Patent Application
20240088581
The present invention relates to a connector for a shielded electric wire for connecting a shielded electric wire therethrough, and a wire harness with the connector provided at an end thereof.
Conventionally, in many cases, a connector for a shielded electric wire for connecting a shielded electric wire therethrough has a grounding structure for grounding a braid of the shielded electric wire to a metal panel constituting a connection target (for example, see JP 2019-9010 A). In the connector described in JP 2019-9010 A, a housing fixed to the metal panel of the connection target is made of metal, and the braid of the shielded electric wire is grounded to the metal panel via the metal housing.
Here, in order to make it easy to manufacture housings, many housings are made of resins, and the housings made of resins may be adopted for certain connectors. It is usual that such a type of connector includes a shield terminal that grounds a braid to a metal panel of a connection target. As the shield terminal, there has been known a shield terminal formed in a tubular shape, with an end thereof being formed in a leaf spring shape, while being connected to the braid exposed from the shielded electric wire to cover the braid. In such a shield terminal, the leaf spring portion is in spring contact with an inner surface of a through hole for inserting a wire provided in the metal panel of the connection target, thereby grounding the braid to the metal panel.
Here, the shield terminal having the leaf spring structure described above is preferably in spring contact with the inner surface of the through hole with uniform contact pressure in a circumferential direction. To this end, it is preferable that the connector is fixed to the metal panel of the connection target in such a manner that a central axis of the tubular shield terminal does not deviate from a central axis of the through hole. However, the connector may be fixed to the metal panel of the connection target in a biased state or in an inclined state due to an influence of an error that occurs when a component is manufactured or the like. In such a case, an axis of the shield terminal may be offset with respect to the through hole, resulting in non-uniformity in contact pressure of the shield terminal in the circumferential direction with respect to the inner surface of the through hole, which may cause an increase ground resistance of the braid.
Therefore, focusing on the above-described problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector capable of suppressing non-uniformity in contact pressure of a shield terminal in a circumferential direction with respect to an inner surface of a through hole. Another object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness with such a connector for a shielded electric wire provided at an end thereof.
In order to solve the above-described problem, a connector for a shielded electric wire includes: a housing that is a tubular resin member configured to allow a shielded electric wire electromagnetically shielded by a braid to be inserted through the resin member, and is configured to be fixed to a connection target in such a manner that one end opening thereof communicates with a through hole provided in a metal panel constituting the connection target, and one end portion of the shielded electric wire extending from the one end opening passes through the through hole;
In addition, in order to solve the above-described problem, a wire harness includes: the above-described connector; and a shielded electric wire electromagnetically shielded by a braid, the shielded electric wire extending from the housing with the connector terminal being provided at an end thereof.
According to the above-described connector and wire harness, it is possible to suppress non-uniformity in contact pressure of the shield terminal in the circumferential direction with respect to the inner surface of the through hole.
Hereinafter, a connector for a shielded electric wire, and a wire harness will be described.
The wire harness 1 illustrated in
The connector 1a is a two-terminal straight connector, and has a structure in which the two shielded electric wires 1b are inserted into a housing 11 formed of a resin in a double-tube type, and a connector terminal 12 is connected to an end of each shielded electric wire 1b. Here, the shielded electric wire 1b extending from the connector 1a and constituting the wire harness 1 is a wire electromagnetically shielded by a braid 1b-3 as illustrated in
In addition to the housing 11, the connector terminal 12, and the shield terminal 13 described above in outline, the connector 1a includes the following members. That is, the connector 1a includes a front holder 141, a rear holder 142, a support member 15, a first packing 161 (sealing member), a second packing 162, a shield ring 17, a protective material 18, and a shield sleeve 19. Hereinafter, these members will be described with reference to
As described above, the housing 11 is a double-tube resin member into which the shielded electric wires 1b are inserted. The housing 11 is fixed to the connection target M in such a manner that one end opening 111a thereof communicates with a through hole M11 provided in the metal panel M1 of the connection target M, and one end portion of the shielded electric wire 1b extending from the one end opening 111a passes through the through hole M11. In addition, the housing 11 includes a pair of tubular main body portions 111 and a flange 112 having a substantially rectangular shape as viewed in front thereof, the flange 112 being formed over the ends of the main body portions 111 on the side where the connector terminals 12 are installed and spreading outward from the ends of the main body portions 111. In addition, each of the shielded electric wires 1b is inserted in each of the main body portions 111. That is, the two shielded electric wires 1b are inserted in the housing 11. The flange 112 is a portion that is fixed to the metal panel M1 of the connection target M in a surface-pressed manner. The one end openings 111a of the pair of main body portions 111 are disposed at the flange 112, and the connector terminal 12 is fixed to the end of the shielded electric wire 1b extending from each of the one end openings 111a. In addition, the flange 112 has a pair of attachment holes 112a formed to penetrate therethrough in a plate thickness direction at diagonal positions as viewed in front thereof. Bolts (not illustrated) are inserted into the attachment holes 112a, and the flange 112 is fixed to the metal panel M1 by the bolts, and thereby, the connector 1a is connected to the connection target M.
