Terminal board

Abstract

To provide a terminal block capable of absorbing a tolerance between a first connection terminal and a second connection terminal.SOLUTION: A terminal board 1 includes a bus bar 10, a housing 20 provided with an insertion space part 21 into which a second connection part 12 of the bus bar 10 is inserted along an axial direction X, a packing 30 that is inserted into the insertion space part 21 together with the second connection part 12 and seals an annular space between an outer surface of the second connection part 12 and an inner surface of the insertion space part 21, and a bus bar insertion part 41 through which the second connection part 12 is inserted along the axial direction X. A packing holder 40 that is inserted into the insertion space part 21 in a state where the second connection part 12 is inserted into the bus bar insertion part 41 and the packing 30 is supported in the axial direction X is provided, and the first connection part 11 is configured to include a notch part 15 for allowing deformation of the first connection part 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] As an example of a conventional terminal block technology, Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal block including a bus bar having a first connection portion connected to a first connection terminal, a second connection portion connected to a second connection terminal, and an intermediate portion connected between the first connection portion and the second connection portion, and a housing provided with an insertion space portion into which the second connection portion of the bus bar is inserted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-024667 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the terminal block described in Patent Document 1 above has room for further improvement in terms of, for example, absorbing the tolerance between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a terminal block that can absorb the tolerance between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a terminal block according to the present invention includes a bus bar having a first connection portion that extends along an axial direction and is connected to a first connection terminal, a second connection portion that extends along the axial direction and is positioned shifted in the axial direction and a plate thickness direction intersecting the axial direction with respect to the first connection portion and is connected to a second connection terminal, and an intermediate portion that is connected between the first connection portion and the second connection portion and extends along the plate thickness direction, and an insertion space portion into which the second connection portion of the bus bar is inserted along the axial direction is provided. the housing is provided with a gasket inserted into the insertion space together with the second connection portion and sealing the annular space between the outer surface of the second connection portion and the inner surface of the insertion space; and the gasket holder has a bus bar insertion portion through which the second connection portion is inserted along the axial direction, and is inserted into the insertion space with the second connection portion inserted into the bus bar insertion portion and supporting the gasket in the axial direction, and the first connection portion is configured to include a notch portion to allow deformation of the first connection portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the terminal block according to the present invention, the first connection portion includes a notch for allowing deformation of the first connection portion. With this configuration, the notch allows deformation of the first connection portion when the terminal block is attached to the first and second connection terminals. As a result, the terminal block has the advantage of being able to absorb tolerances between the first and second connection terminals. [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 perspective view of a packing of the terminal block according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exemplary perspective view of a packing holder of the terminal block according to the embodiment. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a terminal block according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the terminal block according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the bus bar is deformed. 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 relays an electrical connection between a first device D1 and a second device D2. The terminal block 1 of this embodiment includes a plurality of bus bars 10. A first connection terminal 3 (see FIG. 6) of the first device D1 is electrically connected to a first connection portion 11 provided at one end of the plurality of bus bars 10. In addition, in the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, a second connection terminal 4 of the second device D2 is electrically connected to a second connection portion 12 provided at the other end of the plurality of bus bars 10. The first device D1 is, for example, one of a motor and an inverter, and the second device D2 is, for example, the other of the motor and the inverter. Note that the terminal block 1 is not limited to this example and may be used, for example, to relay between the first device D1 or the second device D2 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 "plate thickness direction Z." Here, the axial direction X, width direction Y, and plate thickness 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 plate thickness direction Z typically corresponds to the plate thickness direction of the multiple bus bars 10 (first connection portions 11 and second connection portions 12), the fastening direction between the multiple bus bars 10 and the first connection terminals 3 and the second connection terminals 4, the height direction (up-down direction) of the terminal block 1, etc. In addition, unless otherwise specified, the directions used in the following description are directions when the terminal block 1 is assembled to the first connection terminal 3 and the second connection terminal 4.

[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 plurality of bus bars 10, a housing 20, a packing 30, a packing holder 40, and a sealing member 50. The plurality of bus bars 10 are terminal fittings made of a conductive metal material, and are electrically connected to the first connection terminals 3 and the second connection terminals 4. 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 first connection terminal 3. 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 bolt 61 (see FIG. 6) of a fastening member 60 that fastens the busbar 10 and the first connection terminal 3 is attached. The mounting hole 11a is a through-hole that passes through the first connection portion 11 along the plate thickness direction Z, and is configured as a circular hole with a larger diameter than the shank 61b of the bolt 61. The first connection portion 11 is also provided with a notch 15, which will be described later.

