JP7568575B2 - Connection member and connection structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connection member and a connection structure.

As a technique for conducting electrical current between conductors, Patent Document 1 discloses that a first conductor with a cylindrical end is fitted to a second conductor with a ring-shaped spring contact attached, and the elastic repulsive force of the spring contact acts between the conductors to obtain electrical contact.

JP 2008-204634 A

However, the spring contacts used in the connection structure described in Patent Document 1 require delicate and difficult processing, such as forming a wire into a spiral shape and welding both ends together, which increases manufacturing costs.

In addition, because the wire of the spring contact is in point contact with the first conductor and the second conductor, there is a problem that it is vulnerable to shock and easily deformed. Moreover, spring contacts, which are made of wire formed into a spiral shape, have low thermal conductivity, and therefore connection structures equipped with this spring contact have low heat dissipation.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a connection member and a connection structure including the same that can be easily processed and manufactured at low cost, and that has excellent impact resistance and heat dissipation properties.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a connection member and a connection structure according to the present invention are characterized by the following (1) to (4).
(1) An annular connection member electrically connecting a first conductor and a second conductor in a state in which a first conductor is fitted into a fitting hole formed in a second conductor and the first conductor is compressed by an outer circumferential surface of the first conductor and an inner circumferential surface of the fitting hole of the second conductor,
The conductive foil is made of a conductive metal material and wound around the conductive rod-shaped conductor at least twice. The conductive rod-shaped conductor is curved.
The conductive foil has three or more elongated cut portions formed along the winding direction in a width direction perpendicular to the winding direction, and two or more rows of these cut portions are provided in the winding direction;
A plurality of pressure contact portions divided by the cut portions are provided on the outer periphery.
Connection parts.

According to the connection member having the above configuration (1), the manufacturing costs can be reduced compared to an annular spring contact, which requires delicate and difficult processing and is obtained by forming a wire of a conductive metal material into a spiral coil spring and welding both ends of the wire. Moreover, it is possible to obtain a connection member having excellent impact resistance and heat dissipation properties.
In this connection member, the multiple pressure contact portions provided on the outer periphery come into contact with the second conductor while pressing the second conductor, thereby enabling the first conductor and the second conductor to be satisfactorily electrically connected via the connection member.

(2) A plurality of pressure contact portions are provided on the inner periphery, the pressure contact portions being divided by the cut portions.
The connection member described in (1) above.

According to the connection member having the configuration of (2) above, the multiple pressure contact parts provided on the outer periphery contact the second conductor while pressing it, and the multiple pressure contact parts provided on the inner periphery also contact the first conductor while pressing it. Therefore, the first conductor and the second conductor can be electrically connected well via the connection member.

(3) The rod-shaped conductor is curved into a ring shape without joining both ends.
A connection member according to (1) or (2) above.

According to the connection member having the configuration of (3) above, the rod-shaped conductor is curved into a ring shape without joining both ends, which makes it unnecessary to perform joining work such as welding to join both ends.

(4) A connection structure in which the first conductor and the second conductor are connected by the connection member according to any one of (1) to (3) above,
an annular groove formed in a circumferential direction is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the first conductor or an inner circumferential surface of the fitting hole of the second conductor;
The connecting member is accommodated in the annular groove.
Connection structure.

According to the connection structure of the above configuration (4), when the first conductor is fitted into the fitting hole of the second conductor, the connection member is compressed in the circumferential direction by the first conductor and the second conductor. Then, a restoring force is generated in the connection member in the radially inward and radially outward directions, and this restoring force presses the connection member against the first conductor and the second conductor, bringing them into contact. This allows the first conductor and the second conductor to be satisfactorily electrically connected via the connection member.

The present invention provides a connection member and a connection structure incorporating the same that can be easily processed and manufactured at low cost, and that has excellent impact resistance and heat dissipation properties.

The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following description of the embodiment of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the attached drawings.

