JP2006012744A - Insulation displacement connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an insulation displacement connector capable of having high waterproofing property to a connection part between a conductor and a connecting terminal and high durability to impact or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The insulation displacement connector 1 comprises a connector housing 10 formed of a polar polymer, a retainer 20, and an insulation displacement connector. A flat cable 40 having an insulating coating of a non-polar polymer is held on a cable holding part 21 of the retainer 20 in parallel to a face orthogonal to the fitting direction thereof. A resin mold part 50 which is filled through an opening part of the retainer 20 to seal and fix an insulation displacement part of the cable with an insulation displacement part is formed of a hot-melt composition having maleic acid modified polyolefin resin, C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin, amorphous polyolefin, and styrene ethylene propylene styrene rubber as main components. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pressure contact connector that is attached to a flat cable used in an automobile or the like and includes a pressure contact terminal, and more particularly to a pressure contact connector that improves the waterproofness and durability of a connection portion between an electric wire and a pressure contact terminal.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a flat harness using a flat cable in which a plurality of conductors are covered with an insulating coating and arranged in a plane is known as a connection between electrical components (auxiliary equipment) such as an automobile. A flat harness uses a flat cable for a plurality of electric wires connecting between auxiliary machines or connectors, and a crimp terminal is attached to the end of each electric wire constituting the flat cable. These are built into each auxiliary machine and a connector connected to the auxiliary machine.

When such a flat harness is routed in an automobile or the like, depending on the location, the connector provided in the harness may be required to be waterproof. In particular, a connection portion between a connection terminal such as a crimp terminal incorporated in the connector and the conductor of the harness may be required to have high waterproofness and durability in combination with this waterproofness. Conventionally, it is known that a resin mold is formed on a connection portion between such a terminal and a conductor to form a mold portion, and the connection portion is sealed by this mold portion to achieve both waterproofness and durability ( For example, see Patent Document 1.)
JP 2001-167821 A (page 5-7, FIG. 1)

  However, if the connection portion is sealed only by the mold portion in this way, the mold portion may be peeled off from the connector or the like due to an impact applied to the connection portion, and the waterproofness may not be maintained.

  This invention is made in view of such a situation, and it aims at providing the press-contact connector which can be provided with the high waterproofness to the connection part of a conductor and a connection terminal, and high durability with respect to an impact. To do.

  A press-connecting connector according to the present invention is a press-connecting connector that is attached to a flat cable in which a plurality of electric wires formed by covering a core wire made of a conductor with an insulating coating of a nonpolar polymer are arranged in a plane, and is connected to the other end A connection terminal portion connected to the terminal, a pressure contact portion formed on the base end side of the connection terminal portion and inserted into the insulating coating when the electric wire is inserted, and the connection terminal portion and the pressure contact portion. A connector housing made of a polar polymer having a plurality of press contact terminals provided with connecting portions for connecting between them, and a plurality of terminal receiving holes for storing the press contact portions of the plurality of press contact terminals exposed to the base end side And holding the flat cable in a straight line along a plane orthogonal to the fitting direction, fitted to the base end side of the connector housing, and the pressure contact portion A retainer made of a polar polymer having an opening communicating with the connecting portion, and a resin mold portion that is filled from the opening of the retainer and seals and fixes the pressure contact portion between the electric wire and the pressure contact portion, The mold part is a hot melt composition mainly composed of maleic acid-modified polyolefin resin, C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin, amorphous polyolefin, and styrene ethylene propylene styrene rubber.

  In the present invention, the function of each main component of the hot melt composition forming the mold part is as follows. That is, the maleic acid-modified polyolefin resin gives the mold resin or hot melt composition according to the present invention polarity. By adding this resin to the mold resin or hot melt composition according to the present invention, it is possible to satisfactorily adhere to PBT and PA which are polar polymers and whose solubility parameters are far from those of olefins. Become. In other words, maleic acid-modified polyolefins contribute greatly to the development of adhesion to polar polymers such as PBT and PA, which are difficult to bond with polyolefin hot melt compositions, while maintaining adhesion to olefinic non-halogen materials. is there. Further, the C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin has a function of developing tack (initial adhesive strength) by its addition, and this function can greatly contribute to the improvement of adhesion to polar polymers such as PBT and PA. Furthermore, the C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin can be compatible with materials such as maleic acid-modified polyolefin to reduce the melt viscosity of the hot melt composition, improve the filling workability, and exhibit the wettability to the material. .

  In addition, C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin and amorphous polyolefin are olefinic base materials, and their solubility parameters are close to those of olefinic nonhalogen materials, so that these resins improve adhesion to olefinic nonhalogen materials. Can do. Styrene ethylene propylene styrene rubber improves thermal shock and the like.

  According to the present invention, in the process of attaching the retainer to the connector housing, the flat cable can be easily and reliably brought into pressure contact with the pressure contact terminal, and the pressure contact portion between the wire and the pressure contact portion is filled from the opening of the retainer. Maleic acid-modified polyolefin resin, C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin, which is a hot melt composition mainly composed of maleic acid-modified polyolefin resin, C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin, amorphous polyolefin and styrene ethylene propylene styrene rubber Since the main component is amorphous polyolefin and styrene ethylene propylene styrene rubber, the adhesive strength to both non-polar polymers such as polyolefin materials and polar polymers such as PBT and PA is high, and the connection to the connection part between the conductor and the pressure contact terminal is high. High waterproofness and impact It is possible to ensure a high durability against.

