JP2006190548A - Grounding terminal structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve workability in combining grounding terminals themselves at a given positional relation. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of grounding terminals 20A, 20B are held at a given positional relation by being contained in a terminal container 11 of a housing 10 and held in a contained state by an elastic locking piece 15, and are fixed in a conductible state with a grounding member 30 by a screwing-in action of a nut 33 (a helical screwing member). Since the housing 10 made of synthetic resin is used as a means for positioning and holding each grounding terminal with the other 20A, 20B, abrasion resistance caused by elastic deformation and rubbing gets smaller as compared with a structure in which grounding terminals are directly engaged with each other, resulting in excellent workability. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a ground terminal structure.

As a ground terminal structure for collectively attaching a plurality of ground terminals connected to an electric wire to a grounding member, a grounding terminal is formed on the ground terminal, and the grounding terminals are engaged with each other at a predetermined position. What was combined with the relationship is disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the like.
JP 2002-270328 A

When engaging the locking parts and joining the ground terminals together, the locking part and the ground terminal are elastically deformed or the locking parts rub against each other, but the ground terminal is made of metal. For this reason, there has been a demand for an improvement in that a large frictional resistance is generated due to elastic deformation and rubbing and it is difficult to perform the work.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve workability when combining ground terminals in a predetermined positional relationship.

  As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 comprises a plurality of ground terminals connected to the electric wire, a terminal housing chamber and a synthetic resin housing having an elastic locking piece, and the terminals The plurality of ground terminals are housed in the housing chamber in a state where the plurality of ground terminals are partially exposed to the outer surface of the housing, and the ground terminals are held in the housed state by locking the elastic locking pieces to the ground terminal. Then, by screwing the metal screw member, the exposed surface of the ground terminal is connected to the ground member so as to be conductive, and the plurality of ground terminals are fixed to the ground member. It has the characteristics.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the exposed surface of the ground terminal protrudes outward from the outer surface of the housing in the state of being accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber. However, it has characteristics.

  The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, an attachment hole through which the screwing member passes is formed in the housing.

  The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 3, a recess corresponding to the mounting hole is formed in the ground terminal.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the fourth aspect, in the state where the ground terminal is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber, the recess engages with the screwing member penetrating the mounting hole. Thus, the ground terminal is characterized in that the removal from the terminal accommodating chamber is restricted.

<Invention of Claim 1>
The plurality of ground terminals are housed in the terminal housing chamber of the housing and are held in the housed state by the elastic locking pieces, so that the ground terminals are held in a predetermined positional relationship. It is fixed in a state where it can conduct. Since a synthetic resin housing is used as a means for positioning and holding the ground terminals, compared to a structure in which the ground terminals are directly engaged with each other, the frictional resistance caused by elastic deformation and rubbing is reduced and the workability is excellent. .

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the exposed surface of the ground terminal protrudes outward from the outer surface of the housing, the grounding member, the screwed member, or a member that can be electrically connected to the exposed surface is surely brought into contact with the exposed surface. Can be made.

<Invention of Claim 3>
By fitting the mounting hole into the screw member, the housing and the ground terminal can be positioned with respect to the ground member, and the detachment of the housing and the ground terminal from the screw member is restricted. Since it is not necessary to form a mounting hole in the ground terminal, the shape of the ground terminal can be simplified.

<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the concave portion corresponding to the mounting hole is formed in the ground terminal, the dead space between the mounting hole and the ground terminal is reduced, and the entire housing can be reduced in size.

<Invention of Claim 5>
By engaging the screwing member and the recess, the ground terminal can be reliably held in the terminal accommodating chamber.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. A terminal unit T having the ground terminal structure of the present embodiment is configured to include a housing 10 and four ground terminals 20A and 20B.
The housing 10 is made of a synthetic resin, and the planar shape is substantially square, and has a flat block shape as a whole. In the housing 10, a pair of left and right terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R are formed. The terminal accommodating chambers 11 </ b> L and 11 </ b> R are symmetrical, and the rear end portion is opened as a terminal insertion port 12 on the rear end surface of the housing 10. The terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R as a whole are long in the front-rear direction, and their cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the front-rear direction) is generally rectangular. A pair of upper and lower relief portions 14 are formed in the partition wall 13 that partitions both the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R, with the rear end portions thereof being notched. In addition, elastic locking pieces 15 in a form that cantilevered forward are formed on the outer walls (the walls on the side opposite to the partition wall 13) in the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R so that they can be elastically bent in the left-right direction. The retaining protrusion 15a formed near the free end (front end) of the elastic locking piece 15 protrudes into the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R.

