Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector which can be properly fitted to a mating connector.SOLUTION: A connector 1 comprises: a housing member 10 having a fitting part 11A which is fitted to a mating connector 110; and a fixing member 20 which is fixed, together with the housing member 10, onto a fixing wall surface 102. The fixing member 20 has a through-hole 23 for a fastening bolt 50 which is fastened into a fastening hole 104 on the fixing wall surface 102 so as to fix the fixing member 20, together with the housing member 10, onto the fixing wall surface 102. The housing member 10 has a positioning protrusion 33 which is located opposite, across the fitting part 11A, in a vertical direction Z, to the through-hole 23 provided on the fixing member 20, and which is formed to protrude toward the fixing wall surface 102 side when in a fitted condition. The positioning protrusion 33 is inserted into a wall surface groove part 105 which is formed on the fixing wall surface 102 along an insertion / extraction direction X when in the fitted condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector. [Background technology]

[0002] Inverters, motors, and other devices installed in electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles are connected to each other by connectors attached to the ends of electric wires. The connector is electrically connected to the mating device by mating with a mating connector provided on the mating device.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a connector that has a mating portion that houses terminals and mates with a mating connector provided on a connection target, and a shield shell that houses the mating portion, and in a mated state in which the mating portion is mated with the mating connector, the shield shell is fixed to a fixed wall surface of the connection target with a fastening bolt. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-102307 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the connector described in Patent Document 1, for example, when fixing the shield shell to the fixed wall surface of the connection target with a fastening bolt, if the connector is tilted relative to the mating connector, there is a risk that the terminal in the mating portion will be twisted relative to the mating connector, and therefore there is room for improvement.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can be properly mated with a mating connector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the connector of the present invention comprises an accommodating member that accommodates a terminal and has an engaging portion that engages with a mating connector provided on a connection object, and a fixing member that is fixed to a fixed wall surface of the connection object together with the accommodating member in an engaged state in which the engaging portion is engaged with the mating connector, the fixing member having a through hole through which a fastening bolt that communicates with a fastening hole formed in the fixed wall surface along the engaging direction of the engaging portion with the mating connector in the engaged state and is fastened to the fastening hole is inserted into the fixing member along the engaging direction, one of the accommodating member and the fixing member is located on the opposite side of the through hole across the engaging portion in a transverse direction that intersects the engaging direction, and has a positioning protrusion that is formed to protrude toward the fixed wall surface in the engaged state, and the positioning protrusion is inserted into a groove formed in the fixed wall surface along the engaging direction in the engaged state. Effect of the Invention

[0008] Advantageous Effects of Invention The connector according to the present invention has the advantage that it can be properly fitted to a mating connector. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a connector according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the connector according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the connector according to the embodiment, seen from the fitting direction. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the connector according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the connector according to the embodiment when mated. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a fitting operation of the connector according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a fitting operation of the connector according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In addition, the components in the following embodiments include those that are replaceable and easy for a person skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0011] [Embodiment] The connector 1 according to this embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is incorporated into a wire harness WH that is wired in a vehicle such as an automobile. The wire harness WH is, for example, an assembly component made by bundling a plurality of wiring materials W used for power supply and signal communication to connect each device mounted on the vehicle, and the plurality of wiring materials W are connected to each device by a connector 1 or the like. The wire harness WH includes a conductive wiring material W and a connector 1 electrically connected to the wiring material W.

[0012] The wiring material W is composed of, for example, an electric wire in which the outside of a conductor part (core wire) made of a plurality of conductive metal wires is covered with an insulating covering part, an electric wire bundle in which the electric wires are bundled, a metal rod in which the outside of a conductive rod-shaped member is covered with an insulating covering part, etc. In addition to the above, the wire harness WH may further be composed to include a grommet, a protector, a fixing device, an electric connection box, etc.