[0015] The second connection portion 12 is a portion that is electrically and mechanically connected to the second connection terminal 4. The second connection portion 12 extends along the axial direction X and is positioned offset in the axial direction X and the plate thickness 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 71 (see FIG. 6 ) of a fastening member 70 that fastens the busbar 10 and the second connection terminal 4 is attached. The mounting hole 12a is a through-hole that passes through the second connection portion 12 along the plate thickness direction Z and is configured as a circular hole with approximately the same diameter as the shank 71b of the bolt 71.

[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 extends along the plate thickness direction Z and forms 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. The thickness direction of the intermediate portion 13 is along the axial direction X that intersects with the plate thickness direction Z of the first connecting portion 11 and the second connecting portion.

[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. 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] An insertion space 21 into which the second connection portion 12 of the busbar 10 is inserted along the axial direction X is provided inside the housing main body 22 and the housing protruding portion 23. The insertion space 21 penetrates 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 spaces 21 corresponding to the busbars 10, and these three insertion spaces 21 are partitioned from one another in the width direction Y.

[0019] The housing main body 22 has one end face 22a on one side in the axial direction X (the busbar 10 side) and another end face 22b on the other side in the axial direction X. The one 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 space portion 21. The other end face 22b is a portion where a recess 24 that holds the seal member 50 is provided at the periphery of the housing protruding portion 23. The recess 24 is recessed from the other end face 22b toward one side in the axial direction X and is open toward the other side in the axial direction X. The recess 24 is formed, for example, in a substantially elliptical ring shape that follows the outer shape of the seal member 50.

[0020] The seal member 50 prevents moisture and other foreign matter from entering the inside of the terminal block 1 through an annular gap between the housing 20 and the cylindrical portion (not shown) of the second device D2. The seal member 50 is made of an elastically deformable material such as rubber or resin. The seal member 50 is formed, for example, in a substantially elliptical cylindrical shape and is fitted into the recess 24. When the terminal block 1 is connected to the second device D2, the seal member 50 is interposed between the other end surface 22b of the housing main body 22 and the end surface of the cylindrical portion (not shown) of the second device D2.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the packing 30 of the terminal block 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the packing 30 has an insertion hole 31 through which, for example, 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 31. In this embodiment, the terminal block 1 is provided with three packings 30 corresponding to the bus bars 10. The three packings 30 are connected to each other via a connecting portion 34 provided between two packings 30 adjacent to each other in the width direction Y, for example. The packings 30 are formed of an elastically deformable material such as rubber. The packings 30 are also called terminal packings, rubber plugs, bushings, etc.

[0022] Each packing 30 is provided with a plurality of outer peripheral lip portions 32 and a plurality of inner peripheral lip portions 33. The outer peripheral lip portions 32 are pleated water-stopping portions formed in a substantially annular shape along the outer peripheral surface of the packing 30. In this embodiment, each packing 30 is provided with two outer peripheral lip portions 32 lined up in the axial direction X. When the packing 30 is attached to the insertion space 21 (see FIG. 5 ) of the housing 20, the outer peripheral lip portions 32 come into contact with the inner surface of the insertion space 21 to seal the water between the inner surface and the inner surface. The outer peripheral lip portions 32 are configured to elastically deform to fit closely to the inner surface of the insertion space 21 and seal the annular space between the inner surface and the outer peripheral surface of the packing 30.

[0023] The inner lip portion 33 is a pleated water-stopping portion formed in a substantially annular shape along the inner circumferential surface of the packing 30. In this embodiment, the packing 30 is provided with two inner lip portions 33 (see FIG. 5 ) aligned in the axial direction X. When the second connection portion 12 of the busbar 10 is inserted (press-fitted) into the insertion hole 31, the inner lip portion 33 comes into contact with the outer surface of the second connection portion 12 to seal the water between the outer surface and the second connection portion 12. The inner lip portion 33 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 30.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a packing holder 40 of the terminal block 1, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal block 1. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, 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 and supports the packing 30 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 by, for example, 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.

