WO2022181620A1

WO2022181620A1 - Connector pair

Info

Publication number: WO2022181620A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/007302
Authority: WO
Inventors: 福田勇夫; 伊藤慶一; 工藤康行; 青木正義
Original assignee: 本田技研工業株式会社
Priority date: 2021-02-25
Filing date: 2022-02-22
Publication date: 2022-09-01
Also published as: JPWO2022181620A1

Abstract

A male terminal (52a) has a tapered section (62). The tapered section has a first taper angle (α). A first clamp part (132a) and a second clamp part (132b) of a female terminal (112a) respectively have formed therein a first contact section (136a) and a second contact section (136b). The first clamp part and the second clamp part respectively have receiving end parts (134a, 134b) that extend from the first contact section and the second contact section. The receiving end parts approach each other toward the first contact section and the second contact section at a second taper angle (β). The first taper angle is smaller than the second taper angle.

Description

connector pair

The present invention relates to connector pairs. More specifically, the connector pair comprises a male connector and a female connector. A female connector has a female terminal, and a male terminal constituting the male connector is detachably inserted into the female terminal.

A connector pair electrically connects electrical devices to each other. That is, one electrical device is provided with a male connector and the other electrical device is provided with a female connector. 2. Description of the Related Art When connecting electrical equipment, male terminals forming a male connector are inserted into female terminals forming a female connector. A combination of a battery pack and a charger (or an external load) can be cited as a typical combination of electrical equipment.

In the connector pair described in JP-A-2014-82111, the male terminal has a flat plate shape with a tapered tip. In the connector pair, the female terminal has a plurality of elastic contact pieces. As shown particularly in FIGS. 5 and 11 of JP-A-2014-82111, two adjacent elastic contact pieces are provided with contact portions that contact the male terminals at portions facing each other. . In the natural state before the male terminal is passed between the contact portions, the distance between the contact portions is smaller than the plate thickness of the male terminal. When the side where the male terminal starts to be inserted into the female terminal is defined as the upstream side, the upstream side of the contact portion is tapered in a direction away from the contact portion.

In other words, the upstream side of the contact portion widens in a tapered shape. The tapered tip of the male terminal enters from this tapered widened portion, widens the contact portion, and is inserted into the internal space between the elastic contact pieces. The contact portion attempts to return to its natural state due to its elastic action. This brings the contact portion into contact with the male terminal. As a result, the female terminal and the male terminal are electrically connected.

In the case of a combination of a battery pack and a charging device or an external load, the battery pack is attached to the external load after charging is completed and removed from the charging device. In this state, the battery pack powers the external load. A battery pack whose remaining capacity (SOC) has decreased by supplying power to an external load is removed from the external load and attached to the charger. In either case, insertion of the male terminal into the female terminal and removal of the male terminal from the female terminal are performed.

　At the time of insertion and removal of the above, the male terminal is in sliding contact with the contact part of the female terminal. There is a concern that the male terminals will be worn out if the sliding contact is repeated with the charging and discharging cycles of the battery pack. If such a situation were to occur, for example, it is assumed that the contact portion would not come into sufficient contact with the male terminal.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a connector pair capable of suppressing wear of male terminals.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a male connector including a male terminal held by a male side base, and a female terminal held by a female side base into which the male terminal is detachably inserted. In a connector pair having a female connector comprising
When the direction in which the male terminal is inserted into the female terminal is defined as a first direction and the direction opposite to the first direction is defined as a second direction,
the male terminal has a tapered portion having a tapered shape with a first taper angle that tapers in the first direction;
The female terminal has a first clamping portion and a second clamping portion formed with a first contact portion and a second contact portion, respectively, the first contact portion and the second contact portion approaching each other. ,
The first clamping portion and the second clamping portion contact the first contact portion and the second contact portion with the male terminal passed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion. sandwiching the male terminal with the part,
The first clamping portion and the second clamping portion have receiving ends extending in the second direction from the first contact portion and the second contact portion, and the receiving end extends from the first contact. tapering toward each other at a second taper angle toward the portion and the second contact portion;
A connector pair is provided wherein the first taper angle is smaller than the second taper angle.

In the present invention, the tip of the male terminal at which insertion into the female terminal is started is a tapered portion, and the insertion end of the female terminal at which insertion of the male terminal is started is formed into the first contact portion and the male terminal. It is made to approach toward the 2nd contact part. In this configuration, the first taper angle of the tapered portion is smaller than the second taper angle of the insertion end of the female terminal. Therefore, when the tapered portion comes into sliding contact with the first contact portion and the second contact portion, the frictional resistance between the tapered portion and the first contact portion and the second contact portion is reduced. This makes it relatively easy for the tapered portion to advance between the first contact portion and the second contact portion. As a result, wear of the tapered portion is suppressed.

