JP2005216616A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector which does not require troublesome work of winding a tape and in which workability can be improved. <P>SOLUTION: The cable 13 led out from a non-waterproof connector 10 in a case 21 is elastically clipped between a case side seal member 34 made of an elastic material having adhesiveness and a cover side seal member 41 made of an elastic material having adhesiveness and then, the elastic material having adhesiveness is adhered to the outer periphery of the cable 13, and by the adhesion performance, the gap between the case side seal member 34 and the gap between the cover side seal member 41 are certainly sealed. As a work for sealing, only clipping the cable 13 between the two seal members is sufficient, workability is better compared with winding a tape thereby. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector.

Conventionally, there is a connector described in Patent Document 1 as a waterproof connector. This is because a non-waterproof connector that does not have a waterproof function is connected to the end of a wire harness composed of a plurality of electric wires, the non-waterproof connector is accommodated in a waterproof rubber cover, and the cylindrical portion at the rear end of the rubber cover It has a structure in which the electric wire is led out from. In such a connector, after the non-waterproof connectors are fitted together, the rubber covers are joined together in a watertight manner, whereby the non-waterproof connector is accommodated inside the rubber cover.
JP-A-11-204191

  In the above conventional connector, the gap between the cylindrical portion at the rear end of the rubber cover and the electric wire is sealed by winding a tape. However, there is a problem that the work of winding the tape is troublesome.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve workability.

  As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that the non-waterproof connector not having a waterproof function connected to a plurality of electric wires constituting the wire harness and the mating connector from the front side are watertight. A case that is adapted to be fitted and accommodates the non-waterproof connector from the back side; a cover that is assembled to the case so as to close an opening on the back side; and the case A case-side sealing member made of an elastic material having adhesiveness provided along the opening edge of the opening portion of the opening, and an elastic material having adhesiveness provided on the cover so as to correspond to the case-side sealing member A cover-side seal member, and an electric wire led out from the non-waterproof connector in the case, the case-side seal member and the cover-side seal member Characterized in was sandwiched resiliently between.

  The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the case side seal member and the cover side seal member are made of an adhesive material made of acrylic resin.

  The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, the case side seal member and the cover side seal member are made of foam.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method according to any one of the first to third aspects, the case-side seal member and the cover-side seal member are compressed and deformed in the same direction as the clamping direction with respect to the electric wire. However, it has characteristics.

<Invention of Claim 1>
An elastic material having adhesiveness is in close contact with the outer periphery of the electric wire, and the adhesive performance ensures that the gap between the case-side seal member and the cover-side seal member is waterproofed. As the work for sealing, it is only necessary to sandwich the electric wire between the case-side seal member and the cover-side seal member. Moreover, since the silicon gel material is not used as the material of the sealing member, it is possible to avoid a decrease in waterproof performance due to the use of the silicon gel material when used for a long time in a high temperature environment.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the sealing member is made of an acrylic resin adhesive, it can exhibit highly stable waterproof performance in an environment where weather resistance and heat resistance are required. Also, in the sealing member made of silicon gel material, the oil impregnated in the silicon gel is sealed by filling the gap with the electric wire, so that the sealing performance may be deteriorated due to deterioration or outflow of the oil. Contrary to this, in the present invention, the acrylic resin adhesive is sealed by directly adhering to the outer periphery of the wire by its own adhesive force, so that the sealing performance is maintained for a long time. can do.

<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the case side seal member and the cover side seal member are made of foam, the amount of elastic deflection of these seal members is sufficiently secured, so that the seal member can be securely adhered even to an electric wire having a large outer diameter. Can do.

<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the case side seal member and the cover side seal member are compressed and deformed so as to be crushed in the same direction as the sandwiching direction with respect to the electric wire, the degree of adhesion to the electric wire is increased and the sealing performance is improved.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13.
The connector of this embodiment includes three non-waterproof connectors 10, a case 21 and a cover 37 that form a waterproof housing 20, and a case-side seal member 34 and a cover-side seal member 41 that form sealing means. In the following description, the left and right orientations are determined with the direction in which the front of each component is facing (slightly lower left in FIG. 1) being the front.

