Patent Publication Number: US-11652303-B2

Title: Terminal assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the technology field of electrical terminals, and more particularly to a terminal assembly with welded structures. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     How to make an electrical terminal be connected with an electrical node on a circuit board effectively is always an important issue engineers particularly concerned. Therefore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,393 discloses an electrical connector assembly, which one or more insulative housings, surrounding one or more electrically conductive female terminals forming one or more female terminal assemblies, and one or more insulative housings surrounding one or more male terminals forming one or more male terminal assemblies. According to the disclosures of U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,393, the female terminal is cut and formed or bent from a flat sheet of metal stock, and is formed to provide a male terminal-receiving front end. The female terminal 20 also includes a rear end, and the rear end includes a pair of electrically conductive bendable tabs surrounding a wire receiving lower channel adapted to be bent or clinched over a bare wire or other circuit element disposed within the wire receiving channel. In accordance with an important feature of the electrical connector assembly, the female terminal is bent or formed from flat metal having longitudinal end walls formed or bent to dispose the end walls in close proximity to form a first slit defined by the adjacent end walls. The slit extends from a terminal-receiving opening defined by the formed metal at the terminal-receiving front end of the female terminal. 
     However, the electrical connector assembly disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,393 exhibits many drawbacks in practical use. First, complex structures of the female terminal and/or the male terminal both lead the manufacturing process of the electrical connector assembly to become complicated. Furthermore, the complicated manufacturing process causes that it is difficult to maintain the production yield of the electrical connector assembly at an ideal value, thereby enhancing the defect rate of the produced electrical connector assembly. It is imaginable that, in case of an electrical connector assembly including defects being connected with an electrical node on a circuit board, a poor electrical connection may occur between the electrical node and the connector assembly. 
     From above descriptions, it is understood that there are still rooms for improvement in the conventional the electrical connector assembly disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,393. In view of that, inventors of the present application have made great efforts to make inventive research and eventually provided a terminal assembly with welded structures. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary objective of the present invention is to disclose a terminal assembly, which mainly comprises a main body having a welding platform and a first electrical conductive member having a connection terminal. According to the present invention, a welded structure is formed between the main body and the first electrical conductive member by making the connection terminal be welded on the welding platform. Briefly speaking, when utilizing this terminal assembly to make two electrical nodes be electrically connected to each other, one electrical conductive end of the main body and the first electrical conductive member are firstly connected to the two electrical nodes, respectively. Next, a welding process is applied to the welding platform and the connection terminal, such that an electrical connection is therefore established between the two electrical nodes. Therefore, the terminal assembly according to the present invention includes advantages of simple structure and easy to be applied in achieving an electrical connection between two electrical nodes. 
     In order to achieve the primary objective of the present invention, inventors of the present invention provides an embodiment of the terminal assembly, which comprises: 
     a main body, comprising a first connection part, wherein one end of the first connection part is an electrical conductive end, and another one end of the first connection part being provided with a first welding platform; and 
     a first electrical conductive member, having a first connection terminal; 
     wherein a first welded structure is formed between the first connection part and the first electrical conductive member by making the first connection terminal be welded on the first welding platform. 
     In one embodiment, the main body further comprises a second connection part, wherein one end of the second connection part is also an electrical conductive end, and another one end of the second connection part is provided with a second welding platform. 