The tapered portion, for example, serves as a guide until a predetermined portion of the male terminal reaches between the first contact portion and the second contact portion. Since the wear of the tapered portion is suppressed as described above, the female terminal is pushed wide by the tapered portion and then tries to return to its original opening degree due to its elastic action. Therefore, the first contact portion and the second contact portion effectively come into contact with predetermined portions of the male terminal. As a result, electrical contact is formed between the male and female terminals.

This avoids an increase in contact resistance between the male terminal and the female terminal. Therefore, it is possible to avoid insufficient power supply between electric devices.

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic side view of an electric vehicle provided with a male connector forming a connector pair according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a schematic overall perspective view of a battery pack provided with a female connector forming a connector pair with the male connector of FIG. 1, viewed from one direction. FIG. FIG. 2B is a schematic overall perspective view of the battery pack viewed from another direction. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the male connector shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view of a male connector. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of essential parts before the male terminal is inserted into the female terminal. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of main parts showing a state in which the male connector of FIG. 1 and the female connector of FIG. 2B are connected. FIG. 8 is an exploded view of essential parts showing a state in which the male connector and the female connector are separated from each other from FIG. 9 is an enlarged front view of a main part showing a state in which insertion of the male terminal into the female terminal is started from FIG. 6. FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view of a main part showing a state in which the insertion of the male terminal into the female terminal is completed from FIG. FIG. 11 is an enlarged front view of a main part showing a state in which the upper edge of the support wall portion is inclined, and the inclined portion is in contact with the receiving end of the female terminal. FIG. 12 is an enlarged front view of a main part showing a state in which, when the upper edge of the support wall is a flat surface, the flat surface is in contact with (hooked on) the receiving end of the female terminal.

Preferred embodiments of the connector pair according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the terms “left” and “right” below refer to the left and right sides of the user seated on the seat 20 of the electric vehicle 12 shown in FIG. 1 , respectively. Therefore, the "vehicle width direction" is synonymous with the "left-right direction". The terms “vehicle front” and “vehicle rear” refer to directions toward the front and rear of the electric vehicle 12 . Downward and upward indicate relative height positions and do not necessarily indicate vertical directions.

The "insertion direction Y1" is the direction in which the battery pack 30 is inserted into the battery pack housing portion 24. The “removal direction Y2” is the direction in which the battery pack 30 is removed from the battery pack housing portion 24 . The insertion direction Y1 and the removal direction Y2 may be collectively referred to as the "insertion direction Y".

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic side view of the electric vehicle 12. FIG. The electric vehicle 12 is provided with a male connector 10 . The male connector 10 constitutes a connector pair according to this embodiment. First, the electric vehicle 12 will be briefly described. The electric vehicle 12 is a saddle type electric motor tricycle. A driving motor 16 as a driving force source is arranged in the vicinity of the two rear wheels 14 .

The electric vehicle 12 has a seat holding portion 22 . The seat holding portion 22 holds the seat 20 on which the user sits. A battery pack accommodating portion 24 is formed inside the seat holding portion 22 . The male connector 10 is arranged near the front of the vehicle body at the bottom of the battery pack housing portion 24 and extends along the vehicle width direction. The configuration of the male connector 10 will be detailed later.

The seat 20 can be rotated by a rotation shaft (not shown) provided in the seat holding portion 22 in front of the vehicle body (in the direction of arrow Z1 in FIG. 1). As the seat 20 is rotated in the direction in which the seat 20 is seated on the seat holding portion 22, the opening 26 provided above the battery pack housing portion 24 is closed. The seat 20 seated on the seat holding portion 22 is locked so as not to rotate by a lock mechanism (not shown).

After the lock mechanism is released, when the rear end of the seat 20 (in the direction of arrow Z2 in FIG. 1) is rotated in a direction away from the seat holding portion 22, the opening 26 of the battery pack housing portion 24 is opened. be. The battery pack 30 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) is housed in the battery pack housing portion 24 and the battery pack 30 is taken out from the battery pack housing portion 24 through the opening 26 thus opened. becomes possible. That is, the battery pack 30 is detachably accommodated in the battery pack accommodating portion 24 . Electric power is supplied to the driving motor 16 from the battery pack 30 . This allows the electric vehicle 12 to run.

Next, the battery pack 30 will be outlined. FIG. 2A is a schematic overall perspective view of the battery pack 30 viewed from one direction. FIG. 2B is a schematic overall perspective view of the battery pack 30 viewed from another direction. In this case, the battery pack 30 has a casing 32 that has a vertically long, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. When the casing 32 is viewed from above, the shape of the casing 32 is approximately square or approximately rectangular.

A battery core pack holding a plurality of single cells is housed inside the casing 32 . A single cell is made of, for example, a lithium secondary battery, and the SOC of the single cell is lowered by supplying electric power to an external load. After that, the SOC is recovered by receiving power supply from the charging device. In other words, a single cell can be repeatedly charged and discharged. Such a configuration of the battery pack 30 is well known, and therefore detailed description and illustration of single cells and the like are omitted.

