JP7633668B2 - Cable Connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cable connector, and in particular to a cable connector suitable for high frequencies.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a coaxial cable connector. This coaxial cable connector connects a cylindrical external contact to the outer conductor of a coaxial cable, inserts this external contact into a terminal receiving chamber of an external housing, and engages a flange formed to protrude radially outward of the external contact with a locking claw of a housing lance formed on the external housing, and locks it with a retainer attached to the external housing, preventing the external contact from falling off the external housing.

JP2019-153464A

In the conventional coaxial cable connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, a flange was formed on the external contact to secure the external contact to the external housing. In other conventional coaxial cable connectors, a lance was formed on the external contact. These flanges and lances were then engaged with steps formed in correspondence with the interior of the terminal receiving chamber of the external housing. However, when a flange or lance was formed, the radial shape of the external contact became complex, and spaces and steps were also created between the external contact and the external housing, which could result in a decrease in high frequency performance.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cable connector that has a structure for fixing the contacts to the housing without degrading high frequency performance.

In order to solve the above problems, the cable connector of the present invention comprises:
a cylindrical contact having a contact portion that comes into contact with a contact of a mating connector to establish electrical continuity;
a cylindrical core housing that surrounds the contact along an extending direction of the contact;
a retaining structure that prevents the contact from falling off from the core housing when the contact is inserted into the core housing,
The cable connector is provided such that the anti-disconnection structure is located closer to the mating side with the contact of the mating connector than the contact portion of the contact.

In one aspect of the present invention, the retaining structure includes a lance formed on the core housing, a locking claw formed at the tip of the lance, and a locking member formed on the contact corresponding to the lance and the locking claw.

In one aspect of the present invention, the engaged member is an annular member formed on the mating end of the contact.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the annular member is circular.

In one aspect of the present invention, the contact portion of the contact is formed on the engaged member at a position opposite the mating side, and extends in a cantilever-like manner from the side opposite the mating side toward the mating side.

In one aspect of the present invention, the device further includes an external housing having a chamber in which the core housing is housed.

The present invention provides a cable connector that has a structure that secures the contacts to the housing without compromising high-frequency performance.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the contact can be prevented from falling off the core housing in the mating direction.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to improve the strength of the locked member.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the contact can be attached to the core housing regardless of the direction in which it is rotated around the central axis in the mating direction.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the interlocking member for interlocking the contact with the core housing can be formed on the mating side of the contact portion of the contact, reducing the effect of the interlocking member on high frequency performance.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the assembly of the contacts and core housing is attached to the external housing, making it possible to easily assemble the cable connector.

