Patent Publication Number: US-9407027-B2

Title: Device connector

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a device connector. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 8,608,515 discloses a device connector to be mounted on a device such as a motor installed in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle and connected to a mating terminal. This device connector includes a device-side housing made of synthetic resin and to be mounted on the device and a conductive member arranged in the device-side housing and configured to electrically connect the device and the mating terminal. The conductive member includes a connecting portion to be connected to the mating terminal. 
     A bolt is inserted through the connecting portion and the mating terminal in a direction intersecting with plate surfaces of the connecting portion and the mating terminal in a state where the connecting portion and the mating terminal are placed one over the other. A nut is arranged at a position of the connecting portion opposite to the mating terminal. By threadably engaging the bolt with this nut, the connecting portion and the mating terminal are electrically connected. 
     According to the above configuration, the nut is mounted into the device-side housing in a direction parallel to the plate surface of the connecting portion. Thus, an opening through which the nut is inserted into a receptacle is formed on a side of the receptacle formed to project from the device-side housing in such a manner as to surround the connecting portion. 
     At least an opening area required to mount the nut into the receptacle needs to be ensured for this opening. Further, since this opening needs to be sealed in a liquid-tight manner, the receptacle is required to have a configuration for sealing the opening in a liquid-tight manner. In the case of providing the receptacle with the opening for mounting the nut in this way, it is difficult to reduce the height of the receptacle. Thus, there has been a problem of being difficult to reduce the height of the device connector. 
     The invention was completed based on the above situation and aims to provide a device connector with a reduced height. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is directed to a device connector to be mounted on a device and connected to a mating connector, including a conductive member which electrically connects the device and the mating connector, and a device-side housing in which the conductive member is held, wherein the device-side housing includes a primary molded part in which the conductive member is arranged and which is made of synthetic resin and includes a nut holding portion for holding the nut and a secondary molded part which is integrally formed to the primary molded part and includes a tubular receptacle into which the mating connector is to be fitted; and the conductive member includes a mating terminal connecting portion to be connected to a mating terminal arranged in the mating connector, the nut is arranged in the receptacle and a bolt inserted through the mating terminal and the mating terminal connecting portion is threadably engaged in a state where the mating terminal and the mating terminal connecting portion are placed one over the other. 
     According to the invention, by molding the secondary molded part including the receptacle after the nut is held in the primary molded part, the nut can be arranged inside the receptacle without providing an opening, through which the nut is press-fitted, on a side wall of the receptacle. As a result, the height of the receptacle can be reduced, and the height of the device connector as a whole can be reduced. 
     A surface of the mating terminal connecting portion on which the mating terminal is to be placed may arranged at a position at the same height as a projecting end edge of the receptacle or arranged inside the receptacle. Thus, the mating terminal connecting portion is prevented from projecting outwardly from the projecting end edge of the receptacle. In this way, the contact of an operator with the mating terminal connecting portion in a connecting operation of the mating connector and the device connector is suppressed. In this way, safety in the connecting operation of the mating connector and the device connector can be improved. 
     According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a device connector with a reduced height. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a section showing a state where a device connector according to an embodiment of the present invention and a mating connector are connected. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view showing the mating connector. 
         FIG. 3  is a section showing a state before the device connector and the mating connector are connected. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a state before a nut is press-fitted into a nut holding portion of a primary molded part. 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view showing the device connector. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing the state before the device connector and the mating connector are connected. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An embodiment of the invention is described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 6 . A device connector  10  according to this embodiment is mounted on a device  11  such as a motor or an inverter installed in a vehicle (not shown) such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. The device connector  10  is connected to a mating connector  13  connected to end parts of wires  12  arranged in the vehicle. By connecting the device connector  10  and the mating connector  13 , the device  11  and the wires  12  are electrically connected. In the following description, upper and lower sides in  FIG. 1  are referred to as upper and lower sides and right and left sides in  FIG. 1  are referred to as front and rear sides. Further, for a plurality of members having the same shape, one member may be denoted by a reference sign and the other member(s) may not be denoted in the drawings. 
     The device  11  includes a case  14  made of metal and having an electromagnetic shield function. The case  14  is formed with a vertical through hole  15  that penetrates through the case  14  and in which the device connector  10  is to be mounted. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the mating connector  13  includes a mating housing  16  made of synthetic resin and mating terminals  17  arranged in the mating housing  16 . The mating terminals  17  are connected to ends of the wires  20  by a known technique such as crimping. In this embodiment, the mating terminals  17  and the wires  12  are integrally formed to the mating housing  16  by being insert-molded with synthetic resin. 
     A tip of the mating terminal  17  is plate-like and electrically connected to a conductive member  18  to be described later. A bolt insertion hole  33 A penetrates through a tip part of the mating terminal  17  and can receive a bolt  19 . The mating terminal  17 . An is made of a metal such as copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, iron or stainless steel. A plating layer (not shown) made of metal such as tin or nickel may be formed on a surface of the mating terminal  17 . 
     The mating housing  16  is formed into a vertically open tubular shape. An opening of the mating housing  16  defines a work hole  21  into which a tool or the like is inserted to fasten the bolts  19 . The work hole  21  is closed in a liquid-tight manner by mounting an unillustrated cap from above after a bolt fastening operation. 
