CABLE HOLDING MEMBER AND CABLE CONNECTOR DEVICE INCLUDING CABLE HOLDING MEMBER

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-034981 filed with the Japan Patent Office on Mar. 5, 2021, and from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-005464 filed with the Japan Patent Office on Jan. 18, 2022, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a cable holding member, and a cable connector device including the cable holding member.

2. Related Art

For example, a cable connector device, that is, a terminal unit, which is disclosed in JP-A-11-224723, includes a holding block made of an insulating material, which holds a shielded cable being a cable, as a cable holding member. Furthermore, the terminal unit includes an insulated block on which a terminal is mounted, and a shielding member that covers the outer sides of the insulated block and the holding block. The shielded cable includes an inner conductor, and an insulating material that covers the inner conductor as in a general cable.

SUMMARY

A cable holding member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: an insulated main body; a through-hole; a bend portion; and a cover portion, in which the through-hole is configured to allow a cable to be inserted therethrough from one end side toward the other side of the main body, the cover portion is configured in such a manner as to be bendable relative to the main body along the bend portion, and at least a part of the cover portion is configured to, upon the cover portion being bent relative to the main body, be capable of covering a plane intersecting with a direction where the cable is inserted, at an opening end face of an opening portion of the through-hole, the opening end face being located on the other end side, or a vicinity thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable connector device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which uses a cable holding member according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state of the cable connector device of FIG. 1 from which a case has been removed;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state where a shell has been removed from the state of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state where the cable holding member has been removed from the state of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a state where a terminal support has been mounted on a housing, as viewed from the rear;

FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating a state of the cable connector device from which the case has been removed;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the front of the cable holding member as viewed from above;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the front of the cable holding member as viewed from below;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the rear of the cable holding member as viewed from above;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the rear of the cable holding member as viewed from below;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a method for mounting a cable on the cable holding member in stages;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the method for mounting the cable on the cable holding member in stages;

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the method for mounting the cable on the cable holding member in stages;

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the method for mounting the cable on the cable holding member in stages;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating a modification of the cable holding member;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the cable holding member according to another modification;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating a state of the cable holding member of FIG. 17 where a cover portion has been rotated;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the cable holding member according to the other modification;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view illustrating a state of the cable holding member of FIG. 19 where the cover portion has been rotated;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the cable holding member according to the other modification;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view illustrating a state of the cable holding member of FIG. 21 where the cover portion has been rotated;

FIG. 23 is a front view of the cable holding member according to the other modification;

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I in FIG. 21;

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 22; and

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 25.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, for purpose of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

In the terminal unit of JP-A-11-224723, the shielded cable being a cable is placed with its end face exposed in the holding block as in a known cable holding member.

However, if the end face of the cable is exposed in this manner, a dielectric breakdown may be produced between the end face of the cable and the shielding member that covers the outer side of the holding block. In recent years, the specifications for dielectric withstanding voltage have become stricter, and such a dielectric breakdown problem is in need of solution.

The present disclosure has been made to solve such a problem of the known technology, and provides a cable holding member that can effectively prevent a dielectric breakdown even if a cable is held with its end face exposed, and a cable connector device including such a cable holding member.

A cable holding member according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: an insulated main body; a through-hole; a bend portion; and a cover portion, in which the through-hole is configured to allow a cable to be inserted therethrough from one end side toward the other side of the main body, the cover portion is configured in such a manner as to be bendable relative to the main body along the bend portion, and at least a part of the cover portion is configured to, upon the cover portion being bent relative to the main body, be capable of covering a plane intersecting with a direction where the cable is inserted, at an opening end face of an opening portion of the through-hole, the opening end face being located on the other end side, or a vicinity thereof.

A cable connector device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes such a cable holding member.

According to the cable holding member and cable connector device of the present disclosure, the cover portion can cover the plane intersecting with the cable insertion direction, at the opening end face of the opening portion of the through-hole where the cable is inserted, the opening end face being located at one end of the cable, or the vicinity thereof. Hence, it is possible to effectively prevent a dielectric breakdown that may be produced between the end face of the cable and a shielding member to be subsequently mounted even if the end face of the cable is exposed at the one end of the cable. As is clear from the above description and the detailed description below, the “vicinity” of the opening end face of the opening portion of the through-hole in the specification means being sufficiently close to effectively prevent a dielectric breakdown that may be produced between the one end of the cable and the shielding member.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide the cable holding member that can effectively prevent a dielectric breakdown that is produced between the end face of the cable and the shielding member to be subsequently mounted even if the cable is held with its end face exposed, and the cable connector device including such a cable holding member.

