KR102454334B1 - A Actuator assembly for electromechanical parking brake - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic parking brake actuator. The present invention is a housing shielded by a cover and having an installation space therein, a motor assembly installed in the installation space of the housing and mounted therein, a motor installed in the installation space, and connected to the motor assembly A gear assembly that converts and outputs the rotation direction and speed of the motor, is provided in the motor assembly and assembled with a power connector, one side is electrically connected to the external terminal of the power connector, and the other side is a motor terminal provided in the motor and a connector part having a built-in connector terminal electrically connected to and a connection clip 40 surrounding the connector terminal and the motor terminal so that the connector terminal and the motor terminal are in close contact with each other.

Description

A actuator assembly for electromechanical parking brake

The present invention relates to an actuator that performs an electronic parking brake operation, and more particularly, to an electronic parking brake actuator electrically connecting a connector terminal installed inside the actuator and a motor terminal.

An electronic parking brake actuator of a vehicle operates a friction pad installed on a caliper of a disc brake device when parking. The electronic parking brake operates automatically through the user's switch operation, and for this purpose, it consists of an electronic parking brake motor and a gear assembly (power transmission device) for transmitting the power of the motor.

In a form in which the electronic parking brake is used, when the driver presses the parking brake switch, the rotational force of the motor of the actuator is transmitted to the input shaft of the caliper through a gear assembly (power transmission device) such as a reduction device. When the input shaft receiving the power is rotated, the pressure connection sleeve advances, and the piston and the caliper housing accommodating it move toward each other by the advancement of the connection sleeve. In addition, the two friction pads mounted on the piston and the caliper housing press on both sides of the disk to restrain it from rotating, thereby achieving parking.

Power is applied to the actuator from the outside, and a connector for receiving power is installed on one side of the actuator. There is a connector terminal in the connector part, and the connector terminal is coupled with the motor terminal connected to the motor to receive power. At this time, the connector terminal and the motor terminal are joined by welding, and generally spot or projection welding is used.

In this way, the coupling and energization of the two terminals of the actuator is made by a welding process. If a welding defect occurs, the energization between the two terminals is not smooth, so there is a problem in that the operation reliability of the actuator is deteriorated. That is, since the coupling between the two terminals is performed only by the welding process, if welding is not performed accurately, there is no structure to compensate for this.

In addition, the size or position of the terminal may be changed depending on the type of actuator, and in this case, the conditions for welding the two terminals will also be changed. Therefore, since the setting and preparation for the welding process must be changed each time, there is a problem that the efficiency of the welding process is lowered.

In addition, a welding electrode is used for welding between the two terminals, and the welding electrode must be replaced at regular intervals. Accordingly, there is a disadvantage that not only the operation for the welding process becomes complicated, but also the welding cost increases.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0092198

The present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and an object of the present invention is to connect between a connector terminal and a motor terminal using a connecting clip, thereby omitting a welding process.

Another object of the present invention is to enable the connection clip to wrap and fix the two terminals in the process of assembling the cover of the actuator.

According to a feature of the present invention for achieving the above object, the present invention is a motor that is shielded by a cover, has a housing having an installation space therein, is installed in the installation space of the housing, and the motor is mounted therein an assembly, a gear assembly installed in the installation space and connected to the motor assembly to convert and output the rotation direction and speed of the motor; A connector part electrically connected to an external terminal and having a connector terminal electrically connected to the motor terminal provided in the motor on the opposite side thereof, and wrapping the connector terminal and the motor terminal so that the connector terminal and the motor terminal are in close contact with each other Includes connecting clip.

The connection clip surrounds at least a portion of the contact portion between the connector terminal and the motor terminal, and tightens the contact portion of the connector terminal and the motor terminal to bring them into close contact with each other.

The connection clip is provided on the cover, and when the cover is assembled to the housing, the contact part between the connector terminal and the motor terminal is fitted to the connection clip.

The connecting clip is embedded in the cover by an insert injection method.

The connection clip is opened in the direction of the contact portion between the connector terminal and the motor terminal, and a pressing space in which at least a portion of the contact portion is accommodated is inside the connection clip.

A pressing protrusion protrudes from the connecting clip toward a pressing space in which the connector terminal and the motor terminal are accommodated.

The pressing protrusion extends along the longitudinal direction of the pressing space and has a semicircular cross-section.

The pressing protrusions protrude from both inner surfaces of the pressing space toward the pressing space, respectively.

The pressing protrusions are provided symmetrically to each other on both inner surfaces of the pressing space.

The pressing protrusions are alternately provided on both inner surfaces of the pressing space.

