JP7799720B2 - Connection structure and connection method for connecting wires/cables to extension bars - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connection structure and a method for connecting a connection point between an electric wire/cable and an expansion bar.

For example, as described in Patent Document 1, when the battledore portion of the terminal of an electric wire or cable (hereinafter, electric wire or cable will be simply referred to as cable) to be connected to the terminal mounting plate of the terminal mounting part of a breaker, terminal block, etc. is too large to be directly connected to it, one end of an extension bar (also called a connection bar, joint bar, etc.) can be connected to the terminal mounting plate, and the cable terminal can be connected to the other end of the extension bar, and the cable terminal can be connected to the terminal mounting plate via the extension bar.

Patent Document 1 describes a case in which the terminals of multiple cables (three in this document) are connected to multiple terminal mounting plates (three in this document) of a terminal mounting section via an extension bar. However, for example, when connecting the terminal of one cable to one terminal mounting plate of a terminal mounting section, the connection can also be configured to be via an extension bar.

Patent No. 7000534

However, when connecting the cable terminal to the terminal mounting plate of the terminal mounting section via the extension bar, if there is a conductor such as a metal structure or wall near the connection, there is a possibility that a short circuit may occur between the connection, the cable conductor, or the terminal and the conductor.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a connection structure and a connection method for the connection point between an electric wire/cable and an extension bar that can prevent a short circuit from occurring between a conductor and the terminal of a cable when the terminal is connected to the terminal mounting plate of a terminal mounting part via an extension bar, even if a conductor is present in the vicinity.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 comprises:
A connection structure in which a battledore part of a terminal connected to a conductor exposed from the end of a sheath of an electric wire or cable and a terminal mounting plate of a terminal mounting part are connected via an extension bar,
an insulating cover is attached so as to cover at least the outer periphery of the connection portion between the terminal and the extension bar;
the extension bar has an end portion connected to the terminal mounting plate, and the width of the end portion is formed smaller than the width of the extension bar at the connection point;
the insulating cover is configured to be attached to each of the plurality of terminal mounting plates provided in the terminal mounting portion, and to each of the plurality of electric wires/cables connected via the extension bar and the terminals;
Even if a conductor is present near the electric wire/cable connected to the terminal mounting plate via the extension bar and the terminal, the insulating cover is interposed between the connection point between the electric wire/cable, the terminal, and the extension bar and the conductor .

The invention described in claim 2 is the connection structure described in claim 1, wherein the insulating cover is composed of multiple cylindrical partial covers, and the multiple partial covers are attached in a line in the axial direction of the wire/cable, with or without overlapping.

The invention described in claim 3 is the connection structure described in claim 1, in which the insulating cover has a slit extending in the axial direction of the electric wire/cable, and the slit is widened and attached so as to cover from the outside the portion of the electric wire/cable from the sheath to the connection point.

The invention described in claim 4 is the connection structure described in claim 3 , in which the insulating cover has a protrusion on one side of the slit and a hole on the other side, and is fixed by engaging the protrusion with the hole while covering the part of the wire/cable from the sheath to the connection point from the outside.

The invention described in claim 5 is the connection structure described in claim 1, wherein the insulating cover is composed of a first part and a second part, each having a continuous opening in the axial direction, and is attached by sandwiching the part of the wire/cable from the sheath to the connection point between the first part and the second part, with or without overlapping.

The invention described in claim 6 is a connection structure described in any one of claims 1 to 5 , in which the insulating cover has an opening on the side facing a wall on which an appliance having the terminal mounting portion is attached.

The invention described in claim 7 is a connection structure described in any one of claims 1 to 5 , in which the insulating cover is partially or entirely transparent, and the connection point between the extension bar and the shuttlecock portion can be seen through the transparent portion.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the connection structure according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the insulating cover has an ear-shaped piece formed on an end portion on the connection portion side.

The invention described in claim 9 is a connection structure described in any one of claims 1 to 5 , in which the insulating cover has a slit to form a lid portion, and is configured so that the lid portion can be flipped up.

The invention described in claim 10 is
A method for connecting a connection point between an electric wire/cable and an extension bar of a terminal mounting plate of a terminal mounting part, the method comprising:
The terminal mounting plate of the terminal mounting part is connected to the conductor exposed from the end of the sheath of the wire/cable via the extension bar,
the extension bar has a portion corresponding to the connection point and an end portion connected to the terminal mounting plate, the width of the end portion being smaller than the width of the extension bar at the connection point;
The insulating cover is used to cover the outer periphery of the sheath of the electric wire/cable, the conductor of the electric wire/cable exposed from the end of the sheath, the connecting tube part of the terminal connected to the conductor, the battledore part of the terminal, and the part corresponding to the connection part where the expansion bar and the battledore part overlap ,
The insulating covers are attached to the plurality of wires/cables connected to the plurality of terminal mounting plates provided in the terminal mounting portion via the extension bar and the terminals, respectively,
Even if a conductor is present near the electric wire/cable connected to the terminal mounting plate via the extension bar and the terminal, the insulating cover is interposed between the connection point between the electric wire/cable, the terminal, and the extension bar and the conductor.

