JP2015122175A - Connection structure of terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify the work of connection between terminals.SOLUTION: A male terminal 13 and a female terminal 19 are held in each housing so as to be rotatable relative to each other around a terminal shaft. The male terminal 19 is formed from a small diameter part 37 and a large diameter part 35 alternating with each other in a circumferential direction. The female terminal 19 has an elastically deformable contact part 59 extending towards the inside of a cylinder. The contact part 59 is formed so as to be able to be in contact with the large diameter part 35 of the male terminal 13 inserted into the female terminal 19. The male terminal 13 is inserted to the set position of the female terminal 19. Rotation drive means is provided for rotating the male and female terminals 13 and 19 relative to each other around the terminal shaft at the set position, thereby electrically connecting them.

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal connection structure.

  Many electric devices such as motors and inverters are mounted on automobiles such as electric vehicles and hybrid cars. Conventionally, wire harnesses are used to connect these electric devices. Connectors are connected to both ends of the wire of the wire harness, and these connectors are connected to the device-side terminals of each electrical device. An example of this type of connector is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  In the connector of Patent Document 1, a flange is formed in a cylindrical housing that holds a plurality of connector terminals, and this flange is fixed to a mounting surface of a housing that accommodates an electrical device to be connected. In the connector fixed to the mounting surface of the housing, one end of the connector terminal is inserted into the housing and connected to the device side terminal in the housing, while the other end of the connector terminal is connected to the wire harness wire. It is like that.

JP 2012-195068 A

  By the way, as for the connector described in patent document 1, several connector terminals are each connected by the fastening of the apparatus side terminal and the volt | bolt. However, equipment-side terminals (terminal blocks) of electrical equipment mounted on vehicles and the like are often provided in the housing, and it is necessary to perform bolting work in the housing. Since this work is performed by inserting a tool into a narrow space in the housing, the burden on the operator is large, and the work man-hour is increased.

  On the other hand, a connection structure in which a male terminal and a female terminal are pressed against each other is known as a connection structure between terminals that do not perform bolt fastening work. For example, after the male terminal is inserted into the female terminal, it is pressed by the female terminal and held inside the female terminal. However, since this type of connection structure increases the insertion force (insertion resistance) when inserting the male terminal into the female terminal, the work load when connecting the terminal increases.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a problem, and makes it a subject to provide the connection structure of the terminal which can perform the connection operation | work between terminals easily and efficiently.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the terminal connection structure of the present invention is a terminal connection structure in which the connection terminals held in the pair of housings are fitted to each other to electrically connect the connection terminals. The rotation drive means are inserted in a non-contact state until reaching the set position, and each of the connection terminals is relatively rotated around the terminal axis at the set position and electrically connected to each other. To do.

  According to this, since the insertion force when inserting one connection terminal into the other connection terminal becomes zero, the work burden when connecting the connection terminals can be reduced. Further, since the connection terminals can be connected by relatively rotating the connection terminals, a bolt fastening operation between the connection terminals is not necessary. Therefore, the operation of connecting the connection terminals can be performed easily and efficiently.

  The terminal connection structure of the present invention is such that a cylindrical or columnar male terminal held in a male housing and a cylindrical female terminal held in a female housing are fitted to each other so that the male terminal and the female terminal In the terminal connection structure that electrically connects the male terminal and the female terminal, the male terminal and the female terminal are held in the respective housings so as to be relatively rotatable around the terminal axis, and the male terminal has a small diameter portion and a large diameter portion in the circumferential direction. The female terminal has an elastically deformable contact portion extending inward of the cylinder, and the contact portion is formed so as to be in contact with a large diameter portion of the male terminal inserted into the female terminal. The male terminal is inserted to the set position of the female terminal, and is provided with a rotation driving means for rotating the male terminal and the female terminal relative to each other around the terminal axis to electrically connect at the set position.

  That is, when inserting the male terminal into the female terminal, the insertion force of the male terminal can be made close to zero by arranging the contact portion of the female terminal so as to face the small diameter portion. In addition, after inserting the male terminal into the female terminal, one terminal is rotated, and the contact portion of the female terminal is brought into contact with the large diameter portion of the male terminal, so that the terminals can be electrically connected. The bolt fastening work can be eliminated. Therefore, the connection work between terminals can be performed easily and efficiently.

