JP2001110511A - Waterproof joint cap and waterproof joint connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an existing waterproof connector as a waterproof joint connector. SOLUTION: In a cavity 6 of a connector housing 2 is mounted a terminal metal 5 connected with one end of an electric wire W. Around a wall section 11 constituting the cavity 6 is provided waterproof member 12, covering the full circumference. When a bus bar body 3 is built from the front side of the connector housing 2, each interval between terminal metals 5 is short-circuit. When a cap body 4 is fit in the fitting space 17 of the connector housing 2, the engagement between a lock arm 18 and a lock receiver 22 holds the two members 2, 4 together firmly, while the waterproof member 12 is pressed between the connector housing 2 and the cap body 4 forming a water tight structure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof joint cap and a waterproof joint connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 shows a waterproof joint connector 100 disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 4-27588. The waterproof joint connector 100 includes a connector housing 102 capable of accommodating a terminal fitting 101, a bus bar 103 mounted on the connector housing 102, and a waterproof member 104 assembled to the connector housing 102 so as to cover a rear portion of the bus bar 103. It is composed of The connector housing 102 is formed to be opened back and forth. A terminal fitting 101 to which the electric wire W is connected is assembled from one side, and a bus bar 103 and a waterproof member 104 are assembled from the other side.

[0003]

In the waterproof joint connector 100 configured as described above, the connector housing 102 is a dedicated product, and therefore has poor versatility. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a waterproof joint cap that can use a normal waterproof connector as a joint type, and to provide the waterproof joint cap. To provide a waterproof joint connector provided with the connector.

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, a waterproof joint cap according to the invention of claim 1 is provided.
While accommodating a plurality of terminal fittings in the connector housing, it is assembled to a connector provided with a waterproof member for sealing between the connector housing and a hood portion of a mating connector housing,
A bus bar that is assembled from the mating surface side with the mating connector housing and short-circuits between the terminal fittings, and has the same shape as the hood portion of the mating connector housing, and the bus bar short-circuits the terminal fitting group. And a cap body fitted in the connector housing so as to wrap the bus bar in the state.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the bus bar includes a plurality of tab portions connected to the terminal fittings and a connecting portion connecting the tab portions. A resin mold layer is formed on the connecting portion by insert molding, and is integrated as a bus bar body and assembled to the connector housing.
A third aspect of the present invention is the second aspect of the present invention, wherein the resin mold layer of the bus bar body is provided with a knob located on a side opposite to the tab. . According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the cap main body is assembled at a regular position with respect to the connector housing, the back surface of the cap main body is formed with the bus bar. It comes into contact with the body.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the cap main body is for maintaining the fitting with the mating connector housing provided in the connector housing. Is characterized in that a lock receiving portion that can be locked is provided in the lock structure. Claim 6
The waterproof joint connector according to the invention of claims 1 to 5,
And a connector housing accommodating a plurality of terminal fittings, and a waterproof member for sealing between a hood portion of a mating connector housing that can be fitted to the connector housing. It is characterized by.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, by attaching a bus bar to a connector housing to which terminal fittings are attached and attaching a cap body, a normal waterproof connector can be connected to a waterproof joint. Can be used as a connector. According to the invention of claim 2, the bus bar short-circuits between the terminal fittings by assembling the bus bar body provided with the resin mold layer to the connector housing.
At this time, since the resin mold layer may be pinched, the handleability is improved. Also, when a plurality of busbars need to be mounted on the connector housing, only one busbar body may be mounted, so that the mounting operability is improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the knob portion is provided in the resin mold layer, the knob operability of the bus bar body is improved. According to the invention of claim 4, when the bus bar body is not completely assembled to the connector housing to the proper position, the back surface of the cap main body is formed by the bus bar body with the operation of assembling the cap body to the connector housing. Since the busbar body is pressed against the connector housing, incomplete assembly of the busbar body is prevented. Further, after the waterproof joint cap is assembled, the back surface of the cap body is in contact with the busbar body, so that the busbar body is prevented from falling off.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the locking of the cap body is prevented by utilizing the lock structure originally provided in the connector housing for locking with the mating connector housing. There is no need to provide a separate lock structure for the vehicle. According to the invention of claim 6, in a state where the terminal fitting is mounted on the connector housing and the bus bar is assembled to the connector housing,
Attach the cap body to the connector housing. Then, the waterproof member is sandwiched between the cap main body and the connector housing, whereby a waterproof structure is obtained.

