JP7575993B2 - Connectors and wires with connectors - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector and a wire with a connector.

Conventionally, connectors and electric wires with connectors are known that use twisted pair wires (two electric wires twisted together). For example, this type of connector and electric wire with connector is disclosed in the following Patent Document 1.

JP 2003-217358 A

However, in a twisted pair cable, when the two wires are untwisted, there is a possibility that communication performance will be degraded, such as the noise resistance being reduced at the location where the untwist occurs.

Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a connector and a wire with a connector that can suppress the deterioration of communication performance.

In order to achieve the above object, a connector according to the present invention comprises terminal fittings having a pair of insulation displacement bodies which are pressure-welded to a core wire of a pressure-welded portion of an electric wire and a terminal connection portion which is fitted and connected to a mating terminal connection portion, the pair of insulation displacement bodies and the terminal connection portion being arranged in a direction of fitting and connecting with the mating terminal connection portion , and a housing in which the terminal fittings for each of the electric wires are accommodated, the housing having terminal accommodating chambers for each of the terminal fittings in which the terminal fittings for each of the electric wires of a twisted pair wire formed by twisting two electric wires together are arranged side by side, and a surplus length accommodating chamber in which a terminal surplus length portion of the electric wire of the twisted pair wire is accommodated, the terminal accommodating chambers being broadly divided into a first accommodating portion in which the pair of insulation displacement bodies are accommodated and a second accommodating portion in which the terminal connection portion is accommodated, and the surplus length accommodating chambers are arranged adjacent to the second accommodating portion in a direction perpendicular to the fitting and connecting direction and the arrangement direction of the terminal accommodating chambers for each of the terminal fittings.

In order to achieve the above object, an electric wire with a connector according to the present invention includes a twisted pair wire formed by twisting two electric wires together, and a connector in which terminal fittings for each of the electric wires are accommodated in a housing, the terminal fittings have a pair of insulation displacement bodies that are brought into pressure contact with a core wire of a pressure-welded portion of the electric wire, and a terminal connection portion that is fitted and connected to a counterpart terminal connection portion, the pair of insulation displacement bodies and the terminal connection portion are arranged in a fitting connection direction with the counterpart terminal connection portion, and the housing includes the terminal fittings for each of the two electric wires of the twisted pair wire. The terminal accommodating chamber has a terminal accommodating chamber for each terminal fitting in which the terminal fittings are accommodated in a line, and a surplus length accommodating chamber for accommodating a terminal surplus portion of the electric wire of the twisted pair that is on the terminal side of the crimped portion , and the terminal accommodating chamber is broadly divided into a first accommodating portion for accommodating a pair of the crimping bodies and a second accommodating portion for accommodating the terminal connection portion, and the surplus length accommodating chamber is arranged adjacent to the second accommodating portion in a direction perpendicular to the mating connection direction and the arrangement direction of the terminal accommodating chambers for each terminal fitting .

In the connector and electric wire with connector according to the present invention, the pressure-welded portion of each of the two electric wires of the twisted pair is held by a pair of pressure-welded bodies of the terminal fittings. Therefore, in this connector and electric wire with connector, the two electric wires of the twisted pair are less likely to be untwisted on the pull-out direction side of the respective pressure-welded portions, and the deterioration of communication performance can be suppressed. Furthermore, in the connector and electric wire with connector according to the present invention, the inner wall of the surplus length storage chamber serves as a locking wall for the terminal surplus length portion, so that even if an external input such as vibration caused by vehicle running acts on the terminal surplus length portion, the amount of vibration of the terminal surplus length portion can be reduced. Therefore, this connector and electric wire with connector can reduce the load applied to the pressure-welded portion and the pair of pressure-welded bodies, and the connection reliability between the pressure-welded portion and the pair of pressure-welded bodies can be improved. Therefore, this connector and electric wire with connector can keep the electric wire and the terminal fittings in a conductive state, and the deterioration of communication performance can be suppressed.

