JP2015095354A - Connector for apparatus and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique associated with a connector for an apparatus reduced in height.SOLUTION: A connector 10 for an apparatus attached to the apparatus 11 and connected to a mating terminal 16, comprises: a plate 22 fixed to the apparatus 11; and an apparatus side housing 23 integrally provided on the plate 22 and made of the synthetic resin. A conductive member 28 electrically connecting the apparatus 11 and the mating terminal 16, is provided on the apparatus side housing 23. The conductive member 28 has a connection part 29 which is a plate parallel to a plate surface of the plate 22 and is connected to the mating terminal 16. The connection part 29 and the mating terminal 16 are fixed each other by a bolt 17 in a state the mating terminal 16 is overlapped on a surface opposite to the plate 22 in the plate surface of the connection part 29, and a cap nut 30 to which the bolt is thread, is buried in the apparatus side housing 23 on the plate 22 side surface in the plate surface of the connection part 29 in a state that the cap nut 30 is sealed to the connection part 29.

Description

  The present invention relates to a device connector and a manufacturing method thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a device connector described in Patent Document 1 is known as a device connector that is attached to a device such as a motor mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle and connected to a counterpart terminal. The device connector includes a plate that is fixed to the device, and a device housing made of synthetic resin that is integrally disposed on the plate. A conductive member that electrically connects the device and the counterpart terminal is disposed in the device-side housing. The conductive member forms a plate shape parallel to the plate surface of the plate and includes a connection portion connected to the mating terminal.

  Bolts are inserted into the connecting part and the mating terminal from the direction intersecting the plate surface of the plate with the mating terminal overlapped on the surface of the connecting part opposite to the device. ing. A nut is disposed at a position on the opposite side of the connection terminal from the counterpart terminal. The connecting portion and the mating terminal are electrically connected by screwing a bolt into the nut.

JP 2009-32500 A

  In the above-described device connector, an opening that opens in a direction parallel to the plate surface of the plate is formed in order to dispose the nut at a position opposite to the mating terminal with respect to the connecting portion. The nut is inserted into the device connector from this opening and held in a predetermined position.

  According to the above configuration, an opening that opens in a direction parallel to the plate surface of the plate is required to place the nut on the device connector, and a space for inserting the nut into a predetermined position is required. It becomes. For this reason, it has been difficult to reduce the height of the device connector in the direction intersecting the plate surface of the plate.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a low-profile device connector.

  The present invention is a device connector that is attached to a device and connected to a counterpart terminal, a plate fixed to the device, a device side housing made of synthetic resin integrally disposed on the plate, A conductive member for electrically connecting the device and the counterpart terminal is disposed in the device-side housing, and the conductive member forms a plate shape parallel to the plate surface of the plate and A connecting portion connected to the mating terminal, wherein the connecting portion and the mating terminal are bolts in a state where the mating terminal is superimposed on a surface of the connecting portion opposite to the plate. The plate-side surface of the connection portion is fixed to the plate-side surface by a cap nut to which the bolt is screwed. Embedded in housing It is characterized in that is.

  According to the present invention, after assembling the connection portion and the cap nut with the connection portion and the cap nut sealed, the device-side housing is formed by insert molding the connection portion and the cap nut with the synthetic resin. can do. Thereby, the space for attaching a nut to an apparatus side housing from the direction parallel to the plate surface of a plate becomes unnecessary. As a result, since the position of the connection portion can be brought close to the plate, the height of the device connector can be reduced in the direction intersecting the plate surface of the plate.

  As embodiments of the present invention, the following embodiments are preferable. It is preferable that the cap nut is in close contact with the connection portion.

  According to said aspect, compared with the case where the connection part and the cap nut are spaced apart and arrange | positioned, the apparatus connector can be made low-profile.

  The device-side housing includes a hood portion that protrudes in a direction intersecting the plate surface of the plate and is fitted to a mating connector on which the mating terminal is disposed, and the cap nut is a projecting edge of the hood portion It is preferable that it is arranged at a position closer to the plate than.

