JP2011044253A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector capable of improving workability during injection of a potting material without deteriorating strength of a terminal fitting as far as possible. <P>SOLUTION: This connector includes a connector housing 40 having a hood 44 and a terminal fitting 20 having a tab 21 projecting from the back wall of the hood 44, a recess 45 is provided in the back wall of the connector housing 40, and a resin material is injected into the recess 45. The tab 21 in which a thin portion 21B is formed and an inclined portion 27 gradually becoming thin toward the tip of the tab 21 are formed in the terminal fitting 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector whose waterproofness is enhanced by a potting material.

  For example, a connector described in Patent Document 1 is known as a connector that is attached to a vehicle body and grounds a part of a wire harness circuit to the vehicle body.

  The connector shown here has a terminal fitting provided in a through state in a connector housing made of synthetic resin by insert molding. In a connector in which a terminal fitting and a connector housing are integrated by insert molding, a slight gap may be generated between the terminal fitting and the resin portion due to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the resin portion and the terminal fitting. For this reason, in a connector that requires waterproofness, a recess is formed in the wall portion of the portion in which the terminal fitting is embedded, and a potting material is filled in the recess to seal the gap between the terminal fitting and the resin portion. Such a configuration is adopted.

JP-A-9-161866

  By the way, since the potting material is relatively expensive, there is a demand for saving the filling capacity as much as possible. On the other hand, the thickness of the terminal fitting is determined from the strength requirement and cannot be made thin. For this reason, if the diameter of the recess is reduced to reduce the amount of potting material used, the gap between the opening edge of the recess and the outer peripheral edge of the terminal fitting is reduced, so an injection nozzle for injecting the potting material into the recess You can no longer afford to insert. For this reason, the workability of the potting material injection work is extremely deteriorated, and there is a concern that the potting agent adheres to the connection portion of the terminal metal fitting when the potting material is filled, thereby adversely affecting the connectivity of the terminal metal fitting.

  However, since the rigidity of the terminal fitting itself decreases if the thickness of the terminal fitting is reduced in order to secure the insertion space for the injection nozzle, the terminal fitting may be deformed or inserted when the connector is engaged or removed. There is a concern that the terminal fitting may be deformed by the pressure of the injection resin during molding and the embedding position may vary, or the terminal fitting may be affected by curing shrinkage and the terminal may be tilted in an unexpected direction.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a connector that can improve workability at the time of pouring potting material without reducing the strength of the terminal fitting as much as possible. .

  As means for achieving the above object, the present invention provides a connector housing made of a synthetic resin having a hood portion, and a terminal fitting having a tab portion protruding from the back wall of the hood portion and extending along the mating direction of the mating connector. The connector housing has a recess recessed in the periphery of the terminal fitting, and the recess is filled with a resin material in close contact with the terminal fitting. The tab portion is thinner than other base portions, and has a feature in that a boundary portion between the tab portion and the base portion is set at a position where the resin material is buried in the recess. .

  According to such a configuration, since the tab portion has become thinner, the injection nozzle insertion space in the hood portion becomes wider than in the conventional case, making it easier to insert the injection nozzle and attaching the potting material to the terminal fitting connection portion. The potting material can be filled without causing it to occur. In addition, since the terminal fitting has a thick structure except for the tab part, the rigidity of the terminal fitting is high, and the terminal fitting is deformed when the connector is engaged / disengaged, or the terminal fitting is injected resin during insert molding. It is possible to prevent deformation due to the pressure. In addition, since the boundary portion between the tab portion and the base portion is located in the portion that is in contact with the potting material, that is, in the concave portion, the strength of the base portion of the tab portion can be kept high even if the tab portion is thin, and the concave portion Even if hardening shrinkage of the injected potting material occurs, it is possible to prevent the tab portion from being deformed as much as possible.

  The following configuration is desirable as an embodiment of the present invention.