An arch portion 34 and a tab-shaped projecting portion 36 are provided on the upper surface of the casing 32 so as to face each other. The arch portion is bent at both ends in the longitudinal direction and connected to the upper surface of the casing 32 to form an arch shape. The arch portion 34 and the upper edge of the tab-shaped protrusion 36 are curved in an arc shape. A bar-shaped gripping portion 38 is provided from the upper end of the arch portion 34 to the upper end of the tab-shaped projecting portion 36 . Since the upper ends of the arched portion 34 and the tab-shaped protrusion 36 protrude from the upper surface of the casing 32 , the bar-shaped gripping portion 38 is spaced from the upper surface of the casing 32 . Accordingly, a gripping clearance 40 is formed between the bar-shaped gripping portion 38 and the upper surface of the casing 32 . The user can grip the bar-shaped gripping portion 38 by inserting a hand (fingers) into the gripping clearance 40 .

A female connector 42 is provided on the bottom surface of the casing 32 at a portion corresponding to the lower side of the arch portion 34 . The female connector 42 is electrically connected to the male connector 10 when the battery pack 30 is housed in the battery pack housing portion 24 . That is, the female connector 42 forms a connector pair together with the male connector 10 (see FIG. 1).

Next, the configurations of the male connector 10 and the female connector 42 will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the male connector 10. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view of the male connector 10. FIG. The male connector 10 includes a male base 50, a plurality of (seven in this embodiment) male terminals 52a to 52g, and a plurality of (two in this embodiment) guide pins 54a and 54b. Prepare.

The male terminals 52a to 52g held by the male side base 50 will be explained. In this embodiment, the male terminals 52a to 52g are all made of a substantially flat plate-shaped metal material. A preferred specific example of the metal material is copper.

As shown in detail in FIG. 5 , the male terminal 52 a has a relatively long general portion 60 positioned below and a tapered portion 62 extending upward from the general portion 60 . Further, in the general portion 60 , a tip portion 64 that is shorter than the general portion 60 is formed on the edge surface facing forward of the vehicle body. In this way, the male terminal 52a is a single member made of a metal material that integrally includes the general portion 60, the tapered portion 62, and the tip portion 64. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the boundary between the general portion 60 and the tapered portion 62 is chamfered. A curved portion 66 is formed by this chamfering. In other words, the tapered portion 62 continues to the general portion 60 via the curved portion 66 . In addition, the general portion 60 and the tip portion 64 have a substantially constant thickness along the vehicle width direction. On the other hand, the tapered portion 62 has a tapered shape with a first taper angle α in the drawing direction Y2. That is, when the direction in which the male terminal 52a is inserted into the female terminal 112a is defined as the first direction, the tapered portion 62 has a tapered shape that tapers in the first direction. Therefore, the thickness of the tapered portion 62 along the vehicle width direction becomes smaller toward the drawing direction Y2. The convergence start portion of the tapered portion 62 is the bend start portion of the curved portion 66 on the general portion 60 side.

The upper edge of the tapered portion 62 is formed as a flat surface. This flat surface is the converging end portion of the tapered portion 62 . Below, in the tapered portion 62, the axial length from the convergence start portion to the convergence end portion is defined as L1. The axial length L1 is a length along the insertion/removal direction Y. As shown in FIG. Also, the maximum thickness of the tapered portion 62 is T1. The portion where the thickness of the tapered portion 62 is the maximum (T1) is the convergence start portion.

The above configuration also applies to the male terminals 52b to 52g. Therefore, in the male terminals 52b to 52g, the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements as in the male terminal 52a, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The male side base 50 includes a flange portion 70, two fixing

tab portions

72a and 72g, five lower terminal surrounding portions 74b to 74f, two

pin support portions

76a and 76b, and seven

pin support portions

76a and 76b. It is a single member integrally having the upper terminal surrounding portions 80a to 80g. The flange portion 70 extends along the vehicle width direction. The fixing

tab portions

72 a and 72 g protrude downward from the lower surface of the flange portion 70 . Two

pin support portions

76a, 76b and seven upper terminal surrounding portions 80a-80g protrude upward from the upper surface of the flange portion 70. As shown in FIG. In the male side base 50, a thin vertical wall portion 82 is provided between portions of the left and right

pin support portions

76a and 76b facing forward of the vehicle body. The male side base 50 having such a configuration is made of, for example, a thermoplastic resin and exhibits insulating properties.

