JP2016225168A - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waterproof connector capable of easily and surely performing temporary locking or final locking of a retainer and is capable of downsizing the retainer that regulates drop-off of a seal member.SOLUTION: The waterproof connector comprises: a receptacle connector 101; a ring-shaped seal member 121 which is disposed at a proximal end side of an outer peripheral surface of a terminal housing part 112 that is provided in a receptacle housing 111; and a retainer 141 which is capable of taking a temporarily locked state and a finally locked state by being inserted from an upper side of the terminal housing part 112 at a side closer to a distal end than the seal member 121. The retainer 141 includes an upper bridge part 142; a plurality of notches 143 which are provided at a lower side of the bridge part 142 and in which a terminal is locked; and an extension 144 which extends downwards between the plurality of notches 143. In the finally locked state, an upper portion of the bridge part 142 and a lower portion of the extension 144 vertically protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal housing part 112, and drop-off of the seal member 121 is regulated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector having a waterproof function for preventing water from entering a housing in which terminals are accommodated.

  A waterproof connector having a waterproof function for preventing water from entering a housing in which a terminal is accommodated is known. For example, a waterproof connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a receptacle connector and a plug connector into which the receptacle connector is fitted. The receptacle connector includes a receptacle housing having a terminal housing portion, a terminal housing portion, and a terminal housing portion. A ring-shaped seal member (packing) disposed on the base end side of the outer peripheral surface, and a retainer (spacer) that locks the terminal of the electric wire by being inserted from below the terminal accommodating portion on the distal end side of the seal member And a retainer capable of taking a temporarily locked state in which the terminal can pass and a fully locked state in which the terminal is locked.

  By the way, in the waterproof connector shown in Patent Document 1, the upper and lower portions of the retainer protrude upward and downward from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion and restrict the dropout of the seal member when in the final locked state. The retainer shown in Patent Document 1 has an advantage that the upper and lower portions of the retainer shown in Patent Document 1 are substantially the width direction of the terminal accommodating portion. Since the entire region is formed so as to protrude vertically from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion, there is a difficulty in miniaturization.

  In addition, this type of waterproof connector requires a function of preventing the receptacle connector from being flipped upside down and erroneously inserted, but if a projection for preventing erroneous insertion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion, the sealing member There was a problem that the wearability of the was lowered.

JP 2002-252057 A

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and the object thereof is to easily and reliably perform temporary locking and permanent locking of the retainer to the receptacle connector from above, and upper and lower portions. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a waterproof connector that can reduce the size of a retainer that restricts the removal of a seal member.

  The present invention has been proposed to achieve the above object, and a first aspect according to the present invention is a waterproof connector comprising: a receptacle connector; and a plug connector into which the receptacle connector is fitted. The receptacle connector includes a terminal housing portion, a ring-shaped seal member disposed on the proximal end side of the outer peripheral surface of the terminal housing portion, and the terminal housing portion on the distal end side of the seal member A retainer for locking the terminal of the electric wire by being inserted from above, the retainer capable of taking a temporary locking state in which the terminal can pass and a final locking state in which the terminal is locked; The retainer includes an upper bridging portion, a plurality of cutout portions provided below the bridging portion for locking the terminal, and the plurality of cutouts. An extension portion extending downward and extending downward, and when in the final locking state, the upper portion of the bridging portion and the lower portion of the extension portion are above and below the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion. It protrudes and regulates the dropping of the seal member.

  The plug connector includes therein a recess provided at a position facing the upper portion of the bridging portion of the retainer, a groove portion provided at a position facing the lower portion of the extension portion of the retainer, and the groove portion. Convex portions provided on either of the left and right sides or the left and right sides, and the convex connector may prevent the receptacle connector from being inserted upside down and erroneously inserted.

  The outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion of the receptacle connector may be formed in a flat shape without a protrusion.

  According to the present invention, the retainer can be temporarily locked and permanently locked to the receptacle connector easily and reliably from above, and the retainer that restricts the dropout of the seal member at the upper and lower portions can be reduced in size. A connector can be provided.