  The tab portion is preferably arranged at a position eccentric in one direction from the center of the recess. With such a configuration, in addition to thinning the tab portion in the hood portion, the insertion space for the injection nozzle can be further widened, and workability can be further improved.

  It is desirable that the terminal fitting is formed with an inclined portion whose thickness gradually decreases toward the tab portion at the boundary portion between the tab portion and the base portion. With such a configuration, the effect on the boundary due to the hardening shrinkage of the potting material in the recess is dispersed throughout the inclined part, so that the influence on the boundary is not concentrated in one place and the deformation of the terminal fitting is prevented. can do.

  It is desirable that the concave portion has a mortar shape with a wide opening edge side, and a raised portion that rises as the terminal fitting is approached is formed on the bottom surface of the concave portion. With such a configuration, while ensuring the width of the opening edge of the recess that is an injection port for the potting material, the filling volume of the potting material is reduced, and the die used for molding the connector housing is the mold. A tapered surface, which is a guide surface, can be formed at the opening edge of the insertion hole into which the tab portion formed in is inserted.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the connector which can also improve the workability | operativity at the time of injection | pouring of a potting material can be provided, reducing the intensity | strength of a terminal metal fitting as much as possible.

Sectional drawing of the connector which concerns on embodiment of this invention Front view of connector Top view of terminal fitting Side view of terminal fitting Front view of terminal fitting Sectional view with terminal fittings set in the first and second molds Sectional view of the first and second molds opened after insert molding Sectional view of the injection nozzle set in the connector housing after insert molding

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of the connector manufactured according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the male connector of the present embodiment has a structure in which the connector housing 40 is integrated with the terminal fitting 20 by insert molding.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the terminal fitting 20 is a long and thin plate-like metal piece. The tab portion 21 connected to the female terminal fitting and the width of the metal piece of the tab portion 21 are expanded about 3 times on both sides. The fixed piece portion 22 and the connecting portion 23 which is located at the center of both of them and further has a switching position of the width of the metal piece of both of them.

  The tab portion 21 is formed with a tapered detail 21A having four tapered sides. The fixing piece portion 22 has a bolt hole 22A through which the fixing bolt 51 is passed slightly from the center and a bolt hole at its four corners. A through hole 22B smaller than 22A is formed.

  The tab portion 21 and the fixed piece portion 22 are in a parallel state, the tab portion 21 and the connecting portion 23 are connected to the first L-shaped bent portion 24, and the fixed piece portion 22 and the connecting portion 23 are connected to the second L-shaped bent portion 25. By connecting them with each other, the outer appearance of the entire terminal fitting is structured like a crank.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector housing 40 has a bottomed cylindrical shape having a back wall portion 41 at the end of a cylindrical portion 42 having a substantially cylindrical shape, and the outer shape of the back wall portion 41 is rectangular in front view. Make a shape.

  A hood portion 44 that accommodates the female connector at the time of fitting is formed in the front portion from the central position of the cylindrical portion 42. An engaging piece guide groove 42A extending in the front-rear direction is formed above the hood portion 44 so that the engaging piece provided on the female connector can enter when fitted to a female connector (not shown). Yes. When both connectors reach the proper fitting position, the engaging piece engages with the engaging claw 43B of the ceiling wall 43A located above the accommodating portion 43, which is the rear portion of the engaging piece guide groove 42A. By doing so, the fitting state of both connectors is maintained.

  A guide rib 42 </ b> B extending from the opening edge to the back wall portion 41 is formed obliquely below the outer peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion 42. When fitting into a female connector (not shown) that accommodates the cylindrical portion 42 of the connector housing 40, the guide rib 42B is fitted into the corresponding rib groove and slid to cause the male connector to become a female connector. To a predetermined position.

  The hood portion 44 of the cylindrical portion 42 is formed with a concave portion 45 that is recessed to the back wall portion 41 at substantially the center of the back wall.

