JP2021026986A - Drip-proof structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a drip-proof structure which can effectively suppress immersion of water due to water drops.SOLUTION: A contact part 41, a groove part 42, and a confrontation part 43 are formed in order from an external side by a flat plate like flange 70 of a male connector 50 and a tip of a cylindrical flange 30 of a female connector 10 by fitting the male connector 50 and the female connector 10. The contact part 41 is a part where both the flanges 30 and 70 are contacted. But, a gap like a capillarity tube may be generated due to unevenness and deflection of the part, allowance of a member, or the like. The groove part 42 accumulates water immersed from the gap. The confrontation part 43 is separated in an interval which is narrower than the groove part 42 and is wider than the interval causing capillary. Therefore, water immersed up to the groove part 42 is accumulated in the groove part 42, and thus, immersion into an inner part from them can be suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a drip-proof structure that suppresses the ingress of water due to water droplets.

It may be necessary to install the connector in a place where water does not always infiltrate, but water droplets may fall, such as in the dashboard of a car. When installing the connector in such a place, it is conceivable to adopt a waterproof structure provided with a waterproof sealing member. However, adopting a full-scale waterproof structure is disadvantageous in terms of both dimensions and cost. Therefore, a simple drip-proof structure has been considered. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a drip-proof junction box having a structure in which a duct for collecting infiltrated water is formed behind a slit in which water may infiltrate.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,470

In the case of the drip-proof junction box disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, a capillary tube narrower than the above slit continues on the back side leading to the duct. Then, a portion where the two members are completely in contact with each other is provided at the back of the capillary tube. However, the member has irregularities, deflections, tolerances, and the like. Therefore, when the structure extends over a certain length, even if it is completely in contact with each other in a certain cross section, a gap similar to that of a capillary is formed at any position in the longitudinal direction, and the gap is formed from the gap. Water may penetrate further into the interior.

An object of the present invention is to provide a drip-proof structure that effectively suppresses the infiltration of water by water droplets.

The drip-proof structure of the present invention that achieves the above object is
It is provided with a first member and a second member facing each other when the first connector and the second connector that are fitted to each other are fitted to each other.
The first member and the second member
The first member side contact that forms a contact portion that surrounds the fitting portion over the entire circumference by abutting each other at a position distant from the fitting portion of the first connector and the second connector in the direction perpendicular to the fitting direction. With the contact part and the second member side contact part,
The first member-side separating portion and the second member-side separating portion, which are formed at positions adjacent to the fitting portion side of the abutting portion and which form a groove portion which is separated from each other and extends all around.
A facing portion formed at a position adjacent to the fitting portion side of the groove portion is formed so as to be separated from each other at a distance narrower than the separation portion and wider than a gap that causes a capillary phenomenon and extend over one circumference. It is characterized in that it is provided with a first member side facing portion and a second member side facing portion.

The above-mentioned contact portion is designed so as to abut over one circumference, but there is a possibility that a gap similar to that of a capillary that causes a capillary phenomenon may occur due to unevenness, bending, tolerance, etc. of the member. If such a gap is generated, water droplets may infiltrate the inside through the gap. Therefore, here, a groove portion is formed at a position adjacent to the fitting portion side of the contact portion. The amount of water that enters does not exceed the volume of this groove. The facing portion is formed at a position adjacent to the fitting portion side following the groove portion. Therefore, the water that has entered the groove stays in the groove and evaporates over time. Therefore, according to the drip-proof structure of the present invention, the infiltration of water by water droplets can be effectively suppressed.

Here, in the drip-proof structure of the present invention,
The surface of the first member facing the second member side extends in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction over the first member side contact portion, the first member side separation portion, and the first member side facing portion. It ’s flat,
It is preferable that the contact portion, the groove portion, and the facing portion are formed by the unevenness of the surface of the second member facing the first member side.

In this case, the concave-convex structure needs only be on the second member side.

Further, in the drip-proof structure of the present invention, the first connector includes a first housing having a first flange extending perpendicular to the fitting direction, and the first flange acts as a first member. May be good.

In this case, since the first housing is used as the first member, it is not necessary to add a new member as the first member.

Further, in the drip-proof structure of the present invention, the second connector includes a second housing having a second flange that surrounds a receiving space that receives the fitting portion of the first connector and faces the tip of the first flange at the time of fitting. , The second flange may act as a second member.

In this case, since the second housing is used as the second member, it is not necessary to add a new member as the second member.

Alternatively, even if the second connector is accommodated and a housing having a front surface facing the first flange when the first connector is fitted to the second connector is provided, and the housing acts as a second member. Good.

In this case, since the housing in which the second connector is housed is used as the second member, it is not necessary to add a new member as the second member in this case as well.

According to the above invention, a drip-proof structure that effectively suppresses the infiltration of water due to water droplets is realized.

