JP2014089886A - Cover for battery terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a frame part for dropout prevention to smoothly return to an original position along a corrugated tube of a connection harness when a cover main body is opened and closed again.SOLUTION: A cover 1 for a battery terminal consists of: a cover main body 2 covering a battery terminal; and a frame part 4 for dropout prevention provided to the cover main body via a band-like hinge 3. When a protection tube covering an electric wire connected to the battery terminal is inserted into the frame part to mount the cover main body on the battery terminal side, a slide contact inclined plane 12 for making the frame part slidably contact along the protection tube in a mounting direction is provided to an opening edge 7b at an end part of an opposite side to the cover main body, of the frame part.

Description

  In the present invention, a harness for connection is inserted into a frame portion connected to the cover body via a belt-like hinge so that the cover body does not fall off when the insulating cover body covering the battery terminal of the automobile and its connection portion is removed. The present invention relates to a battery terminal cover.

  As a conventional battery terminal cover, for example, in Patent Document 1 (not shown), an insulating cover is provided with a frame-shaped drop-off preventing attachment portion via a strip-like flexible connecting portion, and is attached to a vehicle battery post. Screw the L-shaped connection terminal with electric wires into the connected battery terminal, insert the connection terminal or electric wire into the openable frame-shaped drop-off mounting part, cover the battery terminal with an insulating cover, and cover the insulating cover It is described that the strip-shaped flexible connecting portion can be bent into a substantially U-shape when the is opened.

  Further, in Patent Document 2 (not shown), an arm-shaped locking portion that is locked to the connection terminal on the battery terminal side is provided in the insulating cover, and the insulating cover is dropped through a strip-shaped flexible connecting portion. It describes that an open / close-type rectangular frame-shaped wire mounting portion for prevention is provided.

  FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a battery terminal cover similar to the battery terminal cover described in each of the above patent documents.

  The battery terminal cover 41 is composed of a cover body 42 and an openable / closable frame 44 integrally provided on the cover body 42 via a flexible belt-like hinge 43. As shown in the enlarged view, the frame portion 44 includes a substantially U-shaped peripheral wall 45 and a lid wall 46 that closes an opening on one side of the peripheral wall 45, and the lid wall 46 can be opened and closed to the peripheral wall 45 by a thin hinge 47. It is connected to. The peripheral wall 45 and the lid wall 46 have flanges 49 at the periphery of the openings 48 on both sides of the electric wire (harness) insertion hole 47, respectively. The flanges 49 have end faces orthogonal to the inner surfaces of the peripheral wall 45 and the lid wall 46. doing.

JP 2006-294474 A JP 2006-40797 A

  However, in the battery terminal cover 41 shown in FIG. 8, a frame for preventing dropout in maintenance or the like, as shown in FIG. 9, when the battery terminal cover 41 is attached to the vehicle battery (showing a part of the battery) 21. The lower end surface 44a of the portion 44 is caught by the concavo-convex shape 47 of the synthetic resin corrugated tube 11 covering the outer periphery of the electric wire, and the downward movement of the frame portion 44 in the arrow A direction is obstructed, and the belt-like hinge 43 is bent accordingly. There is a concern that unnecessary deformation and damage over time may occur. Further, there is a concern that if the frame portion 44 does not descend, the cover main body 42 is inclined by the elastic force of the curved belt-like hinge 43, and it is difficult to perform the operation of locking (fitting) the cover main body 42 to the battery terminal side. .

  In the work of attaching the battery terminal cover 41 during maintenance or the like, the cover main body 42 is lifted from the state shown in FIG. 9, and the frame portion 44 then covers the electric wire following the connection terminal via the belt-like hinge 43. As a result, the cover body 42 is prevented from falling off or being lost even if the operator removes his / her hand from the cover body 42. For example, the state of the battery terminal of the battery 21 and its connection terminal is confirmed. Then, the cover main body 42 is closed downward as shown in FIG. 9 to cover and protect the battery terminal and its connection terminals. In this case, the frame portion 44 needs to be lowered integrally with the cover main body 42. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the frame portion 44 is caught in the uneven shape of the corrugated tube 11, the lowering operation of the frame portion 44 is prevented as described above, and the work of fitting the cover body 42 to the battery terminal side is performed. In addition to being difficult to perform, the belt-like hinge 43 is likely to be bent and damaged over time. When the belt-like hinge 43 is cut, when the operator removes his / her hand from the cover body 42 during maintenance, the cover body There was a concern that 42 could fall into the engine room or the like.

