Cable Connector

Abstract

To reduce the number of sealing members required for waterproofing in a cable connector having a form in which an outer contact is inserted into an outer housing.SOLUTION: A cable connector 10 includes at least a cylindrical contact 410, a cylindrical core housing 210 that surrounds the circumference of a radial direction of the contact without opening along an extending direction of the contact 410, an outer housing 110 which has an accommodation chamber 115 therein and accommodates the core housing 210 in the accommodation chamber 115, a mating side seal 250 disposed between the core housing 210 and the outer housing 110 at one end side of the core housing 210, and a wire seal 240 arranged between the core housing 210 and a cable R to be inserted into the core housing 210 on the other end side of the core housing 210.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] An example of a coaxial cable connector is disclosed in the following Patent Document 1. This coaxial cable connector connects a cylindrical external contact to the outer conductor of a coaxial cable, inserts this external contact into a terminal receiving chamber of an external housing, and engages a flange formed to protrude radially outward of the external contact with an engaging claw of a housing lance formed on the external housing and locks the external contact with a retainer attached to the external housing, thereby preventing the external contact from falling off the external housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP2019-153464A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to waterproof the coaxial cable connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to place seal members in at least the following three locations: (1) to prevent water from entering through the cable insertion port by placing seal members between the external contact and the outer sheath of the coaxial cable, (2) to prevent water from entering through the mating portion between the external housing and the mating housing by placing seal members between the external contact and the external housing and the mating portion at the mating portion with the mating connector, and (3) to prevent water from entering through the openings of the housing lance or the retainer by placing seal members between the external housing and the external contact at the housing lance portion or the retainer insertion portion.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to reduce the number of seal members required for waterproofing in a cable connector in which an outer contact is inserted into an outer housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the cable connector of the present invention comprises: A cylindrical contact; a cylindrical core housing that surrounds the contact in a radial direction without opening along an extension direction of the contact; an outer housing having an internal chamber for accommodating the core housing in the internal chamber; a mating seal disposed between the core housing and the outer housing at one end of the core housing; The core housing includes at least a wire seal disposed on the other end side of the core housing between the core housing and a cable inserted into the core housing.

[0007] In one aspect of the present invention, the core housing further extends inside the accommodating chamber beyond the mating seal in the mating direction with the mating connector.

[0008] In one aspect of the present invention, the core housing has an inner shape that is cylindrical, and the contact has an outer shape that is cylindrical corresponding to the core housing.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the outer contact is formed into a cylindrical shape by pressing a metal plate. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, the periphery of the contact is covered by a core housing with no holes in the wall surface from the wire seal to a position beyond the mating side seal, making it possible to eliminate the need for seals in the retainer insertion portion and the housing lance portion.

[0011] According to the above aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reliably seal the portion that is fitted with the mating connector.

[0012] According to the above aspect of the present invention, the radial direction in which the contact is inserted into the core housing is not restricted.

