JP2010225320A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector of which the connector cover hardly falls off, even if a force in the rotating direction acts on the connector housing. <P>SOLUTION: The connector C has a connector housing 10 and a connector cover 20 bending an electric wire W drawn out from a rear face of the connector housing 10 in a specified direction. The connector cover 20 has a locking piece 23, in which a locking hole 24 is formed, and the connector housing 10 is provided with a locking projection 16 for locking with the locking hole 24, and on the connector cover 20 and the connector housing 10, there is arranged a concavo-convex engaging structure 30 for engaging each other and regulating a connector cover 20 from moving in the rotating direction with respect to the connector housing 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector having a connector cover.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a connector having a connector cover that bends an electric wire drawn from a connector housing in a predetermined direction. For example, in the connector described in Patent Document 1, the connector cover is attached to the rear surface side of the connector housing, and holds the electric wire drawn from the rear surface of the connector housing in a state bent in a substantially right angle direction. . The connector cover is provided with an engagement piece in which an engagement hole is formed, and the connector housing is provided with an engagement protrusion that engages with the engagement hole. Due to the engagement, the connector cover is held attached to the connector housing.

JP 2001-35588 A

  By the way, when the electric wire bent in the predetermined direction by the connector cover is further bent in another direction, a force acts on the connector cover as the electric wire moves. For example, in the connector as described above, when the electric wire bent downward by the connector cover is bent so as to be lifted sideways, a force in the direction of rotation with respect to the connector housing acts on the connector cover. To do. Then, the connector cover moves in the rotation direction due to the force in the rotation direction, and the engagement piece rides on the engagement protrusion of the connector housing, and the engagement protrusion and the engagement hole may be disengaged.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector in which the connector cover is unlikely to come off even if a force in the direction of rotation with respect to the connector housing acts on the connector cover. And

The connector of the present invention is a connector having a connector housing and a connector cover for bending an electric wire drawn from the rear surface of the connector housing in a predetermined direction, and the connector cover has an engagement hole formed therein. The connector housing is provided with an engagement protrusion that engages with the engagement hole. The connector cover and the connector housing are fitted to each other so as to be connected to the connector housing. A concave-convex fitting structure is provided to restrict the movement of the connector cover in the rotational direction.
According to such a configuration, since the concave-convex fitting structure restricts the movement of the connector cover in the rotation direction, even if a force in the direction of rotation with respect to the connector housing acts on the connector cover, the connector cover is removed from the connector housing. It can be made difficult to come off.

The connector housing has a cavity for accommodating a terminal fitting fixed to the end of the electric wire, and the concave / convex fitting structure is provided in a fitting recess provided on a rear surface of the connector housing and the connector cover. And the fitting recess is formed below the opening of the cavity on the rear surface of the connector housing and on the side of the connector housing. It is good also as what has comprised the open form.
According to such a configuration, the water accumulated in the fitting recess flows downward from the cavity. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water from flowing out from the fitting recess and entering the cavity.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if the force of the direction of rotation with respect to a connector housing acts on a connector cover, the connector which a connector cover cannot remove easily can be provided.

Front view of the connector according to the present embodiment Top view Front view of connector cover Side view Top view Bottom view Perspective view seen from diagonally below

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The connector C in the present embodiment has a connector housing 10 and a connector cover 20 that bends the electric wire W drawn from the rear surface of the connector housing 10 in a predetermined direction. Hereinafter, in each component, the vertical direction in FIG. 1 will be referred to as the vertical direction, and the fitting surface side of the connector C with the mating connector will be referred to as the front, and the opposite side as the rear.

The connector housing 10 is formed of a synthetic resin, and includes a terminal housing portion 11 that can accommodate a terminal fitting (not shown) fixed to the end of the electric wire W and an outer cylinder portion 12 that surrounds the terminal housing portion 11.
The terminal accommodating portion 11 has a prismatic shape with a substantially rectangular cross section that is slightly longer in the width direction. In the terminal accommodating portion 11, cavities 13 into which terminal fittings can be inserted from the rear are arranged in four chambers at predetermined intervals in the width direction and the height direction. A lance 14 protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of each cavity 13 in a cantilevered manner, and the lance 14 elastically locks the terminal fitting accommodated in the cavity 13 to prevent rearward withdrawal. It has become so. The four electric wires W connected to each terminal fitting extend from the rear surface of the connector housing 10 to the rear side in two upper and lower stages. A mating connector housing (not shown) can be fitted between the terminal accommodating portion 11 and the outer cylinder portion 12, and the mating connector housing is fitted on the upper surface of the connector housing 10. A lock arm 15 is formed for locking in the combined state.

