connector

Abstract

A connector configured to be mounted to a cable including at least one core wire, an insulating portion covering the core wire, a shielding portion covering the insulating portion, and a sheath covering the shielding portion and made of a resin having flexibility. The connector includes a fixed member. The fixed member has a fixed portion. The fixed portion is configured to be able to wrap around and be fixed to the sheath of the cable. The fixed portion has a surface configured to be in contact with the sheath. The surface of the fixed portion is formed with serrations formed of a plurality of recessed portions. Each recessed portion extends in an axial direction of the cable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector configured for mounting on a cable. Background Technology

[0002] For example, this type of connector is disclosed in JP2019-515452A (Patent Document 1), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] See Figure 14 Patent Document 1 discloses a connector 90 configured for mounting on a cable 95. The cable 95 includes a center conductor (core wire) 96, a dielectric layer (insulation) 97 covering the core wire 96, a conductive shielding layer (shielding) 98 covering the insulation 97, and a cable sheath (sheath) 99 covering the shielding 98. The connector 90 includes various components not shown, such as a housing, outer contacts, etc., as well as a center contact 91 and a sleeve 92, both of which are... Figure 14 As shown in the figure, the sleeve 92 has a fixed portion 93. The fixed portion 93 is formed with serrations 94 consisting of a plurality of protrusions, each protrusion extending in the circumferential direction of the cable 95. When the connector 90 is installed on the cable 95, the fixed portion 93 of the sleeve 92 is curled onto the sheath 99 of the cable 95, or wrapped around and pressed against the sheath 99 of the cable 95.

[0004] Typically, connectors are securely mounted to cables by forcibly coiling their serrated retaining portion onto the cable sheath. However, this forced coiling compresses the cable insulation, reducing the distance between the core and the shield. Consequently, the cable's characteristic impedance may decrease from its design value. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a connector having a fixing part that can be fixed to the sheath of a cable while reducing the change in the characteristic impedance of the cable.

[0006] One aspect of the invention provides a connector configured for mounting on a cable, the cable including at least one core wire, an insulating portion covering the core wire, a shielding portion covering the insulating portion, and a sheath covering the shielding portion and made of a flexible resin. The connector includes a fixing member. The fixing member has a fixing portion. The fixing portion is configured to be wound around and fixed to the sheath of the cable. The fixing portion has a surface configured to contact the sheath, and the surface of the fixing portion is formed with serrations having a plurality of recesses. Each recess extends in the axial direction of the cable.

[0007] Effects of the invention:

[0008] According to one aspect of the invention, the fixing portion configured to be fixed to the sheath of a cable is provided with serrations having a plurality of recesses, each recess extending in the axial direction of the cable. When the fixing portion is wrapped around the sheath, the flexible sheath partially deforms and is accommodated in the recesses. As a result, the fixing portion is fixed to the sheath, thereby gripping the sheath in the circumferential direction of the cable. According to the aforementioned fixing method, the fixing portion can be firmly fixed to the sheath while the sheath is substantially not subjected to inward forces in the radial direction of the cable. Therefore, the insulation of the cable is substantially undeformed, and the characteristic impedance of the cable is substantially unchanged. One aspect of the invention provides a connector having a fixing portion that can be fixed to the sheath of a cable while reducing changes in the characteristic impedance of the cable.

[0009] The purpose of the invention and its configuration can be understood more fully by studying the following description of the preferred embodiments and referring to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the connector is mounted on a cable.

[0011] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the connector and cable, showing the front end of the cable having the shape when mounted on the connector.

[0012] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 2 A perspective view of the connector sleeve, wherein the central axis of the cylindrical portion of the sleeve is shown by a dashed line.

[0013] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 3 Side view of the sleeve.

[0014] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 3 A top view of the sleeve, in which the central axis of a portion of the cylinder is shown by a dashed line.

[0015] Figure 6 It is shown Figure 3 Front view of the sleeve.