The invention described in claim 11 is a method for connecting the connection points between an electric wire/cable and an expansion bar described in claim 10 , in which an insulating cover covers the outer periphery so that the part of the expansion bar that is connected to the terminal mounting plate protrudes from the insulating cover.

This invention makes it possible to prevent short circuits between a cable terminal and a conductor present near the connection point when connecting the cable terminal to the terminal mounting plate of the terminal mounting section via an extension bar, even if such a conductor is present near the connection point.

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing the configuration of a cable and terminals attached thereto, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the state in which terminals are attached to an extension bar attached to a terminal mounting plate. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a state in which an insulating cover according to a first practical embodiment is attached; (a) A diagram showing the terminal mounting portion of a breaker to which an outwardly curved extension bar is connected, and (b) A diagram showing the state in which an insulating cover is attached to each cable connected to each extension bar. (a) A diagram showing the terminal mounting portion of a breaker to which an extension bar bent up and down is connected, and (b) A diagram showing the state in which an insulating cover is attached to each cable connected to each extension bar. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing insulating barriers provided between each expansion bar. 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a first method for attaching an insulating cover. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a second method for attaching an insulating cover. FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating a third method for attaching an insulating cover, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating a fourth method for attaching an insulating cover, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the state in which the insulating cover is attached so that the cable is sandwiched between the upper and lower parts. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration 1 in which the insulating cover has an opening. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration 2 in which the insulating cover has an opening. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration 3 in which the insulating cover has an opening. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a fourth configuration in which the insulating cover has an opening. (a) is a diagram showing a state in which an X mark is written at the connection point, and (b) is a diagram showing a state in which the line written on the shuttlecock part of the terminal and the line written on the tightening bolt are misaligned. 1A shows the insulating cover in a portion facing the connection point, FIG. 1B shows the insulating cover in a portion surrounding the connection point, and FIG. 1C shows the insulating cover in a state where the entire insulating cover is made transparent. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the upper portion shown in FIG. 9(b) is made transparent. 10A is a diagram showing a configuration A that allows the tightening bolts to be retightened, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the insulating cover in a folded-back state. 10A is a diagram showing a configuration B that allows the tightening bolts to be retightened, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the state in which the lid portion is flipped up. 1A is a diagram showing a state in which horizontal slits are formed in an insulating cover, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a state in which vertical slits are formed in an insulating cover. 10A is a diagram showing a state in which the slit is formed in a V-shape, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing a state in which the slit is formed in a stepped shape. 10 is a diagram showing a protrusion provided on a lid portion of an insulating cover and a hole provided on an edge portion of a slit. FIG.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, several embodiments of the insulating cover according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
However, although various limitations that are technically preferable for carrying out the present invention are attached to each embodiment described below, the scope of the present invention is not limited to each of the following embodiments or illustrated examples. Also, in the following, electric wires and cables will be simply referred to as cables.

Before describing the insulating cover according to the present invention, a description will be given of the cable, the terminal attached thereto, the terminal mounting plate of the terminal mounting portion, the extension bar connecting the terminal of the cable and the terminal mounting plate, etc.
FIG. 1A is a diagram showing the configuration of a cable and terminals attached thereto.

The cable 10 is composed of a conductor 11 made of a thin wire of copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, or an aluminum alloy, a sheath 12 that covers the conductor 11, and the like.
The conductor 11 is formed by twisting together a plurality of wires. The conductor 11 is covered with an insulating layer (not shown), and the insulating layer is covered with a sheath 12. The insulating layer can be made of, for example, cross-linked polyethylene. The insulating layer and the sheath 12 may be formed of a plurality of layers.

A terminal 20 having a connecting tube portion 21 and a battledore portion 22 integrally formed therewith is attached to the conductor 11 of the cable 10 exposed from the end of the sheath 12 .
In this embodiment, the conductor 11 of the cable 10 is inserted into the connecting tube portion 21 of the terminal 20, and the connecting tube portion 21 is compressed or crimped together with the inserted conductor 11, thereby connecting the terminal 20 to the conductor 11 of the cable 10.

As shown in FIG. 1B, a metal extension bar 30 is attached to a terminal mounting plate 42 of the breaker or terminal block (terminal block 40A in the figure).
Then, by connecting the extension bar 30 to the battledore portion 22 of the terminal 20, the terminal 20 and the terminal mounting plate 42 are connected via the extension bar 30.

In this way, the cable 10 is connected to the terminal mounting plate 42 of the terminal mounting portion 41 via the terminal 20 and the extension bar 30.
The extension bar 30 is a member for electrically connecting the terminals 20 attached to the conductors 11 of the cable 10 to the terminal attachment plate 42 of the terminal attachment portion 41 in this manner.

