JP4089468B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, the thing of the following patent document 1 is known as an example of what was provided with the cover for fixing a corrugated tube to a housing. In this, the cover is composed of a pair of halved parts, the rear end portion of the housing that houses the terminal fitting connected to the end portion of the electric wire, and the front end portion of the corrugated tube that surrounds the electric wire drawn from the housing Are sandwiched between the halves and the halves are locked to fix the corrugated tube to the housing.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-27645
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in order to assemble the cover in the connector, the other half member is attached to one half member while keeping the corrugated tube accommodated in one half member.
However, since one half member can accommodate the corrugated tube only about half a circle, when the other half member is attached, the corrugated tube is likely to be displaced from the normal position and moved sideways. The assembly workability was not good.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve the assembly workability.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1, a protective tube surrounding the wire drawn out from the connector housing, a connector having a fixing member for fixing the connector housing, the protection The tube is formed in a bellows shape in which circumferential grooves and ridges are alternately arranged on the outer periphery, and the fixing member opens to one side and can accommodate the protective tube from the open part along the radial direction. The fixing member main body and a lid portion capable of closing the open portion are formed, and the fixing member main body is formed to a depth that accommodates the protective tube more than half a circumference . Locking portions are provided around the inner peripheral surface at intervals corresponding to the intervals between the groove portions of the protective tube, and the lock portions can be locked to the groove portions. The fixing member main body, when the protective tube is housed to proper depth, by engaging the side end portion of the protective tube, the protective tube in the housing state temporarily held can be temporary holding portion The temporary holding portion is provided with a temporary holding projection provided between the locking portions, and the temporary holding projection can be locked to the protruding portion of the protective tube. Have
[0006]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the position of the fixing member between the protective tube and the connector housing projects radially inward and protects the electric wire. It is characterized in that a positioning portion that can be positioned at a position that does not interfere with the front end portion of the tube is provided .
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the fixing member main body has a height at which an open end portion thereof is substantially flush with the protective tube accommodated at a normal depth. It is characterized by being formed .
[0007]
[Action and effect of the invention]
<Invention of Claim 1>
By closing the lid in a state where the protective tube is accommodated in the fixing member main body, the protective tube is held by the fixing member, and is fixed to the connector housing in that state.
Since the protective tube is accommodated by the fixing member main body for more than half a circumference, the protective tube is difficult to be displaced when the lid portion is closed, so that the assembly workability can be improved.
Since the protective tube is temporarily held by the temporary holding portion, the protective tube is more difficult to be displaced when the lid portion is closed, and the assembling workability can be further improved.
[0008]
<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the electric wire can be positioned at a position where it does not interfere with the front end portion of the protective tube by the positioning portion, the electric wire can be prevented from being damaged by the front end portion of the protective tube.
<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the height of the open end of the fixing member main body is set to be substantially flush with the protective tube, the protective tube can be made difficult to be displaced while keeping the cover small.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, a cover provided with a cover 30 for fixing a corrugated tube 20 to a female connector housing 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as a female housing 10) is shown. Hereinafter, the mounting direction of the cover 30 with respect to the female housing 10 will be described as the front. In FIG. 3, the female housing 10 is not shown.
[0010]
The female housing 10 is made of a synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 1, a terminal accommodating portion 11 that can accommodate a female terminal fitting (not shown) connected to the end of the electric wire W, and a front portion that surrounds the terminal accommodating portion 11. It is comprised from the food | hood part 12 open | released. Of these, the hood portion 12 is connected to the substantially central portion in the length direction of the terminal accommodating portion 11, and a mating male housing (not shown) can be fitted to the inside thereof from the front. Further, a lock arm 13 is provided on the upper surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11 to hold the fitted male housing.
[0011]
The terminal accommodating portion 11 is provided with cavities 14 in which female terminal fittings can be inserted from the rear side by side in the three-chamber width direction. A cover 30 can be assembled from the rear in the lower part of the rear half of the terminal accommodating portion 11 that is not surrounded by the hood portion 12, and the cover 30 is attached to the outer side surface (the mounting surface of the cover 30). A pair of locking portions 15 for holding are provided protruding sideways. The lock portion 15 is formed in a tapered shape whose rear surface is inclined upward to guide the assembly of the cover 30, whereas the front surface, which is a locking surface for the cover 30, stands up substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction. It is formed as an end face. On the lower surface side of the rear half portion of the terminal accommodating portion 11, a cylindrical portion 16 into which the insertion plate 37 of the cover 30 can be inserted from the rear is provided to open rearward. A notch having a predetermined depth is formed at the substantially center in the width direction at the lower portion of the cylindrical portion 16. A pair of protective portions 17 for protecting the lock arm 13 are provided on the upper part of the rear half of the terminal accommodating portion 11 so as to protrude sideways and upward.
