connector

Abstract

To provide a connector which can be properly fitted to a mating connector.SOLUTION: A connector 1 comprises: a housing member 10 having a fitting part 11A which is fitted to a mating connector 110; and a fixing member 20 which is fixed, together with the housing member 10, onto a fixing wall surface 102. The fixing member 20 has a through-hole 23 for a fastening bolt 50 which is fastened into a fastening hole 104 on the fixing wall surface 102 so as to fix the fixing member 20, together with the housing member 10, onto the fixing wall surface 102. The housing member 10 has a positioning protrusion 33 which is located opposite, across the fitting part 11A, in a vertical direction Z, to the through-hole 23 provided on the fixing member 20, and which is formed to protrude toward the fixing wall surface 102 side when in a fitted condition. The positioning protrusion 33 is inserted into a wall surface groove part 105 which is formed on the fixing wall surface 102 along an insertion / extraction direction X when in the fitted condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Inverters, motors, and other devices installed in electric and hybrid vehicles are connected to each other by connectors attached to the ends of electric wires. A connector is electrically connected to a mating device by mating with a mating connector provided on the mating device.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a connector that has a mating portion that houses terminals and mates with a mating connector provided on a connection target, and a shield shell that houses the mating portion, and in a mated state where the mating portion is mated with the mating connector, the shield shell and the fixed wall surface of the connection target are fixed with fastening bolts. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-102307 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the connector described in Patent Document 1, for example, when fastening the shield shell to the fixed wall surface of the connection target with a fastening bolt, if the connector tilts relative to the mating connector, there is a risk that the terminals in the mating portion will be twisted against the mating connector, so there is room for improvement.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can be properly mated with a mating connector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the connector of the present invention comprises an accommodating member that accommodates terminals and has a fitting portion that fits with a counterpart connector provided on a connection object, and a fixing member that is fixed to a fixed wall surface of the connection object together with the accommodating member in a fitted state in which the fitting portion is fitted with the counterpart connector, and the fixing member has a through hole through which a fastening bolt that communicates with a fastening hole formed in the fixed wall surface along a fitting direction of the fitting portion with the counterpart connector in the fitted state and is fastened to the fastening hole is inserted into the fixing member along the fitting direction, The containing member The connector has a positioning protrusion that is located on the opposite side of the through hole across the mating portion in a direction intersecting the mating direction and that protrudes toward the fixed wall surface in the mated state, and the positioning protrusion is inserted into a groove formed in the fixed wall surface along the mating direction in the mated state, the accommodating member is configured to include a resin housing, the fixing member is configured to include a metal shield shell that covers the outside of the housing, the through hole is formed integrally with the shield shell, and the positioning protrusion is formed integrally with the housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The connector according to the present invention has the effect of being able to be properly mated with the mating connector. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a connector according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the connector according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the connector according to the embodiment as viewed from the fitting direction. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the connector according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the connector according to the embodiment when mated. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the mating operation of the connector according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the mating operation of the connector according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0011] [Embodiment] The connector 1 according to this embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 is incorporated into a wire harness WH that is routed in a vehicle such as an automobile. The wire harness WH is an assembly component that bundles together a plurality of wiring materials W used for power supply and signal communication to connect various devices mounted on the vehicle, and the wiring materials W are connected to the devices using connectors 1 or the like. The wire harness WH includes a conductive wiring material W and a connector 1 that is electrically connected to the wiring material W.

[0012] The wiring material W is composed of, for example, an electric wire in which the outside of a conductor (core wire) made of a plurality of conductive metal wires is covered with an insulating covering, an electric wire bundle in which the electric wires are bundled, a metal rod in which the outside of a conductive rod-shaped member is covered with an insulating covering, etc. In addition to the above, the wire harness WH may further be composed of a grommet, a protector, a fixing device, an electric connection box, etc.

[0013] The connector 1 of this embodiment is physically and electrically connected to a mating device 100 to be connected. The connector 1 is inserted into a connector insertion hole 103 formed in a housing 101 of the mating device 100 to mate with a mating connector 110 and form an electrical connection portion with the mating device 100. The connector 1 is fixed to a fixed wall surface 102 of the mating device 100 in a state where the connector 1 is mated with the mating connector 110. As shown in FIG. 3 , the connector 1 of this embodiment is composed of a housing member 10 having a mating portion 11A that mates with the mating connector 110, and a fixing member 20 that is fixed to the fixed wall surface 102. Here, the state where the connector 1 is mated with the mating connector 110 refers to a state where the mating portion 11A is mated with the mating connector 110 and the fixing member 20 is fixed to the fixed wall surface 102. Note that in this embodiment, the connector 1 will be described as a male connector and the mating connector 110 will be described as a female connector.

