JP2014229419A - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a rubber ring from being removed when repeating the fitting and withdrawal while prying diagonally, without deteriorating the workability.SOLUTION: A waterproof connector 10 having a fitting groove 80 in which a charging connector can be fitted, is constituted to includes a body 30 arranged adjacently to the fitting groove 80, a rubber ring 70 fitted over the outer peripheral surface of the body 30, an engaging member 74 provided to project rearward from the side edge 73 of the rubber ring 70, with a head 77 being formed at the rear end, and insertable into a through hole 43 formed in the rear wall of the fitting groove 80, a void 79 for escaping the engaging member 74 when the diameter thereof is reduced by the inner peripheral wall of the through hole 43, and a press part 65 for increasing the diameter of the head 77 when the engaging member 74 is inserted into the through hole 43, and presses the head 77 passed through the through hole 43 from behind.

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector.

  Conventionally, as a holding structure of a rubber ring attached to a waterproof connector, for example, a structure described in Patent Document 1 below is known. This has a main body portion in which a cavity for accommodating a terminal is formed, and a rubber ring fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion. A locking member is formed on the side edge of the rubber ring so as to protrude rearward, and a slightly larger head is formed at the tip of the locking member. On the other hand, a fitting groove that opens forward is formed on the outer periphery of the main body, and a through-hole into which the head of the locking member is inserted is formed in the inner wall of the fitting groove. The head is inserted into the through hole while being crushed, and the head is caught in the through hole by elastically returning through the through hole. As a result, the rubber ring is prevented from coming off and is held on the outer peripheral surface of the main body.

JP-A-8-250196

  The hood provided on the male connector can be fitted into the fitting groove of the waterproof connector described above, and when the hood is fitted and removed from the fitting groove, it is fitted and detached while twisting diagonally. If the process is repeated, there is a problem that the load applied to the rubber ring is biased and the rubber ring is easily detached. Also, if the head is enlarged to prevent the rubber ring from coming off, the amount of crushing of the head will increase, making it difficult to insert the head into the through hole, resulting in poor workability.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent the rubber ring from coming off when repeated mating / removing is performed while twisting diagonally without deteriorating workability. .

  The present invention is a waterproof connector having a fitting groove in which a mating connector can be fitted, and is fitted to a main body portion arranged adjacent to the fitting groove and an outer peripheral surface of the main body portion. A rubber ring, a locking member that protrudes rearward from the side edge of the rubber ring, has a head formed at the rear end thereof, and can be inserted into a through hole formed in the back wall of the fitting groove; When the diameter of the locking member is reduced by the inner peripheral wall of the through hole, the gap is released from the locking member, and the locking member is inserted into the through hole and the head that passes through the through hole is pressed from behind. It is characterized by a configuration including a pressing portion for expanding the diameter of the portion.

  According to such a configuration, when the rubber ring is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the main body and the head of the locking member reaches the through hole, the locking member pressed against the inner peripheral wall of the through hole escapes into the gap. Since the head is reduced in diameter, the head can be smoothly inserted into the through hole. In addition, after the head has elastically returned past the through-hole, the head is expanded by pressing the head from behind with the pressing portion, so that the locking margin for the opening edge of the through-hole is large. Become. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rubber ring from coming off when it repeatedly engages and disengages while tilting diagonally without deteriorating workability.

The following configuration is preferable as an embodiment of the present invention.
The main body part has a cylindrical shape that penetrates the back wall of the fitting groove in the front-rear direction, the front part of the main body part is the front cylinder part from the back wall, and the rear part is the rear cylinder part, It is good also as a structure by which the retainer is fitted by the outer peripheral surface of the rear side cylinder part, and it protrudes ahead from this retainer and the press part is provided.
According to such a configuration, the head of the locking member can be pressed by the pressing portion by fitting the retainer to the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylinder portion.

The head may have a recess provided in a form that is recessed forward in the head, and the pressing portion may be configured to press the recess from the rear.
According to such a structure, a head can be diameter-expanded by inserting a press part into a recessed part from back.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the rubber ring from coming off when the fitting and releasing are repeated while obliquely pegging without deteriorating workability.

