JP2024077749A - Connectors and wire harnesses - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a connector and wire harness capable of preventing the outer packing from turning over when a housing and a mating housing are mated. [Solution] The connector 1 and wire harness WH include a terminal T electrically connectable to a mating terminal, a housing 10 having a terminal accommodating portion 11, a shield shell 20 accommodated in the housing 10 and disposed outside the terminal accommodating portion 11, and an outer packing 40 assembled to the outer surface side of the shield shell 20 and compressed between the mating housing MC10 and the shield shell 20 when the housing 10 and the mating housing MC10 are mated, and the shield shell 20 has a hook portion 24 formed on the outer surface side by which an end portion 42 of the outer packing located on the mating housing side when the housing 10 and the mating housing MC10 are mated can be fixed to the shield shell 20. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a connector and a wire harness.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector that includes a housing, a sealing member (outer packing) that is attached to the outer peripheral surface of a terminal accommodating portion located inside the housing, and a cylindrical holder that is attached to the tip side of the terminal accommodating portion.

JP 2008-186646 A

However, in the connector described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when the housing and the mating housing are mated and the mating housing is accommodated between the housing and the terminal accommodating portion, there is a risk that the outer gasket will be turned over due to the external force received from the mating housing, and there is room for further improvement in this regard.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a connector and a wire harness that can prevent the outer packing from turning over when the housing and the mating housing are mated.

In order to achieve the above object, the connector of the present invention comprises a terminal that can be electrically connected to a mating terminal held in a mating housing of a mating connector, a housing having insulating properties and a terminal accommodating portion that accommodates and holds the terminal inside, a shield shell that is accommodated in the housing and disposed outside the terminal accommodating portion, and an outer packing that is assembled to the outer surface side of the shield shell and is compressed between the mating housing accommodated inside the housing and the shield shell when the housing and the mating housing are engaged, and the shield shell is formed on the outer surface side and has a hook portion that can fix the end of the outer packing located on the mating housing side to the shield shell when the housing and the mating housing are engaged.

In order to achieve the above object, the wire harness according to the present invention comprises a conductive electric wire and a connector electrically connected to the electric wire, the connector comprises a terminal electrically connected to the electric wire and electrically connectable to a mating terminal held in a mating housing of a mating connector, a housing having insulating properties and a terminal accommodating portion for accommodating and holding the terminal inside, a shield shell accommodated in the housing and disposed outside the terminal accommodating portion, and an outer packing assembled to the outer surface side of the shield shell and compressed between the mating housing accommodated inside the housing and the shield shell when the housing and the mating housing are engaged, the shield shell is formed on the outer surface side and has a hook portion capable of fixing an end of the outer packing located on the mating housing side to the shield shell when the housing and the mating housing are engaged.

The connector and wire harness of the present invention have the advantage of being able to prevent the outer gasket from turning over when the housing and the mating housing are mated.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a wire harness to which a connector according to an embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 1, and is a view for explaining the position of the outer packing. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of the connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation during assembly of a wire harness to which the connector according to the embodiment is applied. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an operation during assembly of a wire harness to which the connector according to the embodiment is applied.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiment include those that are easily replaceable by a person skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same. Note that in each of the figures described below, some parts have been omitted as appropriate to make the explanation of each figure easier to understand. For example, FIG. 5 shows only the housing 10 and shield shell 20 that make up the second subassembly 3.

[Embodiment]
The wire harness WH shown in Fig. 1 is, for example, an assembly component in which a plurality of electric wires W used for power supply and signal communication are bundled together to connect various devices mounted on a vehicle, and the electric wires are connected to the various devices by a connector 1 or the like. As shown in Fig. 1, the wire harness WH includes conductive electric wires W and the connector 1. In addition, the wire harness WH may further include a protector, an exterior material, a fixing device, and the like.

The electric wire W is an insulated electric wire in which a core wire W1, which is a bundle of conductive metal wires, is covered with an insulating covering portion W2. The insulating covering portion W2 is removed from the end of the electric wire W, exposing the core wire W1.

