JP2002280108A - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the workability of fitting and removal works in a waterproof connector. SOLUTION: A rubber ring 35 nipped between an inner peripheral face of a hood part 11 and an outer peripheral face of a terminal storage part 21 of a female housing 20 fitted into the hood part 11 of a male housing 10 and adhered to it closely is mounted on the outer peripheral face of the terminal storage part 21. The terminal storage part 21 is provided with a rubber plug storage part 39 provided with a storage recessed part 40 for storing a rubber plug 37. An inner side opening part 45 communicating an internal space 36 formed between both housings 10 and 20 during fitting with the storage recessed part 40 and an outer side opening part 44 communicating the storage recessed part 40 with the outside are provided across the rubber plug 37 in a front end part and a rear end part of the rubber plug storage part 39, respectively. The rubber plug 37 advances and retracts in the storage recessed part 40 in the interlocking relationship with increase and decrease of a volume of the internal space 36 in accordance with fitting and removal of both housings 10, 20 to suppress the fluctuation of a pneumatic pressure in the internal space 36.

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 In general, in a waterproof connector, a seal ring is provided between opposing peripheral surfaces of male and female housings to be fitted, and the seal rings are brought into close contact with both peripheral surfaces to achieve waterproofing between the two housings. At the same time, a rubber plug is attached to the electric wire connected to the terminal fitting inserted into the cavity of the housing, and this rubber plug is brought into close contact with the inner surface of the cavity,
The inside of the cavity is waterproofed. As an example of such a waterproof connector, one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-134756 is known.

[0003]

By the way, when the two housings are fitted to each other, the cavity is always closed by a rubber plug when the seal ring starts to come into close contact with the peripheral surfaces of the two housings. Therefore, the internal spaces of both housings are closed. If it is attempted to further deepen the fitting of the two housings from this state, the air in the sealed internal space loses its escape space and is compressed, and the pressure in the internal space increases, so a large resistance force acts. . In other words, the waterproof connector requires a large fitting force immediately before the fitting, and the workability is not good. Also, when removing both housings, the removal workability was not good for the same reason. The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and has as its object to improve the fitting / removing workability of a waterproof connector.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a pair of connector housings that can be fitted with each other is provided with a pair of mating peripheral portions of both connector housings. A seal member capable of sealing between the two connector housings is attached in close contact with the surface, and the seal member seals the internal space of the two connector housings. The opening to be opened and the air pressure of the internal space is released through the opening as the two connector housings are fitted together, and the opening through the opening is released as the two connector housings are separated. It is characterized in that a valve mechanism capable of supplementing the air pressure in the internal space is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the valve mechanism includes a communication hole communicating with the internal space and the opening, and a communication hole disposed in the communication hole. A movable valve body that can be sealed, and the movable valve body is pressed by air flowing into the communication hole from the internal space with the fitting operation of the two connector housings, so that the inside of the communication hole is The movable valve body is pulled by air flowing into the internal space from the communication hole along with the detachment operation of both connector housings while the movable housing is being moved to the opening side. It is characterized by being movable to the internal space side.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, both ends of the communication hole on the opening side and the internal space side are engaged with the movable valve body and can be prevented from falling off. It has a feature in that a proper retaining portion is provided. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the one of the first to third aspects, the valve mechanism seals the opening as the two connector housings are properly fitted. The feature is that it can be closed.

[0007]

When the two connector housings are fitted together, the air pressure in the internal space is released by the valve mechanism through the opening that opens to the outside.
On the other hand, when the two connector housings are detached, the air pressure in the internal space is supplemented by the valve mechanism through the opening.
Thus, the fluctuation of the air pressure in the internal space due to the fitting or disengagement of the two connector housings can be suppressed, so that the force required for the fitting and disengaging work can be reduced, and the workability is improved. be able to.

