JP2021086653A - Power supply connector with cable and method for manufacturing power supply connector with cable - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress a temperature rise at a connection between a terminal and a conductor wire.SOLUTION: A power supply connector 100 with a cable includes a terminal 1 including a hole 31 formed therein, and a cable 106 including an electric power line 104 where a conductor wire 102 inserted into the hole 31 is covered with a coating 103 while the conductor wire is twisted. The conductor wire 102 has, at a portion exposed from the coating 103, a non-twisted part 102A extended in a straight line, the non-twisted part 102A being inserted into the hole 31 of the terminal 1 to be compression-connected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a power supply connector with a cable and a method for manufacturing a power supply connector with a cable.

Patent Document 1 below discloses a power supply connector with a cable in which a cable including a power line formed by collectively twisting a plurality of conductor wires around a cooling pipe is connected to a terminal.

JP-A-2018-018748

By the way, when the conductor wire is inserted into the hole of the terminal and compressionally connected while the conductor wire is twisted, the conductor wire and the terminal are connected while leaving a gap between the inner surface of the hole and the conductor wire. In this case, the connection resistance between the conductor wire and the terminal becomes high, and there is a risk that heat is generated at the connection portion and the temperature of the terminal rises. In particular, in a power supply connector that supplies power to an electric vehicle or the like, a large current of several hundred amperes flows, so an excessive temperature rise of the terminal is regarded as a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a power supply connector with a cable and a method for manufacturing a power supply connector with a cable, which can suppress a temperature rise at a connection portion between a terminal and a conductor wire. To do.

The power supply connector with a cable according to one aspect of the present invention includes a terminal having a hole and a power line in which a conductor wire inserted into the hole is covered with a coating in a twisted state. A power supply connector with a cable comprising, the conductor wire has an untwisted portion linearly extended in a portion exposed from the coating, and the untwisted portion is the hole portion of the terminal. It is inserted into and has a compression connection.
According to this configuration, since the untwisted portion of the conductor wire is inserted into the hole of the terminal and compression-connected, the conductor wire and the terminal are connected with few voids in the hole of the terminal, and the conductor wire is connected. The contact area between the terminal and the terminal can be increased. Therefore, the connection resistance between the terminal and the conductor wire is suppressed, and the temperature rise at the connecting portion is suppressed.

In the power supply connector with a cable, the power line includes a cooling tube, the conductor wire has a cooling section in contact with the cooling tube, and a non-cooling section separated from the cooling tube, and the non-twisted portion has a cooling section. It may be provided at least in the non-cooling section.
According to this configuration, in the non-cooling section away from the cooling tube, the conductor wire extends linearly without being twisted, so that heat is less likely to be trapped than in the twisted state of the conductor wire, and air cooling and heat dissipation are performed. It is possible to promote and suppress the temperature rise at the connection portion between the terminal and the conductor wire.

Further, in the method for manufacturing a power supply connector with a cable according to one aspect of the present invention, the terminal on which the hole is formed and the conductor wire inserted into the hole are covered with a coating in a twisted state. A method for manufacturing a power supply connector with a cable including a cable including a power wire, wherein the coating of the power wire is stripped to expose a part of the conductor wire, and after the first step, the connector is exposed. After the second step of untwisting the conductor wire and extending it linearly, and after the second step, the third step of inserting the conductor wire into the hole of the terminal, and after the third step, It has a fourth step of compressing and deforming the hole portion and connecting the terminal and the conductor wire.
According to this method, a part of the conductor wire is exposed in the first step, the twist of the conductor wire is untwisted in the second step, the conductor wire is inserted into the hole of the terminal in the third step, and the hole is formed in the fourth step. Since the conductor wire is connected to the terminal by compressing and deforming the portion, the conductor wire and the terminal are connected in a state where there are few voids in the hole portion of the terminal, and the contact area between the conductor wire and the terminal can be increased. Therefore, the connection resistance between the terminal and the conductor wire is suppressed, and the temperature rise at the connecting portion is suppressed.

