The present invention relates to a shield connector.
FIGS. 19 and 20 shows a shield connector disclosed in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 11-26093 as an example of a conventional shield connector. This shield connector is comprised of a rubber ring 2, a retaining ring 3, an electrically conductive sleeve 4, and a presser ring 35 which are provided in a tubular resin housing 1, and these members are fitted over a shielding wire 10 and are attached. In addition, a conductive contact piece 6 is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of a front end of the resin housing 1, and is conductingly connected to a shielding layer 13 of the shielding wire 10 through the electrically conductive sleeve 4. Then, if a flange 7 formed on the resin housing 1 in a jutting-out manner is pressed against an opening edge of an attaching hole formed in a shielding wall of an unillustrated electrical apparatus and is bolted, the conducting contact piece 6 is conductingly connected to an inner peripheral surface of the attaching hole, thereby allowing the shielding wall and the shielding layer to be conductingly connected to each other.
With the configuration of the conventional shield connector, there are as many as six basic component parts (parts designated by the aforementioned reference numerals), and if the other small parts are combined, the number of parts becomes very large, as shown in FIG. 20. For this reason, a large number of manufacturing steps are involved, so that there has been a problem in that the cost becomes high.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described circumstances, and its object is to provide a shield connector having a small number of parts.
 less than Invention According to Aspect 1 greater than 
The shield connector in accordance with the invention according to aspect 1 is a shield connector which covers a shielding layer exposed at a terminal portion of a shielding wire and is fixed to the shielding wire, and which is attached to a mating shielding wall to conductingly connect the sealing layer and the mating shielding wall, characterized by comprising: an electrically conductive flange having electrical conductivity and adapted to abut against the mating shielding wall; en electrically conductive tubular portion provided in a state of being electrically conducting with the electrically conductive flange and fitted to an inner side or an outer side of the exposed shielding layer so as to be conductingly connected to the shielding layer; and a housing fixed to the shielding wire to hold the electrically conductive flange.
In accordance with the invention, the flange which is fixed to the mating shielding wall is made electrically conductive, and the shielding layer is conductingly connected to this electrically conductive flange through the electrically conductive tubular portion, whereby the structure for allowing the shielding layer and the mating shielding wall to electrically conduct with each other can be simplified, and the number of parts can be reduced.
 less than Invention According to Aspect 2 greater than 
In accordance with the invention according to aspect 2, the shield connector according to aspect 1 further comprises an auxiliary sleeve fitted to the electrically conductive tubular portion with the shielding layer placed therebetween.
According to this arrangement, the shielding layer is clamped between the electrically conductive tubular portion and the auxiliary sleeve, thereby allowing the shielding layer to be conductingly connected to the electrically conductive tubular portion reliably.
 less than Invention According to Aspect 3 greater than 
In accordance with the invention according to aspect 3, the shield connector according to aspect 1 is characterized in that the electrically conductive tubular portion and the shielding layer are fused to each other, thereby allowing the shielding layer to be conductingly connected to the electrically conductive tubular portion reliably.
 less than Invention According to Aspect 4 greater than 
In accordance with the invention according to aspect 4, the shield connector according to any one of aspects 1 to 3 is characterized in that the housing is molded by charging a molten resin into a mold for resin molding in a state in which the shielding wire is placed inside the mold.
 less than Invention According to Aspect 5 greater than 
In accordance with the invention according to aspect 5, the shield connector according to aspect 4 is characterized in that a waterproofing tubular portion in which a synthetic resin softer than the housing is molded on an outer peripheral surface of the shielding wire prior to molding the housing is provided on an inner side of a rear end portion of the housing.
According to this arrangement, the waterproofing tubular portion which is softer than the housing is brought into close contact with the housing and the shielding wire, so that the rear end portion of the housing is provided with waterproof processing.
 less than Invention According to Aspect 6 greater than 
In accordance with the invention according to aspect 4 or 5, the shield connector according to aspect 4 or 5 is characterized in that a resin flowing-in hole for allowing a molten resin to pass therethrough is penetratingly formed in the electrically conductive flange.
According to this arrangement, if the molten resin is charged into the mold for resin molding in the state in which the shielding wire with the electrically conductive flange attached thereto is placed inside the mold, the molten resin passes through the resin flowing-in hole formed in the electrically conductive flange, thereby allowing the front side and the rear side of the housing with the electrically conductive flange placed therebetween to be molded at one time.
 less than Invention According to Aspect 7 greater than 
The shield connector in accordance with the invention according to aspect 7 is a shield connector which covers a shielding layer exposed at a terminal portion of a shielding wire and is fixed to the shielding wire, and which is attached to a mating shielding wall to conductingly connect the sealing layer and the mating shielding wall, characterized by comprising: an electrically conductive flange having electrical conductivity and adapted to abut against the mating shielding wall; a U-shaped slot portion formed in the electrically conductive flange and adapted to accommodate an exposed portion of the shielding layer of the shielding wire and to be conductingly connected to the shielding layer; and a housing molded by disposing the shielding wire together with the electrically conductive flange in a mold for resin molding and by charging a resin into the mold.
To attach the shield connector of aspect 7 to the shielding wire, the flange is pressed against the shielding wire from a lateral direction, and the shielding layer of the shielding wire is brought into close contact with the inner surface of the U-shaped slot portion formed in the flange, thereby conductingly connecting the shielding layer and the flange. Then, this subassembly is inserted in a mold to mold the housing. Here, in the invention, the flange which is fixed to the mating shielding wall is made electrically conductive, and the shielding layer is conductingly connected to this electrically conducting flange, so that the structure for allowing the shielding layer and the mating shielding wall to conduct with each other can be simplified, and the number of parts can be reduced. Moreover, since the electrically conductive flange is attached from the lateral direction of the shielding wire, the attaching operation is facilitated as compared with an arrangement in which the electrically conductive flange is attached along the axial direction of the shielding wire.
 less than Invention According to Aspect 8 greater than 
In accordance with the invention according to aspect 8, in the shield connector according to aspect 7, the inner sleeve is fitted on an inner side of the shielding layer, and the shielding layer is clamped by the inner sleeve and the inner surface of the U-shaped slot portion, thereby allowing the shielding layer to be conductingly connected to the electrically conductive flange reliably.
 less than Invention According to Aspect 9 greater than 
In accordance with the invention according to aspect 7, the shield connector according to aspect 7 is characterized by further comprising an auxiliary barrel extending along the shielding wire and having at one end thereof a crimping portion for the shielding layer and at another end thereof a U-shaped curved portion for being brought into close contact with an inner surface of the U-shaped slot portion.
In the arrangement according to aspect 9, the crimping portion provided at one end of the auxiliary barrel is crimped against the shielding layer of the shielding wire, and the U-shaped curved portion provided at the other end thereof is pressed into the U-shaped slot portion formed in the electrically conductive flange, thereby allowing the electrically conductive flange to be conductingly connected to the shielding layer reliably through the auxiliary barrel.
 less than Invention According to Aspect 10 greater than 
In accordance with the invention according to aspect 10, the shield connector according to aspect any one of aspects 7 to 9 is characterized in that a waterproof tubular portion in which a synthetic resin softer than the housing is molded on an outer peripheral surface of the shielding wire prior to molding the housing is provided on an inner side of a rear end portion of the housing.
In accordance with this arrangement, the waterproof tubular portion softer than the housing is brought into close contact with the housing and the shielding wire, so that the waterproof processing of the rear end portion of the housing is provided.
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