JP4040258B2 - Electrical coupler - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electric coupler used when connecting and disconnecting an electric circuit with one touch in an electric vehicle such as a railway vehicle, an industrial machine such as an overhead crane.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an electric vehicle such as a railway vehicle, an industrial machine such as an overhead crane, a one-touch type electric coupler is used in a portion where an electric circuit is desired to be connected and disconnected efficiently. As an example, an example of an automatic electrical coupler attached to a mechanical coupler in order to automatically connect a vehicle such as a train by remote control will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0003]
In train trains, trains, etc. that are configured by connecting a plurality of vehicles, various electric wires for power, control, signals, etc. are passed between the vehicles, These must be connected and disconnected simultaneously with the connection and disconnection of the vehicle itself. Conventionally, these wires were manually connected and disconnected by the operator along with the air piping. However, in order to improve safety and reduce work time, an electrical connector was added to the mechanical connector to connect the vehicle. -It is common to be able to connect and disconnect electrical wiring simultaneously with disconnection.
[0004]
4 is a front view showing a state where an electrical coupler is attached to a mechanical coupler, FIG. 5 is a side view of the same, 1 is a close contact mechanical coupler, 2 is an electrical coupler, 21 is a box, 22 is A lid that covers the front of the electrical coupler, 221 is a lid spring that urges the lid in the closing direction, 222 is a support shaft that rotatably supports the lid, 232 is pushed by a cam attached to the push rod 23, and opens and closes the lid 22 A cam roller, 23 is a push rod, 231 is a return spring of the push rod 23, 24 is a contact plate pressed against the push rod of the opponent vehicle, 3 is a contact piece assembly of an electric circuit, and 5 is a cable connected to this.
[0005]
In this electrical connector, the front surface is covered with the lid 22 when the mechanical connector 1 is not connected. However, when the vehicle approaches the distance just before the connection, the push rods 23 on both sides of the vehicle hit the contact plate 24 of the opponent vehicle. The cam roller 232 is pushed by the cam attached to the push rod 23 and the lid 22 opens upward with the support shaft 222 as the rotation center, and the tip of the contact piece assembly 3 located inside the lid 22 is exposed. When the mechanical coupler 1 is connected, the contact piece assemblies 3 of the vehicles on both sides come into contact with each other so that an electric circuit is connected. Since several to many wirings are passed between the vehicles, innumerable contact piece assemblies 3 are arranged vertically and horizontally at predetermined intervals in the electrical coupler 2.
[0006]
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of a similar electric coupler, although the outer shape is slightly different from that of FIG. 5. In addition to those described above, 211 is attached around the opening on the front of the box. Waterproof gaskets 25 and 26 are two-stage front and rear insulating bases (in this specification, the side connected to the counterpart vehicle of the electrical coupler 2 is referred to as the front and the vehicle body side as the rear in this specification). Is a vehicle body wiring connected to each contact piece assembly 3. Incidentally, the position indicated by AA is the connecting surface. If the electrical coupler 2 is integrally coupled to the mechanical coupler 1 with bolts or the like, and the mechanical coupler 1 is a close contact coupler that is in a connected state and does not generate a gap, the positional relationship of the electrical couplers on both sides of the vehicle is also up, down, left, and right. Since the direction and also the direction of the vehicle interval are determined within a predetermined error range, the contact pieces of the same circuit are correctly connected.
[0007]
In general, at least one of the contact piece assemblies is movable in the length direction, and in a connected state, it is usually pushed slightly by a spring so as to come into contact. In addition, even when the pin-shaped ones are pressed against each other, one end of the tip portion is convex and the other is concave so that the concave and convex portions are fitted to each other so that contact can be ensured by these configurations. It is common.
[0008]
FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the main part of the electric coupler, showing in detail the portion of one movable contact piece assembly 3 in FIG. In addition to those described above, 31 is a contact piece, 32 is a compression spring, 34 is a stranded wire, 35 is an outer cylinder, 36 is a relay terminal, 361 is a threaded portion provided at the rear end, 39 is a screw This is a cable-side terminal that is screw-connected to the part 361.
