EP1627450B1 - Arrangement for securing a bond plug to a power outlet terminal secured to the rectifier device of a rotating electrical machine - Google Patents

Abstract

Arrangement for securing a plug to a power outlet terminal secured to a rectifier device and having a threaded part to provide for securing the plug with a tightening member, with the terminal being part of a rotating electrical machine provided with a hood covering the rectifier device and exposing only the terminal end, wherein the arrangement comprises a means rotationally locking the plug on the terminal, which has side abutting means provided on the external hood face in the area surrounding the terminal end port provided in the hood, wherein the arrangement is characterized in that it further comprises means for rotationally locking a plug (5) provided with at least one antirotation strip (32) perpendicular to the plug plane (5, 12'), wherein said means are provided with at least one cutout (34) for receiving the strip (32), which is provided in the hood (1). The invention applies to motor vehicles.

Description

Field of the invention

The invention relates to an arrangement for attaching a lug, mounted at the end of an electrical conductor for connection to a power source, to a plug terminal fixed to a current-rectifying device and having a d-side support and a threaded portion to allow the attachment of the lug by means of a clamping member such as a nut or a screw, said terminal belonging to a rotating electrical machine, such as an alternator or an alternator starter, provided with a cover covering the rectifier device and revealing only the end of the terminal, the arrangement comprising means for locking in rotation of the lug on the terminal, which comprise lateral abutment elements provided on the outer face of the hood in the area around the passage opening of the end of the terminal.

State of the art

A device of this type is already known from the document FR 2,689,322 . According to this document according to the preamble of the claim, the terminal is generally in the form of a bolt which has a threaded free end to allow the attachment of the lug using a clamping nut, the lug being clamped between the face of the lug. 'support and nut. In this document the hood has walls arranged coaxially around the bolt hole and formed by axial projections in the form of an arc defining between them free zones of passage of the pod. When the lug is engaged in such a passage, the lateral faces of the latter prevent its rotation. Since the hood is specifically designed for this type of lug, it can not be used for other types of lugs, such as for example lugs with at least one anti-rotation tab extending perpendicularly relative to to the plane of the pod.

Object of the invention

The present invention aims to provide a cover that allows the attachment to the terminal of the two types of lugs described above.

This object is achieved by the characterizing part of claim 1

It will be appreciated that the solution is simple and economical and that it makes it possible to standardize the hood and therefore the tooling for manufacturing it. This reduces the number of references of the cover and the risk of errors in terms of the combination of the cover with the good terminal.

In one embodiment, the lug has at least two anti-rotation tongues perpendicular to the plane of the terminal and at least two recesses for receiving the tabs, which are formed in the cover.

In a variant, three anti-rotation tongues and at least three recesses are provided.

Advantageously the number of recesses is greater than the number of tabs to standardize the hood as much as possible.

According to one characteristic of the invention, the recesses for receiving the anti-rotation tongues consist of radial cutouts made in the internal face of the passage opening of the end of the socket terminal.

According to another characteristic of the invention, four recesses are provided, which are distributed angularly equidistantly in the internal face of the bonnet passage orifice, these recesses constituting two pairs of receiving anti-rotation tabs.

In one embodiment, the recesses are angularly non-equidistantly distributed.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the arrangement comprises an electrical insulating cap of the terminal, which is movable on the electrical conductor to which the terminal is mounted, between a covering position of the terminal in its position fixed on the end of the socket terminal, and a terminal release position.

This cap also ensures the sealing of the terminal and is flexible by being advantageously elastomer.

In a variant, the passages between the lateral stops are not symmetrical and the distribution of these passages is not regular. It is the same with regard to the hollows.

It thus becomes possible to angularly index the pod.

All combinations are possible, the number of tabs depending on the applications.

Brief description of the drawings

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un capot de recouvrement d'un ensemble redresseur, selon l'invention, monté sur le palier arrière d'une machine électrique tournante et d'un premier type de cosse;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective, avec arrachement, illustrant la partie indiquée en II sur la figure 1, du capot selon l'invention, avec un second type de cosse ;
• la figure 3 est une vue ne perspective de la cosse de la figure 2 ; et
• la figure 4 est une vue en perspective, avec arrachement, d'un capot selon l'invention pourvu d'un chapeau d'isolement électrique de la cosse.