[0013] The connector 1 of this embodiment is physically and electrically connected to a counterpart device 100 to be connected. The connector 1 is fitted to a counterpart connector 110 by being inserted into a connector insertion hole 103 formed in a housing 101 of the counterpart device 100, and forms an electrical connection portion between the connector 1 and the counterpart device 100. The connector 1 is fixed to a fixed wall surface 102 of the counterpart device 100 in a state in which the connector 1 is fitted to the counterpart connector 110. As shown in FIG. 3, the connector 1 in this embodiment is composed of a housing member 10 having a fitting portion 11A that fits with the counterpart connector 110, and a fixing member 20 that is fixed to the fixed wall surface 102. Here, the state in which the connector 1 is fitted to the counterpart connector 110 is a state in which the fitting portion 11A fits with the counterpart connector 110 and the fixing member 20 is fixed to the fixed wall surface 102. In this embodiment, the connector 1 is described as a male connector and the counterpart connector 110 is described as a female connector.

[0014] In the following description, among the illustrated X, Y, and Z directions, the X direction is defined as the "insertion / removal direction X", the Y direction is defined as the "width direction Y", and the Z direction is defined as the "upper / lower direction Z". The insertion / removal direction X, the width direction Y, and the upper / lower direction Z are mutually perpendicular. In this embodiment, among the insertion / removal direction X, the X1 direction is defined as the "insertion direction X1", and the X2 direction is defined as the "removal direction X2". This insertion direction X1 is a direction along the fitting direction of the connector 1 with respect to the mating connector 110. In addition, among the upper / lower directions Z, the Z1 direction is defined as the "upper direction Z1", and the Z2 direction is defined as the "lower direction Z2". In this embodiment, the upper / lower direction Z is defined as a direction along the vertical direction, but is not limited thereto.

[0015] The fixed wall surface 102 is a wall surface of the housing 101 on the removal direction X2 side of the housing 101, and is a portion to which the connector 1 is attached and fixed. The fixed wall surface 102 is formed of a uniform flat surface and has a plurality of holes. Specifically, the fixed wall surface 102 is provided with a connector insertion hole 103, a fastening hole 104, a wall groove portion 105, and a pair of groove portions 106. The connector insertion hole 103, the fastening hole 104, the wall groove portion 105, and the pair of groove portions 106 are all formed in a substantially straight line from the fixed wall surface 102 along the insertion / removal direction X. Of the connector insertion hole 103, the fastening hole 104, the wall groove portion 105, and the pair of groove portions 106, the connector insertion hole 103, the fastening hole 104, and the wall groove portion 105 are linearly arranged along the up-down direction Z. These three holes (or grooves) are arranged in the order of the fastening hole 104, the connector insertion hole 103, and the wall groove portion 105 from the upward direction Z1 to the downward direction Z2.

[0016] As shown in Figs. 2 and 5 to 7, the connector insertion hole 103 accommodates the mating connector 110 inside, and is a portion into which the fitting portion 11A is inserted when the connector 1 is fitted with the mating connector 110. The opening shape of the connector insertion hole 103 is formed to match the shape of the fitting portion 11A of the connector 1 as viewed from the insertion direction X1. The connector insertion hole 103 is formed, for example, to have an opening shape that is substantially elliptical as viewed from the insertion direction X1. The connector insertion hole 103 is located between the fastening hole 104 and the wall groove portion 105 among the fastening hole 104, the connector insertion hole 103, and the wall groove portion 105 arranged along the up-down direction Z.

[0017] The fastening hole 104 is a portion into which a fastening bolt 50 is screwed for fixing the connector 1 to the fixed wall surface 102 in a state in which the connector 1 is mated with the mating connector 110. The fastening bolt 50 is composed of a head 51 and a shaft portion 52. The fastening hole 104 is a hole having a screw groove formed on its inner circumferential surface, into which the shaft portion 52 of the fastening bolt 50 is screwed. The fastening hole 104 is located on the upward direction Z1 side of the connector insertion hole 103.

