JP2009272253A - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a sealing member from deforming, in a procedure of engaging both housings. <P>SOLUTION: A connector is equipped with a male-side housing 60, a female-side housing 10 which is engageable with the male-side housing 60, and the sealing member 40, engaged in the female-side housing 10 and installed in an engaging region 90 extending in the engaging direction between both the housings 10, 60 for sealing the space between both the housings 10, 60. The sealing member 40 is configured to have a thick wall part 41 located in the backward portion, in the engaging direction of the male-side housing 60, and a thin wall part 42, located on the frontward portion in the engaging direction of the male-side housing 60 and being thinner than the thick wall portion 41, which are accommodated in a thickness which is defined by the engaging region 90. The female-side housing has a protrusion 26 which enters a recess region 46 of the thin wall part 42. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector.

The thing of patent document 1 is known as a waterproof connector. This includes a pair of male and female housings that can be fitted to each other, and a seal member that is fitted to the female housing. The seal member includes a seal body portion provided in a fitting region extending in a fitting direction between the outer peripheral surface of the female housing and the inner peripheral surface of the male housing, and a rear end portion of the seal body portion (fitting of the female housing And a projecting portion provided in a fitting region extending in a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction in a manner extending to a rear end portion in the direction and a front end portion in the fitting direction on the male housing side). The seal body is clamped between the outer peripheral surface of the housing main body of the female housing and the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion of the male housing, and the projecting portion is the base surface of the lock arm of the female housing and the opening surface of the front end of the hood portion. Is held in an elastic state.
JP 2001-319725 A

  By the way, in the process of fitting the two housings, the tip of the hood part presses the outer peripheral surface of the seal body part and pushes the meat at the rear end part of the seal body part toward the overhanging part. The rear end of the seal body may be stretched and turned up. For this reason, there is a problem in that the sealing performance is adversely affected and the fitting resistance between both housings becomes excessive.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent the seal member from being deformed in the process of fitting the two housings.

  As means for achieving the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is fitted to the first housing, the second housing that can be fitted to the first housing, and the second housing. And a sealing member that is provided in a fitting region extending in the fitting direction between the first and second housings and seals between the two housings, and the sealing member is fitted to the first housing. A thick portion located rearward in the mating direction and a thin portion positioned in front of the first housing in the fitting direction and thinner than the thick portion are defined by the fitting region. The second housing is characterized in that a protrusion is formed in the second housing so as to enter the recessed area of the thin portion.

  The invention of claim 2 is the one according to claim 1, wherein the recessed portion of the thin-walled portion has a first surface arranged along the fitting direction, and a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction, Or it is divided by the 2nd surface which inclines in the shape of an overhang to the rear of the fitting direction of the 1st housing, and has the feature in which the above-mentioned projection is the shape which fits the above-mentioned dent field.

  A third aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the protrusion has a wedge shape with respect to the recessed region of the thin portion.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the first housing according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the first housing is fitted to the outer peripheral surfaces of the thick part and the thin part when the two housings are fitted together. A lip that is in close contact with the opposite surface is formed, and the lip height position of the thin portion is lower than the lip height position of the thick portion.

<Invention of Claim 1>
A thick portion of the seal member is disposed behind the first housing in the fitting direction, and fits within the thickness of the fitting region extending in the fitting direction between the two housings. Since the protrusion of the second housing enters the recessed area of the thin portion, the first housing fits the seal member in the fitting direction of the two housings. Even if it is going to be stretched, the amount of elongation is kept small by the thin part. As a result, it is possible to prevent the seal member from being deformed in the process of fitting the two housings.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the recessed area of the thin wall portion is defined by the first and second surfaces, both surfaces intersect at right angles or in an over-nang shape, and the protrusion is shaped to fit the recessed area, the fitting of the first housing It is possible to avoid displacement of the seal member following the combined operation, and to more reliably prevent the seal member from being deformed.

<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the protrusion bites into the recessed area of the thin wall portion in a wedge shape, it is possible to more reliably avoid the displacement of the seal member following the fitting operation of the first housing, and the seal member I can definitely avoid turning up.

<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the height position of the lip of the thin-walled portion is lower than the height position of the lip of the thick-walled portion, the engagement between the first housing and the lip of the thin-walled portion can be reduced or eliminated, and the amount of elongation of the thin-walled portion can be reduced. It can be kept smaller.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector of this embodiment includes a pair of male and female housings 10 and 60 that can be fitted to each other, a pair of male and female terminal fittings 70 and 80 that are accommodated in both housings 10 and 60, and a female housing 10 (" And a sealing member 40 fitted to the second housing ”. In the following description, in the front-rear direction, the mutual fitting surface side of both housings 10 and 60 is the front.

