SHIELDED CONNECTION UNIT AND CONNECTOR

Abstract

A shielded connection unit (11, 71, 101) to which an end portion of a cable (3, 4) can be connected, which has a plurality of electrical lines and a shielded conductor surrounding the plurality of electrical lines, comprising a plurality of terminals (12) to which respective wires of the plurality of electrical lines are connected, a terminal holding element (13) holding the plurality of terminals (12), and a shielded enclosure (21, 75, 102) formed from electrically conductive material and surrounding the terminals (12) and parts that are end portions of the electrical lines and are exposed from the shielded conductor, wherein the shielded enclosure (21, 75, 102) comprises an enclosure main body (22, 76, 103), a cover (41, 83, 111) and a locking mechanism (31, 106, 53, 123) that locks the cover (41, 83, 111) to the enclosure main body (22, 76, 103), wherein the enclosure main body (22, 76, 103) has a receiving portion (23) formed from a bottom wall plate (24, 77) and a first pair of left and right side wall plates (25, 105, 26) and receives the terminal holding member (13) that holds the terminals (12) and the parts that are end portions of the electric wires and are exposed from the shielded conductor, and a cable fixing portion (38) which is designed to fix the end portion of the cable (3, 4) and to electrically connect the enclosure main body (22, 76, 103) and the shielded conductor, wherein the cover (41, 83, 111) comprises an upper wall plate (42, 84, 112) covering an upper surface of the receiving portion (23), and a pair of second side wall plates (43, 113, 44) each extending downward from a left and right end portion of a front portion of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112) along an outer side of the pair of first side wall plates (25, 105, 26), wherein, in that a middle portion in the left-right direction of the front portion of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112) is recessed downwards, a respective downwardly open insertion groove (46) is formed at a respective coupling part of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112) and the pair of second side wall plates (43, 113, 44), and an upper end portion of the pair of first side wall plates (25, 105, 26) is inserted into the insertion grooves (46).

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present invention relates to a shielded connection unit and a connector for electrical connection between electronic and electrical devices and the like. General state of the art

[0002] As a cable connector for transmitting high-frequency signals, such as for transmitting image signals from a digital camera in a vehicle to an electronic control unit (ECU), for example, a cable connector is known which has a plurality of terminals to which respective cores of a multi-core shielded cable are connected, a shielded enclosure which shields the terminals, and a plastic housing in which the shielded enclosure is accommodated (see JP 2013-45725 A).

[0003] US 4,582,384 A discloses an overmolded shielded connector. EP 0 649 190 A1 discloses a shielded electrical connector. EP 0 501 629 A1 discloses a cable strain relief back shell. US 5,409,400 A discloses a shield for an electrical connector. Summary of the Invention Object of the present invention

[0004] In order to improve the transmission quality of high-frequency signals, in addition to improving noise immunity by shielding, it is required to prevent deterioration of signal waveform quality or reduce transmission loss by adjusting the impedance between the cable connector and the connected shielded cable or an associated connector and the like.

[0005] In a cable connector, a plurality of terminals connected to respective cores of a shielded cable are housed in a shielded enclosure in a state held by a terminal holding member made of plastic. Furthermore, a plurality of end portions of electrical wires exposed from the braiding of the shielded cable are housed in the shielded enclosure to connect the cores of the shielded cable to the terminals. The impedance of the cable connector can be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the terminals and a wall portion of the shielded enclosure or the distance between the end portions of the electrical wires and the wall portion of the shielded enclosure. These distances can be adjusted by adjusting the diameter dimension or the shape of the tubular shielded enclosure.

[0006] However, if the diameter of the shielded enclosure is reduced to match the impedance, for example, the assembly performance of the cable connector may be deteriorated. For example, a method in which, once the terminal holding member holds the terminals connected to the cores of the shielded cable, the terminal holding member is inserted into the shielded enclosure through a tubular opening portion at the rear end of the shielded enclosure can facilitate assembly of the cable connector. However, if the diameter of the shielded enclosure is reduced, it becomes difficult to insert the terminal holding member into the shielded enclosure through the opening portion at the rear end of the shielded enclosure, thereby deteriorating the assembly performance.

[0007] However, if the shielded enclosure can be divided into upper and lower parts, namely a main body and a cover, the assembly properties of the cable connector can be improved. For example, by placing the terminal holding element that holds the terminals connected to the wires on the main body of the shielded enclosure and then attaching the cover from above to the main body of the shielded enclosure, the cable connector can be easily assembled. However, if the shielded enclosure is divided into multiple parts, the strength of the shielded enclosure decreases, making the shielded enclosure more susceptible to deformation due to external forces.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the problems described above, and has for its object to provide a shielded terminal unit and a connector with which easy impedance matching can be achieved while ensuring the easy assembly and strength of the shielded enclosure. Means of solving the task

