JP2014146491A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a constitution of a connector from being unnecessarily complicated when a reinforcing structure is provided.SOLUTION: A lock arm 16 for elastically locking a lock part 63 of a second housing 60 when fitted with the second housing 60, and holding first and second housings 10, 60 under a fitting state is flexibly provided on a first housing 10. A pair of protective walls 34 are provided upright on both sides across the lock arm 16, and a cover wall 35 is constructed to cover a tip of the lock arm 16. Furthermore, a pair of eaves walls 36 integrally coupled with the cover wall 35 and both protective walls 34, flexed from the tip of the lock arm 16, extending toward a fulcrum point 32, and covering both widthwise ends projects on the first housing 10.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  The connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a female housing that can be fitted to a mating male housing. The female housing is provided with a cantilevered lock arm that can be bent. When both the male and female housings are properly fitted, the lock arm elastically locks the lock portion of the male housing so that both housings are held in the fitted state. Further, the female housing has a pair of protective walls (referred to as “standing wall” in Patent Document 1) on both sides of the lock arm, and is integrally connected to both the protective walls so as to be at the tip of the lock arm. A covering wall (referred to as “protective wall” in Patent Document 1) covering the part is installed. By providing the female housing with the cover wall and both protective walls, the tip of the lock arm is kept protected from foreign matter even when the female housing is a single unit.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-216614 (FIG. 2)

  By the way, in the case of the said conventional connector, since a covering wall must be provided in the height position which can cover the front-end | tip part of a lock arm, there exists a situation that the whole connector becomes tall. In view of this, if an attempt is made to reduce the profile by reducing the thickness of the cover wall, the cover wall may become fragile and deform upon interference with foreign matter. For this reason, although it is necessary to reinforce the cover wall, there is a problem that simply reinforcement makes the configuration of the connector unnecessarily complicated.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent the structure of the connector from being unnecessarily complicated when providing the reinforcing structure.

  The present invention includes a first housing that can be fitted to a second housing, and the first housing is elastically locked with a lock portion of the second housing when fitted to the second housing. 1. A lock arm that holds the second housing in a fitted state is provided so as to be deflectable, and a pair of protective walls are provided on both sides of the lock arm, and a cover that covers the tip of the lock arm Further, a wall is constructed, and the first housing is integrally connected to the cover wall and the two protection walls, and extends from the distal end portion of the lock arm toward the fulcrum fulcrum side to extend in the width direction of the lock arm. It is characterized in that a pair of ridge walls that cover both ends are projected.

  Even if the cover wall is made thin in response to a request for reducing the height of the connector, the pair of wall walls are provided in a form integrally connected to the cover wall and both protective walls. Reinforced by the wall, a predetermined strength can be maintained. In addition, since both side walls are bent from the distal end portion of the lock arm and extend toward the fulcrum side to cover both ends in the width direction of the lock arm, there is a situation where the lock arm is turned up due to the entrainment of electric wires or the like. Avoided. Therefore, the both side walls are not merely provided to reinforce the covering wall, but also serve as a function to prevent the lock arm from turning over, so that the configuration of the connector is not unnecessarily complicated.

In Example 1, it is a front view of the 1st housing with which the seal ring was mounted | worn. It is sectional drawing which shows the state by which the 1st, 2nd housing was normally fitted. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2. It is a partially broken top view which shows the state by which the 1st, 2nd housing was normally fitted. It is sectional drawing cut in the position corresponding to a retaining part in the 1st housing with which the seal ring was mounted | worn. It is a partially broken top view of the 1st housing with which the seal ring was mounted | worn. It is a sectional side view of the 1st housing with which the seal ring was mounted | worn. It is a front view of the 1st housing. It is a sectional side view of the 1st housing. It is a top view of the 1st housing.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown below.
The both side walls are arranged so as to cover the entire range from the tip end portion of the lock arm to the bending fulcrum portion of the lock arm, of both ends in the width direction of the lock arm. As described above, the both side walls cover the both ends in the width direction of the lock arm over a wide range, so that the lock arm is more reliably protected.

