JP2010067413A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector capable of preventing looseness of an inner housing. <P>SOLUTION: The connector C includes an inner housing 10 to be fitted with a case K while a sealing member 18 surrounding a fitting hole H of the case K is pinched between the case K, and an outer housing 30 to be fitted on an opposite side to the case K in the inner housing 10 and to be fixed on the case K. The outer housing 30 has its end face on the case K side contacted with the case K and fixed with the case K, and a metallic rib 16, which is set to be in contact with the case K when the outer housing 30 is fixed on the case K, is fixed on the inner housing 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector attached to a mounting hole of a case.

Conventionally, for example, a connector described in Patent Document 1 is known as this type of connector. This connector has an inner housing that is attached to the case with a seal member that surrounds the attachment hole of the case being sandwiched between the case and an outer housing that is attached to the opposite side of the inner housing from the case. ing. Then, the inner housing is held in a state attached to the case by tightening the outer housing to the case with a bolt.
JP 2006-31962 A

  However, in the structure as described above, since the inner housing is held by the elastic force of the seal member, there is a concern that the inner housing may rattle due to vibration. Further, since rattling of the inner housing may cause a decrease in sealing performance, a countermeasure has been desired.

  This invention is completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It aims at providing the connector which can prevent rattling of an inner housing.

  The connector of the present invention is mounted on the opposite side of the inner housing from the inner housing, which is attached to the case in a state sandwiched between the sealing member surrounding the mounting hole of the case and the case, A connector having an outer housing fixed to the case, wherein the outer housing is fixed to the case with an end surface of the case abutting against the case, and the inner housing includes: When the outer housing is fixed to the case, a metallic rib that is set to contact the case is fixed.

  According to such a configuration, when the connector is fixed to the case, the metal ribs fixed to the inner housing are in contact with the case, so that the inner housing can be prevented from rattling. . And since a rib is metal, it is hard to deform | transform etc. compared with resin-made ribs, and since a processing precision is high, dimension setting can be ensured.

The rib may be formed of a metal ring integrated with the inner housing by insert molding.
The rib may be made of a metal ring that is press-fitted and held in the outer housing.
The rib may be formed of a clip attached to the outer housing.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the connector which can prevent rattling of an inner housing can be provided.

<Embodiment 1>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
The connector C in the present embodiment is a device connector that supplies power to a device (not shown) (for example, a motor or an inverter mounted on a hybrid vehicle or the like). In the following, each component will be described with the upper side in FIG. 1 as the upper side, the lower side as the lower side, the left side as the front, and the right side as the rear. The device is housed in a metal case K having a shielding function, and a mounting hole H is formed through the case K.

  The connector C includes a housing 10 (corresponding to the inner housing of the present invention) that is attached to the mounting hole H of the case K with a seal ring 18 (corresponding to the sealing member of the present invention) sandwiched between the connector C and the case K. Yes. The housing 10 is made of synthetic resin, and has a main body portion 11 attached in a posture penetrating in the inner and outer directions of the case K in the attachment hole H, and a flange portion 12 arranged substantially parallel to the wall surface of the case K. Yes.

  The main body portion 11 of the housing 10 is formed in a laterally long, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is arranged on the inner side of the case K so as to protrude rearward from the rear surface of the flange portion 12 and the outer main body portion 11A. And an inner main body portion 11B. The outer main body portion 11A has a substantially box shape with a hollow inside, and the electric wire side connector 20 can be fitted from the front.

  Three terminals 13 are held in the housing 10. Each terminal 13 has an outer connecting portion 13A that is electrically connected to the electric wire side connector 20, and an inner connecting portion 13B that can be connected to a terminal on the device side (not shown). The outer connecting portion 13A is arranged side by side inside the outer main body portion 11A, and the inner connecting portion 13B is arranged side by side on the inner main body portion 11B (see FIG. 2). Bolt holes 14A and 14B are formed in each outer connecting portion 13A and each inner connecting portion 13B, respectively, the terminal 21 of the electric wire side connector 20 is provided in the outer connecting portion 13A, and the equipment is provided in each inner connecting portion 13B. The terminal on the side is tightened by the bolt V and firmly connected. The three terminals 13 are integrated with the housing 10 by insert molding.

