WO2023218896A1

WO2023218896A1 - Terminal block assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2023218896A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/015790
Authority: WO
Inventors: 喬子福山
Original assignee: 住友電装株式会社
Priority date: 2022-05-09
Filing date: 2023-04-20
Publication date: 2023-11-16
Also published as: JP2023166130A

Abstract

In the present invention, a terminal block assembly comprises a first terminal block, a second terminal block, a sheet-form shield member provided facing a plurality of electric wires, and a plate-form bracket made of metal that holds the shield member. The first terminal block has a connector connection portion on width-direction side, the shield member is provided below the plurality of electric wires and biased toward the other width-direction side relative to the plurality of electric wires, the second terminal block has a housing part that holds the terminals and a pair of arms for connecting the bracket, and the second arm on the other width-direction side is longer than the first arm on the one width-direction side, said arms being provided so as to extend from the housing part on both width-direction sides. The vertical direction is defined as the direction in which the first terminal block is the upper terminal block and the second terminal block is the lower terminal block, and the width direction is defined as the direction in which a plurality of terminals are aligned.

Description

terminal block assembly

The present disclosure relates to terminal block assemblies.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Application No. 2022-076934 filed on May 9, 2022, and incorporates all the contents described in the Japanese application.

Terminal block assemblies are used to electrically connect electrical devices in vehicles and the like. For example, in order to connect a motor as an electrical device to an inverter, a terminal block assembly is mounted on the motor case (equipment housing), and electric wires extending from the terminal block assembly are connected to the terminal block on the inverter side. Ru. Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal block assembly as described above.

Patent No. 6394524 specification

The terminal block assembly of the present disclosure includes a first terminal block attached to a device housing, a second terminal block attached to the first terminal block and holding terminals of a plurality of electric wires in a lined state, A sheet-shaped shield member provided to face the electric wire, and a metal plate-shaped bracket that holds the shield member, the bracket is attached to a part of the device casing, and the shield member is a terminal block assembly that can be electrically connected to the device casing via the bracket, the bracket having an elongated shape in the direction in which the plurality of terminals are arranged in order to attach the shield member, If the vertical direction is defined as the first terminal block being the upper terminal block and the second terminal block being the lower terminal block, and the width direction is defined as the direction in which the plurality of terminals are lined up, then The terminal block has a connector connection portion on one side in the width direction, and the shield member is located below the plurality of electric wires and is biased toward the other side in the width direction with respect to the plurality of electric wires. The second terminal block includes a housing portion that holds the terminal, and a pair of arms that extend from the housing portion to both sides in the width direction and are connected to the bracket. The second arm on the other side in the width direction is longer than the first arm on the one side in the width direction.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the terminal block assembly. FIG. 2 is a front view of the terminal block assembly. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the terminal block assembly. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a part of the terminal block assembly. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing another part of the terminal block assembly. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the fixing plate section viewed from below. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the second arm. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the second arm. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow IX in FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional terminal block assembly.

<Issues that this disclosure seeks to solve>
FIG. 10 is an exploded view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional terminal block assembly 90. The terminal block assembly 90 includes a first terminal block 91a, a second terminal block 91b that holds terminals 94 of a plurality of electric wires 95, a shield member 92 for the plurality of electric wires 95, and a metal member that holds the shield member 92. A bracket 93 is provided. The second terminal block 91b is attached to the first terminal block 91a. The first terminal block 91a and the second terminal block 91b are mounted on a case 99 that is a device housing, and a bracket 93 is fixed to a portion 98 of the case 99 with, for example, bolts. In addition, in FIG. 10, the shield member 92 and the case 99 are shown by two-dot chain lines. The shield member 92 can be electrically connected to the case 99 via the bracket 93, and the structure including the bracket 93 functions as a ground.

If the direction in which the plurality of terminals 94 are lined up is defined as the width direction, the first terminal block 91a has the connector connection part 100 on one side in the width direction. A mating connector of an electric wire extending from another device (not shown) is connected to the connector connection portion 100. Then, the electric wire extending from the mating connector and the shield member 92 may interfere with each other. In order to prevent this interference, the position of the connector connecting portion 100 may be changed to one side in the width direction. However, the first terminal block 91a may become larger in the width direction, and the terminal block assembly 90 may become larger.

Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a terminal block assembly that can suppress the increase in size.

<Effects of this disclosure>
According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the increase in size of the terminal block assembly.