  The lock arm is provided with a lock hole into which the lock portion of the second housing is fitted, and the both side walls are disposed at a position not covering the lock hole. As a result, when the first and second housings are fitted, the state in which the lock portion of the second housing is fitted into the lock hole can be visually recognized, and it is detected that the first and second housings are in the fitted state. can do.

  The first housing has a housing main body to which a hood portion of the second housing can be fitted, and the housing main body is interposed between the housing main body and the hood portion when fitted to the second housing. A seal ring is provided that is elastically sandwiched between the first and second housings to provide a fluid-tight seal. The seal ring is formed on the side where the lock arm is located by the lock arm and the both side walls. Covered. Since the seal ring is covered with both side walls in addition to the lock arm, for example, the high pressure water prevents the seal ring from getting wet and prevents the high pressure water from deforming.

<Example 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector of the first embodiment includes first and second housings 10 and 60 that can be fitted to each other, and a seal ring 80 that is attached to the first housing 10 and seals between the first and second housings 10 and 60. I have. In the following description, in the front-rear direction, the mutual fitting surface side of the first and second housings 10 and 60 is the front.

  The second housing 60 is made of synthetic resin, and has a block-shaped terminal mounting portion 61 and a cylindrical hood portion 62 protruding forward from the front end of the terminal mounting portion 61, as shown in FIG. Yes. The male terminal fitting 5 is inserted and attached to the terminal mounting portion 61 from the rear. The male terminal fitting 5 has a male tab 7 which is connected to the terminal portion of the electric wire 6 by crimping and protrudes into the hood portion 62 while being accommodated in the terminal mounting portion 61.

  On the upper surface of the upper wall of the hood portion 62, a lock portion 63 is projected. A tapered second inclined surface 64 is formed on the inner surface of the front end (open end) of the hood portion 62 over the entire circumference.

  The first housing 10 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a block-shaped housing main body 11, a cylindrical outer wall 12 surrounding the housing main body 11, an outer wall 12 and the housing It has the connection part 13 along the radial direction which connects the main body 11. A fitting space 14 into which the hood portion 62 is fitted is opened between the housing body 11 and the outer wall 12 and in front of the connecting portion 13. That is, the hood portion 62 is externally fitted to the housing body 11. As will be described later, the connecting portion 13 is a stopper portion to which a seal ring 80 fitted to the outer surface of the housing body 11 is stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of cavities 15 are formed in the housing body 11. The female terminal fitting 8 is inserted and accommodated in each cavity 15 from the rear. As shown in FIG. 2, the female terminal fitting 8 is connected to the terminal portion of the electric wire 4 by crimping, and the male tab 7 is inserted into the front portion with the fitting of the first and second housings 10 and 60. The box portion 9 is provided.

A lock arm 16 is provided above the housing body 11 as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the lock arm 16 has a plate-like arm main body 31 extending in the front-rear direction, and a protection wall 34 that projects sideward from both ends in the width direction of the arm main body 31 in the front-rear direction. And a pair of bending fulcrum portions 32 that are integrally connected to each other. The arm main body 31 can be bent and deformed in a direction in which the front and rear ends thereof are moved up and down with the bending fulcrum portion 32 as a fulcrum. A step-like release operation portion 33 that is pressed when releasing the fitted state of the first and second housings 10 and 60 is provided at the rear end portion of the arm main body 31.

  A lock hole 17 is provided through the front end of the lock arm 16. As shown in FIG. 2, when the first and second housings 10, 60 are properly fitted, the first and second housings 10 are elastically fitted into the lock holes 17 of the lock arm 16. , 60 are held in a fitted state. In addition, a window portion 18 through which the lock arm 16 can be visually recognized is opened on the upper wall of the outer wall 12.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, a pair of protective walls 34 are erected on both sides of the first arm 10 in the width direction on both sides of the lock arm 16. Both protective walls 34 have a vertical wall shape along the vertical direction, and are formed over substantially the entire length of the housing body 11 in the front-rear direction. The rear portions of both protective walls 34 are integrally connected to both bending fulcrum portions 32 of the lock arm 16.

