JP7534717B2 - Cable connector and assembly method thereof - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cable connector that connects electronic devices such as in-vehicle devices to cables, and to a method for assembling the same.

Conventionally, cable connectors have been used to connect electronic devices such as vehicle-mounted camera modules to cables made up of multiple electric wires (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

This type of cable connector has contacts to which the electric wires are connected and an insulator in which the contacts are held. After the core wire of each electric wire is crimped onto the contact, the contacts are pressed into the insulator, so that the multiple contacts are held in the insulator.

In addition, with this type of cable connector, when the contacts are arranged in parallel vertically and horizontally on the end face, it is difficult to crimp multiple contacts at the same time, so the core wire of each electric wire is crimped for each contact, and after crimping, each is pressed into the insulator.

JP 2014-107239 A

However, with the conventional technology described above, the core wire of the electric wire is crimped for each contact and then inserted into the insulator, so as the number of contacts increases, the assembly work increases and there is a problem of poor work efficiency.

In addition, with this type of conventional cable connector, the electric wire is crimped for each contact and then pressed into the insulator, which causes variations in assembly and makes the distance between the contacts and the cable crimping parts unstable, resulting in individual differences in transmission performance.

In view of these conventional problems, the present invention aims to provide a cable connector and an assembly method thereof that can be assembled efficiently, can crimp the cable and contacts in a stable state, and has excellent transmission performance.

The feature of the invention described in claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned conventional problems is that in a cable connector comprising a plurality of contacts to which each electric wire of a cable consisting of a plurality of electric wires is connected, and an insulator in which the plurality of contacts are held, the insulator comprises a front insulator consisting of a plurality of divided bodies whose side portions are joined to each other, and a rear insulator connected to the rear of the front insulator and connecting the divided bodies, the contacts are integrally incorporated into the divided bodies with connection portions to which the electric wires are connected protruding from the rear end faces of the divided bodies.

The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, the connection portion includes a base portion extending from the contact base portion and a crimping piece supported on the side edge of the base portion and having a tip side crimped toward the base portion, the core wire of the electric wire inserted between the base portion and the crimping piece is crimped to the base portion by both crimping pieces, and the crimping piece side is directed toward the joint surface side of the divided body or the outer surface side opposite to the joint surface.

The feature of the invention described in claim 3 is that, in addition to the configuration of claim 1 or 2, the front insulator has a key groove portion formed across the split bodies, the rear insulator has a connecting key portion protruding from its front end face and engaging with the key groove portion, and one of the side surface of the connecting key portion or the inner surface of the key groove portion has an engaging protrusion protruding from that side surface or inner surface and engaging with an engaging recess formed on the inner surface of the key groove portion or the side surface of the connecting key portion.

The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of any one of claims 1 to 3, the rear insulator has connection part accommodating parts that open on the outer surface and accommodate the connection parts, and the connection part accommodating parts are separated from each other by a blocking wall.

The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in a method for assembling a cable connector having a plurality of contacts to which each electric wire of a cable consisting of a plurality of electric wires is connected, and an insulator in which the plurality of contacts are held, a plurality of divided bodies in which a plurality of contacts are integrated with a connection portion to which the electric wires are connected protruding from a rear end face are formed, the electric wires are connected to the contacts of each divided body, and then the divided bodies are moved in a direction away from each other, a rear insulator is disposed behind the divided bodies, and the rear insulator is connected to the plurality of divided bodies joined together to integrate the divided bodies.

The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of claim 5, the connection part has a base part extending from the connector body and a pair of crimping pieces supported on both side edges of the base part, and an opening between the two crimping pieces is opened on the outer surface side of one of the divided bodies, and the core wire of the electric wire is simultaneously crimped to the multiple connection parts that constitute the contacts of each divided body.

By providing the cable connector of the present invention with the configuration of claim 1, it is not necessary to press the contacts into the insulator, and the distance between the contacts and the connection parts can be stabilized, improving transmission performance.

