Terminal block

Abstract

To provide a terminal block which can prevent a terminal from inclining even when external force is applied to the terminal inside a housing.SOLUTION: A terminal block 1 comprises: a terminal 2; and a housing 3 which holds the terminal 2. The housing 3 is provided with a terminal housing chamber 32 which penetrates the housing in a front-to-rear direction X, i.e., an extension direction of the terminal 2, so as to internally hold the terminal 2. The terminal 2 has a device connecting part 22 which protrudes to the outside from an opening 32b on a depth side X2 of the terminal housing chamber 32. A gap S is formed between an outer peripheral wall of the device connecting part 22 and an inner wall of the terminal housing chamber 32. From the inner wall of the terminal housing chamber 32 to the terminal 2, the terminal housing chamber 32 has a restriction rib 33 which protrudes inward in a radial direction of the terminal housing chamber 32 in a manner filling the gap S.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal block. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, connectors having a housing that can be assembled to electrical equipment such as inverters and motors mounted on vehicles have been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The connector described in Patent Document 1 includes a connector housing provided with a terminal accommodating chamber, and connector terminals accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber. In this connector, an insertion hole that connects the terminal accommodating chamber to the outside is provided in the housing. A device connection portion that is a part of the connector terminal is exposed to the outside from the insertion hole, allowing a bus bar extending to an external device to be fastened. The connector then constitutes a terminal block that is connected to other electrical equipment via the bus bar. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-220312 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this type of terminal block, a gap may be provided between the inner edge of the hole corresponding to the insertion hole and the outer edge of the terminal corresponding to the connector terminal, for purposes such as absorbing loads due to expansion or contraction of the housing and absorbing installation errors of the connector terminal relative to the bus bar. In the connector described in Patent Document 1, a predetermined clearance is provided between the insertion hole and the connector terminal, allowing the connector terminal to rotate slightly and absorbing installation errors of the connector terminal relative to the bus bar. However, installation errors of the bus bar may occur not only in the rotational direction of the connector terminal but also in the radial or axial direction. Therefore, in this connector, if an external force is applied to the connector terminal in the radial direction, etc., the presence of the clearance may cause the connector terminal to tilt in the same direction.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal block that can prevent the terminals in the housing from tilting even when an external force is applied to the terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a terminal block including terminals extending in a predetermined direction and a housing for holding the terminals, teeth A terminal receiving chamber penetrates in the axial direction, which is the direction in which the terminal extends, and holds the terminal therein. is established , the terminal teeth , protruding outward from an opening at one axial end of the terminal accommodating chamber. cylindrical a device connection portion; a cylindrical intermediate portion extending from the device connecting portion toward the other axial end; and a fixing portion provided along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion and embedded in and fixed to the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber. an outer peripheral wall of the device connection portion and a terminal receiving chamber The aforementioned Between the inner wall and An arc-shaped portion extending along the circumferential direction A gap is formed, and the terminal accommodating chamber is provided with a terminal accommodating chamber so as to fill the gap. The aforementioned A restricting protrusion protrudes from the inner wall toward the terminal in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the terminal. A pair of protruding ends are arranged facing each other. It is characterized in that it is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a terminal block that can prevent the terminals in the housing from tilting even when an external force is applied to the terminals. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a terminal block according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the front left diagonally in the axial direction of the terminals; [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the terminal block as seen from the diagonally rear left side in the axial direction of the terminals. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the terminal block as seen from the rear side in the axial direction of the terminals. [Figure 4] Partial cross-sectional view of line AA in Figure 3 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a terminal block 1 according to this embodiment, seen from the diagonally left front side in the axial direction of a terminal 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the terminal block 1, seen from the diagonally left rear side in the axial direction of the terminal 2. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the terminal block 1, seen from the rear side in the axial direction of the terminal 2. The terminal block 1 is a type of connector that is attached to an electrical device and is used, for example, to connect electrical devices mounted on a vehicle such as an electric automobile. The terminal block 1 includes terminals 2 extending in a predetermined direction and a housing 3 that holds the terminals 2 and is attached to the electrical device to which the terminal block 1 is attached. In this embodiment, the terminals 2 are male terminals, and the electrical device (not shown) to which the housing 3 is attached is referred to as the target device A. The target device A is, for example, a fuse box connected to a vehicle inverter or the like. The terminal block 1 attached to the fuse box electrically connects the inverter to an electrical device such as a battery via the fuse box.

