This application is based on and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-156359, filed on Sep. 27, 2021, with the Japan Patent Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
The technology disclosed herein relates to coaxial connectors.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2019-153464 discloses an example of a coaxial connector that includes an outer housing (“housing”) in which a terminal receiving chamber (“terminal receiving portion”) is formed to receive a jack (“terminal”) connected to a terminal of a coaxial cable, and a retainer attached to the outer housing to engage with (i.e., retain) the jack within the terminal receiving chamber. The jack has a circular rim (“flange portion”) protruding circumferentially outward from the external contact, the external housing has a housing lance that retains the circular rim of the terminal received in the terminal receiving chamber, and the retainer includes engaging claws (“abutment portion”) that are formed so as to be insertable into engaging holes (“retainer insertion holes”) formed in the external housing and are for retaining the flange portion.
For example, in a coaxial connector used in a location where an external force is applied to the cable during use, such as in a vehicle door, the terminal in the terminal receiving portion of the housing may be inadvertently rotated, causing the terminal contacts to rub against each other and become worn. To avoid this, some housings are provided with a stopper (“whirl-stop”) to prevent the rotation of the terminal. A greater number of components and assembly steps are required for coaxial connectors in which a stopper is attached to the housing in addition to a retainer that retains and holds the terminal in the normal position. In addition, the formation of multiple insertion holes in the housing may reduce the strength of the connector, and also reduces the degree of freedom in the connector design.
The technology disclosed herein was completed in view of the situation described above, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a coaxial connector with a simple configuration that can hold the terminal in the normal position in the terminal receiving portion while preventing rotation of the terminal.
A coaxial connector disclosed herein includes: a housing including a terminal receiving portion into which a terminal connected to a coaxial cable is insertable from behind; and a retainer configured to be attached to the housing, wherein the terminal includes: a crimp portion crimped to have a polygonal cross-sectional shape, and a flange portion located forward of the crimp portion in an insertion direction of the terminal when the terminal has been inserted in the terminal receiving portion, the flange portion protruding circumferentially outward beyond the crimp portion, the housing includes a retainer insertion hole that passes through a wall of the terminal receiving portion in a direction intersecting the insertion direction of the terminal, the retainer includes: a fitting portion configured to be fitted around the crimp portion of the terminal including at least one corner of the crimp portion in an attached state in which the terminal has been received in the terminal receiving portion in a normal position and the retainer has been inserted into the retainer insertion hole and attached in an engagement position, an abutment portion configured to be in abutment with the flange portion of the terminal from behind in the attached state, and a recess formed between the fitting portion and the abutment portion to set back the fitting portion toward an outer circumferential face of the terminal in the attached state.
According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a coaxial connector with a simple configuration that can hold the terminal in the normal position in the terminal receiving portion while preventing rotation of the terminal.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here.
First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.
(1) A coaxial connector of the present disclosure includes: a housing including a terminal receiving portion into which a terminal connected to a coaxial cable is insertable from behind; and a retainer configured to be attached to the housing, wherein the terminal includes: a crimp portion crimped to have a polygonal cross-sectional shape, and a flange portion located forward of the crimp portion in an insertion direction of the terminal when the terminal has been inserted in the terminal receiving portion, the flange portion protruding circumferentially outward beyond the crimp portion, the housing includes a retainer insertion hole that passes through a wall of the terminal receiving portion in a direction intersecting the insertion direction of the terminal, the retainer includes: a fitting portion configured to be fitted around the crimp portion of the terminal including at least one corner of the crimp portion in an attached state in which the terminal has been received in the terminal receiving portion in a normal position and the retainer has been inserted into the retainer insertion hole and attached in an engagement position, an abutment portion configured to be in abutment with the flange portion of the terminal from behind in the attached state, and a recess formed between the fitting portion and the abutment portion to set back the fitting portion toward an outer circumferential face of the terminal in the attached state.
According to the configuration described in section (1) above, the rotation of the terminal is prevented as the fitting portion serves as a whirl-stop, and the terminal is prevented from slipping out from behind as the abutment portion serves as a retaining portion. As the retainer includes both the fitting portion and the abutment portion, the terminal may be prevented from rotating and slipping out simply by attaching the retainer. Note that, in a terminal in which a crimp portion is formed by crimping, at the rear of the flange portion, terminal fittings set around the coaxial cable, an incomplete crimp portion is formed that has a larger diameter than the crimp portion. In this regard, as the foregoing configuration has the recess between the abutment portion and the fitting portion of the retainer, and the recess serves as a relief for the incomplete crimp portion, the fitting portion can fit around the crimp portion without interference with the incomplete crimp portion. As a result, due to its simple configuration, the coaxial connector can maintain the terminal in the normal position in the terminal receiving portion while preventing rotation of the terminal.
