JP2011054471A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector capable of enhancing a prying strength without increasing the thickness of a shield member for shielding an insertion part. <P>SOLUTION: The connector includes a housing 2 having an upper step-lower step terminal holders 12, 15 for holding terminals 21, 31 at an insertion part 13 to be inserted into a counterpart connector and at a rear side of the insertion part 13, a shield member 3 of which at least an insertion direction is exposed and which covers the insertion part 13 and the upper step-lower step holders 12, 15, and a reinforcing member 5 for reinforcing a jointing force between the housing 2 and the shield member 3 at a lower step terminal holder 15 side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector provided at the tip of a cable connected to an electronic device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a connector with increased strength is known as a connector provided at the end of a cable (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This connector is assembled by sandwiching a housing holding a plurality of terminals from above and below with two metallic shield members. Each of the two shield members is formed by bending a metal plate extracted by punching, and a convex portion provided in the lower shield member is provided in a concave portion provided in the plate thickness direction of the upper shield member. Are engaged by being inserted from the thickness direction of the connector.

  In addition, an insertion portion to be inserted into the slot of the electronic device is extended in the housing, and the insertion portion is shielded by an upper shield member. When the connector insertion portion is inserted into the slot of the electronic device, the force acting on the convex portion of the lower shield member is received by the thickness of the metal plate in the concave portion of the upper shield member. It is done. As described above, the conventional connector increases the strength of the bending by receiving the force acting on the engaging portions of the upper and lower shield members by the bending with the thickness of the metal plate.

JP 2008-103114 A

  However, in the conventional connector as described above, since the structure is such that the force acting on the engaging portion of the upper and lower shield members is received by the thickness of the metal plate by prying, the thickness of the upper and lower shield members must be increased. There was a problem that it was not possible to increase the strength.

  In recent years, it has been desired to reduce the thickness of the connector along with the reduction in the thickness of the electronic device. However, as described above, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the upper shield member in order to increase the resistance to twisting. The insertion portion is shielded thick, making it difficult to reduce the thickness of the connector.

  This invention is made in view of such a situation, and provides the connector which can raise a twist strength, without thickening the board | plate thickness of the shield member which shields the front-end | tip part inserted in the other party connector. Objective.

  The connector according to the present invention includes a housing having an insertion portion to be inserted into a mating connector and a terminal holding portion for holding a terminal behind the insertion portion, and at least the insertion direction is exposed so that the insertion portion and the terminal holding portion are A shielding member for covering and a reinforcing member for reinforcing a bonding force between the housing and the shield member on the terminal holding portion side of the shield member are provided.

  According to this configuration, since the terminal holding portion side of the shield member located behind the insertion portion is reinforced by the reinforcing member, it is possible to increase the prying strength without increasing the thickness of the shield member covering the insertion portion. it can. Therefore, it is possible to make the connector compatible with a thin electronic device while securing the twisting strength.

  Further, the present invention is the above connector, wherein the housing has a housing body that holds the shield member in a state where the insertion portion side of the shield member is protruded, and the reinforcing member includes the shield member and the shield member. It is formed in an annular shape so as to surround the housing body.

  According to this configuration, the bonding strength between the housing and the shield member can be increased in a wide range along the inner peripheral surface of the annular reinforcing member, and the strength of the twisting can be increased. In addition, since the reinforcing member is formed in an annular shape, it can be attached to the shield member and the housing body from the open end, so that assembly can be facilitated.

  According to the present invention, in the connector, at least one of the shield member and the reinforcing member is made of metal.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to improve the twisting strength and noise resistance.

  In the connector according to the present invention, the shield member is formed in a cylindrical shape with both ends in the insertion direction open.

  According to this configuration, since the shield member is formed in a cylindrical shape, it can be attached to the insertion portion and the terminal holding portion from the opening end, so that assembly can be facilitated.

  Further, the present invention is the above connector, further comprising a cable attachment member disposed behind the terminal holding portion and connected to a cable, wherein the shield member protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction at a rear end portion. A protrusion formed with a rear surface that contacts the cable mounting member and a front surface that contacts the reinforcing member, and the cable mounting member includes a contact surface facing the rear surface of the protrusion, and the reinforcement The member has a contact surface facing the front surface of the protruding portion, and an engaging portion that engages with the cable mounting member so as to press the contact surface of the cable mounting member against the rear surface of the protruding portion, The protrusion is sandwiched between the contact surface of the cable attachment member and the contact surface of the reinforcing member by the engagement between the engagement portion and the cable attachment member.

