CN112510419B

CN112510419B - Connector and connector assembly

Info

Publication number: CN112510419B
Application number: CN202010960122.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 饭田敬; 畝本雅之
Original assignee: Molex LLC
Current assignee: Molex LLC
Priority date: 2019-09-13
Filing date: 2020-09-14
Publication date: 2022-06-10
Anticipated expiration: 2040-09-14
Also published as: JP7256096B2; JP2021044196A; CN112510419A; CN115036742A

Abstract

The invention provides a connector which has a small and low-height structure, can keep high waterproofness and has high reliability, and the connector comprises: a connector body having a fixed wire guide formed with a wire passage hole and a terminal accommodation hole; a terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating hole, and connected to the terminal in such a manner that the wire extends backward in the fitting direction; a wire seal disposed between the terminal accommodating hole and the fixed wire guide; a cover member mounted to the connector body so as to be slidable in a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction, the cover member drawing out the electric wire forward in the sliding direction; and a movable wire guide arranged so as to be displaceable in the fitting direction on the rear side in the fitting direction of the fixed wire guide, wherein when the cam pin formed in the cover member is engaged with the cam groove formed in the movable wire guide and the cover member is displaced in the forward direction in the sliding direction, the movable wire guide is displaced in the rearward direction in the fitting direction.

Description

Connector and connector assembly

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a connector and a connector assembly.

Background

In the related art, in an electric wire connector (connector) used in an automobile or the like, a connector body is attached to cover a root portion of an electric wire, thereby preventing rainwater, washing water, and the like from entering the inside (for example, see patent document 1).

FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of a prior art connector

In the drawing, 811 is a connector housing (housing) formed integrally of a synthetic resin and formed with a plurality of terminal accommodation holes 813, and the plurality of terminal accommodation holes 813 accommodate terminals 851 connected to ends of electric wires 891. Further, a seal housing portion 815 for housing the mat seal 831 and the rear seal cover 821 is formed at the rear of (above in the drawing) the connector housing 811. The pad seal 831 is a thick plate-like member made of an elastic sealing material and has a plurality of wire passing holes 833, the plurality of wire passing holes 833 being formed at positions corresponding to the terminal accommodation holes 813. Further, the rear seal cover 821 is a thick plate-shaped member made of synthetic resin and has a plurality of wire through holes 823, and the plurality of wire through holes 823 are formed at positions corresponding to the terminal accommodation holes 813 and the wire through holes 833. The plurality of electric wires 891 are connected to the connector housing 811 by passing each of the electric wires through the electric wire insertion hole 833 and the electric wire through hole 823 and by accommodating the terminal 851 connected to the tip of each electric wire 891 in the terminal accommodation hole 813.

In addition, the wire cover 841 is attached to the back surface (top surface in the drawing) of the connector housing 811. The wire cover 841 is configured to bend and accommodate the wire 891 drawn out from the wire through hole 823 of the rear seal cover 821 in a predetermined wire drawing-out direction (upward and leftward in the drawing).

In this way, the electric wire cover 841 is mounted to the rear surface of the connector housing 811, and the mat seal 831 and the rear seal cover 821 are accommodated in the seal accommodating part 815. Therefore, water tightness can be ensured, and water can be reliably prevented from penetrating into the terminal accommodation hole 813 from the rear.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2015-041424

Disclosure of Invention

However, in the above-described conventional connector, when the wire cover 841 is attached to the rear surface of the connector housing 811 and the electric wire 891 is bent in the wire removing direction, the degree of bending of the electric wire 891 drawn out from the electric wire through hole 823 on the opposite side (right side in the drawing) to the wire removing direction becomes large, and the electric wire insertion hole 833 of the mat seal 831 is subjected to a load in the wire removing direction by the bending, and is thereby deformed, and the waterproofness is lowered. The bent position is the rear end (upper end in the drawing) of the wire through hole 823 of the rear seal cover 821, but the distance from the bent position to the mat seal 831 becomes smaller, and the deformation of the wire insertion hole 833 due to the load becomes larger.

An object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized and low-height connector and a connector assembly which can solve the problems of the conventional connector and maintain high waterproof property and high reliability.

Thus, the connector comprises: a connector body having a fixed wire guide and a terminal accommodating hole, the fixed wire guide having a wire passage hole formed therein; a terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating hole and extending along a fitting direction, the wire being connected to the terminal so as to extend rearward in the fitting direction; a wire seal (seal) formed with a wire passing hole, the wire seal being disposed between the terminal accommodating hole and the fixed wire guide; a cover member attached to a rear end of the connector body in a fitting direction and slidably attached to the connector body in a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction; and a movable wire guide formed with a wire passage hole, the movable wire guide being disposed so as to be displaceable along the fitting direction on the rear side of which the fitting direction of the fixed wire guide is. Wherein, when a cam pin (cam pin) formed on the cover member is engaged with a cam groove formed on the movable wire guide plate and the cover member is displaced toward the front in the sliding direction, the movable wire guide plate is displaced toward the rear in the fitting direction.

Further, in the other connector, the movable wire guide includes a cam groove forming member that protrudes toward the front in the fitting direction, at least a part of the cam groove is formed in the cam groove forming member, and the fixed wire guide includes a cam groove forming member accommodating recess that can accommodate the cam groove forming member.

Further, in still another connector, the fixed wire guide includes a guide projection extending toward the rear in the fitting direction, and the movable wire guide includes a guide groove extending in the fitting direction and receiving the guide projection.