<Invention of Claim 2> As the two connector housings are fitted, the movable valve body is pressed by the air flowing from the internal space into the communication hole, so that the movable valve body passes through the inside of the communication hole. Since it moves to the opening side, the air pressure in the internal space can be released. On the other hand, as the movable valve element is pulled by the air flowing into the internal space from the communication hole as the two connector housings are detached, the movable valve element moves inside the communication hole toward the internal space. The air pressure in the space can be supplemented. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the fluctuation of the air pressure in the internal space at the time of fitting / removing, and it is possible to improve workability. <Invention of claim 3> By engaging the movable valve element with the retaining portion during the fitting / removing operation, the movable valve element can be prevented from falling out of the communication hole. <Invention of Claim 4> Since the opening is closed after the regular fitting, the sealing performance of the waterproof connector can be kept high.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, the waterproof connector shown in this embodiment is a male connector housing 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as male housing 10) that can be fitted to each other.
And a female connector housing 20 (hereinafter simply referred to as a female housing 20), of which a rubber ring 35 for sealing between the two housings 10 and 20 is provided on the female housing 20 side, and a rubber stopper 37 constituting a valve mechanism. Is installed. In the following description, the fitting surfaces of the housings 10 and 20 will be described as front.

The male housing 10 is provided with a substantially cylindrical hood portion 11 which opens forward, and a male terminal fitting 12 is provided from the rear end face of the hood portion 11 so as to protrude into the hood portion 11 by an insert. Two male terminal fittings 12 are arranged side by side along the width direction. The terminal accommodating portion 21 of the female housing 20 with the rubber ring 35 exterior can enter from inside the hood portion 11 from the front. The hood portion 11 has a shape in which the diameter is increased in two stages from the back side to the front side. And
The middle part surrounds the rubber ring 35 and has a diameter that allows close contact therewith, and the front part has a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rubber ring 35. Also, the hood section 1
A tapered surface for smooth introduction of the rubber ring 35 is formed on the inner surface of the inner surface 1 from the front to the middle. At the center in the width direction on the upper surface of the hood portion 11, a lock arm 33 provided on the female housing 20 is provided.
Is provided to project upward.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the female housing 20 has a substantially elliptical terminal accommodating portion 21 capable of accommodating the female terminal fitting 24, and a substantially cylindrical outer cylindrical portion 22 surrounding the terminal accommodating portion 21.
And A cavity 2 into which the female terminal fitting 24 can be inserted from the rear at both left and right positions in the drawing is provided in the terminal accommodating portion 21.
3 are provided in two rooms. The female terminal fitting 24 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (A), a substantially box-shaped connection portion 25 connectable to the male terminal fitting 12 is provided on the front side, and the core wire exposed to the end of the electric wire W and the end of the coating are fitted on the rear side. Rubber stopper for electric wire 2
7 is provided with a barrel portion 26 to be crimped. The inside of the cavity 23 is sealed by the close contact of the rubber plug 27 for the electric wire with the inner peripheral surface of the cavity 23.

A cantilevered lance 29 is projected from the front upper surface side of the cavity 23.
During the insertion of the female terminal fitting 24 into the cavity 23, the female terminal fitting 24 is elastically deformed by being pressed by the connection portion 25 and retracts into the upper bending space, and when the female terminal fitting 24 reaches the normal depth, It is elastically restored and enters into a locking hole 28 formed in the connecting portion 25 and is locked to the front edge of the hole. The bending space is formed to open forward. In the terminal accommodating portion 21, a front retainer 30 having a flexure restricting portion 31 which can enter the flexure space from the front and regulate the flexure of the lance 29 is assembled. The front retainer 30 prevents a situation in which the lance 29 is flexibly deformed while releasing the locked state with the female terminal fitting 24 by mistake. The front retainer 30 is integrally held by the terminal housing 21 by a holding structure (not shown).

At a substantially central position in the width direction (length direction) on the upper surface of the terminal accommodating portion 21, a lock arm 33 supported by a support portion 32 is provided extending in the front-rear direction.
The lock arm 33 is elastically displaceable in a seesaw shape around the support portion 32, and a claw portion 34 formed on the lower surface side of the front end portion is provided with a lock protrusion 1 on the male housing 10 side.
3, the rear end face of the claw portion 34 is
Are locked to the rear end surfaces of the housings 10 and 20.
Can be held in a fitted state (see FIG. 5).

The outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 21 (lock arm 3)
(Except 3), the outer cylindrical portion 22 surrounding the terminal accommodating portion 21 including the lock arm 33 is connected via a connecting portion projecting in the radial direction. A rubber ring 35 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 21 at a position immediately before a portion connected to the outer cylindrical portion 22. The rubber ring 35 has two lips on the inner and outer peripheral surfaces at the front. When the hood portion 11 of the male housing 10 is fitted from the front between the outer cylindrical portion 22 and the terminal accommodating portion 21, the rubber ring 35 forms an inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 11 and an outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 21. By tightly contacting both opposing surfaces in a state where the pressure is narrowed between the housings, the housings 10 and 20 can be sealed. Here, the inner space 36 formed between the two housings 10 and 20 is sealed from the stage where the two housings 10 and 20 are fitted to a depth at which the hood portion 11 contacts the rubber ring 35 at the time of fitting. (See FIG. 4).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a rubber stopper 37 serving as a valve mechanism is housed in the widthwise central portion of the terminal housing 21 between the cavities 23 provided at both ends. A rubber stopper housing 39 is provided. As shown in FIG. 3 (B), the rubber stopper housing 39 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape that opens forward, and has a housing recess 40 having a circular cross section capable of housing the rubber stopper 37 from the front inside. It has. The rubber stopper 37 holds the housing 1 in the housing recess 40.
It can be moved back and forth along the 0, 20 fitting direction. On the outer peripheral surface of the rubber plug 37, a lip 38 that can be in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the housing concave portion 40 is formed by bulging forward and backward three steps.

At the rear end of the rubber stopper housing 39, a rubber stopper 3 is provided.
A rear stop wall 41 is provided which engages with the rear end face 7 and can prevent the rubber stopper 37 from coming off. On the other hand, the rubber stopper housing 39
As shown in FIG. 1, a fitting recess 42 communicating with the adjacent left and right cavities 23 is provided on the periphery of the front end opening portion, and a front stop wall integrally formed with the front retainer 30 in the fitting recess 42. 43 can be fitted. This front stop wall 43, as shown in FIG.
The rubber stopper 37 can be prevented from falling forward by engaging with the front end surface of the rubber stopper 37.

An outer opening 44 penetrating vertically (in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the rubber plug 37) is provided immediately above the rear stop wall 41 in the upper portion of the rubber plug housing 39.
The outside and the accommodation recess 40 communicate with each other through the outer opening 44. The diameter of the outer opening 44 is determined by the size of the rubber stopper 3.
7 is set sufficiently smaller than the length dimension. On the other hand, the front stop wall 43 has a space in front thereof and the accommodation recess 4.
An inner opening portion 45 communicating with the front end portion 0 is provided so as to penetrate forward and backward. The inner opening 45 is disposed at a position facing the center of the front end face of the rubber plug 37, and its diameter is set sufficiently smaller than the outer diameter of the rubber plug 37.

As described above, in the housing recess 40 which is partitioned back and forth by the rubber plug 37, the space before and after the rubber plug 37 is communicated with the internal space 36 and the outside through the inner opening 45 and the outer opening 44, respectively. . This accommodation recess 40
Is closed by the rubber stopper 37, so that the internal space 3
6 and the outside air do not flow directly. Then, with the fitting or disengaging operation of the two housings 10, 20,
From the internal space 36 through the inner opening 45, the accommodation recess 40
The rubber plug 37 is pressed or pulled by air flowing into the interior space 36 or into the internal space 36, so that the rubber stopper 37 moves the interior of the accommodation recess 40 toward the outer opening 44 or the inner opening 45. It is adapted to be moved (see FIG. 4).

This embodiment has the above-described structure, and its operation will be described below. First, female housing 2
As shown in FIG. 3, each of the female terminal fittings 24 is inserted into each cavity 23 from the rear, and the rubber plug 37 is housed in the housing recess 40 from the front of the rubber plug housing 39 as shown in FIG. Then, the front retainer 30 is assembled into the terminal accommodating portion 21 from the front. At this time, the rubber stopper 37
Is disposed at a position where the front end surface is in contact with or close to the front stop wall 43.