Here, in a twisted pair wire, when the ends of each electric wire are crimped to a pair of crimping bodies, there is a possibility that the twist at the end of each electric wire may be untwisted before the crimping process. However, by crimping each electric wire to a pair of crimping bodies during the twisting, it is possible to suppress untwisting on the pull-out side of the crimped portion. On the other hand, in this twisted pair wire, when each electric wire is crimped to a pair of crimping bodies during the twisting, each electric wire must be cut while leaving the excess (terminal excess portion) beyond the pair of crimping bodies. However, the connector and the electric wire with connector according to the present invention can accommodate the terminal excess portion on the terminal side of the crimped portion for each of the two electric wires of the twisted pair wire in an excess length accommodation chamber separate from the terminal accommodation chamber. In other words, even if the two electric wires of the twisted pair wire have terminal excess portions, the connector and the electric wire with connector can accommodate the terminal excess portion in the excess length accommodation chamber to suppress the contact of the terminal excess portion with the terminal fitting. Therefore, in the connector and electric wire with connector according to the present invention, each electric wire can be crimped to a pair of crimping bodies in the middle of twisting, and this connection operation makes it difficult for the two electric wires of the twisted pair to untwist on the pull-out side of each crimped portion, thereby suppressing a decrease in communication performance.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector-attached electric wire according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic cross section taken along line XX in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic cross section taken along line Y1-Y1 of FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic cross section taken along line Y2-Y2 in FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram that shows a schematic cross section taken along line ZZ in FIG. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector-attached electric wire before the slack retaining member is attached. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram that shows a schematic cross section taken along line XX in FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram that shows a schematic cross section taken along line ZZ in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the twisted pair wire and the terminal fitting before connection. FIG. 10 is a top view showing the twisted pair wire and the terminal fittings after connection. FIG. 11 is a side view showing the twisted pair wire and the terminal fitting after connection. FIG. 12 is a top view showing the twisted pair wire and the terminal fitting after the wire is cut. FIG. 13 is a side view showing the twisted pair and the terminal fitting after the electric wire is cut. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a modified connector-attached electric wire.

Below, an embodiment of the connector and the electric wire with connector according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[Embodiment]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a connector and an electric wire with a connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The reference numeral 1 in Figs. 1 to 8 indicates the electric wire with connector of this embodiment. This electric wire with connector 1 includes a plurality of electric wires 10 and a connector 20 attached to the plurality of electric wires 10.

In this connector-equipped electric wire 1, a connector 20 is attached to each end of a plurality of electric wires 10. This connector-equipped electric wire 1 also includes at least a twisted pair wire 10A in which two electric wires 10 are twisted together (FIGS. 1 to 8). For example, although not shown, the connector-equipped electric wire 1 is formed by attaching a connector 20 to the end of each electric wire 10 of the twisted pair wire 10A branched off from a main line, and together with the main line, the connector-equipped electric wire 1 constitutes a wire harness. In the connector-equipped electric wire 1 shown here, one connector 20 is attached to two twisted pair wires 10A.

Although not shown in the figure, the electric wire 10 comprises a core wire that serves as a conductor and a coating that covers the core wire.

The connector 20 includes terminal fittings 30 and a housing 40 (FIGS. 2 to 5, 7 and 8). In this connector 20, the terminal fittings 30 for each electric wire 10 are housed in the housing 40.

The terminal fittings 30 are made of a conductive material such as metal. The terminal fittings 30 are formed into a predetermined shape, for example, by press forming, such as bending or cutting, on a metal plate that serves as the base material.

This terminal fitting 30 has a pair of crimping bodies 31, 31 that press against the core wire of the crimped portion 10a of the electric wire 10 as an electric wire connecting part that physically and electrically connects to the core wire of the electric wire 10 (Figures 2, 5, 7, and 8 to 13). The pair of crimping bodies 31, 31 are arranged opposite each other with a gap between their ends, and when the electric wire 10 is inserted between the ends, each end cuts through the coating and presses each end against the core wire. This crimping body 31 is formed as a single body. The end of this crimping body 31 may be formed as a blade-shaped crimping blade, or may be formed as a flat surface having a thickness equal to the plate thickness of the base material.

