Terminal block

Abstract

To provide a terminal block that can ensure both assemblability of a sealing member to a housing and water-stopping performance.SOLUTION: A terminal block 1 comprises a bus bar 10, a housing 20, and an annular sealing member 60 that is assembled to one end surface 22b of the housing 20 in an axial direction X and performs water stop between the housing 20 and an attachment target object 70. The one end surface 22b of the housing 20 is provided with an annular recessed part 24 that is recessed along the axial direction X toward a side opposite to the attachment target object 70 and accommodates the sealing member 60. The sealing member 60 is formed in a tapered shape such that, along the axial direction X toward a bottom surface 24a side of the recessed part 24, an end surface 61 facing a side surface 24b of the recessed part 24 is gradually spaced away from the side surface 24b, and, in a free state, a gap G between the end surface 61 and the side surface 24b is configured to gradually increase toward the bottom surface 24a side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] As a technology related to conventional terminal blocks, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal block including a bus bar, a housing that holds the bus bar, and an annular sealing member that is attached to one axial end face of the housing and seals off water between the housing and an object to which the terminal block is attached. One end face of the housing is provided with an annular recess that is recessed along the axial direction toward the opposite side from the object to which the terminal block is attached and that accommodates the sealing member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-171078 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the terminal block described in Patent Document 1 has room for further improvement, for example, in terms of ensuring both ease of assembly of the seal member to the housing and waterproofing.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal block that can ensure both ease of assembly of a seal member to a housing and waterproofing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the terminal block of the present invention comprises a bus bar extending along an axial direction, a housing that holds the bus bar, and an annular sealing member that is assembled to one axial end face of the housing and that seals the gap between the housing and the object to which it is attached, wherein the one end face of the housing is provided with an annular recess that is recessed along the axial direction toward the opposite side to the object to which it is attached and that accommodates the sealing member, and the sealing member is formed in a tapered shape that is inclined so that the end face facing the side of the recess gradually moves away from the side as it moves toward the bottom side of the recess along the axial direction, and the sealing member is configured so that in a free state where it is not compressed between the housing and the object to which it is attached, the gap between the end face and the side gradually becomes larger as it moves toward the bottom side. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the terminal block according to the present invention, the sealing member is tapered in the axial direction so that the end face facing the side face of the recess gradually moves away from the side face toward the bottom of the recess, and the gap between the end face and the side face gradually increases toward the bottom when the sealing member is free and not compressed between the housing and the object. This configuration allows the terminal block to, for example, ensure a sufficient contact area between the sealing member and the object, while improving ease of assembly (insertion) into the housing recess. As a result, the terminal block achieves both ease of assembly of the sealing member to the housing and watertightness. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view of a terminal block according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exemplary exploded perspective view of a terminal block according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a terminal block according to an embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is an exemplary plan view of the terminal block according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the terminal block according to the embodiment, and is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the sealing member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially identical. Note that in this specification, ordinal numbers are used only to distinguish between parts, members, portions, positions, directions, etc., and do not indicate order or priority.

[0010] [Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a terminal block 1 according to an embodiment. The terminal block 1 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and is attached to an attachment object 70. It relays an electrical connection between a first device and a second device (not shown). The terminal block 1 of this embodiment includes a plurality of bus bars 10. An external terminal of the first device is electrically connected to a first connection portion 11 provided at one end of the plurality of bus bars 10. Furthermore, in the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, an external terminal of a second device is electrically connected to a second connection portion 12 provided at the other end of the plurality of bus bars 10. The first device is, for example, one of a motor and an inverter, and the second device is, for example, the other of the motor and the inverter. The terminal block 1 is not limited to this example and may be used, for example, to relay between the first device or the second device and a wiring material, or between wiring materials.

