Terminal structure and pressure responsive switch

Abstract

To provide a terminal structure and a pressure responsive switch that can easily and reliably seal terminal insertion holes.SOLUTION: A terminal structure 1 includes a terminal 70 having a predetermined thickness, and an insertion hole 65 into which the terminal 70 is inserted from the outside with a gap therebetween. A gap reduction portion 78 having an end portion located on the inner surface side of the insertion hole 65 with respect to the outer surface of the terminal 70 is provided between the outer surface of the terminal 70 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65. In the gap between the inner surface of the insertion hole 65 and the outer surface of the terminal 70, at least a portion on the lower side Z2 of the gap reduction portion 78 is filled from the outside with a sealant 90 that seals the insertion hole.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal structure and a pressure responsive switch. [Background technology]

[0002] A terminal structure used for switches and the like is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The terminal structure described in Patent Document 1 includes a terminal block (contact base), a plate-shaped terminal (terminal for external connection) embedded and fixed in the terminal block, and a sealant that partially covers the terminal. In this terminal structure, the sealant seals the gap between the terminal block and the terminal, preventing external fluids and the like from entering the inside of the terminal block. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Jpn. Jpn. Published No. 63-48045 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned terminal structure, the terminal block is provided with an insertion hole for inserting the terminal, and after the terminal is inserted into the insertion hole, the gap between the terminal block and the terminal in the insertion hole is filled with a sealant such as a potting agent or adhesive to seal the gap. However, since the thickness dimension of the above-mentioned plate-like terminal is not always set to a constant dimension, in order to easily insert the terminal into the insertion hole, it may be necessary to set the dimension of the insertion hole in the plate thickness direction to be significantly larger than the plate thickness of the part of the terminal that will ultimately be located in the insertion hole. In this case, the gap between the terminal and the terminal block becomes large, making it difficult to seal the insertion hole with the sealant.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal structure and a pressure responsive switch that can easily and reliably seal an insertion hole for a terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the above objects, a terminal structure is provided which includes a terminal having a predetermined thickness and an insertion hole into which the terminal is inserted from the outside with a gap in the thickness direction, wherein a gap reduction portion is provided between the outer surface of the terminal and the inner surface of the insertion hole and has an end portion located on the inner surface side relative to the outer surface, and in the gap, at least the portion on one side of the insertion direction of the terminal, of either one side or the other side of the gap reduction portion, is filled with a sealant that seals the insertion hole.

[0007] According to the present invention, the gap between the outer surface of the terminal and the inner surface of the insertion hole is reduced in the portion where the gap reduction portion is provided, so that the sealant filled into the insertion hole from the outside is more likely to remain in the gap at least in the portion on one side of the gap reduction portion in the insertion direction of the terminal. Therefore, even if the gap between the outer surface of the terminal and the inner surface of the insertion hole is large, the insertion hole can be easily and reliably sealed with the sealant. Therefore, it is possible to provide a terminal structure that can easily and reliably seal the insertion hole of the terminal.

[0008] According to this configuration, since the gap reducing portion is provided, the amount of the sealant filled can be reduced by at least the volume of the gap reducing portion, and the sealant can be easily filled into the gap. This reduces the possibility of problems that tend to occur as the amount of sealant filled increases, such as air bubbles being generated in the sealant or the sealant not reaching every corner, and ensures sealing of the insertion hole. Furthermore, the gap in the portion of the gap where the gap reducing portion is provided is reduced, so that the terminal is less likely to be displaced in the insertion hole before the sealant is filled. Therefore, the displacement of the terminal relative to the insertion hole can be restricted. Therefore, the variation in the mounting position of the terminal can be reduced, and the positional accuracy of the terminal relative to the insertion hole can be improved. In this case, the position of the end of the gap reducing portion can be appropriately adjusted. For example, the closer the gap is to 0 by abutting the end of the gap reducing portion against the inner surface of the insertion hole, the more the displacement of the terminal can be suppressed, which is preferable. On the other hand, it is permissible to provide a small gap between the end of the terminal and the inner surface of the insertion hole, and in this case, too, the gap will be smaller compared to a configuration not having a gap reduction portion, thereby regulating the displacement of the terminal.

[0009] The insertion hole is provided to penetrate the terminal in the insertion direction, and the terminal is a screw terminal including a main body portion located in the insertion hole, a connection portion that is continuous with the main body portion and passes through the insertion hole to the outside, and a burring portion that protrudes from the connection portion in the thickness direction, and the maximum value of the dimension of the terminal in the thickness direction at the portion where the burring portion is provided is preferably set to be equal to or less than the maximum value of the dimension of the insertion hole in the thickness direction. According to this configuration, the screw terminal can be fixed to the insertion hole by passing the connection portion through the insertion hole and arranging the main body portion in the insertion hole, and the screw terminal can be easily assembled. According to this configuration, the maximum value of the dimension of the screw terminal in the thickness direction at the portion where the burring portion is provided is set to be equal to or less than the maximum value of the dimension of the insertion hole in the thickness direction, so that the connection portion is not easily passed through the insertion hole, and the connection portion can be passed through reliably. According to this configuration, the gap between the screw terminal and the inner surface of the insertion hole becomes larger according to the amount of protrusion of the burring portion, but the amount of filling of the sealant can be ensured by utilizing the gap.

[0010] In addition, it is preferable that the maximum value of the dimension in the thickness direction of the terminal at the portion where the gap reduction portion is provided is set to be equal to or greater than the maximum value of the dimension in the thickness direction of the insertion hole. According to this configuration, the end of the gap reduction portion is pressed into the inner surface of the insertion hole and is in close contact with the inner surface of the insertion hole, so that the sealing material is prevented from flowing beyond the gap reduction portion to the other side in the insertion direction of the terminal. Therefore, it is easier to keep the sealing material at the portion on one side of the insertion direction of the terminal with respect to the gap reduction portion, and the sealing material can be reliably sealed at that portion. In addition, by pressing the gap reduction portion into the insertion hole, the displacement of the terminal in the insertion hole before the sealing material is filled can be further suppressed, and the terminal can be positioned relative to the insertion hole. Therefore, it is possible to provide a terminal structure that reduces the variation in the mounting position of the terminal and improves the positional accuracy of the terminal relative to the insertion hole.

[0011] In addition, in the above configuration, it is particularly desirable that the maximum value of the thickness direction dimension of the insertion hole be set to be greater than or equal to the maximum value of the thickness direction dimension of the terminal in the portion where the burring portion is provided, and less than or equal to the maximum value of the thickness direction dimension of the terminal in the portion where the gap reduction portion is provided.

[0012] Moreover, the main body includes a wide portion extending in a width direction intersecting the insertion direction and the thickness direction, a narrow portion extending in the insertion direction continuous with the wide portion and having a smaller dimension in the width direction than the wide portion, and a step portion provided between a side edge of the wide portion and a side edge of the narrow portion, and the inner surface of the insertion hole is preferably provided with a restricting portion that supports an end face of the step portion and restricts the displacement of the main body portion to one side in the insertion direction. According to this configuration, the step portion is supported by the restricting portion in the insertion hole, so that the displacement of the terminal to one side in the insertion direction can be restricted, and the variation in the mounting position of the terminal can be further reduced. Therefore, the displacement of the terminal can be restricted by the restricting portion as well as the gap reducing portion, and the positional accuracy of the terminal relative to the insertion hole can be improved.

[0013] Moreover, it is preferable that the insertion hole includes a first hole portion into which the main body portion is inserted, and a second hole portion that is continuous with the first hole portion in the thickness direction and through which the burring portion passes, and a first portion surrounded by at least the inner surface of the second hole portion, the gap reduction portion, and a surface of the main body portion facing the side where the end portion of the gap reduction portion is located constitutes a storage portion that retains the sealant. According to this configuration, by retaining the sealant in the storage portion constituted by at least the first portion, a sufficient amount of sealant can be filled in the storage portion, and leakage of the sealant to the portion on the other side in the insertion direction relative to the gap reduction portion can be suppressed, and the insertion hole can be stably maintained in a sealed state.

[0014] Moreover, it is preferable that the storage section includes a second portion surrounded by the inner surface of the first hole portion and a surface of the main body facing the side opposite to the side where the end of the gap reduction section is located, and has a communication passage that communicates the second portion with the outside. With this configuration, the second portion can also be filled with the sealant, thereby further ensuring the amount of sealant filled in the storage section. In addition, since the second portion can be communicated with the outside by the communication passage, the sealant can be easily and reliably filled in the storage section via the communication passage and the second portion.

