connector

Abstract

To provide a connector that can absorb positional deviation caused by component tolerance and an external load, is easily assembled, and has a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A connector 1 comprises: a housing 4 accommodating a connection metal fitting 37 connected with a terminal of an electric wire 2; and a terminal 3 connected with the connection metal fitting 37. The terminal 3 includes a fitting part 31 fitted to a terminal of a mating connector 110, and a plate part 32 placed on the connection metal fitting 37. The housing 4 includes a first accommodation part 41 accommodating the fitting part 31, a second accommodation part 42 accommodating the plate part 32 and connection metal fitting 37, and a third accommodation part 43 accommodating the electric wire 2. A fitting direction of the fitting part 31 and a derivation direction of the electric wire 2 to the outside of the housing 4 are orthogonal to each other. An inclined surface 46 inclined with respect to the fitting direction and the derivation direction is provided at a boundary portion between the second accommodation part 42 and third accommodation part 43 of the housing 4. The plate part 32 and connection metal fitting 37 are arranged on an extension surface of the inclined surface 46.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[[Technical Field]]

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

[0002] Connectors are used for connecting electric wires to each other or connecting electric wires to electronic devices. As an example of a connector, the one shown in Figure 3 is known (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] The connector 511 shown in Figure 3 includes a front holder 525 accommodating a terminal 513 connected to a mating terminal, a housing 517, a cover member 519, a fixed terminal for conductor connection 521, and a flexible conductor 579.

[0004] The housing 517 is formed into a substantially L-shape by crossing a holder insertion portion 551, into which the front holder 525 is inserted, and an external wire lead-out portion 553. The housing 517 is provided with a working opening 563 for performing assembly work. A cover member 519 is attached to this working opening 563.

[0005] The fixed terminal for conductor connection 521 has one end side connected to a core wire 547 of an external electric wire 515, an intermediate portion 565 fixed to the housing 517, is formed to be able to pass through the external wire lead-out portion 553, and is accommodated in the housing 517.

[0006] The flexible conductor 579 is made of a soft material, has one end connected to the terminal 513, and the other end connected to the other end side of the fixed terminal for conductor connection 521. Further, the flexible conductor 579 is provided with an external force absorbing portion 577 that is slackened by the extra length.

[0007] In the connector 511 described above, positional deviation occurring between the fixed terminal for conductor connection 521 and the terminal 513 can be absorbed by the flexible conductor 579. Thereby, the terminal 513 can achieve good contact with the mating terminal. [[Prior Art Documents]] [[Patent Documents]]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-192359 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] The aforementioned connector 511 has a flexible conductor 579 that absorbs misalignment due to component tolerances and external loads, but this has resulted in the problem of being time-consuming to assemble and having a large number of parts, leading to high costs.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a connector that can absorb positional misalignment due to component tolerances and external loads, and has a simple structure that is easy to assemble. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention relates to a connector comprising: a housing that houses a plate-shaped connecting fitting connected to the end of an electric wire; and a terminal housed within the housing and connected to the connecting fitting, wherein the terminal comprises a mating portion that mates with the terminal of a mating connector and a plate portion that overlaps the connecting fitting, and the housing comprises a first housing portion that houses the mating portion, a second housing portion that houses the plate portion and the connecting fitting, and a third housing portion that houses the electric wire, wherein the mating direction of the mating portion and the exit direction of the electric wire led out of the housing from the third housing portion are perpendicular, and an inclined surface is provided at the boundary portion between the second housing portion and the third housing portion of the housing, inclined with respect to the mating direction and the exit direction, and the plate portion is arranged on the extension surface of the inclined surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connector that can absorb positional misalignment due to component tolerances and external force loads, and that is easy to assemble and has a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This figure shows a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention connected to a mating connector. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of a conventional connector. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] A "connector" according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

[0015] The connector 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is connected to a mating connector 110 mounted on the housing 100 of an in-vehicle device. This connector 1 comprises a housing 4 that houses a plate-shaped connecting fitting 37 connected to the end of an electric wire 2, a terminal 3 housed within the housing 4 and connected to the connecting fitting 37, a cover 5, a rear holder 6, and shield shells 71, 72, 73, etc.

[0016] The electric wire 2 is a round electric wire comprising a core wire 21 and an insulating sheath 22. At the end of the electric wire 2, the insulating sheath 22 is peeled off, exposing the core wire 21. The exposed core wire 21 is ultrasonically bonded to the connecting fitting 37. A rubber stopper 15 is fitted around the outer circumference of the electric wire 2. The rubber stopper 15 provides waterproofing between the inner surface of the housing 4 and the electric wire 2. In this example, the connector 1 is connected to the ends of two electric wires 2.

[0017] The terminal 3 is obtained by subjecting a conductive metal plate to press working or the like. The terminal 3 includes a fitting portion 31 that is fitted with the terminal of a mating connector 110, and a plate portion 32 that is stacked on a connecting fitting 37. The fitting portion 31 is of a female type, and includes a cylindrical portion that receives the male terminal of the mating connector 110, and a spring provided inside the cylindrical portion. The plate portion 32, in a state of being stacked with the connecting fitting 37, is fastened and fixed together with the connecting fitting 37 by a bolt 36 and a nut 35. In this example, the nut 35 is attached to the plate portion 32 to improve workability.