FIG. 1A is an external perspective view of a female coaxial cable connector according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of the female coaxial cable connector according to the present embodiment, disassembled into its main components. FIG. 2(A) is an exploded perspective view of a female housing assembly of a female coaxial cable connector of this embodiment, and FIG. 2(B) is a cross-sectional view of the female housing assembly of FIG. 2(A) cut along a plane extending in the front-to-back and up-down directions in the mating direction and viewed from the side. FIG. 3(A) is an exploded perspective view of a female core housing assembly of a female coaxial cable connector of this embodiment, and FIG. 3(B) is a cross-sectional view of the female core housing assembly of FIG. 3(A) disassembled and cut along a plane extending in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions in the mating direction and viewed from the side. 4(A) and 4(B) are diagrams showing a core housing of this embodiment, in which FIG. 4(A) is a top view, FIG. 4(B) is a side view, FIG. 4(C) is a bottom view, FIG. 4(D) is a cross-sectional view taken along line IVD-IVD in FIG. 4(A) and viewed from the side, and FIG. 4(E) is a front view of the core housing viewed from the front to the rear in the mating direction. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a center contact according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the female outer contact assembly of the present embodiment. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing the outer contact of the present embodiment, in which FIG. 7(A) is an oblique view showing the state in which the outer contact during manufacture is connected to a strip carrier, FIG. 7(B) is a top view of FIG. 7(A), FIG. 7(C) is a side view, FIG. 7(D) is a bottom view, and FIG. 7(E) is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIE-VIIE in FIG. 7(B) and viewed from the side. 2 is an external perspective view of a ferrule constituting the female coaxial cable connector of the present embodiment. FIG. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing the assembly process of the female coaxial cable connector of this embodiment, in which FIG. 9(A) is an external perspective view showing the state in which the coaxial cable is inserted into the female core housing assembly and the cable sheath is removed to expose the braided conductor, FIG. 9(B) is an external perspective view showing the state in which a ferrule is attached around the braided conductor, FIG. 9(C) is an external perspective view showing the state in which the braided conductor is folded back around the ferrule, FIG. 9(D) is an external perspective view showing the state in which a center contact is crimped to the core wire, and FIG. 9(E) is an external perspective view showing the state in which the female outer contact assembly is connected to the coaxial cable. 10A is a perspective view showing the assembly process of the female coaxial cable connector of this embodiment, in which FIG. 10A is an external perspective view showing the state before the core housing is attached to the female outer contact assembly, FIG. 10B is a front view when viewed from the front in the mating direction of FIG. 10A as viewed from the rear, FIG. 10C is a cross-sectional view taken along line XC-XC in FIG. 10B as viewed from the side, FIG. 10D is an external perspective view showing the state in the middle of attaching the core housing to the female outer contact assembly, and FIG. 10E is a perspective view showing the state in the middle of attaching the core housing to the female outer contact assembly of FIG. FIG. 10(D) is a front view seen from the front to the rear in the mating direction, FIG. 10(F) is a cross-sectional view seen from the side, taken along line XF-XF in FIG. 10(E), FIG. 10(G) is an external perspective view showing the state in which the core housing has been completely attached to the female outer contact assembly, FIG. 10(H) is a front view seen from the front to the rear in the mating direction, FIG. 10(G) is a cross-sectional view seen from the side, taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 10(H), and FIG. 10(J) is an enlarged view of portion XJ in FIG. 10(I). 11(A) is a side view showing the state before the assembly of FIG. 10(G) is inserted into the external housing; FIG. 11(B) is a cross-sectional view of the state of FIG. 11(A) cut along a plane extending in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions in the mating direction and viewed from the side; FIG. 11(C) is a side view showing the state after the assembly of FIG. 10(G) has been completely inserted into the external housing; FIG. 11(D) is a cross-sectional view of the state of FIG. 11(C) cut along a plane extending in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions in the mating direction and viewed from the side; FIG. 11(E) is a side view showing the state in which the retainer has been completely attached to the external housing; and FIG. 11(F) is a cross-sectional view of the state of FIG. 11(E) cut along a plane extending in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions in the mating direction and viewed from the side.

The female coaxial cable connector 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below illustrates the female coaxial cable connector 10 as an example of the cable connector of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention to this female coaxial cable connector 10, but should be equally applicable to other types of cable connectors described in the claims.

The overall configuration of the female coaxial cable connector 10 will be described with reference to Figure 1. The female coaxial cable connector 10 of this embodiment includes a female housing assembly 100, a female core housing assembly 200, a female center contact 300, a female outer contact assembly 400, and a ferrule 500, which are assembled according to the process described below and connected to the coaxial cable R.

In the following description, the direction in which the coaxial cable R extends is referred to as the "mating direction" or "front-rear direction", the direction perpendicular to this, i.e., the top-bottom direction on the paper in Figures 1(A) and 1(B), is referred to as the "top-bottom direction", and the direction perpendicular to both the mating direction and the top-bottom direction is referred to as the "width direction". In particular, within the mating direction, the direction toward the mating connector, i.e., the direction toward the bottom-left on the paper in Figures 1(A) and 1(B), is referred to as the "forward mating direction", and the direction away from the mating connector, i.e., the direction toward the top-right on the paper in Figures 1(A) and 1(B), is referred to as the "rear mating direction".

In this embodiment, the cable connector is described as being applied to a female coaxial cable connector 10, but the present invention is not limited to female connectors, and may be applied to a male connector that corresponds to the configuration of the main parts of the female coaxial cable connector 10 described below.

The female housing assembly 100 will be described with reference to Figures 2(A) and 2(B). The female housing assembly 100 includes an outer housing 110 and a retainer 130.

