JP2006222027A - Shield connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid sliding of a metal mold against a surface of a shield shell in the process of opening the mold. <P>SOLUTION: A cylindrical first shield shell 30 is integrated with a first housing 10 by means of insert molding, and a second shield shell 60 is made contact with the circumferential surface of the first shield shell 30. Although the opening directions of the mold 70 (an upper mold 71 and a lower mold 72) for insert molding are upward and downward in the direction approximately perpendicular to the direction of the axis of the first shield shell 30, since a swelling part 33 swelling toward the outer circumferential surface of the first shield shell 30, and a parting line 70P is located on a position corresponding to the top part 33P of the swelling part 33, the metal mold does not slide the outer circumferential surface of the first shield shell 30 in the mold opening process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a shield connector.

As a shielded connector, the terminal fitting is housed in a synthetic resin housing, the terminal fitting is surrounded by a metal cylindrical shield shell provided in the housing, and the mating connector counterpart is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the shield shell. There is a structure for connecting the side shells, and in this type of shield connector, a structure in which the shield shell is integrated with the housing by insert molding is conceivable. The shield connector is described in Patent Document 1 and the like.
JP 2002-319458 A

When manufacturing a shield connector that integrates the shield shell with the housing by insert molding as described above, sliding with the mold on the outer peripheral surface of the shield shell parallel to the mold opening direction of the mold As a result, a part of the plating layer formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shield shell may be scraped or peeled off, and the stripped piece of the plating layer may be attached to the mold.
The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent the mold from sliding on the surface of the shield shell in the process of mold opening.

  As a means for achieving the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a terminal metal fitting is accommodated in a synthetic resin housing, and a metal shield shell formed into a cylindrical shape is integrated with the housing by insert molding. A shield connector in which the mating shell is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shield shell, and the mold opening direction of the insert molding die is substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the shield shell. In this case, at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the shield shell in the circumferential direction is a bulging portion that swells to the outer peripheral side, and the parting line of the mold corresponds to the top of the bulging portion. It is characterized by having a configuration arranged in.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a flat portion that intersects a mold opening direction of the mold is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shield shell, and the flat shell portion is provided on the mating shell. A corresponding flat plate portion is provided, and an elastic contact piece extending in substantially the same direction as the axial direction of the shield shell is formed on the flat plate portion, and the elastic contact piece makes elastic contact with the flat portion. It is characterized by its configuration.

<Invention of Claim 1>
Since the parting line of the mold is arranged at a position corresponding to the top of the bulging part, the mold does not slide on the outer peripheral surface of the shield shell during the mold opening process.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the flat portion is a direction intersecting with the mold opening direction of the mold, there is no possibility that the mold slides. In addition, since the elastic contact piece of the mating shell is configured to extend in substantially the same direction as the axial direction of the shield shell, the base end of the elastic contact piece is formed when formed on the arcuate surface of the mating shell. There is a concern that the bending rigidity at the portion, that is, the bending fulcrum becomes high, and the contact pressure between the elastic contact piece and the shield shell becomes too large. However, in the present invention, the flat plate portion is provided on the mating shell, and the bending contact piece is formed on the flat plate portion, so that the rigidity at the base end portion of the elastic contact piece, that is, the bending fulcrum does not become too high. It is possible to properly set the contact pressure between the elastic contact piece.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The shield connector of the present embodiment includes a first connector M and a second connector F that can be fitted to each other.
The first connector M includes a first housing 10 made of a synthetic resin (housing which is a constituent of the present invention), a plurality of first terminal fittings 20 (terminal fitting which is a constituent of the present invention), and a first shield shell. 30 (shield shell which is a constituent requirement of the present invention). The first housing 10 is formed by integrally forming a terminal accommodating portion 11 and a hood portion 12 protruding forward from the terminal accommodating portion 11. The hood portion 12 has a substantially square shape in which the square edge portion has an arc shape. A pair of shaft portions 13 having pedestal portions 14 are formed on the outer side surfaces of the left and right wall portions constituting the hood portion 12 so as to protrude in the left-right direction. The shaft portion 13 serves as a means for rotatably supporting a lever (not shown) for engaging / disengaging the first connector M and the second connector F. In addition, a rib 15 that protrudes downward from the center position in the width direction and extends linearly in the front-rear direction is formed on the outer surface (lower surface) of the lower surface wall constituting the hood portion 12.