  In view of the above, the present invention relates to a corrugation of a harness for connecting a drop-off preventing frame that continues to the cover main body via a belt-like hinge when the cover main body is opened and closed again for maintenance or the like. The purpose is to provide a battery terminal cover which can be smoothly returned to its original position along the tube (lowered) to improve the closing operation of the cover body and prevent harmful deformation and breakage of the belt hinge. And

  In order to achieve the above object, a battery terminal cover according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a cover main body that covers the battery terminal, and a fall-preventing frame provided on the cover main body via a belt-like hinge. A protective tube configured to cover the electric wire connected to the battery terminal is inserted into the frame portion, and when the cover body is mounted on the battery terminal side, the frame portion is mounted along the protective tube in the mounting direction. A sliding contact inclined surface for sliding contact with the cover body is provided at an opening edge of an end portion of the frame portion opposite to the cover main body.

  With the above configuration, when the cover body is closed with respect to the battery terminal from the opened state, the drop-preventing frame is pushed in the closing direction by the belt-shaped hinge. The sliding contact inclined surface provided on the opening edge of the end portion, that is, the opening edge of the end portion in the closing direction smoothly slidably contacts the unevenness on the outer surface side of the protective tube (corrugated tube), and the frame portion is Move smoothly in the closing direction (mounting direction). Thereby, the frame portion is reliably returned to the original position of the frame portion when the cover body is closed, while maintaining the state in which the belt-like hinge is stretched substantially straight without causing harmful bending. Since the belt-like hinge does not cause a large bending deformation, the inclination of the cover body is prevented and the workability of closing the cover body is enhanced. The shape of the “frame portion” may be rectangular or circular.

  The battery terminal cover according to claim 2 is the battery terminal cover according to claim 1, wherein the substantially U-shaped peripheral wall constituting the frame portion and a lid wall connected to the peripheral wall by a thin hinge so as to be opened and closed. In addition, the sliding contact inclined surface is formed over the entire circumference.

  With the above configuration, the protective tube is inserted into the frame portion by opening the lid wall of the frame portion, and the inclined surfaces for sliding contact of the frame portion are positioned in four directions of the protective tube by closing the lid wall. When closing the cover body, even if the frame part is tilted or eccentric with respect to the protective tube, one or two sliding inclined surfaces on the four sides are in sliding contact with the protective tube, and the frame part is in the original position. To return to smooth.

  The battery terminal cover according to a third aspect is the battery terminal cover according to the first or second aspect, wherein the slidable contact is formed on an outward flange portion of the frame portion opposite to the cover body. An inclined surface is formed.

  With the above configuration, a wider sliding contact inclined surface is formed along the flange portion than when there is no flange portion, and when the cover body is closed, the wider sliding contact inclined surface is the outer periphery of the protective tube (corrugated tube). The frame portion is smoothly and reliably returned to the original position by smoothly sliding along the deep uneven shape (over the deep uneven shape smoothly).

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the cover body is opened and closed again with respect to the battery terminal for maintenance or the like, the falling-preventing frame portion that continues to the cover body via the belt-like hinge is provided on the inclined surface for sliding contact. Can smoothly return to the original position along the protective tube (corrugated tube) on the outer periphery of the connecting wire to enhance the operability of closing the cover body and prevent harmful deformation and breakage of the belt-like hinge. .

