JP3531684B2 - Terminal locking mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a terminal locking mechanism, and more particularly to a terminal locking mechanism corresponding to a large current wire harness for electric vehicles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a terminal locking mechanism for a large current wire harness of an electric vehicle, for example, FIGS.
A power receiving connector as shown in 2 and a power feeding connector compatible with these power receiving connectors are used. FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a power receiving connector based on such a conventional terminal locking mechanism. Further, FIG. 12 is a front view thereof. Further, FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a power feeding connector based on a conventional terminal locking mechanism.

In FIGS. 11 and 12, a power receiving connector C50 is provided in a cylindrical shape with a bottom and comprises a substantially cylindrical connector housing 51. The connector housing 51 is made of an insulating resin and has a pair of male terminals 52, 52 having a large diameter in plan view for receiving power source for power supply, and a male type grounding terminal and a signal terminal having a smaller diameter. These male terminals are surrounded by an outer wall that stands vertically from the bottom of the plate surface. The male terminal 52 having a diameter of d1 is mounted in the cavity space in the hollow cylindrical fitting portion 55.
The locking portion 53 of which the diameter is increased is engaged by a flexible locking piece (hereinafter referred to as a lance) 54 protruding inward from the wall surface of the fitting portion 55 and locked in the fitting portion 55. ing. Therefore, the inner diameter d50 of the fitting portion 55 is relatively large, and the inner diameter d51 of the connector housing 51 is also relatively large.

Therefore, the diameter of the female terminal 62 of the power feeding connector C51 shown in FIG. 13 that engages with the power receiving connector C50 is also correspondingly large d50, and the inner diameter of the connector housing 60 is also d51. , Relatively large configuration.

[0005]

As described above, since the conventional terminal locking mechanism uses the housing lance and the terminal lance, the size is large and it is difficult to reduce the cavity space. That is, there is a problem that the space of the terminal housing cannot be reduced, and eventually it becomes difficult to miniaturize the connector and the wire harness. Further, when the terminal is disengaged from the connector housing, there is a problem in that the terminal cannot be engaged with the connector housing again due to deformation of the lance or the like. Furthermore, the maintenance work of the terminals is complicated and requires skill, so that it is difficult to realize a simple and easy on-site work.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems and drawbacks, and its purpose is to reduce the space of the terminal housing, thereby making it possible to miniaturize the connector and the wire harness, and to perform the maintenance work easily and easily. It is to provide a terminal locking mechanism.

[0007]

Terminal locking mechanism according to the present invention for realizing the object, according to an aspect of a hollow circle having a restricting protrusion for restricting the contact with the male terminal located in the inserted male terminal
Abut on the male terminal housing of the cylinder and the regulation protrusion
The terminal stopper, the screw groove that extends in the male terminal axial direction, and the tip
An insulating part with a jig fitting hole fixed to the end is provided.
, It is fitted and fixed to the male terminal housing for mounting.
Wherein the male terminal, is configured to the male terminal and another member, has a threaded portion screwed to the screw groove portion, the terminal locking of the bottomed cylindrical shape with an end portion which abuts on the restricting protrusion which constituted by a tool, the engagement portion of the terminal locking device, and the terminal stopper when screwed <br/> the screw groove of the male terminals and the end, the restriction
The present invention is characterized in that the protrusion is directly or indirectly clamped. Alternatively, the present invention is provided to achieve the above object.
The terminal locking mechanism according to
The male end of the hollow cylinder provided with a regulating portion for regulating the position of the male terminal
A sub-housing and a stop wall that abuts on the restriction portion,
Male terminal axially extending spiral groove and jig fixed at the tip
An insulating portion having a fitting hole for use therein,
The male terminal that is fitted and fixed to the housing for mounting,
A screw that is formed separately from the male terminal and that is screwed into the screw groove portion.
A bottomed circle having a joining portion and having an end portion that abuts against the regulating portion
It is composed of a tubular terminal locking device and is screwed into the terminal locking device.
The stop wall when the male part is screwed into the male groove of the male terminal.
And the end portion directly or indirectly sandwich the restriction portion.
It is characterized by having a configuration.

[0008] Alternatively the male and the regulating protrusion in the
The front wall that extends in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the terminal housing
Constituted by restricting protrusion having a spare rear wall, the terminal stopper
To extend the path to the male terminal axis direction perpendicular to the direction, the restricting protrusion
Constituted by abutting the terminal stopper path to the rear wall of the terminal locking
The tool is configured by a bottomed cylinder, and the end surface of the bottomed cylinder is configured as the end portion that abuts on the front wall of the restriction protrusion ,
Is characterized by.

