JP2000150059A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent water from intruding at a high pressure into a cover from the drain hole provided in the cover for water-proofing. SOLUTION: A cover 35 consists of a pair of semi-cylindrical pieces 36L and 36R coupled together by a hinge 37 (shutter means). A drain hole 47 is formed in the undersurface of the cover 35, and the hinge 37 is installed in such a way as hindering viewing straight the inside and outside of the cover 35 through the drain hole 47. When water is splashed straight with a high pressure over the hole 47 from outside the cover 35, the water runs against the hinge 37 and does not reach the hole 47 directly. With eventual water intrusion, it is splashed back to the inner surface of the hinge 37 and the water energy is weakened, so that there is not risk that high pressure water intrudes to the inside of the cover 35.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector provided with a waterproof cover.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a connector provided with a waterproof cover, there is, for example, a connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-351865. FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 show an example thereof. It comprises a connector housing a into which terminal fittings (not shown) are inserted from the rear end face, and a split cover b attached to the rear end of the connector housing a so as to form a cylindrical shape. The terminal insertion opening (not shown) of the connector housing a is closed by a rubber plug (not shown) fitted to the rear end of the terminal fitting to prevent water from being immersed. A cylindrical cover b is provided so as to surround the insertion opening so that the terminal insertion opening is not directly exposed to the outside. By adopting a structure in which such a cover b is provided, even if water rushes into the connector, the water is prevented from directly hitting the rubber plug of the terminal insertion port, so that the reliability of the waterproof function is improved. It is planned. An end of a corrugated tube (not shown) that encloses the bundle of electric wires is fitted in the rear portion of the cover b, and the corrugated tube allows water to enter through a gap between the bundle of electric wires and the cover. Is also prevented.

[0003] Even in the case of the waterproof connector in which the rear end portion of the connector housing a is waterproof, a gap between the connector housing and the cover b, a gap between the covers b, a gap between the cover b and the corrugated tube, and a gap between the electric wire and the electric wire. Although it is inevitable that water infiltrates a little from the gap of the corrugated tube, even if there is water from these gaps, the infiltration into the connector housing a can be prevented by the rubber stopper. There is no particular problem.

[0004] However, once water enters the inside of the cover b from the gap, the water is unlikely to be discharged to the outside again through the gap, and the infiltrated water remains inside the cover b forever. Is not a good thing in terms of reliability. Therefore, the cover b is provided with a drain port c for discharging the water that has entered, and water is allowed to escape from the drain port c to the outside of the cover b.

[0005]

A waterproof connector of this type is disposed in a space where the lower surface is open to the outside and is likely to be exposed to water, such as an engine room of an automobile. In the case of the engine room, the water splashed up by the tires when running in the puddle is applied to the waterproof connector, and a part of the water is passed through the drain port c to cover b.
It is conceivable that the tire may jump into the inside, but if the momentum of the water is such that the tire jumps up, it is possible to sufficiently perform waterproofing with only the rubber stopper.

[0006] In recent years, the number of times a car is washed at a coin car wash using a washing gun that jets high-pressure washing water has increased. The high-pressure cleaning gun installed here is originally intended to remove dirt such as dust and mud adhering to the outer surface of the body.However, it can be used to remove seaside roads and roads on which snow melting agent is sprayed. When the vehicle travels, high-pressure washing water is blown from the washing gun toward the lower surface of the vehicle body in order to prevent rust due to salt content. in this case,
Although there is a risk that some of the high-pressure washing water may be applied to the waterproof connector in the engine room at high pressure, the pressure of this high-pressure washing water is significantly higher than the force of the water that the tires jump, so the water pressure is Acting on the rubber stopper in the cover b is not preferable in terms of the waterproof function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in a waterproof connector having a cover having a drain opening, it is intended to prevent water from entering the cover from the drain with high pressure. The purpose is.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector housing for inserting a terminal fitting connected to an electric wire from a terminal insertion port on a rear end face, and the terminal insertion port with respect to a rear end of the connector housing. And a cylindrical cover attached so as to cover the electric wire, wherein the cover is a connector having a drain port formed therein, which blocks a straight line between the inside and the outside of the cover through the drain port. The feature is that the shielding means is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the cover comprises a pair of semi-cylindrical bodies which can be combined into a cylindrical shape, and the pair of semi-cylindrical bodies are connected by a plate-like hinge. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the hinge is arranged so as to cover the drain port from outside in a state where the half-cylindrical bodies are united into a cylindrical shape, thereby constituting the shielding means. It is characterized by

