JP4526422B2 - Input/Output Terminals - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an input/output terminal, more specifically, to an input/output terminal provided in an engine generator, an engine welding machine, a hydraulic unit, etc., and in particular to the structure of the portion for connecting bare electric wires when connecting multiple electric wires to one terminal bolt of multiple input/output terminals provided on a terminal board.

A commonly used structure for connecting an electric wire to an output terminal provided in an engine generator, an engine welding machine, a hydraulic unit, etc. is to clamp the electric wire between a metal fitting, a washer, etc. by tightening a nut screwed onto a terminal bolt provided on a terminal plate (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also, in a structure in which an electric wire is fastened with a screw via a metal fitting to a terminal fixed to a housing, a structure in which an end of the metal fitting is bent toward the screw to make it easier to insert the electric wire is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 7-1568 Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 2-77673 (page 6, Figure 4)

However, with the input/output terminal described in Patent Document 1, when connecting bare electric wires, the ends of the electric wires must be completely gathered up before being inserted into the connection part, and depending on the position of the input/output terminal, the work must be done in an awkward position. Also, when connecting two electric wires to one terminal bolt, a washer or the like is usually placed between the electric wires, so simply bending and spreading the end of the metal fitting, as described in Patent Document 2, makes it difficult to connect adjacent electric wires. In particular, when connecting electric wires with combined crimp terminals next to each other, the bent metal fitting and the crimp terminal may interfere with each other, making it difficult to sufficiently tighten the nuts and bolts.

The present invention aims to provide an input/output terminal that can easily connect bare wires when connecting multiple wires to one terminal bolt, and can connect multiple wires to a terminal bolt with sufficient tightening force even when wires with crimp terminals are connected adjacent to each other.

In order to achieve the above object, in an input/output terminal in which a terminal bolt inserted into a through hole of a terminal plate is fixed to the terminal plate by a fixing nut screwed onto the input side of the terminal bolt and a rotation stopper member screwed onto the output side thereof, sandwiching the terminal plate, and in which a bare electric wire with the coating removed from its tip and an electric wire with a crimp terminal joined to its tip can be connected to the output side of the terminal bolt , the first aspect of the present invention provides an input/output terminal in which a pair of clamping members for clamping the bare electric wire are provided on the output side of the terminal bolt, the pair of clamping members being composed of a grooved metal fitting arranged on the side opposite the terminal plate and a plate-shaped metal fitting arranged on the terminal plate side, the grooved metal fitting is formed into a groove shape with a U-shaped cross section that is open on the terminal plate side, and the bolt insertion hole of the grooved metal fitting through which the terminal bolt is inserted is displaced with respect to the center of the grooved metal fitting so that one side of the grooved metal fitting protrudes beyond one end face of the rotation stopper member when the terminal bolt is inserted into the bolt insertion hole. the plate-shaped metal fitting has a width dimension smaller than the inner groove dimension of the grooved metal fitting and is a plate-shaped body that is housed in the groove of the grooved metal fitting and is non-rotatable but movable in the axial direction of the bolt, the bolt insertion hole of the plate-shaped metal fitting is also disposed at a position displaced from the center of the plate-shaped metal fitting, similar to the grooved metal fitting, so that one side in the longitudinal direction of the plate-shaped metal fitting protrudes in the same direction as the grooved metal fitting, one side of the plate-shaped metal fitting that protrudes beyond one end face of the rotation-stop member is bent in a direction away from the grooved metal fitting to form an electric wire guide surface that expands from the base end side of the terminal bolt to the tip side with respect to the part of the grooved metal fitting that protrudes beyond one end face of the rotation-stop member, the inner surface of the part surrounded by the plate-shaped metal fitting and the grooved metal fitting is formed into a tubular guide section provided with the electric wire guide surface, and a crimped terminal clamping member is provided that is constituted by the back surface of the grooved metal fitting and a washer that is inserted onto the output shaft .