The connector 1 is used, for example, in a wire-to-wire connection mechanism that electrically connects a plurality of electric wires W to a plurality of electric wires housed in a mating connector MC. As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 1 includes a terminal T, a housing 10, a shield shell 20, an inner packing 30, an outer packing 40, a braided body 50, and a grommet 60. The terminal T is a female terminal, and the connector 1 is a female connector. The connector 1 can electrically connect the connectors by fitting with a mating connector MC, which is a male connector. In addition, the connector 1 of this embodiment has a hook portion 24 applied to the shield shell 20 as a structure for fixing the position of the outer packing 40 relative to the shield shell 20, thereby realizing a configuration that can prevent the end of the outer packing 40 from turning over when the housing 10 and the mating housing MC10 of the mating connector MC are fitted together. Each component of the connector 1 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

In the following description, the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction intersect with each other, and the first direction is referred to as the "axial direction X", the second direction is referred to as the "width direction Y", and the third direction is referred to as the "height direction Z". The axial direction X, the width direction Y, and the height direction Z are mutually perpendicular. The axial direction X is typically the extension direction of the electric wires W housed and held in the housing 10, and corresponds to the mating direction X1 of the housing 10 with the mating housing MC10. Unless otherwise specified, each direction used in the following description is described as the direction in which the wire harness WH is assembled.

The tip side in the axial direction X typically corresponds to the mating housing MC10 side, and the base side in the axial direction X typically corresponds to the housing 10 side.

The terminal T is made of a conductive metal such as copper. The terminal T has a terminal connection portion to which the mating terminal of the mating connector MC (see Figure 2) is connected, and an electric wire connection portion to which the end of the electric wire W is connected. When the connector 1 and the mating connector MC are mated, the terminal T is electrically connected to the mating terminal, which is a female terminal. In addition to the terminal T, the connector 1 also has a so-called short terminal ST (see Figure 3) for forming a short circuit.

The housing 10 is made of an insulating synthetic resin material. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 has a terminal accommodating portion 11 that can hold a terminal T by accommodating a terminal connection portion, and a hood portion 12 that is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape along the axial direction X and can accommodate the terminal accommodating portion 11 therein. The housing 10 also has an internal space 10S formed inside the hood portion 12. When the connector 1 is mated with a mating connector MC (see FIG. 2), the mating housing MC10 is accommodated in the internal space 10S of the housing 10, and the mating terminal held in the mating housing MC10 is connected to the terminal T accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 11 of the housing 10, thereby electrically connecting with the mating connector MC.

In the housing 10 of this embodiment, the terminal accommodating portion 11 and the hood portion 12 are integrally formed (see FIG. 3). In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the CPA member 13, the front holder FH, the rear holder RH, and the rubber plug RS are assembled to the housing 10. The CPA member 13 is a member for detecting that the housing 10 and the mating housing MC10 are completely mated, and is a member for realizing the so-called CPA (Connector Position assurance: mating assurance function). In addition, the front holder FH is a member for holding the terminals T and ST accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 11, as shown in FIG. 1, and can prevent the terminals T and ST from falling out of the terminal accommodating portion 11. In addition, the rear holder RH is a member for holding the electric wire W connected to the terminal T accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 11, as shown in FIG. 1, and is assembled to the base end side in the axial direction X of the terminal accommodating portion 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the rubber plug RS is a member that is attached to the base end side of the terminal accommodating portion 11 in the axial direction X and is disposed between the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire W inserted through the through hole and the inner peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11. The rubber plug RS is disposed in a compressed state between the electric wire W and the terminal accommodating portion 11, and by being in close contact with the electric wire W and the terminal accommodating portion 11, it is possible to prevent liquids such as water from entering the inside of the terminal accommodating portion 11.

The shield shell 20 is made of a conductive metal material. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the shield shell 20 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape along the axial direction X, and when assembled to the housing 10, it is accommodated in the hood portion 12 and positioned outside the terminal accommodating portion 11, thereby accommodating a portion of the terminal accommodating portion 11.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the shield shell 20 of this embodiment is formed to match the shape of the terminal accommodating portion 11, and has a tip portion 21, a base portion 22, and a step portion 23 located between the tip portion 21 and the base portion 22, and is formed so that the inner shape of the base portion 22 is larger than the inner shape of the tip portion 21. Therefore, when the shield shell 20 is assembled to the housing 10, it is caught on the step portion 11d of the terminal accommodating portion 11, and the base portion 22 and the step portion 23 are positioned so as to cover the base side of the terminal accommodating portion 11.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the shield shell 20 has a pair of hooks 24 formed on the tip end portion 21. The hooks 24 extend linearly toward the base end in the axial direction X, and are protruding pieces that extend upright from the outer surface of the shield shell 20 by cutting and raising. The shield shell 20 can fix an end of the outer packing 40 (fixing rib portion 42 described later) to the tip end portion 21 of the shield shell 20 by hooking the end of the outer packing 40 onto the hooks 24.

