connector

Abstract

To provide a connector that can improve heat dissipation. [Solution] One embodiment of the connector comprises a terminal fitting, a housing having electrical insulation properties and housing at least a portion of the terminal fitting, a fixing fitting embedded in the housing for fastening the terminal fitting to an external conductive component, a metal frame member to which the housing is attached, and a metal thermal connecting member including a portion embedded in the housing at a position adjacent to the fixing fitting, for thermally connecting the terminal fitting and the frame member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to connectors.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses various connectors used for power cables for supplying power from a power source mounted on a vehicle or the like to an electrical load.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, some connectors electrically connect a terminal fitting and a conductive component such as an electric wire or a bus bar inside a housing. The connection portion between the terminal fitting and the conductive component generates a large amount of heat during energization due to the magnitude of the contact resistance. Therefore, in the connector, improvement in heat dissipation at the connection portion is required.

[0005] One embodiment provides a connector capable of improving heat dissipation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A connector according to one embodiment includes a terminal fitting, a housing having electrical insulation and accommodating at least a part of the terminal fitting, a fixing fitting embedded in the housing for fastening the terminal fitting and an external conductive component, a metal frame member to which the housing is attached, and a metal heat connection member including a portion embedded in the housing at a position adjacent to the fixing fitting and thermally connecting the terminal fitting and the frame member.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to one embodiment of the connector, heat dissipation can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the connector of the first embodiment and the mating connector to which the connector is connected. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the connector of the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is an exploded perspective view of the connector of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view along line IV-IV in Figure 2. [Figure 5] This is an enlarged view of section V in Figure 4. [Figure 6] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main part of the connector of the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] <First Embodiment> The first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Duplication of these components may be omitted. The components described below do not limit the scope of the embodiment.

[0010] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, connector 1 functions as a relay connector that electrically connects the electric wire 82 (see Figure 4) extending from the housing 20 of connector 1 with the mating connector 2 that is mated to connector 1.

[0011] For the sake of explanation, as shown in Figure 1, we define "front-back direction," "up-down direction," "left-right direction," "front," "back," "up," "down," "left," and "right." The "front-back direction," "up-down direction," and "left-right direction" are orthogonal to each other. The front-back direction coincides with the mating direction between connector 1 and the mating connector 2.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the connector 1 mainly comprises a terminal fitting 10, a housing 20, a nut member 30 (fixing fitting), a frame member 40, a thermal connection member 90, and a heat transfer member 50. The configuration of each component constituting the connector 1 will be described in order below.

[0013] (Terminal fittings) As shown in Figure 4, the terminal fitting 10 is made of metal and is configured as a female terminal. The terminal fitting 10 integrally includes a cylindrical contact portion 11 as a female terminal, a plate-shaped fastening portion 12 located behind the cylindrical contact portion 11, and a plate-shaped connecting portion 13 that connects the cylindrical contact portion 11 and the plate-shaped fastening portion 12. The cylindrical contact portion 11 is the part that is electrically connected to the terminal fitting 71 (see Figure 1) on the mating connector 2 side when the connector 1 and the mating connector 2 are mated, and is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction. The plate-shaped fastening portion 12 is the part to which the external terminal 81 (external conductive part) connected to the end of the electric wire 82 is fastened using the nut member 30 and bolt 100, and is formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape with the plate thickness direction facing up and down (see also Figure 1). The plate-shaped fastening portion 12 has a bolt insertion hole 14 that penetrates in the plate thickness direction (up and down direction). As shown in Figure 1, the plate-shaped fastening portion 12 also has a pair of left and right locking holes 15 that penetrate in the plate thickness direction (up and down direction). The terminal fittings 10 configured in this way are arranged in pairs at a distance from each other in the left-right direction within the plate-shaped fastening portion 12.

