Connectors and connector-attached wires

Abstract

To provide a connector capable of absorbing influences of an external force and improving assembly property, and a connector equipped wire.SOLUTION: A flexible conductive material 32 connected to a female type terminal 31 and having flexibility and a connection fixing material 34 connected to a wire-side terminal 33 and the flexible conductive material 32 are provided inside of a terminal holding unit 21 in a wire-side connector 20. In the connection fixing material 34, a first bus bar 35 in which through holes 351 fixed to the terminal holding unit 21 are provided in both ends and a second bus bar 36 to which the flexible conductive material 32 is connected and of which the length in a length direction is shorter than that of the first bus bar 35 are laminated in a depth direction D. The through hole 351 at an upper side Hu of the first bus bar 35 and a through hole 361 provided at the upper side Hu in the second bus bar 36 are overlapped and fixed to the terminal holding unit 21, and the through hole 351 at a lower side Hd of the first bus bar 35 and the wire-side terminal 33 are overlapped and fixed to the terminal holding unit 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector and a connector-equipped electric wire that are attached to, for example, a wire harness and connected to a device such as a motor. [Background technology]

[0002] Electrical equipment installed in automobiles and other vehicles is connected to other electrical equipment and power supplies via wire harnesses, which are bundles of insulated electric wires, to form electrical circuits. In this case, the wire harness is connected to the electrical equipment and power supply using connectors attached to each of the electrical equipment and power supply.

[0003] Furthermore, when connecting a connector attached to an electric wire to an equipment-side connector fixed to a body, external forces such as vibrations from the body or expansion and contraction of the connector due to heat can act on the connection between the terminal fittings of the equipment-side connector and the terminal fittings of the connector, potentially causing the connection to become unstable. Therefore, as shown in Patent Document 1, a connector has been proposed that uses flexible electric wires as conductive members to absorb the effects of external forces.

[0004] In more detail, the connector described in Patent Document 1 comprises a female terminal having a terminal connection portion connected to a mating terminal provided on the device-side connector, an external electric wire drawn from the inside of the housing to the outside, a metal relay portion connected to the external electric wire, and a flexible internal conductive member connecting the female terminal and the relay portion, and is said to be able to absorb the effects of external forces by the flexible internal conductive member.

[0005] However, in the connector described in Patent Document 1, an external electric wire and a female terminal extending perpendicular to the housing are connected and integrated with an internal conductive member and a relay portion and fixed inside the housing. Specifically, because the external electric wire, relay portion, internal conductive member, and female terminal are arranged and integrated in this order, they cannot be connected inside the housing. Therefore, the external electric wire, relay portion, internal conductive member, and female terminal are inserted into the housing in a connected state, and the external electric wire and female terminal are arranged so that they extend perpendicular to each other, and the relay portion is fixed at a predetermined location inside the housing. In this way, it is difficult to arrange the connected external electric wire, relay portion, internal conductive member, and female terminal so that they extend perpendicular to each other, resulting in poor assembly performance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-38793 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a connector and an electric wire with a connector that can absorb the influence of external forces and improve assembly ease. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention relates to a connector including a wire-side terminal attached to the tip of an electric wire, a terminal fitting connected to a terminal of a mating connector, and a housing accommodating the wire-side terminal and the terminal fitting, wherein the housing is provided with a flexible conductive material connected to the terminal fitting and having flexibility, and a fixed connection part connected to the wire-side terminal and the flexible conductive material and fixed to the housing, and the fixed connection part has fixing parts fixed to the housing on both ends and a first plate-like conductive member. the second plate-like body is shorter in length than the first plate-like body and has a fixing portion fixed to the housing at one of both end sides; the first plate-like body and the second plate-like body are stacked in a thickness direction; the fixing portion of one of the first plate-like body and the fixing portion of the second plate-like body are overlapped and fixed to the housing; and the fixing portion of the other side of the first plate-like body and the wire-side terminal are overlapped and fixed to the housing. The arrangement direction of the terminal fittings in the housing is the direction in which they are attached to and detached from the mating connector, the electric wire and the electric wire terminal extend in a direction intersecting the arrangement direction of the terminal fittings, the fixed connection portion is arranged with its main surface facing in a direction along the extension direction of the electric wire and in a direction intersecting the arrangement direction of the terminal fittings, and the flexible conductive material is connected to the main surface of the second plate-like body. It is characterized by:

[0009] The present invention is also characterized in that it is a connector-equipped electric wire comprising the above-mentioned connector and the electric wire having the electric wire-side terminal attached to its tip, with the connector disposed at the tip of the electric wire. The terminals of the mating connector are terminals provided on or connected to devices such as electrical equipment and power supply equipment.

