Shield connector and terminal connecting device for shielding electric wire

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6464538
  • Patent Number
    6,464,538
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, March 6, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 15, 2002
    21 years ago
Abstract
A connector body 30 to be fixed to a motor case 51 is formed of an aluminum die cast, and is provided, on one of side surfaces thereof, with a cylindrical housing portion 31 for inserting a terminal of a motor cable 10 to be a shielding electric wire. A double enveloping contact 33 is fitted in the housing portion 31 and an eye-ball shaped fixing portion 37 protruded from a front edge thereof is fixed, with a bolt 40, to a fixing base 45 provided integrally on the direct inside of the housing portion 31. A terminal fixture 15 of the terminal of the motor cable 10 is inserted from the housing portion 31 into the connector body 30, and is connected to the other bus bar 50, and a shield shell 21 fitted and attached into a terminal of a shield layer 13 elastically comes in contact with the inner periphery of the contact 33. A reliable electrical connection is obtained between the contact 33 and the housing portion 31 so that a shield function can be displayed effectively.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. (Field of the Invention)




The present invention relates to a shield connector to be used for accommodating a terminal of a shielding electric wire.




Further, the present invention relates to a device for connecting a terminal of a shielding electric wire to a terminal provided in an apparatus.




2. (Related Art)




The present applicant has developed a shield connector using an aluminum die cast part as a shield countermeasure part in order to mainly enhance a shield performance and has disclosed Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 11-235984 filed earlier, for example. The shield connector is typically shown in FIG.


6


.




More specifically, a connector body to be fixed to a shield wall such as an electric apparatus is molded through an aluminum die cast, a cylindrical housing portion


1


is formed in the connector body, and a contact


2


taking the shape of a double enveloping louver is fitted and attached into the housing portion


1


. On the other hand, a shield layer


4


comprising a braided wire is exposed to a terminal of a shielding electric wire


3


and is wound upon a terminal of a sheath


5


, and furthermore, a terminal fixture


7


is connected to a core


6


. The terminal fixture


7


is inserted into the contact


2


so that the shield layer


4


is elastically pressed into the inner periphery of the contact


2


. Consequently, the shield layer


4


is conducted to the housing portion


1


, and furthermore, a shield wall through the contact


2


.




With such a structure, the terminal of the shielding electric wire


3


is wholly surrounded without a clearance by the cylindrical housing portion


1


formed of an aluminum die cast. Therefore, an excellent shield performance can be displayed.




(Problems to be Solved)




In order to display the shield performance in the structure described above, it is necessary to take an electrical connection from the terminal of the shield layer


4


in the shielding electric wire


3


to the contact


2


and the housing portion


1


. However, the aluminum die cast tends to form an oxide coat on a surface thereof, and the oxide coat acts as an insulating layer. Consequently, the electrical connection between the contact


2


and the housing portion


1


tends to be unstable.




For this reason, conventionally, the internal surface of the aluminum die cast, that is, the housing portion


1


has been subjected to tinning, thereby enhancing connecting stability. However, since a material is aluminum, it is necessary to carry out the tinning again after copper plating is performed. Consequently, there has been a problem in that a manufacturing cost is increased. Therefore, further improvement has been desired eagerly.




The invention has been completed based on the demand described above and has an object to provide a shield connector capable of obtaining a reliable shield performance at a low cost.




(Related Art)




Further, conventionally, a structure shown in

FIG. 13

has been employed in a portion where a terminal of a motor cable comprising a shielding electric wire is connected to a stator terminal of a motor. More specifically, in a terminal of a motor cable


101


, a shield cylinder


102


is fitted into a terminal of a shield layer


101


A comprising a braided wire and a ground portion


102


A is overhung over the outer periphery thereof, and furthermore, a seal ring


102


B is fitted into the front end side and a terminal fixture


103


is connected to a core


101


B. On the other hand, a fixing hole


105


is opened on a case


104


A of a motor


104


. The terminal fixture


103


formed on a tip of the motor cable


101


is inserted into the motor case


104


A through the fixing hole


105


and is connected to a stator terminal


107


with a bolt


106


. In addition, a seal ring


102


B of the shield cylinder


102


is tightly fitted in the fixing hole


105


to obtain a waterproofing property. Moreover, the ground portion


102


A of the shield cylinder


102


is fixed to the motor case


104


A with a bolt


108


to take a ground. Consequently, an electromagnetic shielding structure can be obtained.