  The housing 10 is formed with a circular mounting hole 16 penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface. The mounting hole 16 is formed so as to penetrate the partition wall 13, and the left and right sides of the mounting hole 16 communicate with the terminal accommodating chambers 11 </ b> L and 11 </ b> R. Further, an opening 17 is formed in each of the upper wall and the lower wall of the housing 10. The opening 17 communicates the inside of the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R and the external space of the housing 10, and the substantially first half of the opening 17 is opened with a width approximately half that of the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R. . The substantially second half of the opening 17 is opened with substantially the same width as the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R, and the opening area of the substantially second half communicates with the escape portion 14. Further, the inner side edge portion (on the attachment hole 16 side) of the opening edge portion of the opening portion 17 has an arc shape concentric with the attachment hole 16. Of the upper and lower wall portions of the housing 10, a region corresponding to the terminal accommodating chambers 11 </ b> L and 11 </ b> R and having no opening 17 is a holding wall portion 18.

  On both the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 10 are formed side edge protrusions 19S that project substantially the second half of the left and right side edge portions in a rib shape in the vertical direction, and ribs in the vertical direction over the entire width at the rear edge. A rear edge protrusion 19R protruding in a shape is formed. And in the area | region in which the rear edge protrusion 19R is formed in the front-rear direction, the opening height h of the terminal insertion port 12 of the terminal accommodating chambers 11L, 11R is the side edge protrusion 19S and the rear edge protrusion in the housing 10. The height (thickness) dimension t of the region where 19R is not formed is set larger. That is, the upper edge of the terminal insertion port 12 is at a position higher than the upper surface (outer surface) of the housing 10, and the lower edge of the terminal insertion port 12 is at a position lower than the lower surface (outer surface) of the housing 10. The terminal insertion port 12 communicates with the openings 17 on both the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 10.

Next, the ground terminals 20A and 20B will be described.
As the ground terminals 20A and 20B, two types of first ground terminal 20A and second ground terminal 20B are used, and two first ground terminals 20A and two second ground terminals 20B are accommodated in one housing 10. It is like that.
The first ground terminal 20A is formed by bending a metal plate and has a flat shape that is long in the front-rear direction as a whole. A substantially first half portion of the first ground terminal 20A is a contact portion 21A, and a substantially second half portion is an open barrel-shaped electric wire connection portion 22 that opens upward. A terminal portion of the electric wire 23 is connected to the electric wire connecting portion 22 by crimping, and the electric wire 23 extends rearward from the rear end of the first ground terminal 20A substantially parallel to the length direction of the first ground terminal 20A. ing.

  The contact portion 21 </ b> A includes a flat substrate 24 that continues to the wire connection portion 22, and a contact plate 25 that is folded back to the right from the left side edge of the substrate 24 and overlapped with the upper surface of the substrate 24. A concave portion 26 having an arc shape having substantially the same diameter as that of the mounting hole 16 is formed on the right edge portion of the substrate 24. When the first ground terminal 20A is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R, the concave portion 26 is formed. Are arranged so as to correspond to the opening edges of the mounting holes 16 on the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 10. The contact plate 25 has substantially the same shape as the opening region of the opening portion 17 of the housing 10 and has substantially the same size as the opening region of the opening portion 17, and the first ground terminal 20A is inserted into the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R. In the state, the rear end portion of the contact plate 25 is dimensioned so as to be located further rearward than the rear end of the opening portion 17. The upper surface of the contact plate 25 is an exposed surface 25a. Further, the right edge at the rear end of the contact plate 25 is an overhang 27 that protrudes further to the right than the right edge of the substrate 24. Further, a locking portion 28 having a shape in which both the substrate 24 and the contact plate 25 are cut out in a substantially square shape is formed on the left edge portion of the contact portion 21A.