In a second aspect of the present invention, a pair of clamping members for clamping the bare electric wire is provided on the output side of the terminal bolt, the pair of clamping members being composed of a grooved metal fitting arranged on the side opposite the terminal plate and the rotation stopper member arranged on the terminal plate side, the grooved metal fitting is formed in a groove shape with a U-shaped cross section that is open on the terminal plate side, and the bolt insertion hole of the grooved metal fitting through which the terminal bolt is inserted is disposed at a position displaced with respect to the center of the grooved metal fitting so that one side of the grooved metal fitting protrudes beyond one end face of the rotation stopper member when the terminal bolt is inserted into the bolt insertion hole, The anti-rotation member is stored in the groove of the grooved metal fitting and is sized to be non-rotatable but movable in the axial direction of the bolt, and one end face of the anti-rotation member from which one side of the grooved metal fitting protrudes is provided with an electric wire guide surface that expands from the base end side of the terminal bolt toward the tip end for the portion of the grooved metal fitting that protrudes beyond the one end face of the anti-rotation member, the inner surface of the portion surrounded by the anti-rotation member and the grooved metal fitting is formed into a cylindrical guide section provided with the electric wire guide surface, and a crimp terminal clamping member is provided which is composed of the back surface of the grooved metal fitting and a washer inserted onto the output shaft .

Furthermore, the input/output terminal of the present invention is characterized in that the one electric wire is connected to the terminal bolt by inserting the tip of the one electric wire through an electric wire insertion port that opens to the side of the female screw member fixed to the terminal bolt and tightening the bolt that is screwed into the female screw member on the side opposite the terminal plate, and the cylindrical guide portion is protruding from the base of the electric wire insertion port side toward the tip in a state where it is expanded outside the electric wire insertion port.

When connecting bare electric wires to a terminal bolt, the input/output terminal of the present invention allows the tip of the bare electric wire to be guided to a predetermined connection position on the terminal bolt by a cylindrical guide portion provided with an electric wire guide surface that expands in a conical or pyramidal shape toward the tip, so that connection can be easily performed without having to completely gather the ends of the bare electric wires. Furthermore, even if the terminal bolt is located at a low position, the wire connection work can be performed in a comfortable position.

In addition, by making the cylindrical guide portion of the other electric wire that is connected adjacently into a shape that does not protrude beyond the extension of the electric wire clamping surface of the clamping member that clamps the other electric wire, even when another electric wire with a crimp terminal attached is connected adjacently, the crimp terminal and the cylindrical guide portion do not interfere with each other, and each electric wire can be sufficiently fastened and fixed. Therefore, an electric wire with a crimp terminal attached and a bare electric wire without a crimp terminal attached can be easily and reliably connected to one terminal bolt.

Figures 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the input/output terminal of the present invention, with Figure 1 being a cross-sectional front view of the main parts, Figure 2 being a bottom view, and Figure 3 being an explanatory diagram of the components. The input/output terminal 11 shown in this embodiment is formed so that two electric wires 13, 14 can be connected to the output side of one terminal bolt 12, with one electric wire 13 being in a bare wire state with the coating removed from the tip, and the other electric wire 14 being connected with a crimp terminal 15 attached to the tip.

The terminal bolt 12 is fixed to the terminal plate 16 by a rotation stopper 17 and a fixing nut 18 that are screwed onto the terminal bolt 12 while being inserted into the through hole 16a of the terminal plate 16. The rotation stopper 17 is usually fixed to a predetermined position in the middle of the terminal bolt 12, and an input side electric wire (not shown) is connected to the terminal bolt 12 that protrudes from the back side of the terminal plate 16.

On the output side of the terminal board 16, there are arranged the rotation stopper member 17, which is prevented from rotating by two engagement pins 19, a plate-shaped metal fitting 20 and a grooved metal fitting 21, which are a pair of clamping members that clamp the wire 13 from which the coating has been removed (hereinafter referred to as bare wire), the grooved metal fitting 21 and a washer 22, which constitute a pair of clamping members that clamp the crimp terminal 15, a spring washer 23 to prevent loosening, and a tightening nut 24 that tightens and fixes them.

The grooved metal fitting 21, which is disposed on the side opposite the terminal plate from the bare electric wire 13, is formed in a groove shape with a U-shaped cross section that opens on the terminal plate 16 side, and the bolt insertion hole 21a through which the terminal bolt 12 is inserted is provided at a position displaced in the longitudinal direction from the center of the grooved metal fitting 21. When the terminal bolt 12 is inserted into this bolt insertion hole 21a, the grooved metal fitting 21 is formed so that one side (lower) thereof protrudes beyond one end face (lower end face) 17a of the rotation stop member 17.

