Connector

Abstract

This connector comprises: a terminal fitting; a housing that accommodates the terminal fitting; a fixing fitting that is embedded in the housing and fixes the terminal fitting; a conductive component that is electrically connected to the terminal fitting; a metal shield member that covers the housing; and a heat transfer member that thermally connects the shield member and the housing. The heat transfer member is disposed so as to sandwich a part of the housing between the heat transfer member and the fixing fitting, and has flexibility that allows deformation so as to match the shape of the gap between the shield member and the housing.

Description

connector

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector including terminal fittings, a housing, fixing fittings embedded in the housing to fix the terminal fittings, conductive parts electrically connected to the terminal fittings, a metal shield member covering the housing, and a heat transfer member thermally connecting the shield member and the housing.This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2024-036047 filed in Japan on March 8, 2024, 2024-036049 filed in Japan on March 8, 2024, 2024-036051 filed in Japan on March 8, 2024, 2024-036053 filed in Japan on March 8, 2024, and 2024-039131 filed in Japan on March 13, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Various connectors have been proposed for use with power cables for supplying power from a power source mounted on a vehicle or the like to an electrical load (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-83460

[0004] In the above-described types of connectors, terminal fittings and conductive components such as electric wires and bus bars are generally electrically connected within a housing. Although the connection points between the terminal fittings and these conductive components generate a large amount of Joule heat due to high contact resistance when current is applied, they are isolated from the outside by being covered by the housing. This makes it difficult to dissipate heat from the connection points to the outside. Due to this difficulty in heat dissipation, excessive increases in the connector temperature when current is applied can cause deterioration of the components that make up the connector. Meanwhile, simply assembling dedicated heat dissipation components (e.g., heat dissipation fins, etc.) on the outside of the connector is undesirable because it can hinder miniaturization of the connector and because the installation space for the connector within the vehicle is limited.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can improve heat dissipation while avoiding an increase in size of the connector.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the connector according to the present invention has the following features.

[0007] A connector comprising terminal fittings, a housing that accommodates the terminal fittings, fixing fittings that are embedded in the housing and fix the terminal fittings, conductive parts that are electrically connected to the terminal fittings, a metal shielding member that covers the housing, and a heat transfer member that thermally connects the shielding member and the housing, wherein the heat transfer member sandwiches a portion of the housing between the heat transfer member and the fixing fittings, and is positioned so as to be sandwiched between the shielding member and the portion of the housing, and has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the shielding member and the portion of the housing.

[0008] According to the connector of the present invention, terminal fittings electrically connected to conductive components are fixed to the housing by fixtures embedded in the housing. Furthermore, a heat transfer member is positioned so that a portion of the housing is sandwiched between the heat transfer member and the fixture, and also sandwiched between a metal shield member and a portion of the housing. This allows heat generated at the connection between the terminal fitting and the conductive component when current is applied to the connector to be transferred in the following order: fixture, portion of the housing, heat transfer member, and shield member. The heat transfer member has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the shield member and the housing, thereby providing a larger contact area with both the shield member and a portion of the housing than would be possible if the heat transfer member were not flexible. Furthermore, even when the connector is subjected to external forces such as vibrations during use or even after long-term use, the heat transfer member can maintain contact with the shield member and a portion of the housing. In addition to its primary function of blocking electromagnetic noise, the metal shield member has a large heat capacity and excellent heat transfer properties, and its exposure to the outside air also provides excellent heat dissipation. This configuration allows the connector to improve heat dissipation without increasing its size.

[0009] The heat transfer member may be in direct contact with a portion of the shielding member and the housing, or indirect contact with the shielding member and the housing via an adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. In the latter case, it is preferable that the adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. also have excellent heat conductivity. Furthermore, the heat transfer member may be in indirect contact with the shielding member and the housing via another material, other than an adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive, that has excellent heat conductivity.

[0010] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the detailed description of the invention below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of connectors according to first to fourth embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the rear. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second shielding member and the heat transfer member are separated in the first embodiment of the connector shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of portion B in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 of a modified version of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5 of the modified version shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second shielding member and the heat transfer member are separated in the second embodiment of the connector shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of portion B in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to FIG. 9 showing a state in which locking projections are arranged at multiple locations circumferentially on the outer periphery of a sheet-like heat transfer member attached to the rear end wall of the housing. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2 of the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of portion C in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second shielding member and the heat transfer member are separated in a third embodiment of the connector shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the second shielding member shown in FIG. 13 as viewed from the front. FIG. 15 is a view corresponding to FIG. 14 , showing a state in which locking projections are arranged at multiple locations in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of a sheet-shaped heat transfer member arranged on the rear end wall portion of the second shielding member. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2 of the third embodiment. FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of portion B in FIG. 16 . FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second shielding member and the heat transfer member are separated in a fourth embodiment of the connector shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of portion B in FIG. 18 . FIG. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of the rear end wall portion of the housing shown in FIG. 19 . FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the rear end wall portion of the housing shown in FIG. 20 as viewed from the front. FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2 of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 23 is an enlarged view of portion C in FIG. 22 . FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a connector according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 25 is a perspective view of the connector shown in Fig. 24 as seen from the rear. Fig. 26 is a perspective view showing a state in which the shielding member and the heat transfer member are separated in the connector shown in Fig. 25. Fig. 27 is an enlarged view of part B in Fig. 26. Fig. 28 is a perspective view of the shielding member shown in Fig. 26 as seen from below. Fig. 29 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 25.Fig. 30 is an enlarged view of part C in Fig. 29. Fig. 31 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in Fig. 30.

[0012] 1 and 2 , a connector 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The connector 100 shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 functions as a relay connector that electrically connects a pair of electric wires 140 extending from an electric wire accommodating portion 122 of a housing 120 (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 ) to a mating connector (not shown) that is mated with a connector portion 123 of the housing 120.

[0013] For ease of explanation, the following definitions are used for the "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," "left-right direction," "front," "rear," "up," "down," "left," and "right" as shown in FIG. 1 and elsewhere. The "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," and "left-right direction" are perpendicular to one another. The front-rear direction coincides with the mating direction of the connector portion 123 and the mating connector. The up-down direction coincides with the extending direction of the pair of electric wires 140 from the electric wire accommodating portion 122.

[0014] 1 to 4, connector 100 mainly includes terminal fittings 110, a housing 120, a fixing fitting 130, electric wires 140, a bus bar 150, a holder 160, a first shielding member 170, a second shielding member 180, and a heat transfer member 190. The configuration of each of the components constituting connector 100 will be described below in order.

[0015] First, the terminal fitting 110 will be described. As shown in Figure 4, the metal terminal fitting 110 has a rod-like shape extending in the front-rear direction as a whole, and integrally includes a front-rear extending tip portion 111, a rear end portion 112 extending in the front-rear direction and continuing to the rear of the front-rear direction, and a flange portion 113 extending in the radial direction of the terminal fitting 110 at the boundary between the front end portion 111 and the rear end portion 112. The front end portion 111 is a portion that is connected to a terminal fitting on the mating connector side when the connector 100 is mated with the mating connector, and the rear end portion 112 is a portion that is fixed to the housing 120 via a fixing bracket 130.

[0016] Next, the housing 120 will be described. The housing 120 is a resin molded product, and as shown in Figures 3 and 4, it integrally includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body 121, a wire accommodating portion 122 extending downward from the bottom end of the main body 121, and a connector portion 123 protruding forward from the front end of the main body 121. As such, the housing 120 has a substantially L-shape when viewed from the left and right.

[0017] As shown in Figures 3 and 4 , the wire accommodating portion 122 is a cylindrical portion extending in the vertical direction and having a slot-like shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from below. A pair of wire accommodating holes (not shown) are provided inside the wire accommodating portion 122, extending in the vertical direction and aligned in the left-right direction. Each wire accommodating hole has a circular cross-sectional shape. Each wire accommodating hole is open at its lower end and closed at its upper end by the main body portion 121, but communicates with the internal space of a terminal metal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 125 (described later) of the connector portion 123 via a communication hole 127 (see Figure 4 ) that extends in the vertical direction. Each wire accommodating hole accommodates an electric wire 140 connected to a bus bar 150, and the bus bar 150 is inserted through the communication hole 127 (see Figure 4 ). A plurality of (four) locking portions (locking protrusions) 124 are provided on the outer peripheral surface near the lower end of the wire accommodating portion 122, aligned at intervals in the circumferential direction of the wire accommodating portion 122. A locked portion (locking frame portion) 163 (described later) of the holder 160 is locked to the locking portions 124 of the wire accommodating portion 122.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 , the connector portion 123 has an outer tube portion 126 that has a slot-like shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from the front and extends in the front-rear direction. A pair of cylindrical terminal fitting accommodating tube portions 125 are provided inside the outer tube portion 126, extending in the front-rear direction and aligned in the left-right direction. Each terminal fitting accommodating tube portion 125 is open at its front end and closed at its rear end by the main body portion 121. The terminal fitting accommodating tube portions 125 accommodate the tip ends 111 of the terminal fittings 110. A rubber gasket P is provided on the outer periphery of the rear end of the outer tube portion 126. The gasket P serves to seal the gap between the inner circumferential surface of the connector portion of the mating connector that is inserted onto the outer tube portion 126 and the outer circumferential surface of the outer tube portion 126 when the connector 100 is mated with the mating connector.

[0019] As shown in Figures 4 and 5 , fixing metal fittings 130 are embedded (integrated) by insert molding in the main body 121 at locations that close the rear ends of the pair of terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 125. The fixing metal fittings 130 are components that fix the terminal fittings 110 to the housing 120. The fixing metal fittings 130 are made of metal and, as shown in Figure 5 , are composed of a cylindrical main body 131 that extends in the front-rear direction, is closed at its rear end by a bottom wall portion 131a, and is open at its front end, and a flange portion 132 that extends radially from the edge of the opening at the front end of the main body 131. The main body 131 is embedded in the main body 121, and the front end opening of the main body 131 and the flange portion 132 are exposed to the internal space of the terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 125 at the rear end of the main body 121. The rear end portions 112 of the terminal fittings 110 are inserted (press-fitted) into the cylindrical main body portions 131. Alternatively, if the rear end portions 112 of the terminal fittings 110 and the cylindrical main body portions 131 have a structure that allows them to be fastened to each other like a bolt and a nut, the rear end portions 112 of the terminal fittings 110 are fastened to the cylindrical main body portions 131. As shown in Fig. 5, a portion of the main body portion 121 located between the bottom wall portion 131a of each cylindrical main body portion 131 and the rear end surface of the main body portion 121 (hereinafter referred to as the "rear end wall portion 121a") is thinner than other portions of the main body portion 121 located around the fixing fitting 130 other than the rear end wall portion 121a.

[0020] 1 to 3, a pair of flanges 128 protruding in the left-right direction are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire accommodating portion 122 near the boundary with the main body portion 121. Each flange 128 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 128a penetrating in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 1).

[0021] Next, the electric wires 140 and the bus bars 150 will be described. As shown in Fig. 4, each electric wire 140 is composed of a metal conductor core 141 and an insulating coating 142 that covers the conductor core 141. The lower end of a metal bus bar 150 is attached to one end of the electric wire 140 so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core 141. The bus bar 150 has a flat plate shape that extends in the vertical direction. An insertion hole 151 is formed at the upper end of the bus bar 150, through which the rear end 112 of the terminal fitting 110 is inserted.

[0022] Next, the holder 160 will be described. The holder 160 is a resin molded product, and includes a main body 161 in which a pair of wire insertion holes 162 are provided so as to extend in the up-down direction and to be aligned in the left-right direction, as shown in Fig. 4. The outer peripheral shape of the main body 161 corresponds to the inner peripheral shape of the wire accommodating portion 122, and has an elongated hole shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from below. At the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the main body 161, multiple (four) cantilever-shaped locked portions (locking frame portions) 163 are provided so as to be aligned at intervals in the circumferential direction of the wire accommodating portion 122, corresponding to the multiple locking portions 124 of the wire accommodating portion 122. The holder 160 is a component that functions to hold a pair of electric wires 140 extending from the electric wire accommodating section 122 at the open end of the electric wire accommodating section 122 by inserting the main body 161 into the open end of the electric wire accommodating section 122 with the electric wires 140 each inserted into the electric wire insertion holes 162.

[0023] Next, the first shielding member 170 will be described. The first shielding member 170 is formed by stamping, bending, and the like, on a metal plate. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the first shielding member 170 includes a cylindrical main body 171. The cylindrical main body 171 has a cylindrical shape that extends in the up-down direction and has an elongated hole-like shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from below, corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the wire accommodating portion 122 of the housing 120. A pair of left and right fixing arms 172 (see FIG. 3 ) are integrally formed on both left and right ends of the cylindrical main body 171, corresponding to the pair of left and right flanges 128 of the housing 120. A bolt insertion hole 173 that penetrates in the front-rear direction is formed in a flat portion of each fixing arm 172 that extends in the up-down and left-right directions, corresponding to the bolt insertion hole 128 a of the flange 128 of the housing 120 (see FIG. 3 ). The first shielding member 170 is attached to the wire accommodating section 122 of the housing 120 so that the cylindrical main body 171 covers the outer periphery of the central part of the wire accommodating section 122 in the vertical direction, and therefore mainly performs a shielding function to prevent electromagnetic noise from leaking from the inside.

[0024] Next, the second shield member 180 will be described. The second shield member 180 is formed by stamping, bending, and the like, on a metal plate. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the second shield member 180 includes a main body 181. The main body 181 has a shape that allows it to be attached to the housing 120 so as to cover the main body 121, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 122, and the connector portion 123 of the housing 120. A pair of left and right flanges 182 is integrally formed on both left and right ends of the lower end of the main body 181, corresponding to the pair of left and right flanges 128 of the housing 120. A pair of left and right flanges 183 is integrally formed on both left and right ends of the center of the main body 181 in the vertical direction. Each flange 182 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 182a that penetrates in the front-rear direction, corresponding to the bolt insertion hole 128a of the flange 128 of the housing 120. Each flange 183 is also provided with a bolt insertion hole 183a that penetrates in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 3 ). The second shielding member 180 is attached to the housing 120 so that the main body 181 covers the main body 121 of the housing 120, the upper part of the wire accommodating section 122, and the outer surface of the connector section 123, and therefore mainly performs a shielding function to prevent electromagnetic noise from leaking from the inside.

[0025] Next, the heat transfer member 190 will be described. The heat transfer member 190 is a member that is sandwiched between the rear end wall portion 121 a of the main body portion 121 of the housing 120 and the main body portion 181 of the second shield member 180 when the housing 120 is in an assembled state (see FIGS. 4 and 5 ). In this example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the heat transfer member 190 has a thin sheet-like shape that is rectangular and elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction. The heat transfer member 190 has higher thermal conductivity than the resin material that constitutes the housing 120 and is made of a flexible material that can deform to fit the shape of the gap between the main body portion 181 of the second shield member 180 and the rear end wall portion 121 a of the housing 120.

[0026] The heat transfer member 190 may be made of, for example, a thermally conductive resin material, a mixed material in which a heat transfer body is mixed with a base resin, or a mesh material made of a wire rod with thermal conductivity. The heat transfer member 190 may be made by processing these materials into a plate or tape shape. Furthermore, if these materials are sufficiently flexible in the environment in which the heat transfer member 190 is used, these materials may be applied to the housing 120 or the second shield member 180 in a paste form.

[0027] The configuration of each member that constitutes the connector 100 has been described above.

[0028] Next, the procedure for assembling the connector 100 will be described. First, the pair of electric wires 140 is accommodated in the electric wire accommodating portion 122. To prepare for this, first, one ends of the pair of electric wires 140 are inserted through the pair of electric wire insertion holes 162 of the holder 160, and then the lower end of the bus bar 150 is connected to each one end of the pair of electric wires 140 so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core wires 141. In addition, the first shield member 170 is attached to the outer periphery of the electric wire accommodating portion 122.