(Problems to be Solved)




In other words, conventionally, the terminal of the motor cable


101


has been directly connected to the stator terminal


107


through the motor case


104


A. Therefore, a work for connecting the motor cable


101


is to be carried out together with a step of assembling the motor


104


into a vehicle. Consequently, the degree of freedom of the assembling step is restricted. Moreover, also in the case in which the motor cable


101


is to be exchanged for maintenance, it is necessary to disassemble the motor


104


from the vehicle, which is complicated.




The invention has been completed in consideration of the circumstances and has an object to increase the degree of freedom of the assembling step and to enhance maintenance properties.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




(Means for Solving the Problems)




In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the invention is directed to a shield connector comprising a cylindrical housing portion formed of an aluminum die cast, a contact being fitted and attached into the housing portion and a shield member provided on a terminal of a shielding electric wire being caused to elastically come in contact with the contact, wherein the contact is fixed to the housing portion with a bolt.




A second aspect of the invention is directed to the shield connector according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the contact is elastically deformable and cylindrical and the shield member of the terminal of the shielding electric wire can be fitted into the contact, and the contact is provided with a fixing portion extended from an edge in an axial direction thereof, the fixing portion being provided with an inserting hole for inserting the bolt to be screwed to a screw hole threaded in the housing portion.




Further, in order to achieve the above object described above, a third aspect of the invention is directed to a terminal connecting device for a shielding electric wire which serves to connect a terminal of a shielding electric wire to a terminal provided in an apparatus, wherein a shield case is fixed to an outer surface of the apparatus and one of ends of a conducting path having the other end connected to the terminal faces an inside of the shield case, the terminal of the shielding electric wire is inserted into an inserting portion formed on a side surface of the shield case so that a shield member provided on the terminal comes in contact with the inserting portion, and a terminal of a core of the shielding electric wire and the other end of the conducting path are coupled to each other on an insulating terminal board provided in the shield case.




A fourth aspect of the invention is directed to the terminal connecting device for a shielding electric wire according to the third aspect of the invention, wherein an operation opening is formed on a side surface corresponding to an outside of a portion in the shield case where the terminal board is provided, and a cover is removably put over the operation opening.




A fifth aspect of the invention is directed to the terminal connecting device for a shielding electric wire according to the third or fourth aspect of the invention, wherein the conducting path is formed of a bus bar.




(Function of the Invention)




<The Invention According to Aspect 1>




The contact is fixed to the housing portion through bolt fastening. The contact is pressed against the housing portion at a high contact pressure. Therefore, a conducting path for the contact—the bolt—the housing portion is constructed so that a reliable electrical connection between the contact and the bolt can be obtained.




More specifically, the plating is required to reduce the cost. Consequently, a reliable shield performance can be obtained.




<The Invention According to Aspect 2>




The contact is fixed by inserting the bolt into the inserting hole of the fixing portion and screwing the bolt into the screw hole of the housing portion. The fixing portion extended from the contact is fixed with the bolt. Therefore, a bolt fastening work can be carried out easily.




<The Invention According to Aspect 3>




The shield case is previously provided in the apparatus, and the other end of the conducting path connected to the terminal in the apparatus faces the inside of the shield case. In the case in which the terminal of the shielding electric wire is to be connected, the terminal of the core is inserted from the inserting portion into the shield case and is thus coupled to the other end of the conducting path over the terminal board. In addition, the shield member is caused to come in contact with the inserting portion to take conduction.




The shielding electric wire can be connected to the terminal in the apparatus later and can be circulated separately from the apparatus. Moreover, the time the work for connecting the shielding electric wire is to be carried out can also be set comparatively freely. Moreover, when the coupling to the conducting path is released in the shield case, the shielding electric wire can be removed simply.




<The Invention According to Aspect 4>




When the cover is removed, the terminal board is opened toward the outside through the operation opening. Therefore, it is possible to easily carry out a work for coupling the terminal of the core of the shielding electric wire to the other end of the conducting path or releasing the coupling.




