JP5617763B2 - Service cover - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a service cover provided with an interlock connector.

  For example, a case for housing an electric device mounted on a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle has an opening for performing a bolt fastening operation or the like inside the case, and a bolt fastening tool or the like is provided from the opening. By inserting the bolt and fastening the bolt, the conductive members such as terminal fittings are connected so as to be conductive. After the bolt fastening operation is completed, a service cover is attached to the opening so that foreign matter such as dust and water does not enter. The service cover includes a cover main body that can cover the opening, a fitting portion that is integrally provided in the cover main body and can be fitted into the opening, and a seal ring that is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion. It is configured with. The fitting portion is attached to the opening, and the seal ring is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the opening to seal, thereby preventing entry of foreign matter from the opening. As such a technique, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known.

JP 2009-117306 A

Incidentally, an interlock mechanism is provided between this type of service cover and the case to ensure safety.
The interlock mechanism interlocks the standby connector provided on the electrical equipment in the case by fitting an interlock connector that protrudes from the front end of the fitting portion of the service cover toward the opening of the case. Is released and the power is supplied to the conductive member.However, if the service cover is removed even though the conductive members are energized, the interlock connector is detached from the standby connector and the interlock is applied. The power supply to the member is cut off.

  However, the interlock mechanism has a fitting tolerance between the two connectors due to the attachment position of the standby connector with respect to the case and the attachment position of the interlock connector with respect to the service cover, and there is a possibility that the two connectors cannot be fitted. .

  The present invention has been completed based on the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to absorb the misalignment between the interlock connector and the standby connector and to securely fit both the connectors.

As a means for achieving the above object, the present invention provides a service cover for closing a work opening provided in a case for housing an electrical device, the cover body covering the opening, and the cover body An annular face seal packing that is disposed on the outer peripheral edge and closely adheres to the outer peripheral edge of the opening and the outer peripheral edge of the cover body, and covers the surface of the cover body on the opening side. A plate-like holding plate that is attached to the cover body and prevents the face seal packing from dropping off, and an interlock connector that can be fitted to a standby connector provided in the electrical device in the case. The holding plate is formed with a through-hole penetrating the holding plate in the thickness direction, and the interlock connector is formed smaller than the through-hole. A connector main body portion that can be fitted to the connector, and a retaining portion that is formed larger than the through hole and is disposed between the cover main body and the holding plate in a state where the connector main body portion is inserted into the through hole. The inner surface of the face seal packing is provided with an ear that is sandwiched between the cover body and the outer peripheral edge of the holding plate, and is located on the inner side of the outer peripheral edge of the holding plate. The through hole is formed, and a first clearance is set between the inner peripheral surface of the through hole and the connector main body so that the connector main body can move with respect to the holding plate . However, it has characteristics.

  According to such a configuration, since the retaining portion is arranged between the cover body and the holding plate, the cover body and the holding plate can be connected to the cover body without using a complicated structure. The lock connector can be held movably in a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction. As a result, even if the axis center of the interlock connector and the standby connector is misaligned due to the tolerance of the mounting position of the standby connector in the case or the mounting position of the interlock connector with respect to the service cover, etc., the interlock connector and the standby connector It is possible to reliably fit both connectors together.

The following configuration is preferable as an embodiment of the present invention.
The cover main body is provided with a positioning projection, and the holding plate is formed with a fitting hole into which the positioning projection can be fitted. The positioning projection penetrates the fitting hole. It is good also as a structure in which the attaching part which fixes the said holding | maintenance plate to the said cover main body is formed by attaching a holding member in the position which was made.
According to such a configuration, the holding plate can be held by the positioning protrusion while the holding plate is positioned with respect to the cover body by fitting the fitting hole into the positioning protrusion. That is, the positioning protrusion for positioning the holding plate can be used also as a holding member for holding the holding plate. Further, since the holding plate can be held in a state of being positioned with respect to the cover body, the face seal packing can be reliably held by the holding plate.

The retaining portion is formed in a flat plate shape projecting in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of the connector main body, and the cover body has a second clearance in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction. However, an accommodating portion that can accommodate the retaining portion is formed, and the retaining portion and the accommodating portion meet each other in a rotation direction about an axis extending in the fitting direction, so that the retaining portion rotates. It is good also as a structure which regulates.
According to such a configuration, when the connector main body portion is about to rotate about the axis extending in the fitting direction, the connector main body portion rotates by hitting the housing portion and the retaining portion in the rotating direction. Can be regulated.