In addition, by providing the configuration of claim 2 in the present invention, multiple contacts embedded integrally with each divided body can be crimped simultaneously with the electric wire, thereby reducing the number of assembly steps.

Furthermore, in the present invention, by providing the configuration of claim 3, the divided bodies can be suitably connected to each other, and the front insulator and rear insulator can be integrated.

Furthermore, in the present invention, by providing the configuration of claim 4, it is possible to effectively isolate the connection parts.

In addition, by providing the configuration of claim 5 in the present invention, it is possible to connect wires to the contacts while the contacts are integrated with the divided body, eliminating the need to press the contacts into the insulator, and stabilizing the distance between the contacts and the connection parts, thereby improving transmission performance.

Furthermore, by providing the configuration of claim 6 in the present invention, multiple contacts embedded integrally with each divided body can be crimped simultaneously with the electric wire, thereby reducing the number of assembly steps.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of a cable connector according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the above with the outer cover removed. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the connector main body with the shielding member removed. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the connector body in FIG. 3 . 5A is a front view showing the rear insulator in FIG. 4, FIG. 5B is a plan view thereof, FIG. 5C is a side view thereof, and FIG. 5D is a bottom view thereof. 5A is a perspective view showing the split bodies constituting the front insulator in FIG. 4 as viewed from the front side, FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing the split bodies as viewed from the rear side, and FIG. 5C is a diagram showing the state of the rear end surface of the front insulator formed by joining the split bodies. FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing the contact shown in FIG. 6( b ). 4A to 4C are front views showing steps in an assembly method for a cable connector according to the present invention. FIG. 8(a) is a side view showing the state of the crimping operation of the electric wire and the contact shown in FIG. 8(b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the same. FIG. 8( c ) is a partially enlarged side view.

Next, an embodiment of the cable connector according to the present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 7. In the figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a cable connector.

For the sake of convenience, in this embodiment, the mating connector side of the cable connector 1 is defined as the front, and the side to which the cable 2 is connected is defined as the rear. One direction of the front end face is defined as vertical, and the direction perpendicular to that is defined as horizontal.

This cable connector 1 has a connector body 3 consisting of a plurality of contacts 4, 4... to which each of the electric wires 21, 21... of a cable 2 consisting of a plurality of electric wires 21, 21... is connected, and an insulator 5 in which the plurality of contacts 4, 4... are held. The connector body 3 and the end of the cable 2 connected to the connector body 3 are housed in an external cover 7 with the outside covered by a shielding member 6.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cable 2 is made up of multiple electric wires 21, 21... (four in this embodiment) bundled together by an outer sheath 22, the outer sheath 22 at the tip is stripped off, the coating at the tip of each exposed electric wire 21, 21... is stripped off, and the tip of the core wire 23 is exposed, and the core wire 23 is connected to the contacts 4, 4....

The outer cover 7 is made of synthetic resin and includes a hollow box-shaped cover body 71 that houses the connector body 3 covered by the shielding member 6, a gasket (not shown) that seals the rear end of the cover body 71, and a rear cover 72 that fits onto the rear end of the cover body 71.

The cover body 71 has a connector housing 711 that opens on the front end surface, a packing housing (not shown) that communicates with the connector housing 711 and opens on the rear end side, and a flange portion 712 that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface. The connector housing 711 houses the connector body 3 covered with the shielding member 6, the packing housing houses a packing that is fitted to the outside of the cable 2, and the rear end opening of the packing housing is sealed by the rear cover 72.

The shielding member 6 is made of a conductive material and has a rectangular cylindrical shape with an open front end, and a fixing member 61 that grips the outer sheath 22 of the cable 2 is supported on the rear edge of the peripheral wall.

