The present invention relates to a cable connector having cable holders.
A cable holder configured as a separate body from a main body of a housing may be used to hold a cable. For example, Patent Document 1 illustrates an example of an insulation-displacement connector having a pair of fixing portions where a plurality of cables can be mounted.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2003-171624
However, in the above insulation-displacement connector 100, it is not that the extending portions 140 and 141, for example, determine the positions of the fixing portions 112 and 113 with respect to the contact support portion 111 simply by assembling these extending portions 140 and 141 to each other. Therefore, when the fixing portions 112 and 113 are mounted on the contact support portion 111, or after the fixing portions 112 and 113 are mounted on the contact support portion 111 and before they are completely fixed, the positions of the fixing portions 112 and 113 with respect to the contact support portion 111 may be displaced. Especially since one end of the cable is mounted on the fixing portions 112 and 113, the positions of the fixing portions 112 and 113 with respect to the contact support portion 111 are easily displaced, for example, by accidentally pulling the cable.
The invention of the present application has been made to solve such a problem in the known technology, and an object thereof is to provide a cable connector in which cable holders such as the fixing portions 112 and 113 can maintain the positions with respect to a member such as the contact support portion 111 where the cable holders are mounted, before and after the mounting. Moreover, a configuration that facilitates the mounting is provided.
In order to solve the above problem, a cable connector according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a housing; and cable holders, and the cable holder allows one end of a cable to be mounted thereon, the cable holder has a cantilevered arm portion extending in a mounting direction of the cable holder on the housing, and at least part of the arm portion is capable of coming face to face with part of the housing in a direction along a lead-out direction of the cable from the cable holder at the time and after mounting of the cable holder on the housing.
According to the cable connector of the aspect, the part of the arm portion can come face to face with the part of the housing in the direction along the lead-out direction of the cable. Accordingly, when the cable holder is mounted on the housing, the movement of the cable holder with respect to the housing in the direction is regulated, and the cable holder can be easily positioned at a predetermined position of the housing. Moreover, the cable holder can be easily guided to the predetermined position of the housing, using the arm portion. Furthermore, even if an undesirable force occurs on the cable holder after the cable holder is mounted on the housing, the part of the arm portion faces the part of the housing in the direction along the lead-out direction of the cable. Accordingly, the cable holder can be maintained at the predetermined direction of the housing.
In the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable that the cable holder and the housing side be provided with a locking protruding portion and a corresponding locking portion, respectively, along the mounting direction, the cable holder have, along the mounting direction, a locking completion position where the locking protruding portion and the corresponding locking portion are already locked, and a temporary fixing position where the locking protruding portion and the corresponding locking portion are not yet locked, and at the temporary fixing position, the locking protruding portion collide with part of the housing side, and the cable holder be positioned in a state of being further apart in the mounting direction from the housing than at the locking completion position.
According to the cable connector of the aspect, the cable holder can be reliably mounted at the predetermined position of the housing in a more stable state by being brought into a temporary fixing state before actually performing locking.
In the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable that the locking protruding portion be provided to a part of the cable holder other than the arm portion.
According to the cable connector of the aspect, a plurality of the locking protruding portions is provided; accordingly, the cable holder can be more reliably locked to the housing.
In the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable that the locking protruding portion provided to the part other than the arm portion be spaced apart from the arm portion in the direction along the lead-out direction of the cable.
According to the cable connector of the aspect, the cable holder can be fixed to the housing in a more table state by being temporarily fixed at a position different in the lead-out direction of the cable.
In the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable that the locking protruding portion be provided near a free end of the elastically displaceable arm portion.
According to the cable connector of the aspect, the elasticity of the arm portion is used to enable locking.
In the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable that the cable holder have a protruding portion vertically arranged in the mounting direction of the cable holder on the housing, on a mounting side of the cable holder on the housing, and upon the cable holder being at the locking completion position, the protruding portion of one of the cable holders be placed in a state of being in close proximity to the other cable holder in a direction along the mounting direction.
