JP5973881B2 - Connector connection structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector connection structure for connecting a connector to a terminal block of a case that houses an electrical device, and more particularly to a connector connection structure having an interlock.

  Conventionally, various electric devices are mounted on automobiles as moving bodies. For example, a hybrid car or an electric vehicle is equipped with an electric device such as an inverter that converts DC power from a motor or battery into AC power and supplies the AC power to the motor. These electric devices are housed in separate shield cases, and are connected to each other via a cable. The cable is configured by connecting a connector to ends of a plurality of electric wires. The connector includes a plurality of terminal fittings respectively connected to the ends of the electric wires. The terminal fitting of the connector is connected to a terminal block housed in a shield case (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The shield case is provided with an insertion port into which the connector is inserted, and a work port for fastening the terminal fitting and the terminal block of the connector inserted from the insertion port with bolts. This working port is opened by removing the lid that is fixed to the shield case with a bolt.

  On the other hand, the structure for connecting the connector to the terminal block in this manner is provided with an interlock that switches between permitting and blocking of energization from the electric wire to the electric device. This type of interlock includes two interlocks: an interlock that detects whether or not a connector is inserted into an insertion slot, and an interlock that detects whether or not a work opening is open. Each of these interlocks is provided with a pair of interlock parts (for example, a cylindrical member in which a conductor is housed), and when the pair of interlock parts are electrically connected to each other, the interlocks are provided. Lock is turned on. When both interlocks are not turned on, conduction from the electric wire to the electric device is prevented, and when both interlocks are turned on, conduction from the electric wire to the electric device is allowed.

  For example, the former interlock is provided with an interlock portion at each of the terminal block and the tip of the connector, and when the connector is inserted through the insertion port, the interlock portion of the connector is connected to the interlock portion of the terminal block. It is like that. Similarly, the latter interlock is provided with an interlock portion on each of the terminal block and the lid portion, and when the lid portion is closed, the interlock portion of the lid portion is connected to the interlock portion of the terminal block. ing. By incorporating two interlocks in this way, even when an operator accidentally touches the terminal block via the insertion port or the work port during connector connection work, electric shock can be prevented.

JP 2011-124062 A

  By the way, the former interlock, that is, the interlock that detects whether or not the connector is inserted into the insertion slot is, for example, an interlock portion provided on the connector when the connector is inserted at an angle with respect to the original insertion direction. May incline and contact the interlock portion provided on the terminal block. In this case, the interlock portion may be damaged, or electrical connection between the interlock portions may be insufficient, leading to a decrease in interlock reliability.

  On the other hand, the interlock part provided on the terminal block must be arranged at a position facing the insertion port of the shield case, that is, a position facing the insertion direction of the interlock part provided on the connector. There is a problem that the degree of freedom is limited.

  It is an object of the present invention to increase the reliability of the interlock and improve the design freedom of the terminal block while ensuring the safety during the connector connection work.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is provided with a connector having a plurality of terminal fittings to which terminals of a plurality of electric wires are respectively connected, and an insertion port into which the distal end portion of the connector is inserted, and accommodates an electrical device. A terminal block that insulates and supports a plurality of conductors that are housed in the case and to which each of the terminal fittings is connected, and a case that is used when connecting the terminal fitting of the connector inserted in the case to the terminal block In the connector connection structure including the opening and an interlock that switches between allowing and preventing energization from the electric wire to the electric device, the interlock includes a pair of terminals supported at the distal end portion in the insertion direction of the connector. One end of the terminal in the insertion direction of the terminal faces the bolt hole on the support surface of the terminal block when the tip of the connector is inserted into the case. The bolt hole is formed so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the support surface with the other end as a fulcrum, and the bolt hole is a position where the conductive bolt is screwed and faces the work port. When viewed from this working port, the pin hole is disposed between the pair of terminals, and the hole diameter of the bolt hole is smaller than the distance between the side surfaces of the pair of terminals facing each other. Is characterized in that when the pair of terminals are not short-circuited, energization from the electric wire to the electric device is prevented, and when the pair of terminals is short-circuited, energization from the electric wire to the electric device is permitted.

  According to this, when the front-end | tip part of a connector is inserted in a case, a pair of terminal supported by the connector is arrange | positioned facing the support surface of a terminal block. Then, when the bolt is tightened into the bolt hole of the support surface through the work port of the case, the head portion of the bolt presses the pair of terminals against the support surface. Thereby, a pair of terminal is short-circuited between terminals via a volt | bolt. Here, the interlock allows electricity from the electric wire to the electrical device when a pair of terminals are short-circuited, so the electrical current from the electric wire is blocked until the tip of the connector is inserted into the case. Is done. Therefore, according to the present invention, safety at the time of connector connection work can be ensured with a very simple configuration in which a pair of terminals are bolted together. In addition, since the pair of terminals are sandwiched between the support surface and the bolt head and short-circuited, the connection state between the terminals can always be maintained stably, and the reliability of the interlock can be improved. it can. Moreover, since the support surface which opposes a pair of terminal should just be provided in the position which faces a work port with several conductors, the design freedom of a terminal block can be raised.

  In this case, the terminal block insulates and supports the metal conductor on the support surface, and the metal conductor is provided with a through hole into which a bolt that is screwed into the bolt hole of the support surface can be inserted.

  According to this, the pair of terminals are pressed against the metal conductor by fastening the bolt and are short-circuited to each other via the metal conductor, so that the conduction state between the pair of terminals can be maintained more stably, and the interlock The reliability of the can be further increased.

  In addition, the pair of terminals are formed with recesses into which bolts can be inserted at portions between the side surfaces facing each other.

  According to this, the head of the bolt can be brought into contact with the periphery of the recess formed so as to surround the bolt, and the pair of terminals can be stably pressed against the support surface and the metal conductor. The reliability of the interlock can be further increased.

  Further, the plurality of terminal fittings are connected to the terminal block conductors by bolt fastening, and the bolt holes into which the bolts used for fastening the bolts are screwed have the same diameter as the bolt holes formed on the support surface. To do.

  According to this, for example, after the bolt fastening operation for connecting the plurality of terminal fittings to the conductors of the terminal block, the bolt fastening operation for short-circuiting the pair of terminals can be continuously performed. The fastening operation can be performed without omission and the operation can be performed efficiently. If all bolt holes have the same diameter, the bolt holes for fastening the pair of terminals to the support base are bolt holes for fastening the terminal fitting to the terminal base (the existing bolt holes on the terminal base). ) Can be used, and the manufacturing cost of the terminal block can be reduced.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while ensuring the safety | security at the time of the connection operation | work of a connector, the reliability of an interlock can be improved and the design freedom of a terminal block can be improved.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the connector which concerns on the connection structure of the connector which concerns on this invention. It is an external appearance perspective view of the terminal block which concerns on the connection structure of the connector which concerns on this invention. In the connection structure of the connector which concerns on this invention, it is a perspective view when the structure where a connector is connected to a terminal block is seen from the inner side of a shield case. In FIG. 3, it is a perspective view when a pair of terminal short-circuits.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a connector connection structure to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. The connector connection structure of this embodiment is for electrically connecting a plurality of electric wires and a terminal block of an electric device. For example, one end of a motor or a battery mounted on a hybrid car or an electric vehicle is used. Is connected to a terminal block of a predetermined electrical device (for example, an inverter). In addition, the arrow X shown in FIG. 1 shows the arrangement direction of an electric wire and the width direction of a connector, the arrow Y shows the axial direction of an electric wire and the insertion direction of a connector, and the arrow Z is orthogonal to the arrangement direction of an electric wire. Direction and the thickness direction of the connector.

  A connector 1 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to a terminal block 3 shown in FIG. The terminal block 3 is housed together with an inverter (not shown) in a conductive shield case 5 indicated by a dotted line in FIG. The terminal block 3 is for electrically connecting the electric wire of the connector 1 and the inverter. In the shield case 5, an insertion port 7 for inserting the distal end portion of the connector 1 into the side wall facing the terminal block 3 and a terminal fitting of the connector 1 inserted into the insertion port 7 are connected to the bus bar of the terminal block 3. A working port 9 used at the time and a conductive lid 11 for opening and closing the working port 9 are provided. As will be described later, the work port 9 is provided at a position facing the bus bar of the terminal block 3 downward, and is formed in substantially the same outer shape as the terminal block 3. The lid portion 11 is fixed to the shield case 5 with a plurality of bolts, and can be detached from the shield case 5 by removing these bolts when the connector 1 is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 1 of the present embodiment includes two electric wires 13, terminal fittings 15 to which terminals of these electric wires 13 are respectively crimped, and an insulating housing 17 that supports the terminal fittings 15. The conductive shield shell 19 that houses the housing 17, the ring 21 that is attached along the outer peripheral surface of the shield shell 19, the holder 23 that holds the electric wire 13, and the packing 25 that is attached along the outer peripheral surface of the housing 17. And a rubber plug 27 attached along the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire 13 and a pair of terminals 29 supported by the housing 17.

  The housing 17 has a flat terminal block 31 provided with a through hole (not shown) and an outer shape substantially the same as the insertion port 7 on one surface of the terminal block 31, that is, the surface in the insertion direction of the connector 1. A cylindrical portion 33 is formed so as to protrude, and two through holes 35 through which the terminal fitting 15 is passed are formed in parallel inside the cylindrical portion 33. A packing 25 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 33, and a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 33 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion port 7 is sealed.

  On the other surface of the housing 17, that is, the surface opposite to the cylindrical portion 33 of the terminal block 31, an electric wire support portion 37 having a through hole (not shown) through which the electric wires 13 are passed is formed. Rubber plugs 27 are attached to the outer peripheral surfaces of the electric wires 13 passed through the through holes of the electric wire support portion 37, and the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the electric wires 13 and the inner peripheral surface of the through holes is sealed. The holder 23 is formed so that it can be divided into two parts, upper and lower, while connecting the annular members that enclose each of the wires 13. The holder 23 is attached to the electric wire support portion 37 by being moved along the electric wires 13 after being attached to the electric wires 13. At this time, the locked portion 39 provided on the outer peripheral portion of the holder 23 is locked to the locking portion 41 provided on the outer peripheral portion of the electric wire support portion 37.

  The shield shell 19 is formed so as to enclose the terminal block 31 and the electric wire support portion 37 of the housing 17, and has two attachment portions 43 bent to the side where the connector 1 is inserted. Each attachment portion 43 is provided with a bolt hole 45 for attaching the shield shell 19 to the shield case 5.

  The terminal fitting 15 is formed by processing a conductive belt-like flat plate material, and a bolt hole 47 for fixing the terminal fitting 15 to the terminal block 3 is provided on the distal end side in the insertion direction of the connector 1. An exposed core wire of the electric wire is crimped and connected to the proximal end side.

  In the housing 17, a through hole 49 through which the pair of terminals 29 is passed is provided in parallel with the other two through holes 35. The through hole 49 is disposed outside the electric wire support portion 37 of the housing 17 and is formed by penetrating the terminal block 31 and the cylindrical portion 33. In the through hole 49, for example, the terminal block 31 has a circular cross section, and the cylindrical portion 33 has a rectangular cross section.

  The pair of terminals 29 inserted into the through holes 49 are supported by the housing 17 at a predetermined interval in the X direction of FIG. The pair of terminals 29 are inserted into the through holes 49 of the terminal block 31 and protruded from the through holes 49 of the cylindrical portion 33 so that the other ends are respectively located inside the through holes 49. It has become. The opening of the through hole 49 of the terminal block 31 is sealed with a cylindrical rubber plug 51 formed of an elastic material. The rubber plug 51 is formed with a groove having a concave-convex cross section on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and seals the gap between the rubber plug 51 and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 49.

  In the present embodiment, two recesses 53 are formed on one end surface of the rubber plug 51, and the other ends of the pair of terminals 29 are inserted and held in these recesses 53, respectively. Further, the through hole 49 is formed such that the dimension in the Z direction is larger than the thickness dimension of the terminal 29. As a result, the pair of terminals 29 are supported so that one end can swing in the Z direction (circumferential direction) with the other end held by the rubber plug 51 as a fulcrum. Further, an interlock circuit described later is connected to the pair of terminals 29.

  In the connector 1 configured in this manner, for example, the electric wire 13 to which the terminal fitting 15 is connected and the pair of terminals 29 are inserted into the housing 17, and the housing 17 into which these are inserted is stored in the shield shell 19. Assembled by. In the assembled connector 1, the two terminal fittings 15 and the pair of terminals 29 protrude from the cylindrical portion 33 of the housing 17 with substantially the same length in the insertion direction (Y direction) of the connector 1 and are arranged in parallel to each other. Is done.

  The terminal block 3 is a resin member that insulates and supports a plurality of flat bus bars 55 that are metal conductors, and connects the surrounding walls 57a to 57c and the adjacent surrounding walls 57a to 57c to each other. The connecting portion 59 is integrally formed. The surrounding walls 57 a to 57 c are formed so as to surround the support surface 61, and three bus bars 55 a to 55 c are insulated and supported on each support surface 61. The bus bars 55 a to 55 c are formed with bolt holes 63 having the same diameter, and the bus bars 55 a to 55 c are arranged at positions facing the work port 9 including these bolt holes 63. In the present embodiment, an example in which the connector 1 is connected to the bus bar 55 of the surrounding wall 57a will be described.

  The three bus bars 55a to 55c supported by the support surface 61 of the surrounding wall 57a are all formed in a rectangular shape, and the two bus bars 55a and 55b connected to the terminal fitting 15 are electrically connected to the inverter. ing. The support surface 61 is provided with bolt holes into which bolts inserted into the bolt holes 63 of the bus bars 55a to 55c are screwed. The bolt holes of these support surfaces 61 are screwed together with bolts having the same diameter and the same size.

  Next, a procedure for connecting the connector 1 to the shield case 5 and the terminal block 3 will be described. First, the working port 9 is fully opened by removing the lid 11 by removing the bolt that fixes the lid 11 to the shield case 5. Subsequently, the cylindrical portion 35 of the connector 1 is inserted from the insertion port 7, and the end surface of the terminal block 31 facing the insertion direction of the connector 1 is brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the insertion port 7 of the shield case 5. Then, the connector 1 is fixed to the shield case 5 by passing a bolt through the bolt hole 45 of the attachment portion 43 of the shield shell 19 and screwing it into a hole of the shield case 5 (not shown).

  When the connector 1 is fixed to the shield case 5, inside the shield case 5, as shown in FIG. 3, the two terminal fittings 15 protruding from the connector 1 are brought into contact with the bus bars 55a and 55b of the terminal block 3, respectively. They are in contact with each other, or are arranged to face the terminal block 3 with a slight gap. Then, the bolts 64 passed through the bolt holes 47 of the respective terminal fittings 15 through the opened work ports 9 are passed through the bolt holes 63 of the opposing bus bars 55a and 55b, and the bolts 64 passed through the bolt holes 63 are passed through. The terminal fitting 15 is connected to the bus bar 55 by screwing and tightening into the holes of the support surface 61 (FIG. 4).

  On the other hand, the interlock of the present embodiment is for switching between permitting and blocking energization from the electric wire 13 to the inverter, and has a pair of terminals 29 and an interlock circuit connected to these terminals 29. Yes. The interlock circuit has a function of electrically detecting whether or not the pair of terminals 29 are short-circuited with each other. When the pair of terminals 29 are not short-circuited, the electric current is supplied from the electric wire 13 to the inverter. When the pair of terminals 29 are short-circuited, energization from the electric wire 13 to the inverter is allowed.

  When the connector 1 is fixed to the shield case 5, the pair of terminals 29 are arranged to face the bolt holes 63 of the bus bar 55 c of the terminal block 3 with a predetermined gap as shown in FIG. 3. When one end in the insertion direction is pressed toward the bus bar 55c toward the bus bar 55c, the one end abuts against the bus bar 55c with the other end serving as a fulcrum. The one end is separated from the bus bar 55c.

  The bolt hole 63 of the bus bar 55 c is disposed between the pair of terminals 29 when viewed from the work port 9. That is, in the present embodiment, a substantially circular recess 65 into which the bolt 64 can be inserted is formed at a portion between the side surfaces facing each other of the pair of terminals 29, and when viewed from the work port 9, Bolt holes 63 are arranged. The recess 65 is formed by being sandwiched between recesses 67 formed by notching semi-circular sides of the pair of terminals 29 facing each other. The recess 65 is not limited to a substantially circular shape, and the distance between the side surfaces facing each other of the pair of terminals 29 may be larger than the diameter of the bolt hole 63 in the axial direction of the terminal 29. For example, the shape is not limited to this.

  In the pair of terminals 29 configured in this way, the bolt 64 passed through the recess 65 passes through the bolt hole 63 of the bus bar 55 c, and the tip of the bolt 64 passing through the bolt hole 63 is the bolt hole of the support surface 61. The heads of the bolts 64 come into contact with the peripheral edges of the recesses 67 of the pair of terminals 29. Then, by further tightening the bolt 64, the pair of terminals 29 are pressed against the bus bar 55c by the bolt 64 as shown in FIG. As a result, the pair of terminals 29 are short-circuited to each other via the conductive bus bar 55 c and the conductive bolt 64. When the pair of terminals 29 are short-circuited in this way, the interlock detects this via these terminals 29 and energization from the electric wire 13 to the inverter is allowed.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to detect whether or not the connector 1 is inserted with an extremely simple interlock structure in which the pair of terminals 29 are simply bolted. And, since the power supply from the electric wire 13 to the inverter is allowed only when the connector 1 is inserted from the insertion port 7 and the pair of terminals 29 are short-circuited by fastening the bolts 64, the safety when connecting the connector 1 is ensured. Can be secured.

  In addition to the interlock of this embodiment, another interlock that detects whether the work port 9 is opened is installed and linked with the interlock of this embodiment, and the pair of terminals 29 are short-circuited. However, when the work port 9 is not closed by the lid portion 11, energization from the electric wire 13 to the inverter is not allowed, the pair of terminals 29 are short-circuited, and the work port 9 is closed by the lid portion 11. You may comprise so that electricity supply from the electric wire 13 to an inverter may be permitted only when. According to this, the safety | security at the time of the connection operation | work of the connector 1 can be improved more.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the bus bar 55c facing the pair of terminals 29 only needs to be disposed at a position facing the work port 9 together with the other bus bars 55a and 55b. Can be increased. In this respect, in the present embodiment, the bus bars 55a to 55c are arranged in parallel, so that, for example, the bolt fastening operation of connecting the two terminal fittings 15 to the bus bars 55a and 55b of the terminal block 3 through the work port 9, respectively. Thereafter, the bolt fastening operation for short-circuiting the pair of terminals 29 via the bus bar 55c can be performed continuously, the bolt fastening operation of the pair of terminals 29 can be performed without omission, and the work efficiency can be improved. be able to. Moreover, since these bolt fastening operations are all performed using bolt holes of the same diameter formed on the support surface 61 of the terminal block 3, when connecting the two-pole connector 1 as in the present embodiment. The existing three-pole terminal block 3 can be used and is economical.

  In this embodiment, since the recess 65 for inserting the bolt 64 is formed between the pair of terminals 29, the head of the bolt 64 can be pressed uniformly along the periphery of the recess 67. Thereby, the force which presses a pair of terminal to the bus bar 55c can be maintained high, and the contact reliability of an interlock can be improved. In addition, since the bolt 64 used in the present embodiment has a seated head, it is possible to secure a wider area in contact with the pair of terminals 29 than a normal hexagon bolt or the like. This makes it possible to press the pair of terminals 29 more uniformly. The shape of the bolt 64 is not limited to the seated type as long as the pair of terminals 29 can be pressed.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been explained in full detail with drawing, said embodiment is only an illustration of this invention and this invention is limited only to the structure of said embodiment. It is not a thing. Needless to say, even if there is a design change within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention, it is included in the present invention.

  For example, in this embodiment, the bus bar 55c is installed on the support surface 61, and the pair of terminals 29 are short-circuited via the bus bar 55c and the bolt 64, respectively. However, the bus bar 55c is not always necessary. The terminal 29 may be sandwiched between the insulating support surface 61 of the terminal block 3 and the bolt 64 and short-circuited only through the bolt 64.

  Further, in this embodiment, the example in which the two-phase connector 1 is connected to the bus bar 55 of the surrounding wall 57a has been described. A structure similar to that of the present embodiment can be applied. In this case, it is necessary to newly provide a support surface space for short-circuiting the pair of terminals.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 3 Terminal block 5 Shield case 7 Insertion port 9 Work port 11 Cover part 13 Electric wire 15 Terminal metal fitting 17 Housing 29 Terminal 55 Bus bar 61 Support surface 63 Bolt hole 64 Bolt 65 Recess 67 Recess

Claims (4)

A connector having a plurality of terminal fittings to which terminals of a plurality of electric wires are respectively connected, an insertion port into which a distal end portion of the connector is inserted, a case in which an electrical device is accommodated, A terminal block that insulates and supports a plurality of conductors to which terminal fittings are respectively connected; a work port of the case used when connecting the terminal fitting of the connector inserted into the case to the terminal block; and the electric wire In a connector connection structure comprising an interlock that switches between permitting and preventing energization of the electrical device from
The interlock includes a pair of terminals supported at the distal end portion in the insertion direction of the connector, and one end portion of the pair of terminals in the insertion direction is the end when the distal end portion of the connector is inserted into the case. The bolt holes on the support surface of the terminal block are opposed to each other, and are arranged so as to be separated from the support surface.
The bolt hole is screwed into a conductive bolt and provided at a position facing the working port. When viewed from the working port, the bolt hole is disposed between the pair of terminals. The hole diameter of the pair of terminals is formed smaller than the distance between the side surfaces facing each other,
When the pair of terminals are not short-circuited, the interlock prevents current from being passed from the electric wire to the electrical device. Connector connection structure characterized by allowing.   The terminal block is configured to insulate and support a metal conductor on the support surface, and the metal conductor is provided with a through-hole through which the bolt can be inserted into a bolt hole of the support surface. The connector connection structure according to claim 1.   3. The connector connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the pair of terminals are formed with recesses into which the bolts can be inserted at portions between side surfaces facing each other.   The plurality of terminal fittings are respectively connected to the conductor of the terminal block by bolt fastening, and a bolt hole into which a bolt used for fastening the bolt is screwed has the same diameter as the bolt hole formed in the support surface. The connector connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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