<The Invention According to Aspect 5>




In the case in which the apparatus serves as an oil chamber, an expensive electric wire excellent in oil resistance is required if the conducting path is an electric wire. If the conducting path is a bus bar, a countermeasure against oil can be taken inexpensively by putting a seal member in a portion where the bus bar penetrates through the shield case.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an exploded perspective view showing a connector body according to an embodiment of the invention,





FIG. 2

is an exploded perspective view showing the connecting structure of the connector body and the other bus bar,





FIG. 3

is a plan view showing a terminal of a motor cable,





FIG. 4

is a longitudinal sectional view showing an operation for inserting the terminal of the motor cable,





FIG. 5

is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the motor cable and the bus bar are connected to each other, and





FIG. 6

is a sectional view showing a conventional example.





FIG. 7

is a longitudinal sectional view showing the connecting operation of a terminal of a motor cable according to a third embodiment of the invention,





FIG. 8

is a plan view showing the terminal of the motor cable,





FIG. 9

is an exploded perspective view showing a shield case,





FIG. 10

is an exploded perspective view showing the connecting structure of the shield case to the other's bus bar,





FIG. 11

is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the motor cable and the bus bar are connected to each other,





FIG. 12

is a side view with apart thereof cut away, showing the terminal structure of a motor cable according to a fourth embodiment, and





FIG. 13

is a sectional view showing a conventional example.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




(Mode for Carrying Out the Invention)




An embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to

FIGS. 1

to


5


. In the embodiment, a connector to be used for connecting a terminal of a motor cable to a motor of an electric vehicle will be described.




A motor cable


10


is a shielding electric wire, and sequentially comprises a core


11


, an internal insulating layer


12


, a shield layer


13


formed of a braided wire, and an external coating


14


from the axis side as shown in

FIGS. 3 and 4

, and has the core


11


, the internal insulating layer


12


and the shield layer


13


sequentially exposed at a terminal thereof.




A terminal fixture


15


having an eye-ball shaped connecting portion


16


is fastened to a terminal of the core


11


by caulking a barrel


17


. On the other hand, an underlying C ring


19


is fitted in a terminal of the external coating


14


and a terminal of the shield layer


13


is wounded and superposed on the C ring


19


, and a cylindrical stepped shield shell


21


having a large diameter on the rear end side is provided, and a small diameter portion


22


thereof is caulked and fastened with the terminal of the wound shield layer


13


interposed together with the C ring


19


. Moreover, a waterproof rubber plug


25


is pressed by the large diameter portion


23


and is fitted behind the shield shell


21


.




As described above, three motor cables


10


subjected to a terminal processing are provided and the terminals thereof are accommodated in a connector body


30


. The connector body


30


is formed of an aluminum die cast and wholly takes the shape of a shallow box having an upper surface opened rectangularly as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

.




The connector body


30


has three cylindrical housing portions


31


arranged in a transverse direction on one of four side surfaces thereof, and the terminal fixture


15


of the motor cable


10


is inserted into each of the housing portions


31


.




A contact


33


is attached into the housing portions


31


, respectively. As shown in

FIG. 1

, the contact


33


is formed to have a double enveloping shape by providing a plurality of bands


35


between two side members


34


at an interval and turning and bending them to have a cylindrical shape which can be tightly fitted in the housing portion


31


, and bulging each of the bands


35


toward the inside.




A neck portion


36


is extended from a front edge (this side of

FIG. 1

) of the contact


33


in an axial direction and is provided, on a tip thereof, with an eye-ball shaped fixing portion


37


having an inserting hole


38


formed on the center thereof. A bolt


40


can be inserted into the inserting hole


38


.




On the other hand, in an internal opening


42


of each of the housing portions


31


, a front edge of the contact


33


has a diameter reduced to hit thereon as shown in

FIG. 4. A

relief trench


43


for fitting and relieving the neck portion


36


of the contact


33


is formed on the peripheral surface at the lower side of the opening


42


. Moreover, a fixing base


45


capable of mounting the fixing portion


37


of the contact


33


is formed immediately ahead of each housing portion


31


on almost the same level with the relief trench


43


. A screw hole


46


to which the bolt


40


can be screwed is threaded in the upper surface of the fixing base


45


.




