JP2015038835A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve cost reduction.SOLUTION: A connector includes: a first housing 10 that houses a terminal part of a first conducting path 18; a second housing 20 that houses a terminal part of a second conducting path 32, constructs a connection space 50 by fitting with the first housing 10, and connects the terminal part of the second conducting path 32 to the terminal part of the first conducting path 18 in the connection space 50; a seal member (seal ring 31, individual rubber plug 42) that maintains the connection space 50 in an airtight state; and a variable film 14 that is made of a photo-curing resin, is provided so as to partition an inside and an outside of the connection space 50, and is deformable so as to increase and decrease a volume of the connection space 50.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  In Patent Document 1, one housing in which an end portion of a sheet-shaped conductive path is accommodated and the other housing in which a terminal fitting is accommodated are fitted, and the sheet-shaped conductive is formed in a sealed space constituted by both housings. A waterproof type connector for connecting a road and a terminal fitting is disclosed. The other housing is formed with a window hole facing the sealed space, and a gas permeable membrane is provided in the window hole that blocks the passage of liquid such as water but allows the passage of gas. In this connector, when a temperature difference occurs between the sealed space and the outside air, air flows through the ventilation film between the sealed space and the outside air, so that the inside of the sealed space is almost the same as the outside air. Kept in pressure. As a result, it is possible to prevent the housing from being illegally deformed due to a pressure difference between the sealed space and the outside air.

JP 2004-342408 A

In the connector described above, a special material (for example, a fluororesin microporous body) that allows air circulation while exhibiting waterproof performance by blocking the passage of liquid is used as the gas permeable membrane. Since the functional material having such special properties is relatively expensive, the cost of the connector also increases.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to reduce costs.

The connector of the present invention
A first housing that houses a terminal portion of the first conductive path;
A terminal portion of the second conductive path is accommodated, and a connection space is formed by fitting with the first housing, and the terminal portion of the second conductive path is connected to the terminal of the first conductive path in the connection space. A second housing connected to the section;
A seal member for holding the connection space in an airtight manner;
It is provided with a variable film made of a photocurable resin that is provided so as to partition the inside and outside of the connection space and can be deformed so as to increase or decrease the volume of the connection space.

  When the temperature in the connection space rises due to contact resistance between the first conductive path and the second conductive path, etc., as the air in the connection space thermally expands, the variable membrane is deformed to reduce the volume of the connection space. Increase. Thereby, the pressure rise in the connection space is suppressed, and deformation of the housing due to the pressure rise in the connection space is prevented. Since the functions required of the variable membrane are only hermeticity and variability, the photo-curing property of the present invention is compared to a gas permeable membrane having a special function of blocking the passage of liquid but allowing the flow of air. A variable membrane made of resin is inexpensive.

Sectional drawing of the connector of Example 1 Partial enlarged sectional view showing a state where the variable membrane is not deformed. Partial enlarged sectional view showing a state in which the variable membrane is deformed so as to increase the volume of the connection space.

  (1) In the connector of the present invention, in a state where the first housing and the second housing are fitted, the hood portion of the first housing is surrounded in a non-airtight manner by the cylindrical fitting portion of the second housing. The variable membrane may be provided in the hood portion, and the deformation region of the variable membrane in the wall thickness direction of the hood portion may be within the wall thickness range of the hood portion. According to this configuration, since there is no possibility of interfering with the cylindrical fitting portion when the variable membrane is deformed, the deformation operation of the variable membrane is not restricted by the cylindrical fitting portion.

  (2) In the connector of the present invention, the variable film may be made of an ultraviolet curable resin. According to this configuration, the photocurable resin can be effectively cured in a short time with ultraviolet rays having a higher light energy density than visible light.

<Example 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The connector according to the first embodiment includes a first housing 10, a plurality of first conductive paths 18, a second housing 20, and a plurality of second conductive paths 32.