The plate-shaped metal fitting 20, which is disposed on the terminal plate side with respect to the bare electric wire 13, has a width dimension slightly smaller than the inner groove dimension of the grooved metal fitting 21, and is a plate-shaped body that is housed in the groove of the grooved metal fitting 21 and is non-rotatable and movable in the bolt axial direction. The bolt insertion hole 20a of this plate-shaped metal fitting 20 is also provided at a position displaced in the longitudinal direction from the center of the plate-shaped metal fitting 20, similar to the grooved metal fitting 21, and is formed so that when the terminal bolt 12 is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 20a, one side end of the plate-shaped metal fitting 20 in the longitudinal direction protrudes in the same direction (downward) as the grooved metal fitting 21. Furthermore, one side end 20b of the plate-shaped metal fitting 20 that protrudes downward from one end surface 17a of the rotation stopper member 17 is bent in a direction away from the grooved metal fitting 21, i.e., toward the terminal plate 16 side.

In this way, one side of the plate-shaped metal fitting 20 and the grooved metal fitting 21 is made to protrude laterally relative to the other components such as the rotation stopper member 17, washer 22, and tightening nut 24, and one end of the plate-shaped metal fitting 20 is bent in a direction away from the grooved metal fitting 21, forming a cylindrical guide portion 26 on the inner surface of the portion surrounded by the plate-shaped metal fitting 20 and the grooved metal fitting 21, with a wire guide surface 25 that expands from the base on the terminal bolt side toward the tip.

When the bare electric wire 13 is inserted into the cylindrical guide portion 26 with the tightening nut 24 loosened, the tip of the bare electric wire 13 is guided between the plate-shaped metal fitting 20 and the groove-shaped metal fitting 21 by the wire guide surface 25 and is inserted up to the terminal bolt 12, so that even if the end of the bare electric wire 13 is not completely gathered up, the tip can be placed at a preset electric wire connection position. In addition, since the connection can be made simply by inserting the tip of the bare electric wire 13 into the cylindrical guide portion 26, the connection work for the bare electric wire 13 can be performed in a comfortable position regardless of the position of the terminal bolt 12.

Furthermore, the grooved fitting 21, which also serves as one of the clamping members for clamping the crimp terminal 15 of the adjacently connected electric wire 14, is not bent in the length direction, and the electric wire clamping surface 21b on the side opposite the terminal plate is flat, so that the outer surface of the cylindrical guide portion 26 on the electric wire 14 side is flush with the electric wire clamping surface 21b, and there is no interference between the crimp terminal 15 and the grooved fitting 21 when the crimp terminal 15 is clamped.

Therefore, by inserting the bare electric wire 13 to a predetermined length into the cylindrical guide portion 26 with each of the components from the rotation stopper 17 to the clamping nut 24, including the crimp terminal 15, attached in a predetermined order to the terminal bolt 12 provided on the terminal board 16, and then tightening the clamping nut 24, the bare electric wire 13 can be easily and reliably connected, and the crimp terminal 15 of the electric wire 14 can also be reliably connected. In addition, since the bare electric wire 13 is contained within the plate-shaped metal fitting 20 and the groove-shaped metal fitting 21 when connected, the appearance is also good.

Figures 4 to 6 are front views of the main parts showing modified examples of the first embodiment. In the following explanation, the same components as those in the input/output terminal shown in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations are omitted.

First, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the plate-shaped metal fitting 20 in the first embodiment is omitted, and the side of the rotation stopper member 17 opposite the terminal plate is used as the electric wire clamping surface 17b, one side of the electric wire clamping surface 17b is protruded in the protruding direction of the grooved metal fitting 21, and the protruding portion is made into an inclined surface 17c in the direction away from the grooved metal fitting 21, and the inner surface of the portion surrounded by the inclined surface 17c and the grooved metal fitting 21 is made into a cylindrical guide portion 26 provided with an electric wire guide surface 25 that expands from the base on the terminal bolt side toward the tip.

