 10. The positioning recess 102 has a front positioning step 111 and a rear positioning step 112 that are opposite in the axial direction of the terminal body 10. The front end of the front insulation sleeve 221 is injection molded onto the front positioning step 111, and the rear end of the rear insulation sleeve 222 is injection molded onto the rear positioning step 112 to axially position the front insulation sleeve 221 and the rear insulation sleeve 222. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, the terminal body 10 can be made of copper or copper alloy. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, the terminal 100 can be a power terminal used for transmitting charging current for a charging device. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, the terminal body 10 has a columnar mating part 11 for mating with a mating terminal, the insulation cap 21 is injected onto the front end of the columnar mating part 11 of the terminal body 10, and the insulation sleeve 22 is injected into the outer periphery of the rear part of the columnar mating part 11 of the terminal body 10. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, the terminal body 10 also has a flat welding part 12 for welding to a power cable (not shown) or a busbar (not shown), which is connected to the rear end of the columnar mating part 11. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing the above terminal 100 is also disclosed. The method includes the following steps of: S10: As shown in Figure 6, providing a metal blank 10”; S20: As shown in Figure 7, cold heading the metal blank 10” into a cylindrical semi-finished product 10’ with an inner cavity 101 and a positioning recess 102; S30: As shown in Figure 8, flattening the rear end of the cylindrical semi-finished product 10’ to make the terminal body 10; S40: Placing the terminal body 10 into an injection mold and injecting molten injection material into the mold to inject the insulator 20 into the terminal body 10 all at once; S50: After the injection material has cooled and solidified, removing the terminal 100 from the injection mold. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, the aforementioned terminal manufacturing method further comprises a step of: S60: As shown in Figure 5, installing the sealing ring 3 into the sealing ring installation groove 201 between the front insulation sleeve 221 and the rear insulation sleeve 222 of the terminal 100. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a charging device is also disclosed. The charging device comprises a housing 4 and the aforementioned terminal 100. The housing 4 is formed with a terminal hole 40. The terminal 100 is inserted into the terminal hole 40 of the housing 4. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, an elastic buckle 41 is formed in the terminal hole 40 of the housing 4, and the elastic buckle 41 is engaged with the snap slot 202 on the insulator 20 of the terminal 100 to lock the terminal 100 in the terminal hole 40 of the housing 4. As shown in Figures 1 to 10, in the illustrated embodiment, the charging device can be a charging dock or a charging gun. It should be appreciated for those skilled in this art that the above embodiments are intended to be illustrated, and not restrictive. For example, many modifications may be made to the above embodiments by those skilled in this art, and various features described in different embodiments may be freely combined with each other without conflicting in configuration or principle. Although several exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents. As used herein, an element recited in the singular and proceeded with the word "a" or "an" should be understood as not excluding plural of said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to "one embodiment" of the present invention are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments "comprising" or "having" an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional such elements not having that property.

Claims

1. A terminal, comprising:a terminal body (10), which is an integral metal cold heading component used for transmitting current; andan insulator (20) which is injection molded onto the terminal body (10) in one go, wherein the insulator (20) comprises:an insulation cap (21) which is injection molded onto the front end of the terminal body (10) to prevent human fingers from touching the front end of the terminal body (10); andan insulation sleeve (22) which is injection molded onto the outer periphery of the terminal body (10) for positioning the terminal (100) into a terminal hole (40) of a housing (4), wherein a hollow inner cavity (101) is formed in the front end of the terminal body (10), and the insulation cap (21) is joined into the inner cavity (101) of the terminal body (10) and protrudes from the front end of the terminal body (10).

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the insulation cap (21) comprises:a joint part (211) which is injection molded into the inner cavity (101) of the terminal body (10); anda protective part (212) which is connected to the joint part (211),wherein the inner cavity (101) is in the shape of a blind hole with a bottom, and the protective part (212) extends forward along the axial direction of the terminal body (10) from the front end of the terminal body (10).

