JP2015002110A - Waterproof connector and wire harness with the waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waterproof connector capable of maintaining predetermined sealability, and a wire harness with the waterproof connector.SOLUTION: A waterproof connector comprises a housing 10 including a cavity 11. In the housing 10, a seal tower 18 is provided in which a seal member 60 inserted into the cavity 11 is inserted in a liquid-tight manner, and a protection cylinder 15 is provided which is disposed to cover the outer circumference of the seal tower 18. Within a range spread over the protection cylinder 15 and a wire 80 led out of the protection cylinder 15, a tape winding area 26 is secured in which a tape 40 is wound. In the protection cylinder 15, a discharge port 23 is provided for discharging a foreign substance that is intruded between the protection cylinder 15 and the seal tower 18, at a position including the tape winding area 26.

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector and a wire harness including the waterproof connector.

  The waterproof connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a housing having a terminal accommodating chamber (cavity) into which an electric wire and a waterproof plug (seal member) can be inserted. The waterproof plug is inserted in a liquid-tight manner into the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing, and is in close contact with the outer periphery of the electric wire to take a seal around the electric wire. In addition, a plurality of drainage ports are provided at the end of the housing, and water that has entered between the opening of the housing and the waterproof plug is drained to the outside through the drainage port.

JP 2008-53047 A

  By the way, in the above case, the tape is wound around the end of the housing and the electric wire, and the opening outlet of the housing is closed with the tape, so that the water is prevented from entering the housing. Yes. However, there is a case where a gap is generated due to aging in the winding portion of the tape, and foreign matters such as mud may enter the housing through the gap. At this time, if the opening area of the drain outlet is not sufficiently ensured, foreign matter accumulates in the housing, the waterproof plug is deteriorated earlier, and a predetermined sealing property may not be maintained.

  This invention is completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It aims at providing the wire harness provided with the waterproof connector which can maintain a predetermined sealing performance, and the waterproof connector.

  The present invention comprises a terminal fitting connected to an end of an electric wire, a seal member disposed in close contact with the outer periphery of the electric wire, and a housing having a cavity into which the terminal fitting and the seal member are inserted, The housing is provided with a seal tower into which the seal member inserted into the cavity is inserted in a liquid-tight manner, and a protective cylinder disposed so as to cover the outer periphery of the seal tower. And a tape winding region around which the tape is wound is ensured in a range extending from the protective tube and the electric wire drawn out from the protective tube, and the protective tube and the seal tower are provided at a position including the tape winding region in the protective tube. It is characterized in that a discharge port is provided for discharging foreign matter that has entered between.

  With such a configuration, even if a gap occurs in the tape wrapping part and foreign matter enters through the gap, the foreign matter does not enter the seal tower simply by entering between the protective cylinder and the seal tower. And since it discharges | emits outside again through a discharge port and a clearance gap, the sealing performance of the sealing member inserted in the seal tower is maintained favorable.

In Example 1 of this invention, it is a perspective view of the waterproof connector installed in the wire harness. It is a side view of the waterproof connector installed in the wire harness. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is a rear view of a waterproof connector. It is sectional drawing of a waterproof connector.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown below.
The said discharge port is arrange | positioned at the diagonal position of the radial direction of the said protection cylinder. As a result, even if the orientation of the housing is not fixed at the location where the waterproof connector is installed, any of the outlets arranged at diagonal positions opens in the direction of gravity, so that Foreign matter is quickly discharged from the outlet.

  The protective cylinder and the seal tower are integrally connected to each other via a rib. If the protective cylinder is provided with a discharge port, there is a concern that the rigidity of the protective cylinder will decrease, but if the protective cylinder is integrally connected to the seal tower via a rib as in this configuration, the protective cylinder It is possible to prevent the rigidity of the steel from being lowered.

  A wire harness provided with the waterproof connector, comprising a trunk portion that constitutes a trunk line of the wire harness, with the fitting surface of the housing being directed to the mating housing side to be mated, When the tape is wound around the tape winding region and the main line portion, the waterproof connector is attached to the main line portion. In the state where the tape is wound, the outer peripheral portion of the main line portion is the discharge port. Partly enters between the protective cylinder and the seal tower through, the housing is inclined in a direction away from the main line part from the entry position of the outer peripheral part of the main line part toward the fitting surface Has been placed. Since the fitting surface of the housing is located away from the main line portion, the operator's fingers are prevented from coming into contact with the main line portion when fitting with the mating housing, and the speed of the fitting operation is ensured. In particular, since the outer peripheral portion of the main line part partially enters between the protective cylinder and the seal tower through the discharge port, the protective cylinder is effectively reinforced by the outer peripheral part of the main line part that has entered.

<Example 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector of Example 1 is provided with the housing 10, the terminal metal fitting 30, and the sealing member 60, as shown in FIG. The housing 10 can be fitted with a mating housing (not shown), and the terminal fitting 30 can be connected to a mating terminal fitting (not shown) mounted on the mating housing. In the following description, with respect to the front-rear direction, the fitting side with the mating housing is the front, and the vertical direction is based on each drawing.

  The housing 10 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 5, the housing body 12 having one cavity 11 that can accommodate the terminal fitting 30 and the outer periphery of the front side of the housing body 12 are covered and opened forward. A cylindrical hood portion 13, a connecting portion 14 along the radial direction connecting the hood portion 13 and the housing main body 12, and an outer periphery of a rear side (a seal tower 18 described later) of the housing main body 12 and the hood portion 13. And a notched cylindrical protective cylinder 15 that opens to the rear opposite to the side. The front end (open end) of the hood portion 13 is disposed in front of the front end of the housing body 12. Further, the rear end (open end) of the protective cylinder 15 is disposed at substantially the same position as the rear end of the housing body 12 (seal tower 18) in the front-rear direction. Further, the radially outer end of the connecting portion 14 is integrally connected to the rear end of the hood portion 13 and the front end of the protective cylinder 15, and the radially inner end of the connecting portion 14 is in the middle of the housing body 12 in the front-rear direction (seal It is integrally connected to the front end of the tower 18.

  A lance 16 projects from the inner wall of the cavity 11 of the housing body 12. The lance 16 is configured to protrude forward in a cantilevered manner from a base end portion 17 that is substantially in the same position as the connecting portion 14 in the front-rear direction, and can be bent and deformed in the vertical direction with the base end portion 17 as a fulcrum. Yes. A terminal fitting 30 is inserted into the cavity 11 of the housing 10 from the rear, and the normally inserted terminal fitting 30 is elastically locked by the lance 16 and is prevented from coming off into the cavity 11.

  The terminal fitting 30 is integrally formed by bending a conductive metal plate or the like. As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal main body 31, a tab 32 protruding in front of the terminal main body 31, and a rear of the terminal main body 31. It has the barrels 33 and 34 provided continuously. The barrels 33 and 34 are positioned behind the wire barrel 33 by crimping to the core wire 82 exposed by removing the covering 81 at the front end portion of the electric wire 80, and are fitted to the covering at the front end portion of the electric wire 80. The insulation barrel 34 is connected to the attached seal member 60 by pressure bonding. When the terminal fitting 30 is properly inserted into the cavity 11, the lance 16 is elastically locked to the rear end of the terminal main body 31, and the tab 32 protrudes forward from the housing main body 12 so that the periphery is surrounded by the hood portion 13. It is supposed to be surrounded. Further, when the two housings are fitted, a contact portion (not shown) of the mating terminal fitting is brought into elastic contact with the tab 32 of the terminal fitting 30 so that both the terminal fittings are electrically connected.

  The seal member 60 is made of rubber such as silicon rubber, and has a cylindrical seal body 62 having a seal hole 61 (see FIG. 3) penetrating in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. The insulation barrel 34 of the terminal fitting 30 is caulked to the outer peripheral surface on the front side of the seal body 62. On the outer peripheral surface on the rear side of the seal body 62, a plurality of outer peripheral lips 63 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. In addition, although not shown, a plurality of inner peripheral lips are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction on the inner peripheral surface of the seal hole 61 of the seal body 62. The electric wire 80 is inserted into the sealing hole 61 of the sealing member 60 in a liquid-tight manner, and each inner peripheral lip is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire 80 in a compressed state, whereby a seal around the electric wire 80 is taken. Further, as the terminal fitting 30 is inserted into the cavity 11, the seal member 60 is inserted into the cavity 11, and each outer peripheral lip 63 is compressed to the rear inner peripheral surface of the cavity 11 (the inner peripheral surface of the seal tower 18). By closely contacting in the state, the seal in the cavity 11 is taken. In this case, the rear end of the seal member 60 is disposed at the same position as the rear end of the seal tower 18 of the housing 10 or at a position slightly retracted forward from the rear end of the housing body 12 (the rear end of the seal tower 18).