1A and 1B are diagrams showing a connection structure equipped with a connection member according to a first embodiment, in which FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view along the axial direction of a connection portion, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view along A-A in FIG. 1A. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the axial direction of a male terminal and a female terminal equipped with a connecting member. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing a male terminal provided with a connecting member, in which FIG. 3A is a side view and FIG. 3B is a front view seen from the tip side. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the connection member. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the conductive foil in the middle of being wound, illustrating the process of forming the connection member. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing a connection structure equipped with a connection member according to a reference example, in which FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view along the axial direction of a connection portion, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 6A. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing a connection structure including a connection member according to a second embodiment, in which FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view along the axial direction of a connection portion, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view along the line D-D in FIG. 7A.

Specific embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
First, the first embodiment will be described.
Fig. 1 shows a connection structure including a connection member according to a first embodiment, in which Fig. 1(a) is a cross-sectional view along the axial direction of a connection portion, Fig. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A in Fig. 1(a), and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the axial direction of a male terminal and a female terminal including a connection member.

As shown in Figs. 1(a), 1(b) and 2, the connection member 10 according to this embodiment is a member that electrically connects a male terminal (first conductor) 20 and a female terminal (second conductor) 30. In this embodiment, the connection member 10 is attached to the male terminal 20. The male terminal 20 and the female terminal 30 are used as high-voltage connectors in, for example, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, etc.

The female terminal 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom and a fitting hole 31. The female terminal 30 is formed from a conductive metal material such as copper or a copper alloy. The inner peripheral surface 32 of the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30 serves as a contact surface, and the male terminal 20 is fitted into and removed from the fitting hole 31 from one end side.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing a male terminal provided with a connecting member, in which FIG. 3A is a side view and FIG. 3B is a front view seen from the tip side.
3(a) and 3(b), the male terminal 20 is formed in a round bar shape. The male terminal 20 is made of a conductive metal material such as copper or a copper alloy. An annular groove 23 is formed in an outer circumferential surface 22 of the male terminal 20. The annular groove 23 is formed in the circumferential direction near the tip end.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the connection member.
4, the connection member 10 is formed in an annular shape and is fitted into the annular groove 23 of the male terminal 20. The connection member 10 has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the male terminal 20, and an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the male terminal 20. When fitted into the annular groove 23 of the male terminal 20, the connection member 10 has an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30.

The connection member 10 is curved in a ring shape without joining both ends, and is thus separated at one point in the circumferential direction to form a C-shape in plan view. The connection member 10 is formed by winding a conductive foil 11 made of a conductive metal material two or more times to form a rod-shaped conductor 12, and bending this rod-shaped conductor 12 into a ring shape. The connection member 10 has a plurality of pressure contact parts 13 on its outer periphery, and notches 14 are formed between these pressure contact parts 13. The connection member 10 also has a plurality of pressure contact parts 13 on its inner periphery, and notches 14 are formed between these pressure contact parts 13. The notches 14 formed in the connection member 10 are alternately formed along the circumferential direction on the outer periphery side and the inner periphery side.

Next, the formation of the connection member 10 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the conductive foil in the middle of being wound, illustrating the process of forming the connection member.

As shown in FIG. 5, to form the connection member 10, first, a plurality of elongated cuts 14 are formed in the conductive foil 11, which is rectangular in plan view. In this embodiment, the cuts 14 are formed in a diamond shape in plan view. These cuts 14 are formed at intervals along the width direction W perpendicular to the winding direction R of the conductive foil 11. At this time, the cuts 14 are formed so that their longitudinal direction is along the winding direction R. Then, a plurality of rows 14L of the cuts 14 formed along the width direction W are formed along the winding direction R. At this time, the cuts 14 of the rows 14L adjacent to each other in the winding direction R are formed so that they are staggered along the width direction W. At least three or more cuts 14 are formed in the width direction W, and two or more rows 14L of the cuts 14 are provided in the winding direction R.