The outer surface of the connecting clip has a depression in the shape of being depressed in the direction of the pressing space of the connecting clip.

The connecting clip is accommodated in a clip frame that protrudes from the cover toward the installation space of the housing, and the connecting clip is fixed to the clip frame in a state in which the inlet of the pressing space of the connecting clip is exposed.

As discussed above, the electronic parking brake actuator according to the present invention has the following effects.

In the present invention, two terminals constituting the actuator, ie, a connector terminal and a motor terminal, are inserted into the connecting clip to be in close contact with each other. Since the connecting clip closely connects the two terminals to conduct electricity, there is no need for a separate welding process to connect the two terminals. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a problem in which electricity is not energized between the two terminals due to poor welding, and there is an effect of increasing the operation reliability of the actuator.

And in the present invention, since the welding process is replaced by a simple process of inserting two terminals with a connecting clip, there is an advantage that equipment and facilities for welding can be omitted.

In addition, since the welding process is omitted in the present invention, the production speed of the actuator can be further increased, and there is an effect that the assembly productivity of the actuator is improved.

In particular, since the connecting clip of the present invention is built into the cover and the two terminals are naturally fitted into the connecting clip during the assembly process between the housing and the cover, there is no need for a separate operation for energizing the two terminals in close contact. Accordingly, the number of assembling man-hours can be reduced and productivity can be increased, and there is an effect of automating the assembly of the actuator.

And, since the connection clip in the present invention is insert-injected into the cover, the two terminals do not directly touch the cover. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the cover from being deformed or damaged by the heat generated between the two terminals, and as a result, the effect of improving the durability of the actuator can also be obtained.

In addition, in the present invention, a pressing protrusion protrudes from the connecting clip to press the two terminals in a direction closer to each other. Therefore, the energization reliability between the two terminals can be further increased, which has the effect of leading to the operation reliability of the actuator.

1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an embodiment of an electronic parking brake actuator according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of Figure 1 by disassembling the cover.
Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of Figure 1 by cutting a portion of the housing and the cover.
4 is a perspective view showing a coupling structure between the brush card and two terminals constituting the embodiment of FIG. 1;
5 is an enlarged perspective view of the coupling structure between the two terminals in FIG. 4;
Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the connection clip constituting the embodiment of Figure 1;
7 (a) and 7 (b) are plan views showing the configuration of different embodiments of the connecting clip constituting the embodiment of Figure 1;

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. In adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even though they are indicated on different drawings. In addition, in describing the embodiment of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function interferes with the understanding of the embodiment of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in describing the components of the embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the elements from other elements, and the essence, order, or order of the elements are not limited by the terms. When it is described that a component is “connected”, “coupled” or “connected” to another component, the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but between each component another component It will be understood that may also be "connected", "coupled" or "connected".

The terminal assembly of the electronic parking brake actuator (hereinafter referred to as 'actuator') according to the present invention generates a large rotational force by decelerating the driving of the motor, and transmits it to the outside to realize the electronic parking brake function. plays a role To this end, the terminal assembly of the electronic parking brake actuator of the present invention is composed of a motor terminal 25 on the motor side and a connector terminal 15 on the connector side for transmitting external power. The terminal assembly described below will refer to these motor terminals 25 and connector terminals 15 .

First, referring to FIG. 1 , the housing of the actuator is formed by a lower case 11 and a cover 30 , and the lower case 11 and the cover 30 are coupled to each other to form an entire external skeleton. Here, the lower case 11 can be divided into a motor housing and a gear housing again. In this embodiment, the motor housing and the gear housing are integrally formed. When the lower case 11 and the cover 30 are combined, both the motor and the gear assembly are shielded, and only the connector part 13 for power supply and the final output shaft (not shown) are exposed to the outside. Reference numeral 22 denotes a bracket for mounting the actuator.

A mating connector (not shown) is coupled to the connector part 13 . When the mating connector is coupled to the connector part 13 , the connector terminal 15 in the connector part 13 is coupled to the terminal of the mating connector and electrically connected. Here, the connector terminal 15 is a male terminal and the terminal of the counterpart connector is configured as a female terminal, and vice versa. The description of the connector terminal 15 will be given again below.

The motor assembly 10 is installed inside the lower case 11 of the actuator, and the motor assembly 10 includes a yoke (not shown) provided in the lower case 11 and an armature core 17 . The yoke has a rotating space, and a stationary magnet 16 is installed on its inner circumferential surface. And the armature core 17 is rotatably installed in the inside surrounded by the stationary magnet 16 . The stator magnet 16 provides a magnetic force for rotating the armature core 17 . The armature core 17 and the shaft 14 (refer to FIG. 4) are inserted into the rotation space, and the brush card assembly 20 is coupled to the upper portion of the rotation space. One end of the shaft 14 is exposed upward through the brush card assembly 20, and the pinion gear 18 is coupled to the exposed portion to transmit the rotational force toward the gear assembly.

