Terminal construction

Abstract

To eliminate the need of bonding work such as welding and soldering when manufacturing an annular spring conductor.SOLUTION: An annular spring conductor 30, which makes press-contact with an inner circumference of a female terminal so as to bring the female terminal into conduction with a male terminal 20, is formed by bending a coil spring (spring member 30A) into an annular shape. A holding ring 40 is retrofitted and fixed to an outer circumference of the male terminal 20. Both end parts 31, 31 in the circumferential direction of the coil spring thus bent into the annular shape are locked to locking parts 51 provided on the holding ring 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to a terminal structure used for high-voltage connectors such as hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] As an example of a terminal structure used for a high-voltage connector, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. This terminal structure includes a cylindrical female terminal, a columnar male terminal fitted into the fitting hole of the female terminal, and an annular spring conductor interposed between the fitting surfaces of the female terminal and the male terminal. In this terminal structure, a ring-shaped coil spring is used as the annular spring conductor, and the annular spring conductor is accommodated in an annular groove formed on one of the fitting surfaces of the female terminal and the male terminal. When both terminals are fitted, the coil spring accommodated in the annular groove presses and contacts both terminals by its elastic repulsive force, thereby conducting between both terminals.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the above-described conventional terminal structure, the ring-shaped coil spring used as the annular spring conductor is formed by bending a coil spring produced in a linear form into an annular shape and then precisely joining the circumferential ends together by welding or soldering. Therefore, this precise joining operation is time-consuming, and there are points to be improved such as generating carbon dioxide in the manufacturing process.

[0005] Furthermore, when arranging a ring-shaped coil spring in an annular groove, it is necessary to deform the coil ring so that the inner diameter of the coil spring ring expands during assembly. This assembly process could potentially cause damage or deformation at the joint, leading to assembly defects. Such assembly defects could lead to poor conductivity when connecting terminals.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a terminal structure that eliminates joining work such as welding and soldering when manufacturing annular spring conductors, and that allows for easy assembly of annular spring conductors to male or female terminals without causing defects while maintaining an annular shape, thereby improving the reliability of electrical connections. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the terminal structure according to the present invention is characterized by the following:

[0008] A cylindrical female terminal with a fitting hole formed along the axial direction, A columnar male terminal that fits into the fitting hole of the female terminal, It is interposed in a compressed state between the mating surfaces of the female terminal and the male terminal, The aforementioned Female terminal and The aforementioned An annular spring conductor that makes contact with the mating surface of the male terminal by pressing against it, thereby making electrical contact between the female terminal and the male terminal, A retaining ring is retrofitted and fixed to either the inner circumference of the fitting hole of the female terminal or the outer circumference of the male terminal, It has, The aforementioned annular spring conductor is formed by curving a spring member, which has the ability to return to a straight shape, into an annular shape. A terminal structure in which the retaining ring is provided with a locking portion, and the circumferential end of the spring member is locked to the locking portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the annular spring conductor can be easily assembled to a terminal in a stable form by locking the circumferential end of a spring member, which is curved in an annular shape to form an annular spring conductor, into a locking portion formed in a retaining ring. Therefore, there is no need to join the ends of the spring members by welding or soldering, which reduces the effort required for joining work and also provides an improvement in carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, since there is no joint, there is no concern that the joint may be damaged or deformed, resulting in assembly defects, and the reliability of the electrical connection can be improved.

[0010] The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by referring to the attached drawings and reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments"). [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector device including a terminal structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the male connector in the connector device. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the assembled configuration of the male connector. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the main part as seen through arrow A in Figure 3. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the male connector. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the figures.

[0013] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector device including a terminal structure according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] The terminal structure of this embodiment is incorporated in the connector device 1 shown in FIG. 1. This connector device 1 is mainly used for a high-voltage connector, and includes a female terminal 10 incorporated in a housing H as a main part of the female-side connector and a male-side connector 2. The male-side connector 2 has a male terminal 20.

[0015] The female terminal 10 has a bottomed cylindrical shape and has a fitting hole with a circular cross section formed along the axial direction X (connector fitting direction), although it is not shown in FIG. 1. The male terminal 20 is a cylindrical rod-shaped part that is fitted into the fitting hole of the female terminal 10 by moving along the axial direction X. An annular spring conductor 30 interposed between the fitting surfaces of the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 20 and a holding ring 40 for holding the annular spring conductor 30 are attached to the male terminal 20. The female terminal 10 and the male terminal 20 are formed of a conductive metal material such as copper or a copper alloy, for example.

