JP3209893B2 - Battery terminal - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery terminal used for connecting an electric wire to a battery post of a battery mounted on an automobile or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a battery terminal mounted on a battery post of a battery mounted on an automobile or the like, there are those shown in FIGS. The battery terminal 51 shown in FIG. 8 is formed by bending a metal plate, and has a substantially C-shaped crimping portion 53 for fitting to the outer periphery of the frustum-shaped battery post 2. A pair of tightening pieces 56 and 57 extending from both ends of the crimping section 53 so as to face each other, and a bolt 54 for crimping the crimping section 53 to the battery post by tightening the tightening pieces 56 and 57; The configuration includes a nut 55 and an electric wire connection portion 59 extending from the nut-side fastening piece 57 and crimping and connecting the electric wire 8.

However, when the battery terminal 51 is mounted on the battery post 2, excessive tightening is likely to occur in order to generally avoid inconvenience such as poor electrical contact due to insufficient tightening. Therefore, a stopper piece 63 is provided at the tip of the fastening piece 56 so as to project toward the fastening piece 57. The stopper piece 63 prevents the pair of fastening pieces 56 and 57 from approaching each other further by contacting the opposing surface of the fastening piece 57, and
3 limits the diameter reduction. Further, a locking projection 64 for locking the outer surface of the stopper piece 63 is formed on the tightening piece 57, so that the bent stopper piece 63 spreads when it comes into contact with the nut-side tightening piece 57. Preventing.

[0004] That is, after the crimping portion 53 is fitted to the battery post 2, the battery terminal 51 is inserted into the screw portion 58 of the bolt 54 inserted into each bolt insertion hole 60 of the pair of tightening pieces 56 and 57. The nut 55 is screwed, and FIG.
If the nut 55 is tightened until the stopper piece 63 comes into contact with the surface of the fastening piece 57 as shown in FIG. Are set so as to obtain.

As a battery terminal for preventing such excessive tightening of bolts and nuts, there is a battery terminal 71 as shown in FIG. The battery terminal 71
Is a battery post 7 having a truncated cone shape for the battery 85.
2 having a substantially C-shape to be fitted to the outer periphery
And a pair of tightening pieces 76 and 77 extending to both ends of the crimping section 73 so as to face each other, and an electric wire connecting section 79 extending from the nut-side tightening piece 77 and crimping and connecting the electric wire 8. Although it is integrally cast, it has almost the same configuration as the battery terminal 51 shown in FIG. 8 in that the crimp portion 73 is crimped to the battery post 72 by tightening the bolt 74 and the nut 75.

The battery terminal 7 shown in FIG.
The bolt 74 in 1 is a screw portion formed on the tip end side of the shaft portion 83 so that the shaft portion 83 inserted into the bolt insertion holes 70, 70 of the pair of tightening pieces 76, 77 is screwed with the nut 75. 81, and a cylindrical portion 82 formed on the base end side (bolt head side) of the shaft portion 83. The outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 82 is set to be larger than the thread diameter of the screw portion 81 and smaller than the inner diameter of the bolt insertion holes 70, 70 of the pair of fastening pieces 76, 77. Therefore, by setting the axial length of the cylindrical portion 82 to an appropriate value, the step 80 between the cylindrical portion 82 and the screw portion 81 hits the end surface of the nut 75 as a stopper for abutting the nut. The tightening force of the battery terminal 71 is limited.

Further, according to the battery terminal disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-36294 or the like, a cushioning piece is integrally formed with a resin anticorrosion cover for covering the lower surface and the peripheral surface of the battery terminal in order to prevent corrosion of the terminal. Is provided between the pair of tightening pieces of the battery terminal to prevent the battery terminal from being damaged due to excessive tightening of the bolts and nuts.

[0008]

However, battery terminals and battery posts are usually formed of a soft metal having a low elasticity range, such as lead or brass, from the viewpoint of required electrical connection characteristics and chemical resistance. And low load capacity.
Therefore, it is difficult to secure sufficient strength for the stopper piece 63 of the battery terminal 51 shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), after the stopper piece 63 abuts on the fastening piece 57 on the nut side, when the operator further continues the fastening work with the bolt 54 and the nut 55, the stopper piece 63 is moved to (b) of FIG. )), And finally the stopper piece 63 is completely crushed and permanently deformed (plastically deformed) until the pair of tightening pieces 56 and 57 come into close contact as shown in FIG. 9C. I will.

As a result, the battery post 2 is deformed due to excessive tightening force applied to the battery post 2,
Alternatively, there is a problem that the crimping portion 53 of the battery terminal 51 and the joints between the crimping portion 53 and the fastening pieces 56 and 57 are permanently deformed or cracked. Further, the formation of the stopper piece 63 complicates the structure of the battery terminal 51, and also causes a problem that the cost is increased due to an increase in the number of bending processes.