  The first housing 10 is provided with a cover wall 35 that covers the front end of the lock arm 16 from above. The cover wall 35 has a flat plate shape along the width direction, and is integrally connected to the upper front ends of the two protection walls 34 so as to be spanned between the two protection walls 34 in the width direction.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the first housing 10 includes a pair of portions covering from the upper side the portions from the front end portion of the lock arm 16 to the front end portion of the bending fulcrum portion 32 of both ends in the width direction of the lock arm 16. The wall 36 is provided. For this reason, the clearance gap between the both width direction both ends of the front part of the lock arm 16 and the both protective walls 34 is filled up with the both side walls 36.

  The both side walls 36 are formed in a flat plate shape that is substantially flush with the cover wall 35, and are integrally connected to the rear end of the cover wall 35 and the upper ends of the two protection walls 34, and project from the two protection walls 34 to the inside in the width direction. It is said that. As shown in FIG. 10, the both side walls 36 and the covering wall 35 are continuous in a U shape in a plan view, and the lock hole 17 is disposed in the window portion 18 inside thereof. In addition, a pair of slanted edge portions 37 are provided at the rear ends of the both side walls 36 and are inclined so as to gradually approach the front.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 8, a pair of retaining holes 19 are formed at both ends in the width direction of the first housing 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the both retaining holes 19 are configured to penetrate the outer wall 12 and the connecting portion 13, and are contact receiving surfaces 21 that are arranged on the rear surface of the inner surface and facing substantially forward in the radial direction. And a latch receiving surface 22 that is disposed substantially along the radial direction facing the rear.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a protrusion 23 is formed on the connecting portion 13 of the first housing 10 so as to protrude forward. As shown in FIG. 8, the protrusion 23 extends in a wide range in the circumferential direction so as to surround the housing body 11 in the remaining area of the connecting portion 13 excluding the portion corresponding to the retaining hole 19. It is said that. The inner ring 24 (see FIG. 9) defined by the inner surface of the protrusion 23, the front surface of the connecting portion 13, and the outer surface of the housing body 11 can be fitted with a ring portion 87 on the rear side of the seal ring 80 described later. Has been. A tapered inclined surface 25 that can be in close contact with a later-described guide surface 88 of the ring portion 87 is formed at a portion that continues from the outer surface of the housing body 11 to the front surface of the connecting portion 13.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the inner surface of the projecting portion 23 is a regulation surface 26 that is positioned substantially parallel to the outer surface of the housing body 11. The restricting surface 26 of the protrusion 23 abuts against the rear ring portion 87 from the outside, and can prevent the ring portion 87 from turning up.

  The outer surface of the protrusion 23 is opposed to the inner surface of the outer wall 12 and has a tapered first inclined surface 27 that gradually decreases in diameter toward the front. When the hood part 62 is externally fitted to the housing body 11, the first slope 27 of the protrusion 23 and the second slope 64 of the hood part 62 are arranged to face each other. Furthermore, the outer surface of the protrusion 23 has a horizontal plane 28 extending substantially along the front-rear direction toward the connecting portion 13 side after being connected to the first inclined surface 27 in a stepped shape (see FIG. 3).

