JP6140473B2 - Shield connector and shield connector connection structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a shield connector and a shield connector connection structure including a terminal fitting, a cylindrical housing that accommodates the terminal fitting, and a shield member provided between the terminal fitting and the housing.

  A wide variety of electronic devices are mounted on automobiles as moving bodies. A wire harness is used to transmit electric power and control signals to the electronic device. The wire harness includes a plurality of electric wires and a connector attached to the end of the electric wires.

  For example, high voltage power is supplied to a motor for traveling in the above-described automobile, for example, in an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle. There has been a problem that electrical noise leaks to the outside, or electrical noise flows from the electric wire or the terminal fitting into another electric wire or another terminal fitting.

  As a technique for solving such a problem, for example, a shield connector unit 101 as shown in FIG. 8 is known (see Patent Document 1). The shield connector unit 101 includes a female connector 102 and a male connector 103 that fits into the female connector 102. The female connector 102 is held by a female terminal fitting 120 attached to the end of the shielded electric wire, a female connector housing (hereinafter referred to as a female housing) 121 that accommodates the female terminal fitting 120, and the female housing 121. A female shield shell 122 connected to the shield layer of the shielded electric wire. The female-side housing 121 includes a cylindrical portion 123 that accommodates the female terminal fitting 120 and a female-side surrounding portion 124 that is formed in a cylindrical shape that surrounds the cylindrical portion 123. The front end portion of the female side surrounding portion 124 is located on the rear side of the front end portion of the tubular portion 123. The female shield shell 122 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the front end portion between the cylindrical portion 123 of the female connector housing 121 and the female surrounding portion 124 is substantially the same as the front end portion of the cylindrical portion 123 in the front-rear direction. It is attached to the cylindrical portion 123 so as to be in the same position.

  The male connector 103 includes a male terminal fitting 130 connected to the female terminal fitting 120 and a male connector housing (hereinafter referred to as a male side housing) that accommodates the male terminal fitting 130 and fits into the female housing 121. 131 and a male shield shell 132 held by the male housing 131 and connected to the female shield shell 122. The male side housing 131 is formed in a cylindrical shape covering the female side surrounding portion 124 of the female side housing 121, which is formed to project from the peripheral edge of the front end surface of the housing main body 133. And a male hood portion 134 formed on the outer side. A front end portion of the male terminal fitting 130 and a front end portion of the male shield shell 132 are attached to the housing body 133 so as to protrude from the front end face thereof.

  In such a shield connector unit 101, the female connector 102 and the male connector 103 are brought close to each other, the male terminal fitting 130 enters the inside of the female terminal fitting 120, and the male shielding shell 132 is placed inside the female side shielding shell 122. The distal end portion of the female shield shell 122 pushes the distal end portion of the male shield shell 132, and the reaction force causes the distal end portion of the male shield shell 132 to be pressed against the distal end portion of the female shield shell 122. In this state, the female side and male side shield shells 132 are electrically connected, and the female side housing 121 and the male side housing 131 are fitted.

JP 2000-299163 A

  However, in the conventional connector unit 101 described above, when the male connector 103 and the female connector 102 are fitted close to each other, for example, the female-side shield shell 122 or the cylindrical portion 123 of the female-side housing 121 is connected to the male side. The front end of the male shield shell 132 may be deformed by sticking the shield shell 132 or hitting the male shield shell 132 obliquely. When trying to fit the male shield shell 132 and the female shield shell 122 whose tip is deformed, a large force is required to fit the connectors 102 and 103 together. Therefore, there is a possibility that the working efficiency due to the connector fitting is lowered, or that in the worst case, there is a problem that the female connector 102 and the male connector 103 cannot be fitted.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a shield connector and a shield connector connection structure that improve the work efficiency by connector fitting while reducing the failure occurrence rate due to connector non-fitting by preventing deformation of the shield member. It is in.

