JP2005005035A - Rubber stopper for waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure a rubber stopper sealing performance, and to insert the rubber stopper into a cavity without looseness. <P>SOLUTION: The body member 21 of a rubber stopper 20 is divided into back and forth parts, where the forth part is a seal member 25 having a lip 27, and the back part is a looseness protection member 26. The seal member 25 and the protection member 26 are formed by a two-color molding and are provided with relatively high hardness and relatively low hardness, respectively. When a female terminal 15 is inserted into a cavity 33 by an authorized amount, the part up to the middle point of the protection member 26 is fitted to the entrance 33A of the cavity 33. When both housings 30, 40 are fitted to each other and vibrated, the protection member 26 having the high hardness is abutted to the inner surface of the entrance 33A by a high pressure. This prevents the rubber stopper 20 from looseness in the axial direction, and the female terminal 15 from swinging back and forth and from sliding against a male terminal 44 as an opponent party. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a rubber plug for a waterproof connector used for sealing an inlet of a cavity.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As shown in FIG. 5, the general structure of the waterproof waterproof connector for a single room is that the terminal fitting 2 and the rubber plug 3 are fixed to the end of the electric wire 1, and the terminal fitting is placed in the cavity 5 formed in the connector housing 4. When 2 is inserted, it is prevented from being removed by the lance 6 and accommodated, and the rubber plug 3 is fitted into the inlet of the cavity 5 to take a seal (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Here, the conventional rubber plug 3 mainly attaches importance to the adhesion between the inlet and the inner wall surface of the cavity 5, so that a relatively soft lip 3 </ b> A is provided on the outer periphery so as to contact the inner wall surface. .
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-44048 [0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the waterproof connector provided with the rubber plug 3 as described above is used in a form such as being disposed in an engine room and receiving severe vibrations, the terminal fitting 2 together with the rubber plug 3 is formed in the cavity 5 while deforming the lip 3A. There is a risk of floating in the front-rear direction. As a result, there is a problem that the reliability of the electrical connection is lowered such that sliding occurs at the contact portion with the mating terminal fitting, leading to wear, and the contact pressure is lowered. Further, the lip 3A may be deformed in the radial direction so as to be largely crushed, and leakage may occur on the opposite peripheral surface side.
[0005]
On the other hand, if the rubber plug 3 is formed with high hardness, the resistance during insertion into the cavity 5 increases, making the insertion work difficult, and on the other hand, there is a possibility that the entire circumference cannot be sealed. There was a situation that could not respond.
The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to fit the rubber stopper into the cavity without rattling while ensuring the sealing performance.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that a terminal fitting fixed to an end of an electric wire is inserted into a cavity of a connector housing, and a rubber plug fixed to the rear of the terminal fitting. Is a rubber plug in a waterproof connector adapted to be fitted to the inlet of the cavity, and a seal portion that tightly seals against the inner wall surface of the inlet of the cavity, and a pressure contact force greater than the seal portion. It is characterized in that the rattling prevention portion that is in contact with the inner wall surface of the entrance of the cavity is provided separately along the axial direction.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the seal portion and the rattling prevention portion are provided on the front side and the rear side in the insertion direction into the cavity, respectively. Has characteristics.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a part of the outer peripheral surface of the rattling prevention portion is avoided from coming into contact with the inner wall surface of the inlet of the cavity. It is characterized by a relief recess.
[0008]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the seal portion is made of a rubber material having a relatively low hardness, and the anti-rattle portion is made of a relatively high hardness. It is characterized by being made of rubber material.
The invention of claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 4, the seal part and the rattling prevention part are formed by two-color molding.
[0009]
Operation and effect of the invention
<Invention of Claim 1>
A part of the rubber plug is provided with a rattling prevention part that is applied to the inner peripheral wall of the inlet of the cavity with a large pressure contact force, so that even if the waterproof connector receives vibration, the rubber plug rattles in the axial direction within the cavity. In other words, the terminal fitting is prevented from floating back and forth. For this reason, wear at the contact portion with the mating terminal fitting is suppressed, so that the contact pressure is ensured and the reliability of electrical connection is enhanced. On the other hand, the sealing property between the inner wall surface of the cavity is ensured over the entire circumference by the seal portion. Further, the rattling prevention portion is easily subjected to resistance when inserted into the cavity, but since it is provided only at a part of the rubber plug, a decrease in workability can be avoided as much as possible.
Further, by providing the rattling prevention portion, the radial deformation of the rubber plug is also suppressed, and the sealing performance is improved.
[0010]
<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the insertion distance of the rattling prevention portion with a larger resistance when inserted into the cavity is reduced, the rubber plug can be inserted more easily.
<Invention of Claim 3>
The contact area between the outer peripheral surface of the rattling prevention portion and the inner wall surface of the inlet of the cavity is reduced, and the frictional resistance is reduced accordingly, so that the rubber plug can be easily inserted.
