Cap structure for electrical connection

Abstract

Improve operability. [Solution] The electrical connection part 100 includes a case 10 having a socket 12 into which a terminal 40 is inserted and a shaft 11, and a cap 30 having a hinge 20 with a bearing hole 21 formed therein, which opens and closes the socket 12. By inserting the shaft 11 of the case 10 relatively into the bearing hole 21 of the hinge 20, the cap 30 can rotate around the axis of the shaft 11 between an open position and a closed position.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present technology relates to a cap structure for an electrical connection. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electrical connection portion mounted on a vehicle or the like has been known that includes a case formed with a socket into which an external connection terminal is inserted, and a cap that closes the socket.

[0003] Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a configuration in which a case and a cap are connected by a flexible elastic member, and the cap can be attached to or detached from the case by moving the cap due to elastic deformation of the elastic member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-80665 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-334981 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the movement of the cap is mediated by elastic deformation of the elastic member, so the trajectory of the cap during the opening and closing process is not constant. For example, to close the socket, the cap must be closed while aligning with the socket, making the closing operation not necessarily simple. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of making the opening and closing operation of the cap easier.

[0006] The purpose of this technology is to improve operability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the cap structure of the electrical connection part of the present technology comprises a case having a socket into which a terminal is inserted and a shaft portion, and a cap having a hinge portion with a bearing hole formed therein, which opens and closes the socket, and by inserting the shaft portion into the bearing hole, the cap can rotate around the axis of the shaft portion between an open position and a closed position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present technology, it is possible to improve operability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] This is a view of the main parts of the electrical connection part as seen from the +Z side. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a view of the main parts of the electrical connection portion when the cap is in the open position, viewed from the +Z side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present technology will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connection to which a cap structure according to an embodiment of the present technology is applied. This electrical connection 100 is applied to a vehicle as an example, but the application is not limited thereto. The electrical connection 100 is applied to, for example, a power supply socket, a cigarette lighter socket, a USB terminal, etc., but the type and application are not limited thereto. Hereinafter, the directions of each part will be referred to based on the X, Y, and Z coordinate axes shown in each drawing.

[0012] The electrical connection unit 100 includes a case 10 and a cap 30, which is a lid member. The case 10 includes a socket 12 into which a terminal 40 of an external device (not shown) is inserted. The cap 30 opens and closes the socket 12. The cap 30 is rotatable about a rotation center C0 between an open position and a closed position.

[0013] Fig. 2 is a view of the main parts of the electrical connection part 100 as seen from the +Z side. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2. The cross-sectional position shown in Fig. 3 is slightly closer to the -Y side than the center of rotation C0. In Fig. 1, the cap 30 is in the open position. In Figs. 2 and 3, the cap 30 is in a position rotated approximately 90° from the closed position (slightly closer to the closed position than the open position).

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1, case 10 has a shaft portion 11. Shaft portion 11 is disposed on the -X side of socket 12. Case 10 has fitting portion 14, which is an annular protrusion, formed around socket 12. Recess 17 is provided on the +X side of socket 12.

[0015] The cap 30 has a hinge portion 20. A bearing hole 21 is formed in the hinge portion 20 in the axial direction (Z direction) of the rotation center C0 (FIG. 3). The shaft portion 11 of the case 10 is inserted relatively into the bearing hole 21 of the hinge portion 20. This allows the cap 30 to rotate around the axis of the shaft portion 11 (around the axis of the rotation center C0; around the Z axis) between an open position and a closed position.

