JP2023091455A - connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a connector assembly which can prevent backlash between an outer housing and a connector inserted into the outer housing.SOLUTION: A connector assembly 1 comprises: a cylindrical outer housing 2; and a connector 3 which is inserted into the outer housing 2 and is arranged so that it can be fitted to a mating connector. The outer housing 2 has: a cutout 222 which is formed by cutting out an end edge 225b on an insertion side for the connector 3; and a locking part 227 which is adjacent to the cutout 222 along the end edge 225b. The connector 3 has: a connector body 4; a rib 42 protruding from the connector body 4; and a locked part 43 which engages with the locking part 227. With the locking part 227 and the locked part 43 engaged with each other, the rib 42 is positioned inside the cutout 222 so as to be restricted from moving in a direction Z along the end edge 225b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to connector assemblies.

Conventionally, there has been proposed a receptacle connector that is fitted to a plug connector that holds a cable with a coaxial terminal (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

A receptacle connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a coaxial terminal unit and a housing made of an electrical insulating material that accommodates the coaxial terminal unit. A coaxial terminal unit includes a coaxial cable, an outer terminal attached to the coaxial cable, and a shield shell that accommodates the coaxial cable and the outer terminal. The shield shell has a tubular support portion forming a front portion and a box-shaped portion forming a rear portion, both of which are integrally formed.

The housing is configured so that the shield shell of the coaxial terminal unit can be inserted from the rear, and is formed in a U shape opening downward. Two slits are formed in the side surface of the housing to extend to the rear end to form an elastic piece between the two slits. An engaging projection for engaging the rear end of the shield shell is formed inside the rear end of the elastic piece.

In such a conventional receptacle connector, the shield shell accommodates the coaxial cable and the outer terminals, the shield shell is inserted into the housing, and the locking projections of the housing lock the rear edge of the shield shell. do. In this manner, the shield shell is internally fitted (fitted) into the housing, and the coaxial terminal unit is prevented from coming off the housing.

JP 2019-3856 A

However, the conventional coaxial terminal unit is only locked to the housing to prevent the coaxial terminal unit and the housing from coming off in the fitting direction, and the housing is open downward. Therefore, the coaxial terminal unit (connector) and the housing (outer housing) may rattle due to assembly tolerances and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an outer housing and a connector assembly that suppresses rattling of a connector inserted into the outer housing.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the invention recited in claim 1 comprises a tubular outer housing, and a connector which is inserted into the outer housing and is provided so as to be matable with a mating connector. wherein the outer housing has a notch formed by notching an edge on a side into which the connector is inserted, and a lock portion adjacent to the notch along the edge, the connector has a connector main body, a rib protruding from the connector main body, and a locked portion that engages with the lock portion, and the rib is engaged with the lock portion and the locked portion. , wherein the connector assembly is positioned within the notch and restricted from moving along the edge.

According to the first aspect of the invention, rattling of the outer housing and the connector can be suppressed.

1 is a perspective view showing a connector assembly according to one embodiment of the invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an outer housing and a connector that constitute the connector assembly; It is a figure which shows a mode that the said connector is assembled|attached to the said outer housing in a cross section. FIG. 4A is a side view showing how the connector is assembled to the outer housing, and FIG. 4B is a rear view of FIG. be. FIG. 5 is a view showing the post-process of FIG. 4 , (A) is a side view showing how the lock portion of the outer housing and the locked portion of the connector are engaged, and (B) is a view showing (A) backward; It is the figure seen from. 6A is a side view showing a state in which the locking portion of the outer housing and the locked portion of the connector are engaged with each other, and FIG. It is the figure seen from.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a board shield connector 1, which is a connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outer housing 2 forming a connector assembly (substrate shield connector 1) and a shield connector 3 as claimed in the claims. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing how the shield connector 3 (connector) is assembled to the outer housing 2. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the board shield connector 1 of the present embodiment includes a rectangular tubular outer housing 2 and a shield connector 3 inserted into and assembled with the outer housing 2 . The shield connector 3 is fitted with a mating connector (not shown) while assembled in the outer housing 2 . As shown in FIG. 3, the board shield connector 1 is mounted on a board (not shown) so that a shield member 4 of the shield connector 3, which will be described later, is connected to the circuit of the board (not shown). to form a shield circuit, and a terminal 6 (described later) of the shield connector 3 is connected to a circuit on a substrate (not shown) to form a signal circuit. In this embodiment, the direction in which the shield connector 3 is inserted into the outer housing 2 is referred to as "forward X1", and the opposite direction is referred to as "backward (X2 direction)", which is substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction X. The two directions may be referred to as a vertical direction Z and a width direction Y, respectively. In addition, the vertical direction Z may be referred to as "upward Z1", and the opposite direction may be referred to as "downward Z2".