Further, in still another connector, the respective wire passage holes of the fixed wire guide, the wire seal and the movable wire guide extend in the fitting direction, and the wire is bent rearward in the fitting direction of the wire passage hole of the movable wire guide, toward the front in the sliding direction of the cover member, and is moved out toward the front in the sliding direction of the cover member.

Further, in still another connector, the cover member includes: a covering surface portion for covering a rear side in a fitting direction of the connector main body; and an electric wire passage opening, which is opened at the front end in the sliding direction, and from which the electric wire is led out.

In the connector, the connector body includes a slide rail portion formed at a rear end in the fitting direction of the connecting body and extending in the sliding direction of the cover member, a locking recess portion is formed at least one position of the slide rail portion, the cover member includes a slider portion that is engaged with the slide rail portion, and a locking protrusion portion that is locked to the locking recess portion is formed at least one position of the slider portion.

The connector assembly includes: a connector according to the present disclosure; and a mating connector fitted with the connector.

The connector according to the present disclosure has a small, low-height structure, and can maintain high waterproofness and improve reliability.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a connector and a counterpart connector according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the outer housing of the connector and the strain relief according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a state in which fitting between the connector and the counterpart connector is completed.

Fig. 4A, 4B are sectional views of fig. 3, wherein fig. 4A is a sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 3, and fig. 4B is an enlarged view of portion B of fig. 4A.

Fig. 5A, 5B are two-plane views showing a state before sliding the wire cover of the connector of the present embodiment, in which fig. 5A is a top view and fig. 5B is a side view.

Fig. 6A, 6B are sectional views showing a state before sliding the wire cover of the connector according to the present embodiment, wherein fig. 6A is a sectional view taken along line C-C in fig. 5A, and fig. 6B is a sectional view taken along line D-D in fig. 5A.

Fig. 7A, 7B are two-plane views showing a state after sliding the wire cover of the connector according to the present embodiment, in which fig. 7A is a side view and fig. 7B is a sectional view of the same position as a section cut along the line C-C in fig. 5A.

Fig. 8A, 8B are sectional views showing a state after sliding the wire cover of the connector according to the present embodiment, in which fig. 8A is a sectional view of the same position as the section cut along the line D-D in fig. 5A, and fig. 8B is an enlarged view of the portion E in fig. 8A.

Fig. 9 is a side sectional view of a conventional connector.

Detailed Description

The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a connector and a counterpart connector according to the present embodiment, fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a relationship between an outer housing of the connector and a strain relief according to the present embodiment, fig. 3 is a side view of a state where fitting between the connector and the counterpart connector is completed, and fig. 4A, 4B are sectional views of fig. 3. Further, in fig. 4A, 4B, fig. 4A is a sectional view taken along line a-a in fig. 3, and fig. 4B is an enlarged view of portion B in fig. 4A.

In the drawings, 1 is a connector according to the present embodiment, and is a connector as one side of a connector assembly (connector assembly). The connector 1 is called a wire connector and is connected to the tip end of a bundle of a plurality of electric wires 91, that is, wires, and the connector 1 is fitted to a mating connector 101 as the other side of the connector assembly. The mating connector 101 is, for example, a board-side connector that is attached to a panel member (which is a side wall of a housing for accommodating an electric device, an electronic apparatus, or the like) and is connected to a board (such as a printed circuit board or the like) of the electric device, the electronic apparatus, or the like provided in the housing. In addition, for example, electric devices, electronic equipment, and the like may be applied to control devices and the like (which include rail vehicles such as electric trains and the like, and road vehicles such as trucks and buses), and may be of any type.

In addition, directions (such as up, down, left, right, front, and rear, etc.) used for indicating the structures and actions of the components of the connector 1 and the counterpart connector 101 in the present embodiment indicate not absolute directions but relative directions, and although appropriate when the components of the connector 1 and the counterpart connector 101 are in the positions shown in the drawings, when the positions are changed corresponding to the changes, the directions should be interpreted differently. Note that in the present embodiment, a case will be described where each of the components of the connector 1 and the counterpart connector 101 is formed such that the fitting direction in which the connector 1 is fitted with the counterpart connector 101 is the up-down direction, the front in the fitting direction is the lower side, and the rear in the fitting direction is the upper side.

As shown in fig. 1, the connector 1 includes: an outer housing (outer housing)11 as a first connector body and integrally formed of an insulating material such as synthetic resin or the like; an inner housing (inner housing)15 as a second connector main body integrally formed of an insulating material such as synthetic resin or the like and accommodated in the outer housing 11; a front cover 18 integrally formed of an insulating material (e.g., synthetic resin or the like) as a third connector main body and connected to a lower side (a negative direction side of the Z axis) which is on a front side in the fitting direction of the inner housing 15; a wire cover (wire cover)41, which is a cover member integrally formed of an insulating material (e.g., synthetic resin) and is attached to the rear end in the fitting direction of the outer housing 11, i.e., the upper end (positive direction end of the Z axis) so as to be slidable in a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction. Note that the outer housing 11, the inner housing 15, and the front cover 18 are collectively described as a housing as a connector main body.

The connector 1 further includes: a strain (strain) eliminating member (relief)21 as a movable wire guide provided between the outer case 11 and the wire cover 41; a mat seal 31 (as a wire seal) and a ring seal 38 (as a housing seal) provided between the outer housing 11 and the inner housing 15; a holder 28 attached to the inner housing 15 as a terminal holding member; and a fitting rod 81 attached to the outer case 11.

