JP3909777B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention relates to a connector for an electric vehicle having an electromagnetic shielding function.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Some connectors for electric vehicles require a high voltage structure and a shield structure that shields noise. An example of this type of connector having a large-diameter terminal and a metal shell will be described with reference to FIG.
The connector 1 includes a male connector 3a and a female connector 3b to be fitted. Terminal housing chambers 7a and 7b are formed in both inner housings 5a and 5b, and straight male terminals 9a and female terminals 9b are inserted into the terminal housing chambers 7a and 7b. A rod-shaped electrical contact portion 11a is formed at the distal end of the male terminal 9a, while a cylindrical electrical contact portion 11b is formed at the distal end of the female terminal 9b. Electric wire connecting portions 13a and 13b are formed at the rear ends of the male terminal 9a and the female terminal 9b, and the electric wire connecting portions 13a and 13b are connected to a core wire 17 of an electric wire (hereinafter referred to as “shield wire”) 15. The male terminal 9a and the female terminal 9b are formed with a large diameter for high voltage, and are manufactured by cutting and boring a solid metal good conductor such as a copper round bar.
[0003]
Cylindrical metal shells 19 a and 19 b are attached to the outer sides of the inner housings 5 a and 5 b, and the rear portions of the metal shells 19 a and 19 b are connected to the shield braid 21 of the shield wire 15. Separate outer housings 23a and 23b are fitted outside the metal shells 19a and 19b.
When the male connector 3a and the female connector 3b are coupled, the rod-shaped male terminal 9a is inserted into the cylindrical female terminal 9b, and at the same time, the metal shell 19a protruding from the tip of the male connector 3a is the metal at the tip of the female connector 3b. It is inserted in the outer periphery of the shell 19b.
As a result, the left and right shield wires 15 are connected in a linear direction, the inner housings 5a and 5b are covered with the metal shells 19a and 19b, and the internal conductor is shielded from the external electric field.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional connector 1 has a structure in which the rod-shaped male terminal 9a and the cylindrical female terminal 9b are fitted in a linear direction and the outside thereof is further covered with the cylindrical metal shells 19a and 19b. The combination of the size and the double structure for attaching the metal shells 19a and 19b significantly increases the fitting length L (see FIG. 14) required for connecting the wires and requires a large accommodation space. It was.
In addition, since the male terminal 9a and the female terminal 9b formed with a large diameter for high voltage are conventionally manufactured by cutting and boring from a solid copper round bar, the ratio to the entire product portion, that is, the yield. However, the material cost and the processing cost are expensive, and the product cost is high.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a connector that can shorten the fitting length and can manufacture terminals at low cost, thereby reducing the connector housing space and reducing the product cost. For the purpose.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The connector according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a connector in which the fitting direction of the male and female connectors is orthogonal to the wiring direction of the electric wires connected to the male connectors, and the male terminals connected to the electric wires are Insertion into the housing of the male connector, forming a cylindrical electrical contact part at the tip of the male terminal in a direction in which the central axis is orthogonal to the electric wire direction, and a direction orthogonal to the electric wire direction to expose the electric contact part Open the male connector housing, insert the female terminal into the female connector housing, and the cylindrical electrical contact portion that fits outside the electrical contact portion of the male terminal is centered on the female terminal's terminal insertion direction. Formed at the tip of the female terminal in the same direction, the front fitting is opened and inserted into the fitting hole of the male connector, and the cylindrical fitting part in which the electrical contact part of the female terminal is provided is formed in the housing of the female connector. It is characterized by having formed That.
In addition, the connector according to the present invention forms an electrical contact portion of the male terminal by rounding one end in the longitudinal direction of the strip made of a good metal conductor to one surface side, and one end in the longitudinal direction of the strip made of the same good metal conductor. The electrical contact portion of the female terminal is formed by rounding around the central axis in the longitudinal direction, and when the electrical contact portion of the male terminal is inserted inside the electrical contact portion of the female terminal, it extends from the electrical contact portion of the male terminal. The cutout into which the extended portion of the strip to be inserted is inserted is cut into the electrical contact portion of the female terminal.
[0006]
[Action]
When the male connector and the female connector are fitted, the electrical contact portion of the male connector is inserted inside the electrical contact portion of the female connector, and the male connector and the female connector are connected in the orthogonal direction. Thereby, compared with the case where the conventional linear terminals are fitted in the linear direction, one side of the fitting center is bent in a right angle direction, and the fitting length is substantially halved compared to the conventional fitting length.