Next, the insulating cover according to the present invention will be described.
The insulating cover is configured to be attached so as to cover the outer periphery of the sheath 12 of the cable 10, the conductor 11 of the cable 10 exposed from the end of the sheath 12, the connecting tube portion 21 of the terminal 20 connected to the conductor 11, the shuttlecock portion 22 of the terminal 20, and the connection point α between the expansion bar 30 and the shuttlecock portion 22.

As shown in FIG. 1( b ), the extension bar 30 and the battledore portion 22 are connected by being fastened with a fastening bolt B.
In addition, hereinafter, the connection point α between the extension bar 30 and the battledore portion 22 may be simply referred to as the connection point α with the extension bar 30.

Furthermore, when covering the outer periphery of the connection point α or the like in this invention, it may mean covering the entire outer periphery of the sheath 12 of the cable 10, the conductor 11, the connection tube portion 21 of the terminal 20, the shuttlecock portion 22, and the connection point α, but it also includes cases where parts other than the opening 5 provided on the side facing the wall W (see Figure 4(a) below) on which the device 40 such as the terminal block 40A or the breaker 40B is attached are covered, as shown in Figures 10 to 13 below.
Hereinafter, several embodiments will be specifically described.

[First embodiment]
2(a) and 2(b) are diagrams showing a state in which an insulating cover according to a first practical embodiment is attached.
In this embodiment, the insulating cover 1 is a cylindrical member made of an insulating material such as resin.
As shown in Figures 2(a) and (b), the insulating cover 1 is attached so as to cover the entire outer circumference from the sheath 12 of the cable 10 to the conductor 11, the connection tube portion 21 of the terminal 10 and the battledore portion 22, and the connection point α between the expansion bar 30.

With this configuration, the conductor 11 of the cable 10, the connection tube portion 21 of the terminal 20, the battledore portion 22, and the connection point α between the extension bar 30 are covered with the insulating cover 1 and are not exposed to the outside.
2(a) and 2(b), the entire portion other than the connection portion between the extension bar 30 and the terminal mounting plate 42 is covered with the insulating cover 1.

In other words, even if a conductor (not shown) is present near the conductor 11 or terminal 20 of the cable 10 connected to the terminal mounting plate 42 via the expansion bar 30, the insulating cover 1 will be interposed between the conductor and the connection point α with the conductor 11 or terminal 20 of the cable 10 or the expansion bar 30.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the terminal 20 of the cable 10 is connected to the terminal mounting plate 42 of the terminal mounting portion 41 via the extension bar 30, even if a conductor is present near the connection point, it is possible to prevent a short circuit from occurring between the conductor 11 of the cable 10, the terminal 20, or the connection point α with the extension bar 30 and the conductor.

Second Embodiment
In addition, Figures 2(a) and (b) show the case where the insulating cover 1 is attached to one cable 10 connected to one terminal mounting plate 42 provided on the terminal mounting portion 41 via an extension bar 30 and a terminal 20.
However, it is also possible to attach the insulating cover 1 to each of a plurality of cables 10 connected to a plurality of terminal mounting plates 42 provided on the terminal mounting portion 41 via the extension bar 30 and the terminal 20.

For example, as shown in Figure 3(a), multiple (three in this figure) terminal mounting plates 42 may be provided on the terminal mounting portion 41 of the breaker 40B, and an extension bar 30 may be attached to each terminal mounting plate 42.
That is, the central extension bar 30a may not be curved, but the left and right extension bars 30b and 30c may be configured to be curved outward.

With this configuration, when the terminals 20 and the cables 10 are connected to the extension bars 30a to 30c, there is a gap between the terminals 20 and the cables 10, making it difficult for short circuits to occur between them.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 3( b ), it is possible to attach the insulating cover 1 to each cable 10 from the sheath 12 to the connection point α with the expansion bar 30 .

With this configuration, as in the first embodiment, when the terminals 20 of each cable 10 are connected to the terminal mounting plates 42 of the terminal mounting portion 41 via the extension bars 30, even if a conductor is present near the connection point, it is possible to prevent a short circuit from occurring between the conductor 11 of the cable 10, the terminal 20, or the connection point α with the extension bar 30 and the conductor.
Furthermore, since the insulating cover 1 is attached to each cable 10, it is possible to prevent short circuits from occurring between each cable 10, each terminal 20, each extension bar 30, etc.

[Third embodiment]
Also, for example, as shown in Figure 4(a), there may be cases where multiple (three in the figure) terminal mounting plates 42 are provided on the terminal mounting portion 41 of the breaker 40B, and an extension bar 30 bent in the vertical direction is attached to each terminal mounting plate 42.
In this case, for example, the central extension bar 30d may be configured to bend upward, and the left and right extension bars 30e, 30f may be configured to bend downward.