The flange portion 70 is a substantially track-shaped portion. The longitudinal direction of the flange portion 70 is the parallel direction (vehicle width direction) of the male terminals 52a to 52g. Mounting

holes

84a and 84b are formed at both ends of the flange portion 70, respectively. Mounting screws (not shown) are passed through the mounting

holes

84a and 84b, respectively. The mounting screw is screwed into a threaded hole (not shown) formed in the bottom of the battery pack housing portion 24 (see FIG. 1). As a result, the male connector 10 is positioned and fixed within the battery pack accommodating portion 24 .

In the general portion 60 of the male terminals 52b-52f, portions from the vicinity of the lower end portion to the middle portion in the height direction (vehicle vertical direction) are covered with lower terminal surrounding portions 74b-74f and upper terminal surrounding portions 80b-80g, respectively. It is In other words, both ends of each of the five male terminals 52b to 52f in the longitudinal direction along the vertical direction of the vehicle body are exposed from the male side base 50. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, at the lower ends of the general portions 60 of the male terminal 52a located at the left end and the male terminal 52g located at the right end, the portions in front of the vehicle body are covered with the fixing

tab portions

72a and 72g, respectively. there is At the lower ends of the general portions 60 of the

male terminals

52a and 52g, the portions behind the vehicle body are exposed from the fixing

tab portions

72a and 72g, respectively. A bolt insertion hole 85 (see FIG. 4) is formed in this portion. The bolt insertion holes 85 are adjacent to nut insertion holes 86 formed in the

fixing tab portions

72a and 72g. A fixing nut 88 is accommodated in the nut insertion hole 86 . A fixing bolt 90 is screwed into the fixing nut 88 .

As shown in FIG. 3, a harness 92 is attached to the male terminals 52a-52g. The harness 92 is a bundle of two

power lines

94a and 94g and five signal transmission lines 96b to

96f. Power lines

94a, 94g are electrically connected to lower ends of the

male terminals

52a, 52g. Signal transmission lines 96b-96f are electrically connected to lower ends of the male terminals 52b-52f.

The

male terminals

52a, 52g and the

power lines

94a, 94g are connected via crimp terminals 98, respectively. That is, the crimp terminal 98 is formed with a circular hole (not shown). The body of the fixing bolt 90 is passed through this round hole and the bolt insertion holes 85 of the

male terminals

52a and 52g. Further, the threaded portion provided on the side wall of the body portion is screwed into the internal threaded portion of the fixing nut 88 inserted into the nut insertion hole 86 . This screwing brings the crimp terminal 98 into close contact with the lower ends of the

male terminals

52a and 52g.

The vertical wall portion 82 extends from the end face of the pin support portion 76a facing the front of the vehicle body toward the end face of the pin support portion 76b facing the front of the vehicle body. The end face of the vertical wall portion 82 facing the rear of the vehicle body and the end faces of the

pin support portions

76a, 76b and the upper terminal surrounding portions 80a to 80g facing the front of the vehicle body are connected to each other. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a support wall portion 100 (support portion) is provided on the end surface of the vertical wall portion 82 facing the rear of the vehicle body. The support wall portion 100 protrudes toward the male terminals 52a-52g and extends parallel to the male terminals 52a-52g. The support wall portion 100 includes a slightly short receiving wall portion 102 projecting toward the rear of the vehicle body. The receiving wall portion 102 continues to each end surface of the upper terminal surrounding portions 80a to 80g facing forward of the vehicle body.

The front ends of the tip portions 64 of the male terminals 52 a to 52 g are inserted into the receiving wall portion 102 . That is, the

male terminals

52a and 52g are held on the male side base 50 by the fixing

tab portions

72a and 72g, the upper

terminal surrounding portions

80a and 80g and the support wall portion 100. As shown in FIG. The male terminals 52b-52f are held on the male side base 50 by the lower terminal surrounding portions 74b-74f, the upper terminal surrounding portions 80b-80f and the support wall portion 100. As shown in FIG.

An inclined portion 104 is formed at the tip of the support wall portion 100 on the Y2 side of the extraction direction. Due to the inclination of the inclined portion 104, the male connector 10 is tapered in the direction in which the male connector 10 is separated from the female connector 42 (withdrawal direction Y2). The inclined portion 104 faces the tapered portions 62 of the male terminals 52a to 52g so as to overlap each other on the front side of the vehicle body. The tapered portion 62 and the inclined portion 104 are separated from each other due to the protrusion of the receiving wall portion 102 toward the rear of the vehicle body.

The tip (upper edge) of the inclined portion 104 on the Y2 side of the extraction direction is a flat surface like the tapered portion 62 . That is, the flat surface extends parallel to the thickness direction of the male terminals 52a to 52g. As shown in FIG. 6, it is this flat surface that has the smallest length (width) along the vehicle width direction in the support wall portion 100 . When the length of the flat surface (the minimum length of the support wall portion 100) is T2, the length T2 is larger than the maximum thickness T1 of the tapered portion 62. As shown in FIG. That is, the width of the support wall portion 100 is larger than the maximum thickness T1 of the tapered portions 62 of the male terminals 52a to 52g over the entire support wall portion 100. As shown in FIG.