[0013] According to the above aspect of the present invention, the waterproof connector can be easily manufactured using pressed contacts. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1(A) is an external perspective view of a female coaxial cable connector in this embodiment, and FIG. 1(B) is an exploded perspective view of the female coaxial cable connector in this embodiment disassembled into its main components. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2(A) is an exploded perspective view of a female housing assembly of a female coaxial cable connector of this embodiment, and FIG. 2(B) is a cross-sectional view of the female housing assembly of FIG. 2(A) cut along a plane extending in the front-to-back and up-down directions in the mating direction and viewed from the side. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3(A) is an exploded perspective view of a female core housing assembly of a female coaxial cable connector of this embodiment, and FIG. 3(B) is a cross-sectional view of the female core housing assembly of FIG. 3(A) disassembled and cut along a plane extending in the front-to-back and up-down directions in the mating direction and viewed from the side. [Figure 4] 4(A) and 4(B) are diagrams showing a core housing of this embodiment, in which FIG. 4(A) is a top view, FIG. 4(B) is a side view, FIG. 4(C) is a bottom view, FIG. 4(D) is a cross-sectional view taken along line IVD-IVD in FIG. 4(A) and viewed from the side, and FIG. 4(E) is a front view of the core housing viewed from the front to the rear in the mating direction. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a center contact according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the female outer contact assembly of the present embodiment. [Figure 7]7(A) and 7(B) are perspective views showing the outer contact of the present embodiment when it is connected to a strip carrier during manufacture, FIG. 7(B) is a top view of FIG. 7(A), FIG. 7(C) is a side view, FIG. 7(D) is a bottom view, and FIG. 7(E) is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIE-VIIE in FIG. 7(B) and viewed from the side. [Figure 8] 2 is an external perspective view of a ferrule constituting the female coaxial cable connector of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 9(A) is an external perspective view showing the state in which a coaxial cable is inserted into a female core housing assembly and the cable sheath is removed to expose the braided conductor, FIG. 9(B) is an external perspective view showing the state in which a ferrule is attached around the braided conductor, FIG. 9(C) is an external perspective view showing the state in which the braided conductor is folded back around the ferrule, FIG. 9(D) is an external perspective view showing the state in which a center contact is crimped to the core wire, and FIG. 9(E) is an external perspective view showing the state in which a female outer contact assembly is connected to a coaxial cable. [Figure 10] 10A is a perspective view showing the state before the core housing is attached to the female outer contact assembly, FIG. 10B is a front view seen from the front to the rear in the mating direction of FIG. 10A, FIG. 10C is a cross-sectional view seen from the side after cutting along line XC-XC in FIG. 10B, FIG. 10D is a perspective view showing the state in the middle of attaching the core housing to the female outer contact assembly, FIG. 10E is a perspective view showing the state in the middle of attaching the core housing to the female outer contact assembly, and FIG. FIG. 10(D) is a front view seen from the front to the rear in the mating direction, FIG. 10(F) is a cross-sectional view seen from the side, taken along line XF-XF in FIG. 10(E), FIG. 10(G) is an external perspective view showing the state in which the core housing has been completely attached to the female outer contact assembly, FIG. 10(H) is a front view seen from the front to the rear in the mating direction, FIG. 10(G) is a cross-sectional view seen from the side, taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 10(H), and FIG. 10(J) is an enlarged view of portion XJ in FIG. 10(I). [Figure 11]11(A) is a side view showing the state before the assembly of FIG. 10(G) is inserted into the external housing; FIG. 11(B) is a cross-sectional view of the state of FIG. 11(A) cut along a plane extending in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions in the mating direction and viewed from the side; FIG. 11(C) is a side view showing the state after the assembly of FIG. 10(G) has been completely inserted into the external housing; FIG. 11(D) is a cross-sectional view of the state of FIG. 11(C) cut along a plane extending in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions in the mating direction and viewed from the side; FIG. 11(E) is a side view showing the state after the retainer has been completely attached to the external housing; and FIG. 11(F) is a cross-sectional view of the state of FIG. 11(E) cut along a plane extending in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions in the mating direction and viewed from the side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] A female coaxial cable connector 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below will be described by taking the female coaxial cable connector 10 as an example of the cable connector of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this female coaxial cable connector 10, but should be equally applied to other types of cable connectors described in the claims.

[0016] The overall configuration of the female coaxial cable connector 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The female coaxial cable connector 10 of this embodiment includes a female housing assembly 100, a female core housing assembly 200, a female center contact 300, a female outer contact assembly 400, and a ferrule 500, which are assembled and connected to a coaxial cable R according to the steps described below.

[0017] In the following description, the direction in which the coaxial cable R extends will be referred to as the "mating direction" or "front-rear direction", the direction perpendicular to this, i.e., the vertical direction on the paper in Figures 1(A) and 1(B), will be referred to as the "vertical direction", and the direction perpendicular to both the mating direction and the vertical direction will be referred to as the "width direction". In particular, within the mating direction, the direction toward the mating connector, i.e., the direction toward the bottom left on the paper in Figures 1(A) and 1(B), will be referred to as the "forward mating direction", and the direction away from the mating connector, i.e., the direction toward the top right on the paper in Figures 1(A) and 1(B), will be referred to as the "rear mating direction".

[0018] In this embodiment, the cable connector is described as being applied to a female coaxial cable connector 10; however, the present invention is not limited to female connectors, and may also be applied to a male connector that corresponds to the configuration of the main parts of the female coaxial cable connector 10 described below.

[0019] 2(A) and 2(B), the female housing assembly 100 will be described. The female housing assembly 100 includes an outer housing 110 and a retainer 130.

