Shield terminal

Abstract

To provide a shield terminal which not only can ensure stability of welding but can also improve workability at the time of assembly.SOLUTION: An outer conductor of a shield terminal 10 has a first outer conductor 20A and a second outer conductor 20B. The first outer conductor 20A is cylindrically shaped and has a first end 24. The second outer conductor 20B is cylindrically shaped and has a second end located on the inner side of the first end 24. Either one of the first end 24 and the second end 32 has a protrusion 28 which protrudes toward the other one so that its tip end may be brought into contact with the other one.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] The shield terminal disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an outer conductor having a front portion and a rear portion. The tip portion of the rear portion is fitted inside the front portion of the outer conductor, and the fitted portion is welded to be connected to the front portion of the outer conductor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2017 / 144070 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The configuration of Patent Document 1 requires highly accurate control of the clearance between the inner peripheral surface of the front portion of the outer conductor and the outer peripheral surface of the rear portion of the outer conductor at the mating portion of the outer conductor. For example, if the clearance is large, there is a problem that welding becomes unstable. On the other hand, if the clearance is small, there is a problem that assembly resistance becomes excessive during the mating process of the front portion of the outer conductor and the rear portion of the outer conductor, deteriorating workability.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a shield terminal that can ensure welding stability and also improve workability during assembly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The shield terminal of the present disclosure comprises an inner conductor, an outer conductor surrounding the inner conductor, and a dielectric interposed between the inner conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the outer conductor has a first outer conductor and a second outer conductor, the first outer conductor is cylindrical and has a first end, the second outer conductor is cylindrical and has a second end positioned inside the first end, and one of the first end and the second end has a protrusion that protrudes toward the other and has its tip in contact with the other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a shield terminal that can ensure welding stability and improve workability during assembly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a shield terminal connected to an end portion of a shielded electric wire in a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of a shield terminal connected to an end portion of the shielded electric wire shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of a shield terminal connected to an end portion of the shielded electric wire shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the tip of the protrusion is in contact with and joined to the outer circumferential surface of the second end portion in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a rear view of the first outer conductor shown in FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a rear portion of the second outer conductor is opened during the manufacturing process of the shield terminal shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 of the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 of the third embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The shield terminal of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A dielectric element includes an inner conductor, an outer conductor surrounding the inner conductor, and a dielectric interposed between the inner conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the outer conductor has a first outer conductor and a second outer conductor, the first outer conductor is cylindrical and has a first end, the second outer conductor is cylindrical and has a second end arranged inside the first end, and one of the first end and the second end has a protrusion that protrudes toward the other and has a tip that contacts the other. With the above configuration, when assembling the first outer conductor and the second outer conductor, one of the protrusions that contacts the other can be used as a welding point, thereby enabling stable welding of the first end of the first outer conductor and the second end of the second outer conductor. In the process of assembling the first outer conductor and the second outer conductor, the tip of the protrusion only comes into contact with the other, so assembly resistance does not increase and workability during assembly can be improved.

[0010] (2) In the shield terminal described in (1) above, it is preferable that the first end is continuous in the circumferential direction through a slit, and the protrusion is provided on the one side within a range of one-quarter of the circumference from the slit in the circumferential direction. In the above configuration, when the tip of the protrusion comes into contact with the other, the first end portion can elastically expand via the slit. Because the protrusion is provided within a quarter of the circumference from the slit, the assembly resistance between the first outer conductor and the second outer conductor can be reduced compared to, for example, a case where the protrusion is provided away from the quarter of the circumference, and workability during assembly can be further improved.

[0011] (3) In the shield terminal described in (1) or (2) above, it is preferable that the first end has a stabilizer formed by bending up the inner part of the notch formed in the first end, and the protrusion is provided at one end in a position near the notch. In the above configuration, when the tip of the protrusion comes into contact with the other, the first end can be elastically expanded via the notch. Because the protrusion is provided in a position near the notch, assembly resistance can be reduced, and workability during assembly can be further improved. Note that the "position near the notch" refers to a position where the protrusion provided in the said position can elastically expand the first end while deforming the notch when assembling the first outer conductor and the second outer conductor.

[0012] (4) In the shield terminal described in any one of (1) to (3) above, the tip of the protrusion preferably has a flat surface. In the above configuration, the flat surface of the protrusion comes into contact with the other, so that a large contact area between the first end and the second end can be ensured, and the stability of welding can be further improved.