[0012]
The corrugated tube 20 is made of a synthetic resin, has a bellows shape in which circumferential grooves 21 and protrusions 22 are alternately arranged on the outer periphery and has flexibility, and is bent while its axis is curved. It can be deformed. By surrounding the wire W drawn backward from the female housing 10 by the corrugated tube 20, the wire W is protected without being exposed to the outside.
[0013]
The cover 30 is made of synthetic resin, and generally includes a cover main body 31 and a lid portion 32 that can be opened and closed with respect to the cover main body 31. The cover body 31 includes a housing-side holding portion 33 having a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape that opens upward and a corrugated-side holding portion 34 that has a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape that opens upward. The width dimension and the height dimension are gradually increased from the side holding part 34 side to the housing side holding part 33 side. Among these, the lid portion 32 is connected to the corrugated side holding portion 34 via a thin hinge 35.
[0014]
The housing side holding portion 33 can be mounted so as to wrap the lower part of the rear half of the terminal accommodating portion 11 from three sides (both sides and below), and can be locked to the lock portion 15 on both side walls thereof. A pair of lock holes 36 are opened. An insertion plate 37 that protrudes from the bottom wall of the housing side holding portion 33 into the cylindrical portion 16 and can prevent the cover 30 from shaking up and down is provided. The insertion plate 37 includes a rising portion from the bottom wall and a cantilevered flat plate portion protruding forward from the rising portion, and the rising portion is also connected to both side walls. A reinforcing portion (not shown) that supports the flat plate portion protrudes from the front end of the rising portion, and can be fitted into the cutout of the cylindrical portion 16.
[0015]
In the corrugated side holding portion 34, the corrugated tube 20 can be accommodated from above along the radial direction (direction intersecting the axial direction), and the bottom wall is formed in a substantially arc shape along the corrugated tube 20. On the other hand, both side walls are formed almost straight. Of the both side walls, a hinge 35 is provided projecting laterally at the upper end of the right side wall in the figure, and a substantially flat lid portion 32 is connected to the tip of the hinge 35. The lid portion 32 is closed to the cover body 31 side while the hinge 35 is bent, so that the open portion of the corrugated side holding portion 34 can be closed.
[0016]
Three locking portions 38 are provided around the inner peripheral surface of the corrugated side holding portion 34 with a predetermined interval (corresponding to the interval between the groove portions 21 in the corrugated tube 20) from the rear end side. Each locking portion 38 is locked to the groove portion 21 of the corrugated tube 20 so that the corrugated tube 20 can be retained in the front-rear direction. In the lid portion 32, three locking portions 38 having the same function are provided so as to project at positions that are aligned with the locking portions 38.
[0017]
A holding arm 39 for holding the lid portion 32 in a closed state protrudes from a side edge of the lid portion 32 opposite to the hinge 35. When the lid portion 32 is normally closed, the holding arm 39 can be locked to the holding portion 40 protruding from the outer surface of the corrugated side holding portion 34 opposite to the hinge 35. Further, an auxiliary holding arm 41 protrudes at a position in the vicinity of the hinge 35 in the lid portion 32, and the auxiliary holding arm 41 is configured such that when the lid portion 32 is properly closed, the hinge 35 in the corrugated side holding portion 34. The auxiliary holding hole 42 disposed in the vicinity can be locked.
[0018]
Now, the corrugated side holding part 34 is opened only in the circumferential direction, and is formed to such a depth that the corrugated tube 20 accommodated from the opened part can be surrounded from three sides (both sides and below). Has been. Specifically, the corrugated side holding portion 34 is formed in a height dimension such that the upper end portions 34a (open end portions) of both side walls are substantially flush with the upper end portion 20a of the corrugated tube 20 accommodated at a normal depth. (See FIG. 4). In other words, the corrugated tube 20 can be accommodated in the corrugated side holding portion 34 almost entirely (half or more). In other words, the corrugated tube 20 has a circumferential region of about 3/4 by the corrugated side holding portion 34 except for an upper circumferential region of about 1/4 disposed between the upper end portions 34a (open portions) of both side walls. It is supposed to be surrounded.
[0019]
A temporary holding projection 43 is provided between the last locking portion 38 and the central locking portion 38 in the front-rear direction on the inner peripheral surface of the corrugated holding portion 34. The temporary holding protrusions 43 are provided in a pair of opposing shapes at the upper end position of the corrugated side holding part 34, and are locked to both side ends of the protrusion 22 of the corrugated tube 20 accommodated to a normal depth. The corrugated tube 20 can be temporarily held in a regular accommodation state (see FIG. 4). A tapered guide surface 43a is formed on the upper surface of the temporary holding projection 43, and an arcuate guide surface 43b along the corrugated tube 20 is formed on the lower surface, so that the corrugated tube 20 can be attached and detached. It is possible to guide, and by attaching a predetermined or higher operating force to the corrugated tube 20, its attachment / detachment is allowed.