The contact piece 31 is formed with a circular or hexagonal large cross section 312 in the vicinity of the rear end of the rod-like front end contact portion 311, and a crimp terminal 313 is provided at the rearmost end. The relay terminal 36 has a screw portion 361 connected to the rear of the main body having the same cross section as the large cross section of the contact piece 31, and further has a crimp terminal 362 at the rear end. A hole passes through the center of the main body and the screw part 361. The inner surface of the outer cylinder 35 has the same shape as the large cross section 312 of the contact piece 31 and the main part of the relay conductor 36, and the front end is bent inward to form a locking part 351. The rod-shaped front end contact portion 311 of the contact piece 31 penetrates forward from the opening of the locking portion 351, but the large cross section 312 at the rear end is locked to the outer cylinder 35 by the locking portion 351. Therefore, the contact piece 31 does not jump forward. On the other hand, the outer cylinder 35 is fixed to the relay terminal 36 at the rear end portion by welding, brazing or the like. When the outer cylinder 35 is made of metal, the surface thereof may be covered with a resin tube for improving insulation.
[0009]
The compression spring 32 is a hard steel wire material such as a stainless steel wire or a piano wire, and is inserted between the large cross section 312 of the contact piece 31 and the main body of the relay terminal 36. If the contact piece 31 is pressed by an external force, It is pushed in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
At this time, since the front end contact portion 311 of the contact piece 31 is a bar having a uniform cross section, the gap between the inside of the locking portion 351 of the outer cylinder 35 and the hole 251 of the insulating base 25 changes even if it is pushed in. There is nothing, but they are guided and pushed straight.
[0010]
Since the stainless steel wire and the hard steel wire have poor conductivity, it is not preferable to use the compression spring 32 itself as a part of the electric circuit. Therefore, the crimp terminal 313 of the contact piece 31 and the crimp terminal 362 of the relay terminal 36 In general, a conductive stranded wire 34 is attached between them. Even when the contact piece 31 is pushed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 7, the continuity between the crimp terminal 313 of the contact piece 31 and the crimp terminal 362 of the relay terminal 36 is maintained by the bending of the stranded wire 34. Since the cable side terminal 39 is screwed into the threaded portion 361 of the relay terminal 36 and the vehicle body wiring 4 is connected to the cable side terminal 39, the relay terminal 36 and the cable side terminal 39 are screwed to the end face and screw. Even if the contact piece 31 moves in the length direction as a whole, the contact piece 31 and the vehicle body side electric wire 51 are always kept electrically connected.
[0011]
When the mechanical coupler 1 is released, the contact piece is pushed back by the spring and returns to the state of FIG.
[0012]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the case of the conventional electrical coupler shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the position of the electrical coupler itself is determined depending on the mechanical coupler as already described, and the electrical coupler itself is not aligned. Absent. If the electrical connectors on both sides are aligned with each other at the box, etc., it is convenient for the connection of the contact pieces, but for this purpose, the connection between the mechanical connector and the electrical connector must be flexible. Not structurally realistic.
[0013]
Therefore, it is inevitable that the position of the contact piece of the electrical coupler is displaced due to the mechanical coupler being worn within the allowable error range. The distance between the contact pieces cannot be reduced so much that it has been an obstacle to downsizing the electrical coupler.
An object of the present invention is to eliminate such problems and to provide a structure that allows a slight displacement of the contact piece.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention includes an outer cylinder having a locking portion with a front end bent inward, a large cross-sectional portion in the vicinity of the rear end larger than the opening of the locking portion, and a rod-shaped front end contact portion in front of the opening of the locking portion. A contact piece which is passed through the large cross section and is locked to the locking portion, a relay terminal fixed to the rear end of the outer cylinder, and a space between the rear end portion of the contact piece and the relay terminal. implantable a movable contact piece assembly of electrical connection dexterity composed of a compression spring which is inserted into the insulating base, the met electrical connector from the insulating base of the hole made by projecting the front end contact portion of the contact piece Te, the front contact portion, and connected to the large cross section of the rear tapered portion tapering toward the front, connected thereto, constituted by a small-diameter portion having the same diameter as the tapered portion, is pushed swivelably and the electrical connector together the front contact portion to the contact piece of the mating vehicle in the state Oite a electrical connector you characterized in that a tapered shape spreading toward the front Symbol insulating base hole for protruding the front contact portion forward.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, the front end contact portion of the contact piece is tapered so that the portion connected to the large cross-sectional portion is thinned forward, so that when the contact piece is pushed in even a little, the opening of the locking portion at the front end of the outer cylinder Since a gap is created between the contact piece and the contact piece, the contact piece can tilt with respect to the central axis and swing the neck. It can be fitted into the concave surface on the other side to make contact.
