WO2022118651A1

WO2022118651A1 - Connector and device unit

Info

Publication number: WO2022118651A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/042122
Authority: WO
Inventors: 知夫三田村; 基泰安藤
Original assignee: 住友電装株式会社
Priority date: 2020-12-04
Filing date: 2021-11-16
Publication date: 2022-06-09
Also published as: JP2022089504A

Abstract

This connector comprises: a first terminal to be connected to a first external device and having a first seating surface; a second terminal to be connected to a second external device and having a second seating surface; a circuit protection component connected to the first seating surface and the second seating surface and constituting a serial electrically conductive path together with the first terminal and the second terminal; and a connector housing holding the first terminal, the second terminal, and the circuit protection component, wherein the connector housing has a main unit in which the first terminal and the second terminal are embedded with the first seating surface and the second seating surface exposed, and an accommodating part covering the circuit protection component.

Description

Connector and equipment unit

The present disclosure relates to connectors and equipment units.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Application No. 2020-201944 filed on December 4, 2020, and incorporates all the contents described in the Japanese application.

For example, in an automobile, the connector described in Patent Document 1 is known as a connector for connecting a wire harness to an in-vehicle device. The connector of Patent Document 1 includes a resin connector housing and a metal bracket that covers the connector housing. A fuse is provided in the connector housing as a connection terminal, an internal conductor, and a circuit protection component.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-107151

The connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a first terminal connected to a first external device and having a first seat surface, and a second terminal connected to a second external device and having a second seat surface. A circuit protection component connected to the first bearing surface and the second bearing surface to form a conductive path in series with the first terminal and the second terminal, and the first terminal, the second terminal, and the circuit protection. A connector housing for holding parts is provided, and the connector housing includes a main body portion in which the first terminal and the second terminal are embedded in a state where the first seat surface and the second seat surface are exposed. , A housing portion that covers the circuit protection component.

The equipment unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes the first external device and the connector connected to the first external device.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electric system in which the connector of the present embodiment is used. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a connector (assembled state) according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the connector (disassembled state) according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connector housing. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the connection terminal and the main body. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connection terminal. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the accommodating portion.

<Problems to be solved by this disclosure>
In the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, the connection terminal of the connector is connected to the terminal of the external device (vehicle-mounted device), and the connector housing is attached to the device housing of the external device via the bracket. When the external device vibrates, the connector housing is vibrated greatly, and the vibration or an external force such as a pulling force based on the vibration is transmitted to the fuse through the connection terminal of the connector or the like. If the internal conductor of the connector is provided so that it can be freely displaced in the space inside the connector housing, the internal conductor may also swing due to an external force such as vibration, which may be transmitted to the fuse. Fuse can be damaged if shaken significantly by vibration.

Therefore, the connector is required to have a function of making it difficult for the external force to be transmitted to the circuit protection component of the connector even if an external force such as vibration or a tensile force acts. It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a connector having such a function.
It should be noted that the connectors required to improve the earthquake resistance by making it difficult for external force to be transmitted to the circuit protection parts are not limited to those for in-vehicle devices (for automobiles).

<Effect of this disclosure>
According to the present disclosure, even if an external force such as vibration or a tensile force acts on the connector, the external force is not easily transmitted to the circuit protection component of the connector, and the circuit protection component can be protected.

<Summary of Embodiments of the present disclosure>
Hereinafter, the outlines of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in a list.
(1) The connector of the present embodiment has a first terminal connected to a first external device and having a first seat surface, and a second terminal connected to a second external device and having a second seat surface. A circuit protection component connected to the first bearing surface and the second bearing surface to form a conductive path in series with the first terminal and the second terminal, and the first terminal, the second terminal, and the circuit protection. A connector housing for holding parts is provided, and the connector housing includes a main body portion in which the first terminal and the second terminal are embedded in a state where the first seat surface and the second seat surface are exposed. , A housing portion that covers the circuit protection component.

According to the connector of the present embodiment, the first terminal and the second terminal are embedded in the main body of the connector housing, and the circuit protection component is formed on the first bearing surface of the first terminal and the second bearing surface of the second terminal. Is connected. Therefore, the first terminal, the second terminal, and the circuit protection component are restrained and held by the main body portion. As a result, even if an external force such as vibration acts from the first external device side or the second external device side, the first terminal, the second terminal, and the circuit protection component are unlikely to be displaced because they swing freely. The external force is not easily transmitted to the circuit protection component, the circuit protection component is protected, and a configuration resistant to disconnection can be obtained. In addition, the circuit protection component is covered and protected by the housing of the connector housing.

(2) Preferably, the connector housing is a resin molded product, and has the main body portion as a part of the connector housing and the accommodating portion as another part of the connector housing.
In this case, the rigidity of the connector housing having the main body portion that restrains and holds the first terminal, the second terminal, and the circuit protection component is increased by the accommodating portion. Therefore, the connector housing is less likely to be deformed by the external force, and the external force is less likely to be transmitted to the circuit protection component.