  Each non-waterproof connector 10 includes a connector housing 11 made of synthetic resin and a plurality of female terminal fittings 14 connected to terminal portions of a plurality of electric wires 13 constituting the wire harness 12. In the connector housing 11, a plurality of cavities 15 arranged in a line in the left-right direction are formed in one row in the vertical direction (divided into an upper stage and a lower stage), and terminal fittings 14 are inserted into the cavities 15 from the rear. ing. The inserted terminal fitting 14 is reliably prevented from being pulled out by the locking of the lance 16 formed along the inner wall of the cavity 15 and the locking of the retainer 17 assembled from below the connector housing 11. .

  The electric wires 13 connected to each terminal fitting 14 are led out from the rear surface of the connector housing 11, and the electric wires 13 of the terminal fitting 14 inserted into the upper cavity 15 are inserted into the lower cavity 15 upward. The electric wire 13 of the terminal fitting 14 is bent downward and arranged at a substantially right angle. In other words, the plurality of electric wires 13 led to the rear of the non-waterproof connector 10 are distributed to each other and are on standby for assembly to the waterproof housing 20.

  Further, the three connector housings 11 are the same component, and the right side surface of each connector housing 11 is formed with a ridge (not shown) having a trapezoidal cross section that is long in the vertical direction, and the upper end of the right side surface thereof. A stopper 18 is formed at the edge. On one left side, a dovetail groove 19 having a trapezoidal cross section penetrating in the vertical direction is formed. These connector housings 11 are connected in a state of being lined up on the left and right sides by fitting protrusions from above to the dovetail groove 19 from a state where the side surfaces are shifted up and down while corresponding to each other. In the connected state, the stopper 18 of the connector housing 11 located on the left side comes into contact with the left side edge of the upper surface of the connector housing 11 connected to the right side from above, so that the vertical direction of each connector housing 11 is reached. The relative displacement of is regulated. In addition, the front surfaces of the three connector housings 11 are all connected to one another, the back surfaces are all connected to the same surface, the lower surfaces are all connected to the same surface, and the wide flat area of the upper surface excluding the stopper 18 is All are the same height.

The waterproof housing 20 includes a synthetic resin cover 37 as well as a synthetic resin case 21.
The case 21 is made of a synthetic resin material and has a rectangular block shape elongated in the left-right direction as a whole. Inside the case 21, a connector housing portion 22 that is elongated in the left-right direction is formed. Inside the connector housing portion 22, a housing space 23 is formed that is open to both front and rear end faces of the case 21. The three non-waterproof connectors 10 described above are inserted into the housing space 23 from the rear in a state where they are connected to the left and right. The three inserted non-waterproof connectors 10 are held in a state where they are positioned at predetermined positions within the accommodation space 23 without being rattled vertically and horizontally.

  A seal ring 24 for sealing a gap with the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion of the mating connector (not shown) is attached to the outer periphery of the connector housing portion 22 from the front, and the seal ring 24 is attached to the front. A holder 25 having a bottomed cylindrical shape for restricting the separation is attached. The front wall of the holder 25 is formed with three window holes 26 each having an elongated rectangular shape in the left-right direction so as to be aligned in the left-right direction and communicated with the receiving space 23. The front surface of the waterproof connector 10 (the opening at the front end of the cavity 15) is exposed.

  In addition, a pair of upper and lower slide levers 27 having a plate shape connected at the right end are accommodated at an upper position and a lower position of the accommodation space 23 inside the case 21. The slide lever 27 has a cam groove 28 that is oblique with respect to the front-rear direction (the direction in which the connector of the present embodiment is fitted to a mating connector not shown), and slides in the left-right direction with respect to the case 21. It is supposed to be. Furthermore, a cylindrical space 29 in a form along the outer periphery of the connector housing portion 22 and the outer periphery of the holder 25 is formed inside the case 21 so as to open to the front end surface of the case 21. When the hood portion of the mating connector enters the cylindrical space 29, a cam follower (not shown) protruding from both the upper and lower outer surfaces of the hood portion is engaged with the cam groove 28, and the slide lever 27 is moved from this state. When it is slid, the mating connector and the connector of the present embodiment are attracted by the engagement of the cam follower and the cam groove 28, and a normal fitting state is reached.