  A portion of the housing body 12 behind the connecting portion 14 is configured as a seal tower 18 into which the seal member 60 can be inserted. The seal tower 18 protrudes rearward from the connecting portion 14 with a protrusion amount shorter than that of the hood portion 13, and as shown in FIG. 4, its inner peripheral surface and outer peripheral surface are concentric with each other in a circular cross section. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, a lock portion 19 projects from the upper surface of the upper wall of the hood portion 13. When the two housings are fitted, the lock portion 19 is elastically locked to a lock arm (not shown) of the mating housing, whereby both the housings are held in the fitted state. A pair of protective walls 21 are provided on the upper surface of the upper wall of the hood portion 13 on both sides in the width direction with the lock portion 19 interposed therebetween. Both protective walls 21 are configured to extend in the front-rear direction while standing up and down, and have a height that covers the lock part 19 in a side view.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the protection cylinder 15 has a pair of divided cylinder portions 22 arranged at diagonal positions in the radial direction across the seal tower 18. The discharge port 23 is opened. The two divided cylinder portions 22 are each curved in a substantially semicircular arc shape in cross section, and occupy a range of approximately one quarter of the entire circumference of the protective cylinder 15, and one of the upper left corners of the housing 10 in the rear view. The other is arranged in the lower right corner of the housing 10. If the viewpoint is changed, one of the outlets 23 opens in the upper right corner of the housing 10 and the other opens in the lower left corner of the housing 10 in the rear view. In addition, the outer surfaces of the two divided cylinder portions 22 are continuously arranged flush with the outer surface of the hood portion 13 through the connecting portion 14 without any step.

  A pair of ridges 24 extending in the front-rear direction are provided on the lower end outer surface of the upper left corner split tube portion 22 and the upper end outer surface of the lower right corner split tube portion 22. Both protrusions 24 are arranged at both ends in the width direction of the housing 10 and are configured to extend over the entire length of the housing 10 so as to straddle the protective cylinder 15 and the hood portion 13. A step-like operation portion 25 that is thicker toward the front is provided at a position corresponding to the protective cylinder 15 in both the protrusions 24. When the two housings are fitted together, it is possible to perform the fitting work while grasping the operation portion 25 with a finger.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a tape winding region 26 around which the tape 40 is wound is secured on the outer peripheral surface of the protection cylinder 15 between the protection tube 15 and the electric wire 80 extending from the rear end of the seal tower 18. In this case, the tape winding region 26 is secured on the entire outer peripheral surface of both the split cylinder portions 22 while covering the openings of both the discharge ports 23.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the protective cylinder 15 and the seal tower 18 are integrally connected to each other via a rib 27. The ribs 27 are installed between the central portion in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface of each of the divided cylindrical portions 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the seal tower 18 facing it. Specifically, the rib 27 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the seal tower 18 along the radial direction of the seal tower 18 and is connected to the center of curvature inside each divided cylinder portion 22. Further, the rib 27 is configured to extend over the entire length of the protective cylinder 15 and the seal tower 18 in the front-rear direction (projection direction), and the front end thereof is integrally connected to the rear end of the connecting portion 14. The ribs 27, the protective cylinder 15 and the seal tower 18 have substantially the same thickness and are smaller than the thickness of the hood portion 13, respectively.

Next, a method for assembling the waterproof connector of Example 1 and a structure of a wire harness in which the waterproof connector is installed will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the terminal fitting 30 connected to the front end portion of the electric wire 80 is inserted into the cavity 11, the seal member 60 held by the terminal fitting 30 is inserted into the seal tower 18 in a liquid-tight manner. The In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the electric wire 80 extending from the rear end of the seal tower 18 is branched from the electric wire bundle of the main part 90 constituting the main line of the wire harness, and the waterproof connector is the main line. The outer periphery of the portion 90 is wound around the tape 40 and fixed. Specifically, the waterproof connector is in a state in which the outer peripheral portion of the trunk portion 90 is partially entered into the outlet 23 that opens downward in the installed state of the outlets 23 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). The tape of the protective cylinder 15 is arranged in such a manner that it is gradually inclined upward from the entry position of the main line portion 90 toward the front side (the side to be mated with the mating housing) and away from the main line portion 90. The tape 40 is wound over the winding region 26 and the electric wire 80 (including the electric wire bundle of the main line portion 90), so that the inclined portion 90 is attached to the main line portion 90 (see FIG. 2). Thereby, the front end of the housing 10 is directed obliquely upward and forward, and can be fitted to face the mating housing. Thereafter, the mating housing is fitted into the hood portion 13, and both housings are held in the fitted state via the lock portion 19. At this time, since the front end of the housing 10 is located away from the main line portion 90, the operator's fingers are prevented from coming into contact with the main line portion 90 during the fitting operation, and the speed of the fitting operation is ensured. .

  By the way, when the waterproof connector is attached to the main line portion 90, for example, when the winding of the tape 40 is loosened or a gap occurs in the winding portion of the tape 40 due to aging of the tape 40, muddy water, sand, etc. The foreign matter enters the cavity 11 of the housing 10, and as a result, the foreign matter adheres to the seal member 60, which may impair the sealing performance of the seal member 60. However, according to the first embodiment, the foreign matter that has passed through the gap enters the space between the protective cylinder 15 and the seal tower 18 and is then discharged to the outside again through the discharge port 23 and the gap. It is prevented from adhering to the seal member 60 inserted into.