  The male housing 60 (corresponding to the “first housing” of the present invention) is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 1, a tube protruding forward from the front peripheral edge of the terminal mounting portion 61. It is comprised by the shape-shaped food | hood part 62. FIG. A pin-shaped male terminal fitting 70 is attached to the terminal mounting portion 61, and the tip end portion of the male terminal fitting 70 is disposed in a protruding state in the hood portion 62. A lock portion 64 protrudes from the upper surface of the hood portion 62.

  The female housing 10 is also made of a synthetic resin, and includes a housing main body 12 having a cavity 11 into which the female terminal fitting 80 can be inserted, and a cylindrical fitting cylindrical portion 13 surrounding the housing main body 12. A hood portion 62 can enter between the housing body 12 and the fitting cylinder portion 13 from the front. A bendable lance 14 that prevents the female terminal fitting 80 from coming off is formed on the inner wall of the cavity 11 so as to protrude forward.

  The female terminal fitting 80 has a box-shaped connection main body 81 on the front side and an open barrel-shaped barrel portion 82 on the rear side. The connection main body 81 is connected to a male terminal fitting 70 that is inserted inside the housings 10 and 60, and the barrel portion 82 is connected to the terminal portion of the electric wire 88 by caulking. A rubber plug 89 is fitted to the terminal portion of the electric wire 88, and the barrel portion 82 is connected to the electric wire 88 by caulking with the rubber plug 89. The rubber plug 89 seals the inside of the housing body 12 in a liquid-tight manner by being in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire 88 and the inner peripheral surface of the cavity 11.

  A lock arm 15 is disposed between the housing main body 12 and the fitting cylinder portion 13. As shown in FIG. 4, the lock arm 15 includes a pair of leg portions 16 extending in a width direction rising from a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the housing body 12, and an arm main body 17 extending in the front-rear direction from the upper end of the leg portion 16. . A lock hole 18 into which the lock portion 64 is elastically fitted when the housings 10 and 60 are properly fitted is formed in the front portion of the arm body 17 so as to penetrate in the vertical direction (height direction). A step-like release operation portion 19 that is pressed when the two housings 10 and 60 in the fitted state are detached is formed at the rear portion of the arm body 17.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a first step 21 and a second step 22 are sequentially formed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing main body 12 in front of the leg portion 16 of the lock arm 15. The height position of the first flat surface 23 arranged from the leg 16 to the first step 21 is the height of the second flat surface 24 arranged from the first step 21 to the second step 22. The height position of the third flat surface 25 which is higher than the position and is arranged from the second step 22 to the front end of the housing body 12 is lower than the height position of the second flat surface 24. The wall thickness between the outer peripheral surface of the housing main body 12 and the inner peripheral surface of the cavity 11 gradually decreases from the root of the leg portion 16 of the lock arm 15 to the front end through the steps 21 and 22. The housing body 12 is formed with a substantially rectangular block-shaped protrusion 26 defined by the second flat surface 24 and the second step 22.

  When both housings 10 and 60 are in a fitted state, there is a front-rear direction (both housings 10 and 60) between the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 62 and the second and third flat surfaces 24 and 25 of the housing body 12. The fitting region 90 extending in the fitting direction 60 is formed, and the entire seal member 40 is accommodated therein.

  Now, as shown in FIG. 5, the seal member 40 has an annular shape as a whole, and has a thick portion 41 located on the front side (rear in the fitting direction of the male housing 60) and a thick portion located on the rear side. The thin portion 42 is thinner than 41 and is disposed in the fitting region 90 in an elastic state. The inner peripheral side of the thin portion 42 is connected to the first surface 44 disposed substantially horizontally along the front-rear direction (the fitting direction of both housings 10 and 60), and the back end of the first surface 44, It is configured as a recessed region 46 that is partitioned into a substantially L shape by a second surface 45 arranged substantially vertically along the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the fitting direction). The thickness of the thick portion 41 is equal to the value obtained by adding the thickness of the thin portion 42 and the length of the second surface 45, and constitutes the maximum thickness (including a lip 47 described later) portion of the entire seal member 40. . The front and rear length of the thick portion 41 is longer than half of the front and rear length of the entire seal member 40, and is about two-thirds of the front and rear length of the entire seal member 40. The front and rear length of the thin portion 42 is The length of the entire sealing member 40 is about one-third of the longitudinal length. The protrusion 26 of the housing main body 12 fits in the recessed area 46. Moreover, the recessed area | region 46 and the protrusion 26 are formed over the perimeter of the circumferential direction. In addition, the corner | angular of the back end where the 1st and 2nd both surfaces 44 and 45 cross | intersect is rounded, and the corner | angular part of the protrusion 26 is also rounded.

