Patent Publication Number: US-11043761-B2

Title: Connector

Description:
The technology disclosed in the present application relates to a connector that is attached to a device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Conventionally, among connectors that are attached to devices, a connector has been known that is provided with a main body made from a resin and formed into an annular shape, a terminal-equipped wire embedded in the main body that passes through the outer peripheral wall of the main body, and a metal shield shell that is fixed to the device, with a terminal being fixed, inside the main body, to a terminal fixing section on the device side (for example, see in JP Published Patent Application No. 2008-258103). 
     Specifically, the molded connector disclosed in JP Published Patent Application No. 2008-258103 is provided with a connector fitting section and cap fitting section (corresponding to the main body), a wire embedded in the main body that passes through the outer peripheral wall of the main body (corresponding to the terminal-equipped wire) and a metal shield shell fixed to the device, with a connection section of a terminal fitting (corresponding to the terminal) connected, inside the main body, by a bolt to a device-side terminal of the device-side connector (corresponding to the terminal fixing section on the device side). 
     In addition, the molded connector disclosed in JP Published Patent Application No. 2008-258103 is provided with a cap that covers an opening in the cap fitting section, and a bottom surface of the shield shell and a top surface of the cap are roughly in surface contact. Consequently, in this molded connector, even if the wires shake, tilting of the main body is suppressed by the shield shell. Through this, application of stress on the connecting section of the terminal fitting and the device-side terminal is suppressed, so that damage to the connection section of the terminal fitting or the device-side terminal is suppressed. 
     SUMMARY 
     However, there are concerns that when the bottom surface of the shield shell is in surface contact with the main body, water could accumulate between due to surface tension. In addition, surface contact requires a high degree of processing precision, creating the problem that the cost of producing the connector climbs. 
     Consequently, there are also cases in which a gap of a certain size is provided between the shield shell and the connector main body. However, when the gap is provided, the main body tilts and stress is applied to the terminal and the terminal fixing section when the wires shake, creating the concern that the terminal or the terminal fixing section could be damaged. 
     In this specification, a technology is disclosed that can suppress damage to the terminal or the terminal fixing section caused by shaking of the wires, even when there is a gap between the shield shell and the connector main body. 
     The connector disclosed in this specification is a connector attached to a device, the connector comprising: a main body made from resin and formed so as to have an annular shape; a terminal-equipped wire embedded in the main body so as to pass through the outer peripheral wall of the main body, the terminal-equipped wire being such that the terminal is fixed, inside the main body, to a terminal fixing section on the device side; and a shield shell made from metal that covers at least a portion of the main body, the shield shell being fixed to the device with a gap between the shield shell and the main body; wherein protrusions are provided on at least one of (i) a section of the shield shell covering the main body or (ii) a section of the main body covered by the shield shell, the protrusions protruding toward the other of these two components. 
     With the above-described connector, tilting of the main body is suppressed even when the wires shake, by protrusions provided on at least one of (i) the shield shell or (ii) the main body and abutting the other of these two components. Through this, even where there is a gap between the shield shell and the connector main body, damage to the terminal or the terminal fixing section caused by shaking of the wires can be suppressed. 
     In addition, the main body may include a flange that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral wall, the shield shell includes an opening and covers at least a portion of the flange when the main body is inserted into the opening, and the protrusions are provided on at least one of (i) a section of the shield shell covering the flange or (ii) a section of the flange being covered by the shield shell. 
     With the above-described connector, even when the main body itself (the part other than the flange) is not covered by the shield shell because the main body is inserted into the opening, tilting of the main body can be suppressed by the protrusions being provided on at least one of (i) the shield shell or (ii) the flange. 
     In addition, a plurality of protrusions may be provided, separated from each other in a peripheral direction of the opening. 
     With the above-described connector, a plurality of protrusions is provided, the protrusions being separated from each other in the peripheral direction of the opening, and through this, tilting of the main body can be suppressed with greater certainty compared to when only one protrusion is provided. 
     In addition, the number of protrusions may be at least three. 
     When the number of protrusions is two, there is a concern that tilting cannot be suppressed when the main body tilts around the straight line connecting the two protrusions, so preferably there are three or more protrusions in order to suppress tilting of the main body with greater certainty. With the above-described connector, tilting of the main body can be suppressed with greater certainty. 
     In addition, the protrusions may be provided on the shield shell. 
     The flange is made of resin, and consequently, there is a concern that when the protrusions are provided on the flange, the protrusions will be crushed when abutting the metal shield shell. With the above-described connector, the protrusions are provided on the shield shell, so crushing of the protrusions can be suppressed. 
