JP2001093626A - Shielding type connectors and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide shielding type connectors with which miniaturization, low cost and size stability are made possible, and moreover, which have a strong resistance to wrenching when pushed in and pulled out, and to provide a method of manufacturing the same. SOLUTION: This shielding type connector is equipped with an insulation housing 10 holding a contact 1 and a metal shell 20 for the shield overlapping the surface of the insulation housing 10. The metal shell 20 is provided with an engagement opening 21 to engage the terminal section of the other connector and with a frame 22 surrounding the engagement opening 21. The metal shell 20 is made through punching metal plate material. An unfolded portion 20A including the engagement opening 21 and the frame part 22 are bent and composed, so that it overlaps the surface of the insulation housing 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shielded connector provided with a shielding metal shell for preventing electrical noise on an outer peripheral surface of an insulating housing for holding a contact, and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is known to dispose a metal shield member on the outer peripheral surface of a substantially box-shaped insulating housing of an electric connector for the purpose of preventing electric noise. Examples of this type of shielded electrical connector are disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-34679, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-83866, and the like. The disclosed electrical connector is a board-mounted connector in which a pair of substantially U-shaped shield members formed of a metal plate are arranged so as to overlap four or three outer peripheral surfaces of a substantially box-shaped insulating housing. You.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show examples of such conventional shielded electrical connectors. FIG. 10 shows the receptacle connector R, and FIG.
However, since the receptacle connector R is smaller than the plug connector P, FIG. 10 is enlarged.

[0004] The receptacle connector R shown in FIG.
In the case of, the shield member is a metal shell 320 having a substantially U-shaped plane disposed on the outermost side, and a shield metal plate 330 having a substantially U-shaped cross section disposed between the metal shell 320 and the inner insulating housing. It consists of. The metal shell 320 is disposed so as to cover the front surface and both side surfaces of the insulating housing, and the shield metal plate 330 is disposed so as to cover the upper surface and both side surfaces of the insulating housing. Thereby, the four surfaces of the front surface, the upper surface, and both side surfaces of the insulating housing are shielded. The terminal portion 31 of the plug connector (mating connector) P is provided on the shield metal plate 320.
A lock piece 303 that engages with the 0 engagement hole 311 is provided.

[0005] The metal shell 320 includes a front shield part 3.
23 and side shield portions 324, 324 on both sides. The front shield part 323 is provided with a fitting cylinder part 307 that forms an opening 321 for inserting the terminal part 310 of the plug connector P. The fitting tubular portion 307 is formed in a substantially rectangular tubular shape, and protrudes toward the front side. The metal shell 320 is formed by drawing a portion of the fitting cylindrical portion 307 after punching a metal plate. 308 is a projection for giving a mating polarity,
Reference numeral 312 denotes a concave portion that fits with the convex portion 308.

[0006]

In recent years, electrical connectors have tended to be miniaturized, and the above-mentioned board-mounted connectors are also required to be miniaturized. In addition, it is desired that the manufacturing cost is low and the dimensional stability is high.

However, in the above-described connector, since the fitting tubular portion 307 is formed by drawing, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is high, the outer shape is large, and it is difficult to reduce the size. . Also, the fitting cylinder 3
07 is drawn, there is also a problem that the dimensional stability of the fitting cylindrical portion 307 is not good. Further, if a large force due to “torsion” or the like is applied when the plug connector P is fitted in the fitting cylindrical portion 307 thus drawn, the drawing may return, that is, a so-called opening may occur depending on the degree of the force. It cannot be said that there is no. This point needs to be sufficiently considered in a connector where insertion and removal are frequently repeated.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention provides a compact, low-cost,
It is another object of the present invention to provide a shielded connector and a method of manufacturing the shielded connector which can achieve dimensional stability and have a strong configuration against "torking" at the time of insertion and removal.

[0009]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following means. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an insulating housing holding a contact, and a shielding metal shell overlapping the surface of the insulating housing, and a fitting for contacting a terminal portion of a mating connector to the metal shell. A shielded connector provided with a joint opening and a frame portion surrounding the periphery of the fitting opening, wherein the metal is formed by punching a metal plate material, and is in a developed shape including the fitting opening and the frame portion. Is bent so as to overlap the surface of the insulating housing.

According to this means, the expanded metal shell including the fitting opening and the frame portion into which the terminal portion of the mating connector is fitted is formed by punching a metal plate material, so that the dimension of the fitting opening is stabilized. And a highly accurate fitting opening can be obtained. In addition, since punching can be performed instead of drawing, it is easy to manufacture, and cost reduction and size reduction can be achieved. Further, since the frame portion surrounding the fitting opening is formed of a continuous metal plate portion without a stop or a seam, the shape has excellent strength.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the insulating housing in the first aspect is formed in a substantially box shape, and the metal shell is
It is characterized in that each of the six surfaces of the insulating housing has an overlapping portion at least partially overlapping.