[0015] Moreover, it is preferable that at least two of the communication passages are provided, each of which has an opening communicating with the outside at a different position. According to this configuration, when filling the sealant from the opening of one communication passage, the opening of the other communication passage can be used as a vent hole for drawing out the fluid. Therefore, while filling the sealant from the opening that is not a vent hole, air in the storage section can be discharged from the opening serving as a vent hole, and an increase in the internal pressure in the storage section can be suppressed. Therefore, filling of the sealant can be easily and reliably performed. Also, in this configuration, the sealant filled in at least the first part and the second part is integrated through the communication passage, so that the terminal can be fixed more firmly. As a result, the terminal can be prevented from being displaced even when torque or the like is applied to the terminal. Therefore, peeling of the sealant caused by the displacement of the terminal is suppressed, and leakage of gas in the insertion hole due to this peeling can be suppressed.

[0016] Moreover, it is preferable that at least one of the communication paths is a through hole penetrating the terminal. With this configuration, the through hole formed in the terminal can be used as the communication path. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform special processing on the inner surface of the first hole portion in order to form the communication path. Therefore, the communication path can be easily formed, and the manufacturing cost of the terminal structure can be reduced.

[0017] It is also preferable that the dimension of the second hole portion in a width direction intersecting the insertion direction and the thickness direction is smaller than the dimension of the first hole portion in the width direction, so that the insertion hole is formed in a convex cross section, and the gap reduction portion is provided at least on the protruding side of the burring portion in the gap. With this configuration, a terminal is inserted into the insertion hole having a convex cross section, and a sealant is filled from at least the gap reduction portion provided on the protruding side of the burring portion to one side in the insertion direction of the terminal, thereby easily sealing with the sealant.

[0018] In addition, according to this configuration, after the burring portion passes through the second hole portion of the convex insertion hole, a part of the second hole portion can be blocked by the gap reduction portion. In this case, when sealing the second hole portion with the sealant, it is sufficient to fill the sealant on one side of the gap reduction portion in the insertion direction of the terminal, and it is not necessary to fill the sealant in the portion where the gap reduction portion is located and the portion on the other side of the gap reduction portion in the insertion direction with the sealant, so that the sealant is not required for the entire volume of the second hole portion. In this way, since the amount of sealant to be filled can be reduced, sealing with the sealant can be performed even more easily. Note that, if the gap reduction portion is not provided, it is possible to seal the second hole portion with the sealant for the entire volume of the second hole portion, but in that case, there is a concern that problems such as air bubbles being generated in the sealant or the sealant not reaching every corner are likely to occur. However, according to this configuration, the amount of sealant to be filled can be reduced, so that the above-mentioned problem of air bubbles being generated can be made less likely to occur.

[0019] Moreover, the gap reducing portion may be provided integrally with or separately from the main body portion at least on the protruding side of the burring portion in the gap. According to such a configuration, the structure of the main body portion and the gap reducing portion can be varied. Specifically, for example, by integrating the main body portion and the gap reducing portion, the number of parts of the terminal can be reduced. On the other hand, by making the gap reducing portion separate from the main body portion, the shape of the main body portion can be simplified, and the terminal can be easily manufactured. Furthermore, when the gap reducing portion is made separate, the shape and size of the gap reducing portion can be easily changed. Therefore, the size of the gap when the terminal is inserted into the insertion hole can be adjusted, and the amount of filling of the sealing material can be adjusted. Furthermore, by changing the shape and size of the gap reducing portion, the terminal can be inserted into insertion holes of various shapes and sizes, and the terminal can be fixed. Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the protruding direction of the gap reducing portion can be set to both sides in the thickness direction of the main body portion, which can increase the number of contact points between the gap reducing portion and the inner surface of the insertion hole, for example. Therefore, the displacement of the terminal relative to the insertion hole can be further suppressed.

[0020] The gap reducing portion may be provided separately from the main body portion, the gap reducing portion may include a wide main body extending in a width direction intersecting the insertion direction and the thickness direction, a narrow main body having a smaller dimension in the width direction than the wide main body, and a step portion provided between a side edge of the wide main body and a side edge of the narrow main body, and a positioning portion may be provided on an inner surface of the insertion hole for supporting an end face of the step portion and restricting displacement of the gap reducing portion to the other side in the insertion direction. With this configuration, when the gap reducing portion is provided separately from the main body portion of the terminal, the step portion and the positioning portion can suppress displacement of the gap reducing portion.

[0021] According to the present invention, a pressure responsive switch can be constructed using a terminal structure that can easily and reliably seal the insertion hole of the terminal. Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a terminal structure and a pressure responsive switch that can easily and reliably seal the terminal insertion hole. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a bottom view of a pressure responsive switch equipped with a microswitch having a terminal structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a perspective view of the microswitch shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the terminal block side. [Diagram 5] 1A is a cross-sectional view of the insertion hole before the terminal is inserted, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the insertion hole after the terminal is inserted, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of the insertion hole into which a terminal not having a gap reduction portion has been inserted. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] Front view of the terminal. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 7 . [Figure 9] Cross-sectional view of a microswitch cut at the terminal. [Figure 10] 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 9 . [Figure 11] 11(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a gap reduction portion in a modified example, and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 11(A). [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a microswitch according to a second embodiment, taken along a terminal portion. [Figure 13] 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. 12. [Figure 15] 14 of a terminal structure according to a modified example of the second embodiment, and FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to FIG. 14 of a terminal structure according to another modified example of the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a microswitch according to a third embodiment, taken along a terminal portion. [Figure 17] 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line GG in FIG. 16. [Figure 18] Cross section taken along line HH in Figure 16. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The terminal structure 1 according to this embodiment is used in a pressure-responsive switch 100 that detects, for example, a pressure change of a refrigerant in a compressor of a refrigeration cycle or a temperature change of a fluid such as a refrigerant. In the following description, the insertion direction of a terminal 70 into an insertion hole 65, which will be described later, is indicated by an arrow Z in the drawings and is referred to as the "upper-lower direction Z". One side of the upper-lower direction Z is referred to as the "lower side Z2", and the other side is referred to as the "upper side Z1". Horizontal directions intersecting the upper-lower direction Z are indicated by arrows X and Y and are referred to as the "front-rear direction X" and the "left-right direction Y", respectively. One side of the front-rear direction X is referred to as the "front side X1", the other side as the "rear side X2", one side of the left-right direction Y is referred to as the "left side Y1", and the other side as the "right side Y2". The definitions of these directions are merely for convenience of explanation, and do not necessarily match the directions in the actual use state of the microswitch 2, and do not limit the directions in the actual use state of the microswitch 2.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the pressure responsive switch 100 includes a case 110 having a generally rectangular shape. The case 110 includes a C-shaped main body frame 111 that opens to the lower side Z2, and a cover (not shown) that closes the opening of the main body frame 111, and accommodates various components such as a microswitch 2 (described later) inside. The main body frame 111 is formed by bending a metal plate material, and includes a front wall portion 112, a top wall portion 113, and a rear wall portion 114. A pair of elements 115 and a pair of joint tubes 116 that are respectively connected to the pair of elements 115 are connected to the rear wall portion 114 of the case 110. The element 115 includes a sensitive member such as a bellows or a diaphragm (not shown) inside. The sensitive member is deformed or displaced in the front-rear direction X in response to a pressure change of the pressure fluid introduced through the joint tube 116.

[0026] A pair of left and right transmission mechanisms 117 and a pair of left and right switch components 118 are housed inside the case 110. The transmission mechanism 117 includes a reinforcing plate 119 formed into a C-shape that opens to the upper side Z1 by bending a metal plate material, and a transmission member 120 is housed inside the reinforcing plate 119. An example of the transmission member 120 is an actuation plate 121, which receives a force that causes the above-mentioned sensitive member to deform or displace as an external force, rotates around a rotation shaft 122, and converts the external force into an operating force, and transmits the operating force to a lever 16 (a reaction member) described later. The switch component 118 is configured with a plurality of contacts 50 described later, and changes the conductive state of the contacts 50 upon receiving the above-mentioned operating force. A pair of switch components 118 are provided adjacent to each other in the left-right direction Y, and constitute a dual-type microswitch 2.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the microswitch 2 includes a box portion 10. The box portion 10 is formed, for example, of a resin material in a substantially cubic shape, and the inside thereof forms an accommodation space 11 for accommodating various components. A connection portion 13 that protrudes to the rear side X2 is formed on the rear wall 12 of the box portion 10. The connection portion 13 is formed in a plate shape extending in the vertical direction Z, and is fixed to a case (not shown) that constitutes the above-mentioned pressure switch. A rectangular box-shaped fixing member 14 is attached to the upper wall of the box portion 10. A rotation shaft 15 that extends in the left-right direction Y is fixed to the side wall of the fixing member 14, and a lever 16 is attached to the rotation shaft 15 so as to be rotatable around the axis. The lever 16 is formed in a plate shape and extends from the rotation shaft 15 to the front side X1, and is inclined so as to be located on the upper side Z1 as it moves from the rear end supported by the rotation shaft 15 toward the front end. The lever 16 rotates around the rotation shaft 15 when subjected to an external force.

