JP7591454B2 - Cable Connectors - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a cable connector.

Conventionally, plug connectors have been known that are configured to accommodate terminals that are connected to the ends of electric cables and have a cylindrical housing that forms an approximately L-shaped internal space in a side view when coupled with a cover. In manufacturing such conventional cable connectors, when inserting and removing an electric cable through openings at both ends of the cylindrical housing, it is necessary to bend the electric cable into an approximately L-shape in the approximately L-shaped internal space of the housing.

JP 2018-206517 A

However, in the conventional technology described above, it is not easy to insert and remove an electric cable into and from the housing while bending the electric cable inside the housing, which can reduce workability.

Therefore, one of the problems that this disclosure aims to solve is to provide a cable connector with a new structure that can improve the ease of inserting and removing an electrical cable into and from a housing.

The cable connector according to the present disclosure is configured to accommodate a terminal portion connected to an end of an electric cable, and includes a cylindrical housing having a first opening at one end through which the electric cable is inserted and a second opening at the other end for exposing the terminal portion connected to the end of the electric cable inserted through the first opening, and a cover coupled to the housing so as to cover the first opening of the housing, the coupled housing and cover forming a substantially L-shaped internal space in a side view, and in a cross section of the housing in a side view along the electric cable passing through the first opening, a first line along the first opening is inclined so that the further it moves away from the second line along a first direction perpendicular to a second line along the second opening, the closer it is to the end of the electric cable in a second direction parallel to the second line.

The cable connector disclosed herein can improve the ease of inserting and removing an electrical cable into and from a housing.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the connector device according to the embodiment is separated. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the plug connector according to the embodiment. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the plug connector shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the housing extracted from FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of the plug connector shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which an electric cable has linearly passed through a housing in a manufacturing process of the plug connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining attachment of an elastic conductive member in a manufacturing process of the plug connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an elastic conductive member according to a modified example.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the embodiment described below and the actions and effects brought about by the configuration are merely examples and are not limited to the following description.

In addition, in this disclosure, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" are used for convenience to distinguish between parts or portions, and do not indicate a particular priority order.

In addition, in each of the figures of this disclosure, the X direction corresponds to the front-rear direction of the plug connector 100 (the direction in which the electric cable 300 extends inside the cover 130 of the plug connector 100). Furthermore, the Y direction and the Z direction correspond to the left-right direction (width direction) and the up-down direction (thickness direction) of the plug connector 100, respectively.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a connector device according to an embodiment, and Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the connector device according to the embodiment in a separated state. The connector device according to the embodiment is used to realize input and output of electrical signals between electrical equipment such as a motor.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the connector device according to the embodiment includes a plug connector 100 as an example of the "cable connector" of the present disclosure, and a receptacle connector 200. The plug connector 100 is used in a state where it is connected to an electric cable 300, and the receptacle connector 200 is used in a state where it is installed on the surface of the housing of an electric device. In the embodiment, two electric cables 300 are provided, and the two electric cables 300 are classified, for example, into a first electric cable for transmitting data such as a control signal and a second electric cable for transmitting a power signal.

The plug connector 100 and the receptacle connector 200 are fitted together to input an electrical signal to an electrical device via the electrical cable 300, or output an electrical signal from an electrical device via the electrical cable 300. Figure 1 shows the plug connector 100 and the receptacle connector 200 fitted together, and Figure 2 shows the plug connector 100 and the receptacle connector 200 separated from each other by disengaging them.

Here, the plug connector 100 and the receptacle connector 200 can be switched between a state in which they are mated with each other (see FIG. 1) and a state in which they are disengaged from each other (see FIG. 2) by an operating lever 120 attached to the plug connector 100.

The operating lever 120 has a generally U-shaped band shape that extends from one side of the plug connector 100 (more specifically, the housing 110 described below) to the other side, and is configured to be rotatable at a predetermined angle (e.g., 90 degrees) around a pivot shaft 121 provided on the side of the housing 110. When the operating lever 120 rotates to a position in front of the housing 110 (see FIG. 1), the engagement between the plug connector 100 and the receptacle connector 200 is maintained, and when the operating lever 120 rotates to a position on the top surface of the housing 110 (see FIG. 2), the engagement between the plug connector 100 and the receptacle connector 200 is released.