  A pair of left and right lock protrusions 30 are formed on both upper and lower outer surfaces of the case 21 at both left and right positions near the rear edge, and closer to the center than the lock protrusion 30 near the rear edge. A pair of left and right engaging projections 31 are formed at the position.

  On the rear end surface of the case 21, a horizontally elongated substantially rectangular cylindrical region surrounding the opening of the accommodation space 23 is formed with a concave portion 32 that is continuous over the entire circumference. Is formed with a shallow seal groove 33 having a substantially rectangular tube shape that is located substantially at the center in the radial direction and is continuous over the entire circumference. A case-side seal member 34 having a rectangular frame shape (ring shape) is attached to the seal groove 33. The case side seal member 34 attached to the seal groove 33 is configured to face a cover side seal member 41 of a cover 37 described later.

  In addition, a plurality of positioning grooves 35 communicating from the horizontal edge on the inner periphery of the housing space 23 into the recess 32 are formed on the rear end surface of the case 21 side by side at the same pitch as the cavity 15 of the non-waterproof connector 10. In addition, a plurality of positioning grooves 36 communicating from the inside of the recess 32 to the upper outer surface and the lower outer surface of the case 21 are formed side by side at the same pitch as the cavity 15 of the non-waterproof connector 10.

  The cover 37 is made of a synthetic resin material and has a horizontally long rectangular plate shape corresponding to the rear end surface of the case 21. On the front surface of the cover 37 (the surface facing the rear end surface of the case 21), a substantially square cylindrical inner peripheral rib 38 that is fitted into the inner peripheral side position in the concave portion 32 of the case 21, and the concave portion of the case 21. A substantially square cylindrical outer peripheral rib 39 is formed in the outer peripheral side 32 and is inserted into the outer peripheral side position. A horizontally elongated, substantially rectangular cylindrical space formed between the inner peripheral rib 38 and the outer peripheral rib 39 is a seal groove 40 corresponding to the seal groove 33 of the case 21. A cover-side seal member 41 having a rectangular frame shape (ring shape) is attached to the seal groove 40.

  The inner circumferential rib 38 is formed with positioning grooves 42 communicating from the inner circumferential surface into the seal groove 40 side by side at the same pitch as the cavity 15 of the non-waterproof connector 10, and the outer circumferential rib 39. A positioning groove 43 communicating from the seal groove 40 to the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral side rib 39 is formed side by side at the same pitch as the cavity 15 of the non-waterproof connector 10.

  In addition, the upper and lower edges of the cover 37 are formed with a pair of left and right elastically flexible lock pieces 48 corresponding to the lock protrusions 30 of the case 21 so as to protrude forward in pairs. At a position closer to the center than the lock piece 48, an elastically bendable locking piece 49 corresponding to the locking protrusion 31 of the case 21 is formed so as to protrude forward in pairs.

  Further, a guide portion 44 is provided at the left end portion on the rear surface of the cover 37 so as to pass through the plurality of electric wires 13 drawn out of the waterproof housing 20 and bundled together as will be described later. The guide portion 44 is assembled so as to be passed between the rear end portions of the pair of upper and lower extending plates 45 that form a horizontal plate protruding rearward from the rear surface of the cover 37 and both the extending plates 45. It comprises a press plate 46.

  Both the case-side sealing member 34 and the cover-side sealing member 41 are made of an elastic material having adhesiveness. As an elastic material having adhesiveness, a foam material made of an acrylic resin is used. As an example of a product that can be used as the case-side seal member 34 and the cover-side seal member 41, there is “3M Beta Tape” (registered trademark) manufactured by Sumitomo 3M Limited.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, the case side seal member 34 is attached to the seal groove 33 of the case 21, and the cover side seal member 41 is attached to the seal groove 40 of the cover 37, and in this state, the terminal portion of the wire harness 12 is attached. The three non-waterproof connectors 10 connected to each other are fitted into the housing space 23 of the case 21 from the rear in a state where the three non-waterproof connectors 10 are coupled to the left and right. Then, the plurality of electric wires 13 led behind the case 21 are distributed up and down so as to cross the horizontal portion of the case-side seal member 34 and the horizontal portion of the recess 32, and the respective electric wires 13 distributed upward are connected to the upper side. Are inserted into the positioning grooves 35, 36, and the electric wires 13 distributed to the lower side are inserted into the lower positioning grooves 35, 36. Thereby, each electric wire 13 is positioned in a state in which the movement in the left-right direction is restricted while being in close contact with the rear surface of the case-side seal member 34.