The lower ends of the guide pins 54a and 54b are respectively buried in

pin support portions

76a and 76b provided on the male side base 50 (see FIG. 4 in particular). In other words, the guide pins 54a, 54b extend upward from the

pin support portions

76a, 76b except for the portions buried in the

pin support portions

76a, 76b. The

pin support portions

76a and 76b are provided at positions sandwiching the seven upper terminal surrounding portions 80a to 80g. Therefore, the male terminals 52a to 52g are sandwiched between the guide pins 54a and 54b.

As shown in FIG. 7, the female connector 42 provided on the battery pack 30 has a female base 110 and seven female terminals 112a to 112g supported by the female base 110. As shown in FIG. The female base 110 is an insulator made of insulating thermoplastic resin or the like, for example. The female terminals 112a to 112g are good conductors made of metal such as copper.

The female side base 110 is formed with seven receiving holes 114a to 114g. Each of the accommodation holes 114a-114g extends upward from the lower surface of the female base 110. As shown in FIG. The receiving holes 114a to 114g are linearly arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the female side base 110. As shown in FIG. The longitudinal direction in this case is a horizontal direction parallel to the arch portion 34 and the vehicle width direction.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , a cover member 116 is attached to the lower surface of the female side base 110 via two connecting pins 118 . Cover member 116 spans from accommodation hole 114a located at one end of accommodation holes 114a to 114g to accommodation hole 114g located at the other end of accommodation holes 114a to 114g. The cover member 116 is formed with a substantially rectangular insertion port 120 connected to each of the accommodation holes 114a to 114g. An insertion groove 122 for inserting the vertical wall portion 82 is formed between the female side base 110 and the cover member 116 .

Two

guide holes

124a and 124b are formed on the lower surface of the female side base 110 at positions sandwiching the seven accommodation holes 114a to 114g. As will be described later, the battery pack 30 is positioned and fixed as the guide pins 54a and 54b are inserted into the

guide holes

124a and 124b.

As shown in FIG. 8 , a plurality of tab portions 128 are provided on the side surface of the female side base 110 . A screw insertion hole 126 is formed in each of the plurality of tab portions 128 . Screws (not shown) for attaching the female base 110 to the casing 32 are passed through the screw insertion holes 126 .

The female terminals 112a to 112g are held by the female side base 110. The female terminals 112a to 112g will be described by exemplifying the female terminal 112a.

The female terminal 112a has a substantially flat plate-shaped terminal portion 130, and a first clamping portion 132a and a second clamping portion 132b bifurcated from the plate-shaped terminal portion 130. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, the female terminal 112a has a substantially inverted Y shape. In the female terminal 112a, the first holding portion 132a and the second holding portion 132b are accommodated in the accommodation hole 114a. The vicinity of the branch point between the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b is buried in the female side base 110. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the entire plate-type terminal portion 130 is exposed from the female side base 110 . The plate-shaped terminal portion 130 exposed from the female base 110 serves as an electrical contact with the single cells that constitute the battery pack 30 .

The first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b once approach each other from the upper end to the lower end. Here, the upper end is the downstream end where insertion of the male terminal 52a progresses. The lower ends are receiving

ends

134a, 134b where insertion of male terminal 52a begins. In the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b, the portions upstream of the closest portion are bent away from each other. The receiving ends 134a and 134b where insertion of the male terminal 52a is started spread apart from each other in the second direction opposite to the first direction. In addition, in the first clamping portion 132a, the portion closest to the second clamping portion 132b is the first contact portion 136a. A portion of the second holding portion 132b that is closest to the first holding portion 132a is a second contact portion 136b.

That is, the receiving ends 134a and 134b are positioned upstream from the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b, respectively. Further, in each of the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b, downstream portions of the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b are separated from each other. Therefore, the hollow interior 140 is formed by the downstream side of the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b and the ceiling surface of the accommodation hole 114a. The hollow interior 140 receives the tapered portion 62 of the male terminal 52a.

Since the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b are thin, they exhibit elasticity. FIG. 6 shows the state before the insertion of the male terminal 52a into the female terminal 112a is started. At this time, the receiving ends 134a and 134b are separated from each other. The spacing BW at this time is smaller than the maximum thickness T1 of the tapered portion 62 of the male terminal 52a.