Note that the electric wire 91 according to the present embodiment includes: power line 91A connected to the power line; and a signal line 91B connected to the signal line. Further, the terminal 51 made of a conductive metal connected to the tip end of the electric wire 91 includes: power terminal 51A connected to power line 91A; and a signal terminal 51B connected to the signal line 91B. The power line 91A and the signal line 91B are collectively described as the electric line 91, and the power terminal 51A and the signal terminal 51B are collectively described as the terminal 51. As shown in fig. 1, the electric wire 91 is connected to the terminal 51 so as to extend rearward in the fitting direction.

As shown in fig. 2, the outer case 11 includes: an upper recess 11d formed by being recessed downward from an upper end surface, i.e., the top surface 11 a; and a partition wall 12 as a fixed wire guide formed to extend in the X-axis and Y-axis directions and fill a bottom surface of the upper side recess 11 d. A plurality of power line passing holes 13A and signal line passing holes 13B are formed in the partition wall 12, and the power lines 91A and the signal lines 91B are inserted through the power line passing holes 13A and the signal line passing holes 13B, respectively, in correspondence thereto. Note that the power line passing hole 13A and the signal line passing hole 13B are collectively described as the power line passing hole 13. The wire passage hole 13 is a through hole that vertically penetrates the partition wall 12 from the top surface 12a to the bottom surface (not shown) of the partition wall 12.

In addition, at least a portion of the strain relief 21 including the lower end is accommodated in the upper side recess 11 d. The strain relief 21 is a thick plate-like member integrally formed of an insulating material (e.g., synthetic resin) and has a substantially oblong or elliptical shape in plan view with the X axis as the major axis together with the upper recess 11 d. Further, a plurality of power line passing holes 23A and signal line passing holes 23B are formed in the strain relief 21, and the power lines 91A and signal lines 91B are respectively inserted through the plurality of power line passing holes 23A and the plurality of signal line passing holes 23B. Note that the power line passing hole 23A and the signal line passing hole 23B are collectively described as the electric wire passing hole 23. The wire passage holes 23 are through holes that penetrate the strain relief 21 from the top surface 21a to the bottom surface 21b of the strain relief 21 up and down, and the arrangement of the wire passage holes 23 is the same as that of the wire passage holes 13 formed in the partition wall 12.

Further, upper and lower guide grooves 22 as guide grooves are formed at a plurality of positions (four positions in the example shown in fig. 1, 2) of the side surface 21c of the strain relief 21, the upper and lower guide grooves 22 penetrating up and down from the top surface 21a to the bottom surface 21 b. Each of the upper and lower guide grooves 22 accommodates each of the upper and lower guide protrusions 12d in such a manner that each of the upper and lower guide protrusions 12d is slidable, and the upper and lower guide protrusions 12d protrude upward from the top surface 12a of the partition wall 12 along the inner peripheral surface of the upper side recess 11d as guide protrusions.

Further, on a flat surface of the side surface 21c of the strain relief 21 extending in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction), an inclined groove 24 as a cam groove extending obliquely is formed. In the example shown in fig. 1, 2, although two inclined grooves 24 are formed on both sides in the width direction (Y-axis direction), the number thereof may be arbitrarily set. Each inclined groove 24 includes: an inlet portion 24a that forms an opening in the top surface 21a of the strain relief 21; a main body portion 24b inclined so as to descend straight downward (in the Z-axis negative direction) in the longitudinal direction (positive direction of the X-axis); and a distal end portion 24c formed as a non-inclined flat portion at the lower end of the main body portion 24 b. Each inclined groove 24 extends downward such that a portion near the end portion 24c is located below the bottom surface 21 b. Therefore, the strain relief member 21 includes the lower projecting piece 25 as a cam groove forming piece, and the lower projecting piece 25 is formed in a manner to surround at least a part of each inclined groove 24, specifically, the periphery of the tip end portion 24c of each inclined groove 24 and its vicinity. Each lower protrusion piece 25 has: a part of the side surface 21c is protruded downward from the bottom surface 21 b. In addition, each lower protrusion 25 can be accommodated in a protrusion accommodating recess 12c, which is recessed from the top surface 12a of the partition wall 12 toward the lower side as a cam groove-shaped formation accommodating recess 12 c.

A cover engaging portion 14 that protrudes upward for engaging with the wire cover 41 is formed on the top surface 11a of the outer case 11. The cover engagement portion 14 includes: a pair of linear portions 14a extending in the longitudinal direction (the sliding direction of the wire cover 41); and a curved portion 14b for connecting one end of each of the linear portions 14 a. In addition, a rail portion 14c is formed at each linear portion 14a when viewed from the long dimension direction, the rail portion 14c having a substantially L-shape and extending linearly in the long dimension. Note that an open portion 14d is formed near the center of the rail portion 14c in the front-rear direction. The locking recess 14e is formed at least one position on the side surface of the slide rail portion 14c so as to be open to the side surface 11c of the outer case 11.

Further, a lever rotating shaft 75 is formed on a flat surface extending in the long dimension direction (X-axis direction) in the side surface 11c of the outer case 11 to attach the fitting lever 81 to the lever rotating shaft 75, the lever rotating shaft 75 being a protruding shaft having a circular cross section. Further, at either one of the front end and the rear end of the side face 11c, there are formed: a locking piece 76 for locking the fitting rod 81 in a predetermined posture; and a pair of protective plate portions 77 for covering both sides of the retainer 76. The locking piece 76 is a cantilever-shaped elastically deformable member, an upper end of the locking piece 76 is integrally connected to the side surface 11c, and a locking protrusion 76a is formed at a lower end of the locking piece 76, which is a free end.