  In the hot melt composition constituting the mold part according to the present invention, the maleic acid-modified polyolefin resin is 5 to 25% by weight, the C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin is 15 to 50% by weight, and the amorphous polyolefin is 30 to 55% by weight. The styrene ethylene propylene styrene rubber is preferably 1 to 20% by weight, particularly the maleic acid-modified polyolefin resin is 10 to 20% by weight, the C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin is 35 to 40% by weight, and the amorphous polyolefin is More preferably, the content is 35 to 50% by weight and the styrene ethylene propylene styrene rubber is 5 to 15% by weight.

  The maleic acid-modified polyolefin resin is obtained by modifying a polyolefin resin with maleic acid or maleic anhydride, and this modification treatment can be performed by a conventionally known method. For example, it can be obtained by adding a maleic acid or maleic anhydride to a polyolefin resin together with a peroxide and kneading them using a single-screw kneading extruder or a twin-screw kneading extruder and performing a graft reaction. The maleic acid modification rate is preferably 1 to 10% by weight in terms of maleic acid groups. Examples of the maleic acid-modified polyolefin resin used in the hot melt composition according to the present invention include maleic acid-modified polypropylene and maleic acid-modified polyethylene.

  C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin is C9 petroleum resin obtained by partially or fully hydrogenating C9 petroleum resin obtained by singly or copolymerizing styrene, α-methylstyrene, vinyltoluene, and indene, which are C9 fractions of petroleum. The hydrogenation can be performed by a conventionally known method. The degree of hydrogenation is preferably a completely hydrogenated C9 petroleum resin in view of compatibility with other materials, weather resistance, heat resistance and color tone. Examples of the C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin used in the hot melt composition according to the present invention include Ligalite R type manufactured by Eastman Chemical Co., Alcon P type and M type manufactured by Arakawa Chemical Co., Ltd.

  The amorphous polyolefin is an amorphous olefin polymer obtained by copolymerizing propylene alone or propylene and another olefin, and those having a molecular weight of about 1000 to 100,000 are suitable. Examples of the amorphous polyolefin used in the hot melt composition according to the present invention include amorphous polypropylene such as Chisso Bistack, Sanyo Chemical Co., Ltd. Biscol, Degussa Bestplast.

  The hot melt composition used for the mold part according to the present invention can be obtained by mixing these maleic acid-modified olefin resin, C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin, amorphous polyolefin and styrene ethylene propylene styrene rubber, and as a mixing device A Banbury mixer, a kneader, an extruder or the like is used.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 3 are perspective views showing a pressure contact connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a retainer of the pressure contact connector, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. 6 and 6 are cross-sectional views taken along the line BB 'in FIG.

  The pressure contact connector 1 includes a connector housing 10 made of a polar polymer such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polyamide (PA), and a flat cable 40 mounted (fitted) to the connector housing 10 and in a state before being fitted. A retainer 20 made of the same polar polymer that is linearly held along a plane that intersects the fitting direction, and a resin mold portion to be described later that seals and fixes the connector housing 10 and the retainer 20 to these fitting portions. 80 (see FIG. 3) is formed.

  The connector housing 10 has a plurality of terminal accommodating holes 11 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) for accommodating a plurality of metal pressure contact terminals 30 therein, and a counterpart connection terminal (not shown) connected to the pressure contact terminal 30 on the front end side of the housing. A housing fitting portion 12 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) that fits with another connector housing that accommodates the terminal housing hole 11 and an annular retainer fitting wall 13 that communicates with the terminal accommodation hole 11 on the base end side of the housing. The formed retainer 20 is formed with a retainer fitting portion 14 into which the retainer 20 is fitted.

  In this example, the flat cable 40 held by the retainer 20 is a single wire or a twist of a round conductor such as Cu or Al on an insulating coating 41 made of a nonpolar polymer such as polyethylene (PE) and polyolefin (PO). A plurality of electric wires 43 covered with a core wire 42 such as a wire are arranged side by side in a plane, and each electric wire 43 is connected by a bridge portion 44 made of an insulating resin like the insulating coating 41, and has flexibility. . In order to facilitate press-contact with a press-contact portion described later of the press-contact terminal 30, a slit 45 is formed at a portion corresponding to the bridge portion 44 at least in a portion held by the retainer 20. Here, as the flat cable 40, a plurality of single electric wires 43 arranged in a plane may be used.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the press contact terminal 30 accommodated in the terminal accommodating hole 11 of the connector housing 10 includes, for example, a cylindrical connection terminal portion 31 into which a counterpart connection terminal is fitted, and a base of the connection terminal portion 31. A connecting portion that is formed on the end side and has a slit portion 32 into which the electric wire 43 of the flat cable 40 is inserted, and that connects the connecting terminal portion 31 and the pressing portion 33 so that they are not aligned on the same straight line. Part 34. The connection terminal portion 31 is formed with an elastic contact piece 35 for improving the connection state with the counterpart connection terminal, for example.

  The retainer 20 includes a frame-shaped cable holding portion 21 that holds the flat cable 40 in parallel with a plane orthogonal to the fitting direction when the connector housing 10 is fitted to the retainer fitting portion 14, and the cable holding portion. 21 and a receiving hole insertion column portion 22 that is inserted into the terminal receiving hole 11 so as to close the terminal receiving hole 11 of the connector housing 10. The cable holding portion 21 of this example is arranged to face each other via, for example, a flat cable 40, and has rectangular frame-shaped first and second holding members 23, 24 that hold the flat cable 40 in its thickness direction and hold it fixed (FIG. 4). And the other end portions of the first and second clamping members 23 and 24 are engaged with each other, and the hinge portion 25 that couples one end portions of the first and second clamping members 23 and 24 to each other. The engaging portion 26 to be fixed is integrally formed. The engaging portion 26 includes an engaging recess 27 formed at an end portion of the first holding member 23 opposite to the hinge portion 25 side, and an end portion of the second holding member 24 opposite to the hinge portion 25 side. And an engagement piece 29 having an engagement protrusion 28 that engages with the engagement recess 27. Here, the 1st and 2nd clamping members 23 and 24 may consist of a structure which can detach | divide both in addition to the structure integrally connected by the hinge part 25 so that attachment or detachment is possible.