<Summary of embodiments of the present disclosure>
Hereinafter, an overview of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and explained.
(1) The terminal block assembly of this embodiment includes a first terminal block that is attached to a device housing, and a second terminal block that is attached to the first terminal block and holds terminals of a plurality of electric wires in a lined state. , comprising a sheet-shaped shield member provided facing the plurality of electric wires, and a metal plate-shaped bracket that holds the shield member, the bracket being attached to a part of the device casing. , a terminal block assembly in which the shielding member can be electrically connected to the device casing via the bracket, the bracket having a shape elongated in the direction in which the plurality of terminals are arranged in order to attach the shielding member. , the vertical direction is defined as the first terminal block is the upper terminal block and the second terminal block is the lower terminal block, and the width direction is defined as the direction in which the plurality of terminals are lined up. , the first terminal block has a connector connection portion on one side in the width direction, and the shield member is located below the plurality of electric wires and has a connector connection portion on one side in the width direction with respect to the plurality of electric wires. The second terminal block is provided biased toward the other side, and the second terminal block includes a housing part that holds the terminal, and a pair of housing parts that extend from the housing part to both sides in the width direction and are connected to the bracket. The second arm on the other side in the width direction is longer than the first arm on the one side in the width direction.

According to the terminal block assembly of this embodiment, the connector connection portion and the shield member are located below the plurality of electric wires. The connector connection portion is located on one side in the width direction. The shield member is provided biased toward the other side in the width direction. Therefore, interference between the shield member and the connector connected to the connector connection portion is prevented. Although the shield member is provided biased toward the other side in the width direction, the second arm is provided to extend long from the housing portion of the second terminal block. Therefore, on the other side in the width direction, the second terminal block and the bracket can be connected and integrated by the second arm. In this way, it is sufficient to lengthen the second arm, and it is possible to prevent the terminal block assembly from increasing in size.

(2) Preferably, the second terminal block is made of thermoplastic resin, and the second arm has a base part continuous from the housing part and a tip part on the opposite side of the housing part. The base portion has a thick portion having a vertical dimension larger than that of the tip portion, and a groove is provided on one side of the thick portion in the vertical direction, the longitudinal direction of the groove being the width direction. There is.
With this configuration, even if the second arm is long, the base portion thereof has a thick portion, and the rigidity of the second arm is increased. The second arm has different dimensions in the vertical direction between the base and the tip, but a groove is formed in the thick part of the base. Therefore, in molding the second terminal block including the second arm by injection molding, it is possible to suppress the fluidity of the molten resin from becoming poor at the tip.

(3) In the terminal block assembly according to (2) above, preferably, the second arm has an intermediate portion connecting the base portion and the tip portion, and a portion of the thick portion excluding the groove. The vertical dimension of and the thickness dimension of the intermediate portion are the same.
With this configuration, in molding the second terminal block including the second arm by injection molding, it is possible to more effectively suppress the fluidity of the molten resin from becoming poor at the tip.

(4) The bracket is located below the plurality of electric wires. Therefore, preferably, the second arm has a base part continuous from the housing part, a tip part on the opposite side to the housing part, and an intermediate part connecting the base part and the tip part, and a portion has a pin projecting upward for connection with the bracket, the intermediate portion is provided extending downward from the base portion, and the tip portion is provided extending from a lower portion of the intermediate portion. It is being
With this configuration, the tip of the second arm is located on the lower side due to the intermediate portion, and the pin projects upward from the tip. Therefore, a configuration can be obtained in which the bracket located on the lower side and the pin of the second arm can be easily connected.

(5) Preferably, in the terminal block assembly according to (4), the bracket includes a mounting plate portion for attaching the edge of the shield member, and a mounting plate portion provided on both sides of the mounting plate portion in the width direction, and the bracket is provided with a mounting plate portion for attaching the edge of the shield member, and the bracket is provided on both sides of the mounting plate portion in the width direction. It has a connecting plate portion provided with a hole to pass through, and a fixing plate portion extending from the connecting plate portion and fixed to a part of the device housing, the hole being wider than the mounting plate portion. The connecting plate portion has a bent shape so as to be located on the upper side.
With this configuration, the pin protruding upward from the tip of the second arm passes through the hole in the connecting plate portion of the bracket, and the bracket and the second terminal block are connected and integrated. It is possible to suppress the vertical dimension of the connection location.

(6) Preferably, in the terminal assembly according to any one of (1) to (5), the first arm has a first pin for coupling with the bracket, and the second arm has a second pin for connecting with the bracket, one of the first pin and the second pin is an upward pin that projects upward, and the first pin and the second pin are connected to each other. The other one is a downward pin that protrudes downward, and the bracket includes a mounting plate portion for attaching the edge of the shield member, and a mounting plate portion provided on both sides of the mounting plate portion in the width direction, and the upward pin is provided on both sides of the mounting plate portion in the width direction. or a connecting plate portion provided with a hole through which the downward pin passes, and one of the upward pin and the downward pin is larger than the hole and is elastically deformable. It has a joint.
With this configuration, the bracket and the second terminal block are connected and integrated by passing the upward pin and the downward pin through the holes in the connecting plate portion of the bracket. The engaging portion makes it possible to prevent the bracket and the second terminal block from being separated.

<Details of embodiments of the present disclosure>
Hereinafter, details of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that at least some of the embodiments described below may be combined arbitrarily.

