JP2015118829A - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waterproof connector which can maintain sealability while suppressing a rise in insertion resistance of a terminal fitting.SOLUTION: A waterproof connector includes: a connector body 10 which has a rubber plug housing chamber 19 whose surrounding is divided by an outer wall 21 and a cavity 31; a rubber plug 80 which has a seal hole 81 and housed in the rubber plug housing chamber 19; and a rear holder 60 which has a through-hole 64 and is fitted to the connector body 10 in the way that it can be in contact with a rear surface of the rubber plug 80. An outer wall 21 of the connector body 10 is provided with a thin wall part 27 which becomes thin by having an outer surface inclined in the direction that goes near the rubber plug housing chamber 19 side as it goes backward. The rear holder 60 is provided with an expansion restriction part 63 which can restrict expansion of the thin wall part 27 by covering the outer surface of the thin wall part 27 when regularly fitted to the connector body 10.

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector.

  The waterproof connector described in Patent Document 1 includes a terminal fitting connected to the tip of an electric wire, a connector body (connector housing) having a cavity, and a rubber plug (collective rubber plug) having a seal hole (wire insertion hole) And a rear holder having a through hole (terminal insertion port) corresponding to the seal hole, which is disposed so as to be in contact with the rear surface of the rubber plug. The terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity from the through hole through the seal hole. When the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity, the electric wire extending from the terminal fitting is inserted in a liquid-tight manner into the seal hole, and is loosely inserted into the through hole. A rubber plug housing chamber is provided at the rear of the connector body. The rubber plug accommodation chamber is configured to open to the rear surface of the connector main body, and can be accommodated by inserting a rubber plug and a rear holder therein. The periphery of the rubber plug housing chamber is surrounded by an outer wall, and the outer surface of the rubber plug is in close contact with the inner surface of the outer wall, so that the connector body is sealed in a liquid-tight manner.

JP 2012-69375 A

  By the way, when the terminal fitting passes through the seal hole, there is a problem that the insertion resistance increases because the elastic force of the rubber plug acts on the terminal fitting. On the other hand, if the outer wall is thin, when the rubber plug is pressed outward by the terminal fitting inserted into the seal hole, the outer wall expands and deforms, so that the rubber plug that acts on the terminal fitting. As a result, the insertion resistance can be prevented from increasing. However, when the electric wire is inserted into the seal hole, if the outer wall is in a state of being expanded and deformed, the electric wire is not tightened with an appropriate tightening force from the rubber plug, and the sealing performance may be deteriorated. .

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and provides a waterproof connector capable of maintaining sealing performance while suppressing an increase in insertion resistance of a terminal fitting. Objective.

  The present invention includes a terminal fitting connected to the tip of an electric wire, a rubber plug housing chamber that is partitioned by an outer wall and opened to the rear surface, and a cavity that extends in the front-rear direction and has a rear end facing the rubber plug housing chamber. A connector body having a seal hole at a position where it is accommodated in the rubber plug housing chamber and communicated with the cavity in the accommodated state, and when the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity through the seal hole, The electric wire extending from the terminal fitting can be liquid-tightly inserted into the seal hole, and the outer surface is attached to the inner surface of the outer wall, and the connector body is attached and attached. A through hole is provided at a position communicating with the seal hole, and the electric wire extending from the terminal fitting inserted into the cavity can be loosely fitted into the through hole and inserted. A waterproof connector provided with a rear holder capable of restricting the rubber plug from coming out of the rubber plug housing chamber by abutting against the rear surface of the plug, and is directed rearward to the outer wall of the connector body. The outer surface of the thin wall portion when the rear holder is properly attached to the connector body. It is characterized in that an expansion restricting portion capable of restricting the expansion of the thin-walled portion is provided.