[0010] In this embodiment, in the drawings, arrows X, Y, and Z are directions perpendicular to one another. In this embodiment, the axial direction, which is the direction in which terminals 2 extend, is indicated by arrow X and is referred to as the "front-rear direction X." The front side of the front-rear direction X is referred to as the "front side X1," and the rear side is referred to as the "rear side X2." The direction corresponding to the width direction of housing 3 is indicated by arrow Y and is referred to as the "left-right direction Y." The height direction of housing 3 is indicated by arrow Z and is referred to as the "upper side Z." The upper side of the up-down direction Z is referred to as the "upper side Z1," and the lower side is referred to as the "lower side Z2."

[0011] The terminal 2 is formed into a rod shape using a conductive metal member and is integrally formed with the housing 3 by insert molding. As shown in FIG. 4 , the terminal 2 is configured to include, from the front side X1 to the rear side X2, a terminal connection portion 20, an intermediate portion 21, and an equipment connection portion 22. The terminal connection portion 20 is a portion that is electrically and mechanically connected to a female terminal corresponding to the terminal 2 in this embodiment. The terminal connection portion 20 is formed into a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction X and constitutes a so-called round pin. An insulating cap 20a that protects the tip of the terminal connection portion 20 is attached to the end of the front side X1 of the terminal connection portion 20. The intermediate portion 21 is a portion that connects the terminal connection portion 20 and the equipment connection portion 22 and is formed to have a diameter slightly larger than that of the terminal connection portion 20. A flange portion 21a (fixing portion) is formed on the intermediate portion 21. The flange portion 21a is formed around the entire periphery of the intermediate portion 21 so as to protrude radially outward from the terminal 2, and most of the flange portion 21a is embedded and fixed in the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 32. The flange portion 21a is embedded and fixed in the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 32, so that the terminal 2 is held in the housing 3.

[0012] The device connection portion 22 is configured to have a bus bar 4 (metal plate) attached thereto, and the terminal 2 and the target device A are electrically and mechanically connected via this bus bar 4. The device connection portion 22 is configured so that an end portion on the rear side X2 protrudes to the outside from an opening 32b on the rear side X2, which will be described later, of the terminal accommodating chamber 32. A female thread portion 22a, which opens on the rear side X2, is formed in the center of the device connection portion 22 along the axis of the terminal 2. A first bolt 23 is configured to be screwed into this female thread portion 22a. The first bolt 23 is a flange bolt having a flange 23a. The first bolt 23 is configured so that a male thread portion 23b is inserted into a first fastening hole 40a, which will be described later, of the bus bar 4. Then, when this male threaded portion 23b is inserted into the first fastening hole 40a and tightened onto the female threaded portion 22a, the busbar 4 is clamped and fastened between the wall surface on the front side X1 of the flange 23a and the end face on the rear side X2 of the equipment connection portion 22.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1 , the housing 3 includes two cylindrical portions 30, 30 extending in the front-rear direction X and adjacent to each other in the left-right direction Y, and a connecting portion 31 connecting the rear ends (X2) of the cylindrical portions 30, 30. The connecting portion 31 has a through-hole 31a extending in the up-down direction Z, and the housing 3 is attached to the target device A and mechanically fixed thereto via a fastener (not shown) inserted into the through-hole 31a. Each cylindrical portion 30 has a terminal accommodating chamber 32, 32 extending in the front-rear direction X, and each terminal 2 is held within the terminal accommodating chamber 32. The terminal accommodating chamber 32 has a generally cylindrical cross-section, and an opening 32a on the front side (X1) forms an entrance through which a female terminal is inserted. An opening 32b on the rear side (X2) of the terminal accommodating chamber 32 forms an opening through which the device connection portion 22 protrudes to the outside.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal accommodating chamber 32 has an inner diameter at a front side X1 portion corresponding to the terminal connecting portion 20 that is larger than an inner diameter at a rear side X2 portion corresponding to the intermediate portion 21 and the device connecting portion 22. An inserted female terminal is held in this front side X1 portion. The inner diameters of the front side X1 portion and the rear side X2 portion of the terminal accommodating chamber 32 are both larger than the diameter of the terminal 2 excluding the flange portion 21a. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a gap S is formed between the outer peripheral wall of the device connecting portion 22 and the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 32. The gap S is a lightening portion for preventing sink marks, and the formation of this gap S suppresses deformation of the housing 3 when the housing 3 thermally expands or contracts.

