Connector Pair

Abstract

A male terminal (52a) has a tapered section (62). The tapered section has a first taper angle (α). A first clamp part (132a) and a second clamp part (132b) of a female terminal (112a) respectively have formed therein a first contact section (136a) and a second contact section (136b). The first clamp part and the second clamp part respectively have receiving end parts (134a, 134b) that extend from the first contact section and the second contact section. The receiving end parts approach each other toward the first contact section and the second contact section at a second taper angle (β). The first taper angle is smaller than the second taper angle.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector pair. More specifically, the connector pair includes a male connector and a female connector. The female connector has a female terminal into which a male terminal constituting the male connector is releasably inserted. [Background technology]

[0002] The connector pair electrically connects electrical devices to each other. That is, one electrical device is provided with a male connector, and the other electrical device is provided with a female connector. When connecting electrical devices, a male terminal constituting the male connector is inserted into a female terminal constituting the female connector. A typical combination of electrical devices is a combination of a battery pack and a charger (or an external load).

[0003] In the connector pair described in JP 2014-82111 A, the male terminal has a flat plate shape with a tapered tip. In the connector pair, the female terminal has a plurality of elastic contact pieces. As shown in particular in Figs. 5 and 11 of JP 2014-82111 A, the two adjacent elastic contact pieces are provided with contact parts that contact the male terminal at the portions that face each other. In a natural state before the male terminal is passed between the contact parts, the separation distance between the contact parts is smaller than the plate thickness of the male terminal. When the side where the male terminal starts to be inserted into the female terminal is defined as the upstream side, the upstream side of the contact parts is tapered in a direction away from the contact parts.

[0004] That is, the upstream of the contact portion is tapered and expanded. The tapered tip of the male terminal enters from this tapered and expanded portion, pushing the contact portion apart and being inserted into the internal space between the elastic contact pieces. The contact portion tries to return to its natural state due to its elastic action. This causes the contact portion to come into contact with the male terminal. As a result, the female terminal and the male terminal are electrically connected. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In the case of a combination of a battery pack and a charging device or an external load, the battery pack is attached to the external load after charging is completed and removed from the charging device. In this state, the battery pack supplies power to the external load. When the battery pack's remaining capacity (SOC) has decreased due to supplying power to the external load, it is removed from the external load and attached to the charger. In either case, the male terminal is inserted into the female terminal and the male terminal is removed from the female terminal.

[0006] During the above insertion and removal, the male terminal comes into sliding contact with the contact portion of the female terminal. If this sliding contact is repeated as the battery pack is charged and discharged, there is a concern that the male terminal may wear out. If such a situation occurs, for example, it is expected that the contact portion will no longer make sufficient contact with the male terminal.

[0007] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a connector pair capable of suppressing wear of male terminals.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in a connector pair having a male connector including a male terminal held by a male base and a female connector including a female terminal held by a female base and into which the male terminal is removably inserted, A direction in which the male terminal is inserted into the female terminal is defined as a first direction, and a direction opposite to the first direction is defined as a second direction. the male terminal has a tapered portion having a first taper angle that narrows in the first direction, the female terminal has a first clamping portion and a second clamping portion on which a first contact portion and a second contact portion are formed, the first contact portion and the second contact portion approach each other, the first contact portion and the second contact portion come into contact with the male terminal passed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion, thereby clamping the male terminal between the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion; the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion have receiving ends extending from the first contact portion and the second contact portion in the second direction, the receiving ends being tapered toward the first contact portion and the second contact portion at a second taper angle so as to approach each other, A connector pair is provided in which the first taper angle is smaller than the second taper angle.

[0009] In the present invention, the tip of the male terminal where insertion into the female terminal begins is made into a tapered portion, and the insertion end of the female terminal where insertion of the male terminal begins is made to approach the first and second contact portions. In this configuration, the first taper angle of the tapered portion is made smaller than the second taper angle of the insertion end of the female terminal. Therefore, when the tapered portion slides against the first and second contact portions, the frictional resistance between the tapered portion and the first and second contact portions is reduced. This makes it relatively easy for the tapered portion to move between the first and second contact portions. As a result, wear of the tapered portion is suppressed.

[0010] The tapered portion, for example, serves as a guide until a predetermined portion of the male terminal reaches between the first contact portion and the second contact portion. Since wear of the tapered portion is suppressed as described above, the female terminal is pushed open by the tapered portion, and then attempts to return to its original open position due to elastic action. Therefore, the first contact portion and the second contact portion effectively abut against the predetermined portion of the male terminal. As a result, electrical contact is formed between the male terminal and the female terminal.