[0029] Next, a pair of bus bars 150 connected to one ends of the pair of electric wires 140 are inserted from the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 122 of the housing 120. The upper end of each bus bar 150 is inserted through the communication hole 127 of the housing 120 and positioned so as to overlap the front side of the flange portion 132 of the fixing bracket 130 exposed in the internal space of the terminal metal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 125 of the connector portion 123, and so that the insertion hole 151 of the bus bar 150 is positioned above the front end opening of the fixing bracket 130 (see FIG. 4 ).

[0030] Next, the pair of terminal fittings 110 are inserted from the open ends of the pair of terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 125 of the connector portion 123 of the housing 120. The rear end portions 112 of the terminal fittings 110 are inserted through the insertion holes 151 of the bus bar 150 and inserted (press-fitted or fastened) into the cylindrical main body portion 131 of the fixing bracket 130. When the insertion (press-fitting or fastening) of the terminal fittings 110 is complete, the upper end portion of the bus bar 150 is sandwiched between the flange portion 113 of the terminal fitting 110 and the flange portion 132 of the fixing bracket 130. This fixes the terminal fittings 110 and the bus bar 150 to the housing 120, positions the tip end portions 111 of the terminal fittings 110 within the internal space of the terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 125, and extends the pair of electric wires 140 connected to the pair of bus bars 150 from the open ends of the electric wire accommodating portions 122. Thereafter, the holder 160, through which the pair of electric wires 140 are inserted, is moved upward relative to the pair of electric wires 140, and the holder 160 is attached to the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 122 so that the main body 161 of the holder 160 is inserted into the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 122. When the holder 160 is fully attached, the multiple locked portions 163 of the holder 160 are respectively locked to the multiple locking portions 124 of the electric wire accommodating portion 122 (see FIG. 4 , etc.), thereby preventing the holder 160 from falling out of the electric wire accommodating portion 122 and holding the pair of electric wires 140 extending from the electric wire accommodating portion 122 at the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 122. This completes the operation of accommodating the pair of electric wires 140 in the electric wire accommodating portion 122.

[0031] Next, the second shield member 180 is attached to the housing 120. To this end, the sheet-like heat transfer member 190 is attached to the rear end wall 121 a of the housing 120 or to a portion of the main body 181 of the second shield member 180 facing the rear end wall 121 a, and the second shield member 180 is attached to the housing 120 so as to cover the main body 121 of the housing 120, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 122, and the connector portion 123. When the second shield member 180 is completely attached to the housing 120, the heat transfer member 190 is pressed and sandwiched between the rear end wall 121 a of the housing 120 and the main body 181 of the second shield member 180, as shown in FIG. 5 , and flexibly deforms to fit the shape of the gap between the main body 181 of the second shield member 180 and the rear end wall 121 a of the housing 120 due to the flexibility of the heat transfer member 190. Therefore, compared to when heat transfer member 190 does not have flexibility, heat transfer member 190 is in contact with both second shield member 180 and housing 120 over a larger contact area. In other words, heat transfer member 190 thermally connects second shield member 180 and housing 120. As described above, assembly of connector 100 is completed, and connector 100 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is obtained.

[0032] In connector 100, the connection points between busbar 150 and terminal fittings 110 connected to a pair of electric wires 140 are locations where Joule heat is generated in the terminal fittings during current flow due to high contact resistance. However, these connection points are located within housing 120 for reasons of insulation from the outside. Therefore, it is very difficult to dissipate heat from the connection points between busbar 150 and terminal fittings 110 to the outside. Furthermore, for example, when connector 100 is mated with a mating connector, the amount of heat generated increases when a large current passes through connector 100. In this regard, connector 100 includes a heat transfer member 190 sandwiched between housing 120 and a metal second shield member 180 that covers housing 120. As a result, heat generated at the connection points between busbar 150 and terminal fittings 110 during current flow is transferred in the following order: fixing member 130, housing 120 (rear end wall portion 121a of main body 121), heat transfer member 190, and second shield member 180. Because the heat transfer member 190 is flexible as described above, it comes into contact with both the second shield member 180 and the housing 120 over a larger contact area than if it were not flexible. Furthermore, the rear end wall 121a is thinner than the remaining portion of the main body 121 located around the fixing bracket 130. This allows the connector 100 to have improved heat dissipation.

[0033] When the connector 100 is fully assembled, the fixing arm 172 of the first shielding member 170 overlaps the rear side of the flange 128 of the housing 120, the flange 182 of the second shielding member 180 overlaps the rear side of the fixing arm 172 of the first shielding member 170, and the bolt insertion hole 128a of the flange 128, the bolt insertion hole 173 of the fixing arm 172, and the bolt insertion hole 182a of the flange 182 are aligned in the front-to-rear direction to form a "single through hole." The housing 120, the first shielding member 170, and the second shielding member 180 are fastened and fixed to one another using bolts inserted through this pair of left and right "single through holes." The pair of left and right flanges 183 (bolt insertion holes 183a) provided on the second shielding member 180 of the connector 100 are used to fasten and fix the connector 100 and the mating connector to one another when the connector 100 and the mating connector are mated.

[0034] <Actions and Effects> As described above, according to connector 100 according to the first embodiment, terminal fittings 110 connected to busbar 150 are fixed to housing 120 by fixing fittings 130. Heat transfer member 190 is sandwiched between housing 120 and metal second shield member 180 that covers housing 120. As a result, heat generated at the connection points between terminal fittings 110 and busbar 150 when current is applied is transferred in the following order: fixing fitting 130, housing 120 (rear end wall portion 121a of main body 121), heat transfer member 190, and second shield member 180. Heat transfer member 190 has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between second shield member 180 and housing 120. Therefore, compared to a case where heat transfer member 190 does not have such flexibility, it comes into contact with both second shield member 180 and housing 120 over a larger contact area. Furthermore, even when external forces such as vibrations are applied when the connector 100 is in use, or even when the connector 100 is used for an extended period of time, the heat transfer member 190 can be maintained in contact with the second shield member 180 and the housing 120. In addition, the metal second shield member 180 not only has its original function of blocking electromagnetic noise, but also has a large heat capacity, excellent heat transfer properties, and excellent heat dissipation properties because it is in contact with the outside air. As a result, the connector 100 according to the first embodiment can improve heat dissipation properties while avoiding an increase in the size of the connector 100.

[0035] In the first embodiment, the rear end wall 121a of the main body 121 of the housing 120, which sandwiches the heat transfer member 190 between it and the second shield member 180, is made of the same material as the other parts of the housing 120 (main body 121) other than the rear end wall 121a. In contrast, in the modified example of the first embodiment shown in Figures 6 and 7, the rear end wall 121a of the main body 121 of the housing 120, which sandwiches the heat transfer member 190 between it and the second shield member 180, is made of a material (e.g., a resin material) that has better heat conductivity than the other parts of the housing 120 (main body 121) other than the rear end wall 121a. As in the first embodiment, this rear end wall 121a is thinner than the other parts of the main body 121 located around the fixing bracket 130 other than the rear end wall 121a.

[0036] The above configuration can be realized, for example, by integrating a molded body of rear end wall portion 121a, which is formed in advance from a material with excellent heat conductivity, with the other parts of housing 120 by insert molding together with metal fixing fittings 130 during molding of housing 120. According to the modified example shown in Figures 6 and 7, heat generated at the connection points between busbar 150 and terminal fittings 110 is more efficiently transferred to heat transfer member 190 via rear end wall portion 121a of housing 120.

[0037] Second Embodiment In the second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, a heat transfer member is sandwiched between the housing and a metal second shield member that covers the housing, and the housing further has a locking protrusion (first locking protrusion) that locks the heat transfer member. Hereinafter, a connector 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. The connector 200 shown in Figures 1 and 2 functions as a relay connector that electrically connects a pair of electric wires 240 extending from an electric wire accommodating portion 222 of the housing 220 (see Figures 8 and 11 ) to a mating connector (not shown) that is mated with a connector portion 223 of the housing 220.

[0038] For ease of explanation, the following definitions are used for the "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," "left-right direction," "front," "rear," "up," "down," "left," and "right" as shown in FIG. 1 and other figures. The "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," and "left-right direction" are perpendicular to one another. The front-rear direction coincides with the mating direction of the connector portion 223 and the mating connector. The up-down direction coincides with the extending direction of the pair of electric wires 240 from the electric wire accommodating portion 222.

[0039] 1, 2, 8, and 11, connector 200 mainly includes terminal fittings 210, a housing 220, fixing fittings 230, electric wires 240, bus bars 250, a holder 260, a first shielding member 270, a second shielding member 280, and a heat transfer member 290. The configuration of each of the components constituting connector 200 will be described below in order.

[0040] First, the terminal fitting 210 will be described. As shown in Figure 11, the metal terminal fitting 210 has a rod-like shape extending in the front-rear direction as a whole, and integrally includes a front end portion 211 extending in the front-rear direction, a rear end portion 212 extending in the front-rear direction and continuing to the rear of the front end portion 211, and a flange portion 213 extending in the radial direction of the terminal fitting 210 at the boundary between the front end portion 211 and the rear end portion 212. The front end portion 211 is a portion that is connected to a terminal fitting on the mating connector side when the connector 200 is mated with the mating connector, and the rear end portion 212 is a portion that is fixed to the housing 220 via a fixing bracket 230.

[0041] Next, the housing 220 will be described. The housing 220 is a resin molded product, and as shown in Figures 8 and 11, it integrally includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body 221, a wire accommodating portion 222 extending downward from the bottom end of the main body 221, and a connector portion 223 protruding forward from the front end of the main body 221. As such, the housing 220 has a substantially L-shape when viewed from the left and right.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 11 , the wire accommodating portion 222 is a cylindrical portion extending in the vertical direction and having a slot-like shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from below. A pair of wire accommodating holes (not shown) are provided inside the wire accommodating portion 222, extending in the vertical direction and aligned in the left-right direction. Each wire accommodating hole has a circular cross-sectional shape. Each wire accommodating hole is open at its lower end and closed at its upper end by the main body portion 221, but communicates with the internal space of a terminal metal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 225 (described later) of the connector portion 223 via a communication hole 227 (see FIG. 11 ) that extends in the vertical direction. Each wire accommodating hole accommodates an electric wire 240 connected to a bus bar 250, and the bus bar 250 is inserted through the communication hole 227 (see FIG. 11 ). A plurality of (four) locking portions (locking protrusions) 224 are provided on the outer peripheral surface near the lower end of the wire accommodating portion 222, and are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the wire accommodating portion 222. A locked portion (locking frame portion) 263 (described later) of the holder 260 is locked to the locking portions 224 of the wire accommodating portion 222.

[0043] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 11 , the connector portion 223 has an outer tube portion 226 that has a slot-like shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from the front and extends in the front-rear direction. A pair of cylindrical terminal fitting accommodating tube portions 225 are provided inside the outer tube portion 226, extending in the front-rear direction and aligned in the left-right direction. Each terminal fitting accommodating tube portion 225 is open at its front end and closed at its rear end by the main body portion 221. The terminal fitting accommodating tube portions 225 accommodate the tip ends 211 of the terminal fittings 210. A rubber gasket P is provided on the outer periphery of the rear end of the outer tube portion 226. The gasket P serves to seal the gap between the inner circumferential surface of the connector portion of the mating connector that is inserted onto the outer tube portion 226 and the outer circumferential surface of the outer tube portion 226 when the connector 200 is mated with the mating connector.

[0044] As shown in Figures 11 and 12 , fixing metal fittings 230 are embedded (integrated) by insert molding in the main body 221 at locations that close the rear ends of the pair of terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 225. The fixing metal fittings 230 are components that fix the terminal fittings 210 to the housing 220. The fixing metal fittings 230 are made of metal and, as shown in Figure 12 , are composed of a cylindrical main body 231 that extends in the front-rear direction, is closed at its rear end by a bottom wall portion 231a, and is open at its front end, and a flange portion 232 that extends radially from the edge of the opening at the front end of the main body 231. The main body 231 is embedded in the main body 221, and the front end opening of the main body 231 and the flange portion 232 are exposed to the internal space of the terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 225 at the rear end of the main body 221. The rear end portions 212 of the terminal fittings 210 are inserted (press-fitted) into the cylindrical main body portions 231. Alternatively, if the rear end portions 212 of the terminal fittings 210 and the cylindrical main body portions 231 have a structure that allows them to be fastened to each other like the relationship between a bolt and a nut, the rear end portions 212 of the terminal fittings 210 are fastened to the cylindrical main body portions 231. As shown in Fig. 12 , a portion of the main body portion 221 located between the bottom wall portion 231a of each cylindrical main body portion 231 and the rear end surface of the main body portion 221 (hereinafter referred to as the "rear end wall portion 221a") is thinner than other portions of the main body portion 221 located around the fixing fitting 230 other than the rear end wall portion 221a.

[0045] As will be described later, a sheet-like heat transfer member 290 having a rectangular shape when viewed from the front-to-rear direction is attached to the rear end wall 221a of the housing 220 (see FIGS. 10 to 12 ). Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , the rear end wall 221a of the housing 220 is provided with locking protrusions (first locking protrusions) 229 for positioning the heat transfer member 290. The locking protrusions 229 extend along and lock onto the outer periphery of the heat transfer member 290 at multiple locations around the circumferential edge of the heat transfer member 290 when the heat transfer member 290 is attached at an appropriate position on the rear end wall 221a. In other words, the multiple locking protrusions 229 are arranged to surround the heat transfer member 290 in directions (i.e., vertical and horizontal directions) that intersect with the direction in which the heat transfer member 290 is sandwiched between the second shield member 280 and the housing 220 (i.e., the front-to-rear direction). Specifically, in this example, a plurality (five) of locking protrusions 229 are provided on the rear end wall portion 221a of the housing 220, corresponding to two locations on the left and right of the upper edge extending in the left-right direction of the heat transfer member 290, one location on the lower edge extending in the left-right direction of the heat transfer member 290, one location on the right edge extending in the up-down direction of the heat transfer member 290, and one location on the left edge extending in the up-down direction of the heat transfer member 290 (i.e., a total of five locations), so as to surround a rectangular area when viewed from the front-to-back direction to which the heat transfer member 290 should be attached.

[0046] 1, 2, and 8, a pair of flanges 228 protruding in the left-right direction are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire accommodating portion 222 near the boundary with the main body portion 221. Each flange 228 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 228a penetrating in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 1).

[0047] Next, the electric wires 240 and the bus bars 250 will be described. As shown in Fig. 11 , each electric wire 240 is composed of a metal conductor core wire 241 and an insulating coating 242 that covers the conductor core wire 241. The lower end of a metal bus bar 250 is attached to one end of the electric wire 240 so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core wire 241. The bus bar 250 has a flat plate shape that extends in the vertical direction. An insertion hole 251 is formed in the upper end of the bus bar 250, through which the rear end 212 of the terminal fitting 210 is inserted.

[0048] Next, the holder 260 will be described. The holder 260 is a resin molded product, and includes a main body 261 in which a pair of wire insertion holes 262 are provided so as to extend in the up-down direction and to be aligned in the left-right direction, as shown in Fig. 11. The outer peripheral shape of the main body 261 corresponds to the inner peripheral shape of the wire accommodating portion 222, and has an elongated hole shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from below. At the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the main body 261, multiple (four) cantilever-shaped locked portions (locking frame portions) 263 are provided so as to be aligned at intervals in the circumferential direction of the wire accommodating portion 222, corresponding to the multiple locking portions 224 of the wire accommodating portion 222. The holder 260 is a member that functions to hold a pair of electric wires 240 extending from the electric wire accommodating section 222 at the open end of the electric wire accommodating section 222 by inserting the main body 261 into the open end of the electric wire accommodating section 222 with the electric wires 240 each inserted into the electric wire insertion holes 262.