[0015] A restricting rib 33 (restricting protrusion) is provided on the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 32. The restricting rib 33 restricts the terminal 2 from tilting radially when an external force is applied to the device connecting portion 22 of the terminal 2. The restricting rib 33 protrudes radially inward (in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction X) from the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 32 toward the terminal 2 so as to fill the gap S. The restricting rib 33 also extends along the front-rear direction X from the edge of the opening 32b on the rear side X2 of the terminal accommodating chamber 32 to a position corresponding to the middle portion 21 of the terminal 2. The protruding end of the restricting rib 33 abuts against the outer peripheral wall of the device connecting portion 22. In this embodiment, the restricting ribs 33 are provided at the upper and lower ends of the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 32, forming a pair of restricting ribs 33 with their protruding ends facing each other. It is not necessary to provide a pair of restricting ribs 33, but one rib or more than one pair of ribs may be provided.

[0016] The bus bar 4 is a conductor that electrically and mechanically connects the terminal 2 and the target device A and forms an electrical path. The bus bar 4 is made of conductive metal and formed into a rectangular flat plate extending in the vertical direction Z. The end of the bus bar 4 on the lower side Z2 forms a first connection portion 40 that is connected to the device connection portion 22. The first connection portion 40 has a first fastening hole 40a (shown only in FIG. 4 ) that penetrates in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface. The male thread portion 23b of the first bolt 23 is inserted into the first fastening hole 40a from the rear side X2 toward the front side X1. When the first bolt 23 is tightened to the female thread portion 22a with the male thread portion 23b of the first bolt 23 inserted into the first fastening hole 40a, the first connection portion 40 (bus bar 4) is clamped and fastened between the flange 23a of the first bolt 23 and the device connection portion 22. This connects the first connection portion 40 to the device connection portion 22.

[0017] Meanwhile, an end of the bus bar 4 on the upper side Z1 forms a second connection portion 41 connected to the target device A. The second connection portion 41 is configured to be connected to a connection portion (not shown) provided on the target device A. This connection portion is, for example, a female connector having a female terminal. The second connection portion 41 is connected to this female connector by being inserted from the lower side Z2 toward the upper side Z1, and when the second connection portion A and the female connector are connected, the terminal block 1 and the target device A are connected. Alternatively, instead of using a female connector as the connection portion of the target device A, the terminal block 1 and the target device A may be connected by fixing the second connection portion 41 to the connection portion of the target device A by laser welding, ultrasonic bonding, or the like.

[0018] The procedures for assembling the terminal block 1 and connecting the terminal block 1 to the target device A will be described. When assembling the terminal block 1, first, the terminals 2 are formed using a conductive metal member. Then, caps 20a are attached to the ends of the terminals 2 on the front side X1. Next, the formed terminals 2 are placed in a mold, and the terminal block 1 is molded integrally with the housing 3 by insert molding using an insulating synthetic resin. During the insert molding, the position of the terminals 2 is adjusted so that the ends of the device connection portions 22 on the rear side X2 of the terminals 2 protrude outward from the openings 32b on the rear side X2 of the terminal accommodating chambers 32. Next, the bus bar 4 is placed on the rear side X2 of the completed terminal block 1, and the bus bar 4 and the terminal block 1 are connected by the first bolts 23 via the first fastening holes 40a. Specifically, the male threaded portion 23b of the first bolt 23 is inserted into the first fastening hole 40a, and in this state, the male threaded portion 23b is tightened to the female threaded portion 22a of the device connection portion 22.

[0019] At this time, the male thread portion 23b is tightened until the bus bar 4 is clamped between the wall surface on the front side X1 of the flange 23a and the end surface on the back side X2 of the device connection portion 22, and the bus bar 4 is fixed in a state extending in the up-down direction Z. Note that, when the attachment of the bus bar 4 to the device connection portion 22 is complete, the up-down direction Z (extension direction) of the first connection portion 40 of the bus bar 4 and the protruding direction of the restricting rib 33 are aligned. That is, the protruding direction of the restricting rib 33 is aligned with the up-down direction Z (extension direction) of the first connection portion 40 of the bus bar 4. Finally, the second connection portion 41 is connected to the connection portion of the target device A. As described above, if the connection portion of the target device A is a female connector, the second connection portion 41 is inserted into the female terminal of the female connector to connect them.