  According to the above aspect, since a space for attaching the nut to the device-side housing from a direction parallel to the plate surface of the plate is not required, the cap nut is arranged at a position closer to the plate than the protruding end edge of the hood portion. be able to. Thereby, in the apparatus side housing provided with the food | hood part, the apparatus connector can be made still shorter about the direction which cross | intersects the plate surface of a plate.

  It is preferable that the connection portion and the cap nut are fixed by a synthetic resin constituting the device-side housing.

  According to said aspect, the connection part and the cap nut are being fixed by the synthetic resin which comprises an apparatus side housing. As a result, since the configuration for fixing the connection portion and the cap nut is sufficient only for the synthetic resin constituting the device-side housing, the height of the device connector can be further reduced in the direction intersecting the plate surface of the plate. .

  Further, the present invention is a method for manufacturing a connector for a device that is attached to a device and connected to a counterpart terminal, and includes a conductive portion that is connected to the counterpart terminal by pressing a metal plate material. A conductive member forming step for forming a member, a sealing step for assembling the connecting portion and the cap nut in a state where a space between the connecting portion and the cap nut is sealed, and the connecting portion to which the cap nut is attached. And the device-side housing by integrally molding the synthetic resin with the plate fixed to the device in a state where the plate surface of the connecting portion and the plate surface of the plate are parallel to each other. And an insert step to be formed.

  As embodiments of the present invention, the following embodiments are preferable. Preferably, the sealing step temporarily fixes the cap nut to the connection portion with a bolt, and after the insert step is executed, a step of removing the bolt from the cap nut is preferably executed.

  According to said aspect, since a space | interval can be assembled | attached between a cap nut and a connection part by the simple method of temporarily fixing a cap nut with a volt | bolt with respect to a connection part, a manufacturing process can be simplified. .

  According to the present invention, the height of the device connector can be reduced.

Partial sectional drawing which shows the state which the connector for apparatuses which concerns on Embodiment 1 and the other party connector fitted. Perspective view showing device connector Partial sectional view showing a state where the conductive member and the cap nut are temporarily fixed with bolts Partial sectional view showing the manufacturing process of the connector for equipment Partial sectional view showing the connector for equipment

<Embodiment 1>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The device connector 10 according to the present embodiment is attached to a device 11 such as a motor or an inverter mounted on a vehicle (not shown) such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. The device connector 10 is adapted to be fitted with a mating connector 12 connected to an end of a wire harness (not shown) provided in the vehicle. By fitting the device connector 10 and the mating connector 12, the device 11 and the wire harness are electrically connected. In the following description, the upper side in FIG. 1 is described as the upper side, and the lower side is described as the lower side. Moreover, about the some member which makes the same shape, a code | symbol may be attached | subjected about one member in a figure, and a code | symbol may be abbreviate | omitted about another member.

(Equipment 11)
The device 11 includes a metal case 13 having an electromagnetic shielding function. The case 13 is formed with a through-hole 14 that penetrates the outside and inside of the case 13 and to which the device connector 10 is attached.

(Mating connector 12)
As shown in FIG. 1, the mating connector 12 includes a mating housing 15 made of synthetic resin, and a mating terminal 16 disposed in the mating housing 15. The mating terminal 16 is made of a metal plate material, and is formed with a bolt insertion hole 18A through which the bolt 17 is inserted so as to penetrate in the vertical direction. As a metal which comprises the other party terminal 16, arbitrary metals, such as copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, iron, stainless steel, can be selected suitably as needed. A plating layer (not shown) made of a metal such as tin or nickel may be formed on the surface of the mating terminal 16.

  The mating housing 15 is formed in a cylindrical shape that opens in the vertical direction. The opening of the counterpart housing 15 is a work hole 19 into which a tool or the like is inserted in order to perform a bolt fastening work. The work hole 19 is liquid-tightly closed by attaching a cap (not shown) from above after the bolting operation.

(Device connector 10)
As shown in FIG. 1, the device connector 10 includes a metal plate 22 that is fixed to the device 11, and a synthetic resin device-side housing 23 that is integrally disposed on the plate 22. The metal which comprises the plate 22 can be suitably selected from arbitrary metals as needed, such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, copper alloy, iron, stainless steel.