[0049] Next, the first shield member 270 will be described. The first shield member 270 is formed by stamping, bending, and the like, a metal plate. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 8, the first shield member 270 includes a cylindrical main body 271. The cylindrical main body 271 has a cylindrical shape extending in the up-down direction and has an elongated hole-like shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from below, corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the wire accommodating portion 222 of the housing 220. A pair of left and right fixing arms 272 (see FIG. 8) are integrally formed on both left and right ends of the cylindrical main body 271, corresponding to the pair of left and right flange portions 228 of the housing 220. A bolt insertion hole 273 that penetrates in the front-rear direction is formed in a flat portion of each fixing arm 272 that extends in the up-down and left-right directions, corresponding to the bolt insertion hole 228a of the flange portion 228 of the housing 220 (see FIG. 8). The first shielding member 270 is attached to the wire accommodating section 222 of the housing 220 so that the cylindrical main body 271 covers the outer periphery of the central part of the wire accommodating section 222 in the vertical direction, and therefore mainly performs a shielding function to prevent electromagnetic noise from leaking from the inside.

[0050] Next, the second shield member 280 will be described. The second shield member 280 is formed by performing stamping, bending, and the like on a metal plate. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 8, the second shield member 280 includes a main body 281. The main body 281 has a shape that allows it to be attached to the housing 220 so as to cover the main body 221, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 222, and the connector portion 223 of the housing 220. A pair of left and right flanges 282 is integrally formed on both left and right ends of the lower end of the main body 281, corresponding to the pair of left and right flanges 228 of the housing 220, and a pair of left and right flanges 283 is integrally formed on both left and right ends of the vertical center of the main body 281. Each flange portion 282 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 282a penetrating in the front-rear direction, corresponding to the bolt insertion hole 228a of the flange portion 228 of the housing 220, and each flange portion 283 is also provided with a bolt insertion hole 283a penetrating in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 8 ). The second shield member 280 is attached to the housing 220 so that the main body portion 281 covers the main body portion 221 of the housing 220, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 222, and the outer surface of the connector portion 223, thereby mainly fulfilling a shielding function that prevents electromagnetic noise from leaking from the inside.

[0051] Next, the heat transfer member 290 will be described. The heat transfer member 290 is a member that is sandwiched between the rear end wall portion 221 a of the main body portion 221 of the housing 220 and the main body portion 281 of the second shield member 280 when the housing 220 is in an assembled state (see FIGS. 11 and 12 ). In this example, as shown in FIG. 8 , the heat transfer member 290 has a thin sheet-like shape that is rectangular and elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-to-rear direction. The heat transfer member 290 is made of a material that has higher thermal conductivity than the resin material that makes up the housing 220 and is flexible enough to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the main body portion 281 of the second shield member 280 and the rear end wall portion 221 a of the housing 220.

[0052] The heat transfer member 290 may be made of, for example, a thermally conductive resin material, a mixed material in which a heat transfer body is mixed with a base resin, or a mesh material made of a wire rod with thermal conductivity. The heat transfer member 290 may be made by processing these materials into a plate or tape shape. Furthermore, if these materials are sufficiently flexible in the environment in which the heat transfer member 290 is used, these materials may be applied to the housing 220 or the second shield member 280 in a paste form.

[0053] The configuration of each member that constitutes the connector 200 has been described above.

[0054] Next, the procedure for assembling the connector 200 will be described. First, the pair of electric wires 240 is accommodated in the electric wire accommodating portion 222. To prepare for this, first, one ends of the pair of electric wires 240 are inserted through the pair of electric wire insertion holes 262 of the holder 260, and then the lower end of the bus bar 250 is connected to each one end of the pair of electric wires 240 so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core wires 241. In addition, the first shield member 270 is attached to the outer periphery of the electric wire accommodating portion 222.

[0055] Next, a pair of bus bars 250 connected to one ends of the pair of electric wires 240 are inserted from the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 222 of the housing 220. The upper end of each bus bar 250 is inserted through the communication hole 227 of the housing 220 and positioned so as to overlap the front side of the flange portion 232 of the fixing bracket 230 exposed in the internal space of the terminal metal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 225 of the connector portion 223, and so that the insertion hole 251 of the bus bar 250 is positioned above the front end opening of the fixing bracket 230 (see FIG. 11 ).

[0056] Next, the pair of terminal fittings 210 are inserted from the open ends of the pair of terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 225 of the connector portion 223 of the housing 220. The rear end portions 212 of the terminal fittings 210 are inserted through the insertion holes 251 of the bus bar 250 and inserted (press-fitted or fastened) into the cylindrical main body portion 231 of the fixing bracket 230. When the insertion (press-fitting or fastening) of the terminal fittings 210 is complete, the upper end portion of the bus bar 250 is sandwiched between the flange portion 213 of the terminal fitting 210 and the flange portion 232 of the fixing bracket 230. This fixes the terminal fittings 210 and the bus bar 250 to the housing 220, positions the tip end portions 211 of the terminal fittings 210 within the internal space of the terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 225, and extends the pair of electric wires 240 connected to the pair of bus bars 250 from the open ends of the electric wire accommodating portions 222. Thereafter, the holder 260, through which the pair of electric wires 240 are inserted, is moved upward relative to the pair of electric wires 240, and the holder 260 is attached to the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 222 so that the main body 261 of the holder 260 is inserted into the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 222. When the holder 260 is fully attached, the multiple locked portions 263 of the holder 260 are locked with the multiple locking portions 224 of the electric wire accommodating portion 222 (see FIG. 11 , etc.), thereby preventing the holder 260 from falling out of the electric wire accommodating portion 222 and holding the pair of electric wires 240 extending from the electric wire accommodating portion 222 at the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 222. This completes the operation of accommodating the pair of electric wires 240 in the electric wire accommodating portion 222.

[0057] Next, the second shield member 280 is attached to the housing 220. To do this, as shown in FIG. 10 , first, a sheet-like heat transfer member 290 is attached to the rear end wall 221a of the housing 220. At this time, the heat transfer member 290 is attached within a rectangular area, as viewed from the front-to-rear direction, surrounded by the five locking projections 229 provided on the rear end wall 221a of the housing 220. This makes it easy to attach the heat transfer member 290 to the appropriate position on the rear end wall 221a of the housing 220. When the heat transfer member 290 is attached to the appropriate position on the rear end wall 221a of the housing 220, each of the five locking projections 229 extends along and locks onto the outer periphery of the heat transfer member 290 at corresponding locations in the circumferential direction. This prevents the heat transfer member 290 from shifting from the appropriate position. With the heat transfer member 290 affixed to the rear end wall 221 a of the housing 220 in this manner, the second shield member 280 is attached to the housing 220 so as to cover the main body 221, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 222, and the connector portion 223 of the housing 220. When the second shield member 280 is completely attached to the housing 220, the heat transfer member 290 is pressed and sandwiched between the rear end wall 221 a of the housing 220 and the main body 281 of the second shield member 280, as shown in Fig. 12 , and flexibly deforms to fit the shape of the gap between the main body 281 of the second shield member 280 and the rear end wall 221 a of the housing 220 due to the flexibility of the heat transfer member 290. Therefore, the heat transfer member 290 comes into contact with both the second shield member 280 and the housing 220 over a larger contact area than when the heat transfer member 290 is not flexible. In other words, the heat transfer member 290 thermally connects the second shield member 280 and the housing 220. With the above, the assembly of the connector 200 is completed, and the connector 200 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is obtained.

[0058] In connector 200, the connection points between busbar 250 and terminal fittings 210 connected to a pair of electric wires 240 are locations where Joule heat is generated in the terminal fittings during current flow due to high contact resistance. However, these connection points are located within housing 220 for reasons of insulation from the outside. Therefore, it is very difficult to dissipate heat from the connection points between busbar 250 and terminal fittings 210 to the outside. Furthermore, for example, when connector 200 is mated with a mating connector, the amount of heat generated increases when a large current passes through connector 200. In this regard, connector 200 includes a heat transfer member 290 sandwiched between housing 220 and a metal second shield member 280 that covers housing 220. As a result, heat generated at the connection points between busbar 250 and terminal fittings 210 during current flow is transferred in the following order: fixing metal 230, housing 220 (rear end wall portion 221a of main body 221), heat transfer member 290, and second shield member 280. Because the heat transfer member 290 is flexible as described above, it comes into contact with both the second shield member 280 and the housing 220 over a larger contact area than if it were not flexible. Furthermore, the rear end wall 221a is thinner than the remaining portion of the main body 221 located around the fixing bracket 230. This allows the connector 200 to have improved heat dissipation.

[0059] When the connector 200 is fully assembled, the fixing arm 272 of the first shield member 270 overlaps the rear side of the flange 228 of the housing 220, the flange 282 of the second shield member 280 overlaps the rear side of the fixing arm 272 of the first shield member 270, and the bolt insertion hole 228a of the flange 228, the bolt insertion hole 273 of the fixing arm 272, and the bolt insertion hole 282a of the flange 282 are aligned in the front-to-rear direction to form a "single through hole." The housing 220, the first shield member 270, and the second shield member 280 are fastened and fixed to one another using bolts inserted through this pair of left and right "single through holes." The pair of left and right flanges 283 (bolt insertion holes 283a) provided on the second shield member 280 of the connector 200 are used to fasten and fix the connector 200 and the mating connector to one another when the connector 200 and the mating connector are mated.

[0060] <Operations and Effects> As described above, according to the connector 200 of the second embodiment, the terminal fittings 210 connected to the bus bar 250 are fixed to the housing 220 by the fixing brackets 230. The heat transfer member 290 is sandwiched between the housing 220 and the metal second shield member 280 that covers the housing 220. As a result, heat generated at the connection between the terminal fittings 210 and the bus bar 250 during electrical connection is transferred in the following order: the fixing brackets 230, the housing 220 (the rear end wall portion 221a of the main body 221), the heat transfer member 290, and the second shield member 280. The heat transfer member 290 has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the second shield member 280 and the housing 220. Therefore, compared to a connector without such flexibility, the heat transfer member 290 comes into contact with both the second shield member 280 and the housing 220 over a larger contact area. Furthermore, the housing 220 has locking protrusions 229 that lock the heat transfer member 290. Therefore, even if the connector 200 is subjected to external forces such as vibrations when in use, or even if the connector 200 is used for an extended period of time, the heat transfer member 290 can be maintained in contact with the second shield member 280 and the housing 220. In addition, the metal second shield member 280 not only has its original function of blocking electromagnetic noise, but also has a large heat capacity, excellent heat transfer properties, and excellent heat dissipation properties because it is in contact with the outside air. As a result, the connector 200 according to the second embodiment can improve heat dissipation properties while avoiding an increase in the size of the connector 200.

[0061] In the second embodiment, the rear end wall 221a of the main body 221 of the housing 220, which sandwiches the heat transfer member 290 between itself and the second shield member 280, is made of the same material as the other parts of the housing 220 (main body 221) other than the rear end wall 221a. In contrast, the rear end wall 221a of the main body 221 of the housing 220, which sandwiches the heat transfer member 290 between itself and the second shield member 280, may be made of a material (e.g., a resin material) that has better heat conductivity than the other parts of the housing 220 (main body 221) other than the rear end wall 221a. As in the second embodiment, it is preferable that the rear end wall 221a be thinner than the other parts of the main body 221 located around the fixing bracket 230 other than the rear end wall 221a.

[0062] The above configuration can be realized, for example, by integrating a molded body of rear end wall portion 221a, which is formed in advance from a material with excellent heat conductivity, with the other parts of housing 220 by insert molding together with metal fixing fitting 230 during molding of housing 220. According to the above configuration, heat generated at the connection points between bus bar 250 and terminal fittings 210 is more efficiently transferred to heat transfer member 290 via rear end wall portion 221a of housing 220.

[0063] Third Embodiment In the third embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, a heat transfer member is sandwiched between the housing and a metal second shielding member that covers the housing, and the second shielding member has a locking protrusion (second locking protrusion) that locks the heat transfer member. Hereinafter, a connector 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. The connector 300 shown in Figures 1 and 2 functions as a relay connector that electrically connects a pair of electric wires 340 extending from an electric wire accommodating portion 322 (see Figures 13 and 16 ) of the housing 320 to a mating connector (not shown) that is mated with a connector portion 323 of the housing 320.

[0064] For ease of explanation, the following definitions are used for the "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," "left-right direction," "front," "rear," "up," "down," "left," and "right" as shown in FIG. 1 and other figures. The "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," and "left-right direction" are perpendicular to one another. The front-rear direction coincides with the mating direction of the connector portion 323 and the mating connector. The up-down direction coincides with the extending direction of the pair of electric wires 340 from the electric wire accommodating portion 322.

[0065] 1, 2, 13, and 16, connector 300 mainly includes terminal fittings 310, a housing 320, fixing fittings 330, electric wires 340, bus bars 350, a holder 360, a first shielding member 370, a second shielding member 380, and a heat transfer member 390. The configuration of each of the components constituting connector 300 will be described below in order.

[0066] First, the terminal fitting 310 will be described. As shown in Figure 16, the metal terminal fitting 310 has a rod-like shape extending in the front-rear direction as a whole, and integrally includes a front-rear extending tip portion 311, a rear end portion 312 extending in the front-rear direction and continuing from the rear side of the front-rear portion 311, and a flange portion 313 extending in the radial direction of the terminal fitting 310 at the boundary between the front end portion 311 and the rear end portion 312. The front end portion 311 is connected to a terminal fitting of the mating connector when the connector 300 is mated with the mating connector, and the rear end portion 312 is fixed to the housing 320 via a fixing bracket 330.

[0067] Next, the housing 320 will be described. The housing 320 is a resin molded product, and as shown in Figures 13 and 16, integrally includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body 321, a wire accommodating portion 322 extending downward from the bottom end of the main body 321, and a connector portion 323 protruding forward from the front end of the main body 321. As such, the housing 320 has a substantially L-shape when viewed from the left-right direction.

[0068] As shown in FIGS. 13 and 16 , the wire accommodating portion 322 is a cylindrical portion extending in the vertical direction and having a slot-like shape that is elongated in the horizontal direction when viewed from below. A pair of wire accommodating holes (not shown) are provided inside the wire accommodating portion 322, extending in the vertical direction and aligned in the horizontal direction. Each wire accommodating hole has a circular cross-sectional shape. Each wire accommodating hole is open at its lower end and closed at its upper end by the main body portion 321, but communicates with the internal space of a terminal metal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 325 (described later) of the connector portion 323 via a communication hole 327 (see FIG. 16 ) that extends in the vertical direction. Each wire accommodating hole accommodates an electric wire 340 connected to a bus bar 350, and the bus bar 350 is inserted through the communication hole 327 (see FIG. 16 ). A plurality of (four) locking portions (locking protrusions) 324 are provided on the outer peripheral surface near the lower end of the wire accommodating portion 322, aligned at intervals in the circumferential direction of the wire accommodating portion 322. A locked portion (locking frame portion) 363 (described later) of the holder 360 is locked to the locking portions 324 of the wire accommodating portion 322.

[0069] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 16 , the connector portion 323 has an outer tube portion 326 that has a slot-like shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from the front and extends in the front-rear direction. A pair of cylindrical terminal fitting accommodating tube portions 325 are provided inside the outer tube portion 326, extending in the front-rear direction and aligned in the left-right direction. Each terminal fitting accommodating tube portion 325 is open at its front end and closed at its rear end by the main body portion 321. The terminal fitting accommodating tube portions 325 accommodate the tip portions 311 of the terminal fittings 310. A rubber gasket P is provided on the outer periphery of the rear end of the outer tube portion 326. The gasket P serves to seal the gap between the inner periphery of the connector portion of the mating connector that is fitted onto the outer tube portion 326 and the outer periphery of the outer tube portion 326 when the connector 300 is mated with the mating connector.

