Terminal block

Abstract

The objective is to provide a terminal block that can adequately reduce the scattering of foreign matter. [Solution] The terminal block 1 comprises a busbar 10 extending in the axial direction X and connected to an external terminal 2, a nut 40 into which a bolt 30 fastening the busbar 10 and the external terminal 2 along a fastening direction T intersecting the axial direction X is screwed, and a housing 20 that holds the busbar 10 and has a nut holding portion 200 that holds the nut 40. The nut holding portion 200 has a nut placement surface 210 formed in an annular shape around the fastening direction T and on which the nut 40 is arranged, and a bottomed recess 230 formed in a concave shape from the nut placement surface 210 on the side opposite to the busbar 10 in the fastening direction T, and on which a circumferential surface 231 is formed that connects to the inner edge 211 of the annular nut placement surface 210.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] As a technology related to a conventional terminal block, for example, in Patent Document 1, there is disclosed a terminal block including a housing having a through hole and holding a bus bar as a terminal connected to an external terminal, the housing having a cylindrical accommodation chamber in the axial direction of the through hole, a nut accommodated in the accommodation chamber, and a holder attached to the housing and having a support portion for supporting the nut. The holder is provided with a recess formed in a concave shape from the support portion. The external terminal and the bus bar are clamped together by a bolt inserted through the through hole of the bus bar and screwed into the nut. Before being screwed with the bolt, the nut is arranged to be able to abut against the bus bar or the support portion. After being screwed with the bolt, the nut and the support portion are separated, and the nut abuts against the bus bar. The chips generated when the bolt and the nut are screwed together are accommodated in the recess of the holder.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, such a terminal block, for example, has a recess for accommodating foreign matters such as chips generated when a bolt and a nut are screwed together, which is surrounded by the nut and the accommodation chamber in which the nut is accommodated. However, there is room for further improvement in terms of preventing the scattering of foreign matters.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a terminal block capable of appropriately reducing the scattering of foreign matters.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the terminal block of the present invention comprises a busbar extending in the axial direction and connected to an external terminal, a nut into which a bolt fastening the busbar and the external terminal along a fastening direction intersecting the axial direction is screwed, and a housing that holds the busbar and has a nut holding portion for holding the nut, wherein the nut holding portion has a nut arrangement surface formed in an annular shape around the fastening direction and on which the nut is arranged, and a bottomed recess formed in a concave shape from the nut arrangement surface on the side opposite to the busbar in the fastening direction and on which a circumferential surface is formed that connects to the inner edge of the annular nut arrangement surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The terminal block according to the present invention has the effect of being able to appropriately reduce the scattering of foreign matter. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a terminal block according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a terminal block according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a plan view showing the nut holding portion of the terminal block according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1, VV section. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. Furthermore, some of the components in the following embodiments may be easily substituted or substantially identical to those that are easily substituted by those skilled in the art.

[0010] [Embodiment] The terminal block 1 of this embodiment, shown in Figures 1 and 2, is mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, attached to a mounting target 70, and relays the electrical connection between a first device and a second device (not shown). The terminal block 1 of this embodiment is composed of a plurality of busbars 10, of which there are three, and the external terminals of the first device are electrically connected to a first connection part 11 provided at one end of the plurality of busbars 10. In addition, the external terminals 2 of the second device, shown by a dashed line, are electrically connected to a second connection part 12 provided at the other end of the plurality of busbars 10. The first device is, for example, one of a motor and an inverter, and the second device is, for example, the other of a motor and an 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 or the second device and a cable, or to relay between cable materials, etc.

[0011] In the following explanation, the direction in which the busbar 10 extends will be defined as the axial direction X, the direction perpendicular to the axial direction X in which multiple busbars 10 are arranged will be defined as the width direction Y, and the directions perpendicular to the axial direction X and the width direction Y will be defined as the height direction Z. Furthermore, one side of the axial direction X will be defined as side X1, and the other side as side X2. Similarly, in the width direction Y, side Y1 and side Y2 will be defined, and in the height direction Z, side Z1 and side Z2 will be defined.

[0012] The busbar 10 has a first connecting portion 11 and a second connecting portion 12 formed by bending the first connecting portion 11 at a right angle. Each portion is formed three-dimensionally as a single, roughly L-shape by applying various processes such as bending to a metal material such as sheet metal material according to the shape corresponding to each portion. The first connecting portion 11 extends in the height direction Z and is formed as a plate with its surface facing the axial direction X. The second connecting portion 12 extends in the axial direction X and is formed as a plate with its surface facing the height direction Z. On the other side Z2 of the first connecting portion 11 in the height direction Z, a connecting hole 11a is provided that penetrates in the axial direction X. Similarly, on one side X1 of the second connecting portion 12 in the axial direction X, a connecting hole 12a is provided that penetrates in the height direction Z. The external terminal of the first device is connected to the connecting hole 11a of the first connecting portion 11, and the external terminal 2 of the second device is connected to the connecting hole 12a of the second connecting portion 12.

