JP2019185916A - Connector with cap - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a connector with a cap having excellent operability while ensuring high sealability.SOLUTION: A connector 10 with a cap includes: a connector housing 20 equipped with a cylindrical hood part 23 having a cavity part 25 in which a terminal metal fitting connected to the terminal metal fitting of a mating connector is housed; and a cap 50 which is mounted on the hood part 23 of the connector housing 20 and formed of an elastic material covering the cavity part 25. The cap 50 has a gripping part 53 formed in a peripheral edge part over the entire periphery.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector with a cap.

  There is known a vehicle-side connector in which a connector housing is provided with a lid that can be rotated between a closed position that covers a fitting surface with a charging connector (mating connector) and an open position that exposes the fitting surface ( (See Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-221611 A

  The vehicle side connector as described above has a structure in which the lid portion rotates to open and close the fitting surface of the connector housing. Therefore, it is necessary to secure an operation space for rotating the lid portion around the connector housing. For this reason, the conventional vehicle-side connector may be difficult to install in a narrow space.

  In addition, for example, a structure in which a rubber cap is attached to and detached from the connector housing can save space, but it is difficult to ensure a high sealing performance over a long period of time, and the attaching and detaching operation of the cap is complicated. It was. For this reason, a structure excellent in detachable operability while ensuring high sealing performance is desired.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the situation mentioned above, The objective is to provide the connector with a cap excellent in operativity, ensuring high sealing performance.

The object of the present invention described above is achieved by a connector with a cap having the following configurations (1) to (5).
(1) a connector housing having a cylindrical hood portion having a cavity portion for accommodating a terminal fitting connected to a terminal fitting of a mating connector;
A cap formed of an elastic material that is attached to the hood portion of the connector housing and covers the cavity portion;
The said cap has the holding part formed in the peripheral part over the perimeter. The connector with a cap characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the cap-equipped connector having the configuration (1), the user can easily remove the cap by removing the cap from the connector housing by grasping one portion of the grip portion formed over the entire circumference. As described above, since the grip portion to be gripped by the user is provided over the entire circumference of the cap, the degree of freedom of gripping the cap is high, and good operability is obtained regardless of the size of the hand or the dominant hand. be able to. In addition, by providing a gripping portion around the cap, it is possible to sufficiently ensure the rigidity of the cap, and it is possible to form a flat shape that is easy to press when the center side of the cap is attached to the connector housing.

(2) The cavity portion protrudes in a cylindrical shape,
The said cap has a cylindrical rib with which the said cavity part is fitted. The connector with a cap as described in said (1) characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the cap-equipped connector configured as described in (2) above, the cavity portion that accommodates the terminal fitting is fitted into the cylindrical rib of the cap by attaching the cap to the hood portion of the connector housing. As a result, the cavity portion can be well sealed to improve waterproofness and dustproofness, and water and dust can be reliably prevented from entering the cavity portion.

(3) On the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical rib, a plurality of lip portions formed along the longitudinal direction and elastically deformed and closely adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the cavity portion are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The connector with a cap according to (2) above, wherein

  According to the connector with a cap configured as described in (3) above, by attaching the cap to the hood portion of the connector housing, the plurality of lip portions formed on the cylindrical rib are elastically deformed and closely adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the cavity portion. To do. Thereby, a cylindrical rib will hold | maintain a cavity part firmly with the frictional force which arises with the elastic force of a lip | rip part, and can maintain reliably the state which attached the cap to the hood part. Further, when the cap is attached to the hood part, the cavity part and the cylindrical rib can be accurately aligned by the lip part formed along the longitudinal direction on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical rib.

(4) The cavity portion includes a central cavity portion and an outer peripheral cavity portion provided around the central cavity portion,
The cylindrical rib is composed of a central cylindrical rib to which the central cavity portion is fitted, and an outer peripheral cylindrical rib to which the outer peripheral cavity portion is fitted,
The connector with a cap according to the above (2) or (3), wherein the central cylindrical rib protrudes more than the outer peripheral cylindrical rib.

  According to the cap-equipped connector configured as described in (4) above, when the cap is attached to the hood portion of the connector housing, the central cavity portion is fitted to the central cylindrical rib before the outer peripheral cylindrical rib. The cap is guided while being positioned with respect to the connector housing. Thereby, the favorable operativity at the time of attaching a cap to a food | hood part can be obtained.

(5) The grip portion is inclined in a direction of gradually separating from the connector housing toward the outer periphery,
The cap-attached connector according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein a drain hole formed in the grip portion is provided at a lower portion of the cap.

