JP2020053155A - Connector structure and vehicular connector having connector structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a connector structure capable of preventing the exposure of a terminal when a housing suppressing the terminal of the connector is broken.SOLUTION: A connector structure includes: a first connector 20 which has a terminal 21 projecting tour from a housing 12, and a cylindrical housing 22; and a second connector 30 fitted with the first connector 20. The first connector 20 is equipped with a cover member 40 which is disposed inside the housing 22, and is formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding the terminal 21 and having flexibility. The cover member 40 is fixed to a casing 12 at a base end portion, is attached to the housing at a tip end portion, and is formed so as to expand in a cylinder axis direction. The housing 22 has a fragile portion 24 positioned between a base end and a tip end of the cover member 40 on a peripheral wall. If the fragile portion 24 is broken due to a tensile load, the cover member 40 expands to cover the terminal 21, and prevent the exposure of the terminal 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector structure and a vehicle connector having the connector structure, and more particularly to a connector structure capable of preventing exposure of terminal terminals when the connector is damaged.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for connection between an electric device and a power supply unit, connection between electric devices, and the like, a connector having a terminal terminal for electrically connecting the electric device and the like has been frequently used. In recent years, the technology of electrification has been developed in vehicles such as automobiles, and many vehicles are equipped with systems using high voltage, and connectors are used for contact points of system components.

  The terminal terminals of the connector are generally covered with a resin housing and insulated from peripheral components.However, if an unintended tensile load is applied, the housing may be broken and the internal terminal terminals may be exposed to the outside. is there. Therefore, in a system using a high voltage, a preventive measure against electric leakage and electric shock is required from the viewpoint of safety.

  For example, in a connector applied to a vehicle, if the vehicle body is deformed due to a collision accident or the like, an unintended tensile load may be applied to the connector and the housing may be broken. May be exposed to the outside and come into contact with the surrounding metal members to cause electric leakage or electric shock. Therefore, when the connector is damaged, it is required to ensure safety to prevent a secondary disaster such as an electric shock due to a high voltage.

  In order to prevent such an electric shock when the connector is damaged, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-163873 discloses a vehicle equipped with a female connector having a female housing and a male connector having a male housing fitted into the female housing. Is described in which a protective cover for covering the periphery of the female connector is provided. The protective cover has a cylindrical shape capable of covering the entire circumference of the female connector, the peripheral wall is formed in a bellows shape, and is configured to be able to expand and contract in the axial direction of the cylinder. It is stuck to. The tip of the protective cover is attached to the outer wall surface of the male housing.When the female connector and the male connector are fitted, the bellows of the protective cover are in a contracted state and can be extended in the cylinder axis direction. Has become.

  In the connector described in Patent Literature 1, an unintended tensile force acts on the connector due to a collision of the vehicle, and the female housing or the male housing in the protective cover is damaged, and the fitting of the female connector and the male connector becomes impossible. When the protective terminal comes off, the protective cover is extended to surround the outer periphery of the terminal terminal, thereby preventing the terminal terminal from being exposed.

JP 2011-146195 A

  However, in the connector structure described in Patent Literature 1, there is a possibility that the female housing or the male housing broken in the protective cover abuts on the inner wall of the protective cover and the protective cover itself is damaged. If the protective cover is damaged, the terminal terminals are exposed and cause a short circuit or the like. Therefore, a structure that can more appropriately prevent the terminal terminals from being exposed has been required.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has a connector structure capable of appropriately preventing a terminal terminal from being exposed to the outside when a housing surrounding the terminal terminal of the connector is broken by a tensile load. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the connector structure according to claim 1, wherein the first connector includes a terminal terminal protruding from a base and a cylindrical housing fixed to the base and surrounding the terminal terminal; And a second connector fitted to the first connector, wherein the first connector is disposed inside the housing and has a flexible tubular shape so as to surround the terminal terminals. The cover member is formed such that a base end portion is fixed to the base, a front end portion is attached to an inner wall of the housing, and is extendable in a cylinder axis direction of the housing. The housing has, on the peripheral wall, a fragile portion having lower mechanical strength than other regions, and the fragile portion is provided in the cylinder axis direction with a fixing portion of the cover member with respect to the base. And it is located between the attachment portion of the cover member relative to the housing.

