This application is a national phase of PCT application No. PCT/JP2020/028469, filed on 22 Jul. 2020, which claims priority from Japanese patent application No. 2019-147191, filed on 9 Aug. 2019, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a connector.
A connector described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2013-229255 (Patent Document 1 below) is, for example, known as a shield connector connected to an end of a shielded cable in which a communication signal is transmitted. This shield connector includes a shield shell having a tubular shield portion for accommodating a male terminal via an inner housing, a shield shell cover to be assembled with the shield shell, and an outer housing for accommodating the shield shell and the shield shell cover.
Housing locking claws to be locked to the outer housing are provided on shell side plate portions of the shield shell. The housing locking claws are formed by cutting and raising parts of the shell side plate portions.
If housing locking claws to be locked to an outer housing are formed by cutting and raising parts of shell side plate portions as in the shield connector of this type, through holes penetrating through the shell side plate portions are formed and external noise enters a first outer conductor (corresponding to the shield shell) and noise leaks to outside from the inside of the first outer conductor through the through holes.
Accordingly, a method for providing a covering portion for covering a tubular accommodating portion from outside by a second outer conductor (corresponding to the shield shell cover) to be assembled with the first outer conductor and locking a terminal locking portion provided on the outer housing into a fitting hole formed to penetrate through the covering portion is considered. According to this configuration, it can be prevented that external noise enters the first outer conductor from outside and noise leaks to outside from the first outer conductor.
However, since the covering portion constituting the fitting hole is generally formed of a metal plate material, the terminal locking portion is shallowly locked to an edge part of the fitting hole. Thus, a shear area of the terminal locking portion by the edge part of the fitting hole is small and an outer conductor holding force of the terminal locking portion is reduced. Further, if a large load is applied to the outer conductor in a direction separating from the outer housing, the terminal locking portion may slip and be disengaged from the fitting hole.
In this specification, a technique is disclosed which improves an outer conductor holding force while suppressing the entrance or leakage of noise into or from an outer conductor.
The present disclosure is directed to a connector to be connected to a cable in which an outer periphery of a wire is covered with a shield body, the connector including an inner conductor, an outer conductor, and a housing, wherein the inner conductor is connected to a core of the wire, the outer conductor includes a tubular connecting tube portion, a covering portion and a shield connecting portion, the connecting tube portion accommodates the inner conductor while being electrically insulated from the inner conductor, the covering portion is arranged on an outer periphery of the connecting tube portion, the shield connecting portion is connected to the shield body, the covering portion includes a fitting hole, the fitting hole is formed to penetrate through the covering portion, the housing includes an accommodating portion, the accommodating portion accommodates the outer conductor together with the inner conductor, an inner wall of the accommodating portion is formed with a terminal locking portion to be fit into the fitting hole, the covering portion includes a locked portion for retaining the outer conductor in the accommodating portion by being locked to the terminal locking portion, and the locked portion projects toward the inner wall provided with the terminal locking portion on an opening edge of the fitting hole in the covering portion.
According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve an outer conductor holding force while suppressing the entrance or leakage of noise into or from an outer conductor.
First, embodiments of the present disclosure are listed and described.
Since the locked portion projects on the opening edge of the fitting hole in the covering portion, the terminal locking portion is deeply locked to the locked portion. Further, the terminal locking portion and the locked portion can be locked without providing any hole in the connecting tube portion accommodating the inner conductor. That is, the terminal locking portion can be suppressed from slipping and being disengaged from the locked portion while the entrance or leakage of noise into or from the outer conductor is suppressed.
Further, since the terminal locking portion is deeply locked to the locked portion, a shear area of the terminal locking portion in the locked portion can be increased, for example, as compared to the case where the terminal locking portion is shallowly locked to the locked portion. That is, an outer conductor holding force in the terminal locking portion can be improved.
For example, in the case of forming a locked portion projecting from a wall plate, a method for forming the locked portion by cutting and raising a part of the wall plate is considered. However, in the case of forming the locked portion by cutting and raising the part of the wall plate, if a large load is applied in a direction to separate the outer conductor from the accommodating portion, the locked portion may be turned up and the locking of the locked portion and the terminal locking portion may be released.
However, according to the above configuration, since the inclined portion is connected to the body portion and the wall plate, it can be suppressed that the locking of the locked portion and the terminal locking portion is released such as by the turning-up of the locked portion. Further, according to the above configuration, a locking area of the terminal locking portion and the locked portion can be increased by as much as the inclined portion as compared to a locked portion formed by cutting and raising a part of a wall plate. In this way, the shear area of the terminal locking portion in the locked portion can be increased and the outer conductor holding force in the terminal locking portion can be improved.
A specific example of a connector of the present disclosure is described with reference to the following drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these illustrations and is intended to be represented by claims and include all changes in the scope of claims and in the meaning and scope of equivalents.
A first embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.