Next, the conductive foil 11 is wound from one end side in the winding direction R to form the rod-shaped conductor 12. At this time, the conductive foil 11 is wound at least two times. In this way, by winding the conductive foil 11 at least two times from one end side in the winding direction R, the starting end of the winding can be smoothly rolled up and stored inside. This makes it possible to prevent the starting end of the winding of the conductive foil 11 from getting caught when the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 30 are joined.

After the conductive foil 11 is wound to form the rod-shaped conductor 12, the rod-shaped conductor 12 is curved to form a ring shape. Note that both ends of the rod-shaped conductor 12 are not joined. This results in a connection member 10 that is separated at one point in the circumferential direction and has a C-shape in plan view. When the rod-shaped conductor 12 is curved into a ring shape, it is curved so that the cut portions 14 are disposed on the outer periphery and the inner periphery. Then, the connection member 10 is provided with a pressure contact portion 13 divided by the cut portion 14 on its outer periphery. The connection member 10 is also provided with a pressure contact portion 13 divided by the cut portion 14 on its inner periphery. Note that the cut portion 14 of the connection member 10 is open on the outer periphery and closed on the inner periphery. Here, if two or less cuts 14 are formed in the width direction W of the conductive foil 11, when the rod-shaped conductor 12 wound with the conductive foil 11 is bent into a ring shape, the rod-shaped conductor 12 will be bent in two or less places. This makes it difficult to form the rod-shaped conductor 12 into a ring shape. In contrast, if three or more cuts 14 are formed in the width direction W of the conductive foil 11, when the rod-shaped conductor 12 wound with the conductive foil 11 is bent into a ring shape, the rod-shaped conductor 12 can be bent in three or more places to smoothly form a ring shape.

In addition, when the rod-shaped conductor 12 with the conductive foil 11 wound around it is bent into a ring shape, it is bent at each cut 14 and takes on a shape in the ring direction, suppressing springback in the direction of returning to a straight shape. Therefore, the rod-shaped conductor 12 can be maintained in a ring-shaped bent state without joining both ends of the rod-shaped conductor 12.

The connection member 10 formed as described above is attached to the male terminal 20 by fitting it into the annular groove 23 of the male terminal 20. At this time, the connection member 10 expands due to springback, which is a force that causes the wound conductive foil 11 to expand. As a result, the connection member 10 is pressed against both side portions 25 of the annular groove 23 and is maintained in a state housed within the annular groove 23.

To connect the male terminal 20 of the above structure to the female terminal 30, the male terminal 20 is fitted into the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30 from the tip side. Then, the connection member 10 fitted into the annular groove 23 of the male terminal 20 comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface 32 of the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30. Here, the connection member 10 has an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30 when fitted into the annular groove 23 of the male terminal 20. Therefore, the connection member 10 is pressed radially inward over the entire circumferential direction by contacting the inner circumferential surface 32 of the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30. As a result, the connection member 10 is compressed over the entire circumferential direction by the bottom 24 of the annular groove 23 of the male terminal 20 and the inner circumferential surface 32 of the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30. In addition, the connection member 10 tries to expand due to springback, which is a force that causes the wound conductive foil 11 to expand. Therefore, the connection member 10, which is compressed radially inward over the entire circumferential direction, generates a restoring force F in the radially inward and radially outward directions, and this restoring force F presses the multiple pressure contact portions 13 on the outer periphery against the inner periphery 32 of the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30 and presses the multiple pressure contact portions 13 on the inner periphery against the bottom 24 of the annular groove 23. As a result, the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 30 are electrically connected via the connection member 10 (see FIG. 1(b)). For example, when a current flows from the female terminal 30 to the male terminal 20, the current flows from the female terminal 30 through the connection member 10 to the male terminal 20 (see arrow I in FIG. 1(a)).

Here, a connection member according to a reference example will be described.
6A and 6B are diagrams showing a connection structure equipped with a connection member according to a reference example, in which FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view along the axial direction of a connection portion, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view along CC in FIG. 6A.

As shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), in the reference example, an annular spring conductor 40 is fitted into the annular groove 23 of the male terminal 20. The spring conductor 40 is made of a coil spring in which a filament 41 made of a conductive and elastic metal material such as spring steel is wound in a spiral shape, and the coil spring is bent into a ring shape and both ends of the filament 41 are welded and joined.

In this reference example, when the male terminal 20 is fitted into the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30, the spring conductor 40 comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface 32 of the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30, and is pressed radially inward over the entire circumferential direction, and is compressed over the entire circumferential direction and elastically deformed. As a result, the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 30 are electrically connected via the spring conductor 40.

However, in this reference example, the wire 41 is formed into a spiral shape and both ends are welded together, which requires delicate and difficult processing, resulting in high costs. Moreover, since the wire 41 of the spring conductor 40 is structured to make point contact with the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 30, there is a problem that it is vulnerable to impact and easily deformed. Furthermore, the spring conductor 40, in which the wire 41 is formed into a spiral shape, has low thermal conductivity due to the use of thin wire 41, and therefore it is difficult to obtain good heat dissipation.

In contrast, the connecting member 10 according to the present embodiment is formed by winding a conductive foil 11 of a conductive metal material two or more times to form a curved rod-shaped conductor 12. Therefore, compared to the annular spring conductor 40, which requires delicate and difficult processing and is obtained by forming a coil spring, in which a filament 41 of a conductive metal material is spirally shaped, into a ring and welding both ends of the filament 41, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the connecting member has excellent impact resistance and heat dissipation properties.

In this connection member 10, the multiple pressure contact parts 13 provided on the outer periphery come into contact with the inner periphery 32 of the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30 while pressing against it, and the multiple pressure contact parts 13 provided on the inner periphery also come into contact with the outer periphery 22 of the male terminal 20 while pressing against it. Therefore, the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 30 can be electrically connected well via the connection member 10.

In addition, the connecting member 10 bends the rod-shaped conductor 12 into a ring shape without joining both ends, making it unnecessary to perform joining work such as welding to join both ends.

And, according to the connection structure including the connection member 10, when the male terminal 20 is fitted into the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30, the connection member 10 is compressed in the entire circumferential direction by the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 30. Therefore, the connection member 10 is pressed against and contacts the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 30 in the entire circumferential direction by the restoring force F acting radially inward and radially outward. This allows the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 30 to be satisfactorily electrically connected via the connection member 10.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described.
The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

7A and 7B are diagrams showing a connection structure including a connection member according to a second embodiment, in which FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view along the axial direction of a connection portion, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view along the line D-D in FIG. 7A.
As shown in FIGS. 7( a ) and 7 ( b ), in the second embodiment, a connecting member 10 is attached to a female terminal 30 .

In the female terminal 30, an annular groove 33 is formed on the inner peripheral surface 32 of the fitting hole 31. This annular groove 33 is formed around the entire circumference near the end of the opening side of the fitting hole 31. The connection member 10 is accommodated in this annular groove 33. The connection member 10 has an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30, and an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30. When accommodated in the annular groove 33 of the female terminal 30, the connection member 10 has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the male terminal 20.

The connection member 10 housed in the annular groove 33 of this female terminal 30 also expands due to springback, which is the force that causes the rolled conductive foil 11 to expand when fitted into the annular groove 33. As a result, the connection member 10 is pressed against both side portions 35 of the annular groove 33 and is maintained housed within the annular groove 33.

The male terminal 20 is formed in a round bar shape, and the annular groove 23 is not formed on its outer circumferential surface 22.

In the second embodiment, when the male terminal 20 is fitted into the fitting hole 31 of the female terminal 30, the connection member 10 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 22 of the male terminal 20, and is pressed radially outward over the entire circumferential direction, and is compressed over the entire circumferential direction. Therefore, the connection member 10 has multiple pressing contact portions 13 on the inner periphery pressed against the outer peripheral surface 22 of the male terminal 20 and multiple pressing contact portions 13 on the outer periphery pressed against the bottom 34 of the annular groove 33 of the female terminal 30 by a restoring force F (see FIG. 1(b)) acting radially inward and radially outward due to springback. This allows the male terminal 20 and the female terminal 30 to be electrically connected well via the connection member 10.