An illustrative embodiment for carrying out the present disclosure is described in detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings. However, for example, dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of constituent elements, which are described in the following embodiment, are arbitrary, and can be changed according to the configuration of a device to which the present disclosure is applied, or various conditions. For example, the present configuration can be suitably applied to, for example, a cable connector disclosed in WO 2018/016389 A. Moreover, a part of the configuration disclosed in WO 2018/016389 A can also be applied to the present configuration. Moreover, unless otherwise described, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment described specifically below.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable connector device 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, which uses a cable holding member 60 according to the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the embodiment, the cable connector device 1 is formed as a plug connector. A counterpart connector device (not illustrated) that mates with the cable connector device 1 is formed as a receptacle connector. The counterpart connector may be, for example, a board connector connected to a board, or a cable connector as in the cable connector device 1.

The cable connector device 1 can mate and unmate the counterpart connector device along a direction of an arrow “x” illustrated in FIG. 1. The mating of the cable connector device 1 and the counterpart connector device can be locked by use of metal shells provided respectively. When the cable connector device 1 mates with the counterpart connector device, a tapered tubular shell 50 provided to a shielding-purpose shell 30 of the cable connector device 1 is inserted into a mating hole provided in the shell of the counterpart connector device. At this point in time, a lock projection portion 35 that projects elastically from a hole 53 provided in the tubular shell 50 fits in a through-hole being a locked portion provided in the shell of the counterpart connector. As a result, the mating of the cable connector device 1 and the counterpart connector device is locked. The locked state can be released by, for example, pressing a button 13 exposed from a resin case 12 into the cable connector device 1 in a direction of an arrow “y” illustrated in FIG. 1.

The arrow “x” illustrated in, for example, FIG. 1 indicates the front-and-rear direction of the cable connector device 1. The arrow “y” indicates the width direction (the left-and-right direction). An arrow “z” indicates the thickness direction (the height direction). In the flowing description, for example, the directions of the arrows “x”, “y”, and “z” illustrated in, for example, FIG. 1 may be referred to as follows: The direction of the arrow “x” illustrated in, for example, FIG. 1 is referred to as the front-and-rear direction “x”. Moreover, a side on which the cable connector device 1 is connected to the counterpart connector in the front-and-rear direction “x” is referred to as the “front side” or “forward”, and the opposite side as the “rear side” or “rearward”. A direction of an arrow “x1” illustrated in, for example, FIG. 8 is referred to as the “x1” direction where a cable 5 is inserted, or simply the insertion direction “x1”. The direction of the arrow “y” illustrated in, for example, FIG. 1 is referred to as the width direction “y”, or the left-and-right direction “y”. The direction of the arrow “z” illustrated in, for example, FIG. 1 is referred to as the thickness direction “z”, or the up-and-down direction “z”. Moreover, a side where, in the cable connector device 1, a case 12A and a cable holding member 60A are in, for example, FIGS. 1 and 4 is referred to as the “upper side”, and a side where a case 12B and a cable holding member 60B are as the “lower side” or the “bottom side”.

FIGS. 2 to 4 illustrate exploded perspective views of the cable connector device 1. FIG. 2 illustrates a state of the cable connector device 1 of FIG. 1 from which the case 12 has been removed. The case 12 includes the case 12A and the case 12B (if there is no need to differentiate between the cases 12A and 12B below, they are simply referred to as the case 12). FIG. 3 illustrates a state where the shell 30 has been further removed from the state of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 illustrates a state where the cable holding member 60 has been further removed from the state of FIG. 3. The cable holding member 60 includes the cable holding member 60A and the cable holding member 60B (if there is no need to differentiate between the cable holding members 60A and 60B in the following description, they may be simply referred to as the cable holding member 60).

The cable connector device 1 mainly includes the insulated case 12, the metal shell 30, an insulated housing 20, the insulated cable holding member 60, terminals 11, and a terminal support 70. The case 12 includes the cases 12A and 12B, and forms an outermost shell of the cable connector device 1. An outer surface of the shell 30 is covered by the cases 12A and 12B. An outer surface of the housing 20 is covered by the shell 30. The cable holding member 60 holds twisted-pair cables 5 (which may be referred to below as the cables 5) included in an electric cable 4. The terminal support 70 supports the terminals 11 mounted on the housing 20. In the embodiment, the twisted-pair cable 5 is illustrated as an example of the electric cable 4. However, naturally, the electric cable 4 is not limited to the twisted-pair cable 5. The cable connector device 1 can also be applied to various cables other than the twisted-pair cable 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the shell 30 includes a main shell 31, and a plate-shaped shell 40 and the tubular shell 50 which are coupled to each other. The main shell 31 is formed by blanking and bending a metal plate. Similarly, the plate-shaped shell 40 and the tubular shell 50 are also formed by blanking and bending another metal plate. The plate-shaped shell 40 and the main shell 31 are assembled together and mainly cover outer surfaces on the sides of a housing main body 29. On the other hand, the tubular shell 50 as a whole has a rectangular tubular shape in cross section and mainly covers outer surfaces on the sides of an inserted portion 25 that projects from the housing main body 29. The main shell 31 includes a base portion 36, a crimping portion 36a for crimping the electric cable 4, which extends rearward of the base portion 36, and an elastic piece 33 that extends forward of the base portion 36 and has a free end on the side of mating with the counterpart connector device. The elastic piece 33 is provided, at the distal end, with a lock projection portion 35 that works with the counterpart connector device as a lock. For the sake of convenience, the crimping portion 36a illustrated in FIG. 3 is in a state where the electric cable 4 has been crimped. Before the electric cable 4 is crimped, the crimping portion 36a is in a state where a part of the crimping portion 36a is open without being crimped as illustrated in FIG. 3 to enable easy installation of the electric cable 4.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a state where the terminal support 70 has been mounted on the housing 20, as viewed from the rear. FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of a state where the cable holding members 60A and 60B and the shell 30 have been further mounted on the housing 20 in the state illustrated in FIG. 5, in other words, a state of the cable connector device 1 from which the cases 12A and 12B have been removed, the state being illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 6.

