JPH0313738Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to electrical indicating instruments such as fuel gauges and thermometers for automobiles, and particularly relates to terminal attachment devices for electrical wiring.

[Conventional technology]

A conventional technique for this type of device will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8.

The figure shows a fuel gauge for a vehicle, in which a lower bearing 2 is formed on a gauge support 1 made of an electrically insulating material, and two dial support parts 3 project upward from the gauge support 1. A plate 4 is installed on this dial support portion 3. The lower end of the pointer shaft 5 is rotatably supported by the bearing 2, and the upper end of the pointer shaft 5 is inserted through a small hole 4a formed in the plate 4 and rotatably supported. Above pointer shaft 5
The pointer 6 is press-fitted into the upper end of the
A lever 7 is fixed in the middle thereof, and a slit 8 is formed in the lever 7. A U-shaped bimetal 12 having a temperature compensating section 9 and a movable leg section 11 around which a heating wire 10 is wound is connected to the temperature compensating section 9.
Adjustment plate 1 with one end mounted on gauge support 1
3, a pin 14 is welded to the tip of the flexible leg 11 around which the hot wire 10 is wound, and this pin 14 is slidably engaged with the slit 8 of the lever 7 fixed to the pointer shaft 5. The movable leg portion 11 of the bimetal 12 curves in response to the amount of heat generated by the hot wire 10, rotates the lever 7, and points the pointer 6 on the scale of the dial 15 fixed to the dial support 3. That's what I do.

In such a fuel gauge, a plurality of terminals 16 are provided at the end of the gauge support 1 made of the electrically insulating material to which the ends of the hot wires 10 of the bimetal 12 are connected.

As shown in FIG. 8, this terminal 16 is formed with an engaging protrusion 17 protruding from its side wall, and
A threaded portion 18 is formed in the center of the terminal 16 board. Further, the electrically insulating gauge support 1 to which the terminals 16 are attached is formed with a plurality of recesses 19 into which the terminals 16 are press-fitted from above.
An engaging portion 20 that engages with the engaging protrusion 17 of the terminal 16 to prevent it from coming off is protrudingly provided on the inner circumferential side wall of the terminal 16, and a gauge support body corresponding to the threaded portion 18 formed on the terminal 16. An insertion hole 21 is formed on the bottom of the recess 19 of 1.
is formed. A printed wiring board 25 is fixed to the outer bottom surface of the meter body 22 that houses the electrical indicator, and an insertion hole 23 is formed in the bottom surface of the meter body 22 and the wiring board 25 concentrically with the insertion hole 21. A screw 24 is screwed into the threaded portion 18 of the terminal 16 from the wiring board side through the insertion hole 23 and the insertion hole 21, and an electric circuit to be routed and wired to the outside is connected.

[The problem that the idea aims to solve]

However, in the conventional device described above, if there is a dimensional error in each component, the threaded portion 1 of one terminal 16
When trying to fix the gauge support 1 to the meter body 22 by screwing the screw 24 into the terminal 8 and then screwing the threaded portion 18 of the other terminal 16 into the screw 24,
Misalignment occurs between the threaded part 18 and screw insertion hole 21 of the other terminal and the screw insertion hole 23 of the meter body 22, and in this state of screw hole misalignment, it is difficult to force the other screw 24. If they were fitted together, the gauge support 1 and the meter body would be deformed, causing an error in the gauge reading of the electrical indicator.

Additionally, the joint between the gauge support 1 and the meter body 22 may be uneven, creating a gap between them. If the screws are tightened in this condition, the tightening force of the screws 24 will The gauge support 1 and the main body 22 were sometimes deformed, causing errors in the gauge readings of the electrical indicator.

Therefore, the present invention has been developed in view of the above points, and it is possible to fix the terminal on the gauge support without causing deformation of the gauge support or the meter body even if there is a misalignment or gap, and to fix the terminal on the gauge support. It is an object of the present invention to provide a terminal attachment device for an electrical indicating meter, which enables electrical connection between the terminal and the wiring of the meter body.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the terminal attachment device for an electrical indicator according to the present invention is provided by attaching a terminal to an end of a gauge support made of an electrically insulating material that holds a pointer, etc.
By engaging the terminal to which the wiring routed from the meter body is connected, and by screwing the screw that passes through the meter body and the gauge support into the threaded part of the terminal, the terminal is fixed on the gauge support, In an electrical indicating meter that electrically connects a terminal to the wiring of a meter body, a terminal holder that holds the terminal can be moved in a screw threading direction and in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the screw threading direction. It is characterized in that it is supported on a gauge support via an elastic member.