  According to this configuration, when an unintended tensile load acts on the connector to cause breakage, the fragile portion of the housing of the first connector can be broken. When the fragile portion is broken, a tensile force is applied to the cover member in the housing, and the cover member is extended in the cylinder axis direction of the housing to cover the terminal terminal. As described above, the terminal terminal is exposed by providing the fragile portion in the housing of the first connector fixed to the base to control the break position of the connector and extending the cover member by breaking the fragile portion. Can be appropriately prevented.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the connector structure of the first aspect, the cover member is formed so as to be able to maintain an extended state, and an attaching force of a tip end of the cover member to the first housing is provided. Is set to be smaller than the fixing force of the base end of the cover member to the base.

  According to this configuration, after the fragile portion of the housing of the first connector is broken and the cover member is extended, further, when the cover member is pulled in the extension direction by a tensile load, the base end of the cover member is removed. The tip of the cover member can be detached from the housing while being fixed to the base. This allows the cover member to be removed from the housing of the first connector with the cover member extended and covering the terminal terminals, so that the tensile load is large and the connection between the first and second connectors is completely completed. Even in the case where the terminal terminal comes off, the terminal member can be prevented from being exposed by the cover member.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the connector structure according to the second aspect, when the distal end is detached from the housing, the distal end is attached to the distal end of the cover member. It is characterized by having a reduced diameter member for contracting inward.

  According to this configuration, when the distal end portion of the cover member comes off the housing, the distal end portion of the cover member can be reduced in diameter, and the distal end opening of the cover member can be reduced. As a result, the possibility that the terminal terminal comes into contact with another peripheral device or the like can be reduced, and safety against electric leakage or the like can be further improved.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the connector structure according to any one of the first to third aspects, the cover member is an insulating material having higher flexibility and flexibility than the housing. It is characterized by being formed by.

  According to this configuration, after the fragile portion of the housing breaks, the terminal member can be more appropriately protected by following the cover member in the direction in which the load acts.

  In addition, a vehicle connector according to a fifth aspect has the connector structure according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

  According to this configuration, when an unintended tensile load acts on the connector due to a collision of the vehicle and the connector is broken, the fragile portion of the housing of the first connector can be broken. When the fragile portion is broken, a tensile force is applied to the cover member in the housing, and the cover member is extended in the cylinder axis direction to cover the terminal terminal and prevent exposure. As a result, at the time of a vehicle collision, it is possible to prevent secondary disasters such as electric leakage and electric shock due to exposure of the terminal terminals.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the connector structure which concerns on this invention, and the connector for vehicles which have this connector structure, when a connector is damaged by unintended tensile load, exposure of a terminal terminal can be prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Sectional drawing which shows the connector for vehicles which has the connector structure which is one Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the state which the fragile part fractured in the connector for vehicles. Sectional drawing which shows the state which the front-end | tip part of the cover member detached in the connector for vehicles. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a broken state when a collision load is applied in a cylinder radial direction of the vehicle connector.

  FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a vehicle connector having a connector structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle connector 10 includes a first connector 20 and a second connector 30 which are fitted to each other, and the first connector 20 is fixed to a housing (base) 12 fixed to a vehicle body, and The connector 30 is attached to a tip of the cable 14.

  Each connector includes a terminal terminal for electrically connecting to another power supply unit or an electric / electronic device, and a cylindrical housing surrounding the terminal terminal, and the housing is formed of an insulating material. In the following description, the first connector 20 and the housing are referred to as a first terminal terminal 21 and a first housing 22, and the terminal terminal and the housing of the second connector 30 are referred to as a second terminal terminal 31 and a second housing 32. The first connector 30 is provided with a cover member 40 that protects the first terminal terminal 21 when the first housing 22 breaks.

  The first terminal terminal 21 of the first connector 20 protrudes from the housing 12 containing an electronic device or the like. The first terminal terminal 21 has a holding portion 21a that holds the distal end portion of the second terminal terminal 31 in contact with the second terminal 31 when the connector 10 is fitted.

  The first housing 22 is formed in a tubular shape surrounding the first terminal terminal 21, and a base end of the first housing 22 is fixed to the housing 12 using a fixing tool 50 such as a bolt. In the present embodiment, the first housing 22 includes a flange portion 22a forming a base end portion, a fitting portion 22b forming a distal end portion of the first housing 22 and fitting with the second connector 30; And an extending portion 22c extending from the portion 22a to the fitting portion 22b. The fitting portion 22b and the extending portion 22c are formed in a cylindrical shape having a substantially square cross section, and the flange portion 22a is larger in diameter than the extending portion 22c. The cross-sectional shape of the first housing 22 is not limited to a square shape, and may be another polygonal shape or a circular shape.