(Plate 22)
As shown in FIG. 2, the plate 22 is formed with a plurality of attachment holes 24 through which bolts (not shown) for fixing the plate 22 to the device 11 are passed. As shown in FIG. 1, the plate 22 is formed with an opening 25 penetrating in the plate thickness direction of the plate 22.

(Device side housing 23)
As shown in FIG. 1, the device-side housing 23 is integrally formed with the plate 22 so as to penetrate the opening 25 formed in the plate 22 in the vertical direction. In a state where the plate 22 is attached to the case 13 of the device 11, the device-side housing 23 is inserted into the through hole 14 provided in the case 13.

  The device-side housing 23 includes a hood portion 26 that protrudes in a direction intersecting the plate surface of the plate 22 (upward in FIG. 1) and into which the mating connector 12 is fitted. As shown in FIG. 2, the hood portion 26 has an elongated oval shape or an oval shape when viewed from above. A plurality (six in this embodiment) of terminal blocks 20 are formed on the inner side of the hood portion 26 so as to protrude upward from the bottom surface of the hood portion 26.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a seal ring 27 that is in close contact with the inner wall surface of the hood portion 26 is fitted on the outer surface of the mating connector 12 in a state where the mating connector 12 and the device connector 10 are fitted. Yes. When the seal ring 27 and the inner wall surface of the hood portion 26 are in close contact with each other, the space between the hood portion 26 and the counterpart housing 15 is sealed in a liquid-tight manner.

  A plurality (six in this embodiment) of conductive members 28 are arranged on the device connector 10. Each conductive member 28 is disposed on each terminal block 20.

  The conductive member 28 is formed by pressing a metal plate into a predetermined shape. As a metal for forming the conductive member 28, any metal such as copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, iron, stainless steel and the like can be appropriately selected as necessary. A plating layer made of a metal such as tin or nickel may be formed on the surface of the conductive member 28.

  One end portion (the lower end portion in the present embodiment) of the conductive member 28 is electrically connected to the device 11. The other end portion (the upper end portion in the present embodiment) of the conductive member 28 is disposed on the upper surface of the terminal block 20 and is electrically connected to the mating terminal 16 disposed on the mating connector 12. It is said. The conductive member 28 is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction in the apparatus-side housing 23. By bending the upper end portion of the conductive member 28 at a substantially right angle, the plate surface of the connection portion 29 is arranged in parallel or substantially parallel to the plate surface of the plate 22.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connecting portion 29 and the mating terminal 16 are such that the mating terminal 16 is superimposed on the plate surface of the connecting portion 29 on the surface opposite to the plate 22 (upper surface in the present embodiment). And is fixed by a bolt 17. A bolt insertion hole 18 </ b> B through which the bolt 17 is inserted is formed in the connection portion 29 so as to penetrate in the vertical direction.

  A cap nut 30 to which the bolt 17 is screwed is embedded in the surface on the plate 22 side (the lower surface in the present embodiment) of the plate surface of the connection portion 29 in the device-side housing 23. A plurality (six in this embodiment) of cap nuts 30 are disposed on the device connector 10. The cap nut 30 is formed with a screw hole 31 extending in the vertical direction. The upper end of the screw hole 31 is opened upward, and the lower end of the screw hole 31 is closed. A space between the lower surface of the connection portion 29 and the upper surface of the cap nut 30 is disposed in a liquid-tight seal, and the synthetic resin constituting the device-side housing 23 is disposed between the lower surface of the connection portion 29 and the upper surface of the cap nut 30. It does not enter between. In the present embodiment, the lower surface of the connection portion 29 and the upper surface of the cap nut 30 are in close contact. Moreover, the connection part 29 and the cap nut 30 are being fixed with said synthetic resin.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cap nut 30 is disposed below (a position closer to the plate 22) than the protruding end edge 32 upward of the hood portion 26. Moreover, the lower end part of the cap nut 30 is distribute | arranged to the substantially same height position as the opening part 25 of the plate 22 about the up-down direction.

(Example of manufacturing process)
Then, an example of the manufacturing process of the connector 10 for apparatuses which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. The manufacturing process of the device connector 10 is not limited to the following description.

  First, the conductive member 28 provided with the connection part 29 is formed by pressing a metal plate material (metal member forming step).