  The connector housing 10 is provided with an engagement protrusion 16 that engages with an engagement piece 23 of the connector cover 20 described later. As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of engaging protrusions 16 are provided in the width direction of the connector housing 10. Each engaging protrusion 16 has a shape that is long in the vertical direction and protrudes laterally from the side surface of the connector housing 10. The pair of engaging protrusions 16 are located at the rear end of the connector housing 10. An insertion groove (not shown) into which a protruding wall 25 of the connector cover 20 described later is inserted is formed on the rear surface of the connector housing 10.

  The connector cover 20 holds the electric wire W drawn backward from the connector housing 10 in a bent state. The connector cover 20 is made of a synthetic resin material, and includes a cover main body portion 21 that faces the rear surface of the connector housing 10 and an electric wire guide portion 22 that extends downward from the cover main body portion 21.

  The cover body 21 has a rectangular shape that covers substantially the entire rear surface of the connector housing 10. The cover main body 21 has a dish shape that is recessed rearward, and a front end edge thereof is in contact with the rear surface of the connector housing 10. Specifically, a portion extending in the vertical direction at both ends in the width direction and a portion extending in the width direction at the lower end of the front end edge of the connector housing 10 are in contact with the rear surface of the connector housing 10.

  The cover body 21 is provided with a pair of engaging pieces 23 in the width direction for holding the connector cover 20 in a state of being attached to the connector housing 10. Each engagement piece 23 has a substantially portal shape and extends from the side surface of the cover main body 21 to a position extending forward from the front end edge of the cover main body 21. Each engagement piece 23 has a long shape in the vertical direction.

  Each engagement piece 23 is formed with an engagement hole 24 with which the engagement protrusion 16 of the connector housing 10 is engaged. Each engagement hole 24 is opened in a rectangular shape that is long in the vertical direction. By fitting the engagement protrusion 16 into the engagement hole 24, the connector cover 20 is held in a state of being attached to the connector housing 10.

  In addition, the cover body 21 is provided with a pair of protruding walls 25 that rises facing the pair of engaging pieces 23. The pair of protruding walls 25 protrudes from a position facing the engagement hole 24 of the engagement piece 23 in the front end edge of the cover body 21. Each protruding wall 25 has a long wall shape in the vertical direction, and the size of the cover main body 21 when viewed from the side is slightly smaller than the size of the engagement hole 24 (FIG. 4). reference). In addition, the projecting end part of each projecting wall 25 is made into the shape where wall thickness dimension becomes small gradually toward the front-end | tip.

  The wire guide portion 22 extends straight downward from the cover body portion 21 and then bends obliquely downward (see FIG. 3). The width dimension of the electric wire guide part 22 is smaller than the width dimension of the cover main body part 21, and the electric wire fixing part 26 having the smallest width dimension is formed at a position near the lower end thereof. An electric wire W is wound around and fixed to the electric wire fixing portion 26 by a fixing band 27.

  The connector cover 20 and the connector housing 10 are provided with a concave / convex fitting structure 30 that fits each other and restricts the movement of the connector cover 20 in the rotational direction relative to the connector housing 10. The concave / convex fitting structure 30 includes a fitting concave portion 30A provided on the rear surface of the connector housing 10 and a fitting convex portion 30B provided on the connector cover 20, and the fitting convex portion 30B and the fitting concave portion 30A are defined as follows. It can be fitted in the front-rear direction.

  A pair of fitting recesses 30 </ b> A are provided in the width direction of the connector housing 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the pair of fitting recesses 30 </ b> A are provided at positions on the rear surface of the connector housing 10 below the terminal accommodating portion 11 so as to sandwich the terminal accommodating portion 11 therebetween. It is located below the opening. Note that the pair of fitting recesses 30 </ b> A are formed at positions where the height direction of the connector housing 10 is substantially the same.