It is a side view which shows the fitting state of the waterproof connector which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the fitting state of a waterproof connector. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the insertion / extraction state of a waterproof connector. It is a figure which shows the receptacle connector of a waterproof connector, (a) is a top view of a receptacle connector, (b) is a side view of a receptacle connector, (c) is a bottom view of a receptacle connector. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the receptacle connector of a waterproof connector. It is a figure which shows the state transition of a receptacle connector, (a) is a perspective view of a receptacle housing (inner seal member temporary attachment state), (b) is a perspective view of a receptacle housing to which an outer seal member is attached, and (c) is a retainer. It is a perspective view of the receptacle housing which latched temporarily. It is a figure which shows the state transition of a receptacle connector, (a) is CC sectional drawing of a receptacle housing, (b) is DD sectional drawing of the receptacle housing which attached the outer seal member, (c) is a temporary retainer. It is EE sectional drawing of the receptacle housing made into the latching state. It is AA sectional drawing of the receptacle connector which made the retainer the final locking state after terminal insertion. It is a figure which shows the state transition of a retainer, (a) is BB sectional drawing of the receptacle connector which made the retainer the temporary latching state, (b) is BB cross section of the receptacle connector which made the retainer the main latching state. FIG. It is a figure which shows the erroneous insertion control structure of a waterproof connector, (a) is a front view of a plug connector, (b) is a front view of a receptacle connector.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same elements throughout the description of the embodiment.

[Outline of waterproof connector]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the waterproof connector according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a receptacle connector 101 and a plug connector 1 into which the receptacle connector 101 is fitted.

  The plug connector 1 has a cylindrical plug housing 11 having an insertion port 12 into which the receptacle connector 101 is inserted at one end and a fixing portion 13 fixed to the substrate 2 in a penetrating manner at the bottom, and the plug housing 11. And a plurality of plug terminals 51 extending in and out of the plug housing 11.

  The receptacle connector 101 includes a cylindrical receptacle housing 111 having a terminal accommodating portion 112 and an electric wire accommodating portion 113, and a ring-shaped outer seal member 121 (seal member) disposed on the proximal end side of the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 112. A plurality of receptacle terminals 151 (terminals) housed in the terminal housing portion 112 by being inserted from the wire insertion port 113a of the wire housing portion 113 while being connected to the wire 3, and the outer peripheral surface of the wire 3 An inner seal member 131 that seals a gap between the inner peripheral surface of the electric wire housing portion 113 and a retainer 141 that locks the receptacle terminal 151 by being inserted from above the terminal housing portion 112 on the distal end side of the outer seal member 121. And comprising.

  In the waterproof connector of this embodiment, the number of plug terminals 51 and receptacle terminals 151 is two, but the number of plug terminals 51 and receptacle terminals 151 may be three or more.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the receptacle connector 101 is connected to the plug connector 1, the terminal accommodating portion 112 of the receptacle connector 101 is inserted into the insertion port 12 of the plug connector 1. As shown in FIG. 2, when the receptacle connector 101 is inserted to a predetermined insertion end, the receptacle terminal 151 comes into contact with the plug terminal 51 from above and below and becomes conductive. At this time, the outer seal member 121 of the receptacle connector 101 is brought into pressure contact with the inner peripheral surface of the plug housing 11, whereby the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 112 and the inner peripheral surface of the plug housing 11 is sealed.

  In addition, a lock lever 114 that is elastically deformable in the vertical direction is provided on the base end side upper portion of the receptacle housing 111, and an engagement claw 114 a formed on the upper surface of the lock lever 114 is engaged with the plug housing 11. By engaging the portion 14, the receptacle connector 101 is prevented from coming off, and the connection state between the receptacle connector 101 and the plug connector 1 is maintained. Further, when the lock lever 114 is pushed downward in the connected state, the engaging claw 114a is detached from the engaging portion 14, and the receptacle connector 101 is allowed to be pulled out.

[Receptacle connector]
Next, each part of the receptacle connector 101 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C and FIG. 5, the receptacle terminal 151 is formed above the upper contact portion 152 and the upper contact portion 152 and the lower contact portion 153 that contact the plug terminal 51 from above and below. A primary locking portion 154 that is primarily locked by the receptacle housing 111 during assembly, and a secondary locking portion 155 that is formed behind the primary locking portion 154 and is secondary locked by the retainer 141 during assembly. A conductor holding part 156 formed behind the secondary locking part 155 for holding the conductor 3a of the electric wire 3 in a sandwiched manner and a conductor holding part 156 formed behind the conductor holding part 156 for holding the insulating tube 3b of the electric wire 3 in a sandwiched manner. And an insulating holding part 157.

  The receptacle housing 111 includes the terminal accommodating portion 112, the electric wire accommodating portion 113, and the lock lever 114 described above. The outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 112 has a flat shape without protrusions from the distal end side to the proximal end side to which the outer seal member 121 is mounted, and the outer seal member 121 is outer peripheral surface from the distal end side of the terminal accommodating portion 112. When mounting in a slidable manner, the mounting is prevented from being hindered by protrusions, and good mounting workability is realized.

