Terminal board

The terminal block design with resin and partition walls effectively contains metal powder and prevents short circuits by using insulating resin and conductive metal components, enhancing reliability.

JP2025140415APending Publication Date: 2025-09-29SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024039813
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-03-14
Publication Date
2025-09-29

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing terminal blocks generate metal powder when fastening bolts and lack insulation between adjacent wire-side terminals, leading to potential short circuits.

Method used

A terminal block design featuring a resin portion holding terminals, nut holding portions with accommodating pockets and partition walls to contain metal powder and prevent terminal contact, using insulating synthetic resin and conductive metal components.

Benefits of technology

Prevents metal powder release and terminal short circuits by containing metal powder and separating terminals, ensuring reliable electrical connections.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To provide a terminal board capable of suppressing release of a metal powder to an outside part and short-circuiting of terminals during bolting.SOLUTION: A terminal board 10 includes: a plurality of terminals 20 arranged in a first direction; a resin part 30 that holds the plurality of terminals 20; a plurality of nuts 40; and a nut holding part 50 that holds the plurality of nuts 40 and is assembled to the resin part 30. Each terminal 20 has a terminal connecting part 22 and an insertion hole 23 that penetrates the terminal connecting part 22 in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and each nut 40 has a bolt hole 41 that is arranged side by side in the second direction with the insertion hole 23. The nut holding part 50 includes: a plurality of housing parts 51 that open to one side in the second direction and respectively house the plurality of nuts 40; a plurality of pocket parts 52 that are continuous with the other side in the second direction of each of the plurality of housing parts 51 and have a bottom; and a partition wall 54 that separates the two terminals 20 adjacent in the first direction and protrudes to one side in the second direction from the terminal connection part 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a terminal block. [Background technology]

[0002] A terminal block described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-45510 (Patent Document 1) has been known in the past. This terminal block includes three conductive plates, three nuts, and a connector housing that holds the three conductive plates. The three conductive plates are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The conductive plates include wire-side fastening portions that are connected to wire-side terminals by bolt fastening. The wire-side fastening portions have bolt insertion holes through which fastening bolts can be inserted. The connector housing includes three wire-side nut accommodating portions that are arranged side by side in the left-right direction and open to the front and upward. Nuts are accommodated in the wire-side nut accommodating portions so that their axes are aligned vertically. The nuts are press-fit into the wire-side nut accommodating portions from the front. A series of relief recesses are provided below the wire-side nut accommodating portions to allow the tip of the fastening bolt that passes through the nut to escape when the fastening bolt is fastened to the nut. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-45510 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above configuration, the wire-side nut accommodating portion and the relief recess are open forward, which may generate metal powder when the fastening bolt is fastened to the nut and be released around the terminal block. Furthermore, in the above configuration, no insulating member is provided to separate two adjacent wire-side terminals in the left-right direction when connecting the wire-side terminals and the conductive plate. Therefore, the wire-side terminals may come into contact with each other, which may result in a short circuit between the conductive plates.

[0005] The present disclosure was completed based on the above circumstances, and aims to provide a terminal block that can suppress the release of metal powder to the outside and the short circuit of terminals when a bolt is tightened. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The terminal block of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of terminals arranged in a first direction, a resin portion that holds the plurality of terminals, a plurality of nuts, and a nut holding portion that holds the plurality of nuts and is assembled to the resin portion, wherein each of the terminals has a terminal connection portion and an insertion hole that penetrates the terminal connection portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and each of the nuts has a bolt hole that is arranged alongside the insertion hole in the second direction, and the nut holding portion comprises a plurality of accommodating portions that open to one side in the second direction and that respectively accommodate the plurality of nuts, a plurality of pocket portions that are connected to the other side in the second direction of each of the plurality of accommodating portions and have bottoms, and a partition wall that separates two adjacent terminals in the first direction and protrudes further towards one side in the second direction than the terminal connection portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a terminal block that can suppress the release of metal powder to the outside and the short circuit of terminals when a bolt is fastened. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a terminal block according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the terminal block. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the terminal block. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the terminal and the mating terminal are connected together in the cross section taken along the line BB in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the nut holding portion holding the nut. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the nut holding portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. [1] The terminal block of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of terminals arranged in a first direction, a resin portion that holds the plurality of terminals, a plurality of nuts, and a nut holding portion that holds the plurality of nuts and is assembled to the resin portion, wherein each of the terminals has a terminal connection portion and an insertion hole that penetrates the terminal connection portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and each of the nuts has a bolt hole that is arranged alongside the insertion hole in the second direction, and the nut holding portion comprises a plurality of accommodating portions that open to one side in the second direction and that respectively accommodate the plurality of nuts, a plurality of pocket portions that are connected to the other side in the second direction of each of the plurality of accommodating portions and have bottoms, and a partition wall that separates two adjacent terminals in the first direction and protrudes further towards one side in the second direction than the terminal connection portion.

