connector

Abstract

To provide a connector having a hood which can be easily fitted without requiring dedicated means for fitting the hood.SOLUTION: A module 40 comprises: a terminal 41 fitted to a cable 200; and an insulator 42 for housing the terminal 41. The insulator 42 has: two spring pieces 44; and two protrusions 44b formed on the two spring pieces 44. A housing 30 has through-holes 36 at positions facing each other a lateral wall surrounding a housing space 31. The module 40 is housed in the housing space 31 by two protrusions 44b fitted into the through-holes 36 from the inside. A hood 50 is made up of two split bodies 60, 70, and it can be fixed to the housing 30 when protruding parts 67, 77 of the split bodies 60, 70 are fitted into the through-holes 36 from the outside and are coupled together by coupling means. With the hood 50 fixed to the housing 30, the split bodies 60, 70 form a straight lead-out hole 51 and an angled lead-out hole 52 from which the cable 200 is led out.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector having a hood for protecting a cable lead-out portion. [Background technology]

[0002] 6 and 7 show the configuration described in Patent Document 1 as a conventional example of a configuration in which a hood (connector hood) is attached to a connector, and in Fig. 6, 10 indicates the hood, 13 indicates a cable, and 20 indicates an MFC (mass flow controller) to which the connector is connected.

[0003] 7 shows the internal structure of the hood 10 in FIG. 6, with the hood 10 connected to connector terminals 11 provided on the top surface of the MFC 20. The hood 10 includes a first member 1, a second member 2, a third member 3 (see FIG. 6, not shown in FIG. 7), a fourth member 4 including an opening for the connector terminals 11, side screws 5, and top screws 6. The side screws 5 serve to connect the first to fourth members 1 to 4, etc., and the top screws 6 serve to fix the connector terminals 11 held by the hood 10 to the MFC 20.

[0004] The hood 10 contains connector terminals 11, electric wires 12, cables 13, and bushings 14, and the electric wires 12 are connected to the respective pins of the connector terminals 11. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-195011 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the conventional configuration described above, screws are used to attach and secure the hood, which means that it is necessary to form threaded holes in the object to which the hood is attached (MFC20 in the above example) so that the screws can thread into them.In other words, in the conventional configuration, when attaching and securing the hood, it was necessary to create new, dedicated threaded holes in the object to which the hood is attached.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector having a hood that can be attached without requiring any new dedicated means for attaching the hood. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to this invention, in a connector comprising a housing, a module, and a hood, the module comprises a terminal attached to an end of a cable and connected to a mating terminal of a mating connector, and an insulator for accommodating and holding the terminal, the insulator having two spring pieces formed on its outer surface positioned opposite each other and two protrusions formed on the two spring pieces so as to protrude outward from each other, the housing has an accommodating space, and through holes are formed at opposing positions on side walls surrounding the accommodating space, and the module is positioned and accommodated in the accommodating space and attached to the housing by fitting the two protrusions from the inside into the through holes formed at opposing positions on the side walls, The hood is composed of two halves that can be separated and connected, and each of the two halves has a protrusion formed thereon. The hood can be positioned and fixed to the housing by fitting the protrusions of the two halves from the outside into through holes formed in opposing positions on the side walls, and by connecting the two halves together using a connecting means. When the connection direction between the terminal and the mating terminal is in the vertical direction, the two halves, when the hood is positioned and fixed to the housing, have a shape that forms a straight outlet hole that allows the cable to be pulled out upward from the hood and an angle outlet hole that allows the cable to be pulled out in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction from the hood. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a connector provided with a hood that can be easily attached without requiring any new dedicated means for attaching the hood. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention as seen from the front, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention as seen from the rear. [Figure 2] FIG. 1B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connector shown in FIG. 1A. [Figure 3] FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a state in which a hood is removed from the connector shown in FIG. 1A. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the state shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] A is a perspective view from above showing one of the hood segments, B is a perspective view from above showing the other hood segment, C is a perspective view from below showing one of the hood segments, and D is a perspective view from below showing the other hood segment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a conventional configuration in which a hood is attached to a connector. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the main part in FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 shows the appearance of one embodiment of a connector according to the present invention, and Figure 2 shows its cross-sectional structure. In this example, connector 100 is configured to include housing 30, module 40, and hood 50. In Figures 1 and 2, reference numeral 200 denotes a cable connected to connector 100, and in this example, only a portion of cable 200 is shown, with the entire cable not shown.

