CN110416786B

CN110416786B - Conductive terminal, coupler and motor comprising same and assembly method of coupler

Info

Publication number: CN110416786B
Application number: CN201910687814.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 薛成辉; 党红关
Original assignee: Jiangsu Leili Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Anhui Leili Intelligent Technology Co.,Ltd.
Priority date: 2019-07-29
Filing date: 2019-07-29
Publication date: 2020-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 2039-07-29
Also published as: CN110416786A

Abstract

The invention provides a conductive terminal, which is used for connecting a lead to a binding post of a motor and is characterized by comprising: a wire interface at least partially surrounding and securing an end of the wire; a post interface fixed and electrically connected to the post; wherein the post interface includes a first locking portion including a plurality of tongues bendable toward an insertion direction of the post to receive and clamp the post therebetween such that the post is electrically connected to the conductive terminal. The invention also provides a connector comprising the conductive terminal. The invention also provides an electric machine comprising the coupling. The invention also provides an assembling method of the coupler.

Description

Conductive terminal, coupler and motor comprising same and assembly method of coupler

Technical Field

The invention relates to a conductive terminal. The present invention relates to a coupling comprising said conductive terminal and to an electric machine comprising said coupling. The invention also relates to a method for assembling the coupling.

Background

In the existing production process of small-sized stepping motors, the wire outlet structure of the motor is generally realized by the following steps: winding wire is firstly wound on a binding post wound with an enameled wire, then the binding post is enameled with tin to remove an enameled wire paint film, so that the enameled wire is electrically connected with the binding post, a wire is connected with the binding post in a circuit board welding mode, and finally, a wire outlet box and a buckle cover are assembled to isolate all connection points, so that the connection of the wire and a motor winding is realized. Fig. 1 is an exploded view of the various components that employ this coupling.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a connector which is simple in assembly mode, small in external dimension and free of welding so as to realize electric connection between a lead and a motor winding.

The present invention provides a conductive terminal for connecting a wire to a terminal of a motor main body, the conductive terminal comprising: a wire interface capable of receiving a wire and deforming under an external force to at least partially surround and secure an end of the wire to electrically connect a conductive terminal to the wire; a terminal interface capable of being deformed upon insertion of a terminal to fix and electrically connect to a terminal of the motor main body; and wherein the post interface includes a first locking portion including a plurality of tongues arranged symmetrically about a center of the first locking portion, each tongue extending from a periphery of the first locking portion toward the center of the first locking portion, the plurality of tongues being bendable toward an insertion direction of the post to receive and clamp the post therebetween such that the post is electrically connected to the conductive terminal.

The electrically conductive terminal according to the invention makes possible an electrical connection between the conductor wire and the motor terminal and thus the motor winding with a particularly simple construction. The conductor interface and the wiring terminal interface respectively ensure reliable mechanical and electrical connection between the conductive terminal and the lead and between the conductive terminal and the wiring terminal. Wherein the first locking portion is designed such that a reliable mechanical and electrical connection between the terminal post and the conductive terminal can be achieved by a simple insertion operation.

In some embodiments, the post interface further includes a second locking portion having opposing resilient legs configured to receive and clamp a post therebetween such that the post is electrically connected to the conductive terminal. Therefore, the second locking part and the first locking part can be used for realizing double clamping of the binding post together, the pulling-out force required by accidental pulling-out of the binding post is increased, and the reliability of connection between the binding post and the conductive terminal is improved. In addition, the second locking portion also establishes an additional electrical connection between the post and the conductive terminal.

In some embodiments, the first locking portion includes an aperture formed at a center thereof, an inner diameter of the aperture being smaller than an outer diameter of the post. The presence of the aperture makes it possible to reduce the resistance of the terminal when inserted, while the internal diameter of the aperture is smaller than the external diameter of the terminal, to ensure that the first locking portion can deform to exert a clamping force on the terminal.

In some embodiments, the first locking portion has four tongues.

In some embodiments, the distance between the opposing resilient legs is less than the outer diameter of the post. When the post is inserted between the two elastic legs, the post can spread the two legs outward in the lateral direction. The two legs elastically deform to apply an inward clamping force to the terminal. Thereby, the two legs receive and clamp the post therebetween and establish an electrical connection between the post and the conductive terminal.

In some embodiments, the wire comprises a core and an insulation layer surrounding the core, and the wire interface comprises a core connection portion, the core connection portion being a U-shaped structure adapted to receive the exposed core at the end of the wire and to deform under an external force to at least partially surround and electrically connect to the exposed core at the end of the wire. In addition, the U-shaped structure can be used as a positioning part for the lead in the process of assembling the lead and the conductive terminal, so that the lead can be accurately positioned along the transverse direction easily.

In some embodiments, the wire interface includes an insulation fixing portion, the insulation fixing portion is a sheet-shaped structure and is adapted to receive the insulation at the end of the wire and deform under an external force so as to at least partially surround and fix the insulation at the end of the wire, and the bottom of the U-shaped structure of the core connecting portion is connected to the insulation fixing portion.