[0014] In the following description, of the illustrated X, Y, and Z directions, the X direction is referred to as the "insertion / removal direction X," the Y direction is referred to as the "width direction Y," and the Z direction is referred to as the "up-down direction Z." The insertion / removal direction X, width direction Y, and up-down direction Z are perpendicular to one another. In this embodiment, of the insertion / removal direction X, the X1 direction is referred to as the "insertion direction X1," and the X2 direction is referred to as the "removal direction X2." This insertion direction X1 is a direction along the mating direction of the connector 1 with respect to the mating connector 110. Furthermore, of the up-down direction Z, the Z1 direction is referred to as the "upward direction Z1," and the Z2 direction is referred to as the "downward direction Z2." In this embodiment, the up-down direction Z is a direction along the vertical direction, but is not limited to this.

[0015] The fixed wall surface 102 is a wall surface of the housing 101 on the removal direction X2 side of the housing 101, and is a portion to which the connector 1 is attached and fixed. The fixed wall surface 102 is formed of a uniform flat surface and has a plurality of holes formed therein. Specifically, the fixed wall surface 102 is provided with a connector insertion hole 103, a fastening hole 104, a wall groove 105, and a pair of grooves 106. The connector insertion hole 103, the fastening hole 104, the wall groove 105, and the pair of grooves 106 are all formed in a substantially straight line from the fixed wall surface 102 along the insertion / removal direction X. Of the connector insertion hole 103, the fastening hole 104, the wall groove 105, and the pair of grooves 106, the connector insertion hole 103, the fastening hole 104, and the wall groove 105 are arranged in a straight line along the up-down direction Z. These three holes (or grooves) are arranged in the order of the fastening hole 104, the connector insertion hole 103, and the wall groove portion 105 from the upward direction Z1 to the downward direction Z2.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 to 7, the connector insertion hole 103 accommodates the mating connector 110 inside, and is a portion into which the mating portion 11A is inserted when the connector 1 is mated with the mating connector 110. The opening shape of the connector insertion hole 103 is formed to match the shape of the mating portion 11A of the connector 1 when viewed from the insertion direction X1. For example, the opening shape of the connector insertion hole 103 when viewed from the insertion direction X1 is formed to be approximately elliptical. Of the fastening holes 104, the connector insertion hole 103, and the wall surface groove portion 105 arranged along the up-down direction Z, the connector insertion hole 103 is located between the fastening hole 104 and the wall surface groove portion 105.

[0017] The fastening hole 104 is a portion into which a fastening bolt 50 is threaded to fix the connector 1 to the fixed wall surface 102 when the connector 1 is mated with the mating connector 110. The fastening bolt 50 is composed of a head 51 and a shaft 52. The fastening hole 104 is a hole with a threading groove formed on its inner circumferential surface, into which the shaft 52 of the fastening bolt 50 is threaded. The fastening hole 104 is located on the upward Z1 side of the connector insertion hole 103.

[0018] The fastening bolt 50 is a fastening member that fixes the connector 1 to a fixed wall surface 102. The head 51 is provided at one end of the shaft 52 in the extension direction and serves as a base of the fastening bolt 50. The head 51 has a hexagonal shape when viewed from the extension direction of the shaft 52. The shaft 52 is formed in a cylindrical shape. A spiral threading groove is formed on the surface of the shaft 52 along the extension direction of the shaft 52. As shown in FIG. 2, the fastening bolt 50 is inserted into the through hole 23 provided in the fixing member 20 in the insertion / removal direction X. The fastening bolt 50 is inserted into the through hole 23 and threaded into the fastening hole 104 to be fastened to the fastening hole 104. In other words, the connector 1 is fixed to the fixing wall surface 102 by the fastening bolt 50 with the fixing member 20 attached so as to cover the accommodating member 10, as shown in FIG. 2. With this configuration, the fixing member 20 is fixed to the fixing wall surface 102 together with the accommodating member 10 in a fitted state in which the fitting portion 11A is fitted with the mating connector 110.

[0019] The wall groove 105 is a portion into which the positioning protrusion 33 provided on the connector 1 side shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is inserted when the fitting portion 11A is in a mating state with the mating connector 110. The opening shape of the wall groove 105 is formed to match, for example, the shape of the positioning protrusion 33 as viewed from the insertion direction X1. The wall groove 105 of this embodiment has an opening shape formed in a rectangular shape. The wall groove 105 is located on the downward direction Z2 side of the connector insertion hole 103. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 to 7, the wall groove 105 has a pair of first guide surface 105a and second guide surface 105b.