According to the cable connector of the aspect, the protruding portion of one of the cable holders is placed in the state of being in close proximity to the other cable holder in such a manner as to be able to reach the other cable holder. Accordingly, damage to the cable holders can be reduced by preventing main bodies of the cable holders from coming excessively close to each other.
In the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable that the housing further have a terminal support that is capable of holding a terminal, and the corresponding locking portion be provided to the terminal support. According to the cable connector of the aspect, the terminal support is provided with the corresponding locking portion. Accordingly, the cable holder and the terminal support are locked and they can be fixed tightly to each other.
In the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable that the cable holders be formed in a pair having substantially the same size and shape. According to the cable connector of the aspect, the cable holders are formed in a pair having substantially the same size and shape. Accordingly, the management of components is facilitated, and the manufacturing process is also simplified.
A cable connector is provided in which a cable holder can maintain the position of a member where the cable holder is mounted, before and after the mounting. Moreover, a configuration that facilitates the mounting is provided.
A cable connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. Only the preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated here. However, naturally, this is not intended to limit the present invention.
The cable connector 10 can be mated with and removed from the board connector 90 along an illustrated arrow “α” direction. In the description, for the sake of convenience, a description is given, letting a direction along the mating and removable directions of the cable connector 10 and the board connector 90 be the “α” direction, letting a height direction with respect to the board 3 of the board connector 90 be a “β” direction, letting a width direction of the board connector 90 be “γ”.
The mating of the cable connector 10 and the board connector 90 can be locked using their shells. When the cable connector 10 and the board connector 90 are mated, a tapered mated portion 50a provided on the shell of the cable connector 10 is inserted into a substantially rectangular mating hole 97 provided on a front surface of the board connector 90, and lock portions protruding elastically from an upper side and a lower side of the distal end portion 50a of the cable connector 10, for example, lock protruding portions 35 protruding elastically from holes 53 of the shell, are fitted into locked portions provided on a ceiling portion and a base plate portion of a shell 98 of the board connector 90, for example, through-holes 99. As a result, the mating of the cable connector 10 and the board connector 90 is locked. In terms of the locking, the lock protruding portions 35 can be pulled out of the through-holes 99, by using, for example, a button 13 provided on the cable connector 10, or more specifically, by pushing the button 13 exposed from a hood 12 into the cable connector 10 along the “β” direction.
The board connector 90 mainly includes an insulating housing 92, terminals 96 that are held by the insulating housing 92 in a state of being partially exposed from the insulating housing 92, and the conductive shell 98 that covers an outer peripheral surface of the insulating housing 92.
The mating hole 97 that allows a part of the connector 10 to be mated is provided on a front surface of the insulating housing 92. Furthermore, a mating protrusion (not illustrated) that fits a mating recess 28 formed in a housing 20 of the connector 10 is provided in the mating hole 97. The terminals 96 are arranged on the mating protrusion in a state of being exposed on one end side. On the other hand, the other end side 90a of the terminals 96 is soldered onto the board 3. A part 98a of the shell 98 is fixed at a predetermined position of the board 3. Consequently, the shell 98 is connected to ground.
The housing 20 includes a housing body 29 that is formed in a substantially cuboid shape by being complemented by the terminal supports 70 and the cable holders 60, and an inserted portion 25 protruding from the housing body 29 toward the mating side with the board connector 90 (refer to
The shell 30 includes a main body shell 31, a plate-shaped shell 40, and a tubular shell 50. The plate-shaped shell 40 and the main body shell 31 mainly cover outer peripheral surfaces of side portions of, for example, the housing body 29. The plate-shaped shell 40 mainly covers outer peripheral surfaces of side portions of, for example, the housing body 29 that is not covered by the main body shell 31. The tubular shell 50 mainly covers outer peripheral surfaces of side portions of the inserted portion 25 with a slightly small diameter protruding from the housing body 29.