The housing 20 is manufactured by integral molding with resin, and includes the housing main body 29, and the inserted portion 25 that projects from the housing main body 29 toward the side of mating with the counterpart connector device. The housing main body 29 forms a substantially cuboid shape by being complemented by the terminal support 70 and the cable holding member 60. The inserted portion 25 is a portion that is, together with the tubular shell 50, inserted into the mating hole of the counterpart connector device. A mating recessed portion 28 where a mating protruding portion (not illustrated) provided in the mating hole of the counterpart connector device is inserted is formed in the inserted portion 25.

The housing main body 29 includes a thick base portion 21, and two opposing plate-shaped side walls 26 that extend rearward of the base portion 21, that is, toward a side opposite to the inserted portion 25. A space 26f is formed between the two plate-shaped side walls 26. The terminal support 70 and the cable holding member 60 are installed in the space 26f. The terminal support 70 includes a pair of terminal supports 70A and 70B, and the cable holding member 60 includes the pair of cable holding members 60A and 60B (if there is no need to differentiate between the terminal supports 70A and 70B below, they are simply referred to as the terminal support 70, and the same point is valid with regard to portions forming the terminal supports 70A and 70B). In the embodiment, the terminal supports 70A and 70B have the same size and shape. Similarly, the cable holding members 60A and 60B also have the same size and shape. The sizes and the shapes are made the same in this manner, which facilitates parts management and enables simplification of the manufacturing process.

The terminal support 70 supports the plurality of terminals 11 in a cantilever form. The terminals 11 are integrated in the terminal support 70 by integral molding upon manufacturing. Alternatively, the terminals 11 may be integrated in the terminal support 70 by, for example, press-fitting after the terminal support 70 is manufactured. After being integrated in the terminal support 70, the terminal 11 is still partially exposed to the outside. For example, the front part of the terminal 11, that is, a vicinity of a distal end 11f of the terminal 11, which extends toward the base portion 21 of the housing 20, the rear part of the terminal 11, that is, a cable cold-welding portion 11b that cold-welds to the twisted-pair cable 5, and a wiring portion 11e around the cable cold-welding portion 11b remain exposed to the outside (refer to FIG. 7).

The terminal support 70 includes a plate-shaped main body 77. An upper surface 77a of the main body 77 is provided with a rising portion 75. Each of the left and right side surfaces of the main body 77 is provided with a lock projection portion 71a that projects outward. The rear edge of the main body 77 is provided with two notches 76 that are a U-shape cut in plan view made inward (forward) (refer to FIG. 5). A projection portion 66 of the cable holding member 60, which is described below, fits in the notch 76.

When the terminal support 70 is mounted on the housing 20, flat bottom surfaces of the pair of terminal supports 70A and 70B are brought into contact with each other first. A gap where a contacted object, for example, the mating protruding portion provided in the mating hole of the counterpart connector device is inserted can be formed between a contact 11d of the terminal 11 supported by the terminal support 70A and a contact 11d of the terminal 11 supported by the terminal support 70B when the pair of terminal supports 70A and 70B are brought into contact with each other. The distal end 11f of the terminal 11 that forms the contact 11d is configured in such a manner as to be elastically displaceable in the up-and-down direction, that is, the “z” direction to be brought into elastic contact with the contacted object (refer to FIG. 7). The pair of terminal supports 70A and 70B that are in contact with each other is then mounted as it is on the housing 20 along a direction parallel to the contact surfaces. Specifically, left and right side surfaces 71 of the terminal support 70 are slid on the housing 20 along guide grooves 26c provided in inner walls of the plate-shaped side walls 26 to guide the terminal support 70 to a predetermined position of the housing 20. As a result, lock projection portions 71a provided on the side surfaces 71 of the terminal support 70 fit in lock holes 26b provided in the plate-shaped side walls 26 of the housing 20 to lock the terminal support 70 to the housing 20 (refer to FIG. 5).