As shown in FIG. 2, the receptacle connector 200 includes a connection portion 210 having terminal holes 211 and 212 into which a terminal portion 410 (described later, see FIG. 3, etc.) of the plug connector 100 is inserted, and a claw portion 220 that secures the housing 110 by catching on the housing 110 when the plug connector 100 and the receptacle connector 200 are mated with each other. The terminal holes 211 and 212 are formed by mounting a terminal portion (not shown) of the receptacle connector 200 to the connection portion 210.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the plug connector 100 includes, in addition to the operating lever 120, a cover 130, a seal member 140, and a cap member 150. These components of the plug connector 100 will be described in more detail below with reference to Figures 3 to 6.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the plug connector 100 according to the embodiment. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of the plug connector 100 shown in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the housing 110 extracted from Figure 4. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of the plug connector 100 shown in Figure 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the plug connector 100 is configured as a combination of a housing 110 to which an operating lever 120 is attached, a cover 130 which is joined to the housing 110 by a screw 500 with a seal member 140 sandwiched therebetween, a cap member 150 which is joined to the rear side of the cover 130 via a gasket 151 and a clamp 152, and a terminal section 410 which is comprised of a terminal 411 and a case 412 housed within the housing 110. Note that the electrical cable 300 is omitted from FIG. 3 for simplification.

As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 110 is configured to accommodate the entire terminal portion 410 connected to the internal wiring 310 protruding from the end of the electric cable 300, at which the braid 320 is exposed. In the embodiment, the housing 110 and the cover 130 are joined together to form an internal space that is approximately L-shaped in side view inside the joined housing 110 and cover 130.

5, the housing 110 is configured as a cylinder having a generally L-shaped outer shape in a side view, with a first opening 113 at one end through which the electric cable 300 is inserted, and a second opening 114 at the other end for exposing the terminal portion 410 connected to the end of the electric cable 300 inserted through the first opening 113. In the embodiment, the first opening 113 is provided in a planar shape so as to form a plane along the first opening 113, and the second opening 114 is also provided in a planar shape so as to form a plane along the second opening 114.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the embodiment, in a cross section of the housing 110 in a side view along the electric cable 300 passing through the first opening 113 (see also FIG. 4), a first line P1 along the first opening 113 is inclined with respect to a second line P2 along the second opening 114 and a third line P3 that passes through the intersection of the first line P1 and the second line P2 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the second line P2. This allows the electric cable 300 to pass through both the first opening 113 and the second opening 114 in a nearly straight line through the housing 110.

More specifically, the first line P1 is inclined linearly so that the more it moves away from the second line P2 along the Z direction as a first direction perpendicular to the second line P2, the more it moves away from the third line P3 along the X direction as a second direction parallel to the second line P2 (i.e., so as to approach the end of the electric cable 300 housed in the housing 110). In addition, the first opening 113 and the second opening 114 are provided so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the Z direction as the first direction.

In addition, in an embodiment, the housing 110 is made of a conductive material such as metal or metal-plated resin, and is electrically connected to a ground (or earth) as a reference potential point.

As shown in FIG. 6, the housing 110 includes a cable support 111, at least the inner surface of which is conductive and which supports the exposed braid 320 of the electric cable 300 and is electrically connected to ground. The cable support 111 includes a portion 111A having a substantially arc-shaped cross section that supports part of the outer periphery of the exposed braid 320 of the electric cable 300 from below on its inner surface, and the braid 320 supported on the inner surface of the cable support 111 is fixed to the housing 110 by an elastic conductive member 160.

The elastic conductive member 160 is composed of a plate-shaped member (e.g., a plate-shaped metal member) that is elastic and conductive. The elastic conductive member 160 is configured to hold the braid 320 against the housing 110 by elastically deforming in response to contact with the braid 320, and to electrically connect the braid 320 to the cable support part 111 (and thus to ground) by contacting the inner surface of the cable support part 111.

In the embodiment, the elastic conductive member 160 is configured by bending a plate-shaped metal member into a line-symmetric M-shape in which two inverted U-shaped portions of approximately the same size that open toward the cable support portion 111 are connected in the Y direction (see also FIG. 3). More specifically, the elastic conductive member 160 has a plate portion 161, a plate portion 162 facing the plate portion 161, a plate portion 163 facing the plate portion 162, a plate portion 164 facing the plate portion 163, a bent portion 165 connecting the plate portion 161 and the plate portion 162, a bent portion 166 connecting the plate portion 162 and the plate portion 163, a bent portion 167 connecting the plate portion 163 and the plate portion 164, a claw portion 168 provided at the end of the plate portion 161 opposite the bent portion 165, and a claw portion 169 provided at the end of the plate portion 164 opposite the bent portion 167. In the embodiment, as an example, the inverted U-shaped portion formed by plate portion 161, plate portion 162, and bent portion 165 constitutes a cable housing portion that houses the braid 320 of the electric cable 300.