In some embodiments, the wire interface includes an insulation fixing portion having a U-shaped structure, the insulation fixing portion is adapted to receive the insulation at the end of the wire and deform under an external force to at least partially surround and fix the insulation at the end of the wire, and the bottom of the U-shaped structure of the core connecting portion is connected to the insulation fixing portion. The insulating layer fixing part with the U-shaped structure can further improve the positioning precision and the operation convenience of the lead along the transverse direction in the process of assembling the lead and the conductive terminal.

The present invention also provides a coupler for connecting a lead wire to a terminal post of a motor main body, characterized by comprising: the conductive terminal; a coupler housing comprising: a conductive terminal insertion channel allowing the conductive terminal to enter the connector housing; a post insertion channel that allows a post of the motor body to enter the coupler housing, and wherein the post interface is aligned with the post insertion channel when the conductive terminal is inserted into position in the conductive terminal insertion channel.

In this manner, after the conductive terminal is inserted into position, the terminal interface is exposed in the terminal channel, and the terminal is inserted from the terminal insertion channel to complete the connection of the conductive terminal and the terminal.

In some embodiments, the conductive terminal further includes a locating surface and a locating tab projecting from the locating surface, the coupler housing includes a locating hole that mates with the locating tab, the locating tab is elastically deformable such that the conductive terminal is slidable within the conductive terminal insertion channel, and the locating tab returns to its original shape to extend into the locating hole when the conductive terminal is slid until the locating tab is aligned with the locating hole such that the conductive terminal is locked in place within the conductive terminal insertion channel.

In some embodiments, the positioning tab is unlockable by a pressing operation at the positioning hole, allowing the conductive terminal to be pulled out of the conductive terminal insertion passage.

In some embodiments, the conductive terminal further includes a guide portion that may have a slightly smaller dimension in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the conductive terminal than the conductive terminal insertion channel. The transverse side surface of the guiding part is in clearance fit with the inner part of the conductive terminal insertion channel, so that the conductive terminal can be smoothly inserted into the channel of the connector shell, and the conductive terminal can keep a certain direction in the channel.

The present invention also provides a motor, comprising: the coupler, wherein the coupler housing comprises an elastic snap; a post configured to connect to a post interface with the conductive terminal; a motor body, comprising: a terminal electrically connected to the winding of the motor body and configured to be connected to a terminal interface with the conductive terminal; a motor housing having a slot formed therein, the slot configured to snap-fit with the resilient catch of the coupler housing to effect a locking connection of the motor housing and the coupler housing.

The present invention also provides a method of assembling a coupler, comprising: a wire interface connecting the wire to the conductive terminal; inserting the assembly of the wire and the conductive terminal into the coupler housing through the conductive terminal insertion channel until the locating tab reaches the locating hole to lock the conductive terminal in place within the conductive terminal insertion channel; mounting the coupler to the motor body such that the terminal of the motor body enters the terminal insertion channel of the coupler housing and is connected to the terminal interface of the conductive terminal.

In some embodiments, the wire interface connecting the wire to the conductive terminal comprises: stripping the insulating layer at the end of the wire to expose a part of the core; bending the core connection part to at least partially surround and electrically connect to the bare core; the insulating layer fixing portion is bent to hold the insulating layer of the wire.

In some embodiments, mounting the coupler to the motor body such that the terminal of the motor body enters the terminal insertion channel of the coupler housing and is connected to the terminal interface of the conductive terminal comprises: receiving and clamping a post between the opposing resilient legs and between the plurality of tongues such that the post is electrically connected to the conductive terminal.

The coupling according to the invention provides at least the following advantages:

1. the process is reduced, and the cost is reduced: this configuration requires only 5 steps compared to the prior art connection using soldering. Because the welding low-efficiency process is not needed, the work efficiency of assembling by using the connector is high, and the automatic production is convenient, so that the labor cost is further reduced, and the product competitiveness is improved;

2. the reject ratio is low: different from the dependence of the welding procedure on the welding proficiency of workers, the method of crimping the conductive terminals and inserting the connector is adopted, and the defects caused by poor contact can be reduced by controlling the sizes of the conductive terminals and the connector shell. In addition, the assembly method of the invention can also avoid damage to the fragile part of the motor caused by high temperature generated by welding.

3. The structure size is small: because welding spots and circuit board structures which are welded are not arranged, the connection is carried out only by the conductive terminals, and the volume of the wire outlet structure of the motor is reduced.

