Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector with which it is possible to suppress component counts.SOLUTION: The connector comprises: a terminal-like member 11 connecting to a counterpart terminal; a connector housing 2 including a fitting space part 22 for communicating with the outside via an opening 21a and a holding part 3 for holding the terminal-like member 11 disposed facing the fitting space part 22, along an axial direction X while being exposed in the inside of the fitting space part 22; and a to-be-fastened terminal 40, a to-be-fastened part 41 of which is assembled to the fitting space part 22 from a second direction Z2 orthogonal to the axial direction X. The holding part 3 has a female thread part located at a position to hold the terminal-like member 11. The terminal-like member 11 has a terminal connecting part 12 located on the opening 21a side of the axial direction X in a held state and connecting to the counterpart terminal, and a male thread part 13 located at the side opposite the terminal connecting part 12 and screwing to the female thread part. In an inserted state, the terminal-like member 11 is fastened to the to-be-fastened terminal 40 as the male thread part 13 screws into the female thread part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Some conventional connectors have a structure in which female terminals and bus bars are fastened from the rear side of the connector, and electric wires are taken out in the vertical direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-194645 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional connectors, the terminals and bus bars must be set and fastened to the housing, which requires a large opening on the back side of the connector and a rear cover to cover it, leaving room for improvement in terms of reducing the number of parts.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can reduce the number of parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a connector according to the present invention has a connector housing having a terminal-like member formed to be connectable with a mating terminal provided in a mating connector, an opening opening toward one side in an axial direction, a fitting space portion formed to communicate with the outside via the opening and to be fittable with the mating connector, and a holding portion provided facing the fitting space portion and holding the terminal-like member along the axial direction in a state where it is exposed in the fitting space portion, and a flat fastened portion formed with a through hole, and the fastened portion is attached to the fitting space portion in an assembly direction perpendicular to the axial direction. and a fastened terminal that is assembled from the mounting direction, wherein the holding portion has a screwed portion at a position where it holds the terminal-shaped member, and the terminal-shaped member, when in a held state where the terminal-shaped member is held by the holding portion, has a terminal connection portion that is located on the opening side in the axial direction and connects to the mating terminal, and a screwing portion that is located on the opposite side of the terminal connection portion in the axial direction and screws into the screwed portion, and is fastened to the fastened terminal by screwing the screwed portion into the screwed portion when the screwed portion is inserted into the through hole of the fastened terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The connector according to the present invention has the effect of reducing the number of parts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire connector according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the connector according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a terminal-shaped member and a holding portion according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of assembling the connector according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a connector according to an embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a terminal-shaped member and a holding portion according to a modified example of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. That is, the components in the following embodiments include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0010] In the following description, for convenience, of the illustrated X, Y, and Z directions, the X direction will be referred to as the "axial direction X," the Y direction as the "width direction Y," and the Z direction as the "height direction Z." The axial direction X, width direction Y, and height direction Z are perpendicular to one another. The axial direction X corresponds to, for example, the insertion / removal direction of the connector 1 with respect to the mating connector 100, the extension direction of the terminal-like members 11, etc. One side of the axial direction X will be referred to as the insertion direction X1 into the mating terminals 101, and the other side will be referred to as the removal direction X2 from the mating terminals 101. One side of the height direction Z will be referred to as the first direction Z1, and the other side will be referred to as the second direction Z2. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the directions will be described as directions in a mated state in which the connector 1 is mated with the mating connector 100.

[0011] [Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a terminal-like member and a holding portion according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of assembling the connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the connector according to the embodiment. Note that the shell upper 5 is omitted from the connector shown in FIG. 4.

[0012] The connector 1 shown in Fig. 1 is, for example, a shielded connector, and is incorporated into a wire harness WH that is installed in a vehicle such as an automobile. Here, the wire harness WH is, for example, a component in which a plurality of electric wires W used for power supply and signal communication are bundled together to connect various devices mounted on the vehicle, and the plurality of electric wires W are connected to the devices using the connector 1 or the like.