[0016] Figure 7 It is shown Figure 2 A side view of the sleeve and cable, wherein the cable is located between the two halves of the sleeve, the end of the cable is not yet fixed to the sleeve, and the outline of a portion of the cable hidden behind its shield is shown in dashed lines.

[0017] Figure 8 This shows the section intercepted along line VIII-VIII. Figure 7 The cross-sectional diagrams of the sleeve and cable.

[0018] Figure 9 It shows the result of Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of the sleeve and part of the cable enclosed by the dashed line A.

[0019] Figure 10 It is shown Figure 7 A side view of the sleeve and cable, wherein the sleeve is fixed to the cable, and the outline of the hidden recess of the sleeve is partially shown by dashed lines.

[0020] Figure 11 This shows the section taken along line XI-XI. Figure 10 The cross-sectional view of the sleeve and cable, in which Figure 8 The upper part of the cable is shown in dashed lines.

[0021] Figure 12 It means Figure 11 A cross-sectional view of the sleeve and part of the cable enclosed by the dashed line B.

[0022] Figure 13 It shows including Figure 10 A side view of the sleeve and cable, including the component mounted on the inner shell of the cable.

[0023] Figure 14 This is a perspective view showing a portion of the connector from Patent Document 1 together with the cable.

[0024] While the invention is open to various modifications and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and the detailed description thereof are not intended to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed; rather, the invention is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Reference Figure 1 The connector assembly 10 of this embodiment includes a connector 12 and a cable 18. In this embodiment, the connector 12 is an intermediate connector. The connector 12 is mounted on the front end of the cable 18 in a front-rear direction and can engage with an object (not shown) located in front of it in a front-rear direction.

[0026] The connector assembly 10 of this embodiment has the aforementioned structure. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in addition to the connector 12 and the cable 18, the connector assembly 10 may also include other components. The function of the connector 12 is not specifically limited.

[0027] In this embodiment, the front-back direction is the X direction. In this embodiment, "front" refers to the +X direction, and "rear" refers to the -X direction. Terms such as front-back direction do not indicate an absolute positional relationship relative to the ground, but only a relative positional relationship when the axial direction of the straight, unbent cable 18 is defined as the front-back direction. Therefore, the axial direction of the cable 18 shown in the figure is the front-back direction (X direction).

[0028] The cable 18 and connector 12 of this embodiment will then be described.

[0029] Reference Figure 2 In this embodiment, the cable 18 is a typical coaxial cable. More specifically, the cable 18 includes a core wire 82 made of a conductor, an insulating portion 84 made of an insulator, a shielding portion 86 made of a conductor, and a sheath 88 made of an insulator.

[0030] Cable 18 has a circular shape in a vertical plane (YZ plane) perpendicular to the axial direction (front-back direction). Core 82 is located at the center of cable 18 in the vertical plane and also has a circular shape. Insulation 84, shield 86, and sheath 88 are arranged on concentric circles. These concentric circles have the same center as core 82. Insulation 84 is made of an elastically deformable material. Insulation 84 surrounds and covers core 82 in the vertical plane. Shield 86 surrounds and covers insulation 84 in the vertical plane. Sheath 88 is made of an elastically deformable material. Sheath 88 surrounds and covers shield 86 in the vertical plane.

[0031] In this embodiment, there is one core wire 82. Each of the insulation portion 84 and the sheath 88 is made of a flexible resin that is easily elastically deformed when force is applied. The shielding portion 86 is made of a material such as metal foil or a braid formed from fine metal wires.

[0032] The cable 18 of this embodiment has the above-described structure. However, the cable 18 of the present invention is not limited to the cable 18 of this embodiment, as long as the cable 18 includes a core wire 82, an insulation portion 84 covering the core wire 82 in a vertical plane (YZ plane), a shielding portion 86 covering the insulation portion 84 in a vertical plane, and a sheath 88 covering the shielding portion 86 in a vertical plane.