(3) Preferably, the connector further includes a third terminal connected to the first external device and the second external device and in parallel with the conductive path, and the third terminal is the first terminal. The circuit protection component is provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction, and the circuit protection component is attached to the main body portion along a second direction intersecting the first direction.
When the connector is configured so that the insertion / removal direction of the connector with respect to the first external device or the second external device matches the longitudinal direction (first direction) of the third terminal, the circuit protection component is the insertion / removal direction. It is attached to the main body along the direction (second direction) that intersects with. Therefore, the circuit protection component makes it possible to prevent the connector from becoming large in the insertion / removal direction.

(4) As described above, the third terminal (its longitudinal direction thereof) intersects the circuit protection component. Therefore, preferably, the main body portion has an intermediate portion of the third terminal embedded on the side opposite to the side where the first seat surface and the second seat surface are exposed.
According to the above configuration, the third terminal does not get in the way when attaching / detaching the circuit protection component to / from the main body. Furthermore, even if an external force such as vibration or tensile force acts from the first external device side or the second external device side, the third terminal is restrained and held by the main body of the connector housing, so that it swings freely. It is hard to displace, such as. Therefore, a configuration that is resistant to disconnection can be obtained.

(5) Preferably, the accommodating portion has an opening for attaching / detaching the circuit protection component, and the connector housing has a lid that is detachably attached to the accommodating portion and closes the opening. .. In this case, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the space in the accommodating portion where the circuit protection component is attached, and by removing the lid, the circuit protection component can be easily replaced.

(6) Preferably, the accommodating portion is provided on the first surface side of the main body portion where the first seat surface and the second seat surface are exposed, and is provided with a first opening portion for attaching / detaching the circuit protection component. The connector housing has a second opening provided on the second surface side of the main body portion, which is opposite to the first surface, and the connector housing is detachably attached to the accommodating portion. It has a first lid that closes the first opening and a second lid that is detachably attached to the housing and closes the second opening, and the distance between the first surface and the first lid. Is greater than the distance between the second surface and the second lid.
In this case, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the space in the accommodating portion where the circuit protection component is attached, and by removing the first lid, the circuit protection component can be easily replaced. In the accommodating portion, the accommodating space for the circuit protection component becomes wide, and the space on the opposite side thereof becomes narrow. That is, the circuit protection component can be accommodated in the accommodating portion in a space-efficient manner, which contributes to the miniaturization of the connector.

(7) Preferably, the connector further includes a fixing member for fixing the circuit protection component to the first seat surface and the second seat surface, and the first lid faces the fixing member. Is attached to the accommodating portion. In this case, when the first lid is removed, the fixing member appears, the circuit protection component can be easily replaced, and the maintainability of the connector is improved.

(8) Preferably, the fixing member is a screw whose head is located on the first surface side of the main body portion where the first seat surface and the second seat surface are exposed and which penetrates the main body portion. The connector is further provided with a nut to be screwed into the screw, and a recess for accommodating the nut is provided on the second surface side of the main body portion opposite to the first surface.
In this case, since the nut is housed in the recess of the main body, it is possible to prevent the space on the opposite side of the housed space of the circuit protection component from becoming unnecessarily large.

(9) Preferably, the second lid is provided with a hole capable of accommodating the tip of the screw. By inserting the tip of the screw into the hole of the second lid, it is possible to prevent the space on the opposite side of the accommodation space of the circuit protection component from becoming unnecessarily large.

(10) Preferably, the connector housing has a flange portion fixed to the outer surface of the equipment housing of the first external device, and the accommodating portion sandwiches the flange portion of the device housing. Located on the opposite side of the outer surface. In this case, the accommodating portion accommodating the circuit protection component is located outside the equipment housing of the first external device. Therefore, the maintainability of the connector (circuit protection component) is improved as compared with the case where the circuit protection component is provided in the device housing of the first external device.

(11) Preferably, the connector housing has a contact surface in contact with the outer surface of the device housing of the first external device, and has a flange portion fixed to the device housing. In this case, the heat generated in the connector can be released to the device housing of the first external device through the flange portion.

(12) Preferably, the connector is attached to the metal device housing of the first external device, and further includes a shield shell that covers the main body portion and the housing portion. The shield shell provides electromagnetic shielding properties for circuit protection components and the like. If the shield shell is removed from the device housing, the circuit protection parts can be replaced without removing the connector housing from the device housing.

(13) The equipment unit of the present embodiment includes the first external device and the connector according to any one of (1) to (12) connected to the first external device.
According to the device unit of the present embodiment, in the connector, the first terminal and the second terminal are embedded in the main body portion of the connector housing, and the first seat surface of the first terminal and the second seat surface of the second terminal are embedded. Circuit protection parts are connected to. Therefore, the first terminal, the second terminal, and the circuit protection component are restrained and held by the main body portion. As a result, even if an external force such as vibration acts from the first external device side or the second external device side, the first terminal, the second terminal, and the circuit protection component are unlikely to be displaced because they swing freely. The external force is not easily transmitted to the circuit protection component, the circuit protection component is protected, and a configuration resistant to disconnection can be obtained. In addition, the circuit protection component is covered and protected by the housing of the connector housing.

