JP7810209B2 - Electrical connector and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical connector that connects a coaxial cable and multiple cables to a mating connector, and a method for manufacturing this electrical connector.

Conventionally, electrical connectors have been known that have a modular configuration in which a coaxial cable and a type of cable other than the coaxial cable, such as a signal cable, are accommodated in a single connector housing.

Patent Document 1 relates to a cable assembly that includes a coaxial connector attached to the end of a coaxial cable and multiple spring terminals that are connected to a signal cable, and discloses an electrical connector assembled by inserting the coaxial connector and spring terminals into holes in a housing.

JP 2017-520132 A

However, in Patent Document 1, the coaxial connector and spring terminal are separately inserted into and fixed in the housing, which means that the strength with which the coaxial connector and spring terminal are fixed to the housing is weak, posing a concern that the coaxial connector or spring terminal may fall off when an operator pulls on the coaxial cable or signal cable.

The object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector and a method for manufacturing an electrical connector that can improve the tensile strength of coaxial cables and multiple cables and reduce the risk of the coaxial cables and multiple cables becoming disconnected.

The electrical connector according to the present invention is an electrical connector for connecting a coaxial cable and a plurality of cables to a mating connector, and includes a conductive terminal connected to each of the plurality of cables, a connecting portion for connecting the terminal to the mating connector, an insulating first housing for integrally holding the terminal and the plurality of cables, a shell including a fitting portion for holding the coaxial cable and fitting into the mating connector to connect the coaxial cable to the mating connector, and a holding portion for holding the first housing, and a connector for externally connecting the fitting portion and the connecting portion. and an insulating second housing that holds the shell, the coaxial cable, and the first housing together in an exposed state , wherein the first housing holds the multiple cables in an array along a first direction, the shell holds the coaxial cables and the first housing in an array along a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and the mating direction of the mating portion with the mating connector, the first housing has a hole that allows the terminal to be viewed from the second direction, and the second housing has a filling portion that fills the inside of the hole.

The method of manufacturing an electrical connector according to the present invention is a method of manufacturing an electrical connector for connecting a coaxial cable and a plurality of cables to a mating connector, and includes a first step of integrally molding an insulating first housing that includes a connecting portion for connecting conductive terminals connected to each of the plurality of cables to the mating connector and that integrally holds the terminals and the plurality of cables; a second step of holding the coaxial cable in a fitting portion of a shell so that the coaxial cable can be connected to the mating connector when the fitting portion is fitted to the mating connector and holding the first housing formed in the first step in a holding portion of the shell; and a second step of integrally molding an insulating second housing that integrally holds the shell, the coaxial cable, and the first housing with the fitting portion and the connecting portion exposed to the outside. and a third step of forming the cables by molding , wherein the first step arranges the multiple cables along a first direction and holds them in the first housing, the second step arranges the coaxial cables and the first housing along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and the mating direction of the mating portion with the mating connector, the first step forms the first housing by integral molding in a state in which each of the terminals is clamped and fixed by a clamping member in the second direction, and after forming the first housing, the clamping member releases the terminals from being clamped, thereby forming holes in the first housing that allow the terminals to be viewed from the second direction, and the third step forms a filling portion in the second housing that fills the inside of the hole formed in the first step.

This invention can improve the tensile strength of coaxial cables and multiple cables, while reducing the risk of the coaxial cables and multiple cables becoming disconnected.

1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a side view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a front view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. 1 is a perspective view of a shell of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a rear view of the shell of the electrical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view of a shell of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a shell of the electrical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention. 8A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 8. 1 is a perspective view of a first housing of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a plan view of a first housing of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a coaxial cable and a first housing are held in a shell thereof;

The electrical connector and method of manufacturing the electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the drawings, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis form a three-axis Cartesian coordinate system, with the positive y-axis direction representing the forward direction, the negative y-axis direction representing the backward direction, the positive x-axis direction representing the rightward direction, the negative x-axis direction representing the leftward direction, the positive z-axis direction representing the upward direction, and the negative z-axis direction representing the downward direction.

<Configuration of Electrical Connector>
The configuration of an electrical connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. FIG.

The electrical connector 1 connects a coaxial cable 100 and multiple cables 101a and 101b to a mating connector 300. The coaxial cable 100 includes an inner conductor 100a, an outer conductor 100c surrounding the inner conductor 100a, an inner insulator 100b interposed between the inner conductor 100a and the outer conductor 100c, and an outer insulator 100d covering the outer conductor 100c. Each of the cables 101a and 101b includes a center conductor 101c and an insulator 101d covering the center conductor 101c. The cables 101a and 101b are power cables. The cables 101a and 101b are not limited to power cables, and may be cables other than power cables, such as signal cables of a different type from the coaxial cable 100.