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer housing 2 is formed in a rectangular tubular shape extending in the front-rear direction X (longitudinal direction). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer housing 2 includes a front tubular portion 21, a rear tubular portion 22 continuing to the rear X2 of the front tubular portion 21, and a front tubular portion 21. , and a partition wall 23 (see FIG. 3) provided between the rear side tubular portions 22 are integrally provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the inner space of the front cylindrical portion 21 forms a fitting space 21A into which a mating connector (not shown) is fitted. Further, the inner space of the rear cylindrical portion 22 serves as a mounting space 22A in which the shield connector 3 is mounted. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a through hole 23a is provided in the partition wall 23, and the fitting space 21A and the mounting space 22A are configured to communicate with each other through the through hole 23a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the front tubular portion 21 is provided along the ZX plane with a front upper wall 211 along the XY plane, a front bottom wall 212 facing the lower Z2 of the front upper wall 211, and the ZX plane. and a pair of front side walls 213, 213 facing each other in the width direction Y, and formed in a square tubular shape.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rear tubular portion 22 is provided with a tubular portion main body 221, a notch 222, and a lower Z2 side of the notch 222, and serves as a locked portion of the shield connector 3, which will be described later. and a flexible locking portion 223 that engages with 43 .

As shown in Figs. A pair of rear side walls 225, 225, which are the side walls in the claims continuing to , and an opening A opening downward Z2. That is, the pair of rear side walls 225, 225 are connected by the rear upper wall 224 at one end side of the upper side Z1, and form an opening A at the other end side of the lower side Z2. Further, the rear edge 225b of each of the rear side walls 225, 225, which is the edge in the claims, extends in the up-down direction Z. As shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 3 , an inner wall 220 is provided on the cylindrical portion main body 221 . The inner wall 220 is provided to face the rear upper wall 224 and is provided continuously to the rear X2 of the partition wall 23 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the notch 222 is provided in each of the pair of rear side walls 225, 225 and is formed by cutting out the rear edge 225b of each rear side wall 225. As shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, the notch 222 has an upper end surface 222a extending in the front-rear direction X, a lower end surface 222b, and a front end surface 222c extending in the up-down direction Z. It is formed in a rectangular shape. The notch 222 is engaged with a locking portion 227 (to be described later) and a locked portion 43 of the shield connector 3 (to be described later) so that the shield connector 3 is assembled to the outer housing 2 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as an assembled state). ) and is provided at a position corresponding to the rib 42 of the shield connector 3 .

