JP2011044303A - Rubber boot for connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a lock sound easier to be heard while release operability is kept superior. <P>SOLUTION: A connector rubber boot 10 is fitted outside a connector 30 in which a lock-arm 40 having a release operation part 43 is swingably installed on an outside face of a housing 31, and includes: a fitting part 11 fitted outside the housing 31 in a form so as to cover the lock-arm 40; and a cylindrical electric wire-inserting part 12 which is installed communicating with the fitting part 11, and through which the electric wire W drawn out posterior to the housing 31 is inserted and penetrated. A wall face opposed to the lock-arm 40 out of the inner wall of the fitting part 11 contacts the release operation part 43, and a small slit 14 is formed at a separated position from the part opposed to the lock-arm 40 out of the fitting part 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rubber boot for a connector.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a connector rubber boot is attached to a connector attached around an engine room of an automobile as a measure against heat damage (protecting the connector from heat in the engine room). This connector has a housing made of synthetic resin, and a lock arm is swingably attached to the upper surface of the housing. A release operation unit for performing the release operation is provided at the rear end of the lock arm.

  As the above-described rubber boot for a connector, for example, one described in Patent Document 1 below is known. The rubber boot for the connector includes a fitting portion that covers the entire housing while covering the lock arm, and a wire insertion portion that is provided in communication with the fitting portion and into which the electric wire drawn out rearward of the housing is inserted. It is configured. A portion of the fitting portion that faces the release operation portion is formed with a release operation hole, and the release operation of the lock arm is performed through the release operation hole. The front end of the lock arm is formed with a lock hole that can be engaged with a lock protrusion provided on the counterpart housing. Since this lock hole is disposed outside the fitting portion, it is easy to hear a lock sound during fitting.

JP 2004-179040 A

  By the way, in order to more reliably take measures against heat damage, it is desirable to eliminate the release operation hole and accommodate the entire housing including the lock arm in the fitting portion. However, if the entire housing is covered with the fitting portion, it becomes difficult to hear the lock sound at the time of fitting. However, if the gap between the inner wall of the fitting part and the lock arm is expanded to make it easier to hear the lock sound, the feeling of rubber boots increased due to the formation of the gap, making it difficult to push the release operation part, It becomes difficult to perform the release operation.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to make it easy to hear a lock sound while maintaining good release operability.

  The present invention is a rubber boot for a connector in which a lock arm having a release operation portion is fitted to a connector provided on the outer surface of the housing so as to be swingable, and is fitted to the housing so as to cover the lock arm. And a cylindrical wire insertion portion that is provided in communication with the fitting portion and through which the electric wire drawn out rearward of the housing is inserted, and the wall surface facing the lock arm among the inner walls of the fitting portion, It is in contact with the release operation portion, and is characterized in that a slit is formed at a position away from the portion of the fitting portion that faces the lock arm.

  According to such a configuration, since the inner wall of the fitting portion is brought into contact with the release operation portion, the release operation portion can be easily pushed in and the release operation can be easily performed. In addition, since the slit is formed at a position off the part of the fitting part that faces the lock arm, the lock sound at the time of fitting is easily transmitted to the outside of the fitting part through the slit without being trapped in the fitting part. It becomes easy to hear the lock sound.

The following configuration is preferable as an embodiment of the present invention.
The release operation portion is provided at the rear end portion of the lock arm, and the portion of the fitting portion that faces the front portion of the release operation portion is formed thinner than the portion that is in contact with the release operation portion. Thus, the gap with the lock arm may be expanded.

  According to such a configuration, since the gap between the lock arm and the portion of the fitting portion that faces the front portion of the release operation portion is expanded, the lock sound is more easily transmitted to the outside of the fitting portion, and the lock is released. It becomes easy to hear. In addition, it becomes difficult for the front end portion of the lock arm and the inner wall of the fitting portion to interfere during the release operation.

  According to the present invention, the release operability can be kept good and the lock sound can be easily heard.

