JP2018010823A - Terminal block - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve connection workability while securing connection reliability.SOLUTION: A terminal block 1 comprises: a bent terminal 30 whose one end side is a first extended part 32 extending in a first direction, and the other end side is a second extended part 34 extending in a second direction by bending at least a part of the terminal; a first member 10 to which the first extended part 32 of the bent terminal 30 is assembled; and a second member 20 which is fitted with the first member 10 from the second direction, in which a contact part, which contacts the second member 20 in a sandwiching style of a part of the second member 20 in the first direction in the state where the first member 10 is fitted with the second member 20, is provided for the first extended part 32 of the bent terminal 30, a part to be engaged 22C is provided for the second member 20, and an engaging part 34B engaged with the part to be engaged 22C in the state where the first member 10 is fitted with the second member 20 is provided for either one of the first member 10 and the second extended part 34 of the bent terminal 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a terminal block.

  Conventionally, a terminal block (housing) for connecting two devices (for example, an inverter and a motor) in a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle is known. For example, a connecting member such as a bus bar or a harness extending from the inverter side is connected to this type of terminal block. Such a connection member is usually connected to the terminal block by thermal welding or connection using a retainer. For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2014-157777 (the following Patent Document 1) discloses a bus bar fixing structure in which a welding pin erected on a housing is thermally welded to a bus bar in an automotive interior lighting assembly.

JP 2014-157777 A

  However, if the thermal welding is performed as in Patent Document 1, a process for that is required, and the connection work is troublesome. In addition, between the inverter and the motor, the extension direction of the connecting member extending from the inverter side and the connection direction to the motor side are often different. In this case, the connection direction in the connection between the inverter and the motor is different. Need to be converted. However, in order to change the connection direction, it is necessary to extend the connection member extending from the inverter side to the motor side, which requires labor for the connection work. On the other hand, if the bus bar extending from the inverter side is bent and the bent bus bar is to be connected to the terminal block, the space for performing the connection work becomes narrow and the connection work becomes difficult.

  The technology disclosed in this specification has been created in view of the above-described problems, and aims to improve connection workability while ensuring connection reliability.

  In the technology disclosed in this specification, at least part of the technology is bent so that one end side is a first extension portion extending in the first direction, and the other end side is a second extension extending in the second direction. A bending terminal formed into a part, a first member assembled with the first extending part of the bending terminal, and a second member fitted with the first member in the second direction, A part of the second member is sandwiched in the first direction in a state where the first member and the second member are fitted to the first extending portion of the bent terminal. An abutting portion that is in contact is provided, an engaged portion is provided on the second member, and the first member and the first member are provided on one of the first member and the second extending portion of the bent terminal. The present invention relates to a terminal block provided with an engaging portion that is engaged with the engaged portion in a state in which two members are fitted.

  The terminal block can be used as a relay member for electrically connecting, for example, two devices via the bent terminal. Then, since at least a part of the bent terminal is bent, the connection member on one device side connected to one end side of the bent terminal in a state where the first member and the second member are fitted. The connection direction and the connection direction of the connection member on the other device side connected to the other end side of the bent terminal are different. That is, the connection direction of both connection members is changed by connecting the two connection members via the terminal block. In this way, the terminal block is composed of two members and the bent terminal is assembled, so that the space can be saved as compared with the conventional structure while changing the connection direction, and heat welding, etc. Therefore, connection workability can be improved.

  Further, in the terminal block, the first member and the second member are fitted by the contact portion of the bent terminal contacting the second member so as to sandwich a part of the second member in the first direction. In this state, the bent terminal is prevented from coming off from the first member in the first direction. Then, the engaging portion of the first member or the bent terminal is engaged with the engaged portion of the second member, so that it is difficult to disengage between the first member and the second member fitted to each other. it can. As described above, the first member, the second member, and the bent terminal are configured to be difficult to be separated from each other in a state in which the first member and the second member are fitted to each other. Connection reliability when connecting two connecting members can be ensured. As described above, in the above terminal block, connection workability can be improved while ensuring connection reliability.

  In the terminal block, the bent terminal has an L shape in which the first extending portion and the second extending portion are orthogonal to each other, and the first extending portion has the second direction as a plate thickness direction. In addition, the second extending portion may be a plate-like terminal having the first direction as a plate thickness direction.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to realize a terminal block including a bent terminal which is a plate-shaped terminal and whose both end portions are, for example, round terminals. Moreover, the connection direction of both connection members can be changed by approximately 90 ° by connecting the connection members via the terminal block.

