JP5939999B2 - Terminal box with terminal plate with mating plate - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal box for a solar cell module in which a terminal plate that electrically relays an output wire of a solar cell module and a cable for external connection is disposed in a housing.

  The terminal box has a metal terminal plate fixed in a synthetic resin casing. The fixing method is, for example, that a pillar is erected on the bottom surface of the housing, an engagement hole formed in the terminal plate is inserted into the pillar, and a locking bracket (for example, a washer washer) is fitted over the pillar (for example, Patent Document 1). And the contact part provided in the housing | casing is made to contact | abut to the side surface of a terminal board, and the fixed fixation of a terminal board is aimed at. Hereinafter, a column and a contact portion provided in the housing are referred to as a holding portion.

  The operation of assembling the terminal plate to the housing is performed through (1) a step of positioning the terminal plate on the holding portion and (2) an attaching step of the fitting. As a result of the positioning step (1), if the terminal board is securely fixed, the mounting step (2) is facilitated and the working time is shortened.

  Temporary fixing is ensured if the dimensional difference between the terminal plate and the holding portion is reduced. However, for example, when the terminal plate is attached, the terminal plate is required to be aligned and aligned, and much labor and time are required for positioning. On the other hand, if the dimensional difference between the terminal plate and the holding portion is increased, the positioning becomes easy, but the temporary fixing becomes uncertain and the next attachment process becomes difficult.

JP 2012-234850 A, paragraph 0040, FIG.

  The problem to be solved is to obtain a terminal box that relaxes the alignment and alignment requirements, which are obstacles in the operation of positioning the terminal plate on the holding portion, and realizes the temporary fixation.

  Moreover, it is in obtaining the solar cell module with a terminal box which uses the said terminal box.

  Other problems of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present invention.

  Means for solving the problems will be described below. For ease of understanding, description will be made with reference numerals corresponding to the embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

The terminal box (1) according to one aspect of the present invention is:
A terminal plate (10) having an output wire receiving portion (15) and a cable connecting portion (19) is disposed in the housing (30), and the output wire receiving portion is configured to receive an output wire led out from the solar cell module. A portion to be connected, the output wire receiving portion has a flat plate shape, the output wire receiving portion is arranged with a flat plate surface in a horizontal direction, and an external connection cable (51) is connected to the cable connecting portion, In the solar cell module terminal box in which the external connection cable is led out of the casing through a cable outlet (44) provided in the casing (30).
The terminal plate (10) has a fitting plate (11), and one end surface (12) of the fitting plate is connected to the terminal plate, and the fitting plate extends downward from the terminal plate. And
The housing has a groove (31) composed of a first groove inner wall surface (33) and a second groove inner wall surface (35) facing each other, and the groove opens upward, and is formed on the first groove inner wall surface. Having a protrusion (36) protruding in the direction of the inner surface of the second groove,
The terminal plate is arranged in the casing, with the plate surface of the fitting plate and the tip of the projection being brought into contact with each other in the state in which the tip of the projection is crushed.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
The cable outlet (44) is provided on the side surface (71, 72) of the housing, the plate surface of the fitting plate is perpendicular to the flat plate surface of the output line receiving portion (15), and The cable connecting portion (19) and the cable outlet (44) may be arranged at right angles to a cable extension direction line (47) which is a direction connecting the cable outlet (19) and the cable outlet (44). The terminal plate may be a terminal plate in which a fitting plate is formed by bending a plate-shaped metal plate.

  In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion provided on the inner wall surface of the first groove is continuously formed in the vertical direction, and the vertex of the continuous protrusion forms a ridge line. Well, the protrusion that is continuous in the vertical direction has a triangular prism shape, a surface that contacts the inner wall surface (33) of the first groove is one side surface, and a straight line that intersects the remaining two side surfaces (38, 39) The first groove inner wall surface is a standing wall surface of a first rib (32) formed inside the bottom plate of the housing, and the second groove inner wall surface is a bottom plate of the housing. It may be a standing wall surface of the second rib (34) formed inside.

A solar cell module with a terminal box according to another aspect of the present invention,
In a solar cell module with a terminal box consisting of a solar cell module and a terminal box,
The solar cell module and a terminal box according to the present invention are connected to an output electric wire led out from the solar cell module to the output electric wire receiving portion of the terminal plate.

