Electrical connectors – With vitreous-type envelope – Having bayonet-coupling contact
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-25
2003-12-30
Gilman, Alexander (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With vitreous-type envelope
Having bayonet-coupling contact
C439S098000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06669511
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a structure for connecting a shielded cable to a shield connector in which probability of occurrence of a connection failure is reduced.
FIG. 9
illustrates a related shield connector
93
to be used for connecting a shielded cable
90
to a terminal
92
of the electric equipment
91
.
As shown in
FIG. 10
as well, the shield connector
93
comprises a connector casing
94
having insulating property and being formed generally in L-shape, a bus bar holder
95
to be mounted to the connector casing
94
, and a conductive portion
96
provided on the connector casing
94
, and covers
99
and
100
for covering openings
97
and
98
of the connector casing
94
.
The bus bar holder
95
includes three bus bars
101
formed by insert molding. The bus bar holder
95
is mounted to a mount opening
102
such that one end of each bus bar
101
is accommodated within the connector casing
94
and the other end of each bus bar
101
is exposed outside the connector casing
94
. The conductive portion
96
is a conductive metal member formed so as to penetrate the elevating face of the connector casing
94
by insert molding, and provided with an earth cable
103
connected thereon.
The shielded cable
90
comprises a core wire
104
, a covered layer
105
, a shield member
106
, and a sheath
107
all of which are concentrically laminated, and the end of the core wire
104
is connected to one end of the bus bar
101
via the terminal fixture
108
and to the conductive portion
96
via a conductive shield terminal
109
that cramps the shield member.
As shown in
FIG. 11
, the terminal fixture
108
is a strip formed by bending generally into L-shape, and provided with a crimping portion
110
to which the core wire
104
of the shielded cable
90
is connected at the proximal end thereof, and with a hole at the distal end
111
thereof to which a connecting bolt
112
is to be inserted in the direction of the thickness thereof.
On the other hand, the shield terminal
109
comprises an anchoring portion
113
generally of C-shape in cross-section for anchoring the shield member
106
exposed from the shielded cable
90
, and flat fixed portions
114
provided on both circumferential ends of the anchoring portion
113
. The shield terminal
109
lessens the diameter of its anchoring portion
113
to crimp the shield member
106
by screwing the fixing bolt
115
that penetrates the fixed portions
114
into the conductive portion
96
, whereby the shielded cable
90
is fixed in such a manner that the distal end
111
of the terminal fixture
108
is
In the shield connector
93
as described above, after the shielded cable
90
is fixed to the conductive portion
96
of the connector casing
94
via a shield terminal
109
, the bus bar holder
95
is mounted on the mount opening
102
of the connector casing
94
so that one end of each bus bar
101
is overlaid on the distal end
111
of the terminal fixture
108
, and then the bus bar
101
and the terminal fixture
108
are connected via the connecting bolt
112
.
In the related connector described above, since the position of the bus bar
101
is fixed, the terminal fixture
108
moves slightly toward to the bus bar
101
when the bus bar
101
and the terminal fixture
108
are connected via the connecting bolt
112
.
In this example of a related connector, since the distal end
111
of the terminal fixture
108
is overlaid on the bus bar
101
, the shielded cable
90
slightly moves in the longitudinal direction thereof (downward in the figure) when the bus bar
101
and the terminal fixture
108
are connected via the connecting bolt
112
.
In case where the distal end
111
of the terminal fixture
108
is underlying the bus bar
101
, the shielded cable
90
slightly moves in the longitudinal direction thereof (upward in the figure) when the bus bar
101
and the terminal fixture
108
are connected via the connecting bolt
112
.
However, in the example of the related connector described above, since the relative position between the anchoring portion
113
and the fixed portion
114
of the shield terminal
109
is fixed, in case where the relative position between the terminal fixture
108
and the shield terminal
109
is deviated in the direction away from each other, fixing the shielded cable
90
via the shield terminal
109
isolates the distal end
111
of the terminal fixture
108
from the upper face of the bus bar
101
.
In addition, in the example of the related connector described above, when the connecting bolt
112
is screwed into the bus bar
101
in such a situation, the anchoring portion
113
of the shield terminal
109
may not be able to follow the movement of the shielded cable
90
, whereby the shield terminal
109
may hinder the movement of the shielded cable
90
, in other words the movement of the terminal fixture
108
toward the bus bar
101
, thus causing a connection failure between the bus bar
101
and the terminal fixture
108
, or an earthing failure of the shield member
106
by being detached from the anchoring portion as the shielded cable
90
moves.
Likewise, in case where the distal end
111
of the terminal fixture
108
is underlying the bus bar
101
, when the relative position between the terminal fixture
108
and the shield terminal
109
is deviated in the direction toward each other, there is a probability of occurrence of a connection failure between the bus bar
101
and the terminal fixture
108
or an earthing failure of the shield member
106
by being detached from the anchoring portion
113
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is provided with problems described so far in view, and accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a structure for connecting a shielded cable in shield connector in which probability of occurrence of a connection failure or an earthing failure is reduced.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a connecting structure comprising:
a connector housing having a conductive portion;
a bus bar disposed in the connector housing;
a shielded cable having a core wire and a shield member for shielding the core wire;
a terminal fixture one end of which is attached to the core wire and the other end of which is fixed on the bus bar; and
a shield terminal a first end portion of which holds the shielded cable while being connected to the shield member, and a second end portion of which is fixed on the conductive portion of the connector housing, the shield terminal having a connecting member for elastically connecting the first and second end portions thereof.
While a connecting member in this example is shown to be in the shape of a plate or a shaft, any configuration may be used as far as elasticity depending on flexibility, or torsional property of this particular connecting portion can be obtained.
According to the above configuration, when the shielded cable moves in the longitudinal direction thereof with the terminal fixture fixed to the bus bar, the connecting member extends as appropriate so that the first end portion thereof can follow the movement of the shielded cable.
Therefore, since the first end portion of the shield terminal can follow the movement of the shielded cable even when the relative position between the terminal fixture and the shield terminal is displaced away from each other, the probability of occurrence of a connection failure between the bus bar and the terminal fixture or an earthing failure of the shield member maybe reduced, thereby having achieved the object described above.
Preferably, a surplusage bent portion is formed on the connecting member to realize the elasticity thereof.
The bent portion shown here may be formed generally in U-shape, Z-shape, or S-shape at a predetermined location thereof in case where the connecting member is formed of a plate, and may be formed generally in the shape of a coil spring at a predetermined location thereof in case where the connecting portion is formed
Fukushima Hirotaka
Yagi Sakai
Gilman Alexander
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
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