Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-02
2002-08-20
Dinkins, Anthony (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Combined
C174S078000, C439S096000, C439S364000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06437245
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to terminal processing method and structure for a shield cable including a shielding member such as a shielding braid, a shielding tape, a drain line etc.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, in the shield cable including the shielding member, the shielding member is required to be grounded in order to effectively attain the shielding function thereof. Method and structure for grounding the terminal of the shielding member are known as means for grounding the shielding member. An example of such method and structure is shown in FIG.
5
.
A unit casing
80
shown in the figure is arranged to house a control substrate therein, for example, and is grounded at least upon usage. A first connector
82
is fixed to the outer wall of the casing
80
by means of bolts
84
. A bolt passing cylindrical portion
87
shaped so as to pass through a second connector in an axial direction thereof is formed at the second connector
86
which is coupled to the first connector
82
. A bolt
88
is passed through the bolt passing cylindrical portion
87
and an end portion thereof is screwed into a screw hole (not shown) provided at the unit casing
80
side, whereby both the connectors
82
,
86
are fixed (fastened) in a coupling state to each other.
A shield cable
90
includes a plurality of electric wires
91
and shielding braid covering them. Terminals of the electric wires
91
are coupled to terminals incorporated in the second connector
86
, respectively. End portions of the shielding braid are twisted in a line shape to form a shielding braid wire
92
. A rod-shaped coupling metal member
93
is fixed to a terminal of the shielding braid wire
92
.
The connectors
82
,
86
are arranged so as to be covered by a metal connector cover
94
. A metal member press-in portion
96
in which the coupling metal member
93
is inserted with pressure is formed at a suitable portion on an inner surface of the connector cover
94
. Attachment lug portions
98
having bolt passing through holes
97
are formed at a peripheral portions of the connector cover
94
so that bolts
100
can be inserted through the bolt passing through holes
97
.
According to this structure, the connectors are coupled and the shielding braid wire
92
is grounded by the following procedure.
1) The end portion of the bolt
88
is screwed into the screw hole of the casing
80
while provisionally fitting the second connector
86
to the first connector
82
and inserting the bolt
88
into the bolt passing cylindrical portion
87
of the second connector
86
, whereby the connectors
82
and
86
are coupled to each other.
2) The coupling metal member
93
fixed to the terminal of the shielding braid wire
92
is inserted with pressure into the metal member press-in portion
96
. Then, the bolts
100
are screwed into the screw holes (not shown) provided at the unit casing
80
side through through holes
83
provided at the first connectors
82
while inserting the bolts
100
through the bolt passing through holes
97
formed at the attachment lug portions
98
of the connector cover
94
. Thus, the connector cover
94
is fixed to the casing
80
and further the connector cover
94
is grounded through the bolts
100
and the casing
80
. As a result, the shielding braid wire
92
being in an electrically coupled state to the connector cover
94
through the coupling metal member
93
is also grounded.
However, the configuration and the method shown in
FIG. 5
have the following problems to be solved.
(1) In order to ground the shielding braid wire
92
, it is required to form the metal member press-in portion
96
at the connector cover
94
and to electrically couple the connector cover
94
to the casing
80
side through the bolts
100
. Thus, the configuration of the connector cover
94
becomes complicate and the number of the parts becomes large. Further, the metal member with electric conductivity must be necessarily employed as the connector cover
94
. Thus, the connector cover
94
must not be eliminated and the material thereof is limited remarkably. Accordingly, it is impossible to employ light-weighted composite resin, for example, as the material of the connector cover
94
.
2) In order to ground the shielding braid wire
92
, it is required firstly to insert with pressure the coupling metal member
93
fixed to the terminal of the shielding braid wire
92
into the metal member press-in portion
96
of the connector cover
94
and to fix the connector cover
94
to the casing
80
by the bolts
100
while holding the press-in state of the coupling metal member
93
. Such a procedure is very complicated and troublesome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been made in view of the aforesaid circumstances and an object of the invention is to provide method and structure capable of grounding the shielding member of a shield cable easily with simple configuration.
In order to solve the aforesaid problems, the invention is a method of processing a terminal of a shielding member contained in a shield cable by utilizing:
a first connector fixed to a member grounded at least upon usage; and
a second connector having a terminal coupled to an electric wire contained in the shield cable, the second connector fastened to the first connector by means of a metal bolt,
a method of processing a terminal of the shield cable is arranged in that the bolt is screwed into a screw hole provided at the member to be grounded while passing the bolt through the first connector in a state that the terminal of the shield cable is electrically coupled to the bolt, whereby the first connector and the second connector are coupled to each other and the shielding member is electrically coupled to the member to be grounded through the bolt.
Further, the invention is a terminal processing structure for a shield cable having an electric wire and a shield member comprising:
a member grounded at least upon usage;
a screw hole formed at the member;
a first connector fixed to the member;
a second connector having a bolt passing through portion forming a bolt passing through hole, and the second connector having a terminal; and
a metal bolt,
wherein a terminal of the electric wire is coupled to the terminal of the second connector;
a terminal of the shielding member is electrically coupled to the metal bolt;
the metal bolt is passed through the bolt passing through hole and screwed into the screw hole thereby coupling the first connector and the second connector to each other.
According to these method and structure, the shielding member can be electrically coupled (that is, grounded) easily to the member grounded with the simple configuration by effectively using the metal bolt for combining the first connector and the second connector.
Though a particular means holding the connection between the terminal of the shielding member and the metal bolt is not required, when the terminal of the shielding member or a coupling metal member provided at the terminal of the shielding member is sandwiched and fixed between the bolt passing through portion and a head portion of the metal bolt, the coupling state between the shielding member and the metal bolt can be maintained surely without utilizing a particular fixing means.
In particular, according to the configuration in which a coupling metal member configured so as to fit to the bolt from an outside thereof is provided at the terminal of the shielding member and the coupling metal member is sandwiched and fixed between the bolt passing through portion and the head portion of the bolt, the shielding member can be coupled to the bolt in a more stable state as compared with the configuration that the terminal of the shielding member is directly sandwiched between the bolt passing through portion and the head portion of the bolt, for example.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3447036 (1969-05-01), Dore et al.
patent: 4489997 (1984-12-01), Byrne
patent: 5271689 (1993-12-01), Ishii et al.
patent: 5274570 (1993-12-01), Izumi
Autonetworks Technologies Ltd.
Dinkins Anthony
Mayo III William H.
LandOfFree
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