[0010]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG.
This shows a state before the connector housing 2 having general-purpose waterproofness and the mating connector housing 26 are fitted. A hollow hood portion 28 is provided at a front portion of the mating connector housing 26, and a tab portion 27 of a male terminal fitting protrudes inside the hood portion 28. When the connector housings 2 and 26 are fitted together, the hood 2
8 is fitted into a fitting space 17 (to be described in detail later), and the waterproof member 12 is sandwiched between the fitting housing 17 and the connector housing 2 to form a watertight structure.

Next, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the waterproof joint connector 1 according to the present embodiment. The waterproof joint connector 1 includes a connector housing 2 on the lower left side in the figure.
And a bus bar body 3 assembled to the connector housing 2, and a cap body 4 assembled to the connector housing 2 so as to cover the bus bar body 3. In the present embodiment, the cap body 4
And the busbar body 3 constitute the waterproof joint cap 24 in the present invention.

The connector housing 2 is provided with a plurality of cavities 6 capable of accommodating the terminal fittings 5 which are open frontward and rearward. The cavities 6 are formed in six rows in the width direction of the connector housing 2 and in two stages in the height direction. The connector housing 2 uses a normal waterproof connector as it is. The terminal fitting 5 is of a female side, and an electric wire W is crimped to the rear end. A substantially prismatic connecting portion 7 is provided at the front of the terminal fitting 5 so that a bus bar 19 can be connected thereto (the terminal fitting 5 is a normal male terminal fitting (shown in the figure). Can also be linked to A rubber plug 9 having elasticity is inserted through the electric wire W, and is pushed into the rear opening 6A of the cavity 6 to form a watertight structure. FIG.
A lance 10 projecting from the upper wall surface of the cavity 6 is engaged with the upper portion of the connection portion 7.

From the front of the connector housing 2,
The waterproof member 12 is assembled so as to surround the wall 11 forming the cavity 6 from the entire periphery. Waterproof member 12
The rim 12A,
12B protrudes. The protruding rim 12A is directed toward the inner periphery and is in contact with the wall portion 11, while the protruding rim 12B is directed toward the outer periphery and is pressed against the inner peripheral surface 4A of the cap body 4 with a predetermined contact pressure. Also, connector housing 2
The retainer 13 is assembled so as to cover the front side of the wall portion 11 from the front surface of the wall. The retainer 13 is provided with a bending restricting portion 14 that is positioned in the bending space of the lance 10 and that restricts the bending deformation of the lance 10. A busbar insertion hole 13 </ b> A is opened in the retainer 13 in accordance with the position of the cavity 6. Further, the rear end edge 15 of the retainer 13 is positioned at the front end of the waterproof member 12 so as to regulate the falling off of the waterproof member 12.

From the center of the connector housing 2 to the front, the skirt portion 16 surrounds the wall portion 11.
Is provided. Note that the waterproof member 12 is attached to the back end of the fitting space 17 between the skirt 16 and the wall 11. In the center of the upper surface of the skirt portion 16, a lock arm 18 (the "lock structure" in the present invention) for holding the fitted state between the connector housing 2 and the cap body 4 is provided.
) Are provided so as to be elastically deformable in the vertical direction. The lock arm 18 is connected to the connector housing 2.
When used as a waterproof connector, it is used to maintain fitting with a mating connector housing (not shown).

The center portion of the lock arm 18 is connected to the connector housing 2, and the front side is bent upward by pressing a pressing operation portion 18A provided on the upper surface of the rear end. Also, the lock arm 18
A lock hole 18B is opened in the center of the front end. The bus bar body 3 includes a bus bar 19 formed by bending a conductive metal material, and a resin mold layer 20 formed so as to cover a rear portion of the bus bar 19. The cross-sectional shape of the resin mold layer 20 is formed slightly smaller than the cross-sectional shape of the wall 11 of the connector housing 2.
Further, the bus bar 19 is divided into two types 19A and 19B along the width direction of the connector housing 2, and four or eight tab portions 25 and connecting portions for connecting the tab portions 25 respectively. 29. The busbars 19A and 19B are integrally formed via the resin mold layer 20 to form the busbar body 3. At the rear of the bus bar body 3, a knob 21 is provided at the center in the height direction so as to protrude along the width direction. This knob part 2
By operating the connector 1, the bus bar body 3 can be collectively attached to and detached from the connector housing 2. In addition, the rear side of the knob 21 (the side separated from the resin mold layer 20) is protruded to the upper and lower sides as compared with the front side, and it is easy to perform the knob operation.