  The fitting portion 22b is formed so as to be inserted and fitted into the insertion opening 34 of the second connector 30, and is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion 22b in the second housing 32 of the second connector 30. The engaging projection 26 that engages with the engaging hole 36 is provided. In the illustrated example, one engagement protrusion 26 is provided on the first housing 22, but a plurality of engagement protrusions 26 and corresponding engagement holes 36 of the second housing 32 may be provided.

  The extension 22c has a larger outer diameter and inner diameter than the fitting portion 22b. An attachment groove 28 for attaching the cover member 40 is formed in the inner wall portion on the distal end side of the extension portion 22c. The mounting groove 28 is an annular groove that is concave radially inward of the first housing 22.

  The first housing 22 has, on the peripheral wall, a fragile portion 24 having a lower mechanical strength than other regions of the first housing 22. In the present embodiment, the fragile portion 24 is formed on the peripheral wall of the extension 22c. In the fragile portion 24, an annular groove extending in the circumferential direction of the first housing 22 is formed, and the wall thickness is smaller than other regions. In the illustrated example, the groove forming the fragile portion 24 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the extension portion 22. Alternatively, the groove may be formed on the inner peripheral surface. The fragile portion 24 can be formed in a form other than the groove so that the mechanical strength is weakened, for example, by forming a through-hole in the peripheral wall of the first housing 22, but as in the present embodiment. By adopting a structure having water tightness without providing a hole, intrusion of a liquid such as rainwater into the connector 10 can be prevented, and the connector 10 can be suitable for mounting on a vehicle.

  The cover member 40 is provided inside the first housing 22 and is formed hollow so as to surround the first terminal terminal 21. The cover member 40 of the present embodiment is a flexible tubular member having a substantially square cross section, but may have a circular or other polygonal cross section. The cover member 40 has a peripheral wall formed in a bellows shape, is configured to be able to expand and contract in the cylinder axis direction by the bellows portion 42, and to be able to maintain the extended state and the contracted state without receiving an external force. ing. The cover member 40 is formed of an insulating material, and in particular, is preferably formed of an insulating material having higher flexibility and flexibility than the first housing 22. As an example, the cover member 40 is formed of a silicone resin having flexibility and flexibility, and the first housing 22 is formed of a resin material such as PBT resin and nylon resin having lower flexibility and flexibility. be able to.

  The base end portion 40a and the front end portion 40b of the cover member 40 are placed inside and outside of the cover member 40 in an installed state (that is, a state in which the first and second connectors 20, 30 before breakage or the like are appropriately fitted). The annular seal members 46 and 48 for maintaining the watertightness of the airbag are attached respectively. The seal members 46 and 48 can be formed of an elastic rubber material or the like.

  The cover member 40 is attached to the first housing 22 in a state where a base end portion 40 a is fixed to the housing 12 and a distal end portion 40 b is fitted in an attachment groove 28 formed in an inner wall of the first housing 22. I have. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the seal member 46 of the base end portion 40 a is fitted and fixed in an annular fitting portion 52 provided in the housing 12. The seal member (diameter-reducing member) 48 of the distal end portion 40b is fitted in the mounting groove 28 in a state where the diameter thereof is expanded by elastic deformation, and the distal end portion 40a of the cover member 40 is moved from the first housing 22 as described later. When it comes off, it shrinks in the diameter reducing direction.

  The cover member 40 has a distal end portion 40b so that the distal end portion 40b is detached from the first housing 22 in a state where the base end portion 40a is fixed to the housing 12 when a predetermined tensile load is applied in the cylinder axis direction. The mounting force on the first housing 22 is set smaller than the fixing force of the base end portion 40a on the housing 12. Such a magnitude relationship between the fixing force and the mounting force can be appropriately achieved by known means. As an example, as shown by a virtual line in FIG. A prevention member 53 can be provided. The detachment prevention member 53 is configured to be inserted into a through hole formed in the housing 12 and to have an increased diameter inside the housing 12, thereby improving durability against a tensile force in the cylinder axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bellows portion 42 of the cover member 40 is contracted in the installed state. In the installed state, the fragile portion 24 of the first housing 22 is located between the fixing portion of the cover member 40 to the housing 12 and the mounting portion of the cover member 40 to the first housing 22. In the embodiment, the first housing 22 is fragile at a position between the fitting portion 52 and the mounting groove 28 in the cylinder axis direction and overlapping the region where the bellows 42 of the cover member 40 is formed in the cylinder radial direction. A part 24 is provided.

