connector

Abstract

The present invention provides a connector that can prevent the proximity probe from contacting the conductive portion at the lead-out section. [Solution] In a connector 1 comprising a housing 11 and a busbar 9 housed in the housing 11, the housing 11 is provided with a lead-out section 65 from which the busbar 9 is pulled out to the outside, the busbar 9 has a first busbar housed in the housing 11 and a second busbar 39 electrically connected to the first busbar via a connection section and pulled out to the outside of the housing 11 from the lead-out section 65, and a spacer 13 is provided in the lead-out section 65 that closes the gap between the second busbar 39 and the lead-out section 65 and whose position can be changed by contact with the second busbar 39.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector. BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Conventionally, as a connector, a connector including a housing and an electric wire accommodated in the housing is known (see Patent Document 1). In this connector, a terminal is electrically connected to an end portion of the electric wire that is accommodated in the housing. The housing is provided with a lead-out portion through which the electric wire is led out to the outside. Such a connector is applied to a vehicle charging unit for charging a power source mounted on a vehicle, and the electric wire led out from the lead-out portion is electrically connected to the power source. The power source is charged by fitting a charging connector of a charging device to the connector applied to the vehicle charging unit. PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0003] PATENT DOCUMENT 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-89729 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0004] Incidentally, in connectors such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, along with the increase in capacity of power sources due to improvements in the cruising range of vehicles and the like, application of bus bars in place of electric wires to allow large currents to flow has been studied. Bus bars have high rigidity, and it is difficult to arrange a single bus bar while bending it inside the housing. For this reason, the bus bar is configured to include a first bus bar accommodated in the housing, and a second bus bar that is electrically connected to the first bus bar via a connection portion and led out from the lead-out portion to the outside of the housing. The arrangement position of the second bus bar at the lead-out portion may fluctuate due to assembly errors at the connection portion. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a gap between the lead-out portion and the second bus bar to absorb assembly errors.

[0005] In this connector, a proximity probe is used to detect whether a thin metal component, such as a wire, could be inserted from the lead-out portion into the housing and come into contact with a conductive part such as the first busbar or connection portion. However, if a gap is formed between the lead-out portion and the second busbar, the proximity probe could be inserted into the housing through the gap and come into contact with the conductive part.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art. The object of this invention is to provide a connector that can prevent the proximity probe from coming into contact with the conductive portion at the lead-out section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The connector according to this embodiment comprises a housing and a busbar housed in the housing, the housing being provided with a pull-out section from which the busbar is pulled out to the outside, the busbar having a first busbar housed in the housing and a second busbar electrically connected to the first busbar via a connecting section and pulled out to the outside of the housing from the pull-out section, the pull-out section being provided with a spacer that closes the gap between the second busbar and the pull-out section and whose position can be changed by contact with the second busbar. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connector that can prevent the proximity probe from contacting the conductive portion at the lead-out section. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the connector according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the connector according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is an exploded perspective view of the connector according to this embodiment. [Figure 4]This is a front view of the connector according to this embodiment with the cover removed. [Figure 5] This is an enlarged view of the main part of Figure 4. [Figure 6] This is an enlarged front view of the main part of the connector according to this embodiment when the position of the spacer is changed. [Figure 7] This is an enlarged front view of the main part of the connector according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view of the connector according to this embodiment, with terminals assembled to the busbar. [Figure 9] This is a perspective view of the first busbar of the connector according to this embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a perspective view of the second busbar of the connector according to this embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a perspective view of the connector housing body according to this embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a perspective view of the connector cover according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The connector according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the connector 1 according to this embodiment is applied to a vehicle charging unit for charging a power supply (not shown) mounted on a vehicle (not shown), such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. The connector 1 is matable with a charging connector (not shown) electrically connected to a charging device (not shown) located, for example, on a charging station. By mating the charging connector with the connector 1, power is supplied from the charging device to the power supply, and the power supply is charged. Power supplies are increasingly becoming high-capacity in order to improve the driving range of vehicles. High-capacity power supplies have long charging times, so by using a busbar 9 (see Figure 2) with a large cross-sectional area instead of wires, a large current can be carried, and the charging time can be shortened.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 to 12, the connector 1 includes an outer housing 3, an inner housing 5, terminals 7, bus bars 9, a housing 11, and a spacer 13.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the outer housing 3 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The outer housing 3 is disposed at the outermost side toward the vehicle exterior in the vehicle charging portion of a vehicle, and is formed in a rectangular casing shape. The outer housing 3 is provided with a plurality of (four in this case) vehicle fixing portions 15 that are fixed to a vehicle body (not shown) via fixing members such as bolts (not shown). At the central portion of the outer housing 3, a fitting opening 17 into which a charging connector is fitted is formed to penetrate through the outer housing 3.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the inner housing 5 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The inner housing 5 is formed in a casing shape that can accommodate a plurality of (seven in this case) terminals 7 inside and can be fitted with a charging connector. The inner housing 5 is provided with a plurality of inner fixing portions that are fixed to the outer housing 3 via screw members. The inner housing 5 is provided with a fitting portion 19 that extends in a tubular shape toward the fitting direction with the charging connector. The fitting portion 19 is disposed in the fitting opening 17 of the outer housing 3. A lock portion 21 that retains the fitted state with the charging connector is provided on the outer surface of the fitting portion 19. The fitting portion 19 includes a normal fitting portion 23 and a rapid fitting portion 25.