Drawings

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with the aid of the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a schematic view of a motor outlet structure according to the prior art,

figure 2 shows in exploded form an electric machine and its coupling according to one embodiment of the invention,

figure 3 shows in cross-section the motor body and the coupling in an assembled state according to one embodiment of the invention,

figure 4 shows in perspective view a coupling housing according to one embodiment of the invention in isolation,

figures 5a and 5b show a wire, a structure of a conductive terminal and an assembly process of the conductive terminal and the wire according to one embodiment of the invention,

figure 6 is a view showing the structure of a conductive terminal according to another embodiment of the invention,

figures 7a to 7c show the process of inserting and fixing the stud into the stud interface of the conductive terminal,

figures 8a to 8c show the process of mounting the coupling housing to the motor housing,

figure 9 shows, in an exploded view, an electric machine and its coupling according to a variant of the invention,

figure 10 shows the motor body and the coupling in an assembled condition according to a variant of the invention,

figure 11 shows in perspective view a coupling housing according to a variant of the invention alone,

figure 12 shows the structure of a conductive terminal according to a variant of the invention,

figures 13a to 13c show the process of inserting the conductive terminals and wires into the coupling housing,

fig. 14a and 14b show the process of mounting the coupling to the motor body.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The features and advantages of the present invention will be further understood by those skilled in the art from the accompanying drawings and the corresponding written description. It is to be understood that the embodiments described are only a few embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The components of embodiments of the present invention generally described and illustrated in the figures herein may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations.

Fig. 2 shows, in an exploded view, an electric machine according to the invention, comprising a machine body 2 and a coupling 4. As shown in fig. 2, the motor main body 2 includes a motor housing 22 and a post 21 protruding outward from the housing. In some embodiments, the studs 21 are arranged at equal intervals along a line and extend in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis a of the motor body 2. Here, the rotation axis of the motor main body 2 refers to the rotation axis of the motor rotor. The coupler 4 includes a coupler housing 5 and conductive terminals 1. The conductive terminal 1 is adapted to establish an electrical connection between the stud 21 and the conductor 3, allowing the conductor 3 to extend in a given outlet direction of the electrical machine. The number of the conductive terminals 1 and the number of the leads 3 are equal to the number of the binding posts.

Fig. 3 shows the motor with the coupling 4 assembled to the motor body 2 in a sectional view. Fig. 4 shows the coupling housing 5 in isolation in a perspective view. The coupler housing 5 includes a conductive terminal insertion passage 51 which allows the conductive terminal 1 to enter the coupler housing 5; and a terminal insertion passage 52 that allows the terminal 21 of the motor main body 2 to enter the coupling housing 5.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, the conductive terminal insertion channel 51 and the post insertion channel 52 are perpendicular to each other, that is, the conductive terminal insertion channel 51 and the rotation axis of the motor body 2 are parallel to each other, which is suitable for the case where the motor body 2 is outgoing in the direction of the rotation axis a thereof.

As shown in fig. 3, the conductive terminal 1 is received in and extends in the conductive terminal insertion passage 51. The wire 3 is connected to the conductive terminal 1 and extends out of the connector housing 5 from one end of the conductive terminal 1 (the right end of the conductive terminal 1 in fig. 3). The post 21 is accommodated in the post insertion passage 52 and connected to the other end of the conductive terminal 1 (the left end of the conductive terminal 1 in fig. 3). Thereby, the conductive terminal 1 establishes electrical connection between the wire 3 and the post 21.

A detailed structure of the conductive terminal 1 and the lead 3 and an embodiment of an assembling process of the conductive terminal 1 and the lead 3 will be described with reference to fig. 5a and 5 b. The wire 3 includes a core 31 and an insulating layer 32 surrounding the core 31.

In fig. 5a, an end portion 3a of the conductor 3 is shown, wherein a predetermined length of the insulating layer 32 surrounding the core 31 is stripped to expose the predetermined length of the conductive core 31.

The structure of the conductive terminal 1 according to the invention is also shown in fig. 5 a. In the following description, the longitudinal direction L corresponds to a direction in which the conductive terminal 1 extends lengthwise, the lateral direction W corresponds to a width direction of the guide terminal, and the height direction H is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L and the lateral direction W. The conductive terminal 1 also comprises a face, called base face P, which extends along the transverse direction W and the longitudinal direction L. The height direction H is divided into a positive direction H1 and a negative direction H2 opposite to the positive direction H1. One side of the positive direction H1 of the base part plane P is the side of the conductive terminal 1 for receiving the lead 3 and the binding post 21.

In the longitudinal direction L, the conductive terminal 1 comprises a wire interface 11 at one end and a terminal interface 12 at the other end.

The wire interface 11 may include a core connection part 13 and an insulation fixing part 14 configured to be press-coupled to the end 3a of the wire 3 by an external force, for example, a press.