Three circular inserting portions


48


are formed opposite to each housing portion


31


on a surface opposed to a surface provided with the housing portion


31


in the connector body


30


. A bus bar


50


to be connected to a stator terminal (not shown) of the motor can be inserted into each inserting portion


48


. A surface


49


on which the inserting portion


48


is formed can be fixed in contact with a motor case


51


(see FIG.


4


), and a packing


53


is attached to the back side of the fixing surface


49


. In addition, a fixing leg


55


having an inserting hole


56


for a bolt


54


formed thereon is protruded from the central portion of an upper edge and both ends of a lower edge, respectively.




A terminal base


60


formed of a synthetic resin is attached into the connector body


30


. Three mounting surfaces


62


are partitioned and formed through a partition wall


61


in the terminal base


60


. The terminal base


60


is fixed by pressing a pin


64


erected from the bottom face of the connector body


30


into a fixing hole


63


formed on the lower surface of the terminal base


60


as shown in FIG.


4


. At this time, each of the mounting surfaces


62


is positioned between the housing portion


31


and the inserting portion


48


which are opposed to each other. An eye-ball shaped connecting portion


50


A formed on one of ends of the bus bar


50


and a connecting portion


16


of the terminal fixture


15


fastened to the terminal of the motor cable


10


can be superposed and mounted on the mounting surface


62


, and furthermore, a square nut


66


is fitted in the mounting surface


62


.




Furthermore, the opening formed on the upper surface of the connector body


30


is covered with a metallic cover


69


through the packing


68


and four corners of the cover


69


are fastened with a bolt


70


.




Subsequently, description will be given to an example of the assembling procedure according to the embodiment.




In the connector body


30


, the contact


33


is inserted from the outside into each inserting portion


31


, and is caused to hit on the edge of the internal opening


42


and is stopped so that the fixing portion


37


is mounted on the fixing base


45


. Next, the bolt


40


having a spring washer


40


A is inserted into the inserting hole


38


of the fixing portion


37


, and is screwed and fastened to the screw hole


46


provided thereunder. Consequently, the fixing portion


37


is fixed to the fixing base


45


as shown in FIG.


4


.




Moreover, the terminal base


60


having the square nut


66


attached to each mounting surface


62


is assembled into the connector body


30


, and the packing


53


is attached to the fixing surface


49


. Then, each of the connecting portions


50


A of the three bus bars


50


arranged and coupled through the coupling member


72


is inserted from the outside into each inserting portion


48


, and is mounted on the mounting surface


62


corresponding to the terminal base


60


. In addition, a rubber plug


74


provided behind the connecting portion


50


A is tightly fitted and attached into the inserting portion


48


.




The connector body


30


thus assembled is previously fixed to the motor case


51


. More specifically, a fixing hole


51


A is opened on the motor case


51


as shown in

FIG. 4

, the fixing surface


49


is caused to hit on the motor case


51


while the connecting portion


50


B provided opposite to the bus bar


50


is inserted into the fixing hole


51


A, and the bolt


54


inserted through the inserting holes


56


of the fixing legs


55


provided in three parts is screwed and fastened to a screw hole


76


threaded in a predetermined position around the fixing hole


51


A. Consequently, the connector body


30


is fixed to be protruded horizontally with respect to the motor case


51


. The connecting portion


50


B plunged into the motor case


51


of the bus bar


50


is connected to the stator terminal of the motor.




In such a state, the terminal fixture


15


provided on the terminal of each motor cable


10


is inserted into the corresponding housing portion


31


as shown in an arrow of FIG.


4


. The connecting portion


16


of the terminal fixture


15


reaches the mounting surface


62


of the terminal base


60


and is then inserted to be superposed on the connecting portion


50


A of the bus bar


50


. Then, when the bolt


77


is inserted into the connecting portions


16


and


50


A of the terminal fixture


15


and the bus bar


50


to be screwed and fastened to the square nut


66


, the terminal fixture


15


and the bus bar


50


corresponding thereto are connected to each other and are fixed to the terminal base


60


as shown in FIG.


5


.