[0013] (5) In the shield terminal described in any one of (1) to (4) above, when one of the terminals is virtually divided into four equal parts in the circumferential direction to form four divided parts, it is preferable that the protrusion is provided separately in each of the four divided parts. The above configuration allows the protrusions that can become welding points to be arranged evenly or nearly evenly in one circumferential direction, thereby ensuring a path for return current in the outer conductor and allowing the shielding performance of the outer conductor to be properly demonstrated.

[0014] (6) In the shield terminal described in any one of (1) to (5) above, it is preferable that the protrusion is provided on the first end portion, and the outer surface of the first end portion has a recess at a position corresponding to the protrusion. The above configuration allows the recess on the outer peripheral surface of the first end portion to be identified, for example, visually and used as a welding point, thereby improving workability when welding the first end portion and the second end portion together.

[0015] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0016] <Embodiment 1> As shown in FIG. 1 , the shield terminal 10 according to the first embodiment includes a conductive inner conductor 11, an insulating dielectric 12, and a conductive outer conductor 20. The inner conductor 11 is connected to an end of a shielded electric wire 60. The shield terminal 10 is accommodated in a housing (not shown) and constitutes a shielded connector together with the housing. In the following description, the front side of the front-rear direction refers to the side where the shield terminal 10 is connected to the shielded electric wire 60. The arrow X in FIG. 1 indicates the front side. The left-right direction is based on the left-right direction in FIG. 3. The up-down direction is based on the up-down direction in each drawing. In this specification, the left-right direction is synonymous with the width direction, and the up-down direction is synonymous with the height direction. These directions are defined merely for convenience.

[0017] (Inner conductor 11 and dielectric 12) The inner conductor 11 is made of a conductive metal and is configured as, for example, a female terminal. The inner conductor 11 is connected to a core 61 exposed at the end of the shielded electric wire 60 as shown in FIG.

[0018] The dielectric 12 is made of synthetic resin and accommodates the inner conductor 11. The dielectric 12 is disposed between the outer conductor 20 and the inner conductor 11, and keeps the outer conductor 20 and the inner conductor 11 in an insulated state.

[0019] (Outer conductor 20) The outer conductor 20 is formed by bending a conductive metal plate material, etc. The outer conductor 20 surrounds the outer periphery of the inner conductor 11 and shields the inner conductor 11 from electromagnetic noise. The outer conductor 20 has a cylindrical shape, for example, a cylindrical first outer conductor 20A, and a cylindrical second outer conductor 20B, for example, also.

[0020] The first outer conductor 20A accommodates the dielectric 12 inside. As shown in FIG. 2, the first outer conductor 20A is bent into a cylindrical shape and is configured by joining a slit 25A (which also serves as a seam) between both ends in the circumferential direction. Locking portions 21A that fit together in a concave-convex shape are formed on both ends of the first outer conductor 20A in the circumferential direction. The first outer conductor 20A maintains its cylindrical shape by the locking portions 21A.

[0021] The first outer conductor 20A has a stepped portion 22 in the front-to-rear middle portion, and is configured such that the front side has a smaller diameter than the rear side of the stepped portion 22. As shown in FIG. 1 , the dielectric 12 is accommodated in the rear side of the first outer conductor 20A and is arranged so as to be able to contact the stepped portion 22 from behind. A plurality of contact portions 23 are provided at the front side of the first outer conductor 20A at intervals in the circumferential direction. Each contact portion 23 is composed of a movable portion and a fixed portion, and comes into contact with a mating outer conductor (not shown) to connect the outer conductor 20 and the mating outer conductor.

