Shielded Connectors

Abstract

To provide a shield connector with a new structure capable of stably achieving the desired heat dissipation performance with a shorter heat dissipation path while suppressing the reduction in heat dissipation performance due to environmental temperature changes.SOLUTION: A shield connector 10 includes: a terminal fitting 16 that has a terminal connection part 14 to be connected to a mating terminal 12; an insulative housing 18 housing the terminal fitting 16; a shield shell 20 covering the exterior of housing 18; a heat transfer part 24 that is interposed between the terminal connection part 14 and the shield shell 20 for transferring heat from the terminal connection part 14 to the shield shell 20; and a spring member 22 provided integrally with the terminal fitting 16. Due to the elastic force of the spring member 22, the terminal connection part 14 is pressed in contact with shield shell 20 through the heat transfer part 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a shielded connector that includes a terminal fitting having a terminal connection portion to be connected to a mating terminal, an electric wire connected to the electric wire connection portion of the terminal fitting, and a metallic shield shell that covers the electric wire connection portion of the terminal fitting and the electric wire, and that integrates the electric wire connection portion and the shield shell with an insulating resin portion formed by insert molding. In this shielded connector, the electric wire connection portion of the terminal fitting is tightly covered with an insulating resin portion that is filled in the shield shell by insert molding so as to fill the air layer inside the shield shell, and is integrated with the shield shell. Therefore, heat generated on the conductive path is quickly transferred from the insulating resin portion to the metallic shield shell without passing through the air layer, and is dissipated, thereby improving the heat dissipation performance of the shielded connector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-113119 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the shielded connector described in Patent Document 1, if short shots or voids (gaps) occur due to resin fluidity during molding of the insulating resin part, the expected heat dissipation performance may be reduced. In addition, since the linear expansion coefficients of the insulating resin part and the metallic shielded connector and terminal fittings are different, air layers (gaps) may occur between the contact surfaces of the insulating resin part and the metallic shielded connector and terminal fittings due to changes in the environmental temperature during use, which may reduce the heat dissipation performance. Furthermore, since the contact part of the insulating resin part with the terminal fittings is the electric wire connection part, there is an inherent problem that the distance from the terminal connection part, where the largest amount of heat is generated on the conductive path, to the shield shell, which is the heat dissipation part, is long, and the thermal resistance is large.

[0005] Therefore, we disclose a shielded connector with a new structure that can suppress the deterioration of heat dissipation performance due to changes in environmental temperature and stably achieve the desired heat dissipation performance with a shorter heat dissipation path. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The shielded connector of the present disclosure comprises a terminal fitting having a terminal connection portion to be connected to a mating terminal, an insulating housing that accommodates the terminal fitting, a shield shell that covers the outer surface of the housing, a heat transfer portion that is interposed between the terminal connection portion and the shield shell and transfers heat from the terminal connection portion to the shield shell, and a spring member that is integrally formed with the terminal fitting, and the elastic force of the spring member presses the terminal connection portion into contact with the shield shell via the heat transfer portion. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the shielded connector of the present disclosure, deterioration of heat dissipation performance due to changes in environmental temperature is suppressed, and the desired heat dissipation performance can be stably exhibited with a shorter heat dissipation path. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shielded connector according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the shielded connector shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the shielded connector shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing, from the top side, a terminal side assembly constituting the shielded connector shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the terminal side assembly shown in FIG. 5 from the bottom side. [Figure 7] 7 is a perspective view showing a shell side assembly constituting the shielded connector shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is a perspective view showing a housing constituting the shielded connector shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a mating terminal is connected to the shield connector shown in FIG. 1, and corresponds to FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the shielded connector according to the second embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. [Figure 12] 12 is a perspective view showing, from the top side, a terminal side assembly constituting the shielded connector shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] <Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure> First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The shielded connector of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A terminal fitting having a terminal connection portion to be connected to a mating terminal, an insulating housing that accommodates the terminal fitting, a shield shell that covers the outer surface of the housing, a heat transfer portion that is interposed between the terminal connection portion and the shield shell and transfers heat from the terminal connection portion to the shield shell, and a spring member that is integrally formed with the terminal fitting, wherein the elastic force of the spring member presses the terminal connection portion into contact with the shield shell via the heat transfer portion.

[0010] According to the shielded connector of the present disclosure, instead of the insulating resin part molded to fill the gap between the shield shell and the terminal metal fitting in the conventional structure, the terminal connection part, which is the heat generating part of the terminal metal fitting, is brought into contact with the shield shell via the heat transfer part interposed between the terminal connection part and the shield shell, and this state can be maintained by the elastic force of the spring member. That is, instead of the insulating resin part molded in the heat dissipation path, the terminal connection part, which is the heat generating part, is pressed and held in a state of contact with the shield shell via the heat transfer part by using the elastic force of the spring member. This makes it possible to stably maintain the terminal connection part in a state of contact with the shield shell via the heat transfer part by utilizing the elastic force of the spring member. In addition, since the contact part of the heat dissipation member with the terminal metal fitting is the terminal connection part, the terminal connection part, which generates the largest amount of heat on the conductive path, can be brought into direct contact with the shield shell via the heat dissipation member. As a result, the heat dissipation path can be shortened compared to the conventional structure, and the desired heat dissipation performance can be stably exhibited.

[0011] Furthermore, since the spring member is provided integrally with the terminal fitting, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and improve workability during assembly.

[0012] The heat transfer portion desirably has a thermal conductivity equal to or higher than that of the housing, and may be formed of a wall portion of the housing or another member having a thermal conductivity higher than that of the housing.