Thereafter, when the hood portion 11 of the male housing 10 is inserted between the terminal accommodating portion 21 of the female housing 20 and the outer cylindrical portion 22 in order to fit the two housings 10 and 20, the lock arm 33 is locked. It is elastically deformed while riding on the part 13. When the fitting depth of the housings 10 and 20 reaches the depth at which the hood portion 11 contacts the rubber ring 35, as shown in FIG.
An internal space 36 between the two is sealed from the outside by a rubber ring 35 and a rubber plug 27 for an electric wire. As the fitting proceeds further from this state, the volume of the internal space 36 decreases, and the air in the internal space 36 flows into the housing recess 40 through the inner opening 45. The center portion of the front end face of the rubber plug 37 is pressed rearward by the inflowing air, so that the rubber plug 37 moves backward while sliding each lip 38 on the inner peripheral surface of the housing recess 40. Along with the retraction operation of the rubber plug 37, the air in the space behind the rubber plug 37 in the housing recess 40 is released to the outside through the outer opening 44. When the two housings 10 and 20 are fitted in this manner, the rubber plug 37 is pushed backward and the space in front of the rubber plug 37 in the housing recess 40 in conjunction with the decrease in the volume of the internal space 36. Since the air pressure in the internal space 36 is released without a sudden increase due to an increase in the volume of the housing 10, the fitting resistance between the two housings 10 and 20 can be reduced.

When the housings 10 and 20 are properly fitted, the male and female terminal fittings 12 and 24 are properly connected to each other, and the lock arm 33 is elastically restored to the rear end face of the claw portion 34. Is locked to the rear end face of the lock projection 13, as shown in FIG.
Are held inseparably. At this time, in a state where the rubber ring 35 is narrowed between the opposing peripheral surfaces of the hood 11 and the terminal accommodating portion 21, the rubber ring 35 is brought into close contact with the two to seal the space between the housings 10 and 20, while the rubber stopper 37 stops at the rear. It moves to a position where it abuts or approaches the wall 41 and keeps the inside of the accommodation recess 40 in a sealed state. At this time, since the rubber stopper 37 is in close contact with the inner rim portion of the outer opening 44, the outer opening 44 can be closed while being sealed.
The sealing performance of the waterproof connector can be kept high.

On the other hand, both housings 10 and 20 may be detached due to maintenance or other circumstances. In this case, the housings 10 and 20 are separated while the lock arm 33 is forcibly elastically deformed to release the locked state between the claw portion 34 and the lock protrusion 13. In this separation process, as the two housings 10 and 20 are pulled apart, the volume of the internal space 36 increases, and the air in the space in front of the rubber plug 37 in the housing recess 40 passes through the inner opening 45. It flows into the internal space 36. The rubber stopper 37 is pulled by the air flowing into the internal space 36,
As shown in FIG. 4, the rubber stopper 37 is moved forward while sliding the lips 38 in contact with each other. With the forward movement of the rubber stopper 37, external air is allowed to pass through the outer opening 44 and into the housing recess 4.
Flowed into 0. Thus, both housings 10, 20
Is released, the rubber plug 37 is pulled forward in conjunction with the increase in the volume of the internal space 36, and the volume of the space in front of the rubber plug 37 in the accommodation recess 40 is reduced. Since the air pressure in the space 36 is compensated for without a sudden decrease, the separation resistance between the housings 10 and 20 can be reduced.

When the rubber stopper 37 moves back and forth in the housing recess 40, for example, the rubber stopper 37 and the housing recess 4 are moved.
0, the rubber plug 37 moves forward or backward vigorously even if the frictional resistance between the rubber plug 37 and the rubber plug 37 is large and the pulling force or pressing force acting on the rubber plug 37 is large. The rubber stopper 37 can be prevented from coming off.