[0028] An example of the external force is a force generated in response to a pressure change of the refrigerant in the above-mentioned refrigeration cycle system, and such a force is applied to the lever 16 by the above-mentioned sensitive member mounted on the pressure switch. The rotational motion of the lever 16 is transmitted to the micro-actuating shaft 20 shown in FIG. 3. The micro-actuating shaft 20 is a shaft member that moves forward and backward in the vertical direction Z following the rotational motion of the lever 16. The micro-actuating shaft 20 is inserted through the insertion hole 17 formed through the upper wall of the box part 10 with a radial gap. The upper end of the micro-actuating shaft 20 constitutes a pressing part 21 that is pressed by the lever 16. In this embodiment, the pressing part 21 is in sliding contact with the surface of the lower side Z2 of the lever 16 and is pressed against the lower side Z2, whereby the rotational motion of the lever 16 is converted into the forward and backward motion of the micro-actuating shaft 20 in the vertical direction Z. The lower end of the micro-actuating shaft 20 constitutes an engaging part 22 that engages with the switching means 40 described later.

[0029] The micro-actuating shaft 20 is held by a seal member 30 that closes the gap between the micro-actuating shaft 20 and the insertion hole 17, and is connected to the box portion 10. The seal member 30 is provided to hermetically seal the gap between the micro-actuating shaft 20 and the insertion hole 17, and to prevent fluid from entering the accommodation space 11 from between the micro-actuating shaft 20 and the insertion hole 17. The seal member 30 is formed into a cylindrical shape using, for example, a flexible resin material. An upper end opening edge 31 of the seal member 30 covers the micro-actuating shaft 20 in the circumferential direction around the axis, and a lower end opening edge 32 of the seal member 30 covers the opening edge of the insertion hole 17, thereby setting the airtightness in the accommodation space 11 to have, for example, at least several tens of kPa of airtightness from the accommodation space 11 side. With this configuration, even if the pressure responsive switch 100 is used in an atmosphere of a flammable fluid, it is possible to prevent the flammable fluid from entering the accommodation space 11, and prevent the risk of ignition due to sparks generated by the operation of the microswitch 2. The airtightness of the accommodation space 11 is not limited to the above, and can be set arbitrarily according to the expected usage environment. For example, in a case where the intrusion of foreign matter into the accommodation space 11 is prevented and the intrusion of a gaseous fluid is permitted, the airtightness of the accommodation space 11 may be set to a degree that prevents the intrusion of foreign matter. As shown in Fig. 3, a switching means 40 is installed in the accommodation space 11. The switching means 40 includes a movable piece 41 that engages with the engagement portion 22 of the micro-actuating shaft 20, a snap piece 42 that abuts against the front end side of the movable piece 41, and a conductive piece 43 having a movable contact 53 (described later) that is biased by the snap piece 42 to the upper side Z1 or the lower side Z2.

[0030] In addition, a contact 50 made of a conductive material is installed in the storage space 11. The contact 50 is a conductive member that is connected to a plurality of terminals 70, which will be described later. The contact 50 includes a first fixed contact 51 that is fixed in the storage space 11, a second fixed contact 52 that faces the first fixed contact 51 in the vertical direction Z and is fixed in the storage space 11, and a movable contact 53 that is disposed between the first fixed contact 51 and the second fixed contact 52. The first fixed contact 51 is fixed to the inner wall surface of the box part 10 while facing the upper side Z1. The second fixed contact 52 is fixed to the inner wall surface of the box part 10 while facing the lower side Z2. The movable contact 53 is fixed to the front end of the conductive piece 43, and is displaced to the upper side Z1 or the lower side Z2, which is the biasing direction of the snap piece 42, to come into contact with the first fixed contact 51 or the second fixed contact 52, and is electrically connected to the first fixed contact 51 or the second fixed contact 52. The movable contact 53 can switch the conductive destination by changing the direction in which it is biased by the snap piece 42.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 4, the terminal structure 1 is provided in the lower side Z2 portion of the box portion 10. The terminal structure 1 includes a terminal block 60 and a terminal 70. In the following description, the front-rear direction X indicates the width direction of the terminal 70, the left-right direction Y indicates the thickness direction of the terminal 70, and the up-down direction Z indicates the insertion direction of the terminal 70. The terminal block 60 is a portion for installing and fixing the terminal 70, and in this embodiment, a total of six terminal blocks 60 are formed, including three lower terminal blocks 60a arranged in the left-right direction Y and three upper terminal blocks 60b adjacent to the rear side X2 of the lower terminal blocks 60a and arranged in the left-right direction Y on the upper side Z1 relative to the lower terminal blocks 60a. The terminal block 60 includes an inner wall surface 61 of the box portion 10 as shown in FIG. 9, a terminal mounting surface portion 62 having a rectangular shape in a plan view extending along the bottom wall of the box portion 10 as shown in FIG. 4, a front wall rib 63 extending from the front side X1 of the terminal mounting surface portion 62 to the downward side Z2, a pair of side wall ribs 64 extending from the left side Y1 and right side Y2 of the terminal mounting surface portion 62 to the downward side Z2, and an insertion hole 65 that penetrates the terminal mounting surface portion 62 and communicates with the accommodating space 11.

[0032] The insertion hole 65 is a hole portion for inserting the terminal 70, and is formed, for example, penetrating a portion between an edge portion of the right side Y2 of the terminal installation surface portion 62 and an inner wall surface of the side wall rib 64 on the right side Y2 in the up-down direction Z, and the terminal 70 described later is inserted from the upper side Z1 to the lower side Z2. As shown in FIG. 5(A), the insertion hole 65 includes a terminal insertion hole 66 (first hole portion) having a rectangular shape in a bottom view, and a burring insertion hole 67 (second hole portion) having a rectangular shape in a bottom view, which is provided to continue to the terminal insertion hole 66 on the left side Y1 and communicates with the terminal insertion hole 66. As shown in FIG. 5(B), a main body portion 71 of the terminal 70 described later is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 66. As shown in FIG. 9, the inner surface of the terminal insertion hole 66 includes a first wall portion 66a constituting the upper side Z1 portion and a second wall portion 66b constituting the lower side Z2 portion. The dimension of the terminal insertion hole 66 in the front-to-rear direction X at the portion where the second wall portion 66b is formed is set to be smaller than the dimension of the terminal insertion hole 66 in the front-to-rear direction X at the portion where the first wall portion 66a is formed, thereby forming a stepped regulating portion 66c at the boundary between the first wall portion 66a and the second wall portion 66b.

[0033] The restricting portion 66c is a portion that supports an end face of a step portion 77 of the terminal 70, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the restricting portion 66c is provided so as to be able to abut against the end face of the step portion 77, and the abutment restricts the displacement of the terminal 70 toward the lower side Z2 (one side in the insertion direction). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5(B), the burring insertion hole 67 passes through the connection portion 80 and the burring portion 85 of the terminal 70, which will be described later, and accommodates the gap reduction portion 78, which will be described later. As shown in FIG. 5(A), the dimension s1 of the burring insertion hole 67 in the front-rear direction X is formed smaller than the dimension s2 of the terminal insertion hole 66 in the front-rear direction X, and thus the insertion hole 65 has a convex shape that protrudes to the left side Y1 in the bottom view. That is, the insertion hole 65 is formed in a convex cross section. The end portion of the lower side Z2 of the insertion hole 65 thus formed has a larger dimension in the left-right direction Y than the other portions of the insertion hole 65, as shown in FIG. 10, and this portion constitutes the seal receiving portion 68. The seal receiving portion 68 may be configured by making the dimensions of the end portion of the lower side Z2 of the insertion hole 65 larger in the left-right direction Y and the front-rear direction X than other portions of the insertion hole 65.