[0033] For example, cable 18 can have an elliptical shape or any other shape in the vertical plane (YZ plane). The number of cores 82 can be two or more. More specifically, cable 18 can be a twisted pair cable or a parallel two-strand cable. Cable 18 can be a complex cable, such as a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable. Therefore, sheath 88 does not need to be in close contact with and cover the surface of a shield 86, but can be separate from or surround one or more shields 86. However, the invention is applicable to cables such as cable 18 of this embodiment, wherein shield 86 contacts and covers insulation 84, and sheath 88 contacts and covers shield 86.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the cable 18 of this embodiment has a front end from which a sheath 88 is removed. The core wire 82, insulation portion 84, and shielding portion 86 of the front end of the cable 18 are exposed from the sheath 88. A connector 12 is configured to be mounted on the front end of the cable 18 formed as described above. Therefore, the connector 12 is configured to be mounted on the cable 18, which includes at least one core wire 82, insulation portion 84 covering the core wire 82, shielding portion 86 covering the insulation portion 84, and a sheath 88 covering the shielding portion 86 and made of a flexible resin.

[0035] The connector 12 of this embodiment includes a grounding housing 21, an inner housing 24 made of an insulator, a contact 26 made of metal, a retainer 27 made of an insulator, an outer housing 28 made of an insulator, and a sleeve 30 made of metal. The grounding housing 21 of this embodiment includes an inner housing (grounding housing) 22 made of metal and an outer housing (grounding housing) 23 made of metal. The inner housing 22 has an open barrel-shaped portion 228. The outer housing 23 has an open barrel-shaped portion 238. The contact 26 has an open barrel-shaped portion 268 located at its rear end. The contact 26 also has a front end for receiving a pin (not shown).

[0036] In this embodiment, the sleeve 30 functions as a fixed component 30, which is configured to be fixed to the sheath 88 of the cable 18. In other words, the connector 12 includes the fixed component 30. In this embodiment, the fixed component 30 is configured to be fixed to the cable 18 together with the grounding housing 21, and thereby the connector 12 is configured to be mounted on the cable 18.

[0037] The connector 12 in this embodiment is a socket formed by the aforementioned components. However, the structure of the connector 12 is not particularly limited, as long as the connector 12 includes the fixed component 30. For example, the connector 12 can be a plug. The connector 12 may include only one of the grounding housing 22 and the grounding housing 23. Therefore, the grounding housing 21 can be a separate component. In addition to the aforementioned components, the connector 12 may also include another component. The structure of each component is not limited to the structure shown in the figure.

[0038] Combination Figure 3 and Figure 4 refer to Figure 2 In this embodiment, the fixed component 30 is formed by bending a single metal plate. In other words, the fixed component 30 is a single metal plate with a bent portion. The fixed component 30 has a fixed portion 31, an additional fixed portion 36, and a connecting portion 38. The fixed portion 31 is the rear portion of the fixed component 30. The additional fixed portion 36 is the front portion of the fixed component 30. The connecting portion 38 is located at the lower end of the fixed component 30 in the vertical direction perpendicular to the front-back direction, and connects the fixed portion 31 and the additional fixed portion 36 together in the front-back direction.

[0039] In this embodiment, the vertical direction is the Z-direction. In this embodiment, "up" refers to the +Z direction, and "down" refers to the -Z direction.

[0040] See Figures 3 to 6 In this embodiment, the fixed portion 31 has a partial cylinder 32 and two halves 33. The partial cylinder 32 has a partially cylindrical shape around an imaginary central axis CA extending parallel to the front-rear direction. The partially cylinder 32 thus formed protrudes downward. The partially cylinder 32 arranged as described above has two upper ends arranged in a transverse direction perpendicular to both the front-rear and vertical directions. In this embodiment, the transverse direction is the Y direction. Each of the halves 33 is a flat plate inclined in the vertical direction. The halves 33 extend upward from the upper ends of the partially cylinder 32, respectively.

