JP6075642B2 - Waterproof dummy connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof dummy connector.

  Conventionally, as a waterproof dummy connector fitted to a waterproof connector, for example, the one shown in FIG. The waterproof dummy connector includes a waterproof dummy connector main body that fits into the waterproof connector main body, and a lock arm that locks the connector main bodies in a fitted state. This lock arm is provided in a form extending in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the waterproof dummy connector main body, and both front and rear end portions swing and displace in a seesaw shape. A release operation part for releasing the lock is provided at the rear end of the lock arm, and the lock is released by pressing the release operation part. The lock arm is connected to the upper surface of the waterproof dummy connector main body through an elastic deformation portion formed on the lower surface thereof.

JP 2001-267005 A

  However, since the waterproof dummy connector is configured to be deformed while compressing the elastic deformation portion in accordance with the pressing of the release operation portion, the pressing force of the release operation portion is very large. In addition, since a part of the lock sound generated when the lock arm strikes the outer surface of the waterproof connector is blocked by the elastic deformation portion, the lock sound transmitted to the rear side of the waterproof dummy connector becomes small.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to increase the lock sound while improving the release operability of the lock arm.

The present invention is a waterproof dummy connector that can be fitted to a waterproof connector in which a male terminal protrudes from the rear wall of the hood portion, and has a rear wall, and when fitted to the waterproof connector, the hood portion A male terminal accommodating portion that accommodates an internally fitted male terminal, a pair of protective walls provided in an opposing state in the width direction outside the male terminal accommodating portion, and a width direction disposed between the pair of protective walls. It is connected to a pair of protective walls via a pair of elastic deformation portions arranged on both sides, and is provided with a tapping portion that engages with a locking projection provided on the outer surface of the hood portion and strikes the outer surface of the hood portion. The wall that surrounds the resonance space formed between the lock arm and the outer surface of the male terminal housing and the lock arm, and resonates the lock sound generated when the hitting portion hits the outer surface of the hood portion. and a lock sound resonance unit for resonating at the space, Ringing space is characterized at where the structure is formed over the back of the rear wall from the front of the rear wall.

  According to such a configuration, when the lock arm is released, it is only necessary to swing and displace both the front and rear ends of the lock arm in a seesaw shape around the elastic deformation portion while deforming the elastic deformation portion. Therefore, the force required to swing and displace the lock arm is reduced, and the release operability can be improved. Further, since the lock sound generated by the hitting portion of the lock arm hitting the outer surface of the hood portion resonates in the resonance space, the lock sound can be increased.

The following configuration is preferable as an aspect of the present invention.
The hitting portion is provided at the front end portion of the lock arm, and a release operation portion that is wider in the width direction than the hitting portion is provided at the rear end portion of the lock arm, and the resonance space includes the outer surface of the male terminal accommodating portion, the release operation portion, It is good also as a structure currently widely formed in the width direction between.
In addition, a pair of projecting pieces projecting laterally from both side edges of the release operation unit are provided on the lower surface of the release operation unit, and the resonance space has a pair of projecting pieces when the release operation unit is pressed. It is good also as a structure which can be accommodated.
According to such a configuration, the release operability can be further improved by forming the release operation portion wide in the width direction. In addition, since the resonance space becomes wider in the width direction as the release operation portion is made wider in the width direction, the lock sound can be made to resonate more.

The lock arm is configured such that both front and rear end portions can be oscillated and displaced in a seesaw shape with the elastic deformation portion as the center, and the resonance space is formed wider in the displacement direction of the lock arm behind the elastic deformation portion. Also good.
According to such a configuration, the resonance space becomes wider in the displacement direction of the lock arm, so that the lock sound can be made to resonate more.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the lock sound while improving the release operability of the lock arm.

Sectional view showing the state before fitting the waterproof connector and waterproof dummy connector Sectional drawing which showed the state after fitting a waterproof connector and a waterproof dummy connector Sectional view showing how the waterproof connector and waterproof dummy connector are detached by pressing the release operation part Front view of housing Side view of housing Top view of housing Rear view of housing AA line sectional view in FIG. BB sectional view in FIG. CC sectional view in FIG.

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the waterproof dummy connector 10 in this embodiment can be fitted to the waterproof connector 1. This waterproof dummy connector 10 is a connector that serves as a protective cap that protects the male terminal 2 of the waterproof connector 1 while waterproofing when the waterproof connector 1 is not used. In the following description, the front-rear direction refers to the front side of the mating surfaces of the connectors 1 and 10 based on the mating direction.