As long as the terminal fitting 30 has a pair of pressure-contact bodies 31, 31, it may be a connection terminal that is physically and electrically connected to a mating terminal fitting, or a joint terminal that electrically connects a plurality of electric wires 10. For example, when the terminal fitting 30 is configured as a connection terminal, it has at least one pair of pressure-contact bodies 31, 31 and a terminal connection part that is physically and electrically connected to the mating terminal connection part. The terminal connection part and the mating terminal connection part are physically and electrically connected to each other by a mutual fitting connection, one of which is formed in a female terminal shape and the other of which is formed in a male terminal shape. When the terminal fitting 30 is configured as a joint terminal, it has at least two pairs of pressure-contact bodies 31, 31.

The terminal fitting 30 shown here is configured as a connection terminal, and has a pair of pressure-contact bodies 31, 31 and one female terminal-shaped terminal connection portion 32 (Figures 2 to 4, 7, and 8 to 13). In this terminal fitting 30, the pair of pressure-contact bodies 31, 31 and the terminal connection portion 32 are arranged in the mating connection direction with the mating terminal connection portion, and the mating connection direction is the axial direction of the end of the electric wire 10, and the pair of pressure-contact bodies 31, 31 are arranged so that the electric wire 10 extends on the opposite side to the terminal connection portion 32.

In each wire 10 of the twisted pair 10A, when it is pressed against the pair of pressure-contact bodies 31, 31 of the terminal fitting 30, an excess length (hereinafter referred to as "terminal excess length") 10b is provided on the terminal side of the pressure-contacted portion 10a (Figures 2 to 5, 7, 8, 12, and 13). The terminal excess length 10b shown here is adjusted to a length that runs parallel to the terminal connection portion 32.

The housing 40 is molded from an insulating material such as synthetic resin.

The housing 40 accommodates the terminal fittings 30 for each electric wire 10. The housing 40 has a terminal accommodating chamber 41 in which the terminal fittings 30 are accommodated (FIGS. 2 to 5, 7 and 8). The terminal accommodating chamber 41 is provided for each terminal fitting 30. The terminal accommodating chamber 41 is broadly divided into a first accommodating portion 41a in which the pair of insulation displacement bodies 31, 31 are accommodated, and a second accommodating portion 41b in which the terminal connection portion 32 is accommodated (FIGS. 2 and 7).

The terminal fitting 30 is inserted into the opening 41c (FIGS. 2, 5, 7, and 8) together with the end of the electric wire 10 from the terminal connection portion 32 side and accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 41. Then, the electric wire 10 is pulled out of the terminal accommodating chamber 41 from the opening 41c.

The second housing portion 41b is provided with a terminal locking portion (hereinafter referred to as the "first terminal locking portion") 42 that bends as it is pushed by the terminal connection portion 32 during insertion, and that is released when the terminal connection portion 32 is completely housed, thereby locking the terminal connection portion 32 (Figs. 2 and 7). The first terminal locking portion 42 is intended to prevent the terminal fitting 30 from coming out of the opening 41c. Here, a so-called lance is provided as the first terminal locking portion 42.

In this housing 40, the terminal fittings 30 for each of the two electric wires 10 of the twisted pair wire 10A are arranged side by side to accommodate them, and the terminal accommodating chambers 41 for each of the terminal fittings 30 are arranged side by side so that the two electric wires 10 are pulled out of the opening 41c in the same direction.

Furthermore, the housing 40 has a slack storage chamber 43 in which the terminal slack portions 10b of the two electric wires 10 in the twisted pair wire 10A are stored (FIGS. 2 to 5, 7 and 8). The slack storage chamber 43 may be a chamber provided for each of the multiple terminal slack portions 10b, or may be a chamber that stores multiple terminal slack portions 10b together. The slack storage chamber 43 is arranged next to the second storage portion 41b of the terminal storage chamber 41 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the end of the electric wire 10 (the direction in which the terminal connection portion 32 is mated with the mating terminal connection portion) and the arrangement direction of the two terminal storage chambers 41 of the terminal fitting 30 connected to the twisted pair wire 10A.