[0013] The external terminal 2 is formed in a plate shape substantially parallel to the second connection portion 12 and is provided with a connection hole 2a that penetrates in the height direction Z. The external terminal 2 and the second connection portion 12 of the busbar 10 are connected by a bolt 30 inserted through the connection hole 2a of the external terminal 2 and the connection hole 12a of the second connection portion 12, which is screwed into a nut 40 held by the housing 20. Here, the direction of the axis of the bolt 30 is the fastening direction T that fastens the external terminal 2 and the busbar 10. The fastening direction T is the direction along the height direction Z. The nut 40 is a square corner nut.

[0014] The housing 20 has a housing body 21 and a busbar holding portion 22 including a plurality of nut holding portions 200, and is integrally formed from an insulating synthetic resin material or the like. The housing body 21 is formed in the shape of a substantially rectangular plate with the width direction Y as the longitudinal direction. One side X1 of the housing body 21 in the axial direction X is a substantially flat mounting surface 21a that abuts against the other side X2 of the mounting target 70 in the axial direction X. Mounting holes 21b are provided near the ends of one side Y1 and the other side Y2 in the width direction Y of the housing body 21. The mounting holes 21b are holes that penetrate in the axial direction X, and bolts (not shown) are inserted to fix the terminal block 1 to the mounting target 70 via the mounting holes 21b.

[0015] The busbar holding portion 22 of the housing 20 is provided in the approximate center of the housing body 21 in the width direction Y. The busbar holding portion 22 is formed to protrude from the mounting surface 21a of the housing body 21 toward one side X1 in the axial direction X. The busbar holding portion 22 holds a plurality of busbars 10 extending in the axial direction X so as to intersect with the mounting surface 21a. The base portion 22a of the busbar holding portion 22, which is on the housing body 21 side, is formed in a substantially columnar shape with a substantially rounded rectangular cross-section whose longitudinal direction is in the width direction Y and which extends in the axial direction X. The other side X2 of the base portion 22a in the axial direction X is connected to the housing body 21.

[0016] The base portion 22a is provided with a plurality of busbar insertion portions 22c, which are represented as flattened holes penetrating the housing body 21 from one side X1 in the axial direction X of the base portion 22a to the other side X2. The second connecting portion 12 of each busbar 10 is fixed to each busbar insertion portion 22c by insert molding. Therefore, in this embodiment, no terminal packing is provided between the second connecting portion 12 of the busbar 10 and the busbar insertion portion 22c, but each busbar insertion portion 22c may be formed as an insertion hole and a terminal packing may be provided. In addition, a sealing member 50 is provided in the annular groove on the outer circumference of the base portion 22a of the busbar holding portion 22.

[0017] The housing 20 is installed by inserting the busbar holding portion 22 into the mounting hole 71 that penetrates the mounting object 70, with the base portion 22a positioned in the mounting hole 71. At this time, the sealing member 50 seals the inner circumferential surface of the mounting hole 71 of the mounting object 70 and the outer circumference of the base portion 22a of the housing 20 (see Figure 4).

[0018] The bus bar holding portion 22 is provided with a substantially flat tip portion 22b on one side X1 in the axial direction X of the base portion 22a. A plurality of nut holding portions 200 are provided on the tip portion 22b. Each nut holding portion 200 is provided corresponding to each bus bar 10. In the present embodiment, the nut holding portion 200 is integrally formed with the housing 20.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the nut holding portion 200 is formed in a substantially annular shape around the fastening direction T, and is provided with a nut placement surface 210 that is flat so that the nut 40 is disposed. On one side Y1 and the other side Y2 in the width direction Y of the nut placement surface 210, two side walls 201 with their wall surfaces facing the width direction Y are provided. The other side X2 in the axial direction X of the two side walls 201 is connected by a rear wall 202 provided with its wall surface facing the axial direction X. On the rear wall 202, a rectangular parallelepiped nut pressing portion 220 protrudes toward one side X1 in the axial direction X.

[0020] Also, on the wall surfaces of the two side walls 201 on the nut placement surface 210 side, nut pressing ridges 221 protruding toward the nut placement surface 210 are provided to face each other in the width direction Y. The nut pressing ridges 221 are provided to be long along the axial direction X. One side X1 in the axial direction X of the nut pressing ridges 221 is formed in a tapered shape. Thereby, the nut 40 is inserted from one side X1 in the axial direction X, and is positioned and held in the width direction Y by the two nut pressing ridges 221 so as to be fixed. That is, the two nut pressing ridges 221 as the nut fixing portion fix the nut 40 in a state where the nut 40 abuts against the nut placement surface 210. The nut 40 inserted from one side X1 in the axial direction X abuts against the nut pressing portion 220, and is positioned in the axial direction X.