[0010] These inventions make it possible to absorb the influence of external forces and improve the ease of assembly. In more detail, the housing is provided with a flexible conductive material connected to the terminal fittings and a fixed connection portion connected to the wire-side terminal and the flexible conductive material and fixed to the housing, the fixed connection portion including a first plate-like body having fixing portions fixed to the housing on both ends thereof, and a second plate-like body to which the flexible conductive material is connected, the second plate-like body being formed to have a shorter longitudinal length than the first plate-like body. In other words, the flexible conductive material connected to the terminal fittings is connected to the second plate-like body, which has a shorter longitudinal length than the first plate-like body. Therefore, the flexible conductive material connected to the terminal fittings and the second plate-like body can be easily assembled to the housing.

[0011] The second plate-like body has a fixing portion at one of its ends that is fixed to the housing, the first plate-like body and the second plate-like body are stacked in the plate thickness direction, and the fixing portion of one of the first plate-like body and the fixing portion of the second plate-like body are overlapped and fixed to the housing. Therefore, the flexible conductive material connected to the terminal fitting can be fixed to the housing separately from the wire-side terminal connected via the fixed connection portion.

[0012] Furthermore, since the fixing portion on the other side of the first plate-like body and the wire-side terminal are overlapped and fixed to the housing, the wire-side terminal can be fixed to the housing separately from the flexible conductive material connected to the terminal fitting, and the flexible conductive material connected to the terminal fitting and the wire-side terminal can be electrically connected via the first plate-like body and the second plate-like body.

[0013] In this way, the terminal fittings and the flexible conductive material can be attached and assembled to the housing independently of the wire-side terminals, and the wire-side terminals can be attached and assembled to the housing independently of the terminal fittings and the flexible conductive material. Therefore, the terminal fittings, the flexible conductive material, and the wire-side terminals can be easily attached and assembled to the housing and electrically connected via the first plate-like body. Therefore, the flexible conductive material can absorb the effects of external forces, and the terminal fittings, the flexible conductive material, and the wire-side terminals can be easily assembled, improving the ease of assembly of the connector. Furthermore, since the first plate-shaped body can be fixed to the housing by the fixing portions on both ends, a stable connection state can be maintained.

[0014] In addition, the arrangement direction of the terminal fittings in the housing is the direction in which they are attached to and detached from the mating connector, the electric wire and the wire side terminal extend in a direction intersecting the arrangement direction of the terminal fittings, the fixed connection portion is arranged with its main surface facing in a direction along the extension direction of the electric wire and in a direction intersecting the arrangement direction of the terminal fittings, and the flexible conductive material is connected to the main surface of the second plate-like body.

[0015] This allows the flexible conductive material to be reliably connected to the second plate-like body. Furthermore, the housing often expands and contracts due to heat in the direction in which the terminals are arranged. If the fixed connection portion is arranged so that its main surface faces the direction in which the terminals are arranged, external forces due to expansion and contraction will act on the connection portion of the flexible conductive material connected to the main surface. This could result in an unstable connection between the second plate-like body and the flexible conductive material. In contrast, the main surface to which the flexible conductive material is connected is arranged in a direction intersecting the direction in which the terminals are arranged, so external forces due to expansion and contraction are less likely to act on the connection portion of the flexible conductive material connected to the main surface, allowing a stable connection to be maintained.

[0016] As an aspect of the present invention, one of the fixing portions of the first plate-like body that is fixed to the housing by overlapping with the fixing portion of the second plate-like body may be arranged on a side away from the electric wire. According to this invention, the other fixing portion of the first plate-like body and the wire-side terminal can be overlapped and fixed to the housing, thereby preventing the wiring paths of the plate-like body and the flexible conductive material from becoming complicated and allowing the connector to be configured compactly.

[0017] As a further aspect of the present invention, the flexible conductive material may be connected to an end of the second plate-like body opposite to the end where the fixing portion is provided. According to this invention, interference between the connection portion between the second plate-shaped body and the flexible conductive material and the fixed portion can be prevented, and a stable connection state can be achieved.

[0018] As another aspect of the present invention, the second plate-like body may be stacked on the side of the first plate-like body away from the terminal fitting. According to this invention, the flexible conductive material connected to the terminal fittings is connected to the second plate body so as to wrap around the fixed connection portion, so that the amount of deformation that can follow the expansion and contraction of the housing due to heat is increased compared to when the second plate body is disposed closer to the terminal fittings than when it is disposed closer to the first plate body, and the flexible conductive material deforms more compactly when the housing expands and contracts, thereby enabling a compact connector configuration.

[0019] As another aspect of the present invention, the fixing portion may be fastened to the housing by a fastening member. According to this invention, the first plate-like body and the wire-side terminal, and the second plate-like body and the first plate-like body are overlapped and fastened with fastening members, thereby enabling them to be firmly fixed to the housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connector and an electric wire with a connector that can absorb the influence of external forces and improve the ease of assembly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view of the wire-side connector. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the conductor structure of the wire-side connector. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the assembly of the conductor structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams of the connector connection structure 1, with Fig. 1A being a perspective view of the connector connection structure 1 in a connected state, and Fig. 1B being a perspective view of the state before the device-side connector 10 and the wire-side connector 20 that constitute the connector connection structure 1 are connected. In Fig. 1B, the device-side connector 10 is shown in a view showing the front, top, and right side, and the wire-side connector 20 is shown in a view showing the front, top, and left side. In Fig. 1, the device housing 100 in which the device-side connector 10 is installed is shown in a see-through state.

