JP5831446B2 - Connector structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector structure for a battery pack mounted on a lower portion of a vehicle.

  Patent Document 1 describes a connector including a connector housing made of synthetic resin, a plurality of terminal fittings inserted into the connector housing, a waterproof seal member, and a lever. The connector housing of this connector includes a terminal accommodating portion in which a cavity into which a terminal fitting is inserted is formed, and a cylindrical fitting portion that surrounds the terminal accommodating portion. Moreover, the clearance gap between the outer periphery of the electric wire connected to the terminal metal fitting, and the inner periphery of a cavity is sealed with the sealing member.

JP 2011-243452 A

  When the connector described in Patent Document 1 described above is used in a battery pack mounted on the lower part of a vehicle, for example, the cylindrical fitting portion of the connector housing is connected to the upper cover from the opening of the upper cover of the battery pack. It can project to the upper surface side. At this time, if the cylindrical fitting portion is erected on a predetermined plate-shaped member and the plate-shaped member is disposed on the lower surface side of the upper cover of the battery pack, the upper cover of the battery pack is The battery pack and the connector can be fixed to each other while sealing the opening.

  That is, an annular seal member is disposed between the lower surface of the upper cover of the battery pack and the plate-like member provided with the cylindrical fitting portion so as to surround the cylindrical fitting portion. A retainer may be disposed on the upper surface of the battery so as to surround the cylindrical fitting portion, and the plate-like member and the upper cover of the battery pack may be fastened with a bolt or the like via the seal member and the retainer. However, in the connector structure configured as described above, water may accumulate between the cylindrical fitting portion and the retainer surrounding it. For example, in order to ensure sealing performance between the bolts, the retainer is required to have sufficient rigidity, and thus the retainer needs to have a sufficient thickness (height). For this reason, in particular, when the amount of water is so large that it reaches the upper surface of the retainer, it is difficult to dry quickly, so the time of contact with water of metal members such as bolts becomes longer, and rust is generated. Such a problem may occur.

  In order to prevent such a problem from occurring, the connector structure is disposed in a place where it is difficult to get water during normal use. However, for example, a battery pack disposed under the vehicle body floor of an electric vehicle is removed below the vehicle body when the battery pack is replaced or removed for maintenance. It is difficult to completely prevent falling around the connector structure.

  This invention is made in view of such a situation, and it is a subject to provide the connector structure which can suppress malfunctions, such as generation | occurrence | production of rust, without causing the cost increase by addition of another component. And

  In order to solve the above problems, a connector structure according to the present invention is a battery pack connector structure, and is a plate-like bottom wall portion that is disposed on the lower surface side of the upper cover of the battery pack and extends along the upper cover. And a connector having a protruding portion standing from the bottom wall portion and protruding from the opening of the upper cover, and disposed between the bottom wall portion of the connector and the lower surface of the upper cover so as to surround the protruding portion of the connector. An annular first sealing member that extends, an annular retainer that is disposed on the upper surface of the upper cover and extends along the upper cover so as to surround the protruding portion of the connector, and the upper cover and the bottom wall of the connector Fixing means for fixing each other in a state where the seal member and the retainer are interposed, and the retainer has an inner surface and an outer surface that define the width of the retainer, and a bottom surface that contacts the upper surface of the upper cover. , The bottom surface of over Na are notches formed to communicate with each other an inner surface and an outer surface of the retainer, characterized in that.

  Also in this connector structure, there is a possibility that water may accumulate between the protruding portion of the connector and the first seal member surrounding the protruding portion. However, in this connector structure, a notch that connects the inner surface and the outer surface of the retainer is formed on the bottom surface of the retainer. For this reason, even if water accumulates between the protrusion and the first seal member, the water is quickly discharged through the notch on the bottom surface when reaching the retainer. Therefore, in this connector structure, it is possible to avoid the accumulation of water that exceeds the bottom surface of the retainer, so that it is possible to suppress problems such as the occurrence of rust. Moreover, since no separate parts are required to suppress problems such as the occurrence of rust, there is no increase in cost or mass due to the addition of separate parts.

