JP2020171068A - Electric actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electric actuator capable of easily and reliably making an electrical connection between a pattern brush and a connector terminal.SOLUTION: A pattern brush 40 has a first flat plate portion 42 in which a connection hole 42a and a plurality of elastic pieces 42c are formed. A first connector terminal 51 has a second flat plate portion 51a on which a cone-shaped connecting protrusion 51b is formed. A brushes 40 for patterns and a first connector terminal 51 are electrically connected to each other by the connection protrusion 51b being inserted into the connection hole 42a, the elastic pieces 42c contacting an outer surface of the connection protrusion 51b, and the first flat plate portion 42 and the second flat plate portion 51a contacting each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to an electric actuator having a motor inside the housing.

For example, an actuator using an electric motor is known as a drive source of an airflow control valve provided in a passage for an air conditioner of a vehicle.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a housing, an output side gear rotated by a motor, a pattern conductor provided on one surface of the output side gear, a plurality of brushes sliding on the pattern conductor, and each of the brushes. Described are motor actuators having connector pins that are electrically connected to other components formed in pairs. In this motor actuator, a plurality of brushes and connector pins are manufactured simultaneously in a state of being connected from one conductive plate, and after being solidified by an insulating resin and integrally unitized, a connecting portion unnecessary for electrical conduction is formed. Is disconnected.

Further, Patent Document 2 describes an electric motor, a reduction mechanism having a plurality of gears for reducing the rotational force of the electric motor, and rotation of output gears arranged on the output side of the reduction mechanism. An electric actuator including a pulse generator that detects an angle and generates a pulse is described. In this electric actuator, the pulse generator includes a pulse pattern plate configured to have a pulse pattern arranged in the circumferential direction of the output gear, and a plurality of contacts in sliding contact with the pulse pattern. The plurality of contacts are integrally formed with the plurality of conductive terminals, and one end of each conductive terminal forms a connector terminal. Further, each conductive terminal is integrally molded by punching a conductive plate material by punching, and then molded into a resin member by resin molding or the like.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-70553 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-163159

In the above-mentioned conventional actuator, a plurality of brushes (contactors) that are in sliding contact with a pattern conductor (pattern plate) and members constituting a connector pin (connector terminal) are integrally formed by punching a single conductive plate. It is molded. Therefore, it is not necessary to electrically connect the brush and the connector pin by using solder or the like, and there is no problem that the electrical connection becomes unstable.

On the other hand, brushes are required to have springiness, high conductivity, wear resistance, etc., and connector pins are required to have a certain degree of rigidity and mechanical strength. Therefore, if the brush and the connector pin are integrally formed by punching a single conductive plate, the desired spring property required for the brush cannot be obtained when the conductive plate is thick. If the thickness of the conductive plate is thin, there is a problem that the desired rigidity required for the connector pin cannot be obtained.

In order to solve the above problem, in Patent Document 1, after using a thin plate that can obtain the desired springiness of the brush, the connector pin is formed by forming a rib or bending the portion to be the connector pin. The required plate thickness is secured.

However, since the brush and the connector pin are made of the same material, there is a problem that it is difficult to sufficiently satisfy the springiness, high conductivity, wear resistance of the brush and the mechanical strength of the connector pin. Further, when ribs are formed or bent in a portion to be a connector pin, there is a problem that the distance between a plurality of connector pins is limited.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electric actuator that can solve the above-mentioned problems of conventional actuators.

The present invention made to achieve the above object
Inside the housing, a motor, an output gear driven by the motor, a pattern conductor rotating with the output gear, a plurality of pattern brushes sliding on the pattern conductor, and electrically connected to the pattern brush. In the electric actuator provided with the first connector terminal to be
The pattern brush has a sliding portion that slides on the pattern conductor at one end and a first flat plate portion at the other end.
The first flat plate portion has a connection hole and a plurality of elastic pieces adjacent to each other around the connection hole.
The first connector terminal has a second flat plate portion at one end.
The second flat plate portion has a connecting protrusion processed into a cone shape, and has a connecting protrusion.
In the pattern brush and the first connector terminal, the connection protrusion is inserted into the connection hole, the elastic piece comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the connection protrusion, and the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion It is characterized in that it is electrically connected to each other by contacting at least a part of it.

In the electric actuator of the present invention, as a further preferable feature,
"The connection hole is circular and
The connecting protrusion should be conical or truncated cone. "
"The connection hole is an n (n is an integer of 3 or more) square.
The connecting protrusion should be an n-sided pyramid or an n-sided pyramid. "
"The pattern brush is formed with n elastic pieces so as to correspond to each side of the n-sided connection hole."
"The other end of the first connector terminal is the first connector pin."
"The housing has a support portion that supports the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion.
The pattern brush and the first connector terminal are electrically connected to each other while being mounted on the first support portion. "
Is included.