  Next, the cover 37 is assembled to the case 21 from the rear. When assembling, the cover side seal member 41 is pressed against the case side seal member 34 from the rear while the electric wire 13 is sandwiched between the seal members 34 and 41, and the lock piece 48 and the locking piece 49. Are locked to the locking protrusion 30 and the locking protrusion 31 while being elastically bent. Accordingly, the cover 37 is locked in a state assembled to the case 21 to form the waterproof housing 20, and the electric wires 13 distributed upward are positioned in the positioning grooves 36 of the case 21 in the gaps between the case 21 and the cover 37. The electric wires 13 led out to the upper side of the waterproof housing 20 through the passage formed by, and distributed to the lower side are formed by the positioning grooves 36 of the case 21 in the gap between the case 21 and the cover 37. It is led out below the waterproof housing 20 through the passage.

  At the corresponding portion between the rear surface of the case 21 and the front surface of the cover 37, each wire 13 is sandwiched between the case-side seal member 34 and the cover-side seal member 41 in the recess 32 of the case 21, and the outer circumference of each wire 13 is On the other hand, the adhesive force of the seal member and the elastic restoring force of the seal members 34, 41 are elastically deformed so that both the seal members 34, 41 follow the semicircular arc shape of the electric wire 13 (along). It adheres in a surface contact state without gaps. At this time, the case-side seal member 34 and the cover-side seal member 41 are elastically compressed and deformed in the front-rear direction (the direction in which the electric wire 13 is sandwiched). Further, in the region where the electric wire 13 is not present, the case side seal member 34 and the cover side seal member 41 are in direct surface contact with the adhesive force of the seal members 34 and 41 and the elastic restoring force of the seal members 34 and 41. In close contact. Even in this directly contacting region, the case side seal member 34 and the cover side seal member 41 are elastically compressed and deformed in the front-rear direction (the direction in which the electric wire 13 is sandwiched). As described above, the gap between the rear surface of the case 21 and the front surface of the cover 37 is sealed in a watertight manner, and water from the outside is prevented from entering the inside of the accommodation space 23 surrounded by the both seal members 34 and 41. The

  Further, the inner peripheral side rib 38 and the outer peripheral side rib 39 of the cover 37 are fitted into the concave portion 32 of the case 21, whereby the electric wires 13 are inserted into the positioning grooves 42 and 43 of the cover 37 in the concave portion 32. Since the positioning in the state in which the movement in the left-right direction is restricted, the electric wire 13 is not displaced in the left-right direction with respect to both the seal members 34, 41.

  The electric wire 13 led out upward or downward to the outside of the waterproof housing 20 is inverted along the rear surface of the cover 37 as shown in FIG. 5, and at the center height in the vertical direction of the cover 37 as shown in FIG. When the tape 47 is wound, the tapes 47 are bundled together and led out horizontally to the left. The bundle of wires 13 led out horizontally is fitted between the pair of upper and lower extension plates 45 from the rear. Thereafter, when the holding plate 46 is assembled to the rear end portions of the two extension plates 45, the bundle of the electric wires 13 penetrates the guide portion 44 and is routed to the left along the rear surface of the cover 37.

  As described above, in the connector of the present embodiment, the non-waterproof connector 10 not having a waterproof function connected to the plurality of electric wires 13 constituting the wire harness 12 and the mating connector (not shown) from the front side are watertight. And a cover 37 that is assembled so as to close the opening on the back surface of the case 21. The case-side sealing member 34 made of an adhesive elastic material provided along the opening edge of the opening of the case 21 and the adhesive provided on the cover 37 so as to correspond to the case-side sealing member 34. The connector is provided with a cover-side seal member 41 made of an elastic material, and the wire 13 led out from the non-waterproof connector 10 in the case 21 is connected to the case-side seal. There is a resiliently clamped with configuration between the member 34 and the cover side seal member 41.

