Patent Application
20210083420
Field of the Invention. The invention relates to an opening sealing member for sealing an opening for work and an electrical device using this opening sealing member.
Related Art. A terminal block for connection to an external circuit is provided inside a case of an electrical device installed in an automotive vehicle or the like and the case is provided with an opening for work to perform an operation of connecting this terminal block and the external circuit. This opening is closed by a sealing cover (opening sealing member) when the operation is not performed. An example of such a sealing cover is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-236450.
This sealing cover includes a sealing ring holding member and a cover body. The sealing ring holding member is made of synthetic resin and has a sealing ring fit on an outer peripheral surface. The sealing ring is to be fit into an opening provided in a metal case that accommodates an electrical device and is held in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the opening. The cover body is made of metal and is mounted on a surface of the case. A shaft provided in the sealing ring holding member is inserted into an insertion hole provided in the cover body and is bolted together with a retaining means so that the cover body and the sealing ring holding member are fixed.
In the configuration of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-236450, water intrudes into a gap between the cover body and the sealing ring holding member since the insertion hole is open in the cover body. If this water stays without being discharged, the cover body and the like made of metal may be corroded.
This specification discloses an opening sealing member for closing an opening for work open in a vertical direction. The opening sealing member includes a cover plate configured to cover the opening from above. A plug body is held on the cover plate and includes a sealing member to be held in close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the opening by the plug body being fit into the opening. An upper surface of the cover plate is provided with a gradient to cause water adhering to the cover plate to flow down to outside of the cover plate, and an upper surface of the plug body is provided with a gradient to cause water adhering to the upper surface of the plug body to flow down to outside of the opening.
Water splashed on the cover plate flows down from the cover plate and does not stay on the cover plate since the upper surface of the cover plate is provided with the gradient. Further, water intruding between the cover plate and the plug body also flows down from the plug body to the outside of the opening since the plug body is provided with the gradient. Thus, the water does not stay between the plug body and the cover plate. Therefore, corrosion by the intruding water can be suppressed.
The upper surface of the cover plate and the upper surface of the plug body may be provided with the gradients in the same direction. Since the water on the cover plate and the intruding water between the plug body and the cover plate flow down in the same direction, the flowing-down water can be dealt with easily.
A boss may project on the plug body and may be used to screw a bolt for fixing the plug body to the cover plate. The plug body may have an elliptical shape in a plan view and the upper surface of the plug body may be provided with a first plug body gradient in a longitudinal direction and a second plug body gradient in a transverse direction. A lower end position of the first plug body gradient may be shifted in the longitudinal direction from a position where the boss portion is provided. The boss portion projects on the plug body and could hinder discharging water. However, since the lower end position of the first plug body gradient provided on the upper surface of the plug body is shifted in the longitudinal direction from the position where the boss is provided, water will not stay on a peripheral edge of the boss.
An electrical device using the opening sealing member disclosed in this specification may be configured as follows.
The electrical device may include an opening sealing member, a terminal, a wire connected to the terminal and a housing configured to accommodate the terminal and provided with an opening for work. The opening may be closed by the opening sealing member. Lower end positions of gradients provided on upper surfaces of the cover plate and the plug body are located on an end part opposite to a side where the wire is pulled out.
By discharging water toward the side opposite to the side where the wire is pulled out, the splash of the discharged water on the wire and the like can be suppressed.
According to the opening sealing member disclosed in this specification, splashed water can be discharged to outside.
An embodiment is described with reference to
An opening sealing member 10 of this embodiment is for closing an opening 91 for work of a connector 80 (an example of an “electrical device”) mounted on a shield case of a device such as a motor or inverter installed in a vehicle as shown in
As shown in
The terminal 81 is bent into an L shape to extend downward after being connected to the wire 85 and further bent into an L shape in a lower end part of the housing 90 to project into an opening 91 of the housing 90. Three terminals 81 are insert-molded to be arranged in the lateral direction in the housing 90, and connected to mating terminals held on the terminal block.