  The present invention described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention, and components included in these can be implemented in combination as much as possible.

  The terminal box according to the present invention includes, in addition to other invention-specific matters, the terminal plate has a specific fitting plate, the housing has a groove with a specific projection, and the fitting plate has a tip of the projection. Since the terminal plate is placed in the housing by being fitted in the groove in a crushed state, it is easy to position the terminal plate on the housing, and the temporary fixing of the housing and the terminal plate is ensured. Have.

  The solar cell module with a terminal box according to the present invention uses the terminal box according to the present invention, and is easy to assemble as a whole and has the effect of reducing the manufacturing cost.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the terminal box. 2A and 2B are drawings in a state in which the terminal plate is assembled in the housing, FIG. 2A is a plan view, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view. 3A and 3B are drawings of the housing, FIG. 3A is a plan view, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the groove portion, FIG. 4 (a) is a plan view, and FIG. 4 (b) is a cross-sectional view.

  Hereinafter, the terminal box for a solar cell module and the solar cell module with a terminal box according to an embodiment of the present invention will be further described with reference to the drawings. The dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the members and parts described in the embodiments of the present invention are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. It is just an illustrative example.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of the terminal box. FIG. 1 illustrates a state in which the lid is removed. In the terminal box 1, two (both ends) terminal plates 10 are arranged in a housing 30. The terminal board 10 has a cable connection part 19 and is connected to an external connection cable 51. The terminal box 1 has a single intermediate terminal plate 21 in addition to the terminal plate 10 having the cable connection portions 19 (both ends). The intermediate terminal board 21 has no external connection cable 51 and does not have the cable connection portion 19. In the present invention and the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the term “terminal plate” (both ends) means the terminal plate 10.

  (Both ends) A diode 53 is connected between the terminal board 10 and the intermediate terminal board 21.

  The terminal board 10 has an output wire receiving portion 15. The output wire receiving portion 15 is a portion for connecting an output wire derived from the solar cell module. The output electric wire is usually a flat conductive wire having a ribbon shape (which can also be expressed as a belt shape).

  The output electric wire receiving portion 15 is provided with an output electric wire insertion hole 18. The output electric wire is wound around the output electric wire insertion hole 18 and then soldered to ensure electrical connection between the output electric wire and the terminal plate. The output electric wire insertion hole 18 is a cross-shaped through hole in plan view.

  The terminal box 1 is usually fixed with the bottom plate 42 of the housing in contact with the bottom surface of the solar cell module. The output wire receiving portion 15 that is a part of the terminal plate 10 has a flat plate shape. The terminal plate is arranged so that the output wire receiving portion, which is a flat plate surface, faces in the horizontal direction (in other words, is parallel to the bottom plate 42).

  In the present invention and the present specification, for the sake of convenience, the surface direction parallel to the plane of the bottom plate 42 is assumed to be horizontal, and the direction in which the cover 60 of the housing is located is defined as the top. Of course, these directions are used only to show the relative arrangement of components and the like, and are not related to the spatial arrangement when the terminal box is actually used.

  The cable connection portion 19 is formed in an open barrel shape, and the core wire of the external connection cable is positioned here to caulk the barrel shape portion.

  The housing 30 has a quadrangular prism shape. When viewed as a quadrangular prism shape, the external connection cable 51 is led out of the housing from the portions corresponding to the bottom plate and the top plate. As described above, in the present invention and the present specification, the surface where the terminal box is in contact with the solar cell module is called a bottom plate. For this reason, the wall surface on which the outlet of the external connection cable 51 described above is located is referred to as a “side surface”.

  The external connection cable 51 is led out of the housing 30 through the cable outlet 44 provided on the side surface 71. The external connection cable 51 is led out of the housing 30 through the cable outlet 44 provided on the side surface 72. The two external connection cables are in a straight line across the casing and extend in directions opposite to each other.

  2A and 2B are drawings in a state in which the terminal plate is assembled in the housing, FIG. 2A is a plan view, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view. However, the external connection cable is not shown. FIG. 2A shows a state where the lid is removed.

