EP3843220A1 - Fastener assembly - Google Patents
Fastener assembly Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3843220A1 EP3843220A1 EP20216590.8A EP20216590A EP3843220A1 EP 3843220 A1 EP3843220 A1 EP 3843220A1 EP 20216590 A EP20216590 A EP 20216590A EP 3843220 A1 EP3843220 A1 EP 3843220A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- fastener
- pair
- support portion
- receiving member
- elastic material
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
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Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R4/00—Electrically-conductive connections between two or more conductive members in direct contact, i.e. touching one another; Means for effecting or maintaining such contact; Electrically-conductive connections having two or more spaced connecting locations for conductors and using contact members penetrating insulation
- H01R4/28—Clamped connections, spring connections
- H01R4/30—Clamped connections, spring connections utilising a screw or nut clamping member
- H01R4/34—Conductive members located under head of screw
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/40—Securing contact members in or to a base or case; Insulating of contact members
- H01R13/405—Securing in non-demountable manner, e.g. moulding, riveting
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
- H01R13/502—Bases; Cases composed of different pieces
- H01R13/5025—Bases; Cases composed of different pieces one or more pieces being of resilient material
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
- H01R13/627—Snap or like fastening
- H01R13/6271—Latching means integral with the housing
- H01R13/6273—Latching means integral with the housing comprising two latching arms
Definitions
- the present disclosure relates to the field of batteries and battery modules, and more specifically to a fastener and a fastener assembly at an end of a battery module.
- the fastener assembly comprises a fastener and a fastener receiving member. Specifically, the fastener is partially inserted into the fastener receiving member, and the two electric connectors are electrically connected to each other and supported on the fastener so as to transfer the power from the battery module.
- the present disclosure provides a fastener for supporting and connecting two electric connectors, the fastener comprises a support portion provided with a support surface on a top portion thereof, a connecting hole penetrating the support surface and extending into the support portion, and a pair of clamping shoulders respectively arranged on opposing first and second sides of the support portion and formed by protruding outwardly from the support portion.
- the pair of clamping shoulders are made of a first elastic material at least at top portions thereof such that, when the fastener is mounted in a receiving slot of a fastener receiving member, the pair of clamping shoulders can be pressed against the fastener receiving member to provide an amount of elastic deformation, which enables the fastener to move a certain distance toward the electric connectors relative to the fastener receiving member when the fastener is connected to the electric connectors.
- the fastener comprises at least one elastic leg provided at a bottom portion of the support portion, wherein the at least one elastic leg is configured such that it is elastically deformed during the mounting process of the fastener to the receiving slot of the fastener receiving member so as to enable the fastener to move in a first direction relative to the fastener receiving member, and that it restores the free state after the fastener is mounted to the receiving slot of the fastener receiving member so as to prevent the fastener from moving in the first direction relative to the fastener receiving member.
- the at least one elastic leg extends from a third side of the support portion toward a fourth side of the support portion, and at least part of the elastic leg extends downwardly beyond a bottom surface of the support portion below the connecting hole.
- the support portion is made of a second elastic material, and the first elastic material has an elasticity coefficient greater than that of the second elastic material.
- the pair of clamping shoulders each has an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion of the clamping shoulder is made of the first elastic material, and the lower portion of the clamping shoulder is made of the second elastic material; and the support portion and the lower portions of the pair of clamping shoulders are integrally formed, and the upper portions of the pair of clamping shoulders are integrally formed on the support portion and the lower portions of the pair of clamping shoulders by means of an injection molding process.
- an inner surface of the connecting hole is provided with threads.
- the fastener further comprises a connector arranged in the connecting hole, and the connector is provided with a screwed hole having threads on an inner surface thereof.
- the support portion is connected to the connector by means of injection molding.
- the connector comprises a connector main body and a pair of mounting structures, the pair of mounting structures is arranged on opposite sides of the connector main body, the connector main body is arranged in the connecting hole, and the connector is connected to the support portion by means of the pair of mounting structures.
- the connector main body is provided with the screwed hole.
- the pair of mounting structures each comprises a biased arm.
- One end of the biased arm is connected to the connector main body, and the other end thereof is a free end.
- the biased arm is configured to enable the connector to be connected to the support portion when in a free state, and the biased arm can be deformed under a force.
- the pair of mounting structures each further comprises an extension arm.
- the extension arm is formed by extending outwardly and then downwardly from the connector main body, the extension arm is provided with a window, and the biased arm extends from an edge of the window upwardly and obliquely relative to the extension arm.
- the first elastic material is thermoplastic elastomer
- the second elastic material is thermoplastic resin
- the first side is a left side
- the second side is a right side
- the third side is a rear side
- the fourth side is a front side
- the present disclosure provides a fastener assembly for supporting and connecting two electric connectors
- the fastener assembly comprises a fastener and a fastener receiving member.
- the fastener comprises: a support portion being provided with a support surface on a top portion thereof; a connecting hole penetrating the support surface and extending into the support portion; and a pair of clamping shoulders being respectively arranged on opposing first and second sides of the support portion and formed by protruding outwardly from the support portion.
- the fastener receiving member has a receiving slot, the fastener is inserted into the receiving slot of the fastener receiving member in a first direction, the top portion of the receiving slot is provided with a pair of limiting protrusions protruding toward each other, the limiting protrusion is configured to cooperate with the pair of clamping shoulders to limit the movement of the fastener relative to the fastener receiving member in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
- the pair of limiting protrusions are made of a first elastic material at least at bottom portions thereof, and/or the pair of clamping shoulders are made of a first elastic material at least at the top portions thereof such that, when the fastener is mounted in the receiving slot of the fastener receiving member, the pair of clamping shoulders and the fastener receiving member can press against each other to provide an amount of elastic deformation, which enables the fastener to move a certain distance toward the electric connectors relative to the fastener receiving member when the fastener is connected to the electric connectors.
- the bottom portion of the pair of limiting protrusions of the fastener receiving member is made of the first elastic material, and the rest of the fastener receiving member is made of a metal material; or the top portion of the pair of clamping shoulders of the fastener is made of the first elastic material, and the rest of the fastener is made of a second elastic material.
- the first elastic material having an elasticity coefficient greater than that of the second elastic material.
- the fastener and the fastener assembly provided by the present disclosure can eliminate the clearance between the electric connectors and the fastener, so as to achieve more reliable connection of the electric connectors and further reduce the abnormal noise due to the partial loosening between the electric connectors in a high or low temperature environment, avoiding failure of the electric connection between the electric connectors.
- Fig. 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fastener 100 according to the present disclosure, which shows the specific structure of the fastener 100 when viewed from top to bottom
- Fig. 1B is a perspective view of the fastener 100 shown in Fig. 1A from another perspective, which shows the specific structure of the fastener 100 viewed from bottom to top
- Fig. 1C is cross-sectional view of Fig. 1A along the section line A-A, which shows the internal structure of the fastener 100.
- the fastener 100 comprises a support portion 101, a pair of clamping shoulders 110 and 120, and an insulating peripheral wall 105.
- the insulating peripheral wall 105 comprises a front side wall 151, a rear side wall 152, a left side wall 153 and a right side wall 154, which are formed by respectively extending upwardly from the peripheral edge of the support portion 101 and enclose a space 131 around a top portion 113 of the support portion 101.
- the space 131 is used to accommodate electric connectors 391 and 392 (see Fig. 3A ) to insulate the electric connectors 391 and 392 from the outside.
- the pair of clamping shoulders 110 and 120 are arranged on left and right sides (i.e., a first side and a second side) of the support portion 101 and respectively protrude outwardly from the left and right sides of the support portion 101 beyond the left side wall 153 and the right side wall 154 of the insulating peripheral wall 105.
- the support portion 101 has the top portion 113 and a bottom portion 114.
- a cavity 138 is provided between the top portion 113 and the bottom portion 114.
- the support portion 101 is configured into a hollow shape, which can reduce the weight of the fastener 100 as much as possible and save material.
- the support portion 101 may also be of a solid shape.
- the support portion 101 is provided with a connecting hole 103, and the connecting hole 103 penetrates the top portion 113 and extends downward into the cavity 138 but does not penetrate the bottom portion 114.
- An upper surface of the top portion 113 forms a support surface 102, an inner surface of the connecting hole 103 is provided with threads (not shown in the figure), such that the connecting hole 103 can cooperate with a bolt 367 to fix the electric connectors 391 and 392 onto the support surface 102 (see Figs. 3A and 3B ).
- the outer contour of the bottom portion 114 of the support portion 101 can substantially match the shape of a receiving slot 250 (see the receiving slot 250 in Fig. 2 ) of a fastener receiving member 230.
- the lower surface of the bottom portion 114 of the support portion 101 is generally in the shape of a symmetrical smooth curved surface, with the left and right sides thereof bending upwardly to form a lowest bottom surface 106 in the middle position.
- the bottom portion 114 is further provided with two mounting holes 161 in communication with the cavity 138 in the support portion 101, and the two mounting holes 161 are respectively provided in the left and right sides of the bottom surface 106.
- a connecting column 121 is provided in the cavity 138 of the support portion 101, and the connecting column 121 is connected between the support surface 102 of the top portion 113 and the bottom surface 106 of the bottom portion 114.
- the connecting hole 103 is provided in the connecting column 121, with the position of the connecting hole 103 being generally corresponding to the bottom surface 106.
- the connecting hole 103 may also penetrate the bottom portion 114 and be exposed from the bottom surface 106.
- An elastic leg 104 is provided at each mounting hole 161 of the bottom portion 114 of the support portion 101.
- Each elastic leg 104 has a distal end 162 and a proximal end 165.
- the proximal end 165 thereof is connected to a hole wall edge 155 at the rear side of the mounting hole 161.
- the distal end 162 thereof is spaced from a hole wall edge 157 at the front side of the mounting hole 161 and is suspended.
- each elastic leg 104 generally horizontally extends from the proximal end 165 to the distal end 162, and a lower surface 172 thereof generally extends obliquely and downwardly from the proximal end 165 to the distal end 162 to form a slope so as to form a downwardly protruding raised portion 166 at the distal end 162.