[0034] The insertion hole 65 thus formed is filled with the sealant 90 from the outside and accumulates therein. The accumulated sealant 90 closes the gap between the outer surface of the terminal 70 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65 at least in a portion on the lower side Z2 (one side in the insertion direction of the terminal 70, the outer side of the terminal block 60) relative to the gap reduction portion 78 described later, and hardens, thereby sealing the insertion hole 65. That is, in the gap between the outer surface of the terminal 70 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65, at least the portion on the lower side Z2 in the vertical direction Z relative to the gap reduction portion 78 is filled with the sealant 90 from the outside to seal the insertion hole 65. The sealant 90 can be made of, for example, a resin adhesive. By filling the sealant 90, it is possible to prevent solids such as foreign matter, liquids, or gases from entering the inside of the terminal block 60 through the gap between the outer surface of the terminal 70 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65. Therefore, together with the above-mentioned sealing member 30, the sealing material 90 also maintains the airtightness within the accommodating space 11, so that even if the pressure-responsive switch 100 is used in a flammable fluid atmosphere, flammable gases, etc. are prevented from entering the accommodating space 11, and the risk of ignition due to sparks generated by the operation of the microswitch 2 can be prevented.

[0035] The terminal 70 inserted into the insertion hole 65 is a member to which the first fixed contact 51, the second fixed contact 52, and the movable contact 53 are connected in a one-to-one relationship, and is formed in a plate shape having a predetermined thickness in the left-right direction Y using a conductive material. As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal 70 includes a main body 71 constituting an upper side Z1 portion, a connection part 80 continuing from the main body 71 and extending to the lower side Z2, and a burring part 85 protruding from the connection part 80 to the left side Y1. The main body 71 includes a wide part 75 extending in the front-rear direction X and the up-down direction Z, and a narrow part 76 extending from the lower edge of the wide part 75 to the lower side Z2. The dimension σ of the wide part 75 in the front-rear direction X shown in FIG. 7 is set to be substantially the same as the dimension s2 (see FIG. 5(A)) in the front-rear direction X of the terminal insertion hole 66 described above.

[0036] A fixing part 72 is connected to the upper edge of the wide part 75 and is fixed to the inner wall of the box part 10 in the storage space 11. The fixing part 72 includes a bent part 73 extending from the upper edge of the main part 71 to the right side Y2, and a protruding part 74 protruding from the bent part 73 to the front side X1. The narrow part 76 has a dimension in the front-rear direction X set smaller than the dimension σ of the wide part 75 in the front-rear direction X, so that a step part 77 recessed in the front-rear direction X is formed between the side edge of the wide part 75 in the front-rear direction X and the side edge of the narrow part 76 in the front-rear direction X. A gap reduction part 78 is provided on the plate surface of the main part 71. The gap reduction part 78 of this embodiment is provided integrally with the main part 71 and is formed to protrude from the plate surface of the main part 71 to the left side Y1. With this configuration, the gap reduction part 78 is provided at least on the protruding side of the burring part 85 described later.

[0037] The gap reduction portion 78 is formed in a V-shaped cross section with a first inclined surface 78b inclined toward the left side Y1 from an upper base end 78a located near the boundary between the wide portion 75 and the narrow portion 76 toward the lower side Z2, and a second inclined surface 78d inclined toward the left side Y1 from a lower base end 78c located in the narrow portion 76 toward the upper side Z1, and the protruding end is located on the inner side of the insertion hole 65 with respect to the outer surface of the terminal 70. That is, the gap reduction portion 78 is provided between the outer surface of the terminal 70 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65, and has an end portion located on the inner side of the insertion hole 65 with respect to the outer surface of the terminal 70. The gap reduction portion 78 divides the inside of the insertion hole 65 into a lower side Z2 that is the outer side of the terminal block 60 and an upper side Z1 that is the inner side of the terminal block 60. 7, the dimension α of the gap reduction portion 78 in the front-rear direction X is set to be substantially the same as the dimension s1 (see FIG. 5(A)) of the burring insertion hole 67 in the front-rear direction X described above. In addition, the maximum value γ of the dimension in the left-right direction Y of the terminal 70 at the portion where the gap reduction portion 78 is provided as shown in FIG. 8 is set to be equal to or larger than the maximum value s3 of the dimension in the left-right direction Y of the insertion hole 65 as shown in FIG. 5(A) in this embodiment. In addition, the dimension s4 of the gap reduction portion 78 in the up-down direction Z as shown in FIG. 10 is set to be smaller than the dimension (not shown) of the burring insertion hole 67 in the up-down direction Z, so that the gap reduction portion 78 is reliably positioned within the burring insertion hole 67.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 6, the connection portion 80 includes a coupling portion 81 that is continuous with the narrow portion 76 and extends downward Z2, and an attachment portion 83 that is continuous with the coupling portion 81 and extends downward Z2. The coupling portion 81 is formed in a plate shape whose dimension in the front-rear direction X is smaller than the dimension in the front-rear direction X of the narrow portion 76. A V-groove 82 that opens to the left side Y1 and extends in the front-rear direction X is formed on the surface of the left side Y1 of the coupling portion 81. The formation of the V-groove 82 allows the attachment portion 83 to be easily bent relative to the main body portion 71 starting from the V-groove 82. The attachment portion 83 is a portion to which an electric wire terminal or the like to be connected that is arranged outside is connected, and is formed in a plate shape extending in the front-rear direction X and the up-down direction Z. The dimension in the front-rear direction X of the attachment portion 83 is set to be approximately the same as the dimension in the front-rear direction X of the narrow portion 76. A circular recess 84 recessed toward the right side Y2 is formed in the center of the mounting portion 83, and a burring portion 85 is formed in the recess 84. The burring portion 85 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the left-right direction Y, and its end on the left side Y1 protrudes to the left side Y1 from an end face of the left side Y1 of the mounting portion 83. The center of the burring portion 85 penetrates in the left-right direction Y, and a female thread portion 86 is formed on its inner wall surface. A fastening member 87 (see FIG. 1) is to be screwed into the female thread portion 86, and the above-mentioned electric wire terminal etc. are connected to the mounting portion 83 via this fastening member.

[0039] Thus, the terminal 70 of this embodiment is configured as a screw terminal including the burring portion 85 and the female screw portion 86. As shown in Fig. 7, the outer diameter dimension β of the burring portion 85 is set to be substantially the same as the dimension α of the gap reduction portion 78 in the front-rear direction X, or smaller than the dimension α. ​​Also, the maximum dimension δ of the terminal 70 in the left-right direction Y at the portion where the burring portion 85 is provided, as shown in Fig. 8, is set to be equal to or smaller than the maximum dimension s3 of the insertion hole 65 in the left-right direction Y (see Fig. 5(A)).

[0040] Next, the assembly of the terminal structure 1 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 8, the terminal 70 is inserted into the insertion hole 65 from the upper side Z1 to the lower side Z2 with the burring portion 85 facing the lower side Z2. When the terminal 70 is inserted into the insertion hole 65, the main body portion 71 of the terminal 70 moves to the lower side Z2 through the terminal insertion hole 66. When the terminal 70 is inserted into the insertion hole 65, a gap is generated in the left-right direction Y between the main body portion 71 and the inner wall of the insertion hole 65 by the amount of protrusion of the gap reduction portion 78. That is, the terminal 70 is inserted from the outside with a gap in the left-right direction Y, and the main body portion 71 is located in the insertion hole 65. Meanwhile, the connection portion 80 of the terminal 70 passes through the terminal insertion hole 66 and protrudes to the lower side Z2. Then, the burring portion 85 of the terminal 70 passes through the burring insertion hole 67 and protrudes to the lower side Z2. In this case, as described above, the maximum value δ of the dimension in the left-right direction Y of the terminal 70 at the portion where the burring portion 85 is provided is set to be equal to or less than the maximum value s3 of the dimension in the left-right direction Y of the insertion hole 65. Therefore, the burring portion 85 is unlikely to get caught on the inner surface of the insertion hole 65. This makes it difficult for the body portion 71 to move within the insertion hole 65 or for the burring portion 85 to pass through the insertion hole 65, and the movement of the body portion 71 and the passage of the burring portion 85 can be reliably performed.

[0041] 9, the movement of the main body 71 to the lower side Z2 is completed when the end face of the lower side Z2 of the step portion 77 of the terminal 70 is supported by the restricting portion 66c of the insertion hole 65, and the displacement of the terminal 70 to the lower side Z2 is restricted by the support. As described above, in this embodiment, the maximum value γ of the dimension in the left-right direction Y of the terminal 70 at the portion where the gap reduction portion 78 is provided is set to be equal to or greater than the maximum value s3 of the dimension in the left-right direction Y of the insertion hole 65. Therefore, the tip of the gap reduction portion 78 is pressed into the inner surface of the insertion hole 65 (specifically, the inner surface of the burring insertion hole 67) and is tightly attached thereto, and the displacement of the terminal 70 relative to the terminal block 60 is restricted by this tight attachment. In this manner, the position of the terminal 70 relative to the terminal block 60 is determined by the abutment of the step portion 77 and the restricting portion 66c and the tight attachment of the gap reduction portion 78 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65.

