Connector assembly

Abstract

One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a connector assembly enabling fastening work from a fixation member side. A connector assembly (10) is provided with: a first connector (11); a fixation member (13) to which the first connector (11) is fixed; a second connector (12) comprising a shield shell (41) that can be fixed to the fixation member (13) and a connector body (42) that is retained by the shield shell (41) and can be fitted to the first connector (11); a nut (14) retained by the fixation member (13) so as to be rotatable; and a bolt (15) retained by the shield shell (41) so as to be not rotatable. By axial force of the bolt (15) which is screwed onto the nut (14), the shield shell (41) is fixed to the fixation member (13), and also the connector body (42) is fitted to the first connector (11).

Description

Connector Assembly

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector assembly.

[0002] Conventionally, a connector assembly mounted on a vehicle includes a first connector, a fixing member to which the first connector is fixed, and a second connector connected to the first connector (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The second connector includes a shield shell fixed to the fixing member with a bolt and a connector body held by the shield shell. The connector assembly also includes a bolt that fastens the shield shell of the second connector to the fixing member. The bolt passes through a through hole provided in the shield shell and is threaded into a female threaded hole formed in the fixing member. The axial force of the bolt allows the connector body of the second connector to be mated with the first connector.

[0003] JP 2012-238465 A

[0004] In the connector assembly described above, the bolts are fastened from the shield shell side in the axial direction of the bolts. However, there are cases where the bolts cannot be fastened from the shield shell side due to vehicle requirements and other restrictions, and improvements have been sought in this regard.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that allows fastening work to be performed from the fixed member side.

[0006] The connector assembly of the present disclosure comprises a first connector, a fixing member to which the first connector is fixed, a second connector having a shield shell that can be fixed to the fixing member, a connector body that is held by the shield shell and can be fitted into the first connector, a nut that is rotatably held by the fixing member, and a bolt that is non-rotatably held by the shield shell, and the shield shell is fixed to the fixing member by the axial force of the bolt that is threaded into the nut, and the connector body is fitted into the first connector.

[0007] According to the connector assembly of the present disclosure, it is possible to perform the fastening operation from the fixing member side.

[0008] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector assembly according to one embodiment. Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a first connector and a fixing member according to the embodiment. Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a second connector according to the embodiment. Fig. 4 is a bottom view showing a portion of the second connector according to the embodiment. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion of the connector assembly according to the embodiment.

[0009] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. A connector assembly of the present disclosure includes: [1] a first connector, a fixing member to which the first connector is fixed, a shield shell fixable to the fixing member, a second connector having a connector main body held by the shield shell and fitable into the first connector, a nut rotatably held by the fixing member, and a bolt non-rotatably held by the shield shell, wherein the shield shell is fixed to the fixing member by an axial force of the bolt threaded into the nut, and the connector main body is fitted into the first connector.

[0010] According to this configuration, the fastening operation of screwing the nut held by the fixing member onto the bolt held by the shield shell can be performed from the fixing member side. Also, because the nut is held by the fixing member, it is possible to treat the fixing member as an integrated component including the nut. Also, because the nut is held by the fixing member and the bolt is held by the shield shell, the tip of the bolt threaded into the nut protrudes toward the fixing member. Therefore, a preferable configuration can be achieved in which the tip of the bolt threaded into the nut does not protrude toward the shield shell.

[0011] [2] In the above [1], the nut may have a through hole through which the bolt passes. With this configuration, when the nut is screwed onto the bolt, the tip of the bolt can be seen through the through hole of the nut, thereby improving the workability of the fastening work.

[0012] [3] In the above [1] or [2], the fixing member has a nut insertion hole into which a portion of the axial direction of the nut is inserted, and the connector assembly is provided with a retaining member that prevents the nut from coming out of the nut insertion hole, and the retaining member may be configured to be detachable from the nut.

[0013] With this configuration, the nut can be replaced by removing the retaining member from the nut. Therefore, if the female thread of the nut becomes damaged, for example, it can be replaced with a new nut, which improves maintainability.

[0014] [4] In any of the above [1] to [3], the nut may be held by the fixing member so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the axis. With this configuration, since the nut is movable in the direction perpendicular to the axis, it is possible to absorb misalignment between the bolt and the nut by the movement of the nut in the direction perpendicular to the axis.