[0013] The wire harness WH includes, for example, a plurality of conductive electric wires W each having fastening terminals 40 at its end, and a connector 1 provided at the end of the electric wires W. In this case, the connector 1 holds the fastening terminals 40 provided at the end of the electric wires W. In addition to the above, the wire harness WH may further include a protector, a fixing device, etc.

[0014] The fastened terminal 40 is, for example, an LA terminal. The fastened terminal 40 is connected to an electric wire W, and when the fastened terminal 40 is assembled to the connector 1, it is physically and electrically connected to a terminal-shaped member 11 (described later). The fastened terminal 40 has a flat fastened portion 41 and a through hole 42 that penetrates the fastened portion 41 in the plate thickness direction. The fastened portion 41 is connected to the electric wire W. Specifically, the fastened portion 41 is joined to a conductor core wire provided at the end of the electric wire W. With the electric wire W connected to the fastened portion 41, the fastened terminal 40 is assembled to the connector 1 from an assembly direction (e.g., a second direction Z2) perpendicular to the axial direction X. In the following description, it is assumed that the fastened terminal 40 is connected to the electric wire W.

[0015] The connector 1 is formed in a so-called L-shape, and an electric wire W is led out in a direction perpendicular to the insertion / removal direction (axial direction X) of the connector 1. The connector 1 includes a connector housing 2, a holding portion 3, an insert nut 4, an upper shell 5, a bolt 6, a packing 7, a rubber plug 8, a rear holder 9, a lower shell 10, and a terminal-like member 11 to which a cap 50 is attached. When the connector 1 of this embodiment is fitted into a mating connector 100, a portion of the terminal-like member 11 fits into a mating terminal 101 provided in the mating connector 100, and they are electrically connected through mutual conduction. Each part of the connector 1 will be described below.

[0016] The connector housing 2 is molded from an insulating resin material. The connector housing 2 accommodates and holds the terminal-like members 11 and the fastened terminals 40. The connector housing 2 is fitted into the mating connector 100 in the insertion direction X1. As shown in Figures 1, 2, 4, and 5, the connector housing 2 includes a main body portion 20, a cylindrical portion 21, a fitting space portion 22, and an insertion space portion 23.

[0017] The main body 20 is formed in a generally housing-like shape and accommodates and holds the terminal-like member 11 and the fastened terminals 40. The main body 20 is formed to extend in the height direction Z, and is provided with a cylindrical portion 21 that protrudes from its end on the first direction Z1 side toward the insertion direction X1 side. The main body 20 has two circular openings 20a formed at its end on the second direction Z2 side. Each opening 20a opens toward the second direction Z2 side in the height direction Z in the connector housing 2.

[0018] The tubular portion 21 is formed integrally with the main body 20 in a cylindrical shape around the axial direction X, and is fitted into the mating connector 100. The tubular portion 21 forms a fitting space 22 that communicates with the external space via an opening 21a formed at the end on the insertion direction X1 side. The opening 21a opens toward one side of the axial direction X in the connector housing 2.

[0019] The mating space 22 communicates with the external space via the opening 21a and is formed to be able to mate with the mating connector 100. When the connector 1 is assembled, the mating space 22 accommodates the terminal-like member 11 via the opening 21a. The mating space 22 also communicates with the insertion space 23 and accommodates the fastened terminal 40 via the insertion space 23. The fastened portion 41 of the fastened terminal 40 is assembled to the mating space 22 from an assembly direction (second direction Z2) perpendicular to the axial direction X, and the fastened terminal 40 including the through hole 42 is accommodated in the mating space 22 in a state where it is exposed within the mating space 22.

[0020] The insertion space 23 communicates with the external space via the opening 20a, and accommodates the fastened terminal 40 from the outside via the opening 20a.

[0021] The holding portion 3 is provided facing the mating space 22 in the connector housing 2, and holds the terminal-like member 11 along the axial direction X with the terminal-like member 11 exposed in the mating space 22. The holding portion 3 is, for example, a metal insert cap nut, and is insert-molded into the connector housing 2. As shown in FIG. 3 , the holding portion 3 includes a main body 30, a flange 31, and a female thread 32.