The cable cold-welding portion 11b extends in the same direction as the rising portion 75, that is, “z” on the upper surface 77a of the main body 77 of the terminal support 70. Each of the plurality of terminals 11 includes the cable cold-welding portion 11b. The plurality of cable cold-welding portions 11b is placed in lines in the “y” direction. In the embodiment, five cable cold-welding portions 11b arranged in “y” are staggered in the “x” direction (refer to FIGS. 4 and 5). A distal end portion of the cable cold-welding portion 11b has a slit between bifurcations thereof. Each of the cables 5 held by the cable holding member 60 is press-fitted in the slit of the distal end portion of the cable cold-welding portion 11b. An outer sheath 5b of the cable 5 is cut in the slit of the distal end portion of the cable cold-welding portion 11b upon press-fitting. As a result, an inner conductor 5a (refer to, for example, FIG. 12) such as a core wire is caught in the slit of the distal end portion of the cable cold-welding portion 11b, and the cable 5 and the terminal 11 are brought into conduction. Consequently, the plurality of cable cold-welding portions 11b are physically and electrically coupled to the plurality of wiring portions 11e, respectively.

FIGS. 8 to 11 illustrate the state of the cable holding member 60 before the cables 5 are mounted, in perspective view. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the front of the cable holding member 60 in such a state as viewed from above. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the front of the cable holding member 60 as viewed from below. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the rear of the cable holding member 60 of FIG. 8 as viewed from above. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the rear of the cable holding member 60 as viewed from below.

The cable holding member 60 mainly includes the substantially cuboid main body 67, and a cantilever arm portion 61. The cable holding member 60 is integrally molded with resin.

A plurality of through-holes 63 is provided along the front-and-rear direction “x” in the main body 67 of the cable holding member 60 to enable holding the cables 5. Each through-hole 63 is provided with an opening portion 63b on the front side, that is, on one end side (n) being a side that is connected to the counterpart connector device, and is provided with an opening portion 63a on the rear side, that is, on the other end side (m) being a side opposite to the one end side (n) in the font-and-rear direction “x”. The cable 5 can be inserted through the cable holding member 60 via the opening portions 63b and 63a along the insertion direction “x1”. As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the through-hole 63 has a semicircular or quadrantal cross section near the opening portion 63a on the other end side (m). In other words, on the other end side (m), the through-hole 63 includes only the bottom side, that is, a cable mounting portion 63c where the cable 5 is placed, and opens to the upper side. The open portion above the cable mounting portion 63c (which may be referred to below as the upper open portion of the cable mounting portion 63c) can be covered by a part (a second portion 65d) of a cover portion 65 described below). In other words, the upper part of the through-hole 63 can be completely closed by the part (the second portion 65d) of the cover portion 65 described below. The inside diameter of the through-hole 63 is set substantially the same, or slightly less than, the outside diameter of the cable 5. Consequently, an outer surface of the cable 5 is caught on an inner surface of the through-hole 63. Therefore, it is configured in such a manner as to be able to prevent the cable 5 from coming out of the through-hole 63. In the embodiment, the plurality of through-holes 63 is provided. However, the number of the through-holes 63 is not necessarily more than one, but may be only one.

The cover portion 65 is a plate-shaped member being a part of the main body 67 of the cable holding member 60, and is provided in such a manner as to be bendable along a bend portion 65e relative to the main body 67. As illustrated in the embodiment, the thickness of the bend portion 65e may be set less than the thickness around the bend portion 65e by use of, for example, a step portion 650 to enable and/or facilitate bending. The step portion 650 may include a first step portion 651 that is located on the other end side (m) and is relatively thick, and a second step portion 652 that is located on the one end side (n) and is relatively thin.

The cover portion 65 as a whole has a substantial L shape in side view in any cross section in a direction orthogonal to a direction along the bend portion 65e, that is, the width direction “y”, in other words, in any “x-z” plane. In the width direction “y”, the width of, for example, a plate-shaped first portion 65c that forms a part of the substantial L shape, is set less than the width of, for example, a plate-shaped second portion 65d that forms another part of the substantial L shape. The first portion 65c is coupled along the width direction “y” to a part of one end of the second portion 65d. The other end of the second portion 65d is coupled to an upper surface 67a of the main body 67 in such a manner as to be bendable along the bend portion 65e relative to the main body 67. In a state where the cover portion 65 is not bent relative to the main body 67 of the cable holding member 60, the second portion 65d of the cover portion 65 rises at the bend portion 65e at an angle of approximately 90 degrees relative to the upper surface 67a of the main body 67 (refer to, for example, FIGS. 8 and 10).

Next, a description is given of when the second portion 65d of the cover portion 65 is bent at the bend portion 65e or a vicinity thereof in a direction of approaching the main body 67 (a “θ” direction). When the cover portion 65 is bent as described above, the first portion 65c covers a plane that intersects with the cable insertion direction “x1” (an “y-z” plane), at the opening portion 63a or the vicinity thereof, and the second portion 65d covers a plane formed by the cable insertion direction “x1” and the “y” direction along the bend portion 65e (in an “x-y” plane), at the upper open portion of the cable mounting portion 63c of the through-hole 63, which is located closer to the one end side (n) than an opening end face 67j in a direction along the cable insertion direction “x1”.