In the method for manufacturing a power supply connector with a cable, the conductor wires may be bundled with a band member after the second step and before the third step.
According to this method, since the untwisted conductor wires are bundled by the band member, the conductor wires can be easily inserted into the holes of the terminals.

According to the above aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress a temperature rise at the connection portion between the terminal and the conductor wire.

It is the schematic of the power supply connector with a cable which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a process drawing until the conductor wire of the cable which concerns on one Embodiment is connected to a terminal. It is a process drawing until the conductor wire of the cable which concerns on one Embodiment is connected to a terminal. It is a process drawing until the conductor wire of the cable which concerns on one Embodiment is connected to a terminal. It is a process drawing until the conductor wire of the cable which concerns on one Embodiment is connected to a terminal. FIG. 5A is an arrow view AA of FIG. 5 (d).

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a power supply connector 100 with a cable according to an embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the power supply connector 100 with a cable includes a terminal 1, a cable 106, and a case 200. The terminal 1 and the cable 106 are connected to each other and are introduced inside a case 200 that can be inserted into a charging port (inlet portion) of an electric vehicle. The cable 106 includes a conductor wire 102 for supplying electric power to the power supply target and a cooling tube 101 for cooling the conductor wire 102. For the cable 106, for example, a cable having the same configuration as the power supply cable described in Japanese Patent No. 6078198 can be adopted. Specifically, the cable 106 has a plurality of (even number) power lines 104 built inside the sheath 105, and further, the cooling tube 101 and the conductor wire 102 are built in the power line 104. Inside the power line 104, a plurality of conductor wires 102 are collectively twisted around the cooling tube 101. As a result, it is possible to suppress heat generation of the conductor wire 102 due to energization by the refrigerant liquid flowing through the cooling tube 101. A signal line used for communication between the power feeding device and the electric vehicle may be built in the cable 106.

The cooling tube 101 and the conductor wire 102 are branched behind the terminal 1, and each is connected to the terminal 1. The branched cooling tube 101 is connected to a terminal expansion portion 40, which will be described later, of the terminal 1. Further, the branched conductor wire 102 is inserted into the conductor wire connecting portion 30 described later and is compressed and connected. Although not shown, the case 200 of the power supply connector 100 with a cable is provided with two terminals 1 and two cables 106 for a + terminal and a-terminal.

The power line 104 includes a cooling tube 101 and a conductor wire 102. The cooling tube 101 and the conductor wire 102 are covered with an insulating coating 103. The cooling tube 101 is formed of, for example, a resin tube such as nylon. The conductor wire 102 is formed by bundling and twisting several tens of strands such as tin-plated annealed copper wire (for example, φ0.44 mm). In the power line 104, the plurality of conductor wires 102 are covered with the coating 103 in a twisted state as shown in FIG. 2 (b) described later. Specifically, inside the coating 103, a plurality of conductor wires 102 are collectively twisted around the cooling tube 101.

The case 200 has an insertion portion 201 in which a part of the terminal 1 (terminal contact portion 20) is exposed to the outside of the case, a grip portion 202 arranged behind the insertion portion 201, and a grip portion 202. It is provided with a cable introduction portion 203 arranged below (obliquely behind the insertion portion 201). The cable 106 is introduced into the case 200 from the outside of the case 200 through the cable introduction portion 203 and is connected to the terminal 1. According to the case 200 having the above configuration, the battery of the electric vehicle can be charged by holding the grip portion 202 and inserting the insertion portion 201 into the charging port of the electric vehicle.

A refrigerant flow path 2 is formed in the terminal 1. A large current (for example, 400 A or more) flows through the terminal 1 when the battery of an electric vehicle is rapidly charged. The refrigerant flow path 2 cools the Joule heat generated in the terminal 1 by the refrigerant.

The terminal 1 is a metal terminal, and is formed of, for example, copper or a copper alloy. The surface of the terminal 1 is covered with silver plating or the like to prevent corrosion. The terminal 1 includes a terminal main body portion 10, a terminal contact portion 20, and a conductor wire connecting portion 30. The terminal body portion 10, the terminal contact portion 20, and the conductor wire connecting portion 30 are integrally molded. Such a terminal 1 can be formed by casting or shaving from an ingot.

The refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path 2 is preferably an insulating refrigerant. By using an insulating refrigerant, it is possible to prevent electric leakage from the terminal 1 to a cooler (not shown) through the refrigerant flow path 2. Examples of the insulating refrigerant include insulating oils such as silicone oil and mineral oil, fluorine-based refrigerants, and alcohol-based refrigerants. However, if an insulating layer, an insulating film, or the like is formed on the inner wall surface of the refrigerant flow path 2, a non-insulating refrigerant can flow.

The terminal body portion 10, the terminal contact portion 20, and the conductor wire connecting portion 30 are coaxially arranged with the central axis of the terminal 1 as a common axis. Hereinafter, the direction along the central axis is referred to as an axial direction, the direction intersecting the central axis when viewed from the axial direction is referred to as a radial direction, and the direction rotating around the central axis is referred to as a circumferential direction. Further, in the axial direction, the terminal contact portion 20 side with respect to the terminal body portion 10 is referred to as the front, and the conductor wire connection portion 30 side with respect to the terminal body portion 10 is referred to as the rear.

The above-mentioned refrigerant flow path 2 is formed inside the terminal body 10. A plug 50 that closes the machined hole of the refrigerant flow path 2 is attached to the terminal body 10. The terminal body portion 10 includes a pair of terminal expansion portions 40 protruding on both sides in the radial direction. The inlet and outlet of the refrigerant flow path 2 are formed in the pair of terminal expansion portions 40 so as to face diagonally rearward.

The inflow port of the refrigerant flow path 2 is formed in one of the terminal expansion portions 40A. Further, the outlet of the refrigerant flow path 2 is formed in the other terminal expansion portion 40B. A cooling tube 101 is connected to the inlet and outlet of the refrigerant flow path 2 via a tube connector 101a. The cooling tube 101 is made of a resin tube such as nylon and has flexibility. Further, the cooling tube 101 has a certain degree of elasticity against bending, so-called stiffness.

The terminal contact portion 20 projects in front of the terminal body portion 10. The terminal contact portion 20 of the present embodiment is a solid pin-shaped (male terminal contact portion) extending in the axial direction. Since the refrigerant flow path 2 is not formed in the terminal contact portion 20, a large cross-sectional area of the conductor can be secured, which is suitable for passing a large current. A flange 21 is formed at the base of the terminal contact portion 20. The flange 21 engages with the case 200 and determines the protrusion limit of the terminal contact portion 20 from the case 200. Although the terminal contact portion 20 of the present embodiment is pin-shaped, it may be socket-shaped (female terminal contact portion) such as a terminal on the other side into which the terminal contact portion 20 is inserted.

The conductor wire connecting portion 30 projects rearward of the terminal body portion 10. The conductor wire connecting portion 30 is a cylindrical portion extending in the axial direction. The conductor wire connecting portion 30 is formed with a hole portion 31 extending in the axial direction and opening rearward. A conductor wire 102 is inserted into the hole 31. The conductor wire 102 has an untwisted portion 102A extending linearly in a portion exposed from the coating 103. The non-twisted portion 102A is inserted into the hole portion 31 of the terminal 1 and is compressed and connected.

The conductor wire 102 has a cooling section S1 in contact with the cooling tube 101 and a non-cooling section S2 away from the cooling tube 101. The cooling section S1 can also be rephrased as a "conductor wire covering section" in which the conductor wire 102 is covered with the coating 103 together with the cooling tube 101. Further, the non-cooling section S2 can be rephrased as a "conductor wire exposed section" in which the conductor wire 102 is exposed from the coating 103. That is, the non-cooling section S2 is a concept including a transient section in which the conductor wire 102 is exposed from the coating 103 and completely branches from the cooling tube 101. The non-twisted portion 102A is provided at least in this uncooled section S2.

Next, a method of manufacturing the power supply connector 100 with a cable having the above configuration (hereinafter referred to as the present method) will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6.
2 to 5 are process diagrams up to connecting the conductor wire 102 of the power line 104 according to the embodiment to the terminal 1. FIG. 6 is an arrow view AA of FIG. 5 (d).

