JP2010102943A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a seal performance of a lump rubber closure from deteriorating when an electrical wire suffers from external force in a direction crossing a direction in which the electrical wire penetrates the lump rubber closure. <P>SOLUTION: A rear member 40 provided posterior to a lump rubber closure 30 includes a rear plate 41R (movable member) displaceable in a direction crossing a penetrating direction of an electrical wire 23 in a seal hole 31. By movement of the rear plate 41R, a through-hole 52 of the rear member 40 is displaced between a penetrating-permission state for permitting penetration of a terminal fixture 20 and an electrical wire 23 in the through-hole 52 with its opening area being broadened and a displacement limiting state for limiting displacement of the electrical wire in a direction crossing the penetrating direction of the electrical wire 23 in the through-hole 52 with the opening area being narrowed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

Patent Document 1 describes a waterproof connector using a batch rubber stopper. This connector has a housing having a plurality of cavities inside and a collective rubber plug attached in a receiving recess at the rear end of the housing, and the collective rubber plug has a plurality of seal holes corresponding to each cavity. Are formed penetrating in the front-rear direction. In a state where the terminal fitting is housed in the cavity, the inner circumference of the seal hole is in close contact with the electric wire connected to the rear end of the terminal fitting and penetrating the seal hole, so that the seal hole is sealed. Infiltration through the cavity into the cavity is prevented. Further, the outer periphery of the collective rubber plug is in liquid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the housing recess, thereby preventing water from entering the cavity along the outer surface of the collective rubber plug.
JP 2006-324161 A

  In the above connector, there is a risk that the collective rubber plug may be illegally deformed due to the rigidity of the electric wire when the electric wire led through the collective rubber plug is displaced in the direction crossing the direction penetrating the collective rubber plug. is there. If the lump rubber plug is deformed improperly, the lump rubber plug will be separated from the inner peripheral surface of the receiving recess, or the inner periphery of the seal hole may be separated from the outer peripheral surface of the wire. The sealing performance of the stopper will deteriorate.

  The present invention has been completed on the basis of the above circumstances, and when the external force in the direction intersecting the direction in which the electric wire penetrates the collective rubber plug is received behind the collective rubber plug, the collective rubber plug It aims at preventing that the sealing performance of this falls.

  As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that a plurality of cavities are formed inside, and a receiving recess is formed in which the rear end face is recessed and communicates with the plurality of cavities. A plurality of seal holes formed so as to penetrate the housing corresponding to the plurality of cavities, and a lump rubber stopper attached in the housing recess, and the seal holes from the rear through the seal holes. A plurality of terminal fittings inserted therein, and the inner periphery of the seal hole is in close contact with the outer periphery of the electric wire connected to the rear end of the terminal fitting and penetrating through the seal hole, In the connector in which the outer periphery of the collective rubber plug is in liquid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the housing recess, a through hole corresponding to the seal hole is provided at a position behind the collective rubber plug in the housing. Hole The formed rear member is provided, and the rear member includes a movable member movable in a direction intersecting a penetration direction of the electric wire in the seal hole, and the penetration member is moved by moving the movable member. The hole extends in the opening area to allow the terminal fitting and the electric wire to pass through the through hole, and narrows the opening area in a direction intersecting the penetration direction of the electric wire in the through hole. It is characterized in that it is displaced between a displacement regulation state that regulates displacement.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the rear member includes a front plate and a rear plate that overlap each other in a plate shape that is substantially perpendicular to a direction in which the electric wires penetrate the collective rubber plug. And at least one of the front plate and the rear plate is the movable member.

  The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, the rear member is provided with a lock portion capable of holding the through hole in a displacement restricted state.

  The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the rear member includes a guide portion for guiding the movable member.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the rear member regulates the rearward release of the collective rubber plug by contacting the rear surface of the collective rubber plug. It has the feature in the place where it comes to be.

<Invention of Claims 1 and 2>
When inserting the terminal fitting into the cavity, the through hole is allowed to pass. After inserting the terminal fitting, if the movable member is moved to place the through hole in a displacement restricted state, in the through hole located at the rear of the collective rubber plug, the electric wire passes through the collective rubber plug. Displacement in the intersecting direction is restricted. As a result, even if the electric wire is bent in a direction intersecting with the direction penetrating the collective rubber plug behind the rear member, the influence of the bending does not reach the collective rubber plug. Therefore, there is no possibility that the sealing performance of the collective rubber stopper is lowered.

<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the rear member can be locked in the displacement restricted state by the lock portion, the displacement of the electric wire can be reliably restricted.

<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the movable member can be moved along the predetermined path by the guide portion, the through hole can be reliably displaced from the through-permitted state to the displacement restricted state.

