JP6931295B2 - Cable connector with side view substantially L-shaped tubular housing - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cable connector, particularly a cable connector having a tubular housing having a substantially L-shaped side view.

Patent Document 1 (Patent No. 5937046) provides an example of this type of cable connector. This cable connector has a housing having a side view substantially L-shape, in other words, a side shape bent at a substantially right angle, and the cable is used in a state of being inserted through the portion bent at a substantially right angle.

In the work of attaching a cable to such a cable connector, it is necessary to attach a terminal to the tip of the cable. This terminal is attached after the cable has been passed through the housing in consideration of work efficiency and work unavoidability. More specifically, it is attached through a tubular body that is bent at a substantially right angle to the housing. After penetrating the cable and attaching terminals to the tip of the cable, each terminal is attached to a relatively small housing unit, and then this housing unit is attached to the housing. In this case, in consideration of attaching a terminal to the tip of the cable, the cable should be slightly popped out from the opening provided in the housing, and the cable should be returned to the housing after all the work is completed. Obviously, this procedure involves a less efficient procedure, such as moving a cable through the housing in and out through a bend at approximately a right angle.

Patent No. 5937046

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem in the prior art, and facilitates the insertion and removal of a cable from a tubular housing having a substantially L-shaped side view. For example, a cable penetrated through the housing is omitted. An object of the present invention is to provide a cable connector that can be easily taken in and out through a bent portion at a right angle.

In order to solve the above problems, the cable connector according to one aspect of the present invention includes a housing having a tubular body having a substantially L-shaped side view through which a cable can be inserted through an insertion port, and the housing is the cable. It is characterized in that it has a cable support portion extending outward from the main body in a state of being continuous with the insertion port along the length direction of the cable, and the cable support portion is opened in the cross-sectional direction of the cable. Have.
According to the cable connector of this aspect, the cable can be easily taken in and out of the tubular housing having a substantially L-shaped side view, which is difficult to put in and take out, by using the open cable support portion. Therefore, according to this cable connector, for example, even when it is necessary to provide a terminal on the tip end side of the cable with the cable penetrating the housing, the terminal attachment work becomes easy.

In the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable to further have a lid member that closes the open side of the cable support portion.
According to the cable connector of this aspect, by providing the lid member, the open cable support portion can be closed and, for example, the strength of the cable support portion can be increased.

Further, in the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable that the cable support portion and the lid member are formed of a conductive material.
According to the cable connector of this aspect, a shielding effect can be added to the cable support portion and the lid member.

Further, in the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable to further have a pressure contact member that presses the cable support portion and the lid member with each other in the cross-sectional direction.
According to the cable connector of this aspect, the cable can be more firmly fixed to the housing by pressure-welding the cable using the lid member.

Furthermore, in the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable that a part of the cable support portion is provided in a continuous state with the inside of the housing through the insertion port.
According to the cable connector of this aspect, the cable can be supported more smoothly by providing the cable support portion in a continuous state with the inside of the housing.

Further, in the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable that the cable support portion is integrally molded with the housing.
According to the cable connector of this aspect, by integrally molding the cable support portion with the housing, the manufacturing becomes easy and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Furthermore, in the cable connector of the above aspect, it is preferable to further have a terminal attached to the tip of the cable inserted into the housing.
According to the cable connector of this aspect, a terminal can be provided at the tip of the cable and used as an electric connector.

Further, in the cable connector of the above aspect, the cable connector may have a waterproof function.
Since the housing has a tubular shape, it is suitable for a closed structure, and therefore a waterproof function can be easily added.

According to the present invention, there is provided a cable connector that facilitates the insertion and removal of a cable from a tubular housing having a substantially L-shaped side view.

It is a perspective view of the cable connector device of this invention. It is an exploded perspective view of the receptacle connector. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. It is a figure which shows the rear perspective view of the housing together with the lid member which is a peripheral member. It is a perspective view which shows an example of an assembly process. It is a partially cutaway perspective view which shows an example of an assembly process. It is an exploded perspective view of a plug connector.

A cable connector and a cable connector device according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the cable type electric connector will be described as an example, the present invention can be applied to various types of cable connector devices other than the electric connector.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the cable connector device 1 of the present invention. The cable connector device 1 includes a receptacle connector 2 and a plug connector 6.

