JP2015099720A - Collective rubber plug for waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent damage that can cut a collective rubber plug apart from occurring.SOLUTION: A collective rubber plug 30 for a waterproof connector C is engaged with a rear surface of a housing 20 where a plurality of cavities 22 capable of housing a square cylinder-shaped terminal fitting 10 connected to terminals of wires w are arranged side by side, and is used by being inserted in the wires w. A plurality of circular seal holes 31 which can go through the wires w watertightly are opened in correspondence with the cavities 22, on inner peripheral surfaces of the seal holes 31, slits 37 are formed at positions corresponding to a corner 11A of the terminal fitting 10; and on a surface 30R on the side where the terminal fitting 10 is inserted, recesses 50 are formed between the slits 37 and the outer peripheral edge of the collective rubber plug 30.

Description

  The present invention relates to a batch rubber stopper used for a waterproof connector.

  A waterproof connector equipped with a lump rubber plug is a lump rubber in which a plurality of seal holes (wire insertion holes) corresponding to each cavity are opened on the rear surface of a housing provided with a plurality of cavities that can accommodate terminal fittings. The plug is fitted, and the terminal fitting is accommodated in the cavity while elastically expanding and penetrating the seal hole of the batch rubber plug. After the terminal fitting passes, the seal hole is restored and reduced in diameter. By doing so, the seal | sticker is taken in close contact with the outer periphery of an electric wire.

  Here, if the terminal fitting has a structure having a main body part in the shape of a rectangular tube, the corner part of the main body part may bite into the inner surface of the seal hole and cause damage. 1. As described in 1, slits are cut and formed at positions corresponding to the corners of the main body of the terminal fitting on the inner peripheral surface of the seal hole, and the corners of the main body are prevented from being forced into being pushed. It has been known.

JP 2000-223205 A

In the case of applying the above-mentioned conventional batch rubber plug, for example, when the terminal fitting is pushed into the corresponding seal hole in an oblique posture, the crack develops from the tip of the slit after the slit opens, and the crack is When reaching the outer peripheral edge of the rubber plug, there is a concern that the batch rubber plug itself may be divided, so further improvement has been desired.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to prevent damages such that the batch rubber stopper is divided.

  The present invention is for a waterproof connector that is fitted on the rear surface of a housing provided with a plurality of cavities that can accommodate a rectangular tube-shaped terminal fitting connected to an end of an electric wire, and is used by inserting the electric wire. It is a collective rubber plug, and a plurality of circular seal holes that can penetrate the electric wires in a watertight manner are opened corresponding to the cavities, and the inner peripheral surface of the seal holes corresponds to the corners of the terminal fittings. A slit is formed at a position, and a recess is formed between the slit and the outer peripheral edge of the collective rubber plug on the surface on which the terminal fitting is inserted.

  When the terminal fitting is pushed into the seal hole of the lump rubber stopper, the corners pass while expanding the slit. At that time, the crack is about to progress from the tip of the slit toward the outer periphery of the lump rubber stopper. However, when the crack reaches the recess, further progress is cut off, that is, the crack is prevented from extending to the outer peripheral edge. As a result, the collective rubber stopper is prevented from being damaged and the sealing function on the rear surface side of the housing is secured.

The following configuration may also be used.
(1) An annular concave groove is formed around the region where the seal hole is formed on the surface where the terminal fitting is inserted.
When a crack is about to progress from the tip of the slit toward the outer peripheral edge of the collective rubber plug, further progress is cut off when reaching the concave groove, and it is prevented from progressing to the outer peripheral edge. Since the recesses for preventing the progress of cracks corresponding to the respective seal holes have a structure filled with an annular groove, it is possible to manufacture at a low cost such as simplifying the structure of the mold.

(2) A concave hole is formed at a position ahead of the slit toward the outer peripheral edge among the slits formed in the seal hole.
When a crack is about to progress from the tip of the slit toward the outer peripheral edge of the collective rubber plug, further progress is cut off when reaching the concave hole, and it is prevented from progressing to the outer peripheral edge. Since the recesses for preventing crack growth corresponding to each seal hole are formed in only the necessary part as a recess hole, especially the reduction in rigidity of the peripheral edge of the lump rubber plug, that is, the reduction in elasticity is suppressed. be able to.

