JP2022190971A - Waterproof connector and electric wire seal member used in the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To obtain a waterproof connector which achieves downsizing with a waterproof seal member with good workability attached to each electric wire.SOLUTION: Electric wire seal members, each of which is inserted into an electric wire to prevent water immersion along the electric wire, are fixed to rear ends of multiple connection terminals by insulating coat crimp parts of the connection terminals, and the individual electric wire seal members are attached to the interior of a seal holder 31. The seal holder 31 has: through holes 35 into each of which the connection terminal is inserted and each of which holds the electric wire seal member; and a square cylinder part 33 which is inserted into a frame part of a housing. A housing seal member 34 is fixed to a periphery of the square cylinder part 33, the electric wire seal member makes an inner periphery of the through hole 35 waterproof. The housing seal member 34 disposed between the seal holder 31 and the housing prevents ingress of water into the housing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof connector housing a plurality of small connecting terminals and having a waterproof function, and a wire sealing member used in the waterproof connector.

In recent years, for example, in the automobile industry, etc., there is a strong demand for miniaturization of parts used in order to achieve weight reduction. For example, as a large number of sensors are used, the number of signal wirings also increases, and it is necessary to reduce the size of electrical connectors that connect the wirings.

In order to reduce the size of the electrical connector, it is necessary to reduce the size and diameter of the connection terminals and electric wires mounted in the electrical connector. Recently, connection terminals with a connection diameter of 1 mm or less have begun to be used, and wires with a diameter of about 0.5 mm are also used.

In the miniaturization of such electrical connectors, in order to make a waterproof connector with waterproof performance, the cylindrical waterproof sealing material attached to each connection terminal is bulky. is extremely difficult.

In Patent Document 1, a thick sealing sheet made of synthetic rubber is used as a waterproof sealing material, and electric wires connected to connection terminals are inserted into a large number of small through holes formed in one sealing sheet. It is disclosed that waterproofing is performed around electric wires.

JP-A-11-329570

According to the connector structure of Patent Document 1, a waterproof structure can be easily achieved by allowing the wires to pass through the waterproof seal sheet.
However, in addition to passing the electric wire, it is necessary to pass the connecting terminal portion having a larger cross-sectional area than the electric wire. Waterproof performance may deteriorate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to easily improve waterproofness by using a seal holder that holds an electric wire sealing member even if the size of the electric wire sealing member inserted into the electric wire is increased, thereby miniaturizing the connection. An object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof connector applicable to terminals and a wire sealing member used for the waterproof connector.

A waterproof connector according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a waterproof connector in which a plurality of connection terminals to which electric wires are individually connected are incorporated in a housing, and a waterproof seal holder is fixed to the rear part of the housing. a wire sealing member inserted into the electric wire to prevent water from entering along the electric wire is fixed to the rear end of the connecting terminal by an insulation coating crimping portion of the connecting terminal; and the seal holder inserts the connecting terminal through a plurality of through-holes for individually holding the wire seal members; and a square tubular portion inserted into the frame portion of the housing. The inner circumference of the through hole is waterproofed by a member, and the housing seal member is interposed between the through hole and the housing to prevent water from entering the housing.

Further, the wire sealing member according to the present invention is a wire sealing member that is attached to the rear portion of the connection terminal and prevents water from entering from behind along the wire, and comprises a base made of a synthetic resin material and a waterproof function made of synthetic rubber. The base has a front portion formed with a cylindrical portion through which the insulation coating portion of the electric wire is inserted, and the rear portion has a core portion extending in a stepped manner with respect to the cylindrical portion, and the seal portion is the core portion. It is characterized in that a waterproof insertion hole that covers the periphery and communicates linearly with the cylindrical portion is formed below the core portion.