- a free state i.e., a state in which no external force is exerted
- the raised portion 166 of the elastic leg 104 extends downwardly beyond the bottom surface 106 of the support portion 101.
- the elastic leg 104 is made of an elastic material (e.g., plastic) such that the elastic leg 104 has a certain elasticity.
- the elastic leg 104 When the distal end 162 of the elastic leg 104 (e.g., at the raised portion 166) receives an upward force, the elastic leg 104 can be elastically deformed, such that the distal end 162 of the elastic leg 104 moves toward the cavity 138 of the support portion 101 until it is no longer beyond the bottom surface 106.
- the elastic leg 104 may also be configured into a shape in which the upper surface 171 and the lower surface 172 together extend obliquely and downwardly from the proximal end 165 toward the distal end 162 until it is beyond the bottom surface 106 of the support portion 101. In this situation, the elastic leg 104 is of a straight plate shape, without providing a downwardly protruding raised portion at the distal end thereof.
- the front side wall 151 and the rear side wall 152 of the insulating peripheral wall 105 are arranged opposed to each other, and the height of the rear side wall 152 is higher than that of the front side wall 151.
- the insulating peripheral wall 105 has an opening 108 in the front side wall 151 to allow the electric connectors 391 and 392 to be disposed on the support surface 102 through the opening 108.
- the rear side wall 152 of the insulating peripheral wall 105 is generally "T"-shaped, comprising a body 158 and a protruding portion 156.
- the body 158 is at an upper portion of the rear side wall 152, and the protruding portion 156 is at a bottom portion of the rear side wall 152.
- the width of the body 158 is greater than that of the protruding portion 156, such that the rear side wall 152 is generally "T"-shaped.
- the protruding portion 156 is generally arranged at the rear side of the rear side surface 119 of the support portion 101 and protrudes outwardly relative to the rear side surface 119.
- the protruding portion 156 is in a shape-fit with a corresponding opening 238 in the fastener receiving member 230 (see Fig. 2 ) to be connected in the opening 238.
- the left side wall 153 and right side wall 154 of the insulating peripheral wall 105 are arranged opposed to each other.
- the left side wall 153 and the right side wall 154 of the insulating peripheral wall 105 are connected between the front side wall 151 and the rear side wall 152, and the upper surfaces of the left side wall 153 and the right side wall 154 respectively extend horizontally from the left and right edges of the rear side wall 152 of the insulating peripheral wall 105 and then obliquely and downwardly to connect to the front side wall 151 of the insulating peripheral wall 105.
- the insulating peripheral wall 105 may be of any structure that can achieve an insulating effect.
- the support portion 101 and the insulating peripheral wall 105 may be integrally formed from the same material, for example, a thermoplastic resin material, which not only have a good supporting effect but also is able to achieve the insulating effect.
- the clamping shoulder 110 is arranged on one side of the fastener 100, and the clamping shoulder 120 is arranged on the opposite side of the fastener 100. From the perspective shown in Fig. 1A , the clamping shoulder 110 is arranged on the outside of the left side of the support portion 101, and the clamping shoulder 120 is arranged on the outside of the right side of the support portion 101.
- the shape of the clamping shoulders 110 and 120 can match the shape of the receiving slot 250 (see the receiving slot 250 in Fig. 2 ) of the fastener receiving member 230, such that the fastener 100 can cooperate with the fastener receiving member 230 to allow the fastener 100 to be inserted into the receiving slot 250 of the fastener receiving member 230 and come into contact with the receiving slot 250.
- the shape of the clamping shoulders 110 and 120 are symmetric. Detailed description will be given below by taking the clamping shoulder 120 as an example.
- the clamping shoulder 120 comprises an upper portion 125 and a lower portion 126.
- the lower portion 126 protrudes rightward from the bottom portion of the support portion 101 and is integrally formed with the support portion 101, and the upper portion 125 is arranged above the lower portion 126 on the right side of the support portion 101.
- the upper portion 125 may be integrally formed on the lower portion 126 by means of an injection molding process and connected to the right side of the support portion 101.
- the upper portion 125 and the lower portion 126 of the clamping shoulder 120 are made of different materials.
- the upper portion 125 is made of a first elastic material with a certain elasticity
- the lower portion 126 is made of a second elastic material which is the same as that of the support portion 101, with the elasticity coefficient of the first elastic material being greater than that of the elasticity coefficient of the second elastic material.
- the first elastic material may be a thermoplastic elastomer material
- the second elastic material may be a thermoplastic resin material.
- the clamping shoulder 120 may also be made of the first elastic material only at the top portion 127 thereof. In this situation, the top portion 127 forms a portion of the upper portion of the clamping shoulder 120.
- the top portion 127 here refers to the portion with a certain height extending downward from the upper surface 128 of the clamping shoulder 120.
- the upper portion 125 of the clamping shoulder 120 When the upper portion 125 of the clamping shoulder 120 bears a certain downwardly acting force, the upper portion 125 can be elastically deformed to a certain degree. When the upper portion 125 of the clamping shoulder 120 is elastically deformed, the lower portion 126 can provide a certain supporting force. The amount of deformation of the upper portion 125 can compensate for the clearance during the process of fixing the electric connectors 391 and 392 onto the support surface 102 of the fastener 100, which will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 4A and 4B .
- the clamping shoulder 110 on the other side of the fastener 100 also has an upper portion 115 and a lower portion 116, the same as those of the clamping shoulder 120.
- the lower portion 116 protrudes leftward from the bottom portion of the support portion 101 and is integrally formed with the support portion 101, and the upper portion 115 is arranged above the lower portion 116 on the left side of the support portion 101.
- the upper portion 115 is made of the first elastic material
- the lower portion 116 is made of the second elastic material.
- the clamping shoulder 110 may also be made of the first elastic material only at the top portion 117 thereof.
- the upper portion 115 of the clamping shoulder 110 and the upper portion 125 of the clamping shoulder 120 are connected to each other via the connection portion 107.
- the connection portion 107 is made of the first elastic material.
- Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the fastener receiving member 230 according to the present disclosure, showing the details of a structure in the fastener receiving member 230 for mounting the fastener 100.
- the fastener receiving member 230 is generally of a box shape with an open top portion and has a cavity 233 and a receiving slot 250 therein.
- the receiving slot 250 is arranged above the cavity 233 and is in communication with the cavity 233.
- the receiving slot 250 is configured for receiving the bottom portion of the fastener 100 such that the fastener receiving member 230 can cooperate and mounted with the fastener 100.
- the fastener receiving member 230 is made of a metal material (such as aluminum).
- the fastener receiving member 230 has a front side wall 234 and a rear side wall 232 arranged opposite to each other, and a left side wall 236 and a right side wall 235 arranged opposite to each other.
- the receiving slot 250 is arranged above the cavity 233 and between the left side wall 236 and the right side wall 235.
- the top portion of the receiving slot 250 forms, on the left side wall 236 and the right side wall 235, a pair of limiting protrusions 241 and 242 protruding toward each other.
- the shape of the receiving slot 250 matches the outer contour of the support portion 101 and the clamping shoulders 110 and 120 of the fastener 100.
- the receiving slot 250 forms a generally symmetrical smooth curved surface 243 on the front side wall 234, with left and right sides of the curved surface 243 bending upwardly for cooperating with the bottom portion of the support portion 101 of the fastener 100.
- the receiving slot 250 forms a recessed portion 247 below each of the limiting protrusions 241 and 242 on the left side wall 236 and the right side wall 235, and the recessed portions 247 are configured for cooperating with the clamping shoulders 110 and 120.
- the bottom portion 246 of the limiting protrusions 241 and 242 i.e., the top portion of the recessed portion 247) may also be made of the first elastic material with elasticity, such as a thermoplastic elastomer material.
- the bottom portion 246 of the limiting protrusions 241 and 242 can be elastically deformed together with the upper portions 115 and 125 of the clamping shoulders 110 and 120.
- the rear side wall 232 of the fastener receiving member 230 is provided with a downwardly recessed opening 238, and the shape of the opening 238 matches the shape of the protruding portion 156 of the fastener 100.
- the bottom portion of the fastener 100 can be inserted into the receiving slot 250 of the fastener receiving member 230 from front to rear.
- the process of mounting the fastener 100 to the fastener receiving member 230 will be described below with reference to Figs. 1A to 1C and Fig. 2 .
- the recessed portion 247 of the receiving slot 250 can accommodate the clamping shoulders 110 and 120 of the fastener 100, and the bottom portion of the support portion 101 is in contact with the curved surface 243 of the receiving slot 250.
- the fastener 100 continues to be inserted into the receiving slot 250, since the raised portions 166 of the elastic legs 104 extend downwardly beyond the bottom surface 106 of the support portion 101, the distal ends 162 of the elastic legs 104 will be pressed by the curved surface 243 at the raised portion 166 to elastically deform upwardly.
- the rear side wall 152 of the insulating peripheral wall 105 of the fastener 100 cooperates with the rear side wall 232 of the fastener receiving member 230 to be positioned, namely, the protruding portion 156 on the rear side wall 152 of the insulating peripheral wall 105 of the fastener 100 cooperates with the opening 238 in the rear side wall 232 of the fastener receiving member 230.
- the elastic leg 104 of the fastener 100 completely crosses the front side wall 234 and enters into the receiving slot 250.
- the distal end 162 of the elastic leg 104 is no longer pressed by the curved surface 243, but restores to the free state, extends into the cavity 233 of the fastener receiving member 230 and abuts against the inner surface of the front side wall 234 of the fastener receiving member 230, thereby preventing the fastener 100 from moving back and forth relative to the fastener receiving member 230 in the first direction. Further, the clamping shoulders 110 and 120 are completely accommodated in the recessed portion 247 of the receiving slot 250, so that the fastener 100 cannot move left and right relative to the fastener receiving member 230.
- the fastener 100 cannot disengage from the spacing between the limiting protrusions 241 and 242, and cannot move in an up-and-down direction (i.e., a second direction) relative to the fastener receiving member 230 when the clamping shoulders 110 and 120 are not elastically deformed, so that the movement of the fastener 100 relative to the fastener receiving member 230 is restricted.