[0011] This makes it possible to prevent the contact resistance between the male terminal and the female terminal from becoming large, and therefore to prevent problems such as insufficient power supply between electrical devices. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic overall side view of an electric vehicle provided with male connectors that constitute a connector pair according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] Fig. 2A is a schematic overall perspective view, seen from one direction, of a battery pack provided with a female connector that constitutes a connector pair with the male connector in Fig. 1. Fig. 2B is a schematic overall perspective view, seen from another direction, of the battery pack. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the male connector shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view of a male connector. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main portion of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of a main portion before the male terminal is inserted into the female terminal. [Figure 7] 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of essential parts showing a state in which the male connector of FIG. 1 and the female connector of FIG. 2B are connected to each other. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the essential parts, showing a state in which the male connector and the female connector from FIG. 7 have been separated from each other. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged front view of a main portion showing a state where the insertion of the male terminal into the female terminal has started from FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view of the essential parts, showing a state after the insertion of the male terminal into the female terminal from FIG. 9 is completed. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an enlarged front view of a main portion showing a state in which, when the upper edge of the support wall portion is an inclined portion, the inclined portion abuts against a receiving end portion of a female terminal. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an enlarged front view of a main portion showing a state in which, when the upper edge of the support wall portion is a flat surface, the flat surface abuts (is hooked on) the receiving end portion of the female terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] A preferred embodiment of the connector pair according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, "left" and "right" refer to the left and right of a user seated on the seat 20 of the electric vehicle 12 shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, "vehicle width direction" is synonymous with "left-right direction." "Vehicle front" and "vehicle rear" refer to the directions facing the front and rear of the electric vehicle 12. Downward and upward refer to relative height positions and do not necessarily refer to the vertical direction.

[0014] The "insertion direction Y1" is the direction in which the battery pack 30 is inserted into the battery pack housing portion 24. The "removal direction Y2" is the direction in which the battery pack 30 is removed from the battery pack housing portion 24. The insertion direction Y1 and the removal direction Y2 may be collectively referred to as the "insertion / removal direction Y."

[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic overall side view of an electric vehicle 12. The electric vehicle 12 is provided with a male connector 10. The male connector 10 constitutes a connector pair according to this embodiment. First, an outline of the electric vehicle 12 will be described. The electric vehicle 12 is a saddle-type electric three-wheeled vehicle. A drive motor 16 is disposed near the two rear wheels 14 as a driving power source for traveling.

[0016] The electric vehicle 12 has a seat holding portion 22. The seat holding portion 22 holds a seat 20 on which a user sits. A battery pack storage portion 24 is formed inside the seat holding portion 22. The male connector 10 is disposed near the front of the vehicle body at the bottom of the battery pack storage portion 24 and extends along the vehicle width direction. The configuration of the male connector 10 will be described in detail later.

[0017] The seat 20 is rotatable by a rotation shaft (not shown) provided at the front of the vehicle body (in the direction of arrow Z1 in FIG. 1) in the seat holding portion 22. When the seat 20 is rotated in a direction in which the seat 20 sits on the seat holding portion 22, an opening 26 provided above the battery pack storage portion 24 is closed. When the seat 20 is seated on the seat holding portion 22, it is locked by a locking mechanism (not shown) so that it cannot be rotated.

[0018] After the lock mechanism is released, when the end of the seat 20 at the rear of the vehicle body (the direction of the arrow Z2 in FIG. 1) is rotated in a direction to separate from the seat holding part 22, the opening 26 of the battery pack storage part 24 is opened. Through the opening 26 in this open state, it becomes possible to store the battery pack 30 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) in the battery pack storage part 24 and to remove the battery pack 30 from the battery pack storage part 24. That is, the battery pack 30 is detachably stored in the battery pack storage part 24. Electricity is supplied from this battery pack 30 to the drive motor 16. This enables the electric vehicle 12 to travel.

[0019] Next, the battery pack 30 will be generally described. Fig. 2A is a schematic overall perspective view of the battery pack 30 seen from one direction. Fig. 2B is a schematic overall perspective view of the battery pack 30 seen from another direction. In this case, the battery pack 30 has a casing 32 having a vertically elongated, generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. When the casing 32 is viewed from above, the shape of the casing 32 is generally square or rectangular.

[0020] A battery core pack holding a plurality of unit cells is housed inside the casing 32. The unit cells are, for example, lithium secondary batteries, and the SOC of the unit cells decreases when the unit cells supply power to an external load. The SOC is then restored when the unit cells receive power from a charging device. In other words, the unit cells can be repeatedly charged and discharged. Such a configuration of the battery pack 30 is well known, and therefore detailed explanations and illustrations of the unit cells and the like are omitted.