[0020]
A positioning portion 44 that projects radially inward from the front end portion 20b (the groove portion 21 at the foremost position) of the accommodated corrugated tube 20 is provided around the front end portion of the inner peripheral surface of the corrugated holding portion 34. . The positioning portion 44 comes into contact with the electric wire W from three directions (both sides and below), so that the electric wire W is positioned radially inward from the front end portion 20 b of the corrugated tube 20, that is, the front end portion of the corrugated tube 20. It can be positioned at a position where it is non-contact / non-interference with 20b (see FIG. 5). Similarly, a positioning portion 44 that can be positioned by contacting the electric wire W from above is provided at a position in the lid portion 32 that is aligned with the positioning portion 44 (see FIG. 8). These positioning portions 44 are arranged between the female housing 10 and the corrugated tube 20 in a state where the corrugated tube 20 is fixed to the female housing 10 by the cover 30. Further, the positioning portion 44 is set to have a longitudinal length larger than that of the groove portion 21 of the corrugated tube 20.
[0021]
The present embodiment has the above structure, and the assembly procedure will be described next. Each electric wire W is passed through the corrugated tube 20 and each female terminal fitting connected to each electric wire W is inserted into the cavity 14. Among the electric wires W drawn backward from the female housing 10, both the electric wires W from the cavities 14 at the left and right ends are arranged to be adjacent to each other while being bent inward, and the electric wires W from the central cavity 14 are arranged as described above. It arrange | positions in the intermediate position of both the electric wires W, and the upper side (refer FIG.1 and FIG.3).
[0022]
Next, an operation of fixing the cover 30 to the female housing 10 is performed. The cover 30 is pushed forward while the inner surface of the housing side holding portion 33 is directed to the outer surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11 to insert the insertion plate 37 into the cylindrical portion 16. Then, after both side walls of the housing side holding portion 33 ride on both lock portions 15 and once open and deform to the side, when the cover 30 reaches the normal depth, both side walls are restored and the lock portions are placed in the lock holes 36. 15 enters, and the front surface of the lock portion 15 is locked to the front portion of the hole edge.
[0023]
On the other hand, the operation | work which accommodates the corrugated tube 20 with respect to the corrugated side holding | maintenance part 34 of the cover 30 from upper direction is performed. At this time, the front end portion 20b of the corrugated tube 20 is arranged on the rear side of the positioning portion 44, and the corrugated tube 20 is fitted while positioning the corresponding groove portion 21 with respect to each locking portion 38. The front end portion 20b of the corrugated tube 20 can be abutted against the positioning portion 44, whereby the positioning is achieved. In the housing process, both side ends of the third protrusion 22 from the front in the corrugated tube 20 are temporarily elastically deformed inward by the temporary holding protrusion 43. When the corrugated tube 20 is accommodated at the normal depth, the respective locking portions 38 are locked in the respective groove portions 21 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the temporary holding protrusions 43 as shown in FIG. The corrugated tube 20 is temporarily held so that the corrugated tube 20 does not rattle in the front-rear direction and upward by being locked to both end portions of the protruding ridge 22. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the two electric wires W at both ends of the electric wires W are in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the positioning portion 44 on the cover body 31 side, so that the front end portion 20 b of the corrugated tube 20 is larger. It is positioned at a radially inward position. At this time, the upper end portion 20a of the corrugated tube 20 and the upper end portions 34a of the both side walls of the corrugated side holding portion 34 are made to be substantially flush with each other. Contrary to the above, the corrugated tube 20 may be accommodated first, and the cover 30 may be fixed to the female housing 10 later.
[0024]
When the corrugated tube 20 is temporarily held with respect to the cover 30, an operation of closing the lid portion 32 with respect to the cover body 31 is performed. At this time, the corrugated tube 20 is housed in the corrugated side holding portion 34 and is temporarily held in a state where the corrugated tube 20 is lifted and restricted by the temporary holding protrusion 43, so that the position of the corrugated tube 20 is difficult to shift. The part 42 can be easily closed. When the lid portion 32 is closed in the illustrated counterclockwise direction while reaching the normal position while the hinge 35 is bent, the holding arm 39 and the auxiliary holding arm 41 are respectively connected to the holding portion 40 and the auxiliary holding hole as shown in FIG. By engaging with 42, the lid portion 32 is held in a properly closed state with respect to the cover body 31.