- the fastener 100 and the fastener receiving member 230 can cooperate and mounted together.
- Fig. 3A is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fastener assembly 370 after being connected to electric connectors
- Fig. 3B is a side view of the fastener assembly 370 and the electric connectors shown in Fig. 3A
- the fastener assembly 370 comprises the fastener 100 and the fastener receiving member 230 mounted together.
- the fastener assembly 370 is connected to one side of a battery module 340 for supporting and connecting the two electric connectors 391 and 392. To simplify the illustration, only part of the electric connectors 391 and 392 are shown in the figure.
- a first end 393 of the electric connector 391 and a first end 394 of the electric connector 392 can be accommodated in the space 131 through the front side opening 108 of the insulating peripheral wall 105 of the fastener 100 and supported on the support surface 102 of the fastener 100.
- a bolt 367 penetrates through the first end 393 of the electric connector 391 and the first end 394 of the electric connector 392, wherein the bolt 367 has external threads that match the internal threads of the connecting hole 103 of the support portion 101, and by means of the fastening of the bolt 367 to the connecting hole 103, the respective first ends 393 and 394 of the two electric connectors 391 and 392 can be connected together and fixed on the support surface 102.
- a second end 396 of the electric connector 392 is connected to the battery module 340, and as an embodiment, the second end 396 of the electric connector 392 is connected to the battery module 340 via another bolt 368.
- the electric connector 392 can be an output electrode copper bar of the battery module 340 for outputting the power of the battery module 340.
- the electric connector 391 is a high-voltage connection copper bar and serves as a bus bar, with a second end thereof being connected to another electric connector (not shown in the figure). Through the connection between the electric connector 392 and the electric connector 391, the power of the battery module 340 can be transferred out via the electric connector 391. It should be noted that Fig.
- the battery module 340 may be of other shapes and may be arranged in other positions, for example, at the rear side of the fastener assembly 370, but is not limited to the shape and the position shown in the embodiment.
- the fastener assembly 370 has been connected to the electric connectors 391 and 392, and the first end 394 of the electric connector 392 abuts against the support surface 102.
- the electric connectors 391 and 392 abut against the support surface 102, the clearance between the bottom portion of the support portion 101 of the fastener 100 and the curved surface 243 of the receiving slot 250 of the fastener receiving member 230 will not affect the stability of the connection of the electric connectors 391 and 392.
- Figs. 4A and 4B show a process of connecting the electric connectors 391 and 392 to the fastener assembly 370.
- Fig. 4A shows a cross-sectional view of the fastener assembly 370 and the electric connectors 391 and 392 in a state that they are not connected in place along line B-B in Fig. 3B , in which a clearance H is shown.
- Fig. 4B shows a cross-sectional view of the fastener assembly 370 and the electric connectors 391 and 392 in a state that they are connected in place along line B-B in Fig. 3B , in which the clearance H is eliminated.
- the bolt 367, the fastener assembly 370 and the electric connectors 391 and 392 are cut along line B-B, but the fastener receiving member 230 and the battery module 340 are not cut.
- the bolt 367 passes through the two electric connectors 391 and 392 and is fastened to the connecting hole 103 of the fastener 100. In the process of screwing the bolt 367 downwardly, the bolt 367 drives the electric connector 391 to move downwardly until it abuts against the electric connector 392.
- the support portion 101 receives the reaction force of the bolt 367 to be pulled upwardly.
- the upper portions 115 and 125 of the clamping shoulders 110 and 120 and the bottom portion 246 of the limiting protrusions 241 and 242 are pressed against each other. Since the upper portions 115 and 125 of the clamping shoulders 110 and 120 are made of the first elastic material with elasticity, the upper portions 115 and 125 of the clamping shoulders 110 and 120 are elastically deformed.
- the elastic deformation of the upper portions 115 and 125 enables the fastener 100 to move slightly upwardly as a whole under the action of the reaction force until the support surface 102 abuts against the lower surface of the electric connector 392 to reach the state shown in Fig. 4B .
- the upper portions 115 and 125 of the clamping shoulders 110 and 120 are elastically deformed, and the amount of deformation compensates for the clearance H between the lower surface of the electric connector 392 and the support surface 102 such that the clearance H is eliminated.
- the electric connectors 391 and 392 are connected to the fastener 100 by the bolt 367, and the position of the electric connectors 391 and 392 relative to the fastener receiving member 230 is fixed, so the fastener 100 cannot move downwardly relative to the fastener receiving member 230.
- the fastener 100 slightly moves upwardly, the elastic leg 104 still abuts against the inner surface of the front side wall 234 of the fastener receiving member 230. Therefore, after the bolt 367 is fastened, the fastener 100 will not move back and forth relative to the fastener receiving member 230.
- the upper portion of the clamping shoulder of the fastener When the electric connectors are connected to the fastener assembly, the upper portion of the clamping shoulder of the fastener can be pressed against the bottom portion of the limiting protrusion of the fastener receiving member.
- the upper portion of the clamping shoulder of the fastener By configuring the upper portion of the clamping shoulder of the fastener to be made of the first elastic material with certain elasticity, the upper portion of the clamping shoulder can be elastically deformed when pressed, and the amount of deformation is used to compensate for the clearance between the electric connector and the support surface of the fastener when the electric connector is connected to the fastener assembly.
- the electric connection between the electric connectors can be more stable and reliable so as to avoid poor contact of the electric connectors due to the loosening therebetween in an environment of extreme temperature.
- the bottom portion 246 of the pair of limiting protrusions 241 and 242 of the fastener receiving member 230 may also be made of the first elastic material, or they may be both configured to be made of the first elastic material.
- the support portion 101 is provided with a connecting hole 103.
- the inner surface of the connecting hole 103 is provided with threads (not shown in the figure) to form a threaded connection portion, such that the threaded connection portion can cooperate with the bolt 367.
- Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a fastener assembly according to the present disclosure to show a further embodiment of forming the threaded connection portion in the fastener.
- the fastener 100 shown in Fig. 5 comprises a connector 501, and the threaded connection portion is formed by the connector 501.
- the fastener 100 further comprises the connector 501.
- the connector 501 is provided within the connecting hole 103.
- the connector 501 is internally provided with a screwed hole, and the inner surface of the screwed hole is provided with threads (not shown in the figure) to form a threaded connection portion, such that the threaded connection portion can cooperate with the bolt 367.
- the connector 501 may be a connector with an internal thread, such as a nut. Since the fastener 100 of the present disclosure is made of a material such as thermoplastic resin material, the support portion 101 may be injection-molded onto the connector 501 to connect the connector 501 and the support portion 101 together. The connector 501 and the support portion 101 connected together by injection molding are relatively firm, the process is simple, and the cost is low.
- Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the fastener assembly according to the present disclosure to show still another embodiment of forming the threaded connection portion in the fastener.
- the connector 610 shown in Fig. 6 and the support portion 101 are connected together via mounting structures.
- the fastener 100 further comprises a connector 610.
- the connector 610 comprises a connector main body 611 and a pair of mounting structures.
- the connector main body 611 is generally cylindrical and has a screwed hole.
- the inner surface of the screwed hole is provided with threads (not shown in the figure) to form a threaded connection portion, such that the threaded connection portion can cooperate with the bolt 367.
- the pair of mounting structures are arranged on the left and right sides of the connector main body 611.
- the connector main body 611 of the connector 610 is arranged in the connecting hole 103, and the connector 610 is connected to the support portion 101 via the pair of mounting structures.
- the pair of mounting structures comprises a pair of extension arms 601 and a pair of biased arms 602.
- the pair of extension arms 601 respectively extend transversely and outwardly and then downwardly from the left and right sides of the connector main body 611.
- the downwardly extending portion of the extension arm 601 comprises a window 612.
- the window 612 transversely penetrates the downwardly extending portion of the extension arm 601 for accommodating the biased arm 602.
- the biased arm 602 extends upwardly from an edge of the window 612 and extends obliquely relative to the extension arm 601. In other words, the lower end of the biased arm 602 is accommodated in the window 612 and is connected to the extension arm 601.
- the biased arm 602 is arranged obliquely relative to the vertically extending portion of the extension arm 601, and the upper end of the biased arm 602 is toward the connector main body 611.
- the biased arm 602 has certain elasticity and can move relative to the vertically extending portion of the extension arm 601. Specifically, the biased arm 602 has an open position and a retracted position.
- the biased arm 602 is configured such that: when the biased arm 602 does not receive an external force (i.e., in a free state), the biased arm 602 is in the open position in which the biased arm 602 is inclined to the vertically extending portion of the extension arm 601; and when the biased arm 602 receives an external force (i.e., under a force), the upper end of the biased arm 602 can move away from the connector main body 611 and reaches the retracted position, such that the biased arm 602 is generally parallel to the vertically extending portion of the extension arm 601.
- the support portion 101 comprises a hollow portion (or connecting hole) 621, a pair of arm accommodation cavities 622, and a pair of communication passages 623.
- the hollow portion 621 is used to accommodate the connector main body 611
- the pair of arm accommodation cavities 622 are respectively used to accommodate the pair of biased arms 602 and at least part of the pair of extension arms 601.
- the hollow portion 621 extends downward from the support surface 102 into the support portion 101 but does not penetrate the support portion 101.
- the pair of arm accommodation cavities 622 are arranged on the left and right sides of the hollow portion 621.
- the pair of communication passages 623 are arranged corresponding to the pair of arm accommodation cavities 622 and are arranged above the pair of arm accommodation cavities 622.
- the pair of arm accommodation cavities 622 are in communication with the upper space of the support surface 102 via the pair of communication passage 623.
- the cross-sectional size of the communication passage 623 is smaller than the cross-sectional size of the arm accommodation cavity 622, and the pair of arm accommodation cavities 622 are arranged closer to the hollow portion 621 than the pair of communication passages 623.
- the connector main body 611 is aligned with the hollow portion 621, and the vertically extending portions of the pair of extension arms 601 are aligned with the pair of communication passages 623 and then the connector 610 is pressed downwardly.
- the pair of biased arms 602 are in contact with the intersection of the support surface 102 of the support portion 101 and the communication passages 623 and receive the external force applied by the intersection.