In this method, first, the coating 103 of the power line 104 shown in FIG. 2A is stripped to expose a part of the conductor wire 102 as shown in FIG. 2B (first step).
By peeling off the coating 103, the twisted portion 102B of the conductor wire 102 that is collectively twisted around the cooling tube 101 is exposed.

Next, in this method, the exposed conductor wire 102 is untwisted and stretched in a straight line (second step).
In the second step, first, as shown in FIG. 2C, a bundle of conductor wires 102 centrally twisted in the cooling tube 101 is separated. Then, as shown in FIG. 2D, the twisted conductor wires 102 are loosened with a finger or the like, and the loosened strands 102a are aligned.

The process shown in FIGS. 2 (c) and 2 (d) is repeated to loosen and align the other bundles of the conductor wires 102. When the conductor wire 102 is loosened to some extent, as shown in FIG. 3A, the wire 102a is combed with an awl 300 or the like to separate the cooling tube 101 and the wire 102a. Then, the above process is repeated for the other power line 104 (see FIG. 3B).

Next, in this method, as shown in FIG. 4A, the conductor wires 102 (elementary wires 102a) of the two power lines 104 are bundled by the band member 301. The band member 301 may be a wire, a binding band, a string, or the like. After bundling a plurality of places of the conductor wire 102 with the band member 301, as shown in FIG. 4B, the tip of the wire 102a is cut by the cutting tool 302 to make the lengths of the tips of the conductor wires 102 uniform.

Next, in this method, the conductor wire 102 is inserted into the hole 31 of the terminal 1 (third step).
In the third step, first, as shown in FIG. 5A, the tip of the conductor wire 102 that has been cut and has the same length is inserted into the hole 31 of the terminal 1. Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the conductor wire 102 is inserted all the way into the hole 31 while removing the band member 301.

Next, in this method, the hole 31 is compressed and deformed, and the terminal 1 and the conductor wire 102 are connected (fourth step).
In the fourth step, a compression tool is attached to the outer circumference of the conductor wire connecting portion 30 of the terminal 1, and as shown in FIG. 5C, compression deformation is performed so that the hole portion 31 into which the conductor wire 102 is inserted is reduced in diameter. (Plastic deformation). As a result, the conductor wire 102 is compressed and connected to the terminal 1. Finally, as shown in FIG. 5D, the remaining band member 301 that is no longer needed is removed.

By the above-mentioned steps, as shown in FIG. 6, the voids in the hole 31 of the terminal 1 are reduced (the filling rate of the conductor wire 102 is increased), and the terminal 1 and the conductor wire 102 can be connected to each other.
If the conductor wire 102 is inserted into the hole 31 without untwisting, a space S3 is formed between the bundles of the conductor wires 102 and the terminal 1 is formed as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. The voids in the holes 31 increase (the filling rate of the conductor wire 102 decreases), and the connection resistance increases. Also, the hole 31 must be enlarged.

On the other hand, according to this method, a part of the conductor wire 102 is exposed in the first step described above, the twist of the conductor wire 102 is untwisted in the second step, and the conductor wire 102 is untwisted in the hole 31 of the terminal 1 in the third step. Since the conductor wire 102 is connected to the terminal 1 by compressing and deforming the hole 31 in the fourth step, the filling rate of the conductor wire 102 in the hole 31 of the terminal 1 is increased, and the conductor wire 102 and the terminal 1 are connected to the conductor wire 102. The contact area with is increased, and the connection resistance can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a temperature rise at the connection portion (conductor wire connection portion 30) between the terminal 1 and the conductor wire 102.

As described above, according to the above-described method, the power line 104 in which the terminal 1 in which the hole 31 is formed and the conductor wire 102 inserted in the hole 31 are covered with the coating 103 in a twisted state. A method of manufacturing a power supply connector 100 with a cable including the cable 106, wherein the coating 103 of the power line 104 is stripped to expose a part of the conductor wire 102, and after the first step, it is exposed. After the second step of untwisting the conductor wire 102 and extending it linearly, and after the second step, the third step of inserting the conductor wire 102 into the hole 31 of the terminal 1, and after the third step, the hole By adopting a method of compressing and deforming 31 and having a fourth step of connecting the terminal 1 and the conductor wire 102, the filling rate of the conductor wire 102 in the hole 31 of the terminal 1 is increased and the connection resistance is increased. It is possible to suppress a temperature rise at the connection portion between the terminal 1 and the conductor wire 102.