     Wires  12  are drawn out from the mating housing  16  in a direction intersecting with (in this embodiment, a direction substantially perpendicular to) an opening direction of the work hole  21 . The wires  12  are collectively surrounded by a tubular braided wire  22  made of metal thin wires. One end part of the braided wire  22  is held vertically onto the mating housing  16  by an upper bracket  23  and a lower bracket  24 . 
     Positioning pins project up from the mating housing  16  and are inserted from below into positioning holes formed on the upper bracket  23  to position the upper bracket  23  with respect to the mating housing  16 . 
     Locking claws  25  project from side edges of the lower bracket  24  and are folded onto the upper bracket  23  for integrally assembling the upper and lower brackets  23 ,  24 . 
     The upper and lower brackets  23 ,  24  are formed by press-working a metal plate material, such as copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, iron or stainless steel, into a predetermined shape. Plating layers (not shown) made of metal such as tin or nickel may be formed on surfaces of the upper and lower brackets  23 ,  24 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the device connector  10  includes conductive members  18  for electrically connecting the device  11  and the mating connector  13 , and a device-side housing  26  made of synthetic resin holds the conductive members  18 . 
     The device-side housing  26  is insert-molded with a plate  27  made of metal, such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, copper alloy, iron or stainless steel. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the plate  27  is formed with a mounting holes  28  through which bolts (not shown) for fixing the plate  27  to the device  11  are inserted. As shown in  FIG. 1 , an opening  29  penetrates the plate  27  in a plate thickness direction. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the device-side housing  26  is formed integrally to the plate  27  in such an arrangement as to penetrate through the opening  29  formed on the plate  27  in the vertical direction. The device-side housing  26  is inserted into the through hole  15  in the case  14  when the plate  27  is mounted on the case  14  of the device  11 . 
     The device-side housing  26  includes a receptacle  30  that projects in a direction intersecting a plate surface of the plate  27  (upward direction in  FIG. 1 ) and into which the mating connector  13  is to be fit. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the receptacle  30  has a long and narrow elliptical or oval shape when viewed from above. Terminal blocks  31  project up from the bottom surface of the receptacle  30  and a conductive member  18  is arranged on each terminal block  31 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a seal ring  32  is fit externally on the outer surface of the mating connector  13  and is held in close contact with the inner wall surface of the receptacle  30  when the mating connector  13  and the device connector  10  are connected. The close contact of the seal ring  32  and the inner wall surface of the receptacle  30  seals between the receptacle  30  and the mating housing  16  in a liquid-tight manner. 
     The conductive member  18  is formed by press-working a metal plate material, such as copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, iron or stainless steel, into a predetermined shape. A plating layer made of metal such as tin or nickel is formed on a surface of the conductive member  18 . As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the conductive member  18  extends in the vertical direction and is formed into a substantially L shape when laterally viewed. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , a bolt insertion hole  33 B penetrates through a lower part of the conductive member  18  and can receive an unillustrated bolt. The bolt is inserted into the bolt insertion hole  33 B and threadedly engages it with the device  11  to connect the device  11  and the conductive member  18  electrically. 
     An upper part of the conductive member  18  is bent substantially at a right angle and defines a mating terminal connecting portion  34  to be connected to the mating terminal  17 . A bolt insertion hole  33 C penetrates the mating terminal connecting portion  34  in the vertical direction and can receive a bolt  19 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the mating terminal  17  is placed on a surface of the mating terminal connecting portion  34  opposite to the terminal block  31  (upper surface in this embodiment) is fixed by the bolt  19 . 
     The mating terminal  17  and the mating terminal connecting portion  34  are connected electrically by placing the mating terminal  17  and the mating terminal connecting portion  34  one over the other in the vertical direction. The bolt  19  then is inserted through the bolt insertion hole  33 A of the mating terminal  17  and the bolt insertion hole  33 C of the mating terminal connecting portion  34  and threadedly engaged with a nut  35  to be described later. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the conductive member  18  is arranged in a primary molded part  36  made of synthetic resin. In this embodiment, the primary molded part  36  is formed integrally to the conductive member  18  by insert-molding the conductive member  18  with synthetic resin. 
     The primary molded part  36  is formed with a forwardly open nut holding portion  37  for holding the nut  35  at a position below the mating terminal connecting portion  34 . The nut  35  is inserted into the nut holding portions  37  from front. 
     The nut  35  has a rectangular parallelepipedic shape flat in the vertical direction and a screw hole  39  penetrates the nut  35  in the vertical direction. 
     Placing portions  40  project inward from inner surfaces of a pair of side walls of the nut holding portion  37  and the nut  35  can be placed thereon. The nut  35  is press-fit into the nut holding portion  37  from the front. In this way, the nut  35  is pressed laterally by the side walls of the nut holding portion  27  at the position below the mating terminal connecting portion  34 , thereby being retained so as not to come out forward. Further, the nut  35  is positioned in a front-back direction by contacting the rear wall of the nut holding portion  37  from the front. In this way, the screw hole  39  of the nut  35  and the bolt insertion hole  33 C of the mating terminal connecting portion  34  are aligned. 
