JP2020087843A - Connector mounting structure and connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To minimize the force required to install a female connector with a grommet installed on a male connector installed on a connector support, and ensure the grommet sealability when each connector is installed on the connector support.SOLUTION: A connector mounting structure 1 includes: a first connector 3 installed on a connector support 9; a second connector 5 installed on the connector support 9 via the first connector 3; and a grommet 7 that is installed in the second connector 5, contacts the connector support 9, and includes a seal portion 11 that secures sealing performance at the contacted portion, wherein the second connector 5 includes a second connector body 13, a grommet installation portion 15, and an elastic portion 17 connecting the second connector body 13 and the grommet installation portion 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a connector mounting structure and a connector, and more particularly to a connector mounting structure in which a male connector and a female connector in which a grommet is installed are installed in a connector support.

Conventionally, a connector mounting structure 301 as shown in FIG. 6 is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). The connector mounting structure 301 includes a male connector 305 installed on the vehicle body panel 303, a female connector 307 installed on the male connector 305, and a grommet 309 installed on the female connector 307.

In addition, in the connector mounting structure 301, the male connector 305 is installed on the vehicle body panel 303, and the female connector 307 on which the grommet 309 is installed is attached to the male connector 305 installed on the vehicle body panel 303. It is supposed to be installed.

The annular seal portion 311 of the grommet 309 is in contact with the vehicle body panel 303 to prevent water or the like from entering from the female connector 307 side to the male connector 305 side through the through hole 313 of the vehicle body panel 303. (The sealing property is secured at the contact portion between the seal portion 311 and the vehicle body panel 303).

JP, 10-233262, A

By the way, the male connector 305 is installed in the vehicle body panel (connector support body) 303, and the male connector 305 installed in the vehicle body panel 303 is installed with the female connector 307 in which the grommet 309 is installed (connector support). When the connectors are attached to the body), there is slight rattling in the connectors 305 and 307 in the front-rear direction (attachment/detachment direction of the male connector 305 and the female connector 307) with respect to the vehicle body panel 303, and the seal portion 311 and the vehicle body panel 303. It may not be possible to secure contact with.

That is, the rattling amount of the male connector 305 with respect to the vehicle body panel 303 in the front-rear direction is “C1” and the rattling amount of the female connector 307 with respect to the male connector 305 in the front-rear direction is “C2” in the state where each connector is installed on the connector support body. Then, the amount of rattling of the grommet 309 (seal portion 311) with respect to the vehicle body panel 303 in the front-rear direction is “C1+C2”.

In this way, when the amount of rattling of the grommet 309 (seal portion 311) with respect to the vehicle body panel 303 becomes large, a state in which the contact between the seal portion 311 and the vehicle body panel 303 cannot be ensured (seal portion non-contact state) occurs. There is a risk.

Therefore, it is conceivable to increase the elastic deformation amount of the seal portion 311. However, with this configuration, it is necessary to elastically deform the seal portion 311 largely when forming each connector installation state on the connector support body. However, there is a problem that the force (insertion force) required when the female connector 307 having the grommet 309 is installed on the male connector 305 installed on the vehicle body panel 303 becomes large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and minimizes the force required when installing a female connector in which a grommet is installed in a male connector installed in a connector support, and also to a connector. An object of the present invention is to provide a connector mounting structure and a connector that can secure the sealing property of a grommet in a state where each connector is installed on a support body.

The present invention provides a first connector installed on a connector support, a second connector installed on the connector support via the first connector, and a second connector installed on the second connector. A grommet having a seal portion that comes into contact with the support and secures sealing performance at the contacted portion, the second connector includes a second connector main body portion, and a grommet in which the grommet is installed. The connector mounting structure is configured to include an installation portion and an elastic portion that connects the second connector main body portion and the grommet installation portion.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the force required when installing the female connector in which the grommet is installed is minimized to the male connector installed in the connector support, and at the time of each connector installation state in a connector support body. It is possible to provide a connector mounting structure capable of ensuring the sealing property of the grommet.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the connector mounting structure according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the connector mounting structure according to the embodiment of the present invention, before the female connector is installed on the male connector, the male connector is installed on the vehicle body panel, and the grommet is installed on the female connector. It is a figure which shows the state currently being operated. It is a perspective view showing a mounting structure of a connector concerning an embodiment of the present invention, and is a figure showing the state where a male connector is installed in a body panel. It is sectional drawing of the attachment structure of the connector which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the grommet of the attachment structure of the connector concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the attachment structure of the conventional connector.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a connector mounting structure 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first connector (for example, a male connector) 3, a second connector (for example, a female connector) 5, and a grommet 7. And is configured.