[0015] The standard mating portion 23 is positioned above the mating portion 19. The standard mating portion 23 is matable with a standard charging connector (not shown) that can charge a power source in a normal amount of time. Inside the standard mating portion 23, there are multiple (five in this case) standard terminal housing chambers 27. Standard charging terminals (not shown) are housed in the standard terminal housing chambers 27. The standard charging terminals include, for example, power terminals for power supply and communication terminals for detecting the charging status. The standard charging terminals are electrically connected to the terminal ends of electric wires (not shown) that are electrically connected to a power source. The standard charging terminals housed in the standard terminal housing chambers 27 are held in the standard terminal housing chambers 27 by a holder (not shown) that is assembled to the inner housing 5 on the side opposite to the mating opening 17. When a standard charging connector is mated into the standard mating portion 23, the mating terminal of the standard charging connector and the standard charging terminals are electrically connected. The electrical connection between the standard charging terminal and the corresponding terminal allows the power supply to be charged from the charging equipment in a normal amount of time.

[0016] The rapid mating portion 25 is positioned below the mating portion 19. The rapid mating portion 25 is matable with a rapid charging connector (not shown) that can charge a power source in a short time. Inside the rapid mating portion 25, there are multiple (two in this case) rapid terminal housing chambers 29. Rapid charging terminals 7 are housed in the rapid terminal housing chambers 29. Rapid charging terminals 7 are, for example, power terminals for power supply. Rapid charging terminals 7 are electrically connected to a busbar 9 that is electrically connected to a power source. The rapid charging terminals 7 housed in the rapid terminal housing chambers 29 are held in the rapid terminal housing chambers 29 by a housing 11 that holds the busbar 9, which is assembled to the outer housing 3 on the opposite side of the mating opening 17. When a rapid charging connector is mated into the rapid mating portion 25, the mating terminal of the rapid charging connector and the rapid charging terminals 7 are electrically connected. The electrical connection between the rapid charging terminal 7 and the other terminal allows the power supply to be charged from the charging equipment in a short time.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 8, the terminal 7 is made of a conductive material such as a metal material. The terminal 7 is, for example, a power terminal for power supply, and a plurality (two in this case) of the terminals 7 are used. The terminal 7 is formed in a columnar shape extending along the fitting direction of the connector 1 and the charging connector. One end side of the terminal 7 serves as an electrical connection portion 31. The electrical connection portion 31 is disposed on the side of the fitting opening 17 in a state where the terminal 7 is arranged in the quick terminal accommodating chamber 29. The electrical connection portion 31 is electrically connected to the mating terminal of the charging connector in a state where the connector 1 and the charging connector are fitted to each other. The other end side of the terminal 7 serves as a bus bar connection portion 33. The bus bar connection portion 33 is formed in a hollow shape, and a thread groove is formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof. The bus bar connection portion 33 is electrically connected to the bus bar 9 by fastening a bolt 35 thereto.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 6 and FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, the bus bar 9 is formed by processing a conductive material such as a metal material into a plate shape, for example. A plurality (two sets in this case) of the bus bars 9 are used corresponding to the plurality of terminals 7. The bus bar 9 includes a first bus bar 37 and a second bus bar 39.