- the pair of biased arms 602 are deformed under the external force and move from the open position to the retracted position, such that the pair of biased arms 602 are generally parallel to the pair of extension arms 601.
- the pair of biased arms 602 in the retracted position can continue to move downward, together with the pair of extension arms 601, through the pair of communication passages 623, until the transversely extending portion of the pair of extension arms 601 abut against the support surface 102.
- the pair of biased arms 602 are accommodated in the pair of arm accommodation cavities 622. Since the walls of the pair of arm accommodation cavities 622 do not abut against the pair of biased arms 602, the pair of biased arms 602 do not receive any external force and move from the retracted position to the open position.
- the pair of biased arms 602 in a free state enable the connector 610 to be connected to the support portion 101.
- the connector 610 Since the pair of biased arms 602 can abut against the upper wall surfaces of the pair of arm accommodation cavities 622, the connector 610 will not disengage from the support portion 101.
- This mounting method is simple and requires less machining accuracy.
- the size of the hollow portion 621, the arm accommodation cavities 622 and the communication passages 623 in the support portion 101 can be slightly larger than the size of the corresponding portion of the connector 610. In this way, when assembled on the support portion, the connector 610 can move back and forth or left and right for a certain distance, which can further reduce the requirements for machining accuracy.
- connector 610 of the present disclosure comprises a pair of mounting structures, any number of mounting structures are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
- the mounting structure in the connector 610 of the present disclosure comprises a pair of extension arms 601 and a pair of biased arms 602
- the pair of biased arms 602 are arranged obliquely relative to the pair of extension arms 601 and the free ends thereof are close to the connector main body 611, but they can also be arranged obliquely relative to the pair of extension arms 601 with the free ends thereof being away from the connector main body 611, as long as the support portion 101 is provided with a structure matching therewith.
- Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the fastener assembly according to the present disclosure to show yet another embodiment of forming the threaded connection portion in the fastener. Similar to the fastener shown in Fig. 6 , a connector 710 shown in Fig. 7 is also connected to the support portion 101 via a mounting structure. Different from the fastener shown in Fig. 6 , in the connector 710 shown in Fig. 7 , the free ends of the extension arms are away from the connector main body.
- the fastener comprises the connector 710 and a pair of mounting structures.
- the connector 710 comprises a connector main body 711.
- the connector main body 711 is generally cylindrical and is internally provided with a screwed hole cooperating with the bolt 367.
- the pair of mounting structures are arranged on the left and right sides of the connector main body 711, and each mounting structure comprises an extension arm 701 and a biased arm 702.
- the downwardly extending portion of each extension arm 701 comprises a window 712.
- the pair of biased arms 702 extend from the edge of the corresponding window 712 upwardly and obliquely toward opposite directions, such that their free ends 757 are away from the connector main body 711.
- the support portion of the fastener has a hollow portion (or connecting hole) 721, a pair of arm accommodation cavities 722 and a pair of communication passages 723 therein.
- the hollow portion 721 is used to accommodate the connector main body 711
- the pair of arm accommodation cavities 722 are respectively used to accommodate the pair of biased arms 702 and at least part of the pair of extension arms 701, and the pair of communication passages 723 connect the corresponding arm accommodation cavity 722 with the space above the support surface 102.
- the dimension of the arm accommodation cavity 722 is configured so as to accommodate the biased arm 702 in its open position.
- the fastener is integrally formed by means of an injection molding process
- the threaded connection portion is integrally formed with other parts of the fastener by means of injection molding.
- the support portion 101 is integrally formed by means of an injection molding process.
- the support portion is also connected to the connector by means of an injection molding process.
- the threaded connection portion is not injection-molded together with the other parts of the fastener, but is connected to the support portion of the fastener by means of pressing and other assembly processes after the injection molding of the other parts of the fastener.
- the support portion is formed by means of an injection molding process, while the connector is assembled on the support portion via mounting structures. Such a process can prevent the molten plastic from entering into the threaded connection portion during the injection molding process to affect the shape of the threads in the connecting hole, causing difficulty in screwing the bolt when the fastener is connected to the bolt, or weakening the connection strength.
- part of the fastener and/or the fastener receiving member can be made of elastic material, such that the fastener can move up and down for a certain distance relative to the fastener receiving member to compensate for the clearance between the electric connector and the support surface of the fastener, thereby preventing the electric connectors from loosening.
- part of the fastener and/or the fastener receiving member can be made of elastic material, such that the fastener can move up and down for a certain distance relative to the fastener receiving member to compensate for the clearance between the electric connector and the support surface of the fastener, thereby preventing the electric connectors from loosening.
- the connector can move back and forth or left and right in the support portion for a certain distance, which can facilitate the bolt to be aligned with the hole in the electric connectors and the connecting hole in the fastener at the same time, thereby reducing the requirements of machining accuracy for the fastener and the electric connectors.
- fasteners with different structures according to different machining conditions.
- the top/upper portion of the clamping shoulders of the fastener and the bottom portion of the limiting protrusion of the fastener receiving member may not be made of the first elastic material with greater elasticity coefficient, but is made of the second elastic material like the support portion of the fastener.
Abstract
Description
- The present disclosure relates to the field of batteries and battery modules, and more specifically to a fastener and a fastener assembly at an end of a battery module.
- In general, it is necessary to electrically connect an electric connector of a battery module to another electric connector by means of a fastener assembly. The fastener assembly comprises a fastener and a fastener receiving member. Specifically, the fastener is partially inserted into the fastener receiving member, and the two electric connectors are electrically connected to each other and supported on the fastener so as to transfer the power from the battery module.
- In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a fastener for supporting and connecting two electric connectors, the fastener comprises a support portion provided with a support surface on a top portion thereof, a connecting hole penetrating the support surface and extending into the support portion, and a pair of clamping shoulders respectively arranged on opposing first and second sides of the support portion and formed by protruding outwardly from the support portion. The pair of clamping shoulders are made of a first elastic material at least at top portions thereof such that, when the fastener is mounted in a receiving slot of a fastener receiving member, the pair of clamping shoulders can be pressed against the fastener receiving member to provide an amount of elastic deformation, which enables the fastener to move a certain distance toward the electric connectors relative to the fastener receiving member when the fastener is connected to the electric connectors.
- According to the first aspect mentioned above, the fastener comprises at least one elastic leg provided at a bottom portion of the support portion, wherein the at least one elastic leg is configured such that it is elastically deformed during the mounting process of the fastener to the receiving slot of the fastener receiving member so as to enable the fastener to move in a first direction relative to the fastener receiving member, and that it restores the free state after the fastener is mounted to the receiving slot of the fastener receiving member so as to prevent the fastener from moving in the first direction relative to the fastener receiving member.
- According to the first aspect mentioned above, the at least one elastic leg extends from a third side of the support portion toward a fourth side of the support portion, and at least part of the elastic leg extends downwardly beyond a bottom surface of the support portion below the connecting hole.
- According to the first aspect mentioned above, the support portion is made of a second elastic material, and the first elastic material has an elasticity coefficient greater than that of the second elastic material.
- According to the first aspect mentioned above, the pair of clamping shoulders each has an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion of the clamping shoulder is made of the first elastic material, and the lower portion of the clamping shoulder is made of the second elastic material; and the support portion and the lower portions of the pair of clamping shoulders are integrally formed, and the upper portions of the pair of clamping shoulders are integrally formed on the support portion and the lower portions of the pair of clamping shoulders by means of an injection molding process.
- According to the first aspect mentioned above, an inner surface of the connecting hole is provided with threads.
- According to the first aspect mentioned above, the fastener further comprises a connector arranged in the connecting hole, and the connector is provided with a screwed hole having threads on an inner surface thereof.
- According to the first aspect mentioned above, the support portion is connected to the connector by means of injection molding.
- According to the first aspect mentioned above, the connector comprises a connector main body and a pair of mounting structures, the pair of mounting structures is arranged on opposite sides of the connector main body, the connector main body is arranged in the connecting hole, and the connector is connected to the support portion by means of the pair of mounting structures. The connector main body is provided with the screwed hole.
- According to the first aspect mentioned above, the pair of mounting structures each comprises a biased arm. One end of the biased arm is connected to the connector main body, and the other end thereof is a free end. The biased arm is configured to enable the connector to be connected to the support portion when in a free state, and the biased arm can be deformed under a force.
- According to the first aspect mentioned above, the pair of mounting structures each further comprises an extension arm. The extension arm is formed by extending outwardly and then downwardly from the connector main body, the extension arm is provided with a window, and the biased arm extends from an edge of the window upwardly and obliquely relative to the extension arm.
- According to the first aspect mentioned above, the first elastic material is thermoplastic elastomer, and the second elastic material is thermoplastic resin.
- According to the first aspect mentioned above, the first side is a left side, the second side is a right side, the third side is a rear side, and the fourth side is a front side.
- In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a fastener assembly for supporting and connecting two electric connectors, the fastener assembly comprises a fastener and a fastener receiving member. The fastener comprises: a support portion being provided with a support surface on a top portion thereof; a connecting hole penetrating the support surface and extending into the support portion; and a pair of clamping shoulders being respectively arranged on opposing first and second sides of the support portion and formed by protruding outwardly from the support portion. The fastener receiving member has a receiving slot, the fastener is inserted into the receiving slot of the fastener receiving member in a first direction, the top portion of the receiving slot is provided with a pair of limiting protrusions protruding toward each other, the limiting protrusion is configured to cooperate with the pair of clamping shoulders to limit the movement of the fastener relative to the fastener receiving member in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The pair of limiting protrusions are made of a first elastic material at least at bottom portions thereof, and/or the pair of clamping shoulders are made of a first elastic material at least at the top portions thereof such that, when the fastener is mounted in the receiving slot of the fastener receiving member, the pair of clamping shoulders and the fastener receiving member can press against each other to provide an amount of elastic deformation, which enables the fastener to move a certain distance toward the electric connectors relative to the fastener receiving member when the fastener is connected to the electric connectors.