[0020] When connecting the terminal block 1 and the target device A, various external forces may be applied to the bus bar 4 and the terminal 2. These external forces are, for example, external forces that occur when connecting the terminal block 1 and the target device A. These external forces include external forces that are applied to the bus bar 4 in the plate thickness direction, i.e., the front-to-rear direction X, by elastic members such as springs provided on the female connector to secure the bus bar 4 when the bus bar 4 is inserted into the female connector, which is the connecting portion of the target device A. When these external forces are applied to the second connecting portion 41, the second connecting portion 41 may be deformed in the same direction. Then, as the second connecting portion 41 deforms, the first connecting portion 40 may be pulled upward Z1. That is, stress is generated in the first connecting portion 40 toward the upward Z1. This stress causes the terminal 2 to tilt upward Z1 with the flange portion 21a as a fulcrum. However, in this embodiment, the outer peripheral wall of the device connection portion 22 abuts against the tip of the restriction rib 33 on the upper side Z1, preventing further displacement of the terminal 2 and restricting the tilt. Therefore, the restriction rib 33 restricts the tilt of the terminal 2 due to stress caused by deformation of the bus bar 4 due to external forces applied when the bus bar 4 is connected. As described above, after the bus bar 4 is completely attached to the device connection portion 22, the vertical direction Z of the first connection portion 40 of the bus bar 4 and the protruding direction of the restriction rib 33 are aligned. This is because the direction in which the terminal 2 tilts around the flange portion 21a due to deformation of the bus bar 4 in the plate thickness direction is aligned with the extension direction of the first connection portion 40. Therefore, if the extension direction of the first connection portion 40 when the bus bar 4 is attached to the terminal block 1 is known in advance, the orientation of the restriction rib 33 can be adjusted accordingly. This makes it possible to prevent the terminal 2 from tilting due to various external forces.

[0021] According to the above-described embodiment, the terminal block 1 is a terminal block 1 comprising terminals 2 extending in the front-rear direction X (a predetermined direction) and a housing 3 for holding the terminals 2, and further comprising: a terminal accommodating chamber 32 provided in the housing 3, penetrating in the front-rear direction X, which is the direction in which the terminals 2 extend, and holding the terminals 2 therein; and an equipment connecting portion 22 provided in the terminal 2, protruding to the outside from an opening 32b on the rear side X2 (one axial end side) of the terminal accommodating chamber 32, wherein a gap S is formed between the outer peripheral wall of the equipment connecting portion 22 and the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 32, and the terminal accommodating chamber 32 is provided with a restricting rib 33 (restricting protrusion) that protrudes radially inward of the terminal accommodating chamber 32 from the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 32 toward the terminal 2 (in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the terminal 2) so as to fill the gap S.

[0022] According to the present invention, for example, when an external force is applied to the device connection portion 22 protruding outward from the opening of the terminal accommodating chamber 32, even if the terminal 2 in the terminal accommodating chamber 32 tends to tilt due to the external force, the tilt can be restricted. This is because even if the terminal 2 tends to tilt due to the external force, the outer peripheral wall of the device connection portion 22 abuts against the tip of the restriction rib 33, preventing the terminal 2 from being displaced any further. Therefore, it is possible to provide a terminal block 1 that can prevent the terminal 2 from tilting even when an external force is applied to the terminal 2 in the housing 3.

[0023] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the housing 3 is provided so as to be attached to the target device A to which it is to be attached, the terminals 2 include flange portions 21a (fixing portions) fixed in the terminal accommodating chambers 32, and the bus bars 4 (metal plates) constituting an electrical path are provided between the terminals 2 and the target device A, and the bus bars 4 include a first connecting portion 40 connected to the device connecting portion 22 and a second connecting portion 41 connected to the target device A. With this configuration, even if an external force is applied to the bus bar 4 in the plate thickness direction as described above when connecting the terminal block 1 and the target device A via the bus bar 4, the restricting rib 33 can restrict the terminals 2 from tilting due to stress caused by deformation of the bus bar 4 due to the external force.

[0024] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the restricting rib 33 is provided so that its protruding direction is aligned with the vertical direction Z (extension direction) of the first connecting portion 40 of the bus bar 4. As described above, the vertical direction Z of the first connecting portion 40 is the direction in which the terminal 2 tilts with the flange portion 21a as a fulcrum due to stress caused by deformation of the bus bar 4 due to an external force acting on the bus bar 4 in the plate thickness direction. Therefore, according to this configuration, the restricting rib 33 is provided in advance along the tilt direction of the terminal 2, and therefore tilting of the terminal 2 can be efficiently suppressed.