For convenience of description, a predetermined one direction is a front-back direction, a predetermined one direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction is a horizontal direction, and a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the horizontal direction is a vertical direction. ..

The male connector 3 is installed on the vehicle body panel 9 by directly contacting the vehicle body panel 9 on the front side of a connector support body (for example, a panel such as a pillar or a vehicle body panel) 9.

The female connector 5 is installed on the male connector 3 on the side (rear side) opposite to the male connector 3 with respect to the vehicle body panel 9 so as not to contact the vehicle body panel 9, so that the female connector 5 can be connected to the vehicle body through the male connector 3. It is designed to be installed on the panel 9.

The grommet 7 is formed by integrally molding a material such as rubber having insulating properties and elasticity, and is directly contacted with the female connector 5 to be installed in the female connector 5, and is provided with a seal portion 11. It is configured. The seal portion 11 directly contacts the vehicle body panel 9 and ensures the sealing property at the contacted portion.

When the male connector 3 and the female connector 5 on which the grommet 7 is installed are installed on the vehicle body panel 9 (each connector installation state on the connector support; see FIG. 4), the vehicle body panel 9 and the grommet 7 are Airtightness is ensured and water or the like is blocked at a portion where the seal portion 11 and the seal portion 11 are in contact with each other.

The female connector 5 includes a second connector body portion (female connector body portion) 13, a grommet installation portion 15, and an elastic portion 17.

The grommet 7 is installed in direct contact with the grommet installation portion 15. That is, the grommet installation portion 15 is configured to directly contact the installed grommet 7 to support the grommet 7.

The elastic portion 17 has elasticity in at least the front-back direction, and is provided between the female connector main body portion 13 and the grommet installation portion 15 as shown in FIG. It is connected to the installation section 15.

When each connector is installed on the connector support, the seal portion 11 is elastically deformed with respect to the portion 19 of the grommet 7 that is engaged with the female connector 5 (the grommet engaging portion with the female connector), and the vehicle body panel. It is in contact with 9 with biasing force. As a result, the sealing performance is ensured at the contact point between the vehicle body panel 9 and the seal portion 11.

The male connector 3 includes, for example, a male connector housing 21, a plurality of male terminals 23, and a male spacer 25. The male connector housing 21 is integrally formed of an insulating synthetic resin. The male spacer 25 is also integrally formed of synthetic resin having an insulating property. An electric wire 27 extends from each of the plurality of male terminals 23.

The male connector 3 is formed by installing the male spacer 25 and the plurality of male terminals 23 in the male connector housing 21.

The female connector 5 includes, for example, a female connector housing 29, a plurality of female terminals 31, and a female spacer 33. The female connector housing 29 is integrally formed of insulating synthetic resin. The female spacer 33 is also integrally formed of an insulating synthetic resin. An electric wire 35 extends from each of the plurality of female terminals 31.

Then, the female spacer 33 and the plurality of female terminals 31 are installed in the female connector housing 29 to form the female connector 5.

When each connector is installed on the connector support, the male connector housing 21 is in direct contact with the vehicle body panel 9, and the vehicle body panel 9 and the male connector housing 21 are integrated. However, the male connector housing 21 is installed on the vehicle body panel 9 with slight rattling in the front-rear direction.

Further, when the connectors are installed on the connector support, the female connector housing 29 is in direct contact with the male connector housing 21, and the male connector housing 21 and the female connector housing 29 are integrated. However, the female connector housing 29 is installed in the male connector housing 21 with slight rattling in the front-rear direction.

Further, in a state where each connector is installed on the connector support, each female terminal 31 of the female connector 5 is connected to each male terminal 23 of the male connector 3.

