CN218919464U - Connection terminal for a vehicle voltage conversion unit and vehicle voltage conversion unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a connection terminal (2) for a vehicle voltage conversion unit (1) and to a vehicle voltage conversion unit (1), characterized in that the connection terminal (2) comprises: -a metal terminal (3), the metal terminal (3) extending along a longitudinal axis (D) and comprising a first section (31) and a second section (32); and a base (4), the base (4) surrounding the first section (31) of the metal terminal (3), the base (4) comprising a mounting body (42), at the edge of the mounting body (42) being provided with at least one engagement recess (41), wherein the at least one engagement recess (41) is capable of mating with an engagement protrusion (12) of a housing (11) of the vehicle voltage conversion unit (1).

Description

Connection terminal for a vehicle voltage conversion unit and vehicle voltage conversion unit

Technical Field

The present utility model relates to a connection terminal for a vehicle voltage conversion unit and a vehicle voltage conversion unit comprising such a connection terminal.

Background

The connecting terminal is a fitting widely applied to electric equipment to realize electric connection, and mainly has the function of connecting the inside and the outside of the electric equipment and realizing the switching between a power supply and the electric equipment. The connecting terminal can be applied to components such as an energy storage lithium battery pack, a vehicle-mounted lithium battery pack, a direct current-direct current voltage converter, an On Board Charger (OBC), a power distribution unit (PDU, power distribution unit) and the like, and is used for realizing quick plug connection of power distribution equipment.

The terminal block generally includes a base and a metal post embedded in the base, the terminal block is mounted and inserted into a terminal mounting hole of the vehicle voltage conversion unit and fixed, and an end portion of the metal post extending into the vehicle voltage conversion unit generally forms a copper bar. However, with respect to the vehicle voltage conversion unit in which the terminal mounting hole is a circular hole, the existing connection terminal has no error-proof feature or the error-proof feature is not obvious, meaning that if the connection terminal is rotated 180 ° during the assembly, although the terminal mounting hole can still be fitted, the end of the connection terminal may not be reliably connected to the distribution box inside the vehicle voltage conversion unit due to the reverse mounting.

However, such erroneous operation of the reverse connection can be found only when the distribution box inside the vehicle voltage conversion unit is not connected, causing additional reassembly costs and possibly even affecting electrical safety.

Therefore, there is a need for a reliable connection terminal for a vehicle voltage conversion unit that can achieve error-proof connection, is simple in structure, and is cost-effective.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-mentioned problems and needs, the present utility model proposes a novel connection terminal for a vehicle voltage conversion unit and a vehicle voltage conversion unit that solve the above-mentioned problems and bring about other technical effects by adopting the following technical features.

In order to solve the problems in the prior art, the utility model provides that at least one joint concave part is arranged at the edge of the installation main body of the base of the wiring terminal, and the joint concave part can indicate the installation direction, so that an installer can intuitively find the correct installation direction when installing the wiring terminal, and the reverse installation is prevented. Accordingly, the vehicle voltage conversion unit may also be provided with the engagement protrusion that mates with the engagement recess, so that the connection terminal can be mounted to the vehicle voltage conversion unit only in the correct mounting direction, avoiding the problem of reverse mounting.

Based on the above concept, in one aspect, the present utility model provides a terminal for a vehicle voltage conversion unit comprising a metal terminal post and a base, the metal terminal post extending along a longitudinal axis and comprising a first section and a second section; the base encloses the first section of the metal terminal, the base comprising a mounting body provided at an edge thereof with at least one engagement recess, wherein the at least one engagement recess is capable of mating with an engagement protrusion of a housing of the vehicle voltage conversion unit.

The connection terminal is usually insert-mounted to the vehicle voltage conversion unit, however, for the vehicle voltage conversion unit in which the terminal mounting hole is a circular hole, the connection terminal may be rotated by an arbitrary angle. Existing terminals typically include mounting flanges (or mounting portions) that are provided with mounting holes so that the mounting flanges prevent the wrong angle mounting to some extent. However, such flanges are generally symmetrical and therefore the appearance of the terminal is substantially uniform for the installer, whether in the correct orientation or reversed 180, and therefore it is not possible to distinguish whether the direction is correct. According to the above feature of the present disclosure, providing the engaging recess at the edge of the mounting body can intuitively and clearly indicate the correct mounting direction, thereby guiding the installer to mount in the correct direction. In particular, since the engagement recess is provided at the edge of the mounting body, the installer can distinguish the correct mounting direction as seen in the mounting direction (or in other words, the longitudinal axis direction), thereby preventing reverse installation. Thus, error-proof installation is achieved in a simple manner.

In some examples, the mounting body includes a mounting portion extending laterally from the mounting body, the at least one engagement recess being disposed at an edge of the mounting portion.

According to the above feature, in view of the larger lateral dimension of the mounting portion, providing the engaging recess at the edge of the mounting portion can reduce the influence on the base structural strength while also more significantly indicating the mounting direction.

In some examples, the mounting body includes two mounting portions symmetrically disposed about a longitudinal axis.

The two mounting portions may be symmetrically disposed, and the engagement recess may be disposed only at an edge of one of the mounting portions, or may be disposed at an edge of each of the two mounting portions.

In some examples, the mounting portion includes a mounting hole through which the connection terminal is mounted to the vehicle voltage conversion unit.

In some examples, the mounting holes are over-molded with a metal bushing.

According to the characteristics, the metal bushing is overmolded in the mounting hole, so that the strength of the mounting hole can be improved, and the service life of the wiring terminal can be prolonged.

In some examples, the mounting body includes first and second sides opposite along the longitudinal axis, and an arcuate projection extending from the first side.

One end of the connecting terminal is connected to the internal circuit of the vehicle voltage conversion unit, and the other end is connected with the vehicle load to conduct low-voltage power to the vehicle load. One end connected with the vehicle load is provided with an arc-shaped bulge, so that the joint of the vehicle load can be protected. Meanwhile, gaps between the arc-shaped bulges can facilitate wiring and outgoing lines.

In some examples, the base further includes a barrel extending from the second side, the barrel surrounding at least a portion of the first section of the metal post.

It should be noted that "enclosed" in this disclosure refers to wrapping around, i.e., covering, the outer surface of the component. The cylindrical part of the base can increase the surrounding area of the metal binding post and ensure firm connection between the metal binding post and the base.

In some examples, the second side of the mounting body is provided with a groove surrounding the cylindrical portion, the groove being provided with an O-ring.

The sealing ring realizes the mutual isolation between the inside and the outside of the vehicle voltage conversion unit, reduces the entry of water drops or dust from the outside into the vehicle voltage conversion unit, prevents the potential safety hazards such as short circuit, spark generation and the like of the vehicle voltage conversion unit when in use, and improves the working safety of the vehicle voltage conversion unit.

In some examples, the first section is cylindrical and the second section includes at least a portion of a cylinder and a cutout including a joining plane.

According to the above feature, the engagement plane can be used for electrical connection with the distribution box inside the vehicle voltage conversion unit, and surface contact is provided, reducing contact resistance.

In some examples, the metal post includes a first wire screw hole disposed in the first section and extending along the longitudinal axis and a second wire screw hole disposed in the second section and extending through the second section perpendicular to the engagement plane.

According to the characteristics, the first wiring screw hole is configured to be connected with the vehicle load interface, the second wiring screw hole is a through threaded through hole, so that the length of the distribution box matched with the first wiring screw hole can be shortened, the size of corresponding elements is reduced, and the installation space is saved.

In some examples, the first section of the metal post is provided with a stop for preventing rotation of the metal post.

According to the above feature, the first section of the metal terminal is provided with a stopper for preventing rotation thereof, and the stopper may be, for example, hexagonal or other polygonal in shape, thereby providing a stopper rotation stopping function when enclosed, so as to stop rotation between the metal terminal and the base.

In another aspect, the utility model also proposes a vehicle voltage conversion unit comprising a housing and a terminal as described above, the housing comprising an engagement protrusion at a mounting position of the terminal, the engagement protrusion cooperating with the at least one engagement recess.

According to the above feature, the housing of the vehicle voltage conversion unit can be provided with the engaging protrusion in matching with the engaging recess, so that the connection terminal can be mounted to the housing only when the engaging protrusion is matched with the corresponding engaging recess, and cannot be mounted to the housing if reversely mounted or mounted at other wrong angles, so that the correct mounting of the connection terminal is physically ensured, and the potential safety hazard caused by reversely mounting is prevented.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below, and it is apparent that the drawings in the following description relate only to some embodiments of the present disclosure, not to limit the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a wire connection terminal in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 illustrates another perspective view of a terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 showsbase:Sub>A cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a metal post of a binding post according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 illustrates a partial schematic diagram of a vehicle voltage conversion unit in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the technical solutions of the present utility model more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of specific embodiments of the present utility model. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like parts. It should be noted that the described embodiments are some, but not all embodiments of the present utility model. All other embodiments, which can be made by a person skilled in the art without creative efforts, based on the described embodiments of the present utility model fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Unless defined otherwise, technical or scientific terms used herein should be given the ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this utility model belongs. The terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and in the claims, are not used for any order, quantity, or importance, but are used for distinguishing between different elements. Likewise, the terms "a" or "an" and the like do not necessarily denote a limitation of quantity. The word "comprising" or "comprises", and the like, means that elements or items preceding the word are included in the element or item listed after the word and equivalents thereof, but does not exclude other elements or items. The terms "connected" or "connected," and the like, are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc. are used merely to indicate relative positional relationships, which may also be changed when the absolute position of the object to be described is changed.

Various embodiments according to the present utility model will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, it is to be noted that in the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to constituent parts having substantially the same or similar structures and functions, and repeated description thereof will be omitted.

Possible implementations within the scope of the present disclosure may have fewer components, have other components not shown in the drawings, different components, differently arranged components, differently connected components, etc., than the examples shown in the drawings. Furthermore, two or more of the components in the figures may be implemented in a single component or a single component shown in the figures may be implemented as multiple separate components without departing from the concepts of the present disclosure.

The term "vehicle voltage conversion unit" as used herein refers to a component for voltage conversion in a vehicle, wherein the voltage conversion may be a dc-ac conversion, an ac-dc conversion, or a dc-dc conversion or an ac-ac conversion of different voltages. For example, the vehicle voltage conversion unit may include at least one of an energy storage lithium battery pack, an on-vehicle lithium battery pack, a direct current-direct current voltage converter, an on-vehicle charger, and a power distribution unit, or a combination thereof, such as a combination of a direct current-direct current voltage converter and an on-vehicle charger, or a combination of a direct current-direct current voltage converter, an on-vehicle charger, and a power distribution unit.

The connecting terminal is a fitting widely applied to electric equipment to realize electric connection, and mainly has the function of connecting the inside and the outside of the electric equipment and realizing the switching between a power supply and the electric equipment. The connection terminals for the vehicle voltage conversion unit generally include two ends electrically connected to each other, one end being connected to an internal circuit of the vehicle voltage conversion unit and the other end being connected to an element outside the vehicle voltage conversion unit to conduct a voltage to the element. The terminal is usually composed of two parts, one part being a metal terminal for electrical conduction and the other part being a base made of an electrically insulating material and fixedly connected to the metal terminal. The base is mounted to a mounting member of the vehicle voltage conversion unit as a connection terminal, and thus the base includes mounting holes for mounting thereon.

The metal studs are generally cylindrical in shape, and the base, in addition to the bore for receiving the metal stud, is also generally axisymmetric or centrosymmetric in shape. Therefore, it may be difficult for an installer to distinguish whether the correct mounting direction is the correct direction or reverse the 180 ° direction, with the appearance of the terminal being substantially uniform. Existing terminals often do not include an error-proof structure or even if there is an error-proof structure, it is difficult to visually indicate the correct mounting direction, and thus it is difficult to avoid the occurrence of the reverse mounting situation.

With respect to the problems of the related art, a connection terminal for a vehicle voltage conversion unit according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure and a vehicle voltage conversion unit including such a connection terminal will be described below with reference to fig. 1 to 5.

As shown in fig. 1 to 4, a connection terminal 2 for a vehicle voltage conversion unit 1 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a metal post 3 and a base 4. The metal terminal 3 is, for example, a copper terminal, extends along a longitudinal axis D and comprises two opposite first and second sections 31, 32. The first section 31 and the second section 32 are electrically conductive therebetween and serve to electrically connect the external and internal electrical components of the vehicle voltage conversion unit 1, respectively.

In particular, the second section 32 protrudes into the vehicle voltage conversion unit 1 during installation, while the first section 31 is electrically connected mainly by the end face, so that the base 4 mainly encloses the first section 31. The base may be made of plastic, for example, and thus may enclose the first section 31 by a molding process such as injection molding.

The base 4 comprises a mounting body 42, the middle of the mounting body 42 surrounding the first section 31. In particular, at least one engagement recess 41 is provided at the edge of the mounting body 42, the at least one engagement recess 41 being capable of mating with the engagement protrusion 12 of the housing 11 of the vehicle voltage conversion unit 1.

