This application is based on and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-154204, filed on Sep. 22, 2021, with the Japan Patent Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
The technology of the present specification relates to a male connector and a connector assembly.
A known electrical connector is described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2011-198593. The electrical connector is provided with a plug connector (male connector) including an engagement portion (hood portion) projecting to one side and a receptacle connector (female connector) formed with an engagement opening (engagement cylindrical portion) that receives and houses the engagement portion. The engagement portion of the plug connector is inserted in the engagement opening of the receptacle connector from the projecting end side and engaged with the engagement opening.
With electrical connectors such as that described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2011-198593, the connector may be small and there may be not enough work space, making inserting the engagement portion in the engagement opening take a long time. To avoid such an issue, for example, a conceivable configuration includes a connector assembly with a frame attached to a female connector in which a front wall with a tapered surface is disposed on the frame on the front of an engagement cylindrical portion of the female connector, where this front wall of the frame guides the hood portion of the male connector into the engagement cylindrical portion of the female connector. However, with such a configuration in which the hood portion and the engagement cylindrical portion are formed with a shape that conforms to the external shape of the terminals housed therein, when terminals with different external shapes are used, the shape of the male connector and the female connector as well as the shape of the frame including the front wall must be changed. Thus, there is a demand for a male connector capable of easily guiding a hood portion into a female connector engagement cylindrical portion without the use of another member.
The technology disclosed in the present specification has been completed in light of the circumstances described above and is directed at providing a male connector that can easily engage with a female connector and a connector assembly provided with the same.
A male connector disclosed in the present specification includes a hood portion with a cylindrical shape that is fit into, from a projecting end side, an engagement cylindrical portion formed as an opening on a female connector, wherein the hood portion is provided with at least one guide projection portion projecting forward beyond the projecting end with an annular shape.
Also, a connector assembly disclosed in the present specification includes the male connector according to the present disclosure; and a female connector including an engagement cylindrical portion with a cylindrical shape that the hood portion fits into, wherein an inner circumferential surface of the engagement cylindrical portion is provided with a recess portion that receives and houses the guide projection portion of the male connector.
According to the present disclosure, provided is a male connector that can easily engage with a female connector and a connector assembly provided with the same.
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.
Firstly, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.
(1) A male connector according to the present disclosure includes a hood portion with a cylindrical shape that is fit into, from a projecting end side, an engagement cylindrical portion formed as an opening on a female connector, wherein the hood portion is provided with at least one guide projection portion projecting forward beyond the projecting end with an annular shape.
According to the configuration (1) described above, the hood portion is guided into the engagement cylindrical portion by the guide projection portion, enabling easy engagement. Also, by adjusting the projection length of the guide projection portion, the guide length can be discretionarily set. Because guiding can be performed without using another member of the connector assembly, with the provided connector assembly, terminals with different shapes can be used in the connector assembly by just changing the shape of the male connector and the female connector.
(2) In the male connector according to the present disclosure, preferably an outer circumferential surface of the hood portion is provided with a rib extending in a projection direction of the hood portion; and the guide projection portion is formed on a front end of the rib.
According to the configuration (2) described above, because of the rib, the strength of the hood portion is improved and the hood portion can be smoothly and easily inserted into the engagement cylindrical portion to the back.
(3) In the male connector according to the present disclosure, preferably the hood portion includes a predetermined thickness portion formed with a predetermined wall thickness and a thin portion formed with a wall thickness less than that of the predetermined thickness portion; and the rib is disposed at a position adjacent to the thin portion.
According to the configuration (3) described above, the rib reinforces the region near the thin portion which is less strong than the predetermined thickness portion. As a result, the male connector can be made compact, allowing the connector assembly to be made compact.
(4) A connector assembly according to the present disclosure includes the male connector according to the present disclosure; and a female connector including an engagement cylindrical portion with a cylindrical shape that the hood portion fits into, wherein an inner circumferential surface of the engagement cylindrical portion is provided with a recess portion that receives and houses the guide projection portion of the male connector.
According to configuration (4) described above, by adjusting the depth of the recess portion and the projection length of the guide projection portion, the dimensions of the connector assembly when engaged can be made as small as possible. Also, incorrect connection can be prevented by appropriately designing various connectors in terms of the position, shape, and dimensions of the guide projection portion and the recess portion.
(5) A connector assembly according to the present disclosure includes the male connector according to the present disclosure; and a female connector including an engagement cylindrical portion with a cylindrical shape that the hood portion fits into, wherein an inner circumferential surface of the engagement cylindrical portion is provided with a recess portion that receives and houses the guide projection portion of the male connector and a groove portion that receives and houses the rib.
According to the configuration (5) described above, the groove portion formed on the inner circumference side surface of the engagement cylindrical portion functions as a guide, allowing the hood portion provided with the rib to be smoothly guided to the back of the engagement cylindrical portion.
(6) In the connector assembly according to the present disclosure, preferably a tapered surface is formed on a distal end of the guide projection portion and an opening end of the engagement cylindrical portion.