4(a) shows the case where the breaker 40B is attached to the wall W via a base P. Instead of the base P, the breaker 40B may be attached to the wall W via, for example, a rail. If the extension bars 30d to 30f are configured as described above, when the terminals 20 and cables 10 are connected to the extension bars 30d to 30f, there is a gap between the terminals 20 and the cables 10, making it less likely that a short circuit will occur between them.
Furthermore, if the distance between the tightening bolt B (see FIG. 1(b)) and the wall W is short, a rubber sheet S may be laid between each cable 10 and the wall for insulation, as shown in FIG. 4(b).

In the above case, as shown in FIG. 4( b ), it is possible to attach the insulating cover 1 to each cable 10 from the sheath 12 to the connection point α with the expansion bar 30 .
Although the cable 10 and the insulating cover 1 are omitted in FIG. 4(a), the same applies to the case of FIG. 4(a).

With this configuration, as in the first embodiment, when the terminals 20 of each cable 10 are connected to the terminal mounting plates 42 of the terminal mounting section 41 via the extension bars 30, even if a conductor is present near the connection, it is possible to prevent a short circuit from occurring between the conductor 11 of the cable 10, the terminal 20, or the connection point α with the extension bar 30 and the conductor.

4(a) and 4(b) , even if an attempt is made to ensure separation between adjacent phases by bending the extension bars vertically, there may be a limit to the depth (height) of the housing that houses the breaker B, making it impossible to ensure sufficient separation. In such a case, as in the second embodiment, by attaching an insulating cover 1 to each cable 10, it is possible to prevent short circuits from occurring between each cable 10, each terminal 20, each extension bar 30, etc.
Furthermore, when the expansion bar 30 is bent downward, the distance between the tightening bolt B and the wall W becomes closer, so it becomes necessary to ensure insulation by laying a rubber sheet S, as described above. However, when the insulating cover 1 is placed on the cable 10 as in this embodiment, the entire connection point α, including the tightening bolt B, is covered by the insulating cover 1, which has the effect of eliminating the need to lay a rubber sheet S.

Furthermore, for example, when multiple breakers 40B are arranged side by side, if each extension bar 30 is configured so that the left and right extension bars 30b, 30c are each curved outward as shown in Figure 3(a), the extension bars 30 of adjacent breakers 40B will collide with each other, so each extension bar 30d, 30e, 30f may be bent in the vertical direction as shown in Figure 4(a).
Even in such a case, by attaching the insulating cover 1 as shown in FIG. 4(b), it is possible to prevent short circuits from occurring between the cables 10 and the like.

In this case, to more reliably prevent short circuits from occurring between the expansion bars 30, etc., it is also possible to provide plate-shaped insulating barriers 43 between each expansion bar 30, as shown in Figure 5.

[How to protect the connection between the wires/cables and the extension bar]
Next, a method for protecting the connection between the electric wire/cable and the expansion bar according to the present invention will be described.
In the method for protecting the connection point between an electric wire/cable and an expansion bar according to the present invention, when protecting the connection point α between the cable 10 and the expansion bar 30 of the terminal mounting plate 42 of the terminal mounting portion 41, as described above, the insulating cover 1 covers the outer periphery of the sheath 12 of the cable 10, the conductor 11 of the cable 1 exposed from the end of the sheath 12, the connecting tube portion 21 of the terminal 20 connected to the conductor 11, the shuttlecock portion 22 of the terminal 20, and the connection point α between the expansion bar 30 and the shuttlecock portion 22.

By configuring it in this manner, when connecting the terminal 20 of the cable 10 to the terminal mounting plate 42 of the terminal mounting portion 41 via the extension bar 30, even if a conductor is present near the connection point, it is possible to prevent a short circuit from occurring between the conductor 11 of the cable 10, the terminal 20, or the connection point α with the extension bar 30 and the conductor.
Furthermore, even when multiple cables 10 are connected to multiple terminal mounting plates 42 of the terminal mounting portion 41, an insulating cover 1 is attached to the connection portion between each expansion bar 30 attached to each terminal mounting plate 42 and each cable 10, so it is possible to prevent short circuits from occurring between each cable 10, each terminal 20, each expansion bar 30, etc.

In this case, it is desirable to cover the outer periphery of the connection point α etc. so that the portion of the extension bar 30 connected to the terminal mounting plate 42 protrudes from the insulating cover 30.
With this configuration, the extension bar 30 can be securely connected to the terminal mounting plate 42 while the connection point α between the cable 10 and the extension bar 30 and the like are covered with the insulating cover 30 .

[How to attach the insulating cover]
Here, several examples of how to attach the insulating cover 1 in each of the above-described embodiments will be described. Note that the method of attaching the insulating cover 1 is not limited to the following examples.