3. The terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the insulation sleeve (22) comprises a front insulation sleeve (221) and a rear insulation sleeve (222) spaced apart in the axial direction of the terminal body (10), and wherein a sealing ring installation groove (201) is defined between the rear end face of the front insulation sleeve (221) and the front end face of the rear insulation sleeve (222) for installing a sealing ring (3).

4. The terminal according to claim 3, wherein there is no injection molded insulator on the terminal body (10) between the rear end face of the front insulation sleeve (221) and the front end face of the rear insulation sleeve (222).

5. The terminal according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising a sealing ring (3) which is installed into the sealing ring installation groove (201), wherein the sealing ring (3) is suitable for being radially compressed against the exposed outer peripheral surface of the terminal body (10) and the inner peripheral surface of the terminal hole (40) of the housing (4) to achieve sealing between the two.

6. The terminal according to claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein the outer peripheral surfaces of the front insulation sleeve (221) and the rear insulation sleeve (222) are mated with an inner peripheral surface of a fixing part of the terminal hole (40) of the housing (4) to position the terminal (100) in the terminal hole (40) of the housing (4).

7. The terminal according to claim 3 or any claim dependent thereon, wherein a snap slot (202) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front insulation sleeve (221), which is suitable for engaging with an elastic buckle (41) in the terminal hole (40) of the housing (4) to lock the terminal (100) in the terminal hole (40) of the housing (4).

8. The terminal according to claim 7, wherein the snap slot (202) is a circular groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front insulation sleeve (221).

9. The terminal according to claim 3 or any claim dependent thereon, wherein a positioning recess (102) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the terminal body (10), which has a front positioning step (111) and a rear positioning step (112) opposite to each other in the axial direction of the terminal body (10); and wherein the front end of the front insulation sleeve (221) is injection molded onto the front positioning step (111), and the rear end of the rear insulation sleeve (222) is injection molded onto the rear positioning step (112) to axially position the front insulation sleeve (221) and the rear insulation sleeve (222).

10. The terminal according to any preceding claim, wherein the terminal body (10) is made of copper or copper alloy.

11. The terminal according to any preceding claim, wherein the terminal (100) is a power terminal for transmitting charging current for a charging device.

12. The terminal according to any preceding claim, wherein the terminal body (10) has a columnar mating part (11) for mating with a mating terminal, the insulation cap (21) is injection molded onto the front end of the columnar mating part (11) of the terminal body (10), and wherein the insulation sleeve (22) is injection molded onto the outer periphery of the rear end of the columnar mating part (11) of the terminal body (10).

13. The terminal according to claim 12, wherein the terminal body (10) also has a flat welding part (12) for welding to power cable or a busbar, which is connected to the rear end of the columnar mating part (11).

14. A method for manufacturing the terminal according to any preceding claim, wherein the method comprises the following steps of:providing (S10) a metal blank (10”);cold heading (S20) the metal blank (10”) into a cylindrical semi-finished product (10’) with an inner cavity (101) and a positioning recess (102);flattening (S30) the rear end of the cylindrical semi-finished product (10’) to make a terminal body (10);placing (S40) the terminal body (10) into an injection mold and injecting molten injection material into the mold to inject an insulator (20) onto the terminal body (10) in one go;after the injection material has cooled and solidified, removing (S50) the terminal (100) from the injection mold.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of installing (S60) the sealing ring (3) into the sealing ring installation groove (201) between the front insulation sleeve (221) and the rear insulation sleeve (222) of the terminal (100).

16. A charging device, comprising:a housing (4) which is formed with a terminal hole (40); andthe terminal (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 13 which is inserted into the terminal hole (40) of the housing (4).

17. The charging device according to claim 16, wherein an elastic buckle (41) is formed in the terminal hole (40) of the housing (4), and the elastic buckle (41) is engaged with the snap slot (202) on the insulator (20) of the terminal (100) to lock the terminal (100) in the terminal hole (40) of the housing (4).

18. The charging device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the charging device is a charging dock or a charging gun.A

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