Sectional view showing a state where a terminal fitting is connected to the end of the wire and this wire is passed through a rubber boot. Sectional view showing the state before inserting the terminal fitting into the cavity of the housing Sectional view showing the terminal fitting inserted into the cavity of the housing Sectional drawing which showed the state which fitted the fitting part of the rubber boot to the housing Sectional view showing the state in the middle of fitting the connector to the mating connector Sectional view showing the connector mated with the mating connector Side view showing the state before the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity of the housing Side view showing a state in which the fitting portion of the rubber boot is fitted on the housing The perspective view which showed the state before fitting the fitting part of a rubber boot in a housing The perspective view which showed the state which fitted the fitting part of the rubber boot to the housing

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. The rubber boot 10 according to this embodiment is a rubber boot for a connector according to the present invention, and is used by being mounted on a connector 30 connected to a mating connector 50 provided on the outer surface of the engine, for example, in an automobile engine room. As shown in FIG. 6, the connector 30 can be fitted to the mating connector 50, and both the connectors 30 and 50 are held in a properly fitted state by a lock arm 40 provided on the upper surface of the connector 30. . In the following description, the front-rear direction is based on the mating direction of the connectors 30 and 50, and the mating surface side is the front side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the mating connector 50 has an inner hood portion 51 that opens forward, and a tab terminal 52 projects forward from the inner surface of the inner hood portion 51. The tab terminal 52 protrudes to a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction in the inner hood portion 51. Further, a lock protrusion 53 is provided to protrude from the upper surface of the outer peripheral surface of the inner hood portion 51. The front surface of the lock protrusion 53 is a gently inclined surface, while the rear surface of the lock protrusion 53 is a locking surface that stands vertically. Note that the front end of the tab terminal 52 is positioned substantially corresponding to the lock protrusion 53 in the vertical direction.

  The connector 30 has a housing 31 made of synthetic resin, and a fitting recess 32 into which the inner hood portion 51 can be fitted is formed in the housing 31. Further, the inner peripheral surface side constituting the fitting recess 32 is a terminal accommodating portion 33 that can be fitted into the inner hood portion 51. On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface side constituting the fitting recess 32 is an outer hood portion 35. That is, the fitting recess 32 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 33 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer hood portion 35. Therefore, when both the connectors 30 and 50 are fitted, the inner hood portion 51 is fitted inside the outer hood portion 35, and the terminal accommodating portion 33 is fitted inside the inner hood portion 51.

  The terminal accommodating portion 33 has a substantially square block shape and protrudes forward from the inner surface of the fitting recess 32. A cavity 34 penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed inside the terminal accommodating portion 33. A terminal fitting 60 can be accommodated in the cavity 34. As shown in FIG. 2, a lance 36 is formed inside the cavity 34. The lance 36 is shaped like a cantilever and protrudes forward. The lance 36 is locked in the front-rear direction with respect to the terminal fitting 60 accommodated in the cavity 34, thereby preventing the terminal fitting 60 from coming off. Can be retained.

  The terminal fitting 60 is connected to the end of the electric wire W. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal fitting 60 includes a box-shaped main body portion 61, a barrel portion 62 extending to the rear of the main body portion 61, and the like. The barrel portion 62 includes a wire barrel portion 62A for crimping the core wire of the electric wire W and an insulation barrel portion 62B for crimping the covering portion of the electric wire W. A tab terminal 52 can be fitted inside the main body 61, and this tab terminal 52 elastically contacts an elastic contact piece (not shown) formed inside the main body 61. The terminal fitting 60 is formed by punching and bending a metal thin plate.

  A lock arm 40 is disposed on the upper surface of the housing 31. The lock arm 40 is connected to the upper surface of the housing 31 at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction. For this reason, the lock arm 40 is swingable at both front and rear ends around the connecting portion 41 with the housing 31. A lock hole 42 is formed at the front end of the lock arm 40. On the other hand, a release operation portion 43 is provided at the rear end portion of the lock arm 40 so as to protrude upward.

  On the lower surface of the front end of the lock arm 40, a riding surface 44 having a gently inclined surface is formed. When both the connectors 30 and 50 are fitted, as shown in FIG. 5, the riding surface 44 of the lock arm 40 rides on the inclined surface of the lock protrusion 53, and the lock arm 40 swings, so that the front end portion of the lock arm 40 is moved. When the connectors 30 and 50 are lifted and the connectors 30 and 50 are in the normal fitting state, as shown in FIG. 6, the riding surface 44 gets over the lock projection 53 and the lock arm 40 returns to the horizontal posture, and the inner wall of the lock hole 42 The locking projection 53 is locked in the front-rear direction with respect to the locking surface. Thereby, both the connectors 30 and 50 are held in a properly fitted state.