The receptacle connector 2 is used as a cable connector that can be connected to one end of the electrical cable 3. On the other hand, the plug connector 6 is used as a board connector that can be installed on the surface of a housing (not shown) of a motor or other device by utilizing a screw 92 or the like. Both can be fitted to each other by approaching them in the fitting direction (in the direction of the arrow “α” in the drawing). FIG. 1 shows a state before fitting the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 6. Although the type using two cables is shown, the number of cables may be one or three or more.

When the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 6 are fitted, the receptacle connector 2 can be locked to the plug connector 6 in order to maintain the fitted state thereof. An arm portion 28 is provided in the housing 20 of the receptacle connector 2 and a locking member 64 is provided in the housing 60 of the plug connector 6 in order to enable locking.

The arm portion 28 is pivotally supported by a rotating shaft 22 provided near the center of the side surface of the housing 20 by utilizing the through hole 28c. The arm portion 28 can rotate about the rotation shaft 22 in the direction of the arrow “Y” in the drawing in a range of approximately 0 ° to 90 °. As shown in FIG. 1, when the arm portion 28 is present at a position of approximately 0 °, the overhanging portion 64a provided in the locking member 64 of the plug connector 6 is caught in the groove 28d provided in the arm portion 28, and as a result, this result. The arm portion 28 of the receptacle connector 2 is fixed to the housing 60 of the plug connector 6, and the receptacle connector 2 is locked to the plug connector 6.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the receptacle connector 2, and FIG. 3 shows a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. The receptacle connector 2 has a substantially symmetrical shape, and mainly includes a housing 20 provided with an arm portion 28, a closing member 30 fixed to the rear side of the housing 20 using a screw 35 or the like, and a closing member. A clamp 34 and a clamp member 32 attached to the rear side of the 30 so that an electric cable can be fixed, and a terminal structure provided on the bottom side of the housing 20, that is, the fitting side of the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 6. Includes 39. FIG. 4 shows a rear perspective view of the housing 20 together with a lid member 27 which is a peripheral member.

The housing 20 is made of a conductive material. By forming with a conductive material, a shielding effect can be added. The conductive material may be a metal plate, or the resin material may be metal-plated.

The housing 20 has a substantially box-shaped main body 21 as a whole. The main body 21 has a length portion 21B extending along the axial direction “β” of the cable, a front wall portion 21A extending in the cross-sectional direction of the cable on the front side of the length portion 21B, and a width on the rear side of the length portion 21B. The enlarged diameter portion 21C extending in the direction “γ” is included, and is formed in a substantially L-shape in a lateral view. The connection between the vertical portion 21A and the length portion 21B with a smooth curved surface is in consideration of the rotation of the operating lever 40.

The main body 21 is formed in a tubular shape. Further, one end 23A of the L-shape (see FIG. 3), further, the rear side of the enlarged diameter portion 21C and the other end 23B of the L-shape (see FIG. 3), further, the front. A through hole through which the cable 3 (see FIG. 1) can be passed is formed between the wall portion 21A and the bottom side. One end 23A of the through hole is opened to the cable 3 side through the insertion port 25, and the other end 23B of the through hole is opened to the plug connector 6 side by the opening 29 (see FIG. 3). The terminal structure 39 is arranged on the other end 23B side. By making it tubular, it is possible to easily form a closed structure and add a waterproof function.

The front wall portion 21A of the main body housing 20 is provided with a hook portion 24 that restricts the free rotation of the arm portion 28 with respect to the main body housing 20. When the arm portion 28 is present at a position of approximately 0 ° shown in FIG. 1, a part of the arm portion 28 (locked portion 28b) is caught by the hook portion 24, and the arm portion 28 is unnecessarily rotated with respect to the main body housing 20. Movement can be prevented.

A cable support portion 26 extending to the outside of the housing 20 is provided on the rear side of the enlarged diameter portion 21C of the main body 21 in a state of being continuous with the insertion port 25 along the length direction “β” of the cable 3. By providing the cable support portion 26, the cable 3 can be easily taken into the inside of the main body 21 while being guided by the cable support portion 26. The cross section of the cable support portion 26 is substantially semicircular, and the inner peripheral surface 26b thereof is arcuate in accordance with the outer peripheral surface of the cable. As a result, the contact area with the cable can be increased, and the cable can be supported in a more reliable and stable state.

It suffices if the cable support portion 26 extends to the outside in a continuous state from the insertion port 25, but a part 26a of the cable support portion 26 is further provided in a continuous state with the inside of the main body 21 through the insertion port 25. Is preferable. By providing the cable support portion 26 not only from the outside of the insertion port 25 but also from the inside of the main body 21 in a continuous state, the cable can be supported more smoothly.