[0010]

[Operation and Effect of the Invention] [Invention of claim 1] When water is applied from the outside of the cover to the drainage port at high pressure and linearly, the water hits the shielding means and does not directly reach the drainage port. Even if the water is flooded, the water pressure is weakened by the shielding means, so that high-pressure water does not enter the inside of the cover.

[Invention of Claim 2] When the semi-cylindrical bodies are combined into a cylindrical shape and assembled into the connector housing, the terminal insertion port and the electric wire are covered by the two semi-cylindrical bodies, and the drain port is provided. The hinge located outside of the above constitutes the shielding means. Since the hinge also has the function of the shielding means, the shape of the cover is simplified as compared with the case where the shielding means is formed on the cover separately from the hinge.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which a male connector 10 and a female connector 20 (the connector of the present invention) are fitted. The male connector 10 includes a connector housing 11 made of a synthetic resin having a flange portion 12 formed on the outer periphery and a hood portion 13 protruding forward. And a plurality of male terminal fittings 14 protruding from the housing, and is attached to a device (not shown) by fixing it with bolts or the like. Note that a lock projection 15 is formed on the upper surface of the hood portion 13.

One female connector 20 has a plurality of female terminal fittings 30 fixed to the connector housing 21, the cover 35, and the electric wire 31 (a terminal fitting which is a component of the present invention).
Consists of The connector housing 21 is made of a synthetic resin, and has a housing body 22 having a plurality of cavities 23 opened on both front and rear surfaces.
The cylindrical part 24 includes a front open tubular part 24 surrounding the front half of the second part 2 and a seesaw-shaped lock arm 25 located in a cutout space on the upper surface side of the cylindrical part 24. A seal ring 26 is mounted on the outer periphery of the connector housing 21 so as to be located at the innermost end of the tubular portion 24. This connector housing 21
The hood 13 of the male connector 10 is
Is fitted so as to be fitted outside. In the fitted state, the inner periphery of the hood portion 13 is externally fitted to the seal ring 26 to seal a gap between the hood portion 13 and the housing body 22,
This prevents ingress of water into the inside from the gap between the hood 13 and the housing body 22. Further, by locking the lock arm 25 to the lock protrusion 15, the male and female connectors 10, 20 are locked irremovably.

A female terminal fitting 30 is inserted into each of the cavities 23 from a terminal insertion opening 27 opened at the rear end surface of the housing main body 22, and is formed in the cavity 23, and a lance 28 and a front end of the housing main body 22 are formed. It is double-locked by the attached front retainer 29 and is held in a retaining state. Electric wire 31 in female terminal fitting 30
A rubber plug 32 is fitted to the crimped portion of the terminal body 27, and the rubber plug 32 is in close contact with the inner periphery of the terminal insertion opening 27, thereby preventing water from entering the cavity 23 from behind the housing body 22. ing. In addition, the front retainer 29
Has also the function of a stopper for restricting the sealing ring 26 from coming off forward.

Further, a cover 35 is attached to the rear end of the connector housing 21. The cover 35
A pair of left and right semi-cylindrical bodies 36L, 36R made of a synthetic resin material and having a substantially symmetrical shape are hinged into a plate-like shape.
It is an integrally molded product connected by (shielding means which is a constituent element of the present invention). Before being assembled to the connector housing 21, the pair of semi-cylindrical bodies 36L and 36R are opened right and left with their inner peripheral surfaces facing upward. When the pair of half-cylindrical bodies 36L and 36R are combined so that the inner circumferences thereof are opposed to each other and closed, a cover 35 having a cylindrical shape as a whole is configured. In the combined state, the locking holes 39 of the projecting portions 38 formed at the front and rear edges of the right (upper in FIGS. 3 and 4) semi-cylindrical body 36R and the left semi-cylindrical body 36L
The two semi-cylindrical bodies 36L, 36R are kept in a united state by being locked with the locking projections 40 protruding from the outer peripheral edge of the two.