  A retainer insertion port 115 for inserting the retainer 141 into the terminal accommodating portion 112 from above is formed on the proximal end side of the terminal accommodating portion 112 and in the vicinity of the distal end side from the mounting position of the outer seal member 121. ing. In addition, below the retainer insertion port 115, there are extended portion projecting holes 116 formed in the lower surface portion of the terminal housing portion 112, and engagement holes 117 formed in the left and right side portions of the terminal housing portion 112. Has been placed.

  In addition, a primary locking arm 118 extending downward on the distal end side is formed on the lower surface of the upper portion of the terminal accommodating portion 112. When the receptacle terminal 151 is inserted from the rear into the terminal accommodating portion 112, the primary locking arm 118 climbs over the primary locking portion 154 of the receptacle terminal 151 by elastic deformation, and then enters the primary locking portion 154 from the rear. By engaging, the receptacle terminal 151 is locked in a retaining manner.

  The outer seal member 121 is made of a ring-shaped rubber elastic member that can be attached to the base end side of the terminal accommodating portion 112, and a plurality of ridge portions 122 that are in pressure contact with the inner peripheral surface of the plug housing 11 are provided on the outer peripheral portion thereof. Are formed in parallel with a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction.

  The inner seal member 131 is made of a rubber-like elastic member that can be fitted in the electric wire housing portion 113, and has a plurality of ridge portions 132 that are in pressure contact with the inner circumferential surface of the electric wire housing portion 113. Are formed in parallel with a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of electric wire insertion holes 133 through which the electric wires 3 are inserted are formed on the inner peripheral side.

  The retainer 141 is a retaining member for retaining the secondary locking portion 155 of the receptacle terminal 151 in a retaining shape by being inserted into the retainer insertion port 115 of the terminal accommodating portion 112 from above, and the receptacle terminal 151 passes therethrough. It is formed so as to be able to take a possible temporary locking state and a main locking state in which the receptacle terminal 151 is locked in a retaining manner.

  The retainer 141 includes a bridging portion 142 positioned above, a plurality of notch portions 143 provided below the bridging portion 142 and locking the secondary locking portion 155 of the receptacle terminal 151 in a retaining manner, and a plurality of notches 143 An intermediate extension 144 (extension) between the cutouts 143 and extending downward; a lateral extension 145 extending laterally outside the left and right sides of the plurality of cutouts 143; An engaging claw 146 that protrudes outward from the distal end portion of the laterally extending portion 145, engages with the upper end edge of the engaging hole 117 of the receptacle housing 111 in a temporarily locked state, and prevents the retainer 141 from coming off; and a bridging portion And an engaging convex portion 147 protruding from the front surface portion of 142. The engaging convex portion 147 is engaged with the upper edge portion of the retainer insertion port 115 to hold the retainer 141 in a temporarily locked state, and in response to the pushing operation of the retainer 141 to the fully locked state, The retainer 141 in the fully locked state is prevented from coming off by overcoming the upper edge of the retainer insertion port 115 and engaging the inner peripheral side of the terminal accommodating portion 112.

  In the fully-retained retainer 141, the upper part of the bridging part 142 and the lower part of the intermediate extension part 144 protrude above and below the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating part 112, so that the outer seal member 121 falls off (slides forward). ) And function as a part of an erroneous insertion prevention structure to be described later.

[Assembly process of receptacle connector]
Next, the assembly process of the receptacle connector 101 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C and FIGS. 7A to 7C, the receptacle connector 101 includes an outer seal member 121, an inner seal member 131 (temporary mounting state), and a retainer 141. Shipped in a (temporarily locked state) mounted, and the receptacle terminal 151 and the electric wire 3 are assembled at the purchaser.

  In the assembly process up to the shipping state, a process of temporarily mounting the inner seal member 131 to the receptacle housing 111 (see FIGS. 6A and 7A) and a process of mounting the outer seal member 121 to the receptacle housing 111 ( 6B and 7B) and a step of temporarily retaining the retainer 141 on the receptacle housing 111 (see FIGS. 6C and 7C).

  The step of temporarily attaching the inner seal member 131 to the receptacle housing 111 is performed by inserting the inner seal member 131 into the electric wire accommodating portion 113 from the electric wire insertion port 113a.

  The step of attaching the outer seal member 121 to the receptacle housing 111 is a regular attachment position after the outer seal member 121 is fitted on the distal end side of the terminal accommodating portion 112 and then slid along the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 112. This is performed by arranging the base end portion of the terminal accommodating portion 112. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 112 has a flat shape with no protrusions extending from the distal end side to the proximal end side where the outer seal member 121 is mounted, so that the outer seal member 121 is connected to the distal end of the terminal accommodating portion 112. When mounting in a slide shape along the outer peripheral surface from the side, it is avoided that the mounting is hindered by the protrusion, and good mounting workability is realized.