Further, a lower recess 11e is formed below the partition wall 12 of the outer case 11, and the lower recess 11e is recessed upward from the bottom surface 11 b. The inner housing 15, the mat seal 31, the ring seal 38, and the front cover 18, to which the retainer 28 is attached, are accommodated in the lower recessed portion 11e, and the fitting side end of the mating connector 101, i.e., the upper end and the vicinity thereof, are inserted into the lower recessed portion 11 e. Further, a notch 11f that opens toward the bottom surface 11b is formed near the lower end of the flat surface of the side surface 11c of the outer case 11 extending in the longitudinal direction. A lock pin 181 as a protruding shaft enters the cutout portion 11f, the lock pin 181 being integrally formed on a side surface of a mating housing 111 as a mating connector main body which is a housing of the mating connector 101 and which is integrally formed of an insulating material (such as synthetic resin or the like).

The wire cover 41 is a dome-shaped member having a cavity therein, and has: a top surface 41a as a curved and closed covering face portion; a bottom surface 41b having an opened inner side and substantially U-shaped; and a side wall 41c for connecting the top surface 41a and the bottom surface 41b, wherein the wire cover 41 is attached to the upper end portion of the outer case 11 in a slidable manner in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction). Note that, although the rear end side of the wire cover 41 is closed by the side wall 41c, the front end side of the wire cover 41 is not closed by the side wall 41c, and is formed as a wire passage port 41e for passing the electric wire 91 therethrough. Above the wire passage hole 41e, there is a cornice portion 41d extending from the top surface 41a toward the front in the sliding direction. Further, the top surface 41a includes: a horizontal portion 41a1 extending in the front-rear direction; and an inclined portion 41a2 inclined downward from a rear end (an end in the negative direction of the X axis) in the sliding direction of the horizontal portion 41a 1.

Further, a boss 43 as a cam pin protruding inward is formed in the vicinity of the bottom surface 41b of the inner surface of the side wall 41c of the wire cover 41. The bosses 43 are slidably fitted in the inclined grooves 24 of the strain relief 21, and in the example shown in fig. 1, two bosses 43 are formed on the inner surfaces of the side walls 41c on both sides. However, the number and position of the bosses 43 may be arbitrarily set to correspond to the inclined grooves 24.

Further, a slider portion 42 protruding outward is formed in the vicinity of the bottom surface 41b of the outer surface of the side wall 41c of the wire cover 41. The slider portions 42 are members slidably engaged with the slide rail portions 14c of the outer case 11, and in the example shown in fig. 2, two slider portions 42 are formed on the outer surfaces of the side walls 41c on both sides, respectively, but the number and position thereof may be arbitrarily set to correspond to the slide rail portions 14 c. Each of the slider portions 42 has a substantially L-shape when viewed from the left-right direction, and includes: a straight portion 42a extending straight in the sliding direction; and a stopper 42b extending upward from a rear end of the straight portion 42 a. Further, a locking protrusion 42c protruding outward is formed at least one position of the slider portion 42, and in the example shown in fig. 1, the slider 42 is formed on the outer surface of the straight portion 42a of the slider 42 rearward in the sliding direction. The locking protrusion 42c is a member locked to the locking recess 14e of the outer case 11, and as shown in fig. 4B, the rear end of the locking protrusion 42c is formed as a vertical surface substantially orthogonal to the outer surface of the straight portion 42a, and the front end thereof is formed as an inclined surface inclined with respect to the outer surface of the straight portion 42 a. As shown in fig. 4A, a cavity 42d is formed inside the straight portion 42a located near the locking protrusion 42 c. Accordingly, the outer surface of the straight portion 42a located near the locking protrusion 42c is formed to be elastically deformable flexibly. Therefore, the locking projection 42c is elastically displaceable flexibly in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the outer case 11.

The inner housing 15 includes: a main body portion 15 d; and an expanded portion 15c connected to an upper end of the main body portion 15d, wherein a lower end surface of the main body portion 15d is formed as a bottom surface 15b of the inner housing 15, and an upper end surface of the expanded portion 15c is formed as a top surface 15a of the inner housing 15. The expanded portion 15c is formed with a seal accommodating recess 16 described later. The seal accommodating recess 16 is a recess recessed downward from the top surface 15a, and the mat seal 31 is accommodated in the seal accommodating recess 16. The inner housing 15 is relatively displaced from below in a rising manner and is accommodated in the lower recess 11e of the outer housing 11, with the top surface 15a of the inner housing 15 in a state of abutting against or approaching the bottom surface of the partition wall 12 of the outer housing 11. Accordingly, the mat seal 31 accommodated in the seal accommodating recess 16 will be in a state where its top surface abuts against the bottom surface of the partition wall 12.

The mat seal 31 is a thick plate-like member integrally molded with a sealing material (e.g., a flexible resin such as silicone rubber), and the shape of the mat seal 31 in plan view is a substantially oblong shape or an elliptical shape with the X axis as the major axis, as with the strain relief 21. Further, a plurality of power line passing holes 33A and signal line passing holes 33B are formed in the mat seal 31, and power lines 91A and signal lines 91B are inserted through the power line passing holes 33A and the signal line passing holes 33B, respectively, in correspondence. Note that the power line passing hole 33A and the signal line passing hole 33B are collectively described as the electric wire passing hole 33. The wire passage holes 33 are through holes that vertically penetrate the mat seal 31 from the top surface to the bottom surface of the mat seal 31, and the arrangement of the wire passage holes 33 is the same as that of the wire passage holes 13 formed in the partition wall 12.