  The recessed portion 45 is provided with a two-stepped portion 47 formed from the opening edge portion toward the bottom surface portion, and the tab portion 21 of the terminal fitting 20 protrudes from the center of the recessed portion 45 to the center portion of the hood portion 44. It extends along the mating direction.

  By filling the recess 45 with a potting material 49 that is in close contact with the tab portion 21 and the inner wall surface 45A of the recess 45, the potting material 49 is brought into close contact with each other by filling up the stepped portion 47 that is a guide for the amount of resin material injected. It is waterproof.

  The connector housing 40 is embedded in the resin from the boundary between the concave portion 45 located slightly rearward from the center of the tab portion 21 and the connector housing 40 to the second L-shaped bent portion side from the center of the connecting portion 23. The two L-shaped bent portions 25 are disposed outside the connector housing 40. The connecting portion 23 of the terminal fitting 20 includes a protruding portion 26 that extends from the second L-shaped bent portion 25 to the lower end surface of the back wall portion 41 of the connector housing 40 and supports the connector housing 40 away from the attachment site 50. ing.

  The fixing piece portion 22 extending rearward from the second L-shaped bent portion 25 is fixed by passing a fixing bolt 51 through the bolt hole 22A and screwing it into the attachment portion 50.

  The tab portion 21 of the terminal fitting 20 is formed with an inclined portion 27 that is located in the recess 45 and gradually decreases in thickness from the first L-shaped bent portion 24 toward the tip of the tab portion 21. A thin portion 21B having a reduced thickness is formed by crushing the tab portion 21 from the lower surface side to the tapered portion 21A of the tab portion 21. By forming the thin portion 21B, the tab portion 21 protrudes from the center of the concave portion 45 toward the upper side at the opening edge of the concave portion 45.

  The concave portion 45 is formed in a mortar shape that is narrowed from the rectangular opening edge toward the bottom surface portion, and a raised portion 48 that protrudes toward the protruding tab portion 21 is provided on the bottom surface portion.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the male connector of this embodiment is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, first, the terminal fitting 20 is set in a molding die in which the first die 60 and the second die 70 are combined, and then resin is injected and insert molding is performed. The connector housing 40 in which the terminal fitting 20 is embedded in the resin is molded by opening the mold along the fitting direction.

  The first mold 60 for molding the region of the front portion of the connector housing 40 is arranged with the opening edge upward. And the tab part 21 of the terminal metal fitting 20 is located in the center part of the 1st metal mold | die 60, as shown in FIG. It is inserted into a tab insertion hole 62 having a tapered surface 61 corresponding to the inclined portion 27. The inclined portion 27 of the tab portion 21 is received by the tapered surface 61 so that the terminal fitting 20 is held, and the protruding portion 26 and the second L-shaped bent portion 25 of the terminal fitting 20 are set in the first fitting pressing portion 63. Is done.

  By forming the tapered edge 62A, it is possible to prevent the distal end from being deformed when the thin portion 21B having low rigidity formed on the tab portion 21 of the terminal fitting 20 is set in the tab insertion hole 62. When molded, it can be used as a raised portion 48 for reducing the filling capacity of the recess 45.

  After the terminal metal fitting 20 is set, the terminal metal fitting 20 is fixed by clamping the second metal mold 70 so as to cover the first metal mold 60 with the opening edge of the second metal mold 70 downward. At this time, the second metal fitting pressing portion 71 and the first metal fitting pressing portion 63 which are paired with the first metal fitting pressing portion 63 of the first mold 60 are in a state where the protruding portion 26 of the terminal metal fitting 20 is sandwiched and fixed.

  Next, a synthetic resin is transferred from the gate 72 formed above the first L-shaped bent portion 24 and formed in the second mold 70 to the cavity 81 formed between the first mold 60 and the second mold 70. The terminal fitting 20 is insert-molded by injecting the material, and after the synthetic resin material injected into the cavity 81 is solidified, the respective molds are opened along the fitting direction as shown in FIG. Then, the connector housing 40 is taken out.