As a result, the vehicle body panel 9 and the female connector housing 29 are integrated when the connectors are installed on the connector support body. However, as described above, the female connector housing 29 and the grommet 7 are installed on the vehicle body panel 9 with slight rattling in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the female connector main body portion 13 and the grommet installation portion 15 of the female connector 5 are separated from each other by an annular cutout portion 37. The elastic portion 17 is installed in a part of the annular cutout portion 37 (a slight portion such as a micro joint), and connects the female connector main body portion 13 and the grommet installation portion 15 to each other.

The annular cutout portion 37 has a predetermined width, and the female connector main body portion 13 and the grommet installation portion 15 are separated by this predetermined width dimension. A plurality of elastic portions 17 are provided, and the elastic portions 17 are provided in the annular cutout portion 37 so as to be separated from each other in the extending direction of the line forming the ring of the cutout portion 37.

As a result, the female connector body 13 and the grommet installation portion 15 are not completely separated from each other by the cutout portion 37, but at the location where the elastic portion 17 is provided, the female connector body 13 and the grommet. The installation unit 15 is connected to each other. That is, the meat portion of the female connector main body portion 13, the meat portion of the elastic portion 17, and the meat portion of the grommet installation portion 15 are integrally connected to each other in this order.

The female connector body 13 is configured to include a part of the female connector housing 29, a female spacer 33, and a plurality of female terminals 31, and the grommet installation portion 15 is another part of the female connector housing 29. The elastic portion 17 is formed by still another part of the female connector housing 29.

In a state where each connector is installed on the connector support, the portion of the female connector housing 29 that constitutes the female connector main body portion 13 is in direct contact with the male connector housing 21, and the male connector housing 21 is directly attached to the vehicle body panel 9. Are in contact.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the grommet 7 is configured to include the above-described grommet engaging portion 19 for the female connector and the above-described seal portion 11. The grommet engaging portion 19 for the female connector is configured to include a grommet installation portion covering portion 39, a grommet main body portion 41, a covering portion/main body portion separating portion (grommet sliding concave portion) 43, and an electric wire covering portion 45. ..

In each connector installation state on the connector support, the grommet installation part covering part 39 covers the grommet installation part 15, the grommet main body part 41 covers the female connector main body part 13, and the wire covering part 45 is a female part. It covers the electric wire 35 extending from the terminal 31.

The cover portion/main body portion separating portion 43 is formed in an annular shape, is provided between the grommet installation portion cover portion 39 and the grommet main body portion 41, and is a grommet installation portion for the grommet main body portion 41 in the front-rear direction. In order to make it easy to change the position of 15, the grommet installation portion covering portion 39 and the grommet main body portion 41 are separated.

The rigidity of the cover part/main body part separation part 43 is smaller than the rigidity of the grommet installation part cover part 39 and the grommet main body part 41 at least in the front-rear direction. Further, with respect to the force applied in the front-rear direction, the seal portion 11 is connected in series to the elastic portion 17 and the cover portion/main body portion separating portion 43 which are connected in parallel with each other.

The grommet installation portion 15 is formed in a brim shape (flange shape; flat plate shape). Further, by sandwiching the grommet installation portion 15 in the front-rear direction in the thickness direction (in the front-rear direction), the grommet installation portion covering portion 39 is installed integrally with the grommet installation portion 15.

The seal portion 11 protrudes in an annular shape from the grommet installation portion covering portion 39 toward the vehicle body panel 9 side (front side). That is, the seal portion 11 projects in an annular shape from the grommet installation portion 15 on one side (front side) in the thickness direction of the brim-shaped grommet installation portion 15, and the annular tip (front end) of the seal portion 11 is formed. , Is in contact with the vehicle body panel 9.

More specifically, the portion of the vehicle body panel 9 where the male connector 3, the female connector 5 and the grommet 7 are installed is formed in a flat plate shape, and the through hole 47 is provided in this flat plate portion. There is.

The male connector housing 21 of the male connector 3 is provided with a male connector fixing portion 49 for installing the male connector 3 on the vehicle body panel 9 and a female connector fixing portion 51 for installing the female connector 5 on the male connector 3. Has been.

When the male connector 3 is installed on the vehicle body panel 9, a portion such as the front end portion (rear end portion in the front-rear direction) of the male connector housing 21 is inserted into the through hole 47 of the vehicle body panel 9, and the male connector 3 is mounted on the vehicle body panel 9. It is installed on panel 9.