  The rubber boot 10 is made of a rubber material having elasticity, and as shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 4, a substantially rectangular tube-shaped fitting portion 11 that is externally fitted to the housing 31, and the fitting portion 11 communicate with the rear. A cylindrical wire insertion portion 12 is provided. As shown in FIG. 9, an engagement hole 13 is formed through the rear end of the side surface of the fitting portion 11. On the other hand, a retaining protrusion 37 projects from the rear end of the side surface of the housing 31. When the housing 31 is fitted into the fitting portion 11, as shown in FIG. 10, the retaining protrusion 37 is fitted into the engagement hole 13 from the inside and engaged, whereby the rubber boot 10 is prevented from coming off from the housing 31. The In FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the terminal accommodating portion 33 is omitted to simplify the drawing.

  A pair of left and right small slits 14 are cut out at the front end portion of the fitting portion 11 from the opening edge toward the rear. As shown in FIG. 7, the small slit 14 has a form that opens forward, and the back end of the small slit 14 has a slightly wider circular hole shape. The small slit 14 communicates with the space above the lock hole 42 of the lock arm 40 accommodated in the fitting portion 11 (a gap S described later). Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, when the connectors 30 and 50 are fitted, the lock projection 53 is fitted into the lock hole 42, and the front end portion of the lock arm 40 covers the upper surface of the mating connector 50. By hitting, a lock sound is generated, and this lock sound is easily transmitted to the outside through the small slit 14 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the electric wire insertion portion 12 has a cylindrical shape smaller in diameter than the fitting portion 11 as a whole, and the electric wire W drawn from the housing 31 is inserted therein. . A wire lead-out portion 15 is provided at the rear end portion of the wire insertion portion 12, and a pair of left and right large slits 16 are cut out from the rear end opening edge to the front. The wire lead-out portion 15 can be adapted to the outer periphery of the wire W by reducing the diameter according to the number of the wires W (the thickness of the bundle of wires W) using the large slit 16, and in this state the wire lead-out portion The wire W and the rubber boot 10 are fixed by winding a tape (not shown) around the outer periphery of the portion 15 and the wire W extending backward. In addition, a bellows portion 17 is formed on the front side of the wire lead-out portion 15, and the internal electric wire W can be bent while the bellows portion 17 is bent.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the fitting portion 11 is externally fitted to the housing 31 so as to cover the lock arm 40, and the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 11 and the outer peripheral surface of the housing 31 are the upper surface of the lock arm 40. Except for, it is almost in contact. On the other hand, between the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 11 and the upper surface of the lock arm 40, only the protruding portion of the release operation portion 43 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 11. That is, a gap S is formed between the upper surface of the lock arm 40 in front of the release operation portion 43 and the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 11, and this gap S is formed inside the fitting portion 11. It communicates with the small slit 14.

  The lower surface of the rear end of the housing 31 is provided with a finger hook portion 38 protruding downward, and the hook recess portion 18 into which the finger hook portion 38 is fitted is formed on the lower surface of the inner wall of the fitting portion 11. Therefore, when the release operation portion 43 is pushed from above the rubber boot 10 with the thumb so that the index finger is applied to the finger hanging portion 38 from above the rubber boot 10, the finger hanging portion 38 and the hook recess 18 are fitted together. Locking in the front-rear direction restricts the lower side of the rubber boot 10 from coming off the housing 31.

  Further, a thin portion 19 which is thinner than the rear portion is formed at the front portion of the peripheral wall portion of the fitting portion 11 relative to the connecting portion 41 of the lock arm 40 by removing the inner wall. Due to the thin portion 19, the gap S is expanded in the front portion of the connecting portion 41. As shown in FIG. 5, the expanded gap S accommodates the front end portion of the lock arm 40 in an inclined posture, and the front end portion of the lock arm 40 and the thin portion 19 interfere with each other. It is supposed not to. Further, since the gap S is expanded, it is easier to hear the lock sound.

  The present embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described subsequently. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the terminal fitting 60 connected to the end of the electric wire W is inserted into the electric wire insertion portion 12 of the rubber boot 10 from the rear, and the electric wire W is passed through in advance. At this time, if the terminal fitting 60 is inserted while turning the large slit 16, the terminal fitting 60 can be easily inserted. As shown in FIG. 2, after all the electric wires W are inserted into the electric wire insertion portion 12, each terminal fitting 60 is accommodated in the cavity 34 of the housing 31. As shown in FIG. 3, after housing all the terminal fittings 60 in the cavity 34, the housing 31 is fitted into the fitting portion 11. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the retaining protrusion 37 of the housing 31 is fitted into the engagement hole 13 of the rubber boot 10, and the finger hook portion 38 is fitted into the hook recess 18 as shown in FIG. 4. As a result, the rubber boot 10 is held in a state of preventing the rubber boot 10 from coming off.

