JPH0877994A - Battery terminal connecting apparatus and battery connecting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To simplify connecting work by arranging circular terminal insertion parts to which terminals of batteries are inserted, an energizing mechanism which energizes the terminal insertion parts in the diameter shrinking directions, and a connecting part, connecting the terminal insertion parts together. CONSTITUTION: When terminals are connected together by means of a terminal connecting apparatus 10, terminals 3A, 3B of batteries 1, 1 are individually inserted into terminal insertion parts 12, 12 of the terminal connecting apparatus 10. Then, the terminal insertion parts 12, 12 are brought into pressure contact with the terminals 3A, 3B by the force of an energizing mechanism 14, and the terminals 3A, 3B of the batteries 1, 1 are electrically connected to each other. In this way, the terminals 3A, 3B are connected together only by inserting the terminals 3A, 3B of the batteries 1, 1 into the terminal insertion parts 12, 12, so that fastening by a bolt or the like is not required and connecting work can be facilitated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery terminal connector and a battery connecting structure used in electric vehicles and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For electric vehicles, etc.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 61756, a plurality of batteries are connected in series to obtain a predetermined voltage.

FIG. 15 shows the structure of a conventional battery terminal connector used for such an application. In the figure,
Reference numerals 1 and 1 denote batteries to be connected in series, 3A denotes a positive side terminal (terminal post), and 3B denotes a negative side terminal.

Reference numeral 5 is a terminal connector, which has terminal insertion portions 7 at both ends. The terminal insertion portion 7 is provided with fastening pieces 7a and 7b at one end and the other end of a C-shaped curved plate, and by fastening the fastening pieces 7a and 7b with bolts and nuts 9, the terminals 3A and 3
It is pressed against the outer circumference of B. The terminal insertion portions 7, 7 at both ends are connected by a connecting cable 8.

[0005]

When connecting the terminals 3A and 3B of the two batteries 1 with the above-mentioned conventional terminal connector 5, the terminal insertion portion 7 is fitted to the terminals 3A and 3B, and the bolts and nuts 9 are fastened. As a result, the diameter of the terminal insertion portion 7 is reduced so that it is pressed against the outer circumferences of the terminals 3A and 3B. Therefore,
I had to tighten the bolts, and the work was troublesome.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery terminal connector which can be easily connected and a battery connecting structure using the same.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a terminal connector for electrically connecting the terminals of two adjacent batteries to each other, two annular terminal insertion portions into which the terminals are inserted, and these terminals are provided. It is characterized in that it is provided with an urging mechanism for urging the terminal insertion portion in the diameter reducing direction, and a connecting portion for connecting the two terminal insertion portions.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the battery terminal connector according to the first aspect, the biasing mechanism and the connecting portion are constituted by two metal strip plates having both ends joined and superposed on each other. The annular terminal insertion portion is configured by bending the portions in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the two strips to be curved semicircularly to the outside of each strip.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, by fixing the terminal connector of the battery according to the first or second aspect upward and inserting the terminal of the battery downward, the terminal connector is inserted into the terminal insertion portion of the terminal connector. It is characterized by connecting the battery terminals.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the battery connecting structure according to the third aspect, when the battery is a lead storage battery, an auxiliary terminal electrically connected to an upward terminal of the battery is provided on a lower surface of the battery. The battery terminal is connected by mounting and inserting the auxiliary terminal into the terminal insertion portion of the terminal connector.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the battery connecting structure according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein the battery mounting table is provided with a battery accommodating portion for accommodating a lower portion of a casing of the battery, and the connector accommodating recess. The location is formed so as to straddle the adjacent battery accommodating portions.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the battery connecting structure according to the sixth aspect, wherein a large number of the battery accommodating portions are formed on the battery mounting table by lattice-shaped ribs and adjacent battery accommodating portions. The connector accommodating recess is formed so as to straddle over, and the terminals of the batteries accommodated in the respective battery accommodating parts are inserted into the terminal insertion parts of the terminal connector fixed in the connector accommodating recesses. It is characterized by

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the battery connection structure according to the sixth aspect, the battery mounting table is formed on a bottom portion of the battery storage box, and the battery is held downward on the upper end of the battery storage box. The battery holding member to be attached is fixed.