  The first holding member 23 of the cable holding portion 21 is formed with, for example, an injection opening 23a for filling a mold resin for forming a resin mold portion 50 described later, and the second holding member 24 has, for example, a press contact terminal. A terminal side opening 24a for inserting and pressing the electric wire 43 of the flat cable 40 into the 30 pressure contact portions 33 is formed. And in the opposing edge part of each of the 1st and 2nd clamping members 23 and 24, while extending in the core line direction of each electric wire 43 formed according to the covering outer periphery diameter of each electric wire 43 which comprises the flat cable 40, for example A plurality of fixed groove portions 21c formed in the arrangement direction of the electric wires 43 are provided.

  A plurality of retainer-side recesses 21 a are formed on the pair of side surfaces of the first holding member 23 of the cable holding portion 21 so as to match the outer diameter of the outer periphery of the electric wire 43 of the flat cable 40. On the pair of inner wall surfaces of the retainer fitting wall 13 facing the retainer-side recesses 21a in the retainer fitting part 14, a housing-side recess 13a that is also formed in accordance with the outer diameter of the sheath of the electric wire 43 of the flat cable 40 is formed. A plurality are formed. The flat cable 40 held by the cable holding portion 21 in parallel with the plane orthogonal to the fitting direction when the retainer 20 is fitted to the retainer fitting portion 14 by the retainer side concave portion 21a and the housing side concave portion 13a. Since the bent state is maintained as shown in FIG. 2, a so-called strain relief structure can be provided to the press-contact portion between the press-contact portion 33 of the press-contact terminal 30 and the electric wire 43 of the flat cable 40.

  A retainer locking portion is formed on the side surface and the inner wall surface of the cable holding portion 21 and the retainer fitting wall 13 other than the retainer-side recess 21a and the housing-side recess 13a. For example, the retainer locking portion is engaged with a retainer locking projection 21 b formed on the side surface of the first holding member 23 of the cable holding portion 21 and a retainer locking projection 21 b formed on the inner wall surface of the retainer fitting wall 13. It is comprised from the retainer latching recessed part 13b to match. With this retainer locking portion, the fitted state between the retainer 20 and the connector housing 10 can be reliably continued. Even when the retainer locking portion 19 is not provided, the retainer 20 is fixed to the retainer fitting portion 14 by the pressure contact between the electric wire 43 and the pressure contact portion 33.

  Thus, the retainer 20 holding the flat cable 40 is fitted into the retainer fitting portion 14 of the connector housing 10, and the retainer 20 and the retainer fitting portion 14 are joined together with the press-contact portion between the electric wire 43 and the press-contact portion 33 together with the resin mold portion 50. If the sealing and fixing are performed, the retainer 20 and the connector housing 10 can be more reliably fixed. At this time, the mold resin is filled so as to fill the retainer fitting portion 14 from the injection opening 23 a formed in the first holding member 23 of the cable holding portion 21 of the retainer 20.

  Here, the resin mold part 50 is formed of a hot melt composition mainly composed of maleic acid-modified polyolefin resin, C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin, amorphous polyolefin, and styrene ethylene propylene styrene rubber. It has good adhesion to both polymers, and can secure high waterproofness to the connection portion between the conductor and the press contact terminal and high durability against impact.

  In addition, since the retainer 20 is provided with the accommodation hole insertion column portion 22 that closes the terminal accommodation hole 11 in the second holding member 24 of the cable holding portion 21, the mold resin filled from the injection opening 23a is accommodated in the terminal. There is no problem of entering the hole 11 and closing the fitting connection portion 31 of the press contact terminal 30. In addition, since the receiving hole insertion column portion 22 presses the press contact terminal 30 received in the terminal receiving hole 11 against the inner hole surface of the terminal receiving hole 11, the press contact terminal 30 can be securely fixed to the connector housing 10.

  In the press-connecting connector 1 configured as described above, the electric wire 43 of the flat cable 40 is inserted into the press-connecting portion 33 of the press-connecting terminal 30 and press-contacted only by attaching the retainer 20 holding the flat cable 40 to the connector housing 10. In addition, the press contact terminal 30 can be fixed to the connector housing 10. In addition, since the flat cable 40 can be held in a bent state and can be provided with a so-called strain relief structure, the press-connecting connector 1 that can withstand the pulling force on the flat cable 40 while facilitating the press-contacting operation can be realized.

  As shown in FIG. 3, if the flat cable 40 held in a bent state by the retainer 20 and the connector housing 10 is bent again at the peripheral edge portion of the retainer fitting wall 13, a stronger strain relief structure is provided. can do. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the press-connecting connector 1 may be configured to further include a lid portion 60 having a shape covering the retainer fitting portion 14 having a wall portion 61 fitted to the outer wall surface of the retainer fitting wall 13. good. If the cover part 60 is provided, the fitting part of the retainer 20 and the connector housing 10 can be protected. In this case, the flat cable 40 that is held in a bent state by the housing-side recess 13a on the inner wall surface of the retainer fitting wall 13 and the retainer-side recess 21a on the side surface of the cable holding portion 21 is attached to the lid 60 as it is. A notch 62 for exposing in the proximal direction of the housing 10 and a gap 63 for exposing in the distal direction of the connector housing 10 when folded back 180 ° may be formed. The wiring direction of the flat cable 40 press-contacted by the retainer 20 at the notch portion 62 or the gap portion 63 to the press-contact terminal 30 of the connector housing 10 can be changed or set in any direction while the strain relief structure is provided. It becomes possible.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a pressure contact connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the press-connecting connector 2 according to this embodiment, the injection opening 23b of the retainer 20a is formed in the center of the retainer 20a so as to have an H-shaped minimum size. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the required amount of the resin mold part 70 formed by injecting the mold resin into the injection opening 23b, and to further ensure the protection of the press contact part of the press contact connector 2.