In this embodiment, a connector 10 for communication is illustrated which is installed, for example, in a vehicle such as an automotive vehicle and disposed in a wired communication path between an in-vehicle electrical component (car navigation system, ETC, monitor, etc.) in the vehicle and an external device (camera, etc.) or between in-vehicle electrical components.
[Connector 10]
The connector 10 is connectable to an unillustrated mating connector. As shown in
[Cable 11]
As shown in
In the front end of the cable 11, the sheath 16 is stripped and the shield body 15 exposed from an end of the sheath 16 is folded onto an end part of the sheath 16.
A sleeve 17 made of metal is arranged inside the shield body 15 folded onto the end part of the sheath 16. The sleeve 17 is formed into a hollow cylindrical shape by processing a metal plate material.
[Inner Conductors 20]
The inner conductor 20 is formed by processing a conductive metal plate material. As shown in
The terminal connecting portion 22 is connected to the mating terminal by the mating terminal being inserted thereinto from behind. The wire connecting portion 24 is connected to the coated wire 12 by being crimped to a core 13 and an insulation coating 14 exposed in a front end part of the coated wire 12. Thus, the inner conductor 20 is a so-called female terminal.
[Dielectric 30]
As shown in
As shown in
[Outer Conductor 50]
The outer conductor 50 is fittable and connectable to an unillustrated mating outer conductor provided in the mating connector. As shown in
[First Outer Conductor 51]
The first outer conductor 51 is formed by processing a conductive metal plate material. As shown in
The dielectric 30 can be accommodated into the connecting tube portion 52 from behind. If the dielectric 30 is accommodated into the connecting tube portion 52, the inner conductors 20 are accommodated in a state electrically insulated from the connecting tube portion 52 by the dielectric 30 as shown in
The mating outer conductor is externally fittable to a front end part of the connecting tube portion 52. As shown in
As shown in
[Second Outer Conductor 60]
The second outer conductor 60 is formed by processing a conductive metal plate material. As shown in
As shown in
The ceiling plate 62 is in the form of a flat plate larger than the connecting tube portion 52 in the lateral direction. As shown in
The fitting hole 63 is formed to penetrate in a plate thickness direction (vertical direction) through the ceiling plate 62 in a laterally central part of the ceiling plate 62. As shown in
[Locked Portion 64]
The locked portion 64 is formed by striking a part of the covering portion 61 constituting the front edge of the fitting hole 63. As shown in
As shown in
Accordingly, the locked portion 64 of this embodiment has a larger rear surface area than, for example, a locked portion formed by cutting and raising a front edge of a fitting hole in a covering portion. That is, the locked portion 64 can have a larger contact area with the terminal locking portion 83 than, for example, the locked portion formed by cutting and raising the part of the covering portion.
Further, since the pair of inclined portions 64B are connected to the body portion 64A and the ceiling plate 62 in the locked portion 64 of this embodiment, the strength of the locked portion 64 is improved as compared to the locked portion formed by cutting and raising the part of the covering portion. In this way, when the locked portion 64 and the terminal locking portion 83 are locked in the front-rear direction, the locked portion 64 can be suppressed from being turned up or broken by the terminal locking portion 83.
The bottom plate 65D is formed as a pair of barrel pieces 65 extending straight downward from the ceiling plate 62 as shown in
The bottom plate 65D is arranged below the connecting tube portion 52 by assembling the second outer conductor 60 with the first outer conductor 51 and, as shown in
[Shield Connecting Portion 66]
As shown in
The upper connecting portion 67 is crimped to the outer periphery of an upper half of the shield body 15. The plurality of crimping pieces 68 extend straight obliquely downward from the both lateral side edges of the upper connecting portion 67 to be separated from each other as shown in
A hook portion 69 folded inwardly is formed on a tip part of each crimping piece 68. As shown in
[Housing 80]
The housing 80 is made of insulating synthetic resin. As shown in
The accommodating portion 82 is formed to penetrate in the front-rear direction. The terminal locking portion 83 to be fit into the fitting hole 63 provided in the outer conductor 50 is formed on an upper inner wall 82A, which is an inner wall on an upper side of the accommodating portion 82.
[Terminal Locking Portion 83]
The terminal locking portion 83 is cantilevered obliquely to a front-lower side from the upper inner wall 82A. The terminal locking portion 83 is resiliently displaceable upward. The terminal locking portion 83 includes a locking protrusion 84 projecting downward.
In the process of inserting the outer conductor 50 into the accommodating portion 82, the locking protrusion 84 contacts the covering portion 61 of the outer conductor 50 and rides on the covering portion 61 and the locked portion 64 by the terminal locking portion 83 being resiliently displaced upward. When the outer conductor 50 is accommodated to a proper position in the accommodating portion 82, the locking protrusion 84 is fit into the fitting hole 63 as shown in
Accordingly, the locked portion 64 in the outer conductor 50 projects toward the upper inner wall 82A provided with the terminal locking portion 83 on the front opening edge of the fitting hole 63 in the covering portion 61.