The external housing 110 has an internal storage chamber, and the core housing 210, which will be described later, is stored in this storage chamber. The external housing 110 is a hollow cylindrical rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has an upper plate 111, a bottom plate 112, and side plates 113 and 114. The interior surrounded on all four sides by the upper plate 111, the bottom plate 112, and the side plates 113 and 114 forms a core housing storage space 115, which is a roughly cylindrical storage chamber, and this core housing storage space 115 penetrates the external housing 110 in the front-rear direction. The core housing storage space 115 stores the female core housing assembly 200, which will be described later. The front side of the core housing storage space 115 in the mating direction is the mating end 116, and the rear side in the mating direction is the wire insertion end 117.

A lock arm 118 is connected to the upper plate 111 via a connecting portion 119, and the lock arm 118 can rotate up and down with the connecting portion 119 as a fulcrum. When the female coaxial cable connector 10 is connected to a mating connector (not shown), the lock arm 118 engages with a correspondingly formed locking protrusion, thereby maintaining the mating state with the mating connector.

The bottom plate 112 has two retainer insertion openings (not shown) formed in the width direction, which communicate with the core housing accommodating space 115. The bottom plate 112 also has a housing lance 120 provided in the middle portion between the two retainer insertion openings. The housing lance 120 is integrally connected to the bottom plate 112 on the wire insertion end 117 side, and extends in a cantilever shape from the bottom plate 112 toward the mating end 116, with the portion between the two retainer insertion openings as its tip portion, and a locking claw 121 that protrudes upward is formed on this tip portion.

The retainer 130 has a base 131 and a pair of locking legs 132, 133 that extend upward from the widthwise outer end of the base 131. The locking legs 132, 133 can be inserted into the retainer insertion opening of the outer housing 110 and lock the female core housing assembly 200, described below, inside the core housing accommodation space 115. When the retainer 130 is inserted into the retainer insertion opening until it is in a fully locked state, described below, the locking legs 132, 133 are inserted into the annular groove of the female core housing assembly 200 and prevent the female core housing assembly 200 from moving forward and backward within the core housing accommodation space 115.

Next, the female core housing assembly 200 will be described with reference to Figures 3(A), 3(B), and 4(A) to 4(E). As shown in Figure 3(A), the female core housing assembly 200 includes a core housing 210, a wire seal cap 230, a wire seal 240, and a mating side seal 250.

As shown in Figures 4(A) to 4(E), the core housing 210 is a cylindrical member that surrounds the radial periphery of the outer contact 410 without any openings along the extension direction of the outer contact 410 described below. The core housing 210 has a core housing body 211 made of resin and formed into a cylindrical shape, which has a mating end 212 and a wire insertion end 213. In other words, the core housing body 211 has a structure in which there are no holes or openings between the mating end 212 and the wire insertion end 213. Inside the core housing body 211, a contact accommodating space 214 that accommodates the female outer contact assembly 400 described below is formed so as to penetrate from the mating end 212 to the wire insertion end 213. The shape of the contact accommodating space 214, i.e., the internal shape of the core housing body 211, is preferably cylindrical.

A ring-shaped groove 215 is formed in the outer surface of the core housing body 211 at the center in the mating direction so as to recess radially inward along the outer circumferential surface. The locking claw 121 of the housing lance 120 of the outer housing 110 is locked into this ring-shaped groove 215, and the locking legs 132, 133 of the retainer 130 are inserted into the ring-shaped groove 215, preventing the core housing 210 from moving forward and backward inside the outer housing 110.

The core housing body 211 has a mating groove 216 recessed radially inward on the mating end 212 side of the annular groove 215. The core housing body 211 also has an insertion end groove 217 recessed radially inward on the wire insertion end 213 side of the annular groove 215. The mating groove 216 is fitted with a mating seal 250 (described later), and the insertion end groove 217 is engaged with a locking claw of the wire seal cap 230 (described later). Therefore, when the female core housing assembly 200 is assembled into the external housing 110, the core housing body 211 of the core housing 210 extends further in the mating direction with the mating connector beyond the mating seal 250 inside the core housing accommodation space 115.

On the mating end 212 side of the core housing 210, there is a lance 218, and at the tip of the mating side of this lance 218, there is a locking claw 219 that protrudes toward the radial center of the core housing 210, and an annular portion 220 formed on the mating end 212 of the core housing 210. The lance 218 is formed integrally with the core housing body 211 near the mating side groove portion 216, and extends forward in the mating direction in a cantilever shape from there, and has a tip portion that is separated from the annular portion 220 at a position not reaching the mating end 212, and the locking claw 219 is formed on this tip portion.