[0070] As shown in Figures 16 and 17 , fixing metal fittings 330 are embedded (integrated) by insert molding in the main body 321 at locations that close the rear ends of the pair of terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 325. The fixing metal fittings 330 are components that fix the terminal fittings 310 to the housing 320. The fixing metal fittings 330 are made of metal and, as shown in Figure 17 , are composed of a cylindrical main body 331 that extends in the front-rear direction, is closed at its rear end by a bottom wall portion 331a, and is open at its front end, and a flange portion 332 that extends radially from the edge of the opening at the front end of the main body 331. The main body 331 is embedded in the main body 321, and the front end opening of the main body 331 and the flange portion 332 are exposed to the internal space of the terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 325 at the rear end of the main body 321. The rear end portions 312 of the terminal fittings 310 are inserted (press-fitted) into the cylindrical main body portions 331. Alternatively, if the rear end portions 312 of the terminal fittings 310 and the cylindrical main body portions 331 have a structure that allows them to be fastened to each other like the relationship between a bolt and a nut, the rear end portions 312 of the terminal fittings 310 are fastened to the cylindrical main body portions 331. As shown in Fig. 17 , a portion of the main body portion 321 located between the bottom wall portion 331a of each cylindrical main body portion 331 and the rear end surface of the main body portion 321 (hereinafter referred to as the "rear end wall portion 321a") is thinner than other portions of the main body portion 321 located around the fixing fitting 330 other than the rear end wall portion 321a. As will be described later, when the connector 300 is in a fully assembled state, the rear end wall portion 321a of the main body portion 321 functions as the portion sandwiched between the bottom wall portion 331a of the fixing bracket 330 and the heat transfer member 390, and as the portion sandwiching the heat transfer member 390 between the rear end wall portion 381a of the second shield member 380 (see Figure 17, etc.).

[0071] 1, 2, and 13, a pair of flanges 328 protruding in the left-right direction are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire accommodating portion 322 near the boundary with the main body portion 321. Each flange 328 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 328a penetrating in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 1).

[0072] Next, the electric wires 340 and the bus bars 350 will be described. As shown in FIG. 16 , each electric wire 340 is composed of a metal conductor core 341 and an insulating coating 342 that covers the conductor core 341. The lower end of a metal bus bar 350 is attached to one end of the electric wire 340 so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core 341. The bus bar 350 has a flat plate shape that extends in the vertical direction. An insertion hole 351 is formed in the upper end of the bus bar 350, through which the rear end 312 of the terminal fitting 310 is inserted.

[0073] Next, the holder 360 will be described. The holder 360 is a resin molded product, and includes a main body 361 in which a pair of wire insertion holes 362 are provided so as to extend in the up-down direction and to be aligned in the left-right direction, as shown in Fig. 16. The outer peripheral shape of the main body 361 corresponds to the inner peripheral shape of the wire accommodating portion 322, and has an elongated hole shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from below. At the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the main body 361, multiple (four) cantilever-shaped locked portions (locking frame portions) 363 are provided so as to be aligned at intervals in the circumferential direction of the wire accommodating portion 322, corresponding to the multiple locking portions 324 of the wire accommodating portion 322. The holder 360 is a member that functions to hold a pair of electric wires 340 extending from the electric wire accommodating section 322 at the open end of the electric wire accommodating section 322 by inserting the main body 361 into the open end of the electric wire accommodating section 322 with the electric wires 340 each inserted into the electric wire insertion holes 362.

[0074] Next, the first shield member 370 will be described. The first shield member 370 is formed by pressing, bending, and the like, a metal plate. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 13, the first shield member 370 includes a cylindrical main body 371. The cylindrical main body 371 has a cylindrical shape extending in the up-down direction and has an elongated hole-like shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from below, corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the wire accommodating portion 322 of the housing 320. A pair of left and right fixing arms 372 (see FIG. 13) are integrally formed on both left and right ends of the cylindrical main body 371, corresponding to the pair of left and right flange portions 328 of the housing 320. A bolt insertion hole 373 that penetrates in the front-rear direction is formed in a flat portion of each fixing arm 372 that extends in the up-down and left-right directions, corresponding to the bolt insertion hole 328a of the flange portion 328 of the housing 320 (see FIG. 13). The first shielding member 370 is attached to the wire accommodating section 322 of the housing 320 so that the cylindrical main body 371 covers the outer periphery of the central part of the wire accommodating section 322 in the vertical direction, and therefore mainly performs a shielding function to prevent electromagnetic noise from leaking from the inside.

[0075] Next, the second shield member 380 will be described. The second shield member 380 is formed by performing stamping, bending, and the like on a metal plate. As shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 , 13 , and 14 , the second shield member 380 includes a main body 381. The main body 381 has a shape that allows it to be attached to the housing 320 so as to cover the main body 321, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 322, and the connector portion 323 of the housing 320. A pair of left and right flanges 382 is integrally formed on both left and right ends of the lower end of the main body 381, corresponding to the pair of left and right flanges 328 of the housing 320. A pair of left and right flanges 383 is integrally formed on both left and right ends of the vertical center of the main body 381. Each flange portion 382 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 382a penetrating in the front-rear direction, corresponding to the bolt insertion hole 328a of the flange portion 328 of the housing 320, and each flange portion 383 is also provided with a bolt insertion hole 383a penetrating in the front-rear direction (see FIGS. 13 and 14). The second shield member 380 is attached to the housing 320 so that the main body 381 covers the main body 321 of the housing 320, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 322, and the outer surface of the connector portion 323, thereby mainly fulfilling a shielding function that prevents electromagnetic noise from leaking from the inside.

[0076] As will be described later, a sheet-like heat transfer member 390 having a rectangular shape when viewed from the front-to-rear direction is disposed on the inner surface (front-facing surface) of a rear end wall portion 381a (see FIGS. 13 and 14, etc.) of the main body portion 381 of the second shield member 380. For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , locking protrusions (second locking protrusions) 384 for positioning the heat transfer member 390 are provided on the inner surface of the rear end wall portion 381a of the second shield member 380 at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the outer periphery of the heat transfer member 390 when the heat transfer member 390 is disposed at appropriate positions on the inner surface of the rear end wall portion 381a so as to extend along the outer periphery and be locked to the outer periphery. In other words, the plurality of locking protrusions 384 are arranged so as to surround the heat transfer member 390 in directions (i.e., up-down and left-right directions) that intersect with the direction (i.e., the front-rear direction) in which the heat transfer member 390 is sandwiched between the second shield member 380 and the housing 320. Specifically, in this example, the plurality of (six) locking protrusions 384 are provided on the rear end wall portion 381 a of the second shield member 380 so as to surround a rectangular area, as viewed from the front-rear direction, in which the heat transfer member 390 is to be disposed, at two locations on the left and right of the upper edge extending in the left-right direction of the heat transfer member 390, two locations on the lower edge extending in the left-right direction of the heat transfer member 390, one location on the right edge extending in the up-down direction of the heat transfer member 390, and one location on the left edge extending in the up-down direction of the heat transfer member 390 (i.e., six locations in total).

[0077] Next, the heat transfer member 390 will be described. The heat transfer member 390 is a member that is sandwiched between the rear end wall 321 a of the main body 321 of the housing 320 and the rear end wall 381 a of the main body 381 of the second shield member 380 when the connector 300 is fully assembled (see FIGS. 16 and 17 ). In this example, as shown in FIG. 13 , the heat transfer member 390 has a thin sheet-like shape that is rectangular and elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-to-rear direction. The heat transfer member 390 is made of a material that has higher thermal conductivity than the resin material that constitutes the housing 320 and is flexible enough to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the rear end wall 381 a of the main body 381 of the second shield member 380 and the rear end wall 321 a of the housing 320.

[0078] The heat transfer member 390 may be made of, for example, a thermally conductive resin material, a mixed material in which a heat transfer body is mixed with a base resin, or a mesh material made of a wire rod with thermal conductivity. The heat transfer member 390 may be made by processing these materials into a plate or tape shape. Furthermore, if these materials are sufficiently flexible in the environment in which the heat transfer member 390 is used, these materials may be applied to the housing 320 or the second shield member 380 in a paste form.

[0079] The configuration of each member that constitutes the connector 300 has been described above.

[0080] Next, the procedure for assembling the connector 300 will be described. First, the pair of electric wires 340 is accommodated in the electric wire accommodating portion 322. To prepare for this, first, one ends of the pair of electric wires 340 are inserted through the pair of electric wire insertion holes 362 of the holder 360, and then the lower end of the bus bar 350 is connected to each one end of the pair of electric wires 340 so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core wires 341. In addition, the first shield member 370 is attached to the outer periphery of the electric wire accommodating portion 322.

[0081] Next, a pair of bus bars 350 connected to one ends of the pair of electric wires 340 are inserted from the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 322 of the housing 320. The upper end of each bus bar 350 is inserted through the communication hole 327 of the housing 320 and positioned so as to overlap the front side of the flange portion 332 of the fixing metal fitting 330 exposed in the internal space of the terminal metal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 325 of the connector portion 323, and so that the insertion hole 351 of the bus bar 350 is positioned above the front end opening of the fixing metal fitting 330 (see FIG. 16 ).

[0082] Next, the pair of terminal fittings 310 are inserted from the open ends of the pair of terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 325 of the connector portion 323 of the housing 320. The rear end portions 312 of the terminal fittings 310 are inserted through the insertion holes 351 of the bus bar 350 and inserted (press-fitted or fastened) into the cylindrical main body portion 331 of the fixing bracket 330. When the insertion (press-fitting or fastening) of the terminal fittings 310 is complete, the upper end portion of the bus bar 350 is sandwiched between the flange portion 313 of the terminal fitting 310 and the flange portion 332 of the fixing bracket 330. This fixes the terminal fittings 310 and the bus bar 350 to the housing 320, positions the tip end portions 311 of the terminal fittings 310 within the internal space of the terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 325, and causes the pair of electric wires 340 connected to the pair of bus bars 350 to extend from the open ends of the electric wire accommodating portions 322. Thereafter, the holder 360, through which the pair of electric wires 340 are inserted, is moved upward relative to the pair of electric wires 340, and the holder 360 is attached to the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 322 so that the main body 361 of the holder 360 is inserted into the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 322. When the attachment of the holder 360 is complete, the multiple locked portions 363 of the holder 360 are respectively locked to the multiple locking portions 324 of the electric wire accommodating portion 322 (see FIG. 16 , etc.), thereby preventing the holder 360 from falling out of the electric wire accommodating portion 322 and holding the pair of electric wires 340 extending from the electric wire accommodating portion 322 at the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 322. This completes the operation of accommodating the pair of electric wires 340 in the electric wire accommodating portion 322.

[0083] Next, the second shield member 380 is attached to the housing 320. To do this, as shown in FIG. 15 , first, the sheet-like heat transfer member 390 is placed on the rear end wall 381a of the second shield member 380. At this time, the heat transfer member 390 is placed within a rectangular area, as viewed from the front-to-rear direction, surrounded by the six locking projections 384 provided on the rear end wall 381a of the second shield member 380. This makes it easy to place the heat transfer member 390 at the appropriate position on the rear end wall 381a of the second shield member 380. When the heat transfer member 390 is placed at the appropriate position on the rear end wall 381a of the second shield member 380, each of the six locking projections 384 extends along and locks onto the outer circumferential edge of the heat transfer member 390 at corresponding locations in the circumferential direction. This prevents the heat transfer member 390 from shifting from the appropriate position. With the heat transfer member 390 disposed on the rear end wall portion 381 a of the second shield member 380 in this manner, the second shield member 380 is attached to the housing 320 so as to cover the main body portion 321, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 322, and the connector portion 323 of the housing 320. When the second shield member 380 is completely attached to the housing 320, the heat transfer member 390 is pressed and sandwiched between the rear end wall portion 321 a of the housing 320 and the rear end wall portion 381 a of the second shield member 380, as shown in FIG. 17 . Due to the flexibility of the heat transfer member 390, the heat transfer member 390 flexibly deforms to fit the shape of the gap between the rear end wall portion 381 a of the second shield member 380 and the rear end wall portion 321 a of the housing 320. Therefore, compared to when the heat transfer member 390 is not flexible, the heat transfer member 390 comes into contact with both the second shield member 380 and the housing 320 over a larger contact area. In other words, the heat transfer member 390 thermally connects the second shield member 380 and the housing 320. With the above, the assembly of the connector 300 is completed, and the connector 300 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is obtained.

[0084] In connector 300, the connection points between busbar 350 and terminal fittings 310 connected to a pair of electric wires 340 are locations where Joule heat is generated in the terminal fittings when current is applied due to high contact resistance. However, these connection points are located within housing 320 for reasons such as insulation from the outside. This makes it very difficult to dissipate heat from the connection points between busbar 350 and terminal fittings 310 to the outside. Furthermore, for example, when connector 300 is mated with a mating connector, the amount of heat generated increases when a large current passes through connector 300. In this regard, connector 300 has a heat transfer member 390 sandwiched between housing 320 and a metal second shield member 380 that covers housing 320. As a result, heat generated at the connection point between the bus bar 350 and the terminal fitting 310 during current flow is transferred in the following order: the fixing fitting 330, the housing 320 (the rear end wall 321a of the main body 321), the heat transfer member 390, and the second shield member 380 (the rear end wall 381a of the main body 381). Because the heat transfer member 390 is flexible as described above, it comes into contact with both the second shield member 380 and the housing 320 over a larger contact area than if it were not flexible. Furthermore, the rear end wall 321a of the housing 320 is thinner than the portions other than the rear end wall 321a of the main body 321 located around the fixing fitting 330. This enables the connector 300 to improve heat dissipation.

[0085] When the connector 300 is fully assembled, the fixing arm 372 of the first shield member 370 overlaps the rear side of the flange 328 of the housing 320, the flange 382 of the second shield member 380 overlaps the rear side of the fixing arm 372 of the first shield member 370, and the bolt insertion hole 328a of the flange 328, the bolt insertion hole 373 of the fixing arm 372, and the bolt insertion hole 382a of the flange 382 are aligned in the front-to-rear direction to form a "single through hole." The housing 320, the first shield member 370, and the second shield member 380 are fastened and fixed to one another using bolts inserted through this pair of left and right "single through holes." The pair of left and right flanges 383 (bolt insertion holes 383a) provided on the second shield member 380 of the connector 300 are used to fasten and fix the connector 300 to a mating connector when the connector 300 and the mating connector are mated.

[0086] <Operations and Effects> As described above, according to the connector 300 of the third embodiment, the terminal fittings 310 connected to the bus bar 350 are fixed to the housing 320 by the fixing brackets 330. The heat transfer member 390 is sandwiched between the housing 320 and the metal second shield member 380 that covers the housing 320. As a result, heat generated at the connection between the terminal fittings 310 and the bus bar 350 during electrical connection is transferred in the following order: the fixing bracket 330, the housing 320 (the rear end wall portion 321a of the main body 321), the heat transfer member 390, and the second shield member 380. The heat transfer member 390 has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the second shield member 380 and the housing 320. Therefore, compared to a connector without such flexibility, the heat transfer member 390 makes contact with both the second shield member 380 and the housing 320 over a larger contact area. Furthermore, the second shield member 380 has locking protrusions 384 that lock the heat transfer member 390. The locking protrusions 384 prevent the heat transfer member 390 from being pushed out of the gap between the second shield member 380 and the housing 320 when the heat transfer member 390 is sandwiched between them and deforms, and prevent the heat transfer member 390 from becoming misaligned during use of the connector 300. Therefore, even when external forces such as vibrations are applied to the connector 300 during use or even when the connector 300 is used for an extended period of time, the heat transfer member 390 can be maintained in contact with the second shield member 380 and the housing 320. Additionally, the metal second shield member 380 not only functions to block electromagnetic noise, but also has a large heat capacity and excellent heat transfer properties, and because it is exposed to the outside air, it also has excellent heat dissipation properties. This allows the connector 300 according to the third embodiment to improve heat dissipation without increasing the size of the connector 300.

