JP2003109680A - Conductor connection structure and circuit breaker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide conductor connection structure allowing easy connection of a conductor and having an effective contact function. SOLUTION: One end of the conductor 2 is inserted in a hole 1c formed near a surface 1b along the surface 1b from an end face 1a of a connecting member 1, and pressure C is applied in the direction of the hole 1c from the surface 1b using a die 3. The hole 1c is thereby deformed to connect and fix the conductor 2 to the connecting member 1 in the hole 1c.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conductor connecting structure, and more particularly to a technique for connecting a conductor composed of a stranded wire or a braided wire to a connecting member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a relatively large conventional circuit breaker. This circuit breaker includes terminals 51 and 52, one of which is an input side and the other of which is an output side, and a shaft 5
The movable contact 55 is provided in a contact holder 54 rotatably held by 3 and is selectively connected to the terminal 51, and a flexible conductor 56 connecting the movable contact 55 and the terminal 52. It has a main circuit conductive part.
Although FIG. 8 shows the closed state of the circuit breaker, when the opening operation is performed, the opening / closing mechanism 57 operates and the lever 59 rotates clockwise about the shaft 58 by a predetermined angle. By this rotation, the contact holder 54 is inserted through the link member 60.
Rotates counterclockwise together with the movable contact 55, and the contact 61 of the movable contact 55 is separated from the contact 62 of the terminal 51 to be in the open circuit state. On the other hand, the circuit closing operation for shifting the circuit from the open circuit state to the circuit closed state is the reverse operation of the circuit opening operation described above.

In such a circuit breaker, the flexible conductor 56 is formed by stacking a large number of thin copper strips, holes are provided at both ends fixed by a method such as press contact, and the movable contacts 55 are respectively screwed. And fixed to the terminal 52. With this copper strip, the current carrying capacity is small relative to the cross-sectional area. If the width of the copper strip is widened, the width of the circuit breaker as a whole will be large. There is a problem that the size becomes large.

Therefore, a twisted wire or a braided wire having a relatively large current-carrying capacity (hereinafter collectively referred to as a braided wire), which is formed by assembling a large number of thin wires as a flexible conductor, is used. is there. A conventional method for connecting the braided wire to the connecting member will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 9A, the connecting member 70 has a plurality of grooves 70 b in the thickness direction on its end face 70 a.
preformed tip 71 of braided wire 71 to be connected to b
Insert a. Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the connecting member 70
In the width direction A and on the end surface 70a of the connecting member 70 and in the groove 7
In the vicinity of 0b, pressure is applied in the depth direction B to form the groove 70.
Deform b. As a result, the braid wire 71 is fixed in the deformed groove 70b as shown in FIG. 9C.

[0005]

However, in the conventional connecting method of the flexible conductor described above, a large pressure is required because the thickness of the pressing portion for deforming the groove 70b is relatively large. There was a problem. There is also a problem that the tip portion 71a of the braided wire 71 may not effectively contact the inner wall of the groove 70b. The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a conductor connection structure capable of easily connecting conductors and having an effective contact function. Also,
Another object of the present invention is to provide a circuit breaker having such a conductor connection structure.

[0006]

A conductor connecting structure according to the present invention is a conductor connecting structure in which a conductor is connected to a connecting member, and extends from a first surface of a connecting member to a second surface adjacent to the first surface. When one end of the conductor is inserted into the hole formed near the second surface, pressure is applied in the direction of the hole from the second surface of the connecting member to deform the hole so that one end of the conductor is inside the hole. It is connected and fixed to the connecting member. By forming the hole along the second surface and in the vicinity of the second surface, the hole can be easily deformed with a small pressure to reliably connect one end of the conductor.

An opening that connects the second surface and the hole may be formed in a portion of the connecting member that is separated from the first surface by a predetermined distance. In this way, it is possible to easily recognize from the opening how far one end of the conductor is inserted.

The connecting member has a plurality of holes formed in a zigzag pattern from the first surface along a pair of second surfaces adjacent to the first surface and facing each other. Alternatively, one end of each conductor may be connected and fixed. By doing so, more conductors can be connected to the connecting member, and since the directions in which pressure is applied in the process of deforming the holes are deviated, they can be processed reliably without interfering with each other.

Further, the connecting member has a step-like first surface, and also has a plurality of holes formed along the second surface from each step of the first surface, among these holes. You may comprise so that one end of each conductor may be connected and fixed. Even in this case, more conductors can be connected to the connecting member, and since there are steps, the holes can be surely processed without interfering with each other in the process of deforming the holes.