[0021] On one side X1 of the axial direction X on the nut placement surface 210, an inclined surface 203 is provided, and further on one side X1 of the inclined surface 203, a base surface 204 is provided. The base surface 204 is a flat surface parallel to the nut placement surface 210 and is located on the other side Z2 in the height direction Z from the nut placement surface 210. The inclined surface 203 is inclined from the other side X2 to the one side X1 in the axial direction X and from the one side Z1 to the other side Z2 in the height direction Z.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the nut holder 200 is formed in a concave shape on the opposite side of the bus bar 10 in the fastening direction T from the nut placement surface 210, and has a bottomed recess 230 formed with a peripheral surface 231 that connects to the inner edge 211 of the annular nut placement surface 210. In the present embodiment, the bottomed recess 230 is a bottomed circular recess with a bottom surface 232 formed, and is formed in a concave shape from the nut placement surface 210 toward the other side Z2 in the height direction Z. Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the edge 203a on the other side X2 in the axial direction X of the inclined surface 203 is connected in a substantially overlapping state with the inner edge 211 of the annular nut placement surface 210 (that is, the edge on the one side Z1 in the height direction Z of the bottomed recess 230). Therefore, the edge 203a of the inclined surface 203 abuts against the surface 41 on the other side Z2 in the height direction Z of the nut 40 described later.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 4, the nut 4 is arranged with its axis aligned in the fastening direction T and the surface 41 on the other side Z2 in the height direction Z abutting and adhering to the nut placement surface 210. More specifically, the surface 41 on the other side Z2 in the height direction Z of the nut 40 abuts and adheres to the inner edge 211 of the nut placement surface 210 (the inner edge 211 including the edge 203a of the inclined surface 203). In other words, the inner edge 211 of the nut placement surface 210 is outside the root diameter Da of the female thread of the nut 40 and is located within the projection area of the nut 40. Further in other words, the root diameter Da of the female thread of the nut 40 is smaller than the diameter Db of the bottomed recess 230. Therefore, the bottomed recess 230 is in a substantially sealed state.

[0024] As described above, the other side X2 of the nut 40 in the axial direction X abuts against the surface X1 of the nut retaining portion 220 in the axial direction X. Also, as described above, as shown in Figure 5, the two sides 42b of the nut 40 in the width direction Y abut against the nut retaining ridges 221 of the side wall 201. Therefore, the nut 40 is held and fixed by the opposing nut retaining ridges 221 in the width direction Y. Consequently, the nut 40 is held in the nut holding portion 200 of the housing 20. By fixing the square nut 40 with the nut retaining ridges 221, the likelihood of the nut 40 easily shifting to one side Z1 in the height direction Z during and after fastening with the bolt 30 is reduced. Therefore, the contact between the nut placement surface 210 and the other side Z2 surface 41 of the nut 40 in the height direction Z when fastened with the bolt 30 is maintained more reliably.

[0025] As shown in Figure 4, one side Z1 of the nut 40 held by the nut holding portion 200 is in contact with the nut contact surface 12b, which is the other side Z2 of the second connecting portion 12 of the busbar 10 in the height direction Z. Here, the distance D1 from the nut placement surface 210 to the nut contact surface 12b along the fastening direction T is equivalent to the height H1 of the nut 40 along the fastening direction T (see also Figure 2). Therefore, in the fastened state where the bolt 30 is tightened to the nut 40 fixed to the nut holding portion 200, the other side Z2 of the nut 40 in the height direction Z is always in contact with the nut placement surface 210.

[0026] Even if the distance D1 is not equal to the height H1 of the nut 40, it is sufficient that the nut placement surface 210 and the other side Z2 surface 41 of the nut 40 in the height direction Z are always in contact and tightly packed when the nut 40 and bolt 30 are fastened together, and therefore other configurations can be adopted. For example, a spacer member such as a washer can be placed between the surface 43 of the nut 40 in the height direction Z1 and the nut contact surface 12b of the second connection part 12 of the busbar 10 when fastening the bolt 30 and nut 40.

[0027] The surface 12c on one side Z1 in the height direction Z of the second connection portion 12 of the busbar 10 abuts against the surface 2b on the other side Z2 in the height direction Z of the external terminal 2. The connection hole 12a of the second connection portion 12 and the connection hole 2a of the external terminal 2 are aligned axially, and a bolt 30 is inserted through them. The bolt 30 is screwed and tightened with a nut 40. The nut 40 is prevented from rotating by a nut retaining projection 221. In this way, the external terminal 2 and the second connection portion 12 of the busbar 10 are connected. The tip of the bolt 30 enters the interior of the bottomed recess 230.

