connector

Abstract

To provide a connector that simplifies the process of assembling the rear holder into the housing. [Solution] The connector 1 comprises a rod-shaped terminal 10A, a terminal holder 20 that holds the terminal 10A, and a housing 30 to which the terminal holder 20 is mounted. The terminal holder 20 has a plurality of locking portions 241, 242, 243 that are elastically displaceable in the radial direction of the terminal 10A and can engage with the terminal 10A to restrict the radial and axial movement of the terminal 10A, arranged in the circumferential direction of the terminal 10A. The locking portion 241 has a through hole 28 and support walls 29, 29 that protrude radially outward from the peripheral edge of the through hole 28. The temperature sensor 50 is positioned adjacent to the terminal 10A and passing through the through hole 28 along the support walls 29, 29.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a power supply connector for supplying (charging) power from outside the vehicle to a battery mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle has been proposed. The power supply connector is connected to a power source outside the vehicle and is connected so as to be inserted into a charging inlet provided in the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Note that this type of connector is also called a charging connector.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the conventional charging connector described above, after a plurality of rod-shaped terminals are sequentially inserted into a terminal accommodation chamber of a housing and temporarily fixed (so-called temporary locking), a rear holder is assembled to the housing to finally fix (so-called main locking) the plurality of terminals to the housing. Further, in the conventional charging connector, a temperature sensor is often provided via a metal piece that contacts the peripheral surface of the terminal for temperature measurement of the terminal. In this case, when the above-described temporary fixing is performed, the metal piece is attached to the peripheral surface of the terminal, and then the temperature sensor is assembled to the metal piece. As a result, the temperature sensor is disposed between the housing and the rear holder. However, in the conventional charging connector, when assembling the rear holder to the housing, it is necessary to assemble the metal piece and the temperature sensor in a temporarily fixed state, leaving room for improvement.

[0005] []] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a connector that simplifies the work of assembling the rear holder to the housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the connector according to the present invention is characterized by the following: A connector comprising a rod-shaped terminal, a terminal holder for holding the terminal, and a temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature of the terminal, The aforementioned terminal holder is A plurality of locking portions are arranged circumferentially to the terminal, each being elastically displaceable in the radial direction of the terminal and capable of engaging with the terminal to restrict its movement in the radial and axial directions. One of the aforementioned multiple locking parts is It has a through hole that penetrates the locking portion, and a support wall that protrudes radially outward from the peripheral edge of the through hole, The aforementioned temperature sensor is The following are arranged adjacent to the terminal and passing through the through hole along the support wall: connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The connector according to the present invention has the effect of simplifying the process of assembling the rear holder to the housing.

[0008] The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by referring to the attached drawings and reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments"). [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing multiple terminals and holders. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the main part of Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a comparative example. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part of Figure 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Connector 1 is installed in vehicles such as electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and is connected to electric wires 2 extending from batteries and equipment mounted in the vehicle. Connector 1 is also called a charging inlet. By fitting a mating connector (a so-called charging gun) into the mating opening 37 (see Figure 1) of connector 1, power is supplied to the battery from an external power source, and the battery is charged.

[0011] For the sake of explanation, the "front-back direction," "left-right direction," and "up-down direction" are defined below as shown in Figures 1 to 4. The "front-back direction," "left-right direction," and "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other. The front-back direction coincides with the mating direction of connector 1 and the mating connector (not shown), and the advancing and reversing sides of the mating of connector 1 to the mating connector correspond to "front" and "back," respectively.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the connector 1 comprises a plurality of terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C), a terminal holder 20 that holds the plurality of terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C), a housing 30 in which the terminal holder 20 is mounted, and a temperature sensor 50 held on terminal 10 (10A). The following describes each component that makes up the connector 1 in order.

[0013] <Structure of terminal 10> First, a plurality of terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) will be described. In this example, as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, a plurality (specifically, five) of terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) include a pair of terminals 10A of the same shape with the largest diameter, a pair of terminals 10B of the same shape with the smallest diameter, and a single terminal 10C with a medium-sized diameter. The temperature sensor 50 is attached only to the pair of terminals 10A with the largest diameter and is not attached to the other three terminals 10B and 10C (see FIG. 2).