In addition, in the contact accommodating space 214 of the core housing 210, a protruding portion 221 with a reduced diameter is formed on the inner surface side of the insertion end groove portion 217, separating the contact accommodating space 214 from the wire insertion end 213. The space on the wire insertion end 213 side of the protruding portion 221 forms the wire accommodating portion 222.

As shown in Figures 3(A) and 3(B), the wire seal cap 230 is fitted onto the outer periphery of the wire insertion end 213 side of the core housing 210. The wire seal cap 230 is cylindrical in shape and has a body 231 long enough to cover the area between the wire insertion end 213 of the core housing 210 and the insertion end groove 217, an end face 232 that covers the end face of the wire insertion end 213 of the core housing 210 excluding the coaxial cable insertion portion, and a locking claw 233 that protrudes annularly radially inward at the mating end.

As shown in FIG. 3(A), the wire seal 240 is disposed in the wire accommodating section 222 of the core housing 210, and is disposed between the core housing main body 211 and the outer surface of the coaxial cable R inserted therein, to seal between the inner surface of the core housing main body 211 and the coaxial cable R. The wire seal 240 is a cylindrical member made of resin and has a predetermined width in the front-to-rear direction and a predetermined thickness in the radial direction, with unevenness formed on both the inner and outer surfaces. When the female coaxial cable connector 10 is assembled, these unevennesses come into close contact with both the outer surface of the coaxial cable R and the inner surface of the core housing 210.

The mating side seal 250 is a resin ring-shaped member that is fitted around the mating side groove portion 216 of the core housing 210. The mating side seal 250 is disposed between the core housing main body 211 and the external housing 110 on the mating end 212 side of the core housing 210, and seals between the core housing main body 211 and the inner surface of the core housing accommodating space 115 of the external housing 110, and between the components of the mating connector that are fitted around the core housing 210.

Next, the female center contact 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The female center contact 300 is made of metal and has a base end 302 with a gripping portion 301 that is crimped to the central conductor of the coaxial cable R, and a cylindrical contact portion 303 that extends forward in the mating direction from the base end 302. The forward portion of the cylindrical contact portion 303 in the mating direction is divided into a number of contact pieces 305 that have a certain degree of elasticity by forming a number of slits 304 from the mating end toward the rear. When the pin-shaped center contact of the mating connector is inserted into the center portion of the contact piece 305, electrical continuity is established.

Next, the female outer contact assembly 400 will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7(A) to 7(E). The female outer contact assembly 400 includes an outer contact 410, which is a cylindrical contact, and an insulator 430 housed therein.

As shown in Figures 7(A) to 7(E), the outer contact 410 is a member formed into a tubular shape by pressing a metal plate, and includes a main body part 411, an outer sheath crimping part 412 formed on the cable insertion end side, an outer conductor connecting part 413, a contact piece 414 formed on the mating end, and an annular member 415 formed on the mating end. The outer shape of the outer contact 410 is tubular corresponding to the internal shape of the contact accommodating space 214 of the core housing main body 211, and is preferably cylindrical.

The main body barrel 411 is formed by pressing a flat metal plate into a cylindrical shape extending in the front-to-rear direction, and is particularly formed to have a shape that is smooth both radially outward and radially inward. In other words, the outer surface of the main body barrel 411 is configured without any flanges or ribs.

The outer sheath crimping section 412 has a pair of outer sheath gripping pieces 416 that extend circumferentially from the base, into which the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R is inserted and crimped.

The outer conductor connection part 413 is located between the main body part 411 and the outer sheath crimping part 412, and like the outer sheath crimping part 412, has a pair of outer conductor gripping pieces 417 that extend circumferentially from the base, into which the braided conductor of the coaxial cable R folded back around the ferrule 500 described below is inserted and crimped.

The contact piece 414 is formed contiguously with the main body body 411 at a position on the front side of the main body body 411 in the mating direction and on the rear side of the annular member 415 in the mating direction. The contact piece 414 is separated from the annular member 415 and the connecting beam 419 described later by a U-shaped slit 418, and extends in a cantilever shape from the rear side in the mating direction, that is, from the end of the main body body 411 on the front side in the mating direction, toward the front in the mating direction, and has elasticity in the radial direction. A contact point 420 that protrudes slightly radially inward is provided at the tip portion of the contact piece 414 on the front side in the mating direction. The contact point 420 of the contact piece 414 becomes a contact portion that contacts the contact of the mating connector to establish electrical conduction when the female coaxial cable connector 10 of this embodiment is mated with the mating connector.