  On the outer peripheral surface of the seal member 40, a plurality of lips 47, in detail, three front and rear lips 47 are formed to circulate. Of these, the two front and rear lips 47 are thin lips 48, the middle lip 47 is a thick lip 49, and the front small lip 48 and the large lip 49 are formed in the thick portion 41. A small lip 48 on the rear side is formed in the thin portion 42. In this case, the height positions of the lips 47 are almost the same. When the seal member 40 is fitted to the housing body 12, the height position (projecting end position) of each lip 47 is located outside the first flat surface 23, and the root position of each lip 47 is the first position. It is located inside the first flat surface 23 and outside the second flat surface 24. When the two housings 10 and 60 are in the fitted state, only the lip 47 in the seal member 40 is in contact with the hood portion 62 and is crushed.

Next, the effect of this embodiment is demonstrated.
A female terminal fitting 80 with a rubber plug 89 is inserted into the cavity 11 of the female housing 10 from the rear, and the normally inserted female terminal fitting 80 is prevented from being removed by the lance 14, and the rubber plug 89 is used to seal the seal in the cavity 11. Take. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the seal member 40 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the housing body 12, and the seal member 40 is arranged in the fitting region 90. As a result, the protrusion 26 is fitted into the recessed region 46 of the thin portion 42, and the entire inner peripheral surface of the seal member 40 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the housing body 12.

  Subsequently, both the housings 10 and 60 are opposed to each other, and the female housing 10 is fitted to the male housing 60 from this state. As shown in FIG. 1, when the two housings 10 and 60 are properly fitted, the lock arm 15 is elastically locked to the lock portion 64, and the two housings 10 and 60 are held in the fitted state. Both male and female terminal fittings 70, 80 are electrically connected. The seal member 40 is sandwiched between the housings 10 and 60 in the height direction (vertical direction) in a compressed state in a fitting region 90 between the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 62 and the outer peripheral surface of the housing body 12. Is sealed in a liquid-tight manner.

  By the way, in the process of fitting the two housings 10 and 60, as shown in FIG. 2, the lip 47 of the seal member 40 is slidably contacted with the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 62, and the seal member 40 is brought into contact with the progress of the fitting. On the other hand, a pulling force in the backward direction (the fitting direction of the male housing 60) is applied. The lip 47 of the thin portion 42 is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 62 from the final stage of the fitting to the fitting completion position. However, since the extension amount of the seal member 40 is suppressed by the thin portion 42, the seal The deformation of the member 40 is prevented. For this reason, the rear end side of the seal member 40 does not turn up to the outside due to the first step 21, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in sealing performance and to suppress an increase in fitting resistance. In particular, the recessed area 46 of the thin-walled portion 42 is defined by the first and second both surfaces 44, 45, the both surfaces 44, 45 intersect at substantially right angles, and the protrusion 26 has a shape that fits the recessed area 46. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the displacement of the seal member 40 following the fitting operation of the male housing 60, and to prevent the deformation of the seal member 40 more reliably.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the shape of the recessed area 46A of the thin-walled portion 42 and the shape of the protrusion 26A are different from those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same structural parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the housing main body 12 is formed with a first step 21 in front of the base of the leg portion 16 of the lock arm 15, and the first step 21 located rearward with the first step 21 as a boundary. The flat surface 23 is arranged one step higher than the second flat surface 24 located in front. The protrusion 26A is formed so as to protrude forward from an intermediate portion in the height direction of the first step 21 so as to surround the housing body 12 over the entire circumference. In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the housing body 12 does not have the second step 22 and the third flat surface 25.

  When both housings 10A and 60 are in the fitted state, there is a front-rear direction (the fitting direction of both housings 10A and 60) between the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 62 and the second flat surface 24 of the housing body 12. ) Is formed, and the entire sealing member 40A is accommodated therein.

  The sealing member 40A is formed with a recessed area 46A into which the protrusion 26A enters in a fit state. Specifically, the recessed area 46A includes a pair of upper and lower first surfaces 44A arranged along the front-rear direction and facing each other in parallel, and the upper and lower directions (fitting) connected to the inner ends of the first surfaces 44A. And a second surface 45A arranged along the direction orthogonal to the direction. Further, the recessed area 46A is arranged over the entire circumference in the middle portion in the thickness direction of the seal member 40A, and is shallower than half of the entire length of the seal member 40A and about 3 minutes of the length of the entire seal member 40. It has a form that opens only to the rear surface of the sealing member 40A with a depth reaching 1. As in the first embodiment, the seal member 40 </ b> A includes a thin portion 42 corresponding to the recessed region 46 </ b> A and a thick portion 41 other than the thin portion 42. An annular groove 51 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is formed around the inner circumferential surface of the inner circumferential surface of the seal member 40A.