The main body shell 31 is formed by blanking one metal sheet and bending the blank, and has a substantially angular U-shape in cross section as a whole, and mainly includes a base 36, an elastic piece 33 extending frontward of the base 36, and a swaging portion 36a of the electrical cable 4 extending rearward of the base 36. A mounting piece 36c used to fix the cable 4 is provided in a rear part of the base 36. The base 36 and the elastic piece 33 are elastically connected at a rear end portion of the base 36 via a support portion 32 formed as a folded-over portion of a substantially U-shape in cross section. The elastic piece 33 has a free end on the mating side with the board connector 90. Furthermore, the lock protruding portion 35 used to lock to the board connector 90 is provided at the free end.
The plate-shaped shell 40 is formed by blanking one metal sheet and bending the blank as in the main body shell 31, and has a substantially angular U-shape in cross section as a whole, and includes a base 42 and two opposing plate portions 46. The plate-shaped shell 40 is mounted in such a manner as to sandwich the main body shell 31 between the two opposing plate portions 46. When the main body shell 31 is mounted, a tongue-shaped mounting piece 47 provided to the plate portion 46 is locked to an edge 36b of a mounting hole provided in the main body shell 31 and fixed to the edge 36b.
The tubular shell 50 is also formed by blanking one metal sheet and bending the blank as in the main body shell 31 and the plate-shaped shell 40, and has a substantially rectangular tubular shape as a whole, and includes a tubular base 55, mounting pieces 51 and 52 extending rearward from the base 55, and a pair of standing pieces 54 provided vertically outward on an edge of the base 55. The tubular shell 50 is mounted in such a manner as to insert the inserted portion 25 of the housing 20 into the tube of the base 55. At this point in time, the pair of standing pieces 54 is positioned with respect to the housing 20 by, for example, abutting a ring-shaped step surface 21c formed using a difference in diameter between the inserted portion 25 and the housing main body 29 of the housing 20. A hole 51a is provided on the mounting piece 51. When the tubular shell 50 is mounted, a locking protruding portion 21a provided to a base 21 of the housing 20 is fitted in the hole 51a. Moreover, locking portions 52a are provided to the mounting piece 52. The locking pieces 52a are locked at predetermined portions of the main body shell 31.
When the tubular shell 50 is mounted on the inserted portion 25, the lock protruding portion 35 provided at the free end of the elastic piece 33 of the main body shell 31 is brought into a state of elastically protruding from the hole 53 provided on the base 55 of the tubular shell 50. Moreover, at this point in time, a portion 33′ on the free end side of the elastic piece 33 is placed in a gap formed between the tubular shell 50 and the inserted portion 25, and is protected by the tubular shell 50. It is preferable to provide an indentation 25a that releases the elastic piece 33 on a side surface of the inserted portion 25. Consequently, a portion where the portion 33′ on the free end side of the elastic piece 33 is placed can be provided without increasing the size of the device.
It is preferable that both of the paired terminal supports 70 have the same size and shape. Similarly, it is preferable that both of the paired cable holders 60 have the same size and shape. Having the same size and shape makes the management of components easy and also makes the manufacturing process simple. However, it is not necessarily required to have the same size and shape, and different sizes and shapes are also acceptable. Moreover, as long as the above effects can be obtained, having completely the same size and shape is not necessarily required, and having substantially the same size and shape is sufficient.
The terminal support 70 can support a plurality of the terminals 11 in cantilever fashion. The terminals 11 may be integrated by integral molding at the time of manufacture, or may be integrated with the terminal support 70 from the rear or above, using press-fitting or the like. In this example, a description is given assuming integral molding. Part of the terminal 11 is still exposed to the outside after being integrated. For example, a front part of the terminal 11, in other words, the vicinity of a distal end 11f of the terminal 11 extending to the base 21 side of the housing 20, and a rear part of the terminal 11, in other words, a cable insulation-displacement portion 11b to which the twist pair cable 5 is forced to be connected and a wiring portion 11e near the cable insulation-displacement portion 11b, are exposed. The distal end 11f side of the terminal 11 can be elastically displaced along the direction γ.
The terminal support 70 includes a plate-shaped main body 77. A vertically arranged portion 75 is provided on a top surface 77a of the main body 77, a lock projection 71a protruding outward is provided on each of the left and right side surfaces of the main body 77, and a notch 76 of a U-shape in plan view cut out inward is provided at a rear edge of the main body 77.