  The inclination angle of the inner wall surface 45A in the recess 45 at this time is set to about 5 ° to 10 °, for example, about 7 °. When the inclination angle is set to about 5 ° to 10 °, it is easy to remove the mold from the connector housing 40 when the mold is opened after the connector housing 40 is molded. Further, since the inclination angle of the inner wall surface 45A is made larger than the generally used inclination angle of 1 °, the surface roughness of the inner wall surface 45A can be made rougher than before, and the inner wall surface 45A and the potting material can be made. 49 can be more closely attached. Furthermore, the effect of reducing the filling volume of the potting material 49 can be obtained by forming the recess 45 in a mortar structure.

  Finally, a potting material 49, which is a synthetic resin material for waterproofing, that is in close contact with the inner wall surface 45A and the tab portion 21 of the terminal fitting 20 is filled in the recess 45 of the connector housing 40 (see FIG. 8). However, in the connector according to the above embodiment, the lower portion of the tab portion 21 is crushed upward in the hood portion 44 and thinner than the conventional connector. Thus, the tip of the tab portion 21 protrudes from a position eccentric from the center of the recess 45 upward, so that the injection nozzle 52 is very easy to insert.

  As a result, the potting agent 49 can be filled without causing the potting agent 49 to adhere to the tab portion 21 which is the connecting portion of the terminal fitting 20 and adversely affecting the connectivity of the terminal fitting. In addition, the inclined portion 27 which is a switching portion of the thickness of the terminal fitting 20 is arranged at a position where the concave portion 45 is filled with the potting material 49, and the metal fitting having the same thickness as the conventional one is used up to the inside of the concave portion 45. The rigidity of 20 is maintained and the influence of curing shrinkage is minimized.

<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, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.

  (1) In the present embodiment, the connector housing is configured by insert molding of the terminal fitting, but the present invention is not limited to such a mode. The present invention may be used for, for example, a connector in which a terminal fitting is press-fitted into a connector housing, and can be widely used for a connector having a recess at the back of a hood portion and filling the recess with a potting material.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the hood portion 44 has a cylindrical configuration, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. The hood portion formed in the present invention may be formed in a rectangular tube shape, for example.

  (3) In the said embodiment, although the terminal metal fitting was made into the structure of 1 sheet, this invention is not restrict | limited to such an aspect. The terminal metal fitting comprised by this invention may be comprised by multiple sheets.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the stepped portion 47 is formed at the opening edge of the recess 45. However, the present invention is not limited to such a mode, and the stepped portion 47 is formed. It does not have to be.

20 ... Terminal fitting 21 ... Tab part 22 ... Fixing piece part 23 ... Connecting part 40 ... Connector housing 42 ... Cylindrical part 44 ... Hood part 45 ... Recessed part 49. ..Potting material 60 ... first die 61 ... tapered surface 62 ... tab insertion hole 70 ... second die 72 ... gate 81 ... cavity

Claims (4)

A connector housing made of synthetic resin having a hood portion and a terminal metal fitting having a tab portion protruding from the back wall of the hood portion and extending along the mating direction of the mating connector, the back wall of the connector housing on the back wall In a connector having a recess recessed around the terminal fitting, and in which the resin material that is in close contact with the terminal fitting is injected,
The tab portion of the terminal fitting is thinner than other base portions, and a boundary portion between the tab portion and the base portion is set at a position where it is buried in the resin material in the recess. Features a connector.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the tab portion is disposed at a position eccentric in one direction from the center of the recess.   The terminal fitting is characterized in that an inclined portion is formed at a boundary portion between the tab portion and the base portion so that a plate thickness gradually decreases toward the tab portion side. 2. The connector according to 2.   The said recessed part forms the mortar shape which the opening edge side became wide, and the protruding part which rises so that it approaches the said terminal metal fitting is formed in the bottom face part of the said recessed part. Connector.

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