  According to the present invention, misalignment between the interlock connector and the standby connector can be absorbed and the two connectors can be reliably fitted without complicating the structure.

The perspective view of the service cover which concerns on embodiment Front view of the service cover according to the embodiment III-III sectional view of FIG. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part VV sectional view of FIG. The exploded perspective view of the service cover concerning an embodiment Front view of a plate according to an embodiment Front view of interlock connector according to embodiment Front view of face seal packing according to the embodiment Front view of the cover body according to the embodiment

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 3, the service cover 10 of the present embodiment is mounted so as to cover an opening C <b> 1 of a case C that houses an electric device (not shown) mounted on a vehicle. The opening C1 of the case C is provided as a work hole into which a bolt fastening tool or the like is inserted in order to bolt the conductive members (not shown) connected to the electrical equipment.

  Further, an interlock mechanism is provided between the service cover 10 and the electrical device in the case C to turn on / off the power supply to the electrical device when the service cover 10 is attached / detached. As a part of the interlock mechanism, the electrical device in the case C is provided with a standby connector 60 extending from the case C toward the opening C1. In the following description, the vertical direction is based on the vertical direction in FIG. 2, the horizontal direction is based on the horizontal direction in FIG. 2, and the case C side (lower side in FIG. 3) in the service cover 10 is the front side. The side opposite to the case C (the upper side in FIG. 3) is the rear side.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the service cover 10 includes a cover main body 11 that covers the opening C <b> 1 of the case C, and a face seal packing (an example of the “seal member” of the present invention) that is attached to the cover main body 11. And a holding plate 40 that prevents the face seal packing 30 from falling off, and an interlock connector 50 that can be fitted to the standby connector 60.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the interlock connector 50 includes a rectangular tube-shaped connector main body 51 and a short terminal 52 held in the connector main body 51. The connector body 51 is formed so that the standby connector 60 can be fitted therein. When the connector main body 51 is properly fitted with the standby connector 60, a standby side terminal (not shown) held in the standby connector 60 and a short terminal 52 are connected. It is connected so that it can conduct.

  The interlock connector 50 constitutes an interlock mechanism together with the standby connector 60. The interlock mechanism is connected to an electrical device by the interlock connector 50 and the standby connector 60 being properly fitted and the short terminal 52 and the standby terminal connected in a conductive manner to release the interlock. While the power is supplied to the conductive member, the interlock connector 50 is detached from the standby connector 60, the connection between the short terminal 52 and the standby terminal is released, and the interlock is applied. The power supply to the conductive member is cut off.

  The cover body 11 is made of aluminum die-casting, and as shown in FIGS. 3, 6 and 10, is horizontally long in the left-right direction and has a shallow dish shape recessed on the rear side opposite to the case C. Yes. A stepped portion 14 is formed on the front outer peripheral edge of the cover body 11 over the entire circumference. The mounting surface 11A located inside the stepped portion 14 is provided with a mounting portion 15 to which a face seal packing is mounted. The mounting portion 15 is a corner portion where the stepped portion 14 and the mounting surface 11 </ b> A intersect, and is formed over the entire circumference along the stepped portion 14. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of positioning recesses 16 (four in this embodiment) are formed on the upper and lower portions of the stepped portion 14 so as to be recessed outward from the mounting portion 15.

  A plurality of positioning projections 13 project forward from the mounting surface 11 </ b> A provided with the mounting portion 15 of the cover body 11. The positioning protrusions 13 are arranged one by one at the upper and lower positions of the cover body 11 and have a cylindrical shape.

  Two fixing pieces 12 for fixing the cover main body 11 to the case C are formed on the outer peripheral surface located at both left and right ends of the cover main body 11. The fixing piece 12 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 12A. A bolt (not shown) is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 12A from the rear and tightened to the case C so that the cover body 11 is attached to the case C. Yes.

  The face seal packing 30 is made of an elastic member such as rubber, and is formed in an annular shape along the shape of the mounting portion 15 of the cover body 11 as shown in FIGS. The face seal packing 30 is formed so as to be disposed in the mounting portion 15, and a plurality of positioning portions 31 protruding outward are formed at the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the face seal packing 30. . The positioning portion 31 has a block shape and can be fitted into the positioning recess 16 of the cover main body 11. The positioning portion 31 is adapted to be fitted into the positioning recess 16 of the cover body 11 when the face seal packing 30 is mounted on the mounting portion 15 of the cover body 11. Thereby, the face seal packing 30 is positioned and attached to the cover main body 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a lip 32 is formed over the entire circumference of the front end surface on the cover body 11 side and the rear end surface on the case C side of the face seal packing 30. When the service cover 10 is mounted in the opening C1 of the case C, the lip 32 is closely attached to the mounting portion 15 of the cover body 11 and the outer peripheral edge of the opening C1 in the case C, Foreign matter such as water and dust is prevented from entering the opening C1 from the outside. Note that the lip 32 is not shown in the drawings of FIGS. 1, 2, 6, and 9.