  When inserting the terminal fitting into the cavity, for example, by keeping the rear holder away from the connector body, when the rubber plug is pressed outward by the terminal fitting inserted in the seal hole, By expanding and deforming the thin-walled portion, the elastic force of the rubber plug acting on the terminal fitting can be reduced, and an increase in insertion resistance can be suppressed. On the other hand, when the rear holder is properly attached to the connector body, the expansion restricting portion covers the inclined outer surface of the thin portion so that the expansion of the thin portion can be restricted. It is possible to apply a sufficient tightening force and to suppress a decrease in sealing performance. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a waterproof connector capable of maintaining the sealing performance while suppressing an increase in the insertion resistance of the terminal fitting.

In an Example, it is sectional drawing of a waterproof connector in case a rear holder exists in this latching position. It is sectional drawing of a waterproof connector in case a rear holder exists in a temporary latching position. It is a partially broken top view of the sub housing with which the rear holder was assembled | attached to the temporary latching position. It is a partially broken top view of the sub housing with which the rear holder was assembled | attached to this latching position. It is a rear view of a connector main body. It is a top view of a rear holder. It is a front view of a rear holder. It is a side view of a rear holder. It is a rear view of a rear holder.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be shown.
The rear holder includes a temporary locking position where the expansion restricting portion is arranged apart from the rear without contacting the thin portion, and is normally attached to the connector body so that the expansion restricting portion is the thin portion. It is possible to move in the front-rear direction to the main locking position where it contacts. According to this, it is possible to easily adjust the insertion resistance of the terminal fitting and the sealability of the rubber plug according to the movement operation of the rear holder.

  The expansion restricting portion has an inclined surface that can come into contact with the outer surface of the thin portion when the rear holder is properly attached to the connector body. Since the inclined surface of the diameter expansion restricting portion contacts and contacts the outer surface of the thin portion, a large contact allowance can be ensured, so that the expansion of the thin portion can be more reliably restricted.

<Example>
Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The waterproof connector includes a terminal fitting 90, a connector main body 10, a rubber plug 80, and a rear holder 60. The connector body 10 includes a main housing 11 and a plurality of sub-housings 30 and can be fitted to a mating connector (not shown). In the following description, in the front-rear direction, the side where the mating connector is located at the start of mating with the mating connector will be described as the front.

  The terminal fitting 90 is formed by bending a conductive metal plate or the like, and has a shape elongated in the front-rear direction as a whole as shown in FIGS. The terminal fitting 90 includes a rectangular tube-shaped connecting portion 91 and an open barrel-shaped barrel portion 92 that continues to the rear of the connecting portion 91. A tab of a mating terminal fitting (not shown) attached to the mating connector when inserted into the mating connector is inserted into the connecting portion 91 so as to be connectable. In the case of the present embodiment, the terminal fitting 90 is configured in a plurality of sizes. Among these, the small terminal fitting 90 has the barrel portion 92 connected by crimping to the covering portion of the tip end of the electric wire 100, and the large terminal fitting 90 </ b> A is fitted to the covering portion of the tip end portion of the electric wire 100. The rubber seal member 50 is connected by pressure bonding. In the following description, the terminal fitting 90 refers to the small terminal fitting 90 unless otherwise specified.

  The main housing 11 is made of synthetic resin. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, the terminal mounting portion 12 and the terminal mounting portion 12 are located at a substantially central portion in the height direction (vertical direction in the drawing). It has a pair of housing accommodating portions 13 located at both ends in the height direction between them. The terminal mounting part 12 is provided with a plurality of large cavities 14 into which large terminal fittings 90A can be inserted. The large cavity 14 is configured to extend in the front-rear direction and open in a circular cross section on the rear surface of the terminal mounting portion 12 as shown in FIG. And the outer surface of the sealing member 50 crimped | bonded to the large terminal metal fitting 90A is closely_contact | adhered to the inner surface of the rear part of the large sized cavity 14, and the inside of the large sized cavity 14 is sealed liquid-tightly by this.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, the housing accommodating portion 13 is configured to be opened rearward leaving the front wall 16. The front wall 16 is provided with a plurality of tab insertion openings 17 through which the tabs of the mating terminal fitting can be inserted from the front when both connectors are fitted. A sub housing 30 is inserted and accommodated in the housing accommodating portion 13 from the rear. As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of lock receiving portions 18 for preventing the sub-housing 30 from coming off are provided on both inner surfaces of the housing accommodating portion 13.