Perspective view of waterproof connector viewed from diagonally behind Front view of waterproof connector Side view of waterproof connector Rear view of waterproof connector AA line sectional view in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state which the head of the locking member approached the through-hole Sectional drawing which shows the state in which the head was inserted in the through-hole Sectional drawing which shows the state which the head returned elastically past the through-hole Sectional drawing which showed the state in the middle of attaching a retainer to the back side cylinder part of a main-body part Sectional drawing which showed the state just before pushing the press part of a retainer inside the recessed part of a head Perspective view of rubber ring seen from diagonally behind Perspective view of retainer viewed from diagonally rear

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. The waterproof connector 10 in this embodiment is a vehicle-side connector connected to a battery of a vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle, and a charging connector (not shown) can be fitted therein. This waterproof connector 10 is fixed to the body of the vehicle, and is waterproof so that water does not enter the vehicle from outside the vehicle. In the following description, the front-rear direction is based on the fitting direction with the charging connector, and the fitting surface side is the front side (the front side in FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the waterproof connector 10 includes a housing 20 made of synthetic resin and terminals (not shown) accommodated in the housing 20. The housing 20 includes a plurality of cylindrical main body portions 30, a cylindrical hood portion 40 that covers these main body portions 30, a flange portion 50 that projects from the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 40, and the like. A fitting groove 80 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the plurality of main body portions 30 and the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 40, and the charging connector is fitted into the fitting groove 80. A plurality of mounting holes 51 are formed in the flange portion 50, and the waterproof connector 10 is fixed to the body by inserting bolts into the mounting holes 51 and fastening them to the vehicle body.

  A cavity 81 is formed in the main body 30. The cavity 81 is configured to penetrate in the front-rear direction, and a slot terminal (not shown) can be accommodated therein. The pair of main body portions 30 positioned at the top and bottom of the plurality of main body portions 30 are for accommodating signal terminals therein, and the pair of main body portions 30 positioned at the left and right are for accommodating power supply terminals therein. To do. On the other hand, the charging connector includes a plurality of round pin terminals. When the charging connector is fitted into the fitting groove 80 of the waterproof connector 10, the round pin terminal enters the cavity 81 from the front end opening of the main body 30. It is designed to be fitted and connected to the slot terminal. A rubber ring 70 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of each main body 30 so that each cavity 81 can be individually waterproofed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the inner wall of the fitting groove 80 is configured by a rear end wall 41 of the hood portion 40. That is, the hood portion 40 includes a circular rear end wall 41 connected to the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 30 and a cylindrical peripheral wall 44 that protrudes forward from the periphery of the rear end wall 41 in a cylindrical shape. . The main body portion 30 is arranged adjacent to the inner peripheral side of the fitting groove 80 and is provided in a form penetrating the rear end wall 41 of the hood portion 40 in the front-rear direction. A front portion of the main body portion 30 with respect to the rear end wall 41 is a front cylinder portion 31, and the rear portion is a rear cylinder portion 32. A retainer 60 is fitted to the rear cylinder portion 32. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the retainer 60 includes a cylindrical inner cylinder portion 61 and an outer cylinder portion 62 that is arranged on the outer periphery of the inner cylinder portion 61 and also has a cylindrical shape. A plurality of slits 63 are provided in the outer cylindrical portion 62, and lock pieces 64 that are elastically deformable and have a substantially portal shape and pressing portions 65 that are not elastically deformable are alternately formed by the slits 63. Among these, the front end portion 66 of the pressing portion 65 is provided with a pressing pin 67 having a round bar shape protruding forward.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a lock protrusion 33 that can be engaged with the lock piece 64 of the retainer 60 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylinder portion 32 of the main body portion 30. When the lock piece 64 is locked to the lock protrusion 33, the retainer 60 is locked in a state of being fitted to the rear cylinder portion 32. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer cylindrical portion 62 of the retainer 60 is disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylindrical portion 32, and the inner cylindrical portion 61 is disposed along the inner peripheral surface of the rear cylindrical portion 32. The The retainer 60 is a holding member that prevents a rubber plug and a slot terminal (not shown) mounted in the rear cylinder portion 32 from the rear from coming off.