[0022] The main body 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape and extends in the axial direction X, and accommodates and holds a part of the terminal-like member 11. The main body 30 has a closed end on one side of the axial direction X, which is the removal direction X2 side, and an open end on the other side of the axial direction X1, which is the insertion direction X1 side, that is a circular opening 30a.

[0023] The flange portion 31 protrudes radially outward from the end portion of the main body portion 30 on the insertion direction X1 side, and is formed in an annular shape when viewed from the axial direction X. The flange portion 31 forms an opening 30a.

[0024] The female thread portion 32 is an example of a portion to be screwed, and has a screw groove 33 formed on its inner circumferential surface around the axial direction X. The female thread portion 32 is screwed into the male thread portion 13 of the terminal-like member 11, which will be described later.

[0025] The insert nut 4 is press-fitted into the main body 20, and with the shell upper 5 assembled to the connector housing 2, the shell upper 5 is fixed to the connector housing 2 by tightening a bolt 6 to the insert nut 4.

[0026] The shell upper 5 is a member for shielding the entire connector 1, and is a cover made of, for example, a metal material. The shell upper 5 is attached to the rear surface (removal direction X2) of the connector housing 2 and covers the rear surface of the connector housing 2.

[0027] The packing 7 is a waterproof member that is formed in an annular shape along the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 21 of the connector housing 2 and is fitted onto the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 21. The packing 7 prevents foreign matter such as moisture or dust from entering the inside of the connector 1 through the annular gap between the mating connector 100 and the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 21. The packing 7 is made of an elastically deformable material such as rubber or resin.

[0028] The rubber plug 8 is a water-stopping member having a through-hole through which the electric wire W is inserted. The rubber plug 8 is housed in the insertion space 23 of the connector housing 2 with the electric wire W inserted in the through-hole, and seals off water between the rubber plug 8 and the main body 20. The rubber plug 8 is made of an elastically deformable material such as rubber or resin.

[0029] The rear holder 9 is a holding member that is inserted into the end of the insertion space 23 on the second direction Z2 side when the fastened terminal 40 with the electric wire W is assembled to the main body 20, and is interposed between the main body 20 and the electric wire W to hold the electric wire W. The rear holder 9 is formed by dividing it into two members, and holds the electric wire W by sandwiching it.

[0030] The lower shell 10 is a member for shielding the lower part of the connector 1, and is made of, for example, a metal material. The lower shell 10 is attached to the connector housing 2 together with the upper shell 5 by two bolts 6.

[0031] Next, the terminal-like member 11 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The terminal-like member 11 is a terminal to which a mating terminal 101 is connected. The terminal-like member 11 includes a terminal connection portion 12, a male thread portion 13, a flange portion 14, and a tool fitting portion 15. The terminal connection portion 12, the male thread portion 13, the flange portion 14, and the tool fitting portion 15 are all integrally formed from a conductive metal member (e.g., copper). The terminal-like member 11 is arranged and connected to one another in the axial direction X in the order of the terminal connection portion 12, the tool fitting portion 15, the flange portion 14, and the male thread portion 13, from the insertion direction X1 toward the removal direction X2.

[0032] The terminal connection portion 12 is, for example, a male terminal, and is a portion that is electrically connected to the mating terminal 101. The terminal connection portion 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a central axis along the axial direction X as its center. The terminal connection portion 12 is illustrated as having a male terminal shape, and is inserted into the female mating terminal 101. The terminal connection portion 12 has a protrusion 16 that protrudes in the insertion direction X1 from an end face formed at the end on the insertion direction X1 side, and on which a resin cap 50 is attached.

[0033] The male thread portion 13 is an example of a screw portion, is located on the opposite side of the terminal connection portion 12 in the axial direction X, and screws into the female thread portion 32 of the holding portion 3 provided on the connector housing 2. The male thread portion 13 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and has a screw groove 17 formed on its outer circumferential surface around the axial direction X. The terminal-like member 11 of this embodiment is fastened to the fastened terminal 40 by screwing the male thread portion 13 into the female thread portion 32 in an inserted state in which the male thread portion 13 is inserted into the through hole 42 of the fastened terminal 40.

