Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector which can suppress temperature rise in a terminal.SOLUTION: A connector 1 is fitted to a vehicle body of an electric vehicle and the like and is engaged with a charging plug provided on a charging stand and the like, thereby charging an on-vehicle battery. The connector 1 comprises: a terminal 3 having a female screw part 32 formed on one end side and having a female engagement part 31 formed on the other end side; a circular terminal 6 connected to an end of an electric wire 2 and overlapping one end of the terminal 3; a heat storage material 7 overlapping the circular terminal 6; a bolt 9 screwed to the female screw part 32 while being inserted into a bolt insertion hole 71 of the heat storage material 7 and into a bolt insertion hole 61a of the circular terminal 6, thereby fastening the terminal 3, the circular terminal 6, and the heat storage material 7 together; and a housing 4 housing the components mentioned above. When the charging plug is engaged with the connector 1 to start charging, the engagement part 31 and the like generate heat. The heat, however, is stored in the heat storage material 7 via the circular terminal 6 so that temperature rise in the terminal 3 may be suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector.

Background Art

[0002] In a vehicle body such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, a connector for charging a battery mounted on the vehicle body is attached (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This connector is fitted to a charging plug provided in a charging stand or the like, and includes a terminal connected to an end of an electric wire and a housing that houses the terminal. Such a connector may also be referred to as a "charging inlet".

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above connector, due to the need for a larger battery capacity and shorter charging time, the current is increasing, and when charging, there is a problem that the temperature of the terminal rises rapidly due to heat generation from a portion with high resistance such as a contact portion with the charging plug or a connection portion with the electric wire.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector capable of suppressing the temperature rise of the terminal.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention relates to a connector comprising: a terminal having a female screw portion formed at one end; a round terminal connected to the end of an electric wire and overlapped with one end of the terminal; a heat storage material overlapped with the round terminal; a bolt that is screwed into the female screw portion in a state of passing through a bolt insertion hole formed in the heat storage material and a bolt insertion hole formed in the round terminal to clamp the terminal, the round terminal, and the heat storage material together; and a housing that houses these components.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the temperature rise of the terminal can be suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The "connector" according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0010] The connector 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is attached to a vehicle body such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and is for mating with a charging plug provided in a charging stand or the like to charge an in-vehicle battery. This connector 1 may also be referred to as a "charging inlet".

[0011] The connector 1 includes a terminal 3, a round terminal 6 connected to the end of the electric wire 2, a heat storage material 7 stacked on the round terminal 6, a bolt 9, a housing 4 that houses these components, a rubber plug 51, and holders 52 and 53.

[0012] Also, the connector 1 in this example is connected to two electric wires 2. Therefore, the connector 1 includes two each of the terminal 3, the round terminal 6, the heat storage material 7, and the bolt 9. These two terminals 3, two round terminals 6, two heat storage materials 7, and two bolts 9 are identical components.

[0013] The rubber plug 51 is mounted on the outer periphery of the electric wire 2 to seal the space between the inner surface of the housing 4 and the outer surface of the electric wire 2. The holder 53 is for preventing the rubber plug 51 from falling off the housing 4. In this way, the connector 1 sealed by the rubber plug 51 has a structure in which heat easily accumulates inside the housing 4.

[0014] The electric wire 2 is a round electric wire having a core wire 21 and an insulating coating 22. At the end of the electric wire 2, the insulating coating 22 is removed and the core wire 21 is exposed. The wire connection portion 62 of the round terminal 6 is electrically connected to the exposed portion of the core wire 21.

[0015] One end of the terminal 3 is formed with a female screw portion 32, and the other end is formed with a female fitting portion 31. The female screw portion 32 includes a hole 33 formed recessedly from one end of the terminal 3 and a screw spirally cut on the inner peripheral surface of the hole 33. The bolt 9 is screwed into the female screw portion 32. The fitting portion 31 is fitted with a mating terminal provided on the charging plug.

[0016] The round terminal 6 is formed in a plate shape and includes a connection portion 61 formed with a bolt insertion hole 61a at the center and a wire connection portion 62. The connection portion 61 is stacked on one end of the terminal 3 and is electrically connected to the terminal 3. The round terminal 6 is sometimes referred to as an "LA terminal".

[0017] As shown in Fig. 3, the heat storage material 7 is formed in a block shape and has a flat surface that is overlapped with the connection part 61 of the round terminal 6. Further, a bolt insertion hole 71 is formed in the heat storage material 7. The heat storage material 7 sandwiches the connection part 61 between itself and the terminal 3.

[0018] The bolt 9 is screwed into the female screw part 32 of the terminal 3 after passing through the bolt insertion hole 71 of the heat storage material 7 and the bolt insertion hole 61a of the round terminal 6, thereby clamping the terminal 3, the round terminal 6, and the heat storage material 7 together.

[0019] The housing 4 is made of synthetic resin and includes a first accommodation part 41, a second accommodation part 42, a third accommodation part 43, and a flange part 44.

[0020] The first accommodation part 41 accommodates the fitting part 31 of the terminal 3. The first accommodation part 41 receives the charging plug.

