JP2785700B2 - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof connector in which a molded resin layer is integrated with a wire lead-out portion of a connector housing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one type of a connector formed by molding an electric wire lead-out portion, for example, an insertion molded plug described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-73771 is known. This is manufactured by attaching a pair of insertion terminals to a core made of a thermosetting resin, connecting an electric wire to the terminal, and molding the electric wire and the core with a thermoplastic resin. With this configuration, since the wire lead-out portion is covered with the flexible mold resin layer, there is obtained an advantage that the waterproof property is enhanced, the mechanical strength is improved, and the impact resistance is improved.

[0003]

However, in a molded connector of this type, there is a problem in that, in order to obtain more excellent waterproofness, it is difficult to increase the manufacturing cost at once. Was. The reason is as follows. In this type of molded connector, water intrusion paths that are problematic are a boundary portion between the mold resin layer and the outer sheath of the electric wire and a boundary portion between the mold resin layer and the connector housing. At the boundary between the resins, if the affinity between the two resins is poor, it is difficult to adhere to each other. If the coefficients of thermal expansion are different, a gap occurs due to a difference in expansion and contraction due to the cooling process during molding and temperature changes in the use environment. Because. Therefore, it is necessary to select a resin having a good affinity for the sheath resin of the electric wire and the molding resin of the connector housing and a small difference in thermal expansion coefficient.

However, generally, polyethylene, cross-linked polyethylene, or fluorine resin is used for the sheath resin of the electric wire, and PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), or the like is often used for the connector housing. Is generally quite different. For this reason, it is quite difficult to select a mold resin that is compatible with both resins.Therefore, it is necessary to select a mold resin material while taking advantage of the momentum and cost disadvantages, and to reconsider the materials of the outer sheath resin of the electric wire and the connector housing. There was a need.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a waterproof connector which is low in cost and can exhibit sufficient waterproofness while having a molding resin layer for molding the wire lead-out portion.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a waterproof connector having a connector housing having a cavity having a terminal insertion opening, and a terminal connected to an electric wire and inserted into the cavity from the terminal insertion opening. A metal fitting, a waterproof seal that is housed from the terminal insertion opening of the cavity and tightly contacts the inner peripheral surface of the cavity to seal the cavity from the terminal insertion opening side watertightly, and a terminal fitting and the waterproof seal in the cavity. A mold resin layer molded so as to surround the electric wire and be connected to the connector housing on the terminal insertion opening side of the connector housing in the housed state, and to connect the electric wire from the terminal insertion opening of the connector housing; A spacer having an electric wire insertion hole to be inserted is inserted subsequently to the waterproof seal. , The spacer is characterized the molding resin during the injection of the molding resin to the place where it is configured to cut off from the waterproof seal.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the spacer comprises a plurality of divided spacers, and the spacer is inserted into the connector housing in a state where the electric wire is interposed between the divided spacers. It is characterized by being inserted into the opening. The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 2, each of the divided spacers is provided with a temporary locking portion for engaging with each other to form an integrated state.

[0008]

<Operation and effect of the invention><Invention of claim 1> Since a waterproof seal is provided in the terminal insertion opening of the cavity in addition to the mold resin layer, it is assumed that the waterproof seal is temporarily provided between the mold resin layer and the electric wire sheath or the connector housing. Even if a gap is formed and water intrudes from the gap, the waterproof seal prevents water from entering the terminal fitting side. In addition, since the spacer is inserted into the terminal insertion opening following the waterproof seal, when the resin is injected to form the mold resin layer, the spacer receives and blocks the resin, and the resin has a waterproof function. Thus, a situation that leads to a waterproof seal exhibiting water resistance can be avoided, and the waterproofness can be further ensured. In addition, advantages in molding conditions, such as molding by increasing the injection pressure of the mold resin, are also obtained.

<Invention of Claim 2> By sandwiching the electric wire between the divided spacers, the spacer can be inserted into the electric wire, and the troublesome work of inserting the electric wire through the spacer can be omitted. <Invention of Claim 3> Even though the spacer is of a split type, when the spacer is mounted in the terminal insertion opening, the spacer is integrated, so that the mounting operation can be performed extremely easily.