[0014] (housing) The housing 20 shown in Figures 3 and 4 is a resin molded product and has electrical insulating properties. The housing 20 integrally comprises an outer cylindrical portion 21 that has an elongated hole shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from the front and extends in the front-rear direction, a pair of cylindrical housing portions 22 that extend in the front-rear direction and are arranged side by side in the left-right direction inside the outer cylindrical portion 21, and a flat plate-shaped rear end wall portion 23 that connects the rear ends of the outer cylindrical portion 21 and the pair of housing portions 22. The front end side of the outer cylinder part 21 is open. The rear end side of the outer cylinder part 21 is blocked by the rear end wall part 23. The rear end side of each accommodation cylinder part 22 is open. The front end side of each accommodation cylinder part 22 communicates with the outside through the insertion hole 24. The cylindrical contact part 11 of the terminal fitting 10 is accommodated in each accommodation cylinder part 22. A pair of flat plate-shaped flange parts 25 that extend outward in the upper and lower directions are integrally provided at the front end edge part of the outer cylinder part 21. A rubber packing 102 is provided at a position adjacent to the rear side of the pair of flange parts 25 on the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder part 21. The packing 102 has a function of sealing the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 42 of the frame member 40 that is externally inserted into the outer cylinder part 21 and the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder part 21 when the housing 20 is attached to the frame member 40.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, a substantially rectangular flat plate-shaped extension part 26 that extends rearward is integrally provided on the housing 20 from a part of the rear end wall part 23 adjacent to the lower side of the rear end openings of the pair of accommodation cylinder parts 22. On the upper side of the extension part 26, a pair of plate-shaped fastening parts 12 are arranged when the pair of terminal fittings 10 are accommodated in the housing 20 (see FIGS. 1 and 4).

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a pair of locking protrusions 27 corresponding to the pair of locking holes 15 of the plate-shaped fastening parts 12 of each terminal fitting 10 are provided on the upper surface of the extension part 26 (see FIG. 1). Each locking protrusion 27 is inserted into each locking hole 15 when the plate-shaped fastening part 12 is arranged on the upper surface of the extension part 26. A flat plate-shaped partition part 28 that protrudes upward and extends in the front-rear direction is provided between the plate-shaped fastening parts 12 of the pair of terminal fittings 10 on the upper surface of the extension part 26. The partition part 28 is arranged so as to partition between the pair of plate-shaped fastening parts 12 arranged on the upper surface of the extension part 26, and thus has a function of suppressing the occurrence of an unintentional short circuit between the pair of plate-shaped fastening parts 12.

[0017] (Nut member) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the nut member 30 is embedded (integrated) in the extending portion 26 of the housing 20 by insert molding. The nut member 30 is made of metal and is a member for fastening the terminal fitting 10 and the external terminal 81 to the housing 20. The metal nut member 30 has a strength such that the female thread (thread groove) of the nut member 30 does not collapse when the bolt 100 is screwed into the nut member 30. The constituent material of the nut member 30 in this example having such strength is SUS (Steel Use Stainless).

[0018] The nut member 30 has a cylindrical tubular main body portion 31 that extends in the vertical direction, the lower end side of which is closed by a bottom wall portion 31a and the upper end side of which is open, and a flange portion 32 that extends in the radial direction of the tubular main body portion 31 from the opening edge portion at the upper end of the tubular main body portion 31. A female thread corresponding to the male thread of the bolt 100 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular main body portion 31. Most of the tubular main body portion 31 is embedded in the extending portion 26. The upper end opening and the flange portion 32 of the tubular main body portion 31 are exposed to the outside from the upper surface of the extending portion 26. The bottom wall portion 31a (more specifically, the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 31a) of the tubular main body portion 31 is not covered by the extending portion 26, but is covered by a heat connection member 90 and a heat transfer sheet 55, which will be described later. The bottom wall portion 31a may project downward from, for example, the lower surface of the extending portion 26. Although not shown, a pair of the above-described nut members 30 are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction so as to correspond to the bolt insertion holes 14 of the pair of left and right terminal fittings 10, respectively.

[0019] (Heat connection member) The heat connection member 90 is embedded (integrated) in the extending portion 26 of the housing 20 at a position adjacent to the nut member 30 by insert molding. The heat connection member 90 is made of metal and thermally connects the terminal fitting 10 and the frame member 40. The thermal conductivity of the heat connection member 90 is higher than the thermal conductivity of the nut member 30. The material constituting the metal heat connection member 90 is a material having a relatively high thermal conductivity and may be constituted by, for example, copper or aluminum.

[0020] As shown in Figure 5, the thermal connection member 90 has an embedded portion 91 that is embedded in the extension portion 26 and extends in the vertical direction, a first exposed portion 92 (intervening portion) that is connected to the upper end of the embedded portion 91 and exposed on the upper side of the extension portion 26, and a second exposed portion 93 that is connected to the lower end of the embedded portion 91 and exposed on the lower side of the extension portion 26. The embedded portion 91 is formed in a plate shape with the front-to-back direction as the thickness direction and extending in the vertical and horizontal directions. In Figure 5, the embedded portion 91 is positioned at a distance from the nut member 30, but for example, the embedded portion 91 may be in contact with the nut member 30.

