Patent Publication Number: US-8992259-B2

Title: Connector having noise removal capability

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a connector having a noise removal cap ability. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     A connector having a noise removal capability is known. As an example of the connector, Patent Literature 1 discloses a connector in which a ferrite plate is insert-molded within a housing. Hereinafter, the configuration of the connector disclosed in Patent Literature 1 will be explained with reference to  FIG. 17  and  FIG. 18 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 17 , a connector  201  includes a housing  202  made of a synthetic resin, a conductor  5  and a ferrite plate  208 . The housing  202  includes a plurality of connector fitting portions  230  for fitting to a plurality of mating connectors, respectively. The conductor  5  includes a plurality of terminals  6  which project within the connector fitting portions  230 , respectively, and a linking part  7  which links the plurality of terminals  6  to one another. The ferrite plate  208  removes noise from the plurality of terminals  6 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 18 , the ferrite plate  208  is formed in an elongated plate shape. A plurality of through holes  280  through which the terminals  6  of two conductors  5  pass, respectively. 
     Both the conductor  5  and the ferrite plate  208  are insert-molded into the housing  202  in a state where the plurality of terminals  6  pass through the though holes  280 , respectively. 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     Patent Literature 1; JP-A-2010-61901 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     The connector  201  has a problem that the noise removal capability of the ferrite plate  208  is deteriorated due to the distortion of the ferrite plate  208  which occurs by a contraction stress of the housing  202  when the ferrite plate  208  is insert-molded into the housing  202 . 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a connector capable of reducing deterioration of the noise removal capability by suppressing deformation of a ferrite. 
     Solution to Problem 
     According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a connector including: a housing which is provided with a plurality of connector fitting portions to be fitted in a plurality of mating connectors, respectively; a plurality of terminals which are attached to the housing to project within the plurality of connector fitting portions, respectively; a plurality of ferrites which remove noise generated from the plurality of terminals, each ferrite being provided for the respective one of the connector fitting portions and having a through hole through which each of the plurality of terminals passes; and a plurality of pressing arms which are provided in the housing, each pressing arm holding the respective one of the plurality of ferrites. 
     The connector may be configured, as a second aspect, so that each of the ferrites are formed in a rectangular plate shape, and the through hole is formed through a center of the rectangular plate shape, the plurality of pressing arms are provided in pair for each of the plurality of ferrites, and each pair of pressing arms are arranged to sandwich the respective one of the ferrites between the pair of pressing arms. 
     The connector may be configured, as a third aspect, so that an eliminated part is formed on a center of each of the pressing arms so that each pair of pressing arms presses four corners of the respective one of the ferrites and is prevented from contact with centers of side surfaces of the respective one of the ferrites. 
     The connector may be configured, as a fourth aspect, so that the housing includes a first housing and a second housing, the first housing being provided with the plurality of connector fitting portions, and the second housing being provided with the plurality of pressing arms and assembled to the first housing, each of the ferrites has a first surface on which the through hole is open and a second surface opposite to the first surface on which the through hole is open, the second housing is provided with a contact surface which contacts the first surface of each of the ferrites, and the first housing is provided with a plurality of anti-drop portions which come close to or contact with the second surface of each of the ferrites to prevent each of the ferrites from being dropped from the second housing. 
     Advantageous Effects of Invention 
     According to the first aspect of the invention, the plurality of ferrites which remove noise generated from the plurality of terminals are provided, and each ferrite is provided for the respective one of the connector fitting portions and having the through hole through which each of the plurality of terminals passes. Further, the plurality of pressing arms are provided in the housing, and each pressing arm holds the respective one of the plurality of ferrites. Accordingly, the pressure to be applied to the ferrite can be lowered in comparison with a case where a ferrite is t-molded into the housing. Thus, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the ferrite. Further, the pressure to be applied to the ferrite can be lowered in comparison with a case where a plurality of ferrites are integrally molded. Thus, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the ferrite. Thus, it is possible to provide a connector capable of suppressing the deterioration of the noise removal capability of each ferrite. 
     According to the second aspect of the invention, each of the ferrites are formed in a rectangular plate shape, and the through hole is fanned through the center of the rectangular plate shape, the plurality of pressing arms are provided in pair for each of the plurality of ferrites, and each pair of pressing arms are arranged to sandwich the respective one of the ferrites between the pair of pressing arms and press four corners of the respective one of the ferrites. Accordingly, the pressure to be applied to the ferrite can be minimized by the pair of pressing arms. Thus, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the ferrite. Thus, it is possible to provide a connector capable of suppressing the deterioration of the noise removal capability of each ferrite. 
