Patent Grant
10256575
The present application claims priority to and incorporates by reference the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-175189 filed in Japan on Sep. 8, 2016.
The present invention relates to a connector.
Connectors have been known that electrically connect, in their housings, terminals provided inside the housings and wires pulled out outside the housings, and protect circuits on energizing paths including the terminals and the wires with circuit protection components interposed between the terminals and the wires. Such connectors are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2014-241203, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2015-5397, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2014-107151, for example. Those connectors include fuses serving as the circuit protection components, and heat dissipation structures that release heat of fuse main bodies (cartridges) serving as heat generation sources outside the housings. For example, the connectors disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2014-241203 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2015-5397 each include a holding member holding a fuse via a fuse main body, and externally release heat of the fuse via the holding member a part of which is in contact with a shield shell. For another example, the connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2014-107151 includes a heat dissipation member covering a fuse main body, and externally releases heat of a fuse via the heat dissipation member a part of which is in contact with the housing.
The conventional connectors require dedicated components (such as the holding member and the heat dissipation member) that release heat of the circuit protection component, thereby causing the number of components to be increased for enhancing heat releasing property.
The present invention aims to provide a connector that can achieve heat releasing property while preventing an increase in the number of components for releasing heat.
In order to achieve the above mentioned object, a connector according to one aspect of the present invention includes a housing body; a shield shell that externally covers the housing body; a connection terminal that is housed in the housing body, the connection terminal being electrically connected to a wire in the housing body, and electrically connected to a counterpart terminal when the connector is connected to a counterpart connector; and a circuit protection component that is interposed, in the housing body, between the connection terminal and the wire, and connects the connection terminal and the wire in series to protect a circuit, wherein the housing body includes at least one thermal conductor that performs thermal conduction with the circuit protection component by being in contact with the circuit protection component.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in the connector, it is possible to configure that thermal conductor includes at least one elastic piece that has a piece shape and is bent when the elastic piece is in contact with the circuit protection component.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, in the connector, it is possible to further include that a first coupling conductor that electrically couples the circuit protection component to the connection terminal; and a second coupling conductor that electrically couples the circuit protection component to the wire, wherein the circuit protection component includes a main body including a circuit protector, a first conductor that is electrically connected to the circuit protector and electrically connected to the first coupling conductor, and a second conductor that is electrically connected to the circuit protector and electrically connected to the second coupling conductor, and the thermal conductor is formed such that the thermal conductor is capable of receiving heat of at least one of the first and the second conductors.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, in the connector, it is possible to further include that a first coupling conductor that electrically couples the circuit protection component to the connection terminal; and a second coupling conductor that electrically couples the circuit protection component to the wire, wherein the circuit protection component includes a main body including a circuit protector, a first conductor that is electrically connected to the circuit protector, a second conductor that is electrically connected to the circuit protector, a first coupling portion that is electrically connected to the first conductor and the first coupling conductor, and a second coupling portion that is electrically connected to the second conductor and the second coupling conductor, and the thermal conductor includes a first thermal conductor to which heat of the first conductor is conducted, a second thermal conductor to which heat of the second conductor is conducted, a third thermal conductor to which heat of the first coupling portion is conducted, and a fourth thermal conductor to which heat of the second coupling portion is conducted.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, in the connector, it is possible to further include that a terminal side joining member that joins the first coupling conductor to the first coupling portion; and a wire side joining member that joins the second coupling conductor to the second coupling portion, wherein the first thermal conductor is in contact with the first conductor, the second thermal conductor is in contact with the second conductor, the third thermal conductor is in contact with the terminal side joining member, and the fourth thermal conductor is in contact with the wire side joining member.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, in the connector, it is possible to configure that the circuit protection component is a fuse.
The above and other objects, features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of this invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.
The following describes an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment does not limit the invention.
The following describes the embodiment of the connector according to the present invention with reference to
The housing body 10 has a box-shape and houses therein the connection terminals 30 and electrical connection portions between the connection terminals 30 and wires We. The housing body 10 is formed from an insulating material such as a synthetic resin.