The core attachment portion 13 is a U-shaped structure including a bottom portion 13a and two side wings 13 b. The bottom portion 13a extends in the base plane P, and the flanks 13b extend from the lateral ends of the bottom portion 13a in the positive height direction H1. The U-shaped structure is adapted to receive a core 31 exposed at the wire end 3a as seen in the upper view of fig. 5 a. Therefore, in the process of assembling the lead 3 and the conductive terminal 1, the lead 3 can be easily and accurately positioned along the transverse direction W. When the core 31, which is exposed at the wire end 3a, is received in the U-shaped structure, the two flanks 13b of the U-shaped structure may be bent towards each other under the pressure of the press to at least partially enclose said core 31. In some embodiments, the U-shaped structure after bending forms a first cylindrical portion 130 as shown in fig. 5b, in which the core 31 is accommodated. In this manner, the core connecting portion 13 is crimped to the wire end portion 3a, and is brought into contact with the core 31 exposed at the wire end portion 3a and electrically connected to the core 31.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5a, the insulating layer fixing portion 14 is a U-shaped structure including a base portion 14a and two side portions 14 b. The insulating layer fixing portion 14 is connected to the core connecting portion 13 through a transition portion 17. The base portion 14a extends in the base portion plane P and is connected with the bottom portion 13a of the U-shaped structure of the core connecting portion 13 via the bottom portion of the transition portion 17. The two side portions 14b extend in the height direction H positive direction H1 from the lateral ends of the base portion 14a, and are connected with the two side wings 13b of the U-shaped structure of the core connecting portion 13 by the two side portions of the transition portion 17, respectively. The insulating layer fixing portion 14 is configured to receive the insulating layer 32 of the wire end portion 3 a. The insulation 32 that receives the conductor end 3a is understood here to mean the insulation 32 that is not stripped off at the conductor end 3a and the core 31 that it surrounds. The insulating layer fixing portion 14 formed in the U-shaped structure can further improve the positioning accuracy and the operational convenience of the wire 3 in the transverse direction W in the process of assembling the wire 3 with the conductive terminal 1. When the insulating layer 32 rests on the base portion 14a of the insulating layer fixing portion 14, the two side portions 14b of the insulating layer fixing portion 14 may be bent toward each other under the pressure of the press to at least partially surround and press the insulating layer 32. In some embodiments, the insulation layer fixing portion 14 forms a second cylindrical portion 140 as shown in fig. 5b after bending, and the insulation layer 32 is received in the second cylindrical portion 140. In this way, the insulating layer fixing portion 14 connecting portion is crimped to the lead end portion 3a, and the insulating layer 32 at the lead end portion 3a is press-fixed.

In other embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, the insulating layer fixing portion 14 is a sheet-like structure including a base portion 14a and two side portions 14b extending laterally from the base portion 14 a. The base portion 14a extends along the base plane P and is connected to the bottom 13a of the U-shaped structure of the core connecting portion 13 via a transition portion 18. The deformation of the two side portions 14b under the action of an external force is similar to that described with reference to fig. 5 b.

Referring back to fig. 5b, in some embodiments, the post interface 12 may be formed as a pi-shaped structure including a planar extension 12a extending in the base plane P and two legs 122a extending in the height direction H positive direction H1 from both lateral ends of the planar extension 12 a.

The terminal interface 12 includes a locking portion that is deformable upon insertion of the terminal 21 to be connected to the terminal 21 by friction locking. In some embodiments, the post interface 12 may include a plurality of locking portions to securely connect the post 21 to the wire terminal 1.

In some embodiments, the post interface 12 may include a first locking portion 121 formed in the planar extension 12 a. The first locking part 121 may include a plurality of tongues 121a arranged symmetrically about the center thereof. Each tongue piece 121a is a cantilever structure extending from the periphery of the first locking portion 121 toward the center of the first locking portion 121. Adjacent tabs 121a may include a slot therebetween that extends perpendicularly through the planar extension 12 a. In the embodiment shown in fig. 5b, the first locking portion 121 comprises 4 tongues 121a, the slot formed between adjacent tongues 121a being substantially cruciform.

When the post 21 is inserted from the center of the first locking portion 121 in the height direction H minus direction H2, the tongue piece 121a is bent toward the insertion direction of the post 21 by the pushing force and the frictional force of the post 21 to receive and sandwich the post 21 therebetween (see fig. 7c), so that the post 21 is electrically connected to the conductive terminal 1.

In some embodiments, an aperture 121b (fig. 5b) is formed in the center of the first locking part 121. The opening 121b has a size for reducing resistance when the post 21 is inserted. Meanwhile, the inner diameter of the opening 121b is smaller than the outer diameter of the post 21 to ensure that the first locking portion 121 can be deformed to apply a clamping force to the post 21.

In some embodiments, the post interface 12 may further include a second locking portion 122 formed by two opposing resilient legs 122a of a pi-shaped structure. The distance between the two opposing resilient legs 122a is less than the outer diameter of the post 21. Referring to fig. 7a and 7b, when the post 21 is inserted from between the two elastic leg portions 122a, the post 21 outwardly expands the two leg portions 122a in the lateral direction W as shown by a1 in fig. 7 b. The two leg portions 122a are elastically deformed to apply an inward clamping force to the post 21. Thereby, the two leg portions 122a receive and clamp the post 21 therebetween, and establish additional electrical connection between the post 21 and the conductive terminal 1.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 3 and 4, the coupler housing 5 further includes a post receiving aperture 55 aligned with the post insertion channel 52. The post receiving hole 55 is located on the opposite side of the conductive terminal insertion passage 51 from the post insertion passage 52. When the post 21 is inserted from the post insertion passage 52 and fixed by the post interface 12, the post 21 is received in the post receiving hole 55 through the conductive terminal 1.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5a and 5b, the conductive terminal 1 further comprises a guide portion 16 for guiding the sliding of the conductive terminal 1 within the conductive terminal insertion channel 51. The guide 16 may be formed as a sheet-like structure extending in the base plane P. The guide portion 16 may be connected to the bottom portion 13a of the U-shaped structure of the core connecting portion 13. The dimension L1 (fig. 5b) of the guide portion 16 in the transverse direction is slightly smaller than the dimension L1 (fig. 4) of the conductive terminal insertion channel 51 in the transverse direction so that the transverse sides of the guide portion 16 are clearance fit with the inner walls of the conductive terminal insertion channel 51. Therefore, the conductive terminal 1 can be smoothly inserted into the channel of the connector housing 5, and the conductive terminal 1 can be kept in a certain direction in the channel.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5a and 5b, the conductive terminal 1 further includes a positioning surface S and a positioning tab 15 protruding from the positioning surface S in the height direction H minus direction H2. The positioning surface S is parallel to the base plane P. In some embodiments, the positioning surface S is a surface of the guide portion facing in the height direction H negative direction H2. As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the coupler housing 5 includes positioning holes 53 that engage with the positioning tabs 15. The positioning tabs 15 are sheet metal structures that are elastically deformable to be substantially flush with the positioning surface S so that the conductive terminal 1 can slide within the conductive terminal insertion channel 51.

