Electrical connectors – With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision – Grounding of coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-28
2002-03-19
Patel, T. C. (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision
Grounding of coupling part
C439S939000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06358069
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connecting structure of a shielded wire for a shield connector, and more particularly to connecting structure of the shielded wire of the shield connector which can maintain favorable electromagnetic shielding performance.
In a driving motor mounted on an automobile, for example, many shielded wires have been employed in order to prevent diffusion of noises which are generated from the motor.
As shown in
FIG. 5
, a shielded wire
50
, consists of a core wire
51
, an insulating layer
52
, a braided shielding part
53
, and a sheath
54
which are laminated concentrically. In this shielded wire
50
, the core wire
51
is exposed to be press-fitted to a terminal by caulking, and the braided shielding part
53
is folded back so as to cover the sheath
54
and connected to a stepped metal cylinder
68
by caulking.
The shielded wire
50
of this type is fixed to an outer face of a motor case
56
by a shield connector
55
, while the braided shielding part
53
is electromagnetically connected to the motor case
56
.
The shield connector
55
includes: an insulating cylinder
58
which is adapted to be inserted into a through hole formed in the motor case
56
; a rear holder
59
which is fitted to the insulating cylinder
58
after the shielded wire
50
has been inserted into the insulating cylinder
58
thereby to retain a gasket
67
and to prevent vibration of the shielded wire
50
; a flange
60
which is provided on an outer face of the insulating cylinder
58
and can be fixed to the outer face of the motor case
56
; an O-ring
61
interposed between the motor case
56
and the flange
60
; and a metal cylinder
62
for electromagnetic shielding which is inserted into the insulating cylinder
58
coaxially therewith for fixation.
A terminal fitting
63
contained in the insulating cylinder
58
is not axially rotatable about the insulating cylinder
58
, and has one end (an upper end portion in
FIG. 5
) into which the core wire
51
can be inserted and the other end (a lower end portion in
FIG. 5
) into which a connecting bolt
64
is adapted to be screwed.
The metal cylinder
62
has an axial length extending from an end of the braided shielding part
53
to a contact face
65
of the flange
60
, and is provided with contact pieces
66
along the contact face of the flange
60
.
In the shield connector
55
of this type, the shielded wire
50
has been in advance passed through the rear holder
59
, the gasket
67
and the stepped metal cylinder
68
, then, the stepped metal cylinder
68
has been connected to the braided shielding part
53
by caulking, and further, the core wire
51
of the shielded wire
50
has been connected to the one end of the terminal fitting
63
by caulking. Thereafter, the terminal fitting
63
is allowed to be contained in the insulating cylinder
58
. The terminal fitting
63
is fixed to the insulating cylinder
58
by a C-ring
63
A.
In the next step, by screwing a fixing bolt
69
passed through the flange
60
with the outer face of the motor case
56
, the shield connector
55
is fixed to the motor case
56
so that a tip end of the insulating cylinder
58
(a lower end in
FIG. 5
) may project into the motor case
56
.
On this occasion, electromagnetic shielding performance of the shield connector
55
can be obtained through a contact between the contact pieces
66
of the metal cylinder
62
and the outer face of the motor case
56
, and in addition, waterproofing property at contact areas between the contact pieces
66
and the motor case
56
can be obtained by the O-ring
61
.
In the shield connector
55
having such a structure, a terminal
70
is connected to the terminal fitting
63
by the connecting bolt
64
.
However, in the above described shield connector
55
, the contact pieces
66
of the metal cylinder
62
is not resiliently in contact with the motor case
56
, and therefore, when the flange
60
is thermally shrank or thermally deformed under high temperature condition or by a thermal shock, etc., resistance value will be increased due to an incomplete contact which has occurred at the contact areas between the contact pieces
66
and the motor case
56
, and hence, there has been a probability that the electromagnetic performance may be deteriorated.
Especially, in the above described shield connector
55
, the O-ring
61
interposed between the motor case
56
and the flange
60
urges the flange
60
to be separated from the motor case
56
, and hence, there has been a probability that the deterioration of the electromagnetic performance under the high temperature condition or due to the thermal shock, etc. may be significantly increased.
In order to solve such problems, there is proposed a shield connector in which a conductive contact body having resiliency is interposed between the contact pieces and the motor case (Japanese Patent Publications Nos. 8-64306A and 8-78098A, for example).
According to these related structures, the deterioration of the electromagnetic performance will not be likely to occur, even under the high temperature condition or even though a thermal shock has been applied.
However, in the above described structures, because the conductive contact body is in a form of a spring washer, when the flange has been separated from the motor case under the high temperature condition or due to the thermal shock, etc., the conductive contact body is brought into spot contact or linear contact with either one or both of the motor case and the flange thereby to increase the resistance value. Thus, there has been a fear that the electromagnetic shielding performance may be deteriorated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a structure of a shielded connector for a shield connector which is capable of maintaining favorable electromagnetic shielding performance even under high temperature conduction or even though a thermal shock has been applied.
In order to attain the above described object, according to the invention, there is provided a structure for connecting a shielded wire and a terminal, comprising:
a conductive plate member, on a first face of which the terminal is provided;
a holder member, for holding the shielded wire therein, the holder member provided with a conductive part, the holder member attached on a second face of the plate member, so that the shielded wire is electrically connected to the terminal; and
a resilient contact member, interposed between the holder member and the second face of the plate member, the contact member including a flat face portion which is brought into surface contact with at least one of the conductive part of the holder member and the second face of the plate member.
The conductive contact body may be in a form of a spring washer or a wave washer, and can be of any optional shape, provided that there exist the flat face portion intersecting an axis of the shielded wire substantially perpendicularly.
In this configuration, even though the holder member has been separated from the plate member under the high temperature condition or due to the thermal shock, etc., the contact member can maintain constant contact areas with at least one of the plate member and the holder member. Therefore, the probability that the electromagnetic shielding performance may be deteriorated due to the increase of the resistance value can be reduced.
Preferably, the contact member includes an engagement member engaged with the holder member so as to secure the surface contact part.
In this configuration, the surface contact of the flat face portion can be reliably maintained, whereby favorable electromagnetic shielding performance can be reliably maintained.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3629538 (1971-12-01), Suzuki
patent: 4012105 (1977-03-01), Biddle
patent: 5326280 (1994-07-01), Briones et al.
patent: 5971811 (1999-10-01), Mori et al.
patent: 8-64306 (1996-03-01), None
patent: 8-78098 (1996-03-01), None
patent: 10-312856 (1998-11-01), None
Patent Abstract of Japan 10-312856
Yagi Sakai
Yoshioka Nobuaki
Patel T. C.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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