JP2007087874A - Shield connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shield connector capable of preventing water from being infiltrated from a gap between a recessed and warped portion produced on the peripheral surface of a housing and a protective member when molding the housing. <P>SOLUTION: Portions corresponding to both upper and lower recessed and warped portions 17A, 17B produced on the peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 in the contractedly pressurized portion 46 of a rubber boot 40 are formed as an upper thickness portion 47A and a lower thickness portion 47B which are radially thickened compared with other portions respectively. Thereby, since the both upper and lower recessed and warped portions 17A, 17B are filled with the thickened portions of the upper and lower thickness portions 47A, 47B, and no gap exists between the peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 and the rubber boot 40, water can be prevented from being infiltrated from this gap. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a shield connector.

Conventionally, the thing of patent document 1 is known as an example of a shield connector. The shield connector includes a synthetic resin housing, an electric wire led out from the housing, and a flexible shield member that collectively surrounds the electric wire. In general, this type of shielded connector is provided with a rubber cylindrical protective member that protects the shield member. The protective member surrounds the shield member and is attached in a state where one end is externally fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the housing. Thus, foreign matter and water are prevented from entering the protective member.
JP 2005-11647 A

  In the above structure, if the outer peripheral surface of the housing warps in a concave shape due to the occurrence of “sinking” during resin molding, a gap is generated between the portion warped in the concave shape and the protective member, and the protective member is formed from the gap. Water may enter the inside.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and prevents water from entering through a gap between the concave warped portion of the outer peripheral surface and the protective member that occurs during molding of the housing. An object of the present invention is to provide a shield connector that can be used.

  As means for achieving the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 includes a resin housing, an electric wire led out from the housing, a cylindrical flexible shield member surrounding the electric wire, The rubber protective member is sandwiched in a radial direction between a cylindrical rubber protective member that surrounds the flexible shield member and one end of which is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the housing, and the outer peripheral surface of the housing. A fixing connector for fixing, wherein the molded member is molded out of the pressure-carrying portion to be clamped between the fixing ring and the outer peripheral surface of the housing in the rubber protection member. The portion corresponding to the concave warp portion generated on the outer peripheral surface of the housing is characterized in that it is a thick portion thickened in the radial direction as compared with other portions.

The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the thick part is thickened radially inward in the rubber protection member.
The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, a lip portion is formed on a radially inner surface of the pinched portion.

<Invention of Claim 1>
Of the pressed portion of the rubber protection member, the portion corresponding to the concave warped portion that occurs on the outer peripheral surface during molding of the housing is a thickened portion that is thicker in the radial direction than the other portions. Therefore, when the pressed portion is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the housing and the fixing ring, the thickened portion of the thick portion is pushed into the concave warped portion side of the housing. Then, the concave warped portion is filled with the thickened portion, and there is no gap between the outer peripheral surface of the housing and the rubber protective member. Thereby, it can prevent that water penetrate | invades from the clearance gap between the concave curvature part of the outer peripheral surface produced at the time of shaping | molding of a housing, and a rubber-made protection member.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the thickened portion is thickened inward in the radial direction of the rubber protective member, the thickened portion is buried in the concave warped portion without strongly sandwiching the pressed portion. And since it is pinched by the fixing ring in this state, compared with the case where the thick part is thickened only in the radial direction outside, the gap is more reliably filled, and the outer peripheral surface of the housing and the rubber protective member Water can be prevented from entering through the gaps between the two.

<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the lip portion is formed on the radially inner surface of the pinched portion, the lip portion is elastically crushed when the pinched portion is sandwiched between the fixing ring and the outer peripheral surface of the housing. Firmly attached to the outer peripheral surface of the housing. Therefore, compared to the case where the lip portion is not provided, the sandwiched pressure portion is tightly adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the housing, so that the water tightness between the outer peripheral surface of the housing and the rubber protective member is improved and reliable. Can prevent water intrusion.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are a side sectional view, a side view, and a plan sectional view of the shield connector 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The shield connector 1 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 10, three terminal fittings 20 that are inserted and accommodated in the housing 10 from the rear, and a non-shielded electric wire fixed to the rear end of each terminal fitting 20. 21, a flexible shield member 30 that collectively shields the electric wire 21, and a rubber boot 40 (corresponding to the rubber protective member of the present invention) that protects the flexible shield member 30.

