Terminal block

Abstract

To prevent a terminal block from becoming too large without using any additional components, and also provides protection against finger contact.SOLUTION: A terminal block 10 according to the present disclosure is a terminal block 10 including a tubular terminal 20 and a housing 30 that holds the tubular terminal 20. The tubular terminal 20 includes a terminal body 21 extending in the axial direction and a fastening seat 25 formed in an annular shape at one end of the terminal body 21 in the axial direction AD. The housing 30 includes an inner insulating wall 43 formed on the inside of the fastening seat 25, an outer insulating wall 40 formed on the outside of the fastening seat 25, and a connecting wall 42 that connects the inner insulating wall 43 and the outer insulating wall 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A terminal block that can be attached to a device is known, for example, from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-16448 (Patent Document 1 below). This terminal block includes a bus bar and a resin portion that holds the bus bar together. The bus bar is an L-shaped strip-like member, with one end serving as a first connection portion and the other end serving as a second connection portion. A relay portion extending in the vertical direction is provided between the first connection portion and the second connection portion. The relay portion of the bus bar is molded with the resin portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-16448 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] To implement a touch protection measure for the above terminal block, the periphery of the first connection part must be covered with resin or a separate component must be used. Using a separate component to implement a touch protection measure requires the terminal to be equipped with a structure to hold the separate component, which complicates the structure and increases costs. Furthermore, the overall structure must be enlarged to ensure a sufficient contact area while still covering the periphery of the first connection part with resin. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The terminal block of the present disclosure is a terminal block comprising a cylindrical terminal and a housing that holds the cylindrical terminal, wherein the cylindrical terminal has a terminal body extending in the axial direction and a fastening seat formed in an annular shape at one axial end of the terminal body, and the housing has an inner insulating wall formed on the inside of the fastening seat, an outer insulating wall formed on the outside of the fastening seat, and a connecting wall that connects the inner insulating wall and the outer insulating wall. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, measures to prevent finger contact can be taken without using additional components and while avoiding an increase in the size of the terminal block. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a terminal block. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the terminal block. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the wire-side terminal is fastened to the terminal block. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a finger is brought close to the terminal block. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cylindrical terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view of the cylindrical terminal. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] [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 is a terminal block including a cylindrical terminal and a housing that holds the cylindrical terminal, wherein the cylindrical terminal has a terminal body extending in the axial direction and a fastening seat formed in an annular shape at one axial end of the terminal body, and the housing has an inner insulating wall formed on the inside of the fastening seat, an outer insulating wall formed on the outside of the fastening seat, and a connecting wall that connects the inner insulating wall and the outer insulating wall.

[0009] Since insulating walls are formed on the inside and outside of the fastening seating surface, these insulating walls can be used to prevent fingers from touching the terminal block. The inner insulating wall and the outer insulating wall are connected by a connecting wall, so they can be configured as a single unit as part of the housing. In this way, no separate parts are used, and the terminal block can be prevented from becoming larger while still providing a countermeasure against fingers from touching the terminal block.

[0010] [2] In the above [1], it is preferable that the cylindrical terminal further has a through hole formed between the inner insulating wall and the outer insulating wall, and the connecting wall is formed in the through hole. Since the connecting wall is formed in the through hole, the connecting wall is firmly held to the cylindrical terminal, and the inner insulating wall and the outer insulating wall can be firmly held to the cylindrical terminal.

[0011] [3] In the above [1] or [2], it is preferable that the fastening seating surface is connected to the mating terminal via a cylindrical contact member. The inner walls of the inner insulating wall and the outer insulating wall, which are located on both sides of the fastening seat surface, can be formed higher than the fastening seat surface, thereby improving the effectiveness of preventing fingers from touching the surface.

[0012] [4] In any of the above [1] to [3], it is preferable that the cylindrical terminal has a bolt hole into which a bolt is fastened, and the inner insulating wall has a first inner insulating wall formed on the opening edge of the bolt hole and a second inner insulating wall formed on the inner surface of the bolt hole. The first inner insulating wall can minimize the exposed area of ​​the fastening seat surface.