<Details of Embodiments of the present disclosure>
Hereinafter, the details of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, at least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electric system in which the connector 10 of the present embodiment is used. This electrical system includes a first external device, a second external device, a connector 10, and a wire harness 7. The connector 10 is a connector for connecting the first external device and the second external device. The connector 10 of the present embodiment is a connector for an in-vehicle device. For example, the first external device is an in-vehicle device 5 such as a power control unit, and the second external device is a device (part) on the power feeding device 8 side. Is. A wire harness 7 having a cable 6a and an exterior member 6b is connected to the power feeding device 8. One end side of the cable 6a is connected to the power feeding device 8, and the electric wire side connector 9 is connected to the other end side of the cable 6a.

In the present embodiment, the wire side connector 9 is included in the wire harness 7, and the wire side connector 9 is the second external device. In the following description, the case where the electric wire side connector 9 is the second external device will be described.
The connector 10 may have the electric wire side connector 9, and in this case, the second external device is the wire harness 7 connected to the power feeding device 8.
The device unit 80 is composed of the vehicle-mounted device 5 and the connector 10 connected to the vehicle-mounted device 5.
The connector 10 of the present embodiment is also used for devices other than those for in-vehicle devices.

[Overall configuration of connector 10]
2 and 3 are perspective views of the connector 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the assembled state of the connector 10, and FIG. 3 shows the disassembled state of the connector 10. The connector 10 includes a connector housing 11 and a shield shell 12. The electric wire side connector 9 is connected to the connector housing 11 and the shield shell 12.

The connector 10 includes two

connection terminals

13 and 14. These

connection terminals

13 and 14 are arranged side by side at intervals, and are provided so as to project from the solid portion 18 described later of the connector 10. The direction in which the two

connection terminals

13 and 14 protrude from the solid portion 18 is defined as the "front-back direction", and the direction in which the two

connection terminals

13 and 14 are lined up is defined as the "width direction". The direction orthogonal to both the front-back direction and the width direction is defined as the "vertical direction". The tip side (left side in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the

connection terminals

13 and 14 is defined as "front", and the opposite side (right side in FIGS. 2 and 3) is defined as "rear". XYZ Cartesian coordinates are shown in each figure. The X direction is the width direction (direction from one to the other in the width direction), the Y direction is the front-back direction (direction from front to back), and the Z direction is the vertical direction (direction from bottom to top).

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connector housing 11. The connector housing 11 has a main body portion 15, an accommodating portion 16, a flange portion 17, a solid portion 18 on the front side, and a housing cylinder portion 19 on the rear side. The connector housing 11 is made of synthetic resin and is manufactured by injection molding. That is, each of the main body portion 15, the accommodating portion 16, the flange portion 17, the solid portion 18, and the housing cylinder portion 19 is configured as each part of a single molded product (resin molded product).

[About

connection terminals

13, 14 and main body 15]
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the

connection terminals

13 and 14 and the main body portion 15. FIG. 6 is a diagram in which the main body portion 15 is removed from FIG. 5, and is a perspective view of the

connection terminals

13 and 14. As will be described later, the main body portion 15 is a primary molded product B1, and the connector housing 11 (see FIG. 4) is manufactured by installing the main body portion 15 in a mold and performing secondary molding (insert molding). To.

Of the two

connection terminals

13 and 14, one connection terminal 13 includes a first terminal (first bus bar) 21 and a second terminal (second bus bar) 22. A fuse 27 is connected to the first terminal 21 and the second terminal 22. In FIGS. 5 and 6, the fuse 27 is shown by a chain double-dashed line. Of the two

connection terminals

13 and 14, the other connection terminal 14 is composed of a single third terminal (third bus bar) 23. Each of the first terminal 21, the second terminal 22, and the third terminal 23 is made of metal, has a flat plate shape, and has higher rigidity than a flexible cable.

The first terminal 21 is a member that is linear in the front-rear direction, has a connection terminal portion 28 on the front side, and has a first seat surface 24 on the rear side. The second terminal 22 has two bent portions 22a, further has a second bearing surface 25 on the front side, and has a pin-shaped terminal portion 30 on the rear side (hereinafter referred to as "pin terminal portion 30"). It has.). The third terminal 23 is a member that is linear in the front-rear direction, has a connection terminal portion 29 on the front side, and has a pin-shaped terminal portion 31 (hereinafter referred to as “pin terminal portion 31”) on the rear side. Have.

As shown in FIG. 4, one end side of the fuse 27, which is a circuit protection component, is connected to the first seat surface 24 via the connection fitting 26 by a set screw 54, and the fuse 27 is connected to the second seat surface 25 via the connection fitting 26. The other end side of the is connected by the set screw 28. The fuse 27 is electrically and mechanically connected to the first seat surface 24 and the second seat surface 25, and constitutes a series conductive path 32 together with the first terminal 21 and the second terminal 22. The third terminal 23 is electrically parallel to the conductive path 32.
The circuit protection component is a component that protects an electric circuit from an excessive current, and is, for example, a fuse such as a glass tube fuse or a ceramic fuse.

