A protection cover for a battery terminal and a battery terminal

Abstract: [Object] To detect whether or not a lid portion is securely mounted on an accommodating portion in a protection cover having a surrounding portion constructed to close an opening of the accommodating portion by the lid portion. [Solution] A lid portion 32 and a covering portion 37 are provided with interfering portions 36, 41 which, while the covering portion 37 is being displaced from an exposing position to a protecting position, do not interfere each other when the lid portion 32 is properly mounted in a closing position with respect to the accommodating portion 22 while they interfere each other and the covering portion 37 cannot reach the proper closing position when the lid portion 32 is improperly mounted. Thus, whether or not the lid portion 32 is properly mounted on the accommodating portion 22 can be detected based on whether or not the interfering portions 36, 41 interfere each other while the covering portion 37 is being displaced to the protecting position.

Description: The present invention relates to a protection cover for a battery terminal and to a battery terminal provided with such protection cover. A known protection cover for a battery terminal is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-85858. This protection cover is mounted on a battery terminal provided with a clamping portion to be connected with a battery post and a wire connecting portion to be connected with a wire, and is comprised of a tubular surrounding portion for surrounding the wire connecting portion over its entire circumference and a covering portion for covering the upper and lateral sides of the clamping portion. The surrounding portion includes an accommodating portion which is so open as to accommodate the wire connecting portion in a direction normal to its longitudinal axis and a lid portion which is inclinably displaceable between a position where it uncloses the opening of the accommodating portion and a position where it closes the opening of the accommodating portion. Further, the covering portion is inclinably displaceable between a position where it exposes the clamping portion and a position where it covers the clamping portion. The tubular surrounding portion for surrounding the wire connecting portion is enabled to have an improved operability in accommodating the wire connecting portion by adopting a split construction of the accommodating portion and the lid portion. However, if an incompletely mounted state of the lid portion on the accommodating portion is overlooked, an external matter may enter the surrounding portion through a clearance between the accommodating portion and the lid portion to contact the wire connecting portion. In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to enable a detection as to whether or not a lid portion is securely mounted on an accommodating portion in a protection cover and a battery terminal provided therewith, having a surrounding portion constructed such that an opening of the accommodating portion is closed by the lid portion. This object is solved according to the invention by a protection cover according to claim 1 and by a battery terminal according to claim 8. Preferred embodiments of the invention are subject of the dependent claims. According to the invention, there is provided a protection cover to be mounted on a battery terminal provided with a clamping portion to be connected or connectable with a battery post and a wire connecting portion to be connected or connectable with a wire, comprising: a preferably tubular surrounding portion for substantially surrounding the wire connecting portion, the surrounding portion comprising an accommodating portion which is so open as to at least partly accommodate the wire connecting portion (preferably in a direction normal to its longitudinal axis), and a lid portion which is displaceable between an opening position where it substantially uncloses an opening of the accommodating portion and a closing position where it is mounted to substantially close the opening, and a covering portion for substantially covering the upper and lateral sides of the clamping portion, the covering portion being displaceable between an exposing position where it substantially exposes the clamping portion and a protecting position where it substantially covers the clamping portion, wherein the lid portion and the covering portion each comprise one or more interfering portions which, while the covering portion is being displaced from the exposing position to the protecting position, do not interfere with each other when the lid portion is substantially properly mounted in the closing position with respect to the accommodating portion, but said interfering portions interfere with each other and the covering portion cannot reach the proper closing position in an improperly mounted position of the lid portion. Whether or not the lid portion is properly mounted on the accommodating portion can be detected based on whether or not the interfering portions interfere each other while the covering portion is being displaced to the protecting position. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wire connecting portion is at least partly inserted into the accommodating portion in a direction substantially normal to its longitudinal axis. Preferably, the covering portion is so supported on the accommodating portion as to be rotatable or pivotable in parallel to a side wall thereof, and more preferably the lid portion is rotatably or pivotably supported on the accommodating portion and reaches the closing position by rotationally or pivotably displacing to cross a rotation path or pivotal movement path of the side wall of the covering portion from an exposing position or an outer side to a closing position or an inner side. When the covering portion is rotated with the lid portion improperly mounted, the side wall of the covering portion interferes the lid portion. With the lid portion mounted in the proper closing position and the covering portion located in the protecting position, the side wall of the covering portion is located outside the lid portion to restrict an outward displacement of the lid portion toward the opening position. Further preferably, the interfering portion of the covering portion in the exposing position and the interfering portion of the lid portion in the closing position are located adjacent or proximate to each other. If the lid portion is improperly mounted when the covering portion in the exposing position is displaced toward the protecting position, the interfering portions interfere each other immediately after the displacement of the covering portion is started. Thus, the covering portion needs not be unnecessarily largely rotated. Still further preferably, the lid portion is rotatably or pivotably supported on the accommodating portion and the interfering portion is provided at an end of the lid portion opposite from a center of rotation or pivotal movement. Since the interfering portion of the lid portion is located at the end opposite from the center of rotation, an amount of shift of the interfering portion between the improperly mounted state of the lid portion and the properly mounted state thereof is larger. Thus, the interfering portion of the lid portion can be securely brought into contact with the interfering portion of the covering portion when the lid portion is improperly mounted. Most preferably, the lid portion and the covering portion are respectively provided with position correcting portions which are engageable with each other during the displacement of the covering portion to the protecting position to forcibly push the improperly mounted lid portion to the proper closing position. According to the invention, there is further provided a battery terminal comprising a clamping portion to be connected with a battery post, a wire connecting portion to be connected with a wire and a protection cover according to the invention or an embodiment thereof mounted or mountable thereon. These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protection cover according to one embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a battery terminal, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the protection cover with a lid portion in its opening position and a covering portion in its exposing position, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the protection cover with the lid portion in its closing position and the covering portion in its exposing position, FIG. 5 is a perceptive view showing a state of the protection cover at an intermediate stage of rotation of the covering portion from the exposing position to a protecting position, FIG. 6 is a front view of the protection cover with the lid portion in its opening position and the covering portion in its exposing position, FIG. 7 is a front view of the protection cover when the lid portion is improperly mounted, FIG. 8 is a front view of the protection cover when the lid portion is properly mounted, FIG. 9 is a left side view of the protection cover with the lid portion in its opening position and the covering portion in its exposing position, and FIG. 10 is a side view partly in section showing a state where the protection cover is mounted on the battery terminal. Hereinafter, one preferred embodiment of the invention is described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. First, a battery terminal 10 is described. The battery terminal 10 is comprised of a preferably substantially arcuate clamping portion 11 formed e.g. by bending a conductive metallic plate having a specific shape and a vertically extending longitudinal axis, a pair of left and right fastening plates 12 extending from one end, preferably substantially forward from the opposite circumferential ends of the clamping portion 11, and a wire connecting portion 14 extending from another end, preferably substantially backward from the clamping portion 11 via a coupling portion 13. The clamping portion 11 is preferably tapered toward its upper end, and can have its diameter reduced by inserting a fastening means, preferably a bolt (not shown) through bolt holes 15 formed in the two fastening plates 12 and bringing the two fastening plates 12 closer to each other preferably between a nut (not shown) engaged with a portion of the bolt projecting from the bolt holes 15 and a hexagonal head of the bolt. In this way, the clamping portion 11 is or