According to the electric actuator of the present invention, it is possible to use a thin material that can obtain a desired spring property for the pattern brush and a slightly thick material that can obtain a desired rigidity and mechanical strength for the first connector terminal. it can. Further, in the pattern brush and the first connector terminal, a plurality of elastic pieces come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the connecting protrusion in a state where the cone-shaped connecting protrusion of the second flat plate portion is inserted into the connecting hole of the first flat plate portion. At the same time, the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion come into contact with each other to be electrically connected to each other. Therefore, the electrical connection between the pattern brush and the first connector terminal is stably maintained without using solder or the like.

It is a top view of the electric actuator which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. It is a top view which excluded the upper case from FIG. It is a top view which excluded the intermediate gear and the output gear from FIG. It is an enlarged plan view of the VI part in FIG. It is a partial perspective view which shows the state after connection of the pattern brush and the 1st connector terminal in the electric actuator which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a partial perspective view which shows the state before the connection of the pattern brush and the 1st connector terminal in the electric actuator which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a partial perspective view which shows the state before connection of the pattern brush and the 1st connector terminal in the electric actuator which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the electric actuator of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the two cases constituting the housing are referred to as an upper case and a lower case, but this is for convenience of explanation, and the housing is necessarily arranged in the upward direction and in the downward direction. The purpose is not limited to the case of being upside down, or it may be upside down or left and right. Therefore, for example, the upper case can be rephrased as a lower case, and the lower case can be rephrased as an upper case.

(Example of the first embodiment)
The electric actuator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be used, for example, as a drive source for an air flow control valve of a vehicle air conditioner, and will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

The electric actuator 1 of this example has a motor 20, a worm gear 30, intermediate gears 31 and 32, an output gear 33, a pattern substrate 33b, a pattern brush 40, a connector portion 50, and the like inside the housing 10. I have.

The housing 10 is formed in a box shape having an internal space by assembling the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 formed of an insulating resin such as reinforced plastic to each other. Both the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 have a substantially rectangular container shape with one open surface, the upper case 11 has an upper surface wall 11a and four side walls 11b, and the lower case 12 has a bottom wall 12a. And four side walls 12b.

The motor 20 as a drive source is a motor with a brush, includes a motor case 21 for accommodating a stator and a rotor, and a bracket 22 attached to the open end of the motor case 21, and is on the opposite side of the motor case 21. The shaft (motor shaft) 23 protrudes from the shaft (motor shaft) 23. The bracket 22 holds two motor brushes 25 that come into contact with the commutator 24 provided on the rotor.

The motor brush 25 is formed of a plate material of a conductive metal having a spring property. One end side of the two motor brushes 25 extends from the bracket 22 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the shaft 23, and serves as a power feeding terminal 26. A precious metal is attached to the plate material of the motor brush 25 at a portion that is in sliding contact with the commutator.

A worm gear 30 is mounted on the shaft 23. The rotational driving force of the shaft 23 is transmitted to the output shaft 33a that rotates integrally with the output gear 33 via the worm gear 30, the two intermediate gears 31 and 32, and the output gear 33. A crank or the like (not shown) is attached to the output shaft 33a.
The intermediate gears 31 and 32 and the output gear 33 are pivotally supported by bearing portions (not shown) formed in the upper case 11 and the lower case 12.

A pattern substrate 33b for detecting the position of the output shaft 33a is fixed to one surface of the output gear 33. Three pattern brushes 40 formed of a plate material having a spring property are slidably contacted with the pattern substrate 33b, whereby a voltage value corresponding to the position of the output shaft 33a can be detected.

The connector portion 50 is composed of three first connector terminals 51, two second connector terminals 52, and a holder 53 made of an insulating resin that holds them. One end of the first connector terminal 51 and the second connector terminal 52 is a first connector pin 51c and a second connector pin 52c, respectively, and protrudes from the holding body 53. The first connector pin 51c and the second connector pin 52c form a jack into which a plug for electrical connection with an external power source or the like is inserted while the upper case 11 and the lower case 12 are assembled to each other. ..

The other end of the three first connector terminals 51 is pulled out from the holder 53 toward the three pattern brushes 40. Further, the other end of the two second connector terminals 52 is drawn out from the holder 53 toward the two power supply terminals 26.

One end of the pattern brush 40 is a sliding portion 41 curved into an appropriate shape, and the sliding portion 41 is slidably contacted with the pattern substrate 33b. Further, a flat plate-shaped first flat plate portion 42 is formed at the other end of the pattern brush 40. The first flat plate portion 42 is provided with a connection hole 42a formed in a circular shape and notches 42b which are continuously arranged at four positions at equal intervals in the connection hole 42a. As a result, four elastic pieces 42c are formed adjacent to the periphery of the connection hole 42a.