  In the terminal block, the contact portion may be a portion where a part of the first extending portion is bent in the second direction.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a specific shape of the bent terminal for sandwiching a part of the second member in the first direction in a state where the first member and the second member are fitted.

  In the terminal block, the second extending portion has flexibility, and the engaging portion is provided in the second extending portion of the bent terminal and the second extending portion extends from the second extending portion. It may project in a direction perpendicular to both the one direction and the second direction, and the engaged portion may have an inclined surface that projects in the first direction and rides on the engaging portion.

  According to this configuration, when the first member is fitted to the second member, the engaging portion rides on the inclined surface of the engaged portion. Then, as the first member is fitted, the engaging portion receives a reaction force from the inclined surface of the engaged portion, the second extending portion of the bending terminal bends, and the first extending portion is inclined as described above. By exceeding the surface, the engaged portion is engaged with the engaging portion in the second direction. Thus, the specific structure about an engaging part and an engaged part can be provided.

  According to the technology disclosed in this specification, it is possible to improve connection workability while ensuring connection reliability.

The perspective view of the terminal block which concerns on embodiment The perspective view which shows the state before fitting a 1st housing and a 2nd housing. The top view which looked at the state before fitting the 1st housing and the 2nd housing from the upper part Sectional view of IV-IV section in FIG. Front view of terminal block The top view which looked at the state in the middle of fitting the 1st housing and the 2nd housing from the upper part Sectional view of VII-VII cross section in FIG.

(Terminal block configuration)
Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, for example, in a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, a terminal block 1 as a relay terminal that electrically connects an inverter (not shown) and a motor (not shown) is illustrated. A part of each drawing shows an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis that are orthogonal to each other, and each axis direction is drawn in the direction shown in each drawing. In the following, the lower right side of FIG. 1 is the front and the X-axis direction (an example of the second direction) is the front-rear direction of the terminal block 1, and the upper right side of FIG. 1 and the Z axis direction (an example of the first direction) will be described as the vertical direction of the terminal block 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the terminal block 1 of the present embodiment includes a first housing (an example of a first member) 10, a second housing (an example of a second member) 20, a bending terminal 30, Since the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are fitted in the front-rear direction, they are substantially L-shaped when viewed from the side. One end of the bent terminal 30 is assembled to the first housing 10, and the other end is positioned on the second housing 20 in a state where the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are fitted.

  The first housing 10 is made of synthetic resin having excellent rigidity, and is formed by insert molding. As for the 1st housing 10, the lower part becomes the connection part 12 to which the connection member extended from the inverter side is connected, The upper part becomes the fitting part 14 with which the 2nd housing 20 is fitted. . As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting portion 12 of the first housing 10 is a portion extending in the vertical direction, and has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The connecting portion 12 is provided with a first groove portion 12A that extends in the vertical direction and opens forward. The lower end portion of the first groove portion 12A can be fitted with a connector or the like extending from the inverter side.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a nut housing portion 12B in which a nut NT1 is housed is provided at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction in the first groove portion 12A so as to open forward. On the other hand, the fitting portion 14 of the first housing 10 is provided with a step 13 (see FIG. 4) in the front-rear direction between the connecting portion 12 and the connecting portion 12. The fitting portion 14 has a protruding portion 14 </ b> A that slightly protrudes forward from the connecting portion 12.

  Similar to the first housing 10, the second housing 20 is made of a synthetic resin having excellent rigidity, and is formed by insert molding. The second housing 20 includes a main body portion 22 having a second groove portion 22A that extends in the front-rear direction and opens upward, and a plurality of standing wall portions 24 that rise in the vertical direction on both the left and right sides of the main body portion 22.

  The lower end portion of the second housing 20 is composed of a metal plate 20A. The second groove 22A can accommodate a bus bar or the like extending from the motor side.

  As shown in FIG. 6, engaged portions 22C are provided on the left and right sides of the bottom wall of the second groove portion 22A. Each of the engaged portions 22C has an inclined surface 22C1 (see FIG. 4) that protrudes slightly upward and is inclined so as to rise from the front side toward the rear side. The engaged portion 22C is engaged with an engaging portion 34B of the bending terminal 30 described later. The operation of the engaged portion 22C will be described in detail later.