[0014] The pair of terminals 10A with the largest diameter are power supply terminals used for charging and the like as described above. The pair of terminals 10C with the smallest diameter are terminals for signal transmission (signal). The single terminal 10B with a medium-sized diameter is a terminal for ground (GND). Note that the number of terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) used for the connector 1, the diameter (thickness) of the terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C), and the size relationship between the diameters of the terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) are not limited to the content described in this embodiment.

[0015] The terminal 10A is made of metal. As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal 10A is a male terminal having a stepped cylindrical rod shape composed of a small-diameter portion (terminal connection portion) 11, a large-diameter portion 12 located on the rear side of the small-diameter portion 11, and a medium-diameter portion (core wire connection portion) 13 located on the rear side of the large-diameter portion 12. Between the small-diameter portion 11 and the large-diameter portion 12, a connecting portion 16, which is a conical surface connecting the small-diameter portion 11 and the large-diameter portion 12 while gradually expanding in diameter from the small-diameter portion 11 toward the large-diameter portion 12, is formed. When the connector 1 is fitted with the mating connector, the small-diameter portion 11 of the terminal 10A will be connected to a female terminal (not shown) of the mating connector.

[0016] An annular groove portion 14 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 12. When assembling the terminal 10A to the terminal holder 20, a locking projection 24A of an elastic locking piece (not shown) provided on the terminal holder 20 to be described later will be fitted into the annular groove portion 14 (see FIG. 3). In such a terminal 10A, the axes of the small-diameter portion 11, the large-diameter portion 12, the medium-diameter portion 13, the annular groove portion 14, and the connecting portion 16 are arranged along the same line.

[0017] Terminal 10A has one end of each of the electric wires 2 (see FIGS. 1 to 3) connected to the rear end portion of the middle diameter portion 13. The other end portions of the electric wires 2 are connected to a power supply source (both not shown). As shown in FIG. 4, the electric wire 2 is composed of a conductor core wire 2A and a coating 2B made of insulating resin that covers the conductor core wire 2A. A recess 15 that depresses forward is formed on the rear end surface of the middle diameter portion 13. The conductor core wire 2A exposed at one end of the electric wire 2 is inserted into the recess 15 and clamped and fixed. Thereby, the terminal 10A and one end portion of the electric wire 2 are electrically connected. In this example, further, a cylindrical exterior member 3 is provided so as to cover a predetermined region in the front-rear direction including the connection portion between the terminal 10A and the electric wire 2. Although the structure of the terminal 10A has been described, the terminals 10B and 10C have basically the same structure and thus the description thereof is omitted. As described above, the plurality of terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) have been described.

[0018] <Structure of Terminal Holder 20> Next, the terminal holder 20 will be described. The terminal holder 20 is a resin molded product. As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal holder 20 integrally includes a substantially circular flat plate-shaped rear wall portion 21 that constitutes the rear end portion of the terminal holder 20, and a plurality (in this example, four) of extending portions 22 that extend forward (toward the housing 30) from different locations in the circumferential direction of the periphery of the rear wall portion 21. In this example, the four extending portions 22 project forward from four locations on the periphery excluding the upper and lower end portions and the left and right end portions of the rear wall portion 21. Each extending portion 22 is a wall having a convex arc surface and a concave arc surface along the periphery of the rear wall portion 21, and extends toward the housing 30 along the generatrix of the convex arc surface and the generatrix of the concave arc surface.

[0019] In the region radially inward from the periphery of the rear wall portion 21, multiple (five in this example) circular through holes are formed at intervals from each other, corresponding to multiple terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C). As shown in Figure 4, from multiple locations in different circumferential directions on the periphery of the through hole 23 corresponding to terminal 10A, multiple elastic locking pieces 241, 242, 243 (locking parts) extend forward, defining a substantially cylindrical terminal insertion hole 25 that extends continuously forward from the through hole 23 (see Figure 3). Each elastic locking piece 241, 242, 243 extends in an arc shape along the periphery of the through hole 23 (when viewed from the front). Terminals 10A are inserted into each terminal insertion hole 25 from the rear side through the through hole 23.