[0013] [5] In the above item [4], it is preferable that the bolt hole has a non-contact portion having a gap that does not contact the bolt, and the second inner insulating wall is located in the non-contact portion. The second inner insulating wall can minimize the exposed area of ​​the non-contact portion of the bolt hole.

[0014] [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" does not only refer to a strict orthogonal relationship, but also includes a roughly orthogonal relationship within the scope of the operation and effect of the present embodiment.

[0015] 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.

[0016] <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 forward, and the direction indicated by arrow Y as leftward. 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.

[0017] (terminal block 10) The terminal block 10 is attached to the case of an equipment (not shown) and serves as a relay connection between an equipment-side terminal provided on the equipment and a wire-side terminal 22 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) connected to the end of an electric wire. The terminal block 10 includes a cylindrical terminal 20 and a housing 30. The terminal block 10 is formed by injection molding molten resin with the cylindrical terminal 20 set in a molding die. Therefore, the cylindrical terminal 20 and the housing 30 are formed integrally. The wire-side terminal 22 corresponds to the "mating terminal" of the present disclosure.

[0018] (Cylindrical terminal 20) Cylindrical terminal 20 is made of a conductive metal and has a cylindrical shape as a whole, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. Cylindrical terminal 20 has a terminal body 21 extending in an axial direction AD shown in Figure 6. As shown in Figure 8, a bolt hole 23 extending in the axial direction AD is formed inside terminal body 21.

[0019] The bolt hole 23 has a large diameter portion 23A, which is a large-diameter circular hole, and a small diameter portion 23B, which is a circular hole with a smaller diameter than the large diameter portion 23A. The large diameter portion 23A opens upward at its upper end and is connected to the small diameter portion 23B at its lower end. The large diameter portion 23A and the small diameter portion 23B communicate with each other and are arranged coaxially. No internal thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 23A, whereas an internal thread (not shown) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 23B. The large diameter portion 23A corresponds to the "non-contact portion" of this disclosure.

[0020] A round through-hole 24 is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 23A and the outer peripheral surface of the terminal body 21. The through-hole 24 is in communication with the large diameter portion 23A. A pair of through-holes 24 is formed on both sides of the large diameter portion 23A. The through-holes 24 are disposed approximately midway between the upper and lower ends of the large diameter portion 23A. The axial direction of the through-holes 24 is perpendicular to the axial direction AD of the terminal body 21.

[0021] (Housing 30) The housing 30 is made of insulating resin and holds the cylindrical terminals 20. As shown in Fig. 1, the housing 30 has a peripheral wall 31 that surrounds the cylindrical terminals 20 and a flange 32 that protrudes outward from the peripheral wall 31. As shown in Fig. 2, the flange 32 has a generally rectangular shape in a plan view, and collars 33 are attached to the four corners of the flange 32 by press-fitting or insert molding. The terminal block 10 is fixed to the device case by inserting bolts into the collars 33 and fastening them to the device case.

[0022] 3, a first seal ring 34 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 31. An upper cover (not shown) is fitted to the peripheral wall 31. The first seal ring 34 serves as a shaft seal that is sandwiched between the peripheral wall 31 and the cover. The first seal ring 34 provides a seal between the housing 30 and the upper cover.

[0023] A pair of surrounding walls 36 are formed inside the peripheral wall 31, surrounding the pair of cylindrical terminals 20, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, the surrounding wall 36 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape in a plan view. The surrounding wall 36 is open both forward and upward. The wall of the surrounding wall 36 located between the pair of cylindrical terminals 20 serves as a shared partition wall 36A. A metal shield shell 37 is attached to the inner surface of each surrounding wall 36.