As shown in
Further, the locking protrusion 84 projects downward in the terminal locking portion 83, and the locked portion 64 projects upward from the covering portion 61 toward the upper inner wall 82A provided with the terminal locking portion 83. Accordingly, with the locked portion 64 contacting the locking protrusion 84 of the terminal locking portion 83 from front as shown in
This embodiment is configured as described above. Next, functions and effects of the connector 10 are described.
For example, in the case of forming a locked portion lockable to a terminal locking portion of a housing without providing any hole in an outer conductor, a method for assembling a covering portion 106 of a second outer conductor 105 covering a connecting tube portion 103 of a first outer conductor 102 and locking a terminal locking portion 112 of a housing 110 to an edge part 108 of a fitting hole 107 formed to penetrate through the covering portion 106 as shown in
However, as shown in
Accordingly, to solve the above problem, the present inventor and other researchers found out the configuration of this embodiment as a result of diligent study. That is, this embodiment relates to the connector 10 to be connected to the cable 11, in which the outer peripheries of the coated wires (wires) 12 are covered with the shield body 15, and including the inner conductors 20, the outer conductor 50 and the housing 80. The inner conductors 20 are connected to the cores 13 of the coated wires 12, and the outer conductor 50 includes the tubular connecting tube portion 52, the covering portion 61 and the shield connecting portion 66. The connecting tube portion 52 accommodates the inner conductors 20 while being electrically insulated from the inner conductors 20, the covering portion 61 is arranged on the outer periphery of the connecting tube portion 52, the shield connecting portion 66 is connected to the shield body 15, the covering portion 61 includes the fitting hole 63 and the fitting hole 63 is formed to penetrate through the covering portion 61. The housing 80 includes the accommodating portion 82, the accommodating portion 82 accommodates the outer conductor 50 together with the inner conductors 20, the upper wall (inner wall) of the accommodating portion 82 is formed with the terminal locking portion 83 to be fit into the fitting hole 63, and the covering portion 61 includes the locked portion 64 for retaining the outer conductor 50 in the accommodating portion 82 by being locked to the terminal locking portion 83. The locked portion 64 projects toward the upper wall provided with the terminal locking portion 83 on the opening edge of the fitting hole 63 in the covering portion 61.
Since the locked portion 64 projects on the opening edge of the fitting hole 63 in the covering portion 61, the terminal locking portion 83 is deeply locked to the locked portion 64. Further, the terminal locking portion 83 and the locked portion 64 can be locked without providing any hole in the connecting tube portion 52 accommodating the inner conductors 20. In this way, the terminal locking portion 83 can be suppressed from slipping and being disengaged from the locked portion 64 while the entrance or leakage of noise into or from the outer conductor 50 is suppressed.
Further, since the terminal locking portion 83 is deeply locked to the locked portion 64, the shear distance (shear area) L1 of the terminal locking portion 83 on the edge part 108 of the fitting hole 107 can be increased, for example, as compared to the case where the terminal locking portion 112 is shallowly locked to the edge part 108 of the fitting hole 107 as shown in
Further, the covering portion 61 includes the ceiling plate (wall plate) 62 to be arranged along the connecting tube portion 52, and the locked portion 64 includes the body portion 64A projecting most in the locked portion 64 and the inclined portions 64B obliquely connected to the body portion 64A and the ceiling plate 62 as shown in
For example, in the case of forming a locked portion projecting from a ceiling plate, a method for forming the locked portion by cutting and raising a part of the ceiling plate is considered. However, in the case of the locked portion formed by cutting and raising the part of the ceiling plate, the locked portion may be turned up and the locking of the locked portion and a terminal locking portion may be released if a large load is applied to an outer conductor.
However, according to this embodiment, since the inclined portions 64B are connected to the body portion 64A and the ceiling plate 62, it can be suppressed that the locking of the locked portion 64 and the terminal locking portion 83 is released such as by the turning-up of the locked portion 64. Further, according to this embodiment, a locking area of the terminal locking portion 83 and the locked portion 64 can be increased by as much as the inclined portions 64, for example, as compared to the locked portion formed by cutting and raising the part of the ceiling plate. In this way, the shear area of the terminal locking portion 83 in the locked portion 64 can be increased and the holding force for the outer conductor 50 in the terminal locking portion 83 can be improved.
Further, since the inclined portions 64B are formed on both sides of the body portion 64A, it can be suppressed that the locking of the locked portion 64 and the terminal locking portion 83 is released such as by the turning-up of the locked portion 64 as compared to the case where an inclined portion is formed only on one side of a body portion. Further, the shear area of the terminal locking portion 83 in the locked portion 64 can be increased and the holding force for the outer conductor 50 in the terminal locking portion 83 can be improved.
The technique disclosed in this specification is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiment. For example, the following various modes are also included.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2019-147191 | Aug 2019 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2020/028469 | 7/22/2020 | WO |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2021/029200 | 2/18/2021 | WO | A |
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International Search Report dated Sep. 24, 2020 for WO 2021/029200 A1 (4 pages). |
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20220294159 A1 | Sep 2022 | US |