JP2023065168A - Terminal connection structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a terminal connection structure capable of stabilizing contact resistance between terminals and an elastic member and achieving stable conduction between the terminals.SOLUTION: A terminal connection structure 1 has: a first terminal (a female terminal 10); a second terminal (a male terminal 20) fitted into the first terminal; a groove 30 provided in the first terminal or the second terminal; and an elastic member (a coil spring 40) arranged in the groove and that can electrically connect between the first terminal and the second terminal. A conductive member 50 having a flat surface is provided between the groove and the elastic member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a terminal connection structure.

In a high-voltage connector for an electric vehicle, a canted coil spring is used when fitting a male terminal and a female terminal (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By bringing the male terminal and the female terminal into contact via the inclined coil spring, the elasticity of the inclined coil spring secures the contact load and achieves stable conduction. The canted coil spring is locked in a groove provided in the female terminal or the male terminal. This groove is produced by, for example, cutting, casting, or processing using a parts former.

U.S. Patent No. 10598241

However, if it is made by cutting, the groove surface is rough, so the contact with the spring is not uniform, and the contact resistance between the terminal and the canted coil spring varies, and the conduction between the terminals may not be stable. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a terminal connection structure that stabilizes the contact resistance between a terminal and an elastic member and enables stable conduction between the terminals. It is in.

In order to achieve the above object, the terminal connection structure according to the present invention is characterized as follows.
a first terminal;
a second terminal fitted into the first terminal;
a groove provided in the first terminal or the second terminal;
an elastic member arranged in the groove and capable of electrically connecting the first terminal and the second terminal;
A conductive member having a flat surface is provided between the groove and the elastic member,
Terminal connection structure.

According to the connection structure of the present invention, the contact resistance between the terminals and the elastic member is stabilized, and stable conduction between the terminals becomes possible.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a terminal connection structure of one embodiment. 2 is a perspective view of the conducting member shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a terminal connection structure according to a modification.

Specific embodiments relating to the present invention will be described below with reference to each drawing.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a terminal connection structure 1 of one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the conducting member 50 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. The terminal connection structure 1 is used, for example, in a high-voltage connector for electric vehicles.
The terminal connection structure 1 includes a female terminal 10 as an example of a first terminal, a male terminal 20 as an example of a second terminal to be fitted into the female terminal 10, a groove 30 provided in the female terminal 10, and an elastic terminal. and a coil spring 40 that is an example of a member. The coil spring 40 is arranged in the groove 30 and can electrically connect the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 20 . The terminal connection structure 1 is provided with a conducting member 50 having a flat surface between the groove 30 and the coil spring 40 .

The female terminal 10 is made of a conductive metal material such as copper or a copper alloy such as chromium copper, and has a cylindrical peripheral wall 11. A male terminal 20 can be inserted into a space 13 surrounded by the peripheral wall 11. ing. The female terminal 10 has a groove 30 formed by hollowing out a portion of the peripheral wall 11 facing the space 13 in an annular shape.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the groove 30 has a U-shape in longitudinal section along the fitting direction of the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 20, and the coil spring 40 is arranged therein. The groove 30 is produced by, for example, cutting, casting, or processing using a parts former.

The groove 30 has a rough bottom surface, that is, a high surface roughness when produced by cutting. For this reason, in a general terminal connection structure, when a coil spring is arranged in a groove to achieve conduction between a male terminal and a female terminal, the contact between the coil spring and the bottom surface of the groove is not uniform, and the contact between the terminal and the terminal is uneven. The contact resistance with the coil spring varies. Therefore, in the terminal connection structure 1 of the present embodiment, the conductive member 50 is arranged between the bottom surface and the coil spring 40 in the groove 30, and the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 10 are fitted to each other. Moreover, the contact resistance between the female terminal 10 and the coil spring 40 is stabilized.

The male terminal 20 has a cylindrical portion 23 made of a conductive metal material such as copper or a copper alloy such as chromium copper and formed into a solid cylindrical shape. is inserted into

The coil spring 40 is formed in an annular shape by winding a wire made of a conductive metal material in an inclined spiral shape and welding both ends of the wire. A coil spring 40 is positioned within the groove 30 .