[0021] An arch portion 34 and a tab-shaped protrusion 36 are provided on the upper surface of the casing 32 so as to face each other. The arch portion is formed into an arch shape by bending both ends in the longitudinal direction and connecting to the upper surface of the casing 32. The upper edges of the arch portion 34 and the tab-shaped protrusion 36 are curved in an arc shape. A bar-shaped grip portion 38 is provided from the upper end of the arch portion 34 to the upper end of the tab-shaped protrusion 36. Since the upper ends of the arch portion 34 and the tab-shaped protrusion 36 protrude from the upper surface of the casing 32, the bar-shaped grip portion 38 is spaced from the upper surface of the casing 32. Therefore, a gripping clearance 40 is formed between the bar-shaped grip portion 38 and the upper surface of the casing 32. A user can insert his / her hand (fingers) into this gripping clearance 40 to grip the bar-shaped grip portion 38.

[0022] A female connector 42 is provided on the bottom surface of the casing 32 at a position corresponding to the lower side of the arch portion 34. This female connector 42 is electrically connected to the male connector 10 when the battery pack 30 is accommodated in the battery pack accommodation portion 24. In other words, the female connector 42 and the male connector 10 (see FIG. 1) form a connector pair.

[0023] Next, the configurations of the male connector 10 and the female connector 42 will be described. Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the male connector 10. Figure 4 is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view of the male connector 10. The male connector 10 includes a male base 50, a plurality of (seven in this embodiment) male terminals 52a-52g, and a plurality of (two in this embodiment) guide pins 54a, 54b.

[0024] A description will now be given of the male terminals 52a to 52g held by the male base 50. In this embodiment, the male terminals 52a to 52g are all made of a metal material having a substantially flat plate shape. A specific example of a suitable metal material is copper.

[0025] 5, male terminal 52a has a general portion 60 located below and relatively long, and a tapered portion 62 continuing above general portion 60. Furthermore, a protruding end 64 that is shorter than general portion 60 is formed on an edge surface of general portion 60 facing forward of the vehicle body. Thus, male terminal 52a is a single member made of a metal material that integrally has general portion 60, tapered portion 62, and protruding end 64.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 6, the boundary between the general portion 60 and the tapered portion 62 is chamfered. The bent portion 66 is formed by this beveling. In other words, the tapered portion 62 is connected to the general portion 60 via the bent portion 66. The thickness of the general portion 60 and the tip portion 64 along the vehicle width direction is substantially constant. In contrast, the tapered portion 62 has a tapered shape with a first taper angle α toward the drawing direction Y2. That is, when the direction in which the male terminal 52a is inserted into the female terminal 112a is defined as the first direction, the tapered portion 62 has a tapered shape that becomes thinner toward the first direction. Therefore, the thickness of the tapered portion 62 along the vehicle width direction becomes smaller toward the drawing direction Y2. The convergence start portion of the tapered portion 62 is the curvature start portion on the general portion 60 side in the curved portion 66.

[0027] The upper edge of the tapered portion 62 is formed as a flat surface. This flat surface is the convergence end portion of the tapered portion 62. In the following, the axial length from the convergence start portion to the convergence end portion of the tapered portion 62 is defined as L1. The axial length L1 is the length along the insertion / removal direction Y. The maximum thickness of the tapered portion 62 is defined as T1. The portion where the thickness of the tapered portion 62 is maximum (T1) is the convergence start portion.

[0028] The above configuration is also applicable to the male terminals 52b to 52g. Therefore, in the male terminals 52b to 52g, the same components as those in the male terminal 52a are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0029] The male base 50 is a single member integrally having the flange 70, two fixing tabs 72a, 72g, five lower terminal surroundings 74b-74f, two pin supports 76a, 76b, and seven upper terminal surroundings 80a-80g. The flange 70 extends along the vehicle width direction. The fixing tabs 72a, 72g protrude downward from the lower surface of the flange 70. The two pin supports 76a, 76b and the seven upper terminal surroundings 80a-80g protrude upward from the upper surface of the flange 70. In the male base 50, a thin vertical wall 82 is provided between the left and right pin supports 76a, 76b at their locations facing the front of the vehicle. The male base 50 having such a configuration is made of, for example, a thermoplastic resin and exhibits insulating properties.

[0030] The flange portion 70 is a generally truck-shaped portion. The longitudinal direction of the flange portion 70 is the parallel direction (vehicle width direction) of the male terminals 52a to 52g. Mounting holes 84a, 84b are formed at both ends of the flange portion 70. Mounting screws (not shown) are passed through the mounting holes 84a, 84b, respectively. The mounting screws are screwed into screw holes (not shown) formed in the bottom of the battery pack storage portion 24 (see FIG. 1). This positions and fixes the male connector 10 in the battery pack storage portion 24.

[0031] In the general portions 60 of the male terminals 52b-52f, the portions from the vicinity of the lower end to the middle portion in the height direction (vehicle vertical direction) are covered by the lower terminal surrounding portions 74b-74f and the upper terminal surrounding portions 80b-80g, respectively. In other words, in each of the five male terminals 52b-52f, both ends in the longitudinal direction along the vehicle vertical direction are exposed from the male base 50.