A brush (not shown) is provided in the brush card assembly 20, and the brush is connected to a choke coil (not shown). Power is supplied to the brush card assembly 20 in the order of the terminal assemblies 15 and 25 - the choke coil - the brush - the commutator - the armature core 15, so that the motor can be rotated. For reference, reference numeral 23 denotes a structure for hanging a part of the capacitor for grounding, and reference numeral 24 denotes a part of the brush holder for fixing the brush.

On the other hand, the pinion gear 18 is connected to the gear assembly, the gear assembly serves to convert and output the rotation direction and speed of the motor. The gear assembly may include, for example, an idle gear, a final gear, and a planetary gear set. For reference, reference numeral S denotes a gear installation space in which the gear assembly is installed, but the gear assembly is shown in a omitted state.

Referring to FIG. 2 , there are terminal assemblies 15 and 25 on the upper part of the motor assembly 10 adjacent to the connector part 13 . The terminal assembly (15, 25) is composed of a connector terminal (15) and a motor terminal (25). The connector terminal 15 is a terminal provided in the connector unit 13 described above, and the motor terminal 25 is a terminal installed in the brush card assembly 20 to transmit power to the motor. To this end, both terminals 15 and 25 are made of a metal material having high electrical conductivity, and at least some of them are bonded to each other.

3 to 5, the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25 are each composed of two. In addition, at least a part of the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25 is connected to each other to conduct electricity. In this case, the external power source - the terminal of the external connector - the connector terminal 15 of the connector part 13 - the power supply can be connected in the order of the motor terminal 25 . The figure shows the connection between the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25 among these connection structures.

The connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25 have similar structures. Referring to FIG. 4 with reference to the connector terminal 15, the connector terminal 15 is composed of a connection part 15B and a first contact part 15A. The connecting portion 15B is a portion extending in the horizontal direction, and the first adhesive portion 15A is bent on one side thereof. The connection part 15B is a part fixed to the connector part 13 and may be a part embedded in the connector part 13 through insert injection. The connecting portion 15B and the first contact portion 15A are made of one base material and are integrally formed. At the end of the connecting portion 15B corresponding to the opposite side of the first bonding portion 15A, a connecting portion 15C for connection with the counterpart terminal is bent.

Meanwhile, the motor terminal 25 also has the same structure as the connector terminal 15 . That is, the motor terminal 25 is also composed of a connection portion and a second adhesion portion 25A, and the connection portion may be insert-injected into the brush card assembly 20 . However, in the drawing, most of the motor terminal 25 except for the second adhesion portion 25A is built in the brush card assembly 20 and is not exposed to the outside.

The first and second adhesion portions 15A and 25A are bent in directions perpendicular to each other from the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25, and accordingly, the first adhesion portion 15A and the second adhesion portion 25A The contact portion 25A may be exposed upwardly. In addition, the first bonding portion 15A of the connector terminal 15 and the second bonding portion 25A of the motor terminal 25 face each other in a state exposed to the upper portion of the connector assembly.

That is, the first and second adhesion portions 15A and 25A of the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25 protrude above the motor assembly 10, respectively, and the motor assembly 10 and When the cover 30 coupled to the upper portion of the gear assembly is removed, the first and second adhesion portions 15A and 25A are exposed to the outside. In this state, the first contact portion 15A of the connector terminal 15 and the second contact portion 25A of the motor terminal 25 can be easily coupled. Their assembly process will be described in detail below.

2 and 3 , the cover 30 is provided with a clip frame 35 toward the lower case 11 . The clip frame 35 protrudes toward the lower case 11 , and a connection clip 40 is installed therein. The connection clip 40 is accommodated in the clip frame 35 protruding from the cover 30 toward the installation space of the lower case 11, and the inlet of the pressing space 42 of the connection clip 40 is exposed. In this state, the connection clip 40 is fixed to the clip frame 35 .

The connection clip 40 surrounds the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25 so that the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25 are in close contact with each other. That is, the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25 are inserted into the pressing space 42 of the connection clip 40 to be in close contact with each other. The connection clip 40 brings these connector terminals 15 and the motor terminals 25 into close contact so that electricity can be applied thereto.