  The step of temporarily retaining the retainer 141 on the receptacle housing 111 is performed by inserting the retainer 141 into the retainer insertion port 115 of the terminal accommodating portion 112 from above. At this time, the engaging convex portion 147 of the retainer 141 is engaged with the upper edge portion of the retainer insertion port 115, whereby the retainer 141 is held in a temporarily locked state, and the engaging claw 146 of the retainer 141 is received in the receptacle. Engaging with the upper end edge of the engagement hole 117 of the housing 111 restricts the retainer 141 from coming off from the receptacle housing 111.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9A to 9B, in the process of assembling the receptacle terminal 151 and the electric wire 3 at the purchaser, the receptacle terminal 151 connected to the electric wire 3 is connected to the terminal accommodating portion 112 of the receptacle housing 111. And a step (see FIG. 8 and FIG. 9B) of bringing the retainer 141 into a fully locked state (see FIG. 9A). It should be noted that the processes having low relevance to the present invention, specifically, the process of connecting the receptacle terminal 151 to the electric wire 3, the process of removing the temporarily installed inner seal member 131, the process of installing the inner seal member 131, etc. Will not be described.

  The step of accommodating the receptacle terminal 151 connected to the electric wire 3 in the terminal accommodating portion 112 of the receptacle housing 111 is performed by inserting the receptacle terminal 151 connected to the electric wire 3 from the electric wire insertion port 113a. At this time, after the primary locking arm 118 formed inside the electric wire insertion port 113a gets over the primary locking portion 154 of the receptacle terminal 151 by elastic deformation, it engages with the primary locking portion 154 from behind, Receptacle terminal 151 is prevented from coming off (primary locking).

  The step of bringing the retainer 141 into the fully locked state is performed by pushing the upper portion of the retainer 141. When the retainer 141 is pushed in, the engaging convex portion 147 of the retainer 141 gets over the upper edge portion of the retainer insertion port 115 and engages with the inner peripheral side of the terminal accommodating portion 112, so that the retainer 141 is in a fully locked state. To prevent it from coming off. The retainer 141 in the fully locked state prevents the receptacle terminal 151 from coming off (secondary locking) by positioning the notch portion 143 behind the secondary locking portion 155 formed in the receptacle terminal 151, and The upper portion of the bridging portion 142 and the lower portion of the intermediate extension portion 144 protrude above and below the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 112, thereby restricting the outer seal member 121 from falling off. At this time, since only the distal end portion of the intermediate extension portion 144 protrudes downward from the terminal accommodating portion 112, the size can be reduced as compared with the case where the terminal accommodating portion 112 protrudes substantially in the entire width direction. .

[Incorrect insertion prevention structure]
Next, a structure for preventing erroneous insertion of the waterproof connector will be described with reference to FIG. Refer to the side cross-sectional views shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 for the state where the waterproof connector is properly fitted and the state where the waterproof connector is inserted and removed.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, the receptacle connector 101 has a terminal housing portion 112 (plug connector insertion portion) whose outer peripheral surface is flat from the distal end side to the proximal end side and is vertically symmetrical. On the proximal end side, the bridge portion 142 of the retainer 141 protrudes upward, and the intermediate extension portion 144 protrudes downward, so that the outer shape is asymmetrical in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the plug connector 1 is formed with an insertion port 12 that allows insertion of the receptacle connector 101 (terminal accommodating portion 112). When the receptacle connector 101 is inserted in a normal posture, the recess 15 that faces the upper portion of the bridging portion 142 of the retainer 141 and the groove portion that faces the lower portion of the intermediate extension portion 144 of the retainer 141 are inserted into the insertion port 12. 16 and convex portions 17 located on both the left and right sides (or one of the left and right sides) of the groove portion 16 are formed.

  In other words, when the receptacle connector 101 is inserted into the insertion port 12 of the plug connector 1 in a normal posture, the upper portion of the bridging portion 142 of the retainer 141 passes through the concave portion 15 and the lower portion of the intermediate extension portion 144 of the retainer 141 is The insertion of the receptacle connector 101 is allowed by passing through the groove portion 16, but when the receptacle connector 101 is inserted into the insertion port 12 of the plug connector 1 in the upside down posture, the upper portion of the bridging portion 142 of the retainer 141 is convex. Insertion is regulated by contacting the portion 17.