  According to the cap-equipped connector having the configuration (5), since the gripping portion is gradually inclined toward the outer periphery, the gripping portion can be easily gripped. Here, when the gripping portion is inclined in the direction of gradually separating from the connector housing toward the outer periphery, in particular, the hood portion of the connector housing is inclined so as to face upward. There is a risk of water collecting in the grip. However, since the drain hole formed in the grip portion is provided in the lower portion of the cap, water can be guided downward from the drain hole, and water can be prevented from collecting in the grip portion.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the connector with a cap excellent in operativity can be provided, ensuring high sealing performance.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through a mode for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

It is a perspective view of a connector with a cap concerning one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where a cap of the connector with cap shown in FIG. 1 is detached from the connector housing. It is AA sectional drawing in FIG. 1, and one part enlarged view. It is BB sectional drawing in FIG. It is CC sectional drawing in FIG. 1, and one part enlarged view. (A) is a front view of the cap shown in FIG. 1, (b) is the perspective view which looked at the cap shown in FIG. 1 from the attachment side to a connector housing. (A) is a perspective view of the connector with a cap which concerns on a reference example, (b) is the perspective view which looked at the cap shown to (a) from the attachment side to a connector housing.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the connector 10 with a cap which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention has the connector housing 20 and the cap 50 as main structures. The cap-attached connector 10 is attached to a vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle as a vehicle-side connector to which a charging connector (mating connector) is fitted, for example.

  Since the connector with cap 10 handles high-voltage power, a cap 50 is detachably provided on the mating connector fitting portion 21 that is coupled to a charging connector or the like (not shown) when charging is not performed. The connector 10 with a cap can also be called a “vehicle inlet”.

  The connector housing 20 has a quadrangular flange portion 22 attached to a mounting hole (not shown) of the vehicle. A cylindrical hood portion 23 projects from the flange portion 22. In addition, a cylindrical wire lead-out portion 24 protrudes from the flange portion 22 on the side opposite to the hood portion 23. An electric wire (not shown) extending from the battery is inserted into the electric wire outlet 24. The electric wire inserted into the electric wire lead-out portion 24 has a conductor connected to an electric wire side terminal fitting (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the hood portion 23 of the connector housing 20 is formed in a circular cylindrical shape, and has a linear portion 23 a at an upper portion that is a part thereof. Thereby, the food | hood part 23 is made noncircular by the front view. A plurality of cavity portions 25 are provided inside the hood portion 23 to accommodate wire-side terminal fittings connected to connector-side terminal fittings such as charging connectors. In the hood portion 23, an opening surface that exposes the cavity portion 25 becomes the mating connector fitting portion 21. In the connector housing 20, a charging connector or the like is fitted into the mating connector fitting portion 21 from the front. Then, by fitting the charging connector into the connector housing 20, the connector-side terminal fitting of the charging connector is inserted into the cavity portion 25, whereby the wire-side terminal fitting and the connector-side terminal fitting are electrically connected. Is done.

  The cavity portion 25 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the electric wire side terminal fitting is accommodated therein. The plurality of cavity portions 25 includes a central cavity portion 25A disposed in the center and an outer peripheral cavity portion 25B disposed around the central cavity portion 25A. The hood portion 23 is provided with locking projections 27 on both sides thereof.

  The cap 50 is made of, for example, a resin material having elasticity such as rubber or silicon. The cap 50 is attached to and detached from the hood portion 23 formed in the mating connector fitting portion 21 of the connector housing 20. The cap 50 is removed from the hood portion 23 when the charging connector is fitted to the connector housing 20 in order to charge the vehicle. The cap 50 is attached to the hood portion 23 of the connector housing 20 from which the charging connector is removed after the charging of the vehicle is completed. Thereby, the connector housing 20 is protected by the hood portion 23 having the cavity portion 25 on the inner side being covered with the cap 50, and water and dust are prevented from entering.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 (a) and 6 (b), the cap 50 has a plate-like portion 51. The plate-like part 51 is a flat part 51 a in which the surface side opposite to the side where the connector housing 20 is attached to the hood part 23 is formed flat. The plate-like part 51 has a straight part 51b at the upper part which is a part thereof. Accordingly, the plate-like portion 51 is non-circular in a front view similar to the hood portion 23 of the connector housing 20.

  The cap 50 has a grip portion 53. The grip portion 53 is formed integrally with the plate-like portion 51 and is provided around the plate-like portion 51 over the entire circumference. The grip portion 53 is formed so as to be inclined with respect to the plate-like portion 51 in the direction away from the connector housing 20 on the opposite side of the mounting side to the connector housing 20 toward the outer periphery. Thereby, the surface side of the cap 50 is formed in a concave shape by the plate-like portion 51 and the grip portion 53.