[Wearing method 1]
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the cable 10 is inserted into the insulating cover 1, and the insulating cover 1 is temporarily placed above the cable 10.
The terminals 20 are then compressed or crimped onto the conductors 11 exposed at the end of the cable 10. After connecting the terminals 20 to the expansion bar 30 connected to the terminal mounting plate 42 of the terminal mounting portion 41, the insulating cover 1 can be attached by shifting it to the outer periphery of the terminals 20, the expansion bar 30, etc., as shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), etc.

[Wearing method 2]
As shown in FIG. 7, the insulating cover 1 can also be configured with a plurality of cylindrical partial covers 1A and 1B.
Figure 7 shows a case where the insulating cover 1 is composed of two partial covers: a partial cover 1A that covers the outer periphery of the connection tube portion 21 of the terminal 20, the connection point α between the shuttlecock portion 22 and the expansion bar 30, and a partial cover 1B that covers the outer periphery of the sheath 12 of the cable 10, the conductor 11 and the connection tube portion 21 of the terminal 20.

7, partial cover 1A is placed on partial cover 1B, but partial cover 1B may be placed on partial cover 1A. Also, partial cover 1A and partial cover 1B overlap at the outer periphery of connecting tube portion 21 of terminal 20, but partial cover 1A and partial cover 1B may be simply arranged side by side in the axial direction of cable 10 without being placed on top of each other.
The insulating cover 1 may also be configured with three or more partial covers.

Then, for example, the cable 10 is inserted into the partial cover 1A, and the partial cover 1A is temporarily placed above the cable 10. Similarly, the cable 10 is inserted into the partial cover 1B, and the partial cover 1B is temporarily placed above the cable 10.
Then, the terminal 20 is attached to the conductor 11 exposed from the end of the cable 10 by compressing or crimping, and the terminal 20 is connected to the expansion bar 30, and then the partial cover 1B is shifted to a position on the outer periphery of the part from the sheath 12 of the cable 10 to the connecting tube part 21 of the terminal 20 and attached.

Next, the partial cover 1A is shifted to the outer periphery of the portion from the connecting tube portion 21 of the terminal 20 to the connecting point α with the extension bar 30, and the partial cover 1A is attached, and the insulating cover 1 (
In this case, partial covers 1A and 1B can be attached.
In this way, the insulating cover 1 can be constructed by constructing it from multiple cylindrical partial covers 1A, 1B, and attaching the multiple partial covers 1A, 1B in a line in the axial direction of the cable 10, with or without overlapping them.

[Wearing method 3]
On the other hand, in the above-mentioned installation methods 1 and 2, the cable 10 is inserted into the insulating cover 1 or partial covers 1A and 1B in advance before compressing or crimping the terminal 20 to the conductor 11 of the cable 10 or connecting the terminal 20 to the expansion bar 30.
However, there are cases where the user forgets to insert the cable 10 into the insulating cover 1 or the partial covers 1A and 1B in advance.

Therefore, it is also possible to attach the terminal 20 to the conductor 11 of the cable 10 by compressing or crimping, or to attach the insulating cover 1 after connecting the terminal 20 to the expansion bar 30.
In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 8( a ), it is possible to form a slit 2 in the insulating cover 1 that extends in the axial direction of the cable 10 .

Then, for example, the terminal 20 is attached to the conductor 11 of the cable 10 by compression or crimping, and the terminal 20 is connected to the expansion bar 30 .
Then, the slit 2 of the insulating cover 1 is widened, and the insulating cover 1 is attached from the outside to cover the portion from the sheath 12 of the cable 10 to the connection point α with the expansion bar 30.

In this manner, the insulating cover 1 can be attached.
In other words, it is possible to provide a slit 2 in the insulating cover 1 that extends in the axial direction of the cable 10, and then widen the slit 2 so that the insulating cover 1 is attached by covering the portion from the sheath 12 of the cable 10 to the connection point α with the expansion bar 30 from the outside.

In this case, simply covering the above-mentioned portion with the insulating cover 1 as described above may result in problems such as the slit 2 opening for some reason and the insulating cover 1 falling off.
Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b), for example, a protrusion 3 is provided on one side of a slit 2 of an insulating cover 1, and a hole 4 is formed on the other side.

Then, after the insulating cover 1 is placed as described above, the projections 3 are engaged with the holes 4 and fixed.
By configuring it in this way, it is possible to prevent the slit 2 in the insulating cover 1 from opening, and to prevent problems such as the insulating cover 1 falling off.

[Wearing method 4]
Also, as shown in FIG. 9(a), for example, the insulating cover 1 can be configured with an upper portion 1C having an axially continuous opening on the lower side, and a lower portion 1D having an axially continuous opening on the upper side.
In this case, first, the terminal 20 is attached to the conductor 11 of the cable 10 by compressing or crimping, and then the terminal 20 is connected to the expansion bar 30 .