The receiving ends 134a, 134b taper toward the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b (toward the first direction) toward each other at a second taper angle β. The second taper angle β is set larger than the first taper angle α of the tapered portion 62 of the male terminal 52a. Further, the axial length L2 from the convergence start portion to the convergence end portion of the receiving ends 134a, 134b is smaller than the axial length L1 of the tapered portion 62. As shown in FIG. In other words, the relationship α<β, L1>L2 is established between the tapered portion 62 and the receiving ends 134a, 134b. Here, the convergence start portions of the receiving ends 134a and 134b are respective boundaries between the receiving ends 134a and 134b and the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. The convergence termination site is the lowermost edge of the receiving ends 134a, 134b. The axial length L2 is a length along the insertion/removal direction Y. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 illustrates a case in which each of the receiving ends 134a and 134b is connected to an upstream tapered expansion portion having a large taper angle and a downstream tapered expansion portion having a small taper angle. ing. In such a case, the taper angle of the tapered expanding portion having a small taper angle becomes the second taper angle β.

When the tapered portion 62 of the male terminal 52a is inserted into the hollow interior 140, the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b abut the general portion 60 of the male terminal 52a. Also, the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b press the general portion 60 due to the elastic action of the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b. By this pressing, the male terminal 52a is clamped between the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b.

The female terminals 112b to 112f are configured similarly to the female terminal 112a. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the female terminal 112a, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The

female terminals

112a and 112g are power transmission terminals for transmitting power between the single cell and the driving motor 16 (or charging device). Accordingly, a power line (not shown) is electrically connected to the plate-shaped terminal portions 130 of the

female terminals

112a and 112g. The female terminals 112b to 112f are signal transmission terminals for transmitting signals. Accordingly, a signal transmission line (not shown) is electrically connected to the plate-type terminal portions 130 of the female terminals 112b to 112f.

The connector pair according to this embodiment is basically configured as described above. Next, the effects of the connector pair will be described.

When housing the battery pack 30 in the battery pack housing portion 24, the user releases the lock mechanism. After that, the user turns the end of the seat 20 on the rear side of the vehicle body (the side of the arrow Z2 in FIG. 1) in a direction away from the seat holding portion 22 . With this rotation, the opening 26 of the battery pack accommodating portion 24 is opened.

The user further inserts his hand (fingers) into the gripping clearance 40 of the battery pack 30 to grip the bar-shaped gripping portion 38 , lifts the battery pack 30 , and aligns the female connector 42 with the male connector 10 . The user then inserts the bottom of battery pack 30 into opening 26 . In this state, the user slowly inserts the battery pack 30 into the battery pack housing portion 24 . That is, in the present embodiment, the arrow Y1 direction shown in FIG. 1 and the like is the insertion direction.

By inserting the battery pack 30 into the battery pack housing portion 24, the upper ends of the guide pins 54a and 54b first enter the

guide holes

124a and 124b, respectively. After that, the guide pins 54a, 54b are guided to the

guide holes

124a, 124b. As a result, the male connector 10 and the female connector 42 are aligned. When the guide pins 54a and 54b are inserted into the

guide holes

124a and 124b to a predetermined depth, the battery pack 30 is positioned and fixed at a predetermined position in the battery pack housing portion 24. As shown in FIG.

When the guide pins 54a and 54b are guided by the

guide holes

124a and 124b, the vertical wall portion 82 is inserted into the insertion groove 122 (see FIG. 8). Further, the tapered portions 62 of the male terminals 52a-52g are sequentially inserted through the insertion openings 120 of the cover member 116 and the receiving holes 114a-114g of the female side base 110. As shown in FIG. Tapered portion 62 is then inserted toward hollow interior 140 between receiving ends 134a, 134b of female terminals 112a-112g.

The maximum thickness T1 of the tapered portion 62 is larger than the spacing BW between the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the tapered portion 62 advances toward the hollow interior 140 while expanding the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. During this progress, the expanded first contact portion 136a and second contact portion 136b attempt to return to their original opening degrees due to the elastic action of the first clamping portion 132a and second clamping portion 132b. Therefore, the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b are in sliding contact with the tapered portion 62 at the initial stage when the insertion of the male terminals 52a-52g into the female terminals 112a-112g is started.

Here, between the tapered portion 62 and the receiving ends 134a and 134b, the relationship α<β holds as described above. Moreover, since the separation BW between the first holding portion 132a and the second holding portion 132b is not 0, an excessively large force is required when the tapered portion 62 spreads the first holding portion 132a and the second holding portion 132b. and not. For this reason, the frictional resistance between the tapered portion 62 and the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b is reduced. That is, in this case, it becomes relatively easy for the tapered portion 62 to advance between the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. As a result, wear of the tapered portion 62 is suppressed.

As the male terminals 52a to 52g are further inserted into the female terminals 112a to 112g, the tapered portion 62 goes over the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the boundary between the tapered portion 62 and the general portion 60 reaches between the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b. A curved portion 66 is provided at the boundary between the tapered portion 62 and the general portion 60 . That is, there is no sharp corner (edge) at the boundary between the tapered portion 62 and the general portion 60 . Therefore, when the curved portion 66 comes into sliding contact with the first holding portion 132a and the second holding portion 132b, there is no concern that the first holding portion 132a and the second holding portion 132b will be damaged.