  According to this configuration, the cable attachment member is pressed against the rear surface of the protrusion formed on the shield member by the engaging portion of the reinforcement member, and the protrusion of the shield member is brought into contact with the contact surface of the cable attachment member and the reinforcement member. Since it is sandwiched by the contact surface, the shield member, the cable attachment member, and the reinforcing member can be strongly fitted to increase the strength of the twisting. Further, since the shield member, the cable mounting member, and the reinforcing member are strongly fitted by the engagement of the engaging portion of the reinforcing member, the assembly can be facilitated.

  Further, the present invention is the connector described above, wherein the cable attachment portion is connected to the insertion hole through which the terminal held by the terminal holding portion is inserted, and the insertion portion of the cable is formed. Features.

  According to this configuration, the terminal is exposed to the attachment portion through the insertion hole in the cable attachment portion. Therefore, unlike the case where the terminal and the cable mounting member are insert-molded, the cable mounting member can be exchanged, and various types can be handled according to the arrangement of the terminal and the cable.

  According to the present invention, the twisting strength can be increased without increasing the thickness of the shield member that shields the insertion portion of the connector to be inserted into the counterpart connector.

It is a figure which shows embodiment of the connector which concerns on this invention, and is a perspective view of a connector. It is a figure showing an embodiment of a connector concerning the present invention, and is an exploded perspective view of a connector. It is a figure which shows embodiment of the connector which concerns on this invention, and is explanatory drawing at the time of caulking of a reinforcement member. It is a figure which shows embodiment of the connector which concerns on this invention, and is explanatory drawing of the insertion to the other party connector of a connector.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The overall configuration of the connector will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector 1 according to the present embodiment is attached to the tip of a cable, the tip portion is inserted into the mating connector, and the cable is attached to the rear end portion. The connector 1 includes a housing 2 that holds a plurality of terminals, a shield member 3 that shields the front end side of the housing 2, a cable attachment member 4 that is attached to the rear end side of the housing 2, and a reinforcing member 5 that strongly bonds these members. And.

  The housing 2 is made of synthetic resin, and the housing main body 11 that holds a plurality of lower terminals 21 is fitted with an upper terminal holding part 12 that holds a plurality of upper terminals 31 and an insertion part 13 that is inserted into a mating connector. Configured. The housing body 11 is formed in an H shape when viewed from above by connecting intermediate portions in the extending direction of the pair of side walls 16 extending in the insertion direction. The connecting portion that connects the pair of side walls 16 is a lower terminal holding portion 15 that holds a plurality of lower terminals 21 and holds the plurality of lower terminals 21 so as to extend in the front-rear direction in the insertion direction.

  The tip portions of the plurality of lower terminals 21 have contact portions 22 that are in contact with pads of the mating connector, and are positioned in the insertion portion 13. The rear end portions of the plurality of lower terminals 21 have a cable connection portion 23 connected to the cable, and are exposed to the lower surface of the cable attachment member 4 through an insertion hole 53 formed in the cable attachment member 4. Further, the front side of the plurality of lower terminals 21 is integrally supported by the terminal support portion 24 in the middle in the extending direction.

  The upper terminal holding part 12 holds a plurality of upper terminals 31 so as to extend in the front-rear direction in the insertion direction. A pair of mounting protrusions 36 (only one is shown in FIG. 2) protrudes downward from the lower surface at both ends in the width direction of the upper terminal holding portion 12. The upper terminal holding portion 12 is mounted on a mounting surface 25 formed at a substantially intermediate portion in the extending direction of the housing body 11, and a pair of mounting protrusions 36 in a pair of mounting holes 26 formed in the mounting surface 25. Is attached to the housing body 11 by being inserted.

  The tip portions of the plurality of upper terminals 31 have contact portions 32 that come into contact with pads of the mating connector, and are positioned in the insertion portion 13. The rear end portions of the plurality of upper terminals 31 have cable connection portions 33 that are connected to the cables, and are exposed to the upper surface of the cable mounting member 4 through insertion holes 53 formed in the cable mounting member 4. In addition, the front sides of the plurality of upper stage terminals 31 are integrally supported by terminal support portions 34 in the middle in the extending direction.

  The insertion portion 13 has a pair of arm portions 42 extending rearward from both widthwise end portions of the distal end portion 41 in which the mounting opening 43 is formed. A pair of mounting projections 44 project rearward from the rear end surface of the pair of arm portions 42. The insertion portion 13 is attached to the housing body 11 by inserting a pair of mounting projections 44 into a pair of mounting holes 38 formed on the front end surfaces of the pair of side walls 16 of the housing body 11.