At the time of assembly, firstly, the paired terminal supports 70 are abutted against each other in predetermined directions.
As in this example, it is preferable that the paired terminal supports 70 be abutted on flat undersurfaces 77b thereof. The surfaces are made flat to enable abutment in a more stable state. However, if stable abutment can be performed, the surfaces are not necessarily made flat. Moreover, even if the surfaces are made flat, the surfaces are simply required to be substantially flat to a degree that allows stable abutment. The abutment is preferably performed in such a manner as to bring both of them into direct contact with each other as in this example. The direct contact allows the facilitation of the manufacture of the cable connector. However, direct contact is not necessarily required. A member may be sandwiched between them.
When the pair of terminal supports 70 is abutted against each other, the terminals 11 supported by the terminal supports 70 can form a gap “G” (refer to
A displacement prevention means may be provided to prevent the terminal supports 70 from being displaced after the abutment. For example, a through-hole 73a and a protruding portion 73b may be provided to each terminal support 70, and the pair of terminal supports 70 may be fitted at two points to each other in such a manner as to fit the protruding portion 73b of one terminal support into the through-hole 73a of the other terminal support. Naturally, displacement may be prevented not limited to by the through-hole 73a and the protruding portion 73b but in other methods.
The vertically arranged portions 75 are vertically arranged on the top surfaces “77a” being surfaces on sides opposite to abutment-side surfaces of the paired terminal supports 70, in other words, the undersurfaces 77b in the direction “γ” along the abutment directions “γ1” and “γ2”, in the directions “γ2” and “γ1” opposite to the abutment directions “γ1” and “γ2”. The terminal 11 is fixed by the vertically arranged portion 75 to the terminal support 70 near a base 11c formed in a substantially “S” shape. A locking protruding portion 75a that is locked to a corresponding locking portion (61a) provided to the cable holder 60 is provided on one of the left and right side surfaces of the vertically arranged portion 75.
The cable insulation-displacement portion 11b extends in the same direction as the vertically arranged portion 75, on the top surface 77a of the main body 77 of the terminal support 70. The cable insulation-displacement portions 11b of the plurality of terminals 11 are alternately placed along the direction α. A distal end portion 14 of the cable insulation-displacement portion 11b is bifurcated to form a groove. It is configured in such a manner that the twist pair cable 5 held by the cable holder 60 is pressed-fitted in the groove. An outer sheath 5b of the twist pair cable 5 press-fitted in the groove (refer to
Each of the cable insulation-displacement portions 11b is coupled to the placement portion 11e. Pitch changing portions 15 may be provided to part or all of a plurality of the placement portions 11e (in this example, three of four terminals) to change the interval between the wiring portions 11e in a pitch direction “β” being an arrangement direction of the terminals 11 (refer to
It is preferable to provide an extending portion 74 extending from the vertically arranged portion 75, on the terminal support 70, to prevent, for example, a part of the core 5a exposed from the distal end (terminal) of the cable 5 held by the cable holder 60 from being shortened to an adjacent terminal. The extending portion 74 extends from the vertically arranged portion 75 toward the cable insulation-displacement portion 11b side within the top surface 77a of the terminal support 70, and covers at least part of the wiring portion 11e of the terminal 11 between the vertically arranged portion 75 and the cable insulation-displacement portion 11b in the direction “α” along a lead-out direction “α2” of the cable 45 from the cable holder 60. As well illustrated in
A method for mounting the terminal supports 70 on the housing 20 is described with reference also to
The pair of terminal supports 70 abutting each other is mounted on the housing 20 as they are, for example, parallel to the flat abutting surfaces that abut each other. The terminal supports 70 are guided into the housing 20 in a stable state by sliding left and right side surfaces 71 of the terminal supports 70 along guide grooves 26c provided on inner walls of the plate-shaped side walls 26. At this point in time, the pluralities of the terminals 11 supported by the terminal supports 70 are inserted into the inserted portion 25 through terminal insertion holes 21b (refer to
According to this configuration, in this manner, the paired terminal supports 70 that support the terminals 11 are simply abutted against each other, and mounted on the housing 20 as they are. Accordingly, the appropriate gap “G” can be formed between the contacts of the terminals 11. Therefore, it is possible to facilitate the manufacture of the electrical connector 10 and reduce the manufacturing cost. Especially when the abutting surfaces are made flat and the mounting is performed on the housing 20 parallel to the flat surfaces, the assembly can be made more suitable for mechanical production.
