JP4482668B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector used for connecting an outdoor wiring cable or the like.

  Normally, a cable that connects electrical equipment often installed outdoors requires a waterproof connector. Conventionally, the connector plug and the outside fitting part of the receptacle are made of a synthetic rubber material. Thus, it has been configured to obtain good adhesion by appropriately elastically deforming both of them (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional connector. The connector 101 includes a pair of a plug 102 provided with a male terminal 121 and a receptacle 103 provided with a female terminal 131 into which the male terminal 121 is inserted.

  The plug 102 has a structure in which a male terminal 121 joined to a conductor (stranded wire) 12 a of the cable 12 is covered with an outer package 122. The outer package 122 is in close contact with the range from the end of the outer sheath 12b of the cable 12 to the base end of the male terminal 121, and extends in the distal direction so that the outer periphery surrounds the male terminal 121. A fitting recess 123 into which the distal end portion of the receptacle 103 (the fitting protrusion 133 described below) is fitted is formed on the inner side of the protruding end.

  Similarly, the receptacle 103 also has a structure in which the female terminal 131 joined to the conductor 13 a of the cable 13 is covered with the outer package 132. The outer cover 132 on the receptacle 103 side is in close contact with the end of the outer sheath 13b of the cable 13 to the tip of the female terminal 131, and the tip of the outer cover 132 fits into the fitting recess 123 of the plug 102. It has become.

  Then, by fitting the fitting convex portion 133 of the receptacle 103 into the fitting concave portion 123 of the plug 102, the male terminal 121 and the female terminal 131 are electrically connected, and the inner peripheral surface of the fitting concave portion 123 is The outer peripheral surface of the fitting convex portion 133 is in close water-tight contact with each other, and the waterproof property for the male terminal 121 and the female terminal 131 is ensured.

  10 and 11 show the receptacle 103 of the connector 101, FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the receptacle, FIG. 11 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the outer package, and FIG. It is a side view of the female terminal crimped and joined to the conductor.

In the connector 101 shown in the figure, a shaft hole 132a is provided in a part molded in the shape of the outer packaging body 132 in advance, and the cable 13 in which the female terminal 131 is joined to the shaft hole 132a is forcibly inserted, so that the receptacle 103 The method of assembling is adopted.
JP 2003-115353 A (page 3, FIG. 6)

  However, in the connector having such a structure, the shaft hole has to be formed slightly loosely because of the necessity of facilitating the assembly work, and it has been difficult to ensure sufficient adhesion at the fitting portion. In addition, the cable may have variations in external dimensions and may have minute irregularities on the surface, which also impairs the adhesion of the fitting portion and makes it difficult to ensure a certain waterproof performance.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a connector that can ensure a certain level of waterproofness is not affected by the dimensional accuracy of the outer diameter of the cable or unevenness of the surface. It is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the connector of the present invention is premised on a pair of a plug having a male terminal and a receptacle having a female terminal inserted into the male terminal and joined to the conductor of the cable. .

  The receptacle in the connector of the present invention includes a housing made of synthetic resin that holds the female terminal so as not to be pulled out, a terminal mold portion that covers at least from the end portion of the outer sheath of the cable to the base end portion of the housing, An inner covering that covers a boundary portion between the terminal mold portion and the outer sheath of the cable, and an outer covering that covers a boundary portion between the inner envelope and the terminal mold portion, and a boundary portion between the inner covering and the outer sheath of the cable; It has.

  Among these, the terminal mold part and the inner package of the receptacle are respectively formed from a synthetic rubber material, and the outer package is molded from a synthetic resin material having a higher hardness than the synthetic rubber material forming the inner body. Yes. And it is characterized by forming in this way, the interface of a terminal mold part and an inclusion body, and the interface of an inclusion body and the exterior coating | cover of a cable being watertightly sealed.