The combined cover 35 has a top opening 41 opened upward and a front opening 42 opened forward. From the opening edge of the front opening 42, a pair of right and left mounting portions 43 that can be fitted to the rear end of the housing body 22 protrude. On the inner surface of the mounting portion 43, there is formed a mounting groove 45 which can be aligned with a vertical (circumferential) rib 44 formed on the outer surface of the rear end portion of the housing body 22. By fitting, the cover 35 is assembled in a state in which the movement and the detachment with respect to the connector housing 21 are regulated. The cover 35 is assembled such that the two half-cylindrical bodies 36L and 36R are united while aligning the mounting groove 45 and the rib 44. When the cover 35 is assembled to the connector housing 21, the bundle of the electric wires 31 extending from the terminal insertion opening 27 of the connector housing 21 in the cover 35 is turned upward from the rearward direction. Pulled out of 35. A circumferential ridge 46 is formed on the inner periphery of the upper surface opening 41, and a corrugated tube (not shown) is inserted into the cover 35 so that a bundle of the electric wires 31 can be inserted into the cover 35 by fitting into the ridge 46. Connected.

The cover 35 functions as a simple waterproof means for preventing the rear end face of the connector housing 21 where the terminal insertion opening 27 is opened from being wet. Therefore, for example, the female connector 20 is disposed in the engine room, and the water splashed up by the tire causes the female connector 2
Even when the water goes to zero, the water only hits the cover 35 and does not directly flow into the terminal insertion port 27. However, since the cover 35 is a simple waterproof means, when the female connector 20 is exposed to water, a small amount of water enters the cover 35 from the gap between the cover 35 and the connector housing 21 or from the gap between the cover 35 and the corrugated tube. Inevitable.

The cover 35 is provided with a drain port 47 for discharging water entering the cover 35 to the outside of the cover 35.
Are formed. The drain port 47 is disposed at a boundary between the two semi-cylindrical bodies 36L and 36R. That is, a rectangular drainage notch 48 is formed at the edge that becomes the lower surface when the half-cylindrical bodies 36L and 36R are combined, and when the two half-cylindrical bodies 36L and 36R are combined, The drainage notches 48 are aligned to form one drainage port 47. Water that has entered the cover 35 falls below the cover 35 from a drain port 47 that opens on the lower surface of the cover 35.

This drain port 47 is provided so as to be located directly above the hinge 37, in other words, the hinge 37
Is located just below the drain 47 outside the cover 35. Here, the relationship between the hinge 37 and the drain port 47 will be described. The hinge 37 is curved in a substantially semicircular shape when viewed from the front or the rear, but forms a square shape when viewed from below the drain port 47. The projected area of the hinge 37 which looks like a square on the lower surface of the cover 35 is much larger than the opening area of the drain port 47, and the projected area of the hinge 37 completely covers the drain port 47. ing. Further, since the hinge 37 is connected to the semi-cylindrical bodies 36L, 36R at both left and right edges thereof, the hinge 37 is not limited to looking up at the drain port 47 from directly below, but also looks up at the drain port 47 from diagonally lower left and diagonally lower right. In some cases, the hinge 37 completely covers the drain port 47 again.

Although the space surrounded by the hinge 37 is open to both front and rear, the length and position of the hinge 37 in the front and rear direction are set so that the inside of the cover 35 cannot be seen through the drain port 47. Have been. That is, when the drain port 47 is looked up from obliquely lower front or diagonally lower rear, the opening edge 47A of the drain port 47 on the inner peripheral surface of the cover 35 is visible although the outer edge 47A of the outer surface side of the cover 35 of the drain port 47 is visible. Cannot be visually recognized, and only a part of the inner peripheral surface of the drain port 47 can be seen. Thus, the hinge 37
Is provided so that the inside of the cover 35 cannot be seen straight through the drain port 47.