As shown in FIG. 4, the insulator 5 includes a front insulator 8 made up of multiple (a pair in this embodiment) divided bodies 81, 81 joined together, and a rear insulator 9 connected to the rear of the front insulator 8 and connecting the divided bodies 81, 81, and multiple contacts 4, 4 are integrally held in each of the divided bodies 81, 81.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rear insulator 9 is integrally formed from an insulating synthetic resin and includes a rectangular parallelepiped body 91 and a connecting key portion 92 that protrudes from the front end surface of the body 91, i.e., the side surface of the front insulator 8.

The body 91 has groove-like connection housings 93, 93 that open on the lateral side, i.e., on the outer side in the direction in which the two divided bodies 81, 81 can be separated from each other, and penetrate from front to back. Each connection housing 93, 93 is separated by a barrier wall that constitutes the flesh of the body 91.

As shown in FIG. 5(d), the connecting key portion 92 is formed as a long flat plate extending horizontally, i.e., in the direction between the divided bodies 81, 81, and has engaging protrusions 94, 94 protruding from the side portions at both ends in the horizontal direction, forming a horizontal I-shaped cross section.

The engaging protrusions 94, 94 protrude vertically from the side surface, i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the direction between the partitions 81, 81, and are formed as continuous protrusions in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, each of the divisions 81, 81 is formed into a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped shape by vertically splitting the front insulator 8, and multiple contacts 4, 4... are integrally incorporated into each division 81, 81 in the vertical direction by insert molding.

The two divided bodies 81, 81 are joined at their inner side portions perpendicular to the front end face to form a cubic front insulator 8, and a number of contacts 4, 4... (four in this embodiment) are arranged in multiple rows (two rows in this embodiment) on the front end face of the front insulator 8.

In addition, each divided body 81, 81 has a concave groove recess 82a, 82a formed in the center of the rear end, facing horizontally, i.e., in the direction between the divided bodies 81, 81. By joining the two divided bodies 81, 81, the two groove recesses 82a, 82a are connected, and a key groove portion 82 spanning between the divided bodies 81, 81 is formed.

This key groove portion 82 is formed to a depth equal to or slightly greater than the protruding height of the connecting key portion 92, so that when the rear insulator 9 is connected to the front insulator 8, the front end face of the rear insulator 9 abuts against the rear end face of the front insulator 8.

Therefore, when the front insulator 8 is connected to the rear insulator 9, the front end faces of both divided bodies 81, 81 are positioned so as to form the same plane, and the contacts 4, 4... held by each divided body 81, 81 are also positioned in a predetermined position.

On the other hand, at both ends of the key groove portion 82, i.e., on the inner side surface of the outer end of each groove recess 82a, 82a, engagement recesses 83, 83 that engage with the engagement protrusions 94, 94 are formed, and the key groove portion 82 is formed with a horizontal I-shaped cross section that corresponds to the shape of the connecting key portion 92.

The engagement recesses 83, 83 are recessed in the vertical direction, i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the inner surface of the key groove portion 82, and are formed as continuous grooves in the depth direction of the key groove portion 82.

Then, the connecting key portion 92 fits into the key groove portion 82, and the engaging protrusions 94, 94 engage with the engaging recesses 83, 83, so that the two divided bodies 81, 81 are sandwiched between the engaging protrusions 94, 94 that face each other in the horizontal direction, restricting the movement of the two divided bodies 81, 81 in the direction of separation, and are integrated in a joined state.

As shown in FIG. 7, the contacts 4, 4... are integrally formed from conductive metal plate material and include a contact base 41 embedded in a divided body 81, a contact portion 42 supported at one end of the contact base 41, and a connection portion 43 supported at the other end of the contact base 41.

These contacts 4, 4... are arranged in a set of symmetrical contacts vertically adjacent to each other, and this set of contacts 4, 4 is assembled into the divided body 81 by insert molding, with the contact portion 42 exposed on the front end surface of the divided body 81, 81 and the contact base 41 embedded in the divided body 81, 81 with the connection portion 43 protruding from the rear end surface of the divided body 81, 81.

