Electrical connectors – With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision – Grounding to conductive sheath of cable
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-04
2001-08-28
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision
Grounding to conductive sheath of cable
C439S548000, C439S556000, C439S559000, C439S587000, C174S068300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280208
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field to which the Invention Belongs
The present invention relates to a shield connector structure, for example, for the terminal connection of a shield electric wire to a motor of an electric automobile as well as for the ground connection of a shield portion of the shield electric wire to a case of a device.
2. Related Art
FIGS. 12
to
14
show an example of general shield connector structures.
The shield connector structure is for connecting a metal case
87
(
FIG. 7
) of a motor as a device and a winding
73
of a shield electric wire
72
(
FIG. 14
) as well as for providing the waterproof property to the connecting portion.
The shield connector structure is for connecting a metal case
87
(
FIG. 12
) of a motor as a device with a winding
73
of a shield electric wire
72
(
FIG. 14
) as well as for providing the waterproof property to the connecting portion.
As shown in
FIGS. 12 and 13
, the housing
74
has a flange portion
80
integrally. The flange portion
80
has a bolt insertion hole
81
(
FIG. 13
) so as to be fixed to a counterpart metal case by fastening with a bolt (not illustrated). Accordingly, the ground connection of the housing
74
with the case
87
is achieved via the flange portion
80
.
As shown in
FIG. 14
, a large diameter storage room
82
for inserting the seal member
77
in the upper half portion, and a small diameter storage room
83
for storing the metal shell
75
and the shield stopper
76
in the lower half portion are formed in the housing
74
, respectively. The outer periphery surface of the seal member
77
is closely contacted with the inner periphery surface of the storage room
82
, and the inner periphery surface of the seal member
77
is closely contacted with the outer periphery surface of an outside coat
84
of the shield electric wire
72
. According to the seal member
77
, entrance of water or dusts from the storage room
82
of the housing
74
into the case
87
(
FIG. 12
) is prevented.
The metal shell
75
has a lower side cylindrical large diameter portion
88
and an upper side cylindrical small diameter portion
89
. The metal shell
75
is contacted with the inner periphery surface of the storage room
83
of the housing via a plurality of spring pieces
90
provided on the outside of the large diameter portion
88
. The vertex portions of the spring pieces
90
are contacted with the outer periphery surface of the large diameter portion
88
, and the upper and lower base portions of the spring pieces
90
are contacted with the inner periphery surface of the storage room
83
. Further, the winding
73
of the shield electric wire
72
is connected with the small diameter portion
89
of the metal shell
75
as well as the small diameter portion
91
of the shield stopper
76
is positioned at the outside of the small diameter portion
89
so that the metal shell
75
is held without falling out. The winding
73
can also be provided between the metal shell
75
and the shield stopper
76
.
An inside coat
85
of the shield electric wire
72
is inserted through the metal shell
75
so as to be projected to the outside from the lower side holder
79
. The winding
73
is exposed to the outside of the outer periphery of the inside coat
85
by stripping the outside coat
84
. The shield stopper
76
elongates above the metal shell
75
, and the lower end face of the seal member
77
is contacted with the upper side large diameter portion
92
of the shield stopper
76
.
The upper end face of the seal member
77
is forced by a stopping plate
93
. A corrugate tube
94
for protection outside the shield electric wire
72
is stored partially above the seal member
77
in the upper side storage room
82
. A nail portion
96
of the holder
78
is engaged with a groove portion
95
of the corrugate tube
94
so that the corrugate tube
94
is stopped. The holder
78
is engaged with a hole portion
98
of the housing
74
by engaged with an engaging arm
97
.
The lower side holder
79
is engaged with the housing
74
by an engaging arm
99
(
FIG. 12
) in the peripheral direction. The holder
79
is contacted with the metal shell
75
and the spring pieces
90
so as to prevent fall out of the metal shell
75
and the spring pieces
90
. A circumferential groove
100
is formed in the housing
74
above the holder
79
. A seal ring
101
is mounted on the circumferential groove
100
. As shown in
FIG. 12
, the seal ring
101
is closely contacted with the inner peripheral surface of a hole portion
102
of the case
87
so as to prevent entrance of water or dusts from the lower side of the flange portion
80
into the case
87
.
A terminal
86
is connected with the tip of the shield electric wire
72
by clamping. The conductor portion is exposed by stripping the inside coat
85
(
FIG. 14
) of the shield electric wire
72
. The terminal (LA terminal, that is, a round plate terminal for an automobile)
86
is connected with the conductor portion by clamping. The terminal
86
is connected with the terminal portion of the motor (not illustrated) with a bolt by fastening.
However, according to the general shield connector structure, many components such as the metal shell
75
, the spring pieces
90
and the shield stopper
76
are required for connecting the winding (shield portion)
73
of the shield electric wire
72
with the housing
74
so that the structure becomes complicated and bulky. Besides, since an expensive elastic material is used for the spring pieces
90
as well as a member without deformation should be used for the cylindrical metal shell
75
to be contacted with the spring pieces
90
for a good contact with the spring pieces
90
. A high processing accuracy is required for each component so as to soar the cost, and thus it is problematic. Moreover, since the components, such as the metal shell
75
, the shield stopper
76
and the seal member
77
are arranged vertically, the structure becomes bulky in the height direction, and thus a problem arises in that the installation operation of the shield electric wire
72
in an automobile (the entire length of the shield electric wire
72
is relatively short, for example, about 300 mm) and the assembly operation the devices in the case
87
are difficult. Furthermore, since components with a complicated structure, such as the metal shell
75
, the spring pieces
90
and the shield stopper
76
are used, a problem is involved in that the assembly operation is difficult and thus a long time is required for the assembly.
Moreover, as shown in
FIG. 15A
, in the case the housing is tilted
74
in inserting the shield connector
71
from the tip end holder
79
side into the hole portion
102
of the case
87
, there is a risk of interference of the seal ring
101
above the holder
79
to the opening end
102
a
of the hole portion
102
or interposition between the holder
79
and the opening end
102
a
as shown in the circled enlarged view (see
FIG. 15B
) so that the seal ring
101
is flawed.
In contrast,
FIG. 16
shows a general shield connector structure (device connection structure of a shield electric wire) disclosed in JP-A-5-251116.
In the structure, a conductive inside ring
106
is inserted along an inside coat
105
of a shield electric wire
104
, a winding
107
of the shield electric wire
104
is contacted with the outer periphery surface of the inside ring
106
, and a flange portion
108
of the inside ring
106
is contacted with a case
109
of the device. The winding
107
and an outside coat
110
are held by an outside ring
111
onto the inside ring
106
from the outside of the shield electric wire
104
, with a flange portion
112
of the outside ring
111
fixed on the case
109
by a bolt
113
. The shield electric wire
104
is held and fixed by the outside ring
111
and the inside ring
106
. A terminal (LA terminal, not illustrated) is connected with the conductor portion (core wire)
114
of the shield electric wire
104
by pressing. The terminal is same as the terminal
Hashizawa Shigemi
Ishizaki Kazuhisa
Masuda Satoki
Bradley Paula
McCamey Ann
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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