  3A and 3B are drawings of the housing, FIG. 3A is a plan view, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view. FIG. 3A illustrates a state where the lid is removed. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the groove portion, FIG. 4 (a) is a plan view, and FIG. 4 (b) is a cross-sectional view.

  The terminal plate 10 has a fitting plate 11. One end face 12 of the fitting plate 11 is connected to the terminal plate 10. The fitting plate 11 has a plate shape, and the plate surface faces downward. That is, the plane formed by the plate is a plane orthogonal to the bottom plate 42.

  The fitting plate 11 plays a role of positioning and temporarily fixing the terminal plate to the housing by fitting with a groove 31 described in detail later. Since the fitting plate 11 extends downward from the terminal plate 10, the space below the plane on which the terminal plate 10 is attached can be used as a structure installation space for positioning or temporary fixing.

  Here, the fact that the fitting plate 11 is provided downward from the terminal plate 10 means that the plate surface of the fitting plate 11 and the plane which is the output wire receiving portion 15 intersect at an angle between 30 degrees and 150 degrees. Means that A preferred crossing angle is an angle between 60 degrees and 120 degrees, and a more preferred crossing angle is an angle between 75 degrees and 105 degrees. The most preferred intersection angle is 90 degrees.

  Forming a fitting plate by bending one end of a terminal plate made of a single flat plate is preferable because the formation of the fitting plate is easy and the connection strength between the fitting plate and the terminal plate becomes sufficient. In this case, the one end surface 12 of the fitting plate is a fold line.

  However, the fitting plate may be formed by connecting a plate separate from the terminal plate to the terminal plate. In this case, one end surface 12 of the fitting plate is a base for attachment.

  The housing 30 has a groove 31 into which the fitting plate 11 is fitted. The groove 31 is located on the inner side 43 of the bottom plate 42 of the housing 30 and opens upward. When the plate surface of the fitting plate 11 and the plane which is the output wire receiving portion 15 intersect at an angle of 90 degrees and are provided in the downward direction, the groove 31 is directed upward at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the bottom plate. If the angle of the fitting plate is different, the angle of the groove 31 is also different accordingly.

  The groove 31 is formed of a first groove inner wall surface 33 and a second groove inner wall surface 35. The first groove inner wall surface 33 has a protrusion. The protrusion protrudes from the first groove inner wall surface 33 toward the second groove inner wall surface 35. The protrusions may be discontinuous, but it is preferable that the protrusions are formed continuously in the vertical direction, and the apexes of the protrusions continuously form a ridge line. Furthermore, it is more preferable that the distance (height) from the first groove inner wall surface 33 to the ridge line is constant at any position of the ridge line. This is because, when the casing is molded, it can be molded with a mold having a simple structure, and the area of close contact with the fitting plate due to the crushing of the tip portion is increased, so that temporary fixing is ensured.

  In the case of discontinuous protrusions, the shape may be a spindle shape, a hemispherical shape, or the like. Preferred shapes are a pyramid including a triangular pyramid, a quadrangular pyramid, a pentagonal pyramid, and a cone.

  In the case of providing continuous protrusions, the shape may be a triangular prism, a semi-cylinder, or the like. In the case of a triangular prism shape, one side surface 37 of the triangular prism 36 is in contact with the first groove inner wall surface 33. In other words, one side surface 37 of the triangular prism and the first groove inner wall surface 33 are common (see FIG. 4). A straight line (side of the triangular prism) intersecting the other two side surfaces 38 and 39 of the triangular prism forms the ridge line 41. In the case of a semi-cylindrical shape, the side surface which is a plane contacts the first groove inner wall surface 33.

  The shape of the continuous protrusion is preferably a triangular prism. This is because the force for crushing the vicinity of the ridgeline becomes small.

  It is preferable to provide a guide portion at the upper end of the continuous protrusion. With reference to FIG. 4B, a guide portion 411 is installed at the upper end of the triangular prism 36. The guide portion 411 is a small plane that is inclined downward toward the ridge line side from the first groove inner wall surface 33 to the ridge line 41. The facet is a triangle. The guide portion 411 serves as a guide for positioning the fitting plate in the groove when the fitting plate is fitted into the groove.

  The lower end of the groove 31 may be closed or open.