  Next, the connectors 30 and 50 are fitted. The inner hood portion 51 of the mating connector 50 enters the fitting recess 32 of the connector 30, and the tab terminal 52 enters the inside of the main body portion 61 from the front end opening of the terminal fitting 60. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5, the lock arm 40 swings in an inclined posture with the connecting portion 41 as a fulcrum while the riding surface 44 of the lock arm 40 rides on the inclined surface of the lock protrusion 53. As shown in FIG. 6, when both the connectors 30 and 50 reach the normal fitting state, the lock arm 40 returns to the horizontal posture, and the lock protrusion 53 fits into the lock hole 42 vigorously. As a result, both the connectors 30 and 50 are held in a properly fitted state, and the front end portion of the lock arm 40 strikes the upper surface of the mating connector 50 to generate a lock sound. The lock sound travels from the gap S to the small slit 14 along the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 11 and is transmitted from the small slit 14 to the outside. For this reason, covering the entire housing 31 with the rubber boot 10 makes it easier to hear the lock sound while improving the heat resistance of the connector 30 against heat damage.

  Next, when the connectors 30 and 50 are detached, the release operation unit 43 is pushed from above the rubber boot 10 with the thumb while the index finger is placed on the finger-hanging unit 38. At this time, since the protruding portion of the release operation portion 43 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 11, the feeling of the rubber boot 10 covering the housing 31 is suppressed, and the release operation is easy. When the lock arm 40 is tilted and the locking state between the lock protrusion 53 and the lock hole 42 is released, the connectors 30 and 50 are pulled apart to be detached.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the entire housing 31 is covered with the rubber boot 10 for the purpose of improving countermeasures against heat damage. However, the release operation portion 43 is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 11, and both the connectors 30, 50 are connected. Since the lock sound generated at the time of fitting can be heard from the small slit 14 to the outside, the lock sound can be easily heard while maintaining the release operability. In addition, since the thin portion 19 is provided in the fitting portion 11 and the gap S is expanded, it is possible to increase the lock sound and to prevent the front end portion of the lock arm 40 and the thin portion 19 from interfering with each other.

<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) Although the pair of left and right small slits 14 are provided in the fitting portion 11 in the above embodiment, only one small slit 14 may be provided according to the present invention.
(2) Although the lock arm 40 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 31 in the above embodiment, the lock arm 40 may be provided on the side surface or the lower surface of the housing 31 according to the present invention.

(3) Although the protruding portion of the release operation portion 43 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 11 in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, a protrusion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 11. The protrusion may be brought into contact with the release operation unit 43.
(4) Although the thin part 19 is provided in the fitting part 11 in the said embodiment, according to this invention, the part corresponding to the thin part 19 is formed in the fitting part 11 without forming the fitting part 11 thin. The gap S may be expanded by forming it one step higher on the outer peripheral side.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Rubber boot 11 ... Fitting part 12 ... Electric wire insertion part 14 ... Small slit (slit)
19 ... Thin part (part which faces a front part rather than the release operation part among fitting parts)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Connector 31 ... Housing 40 ... Lock arm 43 ... Release operation part S ... Gap W ... Electric wire

Claims (2)

A rubber boot for a connector fitted to a connector provided with a lock arm having a release operation part so as to be swingable on the outer surface of the housing,
A fitting portion fitted on the housing in a form covering the lock arm;
A tubular electric wire insertion portion provided in communication with the fitting portion, into which an electric wire drawn out rearward of the housing is inserted;
Of the inner wall of the fitting portion, the wall surface facing the lock arm is in contact with the release operation portion, and a slit is formed at a position away from the portion of the fitting portion facing the lock arm. A rubber boot for connectors, characterized by   The release operation portion is provided at a rear end portion of the lock arm, and a portion of the fitting portion that faces a front portion of the release operation portion is a portion in contact with the release operation portion. The rubber boot for a connector according to claim 1, wherein a gap between the lock arm and the lock arm is expanded by being formed thin.

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