In addition, the male terminal and female terminal can be manufactured by bending, and the conventional solid material cutting and boring are not required, so the ratio of the material part to the whole product is remarkably improved, Yield in terminal manufacturing is improved.
[0007]
【Example】
Preferred embodiments of the connector according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the connector according to the present invention in a fitted state, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
The connector 31 includes a male connector 35a that accommodates a male terminal 33a and a female connector 35b that accommodates a female terminal 33b. The male connector 35a and the female connector 35b are fitted in an orthogonal direction, so-called L-shape. Therefore, the shield wire 37 linearly connected to the male terminal 33a is connected to the female terminal 33b in an L shape. Hereinafter, the structure of the male connector 35a and then the female connector 35b will be sequentially described.
[0008]
3 is a cross-sectional view of the male connector, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a metal shell, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a spacer.
As shown in FIG. 6, a cylindrical electric wire connecting portion 39a is formed at the proximal end of the male terminal 33a, and the electric wire connecting portion 39a is connected to the core wire 41 of the shield wire 37 (see FIG. 3). A band-plate-like extending portion 43 is formed at the front portion of the wire connecting portion 39a, and the extending portion 43 stands in the vertical direction (vertical direction in FIG. 6) in the direction of the central axis of the wire connecting portion 39a. It is extended to. A cylindrical electrical contact portion 45a is formed at the tip of the extended portion 43, and the electrical contact portion 45a is formed in a direction in which the central axis B is orthogonal to the central axis A of the wire connection portion 39a. Further, an anti-rest projection 47 is suspended from the lower edge of the extended portion 43.
[0009]
The male terminal 33a is manufactured by bending a good metal conductor such as copper or aluminum into a predetermined shape by pressing or forging, and then bending the cylindrical wire connecting portion 39a and the electrical contact portion 45a by roll forming or the like. Therefore, there is no need to cut or boring solid materials as in the prior art, and the yield can be improved.
In addition, although the male terminal 33a of a present Example demonstrates as an example the case where the electric contact part 45a is a cylinder, the male terminal 33a is a cylinder shape other than a cylinder, for example, the square cylinder shape shown in FIG. Is of course good.
[0010]
The male terminal 33a is inserted into the inner housing 49a made of a cylindrical insulating resin material having both ends opened as shown in FIG. As for the male terminal 33a inserted in the inner housing 49a, the electric contact part 45a protrudes from the front-end | tip of the inner housing 49a. An annular convex portion 51 is formed to hang downward (downward in FIG. 3) from the upper end of the inner housing 49a, and the annular convex portion 51 surrounds the upper portion of the electrical contact portion 45a (see FIG. 5). An outer housing 53a made of an insulating resin material is provided outside the inner housing 49a, and a gap 55 is formed between the inner housing 49a and the outer housing 53a. The inner housing 49a and the outer housing 53a may be either integrally formed or assembled by fitting separate members.
[0011]
A cylindrical metal shell 57a shown in FIG. 8 is inserted into the gap 55, and the metal shell 57a shields the inner housing 49a from an external electric field. A notch 59a is formed at the lower end of the tip of the metal shell 57a, and the notch 59a coincides with a notch of the metal shell on the female connector 35b side described later. The rear part of the metal shell 57a is exposed on the inner peripheral side of the outer housing 53a. The rear part of the exposed metal shell 57 a is connected to a shield contact 63 that is crimped to the shield braid 61 of the shield wire 37.
[0012]
The shield wire 37 connected to the male terminal 33a and the metal shell 57a is drawn out from a terminal insertion hole 65a that opens at the rear portion of the outer housing 53a. An annular rubber plug 67 is attached to the shield wire 37, and the rubber plug 67 is waterproof and dustproof between the shield wire 37 and the terminal insertion hole 65a by bringing the outer periphery into close contact with the terminal insertion hole 65a. A rear holder 69 is mounted in the terminal insertion hole 65a behind the rubber plug 67, and the rear holder 69 restricts the rubber plug 67 from coming off.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 4, an anti-rotation groove 71 extending in the terminal insertion direction is formed in the upper portion of the inner wall of the inner housing 49a, and the anti-rotation groove 71 is fitted to the upper edge of the male terminal 33a. Therefore, the upper edge of the male terminal 33a is engaged with the rotation-preventing groove 71, so that the rotation in the rotation direction (direction of arrow a in FIG. 4) about the terminal insertion shaft C is restricted.