  8 to 10 are views showing a pressure contact connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view, FIG. 9 is an assembled perspective view, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line CC 'in FIG. is there.

  In the pressure contact connector 3 according to this embodiment, the injection opening 23c of the retainer 20b is formed to be smaller than the previous two embodiments, and the pressure contact accommodated in the terminal accommodation hole 11 of the connector housing 10a. A terminal retainer 80 for fixing the terminal 30 to the connector housing 10a is provided.

  The terminal retainer 90 is made of a resin molded member having elasticity, and is press-fitted into a terminal retainer insertion hole portion, which will be described later, formed on the side wall of the connector fitting portion 12 of the connector housing 10a, and is accommodated in the terminal accommodating hole 11 A rod-like press-fit portion 81 that engages with the base end side end of the connection terminal portion 30 of the 30 and closes the terminal retainer insertion hole portion and the terminal receiving hole 11 without any gap, and a connector fitting that is arranged in parallel with the rod-like press-fit portion 81 The bar-shaped latching part 82 latched to the side wall of the part 12 and the connecting part 83 for coupling the bar-shaped press-fit part 81 and the bar-shaped latching part 82 are configured. On the other hand, a terminal retainer insertion hole (not shown) is formed in the side wall of the connector housing 10a to connect the side wall and the terminal receiving hole 11.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, in this press-connecting connector 3, the press-connecting terminal 30 accommodated in the terminal accommodating hole 11, the terminal retainer 80 is mounted in the terminal retainer mounting hole, and the rod-shaped press-fit portion 81 is connected to the terminal retainer insertion hole. The bar-shaped locking part 82 is locked to the side wall of the connector fitting part 12 and the bar-shaped pressing-in part 81 is engaged with the proximal end of the connection terminal part 31 of the press contact terminal 30 by being press-fitted into the connector. It can be securely fixed to the housing 10a. At this time, since the rod-like press-fit portion 81 of the terminal retainer 80 attached to the connector fitting portion 12 closes the terminal accommodating hole 11 and the terminal retainer insertion hole portion without any gap, the press-contact portion 33 of the press-contact terminal 30 and the flat cable 40 When the pressure contact portion with the electric wire 43 is sealed and fixed with a resin mold, the mold flowing into the terminal accommodating hole 11 enters the connection terminal portion 31 or passes through the terminal retainer insertion hole portion to connect the connector. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent a problem caused by flowing out of the outer side of 12.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 11 for example, conventionally, when it is attempted to connect fog lamps 110 and 120 as auxiliary machines to a wire harness 100 arranged in a car or the like (not shown), the following has been performed. .

  That is, the connectors 112 and 122 are provided at the respective ends of the branch wirings 111 and 121 previously branched from the wire harness 100, and these are temporarily fixed to the wire harness 100 in the form of so-called optional fixing with a tape or the like. At the stage of connection to 120, the temporary connection of the branch wirings 111 and 121 and the connectors 112 and 122 is released, and the connectors 112 and 122 are directly fitted and connected to the fog lamps 110 and 120.

  However, in such a system, since the connectors 112 and 122 are required for the branch wirings 111 and 121, respectively, it is difficult to reduce the cost. On the other hand, for example, when the pressure contact connectors 1, 2 and 3 of the present invention including the connector housings 10 and 10a and the retainers 20, 20a and 20b are used in common by the plurality of fog lamps 110 and 120, it is shown in FIG. As described above, the branch wirings 131 and 141 from the fog lamps 130 and 140 are connected to the press contact connectors 1, 2 and 3 in a state where they are combined into one connector 132, and the fog lamps 130 and 140 are connected to the flat cable 40 as a wire harness. It becomes possible.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 12, in the wiring body 150 using the pressure contact connectors 1, 2, 3 and the connector 132 as the external connector, each branch wiring 131, 141 (that is, regardless of the number of auxiliary machines). 1) Since one-to-one connection is possible without increasing the number of connectors 132, the cost can be reduced, and if the pressure contact connectors 1, 2, 3 and the connector 132 are general-purpose parts, the cost is high. It becomes possible to realize versatility.

  FIGS. 13 and 14 are exploded perspective views of a pressure contact connector for explaining a structure for fixing a pressure contact terminal and a sealing material according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD ′ of FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE ′ of FIG.

  The press-connecting connector 4 includes a connector housing 210 having a convex connector fitting portion 214 into which a mating connector (not shown) is fitted, and a terminal accommodating hole 211 formed inside the connector fitting portion 214, and the connector housing. 210, which is mounted in the terminal receiving hole 211 and electrically connected to the mating connector, and is, for example, a metal press contact terminal 220 that is press-contacted with the electric wire 243 of the flat cable 240 as a cable, and the outer peripheral surface of the connector fitting portion 214 When the mating connector is completely fitted to the connector housing 210 and the sealing member 229 of an elastic body that keeps a liquid-tight state between the two and the press contact terminal 220 is mounted, the terminal receiving hole 211 together with the press contact terminal 220 is mounted. And a terminal holding member 230 to be housed. In addition, the press-connecting connector 4 of this example is fitted to the connector housing 210 and holds the flat cable 240 linearly along the direction intersecting the fitting direction before being fitted, and the press-connecting terminal 220 has a flat cable. A retainer 250 for inserting and press-contacting 240 electric wires 243 and a resin mold for sealing and fixing a fitting portion between the retainer 250 and the connector housing 210 together with a press-contact portion between the electric wire 243 and the press-contact terminal 230 of the flat cable 240. And a portion 270.