  The shield member 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape in which the insertion direction is opened by bending a metal plate such as stainless steel extracted by punching. At the rear end of the shield member 3, a part of the upper wall 45 and the bottom wall 46 is bent outward, and a pair of projecting portions 47 projecting vertically from the upper wall 45 and the bottom wall 46 are formed. The pair of projecting portions 47 has a front surface facing the reinforcing member 5 and a rear surface facing the cable attachment member 4.

  In the front half of the housing main body 11 to which the shield member 3 is attached, a pair of attachment grooves 37 that are complementary to the pair of side walls 48 of the shield member 3 are formed. The pair of mounting grooves 37 extends from the front ends of the pair of side walls 16 to the intermediate portion in the extending direction, and holds the substantially front half of the shield member 3 in a state of protruding from the housing body 11 (see FIG. 1). . At this time, the shield member 3 covers the upper terminal holding part 12 and the lower terminal holding part 15 in the substantially rear half part and covers the insertion part 13 in the substantially front half part.

  Further, by using a high-strength metal such as stainless steel as the shield member 3, it is possible to improve noise resistance and to select a thin plate as the metal plate. Furthermore, since the shield member 3 is formed by bending, it can be easily formed as compared with deep drawing when formed of a high-strength metal such as stainless steel.

  The cable attachment member 4 is formed in a block shape from a synthetic resin, and a plurality of insertion holes 53 through which the upper terminal 31 and the lower terminal 21 are inserted are formed at the front end. On the upper and lower surfaces of the cable attachment member 4, a cable attachment portion 51 is formed which is connected to the plurality of insertion holes 53 and includes a plurality of deep grooves 51a and shallow grooves 51b. The upper terminal 31 and the lower terminal 21 are exposed to the attachment portion 51 through the insertion hole 53, and are attached to the cable wiring at the attachment portion 51.

  In this case, in the attaching portion 51, the terminal exposed in the deep groove 51a can be attached to the cable wiring, and the terminal exposed in the shallow groove 51b cannot be attached to the cable wiring. That is, the mounting position of the cable wiring is defined by the deep groove 51a and the shallow groove 51b of the mounting portion 51. Guided portions 52 that are guided by the pair of side walls 16 of the housing body 11 are formed on both side surfaces of the cable attachment member 4. The cable attachment member 4 is attached to and detached from the housing body 11 by the guided portion 52 being guided in the insertion direction by guide rails 39 formed in substantially the rear half of the pair of side walls 16 of the housing body 11.

  As described above, the cable attachment member 4 is detachable from the housing 2, and the installation position of the cable wiring is defined by the deep groove 51 a and the shallow groove 51 b of the attachment portion 51, and thus the deep groove 51 a of the attachment portion 51. By replacing the cable mounting member 4 with a different arrangement of the groove 51b and the shallow groove 51b, the connector 1 can be made compatible with various products.

  The reinforcing member 5 is formed in an annular shape in which the insertion direction is opened by bending a metal plate such as copper extracted by punching. The front end portion of the reinforcing member 5 is an annular portion 61 that surrounds the outer periphery of the housing 2 and the shield member 3 in a state where the shield member 3 is attached to the housing body 11. It is fitted in the substantially middle part.

  Thereby, since the shield member 3 is strongly joined to the housing 2, the twisting strength is increased. In addition, the annular portion 61 is formed behind the insertion portion 13 of the housing 2 so that the shield member 3 and the housing 2 are joined, so that the tip portion of the connector 1 to be inserted into the mating connector is thinned to correspond to a thin electronic device. It is possible. Further, since the reinforcing member 5 is made of metal, it is possible to improve the noise resistance together with the shield member 3.

  The reinforcing member 5 has a pair of side support portions 62 that extend rearward from both widthwise end portions of the annular portion 61 and cover the outside of the pair of side walls 16 of the housing body 11. Four engaging portions 65 that are engaged with the cable attachment member 4 by caulking are formed on the upper wall 63 and the bottom wall 64 of the pair of side support portions 62. Each engaging portion 65 makes the front surface formed by the thickness of the plate abut against the rear surface of the guided portion 52 of the cable mounting member 4 and presses the cable mounting member 4 against the protruding portion 47 of the shield member 3. Yes. The housing 2, the shield member 3, and the cable attachment member 4 are strongly fitted by the engagement between the engagement portions 65 and the cable attachment member 4. Note that the engagement state between each engagement portion 65 and the cable attachment member 4 will be described later.