[0024] 3, an insulating wall 38 that insulates and holds the cylindrical terminal 20 is formed inside the surrounding wall 36. The insulating wall 38 is integrally formed by a support wall 39 that supports the cylindrical terminal 20 in an arrangement that penetrates it in the vertical direction, an outer insulating wall 40 that extends upward from the support wall 39, a lower insulating wall 41 that extends downward from the support wall 39, a connecting wall 42 that extends radially inward from the outer insulating wall 40 toward the bolt hole 23 of the cylindrical terminal 20, and an inner insulating wall 43 that is disposed inside the bolt hole 23.

[0025] Outer insulating wall 40 and lower insulating wall 41 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of terminal body 21. Inner insulating wall 43 has a first inner insulating wall 43A formed on the opening edge of bolt hole 23 and a second inner insulating wall 43B formed on the inner peripheral surface of bolt hole 23. Second inner insulating wall 43B is located in large diameter portion 23A of bolt hole 23 and is formed integrally with the inner peripheral surface of large diameter portion 23A. Connecting wall 42 is located in through hole 24 and is formed by filling through hole 24 with molten resin during insert molding.

[0026] In this embodiment, the insulating wall 38 is formed by insert molding with the terminal body 21, with the inner insulating wall 43 attached to the bolt hole 23, set in a molding die. In other words, of the insulating wall 38, only the outer insulating wall 40 is formed by insert molding. As an alternative manufacturing method, the inner insulating wall 43 and the outer insulating wall 40 may be formed simultaneously by insert molding with only the terminal body 21 set in a molding die.

[0027] An annular fastening bearing surface 25 is formed on the upper surface (one end in the axial direction AD) of the terminal body 21. The fastening bearing surface 25 is exposed upward between the outer insulating wall 40 and the first inner insulating wall 43A, as shown in FIG. 2. In other words, the outer insulating wall 40 is located outside the fastening bearing surface 25, and the inner insulating wall 43 is located inside the fastening bearing surface 25.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 4, a separate contact member 26 is in contact with fastening seat surface 25. Contact member 26 is configured to include a cylindrical terminal contact portion 27 and a terminal support portion 28 that supports a mating terminal 50. An insertion hole for inserting bolt 50 is formed in terminal support portion 28 and mating terminal 50. Bolt 50 has a well-known structure having a head portion 51 and a shaft portion 52.

[0029] The shank 52 of the bolt 50 is inserted into the insertion holes of the wire-side terminal 22 and the contact member 26 and is adapted to be screwed into the small diameter portion 23B of the bolt hole 23. By fastening the bolt 50 into the bolt hole 23, the wire-side terminal 22 and the contact member 26 are clamped between the head 51 of the bolt 50 and the fastening seat surface 25 of the tubular terminal 20. This electrically connects the wire-side terminal 22 and the tubular terminal 20 via the contact member 26.

[0030] As a countermeasure against finger contact, as shown in Fig. 3, the gap between the first inner insulating wall 43A and the outer insulating wall 40 is set to a size that prevents a finger F from entering. Therefore, a finger F will not come into contact with the fastening seat surface 25 of the cylindrical terminal 20. Furthermore, as a countermeasure against finger contact when the bolt 50 is fastened, as shown in Fig. 5, an insulating resin cover 53 is attached to the head 51, and the resin cover 53 prevents a finger F from coming into contact with the head 51 of the bolt 50.

[0031] (Effects of the embodiment) (1) The terminal block 10 of the embodiment is a terminal block 10 including a cylindrical terminal 20 and a housing 30 that holds the cylindrical terminal 20. The cylindrical terminal 20 has a terminal body 21 extending in the axial direction AD and a fastening seat 25 formed in an annular shape at one end of the terminal body 21 in the axial direction AD. The housing 30 has an inner insulating wall 43 formed on the inside of the fastening seat 25, an outer insulating wall 40 formed on the outside of the fastening seat 25, and a connecting wall 42 that connects the inner insulating wall 43 and the outer insulating wall 40.

[0032] Insulating walls 40, 43 are formed on the inside and outside of fastening seat surface 25, respectively, and these insulating walls 40, 43 provide a measure against finger contact. Inner insulating wall 43 and outer insulating wall 40 are connected by connecting wall 42, and therefore they can be configured as an integrated part of housing 30. In this way, a measure against finger contact can be achieved without using a separate part, while avoiding an increase in the size of terminal block 10.