[0032] In contrast, the lower end of the general portion 60 of each of the male terminals 52a located at the left end and the male terminal 52g located at the right end is covered by the fixing tab portions 72a and 72g at the front of the vehicle body. The lower end of the general portion 60 of each of the male terminals 52a and 52g is exposed at the rear of the vehicle body from the fixing tab portions 72a and 72g. A bolt insertion hole 85 (see FIG. 4) is formed in the lower end. The bolt insertion hole 85 is adjacent to a nut insertion hole 86 formed in the fixing tab portions 72a and 72g. A fixing nut 88 is received in the nut insertion hole 86. A fixing bolt 90 is screwed into the fixing nut 88.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 3, a harness 92 is attached to the male terminals 52a to 52g. The harness 92 is a bundle of two power lines 94a, 94g and five signal transmission lines 96b to 96f. The power lines 94a, 94g are electrically connected to the lower ends of the male terminals 52a, 52g. The signal transmission lines 96b to 96f are electrically connected to the lower ends of the male terminals 52b to 52f.

[0034] The male terminals 52a, 52g and the power lines 94a, 94g are connected via crimp terminals 98, respectively. That is, a circular hole (not shown) is formed in the crimp terminal 98. The body of the fixing bolt 90 is passed through this circular hole and each of the bolt insertion holes 85 of the male terminals 52a, 52g. Furthermore, a threaded portion provided on a side wall of the body is screwed into an internal threaded portion of the fixing nut 88 inserted into the nut insertion hole 86. This screwing brings the crimp terminal 98 into close contact with each of the lower ends of the male terminals 52a, 52g.

[0035] The vertical wall portion 82 extends from the end surface of the pin support portion 76a facing the front of the vehicle body toward the end surface of the pin support portion 76b facing the front of the vehicle body. The end surface of the vertical wall portion 82 facing the rear of the vehicle body is continuous with the end surfaces of the pin support portions 76a, 76b and the upper terminal surrounding portions 80a to 80g facing the front of the vehicle body. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a support wall portion 100 (support portion) is provided on the end surface of the vertical wall portion 82 facing the rear of the vehicle body. The support wall portion 100 protrudes toward the male terminals 52a to 52g and extends parallel to the male terminals 52a to 52g. The support wall portion 100 includes a slightly short receiving wall portion 102 protruding toward the rear of the vehicle body. The receiving wall portion 102 is continuous with each end surface of the upper terminal surrounding portions 80a to 80g facing toward the front of the vehicle body.

[0036] The front ends of the protruding portions 64 of the male terminals 52a-52g are inserted into the receiving wall portion 102. That is, the male terminals 52a, 52g are held on the male base 50 by the fixing tab portions 72a, 72g, the upper terminal surrounding portions 80a, 80g, and the support wall portion 100. The male terminals 52b-52f are held on the male base 50 by the lower terminal surrounding portions 74b-74f, the upper terminal surrounding portions 80b-80f, and the support wall portion 100.

[0037] An inclined portion 104 is formed at the tip of the support wall portion 100 on the side of the removal direction Y2. The inclination of the inclined portion 104 forms a tapered shape in the direction in which the male connector 10 is separated from the female connector 42 (the removal direction Y2). The inclined portion 104 faces each of the tapered portions 62 of the male terminals 52a to 52g so as to overlap on the side facing the front of the vehicle body. The tapered portion 62 and the inclined portion 104 are spaced apart from each other based on the projection of the receiving wall portion 102 toward the rear of the vehicle body.

[0038] The tip (upper edge) of the inclined portion 104 on the side of the removal direction Y2 is a flat surface similar to the tapered portion 62. That is, the flat surface extends parallel to the thickness direction of the male terminals 52a to 52g. As shown in FIG. 6, it is this flat surface that has the smallest length (width) along the vehicle width direction in the support wall portion 100. When the length of the flat surface (the minimum length of the support wall portion 100) is T2, the length T2 is larger than the maximum thickness T1 of the tapered portion 62. That is, the width of the support wall portion 100 is larger than the maximum thickness T1 of the tapered portion 62 of the male terminals 52a to 52g over the entire support wall portion 100.

[0039] The lower ends of the guide pins 54a, 54b are embedded in the pin support portions 76a, 76b provided on the male base 50, respectively (see FIG. 4 in particular). In other words, the guide pins 54a, 54b extend upward from the pin support portions 76a, 76b except for the portions embedded in the pin support portions 76a, 76b. The pin support portions 76a, 76b are provided at positions that sandwich the seven upper terminal surrounding portions 80a-80g. Therefore, the male terminals 52a-52g are sandwiched between the guide pins 54a, 54b.