The inner diameter of the cable support portion 26 is set to be substantially constant according to the cable, while the outer diameter thereof is set so as to decrease from the front to the rear. By forming a taper by utilizing such a difference in diameter, the cable support portion 26 can also function as a pressure contact member for the cable in cooperation with the closing member 30 and the like.

The cable support portion 26 may be integrally molded with the main body housing 20. By integrally molding, manufacturing becomes easy and manufacturing cost can be reduced. However, it is not always necessary to integrally mold the main body housing 20, and the structure may be detachable by being attached to the main body housing 20 as a separate body.

The cable support 26 is open in the cross-sectional direction “α-γ” of the cable, eg, above it, so that the cable can easily access the cable support 26. According to this configuration, the cable can be easily accessed to the cable support portion 26 through the open side of the cable support portion 26.

The open side of the cable support portion 26 can be closed by using the lid member 27. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of an assembly process in which the lid member 27 is attached to the cable support portion 26 and the open side is closed. By providing the lid member 27, it is possible to effectively prevent water, dust, and other contaminants from entering the receptacle connector 2. In addition, the strength of the cable support portion 26 can be increased.

The lid member 27 includes a collar portion 27a and a connecting portion 27b that connects the collar portions 27a to each other. Each of the flange portions 27a has a substantially semicircular cross-sectional shape, and the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 27a is made of the cable so as to match the shape of the cable in the same manner as the inner peripheral surface 26b of the cable support portion 26. It has an arc shape that matches the outer peripheral surface.

The cable support portion 26 and the lid member 27 are preferably formed of a conductive material, similarly to the housing 20. By forming with a conductive material, a shielding effect can be added.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, when the open side of the cable support portion 26 is closed by the lid member 27, the front surface 27h of the flange portion 27a and the connecting portion 27b is an annular shape provided in the enlarged diameter portion 21C of the housing 20. It is abutted against the upper end surface 21h of the protruding portion 21f. The closing member 30 is attached to the housing 20 with the cable support portion 26 and the lid member 27 included. The closing member 30 includes a rectangular main body 30a and two tubular portions 30b extending rearward from the rectangular main body 30a. The rectangular main body 30a is abutted against the rear surface 21e of the enlarged diameter portion 21C of the housing 20 at the front surface 30g thereof. A taper 30h is provided on the front surface 30g of the rectangular body 30a to form a gap for arranging the packing 36 with the rear surface 21e of the enlarged diameter portion 21C. Further, at the tip of the tubular portion 30b, an edge 30c having a notch 30d compatible with a predetermined portion (32c) of the clamp member 32 is provided.

The closing member 30 is fixed in close contact with the rear surface 21e of the housing 20 at its front surface 30g, and closes the insertion port 25 of the housing 20 leaving the cable outlet portion. The housing 20 can be fixed to the housing 20 by using screw holes 30d or the like provided at the four corners of the rectangular body 30a. A through hole 30e for inserting a cable is provided in the center of the rectangular body 30a. The cable is taken out to the outside through the through hole 30e and the tubular portion 30b of the closing member 30. A screw is cut on the outer circumference of the tubular portion 30b so as to be screwed with the clamp 34.

In order to enhance the waterproof function, it is preferable to provide a packing 36 between the closing member 30 and the housing 20. The packing 36 is attached to a substantially elliptical annular protrusion 21f provided on the rear surface 21e of the enlarged diameter portion 21C of the housing 20. The annular projecting portion 21f projects radially from the rear surface 21e toward the rear, and has a groove 21g on the outer peripheral surface thereof for positioning the packing 36. A part of the annular protrusion 21f, particularly the lower side, also serves as a portion forming an outer peripheral surface of the cable support portion 26.

FIG. 6 shows a partially broken perspective view showing a state in which the gasket 31, the clamp member 32, and the clamp 34 are attached to the configuration shown in FIG.
As is often shown in FIGS. 6 and 3, the clamp 34 is a tubular member, and a screw is cut on the inner circumference thereof corresponding to the tubular portion 30b of the closing member 30. The clamp member 32 includes an annular main body 32a and a plurality of clamp pieces projecting to the rear side of the main body 32a, here four clamp pieces 32b, and a plurality of clamp members 32 protruding forward from the main body 32a, here two arc-shaped edges 32c. include.

The cable 3 has a braid 3a whose tip 3b is attached to the arc-shaped inner flange 27d of the lid member 27 and whose tip is exposed to the outside in the axial direction to the outer cover of the cable 3 of the cable 3. It is arranged on the cable support portion 26 in a state of being along the "β".