9(a), the lower opening of the upper portion 1C is expanded and placed over the portion of the cable 10 from the sheath 12 to the connection point α with the expansion bar 30. The upper opening of the lower portion 1C is also expanded and placed over the portion of the cable 10 from the sheath 12 to the connection point α with the expansion bar 30 and the upper portion 1C from below.
In this case, the upper part 1C and the lower part 1D may be placed over each other so that they overlap, or the upper part 1C and the lower part 1D may not overlap but may simply sandwich the section from the sheath 12 of the cable 10 to the connection point α with the expansion bar 30.

In this way, as shown in Figure 9(b), it is possible to configure the insulating cover 1 (in this case, the upper part 1C and the lower part 1D) to be attached by sandwiching the section from the sheath 12 of the cable 10 to the connection point α with the expansion bar 30 between the upper part 1C and the lower part 1D, with or without overlapping.
In this case, too, the insulating cover 1 may be configured such that protrusions or holes are provided on the upper portion 1C or the lower portion 1D, and the protrusions are hooked into the holes to fix them.

[About providing openings in the insulating cover]
On the other hand, if the wall W on which the device 40 having the terminal mounting portion 41 (i.e., the terminal block 40A or breaker 40B mentioned above) is mounted does not have any conductors other than the wall W, or if the gap between the wall W and the extension bar 30 or the like is wide, or if an insulating sheet is attached to the wall W, thereby providing sufficient insulation from the wall W, it may not be necessary to provide an insulating cover 1 on the side of the extension bar 30, terminal 20, etc. facing the wall W.

In such a case, it is possible to configure the insulating cover 1 so that an opening is provided on the side facing the wall W on which the device 40 having the terminal mounting portion 41 is to be mounted.
The device 40 may be attached directly to the wall W, or may be attached to the wall W via a base P or the like as shown in Fig. 4(a). Also, a rubber sheet S may be laid under the cable 10 as shown in Fig. 4(b).

[Configuration 1]
As a configuration for providing an opening on the side of the insulating cover 1 facing the wall W, for example, as shown in Figure 10, it is possible to configure the insulating cover 1 so that an opening 5 is provided in the lower part of the connection point α between the extension bar 30 and the shuttlecock portion 22.
In this case, the insulating cover 1 having the opening 5 can be attached in the same manner as the above-mentioned attachment method 1 (see FIG. 6), for example.

[Configuration 2]
Also, as shown in FIG. 11, for example, the insulating cover 1 can be configured with a cylindrical partial cover 1E and a partial cover 1F having an opening 5 continuous in the axial direction on the lower side.
In this case, for example, the cable 10 is inserted into the partial cover 1E, and the partial cover 1E is temporarily placed above the cable 10. Then, the terminals 20 are attached to the conductors 11 of the cable 10 by compressing or crimping, and the terminals 20 are connected to the expansion bar 30.

Then, the partial cover 1E is attached by shifting it to a position on the outer periphery of the portion from the sheath 12 of the cable 10 to the connecting tube portion 21 of the terminal 20. The lower opening of the partial cover 1F is widened and the cover is placed from above over the portion from the connecting tube portion 21 of the terminal 20 to the connecting point α with the extension bar 30.
In this way, the insulating cover 1 can be attached so that an opening 5 is provided below the connection point α between the extension bar 30 and the battledore portion 22, etc.

[Configuration 3]
Furthermore, for example, as shown in Figure 12, when the insulating cover 1 is configured so that the entire side facing the wall W has openings 5, the insulating cover 1 can be configured in the same manner as the upper part 1C having openings continuous in the axial direction on the lower side, as described in the above-mentioned installation method 4.
Then, the opening 5 on the lower side of the insulating cover 1 is expanded, and the insulating cover 1 is placed over the portion of the cable 10 from the sheath 12 to the connection point α with the expansion bar 30, as shown in Figure 12. In this way, the insulating cover 1 having the opening 5 can be attached.

[Configuration 4]
In addition, for the insulating cover 1G having the opening 5 attached in the state shown in Figure 12, a partial cover 1H having an opening that is continuous in the axial direction on the upper side is placed over the portion from the sheath 12 of the cable 10 to the connecting tube portion 21 of the terminal 20, as shown in Figure 13, for example.
By doing this, as shown in configuration 1 and configuration 2, an opening 5 can be provided in the insulating cover 1 in the lower part of the connection point α between the extension bar 30 and the shuttlecock portion 22.

[Configuration that enables connection confirmation]
In normal connection work, when a worker connects the terminal 20 of the cable 10 to the terminal mounting plate 42 of the terminal mounting portion 41 of the device 40 or to the extension bar 30, the worker tightens the tightening bolt with the appropriate torque and then draws a line through the connection point, i.e., the shuttlecock portion 22 of the terminal 20 or the tightening bolt.
Furthermore, another worker may check the tightening of the clamping bolts at the connection points and draw a line that intersects with that line.