[0010] With this configuration, the nut holding portion has a bottomed pocket portion connected to the housing portion, which prevents metal powder generated when the bolt is fastened to the nut from being released to the outside of the terminal block. Furthermore, the nut holding portion has a partition wall separating the terminals, which protrudes beyond the terminal connection portion to one side in the second direction. This prevents the mating terminals from coming into contact with each other in the first direction when the mating terminals are fastened to the terminals with the bolt. This prevents the terminals from shorting out.

[0011] [2] In the above [1], it is preferable that each of the accommodating portions includes a peripheral wall that surrounds each of the nuts in a direction perpendicular to the second direction, and a plurality of ribs that protrude from the inner surface of the peripheral wall.

[0012] This configuration makes it easier to manually insert the nut into the receiving portion, and also makes it easier to prevent the nut from coming off the receiving portion.

[0013] [3] In the above [1] or [2], it is preferable that each of the accommodating sections has a peripheral wall surrounding each of the nuts in a direction perpendicular to the second direction and a bottom contacting each of the nuts from the other side in the second direction, and that the dimension in the second direction from the bottom to the end of the peripheral wall on one side in the second direction is larger than the dimension of the nut in the second direction.

[0014] With this configuration, when the nut holding portion is attached to the resin portion, contact between the nut and the terminal can be suppressed.

[0015] [4] In any one of the above [1] to [3], it is preferable that the resin part has a locking part, and the nut holding part has a lock receiving part that engages with the locking part.

[0016] With this configuration, it is easy to position the nut holding portion relative to the resin portion.

[0017] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. In the drawings, for the sake of convenience, some components may be exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of the components may differ between drawings. In this specification, "orthogonal" and "parallel" do not only refer to cases where the components are strictly orthogonal or parallel, but also include cases where the components are roughly orthogonal or parallel within the scope of the functions and effects of the present embodiment.

[0018] In addition, "facing" in this specification refers to surfaces or components facing each other, and includes not only cases where they are completely facing each other, but also cases where they are partially facing each other. In addition, "facing" in this specification includes both cases where a component separate from the two components is interposed between the two components, and cases where nothing is interposed between the two components.

[0019] <Embodiment> An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. In the following description, the direction indicated by arrow Z is defined as upward, the direction indicated by arrow X as leftward, and the direction indicated by arrow Y as forward. The left-right direction is an example of a first direction. The up-down direction is an example of a second direction. Note that, for multiple identical components, only some of the components may be designated by reference numerals, and the reference numerals for the other components may be omitted.

[0020] (terminal block 10) The terminal block 10 of this embodiment is attached to the case of a device (not shown) and serves as a relay connection between internal wiring arranged inside the device and external wiring such as a wire harness. As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal block 10 includes three terminals 20, a resin portion 30 that holds the three terminals 20, three nuts 40, and a nut holding portion 50 that holds the three nuts 40. The three terminals 20 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the nut holding portion 50 can be assembled to the resin portion 30.

