JPH1186836A - Connection tool for battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve waterproof functionality. SOLUTION: An installing part of a battery post P and a terminal 12 is waterproofed by bringing a seal part 20 of a covered cylinder part 16 into close contact with an upper surface of a battery B. Since the covered cylinder part 16 having the seal part 20 and the terminal 20 fixed to the battery post P are positioned in a normal installing position by the engagement of a projection (a positioning means) 22 and a recessed part (a positioning means 23, the seal part 20 and the battery post P are held coaxially. Therefore, the loss of sealing performance by axial dislocation of the seal part 20 can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector for connecting battery posts.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 shows a connecting device for connecting battery posts erected on the upper surface of a battery. The connecting device 1 includes a band-shaped conductive member 2 made of a braid, a rectangular plate-shaped terminal 3 fixed to both ends thereof, and a cover 4 that covers the terminal 3 and the conductive member 2. The terminal 3 has a mounting hole (not shown) fitted in the battery post P and fixed by a nut N, so that the battery posts P are connected to each other. Further, the cover 4 is formed of a soft resin material into a slender box shape whose entire lower surface is opened, is fitted from above, and is attached by locking the open edge 4A to the peripheral edge of the terminal 3. The cover 4 prevents the hand from contacting the battery post P and the conductive member 2, and is waterproof.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional connector 1, since the cover 4 is merely covered from above, it is possible to exhibit a sufficient waterproof function against water from below. There was a problem that it was not possible. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to improve a waterproof function.

[0004]

The invention according to claim 1 comprises a conductive member, a plurality of terminals fixed to ends of the conductive member, and a cover for covering the conductive member and the terminals. A battery connector in which the battery posts are connected by connecting the terminals to each other by fitting the terminals to the battery posts erected on the outer surface of the battery and fixing the terminals with nuts, wherein only one end of the battery cover is open. A closed tubular portion formed coaxially with the battery post is formed, and at the open end of the covered tubular portion, a seal portion is formed in a water-tight manner on the outer surface of the battery,
A fitting groove is formed on the inner periphery of the covered cylinder, and the peripheral edge of the terminal is displaced in a direction intersecting the axial direction with the covered cylinder and the terminal. The terminal and the cover-covered cylindrical portion are provided with positioning means capable of engaging with each other and holding both at a proper mounting position. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the positioning means includes a projection formed on the terminal,
It is characterized in that it is constituted by a concave portion formed in the covered cylindrical portion.

[0006]

Actions and effects of the present invention

<Invention of claim 1> The mounting portion of the battery post and the terminal is waterproofed by a covered cylindrical portion against water from above, and has a seal portion against water from side and below. Waterproofing is achieved by closely contacting the outer surface of the battery.
Further, since the covered cylinder having the seal portion and the terminal fixed to the battery post are held at the regular assembling positions by the positioning means, the covered cylinder and the battery post are held coaxially. Therefore, loss of sealing performance due to axis deviation of the seal portion is prevented.

<Invention of Claim 2> The positioning function is exhibited by the engagement of the projection of the terminal and the recess of the covered cylindrical portion.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

<First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The connector 10 of the present embodiment is for connecting the battery posts P erected on the upper surface of each of the plurality of batteries B, and includes a conductive member 11, terminals 12 and a cover 13. ing.

The conductive member 11 is formed into a band by braiding a metal wire into a braid, and is capable of bending and deforming.
When the conductive member 11 bends, the battery post P
Variations in the distance between them are absorbed. The terminals 12 are fixed to both ends of the conductive member 11 and have a plate shape having substantially the same cross section as the conductive member 11. At the center of the terminal 12, a mounting hole 14 to be fitted to the battery post P is formed. Terminal 1
2 has a substantially rectangular shape, and has a form in which the conductive member 11 extends from one side thereof.

The cover 13 includes a tube portion 15 that covers the conductive member 11 in a covering shape, and a covered cylindrical portion 16 provided at both ends of the tube portion 15. The covered cylindrical portion 16 is a circular cylindrical main body 1 integrally formed with the tube portion 15 by a rubber material.
7 and a hard resin cap 18 attached so as to close the opening at the upper end of the cylinder main body 17.
The cap 18 has a disk shape and has a cylindrical body 17
A fitting inner cylindrical portion 18A fitted inside the upper end portion and a fitting outer cylindrical portion 18B fitted outside the cylindrical main body 17 are formed.

A cap 1 is provided on the inner periphery of the upper end of the cylinder body 17.
A lip portion 19 which is elastically deformed and closely adheres to a watertight state is formed on the outer periphery of the lip 8. On the other hand, a concentric circular seal portion 20 which is elastically deformed with respect to the upper surface of the battery B and closely adheres to a watertight state is formed at a lower end edge of the cylindrical main body 17. The four corners 12 of the terminal 12 are provided on the inner circumference of the cylinder body 17.
A fitting groove 21 into which A is fitted is formed. The terminal 12 is fitted into the fitting groove 21 by sliding in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction. In a properly fitted state, the mounting hole 14 of the terminal 12 and the cylinder body 17 have a concentric positional relationship. .