[0020] Each elastic locking piece 241, 242, and 243 has a cantilevered shape supported by the rear wall portion 21 and is elastically deformable to expand radially around the terminal insertion hole 25, i.e., the axis of the terminal 10A. A locking projection 24A is formed at the tip (front end) of each elastic locking piece 241, 242, and 243, extending radially inward from the terminal insertion hole 25. The locking projections 24A are aligned circumferentially around the small diameter portion 11 of the terminal 10A and engage with the annular groove portion 14 of the terminal 10A, thereby restricting the radial and axial movement of the terminal 10A.

[0021] The elastic locking piece 241 has a through hole 28 and support walls 29, 29 that protrude radially outward from the periphery of the through hole 28. The support walls 29, 29 extend along the front-rear direction. A temperature sensor 50, which will be described later, passes through the through hole 28. The through hole 28 and the support walls 29, 29 are provided only in the elastic locking pieces 241 of the through hole 23 corresponding to terminal 10A, and not in the through holes 23 corresponding to terminals 10B and 10C.

[0022] The diameter of each through-hole 23 corresponds to the diameter of the corresponding terminal 10 (10A, 10B, 10C). Therefore, the diameter of the terminal insertion hole 25 defined by the multiple elastic locking pieces 24 extending from the periphery of each through-hole 23 also corresponds to the diameter of the corresponding terminal 10 (10A, 10B, 10C). As shown in Figure 4, the pair of through-holes 23 (and the pair of terminal insertion holes 25) with the largest diameters, corresponding to the pair of terminals 10A with the largest diameters, are arranged in a horizontally spaced position above the vertical center of the rear wall portion 21.

[0023] <Structure of Housing 30> Next, the housing 30 will be described. The housing 30 is a resin molded product and, as shown in Figure 1, comprises a cylindrical tubular portion 31 extending in the front-rear direction and a flange portion 32 projecting radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the tubular portion 31. The flange portion 32 has a substantially rectangular outer circumferential shape when viewed from the front-rear direction. Bolt insertion holes 33 that penetrate in the front-rear direction are formed at each corner of the peripheral edge of the flange portion 32. Bolts (not shown) for fixing the connector 1 to a predetermined mounting location on the vehicle will be inserted through the bolt insertion holes 33.

[0024] Inside the cylindrical portion 31, a plurality (five) of terminal housing chambers 34 are formed so as to penetrate in the front-to-back direction. When the terminal holder 20 is assembled to the housing 30, the corresponding terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) are inserted into each terminal housing chamber 34 from the rear. The diameter of each terminal housing chamber 34 corresponds to the diameter of the corresponding terminal 10 (10A, 10B, 10C). As mentioned above, the number and thickness of the terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) used in the connector 1 are not limited to those described in this embodiment. Similarly, the number and size of the terminal housing chambers 34 can be appropriately determined based on the number and thickness of the terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C), and are not limited to those described in this embodiment.

[0025] <Structure of temperature sensor 50> Next, the temperature sensor 50 will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the temperature sensor 50 has a main body 51 that incorporates a thermistor. In this example, the main body 51 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape that extends in the front-rear direction, and has a flat surface 51A on its outer surface that serves as a temperature detection surface. A pair of wires 52 connected to the thermistor extend from the rear end of the main body 51. The temperature sensor 50 is positioned with its flat surface 51A on the outer surface of the medium-diameter portion 13 of the terminal 10A via an outer covering member 3, and is fixed by an adhesive-backed heat-shrink tubing 53. When the terminal 10A is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 25 from the rear side of the terminal holder 20, the temperature sensor 50 passes through the through hole 28 and is positioned adjacent to the terminal 10A, sandwiched between the support walls 29, 29 from both sides in the circumferential direction. The components constituting the connector 1 have now been described.

[0026] <Assembly Procedure> Next, the assembly of connector 1 will be explained. To assemble connector 1, first, the temperature sensor 50 is attached to terminal 10A. Next, the multiple terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) are attached to the terminal holder 20. Finally, the terminal holder 20 is attached to the housing 30.