At this time, the large diameter portion


23


of the shield shell


21


is simultaneously fitted into the inner peripheral surface bulged in the contact


33


and elastically comes in contact therewith, and moreover, the waterproof rubber plug


25


is tightly fitted and attached into the entry of the housing portion


31


.




When the three motor cables


10


are completely fixed, the cover


69


is put over the opening formed on the upper surface of the connector body


30


through the packing


68


and four corners thereof are fastened with the bolt


70


to close the cover


69


.




As described above, the terminal of each motor cable


10


is connected to the stator terminal of the corresponding motor through the bus bar


50


. At this time, the connector body


30


formed of an aluminum die cast is set in an electrical connection state with the grounded metallic motor case


51


, and the periphery from the terminal fixture


15


of the terminal of the motor cable


10


to the bus bar


50


is completely surrounded without a clearance by the housing portion


31


, the connector body


30


, the cover


69


, and furthermore, the motor case


51


. Consequently, it is possible to reliably prevent the invasion of a noise into the motor cable


10


or the leakage of the noise.




In the portion where the terminal of the motor cable


10


is to be shielded, the contact


33


is attached into the housing portion


31


formed on the connector body


30


and the shield shell


21


connected to the shield layer


13


in the motor cable


10


is caused to elastically come in contact with the inner peripheral side of the contact


33


as described above. Consequently, the shield layer


13


is electrically connected to the housing portion


31


through the contact


33


.




The housing portion


31


is formed of an aluminum die cast and an oxide coat is easily formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof. Therefore, there is a possibility that the oxide coat might function as an insulating layer, resulting in an unstable electrical connecting state between the contact


33


and the housing portion


31


.




In the embodiment, the fixing portion


37


is extended from the contact


33


and is fastened and fixed, with the bolt


40


, into the fixing base


45


provided integrally with the housing portion


31


. Therefore, the fixing portion


37


is pressed against the fixing base


45


at a high contact pressure, and the conducting path for the fixing portion


37


of the contact


33


—the bolt


40


—the fixing base


45


provided integrally with the housing portion


31


is also maintained. Therefore, a reliable electrical connection between the contact


33


and the housing portion


31


can be obtained. Consequently, a shield performance can be displayed reliably.




In addition, it is not necessary to carry out expensive plating on the housing portion


31


in order to obtain the reliable electrical connection. Consequently, it is possible to contribute to a reduction in a manufacturing cost.




<Other Embodiment>




The invention is not restricted to the embodiment described above with reference to the drawings but the following embodiments are also included in the technical range of the invention, for example. Furthermore, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.




(1) The structure of the portion where the shield layer of the shielding electric wire is caused to come in contact with the contact attached to the housing portion is not restricted to the embodiment but it is also possible to employ another structure in which a terminal of a folded shield layer is caused to directly come in contact with the contact, for example.




(2) The contact is not restricted to that of the embodiment but any shape or structure can be applied if the contact is attached into the housing portion in a contact state and can elastically come in contact with the shield member of the terminal of the shielding electric wire.




(3) The invention can also be applied to a connector of a wire using a shielding electric wire.




<Third Embodiment>




A third embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to

FIGS. 7

to


11


. In the embodiment, a portion for connecting a terminal of a motor cable to a motor of an electric vehicle will be described.




In

FIG. 7

, a motor


180


comprises a metallic case


181


. Three stator terminals


182


are arranged in the motor case


181


in directions of a surface and a back of a paper, and a fixing wall


183


for fixing a shield case


130


to be described below is set through a predetermined longitudinal wall of the motor case


181


. Each stator terminal


182


is provided obliquely upward to be turned against the fixing wall


183


, and an oblong fixing hole


184


is opened in the fixing wall


183


on almost the same level with the stator terminal


182


.




A motor cable


110


is a shielding electric wire, and sequentially comprises a core


111


, an internal insulating layer


112


, a shield layer


113


formed of a braided wire, and an external coat


114


from the axis side as shown in

FIGS. 7 and 8

, and has the core


111


, the internal insulating layer


112


and the shield layer


113


sequentially exposed at a terminal thereof.