In the present embodiment, means for positioning the terminal 12 and the cylinder body 17 at the concentric regular fitting position is provided. That is, on one side of the terminal 12 on the side of the conductive member 11, an arc-shaped protrusion (positioning means, which is a constituent feature of the present invention) 22 that projects obliquely upward from the center position toward the conductive member 11 is formed. A concave portion (positioning means, which is a constituent element of the present invention) 23 that allows the engagement of the projection 22 is formed on the inner periphery of 17.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, the assembly of the connection tool 10 will be described. The assembling is performed by fixing the conductive member 11 and the terminal 12 in advance and integrating them, inserting the conductive member 11 and the terminal 12 through the lower opening of one of the cylindrical bodies 17, and inserting the same into the tube portion 15. At this time, the opening of the cylinder main body 17 is made to expand against its elasticity. The terminal 12 on the tip side in the insertion direction is
The terminal 1 on the opposite side is fitted in the fitting groove 21 by sliding in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the cylinder main body 17.
2 is fitted into the fitting groove 21 by expanding and deforming the cylinder body 17.

At this time, the leading edge of the terminal 12 (the conductive member 1)
(The edge opposite to 1) against the deep end of the fitting groove 21 and the projection 22 is engaged with the recess 23. Thereby, the terminal 12 and the cylinder main body 17 are positioned in a regular fitting state in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction. As described above, the connecting member 10 is configured by integrating the conductive member 11, the terminal 12, and the cover 13. Such connecting device 10
Is inserted into the mounting hole 14 of the terminal 12 in the battery post P, a nut N is inserted through an opening at the upper end of the cylinder main body 17 and screwed into the battery post P.
And tighten the nut N. Thereafter, when the cap 18 is fitted into the opening at the upper end of the cylinder main body 17, the connection operation of the connecting tool 10 to the battery post P is completed, and the battery posts P are connected to each other.

In this state, the space between the lower end of the cylinder body 17 and the upper surface of the battery B is waterproofed by the seal portion 20. The gap between the upper end of the cylinder main body 17 and the cap 18 is waterproofed by the lip 19 of the cylinder main body 17. This prevents water from entering the inside of the covered cylinder 16. Further, the inside of the tube portion 15 is merely in communication with the inside of the tube main body 17 and there is no portion directly opening to the outside, so that the inside of the tube portion 15 is also waterproof.

In the waterproof structure between the lower end of the cylinder body 17 and the upper surface of the battery B, if the seal portion 20 is not located concentrically with the battery post P, the seal portion 2
0 may partially run on the enlarged diameter base portion Pa of the battery post P to leave a gap with the upper surface of the battery B. However, in the present embodiment, the sealing portion 20
And the terminal 12 fixed to the battery post P are positioned so as to be concentric with each other.
Are positioned concentrically with respect to. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the waterproof function from being impaired due to the misalignment of the seal portion 20 with respect to the battery post P.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the positioning means has a configuration different from that of the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of the structures, operations, and effects will be omitted. The positioning means of the second embodiment includes a pair of left and right projections 25 projecting obliquely outward and rearward from both ends of the edge of the terminal 12 on the conductive member 11 side, and a pair of left and right recesses 26 formed on the inner periphery of the cylinder body 17. And is constituted by. When the projection 25 is engaged with the concave portion 26, the terminal 12 and the cylinder main body 16 are positioned in a regular fitting state. As a result, the seal portion 20 is positioned concentrically with respect to the battery post P, so that the waterproof function is not impaired due to the misalignment of the seal portion 20.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the above embodiment, the case where the conductive member is a band-shaped braid has been described. However, according to the present invention, the conductive member can be formed in a form other than the band-shaped braid. (2) In the above embodiment, the covered cylinder portion is constituted by the cylinder main body portion and the cap which is a separate component. However, according to the present invention, the covered cylinder portion may be an integral component.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a state where a connection tool is removed from a battery post in a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a connecting tool is connected to a battery post in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a terminal and a conductive member according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state where a terminal connected to a battery post and a cover are positioned in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a terminal and a conductive member according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged horizontal sectional view showing a state where a terminal and a cover are positioned in the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 B ... Battery N ... Nut P ... Battery post 10 ... Connector 11 ... Conductive member 12 ... Terminal 16 ... Covered tubular part 20 ... Seal part 21 ... Fit groove 22 ... Protrusion (positioning means) 23 ... Recess (positioning means) 25 ... projections (positioning means) 26 ... recesses (positioning means)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hirokazu Ichikawa 1-7-10 Kikuzumi, Minami-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Harness Research Institute, Inc.

Claims (2)

[Claims] A conductive member, a plurality of terminals fixed to ends of the conductive member, and a cover for covering the conductive member and the terminals. A battery connector, in which terminals are fitted and fixed with a nut to connect the battery posts to each other, wherein the cover has only one end opened and is coaxially arranged with the battery post. A sealed portion is formed at the open end of the covered tube portion, and a seal portion that contacts the outer surface of the battery in a water-tight manner, and a fitting groove is formed on an inner periphery of the covered tube portion. Is formed, and the peripheral portion of the terminal is fitted into the fitting groove while being relatively displaced in a direction in which the covered cylindrical portion and the terminal intersect with the axial direction. The terminal and the front A battery connecting device, characterized in that a positioning means capable of holding the both at a proper assembling position by engaging with each other is provided on the covered cylinder portion. 2. The battery connector according to claim 1, wherein said positioning means comprises a projection formed on said terminal and a recess formed on said covered cylindrical portion.