  In this case, when the contact portion is disposed at a position facing the small diameter portion, the contact portion is not in contact with the small diameter portion.

  According to this, since the insertion force of the male terminal with respect to the female terminal can be made zero, the efficiency of the connection work between the terminals can be further increased. Further, since the contact between the male terminal and the contact portion can be avoided when the male terminal is inserted into the female terminal, the contact portion can be reliably prevented from being damaged. Moreover, the on / off state of the connection state between the male terminal and the female terminal can be switched by relatively rotating the male terminal and the female terminal by the rotation driving means.

  The contact portion is formed so as to be able to press the large diameter portion of the male terminal inserted into the female terminal.

  According to this, since the connection between the male terminal and the female terminal can be ensured, the reliability of the connection between the terminals can be improved.

  The rotation driving means includes an operation lever movably supported by each housing, a motion conversion mechanism for converting the linear motion of the operation lever into a rotation motion, and a male terminal or a female terminal for rotating the motion conversion mechanism. And a transmission means for transmitting directly or indirectly.

  According to this, when the terminals are connected, the position of the male terminal and the female terminal in the rotational direction can be switched simply by moving the operation lever in the linear direction, so that the connection work can be easily performed even in a narrow space. It can be carried out.

  Further, the plurality of male terminals are held by the male housing and the plurality of female terminals are held by the female housing, and the rotation driving means can move the linear movement of the operating lever to either the plurality of male terminals or the plurality of female terminals. It shall be converted into such rotational motion and transmitted to each terminal.

  According to this, after the plurality of male terminals are inserted into the female terminals with an insertion force of zero or close to each, the plurality of male terminals and the plurality of female terminals can be collectively connected by the operation lever. , Work efficiency can be greatly improved.

  According to the present invention, connection work between terminals can be performed easily and efficiently.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the connection structure of the terminal to which this invention is applied. It is the perspective view and front view which show the external appearance of a male terminal. It is the perspective view and front view which show the external appearance of a female terminal housing. It is the perspective view and front view which show the external appearance of the cylindrical body which is a part of female terminal. It is the perspective view and front view which show the external appearance of a female terminal. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of a lever. It is sectional drawing which shows the state before a male terminal is inserted in a female terminal. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the male terminal was inserted in the female terminal. FIG. 9 is a view of the male terminal inserted into the female terminal as seen from the rear in the state of FIG. 8. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which operated the lever from the state of FIG. In the state of FIG. 10, it is the figure which looked at the male terminal inserted in the female terminal from back.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a terminal connection structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The terminal connection structure of the present embodiment is for connecting electric devices mounted on a moving body such as an automobile. Specifically, the motor is mounted on an electric vehicle or a hybrid car, and the motor. It is used for a connecting portion that electrically connects an inverter that outputs electric power, a control signal, and the like. The electric device is not limited to a motor or an inverter, and may be other electric devices. In the present embodiment, as a connection structure for connecting the inverter and the motor, a structure in which the device side terminal of the inverter and the device side terminal of the motor are directly connected, that is, connected without an electric wire, will be described. This connection structure can also be applied to a connector to which an electric wire is connected.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a terminal connection structure according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 shows only a connection portion between the motor and the inverter, and a housing for housing the inverter and a housing for housing the motor are omitted. The arrow X in FIG. 1 represents the front-rear direction, and the front side of the page is defined as the front and the back side is defined as the rear. The arrow Y represents the left-right direction (width direction), and the near side of the page is defined as the right side and the far side is defined as the left side. An arrow Z represents the vertical direction (height direction), and the upper side of the page is defined as the upper side, and the lower side of the page is defined as the lower side. These definitions also apply to other drawings as appropriate.