(3) Of the slits formed in the seal hole, the concave hole is also formed at the tip of the slit other than the slit toward the outer peripheral edge.
The progress of cracks can be prevented over the entire surface of the batch rubber stopper.

  According to the present invention, it is prevented that the collective rubber plug is damaged, and a sealing function on the rear surface side of the housing is secured.

Sectional drawing which shows insertion operation | movement of the female terminal in the waterproof connector which applied the lump rubber stopper which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention Rear view of batch rubber stopper The III-III line expanded sectional view of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state in the middle of insertion of a female terminal Sectional drawing which shows the insertion completion state of a female terminal Rear view of batch rubber stopper according to Embodiment 2 Rear view of a batch rubber stopper according to Embodiment 3

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The collective rubber plug 30 of this embodiment is used by being attached to the female waterproof connector C. First, the structure of the waterproof connector C will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the waterproof connector C corresponds to the cavity 22, the female terminal 10 connected to the end of the electric wire w, the female housing 20 in which a plurality of cavities 22 that can accommodate the female terminals 10 are formed, and the cavity 22. A plurality of seal holes 31 formed on the rear surface of the female housing 20 and a plurality of terminal insertion ports 41 corresponding to the seal holes 31 to hold the collective rubber plugs 30. And a rear holder 40 attached to the vehicle 20.

  The female terminal 10 is formed by pressing a metal plate having excellent conductivity, and has a structure in which a barrel 12 is provided behind a body portion 11 having a rectangular tube shape as shown in FIG. 12 is connected to the terminal of the electric wire w by caulking. A tab of a mating male terminal (not shown) is inserted into the main body portion 11 from the front, and can be connected to the main body portion 11. A locked portion 14 that locks to a lance (not shown) provided in the cavity 22 of the 20 is formed, and a stabilizer 15 is formed on one side edge of the rear end.

  Although the female housing 20 is made of synthetic resin and is not shown in detail, the female housing 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular block shape as a whole, the front portion is the terminal accommodating portion 21, and the rear portion is the accommodation of the rear opening. A recess 24 is provided. The collective rubber plug 30 and the rear holder 40 are accommodated in the accommodating recess 24 as will be described later.

The terminal accommodating portion 21 has a plurality of cavities 22 facing in the front-rear direction to accommodate the female terminals 10 crimped to the ends of the electric wires w described above (for example, 10). The arrayed rows are arranged in three stages.
As described above, the housing recess 24 in which the collective rubber plug 30 and the rear holder 40 are housed is formed in the rear portion of the female housing 20. The housing recess 24 has a horizontally long, substantially rectangular cross section.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the collective rubber plug 30 is formed in a thick plate shape having a horizontally long and substantially rectangular shape that is tightly fitted to the back side of the housing recess 24.
A plurality of seal holes 31 having a circular cross section through which the electric wire w can be inserted are formed in the collective rubber plug 30 in an array corresponding to the cavities 22 described above. Two inner peripheral lips 32 are formed in the central portion of each seal hole 31 in the length direction, and the inner peripheral lip 32 can be elastically adhered to the outer periphery of the inserted wire w. Yes. In addition, guide edges 33 having an outwardly expanding taper shape are formed at the hole edges at the front and rear ends of each seal hole 31.
Further, two outer peripheral lips 35 are formed on the outer periphery of the collective rubber plug 30.

The rear holder 40 is made of a synthetic resin and is formed in a thick plate shape that is thicker than the collective rubber plug 30 and has a substantially rectangular outer shape that is horizontally long like the collective rubber plug 30 described above. The side can be fitted almost tightly.
The thickness when the collective rubber plug 30 and the rear holder 40 are overlapped in the front and rear is comparable to the depth of the accommodation recess 24. In other words, the collective rubber plug 30 and the rear holder 40 are accommodated in the form of overlapping in the front and rear. The recess 24 fits almost completely and can be accommodated.

In the rear holder 40, a plurality of terminal insertion ports 41 into which the female terminals 10 can be inserted are formed in a form penetrating in the front-rear direction in an arrangement corresponding to the seal holes 31 of the batch rubber plug 30. Each terminal insertion port 41 has a cross-sectional shape through which the main body 11 of the female terminal 10 (including the locked portion 14 and the stabilizer 15) can be inserted without interference.
A plurality of locking protrusions 43 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the rear holder 40, and the rear holder 40 is pushed into the upper and lower wall surfaces of the housing recess 24 to a normal position overlapping the rear surface of the batch rubber plug 30. Incidentally, a lock hole 26 is formed in which the lock protrusion 43 is fitted and locked.