<Invention of Claim 5>
Since the rear member also has a function of regulating the rearward removal of the collective rubber plug, a dedicated part for regulating the rearward release of the collective rubber plug is unnecessary.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The connector of this embodiment includes a housing 10, a plurality of terminal fittings 20, a collective rubber plug 30, and a rear member 40.

  An accommodation recess 11 having a recessed rear end surface is formed at the rear end of the housing 10. The housing recess 11 is opened in a substantially rectangular shape with four corners formed in a semicircular arc shape on the rear end surface of the housing 10, and the inner peripheral surface of the housing recess 11 is a sealing surface. A plurality of cavities 12 penetrating from the front end surface of the housing 10 to the back end surface (front end surface) of the housing recess 11 are formed. A terminal fitting 20 is inserted into the cavity 12.

  The terminal fitting 20 is elongated in the front-rear direction as a whole. A front end side portion of the terminal fitting 20 is a box-shaped terminal connection portion 21, which functions as a connection means with a mating terminal not shown. The rear end portion of the terminal fitting 20 is an open barrel-shaped crimping portion 22, and the crimping portion 22 is connected to the front end portion of the electric wire 23 so as to be electrically conductive by crimping. The connected electric wire 23 extends to the rear of the terminal fitting 20 so as to follow the length direction of the terminal fitting 20. The front shape of the terminal fitting 20 is a vertically long rectangle as a whole, and the vertical dimension of the terminal fitting 20 is larger than the width dimension. Further, the outer diameter of the electric wire 23 is smaller than the width dimension of the terminal fitting 20.

  The collective rubber plug 30 as a whole has a substantially rectangular plate shape with a large thickness dimension in the front-rear direction and four corners formed into a semicircular arc. The collective rubber plug 30 is fitted into the housing recess 11 from the rear, and the front end surface of the collective rubber plug 30 is in contact with the back end surface of the containment recess 11 or facing the back end surface with a slight gap. In a state where the collective rubber plug 30 is accommodated in the accommodation recess 11, a space for accommodating the rear member 40 is secured behind the collective rubber plug 30 in the accommodation recess 11.

  The outer periphery of the collective rubber plug 30 is in close contact with the sealing surface (inner peripheral surface) of the housing recess 11 in an elastic and liquid-tight manner over the entire circumference. Inundation through the gap between the stopper 30 and the outer periphery is prevented. The collective rubber plug 30 is formed with a plurality of seal holes 31 penetrating in the front-rear direction so as to correspond to the cavity 12.

  The rear member 40 is configured by combining a front plate 41F and a rear plate 41R (movable members which are constituent elements of the present invention) so as to overlap each other. The front plate 41F is made of a synthetic resin (a material having higher rigidity than the batch rubber plug 30), and has a substantially rectangular plate shape that is substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the electric wires 23 pass through the batch rubber plug 30. The rear plate 41R is separate from the front plate 41F and is made of synthetic resin. The rear plate 41R has a substantially rectangular plate shape that is substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the electric wires 23 pass through the batch rubber plug 30.

  A plurality of front window holes 42F corresponding to the seal holes 31 are formed in the front plate 41F so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction. On the rear surface of the front plate 41F, a pair of upper and lower lock protrusions 43 (a lock part, which is a constituent element of the present invention) are formed, and a pair of steps is formed below the lower lock protrusion 43. A receiving portion 47 (a lock portion which is a constituent requirement of the present invention) is formed. A pair of left and right lock arms 44 protrude from the left and right side edges of the front plate 41F. Further, on the front plate 41F, a pair of rails 45 linearly extending in the vertical direction (a direction perpendicular to the direction of penetration of the electric wire 23 in the seal hole 31) along the left and right side edges thereof protrude in a rib shape toward the rear surface side. The rail 45 forms a pair of left and right guide grooves 46 (guide portions that are constituent elements of the present invention). The pair of guide grooves 46 are notched so as to open toward each other, and both upper and lower ends are open.

  In the rear plate 41R, a plurality of rear window holes 42R corresponding to the seal holes 31 are formed penetrating in the front-rear direction. The opening shape and opening area of the rear window hole 42R are the same as those of the front window hole 42F. The rear plate 41R is formed with a pair of left and right elastic lock pieces 48 (a lock portion, which is a constituent feature of the present invention) that are paired up and down so as to correspond to the lock protrusion 43. The elastic lock piece 48 is cantilevered downward and can be elastically bent in the front-rear direction. A locking projection 49 is formed on the front surface of the lower end portion of the elastic lock piece 48. The rear plate 41R has a pair of guide ribs 50 extending linearly in the vertical direction (a direction perpendicular to the direction of penetration of the electric wire 23 in the seal hole 31) along the left and right side edges thereof (guide portions which are constituent elements of the present invention). Is formed. Further, a stopper 51 (a lock portion which is a constituent feature of the present invention) is formed at the upper ends of the pair of guide ribs 50.