[0011] In the following description, of the first, second, and third directions that intersect with one another, the first direction will be referred to as the "axial direction X," the second direction will be referred to as the "width direction Y," and the third direction will be referred to as the "fastening direction Z." Here, the axial direction X, the width direction Y, and the fastening direction Z are approximately perpendicular to one another. The axial direction X typically corresponds to the extension direction of the multiple bus bars 10, the insertion direction of the multiple bus bars 10 into the housing 20, the depth direction (front-back direction) of the terminal block 1, etc. The width direction Y typically corresponds to the width direction of the multiple bus bars 10, the width direction (left-right direction) of the terminal block 1, etc. The fastening direction Z typically corresponds to the plate thickness direction of the multiple bus bars 10, the fastening direction between the multiple bus bars 10 and external terminals, the height direction (up-down direction) of the terminal block 1, etc. Unless otherwise specified, each direction used in the following description will be described as a direction in a state in which the terminal block 1 is attached to the attachment object 70.

[0012] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the terminal block 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal block 1 includes, for example, a bus bar 10, a housing 20, a fastening member 30, a packing holder 40, a packing 50, and a sealing member 60. The bus bar 10 is a terminal fitting made of a conductive metal material and is electrically connected to the above-mentioned external terminal. In this embodiment, the terminal block 1 is provided with three bus bars 10 aligned in the width direction Y. Note that the number of bus bars 10 is not limited to this example, and for example, one, two, or four or more bus bars 10 may be provided.

[0013] The busbar 10 includes, for example, a first connecting portion 11 provided at one end in the axial direction X, a second connecting portion 12 provided at the other end in the axial direction X, and an intermediate portion 13 provided between the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion 12. The first connecting portion 11, the second connecting portion 12, and the intermediate portion 13 are integrally formed from a conductive metal material. That is, the busbar 10 is formed by performing various processes such as bending a single metal sheet to fit the shapes of the first connecting portion 11, the second connecting portion 12, and the intermediate portion 13, so that each portion is integrally formed into a three-dimensional crank shape.

[0014] The first connection portion 11 is a portion that is electrically and mechanically connected to the external terminal of the first device described above. The first connection portion 11 extends along the axial direction X. The first connection portion 11 is provided with a mounting hole 11a into which a fastening member such as a bolt that fastens the busbar 10 to the external terminal is attached. The mounting hole 11a is a through-hole that passes through the first connection portion 11 along the fastening direction Z, and is configured as, for example, a circular hole with approximately the same diameter as the shank of the fastening member.

[0015] The second connection portion 12 is a portion that is electrically and mechanically connected to the external terminal of the second device. The second connection portion 12 extends along the axial direction X and is positioned on the other end side of the axial direction X and shifted in the fastening direction Z with respect to the first connection portion 11. The second connection portion 12 is provided with a mounting hole 12a into which a bolt or the like of a fastening member 30 that fastens the busbar 10 to the external terminal is attached. The mounting hole 12a is a through-hole that passes through the second connection portion 12 along the fastening direction Z and is configured as, for example, a circular hole with approximately the same diameter as the shank of the bolt.

[0016] The intermediate portion 13 is a portion that is connected between the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion 12. The intermediate portion 13 includes a flat portion that extends along the fastening direction Z, and constitutes a step between the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion 12. The intermediate portion 13 is formed, for example, by being bent at an angle of 90° with respect to the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion 12. That is, in this embodiment, substantially the entire intermediate portion 13 is constituted as a flat portion that extends along the fastening direction Z. The thickness direction of the intermediate portion 13 is along the axial direction X that intersects with the thickness directions of the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion 12.

[0017] The housing 20 holds the second connection portions 12 of the three bus bars 10 arranged in the width direction Y, and is made of an insulating synthetic resin material or the like. The housing 20 has, for example, a housing main body 22 and a housing protrusion 23 that protrudes from the housing main body 22 along the axial direction X to the side opposite to the bus bars 10. The housing 20 is formed such that the housing main body 22 and the housing protrusion 23 are integrally formed.

[0018] The housing main body 22 and the housing protruding portion 23 are provided with insertion holes 21 into which the second connection portions 12 of the busbars 10 are inserted along the axial direction X. The insertion holes 21 are openings (insertion spaces) that penetrate the housing main body 22 and the housing protruding portion 23 along the axial direction X. In this embodiment, the housing 20 is provided with three insertion holes 21 corresponding to the busbars 10, and these three insertion holes 21 are partitioned from one another along the width direction Y.