According to the waterproof connector and the wire seal member used in the waterproof connector according to the present invention, by devising the structures of the wire seal member and the seal holder that accommodates the wire seal member, it is possible to realize a waterproof structure in the housing.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which one cover portion of the storage case is opened; It is a sectional view of a storage case. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the female connection terminal to which an electric wire is connected; It is a perspective sectional view of a sealing member. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which female connection terminals are stored in a storage case; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which the female connection terminal that has passed through the seal holder is housed in the storage case and the cover portion is closed; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a storage case that stores female connection terminals; 4] is a perspective view of the seal holder as seen from the front and rear. [Fig. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which a seal holder is attached to the rear end of the storage case; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a housing; It is the perspective view which incorporated the storage case in the housing. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a mated state with a mating electrical connector;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a storage case 1 which is housed inside a housing of an electrical connector and which stores connection terminals. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of this state, in which the upper cover portion is opened and the lower cover portion. indicates a closed state. The storage case 1 is integrally injection-molded from a synthetic resin material, and consists of storage portions 2 for storing connection terminals on both upper and lower surfaces, and plate-like cover portions 3a and 3b for covering the storage portion 2 storing the connection terminals. , cover portions 3a and 3b are attached to both upper and lower surfaces of the storage portion 2 via thin hinge portions 3c. The dimensions of this storage case 1 are, for example, 5.6 mm in height, 9.75 mm in width, and 20.8 mm in length.

The storage section 2 is vertically partitioned by a bottom plate 2a having a thickness of 0.8 mm, and side plates 2b having a height of 1.9 mm are provided like walls on both upper and lower sides of the bottom plate 2a. Between the side plates 2b, a partition plate 2c having a height lower than that of the side plates 2b and having a thickness of 0.25 mm is arranged parallel to the side plates 2b. If the number of female connection terminals stored in the storage portion 2 is, for example, 8 on one side, the number of partition plates 2c is 7 on one side and 14 on both sides. A storage groove 2d having a width of 0.9 mm is provided between the partition plates 2c, and eight storage grooves 2d are arranged in parallel on each side, and connection terminals are stored in the storage grooves 2d.

Since the vertically arranged connection terminals are staggered by half to the left and right due to the space occupation rate, the storage grooves 2d are provided at positions shifted to the left and right on the top and bottom surfaces. On the bottom plate 2a at the center of each housing groove 2d, there is provided a locking projection 2e with a height of 0.2 mm and a width of 0.3 mm that fits into a locking hole provided in the connection terminal. .

A front plate 2f provided in the front portion of the housing portion 2 has eight holes 2g, each having a height of 1.6 mm and a width of 0.85 mm, for inserting mating male connection terminals from the front. A total of 16 openings are provided in correspondence with each of the storage grooves 2d, shifted left and right.

The space between the front plate 2f at the front end of the housing portion 2 and the hinge portion 3c is covered with a cover plate 2h which is a cover portion, and the cover plate 2h has a length of 2.7 mm from the front plate 2f and a thickness of 1.45 mm. is formed by a plate of At the front end of each storage groove 2d, a tubular temporary storage portion 2i surrounded by a bottom plate 2a, a partition plate 2c, a front plate 2f, and a cover plate 2h is formed. The temporary storage portion of the connection terminal is inserted into the temporary storage portion 2i for temporary storage.

The plate-like covers 3a and 3b are attached to the housing 2 by hinges 3c so as to be freely opened and closed, and cover the housing groove 2d of the housing 2. As shown in FIG. The thickness of the covers 3a and 3b is the same as that of the cover plate 2h, but an engaging stepped portion 3d having a height of 0.55 mm for engaging the rear portion of the connection portion of the connection terminal is formed on the inner surface of the substantially central portion. Each 2d protrudes into the storage groove 2d. A rear surface portion 3e having a thickness of 0.8 mm is formed at the rear end of the cover portions 3a and 3b, and an opening portion 3f is formed in the rear surface portion 3e for passing an electric wire connected to the connection terminal.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the female connection terminal 11 to which the electric wire W is connected. The connection terminal 11 has a square tubular shape with a width of 0.8 mm and a height of 1.8 mm at the front, and has a receiving connection portion 12 at the front end thereof serving as a temporary storage portion, and a conductor crimping portion 13 and an insulation coating at the rear. A crimp portion 14 is provided. In addition, the diameter of the electric wire W is set to 0.5 mm.
The conductor Wa from which the insulation coating portion Wb of the electric wire W has been stripped is crimped and connected by the conductor crimping portion 13, and the insulation coating portion Wb of the electric wire W is crimped from the periphery by the insulation coating crimping portion 14. Since the wire sealing member 21 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the wire sealing member 21. The wire sealing member 21 consists of a base portion 22 made of synthetic resin and a sealing portion 23 made of flexible synthetic rubber, which are formed by insert molding. The base portion 22 includes a base portion 24 having an elliptical cross-section with semicircular ends, a cylindrical portion 25 provided at the lower front portion of the base portion 24, through which the electric wire W is inserted and fixed from the periphery by the insulation coating crimping portion 14, and the cylindrical portion 25. It is composed of a cylindrical portion 25 and a core portion 26 which is provided on a different level and extends rearward from a base portion 24 to support the seal portion 23 .