[0010]

[0011]

【Example】

<First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(Structure of Embodiment) In FIGS. 1 to 3 showing the overall structure, a connector housing 10 is, for example, P
It is made of BT. This connector housing 10 is
The terminal insertion opening 1 is formed around a terminal storage tube portion 13 provided with two cavities 12 defined by the terminal insertion tube 1 at the rear end side (right side in FIG. 1) of the terminal storage tube portion 13.
From 31, terminal fittings 40 to be described later are inserted into each cavity 12. Inside the rear end side (right side in FIG. 1) of the terminal storage tube portion 13, a cavity 12 is provided.
Is not provided, and a single spacer storage chamber 14 connected to each cavity 12 is formed here. In addition, two annular ribs 15 and 16 are provided on the outer peripheral surface on the rear end side of the terminal housing cylinder portion 13 at a predetermined interval. The outer diameter of the annular rib 15 located on the front side (the left side in FIG. 1) of the annular ribs 15 and 16 is set to be larger than that of the annular rib 16 located on the rear side (the right side in FIG. 1). , And both annular ribs 1
The front surfaces of 5, 5 are flat, and the rear surfaces are formed with inclined surfaces 151, 161 whose outer peripheral sides are inclined obliquely forward.

On the other hand, a cylindrical housing-side waterproof seal 17 is fitted on the outer periphery of the distal end of the terminal storage tube 13, and a hood 18 surrounding the periphery is provided on the distal end of the terminal storage tube 13. ing. A mating connector housing (not shown) is fitted into the hood portion 18, and a lock piece 181 provided on the hood portion 18 is provided.
, The mating connector housing is locked. Reference numeral 19 denotes a housing for preventing the housing-side waterproof seal 17 from coming off,
This is a retainer for preventing the terminal fitting 40 inserted into the terminal fitting 2 from coming off.

On the other hand, the cable 20 connected to this connector is of a two-core type in which two electric wires 22 are integrated with an outer sheath 21 (they are not necessarily integrated, but are separate. The tip side is the outer skin 21.
Is removed and the two electric wires 22 are separated and exposed,
Further, the waterproof seal 30 is fitted to the portion of the insulating coating 221 near the end of each electric wire 22, and the insulating coating 221 is removed from the front of the waterproof coating 221 to expose the core wire 222.

There are two terminal fittings 40 connected to the ends of the electric wires 22, respectively. These are well-known structures, and are integrally provided with a wire barrel 42 for caulking the core wire 222 of the electric wire 22 and an insulation barrel 43 for caulking the waterproof seal 30 following the female connection portion 41.
The waterproof seal 30 is made of a soft synthetic rubber, has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and is provided behind the portion of the terminal fitting 40 which is swaged by the insulation barrel 43.
An annular lip portion 31 is protruded. The outer peripheral surface of the lip portion 31 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cavity 12 of the connector housing 10 to seal the front and rear of the lip portion 31 in a watertight manner.

A hard plastic spacer 50 is accommodated in the spacer accommodating chamber 14 of the connector housing 10 through the terminal insertion opening 131. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, this is configured by combining two divided spacers 51, 51 which sandwich the two electric wires 22 from above and below. Two grooves 52 each having a U-shaped cross section are formed. Therefore, in a state where the two divided spacers 51 and 51 are combined, the electric wire insertion hole 53 is formed by these grooves 52.
Is formed, and the electric wire 22 penetrates through the electric wire insertion hole 53. The inner peripheral surface of each of the grooves 52 is provided with three pressing ridges 54 intermittently along the insertion direction of the electric wire 22.
In the insulating coating 221 to improve the sealing performance before and after the spacer 50. At the end of the upper surface of each divided spacer 51, as shown in FIG.
Here, a jig (not shown) can be hooked.

On the rear end side of the connector housing 10, a mold resin layer 100 formed by injection molding of a flexible synthetic rubber material is provided integrally. The front end of the mold resin layer 100 surrounds the rear end of the terminal housing cylindrical portion 13, and the rear end is gradually narrowed to surround the front end of the outer sheath 21 of the cable 20. It should be noted that, for simplicity, FIG.
Although 0 is drawn separately from the connector housing 10, it surrounds the rear end of the terminal housing 13 and is fixed to the connector housing 10, and cannot actually be separated from the connector housing 10.