[0022] A rear end portion on the rear side of the first outer conductor 20A forms a first end portion 24 that is connected to the second outer conductor 20B. As shown in Fig. 5, the first end portion 24 has a pair of stabilizers 26 in a half-circumferential range (the lower half of Fig. 5, a range having divided portions D3 and D4 described later) opposite to a half-circumferential range (the upper half of Fig. 5, a range having divided portions D1 and D2 described later) centered on the slit 25A. The stabilizers 26 are provided at the first end portion 24 in an axis-symmetrical shape with respect to an axis of symmetry C1 that passes through the radial center of the first outer conductor 20A and the slit 25A.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the stabilizer 26 has a rectangular plate shape in a side view and is disposed with its plate thickness facing both front and rear. As shown in FIG. 6, the stabilizer 26 is formed by bending the inner portion of an L-shaped notch 27 opening at the rear end of the first end 24 radially outward. Although not shown, each stabilizer 26 fits into a guide groove formed in the housing to guide the insertion of the shield terminal 10 into the housing. Furthermore, as each stabilizer 26 fits into a guide groove in the housing to restrict rotation of the shield terminal 10 around its axis relative to the housing. Furthermore, each stabilizer 26 also restricts incorrect insertion of the shield terminal 10 into the housing.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 5, the first outer conductor 20A has a plurality of protrusions 28 arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction at the first end portion 24. Each protrusion 28 is formed by pressing the outer peripheral surface of the first end portion 24. Each protrusion 28 has an embossed shape that protrudes (bulges) radially inward from the first end portion 24. Recesses 29 are formed by pressing on the outer peripheral surface of the first end portion 24 at positions corresponding to the protrusions 28. As shown in FIG. 2, the recesses 29 have a circular outline when viewed from the radially outer side. The protrusions 28 also have a circular outline when viewed from the radially inner side. As shown in FIG. 5, the tip of each protrusion 28 in the protruding direction forms a planar flat surface 31. As shown in FIG. 4, the flat surface 31 of each protrusion 28 is arranged linearly in a cross-sectional view of the first end portion 24.

[0025] At the first end 24, each protrusion 28 has two protrusions (hereinafter referred to as first protrusion 28A) arranged within a semicircular range centered on the slit 25A (the upper half of Figure 5, the range including dividing sections D1 and D2 described later), and two protrusions (hereinafter referred to as second protrusion 28B) arranged within a semicircular range including each stabilizer 26 (the lower half of Figure 5, the range including dividing sections D3 and D4 described later).

[0026] The first protrusions 28A are arranged at positions that are symmetrical with respect to the axis of symmetry C1. In the first embodiment, the first protrusions 28A are arranged at 90-degree intervals with the gap 25A interposed therebetween in the circumferential direction of the first end portion 24. In other words, the first protrusions 28A are arranged within a range of one-quarter of the circumference of the first end portion 24 in the circumferential direction. In the illustrated example, the first protrusions 28A are arranged at divisions D1 and D2 within a range of a quarter arc from the gap 25A.

[0027] The second protrusions 28B are also arranged at positions that are symmetrical with respect to the axis of symmetry C1. In the first embodiment, the second protrusions 28B are arranged in the circumferential direction of the first end portion 24 at intervals of less than 90 degrees, with the lower end position (the position through which the axis of symmetry C1 passes) on the radially opposite side of the slit 25A being spaced apart from each other. The second protrusions 28B are arranged in the circumferential direction of the first end portion 24 near the base portion of each stabilizer 26 and near each notch 27. The second protrusions 28B are arranged in the divided portions D3 and D4, respectively.

[0028] When the first end portion 24 is virtually divided equally at 90-degree intervals in the circumferential direction to form four divisions D1-D4 (see the range indicated by the arrows in FIG. 5), each of the protrusions 28 (each of the first protrusions 28A and each of the second protrusions 28B) is arranged in each of the four divisions D1-D4. Note that in the case of the first embodiment, for convenience, the first end portion 24 is assumed to be divided into division D1, which is a quadrant arc portion on the upper left side of FIG. 5, division D2, which is a quadrant arc portion on the upper right side of FIG. 5, division D3, which is a quadrant arc portion on the lower right side of FIG. 5, and division D4, which is a quadrant arc portion on the lower left side of FIG. 5.

[0029] The second outer conductor 20B has a second end 32 with a circular cross section that is arranged in a fitted state inside the first end 24. In the case of the first embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the second end 32 is configured to contact the tip of each protrusion 28, as shown in Fig. 3, and is configured to contact the flat surface 31 of each protrusion 28 in a line contact state, for example. With the second end 32 arranged inside the first end 24, each protrusion 28 is spot-welded by welding such as laser welding. As a result, the first end 24 and the second end 32 are joined and fixed to each other.