  Now, in the collective rubber plug 30 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, on the inner peripheral surface of each seal hole 31, there are four locations corresponding to the four corners 11 </ b> A of the main body 11 of the female terminal 10. Each of the slits 37 is radially cut. The cutting depth of the slit 37 is, for example, up to the position of the opening edge of the guide surface 33.

  In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rear surface 30R of the batch rubber plug 30 (the surface facing the inserted female terminal 10) has a formation region 38 (a horizontally long rectangle as a whole) as shown in FIGS. In detail, the bottomed concave groove 50 forms a substantially rectangular shape in front view in a rectangular annular region between the peripheral edge of the forming region 38 and the outer peripheral edge of the collective rubber plug 30. Is formed. The depth of the concave groove 50 is about 80% of the thickness of the batch rubber plug 30.

Next, functions and effects of the present embodiment will be described.
In assembling the waterproof connector C, as shown in FIG. 1, the collective rubber plug 30 and the rear holder 40 are accommodated in the accommodating recess 24 provided on the rear surface of the female housing 20. The collective rubber plug 30 is pushed into the receiving recess 24 while elastically compressing the outer peripheral lip 35, and the pressing is stopped when it hits the inner surface of the receiving recess 24, that is, the rear surface of the terminal receiving portion 21.

  Subsequently, the rear holder 40 is fitted. When the rear holder 40 is pushed into the upper and lower lock projections 43 while elastically expanding the upper and lower wall surfaces of the housing recess 24 and is pushed to a normal position corresponding to the rear surface 30R of the batch rubber plug 30, the upper and lower wall surfaces are restored and displaced. The lock projection 43 is fitted into the lock hole 26 opened in the same wall surface, and the rear holder 40 is locked in a retaining state in a form that fits perfectly so that the rear surface thereof is flush with the rear opening surface of the housing recess 24. . Along with this, it is possible to prevent the batch rubber stopper 30 from coming off from the housing recess 24.

From this state, the female terminal 10 connected to the terminal of the electric wire w is accommodated in the corresponding cavity 22 of the female housing 20. Specifically, the female terminal 10 is inserted into the corresponding terminal insertion port 41 of the rear holder 40 from the rear as shown by the arrow in FIG.
As the insertion proceeds, the main body portion 11 of the female terminal 10 passes through the terminal insertion port 41, and the front end of the main body portion 11 is behind the corresponding seal hole 31 of the collective rubber plug 30 as shown in FIG. At this time, the four corners 11A at the front end of the main body 11 face the slits 37 cut in the inner peripheral surface of the seal hole 31.

When the female terminal 10 is further pushed in, each corner portion 11A of the main body 11 passes through the seal hole 31 while expanding each slit 37, and further, the female terminal 10 passes through the seal hole 31, It is inserted into the cavity 22 from the rear end side, and as shown in FIG. At that time, the inner peripheral lip 32 is elastically brought into close contact with the outer periphery of the electric wire w connected to the female terminal 10 while the seal holes 31 of the collective rubber plug 30 are elastically deformed to the original shape, so that the Waterproofing at the rear end is achieved.
By providing the slit 37 on the inner peripheral surface of the seal hole 31, it is avoided that the corner portion 11 </ b> A of the main body 11 of the female terminal 10 bites into the inner peripheral surface of the seal hole 31. The inner peripheral surface is prevented from breaking.

  On the other hand, when the female terminal 10 is inserted, for example, when the female terminal 10 takes an oblique posture and is pushed into the corresponding seal hole 31 of the collective rubber plug 30 with a strong force, the specific slit 37 is opened. Later, there is a possibility that a crack may further develop from the tip of the slit 37. In particular, when the crack reaches the outer peripheral edge of the collective rubber plug 30, the collective rubber plug 30 itself is divided, and there is a risk of water leakage from the cross section, the outer peripheral edge displaced based on the division, or the like.