[0021] The second accommodation part 42 is adjacent to the first accommodation part 41 and accommodates the female screw part 32 of the terminal 3, the connection part 61 of the round terminal 6, the heat storage material 7, and the bolt 9. The second accommodation part 42 opens on the side opposite to the first accommodation part 41, and the holder 52 closes this opening.

[0022] The third accommodation part 43 is adjacent to the second accommodation part 42 and accommodates the wire connection part 62 of the round terminal 6, the terminal of the wire 2, and the rubber plug 51. The third accommodation part 43 opens on the side opposite to the second accommodation part 42, and the rubber plug 51 and the holder 53 close this opening. As shown in Fig. 3, the first accommodation part 41, the second accommodation part 42, and the third accommodation part 43 are connected in an L shape.

[0023] The flange part 44 extends outward from the outer peripheral surface of the first accommodation part 41. The flange part 44 is bolt - fixed to the vehicle body.

[0024] When a charging plug is fitted to such a connector 1 and charging starts, heat is generated from the fitting portion 31 of the terminal 3, which is a high-resistance part. However, this heat is stored in the heat storage material 7 via the round terminal 6, thereby suppressing the temperature rise of the terminal 3 and slowing down the rate of temperature rise of the terminal 3. Since the temperature rise of the terminal 3 can be suppressed by the heat storage material 7 in this way, it is possible to avoid adding a cooling structure or increasing the diameter of the electric wire 2, and it is possible to avoid an increase in the cost and weight of the connector 1. Also, since the terminal 3, the round terminal 6, and the heat storage material 7 are clamped together by the bolt 9, the surface pressure between the components can be ensured by the axial force of the bolt 9. As a result, the interfacial thermal resistance is reduced, and the heat transfer performance from the terminal 3 to the heat storage material 7 can be improved.

[0025] The "connector" according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. In FIGS. 4 to 6, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0026] The connector 101 shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is, like the first embodiment, attached to the body of an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, etc., and is for fitting with a charging plug provided in a charging stand or the like to charge an in-vehicle battery.

[0027] The connector 101 includes two terminals 103, two round terminals 6, two heat storage materials 7, 107, three bolts 9, 19, 109, a nut 18, one bus bar 8, a housing 104 that houses these, a rubber plug 151, and holders 152, 153.

[0028] The connector 101 of this example is also connected to two electric wires 2, and a rubber plug 151 is attached to the outer periphery of each electric wire 2. The rubber plug 151 seals the space between the inner surface of the housing 104 and the outer surface of the electric wire 2. The holder 153 prevents the rubber plug 151 from falling off the housing 104.

[0029] The terminal 103 has a female screw portion 132 formed at one end side and a male fitting portion 131 formed at the other end side. The female screw portion 132 includes a hole 133 formed recessed from one end of the terminal 103 and a screw spirally cut on the inner peripheral surface of the hole 133. A bolt 9 is screwed into the female screw portion 132 of one terminal 103. A bolt 109 (corresponding to the "second bolt") is screwed into the female screw portion 132 of the other terminal 103 (corresponding to the "second terminal"). The fitting portion 131 is fitted with a mating terminal provided on the charging plug.

[0030] The round terminal 6 is connected to the end of the electric wire 2. The connection portion 61 of one round terminal 6 is overlapped with one end of the terminal 103 and electrically connected to the terminal 103. Further, a heat storage material 7 is overlapped on this connection portion 61, and the terminal 103, the round terminal 6, and the heat storage material 7 are clamped together by a bolt 9. A bus bar 8 is connected to the connection portion 61 of the other round terminal 6 (corresponding to the "second round terminal").

[0031] The bus bar 8 is formed by bending a metal plate into a crank shape, and includes a first connection portion 81 overlapped with the connection portion 61 of the other round terminal 6 and a second connection portion 82 overlapped with one end of the other terminal 103.

[0032] A bolt insertion hole 81a is formed in the first connection portion 81. A bolt 19 is passed through the bolt insertion hole 61a of the connection portion 61 and the insertion hole 81a of the first connection portion 81, and a nut 18 is screwed onto the bolt 19 to clamp the connection portion 61 and the first connection portion 81 together.

[0033] A bolt insertion hole 82a is formed in the second connection portion 82. A heat storage material 107 (corresponding to the "second heat storage material") is overlapped on this second connection portion 82.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 6, the heat storage material 107 is formed in a block shape and has a flat surface overlapped with the second connection portion 82 of the bus bar 8. Further, a bolt insertion hole 171 is formed in the heat storage material 107. The heat storage material 107 sandwiches the second connection portion 82 between it and the other terminal 103.

[0035] The bolt 109 is screwed into the female screw portion 132 of the other terminal 103 while passing through the bolt insertion hole 171 of the heat storage material 107 and the bolt insertion hole 82a of the second connection portion 82, thereby clamping the terminal 103, the bus bar 8, and the heat storage material 107 together.