  The connector housing 210 is made of a resin molded member similar to that of the previous embodiment, and in addition to the connector fitting portion 214, a retainer 250 having an annular retainer fitting wall 213 communicating with the terminal receiving hole 211 is fitted inside. A retainer fitting portion 212 is provided.

  In this example, the flat cable 240 held by the retainer 250 includes a plurality of electric wires 243 covered with a core wire 242 in an insulating coating 241 made of the same material as that of the previous embodiment, and arranged between the electric wires 243. As in the case of the insulating coating 241, the structure is connected by a bridge portion 244 made of an insulating resin and has flexibility. In order to facilitate press-contact with a press-contact portion described later of the press-contact terminal 220, at least a portion held by the retainer 250 is formed with a slit 245 in a portion corresponding to the bridge portion 244.

  In addition, the press contact terminal 220 accommodated in the terminal accommodation hole 211 of the connector housing 210 is formed, for example, on a cylindrical connection terminal portion 221 into which the connection terminal of the mating connector is fitted, and on the proximal end side of the connection terminal portion 221. A pressure contact portion 223 having a slit portion 222 into which the electric wire 243 of the flat cable 240 is inserted, and a terminal main body portion 224 for connecting the fitting connection portion 221 and the pressure contact portion 223 so that they are not aligned on the same straight line; It is configured with. The fitting connection portion 231 is formed with an elastic contact piece 225 for improving the connection state with the connection terminal of the mating connector, for example.

  The retainer 250 includes a plate-like cable holding portion 251 that holds the flat cable 40 in parallel with a surface orthogonal to the fitting direction when the connector housing 210 is fitted to the retainer fitting portion 212. The cable holding portion 251 of this example includes rectangular plate-like first and second holding members 252 and 253 that are arranged to face each other via, for example, the flat cable 240 and sandwich and fix the flat cable 240 in the thickness direction thereof. A hinge portion 254 that joins one ends of the first and second clamping members 252 and 253 and an engagement portion that engages and fixes the other ends of the first and second clamping members 252 and 253 255 is integrally formed. The engaging portion 255 includes an engaging recess 256 formed at an end portion of the first holding member 252 opposite to the hinge portion 254 side, and an end portion of the second holding member 253 opposite to the hinge portion 254 side. And an engagement piece portion 258 having an engagement protrusion 257 that engages with the engagement recess 256. Here, the first and second holding members 252 and 253 may have a structure in which both can be detachably separated in addition to the structure integrally connected by the hinge portion 254.

  The first holding member 252 of the cable holding portion 251 is formed with an injection opening 252a for filling the retainer fitting portion 212 with, for example, a mold resin that forms the resin mold portion 270. For example, a terminal-side opening (not shown) for inserting and pressing the electric wire 243 of the flat cable 240 into the press contact portion 23 of the press contact terminal 220 is formed. And at each opposing end part of the 1st and 2nd clamping members 52 and 53, while extending in the core line direction of each electric wire 243 formed according to the covering outer periphery diameter of each electric wire 243 which comprises the flat cable 240, for example A plurality of fixed grooves (not shown) formed in the arrangement direction of the electric wires 243 are provided.

  In addition, a plurality of retainer-side recesses 259 are formed on the side surface of the first holding member 252 of the cable holding portion 251 so as to match the outer diameter of the sheath of the electric wire 243 of the flat cable 240. A plurality of housing-side recesses 219 are formed on the pair of inner wall surfaces of the retainer-fitting walls 213 facing the retainer-side recesses 259 in the fitting portion 212, which are also formed in accordance with the outer diameter of the covering of the electric wire 243 of the flat cable 240. Has been. The flat cable 240 held by the cable holding portion 251 in parallel with the plane orthogonal to the fitting direction when the retainer 250 is fitted to the retainer fitting portion 212 by the retainer side concave portion 259 and the housing side concave portion 219. 15 can be held in a bent state as shown in FIG. For this reason, in this pressure contact connector 4, it is possible to provide a so-called strain relief structure for the pressure contact portion between the pressure contact portion 223 of the pressure contact terminal 220 and the electric wire 243 of the flat cable 240.

  A retainer locking portion is formed on the side surface and the inner wall surface of the cable holding portion 251 and the retainer fitting wall 213 other than the retainer-side recess 259 and the housing-side recess 219. For example, the retainer engaging portion is engaged with a retainer engaging protrusion 252b formed on the side surface of the first holding member 252 of the cable holding portion 251 and a retainer engaging protrusion 252b formed on the inner wall surface of the retainer fitting wall 213. And a retainer locking recess (not shown). By this retainer locking portion, the fitting state between the retainer 250 and the connector housing 210 can be reliably continued.

