JP2024103153A - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a connector capable of suppressing deterioration of waterproofing between a male housing and a female housing due to thermal expansion. [Solution] A male housing 2 has an engagement protrusion 25 protruding from a cylindrical portion 21. A hood portion 51 of a female housing 5 is formed with a guide groove 55a, a recess 55b, and an engagement edge 55c. When a male connector 1 and a female connector 4 are in a mated state, the cylindrical portion 21 is positioned between a main body 50 and the hood portion 51, a packing 6 waterproofs the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 50 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 21, and the engagement protrusion 25 is positioned at the boundary portion between the guide groove 55a and the recess 55b. When the male housing 2 is deformed due to thermal expansion such that the inner diameter of the front side of the cylindrical portion 21 expands, the engagement edge 55c slides on the inclined surface 25a of the engagement protrusion 25, bringing the male connector 1 and the female connector 4 closer to each other. [Selected Figure] Fig. 8

Description

The present invention relates to a connector that has a male connector and a female connector that mate with each other.

One example of the above connector is shown in Figures 9 and 10 (see Patent Document 1). The connector 504 shown in Figures 9 and 10 is a waterproof connector that has a male connector 502 and a female connector 501 that fit together.

The male connector 502 is provided in the housing 509 of the vehicle-mounted device. The male connector 502 includes a male terminal and a male housing 508 made of synthetic resin. The male housing 508 includes a cylindrical portion 582 that surrounds the male terminal and a locking projection 583 that protrudes from the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 582.

The female connector 501 includes a female terminal, a female housing 505 made of synthetic resin, a rubber packing 506, and a synthetic resin retainer 507 that is assembled to the female housing 505 to prevent the female terminal and packing 506 from coming loose.

The female housing 505 comprises a main body 551 that houses the female terminal, a hood 552 that surrounds the main body 551, and a lock arm 553 that is connected to the main body 551. The cylindrical portion 582 of the male housing 508 is inserted between the main body 551 and the hood 552. The lock arm 553 engages with a lock protrusion 583 of the male housing 508 to maintain the mated state of the male connector 502 and the female connector 501.

The gasket 506 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the main body 551 and waterproofs the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the main body 551 and the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 582 when the male connector 502 and the female connector 501 are mated.

JP 2015-195124 A

When the connector 504 is used in a high-temperature environment such as an engine room, it undergoes three-dimensional thermal expansion as indicated by the dashed arrows in FIG. 10. As a result of this three-dimensional thermal expansion, the cylindrical portion 582 softens and is deformed by the restoring force caused by the compression of the packing 506, reducing the compression rate of the packing 506. As a result, there is a concern that the waterproofing between the male housing 508 and the female housing 505 may be reduced.

The present invention aims to provide a connector that can prevent the deterioration of waterproofing between the male and female housings due to thermal expansion.

The connector of the present invention comprises a male connector and a female connector which fit together, the male connector comprises a male terminal and a male housing made of synthetic resin, the female connector comprises a female terminal, a female housing made of synthetic resin, and an annular gasket, the male housing comprises a cylindrical portion surrounding the male terminal, a locking projection protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion, and an engaging projection protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion, the female housing comprises a main body portion which accommodates the female terminal, a hood portion which surrounds the main body portion, and a locking arm which engages with the locking projection to maintain the mated state of the male connector and the female connector, the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion is provided with a guide groove which extends rearward from the front end of the hood portion and positions the engaging projection, and a rear end of the guide groove A recess is formed, which is continuous with the guide groove and extends rearward, and is deeper than the guide groove, an engagement edge is formed at the boundary between the guide groove and the recess, the rear surface of the engagement protrusion is an inclined surface, the packing is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the main body, and when the male connector and the female connector are in a mated state, the tubular part is positioned between the main body exterior and the hood part, and the packing waterproofs the area between the outer circumferential surface of the main body and the inner circumferential surface of the tubular part, the engagement protrusion is positioned at the boundary between the guide groove and the recess, and when the male housing deforms due to thermal expansion such that the inner diameter of the front side of the tubular part expands, the engagement edge slides on the inclined surface of the engagement protrusion, bringing the male connector and the female connector closer together.

The present invention can prevent the deterioration of waterproofing between the male and female housings due to thermal expansion.

1 is a perspective view of a male connector constituting a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a perspective view of the male connector of FIG. 1 seen from a different angle. 1 is an exploded view of a female connector constituting a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view of the female housing of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the female housing of FIG. 3. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the male connector of FIG. 2 and the female connector of FIG. 3 are mated together. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the male connector of FIG. 2 and the female connector of FIG. 3 are mated, and shows a cross-section different from that of FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 7 . FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a conventional connector. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the male connector and female connector of FIG. 9 in a mated state.

A "connector" according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. The connector 10 shown in Figures 6 to 8 has a male connector 1 and a female connector 4 that mate with each other.