The connector terminal 12 is a terminal metal fitting connected to a terminal portion inside the connection target M, and includes a connecting portion 121 having a flat plate shape and a crimped portion 122 provided at an end of the connecting portion 121 on the housing 11 side. The connecting portion 121 is a portion connected to the terminal portion by bolt fastening. The crimped portion 122 is a portion crimped while having the core wire 1b-1 in the exposed state.
The shield terminal 13 is a metal tube externally mounted on the shielded electric wire 1b, and a braid-connected portion 131 provided on one end side thereof is sheathed on and connected in a caulked manner to the folded portion 1b-5 of the braid 1b-3, as will be described later. Then, a leaf spring 132 that generates a biasing force in a radially expanding direction D11 is formed by folding the shield terminal 13 outward on the other end side thereof, and the leaf spring 132 is in contact with an inner surface of the through hole M11 of the metal panel M1 so as to press the inner surface of the though hole M11 and to thus ground the braid 1b-3 to the metal panel M1.
The front holder 141 is a tubular member made of a resin. When the side on which the shielded electric wire 1b is connected to the connector terminal 12 is defined as a front side and the side opposite to the front side is defined as a rear side, the front holder 141 closes a space between the through hole M11 of the metal panel M1 and the shielded electric wire 1b on the front side of the housing 11. The front holder 141 includes a large-diameter portion 141a that closes an outlet of the connection target M on an inner side thereof in the through hole M11, and a small-diameter portion 141b that is inserted between the inner side of the leaf spring 132 of the shield terminal 13 and the shielded electric wire 1b. The small-diameter portion 141b supports pressure of the leaf spring 132 against the inner surface of the through hole M11 from a central axis G11 side of the through hole M11.
The rear holder 142 is a tubular member made of a resin, and is a member that closes a space between a rear-side opening of the main body portion 111 of the housing 11 and the shielded electric wire 1b.
The support member 15 is a resin ring externally mounted on the shield terminal 13 to be adjacent to the leaf spring 132 on the side opposite to the connector terminal 12. The support member 15 is disposed in such a manner that the leaf spring 132 is sandwiched between the support member 15 and the large-diameter portion 141a of the front holder 141 in an axial direction D12, and the support member 15 is sandwiched between the leaf spring 132 and a first packing 161 to be described later. In addition, the support member 15 is disposed in such a manner that the shield terminal 13 is sandwiched between the support member 15 and the small-diameter portion 141b of the front holder 141 in a radial direction D13. Also, the support member 15 is disposed inside the through hole M11 in such a manner that an outer circumferential edge 15a thereof is in contact with the inner surface of the through hole M11, thereby suppressing an offset of the central axis G12 of the shield terminal 13 with respect to a central axis G11 of the through hole M11 of the metal panel M1.
In the present embodiment, the support member 15 includes a tubular portion 151 inserted into a folded side of the leaf spring 132 of the shield terminal 13, and a flange portion 152 protruding from an opening edge of the tubular portion 151 on the side opposite to the leaf spring 132. By having these portions, the support member 15 has an L-shaped cross section in the axial direction D12, and is in contact with the inner surface of the through hole M11 at the outer circumferential edge 15a of the flange portion 152. The support member 15 is disposed in such a manner that the flange portion 152 faces an end 161a of the first packing 161 facing the leaf spring 132.