On the other hand, in the collective rubber plug 30 of the present embodiment, the bottomed groove 50 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in front view around the formation region 38 of the entire seal hole 31 on the rear surface 30R. As shown in FIG. 2, even if the crack x is about to progress from the tip of the slit 37 toward the outer peripheral edge of the collective rubber plug 30, further progress is cut off when the crack x reaches the concave groove 50. The crack x is prevented from extending to the outer peripheral edge. As a result, the collective rubber plug 30 is prevented from being damaged so as to be divided, and the sealing function of the rear surface side of the terminal accommodating portion 21 in the female housing 20 is ensured.
In particular, in the collective rubber plug 30 of the present embodiment, since the recess functioning to prevent the crack x from progressing is covered by a single concave groove 50 having a rectangular ring shape, the structure of the mold can be simplified. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture at a low cost.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 6 shows a batch rubber stopper 60 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the rear surface 60 </ b> R of the collective rubber plug 60 of this embodiment, among the slits 37 formed in each seal hole 31, the penetrating concave hole 52 is located at the tip of the slit 37 toward the outer peripheral edge of the collective rubber plug 60. Is formed.

In the collective rubber plug 60, if the crack x is about to progress from the tip of the slit 37 toward the outer peripheral edge, the further progress is cut off when reaching the concave hole 52, and the crack x extends to the outer peripheral edge. Is prevented.
Since the concave portion corresponding to each seal hole 31 that functions to prevent the progress of cracks is formed only in the necessary portion as the concave hole 52, the rigidity of the peripheral edge portion of the batch rubber plug 60 is lowered, that is, the elastic The decrease in force can be suppressed, and the sealing function at the peripheral edge is enhanced.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 7 shows a batch rubber stopper 60A according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the rear surface 60R of the collective rubber plug 60A of this embodiment, a concave hole 52 is formed at the position of the end of all the slits 37 formed in each seal hole 31.
It is possible to prevent the crack from progressing from the tip of the slit 37 over the entire surface of the collective rubber plug 60A.

<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 case where the concave groove of Embodiment 1 is formed in a continuous annular shape is illustrated, it may be formed in an intermittent annular shape having an interruption position as appropriate. The concave groove in that case may be formed in a penetrating shape.
(2) The shape and size of the concave holes exemplified in Embodiments 2 and 3 can be arbitrarily selected. Further, it may be a bottomed concave hole.
(3) The number and arrangement of the seal holes formed in the batch rubber stopper are not limited to those exemplified in the above embodiment, and can be arbitrarily selected.
(4) The present invention can be similarly applied to a batch rubber plug used for a male-side waterproof connector that accommodates a male terminal.

C: Waterproof connector w ... Electric wire 10 ... Female terminal (terminal fitting)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Main-body part 11A ... Corner | angular part 20 ... Female housing (housing)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Terminal accommodating part 22 ... Cavity 24 ... Accommodating recessed part 30 ... Collective rubber stopper 30R ... Rear surface (surface of the terminal rubber plug 30 side)
31 ... Seal hole 35 ... Peripheral lip 37 ... Slit 38 ... Formation area of seal hole 31 50 ... Concave groove
52 ... concave hole (concave)
60, 60A ... Batch rubber plug 60R ... Rear surface of batch rubber plug 60, 60A x ... Crack

Claims (4)

A lump rubber plug for a waterproof connector that is fitted to the rear surface of a housing provided with a plurality of cavities that can accommodate terminal fittings that form a rectangular tube connected to the end of the wire, and is used by inserting the wire. There,
A plurality of circular seal holes capable of penetrating the wire in a watertight manner are opened corresponding to the cavities,
A slit is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the seal hole at a position corresponding to a corner of the terminal fitting,
A collective rubber plug for a waterproof connector, wherein a recess is formed between the slit and the outer peripheral edge of the collective rubber plug on the surface on which the terminal fitting is inserted. 2. A collective rubber plug for a waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein an annular concave groove is formed around a region where the seal hole is formed on the surface on the side where the terminal fitting is inserted. . The collective rubber plug for a waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein a concave hole is formed at a position of the slit toward the outer peripheral edge among the slits formed in the seal hole. 4. The waterproof connector for a waterproof connector according to claim 3, wherein among the slits formed in the seal hole, the concave hole is also formed at a position ahead of the slit other than the slit toward the outer peripheral edge. 5. Batch rubber stopper.

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