(2) In the coaxial connector of the present disclosure, the retainer preferably includes an inclined portion formed on a retainer insertion end of the abutment portion, the inclined portion being inclined rearward while extending in a direction in which the retainer is inserted.
When the retainer is inserted through the retainer insertion hole with the terminal in a partially inserted position behind the normal position in the terminal receiving portion, the insertion end of the abutment portion initially comes into abutment with the radially protruding flange portion. According to the configuration described in section (2) above, as the rearward inclined portion is provided on this end, if the retainer is further pushed in, the flange portion is pressed forward by the inclined portion to move the terminal forward to the normal position. In this way, simply by plugging the retainer to the engagement position, the terminal may be moved from the partially inserted position to the normal position to be received in the housing.
(3) In the coaxial connector of the present disclosure, preferably, the retainer has a structure that is symmetrical about a longitudinal center plane when the retainer is attached to the housing.
According to the foregoing coaxial connector described in section (3) above, work efficiency is improved as the retainer can be attached without giving consideration to its front and rear orientation. Additionally, as the retainer can be used in either of the male and female coaxial connectors for receiving the male terminal and the female terminal, respectively, which are connected end-to-end, common parts can be used to facilitate parts control.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter. The present invention is not limited by these examples, but rather is indicated by the appended claims, and all changes that come within the claims and a meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be encompassed within the scope of the invention.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to
In the present disclosure, the side of the coaxial connector opposite to the partner coaxial connector, i.e., the left side of the coaxial connector shown in
Connector Structure
As shown in
Housing
As shown in
Coaxial Cable
The coaxial cables C1 and C2, for example, have an inner conductor, a dielectric that surrounds the inner conductor, an outer conductor that is made of braided wire and other materials and surrounds the dielectric, and an insulator that covers the outer conductor. The coaxial terminal connected to the terminalized coaxial cable includes, for example, a center contact connected to the inner conductor, an insulator holding the center contact, an outer contact holding the insulator, and a metal sleeve crimped to the outer conductor.
Terminal
The terminal T100 (T200) includes a crimp portion T111 (T211) crimped to the coaxial cable C1 (C2) at the proximal end, a cylindrical distal portion T121 (T221) connected at the distal end to the partner terminal, a flange portion T131 (T231) located forward of the crimp portion T111 (T211) and protruding circumferentially therefrom. Provided between the flange portion T131 (T231) and the distal portion T121 (T221) is a front flange portion T132 (T232) protruding so as to have approximately the same diameter as the flange portion T131 (T231).
The distal portion T221 of the female terminal T200 is formed to substantially tightly fit around the distal portion T121 of the male terminal T100. When the coaxial connector 1, which receives the male terminal T100 in the normal position, and the coaxial connector 2, which receives the female terminal T200 in the normal position, are fitted together, the distal portion T121 of the male terminal T100 is inserted into the distal portion T221 of the female terminal T200, bringing, for example, the center contacts held in the distal portions T121 and T221 into contact with each other to electrically connect the two terminals T100 and T200.
The crimp portion T111 (T211) is crimped to the coaxial cable C1 (C2) by setting terminal fittings around the outer peripheries of the terminalized coaxial cable C1 (C2) and then crimping the terminal fittings at the rear of the flange portion T131 (T231) so as to have a polygonal cross-sectional shape. The present embodiment shows an example in which the portion T111 (T211) is crimped to form a hexagon in cross-section. In the present embodiment, the crimp portion T111 of the male terminal T100 and the crimp portion T211 of the female terminal of T200 have the same external shape.
If the crimp portion T111 (T211) is crimped as described above, it is difficult to crimp the section all the way up to the border with the flange portion T131 (T231). Therefore, as shown in
Retainer
As shown in
As shown in
The retainer 50 has a structure that is symmetrical about the longitudinal center plane P shown in
Attachment of Retainer
The following describes how the retainer 50 is attached to the housing 10 in the engagement position with reference to
As shown in
As shown in
At this time, as shown in
Effects of the present embodiment will be described hereafter.