The invention will be better understood, and other objects, features, details and advantages thereof will become more apparent in the description. explanatory text which will follow with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings given solely by way of example illustrating an embodiment of the invention and in which:

• the figure 1 is a perspective view of a covering cap of a rectifier assembly, according to the invention, mounted on the rear bearing of a rotating electrical machine and a first type of lug;
• the figure 2 is a perspective view, broken away, illustrating the part indicated in II on the figure 1 , the hood according to the invention, with a second type of pod;
• the figure 3 is a perspective view of the pod of the figure 2 ; and
• the figure 4 is a perspective view, with cutaway, of a hood according to the invention provided with an electrical isolation cap of the pod.

Description of embodiments of the invention

The figure 1 is a perspective view of a cover 1 covering a current rectifier device, also called rectifier bridge, of a rotating electrical machine for a motor vehicle, such as an alternator or a reversible alternator alternator-alternator alternatively also to start the engine of the motor vehicle. As is known, an alternator comprises a casing comprising a rear bearing on which is fixed by screwing or snapping the cover 1, advantageously made of moldable material such as plastic. In known manner, the rear bearing also usually carries a support plate for the voltage regulator and the brush holder of the alternator. The cover, advantageously made of plastic material, covers the rectifier device of the alternating current produced by the stator winding, as well as the brush holder and the voltage regulator. This hood is advantageously provided with openings ( figure 1 ) for circulation of cooling air as described in the documents FR-A-2,824,966 and his correspondent US-A-2003/0020338 . Such an alternator is also described for example in the document EP-A-0 740 400 or in the document EP-A-0 515 259 ( US-A-5,270,605 ).

It will be recalled that the current rectifier device comprises electronic components such as diodes or transistors of the MOSFET type, in particular in the case of an alternator-starter as described in document FR-A-2,745,444 . Some of these components are carried by a positive radiator, also called dissipator, on which is mounted a terminal socket, called terminal B +, as visible for example at the figure 2 of the document US A 5,883,450 . Such a terminal is also described in the document FR A 2,689,322 supra.

The peculiarity of the cover 1 according to the invention resides in the fact that it is designed to be able to receive two different types of terminals designated by the references 4 and 5 in the figures respectively 1 and 2 and intended to be fixed on the terminal device implanted socket, as above, here on the heatsink or positive radiator of the current rectifier device. This terminal is provided with a threaded shaft 10 associated with a clamping member 14, namely a clamping nut 14 in the figures 1 and 2 . This terminal is secured, here fixed, by a barrel on the heatsink. Since the barrel and the barrel 10 are known per se, the figures show only the outer part of the terminal, which extends through the passage opening 7 formed in the hood, hollow in shape at the end. figure 1 . This terminal comprises a cylindrical element 9 of which is axially projecting outwardly the barrel threaded 10 on which will be threaded end 12 of the lug 4 or the end 12 'of the lug 5 centrally perforated for this purpose. This end 12, 12 'is fixed on the barrel 10 by means of the clamping nut 14 intended to clamp the end 12 against the annular support surface 16 formed around the barrel 10 by the radially projecting face of the element 9 at the level of the diameter change between the element 9 and the sump 10. For the plug terminal device, reference will be made to the document FR A 2,689,322 which describes, by way of example, such a device, knowing that the element 9 is secured here to the positive dissipator by means of a barrel screwing on a second threaded portion integral with the element 9 of the terminal s extending in the opposite direction relative to the shank 10. In a variant, the fixing of the terminal on the dissipator is carried out by means of a nut engaging with the second threaded portion secured to the element 9 as visible to the figure 4 of the document US A 5,924,897 . Alternatively the element 9 is integral with the heatsink being molded with it as visible in the document FR A 2,824,966 and as is the case at figure 1 . In all cases the terminal is protruding with respect to the heatsink and the hood in order to cross the passage 7.

To allow the fixing of the lug 4 shown on the figure 1 on the socket terminal, more precisely on the outer portion 9, 10 shown thereof, while preventing the rotation of the lug when tightened by the nut 14, the cover 1 comprises, coaxially around the axis XX of the passage opening 7, four walls 18, each in the form of an axial projection in the form of an arc of a circle, which are distributed angularly equidistantly around the orifice and each of which delimits with the wall peripherally adjacent a passage 20 of the portion 22 fixing the lug, for example here by alternately crimping by welding, on the end of an electrical conductor 24 for connection to the terminal, here positive, not shown battery of the vehicle. It will be noted that the cover 1 is here made of electrically insulating material, more specifically of moldable plastic material.

