JP2009004295A - Waterproofing structure of electric wire and waterproof connector equipped with the same, and manufacturing method of waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure waterproofing certainly by arranging a large number of electric wires at a narrow pitch. <P>SOLUTION: A pair of partitioning members 3, 4 are respectively installed at the outer circumference side of a plurality of respective electric wires 1, 2 at the front and rear, a seal member is filled in respective electric wires between the pair of partitioning members front and rear with the respective partitioning members of respective electric wires joined without a gap, and a seal member 5 having a larger diameter than the partitioning member is formed. The partitioning members 3, 4 are molded to the electric wires 1, 2. The diameters of the electric wires 1, 2 are established in a plurality of sizes and the outlines of the partitioning member 3, 4 are made identical regardless of the diameters of the electric wires. respective terminals connected to respective electric wires 1, 2 are inserted in a connector housing and the seal member 5 is adhered tightly to the inner face of the same or different connector housing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof structure for a wire in which a waterproof seal member is formed on the outer peripheral side of a plurality of wires, a waterproof connector including the same, and a method for manufacturing the waterproof connector.

  FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a waterproof connector having a conventional waterproof structure for electric wires (see Patent Document 1).

  This waterproof connector 31 includes a synthetic rubber waterproof mat seal 34 having holes 33 through which a plurality of insulation-coated wires 32 are inserted in parallel at equal pitches, and an electric wire 32 inserted through the hole 33 of the mat seal 34. A press contact terminal (not shown) for connecting the terminal, an insulating resin inner housing (inner connector housing) 35 for housing the press contact terminal, and a mat seal 34 fitted to the rear opening while housing the inner housing 35 An outer housing (outer connector housing) 36, a waterproof packing 37 mounted in the outer housing, an insulating resin hood portion 38 mounted in the front opening 36a of the outer housing 36, and the hood portion. It comprises a pin terminal 39 and a waterproof packing (not shown).

  By inserting each electric wire 32 into each hole 33 of the mat seal 34, a waterproof structure for the electric wire is configured. The rear end portion of the pin terminal 39 is inserted into the hole portion 35a in the front wall of the inner housing 35 and connected to the press contact terminal in the inner housing. The hood portion 38 is fixed to, for example, a device or the like, and a mating connector (not shown) is fitted from the front opening 38 a of the hood portion 38, and the female terminal of the mating connector is connected to the front end portion of the pin terminal 39.

  FIG. 6 shows another form of a waterproof connector having a conventional waterproof structure for electric wires (see Patent Document 2).

  The waterproof connector 41 includes a resin-made mold portion 45 that interconnects a plurality of parallel insulation-coated wires 44 of the cable 43 covered with the sheath 42, and is integrated with the rear side of the mold portion 45 on the outer peripheral side of the sheath 42. A waterproof seal 46 formed on the terminal, a terminal 47 connected to the terminal of each electric wire 44, a connector housing 48 made of insulating resin for accommodating each terminal 47, and a metal made for housing the connector housing 48 together with the mold part 45. A shield shell 49 is provided.

Central wire 44 ₁ in FIG. 6 is a drain line for grounding. The mold part 45 and the waterproof seal 46 are formed of, for example, a thermoplastic polyamide resin having a hardness comparable to that of a waterproof rubber plug (not shown). The front portion of the waterproof seal 46 is fixed by crimping with a crimping piece 49 a of the shield shell 49. The waterproof structure of the electric wire 44 is configured by attaching the mold part 45 and the waterproof seal 46 to the end of the cable 43. For example, the shield shell 49 and the waterproof seal 46 are inserted inside an outer housing (not shown) or the like to prevent water from entering the outer housing.
JP-A-5-152028 (FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-25651 (FIG. 1)

  However, in the waterproof connector 31 having the conventional waterproof structure for electric wires shown in FIG. 5, the electric wires 32 must be inserted into the holes 33 of the mat seal 34, and the electric wires 32 of the mat seal 34 can be inserted. Since it is necessary to consider the tightening allowance (press fit allowance) and the outward expansion at the time of inserting the electric wire, it is difficult to narrow the pitch of each hole 33, and the multipole having terminals in multiple rows and multiple stages When trying to apply to a connector, there is a problem that the connector becomes large. The operation of inserting each electric wire 32 through each hole 33 is troublesome and requires a lot of man-hours. Further, when a plurality of types of electric wires 32 having different diameters are used at the same time, the inner diameter of the hole 33 of the mat seal 34 must be formed in advance according to the outer shape of each electric wire 32, and the mat seal 34 is dedicated. There was a problem of incurring a cost increase.