  The second terminal terminal 31 of the second connector 30 is connected to a core wire included in the cable 14. The second housing 32 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape surrounding the second terminal terminal 31, and the cable 14 is inserted and fixed in a through hole formed in the bottom 33. In each of the drawings, the cable 14 is shown in a non-sectional state. The second housing 32 is formed in a substantially square tubular shape in cross section so as to correspond to the first housing 22.

  As described above, the engaging hole 36 is formed in the peripheral wall of the second housing 32, and the engaging hole 36 and the engaging protrusion 26 of the first housing 22 are engaged with each other to form the first connector. A lock mechanism for locking a fitting state between the connector 20 and the second connector 30 is configured. In addition, the inner peripheral surface of the second housing 32 is in annular contact with the outer peripheral surface of the first housing 22 in a watertight manner when the first housing 20 is fitted with the first connector 20 to prevent fluid from entering the connector 10. Is provided. The seal member 38 can be formed of, for example, a rubber material.

  When the first connector 20 and the second connector 30 are fitted with each other, the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 31 are connected to each other, and the electric device and the electronic control unit mounted on the vehicle are connected. , A power supply and the like are electrically connected, and electrical signal communication and power supply are enabled. Further, the connector 10 maintains the watertightness of the connector 10 in the fitted state by the plurality of seal members 38, 46, and 48, and prevents rainwater or the like from entering the connector 10 when applied to a vehicle. Can be.

  Next, an operation in the case where an unintended tensile load acts on the above-described connector 10 due to a vehicle collision or the like and the connector 10 is broken will be described.

  When a tensile load is applied to the connector 10, as shown in FIG. 2, the lock mechanism is not released, and the first connector 20 and the second connector 30 are kept in the fitted state, and the first connector Twenty fragile parts break. Then, a tensile force acts on the cover member 40 to extend the bellows portion 42, and the first terminal terminal 21 is prevented from being exposed from the break portion 56 of the first housing 22 by the extended cover member 40. After the second terminal terminal 31 is disconnected from the first terminal 21, the second terminal terminal 31 is surrounded by the second housing 32 and a part of the broken first housing 22, thereby preventing the second terminal terminal 31 from being exposed.

  When a further tensile force acts on the connector 10, as shown in FIG. 3, the distal end of the cover member 40 comes off the first housing 22, and the connection between the housing 12 side and the cable 14 side via the connector 10. Is cut off. At this time, the bellows portion 42 of the cover member 40 is in an extended state, and further, the distal end opening 44 of the cover member 40 is in a state of being reduced in diameter by the contraction of the seal member 48. At this time, the periphery of the first terminal terminal 21 is surrounded by the cover member 40 to prevent exposure to the outside, and the second terminal terminal 32 is surrounded and exposed by a part of the first housing 22 and the second housing 32. Is prevented.

  As described above, in the connector 10 of the present embodiment, the fragile portion 24 is provided in the first housing 22 of the first connector 20 to control the breaking position of the first connector 20, and furthermore, the tensile load acts. When the connector 10 is broken, the first and second terminal terminals 21 are adjusted when the connector 10 is broken by adjusting the positional relationship between the weak portion 24 and the cover member 40 so that the cover member 40 is extended by breaking the weak portion 24. , 31 can be prevented from being exposed.

  Further, by making the attachment force of the distal end portion 40b of the cover member 40 to the first housing 22 smaller than the fixing force of the base end portion 40a of the cover member 40 to the housing 12, after the fragile portion 24 is broken, the cover member Since the distal end portion 40b of the cover member 40 can be detached from the first housing 22 by a tensile force while the base end portion 40a of the 40 is fixed to the housing 12, the tensile load at the time of collision is large, and the first and the second components are not fixed. Even when the connection between the second connectors 20 and 30 is broken, it is possible to prevent the first and second terminal terminals 21 and 31 from being exposed. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately prevent the terminal terminals 21 and 31 from being exposed at the time of a vehicle collision and causing a secondary disaster such as electric leakage or electric shock.

