JP7351780B2 - Terminal block - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a terminal block.

For example, some terminal blocks that are attached to the body panel of a vehicle or the case of equipment include terminals bent in an L-shape (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). In this terminal block, the wiring material inside the device is fastened and connected to one end of the terminal with bolts and nuts, and the wiring material such as the bus bar to be connected is connected to the other end of the terminal located at the top of the housing. Connected by tightening with nuts.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-188289 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-73652 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-211933

By the way, when the wiring material consisting of the bus bar of the connection partner is fastened to the terminal of the terminal block, the position of the wiring material of the connection partner may be misaligned with respect to the terminal block, and the distance between the terminal of the terminal block and the wiring material of the connection partner may occur. Gaps may form in the If the terminal of the terminal block and the wiring material of the connection partner are fastened with this gap formed, unreasonable force will be applied to the terminal and wiring material, causing deformation or not being able to obtain the specified fastening force. This may lead to a decrease in reliability.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a terminal block that can smoothly connect and connect the wiring material of the connection partner and obtain high connection reliability. It is in.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration.
(1) A housing that is attached to a part to be attached, the side to which the part is attached is an assembly part, and the side opposite to the side to be attached to the part to be attached is a fastening part;
A fastening plate portion and a connecting plate portion are formed by being bent into an L shape, and the connecting plate portion is inserted into a terminal insertion hole formed across the fastening portion and the assembly portion in the housing. The terminal to be attached,
a fastening member accommodating recess formed at a position facing the fastening plate part in the fastening part of the housing;
a fastening member accommodated in the fastening member accommodating recess;
a connection member accommodating recess formed at a position facing the connection plate in the assembly portion of the housing;
a connection member accommodated in the connection member accommodation recess;
Equipped with
A terminal block characterized in that the connecting member accommodating recess is provided with a clearance on the fastening portion side of the connecting member, so that the connecting member can be displaced together with the terminal.

According to the terminal block having the above configuration (1), the connecting member for connecting the wiring member to the connecting plate portion of the terminal can be displaced by the clearance in the assembly portion of the housing. Therefore, even if a gap is formed between the fastening plate part of the terminal and the wiring material to be connected, the terminal can be moved easily by fastening the wiring material to be connected to the fastening plate part of the terminal. Therefore, the fastening plate portion of the terminal and the wiring material to be connected can be smoothly fastened to obtain a specified fastening force, and high connection reliability can be obtained.

(2) The terminal block according to (1), wherein the amount of engagement of the fastening member in the fastening member accommodating recess is larger than the clearance.

According to the terminal block having the configuration described in (2) above, even when the terminal is moved, it is possible to secure a margin for the fastening member in the fastening member accommodating recess, and it is possible to ensure good connection with the wiring material of the connection partner. .

(3) The connecting member is a nut to which a bolt is fastened;
A counterbore hole is formed at the bottom of the connection member housing recess, into which an end of the bolt screwed into the nut is inserted;
The terminal block according to (1) or (2), wherein the counterbore hole is an elongated hole extending in a moving direction of the nut that moves together with the terminal.

According to the terminal block having the configuration (3) above, when the nut, which is the connection member, moves together with the terminal, the bolt fastened to the nut can be moved smoothly, and the fastening work with the wiring material of the connection partner can be carried out smoothly. can be performed well.

(4) The housing is provided with a sealing member that is attached to the terminal insertion hole and seals between the connection plate portion of the terminal and the terminal insertion hole,
The terminal block according to any one of (1) to (3), characterized in that when the terminal moves, the sealing member remains in close contact with the connection plate portion.

According to the terminal block having the configuration (4) above, a good sealing state between the terminal insertion hole and the connecting plate portion of the terminal that moves during fastening can be ensured by the sealing member.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a terminal block that can smoothly connect and connect the wiring material of the connection partner and obtain high connection reliability.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the mode for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

It is a perspective view of the terminal block concerning this embodiment. It is an exploded perspective view of the terminal block concerning this embodiment. It is a front view of the terminal block concerning this embodiment. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to the AA cross section in FIG. 3 for explaining the follow-up operation of the terminal. FIG. 3 is a front view of a terminal block according to a reference example. 7 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 6. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a terminal block according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the terminal block according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front view of the terminal block according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the terminal block 11 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 13 and a plurality of terminals 15.

The housing 13 is molded from an insulating resin, and has a fastening section 21 on the upper side and an assembly section 23 on the lower side. The housing 13 has a flange portion 25 extending toward the outer circumference between the fastening portion 21 and the assembly portion 23, and a plurality of bolt insertion holes 27 are formed in the flange portion 25.

