JP2002280109A - 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. A rubber plug 41 and a movable member 42 are stored in a storage recessed part 39 of the terminal storage part 21. The movable member 42 is provided with opening parts 46 having a substantially L-shaped longitudinal section and capable of aligning with through holes 43, 44 drilled in a partition wall 40 in the front and the rubber plug 41 by opening on a front face and a lower face and a hook part 48 hooked to a hooking bar 49 provided on a lock arm 33 in an upper end part. In the process in which both housings 10, 20 are fitted mutually and are removed from each other, the movable member 42 is displaced to a communication position where the opening parts 46 and the through holes 43, 44 are mutually communicated in the interlocking relationship with the displacement operation of the lock arm 33 to circulate air between an internal space 36 and the outside.

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. With an opening, a communication position that allows the opening to communicate with the internal space with the fitting or disengagement operation of the two connector housings, and a closing position that closes the internal space by retracting the opening from the internal space. A movable portion is provided which can be displaced between the two connector housings. Disposed in passing position, has a feature where the two connector housings is configured adapted to be disposed in the closed position and reaches the properly connected.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the one connector housing is elastically deformed by the other connector housing while the two connector housings are being fitted or detached from each other. When a lock arm is provided that is elastically restored when it is fitted and is locked to the other connector housing to hold the two connector housings in a fitted state, the movable portion has an elasticity of the lock arm. It is characterized in that it is configured to be displaced in conjunction with the displacement operation.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, while the two connector housings are being fitted, the movable portion is in the communicating position, so that the air in the internal space passes through the opening along with the fitting operation. Spilled out. When the two connector housings are properly fitted, the movable portion is disposed at the closed position, the opening is retracted, and the internal space is kept closed.
When both connector housings in the fitted state are removed,
When the movable portion is displaced to the communication position, external air flows into the internal space through the opening along with the detachment operation. In this way, while the volume of the internal space increases and decreases as the two connector housings engage and disengage, the air can be circulated between the internal space and the outside through the opening. -The force required for the separating operation can be reduced, and the workability can be improved.

<Invention of Claim 2> Since the movable portion is displaced by using the lock arm which is elastically deformed in accordance with the fitting / removing operation of the two connector housings, the fitting / removing work is easily performed. be able to.

[0008]

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 these, a rubber ring 35 for sealing between the two housings 10 and 20 is mounted on the female housing 20 side, and an opening 46 is provided. The movable member 42 is assembled. In the following description, the fitting surfaces of the housings 10 and 20 will be described as front.

The male housing 10 has a substantially cylindrical hood portion 11 that opens forward, and a male terminal fitting 12 protrudes into the hood portion 11 from the rear end face thereof through 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. The front end face of the lock projection 13 is formed with a tapered surface for making the lock arm 33 run smoothly.

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 in a vertical direction (a direction intersecting the fitting direction) around the support portion 32, and the claw portion 3 formed on the lower surface side of the front end portion.
After the 4 rides on the lock protrusion 13 on the male housing 10 side, the rear end surface of the claw portion 34 is locked to the rear end surface of the lock protrusion 13 so that the two housings 10 and 20 can be held in a fitted state. (See FIG. 5). This claw part 34
A groove 37 that opens rearward is formed on the rear side, and a portion of the lock arm 33 except for the claw portion 34 is formed substantially in a gate shape when viewed from behind, as shown in FIG.

The outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 21 (lock arm 3)
3 (except for FIG. 3A) at the approximate center in the length direction.
As shown in FIG. 7, 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 housings 10 and 20 reach a depth at which the hood portion 11 comes into contact with the rubber ring 35 at the time of fitting.
From the stage where is fitted, an internal space 36 is formed between the two housings 10 and 20 (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 3 (B), the terminal accommodating portion 21 has a central portion in the width direction sandwiched between the cavities 23 arranged at both ends, and is opened forward and has a A substantially rectangular open concave portion 38 forming a portion and a housing concave portion 39 opening upward are provided adjacent to each other in front of and behind the partition wall 40.
Inside, a cylindrical rubber stopper 41 for sealing is fitted from above, and a slender substantially square rod-shaped movable member 4 is fitted inside thereof.
2 is inserted. The rubber stopper 41 is in close contact with the opposing peripheral surfaces of the housing recess 39 and the movable member 42 to seal between them, and is engaged with a lower wall of the housing recess 39 so that the upper surface thereof is in the housing recess 39 (terminal). It is held so as to be substantially flush with the upper surface of the housing portion 21). Rubber stopper 41
Are formed in the front part and the partition wall 40 in front of the front part, and circular through-holes 43 and 44 that match each other penetrate back and forth. These through holes 43 and 44 are arranged at a central position in the partition wall 40 (see FIG. 1). A fitting recess 45 is provided above the front end opening edge of the opening recess 38 so as to be able to fit the front retainer 30 by communicating with both adjacent cavities 23.