[0019] The housing main body 22 has another end face 22a in the axial direction X facing the busbar 10, and one end face 22b in the axial direction X facing the seal member 60. The other end face 22a is a portion that faces the middle portion 13 of the busbar 10 in the axial direction X at the periphery of the insertion hole 21. The one end face 22b is a portion where a recess 24 that holds the seal member 60 is provided at the periphery of the housing protruding portion 23. The recess 24 is recessed from the one end face 22b along the axial direction X toward the opposite side from the attachment object 70, and accommodates the seal member 60. The recess 24 is formed, for example, in a substantially elliptical ring shape that follows the outer shape of the seal member 60.

[0020] The sealing member 60 prevents moisture and other foreign matter from entering the interior of the terminal block 1 through an annular gap between the housing 20 and the above-described attachment object 70. The sealing member 60 is made of an elastically deformable material such as rubber or resin. The sealing member 60 is formed, for example, in a substantially elliptical cylindrical shape and is inserted into the above-described recess 24. When the terminal block 1 is attached to the attachment object 70, the sealing member 60 is interposed between the bottom surface 24a of the recess 24 and the end surface of the attachment object 70 on the housing main body 22 side. The attachment object 70 is provided with a through-hole 71 through which the housing protrusion 23 is inserted along the axial direction X.

[0021] The fastening member 30 fastens the busbar 10 and the external terminal 2 to the housing 20 along the fastening direction Z. The fastening member 30 includes, for example, a bolt (not shown) and a nut 31. The bolt has a shank with a male thread that engages with the female thread of the nut 31, a head with a diameter larger than the shank, and a flange (washer) interposed between the head and the external terminal. The nut 31 is attached and fixed to, for example, the tip of the housing protrusion 23 in a state where rotation is restricted, and is aligned with the mounting hole 12a in the fastening direction Z as the second connecting portion 12 is inserted into the insertion hole 21. The bolt of the fastening member 30 is fastened to the nut 31 with the shank passing through the second connecting portion 12 and the external terminal along the fastening direction Z, with the second connecting portion 12 and the external terminal sandwiched between the head and the nut 31.

[0022] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal block 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the packing 50 has, for example, an insertion hole 51 through which the second connection portion 12 of the bus bar 10 is inserted along the axial direction X, and seals the periphery of the second connection portion 12 inserted into the insertion hole 51. In this embodiment, the terminal block 1 is provided with three packings 50 corresponding to the bus bars 10. The packings 50 are formed of an elastically deformable material such as rubber. The packings 50 are also called terminal packings, rubber plugs, bushings, etc.

[0023] Each packing 50 is provided with a plurality of outer peripheral lip portions 52 and a plurality of inner peripheral lip portions 53. The outer peripheral lip portions 52 are pleated water-stopping portions formed in a substantially annular shape along the outer peripheral surface of the packing 50. In this embodiment, each packing 50 is provided with two outer peripheral lip portions 52 lined up in the axial direction X. When the packing 50 is attached to the insertion hole 21 of the housing 20, the outer peripheral lip portions 52 come into contact with the inner surface of the insertion hole 21 to seal the water between the inner surface and the inner surface. The outer peripheral lip portions 52 are configured to elastically deform to fit closely to the inner surface of the insertion hole 21 and seal the annular space between the inner surface and the outer peripheral surface of the packing 50.

[0024] The inner lip portion 53 is a pleated water-stopping portion formed in a substantially annular shape along the inner circumferential surface of the packing 50. In the present embodiment, the packing 50 is provided with two inner lip portions 53 arranged side by side in the axial direction X. When the second connection portion 12 of the busbar 10 is inserted (press-fitted) into the insertion hole 51 of the packing 50, the inner lip portion 53 comes into contact with the outer surface of the second connection portion 12 to seal the gap between the outer surface and the second connection portion 12. The inner lip portion 53 is configured to be in close contact with the outer surface of the second connection portion 12 by elastic deformation and to seal the annular space between the outer surface and the inner circumferential surface of the packing 50.