According to the present embodiment as described above,
The rubber plug 37 advances and retreats in conjunction with the decrease / increase of the volume of the internal space 36 due to the fitting / removal operation of the two housings 10 and 20, so that the front of the rubber plug 37 in the housing recess 40 communicating with the internal space 36. Since the volume of the space can be increased / decreased, the fluctuation of the air pressure in the internal space 36 can be suppressed, and the resistance force at the time of fitting / removing the two housings 10 and 20 can be reduced, thereby improving workability. Can be improved.

Further, since the front stop wall 43 and the rear stop wall 41 are provided at the front and rear ends of the rubber plug housing portion 39, the rubber plug 37 can be prevented from coming off. Moreover, since the front stop wall 43 is formed integrally with the front retainer 30, the structure of the waterproof connector can be simplified as compared with the case where the front retainer 30 and the front stop wall 43 are prepared as separate components. Furthermore, since the outer opening 44 is closed by the rubber plug 37 after the housings 10 and 20 are properly fitted, the sealing performance of the waterproof connector can be kept high.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to 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-described embodiment, the case where the outer opening is provided in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the rubber plug has been described. However, for example, by partially penetrating the rear stop wall, the outer opening is formed. It may be formed so as to be parallel to the moving direction of the rubber stopper. (2) In the above-described embodiment, the rubber stopper moves back and forth in the housing recess. However, instead of the rubber stopper, for example, a stretchable film is stretched in the housing recess to accommodate the housing. The air pressure in the internal space may be released or supplemented while maintaining the sealing property in the concave portion.

(3) In the above embodiment, the internal space or the outside air is introduced before and after the rubber stopper,
Although the type in which the internal space and the external air do not directly circulate is shown, the internal space and the external air may be directly circulated. Specifically, the female housing is provided with an outer opening that opens to the outside and an inner opening that opens into the internal space, and a displacement member that can be displaced in conjunction with the lock arm is provided. A communication hole is formed, and when the two housings are in the process of fitting / removing, the communication hole communicates with the outside opening and the inside opening to allow the internal space and the outside air to flow, and when the proper fitting is reached. The present invention includes a configuration in which the internal space is closed by disposing the communication hole with respect to the outer opening or the inner opening.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a female housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the female housing.

3A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 1 showing a state before both housings are fitted, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line YY of FIG.

4A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 1 showing a state in which both housings are being fitted / removed. FIG. 4B is a sectional view showing a state in which both housings are being fitted / removed. Y-line sectional view

5A is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1 showing a state where both housings are properly fitted; FIG. 5B is a sectional view showing a state where both housings are properly fitted; FIG.
-Y line sectional view

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Male housing 20 ... Female housing (one connector housing) 35 ... Rubber ring (seal member) 36 ... Internal space 37 ... Rubber plug (movable valve body) 40 ... Housing recess (communication hole) 41 ... Rear stop wall (extraction) Stopping portion) 43: front stop wall (retaining portion) 44: outside opening (opening)

Claims (4)

[Claims] A seal member is provided between a pair of connector housings that can be fitted to each other, in close contact with opposing peripheral surfaces of both connector housings, and a seal member capable of sealing between the two connector housings is mounted. The seal member seals the internal space of both connector housings. One of the connector housings has an opening opening to the outside, and the opening is formed as the two connector housings are fitted. And a valve mechanism capable of supplementing the air pressure of the internal space through the opening as the two connector housings are released while releasing the air pressure of the internal space through the portion. Waterproof connector. 2. The valve mechanism includes a communication hole communicating with the internal space and the opening, and a movable valve body disposed in the communication hole and capable of sealing the communication hole. With the fitting operation of the connector housing, the movable valve body is pressed by air flowing into the communication hole from the internal space, so that the movable valve body can be moved to the opening side in the communication hole. The movable valve element is pulled by air flowing into the internal space from the communication hole with the detachment operation of the connector housing, so that the inside of the communication hole can be moved to the internal space side. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein 3. A stopper that is engaged with the movable valve body and that can be prevented from coming off at both ends of the communication hole on the side of the opening and the side of the internal space. The waterproof connector according to claim 2. 4. The valve mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the valve mechanism is capable of closing the opening while sealing the opening as the two connector housings are properly fitted. The waterproof connector according to any one of the above.