A terminal fixture


115


having an eye-ball shaped connecting portion


116


is fastened to a terminal of the core


111


by caulking a barrel


117


. On the other hand, an underlying C ring


119


is fitted in a terminal of the external coating


114


and a terminal of the shield layer


113


is wounded and superposed on the C ring


119


, and a cylindrical stepped shield shell


121


having a large diameter on the rear end side is provided, and a small diameter portion


122


thereof is caulked and fastened with the terminal of the wound shield layer


113


interposed together with the C ring


119


. Moreover, a waterproof rubber plug


125


is pressed by the large diameter portion


123


and is fitted behind the shield shell


121


.




As described above, three motor cables


110


subjected to a terminal processing are provided and the terminals thereof are accommodated in the shield case


103


. The shield case


130


is formed of aluminum die casting and wholly takes the shape of a shallow square box having an opening


130


A provided on an upper surface as shown in

FIGS. 9 and 10

.




The shield case


130


has three cylindrical inserting portions


131


arranged in a transverse direction on one of four side surfaces thereof, and the terminal fixture


115


of the motor cable


110


is inserted into each of the inserting portions


131


.




A contact


133


is attached into the inserting portions


131


, respectively. As shown in

FIG. 9

, the contact


133


is formed by providing a plurality of bands


135


between to side members


134


at an interval and turning and bending them to have a cylindrical shape which can be tightly fitted in the inserting portion


131


, and bulging each of the bands


135


toward the inside like a double enveloping shape.




On the other hand, an internal opening


142


of each inserting portion


131


has a diameter reduced such that the front edge of the contact


133


can hit thereon as shown in FIG.


7


.




Three circular penetrating portions


148


are formed opposite to each inserting portion


131


on a surface opposed to a surface provided with the inserting portion


131


in the shield case


130


. A bus bar


150


to be connected to the stator terminal


132


of the motor


180


can be inserted into each penetrating portion


148


.




Three bus bars


150


are arranged and coupled through a coupling member


172


as shown in

FIG. 10

, and each of the bus bars


150


has an oblique connecting portion


150


A to be connected to the stator terminal


182


formed on one of end sides and a straight connecting portion


150


B to be connected to the terminal fixture


115


of the terminal of the motor cable


110


formed on the other end side. A rubber plug


174


capable of being tightly fitted in the penetrating portion


148


is fitted and fixed immediately behind the connecting portion


150


B.




A surface


149


on which the penetrating portion


148


is formed can be fixed in contact with the fixing wall


183


of the motor case


181


, and a packing


153


is attached to the back side of the fixing surface


149


. In addition, a fixing leg


155


having an inserting hole


156


for a bolt


154


formed thereon is protruded from the central portion of an upper edge and both ends of a lower edge, respectively.




A terminal board


160


formed of a synthetic resin is attached into the shield case


130


. Three mounting surfaces


162


are partitioned and formed through a partition wall


161


in the terminal board


160


. The terminal board


160


is fixed by pressing a pin


164


erected from the bottom face of the shield case


130


into the fixing hole


163


formed on the lower surface of the terminal board


160


as shown in FIG.


7


. At this time, each of the mounting surfaces


162


is positioned between the inserting portion


131


and the penetrating portion


148


which are opposed to each other. The connecting portion


150


B formed on the other end of the bus bar


150


and the connecting portion


116


of the terminal fixture


115


fastened to the terminal of the motor cable


110


can be superposed and mounted on the mounting surface


162


, and furthermore, a square nut


166


is fitted in the mounting surface


162


.




Furthermore, the opening


130


A formed on the upper surface of the shield case


130


is covered with a metallic cover


169


through the packing


168


and four corners of the cover


169


are fastened with a bolt


170


.




Subsequently, description will be given to an example of the assembling procedure according to the embodiment.




In the shield case


130


, the contact


133


is inserted from the outside into each inserting portion


131


and is caused to hit on the edge of the internal opening


142


and is thus maintained. Moreover, the terminal board


160


having the square nut


166


attached to each mounting surface


162


is assembled into the shield case


130


, and the packing


153


is attached to the fixing surface


149


. Then, each of the connecting portions


150


B of the three bus bars


150


arranged and coupled through the coupling member


172


is inserted from the outside into each penetrating portion


148


, and is mounted on the mounting surface


162


corresponding to the terminal board


160


. In addition, the rubber plug


174


provided behind the connecting portion


150


B is tightly fitted and attached into the penetrating portion


148


.