In this housing 40, the two electric wires 10 of the twisted pair wire 10A and the two terminal fittings 30 are accommodated in the respective terminal accommodating chambers 41, while the terminal connection portion 32 of the terminal fittings 30 is accommodated in the second accommodating portion 41b of the terminal accommodating chamber 41, and the terminal excess portion 10b of the electric wire 10 is accommodated in the excess length accommodating chamber 43.

The slack storage chamber 43 shown here is formed as a single chamber that accommodates multiple terminal slack portions 10b together. However, this slack storage chamber 43 is provided with a path regulating groove 43a for each terminal slack portion 10b on the side of the first storage portion 41a of the terminal storage chamber 41, which regulates the path of the terminal slack portion 10b within the chamber (Figures 3, 5, and 8).

In this manner, in the connector 20 and the electric wire with connector 1 of this embodiment, the pressure-welded portions 10a of the two electric wires 10 of the twisted pair wire 10A are each held by a pair of pressure-welded bodies 31, 31 of the terminal fittings 30. Therefore, in this connector 20 and the electric wire with connector 1, the twist of the two electric wires 10 of the twisted pair wire 10A is less likely to be untwisted on the pull-out direction side of each of the pressure-welded portions 10a, and deterioration of communication performance can be suppressed.

Here, in the twisted pair wire 10A, when the ends of each electric wire 10 are crimped to a pair of crimping bodies 31, 31, there is a possibility that the twist at the end of each electric wire 10 may be untwisted before the crimping process, but by crimping each electric wire 10 to a pair of crimping bodies 31, 31 during the twisting (Figs. 9 to 11), it is possible to suppress untwisting on the pull-out direction side of the crimped portion 10a. On the other hand, in this twisted pair wire 10A, when each electric wire 10 is crimped to a pair of crimping bodies 31, 31 during the twisting, each electric wire 10 is cut on the terminal connection portion 32 side of the pair of crimping bodies 31, 31, but it is necessary to leave the excess (terminal excess portion 10b) (Figs. 12 and 13). However, the connector 20 and the electric wire with connector 1 of this embodiment can accommodate the terminal excess portion 10b of each of the two electric wires 10 of the twisted pair wire 10A on the terminal side of the pressure-welded portion 10a in the excess length accommodation chamber 43 separate from the terminal accommodation chamber 41. In other words, even if the two electric wires 10 of the twisted pair wire 10A are provided with the terminal excess portion 10b, the connector 20 and the electric wire with connector 1 can accommodate the terminal excess portion 10b in the excess length accommodation chamber 43 to prevent the terminal excess portion 10b from contacting the terminal fitting 30. Therefore, in the connector 20 and the electric wire with connector 1 of this embodiment, the work of pressing each electric wire 10 against the pair of pressure-welded bodies 31, 31 during twisting can be performed, and this connection work makes it difficult for the two electric wires 10 of the twisted pair wire 10A to untwist on the pull-out direction side of each pressure-welded portion 10a, so that a decrease in communication performance can be suppressed.

Furthermore, in the connector 20 and the electric wire with connector 1 of this embodiment, the inner wall of the slack storage chamber 43 serves as a locking wall for the terminal slack portion 10b, so that even if an external input such as vibrations caused by vehicle travel acts on the terminal slack portion 10b, the amount of deflection of the terminal slack portion 10b can be reduced. Therefore, the connector 20 and the electric wire with connector 1 can reduce the load on the pressure-welded portion 10a and the pair of pressure-welded bodies 31, 31, and therefore the reliability of the connection between the pressure-welded portion 10a and the pair of pressure-welded bodies 31, 31 can be improved. Therefore, the connector 20 and the electric wire with connector 1 can keep the electric wire 10 and the terminal fittings 30 in a conductive state, so that a decrease in communication performance can be suppressed.