[0016]
【Example】
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of an electrical coupler showing the vicinity of a contact piece assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. Since the difference from the prior art FIG. 7 is mainly the contact piece 31, the contact piece 31 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a side view of the contact piece 31, and the front end contact portion 311 penetrating forward from the opening of the locking portion 351 of the outer cylinder 35 has conventionally been a bar shape with a uniform cross section. The taper portion 311b is connected to the rear large cross section 312 and narrows toward the front, and is connected to the front end of the taper portion 311b and has a narrow diameter portion 311a having the same diameter.
[0017]
FIG. 3 shows a state in which the contact piece 31 (the tip shape is convex) is pushed by the other vehicle's contact piece (not shown, but the tip shape is concave) and is pushed in somewhat. In the case of a conventional contact piece having a uniform cross section, there is no gap in the radial direction because the size does not change depending on the position, but in the present invention, the contact piece 31 is pushed to reduce the diameter. A gap is created between the portion and the surrounding space. As a result, not only can it be pushed straight back, but it can also be swung up and down and left and right as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to maintain contact even if there is a deviation in the position of the counterpart within the range indicated by the dimension c.
[0018]
As an example of dimensions, the diameter of the thickest portion of the base of the tapered portion 311b is 7.0 mm and the length of the tapered portion 311b is different from the conventional rod-shaped front end contact portion 311 having a uniform diameter of 7.0 mm. By setting the diameter of the front narrow diameter portion 311a to 8.5 mm and 4.0 mm, the front end contact portion 311 has a total length of 29.5 mm, and misalignment at the tip can be allowed to about 5 mm on one side. In addition, the push-in allowance to the design connecting surface is 7.2 mm. Furthermore, by making the hole 251 of the insulating base 25, which has been a conventional straight hole, into a tapered shape that spreads forward, the contact piece 31 can swing the head more freely.
[0019]
The example of the contact piece having a convex tip has been described above. However, even in the case of a contact piece having a concave tip, the situation is the same as long as it is movable, and the present invention can be applied. .
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the contact pieces are connected to each other even if there is a slight misalignment of the electrical coupler caused by the mechanical coupler, so that the size of the contact pieces can be reduced and the interval at which the contact pieces are arranged on the insulating base. As a result, the electrical connector can be miniaturized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of an electrical coupler showing the vicinity of a contact piece assembly in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of a contact piece in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the electrical coupler showing the main part of the contact piece assembly in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which an electrical coupler is attached to the mechanical coupler according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state where an electrical coupler is attached to the mechanical coupler according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an electrical coupler according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of an electrical coupler showing the vicinity of a movable contact piece assembly in the prior art.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 mechanical coupler 2 electrical coupler 3 (movable) contact piece assembly 4 vehicle body wiring 5 cable
21 box
22 lid
23 Push rod
24 Batting plate
25, 26 Insulation base
31 Contact piece
32 Compression spring
34 Stranded wire
35 outer cylinder
36 Relay terminal
39 Cable side terminal
211 Gasket
221 Lid spring
222 Support shaft
223 Cam Roller
231 Return spring
251 holes (insulation base)
311 Front end contact part (of contact piece)
311a Small diameter part (front end contact part)
311b Taper part (front end contact part)
312 Large cross section (of contact piece)
313, 362 Crimp contact
351 Locking part (outer cylinder)
361 Screw part (relay terminal)

Claims (1)

An outer cylinder (35) having a locking portion (351) bent inward at the front end, and a rod-shaped front end contact portion (312) having a large cross section (312) larger than the opening of the locking portion (351) in the vicinity of the rear end 311) through the opening of the locking portion (351) forward, the large cross section (312) is locked to the locking portion (351), the contact piece (31), and the outer cylinder (35) ) And a relay terminal (36) fixed to the rear end, and a compression spring (32) inserted between the rear end of the contact piece (31) and the relay terminal (36). The movable contact piece assembly (3) for the coupler is implanted in the insulating base (25), and the front end contact portion (311) of the contact piece (31) is projected from the hole (251) of the insulating base (25). comprising an electrical connector, the front contact portion (311), the rear of the large cross section (312) connected to the tapered portion tapering toward the front and (311b), connected thereto, this Tapered portion constitutes de small-diameter portion having the same diameter as the front end of the (311b) and (311a), swingably with the pressed inward combined the front contact portion (311) to the contact piece of the mating vehicle and electrodeposition In the air coupler ,
The electrical coupler according to claim 1, wherein the hole ( 251 ) of the insulating base ( 25 ) from which the front end contact portion ( 311 ) projects is tapered.

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