The inner packing 30 is made of elastic synthetic rubber. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the inner packing 30 is formed in an annular shape on an imaginary plane that intersects at right angles with the axial direction X, and is attached to the outer surface side of the terminal accommodating portion 11. When the housing 10 and the mating housing MC10 are fitted together, the inner packing 30 is arranged in a compressed state between the mating housing MC10 housed inside the housing 10, the terminal accommodating portion 11 constituting the housing MC10, and the tip portion 21 of the shield shell 20. Therefore, the inner packing 30 is in close contact with the mating housing MC10, the housing MC10, and the shield shell 20, and can prevent liquids such as water from entering the electrical connection parts inside the terminal accommodating portion 11, etc.

The outer packing 40 is made of elastic synthetic rubber. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the outer packing 40 is formed in an annular shape on an imaginary plane that intersects at a right angle with the axial direction X, and is attached to the outer surface side of the shield shell 20.

In this embodiment, the outer packing 40 has a main body 41, a plurality of fixed protrusions (not shown) protruding from the main body 41 toward the base end in the axial direction X, and a pair of fixed ribs 42 protruding from the main body 41 toward the tip end in the axial direction X (see Figures 2 and 3), and the main body 41 is assembled so as to cover a certain section from the tip end portion 21 to the base end portion 22 of the shield shell 20 (see Figures 1 and 2).

In addition, when the outer packing 40 is assembled to the shield shell 20 after being assembled to the shield shell 20, the fixing rib portion 42 constituting the tip end in the axial direction X is caught by the hook portion 24 of the shield shell 20 and is sandwiched between the outer surface of the shield shell 20 and the protrusion constituting the hook portion 24, thereby fixing the position of the fixing rib portion 42. In addition, when the outer packing 40 is assembled to the shield shell 20 after being assembled to the shield shell 20 and the shield shell 20 is assembled to the housing 10, a fixing protrusion portion (not shown) formed at the base end in the axial direction X is fitted into a fixing hole portion (not shown) formed in the housing 10, respectively, thereby fixing the position of the end. Therefore, when the components constituting the connector 1 are assembled, both ends of the outer packing 40 in the axial direction X are fixed to the target attachment portion, and when the connector 1 and the mating connector MC (see FIG. 2) are mated, the mating housing MC10 is caught on the outer packing 40, so that the fixing rib portion 42 is not turned up from the target attachment portion.

At this time, with the housing 10 and the mating housing MC10 engaged, the outer packing 40 is arranged in a compressed state between the mating housing MC10 housed inside the housing 10, the hood portion 12 constituting the housing MC10, and the shield shell 20. Therefore, the outer packing 40 is in close contact with the mating housing MC10, the housing MC10, and the shield shell 20, and can prevent liquids such as water from entering the internal electrical connection parts of the terminal accommodating portion 11 and the like constituting the housing 10. In addition, by being in close contact with the mating housing MC10, the housing MC10, and the shield shell 20, the outer packing 40 can prevent liquids such as water from entering the internal electrical connection parts of the terminal accommodating portion 11 and the like.

The braid 50 is formed by weaving a metal material having electrical conductivity. As shown in FIG. 1, the braid 50 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape along the axial direction X, has a tip portion 51 and a base portion 52, and is formed so that the tip portion 51 is larger than the base portion 52. Therefore, the braid 50 is assembled so that the tip portion 51 covers the base portion 22 of the shield shell 20, and is fixed in a state in which it is in close contact with the outer surface of the hood portion 12 of the housing 10 by wrapping a fastening member such as a cable tie (the binding member 200 described later). Then, when the braid 50 is fixed in a state in which it is in close contact with the outer surface of the shield shell 20 via the binding member 200, it is electrically connected to the shield shell 20.

The grommet 60 is made of elastic synthetic rubber. As shown in FIG. 1, the grommet 60 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape along the axial direction X, and is fixed in close contact with the outer surface of the hood portion 12 of the housing 10 by wrapping a fastening member such as a cable tie (the fastening member 300 described later). Therefore, the grommet 60 can prevent liquids such as water from entering the electrical connection parts inside the terminal accommodating portion 11 that constitutes the housing 10.

Next, we will explain the operation when assembling the wire harness WH.