[0016] The cap 30 has a protrusion 33 near the free end. In addition, a mating-compatible portion 31, which is an annular groove corresponding to the mating portion 14, is disposed between the hinge portion 20 and the protrusion 33. When the cap 30 is rotated to the closed position, the protrusion 33 engages with the recess 17, and the mating-compatible portion 31 fits into the mating portion 14. The trajectory of the rotation of the cap 30 is substantially constant because it is restricted by the engagement between the shaft portion 11 and the bearing hole 21. Therefore, the engagement between the protrusion 33 and the recess 17 and the mating between the mating-compatible portion 31 and the mating portion 14 are smoothly achieved without the user being particularly aware of it. In this respect, operability is high.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, the hinge portion 20 is formed with a first hole H1 and a second hole H2 as two holes connected to the bearing hole 21. These two holes open to opposite sides of the axis of the shaft portion 11. For example, in the state shown in FIG. 3, the first hole H1 opens to the -X side, and the second hole H2 opens to the +X side. The first hole H1 has a first end face H1a at one end side (+Z side) in the axial direction. The second hole H2 has a second end face H2a at the other end side (-Z side) in the axial direction.

[0018] The case 10 is integrally formed from a resin or the like. The cap 30 is made of a material such as a resin (such as CR rubber) that is more elastic than the case 10. The materials of the cap 30 and the case 10 are not limited to those exemplified. A protrusion 13 that is long in the Z direction is formed on the outer periphery of the shaft 11. When the shaft 11 is inserted into the bearing hole 21, the first hole H1 engages with the protrusion 13 after the hinge portion 20 is elastically deformed. The first hole H1 engages with the protrusion 13 when the shaft 11 is inserted into the bearing hole 21, thereby preventing the shaft 11 from slipping out of the bearing hole 21.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a view of the main parts of the electrical connection unit 100 when the cap 30 is in the open position, as viewed from the +Z side. Note that FIG. 4 also shows a cross section of a portion near the receptacle 12. The open position shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 is the position where the cap 30 is rotated from the closed position to the furthest extent in the open direction (clockwise in FIG. 4). The rotation angle between the open and closed positions is θ. When the cap 30 is in the open position, the terminal 40 inserted into the receptacle 12 of the case 10 and the cap 30 do not overlap when viewed from the insertion direction (Y direction). In other words, the rotation angle θ is set so that the cap 30 in the open position is not positioned on an imaginary extension line of the receptacle 12. In other words, as shown in FIG. 4, the cap 30 in the open position is not positioned in the imaginary extension region E of the receptacle 12 in the insertion direction. To facilitate the insertion operation, it is desirable that the rotation angle θ exceed 90°.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 4, a rib 22 is provided to protrude from the outer surface of the hinge portion 20. Meanwhile, a rib engagement portion 15 is provided to protrude from the case 10. When the cap 30 is in the open position, the rib 22 and the rib engagement portion 15 engage with each other, thereby stabilizing the cap 30 in the open position.

[0021] Furthermore, cap 30 is provided with a contact portion 32, and case 10 is provided with a restriction portion 16. When cap 30 is opened, abutment portion 32 comes into contact with restriction portion 16, thereby restricting the open position of cap 30. More specifically, when cap 30 is opened, rib 22 moves over rib engagement portion 15, creating a clicking sensation, and immediately after rib 22 moves over rib engagement portion 15, abutment portion 32 and restriction portion 16 come into contact with each other.

[0022] The engagement between the rib 22 and the rib engagement portion 15 urges the cap 30 in the opening direction or acts as a resistance force against rotation in the closing direction, stabilizing the contact or proximity state between the abutment portion 32 and the restriction portion 16. Therefore, strictly speaking, the cooperation of the rib 22, the rib engagement portion 15, the abutment portion 32, and the restriction portion 16 stabilizes the open state of the cap 30, making the opening operation easy and preventing interference with the insertion operation of the terminal 40.

[0023] The cap 30 is formed by injection molding using a pair of molds (not shown). The pair of molds consists of a cavity-side mold and a core-side mold. The shape of the cap 30 is designed so that no undercuts are created when the pair of molds are used to mold the cap from a predetermined direction. In particular, the hinge portion 20 has a hole, so the following measures are taken to prevent the creation of undercuts. The predetermined direction, which is the mold opening direction, is the X direction in the position shown in Figures 2 and 3.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the first end face H1a of the first hole H1 is located at the same position or on the +Z side in the Z direction relative to the second end face H2a of the second hole H2. This allows a mating surface (a so-called "chamfered surface") along the mold opening direction to be formed between the inner end position of the first end face H1a and the inner end position of the second end face H2a. This chamfered surface is formed within the bearing hole 21. This makes it possible to design the mold so that no undercut portion is created during molding using a pair of molds from a predetermined direction. This eliminates the need for a slide core, making manufacturing easier.