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 5A and 5B, the flexible locking portion 223 is provided on each of the pair of rear side walls 225, 225, and is a locked portion 43 (see FIG. 2, see FIGS. 5A and 5B). As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5B, the flexible locking portion 223 includes a flexible portion 226 provided below Z2 and forward X1 of the notch 222 in each rear side wall 225, and the flexible portion 226 and a projecting lock portion 227 projecting toward the mounting space 22A side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible portion 226 is provided so as to surround a lower end surface 222b and a front end surface 222c that define the cutout 222, and extends downward Z2 and forward X1 of the cutout 222. is provided. In addition, the flexible portion 226 is formed thinner than the other portions in each rear side wall 225 . As shown in FIG. 2, such a flexible portion 226 has, as a flexible fulcrum, an obliquely extending portion 226a extending forward X1 and obliquely downward from a corner portion 222d where the upper end surface 222a and the front end surface 222c intersect. It is designed to be flexible (deformable) as a part.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5B, the locking portion 227 is formed in the flexible portion 226 as a protrusion extending downward Z2 from the lower end surface 222b of the notch 222. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 5(B) and 6(B), the lock portion 227 is provided with a chamfered portion 227A which is formed by notching a corner portion on the upper side and on the mounting space 22A side. Here, when the flexible portion 226 is flexurally deformed using the obliquely extending portion 226a as a flexible fulcrum portion, as shown in FIG. Even if the deformation of the upper end of the flexible portion 226 is smaller than that of the lower end, the chamfered portion 227A is provided on the upper side of the lock portion 227, so that the flexible portion 226 can be locked when the flexible portion 226 is bent. It is possible to get over the part 43 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shield connector 3 includes a shield member 4, which is a connector main body claimed to be installed on a board (not shown), and an accommodation space 40 (see FIG. 3) for housing the shield member 4, which will be described later. ) and terminals 6 held in the inner housing 5. The terminals 6 are held by the inner housing 5 so that the terminals 6 and the inner housing 5 are integrated.

The shield member 4 is made of a metal member molded by die casting. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shield member 4 includes a shield main body 41 having a housing space 40 (see FIG. 3) for housing the inner housing 5 and the terminals 6, and rectangular parallelepiped ribs 42 ( 4), and a locked portion 43 (see FIG. 4) that can be engaged with the lock portion 227 of the outer housing 2. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the shield main body 41 is attached to a shield housing portion 44, a shield tubular portion 45 continuing to the front X1 of the shield housing portion 44, and the shield housing portion 44 to form an accommodation space. A closing plate 46 that closes the rear X2 side of 40 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the shield housing portion 44 includes a shield upper wall 47 along the XY plane, a pair of shield side walls 48 , 48 provided along the ZX plane and facing each other in the width direction Y, and a shield upper wall 47 . A shield bottom wall 49 facing a lower portion Z2 of the wall 47 and having a terminal insertion hole 49a for inserting a board connection portion 62 of the terminal 6, which will be described later, is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shield bottom wall 49 is provided at its four corners and has cylindrical shield board connection portions 490 protruding downward Z2 and terminal insertion holes 49a ( See FIG. 3). Each shielding board connection part 490 is inserted into a through hole formed in a board (not shown) and electrically connected to a pattern formed in the board (not shown) to form a shield circuit.

As shown in FIG. 3, the shield tubular portion 45 is formed in a tubular shape extending in the front-rear direction X (longitudinal direction). The shield tubular portion 45 is provided so as to be able to pass through the through hole 23 a of the partition wall 23 of the outer housing 2 . Also, the shield tubular portion 45 is positioned in the fitting space 21A of the outer housing 2 in the assembled state.

3, after the inner housing 5 and the terminals 6 are accommodated in the accommodation space 40, the rear X2 side of the accommodation space 40 is closed by the closing plate 46. It's like