[0018] The fastening bolt 50 is a fastening member that fastens the connector 1 to the fixed wall surface 102. The head 51 is provided at one end of the shaft portion 52 in the extending direction, and is a portion that becomes the base of the fastening bolt 50. The head 51 has a hexagonal shape when viewed from the extending direction of the shaft portion 52. The shaft portion 52 is formed in a cylindrical shape. A helical screw groove is formed on the surface of the shaft portion 52 along the extending direction of the shaft portion 52. As shown in FIG. 2, the fastening bolt 50 is inserted into the through hole 23 provided in the fixing member 20 along the insertion / removal direction X. The fastening bolt 50 is fastened to the fastening hole 104 by being screwed into the fastening hole 104 in a state where it is inserted into the through hole 23. That is, the connector 1 is fixed to the fixing wall surface 102 by the fastening bolt 50 in a state where the fixing member 20 is attached so as to cover the housing member 10, as shown in FIG. 2. With this configuration, the fixing member 20 is fixed to the fixing wall surface 102 together with the accommodating member 10 in a fitted state in which the fitting portion 11A is fitted with the counterpart connector 110.

[0019] The wall groove 105 is a portion into which the positioning protrusion 33 provided on the connector 1 side shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is inserted when the fitting portion 11A is in a fitted state with the mating connector 110. The opening shape of the wall groove 105 is formed to match, for example, the shape of the positioning protrusion 33 as viewed from the insertion direction X1. The wall groove 105 of this embodiment has an opening shape formed to be rectangular. The wall groove 105 is located on the downward direction Z2 side of the connector insertion hole 103. The wall groove 105 has a pair of first guide surface 105a and second guide surface 105b as shown in Figs. 2, 5 to 7.

[0020] The pair of first guide surface 105a and second guide surface 105b are provided on either side of the opening in the vertical direction Z. The first guide surface 105a and the second guide surface 105b are inclined toward the inside of the wall surface groove portion 105 from the fixed wall surface 102 toward the insertion direction X1.

[0021] The pair of grooves 106 are portions that accommodate the head of a bolt provided on the connector 1 side when the fitting portion 11A is in a fitted state with the mating connector 110. The pair of grooves 106 are arranged at a constant interval along the width direction Y so as to sandwich the wall surface groove 105 therebetween.

[0022] The accommodating member 10 has a fitting portion 11A that accommodates the connector terminals 3 and fits with a mating connector 110. As shown in FIG. 4, the accommodating member 10 is composed of a plurality of parts. Specifically, the accommodating member 10 includes a housing 11, a rear cover 12, a front holder 13, an inner housing 14, and a seal packing 15. The housing 11, the rear cover 12, the front holder 13, and the inner housing 14 are each formed of a resin material having insulating properties. The fitting portion 11A of this embodiment includes a cylindrical portion 34 provided in the housing 11, the front holder 13 assembled to the cylindrical portion 34, the inner housing 14, and the seal packing 15.

[0023] The housing 11 and the rear cover 12 are assembled together to form a box shape, and are components that accommodate the four connector terminals 3. The connector terminals 3 are metal fittings made of a conductive metal material. As shown in FIG. 5, the connector terminals 3 are male terminals that are electrically connected to female counterpart terminals 111. The connector terminals 3 are physically and electrically connected to the ends of the wiring material W. Note that, although the housing 11 and the rear cover 12 accommodate the four connector terminals 3 when assembled together, this is not limiting.

[0024] The housing 11 is formed with openings at both ends in the insertion / removal direction X. When the connector terminals 3 are accommodated in the housing 11, the connector terminals 3 are exposed to the outside from the opening on the insertion direction X1 side, while the opening on the removal direction X2 side is closed by the rear cover 12. The housing 11 is configured to include a housing main body 30 and a wiring material insertion portion 32, which are integrally formed.