  On the other hand, on the side wall of the connector fitting portion 214 of the connector housing 210, an engagement hole portion 215 that communicates the terminal accommodating hole 211 and the outside of the connector fitting portion 214 is formed. The terminal holding member 230 is formed with an engagement piece 232 having a protrusion 231 that engages with the engagement hole 215 of the connector fitting portion 214 in a state of being accommodated in the terminal accommodation hole 211. The engaging piece 32 of the terminal holding member 230 is locked to the connector fitting portion 214 by hooking the sealing material 229 on the tip of the protruding portion 231 in a state where the terminal holding member 230 is received in the terminal receiving hole 211. Fix it. For this reason, it is possible to attach and fix the pressure contact terminal 220 to the connector housing 210 with the terminal holding member 230 and simultaneously lock and fix the sealing material 229. The mating portion between the mating connector and the connector fitting portion 214 is kept in a liquid-tight state by the sealing material 229.

  Therefore, it is possible to securely fix both the pressure contact terminal 220 and the sealing material 229 to the pressure contact connector 4 at the same time by simply mounting the terminal holding member 230 as a single member in the terminal receiving hole 211 of the connector housing 210. Therefore, it becomes possible to reduce the cost based on the reduction of the work man-hours.

  In this example, since the terminal holding member 230 is made of a resin-molded member formed so as to close the insertion side opening of the terminal receiving hole 211 together with the pressure contact terminal 220 without any gap, the injection opening of the cable holding portion 251 of the retainer 250 There is no problem that the mold resin forming the resin mold part 270 filled from the part 252a enters the terminal accommodating hole 211 and closes the fitting connection part 221 of the press contact terminal 220.

  In the press-connecting connector 4 configured as described above, the electric wire 243 of the flat cable 240 is inserted into the press-contact portion 223 of the press-contact terminal 220 and press-contacted only by attaching the retainer 250 holding the flat cable 240 to the connector housing 210. In addition, the flat cable 240 can be held in a bent state to provide a so-called strain relief. Accordingly, it is possible to realize the press-connecting connector 4 that facilitates the press-contact work and is strong against the pulling force to the flat cable 240. As described above, it is possible to securely fix the press contact terminal 220 and the sealing material 229 to the press contact connector 4 at once using the terminal holding member 230.

  The press-connecting connector 4 may further include a lid portion 290 having a shape covering the retainer fitting portion 212 having a lid portion 291 that fits on the outer wall surface of the retainer fitting wall 213. If the cover part 290 is provided, the fitting part of the retainer 250 and the connector housing 210 can be protected. Here, as shown in FIG. 15, a notch 292 is formed in the lid portion 290 so that the flat cable 240 held in a bent state by the retainer 250 and the connector housing 210 is again at the peripheral portion of the retainer fitting wall 213. If bent, a stronger strain relief structure can be provided.

  FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view showing a pressure contact connector according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 18 is an external perspective view showing a state of the pressure contact connector before the inner holder is inserted, and FIG. 19 is a view of the pressure contact connector. FIG. 20 is an external perspective view showing the appearance after the inner holder is inserted, FIG. 20 is an external perspective view of this pressure contact connector, and FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of this pressure contact connector.

  The press-connecting connector 4 includes a plurality of electric wires 340 mainly having a structure in which, for example, a core wire 342 is covered with an insulating coating 341, a plurality of metal press-connecting terminals 320 that are press-contacted with the plurality of electric wires 340, and PBT resin. A connector housing 310 made of a resin molded member of a polar polymer and housing a plurality of press contact terminals 320 therein, an inner holder (corresponding to a retainer) 350 housed in the connector housing 310, and an inner part of the inner holder 350 of the connector housing 310 The waterproof resin part 330 (refer FIG.20 and FIG.21) which consists of a hot-melt-resin-adhesive composition formed is comprised.

  The plurality of electric wires 340 may be so-called wire harnesses in which the electric wires are bundled or so-called flat harnesses in which the electric wires are arranged in a plane. In this example, the connector housing 310 is a so-called receptacle type, but may be a plug type.

  The plurality of press contact terminals 320 are formed on the distal end side, and are formed in a cylindrical connection portion 321 that can be connected to an unillustrated counterpart connection terminal accommodated in the counterpart connector housing 900, and formed on the proximal end side, and a plurality of electric wires 340 are provided. Each of the pressure contact portions 323 is in pressure contact, and the terminal main body portion 322 is connected to the connection portion 321 and the pressure contact portion 323. The terminal main body portion 322 has a structure bent in a crank shape. Yes.

  Here, the connection portions 321 of the plurality of press contact terminals 320 are cylindrical so-called female connection portions, but may be so-called male connection portions depending on the shape of the connection portion of the counterpart connection terminal. .

  The press contact portions 323 of the plurality of press contact terminals 320 have a structure having a slit portion 324 that breaks the insulating coating 341 and connects the core wire 342 when the plurality of electric wires 340 are inserted.

  The connector housing 310 is formed on the outer peripheral side of the housing fitting portion 312, a plurality of terminal receiving holes 311 that respectively house the plurality of press contact terminals 320, a housing fitting portion 312 that fits with the mating connector housing 900. In this example, the plurality of terminal receiving holes 311 are formed inside the housing fitting portion 312.

  A sealing material 314 for waterproofing a fitting portion with the counterpart connector housing 900 is attached to the outer wall base end side of the housing fitting portion 312, and the press contact terminal 320 accommodated in each terminal accommodating hole 311 The barb piece 321a formed on the connection portion 321 is locked and fixed by being hooked on a step portion 311a (see FIG. 21) formed on a part of the inner peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating hole 311.

  On the proximal end side of the connector housing 310, a concave holder insertion portion 315 that communicates with each terminal receiving hole 311 and into which the inner holder 350 is inserted is formed. A notch-shaped wire lead-out portion 316 for guiding the wire 340 to the outside of the connector housing 310 is formed.