can be fastened and fixed to the outer circumferential surface of a battery post 16, with the result that the battery terminal 10 and the battery post 16 are electrically connected. Further, an end of a wire 17 is connected with the wire connecting portion 14 e.g. by crimping or folding or bending corresponding crimping portions of the wire connecting portion 14. Next, a protection cover 20 to be mounted on the battery terminal 10 is described. The protection cover 20 is made e.g. of a synthetic resin material and is comprised of a surrounding portion 21 preferably in the form of a substantially rectangular tube for substantially surrounding the wire connecting portion 14 of the battery terminal 10 and a covering portion 37 for substantially covering the upper, front and opposite lateral sides of the clamping portion 11 and the fastening plates 12. It should be noted that the forward and backward directions and vertical direction of the protection cover 20 are based on its state mounted on the battery terminal 10 in the description of the protection cover 20 below. The surrounding portion 21 is such that an accommodating portion 22 and a lid portion 32 are integrally or unitarily rotatably or pivotably formed via hinges 33. The accommodating portion 22 is formed such that an upper or first wall 25 and a bottom or second wall 26 extend from the upper and bottom edges of a left side wall 24 at an angle different from 0° or 180°, preferably at substantially right angles, and is substantially U-shape when viewed from front. A right side surface of the accommodating portion 22 is or can be made substantially entirely open, thereby forming an opening 27 open to the outside. The battery terminal 10 is or can be at least partly accommodated into the accommodating portion 22 through the opening 27 while being moved in transverse direction normal to its longitudinal direction (forward and backward directions; direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the wire 17 connected with the wire connecting portion 14). A partitioning wall 28 substantially continuous with the left side wall 24 is formed between the front ends of the upper and bottom walls 25 and 26, and a horizontal slit 29 for allowing the passage of the coupling portion 13 of the battery terminal 10 is open to the right near the upper end of the partitioning wall 28. An inner space of the accommodating portion 22 behind the partitioning wall 28 serves as an accommodation space 30 for at least partly accommodating the wire connecting portion 14. Further, a pair of front and rear locking projections 31F, 31R are formed at the right edge or edge portion of the inner surface of the upper wall 25. The lid portion 32 is substantially plate-shaped and coupled to the accommodating portion 22 via the hinges 33 arranged one after the other along the right edge of the bottom wall 26 of the accommodating portion 22, and is rotatably or pivotably supported along a plane normal to forward and backward directions about the front and rear hinges 33. The lid portion 32 is rotatable or pivotable between a closing position (see FIGS. 1, 4, 5 and 8) where it substantially closes the opening 27 formed in the entire right side wall of the accommodating portion 22 to form the right side wall of the surrounding portion 21 and an opening position (see FIGS. 3, 6 and 9) which it reaches by rotating by up to 180° from the closing position and where it extends preferably substantially downward from the accommodating portion 22. The orientation, position and shape of the lid portion 32 in its closing position are transversely symmetrical with the left side wall 24 of the accommodating portion 22. Further, the front end of the left side wall 24 of the accommodating portion 22 and the front end of the lid portion 32 serve as substantially arcuate holding portions 34 which are transversely symmetrical with each other. A rear part of the clamping portion 11 is or can be brought into contact with the holding portions 34 to restrict a loose movement of the clamping portion 11. A pair of front and rear locking pieces 35F, 35R engageable with the locking projections 31F, 31R of the accommodating portion 22 are formed at an end (upper end in the closing position of the lid portion 32 and the bottom end in the opening position of the lid portion 32) of the lid portion 32 opposite from its center of rotation. The locking pieces 35F, 35R and the locking projections 31F, 31R are engaged when the lid portion 32 is properly located in its closing position, thereby locking the lid portion 32 in the closing position. The lid portion 32 is formed with an interfering portion 36 which is so positioned as to substantially correspond to the front locking piece 35F with respect to forward and backward directions. The interfering portion 36 interferes an interfering portion 41 of the covering portion 37 when the lid portion 32 is not mounted in its proper closing position, and projects inwardly (direction toward the left side wall 24 of the accommodating portion 22 when the lid portion 32 is in the closing position) from the end of the lid portion 32 opposite from the center of rotation (hinges 33). Such an interfering portion 36 is so positioned as to extend along the upper surface (outer surface) of the upper wall 25 when the lid portion 32 is in the closing position. At this time, the front locking piece 35F is so located as to extend along the inner surface of the upper wall 25, and the right end of the upper wall 25 is held between the front locking piece 35F and the interfering portion 36 from below and above. The covering portion 37 is substantially in the form of a box having an open bottom wall in which a front wall 39F and left and right side walls 39L, 39R extend from the front, left and right edges of an upper wall 38 at an angle different from 0° or 180°, preferably at substantially right angles, and is rotatably or pivotably coupled to the accommodating portion 22 via a hinge 40. The hinge 40 is so formed on the upper surface (outer surface) of the upper wall 38 as to extend in transverse direction (direction normal to the hinges 33 of the lid portion 32 and normal to the longitudinal direction of the battery post 16), and the covering portion 37 is rotatable or pivotable about the hinge 40 between an exposing position (see FIGS. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9) where it substantially exposes the clamping portion 11 and a protecting position (see FIGS. 1 and 10) where it substantially covers the clamping portion 11. The hinge 40 is located behind the interfering portion 36 of the lid portion 32 with respect to forward and backward directions. Further, a direction of rotation of the covering portion 37 is substantially parallel to the right side wall 39R thereof, i.e. the axis of rotation is substantially normal to the plane containing the right side wall 39R. With the covering portion 37 in its exposing position, the upper wall 38 of thereof extends up preferably at a right angle to the upper wall 25 of the accommodating portion 22, and the rear edges of the left and right side walls 39L, 39R are located slightly higher than the upper wall 25 of the accommodating portion 22 when viewed sideways. When the covering portion 37 is rotated or pivoted forward by 90° from the exposing position, the protecting position is reached, where the upper, front and left and right side walls 38, 39F, 39L, 39R are located at the upper, front, left and right sides of the clamping portion 11, respectively, with the result that the clamping portion 11 is substantially covered except its lower surface corresponding to or mating the upper surface of a battery (not shown). In the protecting position, the left and right side walls 39L, 39R of the covering portion 37 substantially faces the left side wall 24 of the covering portion 21 and the outer surface of the lid portion 32 in proximity thereto. The covering portion 37 is formed with the interfering portion 41 for detecting an improperly mounted state of the lid portion 32 in cooperation with the interfering portion 36 of the lid portion 32. The interfering portion 41 projects inwardly from the rear edge of the left side wall 39R so as to face the lid 32 in the closing position. While the lid portion 32 is properly mounted and located in the proper closing position and the covering portion 37 waits on standby in the exposing position, the interfering portion 41 of the covering portion 37 is located slightly above and slightly outwardly of the interfering portion 36 of the lid portion 32 (see FIG. 8). Here, a relationship between a rotation path of the lid portion 32 and that of the covering portion 37 is described. The rotation path of the right side wall 39R and the interfering portion 41 of the covering portion 37 is substantially parallel to the right side wall 39R and to a plane including forward and backward directions and vertical direction, and the rotation path of the lid portion 32 is preferably a semicircular path extending in circumferential direction normal to the wall surfaces of the lid portion 32. Accordingly, the lid portion 32 is so rotated as to substantially transversely cross the rotation path of the right side wall 39R and the interfering portion 41 of the lid portion 32. At a final stage of the rotation of the lid portion 32 from the opening position to the closing position, the lid portion 32 is rotated to cross the rotation path (arrow C in FIG. 9) of the right side wall 39R and the interfering portion 41 of the covering portion 37 from an outer side (exposing position of the covering portion 37, in particular where the lid portion 32 can be closed) to an inner side (closing position of the covering portion 37, in particular where the lid portion 32 can no longer be closed due to its interference with the covering portion 37) and reaches the closing position. If the lid portion 32 stops its rotation immediately before its proper closing position, i.e. ends up in the improperly mounted state, the interfering portion 36 of the lid portion 32 is located on the rotation path of the right side wall 39R and the interfering portion 41 of the covering portion 37. Next, the action of this embodiment is described. The protection cover 20 is mounted on the battery terminal 10 as follows. First, the covering portion 37 is located in its exposing position and the lid portion 32 is located in the opening position, and in this state the wire connecting portion 14 of the battery terminal 10 is accommodated