In this way, when the terminal 20 is connected to the terminal mounting plate 42 and the extension bar 30 as specified, an X mark will be written at their connection points (including the connection point α between the extension bar 30 and the shuttlecock portion 22), as shown in Figure 14 (a).
By looking at the x mark, it is possible to confirm that the terminal 20 is connected to the terminal mounting plate 42 or the extension bar 30 as specified.

Furthermore, for example, as shown at connection point α at the bottom left of Figure 14(b), if the line written on the shuttlecock portion 22 of the terminal 20 is misaligned with the line written on the tightening bolt B, it can be seen that the tightened tightening bolt B has loosened.
However, in the above-described embodiments, the connection point α between the extension bar 30 and the battledore portion 22 is covered by the insulating cover 1, so it may be impossible to confirm the x mark at the connection point α. In other words, it may be impossible to confirm the connection.

Therefore, it is possible to make a part of the insulating cover 1 transparent so that the connection point α between the extension bar 30 and the battledore portion 22 can be seen through the transparent part.
This is true for both the configurations described above and those described below, but specifically, for example, in the configuration shown in Fig. 8, it is possible to make the portion above the connection point α of the insulating cover 1, i.e., the portion 1a facing the connection point α, transparent, as shown in Fig. 15(a). Note that in Fig. 15(a) and the subsequent figures, the mark "x" written on the connection point α has been omitted.

It is also possible to make the portion of the insulating cover 1 around the connection point α transparent, as shown in FIG. 15(b), or the entire insulating cover 1 may be made transparent, as shown in FIG. 15(c).
When providing the insulating cover 1 with the slits 2, protrusions 3, and holes 4, if the slits 2, protrusions 3, and holes 4 are provided above the connection point α as shown in Figure 8, they will get in the way and make it difficult to see the connection point α. Therefore, it is desirable to provide them in a position where they will not get in the way, such as to the side of the connection point α, as shown in Figures 15(a) to (c).

7, at least the partial cover 1A arranged around the connection point α may be made transparent. Also, if at least the upper portion 1C of the insulating cover 1 shown in FIG. 9(b) is made transparent, the portion of the insulating cover 1 above the connection point α can be made transparent as shown in FIG.
Therefore, even with this configuration, it is possible to make part or all of the insulating cover 1 transparent, so that the connection point α between the extension bar 30 and the shuttlecock portion 22 can be seen through the transparent part.

It goes without saying that in configurations other than those described above, the insulating cover 1 can be configured to be partially or entirely transparent.
Furthermore, the configuration in which the insulating cover 1 is partially or entirely transparent can also be applied to a configuration that allows the tightening bolt B to be retightened, as described below.

[Configuration that allows retightening of tightening bolts]
On the other hand, when retightening the fastening bolt B at the connection point α between the extension bar 30 and the battledore portion 22, the insulating cover 1 may get in the way.
In this case, for example, the following configuration makes it possible to retighten the tightening bolt B at the connection point α.

[Configuration A]
For example, if the portion surrounding the connection point α of the insulating cover 1 is folded back to expose the connection point α, the tightening bolt B at the connection point α can be retightened.
In this case, if an ear-shaped piece 6 is formed on the end of the insulating cover 1 on the connection point α side, as shown in Figure 17(a), the worker can easily hold the ear-shaped piece 6 and fold the insulating cover 1 back as shown in Figure 17(b).

With this configuration, it is possible to fold back the insulating cover 1 to expose the connection point α and retighten the tightening bolt B at the connection point α.
In addition, when the insulating cover 1 is configured to have an opening 5 as shown in FIG. 10 etc., the insulating cover 1 can also be configured to be able to be folded back.

[Configuration B]
It is also possible to provide a slit 7 in the insulating cover 1 to form a lid portion 8 as shown in FIG. 18(a), and configure the lid portion 8 so that it can be flipped up as shown in FIG. 18(b).
With this configuration, it is possible to expose the connection point α by lifting up the lid portion 8 of the insulating cover 1 and retighten the tightening bolt B at the connection point α.
In addition, when the insulating cover 1 is configured to have an opening 5 as shown in FIG. 10 etc., the insulating cover 1 can also be configured to be able to be turned up.

In addition, when forming the lid portion 8 by providing a slit 7 in the insulating cover 1 as described above, if the slit 7 is formed horizontally in the insulating cover 1 as shown in Figure 19 (a), for example, there is a possibility that a short circuit may occur through the slit 7 between the insulating cover 1 and another cable 10, etc. (not shown) adjacent in the horizontal direction.
In such a case, as shown in Fig. 19(b), it is possible to form a slit 7 perpendicular to the insulating cover 1. With this configuration, even if another cable 10 or the like is adjacent in the horizontal direction, it is possible to prevent a short circuit from occurring through the slit 7 between them.