[0013] Furthermore, the terminal fitting having an integral spring member may be of any shape as long as the elastic force of the spring member can press the terminal connection portion into contact with the shield shell via the heat transfer portion.

[0014] (2) It is preferable that the heat transfer portion includes a heat dissipation member made of an insulating material having a higher thermal conductivity than the housing, and the heat dissipation member has a connection-side contact surface that contacts the terminal connection portion and a shell-side contact surface that is exposed from the housing and contacts the shield shell. This is because the connection-side contact surface and the shell-side contact surface of the heat dissipation member made of an insulating material having a higher thermal conductivity than the housing contact the terminal connection portion and the shield shell, respectively, and can efficiently transfer heat from the terminal connection portion, thereby ensuring excellent heat dissipation performance. Note that any shape can be adopted for the heat dissipation member as long as the shell-side contact surface of the heat dissipation member can be pressed against the shield shell by the elastic force of a spring member transmitted to the connection-side contact surface.

[0015] (3) It is preferable that the terminal connection part of the terminal fitting has a rectangular tube shape, a mating terminal arrangement part into which the mating terminal is inserted is formed inside the terminal connection part, a holding part is formed to hold the spring member integrally provided on one of a pair of opposing wall parts of the terminal connection part, a contact surface is formed by the other of the pair of opposing wall parts, and the contact surface is in contact with and pressed against the heat transfer part. Since the terminal connection part of the terminal fitting has a rectangular tube shape, the mating terminal arrangement part can be provided inside the terminal connection part, and the risk of the mating terminal arrangement part or the mating terminal interfering with the spring member can be eliminated or reduced. In particular, when an elastic contact piece or the like that elastically contacts the mating terminal protrudes from the mating terminal arrangement part, deformation of the elastic contact piece is prevented, and a desired contact state with the mating terminal can be advantageously maintained. Moreover, by utilizing a pair of opposing walls of the rectangular cylindrical terminal connection part to form a holding part that holds the integrally provided spring member and a contact surface that comes into contact with the heat transfer part, the design freedom of the spring member is improved and the terminal connection part can be pressed against the connection part side contact surface of the heat dissipation member over a wide contact area, thereby realizing more stable heat dissipation from the terminal connection part to the shield shell.

[0016] (4) It is preferable that the spring member is formed by a flat plate portion that protrudes toward the base end of the terminal connection part at an angle away from the holding portion via a curved portion provided at the tip end of the holding portion of the terminal connection part, and the spring member is elastically deformed in a direction approaching the terminal connection part when the terminal fitting is accommodated in the housing. The spring member can be integrally provided with the holding portion of the rectangular cylindrical terminal connection part with a simple structure, thereby improving manufacturability.

[0017] (5) It is preferable that the terminal connection portion of the terminal fitting has a flat plate shape, the spring member is formed by a flat plate portion that is inclined away from the terminal connection portion and protrudes toward the base end side of the terminal connection portion via a curved portion provided at the tip end of the terminal connection portion, and the spring member is elastically deformed in a direction approaching the terminal connection portion when the terminal fitting is accommodated in the housing. Terminals Since the connection portion and the spring member can be formed integrally, the terminal connection portion and the shield connector itself can be made smaller.

[0018] <Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure> Specific examples of the shielded connector of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure 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.

[0019] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, a shielded connector 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 10. The shielded connector 10 is applied to, for example, electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, and is used in the high current region of a high-voltage connector extending from a PCU (power control unit) to a battery. The shielded connector 10 can be arranged in any direction, but in the following description, the upper side refers to the upper side in Fig. 2, the lower side refers to the lower side in Fig. 2, the front side refers to the left side in Fig. 2, the rear side refers to the right side in Fig. 2, the left side refers to the front direction in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in Fig. 2 (the right side in Fig. 3), and the right side refers to the back direction in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in Fig. 2 (the left side in Fig. 3). In addition, for multiple identical members, only some of the members may be labeled with a reference symbol, and the reference symbols may be omitted for the other members.

[0020] <Shield connector 10> The shielded connector 10 includes a terminal fitting 16 having a terminal connection portion 14 to be connected to a mating terminal 12, an insulating housing 18 that houses the terminal fitting 16, and a shield shell 20 that covers the outer surface of the housing 18. A spring member 22 is integrally provided with the terminal fitting 16. A heat transfer portion that transfers heat from the terminal connection portion 14 to the shield shell 20 is provided between the terminal connection portion 14 and the shield shell 20, and in the first embodiment, the heat transfer portion includes a heat dissipation member 24 made of an insulating material having a higher thermal conductivity than the housing 18.

[0021] <Other terminal 12> The shape of the mating terminal 12 is not limited, but in the first embodiment, it is a substantially flat tab shape. In the first embodiment, as described later, a mating terminal arrangement section 26 is provided inside the terminal connection section 14, and the mating terminal 12 is inserted into a mating terminal insertion hole 86 provided in the shield shell 20. The mating terminal 12 arranged in the mating terminal arrangement section 26 and the terminal connection section 14 of the terminal fitting 16 accommodated in the housing 18 are in contact with each other to be electrically connected. That is, in the first embodiment, the mating terminal 12 is a male terminal, and the terminal connection section 14 is a female terminal.

[0022] <Terminal metal fitting 16> 3 to 6, the shielded connector 10 has a terminal fitting 16 that is integral with a spring member 22. This terminal fitting 16 can be formed, for example, by bending a metal plate of a predetermined shape into the following shape.