The housing 90 includes a tubular housing body 93 provided with the opening 91, a flange 95 in the form of a flat plate projecting out from the housing body 93 and a wire holding portion 97 projecting rearwardly of the housing body 93 and configured to hold the wires 85. The opening 91 is open in the vertical direction and has an elliptical shape long in the lateral direction in a plan view. A lower end part of the opening 91 is fit to the terminal block, whereas an operation of connecting the terminals 81 and the mating terminals of the terminal block is performed with the opening 91 open upward. When the connecting operation is not performed, this opening 91 is closed also on an upper side by the opening sealing member 10. Further, the flange 95 is provided with bolt insertion holes 95A through which bolts for fixing the shield case and a cover plate 20 of the opening sealing member 10 to be described later are inserted. The wire holding portion 97 includes an integral holding portion 97A for integrally holding connected parts of the terminals 81 and the wires 85 and hollow cylindrical individual holding portions 97B for individually holding the wires 85. The integral holding portion 97A projects further upward than the housing body portion 93. The wires 85 are pulled out rearward from the wire holding portion 97.
As shown in
The tap screw 70 includes a circular head 71, a circular ring 73 having a larger diameter than the head 71 and a screw 75 capable of cutting a thread. An outer diameter of the ring 73 is larger than a diameter of an insertion hole 29 of the cover plate 20 to be described later, and the ring 73 is retained by being locked to an edge 29A of the insertion hole 29.
The cover plate 20 is formed by press-working a metal plate, such as a steel plate, and includes, as shown in
As shown in
An upper surface 21A of the plate body 21 is provided with a plate gradient PR so that a rear end is highest and a front end is lowest. A degree of the plate gradient PR partially differs, but a gradient is constant in the plug body cover 25 of the plate body 21. Further, the upper surface of the plate body 21 is constantly lower on a front side than on a rear side and free from any horizontal part and any recess. Water adhering to the plate body 21 flows toward a front side of the plate body 21 by the plate gradient PR. The water having reached an end edge of the plate body 21 falls along the linking portion 27 and flows down toward the outside of the cover plate 20.
As shown in
The plug body 40 is made of synthetic resin and includes, as shown in
The flat plate 51 has a laterally long elliptical shape and substantially the same outer shape as the fitting portion 51 and is slightly larger than the fitting 41. Outer dimensions of the flat plate 51 are larger than the inner dimensions of the opening 91, and the entire flat plate 51 is located above the opening 91. The lower surface of the flat plate 51 comes into contact with an upper edge 91A (see
As shown in
Further, as shown in
As shown in
The opening sealing member 10 of this embodiment is structured as described above and, for example, assembled in the following procedure. First, the sealing member 45 is fit into the seal fitting groove 43 of the plug body 40. Subsequently, the plug body 40 is mounted on a lower side of the plate body 21 on the underside (lower surface side) of the cover plate 20. Specifically, the contact portions 53 of the flat plate 51 are brought into contact with the underside (lower surface) of the plate body 21 while the positioning pin 57 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 31, and the boss 55 is inserted into the insertion hole 29. At this time, since the plate gradient PR of the plug body cover 25 of the plate body 21 and the second plug body gradient HR2 are substantially equal, the underside of the plate body 21 and the contact portions 53 are held in contact from the rear ends to the front ends of the contact portions 53.
If the plug body 40 is brought in a proper posture into contact with the underside (rear surface) of the cover plate 20, the tap screw 70 can be fit and tightened into the lower hole of the boss 55. At this time, an internal thread can be cut in the lower hole of the boss 55 by the screw 75 of the tap screw 70. The tap screw 70 is screwed up to a position where the ring 73 comes into contact with the upper surface of the boss 55. At this time, since the positioning pin 57 of the plug body 40 is fit in the pin insertion hole 31 of the cover plate 20, the plug body 40 is restricted from rotating as the tap screw 70 is screwed.
A drop of the plug body 40 from the underside (rear surface) of the cover plate 20 is hindered by the contact of the ring 73 with the hole edge part 29A of the insertion hole 29 and the upper surface of the boss 55. Further, the cover plate 20 is mounted movably along an axial direction of the boss 55. Further, since clearances provided between the boss 55 and the insertion hole 29 and between the positioning pin 57 and the pin insertion hole 31, the plug body 40 is held in a state movable in all of upward, downward, leftward and rightward directions.
After the opening sealing member 10 is assembled as described above, the opening sealing member 10 is fit to the opening 91 of the connector 80, as shown in
It is assumed that water splashes on the opening sealing member 10 with the opening 91 closed by the opening sealing member 10. If the cover plate and the plug body are provided with no gradient, the upper surfaces of the cover plate closing the opening 91 open in the vertical direction and the plug body are horizontal and the water stays thereon. However, in this embodiment, water splashed on the upper surface 21A of the plate body 21 of the cover plate 20 flows down toward the front side of the plate body 21 by the plate gradient PR. The water having reached the end edge of the plate body 21 falls down along the link 27 and flows down to the outside of the cover plate 20. Thus, it can be suppressed that the water adhering to the cover plate 20 stays on the cover plate 20 to corrode the cover plate 20.