[0087] In the third embodiment, the rear end wall 321a of the main body 321 of the housing 320, which sandwiches the heat transfer member 390 between itself and the second shield member 380, is made of the same material as the other parts of the housing 320 (main body 321) other than the rear end wall 321a. In contrast, the rear end wall 321a of the main body 321 of the housing 320, which sandwiches the heat transfer member 390 between itself and the second shield member 380, may be made of a material (e.g., a resin material) that has better heat conductivity than the other parts of the housing 320 (main body 321) other than the rear end wall 321a. As in the third embodiment, it is preferable that the rear end wall 321a be thinner than the other parts of the main body 321 located around the fixing bracket 330 other than the rear end wall 321a.

[0088] The above configuration can be realized, for example, by integrating a molded body of rear end wall portion 321a, which is formed in advance from a material with excellent heat conductivity, with the other parts of housing 320 by insert molding together with metal fixing fitting 330 during molding of housing 320. With the above configuration, heat generated at the connection points between bus bar 350 and terminal fittings 310 is more efficiently transferred to heat transfer member 390 via rear end wall portion 321a of housing 320.

[0089] Fourth Embodiment In the fourth embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a heat transfer member is sandwiched between the housing and a metal second shield member that covers the housing, and further, the rear end wall of the housing has an uneven structure. Hereinafter, a connector 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. The connector 400 shown in Figures 1 and 2 functions as a relay connector that electrically connects a pair of electric wires 440 extending from an electric wire accommodating portion 422 (see Figures 18 and 22 ) of the housing 420 to a mating connector (not shown) that is mated with a connector portion 423 of the housing 420.

[0090] For ease of explanation, the following definitions are used for the "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," "left-right direction," "front," "rear," "up," "down," "left," and "right" as shown in FIG. 1 and other figures. The "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," and "left-right direction" are perpendicular to one another. The front-rear direction coincides with the mating direction of the connector portion 423 and the mating connector. The up-down direction coincides with the extending direction of the pair of electric wires 440 from the electric wire accommodating portion 422.

[0091] 1, 2, 18, and 22, connector 400 mainly includes terminal fittings 410, a housing 420, fixing fittings 430, electric wires 440, bus bars 450, a holder 460, a first shielding member 470, a second shielding member 480, and a heat transfer member 490. The configuration of each of the components constituting connector 400 will be described below in order.

[0092] First, the terminal fitting 410 will be described. As shown in Figure 22, the metal terminal fitting 410 has a rod-like shape extending in the front-rear direction as a whole, and integrally includes a front-rear extending tip portion 411, a rear end portion 412 extending in the front-rear direction and continuing to the rear of the front-rear direction, and a flange portion 413 extending in the radial direction of the terminal fitting 410 at the boundary between the front end portion 411 and the rear end portion 412. The front end portion 411 is a portion that is connected to a terminal fitting on the mating connector side when the connector 400 is mated with the mating connector, and the rear end portion 412 is a portion that is fixed to the housing 420 via a fixing bracket 430.

[0093] Next, the housing 420 will be described. The housing 420 is a resin molded product, and as shown in Figures 18 and 22, integrally includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body 421, an electric wire accommodating portion 422 extending downward from the lower end of the main body 421, and a connector portion 423 protruding forward from the front end of the main body 421. As such, the housing 420 has a substantially L-shape when viewed from the left and right.

[0094] As shown in FIGS. 18 and 22 , the wire accommodating portion 422 is a cylindrical portion extending in the vertical direction and having a slot-like shape that is elongated in the horizontal direction when viewed from below. A pair of wire accommodating holes (not shown) are provided inside the wire accommodating portion 422, extending in the vertical direction and aligned in the horizontal direction. Each wire accommodating hole has a circular cross-sectional shape. Each wire accommodating hole is open at its lower end and closed at its upper end by the main body portion 421, but communicates with the internal space of a terminal metal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 425 (described later) of the connector portion 423 via a communication hole 427 (see FIG. 22 ) that extends in the vertical direction. Each wire accommodating hole accommodates an electric wire 440 connected to a bus bar 450, and the bus bar 450 is inserted through the communication hole 427 (see FIG. 22 ). A plurality of (four) locking portions (locking protrusions) 424 are provided on the outer peripheral surface near the lower end of the wire accommodating portion 422, aligned at intervals in the circumferential direction of the wire accommodating portion 422. A locked portion (locking frame portion) 463 (described later) of the holder 460 is locked to the locking portions 424 of the wire accommodating portion 422.

[0095] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 22 , the connector portion 423 has an outer tube portion 426 that has a slot-like shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from the front and extends in the front-rear direction. A pair of cylindrical terminal fitting accommodating tube portions 425 are provided inside the outer tube portion 426, extending in the front-rear direction and aligned in the left-right direction. Each terminal fitting accommodating tube portion 425 is open at its front end and closed at its rear end by the main body portion 421. The terminal fitting accommodating tube portions 425 accommodate the tip ends 411 of the terminal fittings 410. A rubber gasket P is provided on the outer periphery of the rear end of the outer tube portion 426. The gasket P serves to seal the gap between the inner periphery of the connector portion of the mating connector that is fitted onto the outer tube portion 426 and the outer periphery of the outer tube portion 426 when the connector 400 is mated with the mating connector.

[0096] As shown in Figures 22 and 23 , fixing metal fittings 430 are embedded (integrated) by insert molding in the main body 421 at locations that close the rear ends of the pair of terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 425. The fixing metal fittings 430 are components that fix the terminal fittings 410 to the housing 420. The fixing metal fittings 430 are made of metal and, as shown in Figure 23 , are composed of a cylindrical main body 431 that extends in the front-rear direction, is closed at its rear end by a bottom wall portion 431a, and is open at its front end, and a flange portion 432 that extends radially from the edge of the opening at the front end of the main body 431. The main body 431 is embedded in the main body 421, and the front end opening of the main body 431 and the flange portion 432 are exposed to the internal space of the terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 425 at the rear end of the main body 421. The rear end portions 412 of the terminal fittings 410 are inserted (press-fitted) into the cylindrical main body portions 431. Alternatively, if the rear end portions 412 of the terminal fittings 410 and the cylindrical main body portions 431 have a structure that allows them to be fastened to each other like the relationship between a bolt and a nut, the rear end portions 412 of the terminal fittings 410 are fastened to the cylindrical main body portions 431. As shown in Figure 23, a portion of the main body portion 421 located between the bottom wall portion 431a of each cylindrical main body portion 431 and the rear end surface of the main body portion 421 (hereinafter referred to as the "rear end wall portion 421a") is thinner than other portions of the main body portion 421 located around the fixing fitting 430 other than the rear end wall portion 421a.

[0097] Each of the pair of left and right rear end wall portions 421a of the housing 420 is made of a material that has better thermal conductivity than the material constituting the other portions of the housing 420 other than the rear end wall portion 421a (for example, a composite material made of a mixture of a filler with high thermal conductivity and a resin). This structure in which the rear end wall portion 421a of the housing 420 is made of a material that has better thermal conductivity than the material constituting the other portions of the housing 420 can be achieved, for example, by integrating a molded body of the rear end wall portion 421a, which is pre-formed from a material with good thermal conductivity, with the other portions of the housing 420 by insert molding together with the metal fixing bracket 430 during molding of the housing 420. As described below, the rear end wall portion 421a of the housing 420 is a portion that is sandwiched between the bottom wall portion 431a of the fixing bracket 430 and a sheet-like heat transfer member 490 (see FIG. 23 ).

[0098] 19 to 21, the rear end wall 421a of the housing 420 has a generally circular plate shape. A plurality of recesses 429 are formed in the rear end wall 421a, extending radially from a central portion 421b of the front surface of the rear end wall 421a (the surface facing the bottom wall 431a of the fixing bracket 430) toward the outer periphery and further extending around the outer periphery of the rear end wall 421a to the outer periphery of the rear surface of the rear end wall 421a (the surface facing the heat transfer member 490). Therefore, the front surface of the rear end wall 421a has an uneven structure extending radially from the central portion 421b of the front surface toward the outer periphery, and the rear surface of the rear end wall 421a has an uneven structure extending radially from a position between the central portion of the rear surface and the outer periphery toward the outer periphery. The rear surface of the rear end wall portion 421a, located inside the outer periphery where the concave-convex structure is formed, forms a single large circular flat surface 421c. In this example, the rear end wall portion 421a is molded by injection molding using a mold having a gate located at a position corresponding to the center portion 421b of the front surface shown in FIG. 21 and an interior shape corresponding to the concave-convex structure described above. When the composite material described above is injected through the mold gate, the composite material fills the mold while spreading radially from the center portion 421b toward the outer periphery. As a result, the filler particles contained in the composite material are linearly arranged, spreading radially from the center portion 421b toward the outer periphery. On the other hand, in the front-to-rear direction (i.e., thickness direction) of the rear end wall portion 421a, the flow of the composite material becomes turbulent during injection molding, causing the filler particles to be irregularly arranged. As a result, the rear end wall portion 421a has a higher thermal conductivity in the radial direction than in the front-to-rear direction (i.e., thickness direction).

[0099] Hereinafter, of the recess 429 in the rear end wall 421a, the portion located on the front surface of the rear end wall 421a will be referred to as recess 429a, the portion located on the outer peripheral side surface of the rear end wall 421a will be referred to as recess 429b, and the portion located on the rear surface of the rear end wall 421a will be referred to as recess 429c. When the rear end wall 421a of the housing 420 is integrated with the other part of the housing 420 by insert molding, the material constituting the other part of the housing 420 enters and fills recess 429b on the outer peripheral side surface of the rear end wall 421a, so that the entire outer peripheral side surface of the rear end wall 421a is in close contact with the other part of the housing 420. Note that, depending on the molding conditions, the material constituting the other part of the housing 420 may also enter and fill part of recess 429a on the front surface of the rear end wall 421a and part of recess 429c on the rear surface of the rear end wall 421a.

[0100] 1, 2, and 18, a pair of flanges 428 protruding in the left-right direction are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire accommodating portion 422 near the boundary with the main body portion 421. Each flange 428 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 428a penetrating in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 1).

[0101] Next, the electric wires 440 and the bus bars 450 will be described. As shown in FIG. 22 , each electric wire 440 is composed of a metal conductor core 441 and an insulating coating 442 that covers the conductor core 441. The lower end of a metal bus bar 450 is attached to one end of the electric wire 440 so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core 441. The bus bar 450 has a flat plate shape that extends in the vertical direction. An insertion hole 451 is formed in the upper end of the bus bar 450, through which the rear end 412 of the terminal fitting 410 is inserted.

[0102] Next, the holder 460 will be described. The holder 460 is a resin molded product, and includes a main body 461 in which a pair of wire insertion holes 462 are provided so as to extend in the up-down direction and to be aligned in the left-right direction, as shown in FIG. 22 . The outer peripheral shape of the main body 461 corresponds to the inner peripheral shape of the wire accommodating portion 422, and has an elongated hole shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from below. At the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the main body 461, multiple (four) cantilever-shaped locked portions (locking frame portions) 463 are provided so as to be aligned at intervals in the circumferential direction of the wire accommodating portion 422, corresponding to the multiple locking portions 424 of the wire accommodating portion 422. The holder 460 is a member that functions to hold a pair of electric wires 440 extending from the electric wire accommodating section 422 at the open end of the electric wire accommodating section 422 by inserting the main body 461 into the open end of the electric wire accommodating section 422 with the electric wires 440 each inserted into the electric wire insertion holes 462.

[0103] Next, the first shield member 470 will be described. The first shield member 470 is formed by stamping, bending, and the like, on a metal plate. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 18, the first shield member 470 includes a cylindrical main body 471. The cylindrical main body 471 has a cylindrical shape extending in the up-down direction and has an elongated hole-like shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from below, corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the wire accommodating portion 422 of the housing 420. A pair of left and right fixing arms 472 (see FIG. 18) are integrally formed on both left and right ends of the cylindrical main body 471, corresponding to the pair of left and right flange portions 428 of the housing 420. A bolt insertion hole 473 that penetrates in the front-rear direction is formed in a flat portion of each fixing arm 472 that extends in the up-down and left-right directions, corresponding to the bolt insertion hole 428a of the flange portion 428 of the housing 420 (see FIG. 18). The first shielding member 470 is attached to the wire accommodating section 422 of the housing 420 so that the cylindrical main body 471 covers the outer periphery of the central part of the wire accommodating section 422 in the vertical direction, and therefore mainly performs a shielding function to prevent electromagnetic noise from leaking from the inside.

[0104] Next, the second shield member 480 will be described. The second shield member 480 is formed by performing stamping, bending, and the like on a metal plate. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 18, the second shield member 480 includes a main body 481. The main body 481 has a shape that allows it to be attached to the housing 420 so as to cover the main body 421, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 422, and the connector portion 423 of the housing 420. A pair of left and right flanges 482 is integrally formed on both left and right ends of the lower end of the main body 481, corresponding to the pair of left and right flanges 428 of the housing 420, and a pair of left and right flanges 483 is integrally formed on both left and right ends of the vertical center of the main body 481. Each flange portion 482 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 482a penetrating in the front-rear direction corresponding to the bolt insertion hole 428a of the flange portion 428 of the housing 420, and each flange portion 483 is also provided with a bolt insertion hole 483a penetrating in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 18 ). The second shield member 480 is attached to the housing 420 so that the main body 481 covers the main body 421 of the housing 420, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 422, and the outer surface of the connector portion 423, thereby mainly fulfilling a shielding function that prevents electromagnetic noise from leaking from the inside.

[0105] Next, the heat transfer member 490 will be described. The heat transfer member 490 is a member that is used to be sandwiched between the rear end wall portion 421 a of the main body portion 421 of the housing 420 and the main body portion 481 of the second shield member 480 when the housing 420 is in an assembled state (see FIGS. 22 and 23 ). In this example, as shown in FIG. 18 , the heat transfer member 490 has a thin sheet-like shape that is rectangular and elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-to-rear direction. The heat transfer member 490 has higher thermal conductivity than the resin material that constitutes the housing 420 and is made of a flexible material that can deform to fit the shape of the gap between the main body portion 481 of the second shield member 480 and the rear end wall portion 421 a of the housing 420.

[0106] The heat transfer member 490 may be made of, for example, a thermally conductive resin material, a mixed material in which a heat transfer body is mixed with a base resin, or a mesh material made of a wire rod with thermal conductivity. The heat transfer member 490 may be made by processing these materials into a plate or tape shape. Furthermore, if these materials are sufficiently flexible in the environment in which the heat transfer member 490 is used, these materials may be applied to the housing 420 or the second shield member 480 in a paste form.

[0107] The configuration of each member that constitutes connector 400 has been described above.

[0108] Next, the procedure for assembling the connector 400 will be described. First, the pair of electric wires 440 is accommodated in the electric wire accommodating portion 422. To prepare for this, first, one ends of the pair of electric wires 440 are inserted through a pair of electric wire insertion holes 462 of the holder 460, and then the lower end of the bus bar 450 is connected to each one end of the pair of electric wires 440 so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core wires 441. In addition, the first shield member 470 is attached to the outer periphery of the electric wire accommodating portion 422.