Hereinafter, in each constituent member, the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 20 with respect to the housing 10 (left side in FIG. 1) is defined as the front, and the vertical direction in FIG. 1 is defined as the vertical direction.
The housing 10 is made of synthetic resin, and is formed by integrally forming an inner housing 11 for housing the terminal fitting 20 and an outer housing 12 surrounding the inner housing 11. FIG. 4 shows a rear view of the housing 10.

  The inner housing 11 has a columnar shape with a horizontally long cross section as a whole, and three cavities 13 that can accommodate the terminal fittings 20 are juxtaposed in the width direction in the inner housing 11. A lance 13A extending in a cantilevered manner is integrally formed in each cavity 13 (see FIG. 1).

  The inner housing 11 and the outer housing 12 are connected by a plurality of connecting portions 14 at a rear end position of the outer housing 12 and a position ahead of the rear end of the inner housing 11, and the rear end portion of the inner housing 11 is connected to the outer housing 12. It is the form which protruded back rather than the rear-end position. The connecting portion 14 is configured to connect the outer periphery of the inner housing 11 and the inner periphery of the outer housing 12, and is arranged at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction. A space between the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 12 is a mounting space 15 that is open forward, and a shield shell 24 (described later) is mounted in the mounting space 15 from the rear, and the other side from the front. A connector (not shown) is inserted.

  A seal ring 16 is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the inner housing 11 at a position in front of the connecting portion 14 so as to face the mounting space 15. A front holder 16A is mounted in front of the seal ring 16, and the release of the seal ring 16 to the front is restricted.

  A front end portion of a rubber boot 40 described later is attached to the rear end portion of the outer housing 12. As shown in FIG. 4, the outer peripheral surface of the portion to which the rubber boot 40 is attached is warped due to a deformation called “sink” generated during resin molding. Originally, it would be desirable to form the outer peripheral surface flat without causing such deformation, but it is difficult to avoid warping because the resin shrinks with heat as it hardens. The warp is a concave warped portion 17 having a bow shape inward from the outer peripheral surface, and the concave warped portion 17 is generated on both upper and lower surfaces of the rear end portion of the outer housing 12. Specifically, the upper surface of the rear end portion of the outer housing 12 has an upper concave warped portion 17A that is concaved downward from the upper surface, and the lower surface of the outer housing 12 is a lower concave warped that is concaved upward from the lower surface. Part 17B occurs.

  A lever 18 is attached to the housing 10, and the lever 18 is configured such that a pair of upper and lower arm portions 18 </ b> A are connected by an operation portion 18 </ b> B, and rotates around a support shaft portion 19. It is possible.

  The terminal fitting 20 inserted into the housing 10 from the rear is formed by bending a metal plate having a predetermined shape, and has a shape elongated in the front-rear direction as a whole, and has a so-called female shape. The terminal fittings 20 are inserted into the cavities 13 and are held in a secured state by locking the lances 13A. The rear end portion of each terminal fitting 20 is an open barrel-shaped crimping portion 22, and the electric wire 21 crimped to the crimping portion 22 is led out from the housing 10 to the rear.

  The electric wire 21 fixed to the rear end portion of the terminal fitting 20 has a known form in which the outer periphery of a conductor made of an aluminum alloy single core wire, a copper stranded wire or the like is surrounded by a synthetic resin insulating coating. The conductor and the insulation coating are both flexible and can be bent and deformed. The three electric wires 21 led out from the housing 10 are bundled and routed together. A rubber plug 23 is attached at a position corresponding to the position near the rear end of the cavity 13 in the electric wire 21 to prevent water from entering the cavity 13. In addition, a rear holder 23A is attached to the rear of the rubber plug 23, and the rearward release of the rubber plug 23 is restricted.

  The shield shell 24 mounted in the mounting space 15 is formed into a cylindrical shape by bending or deep drawing a metal plate material, and is a horizontally long shape that can be fitted into the inner peripheral side of the outer housing 12. It has a substantially square cross section.

  A portion corresponding to the connecting portion 14 of the housing 10 in a substantially front half portion of the shield shell 24 is formed with a notch (not shown) that is cut out in a substantially square shape from the front end edge to the rear. The shield shell 24 is fitted from the rear into the gap 15A between the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 12 so that the notch is opposed to the connecting portion 14, and is attached to the housing 10 by locking means (not shown). On the other hand, the relative movement is fixed (see FIG. 3). The terminal fittings 20 accommodated in the housing 10 and the front ends of the electric wires 21 are collectively shielded by the shield shell 24.