[0021] The first exposed portion 92 and the second exposed portion 93 are each formed in a plate shape with the vertical direction as the thickness direction and extending in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions. The first exposed portion 92 is positioned projecting above the upper surface of the extension portion 26. The first exposed portion 92 is positioned between the terminal fitting 10 and the nut member 30 in the vertical direction. The first exposed portion 92 is positioned overlapping the upper end surfaces of the cylindrical body portion 31 and the flange portion 32 of the nut member 30. The first exposed portion 92 protrudes outward from the flange portion 32 in the radial direction of the nut member 30. In Figure 5, the entire upper surface of the first exposed portion 92 is in contact with the lower surface of the terminal fitting 10. With this configuration, the thermal connection member 90 (first exposed portion 92) is thermally connected to the terminal fitting 10.

[0022] The first exposed portion 92 has a bolt insertion hole 94 (insertion portion) that penetrates the first exposed portion 92 and connects to the space inside the nut member 30. The first exposed portion 92 is sandwiched between the terminal fitting 10 and the nut member 30 when the bolt 100 (see Figure 4) is passed through the bolt insertion holes 14 and 94 of the terminal fitting 10 and the first exposed portion 92 and screwed into the nut member 30. In other words, the first exposed portion 92 is fastened together with the terminal fitting 10 by the nut member 30 and the bolt 100. Although not shown in the figures, the first exposed portion 92 is formed in a polygonal or circular ring shape when viewed from the vertical direction (the thickness direction of the first exposed portion 92).

[0023] The second exposed portion 93 is positioned projecting downward from the lower surface of the extension portion 26. The second exposed portion 93 is positioned between the bottom wall portion 31a of the nut member 30 and the frame member 40 in the vertical direction. The second exposed portion 93 is positioned to cover the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 31a of the nut member 30. A heat transfer sheet 55 is positioned between the second exposed portion 93 and the bottom wall portion 31a of the nut member 30. The heat transfer sheet 55 is formed in a sheet shape with its thickness in the vertical direction. The thermal conductivity of the heat transfer sheet 55 is higher than that of the resin material constituting the housing 20. The heat transfer sheet 55 is made of a flexible material that can be deformed to match the shape of the gap between the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 31a and the upper surface of the second exposed portion 93. The heat transfer member 50 may, for example, be elastically compressible. The heat transfer sheet 55 fills the gap between the upper surface of the second exposed portion 93 and the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 31a, which is due to minute irregularities on the upper surface of the second exposed portion 93 and the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 31a. With this configuration, the thermal connection member 90 (second exposed portion 93) is thermally connected to the nut member 30.

[0024] In this example, one thermal connection member 90 is provided for each pair of left and right terminal fittings 10. That is, the thermal connection members 90 are arranged in pairs with a gap between them in the left-right direction so as to correspond to each of the left and right terminal fittings 10. By arranging the pair of left and right thermal connection members 90 in this manner, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of short circuits between the left and right terminal fittings 10 caused by the thermal connection members 90.

[0025] (Frame component) As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the metal frame member 40 has a roughly rectangular, flat main body portion 41 that extends in the left-right and up-down directions. In the center of the main body portion 41, a through hole 42 is provided, which has an elongated shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction and penetrates in the front-rear direction, corresponding to the outer cylindrical portion 21 of the housing 20. The housing 20 is attached to the frame member 40 by inserting the outer cylindrical portion 21 of the housing 20 into the through hole 42.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the frame member 40 is integrally provided with a substantially rectangular, flat extension portion 43 that extends rearward from a portion of the main body portion 41 adjacent to the lower side of the rear end opening of the through hole 42. The upper surface of the extension portion 43 is covered by the extension portion 26 of the housing 20 when the housing 20 is attached to the frame member 40 (see Figures 1 and 4). As shown in Figures 3 to 5, an installation surface 44 is provided on the upper surface of the extension portion 43, which is positioned vertically opposite to the second exposed portion 93 of a pair of left and right thermal connection members 90 exposed on the lower side of the extension portion 26 of the housing 20, with a small gap between them. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in this example, the installation surface 44 is a plane that is slightly inclined with respect to the front-rear direction so that the rear side is higher than the front side, and extends parallel to the left-right direction over the entire left-right range of the extension portion 43. As will be described later, the mounting surface 44 functions as a portion that sandwiches the sheet-like heat transfer member 50 between itself and the second exposed portion 93 of the heat connecting member 90.