  In such a connector, an adhesive elastic material adheres to the outer periphery of the electric wire 13, and the gap between the case-side seal member 34 and the cover-side seal member 41 is reliably prevented by the adhesion performance. As the work for this sealing, it is only necessary to sandwich the electric wire 13 between the case-side seal member 34 and the cover-side seal member 41, so that the workability is better than tape winding.

  Moreover, since the silicon gel material is not used as the material of the sealing member, it is possible to avoid a decrease in waterproof performance due to the use of the silicon gel material when used for a long time in a high temperature environment.

  Further, since the case-side seal member 34 and the cover-side seal member 41 are made of an acrylic resin adhesive material, high and stable waterproof performance can be exhibited in an environment where weather resistance and heat resistance are required.

  Also, in the sealing member made of silicon gel material, the oil impregnated in the silicon gel is sealed by filling the gap with the electric wire, so that the sealing performance may be deteriorated due to deterioration or outflow of the oil. In contrast to the concern, in the present embodiment, the case-side sealing member 34 and the cover-side sealing member 41, which are acrylic resin adhesive materials, are in close contact with the outer periphery of the electric wire 13 by the adhesive force that they have. Since sealing is performed, sealing performance can be maintained for a long time.

  In addition, since the case-side seal member 34 and the cover-side seal member 41 are made of foam, a sufficient amount of elastic deflection of these seal members is ensured. It is possible to ensure close contact.

  In addition, since the case side seal member 34 and the cover side seal member 41 are compressed and deformed so as to be crushed in the same direction as the clamping direction with respect to the electric wire 13, the degree of adhesion to the electric wire 13 is increased and the sealing performance is improved.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment 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) In the above embodiment, a plurality of non-waterproof connectors are accommodated in one case. However, according to the present invention, one non-waterproof connector may be accommodated in one case.

  (2) Although the non-waterproof connector is connected to the end portion of the electric wire in the above embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to the case where the non-waterproof connector is connected to a position in the middle of the electric wire.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the non-waterproof connector is held in the holding portion of the case. However, according to the present invention, the non-waterproof connector may be displaceable without being held in the case.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the non-waterproof connector is held in the case. However, according to the present invention, the non-waterproof connector may be held in the cover.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the cover is a flat plate, but according to the present invention, the cover may be a box.

  (6) In the above embodiment, the plurality of non-waterproof connectors are housed and held in the case in a state of being combined with each other. However, according to the present invention, the plurality of non-waterproof connectors are individually housed and held in the case. Also good.

Disassembled perspective view Assembly perspective view Non-waterproof connector perspective view Front view of assembled state AA sectional view of FIG. Partial enlarged sectional view showing a state where the seal members are in close contact with each other Plan view of assembled state Rear view of assembled state Front view of the case with the non-waterproof connector and case-side sealing member attached Case cross section Cross section of non-waterproof connector Front view of cover BB sectional view of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Non-waterproof connector 12 ... Wire harness 13 ... Electric wire 21 ... Case 34 ... Case side sealing member 37 ... Cover 41 ... Cover side sealing member

Claims (4)

A non-waterproof connector not having a waterproof function connected to a plurality of electric wires constituting the wire harness;
The mating connector is designed to be fitted in a watertight manner from the front side, and the non-waterproof connector is accommodated from the back side;
A cover that is assembled to the case so as to close the opening on the back thereof;
A case-side sealing member that is provided along the opening edge of the opening of the case and is made of an elastic material having adhesiveness;
The cover is provided to correspond to the case side seal member, and includes a cover side seal member made of an elastic material having adhesiveness.
A connector characterized in that an electric wire led out from the non-waterproof connector in the case is elastically sandwiched between the case side seal member and the cover side seal member. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the case-side sealing member and the cover-side sealing member are made of an acrylic resin adhesive material. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the case side seal member and the cover side seal member are made of foam. 4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the case-side seal member and the cover-side seal member are compressed and deformed in the same direction as a direction in which the electric wire is clamped. 5.

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