[0021] (Terminal 20) The terminal 20 is formed by processing a conductive metal material. As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal 20 has a long, thin plate shape. The terminal 20 includes a terminal body 21 and a terminal connection portion 22 extending from the terminal body 21 and disposed at one end of the terminal 20. At least a portion of the terminal body 21 is fixed to the resin portion 30. The terminal body 21 may have a bent shape. For example, the terminal 20 of this embodiment is formed by bending a metal plate material into a substantially L-shape. In this embodiment, the terminal body 21 includes a first portion 21A extending in the vertical direction and a second portion 21B extending forward from an upper end of the first portion 21A.

[0022] The terminal connection portion 22 is a thin plate extending in the vertical direction. The terminal connection portion 22 extends forward from the second portion 21B. The terminal 20 has an insertion hole 23 that penetrates the terminal connection portion 22 in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 6 , the terminal connection portion 22 is connected to a mating terminal 70 provided at the end of the external wiring by fastening with a bolt. The mating terminal 70 has a mating connection portion 71 that contacts the terminal connection portion 22 from above and an insertion hole 72 that penetrates the mating connection portion 71 in the vertical direction. The insertion holes 23, 72 are arranged in a row in the vertical direction, and a shank 61 of a bolt 60 is inserted through the insertion holes 23, 72. A nut 40 is arranged below the terminal connection portion 22. The terminal 20 and the mating terminal 70 are electrically connected by fastening the bolt 60 to the nut 40.

[0023] The terminal 20 includes an internal connection portion (not shown) that extends from the terminal body 21 and is disposed at the other end of the terminal 20. This internal connection portion is adapted to be electrically connected to the internal wiring of the device.

[0024] (Resin part 30) The resin part 30 is made of insulating synthetic resin. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the resin part 30 is integrally formed with the three terminals 20. For example, the resin part 30 is formed by insert molding in which the three terminals 20 are placed in a molding die as cores. The resin part 30 includes a base part 31 and three terminal holding parts 32. The base part 31 is a thin plate extending in the vertical direction. The base part 31 may include a fixing part (not shown) for fixing the terminal block 10 to the case of the device, for example.

[0025] The three terminal holding portions 32 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal holding portions 32 extend upward and forward from the base portion 31. The terminal holding portion 32 includes a main body portion 33 and a pair of side wall portions 34 extending from both left and right ends of the main body portion 33. As shown in FIG. 4, the main body portion 33 covers most of the terminal body 21 while exposing the upper surface of the terminal connection portion 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of side wall portions 34 are located below the upper end of the terminal connection portion 22. The side wall portions 34 may be connected to part of the side surface of the terminal connection portion 22. The side wall portions 34 may be connected to the base portion 31.

[0026] The terminal holding portion 32 has a first space 35 disposed below the terminal connection portion 22. The first space 35 is open forward. The first space 35 is defined in the left-right direction by a pair of sidewalls 34. As shown in FIG. 4, the main body 33 has an abutment surface 36 that defines the first space 35 from the rear. The main body 33 may have a hollowed-out portion 33A. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first space 35 is configured to receive the accommodating portion 51 and the pocket portion 52 of the nut holding portion 50. As shown in FIG. 2, a second space 37 is defined between two terminal holding portions 32 adjacent in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the partition wall 54 of the nut holding portion 50 is configured to extend into the front region of the second space 37.

[0027] (Lock parts 38A, 38B) As shown in FIG. 2, the resin part 30 has three terminal holding portions 32, each of which has a pair of side walls 34. Therefore, the resin part 30 has six side walls 34. Of these six side walls 34, the side wall 34 located on the left end is referred to as a first end wall 34A, and the side wall 34 located on the right end is referred to as a second end wall 34B. The resin part 30 has locking portions 38A and 38B formed on the first end wall 34A and the second end wall 34B, respectively. The locking portion 38A protrudes leftward from the first end wall 34A. As shown in FIG. 5, the locking portion 38B protrudes rightward from the second end wall 34B.

[0028] Although not shown, the resin part 30 has a portion that extends downward from the base part 31 and in which the first part 21A is embedded. The resin part 30 also has an internal connection part exposed, which allows connection to the internal wiring of the above-mentioned device. The connection between the internal connection part and the internal wiring is performed, for example, by fastening with bolts.