  As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5A, the gripping portion 53 has a connecting portion with the plate-like portion 51 on the removal side formed in an arc shape. The connection part in 51 has the thick part 54. Further, a drain hole 55 is formed in the grip portion 53. The drain hole 55 is formed on the side of the grip portion 53 that is connected to the plate-like portion 51, and is disposed in the lower portion with the cap 50 attached to the connector housing 20.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the cap 50 has an inner ring portion 61 and an outer ring portion 62 on the back surface side of the plate-like portion 51 that is the mounting side of the connector housing 20 to the hood portion 23. is doing. The outer ring part 62 is formed with a gap with respect to the inner ring part 61. In the cap 50, a concave portion formed between the inner ring portion 61 and the outer ring portion 62 is an annular recess 63 in which the hood portion 23 of the connector housing 20 is fitted. The cap 50 is formed with locking portions 66 that can be locked to the locking protrusions 27 of the hood portion 23 on both sides of the outer ring portion 62.

  The cap 50 has a plurality of cylindrical ribs 65 formed in a cylindrical shape inside the inner ring portion 61. The plurality of cylindrical ribs 65 include a central cylindrical rib 65A disposed at the center and an outer peripheral cylindrical rib 65B disposed around the central cylindrical rib 65A. The central cylindrical rib 65A is formed at a position corresponding to the central cavity portion 25A of the connector housing 20, and the outer peripheral cylindrical rib 65B is formed at a position corresponding to the outer peripheral cavity portion 25B of the connector housing 20. The central cylindrical rib 65A has a projecting dimension larger than that of the outer peripheral cylindrical rib 65B.

  As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 3, the cylindrical rib 65 has a plurality of (four in this example) lip portions 67 on its inner peripheral surface. The lip portion 67 is formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical rib 65. The lip portion 67 is formed linearly along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical rib 65. The cylindrical rib 65 has an inner diameter that is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the cavity portion 25 of the connector housing 20. The cylindrical rib 65 has an inner diameter that passes through the tip of the lip portion 67 slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cavity portion 25.

  Next, the attachment and detachment of the cap 50 with respect to the hood part 23 of the connector housing 20 in the connector with cap 10 having the above structure will be described.

(With cap attached)
When the cap 50 is attached to the hood portion 23 of the connector housing 20, the user attaches the cap 50 to the connector housing so that the corresponding cavity portion 25 of the connector housing 20 is fitted to each cylindrical rib 65 of the cap 50. Press to 20

  Here, since the plate-like portion 51 of the cap 50 has a similar shape with respect to the non-circular hood portion 23, the user can easily confirm the mounting posture of the cap 50 with respect to the connector housing 20 by visual observation. Further, since the cap 50 has a flat surface portion 51a having a flat surface on the plate-like portion 51, the user can easily press the cap 50 against the connector housing 20 by pressing the flat surface portion 51a with a finger. it can.

  In this way, when the cap 50 is pressed against the connector housing 20, first, the central cavity portion 25 </ b> A is fitted into the central cylindrical rib 65 </ b> A having a large protruding dimension, and the center position of the cap 50 with respect to the connector housing 20 is matched. Thereafter, the fitting portion between the central cylindrical rib 65A and the central cavity portion 25A serves as a guide, the outer peripheral cavity portion 25B is fitted into the outer cylindrical tube 65B, and the hood portion 23 is fitted into the annular recess 63. . Further, the locking portions 66 on both sides of the cap 50 are locked to the locking protrusions 27 on both sides of the hood portion 23.

  When the cap 50 is attached to the connector housing 20, the lip portion 67 formed on each cylindrical rib 65 is elastically deformed so as to come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cavity portion 25 and to be compressed. Thereby, the cylindrical rib 65 firmly holds the cavity portion 25 by the frictional force generated by the elastic force of the lip portion 67 while the lip portion 67 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cavity portion 25. In addition, between the connector housing 20 and the cap 50, there is a fitting force of the hood portion 23 fitted into the annular recess 63 and a locking force of the locking portion 66 locked to the locking projection 27 of the hood portion 23. Arise. As a result, the cap 50 is securely attached to the connector housing 20.

  In this mounted state, the connector housing 20 is satisfactorily sealed by the cavity portions 25 being covered with the cylindrical ribs 65, and the hood portion 23 being fitted into the annular recess 63. Thus, water and dust can be reliably prevented from entering the inside 25.