[0025] The packing holder 40 also has, for example, a protrusion 43 provided on one end surface in the axial direction X. The protrusion 43 protrudes from the packing holder 40 on one side in the axial direction X and supports the intermediate portion 13 (see FIG. 5 ) of the busbar 10. That is, the protrusion 43 supports the intermediate portion 13 in a state spaced apart from the one end surface of the packing holder 40 in the axial direction X. The packing holder 40 is inserted into the insertion space 21 of the housing 20 with the second connection portion 12 inserted into the busbar insertion portion 41 and supporting the packing 30 in the axial direction X. The packing holder 40 functions as a part that pushes the packing 30 toward the other side in the axial direction X (the back side of the insertion space 21) when assembled into the insertion space 21.

[0026] Furthermore, when the packing holder 40 is assembled into the insertion space 21, a gap S is provided between the intermediate portion 13 and one end face in the axial direction X of the packing holder 40, and between the intermediate portion 13 and the above-mentioned one end face 22a of the housing 20. The gap S is a gap for allowing deformation of the intermediate portion 13 in the axial direction X.

[0027] Here, in this embodiment, the first connection portion 11 of the busbar 10 is configured to include a notch 15 for allowing deformation of the first connection portion 11. The notch 15 is, for example, a through-hole that penetrates the center of the first connection portion 11 along the plate thickness direction Z, and is formed in a quadrangular shape when viewed from the plate thickness direction Z (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In this embodiment, the notch 15 is provided at an intermediate position between the intermediate portion 13 and a mounting hole 11a to which a fastening member 60 of the first connection portion 11 is attached. The notch 15 functions as, for example, an opening for reducing the rigidity or strength (section modulus) of a peripheral portion of the notch 15, which is part of the first connection portion 11, thereby making it easier to partially deform the first connection portion 11.

[0028] Next, a tolerance absorbing structure for assembling the terminal block 1 having the above configuration to the first connection terminal 3 and the second connection terminal 4 will be described. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal block 1, showing a state in which the bus bar 10 is deformed. As shown in Fig. 6, when assembling the terminal block 1 to the first connection terminal 3 and the second connection terminal 4, first, the second connection portion 12 of the bus bar 10 and the second connection terminal 4 of the second device D2 are fastened and fixed with the fastening member 70.

[0029] Specifically, in this embodiment, the fastening member 70 includes a bolt 71 and a nut 72, and the nut 72 is pre-attached and fixed to the tip of the housing protrusion 23 while being aligned with the mounting hole 12a of the second connection portion 12 in the plate thickness direction Z. The bolt 71 has a shank 71b having a male thread portion on its outer circumferential surface that engages with the female thread portion of the nut 72, and a head 71a having a diameter larger than that of the shank 71b. The bolt 71 is fastened to the nut 72 with the shank 71b penetrating the second connection terminal 4 and the second connection portion 12 in the plate thickness direction Z, with the second connection terminal 4 and the second connection portion 12 sandwiched between the head 71a and the nut 72.

[0030] Next, the first connection portion 11 of the busbar 10 and the first connection terminal 3 of the first device D1 are fastened and fixed together by a fastening member 60. Specifically, in this embodiment, the fastening member 60 includes a bolt 61 and a nut 62, and the mounting hole 11a of the first connection terminal 3 to which the bolt 61 is attached is configured as a round hole to accommodate, to some extent, the dimensional tolerance between the first connection terminal 3 and the second connection terminal 4. Then, with the first connection terminal 3 and the first connection portion 11 sandwiched between the head 61a and the nut 62, the bolt 61 is fastened to the nut 62 with the shank 61b penetrating the first connection terminal 3 and the first connection portion 11 in the plate thickness direction Z.

[0031] In this embodiment, if the dimensional tolerance between the first connection terminal 3 and the second connection terminal 4 is relatively large, an external force acting diagonally downward between the axial direction X and the plate thickness direction Z is generated on the busbar 10, causing stress to concentrate near the notch 15 and deforming the first connection portion 11. Specifically, the first connection portion 11 curves along the plate thickness direction Z so that the length along the axial direction X between the tip end on the mounting hole 11a side and the base end on the intermediate portion 13 side is shortened. In addition, the stress concentrated near the notch 15 may also cause the intermediate portion 13 to deform along the axial direction X. This allows the terminal block 1 to accommodate the dimensional tolerance between the first connection terminal 3 and the second connection terminal 4.