     According to the third aspect of the invention, the eliminated part is formed on the center of each of the pressing arms so that each pair of pressing arms presses the four corners of the respective one of the ferrites and is prevented from contact with centers of side surfaces of the respective one of the ferrites. Accordingly, the pressure to be applied to the ferrite can be minimized by the pair of pressing arms. Thus, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the ferrite. Thus, it is possible to provide a connector capable of suppressing the deterioration of the noise removal capability of each ferrite. 
     According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the housing includes the first housing and the second housing, the first housing being provided with the plurality of connector fitting portions, and the second housing being provided with the plurality of pressing arms and assembled to the first housing. Each of the ferrites has a first surface on which the through hole is open and a second surface opposite to the first surface on which the through hole is open. The second housing is provided with a contact surface which contacts the first surface of each of the ferrites, and the first housing is provided with a plurality of anti-drop portions which come close to or contact with the second surface of each of the ferrites to prevent each of the ferrites from being dropped from the second housing. Thus, the ferrite is prevented from being dropped from the second housing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the connector shown n  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line III-III in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line IV-IV in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view of a second housing shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of a part VI in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing that ferrites are being assembled into the second housing shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view showing that the ferrites are being fitted between a pair of pressing arms shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view showing a state where the ferrites have been fitted between the pair of pressing arms shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is an explanatory diagram for explaining an action of the pair of pressing arms shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view showing a state where the ferrites are assembled into a second housing which constitutes a part of a connector according to a reference embodiment. 
         FIG. 13  is a plan view of the second housing and the ferrites shown in  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the second housing shown in  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 15  is an enlarged view of a part XV in  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line XVI-XVI in  FIG. 15 . 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional view showing a connector provided with a ferrite plate in a related art. 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view showing the ferrite plate and a conductor which constitute the connector shown in  FIG. 17   
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     A connector according an embodiment of the invention will he explained with reference to  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 11 . A connector  1  according to the embodiment is typically used as a joint connector for multiplex communication. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the connector I according to the embodiment includes a housing  2 , two conductors  5  and a noise removal unit. The housing  2  includes a first housing  3  and a second housing  4 , both of which are made of a synthetic resin. The noise removal unit removes noise generated from a plurality of terminals  6  provided in the conductors  5 . The noise removal unit includes a plurality of ferrites  8 . 
     Each of the conductors  5  is obtained by press-working a metallic plate, or the like. As shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the conductor  5  includes a plurality of terminals  6  which are aligned in parallel to and spaced away from each other, and a belt-shaped linking part  7  which links the plurality of terminals  6  to one another. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , each of the ferrites  8  is formed in a rectangular plate-shape which has an upper surface  81 , a lower surface  82  and four side surfaces  83 ,  84 ,  85 ,  86 . Two through holes  80  are formed through the center of the ferrite  8  to pass the terminals  6  through them. The two through holes  80  are open on the upper surface  81  and the lower surface  82  of the ferrite  8 . The two through holes  80  are arranged to be spaced away from each other along a longitudinal direction of the ferrite  8 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first housing  3  includes a plurality of connector fitting portions  30  which are to be fitted in a plurality of mating connectors, respectively, and a container  31  in which the second housing  4  is contained, the second housing  4  holding the two conductors  5  and the plurality of ferrites  8 . 
     The plurality of connector fitting portions  30  is formed by an outer wall  32  formed in a square tube, a back wall  33  which partitions the inside of the outer wall  32  into two spaces along a center axis of the outer wall  32 , and a plurality of partition walls  34  which partition one space of the two spaces located at the left side in  FIG. 3  further into a plurality of spaces. The plurality of connector fitting portions  30  are aligned in one line along a direction perpendicular to the center axis of the outer wall  32 . The ferrites  8  are provided as many as the connector fitting portions  30 . That is, each of the ferrites  8  is provided for each connector fitting portion  30 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the container  31  is formed by the outer wall  32 , the back wall  33  and a plurality of anti-drop portions  36  which project from a side of the back wall opposite to the connector fitting portions  30 . That is, the anti-drop portions  36  are provided as many as the connector fitting portions  30 . The plurality of anti-drop portions  36  come close contact to the upper surfaces  81  of the plurality of ferrites  8  held by the second housing  4  to prevent the ferrites  8  from dropping from the second housing  4 . A through hole  35  is formed through the back wall  33  and each of the anti-drop portions  36  to pass the terminal  6  through it. In the embodiment of the invention, the anti-drop portion  36  may contact the upper surface  81  of the ferrite  8 . 