  First, the configuration of the waterproof connector 1 will be briefly described. The waterproof connector 1 has a male housing 3 made of synthetic resin, and the male housing 3 is provided with a hood portion 4 that opens forward. Inside the hood part 4, the male terminal 2 is arranged in a manner protruding forward. A male terminal holding part 5 for holding the male terminal 2 is formed on the back wall of the hood part 4, and a tab-like connecting part 6 of the male terminal 2 projects forward from the front surface of the male terminal holding part 5. . A lock projection 7 is formed on the upper surface of the hood 4.

  Next, the configuration of the waterproof dummy connector 10 will be described. The waterproof dummy connector 10 has a housing 20 made of synthetic resin. The housing 20 accommodates the tab-like connecting portion 6 of the male terminal 2 (an example of the “male terminal accommodating portion” of the present invention) 21. The outer cylinder portion 22 and the like formed along the outer periphery of the inner cylinder portion 21 are provided. Between the inner cylinder part 21 and the outer cylinder part 22, an entry space 23 into which the hood part 4 can enter is formed. As shown in FIG. 2, when both connectors 1 and 10 are fitted, the hood portion 4 enters the entry space 23, and the tab-like connection portion 6 of the male terminal 2 is accommodated in the inner cylinder portion 21.

  A seal ring 24 is fitted to the rear end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder portion 21. A front cap 25 is attached to the front end side of the inner cylinder portion 21. The front cap 25 has a front wall 28 that covers the front end opening of the inner cylinder portion 21, and a plurality of insertion holes 29 through which the tab-like connection portion 6 of the male terminal 2 is inserted are formed in the front wall 28. Yes.

  The front cap 25 has a mounting wall 26 to be mounted along the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder portion 21, and the front cap 25 is fixed to the inner cylinder by locking the projection of the mounting wall 26 in the hole of the inner cylinder portion 21. The front wall 28 is held at a position where the front end opening of the inner cylinder portion 21 is closed. Further, the front end of the mounting wall 26 prevents the seal ring 24 from coming off forward. The seal ring 24 is sandwiched between the inner tube portion 21 and the hood portion 4, thereby suppressing water from entering the male terminal 2 from between the inner tube portion 21 and the hood portion 4. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, the inner cylinder portion 21 can accommodate a plurality of tab-like connection portions 6 arranged in a plurality of rows (five rows in FIG. 4) in the upper and lower two stages in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 10, the rear wall of the inner cylinder part 21 and the rear wall of the outer cylinder part 22 are arranged rearward and aligned in the vertical direction. The wall and the rear wall of the outer cylinder portion 22 are collectively referred to as a rear wall 27.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a lock arm 30 is provided above the inner cylinder portion 21. A pair of protective walls 31 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the lock arm 30 so as to face each other in the width direction. These protective walls 31 are erected upward from an upper end surface 32 formed at the upper end portion of the inner surface of the outer cylindrical portion 22. The upper end surface 32 is disposed at a height (position) approximately coincident with the upper surface of the inner cylinder portion 21 in the vertical direction, and has a form of projecting outward in the width direction from the side wall 33 of the outer cylinder portion 22. For this reason, the protective wall 31 is located on the outer side in the width direction than the side wall 33 of the outer cylindrical portion 22. The upper end of the protective wall 31 is connected by a connecting wall 34 extending in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the connecting wall 34 is located in front of the front end of the lock arm 30.

  The lock arm 30 is configured to extend in the front-rear direction, and is connected to a pair of protective walls 31 via a pair of connecting portions 35 disposed on both sides in the width direction of the lock arm 30. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the connecting portion 35 extends from the side edge portion 36 of the lock arm 30 substantially in parallel to the upper surface of the inner cylinder portion 21 and is connected to the protective wall 31 in an orthogonal arrangement. Yes. As shown in FIG. 8, on the lock arm 30 side of the connecting portion 35, a pair of left and right cutout portions 37 (in the width direction) made up of a cutout portion cut out from the front side and a cutout portion cut out from the rear side. The region sandwiched between the notches 37 is an elastic deformation portion 38.