[0023] 2 shows a cross-sectional perspective view of the wire side connector 20 as viewed from the arrow AA in FIG. 1(b), FIG. 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the wire side connector 20, FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the wire side connector 20 as viewed from the arrow BB in FIG. 1(b), and FIG. 5 shows an explanatory diagram of the wire side connector 20.

[0024] 5(a) shows an exploded perspective view of the female terminal set 30, and FIG. 5(b) shows a cross-sectional perspective view of the wire-side connector 20 as viewed along the arrow AA (FIG. 1(b)) with the female terminal set 30 assembled to the terminal holding portion 21. In FIG. 5(b), the terminal holding portion 21 is shown in a see-through state.

[0025] 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams illustrating the assembly of the conductor structure. In detail, FIG. 6A shows a cross-sectional perspective view of the wire-side connector 20 taken along the line AA (FIG. 1B) in a state in which the female terminal 31 of the female terminal set 30, the flexible conductive material 32, the connection fixing material 34, and the first bus bar 35 are assembled to the terminal holding portion 21. FIG. 6B shows a cross-sectional perspective view of the wire-side connector 20 taken along the line AA (FIG. 1B) in a state in which the wire-side terminal 33 and the high-voltage wire 201 are assembled to the terminal holding portion 21 to which the female terminal 31, the flexible conductive material 32, the connection fixing material 34, and the first bus bar 35 are assembled.

[0026] 1(a) is defined as the height direction H, the direction connecting the lower left and upper right is defined as the width direction W, and the direction connecting the lower right and upper left is defined as the depth direction D. Furthermore, the upper side in the height direction H of the up-down direction is defined as the upper side Hu, and the lower side is defined as the lower side Hd. Furthermore, the upper left side in the depth direction D connecting the lower right and upper left is defined as the back side Db, and the lower right side is defined as the front side Df.

[0027] For the sake of convenience in describing the configuration of the connector connection structure 1, the height direction H, width direction W, and depth direction D are defined as the direction in which the device-side connector 10 and the wire-side connector 20 are attached and detached, the direction in which the wire-side connector 20 is attached to the device-side connector 10 is defined as the back side Db, and the direction in which the wire-side connector 20 is detached from the device-side connector 10 is defined as the front side Df. Furthermore, the width direction W and height direction H are defined as directions perpendicular to the depth direction D. However, these directions do not specify the configurations of the device-side connector 10, the wire-side connector 20, and the connector connection structure 1.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, the connector connection structure 1 is a connection structure that connects an equipment-side connector 10 provided in an electrical device such as a motor or a power supply device equipped in an automobile or the like, to an electric wire-side connector 20 attached to a wire harness 200 that bundles insulated electric wires.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the device-side connector 10 is attached to a device housing 100 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 1) of an electrical device. As shown in FIG. 1(b), the device-side connector 10 includes a male housing 11 and a male terminal 12.

[0030] The male housing 11 is attached to a device housing 100 shown by the dashed line, and is configured to hold the male terminals 12 in place and to mate with the wire-side connector 20. The male housing 11 is box-shaped with an open front side Df, and includes two terminal holding portions 111 for holding the male terminals 12 therein, spaced apart at a predetermined interval in the width direction W.

[0031] The male terminal 12 is a terminal that contacts the female terminal 31 of the wire side connector 20 described later to electrically connect the device side connector 10 and the wire side connector 20, and penetrates the male housing 11 in the depth direction D and is attached to the terminal holding portion 111.

[0032] Two male terminals 12 are provided corresponding to the terminal holding portions 111 so as to form a positive pole and a negative pole.

[0033] The wire-side connector 20, which is fitted with and electrically joined to the device-side connector 10 configured as described above, is attached to the above-mentioned device-side connector 10 to form a connector connection structure 1, and is a connector that connects the male terminal 12 of the device-side connector 10 with the female terminal 31 arranged inside.

[0034] The wire side connector 20 is a connector that is attached to the tip of the wire harness 200 and connected to the equipment side connector 10, and is equipped with a female terminal set 30, a terminal holding portion 21, a housing shell 22, a first seal 23, a fixing frame 24, a second seal 25, a wire holding portion 26, a third seal 27 and an inner lid 28.

[0035] The terminal holding portion 21 holds the female terminal set 30, which will be described later, at a predetermined position inside the wire side connector 20, and includes a harness insertion tube portion 211 through which the wire harness 200 is inserted, and a holding portion main body 212 in which the female terminal set 30 connected to the tip of the wire harness 200 inserted into the harness insertion tube portion 211 is positioned.

[0036] The harness insertion tube portion 211 is a tube-shaped body that is elliptical in bottom view and has an open lower end, and its upper end communicates with the inside of the holding portion main body 212 . The holding portion main body 212 is configured in the shape of an inverted, generally square tube having an internal space penetrating in the depth direction D, and is configured so that the female terminal 31, the flexible conductive material 32, and the connection fixing material 34 can be fixed inside. Inside the holding portion main body 212, fixing nuts 37 for fixing the connection fixing material 34 are provided at four locations at predetermined intervals in the height direction H and width direction W.

[0037] The housing shell 22 covers the outside of the terminal holding portion 21 and forms the outer shape of the wire-side connector 20. The housing shell 22 has the same shape as the terminal holding portion 21, but is formed slightly larger than the terminal holding portion 21, and includes a harness insertion tube outer portion 221 and a shell main body 222.

[0038] In detail, the harness insertion tube exterior 221 is a cylindrical body that is slightly larger than the harness insertion tube portion 211, and has an oval shape when viewed from the bottom, with an open lower end, so that the harness insertion tube portion 211, through which the wire harness 200 is inserted, can be positioned inside, and the upper end is connected to the interior of the shell main body 222. The shell body 222 is disposed at the upper end of the harness insertion tube exterior 221, is slightly larger than the holding portion body 212 disposed inside, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open back side Db.

[0039] The housing shell 22 thus configured is constructed by assembling split components 22a and 22b obtained by dividing the shell main body 222 in the height direction H. In more detail, the shell main body 222 is divided by a virtual horizontal plane (not shown) along the width direction W and depth direction D, and an upper divided component 22a above the virtual horizontal plane and a lower divided component 22b below the virtual horizontal plane are assembled in the height direction H.

[0040] The upper divided component 22a is formed by the portion of the shell main body 222 above the imaginary horizontal plane, and the lower divided component 22b is formed by the portion of the shell main body 222 below the imaginary horizontal plane and the harness insertion tube exterior 221, and the upper divided component 22a and the lower divided component 22b are assembled to form the housing shell 22. Since the housing shell 22 thus formed is made of metal, it can provide a shielding effect when connected to the device-side connector 10.

[0041] The first seal 23 is a sealing material that fits around the center of the holding portion main body 212 in the depth direction D, and seals the gap between the device housing 100 in which the device connector 10 is disposed and the terminal holding portion 21 of the wire-side connector 20 when the device-side connector 10 and the wire-side connector 20 are connected. The first seal 23 is made of rubber and has a ring shape that is square in plan view, matching the shape of the holding portion main body 212 when viewed from behind.

[0042] The fixing frame 24 is attached to the terminal holding portion 21 from the rear side Db in the depth direction D, and fixes the female terminals 31 of the female terminal set 30 arranged in the holding portion main body 212 of the terminal holding portion 21 in a predetermined position. The second seal 25 has holes 251 through which the two high-voltage wires 201 are inserted, and is a sealing member that seals the gap between the high-voltage wires 201 inserted into the harness insertion tube portion 211 and the inner surface of the harness insertion tube portion 211. Therefore, two second seals 25 are provided corresponding to the two high-voltage wires 201 that constitute the wire harness 200.

[0043] The electric wire holding portion 26 holds the high-voltage electric wire 201 inserted into the harness insertion tube portion 211 in the harness insertion tube portion 211, has holes for inserting two high-voltage electric wires 201, and is configured as two divided bodies in the depth direction D so that the hole can be separated.

[0044] The third seal 27 is a sealing member that fits over the harness insertion tube portion 211 of the terminal holding portion 21 and seals the gap between the harness insertion tube portion 211 and the harness insertion tube exterior 221. The third seal 27 is formed in an oval shape that can be fitted over the harness insertion tube portion 211. Note that in Fig. 3, the fixed frame 24 and the third seal 27 are shown attached to predetermined positions in the terminal holding portion 21. The inner lid 28 is a lid configured to close an opening on the front side Df of the holding portion main body 212 configured as an inverted, substantially square cylinder having an internal space penetrating in the depth direction D.

[0045] 5, the female terminal set 30 disposed inside the terminal holding portion 21 includes a female terminal 31 to be connected to the male terminal 12 of the device-side connector 10, a flexible conductive material 32 having flexibility, a wire-side terminal 33 provided at the tip of the high-voltage wire 201 that constitutes the wire harness 200, and a connection fixing material 34 that connects the flexible conductive material 32 and the wire-side terminal 33 and fixes them to the terminal holding portion 21. Note that, as shown in FIG. 4, two female terminal sets 30 are provided corresponding to the two male terminals 12 and the two high-voltage wires 201.

[0046] The female terminal 31 includes an insertion connection portion 311 into which the male terminal 12 is inserted and connected, and an electric wire connection portion 312 to which the tip connection portion 321 of the flexible conductive material 32 is connected. As shown in FIG. 4, the insertion connection portion 311 is provided with a spring member that clamps and connects the male terminal 12.