The shield case


130


thus assembled is previously fixed to the motor case


181


. More specifically, as shown in

FIG. 7

, the fixing surface


149


is caused to hit on the fixing wall


83


of the motor case


181


while the connecting portion


150


A provided opposite to the bus bar


150


is inserted into the fixing hole


184


, and the bolt


154


inserted through the inserting holes


156


of the fixing legs


155


provided in three parts is screwed and fastened to a screw hole


186


threaded into a predetermined position around the fixing hole


184


. Consequently, the shield case


130


is fixed to be protruded horizontally with respect to the motor case


181


with the packing


153


compressed. Moreover, the connecting portion


150


A plunged into the motor case


181


of the bus bar


150


is connected, with a bolt


188


, to the stator terminal


182


corresponding to the motor


180


.




In the case in which the motor cable


110


is to be connected, the terminal fixture


115


provided on the terminal of each motor cable


110


is inserted into the corresponding inserting portion


131


in the above state as shown in an arrow of FIG.


7


. The connecting portion


116


of the terminal fixture


115


reaches the mounting surface


162


of the terminal board


160


and is then inserted to be superposed on the connecting portion


150


B of the bus bar


150


. Then, when the bolt


177


is inserted into the connecting portions


116


and


150


B of the terminal fixture


115


and the bus bar


150


to be screwed and fastened to the square nut


166


, the terminal fixture


115


and the bus bar


150


corresponding thereto are connected to each other and are fixed to the terminal board


160


as shown in FIG.


11


.




At this time, the large diameter portion


123


of the shield shell


121


is fitted into the inner peripheral surface bulged in the contact


133


and elastically comes in contact therewith, and moreover, the waterproof rubber plug


125


is tightly fitted and attached into the entry of the inserting portion


131


.




When the three motor cables


110


are completely fixed, the cover


169


is put on the opening


130


A formed on the upper surface of the shield case


130


through the packing


168


and four corners thereof are fastened with the bolt


170


to close the cover


169


.




As described above, the terminal of each motor cable


110


is connected to the stator terminal


182


of the corresponding motor


180


through the bus bar


150


. At this time, the shield case


130


is set in an electrical connection state with the grounded metallic motor case


181


, and the periphery from the terminal fixture


115


of the terminal of the motor cable


110


to the bus bar


150


is completely surrounded by the inserting portion


131


, the shield case


130


, the cover


169


, and furthermore, the motor case


181


without a clearance. Consequently, it is possible to reliably prevent the invasion of a noise into the motor cable


110


or the leakage of the noise.




In the case in which the motor cable


110


is to be removed for maintenance, the bolt


170


is loosened to remove the cover


169


. Consequently, the terminal board


160


portion is exposed upward. Therefore, when the bolt


177


is loosened and pulled out, the fixation of the terminal fixture


115


can be released. Subsequently, when the motor cable


110


is pulled rearward, the terminal of the motor cable


110


can be pulled out of the shield case


130


while the terminal fixture


115


passes through the inserting portion


131


.




In the embodiment, as described above, the shield case


130


is previously fixed to the motor case


181


to cause the other end of the bus bar


150


connected to the stator terminal


182


to face the terminal board


160


in the shield case


130


, and the terminal fixture


115


of the motor cable


110


is connected to the bus bar


150


in the terminal board


160


. In other words, the motor cable


110


can be connected to the stator terminal


182


later. Therefore, the motor cable


110


can be circulated separately from the motor


180


, and furthermore, the time the work for connecting the motor cable


110


is to be carried out can also be incorporated comparatively freely.




Moreover, when the cover


169


is removed and the bolt


177


is loosened to release the fixation of the terminal fixture


115


, the motor cable


110


can be simply taken out with the motor


180


and the shield case


130


maintained in that state, and can be exchanged easily.




Furthermore, in the case in which the motor case


181


is to be used as an oil chamber, an expensive electric wire excellent in oil-resistance is required if the electric wire is used for a conducting path provided from the stator terminal


182


into the shield case


130


. In the embodiment, the bus bar


150


is utilized for the conducting path. By simply attaching the packing


153


between the shield case


130


and the motor case


181


and fitting the rubber plug


174


in the penetrating portion


148


of the shield case


130


, therefore, a countermeasure against oil can be taken comparatively inexpensively.