As shown in fig. 3, when the conductive terminal 1 is slid until the positioning tabs 15 are aligned with the positioning holes 53, the positioning tabs 15 return to their original shape to extend into the positioning holes 53, so that the conductive terminal 1 is locked in place within the conductive terminal insertion channel 51. At this time, the post interface 12 is aligned with the post insertion passage 52.

Further, the positioning tab 15 can be unlocked by a pressing operation at the positioning hole 53, allowing the conductive terminal 1 to be pulled out from the conductive terminal insertion passage 51.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4 and 8a, the coupler housing 5 includes a resilient catch 54 extending from a lower portion thereof. The number of the elastic hooks 54 is, for example, four. The motor housing 22 includes a snap groove 23 (best shown in fig. 2), said snap groove 23 being adapted to snap fit with a resilient snap hook 54 of the coupler housing 5. As shown in fig. 8a, the distance L2 between the elastic hooks 54 is greater than the length L2 of the slot 23. When the elastic hook enters the slot 23 of the motor housing 22, the elastic hook 54 is deflected inward so that the elastic hook 54 slides along the slot 23 (see fig. 8 b). After the elastic hooks 54 completely enter the interior of the motor housing 22, the elastic hooks 54 return to their original shape and abut against the inner wall of the motor housing 22 (see fig. 8 c). Thereby, the coupling housing 5 is locked to the motor housing 22, so that the coupling 4 is not easily detached, ensuring the reliability of the connection between the coupling 4 and the motor housing 22.

In other embodiments, as shown in fig. 9 and 10, the direction of the outgoing line of the motor body 2 is perpendicular to the rotation axis a. A modification of the coupler 4' satisfying this outlet direction will be described below with reference to fig. 11 and 12. The coupler 4 ' includes a coupler housing 5 ' and conductive terminals 1 '. Here, only the differences in the modification from the embodiment described with reference to fig. 2 to 8c will be specifically described. The structure not specifically described in fig. 11 and 12 can be referred to the related description of the foregoing embodiments.

As shown in fig. 11, the conductive terminal insertion passage 51 'and the terminal insertion passage 52' of the coupling housing 5 'are parallel to each other, that is, the conductive terminal insertion passage 51' and the rotation axis a of the motor main body 2 are perpendicular to each other. The coupling housing 5 ' includes an elastic catch 54 ' protruding from a lower portion thereof for mounting the coupling 4 ' to the motor body 2.

Referring to fig. 12, the conductive terminal 1 ' includes a wire interface 11 ' at one end and a post interface 12 ' at the other end in the longitudinal direction L.

The post interface 12' may be formed as a pi-shaped structure. Unlike in the previous embodiment, in order to accommodate the insertion direction of the post in the longitudinal direction L, the planar extension 12a ' of the pi structure extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction L, and the two leg portions 122a ' of the pi structure extend in the longitudinal direction L from both lateral ends of the planar extension 12a '. The first end of the planar extension 12a ' near the base plane P is connected to the bottom 13a ' of the core connection 13 ' of the wire connection 11 ' by a transition 18 '.

The terminal interface 12' includes a locking portion that can be deformed upon insertion of the terminal 21 to be connected to the terminal 21 by friction locking. The post interface 12 'may include a plurality of locking portions to securely connect the post 21 to the conductive terminal 1'.

The post interface 12 ' may include a first locking portion 121 ' formed in the planar extension 12a '. The first locking part 121 'may include a plurality of tongues 121 a' symmetrically arranged about the center thereof. Each tongue piece 121a ' is a cantilever structure extending from the periphery of the first locking portion 121 ' toward the center of the first locking portion 121 '. Adjacent tabs 121a 'may include a slot therebetween that extends perpendicularly through the planar extension 12 a'. In the embodiment shown in fig. 12, said first locking portion 121 ' comprises 4 tongues 121a ', the slot formed between adjacent tongues 121a ' being substantially cruciform.