  Similar to the first ground terminal 20A, the second ground terminal 20B is formed by bending a metal plate material. The second ground terminal 20B has a flat shape that is long in the front-rear direction as a whole, and a substantially first half portion is a contact portion 21B. The portion is an open barrel-shaped wire connecting portion 22. The contact portion 21B of the second ground terminal 20B is symmetrical to the contact portion 21A of the first ground terminal 20A. Further, the wire connecting portion 22 of the second ground terminal 20B has the same form as the wire connecting portion 22 of the first ground terminal 20A. Therefore, the same parts as those of the first ground terminal 20A are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first ground terminal 20A, and detailed structural description is omitted.

  The housing 10 and the ground terminals 20A and 20B are attached to a horizontal and flat upper surface of a metal grounding member 30 (for example, an automobile body). On the upper surface of the grounding member 30, a metal stud bolt 31 (a screwing member which is a constituent element of the present invention) having a male screw portion formed on the outer periphery protrudes upward at a substantially right angle, and with respect to the grounding member 30. Are provided in a conductive state. The diameter (outer diameter) of the stud bolt 31 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the mounting hole 16 of the housing 10. The stud bolt 31 is fitted with a pair of upper and lower washers 32A, 32B that form a metal ring shape. The inner diameters of the washers 32A and 32B are slightly larger than the outer diameter of the stud bolt 31, and the outer diameters of the washers 32A and 32B are slightly smaller than the distance between the left and right side edge projections 19S of the housing 10. Furthermore, a metal nut 33 (in the configuration requirement of the present invention) having a female screw portion formed on the inner periphery is provided at the upper end portion (the portion above the height at which the washers 32A and 32B are fitted) of the stud bolt 31. A certain screwing member) is screwed.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, the first grounding terminal 20A and the second grounding terminal 20B are arranged so that both the substrates 24 come into contact with each other and the bottom walls of both the wire connection parts 22 come into contact with each other (that is, the contact parts 21A and 21B are vertically moved). Prepare two sets that are stacked one above the other so that they are symmetrical. In the state where the ground terminals 20A and 20B are stacked one above the other, the height (thickness) dimension of the contact portions 21A and 21B (a portion where the two substrates 24 and the two contact plates 25 are combined) is the housing 10 The dimension is larger than the height (thickness) dimension and slightly smaller than the height (thickness) dimension of the terminal insertion opening 12. Further, the height (thickness) dimension of the portion where the two substrates 24 are stacked is slightly smaller than the height dimension of the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R (the vertical distance between the holding wall portions 18). ing.

  Then, the set overlapped so that the first ground terminal 20A is located on the upper side is inserted into the terminal housing chamber 11L on the left side from the rear. Moreover, the set overlapped so that the second ground terminal 20B is positioned on the upper side is inserted into the terminal housing chamber 11R on the right side from the rear. In the process of insertion, the leading edge of the substrate 24 abuts against the retaining protrusion 15a, so that the elastic locking piece 15 is elastically bent so as to be retracted outside.

  When the ground terminals 20A and 20B are inserted to the normal insertion position, the leading edge of the substrate 24 abuts against the front wall of the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R, and further insertion operations of the ground terminals 20A and 20B are restricted. At the same time, the elastic locking piece 15 is elastically restored and the retaining projection 15a enters the retaining portion 28. The retaining action of the retaining projection 15a and the retaining portion 28 causes the ground terminals 20A and 20B to move backward. As a result, the ground terminals 20A and 20B are held in the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R.

  In this state where the ground terminals 20A and 20B are held at the normal insertion positions, the overhanging portions 27 of the ground terminals 20A and 20B are fitted vertically with respect to the relief portions 14 of the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R. In the substrate 24, the region where the contact plate 25 is not overlapped is sandwiched vertically between the holding wall portions 18, and the rear end portions of the contact portions 21 </ b> A and 21 </ b> B are vertically disposed between the upper surface and the lower surface of the terminal insertion port 12. As a result, the vertical displacement of the ground terminals 20A and 20B with respect to the housing 10 is restricted. Further, when the substrate 24 contacts the left and right inner wall surfaces of the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R, relative displacement of the ground terminals 20A and 20B with respect to the housing 10 in the left and right direction is restricted. Further, the concave portion 26 is arranged in an arc shape concentric with the mounting hole 16, and a circle is constituted by the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole 16 and the inner side surface of the concave portion 26 in the partition wall 13. Further, all the four electric wires 23 are led out substantially parallel from the housing 10 to the rear.