In the terminal block 11, the assembly portion 23 of the housing 13 is fitted into a mounting hole (not shown) formed in a mounting portion (not shown) such as a body panel of a vehicle or a case of equipment. In this state, the terminal block 11 is assembled to the attached part by passing a bolt (not shown) through the bolt insertion hole 27 of the flange part 25 and screwing it into a screw hole formed in the attached part. An annular seal member 28 is attached to the assembly portion 23 of the housing 13 in the circumferential direction. The sealing member 28 seals between the mounting portion 23 of the housing 13 and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole when the mounting portion 23 of the housing 13 is fitted into the mounting hole.

The housing 13 has a plurality of terminal attachment parts 30, and the terminals 15 are attached to these terminal attachment parts 30. The terminal mounting portion 30 has a terminal insertion hole 31 that penetrates both sides of the housing 13 . These terminal attachment parts 30 are partitioned by partition walls 33 and 34 in the fastening part 21 and the assembly part 23, respectively.

The terminal attachment part 30 has a nut accommodating recess 35 formed of a rectangular recess in a plan view on the fastening part 21 side. The nut accommodating recess 35 is open on the upper side. A nut 36 having a rectangular shape in plan view is accommodated in the nut accommodating recess 35 from above. The nut accommodating recess 35 has an inner shape slightly larger than the outer diameter of the nut 36. Thereby, the nut 36 accommodated in the nut accommodating recess 35 can be displaced in the vertical direction inside the nut accommodating recess 35 (see FIG. 4). The nut 36 is accommodated in the nut accommodating recess 35 with an allowance H. Further, this nut accommodating recess 35 has a counterbore hole 37 formed in its bottom 35a.

Further, a seal holding window 38 that opens laterally is formed on the fastening portion 21 side of the terminal mounting portion 30 , and this seal holding window 38 communicates with the terminal insertion hole 31 . A seal member 41 is attached to this seal holding window 38 . The seal member 41 is molded from a flexible resin material such as rubber, and has a seal hole 42 . The sealing member 41 has lip portions 43 and 44 that tightly seal the inner circumferential surface of the terminal insertion hole 31 and the inner circumferential surface of the seal holding window 38, respectively, by being attached to the seal holding window 38. There is.

The terminal mounting section 30 has a nut accommodating recess 51 formed of a rectangular recess in a plan view on the assembly section 23 side. This nut accommodating recess 51 is open on the side. The nut accommodating recess 51 accommodates a nut 52 that is rectangular in plan view. The nut accommodating recess 51 has a vertical length dimension larger than a width dimension. The length of this nut accommodating recess 51 is longer than the length of the side of the nut 52. As a result, a clearance C is provided above the nut 52 accommodated in the nut accommodating recess 51 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Thereby, the nut 52 mounted in the nut accommodating recess 51 can be displaced upward by the clearance C. This clearance C is made smaller than the hanging allowance H of the nut 36 accommodated in the nut accommodating recess 35. In other words, the relationship between the clearance C and the engagement H of the nut 36 is H>C. Further, a counterbore hole 53 is formed in the bottom portion 51a of the nut accommodating recess 51. This counterbore hole 53 is an elongated hole extending in the longitudinal direction of the nut accommodating recess 51 .

The terminal 15 mounted on the terminal mounting portion 30 of the housing 13 is made of a conductive metal material such as copper or copper alloy, and is a plate-shaped bus bar. This terminal 15 is bent near one end and is formed into an L-shape when viewed from the side. The terminal 15 has a fastening plate section 61 at one end and a connecting plate section 65 at the other end, with the bent portion as a boundary. A fastening hole 62 is formed in the fastening plate part 61, and a connecting hole 66 is formed in the end of the connecting plate part 65.

The terminal 15 is attached to the terminal mounting portion 30 by inserting the connecting plate portion 65 into the terminal insertion hole 31 with the fastening plate portion 61 facing the nut accommodating recess 35 in which the nut 36 is accommodated. When the terminal 15 is attached to the terminal mounting portion 30, the fastening plate portion 61 is placed in a position facing the nut 36 accommodated in the nut accommodating recess 35, and the end of the connecting plate portion 65 is placed in the nut accommodating recess 35. The nut 52 is placed in a position opposite to the nut 52 housed in the nut 51 . As a result, in the terminal 15, the fastening hole 62 of the fastening plate portion 61 communicates with the screw hole 36a of the nut 36, and the connecting hole 66 of the connecting plate portion 65 communicates with the screw hole 52a of the nut 52.

Further, the connecting plate portion 65 of the terminal 15 is inserted into the seal hole 42 of the seal member 41 attached to the seal holding window 38 . As a result, the inner circumferential surface of the seal hole 42 of the seal member 41 is brought into close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the connecting plate part 65 of the terminal 15, and the space between the connecting plate part 65 of the terminal 15 and the terminal insertion hole 31 is sealed.

Next, a method of wiring to the terminal block 11 will be explained.
An electric wire 71, which is a wiring material for a device to which the terminal block 11 is attached, is connected to the connection plate section 65 of the terminal 15 on the assembly section 23 side of the terminal block 11. A terminal fitting 72 is connected to the end of this electric wire 71. The terminal fitting 72 has a fixing plate portion 74 in which a hole portion 73 is formed. To connect the electric wire 71 to the connecting plate part 65 of the terminal 15, a bolt 75 is inserted into the hole 73 formed in the fixing plate part 74 of the terminal fitting 72, and this bolt 75 is inserted into the connecting plate part 65 of the terminal 15. It passes through the connection hole 66 and is screwed into the threaded hole 52a of the nut 52 accommodated in the nut accommodating recess 51. As a result, the terminal fitting 72 is fastened to the connecting plate portion 65 of the terminal 15 using the bolt 75 and nut 52, and the electric wire 71 is connected to the terminal 15. In this fastened state, the end of the bolt 75 passes through the counterbore hole 53 formed in the bottom 51a of the nut accommodating recess 51 without interfering with the bottom 51a.

Further, in the terminal block 11, a bus bar 81, which is a wiring material for a device to be connected, is connected to the fastening plate part 61 of the terminal 15 on the fastening part 21 side of the terminal block 11. This bus bar 81 is a plate made of a conductive metal material, and has a hole 83 formed at its tip. To connect the bus bar 81 to the fastening plate part 61 of the terminal 15, a bolt 85 is inserted into a hole 83 formed in the bus bar 81, and this bolt 85 is passed through the fastening hole 62 of the fastening plate part 61 of the terminal 15. The nut 36 accommodated in the nut accommodating recess 35 is screwed into the screw hole 36a. Thereby, the bus bar 81 is fastened and connected to the fastening plate portion 61 of the terminal 15 with the bolt 85 and nut 36. In this fastened state, the end of the bolt 85 passes through the counterbore hole 37 formed in the bottom 35a of the nut accommodating recess 35 without interfering with the bottom 35a.

By the way, when connecting the bus bar 81 extending from a device to be connected to the fastening portion 21 of the terminal 15, the bus bar 81 may be misaligned with respect to the terminal block 11. In this case, a gap G is formed between the fastening plate portion 61 of the terminal 15 of the terminal block 11 and the bus bar 81 (see FIG. 4).

When the fastening plate portion 61 and the bus bar 81 are fastened together with the gap G formed, a pulling force toward the bus bar 81 is applied to the terminal 15 together with the nut 36 into which the bolt 85 is screwed. At this time, the nut 52 that fastens the terminal metal fitting 72 to the connection plate portion 65 of the terminal 15 can be displaced upward by a clearance C. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the terminal 15 is pulled upwards (in the direction of arrow X in FIG. 5) without any force as the bus bar 81 is fastened by the bolt 85, and the fastening plate portion 61 is fastened to the bus bar 81.

Here, a terminal block according to a reference example will be explained.
Note that the same components as those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
FIG. 6 is a front view of a terminal block according to a reference example. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal block 11A according to the reference example has a nut accommodating recess 91 having an inner shape that is the same as the outer shape of the nut 36 on the assembly portion 23 side. The nut 36 is fitted into the nut accommodating recess 91 without leaving any gaps vertically or horizontally. Further, in this reference example, a circular counterbore hole 93 is formed in the bottom 91a of the nut accommodating recess 91, into which the tip of the bolt 75 is inserted.

In the terminal block 11A according to this reference example, as shown in FIG. 7, the fastening plate portion 61 of the terminal 15 and the bus bar 81 are fastened together with a gap G formed between the fastening plate portion 61 and the bus bar 81. In this case, an unreasonable force is applied to the terminals 15 and the bus bar 81, leading to deformation or failure to obtain a specified fastening force, which may lead to a decrease in connection reliability.

As described above, according to the terminal block 11 according to the present embodiment, the nut 52 that connects the terminal fitting 72 to the connecting plate part 65 of the terminal 15 in the assembly part 23 of the housing 13 is displaced by the clearance C. It is considered possible. Therefore, even if a gap G is formed between the fastening plate part 61 of the terminal 15 and the connecting partner bus bar 81, the terminal 15 can be fixed by fastening the connecting partner bus bar 81 to the fastening plate part 61 of the terminal 15. Move effortlessly. Therefore, the fastening plate portion 61 of the terminal 15 and the bus bar 81 to be connected can be smoothly fastened to obtain a specified fastening force, and high connection reliability can be obtained.

Moreover, the engagement allowance H of the nut 36 in the nut accommodating recess 35 is made larger than the clearance C. Therefore, even when the terminal 15 is moved, it is possible to secure enough space for the nut 36 to fit in the nut accommodating recess 35, and the terminal 15 can be properly fastened to the bus bar 81 to be connected. It is preferable to ensure that the nut 36 is engaged in the nut accommodating recess 35 when the terminal 15 is moved, which is approximately half of the engagement distance H.

Moreover, the counterbore hole 53 formed in the bottom 51a of the nut accommodating recess 51 is an elongated hole extending in the direction of movement of the nut 52 that moves together with the terminal 15. Therefore, when the nut 52 moves together with the terminal 15, the bolt 75 fastened to the nut 52 can be moved smoothly, and the fastening work with the bus bar 81 to be connected can be performed satisfactorily.

Further, the sealing member 41 that seals between the connecting plate portion 65 of the terminal and the terminal insertion hole 31 is maintained in close contact with the connecting plate portion 65 when the terminal 15 moves. Thereby, the sealing member 41 can ensure a good sealing state between the terminal insertion hole 31 and the connecting plate portion 65 of the terminal 15 that moves during fastening.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

Here, the features of the embodiments of the terminal block according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [4].
[1] A housing (13) that is attached to an attached part, the side to which it is attached to the attached part is an assembly part (23), and the side opposite to the side to which it is attached to the attached part is a fastening part (21). and,
A fastening plate portion (61) and a connecting plate portion (65) are formed by being bent into an L shape, and are formed across the fastening portion (21) and the assembly portion (23) in the housing (13). a terminal (15) into which the connecting plate portion (65) is inserted and attached to the terminal insertion hole (31);
a fastening member accommodating recess (nut accommodating recess 35) formed at a position facing the fastening plate part (61) in the fastening part (21) of the housing (13);
a fastening member (nut 36) accommodated in the fastening member accommodating recess (nut accommodating recess 35);
a connection member accommodating recess (nut accommodating recess 51) formed at a position facing the connection plate portion (65) in the assembly portion (23) of the housing (13);
a connecting member (nut 52) accommodated in the connecting member accommodating recess (nut accommodating recess 51);
Equipped with
A clearance (C) is provided in the connecting member accommodating recess (nut accommodating recess 51) on the fastening part (21) side of the connecting member (nut 52), and the connecting member (nut 52) ) is said to be able to be displaced.
[2] A distance (H) for the fastening member (nut 36) in the fastening member accommodating recess (nut accommodating recess 35) is larger than the clearance (C) [1] Terminal block described in .
[3] The connecting member is a nut (52) to which a bolt (75) is fastened;
A counterbore hole (53) through which an end of the bolt (75) screwed into the nut (52) is inserted is formed in the bottom (51a) of the connection member storage recess (nut storage recess 51),
The terminal according to [1] or [2], wherein the counterbore hole (53) is an elongated hole extending in the direction of movement of the nut (52) that moves together with the terminal (15). The stand.
[4] The housing (13) includes a seal that is attached to the terminal insertion hole (31) and seals between the connection plate portion (65) of the terminal (15) and the terminal insertion hole (31). A member (41) is provided;
Any one of [1] to [3], characterized in that when the terminal (15) moves, the sealing member (41) remains in close contact with the connection plate (65). Terminal block described in .

11: Terminal block 13: Housing 15: Terminal 21: Fastening section 23: Assembly section 31: Terminal insertion hole 35: Nut accommodating recess (fastening member accommodating recess)
36: Nut (fastening member)
41: Seal member 51: Nut accommodating recess (connection member accommodating recess)
52: Nut (connection member)
53: Counterbore hole 61: Fastening plate part 65: Connection plate part C: Clearance H: Interlocking allowance

Claims (4)

A housing that is attached to a part to be attached, a side to which the part is attached is an assembly part, and a side opposite to the side to be attached to the part to be attached is a fastening part;
A fastening plate portion and a connecting plate portion are formed by being bent into an L shape, and the connecting plate portion is inserted into a terminal insertion hole formed across the fastening portion and the assembly portion in the housing. The terminal to be attached,
a fastening member accommodating recess formed at a position facing the fastening plate part in the fastening part of the housing;
a fastening member accommodated in the fastening member accommodating recess;
a connection member accommodating recess formed at a position facing the connection plate in the assembly portion of the housing;
a connection member accommodated in the connection member accommodation recess;
Equipped with
The connection member accommodating recess is provided with a clearance on the fastening portion side of the connection member, so that the connection member can be displaced together with the terminal;
A terminal block characterized by: An allowance for the fastening member in the fastening member accommodating recess is made larger than the clearance.
The terminal block according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting member is a nut to which a bolt is fastened,
A counterbore hole is formed at the bottom of the connection member housing recess, into which an end of the bolt screwed into the nut is inserted;
The counterbore hole is an elongated hole extending in a direction of movement of the nut that moves together with the terminal.
The terminal block according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that: The housing is provided with a sealing member that is attached to the terminal insertion hole and seals between the connection plate portion of the terminal and the terminal insertion hole,
When the terminal moves, the sealing member remains in close contact with the connection plate portion;
The terminal block according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that:

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