In the above embodiment, the diamond-shaped cuts 14 are formed in the conductive foil 11 so that their longitudinal direction is aligned with the winding direction R, but the elongated cuts 14 are not limited to a diamond shape and may be, for example, an elliptical, oval, or hexagonal shape whose width is greatest at the longitudinal center. Regardless of the shape of the cuts 14, as long as the width is greatest at the longitudinal center, when the rod-shaped conductor 12 wound around the conductive foil 11 is curved into a ring shape, the cuts 14 close on the inner circumference side, allowing the rod-shaped conductor 12 to be bent smoothly into a ring shape. This allows the entire rod-shaped conductor 12 to be curved smoothly into a ring shape.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited.

Here, the features of the connection member and the connection structure according to the above-described embodiments of the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [4].
[1] An annular connecting member (10) that electrically connects a first conductor (male terminal 20) and a second conductor (female terminal 30) in a state in which the first conductor (male terminal 20) is fitted into a fitting hole (31) formed in the second conductor (female terminal 30) and is compressed by an outer peripheral surface of the first conductor (male terminal 20) and an inner peripheral surface (32) of the fitting hole (31) of the second conductor (female terminal 30),
The conductive foil (11) made of a conductive metal material is wound around two or more turns to form a rod-shaped conductor (12) which is curved.
The conductive foil (11) has three or more elongated cut portions (14) formed along the winding direction (R) in a width direction (W) perpendicular to the winding direction (R), and two or more rows (14L) of these cut portions (14) are provided in the winding direction (R);
A plurality of pressure contact portions (13) divided by the cut portions (14) are provided on the outer periphery.
Connection parts.

[2] A plurality of pressure contact portions (13) divided by the cut portions (14) are provided on the inner periphery.
The connection member described in [1] above.

[3] The rod-shaped conductor (12) is curved into a ring shape without joining both ends.
The connection member according to the above [1] or [2].

[4] A connection structure in which the first conductor (male terminal 20) and the second conductor (female terminal 30) are connected by the connection member (10) according to any one of the above [1] to [3],
An annular groove (23, 33) is formed in a circumferential direction on an outer peripheral surface of the first conductor (male terminal 20) or an inner peripheral surface (32) of the fitting hole (31) of the second conductor (female terminal 30),
The connecting member (10) is housed in the annular groove portion (23, 33).
Connection structure.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Connection member 11 Conductive foil 12 Rod-shaped conductor 13 Pressure contact portion 14 Cutout portion 14L Row 20 Male terminal (first conductor)
22 Outer circumferential surface 23, 33 Annular groove (annular groove portion)
30 Female terminal (second conductor)
31 Fitting hole 32 Inner peripheral surface W Width direction R Winding direction

Claims (4)

a first conductor is fitted into a fitting hole formed in a second conductor, thereby electrically connecting the first conductor and the second conductor in a state of being compressed by an outer circumferential surface of the first conductor and an inner circumferential surface of the fitting hole of the second conductor,
The conductive foil is made of a conductive metal material and wound around the conductive rod-shaped conductor at least twice. The conductive rod-shaped conductor is curved.
The conductive foil has three or more elongated cut portions formed along the winding direction in a width direction perpendicular to the winding direction, and two or more rows of these cut portions are provided in the winding direction;
A plurality of pressure contact portions divided by the cut portions are provided on the outer periphery.
Connection parts. A plurality of pressure contact portions are provided on the inner periphery, the pressure contact portions being divided by the cut portions.
The connection member according to claim 1 . The rod-shaped conductor is curved into a ring shape without joining both ends.
The connection member according to claim 1 or 2. A connection structure in which the first conductor and the second conductor are connected by the connection member according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
an annular groove formed in a circumferential direction is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the first conductor or an inner circumferential surface of the fitting hole of the second conductor;
The connecting member is accommodated in the annular groove.
Connection structure.

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