(When removing the cap)
When removing the cap 50 from the connector housing 20, the user grasps the grip portion 53 formed on the peripheral portion of the cap 50 and pulls it away from the connector housing 20. Then, the hood portion 23 is extracted from the annular recess 63 of the cap 50, and the cavity portion 25 is extracted from each cylindrical rib 65. Thereby, the cap 50 is removed from the hood part 23 of the connector housing 20, the mating connector fitting part 21 is exposed, and the charging connector can be fitted.

  At this time, since the cap 50 has the gripping portion 53 over the entire circumference, the user can easily pull the cap 50 away from the connector housing 20 by gripping one portion of the gripping portion 53 around the entire circumference. Further, since the thick portion 54 is formed at the connection portion between the grip portion 53 and the plate-like portion 51, when the cap 50 is pulled away from the connector housing 20 by pulling the grip portion 53, the grip portion 53 and the plate-like portion are formed. It is suppressed that a connection location with the part 51 is damaged.

  As described above, in the connector with cap 10 according to the present embodiment, the cap 50 made of an elastic material can be attached to and detached from the connector housing 20, so that an operation space for the cap 50 is secured around the connector housing 20. There is no need. Therefore, installation in a narrow space is possible.

  Here, a reference example of a connector provided with a removable cap made of an elastic material will be described. As shown in FIG. 7A, the connector 1 according to the reference example includes a cap 2 that can be attached to and detached from the hood portion 23 of the connector housing 20. The cap 2 is made of, for example, a resin material having elasticity such as rubber or silicon. As shown in FIG. 7B, the cap 2 is formed with a concave shape that covers the hood portion 23 on the side where the inner ring portion 4 and the outer ring portion 6 are attached to the hood portion 23. On the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring portion 4, an annular lip portion 5 protrudes along the circumferential direction. The cap 2 is held by the hood portion 23 when the annular lip portion 5 is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 23 and is compressed. Further, the cap 2 is formed with a handle 3 along the vertical direction on the surface side which is the removal side. In the case of the connector 1 having such a cap 2, it is not necessary to secure an operation space for the cap 50 around the connector housing 20, and installation in a narrow space is possible.

  By the way, in the connector 1 according to this reference example, the user grasps the handle 3 at the center of the cap 2 and attaches / detaches it to / from the connector housing 20. That is, in this connector 1, the place where the cap 2 is gripped is limited to the central handle 3 so that the degree of freedom of gripping the cap 2 is low, depending on the size of the hand and the difference in the dominant hand The operability may feel bad. In addition, since the cap 2 is mounted so as to cover the hood portion 23 of the connector housing 20, the cap 2 must be inserted and removed straight with respect to the hood portion 23 without being inclined. In addition, a considerably strong insertion / extraction force is required at the time of attachment / detachment. Further, with the cap 2 that only covers the hood portion 23, high sealing performance of each cavity portion 25 in the hood portion 23 cannot be expected. Furthermore, the annular lip portion 5 that contacts the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 23 may deteriorate over time, and may be constantly deformed inside the cap. Therefore, there is a possibility that the holding power and waterproof / dustproof property of the cap 2 may be significantly reduced.

  According to the cap-equipped connector 10 according to the above-described embodiment, the cap 50 has the grip portion 53 formed on the entire periphery of the peripheral portion. Therefore, the user can easily remove the cap 50 from the connector housing 20 by detaching the cap 50 by gripping one portion of the grip portion 53 formed over the entire circumference. As described above, since the grip portion 53 to be gripped by the user is provided over the entire circumference of the cap 50, the degree of freedom of gripping the cap 50 is high, and a favorable operation is possible regardless of the size of the hand or the dominant hand. Sex can be obtained. Further, by providing the grip portion 53 around the cap 50, the cap 50 can be sufficiently rigid, and the flat side portion 51a that is easy to press the center side of the cap 50 when mounted on the connector housing 20 is provided. it can.

  In addition, by attaching the cap 50 to the hood portion 23 of the connector housing 20, the cavity portion 25 that accommodates the terminal fitting is fitted into the cylindrical rib 65 of the cap 50. Thereby, the cavity part 25 can be well sealed to improve waterproofness and dustproofness, and water and dust can be reliably prevented from entering the cavity part 25.

  In addition, by attaching the cap 50 to the hood portion 23 of the connector housing 20, the plurality of lip portions 67 formed on the cylindrical rib 65 are elastically deformed and brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cavity portion 25. Thereby, the cylindrical rib 65 firmly holds the cavity part 25 by the frictional force generated by the elastic force of the lip part 67, and can be reliably maintained in a state where the cap 50 is attached to the hood part 23. Further, when the cap 50 is attached to the hood portion 23, the cavity portion 25 and the cylindrical rib 65 are accurately aligned by the lip portion 67 formed along the longitudinal direction on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical rib 65. be able to.