[0011]
<Invention of Claim 4>
The high-hardness rattling prevention part abuts against the inner peripheral wall of the inlet of the cavity with a large pressure contact force, so that the rubber plug as a whole is prevented from rattling in the axial and radial directions, while the low-hardness seal The part adheres well to the inner peripheral wall of the inlet of the cavity over the entire periphery, and a sealing property is ensured.
<Invention of Claim 5>
Since the seal portion and the rattling prevention portion are formed by two-color molding of rubber materials having different hardnesses, it is easy to manufacture the rubber plug itself.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<First Embodiment>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, a female-side waterproof connector is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 1, a female terminal 15 fixed to an end of the electric wire 10 is provided in a female-side connector housing 30 (hereinafter referred to as a female housing). The rubber plug 20 is also housed.
[0013]
The female housing 30 is formed of a synthetic resin material and has a structure in which a large hood portion 32 is formed around the front half portion of the tower portion 31, and the tower portion 31 faces the front-rear direction in which the female terminal 15 is accommodated. A plurality of cavities 33 are formed. A lance 34 that primarily locks the female terminal 15 is provided on the bottom surface of each cavity 33 so that the female terminal 15 can be flexibly deformed. A double retainer front type retainer 35 is provided.
A lock arm 37 is provided on the upper surface of the tower portion 31 to lock the mating connector housing 40 (hereinafter referred to as a male housing) shown in FIG. A packing 38 that seals between the male housing 40 and the male housing 40 is fitted on the outer periphery of the base portion. The retainer 35 also serves to prevent the packing 38 from coming off.
[0014]
The female terminal 15 is formed by pressing a metal plate having excellent conductivity, and a wire barrel 17A and an insulation barrel 17B are provided behind the contact portion 16 having a rectangular tube shape. In the contact portion 16, an elastic contact piece 18 is folded back from the tip, and a lance hole 19 into which the lance 34 described above is fitted is opened on the bottom surface.
[0015]
A waterproof rubber stopper 20 is fixed to the rear of the female terminal 15 together. The rubber plug 20 has a thick cylindrical shape having a center hole 24 (see FIG. 4) through which the electric wire 10 can be tightly inserted, and can be tightly fitted into the inlet 33A of the cavity 33 described above. It has a shape in which a small-diameter mounting portion 22 is continuously provided on the front surface of the. A retaining portion 23 is formed at the tip of the attachment portion 22.
[0016]
Now, the main body 21 is further divided into front and rear regions, the front side being a seal portion 25 and the rear side being a rattling prevention portion 26. On the outer peripheral surface of the seal portion 25, two front and rear lips 27 are formed over the entire periphery. On the other hand, the rattling prevention portion 26 is formed to have the same outer diameter as the lip 27 of the seal portion 25, and a shallow groove 28 is cut around the entire circumference near the boundary with the seal portion 25.
The rubber plug 20 is made of, for example, a rubber material such as silicone rubber. However, the seal portion 25 and the attachment portion 22 are made of a rubber material having a relatively low hardness, and the rattling prevention portion 26 is It is formed by two-color molding using a relatively hard rubber material.
[0017]
The mating male housing 40 is made of synthetic resin, and is integrally formed with the device 41 as shown in FIG. 2, and is a small hood portion fitted into the large hood portion 32 of the female housing 30. 42 is provided so as to protrude forward, and a male terminal 44 having a tab shape from the inner wall in the small hood portion 42 is provided in an arrangement corresponding to the cavity 33 of the female housing 30. On the upper surface of the small hood portion 42, a lock protrusion 46 that is locked to the lock arm 37 is formed.
[0018]
Then, the effect | action of this embodiment is demonstrated.
The rubber plug 20 is inserted into the end of the electric wire 10 with the attachment portion 22 facing forward, and then the covering 11 of the end of the electric wire 10 is peeled off to expose the core wire 12. Next, the core wire 12 of the electric wire 10 and the attachment portion 22 of the rubber plug 20 are fitted to the positions of the barrels 17A and 17B of the female terminal 15, and the wire barrel 17A is attached to the core wire 12 and the insulation barrel 17B is attached to the rubber plug 20. By caulking to the end of the portion 22 and the covering 11, the female terminal 15 and the rubber plug 20 are fixed to the end of the electric wire 10 side by side.
[0019]
As described above, the female terminal 15 fixed to the end of the electric wire 10 together with the rubber plug 20 is inserted from the rear into the corresponding cavity 33 of the female housing 30 as shown by the arrow in FIG. At this point, the lance 34 is fitted into the lance hole 19 and is primarily locked in the retaining state. Subsequently, the retainer 35 is pushed in as shown in FIG. 2 to restrict the bending of the lance 34, so that the female terminal 15 is double-locked and the packing 38 is prevented from coming off.
[0020]
In addition, as the female terminal 15 is inserted into the cavity 33 by a predetermined amount, the rubber plug 20 is fitted to the inlet 33 </ b> A of the cavity 33 until the vicinity of the middle position of the anti-rattle portion 26.