  In addition, a holding groove portion 316 a formed in accordance with the outer peripheral diameter of the covering 341 of each electric wire 340 is provided in a predetermined range of the bottom surface portion in FIG. 17 of the electric wire outlet portion 316.

  The inner holder 350 inserted into the holder insertion portion 315 and housed in the connector housing 310 includes a plurality of wall portions 351, 352, and 353.

  The first wall portion 351 of the inner holder 350 holds the terminal main body portion 322 of each press contact terminal 320 against the connector housing 310 at its end surface 351a (see FIG. 21) and inserts the holder into the connector housing 310. Each terminal receiving hole 311 on the 315 side is closed.

  The second wall portion 352 is fitted to the wire lead-out portion 316 and is pressed against the connector housing 310 so that each of the electric wires 340 is fitted into the holding groove portion 316a at its end surface 352a.

  The third wall portion 353 closes the opening on the insertion side of the inner holder 350 of the holder insertion portion 315, but the holder insertion portion 315 can be filled with the hot melt resin adhesive composition even after the inner holder 350 is inserted. A filling opening 354 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the inner holder 350 is moved in the direction of the arrow in the drawing to be inserted into the holder insertion portion 315, and the inner holder 350 is attached to the holder insertion portion 315 of the connector housing 310 as shown in FIG. When the interior is completely installed, for example, the engagement protrusion 350a formed on a part of the inner holder 350 and the engagement hole 315a formed on a part of the connector housing 310 are engaged, and the inner holder 350 is connected to the holder insertion part 315. It is locked and fixed to.

  In the holder insertion portion 315 of the connector housing 310 into which the inner holder 350 is thus inserted, moisture intrusion into each terminal accommodating hole 311 is prevented together with the first wall portion 351, and the pressure contact between each electric wire 340 and each pressure contact portion 323 is prevented. A waterproof resin portion 330 is formed that seals and fixes the portion and firmly bonds the electric wires 340, the inner holder 350, and the connector housing 310 to each other to seal the holder insertion portion 315.

  The hot melt resin adhesive composition forming the waterproof resin portion 330 will be described later. Since the waterproof resin portion 330 made of such a hot-melt resin adhesive composition adheres well to both a nonpolar polymer and a polar polymer, which are usually difficult to achieve both adhesion, It is possible to provide high waterproof performance while ensuring that the electric wires 340 and the like are fixed to the connector housing 310.

  That is, for example, even when the insulation coating 341 of the plurality of electric wires 340 is made of a nonpolar polymer such as a non-halogen material, and the connector housing 310 and the inner holder 350 are made of a polar polymer such as PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) resin, the insulation coating 341 and the waterproof coating 341 are waterproof. It is possible to achieve waterproofing by strongly bonding the interface between the resin part 330 and the interface between the waterproof resin part 330 and the connector housing 310 and the inner holder 350.

  In this press-contact waterproof connector 5, since the inner holder 350 holds each wire 340 and the press contact terminal 320 against the connector housing 310 and seals the holder insertion portion 315 with the waterproof resin portion 330, high waterproof performance is achieved. It is possible to achieve both the improvement of the adhesion and the improvement of the adhesiveness, and to ensure the fixing of the electric wire 340 and the press contact terminal 320 to the connector housing 310.

  Next, examples of hot melt compositions suitable for use in the above embodiments will be described. First, the hot melt compositions according to Examples 1 to 5 were obtained by melt-kneading resins 1 to 5 shown in Table 1 at 200 ° C. using a biaxial kneader. In Examples and Comparative Examples, the melt viscosity of the hot melt composition was measured at 180 ° C. using a Brookfield viscometer based on JIS K 6862, and the softening point was measured based on JIS K 6863. did.

Experimental example 1
Next, in order to verify the adhesiveness of the hot melt compositions according to Examples 1 to 5 with respect to polyethylene, which is a nonpolar polymer, a peel test was performed according to JIS K 6854 (T-type test: peel pieces are flexible materials). Based on. Peel test 1 was conducted in the initial state, peel test 2 was conducted at room temperature after standing in a 120 ° C. atmosphere for 24 hours, and peel test 3 was conducted in a −40 ° C. atmosphere. The peeling test 4 was performed in a state after 1 hour of boiling in water. These results are shown in Table 2.

  Next, as Comparative Example 1, a polyester hot melt composition, as Comparative Example 2, a polyamide hot melt composition (Telmelt 865, manufactured by TRL), and as Comparative Example 3, a polyolefin hot melt composition (trade name Macromelt Q5353). (Manufactured by Henkel) and a polyamide hot melt composition (RNA-254, manufactured by Asahi Chemical Synthesis Co., Ltd.) was prepared as Comparative Example 4, and these were also peeled in the same manner as the hot melt compositions according to Examples 1 to 5. Was done. The results are shown in Table 3.

  As is clear from Tables 2 and 3, the hot melt compositions according to Examples 1 to 5 have better adhesion to nonpolar polymers than the hot melt compositions according to Comparative Examples 1 to 4. I understand.

Experimental example 2
Next, in order to verify the adhesion of the hot melt compositions according to Examples 1 to 5 to PBT, which is a polar polymer, a peel test was conducted according to JIS K 6854 as in Experimental Example 1. The results are shown in Table 4.

  Next, even when the hot melt compositions according to Comparative Examples 1 to 3 used in Experimental Example 1 were used, the adhesion test of two PBTs to each other was similarly performed. The results are shown in Table 5.