[0019] The first bus bar 37 is formed in an L shape, for example. At both end sides of the first bus bar 37, first through holes 41 respectively penetrating the first bus bar 37 in the thickness direction are formed. One of the first through holes 41 is formed in a perfect circle shape, and the other first through hole 41 is formed in an oblong shape. Adjacent first bus bars 37, 37 are arranged in a symmetrical shape. A bolt 35 to be fastened to the bus bar connection portion 33 of the terminal 7 is inserted into one first through hole 41 of the first bus bar 37, and by fastening the bolt 35 to the bus bar connection portion 33, the first bus bar 37 and the terminal 7 are electrically connected. When the first through hole 41 through which the bolt 35 is inserted is oblong, the arrangement position of the first bus bar 37 relative to the terminal 7 can be changed, and assembly errors can be absorbed. A bolt 43 for electrically connecting the first bus bar 37 and the second bus bar 39 is inserted into the other first through hole 41 of the first bus bar 37.

[0020] The second busbar 39 is formed, for example, in a straight line. The outer surface of the second busbar 39 is covered with an insulating coating 45. A second through-hole 47 is formed at one end of the second busbar 39, penetrating the second busbar 39 in the thickness direction. The second through-hole 47 is formed in an oval shape. A bolt 43 is inserted through the second through-hole 47 with the first through-hole 41 and the second through-hole 47 of the first busbar 37 superimposed, and fastened to a nut 49. By fastening the bolt 43 to the nut 49, the first busbar 37 and the second busbar 39 are electrically connected. The first through-hole 41, the bolt 43, the second through-hole 47, and the nut 49 that electrically connect the first busbar 37 and the second busbar 39 constitute a connection portion 51. By forming the second through-hole 47 through which the bolt 43 is inserted in an oval shape, the position of the second busbar 39 relative to the first busbar 37 can be varied, and assembly errors can be absorbed. The other end of the second busbar 39 is electrically connected to the power supply, and terminal 7 and the power supply are electrically connected via busbar 9. By using busbar 9 as the conductive member that supplies power to the power supply, a large current can be carried, and it is possible to accommodate a larger power supply capacity.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 to 7, 11 and 12, the housing 11 comprises a housing body 53 and a cover 55.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 to 7 and Figure 11, the housing body 53 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The housing body 53 is formed in a housing shape capable of accommodating the busbar 9. The housing body 53 is positioned on the side of the rapid-fitting portion 25 of the inner housing 5, opposite to the fitting opening 17 of the outer housing 3. The housing body 53 is provided with a plurality (four in this case) of outer fixing portions 57 that are fixed to the outer housing 3 via screw members. The housing body 53 includes a terminal housing portion 59 and a busbar housing portion 61.

[0023] The terminal housing section 59 is formed in a cylindrical shape that extends along the mating direction between the connector 1 and the charging connector, so as to be able to accommodate the busbar connection section 33 of the terminal 7. Multiple terminal housing sections 59 are provided to correspond to multiple terminals 7 (two in this case). The busbar connection section 33 of the terminal 7 is positioned in the terminal housing section 59, and the electrical connection section 31 of the terminal 7 is exposed to the outside toward the inner housing 5.