  Next, the assembly of the connector will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram when caulking the reinforcing member according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, (a) and (b) show connectors before caulking, and (c) and (d) show connectors after caulking, respectively. In (b) and (d), the housing is omitted for convenience of explanation, and the engaging portion of the reinforcing member is indicated by a broken line.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting protrusions 36 of the upper terminal holding portion 12 are inserted into the pair of mounting holes 26 formed on the mounting surface 25 of the housing main body 11 from above, so that the upper terminal holding is performed on the housing main body 11. Part 12 is mounted. Next, the insertion portion 13 is attached to the housing body 11 by inserting the attachment protrusions 44 of the insertion portion 13 from the front into a pair of attachment holes 38 formed on the front end surface of the housing body 11.

  Next, the shield member 3 is attached to the housing body 11 by inserting the shield member 3 from the front into a pair of mounting grooves 37 formed in the substantially front half of the housing body 11. At this time, the shield member 3 covers the insertion portion 13 in a substantially first half portion, and protrudes from the housing body 11 as a tip portion to be inserted into the mating connector.

  Next, the cable attachment member 4 is attached to the housing body 11 by inserting the guided portion 52 of the cable attachment member 4 from the rear into a pair of guide rails 39 formed in the substantially rear half of the housing body 11. . At this time, the upper terminal 31 and the lower terminal 21 held by the housing 2 are exposed to the attachment portion 51 through the insertion hole 53 of the cable attachment member 4. The guided portion 52 corresponding to the guide rail 39 is preferably formed with different left and right shapes such as a width dimension or a height dimension in order to prevent erroneous assembly. By forming in this way, since it can be assembled only from a predetermined direction, it can be reliably assembled.

  Next, the annular reinforcing member 5 is fitted into the housing 2 and the shield member 3 from the front and pushed into contact with the front surface of the protruding portion 47 of the shield member 3. As a result, the reinforcing member 5 joins the housing 2 and the shield member 3 at substantially the second half of the shield member 3 and positions the engaging portion 65 on the rear surface side of the cable attachment member 4.

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, before the engagement portion 65 is caulked, the abutment surface 61 a of the reinforcement member 5 is brought into contact with the front surface 47 a of the protruding portion 47 of the shield member 3. In this state, it is mounted on the housing 2. The cable attachment member 4 is mounted on the housing 2 in a state where the contact surface 4a is spaced apart from the rear surface 47b of the protruding portion 47 with a gap L therebetween. From this state, when the engaging portion 65 is caulked in the direction of the arrow A1, as shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D, the front surface 65a formed by the thickness of the engaging portion 65 is attached to the cable attachment. It abuts on the rear surface 52 a of the guided portion 52 of the member 4.

  When the front surface 65a of the engaging portion 65 comes into contact with the rear surface 52a of the guided portion 52, a force acts on the reinforcing member 5 in the arrow A2 direction, and the reinforcing member 5 deflects the projecting portion 47 backward. It is shifted. Then, due to the bending of the protruding portion 47, the contact surface 4 a of the cable mounting member 4 is brought into contact with the rear surface 47 b of the protruding portion 47, and the protruding portion 47 is sandwiched from the front and rear by the reinforcing member 5 and the cable mounting member 4. With this configuration, the shield member 3, the cable attachment member 4, and the reinforcing member 5 can be strongly fitted to further increase the twisting strength.

  Next, the protruding portion 47 of the shield member 3 and the reinforcing member 5 are soldered, so that the bonding force between the shield member 3 and the reinforcing member 5 is increased and the noise resistance is improved. Then, the cable wiring is connected to the upper terminal 31 and the lower terminal 21 exposed at the mounting portion 51 of the cable mounting member 4, and the connector 1 is assembled.

  With reference to FIG. 4, the insertion of the connector into the mating connector will be described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of insertion of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention into the mating connector. In FIG. 4, (a) shows a state where the connector is twisted before the connector is inserted, and (b) shows a state where the connector is twisted after the connector is inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the connector 1 is covered with a cable coating in a state where the distal end side is exposed, and the mating connector 71 is attached in the electronic apparatus. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the connector 1 is inserted into the counterpart connector 71, the connector 1 is cantilevered by the counterpart connector 71. In this state, if it is twisted in the direction of the arrow A3, the housing 2, the shield member 3, and the cable attachment member 4 are integrated into a rigid body by the reinforcing member 5, so that the connector 1 is prevented from being damaged. Further, since the reinforcing member 5 is provided behind the distal end portion of the connector 1, the distal end portion of the connector 1 is not enlarged using the thin shield member 3.