  In the connector structure according to the present invention, the notch may extend so as to be inclined with respect to the width direction of the retainer. In this case, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the rigidity of the retainer due to the formation of the notch.

  In the connector structure according to the present invention, the retainer may be a ring having a rectangular shape, and the notch may be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the retainer.

  In the connector structure according to the present invention, the notch opening on the outer side surface of the retainer and the notch opening on the inner side surface of the retainer may not overlap with each other when viewed from the width direction of the retainer. In this case, for example, water droplets flying from the outside in the width direction of the retainer are difficult to pass through the notch of the retainer, so that waterproofness is improved.

  In the connector structure according to the present invention, the fixing means is a bolt, and may further include a second seal member disposed between the insertion hole through which the bolt in the retainer is inserted and the bolt. In this case, waterproofness can be improved.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the connector structure which can suppress malfunctions, such as generation | occurrence | production of rust, without causing the cost increase by addition of another component can be provided.

It is a top view of one embodiment of the connector structure concerning the present invention. It is sectional drawing along the II-II line of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the III-III line of FIG. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the problem which arises in a general connector structure.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a connector structure according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same elements or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Moreover, the dimensional ratio of each part in each figure may differ from an actual thing.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of a connector structure according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. The connector structure 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 can be applied to a battery pack (battery case) mounted under the vehicle body floor of an electric vehicle. In the battery pack, a plurality of (for example, four) battery modules in which a plurality of cells are combined into a module are mounted. Furthermore, control devices such as each battery cell control system and a main power relay are mounted in the battery pack. In the battery pack, the above-described battery module, control base, and the like are housed in a casing, and the upper part is covered with an upper cover. The connector structure 100 is a structure for fixing the connector 10 for holding the wiring connected to the main power relay and each battery cell control system in the battery pack and the connector for the service plug to the upper cover A of the battery pack. It is. The above-mentioned connector protrudes upward below the upper vehicle body floor, and is connected to the connector arranged on the vehicle body side when the vehicle is mounted.

  The connector structure 100 includes a connector 10, an inner seal member (first seal member) 20, an outer seal member (first seal member) 30, a retainer 40, a bolt (fixing means) 50, a seal packing ( Second seal member) 60. The connector 10 has a bottom wall portion 11 and a protruding portion 12. The bottom wall portion 11 is disposed on the lower surface S1 side of the upper cover A of the battery pack. The bottom wall portion 11 has a rectangular plate shape extending along the upper cover A. A fastening hole 11 h for fastening a bolt 50 described later is formed in the bottom wall portion 11.

  The protruding portion 12 is erected from the bottom wall portion 11 substantially at the center of the bottom wall portion 11 in plan view. The protrusion 12 has a rectangular cylindrical shape. The protruding portion 12 protrudes from the opening R of the upper cover A toward the upper surface S2 side of the upper cover A. The connector 10 holds, for example, the wiring connected to the main power relay and each battery cell control system in the protruding portion 12.

  The inner seal member 20 and the outer seal member 30 are disposed between the lower surface S1 of the upper cover A and the bottom wall portion 11 of the connector 10. Further, the inner seal member 20 and the outer seal member 30 extend so as to surround the protruding portion 12 of the connector 10. The inner seal member 20 and the outer seal member 30 have a substantially rectangular ring shape. The inner seal member 20 is disposed on the inner side (that is, on the protruding portion 12 side of the connector 10 with respect to the bolt 50) than the region where the bolt 50 is disposed in plan view. The outer seal member 30 is disposed outside the region where the bolt 50 is disposed in plan view.

  The retainer 40 is disposed on the upper surface S2 side of the upper cover A. The retainer 40 extends so as to surround the protruding portion 12 of the connector 10. The retainer 40 has a rectangular annular plate shape (that is, the retainer 40 has a rectangular annular shape). As will be described later, the retainer 40 has an inner seal member between the upper cover A and the bottom wall portion 11 of the connector 10 when the upper cover A and the connector 10 of the battery pack are fastened to each other by bolts 50. 20 and the outer sealing member 30 for applying a uniform sealing pressure.

  Therefore, in particular, the retainer 40 is disposed so as to cover the entire region in which the inner seal member 20 and the outer seal member 30 are disposed in a plan view. The retainer 40 is formed with an insertion hole 40h through which the bolt 50 is inserted. The fastening hole 11h of the bottom wall portion 11 of the connector 10 and the insertion hole 40h of the retainer 40 are formed at positions corresponding to each other in plan view.

  The connector structure 100 includes a bolt 50. The bolt 50 fastens the top cover A and the connector 10 together with the inner seal member 20, the outer seal member 30 and the retainer 40 interposed between the upper cover A and the bottom wall portion 11 of the connector 10. And fix. As described above, when the upper cover A and the connector 10 are fastened, the inner seal member 20 and the outer seal member 30 and the retainer 40 disposed so as to cover the entire inner seal member 20 and outer seal member 30 are interposed. As a result, the inner seal member 20 and the outer seal member 30 are deformed between the lower surface S1 of the upper cover A and the bottom wall portion 11 of the connector 10, and the gap between the lower surface S1 of the upper cover A and the bottom wall portion 11 of the connector 10 is deformed. Are uniformly sealed. The retainer is provided with sufficient rigidity so as to ensure a uniform seal between the bolts 50, and therefore the retainer has a sufficient thickness (height).

  The connector structure 100 includes a seal packing (second seal member) 60. The seal packing 60 is disposed between the inner surface of the insertion hole 40 h through which the bolt 50 in the retainer 40 is inserted and the outer surface of the bolt 50. The seal packing 60 seals the gap when the bolt 50 is inserted into the insertion hole 40 h of the retainer 40. Thereby, the penetration | invasion of the water from the insertion hole 40h of the volt | bolt 50 is prevented, and waterproofness improves.

  Here, the retainer 40 has an inner surface 41, an outer surface 42, and a bottom surface 43. The inner side surface 41 and the outer side surface 42 define the width of the retainer 40. The bottom surface 43 connects the inner surface 41 and the outer surface 42 to each other while contacting the upper surface S2 of the upper cover A. The bottom surface 43 is formed with a plurality of notches (drainage grooves) 44 that allow the inner surface 41 and the outer surface 42 to communicate with each other. The notch 44 is inclined with respect to the width direction of the retainer 40 in a plan view (that is, formed obliquely). In other words, the notch 44 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the retainer 40. Particularly, when attention is paid to one notch 44, the opening 44 a of the notch 44 in the outer surface 42 of the retainer 40 and the opening 44 b of the notch 44 in the inner surface 41 of the retainer 40 are There is no overlap as seen from the width direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in a general connector structure 100A corresponding to the connector structure 100 as described above (however, the notch 44 is not provided), the protruding portion 12A of the connector 10A and the inner seal Water W may accumulate between the member 20A (between the upper cover A and the protruding portion 12A in the drawing). In particular, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the amount of the water W is close to the upper surface 43B of the retainer 40A, it becomes difficult to dry quickly. The time for contact with W becomes longer, which may cause problems such as the occurrence of rust.

  However, in the connector structure 100 according to this embodiment, as described above, the retainer 40 is provided with the notch 44 as a water drain groove. For this reason, as described above, even when water W collects between the protruding portion 12 of the connector 10 and the inner seal member 20, the water W is cut when it reaches the bottom surface 43 of the retainer 40. The water is immediately drained through the notch 42. That is, it is avoided that the amount of water W that exceeds the bottom surface 43 of the retainer 40 is accumulated (that is, the amount of water W that is difficult to dry quickly is not accumulated).

  Therefore, according to the connector structure 100 which concerns on this embodiment, it can suppress that malfunctions, such as generation | occurrence | production of the rust resulting from the water W contacting a metal member, such as the volt | bolt 50, for a long term, arise. In particular, in the connector structure 100 according to the present embodiment, no further sealing or the like by another component is required when suppressing the problem, so that an increase in cost and mass does not occur.

  Further, in the connector structure 100 according to the present embodiment, the notch 42 of the retainer 40 is inclined with respect to the width direction of the retainer 40, so that the rigidity change of the retainer 40 due to the provision of the notch 44 is caused by the retainer 40. It does not become extreme along the extending direction of 40. That is, according to the connector structure 100 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress a decrease in rigidity of the retainer 40 due to the formation of the notch 44 in the retainer 40. Therefore, it is possible to secure a necessary seal pressure while reducing the thickness of the retainer 40 as much as possible.

  Furthermore, in the connector structure 100 according to the present embodiment, the opening 44 a of the notch 44 in the outer surface 42 of the retainer 40 and the opening 44 b of the notch 44 in the inner surface 41 of the retainer 40 are the width of the retainer 40. There is no overlap when viewed from the direction. For this reason, for example, water droplets flying from the outside in the width direction of the retainer 40 are difficult to pass through the notches 44 of the retainer 40, so that waterproofness is improved.

  In the above embodiment, an embodiment of the connector structure according to the present invention is described by taking as an example a battery pack mounted under the vehicle body floor of an electric vehicle. Therefore, the connector structure according to the present invention is not limited to the connector structure 100 described above. In the connector structure according to the present invention, the above-described connector structure 100 can be arbitrarily modified without changing the gist of each claim.

  In the above embodiment, the upper cover A covers the entire upper surface of the battery pack, but may cover a part thereof. For example, a part of a control device such as a main power relay or each battery cell control system may be covered with a top cover, and a connector structure may be arranged.

  Moreover, although said embodiment demonstrated the battery pack mounted under the vehicle body floor of an electric vehicle, it is not limited to the battery pack especially arrange | positioned under the floor. Regardless of the arrangement of the battery pack, in a battery pack having a connector structure having an upward projecting portion, by applying the present invention, water can be removed earlier than the periphery of the connector structure.

  Moreover, in said embodiment, although the volt | bolt was used as fixing means, such as a retainer, it is not specifically limited. Any fixing means that can set a notch in the retainer may be used. For example, a rivet or the like can be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector, 11 ... Bottom wall part, 12 ... Projection part, 20 ... Inner seal member (1st seal member), 30 ... Outer seal member (1st seal member), 40 ... Retainer, 40h ... Insertion hole, 41 ... inner side surface, 42 ... outer side surface, 43 ... bottom surface, 44 ... notch, 44a, 44b ... opening.

Claims (5)

A battery pack connector structure,
A plate-like bottom wall portion disposed on the lower surface side of the upper cover of the battery pack and extending along the upper cover; and a projecting portion that is erected from the bottom wall portion and projects from the opening of the upper cover. A connector having
An annular first seal member disposed between the bottom wall portion of the connector and the lower surface of the upper cover and extending so as to surround the protruding portion of the connector;
An annular retainer disposed on an upper surface of the upper cover and extending along the upper cover so as to surround the protrusion of the connector;
Fixing means for fixing the upper cover and the bottom wall portion of the connector to each other with the seal member and the retainer interposed therebetween,
The retainer has an inner surface and an outer surface that define the width of the retainer, and a bottom surface that contacts the upper surface of the upper cover,
The bottom surface of the retainer is formed with a notch that allows the inner surface and the outer surface of the retainer to communicate with each other.
A connector structure characterized by that.   The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein the notch extends so as to be inclined with respect to a width direction of the retainer.   3. The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein the retainer is an annular ring having a rectangular shape, and the notch is inclined with respect to a longitudinal direction of the retainer.   The opening portion of the notch on the outer side surface of the retainer and the opening portion of the notch on the inner side surface of the retainer do not overlap when viewed from the width direction of the retainer. The connector structure as described in any one of 1-3. The fixing means is a bolt;
A second seal member disposed between the bolt and the insertion hole through which the bolt is inserted in the retainer;
The connector structure as described in any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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