[0047] The flexible conductive material 32 is a flexible conductive member, and may be a flexible electric wire, twisted wire, conductor, twisted conductor, etc., but is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, however, it is made of a braided wire in which a conductive core wire is braided. The end portion Db of the flexible conductive material 32 is a tip connection portion 321 connected to the wire connection portion 312 of the female terminal 31, and the end portion Df of the flexible conductive material 32 is a base connection portion 322 connected to the main surface 362 of the second bus bar 36.

[0048] The wire-side terminal 33 is a high-voltage terminal attached to the wire 202 exposed from the tip of the high-voltage wire 201, which is covered with an insulating coating 203. The wire-side terminal 33 has a wire connection part 331 for connecting the wire 202, and a fixing part 332 having a through-hole 333 for inserting a fixing bolt 38 (described later) therethrough and for fixing together with the connection fixing member 34.

[0049] The connecting fixing material 34 is composed of a strip-shaped metal plate material whose main surface is oriented in the width direction W and height direction H, and is composed of a first bus bar 35 that is long in the height direction H and a second bus bar 36 that are stacked in the depth direction D. First bus bar 35 has through holes 351 at both ends in the longitudinal direction, through which fixing bolts 38 for fixing inside terminal holder 21 are inserted.

[0050] The second bus bar 36 has a through hole 361 at the end of the upper Hu through which a fixing bolt 38 for fixing the second bus bar 36 to the inside of the terminal holder 21 is inserted. The second bus bar 36 is formed to have a length that is about half that of the first bus bar 35.

[0051] In the female terminal set 30 having the elements configured in this manner, the tip connection portion 321 of the flexible conductive material 32 made of a braided wire is connected to the electric wire connection portion 312 of the female terminal 31 to integrate the female terminal 31 and the flexible conductive material 32. The connection between the electric wire connection portion 312 and the tip connection portion 321 of the flexible conductive material 32 may be made by welding, or the flexible conductive material 32 may be connected by crimping the electric wire connection portion 312.

[0052] A base end connection portion 322, which is an end portion on the front side Df of the flexible conductive material 32, one end of which is connected to the electric wire connection portion 312, is connected to a main surface 362 of a second bus bar 36 constituting the connection fixing member 34. Specifically, in the second bus bar 36 arranged with the main surface 362 oriented along the width direction W and the height direction H, the base end connection portion 322 of the flexible conductive material 32 is connected to the lower side Hd on the opposite side to the side on which the through hole 361 is arranged. The flexible conductive material 32 is connected to the main surface on the front side Df of both main surfaces of the second bus bar 36 in the depth direction D.

[0053] 5(b), the second bus bar 36, whose flexible conductive material 32 is connected to the lower part Hd of the main surface on the front side Df, is stacked on the front side Df of the first bus bar 35 so that the through holes 351 and 361 on the upper part Hu of the first bus bar 35 are aligned in the depth direction D, thereby forming the connection fixing material 34. Furthermore, the wire-side terminals 33 are stacked on the rear side Db of the first bus bar 35 so that the through holes 351 on the lower part Hd of the first bus bar 35 and the wire connection parts 331 are aligned in the depth direction D, thereby forming the female terminal set 30.

[0054] 4, the female terminal set 30 configured in this manner connects the female terminals 31 extending in the depth direction D to the connection fixing members 34 whose main surfaces are aligned in the width direction W and the height direction H using the flexible conductive material 32. The flexible conductive material 32 connecting the female terminals 31 extending in the depth direction D to the connection fixing members 34 whose main surfaces are aligned in the width direction W and the height direction H bends toward the front side Df and in the width direction W, passes beside the second bus bar 36 constituting the connection fixing members 34 in the width direction W, bends, and is connected to the main surface of the second bus bar 36 on the front side Df.

[0055] In other words, in the flexible conductive material 32, the tip connection portion 321 connected to the wire connection portion 312 of the female terminal 31 is arranged along the depth direction D and the height direction H, and the base end connection portion 322 connected to the main surface 362 of the second bus bar 36 is arranged along the width direction W and the height direction H, so that the tip connection portion 321 and the base end connection portion 322 are arranged in directions perpendicular to each other in a planar view.

[0056] Next, the assembly of the female terminal set 30 to the terminal holding portion 21 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the tip connection portion 321 of the flexible conductive material 32 is connected to the wire connection portion 312 of the female terminal 31, and the base connection portion 322 of the flexible conductive material 32 is connected to the lower Hd of the main surface 362 on the front side Df of the second bus bar 36, thereby integrating the female terminal 31, the flexible conductive material 32 and the second bus bar 36.

[0057] Next, as shown in Figure 6(a), the first bus bar 35 is placed inside through the opening on the front side Df of the holding portion main body 212 with its main surface oriented along the width direction W and height direction H, and the integrated female terminal 31, flexible conductive material 32 and second bus bar 36 are placed inside through the opening on the back side Db.