The present invention according to claim 1 is a shield connector comprising a terminal fitting, a cylindrical housing that houses the terminal fitting, and a shield member provided inside the housing, wherein the shield member includes Is provided with a cylindrical shield shell and a protruding piece projecting in a plate shape from the shield shell in the axial direction of the shield shell. The housing has a cylindrical hood portion, and is inserted into the hood portion. And a pair of protruding pieces are provided at positions facing each other, and a pair of the guide ribs are provided at a distance from each other into the housing of the counterpart housing. with the ingress, the protruding piece, elastically deformed in the hood portion, the collision between the pair of guide ribs, the hood portion than the guide rib This is a shielded connector with which the protruding piece is retracted.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the shield connector according to the first aspect, the projecting piece is formed with a taper that is inclined outward in the radial direction of the shield shell as the distance from the shield shell increases. It is characterized by that.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the shield connector according to the first or second aspect , and a counterpart shield connector fitted to the shield connector, wherein the counterpart shield connector is connected to the counterpart housing. A mating shield member electrically connected to the shield member, wherein the mating shield member is provided with an abutting portion that abuts the projecting piece and elastically deforms the projecting piece. This is a shield connector connection structure.

According to the first and third aspects of the present invention, as the counterpart housing enters the housing, the projecting piece is elastically deformed toward the hood portion and is retracted closer to the hood portion than the guide rib. Even if the counterpart housing or counterpart shield member strikes the shield member at an angle as in the prior art, the protruding piece is elastically deformed and retracted to the hood part side from the guide rib, and the protruding piece is protected by the guide rib Thus, deformation by the counterpart housing or counterpart shield member is eliminated. As described above, the projecting piece is retracted to the hood portion side with respect to the guide rib and is protected by the guide rib, whereby deformation of the shield member can be prevented. Further, by preventing the shield member from being deformed, it is possible to reduce the failure occurrence rate due to the connector non-fitting and to improve the working efficiency due to the connector fitting.
In addition, a pair of protruding pieces are provided at positions facing each other, and a pair of guide ribs are provided at a distance from each other. Since each protruding piece is retracted between the pair of guide ribs, each protruding piece is retracted. In this state, a pair of guide ribs are provided on both sides thereof, and deformation of the protruding piece, that is, the shield member, can be reliably prevented. Further, since the pair of protruding pieces are provided, the shield member and the counterpart shield member can be more reliably electrically connected.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the projecting piece is formed with a taper inclined radially outward of the shield shell as the distance from the shield shell increases, thereby increasing the radial dimension of the shield shell of the projecting piece. Therefore, the allowable range of connection of the counterpart shield member to the shield member is increased by the increase in the radial dimension of the taper, and the shield member and the counterpart shield member can be reliably electrically connected.

It is a perspective view which shows the shield connector unit concerning one embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the II line | wire in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the shield connector and the other party shield connector which comprise the shield connector unit shown by FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the male side housing which comprises the shield connector shown by FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the male side shield member which comprises the shield connector shown by FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the shield connector shown in FIG. 3. It is a figure which expands and shows the principal part of the shield connector unit shown by FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the conventional shield connector unit.