[0041] Half-piece 33 includes a first half-piece 34 and a second half-piece 35. Half-pieces 34 and 35 have complementary shapes. More specifically, when half-pieces 34 and 35 are bent together with the partial cylinder 32 around the central axis CA, half-pieces 34 and 35 can be joined together rather than overlapping each other to form a cylindrical portion around the central axis CA.

[0042] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 2As described above, the fixed portion 31 of this embodiment has an open barrel shape, or a cylindrical shape whose surface is cut and opened in the front-back direction. The additional fixed portion 36 of this embodiment also has an open barrel shape. However, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the shape of each of the fixed portion 31 and the additional fixed portion 36 is not limited to the shape shown, as long as they can form portions that respectively surround and cover the sheath 88 and the shield 86 of the cable 18 by a bending process. According to this embodiment, each of the fixed portion 31 and the additional fixed portion 36 can be formed into a cylindrical portion by a bending process.

[0043] In this embodiment, the fixed component 30 is a sleeve 30 having the structure described above. The sleeve 30 has a fixed portion 31, which is configured to be fixed to the sheath 88 of the cable 18, and thus serves as the fixed component 30. However, the invention is not limited thereto. As will be described later, some components other than the sleeve 30 can function as fixed components. In this case, the sleeve 30 is not required. Furthermore, in this embodiment where the sleeve 30 serves as the fixed component 30, additional fixed portions 36 and connecting portions 38 can be provided as needed.

[0044] The following describes the mounting method of this embodiment, in which connector 12 is mounted on cable 18. The attachment method described below is merely an example and can be modified as needed.

[0045] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 First, the core wire 82, insulation 84, and shielding 86 at the front end of the cable 18 are exposed from the sheath 88. Then, the front end of the cable 18 is placed on the sleeve 30. Specifically, the front end of the remaining sheath 88 is located in the lateral direction between half-piece 34 and half-piece 35, and presses against the partial cylinder 32. At the same time, the exposed shielding 86 is located in the lateral direction between the two pieces of the additional fixed part 36.

[0046] Then, refer to Figure 10 and Figure 11 as well as Figure 7 and Figure 8 The sleeve 30 is wound around the front end of the cable 18. Specifically, the fixing portion 31 is coiled around or wrapped around and secured to the sheath 88 of the cable 18, and the additional fixing portion 36 is coiled around or wrapped around and secured to the shield 86 of the cable 18. Then, a portion of the shield 86 located in front of the additional fixing portion 36 is folded back onto the additional fixing portion 36. As a result, the sleeve 30 is secured to the cable 18, as... Figure 10 and 11 As shown.

[0047] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 10 Then, the open barrel-shaped portion 268 of contact 26 is crimped onto the core wire 82 of cable 18. Then, contact 26 is inserted into inner housing 24. Then, retainer 27 is inserted into inner housing 24. As a result, contact 26 is secured within inner housing 24. Then, inner housing 24 is inserted into the cylindrical portion of inner outer housing 22. Then, the open barrel-shaped portion 228 of inner outer housing 22 is coiled onto shielding portion 86 of cable 18, which is folded back onto additional secured portion 36. See also Figure 13 Then, the open barrel-shaped portion 238 of the outer casing 23 is rolled onto the open barrel-shaped portion 228 of the inner casing 22, which is formed into a cylindrical shape. At this time, the connector 12 is mounted on the cable 18.

[0048] According to this embodiment, when the connector 12 is installed on the cable 18, the grounding housing 21 and the sleeve 30 are electrically connected to each other. Specifically, the shield 86 of the cable 18, the additional fixed portion 36 of the sleeve 30, the rearward folded portion of the shield 86, the open barrel-shaped portion 228 of the inner housing 22, and the open barrel-shaped portion 238 of the outer housing 23 are all located on concentric circles in a vertical plane (YZ plane) and are in contact with each other. However, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the shield 86 does not need to be folded backward on the additional fixed portion 36. In this case, the additional fixed portion 36 and the open barrel-shaped portion 228 can be in direct contact with each other.