[Overall configuration of terminal block assembly]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the terminal block assembly 10. FIG. 2 is a front view of the terminal block assembly 10. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the terminal block assembly 10. The terminal block assembly 10 is used to connect a plurality of electrical devices to each other using electric wires 15. Examples of the plurality of electrical devices include a vehicle-mounted motor and an inverter. The terminal block assembly 10 of this embodiment is mounted on the case of the motor. The case will be referred to as a device housing 7 in the description. In this embodiment, three-phase (three) electric wires 15 are connected to the terminal block assembly 10, but the number of electric wires 15 can be changed.

The terminal block assembly 10 includes a first terminal block 11, a second terminal block 12, a shield member 13, and a bracket 14. The first terminal block 11 is directly attached to the device housing 7. The first terminal block 11 is fixed to the device housing 7 at its four corners with bolts (not shown). In FIGS. 2 and 3, the device housing 7 is indicated by a chain double-dashed line. The second terminal block 12 is attached to the first terminal block 11. The second terminal block 12 is mounted on the device housing 7 via the first terminal block 11. The device housing 7 has two protrusions 8. The bracket 14 is fixed to the projection 8 with a bolt 80. At least a portion of the device housing 7 including the protrusion 8 is made of metal.

The shield member 13 is provided facing the three electric wires 15. The shield member 13 is made of metal and is constructed by braiding strands of wire. The shield member 13 has a rectangular sheet shape and is provided only on one side of the three electric wires 15. The bracket 14 is a plate-shaped member made of metal. Bracket 14 holds shield member 13. A structure for holding the shield member 13 will be explained later.

[About the first terminal block 11 and the second terminal block 12]
The first terminal block 11 and the second terminal block 12 are made of resin and are molded by injection molding using thermoplastic resin. The first terminal block 11 has a connector connection portion 17 . A mating connector of an electric wire extending from another device (not shown) is connected to the connector connection portion 17 . The connector connection portion 17 is provided biased toward one side of the first terminal block 11 in the width direction (the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2). In the state where the first terminal block 11 and the second terminal block 12 are combined, the three electric wires 15 and the terminal 16 are located at the center of the first terminal block 11 in the width direction. The first terminal block 11 has a terminal block 81 that is electrically connected to the terminals 16 of the three electric wires 15 included in the second terminal block 12.

The second terminal block 12 holds three terminals 16 of three electric wires 15. The second terminal block 12 has a housing part 30 that holds three terminals 16. The terminal 16 is insert molded into a housing part 30 made of resin, and the terminal 16 and the housing part 30 are integrated. The housing 30 fits into the first terminal block 11, and the second terminal block 12 is fixed to the first terminal block 11. The three terminals 16 are provided side by side in one direction (first direction). Three electric wires 15 extending from three terminals 16 are provided side by side in one direction (first direction). The second terminal block 12 (housing portion 30) has a long shape in the first direction in order to hold the three terminals 16 side by side in the first direction.

Here, the direction of the terminal block assembly 10 of the present disclosure will be defined. The direction in which three (plural) terminals 16 are lined up (the first direction) is defined as the width direction. The vertical direction is defined by assuming that the first terminal block 11 is an upper terminal block and the second terminal block 12 is a lower terminal block. Note that this vertical direction is a direction defined for explaining the terminal block assembly 10, and even if it does not match the vertical vertical direction when the terminal block assembly 10 is actually mounted on the device housing 7. good. A direction perpendicular to both the width direction and the up-down direction is defined as the front-back direction. The electric wire 15 is provided to extend in the front-rear direction. Each figure shows XYZ orthogonal coordinates. The X direction is the width direction, the Y direction is the front-rear direction, and the Z direction is the up-down direction.

The second terminal block 12 has

pins

36 and 39 for integrating the second terminal block 12 and the bracket 14. Specifically, the second terminal block 12 has a pair of

arms

31 and 32. The

arms

31 and 32 are provided extending from the housing portion 30 on both sides in the width direction, respectively. A first pin 39 is provided at the tip of the first arm 31. A second pin 36 is provided at the tip of the second arm 32. The first arm 31, the second arm 32, the first pin 39, and the second pin 36 are integrally molded with the housing portion 30 and are made of resin.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a part (one side in the width direction) of the terminal block assembly 10. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing another part (the other side in the width direction) of the terminal block assembly 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the bracket 14 is provided with a first hole 40 through which the first pin 39 passes. The first hole 40 is larger than the outer diameter (cross section) of the first pin 39 (pin body portion 39a). The first pin 39 has a pin body portion 39a having the same outer diameter (half circular shape) along its center line, and an engaging portion 39b having an outer diameter larger than that of the pin body portion 39a. have The engaging portion 39b is larger than the first hole 40 and is elastically deformable. In this embodiment, since the pin body portion 39a and the engaging portion 39b have a two-part shape, the first pin 39 as a whole can be elastically deformed. When the first pin 39 is passed through the first hole 40, the engaging portion 39b contracts from its expanded shape, and after the penetration, the engaging portion 39b returns to its expanded shape due to elastic restoring force. The first pin 39 is prevented from coming off from the bracket 14 by the engaging portion 39b.