  Further, in the waterproof connector 41 having the conventional waterproof structure for electric wires in FIG. 6, the number of the electric wires 44 in one cable 43 is limited, so that a multipolar waterproof connector is formed. There was a problem that could not.

  In view of the above, the present invention provides a waterproof structure for an electric wire that can be reliably waterproofed by arranging a large number of electric wires at a narrow pitch, a waterproof connector including the same, and a method for manufacturing the waterproof connector. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, the waterproof structure of the electric wire according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided with a pair of front and rear partition members on the outer peripheral side of each of the plurality of electric wires, and the partition members of each electric wire have no gap. In a state of being combined, a sealing material is filled between the electric wires between the pair of front and rear partition members to form a seal member having a larger diameter than the partition members.

  With the above configuration, each electric wire is positioned by overlapping each partition member of each electric wire in the electric wire radial direction. Since the partition member only needs to be slightly larger in diameter than the outer diameter of the electric wire, each electric wire is arranged vertically and horizontally at a narrow pitch. In this state, a fluid sealing material is injected and filled between the front and rear partition members, and the sealing material fills the radial gaps between the electric wires to become an elastic sealing member. The front and rear partition members act as partition walls that prevent the seal material from flowing out in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire.

  The electric wire waterproof structure according to claim 2 is the electric wire waterproof structure according to claim 1, wherein the partition member is molded to the electric wire.

  By the said structure, a partition member is efficiently formed in the outer periphery of an electric wire, and a partition member is firmly fixed to the outer peripheral surface of an electric wire without gap. The partition member is preferably molded by resin molding.

  The wire waterproof structure according to claim 3 is the wire waterproof structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the diameters of the wires are set, and the outer shape of the partition member is the same regardless of the wire diameter. Features.

  By the said structure, each electric wire of a different diameter is arrange | positioned in parallel with the same pitch in the state which each division member of each electric wire of a different diameter put together.

  A waterproof connector according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a waterproof connector provided with the waterproof structure for an electric wire according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein each terminal connected to each electric wire is inserted into a connector housing. The seal member is in close contact with the inner surface of the same or different connector housing.

  With the above configuration, when the terminal and the seal member are inserted into the same connector housing, the terminal is accommodated in the connector housing, and the connector housing is blocked by the seal member, thereby preventing water from entering the connector housing. And the terminals are safely protected. When another connector housing is used, the terminals are accommodated in the inner connector housing (inner housing), the inner connector housing is accommodated in the outer connector housing (outer housing), and the outer connector housing is a sealing member. The water is prevented from entering the outer connector housing, and the inner connector housing and terminals are safely protected.

  The waterproof connector manufacturing method according to claim 5 is provided with a pair of front and rear partition members on the outer peripheral side of each of the plurality of electric wires, connecting a terminal to each electric wire, inserting the terminal into the inner housing, In a state where the partition members are aligned without a gap, a seal member having a larger diameter than the partition member is formed by filling a seal material between the electric wires between the pair of front and rear partition members, and the inner housing and the seal The member is inserted into the outer housing.

  With the above configuration, the terminal is connected to the electric wire with the dividing member provided with the dividing member on the electric wire by the existing equipment, and each terminal is inserted into the inner housing by the existing equipment. A seal member is filled between the electric wires to form a seal member. The inner housing and the seal member are inserted into the outer housing, and the outer housing is closed (sealed) with the seal member. Water is prevented from entering the inner housing and the inner housing and terminals are safely protected.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the electric wires are arranged at a narrow pitch in a state where the partition members are combined, a sealing member is formed by filling the gap between the electric wires in this state. When applied to the connector, the connector can be miniaturized, and a small and multi-pole waterproof connector can be provided. Moreover, the flow of the sealing material in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire is prevented by the front and rear partition walls, the sealing member is accurately formed in a required shape, and waterproof sealing performance is reliably exhibited.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the partition member can be formed in a state where it is efficiently and firmly fixed to the outer periphery of the electric wire in a short time, thereby reducing the cost of the waterproof structure, Leakage of the sealing material from between the partition members is prevented, and waterproofness is enhanced.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, electric wires having different diameters can be easily arranged at the same pitch, and the arrangement of electric wires having different diameters can be easily changed as necessary. It is possible to easily cope with the circuit form.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, entry of water into the connector housing is blocked by the sealing member, and the terminals in the connector housing are safely protected without short circuit or the like.

  According to invention of Claim 5, a small waterproof connector can be efficiently formed at low cost using the existing terminal connection machine and terminal insertion machine.

  1 to 3 show an embodiment of a wire waterproofing method and a waterproof structure according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), the waterproofing method for this electric wire is made of synthetic resin on the outer circumferences in the longitudinal direction of the ends of one insulation-coated electric wire (hereinafter simply referred to as an electric wire) 1 and 2 having different diameters. A pair of rectangular partition members 3 and 4 having the same size are molded, and the partition members 3 and 4 of FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b) are attached as shown in FIGS. Each electric wire 1 ′, 2 ′ is formed in plural (many), and the dividing members 3, 4 of the plural electric wires 1 ′, 2 ′ with the dividing member are joined to each other in the vertical and horizontal directions. 1 and 2 are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction and close to a plurality of steps in the height direction, and a fluid rubber material between a pair of front and rear partition members 3 and 4 as shown in FIGS. And seal the gap between the electric wires 1 and 2 with a rubber material, and project the rubber material to have a larger diameter than the outer periphery of the partition members 3 and 4 to form a seal member 5 made of synthetic rubber. It is intended to. The waterproof structure of the electric wire is configured by this waterproofing method.

  This electric wire waterproof structure is arranged in parallel at equal pitches in the top, bottom, left, and right, and in a plurality of stages, and is disposed before and after the ends of each of the wires 1, 2 and joined to the top, bottom, left, and right. Between each pair of synthetic resin rigid outer peripheral cross-section rectangular (square) partition members 3 and 4, and between the pair of front and rear partition members 3 and 4, fill the gap between the electric wires 1 and 2, In addition, it is composed of a synthetic rubber soft seal member 5 that is formed to protrude outward (to a large diameter) from the outer peripheral surface of the partition members 3 and 4.

The outer diameter of the FIG. 1 (a) small diameter _D wire 1 of _1, FIG. 1 (b) large-diameter _{D 2} of the electric wire 2 are respectively, each compartment members in the wire 1 of various diameters 3,4 ( The vertical dimension W and the longitudinal dimension L are the same. The inner peripheral surfaces 3a and 4a of the partition members 3 and 4 are closely fixed to the outer peripheral surfaces of the insulating resin coatings 1b and 2b of the electric wires 1 and 2 without any gaps. It coincides with the center of 4. In a state where the electric wires 1 and 2 are inserted and set between a small split type first mold (not shown), a molten thermoplastic resin material is injected into the mold and solidified to form a partition member. 3 and 4 are formed.

It is preferable that the inner diameter of the wire insertion hole of the first mold can be variably adjusted according to the outer diameter of each of the electric wires 1 and 2. In FIG. 1, the two types of electric wires 1 and 2 having different diameters D ₁ and D ₂ are shown, but the electric wire diameters may be three types or more. In any case, the size of the outer shape of the partition members 3 and 4 is the same.