When the post 21 is inserted from the center of the first locking portion 121 ' in the longitudinal direction L, the tongue piece 121a ' is bent toward the insertion direction of the post 21 by the pushing force and the frictional force of the post 21 to receive and clamp the post 21 therebetween, so that the post 21 is electrically connected to the conductive terminal 1 '.

An opening hole 121b 'may be formed at the center of the first locking part 121'. The opening 121 b' has a size for reducing resistance when the post 21 is inserted. Meanwhile, the inner diameter of the opening 121b 'is smaller than the outer diameter of the post 21 to ensure that the first locking portion 121' can be deformed to apply a clamping force to the post 21.

The terminal interface 12 ' may further include a second locking portion 122 ' formed by two opposing resilient legs 122a ' of a pi-shaped configuration. The distance between the two opposing resilient legs 122 a' is smaller than the outer diameter of the stud 21. When the post 21 is inserted from between the two elastic leg portions 122a ', the post 21 outwardly expands the two leg portions 122 a' in the lateral direction W. The two leg portions 122 a' are elastically deformed to apply an inward clamping force to the post 21. Thereby, the two leg portions 122a 'receive and clamp the post 21 therebetween, and establish an additional electrical connection between the post 21 and the conductive terminal 1'.

In this modification, as shown in fig. 12, the conductive terminal 1 'further includes a guide portion 16' for guiding the sliding of the conductive terminal 1 'in the conductive terminal insertion passage 51'. The guide portion 16' may be formed as a sheet-like structure extending parallel to the base plane P. The lead portion 16 ' is connected to a second end of the planar extension 12a ' of the post interface 12 ' distal from the base plane P. The dimension of the guide portion 16 'in the lateral direction is slightly smaller than the dimension of the conductive terminal insertion passage 51' in the lateral direction so that lateral side surfaces of the guide portion 16 'are clearance-fitted with the inner wall of the conductive terminal insertion passage 51'. Thus, the conductive terminal 1 ' can be smoothly inserted into the channel of the connector housing 5 ' and the conductive terminal 1 ' can be maintained in a certain direction in the channel.

As shown in fig. 12, the conductive terminal 1 'further includes a positioning surface S' and a positioning tab 15 'projecting from the positioning surface S' toward the positive direction H1 in the height direction H. The positioning surface S' is parallel to the base plane P. The positioning surface S' may be formed as a surface of the guide portion facing the positive direction H1 of the height direction H. As shown in fig. 11, the coupler housing 5 ' includes positioning holes 53 ' that mate with the positioning tabs 15 '. The positioning tabs 15 'are sheet metal structures that are elastically deformable to be substantially flush with the positioning surface S' so that the conductive terminals 1 'can slide within the conductive terminal insertion channels 51'.

When the conductive terminal 1 ' is slid until the positioning tabs 15 ' are aligned with the positioning holes 53 ', the positioning tabs 15 ' return to their original shape to extend into the positioning holes 53 ' so that the conductive terminal 1 ' is locked in place within the conductive terminal insertion channel 51 '. The insertion operation of the post 21 can be performed on the basis of the locking of the conductive terminal 1'.

The existing production process of the small-sized stepping motor generally adopts a welding mode to connect a lead and a binding post, and has the following disadvantages:

1. the process time is long, and the steps are many: including the step of welding visual inspection, it needs 6 steps to link up winding, terminal with the wire, and no matter be with the wire welding on the circuit board or with the circuit board welding on the terminal, efficiency is very low moreover, and single process required time is all longer, is unfavorable for mass production.

2. The reject ratio is high: the adoption of the soldering tin mode can generate welding defects such as insufficient soldering, continuous soldering and the like, so that the reject ratio is high; in addition, the welding operation process also has artificial defects such as line sequence errors and the like, and the time of the motor repair process is long; the high temperature of the welding operation easily scalds fragile parts such as enameled wires, outlet boxes and the like, thereby causing adverse effects on the appearance and the performance of the motor.

3. The appearance of structure is great: one of the product advantages of the small-sized stepping motor is that the overall dimension of the motor is small, and the outlet structure in the prior art is limited in the overall dimension due to the fact that the outlet box, the buckle cover and other modes are needed to isolate the connecting points.

The present invention proposes a new construction of the coupling 4 and the motor 2, whereby the connection of the conductor 3 and the terminal 21 can be carried out in a more efficient and reliable manner. The method of assembling the coupling 4 according to the present invention is explained in detail below.

First, as shown in fig. 5a and 5b, the wires 3 are connected to the wire interfaces 11 of the conductive terminals 1.

This step includes:

(a) stripping the insulating layer 32 of the wire end portion 3a to expose a part of the core portion 31;

(b) the wire end 3a is rested at the wire interface of the conductive terminal 1, wherein the core 31 with the wire end 3a exposed is received at the core connection 13 and the insulation layer 32 of the wire end 3a is received at the insulation layer fixing 14.

(c) The core connection 13 is bent to at least partially surround and electrically connect to the bare core 31, for example, the two flanks 13b of the core connection 13 are bent towards each other by means of a press into the first cylindrical part 130, so that the wire 3 core 31 is accommodated in the first cylindrical part 130 and electrically connected to the core connection 13 of the conductive terminal 1.

(d) The insulating layer fixing portion 14 is bent to hold the insulating layer 32 of the wire 3, for example, the two side portions 14b of the insulating layer fixing portion 14 are bent toward each other into the second cylindrical portion 140 by means of a press machine, so that the insulating layer 32 of the wire 3 is accommodated and pressed in the second cylindrical portion 140.

Then, as shown in fig. 13a to 13c, the assembly of the conductor 3 and the conductive terminal 1 is inserted into the coupler housing 5 through the conductive terminal insertion passage 51 until the positioning tabs 15 reach the positioning holes 53 to lock the conductive terminal 1 in place within the conductive terminal insertion passage 51.

In this step, when the conductive terminal 1 initially enters the connector housing 5, the guide portion 16 is in clearance fit with the inner wall of the conductive terminal insertion passage 51, serving as a guide. At this time, the positioning tabs 15 are pressed by the inner wall of the conductive terminal insertion passage 51 to be flush with the base plane P of the conductive terminal 1, as shown by the guide a2 in fig. 13 b.

When the positioning tab 15 reaches the position of the positioning hole 53, the positioning tab 15 pops up due to the space above the positioning tab 15, as shown in the guide a3 of fig. 13 c. At this time, the conductive terminal 1 is locked in the connector housing 5, and the engagement between the positioning tabs 15 and the positioning holes 53 provides resistance against the conductive terminal 1 being pulled out of the connector housing 5.

Finally, as shown in fig. 14a and 14b, the coupling 4 is mounted to the motor main body 2 such that the terminal 21 of the motor main body 2 enters the terminal insertion passage 52 of the coupling housing 5 and is connected to the terminal interface 12 of the conductive terminal 1.

This step includes:

(a) the terminal 21 enters the coupler housing 5 through the terminal insertion channel 52, and the terminal 21 spreads the second locking portions 122 of the terminal interface 12 of the conductive terminal 1 apart, as shown in the guide a1 of fig. 7 b.

(b) The post 21 penetrates the first locking portion 121 'of the post interface 12, so that the tongue piece 121a of the first locking portion 121' is bent upward, as shown by a guide a4 of fig. 7 c. At this time, the conductive terminals 1 and the posts 21 are sufficiently contacted, and the first locking portions 121' and the second locking portions 122 provide resistance against the posts 21 being drawn out of the coupler housing 5. Thereby, the post 21 is locked and electrically connected to the conductive terminal 1.

(c) At the same time, the hooks of the coupling housing 5 enter the slots 23 of the motor housing 22, and the elastic hooks flex inward so that they slide along the slots 23 (see fig. 8 b). After the elastic hook completely enters the interior of the motor housing 22, the elastic hook returns to its original shape to abut against the inner wall of the motor housing 22 (see fig. 8 c). Thereby, the coupling housing 5 is locked to the motor housing 22.

The coupling 4 and the method of assembling it according to the invention provide at least the following advantages:

2. the reject ratio is low: different from the dependence of welding procedures on the welding proficiency of workers, the method of conducting terminal crimping and connector inserting is adopted, and the defects caused by poor contact can be reduced through the control on the sizes of the conducting terminals and the connector shell. In addition, the assembly method of the invention can also avoid damage to the fragile part of the motor caused by high temperature generated by welding.

Further features of the invention can be found in the claims, the drawings and the description of the drawings. The features and feature combinations mentioned above in the description and further features and feature combinations described in the figures and/or shown in the figures alone are used not only in the respectively indicated combination but also in other combinations or alone without departing from the scope of the invention. Details of the invention which are not explicitly shown and explained in the figures, but which are present from the explained details and can be produced by individual feature combinations, are hereby included and disclosed. Accordingly, details and combinations of features not owned by the originally formed independent claims should also be considered disclosed.

Claims

1. An electrically conductive terminal for connecting a conductor (3) to a terminal post (21) of a motor body (2), the conductor (3) comprising a core (31) and an insulating layer (32) surrounding the core (31), characterized in that the electrically conductive terminal (1) comprises:

a wire interface (11) capable of receiving a wire (3) and deforming under an external force to at least partially surround and secure an end (3a) of the wire (3) to electrically connect the conductive terminal (1) to the wire (3), wherein the wire interface (11) comprises a core connection (13), the core connection (13) at least partially surrounding and electrically connecting to a bare core (31) of the wire end (3 a);

a post interface (12) that can be deformed upon insertion of a post (21) to be fixed and electrically connected to the post (21); and wherein the one or more of the one,

the post interface (12) includes a first locking portion (121) including a plurality of tongues (121a) arranged symmetrically about a center of the first locking portion (121), each tongue (121a) extending from a periphery of the first locking portion (121) toward the center of the first locking portion (121), the plurality of tongues (121a) being bendable in the insertion direction of the post (21), to receive and clamp the terminal post (21) therebetween such that the terminal post (21) is electrically connected to the conductive terminal (1), wherein the terminal interface (12) further comprises a second locking portion (122), having opposing resilient legs (122a), the opposing resilient legs (122a) being configured to receive and clamp a post (21) therebetween, so that the terminal post (21) is electrically connected to the conductive terminal (1).