[0036] The housing 104 is made of synthetic resin and includes a first accommodation portion 141, a second accommodation portion 142, a third accommodation portion 143, a flange portion 144, and a five-pole terminal accommodation portion 145. The five-pole terminal accommodation portion 145 is a portion where a charging plug with different specifications from this example is fitted and is not used in this example.

[0037] The first accommodation portion 141 accommodates the fitting portion 131 of the terminal 103. The first accommodation portion 141 receives the charging plug.

[0038] The second accommodation portion 142 is adjacent to the first accommodation portion 141 and accommodates the female screw portion 132 of the terminal 103, the connection portion 61 of the round terminal 6, the heat storage materials 7 and 107, the bolts 9 and 109, the bus bar 8, etc. The second accommodation portion 142 opens on the side opposite to the first accommodation portion 141, and the holder 152 closes this opening.

[0039] The third accommodation portion 143 is adjacent to the second accommodation portion 142 and accommodates the wire connection portion 62 of the round terminal 6, the terminal of the wire 2, and the rubber plug 151. The third accommodation portion 143 opens on the side opposite to the second accommodation portion 142, and the rubber plug 151 and the holder 153 close this opening. As shown in FIG. 6, the first accommodation portion 141, the second accommodation portion 142, and the third accommodation portion 143 are connected in an L shape.

[0040] The flange portion 144 extends outward from the outer peripheral surfaces of the first accommodation portion 141 and the five-pole terminal accommodation portion 145. The flange portion 144 is bolt-fixed to the vehicle body.

[0041] The above two terminals 103 are arranged in parallel. The two round terminals 6 are also arranged in parallel, and the two bolts 9, 109 are also arranged in parallel. These two terminals 103, two round terminals 6, and two bolts 9, 109 are arranged on the same plane. As shown in Fig. 6, the inner terminal 103 and the round terminal 6 are directly electrically connected, but the outer terminal 103 and the round terminal 6 cannot be directly electrically connected, so they are electrically connected via the bus bar 8.

[0042] Since there is a large space outside the bus bar 8 (on the side opposite to the heat storage material 7), the heat storage material 107 arranged in this space has a larger volume than the heat storage material 7. For this reason, the heat storage material 7 has a smaller volume than the heat storage material 107, but is made of a material with a larger heat capacity per unit volume than the heat storage material 107. Therefore, the heat storage material 7 can ensure the same heat capacity as the heat storage material 107.

[0043] When a charging plug is fitted to such a connector 101 and charging starts, heat generation occurs from the fitting portion 131 of the terminal 103, which is a high-resistance part. In one terminal 103, this heat is stored in the heat storage material 7 via the round terminal 6, thereby suppressing the temperature rise of the terminal 103 and slowing down the rate of temperature rise of the terminal 103. In the other terminal 103, this heat is stored in the heat storage material 107 via the bus bar 8, thereby suppressing the temperature rise of the terminal 103 and slowing down the rate of temperature rise of the terminal 103.

[0044] Thus, since the temperature rise of the terminal 103 can be suppressed by the heat storage materials 7 and 107, it is possible to avoid adding a cooling structure or increasing the diameter of the electric wire 2, and it is possible to avoid an increase in the cost and weight of the connector 101. Further, since the terminal 103, the round terminal 6, and the heat storage material 7 are clamped together by the bolt 9, the surface pressure between the components can be ensured by the axial force of the bolt 9. As a result, the interfacial thermal resistance is reduced, and the heat transfer performance from the terminal 103 to the heat storage material 7 can be improved. Similarly, since the terminal 103, the bus bar 8, and the heat storage material 107 are clamped together by the bolt 109, the surface pressure between the components can be ensured by the axial force of the bolt 109. As a result, the interfacial thermal resistance is reduced, and the heat transfer performance from the terminal 103 to the heat storage material 107 can be improved.

[0045] Note that the above-described embodiments merely show typical forms of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. That is, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the gist of the present invention. As long as the configuration of the present invention is still provided by such modifications, of course, it is included in the scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0046] 1, 101 Connector 2 Electric wire 3, 103 Terminal 4, 104 Housing 6 Round terminal 7, 107 Heat storage material 9, 109 Bolt

Claims

1. A terminal having a female threaded portion formed at one end, A round terminal connected to the end of an electric wire and overlapped with one end of the terminal, A heat storage material overlapped with the round terminal, A bolt that is screwed into the female threaded portion while passing through a bolt insertion hole formed in the heat storage material and a bolt insertion hole formed in the round terminal to clamp the terminal, the round terminal, and the heat storage material together, And a housing that houses these, A connector characterized by this.

2. A second terminal having a female threaded portion formed at one end, A second round terminal connected to the end of an electric wire, A bus bar connected to the second round terminal and overlapped with one end of the second terminal, A second heat storage material overlapped with the bus bar, A second bolt that is screwed into the female threaded portion while passing through a bolt insertion hole formed in the second heat storage material and a bolt insertion hole formed in the bus bar to clamp the second terminal, the bus bar, and the second heat storage material together, The connector according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The heat storage material is made of a material having a smaller volume than the second heat storage material and a larger heat capacity per unit volume than the second heat storage material. The connector according to claim 2, characterized by this.

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