JP2013051176A - Connector for on-board electric apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inhibit disconnection of a cable held by a connector housing of a connector for an on-board electric apparatus, which results from a vehicle collision, more effectively.SOLUTION: A connector for an on-board electric apparatus 1 is used for connecting electric apparatuses, which are mounted on a vehicle, with each other. The connector 1 includes a connector housing 2 holding a cable 8 so that the cable 8 protrudes from a cable side end part 2a. The connector housing 2 has a protrusion 2p, having an inclined surface 2s which moves away from an outer peripheral surface of the cable side end part 2a as the inclined surface 2s moves away from an end surface of the cable side edge part 2a to the opposite side of the protruding direction of the cable 8, near the end surface of the cable side end part 2a.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for an in-vehicle electric device that includes a connector housing that holds a cable so as to protrude from one end, and is used for connecting electric devices mounted on a vehicle.

  Conventionally, a connector used to connect a motor of an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle and an inverter that drives the motor is known as a connector for this type of in-vehicle electric device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This connector includes a connector housing that holds three cables so as to protrude from one end, and is connected to a case that houses an inverter or the like so that the cables extend toward the rear of the vehicle.

JP 2004-112902 A

  If a vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle electrical device connector arranged as described above collides, the case that houses the inverter or the like may move to the rear of the vehicle. In such a case, since the connector moves to the rear of the vehicle together with the case, the cable held by the connector housing is bent so as to be folded, and is locally contacted with one end of the connector housing and disconnected. There is a fear. And even if it chamfers at the corner | angular part of the one end part of a connector housing, the disconnection of the cable accompanying the collision of a vehicle may not be suppressed favorably.

  Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to better suppress the disconnection of the cable held by the connector housing of the in-vehicle electrical device connector due to the collision of the vehicle.

  The connector for in-vehicle electric equipment according to the present invention adopts the following means in order to achieve the main object.

The connector for in-vehicle electrical equipment according to the present invention is
A connector housing for holding a cable so as to protrude from one end, and a connector for an in-vehicle electric device used for connection between electric devices mounted on a vehicle,
The connector housing has a protrusion having an inclined surface separated from the outer peripheral surface of the one end portion in the vicinity of the end surface of the one end portion as it is separated from the end surface to the side opposite to the protruding direction of the cable. To do.

  In this in-vehicle electrical device connector, the one end portion of the connector housing that holds the cable so as to protrude from the one end portion is in the vicinity of the end surface of the one end portion and away from the end surface to the side opposite to the protruding direction of the cable. And a protrusion having a slope that is spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface. Accordingly, even if the vehicle collides and the connector moves toward the peripheral member and the cable sandwiched between the connector housing and the peripheral member is bent so that the cable is folded, the cable is connected to the connector housing. The contact area between the cable and the connector housing (protrusion) can be increased by contacting with the slope of the protrusion. Therefore, according to this connector for in-vehicle electrical equipment, it is possible to satisfactorily suppress local contact between the cable and the connector housing due to a vehicle collision, that is, local stress concentration on the cable. It becomes possible to suppress the disconnection accompanying the collision of the cable of the cable held by the connector housing better. The inclined surface is preferably a curved surface that protrudes outward, thereby increasing the contact area between the cable and the projection of the connector housing, and the cable and the projection at the end of the inclined surface (curved surface). Local contact can be suppressed.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a hybrid vehicle 10 that is an example of a vehicle including a connector 1 for an in-vehicle electric device according to the present invention. It is a side view of the connector 1 for vehicle-mounted electrical equipment. It is a front view of the connector 1 for vehicle-mounted electrical equipment. It is a top view of the connector 1 for vehicle-mounted electrical equipment. (A), (b) and (c) are explanatory views showing the positional relationship between the connector housing 2 and the cable 8 before and after the collision of the hybrid vehicle 10.

  Next, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a hybrid vehicle 10 which is an example of a vehicle according to the present invention. A hybrid vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes an engine (internal combustion engine) 12 that outputs power using a hydrocarbon-based fuel such as gasoline or light oil, and a transaxle 21 that constitutes a power output device 20 together with the engine 12. . Engine 12 and transaxle case 21 are arranged in an engine compartment (not shown) of hybrid vehicle 10.

  The transaxle 21 inputs and outputs power to and from a damper 22 connected to the crankshaft 14 of the engine 12, a single pinion planetary gear 30, a motor (synchronous generator motor) MG1 that mainly operates as a generator, and a drive shaft 23. Including a motor (synchronous generator motor) MG2, a differential gear 24 connected to a wheel DW that is a drive wheel via a drive shaft, a transaxle case 25 that accommodates these components, and the like. Planetary gear 30 supports sun gear (first element) 31 connected to the rotor of motor MG1, ring gear (second element) 32 connected to drive shaft 23, and a plurality of pinion gears 33, and via damper 22 And a planetary carrier (third element) 34 connected to the crankshaft 14 of the engine 12. The rotor of the motor MG2 is connected to the drive shaft 23 (ring gear 32) via a transmission 26 housed in the transaxle case 25. Further, the drive shaft 23 is connected to the differential gear 24 via a gear mechanism 27 accommodated in the transaxle case 25.