Further, in the above, the restriction portion is constituted by a restriction portion having a front wall and a rear wall extending in a direction perpendicular to the male terminal housing axial direction, and the stop wall is formed as a male member. Standing in a direction perpendicular to the terminal axis direction , configured by a stop wall that abuts the rear wall of the restriction portion , the terminal locking tool is configured by a bottomed cylinder,
The end surface of the bottomed cylinder is brought into contact with the front wall of the restriction portion.
By being configured as an end, and wherein.

[0010]

In the terminal locking mechanism according to the present invention, the male and female terminals are engaged in the respective terminal housings by the screw-type terminal locking device, so that it is not necessary to use the housing lance or the terminal lance, and the cavity is eliminated. Space can be reduced. That is, the space of the terminal housing can be reduced, and eventually the connector and the wire harness can be downsized. Further, the terminals can be exchanged extremely easily by releasing the screwing, and quickly and without damaging the terminals.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the terminal locking mechanism of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the structure of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a partial sectional explanatory view of an embodiment of the terminal locking mechanisms T1 and T2 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the male terminal of the terminal locking mechanism T1 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a terminal locking device applied to both the terminal locking mechanisms T1 and T2. Furthermore, FIG.
It is a principal part exploded perspective view of the female terminal of the terminal locking mechanism T2 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the female terminal shown in FIG.

First, the terminal locking mechanism T1 will be described.
1 to 3, a terminal locking mechanism T1 according to the present invention includes a male terminal 2 that is fitted and inserted for mounting, and a regulation protrusion (position regulation portion) that abuts on the male terminal 2 and regulates the terminal position. 5, the hollow cylindrical male terminal housing 1 and the male terminal 2 are formed separately from each other, and have a screw groove (screw portion) 3A to be screwed into a screw thread (screw groove portion) 2C. It is composed of a bottomed cylindrical terminal locking member 3 having an end portion (reaction portion) 3D that abuts the (position regulating portion) 5.

The male terminal 2 has a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG.
An insulating portion 2B having a jig fitting hole 2G at its tip, an electric contact portion 2A adjacent to the insulating portion 2B, and a thread extending in the axial direction of the terminal 2 adjacent to the electric contact portion 2A ( The screw groove portion 2C and the terminal stopper (action portion) 2D are provided behind the screw thread (screw groove portion) 2C. Terminal stopper (action part) 2
When the male terminal housing 1 is fitted into the male terminal housing 1, the front end surface of the male member D contacts the regulating projection portion (position regulating portion) 5 of the male terminal housing 1. Further, the electric wire crimping portion 2E is integrally provided behind the electric contact portion 2A.

As shown in FIG. 3, the bottomed cylindrical terminal locking member 3 has an insertion hole 3B through which the electric contact portion 2A is inserted, and an end portion (reaction portion) at the tip of the cylinder. ) With 3D. A spiral groove (screw portion) 3A is formed on the inner wall of the tip of the cylinder. The terminal housing 1 is provided with a restricting protruding portion (position restricting portion) 5 that protrudes rearward of the center of the inner wall of the hollow cylindrical cavity 4. The restriction protrusion 5 is provided with a rear wall 5A and a front wall 5B that stand upright in the radial direction at the rear portion. A cylindrical wall having a slightly larger diameter is formed in front of the front wall 5B of the restriction protrusion 5.

When the male terminal 2 is inserted into the cavity 4 for mounting, the tip end surface of the terminal stopper (action portion) 2D abuts the rear wall 5A to regulate the terminal position. Male terminal 2 here
The terminal locking member 3 is inserted in the insertion hole 3B from the opposite direction of insertion, that is, from the tip of the male terminal housing 1 while inserting the electrical contact portion 2A of the male terminal 2 into the screw 2C of the male terminal housing 1. The thread groove 3A is screwed into the. In this state, the jig is engaged with the jig groove 3C of the terminal locking tool 3, or the terminal locking tool 3 is fitted (engaged) to the jig in advance, and then the terminal is attached to the male terminal housing 1. When the locking tool 3 is inserted and rotated, the screwing of the terminal locking tool 3 proceeds further, and the terminal locking tool 3 forms the cylindrical wall formed forward from the front wall 5B of the regulation protrusion 5. It is inserted into the space where

When the screwing progresses in this way, the end portion 3D of the terminal locking member 3 comes into contact with the front wall 5B of the regulating protrusion 5. When the terminal locking device 3 is further tightened here, the rear wall 5
The terminal stopper (action portion) 2D that is in contact with A and the end portion (reaction portion) 3D that is in contact with the front wall 5B approach each other,
The regulation protrusion 5 is firmly clamped. That is, the male terminal 2 is fitted and fixed to the male terminal housing 1 by the screwing.