     With the technology disclosed in this specification, damage to the terminal or the terminal fixing section caused by shaking of the wires can be suppressed even when there is a gap between the shield shell and the main body of the connector. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an oblique view of a connector according to embodiment 1. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the connector. 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the connector. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiment 1 
     Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 4 . In the explanation below, the upward and downward directions and the front and back directions are based on the upward and downward directions and front and back directions shown in  FIG. 2 , and the left and right directions are based on the left and right directions shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     (1) Overview of the Connector 
     First, an overview of a connector  1  according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to  FIG. 1 . The connector  1  is attached to an inverter  2  (one example of a device, see  FIG. 2 ) that is mounted in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and is used to electrically connect the inverter  2  and a three-phase motor. The connector  1  may also be attached to a three-phase motor. 
     The structure of the section in the inverter  2  to which the connector  1  is attached will be briefly described with reference to  FIG. 2 . A fitting hole  10  into which a main body  21  of the connector  1  is fitted is provided in the inverter  2 . Inside the fitting hole  10 , a metal terminal fixing section  11  is provided, and the connector  1  (but excluding a shield shell  23 ) is fastened by a bolt  12  to the terminal fixing section  11  of the inverter  2 . 
     (2) Configuration of the Connector 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the connector  1  comprises a main body  21  made of resin and formed so as to have an annular shape, three terminal-equipped wires  22  and a shield shell  23  that electrically shields the connector  1 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the main body  21  is formed so as to have a roughly elliptical hole, with three wire holding units  24  that protrude outward from the outer peripheral wall and a flange  25  that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral wall of the main body  21 , excluding the section where the three wire holding units  24  are provided, the wire holding units  24  and the flange  25  being integrally formed. The top surface of the flange  25  is a roughly flat surface. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the main body  21 , the side lower than the flange  25  comprises a fitting section  21 A that fits into the fitting hole  10  of the inverter  2 . An annular groove  21 B is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the fitting section  21 A, and an O-ring  26  that forms a watertight seal between the fitting section  21 A and the inverter  2  is fitted into the groove  21 B. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the three wire holding units  24  each have a square columnar section  24 A protruding in the shape of a square column from the outer peripheral surface of the main body  21 , and a cylindrical section  24 B extending in a cylindrical shape from the tip surface of the square columnar section  24 A. Neighboring square columnar sections  24 A are mutually connected in order to ensure strength. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the terminal-equipped wires  22  have a covered wire  22 A and a terminal fitting  22 B that is crimped onto a core wire of a tip end of the covered wire  22 A, and are embedded in the wire holding unit  24  and the main body  21  through molding in a state passing through the outer peripheral wall of the main body  21  and the wire holding unit  24 . 
     The terminal fitting  22 B is formed by bending a metal sheet, and has a barrel section  27  for crimping the core of the covered wire  22 A, and a planar section  28  fixed to the terminal fixing section  11 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the terminal fitting  22 B is bent into a key shape near the center in the front-to-back direction, forming a bent section  29 . In addition, as shown in  FIG. 3 , a bolt insertion hole  28 A into which the bolt  12  is inserted in order to fasten the terminal fitting  22 B to the terminal fixing section  11  is formed in the planar section  28 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , an elliptical opening  30  into which the main body  21  (more specifically, the part of the main body  21  above the flange  25 ) is inserted is formed in the shield shell  23 . The opening  30  is formed in a shape that is larger than the outer diameter of the main body  21  of the connector  1  (excluding the wire holding unit  24  and the flange  25 ), and smaller than the outer diameter of the flange  25 . 
     In addition, as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 , a portion of the shield shell  23  overlaps the square columnar sections  24 A of the wire holding unit  24  when viewed from above. As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , in the shield shell  23  the portion that overlaps the square columnar sections  24 A is taller than the portion that does not overlap the square columnar section  24 A, in order to avoid the square columnar sections  24 A. 
     In addition, as shown in  FIG. 4 , two bolt insertion holes  31  are formed in the shield shell  23  in the region that does not overlap with the flange  25  when viewed from the bottom side. The shield shell  23  is fastened to the inverter  2  by bolts inserted into these two bolt insertion holes  31  in a state in which the main body  21  is inserted into the inside of the opening  30 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , when the shield shell  23  is fastened to the inverter  2 , a gap H is created between the shield shell  23  and the main body  21  of the connector  1 . 
     Next, referencing  FIG. 4 , protrusions  32  ( 32 A,  32 B,  32 C and  32 D) formed on the bottom surface of the shield shell  23  will be described. Four protrusions  32  protruding toward the flange  25  are provided with spaces in between in the peripheral direction of the opening  30  in the section of the shield shell  23  covering the flange  25 . In  FIG. 4 , only a portion of each of the protrusions  32  (the portion  33  that does not overlap the flange  25  in  FIG. 2 ) can be seen because the flange  25  is below the shield shell  23 . 