The conducting member 50 is made of, for example, a conductive metal material such as copper or a copper alloy such as chromium copper. As shown in FIG. 2, the conducting member 50 has a C-shape obtained by cutting a part of an annular ring, and has a uniform thickness. The conducting member 50 has an inner peripheral surface 50a and an outer peripheral surface 50b which are flat surfaces. The conductive member 50 is manufactured by casting, for example, and at least the inner peripheral surface 50 a and the outer peripheral surface 50 b of the conductive member 50 have surface roughness lower than the bottom surface of the groove 30 . The conduction member 50 is sized so that the width of the inner peripheral surface 50 a and the outer peripheral surface 50 b substantially match the width of the bottom surface of the groove 30 . Conducting member 50 is arranged in groove 30 such that outer peripheral surface 50 b contacts the bottom surface of groove 30 .

In the terminal connection structure 1, the conductive member 50 is arranged in the groove 30 of the female terminal 10 so that the outer peripheral surface 50b contacts the bottom surface of the groove 30, and the coil spring 40 is arranged on the inner peripheral surface 50a side of the conductive member 50. placed. That is, in the female terminal 10 , the conductive member 50 is arranged between the groove 30 and the coil spring 40 . In this state, a part of the inner peripheral side of the coil spring 40 protrudes outside the groove 30 . When the one end 21 of the male terminal 20 is inserted into the space 13 inside the female terminal 10 , the outer peripheral surface of the one end 21 presses part of the coil spring 40 radially outward. The conductive member 50 is pressed against the peripheral wall 11 of the female terminal 10 by the repulsive force of the pressed coil spring 40 . As a result, the conductive member 50 having a low surface roughness adheres to the bottom surface of the groove 30, and the contact resistance between the female terminal 10 and the coil spring 40 is stabilized. Therefore, the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 10 can be electrically connected stably via the coil spring 40 and the conducting member 50 . As a result, electricity can flow stably in the direction indicated by the dotted line in FIG.

(Modification)
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a terminal connection structure 1A according to a modification. In FIG. 4, members and parts that are the same as or equivalent to those shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same or equivalent reference numerals. In the terminal connection structure 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the groove 30 is provided in the female terminal 10, whereas in the terminal connection structure 1A shown in FIG. is provided. Differences from the terminal connection structure 1 will be described below.

20 A of male terminals have 30 A of groove|channels formed so that a part of outer periphery in 21 A of one end parts might be hollowed out circularly over the perimeter. A conductive member 50A having a diameter smaller than that of the conductive member 50A is arranged on the bottom surface of the groove 30A. Inside the groove 30A, the inner peripheral surface of the conductive member 50A contacts the bottom surface of the groove 30A, and the coil spring 40A having a smaller diameter than the coil spring 40 is arranged on the outer peripheral surface side of the conductive member 50A.

In the terminal connection structure 1A, when the conducting member 50A and the coil spring 40A are arranged in order in the groove 30A of the male terminal 20A, a part of the outer peripheral side of the coil spring 40A protrudes outside the groove 30A. A male terminal 20A having a conducting member 50A and a coil spring 40 attached to one end 21A is inserted into a space 13A within the female terminal 10A. At this time, the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 11A presses a portion of the coil spring 40A radially inward. Due to the repulsive force of the pressed coil spring 40A, the conductive member 50A is pressed against the cylindrical portion 23A of the male terminal 20A. As a result, the conductive member 50A having a low surface roughness adheres to the bottom surface of the groove 30A, and the contact resistance between the male terminal 20 and the coil spring 40A is stabilized. Therefore, the male terminal 20A and the female terminal 10A can be stably connected via the coil spring 40A and the conduction member 50A. As a result, electricity can flow stably between the male terminal 20A and the female terminal 10A.

As described above, according to the terminal connection structures 1 and 1A, the conductive members 50 and 50A with low surface roughness are arranged between the female terminals 10 and 10A and the male terminals 20 and 20A. Contact resistance can be stabilized by contacting the coil springs 40 and 40A via 50A. Therefore, even if the accuracy of the grooves 30, 30A is low and the surface roughness is high, the female terminals 10, 10A and the male terminals 20, 20A can be stably connected.