[0049] Reference Figure 2 Typically, cable 18 is designed so that its characteristic impedance remains at a predetermined design value, such as 50Ω or 75Ω. If the characteristic impedance of cable 18 changes from its design value, the transmission characteristics of high-frequency signals transmitted through the core wire 82 of cable 18 may degrade. For example, when components such as sleeve 30 and grounding housing 21 are forcibly crimped onto cable 18, the insulation 84 of cable 18 is compressed, thereby reducing the distance between the core wire 82 and the shield 86. As a result, the characteristic impedance of cable 18 may decrease from its design value.

[0050] Conversely, according to the attachment method of this embodiment, the shield 86 and the grounding housing 21 can be electrically connected to each other through their respective parts. Therefore, the electrical connection between the shield 86 and the grounding housing 21 can be made reliable, while preventing the transmission characteristics of the cable 18 from deteriorating, which could occur when each component is forcibly crimped. Furthermore, by completely covering the front end of the cable 18 with various metal parts, the degradation of the cable 18's transmission characteristics can be reduced.

[0051] According to the connection method of this embodiment, only the fixed portion 31 of the sleeve 30, which is formed separately from the grounding housing 21, is pressed onto the sheath 88 of the cable 18. However, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the sleeve 30 may only include an additional fixed portion 36. In this case, the fixed portion (not shown) provided on the grounding housing 21 may be pressed onto the sheath 88, instead of the fixed portion 31 of the sleeve 30. Components other than the sleeve 30 and the grounding housing 21 may have fixed portions (not shown) configured to be pressed onto the sheath 88.

[0052] The sleeve 30 of this embodiment will then be described in further detail.

[0053] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 5 The fixed portion 31 of the sleeve 30 has a contact surface 42 and an outer surface 44. The contact surface 42 is the inner surface of the sleeve 30 in the vertical plane (YZ plane), and the outer surface 44 is the outer surface of the sleeve 30 in the vertical plane. (See reference...) Figure 11 The contact surface 42 is located inside the fixed portion 31, and when the fixed portion 31 is wrapped around the sheath 88 of the cable 18, the contact surface 42 is pressed against the sheath 88 in the vertical plane. Therefore, when the fixed portion 31 is formed into a cylindrical shape, the contact surface 42 is located on the inner circumference of the fixed portion 31 in the vertical plane. When the fixed portion 31 is formed into a cylindrical shape, the outer surface 44 is located on the outer circumference of the fixed portion 31 in the vertical plane.

[0054] Reference Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 11 In this embodiment, the contact surface 42 has nine recesses 48. The recesses 48 are arranged at regular intervals around the central axis CA and extend parallel to each other along the central axis CA. Each recess 48 is a depression formed in the contact surface 42 and has a bottom. The recesses 48 are located at the center of the fixed portion 31 in the front-rear direction. Each recess 48 has a rectangular shape in the contact surface 42. In other words, each recess 48 is a rectangular groove extending along the central axis CA. The recesses 48 form serrations 46 or patterns, which are configured to reliably fix the fixed portion 31 to the sheath 88 of the cable 18. As described above, the fixed portion 31 has a contact surface 42, or a surface configured to contact the sheath 88. The contact surface 42 of the fixed portion 31 has serrations 46 with a plurality of recesses 48. Each recess 48 extends in the axial direction of the cable 18.

[0055] Reference Figure 8 and Figure 9According to this embodiment, the sheath 88 is located between half 34 and half 35 of the fixed portion 31, and is pressed against the partial cylinder 32 before the fixed portion 31 is wrapped around the sheath 88 of the cable 18. The flexible sheath 88 thus arranged is partially deformable and partially accommodated in seven of the nine recesses 48. (Refer to...) Figure 11 and Figure 12 When the retaining part 31 is subsequently wrapped around the sheath 88, the sheath 88 further deforms partially and is partially accommodated in all nine recesses 48. As a result, the retaining part 31 is fixed to the sheath 88 so as to hold the sheath 88 in the circumferential direction C perpendicular to the axial direction of the cable 18.