[0013] Fig. 3 shows the connector 100 with the hood 50 removed, and Fig. 4 shows its cross-sectional structure. First, the configurations of the housing 30 and the module 40 will be described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4.

[0014] The housing 30 is in the shape of a substantially rectangular frame, and has an interior containing an accommodation space 31 that is open at the top and bottom. Of the four side walls 32 to 35 that surround the accommodation space 31, the side walls 32, 33 located on the long sides of the rectangular frame have rectangular through holes 36 formed on the upper ends thereof that communicate between the inside and outside of the housing 30. In this example, six through holes 36 are formed in each of the side walls 32, 33, aligned in the direction of extension of the long sides, and positioned opposite each other on the side walls 32, 33. Although detailed description will be omitted, the housing 30 is also provided with a lever 37 for locking when connected to a mating connector.

[0015] The module 40 comprises a terminal 41 that is attached to the end of the cable 200 and connected to a mating terminal of a mating connector, and an insulator 42 that houses and holds the terminal 41. In this example, the insulator 42 has four mounting holes 43 that penetrate in the vertical direction, and the four terminals 41 can be mounted in these mounting holes 43. The terminal 41 is inserted into the mounting holes 43 from above, and is prevented from coming out by the cut-and-raised piece 41a being caught on a step 43a formed in the mounting hole 43. The core wire 201 of the cable 200 is connected to the upper end of the terminal 41 by crimping.

[0016] Spring pieces 44 are formed along the outer surfaces of the insulators 42 on opposite sides thereof. The lower ends of the spring pieces 44 are fixed ends and the upper ends are free ends, and the free ends of the two spring pieces 44 are each formed with a protrusion 44a that protrudes outward from each other, and further, protrusions 44b that protrude outward from each other are formed near the free ends.

[0017] The module 40 having the above-described configuration is attached to the accommodating space 31 of the housing 30. The attachment is performed by inserting the module 40 into the accommodating space 31 from above, and the module 40 is positioned and accommodated in the accommodating space 31 and attached to the housing 30 by fitting, from the inside, two protrusions 44b formed on the two spring pieces 44 into through holes 36 formed in opposing positions in the side walls 32 and 33. Note that the protrusions 44a and 44b provided on the spring pieces 44 sandwich the portions (upper end portions) of the side walls 32 and 33 that are positioned above the through holes 36, as shown in FIG. 4 .

[0018] The modules 40 are attached to the housing 30 as described above, and in this example, six sets of through holes 36 positioned opposite each other are formed in the side walls 32, 33 of the housing 30, so that up to six modules 40 can be positioned and housed in the housing space 31 of the housing 30. Note that while this example illustrates a state in which six modules 40 of the same specifications are housed, the number of modules 40 housed, the specifications of the terminals 41 provided on the modules 40, and the specifications and number of mounting holes 43 in the insulator 42 to which the terminals 41 are attached are determined appropriately depending on the specifications and number of the cables 200 to be connected by the connector 100.

[0019] Next, the hood 50 provided on the connector 100 will be described.

[0020] The hood 50 is composed of two separable and connectable divided bodies 60, 70. Figures 5A and 5B show the divided bodies 60, 70, respectively, and Figures 5C and 5D show the divided bodies 60, 70, respectively, from different angles.

[0021] In this example, the divided bodies 60 and 70 have plane-symmetrical shapes, with the divided body 60 constituting the left half of the hood 50 and the divided body 70 constituting the right half of the hood 50 .