[About the connector housing 11 and its manufacture]
The main body portion 15 of the connector housing 11 is an insert molded product made of resin. As shown in FIG. 5, the primary molded product B1 including the first terminal 21, the second terminal 22, and the third terminal 23 is first manufactured. The main body portion 15 is a resin portion included in the primary molded product B1. Each of the first terminal 21, the second terminal 22, and the third terminal 23 is embedded in the main body portion 15 made of resin in a partially exposed state. More specifically, the main body 15 has the first terminal 21, the second terminal 22, and the third terminal 23 embedded in the main body portion 15 with the first seat surface 24 and the second seat surface 25 exposed. Of the first terminal 21 and the second terminal 22 embedded in the main body 15, the fuse 27 is connected to the exposed first seat surface 24 and second seat surface 25. With this configuration, the first terminal 21, the second terminal 22, and the fuse 27 are restrained and held by the main body 15. Further, the third terminal 23 is also restrained and held by the main body portion 15.

In the primary molded product B1, the connection terminal portion 28 of the first terminal 21 and the connection terminal portion 29 of the third terminal 23 project forward from the main body portion 15 made of resin, and the pin terminal portion 30 of the second terminal 22. And the pin terminal portion 31 of the third terminal 23 protrudes rearward.

The main body portion 15 has an intermediate portion 23a of the third terminal 23 embedded on the side opposite to the side where the first seat surface 24 and the second seat surface 25 are exposed. The third terminal 23 is provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction (first direction) as the longitudinal direction. On the other hand, the columnar (cylindrical) fuse 27 is attached to the main body 15 along the width direction (second direction) whose longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the front-rear direction. It should be noted that the longitudinal direction of the fuse 27 and the longitudinal direction of the third terminal 23 do not have to be strictly orthogonal to each other with an upper and lower space between them, and intersect with each other with a vertical space between them. Just do it. The center line of the fuse 27 and the straight line along the longitudinal direction of the third terminal 23 may be in a twisted position.

Next, the primary molded product B1 is installed in the mold, and secondary molding (insert molding) is performed. As a result, the accommodating portion 16, the flange portion 17, the solid portion 18, and the housing cylinder portion 19 are simultaneously molded to manufacture the secondary molded product B2 (see FIG. 4). The connector housing 11 is a resin portion contained in the secondary molded product B2.

From the above configuration (see FIG. 3), the connector housing 11 can collectively hold the first terminal 21, the second terminal 22, the third terminal 23, and the fuse 27. The connection terminal portion 28 of the first terminal 21 is mechanically and electrically connected to the in-vehicle device 5 (see FIG. 2). The connection terminal portion 29 of the third terminal 23 is mechanically and electrically connected to the in-vehicle device 5. The pin terminal portion 31 of the third terminal 23 is mechanically and electrically connected to the female terminal fitting 45 of the electric wire side connector 9. The pin terminal portion 30 of the second terminal 22 is mechanically and electrically connected to the terminal fitting (female terminal fitting) 45 of the electric wire side connector 9.

[About each part of the connector housing 11]
The accommodating portion 16 of the connector housing 11 is a portion that covers the fuse 27 attached to the main body portion 15. Therefore, the accommodating portion 16 has a front wall 33, a rear wall 34, and a pair of

side walls

35, 35 on both sides in the width direction. The front wall 33 and the rear wall 34 are arranged apart from each other in the front-rear direction, and each side wall 35 connects the front wall 33 and the rear wall 34. The accommodating portion 16 has a cylindrical shape, and has a main body portion 15 integrally inside the accommodating portion 16. The accommodating portion 16 is open in the vertical direction, and the first lid 41 and the second lid 42 are attached to the openings.

The flange portion 17 of the connector housing 11 is provided extending from the front wall 33 on both sides in the width direction. A through hole is provided in the flange portion 17, and a tubular spacer 36 made of metal or the like, which is harder than the flange portion 17, is attached to the through hole. A bolt 46 (see FIG. 2) is inserted through the tubular spacer 36. A bolt hole 47 into which the bolt 46 is screwed is formed in the device housing of the in-vehicle device 5. The connector housing 11 is fixed to the outer surface 5a of the device housing of the in-vehicle device 5 by the flange portion 17 and the bolt 46. The accommodating portion 16 of the connector housing 11 is located on the side opposite to the outer surface 5a of the equipment housing with the flange portion 17 interposed therebetween. That is, the accommodating portion 16 is located behind the flange portion 17 fixed to the outer surface 5a of the device housing. The device housing of the in-vehicle device 5 (see FIG. 2) is made of metal and has a flat outer surface 5a. The flange portion 17 has a flat contact surface 17a (see FIG. 4) in contact with its outer surface 5a. The front surface 33a of the front wall 33 of the accommodating portion 16 is flat and is located along one virtual plane in common with the contact surface 17.

In FIG. 3, the solid portion 18 of the connector housing 11 is a solid portion protruding forward from the front wall 33, and the intermediate portion of the

connection terminal portions

28 and 29 is embedded. That is, the

connection terminal portions

28 and 29 penetrate the solid portion 18. The solid portion 18 has an oval shape in cross section, and a seal 37 is attached to the outer periphery thereof. The seal 37 seals between the device housing of the vehicle-mounted device 5 and the solid portion 18.