Further, the inner housing 15 is formed with a plurality of power terminal accommodating holes 17A for accommodating the power terminals 51A connected to the tips of the power lines 91A and a plurality of signal terminal accommodating holes 17B for accommodating the signal terminals 51B connected to the tips of the signal lines 91B. Note that the power terminal accommodation hole 17A and the signal terminal accommodation hole 17B are collectively described as the terminal accommodation hole 17. The terminal accommodating hole 17 is a through hole vertically penetrating the inner housing 15 from the bottom surface of the seal accommodating recess 16 to the bottom surface 15b of the inner housing 15, and the terminal accommodating hole 17 is arranged in the same manner as the wire passing hole 33 formed in the mat seal 31.

Note that, the main body portion 15d is formed with: an elongated holder accommodating recess 15e extending in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction). The holder accommodating recess 15e is a recess for accommodating the holder 28, and is formed across a part of each terminal accommodating hole 17 extending in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction). The holder 28 is a member integrally formed of an insulating material (such as synthetic resin or the like), and has: an elongated rod-shaped body portion 28a extending in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction); and a plurality of engaging portions 28b extending from the body portion 28a in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the inner housing 15. When the holder 28 accommodated in the holder accommodating recess portion 15e is displaced toward the front side in the width direction (positive direction of the Y axis) of the inner housing 15, and the corresponding terminal 51 is accommodated in each terminal accommodating hole 17 in a state where the body portion 28a of the holder 28 protrudes from the outer surface of the body portion 15d of the inner housing 15, and thereafter, the holder 28 is returned to the back side in the width direction (negative direction of the Y axis) of the inner housing 15, and is formed to be completely accommodated in the holder accommodating recess portion 15e, each engaging portion 28b is engaged with the corresponding terminal 51, and the terminal 51 is prevented from being displaced in the up-down direction. Accordingly, the terminals 51 can be prevented from coming off the terminal accommodating holes 17.

The annular seal 38 is fitted to the outer periphery of the body 15 d. The annular seal 38 is a ring-shaped member integrally molded with a sealing material (e.g., a flexible resin such as silicone rubber), and is attached to a boundary portion between the expanded portion 15c and the outer periphery of the main body portion 15 d.

The front cover 18 includes a recess (not shown) recessed downward from a top surface 18a of the front cover 18, and the main body 15d of the inner housing 15 is displaced downward from above and is accommodated in the recess. Further, the bottom surface of the bottom wall 18c of the recess is formed as the bottom surface 18b of the front cover 18. In addition, a plurality of mating power terminal passage holes 19A and a plurality of mating signal terminal passage holes 19B are formed in the bottom wall 18c, and mating power terminals (not shown) and mating signal terminals (not shown) assembled in the mating housing 111 of the mating connector 101 are inserted through the plurality of mating power terminal passage holes 19A and the plurality of mating signal terminal passage holes 19B in correspondence with each other, respectively. Note that the mating power terminal passage holes 19A and the mating signal terminal passage holes 19B are collectively described as mating terminal passage holes 19. The mating terminal passage holes 19 are through holes vertically penetrating the bottom wall 18c from the top surface to the bottom surface 18b of the bottom wall 18c, and the mating terminal passage holes 19 are arranged in the same manner as the terminal accommodation holes 17 formed in the body portion 15d of the inner housing 15.

Although the fitting stem 81 is a member integrally formed of an insulating material (e.g., synthetic resin or the like), the fitting stem 81 may be a member formed by performing punching, bending, or the like on a metal plate. The fitting stem 81 has a substantially U-shape or arch (arch) shape when viewed from the up-down direction, and includes: a pair of plate-like arm portions 82 corresponding to both legs of the arch bridge; and a connecting portion 83 corresponding to a top portion of the arch bridge for connecting between one ends of the arm portions 82. A rotation hole 85 and a locking recess 86 are formed in each arm 82. The fitting rod 81 is attached to the outer housing 11 so as to be rotatable about the rod rotation shaft 75 by inserting the rod rotation shaft 75 of the outer housing 11 into the rotation hole 85. In addition, in fig. 1, the locking recess 86 includes: an inlet portion 86a at the lower end of the arm 82; and a locking portion 86b provided near the rotation hole 85. When the connector 1 is fitted with the counterpart connector 101, the locking pins 181 formed on the side surface of the counterpart housing 111 enter from the entrance portions 86a into the locking recesses 86. When the fitting lever 81 is rotated to be brought into the posture shown in fig. 3, the lock pin 181 is relatively moved to the lock portion 86 b. Thus, the connector 1 and the mating connector 101 are locked in a fitted state.

A lever locking protrusion 83a is formed on an inner surface of the connecting portion 83, and the lever locking protrusion 83a is lockable to the locking protrusion 76a of the outer case 11; on the other hand, an operation protrusion 84 is formed on the outer surface of the connection portion 83, and the lever locking protrusion 83a is provided to facilitate the operation of the fitting lever 81 by the operator using a finger. When the fitting lever 81 is rotated to be brought into the posture shown in fig. 3, the lever locking protrusion 83a is locked to a locking protrusion 76a formed at a free end of a locking piece 76 formed in the outer housing 11. In this way, in a state where the lever locking protrusion 83a is locked to the locking protrusion 76a, the fitting lever 81 cannot change the posture in the posture shown in fig. 3, and the fitted state between the connector 1 and the counterpart connector 101 cannot be unlocked.