<Fourth Embodiment>





FIG. 12

shows a fourth embodiment of the invention. As described above, the terminal of the motor cable serves to carry out a conducting processing and a waterproof processing for an electromagnetic shield on the shield case. The shape of the shield case can be changed more easily than that of the motor case. Therefore, the terminal structure of the motor cable can easily have a variation.




The fourth embodiment is illustrative, and particularly, the shape of a shield shell


190


and a fixing structure thereof are changed.




More specifically, the shield shell


190


is formed to have a stepped cylindrical shape in which the outer periphery of a front end is thin. A ground portion


191


is bulged from the outer periphery of the stepped portion and a seal ring


192


is fitted on the front end side. The rear end side of the shield shell


190


is covered and fitted onto the outer periphery of the terminal of a wound shield layer


113


.




In a motor cable


110


A subjected to a terminal processing, thus, a terminal fixture


115


is inserted into a shield case (not shown) through an inserting portion and the seal ring


192


is tightly fitted in the inner periphery of the inserting portion so that waterproof can be obtained. Moreover, the ground portion


191


is fastened to the shield case with a bolt


193


to take a ground. Thus, electromagnetic shielding can be achieved.




<Other Embodiment>




The invention is not restricted to the embodiments described above with reference to the drawings but the following embodiments are also included in the technical range of the invention, for example. Furthermore, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.




(4) A coated electric wire may be used for a conducting path pulled from a stator terminal into a shield case, which is also included in the technical range of the invention.




(5) The invention can be widely applied to the general case in which a terminal of a shielding electric wire is connected to a terminal provided in an apparatus as well as the case in which a terminal of a motor cable is connected to a stator terminal of a motor.



Claims
  • 1. A shield connector comprising:a cylindrical housing portion formed of an aluminum die cast, a contact being fitted and attached into said housing portion, and a shield member provided on a terminal of a shielding electric wire being caused to elastically come in contact with said contact, wherein said contact is fixed to said aluminum housing portion with a bolt, wherein said bolt provides electrical connection between said contact and said aluminum housing portion.
  • 2. The shield connector according to claim 1, whereinsaid contact is elastically deformable and cylindrical so that said shield member of said terminal of said shielding electric wire is capable to be fitted into said contact, and said contact includes a fixing portion extended from an edge in an axial direction thereof, said fixing portion being provided with an inserting hole for inserting said bolt to be screwed to a screw hole threaded in said housing portion.
  • 3. A terminal connecting device for a shielding electric wire which serves to connect a terminal of a shielding electric wire to a terminal provided in an apparatus, the terminal connecting device comprising:a shield case is fixed to an outer surface of said apparatus, one end of a conducting path having a connection to said terminal provided in said apparatus, said terminal of said shielding electric wire is inserted into an inserting portion formed on a side surface of said shield case so that a shield member provided on said terminal comes in contact with said inserting portion, and a terminal of a core of said shielding electric wire and an other end of said conducting path are coupled to each other on an insulating terminal board provided within said shield case.
  • 4. The terminal connecting device for a shielding electric wire according to claim 3, whereinan operation opening is formed on a side surface corresponding to an outside of a portion in said shield case where said terminal board is provided, and a cover is removably put over the operation opening.
  • 5. The terminal connecting device for a shielding electric wire according to claim 3, wherein said conducting path is formed of a bus bar.
  • 6. The terminal connecting device for a shielding electric wire according to claim 4, wherein said conducting path is formed of a bus bar.
Priority Claims (2)
Number Date Country Kind
2000-062337 Mar 2000 JP
2000-062372 Mar 2000 JP
US Referenced Citations (5)
Number Name Date Kind
4210379 Vachhani et al. Jul 1980 A
4482200 Willenborg Nov 1984 A
5417587 Katsuda et al. May 1995 A
5466175 Onoda Nov 1995 A
6036543 Panis et al. Mar 2000 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number Date Country
198 48 344 A 1 Apr 1999 DE
07-222392 Aug 1995 JP
10-112958 Apr 1999 JP
11-126655 May 1999 JP
11-235984 Aug 1999 JP