On the other hand, in the first connector terminal 51, a flat plate-shaped second flat plate portion 51a is formed in a portion pulled out from the holding body 53 toward the pattern brush 40. The width of the second flat plate portion 51a is equal to or slightly larger than the width of the first flat plate portion 42. The second flat plate portion 51a is provided with a connecting protrusion 51b that protrudes upward and is processed into a cone shape. The connecting protrusion 51b has a truncated cone shape, the diameter of the upper end is smaller than the diameter of the connecting hole 42a, and the diameter of the lower end is larger than the diameter of the connecting hole 42a.

The pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 are electrically connected to each other by inserting a connection protrusion 51b into the connection hole 42a. Specifically, by pushing the connecting protrusion 51b into the connecting hole 42a until the first flat plate portion 42 abuts on the second flat plate portion 51a, four elastic pieces 42c are applied to the outer peripheral surface of the connecting protrusion 51b with an appropriate elastic force. In addition to being in contact with each other, at least a part of the first flat plate portion 42 and the second flat plate portion 51a are in contact with each other to be electrically connected to each other. The plate thickness of the pattern brush 40 is usually around 0.1 mm in order to secure a predetermined spring property, and the plate thickness of the first connector terminal 51 is usually 0 in order to secure a predetermined rigidity and mechanical strength. It is around 5.5 mm.

The connection portion between the pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 is arranged on the first support portion 12c integrally formed so as to project upward from the bottom wall 12a of the lower case 12. The first support portion 12c has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and two convex isolation walls 12d are provided on the upper surface thereof. The isolation wall 12d is provided so that the pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 do not come into contact with other adjacent pattern brushes 40 and the first connector terminal 51, and the isolation wall 12d is provided. The brush 40 for each pattern and the first connector terminal 51 are arranged separately from each other.

As described above, in the electric actuator of this example, the pattern brush 40 brush and the first connector terminal 51 are not integrally molded by punching one conductive plate. Therefore, a thin material that can obtain a desired spring property can be used for the pattern brush 40, and a slightly thick material that can obtain a desired rigidity and mechanical strength can be used for the first connector terminal 51.
In addition, in the electric actuator of this example, the pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 are in a state where the cone-shaped connecting protrusion 51b of the second flat plate portion 51a is inserted into the connecting hole 42a of the first flat plate portion 42. A plurality of elastic pieces 42c come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the connecting protrusion 51b, and the first flat plate portion 42 and the second flat plate portion 51a come into contact with each other to be electrically connected to each other. Therefore, the electrical connection between the pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 is stably maintained without using solder or the like.

Further, in the electric actuator of this example, since the circular connection hole 42a is formed in the pattern brush 40 and the truncated cone-shaped connection protrusion 51b is formed in the first connector terminal 51, the pattern brush 40 and the first one are formed. The electrical connection portion of the connector terminal 51 can be easily processed, and these electrical connections can also be easily performed.

Further, in the electric actuator of this example, the elastic piece 42c of the pattern brush 40 formed of the plate material having a spring property can come into contact with the connection protrusion 51b of the first connector terminal 51 in an extremely stable state. Therefore, the electrical connection between the pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 is held extremely stably.

Further, in the electric actuator of this example, the connection portion between the pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 is placed on the first support portion 12c formed so as to project upward from the bottom wall 12a of the lower case 12. Are electrically connected to each other. Therefore, it is not easily affected by vibration, and the electrical connection between the pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 is held extremely stably.

Further, in the electric actuator of this example, an isolation wall 12d is provided on the first support portion 12c of the lower case 12, and three pattern brushes 40 and three first connector terminals 51 are arranged so as to sandwich the isolation wall 12d. ing. Therefore, there is no concern that the three pattern brushes come into contact with each other and the three first connector terminals come into contact with each other, and these short circuits can be reliably prevented.

As for the electrical connection between the power supply terminal 26 of the motor and the second connector terminal 52, the same structure as that of the pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 can be adopted. That is, a flat plate portion is provided at one end of the power feeding terminal 26 and the second connector terminal 52, respectively, and the same connection hole, notch and elastic piece as before are formed in the flat plate portion of the power feeding terminal 26, and the flat plate of the second connector terminal 52. The same connection protrusion as before is formed in the portion. Then, electrical connection can be made by pushing the connection protrusion into the connection hole until the flat plate portion of the power supply terminal 26 comes into contact with the flat plate portion of the second connector terminal 52. Further, the connection portion between the power supply terminal 26 and the second connector terminal 52 can also be arranged on the rectangular parallelepiped second support portion 12e that protrudes upward from the bottom wall 12a of the lower case 12 and is integrally formed.