  The inverter and the motor are each provided with a device side terminal for connecting to an external electric device. In the present embodiment, the device side terminal of the inverter is formed as a male terminal, and the device side terminal on the motor side is formed as a female terminal. The connection structure of the present embodiment includes a male housing 11 and two male terminals 13 held by the male housing 11 on the inverter side, and two female terminal housings 15 and the female side on the motor side. A female housing 17 that holds the terminal housing 15, two female terminals 19 that are held by the female terminal housing 15, and an operation lever 21 that rotates the female terminal 19 are provided.

  The male housing 11 is fixed in a state where the male housing 11 is fitted into an opening of a housing of an inverter (not shown). The male housing 11 includes a support plate 23 formed of an insulating material and formed in a rectangular shape, and guide portions 25 raised from both ends of the support plate 23 in the width direction. The support plate 23 is formed with two through holes 27 for holding the male terminals 13. Each guide portion 25 is formed with a slit portion 29 cut out forward from the rear end. The male terminal 13 which is a device side terminal of the inverter is formed in a cylindrical shape.

  FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the appearance of the male terminal 13, and FIG. 2B is a front view of FIG. The male terminal 13 is formed, for example, by cutting a metal bar, and has a flange portion 33 at one end portion of a body portion 31 formed in a columnar shape. The body portion 31 is formed with groove-shaped small-diameter portions 37 having an outer diameter smaller than that of the large-diameter portion 35 extending in the axial direction at two locations on the outer circumferential surface (hereinafter referred to as the large-diameter portion 35). The These small diameter portions 37 are positioned on opposite sides (positions separated by 180 degrees) with respect to the central axis. That is, the large diameter portion 35 and the small diameter portion 37 are alternately formed along the circumferential direction of the body portion 31, and the lengths in the circumferential direction are set to be substantially equal. The trunk portion 31 is formed in a solid columnar shape, but may be formed in a hollow cylindrical shape as long as the outer peripheral surface can be similarly formed.

  In the male terminal 13, the other end 39 of the body 31 is formed in a conical shape. The flange portion 33 formed at one end portion of the body portion 31 is formed to have an outer diameter larger than that of the large diameter portion 35 of the body portion 31, and a protrusion 41 for preventing rotation is provided to protrude rearward. The male terminal 13 is inserted into the through hole 27 with the other end 39 facing rearward from the front of the male housing 11, and the flange 33 is held in contact with the peripheral edge of the through hole 27. The through-hole 27 is provided with an engaging groove 43 that engages with the protrusion 41 along the axial direction of the inner peripheral surface. By engaging the protrusion 41 with the engaging groove 43, the male terminal 13 rotates. Are now regulated. In the present embodiment, the two small diameter portions 37 are arranged in the vertical direction.

  On the other hand, the female housing 17 is made of an insulating material and is fitted into an opening of a motor housing (not shown). The female housing 17 is formed in a box shape having a rectangular cross section that opens to the rear, and has two through holes 45 for holding the female terminal housing 15 on the front end surface. Further, the female housing 17 includes a protrusion 47 projecting from the left and right side surfaces, a first cutout portion 49 formed by cutting out these side surfaces, and a second cutout formed by cutting out the upper side surface. A notch 51 is provided. The first cutout portion 49 and the second cutout portion 51 are formed by cutting the female housing 17 forward from the rear end.

  FIG. 3A is an external perspective view of the female terminal housing 15, and FIG. 3B is a front view of FIG. The female terminal housing 15 has a cylindrical tube portion 53 formed of a conductive material such as metal. The cylinder part 53 has a diameter-enlarged part 55 projecting radially from the outer peripheral surface of one end part in the axial direction and a tongue piece 57 extending rearward from the other end part. The cylindrical portion 53 is configured such that the male terminal 13 is inserted from the opening at one end and the female terminal 19 is inserted from the opening at the other end. The female terminal housing 15 is inserted into the through-hole 45 from the front of the female housing 17 with the tongue piece 57 facing rearward. The female terminal housing 15 inserted into the through hole 45 is fixed to the female housing 17 with the enlarged diameter portion 55 being in contact with the peripheral edge of the through hole 45. The tongue piece 57 is in electrical contact with the device side of a motor (not shown).