As shown in FIG. 5, the bracket 14 is provided with a second hole 41 through which the second pin 36 passes. The inner diameter of the second hole 41 is larger than the outer diameter of the second pin 36. The second pin 36 has the same shape (circular) as the second hole 41 in cross section along its center line.
The first pin 39 and the second pin 36 allow the bracket 14 and the second terminal block 12 to be relatively displaced in the vertical direction, but cannot be separated from each other (become integral). Within the range where the

pins

39, 36 and the

holes

40, 41 are in contact, the bracket 14 and the second terminal block 12 can be slightly displaced in the width direction and the front-rear direction.

[About the shield member 13 and bracket 14]
As shown in FIG. 3, the bracket 14 has a shape long in the width direction in order to attach the edge 13e of the shield member 13 along the width direction (X direction). The bracket 14 is made of metal (for example, stainless steel). The bracket 14 has a mounting plate part 20, a connecting plate part 21, and a fixing plate part 22. The attachment plate portion 20 is a portion for attaching the edge portion 13e of the shield member 13. The attachment plate portion 20 is provided along the edge 13e of the shield member 13 and is long in the width direction. The mounting plate portion 20 includes a base piece 82 located below the edge 13e of the shield member 13, and a bent piece 83 for sandwiching the edge 13e between the base piece 82 and the base piece 82 from above. Although the bracket 14 has a bent portion in the connecting plate portion 21, it is plate-shaped and does not have a shape that surrounds the sheet-shaped shield member 13 from the entire circumference.

The shield member 13 is provided on the bracket 14 below the three electric wires 15 and biased to the other side in the width direction (to the right in FIGS. 1 and 2) with these electric wires 15 as a reference. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the center line passing through the center of the bundle of three electric wires 15 in the width direction is shown as "L1", and the center line passing through the center of the shield member 13 in the width direction is shown as "L2". . The center line L1 and the center line L2 do not match in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting plate portions 21 are provided on both sides of the attachment plate portion 20 in the width direction. A first hole 40 through which the first pin 39 passes is provided in the connecting plate portion 21 on one side in the width direction. A second hole 41 through which the second pin 36 passes is provided in the connecting plate portion 21 on the other side in the width direction.

The bracket 14 has fixing plate portions 22 on both sides in the width direction. The fixing plate portion 22 is provided extending from the connecting plate portion 21 . The fixing plate portions 22 on both sides are fixed to two protrusions 8 that are part of the device housing 7 with bolts 80 . As shown in FIG. 1, the bracket 14 is long in the width direction (X direction), and has a bent shape in one of the front and rear directions (Y direction) at the connecting plate portion 21. As shown in FIG. The fixing plate parts 22 on both sides in the width direction are provided so as to extend so as to widen the interval therebetween in the width direction. The fixing plate portions 22 on both sides in the width direction are provided to extend to positions protruding from the first terminal block 11 in the width direction. Therefore, the bracket 14 is fixed to the protrusion 8 of the device housing 7 while straddling the first terminal block 11 in the width direction.

The fixing plate portion 22 is fixed to the protrusion 8 while resting on the tip 9 of the protrusion 8 (see FIG. 2). The direction from top to bottom (vertical direction) is the direction in which the bracket 14 is attached to the protrusion 8. The fixing plate portion 22 is fixed to the protrusion 8 while resting on the tip 9 of the protrusion 8 from an attachment direction perpendicular to the width direction (X direction). By attaching the bracket 14 to the protrusion 8 , the shield member 13 can be electrically connected to the device housing 7 via the bracket 14 . The shield member 13 is electrically connected to the reference potential point through the device housing 7 .

The projection 8 is provided with a screw hole 85 (see FIG. 3) that opens at the top surface. A bolt 80 is tightened into the screw hole 85, thereby fixing the bracket 14 to the device housing 7. A hole 86 is provided in the flat plate portion 84 of the fixed plate portion 22, through which the screw shaft portion of the bolt 80 passes.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the fixing plate section 22 viewed from below. In FIG. 6, the protrusion 8 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. As described above, the direction in which the bracket 14 is attached to the protrusion 8 is from top to bottom (vertical direction). The fixing plate part 22 has a contact piece 23 that can come into contact with the tip 9 of the protrusion 8 in a direction orthogonal to the mounting direction during installation. The contact pieces 23 are provided on each of the pair of fixing plate parts 22 on both sides of the bracket 14 in the width direction (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the contact piece 23 can contact the tip 9 of the protrusion 8 in the front-rear direction and the width direction.