To this end, the connection clip 40 surrounds at least a portion of the first adhesion portion 15A of the connector terminal 15 and the second adhesion portion 25A of the motor terminal 25 . In this embodiment, the connection clip 40 is provided on the cover 30 , and when the cover 30 is assembled to the lower case 10 , the connector terminal 15 and the motor are attached to the connection clip 40 . A terminal 25 may be fitted. That is, since the two terminals 15 and 25 are naturally fitted into the connection clip 40 in the assembly process between the lower case 11 and the cover 30, there is a separate method for energizing the two terminals 15 and 25 in close contact. No work required.

In this embodiment, the connection clip 40 is built into the cover 30 by an insert injection method. Rather than assembling the connecting clip 40 to the cover 30 , the connecting clip 40 is embedded in the cover 30 through insert injection. Of course, unlike this, the connecting clip 40 may be inserted into the clip frame 35 in an assembling manner.

The connecting clip 40 may be made of a metal material having high electrical conductivity or a non-metal material. Preferably, the connection clip 40 is made of a material with high heat resistance, so that it is not deformed by heat generated between the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25 . In this way, it is possible to prevent the connection clip 40 from being deformed or damaged by the heat generated between the two terminals 15 and 25 . At this time, in this embodiment, since the two terminals 15 and 25 do not directly contact the cover 30 , thermal damage to the cover 30 is prevented.

5 and 6, the connection clip 40 has a substantially hexahedral three-dimensional shape, and the pressurizing space 42 is opened therein. The first contact portion 15A and the second contact portion 25A of the two terminals 15 and 25 are fitted in the open space to conduct electricity with each other. For reference, the connecting clip 40 is actually built into the cover 30, but for better understanding, the cover 30 is omitted in FIGS. 4 and 5 and the connecting clip 40 is connected to the two terminals 15 and 25. ) is shown in a wrapped form.

A pressing protrusion 45 protrudes from the connecting clip 40 toward the pressing space 42 in which the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25 are accommodated. The pressing protrusion 45 is for pressing the outer surfaces of the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25, and presses the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25 in a direction in which they are in close contact with each other. .

In this embodiment, the pressing protrusion 45 extends along the longitudinal direction of the pressing space 42 and has a semi-circular cross-section. In contrast, the pressing protrusion 45 may have various shapes. For example, the pressing protrusion 45 may extend in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the pressing space 42 , that is, in the left and right directions based on the drawing, or may have a cross section of various polygons rather than a semicircle.

The pressing protrusions 45 protrude toward the pressing space 42 from both inner surfaces of the pressing space 42 , respectively. In this way, the pressing protrusions 45 protruding from both inner surfaces of the pressing space 42 into the pressing space 42, respectively, press the outer surface of the connector terminal 15 on one side, and the motor terminal 25 on the other side. You can press the outside of In this embodiment, there are two pressing protrusions 45 on one inner surface of the pressing space 42 and two on the opposite inner surface of the pressing space 42, and there may be three or more or only one, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 7( a ), the pressing protrusions 45 are provided symmetrically to each other on both inner surfaces of the pressing space 42 . When the pressing protrusions 45 have a symmetrical structure, the two terminals 15 and 25 can be uniformly pressed from both sides to be fixed. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 7( b ), the pressing protrusions 45 are provided alternately on both inner surfaces of the pressing space 42 . When the pressing protrusions 45 are alternately arranged in this way, the two terminals 15 and 25 can be pressed at more points and the contact surface can be widened.

On the other hand, the outer surface of the connection clip 40 has a recessed portion (46). The recessed part 46 is made in a shape recessed in the direction of the pressing space 42 of the connection clip 40 . When the lower cover 30 is injection-molded, the recessed portion 46 may be filled with an injection molding, thereby increasing the bonding force between the cover 30 and the connecting clip 40 . In addition, the recessed portion 46 may also serve to increase the heat dissipation area by increasing the contact area between the cover 30 and the connection clip 40 . Unlike the present embodiment, a portion of the cover 30 may not be filled in the recessed part 46 , and the recessed part 46 may be left as an empty space for heat dissipation.

Hereinafter, a process in which the terminal assembly of the electronic parking brake actuator according to the present invention is closely attached will be described.

In FIG. 2 , the cover 30 is shown in a state separated from the lower case 11 . In this state, the cover 30 is assembled to the lower case 11, and the assembly may be made by thermal fusion or laser fusion, or by a separate fastener.

At this time, the cover 30 has a built-in connection clip 40 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the connecting clip 40 is embedded in the cover 30 with the inlet of the pressurized space 42 of the connecting clip 40 exposed. And a part of the connector terminal 15 and the motor terminal 25, more precisely, the first bonding portion 15A of the connector terminal 15 and the second bonding portion 25A of the motor terminal 25 are They face each other and are somewhat close to each other.