[0027] First, the temperature sensor 50 is positioned so that its flat surface 51A contacts the medium-diameter portion 13 of the terminal 10A via the outer casing member 3. In this state, the small-diameter portion 11 of the terminal 10A is inserted into the heat-shrink tube 53. Next, the heat-shrink tube 53 is moved to a position that covers the temperature sensor 50. After that, the heat-shrink tube 53 is shrunk by heat treatment to fix the temperature sensor 50 to the medium-diameter portion 13 of the terminal 10A.

[0028] Next, each terminal 10 (10A, 10B, 10C), to which one end of the electric wire 2 is connected and which is fitted with an outer covering member 3, is inserted from the rear into the corresponding terminal insertion hole 25 of the terminal holder 20. Insertion of terminal 10A is completed when the multiple locking protrusions 24A are fitted into the annular groove 14 of the large diameter portion 12. At this time, the temperature sensor 50 passes through the through hole 28 and is positioned adjacent to terminal 10A so as to be sandwiched between the support walls 29, 29 from both sides in the circumferential direction. As a result, the plane 51A of the temperature sensor 50 and the outer surface of the medium diameter portion 13 of terminal 10A are in contact via the outer covering member 3. This allows the heat of terminal 10A to be accurately transmitted to the temperature sensor 50, enabling proper measurement of the temperature of terminal 10A. Once all other terminals 10B and 10C have been inserted, the assembly of multiple terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) into the terminal holder 20 is complete.

[0029] Next, the terminal holder 20 is assembled to the housing 30. Specifically, the multiple terminals 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) that are exposed to protrude forward from the terminal holder 20 are inserted from the rear into the multiple terminal housing chambers 34 of the housing 30. Furthermore, the terminal holder 20 is assembled to the housing 30 such that the cylindrical portion 31 of the housing 30 enters the space defined by the multiple extension portions 22 of the terminal holder 20.

[0030] <Effects of the Embodiment> As described above, according to the connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, a through hole 28 and support walls 29, 29 projecting radially outward from the peripheral edge of the through hole 28 are provided on the elastic locking piece (locking part) 241. The temperature sensor 50 is positioned adjacent to the terminal 10A and passes through the through hole 28 along the support walls 29, 29. Therefore, when assembling the connector 1, the temperature sensor 50 can be fixed to the terminal 10A in advance. In other words, according to the connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, when assembling the terminal holder 20 to the housing 30, it is not necessary to assemble the temperature sensor 50 at the temporary fixing stage as in the conventional method, and the work of assembling the terminal holder 20 to the housing 30 can be simplified compared to the conventional method.

[0031] Furthermore, according to the connector 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, a pair of support walls 29, 29 are provided on both sides of the terminal 10A in the circumferential direction so as to sandwich the temperature sensor 50, thereby enabling stable fixing of the temperature sensor 50.

[0032] Furthermore, according to the connector 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, since the temperature sensor 50 is placed on the outer surface of the medium-diameter portion (core wire connection portion) 13 of the terminal 10A via the outer casing member 3, the temperature of the terminal 10A can be reliably detected.

[0033] <Other forms> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, placement, etc. of each component in the embodiments described above are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0034] In the embodiment described above, the temperature sensor 50 was placed on the outer surface of the terminal 10A via an outer covering member 3, but this is not the only option. The outer covering member 3 may be omitted. That is, the temperature sensor 50 may be placed directly on the outer surface of the terminal 10A and fixed with a heat-shrink tube 53. In this case, the heat generated at the terminal 10A is directly transferred to the temperature sensor 50.

[0035] <Comparison with the comparative example> Figures 5 and 6 show a comparative example connector 100 to connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the comparative examples described below, components already described in the embodiments are denoted by corresponding reference numerals in the figures, thereby simplifying or omitting their descriptions.