In FIG. 6, the tip 9 of the protrusion 8 has a cylindrical shape. In order for the contact piece 23 to contact the tip portion 9 in the front-rear direction and width direction, the contact piece 23 has an arcuate portion 24 and a pair of straight portions 25 . The arc portion 24 and the straight portion 25 have shapes bent at right angles from the flat plate portion 84 of the fixed plate portion 22 that rests on the upper surface of the protrusion 8 . The arc portion 24 has an arc shape along the outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 9. The straight portions 25 are provided to extend linearly from both ends of the arcuate portion 24 . The arc portion 24 is provided within a range of 180 degrees with the center of the tip portion 9 as a reference. The arc portion 24 has a continuous arc shape along the outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 9. The straight portion 25 and the arcuate portion 24 are continuous.

The function of the contact piece 23 of the bracket 14 will be explained (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 3).
The direction of the center lines of the first pin 39 and the second pin 36 is the same as the direction in which the bracket 14 is attached to the protrusion 8 (vertical direction). Before the fixing plate parts 22 on both sides of the bracket 14 in the width direction are placed on the protrusions 8, the bracket 14 can be displaced with respect to the second terminal block 12 in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction (width direction and front-back direction). becomes. The range in which the bracket 14 can be displaced is the range of the gap between the first pin 39 and the first hole 40 and the range of the gap between the second pin 36 and the second hole 41.

When the fixing plate part 22 of the bracket 14 is placed on the protrusion 8, the part 24p of the circular arc part 24 of the contact piece 23 on the fixing plate part 22 on one side in the width direction (the left side in FIG. 1) of the bracket 14 The tip portion 9 is interposed between the straight portion 25 and the straight portion 25 on the opposite side in the width direction. In the fixing plate part 22 on the other side in the width direction of the bracket 14 (the right side in FIG. , the tip portion 9 is in an intervening state. Therefore, displacement of the bracket 14 in the width direction is restricted.

In each of the fixing plate parts 22 on both sides of the bracket 14 in the width direction, the tip part 9 of the contact piece 23 is located between the other part 24r of the circular arc part 24 and the straight part 25 on the opposite side in the front-rear direction. It becomes an intervening state. Therefore, the displacement of the bracket 14 in the front-rear direction is restricted.
As described above, when the bracket 14 is placed on the tip 9 of the protrusion 8, the displacement of the bracket 14 in the width direction and the front-back direction is regulated by the contact piece 23. As a result, no shearing force (unreasonable force) is applied to the

pins

39, 36.

[About the connection structure between the second terminal block 12 and the bracket 14]
Before the terminal block assembly 10 is mounted on the device housing 7, the second terminal block 12 and the bracket 14 are pre-assembled and integrated. The structure for integrating them will be explained.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the first arm 31 is provided extending from the first resin portion 87 of the housing portion 30 that covers a portion of the terminal 16 to one side in the width direction. The first resin portion 87 to which the first arm 31 is connected is a resin portion that covers the connection portion between the terminal 16 and the electric wire 15 on one side in the width direction. A first pin 39 projects downward from the tip of the first arm 31.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the second arm 32 is provided extending from the second resin part 88 of the housing part 30 that covers a part of another terminal 16 to the other side in the width direction. The second arm 32 has a base portion 33 continuous from the housing portion 30, a tip portion 35 on the opposite side of the housing portion 30, and an intermediate portion 34 connecting the base portion 33 and the tip portion 35. The base portion 33 is provided extending from the second resin portion 88 covering a portion of the other terminal 16 to the other side in the width direction. The second resin portion 88 to which the second arm 32 is connected is a resin portion that covers the connection portion between the terminal 16 and the electric wire 15 on the other side in the axial direction. The intermediate portion 34 is provided to extend downward from the base portion 33. The tip portion 35 is provided extending from the lower portion 34b of the intermediate portion 34 to the other side in the width direction. The tip 35 has a second pin 36 that projects upward.

With the second pin 36 passed through the second hole 41, the first pin 39 is passed through the first hole 40. As described above, when the first pin 39 is passed through the first hole 40, the engaging portion 39b is contracted, and after passing through the first pin 39, the engaging portion 39b assumes an enlarged shape due to the elastic restoring force. As a result, the first pin 39 is prevented from coming off from the bracket 14. In the assembly of the second terminal block 12 and the bracket 14, when the bracket 14 tries to fall down from the second terminal block 12, the connecting plate part 21 of the bracket 14 comes into contact with the second arm 32, and It can prevent it from falling off. In the assembly, when the second terminal block 12 tries to fall down from the bracket 14, the first arm 31 comes into contact with the connecting plate part 21 of the bracket 14, thereby preventing the second terminal block 12 from falling off.

The connection structure between the second terminal block 12 and the bracket 14 will be further explained.
As described above (see FIG. 2), in the first terminal block 11, the connector connecting portion 17 is provided only on one side in the width direction (the left side in FIG. 2). In the second terminal block 12, the shield member 13 is provided biased toward the other side in the width direction (the right side in FIG. 2) with respect to the three electric wires 15. The first arm 31 and the second arm 32 are provided extending from one first resin part 87 and the other second resin part 88 of the second terminal block 12 to both sides in the width direction.