The invention of claim 8 is the battery connecting structure according to claim 7, wherein the battery pressing member is integrated with the lower surface of the lid of the battery housing box.

[0015]

According to the invention of claim 1, when the terminals of the respective batteries are inserted into the respective terminal insertion portions, the terminal insertion portions are pressed against the terminals by the force of the biasing mechanism, and the terminals of the batteries are electrically connected to each other. .

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the connecting tool is composed of only two strips, the structure is simple. The urging force can be adjusted by changing the dimensions of the strip.
A strong spring force can be applied to the terminal insertion part.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the terminal is inserted into the terminal insertion portion of the terminal connector with the battery facing downward, the terminal can be easily press-fitted into the terminal insertion portion by utilizing the weight of the battery. .

According to the invention of claim 4, in the case of a lead storage battery,
By providing the auxiliary terminal, the battery can be connected similarly to the invention of claim 3 while utilizing the own weight of the battery.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the battery accommodating portion is provided, the positioning of the battery is ensured and the battery can be easily inserted. Also, since the casing is positioned inside the battery compartment, when a lateral force is applied to the top of the battery, a corner of the battery serves as a fulcrum to generate a rotation moment, and the terminal should be detached from the terminal connector with a light force. You can

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, by simply accommodating the batteries in the respective battery accommodating portions, it is possible to connect a large number of batteries in order while sequentially mounting the batteries.

According to the invention of claim 7, since the upper end of the battery can be pressed, it can be prevented from loosening even if vibration or the like is applied.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the battery can be reliably held down only by closing the lid.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a terminal connecting device as a first embodiment of the present invention.

This terminal connector 10 has two annular terminal insertion portions 1 into which the terminals 3A and 3B of the battery 1 are inserted.
2, 12 and a urging mechanism for urging the terminal inserting portions 12, 12 in the diameter reducing direction, and a connecting portion for electrically connecting the two terminal inserting portions 12, 12, and both ends are joined. Two metal strips 10a, 10b, which are stacked on top of each other
The biasing mechanism and the connecting portion (the portion indicated by reference numeral 14)
Is configured.

In practice, the two strips 10a, 10
b can be formed by bending a single metal strip plate by pressing as in the illustrated example. Then, portions of the two strips 10a, 10b in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction (portions slightly inner than the ends) are curved in a semicircular shape outward of the strips 10a, 10b, respectively. An annular terminal insertion portion 12 is configured. Therefore, the terminal connecting tool 10 is configured as an integral metal molded product, and is robust.

When connecting terminals using this terminal connecting tool 10, the terminals 3A, 3B of the respective batteries 1, 1 are inserted into the respective terminal inserting portions 12, 12 of the terminal connecting tool 10. Then, the terminal insertion portion 12 is pressed against the terminals 3A and 3B by the force of the biasing mechanism 14, and the terminals 3A and 3 of the batteries 1 and 3 are connected.
Bs are electrically connected to each other.

Thus, the terminals 3 of the batteries 1 and 1
Simply insert A and 3B into the terminal insertion part 12,
Since it is possible to connect between A and 3B, it is not necessary to tighten bolts and the like, and the connection work can be simplified. Particularly, in the case of the terminal connector 10 of the embodiment, the two strips 10a and 10b are used.
Since the connecting tool is configured only by itself, the structure is simple, and by changing the dimensions of the strips 10a and 10b, the biasing force can be easily adjusted, and the terminal insertion portions 12 and 12 have a strong spring force. Can be given. Therefore, the connection reliability can be improved.

FIG. 2 shows a connection structure as a second embodiment of the present invention.

Here, the terminal connector 10 of the first embodiment is erected upward on the upper surface of the battery mounting table 20, and the terminals 3A and 3B of the batteries 1 and 1 are directed downward so that the terminal connector 10 can be inserted. It is designed to be inserted into the portion 12. In this case, the terminal connector 10 is inserted into a connector housing recess 24 made of an annular insulator 22.