The seal portion 23 is formed around the core portion 26 in an oval shape having the same outer shape as the base portion 24, and is linearly communicated with the hole portion of the cylindrical portion 25 below the core portion 26 to insert the electric wire W therethrough. A waterproof insertion hole 27 is formed. A plurality of wavy portions 28 and 29 are formed on the outer periphery of the seal portion 23 and the inner periphery of the waterproof insertion hole 27, respectively, for enhancing waterproofness.

The size of the wire sealing member 21 is, for example, the base portion 24 and the sealing portion 23 are 2.65 mm high and 0.9 mm wide, the longitudinal length of the base portion 24 is 0.8 mm, and the longitudinal length of the sealing portion 23 is 0.8 mm. The cylindrical portion 25 has a length of 4.8 mm and an inner diameter of 0.5 mm. The inner diameter of the corrugated portion 29 of the waterproof insertion hole 27 is set to 0.45 mm.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the insulation coating portion Wb of each wire W is inserted through the wire sealing member 21 through the cylindrical portion 25 and the waterproof insertion hole 27 , and the insulation coating crimping portion 14 is applied from above the cylindrical portion 25 . The insulation coating crimping portion 14 fixes the insulation coating portion W through the tubular portion 25 . Further, the insulating coating portion Wb surrounded by the waterproof insertion hole 27 of the seal portion 23 is effectively waterproofed by the corrugated portion 29 .

A fixed contact portion 16 and a separate movable contact piece 17 are provided in the connection portion 12 of the connection terminal 11 shown in FIG. It is adapted to clamp the insertion end of the mating connection terminal.
When the cover portion 3a is opened and the front end of the connecting portion 12, which serves as a temporary receiving portion for the female connecting terminal 11, is directed obliquely downward as shown in FIG. , the tip of the connection portion 12 enters into the temporary storage portion 2i and is temporarily stored. Note that FIG. 5 shows a state in which the connection terminals 11 are already stored in the lower storage grooves 2d. At this time, the electric wire W of each connection terminal 11 is pulled out from a seal holder 31 which will be described later.
When the connection terminal 11 is horizontally positioned and pushed into the storage groove 2d, the locking protrusion 2e of the storage groove 2d is fitted into the locking hole formed in the lower portion of the connection terminal 11, and the connection terminal 11 is inserted into the storage groove 2d. positioned within. Each time the female connection terminal 11 is accommodated in the accommodation groove 2d, the connection portion 12 is inserted into the temporary accommodation portion 2i and goes through a temporary accommodation state, so that the connection terminal 11 can be connected during the accommodation operation or already accommodated. There is no danger that the terminal 11 will slip out of the housing groove 2d.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the storage case 1 and the seal holder 31 in such a state that the 16 female connection terminals 11 are accommodated and the cover portion 3a is opened. All the connection terminals 11 accommodated are positioned in front of the seal holder 31 via the through holes of the seal holder 31 .
As shown in FIG. 7, when the covers 3a and 3b are closed, the covers 3a and 3b are locked by locking means (not shown) provided on both sides of the storage section 2 and on both sides of the covers 3a and 3b. is locked with respect to the storage part 2 so as not to open unintentionally. Therefore, even if the storage case 1 is turned over, the covers 3a and 3b will not open, and the connection terminals 11 will not come off.