Also, the curved portion 66 is less likely to get caught on the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b. Therefore, the frictional resistance between the curved portion 66 and the first holding portion 132a and the second holding portion 132b is relatively small. Therefore, the curved portion 66 (the boundary between the tapered portion 62 and the general portion 60) is also suppressed from wearing.

In addition, in this embodiment, the axial length L1 of the tapered portion 62 is longer than the axial length L2 of the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. Therefore, the curved portion 66 reliably passes through the first clamping portion 132 a and the second clamping portion 132 b and is inserted into the hollow interior 140 . That is, it is avoided that the curved portion 66 stays at a position sandwiched between the first sandwiching portion 132a and the second sandwiching portion 132b. Therefore, when the male terminals 52a to 52g are inserted into the female terminals 112a to 112g, the curved portion 66 is prevented from becoming the insertion end point. Similarly, when the male terminals 52a-52g are separated from the female terminals 112a-112g, the curved portion 66 is prevented from becoming the insertion starting point. For the above reasons, the wear of the curved portion 66 (the boundary between the tapered portion 62 and the general portion 60) is further suppressed.

As described above, the tapered portions 62 and curved portions 66 of the male terminals 52a to 52g enter the hollow interior 140 beyond the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. Therefore, when the movement of the male terminals 52a to 52g stops as the battery pack 30 stops moving down, the general portion 60 is sandwiched between the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. That is, the general portion 60 receives pressure from the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. As a result, the male terminal 52a is clamped between the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b. As a result, electrical contacts are formed between male terminals 52a-52g and female terminals 112a-112g.

The user rotates the rear end of the seat 20 (on the arrow Z2 side in FIG. 1) toward the seat holding portion 22 to close the opening 26 of the battery pack housing portion 24 with the seat 20 . Further, the lock mechanism is operated to make the seat 20 unrotatable. With the above, the preparation for driving the electric vehicle 12 to the point desired by the user is complete. While the electric vehicle 12 is running, the electric power of the battery pack 30 is transmitted to the electric vehicle 12 (in particular, the driving motor 16) through the

female terminals

112a, 112g and the

male terminals

52a, 52g. Information about the SOC of battery pack 30 and the like is transmitted to electric vehicle 12 via female terminals 112b to 112f and male terminals 52b to 52f.

When the user recognizes that "the battery pack 30 needs to be replaced" based on the SOC displayed on the electric vehicle 12, the user drives the electric vehicle 12 to the charging station and stops the driving motor 16. . After that, the opening 26 of the battery pack accommodating portion 24 is opened in the same manner as described above, and the bar-shaped grip portion 38 of the battery pack 30 is grasped and pulled up to separate the battery pack 30 from the battery pack accommodating portion 24 .

That is, in this case, the arrow Y2 direction opposite to the insertion direction Y1 is the extraction direction. Therefore, the male terminals 52a to 52g move relatively downstream in the extraction direction Y2, contrary to the insertion into the female terminals 112a to 112g. During this downstream movement, the curved portion 66 and the tapered portion 62 are in sliding contact with the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. Also in this case, abrasion of the curved portion 66 and the tapered portion 62 is suppressed for the same reason as when advancing in the insertion direction Y1 during insertion.

Although not shown, the battery pack 30 is then inserted into a battery pack housing portion of a charging device provided at the charging station. A male connector 10 is also provided in this battery pack accommodating portion. Therefore, the male terminals 52a-52g are inserted into the female terminals 112a-112g even when the battery pack 30 is inserted into the battery pack housing portion of the charging device. During this insertion, the tapered portion 62 and the curved portion 66 come into sliding contact with the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b in sequence.

The battery pack 30 that has been charged is taken out from the charging device and then inserted into, for example, the battery pack housing portion 24 of another electric vehicle 12 to supply electric power. Further, when the SOC becomes equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the battery pack is pulled out from the battery pack accommodating portion 24 and inserted into the battery pack accommodating portion of the charging device in the same manner as described above. After that, the above charging and discharging are repeated. As the charging and discharging are repeated, the male terminals 52a to 52g are repeatedly inserted into and removed from the female terminals 112a to 112g. Therefore, the curved portion 66 and the tapered portion 62 are repeatedly brought into sliding contact with the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, abrasion of the curved portion 66 and the tapered portion 62 is suppressed. Therefore, even if the battery pack 30 is repeatedly inserted and removed while the battery pack 30 is used for a long period of time, the tapered portion 62 and the curved portion 62 that serve as guides when inserting the male terminals 52a to 52g into the female terminals 112a to 112g can be inserted into the female terminals 112a to 112g. The portion 66 is in sliding contact with the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b. Each time, the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b are pushed apart and try to return to the original opening degree due to their elastic action. Therefore, since the first contact portion 136a and the second contact portion 136b abut against the general portion 60, electrical contact is effectively formed between the male terminals 52a-52g and the female terminals 112a-112g.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the battery pack 30 is used for a long period of time, the male terminals 52a to 52g can be brought into sufficient contact with the female terminals 112a to 112g. can be done. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an increase in contact resistance between the male terminals 52a-52g and the female terminals 112a-112g for a long period of time. Therefore, insufficient power supply to the external load such as the driving motor 16 can be avoided. Moreover, charging the battery pack 30 for a long time is also avoided.