  A rubber ring 70 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the front cylinder portion 31. As shown in FIG. 11, the rubber ring 70 includes a seal portion 72 in which an annular lip 71 is formed, and a locking member 74 that protrudes rearward from a side edge 73 of the seal portion 72. Yes. The locking member 74 is formed at a pedestal portion 75 rising in the radial direction from the side edge 73 of the seal portion 72, a shaft portion 76 rising rearward from the central portion of the pedestal portion 75, and a rear end portion of the shaft portion 76. And a head 77. The head portion 77 is formed to be slightly larger than the shaft portion 76. The head 77 has a mortar-like concave portion 78 that is recessed forward, and a void 79 is formed inside the concave portion 78.

  The diameter of the opening edge of the recess 78 is smaller than the diameter of the through hole 43, while the maximum diameter of the head 77 is larger than the diameter of the through hole 43. Further, in a state where the gap 79 is narrowed from the radial direction and the recess 78 is crushed, the diameter of the recess 78 and the diameter of the through hole 43 are substantially equal.

  On the other hand, on the front surface of the rear end wall 41 of the hood portion 40, as shown in FIG. 6, a mounting portion 42 into which the pedestal portion 75 of the locking member 74 is fitted is recessed. A through hole 43 into which the shaft portion 76 of the locking member 74 is inserted is formed to penetrate in the front-rear direction. The length in the front-rear direction of the shaft portion 76 and the length in the front-rear direction of the through hole 43 are substantially the same. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8, in a state where the rubber ring 70 is properly fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the front side cylinder portion 31, the pedestal portion 75 is fitted into the mounting portion 42, and the shaft portion 76 is inserted into the through hole 43. The head 77 is disposed at a position in contact with the rear end opening edge of the through hole 43 from the rear.

  Further, when the head 77 is inserted into the through-hole 43, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the gap 79 is narrowed from the radial direction, the head 77 is reduced in diameter, and the head 77 is inserted into the through-hole 43. Passing through, elastically returns and expands. Further, when the retainer 60 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylindrical portion 32, as shown in FIG. 5, the pressing pin 67 of the pressing portion 65 presses the concave portion 78 of the head 77 from the rear, and the gap 79 is pivoted. The diameter of the head 77 is increased by narrowing from the direction. Thereby, the diameter of the head 77 becomes larger than the diameter of the through-hole 43, and the holding force of the rubber ring 70 is remarkably increased due to the increase of the engagement margin of the head 77. Therefore, the rubber ring 70 is prevented from coming off when the charging connector repeatedly engages and disengages while obliquely twisting the waterproof connector 10 without deteriorating the insertion workability of inserting the head 77 into the through hole 43. be able to.

  The present embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described subsequently. First, as shown in FIG. 6, the seal part 72 of the rubber ring 70 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the front side cylinder part 31 of the main body part 30 and the rubber ring 70 is pushed backward. When the head 77 reaches the front opening edge of the through hole 43 and continues to be pushed in, the air gap 79 is narrowed from the radial direction by the inner peripheral wall of the through hole 43 and the recess 78 is crushed, as shown in FIG. 77 is inserted into the through hole 43. For this reason, insertion resistance becomes smaller than the case where it inserts in a through-hole, crushing the solid head in which the space | gap is not provided, and the insertion workability | operativity of the head 77 improves markedly.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8, when the head 77 returns elastically past the through hole 43, the maximum diameter of the head 77 becomes larger than the diameter of the through hole 43. Even in this state, the rubber ring 70 does not normally fall off from the front side cylinder portion 31 of the main body 30, but when the fitting is repeatedly removed while the charging connector is obliquely twisted, the rubber ring 70 is pulled strongly and the main body 30. May come off. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the retainer 60 is fitted to the rear cylinder portion 32 of the main body portion 30, and the pressing pin 67 of the pressing portion 65 is attached to the head 77. By pressing the concave portion 78 from the rear, the head portion 77 is expanded in the radial direction.