The movable member 42 has a substantially L-shaped vertical cross-section opening at the lower surface and the front surface thereof, and
An opening 46 having a circular cross section that can be aligned with the third and the fourth 44 is provided. The movable member 42 is attached to the rubber stopper 41 and the housing recess 39 in a vertically penetrating manner through an insertion hole 47 formed in a lower wall of the housing recess 39 and a hook portion provided at an upper end thereof. 48 is supported by being hooked on a hook bar 49 provided at the rear end of the lock arm 33 from the front. The hook bar 49 is formed in a columnar shape and is provided so as to connect between both side surfaces of the groove portion 37 of the lock arm 33, and the hook portion 48 is in the width direction (the axis of the movable member 42) with respect to the hook bar 49. Along a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the movable member 42.
Is restricted from rotating about its axis (see FIG. 2). Then, in conjunction with the lock arm 33 being elastically deformed and its rear end being vertically displaced, the hook bar 4 is moved.
The movable member 42 is displaced in the vertical direction (direction intersecting the fitting direction) by the hook 9 pushing the hook portion 48 downward or pulling it upward.

Specifically, when the lock arm 33 is in a natural state, the lower surface of the movable member 42 is
(Terminal accommodating portion 21) is disposed at a height substantially flush with the lower surface, and the opening on the front side of opening 46 is located above partition walls 40 and through holes 43, 44 of rubber plug 41. In addition to being retracted, the inner peripheral surface of the rubber stopper 41 is tightly sealed to the edge portion thereof in a watertight manner. Therefore, even when water or the like intrudes from the lower opening of the opening 46 on the lower surface side, the water does not enter the through holes 43 and 44 and the internal space 36.
The position of the movable member 42 at this time is the closing position.

On the other hand, when the lock arm 33 is elastically deformed and its rear end is displaced downward, as shown in FIG.
(Terminal accommodating portion 21) is arranged so as to protrude downward from the lower surface, and the opening on the front side of opening 46 is substantially aligned with partition wall 40 and through holes 43 and 44 of rubber plug 41. The open recess 38, which is a part of the internal space 36, communicates with the outside to form a flow passage for air from the internal space 36 to the outside. The movable member 4 at this time
The position 2 is a communication position.

The present embodiment has the above-described structure, and its operation will be described below. Both housings 10, 2
0 to fit the terminal housing 2 of the female housing 20.
Hood portion 1 of male housing 10 between
When 1 is entered, the lock arm 33 is elastically deformed while riding on the tapered surface of the lock projection 13. In this process, as the rear portion of the lock arm 33 is displaced downward, the hook 49 presses the hook portion 48 of the movable member 42 downward, so that the movable member 42 slides on the inner peripheral surface of the rubber stopper 41. Displaced downward from the closed position while in contact. When the fitting depth of the housings 10 and 20 reaches the depth at which the hood portion 11 comes into contact with the rubber ring 35, as shown in FIG. Is formed. Almost at the same time, as shown in FIG. 4B, the movable member 42 displaced in conjunction with the lock arm 33.
Reaches the communicating position, the opening on the front side of the opening 46 is substantially aligned with the partition walls 40 and the through holes 43 and 44 of the rubber plug 41, and the open recess 38 which is the internal space 36 is communicated with the outside. . As the fitting progresses further from this state, the volume of the internal space 36 decreases, and the air in the internal space 36 flows through the flow passage formed by the through holes 43 and 44 and the opening 46 communicating with each other. Spilled out. As a result, the air pressure in the internal space 36 is released without a sudden increase, so that the two housings 10,
20 can be reduced. During this time, the lock member 33 slides on the upper surface of the lock projection 13 parallel to the fitting direction, so that the movable member 42 is held at the communication position.