When the connection terminal 11 is stored in the storage case 1, the front end of the connection portion 12 abuts against a part of the front plate 2f around the hole 2g and is housed in the locking hole provided behind the connection portion 12. The locking projection 2e provided in the groove 2d is fitted, and the locking stepped portion 3d provided on the cover portions 3a and 3b is locked to the stepped portion at the rear end of the connecting portion 12. As shown in FIG. In this manner, the connecting terminal 11 is stably held by the plurality of locking means, with movement in the storage case 1 particularly in the front-rear direction being restricted.
An electric wire sealing member 21 attached to each connection terminal 11 is exposed at the rear of the storage case 1. A seal holder 31 provided at the rear is attached to the electric wire sealing member 21, and the seal holder 31 is provided in the housing. prevent flooding.
8A is a perspective view of the seal holder 31 as seen from the front, and FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the seal holder 31 as seen from the rear. The seal holder 31 is made of a synthetic resin material, and has a frame portion 32 on the front portion thereof to cover the rear portion of the housing, and a rectangular tube portion 33 to be inserted into the rear frame portion of the housing projects forward inside the frame portion 32 . It is A ring-shaped waterproof housing seal member 34 made of flexible synthetic rubber is attached by insert molding so as to surround the rectangular tube portion 33 . Further, the outer surface of the housing seal member 34 is formed with a plurality of wavy portions (not shown) for preventing water from entering.
Inside the square tubular portion 33 of the seal holder 31, 16 oval through holes 35 are formed in total, 8 upper and lower through holes 35 that match the outer shape of the wire sealing member 21. As shown in FIG. The through hole 35 allows the female connection terminal 11 to pass from the rear to the front, and also serves to hold the wire seal member 21 . The seal holder 31 has a height of 10.6 mm, a width of 17.4 mm, and a length of 6.8 mm.
The through hole 35 has a size large enough to allow the connection terminal 11 to pass therethrough, and has a height of 2.65 mm and a width of 0.9 mm, which are substantially the same as the wire sealing member 21. The thickness is 0.1 mm. Two upper and lower locking pieces 36 protrude forward from the upper and lower portions of the frame portion 32 of the seal holder 31 , and locking grooves 37 are provided in these locking pieces 36 .

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the seal holder 31 attached to the rear portion of the storage case 1. FIG. In order to accommodate the wire seal member 21 attached to the female connection terminal 11 in the seal holder 31, the through hole 35 has a size that allows the connection terminal 11 to pass therethrough. 11 can pass through the through hole 35 of the seal holder 31 from the rear to the front. The seal holder 31 is brought closer to the wire sealing member 21 while pulling the wire W, and each wire sealing member 21 is pushed into each through hole 35 . Since the wire W is pulled out to the rear of the seal holder 31 and the core portion 26 is built in the seal portion 23, the wire seal member 21 is not bent, and the through hole can be easily closed. 35 can be inserted.

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a housing 41 into which the storage case 1 is inserted. The housing 41 accommodates the storage case 1 in which the female connection terminals 11 are accommodated, and is fitted with the housing of the mating electrical connector to connect the connection terminals. The rear, not shown, of the housing 41 is open, the storage case 1 is inserted from the rear, and the seal holder 31 is inserted.

The housing 41 is provided with a front frame portion 42 and a rear frame portion 43 on the front and rear sides. be. The housing 41 has a substantially box-like shape with a height of 10.6 mm, a width of 17.4 mm, and a length of 13.2 mm. The housing 41 is provided with a storage chamber containing the storage case 1, and 16 openings 44 are formed in front of the storage chamber for inserting mating male connection terminals. These openings 44 communicate with the holes 2g of the storage case 1 in the housing 41, and have approximately the same size as the holes 2g.

A locking lever 45 having flexibility is provided on the upper portion of the housing 41 for engaging with the mating housing. The lock lever 45 has a support shaft at the front portion of the housing 41 and a free end at the rear end, and a hook portion 46 for locking to the mating housing is formed on the upper side of the intermediate portion. Further, a pair of claw portions 47 for locking the seal holder 31 are provided on the upper surface and the lower surface of the housing 41 respectively.

In order to incorporate the connection terminals 11 into the housing 41, the storage case 1 with the connection terminals 11 shown in FIG. By this insertion, the space between the storage case 1 and the housing 41 is locked by a locking means (not shown), so that the storage case 1 is prevented from slipping out of the housing 41 in an emergency. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 11, the seal holder 31 is assembled to the rear frame portion 43 of the housing 41, and the locking grooves 37 of the respective locking pieces 36 of the seal holder 31 are locked to the claw portions 47 of the housing 41. The seal holder 31 is locked to the housing 41 so that it cannot be pulled out and inserted.
In this state, the seal portion 23 of the wire seal member 21 prevents water from entering the housing 41 along the wire W in the through hole 35 . Further, the housing seal member 34 inserted into the seal holder 31 prevents water from entering the housing 41 from between the housing 41 and the seal holder 31 . In other words, all ingress of water into the electrical connector from behind the housing 41 is prevented.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the housing 41 with the female connection terminal 11 mounted thereon is coupled with a mating electrical connector. , but the rest of the storage case and the like including the wire seal member 21 have substantially the same structure.
A housing 51 of the mating connector is provided with a male connection terminal 11' via a storage case 52. As shown in FIG. The housing 51 has a frame portion 53, and a locked portion having a locking groove 54 above the frame portion 53 that cooperates with the locking lever 45 of the housing 41 for locking with the housing 41. 55 is provided.