As described above, the terminal locking mechanism T according to the present invention.
1 does not require a housing lance or a terminal lance that requires a large space, and is a space-saving configuration such as a terminal stopper 2D, a terminal locking device 3 that is screwed into the terminal side thread 2C, and a regulation protrusion 5. The terminal is locked with. As a result, the male terminal housing 1 also has a small diameter, so that the space required for mounting the male terminal can be saved as a whole. Furthermore, the terminal can be replaced very easily and quickly by releasing the screwing, and the terminal is not damaged. In the above description, when the terminal locking device 3 is screwed, the terminal stopper (action portion) 2D and the end portion (reaction portion) 3D directly sandwich the regulation protrusion portion (position regulation portion) 5. However, it may be configured to be sandwiched indirectly.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an example in which the terminal locking mechanism T1 for male terminals is applied to a power receiving connector for an electric vehicle.
Shown in. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line XX. In both figures, the power receiving connector C1 includes two male terminals 2 and 2 forming two fitting portions 7, 7 for the main power source, a male terminal 32 for grounding, and five signal terminals 47. , The connector housing 30. The diameter of the male terminal 2 is d1, which is the same size as the conventional one, but the diameter of the fitting portion 7 is d2, which saves space compared to the diameter d50 (see FIG. 11) of the conventional fitting portion 55. There is. Therefore, the inner diameter of the connector housing 30 is d3, and a remarkable space saving is realized as compared with the inner diameter d51 of the conventional connector housing 51.

Next, the terminal locking mechanism T2 will be described. 1, 4, and 5, a terminal locking mechanism T2 according to the present invention includes a female terminal 12 that is fitted and inserted for mounting, and a regulation portion (position regulation that abuts on the female terminal 12 and regulates the terminal position). Section) 15 having a hollow cylindrical female terminal housing 11;
Contact spring member 1 fitted in the female terminal housing 11
6 and the female terminal 12 are formed separately from each other, and the thread (thread groove) 1
The terminal locking tool 3 has a bottomed cylindrical shape and has a thread groove (threaded portion) 3A that is screwed into 2C and an end portion (reaction portion) 3D that abuts against the restriction portion 5.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the female terminal 12 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and a hollow electrical contact portion 12A is formed at the tip thereof. A hollow cylindrical contact spring member 16 is fitted in the hollow electric contact portion 12A. Further, the electric contact portion 1
At the tip of the outer wall of 2A, a thread (thread groove) 12C extending axially rearward of the female terminal 12 and a stop wall (action portion) 12D standing upright behind the thread 12C are provided. The stop wall (action portion) 12D abuts on the restricting portion 15 of the female terminal housing 11 when fitted to the female terminal housing 11. An electric wire crimping portion 12E is integrally provided behind the electric contact portion 12A.

As shown in FIG. 3, the bottomed cylindrical terminal locking member 3 has an insertion hole 3B through which the electric contact portion 2A is inserted, and an end portion (reaction portion) at the tip of the cylinder. ) With 3D. A spiral groove (screw portion) 3A is formed on the inner wall of the tip of the cylinder. Hollow cylindrical cavity 1
The female terminal housing 11 including 4 has a regulation portion (position regulation portion) 15 at its tip. The regulation portion 15 has a front wall 15A formed at its tip, and a rear wall 15B extending and standing in the radial direction slightly behind the front wall 15A. That is, a cylindrical wall having a slightly larger diameter is formed behind the rear wall 15B of the restriction portion 15. A packing 18 and a packing holder 17 are mounted on the outer periphery of the restriction portion 15.

When the female terminal 12 is fitted into the cavity 14 for mounting, the electric contact portion 12A is fitted into the space formed by the cylindrical wall. Eventually, the stop wall 12D contacts the rear wall 15B, and the position of the female terminal 12 is regulated. Here, the terminal locking tool 3 is inserted from the tip of the female terminal housing 11, and the thread groove 3A is screwed into the thread 12C on the outer wall of the female terminal housing 11. In this state, the jig is engaged with the jig groove 3C of the terminal locking tool 3 to rotate the terminal locking tool 3, or the terminal locking tool 3 is previously fitted (engaged) to the jig. Then, when the terminal locking tool 3 is inserted into the female terminal housing 11 and rotated, the screwing of the terminal locking tool 3 is further advanced, and the end 3D of the terminal locking tool 3 is in front of the restricting portion 15. Contact the wall 15A.