[0020] The pair of first guide surface 105a and second guide surface 105b are provided on either side of the opening in the vertical direction Z. The first guide surface 105a and the second guide surface 105b are inclined inward of the wall surface groove portion 105 from the fixed wall surface 102 toward the insertion direction X1.

[0021] The pair of grooves 106 are portions that accommodate the heads of bolts provided on the connector 1 side when the fitting portion 11A is in a mating state with the mating connector 110. The pair of grooves 106 are arranged at a fixed interval along the width direction Y so as to sandwich the wall surface groove 105 therebetween.

[0022] The accommodating member 10 accommodates the connector terminals 3 and has a mating portion 11A that mates with a mating connector 110. As shown in FIG. 4 , the accommodating member 10 is composed of multiple parts. Specifically, the accommodating member 10 includes a housing 11, a rear cover 12, a front holder 13, an inner housing 14, and a seal packing 15. The housing 11, the rear cover 12, the front holder 13, and the inner housing 14 are each formed of an insulating resin material. The mating portion 11A of this embodiment includes a cylindrical portion 34 provided on the housing 11, the front holder 13 assembled to the cylindrical portion 34, the inner housing 14, and the seal packing 15.

[0023] The housing 11 and rear cover 12 are assembled together to form a box-like structure, accommodating four connector terminals 3. The connector terminals 3 are metal fittings made of a conductive metal material. As shown in FIG. 5, the connector terminals 3 are male terminals that are electrically connected to female counterpart terminals 111. The connector terminals 3 are physically and electrically connected to the ends of the wiring material W. When assembled together, the housing 11 and rear cover 12 accommodate four connector terminals 3, but this is not limited to this.

[0024] The housing 11 is formed with openings on both ends in the insertion / removal direction X. When the connector terminals 3 are accommodated in the housing 11, the connector terminals 3 are exposed to the outside from the opening on the insertion direction X1 side, while the opening on the removal direction X2 side is closed by a rear cover 12. The housing 11 is configured to include a housing main body 30 and a wiring material insertion portion 32, which are integrally formed.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3, the housing main body 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed in the insertion direction X1. The housing main body 30 has an opposing surface 31 that faces the fixed wall surface 102 in the insertion / removal direction X in a mated state in which the fitting portion 11A is mated with the mating connector 110, and a tubular portion 34 that protrudes from the opposing surface 31 toward the mating connector 110 and is housed inside the mating connector 110. As shown in Figs. 3 to 7, the opposing surface 31 has a positioning protrusion 33 that protrudes toward the fixed wall surface 102 in a mated state in which the fitting portion 11A is mated with the mating connector 110. The tubular portion 34 houses a tubular inner housing 14 along its inner circumferential surface, and the rear cover 12 is attached along its outer circumferential surface.

[0026] 3, the positioning protrusion 33 is located on the opposite side of the through-hole 23 with the fitting portion 11A sandwiched between them in the up-down direction Z, which is a transverse direction intersecting the insertion direction X1. The positioning protrusion 33 has a rectangular cross-sectional shape when viewed from the insertion / removal direction X. The positioning protrusion 33 is inserted into the wall groove 105 in a mated state in which the fitting portion 11A is mated with the mating connector 110. The positioning protrusion 33 has a tip portion 40 provided at the tip on the insertion direction X1 side, a first inclined surface 41 provided on the upward direction Z1 side from the tip portion 40, and a second inclined surface 42 provided on the downward direction Z2 side from the tip portion 40.

[0027] The tip portion 40 is located between a first inclined surface 41 and a second inclined surface 42 in the up-down direction Z. The first inclined surface 41 is inclined upward from the tip portion 40 in the removal direction X2. The second inclined surface 42 is an inclined surface inclined downward from the tip portion 40 in the removal direction X2. When viewed from the width direction Y, in a mated state in which the mating portion 11A is mated with the mating connector 110 and the connector 1 is fixed to the fixed wall surface 102 by the fastening bolt 50, the tip portion 40 is located closer to the insertion direction X1 than the tip of the tubular portion 34 on the insertion direction X1 side and closer to the removal direction X2 than the tip of the shaft portion 52 on the insertion direction X1 side.

[0028] The inner housing 14 is a member formed separately from the housing 11, and is a member that accommodates and holds the connector terminals 3 along the insertion / removal direction X when attached to the housing main body 30.

[0029] The seal packing 15 is formed in an annular shape and is a waterproofing member attached to the housing 11. When the fitting portion 11A is fitted with the mating connector 110, the seal packing 15 is interposed between the housing 11 and the mating connector 110, and comes into contact with them to stop water and ensure sealing performance.