  The bent terminal 30 is a plate-like terminal whose both end portions are round terminals having terminal holes 32A and 34A, and as shown in FIG. There is no. The bent terminal 30 is bent at a part thereof, so that one end side thereof extends in the vertical direction and the first extending portion 32 having the front-rear direction as a plate thickness direction, and the other end side extends in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction extends in the vertical direction. It is set as the 2nd extension part 34 made into a plate | board thickness direction.

  The first extending portion 32 of the bent terminal 30 has a first groove portion of the first housing 10 such that the center position of the terminal hole 32A overlaps the center position of the nut NT1 housed in the nut housing portion 12B of the first housing 10. It is assembled to the first housing 10 while being accommodated in 12A. For this reason, the connector etc. which are extended from the inverter side are accommodated in the 1st groove part 12A of the 1st housing 10 from the downward | lower direction, The said connector can be attached to the 1st extension part 32 and can be electrically connected.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper portion of the first extending portion 32 is bent into a substantially U-shape (substantially a gate shape opening rearward) in a cross-sectional view and exposed to the rear of the first housing 10. (Hereinafter, the portion that is bent into the substantially U-shape will be referred to as the “contact portion 30A”). Thereby, in the state where the first housing 10 is fitted to the second housing 20, the contact portion 30A sandwiches the front end portion of the main body portion 22 of the second housing 20 as shown in FIG. The portion 30A is in contact with the front end portion of the second housing 20 in the vertical direction. As a result, in a state where the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are fitted, the bent terminal 30 is prevented from coming off from the first housing 10.

  The second extending portion 34 of the bent terminal 30 has flexibility and can be bent in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the second extending portion 34 is provided with an engaging portion 34 </ b> B that slightly protrudes on the left and right sides at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction. The operation of each engaging portion 34B will be described in detail later.

  The second extending portion 34 is configured such that the center position of the terminal hole 34A overlaps the center position of the nut NT2 embedded in the second housing 20 by fitting the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 together. Each is accommodated in the second groove portion 22 </ b> A of the second housing 20. For this reason, the bus bar and the like extending from the motor side in a state where the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are fitted are accommodated from the rear in the second groove portion 22A of the second housing 20, so that the bus bar is connected to each first 2 It can attach to the extension part 34 and can be electrically connected.

(Operation of terminal block)
The above is the configuration of the terminal block 1 according to the present embodiment, and the operation thereof will be described. As described above, the first housing 10 in which the first extending portion 32 of the bent terminal 30 is assembled is fitted to the second housing 20 in the front-rear direction.

  When the first housing 10 is assembled in the front-rear direction with respect to the second housing 20, the second extending portion 34 of the bent terminal 30 is accommodated in the second groove portion 22 </ b> A of the second housing 20. Thereby, the space between the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 is fixed in the left-right direction.

  Further, in the middle of assembling the first housing 10 with respect to the second housing 20, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the engaging portion 34B provided in the second extending portion 34 of the bending terminal 30 is the first. 2 Abuts on the inclined surface 22C1 of the engaged portion 22C provided on the bottom wall of the second groove portion 22A of the housing 20. Then, by sliding the first housing 10 further backward with respect to the second housing 20, the engaging portion 34B is bent upward while being guided along the inclined surface 22C1 of the engaged portion 22C. When the portion 34B gets over the engaged portion 22C, the bent engaging portion 34B is elastically returned to the original state. As a result, the engaging portion 34B is caught in the engaged portion 22C in the front-rear direction, and the engaged portion 22C is engaged with the engaging portion 34B.

  Thereafter, the first housing 10 is moved relative to the second housing 20 until the center position of the terminal hole 34 </ b> A provided in the second extending portion 34 of the bent terminal 30 overlaps the center position of the nut NT <b> 2 embedded in the second housing 20. Then, the two housings 10 and 20 are fitted by sliding further backward.

(Effect of embodiment)
As described above, the terminal block 1 according to the present embodiment can be used as a relay member for connecting the inverter and the motor. Then, since the bent terminal 30 is substantially L-shaped, the inverter-side connected to the first extending portion 32 of the bent terminal 30 in a state where the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are fitted. The connection direction of the connection member (connector or the like) and the connection direction of the motor-side connection member (bus bar or the like) connected to the second extending portion 34 of the bent terminal 30 are substantially orthogonal. That is, by connecting the inverter-side connecting member and the motor-side connecting member via the terminal block 1 of the present embodiment, the connecting direction of both connecting members is converted by approximately 90 °.