[0022] Divided body 60 generally comprises a side plate portion 61, an upper plate portion 62, a front plate portion 63, and a rear plate portion 64, and divided body 70 similarly comprises a side plate portion 71, an upper plate portion 72, a front plate portion 73, and a rear plate portion 74. Semicircular notches 65, 75 are formed in the upper plate portions 62, 72 of divided bodies 60, 70, respectively, which form circular holes when divided bodies 60, 70 and side plate portions 61, 71 are butted against each other with the outsides of the divided bodies 60, 70, respectively, and semicircular notches 66, 76 which similarly form circular holes are formed in the inclined portions 63a, 73a of the front plate portions 63, 73, respectively.

[0023] Protrusions 67, 77 that protrude inward toward each other are formed at the lower ends of the inner surfaces of the side plate portions 61, 71 of these segments 60, 70. In this example, three protrusions 67 are formed closer to the front plate portion 63 and one is formed closer to the rear plate portion 64, and similarly, three protrusions 77 are formed closer to the front plate portion 73 and one is formed closer to the rear plate portion 74. These protrusions 67, 77 are located opposite each other and can be fitted into through holes 36 that are formed in an array in the side walls 33, 32 of the housing 30.

[0024] Furthermore, the divided bodies 60, 70 are provided with cable tie holes 68, 78 for connecting each other with a cable tie. The cable tie holes 68, 78 are formed in four fixing portions 69, 79 that protrude from the outer surfaces of the divided bodies 60, 70, respectively, as shown in FIG.

[0025] The installation of the hood 50 will now be described.

[0026] The four protrusions 67 of the split body 60 are fitted from the outside into the through holes 36 arranged in an array on the side wall 33 of the housing 30, and similarly, the four protrusions 77 of the split body 70 are fitted from the outside into the through holes 36 arranged in an array on the side wall 32 of the housing 30, thereby attaching the split bodies 60, 70 to the housing 30.

[0027] Next, the cable ties 80 are passed through the cable tie holes 68, 78 of the segments 60, 70 to connect the segments 60, 70 with the cable ties 80. In this example, the segments 60, 70 have the cable tie holes 68, 78 in four locations, so the segments 60, 70 are connected with four cable ties 80, and the hood 50 is thereby positioned and fixed to the housing 30 and attached to the housing 30, i.e., the state shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[0028] 1, when segments 60 and 70 are joined and hood 50 is attached to housing 30, circular straight draw-out hole 51 is formed by notch 65 in segment 60 and notch 75 in segment 70, and circular angled draw-out hole 52 is formed by notch 66 in segment 60 and notch 76 in segment 70. In this example, straight draw-out hole 51 and angled draw-out hole 52 have the same shape and dimensions.

[0029] This connector 100 is configured to be mated with a mating connector located below the housing 30, and when the connection direction between the terminals 41 and the mating terminals of the mating connector is vertical, the cable 200 can be pulled upward from the hood 50 using the straight outlet hole 51 provided in the hood 50, and the cable 200 can be pulled out in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction using the angled outlet hole 52. Figure 1 shows the state in which the cable 200 is pulled upward from the hood 50, and in this example, a grommet 90 is attached to the angled outlet hole 52, which blocks the angled outlet hole 52.

[0030] One embodiment of the connector according to the present invention has been described above. The connector 100 described above can provide the following effects.

[0031] (1) The hood 50 is attached by utilizing the through-holes 36 formed in the side walls 32, 33 of the housing 30 to position and attach the module 40, i.e., the hood 50 is attached by utilizing the outer portion of the through-holes 36 where the protrusions 44b of the module 40 are not located. Therefore, there is no need to provide a new dedicated means for attaching the hood 50, and the hood 50 can be easily attached.

[0032] (2) The hood 50 is composed of two divided bodies 60, 70, and after the divided bodies 60 and 70 are attached to the housing 30, they are secured together with a cable tie 80 to complete the installation of the hood 50. In this way, the use of the cable tie 80 simplifies the installation process.