[0040] 7, the female connector 42 provided on the battery pack 30 has a female base 110 and seven female terminals 112a-112g supported by the female base 110. The female base 110 is an insulator made of, for example, insulating thermoplastic resin. The female terminals 112a-112g are good conductors made of, for example, a metal material such as copper.

[0041] Seven accommodating holes 114a to 114g are formed in the female side base 110. Each of the accommodating holes 114a to 114g extends upward from the lower surface of the female side base 110. The accommodating holes 114a to 114g are arranged in parallel in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the female side base 110. In this case, the longitudinal direction is a horizontal direction parallel to the arch portion 34 and the vehicle width direction.

[0042] 7 and 8, a cover member 116 is attached to the underside of the female side base 110 via two connecting pins 118. The cover member 116 spans from the receiving hole 114a located at one end of the receiving holes 114a to 114g to the receiving hole 114g located at the other end of the receiving holes 114a to 114g. The cover member 116 is formed with insertion holes 120 that are continuous with each of the receiving holes 114a to 114g and have a substantially rectangular shape. An insertion groove 122 for inserting the vertical wall portion 82 is formed between the female side base 110 and the cover member 116.

[0043] Two guide holes 124a, 124b are formed at positions sandwiching the seven accommodation holes 114a to 114g on the underside of the female side base 110. As described below, the battery pack 30 is positioned and fixed by inserting guide pins 54a, 54b into the guide holes 124a, 124b.

[0044] 8, a plurality of tab portions 128 are provided on a side surface of the female base 110. A screw insertion hole 126 is formed in each of the plurality of tab portions 128. A screw (not shown) for attaching the female base 110 to the casing 32 is passed through the screw insertion hole 126.

[0045] The female terminals 112a to 112g are held by the female-side base 110. Of these female terminals 112a to 112g, the female terminal 112a will be described as an example.

[0046] The female terminal 112a has a plate-type terminal portion 130 having a substantially flat shape, and a first clamping portion 132a and a second clamping portion 132b that are bifurcated from the plate-type terminal portion 130. Therefore, the female terminal 112a has a substantially inverted Y shape. In the female terminal 112a, the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b are accommodated in the accommodation hole 114a. The vicinity of the branch point between the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b is buried in the female-side base 110. In contrast, the entire plate-type terminal portion 130 is exposed from the female-side base 110. The plate-type terminal portion 130 exposed from the female-side base 110 becomes an electrical contact point with the single cell that constitutes the battery pack 30.

[0047] The first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b approach each other from the upper end to the lower end. Here, the upper end is the downstream end where the insertion of the male terminal 52a progresses. The lower end is the receiving end 134a, 134b where the insertion of the male terminal 52a starts. In the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b, the upstream of the closest portion is bent so as to move away from each other. In this way, the receiving end 134a, 134b where the insertion of the male terminal 52a starts is expanded so as to move away from each other toward the second direction opposite to the first direction. In the first clamping portion 132a, the portion closest to the second clamping portion 132b is the first contact portion 136a. In the second clamping portion 132b, the portion closest to the first clamping portion 132a is the second contact portion 136b.

[0048] That is, the receiving ends 134a and 134b are located upstream of the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b, respectively. Also, the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b are spaced apart from each other downstream of the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b, respectively. Therefore, a hollow interior 140 is formed by the downstream of the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b and the ceiling surface of the receiving hole 114a. The tapered portion 62 of the male terminal 52a enters this hollow interior 140.

[0049] The first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b are thin and therefore elastic. Fig. 6 shows a state before the male terminal 52a starts to be inserted into the female terminal 112a. At this time, the receiving ends 134a, 134b are spaced apart from each other. The space BW at this time is smaller than the maximum thickness T1 of the tapered portion 62 of the male terminal 52a.

[0050] The receiving ends 134a, 134b are tapered toward the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b (in the first direction) at a second taper angle β so as to approach each other. The second taper angle β is set to be larger than the first taper angle α of the tapered portion 62 of the male terminal 52a. Furthermore, the axial length L2 from the convergence start portion to the convergence end portion of the receiving ends 134a, 134b is smaller than the axial length L1 of the tapered portion 62. In other words, a relationship of α<β, L1>L2 is established between the tapered portion 62 and the receiving ends 134a, 134b. Here, the convergence start portions of the receiving ends 134a, 134b are the boundaries between the receiving ends 134a, 134b and the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b, respectively. The convergence end portion is the lowermost end of the receiving ends 134a, 134b. The axial length L2 is the length along the insertion / removal direction Y.

[0051] 6 shows an example in which each of the receiving ends 134a, 134b is connected to a tapered expanding portion having a large taper angle upstream and a tapered expanding portion having a small taper angle downstream. In this case, the taper angle of the tapered expanding portion having the small taper angle is the second taper angle β.