[0027] (Heat transfer component) The heat transfer member 50 is sandwiched between the second exposed portion 93 of a pair of left and right thermal connection members 90, which are exposed on the lower side of the extension portion 26 of the housing 20, and the mounting surface 44 of the frame member 40 when the housing 20 is mounted on the frame member 40 (see Figure 5 in particular). As shown in Figure 3, in this example, the heat transfer member 50 is formed in the shape of a sheet with a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from the vertical direction. The thermal conductivity of the heat transfer member 50 is higher than that of the resin material that constitutes the housing 20. The heat transfer member 50 is made of a flexible material that can be deformed to match the shape of the gap between the second exposed portion 93 of the thermal connection member 90 and the mounting surface 44 of the frame member 40. The heat transfer member 50 may be, for example, elastically compressible. As shown in Figure 5, the heat transfer member 50 fills the gap between the mounting surface 44 of the frame member 40 and the lower surface of the second exposed portion 93.

[0028] The heat transfer member 50 may be composed of, for example, a thermally conductive resin material, a mixed material obtained by mixing a heat-conducting heat transfer element with a base resin, and a mesh material composed of heat-conducting wires. The heat transfer member 50 may be constructed by processing these materials into a plate or tape shape. Furthermore, if these materials have sufficient flexibility under the operating environment of the heat transfer member 50, they may be applied to the housing 20 or frame member 40 in a paste-like manner, for example. The heat transfer member 50 has electrical insulation properties. The heat transfer member 50 has the function of electrically insulating the frame member 40 from the second exposed portion 93 of the thermal connection member 90. The aforementioned heat transfer sheet 55 may also be configured in the same manner as the heat transfer member 50 described above.

[0029] (How to assemble the connector) Next, an example of how to assemble the connector 1 described above (assembly method) will be explained. When assembling the connector 1, first, the pair of left and right terminal fittings 10 are housed in the housing 20 (housed fitting operation). In this housed fitting operation, the cylindrical contact portion 11 of each terminal fitting 10 is inserted from the rear into the respective housed cylindrical portion 22 of the housing 20. The plate-shaped fastening portion 12 of the terminal fitting 10 is positioned to cover the upper surface of the extension portion 26 of the housing 20 so that the bolt insertion hole 14 is located on the upper end opening of the nut member 30 and the bolt insertion hole 94 of the first exposed portion 92 of the heat connection member 90, and the locking hole 15 of the terminal fitting 10 is locked into the locking projection 27 of the housing 20 (see Figures 1 and 4). The locking hole 15 is locked into the locking projection 27, which suppresses misalignment of the terminal fitting 10 relative to the housing 20. With this, the housed fitting operation of the pair of left and right terminal fittings 10 relative to the housing 20 is completed.

[0030] After the housing installation, the housing 20 is attached to the frame member 40 (attachment work). In this attachment work, first, the sheet-like heat transfer member 50 is attached to the second exposed portion 93 of the pair of left and right heat connection members 90 that are exposed on the lower side of the extension portion 26 of the housing 20, or to the mounting surface 44 of the extension portion 43 of the frame member 40. Then, the outer cylinder portion 21 of the housing 20 is inserted into the through hole 42 of the frame member 40. Insertion of the outer cylinder portion 21 into the through hole 42 is continued until the flange portion 25 of the housing 20 abuts against the main body portion 41 of the frame member 40 in the front-rear direction. This completes the attachment of the housing 20 to the frame member 40.

[0031] As shown in Figure 5, in the state after installation, the heat transfer member 50 is pressed and clamped between the second exposed portion 93 of the thermal connection member 90 and the mounting surface 44 of the frame member 40. The heat transfer member 50, sandwiched between the second exposed portion 93 and the mounting surface 44, flexibly deforms to conform to the shape of the gap between the second exposed portion 93 of the thermal connection member 90 and the mounting surface 44 of the frame member 40 due to the flexibility of the heat transfer member 50. In this state, the heat transfer member 50 makes contact with both the thermal connection member 90 and the frame member 40 over a larger contact area compared to when the heat transfer member 50 is not flexible. In other words, the heat transfer member 50 thermally connects the thermal connection member 90 and the frame member 40. Furthermore, as described above, the mounting surface 44 extends with a slight inclination in the front-rear direction, with the rear side positioned higher than the front side. Compared to the case where the mounting surface 44 extends parallel to the front-rear direction, this makes it less likely for the heat transfer member 50 to be peeled off due to frictional force received from the second exposed portion 93 of the heat connection member 90 when attaching the housing 20 to the frame member 40. Moreover, the pressing force received by the heat transfer member 50 from the second exposed portion 93 of the heat connection member 90 and the mounting surface 44 increases, making it easier for the heat transfer member 50 to adhere more closely to the second exposed portion 93 of the heat connection member 90 and the mounting surface 44. With the above steps completed, the assembly of connector 1 is obtained, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[0032] Connector 1 is mated to the mating connector 2 shown in Figure 1. The housing 60 of the mating connector 2 comprises a connector portion 61 extending in the front-rear direction and a wire housing portion 62 extending in the up-down direction, and is formed in a substantially L-shape when viewed from the left-right direction. The connector portion 61 has an outer cylinder portion 63 that is shaped to fit into the outer cylinder portion 21 of the housing 20 (see Figures 3 and 5), and a pair of left and right housing cylinder portions 64 that are shaped to fit into a pair of left and right housing cylinder portions 22 of the housing 20, respectively. Each of the left and right housing cylinder portions 64 houses a terminal fitting 71. Each terminal fitting 71 is configured as a male terminal. A pair of left and right wires 72 connected to each of the left and right terminal fittings 71 pass inside the wire housing portion 62 and extend downward from the lower end opening of the wire housing portion 62. A packing 103 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the outer cylinder portion 63.