Specifically, the electrical connector 1 includes a terminal 2, a center terminal 3, an insulator 4, a ground terminal 5, a sleeve 6, a shell 7, a first housing 8, and a second housing 9.

The terminals 2 are formed by pressing a metal plate, and a pair of terminals 2 are provided corresponding to the pair of cables 101a and 101b. The pair of terminals 2 are insulated from each other by the first housing 8, and are connected to the center conductor 101c of cable 101a and the center conductor 101c of cable 101b, respectively. The terminals 2 include a contact portion 21, a crimping portion 22, and a tip portion 23.

The abutment portion 21 is provided at the front end of the terminal 2 and is flat in the vertical and horizontal directions. The abutment portion 21 abuts against the front end of the forward protrusion 87 (described below) of the first housing 8. The abutment portion 21 abuts against and connects to the mating connector 300.

The crimping portion 22 is provided at the rear end of the terminal 2 and is crimped to connect to the center conductor 101c of the cable 101a and the center conductor 101c of the cable 101b.

The tip portion 23 is formed by bending the lower end of the abutment portion 21 rearward at approximately 90 degrees.

The center terminal 3 is made of a conductive material and is connected to the inner conductor 100a of the coaxial cable 100. The center terminal 3 is surrounded by the mating portion 72 of the shell 7 (described below) and the ground terminal 5.

The insulator 4 is made of an insulating material. The center terminal 3 is inserted through the insulator 4. The insulator 4 engages with the ground terminal 5 inside the insulator 4, thereby restricting its forward movement relative to the ground terminal 5. The insulator 4 also engages with an engaging portion of the shell 7 (not shown) via the ground terminal 5, thereby restricting its forward and backward movement relative to the ground terminal 5 and shell 7.

The ground terminal 5 is formed by pressing a metal plate and has a hollow cylindrical shape.

The sleeve 6 is formed by pressing a metal plate and has a hollow cylindrical shape. The sleeve 6 covers the small-diameter protrusion 77 (described below) of the shell 7, and is connected to the outer conductor 100c of the coaxial cable 100, sandwiching the outer conductor 100c between the sleeve 6 and the small-diameter protrusion 77.

The shell 7 is made of a conductive material and holds the coaxial cable 100 and the first housing 8. The shell 7 holds the coaxial cable 100 and the first housing 8 in an aligned manner along the up-down direction, which serves as a second direction perpendicular to the left-right direction and the forward direction, which is the mating direction with the mating connector 300. The shell 7 includes a flange portion 71, a mating portion 72, a front holding portion 73, a rear holding portion 74, a step portion 75, a large-diameter protrusion 76, and a small-diameter protrusion 77. The front holding portion 73 and the rear holding portion 74 form a holding portion that holds the first housing 8.

The flange portion 71 is approximately rectangular when viewed from the front.

The fitting portion 72 is cylindrical and protrudes forward from the flange portion 71 above the flange portion 71. The center terminal 3, insulator 4, and ground terminal 5 are arranged inside the fitting portion 72.

The front retaining portion 73 is provided below the flange portion 71. The front retaining portion 73 is a through-hole that penetrates the flange portion 71 in the front-to-rear direction, which is the thickness direction of the flange portion 71. The connection portion 81 of the first housing 8, which will be described later, is inserted into and held in place by the front retaining portion 73.

The rear retaining portion 74 is located below the flange portion 71. The rear retaining portion 74 is located around the front retaining portion 73 at the rear end of the flange portion 71 and protrudes rearward from the rear end of the flange portion 71. The rear retaining portion 74 is U-shaped when viewed from the rear. The rear retaining portion 74 is connected to the large-diameter protruding portion 76. The upper inner wall portion 74a of the rear retaining portion 74 is flush with the upper inner wall portion 73a of the front retaining portion 73 and is at the same height in the vertical direction, while the lower inner wall portion 74b of the rear retaining portion 74 is located lower than the lower inner wall portion 73b of the front retaining portion 73. The rear retaining portion 74 holds the main body portion 88 of the first housing 8.

The step portion 75 is provided between the front holding portion 73 and the rear holding portion 74, and is formed by the difference in the vertical position between the lower inner wall portion 73b of the front holding portion 73 and the lower inner wall portion 74b of the rear holding portion 74.