[0058] Then, the female terminals 31 are placed in predetermined positions, and the second bus bar 36 is placed on the front side Df of the first bus bar 35, which is oriented along the width direction W and the height direction H. At this time, the through holes 351 of the upper Hu of the first bus bar 35 and the through holes 361 of the second bus bar 36 are aligned with the fixing nuts 37 of the upper Hu of the fixing nuts 37 placed inside the holding body 212, and the fixing bolts 38 are inserted into the through holes 361 and 351 from the front side Df and screwed into the fixing nuts 37, thereby fixing the upper Hu of the first bus bar 35 and the second bus bar 36, which constitute the connection fixing member 34, to the holding body 212.

[0059] Next, the wire harness 200 having the wire-side terminal 33 connected to the tip thereof is inserted from the lower part Hd of the harness insertion tube part 211. The fixing part 332 of the wire-side terminal 33 connected to the tip of the wire harness 200 inserted from the harness insertion tube part 211 is inserted between the lower part Hd of the first bus bar 35 and the fixing nut 37 on the lower part Hd.

[0060] Then, the through-hole 351 on the lower side Hd of the first bus bar 35 and the through-hole 333 of the fixing portion 332 are aligned with the fixing nuts 37 on the lower side Hd of the fixing nuts 37 arranged inside the holding portion main body 212, and the fixing bolt 38 is inserted into the through-hole 351 and the through-hole 333 from the front side Df and screwed into the fixing nut 37. In this way, the lower side Hd of the first bus bar 35 and the through-hole 333 that constitute the connection fixing member 34 are fixed to the holding portion main body 212, completing the assembly of the female terminal set 30 to the terminal holding portion 21.

[0061] In this way, the inner lid 28 is attached to the opening on the front side Df of the holding portion main body 212 to which the female terminal set 30 has been assembled, and the fixing frame 24 is attached to the opening on the back side Db of the holding portion main body 212. Also, the first seal 23 is fitted onto the outside of the holding portion main body 212, but the first seal 23 may be fitted onto the outside of the terminal holding portion 21 in advance.

[0062] Furthermore, the second seal 25 and the wire holding portion 26 are attached to the high-voltage wire 201 from below the harness insertion tube portion 211, and the upper divided component 22a and the lower divided component 22b are attached to form the housing shell 22, thereby completing the assembly of the wire-side connector 20. Note that the second seal 25 and the wire holding portion 26 may be attached in advance when the wire harness 200 is inserted into the harness insertion tube portion 211.

[0063] The terminal holding portion 21 of the wire side connector 20 configured in this manner is approximately L-shaped with a harness insertion tube portion 211 along the height direction H and a holding portion main body 212 along the depth direction D, and the female terminal 31 arranged from the holding portion main body 212 along the depth direction D and the wire harness 200 extended downward Hd are arranged in an approximately perpendicular direction.

[0064] The wire-side connector 20 assembled in this manner is mated with the device-side connector 10 as shown in Figure 1 to form the connector connection structure 1, and the male terminal 12 of the device-side connector 10 comes into contact with the female terminal 31 of the wire-side connector 20, thereby electrically connecting the device-side connector 10 and the wire-side connector 20.

[0065] As described above, the wire-side connector 20 includes the wire-side terminal 33 attached to the tip of the high-voltage wire 201, the female terminal 31 connected to the male terminal 12 of the device-side connector 10, and the terminal holding portion 21 accommodating the wire-side terminal 33 and the female terminal 31, and the wire harness 200 includes the wire-side connector 20 at its tip. The wire-side connector 20 includes, inside the terminal holding portion 21, the flexible conductive material 32 connected to the female terminal 31 and having flexibility, and the connection fixing material 34 connected to the wire-side terminal 33 and the flexible conductive material 32 and fixed to the terminal holding portion 21. The connection fixing material 34 has through holes 351 at both ends to be fixed to the terminal holding portion 21, and a conductive plate-shaped first busbar The second bus bar 36 is connected to the first bus bar 35 and has a plate-like conductive second bus bar 36, the longitudinal length of which is shorter than that of the first bus bar 35, and has a through hole 361 at its upper Hu to be fixed to the terminal holding portion 21, the first bus bar 35 and the second bus bar 36 are stacked in the depth direction D, and the through hole 351 at the upper Hu of the first bus bar 35 and the through hole 361 of the second bus bar 36 are overlapped and fixed to the terminal holding portion 21, and the through hole 351 at the lower Hd of the first bus bar 35 and the through hole 333 of the wire-side terminal 33 are overlapped and fixed to the terminal holding portion 21, so that the influence of external forces can be absorbed and assembly can be improved.