  Subsequently, the cap nut 30 is arranged on the lower surface of the connection portion 29, and the bolt 17 is inserted from above into the bolt insertion hole 18 </ b> B of the connection portion 29 to penetrate the connection portion 29 and screwed into the screw hole 31 of the cap nut 30. (See FIG. 3). Thus, the connection portion 29 and the cap nut 30 are assembled and temporarily fixed in a state where the lower surface of the connection portion 29 and the upper surface of the cap nut 30 are in close contact with each other in a liquid-tight seal (sealing process).

  Subsequently, the conductive member 28, the cap nut 30, and the plate 22 that are integrally assembled by the bolt 17 are set in a mold (not shown). At this time, it arrange | positions in a metal mold | die so that the plate surface of the connection part 29 and the plate surface of the plate 22 may become parallel or substantially parallel. Next, insert molding is performed with a synthetic resin (insert process).

  Thereafter, the molded product shown in FIG. 4 is taken out from the mold. As shown in FIG. 4, in the molded product, the plate 22 and the device-side housing 23 are integrally formed, and the cap nut 30 is embedded in a synthetic resin.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the bolt 17 is removed from the cap nut 30. As a result, the device connector 10 is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mating connector 12 is fitted into the hood portion 26. Then, the counterpart terminal 16 is overlaid on the upper surface of the connection portion 29. Subsequently, the bolt 17 is inserted into the mating connector 12 through the work hole 19. The bolt 17 is inserted from above into the bolt insertion hole 18 </ b> A of the mating terminal 16 and the bolt insertion hole 18 </ b> B of the connection portion 29, and screwed into the screw hole 31 of the cap nut 30 from above. Thereafter, the bolt 17 is screwed into the cap nut 30 with a tool (not shown) inserted from the working hole 19. Thereby, the other party connector 12 and the apparatus connector 10 are electrically connected.

(Operation and effect of the embodiment)
Then, the effect | action and effect of this embodiment are demonstrated. According to the present embodiment, after assembling the connection portion 29 and the cap nut 30 in a state where the connection portion 29 and the cap nut 30 are sealed, the connection portion 29 and the cap nut 30 are insert-molded with the synthetic resin. Thus, the device-side housing 23 can be formed. Thereby, the space for attaching a nut to the apparatus side housing 23 from the direction parallel to the plate surface of the plate 22 becomes unnecessary. As a result, since the position of the connecting portion 29 can be brought close to the plate 22, the height of the device connector 10 can be reduced in the direction intersecting the plate surface of the plate 22.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the cap nut 30 is in close contact with the connection portion 29. Thereby, compared with the case where the connection part 29 and the cap nut 30 are spaced apart, the apparatus connector 10 can be made low-profile.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the device-side housing 23 includes the hood portion 26 that protrudes in a direction intersecting the plate surface of the plate 22 and fits with the mating connector 12 on which the mating terminal 16 is disposed, The cap nut 30 is disposed at a position closer to the plate 22 than the protruding end edge 32 of the hood portion 26. This eliminates the need for a space for attaching the nut to the device-side housing 23 from a direction parallel to the plate surface of the plate 22, so that the cap nut 30 is positioned closer to the plate 22 than the protruding edge 32 of the hood portion 26. Can be arranged. Thereby, in the apparatus side housing 23 provided with the food | hood part 26, the height of the apparatus connector 10 can be further reduced about the direction which cross | intersects the plate surface of the plate 22. FIG.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the connection portion 29 and the cap nut 30 are fixed by the synthetic resin constituting the device-side housing 23. As a result, since the structure for fixing the connecting portion 29 and the cap nut 30 is only the synthetic resin constituting the device-side housing 23, the device connector 10 is made to be lower in the direction intersecting the plate surface of the plate 22. Can be