  Further, when the distal end portion 40b of the cover member 40 comes off the first housing 22, the distal end portion 40b is reduced in diameter by the contraction force of the seal member 48, so that the opening area of the distal end opening 44 of the cover member 40 is reduced. Therefore, the possibility that the first terminal terminal 21 comes into contact with another peripheral device can be further reduced, and the safety against a secondary disaster can be further improved. In addition, the second terminal terminal 31 is also covered by not only the second housing 32 but also a part of the first housing 22, so that electrical contact with peripheral devices is unlikely to occur, and the breakage point cannot be controlled. The safety against the secondary disaster is improved as compared with the connector of (1).

  Furthermore, by forming the cover member 40 with an elastic member having high flexibility and flexibility, not only the tensile force in the axial direction of the cylinder but also the first and the appropriate when the collision load is applied in the radial direction of the cylinder. Exposure of the second terminal terminals 21 and 31 can be prevented. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a broken state when a collision load is applied to the vehicle connector 10 in a cylinder radial direction indicated by a white arrow. As shown in FIG. 4, when a collision load is applied, the bellows portion 42 extends in a state where the cover member 40 is bent following the load application direction, and the first housing 22 is bent at the fragile portion 24 and then bent. -The extended state is maintained. This prevents the first and second terminal terminals from being exposed.

  In particular, since the connector 10 for a vehicle is assembled to a vehicle body at the time of manufacturing the vehicle, and thereafter, the first and second connectors 20 and 30 are not repeatedly attached and detached, they are fragile in a normal use state. There is no possibility that the portion 24 is broken, and a simple structure in which the fragile portion 24 is made thinner than other regions can appropriately obtain the effect of preventing the terminal terminals from being exposed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the cover member 40 is formed to be expandable and contractable by the bellows portion 42, but is not limited to this, and the cover member 40 is attached to the housing 12 and the first housing 22. In this case, any structure may be used as long as it is in a contracted state, and when a tensile force is applied due to breakage of the fragile portion 24, the shape changes from the contracted state to the extended state, and the extended state can be maintained.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the first connector 20 forms a male connector and the second connector 30 forms a female connector. Alternatively, the first connector may be a female connector, and the first connector 20 may be a female connector. The second connector may be a male connector. The first and second terminal terminals 21 and 31 are provided for the purpose of electrical connection with a cable, an electric device, or the like, and their structures are not limited. For example, the first and second terminal terminals 21 and 31 are connected to the second terminal terminal 31 side. A holding portion for holding and holding the one terminal terminal 21 may be provided.

  Further, the connector structure including the first and second connectors 20 and 30 described above can be applied not only to a connector for a vehicle but also to a connector for another use.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 connector 12 housing 14 cable 20 first connector 21 first terminal terminal 22 first housing 24 fragile portion 30 second connector 31 second terminal terminal 32 second housing 40 cover member 42 bellows 38, 46, 48 seal Element

Claims (5)

A connector comprising: a first connector having a terminal terminal protruding from a base, a tubular housing fixed to the base and surrounding the terminal terminal; and a second connector fitted to the first connector. In structure
The first connector includes a cover member that is disposed inside the housing and that is formed in a tubular shape having flexibility so as to surround the terminal terminals,
The cover member has a base end fixed to the base, a tip end attached to the inner wall of the housing, and formed to be extendable in the cylinder axis direction of the housing,
The housing has a weak portion on the peripheral wall having a lower mechanical strength than other regions,
The connector structure, wherein the fragile portion is located between a fixing portion of the cover member to the base and a mounting portion of the cover member to the housing in the cylinder axis direction. The cover member is formed to be able to maintain an extended state,
2. The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein an attachment force of a distal end portion of the cover member to the first housing is set smaller than a fixing force of a base end portion of the cover member to the base. 3.   3. The device according to claim 2, further comprising a diameter reducing member attached to a distal end of the cover member, the contracting member being configured to shrink the distal end inward in a cylindrical radial direction when the distal end comes off the housing. Connector structure.   The connector structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cover member is formed of an insulating material having higher flexibility and flexibility than the housing.   A vehicle connector having the connector structure according to claim 1.

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