  According to this invention, the outer package of the receptacle is made of the synthetic resin material having higher hardness than the synthetic rubber material forming the inner package, and the outer side of the receptacle is molded. It is possible to fill the boundary part between the inner part and the outer cover of the cable without gaps, and to suppress expansion deformation that may occur in the rubber-based material due to aging deterioration by tightening the outer part. In addition, even if there are dimensional variations in components such as cables, the interface between the terminal mold part and the inner package and the interface between the inner package and the outer sheath of the cable are watertight without being affected by the dimensional accuracy. It can seal and can secure the waterproof property stabilized over a long period of time.

Further, in the connector having the above structure, the terminal mold portion of the receptacle has a plurality of annular step portions on the outer peripheral surface, and the axial cross section is serrated. It is a cylindrical shape provided with a large-diameter portion that fits into the portion and a small-diameter portion that fits into the outer sheath of the cable, and the outer peripheral surface has a gradually reduced diameter. The synthetic rubber-based material forming the receptacle inclusion is preferably ethylene propylene rubber, and the synthetic resin-based material forming the outer packaging is preferably polyvinyl chloride.

  As a result, the inner body made of ethylene propylene rubber is in good contact with the terminal mold part made of elastic synthetic rubber material and the outer sheath of the cable made of polyvinyl chloride, etc. The boundary part with the exterior coating can be molded in a watertight state. Further, by forming the outer package from the inner package with polyvinyl chloride, the interface between the inner package and the outer sheath of the cable and the interface between the inner band and the terminal mold part are sealed in a watertight state. And a highly waterproof connector can be formed.

  In the present invention, when the plug and the receptacle are connected to each other, the connector having the above structure has an annular locking member on the outer peripheral surface of the plug or the receptacle for covering and fixing the connecting portion of the plug and the receptacle to maintain the connection state. Is provided.

  The locking member has a guide groove on the inner peripheral surface, engages with a guide projection formed in the axial direction at one tip of the plug or receptacle, and slides only in the axial direction on one of the plug or receptacle. The engaging protrusion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lock member is formed in a substantially L-shaped recess on the other outer peripheral surface of the plug or receptacle. The coupling mechanism is inserted into the groove from the axial direction and engaged in the circumferential direction.

  By providing such a locking member, the connector of the present invention connects the plug and the receptacle, slides the locking member in the axial direction, inserts the engaging protrusion into the concave groove, and rotates it in the circumferential direction. It is characterized by being able to be fitted and fixed by the above.

  Therefore, according to the connector of the present invention, not only the plug and the receptacle can be connected to each other, but also the connection state can be physically held by the lock member provided so as to cover the connection portion. Further, the lock member is configured to be able to be fitted and removed by a coupling mechanism between the engagement protrusion on the inner peripheral surface and the concave groove on the outer peripheral surface of the plug or the receptacle.

Such a locking member is provided at one end portion of the plug or receptacle before being connected to each other, and the guide projection is arranged to slide in the guide groove at the end portion, so that it rotates in the circumferential direction. Therefore, when the plug and the receptacle are connected and locked, the engagement protrusion and the concave groove can be easily fitted without being aligned, and workability can be improved. Further, the plug is molded with a synthetic resin housing that holds the male terminal so as not to be pulled out, and the housing is molded with an outer package made of a synthetic rubber-based material, and the outer package has a male screw portion on the base end side, When fitted into the plug through hole provided in the connector mounting part, the base end side is housed in the plug through hole, and the retaining screw is screwed into the male threaded part protruding inside the connector mounting part, thereby connecting the connector mounting part. Therefore, waterproofness can be easily ensured without interposing a separate water stop member.

  According to the connector of the present invention configured as described above, the outer package of the receptacle is formed of a synthetic resin material having a higher hardness than the synthetic rubber material forming the inner package, and the outer side of the connector is molded. As a result, the boundary between the inner package and the terminal mold part and the boundary between the inner package and the outer sheath of the cable can be filled without gaps, and the expansion deformation that can occur in the rubber-based material due to deterioration over time is tightened with the outer package. Can be suppressed. In addition, even if there is a dimensional variation in components such as cables, the interface between the terminal mold part and the inner package and the interface between the inner package and the cable sheath are water-tight without being affected by the dimensional accuracy. It can seal and can secure the waterproof property stabilized over a long period of time.