The contact base 41 comprises a long, thin plate-shaped main body piece 411 and support pieces 412 and 413 extending obliquely vertically from one end of the main body piece 411 on the same plane as the main body piece 411, and the contact portion 42 is supported via the support pieces 412 and 413.

The support pieces 412, 413 of a pair of contacts 4, 4 extend in a direction such that the contact portions 42 are spaced apart from each other, and the contact portions 42 are supported so that they are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction.

The contact portion 42 includes a supported piece 421 bent from the tip of the supporting piece 412, 413 in a direction perpendicular to the supporting piece 412, 413, and a rectangular plate-shaped contact piece 422 supported by the supported piece 421, and is positioned so that it is exposed parallel to the front end face when assembled into the divided body 81, 81.

The connection part 43 has a base part 431 extending from the contact base part 41 and crimping pieces 432, 432 supported on the side edge of the base part 431. The crimping pieces 432, 432 are crimped so as to be wrapped around the base part 431 side, and the core wire 23 of the electric wire 21, 21... inserted between the base part 431 and the crimping pieces 432, 432 is crimped to the base part 431 by both crimping pieces 432, 432.

The crimping pieces 432, 432 of this connection portion 43 face the outer surface side opposite the joining surface side of the divided body 81, and the connection portions 43 of a set of contacts 4, 4... held by each divided body 81, 81 face in the same direction, with the crimping pieces 432, 432 spaced apart.

In other words, a set of contacts 4, 4... held by the divided bodies 81, 81 are crimped simultaneously from the same direction.

Next, a method for assembling the above-mentioned cable connector will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 10. Note that the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described.

First, the cable 2 is passed through the rear cover 72, and then a gasket (not shown) is fitted to the outside of the outer sheath 22 of the cable 2, and the rear cover 72 and the gasket are moved to the rear side of the cable 2 to make the work easier.

Next, the outer sheath 22 of the cable 2 is stripped off to expose the tip of each electric wire 21, 21..., and the sheath of the tip of each electric wire 21, 21... is stripped off to expose the core wire 23.

As a preliminary step, multiple (a pair in this embodiment) divided bodies 81, 81 are formed by insert molding, with multiple contacts 4, 4... integrated together, with the contact portion 42 exposed at the front end face and the connection portion 43 protruding from the rear end face.

Next, as shown in Figures 8(a) and 9, the core wire 23 of each electric wire 21, 21 is crimped to the contacts 4, 4 held by the divided body 81, and the electric wires 21, 21 and the contacts 4, 4 are connected.

Specifically, the base portion 431 of a pair of contacts 4, 4 held by one of the divided bodies 81 is placed on the receiving stand (anvil) 11, 11, and the core wire 23 of the electric wire 21, 21... is inserted between the crimping pieces 432, 432. The other electric wires 21, 21... are bent or otherwise positioned so as not to interfere with the receiving stand 11, 11.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the crimping tool (crimper) 12 is lowered, and the crimping pieces 432, 432 are pressed by the crimping tool (crimper) 12 to roll the crimping pieces 432, 432 inward, and the core wire 23 is pressed by both crimping pieces 432, 432 to crimp it to the base part 431.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the connection portions 43 of all the contacts 4, 4 held in the divided body 81 are arranged at the same height and in the same direction (opposite the joint surface), so that the crimping operation between the core wires 23 and the connection portions 43 of all the contacts 4, 4 held in the divided body 81 can be performed simultaneously.

Next, the core wires 23 of the electric wires 21, 21... are similarly crimped to the contacts 4, 4... held by the other divided body 81, connecting the electric wires 21, 21 to the contacts 4, 4.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the divided bodies 81, 81 to which the electric wires 21, 21 are connected are moved in a direction away from each other, and the rear insulator 9 is inserted between the divided bodies 81, 81 at the rear of the divided bodies 81, 81 with the connecting key portion 92 facing the front insulator 8.