  A rubber plug accommodating chamber 19 that can accommodate a rubber plug 80 is provided at the rear portion in the housing accommodating portion 13. As shown in FIG. 5, the rubber plug housing chamber 19 is surrounded by an outer wall 21 and is open to a substantially oval cross section extending in the width direction on the rear surface of the housing housing portion 13. Of the outer wall 21, a portion that divides the terminal mounting portion 12 and a portion that constitutes the upper and lower walls of the main housing 11 opposite to the portion are formed as straight walls 22 along the width direction. A portion connecting both ends in the width direction is an arc wall 23 bulging in an arc shape. The lock receiving portion 18 protrudes from the inner surface of the arc wall 23.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the outer surface of the straight wall 22 (hereinafter referred to as the outer straight wall 22 </ b> A) constituting the upper and lower walls of the main housing 11 of the outer wall 21 falls one step from the upper and lower ends of the outer surface of the arc wall 23. A receiving surface 24 that can abut on an expansion restricting portion 63 (described later) of the rear holder 60 is provided at the position. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the receiving surface 24 of the outer straight wall 22 </ b> A has a tapered inclined surface that is inclined so as to gradually approach the rubber plug housing chamber 19 side (inner side) from the middle in the front-rear direction to the rear end. 25 is formed. On the other hand, the inner surface of the outer straight wall 22A is a seal surface 26 disposed substantially along the front-rear direction. For this reason, a portion of the outer straight wall 22A corresponding to the inclined surface 25 is configured as a thin portion 27 that is thinner than the surroundings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, a pair of substantially cylindrical cam followers 28 project from the upper and lower surfaces of the main housing 11 in front of the receiving surface 24 of the outer straight wall 22 </ b> A. Both cam followers 28 engage with a lever (not shown) attached to the mating connector, and play the role of pulling the mating connector and advancing the fitting operation with a low operating force as the lever rotates.

  The sub-housing 30 is made of synthetic resin and has a substantially block shape extending in the width direction as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the housing of the main housing 11 is accommodated as shown in FIGS. It is comprised by the size which can be fitted in the part 13. FIG. A rubber plug 80 faces the rear surface of the sub housing 30 so as to be in close contact therewith. The sub-housing 30 is provided with a plurality of cavities 31 that extend in the front-rear direction and open on both front-rear surfaces. In the case of the present embodiment, the cavities 31 are arranged in multiple rows in the upper and lower stages and in the width direction. Lances 32 protrude from the upper and lower surfaces in each cavity 31 of the sub-housing 30. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lance 32 is disposed so as to be able to bend between a pair of slits 33 opened on both upper and lower surfaces of the sub-housing 30. That is, the outer surface of the lance 32 is disposed so as to be exposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the sub housing 30. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a terminal fitting 90 is inserted into each cavity 31 from the rear, and the terminal fitting 90 inserted properly is elastically locked to the lance 32, so that the terminal fitting 90 is cavityd. 31 is prevented from coming off. Further, on both side surfaces of the front portion of the sub-housing 30, a pair of lock portions (not shown) that can lock the lock receiving portion 18 are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of fitting grooves 34 (only one is shown) that extend in the front-rear direction and open to the rear surface of the sub-housing 30 are provided on both side surfaces of the rear portion of the sub-housing 30. . Further, a temporary locking projection 35 and a final locking projection 36 are provided side by side on the groove surface of the fitting groove 34 of the sub-housing 30. The main locking projection 36 is disposed in front of the temporary locking projection 35. A locking piece 62 (described later) of the rear holder 60 is fitted into the fitting groove 34 of the sub-housing 30, and the fitted locking piece 62 is locked with each of the temporary locking protrusion 35 and the main locking protrusion 36. It is possible.