Both of the first portion 65c and the second portion 65d are closed, and neither are provided with holes. Hence, the opening end face 67j of the opening portion 63a of the through-hole 63 is covered substantially completely by the first portion 65c in the “y-z” plane. Moreover, the upper part of the through-hole 63 (the upper open portion of the cable mounting portion 63c) is covered substantially completely by the second portion 65d in the “x-y” plane.

It is preferable that latching means be provided between the main body 67 and the cover portion 65 to maintain the bent state of the cover portion 65. In the embodiment, recessed portions 67g as recessed latch portions, and protruding portions 65a as protruding latched portions that are latched in the latch portions are provided, as the latching means, to the main body 67 and the cover portion 65, respectively. The protruding portions 65a project in a direction corresponding to the “θ” direction where the cover portion 65 is bent relative to the main body 67. On the other hand, the recessed portions 67g are indented in the direction corresponding to the “θ” direction where the cover portion 65 is bent. In order to further ensure latching, two pairs of the protruding portions 65a and the recessed portions 67g are provided in the embodiment. The pairs of the protruding portions 65a and the recessed portions 67g are simply required to be provided at positions other than the positions where the through-holes 63 are provided, on the opening end face 67j on the other end side (m) of the main body 67. In the embodiment, each pair of the protruding portion 65a and the recessed portion 67g is placed outward of the plurality of through-holes 63 in the width direction “y” being the direction where the plurality of through-holes 63 is arranged. Moreover, in order to further ensure latching, a bulging portion 65b is provided near a distal end of the protruding portion 65a, and a bulging portion 67h corresponding to the bulging portion 65b is provided near the bottom of the recessed portion 67g. Providing the bulging portions 65b and 67h allows the protruding portion 65a to be press-fitted in the recessed portion 67g upon latching of the protruding portion 65a and the recessed portion 67g. The latching means are simply required to be capable of maintaining the state where the cover portion 65 is bent relative to the main body 67. Therefore, contrary to the example of the embodiment, the recessed portion may be provided in the cover portion 65, and the protruding portion on the main body 67. Alternatively, a latching means other than the protruding portion and the recessed portion, for example, an adhesive may be used. Moreover, the protruding portion and the recessed portion are simply required to be placed at positions other than the positions where the through-holes 63 are provided. Hence, the protruding portion and the recessed portion are not necessarily placed outward of the through-holes 63 in the width direction “y” being the direction where the through-holes 63 are arranged, and may be placed in the center in the width direction “y” being the direction where the through-holes 63 are arranged, as illustrated in a modification (FIG. 16) described below.

A bottom surface 67b of the main body 67 of the cable holding member 60 is provided with insertion holes 64 where the cable cold-welding portions 11b (refer to FIG. 5) of the terminals 11 are inserted. The insertion hole 64 communicates with the through-hole 63 where the twisted-pair cable 5 is inserted to allow the cable cold-welding portion 11b inserted in through the insertion hole 64 to cut the sheath 5b of the cable 5 inserted through the through-hole 63 when the cable holding member 60 is mounted on the housing 20.

The bottom surface 67b of the main body 67 is provided with the projection portion 66 that fits in the notch 76 (refer to FIG. 5) provided in the terminal support 70 when the cable holding member 60 is mounted on the housing 20. The projection portion 66 is provided, rising on a surface on a side where the cable holding member 60 is mounted on the housing 20, that is, on the bottom surface 67b along the up-and-down direction “z”, which is a direction along a direction where the cable holding member 60 is mounted on the housing 20.

A latch projection portion 62 is provided to each of side surfaces 67c and 67d of the main body 67 on the one end side (n) in the front-and-rear direction “x”. The latch projection portions 62 are latched in latch holes 26a (refer to FIGS. 4 and 5) provided in the plate-shaped side walls 26 of the housing 20. When the cable holding member 60 is mounted on the housing 20, the latch projection portions 62 are engaged in the latch holes 26a. As a result, it is possible to latch the cable holding member 60 to the housing 20.

On the other hand, an extended portion that extends along the “x1” direction where the cable 5 is inserted toward the one end side (n) or the other end side (m) of the through-hole 63 relative to the opening end face 67j of the opening portion 63a is formed on each of the side surfaces 67c and 67d of the main body 67 on the other end side (m) in the front-and-rear direction “x”. At least a part of the arm portion 61 forms the extended portion provided to the side surface 67c (hence, the same reference numeral 61 as the arm portion 61 is assigned to the extended portion provided to the side surface 67c in the following description). The side surface 67d is provided with an extended portion 67d1. The two extended portions 61 and 67d1 are placed, facing in the width direction “y”, in such a manner as to sandwich the opening end face 67j of the opening portion 63a. An end face 61c of the extended portion 61 and an end face 67e of the extended portion 67d1 are provided in such a manner as to be located in the “y-z” plane being the plane that intersects with the “x1” direction where the cable 5 is inserted. Such end faces 61c and 67e are provided to facilitate cutting the cable 5 at a predetermined position as described below.