<First housing 10 and first conductive path 18>
The first housing 10 is made of synthetic resin, and integrally includes a terminal holding portion 11 and a hood portion 12 that protrudes in a substantially rectangular tube shape from the outer peripheral edge of the terminal holding portion 11 in the front direction (rightward in FIG. 1). Formed. The first housing 10 is attached to a circuit board (not shown). The first conductive path 18 has an elongated shape as a whole and is bent in an L shape. The first conductive path 18 is attached to the first housing 10 in a state of penetrating the terminal holding portion 11 in a liquid-tight or air-tight manner. One terminal portion of the first conductive path 18 is a board-side connecting portion 19, and this board-side connecting portion 19 protrudes from the front of the terminal holding portion 11 and is surrounded by the hood portion 12. The inner peripheral surface on the distal end side of the hood portion 12 is a first seal surface 13.

<Second housing 20>
The second housing 20 includes a housing main body 21 and a bottomed cylindrical front member 22 assembled so as to surround the housing main body 21 from the front (left side in FIG. 1). The housing main body 21 has a block-shaped terminal accommodating portion 23 and a tubular shape that extends forward from the outer peripheral rear end of the terminal accommodating portion 23 in a substantially rectangular tube shape and surrounds the terminal accommodating portion 23 and the front member 22. The fitting portion 24 is integrally formed. A plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 25 elongated in the front-rear direction are formed in the terminal accommodating portion 23 so as to correspond to the plurality of substrate-side connecting portions 19. The front end portion of the terminal accommodating chamber 25 is open to the front end surface of the second housing 20 through the entrance 26 of the front member 22. In addition, the rear end of the terminal accommodating chamber 25 is open to the rear end surface of the second housing 20 as a terminal insertion port 27. An inner periphery of the rear end portion of the terminal accommodating chamber 25 is an indoor seal surface 28.

  A space formed between the outer periphery of the terminal accommodating portion 23 and the front member 22 and the inner periphery of the cylindrical fitting portion 24 is a fitting space 29 opened to the front end surface of the second housing 20. In a state where both housings 10 and 20 are fitted, the hood portion 12 of the first housing 10 is accommodated in the fitting space 29. Of the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 23, the region behind the front member 22 (the rear end region in the fitting space 29) is in the radial direction with the first seal surface 13 in a state in which both the housings 10 and 20 are fitted ( The second seal surface 30 is opposed to the housing 10 and 20 in the direction intersecting the fitting direction.

<Seal Ring 31 (Seal Member According to Claims)>
A seal ring 31 is attached to the outer periphery of the terminal accommodating portion 23 to seal between the circumferential surfaces facing each other when the housings 10 and 20 are fitted together. The inner peripheral surface of the attached seal ring 31 is in close contact with the second seal surface 30 in an airtight or liquid tight manner. The seal ring 31 is located at the back end of the fitting space 29. The front member 22 restricts the attached seal ring 31 from being displaced or removed forward. In a state where both housings 10 and 20 are fitted, the outer periphery of the seal ring 31 is brought into close contact with the first seal surface 13 of the hood portion 12 in a liquid-tight or air-tight manner in an elastically deformed state.

<Second conductive path 32>
The second conductive path 32 includes a terminal fitting 33 and an electric wire 39 connected to the rear end portion of the terminal fitting 33 by crimping. The terminal fitting 33 is formed into a shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction as a whole by bending a copper plate. A square tube portion 34 is formed on the front end side of the terminal fitting 33, and an elastic contact piece 35 is disposed in the square tube portion 34. An open barrel-shaped crimping portion 36 is formed on the rear end side of the terminal fitting 33. The crimping portion 36 includes a wire barrel portion 37 disposed on the front side and an insulation barrel portion 38 disposed on the rear side. The insulation barrel portion 38 is located at the rear end portion of the terminal fitting 33.

  The electric wire 39 has a well-known configuration in which the outer periphery of the conductor 40 having a substantially circular cross section is concentrically surrounded by a cylindrical insulating coating 41. The conductor 40 is made of a well-known twisted wire in which a plurality of strands (not shown) made of aluminum or copper are twisted, and has flexibility. The insulating coating 41 is made of a flexible synthetic resin material. At the front end portion of the electric wire 39, the insulating coating 41 is peeled off and the conductor 40 is exposed.