[0034] The flange portion 14 protrudes radially outward from the end portion of the male thread portion 13 on the insertion direction X1 side, and is formed in an annular shape when viewed from the axial direction X.

[0035] The tool fitting portion 15 is located between the terminal connection portion 12 and the male thread portion 13, and is formed so that a tool T can be inserted through the opening 21a of the connector housing 2 as shown in FIG. 5 . The tool T is, for example, a hexagonal socket wrench. The opening 21a and the fitting space 2 are formed to a size that allows the socket of the socket wrench to be inserted therein. The tool fitting portion 15 is formed on the insertion direction X1 side of the flange portion 14, and has a hexagonal cross-sectional shape as viewed from the insertion direction X1 side. The tool fitting portion 15 has a hexagonal cross-sectional shape as viewed from the insertion direction X1 side to fit a hexagonal socket wrench, but is not limited to this.

[0036] Next, the assembly process of the connector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. First, the worker inserts the fastened terminal 40 into the insertion space 23 through the opening 20a. The fastened terminal 40 moves through the insertion space 23 in the first direction Z1 and is accommodated in the mating space 22 while exposed within the mating space 22. Next, the worker inserts the terminal-shaped member 11, to which the cap 50 is attached, into the mating space 22 through the opening 21a with the male thread portion 13 facing the removal direction X2. The male thread portion 13 of the terminal-shaped member 11 is inserted into the through-hole 42 of the fastened terminal 40, and its tip reaches the opening 30a of the holding part 3. The worker inserts the tool T from the opening 21a into the mating space 22, fits it into the tool fitting portion 15, and rotates it around the axial direction X, thereby threading the male thread portion 13 into the female thread portion 32. As a result, the terminal-shaped member 11 is fastened to the fastened terminal 40 .

[0037] As described above, the connector 1 according to this embodiment includes the connector housing 2 having the terminal-like member 11 connected to the mating terminal 101, the mating space 22 communicating with the outside via the opening 21a, the retaining portion 3 facing the mating space 22 and retaining the terminal-like member 11 along the axial direction X with the terminal-like member 11 exposed within the mating space 22, and the fastened terminal 40 whose fastened portion 41 is assembled to the mating space 22 in an assembly direction (second direction Z2) perpendicular to the axial direction X. The retaining portion 3 has a female threaded portion 32 at a position where it holds the terminal-like member 11. In the held state, the terminal-like member 11 has a terminal connecting portion 12 located on the opening 21a side in the axial direction X and connected to the mating terminal 101, and a male threaded portion 13 located on the opposite side of the terminal connecting portion 12 and threadedly engaging with the female threaded portion 32. In the inserted state, the male threaded portion 13 is threadedly engaged with the female threaded portion 32, thereby fastening the terminal 40 to the fastened terminal 40.

[0038] With the above configuration, the connector 1 eliminates the need for a large opening on the rear side of the connector housing and a cover with a rear cover, as in conventional connectors, for example, to fasten an LA terminal to a male terminal. That is, in the connector 1 of this embodiment, the terminal-shaped member 11 is fastened to the fastened terminal 40 by inserting the terminal-shaped member 11 into the mating space 22 through the opening 21a on the front side of the connector housing and screwing it into the holding portion 3. As a result, compared to conventional connectors, the connector 1 does not require a rear cover, rear cover packing, or inner holder, thereby reducing the number of parts. Furthermore, the connector 1 can be assembled to the connector housing 2 by inserting the fastened terminal 40 from an assembly direction (second direction Z2) perpendicular to the axial direction X of the connector housing 2, eliminating the need for an opening on the rear side of the connector housing 2.

[0039] Furthermore, in the connector 1 according to this embodiment, the holding portion 3 is insert-molded into the connector housing 2. This allows the connector 1 to easily assemble the holding portion 3 to the connector housing 2.

[0040] Furthermore, in the connector 1 according to this embodiment, the terminal-like member 11 is positioned between the terminal connection portion 12 and the male thread portion 13, and has a tool fitting portion 15 formed so that a tool T inserted through the opening 21a can be fitted therein. This allows the worker to easily fit the tool T into the terminal-like member 11. Furthermore, the worker can easily screw the male thread portion 13 of the terminal-like member 11 into the female thread portion 32 of the holding portion 3 by inserting the tool T through the opening 21a, fitting it into the tool fitting portion 15, and rotating the tool.