The housing cylinder portion 19 of the connector housing 11 is a hollow portion protruding rearward from the rear wall 34. The housing cylinder portion 19 covers the

pin terminal portions

30 and 31 from the surroundings in an exposed state. The housing cylinder portion 19 has an oval cross section, and a seal 38 is attached to the outer periphery thereof. The seal 38 seals between the tubular wire-side case 44 of the wire-side connector 9 and the housing cylinder portion 19.

As described above, the connector housing 11 is a resin molded product (resin product) and has a main body portion 15 as a part of the connector housing 11. Further, the connector housing 11 has a housing portion 16, a flange portion 17, a solid portion 18, and a housing cylinder portion 19 as other portions. With this configuration, the rigidity of the connector housing 11 having the main body portion 15 that restrains and holds the fuse 27 and the like is particularly increased by the accommodating portion 16.

[About the accommodating portion 16, the first lid 41, and the second lid 42 of the connector housing 11]
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the accommodating portion 16 and is a view when viewed along the front-rear direction. The accommodating portion 16 has a cylindrical shape having a main body portion 15 as a partition wall inside, and has a first opening portion 51 and a second opening portion 52. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 7, the first opening 51 is provided on the first surface 48 side of the main body portion 15 where the first seat surface 24 and the second seat surface 25 are exposed, and is a fuse. It is an opening for attaching and detaching 27. The second opening 52 is an opening provided on the second surface 49 side of the main body 15 which is opposite to the first surface 48.

The connector housing 11 has a first lid 41 that closes the first opening 51 and a second lid 42 that closes the second opening 52. The first lid 41 is a separate body from the accommodating portion 16, and is detachably attached to the accommodating portion 16. The second lid 42 is a separate body from the accommodating portion 16, and is detachably attached to the accommodating portion 16. Each of the first lid 41 and the second lid 42 has an annular seal 43. Each of the seals 43 seals between the first lid 41 and the accommodating portion 16 (first opening 51) and between the second lid 42 and the accommodating portion 16 (second opening 52).

The first lid 41 and the second lid 42 have an engaging portion 53 that engages with the protrusion 35a formed on the side wall 35 in a state of being attached to the accommodating portion 16. By disengaging the engaging portion 53 and the protrusion 35a, the first lid 41 and the second lid 42 are each removed from the accommodating portion 16. By removing the first lid 41 from the accommodating portion 16, maintenance such as replacement of the fuse 27 becomes possible.

As shown in FIG. 7, the distance D1 between the first surface 48 of the main body 15 and the first lid 41 is larger than the distance D2 between the second surface 49 and the second lid 42 of the main body 15 (D1> D2). ). That is, the main body portion 15 is provided on the accommodating portion 16 in a biased manner in one (downward) direction in the vertical direction, and is integrated with the accommodating portion 16. With this configuration, the accommodation space K1 of the fuse 27 formed between the first surface 48 and the first lid 41 becomes wider in the accommodation portion 16, and the second surface 49 and the second lid on the opposite side thereof are widened. The space K2 formed between the 42 and the 42 becomes narrower. As a result, the fuse 27 can be accommodated in the accommodating portion 16 in a space-efficient manner, which contributes to miniaturization of the connector 10 in the vertical direction.

The connector 10 includes a screw 54 as a fixing member for fixing the fuse 27 to the first seat surface 24 and the second seat surface 25. The head 54a is located on the first surface 48 side of the main body 15, and the screw 54 is attached through the main body 15. The first lid 41 is attached to the accommodating portion 16 so as to face the head portion 54a of the screw 54. With this configuration, when the first lid 41 is removed, the head portion 54a of the screw 54 appears. As a result, the fuse 27 can be easily replaced, and the maintainability of the connector 10 is improved.
With the first lid 41 attached to the accommodating portion 16, a recess 58 for accommodating a part of the fuse 27 is provided in the first lid 41. The recess 58 makes it possible to reduce the vertical dimension of the accommodating portion 16 while securing the accommodating space K1 of the fuse 27.

The connector 10 includes a nut 55 that is screwed into the screw 54. A recess 56 for accommodating the nut 55 is provided on the second surface 49 side of the main body 15 opposite to the first surface 48. Since the nut 55 is housed in the recess 56, it is possible to prevent the space K2 on the opposite side of the house space K1 of the fuse 27 from becoming unnecessarily large.
The second lid 42 is provided with a hole 57 capable of accommodating the tip 54b of the screw 54. By inserting the tip 54b of the screw 54 into the hole 57 of the second lid 42, it is possible to prevent the space K2 from becoming unnecessarily large.