According to the configuration (6) described above, because of the tapered surfaces, the guide projection portion can be smoothly guided into the engagement cylindrical portion. According to the configuration in which the groove portion is provided on the engagement cylindrical portion, because of the tapered surfaces, the guide projection portion can be guided into the groove portion.
(7) In the connector assembly according to the present disclosure, preferably the female connector includes a lance capable of bending and deforming that stops a terminal housed inside the engagement cylindrical portion; and the groove portion is disposed in a region near the lance when viewed from the front.
According to the configuration (7) described above, because the recess portion is disposed at a portion of the female connector with a relatively high strength, the effects of a decrease in strength due to the recess portion are kept small.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. The present invention is not limited to these examples and is defined by the scope of the claims, and intended to include all modifications that are equivalent to or within the scope of the claims.
An embodiment will be described with reference to
In the present disclosure, the side where a male connector and female connector face one another, that is, the right side for the male connector in
Connector Assembly
As illustrated in
Cable and Terminal
For example, a coaxial cable provided with an inner conductor, a dielectric disposed around the outer circumference of the inner conductor, an outer conductor including a braided wire or the like disposed around the outer circumference of the dielectric, and an insulator covering that outer circumference of the outer conductor may be used for the cables C1 and C2. A coaxial terminal that connects to a terminal-processed coaxial cable is provided with, for example, a center contact that connects to the inner conductor, an insulator that holds the center contact, an outer contact that holds the insulator, and a metal sleeve that is compression-bonded to the outer conductor.
As illustrated in
Male Connector
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As illustrated in
A male side retainer mounting hole 19 is formed on the lower surface of the male side body portion 11 (see
Hood Portion
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Rib and Guide Projection Portion
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Female Connector
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Engagement Cylindrical Portion
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Groove Portion and Recess Portion
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Engagement of Male Connector and Female Connector
Next, the operation of engaging together the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 will be described with reference to
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As described above, when the hood portion 13 of the male connector 10 is fitted into the engagement cylindrical portion 23 of the female connector 20, as illustrated in
Next, the effects of the present embodiment will be described.
The male connector 10 of the present embodiment is a male connector 10 including a hood portion 13 with a cylindrical shape that is fit into, from the projecting end 13A side, the engagement cylindrical portion 23 formed as the opening of the female connector 20. The hood portion 13 is provided with the at least one guide projection portion 31 projecting forward beyond the projecting end 13A with an annular shape.
According to the male connector 10 of the present embodiment, the hood portion 13 is guided into the engagement cylindrical portion 23 by the guide projection portion 31, enabling easy engagement. Also, by adjusting the projection length of the guide projection portion 31, the guide length can be discretionarily set. In this manner, because guiding can be performed without using another member (for example, a female frame holding the female connector 20) of the connector assembly 1, terminals with different external shapes can be used in the connector assembly 1 by just changing the shape of the male connector 10 and the female connector 20.
Note that the male connector 10 according to the present disclosure is preferably applied to a male connector that houses a coaxial terminal, for example. Coaxial terminals have various external shapes and may be used in the present disclosure because such a change in shape can be easily supported.
Also, in the male connector 10 of the present embodiment, the outer circumferential surface of the hood portion 13 is provided with the rib 30 extending in the projection direction (front-and-back direction) of the hood portion 13. The guide projection portion 31 is disposed on the front end of the rib 30.
According to the male connector 10 with such a configuration, because of the rib 30, the strength of the hood portion 13 is improved and the hood portion 13 can be smoothly and easily inserted into the engagement cylindrical portion 23 to the back.
Note that in the male connector 10 of the present embodiment, the plurality of ribs 30 and guide projection portions 31 are provided at positions that are point symmetrical with respect to the center of the hood portion 13 when viewed from the front.
According to this configuration, by providing the plurality of guide projection portions 31 are positions distanced from one another, the hood portion 13 can be more reliably guided into the engagement cylindrical portion 23. Also, because the plurality of ribs 30 are provided at positions distanced from one another, an effect from the ribs 30 of improving the strength can be obtained in a wide range of the hood portion 13.
Also, in the male connector 10 of the present embodiment, the hood portion 13 includes the predetermined thickness portion 13B formed with a predetermined wall thickness and the thin portion 13C formed with a wall thickness less than that of the predetermined thickness portion 13B. The rib 30 is disposed at a position adjacent to the thin portion 13C.
According to the male connector 10 with such a configuration, in the hood portion, the rib 30 reinforces the region near the thin portion 13C which is less strong than the predetermined thickness portion 13B. As a result, the male connector 10 can be made compact, allowing the connector assembly 1 to be made compact.
Note that in the male connector 10 according to the present embodiment, the rib 30 is formed projecting from a region near the thin portion 13C in the direction of a tangent line of the hood portion 13 of the center of the thin portion 13C when viewed from the front surface. According to this configuration, a particularly strong reinforcing effect can be obtained due to the rib 30.