According to the second means, since the metal shell has an overlapping portion that at least partially overlaps each of the six surfaces of the insulating housing, the metal shell is insulated simply by bending the overlapping portion. It can be easily and firmly fixed to the housing.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a joint formed by bending the expanded shape of the metal shell in the first and second means is located on both side surfaces of the insulating housing. It is characterized by having an engagement piece engaged so that eyes are flush.

According to the third means, the joint piece of the metal shell is engaged so as to be flush with each other, so that the joint does not protrude outward, and accordingly, The outer shape can be kept small, and the joint piece can be prevented from being opened by the engagement piece.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a shield member formed by processing a metal plate is provided between the insulating housing and the metal shell in the first to third means, and the shield member is provided with a mating connector. A lock piece engaging with the terminal portion is provided.

According to the fourth means, by providing another shield member in addition to the metal shell, a part of the outer peripheral surface of the insulating housing is covered with the metal shell and the rest is covered with the shield member. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a structure that is extremely convenient for processing and assembling the two members, and that can easily provide the lock pieces.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an insulating housing holding a contact, and a shielding metal shell overlapping the surface of the insulating housing, for contacting a terminal portion of a mating connector with the metal shell. A method for manufacturing a shielded connector, comprising a fitting opening and a frame portion surrounding the periphery of the fitting opening, comprising: a first step of fixing a contact to an insulating housing; and a punching process of a metal plate material. A second step of forming an unfolded metal shell including a joint opening and a frame portion, a third step of bending the unfolded metal shell to assemble into a box shape, and replacing the metal shell after the third step with an insulating housing. And a fourth step of fixing the cover.

According to the fifth means, in the production of the shielded connector, the step of forming the expanded metal shell including the fitting opening and the frame portion by punching a metal plate material is unnecessary, so that drawing is not required. Because it is easy to manufacture and can reduce the manufacturing cost,
In addition, the dimensional stability of the fitting opening can be improved.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached FIGS. In the embodiments shown in these figures, the present invention is applied to a so-called dip type electrical connector which is inserted into a circuit board and mounted.

The shield type connector R includes an insulating housing 10 holding the contact 1 and a shielding metal shell 20 overlapping the surface of the insulating housing 10, and the metal shell 20 is provided with a mating connector (FIG. 11).
(See FIG. 2), and a frame portion 22 surrounding the fitting opening 21 for fitting the terminal portion.

The frame portion 22 is formed as a seamless metal plate portion surrounding the fitting opening 21 for one week. At the center lower part of the fitting opening 21, a frame portion 22 is provided.
Is formed on the projection 22a. The protruding portion 22a is a protruding portion that gives the mating polarity with the mating connector. Note that, as the mating connector, an existing plug connector similar to that of FIG. 11 can be used, so that it is not specifically illustrated here.

The insulating housing 10 is made of a substantially box-shaped resin as shown in FIG. 2, and has a contact holding portion 11 and an insertion opening 12 into which a pin contact of a mating connector is inserted. The tip 2 of the contact 1 is held by a tip holder 13 of the insulating housing 10.
A curved portion 3 is formed near the tip 2 of the contact 1 so as to protrude into the insertion opening 12.
Care is taken to increase the contact strength with the pin contact inserted into the inside.

The tine 4 of the contact 1 is pulled out from the back side of the insulating housing 10, bent downward, extends straight, and projects below the lower surface of the insulating housing 10. The tine 4 is inserted into a through hole or the like of the board and soldered. The connector R in the illustrated example is a 4-pin connector, and therefore, four contacts 1 are also arranged. In order to prevent the tines 4 of each contact 1 from being concentrated, the tines 4 are staggered.

As shown in FIG. 7, the metal shell 20 is formed by punching a conductive metal plate and developing the metal shell 2 into an expanded shape.
The front shield portion 23 shown by the symbol 0A, the side shield portions 24 on both sides shown by the symbol 0, and the upper shield portion 25 shown by the symbol 0A.
, A bottom shield portion 26 indicated by, an engagement piece 27, 27 indicated by, and fixed pieces 28, 28 indicated by, and these portions constitute an overlapping portion on the surface of the insulating housing 10. . Each overlapping portion indicated by is bent from a position indicated by a broken line in the drawing. As a result, the metal shell 20 has a configuration in which at least a part of each of the six surfaces of the insulating housing 10 has an overlapping portion.

As described above, since the metal shell 20 has the overlapping portion at least partially overlapping each of the six surfaces of the insulating housing 10, the metal shell 20 can be attached to the insulating housing 10 only by bending the overlapping portion. Can be easily and firmly fixed.

The metal shell 20 having an expanded shape 2
The joints (see FIG. 1) formed by bending the OA from the broken line portions are located on both side surfaces of the insulating housing 10, and the rectangular joints are engaged so that the joints are flush with each other. By having the joint pieces 27, 27, the joint can be prevented from protruding outward, and the outer shape can be reduced accordingly. Moreover, the notches 29, 29 which engage with the engagement pieces 27 for preventing the joint from opening, are designed so as to closely engage with the engagement pieces 27 within the range of both plate thicknesses. ing.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the metal shell 20 after bending processing, and shows a completed connector R in a state where the inner insulating housing 10 is covered.
Further, a shield member 30 formed by processing (punching and bending) a metal plate is provided. The shield member 30 is disposed between the insulating housing 10 and the metal shell 20 and is in a form restrained by the metal shell 20.