  The first groove inner wall surface 33 is preferably in contact with the bottom plate 42 and rises from the bottom plate 42. Similarly, the second groove inner wall surface 35 is preferably in contact with the bottom plate 42 and rises from the bottom plate 42. This is to save space in the housing. However, in the present invention, the first groove inner wall surface 33 may be isolated from the bottom plate 42, and similarly, the second groove inner wall surface 35 may be isolated from the bottom plate 42.

  The arrangement direction of the fitting plate surface will be described. A straight line connecting the cable connecting portion 19 and the cable outlet 44 in the terminal box 1 is assumed, and the straight line is named a cable extension direction line 47. In FIG. 2A, a cable extension direction line 47 is indicated by a broken line. It is preferable that the fitting plate is disposed so that its plate surface is perpendicular to the flat plate surface of the output wire receiving portion and perpendicular to the cable extension direction line 47. This is because when an unexpected tensile force is applied to the external connection cable and the force reaches the terminal plate, the tensile force is received by the engagement of the fitting plate and the groove. This arrangement also brings about an effect that the external connection cable fixing structure is not necessarily provided in the casing near the cable outlet 44.

  Here, the plate surface arrangement direction of the fitting plate is the same as the groove direction, and is the same as the surface direction of the first groove inner wall surface (and the second groove inner wall surface). Further, the arrangement of the plate surface mainly corresponds to the tensile force, and the right angle in the present invention includes not only 90 degrees but also an angle of 70 degrees to 110 degrees. A preferred right angle is an angle of 90 degrees.

  The groove 31 is a housing bottom plate and may be constituted by a first rib 32 and a second rib 34 provided inside the housing. The first rib and the second rib are structures provided inside the housing in order to increase the strength of the housing 30, and the most common example is a portion where the thickness of the bottom surface formed integrally with the bottom surface is increased. . The standing wall surface of the first rib 32 is the first groove inner wall surface, and the standing wall surface of the second rib 34 is the second groove inner wall surface. If it does in this way, even if it does not provide a new groove | channel, there exists an effect which can use the conventional reinforcement structure for a groove | channel. Therefore, there is an effect that the required amount of the synthetic resin that is the material of the casing does not increase.

  The protrusions described above (and their continuous columnar bodies) are provided on the inner wall surface of the second groove, and may be provided so as to protrude from the inner wall surface of the second groove toward the inner wall surface of the first groove. Similar protrusions may be provided on the inner wall surface of the first groove and the inner wall surface of the second groove. From the viewpoint of preventing unnecessary frictional force when the fitting plate is press-fitted, it is preferable to provide both surfaces of the first groove inner wall surface and the second groove inner wall surface.

  For example, when the thickness of the fitting plate 11 is 0.8 mm, the interval between the protrusion tips is 0.7 mm. Here, the interval between the protrusion tips is the interval between two ridge lines when a triangular prism shape is provided on the inner wall surface of the first groove and a triangular prism shape is provided on the inner wall surface of the second groove. The case and the triangular prism shape were made of a modified polyphenylene ether resin. Since the optimum value of the interval varies depending on the housing material, the shape of the protrusion, and the like, it may be determined by trial and error in consideration of the dimensions exemplified above.

  As described above, the attachment by fitting the fitting plate into the groove with respect to the (both ends) terminal plate has been described. As is clear from FIGS. 2 and 3, the intermediate terminal plate 21 also has a fitting plate and is press-fitted into the groove. Are installed. Regarding the intermediate terminal plate, the structure and requirements of the fitting plate and the groove are the same as those of the terminal plate (both ends), and the effect is also the same.

  Next, installation of the terminal plate into the housing, attachment of the terminal box to the solar cell module, and the like will be described.

  Remove the sheath at the end of the external connection cable to expose the core wire. The core wire of the external connection cable is positioned on the cable connection portion 19 of the terminal plate, and the external connection cable is connected to the terminal plate by caulking the barrel-shaped portion.

  The fitting plate is positioned above the groove and the fitting plate is press-fitted into the groove. At this time, the protrusion installed in the groove is in a contact state between the plate surface of the fitting plate and the protrusion tip in a state in which the tip (in the vicinity of the ridge line in the case of a continuous protrusion) is crushed. In this way, the terminal board is temporarily fixed to the housing.