  In FIG. 2, the dividing members 3 and 4 having the same size are combined vertically and horizontally so that the electric wires 1 and 2 having various diameters are arranged at an equal pitch. The outer peripheral surfaces of the partition members 3 and 4 on the outer peripheral side are clamped and fixed by a split-type second mold (not shown), and the outer peripheral surfaces of the partition members 3 and 4 are in close contact with each other with no gap therebetween. The inner surface of the second mold is located on the outer side between the partition members 3 and 4 (more precisely, the partition member combination portion 6), and in this state, the molten rubber between the pair of front and rear partition member combination portions 6 Material (elastomer material) is injected.

  After the rubber material is solidified, the second mold is opened to form the seal member 5 shown in FIG. The seal member 5 of this example has two lip portions 5a on the outer periphery. Outflow of the rubber material in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire is prevented by the partition member combination sections 6 in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire.

  In addition, in FIG. 2, when there is a part which does not use some electric wires 1 and 2, it replaces with the electric wires 1 and 2 and its partition members 3 and 4, and uses the resin member (partition member not shown) without a hole. The gap (rectangular hole) is prevented from opening between the partition members 3 and 4. This prevents the rubber material from flowing out in the longitudinal direction of the wire when the rubber material is injected as shown in FIG.

  Below, one Embodiment of the manufacturing method of the waterproof connector using the waterproofing method of the said electric wire is described. The waterproof connector (not shown) of this example will be described as having an inner housing and an outer housing as in the conventional example of FIG.

  First, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the hard partition members 3 and 4 made of resin are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the end of each of the electric wires 1 and 2.

  Next, a metal terminal (not shown) is connected to the tip of the end of each of the electric wires 1 ′ and 2 ′ with a partition member to form an electric wire with a terminal. The terminals may be connected by pressure welding or pressure bonding. In the pressure welding, the conductors 1a and 2a of the electric wires 1 and 2 are cut between the pair of pressure contact pieces while tearing the insulation coating with the tip blades of the pair of pressure contact pieces of the terminals without peeling off the insulation coatings 1b and 2b of the wires 1 and 2. This is done by press-fitting into the slot. The crimping is performed by peeling off the insulation coatings 1b and 2b of the electric wires 1 and 2 to expose the conductor portions 1a and 2a and crimping a pair of crimp pieces of terminals on the conductor portions 1a and 2a. Terminals are connected efficiently using existing equipment.

  Next, the terminals of the electric wires with terminals are inserted and locked in the terminal accommodating chambers of the connector housing (inner housing not shown) made of insulating resin. Terminal insertion is efficiently performed using existing terminal insertion equipment in a single product state where the electric wires 1 and 2 are separated.

  In a state where all the prepared terminals are inserted into the inner housing, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), the second and second molds 3 and 4 of the electric wires 1 'and 2' are combined (joined) vertically and horizontally. As shown in FIG. 3, the second mold is filled with a rubber material, and the seal member 5 is formed between the pair of front and rear partition member combination portions 6.

  Next, the inner housing and the seal member 5 are inserted into the outer housing, and the rear opening of the outer housing is closed with the seal member 5 to be waterproofed. The front opening of the outer housing is closed and sealed with a hood or a seal ring. A waterproof connector is formed by the above method. This waterproof connector is a waterproof connector having a waterproof structure for the electric wire.

  The outer housing may be a shield shell for electromagnetic shielding (see the conventional example in FIG. 6). As the terminal, a male terminal with a contact pin portion, a female terminal with an elastic contact piece, or the like can be used as appropriate together with various types of connector housings.