In this specification, the male connector 1 is referred to as the "front" side of the female connector 4 in the mating direction shown in FIG. 2, and the side away from the female connector 4 in the mating direction is referred to as the "rear". In addition, in the height direction perpendicular to the mating direction, the upper direction in FIG. 2 is referred to as the "top", and the lower direction in FIG. 2 is referred to as the "bottom". Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to these front-to-back directions (mating direction) and height directions is referred to as the "width direction". In addition, the female connector 4 is referred to as the "front" side of the male connector 1 in the mating direction shown in FIG. 3, and the side away from the male connector 1 in the mating direction is referred to as the "rear". In addition, in the height direction perpendicular to the mating direction, the upper direction in FIG. 3 is referred to as the "top", and the lower direction in FIG. 3 is referred to as the "bottom". Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to these front-to-back directions (mating direction) and height directions is referred to as the "width direction".

The male connector 1 is installed in the housing of an in-vehicle device and is used in the engine room, which is a high-temperature environment. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the male connector 1 has multiple (six) male terminals 3 and a male housing 2 made of synthetic resin.

The male housing 2 comprises a cylindrical portion 21 surrounding the multiple male terminals 3, a back wall 22 disposed at the rear of the cylindrical portion 21, a locking projection 24 protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 21, and an engagement projection 25 protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 21. The multiple male terminals 3 are press-fitted into and held in terminal insertion holes 23 formed in the back wall 22. The rear of the cylindrical portion 21 is closed by the back wall 22, and the front of the cylindrical portion 21 is open. The space inside the cylindrical portion 21 is an accommodation space that accommodates the main body 50 of the female connector 4. The locking projection 24 is provided on the upper and front side of the cylindrical portion 21.

A total of four engagement protrusions 25 are provided, two at the upper front end of the cylindrical portion 21 and two at the lower front end of the cylindrical portion 21. The two engagement protrusions 25 on the upper side of the cylindrical portion 21 are disposed on both the left and right sides of the lock protrusion 24. The rear surface of each engagement protrusion 25 is an inclined surface 25a that is inclined in the forward direction as it moves outward from the cylindrical portion 21.

The female connector 4 is connected to the terminals of the electric wires 11 of a wire harness arranged in a vehicle. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the female connector 4 comprises multiple (six) female terminals 7, a female housing 5 made of synthetic resin, and an annular packing 6 made of rubber (synthetic rubber, natural rubber). A rubber stopper 12 is attached to the outer circumferential surface of each electric wire 11 connected to each female terminal 7. When housed in the female housing 5 together with the female terminal 7, the rubber stopper 12 waterproofs the gap between the outer circumferential surface of the electric wire 11 and the inner circumferential surface of the female housing 5.

The female housing 5 includes a main body 50 that houses multiple female terminals 7, a hood portion 51 that surrounds the main body 50, a lock arm 54 that engages with the lock protrusion 24 to maintain the mated state of the male connector 1 and the female connector 4, a release arm 56, and a vertical wall portion 57.

The main body 50 has multiple (six) terminal accommodating chambers 52 formed therein. The main body 50 is provided with an elastically deformable lance 53 (see Figs. 5 and 7) that engages with the female terminal 7. The engaging projection 53a of the lance 53 is positioned within the terminal accommodating chamber 52.

The lock arm 54 is composed of two inner arm portions 54a that face each other in the width direction of the female housing 5, and a lock portion 54b. The two inner arm portions 54a are connected to the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 50 and extend forward. The front ends of the two inner arm portions 54a are connected by the lock portion 54b.

The release arm 56 is composed of two outer arm portions 56a that face each other in the width direction of the female housing 5, a connecting portion 56b, and an operating portion 56c. The two outer arm portions 56a are connected to the lock portion 54b via the connecting portion 56b and extend rearward. The rear ends of the two outer arm portions 56a are connected by the operating portion 56c. When the operating portion 56c is pressed downward, the lock arm 54 elastically deforms and the lock portion 54b is displaced upward.

The vertical wall portion 57 protrudes from the center of the fitting direction on the outer circumferential surface of the main body portion 50, and is disposed between the two inner arm portions 54a. The vertical wall portion 57 has a notch portion 57a formed by cutting the vertical wall portion 57 rearward from its front end. The upper portion of the notch portion 57a in the vertical wall portion 57 is referred to as the protrusion portion 57b.

The hood portion 51 is connected to the center of the outer circumferential surface of the main body portion 50 in the mating direction, and covers the front side of the main body portion 50. The space between the main body portion 50 and the hood portion 51 is an accommodation space that accommodates the tubular portion 21. The packing 6 is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the main body portion 50, and waterproofs the space between the inner circumferential surface of the tubular portion 21 accommodated in the accommodation space and the outer circumferential surface of the main body portion 50 when the male connector 1 and the female connector 4 are mated.

The inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 51 is formed with a guide groove 55a that extends rearward from the front end of the hood portion 51 and positions the engagement protrusion 25, and a recess 55b that extends rearward continuous with the rear end of the guide groove 55a and is deeper than the guide groove 55a. An engagement edge 55c is formed at the boundary between the guide groove 55a and the recess 55b. The guide grooves 55a, recesses 55b, and engagement edges 55c are provided in the same number as the engagement protrusions 25. That is, they are provided in a total of four locations: two locations on the upper side of the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 51 and two locations on the lower side of the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 51.