- According to the second aspect mentioned above, the bottom portion of the pair of limiting protrusions of the fastener receiving member is made of the first elastic material, and the rest of the fastener receiving member is made of a metal material; or the top portion of the pair of clamping shoulders of the fastener is made of the first elastic material, and the rest of the fastener is made of a second elastic material. The first elastic material having an elasticity coefficient greater than that of the second elastic material.
- The fastener and the fastener assembly provided by the present disclosure can eliminate the clearance between the electric connectors and the fastener, so as to achieve more reliable connection of the electric connectors and further reduce the abnormal noise due to the partial loosening between the electric connectors in a high or low temperature environment, avoiding failure of the electric connection between the electric connectors.
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Fig. 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fastener according to the present disclosure; -
Fig. 1B is a perspective view of the fastener shown inFig. 1A from another perspective; -
Fig. 1C is a cross-sectional view of the fastener shown inFig. 1A along line A-A; -
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fastener receiving member according to the present disclosure; -
Fig. 3A is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fastener assembly according to the present disclosure after being connected to electric connectors; -
Fig. 3B is a side view ofFig. 3A ; -
Figs. 4A and 4B show a process of connecting the electric connectors to the fastener assembly, in whichFig. 4A shows a cross-sectional view of the fastener assembly and the electric connectors in a state that they are not connected in place along line B-B inFig. 3B , andFig. 4B shows a cross-sectional view of the fastener assembly and the electric connectors in a state that they are connected in place along line B-B inFig. 3B ; -
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a fastener assembly according to the present disclosure to show another embodiment of forming a threaded connection portion; -
Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a fastener assembly according to the present disclosure to show still another embodiment of forming the threaded connection portion; and -
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a fastener assembly according to the present disclosure to show yet another embodiment of forming the threaded connection portion. - Various specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings which constitute part of this description. It should be understood that although the terms such as "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "left" and "right" indicating directions in the present disclosure are used to describe various exemplary structural parts and elements in the present disclosure, these terms used herein are merely used for ease of description and are determined based on the exemplary orientation shown in the accompanying drawings. Since the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure can be arranged in different directions, these terms indicating directions are only illustrative and should not be considered as limitations.
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Fig. 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of afastener 100 according to the present disclosure, which shows the specific structure of thefastener 100 when viewed from top to bottom,Fig. 1B is a perspective view of thefastener 100 shown inFig. 1A from another perspective, which shows the specific structure of thefastener 100 viewed from bottom to top, andFig. 1C is cross-sectional view ofFig. 1A along the section line A-A, which shows the internal structure of thefastener 100. As shown inFigs. 1A to 1C , thefastener 100 comprises asupport portion 101, a pair of clampingshoulders peripheral wall 105. The insulatingperipheral wall 105 comprises afront side wall 151, arear side wall 152, aleft side wall 153 and aright side wall 154, which are formed by respectively extending upwardly from the peripheral edge of thesupport portion 101 and enclose aspace 131 around a top portion 113 of thesupport portion 101. Thespace 131 is used to accommodateelectric connectors 391 and 392 (seeFig. 3A ) to insulate theelectric connectors shoulders support portion 101 and respectively protrude outwardly from the left and right sides of thesupport portion 101 beyond theleft side wall 153 and theright side wall 154 of the insulatingperipheral wall 105. - Specifically, as shown in
Figs. 1A and1C , thesupport portion 101 has the top portion 113 and abottom portion 114. As an example, acavity 138 is provided between the top portion 113 and thebottom portion 114. In this way, thesupport portion 101 is configured into a hollow shape, which can reduce the weight of thefastener 100 as much as possible and save material. Of course, in other embodiments, thesupport portion 101 may also be of a solid shape. Thesupport portion 101 is provided with a connectinghole 103, and the connectinghole 103 penetrates the top portion 113 and extends downward into thecavity 138 but does not penetrate thebottom portion 114. An upper surface of the top portion 113 forms asupport surface 102, an inner surface of the connectinghole 103 is provided with threads (not shown in the figure), such that the connectinghole 103 can cooperate with abolt 367 to fix theelectric connectors Figs. 3A and 3B ). - Referring to
Figs. 1B and1C , the outer contour of thebottom portion 114 of thesupport portion 101 can substantially match the shape of a receiving slot 250 (see the receivingslot 250 inFig. 2 ) of afastener receiving member 230. Specifically, the lower surface of thebottom portion 114 of thesupport portion 101 is generally in the shape of a symmetrical smooth curved surface, with the left and right sides thereof bending upwardly to form alowest bottom surface 106 in the middle position. Thebottom portion 114 is further provided with two mountingholes 161 in communication with thecavity 138 in thesupport portion 101, and the two mountingholes 161 are respectively provided in the left and right sides of thebottom surface 106. - As a specific example, a connecting
column 121 is provided in thecavity 138 of thesupport portion 101, and the connectingcolumn 121 is connected between thesupport surface 102 of the top portion 113 and thebottom surface 106 of thebottom portion 114. The connectinghole 103 is provided in the connectingcolumn 121, with the position of the connectinghole 103 being generally corresponding to thebottom surface 106. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the connectinghole 103 may also penetrate thebottom portion 114 and be exposed from thebottom surface 106. - An
elastic leg 104 is provided at each mountinghole 161 of thebottom portion 114 of thesupport portion 101. Eachelastic leg 104 has adistal end 162 and aproximal end 165. Theproximal end 165 thereof is connected to ahole wall edge 155 at the rear side of the mountinghole 161. Thedistal end 162 thereof is spaced from ahole wall edge 157 at the front side of the mountinghole 161 and is suspended. In the embodiment as shown in the figure, anupper surface 171 of eachelastic leg 104 generally horizontally extends from theproximal end 165 to thedistal end 162, and alower surface 172 thereof generally extends obliquely and downwardly from theproximal end 165 to thedistal end 162 to form a slope so as to form a downwardly protruding raisedportion 166 at thedistal end 162. In a free state (i.e., a state in which no external force is exerted), the raisedportion 166 of theelastic leg 104 extends downwardly beyond thebottom surface 106 of thesupport portion 101. Theelastic leg 104 is made of an elastic material (e.g., plastic) such that theelastic leg 104 has a certain elasticity. When thedistal end 162 of the elastic leg 104 (e.g., at the raised portion 166) receives an upward force, theelastic leg 104 can be elastically deformed, such that thedistal end 162 of theelastic leg 104 moves toward thecavity 138 of thesupport portion 101 until it is no longer beyond thebottom surface 106. Alternatively, theelastic leg 104 may also be configured into a shape in which theupper surface 171 and thelower surface 172 together extend obliquely and downwardly from theproximal end 165 toward thedistal end 162 until it is beyond thebottom surface 106 of thesupport portion 101. In this situation, theelastic leg 104 is of a straight plate shape, without providing a downwardly protruding raised portion at the distal end thereof. - As shown in
Figs. 1A and 1B , thefront side wall 151 and therear side wall 152 of the insulatingperipheral wall 105 are arranged opposed to each other, and the height of therear side wall 152 is higher than that of thefront side wall 151. The insulatingperipheral wall 105 has anopening 108 in thefront side wall 151 to allow theelectric connectors support surface 102 through theopening 108. In this embodiment, therear side wall 152 of the insulatingperipheral wall 105 is generally "T"-shaped, comprising a body 158 and a protrudingportion 156. The body 158 is at an upper portion of therear side wall 152, and the protrudingportion 156 is at a bottom portion of therear side wall 152. The width of the body 158 is greater than that of the protrudingportion 156, such that therear side wall 152 is generally "T"-shaped. Also, the protrudingportion 156 is generally arranged at the rear side of therear side surface 119 of thesupport portion 101 and protrudes outwardly relative to therear side surface 119. The protrudingportion 156 is in a shape-fit with acorresponding opening 238 in the fastener receiving member 230 (seeFig. 2 ) to be connected in theopening 238. Theleft side wall 153 andright side wall 154 of the insulatingperipheral wall 105 are arranged opposed to each other. Theleft side wall 153 and theright side wall 154 of the insulatingperipheral wall 105 are connected between thefront side wall 151 and therear side wall 152, and the upper surfaces of theleft side wall 153 and theright side wall 154 respectively extend horizontally from the left and right edges of therear side wall 152 of the insulatingperipheral wall 105 and then obliquely and downwardly to connect to thefront side wall 151 of the insulatingperipheral wall 105. In this embodiment, alternatively, the insulatingperipheral wall 105 may be of any structure that can achieve an insulating effect. - In this embodiment, the
support portion 101 and the insulatingperipheral wall 105 may be integrally formed from the same material, for example, a thermoplastic resin material, which not only have a good supporting effect but also is able to achieve the insulating effect. - The clamping
shoulder 110 is arranged on one side of thefastener 100, and the clampingshoulder 120 is arranged on the opposite side of thefastener 100. From the perspective shown inFig. 1A , the clampingshoulder 110 is arranged on the outside of the left side of thesupport portion 101, and the clampingshoulder 120 is arranged on the outside of the right side of thesupport portion 101. The shape of the clampingshoulders slot 250 inFig. 2 ) of thefastener receiving member 230, such that thefastener 100 can cooperate with thefastener receiving member 230 to allow thefastener 100 to be inserted into the receivingslot 250 of thefastener receiving member 230 and come into contact with the receivingslot 250. In this embodiment, the shape of the clampingshoulders shoulder 120 as an example. - As shown in
Figs. 1A and 1B , the clampingshoulder 120 comprises anupper portion 125 and alower portion 126. Thelower portion 126 protrudes rightward from the bottom portion of thesupport portion 101 and is integrally formed with thesupport portion 101, and theupper portion 125 is arranged above thelower portion 126 on the right side of thesupport portion 101. For example, theupper portion 125 may be integrally formed on thelower portion 126 by means of an injection molding process and connected to the right side of thesupport portion 101. In this embodiment, theupper portion 125 and thelower portion 126 of the clampingshoulder 120 are made of different materials. For example, theupper portion 125 is made of a first elastic material with a certain elasticity, and thelower portion 126 is made of a second elastic material which is the same as that of thesupport portion 101, with the elasticity coefficient of the first elastic material being greater than that of the elasticity coefficient of the second elastic material. As a specific example, the first elastic material may be a thermoplastic elastomer material, and the second elastic material may be a thermoplastic resin material. It should be noted that, according to the specific requirements of the amount of deformation, the clampingshoulder 120 may also be made of the first elastic material only at thetop portion 127 thereof. In this situation, thetop portion 127 forms a portion of the upper portion of the clampingshoulder 120. Thetop portion 127 here refers to the portion with a certain height extending downward from theupper surface 128 of the clampingshoulder 120. - When the
upper portion 125 of the clampingshoulder 120 bears a certain downwardly acting force, theupper portion 125 can be elastically deformed to a certain degree. When theupper portion 125 of the clampingshoulder 120 is elastically deformed, thelower portion 126 can provide a certain supporting force. The amount of deformation of theupper portion 125 can compensate for the clearance during the process of fixing theelectric connectors support surface 102 of thefastener 100, which will be described in detail below with reference toFigs. 4A and 4B . - Similarly, the clamping
shoulder 110 on the other side of thefastener 100 also has anupper portion 115 and alower portion 116, the same as those of the clampingshoulder 120. Thelower portion 116 protrudes leftward from the bottom portion of thesupport portion 101 and is integrally formed with thesupport portion 101, and theupper portion 115 is arranged above thelower portion 116 on the left side of thesupport portion 101. Theupper portion 115 is made of the first elastic material, and thelower portion 116 is made of the second elastic material. Also, similar to the clampingshoulder 120, according to the specific requirement of the amount of deformation, the clampingshoulder 110 may also be made of the first elastic material only at thetop portion 117 thereof. - In this embodiment, the
upper portion 115 of the clampingshoulder 110 and theupper portion 125 of the clampingshoulder 120 are connected to each other via theconnection portion 107. Theconnection portion 107 is made of the first elastic material. Thus, by means of providing a suitable injection mold with only one injection port provided at the position corresponding to theconnection portion 107, the injection molding of the clampingshoulders support portion 101 can be completed, which further simplifies the processing. - Those skilled in the art should understand that the upper portion (or the top portion) and the lower portion of the clamping shoulder in this embodiment are only used as directional indications, representing that they are formed of different materials.