When the terminal locking member 3 is further tightened here, the stop wall 12D which is in contact with the rear wall 15B and the end portion 3D which is in contact with the front wall 15A come close to each other, and the restriction portion 1
Hold 5 firmly. That is, the female terminal 12 is fitted and fixed to the female terminal housing 11 by the screwing. The contact spring member 16 and the guide pin 12B are mounted inside the electric contact portion 12A prior to the screwing of the terminal locking device 3. A perspective view of only the assembled female terminal 12 is shown in FIG.

As described above, the terminal locking mechanism T according to the present invention
According to 2, like the terminal locking mechanism T1, a housing lance and a terminal lance that require a large space are not required, and the stop wall 12D and the terminal locking tool 3 that is screwed into the terminal side thread 2C are provided. The terminal lock is realized with a space-saving structure such as the restriction portion 15. As a result, the female terminal housing 11
Also requires a small diameter, thus saving the space required for mounting the female terminal as a whole. In addition, in the above, when screwing the terminal locking tool 3,
Although the stop wall 12D and the end portion 3D have a configuration in which the restriction portion 15 is directly sandwiched, it may be configured to be indirectly sandwiched.

FIG. 9 is a front view of an example in which the terminal locking mechanism T2 for female terminals is applied to a power supply connector for an electric vehicle.
Shown in. Further, FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line YY. In both figures, the power supply connector C2 is composed of two female terminals 12, 12 for the main power source, a male terminal 42 for grounding, five signal terminals 48, and a connector housing 40. The diameter of the female terminal 12 is d2, and the diameter of the conventional female terminal 62 is d50.
Space-saving compared to (see FIG. 13). Therefore, the outer diameter of the connector housing 40 is d3, and a remarkable space saving is realized as compared with the outer diameter d51 of the conventional connector housing 60.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional explanatory view of another embodiment of the terminal locking mechanism according to the present invention. In the figure, the male terminal locking mechanism is different from the male terminal 32 in that the male terminal 32 is a hollow cylindrical male terminal housing 31 that includes the male terminal 32 and a regulation protrusion 35 that regulates the terminal position. Consists of body, screw 3
2C has a screw groove 33A that is screwed into the 2C, and the regulation protrusion 35
And a terminal stopper 33 having a bottomed cylindrical shape and having an end portion 33D that abuts on the terminal 33D. The male terminal 32 corresponds to a medium current, has a smaller diameter than the male terminal 2 of FIG. 1, has an electrical contact portion 32A at its tip, and a shaft of the male terminal 32 adjacent to the electrical contact portion 32A. A thread 32C extending in the direction and a terminal stopper 32D are provided behind the thread 32C. When the terminal stopper 32D is fitted into the male terminal housing 31, the tip end surface of the terminal stopper 32D comes into contact with the restriction protrusion 35. The function and operation of each part conforms to that of the terminal locking mechanism T1. Further, the function and operation of each part of the male terminal locking mechanism shown in the figure are similar to those of the terminal locking mechanism T2, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0027]

As described above, the terminal locking mechanism according to the present invention has the structure of "contacting the inserted male terminal
A hollow cylinder having a regulation protrusion that regulates the position of the male terminal
The male terminal housing and the terminal slot that abuts against the regulation protrusion.
The topper, the thread groove that extends in the axial direction of the male terminal, and the
An insulating part having a fitting hole for the jig that has been set,
The above is inserted and fixed to the male terminal housing for mounting.
The male terminal is configured separately from the male terminal, and
An end portion that has a screwing portion that is screwed into contact with the regulation protrusion
And a terminal stopper having a bottomed cylindrical shape including
When screwing the threaded portion of the child lock to the thread groove of the male terminal
The terminal stopper and the end portion directly align the regulation protrusion.
Configuration of sandwiching directly or indirectly "or" inserted male
A restricting portion for contacting the terminal and restricting the male terminal position is provided.
Abut on the male terminal housing of the hollow cylinder and the restriction portion.
Stop wall and the spiral groove extending in the male terminal axial direction, and
An insulating part with a jig fitting hole fixed to the end is provided.
, It is fitted and fixed to the male terminal housing for mounting.
And the male terminal configured separately from the male terminal,
It has a screwing portion that is screwed into the screw groove portion, and abuts on the regulating portion.
It is composed of a bottomed cylindrical terminal locking device having an end,
Screwing the screwing part of the terminal locking device to the screw groove part of the male terminal
Sometimes the stop wall and the end directly connect the restriction portion.
Alternatively, since it is configured to be sandwiched indirectly, it is not necessary to use a housing lance or a terminal lance, and the cavity space can be reduced. That is, the space of the terminal housing can be reduced, and eventually the connector and the wire harness can be downsized. That is, the present invention is effective as a terminal locking means in a limited space. In addition, it is possible to replace the terminals very easily and quickly without damaging the terminals by releasing the screwing, and the terminal maintenance work becomes easy and easy, which is also advantageous for field work. is there.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view of an embodiment of a terminal locking mechanism according to the present invention.