The second arm 32 on the other side in the width direction (on the right side in FIG. 2) is longer than the first arm 31 on one side in the width direction (on the left side in FIG. 2). The first arm 31 connects the second terminal block 12 and the bracket 14 at a position relatively close to the first resin part 87 . The second terminal block 12 and the bracket 14 are connected by the second arm 32 at a position relatively far from the second resin part 88.

The structure of the second arm 32 will be further explained. As described above, the second terminal block 12 including the second arm 32 is made of thermoplastic resin. That is, the second terminal block 12 including the second arm 32 is formed by injection molding. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the second arm 32. The second arm 32 has a base portion 33 continuous from the second resin portion 88 of the housing portion 30, a tip portion 35 on the opposite side thereof, and an intermediate portion 34 connecting the base portion 33 and the tip portion 35. In FIG. 7, the boundary between the base portion 33 and the intermediate portion 34 and the boundary between the intermediate portion 34 and the tip portion 35 are shown by two-dot chain lines.

The base portion 33 has a thick portion 37. The thick portion 37 has a larger dimension in the vertical direction (Z direction) than the tip portion 35. In this embodiment, the entire base 33 becomes the thick portion 37. The thickness t1 of the thick portion 37 is greater than the thickness t2 of the intermediate portion 34. The thickness of the tip portion 35 (thickness t3 at the maximum portion) and the thickness of the intermediate portion 34 (thickness t2 at the maximum portion) are the same. Note that "the thickness t2 of the intermediate portion 34" is a dimension in the width direction (X direction). “Thickness of base portion 33” and “thickness of tip portion 35” are dimensions in the vertical direction (Z direction). Since the base portion 33 has the thick portion 37, the strength (rigidity) of the second arm 32 is increased. In the second arm 32, the parts other than the base part 33 (thick part 37) are set to be thin, and the amount of resin used is minimized.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the second arm 32. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow IX in FIG. A groove 38 is provided in the thick portion 37. The groove 38 is a groove whose longitudinal direction is the width direction (X direction). In this embodiment, a groove 38 is provided on the lower side of the thick portion 37 . Note that the groove 38 may be provided at least on one side of the thick portion 37 in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 9, the groove 38 is provided at the center of the thick portion 37 in the front-rear direction (Y direction). Therefore, the base portion 33 has a thick main body portion 37a at its upper portion, and a pair of rib portions 37b extending downward from both sides of the main body portion 37a in the front-rear direction. The area surrounded by the main body portion 37a and the pair of rib portions 37b becomes a groove 38 that opens downward. Although the groove 38 slightly reduces the cross-sectional area of the base 33, the pair of ribs 37b increases the rigidity of the base 33 of the second arm 32.

As described above (see FIG. 7), the intermediate portion 34 and the tip portion 35 are thinner than the base portion 33 (thick portion 37). If the volume of the second arm 32, which is elongated and has a bent shape, suddenly changes in the middle part, the fluidity of the molten resin will decrease in the middle part during injection molding, and molding defects are likely to occur. Generally, in injection molding, it is preferable that the volume of each part does not change suddenly. In other words, it is preferable that the cross-sectional area of the molten resin does not change suddenly. Therefore, a groove 38 is formed in the thick portion 37 in order to prevent a sudden change in the cross-sectional area through which the molten resin passes. In particular, in this embodiment (see FIG. 8), the vertical dimension ta of the portion (37a) of the thick portion 37 excluding the groove 38 is the same as the thickness t2 of the intermediate portion 34. The thickness t2 of the intermediate portion 34 is the thickness dimension of the intermediate portion 34, and in this embodiment, the direction of the “thickness” is the width direction (X direction).

As shown in FIG. 7, in the second terminal block 12, the lower surface 88b of the second resin part 88 to which the base 33 of the second arm 32 is connected and the lower surface 33b of the base 33 are the same in the vertical direction (Z direction). in position. The dimensions of the thick portion 37 are increased upward with respect to the lower surface 33b of the base portion 33. By using the lower surface 33b as a reference, it is possible to secure the vertical distance E between the base 33 and the bracket 14 located below it (see FIG. 2).

Here, in the assembly of the second terminal block 12 and the bracket 14, the bracket 14 may be tilted in the vertical direction with respect to the second terminal block 12. For example, a portion of the bracket 14 may be inclined in a direction approaching the second arm 32.
As described above, by ensuring the vertical distance E between the base 33 and the bracket 14 below it, even if the bracket 14 is tilted, the part that holds the shield member 13 (the bent piece 83) and the base 33 is difficult to interfere with.