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4A, the rib 42 is provided at the rear end of each shield side wall 48 in the shield housing portion 44 and protrudes in a rectangular parallelepiped shape from the outer surface of each shield side wall 48 . ing. Each rib 42 is provided at a position corresponding to the notch 222 of the outer housing 2 in the assembled state. 6A and 6B, each rib 42 has no clearance in the vertical direction Z with respect to the upper end surface 222a and the lower end surface 222b that define the notch 222 in the assembled state. When the ribs 42 are located in the notches 222, the upper end surfaces 42a of the ribs 42 are provided in contact with the upper end surfaces 222a that define the notches 222, and are provided under the ribs 42. The end surface 42b is provided in contact with a lower end surface 222b that defines the notch 222. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the locked portion 43 is provided on each shield side wall 48 of the shield housing portion 44 and is provided below each rib 42 on the Z2 and on the front X1 side. Each locked portion 43 protrudes from the outer surface of each shield side wall 48 and is provided on a ridge extending in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal 6 has a connector connection portion 61 electrically connected to a mating connector (not shown), and a substrate (not shown) connected continuously to the connector connection portion 61. and a substrate connecting portion 62 connected to the . The connector connecting portion 61 is provided to extend in the front-rear direction X, and the board connecting portion 62 is provided to extend in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. With the terminal 6 held by the inner housing 5, the tip 61A of the connector connection portion 61 and the tip 62A of the board connection portion 62 are exposed.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the connector connecting portion 61 is provided extending in the front-rear direction X, and its tip portion 61A is positioned inside the shield tubular portion 45 of the shield main body 41 . The connector connection portion 61 is positioned within the fitting space 21A in the assembled state and electrically connected to a mating connector (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 3, the board connecting portion 62 extends in the up-down direction Z, and its tip portion 62A protrudes downward Z2 from the terminal insertion hole 49a of the shield bottom wall 49. As shown in FIG. With the shield member 4 installed on the board (not shown), the board connecting part 62 is inserted into a through hole formed in the board (not shown). It is adapted to be electrically connected to a pattern formed on a substrate (not shown).

When assembling such a shield connector 3, as shown in FIG. 3, the terminals 6 and the inner housing 5 are integrally provided, and then the inner housing 5 and the terminals 6 are attached to the shield member. 4 and assembled inside the shield member 4. After that, the closing plate 46 is attached to the shield housing portion 44 . As a result, the rear side X2 of the accommodation space 40 is blocked. At this time, the connector connection portion 61 of the terminal 6 extends in the front-rear direction X, the tip portion 61A thereof is positioned inside the shield tube portion 45, and the board connection portion 62 extends in the vertical direction Z, A tip portion 62A is provided to protrude downward Z2 from the shield bottom wall 49 . Thus, the shield connector 3 is assembled.

Next, procedures for assembling the shield connector 3 to the outer housing 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the shield connector 3 is brought closer to the rear X2 of the outer housing 2, and the shield connector 3 is inserted into the mounting space 22A of the outer housing 2. assembly of the shield connector 3 is started.

As the insertion of the shield connector 3 into the outer housing 2 proceeds, as shown in FIG.

After that, the shield connector 3 is further inserted, and as shown in FIGS. Upon contact, the flexible portion 226 is temporarily bent, and as the insertion progresses, the locking portion 227 rides over the locked portion 43 and overcomes it. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the flexible portion 226 is restored and the locking portion 227 is engaged with the locked portion 43 .

Here, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the rib 42 of the shield connector 3 constitutes the notch 222 of the outer housing 2 when the flexible locking portion 223 gets over the locked portion 43. It is positioned in the notch 222 of the outer housing 2 while being slidably guided by the end faces 222a and 222b. Thus, the assembly of the shield connector 3 to the outer housing 2 is completed. When the assembly of the shield connector 3 to the outer housing 2 is completed, as shown in FIGS. The lower end surface 42b of the is in contact with the end surface 222b that defines the notch 222. As shown in FIG. That is, the rib 42 and the end faces 222a, 222b that define the notch 222 are in contact with each other without clearance. According to this, the rib 42 is in contact with the end surfaces 222a and 222b that define the notch 222 and is restricted from moving in the vertical direction Z, so that the outer housing 2 and the shield connector 3 are loose in the vertical direction Z. It can prevent sticking. Since the shield connector 3 is prevented from rattling, the shield connector 3 does not tilt relative to the outer housing 2, so that the shield connector 3 and the mating connector (not shown) can be mated smoothly. is performed on

Further, when the locking portion 227 and the locked portion 43 are engaged with each other, the end surfaces 222a and 222b that define the rib 42 and the notch 222 are in contact with each other in the vertical direction Z (the direction along the edge 225a). are provided. According to this, rattling of the outer housing 2 and the shield connector 3 (connector) can be suppressed.