2 is a perspective view of a male terminal main part of the terminal locking mechanism shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a terminal locking device of the terminal locking mechanism shown in FIG.

4 is an exploded perspective view of essential parts of the female terminal of the terminal locking mechanism shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

5 is a perspective view of the female terminal shown in FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view of another embodiment of the terminal locking mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a power receiving connector to which the terminal locking mechanism according to the present invention is applied.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of the power receiving connector of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a power feeding connector to which the terminal locking mechanism according to the present invention is applied.

10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY of the power feeding connector of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a power receiving connector based on a conventional terminal locking mechanism.

12 is a front view of the power receiving connector of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a power feeding connector based on a conventional terminal locking mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

T1, T2 terminal locking mechanism 1 Male terminal housing 2 male terminals 2A electrical contact 2B insulation 2C thread (thread groove) 2D terminal stopper (action part) 2E Wire crimping part 3-terminal locking device 3A spiral groove (screw section) 3D end (reaction part) 4 cavities 5 Restriction protrusion (position restriction part) 5A rear wall 5B front wall 6 rubber stopper 11 Female terminal housing 12A electrical contact 12B guide pin 12C thread 12D stop wall 12E Electric wire crimping part 14 cavities 15 Regulation Department 15A front wall 15B rear wall 16 Contact spring member 17 packing holder 18 packing 19 Rubber stopper

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 13/11 301 H01R 13/10 H01R 13/42

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A and male terminals Ha <br/> Ujingu of a hollow cylinder having a regulating projecting portion for regulating the male terminal position <br/> location in contact with the inserted male terminal, the regulating protrusion The terminal stopper that comes into contact with the male terminal , the thread groove that extends in the axial direction of the male terminal, and the jig fitting hole that is fixed to the tip.
Bei example and formed an insulating portion, instrumentation to the male terminal housing
Said male terminal being fitted and fixed to the wear, the configured male terminal and another member has an engagement portion which engages with the screw groove portion, an end portion which abuts against the regulating protrusion Yes provided
Constituted by a bottom cylindrical terminal locking device, the engagement portion of the terminal locking device, and the terminal stopper when screwed into the screw groove of the male terminals and the end, the restricting protrusion
The terminal locking mechanism is characterized in that the portion is directly or indirectly clamped. 2. The front wall and the rear wall , wherein the restriction protrusions extend in the direction perpendicular to the male terminal housing axial direction.
Constituted by restricting protrusion having a wall, the male the terminal stopper
Extends in the direction perpendicular to the terminal axis direction, and the rear wall of the regulation protrusion
Constituted by abutting the terminal stopper path to, the terminal locking device constituted by a bottomed cylindrical, the end surface of the bottomed cylinder, the regulating protrusion
Terminal locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein it is configured as the end, and wherein the abutting the front wall of. 3. A male terminal position that abuts against the inserted male terminal.
The hollow cylindrical male terminal housing provided with a regulating portion for regulating the installation.
And The stop wall that comes into contact with the restriction portion and the male terminal axial extension
Form the spiral groove to be extended and the jig fitting hole fixed at the tip.
And an insulating portion, which is mounted on the male terminal housing.
The male terminal that is inserted and fixed for A screw that is formed separately from the male terminal and that is screwed into the screw groove portion.
A bottomed circle having a joining portion and having an end portion that abuts against the regulating portion
Consists of a tubular terminal locking device, Screw the threaded portion of the terminal locking device into the thread groove of the male terminal.
When stopping, the stop wall and the end will
Being configured to be sandwiched directly or indirectly, Terminal locking mechanism characterized by. 4. In the above, the restriction portion is constituted by a restriction portion having a front wall and a rear wall extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the male terminal housing, and the stop wall is the male terminal shaft. A stop that stands upright at right angles to the rear wall of the regulating part
Constituted by a wall, the terminal locking device constituted by a bottomed cylindrical, wherein the end face of the bottomed cylinder, by being configured in the front wall of the regulating unit as the end <br/> abutting, the The terminal locking mechanism according to claim 3 .