The arm portion 61 forming the extended portion of the side surface 67c extends downward of the bottom surface 67b along the up-and-down direction “z” being the direction along the direction where the cable holding portion 60 is mounted on the housing 20, as in the projection portion 66. A latch projection portion 61a that can be latched in a part of the main body 77 of the terminal support 70 is provided near a free end of the arm portion 61. The arm portion 61 is a portion that is used to, for example, fix the cable holding member 60 to the housing 20 as in the latch projection portion 62. The arm portion 61 is latched in a part of the main body 77 of the terminal support 70 when inserted in a hole 78 (refer to FIG. 5) formed by the housing 20 and the terminal support 70. In order to facilitate latching, the arm portion 61 is provided in such a manner as to be elastically displaceable in the thickness direction.

The cable holding member 60 is mounted on the housing 20 after the terminal support 70 is mounted on the housing 20, that is, when the housing 20 is in the state of FIGS. 4 and 5. The cable holding member 60 is mounted by, for example, the fingers or a jig after being positioned on the housing 20. For example, the cable holding member 60 can be mounted on the housing 20 by temporarily applying a pinching force to the upper surfaces 67a of the pair of opposing cable holding members 60A and 60B (refer to FIG. 4) at the same time. At this point in time, the cable 5 can be cut by the cable cold-welding portion 11b with this force, and fixed at the predetermined position of the housing 20 and the cable holding member 60.

A method for mounting the cable 5 on the cable holding member 60 is described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15. Firstly, the cable 5 is inserted through the through-hole 63 provided in the main body 67 of the cable holding member 60 as illustrated in FIG. 12. The cable 5 is inserted into the through-hole 63 through the opening portion 63b located on the one end side (n), and is taken out of the opening portion 63a located on the other end side (m). At this point in time, the cable 5 is pulled out of the through-hole 63 until the distal end of the cable 5 reaches a position that is sufficiently away in the insertion direction “x1” from the end faces 61c and 67e of the extended portions 61 and 67d1 of the side surfaces 67c and 67d of the main body 67.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the cable 5 is cut by use of the end faces 61c and 67e of the extended portions 61 and 67d1 of the side surfaces 67c and 67d. Specifically, a side surface of a blade of, for example, a box cutter is moved along the end faces 61c and 67e and in contact with both of the end faces 61c and 67e to cut the cable 5. A section “K” of the inner conductor 5a is formed. The cable 5 is cut by such a method to locate the section “K” of the inner conductor 5a of the cable 5 that is exposed to the outside on the other end side (m) at substantially the same position as the end faces 61c and 67e of the extended portions 61 and 67d1 in the front-and-rear direction “x”.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 14, the cable 5 is pulled along the front-and-rear direction “x” in an “x2” direction being a direction opposite to the insertion direction “x1” to locate the section “K” of the cable 5 at the opening end face 67j of the opening portion 63a, or the vicinity thereof. When the section “K” of the cable 5 is located near the opening portion 63a in this manner, it is preferable to locate the section “K” at a position where the cover portion 65 does not collide with the cable 5 when the cover portion 65 is subsequently rotated.

Lastly, the cover portion 65 is rotated in the direction where the second portion 65d approaches the main body 67, that is, the “θ” direction illustrated in FIG. 14. As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the first portion 65c of the cover portion 65 can cover the section “K” of the cable 5 that is located on the other end side (m) of the through-hole 63, in other words, the plane (the y-z plane) that intersects with the direction “x1” where the cable 5 is inserted, at the opening end face 67j of the opening portion 63a or the vicinity thereof. Moreover, the second portion 65d of the cover portion 65 can cover the upper part of the through-hole 63 (the upper open portion of the cable mounting portion 63c) that is located on the one end side (n) relative to the opening end face 67j of the opening portion 63a. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the production of a dielectric breakdown between the shell 30 to be subsequently mounted and the inner conductor 5a of the cable 5. The length of the second portion 65d in the width direction “y” is set slightly less than the length of the first portion 65c in the width direction “y”. Hence, even when the cover portion 65 is rotated in the “θ” direction in this manner, the first portion 65c does not collide with the extended portions 61 and 67d1 of the side surfaces 67c and 67d (refer to, for example, FIGS. 4 and 8).

FIG. 16 illustrates the modification of the cable holding member 60. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the front of the cable holding member 60 as viewed from below as in FIG. 9 of the embodiment. In FIG. 16, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same members as those of the embodiment illustrated in, for example, FIG. 1, and “−1” is added to the ends of the reference numerals of the corresponding members. In the modification, in contrast to the embodiment illustrated in, for example, FIG. 1, the cover portion 65-1 is provided with only one pair of the protruding portion 65a-1 and the recessed portion 67g-1. Moreover, the pair of the protruding portion 65a-1 and the recessed portion 67g-1 is provided in the center in a direction of the length of the cover portion 65-1, that is, in the center in the width direction “y” being the direction where the through-holes 63 are arranged to ensure a latch force.