The annular member 415 is a member formed in an annular shape at the front end of the outer contact 410 in the mating direction, and serves as a locked member that prevents the outer contact 410 from falling off the core housing 210 when the outer contact 410 is inserted into the contact accommodating space 214 of the core housing 210. The annular member 415 is connected to the main body body 411 by a connecting beam 419, while being separated from the contact piece 414 by a slit 418. The shape of the annular member 415 is circular when viewed from the front to the rear in the mating direction, but may be a polygonal shape such as a regular square or regular octagon.

As shown in FIG. 6, the insulator 430 is a cylindrical member made of insulating resin and has a predetermined thickness, and includes an insulating body 431 and a central contact accommodating passage 432 that penetrates the insulating body 431 in the front-rear direction. The outer diameter of the insulating body 431 is approximately equal to the inner diameter of the body barrel 411 of the outer contact 410, and the inner diameter of the central contact accommodating passage 432 is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the female center contact 300. This insulator 430 holds the female center contact 300 in the central contact accommodating passage 432, and the outer periphery of the insulating body 431 is held by the outer contact 410.

The length of the insulator 430 in the mating direction is the length that surrounds the radial periphery of the female center contact 300 and the radial periphery of the insulator exposed from the portion of the coaxial cable R where the ferrule 500 described below is mated, and this length is also the length that extends inside the main body barrel 411, contact piece 414, and annular member 415 of the outer contact 410.

Next, the ferrule 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the ferrule 500 is a cylindrical member made of metal. The inner diameter of the ferrule 500 is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the braided conductor of the coaxial cable R. The ferrule 500 is fitted around the braided conductor exposed after the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R is peeled off. Furthermore, the braided conductor exposed on the front side of the mating direction from the ferrule 500 is folded back on the outer surface of the ferrule 500 toward the rear of the mating direction, inserted and held between the outer conductor gripping pieces 417 of the outer contact 410, and crimped and connected to the ferrule 500.

The female coaxial cable connector 10 of this embodiment includes a retaining structure that prevents the outer contact 410 from falling off the core housing 210 when the outer contact 410 is inserted into the core housing 210. This retaining structure includes a lance 218 formed on the core housing 210, a locking claw 219 formed at the tip of the lance, and a locked member formed on the outer contact 410 corresponding to the lance 218 and the locking claw 219. This locked member is an annular member 415 formed on the mating end of the outer contact 410.

This anti-slip structure is located on the mating side with the contact of the mating connector, that is, forward in the mating direction, of the contact point 420 formed on the contact piece 414 of the outer contact 410.

[Assembly method]
Next, a method of assembling the female coaxial cable connector 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 9(A)-9(E), 10(A)-10(J), and 11(A)-11(F). First, the coaxial cable R is cut and then inserted into the female core housing assembly 200. Specifically, the end of the coaxial cable R is inserted into the wire seal cap 230 and the core housing 210 from the wire insertion end 213 into the contact accommodating space 214, and then pulled out from the mating end 212. Next, as shown in Figure 9(A), a predetermined length of the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R is removed to expose the braided conductor. The length of the exposed braided conductor is set to be longer than the length of the ferrule 500.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9(B), the ferrule 500 is fitted around the exposed braided conductor. At this time, the rear end of the ferrule 500 in the fitting direction reaches the front end of the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R in the fitting direction.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9(C), the braided conductor exposed from the front end of the ferrule 500 in the mating direction is folded back toward the rear in the mating direction and placed around the ferrule 500.