[0025] The housing main body 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the insertion direction X1, as shown in Fig. 3. The housing main body 30 has an opposing surface 31 that faces the fixed wall surface 102 in the insertion / removal direction X in a mated state in which the fitting portion 11A is mated with the mating connector 110, and a cylindrical portion 34 that protrudes from the opposing surface 31 toward the mating connector 110 and is accommodated inside the mating connector 110. The opposing surface 31 has a positioning protrusion 33 that protrudes toward the fixed wall surface 102 in a mated state in which the fitting portion 11A is mated with the mating connector 110, as shown in Figs. 3 to 7. The cylindrical portion 34 accommodates the cylindrical inner housing 14 along its inner circumferential surface, and the rear cover 12 is attached along its outer circumferential surface.

[0026] 3, the positioning protrusion 33 is located on the opposite side of the through hole 23 across the fitting portion 11A in the up-down direction Z, which is a cross direction intersecting the insertion direction X1. The positioning protrusion 33 has a rectangular cross section as viewed from the insertion / removal direction X. The positioning protrusion 33 is inserted into the wall groove 105 in a fitted state in which the fitting portion 11A is fitted with the mating connector 110. The positioning protrusion 33 has a tip portion 40 provided at a tip on the insertion direction X1 side, a first inclined surface 41 provided from the tip portion 40 to the upward direction Z1 side, and a second inclined surface 42 provided from the tip portion 40 to the downward direction Z2 side.

[0027] The tip portion 40 is located between the first inclined surface 41 and the second inclined surface 42 in the up-down direction Z. The first inclined surface 41 is inclined from the tip portion 40 toward the upward direction Z1 along the removal direction X2. The second inclined surface 42 is an inclined surface inclined from the tip portion 40 toward the downward direction Z2 along the removal direction X2. When viewed from the width direction Y in a mated state in which the fitting portion 11A is mated with the counterpart connector 110 and the connector 1 is fixed to the fixed wall surface 102 by the fastening bolt 50, the tip portion 40 is located on the insertion direction X1 side of the tip of the tubular portion 34 on the insertion direction X1 side and is located on the removal direction X2 side of the tip of the shaft portion 52 on the insertion direction X1 side.

[0028] The inner housing 14 is a member formed separately from the housing 11, and is a member that receives and holds the connector terminals 3 along the insertion / removal direction X when attached to the housing body 30.

[0029] The seal packing 15 is a water-stopping member formed in an annular shape and attached to the housing 11. The seal packing 15 is interposed between the housing 11 and the mating connector 110 in a mated state in which the mating portion 11A is mated with the mating connector 110, and contacts them to stop water and ensure sealing properties.

[0030] The wiring material insertion portion 32 is a portion through which the wiring material W is inserted. The wiring material insertion portion 32 is formed so as to protrude along the downward direction Z2 from the end portion on the downward direction Z2 side of the housing body 30. The wiring material insertion portion 32 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the wiring material W is routed inside it along the up-down direction Z. In other words, the housing 11 holds the connector terminal 3 along the insertion / removal direction X, and the wiring material W is inserted along the up-down direction Z perpendicular to the insertion / removal direction X. Here, four wiring materials W are inserted into the wiring material insertion portion 32.

[0031] The fixing member 20 is fixed to the fixed wall surface 102 together with the accommodating member 10 in a fitted state in which the fitting portion 11A is fitted with the mating connector 110. As shown in Fig. 4, the fixing member 20 includes a shell body 21 and a lower shell 25. The shell body 21 and the lower shell 25 are each formed of a metallic material having electrical conductivity.

[0032] The shell body 21 is formed in a tub shape so as to cover the outside of the housing 11, and has a bracket portion 22 provided at its end on the upward Z1 side. The shell body 21 is configured as a so-called shield shell, and is formed so as to cover the outside of the accommodating member 10. The bracket portion 22 has a through hole 23 through which the fastening bolt 50 is inserted along the insertion / removal direction X. The through hole 23 is a through hole that passes through the bracket portion 22 along the insertion / removal direction X, and the shaft portion 52 of the fastening bolt 50 is inserted therethrough. In this way, the shell body 21 can be said to be a shield shell provided with the through hole 23.