Furthermore, the connector 20 and the connector-attached electric wire 1 of this embodiment are provided with a path-regulating groove 43a for the terminal excess length portion 10b in the excess length accommodation chamber 43, so that the amount of deflection of the terminal excess length portion 10b can be further reduced when an external input is applied. Therefore, the connector 20 and the connector-attached electric wire 1 can further reduce the load applied to the pressure-welded portion 10a and the pair of pressure-welded bodies 31, 31, and the connection reliability between the pressure-welded portion 10a and the pair of pressure-welded bodies 31, 31 can be further improved, thereby suppressing a decrease in communication performance.

In this connector 20 and connector-attached electric wire 1, the pair of crimping bodies 31, 31 are extended in the axial direction of the end of the electric wire 10 to a position facing the slack storage chamber 43, thereby reducing the bending angle of the terminal surplus portion 10b between the pair of crimping bodies 31, 31 and the slack storage chamber 43. As a result, this connector 20 and connector-attached electric wire 1 can reduce the load on the terminal surplus portion 10b, and therefore the load on the pressure-welded portion 10a and the pair of crimping bodies 31, 31. Therefore, in this respect, this connector 20 and connector-attached electric wire 1 can reduce the load on the pressure-welded portion 10a and the pair of crimping bodies 31, 31, and by improving the connection reliability between the pressure-welded portion 10a and the pair of crimping bodies 31, 31, the deterioration of communication performance can be suppressed.

Specifically, the housing 40 further has a slack holding portion 44 that holds the terminal slack portion 10b in the slack storage chamber 43 (FIGS. 2 and 4 to 7). The slack holding portion 44 is formed to apply pressure to the terminal slack portion 10b and hold the terminal slack portion 10b between the wall surface of the slack storage chamber 43. In other words, the terminal slack portion 10b is held in a state where it is sandwiched by the slack holding portion 44 in the slack storage chamber 43. The slack holding portion 44 shown here is provided on the terminal side of the wire 10 relative to the path regulating groove 43a. This makes it possible for the connector 20 and the connector-attached wire 1 to suppress the swing of the terminal slack portion 10b when an external input is applied, so that the load on the pressure-welded portion 10a and the pair of pressure-welding bodies 31, 31 can be more effectively reduced. Therefore, this connector 20 and connector-attached electric wire 1 can further improve the connection reliability between the pressure-welded portion 10a and the pair of pressure-welding bodies 31, 31, and suppress deterioration of communication performance.

For example, the housing 40 shown here comprises a housing main body 40A and a slack holding member 40B which are formed as separate members and integrated by fitting together (FIGS. 1 to 7). In this housing 40, the slack holding member 40B is inserted and fitted into the housing main body 40A. The housing main body 40A is provided with a terminal accommodating chamber 41, a first terminal locking portion 42, and a slack accommodating chamber 43. The slack holding member 40B is provided with a slack holding portion 44. In this housing 40, the slack holding member 40B is assembled to the housing main body 40A, so that the terminal slack portion 10b is sandwiched between the slack holding portion 44 and the wall of the slack accommodating chamber 43.

The slack retaining member 40B shown here has a groove-shaped slack retaining portion 44 provided for each terminal slack portion 10b (Figures 4 and 6). Therefore, this slack retaining portion 44 not only retains the terminal slack portion 10b in the pressure direction, but also uses its groove wall to suppress vibration of the terminal slack portion 10b in the direction crossing the pressure direction.

The slack retaining member 40B shown here has a terminal locking portion (hereinafter referred to as the "second terminal locking portion") 45 that locks the terminal fitting 30 in the terminal accommodating chamber 41 (FIGS. 2 and 5 to 7). For example, the second terminal locking portion 45 is inserted into the first accommodating portion 41a of the terminal accommodating chamber 41 and locks the terminal connection portion 32 of the second accommodating portion 41b, preventing the terminal fitting 30 from coming out of the opening 41c. In this way, the connector 20 and the connector-attached electric wire 1 of this embodiment can simultaneously create a state in which the terminal slack portion 10b is held by the slack retaining portion 44 and a state in which the terminal fitting 30 is locked by the second terminal locking portion 45, simply by assembling the slack retaining member 40B to the housing body 40A.