It is a perspective view of the female connector (A) and the male connector (B) that are fitted to each other. It is a front view (A) of the female connector shown in FIG. 1 (A), and the cross-sectional view (B) along the arrows X1-X1 shown in FIG. 2 (A). It is a perspective view (A) and a front view (B) of a state in which the male connector shown in FIG. 1B is fitted to the female connector shown in FIG. 1A. A cross-sectional view (A) along the arrows Y1-Y1 shown in FIG. 3 (B), a cross-sectional view (B) along the arrows Z1-Z1, and an enlarged view of a portion of the circle R1 shown in FIG. 4 (A). C). It is a perspective view of the housing (A) in which the female connector (A) is housed, and the male connector (B). It is a front view (A) of the housing in the state which accommodated the female connector shown in FIG. 5 (A), and the cross-sectional view (B) along the arrow X2-X2 shown in FIG. 6 (A). It is a perspective view (A) and the front view (B) of the state in which the male connector shown in FIG. 5 (B) is fitted to the female connector housed in the housing shown in FIG. 5 (A). It is a cross-sectional view (A) along the arrow Y2-Y2 shown in FIG. 7 (B), and is an enlarged view (B) of the portion of the circle R2 shown in FIG. 8 (A).

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a female connector (A) and a male connector (B) that are fitted to each other. The male connector 50 of FIG. 1 (B) is shown enlarged as compared with the female connector 10 of FIG. 1 (A). In correspondence with the present invention, the female connector 10 of FIG. 1 (A) corresponds to an example of the second connector of the present invention, and the male connector 50 of FIG. 1 (B) corresponds to an example of the first connector of the present invention. Equivalent to. The female connector 10 and the male connector 50 employ a drip-proof structure as the first embodiment of the present invention.

The female connector 10 of FIG. 1 (A) has three receiving spaces 11 that receive the male connector 50 of FIG. 1 (B), and the male connector 50 is fitted in each of the three receiving spaces 11. The connector 51 is accepted. However, one of them, the male connector 50, is shown here.

The housing 20 of the female connector 10 is formed with a flange 30 that surrounds the receiving space 11. Further, the housing 60 of the male connector 50 is formed with a flat plate-shaped flange 70 that extends perpendicular to the fitting direction.

2A and 2B are a front view (A) of the female connector shown in FIG. 1 (A) and a cross-sectional view (B) along the arrows X1-X1 shown in FIG. 2 (A). The cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 (B) is enlarged from the front view of FIG. 2 (A).

As shown in FIG. 2B, the tip portion 31 of the flange 30 of the female connector 10 in the direction indicated by the arrow F is between the flange body 32 extending from the rear end to the front end of the flange 30. An outer shell flange 33 is formed so as to surround the flange main body 32 with a gap. The outer shell flange 33 is the rear end portion of the outer shell flange 33 when the direction indicated by the arrow F is the front, and is connected to the flange main body 32. As a result, the tip portion 31 is formed with a groove 34 that opens toward the tip side and extends all around. Here, the tip 331 of the outer shell flange 33 protrudes slightly forward from the tip 321 of the flange body 32. The reason will be described later. When the male connector 50 is fitted to the female connector 10, the tip 35 of the flange 30 of the female connector 10 on the side where the outer shell flange 33 is formed faces the flange 70 of the male connector 50.

3A and 3B are a perspective view (A) and a front view (B) of a state in which the male connector shown in FIG. 1B is fitted to the female connector shown in FIG. 1A.

Further, FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view (A) along the arrows Y1-Y1 shown in FIG. 3 (B), a cross-sectional view (B) along the arrows Z1-Z1, and a circle R1 shown in FIG. 4 (A). It is an enlarged view (C) of the part of.

When the male connector 50 is fitted to the female connector 10, the flange 30 of the female connector 10 is in a state where its tip 35 faces the flange 70 of the male connector 50. The portion of the flange 70 of the male connector 50 facing the tip of the flange 30 of the female connector 10 is a flat surface.

In the portion where the flanges 30 and 70 face each other due to fitting, the contact portion 41, the groove portion 42 adjacent to the contact portion 41, and the facing portion 43 adjacent to the groove portion 42 are arranged in this order from the outside. Is formed.

The contact portion 41 is a portion where the outer shell flange 33 of the flange 30 of the female connector 10 and the flange 70 of the male connector 50 are in contact with each other. However, due to the unevenness, bending, or tolerance of the member, it is not always possible to make a reliable contact over the entire circumference, and it is sufficient that a gap similar to that of a capillary tube through which water enters is partially formed by the capillary phenomenon. To get. Here, the problem is that a gap similar to that of a capillary is opened. Therefore, in FIG. 4C, a slight gap is shown between the outer shell flange 33 of the female connector 10 and the flange 70 of the male connector 50. The tip 331 of the outer shell flange 33 of the female connector 10 forming the contact portion 41 corresponds to an example of the second member side contact portion referred to in the present invention. Further, the portion of the flange 70 of the male connector 50 facing the tip 331 of the outer shell flange 33 of the female connector 10 corresponds to an example of the first member-side contact portion referred to in the present invention.