  The seal ring 80 is made of rubber such as silicon rubber, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, an annular seal body 81 corresponding to the outer surface of the housing body 11, and once from the widthwise ends of the seal body 81. And a retaining portion 82 protruding outward in the radial direction.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a seal portion 85 having an inner peripheral lip 83 and an outer peripheral lip 84 is formed in the middle of the seal body 81 in the front-rear direction. The inner peripheral lip 83 is in the form of a protrusion provided around the inner surface of the seal portion 85 and is disposed between the front and rear troughs. The outer peripheral lip 84 is in the form of a protrusion that is provided around the outer surface of the seal portion 85, and two outer peripheral lips 84 are arranged in the front-rear direction. In this case, the valley between the two outer peripheral lips 84 is arranged at the same front-rear position as the inner peripheral lip 83. As shown in FIG. 3, in a state where the first and second housings 10 and 60 are properly fitted, the inner peripheral lip 83 is elastically adhered to the outer surface of the housing body 11, and both the outer peripheral lips 84 are hood portions. The first and second housings 10 and 60 are sealed in a liquid-tight manner by elastically adhering to the inner surface of the opening edge side of 62.

  The seal body 81 has front and rear ring portions 86 and 87 that are substantially along the front-rear direction at both front-rear direction ends that are both front-rear sides sandwiching the seal portion 85. Each of the front and rear ring portions 86 and 87 is thinner than the seal portion 85 and does not have a lip, and is in close contact with the outer surface of the housing body 11 and the inner surface of the hood portion 62. Of the front and rear ring portions 86, 87, the rear ring portion 87 is longer than the front ring portion 86 in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a tapered guide surface 88 is cut out on the inner periphery of the rear end of the rear ring portion 87.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the retaining portion 82 is thicker than the seal body 81 side, and a recess 91 having a substantially L-shaped cross section is cut out on the radially outer side of the front end portion. 91 has a locking surface 92 disposed substantially along the radial direction facing the front, and is disposed substantially radially along the radial direction inside the rear end portion and facing the rear. A contact surface 93 is provided. The locking surface 92 is disposed at the same position as the rear end surface 94 of the rear ring portion 87 in the front-rear direction, and the front and rear positions regulated by the locking surface 92 and the rear end surface 94 of the rear ring portion 87 are the same. This is the parting line PL of the mold when the first housing 10 is molded.

Next, the effect | action of the waterproof connector of Example 1 is demonstrated.
At the time of assembly, the seal ring 80 is attached to the outer surface of the housing body 11 from the front. When the seal ring 80 is properly mounted, as shown in FIG. 5, the both retaining portions 82 are elastically fitted into the corresponding retaining holes 19 so that the contact surfaces 93 of the both retaining portions 82 are both The further contact of the seal ring 80 with the contact receiving surface 21 of the retaining hole 19 is restricted, and the retaining surface 92 of both retaining portions 82 is engaged with the retaining surface 22 of both retaining holes 19. The seal ring 80 is prevented from coming out forward.

  Further, the radially outer ends of both retaining portions 82 are elastically adhered to the inner surface of the outer wall 12, and the radially inner ends of both retaining portions 82 are elastically adhered to the outer surface of the housing body 11, The retaining portion 82 is sandwiched in the radial direction between the outer wall 12 and the housing body 11. Thereby, the retaining portion 82 is positioned and fixed in the retaining hole 19, and the seal ring 80 is held in a normal state.

  Further, when the seal ring 80 is properly attached to the housing body 11, as shown in FIG. 7, the rear ring portion 87 is inserted into the inner space 24 between the protrusion 23 and the housing body 11. Then, the outer surface of the rear ring portion 87 becomes a facing position with a slight clearance from the regulating surface 26 of the projection 23 (see FIG. 3). As a result, the rear ring portion 87 is positioned and held between the protrusion 23 and the housing body 11.

  Subsequently, the first and second housings 10 and 60 are fitted to each other such that the hood portion 62 is fitted on the housing body 11. In the fitting process of the first and second housings 10, 60, the second inclined surface 64 of the hood portion 62 is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral lip 84, and a backward displacement force acts on the seal ring 80 as the hood portion 62 is pushed. . In this case, although there is a concern that the rear ring portion 87 is turned up along the front surface of the connecting portion 13, according to the first embodiment, the rear ring portion 87 comes into contact with the regulation surface 26 of the protrusion 23. This avoids a situation in which the rear ring portion 87 is turned over or buckled.