  The front plate 41F and the rear plate 41R are assembled by sliding the guide rib 50 in parallel with the plate surfaces of both the plates 41F and 41R by fitting the guide rib 50 into the guide groove 46 from above the front plate 41F. It is composed. In the assembled state, the rear surface of the front plate 41F is opposed to the front surface of the rear plate 41R in contact with the surface or with a slight clearance. The front window hole 42F of the front plate 41F and the rear window hole 42R of the rear plate 41R correspond (align) each other at least in part of the opening area. By aligning both the window holes 42F and 42R, the rear member 40 is formed with a plurality of through holes 52 penetrating in the front-rear direction.

  The rear plate 41R slides the guide rib 50 into the guide groove 46 while allowing the front plate 41F to pass through (see FIGS. 2 and 12) and a displacement restricting position (see FIG. 2) below the penetrable position. 1, see FIG. 11). In the state in which the rear plate 41R is in the permissible through position, as shown in FIG. 2, the front window hole 42F and the rear window hole 42R are perfectly aligned, and the through hole 52 has its opening area (opening area) widened. It will be in a penetrable state. Further, in a state where the rear plate 41R is in the displacement restricting position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the rear window hole 42R is displaced below the alignment position with respect to the front window hole 42F, and the through hole 52 becomes a displacement regulation state in which the opening region (opening area) is narrowed.

  In the through-permitted state and the displacement restricted state, the opening width of the through-hole 52 has the same dimension, but the vertical dimension of the through-hole 52 is different. The width dimension of the through hole 52 is slightly larger than the width dimension of the terminal fitting 20. The vertical dimension of the through hole 52 in the through-permitted state is slightly larger than the vertical dimension of the terminal fitting 20. The vertical dimension of the through hole 52 in the displacement restricted state is smaller than the vertical dimension of the terminal fitting 20, and the electric wire 23 is greatly displaced in the vertical direction (direction intersecting with the through direction of the electric wire 23 in the seal hole 31). It becomes a small dimension that cannot be performed (a dimension that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the electric wire 23).

  The rear member 40 is assembled into the housing 10 by being housed in the housing recess 11 from the rear, and the lock arm 44 is locked to protrusions (not shown) on both the left and right outer surfaces of the housing 10. The separation from the housing 10 is restricted. Since the lock arm 44 is formed on the front plate 41F, the front plate 41F does not move relative to the housing 10 and the batch rubber plug 30. The front surface of the front plate 41F is opposed to the rear surface of the collective rubber plug 30 in a contact state or with a slight clearance. That is, the rear member 40 restricts the collective rubber plug 30 in the housing recess 11 from being released rearward. Since the rear member 40 also has a function of restricting the detachment of the collective rubber plug 30 to the rear, a dedicated part for regulating the detachment of the collective rubber plug 30 to the rear is not necessary.

  When the terminal fitting 20 is inserted into the cavity 12 of the housing 10, the rear plate 41 </ b> R is moved to the penetrable position, and the through hole 52 is allowed to penetrate. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the downward movement of the rear plate 41R is restricted by the engagement protrusion 49 of the upper elastic lock piece 48 engaging with the upper lock protrusion 43 from above. . Further, the engaging protrusion 49 of the lower elastic locking piece 48 engages with the lower locking protrusion 43 from below, and the upper surface of the rear plate 41R comes into contact with the upper surface of the housing recess 11, whereby the rear plate The upward movement of 41R is restricted. As a result, the rear plate 41R is locked at the permissible penetration position, and the through hole 52 is held in the permissible penetration state.

  In this state, the terminal fitting 20 is inserted into the through hole 52 of the rear member 40 from the rear. The inserted terminal fitting 20 passes through the seal hole 31 of the batch rubber plug 30 and is inserted into the cavity 12. In a state where the terminal fitting 20 is inserted at the regular position, the electric wire 23 passes through the seal hole 31 and the through hole 52 and is led out to the rear of the housing 10. The inner periphery of the seal hole 31 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire 23 in an elastic and liquid-tight manner over the entire periphery. Infiltration into the cavity 12 through the gap is prevented. Further, the electric wire 23 is located at the lower end in the through hole 52.