[0024] The busbar housing 61 has an opening 63 on the side opposite to the inner housing 5, and is formed to have a bottom wall and side walls capable of supporting the first busbar 37. The interior of the busbar housing is divided into multiple sections (two in this case) by the side walls to correspond to multiple busbars 9. The opening 63 of the busbar housing 61 is large enough to insert the first busbar 37 and exposes the connection portion 51 of the busbar 9. The bottom wall of the busbar housing 61 is in communication with the terminal housing 59 in the portion where the terminal housing 59 is located. The side wall of the busbar housing 61 is provided with a main body pull-out section 67, which is an opening 65 that allows the second busbar 39 to be pulled out to the outside of the housing 11. Multiple main body pull-out sections 67 are provided to correspond to multiple second busbars 39 (two in this case). The main body pull-out section 67 has an opening at the top, which is the front side in the assembly direction between the housing body 53 and the cover 55, so that the second busbar 39 can be inserted. The width of the main body pull-out section 67 is set to be wider than the width of the second busbar 39. As a result, a gap is formed between the main body pull-out section 67 and the second busbar 39, allowing the second busbar 39 to move on both sides in the width direction, and absorbing assembly errors at the connection section 51 of the busbar 9. The first busbar 37, with the terminal 7 attached, is housed in the busbar housing section 61 through the opening 63 so that the terminal 7 is housed in the terminal housing section 59. The second busbar 39 is electrically connected to the first busbar 37 housed in the busbar housing section 61 by fastening a bolt 43 at the connection section 51, and the second busbar 39 is pulled out from the main body pull-out section 67 to the outside of the housing 11. Multiple (two in this case) fixing portions 69 are provided on the outer surface of the busbar housing 61, each having a flange-like shape and a hole with a screw groove on its inner surface. The cover 55 is attached to the fixing portions 69 via bolts 71, closing the opening 63 of the busbar housing 61.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1 to 7 and Figure 12, the cover 55 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The cover 55 is formed in a housing shape that can close the opening 63 of the housing body 53. The size of the cover 55 is set so that its side walls are positioned on the outer surface of the side walls of the busbar housing portion 61 of the housing body 53. The cover 55 is provided with a plurality of cover fixing portions 73 (two in this case) which are formed in a flange shape and have holes through which bolts 71 can be inserted, at positions corresponding to the fixing portions 69 of the housing body 53. The cover 55 is fixed to the housing body 53 by inserting the bolts 71 through the cover fixing portions 73 and fastening the bolts 71 to the fixing portions 69. The side walls of the cover 55 are provided with a plurality of cover pull-out portions 75, which are pull-out portions 65 that are open so that the second busbar 39 can be pulled out to the outside of the housing 11, at positions corresponding to a plurality of main body pull-out portions 67 of the housing body 53. The cover pull-out section 75 is positioned at a different location (in this case, the front side in the pull-out direction) from the main body pull-out section 67 with respect to the pull-out direction of the second busbar 39. The cover pull-out section 75 has an opening at the bottom, which is the front side in the assembly direction between the housing body 53 and the cover 55, so that the second busbar 39 can be inserted. The width of the cover pull-out section 75 is the same as the width of the main body pull-out section 67 and is set to be wider than the width of the second busbar 39. As a result, a gap is formed between the cover pull-out section 75 and the second busbar 39, allowing the second busbar 39 to move on both sides in the width direction, and absorbing assembly errors at the connection section 51 of the busbar 9. The cover 55 is positioned to close the opening 63 of the housing body 53 when the busbar 9 is housed in the housing body 53. The cover 55, which closes the opening 63, is held in place on the housing body 53 by fastening bolts 71 to the cover fixing section 73. By closing the opening 63 of the housing body 53 with the cover 55, the connection part 51 can be adjusted by removing the cover 55 while the busbar 9 is housed in the housing body 53, thereby increasing the design flexibility of the busbar 9.