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Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of thefastener receiving member 230 according to the present disclosure, showing the details of a structure in thefastener receiving member 230 for mounting thefastener 100. As shown inFig. 2 , thefastener receiving member 230 is generally of a box shape with an open top portion and has acavity 233 and a receivingslot 250 therein. The receivingslot 250 is arranged above thecavity 233 and is in communication with thecavity 233. The receivingslot 250 is configured for receiving the bottom portion of thefastener 100 such that thefastener receiving member 230 can cooperate and mounted with thefastener 100. In this embodiment, thefastener receiving member 230 is made of a metal material (such as aluminum). - As shown in
Fig. 2 , thefastener receiving member 230 has afront side wall 234 and arear side wall 232 arranged opposite to each other, and aleft side wall 236 and aright side wall 235 arranged opposite to each other. The receivingslot 250 is arranged above thecavity 233 and between theleft side wall 236 and theright side wall 235. The top portion of the receivingslot 250 forms, on theleft side wall 236 and theright side wall 235, a pair of limitingprotrusions slot 250 matches the outer contour of thesupport portion 101 and the clampingshoulders fastener 100. Specifically, the receivingslot 250 forms a generally symmetrical smoothcurved surface 243 on thefront side wall 234, with left and right sides of thecurved surface 243 bending upwardly for cooperating with the bottom portion of thesupport portion 101 of thefastener 100. The receivingslot 250 forms a recessedportion 247 below each of the limitingprotrusions left side wall 236 and theright side wall 235, and the recessedportions 247 are configured for cooperating with the clampingshoulders bottom portion 246 of the limitingprotrusions 241 and 242 (i.e., the top portion of the recessed portion 247) may also be made of the first elastic material with elasticity, such as a thermoplastic elastomer material. When the recessedportions 247 accommodate the clampingshoulders bottom portion 246 of the limitingprotrusions upper portions shoulders rear side wall 232 of thefastener receiving member 230 is provided with a downwardly recessedopening 238, and the shape of theopening 238 matches the shape of the protrudingportion 156 of thefastener 100. - In the process of mounting the
fastener 100 to thefastener receiving member 230, the bottom portion of thefastener 100 can be inserted into the receivingslot 250 of thefastener receiving member 230 from front to rear. The process of mounting thefastener 100 to thefastener receiving member 230 will be described below with reference toFigs. 1A to 1C andFig. 2 . - At the beginning of inserting the
fastener 100 into the receivingslot 250 in a front-to-rear direction (i.e., in a first direction), since the shape of thesupport portion 101 of thefastener 100 and the shape of the pair of clampingshoulders slot 250 of thefastener receiving member 230, the recessedportion 247 of the receivingslot 250 can accommodate the clampingshoulders fastener 100, and the bottom portion of thesupport portion 101 is in contact with thecurved surface 243 of the receivingslot 250. As thefastener 100 continues to be inserted into the receivingslot 250, since the raisedportions 166 of theelastic legs 104 extend downwardly beyond thebottom surface 106 of thesupport portion 101, the distal ends 162 of theelastic legs 104 will be pressed by thecurved surface 243 at the raisedportion 166 to elastically deform upwardly. - After the
fastener 100 moves rearward relative to thefastener receiving member 230 to be fully inserted into the receivingslot 250, therear side wall 152 of the insulatingperipheral wall 105 of thefastener 100 cooperates with therear side wall 232 of thefastener receiving member 230 to be positioned, namely, the protrudingportion 156 on therear side wall 152 of the insulatingperipheral wall 105 of thefastener 100 cooperates with theopening 238 in therear side wall 232 of thefastener receiving member 230. At this moment, theelastic leg 104 of thefastener 100 completely crosses thefront side wall 234 and enters into the receivingslot 250. Thedistal end 162 of theelastic leg 104 is no longer pressed by thecurved surface 243, but restores to the free state, extends into thecavity 233 of thefastener receiving member 230 and abuts against the inner surface of thefront side wall 234 of thefastener receiving member 230, thereby preventing thefastener 100 from moving back and forth relative to thefastener receiving member 230 in the first direction. Further, the clampingshoulders portion 247 of the receivingslot 250, so that thefastener 100 cannot move left and right relative to thefastener receiving member 230. Since the distance between the limitingprotrusions shoulders 110 and 120 (i.e., the distance between the left end of the clampingshoulder 110 and the right end of the clamping shoulder 120), thefastener 100 cannot disengage from the spacing between the limitingprotrusions fastener receiving member 230 when the clampingshoulders fastener 100 relative to thefastener receiving member 230 is restricted. Thus, thefastener 100 and thefastener receiving member 230 can cooperate and mounted together. -
Fig. 3A is a perspective view of an embodiment of afastener assembly 370 after being connected to electric connectors, andFig. 3B is a side view of thefastener assembly 370 and the electric connectors shown inFig. 3A . As shown inFigs. 3A and 3B , thefastener assembly 370 comprises thefastener 100 and thefastener receiving member 230 mounted together. Thefastener assembly 370 is connected to one side of abattery module 340 for supporting and connecting the twoelectric connectors electric connectors - Specifically, a
first end 393 of theelectric connector 391 and afirst end 394 of theelectric connector 392 can be accommodated in thespace 131 through the front side opening 108 of the insulatingperipheral wall 105 of thefastener 100 and supported on thesupport surface 102 of thefastener 100. Abolt 367 penetrates through thefirst end 393 of theelectric connector 391 and thefirst end 394 of theelectric connector 392, wherein thebolt 367 has external threads that match the internal threads of the connectinghole 103 of thesupport portion 101, and by means of the fastening of thebolt 367 to the connectinghole 103, the respective first ends 393 and 394 of the twoelectric connectors support surface 102. Asecond end 396 of theelectric connector 392 is connected to thebattery module 340, and as an embodiment, thesecond end 396 of theelectric connector 392 is connected to thebattery module 340 via anotherbolt 368. In some embodiments, theelectric connector 392 can be an output electrode copper bar of thebattery module 340 for outputting the power of thebattery module 340. Theelectric connector 391 is a high-voltage connection copper bar and serves as a bus bar, with a second end thereof being connected to another electric connector (not shown in the figure). Through the connection between theelectric connector 392 and theelectric connector 391, the power of thebattery module 340 can be transferred out via theelectric connector 391. It should be noted thatFig. 3A only schematically shows thebattery module 340, those skilled in the art should understand that thebattery module 340 may be of other shapes and may be arranged in other positions, for example, at the rear side of thefastener assembly 370, but is not limited to the shape and the position shown in the embodiment. - In the embodiment as shown in
Figs. 3A and 3B , thefastener assembly 370 has been connected to theelectric connectors first end 394 of theelectric connector 392 abuts against thesupport surface 102. There is a clearance between the bottom portion of thesupport portion 101 of thefastener 100 and thecurved surface 243 of the receivingslot 250 of thefastener receiving member 230. However, since theelectric connectors support surface 102, the clearance between the bottom portion of thesupport portion 101 of thefastener 100 and thecurved surface 243 of the receivingslot 250 of thefastener receiving member 230 will not affect the stability of the connection of theelectric connectors -
Figs. 4A and 4B show a process of connecting theelectric connectors fastener assembly 370.Fig. 4A shows a cross-sectional view of thefastener assembly 370 and theelectric connectors Fig. 3B , in which a clearance H is shown.Fig. 4B shows a cross-sectional view of thefastener assembly 370 and theelectric connectors Fig. 3B , in which the clearance H is eliminated. For ease of description, inFigs. 4A and 4B , only thebolt 367, thefastener assembly 370 and theelectric connectors fastener receiving member 230 and thebattery module 340 are not cut. - As shown in
Fig. 4A , thebolt 367 passes through the twoelectric connectors hole 103 of thefastener 100. In the process of screwing thebolt 367 downwardly, thebolt 367 drives theelectric connector 391 to move downwardly until it abuts against theelectric connector 392. Due to the manufacturing tolerances and mounting errors of thebattery module 340 and thefastener receiving member 230, there is a clearance H between the lower surface of theelectric connector 392 connected to thebattery module 340 and thesupport surface 102 of thefastener 100 connected to thefastener receiving member 230, and this clearance H will cause the electric connection of theelectric connectors shoulders bolt 367 hard to force the lower surface of theelectric connector 392 to abut against thesupport surface 102. However, this would render theelectric connectors - However, in the present disclosure, in the process of continuing to screw the
bolt 367 downwardly to enable the lower surface of theelectric connector 392 to abut against thesupport surface 102, thesupport portion 101 receives the reaction force of thebolt 367 to be pulled upwardly. Under the action of the reaction force, theupper portions shoulders bottom portion 246 of the limitingprotrusions upper portions shoulders upper portions shoulders upper portions fastener 100 to move slightly upwardly as a whole under the action of the reaction force until thesupport surface 102 abuts against the lower surface of theelectric connector 392 to reach the state shown inFig. 4B . - As shown in
Fig. 4B , theupper portions shoulders electric connector 392 and thesupport surface 102 such that the clearance H is eliminated. At this moment, although the bottom portion of thefastener 100 leaves thecurved surface 243 on thefront side wall 234 of thefastener receiving member 230, theelectric connectors fastener 100 by thebolt 367, and the position of theelectric connectors fastener receiving member 230 is fixed, so thefastener 100 cannot move downwardly relative to thefastener receiving member 230. Furthermore, although thefastener 100 slightly moves upwardly, theelastic leg 104 still abuts against the inner surface of thefront side wall 234 of thefastener receiving member 230. Therefore, after thebolt 367 is fastened, thefastener 100 will not move back and forth relative to thefastener receiving member 230. - When the electric connectors are connected to the fastener assembly, the upper portion of the clamping shoulder of the fastener can be pressed against the bottom portion of the limiting protrusion of the fastener receiving member. By configuring the upper portion of the clamping shoulder of the fastener to be made of the first elastic material with certain elasticity, the upper portion of the clamping shoulder can be elastically deformed when pressed, and the amount of deformation is used to compensate for the clearance between the electric connector and the support surface of the fastener when the electric connector is connected to the fastener assembly. Thus, the electric connection between the electric connectors can be more stable and reliable so as to avoid poor contact of the electric connectors due to the loosening therebetween in an environment of extreme temperature.