Also, the connector assembly 1 according to the present embodiment is a connector assembly 1 provided with the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 including the engagement cylindrical portion 23 with a cylindrical shape that the hood portion 13 fits into. The inner circumferential surface of the engagement cylindrical portion 23 is provided with the recess portion 41 that receives and houses the guide projection portion 31 of the male connector 10.
According to the connector assembly 1 of the present embodiment, by adjusting the depth of the recess portion 41 and the projection length of the guide projection portion 31, the dimensions of the connector assembly 1 when engaged can be made as small as possible. Also, incorrect connection can be prevented by appropriately designing various connectors in terms of the position, shape, and dimensions of the guide projection portion 31 and the recess portion 41.
Also, the connector assembly 1 according to the present embodiment is a connector assembly 1 provided with the male connector 10 according to the present disclosure and the female connector 20 including the engagement cylindrical portion 23 with a cylindrical shape that the hood portion 13 fits into. The inner circumferential surface of the engagement cylindrical portion 23 is provided with the recess portion 41 that receives and houses the guide projection portion 31 of the male connector 10 and the groove portion 40 that receives and houses the rib 30.
According to the connector assembly 1 of the present embodiment, the groove portion 40 formed on the inner circumference side surface of the engagement cylindrical portion 23 functions as a guide, allowing the hood portion 13 to be smoothly guided to the back of the engagement cylindrical portion 23.
Also, in the connector assembly 1 of the present embodiment, the distal end tapered surface 31T (tapered surface) is formed on the distal end of the guide projection portion 31 and the cylindrical portion tapered surface 23T (tapered surface) is formed on the opening end of the engagement cylindrical portion 23.
According to the connector assembly 1 with such a configuration, because of the distal end tapered surface 31T and the cylindrical portion tapered surface 23T, the guide projection portion 31 can be smoothly guided into the engagement cylindrical portion 23. Also, because of the tapered surfaces, the rib 30 contiguous with the guide projection portion 31 can be guided into the groove portion 40 of the engagement cylindrical portion 23. Note that in the present embodiment, the projecting end 13A of the hood portion 13 is also provided with the projecting end tapered surface 13T. This allows the hood portion 13 to be more easily inserted into the engagement cylindrical portion 23.
Also, in the connector assembly 1 of the present embodiment, the female connector 20 includes the female side lance 27 (lance) capable of bending and deforming that stops the second terminal T200 (terminal) housed inside the engagement cylindrical portion 23, and the recess portion 41 is disposed in the region near the female side lance 27.
In the connector, because the region near the lance allows for bending and deformation, the region is designed to have a higher strength than other regions. According to the connector assembly 1 of the present embodiment, because the recess portion 41 is disposed at a portion of the female connector 20 with a relatively high strength, the effects of a decrease in strength due to the recess portion 41 are kept small.
The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to the drawings, and, for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the technology disclosed in the present specification.
(1) In the embodiment described above, two ribs of the guide projection portion are formed on the hood portion and two groove portions contiguous with the recess portions are formed on the engagement cylindrical portion. However, the number of guide projection portions and ribs and the number of recess portions and groove portions are discretionary. One may be used or three or more may be used. In a case in which a plurality are used, they are preferably provided at positions that have point symmetry with respect to the center when viewed from the front. Also, in a case in which a plurality of ribs and groove portions are used, the guide projection portion does not need to be formed on the distal end of all of the ribs, and the recess portion does not need to be formed on the back end of all of the groove portions.
(2) In the embodiment described above, the male connector and the female connector each house one terminal. However, no such limitation is intended. The male connector and the female connector may each house a plurality of terminals. The terminals housed in the male connector and the female connector are not limited to coaxial terminals as described in the embodiment and terminals of various shapes may be used.
(3) In the embodiment described above, the hood portion of the male connector has a roughly cylindrical shape, the inside has a cylindrical shape with a cylindrical cavity formed therein, the engagement cylindrical portion of the female connector has an external shape that is roughly a rectangular parallelepiped, and the inside has a polygonal prism-like shape with a cylindrical cavity formed therein. However, these are merely examples, and the hood portion and the engagement cylindrical portion may be formed with a tube-like shape different from that described above. For example, the engagement cylindrical portion may also be formed with a roughly cylindrical external shape, with the inside having a cylindrical shape with a cylindrical cavity formed therein.
(4) The male side body portion and the female side body portion may have shapes different from that described in the embodiment described above. Also, in the embodiment described above, the retainer is mounted in the male side body portion and the female side body portion, but the configuration is not limited thereto. The male connector and the female connector according to the embodiment described above do not include a lock structure, as it is assumed that the frames that hold the two connectors is provided with a lock structure. However, no such limitation is intended, and a lock structure for locking together the male connector and the female connector in an engaged state may be formed on the male connector and the female connector.
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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2021-154204 | Sep 2021 | JP | national |