The large diameter protrusion 76 protrudes rearward from the rear end of the flange portion 71. The large diameter protrusion 76 has a cylindrical shape and includes a hollow portion 76a through which the coaxial cable 100 is inserted. The large diameter protrusion 76 communicates with the outside at its front end.

The small diameter protrusion 77 protrudes rearward from the rear end of the large diameter protrusion 76. The small diameter protrusion 77 has a cylindrical shape and includes a hollow portion 77a through which the coaxial cable 100 is inserted. The hollow portion 77a of the small diameter protrusion 77 is connected to the hollow portion 76a of the large diameter protrusion 76. The small diameter protrusion 77 communicates with the outside at its rear end. The outer diameter of the small diameter protrusion 77 is smaller than the outer diameter of the large diameter protrusion 76. The inner diameter of the hollow portion 77a of the small diameter protrusion 77 is smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow portion 76a of the large diameter protrusion 76.

The first housing 8 is formed by integral molding using an insulating resin material and holds the terminal 2, cable 101a, and cable 101b together. The first housing 8 holds multiple cables 101a and 101b arranged along the left-right direction, which is the first direction. The first housing 8 includes a connection portion 81, a hole portion 82, a protruding portion 84, a downward protruding portion 86, a forward protruding portion 87, and a main body portion 88.

The connection portion 81 protrudes forward from the main body portion 88. The connection portion 81 passes through the front holding portion 73, protrudes forward from the shell 7 and second housing 9, and connects to the mating connector 300, thereby connecting the cables 101a and 101b to the mating connector 300 via the terminals 2.

The hole 82 is a through-hole that penetrates the main body 88 in the vertical direction. The hole 82 makes a portion of the terminal 2 visible from above and below, which is the second direction, and also makes the pair of terminals 2 visible from above and below (see Figures 10 and 11).

The protrusion 84 is located at the front end of the main body 88 and protrudes outward to the left and right from the connection portion 81.

The downward protrusion 86 protrudes downward from the front end of the main body 88.

The forward protrusions 87 protrude forward from the front end of the connection portion 81, and are provided in pairs according to the number of terminals 2. The forward protrusions 87 abut against the abutment portions 21 of the terminals 2.

The main body 88 is located behind the connection portion 81 and holds the cables 101a and 101b together.

The second housing 9 is formed by integral molding using an insulating resin material, and holds the shell 7, which holds the first housing 8 and the coaxial cable 100, together with the first housing 8 and the coaxial cable 100. The second housing 9 has a flange portion 91, a storage portion 92, a fixing portion 93, and a filling portion 94.

The flange portion 91 is provided at the front end of the second housing 9.

The housing portion 92 is recessed around the shell 7 at the front end of the flange portion 91. A sealing member (not shown) engages with the housing portion 92 to seal the space between it and the mating connector 300.

The fixing portions 93 are through-holes that penetrate the flange portion 91 in the front-to-rear direction, and are provided in pairs on the left and right. A fastening member (not shown) is inserted into the fixing portions 93 to fasten the mating connector 300 to secure the mating connector 300 and the electrical connector 1 together.

The filling portion 94 fills the interior of the hole 82. The filling portion 94 fills the region R (see Figure 11) between the pair of terminals 2, which is visible through the hole 82 when viewed from above, in the vertical direction, thereby insulating the pair of terminals 2 from each other in the hole 82.

In the electrical connector 1 having the above configuration, the mating portion 72 of the shell 7 mates with the mating connector 300 to connect the coaxial cable 100 to the mating connector 300, and the abutment portion 21 of the terminal 2 exposed at the front end of the connection portion 81 of the first housing 8 abuts against the mating connector 300 to connect the cable 101a and cable 101b to the mating connector 300.

<Method of manufacturing electrical connector>
A method for manufacturing an electrical connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

First, the crimping portion 22 of the terminal 2 is crimped to the center conductor 101c of each of the multiple cables 101a and 101b, thereby connecting the center conductor 101c of each of the multiple cables 101a and 101b to the terminal 2.

Next, each of the terminals 2 connected to multiple cables 101a and 101b is set in a mold (not shown), and clamping member 200 is moved downward and clamping member 201 is moved upward to clamp terminal 2 from above and below by clamping member 200 and clamping member 201 (see Figure 12).