The housing body 10 has a fitting portion 10a (refer to
Inside the fitting portion 10a of the housing body 10, terminal housings 10b are arranged (refer to
Inside the housing body 10, the connection terminal 30 and the end of the wire We are electrically connected to each other. The electrical connection portion between the connection terminal 30 and the wire We is housed in the main space 10c of the housing body 10. The housing body 10 includes tubular wire lead-out portions 10d each having an inner space communicating with the main space 10c (refer to
The housing body 10 exemplarily illustrated herein has a division structure composed of a plurality of housing members. The housing body 10 is formed in a box shape by assembling the respective housing members. The housing body 10 includes a housing portion 11 serving as a first housing member and a cover 12 serving as a second housing member (refer to
The housing portion 11 is primarily a tubular body having an opening at one end thereof in the tube axial direction. The inner space of the housing portion 11 is utilized as the main space 10c. The housing portion 11 is formed such that the tube axial direction thereof is along the connector insertion-extraction direction. The housing portion 11 has the fitting portion 10a and the terminal housings 10b that project from the other end of the housing portion 11 in the tube axial direction. The connection terminals 30 are inserted into the main space 10c from an opening 11a (refer to
The cover 12, which is a tubular body that covers the opening 11a of the housing portion 11, is formed such that the tube axial direction thereof is along the connector insertion-extraction direction. One end of the cover 12 in the tube axial direction is open while the other end of the cover 12 in the tube axial direction is closed. The cover 12 is fitted to the housing portion 11 by being inserted into the main space 10c from the opening 11a of the housing portion 11 in such a manner that an opening 12a at the one end (refer to
Between the housing portion 11 and the cover 12, an annular packing 13 is disposed for maintaining liquid tightness therebetween (refer to
Between the housing portion 11 and the cover 12, a locking structure 14 for maintaining the fitting state therebetween is provided at a plurality of places (in this case, four places) (refer to
The shield shell 20 is disposed such that the shield shell 20 externally covers the housing body 10. The shield shell 20 is made from a conductive material such as metal and formed in a box shape. The shield shell 20 prevents noise from invading the connection terminals 30 and the wires We provided inside the shield shell 20. The shield shell 20 exemplarily illustrated herein has a division structure composed of a plurality of shell members. The shield shell 20 is formed in a box shape by assembling the respective shell members. The shield shell 20 includes a first shell member 21 and a second shell member 22 (refer to
The first shell member 21 is a tubular body having an opening at one end thereof in the tube axial direction, and houses the housing body 10 in an inner space thereof. The housing body 10 is housed in the first shell member 21 exemplarily illustrated herein in such a manner that the cover 12 of the housing body 10 faces the first shell member 21. The second shell member 22 is primarily a plate that closes the opening of the first shell member 21. The second shell member 22 closes the opening of the first shell member 21 housing the housing body 10 from a side adjacent to the housing portion 11, and has a through hole 22a through which the fitting portion 10a is inserted. The first shell member 21 and the second shell member 22 are connected to each other with screw members 23, for example.
The connection terminal 30 is made from a conductive material such as metal and formed in a certain shape. In the embodiment, the connection terminals 30 of the connector 1 are formed as female terminals while the counterpart terminals are formed as male terminals. The connection terminals 30 and the counterpart terminals may be either the female terminals or the male terminals as long as they are fitted to each other and physically and electrically connected to each other. In the example, two connection terminals 30 are provided. The connection terminals 30 are arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the connector insertion-extraction direction.
In the following description, one of the two connection terminals 30 is described as a first connection terminal 30A while the other is described as a second connection terminal 30B if needed. In accordance with the description, the respective wires We are also described as follows. The wire We electrically connected to the first connection terminal 30A is described as a first wire WeA while the wire We electrically connected to the second connection terminal 30B is described as a second wire WeB. In the example, the first connection terminal 30A and the first wire WeA are indirectly electrically connected with a first coupling conductor 60, which is described below, for example, while the second connection terminal 30B and the second wire WeB are directly electrically connected. The second connection terminal 30B is physically and electrically connected to a core wire at the end of the second wire WeB in a certain connection manner such as crimping or welding.
The connector 1 in the embodiment includes a circuit protection component 40 inside the housing body 10 (refer to
The circuit protection component 40 includes a main body 41, a first conductor 42, and a second conductor 43 (refer to
When the circuit protection component 40 is energized, the circuit protector, the first conductor 42, and the second conductor 43 become heat generation sources. The connector 1 in the embodiment, thus, provides, to the housing body 10, a heat dissipation structure that externally releases heat of the circuit protection component 40. The housing body 10 in the embodiment includes, on its inner wall, at least one thermal conductor 50 that performs thermal conduction with the circuit protection component 40 by being in contact with the circuit protection component 40 (refer to
The following specifically describes the heat dissipation structure.
In the connector 1 in the embodiment, the thermal conductor 50 is formed to have at least one elastic piece 50a so as to achieve a state in contact with the circuit protection component 40 and to maintain the contact state (refer to
In the connector 1 in the embodiment, the thermal conductor 50 is formed such that the thermal conductor 50 can receive heat of at least one of the first conductor 42 and the second conductor 43. The thermal conductor 50 may be formed so as to be capable of receiving heat of one of or both of the first conductor 42 and the second conductor 43. The thermal conductor 50 may be formed so as to be capable of receiving heat of one of the first conductor 42 and the second conductor 43, and heat of the main body 41. The thermal conductor 50 may be formed so as to be capable of receiving heat of both of the first conductor 42 and the second conductor 43, and heat of the main body 41.