  A shield connector and a shield connector connection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. A shield connector unit having a shield connector connection structure (hereinafter referred to as a connector unit 10) constitutes a wire harness routed in an automobile or the like. As shown in FIGS. It is connected to the terminal of the shielded electric wire 11 configured to transmit a control signal and the like, and the electric noise leaking to the outside from the electric wire 11 and the terminal fittings 3 and 6 of the connectors 1 and 2, or the electric wire 11 from the outside It is used to remove electrical noise flowing into the terminal fittings 3 and 6.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector unit 10 is a shield connector (hereinafter referred to as a bolt) fixed to the outer wall 9 </ b> A in a state of being inserted into a through hole 90 formed in the outer wall 9 </ b> A of the conductive case 9. Locked in a state in which the male connector 1 and the female connector 1 are mated with each other, and a mating shield connector (hereinafter referred to as a female connector 2) that fits into the male connector 1. And a lock unit 20 (shown in FIG. 1). In this specification, the fitting direction between the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 and the axial direction of the male housing 4 and the female housing 7 are indicated by an arrow Z, and the direction orthogonal to the axial direction is indicated by an arrow Y. A direction orthogonal to the bidirectional direction of the arrow Z and the arrow Y is indicated by an arrow X. The arrow Z direction may be referred to as the front-rear direction, the arrow Y direction may be referred to as the up-down direction, and the arrow X direction may be referred to as the left-right direction. 2 and 7, the lock unit 20 is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the male connector 1 includes a pair of male terminals 3 (terminal fittings in the claims, shown in FIG. 3), and a male housing 4 that houses the pair of male terminals 3. And a male shield member 5 provided between the male terminal 3 and the male housing 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of male terminals 3 are held by the terminal holding portions 40 of the male housing 4 at intervals. Each male terminal 3 is formed in a rod shape, one end of which is connected to the female terminal fitting 6 of the female connector 2, and the other end is connected to an electronic device.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the male housing 4 includes a terminal holding portion 40 that holds a pair of male terminals 3, a rectangular tube-like receiving portion main body 41 that holds the terminal holding portion 40, and the housing. A flange portion 42 erected in a plate shape from the outer surface of the main body 41 and overlapped with the outer wall 9 </ b> A of the case 9. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal holding portion 40 is erected from a holding portion main body 43 formed in a rectangular shape and a front end surface (surface on the female connector 2 side) of the holding portion main body 43, And a partition wall 44 separating the pair of male terminals 3 held by the holding unit 40. The holding portion main body 43 is formed to penetrate the holding portion main body 43 in the front-rear direction (arrow Z direction), and a pair of terminal insertion holes (not shown) for inserting the pair of male terminals 3 are formed. ing. The accommodating portion main body 41 is provided with a hood portion 45 that is a part on the front side of the accommodating portion main body 41 and into which the female connector 2 is fitted. The flange portion 42 is provided in the central portion of the accommodating portion main body 41 in the front-rear direction (arrow Z direction), and the hood portion 45 is provided on the front side of the flange portion 42.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the hood portion 45 is formed in a rectangular tube shape and includes four flat surfaces 45 a, 45 b, 45 c, and 45 d that are positioned in a direction (arrow XY direction) orthogonal to the axial direction. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the hood portion 45 has an entire inner peripheral surface, that is, the center in the front-rear direction (arrow Z direction) of the hood portion 45 of the four flat surfaces 4, 45b, 45c, 45d. An inclined surface 46 is formed in the portion, and a pair of guide ribs 47 for guiding the female connector 2 is formed on the inclined surface 46. The inclined surface 46 of the hood portion 45 is continuously provided from the rear end portion of the hood portion 45 to the front of the front end portion of the hood portion 45, and the dimension between the flat surfaces 4 and 45b facing each other toward the front (the hood portion 45). It is formed so that the vertical dimension (inner dimension in the arrow Y direction) of the portion 45 and the dimension between the flat surfaces 45c and 45d (inner dimension in the left and right direction (arrow X direction) of the hood portion 45) are increased.

  One guide rib 47 of the pair of guide ribs 47 is formed continuously over the upper flat surface 4, the right flat surface 45b, and the left flat surface 45d, as shown in FIG. The guide rib 47 is formed continuously over the lower flat surface 45c, the right flat surface 45b, and the left flat surface 45d, and the pair of guide ribs 47 is formed at the center of the left and right flat surfaces 45b and 45d. It is not formed in the part. That is, the pair of guide ribs 47 are provided at positions facing each other with an interval in the vertical direction (arrow Y direction). The dimension of the portion where the guide rib 47 is not formed in the center part of the left and right flat surfaces 45b and 45d, that is, the vertical dimension between the pair of guide ribs 47 (arrow Y direction) is the connection of the male shield member 5. When the connecting piece 52 is elastically deformed outward (arrow X direction), the connecting piece 52 is formed to be slightly larger than the width dimension (arrow Y direction) of the piece 52 (described later). It is formed so that it can be accommodated (retracted) between the ribs 47. Hereinafter, a space formed between the pair of guide ribs 47, and a space in which the connection piece 52 is elastically deformed in the outward direction and is accommodated (retracted) between the pair of guide ribs 47 is referred to as a “retreat space”.