  Further, in the present embodiment, the sealing step is to temporarily fix the cap nut 30 to the connection portion 29 with the bolt 17, and after executing the insert step, the step of removing the bolt 17 from the cap nut 30 is executed. To do. Thereby, since the cap nut 30 and the connection portion 29 can be assembled in a sealed state by a simple method of temporarily fixing the cap nut 30 to the connection portion 29 with the bolts 17, the manufacturing process is simplified. it can.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  (1) In the present embodiment, the connection portion 29 and the cap nut 30 are assembled in a sealed state by being temporarily fixed with the bolts 17, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the connection portion 29 and the cap nut 30 May be bonded by an adhesive or an adhesive sheet, or may be soldered by solder or brazing material. Thus, the connection part 29 and the cap nut 30 are good also as a structure assembled | attached in the state sealed liquid-tight with an adhesive agent, an adhesive sheet, solder, brazing material, etc. Further, the cap nut 30 may be press-fitted into the through hole formed in the connection portion 29, or the cap nut 30 may be screwed into the screw hole formed in the connection portion 29. The portion 29 and the cap nut 30 may be welded. Thus, it is good also as a structure assembled | attached in the state sealed liquid-tightly by the contact part 29 and the cap nut 30 closely_contact | adhering. As described above, the connection portion 29 and the cap nut 30 can be assembled in a sealed state by any method as necessary.

  (2) In this embodiment, although the other party terminal 16 was connected to the wire harness, it is not restricted to this, The other party terminal 16 is good also as a structure formed in one edge part of a bus-bar. In this case, the other end of the bus bar may be connected to another device.

  (3) In the present embodiment, the device connector 10 is configured to include the six conductive members 28, but is not limited thereto, one conductive member, or two to five or seven or more It is good also as a structure by which a conductive member is arranged. Similarly, the device connector 10 may have a configuration in which one or two to five or seven or more cap nuts 30 are arranged.

  (4) In the present embodiment, the plate 22 is made of metal. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the plate 22 may be made of synthetic resin, and any material can be appropriately selected as necessary.

  (5) In the present embodiment, the lower end portion of the cap nut 30 is arranged at substantially the same height as the opening portion 25 of the plate 22 in the vertical direction. The lower end portion may be arranged below the opening 25.

10: Connector for equipment 11: Equipment 16: Mating terminal 17: Bolt 22: Plate 23: Equipment side housing 26: Hood part 28: Conductive member 29: Connection part 30: Cap nut 32: Protruding edge

Claims (6)

A device connector that is attached to a device and connected to a counterpart terminal,
A plate that is fixed to the device, and a device side housing made of synthetic resin that is integrally disposed on the plate,
The device-side housing is provided with a conductive member that electrically connects the device and the counterpart terminal,
The conductive member includes a connection portion that is formed in a plate shape parallel to the plate surface of the plate and connected to the counterpart terminal,
The connecting portion and the mating terminal are fixed by bolts in a state where the mating terminal is overlapped on the surface of the connecting portion opposite to the plate,
Of the plate surface of the connection portion, a surface of the plate side is embedded with a cap nut into which the bolt is screwed in a state of being sealed with respect to the connection portion. Connector for equipment to be used.   The device connector according to claim 1, wherein the cap nut is in close contact with the connection portion. The device-side housing includes a hood portion that protrudes in a direction intersecting the plate surface of the plate and fits with a mating connector on which the mating terminal is disposed,
3. The device connector according to claim 1, wherein the cap nut is disposed at a position closer to the plate than a protruding end edge of the hood portion.   The device connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connection portion and the cap nut are fixed by a synthetic resin constituting the device-side housing. A method of manufacturing a connector for a device that is attached to a device and connected to a counterpart terminal,
A conductive member forming step of forming a conductive member having a connection portion connected to the counterpart terminal by pressing a metal plate; and
A sealing step of assembling the connection portion and the cap nut in a state where the space between the connection portion and the cap nut is sealed;
The connection portion to which the cap nut is attached and the plate fixed to the device are integrated with a synthetic resin in a state where the plate surface of the connection portion and the plate surface of the plate are arranged in parallel. An insert process for forming a device-side housing by insert molding into,
The manufacturing method of the connector for apparatuses characterized by performing these. The sealing step is to temporarily fix the cap nut in close contact with the connecting portion by screwing the bolt penetrating the connecting portion into the cap nut;
The method for manufacturing a connector for an apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a step of removing the bolt from the cap nut is performed after the insertion step.

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