Further, the groove portion 42 is a portion where the groove 34 is formed. Water that has entered through the gap as a capillary tube formed in the contact portion 41 is stored in the groove 34. The wall surfaces of the flange 30 of the female connector 10 and the flange 70 of the male connector 50 facing each other across the groove 34 correspond to each example of the second member side separation portion and the first member side separation portion referred to in the present invention, respectively. To do.

Further, the facing portions 43 following the groove portions 42 extend over a circumference at intervals narrower than those of the groove portions 42 and at intervals wider than the intervals that cause the capillary phenomenon. The tip 321 of the flange body 32 of the female connector 10 corresponds to an example of the second member side facing portion according to the present invention. Further, the portion of the flange 70 of the male connector 50 facing the tip 321 corresponds to an example of the portion facing the first member side of the present invention.

Here, the facing portion 43 has a narrower interval than the groove portion 42 and a wider interval than the interval causing the capillary phenomenon. Therefore, the water that has entered through the gap as a capillary tube formed in the contact portion 41 and has reached the groove portion 42 is stored in the groove portion 42 without invading the facing portion 43. That is, water droplets may infiltrate into the groove 42, but are accumulated in the groove 42 to suppress further invasion into the inside.

This completes the description of the drip-proof structure of the first embodiment, and then the drip-proof structure of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Also in the following description of the second embodiment, the elements corresponding to the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the housing (A) in which the female connector (A) is housed and the male connector (B). The male connector of FIG. 5 (B) is shown enlarged as compared with the female connector of FIG. 5 (A). Similar to FIG. 1, in correspondence with the present invention, the female connector 10 housed in the housing 80 of FIG. 5 (A) corresponds to an example of the second connector of the present invention, and the male connector of FIG. 5 (B). The connector 50 corresponds to an example of the first connector of the present invention. A drip-proof structure as a second embodiment of the present invention is adopted in the housing 80 and the male connector 50 that accommodate the female connector 10. The housing 80 shows only a part of the front surface 81 side that accommodates the female connector 10. The female connector 10 of FIG. 5 (A) has three receiving spaces 11 that receive the male connector 50 of FIG. 5 (B), and the male connector 50 is fitted in each of the three receiving spaces 11. The connector 51 is accepted. However, one of them, the male connector 50, is shown here.

The housing 60 of the male connector 50 is formed with a flat plate-shaped flange 70 that extends perpendicular to the fitting direction.

6A and 6B are a front view (A) of the housing in which the female connector is housed and a cross-sectional view (B) along the arrows X2-X2 shown in FIG. 6A. Is. The cross-sectional view of FIG. 6B is enlarged from the front view of FIG. 6A.

The front surface 81 of the housing 80 accommodating the female connector 10 has an inner ridge 82 that surrounds the entire three receiving spaces 11 of the female connector 10 housed in the housing 80. An outer ridge 83 is formed so as to be separated from the inner ridge 82 and surround the inner ridge 82 all around. Then, a groove 84 extending around the circumference is formed between the inner ridge 82 and the outer ridge 83. On the other hand, the female connector 10 in the second embodiment is not formed with the outer shell flange 33 provided with the female connector 10 in the first embodiment.

Here, the tip 831 of the outer ridge 83 projects slightly forward of the tip 821 of the inner ridge 82. The reason will be described later. When the male connector 50 is fitted to the female connector 10, the tips 821 and 831 of the inner ridge 82 and the outer ridge 83 formed on the front surface of the housing 80 face the flange 70 of the male connector 50. ..

7A and 7B are a perspective view (A) and a front view (B) of a state in which the male connector shown in FIG. 5B is fitted to the female connector housed in the housing shown in FIG. 5A. Is.

Further, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view (A) along the arrows Y2-Y2 shown in FIG. 7 (B) and an enlarged view (B) of the portion of the circle R2 shown in FIG. 8 (A). The cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 8 (A) is also enlarged as compared with FIG. 7.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the female connector 10 is mounted on the circuit board 90 and housed in the housing 80 together with the circuit board 90.

When the male connector 50 is fitted into the female connector 10, the flange 70 of the male connector 50 is in a state of facing the inner ridge 82 and the outer ridge 83 formed on the front surface 81 of the housing 80. Here, the portion of the flange 70 of the male connector 50 facing the front surface 81 of the housing 80 is a flat surface.