[0042] Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the sealant 90 is filled into the insertion hole 65 from the outside through the seal receiving portion 68 formed at the end of the lower side Z2 of the insertion hole 65, and is hardened and fixed by heating or drying. The gap between the terminal 70 and the insertion hole 65 is sealed by filling the sealant 90. At this time, the gap between the outer surface of the terminal 70 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65 is small at the portion where the gap reduction portion 78 is provided, so that the sealant 90 filled into the insertion hole 65 from the outside is likely to remain in the gap at least at the lower side Z2 (one side in the insertion direction of the terminal 70, the outer side of the terminal block 60) with respect to the gap reduction portion 78. This makes it easy and reliable to seal the insertion hole 65 with the sealant 90. Also, filling the sealant 90 from the outside makes it easier to fill the sealant 90 than filling the sealant 90 from the inside of the accommodation space 11 in which the switching means 40 is installed.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5C, for example, when a terminal A without the gap reducing portion 78 is inserted into the insertion hole 65, the insertion hole 65, particularly the burring insertion hole 67, becomes hollow in the vertical direction Z, and a large amount of the sealant 90 must be filled into the entire space. In this case, there is a concern that problems such as air bubbles being generated in the sealant 90 or the sealant 90 not reaching every corner may easily occur. Therefore, it becomes difficult to seal the insertion hole 65. However, in this embodiment, as described above, the dimension σ of the wide portion 75 in the front-rear direction X is set to be substantially the same as the dimension s2 of the terminal insertion hole 66 in the front-rear direction X, so that there is almost no gap in the front-rear direction X between the main body 71 and the terminal insertion hole 66 (see FIGS. 5A and 5B).

[0044] As described above, the dimension α of the gap reduction portion 78 in the front-rear direction X is set to be substantially the same as the dimension s1 of the burring insertion hole 67 in the front-rear direction X, so there is almost no gap in the front-rear direction X between the gap reduction portion 78 and the burring insertion hole 67 (see FIGS. 5(A) and (B)). As described above, the maximum value γ of the dimension in the left-right direction Y of the terminal 70 in the portion where the gap reduction portion 78 is provided is set to be equal to or greater than the maximum value s3 of the dimension in the left-right direction Y of the insertion hole 65, so there is no gap between the protruding end of the gap reduction portion 78 and the inner wall of the insertion hole 65 (see FIGS. 5(A) and (B)).

[0045] Therefore, the burring insertion hole 67 of the insertion hole 65 is closed by the gap reduction portion 78 and is divided into an upper side Z1 and a lower side Z2, and when the insertion hole 65 is viewed from the lower side Z2, the main space communicating with the outside of the terminal block 60 is the portion of the gap between the terminal 70 and the insertion hole 65 on the lower side Z2 with respect to the gap reduction portion 78. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 10, the main space communicating with the outside of the terminal block 60 is a space P1 (first portion) surrounded by a surface facing the right side Y2 of the inner surface of the burring insertion hole 67 (second hole portion), the second inclined surface 78d of the gap reduction portion 78, and a surface facing the left side Y1 of the narrow width portion 76 of the main body portion 71 (a surface facing the side where the end of the gap reduction portion 78 is located in the main body portion 71), and the seal receiving portion 68 communicating with the space P1. In addition, the main space communicating with the outside of the terminal block 60 is space P2 (second portion) surrounded by the inner surface of the terminal insertion hole 66 facing the left side Y1 and the back surface of the portion of the terminal 70 where the gap reduction portion 78 is provided (the surface facing the right side Y2, the surface of the main body portion 71 facing the side opposite to the side where the end of the gap reduction portion 78 is located), as shown in Figure 10, and the seal receiving portion 68 communicating with that space P2.

[0046] In this embodiment, a space P1 surrounded by at least the inner surface of the burring insertion hole 67 (second hole portion), the gap reduction portion 78, and the surface of the main body portion 71 facing the side where the end of the gap reduction portion 78 is located is filled with a sealant 90. Then, as shown in Fig. 10, in addition to this space P1, the space P2 and the seal receiving portion 68 are filled with the sealant 90 so that the space P1, the space P2, and the seal receiving portion 68 form a receiving portion 91 that holds the sealant 90. In other words, the space P1 surrounded by at least the inner surface of the burring insertion hole 67 (second hole portion), the gap reduction portion 78, and the surface of the main body portion 71 facing the side where the end of the gap reduction portion 78 is located constitutes the receiving portion 91. With this configuration, when sealing the burring insertion hole 67 with the sealant 90, it is only necessary to fill the lower side Z2 (one side in the insertion direction of the terminal 70, the outer side of the terminal block 60) of the gap reduction portion 78 with the sealant 90, and there is no need to fill the portion where the gap reduction portion 78 is located and the upper side Z1 (the other side in the insertion direction of the terminal 70, the inner side of the terminal block 60) of the gap reduction portion 78 with the sealant 90, so that the sealant 90 is not required for the entire volume of the burring insertion hole 67. In this way, since the amount of sealant 90 to be filled can be reduced, sealing with the sealant 90 can be performed more easily, and problems such as the generation of air bubbles, which are a concern when the sealant 90 is filled in the entire burring insertion hole 67 described above, can be made less likely to occur.

[0047] In this embodiment, the space P1, the space P2, and the seal receiving portion 68 are the accommodation portion 91, but the space P2 and the seal receiving portion 68 may be omitted, and the accommodation portion 91 may be formed only by the space P1. However, by forming the seal receiving portion 68 as the accommodation portion 91, the outer surface of the terminal 70 can be covered with the sealant 90 over the entire surface, which suppresses the displacement of the terminal 70 and stably maintains the state in which the terminal 70 is inserted into the insertion hole 65. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the seal receiving portion 68. Even if the space P2 is provided, by forming the seal receiving portion 68 as the accommodation portion 91, the sealant 90 does not need to be filled in the space P2. In other words, the space P2 does not need to constitute the accommodation portion 91. Furthermore, in this embodiment, by filling the lower side Z2 (one side in the insertion direction of the terminal 70, the external side of the terminal block 60) of the gap reduction portion 78 with the sealant 90, it is possible to eliminate the need to fill the upper side Z1 (the other side in the insertion direction of the terminal 70, the internal side of the terminal block 60) of the gap reduction portion 78 with the sealant 90, but in addition to filling the lower side Z2 of the gap reduction portion 78, the upper side Z1 of the gap reduction portion 78 may also be filled with the sealant 90. Even in such a case, it is still possible to reduce the amount of sealant 90 required by the amount of the gap reduction portion 78.

[0048] The dimension of the accommodation portion 91 in the left-right direction Y increases according to the amount of protrusion of the gap reduction portion 78, but the accommodation portion 91 can be used to store the sealant 90 accordingly. This ensures a sufficient amount of the sealant 90 to be filled in the accommodation portion 91, and prevents the sealant 90 from leaking to the upper side Z1 relative to the gap reduction portion 78, thereby stably maintaining the sealed state of the insertion hole 65. After filling with the sealant 90 is completed, the connection portion 80 of the terminal 70 is bent starting from the V-groove 82, thereby completing the assembly of the terminal structure 1.

[0049] As described above, according to the embodiment described above, the gap between the outer surface of the terminal 70 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65 is reduced at the portion where the gap reduction portion 78 is provided, so that the sealant 90 filled into the insertion hole 65 from the outside is more likely to remain in the gap at least at the portion on the lower side Z2 (external side, one side in the insertion direction of the terminal 70) relative to the gap reduction portion 78. Therefore, even when the gap between the outer surface of the terminal 70 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65 is large, the insertion hole 65 can be easily and reliably sealed with the sealant 90. Therefore, it is possible to provide a terminal structure 1 that can easily and reliably seal the insertion hole 65 of the terminal 70.