In this embodiment, the distance between plate portion 161 and plate portion 162 is smaller than the diameter of braid 320. As a result, braid 320 is held by being elastically sandwiched between plate portion 161 and plate portion 162.

In the embodiment, the cable support portion 111 includes a wall portion 112 that separates the braids 320 of the two electric cables 300 and is electrically connected to ground. As a result, the plate portion 164 of the elastic conductive member 160 is biased against the wall portion 112 of the housing 110 in response to elastic deformation caused by the braids 320 being sandwiched between the plate portions 161 and 162.

In addition, in the embodiment, when the braid 320 is sandwiched between the plate portions 161 and 162 as described above, the claw portion 169 provided at the end of the plate portion 164 opposite the bent portion 167 is engaged with the wall portion 112 of the housing 110. This fixes the elastic conductive member 160 to the housing 110, and as a result, the retention of the electric cable 300 and the connection to ground are maintained.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, a cover 130 is attached to the rear side of the housing 110. The cover 130 is connected to the housing 110 by a screw 500, sandwiching a seal member 140, so as to cover the first opening 113 (see Fig. 5) of the housing 110. The screw 500 passes through through holes 131 and 141 (see Fig. 3) provided in the cover 130 and the seal member 140, respectively, and screws into the inner circumferential surface of a screw hole (see Fig. 6) provided in the housing 110.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the embodiment, the seal member 140 sandwiched between the housing 110 and the cover 130 is configured in a substantially rectangular frame shape along the edge of the first opening 113 (see FIG. 5). The seal member 140 is made of, for example, rubber. The seal member 140 also has a first rib 142 as a substantially rectangular frame-shaped wall rising from the surface of the seal member 140 so as to face the edge of the first opening, and a second rib 143 as a cylindrical wall provided around the through hole 141. The first rib 142 can be provided not only on the surface of the seal member 140 facing the housing 110, but also on the back surface facing the cover 130.

In this embodiment, the cover 130 has a cylindrical portion 132 on the rear side through which the electric cable 300 extending from inside the housing 110 passes. A cylindrical cap member 150 is connected to the cylindrical portion 132 via an annular gasket 151 and a clamp 152. As a result, the electric cable 300 that passes through the cylindrical portion 132 and is exposed outside the cover 130 is fixed by the gasket 151, the clamp 152, and the cap member 150.

The manufacturing process for the plug connector 100 according to the embodiment will be described below with reference mainly to Figures 7 and 8.

Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the state in which the electric cable 300 has linearly penetrated the housing 110 during the manufacturing process of the plug connector 100 according to the embodiment, and Figure 8 is a perspective view for explaining the attachment of the elastic conductive member 160 during the manufacturing process of the plug connector 100 according to the embodiment.

In the embodiment, when manufacturing the plug connector 100, the electric cable 300 is first passed through the cap member 150, the gasket 151, the clamp 152, the cover 130, and the seal member 140, and then the electric cable 300 is inserted into the first opening 113 and the second opening 114 of the housing 110. Then, in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the terminal portion 410 is connected to the internal wiring 310 at the end of the electric cable 300 that penetrates the housing 110 and is exposed from the second opening 114. Note that the seal member 140 is omitted from FIG. 7 for simplification.

As already mentioned above, in the embodiment, the first opening 113 and the second opening 114 are arranged in a positional relationship that allows the electric cable 300 to pass linearly through the housing 110. Therefore, in the embodiment, the process of inserting the electric cable 300 into the housing 110 when attaching the terminal portion 410 to the end of the electric cable 300, and the process of pulling back the electric cable 300 to accommodate the entire terminal portion 410 attached to the end of the electric cable 300 within the housing 110 can be easily performed while preventing the outer surface of the electric cable 300 from rubbing against the inner surfaces of the first opening 113 and the second opening 114.

In the embodiment, when the retraction of the electric cable 300 is completed, the entire terminal portion 410 is accommodated in the housing 110. As a result, in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the braid 320 of the electric cable 300 is exposed outside the housing 110. Then, in the embodiment, the elastic conductive member 160 is attached so as to hold the braid 320 against the cable support portion 111 and connect it to ground via the wall portion 112 of the cable support portion 111. Note that the elastic deformation accompanying the attachment of the elastic conductive member 160 has already been described with reference to FIG. 6, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

In this embodiment, once the installation of the elastic conductive member 160 is complete, the seal member 140 and the cover 130, through which the electric cable 300 has already been passed, are joined to the housing 110 by the screw 500, and then the cover 130 and the cap member 150 are joined via the gasket 151 and the clamp 152. In this manner, the plug connector 100 according to the embodiment is manufactured.