When the cover 30 is assembled to the lower case 11 in this state, the first adhesion portion 15A of the two terminals 15 and 25 through the inlet of the pressing space 42 of the connection clip 40 ) And the second adhesion portion (25A) is inserted into the pressing space (42). And when the cover 30 is completely assembled to the lower case 11, it is in a state as shown in FIG. 3, and the first and second adhesion parts 15A and 25A of the two terminals 15 and 25 are It is completely fitted into the connecting clip (40).

When the first contact portion 15A and the second contact portion 25A of the two terminals 15 and 25 are fitted to the connection clip 40, the two terminals 15 and 25, that is, the connector terminal 15 and The motor terminals 25 are completely in close contact with each other. In this way, since the connecting clip 40 closely connects the two terminals 15 and 25 to conduct electricity, a separate welding process for coupling the two terminals 15 and 25 is not required. In particular, since the connection clip 40 is built into the cover 30 and the two terminals 15 and 25 are naturally fitted into the connection clip 40 during the assembly process of the cover 30, the two terminals 15 and 25 are connected to each other. There is no need for a separate operation to connect and energize.

And, when the first contact portion 15A and the second adhesion portion 25A of the two terminals 15 and 25 are fitted to the connection clip 40, the pressing protrusion 45 of the connection clip 40 is The two terminals 15 and 25 are maintained in a state of being pressed in a direction closer to each other. Therefore, the power between the two terminals 15 and 25 may be more strongly adhered to each other.

In the above, even though all components constituting the embodiment according to the present invention have been described as being combined or operated in combination as one, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this embodiment. That is, within the scope of the object of the present invention, all the components may operate by selectively combining one or more. In addition, terms such as "include", "compose" or "have" described above mean that the corresponding component may be inherent unless otherwise stated, so excluding other components Rather, it should be construed as being able to include other components further. All terms, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. Terms commonly used, such as those defined in the dictionary, should be interpreted as being consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art, and are not interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present invention.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical spirit of the present invention, and various modifications and variations will be possible without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, but to explain, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be construed by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent range should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

10: motor assembly 11: lower case
13: connector part 15: connector terminal
25: motor terminal 30: cover
40: connecting clip

Claims (12)

The housing is shielded by a cover and has an installation space therein;
a motor assembly installed in the installation space of the housing and having a motor mounted therein;
a gear assembly installed in the installation space and connected to the motor assembly to convert and output the rotation direction and speed of the motor;
a connector part provided in the motor assembly and assembled with a power connector, one end electrically connected to an external terminal of the power connector and the other end having a connector terminal electrically connected to the motor terminal provided in the motor;
a connection clip surrounding the connector terminal and the motor terminal so that the connector terminal and the motor terminal are in close contact with each other;
An electronic parking brake actuator in which a pressing protrusion protrudes from the connection clip toward a pressing space in which the connector terminal and the motor terminal are accommodated.
The electronic parking brake actuator of claim 1, wherein the connection clip surrounds at least a portion of a contact portion between the connector terminal and the motor terminal, and tightens the contact portion of the connector terminal and the motor terminal to closely contact each other.
The electronic parking brake actuator according to claim 1, wherein the connection clip is provided on the cover, and when the cover is assembled to the housing, a contact portion between the connector terminal and the motor terminal is fitted to the connection clip.
The electronic parking brake actuator according to claim 1, wherein the connection clip is built into the cover by an insert injection method.
The electronic parking brake actuator according to claim 1, wherein the connection clip is opened in a direction of a contact portion between the connector terminal and the motor terminal, and a pressurizing space in which at least a portion of the contact portion is accommodated is located inside the connection clip.
The electronic parking brake actuator according to claim 1, wherein the pressing protrusion extends along the longitudinal direction of the pressing space and has a semicircular cross-section.
The electronic parking brake actuator of claim 1, wherein the pressing protrusions protrude from both inner surfaces of the pressing space toward the pressing space, respectively.
The electronic parking brake actuator of claim 1, wherein the pressing protrusions are provided symmetrically on both inner surfaces of the pressing space.
The electronic parking brake actuator according to claim 1, wherein the pressing protrusions are provided to be staggered from each other on both inner surfaces of the pressing space.
The electronic parking brake actuator as set forth in claim 1 , wherein an outer surface of the connecting clip has a depression having a shape that is depressed in the direction of the pressing space of the connecting clip.
The electronic type according to claim 1, wherein the connection clip is accommodated in a clip frame protruding from the cover toward the installation space of the housing, and the connection clip is fixed to the clip frame in a state in which an inlet of the pressing space of the connection clip is exposed. parking brake actuator.
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