  In particular, in the case of the first embodiment, each of the discharge ports 23 has an opening area that covers about a quarter of the entire protective cylinder 15, and a large opening area that covers about a half of the entire protective cylinder 15. Therefore, foreign substances are efficiently discharged through the respective discharge ports 23, and large gravel can be discharged. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the intrusion space 28 for the foreign matter existing between the divided cylinder portion 22 and the seal tower 18 is divided into two substantially equally in the circumferential direction with the rib 27 interposed therebetween. It is possible to prevent foreign matter from being unevenly distributed in the space 28 and excessively intruding, and to prevent foreign matter from accumulating in the intrusion space 28.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, even if the foreign matter that has passed through the winding portion of the tape 40 enters the housing 10, the foreign matter only enters between the protective cylinder 15 and the seal tower 18, and the seal tower 18. In addition, the seal member 60 inserted into the seal tower 18 has good sealing performance because it does not enter the inside and is quickly discharged to the outside through the discharge port 23 provided in the protective cylinder 15 with a large opening area. Maintained.

In addition, since the discharge port 23 is arranged at a diagonal position in the radial direction of the protective cylinder 15, even if the installation posture of the waterproof connector with respect to the main line portion 90 is not fixed, the discharge port arranged at the diagonal position is arranged. Any of the outlets 23 can open in the direction of gravity (downward), and foreign matter is discharged more quickly from the outlet 23 that opens in the direction of gravity.
Furthermore, the rib 27 provided between the protective cylinder 15 and the seal tower 18 can prevent the protective cylinder 15 from being lowered in rigidity.

  Furthermore, in the state where the waterproof connector is attached to the main line portion 90, the front end opening surface (fitting surface) of the hood portion 13 is located away from the main line portion 90. Is prevented from coming into contact with the trunk portion 90, and the fitting operation can be performed smoothly. In particular, since the outer peripheral portion of the main line portion 90 partially enters between the protective cylinder 15 and the seal tower 18 through the discharge port 23, the protective cylinder 15 is effectively reinforced by the outer peripheral portion of the main line portion 90 that has entered. Is done.

<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) The outer end of the rib may be connected to one end portion in the circumferential direction of the divided cylindrical portion. In this case, when the waterproof connector is attached to the main line portion and the rib is positioned above and the foreign substance intrusion space is opened downward, the foreign substance is quickly discharged from the discharge port.
(2) The terminal fitting may be a female terminal fitting having no tab. In this case, the housing may be configured as a female housing in which the hood portion is omitted.
(3) The housing may be provided with a plurality of cavities, and terminal fittings may be inserted into the cavities.
(4) The number of outlets may be one, or may be three or more.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Housing 11 ... Cavity 13 ... Hood part 15 ... Protection cylinder 22 ... Divided cylinder part 23 ... Discharge port 26 ... Tape winding area | region 30 ... Terminal metal fitting 40 ... Tape 60 ... Seal member 80 ... Electric wire 90 ... Trunk part

Claims (4)

A terminal fitting connected to the end of the electric wire, a seal member disposed in close contact with the outer periphery of the electric wire, and a housing having a cavity into which the terminal fitting and the seal member are inserted,
The housing is provided with a seal tower into which the seal member inserted into the cavity is inserted in a liquid-tight manner, and a protective cylinder disposed so as to cover the outer periphery of the seal tower. And a tape winding region around which the tape is wound is ensured in a range extending from the protective tube and the electric wire drawn out from the protective tube, and the protective tube and the seal tower are provided at a position including the tape winding region in the protective tube. A waterproof connector characterized by being provided with a discharge port for discharging foreign matter that has entered between.   The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the discharge port is disposed at a diagonal position in a radial direction of the protective cylinder.   The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the protective cylinder and the seal tower are integrally connected to each other via a rib. A wire harness comprising the waterproof connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A tape is provided between the tape winding region and the trunk portion of the protective cylinder in a state in which the trunk portion constituting the trunk line of the wire harness is provided and the fitting surface of the housing is directed to the mating housing side which is a mating counterpart. By being wound, the waterproof connector is attached to the main line portion, and in a state where the taper is wound, an outer peripheral portion of the main line portion is interposed between the protective cylinder and the seal tower through the discharge port. The wire harness characterized in that a part of the wire harness has entered, and the housing is disposed so as to be inclined in a direction away from the trunk line part from the entry position of the outer peripheral part of the trunk line part toward the fitting surface.

Images