As described above, the plug connector 100 according to the embodiment includes a housing 110 and a cover 130. The housing 110 is configured to accommodate the terminal portion 410 connected to the end of the electric cable 300. The housing 110 is configured to have a cylindrical shape with a first opening 113 through which the electric cable 300 is inserted at one end and a second opening 114 that exposes the terminal portion 410 connected to the end of the electric cable 300 inserted from the first opening 113 at the other end. The cover 130 is coupled to the housing 110 so as to cover the first opening 113 of the housing 110. The coupled housing 110 and cover 130 form an internal space that is approximately L-shaped in side view. In a cross section of the housing 110 in a side view along the electric cable 300 passing through the first opening 113, the first line P1 along the first opening 113 is inclined so that the further away from the second line P2 in a first direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the second line P2 along the second opening 114, the closer to the end of the electric cable 300 in a second direction (X direction) parallel to the second line.

The above-described configuration makes it possible to easily pass the electric cable 300 through the housing 110 in a substantially straight line through both the first opening 113 and the second opening 114 when inserting or removing the electric cable 300 into or from the housing 110 during the manufacture of the plug connector 100. This improves workability compared to the conventional configuration in which the electric cable 300 must be inserted or removed from the housing 110 while bending the electric cable 300 inside the housing 110.

In addition, in the embodiment, the first opening 113 and the second opening 114 are arranged so that they do not overlap in the line of sight in the Z direction.

The above configuration makes it possible to prevent foreign matter that has entered the plug connector 100 as a finished product from entering through the first opening 113 and reaching the receptacle connector 200 through the second opening 114.

In the embodiment, the first opening 113 and the second opening 114 are provided in a planar shape.

The above-described configuration improves the ease of inserting and removing the electric cable 300 into and from the housing 110 by providing the planar first opening 113 and second opening 114, which can be easily provided.

In addition, the plug connector 100 according to the embodiment further includes a frame-shaped seal member 140 that is sandwiched between the housing 110 and the cover 130.

With the above configuration, the inside of the housing 110 and the cover 130 can be sealed by the sealing member 140.

In addition, in the embodiment, the seal member 140 has a first rib 142 that rises from the surface of the seal member 140 so as to face the edge of the first opening 113.

With the above configuration, the first rib 142 can increase the strength of the sealing member 140 and improve the waterproof or dustproof performance of the sealing member 140.

In addition, in this embodiment, the housing 110 and the cover 130 are joined by screws 500 with the seal member 140 sandwiched between them.

With the above configuration, the housing 110 and the cover 130 can be firmly connected by the screw 500.

In addition, in the embodiment, the seal member 140 further has a second rib 143 provided around the through hole 141 through which the screw 500 provided in the seal member 140 passes.

With the above-described configuration, the second rib 143 can further increase the strength of the sealing member 140 and further increase the waterproof or dustproof performance of the sealing member 140.

<Modification>
In the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which two electric cables 300 are provided is illustrated. However, the technology of the present disclosure is also applicable to a configuration in which only one electric cable 300 is provided, and a configuration in which three or more electric cables 300 are provided.

In the above-described embodiment, the elastic conductive member 160 has an M-shape that is symmetrical in the Y direction, in which two inverted U-shaped parts of approximately the same size are connected in the Y direction. However, as a modified example, a configuration using an elastic conductive member having a shape asymmetrical in the Y direction, such as a horizontal S-shape or a shape in which one free end is further folded multiple times, is also conceivable. Another example of a shape asymmetrical in the Y direction is an M-shape that is asymmetrical in the Y direction, in which two inverted U-shaped parts of different sizes or shapes are connected in the Y direction. When two electric cables are held by an elastic conductive member asymmetrical in the Y direction such as these modified examples, it is necessary to use the two elastic conductive members with their Y direction reversed.

Now, referring to Figure 9, we will explain in more detail an example of an M-shaped elastic conductive member that is asymmetric in the Y direction as a modified example. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an elastic conductive member 1160 according to the modified example.