  The flange portion 12 has a plate shape projecting outward from the entire circumference of a substantially intermediate position in the front-rear direction of the main body portion 11. When viewed from the front-rear direction, the flange portion 12 has a horizontally long rectangular shape as a whole, and the main body portion 11 is provided at a position near one end in the longitudinal direction (rightward in FIG. 2).

  An annular projecting wall 15 is provided on the rear surface of the flange portion 12 (the surface facing the wall surface of the case K). The annular projecting wall 15 is provided substantially in parallel with the outer peripheral edge around the inner periphery of the flange portion 12, and is formed over the entire periphery of the flange portion 12. A seal ring 18 to be described later is attached between the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 12 and the annular protruding wall 15.

  The seal ring 18 is made of rubber and has a ring shape with a size that encloses the entire circumference of the mounting hole H (size along the outer periphery of the annular projecting wall 15). The seal ring 18 has a constant thickness dimension over the entire circumference, and its front surface and rear surface are substantially parallel and flat. In the natural state where the seal ring 18 is not elastically deformed, the thickness dimension of the seal ring 18 is larger than the projecting dimension of the annular projecting wall 15, and the entire rear surface of the seal ring 18 is rearward of the rear end of the annular projecting wall 15. Located (see FIG. 1).

  The connector C includes a shield shell 30 (corresponding to the outer housing of the present invention) attached to the front side of the housing 10 (the side opposite to the case K). The shield shell 30 is made of aluminum die-casting, has a horizontally long, substantially rectangular shape that is slightly larger than the flange portion 12 as a whole, and covers almost the entire front surface of the flange portion 12. The shield shell 30 has an opening 33 having a size along the outer shape of the outer main body portion 11 </ b> A of the housing 10, and the outer main body portion 11 </ b> A of the housing 10 protrudes forward from the opening portion 33.

  The shield shell 30 has a shallow dish shape having an accommodation recess 31 capable of accommodating the flange portion 12 on the rear surface. The housing recess 31 has a shape that conforms to the outer shape of the flange portion 12, and the recess size (depth dimension) is such that the rear surface of the seal ring 18 attached to the flange portion 12 when the flange portion 12 is housed. The size is such that the rear surface 30A of the shield shell 30 (the rear surface of the peripheral wall 35 of the housing recess 31) protrudes rearward. The shield shell 30 is fixed to the case K with its rear surface 30A (end surface on the case K side) in contact with the case K.

  A protrusion 32 is provided in the housing recess 31. The protrusion 32 has a shape that extends continuously in parallel with the peripheral wall 35 of the housing recess 31. The protruding surface (rear surface) of the ridge 32 has a substantially arc shape. When the flange portion 12 is accommodated in the accommodating recess 31, the protrusion portion 32 comes into contact with the peripheral portion of the flange portion 12 from the front.

  A fixing portion 34 that is fixed to the case K is provided on the outer periphery side of the housing recess 31 in the shield shell 30 (see FIG. 2). The fixing portion 34 is a portion that is provided at a plurality of locations (four locations in the present embodiment) in the circumferential direction of the shield shell 30 and partially protrudes the peripheral wall 35 of the housing recess 31. Each fixing portion 34 is formed with a through hole 34 </ b> A arranged so as to overlap with a fixing hole (not shown) of the case K, and a metal bolt (not shown) is inserted into each through hole 34 </ b> A. The shield shell 30 is fixed to the case K so as to be conductive by being tightened in the fixing hole.