First, the worker creates the first subassembly 2 including the shield shell 20 and the outer packing 40, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Specifically, the worker can create the first subassembly 2 by assembling the outer packing 40 to the shield shell 20. At this time, the outer packing 40 is inserted from the front side (the tip side portion 21 side, the tip side in the axial direction X) of the shield shell 20, and is assembled so as to cover a certain section from the tip side portion 21 to the base side portion 22 of the shield shell 20. The outer packing 40 is assembled so that the fixing rib portion 42 is sandwiched and held between the outer surface of the shield shell 20 and the protruding piece constituting the hook portion 24. Therefore, the shield shell 20 is fixed to the shield shell 20 via the hook portion 24, so that the holding force for the outer packing 40 can be sufficiently secured, and the outer packing 40 can be appropriately fixed to the outer surface of the shield shell 20.

6, the worker creates a second subassembly 3 including the short terminal ST, the wire W with terminal T, the housing 10, the front holder FH, the rear holder RH, the rubber plug RS, the inner packing 30, and the first subassembly 2. Specifically, the worker first attaches a rubber plug RS to each wire W and crimps a terminal T to the end of the wire W to create the wire W with terminal T. The worker then assembles the front holder FH to the terminal accommodating portion 11 of the housing 10, and clamps the terminal T and the short terminal ST between the front holders FH, respectively, to hold the terminal T and the short terminal ST in the terminal accommodating portion 11. The worker then assembles the rear holder RH to the terminal accommodating portion 11, and then assembles the inner packing 30 to the outer surface side of the terminal accommodating portion 11. Then, the worker can create the second subassembly 3 by assembling the first subassembly 2 to the housing 10 to which each component has been assembled. At this time, the shield shell 20 is accommodated inside the housing 10 and is positioned so as to cover the rear side (the base end side in the axial direction X) of the terminal accommodating portion 11. In addition, the outer packing 40 assembled to the terminal accommodating portion 11 has a fixing protrusion (not shown) formed at the end on the base end side in the axial direction X that fits into a fixing hole (not shown) formed in the housing 10, so that the end is fixed at a predetermined position within the housing 10.

The worker then assembles the braided body 50 to the rear side of the shield shell 20 that has been assembled to the terminal housing 11. At this time, the braided body 50 is fixed to the outer surface of the shield shell 20 by wrapping the metallic binding member 200 around it from the outer surface side while covering the base end portion 22 of the shield shell 20 and binding the binding member 200.

The worker then assembles the grommet 60 to the rear side of the housing 10. At this time, the grommet 60 contains the braided body 50 inside and covers the base end side of the housing 10. The resin binding member 300 is then wound around the outer surface side of the housing 10, and the binding member 300 is bound and fixed to the outer surface of the housing 10.

After assembling the various components that make up the wire harness WH using the work process described above, the worker attaches and fits the female connector 1 to the male connector MC, electrically connecting the connectors together. Specifically, the worker inserts the connector 1 into the mating connector MC along the mating direction X1 and connects the terminal T housed in the terminal housing 11 of the housing 10 to the mating terminal held in the mating housing MC10, electrically connecting the connectors together.

The fixed rib portion 42 constituting the end portion on the front side (the tip side in the axial direction X, the mating housing MC10 side) of the outer packing 40 assembled to the shield shell 20 is arranged in a state where it is partially covered by the protruding piece constituting the hook portion 24 by being sandwiched between the hook portion 24, and is fixed so as not to float above the outer surface of the shield shell 20, which is the part to be fixed. Therefore, when the housing 10 and the mating housing MC10 are fitted together, the hook portion 24 can prevent the fixed rib portion 42 from being turned up from the shield shell 20 by the mating housing MC10 hitting the fixed rib portion 42 (getting caught by the fixed rib portion 42).

Moreover, the outer packing 40 of this embodiment is configured so that the thickness of the fixed rib portion 42 is thinner than the thickness of the main body portion 41, and the shield shell 20 is configured so that the thickness is approximately the same as the thickness of the front side of the main body portion 41 when the fixed rib portion 42 is sandwiched and held by the hook portion 24 (see Figs. 1 and 2). Therefore, the connector 1 of this embodiment can prevent the end of the outer packing 40 from curling by fixing the outer packing 40 to the outer surface of the shield shell 20 via the hook portion 24 without making the shape of the outer packing 40 larger than in the past. In addition, by applying the hook portion 24 to the shield shell 20, the connector 1 can prevent the end of the outer packing 40 from curling without increasing the number of parts, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

The connector 1 and wire harness WH described above include a terminal T that can be electrically connected to a mating terminal held in a mating housing MC10 of a mating connector MC, an insulating housing 10 having a terminal accommodating portion 11 that accommodates and holds the terminal T inside, a shield shell 20 that is accommodated in the housing 10 and disposed outside the terminal accommodating portion 11, and an outer packing 40 that is assembled to the outer surface side of the shield shell 20 and is compressed between the mating housing MC10 accommodated inside the housing 10 and the shield shell 20 when the housing 10 and the mating housing MC10 are engaged. The shield shell 20 has a hook portion 24 formed on the outer surface side that can fix the end (fixing rib portion 42) of the outer packing 40 located on the mating housing MC10 side to the shield shell 20 when the housing 10 and the mating housing MC10 are engaged.