[0015] [Details of the Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] Specific examples of connector assemblies according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. For ease of explanation, some components may be exaggerated or simplified in the drawings. The dimensional ratios of the components may differ between the drawings. In this specification, the terms "parallel," "perpendicular," and "orthogonal" do not necessarily refer to strictly parallel, perpendicular, or orthogonal relationships, but also include generally parallel, perpendicular, or orthogonal relationships within the scope of the functions and effects of the present embodiment. The term "cylindrical" used in this specification does not only refer to a cylindrical structure having a continuous peripheral wall along the entire periphery, but also includes a cylindrical structure formed by combining multiple components and a C-shaped structure with a notch in the periphery. The term "cylindrical" also includes circular, elliptical, and polygonal shapes with sharp or rounded corners. In this specification, "facing" refers to surfaces or components facing each other, and includes not only cases where the surfaces or components face each other completely, but also cases where the surfaces or components face each other partially. Furthermore, in this specification, "opposing" includes both cases where a separate member is interposed between two parts and cases where nothing is interposed between the two parts. Furthermore, terms such as "first" and "second" are used in this specification simply to distinguish between objects and not to rank the objects. The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included.

[0016] 1, the connector assembly 10 includes a first connector 11, a second connector 12 to which the first connector 11 is connected, and a fixing member 13 to which the first connector 11 is fixed. The connector assembly 10 also includes a nut 14 and a bolt 15 that assist in mating the first connector 11 and the second connector 12. The nut 14 is rotatably held by the fixing member 13. The bolt 15 is non-rotatably held by a shield shell 41 of the second connector 12, which will be described later.

[0017] The connector assembly 10 is installed in, for example, a vehicle. The fixing member 13 is, for example, part of the case of a device installed in the vehicle. The fixing member 13 is made of, for example, a metal material. The second connector 12 is mated with the first connector 11 held by the fixing member 13 in a mating direction D1.

[0018] 1 and 2 , the fixing member 13 has a holding portion 21 that holds the first connector 11, and a fixing portion 22 that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction D1 from the holding portion 21. The fixing portion 22 has a nut insertion hole 23 that penetrates along the mating direction D1.

[0019] The fixing portion 22 has a first end face 22a facing the shield shell 41 and a second end face 22b that is the back surface of the first end face 22a. Each of the first end face 22a and the second end face 22b is, for example, a surface perpendicular to the fitting direction D1. The nut insertion hole 23 penetrates the fixing portion 22 from the first end face 22a to the second end face 22b. A portion of the nut 14 in the axial direction is inserted into the nut insertion hole 23. The first end face 22a of the fixing portion 22 is included in the boundary surface B between the fixing member 13 and the shield shell 41 (see FIG. 2 ). In the following description, the side on which the fixing member 13 is disposed with respect to the boundary surface B will be referred to as the "fixing member 13 side," and the side on which the shield shell 41 is disposed with respect to the boundary surface B will be referred to as the "shield shell 41 side."

[0020] The first connector 11 includes a first housing 31 made of resin. The first housing 31 is held by the holding portion 21 of the fixing member 13. The first housing 31 includes a cylindrical first fitting portion 32 and a first terminal (not shown) disposed inside the first fitting portion 32. The first terminal is electrically connected to an internal component of the device. A connector body 42 of the second connector 12 (described later) is fitted into the first fitting portion 32.

[0021] (Configuration of Second Connector 12) As shown in FIG. 3 , the second connector 12 includes a shield shell 41 and a connector body 42 held by the shield shell 41. The shield shell 41 is made of a metal material. The shield shell 41 is configured to be fixable to the fixing member 13. The shield shell 41 includes a cylindrical shell body 43 that houses and holds the connector body 42, and an extension portion 44 that protrudes from the shell body 43 in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction D1. The extension portion 44 protrudes from the shell body 43 in the same direction as the fixing portion 22 of the fixing member 13. The extension portion 44 has a bolt insertion hole 45 that penetrates along the fitting direction D1. A bolt 15 is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 45 along the fitting direction D1. A bolt fitting portion 46 into which a head 71 of the bolt 15, described later, is fitted, is formed at the rear end of the bolt insertion hole 45 in the fitting direction D1. The shape of the inner peripheral surface of the bolt fitting portion 46 when viewed in the direction along the axis L1 is a polygon, for example, a hexagon (see FIG. 4).