[0033] Connector 1 and the mating connector 2 are fitted together such that the outer cylinder portion 21 is externally fitted into the outer cylinder portion 63, and the housing cylinder portion 22 is internally fitted into the housing cylinder portion 64. When connector 1 and the mating connector 2 are fitted together, the cylindrical contact portion 11 of the terminal fitting 10 inside the housing cylinder portion 22 and the terminal fitting 71 inside the housing cylinder portion 64 are electrically connected. The packing 103 (see Figure 1) provided on the outer circumferential surface of the outer cylinder portion 63 has the function of sealing the gap between the inner circumferential surface of the outer cylinder portion 21 of the housing 20 that is externally fitted into the outer cylinder portion 63 and the outer circumferential surface of the outer cylinder portion 63.

[0034] In connector 1, external terminals 81 connected to electric wires 82 are fastened to each of the plate-shaped fastening portions 12 of the left and right pair of terminal fittings 10 using nut members 30 and bolts 100 (see Figure 4). Specifically, bolts 100 are inserted in this order through bolt insertion holes 81a provided in the flat plate portion of the external terminal 81, bolt insertion holes 14 in the plate-shaped fastening portion 12, and bolt insertion holes 94 in the thermal connection member 90, and then screwed into the internal space of the cylindrical body portion 31 of the nut member 30, thereby fastening the terminal fittings 10 and external terminals 81 to the nut member 30 fixed to the housing 20.

[0035] <Effects and Actions> As described above, in the connector 1 according to this embodiment, a metal thermal connection member 90 embedded in the housing 20 thermally connects the terminal fitting 10 and the frame member 40. With this configuration, the heat generated at the contact point between the terminal fitting 10 and the external terminal 81 (hereinafter simply referred to as the connection point) due to the flow of electricity can be dissipated to the frame member 40 via the thermal connection member 90. In other words, the heat dissipation performance of the connector 1 can be improved. Furthermore, in a configuration where the terminal fitting 10 and the frame member 40 are thermally connected by the thermal connection member 90, the heat at the connection point can be efficiently dissipated to the frame member 40 compared to the case where the heat at the connection point is dissipated to the frame member 40 through the nut member 30. This point will be explained below.

[0036] The nut member 30 has an internal space into which the bolt 100 is screwed. The air present in the internal space of the nut member 30 has a lower thermal conductivity compared to metals, etc. Furthermore, the constituent material of the nut member 30 tends to have a lower thermal conductivity because ensuring the strength of the female screw (thread) takes precedence over thermal conductivity. In this example, the constituent material of the nut member 30 is SUS, which has a lower thermal conductivity than copper or aluminum. In such a configuration, the heat transfer efficiency is low when heat from the connection point is transferred to the frame member 40 through the nut member 30. On the other hand, there is no air in the heat dissipation path from the connection point through the thermal connection member 90 to the frame member 40. Furthermore, since the thermal connection member 90 does not require strength, a material with high thermal conductivity can be selected as the constituent material of the thermal connection member 90. In this example, the constituent material of the nut member 30 is copper or aluminum, which have relatively high thermal conductivity. With such a configuration, the heat transfer efficiency is high, transferring heat from the connection point to the frame member 40 through the thermal connection member 90. Therefore, compared to the case where the nut member 30 is used to dissipate heat from the connection point to the frame member 40, heat from the connection point can be dissipated to the frame member 40 more efficiently.