Further, in the terminal connection structures 1 and 1A, instead of the conductive members 50 and 50A made of a copper alloy, for example, the conductive members 50 and 50A may be made of a material having higher conductivity, such as silver or high-purity copper such as tough pitch copper. Members 50, 50A can be used. By using the conductive members 50, 50A with higher conductivity, the accuracy is improved. Stability can be ensured. Therefore, the material cost of the female terminal and the male terminal can be reduced.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, size, numerical value, form, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

Here, the features of the terminal connection structure according to the embodiment of the present invention described above are summarized and listed briefly in [1] to [5] below.

[1] a first terminal (female terminals 10, 10A);
a second terminal (male terminal 20, 20A) fitted into the first terminal;
a groove (30, 30A) provided in the first terminal or the second terminal;
an elastic member (coil spring 40, 40A) arranged in the groove and capable of electrically connecting the first terminal and the second terminal;
Conductive members (50, 50A) having flat surfaces (inner peripheral surface 50a, outer peripheral surface 50b) are provided between the groove and the elastic member,
Terminal connection structure (1, 1A).

According to the terminal connection structure having the configuration [1] above, the first terminal or the second terminal (hereinafter referred to as a terminal) and the elastic member arranged in the groove are brought into contact with each other via the conducting member. Since the elastic force of the elastic member presses at least the flat surface of the conductive member against the groove, the contact area between the elastic member and the terminal having the groove is larger than when the conductive member is not interposed. As a result, the contact resistance between the terminal and the elastic member is stabilized, so even if the accuracy of the groove is low, that is, the surface roughness of the groove is high, stable conduction between the terminal and the elastic member can be achieved. It becomes possible. In the present disclosure, "flat surface" means a surface with low surface roughness.

[2] The flat surfaces (the inner peripheral surface 50a and the outer peripheral surface 50b) have a surface roughness lower than that of the bottom surface of the groove.
The terminal connection structure according to the above [1].

According to the terminal connection structure having the configuration [2] above, even if the groove is formed by cutting and has a high surface roughness, the elastic member and the terminal are connected via the conduction member with a low surface roughness. contact, the contact resistance between the terminal and the elastic member can be reliably stabilized.

[3] The conductive member (50, 50A) has higher conductivity than the elastic member.
The terminal connection structure according to the above [1] or [2].

According to the terminal connection structure having the above configuration [3], since the electrical conductivity of the conductive member is higher than that of the elastic member, more stable electrical connection between the terminal and the elastic member is possible.

[4] The conductive member (50, 50A) is annular, and the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface constitute the flat surface.
The terminal connection structure according to any one of [1] to [3] above.

According to the terminal connection structure having the configuration [4] above, since the inner and outer peripheral surfaces, which are flat surfaces, are pressed against the grooves by the elastic force of the elastic member, contact between the elastic member and the terminal having the groove The area can be increased, and the contact resistance can be further stabilized.

[5] The conductive member is configured such that a first conductive member made of a first material and a second conductive member made of a second material having higher conductivity than the first material can be interchanged. Ru
The terminal connection structure according to any one of [1] to [4] above.

According to the terminal connection structure having the configuration [5] above, accuracy is improved by using a conductive member made of a highly conductive material. , the continuity stability between the terminals can be ensured. Therefore, the material cost of the terminal can be reduced.

1, 1A Terminal connection structure 10, 10A Female terminal 11, 11A Peripheral wall 20, 20A Male terminal 21, 21A One end 23, 23A Cylindrical part 30, 30A Groove 40, 40A Coil spring 50a Inner peripheral surface 50b Outer peripheral surface

Claims (5)

a first terminal;
a second terminal fitted into the first terminal;
a groove provided in the first terminal or the second terminal;
an elastic member arranged in the groove and capable of electrically connecting the first terminal and the second terminal;
A conductive member having a flat surface is provided between the groove and the elastic member,
Terminal connection structure. the flat surface has a lower surface roughness than the bottom surface of the groove;
The terminal connection structure according to claim 1. The conducting member has a higher conductivity than the elastic member,
The terminal connection structure according to claim 1 or 2. The conductive member is annular, and the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface constitute the flat surface.
The terminal connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The conducting member is configured such that a first conducting member made of a first material and a second conducting member made of a second material having higher conductivity than the first material are replaceable.
The terminal connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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