[0033] (3) The hood 50 has two holes, the straight hole 51 and the angled hole 52, for pulling out the cable 200. This allows the direction in which the cable 200 is pulled out to be selected depending on the environment and conditions under which the connector 100 is used. In addition, depending on the situation, the two holes can be used to pull out the cable 200 in two directions, respectively, making the connector 100 easy to use.

[0034] In the above-described embodiment, the two segments 60, 70 constituting the hood 50 each have four protrusions 67, 77 that fit into the through holes 36 of the housing 30, but the number of protrusions 67, 77 is not limited to this and may be, for example, one for each segment 60, 70.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the angled pull-out holes 52 that are not used to pull out the cable 200 are closed with the grommets 90, but a configuration in which they are not closed with the grommets 90 may be adopted depending on the situation.

[0036] Furthermore, although the binding band 80 is used as a means for connecting the two divided bodies 60, 70 of the hood 50, the connecting means is not limited to this, and for example, screws may be used for fastening.

[0037] The connector according to the present invention is provided with the hood 50 having the above-described structure as a component, but if the hood 50 is not necessary, an embodiment in which the hood 50 is not attached can also be adopted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 First member 2 Second member 3 Third member 4 Fourth member 5 Side screws 6 Top screws 10 Hood 11 Connector terminal 12 Electrical wires 13 Cables 14 Bush 20 MFC 30 Housing 31 Storage space 32~35 Side wall 36 Through hole 37 Lever 40 Module 41 Terminal 41a Cut-out piece 42 Insulator 43 Mounting hole 43a Step 44 Spring piece 44a Projection 44b Projection 50 Hood 51 Straight drawer hole 52 Angle pull-out hole 60,70 Divided body 61,71 Side plate 62,72 Top plate 63,73 Front plate part 63a,73a Slanted part 64,74 Back plate part 65,66,75,76 Notch 67,77 Protrusion 68,78 Cable tie hole 69,79 Fixing part 80 Cable tie 90 Grommet 100 Connector 200 Cable 201 Core wire

Claims

1. A connector comprising a housing, a module, and a hood, The module comprises a terminal attached to an end of a cable and connected to a mating terminal of a mating connector, and an insulator for accommodating and holding the terminal, The insulator has two spring pieces formed on outer surfaces positioned opposite to each other, and two protrusions formed on the two spring pieces so as to protrude outward from each other, The housing has an accommodation space, and through holes are formed at opposing positions on side walls surrounding the accommodation space, the module is positioned and accommodated in the accommodation space by fitting the two protrusions from the inside into the through holes formed at positions facing each other on the side wall, and is attached to the housing; The hood is composed of two separate bodies that can be separated and connected, and a protrusion is formed on each of the two separate bodies, the hood can be positioned and fixed to the housing by fitting the protrusions of the two divided bodies from the outside into the through holes formed in the side walls at positions opposite to each other, and by joining the two divided bodies together using a joining means; A connector characterized in that, when the connection direction between the terminal and the mating terminal is in the vertical direction, the two divided bodies have a shape that, when the hood is positioned and fixed to the housing, forms a straight withdrawal hole that allows the cable to be pulled upward from the hood, and an angled withdrawal hole that allows the cable to be pulled out from the hood in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

2. 2. The connector according to claim 1, A plurality of sets of the through holes positioned opposite to each other are formed in the side wall, The connector is characterized in that the accommodation space is capable of accommodating a plurality of the modules in a positioned manner.

3. 3. The connector according to claim 1, The straight draw-out hole and the angle draw-out hole have the same shape and size; The connector further comprises a grommet capable of closing either the straight drawing hole or the angled drawing hole.

4. 3. The connector according to claim 1, A connector characterized in that the connecting means is composed of a cable tie and a cable tie insertion hole provided in each of the two divided bodies.

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