With this configuration, the shield shell 20 fixes the fixed rib portion 42 of the outer packing 40 to the outer surface of the shield shell 20 via the hook portion 24, and the mating housing MC10 is hooked onto the fixed rib portion 42, preventing the fixed rib portion 42 from turning up from the shield shell 20. Therefore, the connector 1 and the wire harness WH can prevent the outer packing 40 from turning up when the housing 10 and the mating housing MC10 are mated.

Furthermore, the hook portion 24 formed on the shield shell 20 of the connector 1 and the wire harness WH described above is a protrusion extending so as to rise from the outer surface of the shield shell 20 by cutting and raising. With this configuration, the shield shell 20 holds the fixed rib portion 42 of the outer packing 40 in a sandwiched state between the outer surface of the shield shell 20 and the protrusion constituting the hook portion 24, thereby fixing the fixed rib portion 42 to the outer surface of the shield shell 20 while protecting the fixed rib portion 42 from external interference. Therefore, when the housing 10 and the mating housing MC10 are fitted together through the hook portion 24, the mating housing MC10 hits the fixed rib portion 42 (gets caught by the fixed rib portion 42), and the shield shell 20 can prevent the fixed rib portion 42 from being turned up from the shield shell 20. In addition, the connector 1 and the wire harness WH can prevent the outer packing 40 from turning over without making the shape of the outer packing 40 larger than before by fixing the outer packing 40 to the outer surface of the shield shell 20 via the hook portion 24. In addition, the connector 1 and the wire harness WH can prevent the end of the outer packing 40 from turning over without increasing the number of parts by applying the hook portion 24 to the shield shell 20, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

The connector 1 and wire harness WH according to the embodiment of the present invention described above are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

For example, the configuration of the hook portion is not limited as long as it can fix the end of the outer packing located on the mating housing MC10 side to the shield shell. For example, the hook portion has been described as a linear protrusion formed by cutting and raising (i.e., a protrusion formed by L bending), but the shape of the protrusion is not particularly limited, and it may be a protrusion formed by Z bending. The hook portion may also be a protrusion formed by louver processing or lance processing.

The connector and wire harness according to this embodiment may be constructed by appropriately combining the components of the embodiments and modified examples described above.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Connector 10 Housing 10S Internal space 11 Terminal accommodating portion 12 Hood portion 20 Shield shell 24 Hook portion 30 Inner packing 40 Outer packing 42 Fixing rib portion (end portion of outer packing located on the mating housing side)
50 Braided body 60 Grommet MC Counterpart connector MC 10 Counterpart housing T Terminal W Electric wire WH Wire harness X Axial direction Y Width direction Z Height direction

Claims (3)

a terminal electrically connectable to a mating terminal held in a mating housing of a mating connector;
a housing having an insulating property and a terminal accommodating portion for accommodating and holding the terminal therein;
a shield shell accommodated in the housing and disposed outside the terminal accommodating portion;
an outer gasket that is assembled to an outer surface side of the shield shell and is compressed between the shield shell and the mating housing that is accommodated inside the housing in a state in which the housing and the mating housing are fitted together;
the shield shell has a hook portion formed on an outer surface side, and capable of fixing an end portion of the outer packing located on the mating housing side to the shield shell when the housing and the mating housing are fitted together.
connector. The hook portion is a protruding piece extending so as to rise from the outer surface of the shield shell by a cutting and raising process.
The connector of claim 1 . A conductive wire;
a connector electrically connected to the electric wire;
The connector includes:
a terminal electrically connected to the electric wire and electrically connectable to a mating terminal held in a mating housing of a mating connector;
a housing having an insulating property and a terminal accommodating portion for accommodating and holding the terminal therein;
a shield shell accommodated in the housing and disposed outside the terminal accommodating portion;
an outer gasket that is assembled to an outer surface side of the shield shell and is compressed between the shield shell and the mating housing that is accommodated inside the housing in a state in which the housing and the mating housing are fitted together;
the shield shell has a hook portion formed on an outer surface side, and capable of fixing an end portion of the outer packing located on the mating housing side to the shield shell when the housing and the mating housing are fitted together.
Wire harness.

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