As the conductor, a flexible conductor formed by assembling a plurality of element wires can be used. When such a conductor is used, the deformation of the hole causes many wires to come into direct contact with the inner wall of the hole to reduce the contact resistance, thereby increasing the current carrying capacity. Preferably, the hole of the connecting member is deformed at a portion deeper than the opening end by a predetermined distance. In this case, since the flexible portion of the conductor immediately adjacent to the fixed portion is located inside the hole, line breakage is reduced. The flexible conductor is preferably molded such that the tip of the flexible conductor is thinner than the diameter of the hole of the connecting member, which facilitates mounting in the hole.

The circuit breaker according to the present invention has the conductor connecting structure as described above.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the examples shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are a partial side sectional view and a front view of a connecting member 1 used in the conductor connecting structure according to the first embodiment, respectively. The connection member 1 has a plurality of holes 1c formed along the surface 1b (second surface) from the end surface 1a (first surface) toward the depth direction. These holes 1c are formed near the surface 1b of the connecting member 1 so that the thickness L1 from the surface 1b has a small value. As shown in FIG. 2, the conductor 2 connected to the connecting member 1 is a flexible conductor such as a braided wire, and its thickness is such that it can be easily inserted into the hole 1c, and the tip 2a is It is molded to be at least smaller than the diameter of the hole so that it can be easily inserted into the hole 1c.

When connecting one end of the conductor 2 to the connecting member 1, a hole 1 is formed from the end face 1a of the connecting member 1 as shown in FIG. 3 (a).
The conductor 2 is inserted into c, and pressure is applied from the surface 1b in the direction C of the hole 1c using the die 3. This pressure causes hole 1c
Is deformed and the conductor 2 is pressed against the inner wall of the hole 1c. That is, as shown in FIG. 3B, the conductor 2 is fixed by contacting the entire inner wall of the hole 1c. Thickness L from the surface 1b of the hole 1c
1 is selected to be a value that allows the above-mentioned connection processing to be performed easily and reliably with a small pressure. Further, the die 3 is set at a portion deeper than the end surface 1a having the opening end of the hole 1c by a predetermined distance L2. Therefore, as shown by the chain line in FIG. 3 (a), even if the conductor 2 is largely displaced outside the end face 1a, the displacement at the boundary portion 2b between the fixed portion and the non-fixed portion of the conductor 2 is the inside of the hole 1c. Is limited to
Even if the circuit breaker is opened and closed many times, the conductor is not broken.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment.
As shown in (a) and (b), an opening 1d that connects the surface 1b and the hole 1c is formed at a portion separated from the end surface 1a of the connecting member 1 by a predetermined distance L3. As shown in FIG. 4C, after visually confirming whether or not the conductor 2 is fully inserted into the hole 1c by the opening 1d, the die 3 moves in the direction C from the surface 1b to the hole 1c. The conductor 2 can be connected and fixed by applying pressure to deform the hole 1c.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment. In addition to a plurality of holes 1c formed in the vicinity of the surface 1b of the connecting member 1, a plurality of holes formed in the vicinity of the surface 1e opposite to the surface 1b. It has a hole 1f. Multiple holes 1c and multiple holes 1f
Are arranged in a zigzag pattern, so that many conductors 2 can be connected even if the connecting member 1 has a small width or thickness. Further, since the direction C of pressure applied from the surface 1b and the direction D of pressure applied from the surface 1e are deviated from each other, the holes 1c and 1f do not interfere with each other and the conductor 2
Can be securely connected.

FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment, in which the connecting member 1 is formed with a stepped end, and the end face 1g of each step is formed.
And 1h (first surface) in the depth direction from the holes 1j, respectively.
And 1k are formed. To connect the conductor to the connecting member 1, first, the conductor is inserted into the lower hole 1j, and pressure is applied from the surface 1m (second surface) of the step in the direction of the hole 1j to deform the hole 1j. Then insert the conductor into the upper hole 1k,
The hole 1k is deformed by applying pressure from the surface 1n (second surface) in the direction of the hole 1k. If the number of stages is increased by such a configuration, more conductors can be connected. Since the lower hole 1j is arranged in the vicinity of the lower surface of the connecting member 1, pressure is applied from the lower surface of the connecting member 1 to the hole 1j instead of applying pressure from the surface 1m of the step to the hole 1j. In addition, the hole 1j may be deformed.

