JP2018014214A - Rubber plug and waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rubber plug excellent in workability because insertion force is low when assembling the rubber plug to a fitted part, and to provide a waterproof connector.SOLUTION: In a waterproof connector including a terminal connected with a wire and a terminal of the wire, a connector housing for internally holding the terminal, and a rubber plug fitted over the wire, and fitted in the connector housing in the rear of the terminal in a state where the terminal is held in the connector housing, the rubber plug includes one or more outer peripheral lips adhering elastically to the inner peripheral surface of the connector housing. In one outer peripheral lip, a front adhesion part arranged on the terminal side, and a rear adhesion part arranged on the rear side of the front adhesion part are coupled integrally by a coupling part and extending continuously in the circumferential direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

   The technology disclosed by this specification is related with a rubber stopper and a waterproof connector.

  Conventionally, what is described in JP, 2015-220023, A (patent documents 1) is known as a waterproof structure of an electric wire terminal part in a connector. This rubber plug has an electric wire insertion hole through which an electric wire is inserted, and the outer periphery of the electric wire and the inner periphery of the electric wire insertion hole come into close contact with each other so that the electric wire and the rubber plug are sealed. Yes. Further, the outer periphery of the rubber stopper is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cavity of the housing, so that the space between the rubber plug and the housing is sealed.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-220023

  By the way, when a rubber material having low hardness is used as the material of the rubber plug, for example, when the electric wire is pulled in an oblique direction, the rubber plug easily deforms, and the adhesion between the rubber plug and the electric wire, or the rubber plug The adhesion between the housing and the housing may be impaired. For this reason, in order to improve adhesion, it is preferable to use a rubber material having a relatively high hardness as the material of the rubber plug. In such a case, the insertion force when the rubber plug is assembled in the cavity is reduced. There is a problem that it becomes large and workability is inferior.

  The technology disclosed in the present specification has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a rubber plug and a waterproof connector that have a low insertion force when assembling a rubber plug to a mated portion and are excellent in workability. It is intended.

The technology disclosed in the present specification is a rubber plug provided with one or a plurality of outer peripheral lips that are elastically adhered to an inner peripheral surface of a fitting portion, and the one outer peripheral lip is the fitting target. The front contact portion disposed on the front side in the fitting direction with respect to the portion and the rear contact portion disposed on the rear side in the fitting direction are integrally connected by the connecting portion and continuously extend in the circumferential direction. Yes.
It is.

  According to such a configuration, when the rubber plug is fitted into the fitted portion, the front contact portion of the outer peripheral lip provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rubber plug is inserted in advance, and the rear contact portion Is inserted thereafter, so that the required insertion force is distributed back and forth compared to the conventional configuration in which the entire outer peripheral lip is inserted at once. Therefore, the insertion force is reduced and the workability is excellent.

  Moreover, since the length dimension in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral lip is longer than that of the conventional configuration, the contact area with the fitted portion is increased, and the waterproofness is improved.

  In addition, the technology disclosed in this specification includes an electric wire and a terminal connected to the end of the electric wire, a connector housing that holds the terminal inside, and an external fitting to the electric wire, and the terminal is connected to the connector housing. A rubber plug fitted into the connector housing behind the terminal in a state of being held inside, wherein the rubber plug is elastically adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the connector housing. The outer peripheral lip is connected to the front contact portion disposed on the terminal side and the rear contact portion disposed on the rear side of the front contact portion. The parts are integrally connected to each other and extend continuously in the circumferential direction.

  The waterproof connector may have the following configuration.

  You may provide the press member which is distribute | arranged behind the rubber plug and presses a rubber plug and makes it fit in the predetermined position of a connector housing.

  According to such a configuration, for example, as a rubber plug, the rear end surface in the fitting direction with respect to the connector housing protrudes toward the front side in the fitting direction and the rear side in the fitting direction. The waterproof connector of the said form can be obtained by using what has the uneven | corrugated shape by which the to-be-pressed part to be alternately arranged along the circumferential direction.

  That is, when the rubber plug having such a configuration is fitted into the connector housing while being pressed by the pressing member, the pressed portion of the rubber plug is pressed in advance by the pressing member, and the rubber plug is placed in front of the pressed portion. A portion of the positioned outer peripheral lip is pushed ahead into the connector housing. On the other hand, a part of the outer peripheral lip located in front of the relief portion of the rubber plug is pressed after the pressed portion is crushed, so that it is pushed back into the connector housing. It becomes.