  The front end portion of the electric wire 39 is connected to the rear end portion of the terminal fitting 33 by being crimped at the crimping portion 36. That is, the exposed conductor 40 is fixed so as to be conductive by being caulked to the wire barrel portion 37. Further, the front end portion of the region surrounded by the insulating coating 41 in the electric wire 39 is fixed by being caulked to the insulation barrel portion 38.

<Individual rubber stopper 42 (sealing member according to claim)>
The second conductive path 32 is provided with an individual rubber plug 42 for sealing between the outer periphery of the electric wire 39 (second conductive path 32) and the inner periphery of the terminal accommodating chamber 25 at the terminal insertion port 27. The individual rubber plug 42 has a cylindrical shape, and concentrically surrounds the front end portion of the insulating coating 41. A front end side portion of the individual rubber plug 42 is a terminal fixing portion 43, and a rear end side portion of the individual rubber plug 42 is a seal function portion 44. The individual rubber plug 42 is attached so as to surround the outer periphery of the insulating coating 41. In the state where the individual rubber plug 42 is attached, the front end of the individual rubber plug 42 is located in the vicinity of the front end of the insulating coating 41. The terminal adhering portion 43 is crimped to the insulation barrel portion 38 together with the front end portion of the insulating coating 41. The inner periphery of the sealing function part 44 is in close contact with the outer periphery of the insulating coating 41 in a liquid-tight or air-tight manner in an elastically deformed state.

  The front end portion of the second conductive path 32 (the entire terminal fitting 33 and the front end portion of the electric wire 39) is inserted into the terminal insertion port 27 from the rear of the second housing 20 and is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 25. The terminal fitting 33 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 25 is held in a retained state by the locking action of the lance 45 formed along the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 25. Further, when the terminal fitting 33 is correctly inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 25, the outer periphery of the individual rubber plug 42 is liquid-tight or air-tight with the inner seal surface 28 of the terminal accommodating chamber 25 being elastically deformed. It is in close contact. The individual rubber plug 42 seals the space between the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire 39 (second conductive path 32) and the inner peripheral surface (inner seal surface 28) of the terminal accommodating chamber 25 in a liquid-tight or air-tight manner. . This prevents water from entering the terminal accommodating chamber 25 from the direction of the second housing 20.

<Connection space 50 constituted by fitting of both housings 10 and 20>
In a state where both the housings 10 and 20 are fitted, the terminal accommodating portion 23 and the front member 22 are accommodated in the hood portion 12. And the clearance gap between the outer periphery of the terminal accommodating part 23 and the front member 22, and the inner periphery of the food | hood part 12 becomes the cylindrical space 51 in which the flow of air is possible. A gap between the front end surface of the second housing 20 (front member 22) and the back end surface of the hood portion 12 (the front surface of the terminal holding portion 11) is an opposing space 52 in which air can flow. The front end of the cylindrical space 51 and the outer peripheral edge of the facing space 52 communicate with each other. Further, since the entrance space 26 at the front end of the terminal housing chamber 25 faces the facing space 52, the facing space 52 and the terminal housing chamber 25 communicate with each other through the entrance 26.

  The cylindrical space 51, the facing space 52, and the terminal accommodating chamber 25 constitute a connection space 50. A rear end portion of the cylindrical space 51 constituting the connection space 50 is sealed in a liquid-tight or air-tight manner by a seal ring 31. Similarly, the rear end portion of the terminal accommodating chamber 25 constituting the connection space 50 is sealed in a liquid-tight or air-tight manner by an individual rubber plug 42. That is, the connection space 50 is sealed in a liquid-tight or air-tight manner by the seal ring 31 and the individual rubber plugs 42. In the terminal accommodating chamber 25 that constitutes the connection space 50, the board-side connection portion 19 that has entered the square tube portion 34 through the entrance 26 is in contact with the elastic contact piece 35 in the square tube portion 34. Elastic contact. Thereby, the 1st conductive path 18 and the 2nd conductive path 32 are connected so that conduction | electrical_connection is possible.