[About the shield shell 12]
The shield shell 12 is made of metal. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shield shell 12 is a tubular member, and is a main body portion 15, a housing portion 16, and a housing cylinder portion 19 of the connector housing 11, and a first lid 41 and a second lid 42. Cover. The shield shell 12 has a shield cylinder portion 61, a second flange portion 62, and a mounting portion 64. The flange portion 17 of the connector housing 11 is the first flange portion. The shield cylinder portion 61 has a cylinder shape for accommodating the main body portion 15, the accommodating portion 16 to which the first lid 41 and the second lid 42 are attached, and the housing cylinder portion 19. The second flange portion 62 projects in the width direction or the vertical direction from the shield cylinder portion 61. The mounting portion 64 is a portion continuous to the rear side of the shield cylinder portion 61. A tightening bolt 65 penetrates a part of the mounting portion 64 and is mounted.

A notch 63 is provided on the front side of the shield cylinder 61. As shown in FIG. 2, the first flange portion 17 of the connector housing 11 passes through the notch portion 63 in the mounted state in which the accommodating portion 16 or the like is accommodated in the shield cylinder portion 61. The contact surface 17a, which is the front surface of the first flange portion 17, and the mounting surface 62a, which is the front surface of the second flange portion 62, are located along one common virtual plane. The contact surface 17a and the mounting surface 62a come into surface contact with the outer surface 5a of the device housing of the in-vehicle device 5 (see FIG. 2). Similar to the first flange portion 17, the second flange portion 62 is fixed to the device housing of the in-vehicle device 5 by bolts 46. In this way, the shield shell 12 is attached to the metal device housing of the in-vehicle device 5.

The connector 10 is fixed to the in-vehicle device 5 by the first flange portion 17 of the connector housing 11 and the second flange portion 62 of the shield shell 12.
The shield shell 12 houses the connector housing 11, but the connector housing 11 and the shield shell 12 are not directly fastened by bolts or the like. Each of the connector housing 11 and the shield shell 12 is independently coupled to the electric wire side connector 9.

Specifically, by inserting the

pin terminal portions

30 and 31 of the connector housing 11 into the terminal fitting 45 of the electric wire side connector 9, these are closely fitted. As a result, the

pin terminal portions

30, 31 and the terminal fitting 45 are electrically connected, and the connector housing 11 and the electric wire side connector 9 are mechanically connected. The connector housing 11 and the electric wire side connector 9 are connected by fitting due to movement along the front-rear direction.
By tightening the tightening bolt 65 of the mounting portion 64 of the shield shell 12 to the bolt hole 69 of the mounted portion 68 of the wire-side connector 9, the shield shell 12 and the wire-side connector 9 are mechanically connected. The shield shell 12 and the electric wire side connector 9 are connected by fastening with movement along the front-rear direction.

According to such a shield shell 12, electromagnetic shielding properties for the fuse 27 and the like can be obtained. Further, at the time of maintenance or the like, the second flange portion 62 of the shield shell 12 is attached to the in-vehicle device 5 from the in-vehicle device 5 without removing the first flange portion 17 of the connector housing 11 from the in-vehicle device 5. When the shield shell 12 and the electric wire side connector 9 are removed and moved backward while being integrated, the first lid 41 and the second lid 42 are exposed. If the first lid 41 is removed, the fuse 27 can be replaced with the connector housing 11 attached to the in-vehicle device 5.

The contact surface 17a of the first flange portion 17 comes into surface contact with the outer surface 5a of the device housing of the in-vehicle device 5. According to this configuration, the heat generated in the connector 10, for example, the heat generated in the fuse 27 can be released to the device housing of the in-vehicle device 5 through the main body portion 15, the accommodating portion 16, and the flange portion 17. .. Further, since the second flange portion 62 comes into surface contact with the outer surface 5a of the in-vehicle device 5, the heat generated in the connector 10 can be released to the in-vehicle device 5 from the second flange portion 62 as well.
As a result, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of heat inside the connector 10, and it is possible to suppress the fuse 27 from operating below the set current value and interrupting the electric circuit. That is, it is possible to suppress malfunction due to heat of the fuse 27.

[About the connector 9 on the wire side]
The wire-side connector 9 includes a terminal fitting (female terminal fitting) 45 connected to the

pin terminal portions

30 and 31 of the connector housing 11, a synthetic resin wire-side case 44 for holding the terminal fitting 45, and a wire-side case. It has a mounted portion 68 continuous with 44 and a retainer 70. The cable 6a is connected to the terminal fitting 45. A bolt hole 69 into which the tightening bolt 65 is screwed is formed in the attached portion 68. The retainer 70 prevents the seal (not shown) in the wire-side case 44 from falling off.

The connection between the connector housing 11 and the shield shell 12 and the electric wire side connector 9 will be described. With the connector housing 11 and the shield shell 12 attached to the device housing of the in-vehicle device 5, the work of tightening the tightening bolt 65 of the shield shell 12 into the bolt hole 69 is performed. As the tightening bolt 65 is tightened, the shield shell 12 and the electric wire side connector 9 gradually approach each other along the front-rear direction, and the terminal fitting 45 is gradually connected to the

pin terminal portions

30 and 31.

On the contrary, when the tightening bolt 65 is rotated in the direction of removing it from the bolt hole 69, the shield shell 12 and the electric wire side connector 9 are gradually separated from each other along the front-rear direction, and the terminal fitting 45 becomes the pin terminal portion 30, It gradually deviates from 31. This makes it possible to disassemble the connector 10 and the electric wire side connector 9.