[0052] When the tapered portion 62 of the male terminal 52a is inserted into the hollow interior 140, the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b come into contact with the general portion 60 of the male terminal 52a. Furthermore, due to the elastic action of the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b, the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b press against the general portion 60. Due to this pressing, the male terminal 52a is clamped between the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b.

[0053] The female terminals 112b to 112f are configured in the same manner as the female terminal 112a. Therefore, the same components as those in the female terminal 112a are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0054] The female terminals 112a, 112g are power transmission terminals for transmitting power between the single cell and the drive motor 16 (or a charging device). Therefore, a power line (not shown) is electrically connected to the plate-type terminal portion 130 of the female terminals 112a, 112g. The female terminals 112b to 112f are signal transmission terminals for transmitting signals. Therefore, a signal transmission line (not shown) is electrically connected to the plate-type terminal portion 130 of the female terminals 112b to 112f.

[0055] The connector pair according to this embodiment is basically configured as described above. Next, the effects of the connector pair will be described.

[0056] When storing the battery pack 30 in the battery pack storage section 24, the user releases the lock mechanism. The user then rotates the end of the seat 20 on the vehicle rear side (the side indicated by the arrow Z2 in FIG. 1) in the direction of disengagement from the seat holding section 22. As a result of this rotation, the opening 26 of the battery pack storage section 24 becomes open.

[0057] The user further inserts his / her hand (fingers) into the gripping clearance 40 of the battery pack 30 to grip the bar-shaped grip portion 38, and lifts the battery pack 30 to align the female connector 42 with the position of the male connector 10. The user then inserts the bottom of the battery pack 30 into the opening 26. In this state, the user slowly inserts the battery pack 30 into the battery pack storage section 24. That is, in this embodiment, the direction of the arrow Y1 shown in FIG. 1 etc. is the insertion direction.

[0058] When the battery pack 30 is inserted into the battery pack storage section 24, first, the upper ends of the guide pins 54a, 54b enter the guide holes 124a, 124b, respectively. Thereafter, the guide pins 54a, 54b are guided into the guide holes 124a, 124b. As a result, the male connector 10 and the female connector 42 are aligned. When the guide pins 54a, 54b are inserted to a predetermined depth into the guide holes 124a, 124b, the battery pack 30 is positioned and fixed at a predetermined position in the battery pack storage section 24.

[0059] When the guide pins 54a, 54b are guided by the guide holes 124a, 124b, the vertical wall portion 82 is inserted into the insertion groove 122 (see FIG. 8). Furthermore, the tapered portions 62 of the male terminals 52a to 52g are sequentially inserted into the insertion opening 120 of the cover member 116 and the receiving holes 114a to 114g of the female base 110. The tapered portions 62 are then inserted into the hollow interior 140 from between the receiving ends 134a, 134b of the female terminals 112a to 112g.

[0060] The maximum thickness T1 of the tapered portion 62 is larger than the separation distance BW between the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the tapered portion 62 advances toward the hollow interior 140 while pushing the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b apart. During this advancement, the first and second contact portions 136a and 136b, which have been pushed apart, tend to return to their original opening due to the elastic action of the first and second clamping portions 132a and 132b. Therefore, in the initial stage when the male terminals 52a to 52g start to be inserted into the female terminals 112a to 112g, the first and second clamping portions 132a and 132b come into sliding contact with the tapered portion 62.

[0061] Here, the relationship α<β is established between the tapered portion 62 and the receiving ends 134a, 134b as described above. Moreover, since the separation distance BW between the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b is not 0, the tapered portion 62 does not need an excessively large force to push the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b apart. For this reason, the frictional resistance between the tapered portion 62 and the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b is reduced. That is, in this case, it is relatively easy for the tapered portion 62 to move between the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. As a result, wear of the tapered portion 62 is suppressed.

[0062] When the male terminals 52a to 52g are further inserted into the female terminals 112a to 112g, the tapered portion 62 passes over the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b as shown in FIG. 10. Furthermore, the boundary between the tapered portion 62 and the general portion 60 reaches between the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b. Here, a curved portion 66 is provided at the boundary between the tapered portion 62 and the general portion 60. That is, there is no sharp corner (edge) at the boundary between the tapered portion 62 and the general portion 60. Therefore, when the curved portion 66 slides against the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b, the concern that the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b will be damaged is eliminated.

[0063] In addition, the curved portion 66 is less likely to get caught by the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b. Therefore, the frictional resistance between the curved portion 66 and the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b is also relatively small. Therefore, the curved portion 66 (the boundary between the tapered portion 62 and the general portion 60) is also suppressed from wearing.