Here, since the seal portion 25 is formed with a relatively low hardness, the lip 27 is in close contact with the inner wall surface of the inlet 33 </ b> A of the cavity 33 while being elastically contracted. On the other hand, since the rattling prevention portion 26 is formed with relatively high hardness, the outer peripheral surface on the front side thereof is brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the inlet 33 </ b> A of the cavity 33 with a larger pressing force than the seal portion 25. It becomes a state.
[0021]
When the assembly is completed as described above, the female housing 30 is fitted toward the mating male housing 40 as shown by the arrow in FIG. When properly fitted, as shown in FIG. 3, the lock arm 37 is engaged with the lock projection 46, and both housings 30 and 40 are locked in the fitted state. During this time, the corresponding male and female terminal fittings 15, 44 are properly connected, and the male and female housings 30, 40 are sealed with the packing 38.
[0022]
Here, for example, even if vibration is applied to both connectors, a high-hardness rattling prevention portion 26 is provided on the rear side in the axial direction of the rubber plug 20, and a large pressure contact force of the rattling prevention portion 26 is provided. The rubber plug 20 is abutted against the inner wall surface of the inlet 33A of the cavity 33 so that the rubber plug 20 rattles in the axial direction in the cavity 33 due to a large frictional resistance, and as a result, the female terminal integrally coupled with the rubber plug 20 15 is prevented from moving back and forth. For this reason, wear at the contact portion with the mating male terminal 44 is suppressed, so that the contact pressure is ensured and the reliability of electrical connection is improved.
[0023]
On the other hand, since the rattling prevention part 26 has high hardness, the adhesion between the inner wall surface of the inlet 33A of the cavity 33 may be inferior. Is provided with a low-hardness seal portion 25, and the lip 27 is in good contact with the inner wall surface of the inlet 33A of the cavity 33 over the entire circumference, so that the sealing performance is ensured.
Further, by providing the high hardness rattling prevention portion 26, the radial deformation of the rubber plug 20 is also suppressed, and the sealing performance is similarly secured.
[0024]
The rattling prevention part 26 is easily subjected to resistance when inserted into the cavity 33 because of its high hardness, but the rattling prevention part 26 is formed on the rear side in the insertion direction, and the insertion distance Therefore, the insertion of the rubber plug 20 becomes easier, that is, the deterioration of insertion workability is avoided as much as possible.
Since the rubber plug 20 itself is formed by two-color molding, it can be manufactured easily and inexpensively.
[0025]
Second Embodiment
FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In the rubber plug 20A of the second embodiment, a plurality of relief grooves 29 along the axial direction are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the high hardness rattling prevention portion 26A at intervals.
According to the rubber plug 20A, the contact area between the outer peripheral surface of the rattling prevention portion 26A and the inner wall surface of the inlet 33A of the cavity 33 is reduced, and the frictional resistance is reduced accordingly, so that the insertion of the rubber plug 20A is further facilitated. .
[0026]
<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) The means for constructing the rattling prevention unit that is in contact with the inner wall surface of the inlet of the cavity with a pressure contact force larger than that of the seal portion is not limited to changing the hardness exemplified in the above embodiment. While the hardness is the same, it is possible to adopt a means such that the rattling prevention portion has a larger diameter than the seal portion.
(2) The back-and-forth reverse arrangement may be possible for the seal portion and the rattling prevention portion. Further, the backlash prevention portion itself with the seal portion may be further divided into a plurality of regions.
(3) The present invention can be similarly applied to a male waterproof connector that houses a male terminal in a male housing.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a female terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention before accommodation. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of both housings before being mated. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a rubber plug according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional example.
10 ... Electric wire 15 ... Female terminal (terminal fitting)
20, 20A ... rubber plug 21 ... body part 25 ... seal part 26, 26A ... rattling prevention part 27 ... lip 29 ... relief groove (relief recess)
30 ... Female housing (connector housing)
31 ... Tower 33 ... Cavity 33A ... Entrance 40 (of cavity 33) ... Male housing 44 ... Male terminal

Claims (5)

The rubber in the waterproof connector in which a terminal fitting fixed to the end of the electric wire is inserted into the cavity of the connector housing and a rubber stopper fixed to the rear of the terminal fitting is fitted into the inlet of the cavity A stopper,
A seal portion that tightly seals against the inner wall surface of the inlet of the cavity, and a rattling prevention portion that is in contact with the inner wall surface of the inlet of the cavity with a greater pressing force than the seal portion, along the axial direction. A rubber plug for a waterproof connector, which is provided separately. 2. The rubber plug for a waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the seal portion and the anti-rattle portion are provided on the front side and the rear side in the insertion direction into the cavity, respectively. 3. A relief recess that is avoided from coming into contact with the inner wall surface of the inlet of the cavity is provided in a part of the outer peripheral surface of the rattling prevention portion. Rubber plug for waterproof connector. 4. The seal portion according to claim 1, wherein the seal portion is made of a rubber material having a relatively low hardness, and the rattling prevention portion is made of a rubber material having a relatively high hardness. Rubber plug for waterproof connector as described. The rubber plug for a waterproof connector according to claim 4, wherein the seal portion and the rattling prevention portion are formed by two-color molding.

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