  The housing 10 is provided with metallic ribs 16 along the outer periphery of the flange portion 12. The rib 16 is formed by integrating an annular metal ring (metal ring 17) along the entire circumference of the flange portion 12 into the housing 10 by insert molding. The metal ring 17 has a width dimension larger than the thickness dimension (the dimension in the front-rear direction) of the flange portion 12, and this width dimension is a protrusion of the protrusion 32 from the depth dimension of the housing recess 31 of the shield shell 30. The dimensions are equivalent to the dimensions obtained by subtracting the dimensions (see FIG. 1). In addition, the thickness dimension (plate thickness dimension) of the metal ring 17 is a dimension equivalent to the wall thickness dimension of the annular projecting wall 15.

  A portion of the metal ring 17 that protrudes rearward from the flange portion 12 corresponds to the rib 16 of the present invention. The rear end 16A of the rib 16 protrudes rearward from the rear end of the annular projecting wall 15 and is positioned forward of the seal ring 18 in a natural state. The rib 16 has a dimension in which the rear end 16A of the rib 16 is in contact with the case K in a state where the shield shell 30 is fixed to the case K (a state where the rear surface 30A of the shield shell 30 is in contact with the case K), in other words. In the state where the housing 10 and the shield shell 30 are assembled, the position of the rear end 16A of the rib 16 is set so as to be aligned with the position of the rear surface 30A of the shield shell 30.

Next, an operation for attaching the connector C to the case K will be described.
First, the shield shell 30 is assembled to the housing 10 to which the seal ring 18 is attached, and the inner main body portion 11B of the housing 10 is inserted into the case K from the mounting hole H. Then, the shield shell 30 is pushed toward the case K and the seal ring 18 is pressed against the wall surface of the case K so that the rear surface 30A of the shield shell 30 is in contact with the outer surface of the case K. At this time, the rear end 16A of the rib 16 is in contact with the outer surface of the case K. Then, when the fixing portion 34 of the shield shell 30 is aligned with the fixing hole of the case K, and a bolt is inserted into the through hole 34A of the fixing portion 34 and tightened to the fixing hole of the case K, the seal ring 18 extends over the entire circumference. K and the flange portion 12 are pressed and adhered to each other, and the shield shell 30 is in a state where substantially the entire rear surface 30A of the shield shell 30 and substantially the entire circumference of the rear end 16A of the rib 16 are in contact with the case K. Fixed to case K.

Next, operations and effects of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described.
The housing 10 of the connector C of this embodiment is provided with a metallic rib 16 that is set to contact the case K when the shield shell 30 is fixed to the case K. Thereby, in a state where the connector C is fixed to the case K, the metal rib 16 provided in the housing 10 is in contact with the case K, so that the backlash of the housing 10 can be prevented. Here, for example, instead of providing the metal rib 16 as described above, a resin rib is integrally formed on the rear surface of the housing, and the rib is brought into contact with the case K so that the back of the housing It is also possible to prevent sticking. However, the resin ribs are subject to thermal shrinkage during molding, so the dimensions are likely to vary. When the rib projections are smaller than expected, the housing cannot be prevented from rattling, and the ribs If the projecting dimension is larger than expected, a gap may be formed between the rear surface 30A of the shield shell 30 and the case K. If there is a gap between the shield shell 30 and the case K, there is a problem that when the resin rib undergoes creep deformation, the tightening portion between the shield shell 30 and the case K may be loosened. However, in the present embodiment, since the rib 16 is made of metal, it can be processed with high accuracy by cutting, so that the rear surface 30A of the shield shell 30 is in contact with the case K and the case K is attached to the case K. It is possible to realize a rib 16 whose dimension is set to be in contact. Further, since the metal rib 16 is less likely to be deformed than the resin rib, it can withstand long-term use.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a connector 50 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The connector 50 of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the metal rib 51 is a part of the metal ring 52 that is press-fitted and held in the shield shell 30. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure similar to Embodiment 1, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As in the first embodiment, the connector 50 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 10 attached to the case K in a state where the seal ring 18 surrounding the attachment hole H of the case K is sandwiched between the case K, and the housing 10 The shield shell 30 is attached to the front side and fixed to the case K.

