Connector and mounting method therefor

• US 9,231,337 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2013
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakakura, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Matthew T
• Application Number:
  US13/909,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20130333944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 439382-385, 439/2, 439/380, 439/478, 439/519, 439527-576, 439/579, 439/582, 439/607.25, 439/607.01, 439/634, 439/638, 439/660, 439/680, 439/585, 439/690, 439/445, 439/448, 439/464, 439/459, 439/460, 439/456, 439/607, 439/470, 439/465, 439/471, 439/345
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5804 comprising a separate cable clamping part H01R13/5841 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5837 specially adapted for accommodating various sized cables H01R13/5825 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/748 using one or more screws H01R13/746 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles

Abstract

A connector (10) to be mounted on ends of wires (W1) to be installed in a vehicle includes female terminals (20) that are to be connected to the ends of the wires, a housing (30) in which the female terminals (20) are accommodated and from which the wires (W1) are drawn out, and a shield bracket (40) that fixes the housing (30) to a case of a device installed in the vehicle. The shield bracket (40) includes a wire fixing portion (54) between a wire draw-out part (P1) where the wires (W1) are drawn out from the housing (30) and a vibrating part (P2). The wire fixing portion (54) fixes the wires (W1) extending in a direction intersecting an extending direction of the wires (W1) in the vibrating part (P2) where the wires (W1) vibrate as the vehicle vibrates.

Claims

1. A connector to be mounted in proximity to a vibrating part in a vehicle, comprising:

a housing formed with cavities extending in an inserting direction;

terminal fittings inserted respectively in the cavities along the inserting direction;

wires connected respectively to the terminal fittings and extending from the housing, areas of the wires spaced from the terminal fittings being covered collectively by a covering member;

a metal shield bracket surrounding at least part of the housing and fixed to the housing and to a case of a device installed in the vehicle; and

a cover including a covering portion substantially enclosing all areas of the wires extending from the housing to the covering member, bulges bulging out from the covering portion and being fixed to the housing and to the shield bracket, the cover further including a wire holding portion extending unitarily from the covering portion and being formed with a groove configured for holding the covering member of the wires press-fit in the groove and a retaining portion hinged unitarily to an opening edge of the groove and configured to rotate into a position for closing an open side of the groove and retaining the covering member and the wires collectively covered by the covering member in the groove, the cover further having a wire fixing portion configured for fixing portions of the wires extending from the covering member to the housing in an extending direction intersecting the inserting direction and intersecting an extension direction of the wires in the vibrating part, whereby the wire holding portion and the wire fixing portion suppress vibration related movement of the terminal fittings in the housing.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein:

the bracket is fixed to the case by tightening at least one tightening member into the case; and

the cover is fixed to the case by being tightened together with the bracket by the tightening member.

3. The connector of claim 1, wherein the shield bracket includes a mounting seat for attaching the cover to the shield bracket before the bracket is attached to the case.

4. The connector of claim 1, further comprising a tightening band for tightening the wires against the wire fixing portion of the cover and fixing the wires against the wire fixing portion of the cover.

5. The connector of claim 1, wherein the connector has a wire draw-out part where the wires are drawn out of the housing, and wherein the cover covers a part of the housing from the wire draw-out part to the wire fixing portion.

6. The connector of claim 5, wherein the wire holding portion includes opposed projections projecting into the groove and configured for holding the covering member in the groove.

7. The connector of claim 1, wherein the retaining portion is hinged to rotate about a hinge axis substantially parallel to the extending direction.

8. The connector of claim 7, wherein the hinge axis of the retaining portion is aligned to intersect the inserting direction.

9. The connector of claim 7, wherein the open side of the groove substantially faces the case of the device when the connector is mounted to the case of the device, and wherein the retaining portion substantially faces the case of the device when the retaining portion is rotated into the position for closing the open side of the groove.