As shown in fig. 4, the first section 31 of the metal post 3 is cylindrical, and is provided with a stopper 312 for preventing the metal post 3 from rotating, the stopper 312 is hexagonal, and the stopper 312 is engaged with the mounting body 42 to prevent the metal post 3 from rotating relative to the base 4. The metal terminal 3 may include two wiring screw holes, a first wiring screw hole 34 and a second wiring screw hole 35, respectively. A first wire screw hole 34 is provided in the first section 31 and extends along the longitudinal axis D, and a second wire screw hole 35 is provided in the second section 32 and extends through the second section 32 perpendicular to the engagement plane 321. As shown in fig. 4, the first wiring screw hole 34 and the second wiring screw hole 35 are perpendicular to each other.

In this embodiment, the second section 32 comprises at least a partial cylinder and a cutout comprising the engagement plane 321. The engagement surface 321 of the cutout may serve as a contact surface for electrical connection with an element inside the vehicle voltage conversion unit, such as a distribution box. Alternatively, the second section 32 may also comprise two symmetrical cutouts, so that the second section 32 is formed as a strip.

In the case of an electrical connection, external components of the vehicle voltage conversion unit, for example the vehicle load, are electrically connected to the first section 31 via a connector or plug and can be fixedly connected to the first connection screw 34 via screws (not shown), so that electrical contact is maintained. Similarly, in the second section 32, the internal components of the vehicle voltage conversion unit, such as the distribution box, are fixedly connected to the second wiring screw hole 35 by screws (not shown), and the copper bars of the distribution box are kept in electrical contact with the joint plane 321 of the second section 32. Since the position of the copper bars of the distribution box is substantially fixed, if the connection terminal 2 is reversed, it will be a cylindrical part electrically connected to the copper bars. Although the copper bar may be connected to the second section 32 by a screw since the second wire screw hole 35 is a through hole, an effective electrical connection may not be formed (because the mounting position is not aligned) and the contact area between the copper bar and the second section 32 is small (line contact), resulting in a very large contact resistance.

Therefore, the correct mounting direction is very important.

As shown in fig. 1, the mounting body 42 has a substantially diamond-shaped outline shape, and thus cannot be directly distinguished from the external appearance even if the at least one engagement recess 41 shown in the present disclosure is reversed. Thus, providing at least one engagement recess 41 at the edge of the mounting body 42 can indicate the correct mounting direction. For example, the at least one engagement recess 41 may be disposed in the same direction as the engagement plane 321, e.g., above in fig. 1, to indicate the orientation of the engagement plane 321. Thus, the installer can intuitively see in which direction the installation should be performed.

In the present embodiment, the mounting body 42 includes two mounting portions 43 symmetrically disposed about the longitudinal axis D, each mounting portion 43 extending laterally from the mounting body 42. The engagement recess 41 is provided at an edge of one of the mounting portions 43. The mounting portions 43 are formed in a flange-like shape, and each of the mounting portions 43 may include a mounting hole 431, and the wiring terminal 2 is mounted to the vehicle voltage conversion unit 1 through the mounting hole 431, specifically, to the housing 11 of the vehicle voltage conversion unit 1 through the screw 8.

In addition, the mounting hole 431 may be over-molded with a metal bushing 6. The outer circumferential surface of the metal bush 6 may be provided with a circumferential annular groove (not shown) into which plastic is inserted after injection molding, so that the metal bush 6 can be prevented from being removed from the base 4.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the mounting body 42 may include, for example, first and second sides 421, 422 opposite along a longitudinal axis D, and an arcuate projection 7 extending from the first side 421. In this embodiment, two arcuate projections 7 are provided which are mirror images of each other, with a gap between the arcuate projections 7, the arcuate projections 7 being capable of protecting the base 4 when it engages a joint or plug, such as a vehicle load. Meanwhile, gaps between the arc-shaped bulges can facilitate wiring and outgoing lines.

Further, the base 4 further comprises a cylindrical portion 44 extending from the second side 422, the cylindrical portion 44 surrounding at least a portion of the first section 31 of the metal post 3, as shown in fig. 3. In particular, the end face 311 of the first section 31 may protrude a portion from the first side 421 of the mounting body 42, thereby avoiding that the insulating base 4 affects the electrical connection.

In order to ensure the tightness of the connection terminal 2, the second side 422 of the mounting body 42 of the connection terminal 2 may be further provided with a groove 45 surrounding the cylindrical portion 44, and an O-ring 5 is provided in the groove 45, so that the interior of the vehicle voltage conversion unit 1 is sealed from the outside, and external water drops or dust are prevented from entering the vehicle voltage conversion unit, and potential safety hazards such as short circuit, spark generation and the like are prevented when the vehicle voltage conversion unit is used.

On the other hand, the present disclosure also proposes a vehicle voltage conversion unit 1 including the connection terminal 2 as described above, as shown in fig. 5. The vehicle voltage conversion unit 1 includes a housing 1 and a connection terminal 2, and other electrical components or structures not related to the description of the present disclosure are omitted herein for convenience of description.

As shown in fig. 5, the housing 11 includes an engagement projection 12 and a terminal mounting hole 13, the engagement projection 12 being provided at a mounting position of the connection terminal 2 and configured to be mated with the engagement recess 41. At the time of mounting, the second section 32 of the metal post 3 of the terminal 2 is inserted into the terminal mounting hole 13, and the mounting portion 43 is mounted to the housing 11 by the screw 8 while the engaging protrusion 12 is mated with the engaging recess 41. Therefore, the terminal can be mounted to the housing only when the engaging protrusion 12 is mated with the corresponding engaging recess, and cannot be mounted to the housing if the terminal is reversely mounted or mounted at other erroneous angles, thereby physically ensuring the correct mounting of the terminal and preventing the potential safety hazard caused by the reversely mounted terminal.

The exemplary embodiments of the connection terminal for a vehicle voltage conversion unit and the vehicle voltage conversion unit proposed by the present utility model have been described in detail hereinabove with reference to preferred embodiments, however, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and adaptations can be made to the specific embodiments described above without departing from the concept of the present utility model. In addition, various technical features and structures presented in various aspects of the present utility model may be combined in various ways without departing from the scope of the utility model, which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims (12)

1. A connection terminal (2) for a vehicle voltage conversion unit (1), characterized in that the connection terminal (2) comprises:

-a metal terminal (3), the metal terminal (3) extending along a longitudinal axis (D) and comprising a first section (31) and a second section (32); and

-a base (4), the base (4) surrounding the first section (31) of the metal terminal (3), the base (4) comprising a mounting body (42), at the edge of the mounting body (42) being provided with at least one engagement recess (41), wherein the at least one engagement recess (41) is capable of mating with an engagement protrusion (12) of a housing (11) of the vehicle voltage conversion unit (1).

2. The connection terminal (2) according to claim 1, wherein the mounting body (42) comprises a mounting portion (43), the mounting portion (43) extending laterally from the mounting body (42), the at least one engagement recess (41) being provided at an edge of the mounting portion (43).

3. Terminal (2) according to claim 2, characterized in that the mounting body (42) comprises two mounting portions (43) symmetrically arranged with respect to the longitudinal axis (D).

4. A wiring terminal (2) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the mounting portion (43) includes a mounting hole (431), and the wiring terminal (2) is mounted to the vehicle voltage conversion unit (1) through the mounting hole (431).

5. The terminal (2) of claim 4, wherein the mounting hole (431) is over-molded with a metal bushing (6).

6. The terminal (2) of claim 2, wherein the mounting body (42) includes first (421) and second (422) opposite sides along the longitudinal axis (D), and an arcuate projection (7) extending from the first side (421).

7. The connection terminal (2) according to claim 6, wherein the base (4) further comprises a cylindrical portion (44) extending from the second side (422), the cylindrical portion (44) surrounding at least a portion of the first section (31) of the metal terminal (3).

8. Terminal (2) according to claim 7, characterized in that the second side (422) of the mounting body (42) is provided with a groove (45) surrounding the cylindrical portion (44), the groove (45) being provided with an O-ring (5).

9. The connection terminal (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first section (31) is cylindrical and the second section (32) comprises at least a part of a cylinder and a cutout comprising an engagement plane (321).

10. The connection terminal (2) according to claim 9, characterized in that the metal connection terminal (3) comprises a first connection screw (34) and a second connection screw (35), wherein the first connection screw (34) is arranged at the first section (31) and extends along the longitudinal axis (D), and the second connection screw (35) is arranged at the second section (32) and extends through the second section (32) perpendicular to the engagement plane (321).

11. The connection terminal (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first section (31) of the metal terminal (3) is provided with a limit stop (312) for preventing the metal terminal (3) from rotating.

12. A vehicle voltage conversion unit (1), characterized in that the vehicle voltage conversion unit (1) comprises:

a housing (11); and

the connection terminal (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 11,

wherein the housing (11) comprises an engagement protrusion (12) at the mounting position of the terminal (2), the engagement protrusion (12) cooperating with the at least one engagement recess (41).

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