Contact structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11705609-B2
Application number	US-202117151521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2021
Priority date	Feb 28, 2020
Publication date	Jul 18, 2023
Grant date	Jul 18, 2023

Abstract

A contact structure causing a first electric device to be electrically connected to a second electric device includes first terminals and second terminals. The second terminals include contact projections to be electrically connected to the first terminals, and cleaning projections located closer to an opening side of a fitting part of the second electric device than the contact projections to be brought into contact with the first terminals. The contact structure is configured such that the contact projections are not in contact with a surface of an outer case of the first electric device or surfaces of the first terminals before the cleaning projections climb over the first terminals. The contact structure is also configured such that the contact projections are brought into contact with the surfaces of the first terminals after the cleaning projections climb over the first terminals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system having a contact structure, wherein the system comprises a first electric device and a second electric device, wherein the contact structure causes the first electric device to be electrically connected to the second electric device in a state in which the first electric device is fitted to a recessed fitting part of the second electric device, the contact structure comprising:
a first terminal provided at a position recessed from a surface of an outer case of the first electric device; and
a second terminal configured to be a plate spring or a wire spring, the second terminal being provided on an inner wall of the fitting part of the second electric device to be brought into contact with a surface of the first terminal,
the second terminal including a contact projection projecting in an inward direction of the fitting part of the second electric device to be electrically brought into contact with the surface of the first terminal, and a cleaning projection located closer to an opening side of the fitting part of the second electric device than the contact projection and projecting in the inward direction to be brought into contact with the first terminal,
wherein before the cleaning projection climbs over the first terminal in response to a movement of the first electric device in a fitting direction relative to the second electric device, the cleaning projection is pushed in an outward direction of the fitting portion by the outer case of the first electric device or the first terminal so that the contact projection moves in the outward direction of the fitting part, whereby the contact projection is not brought into contact with the surface of the outer case of the first electric device or the surface of the first terminal, and
wherein after the cleaning projection climbs over the first terminal, the cleaning projection is not pushed by the outer case of the first electric device or the first terminal so that the contact projection moves in the inward direction of the fitting part, whereby the contact projection is brought into contact with the surface of the first terminal.

2. A system having a contact structure, wherein the system comprises a first electric device and a second electric device, wherein the contact structure causes the first electric device to be electrically connected to the second electric device in a state in which the first electric device is fitted to a recessed fitting part of the second electric device, the contact structure comprising:
a first terminal provided at a position recessed from a surface of an outer case of the first electric device; and
a second terminal configured to be a plate spring or a wire spring, the second terminal being provided on an inner wall of the fitting part of the second electric device to be brought into contact with a surface of the first terminal,
the second terminal including a contact projection projecting in an inward direction of the fitting part of the second electric device to be electrically brought into contact with the surface of the first terminal, and a cleaning projection located closer to an opening side of the fitting part of the second electric device than the contact projection and projecting in the inward direction to be brought into contact with the first terminal,
wherein in a state in which the cleaning projection is in contact with either the surface of the outer case of the first electric device or the surface of the first terminal, the cleaning projection is pushed in an outward direction of the fitting portion by the outer case of the first electric device or the first terminal so that the contact projection moves in the outward direction of the fitting part, whereby the contact projection is not brought into contact with the surface of the outer case of the first electric device or the surface of the first terminal, and
wherein when the cleaning projection is shifted from the contact state to a non-contact state in response to a movement of the first electric device in a fitting direction relative to the second electric device the cleaning projection is not pushed by the outer case of the first electric device or the first terminal, whereby the contact projection is brought into contact with the surface of the first terminal.

3. The system having a contact structure according to claim 1 , wherein the contact structure is configured such that the contact projection moves in an outward direction of the fitting part of the second electric device when the cleaning projection is brought into contact with the surface of the outer case of the first electric device in response to the movement of the first electric device in the fitting direction relative to the second electric device, and configured such that the contact projection moves in the inward direction to be brought into contact with the surface of the first terminal when the cleaning projection climbs over the first terminal in response to the movement in the fitting direction of the first electric device relative to the second electric device.

4. The system having a contact structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a housing part provided adjacent to the first terminal on the outer case of the first electric device to house the cleaning projection,
the contact structure being configured such that the contact projection moves in the inward direction to be brought into contact with the surface of the first terminal when the cleaning projection climbs over the first terminal to be housed in the housing part in response to the movement in the fitting direction of the first electric device relative to the second electric device.

5. The system having a contact structure according to claim wherein a dimension of the cleaning projection is set to be greater than a dimension of the contact projection in a state before the first electric device is fitted to the fitting part of the second electric device.

Assignees

• Jvckenwood Corp

Inventors

• Chiba Koji
• Kuboki Takashi
• Kimura Takeshi
• Tanisho Kenji

Classifications

• H02J7/751 Primary

  concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries · CPC title

• H01M50/543 Primary

  Terminals · CPC title

• H01M10/44

  Methods for charging or discharging (circuits for charging H02J7/00) · CPC title

• H01M50/296

  characterised by terminals of battery packs (terminals of batteries H01M50/543) · CPC title

• H02J7/0045

  Electricity · mapped topic