  The first terminal fitting 20 is a male terminal having an elongated tab 21 at the front end, and an electric wire 22 is connected to the rear end of the first terminal fitting 20. The first terminal fitting 20 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 11 from the rear and is held in a secured state by the lance 16. The tab 21 protrudes from the front surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11 and is disposed in the hood portion 12.

  The first shield shell 30 is formed by molding a metal plate into a cylindrical shape, and is set in the mold 70 when the first housing 10 is molded by the mold 70 (upper mold 71 and lower mold 72). It is integrated with the first housing 10 by insert molding. The first shield shell 30 collectively surrounds the plurality of first terminal fittings 20. A substantially first half portion of the first shield shell 30 is a rectangular tube portion 31, and a substantially second half portion is a cylindrical portion 32. The cylindrical portion 32 is disposed so as to correspond to the substantially second half portion of the terminal accommodating portion 11 and is embedded in the terminal accommodating portion 11 (not exposed to the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11). ing.

  On the other hand, the rectangular tube portion 31 is arranged so as to correspond to the front end portion of the terminal accommodating portion 11 and the hood portion 12. The rectangular tube portion 31 is exposed to the outside over the entire length in the front-rear direction (that is, the axial direction of the first shield shell 30). Specifically, a region of the rectangular tube portion 31 corresponding to the terminal accommodating portion 11 in the front-rear direction is continuously exposed on the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11 over the entire circumference. The part corresponding to the hood part 12 is exposed on the outer peripheral surface of the hood part 12 except for the part where the pedestal part 14 and the rib 15 are formed. The front end of the rectangular tube portion 31 (first shield shell 30) is located slightly behind the front end of the hood portion 12. Thus, the rectangular tube portion 31 is exposed on the outer surface of the first housing 10 over almost the entire region.

  The square tube portion 31 has a square tube shape with a square edge formed in an arc shape. Of the upper, lower, left and right plate portions constituting the square tube portion 31, the left and right side plates are in the vertical direction (circumferential). The bulging portion 33 has a substantially arc shape that bulges outward in the direction. And the edge part (namely, edge part with the widest space | interval of the left-right direction between both the right and left bulging parts 33) which is the furthest from the center of the 1st shield shell 30 among the bulging parts 33 is made into the top part 33P. . The top 33P is arranged so as to correspond to the axis of the shaft part 13 (at the same height as the axis of the shaft part 13) in the height direction (the mold opening direction of the mold 70). . The curvature of the bulging portion 33 is very small and has a shape close to a flat surface. The upper and lower double-sided plates among the plate portions constituting the rectangular tube portion 31 are flat portions 34 in the entire left and right direction. The outer surface of the flat portion 34 is a flat surface that intersects the mold opening direction of a mold 70 to be described later (that is, perpendicular to the mold opening direction of the mold 70).

  The second connector F includes a second housing 40, a plurality of second terminal fittings 50, and a second shield shell 60 (a mating shell that is a constituent feature of the present invention). The second housing 40 is made of synthetic resin, and is formed by integrally forming a housing main body 41 and a cylindrical fitting portion 42 that surrounds a substantially first half portion of the housing main body 41. The hood portion 12 of the first connector M is fitted into the cylindrical fitting space 43 between the mating portion 42 from the front. A plurality of second terminal fittings 50 are accommodated in the housing body 41. As for the 2nd terminal metal fitting 50, the square cylinder-shaped connection part 51 is formed in the front-end part, and the electric wire 52 is connected to the rear-end part of the 2nd terminal metal fitting 50. FIG.

  The second shield shell 60 is integrated with the second housing 40 by insert molding, and a substantially first half region of the second shield shell 60 is exposed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical fitting portion 42. ing. The shape of the substantially first half portion of the second shield shell 60 is a substantially square shape in which the square edge portion is formed in an arc shape like the rectangular tube portion 31 of the first shield shell 30. Specifically, the left and right side plate portions of the second shield shell 60 have a curved shape along the outer surface of the bulging portion 33 of the first shield shell 30, and the upper and lower plate portions are flat of the first shield shell 30. The flat plate portion 61 is parallel to the portion 34.