  The rubber plug 80 is made of rubber such as silicon rubber, and has a mat-like shape extending in the width direction as shown in FIGS. The rubber plug 80 has a size that covers the entire rear surface of the sub-housing 30, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rubber plug 80 is in close contact with the rear surface of the sub-housing 30 and has a plurality of seals at positions that communicate with the cavities 31. A hole 81 is provided. When the rubber plug 80 is in a natural state, the inner diameter of the seal hole 81 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the electric wire 100 and sufficiently smaller than the outer dimension of the terminal fitting 90. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rubber plug 80 has a pair of insertion holes 82 (through which the locking pieces 62 of the rear holder 60 can be inserted in a liquid-tight manner at positions on both sides in the width direction across the seal holes 81. Only one is shown). A plurality of outer peripheral lips 83 are provided around the outer surface of the rubber plug 80. Each outer peripheral lip 83 is arranged on the outer surface of the rubber plug 80 side by side in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of inner peripheral lips 84 are provided around the inner surface of the seal hole 81 of the rubber plug 80.

  Next, the rear holder 60 will be described. The rear holder 60 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, a plate-like holder main body 61 extending in the width direction, and the width direction of the front surface of the holder main body 61. It consists of a pair of plate-like locking pieces 62 protruding forward from both ends, and a plate-like expansion restricting portion 63 protruding forward from one end edge on the long side of the holder body 61.

  The holder main body 61 is attached to the sub-housing 30 so as to be movable between a temporary locking position and a main locking position via a locking piece 62. And the holder main body 61 is comprised by the size which covers the whole rear surface of the rubber stopper 80, and as shown in FIG. 1, the position which communicates with each seal hole 81 in the regular locking position normally attached to the sub-housing 30 A plurality of through holes 64 are provided. The through hole 64 has a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the connection part 91 of the terminal fitting 90 and has an opening diameter larger than the outer diameter of the electric wire 100 (see FIG. 7).

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, both the locking pieces 62 have a strip-like shape protruding forward with the plate thickness portion in the width direction. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the sub-housing It is possible to fit in the 30 fitting grooves 34. A locking main body 65 projects from the inner surface of the distal end portion of both locking pieces 62. The protruding end of the locking main body 65 is provided with a recess 66 into which the temporary locking protrusion 35 or the main locking protrusion 36 can be fitted in a state where the rear holder 60 is mounted on the sub-housing 30.

  The expansion restricting portion 63 has a thick base end portion 67 that is continuous in a rib shape in the width direction along one end edge on the long side of the holder main body 61, and projects forward in the vertical direction. It has a cantilever shape. And as shown in FIGS. 7-9, the expansion control part 63 is made into the form which reduces plate | board thickness gradually as it goes to the front from the base end part 67 with the same width | variety as the base end part 67. As shown in FIG. The outer surface of the expansion restricting portion 63 is a straight surface 68 that extends substantially straight in the front-rear direction. On the other hand, the inner surface of the expansion restricting portion 63 is a tapered inclined surface 69 that gradually inclines outward as it goes forward.

The above is the structure of the waterproof connector of the present embodiment, and the operation will be described.
First, both the locking pieces 62 of the rear holder 60 are passed through the both insertion holes 82 of the rubber plug 80, and the leading ends of the both locking pieces 62 are projected forward from the front surface of the rubber plug 80. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, both locking pieces are inserted into both fitting grooves 34 of the sub housing 30 with the rubber plug 80 interposed between the holder main body 61 of the rear holder 60 and the rear surface of the sub housing 30. The temporary locking projections 35 of the sub-housing 30 are fitted into the recesses 66 of the locking main body 65 of both locking pieces 62. As a result, the rear holder 60 is held at the temporary locking position with respect to the sub-housing 30. In the temporary locking position, the holder main body 61 of the rear holder 60 is disposed away from the rear surface of the rubber plug 80.

  Next, the sub housing 30 is inserted into the housing accommodating portion 13 of the main housing 11. As shown in FIG. 2, when the sub-housing 30 is properly inserted, the lock portion of the sub-housing 30 is elastically locked to the lock receiving portion 18, so that the sub-housing 30 is pulled out into the housing accommodating portion 13. It is held in a stopped state. When the sub-housing 30 is properly inserted into the housing housing portion 13, the rubber plug 80 is inserted into the rubber plug housing chamber 19. At this time, each outer peripheral lip 83 of the rubber plug 80 is elastically brought into close contact with the sealing surface 26 of the rubber plug housing chamber 19 to seal the inside of the rubber plug housing chamber 19 in a liquid-tight manner.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, when the sub housing 30 is inserted into the housing accommodating portion 13 of the main housing 11 and the rear holder 60 is held at the temporary locking position with respect to the sub housing 30, the rear holder 60 is expanded. Although the inclined surface 69 of the opening restricting portion 63 is disposed so as to cover the inclined surface 25 of the thin portion 27 from the outside, the inclined surface 69 does not contact the inclined surface 25. Further, the holder main body 61 of the rear holder 60 is disposed so as to be separated from the rear surface of the rubber plug 80 located at the rear end of the rubber plug housing chamber 19.

  In the above state, the terminal fitting 90 is inserted into the cavity 31 of the sub housing 30. Then, the terminal fitting 90 is inserted into the cavity 31 of the corresponding sub housing 30 from the through hole 64 of the rear holder 60 through the seal hole 81 of the rubber plug 80. While the terminal fitting 90 passes through the seal hole 81, the connecting portion 91 and the barrel portion 92 strongly press the inner surface of the seal hole 81, so that the rubber plug 80 is bulged outward, and each outer peripheral lip 83 of the rubber plug 80. The thin-walled portion 27 pressed by is expanded and deformed outward. Therefore, the elastic force of the rubber plug 80 acting on the terminal metal piece 90 side is suppressed and the insertion resistance is reduced as compared with the case where the rubber plug 80 is restrained so as not to be displaced while the terminal metal piece 90 passes through the seal hole 81. It is done.

  When the terminal fitting 90 is properly inserted into the cavity 31, the electric wire 100 extending from the terminal fitting 90 is liquid-tightly inserted into the seal hole 81 of the rubber plug 80 and loosely fitted into the through hole 64 of the rear holder 60. Inserted. In this case, the outer surface of the electric wire 100 is elastically brought into close contact with the inner peripheral lip 84 of the seal hole 81 of the rubber plug 80 so that the periphery of the electric wire 100 is sealed.

  When all the terminal fittings 90 are properly inserted into the cavity 31, subsequently, as shown in FIG. 1, the rear holder 60 is pushed into the final locking position. After the both locking pieces 62 are bent, the main locking projections 36 of the sub-housing 30 are fitted into the recesses 66 of the locking main body 65 of the both locking pieces 62, so that the rear holder 60 is moved to the main locking position. Retained.

  When the rear holder 60 reaches the final locking position, the holder main body 61 faces and contacts the rear surface of the rubber plug 80, and the rubber plug 80 is elastically sandwiched between the holder main body 61 and the rear surface of the sub housing 30. It becomes a state. As a result, the rubber plug 80 is reliably restricted from coming out backward into the rubber plug housing chamber 19. Further, when the rear holder 60 reaches the final locking position, the expansion restricting portion 63 covers the thin portion 27 deeply, and the inclined surface 69 of the expansion restricting portion 63 can come into contact with the inclined surface 25 of the thin portion 27. Be placed. Here, when the expansion restricting portion 63 contacts the inclined surface 25 of the thin portion 27, further expansion of the thin portion 27 can be suppressed, and the elastic force of the rubber plug 80 can be prevented from escaping. As a result, a state in which the electric wire 100 is fastened from the rubber plug 80 with a predetermined tightening force is ensured, and a predetermined sealing property by the rubber plug 80 is exhibited. The operation of inserting the large terminal fitting 90 </ b> A into the large cavity 14 of the terminal mounting portion 12 may be performed simultaneously with or before the operation of inserting the terminal fitting 90 into the cavity 31 of the sub-housing 30.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the terminal holder 90 is inserted into the cavity 31 of the sub-housing 30 with the rear holder 60 held in the temporary locking position and the expansion restricting portion 63 separated from the thin portion 27. By doing so, the rubber plug 80 is pressed outward by the terminal fitting 90 inserted into the seal hole 81 of the rubber plug 80, and further the thin portion 27 is pressed and expanded, so that the elastic force of the rubber plug 80 is increased. Being escaped, the insertion resistance can be reduced. As a result, the work load is reduced. On the other hand, the rear holder 60 is retained at the main locking position, and the expansion restricting portion 63 covers the thin portion 27 in a state where the expansion is restricted, whereby the elastic force of the rubber plug 80 is properly exerted, and the rubber plug 80 It can suppress that a sealing performance falls.

<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 connector body may be configured as an integrated connector housing without being divided into the main housing and the sub-housing.
(2) The expansion restricting portions may be provided in pairs along the upper and lower edges of the holder body.
(3) The expansion restricting portion may be provided in a cylindrical shape over the entire edge of the holder body.
(4) When the rear holder is in the final locking position, the holder main body may be configured to enter the rubber stopper housing chamber.
(5) The rear holder may not be mounted on the connector main body so as to be movable between the temporary locking position and the main locking position, but may be simply mounted on the connector main body from the rear in one motion. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector main body 11 ... Main housing 19 ... Rubber stopper accommodation chamber 21 ... Outer wall 25 ... Slope 27 ... Thin part 30 ... Sub-housing 31 ... Cavity 60 ... Rear holder 61 ... Holder main body 63 ... Expansion restriction part 64 ... Through-hole 69 ... Inclined surface 80 ... Rubber plug 81 ... Seal hole 90 ... Terminal fitting 100 ... Electric wire

Claims (3)

A terminal fitting connected to the tip of the wire;
A rubber plug housing chamber that is partitioned by an outer wall and opened to the rear surface; and a connector main body having a cavity extending in the front-rear direction and having a rear end facing the rubber plug housing chamber;
A seal hole is accommodated in the rubber plug housing chamber and communicated with the cavity in the accommodated state, and extends from the terminal metal fitting when the terminal metal fitting is inserted into the cavity through the seal hole. A rubber plug capable of liquid-tightly inserting the electric wire into the seal hole and having an outer surface closely attached to an inner surface of the outer wall;
Mounted on the connector body, and having a through hole at a position communicating with the seal hole in the mounted state, loosely fitting the wire extending from the terminal fitting inserted into the cavity into the through hole. A waterproof connector including a rear holder that can be inserted and that can regulate the rubber plug from coming out of the rubber plug housing chamber by contacting the rear surface of the rubber plug,
The outer wall of the connector main body is provided with a thin portion that becomes thin by having an outer surface that is inclined in a direction approaching the rubber plug housing chamber side toward the rear,
The rear holder is provided with an expansion restricting portion capable of restricting the expansion of the thin portion by covering the outer surface of the thin portion when properly attached to the connector body. Waterproof connector featuring.   The rear holder includes a temporary locking position where the expansion restricting portion is arranged apart from the rear without contacting the thin portion, and is normally attached to the connector body so that the expansion restricting portion is the thin portion. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the waterproof connector is movable in the front-rear direction to a main locking position in contact with the connector.   The said expansion restricting portion has an inclined surface that can come into contact with the outer surface of the thin portion when the rear holder is properly attached to the connector body. The waterproof connector according to 1 or 2.

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