     The nut holding portion  37  has a retreat space  41  a space below the placing portions  40  for avoiding interference with a lower end of the bolt  19  threadedly engaged with the nut  35 . 
     The device-side housing  26  includes a secondary molded part  42  integrally formed to the primary molded part  36 . The secondary molded part  42  is formed by arranging the plate  27  and the primary molded parts  36  with the nuts  35  held in the nut holding portions  37  in an unillustrated mold and insert-molding these with synthetic resin. The secondary molded part  42  includes the receptacle  30  described above. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the upper surfaces (surfaces on which the mating terminals  17  are to be placed) of the mating terminal connecting portions  34  are at the same height as a projecting end edge  43  of the receptacle  30  or are slightly below the projecting end edge  43  (positions inside the receptacle  30 ). Further, the nuts  35  are below the mating terminal connecting portions  34  and inside the receptacle  30 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the nut holding portions  37  open forward. On the other hand, the mating connector  13  is connected to the device connector  10  from above. As described above, a mounting direction of the nuts  35  into the nut holding portions  37  and a connecting direction of the mating connector  13  to the device connector  10  are different and, in this embodiment, substantially perpendicular to each other. 
     Further, the receptacle  30  is at a position before the nut holding portions  37 . 
     One possible production process of the device connector  10  is described below. First, the conductive members  18  including the mating terminal connecting portion  34  are formed by press-working the metal plate material. The conductive members  18  then are arranged in an unillustrated mold and insert-molded with synthetic resin to form the primary molded parts  36 . Subsequently, the nuts  35  are press-fit from the front into the nut holding portions  37  of the primary molded parts  36 . The nuts  35  are pushed until coming into contact with the rear walls of the nut holding portions  37  from the front. The secondary molded part  42  is formed by arranging six primary molded parts  36  in which the nut  35  is press-fitted and the plate  27  in the unillustrated mold and insert-molding these with synthetic resin to form the device connector  10 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6 , the mating connector  13  is fitted into the receptacle  30  of the device connector  10  from above. Then, the mating terminals  17  are placed on the upper surfaces of the mating terminal connecting portions  34 . Subsequently, the bolts  19  are inserted into the mating connector  13  through the work hole  21 . The bolts  19  are inserted through the bolt insertion holes  33 A of the mating terminals  17  and the bolt insertion holes  33 C of the mating terminal connecting portions  34  from above and threadedly engaged with the screw holes  39  of the nuts  35  from above. Thereafter, the bolts  19  are threadedly engaged with the nuts  35  by a tool (not shown) inserted through the work hole  21 . In this way the mating connector  13  and the device connector  10  are connected electrically. 
     In this embodiment, the device-side housing  26  includes the primary molded parts  36  in which the conductive member  18  is arranged and include the nut holding portion  37  for holding the nut  35 . The secondary molded part  42  is formed integrally to the primary molded parts  36  and includes the tubular receptacle  30  into which the mating connector  13  is to be fit. According to the above configuration, the secondary molded part  42 , including the receptacle  30 , is molded after the nuts  35  are held in the primary molded parts  36 . Thus, the nuts  35  can be arranged in the receptacle  30  without providing openings on a side wall of the receptacle  30  through which the nuts  35  are press-fit. As a result, the height of the receptacle  30  can be reduced, and the height of the device connector  10  as a whole can be reduced. 
     The surfaces of the mating terminal connecting portions  34  on which the mating terminals  17  are to be placed are arranged at the same height as the projecting end edge  34  of the receptacle  30  or arranged inside the receptacle  30 . This prevents the mating terminal connecting portions  34  from projecting outward from the projecting end edge  43  of the receptacle  30 . As a result, an operator will not contact the mating terminal connecting portions  34  while connecting the mating connector  13  and the device connector  10 . In this way, safety in the connecting operation of the mating connector  13  and the device connector  10  can be improved. 
     The invention is not limited to the above described embodiment. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the scope of the invention. 
     The mating terminal  17  is connected to the wire  12  in this embodiment. However, the mating terminal  17  may be formed on one end part of a busbar. In this case, other end parts of the busbar may be connected to other devices  11 . 
     Six conductive members  18  are arranged in the device connector  10  in this embodiment. However, more or fewer conductive members  18  may be provided. 
     The upper surface of the mating terminal connecting portion  34  may be located above the height of the projecting end edge  43  of the receptacle  30 . 
     The wires  12  are surrounded collectively by the tubular braided wire  22  made of thin metal wires in this embodiment. However, a sheet-like braided member made of thin metal wires may be rolled into a tubular shape for collectively surrounding the wires  12  or a sheet-like braided member may be placed only on an upper side of the wires  12 . 
     LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
     
         
           10 : device connector 
           11 : device 
           13 : mating connector 
           18 : conductive member 
           19 : bolt 
           26 : device-side housing 
           30 : receptacle 
           34 : mating terminal connecting portion 
           35 : nut 
           36 : primary molded part 
           37 : nut holding portion 
           42 : secondary molded part 
           43 : projecting end edge