The outer housing 2 includes a pair of rear side walls 225, 225 (side walls) facing each other, a rear upper wall 224 (top wall) connecting one end side of the pair of rear side walls 225, 225, and a pair of rear side walls 225, 225 (top wall). A notch 222 and a locking part 227 are provided in the pair of rear side walls 225 , 225 . , 225 , a flexible portion 226 is provided on the opening A side of the notch 222 , and the locking portion 227 is provided on the flexible portion 226 . According to this, the lock portion 227 is provided in the flexible portion 226, and the flexible portion 226 is positioned between the notch 222 and the opening portion A, so that the flexible portion 226 is easily flexibly deformed. As a result, the lock portion 227 and the locked portion 43 can be engaged with a small force, so that workability in assembling the outer housing 2 and the shield connector 3 (connector) can be improved.

In addition, the flexible portion 226 is formed thinner than other portions of the rear side wall 225 (side wall). This makes it easier for the flexible portion 226 to bend and deform, so that workability in assembling the outer housing 2 and the shield connector 3 (connector) can be further improved.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes other configurations and the like that can achieve the object of the present invention, and the following modifications and the like are also included in the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, when the locking portion 227 and the locked portion 43 are engaged with each other, the upper end surface 42a of the rib 42 contacts the end surface 222a defining the notch 222, and the lower end surface 42b of the rib 42 contacts the notch 222. is in contact with the end surface 222b that defines the That is, the rib 42 and the end faces 222a, 222b defining the notch 222 are in contact with each other without clearance, but the present invention is not limited to this. The rib 42 and the end faces 222a and 222b that partition the notch 222 may be provided with a slight gap therebetween. In this case, for example, the movement of the rib 42 in the vertical direction Z may be restricted by inserting another member into a small gap.

In addition, although the best configuration, method, etc. for carrying out the present invention have been disclosed in the above description, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, although the present invention has been particularly illustrated and described primarily with respect to particular embodiments, it may be modified in any manner to such embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. , materials, quantity, and other detailed configurations can be modified in various ways by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the descriptions that limit the shape, material, etc. disclosed above are exemplified to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention. The description by the name of the member that removes part or all of the limitation such as is included in the present invention.

1 Board shield connector (connector assembly)
2 Outer housing 3 Shield connector (connector)
4 shield member (connector body)
222 cutout 222a upper end surface (end surface that partitions the cutout)
222b lower end surface (end surface that partitions the notch)
224 rear upper wall (ceiling wall)
225 rear side wall (side wall)
225a trailing edge (edge)
226 Flexible portion 227 Locking portion 42 Rib 43 Locked portion A Opening

Claims (4)

a cylindrical outer housing;
a connector inserted into the outer housing and provided to be matable with a mating connector;
The outer housing has a notch formed by notching an edge on a side into which the connector is inserted, and a lock portion adjacent to the notch along the edge,
The connector has a connector main body, a rib protruding from the connector main body, and a locked portion that engages with the lock portion,
A connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein said rib is positioned in said notch in a state in which said locking portion and said locked portion are engaged with each other, and movement in a direction along said edge is restricted. With the locking portion and the locked portion engaged,
2. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the rib and the end face defining the notch are provided in contact with each other in the direction along the edge. The outer housing includes a pair of side walls facing each other, a ceiling wall connecting one end sides of the pair of side walls, and an opening opening at the other end side of the pair of side walls,
The pair of side walls are provided with the notch and the locking portion,
In each of the sidewalls, a flexible portion is provided on the opening side of the notch,
3. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein said locking portion is provided on said flexible portion. 4. The connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein said flexible portion is formed to be thinner than other portions of said side walls.

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