  As described above, according to the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the rear side of the shield member 3 positioned behind the tip portion inserted into the mating connector 71 and the middle in the insertion direction of the connector 1 are reinforced by the reinforcing member 5. Therefore, it is possible to increase the twisting strength without increasing the thickness of the shield member 3. Further, since the protrusion 47 of the shield member 3 is sandwiched between the contact surface 4a of the cable attachment member 4 and the contact surface 61a of the reinforcement member 5 by the engagement of the engagement portion 65 of the reinforcement member 5, the shield member 3 The cable mounting member 4 and the reinforcing member 5 can be strongly fitted to increase the twisting strength. Therefore, it is possible to make the connector compatible with a thin electronic device while securing the twisting strength.

  In the above-described embodiment, the housing is configured by attaching the upper terminal holding portion and the insertion portion as the terminal holding portion to the housing main body, but the housing is not limited to this configuration. The housing only needs to have an insertion portion and a terminal holding portion. For example, the housing body, the upper terminal holding portion, and the insertion portion may be integrally formed to constitute the housing.

  In the above-described embodiment, the shield member and the reinforcing member are made of metal, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The shield member and the reinforcing member may be formed of a material other than metal as long as the material has a predetermined strength and noise resistance.

  In the above-described embodiment, the shield member is formed in a cylindrical shape, but is not limited to this configuration. The shield member may be any member as long as the insertion direction is opened to cover the insertion portion and the terminal holding portion. For example, the shield member may be formed in a C shape in a side view so as to partially cover the insertion portion and the terminal holding portion. Good.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the reinforcing member is formed in an annular shape, but is not limited to this configuration. The reinforcing member only needs to have a shape that reinforces the bonding force between the housing and the shield member. For example, the reinforcing member may be formed in a C shape in a side view so as to partially surround the housing and the shield member.

  In the above-described embodiment, the reinforcing member is displaced rearward due to the engagement between the engaging portion of the reinforcing member and the guided portion of the cable attaching member, and the reinforcing member, the shield member, and the cable attaching member are strongly fitted. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The engaging portion of the reinforcing member may be engaged so that the cable attaching member is pressed against the protruding portion of the shield member, and the shield member and the cable attaching member may be strongly fitted. It is good also as a structure shifted to.

  In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to the connector in which the housing and the cable mounting member are separated from each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The present invention can also be applied to a connector in which a housing and a cable attachment member are integrated.

  The embodiment disclosed this time is illustrative in all respects and is not limited to this embodiment. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description of the embodiments but by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

  As described above, the present invention has an effect that it is possible to increase the twisting strength without increasing the thickness of the shield member that shields the insertion portion, and in particular, the tip of the cable connected to the electronic device. It is useful for the connector provided in the connector.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 2 Housing 3 Shield member 4 Cable mounting member 4a Contact surface (Contact surface of a cable mounting member)
5 Reinforcing member 11 Housing body 12 Upper terminal holding part (terminal holding part)
13 Inserting part 15 Lower terminal holding part (terminal holding part)
21 Lower terminal (terminal)
31 Upper terminal (terminal)
47 Protrusion 47a Front (front of protrusion)
47b Rear surface (rear surface of protrusion)
51 Attaching part 53 Insertion hole 61 Annular part 61a Contact surface (contact surface of reinforcing member)
62 Side support part 65 Engagement part 71 Mating connector

Claims (6)

A housing having an insertion part to be inserted into the mating connector and a terminal holding part for holding a terminal behind the insertion part;
A shield member that exposes at least the insertion direction and covers the insertion portion and the terminal holding portion;
A connector comprising a reinforcing member for reinforcing a bonding force between the housing and the shield member on the terminal holding portion side of the shield member. The housing has a housing body that holds the shield member in a state in which the insertion portion side of the shield member is protruded,
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is formed in an annular shape so as to surround the shield member and the housing body.   The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the shield member and the reinforcing member is made of metal.   The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the shield member is formed in a cylindrical shape having both ends in the insertion direction open. A cable mounting member disposed behind the terminal holding portion and connected to a cable;
The shield member protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction at the rear end, and has a protrusion formed with a rear surface that contacts the cable mounting member and a front surface that contacts the reinforcing member,
The cable mounting member has a contact surface facing the rear surface of the protrusion,
The reinforcing member has a contact surface facing the front surface of the protruding portion and an engaging portion that engages the cable mounting member so as to press the contact surface of the cable mounting member against the rear surface of the protruding portion. And
5. The protruding portion is sandwiched between the contact surface of the cable mounting member and the contact surface of the reinforcing member by the engagement between the engagement portion and the cable mounting member. A connector according to any one of the above. 6. The cable attachment portion according to claim 5, wherein the cable attachment portion is connected to the insertion hole through which the terminal held by the terminal holding portion is inserted, and the insertion portion of the cable. connector.

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