In the case of the battery terminal 71 shown in FIG. 10, when the bolt 74 and the nut 75 are excessively tightened, the threaded portion of the nut 75 is stepped.
There is a possibility that the screw thread of the nut 75 will be damaged and cannot be removed. Furthermore, by inserting a buffer piece of the anticorrosion cover between a pair of fastening pieces,
Even in the case where the battery terminal is prevented from being damaged due to excessive tightening of the nut, the buffer piece is damaged when an excessive tightening force is applied, and the battery terminal cannot be completely prevented from being damaged.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and when a battery terminal is fixed to a battery post by tightening with a bolt and a nut, the battery post and the battery terminal itself are permanently fixed by the action of an excessive tightening force. Deformation and breakage can be prevented, and the removal of nuts does not become impossible due to biting of the nuts. Furthermore, the structure is simplified to improve productivity and reduce production costs. And to provide a good battery terminal.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide a crimping portion formed in a substantially C-shape for fitting to a battery post, and a pair of crimping portions extending at both ends of the crimping portion so as to face each other. And a bolt and a nut for crimping the crimping portion to the battery post by tightening the clamping pieces. after passing through the through-formed bolt insertion holes, 該締with pieces definitive the periphery of the bolt insertion hole formed through said piece tightening the nut side
The battery terminal is characterized in that a stopper is provided to limit the tightening force of the battery terminal by contacting the inner surface of the battery terminal.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a crimping portion formed into a substantially C-shape for fitting to a battery post, and a pair of fastening pieces extending at both ends of the crimping portion so as to face each other. And a bolt and a nut for crimping the crimping portion to the battery post by tightening these tightening pieces, wherein the bolt is formed on a tip end side of a shaft portion to be screwed with the nut. And a small-diameter portion formed on the base end side of the shaft portion and capable of loosely fitting the nut, and when the bolt / nut is tightened by a predetermined amount or more, the nut comes off from the screw portion of the bolt. This is also achieved by a battery terminal characterized in that the tightening force of the battery terminal is limited by reaching the small diameter portion.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a battery terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The battery terminal 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is formed by bending a metal plate, and is substantially fitted to the outer periphery of a frusto-conical battery post 2. The crimping portion 3 formed in a C shape, a pair of tightening pieces 6 and 7 extending at both ends of the crimping portion 3 so as to face each other, and the crimping portion 6 It has a bolt 4 and a nut 5 for crimping the portion 3 to the battery post, and an electric wire connection portion 9 extending from the nut-side fastening piece 7 and crimping and connecting the electric wire 8.

The bolt insertion holes 10 and 11 formed through the pair of tightening pieces 6 and 7 are closer to the bolt head than the bolt insertion holes 10 formed in the tightening piece 6 on the nut 5 side. 7
The inside diameter of the bolt insertion hole 11 formed in the hole is set larger. Further, the bolt 4 inserted into the bolt insertion holes 10, 11 of the pair of tightening pieces 6, 7 is provided with a screw portion 1 formed on the tip end side of the shaft portion 12 to be screwed with the nut 5.
4 and a cylindrical portion 13 formed on the base end side (bolt head side) of the shaft portion 12, and the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 13 that is larger than the thread diameter of the screw portion 14 is It is set smaller than the inner diameter of the bolt insertion hole 11 of the fastening piece 7 and larger than the inner diameter of the bolt insertion hole 10 of the fastening piece 6.

Then, the tightening by the nut 5 screwed into the screw portion 14 of the bolt 4 inserted through the bolt insertion hole 10 of the tightening piece 6 on the nut 5 side proceeds, and the cylindrical portion 13 and the screw portion 14 are connected. When the step 15 between the contact portions abuts on the periphery of the bolt insertion hole 10 of the fastening piece 6 as a stopper, the axis of the column portion 13 is adjusted so that the fastening force of the battery post 2 by the crimping portion 3 becomes an appropriate value. Direction length and crimping part 3
The dimensions of each part, such as the inner diameter of, and the distance between the pair of tightening pieces 6 and 7, are set.