[0016] The annular spring conductor 30 is interposed in a compressed state between the fitting surfaces of the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 20, and conducts the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 20 to each other by pressing and contacting the fitting surfaces of the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 20.

[0017] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the male-side connector in the connector device of this embodiment, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the assembled state configuration of the male-side connector, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the main part as viewed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the annular spring conductor 30 used here is formed by bending a coil spring formed by spirally winding a metal wire strip having conductivity and elasticity into an annular shape and rounding it. The coil spring is a spring member having a resilience to a linear form. The spring member 30A made of this coil spring, even in a state of being bent into an annular shape, has both ends 31, 31 in the circumferential direction not joined to each other by welding or soldering and is open as a free end. However, in order to facilitate locking to the locking portion of the holding ring 40, end shape processing (for example, making it into a hook shape) may be performed.

[0019] The retaining ring 40 attached to the outer periphery of the male terminal 20 laterally functions as a cap that closes the entrance of the fitting hole when the male terminal 20 is fitted into the fitting hole of the female terminal 10, and is made of metal, resin, or the like. This retaining ring 40 is fitted and fixed to the outer periphery of the base end portion of the male terminal 20 so as not to move in the axial direction X and the circumferential direction. At one location in the circumferential direction of the end face 40a on the tip side of the male terminal 20 of this retaining ring 40, a locking projection piece 50 protrudes. Locking hooks (locking portions) 51 having a symmetrical shape are formed on both sides in the circumferential direction of this locking projection piece 50. The locking hooks 51 on both sides in the circumferential direction each form a key shape extending from the front to the rear.

[0020] Both end portions 31, 31 in the circumferential direction of the coil spring (spring member 30A) curved in an annular shape to form the annular spring conductor 30 are respectively locked to the locking hooks 51 provided on both sides in the circumferential direction of the locking projection piece 50 of the retaining ring 40.

[0021] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the male connector 2. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the locking hook 51 has a front end bar 51a (movement restricting portion) for restricting the movement of the coil spring (spring member 30A) in the axial direction (the movement indicated by arrow F2 in FIG. 5). Further, the locking hook 51 has a side end bar 51b (restoring force restricting portion) for restricting the restoring force (the force indicated by arrow F1 in FIG. 5) with which the coil spring (spring member 30A) tries to return to a straight form. The front end bar 51a extends outward in the circumferential direction from the tip of the locking projection piece 50, and the side end bar 51b bends at a right angle from the tip of the front end bar 51a and extends rearward.

[0022] Also, a rear end bar 51c extends short from the rear end of the side end bar 51b, bending at a right angle inward in the circumferential direction parallel to the front end bar 51a. Further, a gap 51e is secured between the base end portion of the locking projection piece 50 and the rear end bar 51c so that the circumferential end portion 31 of the coil spring (spring member 30A) can be inserted into a locking space 51d surrounded by the front end bar 51a, the side end bar 51b, and the rear end bar 51c.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, a gap is provided between the locking hook 51 and the outer circumference of the male terminal 20 to facilitate the assembly of the annular spring conductor 30. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the outermost diameter of the annular spring conductor 30 in the assembled state is set to be larger than the outermost diameter of the retaining ring 40.

[0024] Alternatively, the retaining ring 40 can be constructed by dividing it into a thick cylindrical ring body and a plate ring made of sheet metal or the like, and then fitting and fixing the plate ring having the locking projection 50 to the outer circumference of the ring body.

[0025] Next, we will explain how to assemble connector device 1. First, the retaining ring 40 (cap) is attached to the male terminal 20. Next, after attaching the retaining ring 40, the annular spring conductor 30 is attached to the outer circumference of the male terminal 20. That is, the coil spring (spring member 30A) that makes up the annular spring conductor 30 is wrapped around the outer circumference of the male terminal 20 in a curved manner. While wrapping, the circumferential ends 31, 31 of the coil spring (spring member 30A) are hooked onto the two locking hooks 51 of the locking projection 50 and locked in place.