<Variable membrane 14>
At the contact portion between the board-side connecting portion 19 of the first conductive path 18 and the elastic contact piece 35 of the second conductive path 32, the temperature rises due to contact resistance, and the temperature of the air in the terminal accommodating chamber 25 is also high. Become. Along with this, the air in the connection space 50 tends to thermally expand. If the pressure in the connection space 50 increases due to the thermal expansion, there is a concern that the housings 10 and 20 made of synthetic resin are deformed. The Therefore, in the present embodiment, the variable membrane 14 is provided on the first housing 10 as a means for suppressing the pressure increase in the connection space 50.

  A circular window hole 15 is formed in the hood portion 12 of the first housing 10 so as to penetrate from the inner peripheral surface to the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 12. This window hole 15 communicates the connection space 50 (cylindrical space 51) and the external space of the hood portion 12 (the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 12 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical fitting portion 24). It is. On the inner periphery of the window hole 15, a cutout portion 16 is formed in which the opening edge portion on the inner periphery side (side facing the connection space 50) of the hood portion 12 is cut out concentrically. The variable membrane 14 is attached from the connection space 50 side so as to block the window hole 15 over the entire region, and the outer peripheral edge of the variable membrane 14 is accommodated in the notch 16 so that the hole of the window hole 15 is accommodated. It is fixed to the edge.

  The variable film 14 is made of a photocurable resin and has elasticity. In a state where the variable film 14 is not elastically deformed, as shown in FIG. 2, the variable film 14 is substantially flat, and the inner surface of the variable film 14 is in relation to the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 12. They are almost flush with each other. Therefore, the variable film 14 does not contact the outer peripheral surface of the front member 22. Further, in a state where the variable film 14 is not elastically deformed, the outer surface of the variable film 14 is in a positional relationship that is recessed from the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 12. Therefore, a bending space 17 opened to the outer surface side of the hood portion 12 is formed in the window hole 15. The bending space 17 is a space for allowing the variable membrane 14 to elastically deform so as to expand toward the outer surface side of the hood portion 12 and increase the volume of the connection space 50. Due to the bending space 17, the variable film 14 can be elastically deformed within the range of the wall thickness of the hood portion 12.

<Photocurable resin>
The photocurable resin that is the material of the variable film 14 is composed of a monomer, an oligomer, a photopolymerization initiator (photoinitiator), and various additives. The photocurable resin is cured by light energy when irradiated with light in a liquid state. As the additive, a material that can obtain the elasticity necessary for the variable film 14 after curing is selected. In addition, the photocurable resin is roughly classified into an ultraviolet curable resin and a visible light curable resin. The curing time of the photocurable resin is shorter as the density of received light energy is higher. Since ultraviolet light has a higher light energy density than visible light, in this example, an ultraviolet curable resin having a shorter curing time than the visible light curable resin was used.

<Process for forming variable film 14>
When the variable film 14 is formed, the first housing 10 in which the window hole 15 is formed is set in a mold (not shown). Next, a liquid photocurable resin (ultraviolet curable resin) is injected into the mold, and then the liquid photocurable resin in the mold is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. The photocurable resin is cured by the irradiation of ultraviolet rays, and the variable film 14 is molded and integrated with the first housing 10.

<Operation and Effect of Example 1>
The connector of the present embodiment includes the first housing 10 in which the terminal portion of the first conductive path 18 is accommodated and the terminal portion of the second conductive path 32, and is connected by being fitted to the first housing 10. A second housing 20 that configures a space 50 and connects a terminal portion (terminal fitting 33) of the second conductive path 32 to a terminal portion (substrate-side connecting portion 19) of the first conductive path 18 in the connection space 50; A seal member (seal ring 31 and individual rubber plug 42) that holds the connection space 50 in an airtight manner, and a light that is provided so as to partition the inside and outside of the connection space 50 and can be deformed to increase or decrease the volume of the connection space 50 And a variable film 14 made of a curable resin.