  When the first and second housings 10 and 60 are properly fitted, as shown in FIG. 4, the lock portion 63 is elastically fitted into the lock hole 17 of the lock arm 16, and the state is visually confirmed through the window portion 18. It is possible to do.

  When the first and second housings 10 and 60 are properly fitted, as shown in FIG. 3, both outer peripheral lips 84 of the seal ring 80 are elastically adhered to the inner surface of the hood portion 62 on the opening end side. At the same time, the opening edge portion 66 of the hood portion 62 is positioned so as to cover the protrusion 23 from the outside, and the second inclined surface 64 of the hood portion 62 faces the first inclined surface 27 of the protrusion 23 while facing each other.

  As shown in FIG. 3, even if a gap 50 in the front-rear direction is formed between the opening end of the hood portion 62 and the front surface of the connecting portion 13 by covering the protrusion 23 with the opening edge portion 66 of the hood portion 62. The protrusion 23 is located in the inner part of the gap 50, and the rear ring part 87 is not exposed to the outside in the radial direction. For this reason, for example, even when cleaning water enters the gap 50 during high-pressure cleaning, the first inclined surface 27 of the projection 23 is wetted, and the rear ring portion 87 is directly wetted. Absent. As a result, high water pressure does not act on the rear ring portion 87, and the rear ring portion 87 is prevented from being deformed by water pressure.

  In addition, since the clearance between the lock arm 16 and both protective walls 34 is filled with both side walls 36, the seal ring 80 is covered by the arm body 31 and both side walls 36 of the lock arm 16 when viewed from above. Since it is concealed, the high-pressure washing water is not directly applied to the seal ring 80. For this reason, the situation where the seal ring 80 is deformed is more reliably prevented.

  Moreover, since the front peripheral edge of the lock arm 16 is covered by the covering wall 35 and the both side walls 36, for example, even if the electric wire 4 bent in a U shape from the rear is going to wrap around the front side of the lock arm 16. When the electric wire 4 abuts against the both side walls 36, the electric wire 4 is not caught in the front end portion of the lock arm 16, and the situation where the lock arm 16 is turned up is avoided. In particular, since the rear ends of the both side walls 36 are escaped by the two oblique edges 37, it is possible to avoid the electric wires 4 from being caught on the both side walls 36.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the protrusion 23 of the first housing 10 sandwiches the rear ring portion 87 in the radial direction between the housing main body 11 and the hood portion 62. A situation in which the rear ring portion 87 is turned or buckled is avoided. Further, when the hood portion 62 is externally fitted to the housing body 11, the projecting portion 23 covers the opening edge portion 66 of the hood portion 62, so that the rear ring portion 87 may be directly exposed to water during high-pressure cleaning. In addition, the rear ring portion 87 is prevented from being deformed by the high pressure water. Therefore, according to Example 1, the sealing performance of the seal ring 80 is exhibited well. In particular, in the case of the first embodiment, since the parting line PL of the mold is defined by the locking surface 92 of the retaining portion 82 and the rear end surface 94 of the rear ring portion 87, the rear ring portion 87 is Since there is a circumstance that it tends to be longer in the front-rear direction than the front ring portion 86, there is a great merit that the protrusion 23 can avoid turning and buckling of the rear ring portion 87.

  In addition, according to the first embodiment, even if the cover wall 35 is thin due to a request for reducing the height of the connector or the like, the pair of collar walls 36 are integrally connected to the cover wall 35 and both protective walls 34. Since the cover wall 35 is provided, the covering wall 35 is reinforced by the flange wall 36, and a predetermined strength can be maintained. In addition, since both side walls 36 are configured to extend from the front end portion of the lock arm 16 toward the bending fulcrum portion 32 side and cover both ends in the width direction of the lock arm 16, the lock arm 16 is caused by the entrainment of the electric wire 4 or the like. The situation of turning up is avoided. Therefore, even if both side walls 36 are provided, the configuration of the connector is not unnecessarily complicated.