[0050] According to the present embodiment, the gap reduction portion 78 is provided, so that the amount of the sealant 90 filled can be reduced by at least the volume of the gap reduction portion 78, and therefore the sealant 90 can be easily filled into the gap. This also reduces the possibility of problems that tend to occur as the amount of the sealant 90 filled increases, such as air bubbles being generated in the sealant 90 and the sealant 90 not reaching every corner, and ensures sealing of the insertion hole 65. Furthermore, the gap at the portion where the gap reduction portion 78 is provided is reduced, so that the terminal 70 is less likely to be displaced in the insertion hole 65 before the sealant 90 is filled. Therefore, the displacement of the terminal 70 relative to the insertion hole 65 can be restricted. Therefore, the variation in the mounting position of the terminal 70 can be reduced, and the positional accuracy of the terminal 70 relative to the insertion hole 65 can be improved. In this case, the position of the end of the gap reduction portion 78 on the inner surface side of the insertion hole 65 can be appropriately adjusted. For example, it is preferable to bring the end of the gap reducing portion 78 into contact with the inner surface of the insertion hole 65 and bring the gap closer to zero, thereby better suppressing the displacement of the terminal 70. On the other hand, some gap may be provided between the end of the terminal 70 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65, and even in this case, the gap is smaller compared to a configuration not including the gap reducing portion 78, so that the displacement of the terminal 70 is restricted.

[0051] Moreover, by passing the connection portion 80 through the insertion hole 65 and arranging the main body portion 71 in the insertion hole 65, the terminal 70 (screw terminal) can be fixed to the insertion hole 65, and the terminal 70 can be easily assembled. Furthermore, according to this configuration, the maximum value δ of the dimension in the left-right direction Y (thickness direction) of the terminal 70 at the portion where the burring portion 85 is provided is set to be equal to or less than the maximum value s3 of the dimension in the left-right direction Y of the insertion hole 65, so that the connection portion 80 is unlikely to be difficult to pass through the insertion hole 65, and the connection portion can be reliably passed through. Furthermore, according to this configuration, the gap between the terminal 70 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65 becomes large according to the amount of protrusion of the burring portion 85, but the amount of filling of the sealant 90 can be ensured by utilizing the gap.

[0052] In addition, the maximum value γ of the dimension of the terminal 70 in the left-right direction Y at the portion where the gap reduction portion 78 is provided is set to be equal to or larger than the maximum value s3 of the dimension of the insertion hole 65 in the left-right direction Y. Therefore, the end of the gap reduction portion 78 is pressed into the inner surface of the insertion hole 65 and is in close contact with the inner surface of the insertion hole 65, so that the sealing material 90 is prevented from flowing beyond the gap reduction portion 78 to the upper side Z1 (the other side in the insertion direction of the terminal 70, the inner side of the terminal block 60). This makes it even easier to keep the sealing material 90 in the portion on the lower side Z2 with respect to the gap reduction portion 78, and the sealing by the sealing material 90 in this portion can be reliably performed. In addition, by pressing the gap reduction portion 78 into the insertion hole 65, the displacement of the terminal 70 in the insertion hole 65 before the sealing material 90 is filled can be further suppressed, and the terminal 70 can be positioned relative to the insertion hole 65. Therefore, it is possible to provide a terminal structure 1 that reduces the variation in the mounting position of the terminal 70 and improves the positional accuracy of the terminal 70 relative to the insertion hole 65.

[0053] In addition, as in this embodiment, it is particularly desirable that the maximum value s3 of the dimension in the left-right direction Y (thickness direction) of the insertion hole 65 be set to be greater than or equal to the maximum value δ of the dimension in the left-right direction Y of the terminal 70 in the portion where the burring portion 85 is provided, and less than or equal to the maximum value γ of the dimension in the left-right direction Y of the terminal 70 in the portion where the gap reduction portion 78 is provided.

[0054] Furthermore, by supporting the step portion 77 of the terminal 70 by the restricting portion 66c within the insertion hole 65, it is possible to restrict the displacement of the terminal 70 to the lower side Z2 (one side in the insertion direction), thereby further reducing the variation in the mounting position of the terminal 70. Therefore, the displacement of the terminal 70 is restricted by the restricting portion 66c as well as the above-mentioned gap reducing portion 78, and the positional accuracy of the terminal 70 with respect to the insertion hole 65 can be improved.

[0055] Furthermore, by retaining the sealing material 90 in the accommodating portion 91 which is composed of a space P1 (portion) surrounded by at least the inner surface of the burring insertion hole 67 (second hole portion), the gap reduction portion 78, and the surface facing the left side Y1 of the narrow width portion 76 of the main body portion 71 (the surface facing the side of the main body portion 71 where the end of the gap reduction portion 78 is located), a sufficient amount of sealing material 90 is ensured in the accommodating portion 91, and leakage of the sealing material 90 to the upper side Z1 relative to the gap reduction portion 78 is suppressed, thereby enabling the insertion hole 65 to be stably maintained in a sealed state.

[0056] Furthermore, by inserting the terminal 70 into the insertion hole 65 having a convex cross section, and filling the sealing material 90 from at least the gap reduction portion 78 provided on the protruding side of the burring portion 85 to the lower side Z2 of the insertion hole 65, sealing with the sealing material 90 can be easily and reliably performed. Furthermore, according to this configuration, after the burring portion 85 passes through the burring insertion hole 67 (second hole portion) of the convex insertion hole 65, a part of the burring insertion hole 67 can be blocked by the gap reduction portion 78. In this case, when sealing the burring insertion hole 67 with the sealing material 90, it is sufficient to fill the lower side Z2 (one side in the insertion direction of the terminal 70, the outer side of the terminal block 60) of the gap reduction portion 78 with the sealing material 90, and it is not necessary to fill the portion where the gap reduction portion 78 is located and the upper side Z1 (the other side in the insertion direction of the terminal 70, the inner side of the terminal block 60) of the gap reduction portion 78 with the sealing material 90, so that the sealing material 90 for the entire volume of the burring insertion hole 67 is not required. Since the amount of the sealant 90 to be filled can be reduced in this manner, sealing with the sealant 90 can be performed even more easily.

[0057] If the gap reduction portion 78 is not provided, it is possible to seal the burring insertion hole 67 with sealing material 90 equivalent to the entire volume of the burring insertion hole 67, but in that case, there is a concern that problems such as air bubbles being generated in the sealing material 90 or the sealing material not reaching every corner may easily occur. However, with the present configuration, the filling amount of the sealing material 90 can be reduced, making it possible to make the above-mentioned problem of air bubbles being generated less likely to occur.

[0058] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the pressure responsive switch 100 can be constructed using the terminal structure 1 that can easily and reliably seal the insertion hole 65 of the terminal 70.

[0059] Next, a modified example of the present invention will be described. FIG. 11(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a gap reduction member 200 in the modified example, and FIG. 11(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 11(A). As shown in FIG. 11(A), in the terminal structure 1 of the modified example, the end of the lower side Z2 on the inner surface of the burring insertion hole 67 (insertion hole 65) expands in the front-rear direction X to form a stepped positioning portion 69. Then, the gap reduction member 200 is inserted into the burring insertion hole 67 from the opening of the lower side Z2 toward the upper side Z1. As shown in FIG. 11(B), the gap reduction member 200 is provided between the outer surface of the terminal 70 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65, and has an end located on the inner surface side of the insertion hole 65 with respect to the outer surface of the terminal 70. That is, the gap reduction member 200 corresponds to the gap reduction portion 78 of the above-mentioned embodiment. However, the gap reduction member 200 is different from the gap reduction portion 78 in that it is provided separately from the terminal 70. The gap reducing member 200 includes a narrow body 201 extending in the front-rear direction X, and a wide body 202 continuing to a lower side Z2 of the narrow body 201. The narrow body 201 and the wide body 202 are formed in a generally rectangular shape in a front view. The dimension of the wide body 202 in the front-rear direction X is set larger than the dimension of the narrow body 201 in the front-rear direction X.

[0060] A step portion 203 is formed between the side edge of the narrow body 201 and the side edge of the wide body 202. The step portion 203 is a portion whose end face facing the upper side Z1 is supported by the positioning portion 69 in the insertion hole 65 described above. In this embodiment, the end face of the step portion 203 facing the upper side Z1 is capable of contacting the positioning portion 69, and this contact restricts the displacement of the gap reducing member 200 toward the upper side Z1 (the other side in the insertion direction). Then, with the displacement of the gap reducing member 200 restricted, the sealant 90 is mainly filled in the seal receiving portion 68.