[0025] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the restricting ribs 33 are provided as a pair with their protruding ends facing each other. With this configuration, the restricting ribs 33 are provided as a pair with their protruding ends facing each other. Therefore, even if the terminal 2 tilts in multiple directions, the restricting ribs 33 can suppress the tilt of the terminal 2. Specifically, when an external force is applied to the second connection portion 41 of the busbar 4 from the rear side X2 to the front side X1, the terminal 2 tends to tilt so that the device connection portion 22 faces the upper side Z1, as described above. However, this tilt can be suppressed by the restricting rib 33 on the upper side Z1. Conversely, when an external force is applied to the second connection portion 41 of the busbar 4 from the front side X1 to the rear side X2, the terminal 2 tends to tilt so that the device connection portion 22 faces the lower side Z2, but this tilt can be suppressed by the restricting rib 33 on the lower side Z2. Thus, even if the external force is applied to the busbar 4 from multiple directions, the tilt of the terminal 2 caused by stress when the busbar 4 deforms can be suppressed.

[0026] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific structure is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like that do not depart from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. For example, in this embodiment, the restricting ribs 33 are formed at the upper and lower ends of the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 32, but the positions at which the restricting ribs 33 are provided are not limited thereto. For example, if the extension direction of the first connection portion 40 of the busbar 4 is the left-right direction Y, the restricting ribs 33 may be provided at the left and right ends of the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 32. In either case, the restricting ribs 33 may be provided so that their protruding direction is aligned with the extension direction of the first connection portion 40. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the device connection portion 22 is provided with the female thread portion 22a, and the busbar 4 and the device connection portion 22 are connected by fastening the male thread portion 23b of the first bolt 23 to the female thread portion 22a. However, the structure for connecting the busbar 4 to the device connection portion 22 is not limited thereto.

[0027] For example, the device connection portion 22 and the first connection portion 40 of the bus bar 4 may be integrated, and the bus bar 4 may be formed so as to be continuous with the device connection portion 22. In the present embodiment, the terminal connection portion 20 of the terminal 2 is configured as a round pin, but the shape of the terminal connection portion 20 is not limited to this. A rectangular plate-shaped terminal extending in the front-rear direction X may also be used. The terminal 2 held in the housing 3 does not necessarily have to be a male terminal, but may also be a female terminal. In the present embodiment, the terminal 2 and the housing 3 are integrally molded by insert molding, but the terminal 2 does not necessarily have to be integrally molded with the housing 3. For example, the terminal accommodating chamber 32 may have an engaged portion such as a recess, and the terminal 2 may have an engaging portion such as a protrusion that engages with the engaged portion, and the terminal 2 may be held in the housing 3 via the engaged portion and the engaging portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] S Gap 1 Terminal block 2 terminals 22 Device connection 3. Housing 32 Terminal housing 33 Restriction rib (restriction protrusion)

Claims

1. A terminal block including terminals extending in a predetermined direction and a housing for holding the terminals, The housing is provided with terminal accommodating chambers that penetrate in the axial direction, which is the direction in which the terminals extend, and that hold the terminals therein. The terminal includes a cylindrical device connecting portion that protrudes to the outside from an opening on one axial end side of the terminal accommodating chamber, a cylindrical intermediate portion that is continuous with the device connecting portion and extends to the other axial end side, and a fixing portion that is provided along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion and is embedded in and fixed to the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber, an arc-shaped gap extending along the circumferential direction is formed between an outer peripheral wall of the device connection portion and the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber; The terminal block is characterized in that the terminal accommodating chamber is provided with a pair of regulating protrusions that protrude from the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber toward the terminal in a direction that intersects the axial direction of the terminal so as to fill the gap, with their protruding ends facing each other.

2. The housing is provided to be attached to a target device to which it is attached; a metal plate that forms an electrical path is provided between the terminal and the target device; 2. The terminal block according to claim 1, wherein the metal plate includes a first connection portion connected to the device connection portion and a second connection portion connected to the target device.

3. The terminal block according to claim 2, wherein the restricting projection is provided so that its protruding direction is aligned with the extending direction of the first connecting portion on the metal plate.

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