[0029] (Nut 40) The nut 40 is made of a conductive metal. As shown in FIG. 7, the nut 40 has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The nut 40 has a bolt hole 41. As shown in FIG. 6, the nut 40 is capable of fastening a bolt 60. A male thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 61 of the bolt 60. A female thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the bolt hole 41, into which the male thread of the bolt 60 screws.

[0030] (Nut holding portion 50) The nut holding portion 50 is made of an insulating synthetic resin. The synthetic resin that makes up the nut holding portion 50 may be made of a different material than the synthetic resin that makes up the resin portion 30. As shown in FIG. 8, the nut holding portion 50 includes three accommodating portions 51, three pocket portions 52 that are connected to the lower sides of the accommodating portions 51, a connecting portion 53 that connects the three accommodating portions 51, and a partition wall 54. As shown in FIG. 2, each accommodating portion 51 accommodates a nut 40.

[0031] (Storage section 51) As shown in FIG. 8, the storage section 51 has a frame shape that opens upward. The storage section 51 includes a peripheral wall 51A and a bottom 51B. The peripheral wall 51A has a rectangular cylindrical shape that extends in the vertical direction. That is, the peripheral wall 51A includes a front wall, a rear wall, a left wall, and a right wall. The bottom 51B extends horizontally from the lower end of the peripheral wall 51A toward the inside of the peripheral wall 51A. The storage section 51 also has a communication hole 51C that penetrates the center of the bottom 51B in the vertical direction.

[0032] (Rib 51A2) The peripheral wall 51A has an inner surface 51A1 facing the nut 40 and a plurality of ribs 51A2 (four in this embodiment) protruding inward from the inner surface 51A1. The ribs 51A2 extend in the vertical direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, one rib 51A2 is provided on each of the front wall, rear wall, left wall, and right wall.

[0033] (Regarding accommodation of the nut 40 in the accommodation portion 51) The nut 40 can be accommodated in the correct position in the accommodation portion 51 by inserting the nut 40 into the accommodation portion 51 through the opening at the top of the accommodation portion 51 and pushing the nut 40 into the accommodation portion 51 until the lower surface of the nut 40 contacts the bottom portion 51B (see FIGS. 4 and 5). When the nut 40 is accommodated in the correct position in the accommodation portion 51, the upper end of the peripheral wall 51A is positioned higher than the upper surface of the nut 40. In other words, the vertical dimension from the bottom portion 51B to the upper end of the peripheral wall 51A (depth of the accommodation portion 51) is greater than the vertical dimension (thickness) of the nut 40.

[0034] In this embodiment, the protruding ends of the four ribs 51A2 are engaged with the nut 40 and crushed during the process of accommodating the nut 40 in the accommodating portion 51. With the nut 40 accommodated in the accommodating portion 51, the four ribs 51A2 attempt to return to their original, uncrushed state, thereby holding and positioning the nut 40 within the accommodating portion 51. This prevents the nut 40 from coming off the accommodating portion 51.

[0035] As described above, when accommodating the nut 40 in the accommodating portion 51, the nut 40 is configured to engage with the protruding end of the rib 51A2 formed on the inner surface 51A1 rather than the inner surface 51A1 of the peripheral wall 51A (see FIG. 7), thereby reducing the force required to insert the nut 40 into the accommodating portion 51. Therefore, it is not necessary to press the nut 40 into the accommodating portion 51 using a machine such as a hand press, and the nut 40 can be accommodated in the accommodating portion 51 by hand.

[0036] (Pocket part 52) 4 and 5, the pocket portion 52 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom that extends in the vertical direction. The upper part of the pocket portion 52 is open and communicates with the communication hole 51C of the storage portion 51. The internal space of the pocket portion 52 and the internal space of the storage portion 51 communicate with each other. The lower part of the pocket portion 52 is closed.