[0061] According to this configuration, when the gap reducing member 200 is provided separately from the main body 71 of the terminal 70, the stepped portion 203 and the positioning portion 69 can suppress the displacement of the gap reducing member 200. According to this configuration, the structure of the main body 71 and the gap reducing portion 78 (or the gap reducing member 200) can be varied in many ways. Specifically, for example, by integrating the main body 71 and the gap reducing portion 78 as in the first embodiment, the number of parts of the terminal 70 can be reduced. On the other hand, by making the gap reducing member 200 (gap reducing portion 78) separate from the main body 71 as in the modified example, the shape of the main body 71 can be simplified, and the terminal 70 can be easily manufactured. In addition, when the gap reducing member 200 is made separate, the shape and size of the gap reducing member 200 can be easily changed. Therefore, the size of the gap when the terminal 70 is inserted into the insertion hole 65 can be adjusted, and the amount of filling of the sealing material 90 can be adjusted. Furthermore, by changing the shape and size of the gap reduction member 200, the terminals 70 can be inserted into insertion holes 65 of various shapes and sizes and fixed therein.

[0062] Next, a microswitch 2 including a terminal structure 1 according to a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the microswitch 2 according to the second embodiment cut at the terminal 70. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF in FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 12, in the second embodiment, the dimension of the second wall portion 66b in the vertical direction Z in the terminal insertion hole 66 (insertion hole 65) is smaller than the dimension of the second wall portion 66b in the vertical direction Z in the above embodiment (see FIG. 9). Therefore, when the insertion of the terminal 70 into the terminal insertion hole 66 is completed and the step portion 77 of the terminal 70 abuts against the restricting portion 66c to restrict the displacement of the terminal 70 to the lower side Z2, the gap reducing portion 78 is located on the lower side Z2 than the gap reducing portion 78 in the above embodiment.

[0063] Specifically, in the second embodiment, the gap reducing portion 78 is formed such that its lower base end 78c is located at substantially the same position as the lower end of the second wall portion 66b in the vertical direction Z. In the second embodiment in which the gap reducing portion 78 is thus formed, when the sealing material 90 is filled into the insertion hole 65, as shown in FIG. 13, the sealing material 90 accumulates in the space P1 (first portion), the space P2 (second portion), and the inside of the seal receiving portion 68, blocks the gap between the outer surface of the terminal 70 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65, hardens, and thereby seals the insertion hole 65. That is, in the second embodiment, the space P1, the space P2, and the seal receiving portion 68 constitute the accommodation portion 91. In this way, the lower base end 78c of the gap reducing portion 78 is located at substantially the same position as the lower end of the second wall portion 66b in the vertical direction Z, and therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, the lower base end 78c is located on the lower side Z2 of the lower end of the terminal insertion hole 66 (first hole portion) that constitutes a part of the insertion hole 65.

[0064] As a result, a gap is formed between the lower base end 78c and the lower end of the terminal insertion hole 66, which communicates the space P2 with the outside. In the second embodiment, this gap is the first communication passage 300a (communication passage 300). That is, the terminal structure 1 of the second embodiment is provided with the first communication passage 300a (communication passage 300) which communicates the space P2 (second portion) with the outside. In this configuration, by providing the first communication passage 300a, the sealant 90 can be easily and reliably filled into the storage portion 91 through the first communication passage 300a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, the sealant 90 can be reliably stored in the space P1 and the space P2.

[0065] In addition, in this configuration, the sealing material 90 filled in the space P1, the sealing material 90 filled in the space P2, and the sealing material 90 filled in the seal receiving portion 68 are integrated through the sealing material 90 in the first communication passage 300a. This allows the terminal 70 to be fixed more firmly. This allows the terminal 70 to be prevented from being displaced even if torque or the like is applied to the terminal 70 as shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 13. This prevents the sealing material 90 from peeling off due to the displacement of the terminal 70, and prevents the solid matter such as the foreign matter and the liquid or gas fluid from entering the insertion hole 65 from the portion where the sealing material 90 is peeled off. In addition, it is possible to prevent the fluid in the insertion hole 65 from leaking from the portion where the sealing material 90 is peeled off. In this configuration, the first communication passage 300a can be easily formed by adjusting the position of the terminal 70, so there is no need to perform special processing on the outer surface of the terminal 70 or the inner surface of the terminal insertion hole 66. Therefore, the communication passage 300 can be easily formed, and the manufacturing cost of the terminal structure 1 can be reduced.

[0066] In the second embodiment, the gap between the lower base end 78c and the lower end of the terminal insertion hole 66 is the first communication passage 300a (communication passage 300), but the configuration of the first communication passage 300a is not limited to this. FIG. 15(A) is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the terminal structure 1 according to the modified example of the second embodiment, which corresponds to FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 15(A), in the modified example of the second embodiment, a groove-shaped terminal side groove portion 79 that opens to the right side Y2 is formed on the surface of the narrow width portion 76 of the terminal 70 facing the right side Y2. The terminal side groove portion 79 extends to the lower end of the narrow width portion 76 and opens to the lower side Z2. As a result, the inside of the terminal side groove portion 79 constitutes the first communication passage 301a (communication passage 300). According to this configuration, a gap between the lower base end 78c and the lower end of the terminal insertion hole 66 is not necessary, so the position of the gap reduction portion 78 can be made higher Z1 than the position of the gap reduction portion 78 in the second embodiment described above. Therefore, the depth dimension of the space P1 can be made larger than that of the second embodiment, and the volume of the space P1 can be increased.

[0067] It should be noted that the groove-like structure such as the terminal groove portion 79 does not necessarily have to be formed in the terminal 70. FIG. 15(B) is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the terminal structure 1 according to another modification of the second embodiment, corresponding to FIG. 14. In another modification of the second embodiment, a groove-like switch groove portion 10a recessed to the right side Y2 is formed on the inner wall surface facing the left side Y1 of the terminal insertion hole 66. The switch groove portion 10a corresponds to the terminal groove portion 79. The inside of the switch groove portion 10a constitutes the first communication passage 302a (communication passage 300). According to this configuration, it is possible to achieve the same effect as the modification of the second embodiment described above. Also, according to this configuration, it is not necessary to perform special processing to form the terminal groove portion 79 in the terminal 70, and it is possible to avoid an increase in the manufacturing cost of the terminal 70.

[0068] Next, a microswitch 2 including a terminal structure 1 according to a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the microswitch 2 according to the third embodiment cut at the terminal 70. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line GG in FIG. 16. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line HH in FIG. 16. In the third embodiment, a second communication passage 300b (communication passage 300, through hole) penetrating in the plate thickness direction is formed in the second inclined surface 78d of the gap reduction portion 78 in the terminal 70. As shown in FIG. 17, an opening on one side of the second communication passage 300b opens into the space P2, and an opening on the other side of the second communication passage 300b communicates with the outside (space P1 in FIG. 17) before the sealing material 90 is filled. As shown in FIG. 17, the opening of the second communication passage 300b that opens to the outside communicates with the outside at a position different from that of the first communication passage 300a.

[0069] That is, in the third embodiment, at least two communication passages 300 (first communication passage 300a, second communication passage 30b) are provided, and each has an opening communicating with the outside at a different position. In this configuration, when filling the sealant 90, one of the first communication passage 300a and the second communication passage 300b can be used as a filling hole through which the sealant 90 passes, and the other of the first communication passage 300a and the second communication passage 300b can be used as a vent hole for releasing the fluid in the space P2 to the outside. In this configuration, the sealant 90 is filled from the opening of the communication passage 300 not used as a vent hole (for example, the first communication passage 300a), while the fluid in the space P2 (the storage section 91) is discharged from the opening of the communication passage 300 used as a vent hole (for example, the second communication passage 300b (through hole)), thereby suppressing an increase in internal pressure in the storage section 91. Therefore, filling of the sealant 90 can be performed easily and reliably.

[0070] In addition, in this configuration, the sealing material 90 filled in the space P1, the sealing material 90 filled in the space P2, and the sealing material 90 filled in the seal receiving portion 68 are integrated through the sealing material 90 in the first communication passage 300a and the second communication passage 300b as shown in FIG. 18. This allows the terminal 70 to be fixed even more firmly. This further suppresses the displacement of the terminal when torque is applied, suppresses peeling of the sealing material 90, and suppresses the above-mentioned liquid or gas fluid from entering the insertion hole 65 and leaking from the insertion hole 65. In addition, in this configuration, the first communication passage 300a can be easily formed by adjusting the position of the terminal 70, and the second communication passage 300b can be easily formed by forming a through hole in the terminal 70. Therefore, in order to form each communication passage 300, it is not necessary to perform complex processing on the outer surface of the terminal 70 or the inner surface of the terminal insertion hole 66. Therefore, the communication passage 300 can be easily formed, and the manufacturing cost of the terminal structure 1 can be reduced. In the third embodiment, the first communication passage 300a and the second communication passage 300b form two communication passages 300, but this is not limited thereto, and one of the first communication passage 300a and the second communication passage 300b may be omitted. Also, in addition to the first communication passage 300a and the second communication passage 300b, another communication passage 300 may be provided, so that three or more communication passages 300 are formed.