Next, with terminal 2 clamped from above and below by clamping members 200 and 201, molten insulating resin material is injected into the mold and allowed to harden, thereby forming first housing 8, which integrally holds cable 101a, cable 101b, and terminal 2.

Next, after the first housing 8 is formed, the clamping member 200 is moved upward and the clamping member 201 is moved downward to release the clamping of the terminal 2 by the clamping members 200 and 201. This forms a hole 82 in the first housing 8, which is a hole for the clamping members 200 and 201.

Next, the tip of the outer insulator 100d of the coaxial cable 100 is removed to expose the outer conductor 100c, and the coaxial cable 100 is then inserted into the sleeve 6, after which the coaxial cable 100 is inserted into the fitting portion 72, hollow portion 76a, and hollow portion 77a of the shell 7.

Next, the center terminal 3 is inserted through the insulator 4 and crimped to connect it to the inner conductor 100a of the coaxial cable 100.

Next, the ground terminal 5 is placed over the insulator 4 from the front, and the insulator 4 is inserted into the ground terminal 5, engaging the insulator 4 with the ground terminal 5. This integrates the coaxial cable 100, center terminal 3, insulator 4, and ground terminal 5.

Next, the shell 7, through which the coaxial cable 100 has been inserted, is moved, and the ground terminal 5 is inserted from the front into the mating portion 72 of the shell 7. The ground terminal 5 is held in place by the shell 7 by engaging the engagement portion (not shown) of the ground terminal 5 with the engagement portion (not shown) of the shell 7. The small-diameter protrusion 77 of the shell 7 is also inserted between the inner insulator 100b and outer conductor 100c of the coaxial cable 100, connecting the small-diameter protrusion 77 and the outer conductor 100c.

Next, the sleeve 6 is moved to cover the small diameter protrusion 77 and the outer conductor 100c, thereby connecting the sleeve 6, shell 7, and outer conductor 100c.

Next, the first housing 8 is inserted from the rear into the rear holding portion 74 and front holding portion 73 of the shell 7 until the protruding portion 84 abuts the stepped portion 75, thereby holding the first housing 8 to the shell 7. This causes the connecting portion 81 of the first housing 8 to protrude forward from the front holding portion 73.

This allows the coaxial cable 100 and first housing 8 to be held relative to the shell 7.

Next, the shell 7 holding the coaxial cable 100 and first housing 8 is set in a mold (not shown), and then molten insulating resin material is injected into the mold with the shell 7 set and allowed to harden, thereby forming an insulating second housing 9 by integral molding that holds the shell 7, coaxial cable 100, and first housing 8 together, with the mating portion 72 and connection portion 81 exposed to the outside. This completes the electrical connector 1.

At this time, the molten resin material penetrates into the hole 82 and hardens, forming a filling portion 94 in the second housing 9 that fills the interior of the hole 82. As a result, the filling portion 94 fits into the hole 82, allowing the first housing 8 to be firmly held to the second housing 9.

In addition, the molten resin material penetrates between the pair of terminals 2 visible through the hole 82 and hardens, thereby reliably insulating the pair of terminals 2 from each other at the hole 82.

The electrical connector 1 manufactured using the above manufacturing method can seal between the first housing 8 and the front retaining portion 73 and the rear retaining portion 74, between the second housing 9 and the first housing 8, and between the second housing 9 and the shell 7 using the resin that forms the second housing 9, without using a sealing material or adhesive, thereby ensuring waterproofing without increasing costs.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the electrical connector 1 that connects the coaxial cable 100 and the plurality of cables 101a and 101b to the mating connector 300 includes conductive terminals 2 that connect to each of the plurality of cables 101a and 101b, a connecting portion 81 that connects the terminals 2 to the mating connector 300, an insulating first housing 8 that integrally holds the terminals 2 and the plurality of cables 101a and 101b, and a mating connector 81 that holds the coaxial cable 100 and fits into the mating connector 300 to connect the coaxial cable 100 to the mating connector. The shell 7 includes a mating portion 72 that connects to the body 300, a front holding portion 73 and a rear holding portion 74 that hold the first housing 8, and an insulating second housing 9 that holds the shell 7, the coaxial cable 100, and the first housing 8 together with the mating portion 72 and the connection portion 81 exposed to the outside. This improves the tensile strength of the coaxial cable 100 and the multiple cables 101a and 101b, and reduces the risk of the coaxial cable 100 and the multiple cables 101a and 101b falling off.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment in terms of the types, arrangement, number, etc. of components, and can of course be modified as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the invention, such as by appropriately replacing the components with components that achieve equivalent effects.