  As shown in FIG. 7, each guide rib 47 is provided continuously from the front end portion of the inclined surface 46 to the rear end portion of the inclined surface 46. In addition, each guide rib 47 is formed so that its protruding dimension gradually increases toward the front, and each guide rib 47 is formed on the inclined surface 46. Therefore, the top surface of the guide rib 47 is The hood portion 45 is provided along the axial direction (arrow Z direction).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the male shield member 5 includes a square cylindrical shield shell 51 and a plate projecting from the shield shell 51 in the axial direction of the shield shell 51 and facing each other. A pair of connection pieces 52 (projecting pieces) connected to the female shield member 8 of the connector 2 and a locking portion 53 for locking the shield shell 51 to the inner surface of the housing portion main body 41 of the male housing 4 are provided. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 7, each connection piece 52 is bent in one direction at the shield shell 51 side and bent at the other side away from the shield shell 51 in the outer direction. As the distance from the shell 51 increases, a taper 52 </ b> A is formed that is inclined in a direction in which the pair of connection pieces 52 are separated from each other (outside in the radial direction of the shield shell 51). The taper 52 </ b> A is provided with a contacted portion 50 that is in contact with the tip of the female shield member 8 of the female connector 2 on the inner surface thereof. Such a male shield member 5 is formed so that the outer dimensions in the vertical direction (arrow Y direction) and the horizontal direction (arrow X direction) from the shield shell 51 to the taper 52A of the connection piece 52 are constant. The outer dimension is formed to be substantially equal to the dimension between the top and bottom surfaces of the pair of guide ribs 47.

  Further, the longitudinal dimension (dimension in the arrow Z direction) of the connection piece 52 is larger than the axial dimension of the guide rib 47 formed on the hood portion 45, and the male shield member 5 is connected to the male housing 4. The front end portion of the connection piece 52 in the arrow Z direction is provided so as to protrude slightly forward from the front end portion of the guide rib 47.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the female connector 2 includes a pair of female terminal fittings 6 connected to the shielded electric wire 11 and a female fitting that houses the pair of female terminal fittings 6 and fits into the male housing 4. A side housing 7 and a female side shield member 8 connected to the shield braid 11a of the shielded electric wire 11 are provided. Further, the female connector 2 is provided over and covers the female housing 7 and the outer surface of the shielded electric wire 11, and water or the like is inserted into the female housing 7 from between the female housing 7 and the outer surface of the shielded electric wire 11. A tube 21 for preventing the liquid from entering, and a ring 22 fitted on the front end portion of the female housing 7 via the tube 21.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of female terminal fittings 6 have a rectangular tube-shaped electrical contact portion 60. By inserting the male terminal 3 into the electrical contact portion 60, Connected. As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of female terminal fittings 6 are held by the terminal holder 70 of the female housing 7 at a distance from each other.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the female housing 7 includes a terminal holder 70 that holds a pair of female terminal fittings 6, a housing main body 71 that is formed in a rectangular tube shape that accommodates the terminal holder 70, and the housing main body 71. The inner cylinder part 72 and the outer cylinder part 73 into which the front end part of the hood part 45 of the male side housing 4 is inserted between each other are provided. The terminal holder 70 is formed with a terminal insertion hole 7a for inserting the shielded electric wire 11 and the female terminal fitting 6 connected to the shielded electric wire 11 in the front-rear direction (arrow Z direction). In a state where the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 are fitted, this terminal insertion hole 7a is provided at a position facing the terminal insertion hole of the male housing 4, and between the pair of terminal insertion holes 7a, a male A recess 7 b is provided for allowing the partition wall 44 of the side housing 4 to enter. The terminal holder 70 is provided such that the rear end portion and the front end portions of the pair of female terminal fittings 6 are at the same position in the front-rear direction (arrow Z direction) (position along the vertical direction (arrow Y direction)). Yes. In a state where the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 are fitted, the distal end portion of the inner cylindrical portion 72 is provided at a position facing the distal end portion of the male shield member 5 with a gap.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the female shield member 8 is externally inserted into the terminal holder 70, and in this state, the shield ring 81 is externally fitted to the female shield member 8 and is fixed to the terminal holder 70. Further, the female shield member 8 is formed in a rectangular tube shape in which the dimension in the vertical direction (arrow Y direction) and the dimension in the horizontal direction (arrow X direction) are slightly smaller than the shield shell 51 of the male shield member 5. Yes. The female shield member 8 is formed so that the dimension in the vertical and horizontal directions is constant from one end to the other end in the front-rear direction (arrow Z direction). The male connector 1 and the female connector 2 And the contact portion 80 provided at the distal end portion of the female shield member 8 is provided at a position where it can contact the contacted portion 50 of the taper 52A of the male shield member 5. Yes.