The cap main body 4 is in the form of a blind alley that opens only on the front side (the side on which the connector housing 2 is fitted), and is formed in the same shape as the hood 28 of the mating connector housing 26. ing. The cross-sectional shape of the opening edge of the cap body 4 is slightly smaller than the cross-sectional shape of the skirt 16 of the connector housing 2 and
1 is slightly larger than the sectional shape of FIG. At the center of the upper surface of the cap main body 4, a lock receiving portion 22 is provided so as to project therefrom, and can be engaged with a lock hole 18 </ b> B of the lock arm 18. Further, a knob receiving groove 23 is formed in the inner surface 4 </ b> B of the cap body 4. The side cross section of the knob receiving groove 23 is formed so as to be substantially the same shape as the side cross section of the knob 21 so that the back side of the opening side expands in the vertical direction. When the connector housing 2 and the cap body 4 are assembled, the knob 2
1 can be inserted into the knob receiving groove 23. When the cap body 4 is pushed into the connector housing 2 to the proper assembling position (the position when the lock arm 18 and the lock receiving portion 22 are engaged) with the bus bar, It comes into contact with the rear surface 3B of the body 3.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the rubber plug 9 is passed through the electric wire W in advance, and the terminal fitting 5 is connected to one end of the electric wire W. Next, the terminal fitting 5 is pushed into the cavity 6 of the connector housing 2, and the terminal fitting 5 is primarily locked by the lance 10. At this time, the rubber stopper 9 is connected to the rear opening 6 of the cavity 6.
A, which is watertight.
Next, the waterproof member 12 is pushed into the fitting space 17 from the front side of the connector housing 2 so as to cover the entire wall portion 11, and the retainer 13 is inserted from the front side of the connector housing 2.
Assemble. When the retainer 13 is pushed into a predetermined position, the bending of the lance 10 is restricted by the bending restricting portion 14, and the terminal fitting 5 is secondarily locked. The falling edge of the waterproof member 12 is regulated by the rear edge 15 of the retainer 13.

Next, the bus bar body 3 is assembled from the front side of the connector housing 2. At this time, the busbar body 3
Since the knob portion 21 is provided on the rear surface side, the knob operability of the knob portion 21 improves the assembling operability. Further, since the rear portion of the knob 21 protrudes upward and downward, the knob operation is further improved. By inserting the tab portions 25 of the bus bars 19A, 19B into the predetermined bus bar insertion holes 13A, the predetermined terminal fittings 5 are short-circuited via the bus bars 19A, 19B (see FIG. 4). Finally, the cap body 4 is assembled to the connector housing 2. Cap body 4 is fitting space 1
7, when pushed to a predetermined position, the knob 21 of the bus bar body 3 fits while slightly expanding the opening edge of the knob receiving groove 23 elastically in the vertical direction. Further, the lock receiving portion 22 is engaged with the lock hole 18B of the lock arm 18, and the connector housing 2 and the cap body 4 are held in a locked state (see FIG. 5). At this time, inside the fitting space 17, the waterproof member 1
2 is the wall portion 11 of the connector housing 2 and the cap body 4
And the inner peripheral surface 4A, and this portion has a waterproof structure.

If the bus bar body 3 is not pushed into the connector housing 2 to a predetermined position during this operation, the back surface 4B of the cap main body 4 contacts the rear surface 3B of the bus bar body 3. The bus bar body 3 is pushed into the proper position by being in contact with and pushing it toward the connector housing 2. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the terminal fitting 5 is attached to the cavity 6 of the connector housing 2, the busbar body 3 is assembled, and then the cap main body 4 is assembled to the connector housing 2, so that ordinary waterproofing is achieved. The connector can be used as the waterproof joint connector 1.