[0041] Furthermore, in the connector 1 according to this embodiment, the terminal-like member 11 has a male thread portion 13 as a screw-engaging portion, and the holding portion 3 has a female thread portion 32 as a threaded portion. As a result, when the holding portion 3 of the connector 1 is a cap nut, the fastened terminals 40 can be assembled to the connector housing 2 as round terminals (LA terminals) without being U-shaped, making it easy to insert the fastened terminals 40 into the connector housing 2 from the assembly direction.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the terminal-shaped member 11 has the male thread portion 13 and the holding portion 3 has the female thread portion 32, but this is not limiting. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a terminal-shaped member and a holding portion according to a modified example of the embodiment.

[0043] 6, a terminal-shaped member 11A according to the modified example has a female thread portion 32 instead of the male thread portion 13. A holding portion 3A has a male thread portion 13 instead of the female thread portion 32.

[0044] In connector 1 according to a modification of this embodiment, terminal-like member 11 has female thread portion 32 as a threaded portion, and retaining portion 3 has male thread portion 13 as a threaded portion. Here, if terminal-like member 11A is made of copper in consideration of electrical conductivity and retaining portion 3A is made of iron in consideration of cost and strength, the strength of male thread portion 13A is increased, and therefore connector 1 according to the modification can have a smaller nominal diameter of male thread portion 13A, thereby achieving size, weight, and cost reduction.

[0045] In the above embodiment and modified example, the terminal connection portion 12 is described as a male terminal, but is not limited to this and may be a female terminal.

[0046] In the above embodiment and modified examples, the retaining portion 3 is a metal insert cap nut that is insert-molded into the connector housing 2, but is not limited to this. The retaining portion 3 may be, for example, a weld nut, in which a heated weld nut is press-fitted while using heat to melt a hole on the main body 20 that faces the fitting space 22. Alternatively, the retaining portion 3 may be a nut press-fitted into a hole on the main body 20 that faces the fitting space 22.

[0047] Furthermore, in the above embodiment and modified examples, the connector 1 has been described as a shielded connector, but the present invention is not limited to this. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 connector 2 Connector housing 3 Holding part 11 Terminal member 12 Terminal connection 13 Male threaded portion (screwed portion) 22 Fitting space 30 Main body 31 Flange 32 Female threaded portion (threaded portion) 40 Connected terminal 41 Part to be fastened 42 Through hole 100 Mating connector 101 Mating terminal

Claims

1. a terminal-shaped member formed to be connectable to a mating terminal provided in a mating connector; a connector housing having an opening that opens toward one side in the axial direction, a mating space that communicates with the outside through the opening and is formed so as to be able to mate with the mating connector, and a holding portion that faces the mating space and holds the terminal-like member along the axial direction in a state where it is exposed within the mating space; a fastened terminal having a flat fastened portion with a through hole formed therein, the fastened portion being assembled to the fitting space portion in an assembly direction perpendicular to the axial direction, The holding portion is a threaded portion at a position where the terminal-like member is held; The terminal-like member is a terminal connection portion that is located on the opening side in the axial direction and connects to the mating terminal when the terminal-shaped member is held by the holding portion; a screwing portion located on the opposite side of the terminal connection portion in the axial direction and screwed into the threaded portion, In an inserted state in which the screwing portion is inserted into the through-hole of the fastened terminal, the screwing portion is fastened to the fastened terminal by being screwed into the fastened portion. A connector characterized by:

2. The holding portion is Insert molded into the connector housing The connector according to claim 1 .

3. The terminal-like member is a fitting portion located between the terminal connection portion and the screw portion, the fitting portion being formed so that a tool inserted through the opening can be fitted therein; The connector according to claim 1 .

4. The screw portion is a male thread portion, The threaded portion is a female threaded portion. The connector according to claim 1 .

5. The threaded portion is a female threaded portion, The threaded portion is a male threaded portion. The connector according to claim 1 .

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