  A substantially second half portion of the shield shell 24 is a connection portion 26 that is continuous over the entire circumference. The connection portion 26 protrudes rearward from the outer housing 12, and the flexible shield member 30 is connected to the connection portion 26. A reinforcing cylinder 27 is fitted on the inner periphery of the connecting portion 26, and the connecting portion 26 is reinforced by the reinforcing cylinder 27 so as not to be deformed in the diameter reducing direction.

  The flexible shield member 30 is a cylindrical member made of a braided wire obtained by braiding metal wires (for example, copper alloy) into a mesh shape, and can be freely bent and deformed. The flexible shield member 30 shields the three electric wires 21 led out rearward from the housing 10 by collectively surrounding them. The front end portion of the flexible shield member 30 is put on the connection portion 26 of the shield shell 24, and a caulking ring 31 is fitted on the outer peripheral side of this portion.

  The caulking ring 31 has a cylindrical shape made of metal and can be deformed in a reduced diameter. On the upper edge and the lower edge at the front edge of the caulking ring 31, plate-like locking pieces 32 are formed that protrude upward and downward from the upper edge and the lower edge, respectively. The pair of locking pieces 32 are integrally formed so as to be substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the caulking ring 31. By the caulking ring 31, the front end portion of the flexible shield member 30 is caulked with respect to the connection portion 26 of the shield shell 24 and is connected to be conductive.

  The flexible shield member 30 connected to the shield shell 24 is surrounded by a rubber boot 40. 5, 6, and 7 are a perspective view, a side sectional view, and a front view of the rubber boot 40. The rubber boot 40 surrounds the flexible shield member 30 and exhibits a wire protection function and a waterproof function. The rubber boot 40 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and has an intermediate portion formed in a cylindrical bellows shape. The rubber boot 40 is flexible along the wiring path of the electric wire 21 while the electric wire 21 and the flexible shield member 30 are accommodated therein. It can be deformed. Further, a circular small-diameter outer fitting portion 41 is formed at the rear end portion of the rubber boot 40, and a portion protected by the rubber boot 40 in the electric wire 21 and the flexible shield member 30 is formed in the small-diameter outer fitting portion 41. A front end portion of a corrugated tube (not shown) that protects the removed portion is fitted.

  The front portion of the rubber boot 40 has a shape that becomes wider toward the front, and the front end portion thereof is a horizontally long rectangular shape that can be fitted onto the outer peripheral surface of the portion extending from the caulking ring 31 to the rear end portion of the outer housing 12. A large-diameter outer fitting portion 42 is formed. On the upper surface and the lower surface of the large-diameter outer fitting portion 42, there are provided protruding portions 43 that protrude upward and downward, respectively. The projecting portion 43 is disposed at a substantially intermediate portion in the axial direction of the large-diameter outer fitting portion 42, in other words, a portion corresponding to the locking piece 32 of the caulking ring 31. As shown in FIG. 6, the protruding portion 43 is formed with slit-like locking grooves 44 that are cut upward and downward from the inner peripheral surface, respectively. The locking piece 32 of the ring 31 is fitted. Thus, the rubber boot 40 is restricted from relative movement in the front-rear direction with respect to the caulking ring 31, the shield shell 24, and the housing 10 (see also FIG. 1).

  A cutout 45 having a stepped shape is formed at the front end of the rubber boot 40, in other words, at the outer peripheral portion of the large-diameter outer fitting portion 42 corresponding to the rear end of the outer housing 12. The notch 45 has a groove shape that is continuous over the entire circumference. A fixing ring 50 is fitted on the notch 45, and the rubber boot 40 is fixed to the outer housing 12 by the tightening force of the fixing ring 50.

As shown in FIG. 7, the pressed portion 46 sandwiched between the fixing ring 50 and the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 at the front end portion of the rubber boot 40 has a radially inner side as compared with other portions. A thickened thickness portion 47 is formed. The thick portion 47 is a portion corresponding to the upper and lower concave warped portions 17A and 17B generated on the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 in the clamped portion 46, in other words, an upper portion and a lower portion of the clamped portion 46 ( Long side portion). The upper thick portion 47A provided in the upper portion and the lower thick portion 47B provided in the lower portion are respectively centered in the width direction so as to conform to the shapes of the upper and lower biconcave warped portions 17A and 17B that are recessed in a bow shape. The thickness is gradually increased radially inward toward the part. Specifically, the upper thick portion 47A is gradually increased downward from the width direction both ends toward the center, and the lower thickness portion 47B is gradually increased upward from the width direction both ends to the center. ing. The inner peripheral surfaces (thickened surfaces) of the upper thick portion 47A and the lower thick portion 47B are gradually curved from the both ends in the width direction toward the center in the radial direction. On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface (the surface on the side where the fixing ring 50 contacts) is a flat surface that is not curved.
In addition, a lip portion 48 extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the inner circumferential surface (radially inner surface) of the sandwiched pressure portion 46 over the entire circumference.