In this embodiment, the batteries 1 and 1 are oriented downward and the terminals 3A and 3B are inserted into the terminal insertion portions 12 and 12 of the terminal connector 10, so that the weight of the batteries 1 and 1 can be easily utilized. Insert the terminals 3A and 3B into the terminal insertion part 1
It can be press-fitted into the inside of 2,12. Further, since the terminals 3A and 3B can be press-fitted with a light force, the spring force of the terminal insertion portion 12 can be strengthened to improve the connection reliability. further,
Since the terminals 3A and 3B can be surely electrically connected only by placing the batteries 1 and 1 on the terminal connector 10, it is safe without touching the terminal connector 10. Moreover, since the terminal connector 10 is housed in the connector housing recess 24, the insulating property is enhanced. Note that another insulating material may be provided around the terminal connector 10.

Next, a connection structure as a third embodiment will be briefly described.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the connection structure of the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the battery mounting table 20 is provided with a battery accommodating portion 25 for accommodating the lower portion of the casing of the battery 1, and the connector accommodating portion is accommodated on the bottom surface of the battery accommodating portion 25 so as to straddle the adjacent battery accommodating portion 25. Recess 2
7 is provided. The periphery of the battery accommodating portion 25 is surrounded by a peripheral wall 25a having a certain height so that the battery 1 does not shift.

In this structure, since the battery accommodating portion 25 is provided, the positioning of the battery 1 is ensured and the terminals 3A and 3B of the battery 1 can be easily inserted into the terminal insertion portion 12 of the terminal connector 10. . In addition, since the casing is positioned in the battery accommodating portion 25,
When a lateral force F is applied to the upper portion of the battery 1, a corner P of the battery 1 serves as a fulcrum to generate a rotation moment, and the terminals 3A and 3B are detached from the terminal insertion portion 12 of the terminal connector 10 with a light force F. be able to.

Next, a connection structure as a fourth embodiment will be described. This embodiment is applied to a battery unit for an electric vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a battery unit including the connection structure of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 4 shows an empty state before accommodating the battery. 5 is a side view of the battery unit 30, FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing the details of the A portion of FIG. 4, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a B portion of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the detail. The battery unit 30 has a battery housing box 38 and a battery mounting table 32 at the bottom thereof.

On the battery mounting table 32, a large number of battery accommodating portions 36 are formed orderly by the grid-shaped ribs 34. Then, the adjacent battery housing portion 36,
A connector accommodating recess 36a is formed on the bottom surface of the battery accommodating portion 36 so that the battery 1 can be accommodated in each battery accommodating portion 36. It should be noted that the ribs 34 may have tapered side surfaces 34t or chamfered portions 34s at the corners, as shown in FIG. 9A, rather than having a rectangular cross section.
It is preferable that the battery 1 be easily inserted by providing a.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, since the connector accommodating recess 36a exists across the rib 34, the rib 3
4 is formed with a notch 34a for inserting the terminal connecting tool 10. A locking projection 34b as shown in FIG. 6 is provided on the side surface of the cutout 34a.
The terminal connector 1 housed in the connector housing recess 36a
It is pressed down so that 0 does not come out. Note that FIG.
As shown in, the arrangement direction of the terminal connector 10 is determined according to the arrangement state of the batteries.

The battery storage box 3 thus constructed
As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG.
Are housed with the terminals 3A and 3B facing downward. In this case, the battery 1 is accommodated in each of the battery accommodating portions 36 partitioned by the ribs 34, and the terminals 3A and 3B are inserted into the terminal inserting portions 12 of the terminal connecting tool 10 arranged at the bottoms thereof. As a result, all the batteries 1 are connected in series. Also, one terminal of the battery 1 located at the end of the connection circuit is connected to the extraction cables 42, 4 and
4 is connected to the connector 46. In this case, since the terminals are not connected to each other, the wire connection terminal 40 for connecting the wires to one terminal is fixed on the battery mounting table 32.