  The lock arm 30 is deformed while being twisted by a pair of elastic deformation portions 38 arranged on both sides in the width direction thereof, so that both front and rear end portions are swung up and down like a seesaw around the pair of elastic deformation portions 38. It is configured as follows. A hitting portion 39 is formed at the front end portion of the lock arm 30, while a release operation portion 40 is formed at the rear end portion of the lock arm 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the hitting portion 39 is adapted to be engaged with the locking protrusion 7 of the waterproof connector 1 when both the connectors 1 and 10 are properly fitted. Is locked in the normal fitting state.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the lock arm 30 is widened about three times in width at the position of the release operation unit 40, so that the release operation unit 40 can be easily pressed with a finger. Further, the elastic deformation portion 38 is disposed at the center portion in the front-rear direction of the lock arm 30 and extends obliquely forward from the front end portion of the release operation portion 40. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the front end portion of the release operation unit 40 is located above the rear wall 27 of the inner cylinder portion 21, and below the release operation unit 40, below the release operation unit 40. A rear resonance space 42 is formed in which the pressed release operation unit 40 is accommodated.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the rear resonance space 42 is configured to open to the rear, and is a part of the internal space of the rock sound resonance portion 43 formed continuously to the protective wall 31. As shown in FIG. 2, the lock sound resonance portion 43 is a front resonance space formed between the lock arm 30 and the upper surface of the inner cylinder portion 21 (an example of the “outer surface of the male terminal housing portion” of the present invention). 41 and the above-described rear resonance space 42 are wall portions surrounding a single resonance space configured to communicate with each other. Specifically, the lock sound resonance part 43 includes an upper wall part of the inner cylinder part 21, a pair of protective walls 31, a lock arm 30, a connecting part 35, and the like. The front resonance space 41 is secured between the hood portion 4 and the lock arm 30 even when the hood portion 4 can enter the front resonance space 41 and the hood portion 4 enters the front resonance space 41. It has become so.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the rear resonance space 42 is formed wider in the width direction than the front resonance space 41, and as shown in FIG. 10, the rear resonance space 42 is in the vertical direction (displacement direction of the lock arm 30) than the front resonance space 41. Widely formed. That is, the resonance space of the rock sound resonance portion 43 is configured to expand toward the rear, and the rear resonance space is obtained by resonating the rock sound generated by the hitting portion 39 hitting the hood portion 4 in the front resonance space 41. 42, the lock sound is further resonated in the rear resonance space 42 and the lock sound is easily transmitted to the rear of the lock sound resonance portion 43. In other words, the rock sound resonance unit 43 functions to resonate the lock sound by vibrating as a whole.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a finger hooking portion 44 for hanging a finger from below when unlocking is formed on the lower surface of the lock sound resonance portion 43 so as to extend downward. An extended resonance space 45 is formed in the finger-hanging portion 44 so as to open rearward. The upper side of the expanded resonance space 45 communicates with the rear resonance space 42. The expanded resonance space 45 is narrower in the width direction than the rear resonance space 42, but has a height dimension equivalent to that of the rear resonance space 42 in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. Thereby, even if fitting is performed in a state where the finger is put on the finger-hanging portion 44, it is possible to avoid the vibration that resonates the lock sound in the lock sound resonance portion 43 from being canceled by the finger.

  The present embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described subsequently. First, the case where both the connectors 1 and 10 are fitted is demonstrated. The inner cylinder part 21 of the waterproof dummy connector 10 is fitted to the inner circumference of the hood part 4, and the outer cylinder part 22 is fitted to the outer circumference of the hood part 4. The tab-like connecting portion 6 of the male terminal 2 enters the inner cylindrical portion 21 through the insertion hole 29 of the front cap 25, and the hood portion 4 has an entry space between the inner cylindrical portion 21 and the outer cylindrical portion 22. Enter 23.

  During this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the lock arm 30, after the hitting portion 39 rides on the lock projection 7 and swings and displaces, the connectors 1, 10 are in the normal fitting state and the hitting portion 39 is locked. When the part 7 is overcome, the hitting part 39 hits the upper surface of the hood part 4 by elastically returning as shown in FIG. At this time, a lock sound is generated, and this lock sound resonates in both resonance spaces 41 and 42 of the lock sound resonance portion 43 and moves backward, so that it is recognized as a large lock sound. Then, when the hitting portion 39 is engaged with the locking projection 7, both the connectors 1 and 10 are locked in the normal fitting state.