  The female terminal 19 has a cylindrical tubular body 58 formed by pressing a metal plate material, and a base end portion 69 made of resin. 4A is a perspective view showing only the cylindrical body 58 excluding the base end portion 69, and FIG. 4B is a front view of FIG. 4A. The cylindrical body 58 is provided with a plurality of (six) contact portions 59 in the circumferential direction. Each contact portion 59 is a rectangular plate having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction (the axial direction of the female terminal 19), the front end portion is continuous with the ring-shaped first annular portion 61, and the rear end portion is ring-shaped. It is formed continuously with the second annular portion 63.

  The first annular portion 61 and the second annular portion 63 are formed by forming a band-shaped plate material into an annular shape (C-shaped cross section). Each contact portion 59 has an acute angle with respect to the tangential direction of each annular portion 63 around the axis passing through the connecting portion 61a with the first annular portion 61 and the connecting portion 63a with the second annular portion 63. By rotating by an angle and tilting the width direction (short direction) to the inside of the cylinder of the female terminal 19, the portion extending inward from the inner peripheral surface of each of the annular portions 61 and 63, and the outer peripheral surface And a portion extending outward. Each contact portion 59 can be elastically deformed in a rotational direction centering on an axis passing through the connection portions 61a and 63a.

  Each contact portion 59 is formed to have the same size, and is arranged in groups of three at positions opposite to each other with respect to the central axis of the female terminal 19. The adjacent contact portions 59 are inclined at the same angle with respect to the radial direction as shown in FIG. 4 (b), and the tip portions extending inward are positioned on the coaxial circumference and at both ends in the front-rear direction. A chamfered portion 65 is applied to each corner portion. In the present embodiment, a total of six contact portions 59 are provided. However, the number of contact portions 59 is not limited to this, and more or fewer contact portions 59 may be provided. It may be.

  The female terminal 19 configured in this way is inserted into the female terminal housing 15 held by the female housing 17 from behind and is rotatably supported. Inside the female terminal 19, the male terminal 13 is inserted from the front. It has come to be. Here, each contact portion 59 of the female terminal 19 presses the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 53 of the female terminal housing 15 and is disposed to face the large diameter portion 35 or the small diameter portion 37 of the male terminal 13. Whether the contact portion 59 faces the large-diameter portion 35 or the small-diameter portion 37 of the male terminal 13 is determined by the position of the female terminal 19 in the rotational direction.

  When the contact portion 59 of the present embodiment is disposed at a position facing the small diameter portion 37 of the male terminal 13 inserted into the female terminal 19, the contact portion 59 is not in contact with the small diameter portion 37 and is opposed to the large diameter portion 35. The large-diameter portion 35 is pressed when it is disposed on the surface. Therefore, when the contact portion 59 is disposed at a position facing the large diameter portion 35, the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 19 are electrically connected. At this time, the male terminal 13 is electrically connected to the female terminal housing 15 via the female terminal 19.

  In the present embodiment, the rotation driving means for electrically connecting the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 19 by rotating the female terminal 19 around the axis of the male terminal 13 inserted to the set position of the female terminal 19 is provided. I have. The rotation driving means includes an operation lever 21, a motion conversion mechanism that converts the linear motion of the operation lever 21 into a rotational motion, and a transmission means that directly transmits the rotational motion of the motion conversion mechanism to the female terminal 19. . The rotation driving means moves the contact portion 59 of the female terminal 19 between a position facing the large diameter portion 35 and a position facing the small diameter portion 37, thereby connecting the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 19. (On and off) can be switched. Hereinafter, the rotation driving means of the present embodiment will be specifically described.

  5A is an overall perspective view of the female terminal 19 formed by fixing a resin base end portion 69 to the cylindrical body 58 of FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view of FIG. It is a front view of a). The base end portion 69 is provided in a flat plate shape along the end surface of the second annular portion 63, and is formed so as to protrude in a fan shape in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the second annular portion 63. The base end portion 69 is fixed to the second annular portion 63, and a protruding portion 67 that protrudes rearward from a position away from the central axis is integrally formed. In the case of this embodiment, the base end portion 69 corresponds to the transmission means of the rotation drive means.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the operation lever 21. The operation lever 21 is formed of an insulating material and has a rod shape as a whole. The operation lever 21 is provided with triangular extending portions 71 at two locations in the longitudinal direction, and grooves 73 are formed in these extending portions 71, respectively. The groove 73 is formed to extend in an acute angle direction with respect to the longitudinal direction of the operation lever 21, and by setting the groove width to be larger than the protrusion 67, the protrusion 67 is engaged and can slide. .