[0018] The housing 4 is made of an insulating synthetic resin. The housing 4 includes a first accommodating portion 41 that accommodates the fitting portion 31, a second accommodating portion 42 that accommodates the plate portion 32 and the connecting fitting 37, and a third accommodating portion 43 that accommodates the electric wire 2. The housing 4 is formed such that the fitting direction of the fitting portion 31 is perpendicular to the lead-out direction of the electric wire 2 led out of the housing 4 from the third accommodating portion 43, and is formed in an L shape when viewed from the side. The electric wire 2 led out of the housing 4 is covered with a braided shield (not shown).

[0019] The second accommodating portion 42 is provided with a working opening 40 for when the plate portion 32 and the connecting fitting 37 are fastened and fixed together by the bolt 36 and the nut 35. The working opening 40 is provided on the opposite side of the second accommodating portion 42 from the first accommodating portion 41. The working opening 40 is blocked by a cover 5.

[0020] At the boundary between the second accommodating portion 42 and the third accommodating portion 43 in the housing 4 and in the vicinity of the first accommodating portion 41, there is provided an inclined surface 46 inclined with respect to the fitting direction of the fitting portion 31 and the lead-out direction of the electric wire 2. The inclined surface 46 is inclined in a direction approaching the working opening 40 as it goes from the third accommodating portion 43 side toward the second accommodating portion 42 side.

[0021] The terminal 3 is designed such that the plate portion 32 is arranged on an extension plane of the inclined surface 46. Therefore, the connection fitting 37 superimposed on the plate portion 32 is also arranged on the extension plane of the inclined surface 46. Further, the end of the electric wire 2 joined to the connection fitting 37 is bent toward the working opening 40 side with respect to the direction in which the electric wire 2 is led out of the housing 4.

[0022] Further, in this example, the terminal 3, the connection fitting 37, and the electric wire 2 are not rigidly fixed to the housing 4. The positions of the plate portion 32 and the connection fitting 37 may be slightly shifted due to tolerances of each component, a load applied when the fitting portion 31 is fitted to a mating terminal, or the like. However, since the bending state of the electric wire 2 is changed in accordance with this shift, the load applied to the terminal 3 can be reduced. That is, the connector 1 can absorb positional displacement caused by component tolerances or external load by means of the electric wire 2.

[0023] The rear holder 6 is attached to the side of the third accommodating portion 43 from which the electric wire 2 is led out, and restricts the rubber plug 15 attached to the outer periphery of the electric wire 2 from falling off the housing 4. The rear holder 6 is formed of an insulating synthetic resin.

[0024] The shield shells 71, 72, and 73 are provided to prevent intrusion or leakage of electromagnetic noise or the like, and cover the housing 4. These are formed by subjecting a metal plate (for example, aluminum or an aluminum alloy) to press working or the like.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 2, a nut 11 is embedded in the housing 4. The shield shells 71 and 73 are fixed to the housing 4 by a bolt 12 passing through bolt insertion holes of the shield shells 71 and 73 and being fastened to the nut 11. Further, a bolt 13 passes through bolt insertion holes of the shield shells 72 and 73 and is fastened to a housing 100, whereby the connector 1 is fixed to the housing 100 and the shield shells 71, 72, and 73 are grounded.

[0026] Next, an example of the assembly procedure for connector 1 described above will be explained. First, the rubber stopper 15 and rear holder 6 are attached to the wire 2, the insulating coating 22 is stripped from the end of the wire 2, and the core wire 21 is ultrasonically bonded to the connecting fitting 37. Next, the terminal 3 is assembled into the first housing section 41 by accessing it through the open working opening 40.

[0027] Next, the electric wire 2 is inserted into the housing 4 from the third housing section 43 side. When inserting the electric wire 2 along the inner surface 45 of the third housing section 43 that intersects with the inclined surface 46, the connecting fitting 37 is guided by the inclined surface 46 and aligned with the plate section 32.

[0028] Next, access is made through the work opening 40 to fasten the connecting fitting 37 and the plate portion 32 together with bolts 36 and nuts 35. Then, the work opening 40 is closed with the cover 5, and the shield shells 71, 72, and 73 are assembled into the housing 4. The connector 1 is assembled through these steps.

[0029] In this way, connector 1 accommodates the ends of the electric wires 2 in a bent state within the housing 4, thereby absorbing positional misalignment due to component tolerances and external forces without using a flexible conductor (see Figure 3) as in conventional products. Therefore, the load on terminal 3 can be reduced. Furthermore, since connector 1 eliminates the flexible conductor, the assembly effort and number of parts can be reduced, resulting in cost reduction.

[0030] The embodiments described above merely represent typical forms of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. That is, it can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the core principles of the present invention. As long as such modifications still possess the configuration of the present invention, they are of course included within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 Connector 2 electric wire 3 terminals 4 Housing 31 Fitting part 32 Board part 37 Connecting fittings 41. First Detention Unit 42 Second Detention Unit 43 Third Detention Unit 46 Slope

Claims

1. A housing containing a plate-shaped connector attached to the end of an electric wire, The housing comprises a terminal housed within the housing and connected to the connecting fitting, The terminal comprises a mating portion that mates with the terminal of the mating connector and a plate portion that is superimposed on the connecting fitting. The housing comprises a first housing section that houses the fitting section, a second housing section that houses the plate section and the connecting fitting, and a third housing section that houses the electric wire. The fitting direction of the fitting portion and the direction of the wire leading out from the third housing portion to the outside of the housing are perpendicular to each other. An inclined surface is provided at the boundary between the second housing portion and the third housing portion of the housing, inclined with respect to the fitting direction and the exit direction. The plate portion is positioned on the extended surface of the inclined surface. A connector characterized by the following features.

2. The plate portion is stacked with the connecting fitting and fastened together with the connecting fitting by bolts and nuts. The connector according to feature 1.

Images