  Each fitting recess 30 </ b> A has a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the width direction of the connector housing 10, and is recessed forward from the rear surface of the connector housing 10. Each fitting recess 30A has a form in which one end side in the longitudinal direction is opened to the side of the connector housing 10, and the right fitting recess 30A in FIG. On the other hand, the left fitting recess 30 </ b> A is opened to the left of the connector housing 10.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the fitting convex portion 30 </ b> B is provided with a pair in the width direction of the connector cover 20. The pair of fitting convex portions 30 </ b> B protrudes forward from the front end edge of the cover main body portion 21. The pair of fitting convex portions 30 </ b> B is provided in the vicinity of the engagement piece 23. Specifically, the fitting convex portion 30 </ b> B is positioned side by side with the engagement piece 23 in the vertical direction (side by side with the lower end of the engagement piece 23), and the width direction of the connector cover 20. Is located between the engagement piece 23 and the protruding wall 25. Each fitting convex part 30B has a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which substantially the entire part can be fitted into the fitting concave part 30A. When viewed from the front, each fitting convex part 30B has a rectangular shape that is long in the width direction of the connector cover 20. In addition, the width direction dimension of the fitting convex part 30 </ b> B is slightly smaller than the distance between the engagement piece 23 and the protruding wall 25 in the facing direction.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
For example, when a bundle of electric wires W fixed to the electric wire guide portion 22 of the connector cover 20 and extending downward is bent toward the side of the cover main body portion 21 in order to follow a predetermined routing path, An upward force acts on the lower end of the wire guide portion 22, and this upward force acts in the direction in which the connector cover 20 is rotated with respect to the connector housing 10 (the rotational direction with the front-rear direction as the rotational axis). Here, when the concave-convex fitting structure is not provided as in the conventional connector, the connector cover moves in the rotation direction, the engagement piece rides on the engagement protrusion, and the engagement protrusion and the engagement hole There is a risk of disengagement. However, in the present embodiment, the connector cover 20 and the connector housing 10 are provided with the concave-convex fitting structure 30 that fits each other and restricts the movement of the connector cover 20 in the rotational direction with respect to the connector housing 10. It is possible to prevent the connector cover 20 from moving away from the connector housing 10 in the rotational direction. Therefore, even if a force in the direction of rotation with respect to the connector housing 10 acts on the connector cover 20, the connector cover 20 can be hardly detached from the connector housing 10. Further, in the present embodiment, the force accompanying the movement of the electric wire W acts on a position relatively far from the cover main body portion 21 of the connector cover 20 (lower end of the electric wire guide portion 22). Since the force in the rotating direction tends to increase, it is more advantageous to provide the concave / convex fitting structure 30 as described above.

  The fitting recess 30 </ b> A is formed below the opening of the cavity 13 on the rear surface of the connector housing 10 and is open to the side of the connector housing 10. Thereby, since the water accumulated in the fitting recess 30A flows downward from the cavity 13, it is possible to prevent the water accumulated in the fitting recess 30A from flowing out and entering the cavity 13.

<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 concave / convex fitting structure 30 includes the fitting concave portion 30 </ b> A provided on the rear surface of the connector housing 10 and the fitting convex portion 30 </ b> B provided on the connector cover 20. Although not limited to this, for example, the concave / convex fitting structure is composed of a fitting concave portion provided on the side surface of the connector housing and a fitting convex portion provided on the connector cover, It is good also as what can be fitted in the width direction of a connector.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the connector housing 10 is provided with the fitting concave portion 30A, and the connector cover 20 is provided with the fitting convex portion 30B. Conversely, the connector housing is provided with the fitting convex portion, A fitting recess may be provided in the connector cover.

C ... Connector W ... Electric wire 10 ... Connector housing 13 ... Cavity 16 ... Engagement protrusion 20 ... Connector cover 23 ... Engagement piece 24 ... Engagement hole 30 ... Concave / concave fitting structure 30A ... Fitting recess 30B ... Fitting protrusion

Claims (2)

A connector housing, and a connector cover for bending an electric wire drawn from the rear surface of the connector housing in a predetermined direction,
The connector cover includes an engagement piece in which an engagement hole is formed, and the connector housing is provided with an engagement protrusion that engages with the engagement hole.
The connector cover and the connector housing are provided with a concavo-convex fitting structure that is fitted to each other to restrict movement of the connector cover in the rotational direction with respect to the connector housing. The connector housing has a cavity for accommodating a terminal fitting fixed to an end of the electric wire,
The concave-convex fitting structure is a structure in which a fitting concave portion provided on the rear surface of the connector housing and a fitting convex portion provided on the connector cover are fitted in the front-rear direction.
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the fitting recess is formed below the opening of the cavity on the rear surface of the connector housing and is open to the side of the connector housing.

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