[0026] As a result, the annular spring conductor 30, composed of coil springs 30A, is attached to the male terminal 20 while maintaining a constant annular shape, completing the male connector 2. In this state, the annular spring conductor 30 is restricted by the side end bar 51b to prevent it from returning to a straight shape, and is also restricted by the front end bar 51a to prevent it from shifting axially. Therefore, by mating this male connector 2 with the female terminal 10 of the female connector, the electrical connection of the connector device can be established.

[0027] As described above, according to the terminal structure of this embodiment, the annular spring conductor 30 can be easily assembled to the male terminal 20 in a stable form simply by locking the circumferential end 31 of the spring member 30A (coil spring), which is curved in an annular shape to form the annular spring conductor 30, to the locking hook 51 formed on the retaining ring 40.

[0028] Therefore, there is no need to join the ends of the spring members 30A together by welding or soldering, which reduces the effort required for joining and also improves carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, since there are no joints, there is no need to worry about assembly defects caused by damage or deformation of the joints, which improves the reliability of electrical connections.

[0029] Furthermore, this terminal structure allows the annular spring conductor 30, which is made of a coil spring, to be compressed when the connector device is mated. This increases the contact area, thereby improving the reliability and performance of the electrical connection.

[0030] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc., as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, placement, etc. of each component in the embodiments described above are arbitrary and not limited, as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0031] For example, in the above embodiment, a key-shaped locking hook 51 is shown as a locking part for locking both ends 31, 31 of the annular spring conductor 30 made of a coil spring. However, instead of the locking hook 51, two locking holes may be formed in the locking projection 50, and both ends 31, 31 of the annular spring conductor 30 may be inserted and locked into each locking hole. In this case, it becomes necessary to insert both ends 31, 31 into the locking holes while rotating the annular spring conductor 30, but the annular spring conductor 30 is less likely to come off compared to the case of the locking hook 51. Conversely, when the locking hook 51 is used, both ends 31, 31 can be locked to the locking hook 51 without rotating the annular spring conductor 30, thus improving work efficiency.

[0032] Alternatively, two locking projections 50 may be provided, and each locking projection 50 may be used as a locking part, and both ends 31, 31 of the annular spring conductor 30 may be hooked onto these locking parts to secure it.

[0033] Alternatively, the annular spring conductor 30 may be divided into multiple parts in the circumferential direction (for example, two parts each covering half a turn). That is, multiple coil springs may be arranged in series, and each circumferential end of these multiple coil springs, when curved, may be locked to multiple locking parts (for example, locking hooks 51) arranged on the retaining ring 40 at circumferential intervals.

[0034] Furthermore, while a coil spring is optimal as the spring member 30A constituting the annular spring conductor 30, other spring members may also be used.

[0035] Furthermore, although the above embodiment shows the case where the retaining ring 40 and the annular spring conductor 30 are attached to the male terminal 20, they may also be attached to the inner circumference side of the mating hole of the female terminal afterwards.

[0036] Herein, the features of the terminal structure according to the embodiments of the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [5]. [1] A cylindrical female terminal (10) having a fitting hole formed along the axial direction (X), A columnar male terminal (20) that is fitted into the fitting hole of the female terminal (10), An annular spring conductor (30) is interposed in a compressed state between the mating surfaces of the female terminal (10) and the male terminal (20), and by pressing into contact with the mating surfaces of the female terminal (10) and the male terminal (20), it causes the female terminal (10) and the male terminal (20) to be electrically connected to each other. A retaining ring (40) is retrofitted and fitted and fixed to either the inner circumference of the fitting hole of the female terminal (10) or the outer circumference of the male terminal (20), It has, The annular spring conductor (30) is formed by curving a spring member (30A) that has the ability to return to a straight shape into an annular shape. The retaining ring (40) is provided with a locking portion (51), and the circumferential end (31) of the spring member (30A) is locked to the locking portion (51). Terminal structure.

[0037] According to the configuration described in [1] above, the annular spring conductor (30) can be easily assembled to the male terminal (20) in a stable form simply by locking the circumferential end (31) of the spring member (30A), which is curved in an annular shape to form the annular spring conductor (30), to the locking portion (51) formed on the retaining ring (40). Therefore, there is no need to join the ends (31) of the spring member (30A) by welding or soldering, which reduces the effort required for joining work and also provides an improvement in carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, since there is no joint, there is no need to worry about assembly defects caused by damage or deformation of the joint, and the reliability of the electrical connection can be improved.