2. The conductive terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first locking portion (121) includes an opening (121b) formed at a center thereof, an inner diameter of the opening (121b) being smaller than an outer diameter of the post (21).

3. An electrically conductive terminal as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first locking portion (121) has four tongues (121 a).

4. An electrically conductive terminal as claimed in claim 2, wherein the distance between the opposing resilient legs (122a) is less than the outer diameter of the post (21).

5. An electrically conductive terminal as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the core connection portion (13) is a U-shaped structure adapted to receive the core (31) exposed at the wire end (3a) and to deform under an external force to at least partially surround and electrically connect to the core (31) exposed at the wire end (3 a).

6. The conductive terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wire interface (11) comprises an insulating layer fixing portion (14), the insulating layer fixing portion (14) is a sheet-like structure or a U-shaped structure, and is adapted to receive the insulating layer (32) at the wire end portion (3a) and deform under an external force to at least partially surround and fix the insulating layer (32) of the wire end portion (3a), and the bottom portion (13a) of the U-shaped structure of the core connecting portion (13) is connected with the insulating layer fixing portion (14).

7. A coupling for connecting a conductor wire (3) to a terminal post (21) of a motor body (2), characterized in that the coupling (4) comprises:

an electrically conductive terminal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims;

a coupling housing (5) comprising: a conductive terminal insertion channel (51) allowing the conductive terminal (1) to enter the connector housing (5); a terminal insertion passage (52) that allows a terminal (21) of the motor main body (2) to enter the coupling housing (5), and wherein,

the post interface (12) is aligned with the post insertion channel (52) when the conductive terminal (1) is inserted into position in the conductive terminal insertion channel (51).

8. The coupling of claim 7,

the conductive terminal (1) further comprises a positioning surface (S) and a positioning tab (15) protruding from the positioning surface (S), the coupler housing (5) comprises a positioning hole (53) cooperating with the positioning tab (15), the positioning tab (15) is elastically deformable such that the conductive terminal (1) can slide within the conductive terminal insertion channel (51), and when the conductive terminal (1) is slid to the point where the positioning tab (15) is aligned with the positioning hole (53), the positioning tab (15) returns to its original shape to protrude into the positioning hole (53) such that the conductive terminal (1) is locked in place within the conductive terminal insertion channel (51).

9. The coupling according to claim 8, wherein the positioning tab (15) is unlockable by a pressing operation at the positioning hole (53), allowing the conductive terminal (1) to be pulled out from the conductive terminal insertion channel (51).

10. The coupling according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the conductive terminal (1) further comprises a guide portion (16), the guide portion (16) having a dimension, in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the conductive terminal (1), slightly smaller than the dimension of the conductive terminal insertion channel (51).

11. An electric machine, characterized in that it comprises:

the coupling according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the coupling housing (5) comprises a resilient catch (54);

a motor main body (2) including:

a terminal (21) electrically connected to the winding of the motor body (2) and configured to be connected to a terminal interface (12) with the conductive terminal (1);

a motor housing (22), a snap groove (23) being formed in the motor housing (22), the snap groove (23) being configured to snap fit with an elastic snap hook (54) of the coupling housing (5) to achieve a locking connection of the motor housing (22) and the coupling housing (5).

12. A method of assembling a coupling according to any one of claims 7 to 10, comprising:

a wire interface (11) connecting the wire (3) to the conductive terminal (1);

inserting the assembly of the conductor (3) and the conductive terminal (1) into the connector housing (5) through the conductive terminal insertion channel (51) until the positioning tabs (15) of the conductive terminal (1) reach the positioning holes (53) to lock the conductive terminal (1) in place within the conductive terminal insertion channel (51);

mounting the coupler (4) to the motor main body (2) such that the terminal (21) of the motor main body (2) enters the terminal insertion channel (52) of the coupler housing (5) and is connected to the terminal interface (12) of the conductive terminal (1).

13. The assembly method according to claim 12, wherein the wire (3) comprises a core (31) and an insulating layer (32) surrounding the core (31), and the wire interface (11) comprises a core connection portion (13) and an insulating layer fixing portion (14), wherein the wire interface (11) connecting the wire (3) to the conductive terminal (1) comprises:

stripping the insulating layer (32) of the end portion (3a) of the wire to expose a part of the core portion (31);

bending the core connection (13) at least partially around and electrically connected to the bare core (31);

the insulating layer fixing portion (14) is bent to hold the insulating layer (32) of the wire (3).

14. The assembly method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the terminal interface (12) includes a first locking portion (121) having a plurality of tabs (121a) and a second locking portion (122) having opposing elastic legs (122a), and wherein the mounting of the coupler (4) to the motor main body (2) such that the terminal (21) of the motor main body (2) enters the terminal insertion channel (52) of the coupler housing (5) and is connected to the terminal interface (12) of the conductive terminal (1) includes:

receiving and clamping a post (21) between the opposing resilient legs (122a) and between the plurality of tongues (121a) such that the post (21) is electrically connected to the conductive terminal (1).