As shown in FIG. 5, the second arm 32 has a bent shape so that the tip 35, where the second pin 36 is provided, is located below the base 33. In the bracket 14, the connecting plate part 21 has a bent shape so that the second hole 41 is located above the mounting plate part 20. In other words, the connecting plate part 21 has a first hole extending upward from the mounting plate part 20. a second plate part 21b extending in the width direction from the upper end of the first plate part 21a and provided with a second hole 41; and a third plate part 21b extending downward from the second plate part 21b and connected to the fixed plate part 22. It has a plate portion 21c. A bent portion is provided between the first plate portion 21a and the second plate portion 21b, and a bent portion is provided between the second plate portion 21b and the third plate portion 21c.

The bent shape of the second arm 32 and the bent shape of the bracket 14 make it possible to prevent the second pin 36 that projects upward from becoming higher. The second pin 36 passes through the second hole 41, and the bracket 14 and the second terminal block 12 are connected and integrated. It becomes possible to suppress the vertical dimension of the connecting portion.
In the second arm 32, a tip portion 35 is located on the lower side due to the intermediate portion 34, and a second pin 36 projects upward from the tip portion 35. Therefore, a configuration is obtained in which the bracket 14 located below the electric wire 15 and the second pin 36 of the second arm 32 are easily connected.

As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting plate part 21 has a bent shape so that the first hole 40 is located above the mounting plate part 20 of the bracket 14. The first pin 39 passes through the first hole 40, and the bracket 14 and the second terminal block 12 are connected and integrated. The bent shape of the bracket 14 makes it possible to suppress the vertical dimension of the connection point with the first pin 39.

In this embodiment (see FIG. 2), the first pin 39 of the first arm 31 is a downward pin that projects downward, and the second pin 36 of the second arm 32 projects upward. This is an upward pin. The first pin 39 and the second pin 36 are oriented in opposite directions in the vertical direction. Therefore, while the shield member 13 is held by the bracket 14, the bracket 14 and the second terminal block 12 can be assembled.

In the bracket 14, one connecting plate part 21 is provided with a first hole 40 through which the first pin 39 is passed, and the other connecting plate part 21 is provided with a second hole 41 through which the second pin 36 is passed. There is. The first pin 39 has an engaging portion 39b that is larger than the first hole 40 and is elastically deformable (see FIG. 4). The engaging portion 39b makes it possible to prevent the bracket 14 and the second terminal block 12 from being separated.

Note that, contrary to this embodiment, although not shown, the first pin 39 may be an upward pin, and the second pin 36 may be a downward pin. The second pin 36 may have an engaging portion that is elastically deformable. That is, one of the first pin 39 and the second pin 36 may be an upward pin, and the other of the first pin 39 and the second pin 36 may be a downward pin. One connecting plate 21 of the bracket 14 is provided with a first hole through which the upward pin passes, and the other connecting plate 21 is provided with a second hole through which the downward pin passes. One of the upward pin and the downward pin may have an engaging portion that is larger than the hole and is elastically deformable.

[About the terminal block assembly 10 of this embodiment]
The terminal block assembly 10 of this embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 includes a first terminal block 11 attached to a device housing 7, and a terminal for three electric wires 15 attached to the first terminal block 11. 16, a sheet-shaped shield member 13 provided opposite the three electric wires 15, and a metal plate-shaped bracket 14 that holds the shield member 13. Equipped with. A bracket 14 is attached to a protrusion 8 that is a part of the device housing 7. Thereby, the shield member 13 is electrically connected to the device housing 7 via the bracket 14.

The bracket 14 has a long shape in the direction in which the three terminals 16 are arranged in order to attach the shield member 13. The first terminal block 11 has a connector connecting portion 17 on one side in the width direction (the left side in FIG. 2). The shield member 13 is provided below the three electric wires 15 and is biased to the other side in the width direction (to the right in FIG. 2) with these electric wires 15 as a reference.
In this way, in the terminal block assembly 10 of this embodiment, the connector connecting portion 17 and the shield member 13 are located below the three electric wires 15. The connector connecting portion 17 is located on one side in the width direction, and the shield member 13 is provided biased on the other side in the width direction. Therefore, interference between the shield member 13 and a connector (not shown) connected to the connector connecting portion 17 is prevented.

The second terminal block 12 has a pair of

arms

31 and 32. The

arms

31 and 32 are provided extending from the housing portion 30 on both sides in the width direction, and are portions for connecting with the bracket 14. The second arm 32 on the other side in the width direction is longer than the first arm 31 on one side in the width direction. As described above, the shield member 13 is provided biased toward the other side in the width direction, but the second arm 32 is provided to extend long. The second arm 32 allows the second terminal block 12 and the bracket 14 to be connected and integrated. Even if the shield member 13 is provided offset in the width direction, it is sufficient to make the second arm 32 long, and it is possible to suppress the terminal block assembly 10 from increasing in size.

The second arm 32 has a base portion 33 continuous from the housing portion 30 and a tip portion 35 on the opposite side. The base portion 33 has a thick portion 37 that is larger in vertical dimension than the tip portion 35 . Even if the second arm 32 is long, the thick portion 37 increases the rigidity of the second arm 32. In the second arm 32, the base portion 33 and the tip portion 35 have different dimensions in the vertical direction, but the thick portion 37 is provided with a groove 38 whose longitudinal direction is the width direction. Therefore, as described above, in molding the second terminal block 12 including the second arm 32 by injection molding, it is possible to suppress the fluidity of the molten resin from becoming poor at the tip portion 35.