Next, an operation of sliding the wire cover 41 in the connector 1 having the above-described configuration will be described.

Fig. 5A, 5B are biplane views showing a state after sliding the wire cover of the connector according to the present embodiment, fig. 6A, 6B are sectional views showing a state before sliding the wire cover of the connector according to the present embodiment, fig. 7A, 7B are biplane views showing a state after sliding the wire cover of the connector according to the present embodiment, and fig. 8A, 8B are sectional views showing a state after sliding the wire cover of the connector according to the present embodiment. Note that, in fig. 5A, 5B, fig. 5A is a top view, and fig. 5B is a side view; in fig. 6A, 6B, fig. 6A is a sectional view taken along line C-C of fig. 5A, and fig. 6B is a sectional view taken along line D-D of fig. 5A; in fig. 7A, 7B, fig. 7A is a side view, and fig. 7B is a sectional view at the same position as the section taken along the line C-C in fig. 5A; in fig. 8A, 8B, fig. 8A is a sectional view of the same position as the section taken along the line D-D in fig. 5A, and fig. 8B is an enlarged view of the portion E in fig. 8A.

In the present embodiment, after a bundle of a plurality of electric wires 91, i.e., the tip of an electric wire (wire), is connected to the connector 1, the wire cover 41 is mounted on the upper end of the outer housing 11. As shown in fig. 5A, 5B and fig. 6A, 6B, in a state where a bundle of a plurality of electric wires 91, that is, the tip ends of the electric wires are connected to the connector 1, the terminal 51 connected to the tip end of each electric wire 91 is accommodated in each terminal accommodating hole 17 of the inner housing 15 and engaged with the holder 28, and the electric wire 91 connected to the rear end of each terminal 51 is passed through each electric wire passing hole 33 formed in the mat seal 31, each electric wire passing hole 13 formed in the partition wall 12 of the outer housing 11, and each electric wire passing hole 23 formed in the strain relief 21, and is drawn out from the electric wire passing hole 23, and then, is bent toward a predetermined electric wire removing direction (left direction in fig. 6A) and removed from the connector 1.

Note that in fig. 5A to 8B, for convenience, please note that illustration of a part of the electric wire 91 is omitted.

In this state, the inner housing 15 mounted with the retainer 28 is accommodated in the lower recess 11e of the outer housing 11 and connected to the outer housing 11, and the top surface 15a of the inner housing 15 abuts or abuts against the bottom surface of the partition wall 12 of the outer housing 11. Further, the mat seal 31 is accommodated in the seal accommodating recess 16 formed in the expanded portion 15c of the inner case 15, the bottom surface of the mat seal 31 abuts against the bottom surface of the seal accommodating recess 16, and the top surface of the mat seal 31 abuts against the bottom surface of the partition wall 12. Further, the strain relief 21 is accommodated in the upper recess 11d of the outer housing 11, and the bottom surface 21b of the strain relief 21 abuts or abuts against the top surface 12a of the partition wall 12. Note that the lower protruding piece 25 of the strain relief 21 is accommodated in the protruding piece accommodating recess 12c, and the upper and lower guide protrusions 12d are fitted in the upper and lower guide grooves 22 of the strain relief 21.

In addition, a wire cover 41 is attached to the upper end of the outer case 11. Specifically, the wire cover 41 is relatively lowered from above the outer case 11, and in the wire cover 41, the slider 42 located at the front enters the open portion 14d of the slide rail portion 14c, and the front end of the straight portion 42a located at the rear of the slider portion 42 faces the rear end of the slide rail portion 14 c. Further, as shown in fig. 6A, the boss 43 formed on the inner surface of the side wall 41c of the wire cover 41 enters into the inlet 24a of the inclined groove 24 of the strain relief 21 from above. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 5A, 5B and 6A, 6B, the wire cover 41 is positioned at the open position where the upper side of the portion of the outer case 11 near the front end is opened.

Note that, as shown in fig. 5B, when the wire cover 41 is in the open position, the fitting rod 81 will hold: the operation projection 84 is positioned below the upper end of the outer case 11.

Subsequently, the operator slides the wire cover 41 toward the front of the outer case 11 (the positive direction of the X-axis) with the fingers. Therefore, the straight portion 42a of the slider portion 42 slides in a state of being fitted to the rail portion 14 c. Therefore, the wire cover 41 slides toward the front of the outer case 11 without being displaced in the up-down direction with respect to the outer case 11. At this time, the boss 43 of the wire cover 41 is displaced forward in a state of being locked to the linearly inclined body portion 24b of the inclined groove 24, and on the other hand, the upper and lower guide protrusions 12d of the strain relief 21 are fitted into the upper and lower guide grooves 22, so that the strain relief 21 is displaceable only in the up-down direction and is not displaced forward. Therefore, when the inclined main body portion 24b slides relative to the boss 43, the strain relief 21 is displaced upward.