[0038] [2] The annular spring conductor (30) is As the spring member (30A) having the ability to return to the linear shape, a coil spring is used, which is made by spirally winding a conductive and elastic metal wire, and the coil spring is bent into an annular shape. The circumferential end (31) of the coil spring (30A), which is curved in an annular shape to form the annular spring conductor (30), is locked to the locking portion (51) of the retaining ring (40). The terminal structure described in [1] above.

[0039] According to the configuration described in [2] above, the annular spring conductor (30) can be easily assembled to the male terminal (20) in a stable form simply by locking the circumferential end (31) of the coil spring 30A, which is curved in an annular shape to form the annular spring conductor (30), to the locking hook (51) formed on the retaining ring (40). Furthermore, since the annular spring conductor (30) made of the coil spring 30A can be compressed, the reliability and performance of the electrical connection can be further improved by increasing the contact area.

[0040] [3] The locking portion (51) is equipped with a restoring force restricting portion (51b) for restricting the restoring force in the direction that the coil spring (30A) returns to a linear shape. The terminal structure described in [2] above.

[0041] According to the configuration described in [3] above, the restoring force restricting part (51b) provided on the locking part (51) allows the coil spring (30A) to be kept in a stable annular shape.

[0042] [4] The locking portion (51) further includes a movement restricting portion (51a) for restricting the axial (X) movement of the coil spring (30A). The terminal structure described in [3] above.

[0043] According to the configuration described in [4] above, the movement restricting part (51a) provided on the locking part (51) allows the coil spring (30A) to be kept in a stable axial position.

[0044] [5] The locking portion has a projection that protrudes from the axial end face of the retaining ring (40) and a locking hole formed in the projection, The circumferential end (31) of the coil spring (30A) is inserted into the locking hole. The terminal structure described in [2] above.

[0045] According to the configuration described in [5] above, the coil spring (30A) can be assembled to the male terminal (20) by simply inserting and locking the circumferential end (31) of the coil spring (30A) into the locking hole formed in the retaining ring (40), thereby forming an annular spring conductor (30) with the coil spring (30A). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0046] 1. Connector device 2 Male connectors 10 Female terminals 20 Male connectors 30 Annular spring conductor 30A Coil spring (spring component) 31 End 40 retaining rings 50 Locking projection (locking part) 51 Locking hook (locking part) 51a Front bar (movement restriction section) 51b Side end bar (restoration restriction section) X-axis direction

Claims

1. A cylindrical female terminal with a fitting hole formed along the axial direction, A columnar male terminal that fits into the fitting hole of the female terminal, An annular spring conductor is interposed in a compressed state between the mating surfaces of the female terminal and the male terminal, and by pressing into contact with the mating surfaces of the female terminal and the male terminal, it causes the female terminal and the male terminal to be electrically connected to each other. A retaining ring is fitted and secured to either the inner circumference of the fitting hole of the female terminal or the outer circumference of the male terminal, It has, The aforementioned annular spring conductor is formed by curving a spring member, which has the ability to return to a straight shape, into an annular shape. The retaining ring is provided with a locking portion, and the circumferential end of the spring member is locked to the locking portion. Terminal structure.

2. The aforementioned annular spring conductor is As a spring member having the ability to return to the linear shape, a coil spring is used, which is made by spirally winding a conductive and elastic metal wire, and the coil spring is bent into an annular shape. The circumferential end of the coil spring, which is curved in an annular shape to form the annular spring conductor, is locked to the locking portion of the retaining ring. The terminal structure according to claim 1.

3. The locking portion includes a restoring force restricting portion for restricting the restoring force in the direction that the coil spring returns to a linear shape. The terminal structure according to claim 2.

4. The locking portion further includes a movement restricting portion for restricting the axial movement of the coil spring. The terminal structure according to claim 3.

5. The locking portion comprises a projection extending from the axial end face of the retaining ring and a locking hole formed in the projection. The circumferential end of the coil spring is inserted and locked into the locking hole. The terminal structure according to claim 2.

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