In the example shown in Figure 5, one end of the plate-shaped metal fitting 20 is bent in a direction away from the grooved metal fitting 21 by an arc surface 20c that is convex on the grooved metal fitting 21 side. In the example shown in Figure 6, one end of the plate-shaped metal fitting 20 is bent in a direction away from the grooved metal fitting 21 by an arc surface 20d that is concave on the grooved metal fitting 21 side.

7 to 9 show a reference example, with Fig. 7 being a sectional front view of the essential parts, Fig. 8 being a side view, and Fig. 9 being a bottom view. The input/output terminal shown in this embodiment has a structure in which a female screw member 32 having a radial electric wire insertion hole 31 is fixed to a terminal bolt 12 protruding from a terminal board 16, and in a state in which a tip of a bare electric wire 13 is inserted from one opening (electric wire insertion port) 33 of the electric wire insertion hole 31, a tightening bolt 34 screwed into the female screw member 32 on the side opposite the terminal board is tightened to crimp the bare electric wire 13 with the tip of the tightening bolt 34, thereby connecting the bare electric wire 13 to the terminal bolt 12.

In an input/output terminal having such a structure, a cylindrical guide portion 35 is provided outside the wire insertion opening 33, expanding from a base portion 35a on the wire insertion opening 33 side toward a tip portion 35b, and the tip portion of the bare wire 13 is guided to the wire insertion hole 31 by a wire guide surface 35c consisting of a conical surface on its inner surface. The base portion 35a may be fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the female thread member 32 by welding or adhesive, or the outer diameter of the base portion 35a may be set to a dimension corresponding to the inner diameter of the wire insertion hole 31, and the base portion 35a may be inserted or screwed into the entrance portion of the wire insertion hole 31 from the wire insertion opening 33 to be fixed to the female thread member 32.

Also in this embodiment , the outer surface of the cylindrical guide portion 35 is shaped so as not to protrude beyond an extension line 32b of the protruding end surface 32a of the female screw member 32, which serves as the electric wire clamping surface of the clamping member that clamps the other electric wire 14, so as not to impede the fastening of the crimp terminal 15 coupled to the other electric wire 14 to the protruding end of the female screw member 32 via a washer 36 or directly with the fastening bolt 34, thereby ensuring the connection of the crimp terminal 15 to the female screw member 32. Furthermore, by keeping the outer surface of the cylindrical guide portion 35 within the range of the outer diameter of the female screw member 32, it is not necessary to widen the gap between the crimp terminal 15 and other input/output terminals arranged adjacently.

Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 respectively show modified examples of the above-mentioned reference example, Fig. 10 being a bottom view and Fig. 11 being a front view. In the example shown in Fig. 10, the shape of the tip 35b of the cylindrical guide portion 35 is rectangular, and the overall shape is pyramidal. In the example shown in Fig. 11, the base portion 35a of the cylindrical guide portion 35 is supported by an angle-shaped support member 37 which is fastened together with the female screw member 32 to the terminal board 16, and the base end 35d of the cylindrical guide portion 35 is inserted into the electric wire insertion hole 31 from the electric wire insertion port 33, thereby holding the cylindrical guide portion 35 in a predetermined position.

1 is a sectional front view of a main portion showing a first embodiment of an input/output terminal of the present invention; FIG. FIG. FIG. 13 is a front view of a main part showing a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a front view of a main part showing another modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a front view of a main portion showing still another modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional front view of a main part showing a reference example. FIG. FIG. FIG. 13 is a bottom view showing a modified example of the reference example. FIG. 13 is a bottom view showing another modified example of the above-mentioned reference example.