- Those skilled in the art should know that, in addition to configuring the upper portion of the pair of clamping
shoulders bottom portion 246 of the pair of limitingprotrusions fastener receiving member 230 may also be made of the first elastic material, or they may be both configured to be made of the first elastic material. Similarly, it is also possible to eliminate the clearance H between theelectric connector 392 and thesupport surface 102 by means of the elastic deformation of the pair of limitingprotrusions - In the
fastener 100 shown inFigs. 1A-4B , thesupport portion 101 is provided with a connectinghole 103. The inner surface of the connectinghole 103 is provided with threads (not shown in the figure) to form a threaded connection portion, such that the threaded connection portion can cooperate with thebolt 367. -
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a fastener assembly according to the present disclosure to show a further embodiment of forming the threaded connection portion in the fastener. Different from thefastener 100 shown inFigs. 1A-4B , thefastener 100 shown inFig. 5 comprises aconnector 501, and the threaded connection portion is formed by theconnector 501. - Specifically, as shown in
Fig. 5 , thefastener 100 further comprises theconnector 501. Theconnector 501 is provided within the connectinghole 103. Theconnector 501 is internally provided with a screwed hole, and the inner surface of the screwed hole is provided with threads (not shown in the figure) to form a threaded connection portion, such that the threaded connection portion can cooperate with thebolt 367. As an example, theconnector 501 may be a connector with an internal thread, such as a nut. Since thefastener 100 of the present disclosure is made of a material such as thermoplastic resin material, thesupport portion 101 may be injection-molded onto theconnector 501 to connect theconnector 501 and thesupport portion 101 together. Theconnector 501 and thesupport portion 101 connected together by injection molding are relatively firm, the process is simple, and the cost is low. -
Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the fastener assembly according to the present disclosure to show still another embodiment of forming the threaded connection portion in the fastener. Different from thefastener 100 shown inFig. 5 in which theconnector 501 in thefastener 100 and thesupport portion 101 are connected together by means of injection molding, theconnector 610 shown inFig. 6 and thesupport portion 101 are connected together via mounting structures. - Specifically, as shown in
Fig. 6 , thefastener 100 further comprises aconnector 610. Theconnector 610 comprises a connectormain body 611 and a pair of mounting structures. The connectormain body 611 is generally cylindrical and has a screwed hole. The inner surface of the screwed hole is provided with threads (not shown in the figure) to form a threaded connection portion, such that the threaded connection portion can cooperate with thebolt 367. The pair of mounting structures are arranged on the left and right sides of the connectormain body 611. The connectormain body 611 of theconnector 610 is arranged in the connectinghole 103, and theconnector 610 is connected to thesupport portion 101 via the pair of mounting structures. The pair of mounting structures comprises a pair ofextension arms 601 and a pair of biasedarms 602. The pair ofextension arms 601 respectively extend transversely and outwardly and then downwardly from the left and right sides of the connectormain body 611. The downwardly extending portion of theextension arm 601 comprises awindow 612. Thewindow 612 transversely penetrates the downwardly extending portion of theextension arm 601 for accommodating thebiased arm 602. Thebiased arm 602 extends upwardly from an edge of thewindow 612 and extends obliquely relative to theextension arm 601. In other words, the lower end of thebiased arm 602 is accommodated in thewindow 612 and is connected to theextension arm 601. Thebiased arm 602 is arranged obliquely relative to the vertically extending portion of theextension arm 601, and the upper end of thebiased arm 602 is toward the connectormain body 611. Thebiased arm 602 has certain elasticity and can move relative to the vertically extending portion of theextension arm 601. Specifically, thebiased arm 602 has an open position and a retracted position. Thebiased arm 602 is configured such that: when thebiased arm 602 does not receive an external force (i.e., in a free state), thebiased arm 602 is in the open position in which thebiased arm 602 is inclined to the vertically extending portion of theextension arm 601; and when thebiased arm 602 receives an external force (i.e., under a force), the upper end of thebiased arm 602 can move away from the connectormain body 611 and reaches the retracted position, such that thebiased arm 602 is generally parallel to the vertically extending portion of theextension arm 601. - As shown in
Fig. 6 , thesupport portion 101 comprises a hollow portion (or connecting hole) 621, a pair ofarm accommodation cavities 622, and a pair ofcommunication passages 623. Thehollow portion 621 is used to accommodate the connectormain body 611, the pair ofarm accommodation cavities 622 are respectively used to accommodate the pair of biasedarms 602 and at least part of the pair ofextension arms 601. Specifically, thehollow portion 621 extends downward from thesupport surface 102 into thesupport portion 101 but does not penetrate thesupport portion 101. The pair ofarm accommodation cavities 622 are arranged on the left and right sides of thehollow portion 621. The pair ofcommunication passages 623 are arranged corresponding to the pair ofarm accommodation cavities 622 and are arranged above the pair ofarm accommodation cavities 622. The pair ofarm accommodation cavities 622 are in communication with the upper space of thesupport surface 102 via the pair ofcommunication passage 623. The cross-sectional size of thecommunication passage 623 is smaller than the cross-sectional size of thearm accommodation cavity 622, and the pair ofarm accommodation cavities 622 are arranged closer to thehollow portion 621 than the pair ofcommunication passages 623. - To connect the
connector 610 to thesupport portion 101, the connectormain body 611 is aligned with thehollow portion 621, and the vertically extending portions of the pair ofextension arms 601 are aligned with the pair ofcommunication passages 623 and then theconnector 610 is pressed downwardly. During the downward movement, the pair of biasedarms 602 are in contact with the intersection of thesupport surface 102 of thesupport portion 101 and thecommunication passages 623 and receive the external force applied by the intersection. The pair of biasedarms 602 are deformed under the external force and move from the open position to the retracted position, such that the pair of biasedarms 602 are generally parallel to the pair ofextension arms 601. The pair of biasedarms 602 in the retracted position can continue to move downward, together with the pair ofextension arms 601, through the pair ofcommunication passages 623, until the transversely extending portion of the pair ofextension arms 601 abut against thesupport surface 102. At this moment, the pair of biasedarms 602 are accommodated in the pair ofarm accommodation cavities 622. Since the walls of the pair ofarm accommodation cavities 622 do not abut against the pair of biasedarms 602, the pair of biasedarms 602 do not receive any external force and move from the retracted position to the open position. Thus, the pair of biasedarms 602 in a free state enable theconnector 610 to be connected to thesupport portion 101. Since the pair of biasedarms 602 can abut against the upper wall surfaces of the pair ofarm accommodation cavities 622, theconnector 610 will not disengage from thesupport portion 101. This mounting method is simple and requires less machining accuracy. As an example, the size of thehollow portion 621, thearm accommodation cavities 622 and thecommunication passages 623 in thesupport portion 101 can be slightly larger than the size of the corresponding portion of theconnector 610. In this way, when assembled on the support portion, theconnector 610 can move back and forth or left and right for a certain distance, which can further reduce the requirements for machining accuracy. - Those skilled in the art could understand that although the
connector 610 of the present disclosure comprises a pair of mounting structures, any number of mounting structures are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. - Furthermore, although the mounting structure in the
connector 610 of the present disclosure comprises a pair ofextension arms 601 and a pair of biasedarms 602, those skilled in the art could understand that any specific structure of the mounting structure is within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. For example, in the present disclosure, the pair of biasedarms 602 are arranged obliquely relative to the pair ofextension arms 601 and the free ends thereof are close to the connectormain body 611, but they can also be arranged obliquely relative to the pair ofextension arms 601 with the free ends thereof being away from the connectormain body 611, as long as thesupport portion 101 is provided with a structure matching therewith. -
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the fastener assembly according to the present disclosure to show yet another embodiment of forming the threaded connection portion in the fastener. Similar to the fastener shown inFig. 6 , aconnector 710 shown inFig. 7 is also connected to thesupport portion 101 via a mounting structure. Different from the fastener shown inFig. 6 , in theconnector 710 shown inFig. 7 , the free ends of the extension arms are away from the connector main body. - Specifically, as shown in
Fig. 7 , the fastener comprises theconnector 710 and a pair of mounting structures. Theconnector 710 comprises a connectormain body 711. The connectormain body 711 is generally cylindrical and is internally provided with a screwed hole cooperating with thebolt 367. The pair of mounting structures are arranged on the left and right sides of the connectormain body 711, and each mounting structure comprises anextension arm 701 and abiased arm 702. The downwardly extending portion of eachextension arm 701 comprises awindow 712. The pair of biasedarms 702 extend from the edge of thecorresponding window 712 upwardly and obliquely toward opposite directions, such that theirfree ends 757 are away from the connectormain body 711. - The support portion of the fastener has a hollow portion (or connecting hole) 721, a pair of
arm accommodation cavities 722 and a pair ofcommunication passages 723 therein. Thehollow portion 721 is used to accommodate the connectormain body 711, the pair ofarm accommodation cavities 722 are respectively used to accommodate the pair of biasedarms 702 and at least part of the pair ofextension arms 701, and the pair ofcommunication passages 723 connect the correspondingarm accommodation cavity 722 with the space above thesupport surface 102. The dimension of thearm accommodation cavity 722 is configured so as to accommodate thebiased arm 702 in its open position. When theconnector 710 is connected into thesupport portion 101, thefree end 757 of thebiased arm 702 abuts against anupper wall surface 756 of the correspondingarm accommodation cavity 722. - In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fastener is integrally formed by means of an injection molding process, the threaded connection portion is integrally formed with other parts of the fastener by means of injection molding. For example, in the fastener of the embodiment shown in