  According to the embodiment described above, the receptacle connector includes the receptacle connector 101 and the plug connector 1 into which the receptacle connector 101 is fitted, and the receptacle connector 101 includes the terminal housing portion 112. 111, a ring-shaped outer seal member 121 disposed on the proximal end side of the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 112, and the electric wire 3 is connected by being inserted from above the terminal accommodating portion 112 on the distal end side of the outer seal member 121. And a retainer 141 that is capable of engaging a temporary locking state in which the receptacle terminal 151 can pass and a final locking state in which the receptacle terminal 151 is locked. The retainer 141 is located above the bridge 142 and below the bridge 142. A plurality of cutout portions 143 that are provided in the middle and that lock the receptacle terminal 151, and an intermediate extension portion 144 that extends between the plurality of cutout portions 143 and extends downward, and is in a fully locked state. Since the upper part of the bridging part 142 and the lower part of the intermediate extension part 144 protrude above and below the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating part 112 and restrict the outer seal member 121 from falling off, the retainer 141 can be temporarily locked to the receptacle connector 101. The main locking can be easily and reliably performed from above, and the amount of protrusion of the retainer 141 that restricts the outer seal member 121 from dropping off at the upper and lower portions can be suppressed, thereby contributing to downsizing of the retainer 141 and thus the waterproof connector.

  Further, the plug connector 1 includes a recess 15 provided in a position facing the upper portion of the bridging portion 142 of the retainer 141 and a groove portion provided in a position facing the lower portion of the intermediate extension portion 144 of the retainer 141. 16 and convex portions 17 provided on both the left and right sides of the groove portion 16, and the convex connector 17 prevents the receptacle connector 101 from being flipped upside down and erroneously inserted, thereby preventing the retainer 141 from being erroneously inserted. It can be used as part of the structure and contribute to the miniaturization of the waterproof connector and the simplification of the structure.

  Further, since the terminal accommodating portion 112 of the receptacle connector 101 has a flat outer peripheral surface on which no projection for preventing erroneous insertion is formed, the outer seal member 121 is slid from the distal end side of the terminal accommodating portion 112 along the outer peripheral surface. When mounting on the head, the mounting is prevented from being hindered by protrusions and the like, and good mounting workability is realized.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Plug connector, 2 ... Board | substrate, 3 ... Electric wire, 3a ... Conductive wire, 3b ... Insulation tube, 11 ... Plug housing, 12 ... Insertion port, 13 ... Fixing part, 14 ... Engagement part, 15 ... Recessed part, 16 ... Groove part , 17 ... convex part, 51 ... plug terminal, 101 ... receptacle connector, 111 ... receptacle housing, 112 ... terminal accommodating part, 113 ... electric wire accommodating part, 113a ... electric wire insertion port, 114 ... lock lever, 114a ... engaging claw, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 115 ... Retainer insertion port, 116 ... Extension part protrusion hole, 117 ... Engagement hole, 118 ... Primary locking arm, 121 ... Outer seal member, 122 ... Convex part, 131 ... Inner seal member, 132 ... Convex part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 133 ... Electric wire insertion hole, 141 ... Retainer, 142 ... Bridge part, 143 ... Notch part, 144 ... Intermediate extension part, 145 ... Side extension part, 146 ... Engagement claw, 147 ... Engagement Protrusion, 151 ... receptacle terminal, 152 ... upper contact portion, 153 ... lower contact portion, 154 ... primary locking portion, 155 ... secondary locking portion, 156 ... wire holding portion, 157 ... insulating holder.

Claims (3)

A waterproof connector,
A receptacle connector;
A plug connector to which the receptacle connector is fitted,
The receptacle connector is
A receptacle housing having a terminal housing;
A ring-shaped seal member disposed on the base end side of the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion;
A retainer for locking the terminal of the electric wire by being inserted from above the terminal accommodating portion on the tip side of the sealing member, and the terminal is locked in a temporarily locked state in which the terminal can pass. The retainer capable of taking the main locking state,
The retainer has an upper bridging portion, a plurality of cutout portions provided below the bridging portion for locking the terminal, and an extension extending between the plurality of cutout portions. The upper portion of the bridging portion and the lower portion of the extending portion protrude above and below the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion to restrict the dropout of the seal member. Waterproof connector characterized by that.   The plug connector is provided therein with a recess provided at a position facing the upper portion of the bridge portion of the retainer, a groove portion provided at a position facing the lower portion of the extension portion of the retainer, and the groove portion. The convex part provided in any one of the right-and-left both sides or right-and-left of this, and the said convex connector is controlled upside down by the said convex part, and it controls that it inserts incorrectly. Waterproof connector.   The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein an outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion of the receptacle connector is formed in a flat shape without a protrusion.