That is, the battery terminal 1 is connected to the crimping portion 3
After being fitted to the battery post 2, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), each of the bolt insertion holes 10,
The nut 5 is screwed into the screw portion 14 of the bolt 4 inserted into the nut 11. And if you tighten the nut 5 further,
As shown in FIG. 2B, when the interval L between the pair of tightening pieces 6 and 7 is reduced and the nut 5 is further tightened, the step 15 between the cylindrical portion 13 and the screw portion 14 of the bolt 4 becomes the above-described step 15. It contacts the peripheral edge of the bolt insertion hole 10 on the inner surface of the fastening piece 6. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2C and 3, the step 15 located at the tip of the cylindrical portion 13 and the end face of the nut 5 sandwich the fastening piece 6, and the nut 5 can be further tightened. At the same time, the tightening force of the battery post 2 by the crimping portion 3 becomes an appropriate value, and good electrical connection between the electric wire 8 and the battery post 2 is performed.

Accordingly, when the battery terminal 1 is fixed to the battery post 2 by tightening with the bolts 4 and the nuts 5, permanent deformation or breakage of the battery post 2 or the battery terminal 1 itself due to excessive tightening force is prevented. it can. Further, the nut 5 prevents the further tightening by clamping the tightening piece 6 between the nut 5 and a step 15 which is a stopper of the bolt 4, so that the nut 5 directly contacts the step 15. Therefore, the nut 5 does not bite into the step 15 of the bolt 4 and cannot be removed.

Furthermore, since it is not necessary to provide a stopper function on the battery terminal main body for limiting excessive tightening, the structure of the battery terminal 1 can be simplified to improve productivity and reduce production cost. . still,
The stopper according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the step 15 of the cylindrical portion 13 in the first embodiment. For example, a sleeve having a length equal to the axial length of the cylindrical portion 13 may be inserted into a conventional bolt shaft portion, and the end surface of the sleeve may be used as a stopper for limiting the tightening force of the battery terminal. Further, a stopper may be formed by providing a projection on a part of the bolt by plastic deformation or welding of parts.

The battery terminal 31 according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 is fitted to the outer periphery of a truncated conical battery post 2 in the same manner as the battery terminal 1 according to the first embodiment. A crimping portion 33 formed to be substantially C-shaped, a pair of tightening pieces 36 and 37 extending to both ends of the crimping portion 33 to face each other, and tightening the pair of tightening pieces 36 and 37. Although it has a configuration provided with the bolt 32 and the nut 35, the structure of the wire connecting portion 47 extending from the rear end of the crimping portion 33 to which the wire is connected, and the point that the anticorrosion cover 46 is provided, The structure of the bolt 32 is different.

The electric wire connecting portion 47 has a configuration in which a male screw 34 for screwing a crimp terminal to which an electric wire (not shown) is connected is provided upright. The anticorrosion cover 46
Is for covering the lower surface and the peripheral surface of the battery terminal 31 in order to prevent the battery terminal 31 from being corroded by battery liquid, oil or moisture, and is formed of an insulating resin material. The anticorrosion cover 46
Has a buffer piece 48 inserted between the pair of tightening pieces 36 and 37, and the buffer piece 48 is formed with an opening 38 through which the shaft 44 of the bolt 32 is inserted.

On the other hand, the bolt 32 inserted into the bolt insertion holes 40, 41 of the pair of tightening pieces 36, 37 is provided with a screw portion 43 formed on the tip end of a shaft portion 44 to be screwed with the nut 35. And a small-diameter portion 42 formed on the base end side (bolt head side) of the shaft portion 44 and capable of loosely fitting the nut 35.
The outer diameter of the small diameter portion 42 is set smaller than the root diameter of the screw portion 43.

Then, the tightening by the nut 35 screwed into the screw portion 43 inserted into the bolt insertion hole 40 of the tightening piece 36 on the nut 35 side proceeds, and the screw portion 43
5, the axial length of the small-diameter portion 42, the inner diameter of the crimping portion 33, and a pair of tightening pieces 36 and 37 so that the tightening force of the crimping portion 33 on the battery post 2 becomes an appropriate value. The dimensions of each part such as the interval between them are set.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the battery terminal 31 is assembled with the anticorrosion cover 35 with the bolt 32 and the nut 35 removed, and then a pair of fastening pieces 36,
37, the bolt 32 is inserted, and the tightening piece 3 on the nut 35 side is inserted.
Washer 45 and nut 3
5 is assembled, and the crimping portion 33 of the battery terminal 31 is fitted to the battery post 2.

When the nut 35 is tightened, as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the distance L between the pair of tightening pieces 36 and 37 gradually narrows, and the nut 35 is further tightened.
As shown in FIG. 7, the screw portion 43 passes through the nut 35, and the nut 35 enters a loose fit state in which the nut 35 idles on the small diameter portion 42 of the bolt 32, so that the nut 35 cannot be further tightened. At the same time, the crimping part 33
And the tightening force of the battery post 2 becomes an appropriate value, and a good electrical connection between the electric wire fixed to the battery terminal 31 and the battery post 2 is realized.