[0022] The connector main body 42 includes a second housing 51 made of resin. The second housing 51 is held inside the shell main body 43 of the shield shell 41. The second housing 51 includes a second fitting portion 52 and a second terminal (not shown) disposed inside the second fitting portion 52. The second fitting portion 52 fits inside the first fitting portion 32 of the first connector 11. When the second fitting portion 52 is fitted into the first fitting portion 32, the second terminal of the second connector 12 is connected to the first terminal of the first connector 11. This electrically connects the second terminal of the second connector 12 to an internal component of the device via the first terminal of the first connector 11. The connector main body 42 includes an electric wire 53 connected to the second terminal and extending from the second housing 51.

[0023] (Configuration of the Nut 14) As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 , the nut 14 is rotatably mounted on the fixed portion 22 of the fixing member 13 around the axis L1. The axis L1 is a straight line parallel to the fitting direction D1. The nut 14 includes a nut main body 61 and an insertion portion 62 extending from the nut main body 61 along the axis L1. The outer shape of the nut main body 61 is, for example, a polygon such as a hexagon when viewed in the direction along the axis L1. A fastening tool (not shown) is fitted into the nut main body 61, and a rotational force is applied from the fastening tool. The nut main body 61 also has a flange portion 63 extending outward. The flange portion 63 abuts against the second end surface 22b of the fixed portion 22 of the fixing member 13 in a direction along the axis L1 (opposite the fitting direction D1).

[0024] The insertion portion 62 of the nut 14 has, for example, a cylindrical shape centered on the axis L1. The insertion portion 62 is inserted into the nut insertion hole 23 of the fixing portion 22 from the fixing member 13 side. A first fixing groove 64 is formed in the outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion 62 along the circumferential direction centered on the axis L1. The first fixing groove 64 is formed, for example, over the entire circumferential direction of the insertion portion 62.

[0025] The connector assembly 10 includes a first retaining member R1 that prevents the nut 14 from slipping out of the nut insertion hole 23. The first retaining member R1 is, for example, a C-ring that is C-shaped when viewed along the axis L1. That is, the first retaining member R1 has a notch in a portion of its circumference centered on the axis L1, and the first retaining member R1 is attachable to and detachable from the first fixing groove 64 of the insertion portion 62 through the notch. The first retaining member R1 is attached to the first fixing groove 64, thereby preventing it from moving relative to the insertion portion 62. The first retaining member R1 attached to the first fixing groove 64 faces the first end surface 22a of the fixing portion 22 and can abut against the first end surface 22a. This prevents the nut 14 from slipping out of the nut insertion hole 23 toward the fixing member 13. As a result, the fixing member 13 can be treated as an integrated component including the nut 14.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2 , the nut 14 has a through hole 65 that penetrates the nut 14 along the axis L1. The through hole 65 penetrates the entire nut 14 in the direction of the axis L1, i.e., from the nut main body 61 to the insertion portion 62. A female thread portion 66 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 65. The female thread portion 66 is formed, for example, on a part of the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 65 in the direction of the axis L1. In this embodiment, the female thread portion 66 is provided at a position corresponding to the nut main body 61. That is, the female thread portion 66 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the nut main body 61. The bolt 15 inserted into the through hole 65 is screwed into the female thread portion 66.

[0027] 5, the nut 14 is held by the fixing portion 22 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the axis L1 (the direction perpendicular to the axis). Specifically, a sufficient clearance is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 62 and the inner peripheral surface of the nut insertion hole 23 to allow the nut 14 to move in the direction perpendicular to the axis. This allows the nut 14 to move in the direction perpendicular to the axis, thereby making it possible to absorb any misalignment between the bolt 15 and the nut 14.

[0028] (Configuration of bolt 15) The bolt 15 includes a head 71 and a shaft 72 extending from the head 71 along the axis L1. The bolt 15 is non-rotatably mounted on the extension portion 44 of the shield shell 41. Specifically, the outer shape of the head 71 of the bolt 15 is polygonal (hexagonal in this embodiment) similar to the bolt fitting portion 46 of the fixing portion 22 (see FIG. 4). The head 71 is fitted into the bolt fitting portion 46. As a result, the head 71 is circumferentially locked against the inner peripheral surface of the bolt fitting portion 46, making the bolt 15 non-rotatable.

[0029] 5 , when the head 71 of the bolt 15 is fitted into the bolt fitting portion 46, the shank 72 of the bolt 15 protrudes toward the fixing member 13 beyond the boundary surface B. A male thread portion 73 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shank 72. The shank 72 is inserted into the through-hole 65 of the nut 14, and the male thread portion 73 is screwed into the female thread portion 66 of the nut 14. A second fixing groove 74 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shank 72 along the circumferential direction centered on the axis L1. The second fixing groove 74 is formed, for example, over the entire circumferential direction of the shank 72.