The gasket 31 is in close contact with the outer periphery of the cable 3 and is abutted against both the rear end surface 26c of the cable support portion 26 and the rear end surface 27c of the lid member 27 along the axial direction “β” of the cable 3. In this state, it is included in a compressed state by the tubular portion 30b of the closing member 30 and the clamp 34.

The clamp member 32 has a portion of the gasket 31 housed inside the arc-shaped edge 32c protruding to the front side, and the edge 32c protruding to the front side is provided with a notch 30d provided in the tubular portion 30b of the closing member 30. It is included in the clamp 34 in a state of being fitted and abutted against the gasket 31 along the axial direction "β" of the cable 3.

When the clamp 34 is screwed into the tubular portion 30b of the closing member 30, the clamp piece 32b is outside the cable 3 through contact between the outer peripheral surface 32d of the clamp piece 32b of the clamp member 34 and the inner peripheral surface 34a of the clamp 34. Pressed against the cover, the clamp 34 is fixed to the cable 3. The diameters of the outer peripheral surface 32d of the clamp piece 32b and the inner peripheral surface 34a of the clamp 34 are adjusted so that the clamp piece 32b is pressed against the cable 3 as the clamp piece is screwed, and a tapered cross section is formed. ..

Further, the clamp 34, together with the closing member 30, functions as a pressure contact member that presses the cable support portion 26 and the lid member 27 against each other in the cross-sectional direction “α-γ”. When the clamp 34 is screwed into the closing member 30, the flange portion 27a becomes the housing 20 through contact between the outer peripheral surface 27g of the flange portion 27a of the lid member 27 and the inner peripheral surface 30f of the tubular portion 30b of the closing member 30. The cable support portion 26 and the lid member 27 are pressed against each other by using the clamp 34 and the closing member 30, which are pressed toward the cable support portion 26. As a result, the cable 3 can be firmly fixed by the housing 20. The diameters of the outer peripheral surface 27g of the flange portion 27a, the outer peripheral surface 26f of the cable support portion 26, and the inner peripheral surface 30f of the tubular portion 30b are adjusted so as to be pressure-welded with the screwing, and a tapered cross section is formed. There is. A part 27e of the inner peripheral surface on the rear end side of the collar portion 27a projects toward the center side in order to strengthen the contact with the cable.

The configuration of the terminal structure 39 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 again. The terminal structure 39 mainly includes a power supply terminal 50 and a signal terminal 59, a power supply housing unit 40A for positioning and fixing the power supply terminal 50, a signal housing unit 40B for positioning and fixing the signal terminal 59, and a power supply housing. A frame body 44 that supports the unit 40A and the signal housing unit 40B in parallel, a shield plate 42 that shields between the power supply terminal 50 and the signal terminal 59, and further, the shield plate 42 and the frame body 44 are electrically connected. The ground member 43 is included.

The power housing unit 40A and the signal housing unit 40B are formed of an insulating material such as resin, and the frame body 44 is formed of a conductive material like the shield plate 42 and the ground member 43.

The power supply terminal 50 and the signal terminal 59 are used in a state of being attached to the tip of the cable 3. The attachment is performed with the cable 3 penetrating the main body 21. In order to attach the terminals 50 and 59 to the cable 3, the cable 3 penetrating the main body 21 is slightly protruded from the opening 29 (see FIG. 4) provided in the main body 21, and the terminals 50 and 59 are separated from each other. After attaching to the terminal hole 41A of the power housing unit 40A and the terminal hole 41B of the signal housing unit 40B and attaching to the frame body 44 to which the shield metal fitting 42 described later is attached, the cable 3 is returned to the housing 20 and fixed. do. In this way, for example, even when it is necessary to provide terminals 50 and 59 on the tip side of the cable 3 with the cable 3 penetrating the main body 21, the cable 3 can be connected to the main body by using the cable support portion 26. By moving in and out from 21, the terminal structure 39 such as the terminals 50 and 59 and the insulating housing of the power supply housing 40A and the signal housing 40B can be easily attached to the cable 3 and accommodated in the main body 21.

The frame body 44 has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The power supply housing 40A and the signal housing 40B are inserted and installed in the opening 44b of the frame body 44.