Then, as shown in Figures 8(c) and 10, the electric wires 21, 21... are fitted into the connection portion accommodating portions 93, 93 formed in the body portion 91 of the rear insulator 9, and the two divided bodies 81, 81 are joined to each other.

When the divided bodies 81, 81 of the front insulator 8 are joined together, the groove recesses 82a, 82a on the rear end surface are connected, forming a key groove portion 82 that is continuous in the horizontal direction.

In this state, the rear insulator 9 is pushed toward the front insulator 8, the connecting key portion 92 is fitted into the key groove portion 82, and the front end face of the body portion 91 is brought into contact with the rear end faces of both halves 81, 81.

Then, the connecting key portion 92 is fitted into the key groove portion 82, and the engaging protrusions 94, 94 engage with the engaging recesses 83, 83, restricting the movement of the two divided bodies 81, 81 in the direction away from each other, and the two divided bodies 81, 81 are integrated.

In addition, when the front insulator 8 and the rear insulator 9 are connected, the connection portions 43 of the contacts 4, 4... protruding from the rear end faces of the segments 81, 81 and the electric wires 21, 21... connected to the connection portions 43 are accommodated in the connection portion accommodating portions 93, 93 formed in the body portion 91 of the rear insulator 9.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8(d), the shielding member 6 is placed over the outside of the connector body 3 to which the cable 2 is connected, and the fixing member 61 is caused to grip the outer sheath 22 of the cable 2, thereby fixing the shielding member 6 to the outside of the connector body 3.

Then, the connector body 3 covered with the shielding member 6 is inserted into the connector housing portion 711 of the cover body 71, the packing is moved forward of the cable 2 and housed in the packing housing portion of the cover body 71, and the rear of the packing is closed with the rear cover 72, completing the assembly.

In the cable connector 1 configured in this manner, multiple contacts 4, 4... are integrated into each divided body 81, 81 by insert molding, eliminating the need to insert the contacts 4, 4... into the insulator 5, thereby reducing the number of steps.

In addition, in this cable connector 1, even if the contacts 4, 4... are arranged in multiple rows and columns on the front end face, the front insulator 8 is divided into multiple divided bodies 81, 81, and the crimping pieces 432, 432 of all the contacts 4, 4... held in the divided bodies 81, 81 are directed toward the outer surface opposite the joint surface of the divided bodies 81, 81, so that the crimping work of the electric wires 21, 21... to each contact 4, 4... held in the divided bodies 81, 81 can be performed simultaneously, thereby reducing the number of labor hours.

In addition, in this cable connector 1, multiple contacts 4, 4... are incorporated into the divided bodies 81, 81 by insert molding, so the distance (vertical distance) between each of the contacts 4, 4... held in the divided bodies 81, 81 is stabilized, and the rear insulator 9 is connected to the front insulator 8, and the movement of the joined divided bodies 81, 81 in the direction of separation is restricted, so the distance (horizontal distance) between the contacts 4, 4... held in each of the divided bodies 81, 81 is also stabilized.

Furthermore, in this cable connector 1, the front end face of the rear insulator 9 is abutted against the rear end face of each divided body 81, 81, so that the front end faces of both divided bodies 81, 81 are positioned so that they are on the same plane, stabilizing the relative positions in the fore-and-aft direction, and also stabilizing the relative positions in the fore-and-aft direction of the contacts 4, 4... held by the divided bodies 81, 81.

Therefore, in this cable connector 1, the relative positional relationship of the multiple contacts 4, 4... held in the insulator 5 can always be kept stable, and transmission performance can be stabilized.

In addition, in this cable connector 1, the connection portions 43 of the contacts 4, 4... protruding from the rear end faces of the divisions 81, 81 and the electric wires 21, 21... connected to the connection portions 43 are housed in the connection portion housings 93, 93 formed in the body 91 of the rear insulator 9, and the connection portion housings 93, 93 are separated by a blocking wall, so that signal interference between the electric wires 21, 21... can be suppressed.