Further, by attaching the bus bar body 3 provided with the resin mold layer 20 to the connector housing 2, the bus bar 19 short-circuits between the terminal fittings 5. At this time, since the resin mold layer 20 may be pinched, the handleability of the bus bar body 3 is improved. Also, when a plurality of bus bars 19A and 19B need to be mounted on the connector housing 2, only one bus bar body 3 may be mounted, so that the mounting operability is improved. Further, since the knob portion 21 is provided on the resin mold layer 20 of the bus bar body 3, it is easy to operate the bus bar body 3 by pinching. Further, since the rear side of the knob portion 21 projects vertically, the knob operation is further improved.

In addition, when the bus bar body 3 is not completely assembled to the connector housing 2 to the proper position, the bus bar body 3 is moved to the connector housing 2 side with the operation of attaching the cap body 4 to the connector housing 2. , The incomplete assembly of the bus bar body 3 is prevented. Further, after the waterproof joint connector 1 is assembled, the back surface 4B of the cap body 4 is in contact with the bus bar body 3, so that the bus bar body 3 is prevented from falling off. Also, originally, the mating connector housing 2
The lock arm 18 provided on the connector housing 2 for locking with the connector housing 6 is used to prevent the cap body 4 from coming off, so that it is not necessary to provide another lock structure on the connector housing 2.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited by the above-described embodiments, and, for example, those described below are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the technical scope of the present invention extends to an equivalent range. (1) In the present embodiment, the bus bar 19 is covered with the resin to form the bus bar body 3, but according to the present invention,
The bus bar may be directly attached to the cavity of the connector housing. Further, in the present embodiment, two bus bars 19 are configured to be assembled to the connector housing 2, but according to the present invention, one bus bar or three or more bus bars may be provided. (2) In the present embodiment, the knob 21 is provided on the rear surface 3B of the bus bar body 3. However, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to provide the knob. (3) In the present embodiment, the rear surface 3B of the bus bar body 3 is configured to be in contact with the back surface 4B of the cap body 4. However, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to prevent the bus bar body from falling off with the cap. For example, a configuration may be provided in which an engagement means is provided between the bus bar body and the connector housing, or a retaining portion is provided between the bus bar and the terminal fitting.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a general-purpose waterproof connector before mating with a mating connector housing in the embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a waterproof joint connector.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a waterproof joint connector before assembly.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view when the bus bar body is assembled to the connector housing.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a waterproof joint connector.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a waterproof joint connector in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Waterproof joint connector 2 ... Connector housing 3 ... Busbar body 4 ... Cap body 4B ... Back surface of cap body 5 ... Terminal fitting 6 ... Cavity 12 ... Waterproof member 18 ... Lock structure (lock arm) 19 ... Busbar 20 ... Resin mold Layer 21: Knob part 22: Lock receiving part 24: Waterproof joint cap 25: Tab part 26: Mating connector housing 28: Hood part of mating connector housing 29: Connecting part

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A connector having a waterproof member for accommodating a plurality of terminal fittings in a connector housing and sealing between the connector housing and a hood of a mating connector housing. A bus bar assembled from the mating surface side with the mating connector housing to short-circuit the terminal fittings, and a bus bar having the same shape as a hood portion of the mating connector housing, wherein the bus bar has the terminal fitting. A waterproof joint cap comprising: a cap body fitted into the connector housing so as to wrap the bus bar in a state where the groups are short-circuited. 2. The bus bar comprises a plurality of tab portions connected to the terminal fittings and a connecting portion connecting the tab portions, and a resin mold layer is formed on the connecting portion by insert molding. The waterproof joint cap according to claim 1, wherein the cap is integrated as a body and assembled to the connector housing. 3. The resin mold layer of the bus bar body,
The waterproof joint cap according to claim 2, wherein a knob portion is provided on a side opposite to the tab portion. 4. The bus bar according to claim 2, wherein when the cap body is assembled at a regular position with respect to the connector housing, a back surface of the cap body contacts the bus bar body. The described waterproof joint cap. 5. The lock body according to claim 1, wherein the cap body is provided with a lock receiving portion which can be locked to a lock structure for maintaining the mating with the mating connector housing provided in the connector housing. Item 5. A waterproof joint cap according to any one of Items 1 to 4. 6. The waterproof joint cap according to claim 1, a connector housing accommodating a plurality of terminal fittings, and a hood portion of a mating connector housing that can be fitted to the connector housing. A waterproof joint connector comprising: a waterproof member that seals the waterproof joint.