JP2001155817A - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance operability when removed. SOLUTION: In state that both housings 10, 20 are coupled and a portion 41b of sealing member 41 is fitted between a terminal receiving member 21 and a fit pressure member 31, a cavity (a space for receiving terminals) provided between both housings 10, 20 is tightly sealed. When both housings 10, 20 are separated from each other, the fit pressure member 31 is shifted to a position for releasing fit pressure to release a fit pressure of the pressure member 31. Accordingly, the cavity 22 is communicated to atmosphere at fit pressure released portion, and negative pressure is not generated in the cavity to thereby reduce separating resistance.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

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

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 shows a conventional waterproof connector.
This is because the female housing 10 is
2 and the two housings 101, 10
The seal member 103 is interposed between the two fitting peripheral surfaces to prevent water from flowing into the female housing 102 through the fitting peripheral surfaces. By fitting a rubber plug 106 fitted to the female terminal fitting 105 into the terminal insertion port 104 on the side opposite to the mating end surface, the female housing 102 is inserted through the terminal insertion port 104.
It has a structure to prevent water from entering inside. In the male housing 101, since the male terminal fittings 107 are integrated by insert molding, the male housing 1
There is no danger of flooding into 01. As a waterproof connector of this type, there is a connector disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-86277.

[0003]

In such a waterproof connector, a large operating force is required when detaching the two housings 101 and 102. This is the terminal fitting 105,
107 and the housings 101 and 102
In addition to the friction between the housing 101 and the seal member 103, the negative pressure caused by the seal member 103 and the rubber plug 106 sealing the space between the housings 101 and 102 and the inside of the female housing 102 acts as a separation resistance. To do that. As described above, the conventional waterproof connector has a problem in workability at the time of detachment.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to improve the workability at the time of detachment.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pair of housings in which terminal fittings are housed and which can be fitted and disengaged from each other, and a pair of the fitted housings. A seal member interposed between the two housings and capable of holding a terminal connection space formed between the two housings in an airtight state, and one of the pair of housings includes the terminal fitting. , And a squeezing position for squeezing a part of the seal member between the terminal housing member and a squeezing pressure release position for canceling the squeezing force of the seal member. And a pinching member capable of being displaced between the terminal connection member and the sealing member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the pressing member is engaged with the other housing to lock the two housings in the fitted state, and to connect the pressing member to the other housing. The lock arm is configured such that it can be displaced between a lock position that can be locked at the clamping position and a lock release position that releases the lock.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when both housings are fitted and a part of the seal member is pressed between the terminal accommodating member and the pressing member, the terminal between the two housings is provided. The inside of the accommodation space becomes airtight. When the two housings are detached from this state, the clamping member is displaced to the clamping release position to release the clamping pressure of the seal member between the terminal housing member. Then, in this pinching pressure release portion, since the inside of the terminal accommodating space can communicate with the atmosphere, the inside of the terminal accommodating space does not become negative pressure when separating both housings,
The separation resistance is reduced by the amount of no negative pressure.

[0008] The function of locking the two housings in the fitted state and the function of locking the pressure member in the pressure position are shared by a single lock arm, and the locking and unlocking operations are performed. Since it can be performed with a single action, the operability is excellent and the shape can be simplified.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The connector according to the present embodiment includes a male housing 10 and a female housing 20 that can be fitted and disengaged from each other.
(One housing which is a constituent element of the present invention), and a seal member 41.

The male housing 10 is made of a synthetic resin, and has a rectangular cylindrical hood portion 11 protruding forward (to the right in FIGS. 1 to 3). In the male housing 10, a plurality of elongated male terminal fittings 12 arranged in a row in a row are integrated by insert molding, and the tip of the male terminal fitting 12 projects into the hood 11.
Lock protrusions 13 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the outer periphery of the hood portion 11. Further, a step-shaped reduced diameter portion 14 is formed over the entire circumference at the front end of the outer periphery of the hood portion 1111. The reduced diameter portion 14 includes a sealing member 4
The outer peripheral surface of the reduced diameter portion 14 is a sealing surface 14A.