  The hybrid vehicle 10 can exchange electric power with the motors MG1 and MG2 via the inverter 41 that drives the motor MG1, the inverter 42 that drives the motor MG1, the power line including the positive and negative buses, and the inverters 41 and 42. Battery 50 is included. The battery 50 is, for example, a nickel hydride secondary battery or a lithium ion secondary battery having a rated output voltage of 200 to 300V. In the present embodiment, the inverters 41 and 42 are housed in a power control unit case (hereinafter referred to as “PCU case”) 45 made of a conductive material and fixed to the transaxle case 25. The inverters 41 and 42 in the PCU case 45 are connected to a connector shell (receptacle, see FIG. 5) 9 (not shown) fixed to the PCU case 45, and an in-vehicle electrical device connector (hereinafter simply referred to as “connector”) 1. Then, it is connected to the motors MG1 and MG2 via three cables (electric wires) 8 held by the connector 1.

  2 is a side view of the connector 1, FIG. 3 is a front view of the connector 1, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the connector 1. As shown in these drawings, the connector 1 includes a cable side end (one end) 2 a exposed to the outside of the PCU case 45 and a case side end 2 b fitted to the connector shell 9 of the PCU case 45. A connector housing 2 is included. The cable-side end 2a of the connector housing 2 is formed hollow, and three terminals 3 are arranged inside the cable-side end 2a. The outer end 3b of each terminal 3 protrudes outward from the case side end 2b, is fixed to the PCU case 45 and is electrically connected to a case side terminal (not shown) connected to the inverter 41 or 42, respectively.

  The cable 8 is electrically connected to the inner end of each terminal 3 opposite to the outer end 3b, and is not shown between each cable 8 and the inner periphery of the cable side end 2a. A seal member is disposed. Furthermore, the retainer 4 (refer FIG. 2 and FIG. 3) which defines the single surface of the cable side edge part 2a while the three cables 8 are penetrated by the open end of the cable side edge part 2a is fitted, Accordingly, the three cables 8 are held by the connector housing 2 so as to protrude from the cable side end portion 2a. In this embodiment, the connector shell 9 coupled to the connector 1 is fixed to the PCU case 45 so that each cable 8 protrudes from the connector housing 2 toward the rear of the vehicle and hangs downward.

  Further, a shield bracket 5 made of a conductive material is fitted to the cable side end 2 a of the connector housing 2. A shield member 7 constituting a wire harness together with the three cables 8 is fitted into the outer periphery of the end portion 5a (the left end portion in FIGS. 2 and 4) of the shield bracket 5 on the cable 8 side. The shield member 7 is fixed to the connector housing 2 and the shield bracket 5 by press-fitting the grip ring 6 into the end portion 5 a of the shield bracket 5 via Further, the end 5b (the right end in FIGS. 2 and 4) of the shield bracket 5 on the PCU case 45 side is electrically connected to the PCU case 45 through a connecting member (not shown) made of a conductive material. . As a result, the shield member 7 is electrically connected to the PCU case 45 via the shield bracket 5.

  Three protrusions 2p are formed or fixed on the outer periphery of the cable-side end 2a of the connector housing 2 so as to correspond to the three cables 8, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each protrusion 2p has a width slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cable 8, and is near the end surface of the cable side end 2a and the corresponding cable 8 in the cable side end 2a. It protrudes upward from the outer peripheral surface of the cable side end portion 2a. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, each protrusion 2p is continuous with the end face of the cable side end portion 2a, and is opposite to the protruding direction of the cable 8 from the end face (the left direction in FIGS. A slope 2s is formed so as to be separated from the outer peripheral surface of the cable-side end 2a as it is separated from the side end 2b (the other end). In the present embodiment, the inclined surface 2s is a curved surface (for example, a 1/4 cylindrical surface) that protrudes upward (outward), as shown in FIG.

  In the hybrid vehicle 10 of this embodiment in which the motors MG1 and MG2 and the inverters 41 and 42 in the PCU case 45 are connected via the connector 1 configured as described above, the connector 1 is the connector shell 9 of the PCU case 45. Are connected to the connector housing 2, and the cable 8 protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle and hangs downward. The connector 1 and a peripheral member 100 (for example, a reservoir tank) located on the rear side (periphery) of the vehicle 1 As shown in FIG. 5 (a), a sufficient interval is formed between them. Therefore, the cables 8 are not sandwiched between the connector housing 2 (PCU case 45) and the peripheral member 100 at normal times. In addition, although the shield member 7 originally exists between the cable 8 and the peripheral member 100, the illustration of the shield member 7 is omitted in FIG. 5 for simplicity of explanation.