[0023] The terminal connection portion 14 of the terminal fitting 16 has a generally rectangular tubular shape extending in the front-rear direction, and opens on both front-rear sides in the shielded connector 10. That is, the terminal connection portion 14 has a lower wall portion 28 that constitutes a lower wall portion when the shielded connector 10 is assembled, a left wall portion 30 as one of a pair of opposing walls protruding upward from both left and right sides of the lower wall portion 28, and a right wall portion 32 as the other of the pair of opposing walls. As will be described later, the outer surface (right end surface) of the right wall portion 32 is a contact surface 34 that contacts the connection portion side contact surface 92 of the heat dissipation member 24. In addition, a notched positioning recess 36 that opens forward is provided in the front end portion of the lower wall portion 28 in the center in the left-right direction, penetrating the thickness direction (up-down direction).

[0024] The upper ends of the left wall portion 30 and the right wall portion 32 are connected at both front-rear end portions, thereby forming a substantially rectangular tubular terminal connection portion 14. The left wall portion 30 and the right wall portion 32 are not connected to each other at the front-rear intermediate portion of the upper end portion of the terminal connection portion 14, and an upper opening portion 38 that opens upward is provided. As a result, the mating terminal arrangement portion 26, which is the internal space of the terminal connection portion 14, and the external space are mutually connected through the upper opening portion 38.

[0025] In such a terminal connection portion 14, the upper ends of the left wall portion 30 and the right wall portion 32 can be connected by, for example, crimping. In the terminal fitting 16, the right wall portion 32 extends rearward beyond the left wall portion 30, and the electric wire 40 is fixedly connected to the rear end portion of the right wall portion 32 that extends rearward beyond the left wall portion 30. That is, the rear end portion of the right wall portion 32 is the electric wire connection portion 42, and in the terminal fitting 16, the terminal connection portion 14 is provided in the front portion, and the rear end portion is the electric wire connection portion 42.

[0026] The electric wire 40 is a coated electric wire, and an insulating coating 46 made of synthetic resin is fitted around a core wire 44. At the tip portion of the electric wire 40, the insulating coating 46 is stripped off to expose the core wire 44, and the exposed core wire 44 is fixed to the rear end portion (electric wire connection portion 42) of the terminal fitting 16 by crimping, welding, or the like, thereby providing electrical continuity between the electric wire 40 and the terminal fitting 16. Note that a ring-shaped waterproof rubber 48 having a substantially rectangular outer shape is fitted and attached behind the portion of the electric wire 40 where the core wire 44 is exposed.

[0027] In the terminal connection portion 14, a terminal spring portion 50 is provided on the inner surface of the left wall portion 30 and the right wall portion 32 in the opposing direction. The terminal spring portion 50 is generally in the shape of a rectangular plate, is made of a metal with good conductive properties, and is fixed to the inner surface of each of the left wall portion 30 and the right wall portion 32. The terminal spring portion 50 has a portion cut and raised in an approximately mountain shape that protrudes inward in the left-right direction, i.e., toward the inside of the mating terminal arrangement portion 26. A plurality of such approximately mountain-shaped cut and raised portions are provided and aligned in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. Then, when the mating terminal 12 is inserted and arranged in the mating terminal arrangement portion 26 as described later, the approximately mountain-shaped protruding portion of the terminal spring portion 50 is pressed by the mating terminal 12, and the approximately mountain-shaped protruding portion is elastically deformed to reduce the protruding height.

[0028] <Spring member 22> The spring member 22 has a flat plate portion 52 that spreads out in a substantially flat plate shape, and the flat plate portion 52 is connected to the left wall portion 30 of the terminal connection portion 14 via a curved portion 54 that curves in a substantially arc shape. The flat plate portion 52 and the curved portion 54 are substantially strip-shaped portions having a substantially constant width dimension (vertical dimension). The curved portion 54 is connected to the front end portion, which is the tip portion of the terminal connection portion 14, and curves so as to protrude leftward and turn back backward, and the flat plate portion 52 protrudes from the rear end of the curved portion 54 toward the rear, which is the base end side. As a result, the flat plate portion 52 of the spring member 22 is separated from the left wall portion 30 of the terminal connection portion 14 in the left-right direction, and the curved portion 54 is elastically deformed, so that the flat plate portion 52 can be displaced toward or away from the left wall portion 30. That is, in the first embodiment, a holding portion that holds the spring member 22 in the terminal connection portion 14 is constituted by the left wall portion 30, which is one of a pair of opposing walls. Further, a pressing portion 56 that protrudes to the left, that is, in a direction away from the left wall portion 30, is provided at the middle portion in the length direction (front-rear direction) of the flat plate portion 52.

[0029] The spring member 22 before being assembled into the housing 18 is indicated by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, before being assembled into the housing 18, the flat plate portion 52 is inclined with respect to the retaining portion (left wall portion 30), and while the left wall portion 30 extends in the front-to-rear direction, the flat plate portion 52 is inclined leftward as it approaches the rear. Then, as described below, when the terminal fitting 16 is assembled into the housing 18, the pressing portion 56 of the spring member 22 is pressed against the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b of the housing 18, and the flat plate portion 52 of the spring member 22 is elastically deformed to the right, i.e., in the direction approaching the left wall portion 30 (terminal connection portion 14).

[0030] Specifically, the maximum left-right distance A (see FIG. 3) of the terminal fitting 16 before being assembled into the housing 18 (i.e., the left-right distance between the contact surface 34, which is the outer surface of the right wall portion 32, and the protruding tip surface of the pressing portion 56 before elastic deformation) is set to be larger than the left-right facing distance between the inner surface of the heat dissipation member 24 (connection portion side contact surface 92, which will be described later) and the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b of the housing 18. More specifically, the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b of the housing 18 is an inclined surface that gradually slopes rightward toward the front, and the minimum facing surface distance B (see FIG. 3) between the inner surface of the heat dissipation member 24 and the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b is set to be smaller than the maximum left-right distance A of the terminal fitting 16. On the other hand, the maximum facing surface distance C (see FIG. 3) between the inner surface of the heat dissipation member 24 and the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b is set to be larger than the maximum left-right distance A of the terminal fitting 16.

