Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – Current producing cell – elements – subcombinations and... – Cell enclosure structure – e.g. – housing – casing – container,...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-23
2001-02-06
Maples, John S. (Department: 1745)
Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and
Current producing cell, elements, subcombinations and...
Cell enclosure structure, e.g., housing, casing, container,...
C439S352000, C439S757000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06183904
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an easily releasable terminal structure that allows the terminals of a plurality of storage batteries to be releasably connected. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a storage battery terminal structure adapted for connecting and disconnecting storage batteries for electric vehicles.
2. Related art
Various types of storage battery terminal structures have heretofore been known. For example, a storage battery terminal structure such as shown in
FIG. 16
has been proposed.
FIG. 16
is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a conventional storage battery terminal structure.
In
FIG. 16
, a conventional storage battery terminal structure
101
includes: a male terminal
103
that is erected on the upper surface of a storage battery main body
102
; and a female terminal
104
having a male terminal insertion hole
105
engageable with the male terminal
103
and a crimping portion
106
for connecting a wire W by crimping.
More specifically, an opening
107
is arranged on an end of the male terminal insertion hole
105
, and a pair of projecting portions
108
are formed on both sides of the opening
107
. These projecting portions
108
extend from an end of an electric contact portion
109
surrounding the male terminal insertion hole
105
. Further, in order to reduce the inner diameter of the male terminal insertion hole
105
by tightening the pair of projecting portions
108
with a bolt
110
and a nut
111
, through holes
112
for inserting the bolt
110
are arranged in the projecting portions
198
. Further, in order to prevent excessive tightening of the bolt
110
and in order to provide an appropriate degree of tension, an L-shaped metal piece
115
formed of a washer portion
113
and a stopper portion
114
having a projecting height H is arranged.
In the thus constructed conventional storage battery terminal structure
101
, the male terminal
103
is electrically connected to the male terminal insertion holed
105
in the following way. The male terminal insertion hole
105
of the electric contact portion
109
is inserted into the male terminal
103
that is usually called a “battery post”. Then, the bolt
110
is inserted into the washer portion
113
and the through holes
112
, and is thereafter tightened up by the nut
111
. As a result, when the nut
111
comes in contact with the stopper portion
114
, the male terminal insertion hole
105
tightens up the male terminal
103
with an appropriate degree of tension without pressure loss, and thus the male terminal
103
is electrically connected to the male terminal insertion hole
105
reliably.
However, in the aforementioned conventional storage battery terminal structure
101
, a tightening tool must be used in order to tighten the bolt
110
and the nut
111
up. Therefore, if, for example, storage batteries are placed close to each other as in an electric vehicle or the like and the place where the storage batteries are put is so narrow as to leave only a small distance between the terminals of the batteries, there exists a problem that the tightening tool interferes with parts such as the electric contact portion
109
and the like of the adjacent storage batteries. As a result, the tightening operation becomes hard and operation efficiency is impaired.
Further, even if the storage battery terminal structure
101
is tightened up with the bolt
110
and the nut
111
, whether or not the storage battery terminal structure
101
has been connected to the male terminal
103
completely cannot be checked visibly with ease, which has made the operation very inconvenient.
Still further, when the storage battery terminal structure
101
is applied to electric vehicles that employ high-voltage storage batteries, the operator is likely to touch the storage batteries directly with his hand, which has made the operation dangerous.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the aforementioned circumstances. An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a storage battery terminal structure that not only can provide reliable electric connection but also can attach and detach the female terminal to and from the male terminal at the touch of a button or the like without using a tool.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a storage battery terminal structure that allows the operator to check the connection between the storage battery and the storage battery terminal structure with ease.
The objects of the present invention can be achieved by a storage battery terminal structure. The storage battery terminal structure includes: a male terminal that is erected on an upper surface of a storage battery main body; and a female terminal that has a male terminal insertion hole engageable with the male terminal and a crimping portion for connecting a wire by crimping.
Such storage battery terminal structure further includes: an annular recessed groove that is arranged on an upper end portion of the male terminal that is cylindrical; a housing that has a retaining mechanism for retaining the female terminal and that serves as an outer enclosing body for the female terminal, the retaining mechanism including the annular recessed groove; and a retainment releasing mechanism that is arranged within a rigid sleeve of the housing surrounding the male terminal in order to release retainment of the retaining mechanism.
Further, the above objects can be achieved by a storage battery terminal structure of the present invention. Such storage batter terminal structure is to provide part of the retaining mechanism is retaining projections that are arranged over inner circumferential portions of the rigid sleeve; and the retainment releasing mechanism comprises: flexible arms, each flexible arm being formed by a pair of slits that are cut from an upper end of the rigid sleeve so as to interpose the corresponding retaining projection therebetween; and a release button that is arranged on an upper end portion of the rigid sleeve so as to be vertically movable so that the flexible arms are flexed sidewards and that has slopes on a lower surface thereof, the slopes facing sidewards.
In the aforementioned constructions of the storage battery terminal structures of the present invention, the female terminal is connected to the male terminal with the female terminal being retained in the annular recessed groove by the retaining projections, the annular recessed groove being arranged on the male terminal and the retaining projections serving as part of the retaining mechanism arranged on the housing that is an outer enclosing body of the female terminal. Therefore, tightening operation is not required, which in turn allows the operator to perform mounting operation at a single touch.
Further, the female terminal is removed from the male terminal by pressing the release button downward to thereby flex the flexible arms sidewards, the release button serving as the retainment releasing mechanism arranged within the rigid sleeve of the housing. As a result, retainment of the retaining projections can be released from the annular recessed groove at the touch of a button without using a tool. Therefore, removing operation efficiency can be improved even in a narrow place.
Further, the above objects can be achieved by a storage battery terminal structure of the present invention. Such storage battery terminal structure is to provided a finger resting protuberance is arranged on an upper end portion of the rigid sleeve at a position opposite to the crimping portion.
In the aforementioned constructions of the storage battery terminal structures of the present invention, the finger resting protuberance is arranged on the upper end portion of the rigid sleeve. Therefore, in order to pull the female terminal out of the male terminal, a finger is put on the bottom of the finger resting protuberance and the release button is pressed downward by the thumb or the like with the finger a
Chujo Satoru
Imaizumi Katsuhiro
Ishizaki Kazuhisa
Kuboshima Hidehiko
Maeda Akira
Maples John S.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
Storage battery terminal structure does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Storage battery terminal structure, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Storage battery terminal structure will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2607298