  The fixing ring 50 that fastens the rubber boot 40 is made of a synthetic resin and has an elongated band shape. 8 and 9 are a perspective view and a front view of the fixing ring 50, and FIG. 10 is a rear view showing a state in which the rubber boot 40 is fixed to the housing 10. When the ends of the fixing ring 50 are connected to each other, the fixing ring 50 has a substantially rectangular cross section that can be externally fitted into the notch 45 of the rubber boot 40. The upper and lower sides of the fixing ring 50, that is, the upper thick portion 47A and A portion corresponding to the lower thick portion 47B is formed in a straight line. The upper side portion and the lower side portion have a substantially constant thickness, and both the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface are flat surfaces, and both surfaces are substantially parallel. The upper side portion and the lower side portion are configured to sandwich the upper thick portion 47A and the lower thick portion 47B, respectively, in a state of being substantially parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12.

  A locking projection 51 is formed at one end of the fixing ring 50 so as to protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface, and the locking projection 51 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the other end. A gate-shaped receiving portion 52 that can be inserted in the circumferential direction along the outer peripheral surface is formed. And the latching protrusion 51 which penetrated the receiving part 52 latches with respect to the receiving part 52 (refer FIG. 9).

  As shown in FIG. 10, the fixing ring 50 that is externally fitted to the notch 45 of the rubber boot 40 is tightened so as to reduce the diameter while passing through the receiving portion 52, and the engaging ring 51 that passes through the receiving portion 52. It is locked in the attached state by the locking of the stop projection 51 and the receiving portion 52. At this time, the fixing ring 50 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 in the radial direction, and is in a state of biting into the pressed portion 46 over the entire circumference. Thus, the rubber boot 40 is sandwiched between the fixing ring 50 and the outer housing 12 at the position of the notch portion 45 so that the rubber boot 40 is not displaced even when a rearward tensile force is applied. Since the fixing ring 50 can be removed from the rubber boot 40 simply by removing the locking projection 51 from the receiving portion 52, it is easy to remove the rubber boot 40 from the flexible shield member 30 and perform maintenance work.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
An upper thick portion 47A and a lower thick portion 47B are provided at portions corresponding to the upper and lower biconcave warped portions 17A and 17B of the outer housing 12 in the clamped portion 46 of the rubber boot 40, respectively. Thus, when the front end portion of the rubber boot 40 is put on the rear end portion of the outer housing 12, the upper and lower thick portions 47 </ b> A and 47 </ b> B of the clamped portion 46 are respectively formed on the upper and lower biconcave warped portions 17 </ b> A and 17 </ b> B of the outer housing 12. It will be buried. And the to-be-clamped part 46 is clamped between the outer housing 12 and the fixing ring 50, and the inner peripheral surface of the to-be-clamped part 46 and the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 are in close contact with each other. Fixed. Here, in the case where the thickened portion 47 is not provided in the sandwiched pressure portion 46, even if the sandwiched pressure portion 46 is fastened to the fixing ring 50, the concave warped portion 17 generated on the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 and the covered portion Since the gap between the pressing part 46 is not filled, there is a possibility that water may enter the rubber boot 40 from this gap. However, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the concave warped portion 17 generated in the outer housing 12 is filled by the thickened portion of the thick portion 47 provided in the pressed portion 46 of the rubber boot 40. There is no gap between the outer peripheral surface of the rubber and the rubber boot 40. Thereby, it is possible to prevent water from entering the rubber boot 40 from the gap between the concave warped portion 17 on the outer peripheral surface and the rubber boot 40 which is generated when the outer housing 12 is molded.