[0031] That is, as described later, when the terminal fitting 16 is inserted into the internal space of the housing 18 and the heat dissipation member 24, initially the protruding tip surface of the pressing portion 56 does not come into contact with the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b, and the terminal fitting 16 is inserted without elastic deformation of the spring member 22, but at a certain point (the point at which the distance between the opposing surfaces of the inner surface of the heat dissipation member 24 and the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b becomes A), the protruding tip surface of the pressing portion 56 comes into contact with the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b. Thereafter, as the terminal fitting 16 is further inserted into the internal space of the housing 18 and the heat dissipation member 24, the pressing portion 56 is pressed against the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b, and the spring member 22 is elastically deformed in a direction approaching the terminal connection portion 14, while the terminal fitting 16 is inserted. When the shielded connector 10 is in an assembled state, the elastic restoring force of the spring member 22 presses the pressing portion 56 against the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b, and as a reaction force, the outer surface (contact surface 34) of the right wall portion 32 at the terminal connection portion 14 is pressed against the inner surface of the heat dissipation member 24 (the connection portion side contact surface 92 described later).

[0032] The electric wire 40 with the waterproof rubber 48 attached thereto is fixed to the electric wire connecting portion 42, which is the rear end portion of the terminal fitting 16 shaped as described above, and each terminal spring portion 50 is fixed to the inner surface of the terminal connecting portion 14, which is the front portion of the terminal fitting 16, thereby forming a terminal side assembly 58 as shown in Figures 5 and 6. Note that the waterproof rubber 48 is omitted in Figures 5 and 6. This terminal side assembly 58 is assembled to a shell side assembly 60 shown in Figures 7 and 8. The shell side assembly 60 is formed to include a housing 18, a shield shell 20, and a heat dissipation member 24. Each member that forms the shell side assembly 60 will be described below.

[0033] <Housing 18> 9, the housing 18 can be understood as having a generally bottomed cylindrical shape that opens rearward or a groove shape with a generally U-shaped cross section extending in the front-rear direction, and is made of an insulating synthetic resin. Note that, although the method for forming the housing 18 is not limited, in this embodiment, the housing 18 is formed by molding, and is formed separately from the shield shell 20 and is later assembled.

[0034] When the housing 18 is considered to have a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape, the front end portion is provided with a substantially rectangular front wall portion 62 corresponding to the bottom wall, and the front wall portion 62 is provided with a peripheral wall portion 64 protruding rearward from three peripheral edges excluding the upper portion. Therefore, the peripheral wall portion 64 has a lower wall portion 66a at the bottom, and a left wall portion 66b and a right wall portion 66c on both the left and right sides. The housing 18 can also be considered to have a groove-shaped peripheral wall portion 64 having a substantially U-shaped cross section, which is composed of the lower wall portion 66a and the left and right wall portions 66b, 66c, extending in the front-rear direction, and the front opening of the groove-shaped peripheral wall portion 64 is closed by the front wall portion 62. Therefore, the groove-shaped peripheral wall portion 64 has an upper opening portion 68.

[0035] The outer shape of the housing 18 differs in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the front end (front wall 62) of the housing 18 is a generally vertically long rectangle whose up-down dimension is larger than its left-right dimension, and the right wall 66c has a portion that gradually slopes rightward toward the rear in the middle of the front-rear direction, so that the rear end portion of the peripheral wall 64 has a generally square outer shape. That is, the internal space of the housing 18 is larger in the rear portion than in the front portion.

[0036] Further, a front protrusion 70 that protrudes forward is provided at the right end of the front wall 62. At the position where the front protrusion 70 is formed, a support protrusion 72 that protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the front wall 62 is provided on the inner side (left side) of the right end of the front wall 62 in the left-right direction. An opening window 74 that is cut out from the front end portion to the middle portion in the front-rear direction is formed in the right wall 66c. Specifically, the front end portion of the opening window 74 is located at a position approximately equal to the rear surface of the front wall 62, and the rear end portion of the opening window 74 reaches the middle position of the portion of the right wall 66c that inclines rightward as it approaches the rear. Through this opening window 74, the internal space and the external space of the housing 18 are also mutually communicated. Furthermore, a positioning protrusion 76 having a predetermined front-rear dimension is provided at the center portion in the left-right direction at the front end portion of the lower wall 66a.

[0037] <Shield Shell 20> The shield shell 20 is formed of a metal having excellent heat dissipation properties. The shield shell 20 has a generally cylindrical shape with a bottom that opens rearward. That is, the shield shell 20 has a generally rectangular front end wall 78, and a cylindrical wall 80 protrudes rearward from the four peripheral edges of the front end wall 78. Thus, the cylindrical wall 80 has a lower end wall 82a on the lower side, a left end wall 82b and a right end wall 82c on both the left and right sides, and an upper end wall 82d on the upper side.

[0038] The shield shell 20 is formed to have a size capable of accommodating the housing 18, and when the housing 18 is accommodated in the shield shell 20, the inner surface of the shield shell 20 and the outer surface of the housing 18 are in approximately intimate contact with each other. That is, the outer shape of the shield shell 20 is approximately the same as the outer shape of the housing 18. Specifically, the front end portion (front end wall portion 78) of the shield shell 20 is in an approximately vertically elongated rectangular shape, and a portion is provided in the middle portion of the right end wall portion 82c in the front-rear direction that gradually inclines to the right as it approaches the rear, so that the rear end portion of the shield shell 20 has an approximately square outer shape. In addition, a accommodating recess 84 in which the front protrusion 70 of the housing 18 is accommodated is provided at the right end portion of the front end wall portion 78, opening to the rear.