     That is, the conductors  5  are attached to the housing  2  so that the plurality of terminals  6  pass through the respective through holes  35  from the container  31  side and project within the respective connector fitting portions  30 . One terminal  6  of one conductor  5  and one terminal  6  of the other conductor  5  are arranged within each of the connector fitting portions  30 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3  through  FIG. 9 , the second housing  4  includes a conductor-attaching portion  40  formed in a rectangular shape, a pair of locking portions  49  provided at opposite sides of the conductor-attaching portion  40 , a plurality of upstanding walls  43  which extend from an upper surface  41  of the conductor-attaching portion  40  to be spaced away from each other along a longitudinal direction of the conductor-attaching portion  40 , a pair of beams  44 , each of which links ends of the plurality of upstanding walls  43  which are separate from the upper surface  41 , and a plurality of pressing arms  9  which extend from the pair of beams  44 . 
     Two insertion grooves  42  to which the two conductors  5  are inserted and held are provided in the conductor-attaching portion  40 . The two insertion grooves  42  are proved to be spaced away from each other along a width direction of the conductor-attaching portion  40 . Further, the two insertion grooves  42  are open on the upper surface  41  and a lower surface of the conductor-attaching portion  40 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the two conductors  5  are inserted into the respective insertion grooves  42  from a lower side of the conductor-attaching portion  40 . Then, the linking parts  7  of the two conductors  5  are received within the insertion grooves  42 , and the plurality of terminals  6  project from the upper surface  41  of the conductor-attaching portion  40 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the pair of locking portions  49  are locked to a pair of lock-receiving portions  37  provided on the outer wall  32  of the first housing  3 , respectively. That is, the second housing  4  is assembled to the first housing  3  by locking the pair of locking portions  49  to the pair of lock-receiving portions  37 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the pair of beams  44  are arranged to be spaced away from each other along the width direction of the conductor-attaching portion  40 . The pair of beams  44  and the plurality of upstanding walls  43  constitute a grid in which a plurality of frames are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the conductor-attaching portion  40 . As shown in  FIG. 8  through  FIG. 10 , the plurality of ferrites  8  are positioned inside the plurality of frames, respectively, and the lower surface  82  of each ferrite  8  contacts the upper surface  41  of the conductor-attaching portion  40 . The upper surface  41  of the conductor-attaching portion  40  may be referred to as a “contact surface”. 
     The pressing arm  9  is provided to hold the ferrite  8 . One pair of the pressing arms  9  is provided for each of the ferrites  8 . As shown in  FIG. 9  and the like, the pair of pressing arms  9  are arranged to sandwich each ferrite  8  between them. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the pair of pressing arms  9  extend from the pair of beams  44  respectively so as to come close to each other, and also extend toward the upper surface  41  of the conductor-attaching portion  40 . As shown in  FIG. 4 ,  FIG. 10  and the like, each ferrite  8  is fitted between the pair of pressing arms  9  so that the longitudinal direction of the ferrite  8  corresponds to a direction that the pair of pressing arms  9  face each other. That is, the pair of pressing arms  9  face the opposite side surfaces  84 ,  88  of each ferrite  8  in the longitudinal direction of the ferrite  8 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , an eliminated part  91  is provided on each central portion of the pair of pressing arms  9  (a central portion in a direction perpendicular to the direction that the pair of pressing arms  9  face each other) by eliminating a part of the pressing arm  9 . The eliminated parts  91  are provided to prevent the pair of pressing arms  9  from elastically contacting the central portions of the side surfaces  84 ,  86  of each ferrite  8 . That is, the ferrite  8  having a structure in which the two through holes are formed at the central portion is easily deformed when the pressure is applied in an arranged direction of the two through holes  80  (i.e, when the pressure is applied in directions of arrows J 1  and J 2  shown in  FIG. 11 ) on near the through holes  80  (i.e., on a part E shown by two-dot chain line in  FIG. 11 ). Accordingly, in the embodiment of the invention, the eliminated part  91  is provided so that projections  92  at both sides of the eliminated parts  91  in the pair of pressing arms  9  elastically contact four corners  8   a ,  8   b ,  8   c ,  8   d  of the ferrite  8 . 