[0030] The connector assembly 10 includes a second retaining member R2 that prevents the bolt 15 from slipping out of the bolt insertion hole 45. The second retaining member R2 is, for example, a C-ring that is C-shaped when viewed along the axis L1. That is, the second retaining member R2 has a notch in a portion of its circumference centered on the axis L1, and the second retaining member R2 is detachable from the second fixing groove 74 of the shaft portion 72 through the notch. The second retaining member R2 is attached to the second fixing groove 74, thereby preventing it from moving relative to the shaft portion 72. The second retaining member R2 attached to the second fixing groove 74 faces the opposing surface 44a of the extension portion 44 that faces the fixing portion 22 and is able to abut against the opposing surface 44a. This prevents the bolt 15 from slipping out of the bolt insertion hole 45 toward the shield shell 41. As a result, the shield shell 41 can be handled as an integrated part including the bolt 15 .

[0031] (Operation of the Present Embodiment) The operation of the present embodiment will be described below. When mating the second connector 12 with the first connector 11 fixed to the fixing member 13, the axial force of the fastening of the nut 14 and the bolt 15 is used to assist the mating. More specifically, the second connector 12 is assembled to the first connector 11 fixed to the fixing member 13 in the mating direction D1. At this time, the shank 72 of the bolt 15 held by the extension portion 44 of the shield shell 41 is inserted into the through hole 65 of the nut 14 held by the fixing portion 22 of the fixing member 13. Here, the tip of the bolt 15 can be seen through the through hole 65 of the nut 14, making it easy to insert the tip of the bolt 15 into the through hole 65.

[0032] Thereafter, a fastening tool (not shown) is attached to the nut body 61 from the fixing member 13 side, and the nut 14 is rotated by the fastening tool. As a result, the female thread portion 66 of the nut 14 is threaded onto the shank 72, and the fixing portion 22 of the fixing member 13 and the extension portion 44 of the shield shell 41 are sandwiched in the direction of the axis L1 by the flange portion 63 of the nut body 61 and the head 71 of the bolt 15. In this way, the fixing member 13 and the shield shell 41 are fastened and fixed by the bolt 15 and the nut 14, and the connector body 42 of the second connector 12 is fitted into the first connector 11 by the axial force of the fastening of the nut 14 and the bolt 15.

[0033] (Advantages of the Present Embodiment) The advantages of the present embodiment will be described below. (1) The connector assembly 10 includes the nut 14 rotatably held by the fixing member 13 and the bolt 15 non-rotatably held by the shield shell 41 of the second connector 12. The axial force of the bolt 15 threaded onto the nut 14 fixes the shield shell 41 to the fixing member 13, and the connector main body 42 is fitted into the first connector 11. With this configuration, the fastening operation of threading the nut 14 held by the fixing member 13 onto the bolt 15 held by the shield shell 41 can be performed from the fixing member 13 side. Furthermore, because the nut 14 is held by the fixing member 13, the fixing member 13 can be treated as an integrated component including the nut 14. Furthermore, because the nut 14 is held by the fixing member 13 and the bolt 15 is held by the shield shell 41, the tip of the bolt 15 threaded onto the nut 14 protrudes toward the fixing member 13. Therefore, a preferable configuration can be achieved in which the tip of the bolt 15 screwed into the nut 14 does not protrude toward the shield shell 41 side.

[0034] (2) The nut 14 has a through hole 65 through which the bolt 15 passes. With this configuration, when the nut 14 is screwed onto the bolt 15, the tip of the bolt 15 can be seen through the through hole 65 of the nut 14, thereby improving the workability of the fastening operation.

[0035] (3) The fixing member 13 has a nut insertion hole 23 into which the insertion portion 62, which is a portion of the nut 14 in the direction of the axis L1, is inserted. The connector assembly 10 includes a first retaining member R1 that prevents the nut 14 from coming out of the nut insertion hole 23. The first retaining member R1 is configured to be detachable from the nut 14. This configuration makes it possible to replace the nut 14 by removing the first retaining member R1 from the nut 14. Therefore, for example, if the female thread portion 66 of the nut 14 is stripped, it is possible to replace it with a new nut 14, which provides excellent maintainability.