  Further, in the connector of the present invention, the locking member is provided at one tip portion of the plug or the receptacle before being connected to each other, and the guide protrusion is arranged to slide in the guide groove at the tip portion. When the plug and the receptacle are connected and locked without being rotated in the circumferential direction, the engagement protrusion and the groove can be easily fitted without being aligned, and workability can be improved.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out a connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 is a side view showing an example of a connector according to the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a receptacle of the connector, (a) is a front view seen from the front end side in the axial direction, and (b) is an AA line in FIG. It is sectional drawing.

  The connector 1 of the present invention includes a plug 2 and a receptacle 3 that can be fitted to each other. The plug 2 and the receptacle 3 are provided with a male terminal and a female terminal 31, respectively.

  Out of these, the receptacle 3 includes a thermosetting resin housing 32 that holds the female terminal 31 that is inserted into the male terminal 21 of the plug 2 and is joined to the conductor 12a of the cable 12 so as not to be pulled out.

  In this receptacle 3, at least from the end of the outer sheath of the cable 12 to the base end of the housing 32 is molded with a terminal mold portion 33. Further, a boundary portion between the terminal mold portion 33 and the outer sheath of the cable 12 is covered with an inner body 34. The terminal mold part 33 and the inner body 34 are each formed of a synthetic rubber material.

  Further, the outer side of the inner body 34 is molded by the outer body 35 so as to include at least a boundary portion between the inner body 34 and the terminal mold portion 33 and a boundary portion between the inner body 34 and the outer sheath of the cable 12. ing. The outer package 35 is formed of a synthetic resin material having a higher hardness than the synthetic rubber material forming the inner package 34.

  As described above, the outer side of the terminal mold part 33 is covered with the inner body 34 made of a synthetic rubber material, and further molded with the outer body 35 made of a synthetic resin material harder than the inner body 34, so that The portion to be waterproofed, that is, the interface between the terminal mold portion 33 and the inner package 34 and the interface between the inner package 34 and the outer sheath of the cable 12 can be sealed in a watertight manner.

  In the connector 1 having such a configuration, the expansion deformation that may occur in the synthetic rubber material constituting the terminal mold portion 33 and the inner body 34 is suppressed by tightening with the harder outer body 35 even when the connector 1 is deteriorated over time. it can. Further, even if there is a variation in dimensional accuracy or unevenness in a component member such as a cable, the outer package 35 is molded, so that the inner package 34 and the terminal mold portion 33 are not affected by the variation in size. The boundary portion and the boundary portion between the inner body 34 and the outer sheath of the cable 12 can be brought into close contact with each other, and stable waterproofness can be ensured over a long period of time.

  Next, an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  3 to 5 show an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a front view of an illumination device to which the connector is attached, FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing a plug and a receptacle of the connector, and FIG. (A) is a side view partially showing a case side surface of the lighting device, (b) is an explanatory view showing a state of attaching the plug, and (c) is an explanatory view showing the attached plug. .

  The connector 1 of the present invention includes a pair of a plug 2 having a male terminal 21 and a receptacle 3 having a female terminal 31 into which the male terminal 21 is inserted and joined to a conductor 12 a of the cable 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the connector 1 is used to connect a wiring cable of the lighting device 4 installed on an outer wall of a building.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the plug 2 has a housing 22 made of a thermosetting resin in which the base end portion of the male terminal 21 is held so as not to come out, and further extends forward toward the distal end portion of the male terminal 21 to form a cylindrical shape. Is formed.

  Further, the housing 22 is molded on the outside by an outer package 23 made of a synthetic rubber material, and the interface between the housing 22 and the lead wire 13 is kept watertight. The synthetic rubber material constituting the outer package 23 is preferably a material excellent in elasticity, and ethylene propylene rubber or the like is used.

  The outer cover 23 of the plug 2 is provided with an annular undulation 231 on the outer side of the tip, and a male screw part 232 is formed on the outer side of the lead wire 13 connected to the male terminal 21. Further, a flange portion 233 is formed between the annular undulation 231 and the male screw portion 232.