Next, the procedure for assembling the female connector 4 will be described. The female terminal 7, which is connected to the end of the electric wire 11 and fitted with a rubber plug 12, is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber 52 of the female housing 5, and the female terminal 7 is engaged with the locking projection 53a of the lance 53. In addition, the packing 6 is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the main body 50. With the above, the assembly of the female connector 4 is completed.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, when the male connector 1 and the female connector 4 are mated, they become a connector 10. When the male connector 1 and the female connector 4 are mated, the mated state is maintained by the locking portion 54b of the locking arm 54 of the female connector 4 being engaged with the locking protrusion 24 of the male connector 1. The male terminal 3 and the female terminal 7 are electrically connected. The packing 6 is compressed and sandwiched between the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 21 and the outer circumferential surface of the main body portion 50, thereby waterproofing the male connector 1 and the female connector 4. The engagement protrusion 25 is positioned at the boundary between the guide groove 55a and the recess 55b. The tip portion of the cylindrical portion 21 located in front of the locking protrusion 24 is positioned at the notch portion 57a. A clearance C (see Figure 7) is formed between the mated male connector 1 and the female connector 4.

As described above, the male housing 2 and the female housing 5 are made of a synthetic resin material, and the packing 6 is made of a rubber material. The connector 10 is used in an engine room. For these reasons, when the connector 10 is exposed to a high-temperature environment, the connector 10 thermally expands in three dimensions as shown by the dashed arrows in FIG. 7. As a result of this three-dimensional thermal expansion, the tubular portion 21 softens and receives a restoring force due to the compression of the packing 6, and deforms so that the inner diameter of the front side of the tubular portion 21 expands, as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 8. In other words, the tubular portion 21 deforms into a trumpet shape.

When the cylindrical portion 21 deforms, the engaging edge 55c slides on the inclined surface 25a of the engaging projection 25, bringing the male connector 1 and the female connector 4 closer together. As a result, the packing 6 is compressed and clamped at a gap K2 narrower than the gap K1 in FIG. 8. In other words, even if the compression rate of the packing 6 decreases, the compression rate is restored. Therefore, even if the connector 10 is exposed to a high-temperature environment, the deterioration of the waterproofing between the male housing 2 and the female housing 5 can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the tip of the tubular portion 21 of the connector 10 is positioned in the notch 57a, and when exposed to a high temperature environment, the tip of the tubular portion 21 comes into contact with the protrusion 57b. As a result, the front inner diameter of the tubular portion 21 is deformed to expand as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 8, but the amount of deformation on the lock arm 54 side can be suppressed, and the deterioration of the waterproofing between the male housing 2 and the female housing 5 can be suppressed.

The above-described embodiment merely shows a typical form of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In other words, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the gist of the present invention. As long as the configuration of the present invention is still included in such modifications, it is of course included in the scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Male connector 2 Male housing 3 Male terminal 4 Female connector 5 Female housing 6 Packing 7 Female terminal 10 Connector 21 Cylindrical portion 24 Locking projection 25 Engagement projection 25a Inclined surface 50 Main outer portion 51 Hood portion 54 Locking arm 55a Guide groove 55b Recess 55c Engagement edge

Claims (2)

The connector has a male connector and a female connector that mate with each other,
The male connector includes a male terminal and a male housing made of synthetic resin.
The female connector includes a female terminal, a female housing made of synthetic resin, and an annular packing.
the male housing includes a cylindrical portion surrounding the male terminal, a locking projection protruding from an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion, and an engaging projection protruding from an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion,
the female housing includes a main body portion that accommodates the female terminals, a hood portion that surrounds the main body portion, and a lock arm that engages with the lock protrusion to maintain a mated state between the male connector and the female connector,
a guide groove extending rearward from a front end of the hood portion and for positioning the engagement projection; and a recessed portion extending rearward continuous with the rear end of the guide groove and having a depth greater than that of the guide groove,
An engagement edge is formed at a boundary between the guide groove and the recess,
The rear surface of the engagement projection is an inclined surface,
The packing is attached to an outer circumferential surface of the main body,
When the male connector and the female connector are in a mated state, the tubular portion is positioned between the outer casing and the hood portion, the packing provides waterproofing between the outer circumferential surface of the main body and the inner circumferential surface of the tubular portion, and the engagement projection is positioned at the boundary portion between the guide groove and the recess,
A connector characterized in that when the male housing deforms due to thermal expansion so that the inner diameter of the front side of the cylindrical portion expands, the engaging edge slides along the inclined surface of the engaging protrusion, causing the male connector and the female connector to approach each other. the female housing includes a standing wall portion protruding from an outer circumferential surface of the main body portion, and a notch portion formed by cutting the standing wall portion rearward from a front end thereof,
2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a tip portion of said tubular portion, which is located in front of said locking projection, is positioned in said notch portion when said male connector and said female connector are in a mated state.

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