Then, in the portion where the flange 70 and the front surface 81 of the housing 80 face each other due to fitting, the contact portion 41, the groove portion 42 adjacent to the contact portion 41, and the groove portion 42 thereof are sequentially formed from the outside over the entire circumference. A facing portion 43 adjacent to the flange is formed.

The contact portion 41 is a portion where the outer ridge 83 of the housing 80 and the flange 70 of the male connector 50 are in contact with each other. However, due to the unevenness, bending, or tolerance of the members, they are not always in contact with each other reliably over the entire circumference, and it is sufficient that a gap similar to that of a capillary tube through which water enters is partially formed by the capillary phenomenon. It is possible in. Here, the problem is that a gap similar to that of a capillary is opened. Therefore, in FIG. 8B, a slight gap is shown between the outer ridge 83 of the housing 80 and the flange 70 of the male connector 50. The tip 831 of the outer ridge 83 of the housing 80 forming the contact portion 41 corresponds to an example of the second member side contact portion referred to in the present invention. Further, the portion of the flange 70 of the male connector 50 facing the tip 831 of the outer ridge 83 of the housing 80 corresponds to an example of the first member-side contact portion referred to in the present invention.

Further, the groove portion 42 is a portion where the groove 84 is formed. Water that has entered through the gaps as capillaries formed in the abutting portion 41 is stored in the groove 84. The wall surface of the front surface 81 of the housing 80 sandwiched between the inner ridges 82 and the outer ridges 83 corresponds to an example of the second member side separation portion according to the present invention. Further, the wall surface of the flange 70 of the male connector 50 facing the groove 84 corresponds to an example of the first member side separating portion according to the present invention.

Further, the facing portions 43 following the groove portions 42 extend over a circumference at intervals narrower than those of the groove portions 42 and at intervals wider than the intervals that cause the capillary phenomenon. The tip 821 of the inner ridge 82 of the housing 80 corresponds to an example of the second member side facing portion according to the present invention. Further, the portion of the flange 70 of the male connector 50 facing the tip 821 corresponds to an example of the portion facing the first member side of the present invention.

Here, the facing portion 43 has a narrower interval than the groove portion 42 and a wider interval than the interval causing the capillary phenomenon. Therefore, the water that has entered through the gap as a capillary tube formed in the contact portion 41 and has reached the groove portion 42 is stored in the groove portion 42 without invading the facing portion 43. That is, the falling water droplets may infiltrate into the groove 42, but are accumulated in the groove 42, and the invasion into the inside is suppressed more than that.

As described above, according to the drip-proof structure of the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the infiltration of water by water droplets is effectively suppressed, and therefore, malfunction and electric leakage due to infiltration of water are suppressed.

10 Female connector (2nd connector)
30 Flange (second member)
32 Flange body 321 Tip of flange body (second member side facing part)
33 Outer shell flange 331 Tip of outer shell flange (contact part on the second member side)
41 Contact part 42 Groove part 43 Face-to-face part 50 Male connector (first connector)
70 Flange (1st member)
80 housing (second member)
82 Inner ridge 821 Tip of inner ridge (2nd member side facing part)
83 Outer ridge 831 Tip of outer ridge (second member side contact part)

Claims (5)

It is provided with a first member and a second member facing each other when the first connector and the second connector that are fitted to each other are fitted to each other.
The first member and the second member
A first connector that abuts the first connector and the second connector at positions separated from each other in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction to form a contact portion that surrounds the fitting portion all around. The member-side contact portion and the second member-side contact portion,
The first member-side separating portion and the second member-side separating portion, which are formed at positions adjacent to the fitting portion side of the contact portion and form a groove portion that is separated from each other and extends over one circumference.
A facing portion formed at a position adjacent to the fitting portion side of the groove portion is formed so as to be spaced apart from each other at a distance narrower than the groove portion and wider than a gap causing the capillary phenomenon and extending over one circumference. A drip-proof structure including a first member-side facing portion and a second member-side facing portion. The surface of the first member facing the second member side extends in the fitting direction over the first member side contact portion, the first member side separation portion, and the first member side facing portion. It is a plane that spreads in the vertical direction
The drip-proof structure according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion, the groove portion, and the facing portion are formed by the unevenness of the surface of the second member facing the first member side. .. The first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the first connector includes a first housing having a first flange extending perpendicular to the fitting direction, and the first flange acts as the first member. Drip-proof structure. The second connector includes a second housing that surrounds a receiving space that receives a fitting portion of the first connector and has a second flange whose tip faces the first flange at the time of fitting, and the second flange is said to be said. The drip-proof structure according to claim 3, wherein the drip-proof structure acts as a second member. The second connector is accommodated, and a housing having a front surface facing the first flange when the first connector is fitted to the second connector is provided, and the housing acts as the second member. The drip-proof structure according to claim 3.

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