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a shielded terminal unit of the present invention is a shielded terminal unit to which an end portion of a cable can be connected, which has a plurality of electric wires and a shielded conductor surrounding the plurality of electric wires, comprising a plurality of terminals to which respective wires of the plurality of electric wires are connected, a terminal holding member holding the plurality of terminals, and a shielded enclosure formed of electrically conductive material and surrounding the terminals and parts that are end portions of the electric wires and are exposed from the shielded conductor, wherein the shielded enclosure has an enclosure main body, a cover, and a locking mechanism that locks the cover to the enclosure main body, wherein the enclosure main body has a receiving portion,which is formed from a lower wall plate and a first pair of left and right side wall plates, and accommodates the terminal holding member that holds the terminals and the parts that are end portions of the electric wires and are exposed from the shielded conductor, and has a cable fixing portion configured to fix the end portion of the cable and electrically connect the enclosure main body and the shielded conductor, wherein the cover has an upper wall plate covering an upper surface of the accommodating portion, and a pair of second side wall plates each extending downward from a left and right end portion of the front portion of the upper wall plate along an outer side of the pair of first side wall plates, wherein a left-right central portion of the front portion of the upper wall plate is depressed downward,a respective downwardly open insertion groove is formed on a respective coupling part of the upper wall plate and the pair of second side wall plates, and an upper end portion of the pair of first side wall plates is inserted into the insertion grooves.

[0010] In the above-described shielded terminal unit of the present invention, preferably, the respective coupling parts of the upper wall plate and the pair of second side wall plates protrude upward beyond the top surface of the left-right middle portion of the front portion of the upper wall plate, and their respective cross-sectional shapes are inverted U.

[0011] In the above-described shielded terminal unit of the present invention, preferably, a portion of the upper wall plate is bent such that the bottom surface of the rear portion of the upper wall plate is positioned lower than the bottom surface of the left-right middle portion of the front portion of the upper wall plate.

[0012] In the shielded terminal unit of the present invention described above, a connecting portion of the shielded conductor which is in contact with the shielded conductor or the cable fixing portion is preferably provided on the cover.

[0013] In the shielded terminal unit of the present invention described above, preferably, the terminal holding member that holds the terminals is surrounded by the left-right middle portion of the front portion of the upper wall plate, the front portion of the lower wall plate, and the front portions of the pair of first side wall plates, and the parts that are end portions of the electric wires and exposed from the shielded conductor are surrounded by the rear portion of the upper wall plate, the rear portion of the lower wall plate, and the rear portions of the pair of first side wall plates.

[0014] In the above-described shielded terminal unit of the present invention, a depressed lower recessed portion is preferably formed at the rear portion of the lower wall plate above the front portion of the lower wall plate and the lower portion of the cable fixing portion. Also, in the above-described shielded terminal unit of the present invention, a horizontal recessed portion is preferably formed at the rear portion of the first side wall plate, which is further inwardly depressed than the front portion of the first side wall plate and the side portion of the cable fixing portion in the left-right direction of the enclosure main body.

[0015] To achieve the above object, the connector of the present invention further comprises a shielded terminal unit and a housing that accommodates the shielded terminal unit. Effect of the invention

[0016] According to the present invention, while ensuring the easy assembly of the shielded terminal unit and the strength of the shielded enclosure, impedance matching of the cable or the associated connector connected to the shielded terminal unit can be easily achieved. Short description of the characters

[0017] They show: Fig. 1 is an external view of first and second connectors of an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an external view of a first and a second shielded terminal unit of the embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the first shielded connection unit; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the first shielded connection unit; Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of a first shielded enclosure of the shielded connection unit; Fig. 6 is an explanatory view of a portion of the shielded enclosure of the first shielded terminal unit; Fig. 7 is a top external view of a shielded enclosure main body of the first shielded terminal unit; Fig. 8 is an external view of the shielded enclosure main body of the first shielded connection unit from the left; Fig. 9 an external view of a shielded cover of the first shielded connection unit from above; Fig. 10 an external view of the shielded cover of the first shielded connection unit from the left; Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the second shielded connector unit; Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional view of the second shielded connection unit; Fig. 13 is a horizontal sectional view of a second shielded enclosure of the shielded connection unit; and Fig. 14 is an external view of a modification example of the shielded terminal unit of the present invention. Embodiments of the inventionFirst connector, second connector

[0018] Fig. 1 shows a first connector 1 and a second connector 2 of an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 2 shows a first shielded connector unit 11 and a second shielded connector unit 71 of the embodiment of the present invention. Directions for the connector 1 and the shielded connector unit 11 refer to the Fig. 1 or Fig. 10 arrows shown at the bottom right, which indicate the directions front (F1), back (B1), left (L1), right (R1), top (U1) and bottom (D1). Directional information for the connector 2 and the shielded connection unit 71 refers to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 bottom left and in Fig. 11 or Fig. 13 arrows shown at the bottom right indicate the directions front (F2), back (B2), left (L2), right (R2), up (U2), and down (D2). These directions are specified for descriptive purposes only.

[0019] The Fig. Connectors 1 and 2 shown in Figure 1 are both cable connectors and can be connected to each other. A cable 3 is connected to connector 1, and a cable 4 is connected to connector 2. Cables 3 and 4 are each four-wire shielded cables.

[0020] The connector 1 has the Fig. 2 and a housing 91 housed in the shielded terminal unit 11. The housing 91 is tubularly formed from an insulating material such as plastic or the like. The shielded terminal unit 11 is connected to one end portion of the cable 3. The shielded terminal unit 11 is held in the housing 91 by unit locking portions 33, 34 described below and a bracket (not shown) attached to the housing 91.

[0021] The connector 2 has the Fig. 2 and a housing 95 housed in the shielded terminal unit 71. The housing 95 is tubular and formed of an insulating material such as plastic or the like. The shielded terminal unit 71 is connected to one end portion of the cable 4. The shielded terminal unit 71 is held in the housing 95 by unit locking portions 78, 34 described below and a bracket (not shown) attached to the housing 95.