Therefore, also in the case of the battery terminal 31 in the second embodiment, it is possible to prevent the battery post 2 and the battery terminal 31 themselves from being permanently deformed or damaged by the action of the excessive tightening force. Further, even if the nut 35 is further rotated in the tightening direction even after the tightening force reaches an appropriate value, the nut 35 is unscrewed from the screw portion 43 of the bolt 32 and becomes rotatable.
However, it does not become impossible to remove the bolt 32 by biting it. Note that the battery terminal of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of each of the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various forms can be adopted based on the spirit of the present invention. For example, a battery terminal in which a crimping portion, a pair of fastening pieces, and a wire connection portion are integrally cast may be used.

[0027]

According to the battery terminal of the present invention, when the tightening of the pair of tightening pieces by the bolt and the nut proceeds, the stopper provided on the shaft of the bolt penetrates the tightening piece on the bolt head side. After penetrating the formed bolt insertion hole,
Since contact with the inner surface of the該締with pieces definitive the periphery of the nut side of the fastening piece penetrating formed bolt insertion hole, with the clamping force of the battery post by crimping portions may have an appropriate value, more by nuts Is prevented.

Therefore, when the battery terminal is fixed to the battery post by tightening with a bolt and a nut, it is possible to prevent the battery post and the battery terminal itself from being permanently deformed or damaged by the action of an excessive tightening force. Further, the nut is prevented from being further tightened by clamping the nut-side tightening piece between the nut and the bolt stopper, and the nut does not directly contact the bolt stopper. It does not become impossible to remove it by biting into the stopper. Further, since it is not necessary to particularly form a stopper function on the battery terminal main body for limiting excessive tightening, it is possible to simplify the structure of the battery terminal, thereby improving productivity and reducing production cost.

According to another battery terminal of the present invention, after the threaded portion formed at the tip end of the shaft portion of the bolt for fastening the pair of fastening pieces passes through the nut, the bolt or the nut is tightened in the fastening direction. Even when rotated, they rotate idly, preventing further tightening. Therefore, also in this case, it is possible to prevent the battery post or the battery terminal itself from being permanently deformed or damaged by the action of the excessive tightening force. Further, the nut is loosely engaged with the threaded portion of the bolt and is loosely fitted, so that further tightening is prevented. Since the nut does not directly contact the stopper of the bolt, the nut is not attached to the bolt. It does not become impossible to remove it by biting into the stopper. Of course, it is not necessary to form a stopper function on the battery terminal main body for limiting excessive tightening.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a battery terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part for describing a state in which a battery terminal shown in FIG. 1 is fastened to a battery post.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 2 (c).

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a battery terminal according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

5 is an overall perspective view of the battery terminal shown in FIG. 4 in a partially assembled state.

6A is a plan view for explaining a state in which the battery terminal shown in FIG. 4 is fastened to a battery post, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line BB in FIG.

7 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state where the battery terminal shown in FIG. 4 is assembled to a battery post.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a conventional battery terminal.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a main part for describing a state where the battery terminal shown in FIG. 8 is fastened to a battery post.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing another example of a conventional battery terminal.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery terminal 2 Battery post 3 Crimping part 4 Bolt 5 Nut 6,7 Tightening piece 8 Electric wire 9 Electric wire connection part 10 Bolt insertion hole 11 Bolt insertion hole 12 Shaft part 13 Column part 14 Screw part 15 Step

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-8-195237 (JP, A) JP-A-8-293300 (JP, A) JP-A-8-195237 (JP, A) JP-A-8-195237 195236 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model 63-54257 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01M 2/30

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A crimping part formed in a substantially C-shape to fit into a battery post, a pair of tightening pieces extending at both ends of the crimping part so as to face each other, In a battery terminal having a bolt and a nut for crimping the crimping portion to a battery post by tightening, the shaft portion of the bolt penetrates a bolt insertion hole formed through the tightening piece on the bolt head side. after, the which definitive the periphery of the bolt insertion hole formed through said piece tightening the nut side
A battery terminal provided with a stopper for limiting the tightening force of the battery terminal by contacting the inner surface of the fastening piece . 2. A crimping portion formed in a substantially C-shape to be fitted to a battery post, a pair of tightening pieces extending at both ends of the crimping portion so as to face each other, and A battery terminal comprising a bolt and a nut for crimping the crimping portion to a battery post by tightening, wherein the bolt is formed on a tip portion side of the shaft portion to be screwed with the nut; And a small-diameter portion formed on the side of the bolt so that the nut can be loosely fitted to the battery. A battery terminal, wherein the terminal tightening force is limited.