The coaxial connector 1 of the present embodiment includes the housing 10 having the terminal receiving portion 15 provided therein into which the terminal T100 connected to the coaxial cable C1 is inserted from behind, and the retainer 50 attached to the housing 10. The terminal T100 includes the crimp portion T111 crimped to form a polygonal circumferential shape, and the flange portion T131 located forward of the crimp portion T111 when the terminal T100 is inserted in the terminal receiving portion 15, the flange portion formed to protrude circumferentially outward beyond the crimp portion T111. The housing 10 includes a retainer insertion hole 19 that passes through a wall of the terminal receiving portion 15 in a direction intersecting the direction in which the terminal T100 is inserted. The retainer includes a fitting portion 53A fitted around the crimp portion T111 of the terminal T100 including at least one corner of the crimp portion T111 when the terminal T100 is received in the normal position in the terminal receiving portion 15 and the retainer 50 is inserted through the retainer insertion hole 19 and attached in an engagement position, the abutment portion 50A in abutment with the flange portion T131 of the terminal T100 from behind when the terminal T100 is in the normal position and the retainer 50 is in the engagement position, and the recess 53B formed between the fitting portion 53A and the abutment portion 50A to set back the fitting portion 53A toward the outer circumferential surface of the terminal T100 when the terminal T100 is in the normal position and the retainer is in the engagement position.
According to the coaxial connector 1 of the present embodiment, the rotation of the terminal T100 is prevented as the fitting portion 53A serves as a whirl-stop, and the terminal T100 is prevented from slipping out from behind as the abutment portion 50A serves as a retaining portion. As the retainer 50 includes both the fitting portion 53A and the abutment portion 50A, the terminal T100 may be prevented from rotating and slipping out simply by attaching the retainer 50. Note that, in a terminal in which a crimp portion T111 is formed by crimping, at the rear of the flange portion T131, terminal fittings set around the coaxial cable C1, the crimping is performed by gradually reducing the crimp stress on the coaxial cable C1 toward the border with the flange portion T131 in order to prevent the breakage of the cable in the crimp portion T111. Therefore, an incomplete crimp portion T141 (also known as a bell mouth) with a larger diameter than the crimp portion T111 is formed between the flange portion T131 and the crimp portion T111. In this regard, as the foregoing configuration has the recess 53B between the abutment portion 50A and the fitting portion 53A of the retainer 50, and the recess 53B serves as a relief for the incomplete crimp portion T141, the fitting portion 53A can fit around the crimp portion T111 while avoiding interference with the incomplete crimp portion T141. As a result, the simply configured coaxial connector 1 is provided that can maintain the terminal T100 in the normal position in the terminal receiving portion 15 while preventing the rotation of the terminal T100.
Moreover, in the coaxial connector 1 of the present embodiment, the retainer 50 includes the legs 53 bifurcating downward in the direction of insertion of the retainer 50 toward the housing 10. Additionally, the abutment portion 50A is formed on the front surface of the legs 53, the fitting portion 53A is formed on the insertion side of the retainer between the legs 53, and the front side of the fitting portion 53A is cut away to form a recess 53B so that the front side of the fitting portion 53A is set back toward the circumference of the terminal T100.
Furthermore, in the coaxial connector 1 of the present embodiment, the retainer 50 has inclined portions 53C formed on the retainer insertion end of the abutment portion 50A, the inclined portions 53C being inclined rearward in the direction in which the retainer is inserted.
When the retainer 50 is inserted through the retainer insertion hole 19 with the terminal T100 in a partially inserted position behind the normal position, the insertion end of the abutment portion 50A initially comes into abutment with the radially protruding flange portion T131. According to the coaxial connector 1 of the present embodiment, as the rearward inclined portions 53C are provided on this end, if the retainer 50 is further pushed in, the flange portion T131 is pressed forward by the inclined portions 53C to move the terminal T100 forward to the normal position. In this way, simply by plugging the retainer 50 to the engagement position, the terminal T100 may be moved from the partially inserted position to the normal position to be received in the housing.
Moreover, in the coaxial connector 1 of the present embodiment, the retainer 50 has a structure that is symmetrical about the longitudinal center plane P when the retainer 50 is attached to the housing 10.
According to the foregoing coaxial connector 1, work efficiency is improved as the retainer 50 can be attached without giving consideration to its front and rear orientation. Additionally, as the retainer 50 can be used in either of the male and female coaxial connectors 1, 2 for receiving the male terminal T100 and the female terminal T200, respectively, which are connected end-to-end, common parts can be used to facilitate parts control.
The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment described in connection with the foregoing description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments also fall under the technical scope disclosed in the present invention.
(1) Although the coaxial connector of the foregoing embodiment is described as receiving one terminal, the present invention is not limited to this. In a coaxial connector that receives a plurality of terminals and to which one retainer is attached, the terminals may be prevented from being inadvertently rotated or slipping out by providing the retainer with a plurality of abutment portions (retaining portions), a plurality of fitting portions (whirl-stops), and a plurality of recesses (relief portions).
(2) The housing described in the foregoing embodiment is merely an example, and it may be formed differently from the above. The coaxial connectors of the present invention are not limited to those with connector structures having male and female connectors.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the various exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2021-156359 | Sep 2021 | JP | national |