  Next, a connection procedure between the male shield member 5 and the female shield member 8 of the connector unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the shield braid 11a and the covering portion (not shown) of the end of the shielded electric wire 11 are peeled off in advance, the exposed pair of core wires and the pair of female terminal fittings 6 are connected, and the contact portion of the female shield member 8 is connected. The end part away from 80 and the shield braid 11a are connected. Then, the female connector 2 is brought close to the male connector 1 so that the hood portion 45 of the male housing 4 enters between the inner cylindrical portion 72 and the outer cylindrical portion 73 of the female connector 2. As the female connector 2 is brought closer, the contact portion 80 of the female shield member 8 comes into contact with the contacted portion 50 of the connection piece 52 of the male shield member 5 so that the female shield member 8 and the male shield member 8 are connected to each other. The side shield member 5 is electrically connected. At this time, for example, even if the corner portion of the terminal holder 70 of the female housing 7 hits the connection piece 52, the connection piece 52 is elastically deformed, and the inside of the retreat space (the hood portion 45 side from the guide rib 47). Therefore, the connection piece 52 is protected by the guide rib 47, and the connection piece 52 is not deformed. Thus, since the connection piece 52 is protected by the guide rib 47, the deformation of the male shield member 5 can be prevented. Thereafter, the connection piece 52 that is once elastically deformed is elastically restored and elastically contacts the contact portion 80 of the female shield member 8 to electrically connect the female shield member 8 and the male shield member 5. To do.

  Then, the rear end portion of the male housing 4 is inserted into the through hole 90 formed in the outer wall 9A of the case 9 from the front side, the flange portion 42 is overlapped with the front surface of the outer wall 9A, and the flange portion 42 is attached to the outer wall 9A. Fasten with bolts. The end of the male shield member 5 away from the contacted portion 50 is electrically connected to a ground circuit (not shown) via the outer wall 9A of the conductive case 9, and the shield wire 11 and the terminal fittings 3 of the connectors 1 and 2 are connected. , 6 that leaks to the outside, or electrical noise that flows from the outside to the shielded wires 11 and the terminal fittings 3 and 6 are removed.

  In the embodiment described above, a pair of guide ribs 47 are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one guide rib is continuously C-shaped on the inner surface of the hood portion 45 in the circumferential direction. And may be formed so as to be spaced at both ends of the guide rib. In this case, one connection piece may be provided.

  Further, the above-described embodiments are merely representative forms of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 Male connector (shield connector)
2 Female connector (mating shield connector)
3 Terminal fitting (male terminal)
4 Male housing (housing)
5 Male shield member (shield member)
7 Female housing (mating housing)
10 Shield connector unit (Shield connector connection structure)
45 Hood 51 Shield shell 52 Connection piece (protruding piece)

Claims (3)

Terminal fittings,
A cylindrical housing that houses the terminal fitting;
A shield connector provided inside the housing, and a shield connector comprising:
The shield member is provided with a cylindrical shield shell, and a protruding piece protruding in a plate shape from the shield shell in the axial direction of the shield shell,
The housing is provided with a tubular hood portion, and a guide rib for guiding a counterpart housing inserted into the hood portion,
A pair of the protruding pieces are provided at positions facing each other,
A pair of the guide ribs are provided at intervals,
With the entry into the housing of the mating housing, the protruding piece, elastically deformed in the hood portion, between the pair of guide ribs, the projecting piece into the hood portion than the guide rib shielded connector, characterized in that but being retracted.   2. The shield connector according to claim 1, wherein the protruding piece is formed with a taper that is inclined radially outward of the shield shell as the distance from the shield shell increases. A shield connector according to claim 1 or claim 2 ;
A mating shield connector mated with the shield connector,
The counterpart shield connector includes the counterpart housing and a counterpart shield member that is electrically connected to the shield member.
The shield connector connection structure, wherein the counterpart shield member is provided with an abutting portion that abuts the protruding piece and elastically deforms the protruding piece.

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