  Further, the both side walls 36 are arranged so as to cover the entire range from the front end portion of the lock arm 16 to the bending fulcrum portion 32 of the lock arm 16 among the both ends in the width direction of the lock arm 16. The lock arm 16 is more reliably protected.

  Moreover, since the both side walls 36 are arranged at positions that do not cover the lock hole 17 of the lock arm 16, the lock portion 63 is fitted into the lock hole 17 when the first and second housings 10 and 60 are fitted. The state can be visually recognized, and it can be detected that the first and second housings 10 and 60 are in the fitted state.

  Further, since the seal ring 80 is covered with the lock arm 16 and the both side walls 36 when viewed from above, for example, the high pressure water prevents the seal ring 80 from getting wet during high pressure cleaning, and the high pressure water prevents the seal ring 80 from getting wet. The deformation of the 80 is prevented. As a result, a predetermined sealing property by the seal ring 80 is maintained.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following aspects are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) When the seal ring is properly attached to the housing, the outer surface of the rear ring portion may be in contact with the regulating surface of the protrusion.
(2) The inner peripheral lip may be omitted from the seal portion of the seal ring, and the inner surface of the seal portion may be formed flat.
(3) It is good also as a straight surface along the front-back direction, omitting at least one of the first inclined surface, the second inclined surface, and the inclined surface.
(4) The second housing may be a board housing mounted on the printed circuit board, and the male terminal fitting may be in a pin-like form that can be soldered to the board.
(5) The retaining portion can be omitted from the seal ring. In that case, the seal ring may be prevented from coming off by the peripheral wall of the front member attached to the housing body from the front.
(6) A form which covers the range from the front-end part of a lock arm to the front end of a bending fulcrum part among the both ends of the width direction of a lock arm may be sufficient as a both rib wall.
(7) The both side walls may be configured such that, of both ends in the width direction of the lock arm, the range beyond the rear end of the bending fulcrum from the front end of the lock arm is covered.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... 1st housing 11 ... Housing main body 12 ... Outer wall 13 ... Connection part (stopping part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 ... Lock arm 17 ... Lock hole 22 ... Locking receiving surface 23 ... Projection part 31 ... Arm main body 32 ... Deflection fulcrum part 34 ... Protection wall 35 ... Cover wall 36 ... Reed wall 60 ... Second housing 62 ... Hood part 63 ... Lock part 66 ... Opening edge part 80 ... Seal ring 81 ... Seal body 82 ... Retaining part 84 ... Outer peripheral lip (lip)
85 ... Sealing part 86 ... Front ring part 87 ... Rear ring part 92 ... Locking surface PL ... Parting line

Claims (4)

A first housing that can be fitted with the second housing;
The first housing can be flexed with a lock arm that elastically locks the lock portion of the second housing and holds the first and second housings in a fitted state when fitted to the second housing. And a pair of protective walls are erected on both sides of the lock arm, and a cover wall that covers the tip of the lock arm is constructed,
The first housing has a pair of ridge walls that are integrally connected to the cover wall and the two protection walls, extend from the distal end portion of the lock arm toward the fulcrum fulcrum, and cover both ends in the width direction of the lock arm. A connector characterized by being protruded.   The both side walls are arranged so as to entirely cover a range from the tip end portion of the lock arm to the bending fulcrum portion of the lock arm among both widthwise end portions of the lock arm. The connector according to claim 1.   2. The lock arm according to claim 1, wherein a lock hole into which the lock portion of the second housing is fitted is provided in the lock arm, and the both side walls are arranged at a position not covering the lock hole. 2. The connector according to 2. The first housing has a housing main body to which a hood portion of the second housing can be fitted, and the housing main body is interposed between the housing main body and the hood portion when fitted to the second housing. A seal ring that is elastically sandwiched between the first and second housings to provide a liquid-tight seal is provided;
The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the seal ring is covered and hidden by the lock arm and both side walls on the side where the lock arm is located.

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