Figs. 1A-4B , thesupport portion 101 is integrally formed by means of an injection molding process. In the fastener of the embodiment shown inFig. 5 , the support portion is also connected to the connector by means of an injection molding process. Such fasteners are relatively simple in machining process and low in machining cost. - In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the threaded connection portion is not injection-molded together with the other parts of the fastener, but is connected to the support portion of the fastener by means of pressing and other assembly processes after the injection molding of the other parts of the fastener. For example, in the embodiments shown in
Figs. 6 and7 , the support portion is formed by means of an injection molding process, while the connector is assembled on the support portion via mounting structures. Such a process can prevent the molten plastic from entering into the threaded connection portion during the injection molding process to affect the shape of the threads in the connecting hole, causing difficulty in screwing the bolt when the fastener is connected to the bolt, or weakening the connection strength. - Also, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, for example, in the embodiment shown in
Figs. 1A to 6 , part of the fastener and/or the fastener receiving member can be made of elastic material, such that the fastener can move up and down for a certain distance relative to the fastener receiving member to compensate for the clearance between the electric connector and the support surface of the fastener, thereby preventing the electric connectors from loosening. However, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, for example, in the embodiments shown inFigs. 6 and7 , the connector can move back and forth or left and right in the support portion for a certain distance, which can facilitate the bolt to be aligned with the hole in the electric connectors and the connecting hole in the fastener at the same time, thereby reducing the requirements of machining accuracy for the fastener and the electric connectors. Those skilled in the art could choose fasteners with different structures according to different machining conditions. In addition, in some embodiments of the present application, for example, in the embodiment shown inFIG. 7 , the top/upper portion of the clamping shoulders of the fastener and the bottom portion of the limiting protrusion of the fastener receiving member may not be made of the first elastic material with greater elasticity coefficient, but is made of the second elastic material like the support portion of the fastener. - Although the present disclosure is described with reference to the specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the fastener and the fastener assembly of the present disclosure can have many variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the teaching of the present disclosure. Those of ordinary skill in the art would also have appreciated that there are different ways to alter the structural details in the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure, which all fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and the claims.
Claims (15)
- A fastener for supporting and connecting two electric connectors, the fastener comprising:a support portion being provided with a support surface on a top portion thereof;a connecting hole penetrating the support surface and extending into the support portion; anda pair of clamping shoulders being respectively arranged on opposing first and second sides of the support portion and formed by protruding outwardly from the support portion;wherein the pair of clamping shoulders are made of a first elastic material at least at top portions thereof such that, when the fastener is mounted in a receiving slot of a fastener receiving member, the pair of clamping shoulders can be pressed against the fastener receiving member to provide an amount of elastic deformation, which enables the fastener to move a certain distance toward the electric connectors relative to the fastener receiving member when the fastener is connected to the electric connectors.
- The fastener of claim 1, further comprising:
at least one elastic leg being provided at a bottom portion of the support portion, wherein the at least one elastic leg is configured such that it is elastically deformed during the mounting process of the fastener to the receiving slot of the fastener receiving member so as to enable the fastener to move in a first direction relative to the fastener receiving member, and that it restores the free state after the fastener is mounted to the receiving slot of the fastener receiving member so as to prevent the fastener from moving in the first direction relative to the fastener receiving member. - The fastener of claim 2, wherein
the at least one elastic leg extends from a third side of the support portion toward a fourth side of the support portion, and at least part of the elastic leg extends downwardly beyond a bottom surface of the support portion below the connecting hole. - The fastener of claim 1, wherein
the support portion is made of a second elastic material, and the first elastic material has an elasticity coefficient greater than that of the second elastic material. - The fastener of claim 4, wherein
the pair of clamping shoulders each has an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion of the clamping shoulder is made of the first elastic material, and the lower portion of the clamping shoulder is made of the second elastic material; and
the support portion and the lower portions of the pair of clamping shoulders are integrally formed, and the upper portions of the pair of clamping shoulders are integrally formed on the support portion and the lower portions of the pair of clamping shoulders by means of an injection molding process. - The fastener of claim 1, wherein
an inner surface of the connecting hole is provided with threads. - The fastener of claim 1, wherein
the fastener further comprises a connector arranged in the connecting hole, and the connector is provided with a screwed hole having threads on an inner surface thereof. - The fastener of claim 7, wherein
the support portion is connected to the connector by means of injection molding. - The fastener of claim 8, wherein
the connector comprises a connector main body and a pair of mounting structures, the pair of mounting structures being arranged on opposite sides of the connector main body, the connector main body being arranged in the connecting hole, and the connector being connected to the support portion by means of the pair of mounting structures; and
wherein the connector main body is provided with the screwed hole. - The fastener of claim 9, wherein
the pair of mounting structures each comprises a biased arm;
wherein one end of the biased arm is connected to the connector main body, and the other end thereof is a free end; and
wherein the biased arm is configured to enable the connector to be connected to the support portion when in a free state, and the biased arm can be deformed under a force. - The fastener of claim 10, wherein
the pair of mounting structures each further comprises an extension arm; and
wherein the extension arm is formed by extending outwardly and then downwardly from the connector main body, the extension arm is provided with a window, and the biased arm extends from an edge of the window upwardly and obliquely relative to the extension arm. - The fastener of claim 4, wherein
the first elastic material is thermoplastic elastomer, and the second elastic material is thermoplastic resin. - The fastener of claims 1-12, wherein
the first side is a left side, the second side is a right side, the third side is a rear side, and the fourth side is a front side. - A fastener assembly for supporting and connecting two electric connectors, the fastener assembly comprising:a fastener comprising:a support portion being provided with a support surface on a top portion thereof;a connecting hole penetrating the support surface and extending into the support portion; anda pair of clamping shoulders being respectively arranged on opposing first and second sides of the support portion and formed by protruding outwardly from the support portion; anda fastener receiving member having a receiving slot, the fastener being inserted into the receiving slot of the fastener receiving member in a first direction, the top portion of the receiving slot being provided with a pair of limiting protrusions protruding toward each other, the limiting protrusion being configured to cooperate with the pair of clamping shoulders to limit the movement of the fastener relative to the fastener receiving member in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;wherein the pair of limiting protrusions are made of a first elastic material at least at bottom portions thereof, and/or the pair of clamping shoulders are made of a first elastic material at least at the top portions thereof such that, when the fastener is mounted in the receiving slot of the fastener receiving member, the pair of clamping shoulders and the fastener receiving member can press against each other to provide an amount of elastic deformation, which enables the fastener to move a certain distance toward the electric connectors relative to the fastener receiving member when the fastener is connected to the electric connectors.
- The fastener assembly of claim 14, wherein
the bottom portion of the pair of limiting protrusions of the fastener receiving member is made of the first elastic material, and the rest of the fastener receiving member is made of a metal material; or
the top portion of the pair of clamping shoulders of the fastener is made of the first elastic material, and the rest of the fastener is made of a second elastic material, the first elastic material having an elasticity coefficient greater than that of the second elastic material.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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CN201911354454 | 2019-12-25 | ||
CN202010743927 | 2020-07-29 | ||
CN202011356104.8A CN113036527A (en) | 2019-12-25 | 2020-11-27 | Buckle connecting component |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP3843220A1 true EP3843220A1 (en) | 2021-06-30 |
Family
ID=73856864
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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EP20216590.8A Pending EP3843220A1 (en) | 2019-12-25 | 2020-12-22 | Fastener assembly |
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EP (1) | EP3843220A1 (en) |
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US20060199128A1 (en) * | 2005-02-15 | 2006-09-07 | Spx Corporation | Panel mount electrical connector in a burner enclosure apparatus and method |
WO2009053778A1 (en) * | 2007-10-22 | 2009-04-30 | Fci | Electrical connector system |
US20140273650A1 (en) * | 2013-03-14 | 2014-09-18 | Molex Incorporated | Overmolded Connector |
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2020
- 2020-12-22 EP EP20216590.8A patent/EP3843220A1/en active Pending
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Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US5514000A (en) * | 1994-07-22 | 1996-05-07 | Molex Incorporated | Polarizing and/or floating panel mount for electrical connectors |
US20060199128A1 (en) * | 2005-02-15 | 2006-09-07 | Spx Corporation | Panel mount electrical connector in a burner enclosure apparatus and method |
WO2009053778A1 (en) * | 2007-10-22 | 2009-04-30 | Fci | Electrical connector system |
US20140273650A1 (en) * | 2013-03-14 | 2014-09-18 | Molex Incorporated | Overmolded Connector |
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