In the present embodiment, the large-diameter portion 141a of the front holder 141 is disposed in such a manner that the leaf spring 132 of the shield terminal 13 is sandwiched between the large-diameter portion 141a and the support member 15. Together with the outer circumferential edge 15a of the support member 15, an outer circumferential surface of the large-diameter portion 141a of the front holder 141 is in contact with the inner surface of the through hole M11, thereby contributing to suppressing an offset of the central axis G12 of the shield terminal 13 with respect to the central axis G11 of the through hole M11 of the metal panel M1.
The first packing 161 is a sealing member formed of an elastic resin in a tubular shape to seal between the main body portion 111 and the object inserted in the through hole M11 from an inner surface of the main body portion 111 of the housing 11 to the inner surface of the through hole M11. At this time, the first packing 161 performs sealing while avoiding a portion where the inner surface of the through hole M11 and the leaf spring 132 are in contact with each other.
The second packing 162 is a sealing member formed of an elastic resin in a tubular shape on the rear side of the main body portion 111 of the housing 11 to seal between the inner surface of the main body portion 111 and the shielded electric wire 1b together with the first packing 161. The second packing 162 performs sealing in a state where a shield sleeve 19 to be described later is sandwiched between the first packing 161 and the second packing 162. On the rear side, the first packing 161 seals between the inner surface of the main body portion 111 and the shield sleeve 19, and the second packing 162 seals between an inner surface of the shield sleeve 19 and the shielded electric wire 1b.
The shield ring 17 is a metal tubular member for connecting the braid-connected portion 131, which is a tubular portion of the shield terminal 13 other than the leaf spring 132, to the folded portion 1b-5 of the braid 1b-3 in a caulked manner. Here, a braid-connected portion 191 of the shield sleeve 19 is inserted into a portion caulked by the shield ring 17 between the folded portion 1b-5 of the braid 1b-3 and the second sheath 1b-4. The shield ring 17 is externally mounted on a portion where the braid-connected portion 191 of the shield sleeve 19, the folded portion 1b-5 of the braid 1b-3, and the braid-connected portion 131 of the shield terminal 13 are stacked to caulk that portion by reducing its diameter.
The protective material 18 is a tube member formed of a resin in a tubular shape and interposed between the first packing 161 and the portion caulked by the shield ring 17 to protect the first packing 161 from the caulked portion that is a metal stack.
The shield sleeve 19 is a metal tubular member to be inserted into the rear side of the main body portion 111. As described above, the shield sleeve 19 includes the braid-connected portion 191 which is connected to the folded portion 1b-5 of the braid 1b-3 in a caulked manner, together with the braid-connected portion 131 of the shield terminal 13, by the shield ring 17. The shield sleeve 19 includes a packing holding portion 192 having a larger diameter than the braid-connected portion 191 for the second packing 162 to be fitted thereinto, and a holder holding portion 193 having a larger diameter than the packing holding portion 192 to hold the rear holder 142.
According to the connector 1a and the wire harness 1 described above, the support member 15 made of a resin ring is externally mounted on the shield terminal 13 adjacent to the leaf spring 132. Also, the outer circumferential edge 15a of the support member 15 is in contact with the inner surface of the through hole M11 for inserting a wire in the metal panel M1 of the connection target M, thereby suppressing an offset of the central axis G12 of the shield terminal 13 with respect to the central axis G11 of the through hole M11. According to the connector 1a described above, by suppressing such an offset, it is possible to suppress non-uniformity of contact pressure of the shield terminal 13 in a circumferential direction with respect to the inner surface of the through hole M11.
Here, in the present embodiment, the support member 15 is a member having an L-shaped cross section in the axial direction D12, with a tubular portion 151 inserted into the folded side of the leaf spring 132 and a flange portion 152. In addition, the support member 15 is in contact with the inner surface of the through hole M11 at the outer circumferential edge 15a of the flange portion 152. According to this configuration, since the support member 15 is in contact with the inner surface of the through hole M11 at the outer circumferential edge 15a of the flange portion 152, a contact area between the support member 15 and the inner surface of the through hole M11 can be suppressed, thereby easily a clearance between the inner surface of the through hole M and the support member 15.
In the present embodiment, the support member 15 is disposed in such a manner that the flange portion 152 of the support member 15 faces the end 161a of the first packing 161. According to this configuration, since the contact between the end 161a of the first packing 161 and the support member 15 in the axial direction D12 is surface contact through the flange portion 152, it is possible to easily restrict a movement of the support member 15 in the axial direction D12.