The present embodiment has the above-described configuration. Next, a description will be given of a manufacturing procedure of a portion related to the present invention. A terminal fitting 40 is connected to the end of each electric wire 22 of the cable 20 by crimping with the waterproof seal 30 fitted. Then, these terminal fittings 40 are connected to the connector housing 1.
0, and is inserted into each of the cavities 12, and the retainer 19 is pushed into the locking position to prevent the terminal fitting 40 from coming off. Next, one divided spacer 51 is inserted into the spacer storage chamber 14 from the terminal insertion opening 131 of the connector housing 10 while being addressed from below the electric wire 22. When the other divided spacers 51 are inserted into the spacer accommodating chamber 14 from the terminal insertion openings 131 while being addressed from above the electric wires 22, the two divided spacers 5
1 and 51 sandwich the electric wire 22 from above and below.
2 is in a penetrating state. Further, when inserting the second divided spacer 51, if the divided spacer 51 is pushed in so as to be strongly pressed in, the pressing ridge 54 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the groove 52 of each divided spacer 51 becomes an electric wire. The spacer 50 and the electric wire 22 are brought into close contact with each other, and the spacer 50 is pressed into the spacer housing chamber 14 of the connector housing 10 to be in a fixed state. Then, the connector housing 10 in that state is set in a molding die 110 as shown in FIG. 5, a molding resin is injected into the molding die 110, the mold is opened after cooling, and the product is taken out. A waterproof connector integrated with the housing 10 is manufactured.

(Effects of Embodiment) The effects of this embodiment are as follows.

From the connector housing 10 to the cable 2
Since the lead-out side of 0 is covered with the mold resin layer 100, it is possible to effectively prevent water from entering therefrom. In this type of mold resin layer 100, a minute gap may be generated between the molded resin layer 100 and the connector housing 10 or between the molded resin layer 100 and the electric wire 22.
Since the waterproof seal 30 is provided not only in the mold resin layer 100 but also in the terminal insertion opening 131 of the cavity 12,
Even if a gap is formed between the mold resin layer 100 and the electric wire 22 or the connector housing 10 and water enters there, the waterproof seal 30 reliably prevents water from entering the terminal fitting 40 side. Therefore, various materials such as the connector housing 10, the electric wire 22, and the mold resin layer 100 can be selected in consideration of the material cost and the like without fear of occurrence of such a gap, and low cost and low cost can be obtained. It is possible to achieve both high waterproofness.

Of course, since the lead-out side of the cable 20 is molded by the flexible mold resin layer 100,
Even if the cable 20 is bent, the mold resin layer 100 sufficiently deforms to maintain the waterproofness, and also, an impact force such as a collision of a rock or the like that is mounted on the vehicle and jumps up during traveling is applied. Also, there is little damage and high reliability.

Particularly, in this embodiment, since the spacer 50 for penetrating the electric wire 22 is arranged in the terminal insertion opening 131, the molding resin is prevented from flowing into the waterproof seal 30 with a strong pressure when the molding resin layer 100 is formed. It is possible to prevent the molding resin from pushing into the waterproof seal 30 at the time of molding and to prevent the molding resin from leaking to the terminal fitting 40 side. can get. Further, even if the cable 20 or the electric wire 22 is subjected to a bending force after the molding, the electric wire 22 is formed by the spacer 50 into the terminal insertion opening 13.
1 is always held at the center, and no bending force is exerted on the waterproof seal 30 side, so that the waterproof property of the waterproof seal 30 can be kept high.

Further, since the spacer 50 is constituted by two divided spacers 51 divided vertically, the spacers 50 are inserted into the electric wires 22 by sandwiching the electric wires 22 between the divided spacers 51, 51. In this state, the manufacturing process is simplified and the manufacturing cost is advantageous as compared with a configuration in which an electric wire passes through a through hole provided in the spacer.

A locking hole 56 is provided on the upper surface of the divided spacer 51.
After the spacer 50 is inserted into the terminal insertion opening 131 of the connector housing 10 during the manufacturing process, if, for example, a mounting failure of the terminal fitting 40 is found, a hook-shaped The jig is inserted and the spacer 50 can be easily pulled out, which is convenient.

The rear end of the connector housing 10 has
Since the annular ribs 15 and 16 are formed, the bonding property between the mold resin layer 100 formed so as to cover the annular ribs and the connector housing 10 is enhanced, and the mold resin layer 1 is formed.
00 can be prevented.

Further, the side of the annular ribs 15 and 16 that is closer to the resin injection gate is set to have such a relationship that the projecting dimension is low and the far side is higher. Since the 161 is formed, the molding resin injected from the injection gate flows sufficiently to every corner, and occurrence of molding failure can be suppressed.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the following embodiments are possible, and these are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In each of the embodiments described below, configurations other than those specifically described are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus duplicate description is omitted, and the same reference numerals are given to the same portions as necessary.