The female housing 20 is made of a synthetic resin, and is composed of two parts, a terminal accommodating member 21 and a pressing member 31. Inside the terminal accommodating member 21, a cavity 22 (a terminal connection space which is a constituent element of the present invention) is formed at both front and rear end surfaces, and a rear end (right end in FIGS. The female terminal fitting 24 is inserted from the terminal insertion opening 23). The inserted female terminal fitting 24 is prevented from coming off by a lance (not shown) in the cavity 22 and a retainer 25 assembled to the front end (left end in FIGS. 1 to 3) of the terminal housing member 21.

Here, the female terminal fitting 24 will be described. An electric wire connecting portion 24A at the rear end of the female terminal fitting 24 has
Electric wire 26 and cylindrical rubber stopper 27 externally fitted to electric wire 26
And are crimped together. The terminal insertion port 23 of the cavity 22 is formed in a circular shape having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the rubber plug 27, and when the female terminal fitting 24 is inserted into the cavity 22, the gap between the terminal insertion port 23 and the rubber plug 27 and the electric wire 2
The gap between the rubber plug 27 and the rubber plug 27 is airtightly closed by the elasticity of the rubber plug 27. This prevents foreign matter from entering the cavity 22 from the terminal insertion port 23.

A region of the terminal accommodating member 21 adjacent to the rear of the retainer 25 is an enlarged diameter portion 28.
8 and the outer peripheral surface of the retainer 25 are substantially flush with each other. The front end of the terminal accommodating member 21 and the retainer 25 are fitted into the hood 11 of the male housing 10. The rear end surface of the enlarged diameter portion 28 is a seal surface 28A orthogonal to the outer peripheral surface. In addition, the terminal accommodating member 21
A guide groove 29 parallel to the fitting / removing direction of the housings 10 and 20 is formed at a position near the rear of the enlarged diameter portion 28 on both upper and lower surfaces of the outer periphery of the guide groove 29.
The rear end surface serves as a stopper 30 for restricting the displacement of the pressing member 31.

The clamping member 31 is connected to both housings 10, 20.
Plate-shaped pressure plate portion 32 orthogonal to the fitting / removing direction of
And a fitting tubular portion 33 protruding forward from the outer peripheral edge of the pressing plate portion 32, and has a cylindrical shape as a whole. The pressure holding member 31 is assembled to the terminal housing member 21 by fitting the inner periphery of the pressure holding plate portion 32 outward behind the enlarged diameter portion 28 of the terminal housing member 21. Nipping plate 32
Is formed as a sealing surface 32A facing the sealing surface 28A of the enlarged diameter portion 28, and the inner peripheral surface of the fitting cylindrical portion 33 is formed on the sealing surface 3A facing the outer sealing surface 14A of the hood portion 11.
3A.

At the upper and lower edges on the inner periphery of the pressure plate portion 32, elastic bending pieces 34 projecting rearward and capable of elastic displacement outward (in a direction away from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating member 21). Are formed. This elastic bending piece 34
A guide projection 35 is formed on the inner periphery of the pressing member 31.
By fitting the guide projection 35 into the guide groove 29, the play in the circumferential direction with respect to the terminal accommodating member 21 is regulated, and the front and rear direction (both housings 10,
20 (in the same direction as the fitting / removing direction of 20) within a predetermined range. The range of movement of the squeezing member 31 is determined by a squeezing position (see FIG. 1) where the sealing member 41 is squeezed between the sealing surface 32A at the front end of the squeezing member 31 and the sealing surface 28A at the rear end of the enlarged diameter portion 28. ) And a clamping release position (see FIGS. 3 and 3) where the clamping pressure of the seal member 41 is released and the guide projection 35 comes into contact with the stopper 30.

When the clamping member 31 is assembled to the terminal accommodating member 21, the clamping member 31 is fitted from behind the terminal accommodating member 21, and the guide projection 35 is resiliently bent outward while the elastic bending piece 34 is elastically bent outward. The assembly is completed when the guide protrusion 35 is fitted into the guide groove 29 and the elastic bending piece 34 is elastically restored so as to be brought into sliding contact with the outer periphery of the terminal accommodating member 21. Further, a pair of upper and lower lock arms 36 are formed integrally with the pressing member 31. Upper lock arm 3
Reference numeral 6 denotes a pair of leg portions 37 projecting upward from both left and right ends on the outer peripheral upper surface of the pressing plate portion 32, and a plate-like displacement portion 38 interposed between the two leg portions 37.
A lock hole 39 is formed at the front end of the
The rear end portion is a release operation section 40. The lower lock arm 36 is vertically symmetric with the upper lock arm 36. The lock arm 36 always has a lock position in which the lock hole 39 can be locked to the lock protrusion 13 of the hood portion 11, but is capable of elastic bending to a lock release position for releasing the lock. I have.