     In one embodiment, the terminal assembly device according to the present invention further comprises a second electrical conductive member having a second connection terminal, wherein a second welded structure is formed between the second connection part and the second electrical conductive member by making the second connection terminal be welded on the second welding platform. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention as well as a preferred mode of use and advantages thereof will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG.  1    shows a first stereo diagram of a terminal assembly according to the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    shows a first exploded view of the terminal assembly according to the present invention; 
         FIG.  3    shows a second exploded view of the terminal assembly according to the present invention; 
         FIG.  4    shows a second stereo diagram of a terminal assembly according to the present invention; 
         FIG.  5    shows a third exploded view of the terminal assembly according to the present invention; and 
         FIG.  6    shows a third stereo diagram of a terminal assembly according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     To more clearly describe a terminal assembly with welded structures disclosed by the present invention, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings hereinafter. 
     First Embodiment 
     With reference to  FIG.  1   , there is shown a first stereo diagram of a terminal assembly according to the present invention. Moreover,  FIG.  2    shows a first exploded view of the terminal assembly according to the present invention. As  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2    show, the terminal assembly  1  mainly comprises a main body  11  and a first electrical conductive member  12 . The main body  11  comprises a first connection part  111 , and the first electrical conductive member  12  has a first connection terminal  121 . According to the present invention, one end of the first connection part  111  is an electrical conductive end, and another one end of the first connection part  111  is provided with a first welding platform  111 P. In practicable embodiments, the first welding platform  111 P can be a half-cylinder platform, a regular-hexahedron platform, or a rectangular-parallelepiped platform. For example,  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2    depict that the first welding platform  111 P is a rectangular-parallelepiped platform. Therefore, by operating an ultrasonic welding apparatus, the first connection terminal  121  is welded on the first welding platform  111 P, thereby forming a first welded structure is formed between the first connection part  111  and the first electrical conductive member  12 . Briefly speaking, when utilizing this terminal assembly  1  to make two electrical nodes be electrically connected to each other, one electrical conductive end of the first connection part  111  of the main body  11  and the first electrical conductive member  12  are firstly connected to the two electrical nodes, respectively. Next, an ultrasonic welding process is applied to the first welding platform  111 P of the first connection part  111  and the first connection terminal  121  of the first electrical conductive member  12 , such that an electrical connection is therefore established between the two electrical nodes. Therefore, the terminal assembly  1  according to the present invention includes advantages of simple structure and easy to be applied in achieving an electrical connection between two electrical nodes. 
     As described in more detail below, there is a first circular-shaped flange  114  provided on the first connection part  111 . Moreover, the first connection terminal  121  of the first electrical conductive member  12  is a stereo terminal, such as half-cylinder terminal, regular-hexahedron terminal, or rectangular-parallelepiped terminal. It is worth mentioning that, the first electrical conductive member  12  can be a conductive wire, and comprises a first electrical insulative sheath  123  and a plurality of first copper conductors  122  that are enclosed in the first electrical insulative sheath  123 . As  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2    show, the first copper conductors  122  are electrically connected to the first connection terminal  121 . 
     Furthermore, a first temperature rise test is arranged and then completed. There are a sample A and a sample B provided in the first temperature rise test. The sample A is constituted by the forgoing main body  11  and the first electrical conductive member  12 . Particularly, in the sample A, the first connection terminal  121  of the first electrical conductive member  12  is fixed on the first welding platform  111 P trough a rivet (i.e., one kind of fastener). On the contrary, in the sample B, the first connection terminal  121  of the first electrical conductive member  12  is welded on the first welding platform  111 P trough an ultrasonic welding process. Related experimental data of the first temperature rise test are integrated in following Table (1). 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
             