  A pair of left and right elastic contact pieces 62 are formed on the flat plate portion 61 by cutting and raising the flat plate portion 61. The elastic contact piece 62 has a form that extends rearwardly (in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the first shield shell 30 and the second shield shell 60) in a cantilevered manner, and a free end (rear end) of the elastic contact piece 62 Part) is formed with a contact part 63 protruding in a curved shape toward the inner peripheral side. The elastic contact piece 62 can be elastically bent in the radial direction at the base end edge portion (front end portion), and the fulcrum of the bending is a bent line shape along the circumferential direction. Since the linear portion serving as a fulcrum for this bending is arranged not on the curved surface portion of the second shield shell 60 but on the flat flat plate portion 61, it exhibits a straight shape without being curved.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
7 to 9, the curvature of the bulging portion 33 is exaggerated (that is, the radius of curvature is made smaller than the actual one) in order to clarify the curved state of the bulging portion 33. It is drawn.
When the first housing 10 is molded, a pair of upper and lower molds 70 (upper mold 71 and lower mold 72) are used as means for molding the outer peripheral surface thereof. The upper mold 71 and the lower mold 72 are opened in the vertical direction, that is, in a direction substantially orthogonal to the axial direction (front-rear direction) of the first shield shell 30. As shown in FIG. 7, the parting line 70P in the front-rear direction, which is a joining boundary between the upper end of the upper die 71 and the lower end of the lower die 72, is the top of the bulging portion 33 of the first shield shell 30. It is set to the same height as 33P.

  After molding, the upper mold 71 is moved upward to open the mold. At this time, the contact area of the upper mold 71 with the outer peripheral surface of the first shield shell 30 is the mold opening direction ( The moving direction of the upper mold 71 is inclined. Therefore, immediately after the upper mold 71 starts to move upward (mold opening), the contact area between the upper mold 71 and the first shield shell 30 is separated at a stretch over the entire area, and the upper mold 71 and the first mold There is no friction with the outer surface of the one shield shell 30 when the mold is opened.

  After the upper mold 71 moves up, the insert-molded first housing 10 and the first shield shell 30 are separated upward (released) from the lower mold 72. The contact area with the outer peripheral surface of the first shield shell 30 is inclined with respect to the mold opening direction (the movement direction of the first shield shell 30 relative to the lower mold 72) over the entire area. Therefore, immediately after the first shield shell 30 starts to move upward, the contact area between the lower mold 72 and the first shield shell 30 is separated at a stretch over the entire area, and the lower mold 72 and the first shield are separated. There is no friction with the outer surface of the shell 30 when the mold is opened. The inside of the first housing 10 is molded by a mold (not shown) that is opened in the front-rear direction.

  The first terminal fitting 20 is inserted into the molded first housing 10. The second housing 40 and the second shield shell 60 are also integrated by insert molding, and the second terminal fitting 50 is inserted into the second housing 40. Then, when the first housing 10 and the second housing 40 are fitted by a turning operation of a lever (not shown), the tab 21 of the first terminal fitting 20 enters the connection portion 51 of the second terminal fitting 50 and enters the second housing 50. The 1 terminal metal fitting 20 and the 2nd terminal metal fitting 50 are connected so that conduction | electrical_connection is possible.

  Further, in a state where both housings 10 and 40 are fitted, the hood portion 12 is fitted into the fitting space 43, and the rectangular tube portion 31 of the first shield shell 30 is fitted inside the second shield shell 60. The peripheral surfaces of both shield shells 30 and 60 are in a state of facing each other. Then, the elastic contact piece 62 of the second shield shell 60 is radially outward so as to be inclined while the contact portion 63 is elastically abutting from the radially outer side with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the first shield shell 30. The shield shells 30 and 60 are connected to each other so as to be conductive with a predetermined contact pressure by the elastic restoring force of the elastic contact piece 62.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the mold opening direction of the upper mold 71 and the lower mold 72 for molding the first housing 10 while integrating the first shield shell 30 is the axis of the first shield shell 30. The entire right and left side surfaces along the mold opening direction of the first shield shell 30 are formed as a bulging portion 33 that bulges to the outer peripheral side, and this bulging portion. Since the parting line 70P of the upper mold 71 and the lower mold 72 is set so as to correspond to the top 33P of the 33, the upper mold 71 and the lower mold 72 are connected to the first shield shell 30 during the mold opening process. There is no sliding on the outer peripheral surface. Thereby, even when the plating layer is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first shield shell 30, a part of the plating layer is scraped or peeled due to the friction with the upper die 71 and the lower die 72. As a result, the stripped pieces of the plating layer are prevented from adhering to the upper mold 71 and the lower mold 72.