(1) FIGS. 6 and 7 show a spacer 50 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment is that a structure is added to the spacer 50 so that the divided spacers 51 can be temporarily locked to each other. That is, two grooves 52 are formed in each divided spacer 51, and a locking hole 58 is formed in the front end side in a flat portion 57 between the grooves 52, and a locking projection 59 is formed in the rear end side. Is protruding. Each locking projection 59 includes two divided spacers 5.
When the two are overlapped with the electric wire 22 interposed therebetween, they are slightly pressed into the locking holes 58 of the other divided spacer 51, and the two divided spacers 51, 51 are integrated by frictional force. With such a configuration, the two divided spacers 51, 51 can be handled integrally with the electric wire 22 interposed therebetween. Will be able to Therefore, unlike the first embodiment in which it is necessary to insert each divided spacer 51 into the spacer housing chamber 14 of the connector housing 10, the divided spacers 51 and 51 are integrated with the electric wire 22 interposed therebetween in advance. In advance,
This may be inserted into the spacer storage chamber 14, and the spacer 50 is connected to the connector housing 10 prior to molding.
This is advantageous in that the work for mounting the terminal insertion opening 131 can be simplified.

As in the third to fifth embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the locking hole 58 and the locking projection 59 may be located outside the groove 52. In particular, the second
Or upper and lower divided spacers 51 and 5 as in the fourth embodiment.
If 1 has the same shape, there is an advantage that only one type of molding die is required, and the cost of the die is reduced.

Further, as in the sixth embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, semi-cylindrical locking projections 60 are protruded from the flat portions 57 between the grooves 52 so as to be adjacent to the locking projections 60. A configuration in which the locking hole 61 having a semicircular cross section may be formed. According to this, in a state where the two divided spacers 51 and 51 are lightly overlapped with the electric wire 22 interposed therebetween, if the two locking projections 60 are slid until they abut, the locking holes 61 of the locking projections 60 face each other. Therefore, there is an advantage that the positioning of the two divided spacers 51, 51 becomes easy.

(2) As a temporary locking structure for integrating the divided spacers 51, 51, a structure utilizing the locking holes and the locking projections as in the second to sixth embodiments described above is used. Without limitation, as in the seventh embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 and 14,
A configuration using a locking claw may be used. That is, a pair of locking claws 62 are provided on one of the divided spacers 51 so as to project from the left and right sides thereof, and a locking concave portion 63 is formed on the other divided spacer 51 so that the locking claw 62 is engaged. I do it. In this way, there is an advantage that a sufficiently high temporary locking force can be obtained as compared with the combination of the locking projection 59 and the locking hole 58 described above. In this case, if the depth of formation of the locking concave portion 63 is set to such a size that the locking claw 62 in the engaged state is completely accommodated, the spacer 5
When the “0” is stored in the spacer storage chamber 14 of the connector housing 10, a gap is hardly generated between the spacer 50 and the inner peripheral wall of the spacer storage chamber 14, and the advantage that the sealing property of the mold resin is improved is obtained. The protruding positions of the locking claws 62 may be on both the front and rear sides of the divided spacer 51 as in the eighth embodiment shown in FIGS.

(3) Further, each of the divided spacers 51, 51
17 and 18, the self-hinge 64 is integrally formed with the upper and lower divided spacers 51, 51, and the
And it may be configured to be used together with the locking recess 63. According to this, even before the electric wires 22 are sandwiched between the two divided spacers 51, 51, both divided spacers 51 can be handled as one part, so that parts management in the manufacturing process is simplified. There is an advantage. FIG. 19 and FIG.
As shown in the tenth embodiment, the provision of only the self-hinge 64 has the advantage of simplifying component management in the manufacturing process.

(4) FIG. 21 shows a division spacer 51 according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment lies in the structure of the groove 52 of the divided spacer 51, and the other points are the same as in the first embodiment. That is, two grooves 52 are formed in each of the divided spacers 51, and three pressing ridges 54 project from the inner peripheral surface of the groove 52 at intervals. The height dimensions of the holding protrusions 54 are different from each other, and are set so as to be higher toward the terminal insertion opening 131 side. According to this, the sealing force becomes stronger toward the terminal insertion opening 131, and the overall watertightness becomes more complete.