[0020] The external housing 110 has an internal storage chamber, and a core housing 210, which will be described later, is stored in this storage chamber. The external housing 110 has a cylindrical rectangular parallelepiped shape with a hollow interior, and has an upper plate 111, a bottom plate 112, and side plates 113 and 114. The interior surrounded on all four sides by the upper plate 111, the bottom plate 112, and the side plates 113 and 114 forms a core housing storage space 115, which is a storage chamber of a substantially cylindrical shape, and this core housing storage space 115 penetrates the external housing 110 in the front-rear direction. The core housing storage space 115 stores a female core housing assembly 200, which will be described later. The front side of the core housing storage space 115 in the mating direction is a mating end 116, and the rear side in the mating direction is a wire insertion end 117.

[0021] A lock arm 118 is connected to the upper plate 111 via a connecting portion 119, and the lock arm 118 is capable of rotating in the vertical direction with the connecting portion 119 as a fulcrum. When the female coaxial cable connector 10 is connected to a mating connector (not shown), the lock arm 118 engages with a correspondingly formed locking projection, thereby maintaining the mating state with the mating connector.

[0022] The bottom plate 112 is formed with two retainer insertion openings (not shown) in the width direction, which communicate with the core housing accommodating space 115. The bottom plate 112 is also provided with a housing lance 120 in a middle portion sandwiched between the two retainer insertion openings. The housing lance 120 is integrally connected to the bottom plate 112 on the wire insertion end 117 side, and extends in a cantilever shape from the bottom plate 112 toward the fitting end 116, with the portion between the two retainer insertion openings being the tip portion, and a locking claw 121 protruding upward is formed on this tip portion.

[0023] The retainer 130 has a base 131 and a pair of locking legs 132, 133 extending upward from the widthwise outer end portion of the base 131. The locking legs 132, 133 can be inserted into a retainer insertion opening of the outer housing 110 and lock the female core housing assembly 200, which will be described later, inside the core housing accommodating space 115. When the retainer 130 is inserted into the retainer insertion opening until it reaches a fully locked state, which will be described later, the locking legs 132, 133 are inserted into an annular groove of the female core housing assembly 200 and prevent the female core housing assembly 200 from moving forward and backward within the core housing accommodating space 115.

[0024] Next, with reference to Figures 3(A), 3(B), and 4(A) to 4(E), the female core housing assembly 200 will be described. As shown in Figure 3(A), the female core housing assembly 200 includes a core housing 210, a wire seal cap 230, a wire seal 240, and a mating side seal 250.

[0025] As shown in Figs. 4(A) to 4(E), the core housing 210 is a cylindrical member surrounding the radial periphery of the outer contact 410 without any opening along the extending direction of the outer contact 410 described later. The core housing 210 has a core housing main body 211 made of resin and formed into a cylindrical shape, having a mating end 212 and a wire insertion end 213. In other words, the core housing main body 211 has a structure without any holes or openings between the mating end 212 and the wire insertion end 213. Inside the core housing main body 211, a contact accommodating space 214 for accommodating a female outer contact assembly 400 described later is formed so as to penetrate from the mating end 212 to the wire insertion end 213. The shape of the contact accommodating space 214, i.e., the inner shape of the core housing main body 211, is preferably cylindrical.

[0026] An annular groove 215 is formed in the outer surface of the core housing main body 211 at the center in the fitting direction so as to be recessed radially inward along the outer circumferential surface. The locking claw 121 of the housing lance 120 of the outer housing 110 is locked in this annular groove 215, and the locking legs 132, 133 of the retainer 130 are inserted into the annular groove 215, thereby preventing the core housing 210 from moving back and forth inside the outer housing 110.

[0027] A mating groove 216 recessed radially inward is formed on the mating end 212 side of the annular groove 215 of the core housing main body 211. An insertion end groove 217 recessed radially inward is formed on the wire insertion end 213 side of the annular groove 215 of the core housing main body 211. A mating seal 250 (described later) is fitted into the mating groove 216, and a locking claw of a wire seal cap 230 (described later) is locked into the insertion end groove 217. Therefore, when the female core housing assembly 200 is assembled into the outer housing 110, the core housing main body 211 of the core housing 210 extends further in the mating direction with the mating connector beyond the mating seal 250 inside the core housing accommodating space 115.