Further, when the male connector 3 is installed on the vehicle body panel 9, the male connector 3 projects from the vehicle body panel 9 to the front side, and the electric wire 27 extends from the male connector 3 to the front side.

The female connector housing 29 (female connector body 13) of the female connector 5 is provided with a female connector fixing portion 53 for installing the female connector 5 on the male connector 3. When the female connector 5 is installed on the male connector 3, the female connector fixing portion 53 of the female connector 5 is engaged with the female connector fixing portion 51 of the male connector 3.

Further, in the state where the female connector 5 is installed in the male connector 3, the front side portion of the female connector 5 has entered the male connector 3.

The flat plate-shaped grommet installation portion 15 is provided at an intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the female connector housing 29 such that the thickness direction thereof is the front-rear direction. When viewed in the front-rear direction, a notch portion 37 having a narrow width, which is formed in, for example, a “B” shape, is provided so as to surround the entire periphery of the female connector main body portion 13. A wide grommet installation portion 15 formed in a square shape, for example, is provided so as to surround it.

Also, when viewed in the front-rear direction, four elastic portions 17 are provided, and each of the elastic portions 17 is located at the central portion of the four line segments that form the “B”-shaped cutout portion 37. It is arranged.

The grommet main body portion 41 of the grommet 7 is formed in a rectangular box shape, and is open to the front side. The wire cover portion 45 is formed in a cylindrical shape and extends rearward from the grommet body portion 41.

When viewed in the front-rear direction, the cover portion/main body portion separating portion 43 surrounds the entire circumference of the grommet main body portion 41 and is formed of, for example, a thin portion having a narrow width formed in a “B” shape. When viewed in the front-rear direction, the grommet installation portion covering portion 39 surrounds the entire circumference of the covering portion/main body portion separating portion 43, and is formed as a wide portion formed in, for example, a "B" shape.

Further, in the front-rear direction, the grommet installation portion covering portion 39 and the covering portion/main body portion separating portion 43 are located at the opening portion of the rectangular grommet main body portion 41.

When viewed in the front-rear direction, the seal portion 11 is provided along the entire circumference of the outer peripheral portion of the grommet installation portion covering portion 39, and is formed in, for example, a "b" shape. When the connectors are installed on the connector support, the through hole 47 of the vehicle body panel 9 and the female connector 5 are surrounded by the through hole 47 of the vehicle body panel 9 and the female connector 5.

Further, in the front-rear direction, the seal portion 11 projects forward from the grommet installation portion covering portion 39.

When each connector is installed on the connector support, the seal portion 11 is in close contact with the rear surface of the vehicle body panel 9 with a biasing force.

Next, the installation of the male connector 3 and the female connector 5 on the vehicle body panel 9 will be described.

In the initial state, the male terminal 23 is installed in the male connector 3, and the female terminal 31 and the grommet 7 are installed in the female connector 5.

In the initial state, the male connector 3 is installed on the vehicle body panel 9. Then, by installing the female connector 5 on the male connector 3, the respective connectors are installed on the connector supporting body, and the connector mounting structure 1 is formed.

In the connector mounting structure 1, as described above, there is a slight rattling between the vehicle body panel 9 and the female connector 5 in the front-rear direction, and the female connector body 13 slightly moves with respect to the vehicle body panel 9. .. This movement is absorbed by the elastic portion 17 and the cover portion/main body portion separating portion 43, so that the amount of movement of the seal portion 11 in the front-rear direction is reduced and the adhesion between the seal portion 11 and the vehicle body panel 9 is secured. ..

According to the connector mounting structure 1, the female connector 5 includes the female connector body portion 13, the grommet installation portion 15 on which the grommet 7 is installed, and the elastic portion connecting the female connector body portion 13 and the grommet installation portion 15. 17 is provided, the crush amount of the seal portion 11 of the grommet 7 at the time of installing the female connector 5 having the grommet 7 installed on the male connector 3 installed on the vehicle body panel 9 is reduced. Therefore, the force required when installing the female connector 5 on which the grommet 7 is installed can be minimized, and the sealing property of the grommet 7 can be secured.

More specifically, when installing the female connector 5 with the grommet 7 installed on the male connector 3 installed on the vehicle body panel 9, not only the seal portion 11 of the grommet 7 but also the elastic portion of the female connector 5 ( The elastic part 17 connected in series with the seal part 11 is also elastically deformed in the front-back direction in which a force is applied when the female connector 5 is installed.