  When the fitting plate is press-fitted, the column 48 formed upward from the bottom surface of the housing is inserted into the through hole of the terminal plate. The terminal plate is fixed to the casing by engaging the washer 52 with the pillar 48.

  Thereafter, a diode 53 is connected between the terminal boards. The diode 53 is connected by inserting its lead wire into the through hole 22 and then soldering.

  Next, the terminal box is attached to the bottom surface of the solar cell module. At this time, an output electric wire is drawn into the terminal box from the solar cell module through an electric wire opening 49 which is a through hole provided in the terminal box bottom plate. Fix the terminal box to the solar cell module. The output wire is wound around the output wire insertion hole 18 of the output wire receiving portion and connected by soldering. Fill the space in the terminal box with a filler as necessary. Attach the lid 60 to the terminal box.

  The procedure for assembling the terminal box and attaching it to the solar cell module described above is merely an example. The execution order of each of these steps may be changed.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, a specific configuration example is not limited to this one embodiment, and the design can be changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. Are included in the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal box 10 (Both ends) Terminal board 11 Fitting board 12 One end surface of a fitting board 15 Output electric wire receiving part 18 Output electric wire insertion hole 19 Cable connection part 21 Intermediate terminal board 22 Through-hole 30 Housing | casing 31 Groove 32 First rib 33 1st One groove inner wall 34 Second rib 35 Second groove inner wall 36 Triangular prism that is a projection continuous in the vertical direction 37 One side 38 Crossing side 39 Crossing side 41 Ridge 411 Guide part 42 Bottom plate 43 Bottom plate inside 44 Cable outlet 47 Cable extension direction line 48 Pillar 49 Electric wire opening 51 External connection cable 52 Kikuza washer 53 Diode 60 Lid 71 Side surface 72 Side surface

Claims (7)

A terminal plate having an output wire receiving portion and a cable connecting portion is arranged in the housing, and the output wire receiving portion is a portion for connecting an output wire derived from a solar cell module, and the output wire receiving portion is a flat plate The output wire receiving portion is arranged with a flat plate surface in a horizontal direction, an external connection cable is connected to the cable connection portion, and the external connection is passed through a cable outlet provided in the housing. In the solar cell module terminal box in which the cable is led out of the housing,
The terminal plate has a fitting plate, one end surface of the fitting plate is connected to the terminal plate, and the fitting plate extends downward in the terminal plate,
The housing has a groove composed of a first groove inner wall surface and a second groove inner wall surface facing each other, the groove is open upward, and protrudes toward the second groove inner wall surface toward the first groove inner wall surface. Have protrusions,
A terminal, wherein the terminal plate is disposed in the casing, with the plate surface of the fitting plate and the tip of the projection being in contact with each other and being fitted into the groove in a state where the tip of the projection is crushed. box. The cable outlet is provided on a side surface of the housing, and a plate surface of the fitting plate is perpendicular to a flat plate surface of the output line receiving portion, and a direction connecting the cable connecting portion and the cable outlet. The terminal box according to claim 1, wherein the terminal box is disposed at a right angle to the cable extension direction line. The terminal box according to claim 1, wherein the terminal plate is a terminal plate in which a fitting plate is formed by bending a plate-shaped metal plate. The protrusion provided on the inner wall surface of the first groove is formed continuously in the vertical direction, and the vertex of the continuous protrusion forms a ridge line. Terminal box. The protrusions that are continuous in the vertical direction have a triangular prism shape, a surface that contacts the inner wall surface of the first groove is one side surface, and a straight line that intersects the remaining two side surfaces is the ridge line. The terminal box described in 4. The first groove inner wall surface is a standing wall surface of a first rib formed inside the bottom plate of the housing, and the second groove inner wall surface is a standing wall surface of a second rib formed inside the bottom plate of the housing. 6. A terminal box according to claim 1, wherein the terminal box is characterized in that: In a solar cell module with a terminal box consisting of a solar cell module and a terminal box,
A solar cell module with a terminal box, comprising a solar cell module and the terminal box according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an output electric wire led out from the solar cell module is connected to the output electric wire receiving portion of the terminal plate. .

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