  As described above, since one outer peripheral lip is pushed in a state shifted in the front-rear direction, a waterproof connector excellent in assembly workability can be obtained with a low insertion force, similarly to the rubber plug described above.

  The pressing member has an uneven surface in which the opposing surface facing the rubber plug has protrusions protruding toward the rubber plug side and recesses recessed toward the opposite side of the rubber plug are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. It may have a shape.

  According to such a configuration, a waterproof connector excellent in assembly workability can be achieved with a low insertion force while using a conventional rubber plug.

  That is, when the rubber plug is pressed into the connector housing while being pressed by such a pressing member, the pressing portion of the pressing member precedes and presses a part of the rubber plug. A part of the outer peripheral lip located in front of the pressed portion is pushed into the connector housing in advance. On the other hand, a part of the outer peripheral lip located in front of the portion of the rubber plug that is pressed by the indented portion is pushed backward.

  Therefore, while using a conventional rubber plug, a waterproof connector excellent in assembly workability can be obtained with a low insertion force, similar to the rubber plug described above.

  According to the technique disclosed in the present specification, a rubber plug and a waterproof connector having a low insertion force and excellent workability can be obtained.

Side sectional view of waterproof connector of embodiment 1 Similarly, the main part enlarged exploded side sectional view Similarly, an enlarged sectional side view of the main part in the assembled state The principal part expansion disassembled sectional side view of the waterproof connector of Embodiment 2 Similarly, an enlarged sectional side view of the main part in the assembled state The principal part expansion disassembled sectional side view of the waterproof connector of Embodiment 3 Similarly, an enlarged sectional side view of the main part in the assembled state

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The waterproof connector 10 in the present embodiment is a female connector, and includes a housing 11, a female terminal 30 connected to the end of the electric wire W, and a rubber plug 40 as shown in FIG. ing. In the following description, the left side of FIG. 1 is the front side, and the right side of FIG. 1 is the rear side.

  The housing 11 is made of synthetic resin and has a form in which a hood portion 13 that opens forward is formed around the terminal accommodating portion 12 that accommodates the female terminal 30. An annular rubber ring 14 is fitted on the outer periphery of the base end side of the terminal accommodating portion 12 in the hood portion 13.

  A cavity 15 for accommodating the female terminal 30 from the rear is formed in the terminal accommodating portion 12. On the upper surface of the cavity 15, a lance 16 is formed so as to be cantilevered toward the front. The lance 16 can be elastically displaced toward a bending space S provided above the lance 16. Has been. When the female terminal 30 is inserted into the cavity 15, the lance 16 is elastically displaced toward the bending space S by being pressed against the female terminal 30 from behind, so that the female terminal 30 reaches the normal position of the cavity 15. By elastically returning to this, it fits into a locking hole (not shown) of the female terminal 30 to be described later, and the female terminal 30 is prevented from being pulled out into the housing 11.

  A front retainer 17 is fitted in front of the terminal accommodating portion 12. The front retainer 17 includes an elastic blocking piece 18 that enters the bending space S from the front, and a retaining portion 19 that is disposed in front of the rubber ring 14.

  When the female terminal 30 is inserted into the cavity 15 and the front retainer 17 is attached to the terminal accommodating portion 12, the elastic blocking piece 18 enters the bending space S from the front and prevents the elastic displacement upward of the lance 16. At the same time, the retaining portion 19 prevents the rubber ring 14 attached to the terminal accommodating portion 12 from being removed from the front.

  A rubber plug mounting portion 21 to which the rubber plug 40 is mounted is integrally provided behind the terminal housing portion 12. The rubber plug mounting portion 21 has a cylindrical shape protruding rearward from the back wall of the hood portion 13, and the inside thereof communicates with the cavity 15 of the terminal accommodating portion 12 and has an inner diameter larger than the cavity 15. An enlarged cavity 22 is provided.

  A rear holder 23 (an example of a pressing member) is mounted behind the rubber plug mounting portion 21. The rear holder 23 includes a cover portion 24 that closes the opening on the rear end side of the rubber plug mounting portion 21, and a pressing portion that extends forward from the front surface of the cover portion 24 and fits inside the rubber plug mounting portion 21 (the enlarged cavity 22). 25. The cover portion 24 and the pressing portion 25 are provided with an insertion hole (not shown) that penetrates in the front-rear direction and allows the electric wire W to pass therethrough. The insertion hole has an inner diameter that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the female terminal 30 and the electric wire W.