[0036] The comparative example connector 100 shown in Figure 5 has a through hole 280 in the elastic locking piece (locking portion) 2410, and a box-shaped lid member 101 is provided to cover the through hole 280. The lid member 101 is capable of housing the temperature sensor described in the embodiment. In such a connector 100, because the through hole 280 is covered by the box-shaped lid member 101, the wall portion of the lid member 101 functions as a rib when the elastic locking piece 2410 bends, thus hindering the bending deformation of the elastic locking piece 2410. For this reason, the comparative example connector 100 may be difficult to assemble by inserting the terminals, or there is a risk of breakage at the base or tip of the elastic locking piece 2410. From the above, the advantages of the connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be seen.

[0037] Here, the features of the embodiments of the connector according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [3].

[0038] [1] A connector (1) comprising rod-shaped terminals (10A, 10B, 10C), a terminal holder (20) for holding the terminals (10A, 10B, 10C), and a temperature sensor (50) capable of measuring the temperature of the terminals (10A, 10B, 10C), The terminal holder (20) is A plurality of locking portions (241, 242, 243) are provided on the terminal (10A) so as to be arranged in the circumferential direction, and are elastically displaceable in the radial direction of the terminal (10A) and capable of engaging with the terminal (10A) to restrict the radial and axial movement of the terminal (10A). One of the aforementioned multiple locking parts (241, 242, 243) is The locking portion (241) has a through hole (28) that penetrates it, and support walls (29, 29) that protrude radially outward from the peripheral edge of the through hole (28), The temperature sensor (50) is The terminal (10A) is adjacent to the terminal (10A) and is positioned to pass through the through hole (28) and along the support wall (29, 29). Connector (1).

[0039] According to the connector (1) in the configuration described in [1] above, when assembling the terminal holder (20) to the housing (30), it is not necessary to assemble the temperature sensor (50) at the temporary fixing stage as in the conventional method, and the work of assembling the terminal holder (20) to the housing (30) can be simplified compared to the conventional method.

[0040] [2] In the connector (1) described in [1] above, The support walls (29, 29) are provided in pairs so as to sandwich the temperature sensor (50) from both sides in the circumferential direction. Connector (1).

[0041] According to the connector (1) with the configuration described in [2] above, a pair of support walls (29, 29) are provided on both sides of the terminal (10A) in the circumferential direction so as to sandwich the temperature sensor (50), thereby allowing the temperature sensor (50) to be stably fixed.

[0042] [3] In the connector (1) described in [1] above, The terminal (10A) has a terminal connection portion (11) that is connected to the mating terminal, and a core wire connection portion (13) to which the conductor core wire (2A) of the electric wire (2) is connected. The temperature sensor (50) is positioned on the outer surface of the core wire connection portion (13). Connector (1).

[0043] According to the connector (1) with the configuration described in [3] above, the temperature sensor (50) is placed on the outer surface of the core wire connection portion (13) of the terminal (10A) via the outer covering member (3), so that the temperature of the terminal (10A) can be reliably detected. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 1 Connector 10A terminal 11 Small diameter section (terminal connection section) 13. Medium diameter section (core wire connection section) 20 Terminal holder 28 Through holes 29 Supporting wall 30 Housing 50 Temperature Sensors 241, 242, 243 Locking parts

Claims

1. A connector comprising a rod-shaped terminal, a terminal holder for holding the terminal, and a temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature of the terminal, The aforementioned terminal holder is Multiple locking portions are arranged circumferentially to the terminal, each being elastically displaceable in the radial direction of the terminal and capable of engaging with the terminal to restrict its movement in the radial and axial directions. One of the aforementioned multiple locking parts is It has a through hole that penetrates the locking portion, and a support wall that protrudes radially outward from the peripheral edge of the through hole, The aforementioned temperature sensor is The following are arranged adjacent to the terminal and passing through the through hole along the support wall: connector.

2. In the connector according to claim 1, The support walls are provided in pairs so as to sandwich the temperature sensor from both sides in the circumferential direction. connector.

3. In the connector according to claim 1, The terminal has a terminal connection portion that is connected to the mating terminal and a core wire connection portion to which the conductor core wire of the electric wire is connected. The temperature sensor is positioned on the outer surface of the core wire connection portion. connector.

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