[0036] (4) The nut 14 is held by the fixing member 13 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the axis L1. With this configuration, the nut 14 is movable in the direction perpendicular to the axis, and thus the movement of the nut 14 in the direction perpendicular to the axis can absorb any misalignment between the bolt 15 and the nut 14.

[0037] (Other Embodiments) The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0038] In the fixing member 13 of the above embodiment, the nut 14 may be held so as to be immovable in a direction perpendicular to the axis L1. In the nut 14 of the above embodiment, one end of the through hole 65 (the front end in the fitting direction D1) may be configured to be closed.

[0039] In the nut 14 of the above embodiment, the first retaining member R1 may be attached non-detachably to the insertion portion 62. Furthermore, the first retaining member R1 is not limited to the C-ring of the above embodiment, and may be, for example, a ring without a notch.

[0040] In the bolt 15 of the above embodiment, the second retaining member R2 may be non-detachably attached to the shaft portion 72. Furthermore, the second retaining member R2 is not limited to the C-ring of the above embodiment, and may be, for example, a ring without a notch. The present disclosure encompasses the following aspects. Note that, in the following description, reference symbols indicating components of the embodiments are given in parentheses, and are not intended to be limiting but simply to aid understanding. (Supplementary Note 1) A connector assembly (10) comprising: a first connector (11); a fixing member (13) to which the first connector (11) is fixed; a second connector (12) having a shield shell (41) fixable to the fixing member (13) and a connector main body (42) held by the shield shell and fitable to the first connector (11); a nut (14) rotatably held by the fixing member (13); and a bolt (15) non-rotatably held by the shield shell (41), wherein the fixing member (13) includes a nut insertion hole (23) that receives a portion of the nut (14), The connector assembly (10) includes the nut (14) including an insertion portion (62) inserted into the nut insertion hole (23), a nut body portion (61) protruding outward from the nut insertion hole, and a flange portion (63) extending radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the nut (14) and supported by the fixing member (13), the nut (14) including a through-hole (65) penetrating the nut (14) from the insertion portion (62) to the nut body portion (61), and a female thread portion (66) into which a male thread portion (73) of the bolt (15) is threaded is formed only on the inner peripheral surface of the nut body portion (61). According to the configuration of Appendix 1, the bolt can be positioned by inserting the bolt into the insertion portion (part of the through-hole) of the nut with the flange portion of the nut supported by the fixing member. Then, with the bolt positioned, the bolt can be tightened to the nut by turning the nut body portion from the fixing member side. Therefore, the fastening work can be easily performed.(Appendix 2) The connector assembly (10) described in Appendix 1, wherein a clearance is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion (62) and the inner peripheral surface of the nut insertion hole (23), allowing movement of the nut (14) in a direction perpendicular to the axis (L1) of the nut (14).

[0041] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects, and the present invention is not limited to these examples. That is, the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0042] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Connector assembly 11 First connector 12 Second connector 13 Fixing member 14 Nut 15 Bolt 21 Holding portion 22 Fixing portion 22a First end surface 22b Second end surface 23 Nut insertion hole 31 First housing 32 First fitting portion 41 Shield shell 42 Connector body 43 Shell body 44 Extension portion 44a Opposing surface 45 Bolt insertion hole 46 Bolt fitting portion 51 Second housing 52 Second fitting portion 53 Electric wire 61 Nut body portion 62 Insertion portion 63 Flange portion 64 First fixing groove 65 Through hole 66 Female thread portion 71 Head portion 72 Shank portion 73 Male thread portion 74 Second fixing groove B Boundary surface D1 Fitting direction L1 Axis R1 First retaining member (retaining member) R2 Second retaining member

Claims

1. A connector assembly comprising: a first connector; a fixing member to which the first connector is fixed; a second connector having a shield shell fixable to the fixing member and a connector main body held by the shield shell and fitable into the first connector; a nut rotatably held by the fixing member; and a bolt non-rotatably held by the shield shell, wherein the axial force of the bolt threaded into the nut fixes the shield shell to the fixing member and the connector main body is fitted into the first connector.

2. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the nut has a through hole through which the bolt passes.

3. A connector assembly as described in claim 1, wherein the fixing member has a nut insertion hole into which a portion of the axial direction of the nut is inserted, and the connector assembly is provided with a retaining member that prevents the nut from coming out of the nut insertion hole, and the retaining member is configured to be detachable from the nut.

4. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the nut is held by the fixing member so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the axis.

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