[0025] According to this embodiment, the shaft 11 of the case 10 is relatively inserted into the bearing hole 21 of the hinge portion 20 of the cap 30, so that the cap 30 can rotate between the open position and the closed position around the axis of the shaft 11. Therefore, the trajectory of the cap 30 during the opening and closing stroke is constant, thereby improving operability.

[0026] Furthermore, the first end face H1a of the first hole H1 is located at the same position in the Z direction as or on the +Z side of the second end face H2a of the second hole H2, thereby eliminating the need for a slide core during molding using a mold. Moreover, the first hole H1 engages with the protrusion 13 of the shaft portion 11, thereby serving as an engagement portion that prevents the shaft portion 11 from slipping out of the bearing hole 21. In this way, the configuration that eliminates the need for a slide core also functions as a retaining function, thereby preventing the configuration from becoming too complicated.

[0027] In order to eliminate the need for a slide core, the number of holes connected to the bearing hole 21 and opening on opposite sides of the axis of the shaft portion 11 may be three or more. Of these three or more holes, any one of the holes may be the engaging portion that engages with the protrusion 13.

[0028] Furthermore, when the cap 30 is in the closed position, the mating portion 31 is mated with the mating portion 14, so that simply rotating the cap 30 to the closed position results in natural mating, facilitating the closing operation.

[0029] In addition, in the open position, the terminals 40 and the cap 30 do not overlap when viewed from the insertion direction, making insertion easy. Moreover, the open position of the cap 30 is stabilized by the engagement of the rib 22 with the rib engagement portion 15, making opening and insertion operations easy.

[0030] The present technology has been described above in detail based on preferred embodiments thereof, but the present technology is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope of the gist of the present technology are also included in the present technology. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 10 case, 11 shaft portion, 12 socket, 20 hinge portion, 21 bearing hole, 30 cap, 40 terminal, 100 electrical connection portion

Claims

1. a case having a socket into which the terminal is inserted and a shaft portion; a cap having a hinge portion in which a bearing hole is formed and configured to open and close the insertion port; A cap structure for an electrical connection part, wherein the shaft portion is inserted into the bearing hole, so that the cap can rotate about the axis of the shaft portion between an open position and a closed position.

2. A protrusion is formed on the outer periphery of the shaft portion, 2. The cap structure for an electrical connection part according to claim 1, wherein the bearing hole is formed with an engaging portion that engages with the protrusion when the shaft portion is inserted therein.

3. the case has a fitting portion around the insertion port, The cap structure for an electrical connection part according to claim 1 , wherein the cap has a mating portion that is mated with the mating portion when the cap is in the closed position.

4. 2. The cap structure for an electrical connection part according to claim 1, wherein a rotation angle between the open position and the closed position is an angle at which the cap is not positioned on an imaginary extension line of the socket in the open position.

5. A rib is provided on the outer surface of the hinge portion, The cap structure for an electrical connection part according to claim 1 , wherein the case has a rib engagement portion that engages with the rib when the cap is in the open position, thereby stabilizing the cap in the open position.

6. The hinge portion is formed with a first hole and a second hole, each of which is connected to the bearing hole and opens to opposite sides of the axis, the first hole has a first end surface at one end side in the axial direction, the second hole has a second end surface on the other end side in the axial direction, 6. The cap structure for an electrical connection portion according to claim 1, wherein the first end surface is located at the same position as or on the one end side of the second end surface in the axial direction.

7. A protrusion is formed on the outer periphery of the shaft portion, 7. A cap structure for an electrical connection part as described in claim 6, wherein at least one of the first hole or the second hole engages with the protrusion when the shaft portion is inserted into the bearing hole, thereby preventing the shaft portion from slipping out of the bearing hole.

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