[0022] When connecting connectors 1 and 2, a mating portion 92 formed on the front portion of the housing 91 of the connector 1 is inserted into an insertion hole 96 formed on the front portion of the housing 95 of the connector 2. When the mating portion 92 is inserted into the insertion hole 96, the four terminals 12 of the shielded terminal unit 11 and the four terminals 72 of the shielded terminal unit 71 come into contact and are electrically connected to each other. At the same time, a connecting portion 61 of the shielded enclosure 21 of the shielded terminal unit 11 and a connecting portion 85 of the shielded enclosure 75 of the shielded terminal unit 71 come into contact and are electrically connected to each other.When the plug-in portion 92 is inserted deep into the insertion hole 96, the connector 1 and the connector 2 are locked to each other by a locking mechanism 93 provided in the housing 91. First shielded connection unit

[0023] Fig. 3 shows an exploded state of the first shielded connection unit 11. Fig. Figure 4 shows a vertical sectional view of the shielded connection unit 11 along the arrows IV-IV of Fig. 2. As in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the shielded connection unit 11 comprises the four terminals 12, a terminal holding element 13 and the shielded enclosure 21.

[0024] The terminals 12 are formed of an electrically conductive material such as brass, phosphor bronze or the like. As shown in Fig. 4, a substantially cylindrical terminal contact portion 12A is formed on the front end side of the terminals 12 to contact with the terminals 72 of the second shielded terminal unit 71, and a sleeve 12B is formed on the rear end side of the terminals 12 to connect with wires 6 of the cable 3.

[0025] The cable 3 is formed by surrounding four electric wires 5, formed by covering the cores 6 with an insulating body 7, with a braid 8 serving as a shielded conductor, and the braid 8 is further covered with a sheath 9 made of insulating material. To connect the shielded terminal unit 11 to the cable 3, an end portion of the sheath 9 is cut away on the cable 3, and an end portion of the braid 8 is folded over to cover the outer peripheral side of the sheath 9, and the end portions of the electric wires 5 are exposed from the braid 8. At the front end portion of the electric wires 5, the insulating body 7 is cut away, and the front end portions of the cores 6 are exposed from the insulating body 7, and the sleeve 12B of the terminals 12 is attached to the exposed front end portions of the cores 6.

[0026] The terminal holding member 13 is a member for holding the terminals 12 and is formed in a substantially cuboid shape from an insulating material such as plastic or the like. Four terminal fixing grooves 14 are formed on the terminal holding member 13, and the four terminals 12 to which the wires 6 are fixed are each fixed and held inside the terminal fixing grooves 14. Four connection holes 15 are formed at the front end portion of the terminal holding member 13, corresponding to the front end portions of the four terminals 12.

[0027] The shielded enclosure 21 is formed, as a whole, substantially in the shape of a square cylinder from an electrically conductive material such as stainless steel or the like, and surrounds the terminals 12 and parts that are the end portions of the electrical wires 5 and are exposed from the braid 8. The shielded enclosure 21 includes a shielded enclosure main body 22 and a shielded cover 41. Furthermore, the shielded enclosure 21 includes a main body locking mechanism 31 and a cover locking portion 53 as a locking mechanism.

[0028] Fig. Figure 5 shows a horizontal sectional view of the shielded enclosure 21 along the arrows VV of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 shows a front part of the shielded enclosure 21 viewed from the left rear top. Fig. Figure 7 shows the shielded enclosure main body 22 viewed from above and Fig. 8 shows the shielded enclosure main body 22 as viewed from the left. The shielded enclosure main body 22 includes a receiving portion 23 for receiving the terminal holding member 13 that holds the terminals 12 and the parts that are end portions of the electric wires 5 exposed from the braid 8; a lower plate portion 35, a left plate portion 36, and a right plate portion 37 that form a portion of the shielded enclosure connecting portion 61 that contacts the shielded enclosure 75 of the second shielded terminal unit 71; and a cable fixing portion 38 that fixes the end portion of the cable 3 and electrically connects the shielded enclosure main body 22 and the braid 8. The shielded enclosure main body 22 is formed, for example, by press molding.

[0029] A part from a position a to a position d in Fig. 7 or Fig. 8 in the front-rear direction of the shielded enclosure main body 22 is a receiving portion 23. The cross-sectional shape of the receiving portion 23 is formed in a square bracket shape due to the lower wall plate 24 and the first pair of left and right side wall plates (left main body wall plate 25 and right main body wall plate 26).

[0030] At the front portion of the lower wall plate 24 (part from position a to position c), a lower dent portion 27 is formed at the left-right middle portion. The lower dent portion 27 extends from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the front portion of the lower wall plate 24. At the part of the lower wall plate 24 where the lower dent portion 27 is formed, the underside surface of the lower wall plate 24 is as shown in Fig. 5, and an upper surface of the lower wall plate 24 is correspondingly curved upwards.