Next, a predetermined length of the dielectric extending from the radial inside of the folded back braided conductor toward the front in the mating direction is removed to expose the central conductor. Note that in Fig. 9(A) and Fig. 9(B), the central conductor is exposed from the beginning, and as shown, the process of cutting the braided conductor and the dielectric to a predetermined length to expose the central conductor may be performed before inserting the coaxial cable R into the female core housing assembly 200. Next, as shown in Fig. 9(D), the female center contact 300 is connected to the exposed central conductor. Specifically, the central conductor is inserted into the base end 302, and the gripping portion 301 is crimped toward the base end 302 with the central conductor interposed therebetween.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9(E), the female outer contact assembly 400 is attached. Specifically, the coaxial cable R and the female center contact 300 in the state shown in FIG. 9(D) are inserted with the insulator 430 housed inside the main body 411 of the outer contact 410. At this time, the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R is placed inside the sheath crimping portion 412, and the braided conductor folded back around the ferrule 500 is placed inside the outer conductor connecting portion 413. The female center contact 300 is housed in the center contact housing passage 432 of the insulator 430. Then, the sheath crimping portion 412 is crimped from the outer periphery against the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R. Similarly, the outer conductor connecting portion 413 is crimped from the outer periphery against the braided conductor folded back around the ferrule 500 of the coaxial cable R.

Next, as shown in Figures 10(A)-10(J), the coaxial cable R to which the outer contact 410 is attached is pulled backward in the mating direction to attach the female outer contact assembly 400 into the female core housing assembly 200. Figures 10(A)-10(C) show the state before the outer contact 410 is attached to the female core housing assembly 200.

As shown in Figures 10(D)-10(J), the main body portion 411, outer cover crimping portion 412, and outer conductor connecting portion 413 of the outer contact 410 are inserted from the front to the rear in the mating direction into the contact accommodating space 214 of the core housing 210. At this time, the annular member 415 of the outer contact 410 comes into contact with the locking claws 219 of the core housing 210, deforming the lance 218 radially outward.

As shown in Figures 10(I) and 10(J), when the annular member 415 passes the locking claw 219 of the core housing 210 backward in the mating direction, the pressure applied to the lance 218 is released and the lance 218 returns to its initial position. At this time, the locking claw 219 is locked to the front end portion of the annular member 415 of the outer contact 410 in the mating direction, preventing the outer contact 410 from falling off the core housing 210 forward in the mating direction. At this time, the rear end of the outer cover gripping piece 416 of the outer contact 410 in the mating direction reaches and abuts on the protruding portion 221 of the contact receiving space 214 of the core housing 210, restricting the outer contact 410 from moving backward in the mating direction within the core housing 210.

In addition, the wire seal 240 seals between the inner surface of the wire accommodating section 222 of the core housing 210 and the outer sheath of the coaxial cable R inserted therein, preventing moisture from entering the contact accommodating space 214.

Next, as shown in Figures 11(A)-11(F), the female core housing assembly 200 is attached to the female housing assembly 100. Specifically, the female core housing assembly 200 is inserted into the core housing accommodating space 115 of the external housing 110 from the wire insertion end 117 side toward the front in the mating direction. As the core housing body 211 is inserted into the core housing accommodating space 115 of the external housing 110, the outer surface of the core housing body 211 comes into contact with the locking claw 121 at the tip of the housing lance 120 formed on the bottom plate 112, and the housing lance 120 deforms outward, that is, downward.

When the core housing body 211 is moved further forward in the mating direction, the annular groove 215 of the core housing body 211 reaches the position of the locking claw 121, the deformation of the housing lance 120 is released and it returns to its original shape, and the locking claw 121 is locked in the annular groove 215 of the core housing body 211. This limits the movement of the core housing 210 in the forward and backward mating direction within the core housing accommodation space 115 of the outer housing 110.

At this time, the mating side seal 250 is fitted into the mating side groove portion 216 of the core housing 210, and when the portion of the core housing 210 from the mating end 212 to the mating side groove portion 216 is mated with the mating portion of the mating connector, it seals between the mating portion of the mating connector and the core housing 210, preventing moisture from entering the mating portion.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 11(C) and 11(D), the locking legs 132 and 133 of the retainer 130 are inserted into the retainer insertion opening formed in the bottom plate 112 of the external housing 110 to set the retainer in a preset state.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 11(E) and 11(F), when the locking legs 132, 133 of the retainer 130 are fully inserted into the retainer insertion port to achieve a fully set state, the locking legs 132, 133 of the retainer 130 are inserted into the widthwise outer portion of the annular groove portion 215 of the core housing 210, and the core housing 210 cannot be moved in the mating direction.

