JP4513677B2 - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector.

The thing of patent document 1 is known as a waterproof connector. This is provided with a plurality of sub-connectors having cavities that can accommodate terminal fittings, and each sub-connector is individually accommodated with respect to a plurality of connector accommodating portions formed in a frame-like frame, thereby having one connector It is summarized as.
The sub-connector includes a sub-housing that can accommodate terminal fittings, a seal member that seals the rear surface of the sub-housing in a watertight state and seals the wires connected to the terminal fitting, and presses the rear surface of the sealing member. A rear holder attached to the sub-housing while preventing the seal member from coming off.
JP 2000-150058 A

By the way, in the above case, the connector housing portions are provided corresponding to the respective sub-connectors, and the partition walls of the connector housing portions are disposed on both sides in the arrangement direction of the sub-connectors. There is a disagreement that the size of the connector increases in the direction in which the sub-connectors are arranged, for the total thickness.
On the other hand, since each sub-connector is held in the frame by being locked to the connector accommodating portion, if the connector accommodating portion (partition wall) is eliminated in order to avoid an increase in the size of the connector, the lock structure for the frame is also eliminated. There is a situation that it ends.
Furthermore, since each sub-connector is a waterproof type connector, it is necessary to seal the mating area with the mating connector in a watertight state. Even if the lock structure can be realized, setting the lock structure in the mating region with the mating connector may not be appropriate because the sealing performance between the two connectors may be impaired.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and its purpose is to set a locking structure for the frame without increasing the size of the connector and to ensure sealing performance between the two connectors. It is to provide a waterproof connector that can be used.

  As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is a frame that can be accommodated by sequentially inserting the sub-connectors in the arrangement direction thereof through a plurality of sub-connectors and an insertion opening opened on a side surface. The sub-connector includes a sub-housing that can accommodate terminal fittings, a seal member that is in close contact with the rear surface of the sub-housing in a water-tight state, and a state in which the rear surface of the seal member is pressed against the sub-housing. A rear holder to be attached, the rear holder is provided with a lock portion, the frame is provided with a lock receiving portion, and the sub-connectors are combined in the arrangement direction via the rear holder. The lock portion and the lock receiving portion are locked to the frame to prevent the frame from being detached. Having the features.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the frame stops the sub-connector inserted first with respect to the frame at a position opposite to the insertion direction of the sub-connectors. A locking wall is provided, and the lock portion is provided in the rear holder corresponding to the sub-connector inserted last with respect to the frame.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the sub-connectors are held in the united state in the alignment direction via the rear holder and then inserted into the frame from the insertion port. It has a feature where it is inserted into.

<Invention of Claim 1>
Since each sub-connector can be inserted and accommodated sequentially in the arrangement direction with respect to the frame, the partition wall for partitioning both sub-connectors adjacent in the arrangement direction is eliminated from the frame, and the size of the connector can be reduced accordingly. Also, the rear holder is provided with a lock portion, and the sub-connectors are combined with each other via the rear holder, and locked to the frame in a retaining state by the locking of the lock portion and the lock receiving portion provided on the frame. Even if the partition wall is eliminated, a lock structure for the frame can be realized, and a predetermined sealing performance between the connectors can be secured by setting the lock structure on the rear holder.

<Invention of Claim 2>
When each sub-connector is inserted into the frame, the sub-connector inserted first is held against the closing plate of the frame, and the sub-connector inserted last is a lock portion provided on the rear holder and a lock receiver provided on the frame. Since the frame is locked in a state that prevents the frame from being detached, it is not necessary to provide a lock portion for each sub-connector, and the lock structure for the frame can be simplified.

<Invention of Claim 3>
When inserting each sub-connector into the frame, each sub-connector is held in the united state in the alignment direction via the rear holder and then inserted from the insertion port, so that workability is excellent.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector of the present embodiment is a female connector that can be mated with a mating male connector and is a split type waterproof connector, and a plurality (specifically four) of sub-connectors 10 can be accommodated in the frame 60. Has been. In the following description, the fitting surface side with the male connector is assumed to be the front.

  The mating male connector is a board (printed wiring board) connector, and as shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of male sub-connectors 90 are arranged in the width direction, and each sub-connector 90 is arranged on the rear surface. The connecting plates 93 are connected to each other. Each sub-connector 90 includes a rectangular tube-shaped hood 91 that opens to the front surface, and the two hoods 91 adjacent in the width direction are partitioned by a partition wall 92. A male terminal fitting 94 is inserted through the back wall of the hood 91, and the front half of the male terminal fitting 94 protrudes into the hood 91, while the latter half of the male terminal fitting 94 is connected to the connecting plate 93. It is exposed from the rear surface and is bent at a right angle in the middle so that it can be connected to a conductive path of a substrate (not shown). The sub-connector 90 includes one in which a cam pin 95 protrudes from the upper surface of the hood 91. The cam pin 95 enters the cam groove 71 of the lever 70 mounted on the frame 60, and the lever 70 rotates. The connectors are fitted together with the moving operation.