[0025]
In this state, as shown in FIG. 7, the open portion of the corrugated side holding portion 34 is closed by the lid portion 32, and each locking portion 38 of the lid portion 32 is located on the upper side of each groove portion 21 of the corrugated tube 20. By locking, the corrugated tube 20 is firmly held in the front-rear direction and the upward-preventing state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the central (upper) electric wire W among the electric wires W comes into contact with and is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the positioning portion 44 on the lid portion 32 side, whereby the front end of the corrugated tube 20. It is positioned at a radially inner position than the portion 20b. Further, in this state, the hood portion 12 and the protection portion 17 in the female housing 10 are arranged so as to protrude sideward (outside) from the cover 30.
As described above, the corrugated tube 20 is fixed to the female housing 10 via the cover 30, and then the mating male housing is fitted to the female housing 10.
[0026]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the corrugated side holding portion 34 of the cover main body 31 is formed to a depth so as to accommodate the entire circumference of the corrugated tube 20 (surrounding a circumference area of about 3/4). Therefore, when the lid portion 32 is closed, even if the corrugated tube 20 is slightly lifted, a positional shift such as the corrugated tube 20 coming off to the side is less likely to occur. Thereby, assembly workability | operativity can be improved.
[0027]
Moreover, since the corrugated tube 20 accommodated in the corrugated holding portion 34 is temporarily held by the temporary holding protrusion 43, the corrugated tube 20 can be restricted from floating unless a predetermined force is applied. Further assembly workability can be improved.
[0028]
Furthermore, since each electric wire W is positioned at a position separated from the front end 20b of the corrugated tube 20 by the positioning portion 44 and kept in a non-interference / non-contact state, the front end 20b of the corrugated tube 20 is temporarily Even if it is set as a cut surface and the edge is formed, the coating | cover of the electric wire W is prevented from being damaged or cut. This is particularly effective when the electric wire W is likely to swing due to external vibration.
[0029]
In addition, since the upper end portion 34a (open end portion) of the side wall of the corrugated side holding portion 34 is set to a height that is substantially flush with the upper end portion 20a of the corrugated tube 20, the cover 30 is kept small in the height direction. However, it is possible to make the corrugated tube 20 difficult to shift.
[0030]
<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the corrugated side holding portion and the corrugated tube are substantially flush with each other. If it exists, what the corrugated side holding | maintenance part was formed lower than the corrugated tube, and conversely what the corrugated side holding | maintenance part was formed higher than the corrugated tube are also included in this invention.
[0031]
(2) In the above-described embodiment, the positioning portion protrudes inward from the front end portion of the corrugated tube, but the positioning portion and the front end portion of the corrugated tube are set at substantially the same position. include. Moreover, what abbreviate | omitted the positioning part is also contained in this invention.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, a pair of temporary holding protrusions is shown. However, one or more than three temporary holding protrusions are also included in the present invention .
[0032]
(4) In the above-described embodiment, the cover portion is connected to the cover body by the hinge, but the cover portion is separated from the cover body.
(5) In the above-described embodiment, the female connector that accommodates the female terminal fitting is illustrated, but the present invention can also be applied to a male connector that includes a male housing that accommodates the male terminal fitting.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover is fixed to a female housing and a corrugated tube is temporarily held. FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where the lid is closed. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 3 showing a state where the lid is closed. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y-Y of FIG. 3 showing a state where the lid is closed.
10 ... Female housing (connector housing)
20 ... corrugated tube (protection tube)
20a ... front end 30 ... cover (fixing member)
31 ... Cover body (fixing member body)
32 ... Lid 34a ... Upper end (open end)
43 ... Temporary holding protrusion (temporary holding part)
44 ... Positioning part W ... Electric wire

Claims (3)

A connector provided with a fixing member for fixing a protective tube surrounding an electric wire drawn from the connector housing to the connector housing,
The protective tube is formed in a bellows shape in which circumferential grooves and protrusions are alternately arranged on the outer periphery,
The fixing member is composed of a fixing member main body that opens to one side and can accommodate the protective tube along the radial direction from the open portion, and a lid portion that can close the opening portion, and the fixing member main body Is formed to a depth to accommodate the protective tube more than half a circumference,
The inner peripheral surface of the fixing member main body is provided with a locking portion with an interval corresponding to the interval between the groove portions in the protective tube, and each locking portion can be locked to the groove portion,
Further, when the protective tube is accommodated at a normal depth in the fixing member main body, the temporary holding portion is capable of temporarily holding the protective tube in the accommodated state by engaging with the side end portion of the protective tube. Is provided,
In addition, the temporary holding portion includes a temporary holding protrusion provided between the locking portions, and the temporary holding protrusion can be locked to the protruding portion of the protective tube. Item 1. The connector according to item 1.   Of the fixing member, a position between the protective tube and the connector housing protrudes radially inward, and the electric wire can be positioned at a position where it does not interfere with the front end portion of the protective tube. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a portion is provided.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member main body is formed at a height such that an open end portion thereof is substantially flush with the protective tube accommodated at a normal depth.

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