[About the connector 10 according to this embodiment]
As described above, the connector 10 according to the present embodiment (see FIGS. 4 and 5) includes a first terminal 21, a second terminal 22, a fuse 27, and a connector housing 11. The connector housing 11 holds the first terminal 21, the second terminal 22, and the fuse 27. The first terminal 21 is connected to an in-vehicle device 5 which is a first external device, and has a first seat surface 24. The second terminal 22 is connected to the electric wire side connector 9 which is a second external device, and has a second seat surface 25. The fuse 27 is connected to the first seat surface 24 and the second seat surface 25, and constitutes a series conductive path 32 together with the first terminal 21 and the second terminal 22. The connector housing 11 has a main body portion 15 and an accommodating portion 16 that covers the fuse 27. The main body portion 15 has the first terminal 21 and the second terminal 22 embedded in the state where the first seat surface 24 and the second seat surface 25 are exposed.

According to the connector 10 according to the present embodiment, the first terminal 21 and the second terminal 22 are embedded in the main body 15 of the connector housing 11, and the first seat surface 24 and the second terminal 22 of the first terminal 21 are embedded. The fuse 27 is connected to the second seat surface 25. Therefore, the first terminal 21, the second terminal 22, and the fuse 27 are restrained and held by the main body portion 15. As a result, for example, even if an external force such as vibration acts on the first terminal 21 from the in-vehicle device 5 or from the electric wire side connector 9 to the second terminal 22, the first terminal 21, the second terminal 22, and the fuse 27 It is difficult to displace, such as each swinging freely. The external force is not easily transmitted to the fuse 27, the fuse 27 is protected, and a configuration resistant to disconnection can be obtained. Further, the fuse 27 is covered and protected by the accommodating portion 16 of the connector housing 11.

The connector housing 11 is a resin molded product, and has a main body portion 15 as a part of the connector housing 11, and a housing portion 16 as another part of the connector housing 11. Therefore, the rigidity of the connector housing 11 having the main body portion 15 for restraining and holding the fuse 27 and the like is increased as compared with the case where the main body portion 15 and the accommodating portion 16 are separate bodies (separate molded products). Increased by part 16. As a result, the connector housing 11 is less likely to be deformed by the external force, and the external force is less likely to be transmitted to the fuse 27.

The connector 10 includes a third terminal 23, and the third terminal 23 is connected to the in-vehicle device 5 and the electric wire side connector 9 and is in parallel with the conductive path 32. The third terminal 23 is provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction as the longitudinal direction. The fuse 27 is attached to the main body 15 along the width direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction.
In the connector 10 of the present embodiment, the insertion / removal direction of the connector 10 with respect to the in-vehicle device 5 or the electric wire side connector 9 coincides with the front-rear direction. The insertion / removal direction (front-back direction) coincides with the longitudinal direction of the third terminal 23. The fuse 27 is attached to the main body 15 along the width direction orthogonal to the insertion / removal direction. Therefore, the fuse 27 makes it possible to prevent the connector housing 11 from becoming large in the front-rear direction (the insertion / removal direction).

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the main body portion 15 embeds the intermediate portion 23a of the third terminal 23 on the side opposite to the side where the first seat surface 24 and the second seat surface 25 are exposed. .. The third terminal 23 (in the longitudinal direction thereof) intersects with the fuse 27, but due to the above configuration, the third terminal 23 does not get in the way when the fuse 27 is attached to and detached from the main body portion 15. Further, for example, even if an external force such as vibration or tensile force acts on the third terminal 23 from the in-vehicle device 5 or the electric wire side connector 9, the third terminal 23 is restrained and held by the main body portion 15. , It is hard to displace, such as swinging freely. Therefore, the third terminal 23 can also be configured to be resistant to disconnection.

The accommodating portion 16 has a first opening 51 for attaching / detaching the fuse 27. The connector housing 11 has a first lid 41 that is detachably attached to the accommodating portion 16 and closes the first opening 51. The first lid 41 can prevent foreign matter from entering the space inside the accommodating portion 16 to which the fuse 27 is attached, and removing the first lid 41 facilitates replacement of the fuse 27. Further, when the first lid 41 is removed, the head portion 54a of the screw 54 appears, and the fuse 27 can be easily replaced.

The connector housing 11 has a flange portion 17 fixed to the outer surface 5a of the device housing of the in-vehicle device 5. With the connector 10 attached to the in-vehicle device 5, the accommodating portion 16 is located on the side opposite to the outer surface 5a of the device housing with the flange portion 17 interposed therebetween. Therefore, the accommodating portion 16 accommodating the fuse 27 is located outside the equipment housing of the in-vehicle device 5. Therefore, it is not necessary to open and close the device housing of the in-vehicle device 5 to replace the fuse 27. Further, if the shield shell 12 is removed from the device housing, the fuse 27 can be replaced without removing the connector housing 11 from the device housing. According to the connector 10 of the present embodiment, the maintainability of the connector 10 (fuse 27) is higher than that in the case where the fuse 27 is provided in the device housing of the in-vehicle device 5.