The hinge 37 is provided in the semi-cylindrical body 36L, 3L.
When the 6Rs are merged, they are curved and deformed into a semi-cylindrical shape. At this time, if the bending rigidity of the hinge 37 is high, the workability may be reduced or the semi-cylindrical bodies 36L and 36R may not be properly merged. As a whole, it is formed in a thin plate shape so that it can be bent relatively easily. However, when the thickness is reduced, there is a possibility that the component may be caught by another component and broken during transportation or the like. Therefore, the hinge 37 of the present embodiment is provided with a means for preventing breakage while ensuring the ease of bending at the time of merging. That is, the hinge 37 is formed with a pair of thick reinforcing portions 49 extending along the front and rear end edges in a direction extending between the two semi-cylindrical bodies 36L and 36R. The cross section of the reinforcing portion 49 has a shape in which a raised portion 49A is formed in a substantially arc shape on both the inner surface and the outer surface of the bending of the hinge 37, and a thick portion is formed by the raised portion 49A. ing. In addition, this rising portion 4
In the cross-section of 9A, the shape forming the outer edge is all arc, and there is no angular portion (a sharp ridge extending between the two semi-cylindrical portions 24).

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. For example, when packing and transporting a large number of covers 35 in a bag or box with the semi-cylindrical bodies 36L and 36R opened, or removing the cover 35 from the bag or box, the semi-cylindrical bodies 36L and 36R When the hinge 37 is caught, a stretching force, that is, a force for breaking the hinge 37 may act on the front edge or the rear edge of the hinge 37. However, hinge 3
Since the thick reinforcing portions 49 are formed on both front and rear edges of the hinge 7, the strength against breakage is improved, and the breaking force acts on either the front edge or the rear edge of the hinge 37. Also, the hinge 37 does not break.

Since the cross section of the reinforcing portion 49 has a shape whose outer edge is formed by an arc, the outer surface of the reinforcing portion 49 is only an arc-shaped surface having no angular portion. If there is an angular ridge line portion on the outer surface and a stretching force acts on it, tensile stress concentrates on the corner edge of the ridge line and it is easy to break, but in the present embodiment, since it is in an arc shape, the tensile The degree of stress concentration is low, making it difficult to break. Furthermore, since the thickness of the hinge 37 is only partially increased by the reinforcing portion 49 alone, the bending rigidity of the entire hinge 37 is relatively small. Therefore, when the semi-cylindrical bodies 36L and 36R are combined, the hinge 37 can be easily bent.

Now, the male and female connectors 1 in the fitted state will be described.
Even if water such as high-pressure washing water or the like is sprayed vigorously on the 0 and 20, the seal ring 26 prevents the inside of the fitting portion between the two connectors 10 and 20 from being flooded. The connector housing 21 of the female connector 20
And the cover 35 and the corrugated tube (not shown).
Although it is conceivable that water enters the inside of the cover 35 through a small gap, even if water enters, the water gradually enters so as to leak through the small gap. Therefore, even if the water that has penetrated into the cover 35 reaches the terminal insertion port 27 of the connector housing 21, a high pressure does not act on the rubber plug 32, but merely wets the surface of the rubber plug 32. The waterproof function is reliably exhibited also in this terminal insertion opening 27. Then, the water that has entered the inside of the cover 35 is discharged to the outside of the cover 35 from a drain port 47 that opens on the lower surface of the cover 35.

It is conceivable that the lower surface of the cover 35 having the drain port 47 opened may be rushed with water such as high-pressure washing water from below.
The hinge 37 is provided as a shielding means over a wide range so as to block a straight line between the inside and the outside of the cover 35 through the drain port 47 below the drain port 47. There is no risk of intrusion. That is, most of the water coming straight from the bottom toward the drain 47 hits the outer peripheral surface of the hinge 37 and is bounced back. Further, even if a portion of water vigorously enters the inside of the hinge 37 from the front or rear opening of the hinge 37, the water does not directly reach the drain port 47, and the half cylindrical body 36L, 3
The light is reflected by the outer surface of 6R (peripheral edge of the drain port 47) and the inner peripheral surface of the hinge 37 and reaches the drain port 47 in a state where the momentum is weakened. Even if the water reaches the opening on the outer surface side of the drain port 47, it does not directly reach the opening on the inner peripheral side of the drain port 47, but always hits the inner peripheral surface 47C of the drain port 47. Will be weakened.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, even if water is blown at a high pressure toward the drain port 47 opened on the lower surface of the cover 35, the drain port 4 is kept in a high pressure state.
7 is prevented from penetrating into the cover 35.
Therefore, a high pressure does not act on the rubber plug 32 attached to the terminal insertion port 27 on the rear end face of the connector housing 21, and the reliability of the waterproof function on the rear end face of the connector housing 21 is excellent.