When the battery pack 30 is inserted into the battery pack housing portion 24, it is conceivable that the battery pack 30 is slightly inclined from the normal posture, causing the female connector 42 to be displaced relative to the male connector 10. . In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, the inclined portion 104 of the upper edge of the support wall portion 100 abuts on the receiving ends 134a and 134b.

If the upper edge of the support wall portion 100 is a flat surface without the inclined portion 104, as shown in FIG. . If the battery pack 30 further descends due to its own weight or the like under this condition, there is a concern that the female terminals 112a to 112g may buckle. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b are gradually spread by the inclined portion 104 of the upper edge of the support wall portion 100 (see FIG. 11). Therefore, further descent of the battery pack 30 is avoided when the upper edge of the support wall portion 100 is caught by the receiving ends 134a and 134b. As a result, buckling of the female terminals 112a-112g is also avoided.

Also, the minimum length T2 of the support wall portion 100 is larger than the maximum thickness T1 of the tapered portion 62 (see FIG. 6). Therefore, under the above circumstances, as shown in FIG. 11, the first clamping portion 132a and the second clamping portion 132b are widened apart from each other by a distance larger than the maximum thickness T1 of the tapered portion 62. As shown in FIG. Therefore, it is avoided that the receiving ends 134a, 134b, etc. are caught on the male terminals 52a to 52g. In addition, wear of the male terminals 52a to 52g due to this is also avoided.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can take various configurations without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, this embodiment exemplifies female terminals 112a to 112g made of a single member in which a first clamping part 132a and a second clamping part 132b are branched from one plate-shaped terminal part 130. FIG. Alternatively, however, it is also possible to connect the first clamping member and the second clamping member, which are separate members, to form the female terminal.

The male connector 10 may be provided on electrical equipment other than the electric vehicle 12. A specific example of such an electrical device is a power generation device that generates power using the power of the battery pack 30 .

Claims

A male connector (10) including male terminals (52a to 52g) held by a male side base (50) and a female side base (110) holding the male terminals (110) into which the male terminals are detachably inserted. in a connector pair having a female connector (42) including female terminals (112a-112g) that
When the direction in which the male terminal is inserted into the female terminal is defined as a first direction and the direction opposite to the first direction is defined as a second direction,
the male terminal has a tapered portion (62) tapered in the first direction and having a first taper angle (α);
The female terminal has a first clamping portion (132a) and a second clamping portion (132b) formed with a first contact portion (136a) and a second contact portion (136b), respectively, and the first contact portion and the second contact portions approach each other,
The first clamping portion and the second clamping portion contact the first contact portion and the second contact portion with the male terminal passed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion. sandwiching the male terminal with the part,
The first clamping portion and the second clamping portion have receiving ends (134a, 134b) extending in the second direction from the first contact portion and the second contact portion, and the receiving ends are , tapered toward each other at a second taper angle (β) toward the first contact portion and the second contact portion;
A connector pair wherein said first taper angle is less than said second taper angle.
2. The connector pair according to claim 1, wherein the axial length (L1) along the insertion/extraction direction of the male terminal with respect to the female terminal from the convergence start portion to the convergence end portion of the tapered portion is equal to the receiving end portion. A connector pair that is large compared to the axial length (L2) from the convergence start point to the convergence end point.
A connector pair according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said male terminal has a general portion (60) extending in said second direction from said tapered portion.
The connector pair according to claim 3, wherein said general portion and said tapered portion are connected via a curved portion (66).
5. The connector pair according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the male side base has a support portion (100) that supports the general portion along the insertion/extraction direction of the male terminal with respect to the female terminal,
A connector pair wherein the maximum thickness (T1) of the tapered portion is smaller than the minimum length (T2) of the tapered portion in the direction parallel to the thickness of the tapered portion at the support portion.
6. The connector pair according to claim 5, wherein a portion of said support portion facing said tapered portion is inclined so as to have a tapered shape in a direction in which said male connector separates from said female connector. ).
7. The connector pair according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said first contact portion and said second contact portion are connected to said male terminal when said male terminal is not passed between said first contact portion and said second contact portion. A pair of connectors spaced apart by a small dimension compared to the thickness of the
8. The connector pair according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the portions of the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion that extend from the first contact portion and the second contact portion in the first direction are spaced apart to form a hollow interior (140) within the female terminal and the tapered portion extends into the hollow interior.