The configuration of the cable holder 60 is described with reference also to
The cable holder 60 mainly includes a substantially cuboid main body 67, and a cantilevered arm portion 61 extending from the main body 67 in the mounting directions “γ1” and “γ2” of the cable holders 60 on the housing 20. The arm portion 61 is coupled to the front surface 67e and one side surface 67c of the main body 67 on one end side opposite to the free end, and is provided in a state of being flush with the one side surface 67c of the main body 67 and in a state of protruding frontward of the front surface 67e of the main body 67. The arm portion 61 is preferable to be provided in such a manner as to be elastically displaced in a thickness direction. A plurality of through-holes 63 through which the terminal 11 is inserted is provided in the front-and-rear direction (the direction “α”) in the main body 67. These through-holes 63 are used to mount one end side of the twist pair cables 5 on the cable holder 60. The mounted one end side of the twist pair cable goes from a rear surface 67f to the vicinity of the front side 67 side e of the main body 67 (refer to, for example,
A locking protruding portion 62 that is locked in a locking hole 26a (refer to, for example,
An insertion hole 64 into which the cable insulation-displacement portion 11b of the terminal support 70 is inserted is provided on an undersurface 67b of the main body 67. The insertion hole 64 communicates with the through-hole 63 through which the twist pair cable 5 is inserted, and is configured in such a manner as to be capable of cutting the sheath 5b (refer to
Moreover, a protruding portion 66 that is fitted in the notch 76 provided on the terminal support 70 is provided on the undersurface 67b of the main body 67. The protruding portion 66 is vertically arranged on a surface on the mounting side of the cable holder 60 on the housing 20, that is, the undersurface 67b, in the mounting directions “γ1” and “γ2” of the cable holders 60 on the housing 20, that is, in the same direction as the arm portion 61.
A method for mounting the cable holders 60 on the housing 20 is described with reference also to
On the other hand,
The mounting of the cable holders 60 on the housing 20 and the terminal supports 70 is performed after the terminal supports 70 are mounted on the housing 20, in other words, is performed on the housing 20 in the state of
When the cable holders 60 are mounted on the terminal supports 70 and the housing 20, the cable holders 60 are positioned at the temporary fixing positions illustrated in
In addition, when the cable holders 60 are mounted on the terminal supports 70 and the housing 20, the arm portions 61 of the cable holders 60 are inserted into holes 78 (refer to
After being positioned at the temporary fixing positions illustrated in
As illustrated in
When the cable holders 60 shift from the temporary fixing positions illustrated in
When an excessive force is applied to the cable holders 60 at the time of the shift, the cable holders 60 may be brought close to each other more than necessary and the connector 10 may be broken. However, if such a force is applied, the protruding portion 66 provided on the cable holder 60 collides first with the counterpart cable holder 60 before the cable holder 60 is pressed against the terminal holder 70. Accordingly, damage to the cable holder 60 can be reduced. In the embodiment, the protruding portion 66 is located on the lead-out (the arrow “α2”) side of the cable 5 to which an excessive force tends to be applied, and further is located at two points in the arrangement direction (the arrow “β”) of the cable 5; therefore, it is highly effective.
A modification of the cable holder is illustrated in
A basic configuration of the cable holder 60A is the same as the cable holder 60. The cable holder 60A is mainly different from the cable holder 60 in the position and length of an arm portion 61A.
In terms of the position, the arm portion 61 of the cable holder 60 described with reference to, for example,
Moreover, in terms of the length, the arm portion 61A of the cable holder 60A is set to be shorter than the arm portion 60 of the cable holder 60 described with reference to, for example,
The arm portion 61A of the cable holder 60A, or especially a locking protruding portion 61Aa of the arm portion 61A, is locked to a locking protruding portion 80 of the terminal support 70A. Changes are also added to the position and target to provide the locking protruding portion 80 in accordance with the change in the position of the arm portion 61A of the cable holder 60A.