  According to the invention described in claim 2, when the cover main body is closed, the frame portion is used for sliding contact in all directions even if the frame portion for preventing the dropout is inclined or eccentric with respect to the protective tube (corrugated tube). The inclined surface can be smoothly and reliably returned to the original position.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, by forming the sliding contact inclined surface of the frame portion wide along the flange portion, the deep unevenness of the protective tube (corrugated tube) can be smoothly smoothed by the wide sliding contact inclined surface. The frame portion can be smoothly and reliably returned to the original position when the cover body is closed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a battery terminal cover according to the present invention (enlarged view of essential parts). It is a perspective view which shows the state which closed the frame part for drop-off prevention of the battery terminal cover. It is a perspective view of the state which opened the cover for battery terminals from the battery terminal side. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the corrugated tube of the frame part for drop-off prevention, and a harness for connection. It is a perspective view which shows the state which closed the battery terminal cover to the battery terminal side (it fitted). It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the latching state of the cover main body to the battery terminal side. It is a perspective view which shows the state at the time of opening a battery terminal cover and performing work, such as a maintenance. It is a perspective view which shows one form of the conventional battery terminal cover (the inside is a principal part enlarged view). It is a perspective view including the subject at the time of closing the conventional battery terminal cover to the battery terminal side (it was made to fit).

  1 to 7 show an embodiment of a battery terminal cover according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, this battery terminal cover 1 is flexible to an insulating substantially rectangular cover body 2 made of synthetic resin and a lower end 5 a on the base end side of the side wall 5 on the long side of the cover body 2. And a frame portion 4 for preventing the drop-off from being integrally formed through the belt-like hinge 3, and a tip end portion 3 a of the belt-like hinge 3 is formed at one opening edge 7 a of the harness insertion hole 7 inside the frame portion 4. 1 and 2, the other opening edge 7 b of the harness insertion hole 7 of the frame 4 is connected to the connection terminals 9 and 10 (FIG. 3) on the battery terminal 8 (FIG. 3) side. A tapered sliding inclined surface 12 that can smoothly slide is formed along a corrugated tube (protective tube) 11 (FIG. 3) that covers a subsequent electric wire (not shown).

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which the lid wall 13 of the frame portion 4 for preventing dropout is opened, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the lid wall 13 of the frame portion 4 is also closed. As shown in FIG. The sliding contact inclined surfaces 12 are respectively formed on the substantially U-shaped peripheral wall 14 and the lid wall 13 constituting the frame portion 4.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the substantially U-shaped peripheral wall 14 of the frame portion 4 includes two opposing wall portions 14 a and 14 b on the long side and one short side on the short side perpendicular to the two wall portions 14 a and 14 b. The lid wall 13 is arranged to face the short side wall 14c, and is connected to the end of one long side wall 14b by a thin hinge 15 so as to be freely opened and closed. The long side wall 14a can be locked by the locking means 16 (the locking projection 16a and the flexible locking frame piece 16b).

  A harness insertion hole 7 (FIG. 1) is formed on the inner side of the substantially U-shaped peripheral wall 14 and the lid wall 13 so as to surround the four sides, and at one opening edge 7 a of the harness insertion hole 7 on the short side side of the peripheral wall 14. The tip portion 3a (FIG. 1) of the belt-like hinge 3 is connected to the wall portion 14c, and the inner surface 3b (FIG. 1) of the belt-like hinge 3 is connected to the inner surface of the short side wall portion 14c on the same plane. The other opening edge 7b (FIG. 1) opposite to the side (3a) (on the side opposite to the cover body 2) is in sliding contact with the four ends of the substantially U-shaped peripheral wall 14 and the lid wall 13. Each inclined surface 12 is formed. The inclined surface 12 for sliding contact intersects with the inner surfaces of the three wall portions 14a to 14c of the peripheral wall 14 and the lid wall 13 (the intersecting portion is indicated by reference numeral 7b), From the end 7b to the outer end 18a, the opening 7b of the harness insertion hole 7 is formed so as to be gradually tapered.

  The substantially U-shaped peripheral wall 14 and the lid wall 13 have outwardly extending flanges (walls) 17 and 18 on the one and other opening edges 7a and 7b of the harness insertion hole 7, respectively. The sliding contact inclined surface 12 is formed wide at the opening edge 7b opposite to the opening edge 7a connected to the belt-like hinge 3 by using the outward flange 18. That is, the inclined surface 12 for sliding contact is formed wide so as to intersect with the inner surfaces of the peripheral wall 14 and the lid wall 13 up to the outer peripheral end 18 a of the flange 18.