As a result, the force required when installing the female connector 5 with the grommet 7 installed on the male connector 3 installed on the vehicle body panel 9 can be minimized and the workability can be improved. Even when the amount of rattling of the female connector 5 with respect to the vehicle body panel 9 (the amount of rattling in the front-rear direction) is large when the connectors are installed on the connector support, the amount of elastic deformation of the seal portion 11 of the grommet 7 (the amount of elastic deformation in the front-rear direction). It is possible to secure the sealing property of the grommet 7 without increasing ().

Further, according to the connector mounting structure 1, the female connector body 13 and the grommet installation portion 15 are separated by the annular cutout portion 37, and the elastic portion 17 is part of the annular cutout portion 37. Since the female connector main body portion 13 and the grommet installation portion 15 are connected to each other, the mechanical compliance value of the elastic portion 17 can be easily brought close to the mechanical compliance value of the seal portion 11 of the grommet 7. it can. That is, the elastic portion 17 that is easily elastically deformed can be easily obtained.

Further, according to the connector mounting structure 1, since the cover portion/main body portion separating portion 43 is provided, the elastic portion 17 of the female connector 5 is easily elastically deformed even though the grommet 7 is installed. ing.

Further, according to the connector mounting structure 1, the grommet installation portion 15 is formed in a brim shape, and the grommet installation portion covering portion 39 sandwiches the grommet installation portion 15 so that the grommet installation portion 39 (female connector 5 ), it is possible to reliably install the grommet 7 on the female connector 5 with a simple configuration.

The female connector 5 is installed on the connector support through another connector installed on the connector support, and has a sealing portion that comes into contact with the connector support and secures sealing performance at the contacted portion. And a connector main body portion, a grommet installation portion on which the grommet is installed, and an elastic portion connecting the connector main body portion and the grommet installation portion. Is an example of.

Further, the female connector 5 is an example of a connector having a connector main body portion, a grommet installation portion on which a grommet is installed, and an elastic portion connecting the connector main body portion and the grommet installation portion.

1 Connector mounting structure 3 Male connector (first connector)
5 female connector (second connector)
7 Grommet 9 Body panel (connector support)
11 seal part 13 female connector main body part (second connector main body part)
15 Grommet installation part 17 Elastic part 37 Notch part 39 Grommet installation part Cover part 41 Grommet main body part 43 Cover part/main body part separation part

Claims (6)

A first connector installed on the connector support,
A second connector installed on the connector support through the first connector;
A grommet that is installed on the second connector and that has a seal portion that comes into contact with the connector support body and that secures sealing performance at the contacted portion;
And a second connector main body portion, a grommet installation portion on which the grommet is installed, and an elastic portion connecting the second connector main body portion and the grommet installation portion. A mounting structure for a connector, which is characterized in that: The mounting structure for the connector according to claim 1, wherein
The second connector body portion and the grommet installation portion are separated by an annular cutout portion,
The said elastic part is installed in a part of said annular notch part, and is connecting the said 2nd connector main-body part and the said grommet installation part, The connector mounting structure characterized by the above-mentioned. A mounting structure for a connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The grommet includes the seal part, a grommet installation part covering part that covers the grommet installation part, a grommet body part that covers the second connector body part, and a grommet installation part for the grommet body part. In order to make it easier to change the position, the connector mounting structure is characterized in that the grommet installation part cover part and the grommet main body part are provided with a cover part/main body part separating part. .. The connector mounting structure according to claim 3,
The grommet installation portion is formed in a brim shape,
By sandwiching the grommet installation part, the grommet installation part covering part is installed in the grommet installation part,
The connector mounting structure, wherein the seal portion is annularly projected from the grommet installation portion covering portion toward the connector support body side. A connector installed on the connector support through another connector installed on the connector support, and a grommet provided with a seal portion that comes into contact with the connector support and secures sealing performance at the contacted position And
A connector comprising: a connector main body, a grommet installation part on which the grommet is installed, and an elastic part connecting the connector main body part and the grommet installation part. Connector body,
Grommet installation part where the grommet is installed,
An elastic portion connecting the connector main body portion and the grommet installation portion,
A connector characterized by having.

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