[0026] In connector 1, the proximity probe 77 detects whether a thin metal component, such as a wire, could be inserted into the housing 11 from the lead-out portion 65 and come into contact with conductive parts such as the first busbar 37 or the connection portion 51. A gap is formed between the lead-out portion 65 and the second busbar 39 to absorb assembly errors at the connection portion 51 of the busbar 9. If a gap is formed between the lead-out portion 65 and the second busbar 39, the proximity probe 77 could be inserted into the housing 11 through the gap and come into contact with the conductive parts. Therefore, a spacer 13 is provided in the lead-out portion 65 that can absorb assembly errors at the connection portion 51 of the busbar 9 and close the gap between it and the second busbar 39.

[0027] As shown in Figures 3 to 7, the spacer 13 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The spacer 13 is positioned on both sides in the width direction of the main body drawer section 67 in the drawer section 65. The spacer 13 is positioned in the placement section 79, which is provided on both sides in the width direction of the main body drawer section 67 and has an opening on the inside side of the main body drawer section 67. A portion of the spacer 13 positioned in the placement section 79 is housed inside the placement section 79, and the other portion is exposed from the placement section 79 toward the inside of the main body drawer section 67. The portion of the spacer 13 exposed from the placement section 79 toward the inside of the main body drawer section 67 closes the gap between the drawer section 65 and the second busbar 39. The spacer 13 is biased toward the second busbar 39 by an elastically deformable elastic member 81 housed in the placement section 79.

[0028] The elastic member 81 is made of an elastically deformable material that expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction, such as a coil spring. In its free state, the elastic member 81 is set to make the space between the spacers 13, 13 located on both sides of the width direction of the drawer portion 65 narrower than the width of the second busbar 39. Therefore, when the second busbar 39 is positioned between the spacers 13, 13, the biasing force of the elastic member 81 causes the spacers 13 to be pressed against the outer surface of the second busbar 39, and no gap is formed between the second busbar 39 and the spacers 13. The biasing force of the elastic member 81 is set so that even when the assembly error of the connection portion 51 is at its maximum and the second busbar 39 moves the most to one side in the width direction, the spacers 13 will still be in contact with the outer surface of the second busbar 39. Therefore, even if the assembly error of the connection portion 51 is at its maximum, no gap is formed between the drawer portion 65 and the second busbar 39. Furthermore, if a gap occurs between the second busbar 39 and the spacer 13 when the assembly error of the connection part 51 is at its maximum, the gap should be set to be less than the diameter of the proximity probe 77 (for example, less than 1 mm). By biasing the spacer 13 with the elastic member 81, the design of the spacer 13 for the gap between the lead-out part 65 and the second busbar and the design of the elastic member 81 for the assembly error of the connection part 51 can be carried out independently, thereby improving the degree of design freedom.

[0029] The spacer 13 is brought into contact with the outer surface of the second busbar 39 by the biasing force of the elastic member 81 when the second busbar 39 is positioned in the drawer portion 65. If an assembly error occurs at the connection portion 51 and the second busbar 39 moves, the elastic member 81 is elastically deformed, causing the position of the spacer 13 to change while maintaining contact with the second busbar 39. Therefore, even if an assembly error occurs at the connection portion 51 of the busbar 9, the gap between the drawer portion 65 and the second busbar 39 can be closed by the spacer 13 due to the change in the position of the spacer 13. In the drawer portion 65 where the gap between it and the second busbar 39 is covered by the spacer 13, the proximity probe 77 will come into contact with the spacer 13 and will not be inserted into the inside of the housing 11 through the gap in the drawer portion 65. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the proximity probe 77 from coming into contact with conductive parts such as the first busbar 37 and the connection portion 51. In addition, the spacer 13 can close the gap between the lead-out portion 65 and the second busbar 39 while absorbing assembly errors at the connection portion 51 of the busbar 9, thereby maintaining the electrical connection reliability of the busbar 9.