[0031] A lower recessed portion 28 is formed over the entire rear portion of the lower wall plate 24 (part from position c to position d). At the part of the lower wall plate 24 where the lower recessed portion 28 is formed, the lower surface of the lower wall plate 24 is recessed upward, and the upper surface of the lower wall plate 24 is correspondingly curved upward. A left recessed portion 29 is formed as a horizontal recessed portion over the entire rear portion of the left main body wall plate 25 (part from position c to position d). At the part of the left main body wall plate 25 where the left recessed portion 29 is formed, the left surface of the left main body wall plate 25 is recessed to the right, and the right surface of the left main body wall plate 25 is correspondingly curved to the right.A right recessed portion 30 is formed as a horizontal recessed portion over the entire area of ​​the rear portion of the right main body wall plate 26 (part from position c to position d). At the part of the right main body wall plate 26 where the right recessed portion 30 is formed, the right surface of the right main body wall plate 26 is recessed to the left, and the left surface of the right main body wall plate 26 is correspondingly curved to the left.The part of the lower wall plate 24 where the lower recessed portion 28 is formed is recessed upwardly further than the lower portion of the cable fixing portion 38, the part of the left main body wall plate 25 where the left recessed portion 29 is formed is recessed inwardly (right) further than a side portion (left portion) of the cable fixing portion 38, and the part of the right main body wall plate 26 where the right recessed portion 30 is formed is recessed inwardly (left) further than a side portion (right portion) of the cable fixing portion 38.The degree of the depression (bulge) at the lower depression portion 28 gradually increases rearward from the front end portion of the rear portion of the lower wall plate 24 (position c), is greatest at the front-rear central portion of the rear portion of the lower wall plate 24, and gradually decreases toward the rear end portion of the rear portion of the lower wall plate 24 (position d). The degree of the depression (bulge) at the left depression portion 29 and the right depression portion 30 also change in a similar manner (see ). Fig. 7). As a result, the rear portion of the receiving portion 23 is also narrowed.

[0032] A main body locking mechanism 31 is formed on the front portion of the left main body wall plate 25 and the front portion of the right main body wall plate 26, respectively. In the present embodiment, the left main body locking mechanism 31 is formed by recessing a portion of the left surface of the left main body wall plate 25 to the right, and the right main body locking mechanism 31 is formed by recessing a portion of the right surface of the right main body wall plate 26 to the left. On the right surface of the left main body wall plate 25, a part corresponding to the left main body locking mechanism 31 projects to the right, and on the left surface of the right main body wall plate 26, a part corresponding to the right main body locking mechanism 31 projects to the left. These projecting parts are respectively engaged with locking recess portions 16 formed on the left and right surfaces of the terminal holding member 13 (see Fig. 3). In this way, the terminal holding element 13 is positioned in the receiving section 23.

[0033] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 8, the upper end surface of the front portion of the left main body wall plate 25, with a position b further rearward than the center in the front-rear direction of the front portion of the left main body wall plate 25 as a boundary, is further depressed at its rear part than at its front part, and a step portion 32 is formed between these parts. Similarly, a step portion 32 is also formed at the upper end portion of the front portion of the right main body wall plate 26. These step portions 32 are, as shown in Fig. 6, respectively, in contact with corner portions 50A of the shielded cover 41. In this way, the shielded cover 41 is positioned in the front-to-back direction with respect to the shielded enclosure main body 22.

[0034] As in Fig. 7 or Fig. As shown in Figure 8, a leftward projecting unit locking portion 33 is formed at the front portion of the left main body wall plate 25, and a rightward projecting unit locking portion 33 is formed at the front portion of the right main body wall plate 26. A projecting unit locking portion 34 is formed at the rear portion of the left main body wall plate 25 and the rear portion of the right main body wall plate 26, respectively. These unit locking portions 33, 34 serve to lock and retain the shielded terminal unit 11 in the housing 91.

[0035] The lower plate portion 35, left plate portion 36, and right plate portion 37 are provided on the front end side of the receiving portion 23. More specifically, the lower plate portion 35 extends straight forward from the front end portion of the lower wall plate 24. The left plate portion 36 extends from the front end portion of the left main body wall plate 25 to the left front and then extends forward parallel to the left main body wall plate 25. The right plate portion 37 extends from the front end portion of the right main body wall plate 26 to the left front and then extends forward parallel to the right main body wall plate 26. A distance between the left plate portion 36 and the right plate portion 37 is greater than a distance between the front portion of the left main body wall plate 25 and the front portion of the right main body wall plate 26.The left end of the lower plate portion 35 and the lower end of the left plate portion 36 are connected, and the right end of the lower plate portion 35 and the lower end of the right plate portion 37 are connected. An inwardly projecting convex contact 62 is formed on each of the lower plate portion 35, the left plate portion 36, and the right plate portion 37.

[0036] The cable fixing portion 38 is provided on the rear end side of the receiving portion 23. More specifically, the cable fixing portion 38 is connected to the rear end portion of the lower wall plate 24, the left main body wall plate 25, and the right main body wall plate 26. The cable fixing portion 38 is a sleeve, and the end portion of the cable 3 from which the braid 8 has been folded is crimped to the cable fixing portion 38. In this way, the cable fixing portion 38 and the braid 8 are in contact with each other, and the cable 3 is held by the cable fixing portion 38.