[0037] Furthermore, in the connector 1 according to this embodiment, the heat generated at the contact point between the terminal fitting 10 of connector 1 and the terminal fitting 71 of the mating connector 2 can also be dissipated to the outside. This point will be explained below. The contact point between the terminal fitting 10 of connector 1 and the terminal fitting 71 of the mating connector 2 generates a large amount of heat when current is applied due to the high contact resistance, yet it is located inside the housing 20 for insulation from the outside. Due to this structure, it is difficult to dissipate the heat generated at the contact point between terminal fitting 10 and terminal fitting 71 from the inside to the outside of the housing 20. In this regard, in the connector 1 according to this embodiment, as described above, the terminal fitting 10 of the connector 1 is thermally connected to the frame member 40 via the thermal connecting member 90. With this configuration, the heat generated at the contact point between the terminal fitting 10 of the connector 1 and the terminal fitting 71 of the mating connector 2 when power is applied can also be dissipated to the frame member 40.

[0038] In this embodiment, the thermal connection member 90 is interposed between the terminal fitting 10 and the nut member 30, and between the nut member 30 and the frame member 40. In this configuration, the nut member 30 is thermally connected to the thermal connection member 90. The thermal connection between the thermal connection member 90 and the nut member 30 increases the heat capacity in the heat dissipation path from the connection point through the thermal connection member 90 to the frame member 40. Therefore, the temperature rise at the connection point during energization can be effectively suppressed.

[0039] In this embodiment, an electrically insulating heat transfer member 50 is sandwiched between the thermal connection member 90 and the frame member 40. With this configuration, the heat transfer member 50 prevents the frame member 40 and the terminal fitting 10 from being electrically connected via the thermal connection member 90, while still allowing heat from the connection point to be transferred to the frame member 40.

[0040] In this embodiment, the thermal connecting member 90 has a first exposed portion 92 (intervening portion) positioned between the terminal fitting 10 and the nut member 30. The first exposed portion 92 has a bolt insertion hole 94 that penetrates the first exposed portion 92 and connects to the space inside the nut member 30. The first exposed portion 92 is sandwiched between the terminal fitting 10 and the nut member 30 when a bolt 100 is passed through the bolt insertion holes 14 and 94 of the terminal fitting 10 and the first exposed portion 92 and screwed into the nut member 30. In this configuration, the thermal connecting member 90 is thermally connected to the terminal fitting 10 around the bolt insertion hole 94 of the first exposed portion 92 (i.e., near the nut member 30). With this configuration, a large contact area between the terminal fitting 10 and the thermal connecting member 90 can be secured without making the outer shape of the part of the thermal connecting member 90 that contacts the terminal fitting 10 large. Therefore, heat can be efficiently transferred from the terminal fitting 10 to the thermal connecting member 90.

[0041] In this embodiment, the thermal conductivity of the heat transfer member 50 is higher than that of the housing 20. With this configuration, the heat transfer member 50 prevents electrical connection between the frame member 40 and the terminal fitting 10 by the thermal connection member 90, while efficiently transferring heat from the thermal connection member 90 to the frame member 40.

[0042] In this embodiment, the heat transfer member 50 has the flexibility to deform to match the shape of the gap between the thermal connection member 90 and the frame member 40. With this configuration, when the heat transfer member 50 is sandwiched between the thermal connection member 90 and the frame member 40, the heat transfer member 50 can be made to contact both the thermal connection member 90 and the frame member 40 without any gaps. In other words, a large contact area can be secured between the heat transfer member 50 and both the thermal connection member 90 and the frame member 40. Therefore, heat can be efficiently transferred from the thermal connection member 90 to the frame member 40.

[0043] <Modification of the first embodiment> In the first embodiment described above, a heat transfer sheet may be provided between the upper surface of the first exposed portion 92 and the lower surface of the terminal fitting 10 to fill the gap between them, for example, due to minute irregularities on the upper surface of the first exposed portion 92 and the lower surface of the terminal fitting 10. This heat transfer sheet may be the same as the heat transfer sheet 55 in the first embodiment. Even with such a configuration, the terminal fitting 10 and the thermal connection member 90 (first exposed portion 92) are thermally connected.

[0044] In the first embodiment described above, the heat transfer sheet 55 may, for example, have electrical insulating properties. By placing such a heat transfer sheet 55 between the second exposed portion 93 and the bottom wall portion 31a of the nut member 30, the second exposed portion 93 and the bottom wall portion 31a of the nut member 30 can be electrically insulated.