  In the waterproof connector manufacturing method, two connector housings, an inner housing and an outer housing, are used. However, in a connector using one connector housing, terminals are inserted into the connector housing and the seal member 5 is inserted. Can be performed simultaneously. The terminals are inserted into the connector housing in a lump.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the electric wires 1 and 2 are arranged in a vertical and horizontal matrix. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the electric wires 1 and 2 are arranged in a staggered manner (shifted alternately). In this case, the shape of the partition members 3 and 4 and the resin member instead thereof is changed to a hexagonal shape instead of a rectangular shape. A seal member 5 having the same shape as that in FIG. 3 is formed in a second mold (not shown) between the pair of front and rear partition member combination portions 6.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the wires 1 and 2 are arranged in multiple stages (four stages) for a multipolar connector. However, the number of stages may be one or two as long as the multipole is not particular. If the number of wires 1 and 2 is at least two, the waterproof structure can be formed.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the partition members 3 and 4 of the electric wires 1 'and 2' are sandwiched and joined by the second mold. However, the partition members 3 and 4 are connected to the mold. When the electric wires 1 and 2 are scattered at the time of arrangement (the respective partition members 3 and 4 are displaced), the respective partition members 3 and 4 are previously bonded to each other with an adhesive or the like (not shown). It is also possible to fix it.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the hard partition members 3 and 4 made of synthetic resin are molded on the electric wires 1 and 2, but the partition members 3 and 4 are made of a rubber material and a soft partition member instead of the synthetic resin. It is also possible to mold.

  Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the partition members 3 and 4 are resin-molded on the electric wires 1 and 2 with a mold, but instead of the resin molding of the partition members 3 and 4, the perforated partition members 3 and 3 are previously formed. 4 may be formed of a synthetic resin or a rubber material, and the partition members 3 and 4 may be extrapolated to a predetermined position of the wires 1 and 2 in a press-fit manner. It is preferable for the inner peripheral surfaces of the holes 3a and 4a of the partition members 3 and 4 to be in close contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the electric wires 1 and 2 without gaps in order to prevent leakage of the sealing material 5 in the subsequent process.

  In addition, the wire waterproofing method and the waterproof structure shown in FIG. 3 are those at the ends of the wires 1 and 2 and correspond to the waterproof connector. 3 is formed, and this seal member 5 is brought into close contact with the inner surface of a rectangular cylindrical wire insertion hole of an electric connection box (not shown), for example, so as to press-fit the wire 1 from the outside. , 2 can also prevent water from entering the electrical junction box.

The first process of the waterproofing method of the electric wire which concerns on this invention is shown, (a) is a perspective view at the time of using a thin electric wire, (b) is a perspective view at the time of using a thick electric wire. Similarly, the second process of the waterproofing method of the electric wire is shown, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a front view. Similarly, a third process of the electric wire waterproofing method, that is, an embodiment of the electric wire waterproof structure is shown, (a) is a perspective view, and (b) is a front view. It is a front view which shows the shape of the division member in the case of arranging an electric wire in zigzag form. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows one form of the waterproof connector provided with the waterproof structure of the conventional electric wire. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the other form of the waterproof connector provided with the waterproof structure of the conventional electric wire.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2 Electric wire 3, 4 Partition member 5 Seal member

Claims (5)

  A pair of front and rear partition members are provided on the outer peripheral side of each of the plurality of electric wires, and a sealing material is filled between the front and rear pair of partition members in a state where the respective partition members of each electric wire are joined together without a gap. A waterproof structure for an electric wire, wherein a sealing member having a diameter larger than that of the partition member is formed.   The waterproof structure for an electric wire according to claim 1, wherein the partition member is molded on the electric wire.   The wire waterproof structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of diameters of the wires are set, and the outer shape of the partition member is the same regardless of the wire diameter.   It is a waterproof connector provided with the waterproof structure of the electric wire in any one of Claims 1-3, Comprising: Each terminal connected to each said electric wire is inserted in a connector housing, The inner surface of the same or another connector housing A waterproof connector characterized in that the sealing member is in close contact with the connector.   In the state where a pair of front and rear partition members are provided on the outer peripheral side of each of the plurality of electric wires, terminals are connected to the respective electric wires, the terminals are inserted into the inner housing, and the respective partition members of the respective electric wires are aligned with no gap therebetween. A seal material is filled between the pair of partition members between the electric wires to form a seal member having a larger diameter than the partition member, and the inner housing and the seal member are inserted into the outer housing. Manufacturing method of waterproof connector.

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