[0025] The packing holder 40 has, for example, a bus bar insertion portion 41 through which the second connection portion 12 of the bus bar 10 is inserted along the axial direction X, and supports the periphery of the second connection portion 12 inserted through the bus bar insertion portion 41, as well as supporting the packing 50 in the axial direction X. In this embodiment, the packing holder 40 is provided with three bus bar insertion portions 41 corresponding to the bus bars 10. The three bus bar insertion portions 41 are separated from each other in the width direction Y, for example, by a partition wall 42 provided between two bus bar insertion portions 41 adjacent to each other in the width direction Y. The packing holder 40 is formed, for example, from an insulating synthetic resin material.

[0026] The packing holder 40 has, for example, an end face 43 facing the packing 50. The end face 43 is a portion that supports the packing 50 in the axial direction X. In this embodiment, the packing holder 40 is inserted into the insertion hole 21 of the housing 20 with the second connection portion 12 inserted into the bus bar insertion portion 41 and the end face 43 abutting against the packing 50. The packing holder 40 functions as a portion that pushes the packing 50 toward the back of the insertion hole 21 when assembling the packing holder 40 into the insertion hole 21.

[0027] Fig. 4 is a plan view of the terminal block 1, and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal block 1, showing an enlarged view of the vicinity of the seal member 60. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in this embodiment, mounting holes 22c are provided at both ends of the housing body 22 in the width direction Y, into which fastening members such as bolts are attached to fasten the housing 20 to the mounting object 70. The mounting holes 22c are through-holes that penetrate the housing body 22 along the axial direction X, and through which the shanks of bolts are inserted. Furthermore, a collar member 80 is provided inside the mounting hole 22c to prevent interference between the shanks of the bolts and the inner surface of the mounting hole 22c.

[0028] The seal member 60 is compressed along the axial direction X when the housing 20 and the mounting object 70 are fastened together, for example, via bolts. This generates an elastic restoring force in the seal member 60, increasing the surface pressure between the mounting object 70 (see FIG. 5) and the seal member 60 and the surface pressure between the housing 20 and the seal member 60, thereby improving the sealing performance at these positions. Note that FIG. 5 shows the seal member 60 in a free state where it is not compressed between the housing 20 and the mounting object 70. In the compressed state (mounted state), the seal member 60 has almost the entire abutment surface 63 on the mounting object 70 side in the axial direction X in close contact with the mounting object 70, and the multiple lip portions 62 on the housing 20 side in the axial direction X in close contact with the bottom surface 24a of the recess 24 so as to be crushed.

[0029] In this embodiment, the seal member 60 is formed in a tapered shape such that an end face 61 facing the side face 24b of the recess 24 gradually moves away from the side face 24b as it moves toward the bottom face 24a of the recess 24 along the axial direction X. Specifically, in this embodiment, the seal member 60 has an outer end face 61a and an inner end face 61b of the end faces 61 formed in a tapered shape such that they gradually move away from the side face 24b as they move toward the bottom face 24a of the recess 24, thereby having a substantially trapezoidal cross-sectional shape. The outer end face 61a is the end face 61 facing the side face 24b on the annular outer periphery of the recess 24, and the inner end face 61b is the end face 61 facing the side face 24b on the annular inner periphery of the recess 24. The outer end face 61a is also referred to as an outer peripheral surface, and the inner end face 61b is also referred to as an inner peripheral surface.

[0030] The seal member 60 is configured such that, in a free state where it is not compressed between the housing 20 and the attachment object 70, the gap G between the outer end face 61a and the annular outer peripheral side face 24b and the gap G between the inner end face 61b and the annular inner peripheral side face 24b gradually increase toward the bottom surface 24a of the recess 24. That is, in the present embodiment, the recess 24 has each of the annular outer peripheral side face 24b and the annular inner peripheral side face 24b formed flat and extending along the axial direction X, and the outer end face 61a and the inner end face 61b are inclined relative to the pair of side faces 24b so as to approach each other along the fastening direction Z toward the bottom surface 24a of the recess 24. This improves the insertability of the housing 20 into the recess 24 while ensuring a sufficient contact area between the abutment surface 63 of the seal member 60 and the attachment object 70.