  The lighting device 4 to which the plug 2 is attached includes a plurality of fluorescent tubes 41, and these fluorescent tubes 41 are accommodated inside the case 42. As shown in FIG. 5A, a plug through hole 421 is formed on the side surface of the case 42, and the plug 2 is fitted by aligning the fixing groove 234 of the plug 2 with the claw 422 of the through hole 421. It is the composition which becomes.

  When the plug 2 is fitted into a through hole 421 provided on the side surface of the case 42 of the lighting device 4, the flange portion 233 is locked, and the base end portion side is accommodated in the through hole 421. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, the retaining cap 24 is screwed into the male threaded portion 232 of the plug 2 from the inside of the case 42 and is fixed integrally to the case 42. At this time, since the outer cover 23 of the plug 2 is formed of a synthetic rubber material, when the plug 2 is fitted into the through hole 421 of the case 42, the case 42 and the plug 2 are tightened to bring them into close contact with each other. be able to. Therefore, waterproofness can be easily ensured without separately providing a water-stop member such as an O-ring between the case 42 and the outer package 23.

  Further, a substantially L-shaped groove 235 is formed on the outer peripheral surface on the distal end side of the flange portion 233 of the plug 2. The concave grooves 235 may be provided at a plurality of locations on the outer peripheral surface of the plug 2 at equal intervals, and are formed at two locations in the illustrated embodiment.

  The receptacle 3 having the female terminal 31 inserted into the plug 2 includes a housing 32 made of a thermosetting resin that holds the female terminal 31 so as not to be pulled out (see FIG. 2). The receptacle 3 is covered with a terminal mold portion 33 from the end of the outer sheath of the cable 12 to the base end of the housing 32. The front end portion of the receptacle 3 is adapted to be fitted into the front end portion of the plug 2 with the housing 32 exposed inside the terminal mold portion 33. Further, the terminal mold portion 33 is provided with a plurality of step portions 331 in an annular shape in the vicinity of the boundary portion between the cable 12 and the outer sheath, and the axial cross section is formed in a sawtooth shape.

  Further, the terminal mold portion 33 includes the stepped portion 331 and the boundary portion with the outer sheath of the cable 12 is covered with the inner package 34. The inner body 34 is made of a synthetic rubber material having excellent elasticity such as ethylene propylene rubber.

  The inner body 34 has a straight cylindrical shape with an inner diameter larger than that of the proximal end so that the distal end can be fitted to the stepped portion 331 of the terminal mold portion 33 and the proximal end can be fitted to the outer sheath of the cable 12. Is formed. Further, the outer peripheral surface of the inner body 34 is formed by gradually reducing the diameter of the portion covered by the cable 12 toward the proximal end side.

  The inner body 34 is fitted in the direction of the distal end portion of the cable 12 molded by the terminal mold portion 33 (left direction in FIG. 4), and the interface between the terminal mold portion 33 and the outer sheath of the cable 12 is sealed in a watertight manner. is doing. At this time, since each step portion 331 of the terminal mold portion 33 is formed in a shape that increases in diameter toward the distal end portion, fitting of the inclusion body 34 is allowed, and an inclusion body is formed at the top of each step portion 331. The inner peripheral surface of 34 is crimped to ensure high water tightness.

  Further, the outer package 35 covers the outer peripheral surface including the boundary between the distal end side of the inner package 34 and the terminal mold portion 33 and the boundary between the proximal end of the inner package 34 and the outer sheath of the cable 12. Is formed. In the illustrated form, the outer packet body 35 is locked at the distal end to an engagement protrusion 332 provided in an annular shape on the outer peripheral surface on the distal end side of the terminal mold portion 33, and the interface between the terminal mold portion 33 and the inner packet body 34. And is molded so as to be in close contact with the interface between the inner body 34 and the outer sheath of the cable 12.

  The outer package 35 is made of a synthetic resin material such as polyvinyl chloride having higher hardness than the synthetic rubber material forming the terminal mold portion 33 and the inner package 34. As a result, the outer package 35 exhibits a sufficient clamping strength to be tightened inward, and the interface between the terminal mold portion 33 and the inner package 34 and the interface between the inner package 34 and the outer sheath of the cable 12 are sealed in a watertight manner. In addition, it can withstand external loads such as impact and bending stress.