into the accommodating portion 22 and the rear half of the clamping portion 11 is engaged with the holding portions 34. Subsequently, the lid portion 32 is rotated from the opening position to the closing position and is locked there by the engagement of the locking pieces 35F, 35R and the locking projections 31F, 31R, thereby forming the surrounding portion 21 in the form of a rectangular tube. The wire connecting portion 14 is surrounded over its entire circumference by the surrounding portion 21. At this stage, the clamping portion 11 is exposed forward of the accommodating portion 22. Thereafter, the exposed clamping portion 11 is covered by rotating the covering portion 37 in the exposing position forward to the protecting position. In this way, the protection cover 20 is completely mounted on the battery terminal 10. If the lid portion 32 is properly mounted when the covering portion 37 is rotated to the protecting position, the two interfering portions 36, 41 do not interfere each other since the interfering portion 36 of the lid portion 32 is located in a position inwardly of the rotation path of the right side wall 39R and the interfering portion 41 of the covering portion 37 with respect to widthwise direction. On the other hand, if the lid portion 32 does not reach the proper closing position due to incomplete mounting of the lid portion 32 (see FIG. 7), the two interfering portions 36, 41 substantially come into contact with each other immediately after the rotation of the covering portion 37 from the exposing position to the protecting position is started since the interfering portion 36 of the lid portion 32 is located on the rotation path of the right side wall 39R and the interfering portion 41 of the covering portion 37. Accordingly, any further rotation of the covering portion 37 is restricted. In this way, the mounted state of the lid portion 32 on the accommodating portion 22 can be detected based on whether or not the covering portion 37 can be rotated from the exposing position to the protecting position. As described above, according to this embodiment, the lid portion 32 and the covering portion 37 each are provided with the interfering portions 36, 41 which, while the covering portion 37 is being displaced from the exposing position to the protecting position, do not interfere with each other when the lid portion 32 is properly mounted in the closing position with respect to the accommodating portion 22 but said interfering portions 36,41 interfere with each other and the covering portion 37 cannot reach the proper closing position in an improperly mounted position of the lid portion 32. Thus, whether or not the lid portion 32 is properly mounted on the accommodating portion 22 can be detected based on whether or not the interfering portions 36, 41 interfere each other while the covering portion 37 is being displaced to the protecting position. With the lid portion 32 mounted in the proper closing position and the covering portion 37 located in the protecting position, the right side wall 39R of the covering portion 37 is located outside the lid portion 32 and the interfering portion 41 of the covering portion 37 is held in contact with the outer side surface of the lid portion 32 or faces it in proximity thereto. Thus, the lid portion 32 in the dosing position is prevented from rotating or pivoting to the opening position by the interfering position 41 of the covering portion 37. Further, since the interfering portion 41 of the covering portion 37 in the exposing position and the interfering portion 36 of the lid portion 32 in the closing position are located proximate to each other, the interfering portions 36, 41 interfere each other immediately after the displacement of the covering portion 37 is started if the lid portion 32 is improperly mounted when the covering portion 37 in the exposing position is displaced toward the protecting position. Thus, the covering portion 37 needs not be unnecessarily largely rotated. Further, the lid portion 32 is rotatably supported on the accommodating portion 22, and the interfering portion 36 is provided at the end of the lid portion 32 opposite from its center of rotation. Accordingly, an amount of shift (shift in the direction crossing the rotation path of the right side wall 39R and the interfering portion 41 of the covering portion 37) of the interfering portion 36 between the improperly mounted state and the properly mounted state is larger. Thus, the interfering portion 36 of the lid portion 32 can be securely brought into contact with the interfering portion 41 of the covering portion 37 when the lid portion 32 is improperly mounted. The present invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiment. For example, the following embodiments are also embraced by the technical scope of the present invention as defined in the claims. Beside the following embodiments, various changes can be made without departing the sprit of the present invention as defined in the claims. (1) Although the surrounding portion is formed by the accommodating portion and the lid portion made integral or unitary to each other via the hinges in the foregoing embodiment, it may be formed by assembling the accommodating portion and the lid portion