[0030] The wiring material insertion portion 32 is a portion through which the wiring material W is inserted. The wiring material insertion portion 32 is formed so as to protrude in the downward direction Z2 from the end portion on the downward direction Z2 side of the housing main body 30. The wiring material insertion portion 32 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the wiring material W is routed inside it in the up-down direction Z. In other words, the housing 11 holds the connector terminals 3 along the insertion / removal direction X, and the wiring material W is inserted along the up-down direction Z perpendicular to the insertion / removal direction X. Here, four wiring materials W are inserted into the wiring material insertion portion 32.

[0031] The fixing member 20 is fixed to the fixing wall surface 102 together with the accommodating member 10 in a mated state in which the mating portion 11A is mated with the mating connector 110. As shown in Fig. 4, the fixing member 20 includes a shell main body 21 and a lower shell 25. The shell main body 21 and the lower shell 25 are each formed from a conductive metal material.

[0032] The shell main body 21 is formed in a tub shape so as to cover the outside of the housing 11, and has a bracket portion 22 provided at its end on the upward Z1 side. The shell main body 21 is configured as a so-called shield shell, and is formed so as to cover the outside of the accommodating member 10. The bracket portion 22 has a through hole 23 through which the fastening bolt 50 is inserted along the insertion / removal direction X. The through hole 23 is a through hole that passes through the bracket portion 22 along the insertion / removal direction X, and the shank 52 of the fastening bolt 50 is inserted therethrough. In this way, the shell main body 21 can be said to be a shield shell provided with the through hole 23.

[0033] The lower shell 25 is a part that is fastened to the shell main body 21 with bolts or the like to fix the accommodating member 10 to the fixing member 20. The lower shell 25 is fixed to the shell main body 21 by fastening two bolts in a state in which the wiring material insertion portion 32 of the accommodating member 10 is sandwiched between the shell main body 21 and the lower shell 25 in the insertion / removal direction X.

[0034] Next, a description will be given of the operation of fitting the connector 1 having the above configuration into the mating connector 110 and fixing it to the fixed wall surface 102. First, the worker inserts the fastening bolt 50 into the through hole 23 in the fixing member 20 of the connector 1, and then inserts and screws the fastening bolt 50 into the fastening hole 104 in the fixed wall surface 102. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6 , the end of the connector 1 on the upward Z1 side may be closer to the fixed wall surface 102 than the end on the downward Z2 side, and may not face the fixed wall surface 102 directly.

[0035] As the worker further screws the fastening bolt 50 into the fastening hole 104, the positioning protrusion 33 comes into contact with the wall groove 105 of the fixed wall surface 102. At this time, the tip 40, the second inclined surface 42, or the boundary between the tip 40 and the second inclined surface 42 of the positioning protrusion 33 comes into contact with and slides against the second guide surface 105b of the wall groove 105. This causes the positioning protrusion 33 to be inserted toward the wall groove 105. As a result, the inclination of the connector 1 with respect to the fixed wall surface 102 is eliminated, and the connector 1 faces the mating connector 110, as shown in FIG. 7 .

[0036] The worker further tightens the fastening bolt 50, so that the fitting portion 11A fits into the mating connector 110 and the connector terminal 3 connects to the mating terminal 111 of the mating connector 110 (FIG. 5).

[0037] In a conventional connector, when fastening bolt 50 is inserted through through hole 23 and then inserted into fastening hole 104 and screwed, there is a risk that the connector will not face the fixed wall surface 102 in the insertion / removal direction X. When a connector is fixed with a single fastening bolt 50, for example, as shown in FIG. 6 , the entire connector is likely to tilt in a direction intersecting with the insertion / removal direction X due to factors such as the size of the gap between shank 52 and through hole 23 due to the relationship between the intersection of the outer diameter of shank 52 and the intersection of the inner diameter of through hole 23. If fastening bolt 50 is further tightened while connector 1 is not facing the fixed wall surface 102 in the insertion / removal direction X, there is a risk that the entire connector 1 will be mated with mating connector 110 in an inclined state. In this case, connector terminal 3 may come into contact with mating terminal 111 in an inclined state, which may cause wrench between the terminals. Therefore, although it is possible for an operator to perform the fitting operation by holding the connector 1 so that it faces the fixed wall surface 102 in the insertion / removal direction X, this may increase the time and effort required for the assembly operation.