[0037] Fig. 9 shows the shielded cover 41 viewed from above and Fig. 10 shows the shielded cover 41 as viewed from the left. The shielded cover 41 includes an upper wall plate 42 covering the receiving portion 23 of the shielded enclosure main body 22 from above, a pair of second side wall plates (left cover wall plate 43 and right cover wall plate 44) extending downward from the left and right end portions at the front of the front portion of the upper wall plate 42, a braid connecting portion 55 as a connecting portion of the shielded conductor that electrically connects the shielded cover 41 and the braid 8, and an upper plate portion 54 constituting a portion of the shielded enclosure connecting portion 61 that contacts the shielded enclosure 75 of the second shielded terminal unit 71. The shielded cover 41 is formed, for example, by press molding.

[0038] A part from a position p to a position s in Fig. 9 or Fig. 10 in the front-rear direction of the shielded cover 41 is an upper wall portion 42. At the left-right middle portion on the front side of the front portion of the upper wall plate 42 (part from position p to position q), a downwardly dented upper-side dent portion 45 is formed. The upper-side dent portion 45 is located below the left edge portion and the right edge portion on the front side of the front portion of the upper wall plate 42. By forming the upper-side dent portion 45 on the front side of the front portion of the upper wall plate 42, a coupling part of the front side of the front portion of the upper wall plate 42 and the left cover wall plate 43 and a coupling part of the front side of the front portion of the upper wall plate 42 and the right cover wall plate 44, as shown in Fig. 5, a downwardly opening insertion groove 46 is formed. When describing this structure based on the upper-side dent portion 45, the coupling part of the front side of the front portion of the upper wall plate 42 and the left cover wall plate 43 and the coupling part of the front side of the front portion of the upper wall plate 42 and the right cover wall plate 44 each protrude upward from the upper surface of the upper-side dent portion 45 and each have an inverted U-shaped cross section. The inside of these inverted U-shaped parts corresponds to the insertion grooves 46. These protruding parts are hereinafter referred to as protrusion portions 47.

[0039] As in Fig. 5, the upper end portion of the front side of the front portion of the left main body wall plate 25 is inserted into the left insertion groove 46, and the upper end portion of the front side of the front portion of the right main body wall plate 26 is inserted into the right insertion groove 46. In this way, the bottom surface at the front side of the left-right middle portion of the front portion of the upper wall plate 42 is located below the upper end surface at the front side of the front portion of the left main body wall plate 25 and the upper end surface at the front side of the front portion of the right main body wall plate 26.

[0040] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 9, the rear ends of the raised portions 47 at the front portion of the upper wall plate 42 are located closer to the position q of the rear side at the front portion of the upper wall plate 42 with respect to the center in the front-rear direction. At the position q, a slit 49 is formed at each of the left edge portion and the right edge portion of the upper wall plate 42. At the front portion of the upper wall plate 42, at a part further rearward than the position q (part from position q to position r), a flat plate portion 50 is formed having an upper surface and a lower surface that are at the same level as the upper surface and the lower surface of the upper-side indentation portion 45. As shown in Fig. 6, corner portions 50A at the left and right front end portions of the flat plate portion 50 are in contact with the left and right step portions 32 of the shielded enclosure main body 22, respectively.

[0041] As in Fig. As shown in FIG. 10, the upper wall plate 42 is bent into an S-shape or a crank shape at a bent portion 51 formed at the center in the front-rear direction or at a position r rearward. In this way, the bottom surface of a rear portion 52 of the upper wall plate 42 (part from position r to position s) is located below the bottom surface of the upper-side recessed portion 5 or the flat plate portion 50. The width of the rear portion 52 of the upper wall plate 42 is reduced according to the shape of the left recessed portion 29 and the right recessed portion 30 of the shielded enclosure main body 22 at the center portion in the front-rear direction.

[0042] The left cover wall plate 43 extends downward from the left end portion of the front side of the front portion of the upper wall plate 42 to the outside (left side) of the front portion of the left main body wall plate 25. The right surface of the left cover wall plate 43 and the left surface of the left main body wall plate 25 are in contact with each other and are electrically connected. The right cover wall plate 44 extends downward from the right end portion of the front side of the front portion of the upper wall plate 42 to the outside (right side) of the front portion of the right main body wall plate 26. The left surface of the right cover wall plate 44 and the right surface of the right main body wall plate 26 are in contact with each other and are electrically connected.

[0043] A cover locking portion 53 is formed on each of the left cover wall plate 43 and the right cover wall plate 44. In the present embodiment, the left cover locking portion 53 is formed by protruding a portion of the right surface of the left cover wall plate 43 to the right, and the right cover locking portion 53 is formed by protruding a portion of the left surface of the right cover wall plate 44 to the left. By, as shown in Fig. 5, the cover locking portions 53 penetrate into the corresponding main body locking mechanism 31, the shielded cover 41 and the shielded enclosure main body 22 are locked to each other.

[0044] The upper plate portion 54, together with the lower plate portion 35, left plate portion 36, and right plate portion 37 of the shielded enclosure main body 22, forms the connecting portion 61 of the shielded enclosure. The upper plate portion 54 is provided on the front end side of the upper wall plate 42. More specifically, the upper plate portion 54 extends, as shown in Fig. 10, from the front end side of the upper wall plate 42 forward. The upper plate portion 54 is arranged at the same height as the apex portions of the protrusion portions 47. A slope is formed at a portion from the front end side of the upper-side indentation portion 45 to the rear end side of the upper plate portion 54, which gradually shifts upward toward the front. An inwardly (downwardly) projecting convex contact 62 is formed on the upper plate portion 54.