[0056] For details, see Figure 12 as well as Figure 9 Each recess 48 has two wall surfaces 49 that extend parallel to each other along the axial direction of the cable 18. When the fixing part 31 is wrapped around the sheath 88, in each recess 48, the distance DS between the two wall surfaces 49 along the contact surface 42 becomes less than the distance DB between the two wall surfaces 49 along the bottom of the recess 48, and the two wall surfaces 49 clamp and hold a portion of the sheath 88 contained in the recess 48 in the circumferential direction C.

[0057] According to the aforementioned fixing method, the fixed part 31 can be firmly fixed to the sheath 88, while the sheath 88 is substantially not subjected to inward force in the radial direction along the cable 18. See Figure 11 The surface of the sheath 88, which is pressed by the fixing part 31, moves slightly inward in the radial direction (see...). Figure 11 (The sheath 88 is shown by the dashed line). However, the force applied to the sheath 88 from the fixing part 31 compresses the sheath 88 and causes it to elastically deform, thereby keeping the insulation part 84 of the cable 18 substantially undeformed. Therefore, the distance between the core wire 82 and the shield 86 of the cable 18 remains substantially unchanged, and thus the characteristic impedance of the cable 18 remains substantially unchanged. This embodiment provides a connector 12 having a fixing part 31 that can be fixed to the sheath 88 of the cable 18 while reducing the variation in the characteristic impedance of the cable 18.

[0058] In this embodiment, there are nine recesses 48. By providing a large number of recesses 48, the sheath 88 of the cable 18 can be easily gripped. However, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the number of recesses 48 may be two or more.

[0059] In addition to the various modifications already described, this embodiment can also be modified in various ways as described below.

[0060] See Figure 3In this embodiment, each recess 48 is recessed from the contact surface 42 toward the outer surface 44, but does not pass through the fixed portion 31. However, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, each recess 48 may be a slit that passes through the fixed portion 31.

[0061] Each recess 48 in this embodiment is along the axial direction of the cable 18 (see...). Figure 10 Alternatively, it may extend straight along the central axis CA. However, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, each recess 48 may be inclined relative to the axial direction (central axis CA) within tolerance.

[0062] In this embodiment, the recesses 48 are arranged at regular intervals around each other in the circumferential direction surrounding the central axis CA. However, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, adjacent distances can be different from each other, where each adjacent distance is the distance between two adjacent recesses 48. Two or more recesses 48 can be arranged along the central axis CA and form a small distance between them. In this case, the length of each recess 48 on the central axis CA is shorter than its width in the circumferential direction.

[0063] In this embodiment, the contact surface 42 is formed without any recesses or protrusions except for the recesses 48, each of which extends along the central axis CA. However, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the contact surface 42 may be formed with protrusions. Furthermore, in addition to the recesses 48, the contact surface 42 may be formed with other recesses. Each of these additional recesses may extend along a direction intersecting the central axis CA.

[0064] Each of the recesses 48 in this embodiment extends without intersecting with another recess 48, another recess, or another protrusion. Each recess 48 has a constant width and depth over its entirety. However, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, each of the recesses 48 may intersect with another recess. Each recess 48 may have a width and depth that vary depending on its location.

[0065] While what is considered a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all such embodiments falling within the true scope of the invention are intended to be claimed.

Claims

1. A connector configured for mounting on a cable, the cable comprising at least one core wire, an insulating portion covering the core wire, a shielding portion covering the insulating portion, and a sheath covering the shielding portion and made of a flexible resin, characterized in that, The connector includes a fixed component; The fixed component has a fixed portion; The fixed part is configured to be able to wrap around and secure to the sheath of the cable; The fixed portion has a surface configured to contact the sheath, and the surface of the fixed portion is formed with serrations having a plurality of recesses; as well as Each of the recesses extends in the axial direction of the cable.

2. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connector includes a grounding housing and a sleeve; The sleeve has the fixed portion and functions as the fixed component; and When the connector is installed on the cable, the grounding housing and the sleeve are connected to each other.

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