[0045] In the first embodiment described above, for example, a heat transfer member may be placed between the terminal fitting 10 and the thermal connection member 90. This heat transfer member may have similar characteristics to, for example, the heat transfer member 50 interposed between the second exposed portion 93 and the frame member 40. In such a configuration, the heat transfer member can electrically insulate the terminal fitting 10 and the thermal connection member 90. When the terminal fitting 10 and the thermal connection member 90 are electrically insulated in this way, the pair of left and right thermal connection members 90 provided for each of the left and right terminal fittings 10 may, for example, be formed integrally. That is, a single thermal connection member 90 may be provided for the left and right pair of terminal fittings 10. Even with such a configuration, the occurrence of a short circuit between the left and right pair of terminal fittings 10 due to the thermal connection member 90 can be suppressed.

[0046] In the first embodiment described above, the insertion portion of the first exposed portion 92 (intervening portion) through which the bolt 100 passes is not limited to the bolt insertion hole 94, but may be, for example, a notch formed in the first exposed portion 92.

[0047] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment mainly in the configuration of the nut member, heat connection member, and heat transfer member. In the description of the second embodiment, parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0048] (Nut component) As shown in Figure 6, in the second embodiment, the nut member 30 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the extension portion 26. The upper end of the nut member 30 (the upper end surfaces of the cylindrical body portion 31 and the flange portion 32) is located above the upper surface of the extension portion 26.

[0049] (Thermal connection component) Of the thermal connection member 90C, the first exposed portion 92C (terminal connection portion) which is connected to the upper end of the embedded portion 91 and exposed on the upper side of the extension portion 26 of the housing 20 is positioned between the upper surface of the extension portion 26 and the terminal fitting 10 in the vertical direction. The first exposed portion 92C is positioned so as not to overlap with the nut member 30 when viewed from the vertical direction. The first exposed portion 92C is positioned adjacent to the upper end of the nut member 30 along the upper surface of the extension portion 26. However, the first exposed portion 92C is positioned at a distance from the upper end of the nut member 30 and is electrically insulated from the nut member 30.

[0050] The upper surface of the first exposed portion 92C is located below the upper end of the nut member 30, that is, it is lower than the upper end of the nut member 30. With this configuration, when the plate-shaped fastening portion 12 of the terminal fitting 10 is placed on the extension portion 26 of the housing 20, the plate-shaped fastening portion 12 contacts the upper end of the nut member 30, but a gap exists between the plate-shaped fastening portion 12 and the upper surface of the first exposed portion 92C. In Figure 6, the first exposed portion 92C is located adjacent to the rear side of the nut member 30, but it may also be located on the front, left, or right side of the nut member 30. Furthermore, the upper surface of the first exposed portion 92C is flush with the upper surface of the extension portion 26, but it may also protrude upward from the upper surface of the extension portion 26.

[0051] (Heat transfer component) The heat transfer members 51C and 52C have electrical insulating properties and are sandwiched between the thermal connection member 90C and the frame member 40, and between the thermal connection member 90C and the terminal fitting 10, respectively. The heat transfer members 51C and 52C of the second embodiment have the same characteristics as the heat transfer member 50 of the first embodiment (see Figure 5). That is, the heat transfer members 51C and 52C of the second embodiment are made of a flexible material (for example, a material that is elastically compressible) that can be deformed to match the shape of the gap between the two members that sandwich the heat transfer members 51C and 52C. In the following description, the heat transfer member 51C sandwiched between the thermal connection member 90C and the frame member 40 will be called the first heat transfer member 51C, and the heat transfer member 52C sandwiched between the thermal connection member 90C and the terminal fitting 10 will be called the second heat transfer member 52C. The first heat transfer member 51C is the same as the heat transfer member 50 of the first embodiment (see Figure 5).

[0052] The thickness dimension of the second heat transfer member 52C in the vertical direction is greater than the distance between the upper surface of the first exposed portion 92C and the upper end of the nut member 30 in the vertical direction, before it is sandwiched between the first exposed portion 92C and the terminal fitting 10. With the pair of left and right terminal fittings 10 housed in the housing 20, the second heat transfer member 52C is securely sandwiched between the first exposed portion 92C of the heat connecting member 90C and the plate-shaped fastening portion 12 of the terminal fitting 10.

[0053] With the above configuration, the first exposed portion 92C of the thermal connection member 90C is thermally connected to the terminal fitting 10 at a position away from the nut member 30.