[0109] Next, a pair of bus bars 450 connected to one ends of the pair of electric wires 440 are inserted from the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 422 of the housing 420. The upper end of each bus bar 450 is inserted through the communication hole 427 of the housing 420 and positioned so as to overlap the front side of the flange portion 432 of the fixing metal fitting 430 exposed in the internal space of the terminal metal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 425 of the connector portion 423, and so that the insertion hole 451 of the bus bar 450 is positioned above the front end opening of the fixing metal fitting 430 (see FIG. 22 ).

[0110] Next, the pair of terminal fittings 410 are inserted from the open ends of the pair of terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 425 of the connector portion 423 of the housing 420. The rear end portions 412 of the terminal fittings 410 are inserted through the insertion holes 451 of the bus bar 450 and inserted (press-fitted or fastened) into the cylindrical main body portion 431 of the fixing bracket 430. When the insertion (press-fitting or fastening) of the terminal fittings 410 is complete, the upper end portion of the bus bar 450 is sandwiched between the flange portion 413 of the terminal fitting 410 and the flange portion 432 of the fixing bracket 430. This fixes the terminal fittings 410 and the bus bar 450 to the housing 420, positions the tip end portions 411 of the terminal fittings 410 within the internal space of the terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 425, and extends the pair of electric wires 440 connected to the pair of bus bars 450 from the open ends of the electric wire accommodating portions 422. Thereafter, the holder 460, through which the pair of electric wires 440 are inserted, is moved upward relative to the pair of electric wires 440, and the holder 460 is attached to the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 422 so that the main body 461 of the holder 460 is inserted into the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 422. When the holder 460 is fully attached, the multiple locked portions 463 of the holder 460 are locked with the multiple locking portions 424 of the electric wire accommodating portion 422 (see FIG. 22 , etc.), thereby preventing the holder 460 from falling out of the electric wire accommodating portion 422 and holding the pair of electric wires 440 extending from the electric wire accommodating portion 422 at the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 422. This completes the operation of accommodating the pair of electric wires 440 in the electric wire accommodating portion 422.

[0111] Next, the second shield member 480 is attached to the housing 420. To this end, with the sheet-like heat transfer member 490 attached to the rear end wall 421 a of the housing 420 or to a portion of the main body 481 of the second shield member 480 facing the rear end wall 421 a, the second shield member 480 is attached to the housing 420 so as to cover the main body 421 of the housing 420, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 422, and the connector portion 423. When the second shield member 480 is completely attached to the housing 420, as shown in FIG. 23 , the heat transfer member 490 is pressed and sandwiched between the rear end wall 421 a of the housing 420 and the main body 481 of the second shield member 480, and flexibly deforms to fit the shape of the gap between the main body 481 of the second shield member 480 and the rear end wall 421 a of the housing 420 due to the flexibility of the heat transfer member 490. A portion of the heat transfer member 490 fits into the recess 429c of the rear end wall 421a, bringing the rear surface of the rear end wall 421a and the heat transfer member 490 into close contact. Therefore, compared to when the heat transfer member 490 is not flexible, the heat transfer member 490 is in contact with both the second shield member 480 and the housing 420 over a larger contact area. In other words, the heat transfer member 490 thermally connects the second shield member 480 and the housing 420. This completes the assembly of the connector 400, and the connector 400 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is obtained.

[0112] In connector 400, the connection points between busbar 450 and terminal fittings 410 connected to a pair of electric wires 440 are locations where Joule heat is generated in the terminal fittings during electrical conduction due to high contact resistance. However, these connection points are located within housing 420 for reasons of insulation from the outside. Therefore, it is very difficult to dissipate heat from the connection points between busbar 450 and terminal fittings 410 to the outside. Furthermore, for example, when connector 400 is mated with a mating connector, the amount of heat generated increases when a large current passes through connector 400. In this regard, connector 400 includes a heat transfer member 490 sandwiched between housing 420 and a metal second shield member 480 that covers housing 420. As a result, heat generated at the connection points between busbar 450 and terminal fittings 410 during electrical conduction is transferred in the following order: fixing metal 430, housing 420 (rear end wall portion 421a of main body 421), heat transfer member 490, and second shield member 480. Because the heat transfer member 490 is flexible as described above, it contacts both the second shield member 480 and the housing 420 over a larger contact area than if it were not flexible. Furthermore, because the rear end wall 421a of the housing 420 has an uneven structure on the rear surface facing the heat transfer member 490, the contact area between the rear end wall 421a of the housing 420 and the heat transfer member 490 is increased. Additionally, the material constituting the rear end wall 421a of the housing 420 has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the rest of the housing 420. As a result, heat generated at the connection points between the bus bar 450 and the terminal fittings 410, for example, is efficiently transferred to the heat transfer member 490 via the rear end wall 421a of the housing 420. Furthermore, the rear end wall 421a is thinner than the remaining portions of the main body 421 positioned around the fixing fittings 430, other than the rear end wall 421a. This allows the connector 400 to improve heat dissipation.

[0113] When the connector 400 is fully assembled, the fixing arm 472 of the first shield member 470 overlaps the rear side of the flange 428 of the housing 420, the flange 482 of the second shield member 480 overlaps the rear side of the fixing arm 472 of the first shield member 470, and the bolt insertion hole 428a of the flange 428, the bolt insertion hole 473 of the fixing arm 472, and the bolt insertion hole 482a of the flange 482 are aligned in the front-to-rear direction to form a "single through hole." The housing 420, the first shield member 470, and the second shield member 480 are fastened and fixed to one another using bolts inserted through this pair of left and right "single through holes." The pair of left and right flanges 483 (bolt insertion holes 483a) provided on the second shield member 480 of the connector 400 are used to fasten and fix the connector 400 and the mating connector to one another when the connector 400 and the mating connector are mated.

[0114] <Operations and Effects> As described above, according to connector 400 according to the fourth embodiment, terminal fittings 410 connected to bus bar 450 are fixed to housing 420 by fixing fittings 430. Heat transfer member 490 is sandwiched between housing 420 and a metal second shield member 480 that covers housing 420. As a result, heat generated at the connection points between terminal fittings 410 and bus bar 450 when current is applied is transferred in the following order: fixing fitting 430, housing 420 (rear end wall portion 421a of main body 421), heat transfer member 490, and second shield member 480. Heat transfer member 490 has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between second shield member 480 and housing 420. Therefore, compared to a case where heat transfer member 490 does not have such flexibility, heat transfer member 490 comes into contact with both second shield member 480 and housing 420 over a larger contact area. Furthermore, because the rear end wall 421a of the housing 420 has an uneven structure on its rear surface facing the heat transfer member 490, the contact area between the rear end wall 421a of the housing 420 and the heat transfer member 490 is increased. In addition, the material constituting the rear end wall 421a of the housing 420 has better thermal conductivity than the material constituting the remaining parts of the housing 420. Furthermore, because the rear end wall 421a has excellent thermal conductivity in the radial direction as described above, heat transferred from the bottom wall 431a of the fixing bracket 430 to the front surface of the rear end wall 421a (see FIG. 21) is transferred radially along the uneven structure of the front surface of the rear end wall 421a, wraps around the outer peripheral edge of the rear end wall 421a, and is transferred radially along the uneven structure of the rear surface of the rear end wall 421a toward the central flat surface 421c of the rear surface (see FIG. 20) of the rear end wall 421a. Heat is then transferred from the flat surface 421c of the rear end wall portion 421a to the heat transfer member 490. As a result, heat generated at the connection points between the bus bar 450 and the terminal fittings 410, for example, is efficiently transferred to the heat transfer member 490 via the rear end wall portion 421a of the housing 420. Furthermore, even if an external force such as vibration is applied when the connector 400 is used, or even if the connector 400 is used for a long period of time, the heat transfer member 490 can be maintained in contact with the second shield member 480 and the housing 420. In addition, the metal second shield member 480 has a large heat capacity and excellent heat transfer properties, in addition to its original function of blocking electromagnetic noise, and is also excellent in heat dissipation because it is in contact with the outside air.As a result, the connector 400 according to the fourth embodiment can improve heat dissipation while avoiding an increase in size of the connector 400 .

[0115] The fourth embodiment may be combined with the second or third embodiment. In one combination, for example, the configuration of the fourth embodiment may be combined with a configuration in which the housing 420 of the fourth embodiment is provided with a locking protrusion (first locking protrusion) as in the second embodiment. In another combination, the configuration of the second embodiment may be combined with a configuration in which a portion of the housing 220 of the second embodiment has a concave-convex structure as in the fourth embodiment. These combinations can achieve the above-described effects of both the second and fourth embodiments. Alternatively, in yet another combination, for example, the configuration of the fourth embodiment may be combined with a configuration in which the second shield member 480 of the fourth embodiment has a locking protrusion (second locking protrusion) as in the third embodiment. In yet another combination, the configuration of the third embodiment may be combined with a configuration in which a portion of the housing 320 of the third embodiment has a concave-convex structure as in the fourth embodiment. These combinations can achieve the above-described effects of both the third and fourth embodiments.

[0116] Fifth Embodiment A connector 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The connector 500 shown in Figures 24 and 25 functions as a relay connector that electrically connects a pair of electric wires 540 extending from an electric wire accommodating portion 522 of a housing 520 (see Figures 26 and 29 ) to a mating connector (not shown) that is fitted into a connector portion 523 of the housing 520.

[0117] For ease of explanation, the following definitions are used for the "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," "left-right direction," "front," "rear," "up," "down," "left," and "right" as shown in Figure 24 and other figures. The "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," and "left-right direction" are perpendicular to one another. The front-rear direction coincides with the mating direction of the connector portion 523 and the mating connector. The up-down direction coincides with the extending direction of the pair of electric wires 540 from the electric wire accommodating portion 522.

[0118] 24 to 26 and 29, connector 500 mainly includes terminal fittings 510, a housing 520, fixing fittings 530, electric wires 540, bus bars 550, a holder 560, a shield member 570, and a heat transfer member 580. The configuration of each of the components constituting connector 500 will be described below in order.

[0119] First, the terminal fitting 510 will be described. As shown in Figure 29, the metal terminal fitting 510 has a rod-like shape extending in the front-rear direction as a whole, and is integrally provided with a front-rear extending tip portion 511, a rear end portion 512 extending in the front-rear direction and continuing to the rear of the front-rear direction, and a flange portion 513 extending in the radial direction of the terminal fitting 510 at the boundary between the front end portion 511 and the rear end portion 512. The front end portion 511 is a portion that is connected to a terminal fitting on the mating connector side when the connector 500 is mated with the mating connector, and the rear end portion 512 is a portion that is fixed to the housing 520 via a fixing bracket 530.

[0120] Next, the housing 520 will be described. The housing 520 is a resin molded product, and as shown in Figures 26 and 29, integrally includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body 521, a wire accommodating portion 522 extending downward from the lower end of the main body 521, and a connector portion 523 protruding forward from the front end of the main body 521. As such, the housing 520 has a substantially L-shape when viewed from the left and right.

[0121] As shown in FIGS. 26 and 29 , the wire accommodating portion 522 is a cylindrical portion extending in the vertical direction and having a slot-like shape that is elongated in the horizontal direction when viewed from below. A pair of wire accommodating holes (not shown) are provided inside the wire accommodating portion 522, extending in the vertical direction and aligned in the horizontal direction. Each wire accommodating hole has a circular cross-sectional shape. Each wire accommodating hole is open at its lower end and closed at its upper end by the main body portion 521, but communicates with the internal space of a terminal metal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 525 (described later) of the connector portion 523 via a communication hole 527 (see FIG. 29 ) that extends in the vertical direction. Each wire accommodating hole accommodates an electric wire 540 connected to a bus bar 550, and the bus bar 550 is inserted through the communication hole 527 (see FIG. 29 ). A plurality of (four) locking portions (locking protrusions) 524 are provided on the outer peripheral surface near the lower end of the wire accommodating portion 522 so as to be aligned at intervals in the circumferential direction of the wire accommodating portion 522. A locked portion (locking frame portion) 563 (described later) of the holder 560 is locked to the locking portions 524 of the wire accommodating portion 522.

[0122] As shown in FIGS. 24 and 29 , the connector portion 523 has an outer tube portion 526 that has a slot-like shape elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from the front and extends in the front-rear direction. A pair of cylindrical terminal fitting accommodating tube portions 525 are provided inside the outer tube portion 526, extending in the front-rear direction and aligned in the left-right direction. Each terminal fitting accommodating tube portion 525 is open at its front end and closed at its rear end by the main body portion 521. The terminal fitting accommodating tube portions 525 accommodate the tip ends 511 of the terminal fittings 510. A rubber gasket P is provided on the outer periphery of the rear end of the outer tube portion 526 (see FIGS. 26 and 29 ). The gasket P serves to seal the gap between the inner circumferential surface of the connector portion of the mating connector that is fitted onto the outer tube portion 526 and the outer circumferential surface of the outer tube portion 526 when the connector 500 is mated with the mating connector.

[0123] As shown in Figures 29 and 30 , fixing metal fittings 530 are embedded (integrated) by insert molding in the main body 521 at locations that close the rear ends of the pair of terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 525. The fixing metal fittings 530 are components that fix the terminal fittings 510 to the housing 520. The fixing metal fittings 530 are made of metal and, as shown in Figure 30 , are composed of a cylindrical main body 531 that extends in the front-to-rear direction, is closed at its rear end by a bottom wall portion 531a, and is open at its front end, and a flange portion 532 that extends radially from the edge of the opening at the front end of the cylindrical main body 531. The cylindrical main body 531 is embedded in the main body 521, and the front end opening of the cylindrical main body 531 and the flange portion 532 are exposed to the internal space of the terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 525 at the rear end of the terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 525. The rear end portions 512 of the terminal fittings 510 are inserted (press-fitted) into the cylindrical main body portion 531. Alternatively, if the rear end portions 512 of the terminal fittings 510 and the cylindrical main body portion 531 have a structure that allows them to be fastened to each other like a bolt and a nut, the rear end portions 512 of the terminal fittings 510 are fastened to the cylindrical main body portion 531. As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 , the upper end portion of the main body portion 521 is provided with a pair of left and right semi-cylindrical wall portions 521a that are curved in an upwardly convex semi-arc shape and extend in the front-rear direction so as to cover the outer peripheral side surfaces of the upper halves of the cylindrical main body portions 531 of the pair of left and right fixing fittings 530. A recess 529 is formed in the approximate center of the outer peripheral side surface of each semi-cylindrical wall portion 521a in the front-rear direction. The recess 529 is recessed radially inward of the semi-cylindrical wall portion 521a and extends in an upwardly convex semi-arc shape along the outer peripheral side surface of the semi-cylindrical wall portion 521a. A heat transfer member 580 is fitted into the recesses 529 of the pair of left and right semi-cylindrical wall portions 521a (see FIGS. 30 and 31).

[0124] 24 to 26, a pair of flanges 528 protruding in the left-right direction are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire accommodating portion 522 near the boundary with the main body portion 521. Each flange portion 528 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 528a penetrating in the front-rear direction (see FIGS. 24 and 26).

[0125] Next, the electric wires 540 and the bus bars 550 will be described. As shown in FIG. 29 , each electric wire 540 is composed of a metal conductor core wire 541 and an insulating coating 542 that covers the conductor core wire 541. The lower end of a metal bus bar 550 is attached to one end of the electric wire 540 so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core wire 541. The bus bar 550 has a flat plate shape that extends in the vertical direction. An insertion hole 551 is formed in the upper end of the bus bar 550, through which the rear end 512 of the terminal fitting 510 is inserted.