Further, according to this method, after the above-mentioned second step and before the third step, the conductor wires 102 are bundled by the band member 301 as shown in FIG. According to this method, since the untwisted conductor wire 102 is bundled by the band member 301, the conductor wire 102 can be easily inserted into the hole 31 of the terminal 1.

Further, in the power supply connector 100 with a cable manufactured by the above-described method, the terminal 1 in which the hole 31 is formed and the conductor wire 102 inserted into the hole 31 are covered with the coating 103 in a twisted state. A cable-equipped power supply connector 100 comprising a cable 106 including a power line 104, the conductor wire 102 having a linearly extended non-twisted portion 102A in a portion exposed from the coating 103. The non-twisted portion 102A is inserted into the hole portion 31 of the terminal 1 and is compression-connected. According to this configuration, since the non-twisted portion 102A of the conductor wire 102 is inserted into the hole portion 31 of the terminal 1 and compressed and connected, the filling rate of the conductor wire 102 in the hole portion 31 of the terminal 1 is increased and the connection is made. Resistance can be suppressed. Therefore, the temperature rise at the connection portion between the terminal 1 and the conductor wire 102 is suppressed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the power line 104 includes a cooling tube 101, and the conductor wire 102 has a cooling section S1 in contact with the cooling tube 101 and a non-cooling section S2 away from the cooling tube 101. The twisted portion 102A is provided at least in the uncooled section S2. According to this configuration, in the non-cooling section S2 separated from the cooling tube 101, the conductor wire 102 extends linearly without being twisted, so that heat is less likely to be trapped than in the twisted state of the conductor wire 102, and air cooling is performed. It is possible to promote the action of heat dissipation and suppress the temperature rise at the connection portion between the terminal 1 and the conductor wire 102.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and described above, it should be understood that these are exemplary and should not be considered as limiting. Additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be considered limited by the above description, but is limited by the claims.

For example, in the above embodiment, the cooling tube 101 is connected to the terminal 1 having the refrigerant flow path 2 inside. For example, the terminal 1 is provided with a groove or a hole to fit a metal pipe, and the metal pipe is fitted. The cooling tube 101 may be connected to the vehicle.

1 ... Terminal, 31 ... Hole, 100 ... Power supply connector with cable, 101 ... Cooling tube, 102 ... Conductor wire, 102A ... Untwisted part, 103 ... Coating, 104 ... Power line, 106 ... Cable, 301 ... Band member, S1 ... Cooling section, S2 ... Non-cooling section

Claims (4)

A power supply connector with a cable comprising a terminal having a hole and a cable including a power line in which a conductor wire inserted into the hole is covered with a coating in a twisted state.
The conductor wire has a linearly extended untwisted portion in a portion exposed from the coating.
A power supply connector with a cable in which the non-twisted portion is inserted into the hole portion of the terminal and is compressed and connected. The power line includes a cooling tube and
The conductor wire has a cooling section in contact with the cooling tube and a non-cooling section away from the cooling tube.
The power supply connector with a cable according to claim 1, wherein the non-twisted portion is provided at least in the non-cooling section. A method for manufacturing a power supply connector with a cable, comprising: a terminal having a hole and a cable including a power line in which a conductor wire inserted into the hole is covered with a coating in a twisted state. ,
The first step of stripping the coating of the power line to expose a part of the conductor wire, and
After the first step, a second step of untwisting the exposed conductor wire and extending it in a straight line, and
After the second step, the third step of inserting the conductor wire into the hole of the terminal, and
A method for manufacturing a power supply connector with a cable, comprising a fourth step of compressing and deforming the hole portion after the third step and connecting the terminal and the conductor wire. The method for manufacturing a power supply connector with a cable according to claim 3, wherein the conductor wires are bundled with a band member after the second step and before the third step.

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