Further, the shielding means for preventing the inflow of high-pressure water from the drain port 47 is not formed on the cover 35 as a dedicated portion, but is connected to the semi-cylindrical bodies 36L, 36R constituting the cover 35. The shape of the cover 35 is simplified because the hinge 35 is also used as the hinge 37. Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the drain port and the shielding means is different from that of the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of the structures, operations, and effects will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, a rectangular shielding wall 52 (a shielding means which is a constituent element of the present invention) is integrally formed with a cover 50 in which a rectangular drain port 51 is formed. The shielding wall 52 is slightly offset from the drain port 51 (upward in FIGS. 9 and 10), and is arranged so as to match the opening area of the drain port 51. 3 of shielding wall 52
The side and the three sides of the opening edge of the drain port 51 are connected to each other by the support portion 53. Such a drain 51
When forming the cover 50 including the and the shielding wall 52,
As shown in FIG. 9, two molds 54 and 55 are arranged inside and outside the cover 50, and the two molds 54 and 55 are
Shielding wall 52 that opens along the side where no is formed
And in the gap 56 between the water and the drain port 51. The two molds 54 and 55 are opened in a direction orthogonal to the inner surface and the outer surface of the cover 50 (the vertical direction in FIG. 9).

According to the shielding wall 52 of this embodiment,
Except for the case where water is sprayed toward the gap 56 from diagonally upper right in FIG. 10, it is possible to prevent high-pressure water from directly entering the drain port 51. In addition, if the wall is raised on the outer surface on the right side of the drain port 51 in FIG. 10, it is possible to prevent infiltration of water sprayed from obliquely upper right. [Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

(1) In the above embodiment, the shielding means is provided outside the cover. However, according to the present invention, the shielding means may be provided inside the cover, or the length of the drain port may be increased. A plate-shaped shielding means may be provided on the inner periphery. (2) In the above embodiment, the shielding means has a single plate shape. However, according to the present invention, a plurality of plates are arranged so as to partially wrap, and the space leading to the drain is formed as a maze. Is also good. (3) In the above embodiment, the shielding means is formed integrally with the cover. However, according to the present invention, the shielding means may be formed integrally with the connector housing, or the shielding means molded as a single component may be formed on the cover or the connector housing. It may be assembled.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the drainage cutouts formed in the two semi-cylindrical bodies are united with each other to achieve 1
Although one drain port is configured, the present invention can also be applied to a case where the drain port is formed solely in a semi-cylindrical body.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a fitted state of a male and female connector in a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a fitted state of the male and female connectors.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state where a cover is opened.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state where a cover is opened.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state where a cover is opened.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway bottom view in a state where a cover is combined.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged sectional view of a state where a cover is combined.

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged side view with a cover opened.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state where a shielding means and a drain port of the second embodiment are being formed.

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing a shielding means and a drain port according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state before a cover is attached in a conventional example.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state where a cover is assembled in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Female side connector 21 ... Connector housing 27 ... Terminal insertion opening 30 ... Female terminal fitting 31 ... Electric wire 35 ... Cover 36L, 36R ... Semi-cylindrical body 37 ... Hinge (shielding means) 47 ... Drain outlet 50 ... Cover 51 ... Drainage Mouth 52: shielding wall (shielding means)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A connector housing for inserting a terminal fitting connected to an electric wire from a terminal insertion port on a rear end face, and a cylindrical shape attached to a rear end of the connector housing so as to cover the terminal insertion port and the electric wire. A connector having a drain port formed in the cover, wherein a shielding means for blocking a linear view between the inside and the outside of the cover through the drain port is provided. Connector to be. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein said cover comprises a pair of semi-cylindrical bodies that can be combined into a cylindrical shape, and said pair of semi-cylindrical bodies are connected by a plate-like hinge. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the hinge is arranged so as to cover the drain port from outside in a state where the half-cylindrical bodies are united into a cylindrical shape. .