[0031] The seal member 60 is also provided with multiple lip portions 62. The lip portions 62 are water-stopping portions formed in a substantially annular shape along the surface of the seal member 60 opposite the abutment surface 63 in the axial direction X. In this embodiment, the seal member 60 is provided with two lip portions 62 aligned in the fastening direction Z. When the seal member 60 is attached to the recess 24 of the housing 20, the lip portions 62 contact the bottom surface 24a of the recess 24 to seal the gap between the bottom surface 24a and the recess 24. The lip portions 62 are configured to elastically deform to closely contact the bottom surface 24a of the recess 24 and seal the annular space between the bottom surface 24a and the surface of the seal member 60 opposite the abutment surface 63. This prevents foreign matter such as moisture from entering the gap G between the inner end surface 61b and the annular inner side surface 24b through the gap G between the outer end surface 61a and the annular outer peripheral side surface 24b.

[0032] As described above, in the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, the seal member 60 is formed in a tapered shape such that the end face 61 facing the side face 24b of the recess 24 gradually moves away from the side face 24b along the axial direction X toward the bottom face 24a of the recess 24. In addition, in a free state where the seal member 60 is not compressed between the housing 20 and the attachment object 70, the gap G between the end face 61 and the side face 24b gradually increases toward the bottom face 24a. With this configuration, the terminal block 1 can, for example, ensure the contact area of ​​the abutment surface 63 with the attachment object 70 by the tapered seal member 60, while improving the ease of assembly (insertion) of the housing 20 into the recess 24. As a result, the terminal block 1 can ensure both ease of assembly of the seal member 60 to the housing 20 and watertightness.

[0033] In the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, the end face 61 includes an outer end face 61a facing the side face 24b on the annular outer periphery of the recess 24 and an inner end face 61b facing the side face 24b on the annular inner periphery of the recess 24. The sealing member 60 has a tapered shape inclined so that the outer end face 61a and the inner end face 61b gradually move away from the side face 24b along the axial direction X toward the bottom face 24a. In a free state where the sealing member 60 is not compressed between the housing 20 and the attachment target 70, the gap G between the outer end face 61a and the side face 24b and the gap G between the inner end face 61b and the side face 24b gradually increase toward the bottom face 24a. This configuration of the terminal block 1 further improves the ease of assembly (insertion) of the housing 20 into the recess 24 compared to, for example, a case in which either the outer end face 61a or the inner end face 61b is formed as a flat surface along the side face 24b.

[0034] In this embodiment, an example is given in which both the outer end face 61a and the inner end face 61b are formed in a tapered shape inclined relative to the side face 24b, but this example is not limited to this, and for example, only one of the outer end face 61a and the inner end face 61b may be formed in a tapered shape inclined relative to the side face 24b.

[0035] While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, combinations, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the specifications of each configuration, shape, and the like (structure, type, direction, format, size, length, width, thickness, height, number, arrangement, position, material, etc.) can be modified as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1 Terminal block 10 Bus Bar 20. Housing 22b One end face 24 recess 24a Bottom 24b side 60 Sealing material 61 End face 61a Outer end face 61b Inner end face 63 Contact surface 70 Mounting object G Gap X-axis direction

Claims

1. a bus bar extending along an axial direction; a housing that holds the bus bar; an annular seal member attached to one end surface of the housing in the axial direction to seal off water between the housing and an object to which the housing is attached; The one end surface of the housing is provided with an annular recess that is recessed along the axial direction toward an opposite side from the attachment object and that accommodates the seal member, The sealing member is formed in a tapered shape such that an end face facing a side face of the recess gradually moves away from the side face along the axial direction toward the bottom face of the recess, and the gap between the end face and the side face gradually increases toward the bottom face in a free state where the sealing member is not compressed between the housing and the attachment object. terminal block.

2. the end surface includes an outer end surface facing the side surface on an annular outer circumferential side of the recess, and an inner end surface facing the side surface on an annular inner circumferential side of the recess, The sealing member is configured such that each of the outer end surface and the inner end surface is formed in a tapered shape that is inclined so as to gradually move away from the side surface as it approaches the bottom surface side along the axial direction, and in a free state where it is not compressed between the housing and the attachment object, each of the gaps between the outer end surface and the side surface and the gap between the inner end surface and the side surface gradually increases toward the bottom surface side. The terminal block according to claim 1 .

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