  When the insertion of the terminal fitting 20 is completed, the rear plate 41R is moved to the lower displacement regulating position. In the process of movement, the upper elastic lock piece 48 elastically bends backward so that the locking protrusion 49 gets over the upper lock protrusion 43. When the rear plate 41R reaches the displacement restricting position, as shown in FIG. 11, the locking projection 49 of the lower elastic locking piece 48 is locked from above with respect to the stepped receiving portion 47, and the stopper 51 Is in contact with the upper end surface of the rail 45, the rear plate 41R is restricted from moving downward. Further, the upper elastic locking piece 48 is elastically restored and the engaging projection 49 is engaged with the upper locking projection 43 from below, so that the upward movement of the rear plate 41R is restricted. Accordingly, the rear plate 41R is locked at the displacement restricting position, and the through hole 52 is held in the displacement restricting state.

  In this state, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the upper edge of the rear window hole 42R approaches the electric wire 23 from above, so that the upward displacement of the electric wire 23 is restricted. Further, the electric wire 23 is restricted from moving downward by contacting the lower edge of the front window hole 42F. Moreover, since the width dimension of the through-hole 52 is only slightly larger than the outer diameter of the electric wire 23, the movement of the electric wire 23 in the left-right direction is also restricted. Therefore, even when the electric wire 23 is bent in the vertical or horizontal direction intersecting the direction penetrating the collective rubber plug 30 behind the rear member 40, the influence of the bending does not reach the collective rubber plug 30. Therefore, there is no possibility that the sealing performance of the collective rubber plug 30 is lowered.

<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 above embodiment, the front plate is fixed and the rear plate is moved. However, the rear plate may be fixed and the front plate may be moved, or both the front plate and the rear plate are moved. You may do it.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the rear member regulates the rearward release of the collective rubber plug by abutting against the rear surface of the collective rubber plug. You may control the back | release from the back of a rubber stopper.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the rear member is configured by two plates stacked in the front-rear direction. However, the rear member may be arranged so that the two members overlap in the front-rear direction.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the rear member is constituted by two parts, but the rear member may be constituted by three or more parts. In this case, all the parts may be movable, or only a part of the parts may be movable.

Sectional drawing when the through hole is held in the displacement restricted state in the first embodiment Sectional view when the through-hole is held in a through-permitted state Rear view of rear member Front plate rear view BB sectional view of FIG. Front plate top view Rear view of rear plate CC sectional view of FIG. Top view of rear plate AA line sectional view of FIG. Sectional view showing the lock structure for holding the through hole in the displacement restricted state Sectional view showing the lock structure for holding the through hole in the through-permitted state

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Housing 11 ... Housing recessed part 12 ... Cavity 20 ... Terminal metal fitting 23 ... Electric wire 30 ... Collective rubber stopper 31 ... Seal hole 40 ... Rear member 41F ... Front plate 41R ... Rear plate (movable member)
43 ... Lock protrusion (lock part)
46 ... Guide groove (guide part)
47 ... Stepped receiving part (lock part)
48 ... Elastic lock piece (lock part)
50 ... Guide rib (guide part)
51 ... Stopper (lock part)
52 ... Through hole

Claims (5)

A plurality of cavities formed therein, a housing in a form in which a rear end surface is recessed and an accommodation recess communicating with the plurality of cavities is formed;
A plurality of seal holes are formed so as to pass through corresponding to the plurality of cavities, and a batch rubber plug attached in the housing recess,
A plurality of terminal fittings inserted into the cavity through the seal hole from behind,
The inner periphery of the seal hole is connected to the rear end of the terminal fitting and is in close contact with the outer periphery of the electric wire penetrating the seal hole in a liquid-tight manner,
In the connector in which the outer periphery of the collective rubber plug is in liquid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the housing recess,
A rear member having a through hole corresponding to the seal hole is provided at a position behind the collective rubber plug in the housing,
The rear member is configured to include a movable member that is movable in a direction that intersects the direction of penetration of the electric wire in the seal hole,
When the movable member moves, the through hole expands its opening area and allows the terminal fitting and the electric wire to pass through the through hole, and narrows the opening area in the through hole. A connector that is displaced between a displacement regulation state that regulates displacement in a direction that intersects the penetration direction of the electric wire. The rear member is a form in which a front plate and a rear plate that are formed in a plate shape substantially perpendicular to a direction in which the electric wires pass through the collective rubber plug are stacked in front and rear,
The connector according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the front plate and the rear plate is the movable member.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the rear member includes a lock portion that can hold the through hole in a displacement restricted state.   The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rear member includes a guide portion that guides the movable member.   5. The rear member is configured to regulate rearward release of the collective rubber plug by contacting the rear surface of the collective rubber plug. Connector described in.

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