[0071] The above-described embodiment merely shows a representative embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In other words, the present invention can be embodied in various modifications without departing from the gist of the present invention. As long as the configuration of the terminal structure 1 of the present invention is provided by such modifications, the modifications are of course included in the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the gap reduction portion 78 is formed with the first inclined surface 78b and the second inclined surface 78d to have a V-shaped cross section and is formed to protrude to the left side Y1, but the shape and protruding direction of the gap reduction portion 78 are not limited thereto. The gap reduction portion 78 may be formed in various shapes, such as a U-shaped cross section, other than the V-shaped cross section.

[0072] In addition, the gap reduction portion 78 or the gap reduction member 200 is provided on the left side Y1 (the protruding side of the burring portion 85) of the main body portion 71, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the gap reduction portion 78 or the gap reduction member 200 may be provided on both the left side Y1 and the right side Y2 of the main body portion 71. According to such a configuration, the direction in which the gap reduction portion 78 or the gap reduction member 200 is located can be set to both sides in the left-right direction Y of the main body portion 71, which can increase the number of contact points between the gap reduction portion 78 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 65, for example. Therefore, the displacement of the terminal 70 relative to the insertion hole 65 can be further suppressed. In addition, the insertion hole 65 is formed to have a convex cross section by the terminal insertion hole 66 and the burring insertion hole 67, but the shape of the insertion hole 65 is not limited to a convex shape. The insertion hole 65 may be provided to have a rectangular cross section or other shape depending on or regardless of the shape of the terminal 70.

[0073] Furthermore, the maximum value γ of the dimension of the terminal 70 in the left-right direction Y at the portion where the gap reduction portion 78 is provided is set to be equal to or larger than the maximum value s3 of the dimension of the insertion hole 65 in the left-right direction Y. Therefore, the tip end of the gap reduction portion 78 is press-fitted into and adheres to the inner surface of the insertion hole 65 (specifically, the inner surface of the burring insertion hole 67). However, the gap reduction portion 78 does not necessarily need to adhere to the inner surface of the insertion hole 65. In other words, it is sufficient that the end of the gap reduction portion 78 is located on the inner surface side of the insertion hole 65 with respect to the outer surface of the terminal 70. Even with this configuration, it is possible to restrict the displacement of the terminal 70 with respect to the insertion hole 65 and to easily seal the terminal 70 with a sealant.

[0074] Although the pressure responsive switch 100 of this embodiment has been described mainly as a pressure switch, the pressure responsive switch 100 can also be used as a temperature switch. That is, in this embodiment, the pressure responsive switch 100 is used as a pressure switch that detects pressure changes by introducing a fluid to be detected (here, a refrigerant circulating in a refrigeration cycle) through the joint tube 116 and applying the pressure of the fluid to be detected directly to a sensitive member such as a bellows or a diaphragm, but the use of the pressure responsive switch 100 is not limited to this. That is, a temperature switch can be configured by connecting a temperature sensing tube to the element 115 in the pressure responsive switch 100 of this embodiment through a capillary and filling the closed space formed by the sensitive member, the capillary, and the temperature sensing tube with a refrigerant. In this way, in a temperature switch using the pressure responsive switch 100 of this embodiment, the sensitive member deforms or displaces in the vertical direction Z in response to the pressure inside the closed space that changes due to the temperature change detected by the temperature sensing tube, and the force at this time is transmitted to the lever 16 (responsive member) to change the conductive state of the contacts.

[0075] The configurations of the first communication passage 300a and the second communication passage 300b described in any of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications are merely examples, and the communication passage 300 may be formed with a different configuration from the first communication passage 300a and the second communication passage 300b. For example, in the terminal structure 1 shown in FIG. 13, the lower base end 78c of the gap reduction portion 78 may be positioned on the upper side L1 than the lower end of the terminal insertion hole 66, and a hole portion (not shown) communicating with the space P2 may be formed on the surface facing the lower side L2 of the seal receiving portion 68, so that the first communication passage 300a is formed by this hole portion without forming a gap (reference numeral 300a in FIG. 1). Also, the second communication passage 300b does not necessarily have to be formed on the second inclined surface 78d of the gap reduction portion 78, and may be formed in another portion of the terminal 70, such as the connecting portion 81 of the terminal 70, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1 Terminal structure 70 Terminals 65 Insertion hole 78 Gap reduction section 90 Encapsulating materials

Claims

1. A terminal structure including a terminal having a predetermined thickness and an insertion hole into which the terminal is inserted from the outside with a gap in the thickness direction, a gap reduction portion having an end portion located on the inner side of the insertion hole relative to the outer surface, the gap reduction portion being provided between an outer surface of the terminal and an inner surface of the insertion hole; A terminal structure characterized in that in the gap, at least the portion on one side of the insertion direction of the terminal, of the gap narrowing portion, is filled with a sealing material that seals the insertion hole.

2. The insertion hole is provided to penetrate in the insertion direction of the terminal, the terminal is a screw terminal including a main body portion located within the insertion hole, a connection portion continuous with the main body portion and passing through the insertion hole to extend to the outside, and a burring portion protruding from the connection portion in the thickness direction, The terminal structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the maximum value of the thickness direction dimension of the terminal at the portion where the burring portion is provided is set to be equal to or less than the maximum value of the thickness direction dimension of the insertion hole.

3. The terminal structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the maximum value of the thickness direction dimension of the terminal in the portion where the gap reduction portion is provided is set to be greater than or equal to the maximum value of the thickness direction dimension of the insertion hole.

4. The terminal structure according to claim 2, characterized in that the maximum value of the thickness direction dimension of the terminal in the portion where the gap reduction portion is provided is set to be greater than or equal to the maximum value of the thickness direction dimension of the insertion hole.

5. the main body portion includes a wide portion extending in a width direction intersecting the insertion direction and the thickness direction, a narrow portion extending in the insertion direction continuous with the wide portion and having a dimension in the width direction smaller than a dimension in the width direction of the wide portion, and a step portion provided between a side edge of the wide portion and a side edge of the narrow portion, 3. The terminal structure according to claim 2, wherein a restricting portion is provided on an inner surface of the insertion hole for supporting an end face of the step portion and restricting displacement of the main body portion to one side in the insertion direction.

6. The insertion hole includes a first hole portion into which the main body portion is inserted, and a second hole portion that is continuous with the first hole portion in the thickness direction and through which the burring portion passes, The terminal structure described in claim 2, characterized in that a first portion surrounded by at least the inner surface of the second hole portion, the gap reduction portion, and a surface of the main body portion facing the side where the end of the gap reduction portion is located forms an accommodating portion for retaining the sealing material.

7. the accommodation portion includes a second portion surrounded by an inner surface of the first hole portion and a surface of the main body portion facing the opposite side to the side on which the end of the gap reduction portion is located, 7. The terminal structure according to claim 6, further comprising a communication passage that connects the second portion with the outside.

8. 8. The terminal structure according to claim 7, wherein at least two communication paths are provided, each of which has an opening communicating with the outside at a different position.

9. 9. The terminal structure according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the communication paths is a through hole penetrating the terminal.

10. The second hole portion has a width direction intersecting the insertion direction and the thickness direction, the width direction being smaller than the width direction of the first hole portion, so that the insertion hole is formed to have a convex cross section, 7. The terminal structure according to claim 6, wherein the gap reduction portion is provided at least on a protruding side of the burring portion in the gap.

11. 3. The terminal structure according to claim 2, wherein the gap reducing portion is provided integrally with or separately from the main body portion at least on a protruding side of the burring portion in the gap.

12. The gap reduction portion is provided separately from the main body portion, The gap reduction portion includes a wide body extending in a width direction intersecting the insertion direction and the thickness direction, a narrow body having a smaller dimension in the width direction than the dimension in the width direction of the wide body, and a step portion provided between a side edge of the wide body and a side edge of the narrow body, The terminal structure according to claim 2, characterized in that a positioning portion is provided on the inner surface of the insertion hole to support an end face of the stepped portion and to restrict displacement of the gap narrowing portion toward the other side in the insertion direction.

13. A pressure responsive switch comprising the terminal structure according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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