Subsequently, as shown in fig. 7A and 7B and fig. 8A and 8B, when the wire cover 41 reaches the most forward position, that is, the closed position, almost the entire upper portion of the outer case 11 is covered with the wire cover 41. Therefore, moisture (e.g., rainwater, washing water, etc.) can be significantly prevented from penetrating into the outer case 11. Further, the electric wires 91 pass through the wire passing holes 23 of the strain relief member 21 from top to bottom and pass through the wire passing holes 13 of the partition wall 12 and also pass through the wire passing holes 33 of the mat seal 31 and then are connected to the terminals 51 in the terminal accommodating holes 17 of the inner housing 15. Therefore, even if moisture enters the outer housing 11, the moisture can be reliably prevented from reaching the terminals 51 in the terminal accommodating holes 17. In particular, the mat seal 31 is formed of a flexible sealing material, and as shown in fig. 8B, a protrusion 33a protruding toward the center is formed on the inner surface of the wire passage hole 33, and the protrusion 33a is pressed by the outer periphery of the wire 91 to be deformed, and the protrusion 33a is formed to be smaller than the outer diameter, so that the waterproof property is extremely high, and it is possible to effectively prevent moisture from reaching the terminal 51 in the terminal accommodation hole 17.

In addition, as shown in fig. 7B, when the wire cover 41 reaches the closing position, the boss 43 of the wire cover 41 reaches the tip end portion 24c located at the lowermost end of the inclined groove 24. Thus, the strain relief 21 is raised to the highest position relative to the outer housing 11, with the bottom surface 21b of the strain relief 21 being largely spaced from the top surface 12a of the partition wall 12. Further, as shown in fig. 8A, the top surface 21a of the strain relief 21 is largely spaced further from the top surface of the mat seal 31.

In this state, since the upper side of the outer case 11 is covered with the top surface 41a of the wire cover 41, the electric wires 91 led out from the wire passing holes 23 of the strain relief 21 and moved out toward the wire removing direction will be largely bent at the top surface 21a of the strain relief 21, which is the upper end of the wire passing holes 23. By this bending, the wire passing hole 33 of the mat seal 31 is deformed by a load in the wire removing direction, and therefore the waterproofness of the mat seal 31 may be lowered. In contrast, in the present embodiment, since the distance from the top surface 21a of the strain relief 21 (which is the bending position of the electric wire 91) to the mat seal 31 is long, there is almost no deformation of the electric wire passing hole 33 due to the bending of the electric wire 91, and thus, there is almost no phenomenon in which the waterproofness of the mat seal 31 is reduced.

Further, even if the electric wires 91 are bent to a large extent, the waterproof property of the mat seal 31 does not decrease, so that the height of the wire cover 41 (the distance from the bottom surface 41b to the top surface 41 a) can be reduced, and the connector 1 can be made small and low in height. Further, since the distance from the top surface 21a of the strain relief 21 to the mat seal 31 is long, even if the electric wire 91 is subjected to vibration, the vibration does not affect the waterproofness of the mat seal 31. Further, since the distance from the top surface 21a of the strain relief 21 to the terminal 51 is also long, the contact reliability of the contact is high even if the electric wire 91 is subjected to vibration.

Note that, as shown in fig. 7A, if the electric wire cover 41 is in the closed position, the fitting rod 81 can be in: the operation projection 84 is positioned above the upper end of the outer case 11. In this posture, the entrance 86a of the locking recess 86 formed in the arm 82 faces downward, and the locking pin 181 formed on the side surface of the mating housing 111 can enter the locking recess 86, whereby the connector 1 can be fitted to the mating connector 101.

In this way, in the present embodiment, the connector 1 includes: a housing (an outer housing 11, an inner housing 15, and a front cover 18) including a partition wall 12 and a terminal accommodation hole 17 formed at the electric wire passing hole 13; a terminal 51 accommodated in the terminal accommodating hole 17 and extending in the fitting direction, the terminal 51 being connected to the electric wire 91 so as to extend rearward in the fitting direction; a mat seal 31 formed with a wire passing hole 33, the mat seal 31 being disposed between the terminal accommodating hole 17 and the partition wall 12; a wire cover 41 attached to a rear end of the housing in the fitting direction, the wire cover 41 being attached to the housing so as to be slidable in a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction and moving the electric wire 91 forward in the sliding direction; and a strain relief 21 formed with a wire passage hole 23, the strain relief 21 being disposed on a rear side in the fitting direction of the partition wall 12 so as to be displaceable in the fitting direction, wherein when the boss 43 formed on the wire cover 41 is engaged with the inclined groove 24 formed on the strain relief 21 and the wire cover 41 is displaced toward a front in the sliding direction, the strain relief 21 is displaced toward a rear in the fitting direction.

Accordingly, the distance between the strain relief 21 and the mat seal 31 becomes long, and therefore, even if the electric wire 91 drawn out from the electric wire passage hole 23 of the strain relief 21 is bent, the waterproofness of the mat seal 31 does not decrease. Therefore, the connector 1 can realize a small size, a low height, and can maintain high waterproofness, and can improve reliability.

Further, the strain relief 21 includes a lower protrusion piece 25, at least a part of the inclined groove 24 is formed in the lower protrusion piece 25, and the lower protrusion piece 25 protrudes toward the front in the fitting direction; the partition wall 12 includes a projection piece accommodating recess 12c, and the projection piece accommodating recess 12c can accommodate the lower projection piece 25. Accordingly, the length in the fitting direction of the inclined groove 24 can be increased, and the displacement amount of the strain relief 21 with respect to the partition wall 12 and the mat seal 31 can be increased.