  The flange portion 18 on the side of the other opening edge 7b is formed to be inclined obliquely outwardly toward the protruding tip 18a, and one and the other wall surfaces in the thickness direction of the flange portion 18 are inclined surfaces, The wall surface is an inclined surface 12 for sliding contact. On one side (the side connected to the belt-like hinge 3), the flange portion 17 on the opening edge 7a side is orthogonal to the peripheral wall 14 and the lid wall 13, and one end surface in the thickness direction of the flange portion 17 is the peripheral wall 14 and the lid wall 13. (The sliding contact inclined surface 12 is not provided on the opening edge 7a on the side connected to the belt-like hinge 3).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cover body 2 is composed of a substantially horizontal wall portion 19 on the upper side and substantially vertical wall portions 5, 5 ′ (FIG. 6), 6, 6 ′ on the front, rear, left and right sides. 3) and a space 20 (FIG. 6) for accommodating the connection terminals 9, 10 (FIG. 3) and the like. The rear wall 6 'and the left and right wall portions 5, 5' in the vicinity thereof are slightly extended downward, and the base end 3b of the belt-like hinge 3 is connected to the lower end 5a of the extension portion 5b of the left wall portion 5. ing. In the specification, the front / rear and left / right directions are for convenience of explanation.

  FIG. 3 shows a state in which the battery terminal cover 1 is attached to the battery 21 side of the vehicle and opened upward for maintenance or the like.

  The belt-like hinge 3 extends substantially vertically downward from the rear end portion of the one side wall 5 of the cover main body 2, and the lower end 3 a of the belt-like hinge 3 is provided on the inner surface side of the wall portion 14 c on the short side of the frame portion 4 for preventing dropout. The upper ends are connected together. The frame portion 4 is lifted integrally with the cover body 2 via the belt-like hinge 3 and is positioned substantially horizontally.

  The base end portion of the horizontal battery terminal 8 made of conductive metal is connected to the upward battery post 23 which is an electrode on the plus side of the battery 21 (a part of the end portion side of the upper wall 22 of the battery case is shown in FIG. 3). Are connected by screw tightening 24, and the holes 26 of the horizontal electric contact plate portions of the plurality (upper and lower two in this example) of the connection terminals 9 and 10 are inserted into the bolts 25 erected at the tip of the battery terminal 8. ing.

  A large (thick) connection terminal 9 on the lower side is bent into an L shape, and a power supply wire (not shown) is connected to a downward vertical portion 9a of the L shape connection terminal 9, and is synthesized on the outer periphery of the wire. With the resin corrugated tube (protective tube) 11 attached and the battery terminal cover 1 shown in FIG. 3 lifted, the drop-preventing frame 4 is formed on the downward vertical portion 9a of the L-shaped connecting terminal 9. Located around. The corrugated tube 11 is inserted into the harness insertion hole 7 inside the frame portion 4 with the lid wall 13 (FIG. 1) of the frame portion 4 opened in advance (the lid wall 13 is closed in FIG. 3). The upper small (thin) connection terminal 10 has an electric wire crimping portion 10a following the horizontal electric contact plate portion, and an unillustrated electric wire connected to the electric wire crimping portion 10a is led downward through the corrugated tube 11. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the sliding contact inclined surface 12 is formed at the lower end of the frame portion 4 for preventing the drop-off, that is, the end portion (end edge) 7b opposite to the connecting side to the belt-like hinge 3. When the battery terminal cover 1 is closed downward as indicated by the arrow A from the state 3, the sliding contact inclined surface 12 of the frame portion 4 is smoothly slid without being caught along the irregularities 27 on the outer periphery of the corrugated tube 11 ( In particular, the frame portion 4 is smoothly lowered without being caught by the convex portion 27a at the upper end of the corrugated tube 11) and is smoothly lowered as shown in FIG. The upper end portion 11 a of the corrugated tube 11 is fixed to the hanging portion 9 a of the connection terminal 9 or the electric wire 28 by tape winding, for example.