[0054] <Effects and Actions> As described above, the second embodiment provides the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0055] In the second embodiment, a second heat transfer member 52C having electrical insulation properties is sandwiched between the thermal connection member 90C and the terminal fitting 10. With this configuration, the heat at the connection point can be transferred to the frame member 40 while preventing the frame member 40 and the terminal fitting 10 from being electrically connected via the thermal connection member 90C by the second heat transfer member 52C.

[0056] In the second embodiment, the second heat transfer member 52C has the flexibility to deform to match the shape of the gap between the thermal connection member 90C and the terminal fitting 10. With this configuration, when the second heat transfer member 52C is sandwiched between the thermal connection member 90C and the terminal fitting 10, the second heat transfer member 52C can be made to contact the thermal connection member 90C and the terminal fitting 10 without any gaps. In other words, a large contact area can be secured between the second heat transfer member 52C and the thermal connection member 90C and the terminal fitting 10. Therefore, heat can be efficiently transferred from the terminal fitting 10 to the thermal connection member 90C.

[0057] In the second embodiment, the first exposed portion 92C of the thermal connection member 90C is thermally connected to the terminal fitting 10 at a position away from the nut member 30. In this configuration, the first exposed portion 92C is not sandwiched between the terminal fitting 10 and the nut member 30. This configuration makes it possible to reduce the axial force loss when fastening the terminal fitting 10 to the nut member 30 with the bolt 100, compared to the case where the first exposed portion 92C is sandwiched between the terminal fitting 10 and the nut member 30. In other words, the terminal fitting 10 can be fastened to the nut member 30 without increasing the size of the bolt 100 or the nut member 30.

[0058] <Modified form of the second embodiment> In the second embodiment described above, for example, the thermal connection member 90C and the frame member 40 may be in direct contact. That is, the first heat transfer member 51C does not need to be sandwiched between the thermal connection member 90C and the frame member 40. Even if the first heat transfer member 51C is absent, the terminal fitting 10 and the frame member 40 can be electrically insulated by the second heat transfer member 52C and the heat transfer sheet 55.

[0059] <Other variations>

[0060] In the two embodiments described above, a heat transfer sheet 55 does not necessarily need to be interposed between the bottom wall portion 31a of the nut member 30 (particularly the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 31a) and the second exposed portion 93 of the heat connecting members 90 and 90C. In this case, for example, the bottom wall portion 31a of the nut member 30 may be in direct contact with the second exposed portion 93 of the heat connecting members 90 and 90C.

[0061] In the two embodiments described above, a portion of the terminal fitting 10 (mainly the cylindrical contact portion 11) is housed in the housing 20 (housing cylindrical portion 22), while the remaining portion of the terminal fitting 10 (mainly the plate-shaped fastening portion 12) is not housed in the housing 20. However, for example, the entire terminal fitting 10 may be housed in the housing 20.

[0062] Two embodiments and their variations have been described above. However, the embodiments and variations are not limited to the examples described above. For example, the embodiments and variations may be implemented in combination with each other. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0063] 1 Connector 10 Terminal fittings 20 Housing 30 Nut components (fixing brackets) 40 Frame members 50 Heat transfer components 51C First heat transfer element 52C Second heat transfer element 81 External terminals (external conductive components) 90°C thermal connection member 91 Buried section 92 First exposed part (interposed part) 92C First exposed section (terminal connection section) 93 Second exposed part 94 Bolt insertion hole (insertion part) 100 volts

Claims

1. Terminal fittings and A housing having electrical insulation properties and housing at least a portion of the terminal fittings, A fixing bracket embedded in the housing for fastening the terminal fitting to an external conductive component, A metal frame member to which the housing is attached, A connector comprising a metal thermal connecting member that thermally connects the terminal fitting and the frame member, including a portion embedded in the housing at a position adjacent to the fixing fitting.

2. The thermal connection member is interposed between the terminal fitting and the fixing fitting, and between the fixing fitting and the frame member, The connector according to claim 1.

3. The present invention further comprises a heat transfer member having electrical insulation properties, which is sandwiched between the terminal fitting and the thermal connection member, and between the thermal connection member and the frame member, at least one of these locations. The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The aforementioned fixing bracket is a nut member, The thermal connection member has an intervening portion that is positioned between the terminal fitting and the nut member. The intervening portion has an insertion portion that penetrates the intervening portion and connects to the space inside the nut member, and the bolt is passed through the insertion portion and screwed into the nut member, thereby being sandwiched between the terminal fitting and the nut member. The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2.

5. The thermal conductivity of the thermal connection member is higher than that of the fixing bracket. The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2.

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