  The shield shell 30 is made of aluminum die-casting, and as in the first embodiment, as a whole, the shield shell 30 has a substantially rectangular shape that is slightly larger than the flange portion 12 as a whole, and a housing recess 31 that can accommodate the flange portion 12 is formed on the rear surface. Is formed. The housing recess 31 has a shape that conforms to the outer shape of the flange portion 12, and the space between the peripheral wall 35 of the housing recess 31 and the peripheral surface of the flange portion 12 is equal to or equal to the thickness dimension of the metal ring 52 described later. Is set to have a slightly smaller interval (see FIG. 5).

  The metal ring 52 has an annular shape that is slightly smaller than the outer shape of the receiving recess 31 (the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 35) and slightly larger than the outer shape of the flange portion 12, and is press-fitted into the receiving recess 31 to thereby enter the shield shell 30. It is fixed. The peripheral surface of the flange portion 12 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the metal ring 52 press-fitted into the housing recess 31, and the metal ring 52 is fixed to the housing 10 (see FIG. 5).

  The metal ring 52 has the same width as that of the metal ring 17 of the first embodiment, and is press-fitted into the housing recess 31 to a depth where the rear end 51A is aligned with the rear surface 30A of the shield shell 30. A portion of the metal ring 52 that protrudes from the flange portion 12 corresponds to the rib 51. As in the first embodiment, the rib 51 is dimensioned so that the rear end 51A of the rib 51 contacts the case K in a state where the rear surface 30A of the shield shell 30 is in contact with the case K, in other words, the shield shell 30 is attached to the housing 10. In such a state that the rear end 51 </ b> A of the rib 51 is assembled to the position of the rear surface 30 </ b> A of the shield shell 30.

As described above, in the second embodiment, when the connector 50 is fixed to the case K, the metal rib 51 fixed to the housing 10 contacts the case K. It is possible to prevent rattling.
Further, the metal ring 52 is held by being press-fitted into the shield shell 30. Here, since the shield shell 30 is made of aluminum die cast, the metal ring 52 can be firmly fixed as compared with the case where the metal ring 52 is press-fitted into a resin housing, for example.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, a connector 60 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The connector 60 of the present embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in that the metal rib is a part of the clip 62 attached to the shield shell 30. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure similar to Embodiment 1, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the connector 60 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 10 attached to the case K in a state where the seal ring 18 surrounding the attachment hole H of the case K is sandwiched between the case K and the housing 10. The shield shell 30 is attached to the front side and fixed to the case K.

  The shield shell 30 is made of aluminum die-casting, and as in the first embodiment, as a whole, the shield shell 30 has a substantially rectangular shape that is slightly larger than the flange portion 12 as a whole, and an accommodation recess 31 that can accommodate the flange portion 12 on the rear surface 30A. Is formed.

  A mounting portion 63 to which a metal clip 62 described later is mounted is provided on the peripheral wall 35 of the housing recess 31. The mounting portion 63 is provided in a portion of the peripheral wall 35 excluding the portion where the fixing portion 34 is provided. The mounting portion 63 has a shape that is recessed forward than the other portions of the peripheral wall 35 and has a shape in which the outer peripheral side protrudes (see FIG. 7). The recessed dimension of the mounting portion 63 is equivalent to the thickness dimension of the clip 62, and the cross-sectional shape of the protruding portion is substantially square.