  Specifically, the retainer 60 is fitted into the rear cylinder portion 32 of the main body portion 30 from the rear, and the lock piece 64 is engaged with the lock projection 33 so that the retainer 60 is in the proper mounting posture on the rear side. It is fixed to the cylinder part 32. In this way, as shown in FIG. 5, the maximum diameter of the head 77 is increased, and accordingly, the allowance for the rear end opening edge of the through hole 43 is also increased. Accordingly, even when the rubber ring 70 is strongly pulled forward by repeating the diagonal fitting and the diagonal detachment of the charging connector, there is no possibility that the head 77 slips through the through hole 43 and detaches forward. Can be firmly held in the front cylinder portion 31 of the main body portion 30.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the rubber ring 70 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the main body 30 and the head 77 of the locking member 74 reaches the through hole 43, it is pressed against the inner peripheral wall of the through hole 43. Since the head 77 is reduced in diameter by the escape of the locking member 74 into the gap 79, the head 77 can be smoothly inserted into the through hole 43. In addition, after the head 77 has elastically returned after passing through the through-hole 43, the diameter of the head 77 is expanded by pressing the head 77 from the rear by the pressing portion 65, so that the opening edge of the through-hole 43 The locking allowance for is increased. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rubber ring 70 from coming off when the fitting and detaching is repeated while twisting diagonally without deteriorating the workability.

  The main body 30 has a cylindrical shape that penetrates the back wall of the fitting groove 80 (the rear end wall 41 of the hood 40) in the front-rear direction, and the front portion of the main body 30 with respect to the back wall is the front cylindrical portion 31. The rear portion is the rear cylinder portion 32, the retainer 60 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylinder portion 32, and the pressing portion 65 is provided so as to protrude forward from the retainer 60. It is good. According to such a configuration, the distal end portion of the locking member 74 can be pressed by the pressing portion 65 by fitting the retainer 60 to the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylinder portion 32.

  The head 77 may have a recess 78 that is recessed forward in the head 77, and the pressing portion 65 may be configured to press the recess 78 from the rear. According to such a configuration, the diameter of the head 77 can be increased by inserting the pressing portion 65 into the recess 78 from behind.

<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 gap 79 is provided inside the recess 78 of the head 77 in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, a hollow head having a gap formed therein may be used.

  (2) Although the pressing portion 65 is provided on the retainer 60 that prevents the rubber plug from being removed in the above embodiment, the pressing portion may be provided on a member different from the retainer 60 according to the present invention.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the retainer 60 includes the inner tube portion 61 and the outer tube portion 62. However, according to the present invention, the retainer may include only the outer tube portion.

  (4) Although the waterproof connector 10 in which the charging connector can be fitted is illustrated in the above embodiment, the present invention includes a case where the mating connector is not the charging connector.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Waterproof connector 30 ... Main-body part 31 ... Front side cylinder part 32 ... Rear side cylinder part 41 ... Rear end wall (the back wall of a fitting groove)
43 ... Through hole 60 ... Retainer 65 ... Pressing part 70 ... Rubber ring 73 ... Side edge 74 ... Locking member 77 ... Head 78 ... Concavity 79 ... Gap 80 ... Fitting groove

Claims (3)

A waterproof connector having a fitting groove in which the mating connector can be fitted,
A main body disposed adjacent to the fitting groove;
A rubber ring fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the main body,
A locking member that protrudes rearward from the side edge of the rubber ring, has a head formed at the rear end thereof, and can be inserted into a through-hole formed in the back wall of the fitting groove;
A gap through which the locking member is released when the locking member is reduced in diameter by the inner peripheral wall of the through hole;
A waterproof connector comprising: a pressing portion for expanding the diameter of the head portion by pressing the head portion, which is inserted into the through hole and passes through the through hole, from behind.   The main body portion has a cylindrical shape penetrating the back wall of the fitting groove in the front-rear direction, and the front side portion of the main body portion with respect to the back wall is a front side cylinder portion, and the rear side portion is a rear side cylinder. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein a retainer is fitted on an outer peripheral surface of the rear cylinder portion, and the pressing portion is provided to protrude forward from the retainer.   3. The waterproof according to claim 1, wherein the head has a recess provided in a form recessed forward in the head, and the pressing portion presses the recess from the rear. connector.

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