[0039] Furthermore, a mating terminal insertion hole 86 penetrating in the thickness direction (vertical direction) is formed in the front portion of the upper end wall portion 82d of the shield shell 20, and the internal space and the external space of the shield shell 20 communicate with each other through the mating terminal insertion hole 86. Also, an upper opening 68 is provided in the housing 18 accommodated inside the shield shell 20, and since the upper portion of the housing 18 is open over substantially the entirety, the internal space and the external space of the shell-side assembly 60 communicate with each other through the mating terminal insertion hole 86 and the upper opening 68.

[0040] The waterproof rubber 48 to be inserted around the electric wire 40 is fitted in an approximately press-fit state in the internal space at the rear end of the shield shell 20, and a retainer 88 is provided at the rear end of the shield shell 20 to prevent the waterproof rubber 48 from falling off from the shield shell 20. In the first embodiment, the retainer 88 is vertically separable and is composed of an upper retainer 90a and a lower retainer 90b. The upper and lower retainers 90a and 90b cover the rear end of the shield shell 20 from the top and bottom outside, and are fixed by bolts or the like (not shown), so that the retainer 88 is assembled to the rear end of the shield shell 20. Note that positioning protrusions protruding outward in the top and bottom directions may be provided at the rear end of the shield shell 20, and positioning holes corresponding to these positioning protrusions may be provided in the upper and lower retainers 90a and 90b. With this, when the upper and lower retainers 90a, 90b are assembled to the rear end portion of the shield shell 20, the positioning protrusions may be inserted into the positioning holes, so that the shield shell 20 and the upper and lower retainers 90a, 90b are aligned with each other.

[0041] <Heat dissipation member 24> The shape and material of the heat dissipation member 24 are not limited as long as it has insulating properties, but in this embodiment, the heat dissipation member 24 has a substantially flat plate shape. In addition, the heat dissipation member 24 only needs to have a thermal conductivity higher than that of air, but it is preferable that the heat conductivity is excellent, and in this embodiment, the heat dissipation member 24 is formed of ceramics that has a thermal conductivity higher than that of the housing 18. This heat dissipation member 24 is assembled so as to cover the front portion of the opening window 74 in the housing 18 accommodated in the shield shell 20. In particular, when the heat dissipation member 24 is assembled, it is inserted between the support protrusion 72 and the right end wall portion 82c of the shield shell 20, which face each other in the left-right direction, and the front end position of the heat dissipation member 24 is determined by the heat dissipation member 24 abutting against the front wall portion 62 of the housing 18.

[0042] When the shielded connector 10 is assembled, one surface (the left end surface in the first embodiment) in the thickness direction of the heat dissipation member 24 contacts the contact surface 34, which is the outer surface of the right wall portion 32 of the terminal connection portion 14. As a result, the connection portion side contact surface 92 that contacts the contact surface 34 is configured by one surface in the thickness direction of the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24). The other surface in the thickness direction of the heat dissipation member 24 (the right end surface in the first embodiment) is exposed to the outer surface of the housing 18 through the opening window 74 of the housing 18 and contacts the shield shell 20 that covers the outer surface of the housing 18. As a result, the shell side contact surface 94 is configured by the other surface in the thickness direction of the heat dissipation member 24. In particular, in the first embodiment, the shell side contact surface 94 of the heat dissipation member 24 contacts the inner surface of the right end wall portion 82c of the shield shell 20 over the entire surface.

[0043] <Assembly process of the shield connector 10> Next, a specific example of the process for assembling the shielded connector 10 will be described. Note that the process for assembling the shielded connector 10 is not limited to the following description.

[0044] First, for example, a metal flat plate of a predetermined shape is bent with the terminal spring portion 50 fixed thereto, to form the terminal fitting 16 integrally having the terminal connection portion 14 and the spring member 22. Thereafter, the electric wire 40 is fixed to the electric wire connection portion 42 of the terminal fitting 16, and the waterproof rubber 48 is fitted onto the electric wire 40 to complete the terminal side assembly 58. The waterproof rubber 48 may be attached to the electric wire 40 before the electric wire 40 is fixed to the electric wire connection portion 42, or may be attached to the electric wire 40 at any time.

[0045] Also, the shield shell 20, the housing 18, and the heat dissipation member 24 are prepared by forming them separately. Then, the housing 18 is inserted from the rear opening of the shield shell 20 and accommodated in the shield shell 20. Next, the heat dissipation member 24 is inserted from the rear opening of the housing 18, and inserted between the right end wall portion 82c of the shield shell 20 and the support protrusion 72 of the housing 18 through the opening window 74, and the front end portion of the heat dissipation member 24 is brought into contact with the front wall portion 62 of the housing 18. As a result, the shell side contact surface 94 of the heat dissipation member 24 is exposed to the outer surface of the housing 18 through the opening window 74 and is brought into contact with the inner surface of the right end wall portion 82c of the shield shell 20. As a result, the shell side assembly 60 is completed.