Specifically, in the above embodiment, the first housing 8 is configured to hold two cables 101a and 101b together, but this is not limited thereto; the first housing 8 may also hold three or more cables. In this case, the first housing 8 can arrange three or more cables along the left-right direction.

The electrical connector and manufacturing method of the electrical connector according to the present invention are suitable for connecting a coaxial cable and multiple cables to a mating connector.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Electrical connector 2 Terminal 3 Center terminal 4 Insulator 5 Ground terminal 6 Sleeve 7 Shell 8 First housing 9 Second housing 21 Abutment portion 22 Crimping portion 23 Tip portion 71 Flange portion 72 Fitting portion 73 Front holding portion 73a Upper inner wall portion 73b Lower inner wall portion 74 Rear holding portion 74a Upper inner wall portion 74b Lower inner wall portion 75 Step portion 76 Large diameter protrusion portion 76a Hollow portion 77 Small diameter protrusion portion 77a Hollow portion 81 Connection portion 82 Hole portion 84 Protruding portion 86 Downward protrusion portion 87 Forward protrusion portion 88 Main body portion 91 Flange portion 92 Storage portion 93 Fixing portion 94 Filling portion 100 Coaxial cable 100a Inner conductor 100b Inner insulator 100c Outer conductor 100d Outer insulator 101a Cable 101b Cable 101c Center conductor 101d Insulator 200 Clamping member 201 Clamping member 300 Counterconnector

Claims (4)

An electrical connector for connecting a coaxial cable and a plurality of cables to a mating connector, the electrical connector comprising: a terminal having electrical conductivity and connected to each of the plurality of cables;
an insulating first housing having a connection portion for connecting the terminal to the mating connector and holding the terminal and the plurality of cables together;
a shell including a fitting portion that holds the coaxial cable and is fitted into the mating connector to connect the coaxial cable to the mating connector, and a holding portion that holds the first housing;
an insulating second housing that holds the shell, the coaxial cable, and the first housing together in a state where the fitting portion and the connection portion are exposed to the outside;
and
The first housing includes:
The plurality of cables are arranged and held along a first direction;
The shell is
The coaxial cable and the first housing are aligned and held along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and a direction in which the fitting portion is fitted to the mating connector,
The first housing includes:
a hole through which the terminal can be seen from the second direction;
The second housing includes:
A filling portion is provided to fill the inside of the hole portion.
1. An electrical connector comprising: The first housing includes:
a hole through which the plurality of terminals can be seen from the second direction;
The second housing includes:
a filling section that fills spaces between the plurality of terminals visible through the hole section;
2. The electrical connector according to claim 1 . A method for manufacturing an electrical connector for connecting a coaxial cable to a plurality of cables with a mating connector, comprising:
a first step of integrally molding an insulating first housing that includes a connecting portion for connecting conductive terminals connected to each of the plurality of cables to the mating connector and that integrally holds the terminals and the plurality of cables;
a second step of holding the coaxial cable in a fitting portion of the shell so that the coaxial cable can be connected to the mating connector when the fitting portion is fitted into the mating connector, and holding the first housing formed in the first step in a holding portion of the shell;
a third step of integrally molding an insulating second housing that holds the shell, the coaxial cable, and the first housing together while leaving the fitting portion and the connection portion exposed to the outside;
and
The first step comprises:
The plurality of cables are arranged along a first direction and held in the first housing;
The second step includes:
The coaxial cable and the first housing are arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and a direction in which the mating portion is mated with the mating connector,
The first step comprises:
the first housing is integrally formed in a state in which each of the terminals is clamped and fixed by a clamping member in the second direction, and after the first housing is formed, the clamping of the terminals by the clamping member is released, thereby forming a hole in the first housing through which the terminals can be seen from the second direction;
The third step includes:
forming a filling portion in the second housing to fill the inside of the hole formed in the first step;
10. A method for manufacturing an electrical connector comprising the steps of: The first step comprises:
the first housing is integrally formed in a state in which each of the terminals is clamped and fixed by a clamping member in the second direction, and after the first housing is formed, the clamping of the terminals by the clamping member is released, thereby forming a hole in the first housing through which the plurality of terminals can be seen from the second direction;
The third step includes:
forming a filling portion in the second housing to fill spaces between the plurality of terminals visible through the hole formed in the first step;
4. The method for manufacturing an electrical connector according to claim 3 .