  The operating lever 21 is supported by the female housing 17 with the projections 67 of the two female terminals 19 engaged with the grooves 73, and both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the operating lever 21 are respectively connected to the female housing 17. Bulges outward through the first notch 49. Although not shown in the drawing, the female housing 17 has a slide mechanism for the operation lever 21, and the operation lever 21 is held by the female housing 17 by being fixed to the slide mechanism with a stopper 75. In this state, it can move in the longitudinal direction, that is, in the left-right direction of the female housing 17. The stopper 75 is attached via the second notch 51 of the female housing 17.

  The protrusion 67 slides in the groove 73 by moving the operation lever 21 in the longitudinal direction (linear motion), and moves (rotates) around the axis of the female terminal 19. In the case of this embodiment, the protrusion 67 and the groove 73 correspond to a motion conversion mechanism of the rotation drive means.

  FIG. 7 shows a cross section of the mounting surface 77 of the housing that houses the motor and the mounting surface 79 of the housing that houses the inverter, and shows the state before the male terminal 13 is inserted into the female terminal 19. Although not shown in the figure, these attachment surfaces 77 and 79 are formed so as to protrude from the side surfaces of the housing, and the attachment surface 79 is disposed above the attachment surface 77 so as to face each other. The mounting surface 77 holds the female housing 17 that holds the female terminals 19, and the mounting surface 79 holds the male housing 11 that holds the male terminals 13.

  FIG. 8 shows a state in which the male housing 11 is brought closer to the female housing 17 and the male terminal 13 is inserted into the female terminal 19 from the state of FIG. The figure in the frame in the figure is a cross-sectional view showing a connection state between the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 19. In the male housing 11, the support plate 23 is in contact with the enlarged diameter portion 55 of the female terminal housing 15, and the protrusion 47 of the female housing 17 is engaged with the slit portion 29 of the guide portion 25. As a result, the male housing 11 is guided by the slit portion 29 of the female housing 17 and approaches the female housing 17, and the male terminal 13 is inserted to the set position of the female terminal 17. In FIG. 8, the operation lever 21 is disposed behind the attachment surface 77 (downward in the drawing), but actually extends outward along the gap between the casings and can be operated from the outside. It is possible.

  FIG. 9 is a view of the connection state between the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 19 viewed from the rear in the state of FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the contact portion 59 of the female terminal 19 is disposed at a position facing the small diameter portion 37 of the male terminal 13 when the male terminal 13 is inserted into the female terminal 19. It is in a contact state. That is, at this time, the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 19 are in an off state that is not electrically connected. At this time, the protrusion 67 of the female terminal 19 is engaged with one end of the groove 73 of the operation lever 21.

  Next, in FIG. 8, when the operation lever 21 is moved in the direction of the arrow, the state shown in FIG. 10 is obtained. Further, in FIG. 9, when the operation lever 21 is moved in the direction of the arrow, the state shown in FIG. 11 is obtained. That is, in FIG. 9, by pulling out the operation lever 21 in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction), the protrusion 67 rotates around the axis of the female terminal 19 in the circumferential direction while moving to the other end side along the groove 73. Exercise. This rotational motion is transmitted to the female terminal 19 via the base end portion 69 and rotates the female terminal 19. Then, each contact portion 59 is pressed from the position facing the small-diameter portion 37 while pressing the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 53 of the female terminal housing 15 as the female terminal 19 rotates (about 90 degrees). Move to the position opposite. Here, since the outer diameter of the large-diameter portion 35 is larger than the diameter of a virtual circle formed by the tip portion extending inward of the cylinder of each contact portion 59, each contact portion 59 presses the large-diameter portion 35. As a result, the male terminal 13 is electrically connected to the female terminal 19 via the contact portion 59 and is turned on.

  In the state of FIG. 11, when the operating lever 21 is moved to the left side of the drawing in order to return to the state of FIG. 9, the protrusion 67 moves to the one end side along the groove 73. Accordingly, the female terminal 19 rotates. Thereby, the contact part 59 returns from the position facing the large diameter part 35 to the position facing the small diameter part 37, and the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 19 are turned off again.

  As described above, in the terminal connection structure of the present embodiment, the male terminal 13 is inserted into the female terminal 19 and the operation lever 21 is operated, so that the connection state between the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 19 is freely switched. be able to. For this reason, it is not necessary to perform the bolt fastening operation | work for terminal connection in the narrow space in a housing like the past, for example. In addition, the operation lever 21 is disposed in the gap between the housings and can be simply operated (pushing or pulling) only to move in the linear direction, so that a sufficient work space can be secured and connection work is easy. Can be done. Thereby, the efficiency of the connection operation | work with a motor and an inverter can be improved, and reduction of an operation man-hour can be aimed at.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, the male terminal 13 is held on the mounting surface 79 of one housing, and the female terminal 19 is held on the mounting surface 79 of the other housing, so that the wires of the wire harness, etc. Since it is possible to directly connect the device terminals of the two electric devices without using the device, the distance between the electric devices can be greatly reduced, and the space between the electric devices can be saved. In addition, when connecting the equipment terminals with bolts, conventionally, a lid provided with a work opening for inserting and removing a bolt fastening tool into and out of the housing of the electric equipment and a waterproof structure for opening and closing the work opening. However, according to the present embodiment, since these configurations are not necessary, the housing structure can be simplified.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, when the male terminal 13 is inserted into the female terminal 19, the contact portion 59 of the female terminal 19 is arranged at a position facing the small diameter portion 37 of the male terminal 13, thereby The insertion force when inserting the connector into the female terminal 19 is reduced, and the burden of connection work can be reduced. Furthermore, when the male terminal 13 is inserted, the other end portion 39 of the male terminal 13 can be prevented from coming into contact with the contact portion 59 of the female terminal 19, so that the female terminal 19 can be prevented from being damaged.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the plurality of male terminals 13 can be inserted into the female terminals 19 with an insertion force of zero or close to each, and the plurality of male terminals 13 can be operated by operating one operation lever 21. 13 and the plurality of female terminals 19 can be connected simultaneously at the same time, so that the work efficiency can be remarkably improved and the connection work between the electrical devices can be performed quickly.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the position of the contact portion 59 of the female terminal 19 in the rotational direction is all set by operating the operation lever 21, for example, the operation lever 21 is erroneously operated and the male terminal 13 has a large diameter. It is conceivable that the male terminal 13 is inserted into the female terminal 19 in which the contact portion 59 is disposed at a position facing the portion 35, and the male terminal 15 is brought into contact with the contact portion 59. However, in this embodiment, in addition to the chamfered portion 65 being provided in each contact portion 59, each contact portion 59 is formed to be inclined inward at a predetermined angle, so that the male terminal 13 contacts the contact portion 59. By doing so, the tilt angle is rotated around the axis connecting the connecting portions 61a and 63a. Therefore, the contact portion 59 can prevent damage because the impact is reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, it has been described that the contact portion 59 of the female terminal 19 is not in contact with the small diameter portion 37 of the male terminal 13, but the contact portion 59 and the small diameter portion 37 are not necessarily in contact with each other. Absent. For example, even if the small diameter portion 37 of the male terminal 13 is formed so as to be slightly in contact with the contact portion 59, the insertion of the male terminal 13 is less than when the male terminal 13 has only the large diameter portion 35. Can weaken power. In addition, as described above, even if the contact portion 59 contacts the small diameter portion 37 of the male terminal 13, the impact of the contact portion 59 can be reduced, so that the contact portion 59 can be prevented from being damaged.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been explained in full detail with drawing, said embodiment is only an illustration of this invention and this invention is not limited only to the structure of said embodiment. . Needless to say, even if there is a design change within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention, it is included in the present invention.