[0045] A braid connecting portion 55 is provided at the rear portion of the upper plate portion 54. More specifically, the braid connecting portion 55 extends, as shown in Fig. 10, upward from the rear end of the rear portion of the upper plate portion 54, then curves rearward, and then extends rearward parallel to the upper wall plate 42. The rear portion of the braid connecting portion 55 is wider than the rear portion of the upper wall plate 42. The rear portion of the braid connecting portion 55 is curved such that its left-right central portion bulges upward, and has a shape conforming to the curvature of the outer surface of the cable 3 fixed to the cable fixing portion 38. The braid connecting portion 55 is crimped to the cable fixing portion 38 together with the end portion of the cable 3. The braid connecting portion 55 is in contact with the braid 8 or the cable fixing portion 38 and is electrically connected to the braid 8.

[0046] An assembly method of the connector 1 is as follows. First, the terminal holding member 13, to which the terminals 12 are attached, to which the wires 6 are crimped, is inserted from above into the receiving portion 23 of the shielded enclosure main body 22. Then, the shielded cover 41 is attached to the shielded enclosure main body 22 from above. Next, the end portion of the cable 3 with the folded braid 8 and the braid connecting portion 55 are attached and fixed to the cable fixing portion 38. The shielded terminal unit 11, to which the cable 3 has been connected in this way, is attached to the housing 91.

[0047] In the shielded connection unit 11, in the state of the connected cable 3, as in Fig. 4, the terminal holding member 13 that holds the terminals 12 is surrounded by the top-side indentation portion 45, the flat plate portion 50, the front portion of the lower wall plate 24, the front portion of the left main body wall plate 25, and the front portion of the right main body wall plate 26. The parts that are end portions of the electric wires 5 and exposed from the braid 8 are surrounded by the rear portion 52 of the upper wall plate 42, the lower recess portion 28, the left recess portion 29, and the right recess portion 30. The shielded enclosure main body 22 is electrically connected to the braid 8 via the cable fixing portion 38, and the shielded cover 41 is electrically connected to the braid 8 via the braid connecting portion 55.The shielded cover 41 is electrically connected to the shielded enclosure main body 22 via the left cover wall plate 43 and the right cover wall plate 44.

[0048] In the first shielded terminal unit 11 of the present embodiment having the above-described structure, the top-side dent portion 45 is formed on the front side of the front portion of the upper wall plate 42 of the shielded cover 41 at the left-right center portion. With this structure, the distance between the bottom surface of the upper wall plate 42 and the terminals 12 accommodated in the accommodation portion 23 can be made short. This can reduce the impedance of the shielded terminal unit 11, and facilitate the impedance matching between the shielded terminal unit 11 and the cable 3 or the associated connector.

[0049] In the shielded terminal unit 11, the lower dent portion 27 is formed on the shielded enclosure main body 22. This structure allows the distance between the shielded enclosure main body 22 and the terminals 12 to be reduced, so that the impedance of the shielded terminal unit 11 can be further reduced.

[0050] In the shielded connection unit 11, the rear portion 52 of the upper wall plate 42 of the shielded cover 41 is lowered further than the front portion of the upper wall plate 42. This structure allows the distance between the end portions of the electrical wires 5 exposed from the braiding 8 and the upper wall plate 42 to be reduced. Thus, the impedance of the shielded connection unit 11 can be further reduced.

[0051] In the shielded terminal unit 11, the lower recessed portion 28, the left recessed portion 29, and the right recessed portion 30 are provided on the shielded enclosure main body 22. This structure allows more locations near the end portions of the electrical wires 5 exposed from the braid 8 to be obtained on the shielded enclosure main body 22. Thus, the impedance of the shielded terminal unit 11 can be further reduced.

[0052] In the shielded terminal unit 11, the upper end portions of the front portion of the left main body wall plate 25 and the front portion of the right main body wall plate 26 of the shielded enclosure main body 22 are respectively inserted into the pair of insertion grooves 46 formed on the shielded cover 41. With this structure, the upper end portions of the front portion of the left main body wall plate 25 and the front portion of the right main body wall plate 26 are held in the insertion grooves 46, making them less likely to shift in the left-right direction. This increases the strength of the shielded enclosure 21.Specifically, in a shielded enclosure having a structure divided into upper and lower parts like the shielded enclosure 21 comprising the main body and the cover, if no insertion grooves were provided in the upper wall plate of the cover and the respective upper end surfaces of the left wall plate and the right wall plate of the main body were simply in contact with or adjacent to the flat bottom surface of the upper wall plate of the cover, the left wall plate or the right wall plate would tilt left or right with respect to the lower wall plate when an external force was applied to the upper portion of the shielded enclosure, whereby the square cross-sectional shape of the shielded enclosure could be deformed into a parallelogram or trapezoidal shape.On the other hand, in the shielded enclosure 21 of the shielded terminal unit 11 of the present invention, the upper end portions of the front portion of the left main body wall plate 25 and the front portion of the right main body wall plate 26 are respectively inserted into and held in the left and right insertion grooves 46, whereby deformation of the square cross-sectional shape of the shielded enclosure 21 when an external force is applied to the shielded enclosure 21 can be suppressed.