  In the connector 1 configured as described above, when the plug 2 and the receptacle 3 are connected, the locking member 36 for covering and fixing the connecting portions of the plug 2 and holding the connected state is provided on the plug 2 or the receptacle 3. It is preferable that the outer peripheral surface is provided.

  6 to 8 illustrate a locking member of such a connector. FIG. 6A is a side view showing an outer peripheral surface of a receptacle provided with the locking member, and FIG. 6B is a locking member viewed from the axial direction. It is a front view of the receptacle which shows. 7 is a side view showing the connection between the plug and the receptacle, FIG. 8A is a front view of the plug viewed from the axial direction, and FIG. 8B is a front view showing the locking member viewed from the axial direction. It is. In FIG. 6B, the internal mechanism of the receptacle is omitted for easy understanding of the locking member.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the illustrated embodiment, the lock member 36 is provided in the shape of an annular band at the distal end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the receptacle 3. The lock member 36 includes a guide groove 361 on the inner peripheral surface. In addition, a guide protrusion 333 is formed in the axial direction at the distal end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the receptacle 3. The guide groove 361 of the lock member 36 is provided to be engaged with the guide protrusion 333 of the receptacle 3. Thus, the lock member 36 is configured to slide only in the axial direction in the receptacle 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, two engaging projections 362 project from the distal end portion of the inner peripheral surface of the lock member 36 at positions facing each other. These engaging projections 362 are provided corresponding to the concave grooves 235 of the plug 2, respectively.

  Then, after the front end portion of the receptacle 3 is fitted to the plug 2 and connected to each other, the guide groove 361 of the lock member 36 is engaged with the guide protrusion 333 on the outer peripheral surface of the receptacle 3, and the lock member 36 is axially advanced. Slide to the tip, that is, the tip of the connected plug 2. Then, the engagement between the guide groove 361 and the guide protrusion 333 is released, and the engagement protrusion 362 of the lock member 36 is automatically inserted into the concave groove 235 of the plug 2.

  Further, when the lock member 36 is rotated in the circumferential direction along the concave groove 235 on the outer peripheral surface of the plug 2, the lock member 36 is arranged so as to cover the connection portion between the plug 2 and the receptacle 3 and is fixedly fitted. Thus, the connection state is maintained.

  By holding the plug 2 and the receptacle 3 in the connected state by the lock member 36 configured as described above, the water tightness of the connecting portion can be maintained for a long period. In addition, since the lock member 36 does not rotate in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the receptacle 3 in the previous stage of connection with the plug 2, the lock member 36 is rotated to connect to the concave groove 235 of the plug 2 when connected. There is no need for alignment, and fitting and fixing can be performed easily.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the example in which the lock member 36 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the receptacle 3 has been described, but the lock member 36 may be provided on the plug 2 side.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be suitably used for connecting cables that require stable waterproofness over a long period of time in outdoor wiring or the like where rainwater or the like may enter.

It is a side view showing an example of a connector concerning the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a receptacle of the connector according to the present invention, in which (a) is a front view seen from the front end side in the axial direction, and (b) is a cross-sectional view partially broken along line AA in FIG. It is an Example of the connector which concerns on this invention, and is a front view of the illuminating device with which the connector was attached. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a plug and a receptacle in the connector of FIG. 3. The plug attached to the said illuminating device is shown, (a) is a side view which partially shows the case side surface of an illuminating device, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that a plug is attached, (c) is description explaining the attached plug. FIG. The receptacle is shown, (a) is a side view of the front end of the receptacle, and (b) is a front view as seen from the axial direction of the receptacle with the internal mechanism omitted. It is a side view which shows the time of the connection of the plug and receptacle of an Example. The connection part of the said lock member is shown, (a) is a front view of the plug seen from the axial direction, (b) is a front view of the lock member (tip part) seen from the axial direction. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the conventional connector. It is sectional drawing which shows the receptacle of the said conventional connector. The receptacle of the said conventional connector is shown, (a) is sectional drawing of an outer package body, (b) is a side view of the female terminal crimp-joined to the conductor of the cable.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 12 Cable 12a Conductor 13 Lead wire 2 Plug 21 Male terminal 22 Housing 23 Outer package 231 Annular undulation 232 Male screw part 233 Gutter part 234 Fixing groove 235 Concave groove 24 Retaining cap 3 Receptacle 31 Female terminal 32 Housing 33 Terminal mold part 333 Guide protrusion 331 Step part 34 Inner body 35 Outer body 36 Lock member 361 Guide groove 362 Engagement protrusion 4 Illuminating device 41 Fluorescent tube 42 Case