Explanation of symbols

11...input/output terminal, 12...terminal bolt, 13...electric wire (bare electric wire), 14...electric wire, 15...crimp terminal, 16...terminal board, 16a...through hole, 17...rotation stop member, 17a...one end face (lower end face), 17b...electric wire clamping surface, 17c...inclined surface, 18...fixing nut, 19...engagement pin, 20...plate-shaped metal fitting, 20a...bolt insertion hole, 20b...one side end, 21...channel-shaped metal fitting, 21a...bolt insertion hole, 21b... Wire clamping surface, 22...washer, 23...spring washer, 24...tightening nut, 25...wire guide surface, 26...cylindrical guide portion, 31...wire insertion hole, 32...female thread member, 32a...projecting end surface, 32b...extension line, 33...wire insertion port, 34...tightening bolt, 35...cylindrical guide portion, 35a...base, 35b...tip, 35c...wire guide surface, 35d...base end, 36...washer, 37...support member

Claims (2)

In an input/output terminal in which a terminal bolt inserted into a through hole of a terminal plate is fixed to the terminal plate by a fixing nut screwed onto the input side of the terminal bolt and a rotation stopper member screwed onto the output side thereof, sandwiching the terminal plate, and in which a bare electric wire with its tip end removed and an electric wire with a crimp terminal joined to its tip can be connected to the output side of the terminal bolt, the input/output terminal is provided with a pair of clamping members for clamping the bare electric wire on the output side of the terminal bolt, the pair of clamping members being composed of a grooved metal fitting arranged on the side opposite the terminal plate and a plate-shaped metal fitting arranged on the terminal plate side, the grooved metal fitting having a U-shaped cross section that is open on the terminal plate side, and the bolt insertion hole of the grooved metal fitting through which the terminal bolt is inserted is disposed at a position displaced with respect to the center of the grooved metal fitting so that one side of the grooved metal fitting protrudes beyond one end face of the rotation stopper member when the terminal bolt is inserted into the bolt insertion hole, the plate-shaped metal fitting is a plate-shaped body having a width dimension smaller than the inner groove dimension of the grooved metal fitting and having a size that allows it to be accommodated in the groove of the grooved metal fitting to be non-rotatable but movable in the axial direction of the bolt, the bolt insertion hole of the plate-shaped metal fitting is also provided at a position displaced from the center of the plate-shaped metal fitting, similar to the grooved metal fitting, so that one side in the longitudinal direction of the plate-shaped metal fitting protrudes in the same direction as the grooved metal fitting, one side of the plate-shaped metal fitting that protrudes beyond one end face of the rotation-stop member is bent in a direction away from the grooved metal fitting to form an electric wire guide surface that expands from the base end side of the terminal bolt to the tip side with respect to the part of the grooved metal fitting that protrudes beyond the one end face of the rotation-stop member, the inner surface of the part surrounded by the plate-shaped metal fitting and the grooved metal fitting is formed into a tubular guide section provided with the electric wire guide surface, and a clamping member for a crimp terminal is provided, constituted by the back face of the grooved metal fitting and a washer that is inserted onto the output shaft . In an input/output terminal in which a terminal bolt inserted into a through hole of a terminal plate is fixed to the terminal plate by a fixing nut screwed onto the input side of the terminal bolt and a rotation stopper member screwed onto the output side thereof, sandwiching the terminal plate, and in which a bare electric wire with the coating removed from the tip and an electric wire with a crimp terminal attached to the tip can be connected to the output side of the terminal bolt, a pair of clamping members for clamping the bare electric wire is provided on the output side of the terminal bolt, the pair of clamping members being composed of a grooved metal fitting disposed on the side opposite the terminal plate and the rotation stopper member disposed on the terminal plate side, the grooved metal fitting is formed into a groove shape with a U-shaped cross section that is open on the terminal plate side, and the bolt insertion hole of the grooved metal fitting through which the terminal bolt is inserted is designed to be inserted when the terminal bolt is inserted into the bolt insertion hole. an input/output terminal comprising: a grooved fitting having one side which is displaced relative to the center of the grooved fitting so as to protrude beyond one end face of the anti-rotation member; the anti-rotation member having a size which is housed within the groove of the grooved fitting so as to be unable to rotate but which is movable in the axial direction of the bolt; one end face of the anti-rotation member from which one side of the grooved fitting protrudes is provided with an electric wire guide surface which expands from the base end side of the terminal bolt towards the tip end thereof for a portion of the grooved fitting which protrudes beyond one end face of the anti-rotation member; the inner surface of the portion surrounded by the anti-rotation member and the grooved fitting is formed into a cylindrical guide section provided with the electric wire guide surface; and a crimp terminal clamping member constituted by the back face of the grooved fitting and a washer which is inserted onto the output shaft is provided.

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