The first conductor 42 and the second conductor 43 generate heat and also directly receive heat from the circuit protector. In the main body 41, heat of the circuit protector (fusible element) is conducted to the container via a gas layer. In the connector 1, for enhancing heat dissipation property, it is, thus, preferable to externally release heat of the first conductor 42 and the second conductor 43 rather than to release heat of the outer surface of the main body 41. In the connector 1, the thermal conductor 50 is, thus, formed so as to receive heat of at least one of the first conductor 42 and the second conductor 43 to enhance heat dissipation property. In the example, the thermal conductor 50 is formed so as to be capable of receiving heat of both of the first conductor 42 and the second conductor 43.
The connector 1 in the embodiment includes, inside the housing body 10, the first coupling conductor 60 that electrically couples the circuit protection component 40 to the first connection terminal 30A, and a second coupling conductor 70 that electrically couples the circuit protection component 40 to the first wire WeA (refer to
The first coupling conductor 60 physically and electrically connects to both of the first connection terminal 30A and the first conductor 42. This connection results in the first connection terminal 30A and the first conductor 42 being electrically coupled. The first coupling conductor 60 exemplarily illustrated herein includes a round terminal 61 formed from a conductive material such as metal and a wire (hereinafter, described as a “coupling wire”) 62 that electrically couples the round terminal 61 to the first connection terminal 30A (refer to
The second coupling conductor 70 physically and electrically connects to both of the first wire WeA and the second conductor 43. This connection results in the first wire WeA and the second conductor 43 being electrically coupled. The second coupling conductor 70 exemplarily illustrated herein is a round terminal 71 formed from a conductive material such as metal, and is physically and electrically connected to a core wire at the end of the first wire WeA (refer to
In the connector 1 in the embodiment, the circuit protection component 40 further includes a first coupling portion 44 and a second coupling portion 45 (refer to
The first coupling portion 44 is a piece body that projects from the first conductor 42 such that a planer surface of the first coupling portion 44 is perpendicular to the connector insertion-extraction direction, and has a through hole 44a having an axial line coinciding with the connector insertion-extraction direction. In the connector 1, the through hole 44a and a through hole 61a of the round terminal 61 of the first coupling conductor 60 are coaxially arranged, and the first coupling portion 44 and the round terminal 61 are fixed by being tightened together with a joining member (hereinafter, described as a “terminal side joining member”) 81 (refer to
The second coupling portion 45 is a piece body that projects from the second conductor 43 such that a planer surface of the second coupling portion 45 is perpendicular to the connector insertion-extraction direction, and has a through hole 45a having an axial line coinciding with the connector insertion-extraction direction. In the connector 1, the through hole 45a and a through hole 71a of the round terminal 71 of the second coupling conductor 70 are coaxially arranged, and the second coupling portion 45 and the round terminal 71 are fixed by being tightened together with a joining member (hereinafter, described as a “wire side joining member”) 82 (refer to
The first coupling portion 44 and the second coupling portion 45 are each arranged along the arrangement direction of the corresponding connection terminal 30. The through hole 44a of the first coupling portion 44 and the through hole 45a of second coupling portion 45 are each arranged along the arrangement direction of the corresponding connection terminal 30.
The connector 1 thus structured includes, as the thermal conductors 50, first thermal conductors 51, second thermal conductors 52, a third thermal conductor 53, and a fourth thermal conductor 54 (refer to
The first thermal conductor 51 is formed such that the first thermal conductor 51 can directly receive heat of the first conductor 42 by being in contact with the first conductor 42. The first thermal conductor 51 has a flat plate shape and projects from the inner wall of the cover 12 toward the connector insertion direction. The first thermal conductor 51 is disposed such that the plane is along the connector insertion-extraction direction and the axial line direction of the first conductor 42 (i.e., in the arrangement direction of the corresponding connection terminal 30). The first thermal conductor 51 has a plurality of elastic pieces 50a arranged with a notch formed along the connector insertion-extraction direction therebetween along the axial line direction of the first conductor 42. The notches cause the elastic pieces 50a to have the ends in the projection direction as free ends. The first thermal conductor 51 exemplarily illustrated herein has three elastic pieces 50a.