[0028] On the mating end 212 side of the core housing 210, there is provided a lance 218, and at the tip of the mating side of this lance 218, there is provided a locking claw 219 protruding toward the radial center of the core housing 210, and an annular portion 220 formed on the mating end 212 of the core housing 210. The lance 218 is formed integrally with the core housing main body 211 near the mating side groove portion 216, extends forward in the mating direction in a cantilever shape from there, and has a tip portion separated from the annular portion 220 at a position not reaching the mating end 212, and the locking claw 219 is formed on this tip portion.

[0029] Furthermore, in the contact accommodating space 214 of the core housing 210, a protruding portion 221 having a reduced diameter is formed on the inner surface side of the insertion end groove portion 217, separating the contact accommodating space 214 from the wire insertion end 213. The space on the wire insertion end 213 side of the protruding portion 221 forms a wire accommodating portion 222.

[0030] 3(A) and 3(B), the wire seal cap 230 is fitted onto the outer periphery of the wire insertion end 213 side of the core housing 210. The wire seal cap 230 is cylindrical and has a body 231 with a length capable of covering the periphery between the wire insertion end 213 of the core housing 210 and the insertion end groove 217, an end face 232 that covers the end face portion of the wire insertion end 213 of the core housing 210 excluding the coaxial cable insertion portion, and a locking claw 233 that protrudes annularly radially inward at the fitting side end.

[0031] 3(A), the wire seal 240 is disposed in the wire accommodating portion 222 of the core housing 210, and is disposed between the core housing main body 211 and the outer surface of the coaxial cable R inserted therein, thereby providing a seal between the inner surface of the core housing main body 211 and the coaxial cable R. The wire seal 240 is a cylindrical member made of resin and having a predetermined width in the front-rear direction and a predetermined thickness in the radial direction, with projections and recesses formed on both the inner and outer surfaces. These projections and recesses come into close contact with both the outer surface of the coaxial cable R and the inner surface of the core housing 210 when the female coaxial cable connector 10 is assembled.

[0032] The mating side seal 250 is a resin ring-shaped member fitted around the mating side groove portion 216 of the core housing 210. The mating side seal 250 is disposed between the core housing main body 211 and the external housing 110 on the mating end 212 side of the core housing 210, and provides a seal between the core housing main body 211 and the inner surface of the core housing accommodating space 115 of the external housing 110, and between the core housing main body 211 and the member of the mating connector fitted around the core housing 210.

[0033] Next, the female center contact 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The female center contact 300 is made of metal and has a base end 302 having a gripping portion 301 that is crimped and connected to the central conductor of the coaxial cable R, and a cylindrical contact portion 303 that extends forward in the mating direction from the base end 302. The front portion of the cylindrical contact portion 303 in the mating direction is divided into a plurality of contact pieces 305 having a certain degree of elasticity by forming a plurality of slits 304 from the end on the mating side toward the rear. When a pin-shaped center contact of the mating connector is inserted into the center portion of the contact piece 305, electrical continuity is established.

[0034] Next, with reference to Figures 6 and 7(A) to 7(E), a female outer contact assembly 400 will be described. The female outer contact assembly 400 includes an outer contact 410 which is a cylindrical contact, and an insulator 430 housed therein.

[0035] 7(A) to 7(E), the outer contact 410 is a member formed into a tubular shape by pressing a metal plate, and includes a main body part 411, an outer cover crimping part 412 formed on the cable insertion end side, an outer conductor connecting part 413, a contact piece 414 formed on the mating end, and an annular member 415 formed on the mating end. The outer shape of the outer contact 410 is tubular corresponding to the inner shape of the contact accommodating space 214 of the core housing main body 211, and is preferably cylindrical.

[0036] Body barrel 411 is formed by pressing a metal plate into a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction, and is particularly formed to have a shape that is smooth both radially outward and radially inward. In other words, the outer surface of body barrel 411 is configured so that no flanges or ribs are formed.

[0037] The outer sheath crimping portion 412 has a pair of outer sheath gripping pieces 416 extending circumferentially from a base portion, into which the outer sheath portion of the coaxial cable R is inserted and crimped.

[0038] The outer conductor connecting portion 413 is located between the main body trunk portion 411 and the outer sheath crimping portion 412, and like the outer sheath crimping portion 412, has a pair of outer conductor gripping pieces 417 that extend circumferentially from the base, and the braided conductor of the coaxial cable R that is folded back around the ferrule 500 described later is inserted into and crimped into the outer conductor connecting portion 413.