  Further, since the thick portion 47 is thickened radially inward in the rubber boot 40, the thickened portion 47 can be increased by simply covering the front end portion of the rubber boot 40 over the rear end portion of the outer housing 12. It will be in the state buried in the concave curvature part 17. Here, when the thick part is thickened only on the radially outer side, the thick part is elastically deformed so as to be curved radially inward by the fastening force of the fixing ring 50, and the concave warped part. 17 will be embedded. Then, due to the restoring force, a radially outward force, that is, a force away from the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 is generated in the thick portion. However, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, since the thick portion 47 is thickened radially inward, such a situation can be avoided, and the thick portion 47 is thickened only on the radially outer side. Compared to the case, the degree of adhesion between the concave warped part 17 and the thick part 47 is further increased.

  Furthermore, since the lip portion 48 is formed on the radially inner surface of the clamped portion 46, when the clamped portion 46 is sandwiched between the fixing ring 50 and the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12, The lip portion 48 is elastically crushed and firmly adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12. Therefore, the pinched portion 46 is tightly adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 as compared with the case where the lip portion 48 is not provided, so that the watertightness between the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 and the rubber boot 40 is Increased and can reliably prevent water intrusion.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the portions corresponding to the upper and lower biconcave warped portions 17A and 17B generated on the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 in the clamped portion 46 of the rubber boot 40 are respectively compared with the other portions. Since the upper wall thickness portion 47 </ b> A and the lower wall thickness portion 47 </ b> B are increased in the radial direction, when the pressed portion 46 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 and the fixing ring 50, The upper and lower concave warped portions 17A and 17B are filled with the increased thickness of the upper and lower thick portions 47A and 47B. Thereby, there is no gap between the outer peripheral surface of the outer housing 12 and the rubber boot 40, and water can be prevented from entering through this gap.

<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 flexible shield member 30 is made of a braided wire made of metal (for example, copper alloy) braided in a mesh shape. The flexible shield member may be a member made of a material other than the braided wire, such as an aluminum sheet material.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, the thick portion 47 is thickened radially inward in the rubber boot 40. However, according to the present invention, the thick portion is only on the radially outer side or on both the outer and inner sides. The thickness may be increased.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the thick portion 47 is provided on the long side portion of the clamped portion 46. However, according to the present invention, the thick portion is formed on the outer housing in the clamped portion. It suffices if it is provided at a portion corresponding to the generated concave warped portion, and for example, it may be provided at the short side portion or both the short side portion and the long side portion.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the lip portion 48 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the pinched portion 46. However, according to the present invention, the lip portion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the pinched portion. It does not have to be.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the fixing ring 50 is made of synthetic resin. However, according to the present invention, the fixing ring may be made of metal.

  (6) In the above embodiment, the rubber boot 40 is fixed to the housing 10 by one fixing ring 50. However, according to the present invention, even if the rubber boot 40 is fixed by a plurality of fixing rings. Good. In this case, the thick portion does not have to be provided in all the pressed parts to be sandwiched between the plurality of fixing rings and the housing. For example, one of the plurality of pressed parts is covered. You may provide only in the clamping part.

  (7) In the above embodiment, the flexible shield member 30 is surrounded and protected by the rubber boot 40. However, according to the present invention, the flexible shield member is protected by something other than the rubber boot (for example, grommet). May be.

Side sectional view of shield connector in the present embodiment Side view of shield connector Plan view of shield connector Rear view of housing Perspective view of rubber boots Side view of rubber boot Front view of rubber boots Perspective view of fixing ring Front view of retaining ring Rear view showing the rubber boots fixed to the housing

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Shield connector 10 ... Housing 17A ... Upper concave curvature part 17B ... Lower concave curvature part 21 ... Electric wire 30 ... Flexible shield member 40 ... Rubber boot (rubber protection member)
46 ... Pressed part 47A ... Upper thickness part 47B ... Lower thickness part 48 ... Lip part 50 ... Fixing ring

Claims (3)

A resin-made housing, an electric wire led out from the housing, a tubular flexible shield member surrounding the electric wire,
A cylindrical rubber protective member that surrounds the flexible shield member and has one end fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the housing;
A fixing connector that includes a fixing ring that sandwiches and fixes the rubber protective member in a radial direction between the outer peripheral surface of the housing,
A portion of the rubber protection member corresponding to a concave warped portion generated on the outer peripheral surface of the housing during molding of the housing among the pressed portions to be sandwiched between the fixing ring and the outer peripheral surface of the housing. The shield connector is characterized in that it is a thickened portion which is thickened in the radial direction compared to other portions. The shield connector according to claim 1, wherein the thick portion is thickened inward in the radial direction of the rubber protection member. The shield connector according to claim 1, wherein a lip portion is formed on a radially inner surface of the sandwiched pressure portion.

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