[0046] Thereafter, the completed terminal side assembly 58 and the shell side assembly 60 are placed opposite each other in the front-rear direction, The terminal side assembly 58 is inserted into the internal space of the shell side assembly 60. As a result, at a certain point in time, the protruding tip surface of the pressing portion 56 of the spring member 22 comes into contact with the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b of the housing 18, and thereafter, the terminal side assembly 58 is inserted into the shell side assembly 60 while the spring member 22 (flat portion 52) is elastically deformed toward the terminal connection portion 14. The insertion of the terminal side assembly 58 into the shell side assembly 60 is guided by the positioning protrusion 76 provided on the lower wall portion 66a of the housing 18 being inserted into the positioning recess 36 provided on the lower wall portion 28 of the terminal connection portion 14. The insertion of the terminal side assembly 58 into the shell side assembly 60 is restricted, for example, by the front end surface of the curved portion 54 of the terminal fitting 16 coming into contact with the rear end surface of the front wall portion 62 of the housing 18. In this fully inserted state, the pressing portion 56 of the spring member 22 is pressed against the left wall portion 66b of the housing 18, and the reaction force causes the outer surface (contact surface 34) of the right wall portion 32 of the terminal connection portion 14 to be constantly pressed against the connection portion side contact surface 92 of the heat dissipation member 24.

[0047] Furthermore, as the terminal side assembly 58 is inserted into the shell side assembly 60, the waterproof rubber 48 is press-fitted into the rear opening of the shield shell 20 to liquid-tightly seal the rear opening of the shield shell 20. Thereafter, the upper and lower retainers 90a, 90b are overlapped from above and below the rear end of the shield shell 20 to fix the retainer 88, thereby completing the shield connector 10. In the completed state of this shield connector 10, the upper opening 38 in the terminal connection portion 14 and the mating terminal insertion hole 86 in the shield shell 20 are provided at positions that overlap each other in the vertical direction, and the internal space of the terminal connection portion 14 (the mating terminal arrangement portion 26) is communicated with the external space through the upper opening 38, the upper opening 68 in the housing 18, and the mating terminal insertion hole 86.

[0048] In the shielded connector 10 assembled in this manner, as shown in FIG. 10, the mating terminal 12 is inserted from above through the mating terminal insertion hole 86 and each of the upper openings 38, 68, and the mating terminal 12 is placed in the mating terminal placement section 26, which is the internal space of the terminal connection section 14, so that the terminal spring section 50 is pressed between the terminal connection section 14 and the mating terminal 12. R As a result, the terminal connection portion 14 and the mating terminal 12 come into contact with each other via the terminal spring portion 50, and are electrically connected to each other.

[0049] As described above, the pressing portion 56 of the spring member 22 is pressed against the left wall portion 66b of the housing 18, and the flat plate portion 52 is elastically deformed toward the terminal connection portion 14. The pressing portion 56 is urged toward the left wall portion 66b by the elastic restoring force of this flat plate portion 52, and the outer surface (contact surface 34) of the right wall portion 32 of the terminal connection portion 14 is pressed against the connection portion side contact surface 92 of the heat dissipation member 24 by a reaction force against this urging force, and the shell side contact surface 94 of the heat dissipation member 24 is pressed against the inner surface of the right end wall portion 82c of the shield shell 20. In short, the elastic force (restoring force) of the spring member 22 presses the terminal connection portion 14 into a state of contact with the shield shell 20 via the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24).

[0050] Furthermore, when the mating terminal 12 is inserted into the mating terminal arrangement portion 26, the terminal spring portion 50 is elastically deformed between the mating terminal 12 and the terminal connection portion 14, and this elastic restoring force also presses the contact surface 34 of the right wall portion 32 of the terminal connection portion 14 against the connection portion side contact surface 92 of the heat dissipation member 24, and in turn presses the shell side contact surface 94 of the heat dissipation member 24 against the inner surface of the right end wall portion 82c of the shield shell 20. As a result, the right wall portion 32 of the terminal connection portion 14 and the heat dissipation member 24, and the heat dissipation member 24 and the shield shell 20 are in close contact with each other, and heat generated by current flow between the terminal connection portion 14 and the mating terminal 12 is transmitted to the shield shell 20 via the heat dissipation member 24, and is dissipated from the shield shell 20 to the outside.

[0051] In the first embodiment, since the electric wire connection portion 42 to which the core wire 44 of the electric wire 40 is fixed is provided at the rear end of the terminal fitting 16, not only the heat generated at the contact portion between the terminal connection portion 14 and the mating terminal 12 but also the heat generated at the connection portion between the electric wire connection portion 42 and the core wire 44 can be dissipated via the heat dissipation member 24. That is, in addition to the heat generated between the terminal connection portion 14 and the mating terminal 12, the heat generated at the connection portion between the electric wire connection portion 42 and the core wire 44, which generates a relatively large amount of heat, is also dissipated via the heat dissipation member 24 and the shield shell 20, thereby exhibiting good heat dissipation properties.

[0052] The shielded connector 10 of the first embodiment employs a terminal fitting 16 integrally provided with a spring member 22, and when the terminal fitting 16 is housed in the housing 18, the elastic restoring force caused by the elastic deformation of the spring member 22 presses the terminal connection portion 14 against the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24), and the pressed heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24) is further pressed against the shield shell 20. As a result, when the shield shell 20 is in an assembled state, the terminal connection portion 14 and the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24), and the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24) and the shield shell 20 are always in close contact with each other, so that the heat dissipation path from the heat generating portion caused by the passage of electricity between the terminal connection portion 14 and the mating terminal 12 to the heat dissipation to the outside via the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24) and the shield shell 20 can be shortened, and the heat dissipation efficiency can be improved.

[0053] In addition, for example, when the environmental temperature changes significantly, in the conventional structure, there is a risk of a gap (air layer) occurring between members made of different materials due to differences in linear expansion coefficients, but in the shielded connector 10 of the first embodiment, the terminal connection portion 14 and the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24), and the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24) and the shield shell 20 are always in close contact with each other, so that even when the environmental temperature changes significantly, the occurrence of a gap between the terminal connection portion 14 and the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24) and between the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24) and the shield shell 20 is suppressed, and a decrease in heat dissipation performance is prevented. In particular, the spring member 22, which contributes to the close contact between the terminal connection portion 14 and the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24), and the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member 24) and the shield shell 20, is provided integrally with the terminal fitting 16, which also has the effect of reducing the number of parts and improving the ease of assembly.