     In this way, according to the embodiment of the invention, since the pair of pressing arms which hold the ferrite  8  are provided in plural for each ferrite  8 , the pressure to be applied to each ferrite  8  can be lowered in comparison with a case where a ferrite is insert-molded into the housing. Thus, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the ferrite  8 . Further, the pressure to be applied to each of the ferrite  8  can be lowered in comparison with a case where a plurality of ferrites are integrally molded. Thus, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the ferrite  8 . Moreover, according to the embodiment of the invention, since the projections  92  of the pair of pressing arms  9  press the four corners  8   a ,  8   b ,  8   c ,  8   d  of each of the ferrites  8 , the deformation of the ferrite  8  can be minimized. Thus, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the noise removal capability of each ferrite  8 . 
     According to the embodiment of the invention, when each of the ferrites  8  is being fitted between the pair of pressing arms  9 , the pair of beams  44  and the plurality of upstanding walls  43  are interconnected to prevent the deformation of the pair of beams  44 . 
     Next, a procedure of assembling the connector  1  will be explained. First, in a state where the first housing  3  and the second housing  4  are separated from each other, the two conductors  5  are inserted into the insertion grooves  42  of the second housing  4 . Next, the terminals  6  which are projected from the upper surface  41  of the conductor-attaching portion  40  are passed through the through holes  80  of the respective ferrites  8 , and each of the ferrites is fitted between the respective one pair of pressing arms  9 . Then, the second housing  4  which holds the two conductors  5  and the plurality of ferrites  8  is inserted into the container of the first housing  3 , and the pair of locking portions  49  are locked to the pair of lock-receiving portions  37 . Thus, the second housing  4  is assembled to the first housing  3 . In this way, the assembly of the housing  1  is finished. 
     Next, a connector according to another embodiment of the invention will be explained with reference to  FIG. 12  through  FIG. 16 . In  FIG. 12  through  FIG. 16 , the constituent elements same as those of the connector  1  as described in the embodiment are given same reference numerals, and the detailed description of them is omitted. 
     The connector according to the other embodiment includes a housing, the two conductors  5  and the plurality of ferrites  8  which remove noise generated from the plurality of terminals  6  provided in the conductors  5 . The housing includes the first housing  3  (illustration is omitted, but it has the same structure as the first housing  3  of the connector  1 ) and a second housing  104  which is made of a synthetic resin. 
     As shown in  FIG. 12  to  FIG. 14 , the second housing  104  includes a conductor-attaching portion  40  formed in a rectangular shape, a pair of locking portions  49  provided at opposite sides of the conductor-attaching portion  40 , a frame  143  which extends from the upper surface  41  of the conductor-attaching portion  40  in a square tube shape, and a plurality of press-fitting portions  109  which hold the plurality of ferrites  8 . 
     Each of the plurality of press-fitting portions  109  extends from the upper surface  41  of the conductor-attaching portion  40  in a columnar shape. Four of the press-fitting portions  109  are provided for each of the ferrites  8 . The four press-fitting portions  109  are arranged so that portions of the press-fitting portions  109  contact the four corners  8   a ,  8   b ,  8   c ,  8   d  of each of the ferrites  8 , respectively. That is, each of the ferrites  8  is press-fitted among the four press-fitting portions  109  so as to elastically deform the four press-fitting portions  109  outwardly. The press-fitting width h 1  in  FIG. 15  and the press-fitting height h 2  in  FIG. 16  of each of the ferrites  8  are determined to the extent that the functional degradation of the ferrite  8  does not occur. 
     In this way, according to the connector of the other embodiment, since the four press-fitting portions  109  holds each of the ferrites  8  by elastically contact with the four corners  8   a ,  8   b ,  8   c ,  8   d  of the each of the ferrites  8 , the pressure to be applied to each ferrite  8  can be lowered in comparison with a case where a ferrite is insert-molded into the housing. Thus, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the ferrite  8 . Further, the pressure to be applied to each of the ferrite  8  can be lowered in comparison with a case where a plurality of ferrites are integrally molded. Thus, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the ferrite  8 . Thus, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the noise removal capability of each ferrite  8 . 
     The above-described embodiments are shown as representative forms of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. That is, the invention can be implemented by various modifications without departing from the essence of the present invention. 
     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-210775 filed on Sep. 21, 2010, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     Industrial Applicability 
     The connector according to the aspects of the invention is useful, for example, to be used as a joint connector for multiplex communication in which noise removal capability of the connector is important.