[0053] In the shielded terminal unit 11, the shielded cover 41 is detachably attached to the shielded enclosure main body 22, and by removing the shielded cover 41 from the shielded enclosure main body 22, the entire upper portion of the shielded enclosure main body 22 can be opened. This structure can increase the ease of assembly of the shielded terminal unit 11. Since the lower recessed portion 28, the left recessed portion 29, and the right recessed portion 30 are formed at the rear portion of the receiving portion 23, a narrowed shape is formed. Therefore, it is not possible to insert the terminal holding member 13, to which the terminals 12 are attached, into the receiving portion 23 through the opening portion at the rear end of the shielded enclosure 21.However, in the shielded terminal unit 11, by removing the shielded cover 41 from the shielded enclosure main body 22, the terminal holding member 13, to which the terminals 12 are attached, can be easily inserted into the receiving portion 23 from above the shielded enclosure main body 22. Thus, the shielded terminal unit 11 can be easily assembled. Second shielded connection unit

[0054] Fig. 11 shows an exploded state of the second shielded connection unit 71. Fig. Figure 12 shows a vertical sectional view of the shielded connection unit 71 along the arrows XII-XII of Fig. 2.

[0055] Fig. Figure 13 shows a vertical sectional view of the shielded enclosure 75 of the shielded connection unit 71 along the arrows XIII-XIII of Fig. 12. In the second shielded connection unit 71, elements whose structure corresponds to that of the first shielded connection unit 11 are provided with the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted.

[0056] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 11, in the shielded terminal unit 71, terminal contact portions 72A of terminals 72 are pin-shaped. By inserting the terminal contact portions 72A of the terminals 72 into the tubular terminal contact portions 12A of the terminals 12 of the first shielded terminal unit 11, they come into contact with the terminal contact portions 12A.

[0057] As in Fig. 12 and Fig. As shown in FIG. 13, the vertical dimension of a shielded enclosure main body 76 of the shielded terminal unit 71 is smaller than the vertical dimension of the shielded enclosure main body 22 of the first shielded terminal unit 11, and a lower wall plate 77 is completely approximated to the bottom surface of the terminal holding member 13. Therefore, no lower recessed portion is formed on the shielded enclosure main body 76. Furthermore, a unit locking portion 78 protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the lower wall plate 24.

[0058] As in Fig. 11, a left-right width and a vertical width of a shielded enclosure connecting portion 85 are smaller than a left-right width and a vertical width of the shielded enclosure connecting portion 61 of the first shielded terminal unit 11. By inserting the shielded enclosure connecting portion 85 into the shielded enclosure connecting portion 61 of the first shielded terminal unit 11, it comes into contact with the shielded enclosure connecting portion 61.

[0059] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 12, an upper plate portion 84 is arranged on a shielded cover 83 of the shielded terminal unit 71, higher than the upper indentation portion 45 and lower than the elevation portions 47. No convex contacts are provided on the lower plate portion 79, left plate portion 80, right plate portion 81, and upper plate portion 84 of the connecting portion 85 of the shielded enclosure.

[0060] With the second shielded connection unit 71 having the structure described above, the same effects as with the first shielded connection unit 11 can be achieved.

[0061] In the shielded terminal unit 11 (71) described above, the following structure can also be used as a locking mechanism for locking the shielded cover to the shielded enclosure main body. Namely, as in a Fig. 14, two main body locking mechanisms 106 may be provided on a left main body wall plate 105 of a shielded enclosure main body 103 of a shielded enclosure 102, spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction, and two cover locking portions 123 may be provided on a left cover wall plate 113 of a shielded cover 111, corresponding to the main body locking mechanisms 106. In this case, two main body locking mechanisms and two cover locking portions are also provided on the right main body wall plate of the shielded enclosure main body 103 and the right cover wall plate of the shielded cover 111, respectively.According to this structure, the shielded cover 111 can be held on the shielded enclosure main body 103 by engaging the four main body engagement mechanisms 106 with the four cover engagement portions 123, and positional displacement of the shielded cover 111 with respect to the shielded enclosure main body 103 can be more effectively prevented. As in the embodiment shown in FIG. Fig. 14, the main body locking mechanisms 106 may also have a shape projecting outward in the left-right direction, and a hole (or a shape depressed outward in the left-right direction) may be formed at the cover locking portions 123.

[0062] The structure of the shielded terminal unit 11 (71) is such that step portions 32 formed at the front portion of the shielded enclosure main body 22 (76) and corner portions 50A of the flat plate portion 50 of the shielded cover 41 (83) are brought into contact. As in the Fig. However, in the shielded terminal unit 101 shown in FIG. 14, step portions 107 formed at the rear portion of the left main body wall plate 105 and the right main body wall plate of the shielded enclosure main body 103 and rear ends 117A of protrusion portions 117 formed on the left and right sides of an upper-side dent portion 115 of an upper wall plate 112 of the shielded cover 111 can also be brought into contact. Also with this configuration, the shielded cover 111 can be positioned in the front-to-rear direction with respect to the shielded enclosure main body 103.

[0063] In the shielded terminal unit 11 (71), the recess dimension of the left recess portion 29 and the right recess portion 30 is each formed so as to be spaced from the front end portion (position c in Fig. 7) gradually increases towards the back, but can also be as in the case of Fig. In the shielded terminal unit 101 shown in FIG. 14, a left recessed portion 108 and a right recessed portion 109 abruptly recess inward at right angles in the left-right direction at their front end portions. This allows the wall plate at the rear portion of the shielded enclosure main body 103 to be brought even closer to the end portions of the electrical wires 5 exposed from the braid 8.