[0039] The contact piece 414 is formed contiguous with the main body body 411 at a position on the front side of the main body barrel 411 in the mating direction and on the rear side of the annular member 415 in the mating direction. The contact piece 414 is separated from the annular member 415 and a connection beam 419 described later by a U-shaped slit 418, and extends in a cantilever-like manner from the rear side in the mating direction, that is, from the end of the main body barrel 411 on the front side in the mating direction, toward the front in the mating direction, and has elasticity in the radial direction. A contact point 420 that protrudes slightly radially inward is provided at the tip portion of the contact piece 414 on the front side in the mating direction. The contact point 420 of the contact piece 414 becomes a contact portion that comes into contact with a contact of the mating connector to establish electrical conduction when the female coaxial cable connector 10 of this embodiment is mated with the mating connector.

[0040] The annular member 415 is a member formed in an annular shape at the front end of the outer contact 410 in the fitting direction, and serves as a locked member that prevents the outer contact 410 from falling off from the core housing 210 when the outer contact 410 is inserted into the contact accommodating space 214 of the core housing 210. The annular member 415 is connected to the main body trunk portion 411 by a connecting beam 419, while being separated from the contact piece 414 by a slit 418. The shape of the annular member 415 is circular when viewed from the front to the rear in the fitting direction, but may be a polygonal shape such as a regular square or a regular octagon.

[0041] 6, the insulator 430 is made of insulating resin, is a cylindrical member having a predetermined thickness, and has an insulating main body 431 and a center contact accommodating passage 432 penetrating therein in the front-rear direction. The outer diameter of the insulating main body 431 is approximately equal to the inner diameter of the main body barrel 411 of the outer contact 410, and the inner diameter of the center contact accommodating passage 432 is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the female center contact 300. This insulator 430 holds the female center contact 300 in the center contact accommodating passage 432, and the outer periphery of the insulating main body 431 is held by the outer contact 410.

[0042] In addition, the length of the insulator 430 in the mating direction is the length that surrounds the radial circumference of the female center contact 300 and the radial circumference of the insulator exposed from the portion of the coaxial cable R where the ferrule 500 described later is mated, and this length is also the length that extends inside the main body barrel 411, contact piece 414, and annular member 415 of the outer contact 410.

[0043] Next, the ferrule 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the ferrule 500 is a cylindrical member made of metal. The inner diameter of the ferrule 500 is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the braided conductor of the coaxial cable R. The ferrule 500 is fitted around the braided conductor exposed after the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R is peeled off. Furthermore, the braided conductor exposed on the front side in the mating direction from the ferrule 500 is folded back on the outer surface of the ferrule 500 toward the rear in the mating direction, inserted between and held by the outer conductor gripping pieces 417 of the outer contact 410, and crimped and connected to the ferrule 500.

[0044] The female coaxial cable connector 10 of this embodiment includes a retaining structure that prevents the outer contact 410 from falling off from the core housing 210 when the outer contact 410 is inserted into the core housing 210. This retaining structure includes a lance 218 formed on the core housing 210, a locking claw 219 formed on the tip of the lance, and a locked member formed on the outer contact 410 corresponding to the lance 218 and the locking claw 219. This locked member is an annular member 415 formed on the mating side end of the outer contact 410.

[0045] This retaining structure is provided so as to be located closer to the mating side with the contact of the mating connector than contact point 420 formed on contact piece 414 of outer contact 410, that is, forward in the mating direction.

[0046] [Assembly method] Next, a method of assembling the female coaxial cable connector 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 9(A)-9(E), 10(A)-10(J), and 11(A)-11(F). First, the coaxial cable R is cut and then inserted into the female core housing assembly 200. Specifically, the end of the coaxial cable R is inserted into the wire seal cap 230 and the core housing 210 from the wire insertion end 213 into the contact accommodating space 214, and is pulled out from the mating end 212. Next, as shown in Figure 9(A), a predetermined length of the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R is removed to expose the braided conductor. The length of the exposed braided conductor is set to be longer than the length of the ferrule 500.

[0047] 9(B), the ferrule 500 is fitted around the exposed braided conductor so that the rear end of the ferrule 500 in the fitting direction reaches the front end of the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R in the fitting direction.

[0048] Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, the braided conductor exposed from the front end of the ferrule 500 in the fitting direction is folded back toward the rear in the fitting direction and placed around the ferrule 500.