As shown in FIG. 4, the corrugated tube 11 has upper and lower inclined surfaces 27a ₁ and 27a ₂ on the outer periphery 27, but for sliding contact with the lower end of the frame portion 4 with respect to the inclined angle of the upper inclined surface 27a ₁ . Since the inclination angle of the inclined surface 12 is formed to be steeper, the inclined surface 12 for sliding contact of the frame portion 4 is caught by the unevenness 27 of the corrugated tube 11 (particularly, the inclined surface 27a ₁ of the upper-end convex portion 27a). Without being moved smoothly as shown in FIG. The irregularities 27 of the corrugated tube 11 are circumferential grooves 27 b and ridges 27 a, and the grooves 27 b and ridges 27 a are alternately formed in the longitudinal direction of the corrugated tube 11.

  For example, even when a synthetic rubber bellows-like protective tube is used in place of the synthetic resin corrugated tube 11, the frame portion 4 is in sliding contact with the inclination angle of the irregularities (27) of the bellows-like protective tube (11). As shown in FIG. 5, the frame portion 4 can be smoothly lowered along the bellows-shaped protective tube (11). The corrugated tube 11 is also a kind of bellows-like protective tube.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the sliding contact inclined surface 12 of the frame portion 4 is inclined obliquely upward from the lower end (outer end) 18 a of the inclined flange portion 18 of the frame portion 4 toward the inner side (center) of the frame portion 4. Thus, the inner wall 14 ′ (13 ′) of the vertical wall portion 14 (13) of the frame 4 intersects obtusely. The lower end (outer end) 18a of the frame part 4 is not rounded but slightly rounded. The sliding contact inclined surface 12 is formed by connecting the inclined surface (12) at the lower end of the wall portion (13) and the inclined surface (12) below the inclined flange portion 18 at the lower end at the same angle (same surface). The sliding contact inclined surface 12 is positioned in parallel with the upper inclined surface 18 b of the flange 18.

  In the corrugated tube 11, a downward vertical portion 9a of the L-shaped connection terminal 9 and an electric wire 28 connected thereto are inserted. The inner diameters of the walls 14 a and 14 b (FIG. 2) on the short diameter side of the frame part 4 are formed larger than the outer diameter of the corrugated tube 11.

  Since the sliding contact inclined surfaces 12 are formed on the four sides of the lower end edge 7b of the rectangular frame portion 4, the corrugated tube 11 inserted into the frame portion 4 is eccentric with respect to the center of the frame portion 4. Even if it is arranged in an inclined shape, any one (not necessarily one) of the sliding contact inclined surfaces 12 on the four sides (front and rear, left and right) of the frame portion 4 is surely slidably in contact with the unevenness 27 of the corrugated tube 11, The downward movement of the frame 4 in FIG. 5 is performed smoothly and reliably.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cover body 2 of the battery terminal cover 1, the belt-like hinge 3, and the drop-preventing frame 4 are integrally lowered, and the cover body 2 is connected to the battery terminal 8 (FIG. 3) of the battery 21 and the electric wire. Covering the connection terminals 9 and 10 (FIG. 3) with an insulation, it is insulated and protected from the outside. The frame portion 4 is smoothly lowered along the outer peripheral surface of the convex portion 27a (FIG. 4) of the corrugated tube 11 without being caught by the upper end of the corrugated tube 11 and the uneven portion 27 in the middle thereof by the inclined surface 12 for sliding contact at the lower end.

  In the state shown in FIG. 5, the cover body 2 is formed with the inwardly extending claw portions 30 a at the lower ends of the inner left and right pair of downward locking arms 30 that are suspended from the upper wall 19, as shown in FIG. 6. It is locked and fixed on both sides in the width direction of the horizontal flat plate portion. The pair of locking arms 30 can be bent outward as indicated by an arrow B. A wide bending space 31 that is substantially fan-shaped downward is provided outside the locking arm 30, and the left and right wall portions 5, 5 ′ of the cover body 2 are inclined walls that are slightly outwardly extended downward. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 32 denotes a vertical partition in the cover body 2.