[0030] Like the first outer conductor 20A, the second outer conductor 20B is bent into a cylindrical shape and is configured by aligning the slits 25B between both ends in the circumferential direction. The second outer conductor 20B accommodates the terminal portion of the shielded wire 60 inside. As shown in FIG. 1 , the shielded wire 60 of the first embodiment is configured by laminating, in order from the radial center, a core wire 61, a coating 62, a braided wire 63 (shielding layer), and a sheath 64. At the terminal portion of the shielded wire 60, the sheath 64 is removed, a sleeve 65 is fitted, and the braided wire 63 is folded back around the sleeve 65. The second outer conductor 20B is connected to the folded back braided wire 63 by crimping it with the sleeve 65 as an underlay.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 6, a crimping piece 33 is formed to protrude from one circumferential end of the second outer conductor 20B. In the above crimping process, the crimping piece 33 is fixed to overlap an outer circumferential portion of the second outer conductor 20B located on the opposite side of the slit 25B, as shown in Fig. 2. The second outer conductor 20B maintains its cylindrical shape due to the fixing action of the crimping piece 33 and the engagement of the locking portion 21B at the slit 25B.

[0032] The second outer conductor 20B has a locking recess 34 having a narrowed diameter all around its circumference, located adjacent to the second end 32 from the rear and forward of the crimping piece 33. Although not shown, when the shielded terminal 10 is accommodated in the housing, a lance of the housing can enter and lock the locking recess 34. The shielded terminal 10 is locked by the lance and prevented from slipping out of the housing.

[0033] (Method of manufacturing the shield terminal 10) First, the inner conductor 11 is connected to the terminal portion of the shielded wire 60. Next, the inner conductor 11 is housed in the dielectric 12. Next, the dielectric 12 housing the inner conductor 11 is inserted into the first outer conductor 20A from the rear. The dielectric 12 hits the stepped portion 22 and is stopped at the front.

[0034] In the above state, the first outer conductor 20A and the second outer conductor 20B are assembled together. At this time, the second outer conductor 20B has a shape in which the slit 25B is closed at the front end side including the second end portion 32 and the locking recess 34, and a part rearward of the front end side has a shape in which the slit 25B is open, as shown in Fig. 6 .

[0035] When assembling the first outer conductor 20A and the second outer conductor 20B, the second end 32 of the second outer conductor 20B is inserted inside the first end 24 of the first outer conductor 20A. The second end 32 is stopped in front by abutting on the rear surface of the dielectric 12. The dielectric 12 is accommodated inside the first outer conductor 20A in a state where movement in the front-rear direction is restricted between the stepped portion 22 and the second end 32 (see FIG. 1).

[0036] The tip of each protrusion 28 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the second end 32 at four circumferentially spaced locations. At this time, the first end 24 can open the slits 25A and deform slightly. This makes it possible to reduce the frictional resistance between each first protrusion 28A and the second end 32. Also, each stabilizer 26 can deform slightly via each notch 27. This makes it possible to reduce the frictional resistance between each second protrusion 28B and the second end 32. Therefore, when the tip of each protrusion 28 contacts the second end 32, it is possible to avoid an increase in assembly resistance between the first outer conductor 20A and the second outer conductor 20B.

[0037] Next, the first end 24 of the first outer conductor 20A and the second end 32 of the second outer conductor 20B are joined by welding such as laser welding. When welding, the recesses 29 exposed on the outer peripheral surface of the first end 24 can be visually confirmed or used as markers for the welding points. In the case of the first embodiment, each of the protrusions 28 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the second end 32. Therefore, unlike when a radial clearance is formed between the first end 24 and the second end 32, the welding operation can be performed stably and accurately. After welding, the rear slit 25B of the second outer conductor 20B is closed and simultaneously crimped and connected to the terminal portion of the shielded electric wire 60.

[0038] As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the first end 24 of the first outer conductor 20A and the second end 32 of the second outer conductor 20B are joined by welding such as laser welding, the protrusions 28 in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the second outer conductor 20B can be used as welding points. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a shield terminal 10 with stable quality.

[0039] In the process of assembling the first outer conductor 20A and the second outer conductor 20B, the tip of the protrusion 28 only comes into contact with the second end 32, so that the assembly resistance does not increase and the workability during assembly can be improved. Therefore, the configuration of the present embodiment 1 can ensure the stability of the welded state and improve the workability during assembly at the same time.

[0040] Each first protrusion 28A is located within a quarter of the circumference from the slit 25A. Each second protrusion 28B is located near the slit 27. When each protrusion 28 contacts the second end 32 during the assembly process of the first outer conductor 20A and the second outer conductor 20B, the first end 24 can be deformed via the slit 25A and the slit 27. Therefore, the configuration of the first embodiment can further reduce assembly resistance between the first outer conductor 20A and the second outer conductor 20B, thereby further improving workability during assembly. Furthermore, because the flat surface 31 of each protrusion 28 contacts the second end 32, a large contact area between the first end 24 and the second end 32 can be secured, thereby further improving the stability of the welding state.