In terms of the position, the locking protruding portion 80 is displaced slightly further to the rear than the locking protruding portion 75a of the terminal support 70 in the cable axis direction “α”. Moreover, the locking protruding portion 80 is provided at a position closer to the center of the housing than the locking protruding portion 75 of the terminal support 70 described with reference to, for example,
In terms of the target, the locking protruding portion 75a of the terminal support 70 illustrated in, for example,
The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and other various modifications can be made. For example, the terminal supports 70 have been described assuming to be provided as separate bodies from the housing 20. However, the terminal supports 70 may be integrally formed with the housing 20. Moreover, for example, the above embodiment illustrates the example of being applied to the electrical cable. However, the configuration of the present invention can also be applied to, for example, an optical fiber cable. In this manner, the drawings and description of the present application are simply exemplifications, and are not limited to them.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
JP2016-142464 | Jul 2016 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2017/025285 | 7/11/2017 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2018/016389 | 1/25/2018 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4108527 | Douty | Aug 1978 | A |
4611887 | Glover | Sep 1986 | A |
5076656 | Briggs | Dec 1991 | A |
5104336 | Hatanaka | Apr 1992 | A |
5398295 | Chang | Mar 1995 | A |
5498172 | Noda | Mar 1996 | A |
5713756 | Abe | Feb 1998 | A |
5908327 | Tsuji | Jun 1999 | A |
5964620 | Takahashi | Oct 1999 | A |
6176745 | Furutani | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6336831 | Abe | Jan 2002 | B1 |
6375491 | Durand | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6439920 | Chen | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6450829 | Weisz-Margulescu | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6783402 | Chen | Aug 2004 | B2 |
6869306 | Sung | Mar 2005 | B1 |
6932640 | Sung | Aug 2005 | B1 |
7021959 | Tsuji | Apr 2006 | B2 |
7070457 | Kluempke | Jul 2006 | B2 |
7081003 | Gregori | Jul 2006 | B1 |
7329137 | Martin | Feb 2008 | B2 |
7878833 | Chen | Feb 2011 | B2 |
7903923 | Gronvall | Mar 2011 | B2 |
8052461 | Wang | Nov 2011 | B2 |
8915758 | Shishikura | Dec 2014 | B2 |
9837729 | Lin | Dec 2017 | B2 |
9967440 | Larsson | May 2018 | B2 |
10734766 | Naganuma | Aug 2020 | B2 |
20010053631 | Nagai | Dec 2001 | A1 |
20080119084 | Hitchcock | May 2008 | A1 |
20080280483 | Curtis | Nov 2008 | A1 |
20090017684 | Lin | Jan 2009 | A1 |
20100178794 | Hsu | Jul 2010 | A1 |
20120058667 | Carreras Garcia | Mar 2012 | A1 |
20120302103 | Su | Nov 2012 | A1 |
20130130549 | Wu | May 2013 | A1 |
20130337676 | Hsueh | Dec 2013 | A1 |
20180019548 | Maesoba | Jan 2018 | A1 |
20190229438 | Naganuma | Jul 2019 | A1 |
20200358227 | Henry | Nov 2020 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
201112575 | Sep 2008 | CN |
201185236 | Jan 2009 | CN |
H03141561 | Jun 1991 | JP |
H11297403 | Oct 1999 | JP |
2003171624 | Jun 2003 | JP |
2010277861 | Dec 2010 | JP |
9966598 | Dec 1999 | WO |
Entry |
---|
International Search Report dated Sep. 19, 2017 filed in PCT/JP2017/025285. |
Chinese Office Action dated Dec. 31, 2019 for the corresponding Chinese Patent Application No. 201780044700.2. and its English machine translation. |
Extended European Search Report dated Feb. 3, 2020 for the corresponding European Patent Application No. 17830908.4. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20190237898 A1 | Aug 2019 | US |