(Example of the second embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view showing a state before the connection between the pattern brush and the first connector terminal in the electric actuator according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 9, the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

In this example, the difference from the first embodiment is the shape of the connection hole 42a provided in the pattern brush 40 and the shape of the connection protrusion 51b provided in the first connector terminal 51.

Specifically, the pattern brush 40 of this example is provided with a square connection hole 42a in the first flat plate portion 42, and linear notches continuously at equal intervals at four vertices of the connection hole 42a. 42b is provided. As a result, four elastic pieces 42c having the same shape are formed adjacent to the periphery of the connection hole 42a.

On the other hand, the first connector terminal 51 of this example is provided with a connecting protrusion 51b processed into a regular quadrangular pyramid shape on the second flat plate portion 51a. One side of the upper end of the connection protrusion 51b is smaller than one side of the connection hole 42a, and one side of the lower end is larger than one side of the connection hole 42a.

The pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 are electrically connected to each other by pushing the connection protrusion 51b into the connection hole 42a until the first flat plate portion 42 abuts on the second flat plate portion 51a. Specifically, the four elastic pieces 42c come into contact with the four pyramidal surfaces of the connecting protrusion 51b, and at least a part of the first flat plate portion 42 and the second flat plate portion 51a come into contact with each other to electrically connect to each other. Will be done. Also in this example, the electrical connection between the pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 is stably maintained.

Although the two embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the above embodiments can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Needless to say.

For example, the connection hole 42a provided in the pattern brush 40 can have any shape, and is not limited to a circle or a square, and may be, for example, an ellipse or an n (n is an integer of 3 or more) square. Further, the connection protrusion 51b provided on the first connector terminal 51 can also have an arbitrary shape that fits the connection hole 42a, and is not limited to a truncated cone or a regular quadrangular pyramid, for example, a truncated cone, an n-sided pyramid, or an n-sided pyramid. You may.

Further, in the above embodiment, one end side of the motor brush 25 formed of a plate material having a spring property is the power supply terminal 26, but a power supply terminal made of another member may be joined to the motor brush.

Further, in the above embodiment, the connection portion between the pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 is placed on the support portion 12c of the lower case 12, but a similar support portion is also provided on the upper case 11. The connection portion between the pattern brush 40 and the first connector terminal 51 may be sandwiched between the upper and lower support portions.

1 Electric actuator 10 Housing 11 Upper case 11a Top wall 11b Side wall 12 Lower case 12a Bottom wall 12b Side wall 12c First support 12d Isolation wall 12e Second support 20 Motor 21 Motor case 22 Bracket 23 Shaft 24 Commutator 25 Motor brush 26 Power supply terminal 30 Warm gear 31, 32 Intermediate gear 33 Output gear 33a Output shaft 33b Pattern board 40 Pattern brush 41 Sliding part 42 First flat plate part 42a Connection hole 42b Notch part 42c Elastic piece 50 Connector part 51 First connector terminal 51a No. 2 Flat plate 51b Connection protrusion 51c 1st connector pin 52 2nd connector terminal 52c 2nd connector pin 53 Holder

Claims (6)

Inside the housing, a motor, an output gear driven by the motor, a pattern conductor rotating with the output gear, a plurality of pattern brushes sliding on the pattern conductor, and electrically connected to the pattern brush. In the electric actuator provided with the first connector terminal to be
The pattern brush has a sliding portion that slides on the pattern conductor at one end and a first flat plate portion at the other end.
The first flat plate portion has a connection hole and a plurality of elastic pieces adjacent to each other around the connection hole.
The first connector terminal has a second flat plate portion at one end.
The second flat plate portion has a connecting protrusion processed into a cone shape, and has a connecting protrusion.
In the pattern brush and the first connector terminal, the connection protrusion is inserted into the connection hole, the elastic piece comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the connection protrusion, and the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion They are electrically connected to each other by contacting at least a part of them. In the electric actuator according to claim 1,
The connection hole is circular and
The connecting protrusion is conical or truncated cone-shaped. In the electric actuator according to claim 1,
The connection hole is an n (n is an integer of 3 or more) square.
The connecting protrusion has an n-sided pyramid shape or an n-sided pyramid stand shape. In the electric actuator according to claim 3,
The pattern brush is formed with n elastic pieces corresponding to each side of the n-sided connection hole. In the electric actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The other end of the first connector terminal is the first connector pin. In the electric actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The housing has a first flat plate portion and a first support portion that supports the second flat plate portion.
The pattern brush and the first connector terminal are electrically connected to each other in a state of being mounted on the first support portion.

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