Further, water intrudes into a gap between the cover plate 20 and the plug body 40 from a rear opening of the cover plate 20, the insertion hole 29, the pin insertion hole 31 and the like. The intruding water flows toward the front side of the flat plate 51 by the second plug body gradient HR2 while being collected toward the taper end line TL by the first plug body gradient HR1 on the upper surface 51A of the flat plate 51 of the plug body 40. At this time, since the taper end line TL and the boss 55 are shifted in position in the longitudinal direction, the boss 55 does not stand as a hindrance when the water collected toward the taper end line TL flows down toward the front side. Note that since the taper end line TL is located on the side of the boss 55 toward the positioning pin 57, a gradient on the side of the positioning pin 57 becomes steep and the water easily flows even if the positioning pin 57 is present. The water having reached the end edge of the flat plate 51 is caused to flow down to the outside of the opening 91 by two types of the plug body gradients HR1, HR2. At this time, the lower end position of the upper surface 51A of the flat plate 51 is located above the upper edge 91A of the opening 91 and the water flowing down from the upper surface 51A of the flat plate 51 does not intrude into the opening 91. Since the water intruding between the plug body 40 and the cover plate 20 is also discharged, the corrosion of the cover plate 20 and the intrusion of the water into the opening 91 can also be suppressed.
As just described, water splashed on the upper surface 21A of the plate body 21 of the cover plate 20 and water intruding between the cover plate 20 and the plug body 40 finally flow down toward the front side of the opening sealing member 10. Thus, it is sufficient to deal with the flowing-down water only on the front side. Further, since the water is caused to flow down toward the front side, the splash of the water on the wires 85 extending rearward can be suppressed.
In this embodiment, water splashed on the cover plate 20 flows down from the cover plate 20 and does not stay on the cover plate 20 since the upper surface 21A of the plate body 21 of the cover plate 20 is provided with the plate gradient PR. Further, since the water intruding between the cover plate 20 and the plug body 40 is also caused to flow down from the plug body 40 to the outside of the opening 91 by providing the plug body 40 with the plug body gradients HR1, HR2, the water does not stay between the plug body 40 and the cover plate 20. Therefore, corrosion by the intruding water can be suppressed.
The invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiment. For example, the following various modes are also included.
Although the plate gradient PR of the cover plate 20 is set such that the rear end is highest and the front end is lowest in the above embodiment, the plate gradient PR may be conversely set or provided in the longitudinal direction. Further, the plate gradient PR may be such a gradient as to be high in a central part and become lower toward edge parts.
Although the first plug body gradient HR1 of the plug body 40 is set such that both ends are high and the taper end line TL is low in the above embodiment, the first plug body gradient HR1 may be such a gradient as to be high in a central part and become lower toward edge parts. Further, the taper end line TL is provided on the side of the boss 55 toward the positioning pin 57, but may be provided on an opposite side or may overlap with the boss 55. Although the second plug body gradient HR2 of the plug body 40 is set such that the rear end is high and the front end is low, the second plug body gradient HR2 may be conversely set. Further, the second plug body gradient HR2 may be such a gradient as to be high in a central part and become lower toward edge parts. Furthermore, only either one of the first plug body gradient HR1 and the second plug body gradient HR2 may be provided.
Although the mounting portion 35 is provided with no gradient in the above embodiment, the flange 95 and the mounting portion 35 may be provided with gradients.
Although the mounting portion 35 covers the entire flange 95 in the above embodiment, the mounting portion 35 may be provided only at the position of the bolt insertion hole 95A.
Although the plate gradient PR of the cover plate 20 and the second plug body gradient HR2 of the plug body 40 are in the same direction and have the same angle in the facing parts in the above embodiment, these gradients may be in different directions and may have different angles in the facing parts.
Although water is caused to flow toward a side opposite to the side where the wires 85 extend in the above embodiment, the water flowing side may not be the opposite side.
Although the opening 91 is provided in the housing 90 of the connector 80 in the above embodiment, the opening 91 may be provided in the metal case or the like.
Although the flat plate 51 having larger external dimensions than the fitting 41 is provided in the above embodiment, the external dimensions of the flat plate may be equal to or smaller than that of the fittings 41. It is sufficient that the lower end position of the upper surface of the plug body is located above the upper end surface of the opening 91.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-076928 | Apr 2017 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2018/014069 | 4/2/2018 | WO | 00 |