The connector 1 in the embodiment includes two first thermal conductors 51 arranged with a distance therebetween in a direction perpendicular to both of the connector insertion-extraction direction and the axial line direction of the first conductor 42. The first thermal conductors 51 sandwich the first conductor 42 (refer to
The second thermal conductor 52 has the same structure as the first thermal conductor 51, and can directly receive heat of the second conductor 43. Two second thermal conductors 52 are provided in the same arrangement as the first thermal conductors 51 such that the second thermal conductors 52 can sandwich the second conductor 43 (refer to
The third thermal conductor 53 is formed such that the third thermal conductor 53 can indirectly receive heat of the first coupling portion 44 via the terminal side joining member 81 by being in contact with the terminal side joining member 81. In the example, the third thermal conductor 53 is in contact with the female screw member 81b of the terminal side joining member 81. The third thermal conductor 53 has a plurality of elastic pieces 50a projecting from the inner wall of the cover 12 toward the connector insertion direction. The elastic pieces 50a are arranged side by side around the axial line of the female screw member 81b housed inside the housing body 10. The elastic pieces 50a are arranged such that the planes of the elastic pieces 50a are perpendicular to a direction perpendicular to the axial line of the female screw member 81b. The respective elastic pieces 50a are arranged around the axial line of the female screw member 81b with a distance between the elastic pieces 50a such that arranged elastic pieces 50a form an arc shape or a tubular shape coaxial with the axial line of the female screw member 81b. The respective elastic pieces 50a are arranged such that they laterally surround a part of or the whole of the head of the female screw member 81b (refer to
In the connector 1, when the cover 12 is being fitted to the housing portion 11, the respective elastic pieces 50a of the third thermal conductor 53 are being bent while the head of the female screw member 81b is being moved in a space formed inside the respective elastic pieces 50a of the third thermal conductor 53. As a result, in the connector 1, the female screw member 81b and the third thermal conductor 53 are in contact with each other and the contact state is maintained. In the connector 1, heat of the first coupling portion 44 is conducted to the female screw member 81b and when a temperature of heat of the female screw member 81b is higher than that of the third thermal conductor 53, heat of the female screw member 81b is conducted to the inner wall of the housing body 10 via the third thermal conductor 53. The connector 1 can indirectly conduct heat of the first coupling portion 44 to the inner wall of the housing body 10. The third thermal conductor 53 may be formed such that the third thermal conductor 53 can directly receive heat of first coupling portion 44 by being in contact with first coupling portion 44.
The fourth thermal conductor 54 has the same structure as the third thermal conductor 53, and can indirectly receive heat of the second coupling portion 45 via the wire side joining member 82. In the fourth thermal conductor 54, the respective elastic pieces 50a are arranged in an arc shape or a tubular shape (in this case, in an arc shape) so as to surround laterally the head of the female screw member 82b of the wire side joining member 82 in the same manner as the third thermal conductor 53 (refer to
The connector 1 in the embodiment can conduct heat of the circuit protection component 40 to the inner wall of the housing body 10 via the first thermal conductors 51, the second thermal conductors 52, the third thermal conductor 53, and the fourth thermal conductor 54. The connector 1 can externally release heat via the housing body 10 and the shield shell 20, thereby making it possible to reduce influence caused by heat of the circuit protection component 40 on the peripheral components. In the connector 1, the first thermal conductors 51, the second thermal conductors 52, the third thermal conductor 53, and the fourth thermal conductor 54 are arranged so as to receive heat of at least one of the first conductor 42 and the second conductor 43. The connector 1, thus, is capable of improving heat dissipation property in comparison with a conventional connector that releases only heat of the outer surface of the main body 41. In addition, the connector 1 includes the first thermal conductors 51, the second thermal conductors 52, the third thermal conductor 53, and the fourth thermal conductor 54 that are formed integrally with the cover 12, thereby requiring no dedicated components for releasing heat. The connector 1 in the embodiment can achieve heat dissipation property while preventing an increase in the number of components for releasing heat, and further prevent deterioration of assembly workability.
The connector according to the embodiment can conduct heat of the circuit protection component to the inner wall of the housing body via the thermal conductors provided to the housing body. The connector thus structured can release heat externally via the housing body and the shield shell, thereby making it possible to reduce influence caused by heat of the circuit protection component on the peripheral components. In addition, the connector provides the thermal conductors integrally formed with the housing body, thereby requiring no dedicated components for releasing heat. The connector, thus, can achieve heat dissipation property while preventing an increase in the number of components for releasing heat.
Although the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims are not to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying all modifications and alternative constructions that may occur to one skilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein set forth.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-175189 | Sep 2016 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20140148045 | Kashiwada | May 2014 | A1 |
| 20160104974 | Yamaguchi | Apr 2016 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 103855488 | Jun 2014 | CN |
| 105264720 | Jan 2016 | CN |
| 2014-107151 | Jun 2014 | JP |
| 2014-241203 | Dec 2014 | JP |
| 2015-5397 | Jan 2015 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| Japanese Office Action for the related Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-175189 dated Jul. 24, 2018. |
| Chinese Office Action for the related Chinese Patent Application No. 201710799861.4 dated Nov. 28, 2018. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180069349 A1 | Mar 2018 | US |