In the present embodiment, the braid-connected portion 131 of the shield terminal 13 is connected to the folded portion 1b-5 of the braid 1b-3 in a caulked manner through the shield ring 17. According to this configuration, the shield terminal 13 can be firmly connected in the caulked manner to the braid 1b-3 of the shielded electric wire 1b electrically and mechanically.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the protective material 18 formed of a resin in a tubular shape is interposed between the first packing 161 and the portion caulked by the shield ring 17 to protect the first packing 161 from the caulked portion. According to this configuration, since the first packing 161 is effectively protected from the caulked portion by the protective material 18, the lifespan of the component can be extended.
In the present embodiment, while the leaf spring 132 of the shield terminal 13 is sandwiched between the large-diameter portion 141a of the front holder 141 and the support member 15, the outer circumferential surface of the large-diameter portion 141a is in contact with the inner surface of the through hole M11 together with the outer circumferential edge 15a of the support member 15, thereby contributing to suppressing an offset of the axis. According to this configuration, the front holder 141 further suppresses the offset of the central axis G12 of the shield terminal 13 with respect to the central axis G11 of the through hole M11, making it possible to further suppress the non-uniformity of contact pressure of the shield terminal 13 in the circumferential direction with respect to the inner surface of the through hole M11.
Note that the above-described embodiment merely shows typical forms of the connector and the wire harness. The connector and the wire harness are not limited the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made thereto.
For example, the wire harness 1 routed in an automobile or the like is exemplified as an example of a wire harness in the above-described embodiment, but the wire harness is not limited thereto, and the specific location where the wire harness is routed is not limited.
In the above-described embodiment, as an example of a connector, the connector 1a that is a two-terminal straight connector is exemplified. However, the connector is not limited thereto, and the specific number of terminals and the like are not limited.
In the above-described embodiment, as an example of a support member, the support member 15 contacting the inner surface of the through hole M11 at the outer circumferential edge 15a of the flange portion 152 is exemplified. However, the support member is not limited thereto, and the specific shape, the form of the contact with the inner surface of the through hole and the like are not limited as long as the support member can suppress an offset of the axis by contacting the inner surface of the through hole. According to the support member 15 contacting the inner surface of the through hole M11 at the outer circumferential edge 15a of the flange portion 152, a clearance between the inner surface of the through hole M11 and the support member 15 can be easily reduced as described above.
In the present embodiment, as an example of a support member, the support member 15 disposed in such a manner that the flange portion 152 faces the end 161a of the first packing 161 is exemplified. However, the support member is not limited thereto, and the relative positional relationship of the support member with the sealing member around the wire and the like can be appropriately set. According to the support member 15 of which the flange portion 152 faces the end 161a of the first packing 161, a movement of the support member 15 in the axial direction D12 can be easily restricted as described above.
In addition, in the present embodiment, as an example of a shield terminal, the shield terminal 13 connected in a caulked manner to the folded portion 1b-5 of the braid 1b-3 through the shield ring 17 is exemplified. However, the shield terminal is not limited thereto, and any form can be adopted as a specific form of connection with the braid. According to the shield terminal 13 connected in a caulked manner to the folded portion 1b-5 of the braid 1b-3 through the shield ring 17, the shield terminal 13 can be firmly connected to the braid 1b-3 as described above.
In addition, in the present embodiment, as an example of a connector, the connector 1a in which the protective material 18 is interposed between the first packing 161 and the caulked portion to protect the first packing 161 from the caulked portion is exemplified. However, the connector is not limited thereto, and no protective material may be provided between the caulked portion and the sealing member. As described above, by providing the protective material 18 between the caulked portion and the first packing 161, the lifespan of the component can be extended.
In the present embodiment, as an example of a connector, the connector 1a in which a partial portion of the front holder 141 adjacent to the leaf spring 132 of the shield terminal 13 contributes to suppressing an offset of the axis is exemplified. However, the connector is not limited thereto, and the front holder may be away from the inner surface of the through hole in the metal panel, not contributing to suppressing an axial deviation. As described above, since the partial portion of the front holder 141 contributes to suppressing the offset of the axis, it is possible to further suppress the non-uniformity of contact pressure of the shield terminal 13 in the circumferential direction with respect to the inner surface of the through hole M11.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-146267 | Sep 2022 | JP | national |