In the above embodiment, the contact portion 42 of the contacts 4, 4... is formed in a flat plate shape and is exposed on the front end surface of the front insulator 8, but the shape of the contact portion 42 is not limited to this and may be, for example, jack-shaped or pin-shaped.

In the above embodiment, the front insulator 8 and the rear insulator 9 are connected by fitting the connecting key portion 92 and the key groove portion 82, but the form of the connecting portion is not limited to this. For example, multiple pin-shaped protrusions may be provided on the front end surface of the body portion 91 of the rear insulator 9, and the protrusions may be inserted into pin holes opening on the rear end surface of each divided body 81, 81.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the contacts 4, 4... and the electric wires 21, 21... are crimped together, but the connection between the contacts 4, 4... and the electric wires 21, 21... is not limited to this, and may be made by, for example, soldering, spot welding, or a conductive adhesive.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 cable connector 2 cable 21 electric wire 22 outer sheath 23 core wire 3 connector body 4 contact 41 contact base 411 body piece 412, 413 support piece 42 contact portion 421 supported piece 422 contact piece 43 connection portion 431 base portion 432 crimping piece 5 insulator 6 shield member 61 fixing member 7 outer cover 71 cover body 711 connector accommodating portion 712 flange portion 72 rear cover 8 front insulator 81 divided body 82 key groove portion 83 engagement recess 9 rear insulator 91 body portion 92 connecting key portion 93 connection portion accommodating portion 94 engagement protrusion 11 receiving base (anvil)
12 Crimping tool (crimper)

Claims (6)

A cable connector including a plurality of contacts to which each electric wire of a cable made up of a plurality of electric wires is connected, and an insulator in which the plurality of contacts are held,
the insulator includes a front insulator made up of a plurality of divided bodies whose side surfaces are joined to each other, and a rear insulator connected to the rear of the front insulator and connecting the divided bodies,
a connecting portion for connecting the electric wire to the contact and the contact member is disposed on a rear end surface of the split body, the connecting portion being integrally assembled with the split body and having a connecting portion for connecting the electric wire and the contact member protruding from a rear end surface of the split body; The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion includes a base portion extending from the contact base portion and a crimping piece supported on the side edge of the base portion and having a tip side crimped toward the base portion, the core wire of the electric wire inserted between the base portion and the crimping piece is crimped to the base portion by both the crimping pieces, and the crimping piece side is directed toward the joint surface side of the divided body or the outer surface side opposite to the joint surface. the front insulator includes a key groove portion formed across the divided bodies,
the rear insulator includes a connecting key portion that protrudes from a front end surface and is fitted into the key groove portion,
3. A cable connector as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the side surfaces of the connecting key portion or the inner surface of the key groove portion is provided with an engaging protrusion that protrudes from the side surface or inner surface and engages with an engaging recess formed on the inner surface of the key groove portion or the side surface of the connecting key portion. The cable connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rear insulator has connection part housings that open on the outer surface and house the connection parts, and the connection part housings are separated from each other by a partition wall. A method for assembling a cable connector including a plurality of contacts to which each electric wire of a cable made up of a plurality of electric wires is connected, and an insulator in which the plurality of contacts are held, comprising the steps of:
forming a plurality of divided bodies each having a plurality of contacts integrated together with a connection portion to which the electric wire is connected protruding from a rear end surface;
a contact portion of each of the split bodies that is connected to the electric wires, the split bodies are moved away from each other, a rear insulator is positioned behind the split bodies, and the rear insulator is then connected to the multiple split bodies that have been joined together, thereby integrating the split bodies. 6. A cable connector assembling method as described in claim 5, wherein the connection portion comprises a base portion extending from the connector body and a pair of crimping pieces supported on both side edges of the base portion, an opening between the two crimping pieces is opened on the outer surface side of one of the split bodies, and the core wires of the electric wires are simultaneously crimped to multiple connection portions constituting the contacts of each split body.

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