FIG. 7 shows a fifth embodiment. From the surface 1e (first surface) of the connection member 1 to the surface 1 opposite thereto
A plurality of holes 1p penetrating through b are formed near the end face 1a along the end face 1a (second surface), and pressure is applied from the end face 1a to the hole 1p with one end of the conductor 2 inserted in each hole 1p. E
Is added to deform the hole 1p to connect and fix the conductor 2.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the braided wire in which thin wires are assembled is used as the conductor 2, but a conductor composed of a single wire can be similarly connected. In the present invention, the connection member includes not only a terminal for connecting an external wire but also a relay terminal for connecting a conductor inside the device. For example, the conductor connection structure according to the above-described first to fifth embodiments can be used for the connection portion of the flexible conductor, the movable contactor and the terminal to form the circuit breaker as shown in FIG. .

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the embodiments of the present invention disclosed above are merely examples, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments of the present invention. It is not limited. The scope of the invention is
It is shown by the description of the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and range equivalent to the description of the claims.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, one end of the conductor is provided in the hole formed in the vicinity of the second surface along the second surface adjacent to the first surface of the connecting member. Since one end of the conductor is connected and fixed to the connecting member in the hole by inserting and applying pressure from the second surface in the direction of the hole, the hole is deformed with a small pressure and one end of the conductor is deformed. The connection member can be easily and surely connected. Furthermore, if a flexible conductor formed by assembling a plurality of strands is used as the conductor, many of the strands directly contact the inner wall of the hole due to the deformation of the hole, and the contact resistance is reduced. A conductor connection structure having an increased current carrying capacity can be obtained. Further, if the circuit breaker is formed by using such a conductor connection structure, it becomes possible to easily and surely connect the conductor to the connecting member and realize a small-sized and highly reliable circuit breaker.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a connecting member used in a conductor connecting structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a partial side sectional view,
(B) is a front view.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing one end of a conductor used in the conductor connecting structure according to the first embodiment.

3A and 3B show a conductor connection structure of the first embodiment after conductor connection, wherein FIG. 3A is a partial side sectional view and FIG. 3B is a partial front sectional view.

FIG. 4 shows a conductor connection structure according to a second embodiment,
(A) is a partial plan view of a connecting member, (b) is a partial side sectional view of a connecting member, (c) is a partial side sectional view after conductor connection.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a connecting member used in a conductor connecting structure according to a third embodiment.

6A and 6B show a connecting member used in a conductor connecting structure according to a fourth embodiment, wherein FIG. 6A is a partial side sectional view and FIG. 6B is a front view.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a conductor connection structure according to a fifth example.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a conventional circuit breaker.

9A and 9B show a conventional conductor connection structure, in which FIG. 9A is a partial perspective view before connecting conductors, FIG. 9B is a partial plan view before connecting conductors, and FIG. 9C is a view after connecting conductors. It is a partial top view.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 connection member, 1a, 1g, 1h end face, 1b, 1
e, 1m, 1n surface, 1c, 1f, 1j, 1k, 1
p hole, 1d opening, 2 conductors, 3 dice.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5E085 BB01 CC03 DD13 EE05 FF01                       HH08 HH38                 5G030 XX20 YY01                 5G052 AA01 AA35 BB07 HA02

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A conductor connecting structure in which a conductor is connected to a connecting member, wherein a conductor is provided in a hole formed in the vicinity of a second surface along a second surface adjacent to the first surface of the connecting member. One end of the conductor is connected and fixed to the connection member in the hole by applying pressure from the second surface of the connection member in the direction of the hole to deform the hole with the one end inserted. Conductor connection structure. 2. The conductor connecting structure according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member has an opening that connects the second surface and the hole at a portion separated from the first surface by a predetermined distance. 3. The connecting member has a plurality of holes arranged in a zigzag pattern from the first surface along a pair of second surfaces adjacent to the first surface and facing each other. The conductor connection structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one end of each conductor is connected and fixed in each of the holes. 4. The connecting member has a step-like first surface and a plurality of holes formed along the second surface from each step of the first surface, among the holes. 3. The conductor connection structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one end of each conductor is connected and fixed. 5. The conductor connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the conductor is a flexible conductor formed by assembling a plurality of element wires. 6. The conductor connecting structure according to claim 5, wherein the hole of the connecting member is deformed at a portion deeper than the opening end by a predetermined distance. 7. The conductor connecting structure according to claim 5, wherein the flexible conductor is molded so that its tip is thinner than the diameter of the hole of the connecting member. 8. A circuit breaker comprising the conductor connection structure according to claim 1. Description: