JP2017021899A - Waterproof connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waterproof connector assembly capable of preventing reduction in waterproof effect caused by a rotation and a positional deviation of a waterproof member.SOLUTION: A waterproof member 31 is disposed at a peripheral part of a waterproof connector 11. When mounting the waterproof connector 11 to a substrate 41, which is an object to be connected, by soldering a metal piece 31E exposed to a stationary portion 31C of the waterproof member 31 to a corresponding connection pad 41A on the substrate 41, the stationary portion 31C of the waterproof member 31 is fixed to the substrate 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector assembly, and more particularly to a waterproof connector assembly in which a waterproof member is disposed on an outer peripheral portion of a waterproof connector.

  In recent years, portable electronic devices have become widespread, but in these electronic devices, there is a high demand for a waterproof function, and accordingly, the connectors used in the electronic devices are also waterproof. Things are desired.

  A connector having such waterproofness is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. As shown in FIG. 14, the connector 1 has a structure in which a shell 3 is attached to a housing 2 and a waterproof member 4 is fitted to the outer periphery of the housing 2, and a terminal of the housing 2 is connected to a substrate 5. The connector 1 is mounted on the substrate 5 so as to contact the terminal 6. Furthermore, the upper case 7 and the lower case 8 of the electronic device are assembled so as to contact the waterproof member 4, thereby preventing water from entering between the connector 1 and the upper case 7 and the lower case 8.

JP 2009-176734 A

However, the waterproof member 4 fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the housing 2 has a substantially oval shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the housing 2, as viewed from the fitting direction of the connector 1. Yes. For this reason, in the work of fitting the waterproof member 4 into the housing 2 or the assembling work of the upper case 7 and the lower case 8, a force for rotating the waterproof member 4 around the fitting shaft of the connector 1 acts. When the upper case 7 and the lower case 8 are assembled while the 4 is rotated with respect to the housing 2, the waterproof member 4 is deformed into a twisted shape, which may reduce the waterproof effect.
Moreover, even when the force along the fitting direction of the connector 1 acts on the waterproof member 4 and the arrangement position with respect to the housing 2 is shifted, the waterproof effect by the waterproof member 4 may be reduced.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and provides a waterproof connector assembly capable of preventing a decrease in waterproof effect due to rotation and displacement of the waterproof member. Objective.

  A waterproof connector assembly according to the present invention includes a waterproof connector attached to a connection target and a waterproof member disposed on an outer peripheral portion of the waterproof connector, and the waterproof member is at least one for fixing to the connection target. It has a fixed part.

  The waterproof member has a seamless body winding portion that surrounds the outer peripheral portion of the waterproof connector, and the body winding portion sandwiched between the casing of the device equipped with the connection target and the outer peripheral portion of the waterproof connector is deformed. It is preferable that the repulsive force is generated to prevent water from entering between the housing and the waterproof connector, and the fixing portion is formed to protrude from the body winding portion to the inside of the device.

Preferably, the waterproof connector has at least one contact and an insulator formed integrally with the contact, and the contact is disposed at one end and exposed from the insulator to contact the contact of the mating connector. A waterproof member having a contact portion, a connection portion disposed at the other end and projecting from the insulator and connected to the connection target, and a holding portion disposed between the contact portion and the connection portion and held by the insulator; The body winding portion is arranged so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the insulator.
The waterproof connector has an outer peripheral shell that is held by the insulator and surrounds the outer periphery of the contact portion of the contact, and is configured such that the mating connector housing portion that accommodates the mating connector is formed inside the outer shell. it can.

It is preferable that the fixing portion of the waterproof member has a fixing surface that is fixed to the connection object by soldering.
In this case, it is more preferable that the connection portion of the contact has a connection surface to be soldered to the connection object, and the fixing surface of the waterproof member is located on substantially the same surface as the connection surface.
Moreover, it is preferable that an outer peripheral shell has the shell side mounting part attached to a connection target object, and the shell side mounting part is located on the substantially same surface as the fixed surface of a waterproof member, and the connection surface of a contact.
An insulator has a groove | channel for waterproof members surrounding the outer peripheral part of an insulator, and the trunk | winding part of a waterproof member can be comprised so that it may fit in the groove | channel for waterproof members.

  According to this invention, the waterproof member disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the waterproof connector has at least one fixing portion for fixing to the connection object to which the waterproof connector is attached. And it becomes possible to prevent the fall of the waterproofing effect resulting from position shift.

It is the perspective view which looked at the waterproof connector assembly which concerns on embodiment of this invention from diagonally upward. It is the perspective view which looked at the waterproof connector assembly which concerns on embodiment from diagonally downward. It is a front view of the waterproof connector assembly which concerns on embodiment. It is side surface sectional drawing of the waterproof connector assembly which concerns on embodiment. It is the perspective view which looked at the waterproof member used for the waterproof connector assembly which concerns on embodiment from diagonally upward. It is the perspective view which looked at the waterproof member used for the waterproof connector assembly which concerns on embodiment from diagonally downward. It is a perspective view which shows the waterproof connector assembly of embodiment attached to the board | substrate. It is a top view which shows the waterproof connector assembly of embodiment attached to the board | substrate. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the waterproof connector assembly of embodiment attached to the board | substrate. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the waterproof connector assembly of embodiment attached to the board | substrate and the housing | casing of an apparatus is arrange | positioned. It is a front view which shows the waterproof connector assembly of embodiment attached to the board | substrate and the housing | casing of an apparatus is arrange | positioned. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the waterproof connector assembly of embodiment attached to the board | substrate and arrange | positioned the housing | casing of an apparatus. It is an assembly drawing of the electronic device using the conventional connector.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 and 2 show a waterproof connector assembly 10 according to an embodiment. In this waterproof connector assembly 10, a waterproof member 31 is disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the waterproof connector 11.
The waterproof connector 11 is a receptacle connector fixed to a substrate (connection object) in an electronic device such as a portable device and an information device, and extends in the fitting axis C direction and in a direction perpendicular to the fitting axis C. The plurality of first contacts 12 are arranged, and each of the plurality of second contacts 13 extends in the fitting axis C direction and is arranged in parallel with the plurality of first contacts 12.

  Here, for convenience, the direction from the front part to the rear part of the waterproof connector 11 along the fitting axis C is the Y direction, the arrangement direction of the plurality of first contacts 12 and the plurality of second contacts 13 is the X direction, and the XY plane. A direction perpendicular to the second contact 13 side and the first contact 12 side is referred to as a Z direction.

A metal outer shell 14 extending along the fitting axis C is disposed so as to cover the outer periphery of the front end portions of the plurality of first contacts 12 and the plurality of second contacts 13, that is, the ends in the −Y direction. A flat cylindrical portion 14A having a substantially oval cross-sectional shape is formed at the front end portion of the outer peripheral shell 14, that is, the -Y direction side portion, and a mating connector (not shown) is inserted into the cylindrical portion 14A. A side connector housing portion 14B is formed. A pair of arm portions (not shown) extending in the + Y direction along the YZ plane from the + X direction end portion and the −X direction end portion is formed at the + Y direction end portion of the cylindrical portion 14A, and the + Y direction of these arm portions is formed. Shell-side mounting portions 14 </ b> C extending in the −Z direction are formed at the ends.
A first insulator 15 made of an insulating resin is accommodated in the mating connector accommodating portion 14A, and the first insulator 15 is made up of a central portion of each of the plurality of first contacts 12 and the plurality of second contacts 13. The mid plate 16 made of metal is embedded in the first insulator 15 and disposed between the plurality of first contacts 12 and the plurality of second contacts 13.

The rear end portion of the cylindrical portion 14A of the outer shell 14, that is, the + Y direction end portion is closed, and the holding portions of the plurality of first contacts 12 and the plurality of second contacts 13 are embedded in the first insulating resin. Two insulators 17 are formed. A pair of arm portions (not shown) of the outer shell 14 are also embedded in the second insulator 17, and as shown in FIG. 2, the shell-side mounting portion 14 </ b> C formed at the end portion in the + Y direction of the arm portion is the second insulator. 17 protrudes in the −Z direction.
A back shell 18 made of metal is disposed at the rear end of the second insulator 17 so as to cover the back portions of the plurality of first contacts 12 and the plurality of second contacts 13. The back shell 18 has a pair of shell side mounting portions 18A that protrude in the −Z direction.

  The waterproof member 31 is formed from an elastic material such as rubber and is disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the second insulator 17. The waterproof member 31 has a seamless body winding portion 31A surrounding the outer periphery of the second insulator 17, and has a pair of arm portions 31B extending in the + Y direction from both ends of the body winding portion 31A in the X direction. A fixed portion 31C extending in the X direction is formed at the tip of the arm portion 31B so as to be separated from the second insulator 17. The fixing portion 31C is formed to project from the body winding portion 31A via the arm portion 31B toward the inner side of the electronic device on which the waterproof connector 11 is mounted.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the mating connector housing portion 14B of the outer peripheral shell 14, a pair of ground plates 20 and 21 formed of metal protrude from the mating connector housing portion 14B. Arranged on the surface of the second insulator 17 so as to cover the base portions of the contact 12 and the plurality of second contacts 13 from the + Z direction side and the −Z direction side, respectively.
The mid plate 16 and the pair of ground plates 20 and 21 are electrically connected to the outer shell 14.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first insulator 15 includes an insulator body 15A, a tongue-shaped portion 15B extending from the insulator body 15A along the fitting axis C in the −Y direction, and an end portion in the + Y direction of the insulator body 15A. The contact portions 12A and the plurality of second contacts 13 which have wall-like portions 15C projecting in the + Z direction and the −Z direction and are arranged at the front ends of the plurality of first contacts 12 along both surfaces of the tongue-like portion 15B. A contact portion 13A disposed at the front end extends in the -Y direction and is exposed in the mating connector housing portion 14B.

The second insulator 17 is disposed so as to cover the rear portion of the insulator body 15A, the first contact insulator 22 and the second contact insulator 23 are exposed on the back portion of the second insulator 17, and a plurality of first contacts The board connecting part 12B arranged at the rear end of the twelve and the board connecting part 13B arranged at the rear end of the plurality of second contacts 13 are exposed. These board connection portions 12B and 13B have connection surfaces 12C and 13C that are parallel to the XY plane and face the -Z direction, respectively.
The second insulator 17 is disposed between the contact portion 12A of the plurality of first contacts 12 and the substrate connection portion 12B and between the contact portion 13A of the plurality of second contacts 13 and the substrate connection portion 13B. The plurality of first contacts 12 and the plurality of second contacts 13 are fixed to the second insulator 17, and the plurality of first contacts 12 and the plurality of second contacts 13 are fixed to the second insulator 17. Water is prevented from entering the back portion of the second insulator 17 on the + Y direction side along the two contacts 13 from the mating connector housing portion 14B.

  The ground plate 20 disposed on the surface of the first insulator 15 on the + Z direction side passes over the wall portion 15C from the surface of the insulator body 15A of the first insulator 15 and penetrates the inside of the second insulator 17. The portion extending in the + Y direction and located on the + Z direction end of the wall-like portion 15C is connected to the inner surface of the outer peripheral shell 14 on the + Z direction side. The + Y direction end of the ground plate 20 protrudes rearward from the second insulator 17 and is disposed on the surface of the first contact insulator 22 on the + Z direction side and is connected to the back shell 18.

  Similarly, another ground plate 21 disposed on the surface on the −Z direction side of the first insulator 15 is similar to the ground plate 20 on the + Z direction side from the surface of the insulator body 15A of the first insulator 15 to the wall. 15C, passes through the inside of the second insulator 17 and extends in the + Y direction, and the portion located above the −Z direction end of the wall 15C is the inner surface of the outer peripheral shell 14 on the −Z direction side. It is connected to the. The + Y direction end of the ground plate 21 protrudes rearward of the second insulator 17 and is disposed on the surface on the −Z direction side of the second contact insulator 23.

  The second insulator 17 is formed integrally with the through portions of the ground plates 20 and 21, and is formed integrally with a pair of arm portions (not shown) that connect the cylindrical portion 14A of the outer shell 14 and the shell side mounting portion 14C. This prevents water from entering the + Y direction side back portion of the second insulator 17 from the mating connector housing portion 14B along the ground plates 20 and 21 and the outer shell 14.

One waterproof member groove 17A extending in the XZ plane so as to surround the fitting shaft C is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the second insulator 17, and the body winding portion 31A of the waterproof member 31 is formed in the waterproof member groove 17A. Is inserted.
As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the pair of fixing portions 31C of the waterproof member 31 each have a fixing surface 31D parallel to the XY plane and facing the −Z direction, and a metal piece 31E on the fixing portion 31C. Is embedded, and the surface of the metal piece 31E is exposed on the fixed surface 31D. The fixing surface 31D of the waterproof member 31 is located on substantially the same plane as the connection surfaces 12C of the plurality of first contacts 12 and the connection surfaces 13C of the plurality of second contacts 13, and the shell side mounting portion 14C of the outer peripheral shell 14 and The back shell 18 is located on substantially the same plane as the shell side mounting portion 18A.
The metal piece 31E is used for soldering the fixing portion 31C of the waterproof member 31 to the connection object. For example, an elastic material such as rubber is injected around the metal piece 31E in the mold and integrated. Thus, the waterproof member 31 having the metal piece 31E can be manufactured.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the waterproof connector assembly 10 having such a configuration is mounted on a substrate 41 that is a connection object in devices such as portable devices and information devices. At this time, the shell-side mounting portion 14C of the outer shell 14 and the shell-side mounting portion 18A of the back shell 18 are substantially flush with the connection surfaces 12C of the plurality of first contacts 12 and the connection surfaces 13C of the plurality of second contacts 13. In addition, the fixing surface 31D of the waterproof member 31 is located.

  For this reason, for example, a flow soldering process for connecting the substrate connection portions 12B of the plurality of first contacts 12 and the substrate connection portions 13B of the plurality of second contacts 13 to the corresponding connection pads on the substrate 41 is performed. At the same time, the shell side mounting portion 14C of the outer peripheral shell 14 and the shell side mounting portion 18A of the back shell 18 are soldered to the corresponding connection portions of the substrate 41 and exposed to the fixing surface 31D of the waterproof member 31. The metal piece 31E can be soldered to the corresponding connection pad 41A of the substrate 41. That is, in one soldering step, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the substrate connection portions 12 </ b> B of the plurality of first contacts 12, the substrate connection portions 13 </ b> B of the plurality of second contacts 13, and the shell of the outer shell 14. The side mounting portion 14C and the shell side mounting portion 18A of the back shell 18 are respectively connected and fixed to the substrate 41 to attach the waterproof connector 11 to the substrate 41, and at the same time, the fixing portion 31C of the waterproof member 31 can be fixed to the substrate 41. It becomes possible.

  In this way, by soldering the fixing portion 31C of the waterproof member 31 to the connection pad 41A of the substrate 41, the waterproof member 31 is fixed to the substrate 41. As a result, the waterproof connector 11 mounted on the same substrate 41 is waterproofed. The relative position of the member 31 will be fixed.

  After the waterproof connector assembly 10 is mounted on the substrate 41, as shown in FIG. 11, the housing 42 of the device equipped with the substrate 41 is attached to the waterproof connector assembly 10. The housing 42 has a housing space for housing the waterproof connector assembly 10 therein, and a portion from the front end of the waterproof connector assembly 10 to the body winding portion 31A of the waterproof member 31 is housed in the housing space. The housing 42 has an opening 42A that opens in the -Y direction and communicates with the housing space. As shown in FIG. 12, the housing 42 passes through the opening 42A and enters the mating connector housing 14B of the outer shell 14. The contact portions 12A of the plurality of first contacts 12 and the contact portions 13A of the plurality of second contacts 13 are exposed.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the housing space 42 </ b> B of the housing 42 is formed slightly smaller than the outer periphery of the body winding portion 31 </ b> A of the waterproof member 31, and thus the housing 42 is attached to the waterproof connector assembly 10. When the body winding portion 31A of the waterproof member 31 sandwiched between the housing 42 and the outer peripheral portion of the waterproof connector 11 is deformed and generates a repulsive force, the outer peripheral portion of the body winding portion 31A is The inner circumferential portion of the body winding portion 31 </ b> A is in close contact with the inner wall of the accommodation space 42 </ b> B and the waterproof member groove 17 </ b> A of the second insulator 17 of the waterproof connector 11. Thereby, the water immersion between the housing | casing 42 and the waterproof connector 11 is prevented.

  When the housing 42 is attached to the waterproof connector assembly 10, force acts on the body winding portion 31 </ b> A of the waterproof member 31 from the housing 42, but the fixing portion 31 </ b> C of the waterproof member 31 is soldered to the connection pad 41 </ b> A of the substrate 41. Since the relative position of the waterproof member 31 with respect to the waterproof connector 11 is fixed, the body winding portion 31A rotates around the fitting axis C and is displaced along the fitting axis C. Is prevented. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the waterproof effect from being lowered due to the rotation and displacement of the waterproof member 31. Further, the fixing portion 31C is preferably arranged as close as possible to the body winding portion 31A. By doing so, it is possible to more effectively prevent the displacement of the body winding portion 31A.

In the above embodiment, the metal piece 31E is embedded in the fixing portion 31C of the waterproof member 31, and the fixing portion 31C is connected to the connection pad 41A of the substrate 41 using the surface of the metal piece 31E exposed on the fixing surface 31D. The soldering is not limited to this. For example, even if the waterproof member 31 is formed from a material in which metal fine particles are dispersed in rubber or the like, the fixing portion 31C can be soldered. Further, the fixing portion 31C can be soldered by applying a flux to the fixing portion 31C of the waterproof member 31 formed of rubber or the like.
Furthermore, the fixing portion 31C of the waterproof member 31 can be fixed to the surface of the substrate 41 by a method other than soldering, for example, a mechanical method such as welding, adhesion, or screwing. However, if the method by soldering is adopted, it becomes possible to fix the fixing portion 31C of the waterproof member 31 to the substrate 41 at the same time as attaching the waterproof connector 11 to the substrate 41 in one soldering step, and the manufacturing process. This is advantageous in that it can be simplified.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the holding portions of the plurality of first contacts 12 and the plurality of second contacts penetrating the second insulator 17 from the counterpart connector housing portion 14B side to the back portion of the second insulator 17 on the + Y direction side. The waterproof connector 11 is waterproofed by forming the second insulator 17 integrally with the holding portion of the two contacts 13, the ground plates 20 and 21, and the pair of arm portions of the outer peripheral shell 14. However, the plurality of first contacts 12 and the plurality of second contacts 13, the ground plates 20 and 21, and the surface of the penetrating portion of the outer peripheral shell 14 of the second insulator 17 are described in Japanese Patent No. 5433376, respectively. If a waterproof shape part composed of such grooves or protrusions is formed, the waterproof effect can be further improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the waterproof connector 11 includes the outer peripheral shell 14, the mid plate 16, the back shell 18, and the ground plates 20 and 21. It is not limited to the configuration of
Further, the waterproof connector 11 has contacts arranged in two rows of the plurality of first contacts 12 and the plurality of second contacts 13, but the contacts may be arranged in one row. The number of is not limited.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector, 2 Housing, 3 Shell, 4 Waterproof member, 5 Board | substrate, 6 Connection terminal, 7 Upper case, 8 Lower case, 10 Waterproof connector assembly, 11 Waterproof connector, 12 1st contact, 12A, 13A Contact part, 12B, 13B Substrate connecting part, 12C, 13C connecting surface, 13 second contact, 14 outer shell, 14A cylindrical part, 14B mating connector housing part, 14C shell side mounting part, 15 first insulator, 15A insulator body, 15B Tongue, 15C Wall, 16 Mid plate, 17 Second insulator, 17A Waterproof member groove, 18 Back shell, 18A Shell side mounting, 20, 21 Ground plate, 22 First contact insulator, 23 Second Insulator for contact, 31 waterproof member, 31A body winding part, 31B arm part, 31C fixing part, 31D fixing surface, 31E metal piece, 41 substrate, 41A connection pad, 42 housing, 42A opening part, 42B accommodation space, C fitting shaft.

A waterproof connector assembly according to the present invention includes a waterproof connector attached to a connection target and a waterproof member disposed on an outer peripheral portion of the waterproof connector, and the waterproof member is at least one for fixing to the connection target. It has a seamless body winding part that surrounds the outer periphery of the fixed part and the waterproof connector, and the body winding part sandwiched between the casing of the device equipped with the connection object and the outer periphery of the waterproof connector is deformed and repelled. By generating force, water is prevented from entering between the housing and the waterproof connector, and the fixing portion is formed to protrude from the body winding portion to the inside of the device .

Claims (8)

A waterproof connector attached to the connection object;
A waterproof member disposed on an outer peripheral portion of the waterproof connector, wherein the waterproof member has at least one fixing portion for fixing to the connection object.   The waterproof member has a seamless body winding portion that surrounds an outer peripheral portion of the waterproof connector, and the body winding is sandwiched between a casing of a device equipped with the connection target and an outer peripheral portion of the waterproof connector. The portion is deformed to generate a repulsive force to prevent water from entering between the housing and the waterproof connector, and the fixing portion is formed to protrude from the body winding portion to the inside of the device. The waterproof connector assembly according to 1. The waterproof connector has one or more contacts and an insulator formed integrally with the contacts,
The contact is disposed at one end and exposed from the insulator and contacts the contact of the mating connector, and the contact is disposed at the other end and protrudes from the insulator and connected to the connection object, A holding portion disposed between the contact portion and the connection portion and held by the insulator;
The waterproof connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein the body winding portion of the waterproof member is disposed so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the insulator.   The waterproof connector has an outer shell that is held by the insulator and surrounds an outer periphery of the contact portion of the contact, and a mating connector housing portion that houses the mating connector is formed inside the outer shell. The waterproof connector assembly according to claim 3.   The waterproof connector assembly according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the fixing portion of the waterproof member has a fixing surface that is fixed to the connection object by soldering.   The said connection part of the said contact has a connection surface soldered to the said connection target object, The said fixed surface of the said waterproof member is located on the substantially the same surface as the said connection surface. Waterproof connector assembly.   The outer peripheral shell has a shell-side mounting portion attached to the connection object, and the shell-side mounting portion is located on substantially the same plane as the fixing surface of the waterproof member and the connection surface of the contact. The waterproof connector assembly according to claim 6.   The said insulator has the groove | channel for waterproof members surrounding the outer peripheral part of the said insulator, The said trunk | winding part of the said waterproof member is engage | inserted by the said groove | channel for waterproof members. Waterproof connector assembly.