  Further, the upper surface (exposed surface 25a) of the contact plate 25 of the upper ground terminals 20A and 20B and the lower surface (exposed surface 25a) of the contact plate 25 of the lower ground terminals 20A and 20B are the upper surface of the housing 10 at the opening 17. And exposed on the bottom. The height of the upper exposed surface 25 a is slightly higher than the upper surface of the housing 10, and the height of the lower exposed surface 25 a is slightly lower than the lower surface of the housing 10. That is, the contact plate 25 protrudes outward from the outer surface (upper surface and lower surface) of the housing 10 at the opening 17.

  The terminal unit T is completed by housing the four ground terminals 20A and 20B in the housing 10 as described above. When this terminal unit T is connected to the ground member 30, first, one washer 32B of the stud bolt 31 is fitted and placed on the upper surface of the ground member 30 (surface contact), and then the terminal unit T The mounting hole 16 is fitted to the stud bolt 31. By fitting the mounting hole 16 and the stud bolt 31, relative displacement of the housing 10 with respect to the grounding member 30 in the front-rear and left-right directions is restricted. However, rotation around the stud bolt 31 is allowed. In addition, the recess 26 is fitted to the stud bolt 31, and this locking action restricts the relative displacement of the ground terminals 20 </ b> A, 20 </ b> B to the front, rear, left and right with respect to the stud bolt 31. Relative displacement (missing) is also restricted. In addition, the exposed surface 25a (lower surface) of the contact plate 25 of the ground terminals 20A and 20B located on the lower side contacts the upper surface of the washer 32B in a surface contact state.

  Thereafter, when the washer 32A is fitted to the stud bolt 31 from above the housing 10, the lower surface of the washer 32A is in surface contact with the exposed surface 25a (upper surface) of the contact plate 25 of the upper ground terminals 20A and 20B. Abutted (placed). Finally, when the nut 33 is screwed into the stud bolt 31 and tightened, the nut 33 descends and its lower surface comes into contact with the upper surface of the upper washer 32A, and the ground terminal overlaps with the upper and lower washers 32A and 32B. 20A and 20B are sandwiched vertically between the nut 33 and the grounding member 30. When the tightening of the nut 33 is completed, the ground terminals 20A and 20B are connected to the ground member 30 through the washers 32A and 32B, the nut 33, and the stud bolt 31 so as to be conductive, and the housing 10 and the ground terminals 20A and 20B. Is fixed in a state in which the rotation of the grounding member 30 is restricted.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the plurality of ground terminals 20A and 20B connected to the electric wire 23, the terminal housing chambers 11L and 11R, and the synthetic resin housing 10 having the elastic locking pieces 15 are provided. The plurality of ground terminals 20A and 20B are accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R while being partially exposed to the outer surface of the housing 10, and the elastic locking pieces 15 are locked to the ground terminals 20A and 20B. By holding the ground terminals 20A and 20B in the accommodated state and screwing the nuts 33 into the stud bolts 31, the exposed surfaces 25a of the ground terminals 20A and 20B are connected to the ground member 30 in a conductive manner and a plurality of them are connected. The ground terminals 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B are fixed to the ground member 30. That is, the plurality of ground terminals 20A and 20B are held in a predetermined positional relationship by being housed in the housing 10, and the synthetic resin housing 10 is used as a means for positioning and holding the ground terminals 20A and 20B. Therefore, compared to a structure in which the ground terminals are directly engaged with each other, the frictional resistance due to elastic deformation and rubbing is reduced, and the workability is excellent.

  Further, in the state accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R, the exposed surface 25a of the ground terminals 20A and 20B is configured to protrude outward from the outer surface of the housing 10, so that the exposed surface 25a Thus, the washer 32B on the ground member 30 side (lower side) and the washer 32A on the nut 33 side (upper side) can be reliably brought into contact with each other.

  Further, by fitting the mounting hole 16 formed in the housing 10 to the stud bolt 31, the housing 10 and the ground terminals 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B can be positioned with respect to the grounding member 30, and the housing 10 from the stud bolt 31. Since the detachment of the ground terminals 20A and 20B is restricted, it is not necessary to form the mounting holes 16 in the ground terminals 20A and 20B, and the shape of the ground terminals 20A and 20B can be simplified. .