[0126] Next, the holder 560 will be described. The holder 560 is a resin molded product, and includes a main body 561 in which a pair of wire insertion holes 562 are provided so as to extend in the up-down direction and to be aligned in the left-right direction, as shown in Fig. 29. The outer peripheral shape of the main body 561 corresponds to the inner peripheral shape of the wire accommodating portion 522, and has an elongated hole shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from below. At the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the main body 561, multiple (four) cantilever-shaped locked portions (locking frame portions) 563 are provided so as to be aligned at intervals in the circumferential direction of the wire accommodating portion 522, corresponding to the multiple locking portions 524 of the wire accommodating portion 522. The holder 560 is a member that functions to hold a pair of electric wires 540 extending from the electric wire accommodating section 522 at the open end of the electric wire accommodating section 522 by inserting the main body 561 into the open end of the electric wire accommodating section 522 with the electric wires 540 each inserted into the electric wire insertion holes 562.

[0127] Next, the shield member 570 will be described. The shield member 570 is formed by pressing, bending, and the like, a metal plate. As shown in FIGS. 24 to 26 and 28 , the shield member 570 includes a main body 571. The main body 571 has a shape that allows it to be attached to the housing 520 so as to cover the main body 521, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 522, and the connector portion 523 of the housing 520. Bolt holes 573 (see FIG. 28 ) are provided in the front end surfaces of both left and right ends of the lower end of the main body 571, corresponding to the bolt insertion holes 528a of the pair of left and right flange portions 528 of the housing 520. A pair of left and right flange portions 572 are integrally formed on both left and right ends of the upper region of the main body 571. Each flange portion 572 has a bolt insertion hole 572a that penetrates in the front-rear direction (see FIGS. 24 to 26 ). The shield member 570 is attached to the housing 520 such that the main body 571 covers the main body 521, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 522, and the outer surface of the connector portion 523 of the housing 520, thereby mainly performing a shielding function to prevent leakage of electromagnetic noise from the inside. As shown in Figures 28 and 31 , the inner surface (the downward-facing surface) of the upper wall 571a of the main body 571, which extends in the front-rear and left-right directions, is provided with a plurality of (specifically, three) protrusions 574 aligned in the left-right direction and protruding downward, corresponding to each of a pair of left and right portions of the heat transfer member 580 fitted into a pair of left and right recesses 529 of the housing 520. When the connector 500 is fully assembled, as shown in Figures 30 and 31 , the protrusions 574 press the heat transfer member 580 fitted into the recess 529 downward toward the groove bottom wall 529a of the recess 529.

[0128] Next, the heat transfer member 580 will be described. The heat transfer member 580 is a member that is fitted into the recess 529 of the housing 520 and sandwiched between the protrusion 574 of the shield member 570 and the groove bottom wall 529a of the recess 529 when the connector 500 is in an assembled state (see FIGS. 30 and 31 ). In this example, as shown in FIG. 26 , the heat transfer member 580 has a rod-like shape with a rectangular cross section that can be fitted into the recess 529 of the housing 520, and is flexible enough to bend so as to extend along the recess 529, which extends in a semicircular arc. The heat transfer member 580 has higher thermal conductivity than the resin material that constitutes the housing 520, and is made of a flexible material that can deform to fit the shape of the gap between the protrusion 574 of the shield member 570 and the groove bottom wall 529a of the recess 529.

[0129] The heat transfer member 580 may be made of, for example, a thermally conductive resin material, a mixed material in which a heat transfer body is mixed with a base resin, or a mesh material made of a wire rod having thermal conductivity. The heat transfer member 580 may be made by processing these materials into a rod shape. Furthermore, if these materials are sufficiently flexible in the environment in which the heat transfer member 580 is used, these materials may be applied in a paste form to the housing 520 or the shield member 570.

[0130] The configuration of each member that constitutes the connector 500 has been described above.

[0131] Next, a procedure for assembling the connector 500 will be described. First, the pair of electric wires 540 is accommodated in the electric wire accommodating portion 522. To prepare for this, first, one ends of the pair of electric wires 540 are inserted through the pair of electric wire insertion holes 562 of the holder 560, and then the lower end of the bus bar 550 is connected to each one end of the pair of electric wires 540 so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core wires 541.

[0132] Next, a pair of bus bars 550 connected to one ends of the pair of electric wires 540 are inserted from the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 522 of the housing 520. The upper end of each bus bar 550 is inserted through the communication hole 527 of the housing 520 and positioned so as to overlap the front side of the flange portion 532 of the fixing metal fitting 530 exposed in the internal space of the terminal metal fitting accommodating cylindrical portion 525 of the connector portion 523, and so that the insertion hole 551 of the bus bar 550 is positioned above the front end opening of the fixing metal fitting 530 (see FIG. 29 ).

[0133] Next, the pair of terminal fittings 510 are inserted from the open ends of the pair of terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 525 of the connector portion 523 of the housing 520. The rear end portions 512 of the terminal fittings 510 are inserted through the insertion holes 551 of the bus bar 550 and inserted (press-fitted or fastened) into the cylindrical main body portion 531 of the fixture 530. When the insertion (press-fitting or fastening) of the terminal fittings 510 is complete, the upper end portion of the bus bar 550 is sandwiched between the flange portion 513 of the terminal fitting 510 and the flange portion 532 of the fixture 530. This fixes the terminal fittings 510 and the bus bar 550 to the housing 520, positions the tip end portions 511 of the terminal fittings 510 within the internal space of the terminal fitting accommodating cylindrical portions 525, and causes the pair of electric wires 540 connected to the pair of bus bars 550 to extend from the open ends of the electric wire accommodating portions 522. Thereafter, the holder 560, through which the pair of electric wires 540 are inserted, is moved upward relative to the pair of electric wires 540, and the holder 560 is attached to the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 522 so that the main body 561 of the holder 560 is inserted into the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 522. When the holder 560 is fully attached, the multiple locked portions 563 of the holder 560 are locked with the multiple locking portions 524 of the electric wire accommodating portion 522 (see FIG. 29 , etc.), thereby preventing the holder 560 from falling out of the electric wire accommodating portion 522 and holding the pair of electric wires 540 extending from the electric wire accommodating portion 522 at the open end of the electric wire accommodating portion 522. This completes the operation of accommodating the pair of electric wires 540 in the electric wire accommodating portion 522.

[0134] Next, the shield member 570 is attached to the housing 520. To this end, as shown in FIG. 31 , a rod-shaped heat transfer member 580 is fitted into the pair of left and right recesses 529 of the housing 520 so as to extend in a curved manner along the semicircular arc-extending recesses 529 in each of the pair of left and right recesses 529 and to straddle the space between the pair of left and right recesses 529 in the left-right direction. When the heat transfer member 580 is fitted into the pair of left and right recesses 529, the outer peripheral edge portions of the pair of left and right portions of the heat transfer member 580 fitted into the pair of left and right recesses 529 protrude from the recesses 529 over the entire extension direction along the semicircular arc-extending recesses 529. With the heat transfer member 580 fitted into the pair of left and right recesses 529 in this manner, the shield member 570 is attached to the housing 520 so as to cover the main body portion 521, the upper portion of the wire accommodating portion 522, and the connector portion 523 of the housing 520. When the shield member 570 is completely attached to the housing 520, the heat transfer member 580 is pressed and sandwiched between the protrusion 574 of the shield member 570 and the groove bottom wall 529a of the recess 529, as shown in Figures 30 and 31 . Due to the flexibility of the heat transfer member 580, it flexibly deforms to fit the shape of the gap between the protrusion 574 of the shield member 570 and the groove bottom wall 529a of the recess 529. Therefore, compared to when the heat transfer member 580 is not flexible, the heat transfer member 580 is in contact with both the shield member 570 and the housing 520 over a larger contact area. In other words, the heat transfer member 580 thermally connects the shield member 570 and the housing 520. As a result, the assembly of the connector 500 is completed, and the connector 500 shown in Figures 24 and 25 is obtained.

[0135] In connector 500, the connection points between busbar 550 and terminal fittings 510 connected to a pair of electric wires 540 are locations where Joule heat is generated in the terminal fittings when current is applied due to high contact resistance. However, these connection points are located within housing 520 for reasons of insulation from the outside. Therefore, it is very difficult to dissipate heat from the connection points between busbar 550 and terminal fittings 510 to the outside. Furthermore, for example, when connector 500 is mated with a mating connector, the amount of heat generated increases when a large current passes through connector 500. In this regard, in connector 500, heat transfer member 580 is sandwiched between protrusion 574 of metal shield member 570 covering housing 520 and groove bottom wall 529a of recess 529 in housing 520. As a result, heat generated at the connection point between the bus bar 550 and the terminal fitting 510 when current is applied is transferred in the following order: the fixing fitting 530, the groove bottom wall 529a of the recess 529 of the housing 520, the heat transfer member 580, and the protrusion 574 of the shield member 570. Because the heat transfer member 580 is flexible as described above, it comes into contact with both the protrusion 574 of the shield member 570 and the groove bottom wall 529a of the recess 529 of the housing 520 over a larger contact area than if the heat transfer member 580 were not flexible. This enables the connector 500 to improve heat dissipation.

[0136] When the connector 500 is in an assembled state, the bolt holes 573 of the shield member 570 overlap the rear sides of the bolt insertion holes 528a of the flange portion 528 of the housing 520, and the bolt insertion holes 528a of the flange portion 528 and the bolt holes 573 of the shield member 570 are aligned in the front-to-rear direction (see FIGS. 24 and 25 ). The housing 520 and the shield member 570 are fastened and fixed to each other by threading bolts inserted into the pair of left and right bolt insertion holes 528a into the bolt holes 573 of the shield member 570. The pair of left and right flange portions 572 (bolt insertion holes 572a) provided on the shield member 570 of the connector 500 are used to fasten and fix the connector 500 and the mating connector to each other when the connector 500 and the mating connector are mated.

[0137] <Actions and Effects> As described above, according to connector 500 according to the fifth embodiment, terminal fitting 510 electrically connected to bus bar 550 is fixed to housing 520 by fixing fitting 530 embedded in housing 520. Housing 520 has recess 529 into which heat transfer member 580 is fitted, and shield member 570 has protrusion 574 that presses heat transfer member 580 against groove bottom wall 529a of recess 529. Furthermore, heat transfer member 580 is arranged such that groove bottom wall 529a of recess 529 is sandwiched between heat transfer member 580 and fixing fitting 530, and is sandwiched between protrusion 574 of metal shield member 570 and groove bottom wall 529a. As a result, heat generated at the connection point between terminal fitting 510 and bus bar 550 when current is applied is transferred in the following order: fixing fitting 530, groove bottom wall 529a of recess 529 of housing 520, heat transfer member 580, and protrusion 574 of shield member 570. Heat transfer member 580 has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between protrusion 574 of shield member 570 and groove bottom wall 529a of recess 529 of housing 520, and protrusion 574 of shield member 570 presses heat transfer member 580 toward groove bottom wall 529a of recess 529, so that heat transfer member 580 comes into contact with both protrusion 574 of shield member 570 and groove bottom wall 529a of recess 529 of housing 520 over a large contact area. Therefore, even if external forces such as vibrations are applied when the connector 500 is used, or even if the connector 500 is used for an extended period of time, the heat transfer member 580 can be maintained in contact with the protruding portion 574 of the shield member 570 and the groove bottom wall 529a of the recess 529 of the housing 520. Additionally, in addition to its original function of blocking electromagnetic noise, the metal shield member 570 has a large heat capacity, excellent heat transfer properties, and excellent heat dissipation properties because it is in contact with the outside air. As a result, the connector 500 according to the fifth embodiment can improve heat dissipation properties while avoiding an increase in the size of the connector 500.

[0138] In the fifth embodiment, the heat transfer member 580 is made of a resin material that has better thermal conductivity than the resin material that constitutes the housing 520. However, the heat transfer member 580 may be made of the same resin material as the resin material that constitutes the housing 520.

[0139] The fifth embodiment can be combined with the first embodiment. For example, in this combination, the configuration of the fifth embodiment may include a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment, in which the heat transfer member described in the first embodiment is sandwiched between the shield member 570 and the housing 520. This combination can achieve the effects described above of both the first and fifth embodiments. Furthermore, when the fifth embodiment is combined with the first embodiment, the second, third, or fourth embodiment, which can be combined with the first embodiment, may also be combined. Furthermore, when the fifth embodiment is combined with the first embodiment and then with the second embodiment, the fourth embodiment may also be combined with this combination. Furthermore, when the fifth embodiment is combined with the first embodiment and then with the third embodiment, the fourth embodiment may also be combined with this combination. The above combinations can achieve the effects corresponding to each of the combined embodiments.

[0140] <Other Aspects> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. are possible as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0141] <Additional Notes> Here, the features of the embodiments of the connectors 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to

[14] .

[0142] [1] A connector (100) comprising: terminal fittings (110); a housing (120) that accommodates the terminal fittings (110); fixtures (130) that are embedded in the housing (120) and fix the terminal fittings (110); conductive parts (140, 150) that are electrically connected to the terminal fittings (110); a metallic shield member (180) that covers the housing (120); and a heat transfer member (190) that thermally connects the shield member (180) and the housing (120), wherein the heat transfer member (190) is arranged so that a part of the housing (120) is sandwiched between the heat transfer member (190) and the fixture member (130), and is sandwiched between the shield member (180) and the part of the housing (120), and has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of a gap between the shield member (180) and the housing (120). Connector (100).

[0143] According to the connector having the configuration [1] above, terminal fittings electrically connected to conductive components are fixed to the housing by fixtures embedded in the housing. Furthermore, a heat transfer member is disposed so that a portion of the housing is sandwiched between the heat transfer member and the fixture, and also sandwiched between a metal shield member and a portion of the housing. This allows heat generated at the connection between the terminal fitting and the conductive component during electrical connection to be transferred in the following order: fixture, portion of the housing, heat transfer member, and shield member. The heat transfer member has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the shield member and the housing, thereby providing a larger contact area with both the shield member and a portion of the housing than would be possible without such flexibility. Furthermore, even when the connector is subjected to external forces such as vibrations during use or even after long-term use, the heat transfer member can maintain contact with the shield member and a portion of the housing. In addition to its primary function of blocking electromagnetic noise, the metal shield member has a large heat capacity and excellent heat transfer properties, and its exposure to the outside air also provides excellent heat dissipation. As a result, the connector of this configuration can improve heat dissipation while avoiding an increase in the size of the connector.

[0144] The heat transfer member may be in direct contact with a portion of the shielding member and the housing, or indirect contact with the shielding member and the housing via an adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. In the latter case, it is preferable that the adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. also have excellent heat conductivity. Furthermore, the heat transfer member may be in indirect contact with the shielding member and the housing via another material, other than an adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive, that has excellent heat conductivity.

[0145] [2] The connector (100) according to the above [1], wherein the material constituting the portion (121a) of the housing (120) has better thermal conductivity than the material constituting the other portion of the housing (120).

[0146] According to the connector of the configuration [2] above, the material constituting the part of the housing has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the rest of the housing. For example, a part made of a resin with high heat conductivity is integrally molded with the rest of the housing. The heat transfer member is then sandwiched between the part of the housing and the shielding member. This allows heat generated at the connection points between the terminal fittings and the conductive parts to be efficiently transferred to the heat transfer member via the part of the housing.

[0147] [3] The connector (100) according to the above [1], wherein the material constituting the heat transfer member (190) has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the housing (120).

[0148] In the connector having the configuration [3] above, the material constituting the heat transfer member has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the housing, so that heat generated at the connection points between the terminal fittings and the conductive parts can be dissipated to the outside via the heat transfer member more efficiently than when the housing is in direct contact with the shielding member.

[0149] [4] A connector (200) comprising: terminal fittings (210); a housing (220) that accommodates the terminal fittings (210); fixtures (230) that are embedded in the housing (220) and fix the terminal fittings (210); conductive parts (240, 250) that are electrically connected to the terminal fittings (210); a metallic shield member (280) that covers the housing (220); and a heat transfer member (290) that thermally connects the shield member (280) and the housing (220), wherein the heat transfer member (290) sandwiches a part of the housing (220) between the heat transfer member (290) and the fixture (230), and is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the shield member (280) and the part of the housing (220), and has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of a gap between the shield member (280) and the part of the housing (220), The connector (200) comprises a housing (220) having a locking projection (229) for locking the heat transfer member (290).