  When the operator pulls the cover body 2 upward from the state of FIG. 6, both the locking arms 30 are bent outward, and the locking between the locking arms 30 and the horizontal plate portion of the connection terminal 9 is released. In FIG. 5, the belt-like hinge 3 is lifted integrally with the cover main body 2, and the frame portion 4 is pulled by the belt-like hinge 3 and lifted up straightly, so that the sliding contact as in the lower edge 7 b is made to the upper edge 7 a of the frame 4. There is no need to provide the inclined surface 12 for use. On the contrary, when the frame part 4 is lowered, the belt-like hinge 3 receives a force in the compression direction (bending). Therefore, by providing the sliding contact inclined surface 12 at the lower edge of the frame part 4, It can be smoothly lowered to prevent unnecessary bending deformation of the belt-like hinge 3.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the operator lifts the cover main body 2 and opens the belt-like hinge 3 outward with the fulcrum hinge 3 as an example, the frame portion 4 for preventing the drop is slightly tilted and pressed against the corrugated tube 11 or the like. Thus, maintenance and the like can be performed efficiently without lowering the battery terminal cover 1 (the cover main body 2, the belt-like hinge 3, and the frame portion 4) in the temporarily held state. If the opened cover main body 2 is lowered together with the frame portion 4 during maintenance work or the like, the cover main body 2 must be lifted together with the frame portion 4 after the work and closed, which is troublesome. By tilting the frame portion 4 and temporarily holding it in the corrugated tube 11 or the like, the labor can be saved.

  After work such as maintenance, the cover body 2 is turned inward to the state shown in FIG. 3, the frame part 4 is returned to the horizontal position, the cover body 2 is closed toward the battery terminal 8, and at the same time, the frame part The cover body 2 shown in FIG. 5 can be closed by pushing the cover 4 downward with the belt-shaped hinge 3 and smoothly lowering it along the corrugated tube 11 at the sliding contact inclined surface 12 at the lower end of the frame portion 4. it can. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 23 denotes a battery post, and reference numerals 9 and 10 denote connection terminals connected to the battery terminal 8, respectively.

  In the above embodiment, the rectangular frame portion 4 is used. However, the frame portion 4 is not limited to the rectangular shape, and may be a circular shape, an oval shape, or the like (in these cases, the frame portion 4 is annular). Can also be referred to as a part). Even in this case, it is preferable to provide an openable / closable lid wall 13 in a part of the frame portion 4 in the circumferential direction, or to provide the sliding contact inclined surface 12 on the flange portion 18 of the frame portion.

  The battery terminal cover according to the present invention provides a corrugated tube for connecting harness with a frame portion for preventing dropout that follows the cover body via a belt-like hinge when the cover body is opened and closed with respect to the battery terminal for maintenance or the like. The cover can be smoothly returned to its original position (lowered) to maintain the operability of closing the cover body, and can be used to prevent unnecessary deformation and breakage of the belt-like hinge.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery terminal cover 2 Cover main body 3 Strip | belt-shaped hinge 4 Frame part for drop-off prevention 7b Open edge 8 Battery terminal 11 Corrugated tube (protection tube)
12 Inclined surface for sliding contact 13 Lid wall 14 Peripheral wall 15 Thin-walled hinge 18 buttock

Claims (3)

  A cover body that covers the battery terminal, and a drop-prevention frame portion that is provided on the cover body via a belt-like hinge, and a protective tube that covers the electric wire connected to the battery terminal is inserted into the frame portion. When the cover body is mounted on the battery terminal side, a sliding contact inclined surface for sliding the frame portion in the mounting direction along the protective tube is defined as the cover body in the frame portion. A battery terminal cover, which is provided at an opening edge of an opposite end.   The sliding contact inclined surface is formed over the entire circumference of a substantially U-shaped peripheral wall constituting the frame portion and a lid wall connected to the peripheral wall by a thin hinge so as to be opened and closed. The battery terminal cover according to claim 1.   3. The battery terminal cover according to claim 1, wherein the sliding contact inclined surface is formed on an outward flange portion of an end portion of the frame portion opposite to the cover main body. 4.

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