[0041] Furthermore, because the protrusions 28 are provided separately on each of the four divisions D1-D4 of the first end portion 24, welding points corresponding to the protrusions 28 can be arranged at approximately equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the first end portion 24. As a result, a return current path can be secured in the outer conductor 20, and the shielding performance of the outer conductor 20 can be properly exhibited. Furthermore, because each protrusion 28 has an embossed shape and recesses 29 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first end portion 24 at positions corresponding to the protrusions 28, each recess 29 can be visually confirmed and used as a welding point, for example. As a result, the configuration of the first embodiment can improve the workability when welding the first end portion 24 and the second end portion 32 together.

[0042] [Another embodiment of the present disclosure] The first embodiment disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. In the above-described first embodiment, each of the protrusions 28 protrudes toward the inner periphery of the first end 24, and the tip of each of the protrusions 28 can contact the outer periphery of the second end 32. In contrast, according to the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, each of the protrusions 28C can protrude toward the outer periphery of the second end 32, and the tip of each of the protrusions 28C can contact the inner periphery of the first end 24. In the above-described first embodiment, the tip of the protrusion 28 is a flat surface 31. In contrast, according to the third embodiment, the tip of the protrusion 28D may be a curved surface, as shown in Fig. 8. If the tip of the protrusion 28D is a curved surface, the assembly resistance between the first outer conductor 20A and the second outer conductor 20B can be further reduced. In the third embodiment, a recess 29D having a concave curved surface is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first end portion 24 at a position corresponding to the protrusion 28D. In the case of the above-described embodiment 1, the tip of each protrusion 28 was in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the second end portion 32 before welding. In contrast, according to embodiment 3, the tip of each protrusion may be configured to be close to but not in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the second end portion before welding, and to come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the second end portion after welding. In the first embodiment, four protrusions 28 were provided at a nearly equal interval in the circumferential direction of the first end. However, fewer than four or more than four protrusions may be provided at a nearly equal interval in the circumferential direction of the first end or the second end. Here, protrusions exceeding four may be provided separately in each of the four divided portions of the first end or the second end. In the first embodiment, the outer conductor has a cylindrical shape. However, the outer conductor may have a rectangular cylindrical shape. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10...Shield terminal 11...Inner conductor 12...Dielectric 20...Outer conductor 20A...First outer conductor 20B...Second outer conductor 21A...Latching portion of first outer conductor 21B...Second outer conductor locking portion 22...Step 23...Contact point 24...First end 25A...First outer conductor break 25B...Gap in the second outer conductor 26...Stabilizer 27...Notch 28...Protrusion 28A…1st protrusion 28B…Second protrusion 28C...Protrusion of embodiment 2 28D...Protrusion of embodiment 3 29...recess 29D...Recess of embodiment 3 31…Flat surface 32…Second end 33... Crimping piece 34...Latching recess 60...Shielded wire 61...Core wire 62...Covering 63...braided wire 64...Sheath 65...Sleeve C1...Axis of symmetry D1-D4...Division

Claims

1. an inner conductor, an outer conductor surrounding the inner conductor, and a dielectric interposed between the inner conductor and the outer conductor; the outer conductor includes a first outer conductor and a second outer conductor, the first outer conductor is cylindrical and has a first end; the second outer conductor is cylindrical and has a second end portion disposed inside the first end portion; A shield terminal, wherein one of the first end and the second end has a protrusion that protrudes toward the other end and has a tip that contacts the other end.

2. the first end portion is continuous in the circumferential direction via a gap, The shield terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is provided on the one side within a range of one-quarter of the circumference from the slit in the circumferential direction.

3. the first end portion has a stabilizer formed by bending and raising an inner portion of a notch formed in the first end portion, The shield terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is provided at the one end in the vicinity of the notch.

4. The shield terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the tip of the protrusion has a flat surface.

5. 2. The shield terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the one end is virtually divided into four equal parts in a circumferential direction to form four divided portions, the protrusion is provided separately in each of the four divided portions.

6. The protrusion is provided on the first end portion, The shield terminal according to claim 1 , wherein an outer peripheral surface of the first end portion has a recess at a position corresponding to the protrusion.

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