As explained above, by constructing the core housing 210, which is a single resin member, from the mating side seal 250 to the wire accommodating section 222 where the wire seal 240 is attached, the female outer contact assembly 400 and the female center contact housed inside the core housing 210 can be waterproofed from the outside, and the number of sealing members can be reduced.

The shape of the contact receiving space 214 of the core housing 210 is cylindrical, and the outer shape of the female outer contact assembly 400 received therein is also cylindrical. Therefore, the female outer contact assembly 400 can be rotated around the front-rear direction of the mating direction inside the contact receiving space 214 of the core housing 210 as a central axis. In addition, since the outer shape of the core housing main body 211 of the core housing 210 is cylindrical, and the inner shape of the core housing receiving space 115 of the external housing 110 that receives it is also cylindrical, the core housing 210 can be rotated around the front-rear direction of the mating direction inside the core housing receiving space 115. As a result, after assembling the female coaxial cable connector 10, the connector can be rotated in the twisting direction of the cable, and even if the core wire is a cable that is easily broken, it is possible to crimp and connect to the female center contact without considering the directionality of the contact around the front-rear axis of the mating direction during contact assembly.

Furthermore, the outer contact 410 is locked to the core housing 210 at the mating end 212 side of the core housing 210. In other words, the outer contact 410 is held in the core housing 210 by the annular member 415 being locked to the locking claw 219 forward in the mating direction from the contact point 420 of the contact piece 414. This configuration makes it possible to make the area of the outer contact 410 where the current mainly flows a cylindrical shape without any irregularities, thereby improving high frequency performance. It also makes it possible to prevent the outer contact 410 from falling off the mating end 212 of the core housing 210 even if the coaxial cable R is pushed forward in the mating direction.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example in which the core housing and the external housing are separate has been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the cable connector may be one in which the core housing and the external housing are integrated.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the cable connector is exemplified as a connector having a waterproof function, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the cable connector may be a non-waterproof connector.

10 Female coaxial cable connector 100 Female housing assembly 110 Outer housing 111 Top plate 112 Bottom plate 113, 114 Side plates 115 Core housing accommodating space 116 Mating end 117 Wire insertion end 118 Lock arm 119 Connection portion 120 Housing lance 121 Locking claw 130 Retainer 131 Base portion 132, 133 Locking leg portion 200 Female core housing assembly 210 Core housing 211 Core housing body 212 Mating end 213 Wire insertion end 214 Contact accommodating space 215 Annular groove portion 216 Mating side groove portion 217 Insertion end side groove portion 218 Lance 219 Locking claw 220 Annular portion 221 Projection portion 222 Wire accommodating portion 230 Wire seal cap 231 Body portion 232 End face 233 Locking claw 240 Wire seal 250 Mating side seal 300 Female central contact 301 Grip portion 302 Base end portion 303 Contact portion 304 Slit 305 Contact piece 400 Female outer contact assembly 410 Outer contact 411 Body body portion 412 Outer jacket crimping portion 413 Outer conductor connecting portion 414 Contact piece 415 Annular member 416 Outer jacket gripping piece 417 Outer conductor gripping piece 418 Slit 419 Connection beam 420 Contact point 430 Insulator 431 Insulating body 432 Central contact accommodating passage 500 Ferrule

Claims (5)

a cylindrical contact having a contact portion that comes into contact with a contact of a mating connector to establish electrical continuity;
a cylindrical core housing that surrounds the cylindrical contact along an extending direction of the cylindrical contact;
a retaining structure for preventing the cylindrical contact from falling off from the core housing when the cylindrical contact is inserted into the core housing,
A cable connector in which the anti-slip structure includes a lance formed on the core housing and a locking claw formed at the tip of the lance, and a locking member formed on the tubular contact corresponding to the lance and the locking claw, each of which is positioned on the mating side with the contact of the mating connector rather than the contact portion of the tubular contact. 2. The cable connector according to claim 1 , wherein the locked member is an annular member formed on the mating end of the cylindrical contact. 3. The cable connector of claim 2 , wherein said annular member is circular. 4. A cable connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact portion of the tubular contact is formed at a position of the engaged member opposite the mating side and extends in a cantilever-like manner from the side opposite the mating side toward the mating side. 5. The cable connector according to claim 1, further comprising an outer housing, the outer housing having an internal chamber for receiving the core housing.

Images