[0030] Such a connector 1 comprises a housing 11 and a busbar 9 housed within the housing 11. The housing 11 is also provided with a lead-out section 65 through which the busbar 9 is extended to the outside. The busbar 9 has a first busbar 37 housed within the housing 11 and a second busbar 39 that is electrically connected to the first busbar 37 via a connecting section 51 and extended to the outside of the housing 11 from the lead-out section 65. A spacer 13 is provided in the lead-out section 65 to close the gap between it and the second busbar 39, and its position can be changed by contact with the second busbar 39.

[0031] Therefore, even if assembly errors occur at the connection portion 51 of the busbar 9, the gap between the lead-out portion 65 and the second busbar 39 can be closed by the spacer 13 due to the variation in the position of the spacer 13. In the lead-out portion 65 where the gap between it and the second busbar 39 is covered by the spacer 13, the proximity probe 77 will not come into contact with the spacer 13 and will not be inserted into the inside of the housing 11 through the gap in the lead-out portion 65. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the proximity probe 77 from coming into contact with conductive parts such as the first busbar 37 and the connection portion 51. In addition, since the spacer 13 can absorb assembly errors at the connection portion 51 of the busbar 9 while closing the gap between the lead-out portion 65 and the second busbar 39, the electrical connection reliability of the busbar 9 can be maintained.

[0032] Therefore, with such a connector 1, it is possible to prevent the proximity probe 77 from contacting the conductive portion of the lead-out section 65.

[0033] Furthermore, the spacer 13 is biased toward the second busbar 39 via an elastically deformable elastic member 81.

[0034] Therefore, the design of the spacer 13 for the gap between the drawer portion 65 and the second busbar, and the design of the elastic member 81 for assembly errors of the connecting portion 51 can be carried out independently, thereby improving the degree of design freedom.

[0035] Although this embodiment has been described above, this embodiment is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of this embodiment.

[0036] For example, while the housing contains two busbars, it is not limited to this; the housing can contain one, three or more busbars, and the number of busbars should be set according to the number of terminals.

[0037] Furthermore, while the busbar is composed of a first busbar and a second busbar, it is not limited to this configuration. For example, the first busbar housed inside the housing may be composed of two or more busbars.

[0038] Furthermore, while the spacer is located in the main body's drawer section, it is not limited to this, and the spacer may also be located in the cover's drawer section. In this case, the cover's drawer section should be provided with a section for arranging the spacer and the elastic member.

[0039] Furthermore, although the elastic member is composed of a coil spring, it is not limited to this; for example, the elastic member may be made of rubber or other elastic material, and any material can be used for the elastic member as long as it elastically deforms in such a way that the spacer can be extended and retracted relative to the drawer.

[0040] Furthermore, although the spacer is biased by a separate elastic member, it is not limited to this, and for example, the spacer may be formed from an elastic member such as rubber, or an elastically deformable elastic piece may be provided on the spacer so that the spacer is elastically deformable.

[0041] Furthermore, although the housing is positioned on the quick-fitting side of the inner housing, it is not limited to this arrangement; the housing may also be positioned on the normal-fitting side of the inner housing. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] 1 Connector 9 Busba 11 Housing 13 Spacers 37 First bus 39 Second bus 51 Connection part 65 Drawer section 81 Elastic members

Claims

1. Housing and A busbar housed in the aforementioned housing, Equipped with, The housing is provided with a pull-out section from which the busbar is pulled out to the outside. The busbar comprises a first busbar housed in the housing and a second busbar electrically connected to the first busbar via a connecting portion and extended out from the extension portion to the outside of the housing. The connector is provided with a spacer in the lead-out portion that closes the gap between it and the second busbar and whose position can be changed by contact with the second busbar.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is biased toward the second busbar via an elastically deformable elastic member.

Images