[0028] When screwing a bolt 30 onto a nut 40, foreign matter such as plating residue and burrs may be generated from the threaded portions of the bolt 30 and nut 40. In the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, such foreign matter is contained within the bottomed recess 230. Furthermore, since the bottomed recess 230 is in a nearly sealed state, the leakage of foreign matter to the outside of the bottomed recess 230 is reduced.

[0029] The terminal block 1 described above comprises a busbar 10 extending in the axial direction X and connected to an external terminal 2, a nut 40 into which a bolt 30 fastening the busbar 10 and the external terminal 2 along a fastening direction T intersecting the axial direction X is screwed, and a housing 20 that holds the busbar 10 and has a nut holding portion 200 that holds the nut 40. The nut holding portion 200 has a nut placement surface 210 formed in an annular shape around the fastening direction T on which the nut 40 is placed, and a bottomed recess 230 formed in a concave shape from the nut placement surface 210 on the side opposite to the busbar 10 in the fastening direction T, with a circumferential surface 231 formed that connects to the inner edge 211 of the annular nut placement surface 210.

[0030] As a result, the bottomed recess 230, which is formed in a roughly bag-like shape, and the nut placement surface 210 are integrally formed. Therefore, there is no gap between the nut placement surface 210 and the bottomed recess 230. Furthermore, since the nuts 40 can be placed in close contact with the nut placement surface 210, the bottomed recess 230 can be made substantially sealed. Thus, according to the terminal block 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to adequately reduce the scattering of foreign matter contained in the bottomed recess 230 to the outside of the terminal block 1 due to vibration, etc. Furthermore, since the nut holding part 200 is integrally formed with the nut placement surface 210 and the bottomed recess 230, there is no need to increase the number of parts in order to adequately reduce the scattering of foreign matter, thus suppressing the increase in cost and the increase in weight of the terminal block 1. Moreover, since each nut holding part 200 can be provided corresponding to each busbar 10, it is possible to easily accommodate increases or decreases in the number of busbars 10.

[0031] Furthermore, the nut 40 comes into contact with the nut mounting surface 210 when fastened with the bolt 30. This ensures that the nut 40 and the nut mounting surface 210 are in contact even when the bolt 30 and nut 40 are fastened together, and also effectively reduces the scattering of foreign matter contained in the bottomed recess 230.

[0032] Furthermore, the busbar 10 has a nut contact surface 12b that contacts the nut 40, and the distance D1 from the nut placement surface 210 along the fastening direction T to the nut contact surface 12b is equivalent to the height H1 of the nut 40 along the fastening direction T. As a result, the nut 40 and the nut placement surface 210 can be brought into close contact without using a spacer member such as a washer between the nut 40 and the busbar 10, and the busbar 10 and the nut 40 are also in close contact, so the scattering of foreign matter contained in the bottomed recess 230 can be reduced even more reliably.

[0033] Furthermore, the nut holding portion 200 is integrally formed with the housing 20. This eliminates the need to further increase the number of parts, thereby suppressing increases in cost and weight of the terminal block 1.

[0034] Furthermore, the terminal block according to the embodiment of the present invention described above is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0035] In the above description, the nut holding portion 200 is assumed to be integrally formed with the housing 20, but it is not limited to this. For example, the nut holding portion 200 may be assembled to the busbar holding portion 22 as a separate part. Also, although the bottomed recess 230 is formed in a substantially circular concave shape, it can also be a bottomed recess of other shapes such as a rectangle.

[0036] The terminal block according to this embodiment may be constructed by appropriately combining the components of the embodiments and modified examples described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1:Terminal block 2: External terminals 10: Busba 12b: Nut contact surface 20: Housing 30: Bolt 40: Nut 41: Face 43: Face 200: Nut holding part 210: Nut placement surface 211: Common-law marriage 230: Bottomed recess 231: Peripheral surface D1: Distance (from the nut placement surface to the nut contact surface) H1: Nut height T: Fastening direction X: Axial direction

Claims

1. A busbar extending in the axial direction and connected to an external terminal, A nut into which a bolt is screwed fastens the busbar and the external terminal along a fastening direction intersecting the axial direction, A housing having a nut holding portion for holding the nut, and for holding the busbar, Equipped with, The nut holding portion has a nut placement surface formed in an annular shape around the fastening direction on which the nut is arranged, and a bottomed recess formed in a concave shape from the nut placement surface on the side opposite to the busbar in the fastening direction, with a circumferential surface formed that connects to the inner edge of the annular nut placement surface. terminal block.

2. The nut, in the fastened state with the bolt, abuts against the nut placement surface. The terminal block according to claim 1.

3. The bus bar has a nut contact surface that contacts the nut, The distance from the nut placement surface to the nut contact surface along the fastening direction is equal to the height of the nut along the fastening direction. The terminal block according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The nut retaining portion is integrally formed with the housing. The terminal block according to claim 1 or claim 2.

Images