[0032] As described above, in the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, the first connecting portion 11 is configured to include the notch 15 for allowing deformation of the first connecting portion 11. With this configuration, the terminal block 1 can allow deformation of the first connecting portion 11 by the notch 15 when, for example, assembling the terminal block 1 to the first connecting terminal 3 and the second connecting terminal 4. As a result, the terminal block 1 can absorb the tolerance between the first connecting terminal 3 and the second connecting terminal 4, and ultimately makes it easier to deform the bus bar 10 during assembling, thereby improving the ease of assembling the terminal block 1 to the first connecting terminal 3 and the second connecting terminal 4.

[0033] Furthermore, in the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, the first connection portion 11 has a mounting hole 11a to which a fastening member 60 that fastens the bus bar 10 and the first connection terminal 3 is attached, and the notch 15 is provided between the mounting hole 11a and the intermediate portion 13. With this configuration, the terminal block 1 can, for example, tolerate deformation of the first connection portion 11 by the notch 15 provided between the mounting hole 11a and the intermediate portion 13, and therefore can more effectively absorb the tolerance between the first connection terminal 3 and the second connection terminal 4.

[0034] Furthermore, in the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, the housing 20 has one end face 22a that faces the intermediate portion 13 in the axial direction X at the periphery of the insertion space 21, and a gap S is provided between the one end face 22a and the intermediate portion 13 to allow deformation of the intermediate portion 13. With this configuration, the terminal block 1 can allow deformation of the intermediate portion 13 in the axial direction X by the gap S when, for example, assembling the terminal block 1 to the first connection terminal 3 and the second connection terminal 4. As a result, the terminal block 1 can absorb tolerances between the first connection terminal 3 and the second connection terminal 4, thereby improving the ease of assembling the terminal block 1 to the first connection terminal 3 and the second connection terminal 4.

[0035] In the present embodiment, the cutout 15 is configured as a through-hole penetrating the center of the first connecting portion 11 along the plate thickness direction Z, but is not limited to this example. For example, the cutout 15 may be configured as a recess formed by recessing the center of the first connecting portion 11 along the plate thickness direction Z, or as a notched groove formed by cutting out both ends of the first connecting portion 11 in the width direction Y. In addition, in the present embodiment, the gap S is provided between the one end surface 22a of the housing 20 and the intermediate portion 13 to allow deformation of the intermediate portion 13 in the axial direction X, but is not limited to this example. For example, the one end surface 22a and the intermediate portion 13 may be disposed in abutting contact with each other without providing the gap S.

[0036] 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]

[0037] 1 Terminal block 3 First connection terminal 4 Second connection terminal 10 Bus Bar 11 First connection part 12 Second connection part 13 Middle section 15 Notch 20. Housing 21 Insertion space 22a One end face 30 Gasket 40 Packing holder 41 Bus bar insertion part D1 1st device D2 2nd device S Gap X-axis direction Z Thickness direction

Claims

1. a bus bar including: a first connection portion extending along an axial direction and connected to a first connection terminal; a second connection portion extending along the axial direction and positioned offset with respect to the first connection portion in the axial direction and in a plate thickness direction intersecting the axial direction, and connected to a second connection terminal; and an intermediate portion connected between the first connection portion and the second connection portion and extending along the plate thickness direction; a housing provided with an insertion space into which the second connection portion of the bus bar is inserted along the axial direction; a packing that is inserted into the insertion space together with the second connection portion and seals an annular space between an outer surface of the second connection portion and an inner surface of the insertion space; a packing holder having a bus bar insertion portion through which the second connection portion is inserted along the axial direction, the packing holder being inserted into the insertion space portion in a state in which the second connection portion is inserted into the bus bar insertion portion and the packing is supported in the axial direction, the first connection portion includes a notch portion for allowing deformation of the first connection portion; terminal block.

2. the first connection portion has a mounting hole to which a fastening member that fastens the bus bar and the first connection terminal is attached, The notch is provided between the mounting hole and the intermediate portion. The terminal block according to claim 1 .

3. the housing has one end surface that faces the intermediate portion in the axial direction at a peripheral edge of the insertion space, a gap is provided between the one end surface and the intermediate portion to allow deformation of the intermediate portion; The terminal block according to claim 1 or 2.

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