[0033] The lower shell 25 is a part that fixes the accommodating member 10 to the fixing member 20 by being fastened to the shell body 21 with bolts or the like. The lower shell 25 is fixed to the shell body 21 by fastening two bolts in a state in which the wiring material insertion portion 32 of the accommodating member 10 is sandwiched between the shell body 21 and the lower shell 25 in the insertion / removal direction X.

[0034] Next, a description will be given of the operation of fitting the connector 1 having the above configuration into the mating connector 110 and fixing it to the fixed wall surface 102. First, the worker inserts the fastening bolt 50 into the through hole 23 in the fixing member 20 of the connector 1, and then inserts and screws the fastening bolt 50 into the fastening hole 104 in the fixed wall surface 102. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the end of the connector 1 on the upward Z1 side is relatively closer to the fixed wall surface 102 than the end on the downward Z2 side, and may not face the fixed wall surface 102 directly.

[0035] When the worker further screws the fastening bolt 50 into the fastening hole 104, the positioning protrusion 33 comes into contact with the wall groove 105 of the fixed wall 102. At this time, the tip 40, the second inclined surface 42, or the boundary between the tip 40 and the second inclined surface 42 of the positioning protrusion 33 comes into contact with and slides on the second guide surface 105b of the wall groove 105. As a result, the positioning protrusion 33 is inserted toward the wall groove 105. As a result, the inclination of the connector 1 with respect to the fixed wall 102 is eliminated and the connector 1 faces the mating connector 110 as shown in FIG. 7.

[0036] The worker further tightens the fastening bolt 50, so that the fitting portion 11A fits into the mating connector 110 and the connector terminal 3 connects to the mating terminal 111 of the mating connector 110 (FIG. 5).

[0037] In the conventional connector, when the fastening bolt 50 is inserted into the through hole 23 and then inserted into the fastening hole 104 and screwed, the connector may not face the fixed wall surface 102 in the insertion / removal direction X. When the connector is fixed with one fastening bolt 50, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the entire connector is likely to tilt in a direction intersecting the insertion / removal direction X due to the size of the gap between the shaft portion 52 and the through hole 23 due to the relationship between the intersection of the outer diameter of the shaft portion 52 and the intersection of the inner diameter of the through hole 23. If the fastening bolt 50 is further tightened in a state where the connector 1 does not face the fixed wall surface 102 in the insertion / removal direction X, there is a possibility that the connector 1 will be fitted in a state where the entire connector 1 is tilted relative to the mating connector 110. In this case, the connector terminal 3 may come into contact with the mating terminal 111 in a tilted state, causing a wedge between the terminals. Therefore, although it is possible for an operator to perform the fitting operation by holding the connector 1 so as to face the fixed wall surface 102 in the insertion / removal direction X, this may increase the time and effort required for the assembly operation.

[0038] As described above, the connector 1 according to this embodiment includes the accommodating member 10 having the mating portion 11A that fits with the mating connector 110, and the fixing member 20 that is fixed to the fixed wall surface 102 together with the accommodating member 10. The fixing member 20 has a through hole 23 for a fastening bolt 50 that is fastened to a fastening hole 104 in the fixed wall surface 102 to fix the fixing member 20 together with the accommodating member 10 to the fixed wall surface 102. The accommodating member 10 has a positioning protrusion 33 that is located on the opposite side of the through hole 23 provided in the fixing member 20 across the mating portion 11A in the vertical direction Z, and is formed to protrude toward the fixed wall surface 102 in the mated state. The positioning protrusion 33 is inserted into a wall groove 105 formed in the fixed wall surface 102 along the insertion / removal direction X in the mated state.