  On the inner peripheral surface of the face seal packing 30, an ear portion 33 is formed over the entire periphery. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the ear 33 is formed on the mounting surface 11 </ b> A provided with the mounting portion 15 of the cover body 11 in a state where the face seal packing 30 is mounted on the mounting portion 15 of the cover body 11. It is arranged to make surface contact.

  The holding plate 40 is made of synthetic resin, and is formed in a horizontally long flat plate shape that forms an outer peripheral shape that is substantially the same as the shape of the ear portion 33 of the face seal packing 30 as shown in FIGS. ing. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the holding plate 40 is attached to the cover body 11 after the face seal packing 30 is attached to the cover body 11. When the holding plate 40 is attached to the cover main body 11, the outer peripheral edge portion of the holding plate 40 and the mounting surface 11 </ b> A of the cover main body 11 sandwich the ear portion 33 of the face seal packing 30 over the entire circumference. The face seal packing 30 is prevented from dropping from the cover body 11.

  The holding plate 40 is provided with one circular fitting hole 41 penetrating the holding plate 40 in the front-rear direction (plate thickness direction) on the upper and lower sides of the holding plate 40. The fitting hole 41 can be fitted with the positioning projection 13 of the cover main body 11, and is fitted to the positioning projection 13 of the cover main body 11 when the holding plate 40 is attached to the cover main body 11. It is like that. As a result, the holding plate 40 is mounted on the cover body 11 in a state where the holding plate 40 is positioned.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the positioning projection 13 has a mounting groove (not shown in FIG. 6) in which the outer peripheral surface of the positioning projection 13 is cut out over the entire circumference. An example of an “attachment portion” 13A is formed. A metal E-ring (an example of the “holding member” of the present invention) 17 larger than the fitting hole 41 can be mounted in the mounting groove 13 </ b> A, and the holding plate 40 is mounted on the cover body 11. Then, it attaches to the attachment groove 13A. As a result, the holding plate 40 is held and fixed to the cover body 11. That is, the positioning protrusion 13 that positions the holding plate 40 with respect to the cover body 11 can be used as a holding member that holds the holding plate 40 with respect to the cover body 11. Further, since the holding plate 40 can be held in a state of being positioned with respect to the cover body 11, the face seal packing 30 can be reliably held by the holding plate 40.

  Now, between the cover main body 11 and the holding plate 40, the interlock connector 50 is held and fixed in a floating state in which it can move up and down and left and right. That is, the interlock connector 50 is held and fixed in a state that it can move in a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction.

Hereinafter, the floating structure will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, a housing portion 18 is formed on the mounting surface 11 </ b> A of the cover body 11. The accommodating portion 18 has a substantially rectangular shape that is vertically long in the vertical direction, and is formed in a shape recessed backward.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the holding plate 40 has a through hole 42 that passes through the holding plate 40 in the front-rear direction (plate thickness direction). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the through hole 42 has a substantially rectangular shape that is vertically long, and is arranged so that the axis of the through hole 42 is coaxial with the axis of the housing portion 18. . Further, the through hole 42 is smaller than the front end opening of the housing portion 18 of the cover main body 11 and is formed larger than the outer peripheral shape of the connector main body 51 of the interlock connector 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the connector main body 51 can be passed through the through-hole 42 in the front-rear direction, and the inside of the through-hole 42 in the state where the connector main body 51 passes through the through-hole 42. A first clearance S <b> 1 is set between the peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the connector main body 51 so that the connector main body 51 can move vertically and horizontally. In addition, when the axis of the connector main body 51 and the axis of the through hole 42 are coaxial, the upper and lower sides formed between the upper and lower, left and right end surfaces of the through hole 42 and the upper, lower, left and right outer surfaces of the connector main body 51. The sizes of the left and right first clearances S1 are set to be substantially uniform.