  On the other hand, assuming that the hybrid vehicle 10 collides from the front, in such a case, the connector 1 coupled to the connector shell 9 fixed to the PCU case 45 is as shown in FIG. Due to the deformation of the front part of the vehicle due to the collision, the vehicle may move to the rear side of the vehicle. Thereby, at least one of the cables 8 is sandwiched between the connector housing 2 and the peripheral member 100 inside the shield member 7 (not shown), and bends as shown in FIG. Then, depending on the amount of movement of the connector housing 2 (PCU case 45) toward the vehicle rear side, as shown in FIG. 5C, the cable 8 sandwiched between the connector housing 2 and the peripheral member 100 is not shown. 7 may be bent so as to be folded to the connector housing 2 side.

  Based on this, the connector 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a protrusion 2p for each cable 8 in the vicinity of the end surface of the cable side end 2a. As a result, even if the cable 8 is bent as shown in FIG. 5C, the cable 8 and the connector housing 2 (protrusion 2p) are brought into contact with the inclined surface 2s of the protrusion 2p of the connector housing 2. ) Can be increased. Therefore, according to the connector 1, local contact between the cable 8 and the connector housing 2 due to the collision of the hybrid vehicle 10, that is, local stress concentration on the cable 8 can be well suppressed. .

  Since the wire harness including the connector 1 and the cable 8 described above is disposed in a narrow space such as an engine compartment, at least a portion of the cable 8 that bends (see FIGS. 5B and 5C). It is preferable that the outer periphery of the cable is covered with a sleeve-like tube that can follow the deformation (deflection) of the cable 8 and has high strength. Further, the end portion of such a tube is preferably fixed to the cable 8 or the like with a general-purpose tape or the like having sufficient heat resistance. As such a tube, for example, a crash shield 2441 manufactured by Federal Mogul can be employed.

  As described above, according to the connector 1 of this embodiment, the hybrid vehicle 10 collides, the connector 1 moves toward the peripheral member 100, and the cable side end 2 a of the connector housing 2 and the peripheral member 100. Even if the cable 8 sandwiched between the cables 8 is bent so as to be folded, the contact area between the cable 8 and the connector housing 2 (protrusion 2p) can be obtained by bringing the cable 8 into contact with the slope of the protrusion 2p of the connector housing 2. Can be increased. Therefore, according to the connector 1, it is possible to suppress local contact between the cable 8 and the connector housing 2 due to the collision of the hybrid vehicle 10, that is, local stress concentration on the cable 8. It becomes possible to suppress the disconnection accompanying the collision of the hybrid vehicle 10 of the cable 8 held by the connector housing 2 better.

  If the inclined surface 2s of the protrusion 2p is a curved surface that protrudes upward (outward) as in the above embodiment, the contact area between the cable 8 and the protrusion 2p of the connector housing 2 can be increased. Although it is possible to suppress local contact between the cable 8 and the protrusion 2p at the end, the slope 2s may be a flat slope. The connector 1 described above is not limited to the one connected to the three-phase cable, and the connection target by the connector 1 is not limited to the motor and the inverter. Furthermore, although the above-described hybrid vehicle 10 includes a so-called two-motor type power output device 20, the present invention travels only on a hybrid vehicle including a so-called one-motor type power output device, an electric vehicle, and further an engine. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to a vehicle including a power generation source.

  Here, the correspondence between the main elements in the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problem is described in the column of means for the embodiment to solve the problem. The embodiment for carrying out the invention is an example for specifically explaining the embodiment, and does not limit the elements of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problem. That is, the above embodiment is merely a specific example of the invention described in the section for solving the problem, and the interpretation of the invention described in the section for solving the problem is not limited to that section. This should be done based on the description.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. .

  The present invention can be used in the manufacturing industry of connectors for in-vehicle electrical devices.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector for in-vehicle electrical equipment, 2 Connector housing, 2a Cable side edge part, 2b Case side edge part, 2p protrusion, 2s slope, 3 terminal, 3b outer edge part, 4 Retainer, 5 Shield bracket, 5a, 5b edge part, 6 Grip ring, 7 Shield member, 8 Cable, 9 Connector shell, 10 Hybrid car, 12 Engine, 14 Crankshaft, 20 Power output device, 21 Transaxle, 22 Damper, 23 Drive shaft, 24 Differential gear, 25 Transaxle case , 26 transmission, 27 gear mechanism, 30 planetary gear, 31 sun gear, 32 ring gear, 33 pinion gear, 34 planetary carrier, 41, 42 inverter, 45 PCU case, 50 battery, 100 peripheral member, DW drive wheel, G1, MG2 motor.

Claims (1)

A connector housing for holding a cable so as to protrude from one end, and a connector for an in-vehicle electric device used for connection between electric devices mounted on a vehicle,
The connector housing has a protrusion having an inclined surface separated from the outer peripheral surface of the one end portion in the vicinity of the end surface of the one end portion as it is separated from the end surface to the side opposite to the protruding direction of the cable. In-vehicle electrical equipment connector.

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