The seal member 41 has a first seal portion 41a which is pressed between the hood portion 11 and the pressing member 31 in a radial direction (a direction orthogonal to the fitting / removing direction of the housings 10 and 20). And a second seal portion 41b which is sandwiched between the terminal accommodating member 21 and the sandwiching member 31 in the front-rear direction (the same direction as the fitting / removing direction of the housings 10, 20) into an L-shaped cross section. This is a form in which the entirety is cylindrical. The sealing member 41 is configured such that the first sealing portion 41a is
3 and is assembled to the female housing 20 such that the second seal portion 41b is arranged between the enlarged diameter portion 28 and the pressure member 31 and is arranged forward (to separate the two housings 10, 20). The movement in the detaching direction in the direction that sometimes follows the male terminal fitting 12) is restricted by the second seal portion 41b being locked to the enlarged diameter portion 28.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When fitting the two housings 10, 20, the female side housing 20 is gripped with one hand, and the holding member 31 of the female side housing 20 is gripped with the other hand. The front end of the female housing 20 is fitted into the hood 11 of the male housing 10 by approaching, and at the end of the fitting process, the reduced diameter portion 1 of the hood 11 is fitted.
4 is fitted between the terminal accommodating member 21 and the first seal portion 41 a of the seal member 41. Just before mating is complete,
When the front end of the lock arm 36 interferes with the lock projection 13, the lock arm 36 elastically bends outward so as to ride on the lock projection 13, and when the two housings 10, 20 reach a regular fitting state, the lock arm 36 returns elastically. Then, the lock hole 39 is locked to the lock projection 13. Thereby, both housings 1
0 and 20 are locked so as not to be detached, and in the female housing 20, the pressing member 31 is locked at the pressing position.

In this normal fitting state, the dimensions of the fitting portion of the hood portion 11, the terminal accommodating member 21 and the clamping member 31 are provided between the cavity 22 to be kept airtight and the outer space of the housings 10, 20. There is a gap for absorbing the tolerance and a gap for interposing the seal member 41,
The inside of the cavity 22 is kept airtight by a seal member 41. That is, the first gap 42a between the sealing surface 14A (outer peripheral surface) of the reduced diameter portion 14 of the hood portion 11 and the sealing surface 33A (inner peripheral surface) of the fitting cylindrical portion 33 of the pinching member 31 is a housing. Although it communicates with the external spaces 10 and 20, the ventilation is blocked by the interposition of the first seal portion 41 a of the seal member 41. Further, the sealing surface 28A (rear end surface) of the enlarged diameter portion 28 of the terminal accommodating member 21 and the pressing member 31
A second gap 42b between the sealing surface 32A (front end surface) of the pressure plate portion 32 is a third gap 42c between the inner peripheral surface of the second seal portion 41b and the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating member 21. And the housing 10 via the fourth gap 42d (the guide groove 29) between the elastic bending piece 34 and the outer periphery of the terminal accommodating member 21.
20, but the second seal portion 41b
Is blocked to block ventilation. As described above, the first and second gaps 42 a and 42 b directly communicating with the outer space of the housings 10 and 20 are formed by the seal member 41.
, The gaps 42a, 42
The region closer to the cavity 22 than 2b is kept airtight.

The fifth gap 42e between the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 11 and the outer peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter portion 28 and the sixth gap 42 between the front end surface of the enlarged diameter portion 28 and the rear end surface of the retainer 25. Gap 42f
Are the first and second gaps 42a, 42b and the cavity 2
2 and the first and second gaps 42
Since the a and b are sealed by the seal member 41, the fifth and sixth gaps 42e and 42f are kept in a permeable state. When the two housings 10 and 20 in the fitted state are to be removed, the upper and lower unlocking operation portions are pinched to elastically deform the lock arms 36 to the unlocked posture, and the lock projections 13 and the lock holes 39 are formed. To dissociate. Then, the locking of the two housings 10 and 20 is released and the separating operation is permitted, and at the same time, the pressing member 3 is released.
The pressing force of the second seal portion 41b between the first and the terminal housing members 21 is released. At this time, the clamping member 31 is allowed to be displaced to the clamping pressure release position, and is slightly pushed to the clamping pressure releasing position by the elastic restoring force of the second seal portion 41b. When the second seal portion 41b is released from the pinching pressure, the seal in the second gap 42b is released, and the second seal portion 41b passes through the second gap 42b, the fifth gap 42e, and the sixth gap 42f. Thereby, ventilation is possible between the outer space of the housings 10 and 20 and the inner space surrounded by the two housings 10 and 20 including the cavity 22.