It is easy to understand that, in the case of the pod according to the figure 1 having an end 12 in the form of a flat washer, the engagement of the portion 22 between the side faces 26 of two adjacent walls 18 prevents the rotation of the lug when the nut 14 is screwed onto the threaded shaft 10.

The side faces 26 therefore constitute lateral abutment elements provided on the outside face of the cover around the passage opening 7 of the end 9,10 of the terminal. Two consecutive faces 26 delimit a passage 20.

It can be seen that the walls 18 are arranged around the axis XX of the passage opening 7 of the cover 1 so that the radially inner arcuate face 28 of a wall is located from this axis at a distance from this axis which is slightly greater than the radius r of the radially outer edge 30 of the washer-shaped end 12 of the terminal. The end 12 here having rectilinear cuts 31 parallel to the axis of the pod for forming flats or straight lateral sides 31.

The configuration of the cover 1 according to the invention also allows the use of a terminal such as the terminal 5 according to the Figures 2 and 3 , whose end is now designated by the reference 12 'and provided with two anti-rotation tongues 32 disposed at the two right lateral sides 31 of the end 12 of the pod of the figure 1 . The tabs extend perpendicularly from the plane of the end 12 '.

According to the invention, to prevent the rotation of the lug 5 according to the Figures 2 and 3 , the anti-rotation tongues 32 are intended to engage in recesses or cutouts 34 formed in the peripheral face 36 of delimitation of the passage opening 7 of the socket terminal. As we see in particular on the figure 2 four recesses 34, of substantially rectangular shape, are formed in the face 36. These recesses which are distributed angularly equidistant around the axis XX of the orifice 7 have a width in the peripheral direction, which is slightly greater than the width of the anti-rotation tongues 32 to allow the engagement of these tongues in the recesses. The recesses are arranged so that their median lines, in the plane of the terminal coincide with the median lines of the passages 20 between the walls 18 and therefore between the lateral stops 26.

The recesses 34 are thus located in the vicinity of the passages 20 between the lateral stops 26 so that the solution is robust and that one takes advantage of the walls 18, which stiffen the cover.

Thus when placing a lug 5 on the end 10 of a socket terminal, the two anti-rotation tabs 32 of the lug engage in two recesses 34 diametrically opposite the orifice 7 of the cover 1, which prevents any rotation of the terminal when screwing the nut 14 on the threaded shaft 10 of the terminal.

The Figures 2 to 4 further illustrate an electrical insulation cap 40 which has a cap portion proper 42 engaging between the walls 18 by covering the end of the terminal, and a tubular side portion 44 which surround the electrical conductor 24 to which the terminal is connected and which ensures the sliding of the cap 40 along the conductor on the terminal in its position of insulation electric shown on the figure 4 . The cap 40, here in the shape of a spherical cap, is advantageously made of elastomer, such as rubber, and thus ensures the sealing of the terminal. Note that to do this the passage 20 is delimited by a wall, said small wall, lower height and thinner than a wall 18 so that the edge of the cap 40 cooperates sealingly with the inner faces of these small walls and low walls 18, knowing that a small wall connects two walls 18.

Of course, many modifications can be made to the embodiment of the invention, which has just been described. Indeed, the shape of the walls, anti-rotation tongues and recesses could be different provided that these elements retain the function just described.

So while in the figure 1 the passage opening 7 and the recesses 34 are made in the bottom, of transverse orientation, the cover 1, alternatively the passage 7 and the recesses 34 are formed in the annular flange axially oriented hood 1. The terminal can therefore be of axial orientation as in the figure 1 or alternatively be of radial orientation.

The passages 20 are not necessarily the same size and the same is true of the recesses. This arrangement allows in particular to mount the lug concerned in a single position to angularly index it. He is thus formed a fool.

The structures can be reversed, the element 9 being internally threaded, that is to say threaded, for mounting a fastening screw threaded onto the end 12, 12 'of the lug clamped between the head of the screw and the free end of the element 9 forming the bearing face.

Thus the presence of the barrel 10 is not mandatory.

Alternatively the element 9 is stepped in diameter for forming a shoulder constituting the bearing surface 16 for the pod. The smaller diameter section, constituting the free end of the element 9, is then threaded internally for mounting a fixing screw in the aforementioned manner.

In all cases the terminal comprises a threaded portion (the barrel 10 or the internal thread) and a bearing face for the lug clamped between the bearing face and a clamping member, such as a nut or the head of a screw, engaging with the threaded portion of the terminal for securing the terminal.