As described above, according to the connector 10 of the present embodiment, not only the earthquake resistance but also the maintainability is improved.

[About others]
The connector housing 11 and the shield shell 12 may have a form other than those shown in the drawing, and in particular, the shield shell 12 may have a form corresponding to the electric wire side connector 9.
In the present embodiment, the case where the connector housing 11 has two

lids

41 and 42 has been described, but only the first lid 41 may be used. In this case, the nut 55 (see FIG. 7) screwed into the screw 54 for attaching / detaching the fuse 27 is embedded in a predetermined position of the main body 15.

The embodiment is exemplary in all respects and is not restrictive. The scope of rights of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims, not the embodiment described above, and includes all modifications within the scope equivalent to the configurations described in the scope of claims.

5 In-vehicle equipment 5a Outer side surface 6a Cable 6b Exterior member 7 Wire harness 8 Power supply device 9 Wire side connector 10 Connector 11 Connector housing 12 Shield shell 13 Connection terminal 14 Connection terminal 15 Main body 16 Accommodation 17 Flange 17a Contact surface 18 Solid Part 19 Housing tube 21 First terminal 22 Second terminal 22a Bent part 23 Third terminal 23a Intermediate part 24 First seat surface 25 Second seat surface 26 Connector 27 Fuse (circuit protection part)
28 Connection terminal 29 Connection terminal 30 Pin terminal 31 Pin terminal 32 Conductive path 33 Front wall 34 Rear wall 35 Side wall 35a Protrusion 36 Cylindrical spacer 37 Seal 38 Seal 41 First lid 42 Second lid 43 Seal 44 Wire side Case 45 Terminal bracket 46 Bolt 47 Bolt hole 48 First side 49 Second side 51 First opening 52 Second opening 53 Engagement part 54 Screw 54a Head 54b Tip 55 Nut 56 Recess 57 hole 58 Recess 61 Shield cylinder 62 Second flange part 62a Surface 63 Notch part 64 Mounting part 65 Tightening bolt 68 Attached part 69 Bolt hole 70 Retainer 80 Equipment unit B1 Primary molded product B2 Secondary molded product D1 Spacing D2 Spacing K1 Storage space K2 Space

Claims

The first terminal, which is connected to the first external device and has the first bearing surface,
A second terminal that is connected to a second external device and has a second seating surface,
A circuit protection component connected to the first bearing surface and the second bearing surface to form a conductive path in series with the first terminal and the second terminal.
A connector housing that holds the first terminal, the second terminal, and the circuit protection component,
Equipped with
The connector housing includes a main body portion in which the first terminal and the second terminal are embedded in a state where the first seat surface and the second seat surface are exposed, and a housing portion that covers the circuit protection component. Have,
connector.
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector housing is a resin molded product and has the main body portion as a part of the connector housing and the accommodating portion as another portion of the connector housing.
Further, a third terminal connected to the first external device and the second external device and parallel to the conductive path is provided.
The third terminal is provided so as to extend in the first direction as the longitudinal direction.
The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the circuit protection component is attached to the main body portion along a second direction intersecting the first direction.
The connector according to claim 3, wherein the main body portion has an intermediate portion of the third terminal embedded on the side opposite to the side where the first seat surface and the second seat surface are exposed.
The accommodating portion has an opening for attaching / detaching the circuit protection component.
The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the connector housing is detachably attached to the housing portion and has a lid for closing the opening portion.
The accommodating portion is provided on the first surface side of the main body portion where the first seat surface and the second seat surface are exposed, and has a first opening for attaching / detaching the circuit protection component, and the first surface. It has a second opening provided on the second surface side of the main body portion on the opposite side, and has.
The connector housing has a first lid that is detachably attached to the housing portion and closes the first opening, and a second lid that is detachably attached to the housing portion and closes the second opening. Have,
The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the distance between the first surface and the first lid is larger than the distance between the second surface and the second lid.
Further, a fixing member for fixing the circuit protection component to the first seat surface and the second seat surface is provided.
The connector according to claim 6, wherein the first lid is attached to the accommodating portion so as to face the fixing member.
The fixing member is a screw whose head is located on the first surface side of the main body portion where the first seat surface and the second seat surface are exposed and which penetrates the main body portion.
Further provided with a nut to be screwed into the screw,
The connector according to claim 7, wherein a recess for accommodating the nut is provided on the second surface side of the main body portion opposite to the first surface.
The connector according to claim 8, wherein the second lid is provided with a hole capable of accommodating the tip of the screw.
The connector housing has a flange portion fixed to the outer surface of the device housing of the first external device.
The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the accommodating portion is located on the side opposite to the outer surface of the equipment housing with the flange portion interposed therebetween.
One of claims 1 to 10, wherein the connector housing has a contact surface in contact with the outer surface of the device housing of the first external device and has a flange portion fixed to the device housing. The connector described in.
The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a shield shell that is attached to the metal device housing of the first external device and that covers the main body portion and the accommodating portion. ..
It is provided with an external device and a connector connected to the external device.
The device unit, wherein the external device and the connector are the first external device and the connector according to any one of claims 1 to 12.