[0064] In addition, in this embodiment, the axial length L1 of the tapered portion 62 is greater than the axial length L2 of the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. Therefore, the curved portion 66 passes through the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b without fail and is inserted into the hollow interior 140. That is, the curved portion 66 is prevented from remaining at a position sandwiched between the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b. Therefore, the curved portion 66 is prevented from becoming an insertion end point when the male terminals 52a to 52g are inserted into the female terminals 112a to 112g. Similarly, the curved portion 66 is prevented from becoming an insertion start point when the male terminals 52a to 52g are removed from the female terminals 112a to 112g. For the above reasons, wear of the curved portion 66 (the boundary between the tapered portion 62 and the general portion 60) is further suppressed.

[0065] As described above, the tapered portion 62 and the curved portion 66 of the male terminals 52a to 52g pass over the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b and enter the hollow interior 140. Therefore, when the movement of the male terminals 52a to 52g stops as the descent of the battery pack 30 stops, the general portion 60 is sandwiched between the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. That is, the general portion 60 is pressed by the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. As a result, the male terminal 52a is sandwiched between the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b. As a result, electrical contacts are formed between the male terminals 52a to 52g and the female terminals 112a to 112g.

[0066] The user rotates the end of the seat 20 on the rear side of the vehicle body (the side of the arrow Z2 in FIG. 1) in a direction approaching the seat holding portion 22, and closes the opening 26 of the battery pack storage portion 24 with the seat 20. Furthermore, the lock mechanism is actuated to prevent the seat 20 from rotating. With the above, the electric vehicle 12 is ready to be driven to a location desired by the user. While driving the electric vehicle 12, the power of the battery pack 30 is transmitted to the electric vehicle 12 (particularly the drive motor 16) via the female terminals 112a, 112g and the male terminals 52a, 52g. In addition, information regarding the SOC of the battery pack 30 and the like is transmitted to the electric vehicle 12 via the female terminals 112b-112f and the male terminals 52b-52f.

[0067] When the user recognizes that "the battery pack 30 needs to be replaced" based on the SOC displayed on the electric vehicle 12, the user drives the electric vehicle 12 to a charging station and stops the drive motor 16. Thereafter, the user opens the opening 26 of the battery pack housing 24 in the same manner as described above, grasps the bar-shaped gripping portion 38 of the battery pack 30 and pulls it up, thereby removing the battery pack 30 from the battery pack housing 24.

[0068] That is, in this case, the direction of the arrow Y2 facing opposite to the insertion direction Y1 is the removal direction. Therefore, the male terminals 52a-52g relatively move in the removal direction Y2, which is downstream, in the opposite direction to the insertion into the female terminals 112a-112g. During this downstream movement, the curved portion 66 and the tapered portion 62 slide against the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. In this case, wear of the curved portion 66 and the tapered portion 62 is suppressed for the same reason as when moving in the insertion direction Y1 during insertion.

[0069] Although not specifically shown, the battery pack 30 is then inserted into a battery pack storage section of a charging device provided in the charging station. This battery pack storage section is also provided with a male connector 10. Therefore, when the battery pack 30 is inserted into the battery pack storage section of the charging device, the male terminals 52a-52g are also inserted into the female terminals 112a-112g. During this insertion, the tapered portion 62 and the curved portion 66 are successively brought into sliding contact with the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b.

[0070] After charging, the battery pack 30 is removed from the charging device and then inserted, for example, into the battery pack storage section 24 of another electric vehicle 12 to supply power. When the SOC falls below a predetermined level, the battery pack 30 is removed from the battery pack storage section 24 in the same manner as described above and inserted into a battery pack storage section of the charging device. Thereafter, the above-mentioned charging and discharging are repeated. As the charging and discharging are repeated, the male terminals 52a-52g are repeatedly inserted into and removed from the female terminals 112a-112g. Therefore, the curved portion 66 and the tapered portion 62 are repeatedly brought into sliding contact with the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b.

[0071] As described above, according to this embodiment, wear of the curved portion 66 and the tapered portion 62 is suppressed. Therefore, even if insertion and removal are repeated while the battery pack 30 is used for a long period of time, when the male terminals 52a to 52g are inserted into the female terminals 112a to 112g, the tapered portion 62 and the curved portion 66, which serve as guides, slide against the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. Each time, the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b are pushed open, and try to return to their original open position by elastic action. Therefore, the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b abut against the general portion 60, and thus electrical contact between the male terminals 52a to 52g and the female terminals 112a to 112g is effectively formed.

[0072] Thus, according to this embodiment, even if the battery pack 30 is used for a long period of time, the male terminals 52a-52g can be sufficiently abutted against the female terminals 112a-112g. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the contact resistance between the male terminals 52a-52g and the female terminals 112a-112g from increasing for a long period of time. This prevents the power supply to the external load such as the drive motor 16 from becoming insufficient. In addition, it is also possible to prevent the charging of the battery pack 30 from taking a long time.