  The clip 62 can be attached to and detached from the mounting portion 63. In the present embodiment, four clips 62 are mounted. The clip 62 has a long shape in the extending direction of the peripheral wall 35 as a whole. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the clip 62 is a substantially U-shape that can be externally fitted to the mounting portion 63. Specifically, the abutment portion 62A along the rear end surface of the mounting portion 63 and the inner surface of the mounting portion 63 (the peripheral wall 35). A rib portion 62B (corresponding to the rib of the present invention) along the inner peripheral surface) and an engaging portion 62C along the front surface of the protruding portion of the mounting portion 63 from the outer peripheral surface of the mounting portion 63 are provided. The rib portion 62B and the contact portion 62A are substantially perpendicular, and the engaging portion 62C is substantially L-shaped.

  In a state where the clip 62 is mounted on the mounting portion 63, the rear surface of the contact portion 62A and the rear end of the rib portion 62B (the rear surface 64 of the clip 62) are arranged at a position aligned with the rear surface 30A of the shield shell 30. The rear surface 30A of the shell 30 constitutes a substantially flat surface.

  The height dimension (front-rear direction dimension) of the rib part 62 </ b> B is determined from the depth dimension from the rear surface 30 </ b> A of the shield shell 30 to the front surface of the housing recess 31, and The dimensions are the same as the subtracted dimensions. In other words, the height dimension of the rib portion 62B is such that the front end of the rib portion 62B is in contact with the rear surface of the flange portion 12 accommodated in the accommodation recess 31 and the rib 62B is in a state where the clip 62 is attached to the attachment portion 63. The rear end of the part 62B is set to be aligned with the rear surface 30A of the shield shell 30.

  The clip 62 can be elastically deformed in the direction in which the interval between the engaging portion 62C and the rib portion 62B is widened, and the clip 62 is placed by placing the mounting portion 63 between the rib portion B and the engaging portion 62C. When the clip 62 is pushed in, the clip 62 is elastically deformed at one end, and is then elastically restored to be attached to the attachment portion 63 with one touch.

  When the clip 62 is mounted after the housing 10 is fitted to the shield shell 30, the flange portion 12 is sandwiched between the ridge portion 32 of the shield shell 30 and the rib portion 62 </ b> B of the clip 62. 62B and the housing 10 are fixed.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, in the state where the connector 60 is fixed to the case K, the rear end of the metal rib portion 62B provided on the housing 10 and the rear surface of the abutting portion 62A (the rear surface 64 of the clip 62). ) Comes into contact with the case K, the rattling of the housing 10 can be prevented as in the first embodiment.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments 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.

  (1) In the first embodiment, the rib 16 is formed by insert-molding the metal ring 17. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any shape metal member may be insert-molded. You may form a rib by insert-molding the metal piece which makes a shape.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the example in which the present invention is applied to the connector C in which the inner housing 10 is the resin housing 10 and the outer housing 10 is the metal shield shell 30 has been described. The present invention can also be applied to the case where both the inner housing and the outer housing are resin housings, for example.

Sectional drawing showing the fitting state of the connector concerning Embodiment 1 and the other party connector Rear view of connector Partially enlarged sectional view showing the shape of the rib Rear view of connector according to embodiment 2 Partially enlarged sectional view showing the shape of the rib Rear view of connector according to embodiment 3 Partially enlarged sectional view showing the shape of the rib

Explanation of symbols

C, 50, 60 ... Connector H ... Mounting hole K ... Case 10 ... Housing (inner housing)
16, 51, 62B ... rib 17, 52 ... metal ring 18 ... seal ring (seal member)
30 ... Shield shell (outer housing)
30A: Rear surface (case side end surface)
62 ... Clip

Claims (4)

An inner housing that is attached to the case with a seal member that surrounds the attachment hole of the case being sandwiched between the case and the inner housing that is attached to the opposite side of the case and is fixed to the case An outer housing, comprising:
The outer housing is fixed to the case by bringing the end surface on the case side into contact with the case.
A metal rib, which is set to contact the case when the outer housing is fixed to the case, is fixed to the inner housing. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the rib is made of a metal ring integrated with the inner housing by insert molding. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the rib includes a metal ring that is press-fitted and held in the outer housing. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the rib includes a clip attached to the outer housing.

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