[0150] According to the connector of the configuration [4] above, the terminal fittings electrically connected to the conductive components are fixed to the housing by a fixture embedded in the housing. Furthermore, the heat transfer member is arranged so that a portion of the housing is sandwiched between the heat transfer member and the fixture, and also sandwiched between the metal shield member and the portion of the housing. This allows heat generated at the connection between the terminal fittings and the conductive components when current is applied to the connector to be transferred in the following order: the fixture, the portion of the housing, the heat transfer member, and the shield member. The heat transfer member has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the shield member and the housing, thereby providing a larger contact area with both the shield member and the portion of the housing than would be possible if it were not flexible. Furthermore, the housing has a locking protrusion that locks the heat transfer member. Therefore, even if the connector is subjected to external forces such as vibrations during use or even after long-term use, the heat transfer member can maintain contact with the shield member and the portion of the housing. In addition to its inherent function of blocking electromagnetic noise, the metal shield member has a large heat capacity and excellent heat transfer properties, and its exposure to the outside air also provides excellent heat dissipation. As a result, the connector of this configuration can improve heat dissipation while avoiding an increase in the size of the connector.

[0151] The heat transfer member may be in direct contact with a portion of the shielding member and the housing, or indirect contact with the shielding member and the housing via an adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. In the latter case, it is preferable that the adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. also have excellent heat conductivity. Furthermore, the heat transfer member may be in indirect contact with the shielding member and the housing via another material, other than an adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive, that has excellent heat conductivity.

[0152] [5] In the connector (200) described in [4] above, the locking projection (229) is arranged so as to surround the heat transfer member (290) in a direction intersecting the direction in which the heat transfer member (290) is sandwiched between the shield member (280) and the part of the housing.

[0153] According to the connector having the configuration [5] above, the locking projection is disposed so as to surround the heat transfer member, thereby more firmly maintaining the heat transfer member in contact with the shield member and part of the housing.

[0154] [6] The connector (200) according to the above [4], wherein the material constituting the heat transfer member (290) has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the housing (220).

[0155] In the connector having the configuration [6] above, the material constituting the heat transfer member has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the housing, so that heat generated at the connection points between the terminal fittings and the conductive parts can be dissipated to the outside via the heat transfer member more efficiently than when the housing is in direct contact with the shielding member.

[0156] [7] A connector (300) comprising: terminal fittings (310); a housing (320) that accommodates the terminal fittings (310); fixtures (330) that are embedded in the housing (320) and fix the terminal fittings (310); conductive parts (340, 350) that are electrically connected to the terminal fittings (310); a metallic shield member (380) that covers the housing (320); and a heat transfer member (390) that thermally connects the shield member (380) and the housing (320), wherein the heat transfer member (390) sandwiches a part of the housing (320) between the heat transfer member (390) and the fixture (330), and is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the shield member (380) and the part of the housing (320), and has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of a gap between the shield member (380) and the part of the housing (320), The connector (300) comprises a shield member (380) having a locking projection (384) for locking the heat transfer member (390).

[0157] According to the connector of the configuration [7] above, terminal fittings electrically connected to conductive components are fixed to the housing by fixtures embedded in the housing. Furthermore, a heat transfer member is arranged so that a portion of the housing is sandwiched between the heat transfer member and the fixture, and also sandwiched between a metal shield member and a portion of the housing. This allows heat generated at the connection between the terminal fitting and the conductive component during electrical connection to be transferred in the following order: fixture, portion of the housing, heat transfer member, and shield member. The heat transfer member has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the shield member and the housing, resulting in a larger contact area with both the shield member and a portion of the housing than would be possible without such flexibility. Furthermore, the shield member has a locking protrusion that locks the heat transfer member. The locking protrusion prevents the heat transfer member from being pushed out of the gap between the shield member and the housing when it deforms while sandwiched between them, and prevents the heat transfer member from becoming misaligned during use of the connector. Therefore, even if the connector is subjected to external forces such as vibrations when in use, or even if the connector is used for a long period of time, the heat transfer member can remain in contact with the shield member and a portion of the housing. In addition, in addition to its original function of blocking electromagnetic noise, the metal shield member has a large heat capacity and excellent heat transfer properties, and because it is in contact with the outside air, it also has excellent heat dissipation properties. As a result, the connector of this configuration can improve heat dissipation without increasing the size of the connector.

[0158] The heat transfer member may be in direct contact with a portion of the shielding member and the housing, or indirect contact with the shielding member and the housing via an adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. In the latter case, it is preferable that the adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. also have excellent heat conductivity. Furthermore, the heat transfer member may be in indirect contact with the shielding member and the housing via another material, other than an adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive, that has excellent heat conductivity.

[0159] [8] In the connector (300) described in [7] above, the locking projection (384) is arranged so as to surround the heat transfer member (390) in a direction intersecting the direction in which the heat transfer member (390) is sandwiched between the shield member (380) and the part of the housing.

[0160] According to the connector having the configuration [8] above, the locking projection is disposed so as to surround the heat transfer member, thereby more firmly maintaining the heat transfer member in contact with the shield member and part of the housing.

[0161] [9] The connector (300) according to the above [7], wherein the material constituting the heat transfer member (390) has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the housing (320).

[0162] According to the connector of the configuration [9] above, the material constituting the heat transfer member has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the housing, so that heat generated at the connection points between the terminal fittings and the conductive parts can be dissipated to the outside via the heat transfer member more efficiently than when the housing is in direct contact with the shielding member.

[0163]

[10] A connector (400) comprising: terminal fittings (410); a housing (420) that accommodates the terminal fittings (410); fixtures (430) that are embedded in the housing (420) and fix the terminal fittings (410); conductive parts (440, 450) that are electrically connected to the terminal fittings (410); a metallic shielding member (480) that covers the housing (420); and a heat transfer member (490) that thermally connects the shielding member (480) and the housing (420), wherein the heat transfer member (490) is a connector (400) in which a portion (421a) of the housing (420) is sandwiched between the heat transfer member (490) and the fixing bracket (430), and which is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the shielding member (480) and the portion (421a) of the housing (420), and which has flexibility such that it can deform to fit the shape of the gap between the shielding member (480) and the portion (421a) of the housing (420), and the portion (421a) of the housing (420) is made of a material that has better heat conductivity than a material constituting the rest of the housing (420), and which has an uneven structure on the surface facing the heat transfer member (490).

[0164] According to the connector of the configuration

[10] above, terminal fittings electrically connected to conductive components are fixed to the housing by fixtures embedded in the housing. Furthermore, a heat transfer member is disposed so that a portion of the housing is sandwiched between the heat transfer member and the fixture, and also sandwiched between a metal shield member and the portion of the housing. This allows heat generated at the connection between the terminal fitting and the conductive component during electrical conduction to be transferred in the following order: fixture, portion of the housing, heat transfer member, and shield member. The heat transfer member has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the shield member and the housing, resulting in a larger contact area with both the shield member and the portion of the housing than would be possible without such flexibility. Furthermore, the portion of the housing has an uneven surface facing the heat transfer member, thereby increasing the contact area between the portion of the housing and the heat transfer member. Additionally, the material constituting the portion of the housing has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the rest of the housing. These features allow heat generated at the connection between the terminal fitting and the conductive component to be efficiently transferred to the heat transfer member via the portion of the housing. Furthermore, even if the connector is subjected to external forces such as vibrations during use, or even if the connector is used for a long period of time, the heat transfer member can remain in contact with the shield member and a portion of the housing. In addition, in addition to its original function of blocking electromagnetic noise, the metal shield member has a large heat capacity and excellent heat transfer properties, and because it is in contact with the outside air, it also has excellent heat dissipation properties. As a result, the connector of this configuration can improve heat dissipation without increasing the size of the connector.

[0165] The heat transfer member may be in direct contact with the shield member and a part of the housing, or indirect contact with them via an adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. In the latter case, however, it is preferable that the adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. have excellent heat conductivity and do not prevent the heat transfer member from penetrating into the uneven structure of the part of the housing.

[0166]

[11] In the connector (400) described in

[10] above, the portion (421a) of the housing (420) is made of a composite material containing a filler with excellent heat conductivity, and has, on the surface facing the fixing metal fitting (430), an uneven structure extending radially from the center (421b) of the portion (421a) toward the periphery, and has, on the surface facing the heat transfer member (490), an uneven structure extending from the periphery toward the center of the portion (421a) and a plane structure (421c) arranged in the center.

[0167] According to the connector of the configuration

[11] above, a portion of the housing is made of a composite material containing a filler. The surface facing the fastener has a radially extending uneven structure, and the surface facing the heat transfer member has an uneven structure extending from the periphery of the housing portion toward the center and a centrally located flat structure. For example, if such a housing portion is injection molded using a mold with a gate at the center of the surface facing the fastener, the regular radial arrangement of the filler results in a higher radial thermal conductivity than a thickness-wise thermal conductivity. Heat transferred from the fastener to the housing portion is then transferred radially along the uneven structure of the housing portion, around the outer periphery of the housing portion, and toward the flat structure in the center of the housing portion. Heat is then transferred from the flat structure of the housing portion to the heat transfer member. This allows heat generated at the connection between the terminal fitting and the conductive component, etc., to be efficiently transferred to the heat transfer member via the housing portion.

[0168]

[12] The connector (400) according to the above

[10] , wherein the material constituting the heat transfer member (490) has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the housing (420).

[0169] According to the connector of the configuration

[12] above, the material constituting the heat transfer member has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the housing, so that heat generated at the connection points between the terminal fittings and the conductive parts can be dissipated to the outside via the heat transfer member more efficiently than when the housing is in direct contact with the shielding member.

[0170]

[13] A connector (500) comprising: terminal fittings (510); a housing (520) that accommodates the terminal fittings (510); fixtures (530) that are embedded in the housing (520) and fix the terminal fittings (510); conductive parts (540, 550) that are electrically connected to the terminal fittings (510); a metallic shield member (570) that covers the housing (520); and a heat transfer member (580) that thermally connects the shield member (570) and the housing (520), wherein the housing (520) has a recess (529) into which the heat transfer member (580) is fitted, the shield member (570) has a protrusion (574) that presses the heat transfer member (580) toward a groove bottom wall (529a) of the recess (529), and the heat transfer member (580) The connector (500) is arranged so that the groove bottom wall (529a) of the recess (529) is sandwiched between the heat transfer member (580) and the fixing bracket (530), and is sandwiched between the protrusion (574) of the shield member (570) and the groove bottom wall (529a), and has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the protrusion (574) and the groove bottom wall (529a).

[0171] According to the connector of the configuration

[13] above, terminal fittings electrically connected to conductive components are fixed to the housing by fixtures embedded in the housing. The housing has a recess into which the heat transfer member is fitted, and the shield member has a protrusion that presses the heat transfer member against the groove bottom wall of the recess. Furthermore, the heat transfer member is arranged so that the groove bottom wall of the recess is sandwiched between the heat transfer member and the fixture, and is also sandwiched between the protrusion of the metal shield member and the groove bottom wall. This allows heat generated at the connection between the terminal fitting and the conductive component during current flow to be transferred in the following order: the fixture, the groove bottom wall of the housing recess, the heat transfer member, and the protrusion of the shield member. The heat transfer member is flexible enough to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the protrusion of the shield member and the groove bottom wall of the housing recess, and the protrusion of the shield member presses the heat transfer member against the groove bottom wall of the recess, so that the heat transfer member is in close contact with both the protrusion of the shield member and the groove bottom wall of the housing recess. Therefore, even if the connector is subjected to external forces such as vibrations during use, or even if the connector is used for a long period of time, the heat transfer member can maintain contact between the protruding portion of the shield member and the bottom wall of the groove of the housing recess. In addition, in addition to its original function of blocking electromagnetic noise, the metal shield member has a large heat capacity and excellent heat transfer properties, and because it is in contact with the outside air, it also has excellent heat dissipation properties. As a result, the connector of this configuration can improve heat dissipation without increasing the size of the connector.

[0172] The heat transfer member may be in direct contact with the protrusions of the shield member and the bottom wall of the groove in the recess of the housing, or indirect contact with them via an adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. In the latter case, it is preferable that the adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. also have excellent heat conductivity. Furthermore, the heat transfer member may be in indirect contact with the protrusions of the shield member and the bottom wall of the groove in the recess of the housing via another material, other than an adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive, that has excellent heat conductivity.

[0173]

[14] The connector (500) according to the above

[13] , wherein the material constituting the heat transfer member (580) has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the housing (520).

[0174] According to the connector of the configuration

[14] above, the material constituting the heat transfer member has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the housing, so that heat generated at the connection points between the terminal fittings and the conductive parts can be dissipated to the outside via the heat transfer member more efficiently than when the housing is in direct contact with the shielding member.

[0175] The connector of the present disclosure can improve heat dissipation performance while avoiding an increase in the size of the connector.

[0176] 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 Connector 110, 210, 310, 410, 510 Terminal fitting 120, 220, 320, 420, 520 Housing 121a, 221a, 321a, 421a Rear end wall portion (part of housing) 130, 230, 330, 430, 530 Fixing fitting 140, 240, 340, 440, 540 Electric wire (conductive part) 150, 250, 350, 450, 550 Bus bar (conductive part) 180, 280, 380, 480 Second shield member (shielding member) 190, 290, 390, 490 Heat transfer member 229 Locking projection (first locking projection) 384 Locking projection (second locking projection) 529 Recessed portion 529a Groove bottom wall 570 Shield member 574 Protruding portion 580 Heat transfer member

Claims

1. A connector comprising terminal fittings, a housing that accommodates the terminal fittings, fixing fittings that are embedded in the housing and fix the terminal fittings, a conductive part that is electrically connected to the terminal fittings, a metal shielding member that covers the housing, and a heat transfer member that thermally connects the shielding member and the housing, wherein the heat transfer member is arranged so that a part of the housing is sandwiched between the heat transfer member and the fixing fittings and is sandwiched between the shielding member and the part of the housing, and has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the shielding member and the part of the housing.

2. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the material constituting said part of said housing has better thermal conductivity than the material constituting the other part of said housing.

3. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a first locking projection for locking the heat transfer member.

4. A connector as described in claim 3, wherein the first locking projection of the housing is positioned so as to surround the heat transfer member in a direction intersecting the direction in which the heat transfer member is sandwiched between the shield member and the part of the housing.

5. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the shield member has a second locking projection for locking the heat transfer member.

6. A connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second locking projection of the shielding member is arranged so as to surround the heat transfer member in a direction intersecting the direction in which the heat transfer member is sandwiched between the shielding member and the part of the housing.

7. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the part of the housing is made of a material that has better heat conductivity than the material that makes up the rest of the housing, and the surface facing the heat transfer member has an uneven structure.

8. A connector as claimed in claim 7, wherein the part of the housing is made of a composite material containing a filler with excellent heat conductivity, and the surface facing the fixing metal fitting has an uneven structure extending radially from the centre of the part towards the periphery, and the surface facing the heat transfer member has an uneven structure extending from the periphery of the part towards the centre and a flat structure located in the centre.

9. A connector as described in claim 1, wherein the housing has a recess into which the heat transfer member is fitted, the shielding member has a protrusion that presses the heat transfer member toward the groove bottom wall of the recess, and the heat transfer member is arranged so that the groove bottom wall of the recess is sandwiched between the heat transfer member and the fixing bracket, and is sandwiched between the protrusion of the shielding member and the groove bottom wall, and has flexibility that allows it to deform to fit the shape of the gap between the protrusion and the groove bottom wall.

10. A connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the material constituting the heat transfer member has better heat conductivity than the material constituting the housing.

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