  Further, since the recesses 26 corresponding to the mounting holes 16 are formed in the ground terminals 20A and 20B, the dead space between the mounting holes 16 and the ground terminals 20A and 20B is reduced, and the housing 10 as a whole can be reduced in size. Can do.

  Further, in a state where the ground terminals 20A and 20B are accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R, the ground terminals 20A and 20B are engaged by engaging the recess 26 with the stud bolt 31 penetrating the mounting hole 16 of the housing 10. Since the removal from the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R is restricted, the ground terminals 20A and 20B can be securely held in the terminal accommodating chambers 11L and 11R.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) In the above embodiment, the ground terminal has a shape in which no mounting hole is formed. However, according to the present invention, a mounting hole is formed in the ground terminal, and a bolt (screwing member) is passed through the mounting hole. May be.
(2) In the above embodiment, the two ground terminals are stacked so as to be in direct contact with each other, but according to the present invention, the ground terminals may be attached to the housing so as not to be in direct contact with each other.
(3) In the above embodiment, two ground terminals are accommodated in one terminal accommodating chamber. However, according to the present invention, only one earth terminal may be accommodated in one terminal accommodating chamber. It may be more than one.
(4) In the above embodiment, four ground terminals are accommodated in one housing. However, according to the present invention, the number of ground terminals accommodated in one housing may be three or less, and five or more. But you can.
(5) In the above embodiment, the plurality of electric wires are all led out from the housing in the same direction. However, according to the present invention, the plurality of electric wires may be led out in different directions.
(6) In the above embodiment, the stud bolt provided on the grounding member and the nut screwed to the stud bolt are used as the screwing member. However, according to the present invention, the female screw hole of the grounding member is used as the screwing member. A bolt to be screwed may be used.
(7) In the above embodiment, the exposed surface of the ground terminal is exposed on both the grounding member side (the lower surface side of the housing) and the nut side (the upper surface side of the housing). However, according to the present invention, the exposed surface is You may make it expose only to either one of a grounding member side and a nut side.
(8) In the above embodiment, the exposed surface is brought into contact with the grounding member and the nut via the metal washer. However, according to the present invention, the exposed surface may be brought into direct contact with the grounding member and the nut.
(9) In the above embodiment, the nut and the upper washer are made of metal. However, according to the present invention, if the lower washer is made of metal, the nut and the upper washer may be made of an insulating material. Good.

The horizontal sectional view showing the state which accommodated the ground terminal in the housing in Embodiment 1. Horizontal section of housing Top view of the first ground terminal Top view of the second ground terminal Top view of housing Side view of housing Rear view of housing Rear view of housing showing ground terminal inserted AA sectional view of FIG. Side view showing the state where the ground terminal is stacked vertically Longitudinal section showing the grounding terminal housed in the housing Sectional view showing the terminal unit attached to the grounding member

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Housing 11 ... Terminal accommodating chamber 15 ... Elastic locking piece 16 ... Mounting hole 20A, 20B ... Ground terminal 23 ... Electric wire 25a ... Exposed surface 26 ... Recessed part 30 ... Grounding member 31 ... Stud bolt (screwing member)
33 ... Nut (screwing member)

Claims (5)

A plurality of ground terminals connected to the wire;
A terminal housing chamber and a synthetic resin housing having an elastic locking piece;
The plurality of ground terminals are accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber while being partially exposed to the outer surface of the housing, and the ground terminals are accommodated by locking the elastic locking pieces to the ground terminal. Hold on
By screwing a metal screw member, the exposed surface of the ground terminal is connected to the ground member so as to be conductive, and the plurality of ground terminals are fixed to the ground member. And earth terminal structure. The ground terminal structure according to claim 1, wherein an exposed surface of the ground terminal protrudes outward from an outer surface of the housing in a state of being accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber. The ground terminal structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an attachment hole for penetrating the screwing member is formed in the housing. 4. The ground terminal structure according to claim 3, wherein a recess corresponding to the mounting hole is formed in the ground terminal. In a state where the ground terminal is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber, the recess is engaged with the screwing member penetrating the mounting hole, thereby preventing the ground terminal from coming off from the terminal accommodating chamber. The ground terminal structure according to claim 4, wherein the ground terminal structure is configured as described above.

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