[Effect]

In the above configuration, the terminal holder that holds the terminal is supported on the gauge support by an elastic member, and the terminal holder is movable in the screw threading direction and in the horizontal direction perpendicular to this, so that each component Even if there is a dimensional error in the terminal and the gauge support moves from its original position when you try to screw the screw into the threaded part of the terminal to fix the gauge support to the meter body, the elastic member will bend. Since the terminal holder and the terminals held therein can be moved horizontally, the threaded part of the terminal and the screws in the meter body can be inserted without applying excessive force to deform the gauge support or meter body. The screws inserted through the screw insertion holes of the meter body can be screwed into the threaded portions of the terminals by aligning the holes with the holes.

In addition, even if there is a gap between the case support and the meter body, the elastic member will bend when the screws are tightened and only the terminal holder will be aligned with the top surface of the meter body, so unreasonable force will be applied to the gauge support. It does not add to or deform the meter body.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of essential parts of an embodiment of the present invention.
The terminal attachment portion of the gauge support 1 is shown.

U-shaped notch 3 at the upper end of the gauge support 1
0 is formed, and an elastic member 31 is inserted into this notch 30.
The terminal holder 32 is supported at three ends. The elastic member 31 has a thin curved cross section and is integrally molded together with the terminal holder 32 and the gauge support 1 from a synthetic resin material.

The terminal holder 32 has a recess 19 for storing the terminal, and the upper, lower, and one side of the recess 19 are open.
a pair of shelves 19b formed at the lower part of the peripheral wall 19a;
A pair of engaging pieces 1 formed on both sides of the upper part of the peripheral wall 19a
The terminal 16 is held between the holding piece 9c and the holding piece 19d.

The terminal 16 has an upright piece 16a at the rear end for connection to the hot wire 10, a threaded part 18 at the center, a pair of notches 16b on both sides, and a rectangular hole near the base of the upright piece 16a. Rotation regulating portions 16c are provided respectively, and are integrally molded from conductive metal.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal mounting part, including the gauge support 1, the meter body 22, and the printed wiring board 25.
A screw 24 inserted from below through the terminal holder 32 engages with the threaded portion 18 of the terminal 16 through the lower opening of the terminal holder 32, thereby holding the terminal 16 in the recess 19. In this case, the terminal holder 32 is movably supported vertically and horizontally by the elastic member 31, and even if there is a positional shift or a gap between the gauge support 1 and the meter main body 22, the elastic member 31 bends. Since the terminal 16 and the screw 24 can be screwed together without difficulty, and the gap can be absorbed, the gauge support 1, the meter body 22, etc. are not deformed.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the terminal mounting part, and shows the terminal 16.
The external shape is similar to that of the recess 19, and the dimensions are somewhat smaller. Therefore, as can be seen from the figure, terminal 1
Some gap 34 is created between the outer circumferential portion of the recess 19 and the inner circumferential wall 19a of the recess 19. Further, such a gap also similarly exists between the engagement piece 19c for preventing the terminal 16 from coming off and the terminal notch 16b. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the engaging piece 19c functions as a flexible piece having a protrusion 19e with a hemispherical cross section on its lower surface to prevent the terminal 16 installed in the recess 19 from falling off. A gap 35 is created between the edges. The width of these gaps 34 and 35 is preferably 1/2 or less of the diameter of the screw 24 or the inner diameter d of the threaded portion 18.

FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the engagement portion between the rotation restricting portion 16c of the terminal 16 and the rotation restricting protrusion 33. As shown in FIG. As can be seen from the figure, the rotation regulating portion 16c is a rectangular hole, and the rotation regulating protrusion 33 is a rectangular pin at the tip, and the two are relatively tightly fitted, so that the terminal 16 rotates when the screw 24 is screwed. At the same time, the terminal 16 is directly positioned and temporarily fixed to the meter case 1 without using the terminal holder 32 that is elastically supported by the gauge support 1.

Next, the procedure for attaching the terminal 16 will be explained.

When attaching the terminal 16, first insert the semicircular tip of the terminal 16 through the side opening of the recess 19. As a result, the engagement piece 19c having the protrusion 19e is slightly bent upward, allowing the terminal to enter while the protrusion 19e slides on the upper surface of the terminal 16. In this case, the protrusion 19e
Since it is hemispherical, it will not damage the terminal or gauge support. When the terminal 16 is fully inserted, the protrusion 19e falls into the notch 16b of the terminal 16, and the terminal 16 is prevented from falling off while being held vertically by the shelf 19b, the holding piece 19d, and the engaging piece 19c. Retained.

Next, place the gauge support 1 on the meter body 22,
When the rotation regulating protrusion 33 and the rotation regulating part 16c are fitted and positioned, the screw 24 is inserted from below the meter main body 22, and the screw 24 is fixed to the threaded part of the terminal 16, the terminal 16 is inserted into the recess 19. The gauge support 1 and the meter body 2 are securely fixed to each other.
2 is fixed. At this time, if there is a dimensional error in each component, a positional deviation will occur between the gauge support 1 and the meter body 22, but the terminal 16 and the recess 19
Since there are gaps 34 and 35 between the terminal 16 and the peripheral wall of the recess 19, the displacement of the terminal 16 can be absorbed by the movement of the terminal 16 within the recess 19. Therefore, the screw 24 is inserted into the screw insertion hole 23.
When screwing into the threaded portion 18 of the terminal 16 through the thread, excessive force may be applied to the gauge support 1 and the meter body 2.
2 will not be deformed.

Further, when screwing the screw 24 into the terminal 16, the terminal 16 is connected to the shelf 19b, the engaging piece 19c, and the holding piece 19.
d prevents floating and holds it in a horizontal state, allowing for smooth screwing.
Furthermore, since the rotation of the screw is prevented by the rotation regulating protrusion 33 when tightening the screw, the recess 19 (terminal holder 32) is not subjected to any force that would cause it to twist. Therefore, the gauge support 1 itself is not subjected to torsional force, and there is little possibility that an error in the indication of the gauge provided on the gauge support 1 will occur.

Further, since the terminal holder 32 is supported by the gauge support 1 by the elastic member 32, the terminal 16 can be moved to the gauge support by moving the terminal holder 1 in the horizontal direction due to the bending of the elastic member 31. 1
Since it can be moved relative to the gauge support 1 without applying excessive force to the gauge support 1, the above-mentioned positional deviation can be absorbed.
Even when there is dimensional variation in the height of the receiving surface and a gap is formed between the gauge support 1 and the meter body 22, this gap can be absorbed by the elastic member 31 being bent.

Therefore, the screw 24 and the terminal 16 can be screwed together without any force, and the gauge support 1, the meter body 22, etc. will not be deformed, and errors in the gauge indication of the electrical indicator can be prevented. I can do it.

When disassembling for repair, remove the screws 24, separate the gauge support 1 from the meter body 22, and then forcefully pull out the terminal 16 from the recess 19.
e comes off from the notch 16b, and the terminal 16 falls off.

Although the elastic member 31 is molded integrally with the terminal holder 32 and the gauge support 1 from synthetic resin, it is not necessarily limited to this.
It can also be constructed from a separate member such as a rubber material or a metal spring.

Further, the rotation restricting protrusion 33 for preventing rotation of the terminal and the rotation restricting portion 16c fitted therein do not necessarily have to be rectangular as described above, but can be appropriately deformed into a circular shape or other various shapes.

[Effect of idea]

As described above, in the present invention, even if there is a dimensional error in each component and the gauge support is displaced from its original position, the terminal holder and the terminals held therein are fixed by the deflection of the elastic member. It can be moved horizontally, and the threaded part of the terminal can be aligned with the screw insertion hole of the meter body, and the screw can be inserted into the threaded part of the terminal without applying excessive force or deforming the gauge support or meter body. They can be screwed together, and even if there is a gap between the gauge support and the meter body, no excessive force will be applied to the gauge support or the meter body when tightening the screws and deform them. No errors occur in gauge readings.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a top view of the terminal mounting part, Figure 4 is a partial sectional view showing the terminal fall prevention structure, Figure 5 is a partial sectional view showing the terminal positioning part, and Figure 6 is a partial sectional view showing the terminal positioning part. 7 is a sectional view of the conventional example shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a terminal mounting portion of the conventional device. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Gauge support body, 6... Pointer, 16... Terminal, 16b... Notch, 16c... Rotation regulating part, 1
8...Threaded part, 19...Recessed part, 19a...Peripheral wall,
19b...shelf, 19c...engaging piece, 19d...pressing piece, 19e...protrusion, 22...meter body, 2
3...Insertion hole, 24...Screw, 30...Notch,
31...Elastic member, 32...Terminal holder, 33...
...Rotation regulating protrusion, 34...Gap, 35...Gap.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A terminal to which wiring routed from the meter body is connected is connected to the end of a gauge support made of electrically insulating material that holds a pointer, etc., and the meter body and gauge support are inserted. In an electrical indicating instrument, the terminal is fixed on the gauge support by screwing the screw into the threaded part of the terminal, and the terminal is electrically connected to the wiring of the meter body. 1. A terminal mounting device characterized in that a terminal holder is supported on a gauge support via an elastic member so as to be movable in a screw threading direction and in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the screw threading direction.