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                 Sample A 
                 Sample B 
               
               
                   
                 Increment of temperature 
                 Increment of temperature 
               
               
                 Test current 
                 (° C.) 
                 (° C.) 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                 45A 
                 30.567 
                 29.678 
               
               
                 65A 
                 49.574 
                 42.825 
               
               
                 70A 
                 55.625 
                 53.643 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Second Embodiment 
     With reference to  FIG.  3   , there is shown a second exploded view of the terminal assembly according to the present invention. Moreover,  FIG.  4    shows a second stereo diagram of the terminal assembly. After comparing  FIG.  3    with  FIG.  2   , it is understood that, in second embodiment, the terminal assembly  2  further comprises a second electrical conductive member  13 , and the main body  11  further comprises a second connection part  112  and a middle connection part  113 . As described in more detail below, the second electrical conductive member  13  has a second connection terminal  131 . Moreover, one end of the second connection part  112  is an electrical conductive end, and another one end of the second connection part  112  is provided with a second welding platform  112 P. In practicable embodiments, the second welding platform  112 P can be a half-cylinder platform, a regular-hexahedron platform, or a rectangular-parallelepiped platform. For example,  FIG.  3    and  FIG.  4    depict that the second welding platform  112 P is a rectangular-parallelepiped platform. Therefore, by operating an ultrasonic welding apparatus, the second connection terminal  131  of the second electrical conductive member  13  is welded on the second welding platform  112 P of the second connection part  112 , thereby forming a second welded structure is formed between the second connection part  112  and the second electrical conductive member  13 . 
     As described in more detail below, there is a second circular-shaped flange  115  provided on the second connection part  112 . Moreover, the second connection terminal  131  of the second electrical conductive member  13  is a stereo terminal, such as half-cylinder terminal, regular-hexahedron terminal, or rectangular-parallelepiped terminal. It is worth mentioning that, the second electrical conductive member  13  can be a conductive wire, and comprises a second electrical insulative sheath  133  and a plurality of second copper conductors  132  that are enclosed in the second electrical insulative sheath  133 . As  FIG.  3    and  FIG.  4    show, the second copper conductors  132  are electrically connected to the second connection terminal  131 . Furthermore, the middle connection part  113  is connected between the electrical conductive end of the second connection part  112  and the electrical conductive end of the first connection part  111 . 
     For example, as and  FIG.  4    shows, both the electrical conductive end of the second connection part  112  and the electrical conductive end of the first connection part  111  is provided with an embedding groove therein. By such arrangement, after making two ends of the middle connection part  113  be respectively embedded into the embedding groove of the first connection part  111  and the embedding groove of the second connection part  112 , the middle connection part  113  is therefore connected between the electrical conductive end of the second connection part  112  and the electrical conductive end of the first connection part  111 . Moreover, according to the present invention, the middle connection part  113  has a cross-section area that is smaller than a cross-section area of the first connection part  111 , and the cross-section area of the middle connection part  113  is also smaller than that of the second connection part  112 . 
     Third Embodiment 
     With reference to  FIG.  5   , there is shown a second exploded view of the terminal assembly according to the present invention. Moreover,  FIG.  6    shows a second stereo diagram of the terminal assembly. After comparing  FIG.  5    with  FIG.  3   , it is understood that, in third embodiment, the first connection terminal  121  of the first electrical conductive member  12  is a half-cylinder terminal, and the first welding platform  111 P is a half-cylinder platform. Moreover, there is a plurality of ribs  1210  formed on an outside surface of the first connection terminal  121  (i.e., the half-cylinder terminal). 
     Furthermore, a second temperature rise test is arranged and then completed. There are four samples of the second embodiment of the terminal assembly  1  provided in the second temperature rise test. Related experimental data of the second temperature rise test are integrated in following Table (2). 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
             
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Type of 
                 Test 
                 Increment of temperature (° C.) 
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 welding 
                 current 
                 Sample 
                 Sample 
                 Sample 
                 Sample 
                 Test 
               
               
                 platform 
                 (A) 
                 1 
                 2 
                 3 
                 4 
                 result 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 rectangular- 
                 65 
                 51 
                 54 
                 75 
                 53 
                 FAIL 
               
               
                 parallelepiped 
               
               
                 platform. 
               
               
                 half-cylinder 
                 45 
                 27.147 
                 25.645 
                 30.567 
                 29.678 
                 PASS 
               
               
                 platform 
               
               
                 half-cylinder 
                 65 
                 43.197 
                 42.740 
                 49.574 
                 42.825 
                 PASS 
               
               
                 platform 
               
               
                 half-cylinder 
                 70 
                 51.65 
                 50.176 
                 55.625 
                 53.643 
                 FAIL 
               
               
                 platform 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Therefore, through above descriptions, all embodiments and their constituting elements of the terminal assembly with welded structures according to the present invention have been introduced completely and clearly; in summary, the present invention includes the advantages of: 
     (1) The present invention discloses a terminal assembly  1 , which mainly comprises a main body  11  having a first welding platform  111 P and a first electrical conductive member  12  having a first connection terminal  121 . According to the present invention, a welded structure is formed between the main body  11  and the first electrical conductive member  12  by making the first connection terminal  121  be welded on the first welding platform  111 P. Briefly speaking, when utilizing this terminal assembly  1  to make two electrical nodes be electrically connected to each other, one electrical conductive end of the main body  11  and the first electrical conductive member  12  are firstly connected to the two electrical nodes, respectively. Next, a welding process is applied to the first welding platform  111 P and the first connection terminal  121 , such that an electrical connection is therefore established between the two electrical nodes. Therefore, the terminal assembly  1  according to the present invention includes advantages of simple structure and easy to be applied in achieving an electrical connection between two electrical nodes. 
     Therefore, through above descriptions, all embodiments and their constituting elements of the device for achieving dynamic charging and balance of battery cells according to the present invention have been introduced completely and clearly. The above description is made on embodiments of the present invention. However, the embodiments are not intended to limit scope of the present invention, and all equivalent implementations or alterations within the spirit of the present invention still fall within the scope of the present invention.