Furthermore, if the lid portion 8 is turned up as shown in FIG. 18(b), it may become impossible to return the lid portion 8 to its original position.
Therefore, if the slit 7 is formed, for example, in a V-shape as shown in Figure 20(a) or in a stepped shape as shown in Figure 20(b), the edge of the slit 7 can hold down the lid portion 8 when it is returned to its original position after being turned up, and it becomes possible to prevent the lid portion 8 from being turned up again after being returned to its original position.

Also, as shown in FIG. 21, for example, it is possible to provide a protrusion 9A on the lid portion 8 of the insulating cover 1 and to provide a hole 9B on the edge of the slit 7.
With this configuration, by engaging and fixing the projection 9A in the hole 9B, it is possible to prevent the lid portion 8, which has been returned to its original position, from being turned up again.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Insulating covers 1A, 1B Partial cover 1C Upper part (first part)
1D lower part (second part)
2 Slit 3 Protrusion 4 Hole 5 Opening 6 Ear-shaped piece 7 Slit 8 Lid 10 Cable (electric wire/cable)
11 Conductor 12 Sheath 20 Terminal 21 Connection tube portion 22 Battledore portion 30, 30a to 30c Extension bar 40 Device 40A Terminal block (device)
40B Breaker (appliance)
41 Terminal mounting portion 42 Terminal mounting plate W Wall α Connection point

Claims (11)

A connection structure in which a battledore part of a terminal connected to a conductor exposed from the end of a sheath of an electric wire or cable and a terminal mounting plate of a terminal mounting part are connected via an extension bar,
an insulating cover is attached so as to cover at least the outer periphery of the connection portion between the terminal and the extension bar;
the extension bar has an end portion connected to the terminal mounting plate, and the width of the end portion is formed smaller than the width of the extension bar at the connection point;
the insulating cover is configured to be attached to each of the plurality of terminal mounting plates provided in the terminal mounting portion, and to each of the plurality of electric wires/cables connected via the extension bar and the terminals;
A connection structure in which, even if a conductor is present near the electric wire/cable connected to the terminal mounting plate via the extension bar and the terminal, the insulating cover is interposed between the connection point between the electric wire/cable, the terminal, and the extension bar and the conductor . The connection structure described in claim 1, wherein the insulating cover is composed of multiple cylindrical partial covers, which are attached in a line in the axial direction of the electric wire or cable, with or without overlapping. The connection structure described in claim 1, wherein the insulating cover has a slit extending in the axial direction of the electric wire/cable, and the slit is widened and attached so as to cover from the outside the portion of the electric wire/cable from the sheath to the connection point. The connection structure described in claim 3 has a protrusion on one side of the slit and a hole on the other side, and is secured by engaging the protrusion with the hole while the insulating cover is placed over the portion of the wire/cable from the sheath to the connection point from the outside. The connection structure described in claim 1, wherein the insulating cover is composed of a first part and a second part, each having an axially continuous opening, and the first part and the second part are attached so as to sandwich the portion of the wire/cable from the sheath to the connection point, with or without overlapping. A connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the insulating cover has an opening on the side facing the wall on which the fixture having the terminal mounting portion is mounted. A connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the insulating cover is partially or entirely transparent, and the connection point between the extension bar and the battledore portion is visible through the transparent portion. A connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the insulating cover has an ear-shaped piece formed on the end on the connection location side. A connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the insulating cover has a slit to form a lid portion, and the lid portion is configured to be able to be flipped up. A method for connecting a connection point between an electric wire/cable and an extension bar of a terminal mounting plate of a terminal mounting part, the method comprising:
The terminal mounting plate of the terminal mounting part is connected to the conductor exposed from the end of the sheath of the wire/cable via the extension bar,
the extension bar has a portion corresponding to the connection point and an end portion connected to the terminal mounting plate, the width of the end portion being smaller than the width of the extension bar at the connection point;
The insulating cover is used to cover the outer periphery of the sheath of the electric wire/cable, the conductor of the electric wire/cable exposed from the end of the sheath, the connecting tube part of the terminal connected to the conductor, the battledore part of the terminal, and the part corresponding to the connection part where the expansion bar and the battledore part overlap ,
The insulating covers are attached to the plurality of wires/cables connected to the plurality of terminal mounting plates provided in the terminal mounting portion via the extension bar and the terminals, respectively,
A connection method for connecting an electric wire/cable to the terminal mounting plate via the extension bar and the terminal, even if a conductor is present near the electric wire/cable, and the connection point between the electric wire/cable, the terminal, and the extension bar, and the connection point between the electric wire/cable and the extension bar, with the insulating cover interposed between the electric wire/cable and the conductor . A method for connecting a wire/cable to an expansion bar as described in claim 10, wherein the outer periphery is covered with an insulating cover so that the portion of the expansion bar connected to the terminal mounting plate protrudes from the insulating cover.