as separate parts according to the present invention. (2) Although the covering portion is made integral or unitary to the surrounding portion via the hinge in the foregoing embodiment, the covering portion and the surrounding portion as separate parts may be assembled according to the present invention. (3) In the foregoing embodiment, the interfering portion of the covering portion comes into contact with the interfering portion of the lid portion to restrict any further rotation of the covering portion when the lid portion is improperly mounted. However, according to the present invention, the lid portion and the covering portion may be respectively provided with position correcting portions which are engaged with each other during the displacement of the covering portion to the protecting position to forcibly push the improperly mounted lid portion to the proper closing position. (4) Although the covering portion is supported on the accommodating portion via the hinge in the foregoing embodiment, it may be slidably supported on the accommodating portion according to the present invention. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 10 battery terminal 11 clamping portion 14 wire connecting portion 17 wire 20 protection cover 21 surrounding portion 22 accommodating portion 32 lid portion 36 interfering portion of the lid portion 33 hinge (center of rotation of the lid portion) 37 covering portion 41 interfering portion of the covering portion 39R right side wall of the covering portion

Claims: A protection cover (20) to be mounted on a battery terminal (10) provided with a clamping portion (11) to be connected with a battery post (16) and a wire connecting portion (14) to be connected with a wire (17), comprising: a surrounding portion (21) for substantially surrounding the wire connecting portion (14), the surrounding portion (21) comprising an accommodating portion (22) which is so open as to at least partly accommodate the wire connecting portion (14), and a lid portion (32) which is displaceable between an opening position where it substantially uncloses an opening (27) of the accommodating portion (22) and a closing position where it is mounted to substantially close the opening (27), and a covering portion (37) for substantially covering the upper and lateral sides of the clamping portion (11), the covering portion (37) being displaceable between an exposing position where it substantially exposes the clamping portion (11) and a protecting position where it substantially covers the clamping portion (11), characterised in that the lid portion (32) and the covering portion (37) each comprise one or more interfering portions (36; 41) which, while the covering portion (37) is being displaced from the exposing position to the protecting position, do not interfere with each other when the lid portion (32) is properly mounted in the closing position with respect to the accommodating portion (22), but said interfering portions interfere with each other and the covering portion (37) cannot reach the proper closing position in an improperly mounted position of the lid portion (32). A protection cover according to claim 1, wherein the wire connecting portion (14) is at least partly inserted into the accommodating portion (22) in a direction substantially normal to its longitudinal axis. A protection cover according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the covering portion (37) is so supported on the accommodating portion (22) as to be rotatable in parallel to a side wall (39R) thereof. A protection cover according to claim 3, wherein the lid portion (32) is rotatably supported on the accommodating portion (22) and reaches the closing position by rotationally displacing (C) to cross a rotation path of the side wall (39R) of the covering portion (37) from an exposing position to a closing position thereof. A protection cover according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the interfering portion (41) of the covering portion (37) in the exposing position and the interfering portion (36) of the lid portion (32) in the closing position are located adjacent to each other. A protection cover according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the lid portion (32) is rotatably supported on the accommodating portion (22) and the interfering portion (36) is provided at an end of the lid portion (32) opposite from a center of rotation. A protection cover according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the lid portion (32) and the covering portion (37) are respectively provided with position correcting portions which are engageable with each other during the displacement of the covering portion (37) to the protecting position to forcibly push the improperly mounted lid portion (32) to the proper closing position. A battery terminal (10) comprising a clamping portion (11) to be connected with a battery post (16), a wire connecting portion (14) to be connected with a wire (17) and a protection cover (20) according to one or more of the preceding claims mounted thereon.

Inventors: KOSUGE SHUJI, KOSUGE, SHUJI
Applicants: SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
Application year: 2001
Main classification: H01R11
IPC codes: H01R11, H01M2