[0054] In particular, in the first embodiment, good heat dissipation performance is exhibited because the heat transfer section is configured to include the heat dissipation member 24, which has a higher thermal conductivity than the housing 18. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the shell-side contact surface 94 of the heat dissipation member 24 is in contact over its entirety with the inner surface of the right end wall portion 82c of the shield shell 20, so that more efficient heat dissipation can be achieved.

[0055] The terminal connection part 14 has a rectangular cylindrical shape, and the inside of the terminal connection part 14 is the counterpart terminal arrangement part 26 into which the counterpart terminal 12 is inserted. Therefore, even if a terminal spring part 50 for more secure contact with the counterpart terminal 12 is provided inside the terminal connection part 14, when the terminal side assembly 58 is inserted into the shell side assembly 60, the terminal spring part 50 is prevented from contacting other members, etc., inside the shell side assembly 60, and the terminal spring part 50 is prevented from being deformed before the counterpart terminal 12 is inserted. In the terminal connection part 14 having a rectangular cylindrical shape, a holding part for holding the spring member 22 is formed by the left wall part 30, which is one of the opposing walls, and a contact surface 34 for contacting the heat dissipation member 24 is provided on the right wall part 32, which is the other of the opposing walls. This allows the terminal connection portion 14 to have a portion that holds the spring member 22 and a portion that comes into contact with the heat dissipation member 24 separately, allowing the left wall portion 30 and the right wall portion 32 to have shapes suited to their respective functions. This provides the effects of improving the holding function of the spring member 22 and improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the heat dissipation member 24.

[0056] The spring member 22 has a flat plate portion 52, which is connected to the holding portion (left wall portion 30) of the terminal connection portion 14 via a curved portion 54. With this structure, the spring member 22 can be easily elastically deformed by bending deformation at the curved portion 54, and the pressing portion 56 can easily press the inner surface of the housing 18, and therefore the terminal connection portion 14 can also be easily pressed against the heat dissipation member 24.

[0057] <Embodiment 2> Next, a shielded connector 100 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 11 and 12. The basic structure of the shielded connector 100 according to the second embodiment is similar to that of the shielded connector 10 according to the first embodiment, and the only difference is the structure of the terminal fitting 104 integrally provided with the spring member 102. In the following description, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are used in the drawings to designate the substantially same members and parts as those in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0058] <Terminal fitting 104> In the second embodiment, the terminal connection portion 106 of the terminal fitting 104 has a flat plate shape extending in the front-rear direction. One surface (right end surface) of the terminal connection portion 106 in the plate thickness direction (left-right direction) is the contact surface 34 that contacts the connection portion side contact surface 92 of the heat dissipation member 24. The flat terminal connection portion 106 is adapted to contact the mating terminal 12 arranged in the mating terminal arrangement portion 26 at the other surface (left end surface) in the plate thickness direction (left-right direction), and a terminal spring portion 50 is provided on the left end surface of the terminal connection portion 106. In FIG. 11, the mating terminal 12 arranged in the mating terminal arrangement portion 26 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0059] <Spring member 102> The spring member 102 in the second embodiment also has a flat plate portion 52 that spreads out in a substantially flat plate shape, and this flat plate portion 52 is connected to the front end portion, which is the tip end portion, of the terminal connection portion 106 via a curved portion 54. That is, the curved portion 54 is connected to the front end portion of the terminal connection portion 106, and curves so as to protrude leftward and turn back toward the rear, and further, the flat plate portion 52 protrudes from the rear end of the curved portion 54 toward the rear, which is the base end side. This allows the flat plate portion 52 to be displaced toward or away from the terminal connection portion 106 by bending deformation at the curved portion 54. In addition, a pressing portion 56 is provided at a longitudinal intermediate portion of the flat plate portion 52.

[0060] The spring member 102 before being assembled to the housing 18 is indicated by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 11. As shown in Fig. 11, before being assembled to the housing 18, the flat plate portion 52 is inclined with respect to the terminal connection portion 106, and is inclined leftward as it approaches the rear. Fig. 12 shows a terminal-side assembly 108 formed by fixing the electric wire 40 to the electric wire connection portion 42 in a terminal fitting 104 having the spring member 102 shaped in this way.

[0061] In the second embodiment as well, the maximum left-right distance A' (see FIG. 11) of the terminal fitting 104 before it is assembled into the housing 18 (i.e., the left-right distance between the contact surface 34, which is the outer surface of the terminal connecting portion 106, and the protruding end (rear end) of the flat plate portion 52 before elastic deformation) is made larger than the left-right opposing distance B' (see FIG. 11) between the inner surface (connecting portion side contact surface 92) of the heat dissipation member 24 and the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b of the housing 18. As a result, when the terminal fitting 104 is inserted into the housing 18 in the second embodiment as well, first, the protruding tip surface of the pressing portion 56 located in the longitudinal intermediate portion of the flat plate portion 52 comes into contact with the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b, and then the terminal fitting 104 is inserted into the shell-side assembly 60 while the spring member 102 is elastically deformed in a direction approaching the terminal connecting portion 106. The elastic restoring force of the spring member 102 presses the pressing portion 56 against the inner surface of the left wall portion 66b, and as a reaction force, the outer surface (contact surface 34) of the terminal connection portion 106 is pressed against the inner surface (connection portion side contact surface 92) of the heat dissipation member 24.