  It is clear from Tables 2 to 5 that Comparative Examples 1 and 2 showed relatively good adhesion to PBT, which is a polar polymer, but poor adhesion to nonpolar polymers. Comparative Example 3 is that the adhesion between the non-polar polymers was relatively poor, but the adhesion between the polar polymers was remarkably inferior. Moreover, about the comparative example 4, it was inferior to the adhesiveness of nonpolar polymers. In contrast, the hot melt compositions according to Examples 1 to 5 are inferior in adhesion between polar polymers and nonpolar polymers as compared with the hot melt compositions according to Comparative Examples 1 to 4. It was good.

  Next, a salt water pressure leak test (waterproof limit test) was performed on the hot melt compositions according to Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4. As shown in FIG. 22, in the salt water pressure-resistant leak test, a press contact terminal 422 held by a connector housing 421 is attached to one end of a cable 423, and the press contact portion is molded with a mold resin 424 made of a hot melt composition. Is immersed in an aqueous sodium chloride solution 426 in a test tank 427 together with a metal electrode 425 connected to the other end of the cable 423. In this state, a DC voltage is applied between the pressure contact terminal 422 and the metal terminal 425 by the DC power source 430 via the standard resistor 429, and the voltage across the standard resistor 429 is monitored by the voltmeter 431. Measure the time until the leakage current is observed. The test was performed in a temperature cycle environment inside the thermostat 428. The results are shown in Table 6.

  As can be seen from Table 6, the hot melt compositions according to Examples 1 to 5 are superior to the hot melt compositions according to Comparative Examples 1 to 4 in terms of waterproof limit, that is, waterproof durability.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the press-contact terminal which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view in the middle of the assembly of the same pressure contact terminal. It is a perspective view which shows the state after sealing with the mold resin of the same press-contact terminal. It is a perspective view of the retainer used for the press-contact terminal. It is AA 'sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line BB ′ of FIG. 3. It is a perspective view of the press-contact terminal which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the press-contact terminal which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the same pressure contact terminal. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line CC ′ of FIG. 9. It is a figure for demonstrating the wiring structure of the auxiliary machine of the conventional motor vehicle. It is a figure for demonstrating the wiring structure of the auxiliary machine of the motor vehicle using the press-contact connector which concerns on the 1st-3rd embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the press-contact connector which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the different direction of the same pressure welding connector. It is DD 'sectional drawing in FIG. 14 of the same pressure welding connector. It is EE 'sectional drawing in FIG. 14 of the same press-contact connector. It is a disassembled perspective view of the press-contact connector which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view in the middle of the assembly of the same pressure contact connector. It is a perspective view in the middle of the assembly of the same pressure contact connector. It is a perspective view of the same pressure contact connector. It is sectional drawing of the same pressure welding connector. It is a schematic block diagram of the saltwater pressure-resistant leak test apparatus used for Experimental example 3.

Explanation of symbols

  1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ... pressure contact connector, 10, 10a, 210, 310 ... connector housing, 11, 211, 311 ... terminal receiving hole, 14 ... retainer fitting portion, 20, 21a, 21b, 250 ... retainer , 30, 220, 320 ... pressure contact terminals, 40, 240, 340 ... flat cable, 50, 70, 90, 270, 330 ... resin mold part.

Claims (6)

A pressure contact connector attached to a flat cable in which a plurality of electric wires formed by covering a core wire made of a conductor with an insulating coating of a nonpolar polymer are arranged in a plane,
A connection terminal portion connected to the counterpart connection terminal, a pressure contact portion formed on the base end side of the connection terminal portion and inserted into the insulating coating when the wire is inserted, and the connection terminal portion; A plurality of press contact terminals having a connecting portion for connecting the press contact portions;
A connector housing made of a polar polymer having a plurality of terminal accommodating holes for accommodating the pressure contacting portions of the plurality of pressure contacting terminals in a state of being exposed to the base end side;
The connector housing is fitted to the base end side and includes an opening for holding the flat cable in a straight line along a plane perpendicular to the fitting direction and communicating with the connecting portion between the electric wire and the pressure contact portion. A retainer made of a polar polymer,
A resin mold portion that is filled from an opening of the retainer and seals and fixes a pressure contact portion between the electric wire and the pressure contact portion;
The pressure contact connector, wherein the mold part is a hot melt composition mainly composed of maleic acid-modified polyolefin resin, C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin, amorphous polyolefin, and styrene ethylene propylene styrene rubber.   The maleic acid-modified polyolefin resin is 5 to 25% by weight, the C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin is 15 to 50% by weight, the amorphous polyolefin is 30 to 55% by weight, and the styrene ethylene propylene styrene rubber is 1 to 20% by weight. The press-connecting connector according to claim 1.   The maleic acid-modified polyolefin resin is 10 to 20% by weight, the C9 hydrogenated petroleum resin is 35 to 40% by weight, the amorphous polyolefin is 35 to 50% by weight, and the styrene ethylene propylene styrene rubber is 5 to 15% by weight. The press-connecting connector according to claim 1. The connector housing has an annular fitting wall on the proximal end side on which the retainer is fitted,
The retainer is inserted inside an annular fitting wall of the connector housing and bends and holds the flat harness between a side surface thereof and an inner surface of the fitting wall. Item 4. The pressure contact connector according to any one of items 1 to 3.   5. The retainer according to claim 1, wherein the retainer has an insertion column portion that is inserted into a terminal accommodating hole of the connector housing from a proximal end side and closes the terminal accommodating hole. Pressure contact connector. The connector housing is formed with a terminal retainer insertion hole communicating with the terminal receiving hole from a side surface,
A terminal retainer for closing the terminal accommodation hole on the base end side of the connection terminal portion of the press contact terminal that is inserted into the terminal retainer insertion hole from the side surface of the connector housing and accommodated in the terminal accommodation hole; The pressure contact connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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