The shield plate 42 is formed by punching and bending a metal plate. The shield plate 42 is arranged between the power supply housing 40A and the signal housing 40B installed on the frame body 44. The shield plate 42 is connected to a ground member 43 arranged so as to straddle the upper part of the power supply housing 40A and the signal housing 40B, and the tongue piece 42a provided on the side surface of the shield plate 42 is inserted and fixed in the slit 27f to be electrically connected. Is connected. It is electrically connected to the frame 44 via the ground member 43. The tongue piece 42c provided on the front plate 42b of the shield plate 32 is connected to the front inner wall 44a of the frame body 44 and conducts with the frame body 44. Further, by providing the shield plate 42, the cable connected to the power supply terminal 50 and the cable connected to the signal terminal 59 can be electrically shielded inside the main body 21 of the housing 20.

The structure of the plug connector 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the plug connector 6. The plug connector 6 is provided in a housing 60 provided with a locking member 64 to which the arm portion 28 is locked, and various housings inserted and installed in the housing 60, that is, a power supply housing 70A and a signal housing 70B, and a power supply housing 70A. It includes two types of terminals to be fixed, that is, a ground terminal 91 and a power supply terminal 80, and a signal terminal 90 fixed to the signal housing 70B.

The housing 60 is made of a conductive material, similarly to the housing 20 housing 20 of the receptacle connector 2. When the housing 60 of the plug connector 6 and the housing 20 of the receptacle connector 2 are fitted, the housing 60 and the housing 20 are made conductive. The conductive material may be a metal plate, or the resin material may be metal-plated.

The housing 60 mainly includes a main body 61 that is fixed to the housing of the device via packing 99B, and a frame body 65 that extends vertically from the main body 61 together with the locking member 64.

The frame body 65 can be fixed to a housing or the like by using the screw holes 61a. An opening 62 in which the power supply housing 70A is inserted and installed from the mating side of the plug connector 6 and the receptacle connector 2 and an opening 63 in which the signal housing 70B is inserted and installed are adjacent to each other in the frame body 65. It is arranged together. The inner wall of the frame body 65 is provided with a locked piece 62a in which the elastic locking piece 73A of the power housing 70A is locked when the power housing 70A is inserted into the opening 62. The frame body 65 may be provided with an annular recess 65a into which the packing 99A is fitted. The packing 99A provides a gap that may occur between the frame 65 of the housing 60 and the opening 29 (see FIG. 4) of the housing 20 when the housing 60 of the plug connector 6 and the housing 20 of the receptacle connector 2 are fitted. fill in.

The power supply housing 70A and the signal housing 70B are formed of an insulating material such as resin, and the frame body 44 is formed of a conductive material like the shield plate 42 and the ground member 43.

The power supply housing 70A is provided with a terminal hole 71A to which the ground terminal 91 is fixed and a terminal hole 72A to which the power supply terminal 80 is fixed. The ground terminal 91 is fixed to each hole from the mating side of the plug connector 6 and the receptacle connector 2, while the power supply terminal 80 is fixed to the respective holes from the side opposite to the mating side of the plug connector 6 and the receptacle connector 2. NS.
The signal housing 70B is provided with a terminal hole 71B to which the signal terminal 90 is fixed. Like the power supply terminal 80, the signal terminal 90 is fixed to each hole from the side opposite to the mating side of the plug connector 6 and the receptacle connector 2.

β Cable length direction α-γ Cross-sectional direction 2 Receptacle connector 3 Cable 6 Plug connector 20 Housing 25 Insertion port 26 Cable support 27 Lid member 30 Closure member 34 Clamp 30, 34 Pressure welding member 50 Power supply terminal 59 Signal terminal 60 Housing 80 Power terminal 90 Signal terminal

Claims (8)

It is provided with a housing having a cylindrical body having a substantially L-shaped side view through which a cable can be inserted through an insertion port.
The housing has a cable support portion extending outward from the main body in a state continuous with the insertion port.
Said cable supporting portion is opened in the sectional direction of the cable supported by the cable supporting portion outside of said main body, the cable said insertion opening is closed in front Kidan plane direction, it is characterized by connector. The cable connector according to claim 1, further comprising a lid member that closes the open side of the cable support. The cable connector according to claim 2, wherein the cable support portion and the lid member are made of a conductive material. The cable connector according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a pressure contact member that presses the cable support portion and the lid member against each other in the cross-sectional direction. The cable connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a part of the cable support portion is provided continuously with the inside of the main body through the insertion port. The cable connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cable support portion is integrally molded with the housing. The cable connector according to claim 1 to 6, further comprising a terminal attached to the tip of the cable inserted into the main body. The cable connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cable connector is a waterproof connector.

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