When the mating housing 51 is fitted into the housing 41 from the front, the insertion end 12' of the male connection terminal 11' in the housing 51 passes through the opening 44 of the housing 41 and the hole 2g of the storage case 1, and then into the female terminal. It is inserted into the connection portion 12 of the type connection terminal 11 . The insertion end 12' is sandwiched between the fixed contact portion 16 and the elastic movable contact piece 17 in the connection portion 12 of the female connection terminal 11, thereby connecting the male connection terminal 11' and the female connection terminal. 11 is made. At this time, the mating housing 51 is provided with a waterproof seal member 56 for the housing 41 to prevent water intrusion between the housings 41 and 51 when they are fitted together.

At this time, the locked portion 55 of the mating housing 51 located outside the locking lever 45 of the housing 41 enters the locking groove while pushing down the locking lever 45 at the time of fitting. When the hook portion 46 of the locking lever 45 is fitted to 54, the housing 51 stops entering, the locking lever 45 of the housing 41 is restored to its original position, and the locked portion 55 of the housing 51 is locked. is done. Thereby, the electrical connectors are connected to each other without unintentionally separating the housings 41 and 51 from each other.

To disengage the housing 41 from the housing 51, the free end of the locking lever 45 is pushed downward to disengage the hook portion 46 from the locking groove 54, and the mating housing 51 is separated from the housing 41. You can pull it out.

In the embodiment, the connection terminals 11 are attached to the storage case 1, and the storage case 1 is inserted into the housing 41. However, the method of attaching the connection terminals 11 to the housing 41 is limited to this embodiment. never

The terms front and rear, top and bottom, and left and right in this embodiment are used for explanation of the drawings, and actual members are not restricted by these terms.

Reference Signs List 1 storage case 2 storage portion 3a, 3b cover portion 11 connection terminal 12 connection portion 13 conductor crimp portion 14 insulation coating crimp portion 21 wire seal member 22 base portion 23 seal portion 27 waterproof insertion hole 28, 28 corrugated portion 31 seal holder 34 housing seal Member 35 Through hole 41 Housing 51 Mating housing W Electric wire Wa Conductor Wb Insulation coating

Claims (6)

A waterproof connector in which a plurality of connection terminals to which electric wires are individually connected are incorporated in a housing, and a waterproof seal holder is fixed to the rear part of the housing,
a wire seal member inserted into the wire at the rear end of the connection terminal to prevent water intrusion along the wire is fixed by an insulation coating crimp portion of the connection terminal;
The seal holder has a plurality of through-holes through which the connection terminals are inserted to individually hold the wire seal members, and a rectangular tubular portion to be inserted into the frame portion of the housing. a housing seal member is fixed to the housing, the wire seal member waterproofs the inner circumference of the through-hole, and the housing seal member is interposed between the wire seal member and the housing to prevent water from entering the housing. waterproof connector. 2. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface of said wire sealing member facing said through hole and an outer surface of said housing sealing member facing said housing are formed with corrugated portions. 3. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the connection terminal is built in the rectangular tubular portion of the seal holder. 3. The seal holder is provided with an outer frame, the outer frame covers the frame portion of the housing, and the outer frame of the seal holder is provided with a locking portion for locking to the frame portion of the housing. 4. The waterproof connector according to any one of 1 to 3. A wire sealing member that is attached to the rear of the connection terminal and prevents water from entering from behind along the wire,
It consists of a base made of synthetic resin material and a waterproof seal made of synthetic rubber. Said base has a front portion formed with a cylindrical portion through which the insulation coating portion of the electric wire is inserted, and a rear portion formed with a core that is different from said cylindrical portion. wherein the sealing portion covers the periphery of the core portion, and a waterproof insertion hole is formed below the core portion in linear communication with the cylindrical portion. 6. The electric wire sealing member according to claim 5, wherein a corrugated portion is formed on the outer circumference of the seal portion and the inner circumference of the waterproof insertion hole in order to increase the waterproof effect.

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