Claims (3)

In a connector comprising a pair of a plug having a male terminal and a receptacle having a female terminal into which the male terminal is inserted and joined to a conductor of a cable,
The receptacle includes a housing made of synthetic resin that holds the female terminal so as not to be pulled out, a terminal mold portion that covers at least the end portion of the outer sheath of the cable to the base end portion of the housing, and the terminal mold portion and the cable. An inner covering that covers the boundary between the outer covering and the outer covering that covers the boundary between the inner covering and the terminal mold portion and the boundary between the inner covering and the outer covering of the cable ;
The terminal mold portion has a plurality of annular step portions on the outer peripheral surface and has an axial cross section of a sawtooth shape, whereas the inner body includes a large-diameter portion and a cable whose inner peripheral surface is fitted to the step portion. The outer peripheral surface has a shape with a gradually reduced diameter, the terminal mold portion and the inner body are made of a synthetic rubber material, and the outer body is Molded with a synthetic resin having a higher hardness than the synthetic rubber-based material forming the inclusion body,
A guide protrusion is formed in the axial direction at the distal end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the receptacle, and an annular lock member is provided, and the guide groove on the inner peripheral surface engages with the guide protrusion so that the shaft of the receptacle Slid only in the direction, and provided with an engaging protrusion at the tip of the inner peripheral surface, and the engaging protrusion is inserted from the axial direction into a substantially L-shaped concave groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the plug. A connector characterized in that it forms a coupling mechanism that engages. In a connector comprising a pair of a plug having a male terminal and a receptacle having a female terminal into which the male terminal is inserted and joined to a conductor of a cable,
The receptacle includes a housing made of synthetic resin that holds the female terminal so as not to be pulled out, a terminal mold portion that covers at least the end portion of the outer sheath of the cable to the base end portion of the housing, and the terminal mold portion and the cable. An inner covering that covers the boundary between the outer covering and the outer covering that covers the boundary between the inner covering and the terminal mold portion and the boundary between the inner covering and the outer covering of the cable ;
The terminal mold portion has a plurality of annular step portions on the outer peripheral surface and has an axial cross section of a sawtooth shape, whereas the inner body includes a large-diameter portion and a cable whose inner peripheral surface is fitted to the step portion. The outer peripheral surface is a shape with a gradually reduced diameter, the terminal mold part and the inner body are formed of a synthetic rubber material, and the outer body is Molded with a synthetic resin having a higher hardness than the synthetic rubber-based material forming the inclusion body,
A guide protrusion is formed in the axial direction at the distal end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the plug, and an annular lock member is provided, and the guide groove on the inner peripheral surface engages with the guide protrusion and the shaft of the plug The engagement protrusion is provided at the tip of the inner peripheral surface, and the engagement protrusion is inserted from the axial direction into a substantially L-shaped groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the receptacle. A connector characterized in that it forms a coupling mechanism that can be engaged in a direction. The connector according to claim 1 or 2,
The plug is molded with a synthetic resin housing that holds the male terminal in a state where it cannot be pulled out, and this housing is molded with an outer package made of a synthetic rubber-based material. When fitted in the plug through hole provided in the connector, the base end side fits in the plug through hole, and the retaining screw is screwed onto the male thread protruding to the inside of the connector mounting part to closely contact the connector mounting part A connector characterized by being fixed.

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