In addition, since the elastic contact piece 62 of the second shield shell 60 is configured to extend in substantially the same direction as the axial direction of the first shield shell 30 and the second shield shell 60, the elastic contact piece 62 is the second contact shell 62. When formed on the arcuate surface of the shield shell 60, the base end portion of the elastic contact piece 62, that is, the bending fulcrum, exhibits a curved shape along the circumferential direction. As a result, the bending rigidity of the elastic contact piece 62 There is a concern that the contact pressure between the elastic contact piece 62 and the first shield shell 30 becomes too large.
However, in the present embodiment, a flat portion 34 that intersects the mold opening direction of the upper die 71 and the lower die 72 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first shield shell 30, and a flat plate corresponding to the flat portion 34 is provided on the second shield shell 60. A portion 61 is provided, an elastic contact piece 62 is formed on the flat plate portion 61, and the elastic contact piece 62 is in elastic contact with the flat portion 34. Accordingly, the rigidity at the base end portion of the elastic contact piece 62, that is, the bending fulcrum does not become excessively high, and the contact pressure between the first shield shell 30 and the elastic contact piece 62 can be set appropriately. Yes.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) In the above embodiment, the shield shell has a substantially rectangular shape as a whole. However, according to the present invention, the shield shell may have a circular shape, an elliptical shape, an oval shape, a triangular shape, a polygon having five or more sides, and the like. Good.
(2) In the above embodiment, the flat portion is provided on a part of the shield shell. However, according to the present invention, the shield shell may have no flat portion.
(3) In the above embodiment, the elastic contact piece of the mating shell is brought into contact with the flat part of the shield shell. However, according to the present invention, the elastic contact piece is attached to the arcuate part (including the bulging part) of the shield shell. May be contacted.
(4) In the above embodiment, two of the four sides of the shield shell are bulged portions. However, according to the present invention, only one of the four sides or three of the four sides are bulged portions. Also good.
(5) In the above embodiment, the case where the mold is divided into two has been described. However, according to the present invention, the mold may be divided into three or more.
(6) In the above embodiment, the bulging portion is generally arc-shaped, but according to the present invention, the bulging portion may be generally triangular.

Sectional drawing showing the state which fitted the 1st connector and the 2nd connector in Embodiment 1. Sectional view of the first connector Sectional view of the second connector Side view of the first connector Top view of the first connector Front view of the first connector Cross-sectional view showing the process of insert molding Sectional view showing the state of mold opening Sectional view showing connection of first shield shell and second shield shell

Explanation of symbols

10. First housing (housing)
20 ... 1st terminal metal fitting (terminal metal fitting)
30 ... 1st shield shell (shield shell)
33 ... bulge part 33P ... top part 34 ... flat part 60 ... second shield shell (mating side shell)
61 ... Flat plate part 62 ... Elastic contact piece 70 ... Mold 70P ... Parting line 71 ... Upper mold 72 ... Lower mold

Claims (2)

Terminal fittings are housed in a synthetic resin housing,
A metal shield shell that is cylindrical by insert molding is integrated with the housing,
The other shell is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shield shell,
In the shield connector in which the mold opening direction of the mold for insert molding is a direction substantially orthogonal to the axial direction of the shield shell,
At least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the shield shell in the circumferential direction is a bulging portion that swells to the outer peripheral side,
The shield connector, wherein a parting line of the mold is arranged at a position corresponding to the top of the bulging portion. A flat portion that intersects the mold opening direction of the mold is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shield shell,
The mating shell is provided with a flat plate portion corresponding to the flat portion,
The flat contact portion is formed with an elastic contact piece extending substantially in the same direction as the axial direction of the shield shell,
The shield connector according to claim 1, wherein the elastic contact piece is in elastic contact with the flat portion.

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