The second arm 32 has an intermediate portion 34 that connects a base portion 33 and a tip portion 35. As described above (see FIG. 8), the vertical dimension ta of the thick portion 37 excluding the groove 38 is the same as the thickness t2 of the intermediate portion 34. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively suppress the fluidity of the molten resin from becoming worse at the tip portion 35.

〔others〕
The above embodiments are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The scope of rights of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims, not the embodiments, and includes all modifications within the scope of equivalents to the configurations described in the scope of the claims.

7 Equipment housing 8 Projection 9 Tip 10 Terminal block assembly 11 First terminal block 12 Second terminal block 13 Shield member 13e Edge 14 Bracket 15 Electric wire 16 Terminal 17 Connector connection part 20 Mounting plate part 21 Connection plate part 21a First Plate part 21b Second plate part 21c Third plate part 22 Fixed plate part 23 Contact piece 24 Arc part 24p Part 24q Part 24r Other part 25 Straight part 30 Housing part 31 First arm 32 Second arm 33 Base part 33b Lower surface 34 Intermediate part 34b Lower part 35 Tip part 36 Second pin 37 Thick part 37a Main part 37b Rib part 38 Groove 39 First pin 39a Pin main part 39b Engagement part 40 First hole 41 Second hole 81 Terminal 82 Base piece 83 Bend Piece 84 Flat plate part 85 Screw hole 86 Hole 87 First resin part 88 Second resin part 88b Bottom surface 90 Terminal block assembly 91a First terminal block 91b Second terminal block 92 Shield member 93 Bracket 94 Terminal 95 Electric wire 98 Part 99 Case 100 Connector connection part E Spacing L1 Center line L2 Center line

Claims

a first terminal block attached to the device housing;
a second terminal block that is attached to the first terminal block and holds terminals of a plurality of electric wires in a lined state;
a sheet-shaped shield member provided facing the plurality of electric wires;
a metal plate-shaped bracket that holds the shield member;
Equipped with
A terminal block assembly in which the bracket is attached to a part of the device casing, and the shield member can be electrically connected to the device casing via the bracket,
The bracket has a long shape in the direction in which the plurality of terminals are arranged in order to attach the shield member,
When the vertical direction is defined as the first terminal block is the upper terminal block and the second terminal block is the lower terminal block, and the width direction is defined as the direction in which the plurality of terminals are lined up,
The first terminal block has a connector connection portion on one side in the width direction,
The shield member is provided below the plurality of electric wires and biased toward the other side in the width direction with respect to the plurality of electric wires,
The second terminal block has a housing part that holds the terminal, and a pair of arms that extend from the housing part to both sides in the width direction and are connected to the bracket,
the second arm on the other side in the width direction is longer than the first arm on the one side in the width direction;
Terminal block assembly.
The second terminal block is made of thermoplastic resin,
The second arm has a base part continuous from the housing part, and a tip part on the opposite side from the housing part,
The base portion has a thick portion having a larger vertical dimension than the tip portion,
2. The terminal block assembly according to claim 1, wherein a groove whose longitudinal direction is the width direction is provided on one side of the thick portion in the vertical direction.
The second arm has an intermediate portion connecting the base and the tip,
The terminal block assembly according to claim 2, wherein a vertical dimension of a portion of the thick portion excluding the groove is the same as a thickness dimension of the intermediate portion.
The second arm has a base part continuous from the housing part, a tip part on the opposite side of the housing part, and an intermediate part connecting the base part and the tip part,
the tip has a pin that projects upward for connection with the bracket;
The terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the intermediate portion is provided to extend downward from the base, and the tip portion is provided to extend from a lower part of the intermediate portion. pedestal assembly.
The bracket includes a mounting plate portion for attaching the edge of the shield member, a connecting plate portion provided on both sides of the mounting plate portion in the width direction and having a hole through which the pin passes, and the connecting plate portion. a fixing plate part extending from and fixed to a part of the device casing;
5. The terminal block assembly according to claim 4, wherein the connecting plate has a bent shape so that the hole is located above the mounting plate.
the first arm has a first pin for connecting with the bracket;
the second arm has a second pin for connecting with the bracket;
One of the first pin and the second pin is an upward pin that projects upward, and the other of the first pin and the second pin is a downward pin that projects downward,
The bracket includes a mounting plate portion for attaching the edge of the shield member, and a connecting plate portion provided on both sides of the mounting plate portion in the width direction and having a hole through which the upward pin or the downward pin is passed. , has
One of the upward pin and the downward pin has an engaging portion that is larger than the hole and is elastically deformable.
The terminal block assembly according to claim 1.