  Further, when the cap 50 is attached to the hood portion 23 of the connector housing 20, the central cavity portion 25 </ b> A is fitted to the central cylindrical rib 65 </ b> A before the outer peripheral cylindrical rib 65 </ b> B. The cap 50 is guided while being positioned. Thereby, the favorable operativity at the time of attaching the cap 50 to the hood part 23 can be obtained.

  Further, since the grip portion 53 is gradually inclined toward the outer periphery toward the outer periphery, the grip portion 53 can be easily gripped. Here, when the gripping portion 53 is inclined toward the outer periphery gradually away from the connector housing 20, the hood portion 23 is particularly inclined because the hood portion 23 of the connector housing 20 is inclined upward. There is a possibility that water may accumulate in the grip portion 53 of the cap 50 attached to the cap. However, since the drainage hole 55 formed in the grip part 53 is provided in the lower part of the cap 50, water can be guided downward from the drainage hole 55, and water can be collected in the grip part 53. Can be suppressed.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, and the like of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

Here, the features of the above-described embodiment of the connector with a cap according to the present invention are summarized and listed in the following [1] to [5], respectively.
[1] A connector housing (20) having a cylindrical hood portion (23) having a cavity portion (25) for accommodating a terminal fitting connected to a terminal fitting of a mating connector;
A cap (50) formed of an elastic material attached to the hood portion (23) of the connector housing (20) and covering the cavity portion (25),
The said cap (50) has the holding part (53) formed in the peripheral part over the perimeter. The connector (10) with a cap characterized by the above-mentioned.
[2] The cavity portion (25) protrudes in a cylindrical shape,
The said cap (50) has a cylindrical rib (65) with which the said cavity part (25) is fitted. The connector (10) with a cap as described in said [1] characterized by the above-mentioned.
[3] On the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical rib (65), a plurality of lip portions (67) formed along the longitudinal direction and elastically deformed and closely adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the cavity portion (25) are surrounded. The connector (10) with a cap according to the above [2], which is provided at equal intervals in the direction.
[4] The cavity part (25) includes a central cavity part (25A) and an outer peripheral cavity part (25B) provided around the central cavity part (25A).
The cylindrical rib (65) includes a central cylindrical rib (65A) to which the central cavity portion (25A) is fitted, and an outer peripheral cylindrical rib (65B) to which the outer peripheral cavity portion (25B) is fitted. Consisting of
The connector (10) with a cap according to the above [2] or [3], wherein the central cylindrical rib (65A) protrudes from the outer peripheral cylindrical rib (65B).
[5] The grip portion (53) is gradually inclined toward the outer periphery toward a direction away from the connector housing (20).
The cap according to any one of [1] to [4] above, wherein a drain hole (55) formed in the grip portion (53) is provided at a lower portion of the cap (50). Connector (10).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector 20 with cap ... Connector housing 23 ... Hood part 25 ... Cavity part 25A ... Central cavity part 25B ... Outer peripheral cavity part 50 ... Cap 53 ... Grasping part 55 ... Drain hole 65 ... Cylindrical rib 65A ... Central cylindrical rib 65B ... outer peripheral cylindrical rib 67 ... lip part

Claims (5)

A connector housing having a cylindrical hood portion having a cavity portion for accommodating a terminal fitting connected to a terminal fitting of a mating connector;
A cap formed of an elastic material that is attached to the hood portion of the connector housing and covers the cavity portion;
The said cap has the holding part formed in the peripheral part over the perimeter. The connector with a cap characterized by the above-mentioned. The cavity portion protrudes in a cylindrical shape,
The said cap has a cylindrical rib with which the said cavity part is fitted. The connector with a cap of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. A plurality of lip portions that are formed along the longitudinal direction and are elastically deformed and adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the cavity portion are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical rib. The connector with a cap according to claim 2. The cavity part is composed of a central cavity part and an outer peripheral cavity part provided around the central cavity part,
The cylindrical rib is composed of a central cylindrical rib to which the central cavity portion is fitted, and an outer peripheral cylindrical rib to which the outer peripheral cavity portion is fitted,
The connector with cap according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the central cylindrical rib protrudes from the outer peripheral cylindrical rib. The gripping portion is inclined in a direction away from the connector housing gradually toward the outer periphery,
The connector with a cap according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a drain hole formed in the grip portion is provided at a lower portion of the cap.

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