FIG. 8 shows the structure of that portion. The electric wire connecting terminal 40 includes a terminal inserting portion 40a into which a terminal of the battery 1 is inserted and a terminal inserting portion 40 in the connector accommodating recess 36a.
It has a connecting plate 40b for fixing it when it is accommodated and an electric wire crimping portion 40c, which is fixed to the notch 34a formed in the battery mounting table 32 at the connecting plate 40b portion and is crimped to the electric wire crimping portion 40c. The tightened wire 42 has a wire drawing groove 3
7 is led to the connector 46 together with the electric wire 44 connected to the polar terminal on the other side. In FIG. 4, 1
The batteries housed in the positions indicated by P and 1M are the batteries located at the ends of the circuit.

After accommodating all the batteries 1 in this way, a lid 50 is put on the upper surface of the battery accommodating box 38 as shown in FIG. At this time, prior to covering with the lid 50, a battery pressing member 52 capable of simultaneously pressing a row of batteries 1 arranged horizontally is fixed to the upper end of the battery housing box 38. A positioning groove 38a is provided on the upper end of the battery housing box 38 in advance.
A square rod which is the battery pressing member 52 is fitted and fixed in this. As a result, the battery 1 can be pressed downward, and lifting of the battery 1 due to vibration or the like can be reliably suppressed and the electrical connection state can be maintained. Then, after fixing the battery pressing member 52, the lid 50 is covered to complete the battery unit 30. The battery holding member 52 may be integrated with the back surface of the lid 50. Then, the battery 1 can be automatically pressed down by covering the lid 50.

In accommodating the batteries 1 in the battery accommodating box 38 in this way, the positions of the batteries 1 are accurately determined. Therefore, by accommodating the batteries 1 in sequence, a number of batteries 1 are arranged in an orderly manner. You can make electrical connections one after another. Therefore, it takes only the trouble of accommodating the battery 1, and the trouble of connecting the battery 1 is hardly required.

In the above embodiment, the case where a battery (NiCd battery) that can be turned upside down is used has been described, but a lead storage battery can also be used. In that case, as shown in FIG. 12, the auxiliary terminal 66A electrically connected to the upward-facing terminals 63A and 63B of the battery 61,
66B is attached to the lower surface of the battery 61, and these auxiliary terminals 66A and 66B are attached to the terminal insertion portion 1 of the terminal connector 10.
2 may be inserted.

Here, the battery 61 is used as the conducting means.
Using a U-shaped conducting metal fitting 70 fitted to the side portion of the casing, the fitting portion 71 provided at the upper end of the conducting metal fitting 70 was fitted to the terminals 63A and 63B, and provided at the lower end of the conducting metal fitting 70. The ring plate 74 is threaded into the lower surface of the casing of the battery 61 through the threaded portions of the auxiliary terminals 66A and 66B. Then, the conducting metal fitting 70 is disposed along the concave portion 64 on the side surface of the casing of the battery 61, and the conducting metal fitting 70
A protective cover 80 is put on the top of the above to cover the exposed metal part.

Next, an installation example of the battery unit constructed in the above embodiment will be briefly described.

13 and 14 schematically show the configuration of the electric vehicle 100. 102A is a front wheel, 102B is a rear wheel, and a motor 105 is connected to the rear wheel 102B. 1
Reference numeral 07 is an accelerator, 109 is a voltage control unit that controls the supply voltage of the motor 105 according to the accelerator 107, and 110A is a battery unit.

The battery unit 110A is mainly housed in the rear trunk room, and when other batteries are mounted, it is installed in the left and right empty spaces or the like in the engine room indicated by 110B and 110C.

[0048]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1, since the terminals can be connected only by inserting the terminals of the battery into the terminal insertion portion, there is no need to tighten the bolts. Connection work can be done easily.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a simple and sturdy terminal connector can be constructed, and the terminal and the terminal insertion portion can be brought into contact with each other by a strong spring force, so that the connection reliability is improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the terminal can be press-fitted into the connector by utilizing the weight of the battery, so that the battery can be easily connected and the terminal can be inserted with a light force. Apply a strong spring force to the insertion part,
The connection reliability can be improved. In addition, since the battery can be connected simply by placing it on the connector, the connection work can be performed without touching the terminal connector.