Another modification of the cable holding member 60 is described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 25. The same reference numerals are assigned to substantially the same members as those of the embodiment illustrated in, for example, FIG. 1 in FIGS. 17 to 25, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. In the other modification, latching means are provided between the main body 67 and a cover portion 80 of the cable holding member 60 as in the modification illustrated in FIG. 16, which is different from the embodiment illustrated in, for example, FIG. 1.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the cable holding member 60 according to the other modification, corresponding to FIG. 8 of the embodiment. FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating the state of the cable holding member 60 illustrated in FIG. 17 where the cover portion has been rotated as in FIG. 15 of the embodiment. FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the cable holding member 60 according to the other modification, corresponding to FIG. 9 of the embodiment. FIG. 20 is a perspective view illustrating the state of the cable holding member 60 illustrated in FIG. 19 where the cover portion has been rotated. FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the cable holding member 60 corresponding to FIG. 10 of the embodiment. FIG. 22 is a perspective view illustrating the state of the cable holding member 60 illustrated in FIG. 21 where the cover portion has been rotated. FIG. 23 is a front view of the cable holding member 60 illustrated in, for example, FIG. 17. FIG. 24 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I in FIG. 21, FIG. 25 a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 22, and FIG. 26 a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 25.

In the other modification, protruding latch portions 90a are provided as the latching means to a convex body 90 formed as a part of the main body 67 of the cable holding member 60. Moreover, recessed latched portions 88 are provided to the cover portion 80, corresponding to the protruding latch portions 90a.

The convex body 90 has a symmetric shape in the width direction “y”, and mainly includes a main portion 93 and a rodlike body 91. The main portion 93 and the rodlike body 91 are provided in such a manner as to project from the main body 67 in the “x1” direction, or more specifically, the direction where the cover portion 80 approaches when the cover portion 80 is bent relative to the main body 67.

The main portion 93 of the convex body 90 is a substantially plate-shaped portion, and is provided in such a manner as to project in the “x1” direction beyond the opening end face 67j on the other end side (m) of the main body 67. The main portion 93 has a predetermined spread in the “x-y” plane, and has a predetermined thickness in the thickness direction “z” (in a direction orthogonal to both of the insertion direction “x1” and the “y” direction along a bend portion 80e). As is clear from, for example, FIG. 18 and the following description, an upper surface 93a of the main portion 93 can be a part of a ceiling of the cable holding member 60 when the cover portion 80 is bent relative to the main body 67. A bottom surface (a center area 92 and the latch portions 90a) of the main portion 93 faces the upper open portion of the cable mounting portion 63c. Hence, the center area 92 of the bottom surface of the main portion 93, especially in the width direction “y”, has an arch shape to not prevent the insertion of the cable 5 to be mounted on the cable mounting portion 63c. The latch portions 90a are formed as slim rectangular latch surfaces that extend along the “x-y” plane, at positions that sandwich both sides of the center area 92 in the width direction “y”. A front surface (an end face in the “x1” direction) of the main portion 93 is provided with a taper 93b in such a manner that the length of the upper surface 93a of the main portion 93 in the “x1” direction is less than the length of the bottom surface. Providing the taper 93b enables preventing the collision of the cover portion 80 with the main body 67 and latching the latch portions 90a of the main body 67 to the latched portions 88 of the cover portion 80 smoothly when the cover portion 80 is bent relative to the main body 67.

The rodlike body 91 of the convex body 90 is a substantially rodlike portion including rodlike bodies 91A and 91B. The rodlike bodies 91A and 91B are provided on both sides of the main portion 93 in the width direction “y”, respectively, and project in the “x1” direction as in the main portion 93. The magnitude of the projection is set greater than the main portion 93, and the rodlike bodies 91A and 91B are configured in such a manner as to project beyond not only the opening end face 67j on the other end side (m) of the main body 67 but also the main portion 93. As a result, the rodlike bodies 91A and 91B form extension portions that are continuous to the main portion 93 in the “x-y” plane and extend outward of the main portion 93 (forward of the main portion 93, that is, in the “x1” direction). The rodlike bodies 91A and 91B are located closer in the thickness direction “z” to the through-hole 63 and the cable mounting portion 63c than the main portion 93. As a result, an upper surface 91a of the rodlike body 91 is located below the main portion 93 in the thickness direction “z”. Outer side surfaces 91b of the rodlike bodies 91A and 91B in the width direction “y” face the upper open portion of the cable mounting portion 63c as in the center area 92 on the bottom surface of the main portion 93. Hence, the outer side surfaces 91b of the rodlike bodies 91A and 91B have an arch shape to not prevent the insertion of the cable 5 to be mounted on the cable mounting portion 63c.

The cover portion 80 has a substantial L shape in side view as in the cover portion 65 illustrated in, for example, FIG. 1 of the embodiment, and includes a first portion 80c and a second portion 80d.