When the two housings 10 and 20 are properly fitted, the male and female terminal fittings 12 and 24 are properly connected to each other, and the claw 34 rides over the lock projection 13 so that the lock arm 33 is moved. Elastic return to the natural state, claw 3
As shown in FIG. 5 (A), the rear end surfaces of the housing 4 and the lock projection 13 are locked.
Are held inseparably. In this process, the lock arm 33
As the rear part is displaced upward, the hook part 48 is pulled upward by the hook bar 49, so that the movable member 42 is displaced upward from the communication position while sliding on the inner peripheral surface of the rubber plug 41. As shown in FIG. 5B, the lock arm 33 returns to the natural state and reaches the closed position at the same time. In this closed position, the front opening portion of the opening 46 is retracted upward with respect to the through holes 43 and 44, and the rubber stopper 41 is in close contact with the opening edge. Even when water or the like attempts to enter from the portion of the opening 46 that opens downward in the state where the is properly fitted, the infiltration into the internal space 36 is prevented.

On the other hand, both housings 10 and 20 may be detached due to maintenance or other circumstances. In this case, the lock arm 33 is forcibly elastically deformed by pressing the upper surface of the rear end portion of the lock arm 33 downward, and the locked state between the claw portion 34 and the lock protrusion 13 is released. In this process, as the rear portion of the lock arm 33 is displaced downward, the hook portion 48 is pushed in by the hook bar 49, so that the movable member 42 is displaced downward from the closed position and disposed at the communication position. Then, the two housings 10 and 20 are separated while keeping the lock arm 33 in a posture disengaged from the lock projection 13 (while keeping the movable member 42 at the communicating position). As the two housings 10 and 20 are separated, the volume of the internal space 36 increases, and external air flows through the flow passage formed by the through holes 43 and 44 and the opening 46 aligned with each other. 36 (see FIG. 4).
(B)). As a result, the air pressure in the internal space 36 is compensated for without a sudden decrease, so that both housings 1
The separation resistance of 0, 20 can be reduced.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
A movable member 42 that can be displaced between a communicating position that communicates the internal space 36 to the outside and a closed position is assembled to the female housing 20, and the movable member 42 communicates in the process of fitting and disengaging the two housings 10, 20. Since it is arranged at the position, the volume of the internal space 36 increases / decreases due to the fitting / removing operation of the two housings 10 and 20, whereas air can flow between the internal space 36 and the outside. Thus, the force required for the fitting / removing work can be reduced, and the workability can be improved. Moreover, since the movable member 42 is interlocked with the elastic deformation operation of the lock arm 33, there is no need to separately operate the movable member 42, and the work of fitting and disengaging the two housings 10, 20 can be easily performed. it can.

In the process in which the movable member 42 is vertically displaced, the hook 48 always engages with the hook bar 49 over substantially the entire area in the width direction, so that the movable member 42 rotates around its axis. Since the movement is restricted, the opening 46 is prevented from being displaced in the circumferential direction with respect to the through holes 43 and 44.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments 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 embodiment described above, the movable member is displaced by using the lock arm. However, for example, the movable member is arranged at a position where the movable member can interfere with the hood before the fitting, and the fitting operation is performed. Accordingly, the present invention also includes a method in which the movable member is pushed by the hood portion to be displaced.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the movable member is displaced in a direction intersecting the fitting direction of both housings. However, depending on the structure of the female housing, for example, the movable member is parallel to the fitting direction. It may be set to be displaced in the direction, and such a setting is also included in the present invention. (3) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the movable member is assembled on the female housing side has been described. However, the movable member may be assembled on the male housing side.

[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 sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1 showing a state in which both housings are being fitted; FIG. 1B is a view showing a state in which both housings are being fitted;
YY line sectional view of

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 (the other connector housing) 20 ... Female housing (one connector housing) 33 ... Lock arm 35 ... Rubber ring (seal member) 36 ... Internal space 42 ... Movable member (movable part) 46 ... Opening

Claims (2)

[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 that opens to the outside, and the opening is formed with the fitting or disengagement operation of the two connector housings. A movable portion is provided which can be displaced between a communication position for communicating the internal space with the internal space and a closed position for closing the internal space by retracting the opening from the internal space, and the movable portion is fitted with the connector housings. It is arranged at the communication position in the middle of joining or detaching, and when both connector housings reach regular fitting, they are brought to the closed position. Waterproof connector, characterized in that is adapted to be. 2. The one connector housing is elastically deformed by the other connector housing while the two connector housings are being fitted or detached from each other, and is elastically restored when the two connector housings are properly fitted, and the other connector housing is resilient. Provided with a lock arm that holds the two connector housings in a fitted state, wherein the movable portion is displaced in conjunction with an elastic displacement operation of the lock arm. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein: