JP2016157595A - Waterproof structure for connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress reduction in waterproofness of a connector caused by cleaning by high pressure water.SOLUTION: A waterproof structure for a connector is formed with cavities 29 and 69 for accommodating terminals 21 and 23 respectively and mutually connected with a pair of cylindrical housings 17 and 19 that fits each other, and a gap between opening ends 47 and 77 of these cavities is water-sealed. The water-sealing part of the pair of housings comprises an inner annular part 81 and an outer annular part 51 engaged with the opening ends. The housing that comprises the inner annular part 81 is provided with a cover body 83 that covers an outer peripheral surface 103 of at least a front end part of the outer annular part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof structure for a connector.

  Conventionally, waterproof connectors for connecting electric wires are mounted on automobiles and the like. This type of waterproof connector is configured by fitting a cylindrical male housing having a cavity capable of accommodating a male terminal into a cylindrical female housing having a cavity capable of accommodating a female terminal. For example, by attaching an annular waterproof rubber attached to the outer peripheral surface of the male housing to the inner peripheral surface of the female housing, the gap between the open ends of the cavities of both housings is sealed with water (for example, (See Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-51071 A

  However, in this type of connector, the waterproof rubber may thermally expand under the severe use condition for a long period of time, and may jump out from the gap between the housings. When, for example, high water pressure washing water is sprayed on the waterproof rubber that has protruded to the outside, the exposed waterproof rubber may be turned up by the water pressure, or may be damaged and missing from the connector. In this case, there is a concern that a water intrusion space is generated in the waterproof rubber interposed between the housings and the waterproof performance is deteriorated.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a problem, and makes it a subject to suppress the fall of the waterproofness of the connector by washing | cleaning of high pressure water.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the waterproof structure of the connector according to the present invention includes a pair of cylindrical housings that are fitted to each other, each having a cavity that accommodates terminals connected to each other, and a gap between the open ends of the cavity. In the waterproof structure of the water-sealing connector, the water-sealing portion of the pair of housings is formed to include an inner annular portion and an outer annular portion that are fitted to each other at the opening end portion, and the outer circumferential surface of at least the distal end portion of the outer annular portion is formed. The covering body is formed in a housing having an inner annular portion.

  According to this, since the front-end | tip part fitted to an inner-side annular part is covered with the cover, the outer side annular part can prevent high-pressure water from contacting a front-end | tip part at the time of washing | cleaning of a vehicle, etc. Thereby, since the outer annular part can be prevented from being turned over by the high-pressure water, the fitted state between the outer annular part and the inner annular part can be maintained, and deterioration of waterproofness can be prevented. The inner annular portion and the outer annular portion can each be formed as a resin member extending from a pair of resin housings, and these can be brought into contact with each other to form a water seal portion of the pair of housings.

  In this case, the housing provided with the inner annular portion is formed to have an annular groove with the outer peripheral surface of the inner annular portion and the inner peripheral surface of the cover body facing the groove side surfaces. According to this, for example, the present invention can be realized by forming the annular groove into which the outer annular portion enters along the inner annular portion at the opening end portion of the housing provided with the inner annular portion. The connector structure can be simplified.

  Further, the outer peripheral surface of the inner annular portion is formed so as to be inclined toward the end toward the housing provided with the outer annular portion. According to this, since the outer peripheral portion is fitted in such a manner that the inner peripheral surface presses the inclined outer peripheral surface of the inner annular portion in the axial direction over the entire circumference, the contact state with the inner annular portion is reliably ensured. can do. In addition, if the inclined surface corresponding to the inclined surface of the inner annular portion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer annular portion, good contact between both annular portions regardless of the axial displacement of the outer annular portion and the inner annular portion. A state can be secured.

  The outer annular portion is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cover when the pair of housings are fitted. According to this, since the front-end | tip part of an outer side annular part can be clamped between an inner side annular part and a cover, the retention strength of an outer side annular part can be heightened. Therefore, even if high-pressure water contacts other than the tip of the outer annular portion, the fitting state between the outer annular portion and the inner annular portion can be more reliably maintained.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the fall of the waterproofness of the connector by washing | cleaning of high pressure water can be suppressed.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector to which the present invention is applied. It is the figure which looked at the connector of Drawing 1 from the back side of a female connector. It is an external appearance perspective view of a male connector. It is a front view of the male housing which comprises the male connector of FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view of a female connector. It is AA arrow sectional drawing of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale of FIG. It is an operation | movement figure before fitting of a male connector and a female connector.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a waterproof structure for a connector to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, a waterproof specification connector mounted on an automobile, a motorcycle, or the like will be described as an example. However, the waterproof structure of the present invention can be applied to other than this type of connector.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector 11 of the present embodiment includes a male connector 13 and a female connector 15, and a male housing 17 of the male connector 13 and a female housing 19 of the female connector 15 are fitted to each other. Thus, the male terminal 21 accommodated in the male housing 17 and the female terminal 23 accommodated in the female housing 19 are electrically connected. An electric wire 25 is connected to the male terminal 21, and an electric wire 27 is connected to the female terminal 23. The female housing 19 is locked to the male housing 17 in a state where one end side is fitted inside the male housing 17. In this embodiment, an example in which two terminals are accommodated in each connector will be described. However, the number of terminals accommodated is not limited to two. In the following description, the X direction in FIG. 1 is defined as the front-rear direction, the Y direction as the width direction, the Z direction as the height direction, the fitting direction of both connectors as the front, and the upper side of FIG. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the male connector 13 includes a male housing 17 formed in a cylindrical shape with an insulating synthetic resin, and a male terminal 21 accommodated in the male housing 17 from behind. . As shown in FIG. 6, the male housing 17 includes a cylindrical base 31 in which a male terminal accommodating chamber 29 (cavity) in which the male terminal 21 is accommodated, and an electric wire holding portion 33 that protrudes rearward from the base 31. The hood portion 35 protruding forward from the base portion 31 is integrally provided. The hood portion 35 is formed to have a peripheral wall that is continuous with the peripheral wall of the base portion 31, and is formed in a cylindrical shape having an oval cross section perpendicular to the axial direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a guide groove 37 extending in the axial direction is formed on the inner surface of the hood portion 35. A wall portion 39 that rises in a plate shape flush with the front end surface of the hood portion 35 has a pair of first cutout portions 41 and a second cutout portion 43 formed inside the pair of first cutout portions 41. And are provided.

  The male terminal accommodating chamber 29 divides and accommodates two male terminals 25 with a partition wall (not shown), and engages each male terminal 25 with a lance (not shown) extended into the male terminal accommodating chamber 29. It is held at the set position. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the male terminal housing chamber 29 has an opening end 47 that opens in the front end surface 45 of the base portion 31 surrounded by the hood portion 35 and a through-hole that penetrates the electric wire holding portion 33 in the axial direction. 49 in the axial direction. Inside the hood portion 35, a cylindrical outer annular portion 51 that extends forward from the front end face 45 at the periphery of the opening end 47 of the base portion 31 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the male housing 17 has a lock arm 53 that is cantilevered forward in the axial direction along the outer surfaces of the base portion 31 and the hood portion 35. The lock arm 53 includes two leg portions 57 respectively supported by a pair of wall portions 55 erected upward from both side surfaces in the width direction of the base portion 31, and a base end portion supported by being connected to the leg portions 57. 59 and an arm portion 61 extending forward from the base end portion 59.

  The lock arm 53 is configured such that the front end portion of the arm portion 61 can be displaced upward from the horizontal direction with a base end portion 59 supported by the wall portion 55 as a fulcrum. As shown in FIG. 6, a lock portion 63 that protrudes downward is provided at the lower front end of the arm portion 61. As shown in FIG. 3, the wall portion 55 is formed so as to be connected to the wall portion 39 of the hood portion 35 so as to surround the lock arm 53 and is formed in a frame shape, and is surrounded by the wall portions 39 and 55. The periphery of the lock arm 53 is opened from the outside of the male housing 17 so as to face the inside (for example, the outer annular portion 51). The upper end surface of the lock arm 53 is set to the same height as the upper end surfaces of the wall portions 39 and 55 or lower than that.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the male terminal 21 is formed of a conductive metal plate or the like, and an electric wire connection portion 65 that crimps and connects the core wire of the electric wire 25 and a male tab 67 that is connected to the female terminal 23 are integrated. In preparation. The male tab 67 extends in the front-rear direction and is formed in a rod shape. The male terminal 21 protrudes from the opening end 45 in a state where the male terminal 21 is held at the set position of the male terminal accommodating chamber 29 and is more than the front end of the outer annular portion 51. It is provided to extend forward.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the female connector 15 has a female housing 19 formed in a cylindrical shape with an insulating synthetic resin, and female terminals 23 accommodated in the female housing 19 from the rear. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the female housing 19 has a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction substantially similar to the hood portion 35 of the male housing 17, and accommodates two female terminals into which the female terminals 23 are inserted. A base portion 71 in which a chamber 69 (cavity) is formed and an electric wire holding portion 73 protruding rearward from the base portion 71 are integrally provided. The female terminal accommodation chamber 69 is formed by partitioning the two female terminals 23 with a partition wall (not shown), and engages each female terminal 23 with a lance (not shown) extended into the female terminal storage chamber 69. It is held at the set position.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the female terminal housing chamber 69 communicates in the axial direction with an opening end 77 that opens to the front end surface 75 of the base portion 71 and a through hole 79 that penetrates the electric wire holding portion 73 in the axial direction. Formed. The open end 77 of the female terminal accommodating chamber 69 is positioned on the end surface of the annular inner annular portion 81 located at the front end portion of the base portion 71, and the end surface of the inner annular portion 81 forms the front end surface 75 of the base portion 71. The inner annular portion 81 has an outer peripheral surface 81a in which the outer peripheral surface of the rear base 71 is made smaller in a stepped shape.

  A part of the outer peripheral surface 81 a of the inner annular portion 81 is surrounded by an annular cover 83 that extends forward along the outer peripheral surface of the base 71. The cover 83 is provided along the outer peripheral surface 81 a of the inner annular portion 81 so as to face the outer peripheral surface 81 a, and the front end surface is located behind the front end surface 75 of the inner annular portion 81. The inner peripheral surface 86 of the cover 83 and the outer peripheral surface 81 a of the inner annular portion 81 form a bottomed annular groove 85 that surrounds the open end 77 when viewed from the front of the female housing 19. That is, the inner peripheral surface 86 of the cover 83 and the outer peripheral surface 81a of the inner annular portion 81 are groove side surfaces of the annular groove 85 that face each other, and this groove side surface is set to a groove width into which the outer annular portion 51 can be inserted. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the female housing 19 has a pair of protrusions 87 extending in the axial direction from the upper surface of the base 71, and a stepped portion 89 extending in the axial direction from the lower surface of the base 71 as shown in FIG. 6. Provided. The pair of protrusions 87 are provided apart from each other in the width direction, and can contact each other with the inner peripheral surface of the male housing 17. A locking portion 91 that protrudes upward is provided inside the pair of protrusions 87. The locking portion 91 is provided with an inclined surface 93 that is inclined downward toward the front base 71, and pushes up the lock arm 53 of the male housing 17 along the inclined surface 93 when the two housings are fitted together. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the female terminal 23 is formed of a conductive metal plate or the like, and a rectangular tube into which a wire connecting portion 95 for crimping and connecting a core wire of the electric wire 27 and a male tab 67 of the male terminal 21 are inserted and connected. And an electric contact portion 97 in the form of a single piece. The electrical contact portion 97 is provided with a distal end portion at a position retracted from the opening end 77 of the base 71 by a set distance in a state where the female terminal 23 is held at the set position of the female terminal accommodating chamber 69.

  Next, the characteristic configuration of the present embodiment will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the connector 11 of the present embodiment includes an outer annular portion 51 formed at the opening end of the male housing 17 and an inner annular portion 81 formed at the opening end of the female housing 19. Are fitted (contacted) with each other, and a water seal portion is provided to seal the gap between the open ends of the male housing 17 and the female housing 19. A front end portion (front end portion) of the outer annular portion 51 is inserted into an annular groove 85 of the female housing 19 formed along 81a.

  The outer annular portion 51 is a resin member that extends in a cylindrical shape from the periphery of the opening end 47 of the male housing 17. The outer annular portion 51 is fitted on the outer side of the inner annular portion 81 and relatively elastic compared to the inner annular portion 81. Formed. FIG. 7 shows an enlarged seal structure of a water seal portion (inside the frame in FIG. 6) in which the outer annular portion 51 fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the inner annular portion 81 is expanded outward and elastically deformed.

  The outer annular portion 51 has an inner peripheral surface 101 and an outer peripheral surface 103 extending in parallel with the axis of the male housing 17 and is set to have a substantially uniform thickness in the axial direction. A chamfered portion 105 that widens toward the front is formed.

  The inner annular portion 81 is a resin member formed in an annular shape to form the front end portion of the base portion 71 of the female housing 19. The inner annular portion 81 is fitted on the outer annular portion 51 and is thicker than the outer annular portion 51. Is large and has high rigidity. The inner annular portion 81 has an inner peripheral surface 107 parallel to the axis of the female housing 19 and an outer peripheral surface 81a that inclines toward the rear (back) along the axial direction, and is thick from the front end toward the rear. Is set to gradually increase.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the inner dimension between the inner peripheral surfaces 101 facing the height direction of the outer annular portion 51 is L1, and between the outer peripheral surfaces 81 a facing the height direction of the inner annular portion 81. When the outer dimensions of the front end portion and the rear end portion are L2 and L3, respectively, at least L3 larger than L2 is set larger than L1, specifically, the dimensional relationship of L2 <L1 <L3 It has become. This dimensional relationship is set over the entire circumference of the outer annular portion 51 and the inner annular portion 81. Therefore, the outer annular portion 51 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 101 of the distal end portion being pressed and expanded by the outer peripheral surface 81a of the inner annular portion 81 as the distal end portion is inserted into the annular groove 85 of the female housing 19. Then, the gap between the open ends of the male housing 17 and the female housing 19 is sealed with water.

  The outer annular portion 51 having the distal end inserted into the annular groove 85 is covered with a cover 83 at the distal end. In the present embodiment, the distal end portion of the outer annular portion 51 is pushed outward by the inner annular portion 81 so that the outer peripheral surface 103 of the distal end portion comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface 86 of the cover body 85. Yes.

  Next, an example of the fitting operation of both housings will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the male terminal 21 to which the electric wire 25 equipped with the rubber plug 109 is connected is accommodated together with the rubber plug 109 in the male terminal accommodating chamber 29 of the male housing 17. Further, the female terminal 23 to which the electric wire 27 fitted with the rubber plug 111 is connected is accommodated together with the rubber plug 111 in the female terminal accommodating chamber 69 of the female housing 19. In this state, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 8, the female housing 19 and the male housing 17 are brought close to each other.

  When the female housing 19 is inserted into the hood portion 35 of the male housing 17, the pair of protrusions 87 of the female housing 19 pass through the first cutout portions 41 of the male housing 17 and the female housing 19 is locked. The portion 91 passes through the second cutout portion 43 of the male housing 17. Further, the stepped portion 89 of the female housing 19 is guided along the guide groove 37 of the male housing 17.

  As the insertion of the female housing 19 proceeds, the lock arm 53 of the male housing 17 rides on the locking portion 91 along the inclined surface 93 of the locking portion 91 of the female housing 19, and the arm portion 61 bends and deforms upward. . Then, when the lock part 63 of the arm part 61 gets over the locking part 91, the arm part 61 returns elastically. Thereby, the latching | locking part 91 is latched by the lock | rock part 63, and both housings are locked in a regular fitting state.

  At the same time, the outer annular portion 51 fitted to the inner annular portion 81 is housed in the annular groove 85 as shown in FIG. The distal end portion accommodated in the annular groove 85 abuts the entire outer periphery with the inner peripheral surface 101 pressing the inclined outer peripheral surface 81a of the inner annular portion 81 in the axial direction. At this time, the outer annular portion 51 is pressed against the inner annular portion 81 and elastically deforms so as to spread outward. However, since the restoring force of this elastic deformation presses the outer peripheral surface 81a of the inner annular portion 81, the outer annular portion 81 51 and the inner annular portion 81 are in close contact with each other over the entire circumference, and the gap between the opening end 47 of the male connector 13 and the opening end 77 of the female connector 15 is sealed with water. In addition, the outer peripheral surface 103 abuts the inner peripheral surface 86 of the cover 83 by the front end portion of the outer annular portion 51 being pushed outward.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the male connector 13 and the female connector 15 are fitted, the tip of the outer annular portion 51 of the male connector 13 is accommodated in the annular groove 85 of the female connector 15. The cover 83 is covered. Thereby, for example, even when the high-pressure liquid for cleaning sprayed on the connector 11 is sprayed to the outer annular portion 51 inside the connector 11 through the opening around the lock arm 53 when the vehicle is cleaned. Since the high-pressure liquid can be prevented from coming into contact with the tip of the outer annular portion 51 that contacts the inner annular portion 81, the watertight state between the outer annular portion 51 and the inner annular portion 81 can be maintained, and the connector 11 can be prevented from being deteriorated.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the distal end portion of the outer annular member 51 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface 86 of the cover 81, a pair of groove side surfaces opposed to the annular groove 85, that is, the outer periphery of the inner annular portion 81. It is sandwiched between the surface 81 a and the inner peripheral surface 86 of the cover 83 and is held in the annular groove 85. For this reason, the outer annular portion 51 can stably maintain the contact state with the inner annular portion 81 even when the high pressure liquid comes into contact with the portion exposed from the annular groove 85. This can be prevented more reliably.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the cover 83 is formed along the outer peripheral surface of the female housing 19, the size of the connector 11 is not increased, and the structure can be simplified. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be kept low.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the outer annular portion 51 and the inner annular portion 81 are formed of resin and sealed by contacting them, so that a waterproof rubber packing or the like is not necessary. Therefore, deterioration of the rubber packing, damage due to high water pressure, and the like can be prevented, and the waterproofness of the connector 11 can be maintained high. In addition, since a space for providing rubber packing is not required, the connector 11 can be downsized.

  In addition, the outer annular portion 51 has elasticity (spring property) and is formed so as to press the inner annular portion 81 over the entire circumference. Even if the members 51 and 81 vibrate in the axial direction, the outer annular portion 51 elastically deforms and absorbs vibration while maintaining a contact state with the inner annular portion 81. Therefore, the backlash between the housings does not occur, and the deterioration with time of the connector 11 due to vibration can be suppressed.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with drawing, said embodiment is only the illustration of this invention, It can change and change within the range described in the claim. is there.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the example in which the cover 83 of the female housing 19 is formed by annularly extending along the outer peripheral surface of the base 71 has been described. As long as it is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral surface 103 of the distal end portion of the outer annular portion 51 that is easily influenced by the high-pressure liquid, it may be formed, for example, in a circular arc shape.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the example in which the outer annular member 51 is formed in the male housing 17 and the inner annular member 81 and the cover 83 are formed in the female housing 19 is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. 17 may be formed with an inner annular member 81 and a cover 83, and the female housing 19 may be formed with an outer annular member 51.

  Moreover, although the water seal part of this embodiment maintains the mutual contact state using the elastic deformation when the outer side annular part 51 and the inner side annular part 81 are fitted, the opening ends of both housings As long as the gap is water-sealed, each annular member does not necessarily need to be elastically deformed. For example, the inclined surfaces of the outer annular portion 51 and the inner annular portion 81 having rigidity can be brought into watertight contact with each other, and the tip end surface of the outer annular member 51 can be brought into watertight contact with the groove bottom of the annular groove 85. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Connector 13 Male connector 15 Female connector 17 Male housing 19 Female housing 21 Male terminal 23 Female terminal 29 Male terminal accommodation chamber (cavity)
45 Front end face 47 Open end (male housing)
51 Outer ring portion 69 Female terminal storage chamber (cavity)
75 Front end face 77 Open end (female housing)
81 inner annular portion 81a outer peripheral surface (inner annular portion)
83 Cover body 85 Annular groove 86 Inner peripheral surface (cover body)
101 Inner peripheral surface (outer annular part)
103 Outer peripheral surface (outer annular part)

Claims (4)

In a waterproof structure of a connector in which a cavity for accommodating terminals connected to each other is formed in a pair of cylindrical housings that are fitted to each other, and the gap between the open ends of the cavity is water sealed,
The water seal portion of the pair of housings is formed to include an inner annular portion and an outer annular portion that are fitted to each other at the opening end portion,
A waterproof structure for a connector, wherein a cover that covers at least the outer peripheral surface of the outer annular portion is formed on the housing having the inner annular portion.   The said housing provided with the said inner side annular part is formed with the annular groove which makes the outer peripheral surface of the said inner annular part, and the inner peripheral surface of the said cover body respectively face the groove side surface. The waterproof structure of the connector according to 1.   3. The waterproof structure for a connector according to claim 1, wherein an outer peripheral surface of the inner annular portion is formed to be inclined toward the end toward the housing having the outer annular portion.   The waterproof structure for a connector according to claim 1, wherein the outer annular portion is brought into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the cover when the pair of housings are fitted.

Images