  According to this configuration, when the temperature in the connection space 50 rises due to the contact resistance between the first conductive path 18 and the second conductive path 32, the air in the connection space 50 thermally expands. 3, the variable membrane 14 is deformed so as to swell toward the outer surface side of the hood portion 12, and the volume of the connection space 50 is increased. Thereby, the pressure rise in the connection space 50 is suppressed, and deformation of the housing due to the pressure rise in the connection space 50 is prevented.

  As described above, in the connector of this embodiment, the functions required for the variable membrane 14 are only airtightness and variability. Therefore, the variable film 14 made of the photocurable resin according to the present embodiment is less expensive than the gas permeable film having a special function of blocking the passage of liquid but allowing the air flow. Thereby, the cost of a connector can be reduced.

  Further, in a state where both housings 10 and 20 are fitted, the hood portion 12 of the first housing 10 is surrounded in a non-airtight manner by the cylindrical fitting portion 24 of the second housing 20, and the variable membrane 14 is provided in the hood section 12. In this case, when the variable membrane 14 is elastically deformed so as to swell toward the outer surface side of the hood portion 12, there is a concern that the deformation is hindered by interference with the inner surface of the cylindrical fitting portion 24. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the variable membrane 14 is disposed substantially flush with the inner surface of the hood portion 12, and the deformation region of the variable membrane 14 in the wall thickness direction of the hood portion 12 is the range of the wall thickness region of the hood portion 12. It was inside. According to this configuration, there is no possibility of interference with the cylindrical fitting portion 24 when the variable membrane 14 is deformed, so that the deformation operation of the variable membrane 14 is not restricted by the cylindrical fitting portion 24.

<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) In the above embodiment, the variable membrane is provided in the first housing. However, the variable membrane may be provided in the second housing or a seal member (individual rubber stopper or seal ring).
(2) In the above embodiment, the case where the first housing is attached to the circuit board has been described. However, the first housing may be provided in various devices or attached to the terminal portion of the wire harness. But you can.
(3) In the above embodiment, the deformation region of the variable membrane is within the range of the wall thickness of the wall portion (hood portion) to which the variable membrane is attached, but the variable membrane is attached to the deformation region of the variable membrane. It may be in a range exceeding the wall thickness of the wall portion.
(4) In the above embodiment, an individual rubber plug is used as a seal member for sealing the gap between the second housing and the second conductive path, but a collective rubber plug is used for the gap between the second housing and the second conductive path. May be sealed.
(5) In the above embodiment, the material of the seal layer is an ultraviolet curable resin, but the material of the seal layer may be a visible light curable resin.
(6) In the above embodiment, the variable membrane is elastically deformed. However, the variable membrane may be one that does not elastically deform. In this case, if the variable membrane is attached in a slack state, the volume of the connection space can be increased or decreased.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... 1st housing 12 ... Hood part 14 ... Variable film | membrane 18 ... 1st conductive path 20 ... 2nd housing 24 ... Cylindrical fitting part 31 ... Seal ring (seal member)
32 ... Second conductive path 42 ... Individual rubber plug (seal member)
50 ... Connection space

Claims (3)

A first housing that houses a terminal portion of the first conductive path;
A terminal portion of the second conductive path is accommodated, and a connection space is formed by fitting with the first housing, and the terminal portion of the second conductive path is connected to the terminal of the first conductive path in the connection space. A second housing connected to the section;
A seal member for holding the connection space in an airtight manner;
A connector comprising: a variable film made of a photocurable resin that is provided so as to partition the inside and outside of the connection space and is deformable so as to increase or decrease the volume of the connection space. In a state where the first housing and the second housing are fitted, the hood portion of the first housing is enclosed in a non-airtight manner by the cylindrical fitting portion of the second housing,
The variable membrane is provided in the hood;
The connector according to claim 1, wherein a deformation region of the variable film in a wall thickness direction of the hood portion is within a range of a wall thickness of the hood portion.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the variable film is made of an ultraviolet curable resin.

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