Further, the partition wall 12 includes upper and lower guide protrusions 12d, the upper and lower guide protrusions 12d extending forward and backward in the fitting direction; the strain relief 21 includes upper and lower guide grooves 22, the upper and lower guide grooves 22 extending in the fitting direction and receiving the upper and lower guide protrusions 12 d. Therefore, the strain relief 21 can be displaced smoothly rearward in the fitting direction. Further, the wire passage holes 13, 33, 23 of the partition wall 12, the mat seal 31, and the strain relief 21, respectively, extend in the fitting direction, and the wires 91 are bent toward the front in the sliding direction of the wire cover 41 behind the wire passage holes 23 of the strain relief 21 in the fitting direction. Further, the wire cover 41 includes: a top surface 41a for covering the rear side in the fitting direction of the housing; and a wire passage opening 41e formed open at a front end in the sliding direction, wherein the wire 91 is drawn out from the wire passage opening 41 e. The housing includes a rail portion 14c formed at a rear end in the fitting direction and extending in the sliding direction of the wire cover 41, a locking recess 14e formed at least one position of the rail portion 14c, the wire cover 41 includes a slider portion 42 that engages with the rail portion 14c, and a locking protrusion 42c that is locked to the locking recess 14e is formed at least one position of the slider portion 42.

It is noted that the disclosure of the present specification describes features relating to suitable exemplary embodiments. Various other embodiments, modifications, and variations within the scope and spirit of the appended patent claims will naturally occur to persons of skill in the art upon review of the disclosure herein.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present disclosure can be applied to a connector and a connector assembly.

Description of the reference numerals

1 connector

11 outer case

11a, 12a, 15a, 18a, 21a, 41a

11b, 15b, 18b, 21b, 41b bottom surface

11c, 21c side

11d upper side concave part

11e lower recess

11f cut part

12 partition wall

12c projection receiving recess

12d Up-and-Down guide projection

13. 23, 33 electric wire passing holes

13A, 23A, 33A electric line passing hole

13B, 23B, 33B signal line passing hole

14 cover engaging part

14a straight line part

14b curved part

14c slide rail part

14d open part

14e catching recess

15 inner shell

15c expanded portion

15d, 24b, 28a main body part

15e holder receiving recess

16 seal receiving recess

17. 813 terminal receiving hole

17A power terminal receiving hole

17B signal terminal accommodation hole

18 front cover

18c bottom wall

19 mating terminal passing hole

19A mating power terminal passage hole

19B mating signal terminal through hole

21 Strain relief

22 upper and lower guide grooves

24 inclined groove

24a, 86a inlet portion

24c terminal part

25 lower protruding part

28 holder

28b engaging part

31. 831 cushion seal

33a protrusion part

38 annular seal

41 line cover

41a1 horizontal part

41a2 inclined part

41c side wall

41d eave part

41e wire passage

42 slider part

42a straight-ahead part

42b stop

42c, 76a locking projection

42d cavity

43 convex platform

51. 851 terminal

51A power terminal

51B signal terminal

75-bar rotary shaft

76 stop

77 protective plate part

81 engaging rod

82 arm part

83 connecting part

83a rod locking projection

84 operating projection

85 rotating hole

86 locking recess

86b locking part

91. 891 electric wire

91a power line

91b signal line

101 mating connector

111 mating shell

181 locking pin

811 connector housing

815 seal receiving portion

821 rear sealing cover

823 electric wire through hole

833 electric wire insertion hole

An 841 wire cover.

Claims

1. A connector, comprising:

a connector body having a fixed wire guide formed with a wire passage hole and a terminal accommodation hole;

a terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating hole and extending in a fitting direction, the electric wire being connected to the terminal so as to extend rearward in the fitting direction;

a wire seal member formed with a wire passing hole and disposed between the terminal accommodating hole and the fixed wire guide;

a cover member attached to a rear end of the connector body in a fitting direction and slidably attached to the connector body in a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction; and

a movable wire guide formed with a wire passage hole, the movable wire guide being disposed so as to be displaceable toward a fitting direction on a rear side in the fitting direction of the fixed wire guide,

when the cam pin formed on the cover member engages with the cam groove formed on the movable wire guide and the cover member is displaced forward in the sliding direction, the movable wire guide is displaced rearward in the fitting direction.

2. The connector of claim 1,

the movable wire guide includes a cam groove forming member that protrudes forward in the fitting direction, at least a portion of the cam groove being formed in the cam groove forming member,

the fixed wire guide includes a cam groove forming member accommodating recess capable of accommodating the cam groove forming member.

3. The connector according to claim 1 or 2,

the fixed wire guide includes a guide projection extending rearward in the fitting direction,

the movable wire guide includes a guide groove extending in the fitting direction and accommodating the guide protrusion.

4. The connector according to claim 1 or 2,

the respective wire passage holes of the fixed wire guide, the wire seal and the movable wire guide extend in the fitting direction,

the electric wire is bent toward the front in the sliding direction of the cover member rearward in the fitting direction of the electric wire passing hole of the movable electric wire guide, and is moved out toward the front in the sliding direction.

5. The connector according to claim 1 or 2,

the cover member includes:

a covering surface portion that covers a rear side in a fitting direction of the connector main body; and

an electric wire passage opening formed at a front end in the sliding direction,

the electric wire is led out from the electric wire passing port.

6. The connector according to claim 1 or 2,

the connector main body includes a rail portion formed at a rear end in a fitting direction of the connector main body and extending in a sliding direction of the cover member, a locking recess portion formed at least one position of the rail portion,

the cover member includes a slider portion engaged with the slide rail portion,

a locking protrusion that is locked to the locking recess is formed at least one position of the slider portion.

7. A connector assembly, comprising:

the connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and

and a mating connector fitted to the connector.