  A flat plate-like retaining portion 53 is formed on the outer surface of the connector main body 51 of the interlock connector 50 so as to project outward over the entire circumference. The retaining portion 53 is disposed at the rear end portion of the connector main body 51 and has a substantially rectangular shape that is vertically long in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the retaining portion 53 is formed to be slightly smaller than the opening of the housing portion 18 in the cover body 11 and larger than the through hole 42 of the holding plate 40. Yes. Further, the retaining portion 53 can be accommodated in the accommodating portion 18, and in the state accommodated in the accommodating portion 18, between the outer peripheral end surface of the retaining portion 53 and the inner peripheral surface of the accommodating portion 18, A second clearance S2 is set that allows the retaining portion 53 to move up, down, left, and right.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the retaining portion 53 has a slight clearance in the front-rear direction between the rear surface 40 </ b> A of the holding plate 40 and the inner wall 18 </ b> A of the housing portion 18 in the cover body 11. It is set to be arranged in.

  Therefore, the retaining portion 53 is vertically and horizontally movable without falling off from the through hole 42 of the holding plate 40 between the rear surface of the retaining plate 40 and the inner wall 18A of the housing portion of the cover body 11. It is in a floating state that can be moved to. That is, according to the present embodiment, the interlock connector 50 is held in a floating state without forming a complicated holding structure for holding the interlock connector 50 in a floating state with respect to the cover body 11 or the holding plate 40. be able to. As a result, even when the axial center of the interlock connector 50 and the standby connector 60 is slightly shifted due to tolerances such as the mounting position of the standby connector 60 with respect to the case C, the connector body 51 of the interlock connector 50 is Centering is performed, and the connector main body 51 and the standby connector 60 can be reliably fitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the second clearance S <b> 2 is the first clearance when the axial center of the connector main body 51, the axial center of the through hole 42, and the axial center of the housing portion 18 are coaxial. It is set smaller than the clearance S1. Therefore, in the retaining portion 53, the interlock connector 50 can be moved up and down and left and right within the range of the second clearance S2. As a result, the connector body 51 does not come into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 42.

  Further, when the axial center of the connector main body 51 and the axial center of the housing portion 18 are coaxial, it is formed between the top and bottom end surfaces of the retaining portion 53 and the top, bottom, left and right inner peripheral surfaces of the housing portion 18. The sizes of the upper, lower, left and right second clearances S2 are set to be substantially uniform. Thus, when the connector main body 51 tries to rotate about the axis extending in the fitting direction of the connector main body 53, either the upper, lower, left or right end surface of the retaining portion 53 and the upper, lower, left or right inner periphery of the housing portion 18. The contact with the surface in the rotating direction makes it possible to restrict the retaining portion 53 from rotating in the housing portion 18. That is, rotation of the interlock connector 50 with respect to the cover body 11 can be restricted.

  Further, when the shaft center of the connector main body 51, the shaft center of the through hole 42, and the shaft center of the housing portion 18 are coaxial, the allowance between the retaining portion 53 and the holding plate 40 rather than the second clearance S2. The first clearance S1 is set to be larger than the engagement allowance a between the retaining portion 53 and the holding plate 40. As a result, even when the retaining portion 53 moves vertically and horizontally within the accommodating portion 18, neither the top, bottom, left, or right end of the retaining portion 53 is exposed from the through hole 42.

  The service cover 10 of the present embodiment has the above-described configuration. Next, the operation and effect when the service cover 10 is attached to the opening C1 of the case C will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the service cover 10 is attached to the opening C <b> 1 of the case C so that the holding plate 40 attached to the service cover 10 faces the opening C <b> 1 of the case C. Accordingly, the interlock connector 50 held between the cover main body 11 and the holding plate 40 enters the case C and is fitted with the standby connector 60. Then, the short terminal 52 and the standby terminal are connected so as to be conductive, and the interlock is released.

  By the way, according to the present embodiment, when the axes of the interlock connector 50 and the standby connector 60 are slightly shifted due to tolerances such as the mounting position of the standby connector 60 with respect to the case C, the interlock connector 50 is Since the cover body 11 is in a floating state that is movable up and down and left and right, the connector body 51 of the interlock connector 50 is centered and can be securely fitted to the standby connector 60.

  Finally, the service cover 10 is fixed to the case C by inserting a bolt through the bolt insertion hole 12 </ b> A of the fixing piece 12 in the cover body 11 and tightening the case C.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by providing the retaining portion 53 of the interlock connector 50 between the cover main body 11 and the holding plate 40, the cover main body 11 and the holding plate 40 have a complicated holding structure. Without forming, the connector main body 51 can be held movably in a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction. Thereby, even when the mounting position of the standby connector with respect to the case C is misaligned due to a tolerance or the like, the connector main body 51 and the standby connector are not complicated without complicating the structure of the cover main body 11 and the holding plate 40. The misalignment with respect to 60 can be absorbed, and both connectors 50 and 60 can be reliably fitted.