The connector 20 and the electric wire with connector 1 may be a combination of not only a twisted pair wire 10A and two terminal fittings 30 connected to the twisted pair wire 10A, but also a combination of one electric wire 10 and one terminal fitting 30 connected to the electric wire 10 (FIG. 14). The connector 20 and the electric wire with connector 1 shown in this figure are a combination of one twisted pair wire 10A and two terminal fittings 30, and two combinations of electric wires 10 and terminal fittings 30. The two combinations of electric wires 10 and terminal fittings 30 of the connector 20 and the electric wire with connector 1 are used for power supply circuits.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Electric wire with connector 10 Electric wire 10a Pressure-welded portion 10b Excess terminal portion 10A Twisted pair wire 20 Connector 30 Terminal fitting 31 Pressure-welded body 40 Housing 40A Housing body 40B Excess length holding member 41 Terminal accommodating chamber 43 Excess length accommodating chamber 44 Excess length holding portion 45 Second terminal locking portion (terminal locking portion)

Claims (7)

a terminal fitting including a pair of insulation displacement bodies to be pressure-welded to a core wire of a pressure-welded portion of an electric wire and a terminal connection portion to be fitted and connected to a mating terminal connection portion, the pair of insulation displacement bodies and the terminal connection portion being arranged in a fitting connection direction with the mating terminal connection portion ;
a housing in which the terminal fittings for each of the electric wires are accommodated;
Equipped with
the housing has a terminal accommodating chamber for accommodating the terminal fittings for each of the electric wires of a twisted pair wire formed by twisting two electric wires together, and a surplus length accommodating chamber for accommodating a terminal surplus portion of the electric wire of the twisted pair wire that is located on a terminal side relative to the pressure-welded portion,
The terminal accommodating chamber is broadly divided into a first accommodating portion in which the pair of insulation displacement bodies are accommodated, and a second accommodating portion in which the terminal connecting portion is accommodated,
A connector characterized in that the excess length accommodating chamber is arranged adjacent to the second accommodating portion in a direction perpendicular to the mating connection direction and the arrangement direction of the terminal accommodating chambers for each terminal fitting . The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing has an excess length holding portion that holds the terminal excess length portion in the excess length storage chamber. The connector according to claim 2, characterized in that the slack holding portion applies pressure to the terminal slack portion to hold the terminal slack portion between the terminal slack portion and the wall surface of the slack storage chamber. The connector according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the housing comprises a housing body having the terminal accommodating chamber and the slack accommodating chamber, and a slack retaining member having the slack retaining portion and assembled to the housing body. The connector according to claim 4, characterized in that the slack retaining member has a terminal locking portion that locks the terminal fitting and retains it in the terminal receiving chamber. The connector according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the housing comprises the housing body and the slack retaining member, which are molded as separate members and are integrated by fitting them together. A twisted pair wire is made by twisting two electric wires together.
a connector in which the terminal fittings for each of the electric wires are accommodated in a housing;
Equipped with
The terminal fitting has a pair of insulation displacement bodies that are brought into pressure contact with a core wire of a pressure-welded portion of the electric wire, and a terminal connection portion that is fitted and connected to a mating terminal connection portion, and the pair of insulation displacement bodies and the terminal connection portion are arranged in a fitting connection direction with the mating terminal connection portion,
the housing has a terminal accommodating chamber for accommodating the terminal fittings for each of the two electric wires of the twisted pair wire side by side, and a surplus length accommodating chamber for accommodating a terminal surplus portion of the electric wire of the twisted pair wire that is located on a terminal side relative to the pressure-welded portion,
The terminal accommodating chamber is broadly divided into a first accommodating portion in which the pair of insulation displacement bodies are accommodated, and a second accommodating portion in which the terminal connecting portion is accommodated,
The electric wire with connector is characterized in that the excess length accommodating chamber is arranged adjacent to the second accommodating portion in a direction perpendicular to the mating connection direction and the arrangement direction of the terminal accommodating chambers for each terminal fitting .

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