When the housings 10 and 20 are separated from each other,
A space (not shown) communicating with the cavity 22 is formed between the front end surface of the terminal accommodating member 21 and the back end surface of the hood portion 11, and the volume of the space increases as the distance between the housings 10 and 20 increases. Increase. If the space and the inside of the cavity 22 are kept airtight, the inside thereof becomes negative pressure, and the resistance against the detaching operation increases.
However, in this embodiment, since the space in both housings 10 and 20 is communicated to the outside by releasing the seal of the second gap 42b, there is almost no operational resistance due to the generation of negative pressure.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the housings 10 and 20 are detached from each other, the portion of the seal member 41 communicating with the cavity 22 is unsealed to allow air to flow. By avoiding the negative pressure in the internal space caused by the separation, the separation resistance caused by the negative pressure is reduced, thereby improving the operability. Further, the function of locking the two housings 10 and 20 in the fitted state and the locking member 31 at the clamping position (the second sealing portion 41)
b) to a lock state.
6, the lock operation and the lock release operation can be performed by one action, so that the operability is excellent and the shape is simplified.

Further, the lock arm 36 is formed integrally with the clamping member 31 and disposed on both upper and lower sides, and the terminal accommodating member 21 is engaged with the clamping member 31 at the clamping release position. Since the stopper 30 that regulates the displacement in the pinching release direction as described above is formed, if the operation of pulling the pinching member 31 away from the male housing 10 while holding the release operating portions 40 of the upper and lower lock arms 36 is continued, After the clamping member 31 is locked to the stopper 30, the terminal accommodating member 2
1 is detached from the male housing 10 integrally with the clamping member 31. As described above, since the detaching operation can be completed by one action without releasing the hand from the lock arm 36, the operability is excellent.

[Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the above embodiment, the lock arm for locking the two housings in the fitted state is formed in the pressure member, but according to the present invention, the lock arm may be a separate component from the pressure member. In this case, a lock arm can be formed on the housing on the side opposite to the clamping member.

(2) In the above embodiment, the function of locking the two housings in the fitted state and the function of locking the pressure member in the pressure position are shared by one lock arm. A structure in which these two locking functions are performed using dedicated locking means may be adopted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state locked in a fitted state in a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the fitting is released in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Male side housing 12 ... Male terminal fitting 20 ... Female side housing (one housing) 21 ... Terminal accommodating member 22 ... Cavity (terminal connection space) 24 ... Female terminal fitting 31 ... Clamping member 36 ... Lock arm 41 ... Seal Element

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5E021 FA05 FA09 FB07 FC31 FC36 FC40 HC12 HC31 5E087 EE02 EE12 FF03 FF06 FF13 GG02 GG15 GG24 GG31 GG32 HH04 LL03 LL04 LL12 LL26 LL34 RR12 RR25

Claims (2)

[Claims] A pair of housings accommodating terminal fittings therein and capable of fitting and disengaging from each other, and both housings being interposed between the fitted housings. A sealing member capable of holding the inside of the terminal connection space formed therebetween in an airtight state, wherein one of the pair of housings includes a terminal accommodating member accommodating the terminal fitting; The housing member can be displaced between a squeezing position where a part of the seal member is squeezed between the terminal member and the squeezing pressure releasing position where the squeezing force of the seal member is released. A waterproof connector, comprising: a clamping member; and a contact portion between the seal member and the terminal accommodating member communicating with the terminal connection space. 2. A locking position in which said housing is engaged with said other housing to lock said two housings in a fitted state and said locking member can be locked in a holding position. 2. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein a lock arm that can be displaced between an unlock position and an unlock position for releasing the lock is formed.