  In the process of fitting the two housings 10A and 60, although the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 62 is in sliding contact with the lip 47 of the seal member 40A, the extension of the seal member 40A is suppressed to be small by the thin portion 42 and the protrusion 26A. As a result, the seal member 40A is prevented from being displaced following the fitting operation of the male housing 60 by entering the recessed area 46A. Further, when the protrusion 26A enters the recessed area 46A, the seal member 40A is integrally held by the housing body 12, and the deformation of the seal member 40A is reliably suppressed.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 9 shows Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the third embodiment, of the front, middle, and rear three lips 47 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the seal member 40B, the rear side (front side in the fitting direction of the male housing 60) formed on the thin portion 42 is a small lip. The height position (outer end position) of 48 A is lower than the height positions of the front small lip 48 and the large lip 49 formed in the thick portion 41. The height positions of the front small lip 48 and the large lip 49 are all at the same height position. Others are the same as in the second embodiment.

  According to the third embodiment, the engagement margin when the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 62 and the lip 48A of the thin portion 42 are in sliding contact with each other in the process of fitting the two housings 10 and 60 is small or is in a non-sliding contact state. The margin can be eliminated, and the amount of extension of the thin wall portion 42 is suppressed to be smaller, and as a result, the deformation of the seal member 40B is more reliably prevented.

<Embodiment 4>
FIG. 10 shows Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In the fourth embodiment, the protruding portion 26E has a pointed tip shape, whereby the leading end side of the protruding portion 26E is wedged into the rear surface of the seal member 40E. A cut-out recessed region 46E extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the middle of the height direction of the rear surface of the seal member 40E so as to open to the rear surface. The seal member 40 </ b> E includes a thin portion 42 corresponding to the recessed region 46 </ b> E and a thick portion 41 other than the thin portion 42. The protrusion 26E enters the recessed area 46E as the housing body 12 is assembled, and the recessed area 46E is slightly expanded. Others are the same as in the second embodiment.

  According to the fourth embodiment, since the protrusion 26E enters the recessed area 46E of the seal member 40E in a state of biting, the seal member 40E is tightly integrated with the housing body 12, so that the seal member 40E is further deformed. It is surely prevented.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the first to third embodiments, the second surface of the recessed region is inclined in an overhanging manner to the front of the seal member (rear in the fitting direction of the male housing) so as to intersect the first surface at an acute angle. Form may be sufficient. According to this, it is possible to more reliably prevent the seal member from being displaced following the fitting operation of the male housing.
(2) The configuration of the lip shown in the third embodiment can be applied to the seal member of the first embodiment.
(3) In the first to third embodiments, the protrusion may be loosely fitted in the recessed area.
(4) In the fourth embodiment, the recessed area may have a shape that matches the protrusion.

In Embodiment 1 of this invention, it is sectional drawing when both housings are in a regular fitting state. It is sectional drawing when both housings are in the middle of fitting. It is sectional drawing by the side of a female housing. It is a front view of a female housing. It is sectional drawing of a sealing member. In Embodiment 2, it is sectional drawing by the side of a female housing. It is sectional drawing when both housings are in a regular fitting state. It is sectional drawing of a sealing member. In Embodiment 3, it is sectional drawing of a sealing member. In Embodiment 4, it is sectional drawing to which the mounting state of the sealing member was expanded.

Explanation of symbols

10, 10A ... female-side housing (second housing)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Housing main body 26, 26A, 26E ... Projection part 40, 40A, 40B, 40E ... Seal member 41 ... Thick part 42 ... Thin part 44, 44A ... 1st surface 45, 45A ... 2nd surface 46, 46A 46E ... Recessed area 47 ... Lip 60 ... Male housing (first housing)
62 ... Hood part 90 ... Mating area

Claims (4)

A first housing, a second housing that can be fitted to the first housing, and a second housing that are fitted to the second housing, and extend in a fitting direction between the first and second housings. A sealing member that is provided in the fitted region and seals between both housings,
The seal member has a thick portion positioned rearward in the fitting direction of the first housing, and a thin portion positioned in front of the first housing in the fitting direction and thinner than the thick portion. Configured to accommodate these within the thickness defined by the fitting region,
The waterproof connector, wherein the second housing is formed with a protrusion that enters the recessed area of the thin portion.   The recessed area of the thin wall portion is overhanging along the first surface arranged along the fitting direction, along the direction orthogonal to the fitting direction, or backward in the fitting direction of the first housing. 2. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the waterproof connector is partitioned by a second surface arranged at an inclination, and the protrusion has a shape that fits into the recessed region.   The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion has a wedge shape with respect to the recessed area of the thin portion. Each outer peripheral surface of the thick part and the thin part is formed with a lip that is in close contact with the opposing surface of the first housing when the two housings are fitted.
The waterproof connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a height position of the lip of the thin portion is lower than a height position of the lip of the thick portion.

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