Of course, alternatively the terminal is the terminal B-intended to be connected to the negative terminal of the battery of the motor vehicle, the dissipator then being the negative dissipator which can be formed by the rear bearing.

Alternatively a single anti-rotation tab 32 is provided.

In this case it can be provided that a single hollow implanted in the vicinity of a single passage 20. In a variant, several passages are provided.

Here the number of hollows is greater than the number of tongues.

The lateral abutments 26 for locking in rotation of the lug are not necessarily constituted by walls 18, which are alternatively divided in favor of slots advantageously of reduced width. These abutments belong generally to projections.

The element 9 is not necessarily cylindrical. It may for example be of polygonal or square or oval section.

All combinations are possible.

Claims (11)

1. Fixture for securing of a lug fitted at the end of an electrical conductor for connection to a current source, to a connection terminal which is firstly secured to a current rectifier device, and secondly has an outer part (9, 10) with a support surface (16) and a threaded part (10), in order to permit securing of the lug by means of a tightening unit (14) such as a nut or screw, the said terminal and the said current rectifier device belonging to a rotary electrical machine such as an alternator or an alternator-starter in particular of a motor vehicle, which machine is provided with a cap (1) which covers the current rectifier device, and leaves on view, assisted by a passage aperture (7) provided in the cap (1), only the outer part of the terminal, the fixture comprising first means for blocking the rotation of the lug on the terminal, which comprise lateral stop elements (26) provided on the outer surface of the cap in the area around the passage aperture (7) of the outer part of the terminal, characterised in that it additionally comprises second means for blocking the rotation of a lug (5) which is provided with at least one anti-rotation tongue (32) perpendicular to the plane of the lug (5, 12'), these means comprising at least one hollow (34) for receipt of the anti-rotation tongue (32), which is provided in the peripheral surface (32), known as the inner surface, of delimitation of the passage aperture (7) of the connection terminal, and which is implanted in the vicinity of a lug passage (20) created between two consecutive lateral stops (26).
2. Fixture according to claim 1, characterised in that the second means for blocking the rotation are designed for blocking the rotation of a lug (5) which is provided with at least two anti-rotation tongues (32) perpendicular to the plane of the lug (5, 12'), and comprise at least two hollows (34) for receipt of the anti-rotation tongues (32), and in that the hollows (34) are firstly each implanted in the vicinity of a lug passage (20) created between two consecutive lateral stops (26), and secondly consist of radial cut-outs provided in the inner surface (36) of delimitation of the aperture of passage (7) of the end (10) of the connection terminal.
3. Fixture according to claim 2, characterised in that the number of hollows (34) is greater than the number of tongues (32).
4. Fixture according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that four hollows (34) are provided, which are distributed angularly equidistantly in the inner surface (36) of delimitation of the passage aperture (7) of the cap (1), these hollows constituting two reception pairs for the anti-rotation tongues (32).
5. Fixture according to claim 4, characterised in that stops for blocking the rotation of the lug are formed by four walls (18) which are disposed around the passage aperture (7) of the end of the connection terminal, and delimit between one another passages (20) for the lug, and in that the radial median lines of the hollows (34) for receipt of the anti-rotation tongues (32) coincide substantially with the median lines of the lug passages (20) between the walls (18).
6. Fixture according to claim 5, characterised in that it comprises a cap (40) for electrical insulation of the lug, which can be displaced on the electrical conductor on which the lug is fitted, between a position of covering of the lug in its position in which it is secured on the end of the connection terminal, and a position of release of the lug.
7. Fixture according to claim 6, characterised in that lug passages (20) are delimited by small walls which have a lower height and a smaller thickness than a wall (18), and in that the cap (40) comprises an edge which co-operates with the arched inner surfaces of the walls (18) and of the small walls.
8. Fixture according to claim 7, characterised in that the cap (40) is made of an elastomer such as rubber, and in that a small wall connects two walls to one another, such that the edge of the cap (40) co-operates in a sealed manner with the inner surfaces of the walls (18) and of the small walls.
9. Fixture according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterised in that the hollows (34) are not of the same size.
10. Fixture according to claim 9, characterised in that the passages (20) are not of the same size.
11. Fixture according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the terminal comprises a support surface for the lug which is tightened between the support surface and a securing unit such as a nut or the head of a screw, and in that two peripherally adjacent walls (18) delimit a passage (20) of the securing part (22) of a lug, for example by tightening, on the end of an electrical conductor (24) for connection to the terminal.

Images