  Further, in the present embodiment, even when the connector main body 51 attempts to rotate in the direction orthogonal to the fitting direction with the fitting direction as the axis, the inner surface of the housing portion 18 of the cover main body 11 and the interlock connector 50 are used. The connector main body 51 can be prevented from rotating by contacting the outer peripheral surface of the retaining portion 53 of the connector.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, the second clearance S2 is set to be smaller than the first clearance S1, so that the interlock connector 50 can move vertically and horizontally within the range of the second clearance S2. The invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, by setting the second clearance to be larger than the first clearance S1, the interlock connector 50 can be moved vertically and horizontally within the range of the first clearance S1. Any configuration may be used.
(2) In the above embodiment, the cover main body 11 is made of aluminum die cast, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and may be made of, for example, a synthetic resin.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, the connector main body 51 is configured not to rotate when the outer peripheral surface of the retaining portion 53 comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the accommodating portion 18. For example, the connector main body 51 may not be rotated by the outer peripheral surface of the connector main body 51 coming into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 42.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, two positioning protrusions 13 are formed. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, three or more positioning protrusions 13 may be formed. .
(5) In the above embodiment, the E-ring 17 is mounted only on the positioning protrusion 13 disposed on the upper portion of the cover main body 11. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. A configuration in which the E-ring 17 is attached only to the positioning projections arranged at the lower part of the cover body 11 may be adopted, and a configuration in which the E-ring 17 is attached to any of the positioning projections 13 may be adopted.
(6) In the above embodiment, the mounting groove 13A is formed in the positioning projection 13 and the E-ring 17 is mounted to hold the holding plate 40. However, the present invention is limited to such a mode. For example, the holding plate 40 may be held by forming a male screw portion at the tip of the positioning protrusion 13 and tightening a nut on the male screw portion. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which hold | maintains the holding | maintenance plate 40 by forming the through-hole penetrated in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the positioning protrusion 13 in the front-end | tip part of the positioning protrusion 13, and attaching a snap pin to a through-hole.

10: Service cover 11: Cover body 13: Positioning protrusion 13A: Mounting groove (mounting portion)
17: E-ring (holding member)
18: accommodating portion 30: surface Shirupakki emissions 40: holding plate 41: fitting hole 42: through hole 50: Interlock Connector 51: connector main body 53: retaining portion 60: reception connector C: Case C1: opening S1: The first clearance scan
S2: Second clearance

Claims (3)

A service cover that closes an opening for work provided in a case that houses electrical equipment,
A cover body covering the opening;
An annular face seal packing that is disposed on the outer peripheral edge of the cover body and closely contacts the outer peripheral edge of the opening and the outer peripheral edge of the cover body;
A plate-like holding plate that is mounted so as to cover the surface of the cover body on the side of the opening, and that prevents the face seal packing from falling off the cover body;
An interlock connector that can be fitted with a standby connector provided in the electrical device in the case,
The holding plate is formed with a through-hole penetrating the holding plate in the thickness direction,
The interlock connector is formed smaller than the through-hole and can be fitted with the standby connector, and is formed larger than the through-hole and the connector main body is inserted into the through-hole. It is configured to include a retaining portion disposed between the cover body and the holding plate ,
The inner peripheral edge of the face seal packing is provided with an ear that is sandwiched between the cover body and the outer peripheral edge of the holding plate,
The through hole is formed inside the outer peripheral edge of the holding plate,
A service cover in which a first clearance is set between the inner peripheral surface of the through hole and the connector main body so that the connector main body can move with respect to the holding plate . The cover body is provided with positioning protrusions,
The holding plate has a fitting hole into which the positioning protrusion can be fitted,
The service cover according to claim 1, wherein the positioning projection is formed with an attachment portion for fixing the holding plate to the cover body by attaching a holding member to a position penetrating the fitting hole. . The retaining portion is formed in a flat plate shape protruding in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of the connector main body portion,
The cover body is formed with an accommodating portion capable of accommodating the retaining portion while having a second clearance in a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction.
3. The rotation of the retaining part is regulated by causing the retaining part and the accommodating part to contact each other in a rotation direction centering on an axis extending in the fitting direction. 4. Service cover.

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