[0066] More specifically, provided inside the terminal holding portion 21 are a flexible conductive material 32 having a tip connection portion 321 connected to the wire connection portion 312 of the female terminal 31, and a connection fixing member 34 connected to the wire-side terminal 33 and the base end connection portion 322 of the flexible conductive material 32 and fixed to the terminal holding portion 21. The connection fixing member 34 includes a first bus bar 35 having through holes 351 at both ends in the height direction H through which fixing bolts 38 fixed to the terminal holding portion 21 are inserted, and a second bus bar 36 to which the flexible conductive material 32 is connected, the second bus bar 36 being formed to have a shorter longitudinal length than the first bus bar 35. In other words, the base end connection portion 322 of the flexible conductive material 32 having a tip connection portion 321 connected to the wire connection portion 312 of the female terminal 31 is connected to the second bus bar 36 having a shorter longitudinal length than the first bus bar 35. Therefore, the flexible conductive material 32 connected to the female terminal 31 and the second bus bar 36 can be easily assembled to the terminal holding portion 21.

[0067] The second bus bar 36 has a through hole 361 formed in its upper Hu, which is fixed to the terminal holding portion 21, and the first bus bar 35 and the second bus bar 36 are stacked in the depth direction D, and the through hole 351 in the upper Hu of the first bus bar 35 overlaps with the through hole 361 in the second bus bar 36, so that the second bus bar 36 is fixed to the terminal holding portion 21. Therefore, the flexible conductive material 32 connected to the female terminal 31 can be fixed to the terminal holding portion 21 separately from the wire-side terminal 33 connected via the connection fixing material 34.

[0068] Furthermore, the through-holes 351 on the lower part Hd of the first bus bar 35 and the through-holes 333 of the wire-side terminals 33 are aligned with each other and fixed to the terminal holding part 21 by the fixing bolts 38. Therefore, the wire-side terminals 33 and the wire harness 200 can be fixed to the terminal holding part 21 separately from the flexible conductive material 32 connected to the female terminals 31, and the flexible conductive material 32 connected to the female terminals 31 can be electrically connected to the wire-side terminals 33 and the wire harness 200 via the connection fixing material 34.

[0069] In this way, the female terminals 31 and the flexible conductive material 32, and the wire-side terminals 33 and the wire harness 200 can be attached to and assembled independently of each other in the terminal holding portion 21. Therefore, the female terminals 31 and the flexible conductive material 32, and the wire-side terminals 33 and the wire harness 200 can be easily attached to and assembled with the terminal holding portion 21, and electrically connected via the first bus bar 35. Therefore, the flexible conductive material 32 can absorb the influence of external forces, and the female terminals 31 and the flexible conductive material 32 can be easily assembled with the wire-side terminals 33 and the wire harness 200, improving the ease of assembly of the wire-side connector 20. Furthermore, first bus bar 35 can be fixed to terminal holder 21 by through-holes 351 on both sides in height direction H, so that a stable connection state can be maintained.

[0070] Furthermore, the through holes 351 of the first bus bar 35, which are fixed to the terminal holding portion 21 by overlapping with the through holes 361 of the second bus bar 36, are arranged on the upper Hu, and the through holes 351 on the lower Hd of the first bus bar 35 and the through holes 333 of the wire-side terminals 33 are overlapped so that the first bus bar 35 can be fixed to the terminal holding portion 21. This prevents the routing paths of the connection fixing members 34 and the flexible conductive members 32 from becoming complicated, and allows the wire-side connector 20 to be configured compactly.

[0071] Furthermore, base end connection portion 322 of flexible conductive material 32 is connected to the lower portion Hd of main surface 362 of second bus bar 36. This prevents interference between base end connection portion 322, which connects second bus bar 36 and flexible conductive material 32, and fixing bolt 38 inserted into through hole 361, thereby achieving a stable connection state.

[0072] In addition, the high-voltage wire 201 and the wire-side terminal 33 extend in a height direction H that intersects with the female terminal 31 arranged along the depth direction D in the terminal holding portion 21, and the connection fixing material 34 is arranged with its main surface facing in a direction along the height direction H and in a width direction W that is perpendicular to the depth direction D in which the female terminal 31 is arranged, and the base end connection portion 322 of the flexible conductive material 32 is connected to the main surface 362 of the second bus bar 36, so that the flexible conductive material 32 can be reliably connected to the second bus bar 36.

[0073] Furthermore, the terminal holding portion 21 often expands and contracts in the depth direction D due to heat, and if the connection fixing member 34 is arranged so that the main surface 362 of the second bus bar 36 faces in the depth direction D, an external force due to the expansion and contraction acts on the base end connection portion 322 of the flexible conductive material 32 connected to the main surface 362 of the second bus bar 36. This may cause the connection between the second bus bar 36 and the flexible conductive material 32 to become unstable.

[0074] In contrast, the main surface 362 of the second bus bar 36 to which the flexible conductive material 32 is connected is arranged facing the width direction W and height direction H perpendicular to the depth direction D, so that external forces due to expansion, contraction, etc. are less likely to act on the base end connection portion 322 of the flexible conductive material 32 connected to the main surface 362 of the second bus bar 36, and a stable connection state can be maintained.

[0075] Furthermore, since the second bus bar 36 is stacked on the front side Df away from the female terminals 31 with respect to the first bus bar 35, the base end connection portions 322 of the flexible conductive materials 32 connected to the female terminals 31 are connected to the main surface 362 of the second bus bar 36 so as to wrap around the connection fixing material 34. Therefore, compared to when the second bus bar 36 is placed on the back side Db with respect to the first bus bar 35, there is more room for deformation following the expansion and contraction of the terminal holding portion 21 due to heat, and the flexible conductive materials 32 deform more compactly when the terminal holding portion 21 expands and contracts. This allows the wire-side connector 20 to be configured compactly.

[0076] Furthermore, since the through holes 333, 352, and 361 are fastened to the terminal holding portion 21 with fixing bolts 38, the first bus bar 35 and the wire side terminal 33, and the second bus bar 36 and the first bus bar 35 can be overlapped and fastened with fixing bolts 38 to firmly fix them to the terminal holding portion 21.

[0077] In the configuration and correspondence of the present invention to the embodiments, the electric wire of the present invention corresponds to the high-voltage electric wire 201, Similarly, The mating connector corresponds to the device connector 10. The mating connector terminal corresponds to the male terminal 12. The terminal fittings are compatible with female terminals 31. The housing corresponds to the terminal holding portion 21, The connector is compatible with the wire-side connector 20. The fixed connection corresponds to the connection fastener 34; The fixing portion corresponds to the through holes 351 and 361, The first plate-shaped body corresponds to the first bus bar 35, The second plate-shaped body corresponds to the second bus bar 36, The thickness direction corresponds to the depth direction D, One fixing portion of the first plate-shaped body corresponds to the through-hole 351 of the upper Hu, The fixing portion on the other side of the first plate-like body corresponds to the through-hole 351 on the lower side Hd, The side away from the electric wire corresponds to the upper Hu, The end opposite to the side where the fixed portion is provided corresponds to the lower side Hd, The intersecting directions correspond to the orthogonal directions, The extension direction of the wire corresponds to the height direction H, The direction of the terminal fittings corresponds to the depth direction D. The fastening member corresponds to the fixing bolt 38, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and can be applied based on the technical ideas set forth in the claims, resulting in many embodiments.

[0078] For example, in the above description, the device-side connector 10 to which the wire-side connector 20 is connected is fixed to the device housing 100, but it may also be a connector that is not fixed to the device housing 100 and is connected to an electric wire extending from a device such as an electrical device or a power supply device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 10...Device side connector 12...Male terminal 20...Wire side connector 21...Terminal holding part 31...Female terminal 32...Flexible conductive material 33...Wire side terminal 34...Connection fixing material 35...First bus bar 36...Second bus bar 38...Fixing bolt 201...High voltage power line 351, 361...Through holes D...Depth direction H: Height Hu…Upward Hd…Downward

Claims

1. A connector comprising a wire-side terminal attached to the tip of an electric wire, a terminal fitting connected to a terminal of a mating connector, and a housing for accommodating the wire-side terminal and the terminal fitting, Inside the housing: a flexible conductive material connected to the terminal fitting and having flexibility; a fixed connection portion connected to the wire-side terminal and the flexible conductive material and fixed to the housing; The fixed connection portion is a first plate-like body having fixing portions fixed to the housing at both ends and having electrical conductivity; a second plate-like body having a conductive plate shape and connected to the flexible conductive material; the second plate-like body has a length in a longitudinal direction shorter than that of the first plate-like body, and a fixing portion to be fixed to the housing is provided at one of both end sides of the second plate-like body, the first plate-like body and the second plate-like body are stacked in a plate thickness direction, and one of the fixing portions of the first plate-like body and the fixing portion of the second plate-like body are overlapped and fixed to the housing, the fixing portion on the other side of the first plate-like body and the wire-side terminal are overlapped and fixed to the housing, The terminal fittings are arranged in the housing in a direction in which they are attached to and detached from the mating connector, the electric wire and the wire-side terminal extend in a direction intersecting the arrangement direction of the terminal fitting, the fixed connection portion is disposed such that a main surface thereof faces in a direction along an extension direction of the electric wire and in a direction intersecting the arrangement direction of the terminal fitting, The flexible conductive material is connected to the main surface of the second plate-like body. connector.

2. The fixing portion of one of the first plate-shaped bodies, which is fixed to the housing by overlapping with the fixing portion of the second plate-shaped body, is disposed on a side farther from the electric wire. The connector according to claim 1 .

3. The flexible conductive material is connected to the end of the second plate-like body opposite to the end where the fixing portion is provided. The connector according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The second plate-like body is stacked on the side of the first plate-like body away from the terminal metal fittings. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The fixing portion is fastened to the housing by a fastening member. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5; The electric wire has the electric wire-side terminal attached to a tip thereof, The connector is disposed at the tip of the electric wire. Wires with connectors.

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