[0049] Next, a predetermined length of the dielectric extending from the radially inner side of the folded back braided conductor toward the front in the mating direction is removed to expose the central conductor. Note that in Fig. 9(A) and Fig. 9(B), the central conductor is initially exposed, and as shown in the figures, the braided conductor and the dielectric are cut to a predetermined length to expose the central conductor, and the process may be performed before inserting the coaxial cable R into the female core housing assembly 200. Next, as shown in Fig. 9(D), the female center contact 300 is connected to the exposed central conductor. Specifically, the central conductor is inserted into the base end 302, and the gripping portion 301 is crimped toward the base end 302 with the central conductor interposed therebetween.

[0050] Next, as shown in Fig. 9(E), the female outer contact assembly 400 is attached. Specifically, with the insulator 430 accommodated inside the main body portion 411 of the outer contact 410, the coaxial cable R and the female center contact 300 in the state shown in Fig. 9(D) are inserted. At this time, the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R is placed inside the sheath crimping portion 412, and the braided conductor folded back around the ferrule 500 is placed inside the outer conductor connecting portion 413. The female center contact 300 is accommodated in the center contact accommodating passage 432 of the insulator 430. Then, the sheath crimping portion 412 is crimped from the outer periphery direction against the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R. Similarly, the outer conductor connecting portion 413 is crimped from the outer periphery direction against the braided conductor folded back around the ferrule 500 of the coaxial cable R.

[0051] 10(A) to 10(J), the coaxial cable R to which the outer contact 410 is attached is pulled backward in the mating direction to attach the female outer contact assembly 400 into the female core housing assembly 200. FIGS. 10(A) to 10(C) show the state before the outer contact 410 is attached to the female core housing assembly 200.

[0052] 10(D) to 10(J), the main body portion 411, the outer cover crimping portion 412, and the outer conductor connecting portion 413 of the outer contact 410 are inserted from the front to the rear in the fitting direction into the contact accommodating space 214 of the core housing 210. At this time, the annular member 415 of the outer contact 410 comes into contact with the locking claws 219 of the core housing 210, deforming the lance 218 radially outward.

[0053] 10(I) and 10(J), when the annular member 415 passes the locking claw 219 of the core housing 210 rearward in the mating direction, the pressure applied to the lance 218 is released and the lance 218 returns to its initial position. At this time, the locking claw 219 is locked to the front end portion of the annular member 415 of the outer contact 410 in the mating direction, preventing the outer contact 410 from falling off the core housing 210 forward in the mating direction. At this time, the rear end portion in the mating direction of the outer cover gripping piece 416 of the outer contact 410 reaches and abuts on the protruding portion 221 of the contact accommodating space 214 of the core housing 210, restricting the outer contact 410 from moving rearward in the mating direction within the core housing 210.

[0054] Furthermore, the wire seal 240 provides a seal between the inner surface of the wire accommodating portion 222 of the core housing 210 and the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R inserted therein, thereby preventing moisture from entering the contact accommodating space 214.

[0055] Next, as shown in Figures 11(A) to 11(F), the female core housing assembly 200 is attached to the female housing assembly 100. Specifically, the female core housing assembly 200 is inserted into the core housing accommodating space 115 of the external housing 110 from the wire insertion end 117 side toward the front in the fitting direction. As the core housing body 211 is inserted into the core housing accommodating space 115 of the external housing 110, the outer surface of the core housing body 211 comes into contact with the locking claw 121 at the tip of the housing lance 120 formed on the bottom plate 112, and the housing lance 120 is deformed outward, i.e., downward.

[0056] When the core housing body 211 is further moved forward in the fitting direction, the annular groove 215 of the core housing body 211 reaches the position of the locking claw 121, the deformation of the housing lance 120 is released and it returns to its original shape, and the locking claw 121 is locked in the annular groove 215 of the core housing body 211. This limits the movement of the core housing 210 in the front-rear direction in the fitting direction within the core housing accommodating space 115 of the outer housing 110.

[0057] At this time, the mating side seal 250 is fitted into the mating side groove portion 216 of the core housing 210, and when the portion from the mating end 212 to the mating side groove portion 216 of the core housing 210 is fitted with the mating portion of the mating connector, it seals between the mating portion of the mating connector and the core housing 210, preventing moisture from entering the mating portion.

[0058] 11(C) and 11(D), the locking legs 132, 133 of the retainer 130 are inserted into a retainer insertion opening formed in the bottom plate 112 of the outer housing 110 to set the retainer in a preset state.