[0062] Therefore, the shielded connector 100 having the structure of the second embodiment can achieve the same effects as the first embodiment. In particular, in the second embodiment, the terminal connection portion 106 is simply formed in a flat plate shape, so that the left-right dimension of the terminal fitting 104 can be kept small, and as a result, the front end portion of the shielded connector 100 can be made smaller.

[0063] <Other embodiments> The technology described in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described in the above description and drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the technology described in this specification.

[0064] (1) In the above embodiment, the heat transfer portion is formed by the heat dissipation member 24, but for example, the heat transfer portion may be formed by the housing, and the terminal connection portion may be directly in contact with the housing. This allows heat generated by current flow between the mating terminal and the terminal connection portion to be dissipated to the outside via the housing and the shield shell.

[0065] (2) In the above embodiment, the spring member 22, 102 is formed by bending a generally band-shaped metal plate and is formed integrally with the terminal fitting 16, 104, but it may be, for example, a coil spring, or may be formed separately from the terminal fitting and then fixed to the outer surface of the left wall portion of the terminal fitting to be provided integrally therewith. In this case, for example, the coil spring may be disposed in a compressed state between the outer surface of the left wall portion of the terminal fitting and the inner surface of the left wall portion of the housing, and the elastic restoring force of the coil spring may press the terminal connection portion into contact with the shield shell via the heat transfer portion (heat dissipation member).

[0066] (3) In the above embodiment, the heat dissipation member 24 has a substantially flat plate shape and is made of ceramic, but the heat dissipation member is not limited to this as long as it has insulating properties. When a heat dissipation member is provided as a heat transfer section, the heat dissipation member may be made of ceramic or synthetic resin having a higher thermal conductivity than air, but it is preferable that the heat conductivity is higher than that of the synthetic resin constituting the housing. Specifically, silicone-based resin, non-silicone acrylic resin, ceramic resin, etc. can be used. More specifically, examples of the heat dissipation member include a heat dissipation sheet, a heat dissipation gap filler, a heat conductive grease, and a heat conductive silicone rubber made of a silicone-based resin. In the above embodiment, the terminal connection portion 14 is in direct contact with the heat dissipation member 24, and the heat dissipation member 24 is in direct contact with the shield shell 20, but the above-mentioned heat dissipation sheet, heat dissipation gap filler, heat conductive grease, etc. may be interposed between these members. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 10 Shielded connector (embodiment 1) 12 Counterpart terminal 14 Terminal connection 16 Terminal fitting 18 Housing 20 Shield Shell 22 Spring parts 24 Heat dissipation material (heat transfer part) 26 Counterpart terminal arrangement section 28 Lower wall part 30 Left wall portion (one of a pair of opposing walls, holding portion) 32 Right wall portion (the other of the pair of opposing walls) 34 Contact surface 36 Positioning recess 38 Upper opening 40 Electric wire 42 Wire connection 44 core wire 46 Insulation coating 48 Waterproof Rubber 50 Terminal spring part 52 Flat plate part 54 Curved section 56 Pressing part 58 Terminal side assembly 60 Shell side assembly 62 Front wall 64 Peripheral wall section 66a Lower wall 66b Left wall 66c Right wall section 68 Upper opening 70 Front protrusion 72 Support protrusion 74 Opening Window 76 Positioning protrusion 78 Front end wall 80 Cylindrical wall 82a Lower end wall 82b Left end wall 82c Right end wall 82d Upper end wall 84 Recessed part 86 Counterpart terminal insertion hole 88 Retainer 90a Upper retainer 90b Lower retainer 92 Connection side contact surface 94 Shell side contact surface 100 Shielded connector (embodiment 2) 102 Spring member 104 Terminal fittings 106 Terminal connection part 108 Terminal side assembly

Claims

1. A terminal fitting having a terminal connection portion to be connected to a mating terminal; an insulating housing that accommodates the terminal fitting; a shield shell covering an outer surface of the housing; a heat transfer portion interposed between the terminal connection portion and the shield shell to transfer heat of the terminal connection portion to the shield shell; a spring member integrally provided on the terminal fitting, A shielded connector, wherein the terminal connection portion is pressed into contact with the shield shell via the heat transfer portion by the elastic force of the spring member.

2. the heat transfer portion includes a heat dissipation member made of an insulating material having a higher thermal conductivity than the housing, 2. The shielded connector according to claim 1, wherein the heat dissipation member has a connection portion-side contact surface that contacts the terminal connection portion, and a shell-side contact surface that is exposed from the housing and contacts the shield shell.

3. The terminal connection portion of the terminal fitting has a rectangular tubular shape, A mating terminal arrangement portion into which the mating terminal is inserted is configured inside the terminal connection portion, 3. A shielded connector as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a retaining portion is configured to hold the spring member integrally formed on one of a pair of opposing wall portions of the terminal connection portion, a contact surface is configured by the other of the pair of opposing wall portions, and the contact surface is in contact with and pressed against the heat transfer portion.

4. the spring member is configured by a flat plate portion that is inclined away from the holding portion and protrudes toward the base end side of the terminal connection portion via a curved portion provided at the tip end of the holding portion of the terminal connection portion, 4. The shielded connector according to claim 3, wherein the spring member is elastically deformed in a direction approaching the terminal connection portion with the terminal fitting accommodated in the housing.

5. The terminal connection portion of the terminal fitting has a flat plate shape, the spring member is configured by a flat plate portion that is inclined away from the terminal connection portion and protrudes toward a base end side of the terminal connection portion via a curved portion provided at a tip end of the terminal connection portion, 4. The shielded connector according to claim 1, wherein the spring member is elastically deformed in a direction approaching the terminal connection portion when the terminal fitting is accommodated in the housing.

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