[0064] For shielded connector units 11 and 71, the number of connectors can be two or more. Connectors 1 and 2 are not limited to image signals but can be used to transmit various high-frequency signals.

[0065] The present invention is capable of being modified at will within the scope of the claims and the description as a whole, and shielded terminal units and connectors resulting from such modification are also included in the technical spirit of the present invention. Explanation of reference symbols 1, 2 connectors 3, 4 cables 11, 71, 101 shielded connection unit 12 connection 13 Connection holding element 21, 75, 102 shielded enclosure 22, 76, 103 shielded enclosure main body (enclosure main body) 23 Recording section 24, 77 lower wall plate 25, 105 left main body wall panel (first side wall panel) 26 right main body wall panel (first side wall panel) 28 lower recess section 29, 108 left recess section (horizontal recess section) 30, 109 right recess section (horizontal recess section) 31, 106 Main body locking mechanism (locking mechanism) 38 Cable fixing section 41, 83, 111 shielded cover (cover) 42, 84, 112 upper wall plate 43, 113 left cover wall plate (second side wall plate) 44 right cover wall plate (second side wall plate) 45, 115 upper dent section 46 insertion groove 47, 117 Survey section 51 curved section 52 Rear section 53, 123 Cover locking section (locking mechanism) 55 Braiding connection section (connection section of the shielded conductor)

Claims

[1] A shielded connection unit (11, 71, 101) to which an end portion of a cable (3, 4) can be connected, which has a plurality of electrical lines and a shielded conductor surrounding the plurality of electrical lines, comprising a plurality of terminals (12) to which respective wires of the plurality of electrical lines are connected, a terminal holding element (13) holding the plurality of terminals (12), and a shielded enclosure (21, 75, 102) formed of electrically conductive material and surrounding the terminals (12) and parts which are end portions of the electrical lines and are exposed from the shielded conductor, wherein the shielded enclosure (21, 75, 102) comprises an enclosure main body (22, 76, 103), a cover (41, 83, 111) and a locking mechanism (31, 106, 53, 123) that locks the cover (41, 83, 111) to the enclosure main body (22, 76, 103), wherein the enclosure main body (22, 76, 103) has a receiving portion (23) formed from a bottom wall plate (24, 77) and a first pair of left and right side wall plates (25, 105, 26) and receives the terminal holding member (13) that holds the terminals (12) and the parts that are end portions of the electric wires and are exposed from the shielded conductor, and a cable fixing portion (38) which is designed to fix the end portion of the cable (3, 4) and to electrically connect the enclosure main body (22, 76, 103) and the shielded conductor, wherein the cover (41, 83, 111) comprises an upper wall plate (42, 84, 112) covering an upper surface of the receiving portion (23), and a pair of second side wall plates (43, 113, 44) each extending downward from a left and right end portion of a front portion of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112) along an outer side of the pair of first side wall plates (25, 105, 26), wherein, in that a middle portion in the left-right direction of the front portion of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112) is recessed downwards, a respective downwardly open insertion groove (46) is formed at a respective coupling part of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112) and the pair of second side wall plates (43, 113, 44), and an upper end portion of the pair of first side wall plates (25, 105, 26) is inserted into the insertion grooves (46). [2] The shielded terminal unit (11, 71, 101) according to claim 1, wherein the respective coupling parts of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112) and the pair of second side wall plates (43, 113, 44) protrude upward beyond the top surface of the left-right middle portion of the front portion of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112) and their respective cross-sectional shapes are that of an inverted U. [3] The shielded terminal unit (11, 71, 101) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a portion (51) of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112) is bent such that the bottom surface of the rear portion (52) of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112) is positioned lower than the bottom surface of the left-right middle portion of the front portion of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112). [4] A shielded terminal unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a connecting portion (55) of the shielded conductor is provided on the cover (41, 83, 111) and is in contact with the shielded conductor or the cable fixing portion (38). [5] The shielded terminal unit (11, 71, 101) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the terminal holding member (13) holding the terminals (12) is surrounded by the left-right central portion of the front portion of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112), the front portion of the lower wall plate (24, 77), and the front portions of the pair of first side wall plates (25, 105, 26), and the parts that are end portions of the electric wires and are exposed from the shielded conductor are surrounded by the rear portion (52) of the upper wall plate (42, 84, 112), the rear portion (52) of the lower wall plate (24, 77), and the rear portion (52) of the pair of first side wall plates (25, 105, 26). [6] Shielded terminal unit (11, 71, 101) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a recessed lower recess portion (28) is formed on the rear portion (52) of the lower wall plate (24, 77) above the front portion of the lower wall plate (24, 77) and the lower portion of the cable fixing portion (38). [7] The shielded terminal unit (11, 71, 101) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a horizontal recessed portion (29, 108, 30, 109) is formed at the rear portion (52) of the first side wall plate, which is recessed inwardly further than the front portion of the first side wall plate and the side portion of the cable fixing portion (38) in the left-right direction of the enclosure main body (22, 76, 103). [8] Connector (1, 2) comprising the shielded connection unit (11, 71, 101) according to one of claims 1 to 7 and a housing which accommodates the shielded connection unit (11, 71, 101).

Images