[0059] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 11(E) and 11(F), when the locking legs 132, 133 of the retainer 130 are fully inserted into the retainer insertion port to reach a fully set state, the locking legs 132, 133 of the retainer 130 are inserted into the widthwise outer portion of the annular groove portion 215 of the core housing 210, and the core housing 210 cannot be moved in the mating direction.

[0060] As explained above, by constructing the components from the mating side seal 250 to the wire accommodating portion 222 in which the wire seal 240 is attached from the core housing 210 which is a single resin member, the female outer contact assembly 400 and the female center contact housed inside the core housing 210 can be waterproofed from the outside, and the number of sealing members can be reduced.

[0061] The shape of the contact accommodating space 214 of the core housing 210 is cylindrical, and the outer shape of the female outer contact assembly 400 accommodated therein is also cylindrical. Therefore, the female outer contact assembly 400 can be rotated in the contact accommodating space 214 of the core housing 210 around the front-rear direction in the mating direction as a central axis. In addition, since the outer shape of the core housing main body 211 of the core housing 210 is cylindrical, and the inner shape of the core housing accommodating space 115 of the outer housing 110 that accommodates it is also cylindrical, the core housing 210 can be rotated in the core housing accommodating space 115 around the front-rear direction in the mating direction as a central axis. This makes it possible to rotate the orientation of the connector in the twisting direction of the cable after assembling the female coaxial cable connector 10, and even if the cable has a core wire that is easily broken, it becomes possible to crimp and connect the contact to the female center contact without considering the directionality of the contact around the front-rear axis in the mating direction during contact assembly.

[0062] Furthermore, the outer contact 410 is locked to the core housing 210 at a portion on the mating end 212 side of the core housing 210. That is, the outer contact 410 is held in the core housing 210 by the annular member 415 being locked by the locking claw 219 on the front side in the mating direction of the contact point 420 of the contact piece 414. With this configuration, the area of ​​the outer contact 410 through which the current mainly flows can be made cylindrical without any irregularities, and high frequency performance can be improved. Also, even if the coaxial cable R is pushed forward in the mating direction, it is possible to prevent the outer contact 410 from falling off the mating end 212 of the core housing 210. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 10 Female coaxial cable connector 100 female housing assembly 110 Outer housing 111 Upper Board 112 Bottom plate 113, 114 Side plate 115 Core housing space 116 Mating end 117 Wire insertion end 118 Lock Arm 119 Connection section 120 Housing Lance 121 Locking claw 130 Retainer 131 Base 132, 133 Locking leg 200 Female core housing assembly 210 Core Housing 211 Core housing body 212 Mating end 213 Wire insertion end 214 Contact storage space 215 Annular groove 216 Fitting gutter 217 Insertion end groove 218 Lance 219 Locking claw 220 Circular section 221 Overhang 222 Wire storage section 230 Wire seal cap 231 Torso 232 End face 233 Locking claw 240 Wire Seal 250 Mating side seal 300 Female central contact 301 Gripping part 302 Proximal end 303 Contact part 304 Slit 305 Contact piece 400 Female Outer Contact Assembly 410 Outer Contact 411 Main body 412 Outer skin crimping part 413 Outer conductor connection 414 Contact piece 415 Annular member 416 Outer skin gripping piece 417 Outer conductor grip piece 418 Slit 419 Connecting Beam 420 contact points 430 Insulator 431 Insulation body 432 Central Contact Accommodating Channel 500 ferrule

Claims

1. A cylindrical contact; a cylindrical core housing that surrounds the contact in a radial direction without openings along an extension direction of the contact and has an annular groove formed on an outer surface thereof; an outer housing having an accommodation chamber therein, the core housing being accommodated in the accommodation chamber, and a housing lance having a locking claw formed at a tip portion thereof and adapted to be locked in the annular groove portion extending into the accommodation chamber; a mating seal disposed between the core housing and the outer housing at one end of the core housing; a wire seal disposed at the other end of the core housing between the core housing and a cable inserted into the core housing.

2. 2. The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the core housing further extends in the interior of the receiving chamber beyond the mating seal in a mating direction with the mating connector.

3. 3. The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the inner shape of said core housing is cylindrical, and the outer shape of said contacts is cylindrical corresponding to the inner shape of said core housing.

4. 4. The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the contact is formed into a cylindrical shape by pressing a metal plate.

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