The first portion 80c is provided with receiving portions 81A and 81B, corresponding to the rodlike bodies 91A and 91B. The receiving portions 81A and 81B have a recessed indentation shape along the “x1” direction in such a manner as to be able to receive the rodlike bodies 91A and 91B when the cover portion 80 is bent relative to the main body 67. The first portion 80c is further provided, near a portion coupled to the second portion 80d, with a groove 80a that causes the receiving portions 81A and 81B to communicate with each other in the width direction “y”. A latched surface that extends along the “x-y” plane can be a part of the groove 80a near each of the latch portions 90a provided on the convex body 90 when the cover portion 80 is bent relative to the main body 67. The latched portion 88 is formed, using the latched surface. It is designed in such a manner that when the cover portion 80 is bent relative to the main body 67, a latch surface of the latch portion 90a provided on the convex body 90 of the main body 67 faces the latched surface of the latched portion 88 provided to the cover portion 80, and these surfaces are brought into contact with each other. As a result, the cover portion 80 is latched to the main body 67.

The second portion 80d is provided with a through-hole 94a penetrating the cover portion 80 in the thickness direction “z”, using a slit 94. In the modification, the through-hole 94a has a substantially rectangular shape as illustrated in FIG. 21. However, the shape of the through-hole 94a is not limited to this shape. The main portion 93 of the convex body 90 has a shape matching the through-hole 94a in the “x-y” plane, and is set in dimensions smaller than the through-hole 94a. Hence, when the cover portion 80 is bent relative to the main body 67, the main portion 93 enters the through-hole 94a in the thickness direction “z”. In other words, the main portion 93 of the convex body 90 coincides with the through-hole 94a in at least a part of the area in the “x-y” plane with the cover portion 80 bent relative to the main body 67 (refer to FIGS. 18 and 22). Therefore, the through-hole 94a is blocked.

As described above, the rodlike bodies 91A and 91B are formed as the extension portions extending outward of the main portion 93 in the “x-y” plane. Moreover, the rodlike bodies 91A and 91B are located closer to the cable mounting portion 63c than the main portion 93 in the thickness direction “z”. Hence, when the cover portion 80 is bent relative to the main body 67, the rodlike bodies 91A and 91B completely block, in the “x-y” plane, a gap created by the slit 94 that is formed in the second portion 80d to provide the through-hole 94a.

Furthermore, the rodlike bodies 91A and 91B formed as the extension portions have the function of increasing a creepage distance. In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 26, a gap “G” is formed, for example, between the upper surfaces 91a of the rodlike bodies 91A and 91B and the cover portion 80 in such a manner as to separate the main portion 93 and the rodlike bodies 91A and 91B from the cover portion 80 even when the cover portion 80 is bent relative to the main body 67. As a result, an electric signal that has entered the cable holding member 60 through, for example, the slit 94 flows through the upper surface 91a of the rodlike body 91 and then through the arch-shaped side surface 91b. Hence, it is possible to reduce the possibility of an adverse effect on the cable 5. As described with reference to, for example, FIG. 7, the cable holding member 60 is covered by the shell 30 during actual use. Therefore, there is a high possibility of an adverse effect on the cable 5. However, the above configuration allows completely blocking the slit 94 in the “x-y” plane. Therefore, it is possible to effectively remove or reduce such an adverse effect.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. Other various modifications can be made to the present disclosure. For example, in the embodiment, the bendable cover portion 65 is provided as a part of the main body 67. However, the cover portion 65 is simply required to be capable of covering one end of the cable 5 to prevent a dielectric breakdown, and is not necessarily provided as a part of the main body 67. Moreover, there is no need to make the cover portion 65 bendable, either. Strictly speaking, the cover portion 65 is simply required to be provided as a covering member that can cover the opening end face 67j of the opening portion 63a or the vicinity thereof and prevent a dielectric breakdown. Hence, for example, the cover portion 65 may be connected to the main body 67 with a hinge separately from the main body 67. Moreover, if the above object can be achieved, the shape of the cover portion 65 or the covering member is not particularly limited, and does not necessarily have a plate shape. The thickness at, for example, the bend portion is not limited, either. For example, the cover portion 65 may have a rounded shape, or a shape with a thickness. In this manner, the drawings and description of the present application are simply exemplifications. The present disclosure is not limited to the drawings and description.

It is clear that those skilled in the art related to the present disclosure can easily devise many amended forms or other embodiments of the present disclosure with the assistance of the teaching in the above description and that those skilled in the art can modify and amend the present disclosure without departing from the scope or gist of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiment disclosed, and that the amended forms and other embodiments are intended to be included in the scope of the accompanying claims. Specific terms are used in the specification, and are used not for limitation purpose but simply with general and explanatory meanings.

The foregoing detailed description has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the subject matter described herein to the precise form disclosed. Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims appended hereto.

Number	Date	Country	Kind
2021-034981	Mar 2021	JP	national
2022-005464	Jan 2022	JP	national

CABLE HOLDING MEMBER AND CABLE CONNECTOR DEVICE INCLUDING CABLE HOLDING MEMBER

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Priority Claims (2)