  As described above, the terminal block 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are fitted and a part of the bent terminal 30 is assembled to the first housing 10. The connection direction of the connection member on the inverter side and the connection member on the motor side can be converted by approximately 90 degrees. For this reason, there is no need to extend the connecting member extending from the inverter side in order to change the connection direction, and there is no need to connect a bent bus bar to the terminal block, and space saving is achieved compared to the conventional terminal block. Can do. Furthermore, the connection members can be connected without performing heat welding or the like. As a result, connection workability can be improved as compared with the conventional terminal block.

  Further, in the terminal block 1 of the present embodiment, the contact portion 30A of the bent terminal 30 contacts the second housing 20 in a form that sandwiches a part of the second housing 20 in the vertical direction, so that the first housing 10 and the first housing 10 The bent terminal 30 is prevented from coming off from the first housing 10 in a state where the two housings 20 are fitted. Further, when the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are fitted, the engaged portion 22C of the second housing 20 is engaged with the engaging portion 34B of the bent terminal 30, and the second of the bent terminal 30 is engaged. The extending part 34 is prevented from coming off in the front-rear direction.

  In the terminal block 1 according to the present embodiment, the first housing 10, the second housing 20, and the bent terminal are in a state in which the first housing and the second housing are fitted by the fitting structure as described above. 30 is configured to be difficult to remove from each other. For this reason, the connection reliability at the time of connecting both the said connection members via the terminal block 1 of this embodiment is securable.

The modifications of the above embodiment are listed below.
(1) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the bent terminal is bent in a substantially L shape is illustrated, but the bending mode of the bent terminal is not limited.

(2) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which one each of the first extending portion and the second extending portion of the bent terminal is provided is exemplified. However, the number of each extending portion, the shape and the configuration of the bent terminal are illustrated. Is not limited.

(3) In the above embodiment, the engaging portion protrudes from the left and right sides of the second extending portion of the bent terminal, the engaged portion protrudes upward, and extends from the front to the rear in the front-rear direction. However, the configuration of the engaging portion and the configuration of the engaged portion are not limited. In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the engaging portion is provided in the bent terminal 30 is illustrated, but the engaging portion may be provided in the first member (the first housing 10 in FIG. 1 and the like).

(4) In the above embodiment, the example in which the second extending portion of the bent terminal has flexibility has been shown. However, the second extending portion of the bent terminal does not have flexibility, and the engaged portion The structure which has flexibility may be sufficient. In this case, the engaged portion having flexibility is bent downward, and the engaged portion exceeds the engaged portion, so that the engaged portion is elastically restored to the original state and engaged in the front-rear direction. It is caught by the part and engaged with the engaging part.

(5) In the above embodiment, a mechanism for guiding the fitting operation between the first housing and the second housing is not provided, but a guide rail is provided on the first housing side, and a guide groove is provided on the second housing side. Alternatively, the guide groove may be provided on the first housing side, and the guide rail may be provided on the second housing side.

(6) In the above embodiment, the terminal block for connecting the inverter and the motor has been illustrated, but it may be a terminal block used for other purposes.

  The embodiments have been described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Terminal block 10 ... 1st housing 12A ... 1st groove part 20 ... 2nd housing 22A ... 2nd groove part 22C ... Engaged part 30 ... Bending terminal 30A ... Contact part 32 ... 1st extension part 32A, 34A ... Terminal hole 34 ... second extending portion 34B ... engagement portion

Claims (4)

A bent terminal in which at least one portion is bent so that one end side is a first extending portion extending in the first direction and the other end side is a second extending portion extending in the second direction;
A first member assembled with the first extension of the bent terminal;
A second member fitted to the first member in the second direction,
The second member in a form in which a part of the second member is sandwiched in the first direction in a state where the first member and the second member are fitted to the first extending portion of the bent terminal. An abutting portion that abuts is provided,
An engaged portion is provided on the second member,
A member engaged with the engaged portion in a state where the first member and the second member are fitted to either the first member or the second extending portion of the bent terminal. A terminal block with joints.   The bent terminal has an L shape in which the first extending portion and the second extending portion are orthogonal to each other, and the first extending portion has the second direction as a plate thickness direction and the second extending portion. The terminal block according to claim 1, wherein the existing portion is a plate-like terminal having the first direction as a plate thickness direction.   The terminal block according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion is a portion where a part of the first extending portion is bent in the second direction. The second extension portion has flexibility,
The engaging portion is provided in the second extending portion of the bent terminal and protrudes from the second extending portion in a direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction,
4. The terminal block according to claim 2, wherein the engaged portion protrudes in the first direction and has an inclined surface on which the engaging portion rides.

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