[0037] With the nut holding portion 50 assembled to the resin portion 30, the accommodation portion 51 and the pocket portion 52 are disposed in the first space 35. The left and right outer surfaces of the peripheral wall 51A are in contact with the pair of side wall portions 34, respectively. The upper surface of the peripheral wall 51A is in contact with the lower surface of the terminal connection portion 22. The bolt hole 41 of the nut 40 accommodated in the accommodation portion 51 is disposed in vertical alignment with the insertion hole 23. This allows the terminal 20 and the mating terminal 70 to be connected by fastening the bolt 60 to the nut 40.

[0038] 6, pocket portion 52 accommodates the tip portion (lower portion) of shank 61 of bolt 60 fastened to nut 40. Pocket portion 52 is closed except for its upper opening, which communicates with accommodation portion 51. This allows metal powder (more specifically, metal powder constituting terminal 20, mating terminal 70, bolt 60, and nut 40) generated by friction between components when fastening bolt 60 and nut 40 to be retained within pocket portion 52. In other words, it is possible to prevent metal powder generated when the bolt is fastened from being discharged to the outside of terminal block 10.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 8, the connecting portion 53 connects three accommodating portions 51 lined up in the left-right direction. In detail, the nut holding portion 50 includes a connecting portion 53 that connects the right-side accommodating portion 51 and the central accommodating portion 51 of the three accommodating portions 51, and a connecting portion 53 that connects the left-side accommodating portion 51 and the central accommodating portion 51 of the three accommodating portions 51. The connecting portion 53 connects the front walls of the peripheral walls 51A that are adjacent in the left-right direction. The connecting portion 53 has a thin plate shape in the front-rear direction.

[0040] (bulkhead 54) The partition wall 54 extends upward and rearward from the connecting portion 53. The partition wall 54 includes a partition wall main body 54A disposed above the accommodating portion 51 and an engaging portion 54B extending downward from the partition wall main body 54A. As shown in FIG. 5 , the partition wall 54 is generally T-shaped when viewed from the rear. When the nut holding portion 50 is assembled to the resin portion 30, the partition wall main body 54A is disposed between the laterally adjacent terminal connection portions 22. The partition wall main body 54A extends above the upper surfaces of the terminal connection portions 22. Therefore, even if the three mating terminals 70 are independently displaceable from one another, the partition wall main body 54A is disposed between two laterally adjacent mating terminals 70 when connecting the mating terminals 70 to the terminals 20. This prevents the mating terminals 70 from coming into contact with each other (see FIG. 6 ). This prevents the terminals 20 from shorting out via the mating terminals 70.

[0041] 5, when the nut holding portion 50 is assembled to the resin portion 30, the lower surface of the partition wall main body 54A is in contact with the upper surface of the side wall portion 34. This allows the nut holding portion 50 to be supported from below by the resin portion 30. The engaging portion 54B is disposed in the second space 37.

[0042] (Lock receiving parts 55A, 55B) 7 and 8, in this embodiment, lock receiving portions 55A and 55B are formed on both left and right ends of the nut holding portion 50. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the lock receiving portions 55A and 55B are engaged with the locking portions 38A and 38B, respectively.

[0043] 8, the lock receiving portion 55A includes an extension 55A1 extending leftward from the front wall of the peripheral wall 51A of the left-side storage portion 51 of the three storage portions 51, and a lock piece 55A2 extending rearward from the left end of the extension 55A1. The lock receiving portion 55A has a locking hole 55A3 penetrating the locking piece 55A2 in the left-right direction. The locking hole 55A3 extends in the front-rear direction and penetrates a portion of the extension 55A1 near the locking piece 55A2 in the front-rear direction.

[0044] The lock receiving portion 55B includes an extension 55B1 extending rightward from the front wall of the peripheral wall 51A of the right-side storage portion 51 of the three storage portions 51, and a lock piece 55B2 extending rearward from the right end of the extension 55B1. The lock receiving portion 55B has a locking hole 55B3 penetrating the locking piece 55B2 in the left-right direction. The locking hole 55B3 extends in the front-rear direction and penetrates a portion of the extension 55B1 near the locking piece 55B2 in the front-rear direction.