     The protrusions  32 A and  32 D are provided on the back side based on the fastening position of the terminal fittings  22 B, and the protrusions  32 B and  32 C are provided on the front side. In addition, the two protrusions  32 A and  32 D provided on the back side are arranged on the two sides with the three wire holding units  24  interposed in between in the peripheral direction of the opening  30 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , when the shield shell  23  is fixed to the inverter  2 , the bottom surface of each of the protrusions  32  is at a position that substantially abuts the flange  25 . 
     (3) Action of the Protrusions 
     Next, the action of the protrusions  32  will be described with reference to  FIG. 2 . As described above, the connector  1  (but excluding the shield shell  23 ) is fastened by bolts  12  to the terminal fixing section  11  of the inverter  2 , so when the terminal-equipped wires  22  are shaken upward by the vibrations of a vehicle, for example, the back side of the main body  21  tends to lift upward centered on the fastening position of the terminal fittings  22 B. 
     However, because the protrusions  32 A and  32 D are provided in the shield shell  23 , tilting of the main body  21  is suppressed by the protrusions  32 A and  32 D abutting the flange  25 . Through this, the imposition of stress on the terminal fittings  22 B and the terminal fixing section  11  is suppressed. 
     Conversely, when the terminal-equipped wires  22  are shaken downward, the front side of the main body  21  tends to lift upward centered on the fastening position of the terminal fitting  22 B. However, the protrusions  32 B and  32 C are provided on the shield shell  23 , so tilting of the main body  21  is suppressed by the protrusions  32 B and  32 C abutting the flange  25 . Through this, the imposition of stress on the terminal fittings  22 B and the terminal fixing section  11  is suppressed. 
     (4) Effect of the Embodiment 
     With the connector  1  according to embodiment 1 as described above, even if the terminal-equipped wires  22  are shaken, the protrusions  32  provided on at least one of (i) the shield shell  23  or (ii) the main body  21  abut the other of these two components, and through this tilting of the main body  21  is suppressed. Through this, even if there is a gap H between the shield shell  23  and the main body  21  of the connector  1 , damage to the terminal fitting  22 B or the terminal fixing section  11  caused by shaking of the terminal-equipped wires  22  can be suppressed. 
     In addition, with the connector  1 , even when the main body  21  is inserted into the opening  30  and the main body  21  itself is not covered by the shield shell  23 , by providing the protrusions  32  on at least one of (i) the shield shell  23  or (ii) the flange  25 , tilting of the main body  21  can be suppressed. 
     In addition, with the connector  1 , by providing a plurality of the protrusions  32  with spacing between each other in the peripheral direction of the opening  30 , tilting of the main body  21  can be suppressed with greater certainty than in the case of only one protrusion  32 . 
     In addition, with the connector  1 , there are at least three of the protrusions  32 . When there are two of the protrusions  32 , there is a concern that tilting cannot be suppressed when the main body  21  starts to tilt about the line connecting these two protrusions  32 , so in order to suppress tilting of the main body  21  with greater certainty, having three or more of the protrusions  32  is preferable. With the connector  1 , there are at least three of the protrusions  32 , so tilting of the main body  21  can be suppressed with greater certainty. 
     In addition, with the connector  1 , the protrusions  32  are provided in the shield shell  23 . The flange  25  is made from resin, so there is a concern that if the protrusions  32  are provided on the flange  25 , the protrusions  32  will be crushed upon abutting the metal shield shell  23 . With the connector  1 , the protrusions  32  are provided on the shield shell  23 , so it is possible to suppress crushing of the protrusions  32 . 
     Other Embodiments 
     The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiment described with the above description and the drawings, and the following embodiments, for example, are also included within the technical scope of this specification. 
     (1) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described for a case in which the protrusions  32  are provided on the shield shell  23 . In contrast, the protrusions  32  may be provided on the flange  25 , or the protrusions  32  may be provided on the both the shield shell  23  and the flange  25 . 
     (2) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described for a case in which the opening  30  is provided in the shield shell  23 , but when the entirety of the main body  21  is covered by the shield shell  23 , the opening  30  need not be provided. 
     (3) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described for a case in which the four protrusions  32  are arranged with spacing between each other in the peripheral direction of the opening  30 , but the number and arrangement of the protrusions  32  is not limited to the above-described example and can be appropriately selected. 
     (4) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described for a case in which the terminal fittings  22 B are fastened by bolts  12  to the terminal fixing sections  11 , but the terminal fittings  22 B may be fixed by welding, brazing or the like to the terminal fixing section  11 . 
     EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS 
     
         
           1  Connector 
           2  Inverter (one example of a device) 
           11  Terminal fixing section 
           21  Main body 
           22  Terminal-equipped wire 
           22 B Terminal fitting (one example of a terminal) 
           23  Shield shell 
           25  Flange 
           30  Opening 
           32  ( 32 A,  32 B,  32 C,  32 D) Protrusions 
         H Gap