According to the invention of claim 4, the effect of the invention of claim 3 can be obtained even in the case of a lead storage battery.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the battery accommodating portion is provided, the positioning can be performed reliably and easily, and the connection workability can be improved. Further, since the lower part of the casing of the battery is only housed, the terminal can be easily detached from the terminal connector by pushing the upper part of the battery sideways by using the restricting action of the housing part. .

According to the invention of claim 6, a large number of batteries can be efficiently connected, which is suitable for constituting a battery unit of an electric vehicle.

According to the invention of claim 7, the terminal can be prevented from loosening even if vibration or the like is applied, and the connection reliability is improved.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the battery can be securely pressed down only by closing the lid, which facilitates the work.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a terminal connecting tool of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the connection structure of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the connection structure of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a structure of a battery housing box of a battery unit to which the connection structure of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is a side view of FIG.

6 is a perspective view showing details of a portion A in FIG.

7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing details of a B portion in FIG.

9 is a diagram showing an example of the shape of the rib shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state where a lid is about to be placed on the battery storage box shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of the lid of the battery storage box shown in FIG.

12 is a configuration diagram of a lead storage battery when the lead storage battery is used in the embodiment shown in FIG.

13 is a side view of an electric vehicle using the battery unit of FIG.

14 is a diagram showing the configuration of the electric vehicle of FIG.
(A) is a bottom view and (b) is a plan view showing the location of the battery unit.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a conventional battery terminal connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery 3A, 3B terminal 10 Terminal connection tool 12 Terminal insertion part 14 Energizing mechanism, connection part 10a, 10b Strip plate 20, 32 Battery mounting table 24, 27, 36a Connection tool accommodation recess 25, 36 Battery accommodation part 34 Rib 34t Slope 34s Chamfer 38 Battery accommodation box 50 Lid 52 Battery pressing member 61 Lead acid battery (battery) 63A, 63B Upward terminal 66A, 66B Auxiliary terminal

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A terminal connecting tool for electrically connecting terminals of two adjacent batteries to each other, and two annular terminal inserting portions into which the terminals are inserted, and urging the terminal inserting portions in a diameter reducing direction. A terminal connector for a battery, comprising: a biasing mechanism; and a connecting portion that connects the two terminal inserting portions. 2. The battery terminal connector according to claim 1, wherein the urging mechanism and the connecting portion are configured by two metal strips having both ends joined and overlapped with each other. A terminal connector for a battery, wherein the annular terminal insertion portion is formed by bending portions of the strips in the vicinity of both end portions in the longitudinal direction in a semicircular shape outward of each strip. 3. A battery terminal is connected by fixing the battery terminal connector according to claim 1 or 2 upward and inserting the battery terminal downward into the terminal insertion portion of the terminal connector. A battery connection structure characterized by the above. 4. The battery connection structure according to claim 3, wherein when the battery is a lead storage battery, an auxiliary terminal electrically connected to an upward terminal of the battery is attached to a lower surface of the battery, and the auxiliary terminal is attached. Is connected to the terminal insertion portion of the terminal connecting tool to connect the terminals of the battery. 5. The battery connecting structure according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a battery housing portion for housing a lower portion of a casing of the battery is formed in the battery mounting table, and the connecting tool housing recesses are adjacent to each other. A battery connection structure, which is formed so as to straddle a battery housing portion. 6. The battery connection structure according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of the battery accommodating portions are formed on the battery mounting base by a grid-shaped rib, and the battery accommodating portions are extended over adjacent battery accommodating portions. The connector accommodating recess is formed, and the terminal of the battery accommodated in each battery accommodating part is inserted into the terminal insertion part of the terminal connector fixed in the connector accommodating recess. Battery connection structure. 7. The battery connection structure according to claim 6, wherein the battery mounting table is formed at a bottom portion of the battery housing box, and a battery pressing member for pressing the battery downward is provided at an upper end of the battery housing box. Battery connection structure characterized by being fixed. 8. The battery connecting structure according to claim 7, wherein the battery pressing member is integrated with the lower surface of the lid of the battery housing box.