  Next, a case where both connectors 1 and 10 are detached will be described. First, the waterproof dummy connector 10 is held in the hand with the thumb of the thumb placed on the release operation unit 40 and the index finger placed on the finger-hanging unit 44. When the release operation unit 40 is pressed, as shown in FIG. 3, the release operation unit 40 enters the rear resonance space 42 and the hitting unit 39 is lifted upward from the upper surface of the hood unit 4. At this time, the pair of elastic deformation portions 38 arranged on both sides in the width direction of the lock arm 30 is deformed so as to be twisted and does not deform in the compressed direction, so that the lock arm 30 is unlocked with a small pressing force. be able to. Thereafter, the engagement with the lock protrusion 7 is released, and when both the connectors 1 and 10 are pulled apart from each other, the two connectors 1 and 10 are separated as shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the lock arm 30 is released, only the front and rear ends of the lock arm 30 are oscillated and displaced in the form of a seesaw around the elastic deformation portion 38 while the elastic deformation portion 38 is deformed. In other words, since it is not necessary to deform the elastic deformation portion 38 while compressing it, the force required to swing and displace the lock arm 30 is reduced, and the release operability can be improved. Further, since the lock sound generated when the hitting portion 39 of the lock arm 30 hits the outer surface of the hood portion 4 is resonated in both the resonance spaces 41 and 42, the lock sound can be increased.

  The hitting portion 39 is provided at the front end portion of the lock arm 30, the release operation portion 40 wider in the width direction than the hitting portion 39 is provided at the rear end portion of the lock arm 30, and the resonance space is the rear surface of the inner cylinder portion 21. In addition, a configuration may be adopted in which the upper surface and the release operation unit 40 are formed wide in the width direction. According to such a configuration, the release operability can be further improved by forming the release operation unit 40 wide in the width direction. Further, since the resonance space is also widened in the width direction as the release operation unit 40 is widened in the width direction, it is possible to resonate the lock sound.

  The lock arm 30 is swingable and displaceable in the form of a seesaw around the elastic deformation portion 38, and the resonance space is formed wider in the displacement direction of the lock arm 30 behind the elastic deformation portion 38. It is good also as composition which has. According to such a configuration, since the resonance space is widened in the displacement direction of the lock arm 30, the lock sound can be resonated more.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) Although the lock release is performed by pressing the release operation unit 40 in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, the lock may be released by directly lifting the hitting unit, and thus lifting is performed. The outer surface of the hood portion 4 may be hit by releasing the hitting portion.

  (2) Although the release operation unit 40 is formed wider in the width direction than the hitting unit 39 in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, the hitting unit and the release operation unit may be formed with the same width. Accordingly, the front resonance space and the rear resonance space may be formed with the same width.

  (3) Although the rear resonance space 42 is formed wider in the vertical direction than the front resonance space 41 in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, the front resonance space and the rear resonance space have the same size in the vertical direction. It may be formed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Waterproof connector 2 ... Male terminal 4 ... Hood part 7 ... Lock protrusion 10 ... Waterproof dummy connector 21 ... Inner cylinder part (male terminal accommodating part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Lock arm 31 ... Protection wall 38 ... Elastic deformation part 39 ... Striking part 40 ... Release operation part 41 ... Front side resonance space 42 ... Rear side resonance space 43 ... Rock sound resonance part

Claims (4)

A waterproof dummy connector that can be fitted to a waterproof connector in which a male terminal protrudes from the back wall of the hood,
A male terminal accommodating part that has a rear wall and accommodates the male terminal by fitting into the hood part when fitted with the waterproof connector;
A pair of protective walls provided in an opposing state in the width direction outside the male terminal accommodating portion;
It is arranged between the pair of protective walls, is connected to the pair of protective walls via a pair of elastic deformation portions arranged on both sides in the width direction , and protrudes rearward from the rear wall of the terminal accommodating portion. A lock arm provided with a striking portion that engages with a lock protrusion provided on the outer surface of the hood portion and strikes the outer surface of the hood portion;
A wall portion surrounding a resonance space formed between an outer surface of the male terminal housing portion and the lock arm, wherein a locking sound generated when the hitting portion hits the outer surface of the hood portion is generated in the resonance space. and a lock sound resonance unit in resonating,
The resonance space is a waterproof dummy connector formed from the front of the rear wall to the rear of the rear wall .   The hitting portion is provided at a front end portion of the lock arm, a release operation portion that is wider in a width direction than the hitting portion is provided at a rear end portion of the lock arm, and the resonance space is formed of the male terminal accommodating portion. The waterproof dummy connector according to claim 1, wherein the waterproof dummy connector is formed wide in the width direction between an outer surface and the release operation portion. A pair of projecting pieces projecting laterally from both side edges of the release operation unit are provided on the lower surface of the release operation unit, and the resonance space is formed when the release operation unit is pressed. The waterproof dummy connector according to claim 2, wherein the protruding piece can be accommodated. The lock arm is swingable and displaceable in a seesaw shape at both front and rear ends around the elastic deformation portion, and the resonance space is formed wider in the displacement direction of the lock arm behind the elastic deformation portion. waterproof dummy connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is.

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