[0038] As described above, the connector 1 according to this embodiment includes a accommodating member 10 having a mating portion 11A that mates with a mating connector 110, and a fixing member 20 that is fixed to the fixed wall surface 102 together with the accommodating member 10. The fixing member 20 has through holes 23 for fastening bolts 50 that are fastened to fastening holes 104 in the fixed wall surface 102 to fix the accommodating member 10 and the fixing member 20 to the fixed wall surface 102 together. The accommodating member 10 has a positioning protrusion 33 that is located on the opposite side of the mating portion 11A from the through holes 23 provided in the fixing member 20 in the vertical direction Z, and that protrudes toward the fixed wall surface 102 in the mated state. The positioning protrusion 33 is inserted into a wall groove 105 formed in the fixed wall surface 102 along the insertion / removal direction X in the mated state.

[0039] With the above configuration, when the fastening bolts 50 are tightened to fit the connector 1 to the mating connector 110 and fix the connector 1 to the fixed wall surface 102, the positioning protrusions 33 are inserted toward the wall grooves 105. This allows the connector 1 to correct the inclination of the connector 1 relative to the mating connector 110, and enables the connector terminals 3 in the fitting portion 11A to face the mating terminals 111 in the mating connector 110 in the insertion / removal direction X. As a result, the connector 1 can suppress twisting between the connector terminals 3 and the mating terminals 111, and can be properly fitted to the mating connector.

[0040] Furthermore, in the connector 1 according to this embodiment, the accommodating member 10 is configured to include a resin housing 11, and the positioning protrusions 33 are formed integrally with the housing 11. As a result, since the housing 11 of the connector 1 is made of resin, it is easy to form the positioning protrusions 33 on the housing 11.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the positioning protrusion 33 when viewed from the insertion / removal direction X is rectangular, but this is not limited to this. The cross-sectional shape of the positioning protrusion 33 when viewed from the insertion / removal direction X may be circular, elliptical, triangular, or polygonal with pentagons or more sides.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the positioning protrusion 33 is provided on the housing 11, but this is not limitative and the positioning protrusion 33 may be provided on the shell main body 21 serving as a shield shell.

[0043] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the positioning protrusion 33 is provided at one location on the connector 1, but this is not limitative and the positioning protrusion 33 may be provided at multiple locations. In this case, the wall groove 105 provided on the fixed wall surface 102 may be provided at multiple locations according to the positions of the positioning protrusions 33. Note that when multiple positioning protrusions 33 are arranged at regular intervals along the width direction Y, the wall groove 105 may be a single groove formed extending in the width direction Y so that multiple positioning protrusions 33 can be inserted simultaneously.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the positioning protrusion 33 is located on an imaginary line that passes through the center of the through-hole 23 and the center of the connector insertion hole 103 when viewed from the insertion / removal direction X along the up-down direction Z in the mated state, but this is not limited to this. That is, the positioning protrusion 33 may be provided at a position offset from the imaginary line. In this case, the positioning protrusion 33 is preferably provided on the downward direction Z2 side from the connector insertion hole 103.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the wiring material W of the connector 1 is drawn downward in the Z2 direction, but this is not limited to this. For example, the wiring material W of the connector 1 may be drawn in at least one direction in the width direction Y, or in the removal direction X2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 connector 3 Connector terminals 10. Storage member 11. Housing 11A Mating part 20 Fixing member 21 Shell body 23 Through hole 30 Housing body 31 Opposite surface 33 Positioning protrusion 50 Fastening bolts 100 Counterparty device 102 Fixed wall 103 Connector insertion hole 104 Fastening hole 105 Wall groove 110 Mating Connector 111 Counterpart terminal WH Wire Harness W Routing material

Claims

[Claim 1] a housing member that houses the terminals and has a fitting portion that fits with a mating connector provided on a connection target; a fixing member that is fixed to a fixed wall surface of the connection target together with the accommodation member in a mated state in which the mating portion is mated with the counterpart connector, The fixing member is a through hole through which a fastening bolt communicates with a fastening hole formed in the fixed wall surface along a fitting direction of the fitting portion relative to the mating connector in the fitted state and is fastened to the fastening hole; and the fastening bolt has a through hole through which the fastening bolt is inserted in the fitting direction of the fixing member; The containing member is a positioning protrusion that is located on the opposite side of the through hole with the fitting portion sandwiched between them in a direction intersecting the fitting direction, and that protrudes toward the fixed wall surface in the fitted state; The positioning protrusion is In the fitted state, the connector is inserted into a groove formed in the fixed wall surface along the fitting direction, The containing member is The device is configured to include a resin housing, The fixing member is The housing includes a metallic shield shell that covers the outside of the housing. The through hole is formed integrally with the shield shell, The positioning protrusion is integrally formed with the housing A connector characterized by:

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