[0073] When the battery pack 30 is inserted into the battery pack housing portion 24, it is possible that the battery pack 30 may be tilted slightly from the correct position, causing the female connector 42 to become misaligned relative to the male connector 10. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG 11, the inclined portion 104 on the upper edge of the support wall portion 100 comes into contact with the receiving ends 134a, 134b.

[0074] When the upper edge of the support wall 100 is a flat surface without the inclined portion 104, the upper edge of the support wall 100 may be caught by the receiving ends 134a, 134b as shown in FIG. 12. If the battery pack 30 further descends under its own weight or the like in this situation, there is a concern that the female terminals 112a to 112g may buckle. In contrast, in this embodiment, the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b are gradually pushed apart by the inclined portion 104 on the upper edge of the support wall 100 (see FIG. 11). This prevents the battery pack 30 from further descending in a situation in which the upper edge of the support wall 100 is caught by the receiving ends 134a, 134b. As a result, the female terminals 112a to 112g are also prevented from buckling.

[0075] Also, the minimum length T2 of the support wall 100 is larger than the maximum thickness T1 of the tapered portion 62 (see FIG. 6). Therefore, under the above circumstances, as shown in FIG. 11, the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b spread apart so as to be greater than the maximum thickness T1 of the tapered portion 62. This prevents the receiving ends 134a, 134b, etc. from getting caught on the male terminals 52a to 52g. This also prevents the male terminals 52a to 52g from wearing out.

[0076] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0077] For example, this embodiment illustrates female terminals 112a-112g made of a single member in which first clamping portion 132a and second clamping portion 132b branch off from one plate-type terminal portion 130. However, alternatively, it is also possible to configure a female terminal by connecting a first clamping member and a second clamping member that are separate members from each other.

[0078] The male connector 10 may be provided in an electrical device other than the electric vehicle 12. A specific example of such an electrical device is a power generation device that generates power using the power of the battery pack 30.

Claims

1. A connector pair having a male connector (10) including a plurality of male terminals (52a to 52g) held on a male base (50) and a female connector (42) including a plurality of female terminals (112a to 112g) held on a female base (110) into which the male terminals are removably inserted, A direction in which the male terminal is inserted into the female terminal is defined as a first direction, a direction opposite to the first direction is defined as a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction together are defined as an insertion / removal direction, Each of the plurality of male terminals has a tapered portion (62) having a tapered shape with a first taper angle (α) that narrows in the first direction, and a general portion (60) extending from the tapered portion in the second direction, the female terminal has a first clamping portion (132a) and a second clamping portion (132b) on which a first contact portion (136a) and a second contact portion (136b) are formed, the first contact portion and the second contact portion approach each other, the first contact portion and the second contact portion come into contact with the male terminal passed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion, thereby clamping the male terminal between the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion; The first clamping portion and the second clamping portion have receiving ends (134a, 134b) extending from the first contact portion and the second contact portion in the second direction, and the receiving ends are tapered toward the first contact portion and the second contact portion at a second taper angle (β) so as to approach each other, the first taper angle is smaller than the second taper angle; The male base is a wall portion (82) extending along a direction in which the male terminal is inserted into and removed from the female terminal; a plurality of support portions (100) projecting from an end face of the wall portion facing the male terminal toward the general portion, and extending along the insertion / removal direction at positions offset from the male terminal in a direction perpendicular to the insertion / removal direction and perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the male terminals; the plurality of support portions support the plurality of general portions of the plurality of male terminals, respectively; A connector pair in which, when the length of the tapered portion along the arrangement direction is defined as the thickness, at the same position in the insertion / removal direction, the thickness of the tapered portion is smaller than the length of the support portion along the arrangement direction.

2. 2. A connector pair as described in claim 1, wherein an axial length (L1) along the insertion / removal direction from the convergence start point to the convergence end point of the tapered shaped portion is greater than an axial length (L2) from the convergence start point to the convergence end point of the receiving end.

3. 3. The connector pair according to claim 1, wherein the general portion and the tapered portion are connected via a curved portion (66).

4. A connector pair as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a maximum thickness (T1) of the tapered portion is smaller than a minimum length (T2) of the support portion, which is the smallest among the lengths along the arrangement direction.

5. 5. A connector pair according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the support portion facing the tapered portion is an inclined portion (104) that is inclined so as to have a tapered shape toward the direction in which the male connector is separated from the female connector.

6. 6. A connector pair as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first contact portion and the second contact portion are spaced apart by a dimension smaller than the thickness of the male terminal when the male terminal is not passed between them.

7. 7. A connector pair as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion have portions extending from the first contact portion and the second contact portion in the first direction separated from each other to form a hollow interior (140) within the female terminal, and the tapered portion enters the hollow interior.

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