  For example, in the present embodiment, in order to simplify the description, an example of a two-phase structure in which a motor and an inverter, which are electrical devices, are each provided with two device-side terminals has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the case of a three-phase structure, the present invention can be applied similarly to the case of a two-phase structure. In this case, one electrical device to be connected is provided with three male terminals, and the other electrical device is provided with three female terminals. Even in this configuration, three female terminals are provided by the lever. If the terminals are configured to rotate simultaneously, the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which a plurality of contact portions 59 are provided in opposite directions with respect to the central axis of the female terminal 19 and the small diameter portion 37 is formed at a position corresponding to the contact portion 59 of the male terminal 13 will be described. However, the contact portions 59 are not limited to the case where they are provided at two locations in the circumferential direction of the female terminal 19 as described above. That is, it is sufficient for the female terminal 19 to have a plurality of contact portions 59 disposed at least at one place in the circumferential direction. However, as in the present embodiment, by providing the contact portions 59 at positions opposite to each other in the circumferential direction of the female terminal 19, not only can the contact area between the contact portion 59 and the male terminal 13 be increased, but also the female Since the terminal 19 can press the male terminal 13 in a balanced manner from the circumferential direction, non-uniform elastic deformation of the contact portion 59 can be suppressed, and the contact reliability between the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 19 can be enhanced.

  Moreover, although the example which rotates the female terminal 19 by operation of the operation lever 21 was demonstrated in this Embodiment, it may replace with this and you may comprise so that the male terminal 13 may be rotated. In this case, for example, the male terminal 13 is rotatably held on the male housing 11, and the resin base end portion 69 is fixed along the flange 33 of the male terminal 13, and the operation lever 21 held on the male housing 11 is held. The linear motion is converted into a rotational motion and transmitted to the male terminal 13. Thus, since the terminal connection structure of the present invention rotates the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 19 relatively around the terminal axis, either the male terminal 13 or the female terminal 19 may be rotated. However, both the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 19 may be rotated.

11 Male housing 13 Male terminal 17 Female housing 19 Female terminal 21 Lever 35 Large diameter part 37 Small diameter part 59 Contact part 67 Projection part 73 Groove 77, 79 Mounting surface

Claims (6)

In the connection structure of the terminals for fitting the connection terminals respectively held in the pair of housings to electrically connect the connection terminals,
The connection terminals are inserted in a non-contact state until reaching the set position with each other, and a rotation driving means for electrically connecting the connection terminals at the set position by relatively rotating the connection terminals around the terminal axis. A terminal connection structure characterized by comprising: A cylindrical or columnar male terminal held in the male housing and a cylindrical female terminal held in the female housing are fitted to each other to electrically connect the male terminal and the female terminal. In the connection structure,
The male terminal and the female terminal are held in each housing so as to be relatively rotatable around a terminal axis,
The male terminal is formed by alternately having small-diameter portions and large-diameter portions in the circumferential direction, and the female terminal has an elastically deformable contact portion extending inward of the cylinder, It is formed so as to be able to come into contact with the large diameter portion of the male terminal inserted into the female terminal,
The male terminal is inserted to a set position of the female terminal, and includes a rotation driving means for rotating the male terminal and the female terminal relative to each other around a terminal axis to electrically connect at the set position. Terminal connection structure to be used.   The terminal connection structure according to claim 2, wherein when the contact portion is disposed at a position facing the small diameter portion, the contact portion is not in contact with the small diameter portion.   4. The terminal connection structure according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion is formed so as to be able to press the large-diameter portion of the male terminal inserted into the female terminal.   The rotation driving means includes an operation lever movably supported by each housing, a motion conversion mechanism that converts a linear motion of the operation lever into a rotational motion, and a rotational motion of the motion conversion mechanism for the male terminal or the The terminal connection structure according to claim 2, further comprising a transmission unit that directly or indirectly transmits to the female terminal. A plurality of the male terminals are held by the male housing, and a plurality of the female terminals are held by the female housing,
The said rotation drive means converts the linear motion of the said operation lever into the rotational motion of either of these male terminals or these female terminals, and transmits to each terminal. Terminal connection structure.

Images