[0045] (Assembling the nut holding portion 50 to the resin portion 30) The nut holding portion 50, which holds the nut 40 in the correct position in the accommodating portion 51, is assembled to the resin portion 30 from the front (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 7, the partition wall 54 extends rearward beyond the rear end of the accommodating portion 51. Therefore, when the nut holding portion 50 is brought closer to the resin portion 30 from the front, the partition wall 54 first begins to engage with the side wall portion 34 of the resin portion 30. More specifically, the lower surface of the partition wall main body 54A begins to slide against the upper surface of the side wall portion 34, and the engaging portion 54B begins to enter the second space 37 (see FIG. 5). Furthermore, at approximately the same time that the partition wall 54 begins to engage with the side wall portion 34, the upper surface of the accommodating portion 51 (peripheral wall 51A) begins to slide against the lower surface of the terminal connecting portion 22.

[0046] When the nut holding portion 50 is further moved rearward relative to the resin portion 30, the nut 40 is positioned below the terminal connection portion 22. In this embodiment, the upper end of the peripheral wall 51A is positioned higher than the upper surface of the nut 40. Therefore, during the process of assembling the nut holding portion 50 to the resin portion 30, a gap is provided between the upper surface of the nut 40 and the lower surface of the terminal connection portion 22, preventing contact between the upper surface of the nut 40 and the lower surface of the terminal connection portion 22. After assembling the nut holding portion 50 to the resin portion 30, during the process of fastening the bolt 60 to the nut 40, the upper surface of the nut 40 comes into contact with the lower surface of the terminal connection portion 22 (see FIG. 6).

[0047] When the nut holding portion 50 is further moved rearward relative to the resin portion 30, the accommodating portion 51 and the pocket portion 52 enter the first space 35, and the outer surface of the accommodating portion 51 begins to slide against the side wall portion 34 (see FIG. 5).

[0048] When the nut holding portion 50 is further moved rearward relative to the resin portion 30, the locking pieces 55A2 and 55B2 engage with the locking portions 38A and 38B, respectively, and begin to elastically deform in the left-right direction.

[0049] When the nut holding portion 50 is further moved rearward relative to the resin portion 30, the abutment surface 36 abuts against the rear wall of the peripheral wall 51A (see FIG. 4). At approximately the same time, the locking portions 38A and 38B enter the locking holes 55A3 and 55B3, respectively, and the locking pieces 55A2 and 55B2 return to their natural states (see FIG. 5). The rear surfaces of the locking portions 38A and 38B then lock onto the rear inner surfaces of the locking holes 55A3 and 55B3 from the front. This positions the nut holding portion 50 relative to the resin portion 30, preventing the nut holding portion 50 from coming off the resin portion 30. This completes the assembly of the nut holding portion 50 to the resin portion 30.

[0050] (Effects of the embodiment) (1) A terminal block 10 according to an embodiment includes a plurality of terminals 20 arranged in a first direction (left-right direction), a resin part 30 that holds the plurality of terminals 20, a plurality of nuts 40, and a nut holding part 50 that holds the plurality of nuts 40 and is assembled to the resin part 30. Each terminal 20 has a terminal connection part 22 and an insertion hole 23 that penetrates the terminal connection part 22 in a second direction (up-down direction) that is perpendicular to the first direction. Each nut 40 has a bolt hole 41 that is arranged next to the insertion hole 23 in the second direction. The nut holding part 50 includes a plurality of accommodating parts 51 that open to one side (up) in the second direction and that respectively accommodate the plurality of nuts 40, a plurality of pocket parts 52 that are connected to the other side (down) in the second direction of each of the plurality of accommodating parts 51 and have a bottom, and a partition wall 54 that separates two adjacent terminals 20 in the first direction and protrudes further to one side in the second direction than the terminal connection part 22.

[0051] With this configuration, the nut holding portion 50 has a bottomed pocket portion 52 that is continuous with the accommodation portion 51, which prevents metal powder generated when the bolt 60 is fastened to the nut 40 from being released to the outside of the terminal block 10. Furthermore, the nut holding portion 50 has a partition wall 54 that separates the terminals 20, and the partition wall 54 protrudes further than the terminal connection portion 22 to one side in the second direction, which prevents the mating terminals 70 from coming into contact with each other in the first direction when the mating terminals 70 are fastened to the terminals 20 with the bolt. This prevents the terminals 20 from shorting out.