The shield member 30 has a top plate portion 31 which covers the upper surface of the insulating housing 10, and further has a lock piece 32 which engages with a terminal portion of a mating connector. In the drawing, reference numeral 24a indicates a protruding piece which is inserted into a slot formed in a circuit board (not shown) and soldered.

The shield type connector having such a configuration is as follows.
A first step of fixing and arranging the contacts 1 and the shield member 30 with respect to the insulating housing 10 and, as shown in FIG. 7, a developed metal shell 20A including a fitting opening 21 and a frame portion 22 by punching a metal plate material. A second step of forming the metal shell 20A in the unfolded shape and assembling it into a box shape, and placing the metal shell 20 after the third step on the insulating housing 10 as shown in FIG. It can be manufactured by performing the fourth step of fixing.

The first, third and fourth steps are almost the same as the conventional one, but the present invention is particularly different from the conventional one in the second step. That is, the fitting opening 21 and the frame portion 22 into which the terminal portions of the mating connector are inserted and fitted are all formed by punching. Therefore, since drawing is not performed, the manufacturing is easy and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, the dimensional stability of the fitting opening 21 can be improved.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are a perspective view and a developed view showing another embodiment of the present invention. 8 and 9, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, the description thereof will be simplified, and differences will be mainly described.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9,
The specific shapes of the engagement piece 127 and the notch 129 for preventing the joint of the metal shell 20 from opening are different. That is, the engagement piece 127 is formed in a substantially L-shape, and the notch 1 into which the engagement piece 127 fits tightly and engages.
29 is also formed in an L-shape that matches each other. As a result, it is possible to enhance the engagement of each other and more securely fix the joint. In this embodiment, the length of the top plate 31 of the shield member 30 is reduced to further reduce the size.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, a metal shell is formed by punching a metal plate material, and an expanded shape including a fitting opening and a frame portion is bent.
Since it is made to overlap the surface of the insulating housing, downsizing, cost reduction, and dimensional stability can be achieved, and moreover, it is possible to have a structure that is resistant to "torsion" at the time of insertion and removal.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shielded connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the shielded connector.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the shield type connector.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the shield type connector.

FIG. 6 is a right side view of the shield type connector.

FIG. 7 is a development view of the metal shell according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a shielded connector according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a development view of a metal shell according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a conventional shielded connector (receptacle connector).

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional shielded connector (plug connector).

[Explanation of symbols]

 R plug connector P receptacle connector 1 contact 10 insulating housing 20 metal shell 21 fitting opening 22 frame part 23 front shield part 24 side shield part 25 top shield part 26 bottom shield part 27,127 engaging piece 28 fixing piece 29,129 cut Notch 30 Shielding member 31 Top plate 32 Lock piece

Continued on front page F-term (reference) 5E021 FA05 FA09 FB02 FC06 FC21 FC32 FC33 FC36 HC14 JA04 LA09 LA15

Claims (5)

[Claims] An insulating housing for holding a contact, and a shielding metal shell overlapping the surface of the insulating housing, and a fitting opening for contacting a terminal portion of a mating connector with the metal shell, and a fitting opening therefor. A shielded connector provided with a frame portion surrounding the periphery of a fitting opening, wherein the metal shell is formed by punching a metal plate material, and a developed shape including the fitting opening and the frame portion is bent. And a shielded connector configured to overlap a surface of the insulating housing. 2. The insulating housing is formed in a substantially box shape, and the metal shell has an overlapping portion that at least partially overlaps each of six surfaces of the insulating housing.
The shielded connector according to claim 1. 3. A joint formed by bending the expanded shape of the metal shell is located on both side surfaces of the insulating housing, and is engaged so that the joints are flush with each other. The shielded connector according to claim 1, further comprising a piece. 4. A shield member formed by processing a metal plate is provided between the insulating housing and the metal shell, and the shield member is provided with a lock piece that engages with a terminal portion of a mating connector. The shielded connector according to claim 1. 5. An insulative housing for holding a contact, and a shielding metal shell overlapping the surface of the insulative housing, and a fitting opening for fitting a terminal portion of a mating connector to the metal shell and the fitting. A method of manufacturing a shielded connector provided with a frame portion surrounding the periphery of a joint opening, comprising: a first step of fixing a contact to an insulating housing; and a fitting opening and a frame portion by punching a metal plate material. A second step of forming an expanded metal shell;
A method for manufacturing a shielded connector, comprising: a third step of bending a metal shell in an expanded shape and assembling it into a box shape; and a fourth step of fixing the metal shell after the third step by covering the insulating housing.