(5) FIG. 22 shows a twelfth embodiment in which the spacer 50 mounted in the spacer accommodating chamber 14 can be easily removed. That is, concave portions 55 are formed at both front and rear ends of the upper surface of the divided spacer 51, and locking holes 56 for hooking a hook-shaped jig (not shown) for extracting the divided spacer 51 are formed in each concave portion 55. According to this, the spacer 50 can be mounted in the spacer storage chamber 14 of the connector housing 10 without worrying about the direction of the divided spacer 51.

The recess 55 and the locking hole 56 may be formed on the mating surface side of the divided spacer 51 as shown in the thirteenth and fourteenth embodiments of FIGS. As shown in the embodiment, a locking hole 56 may be formed on the end face side of the divided spacer 51.
As shown in the embodiment, a locking projection 65 for hooking a hook-shaped jig (not shown) for extracting the divided spacer 51 may be provided at the end of the divided spacer 51.

(6) FIG. 27 shows a seventeenth embodiment in which the connection between the mold resin layer 100 and the connector housing 10 is enhanced. In this embodiment, the connector housing 10 has one
The two annular ribs 15 are provided.
Are formed with a plurality of through holes 152 through which the mold resin can enter, whereby the effect that the mold resin layer 100 can be more reliably prevented from falling out of the connector housing 10 can be obtained. Although not shown, the first
It is a matter of course that two annular ribs 15 and 16 are protruded from the connector housing 10 as in the embodiment, and through holes are respectively provided in these.

Further, even if the annular ribs 15 and 16 are not necessarily provided on the connector housing 10, a plurality of through holes 101 are formed at the rear end of the connector housing 10 as shown in, for example, an eighteenth embodiment shown in FIG. However, it is possible to prevent the mold resin layer 100 from slipping out even if the mold resin enters here. Depending on the required slip-off preventing force, as shown in the nineteenth embodiment in FIG. Needless to say, a configuration in which the holes 15 and 16 and the through hole 101 are omitted may be employed.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described with reference to the above description and the drawings, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall longitudinal sectional view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the same.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the whole.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the same spacer.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state when the molding resin layer is molded.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a spacer showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing one of the divided spacers.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a division spacer showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a division spacer showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a division spacer showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a division spacer showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same divided spacer.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a division spacer showing a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same divided spacer.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a division spacer showing an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same divided spacer.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a division spacer showing a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same divided spacer.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a division spacer showing a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same divided spacer.

FIG. 21 is a longitudinal sectional view of a divided spacer showing an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a division spacer showing a twelfth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a division spacer showing a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a division spacer showing a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a division spacer showing a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a partial sectional view of a connector housing showing a sixteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a partial sectional view of a connector housing showing a seventeenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a partial sectional view of a connector housing showing an eighteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a partial sectional view of a connector housing showing a nineteenth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector housing 100 ... Mold resin layer 12 ... Cavity 131 ... Terminal storage opening 14 ... Spacer storage chamber 15, 16 ... Annular rib 22 ... Electric wire 30 ... Waterproof seal 40 ... Terminal fitting 50 ... Spacer 51, 51 ... Divided spacer 53 ... Wire insertion hole 54 ... ridge 58 ... locking hole 59 ... locking projection

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01R 13/52 301

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A connector housing having a cavity having a terminal insertion opening, a terminal fitting to which an electric wire is connected and inserted into the cavity through the terminal insertion opening, and a cavity housed through the terminal insertion opening of the cavity. A watertight seal that tightly seals the cavity from its terminal insertion opening side by being in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the connector housing; and a terminal fitting and the waterproof seal stored in the cavity in the terminal insertion opening side of the connector housing. A mold resin layer surrounding the electric wire and being molded so as to be continuous with the connector housing, and a spacer having an electric wire insertion hole for inserting the electric wire through a terminal insertion opening of the connector housing, following the waterproof seal. This spacer is inserted when the mold resin is injected. Waterproof connector, characterized in that the Rudo resin has a structure that blocks from the waterproof seal. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is composed of a plurality of divided spacers, and the spacer is inserted into the terminal insertion opening of the connector housing with the electric wire sandwiched between the divided spacers. The waterproof connector according to claim 1. 3. The waterproof connector according to claim 2, wherein each of the divided spacers is provided with a temporary locking portion for engaging with each other to form an integrated state.