[0014]
A spacer 73 shown in FIG. 9 is fitted in the gap 55 portion on the opposite side to the terminal insertion hole 65a. The spacer 73 has a retaining claw 77 provided upright at the center of a horizontal substrate 75. Lock portions 79 are formed at both ends of the substrate 75, and the lock portions 79 are elastically locked to locking portions (not shown) provided in the gap 55. The spacer 73 is inserted from the terminal insertion hole 65a before the male terminal 33a is inserted. At this time, the spacer 73 is inserted forward using the spacer insertion groove 81 (see FIG. 5) in the terminal insertion hole 65a as a guide groove. The spacer 73 attached in front of the gap 55 engages the retaining projection 47 with the anti-slip projection 47 of the male terminal 33a inserted later, and restricts the male terminal 33a from coming off. On the other hand, the steady-state convex portion 47 of the male terminal 33a abuts the lower end on the inner wall surface of the inner housing 49a, and restricts the deflection of the male terminal 33a in the vertical direction perpendicular to the shield wire 37, that is, in the direction of arrow b in FIG. To do.
[0015]
A fitting hole 83 that opens in a direction (downward direction in FIG. 3) perpendicular to the terminal insertion direction is formed at the tip of the outer housing 53a. The central axis D of the fitting hole 83 is the same as the central axis B of the electrical contact portion 45a. Match. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the annular protrusion 51 and the electrical contact portion 45 a are disposed at the same center in the fitting hole 83. An annular packing 85 is attached to the inner periphery of the fitting hole 83, and the packing 85 is in close contact with a female connector 35b described later and seals the fitting portion when the connector is fitted. A packing holder 86 is attached to the fitting hole 83 on the outer side of the packing 85, and the packing holder 86 regulates the dropping of the packing 85. A locking arm 89 having a lock portion 87 is formed on the outer surface of the front end of the outer housing 53a, and the locking arm 89 engages with a lock hole of a female connector 35b, which will be described later, by being elastically displaced when the connector is fitted.
The above is the structure of the male connector 35a.
[0016]
Next, the structure of the female connector 35b will be described. The female connector 35b of this embodiment will be described by taking as an example a so-called direct attachment type that is directly attached to a vehicle panel or the like.
10 is a cross-sectional view of the female connector, FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 10, and FIG. 12 is a view taken along the line EE of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, a cylindrical electrical contact portion 45b is formed at the tip of the female terminal 33b, and the electrical contact portion 45b is disposed in a direction in which the central axis ho is the same as the terminal insertion direction of the female terminal 33b. . The electrical contact portion 45b is formed with a notch 91 having a peripheral wall cut in the direction of the central axis e. The electrical contact portion 45b of the female terminal 33b is inserted into the electrical contact portion 45a of the male terminal 33a by inserting the extending portion 43 of the male terminal 33a into the notch 91.
[0017]
A strip-shaped electric wire connecting portion 39b projects in the direction of the central axis E of the electric contacting portion 45b at the rear portion of the electric contacting portion 45b, and the electric wire connecting portion 39b has a bolt hole 93 for connection with other circuits. Similarly to the male terminal 33a, the female terminal 33b is made of a good metal conductor such as copper or aluminum by pressing or forging, and then the cylindrical electrical contact portion 45b is manufactured by bending such as roll forming. Note that the female terminal 33b may be formed in a cylindrical shape other than the cylinder, for example, the rectangular cylindrical shape shown in FIG. 7, as in the case of the male terminal 33a described above.
[0018]
The female terminal 33b is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 65b of the inner housing 49b made of a cylindrical insulating resin material having both ends opened as shown in FIG. A fitting portion 95 is formed at the tip of the inner housing 49b, and the fitting portion 95 is fitted into the annular convex portion 51 of the male connector 35a. A flexible terminal locking portion 97 (see FIG. 12) is formed in a part of the fitting portion 95. The terminal locking portion 97 is elastically displaced outward by the insertion of the female terminal 33b, and then the electric contact portion 45b. The engaging groove 99 is engaged. Therefore, the female terminal 33 b is inserted into the inner housing 49 b with the locking groove 99 engaged with the terminal locking portion 97.
[0019]
An outer peripheral wall 101 is formed outside the fitting portion 95 with a gap therebetween. A gap between the fitting portion 95 and the outer peripheral wall 101 becomes a bending space (retraction space) 103 when the terminal locking portion 97 is bent outward. The annular convex portion 51 of the male connector 35a described above is inserted into the bending space 103 when the connector is fitted. An outer housing 53b made of an insulating resin material is provided outside the inner housing 49b, and a gap 105 is formed between the inner housing 49b and the outer housing 53b. Note that the inner housing 49b and the outer housing 53b may be either integrally formed or assembled by fitting separate members.
[0020]
A cylindrical metal shell 57b shown in FIG. 8 is inserted into the gap 105, and the metal shell 57b shields the inner housing 49b from an external electric field. The inserted metal shell 57b is exposed to the outside of the outer peripheral wall 101 and contacts the metal shell 57a on the male connector 35a side when the connector is fitted. Further, a locking claw 107 (see FIG. 10) is formed on the inner end of the metal shell 57b, and the locking claw 107 engages with a step portion 108 formed on the outer surface of the fitting portion 95 so that the metal shell 57b can be removed. To regulate. As shown in FIG. 8, a notch 59b is formed at the tip of the metal shell 57b, and the notch 59b coincides with the notch 59a of the metal shell 57a on the male connector 35a side when the connector is fitted.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 10, a flange portion 109 is formed at the base of the outer housing 53b, and the flange portion 109 is fixed to a panel (not shown) of the vehicle. An annular groove 111 is formed on the panel-side surface (back surface) of the flange portion 109, and the groove 111 is formed so as to surround the terminal insertion hole 65b. An O-ring 113 is fitted in the groove 111, and the O-ring 113 seals between the back surface of the flange portion 109 and the panel. The rear portion of the metal shell 57b is bent to the back side of the flange portion 109 to be exposed, and the exposed rear end portion of the metal shell 57b is connected to a shield circuit (not shown).
[0022]
On the surface of the flange portion 109, a mantle portion 115 that further surrounds the outside of the outer peripheral wall 101 is erected, and the mantle portion 115 is fitted from the outside into the outer circumference portion of the fitting hole 83 of the male connector 35a when the connector is fitted. . A lock hole 117 is formed in the outer jacket 115, and the lock hole 117 engages with the locking arm 89 of the male connector 35a when the connector is fitted.
The above is the structure of the female connector 35b.
[0023]
The operation at the time of fitting of the connector 31 composed of the male connector 35a and the female connector 35b configured as described above will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the male connector 35a and the female connector 35b are connected by fitting the fitting hole 83 of the male connector 35a and the fitting portion 95 of the female connector 35b. When the fitting hole 83 and the fitting portion 95 are fitted, the electric contact portion 45a of the male terminal 33a is fitted into the electric contact portion 45b of the female terminal 33b. At this time, the extending portion 43 of the male terminal 33a is inserted into the notch 91 (see FIG. 12) of the female terminal 33b, so that both can be fitted. In this state, the male terminal 33a and the female terminal 33b are electrically connected.
[0024]
At the same time, the fitting portion 95 of the female connector 35b is inserted inside the annular convex portion 51 of the male connector 35a. In this state, the annular convex portion 51 is inserted into the bending space 103 that is a gap between the fitting portion 95 and the outer peripheral wall 101. By inserting the annular convex portion 51 into the bending space 103, the terminal locking portion 97 (see FIG. 2) of the female connector 35b is prevented from bending outward and engages with the locking groove 99 of the electrical contact portion 45b. It is locked in the state. Thereby, the insertion of the female terminal 33b to the female connector 35b is further ensured.
[0025]
Further, the metal shell 57a of the male connector 35a is in contact with the metal shell 57b exposed at the outer periphery of the inner housing 49b of the female connector 35b. Thereby, the inner conductors of the inner housings 49a and 49b in the connector fitting portion are covered with the metal shell 57a and the metal shell 57b which are in a continuous state, and are shielded from the external electric field.
[0026]
A fitting hole 83 of the male connector 35a is fitted to the outer periphery of the outer housing 53b of the female connector 35b, and a packing 85 provided on the inner periphery of the fitting hole 83 is in close contact with the outer periphery of the outer housing 53b. The gap between the fitting portions of 35a and female connector 35b is sealed, and entry of water and dust is prevented.
Then, the locking arm 89 of the male connector 35a is engaged with the lock hole 117 of the mantle portion 115 of the female connector 35b, and the male connector 35a and the female connector 35b are locked in a fitted state.
[0027]
In the connector 31 thus fitted, the female connector 35b is inserted and fitted from a direction orthogonal to the terminal insertion direction of the male connector 35a, and the male connector 35a and the female connector 35b are orthogonal to each other, that is, L-shaped. Connected with. Therefore, compared with the case where the conventional linear terminals are fitted in the linear direction, one side of the fitting center is bent in a right angle direction, and the fitting length S (see FIG. 1) is the conventional fitting length L (see FIG. 1). Compared to (see FIG. 14), it is substantially halved. Thereby, in the connector 31 which concerns on a present Example, an accommodation space becomes half.
[0028]
In addition, the male terminal 33a and the female terminal 33b can be manufactured by bending such as roll forming, and conventional cutting and boring are not required, so that the ratio of the material to the entire product portion is remarkably high. Improved, yield is improved, material costs and processing costs are reduced.
[0029]
As described above, according to the connector 31 according to the above-described embodiment, the male connector 35a and the female connector 35b are configured to be fitted in the orthogonal direction, and the male terminal 33a and the female terminal 33b to be inserted into each are provided. Since it can be manufactured by bending, the fitting length can be shortened, and material costs and processing costs can be greatly reduced.
[0030]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the female connector 35b is a so-called direct attachment type that is directly attached to a vehicle panel or the like has been described as an example, but the female connector 35b is a male connector as shown in FIG. Of course, it may be of the type connected to the shield wire 37 as in the case of 35a. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, the female connector 35c has a shield contactor 63, a rubber plug 67, and a rear holder 69 similar to those of the male connector 35a. In this type, it goes without saying that shortening of the fitting length, reduction of material cost, and processing cost are achieved from the same action as described above.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the connector according to the present invention, since the male connector and the female connector are fitted in the orthogonal direction, the conventional linear terminals are fitted in the linear direction. In contrast, approximately one side of the fitting center is bent in a direction perpendicular to the fitting center, the fitting length can be reduced by half compared to the conventional fitting length, and the connector housing space can be made compact.
In addition, since the male and female terminals to be inserted into the male and female connectors can be manufactured by bending, the conventional solid material cutting and boring are not required, and the yield is improved. Material costs and processing costs can be reduced, and product costs can be significantly reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a connector according to the present invention in a fitted state.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a male connector.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a view taken along the line CC in FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a male and female terminal.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modified example of the male and female terminals.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a metal shell.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a spacer.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a female connector.
11 is a sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG.
12 is an EE arrow view of FIG. 10;
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the connector according to the present invention when a wire connection type female connector is fitted.
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional connector in a fitted state.
[Explanation of symbols]
31 Connector 33a Male terminal 33b Female terminal 35a Male connector 35b Female connector 37 Shielded wire (electric wire)
43 Extension part 45a, 45b Electric contact part 47 Stabilization convex part 49a, 49b Inner housing (housing)
53a, 53b Outer housing (housing)
55, 105 Gap 57a, 57b Metal shell 83 Fitting hole 91 Notch 95 Fitting part

Claims (3)

A connector in which the mating direction of the male and female connectors is orthogonal to the wiring direction of the electric wires connected to the male connectors,
A male terminal connected to the electric wire is inserted into the housing of the male connector, and a cylindrical electric contact portion is formed at the tip of the male terminal in a direction in which a central axis is orthogonal to the electric wire direction, and the electric contact portion is A cylinder that opens a fitting hole to be exposed in the housing of the male connector in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the electric wire, inserts a female terminal into the housing of the female connector, and fits outside the electrical contact portion of the male terminal An electrical contact portion is formed at the tip of the female terminal in a direction in which the central axis is the same as the terminal insertion direction of the female terminal, the front surface is opened and the female terminal is inserted into the fitting hole of the male connector An electrical contact portion of the male terminal is formed by forming a cylindrical fitting portion in which the electrical contact portion of the female connector is formed in the housing of the female connector, and rounding one longitudinal end of the strip made of a good metal conductor to one surface side. A strip made of a good metal conductor One end of the longitudinal direction is rounded around the central axis in the longitudinal direction to form the electrical contact portion of the female terminal, and when the electrical contact portion of the male terminal is inserted inside the electrical contact portion of the female terminal, A connector, wherein a notch into which an extending portion of a strip extending from an electrical contact portion of a male terminal is inserted is cut into the electrical contact portion of the female terminal.    An anti-slip projection that restricts the movement of the electrical contact portion of the male terminal inserted into the male connector in the direction of the central axis is suspended from the lower edge of the extension portion of the male terminal so as to be able to contact the inner wall surface of the housing. The connector according to claim 1.    Outer housings are provided on the outer periphery of the housings of the male connector and the female connector with a gap therebetween, and metal shells that contact each other when the connectors are fitted and cover the housings are provided in the gaps of the male connector and the female connector, respectively. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connector is mounted.

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