[0033] (2) The cylindrical terminal 20 further has a through hole 24 formed between the inner insulating wall 43 and the outer insulating wall 40 , and the connecting wall 42 is formed in the through hole 24 . Since the connecting wall 42 is formed in the through hole 24 , the connecting wall 42 is firmly held to the cylindrical terminal 20 , and the inner insulating wall 43 and the outer insulating wall 40 can be firmly held to the cylindrical terminal 20 .

[0034] (3) The fastening seat surface 25 is connected to the wire-side terminal 22 via a cylindrical contact member 26 . The inner walls of the inner insulating wall 43 and the outer insulating wall 40, which are located on both sides of the fastening seating surface 25, can be formed higher than the fastening seating surface 25, thereby improving the effectiveness of preventing fingers from touching the surface.

[0035] (4) It is preferable that the tubular terminal 20 has a bolt hole 23 into which the bolt 50 is fastened, and that the inner insulating wall 43 has a first inner insulating wall 43A formed at the opening edge of the bolt hole 23 and a second inner insulating wall 43B formed on the inner surface of the bolt hole 23. The first inner insulating wall 43A can minimize the exposed area of ​​the fastening bearing surface 25.

[0036] (5) It is preferable that the bolt hole 23 has a large diameter portion 23A having a gap that does not contact the bolt 50, and the second inner insulating wall 43B is located in the large diameter portion 23A. The exposed area of ​​the large diameter portion 23A of the bolt hole 23 can be minimized by the second inner insulating wall 43B.

[0037] (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.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the connecting walls 42 are located in the through holes 24 of the cylindrical terminal 20, but the connecting walls may be formed radially on the upper surface of the cylindrical terminal without forming through holes.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the wire-side terminal 22 and the contact member 26 are formed separately, but the wire-side terminal and the contact member may be formed integrally.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the cylindrical terminal 20 is exemplified, but a rectangular cylindrical terminal may also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10:Terminal block 20: Cylindrical terminal 21: Terminal body 22: Wire side terminal (mating terminal) 23: Bolt hole 23A: Large diameter part (non-contact part) 23B: Small diameter part 24:Through hole 25: Fastening seat 26: Contact parts 27:Terminal contact part 28:Terminal support part 30: Housing 31: Peripheral wall 32: Flange 33: Color 34: First seal ring 36: Enclosure wall 36A: Bulkhead 37: Shield Shell 38: Insulating wall 39:Supporting wall 40:Outer insulation wall 41: Lower insulating wall 42: Connecting wall 43: Inner insulating wall 43A: First inner insulating wall 43B: Second inner insulating wall 50: Bolt 51:Head 52: Shaft 53: Resin cover AD: Axial direction AL: Axis line F:Finger

Claims

1. A cylindrical terminal; a housing for holding the cylindrical terminal, The cylindrical terminal has a terminal body extending in an axial direction and a fastening seat formed in an annular shape at one axial end of the terminal body, The housing has an inner insulating wall formed inside the fastening seat, an outer insulating wall formed outside the fastening seat, and a connecting wall connecting the inner insulating wall and the outer insulating wall.

2. the cylindrical terminal further has a through hole formed between the inner insulating wall and the outer insulating wall, The terminal block according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting wall is formed in the through hole.

3. 3. The terminal block according to claim 1, wherein the fastening seat is connected to a mating terminal via a cylindrical contact member.

4. the cylindrical terminal has a bolt hole into which a bolt is fastened; 3. The terminal block according to claim 1, wherein the inner insulating wall comprises a first inner insulating wall formed on an opening edge of the bolt hole and a second inner insulating wall formed on an inner surface of the bolt hole.

5. the bolt hole has a non-contact portion having a gap that does not contact the bolt, The terminal block according to claim 4 , wherein the second inner insulating wall is located in the non-contact portion.

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