In the modified example shown in Figure 9, the elastic conductive member 1160 has an M-shape that is asymmetric in the Y direction, consisting of two inverted U-shaped portions of different shapes connected in the Y direction. More specifically, elastic conductive member 1160 is composed of a bent plate-shaped metal member having plate portion 1161, plate portion 1162 facing plate portion 1161, plate portion 1163 facing plate portion 1162, plate portion 1164 facing plate portion 1163, bent portion 1165 connecting plate portion 1161 and plate portion 1162, bent portion 1166 connecting plate portion 1162 and plate portion 1163, bent portion 1167 connecting plate portion 1163 and plate portion 1164, claw portion 1168 provided at the end of plate portion 1161 opposite bent portion 1165, and claw portion 1169 provided at the end of plate portion 1164 opposite bent portion 1167. In addition, plate portion 1162 has plate portion 1162A that is connected to bent portion 165 so as to be substantially opposite plate portion 1161, and plate portion 1162B that extends linearly from the end of plate portion 1162A opposite bent portion 165 toward bent portion 1166 and away from plate portion 1161.

9, the inverted U-shaped portion on one side, which is composed of plate portions 1161, 1162, and bent portion 165, constitutes a cable accommodating portion that accommodates electric cable 300 (and presses against cable support portion 111), and the inverted U-shaped portion on the other side, which is composed of plate portions 1163, 1164, and bent portion 1167 (particularly plate portion 1164), constitutes a biased portion that is biased against wall portion 112 (see FIG. 6) of housing 110. Note that the roles of claw portions 1168 and 1169 are similar to those of claw portions 168 and 160 of elastic conductive member 160 in the above-described embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, the first opening 113 into which the electric cable 300 is inserted is provided in a planar shape. However, as a modified example, a configuration in which the first opening is provided in a curved shape is also conceivable. As such a modified example, for example, a configuration in which only a portion of the upper surface of the housing is cut out is conceivable. In this configuration, the cover-side end of the upper surface of the housing does not extend linearly in the Y direction, and is partially cut out on the front side of the housing at a portion that interferes with the electric cable when the electric cable is inserted or removed. Even with this configuration, when viewed in a cross section in a side view along the electric cable passing through the first opening, it is possible for the electric cable to pass through both the first opening and the second opening in a substantially linear manner through the housing, as in the above-described embodiment.

Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments and modifications are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments and modifications can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

100 Plug connector (cable connector)
110 Housing 113 First opening 114 Second opening 130 Cover 140 Sealing member 141 Through hole 142 First rib 143 Second rib 300 Electric cable 410 Terminal portion 500 Screw P1 First wire P2 Second wire P3 Third wire

Claims (7)

a cylindrical housing configured to accommodate a terminal portion to be connected to an end of an electric cable, the housing having a first opening at one end through which the electric cable is inserted and a second opening at the other end through which the terminal portion connected to the end of the electric cable inserted from the first opening is exposed;
a cover coupled to the housing so as to cover the first opening of the housing;
Equipped with
the housing and the cover joined together form an internal space that is substantially L-shaped in a side view,
In a cross section of the housing in the side view along the electric cable passing through the first opening, a first line along the first opening, the first line along a joining surface between the housing and the cover, is inclined so as to approach the end of the electric cable in a second direction parallel to the second line as it moves away from the second line along a first direction perpendicular to a second line along the second opening ,
The first opening and the second opening are provided so as not to overlap with each other in a line of sight in the first direction.
Cable connector. The first opening and the second opening are provided in a planar shape.
2. The cable connector according to claim 1 . a frame-shaped seal member that is sandwiched between the housing and the cover and that is aligned along an edge of the first opening;
3. A cable connector according to claim 1 or 2 . The seal member has a first rib rising from a surface of the seal member so as to face an edge of the first opening.
4. The cable connector according to claim 3 . The housing and the cover are joined together by screws with the seal member sandwiched therebetween.
5. A cable connector according to claim 3 or 4 . The seal member further includes a second rib provided around a through hole provided in the seal member through which the screw passes.
6. A cable connector according to claim 5 . a cylindrical housing configured to accommodate a terminal portion to be connected to an end of an electric cable, the housing having a first opening at one end through which the electric cable is inserted and a second opening at the other end through which the terminal portion connected to the end of the electric cable inserted from the first opening is exposed;
a cover coupled to the housing so as to cover the first opening of the housing;
Equipped with
the housing and the cover joined together form an internal space that is substantially L-shaped in a side view,
In a cross section of the housing in the side view along the electric cable passing through the first opening, a first line along the first opening, the first line along a joining surface between the housing and the cover, is inclined so as to approach the end of the electric cable in a second direction parallel to the second line as it moves away from the second line along a first direction perpendicular to a second line along the second opening,
a frame-shaped seal member that is sandwiched between the housing and the cover and that is aligned along an edge of the first opening;
The housing and the cover are joined together by screws with the seal member sandwiched therebetween.
Cable connector.

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