[0052] (2) In the embodiment, each accommodating portion 51 includes a peripheral wall 51A that surrounds each nut 40 in a direction perpendicular to the second direction, and a plurality of ribs 51A2 that protrude from an inner surface 51A1 of the peripheral wall 51A.

[0053] According to this configuration, it becomes easier to manually store the nut 40 in the storage portion 51. In addition, it becomes easier to prevent the nut 40 from coming off the storage portion 51.

[0054] (3) In the embodiment, each accommodating section 51 has a peripheral wall 51A that surrounds each nut 40 in a direction perpendicular to the second direction, and a bottom 51B that contacts each nut 40 from the other side in the second direction, and the dimension in the second direction from the bottom 51B to the end (upper end) on one side in the second direction of the peripheral wall 51A is greater than the dimension in the second direction of the nut 40.

[0055] With this configuration, when the nut holding portion 50 is attached to the resin portion 30, contact between the nut 40 and the terminal 20 can be prevented.

[0056] (4) In the embodiment, the resin part 30 includes the locking parts 38A and 38B, and the nut holding part 50 includes the lock receiving parts 55A and 55B that engage with the locking parts 38A and 38B.

[0057] With this configuration, it becomes easier to position the nut holding portion 50 relative to the resin portion 30.

[0058] (Other embodiments) The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the terminal block 10 has three terminals 20, but the terminal block of the present disclosure may have two or four or more terminals.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the nut 40 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, but the nut may have any other shape in plan view. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10:Terminal block 20: Terminal 21: Terminal body 21A: 1st part 21B:Second part 22: Terminal connection part 23: Insertion hole 30: Resin part 31: Base 32: Terminal holding part 33: Main body 33A: Hollowed-out section 34: Side wall 34A: First end wall portion 34B: Second end wall part 35: 1st space 36: Contact surface 37:Second space 38A, 38B: Lock section 40: Nut 41: Bolt hole 50: Nut holding part 51: Storage unit 51A: Peripheral wall 51A1:Inside 51A2: Rib 51B: Bottom 51C: Communication hole 52: Pocket 53:Connection part 54: Bulkhead 54A: Bulkhead body 54B: Engagement part 55A, 55B: Lock receiving part 55A1,55B1: Extension part 55A2, 55B2: Lock piece 55A3, 55B3: Locking hole 60: Bolt 61: Shaft 70: Mating terminal 71: Mating connection part 72: Insertion hole

Claims

1. a plurality of terminals arranged in a first direction; a resin portion that holds the plurality of terminals; A plurality of nuts; a nut holding portion that holds the plurality of nuts and is assembled to the resin portion, Each of the terminals has a terminal connection portion and an insertion hole that penetrates the terminal connection portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, Each of the nuts has a bolt hole arranged next to the insertion hole in the second direction, The nut holding portion of the terminal block includes a plurality of accommodating portions that open to one side in the second direction and accommodate the plurality of nuts, a plurality of pocket portions that are connected to the other side in the second direction of each of the plurality of accommodating portions and have a bottom, and a partition wall that separates two adjacent terminals in the first direction and protrudes further to one side in the second direction than the terminal connection portion.

2. The terminal block according to claim 1 , wherein each of the accommodating portions includes a peripheral wall that surrounds the corresponding nut in a direction perpendicular to the second direction, and a plurality of ribs that protrude from an inner surface of the peripheral wall.

3. Each of the accommodating portions includes a peripheral wall that surrounds each of the nuts in a direction perpendicular to the second direction, and a bottom portion that contacts each of the nuts from the other side in the second direction, 3. The terminal block according to claim 1, wherein a dimension in the second direction from the bottom portion to one end of the peripheral wall in the second direction is greater than a dimension in the second direction of the nut.

4. the resin portion includes a locking portion, 3. The terminal block according to claim 1, wherein the nut holding portion includes a lock receiving portion that engages with the locking portion.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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