[0039] With the above-described configuration, when the fastening bolt 50 is tightened to fit the connector 1 to the mating connector 110 and fixed to the fixed wall surface 102, the positioning protrusion 33 is inserted toward the wall surface groove 105. This allows the connector 1 to correct the inclination of the connector 1 with respect to the mating connector 110, and enables the connector terminal 3 in the fitting portion 11A to face the mating terminal 111 in the mating connector 110 in the insertion / removal direction X. As a result, the connector 1 can suppress twisting between the connector terminal 3 and the mating terminal 111, and can be properly fitted to the mating connector.

[0040] In addition, in the connector 1 according to this embodiment, the accommodating member 10 is configured to include the resin housing 11, and the positioning protrusion 33 is formed integrally with the housing 11. As a result, in the connector 1, since the housing 11 is made of resin, it is easy to form the positioning protrusion 33 with respect to the housing 11.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the positioning protrusion 33 when viewed from the insertion / removal direction X is rectangular, but is not limited to this. The cross-sectional shape of the positioning protrusion 33 when viewed from the insertion / removal direction X may be a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, or a polygon with pentagons or more sides.

[0042] Further, in the above embodiment, the positioning protrusion 33 is provided on the housing 11, but this is not limiting, and the positioning protrusion 33 may be provided on the shell body 21 serving as a shield shell.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the positioning protrusion 33 is provided at one location on the connector 1, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be provided at multiple locations. In this case, the wall groove 105 provided on the fixed wall 102 may be provided at multiple locations according to the positions of the positioning protrusion 33. When multiple positioning protrusions 33 are arranged at regular intervals along the width direction Y, the wall groove 105 may be a single groove formed extending in the width direction Y so that multiple positioning protrusions 33 can be inserted simultaneously.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the positioning protrusion 33 is located on a virtual line passing through the center of the through hole 23 as viewed from the insertion / removal direction X along the up-down direction Z and the center of the connector insertion hole 103 in the fitted state, but is not limited to this. That is, the positioning protrusion 33 may be provided at a position offset from the virtual line. In this case, the positioning protrusion 33 is preferably provided on the downward direction Z2 side from the connector insertion hole 103.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the wiring material W of the connector 1 is pulled out toward the downward direction Z2, but this is not limited to this. For example, the wiring material W of the connector 1 may be pulled out toward at least one side of the width direction Y, or may be pulled out toward the removal direction X2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 Connector 3 Connector terminals 10. Storage member 11. Housing 11A Mating part 20 Fixing member 21 Shell body 23 Through hole 30 Housing body 31 Opposite Surface 33 Positioning protrusion 50 Fastening bolt 100 Counterparty device 102 Fixed wall 103 Connector insertion hole 104 Fastening hole 105 Wall groove 110 Mating Connector 111 Counterpart terminal WH Wire harness W Routing material

Claims

1. a receiving member for receiving the terminal and having a fitting portion for fitting with a mating connector provided on a connection target; a fixing member that is fixed to a fixed wall surface of the connection target together with the accommodation member in a fitted state in which the fitting portion is fitted with the counterpart connector, The fixing member is a fastening bolt that communicates with a fastening hole formed in the fixed wall surface along a fitting direction of the fitting portion with respect to the mating connector in the fitted state and is fastened to the fastening hole has a through hole that is inserted in the fixing member along the fitting direction, One of the housing member and the fixing member is a positioning protrusion that is located on the opposite side of the through hole with respect to a direction intersecting the fitting direction and that is formed to protrude toward the fixed wall surface in the fitted state; The positioning protrusion is In the fitted state, the mating member is inserted into a groove formed in the fixed wall surface along the fitting direction. A connector characterized by:

2. The housing member is The housing is made of resin. The fixing member is The housing includes a metallic shield shell that covers the outside of the housing. The through hole is The shield shell is integrally formed with the shield shell. The positioning protrusion is Integral with the housing The connector of claim 1 .

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