  A pair of locking pieces 26 extending forward are provided at the upper end and the lower end of the cover portion 24. When the rear holder 23 is mounted on the rubber plug mounting portion 21, The locking claw 27 is locked to a locked portion 28 provided in the rubber plug mounting portion 21.

  The pressing portion 25 of the rear holder 23 has its front end surface 25A in contact with the rubber plug 40 from the rear in a state where the locking claw 27 of the locking piece 26 is locked to the locked portion 28, and the rubber plug 40. Is set to a dimension that presses in a compressed manner.

  The female terminal 30 is formed by pressing a metal plate having excellent conductivity. The female terminal 30 has a configuration in which an electric wire connecting portion 32 connected to the electric wire W is provided behind the terminal connecting portion 31 having a rectangular tube shape. A locking hole (not shown) into which the lance 16 is fitted from above is formed in the upper wall of the terminal connection portion 31 so as to penetrate in the plate thickness direction.

  The electric wire connection portion 32 includes a wire barrel 33 and an insulation barrel 34 provided behind the wire barrel 33. The wire barrel 33 is crimped and crimped to the core wire W1 exposed by peeling off the insulating coating W2 at the end of the electric wire W. The insulation barrel 34 is crimped to the insulation coating W2 of the electric wire W.

  The rubber plug 40 is made of a material such as oil-impregnated silicon and is provided with a seal hole (not shown) through which the electric wire W is inserted in the front-rear direction. A plurality of inner peripheral lips are arranged in the front-rear direction on the inner peripheral surface of the seal hole (not shown), and when the electric wire W is inserted into the seal hole, each inner peripheral lip becomes the outer periphery of the electric wire W. It is in close contact with the entire surface. Thereby, the electric wire W is arrange | positioned by the sealing state in a seal hole.

  On the outer peripheral surface of the rubber plug 40, a plurality of outer peripheral lips 41 (three in this embodiment) that elastically adhere to the inner peripheral surface of the diameter-enlarging cavity 22 protrude outward in the radial direction. It is arranged side by side in the front-rear direction.

  In each outer peripheral lip 41, a front contact portion 41A disposed on the front (female terminal 30) side and a rear contact portion 41B disposed on the rear side from the front contact portion 41A are integrally connected by a connecting portion 41C. Thus, it has a form extending continuously in the circumferential direction. More specifically, the one outer peripheral lip 41 has a waveform that is alternately curved in the front-rear direction, the vicinity of the top portion on the front side is the front contact portion 41A, and the vicinity of the top portion on the rear side is the rear contact portion 41B. The portion between the front contact portion 41A and the rear contact portion 41B is a connecting portion 41C. In the present embodiment, all three outer peripheral lips 41 are arranged in parallel with each other.

  When the rubber plug 40 is fitted into the diameter expansion cavity 22 of the rubber plug mounting portion 21, the apex portion in the height direction of each outer peripheral lip 41 extends over the inner wall of the rubber plug mounting portion 21 (diameter expansion cavity 22). And come in close contact. This prevents water from entering the inside of the housing 11 from the rubber plug mounting portion 21 and keeps the inside of the housing 11 in a sealed state.

  The waterproof connector 10 of the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, and the assembly method and operational effects will be described next.

  First, the rubber plug 40 is lightly aligned in the opening (diameter expansion cavity 22) on the rear side of the rubber plug mounting portion 21 of the housing 11, and the front end surface 25A of the pressing portion 25 of the rear holder 23 is placed on the back surface of the rubber plug 40. The rear holder 23 (cover portion 24) is pushed forward while overlapping and pressing part 25 along the inner peripheral surface of diameter-enlarging cavity 22.

  Then, among each outer peripheral lip 41 of the rubber plug 40, first, the front contact portion 41 </ b> A arranged on the front side enters the diameter-enlarging cavity 22 ahead of other parts, and enters the inner peripheral surface of the diameter-enlarging cavity 22. Proceed forward with close contact. In addition, as the rubber plug 40 is pushed into the back (front), the connecting portion 41C enters the cavity 22 after the front contact portion 41A, and then the rear contact portion 41B enters the inner peripheral surface. Proceed forward with close contact.

  As described above, the outer peripheral lip 41 is arranged so as to be displaced in the front-rear direction with respect to the one outer peripheral lip 41, and therefore, compared with the conventional configuration in which the outer peripheral lip is arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction. The force at the time of pushing in can be dispersed, and the insertion force can be lowered.

  At this time, the locking piece 26 advances forward along the outer surface of the rubber plug mounting portion 21 while being elastically deformed outward by the locking claw 27. When the locking claw 27 reaches the locked portion 28, the locking piece 26 is elastically restored and the locking claw 27 is locked to the locked portion 28. As a result, the rear holder 23 is locked with respect to the rubber plug mounting portion 21.

  In this state, the rubber plug 40 is pressed against the peripheral edge of the entrance of the cavity 15 while being slightly compressed by the pressing portion 25 of the rear holder 23.

  After the rubber plug 40 and the rear holder 23 are arranged at predetermined positions, the female terminal 30 connected to the electric wire W is then connected to the insertion hole (not shown) of the rear holder 23 and the seal hole of the rubber plug 40 described above. (Not shown) is inserted into the cavity 15 of the terminal accommodating portion 12. After the female terminal 30 reaches the proper mounting position and is held by the lance 16, the front retainer 17 is mounted from the front, and the female terminal 30 is held in a retaining state.

  According to the rubber plug 40 and the waterproof connector 10 of this embodiment, when the rubber plug 40 is fitted into the diameter-enlarging cavity 22 of the rubber plug mounting portion 21, it is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rubber plug 40. Since the front contact portion 41A is inserted in the outer peripheral lip 41 first, and the rear contact portion 41B is inserted thereafter, compared to the conventional configuration in which the entire outer lip 41 is inserted at once, The required insertion force is distributed back and forth. Therefore, the insertion force is reduced and the workability is excellent.

  Further, since the circumferential length of the outer peripheral lip 41 is longer than that of the conventional configuration by the corrugated outer peripheral lip 41, the contact area between the outer peripheral lip 41 and the inner peripheral surface of the enlarged cavity 22 is increased. Increases waterproofing.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. The waterproof connector of the present embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in the form of the rubber plug 50 alone before being attached to the housing 11. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  A plurality of (three in the present embodiment) outer peripheral lips 51 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rubber plug 50 of the present embodiment are formed in an annular shape with their tops extending straight in the circumferential direction, as in the prior art. The relief portion 52 in which the rear end surface of the rubber plug 50 (the right side surface in FIG. 4) is recessed toward the front side and the pressed portion 53 protruding toward the rear side are alternately arranged along the circumferential direction. It has a gentle uneven shape.

  When the rubber plug 50 of this embodiment is fitted into the enlarged cavity 22 of the rubber plug mounting portion 21 while being pressed by the pressing portion 25 of the rear holder 23 as in the first embodiment, the rubber plug 50 is covered. The pressing portion 53 is pressed in advance by the pressing portion 25, and the front portion (front contact portion 51 </ b> A) of the pressed portion 53 in the rubber plug 50 is pressed in advance into the diameter-enlarging cavity 22. On the other hand, the front portion (rear contact portion 51B) of the relief portion 52 of the rubber plug 50 is pressed after the pressed portion 53 is crushed, so that it is pushed backward into the enlarged diameter cavity 22. It will be.

  Thus, since the one outer peripheral lip 51 is pushed into the diameter-enlarging cavity 22 in a state of being displaced in the front-rear direction, as with the rubber plug 40 described above, it is waterproof with excellent assembly workability with a low insertion force. It can be a connector.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the waterproof connector in a completed state has a waveform in which the top of the outer peripheral lip 51 is displaced in the front-rear direction, and has almost the same form as the case where the rubber plug 40 of the first embodiment is used. The

<Embodiment 3>
A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The waterproof connector of the present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in that a rubber plug 60 having a conventional configuration is used and a separate pressing member 70 is provided between the rubber plug 60 and the rear holder 23.

  The rubber plug 60 of the present embodiment has a conventional configuration in which a plurality of annular outer lips 61 (three in this embodiment) are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral lip 61 whose top extends straight in the circumferential direction.

  A pressing member 70 is provided between the rubber plug 60 and the pressing portion 25 of the rear holder 23. The pressing member 70 has a substantially disk shape having the same outer diameter as the pressing portion 25 of the rear holder 23, and an insertion hole (not shown) through which the female terminal 30 and the electric wire W are inserted penetrates the pressing member 70. Has been. Further, the front surface has a gentle concavo-convex shape in which protruding portions 71 protruding toward the front side and recessed portions 72 recessed toward the rear side are alternately arranged along the circumferential direction.

  When the rubber plug 60 is pressed by the rear holder 23 with the pressing member 70 interposed therebetween and fitted into the enlarged diameter cavity 22 of the rubber plug mounting portion 21, the protruding portion of the pressing member 70 in the rubber plug 60. The portion pushed by 71 and the front portion thereof (front contact portion 61 </ b> A) are pushed ahead of the enlarged-diameter cavity 22. On the other hand, the portion of the rubber plug 60 that is pushed by the indented portion 72 and the front portion thereof (the back contact portion 61B) are pushed back and pressed.

  Thus, since the one outer peripheral lip 61 is pushed into the diameter-enlarging cavity 22 in a state of being displaced in the front-rear direction, the assembly workability is excellent with a low insertion force as in the rubber plugs 40 and 50 described above. Waterproof connector.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 7, the waterproof connector in a completed state has a waveform in which the top of the outer peripheral lip 61 is displaced in the front-rear direction, and has almost the same form as when the rubber plugs 40 and 50 of the above embodiment are used. Is done.

<Other embodiments>
The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiment described with reference to the above description and drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the female terminal connected to the end of the electric wire is mounted in the housing after the rubber plug is mounted in a predetermined position of the housing, but the assembly procedure is not limited to the above embodiment. The female terminal and the electric wire with the rear holder and the rubber plug inserted in advance may be mounted in the housing first, and then the rubber plug may be mounted at a predetermined position.

  (2) The number of wires inserted through the rubber plug may be single or plural.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the rubber plug is pushed into the housing (rubber plug mounting portion) by the pressing portion of the rear holder. However, in Embodiment 1, for example, the rubber plug may be pushed by hand. Moreover, in Embodiment 2, what is necessary is just the structure pushed in with the equal force with respect to the back surface of a rubber stopper.

  (4) In the third embodiment, the pressing member 70 is provided separately from the rear holder 23. However, the pressing member 70 is omitted, and the protruding portion 71 and the recessed portion 72 are formed on the front surface 25A of the pressing portion 25 of the rear holder 23. It is good also as a structure which provides.

10: Waterproof connector 11: Housing (connector housing)
15: Cavity 21: Rubber stopper mounting part 22: Diameter expansion cavity (fitting part)
23: Rear holder (pressing member)
25: Press part 30: Female terminals 40, 50, 60: Rubber plugs 41, 51, 61: Outer peripheral lips 41A, 51A, 61A: Front contact parts 41B, 51B, 61B: Back contact parts 41C, 51C, 61C: Connection parts 52: Relief part 53: Pressed part 70: Pressing member 71: Protruding part 72: Recessed part W: Electric wire

Claims (4)

A rubber plug provided with one or a plurality of outer peripheral lips that elastically adhere to the inner peripheral surface of the fitted portion,
The one outer peripheral lip has a front contact portion disposed on the front side in the fitting direction with respect to the fitted portion and a rear contact portion disposed on the rear side in the fitting direction by a connecting portion. A rubber plug that is connected and continuously extends in the circumferential direction. A wire and a terminal connected to the end of the wire;
A connector housing for holding the terminal therein;
A rubber connector fitted to the connector housing behind the terminal while being externally fitted to the electric wire and the terminal being held in the connector housing,
The rubber plug includes a single or a plurality of outer peripheral lips that elastically adhere to the inner peripheral surface of the connector housing,
The one outer peripheral lip includes a front contact portion disposed on the terminal side and a rear contact portion disposed on the rear side of the front contact portion, which are integrally connected by a connecting portion and continuously in the circumferential direction. Extending, waterproof connector. The waterproof connector according to claim 2, further comprising: a pressing member that is disposed behind the rubber plug and presses the rubber plug to be fitted into a predetermined position of the connector housing. In the pressing member, a protruding portion in which a facing surface facing the rubber plug protrudes toward the rubber plug side and a recessed portion that is recessed toward the opposite side of the rubber plug are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. The waterproof connector according to claim 3, wherein the waterproof connector has an uneven shape.

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