  A plurality of sub-connectors 10 are prepared corresponding to the counterpart sub-connector 90, and as shown in FIG. 3, a sub-housing 11, a retainer 35, a seal member 40, and a rear holder 50 are provided. The sub-housing 11 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape made of a synthetic resin material, and has a plurality of cavities 12 into which female terminal fittings 30 (corresponding to the terminal fittings of the present invention) can be inserted from behind. The cavities 12 are arranged in a plurality of rows in the height direction and in a plurality of rows in the width direction. On the upper surface of the sub-housing 11, a locking receiving portion 13 is formed in a stepped shape that can be locked in a hooked state by a locking claw 51 </ b> A of a locking leg piece 51 provided on the rear holder 50. In addition, a pair of locking leg piece protective walls 14 are erected on both sides of the upper surface of the sub-housing 11, and the locking leg pieces 51 are arranged between the both locking leg piece protective walls 14. Thus, it is possible to avoid a situation where the locking leg piece 51 is rolled up by being caught by a foreign object.

  As shown in FIG. 8, an insertion hole 15 of the retainer 35 is formed in the lower surface of the sub housing 11 so as to open. The insertion hole 15 has a depth penetrating all the cavities 12, and a side type retainer 35 is inserted into the insertion hole 15 from below. The retainer 35 has a flat plate shape as a whole made of a synthetic resin material, has terminal insertion holes 36 at positions corresponding to the cavities 12, and has a pair of front and rear elastic locking pieces 37 projecting from both upper walls thereof. A locking projection 38 is formed on the hole wall of the terminal insertion hole 36, and the elastic locking piece 37 is elastically locked to a retainer locking portion (not shown) formed in the insertion hole 15 of the retainer 35. It is possible. The retainer 35 is displaceable between the temporary locking position and the main locking position, and the elastic locking piece 37 is elastically locked to the retainer locking portion, so that the retainer 35 is prevented from coming off at both positions. . When the retainer 35 is in the temporary locking position, the locking projection 38 retreats out of the cavity 12 and allows the female terminal fitting 30 to be inserted. Then, the locking projection 38 enters the cavity 12, and the locking projection 38 faces the rear end jaw portion 31 of the female terminal fitting 30 that is normally inserted therein to prevent the female terminal fitting 30 from coming off.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a collective seal member 40 made of a rubber material is attached to the rear surface of the sub-housing 11. The seal member 40 can be attached to the entire rear surface of the sub-housing 11, has a wire insertion hole 41 at each position corresponding to each cavity 12, and is caulked to the female terminal fitting 30 in each wire insertion hole 41. The electric wire W connected by can be penetrated. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the seal member 40 is provided on the outer periphery of the electric wire W while elastically compressing a plurality of (three in the illustrated case) lips 43 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the electric wire insertion hole 41. The seal between the wire W and the water-tight state is taken. Further, the seal member 40 has locking leg piece insertion holes 42 at both upper and lower positions across the electric wire insertion holes 41, and the locking leg pieces 51 can be passed through the locking leg piece insertion holes 42. . Further, a plurality of (three in the illustrated case) lips 43 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the seal member 40, and when the mating sub-connector 90 is fitted on the seal member 40, the seal member 40 is 43 is elastically adhered to the peripheral wall of the hood 91 in a water-tight manner, and a seal with the mating sub-connector 90 is thus obtained.

  The rear holder 50 that prevents the sealing member 40 from being detached includes a holder body 52 that is made of synthetic resin and has a rectangular block shape. The holder main body 52 has a plurality of insertion paths 53 for passing the female terminal fitting 30 and the electric wires W connected thereto through the electric wire insertion holes 41 at positions corresponding to the electric wire insertion holes 41 of the seal member 40. It extends in the direction. The insertion path 53 has an opening diameter that is the same as or slightly larger than the box portion 32 of the female terminal fitting 30, and the electric wire W connected to the female terminal fitting 30 can be loosely inserted. The holder main body 52 is formed with plate-like locking leg pieces 51 projecting forward at both upper and lower positions across the insertion paths 53. The locking leg 51 has a length that covers the upper and lower surfaces of the sub-housing 11 after passing through the locking leg piece insertion hole 42 of the sealing member 40 from the rear, and a locking claw 51A formed at the tip of the locking leg piece 51A. By elastically locking to the locking receiving portion 13 of the sub housing 11, the rear holder 50 is attached and fixed to the sub housing 11 with the seal member 40 pressed against the rear surface of the sub housing 11. In the case of the present embodiment, a range from one having upper and lower pairs of locking leg pieces 51 to three upper and lower pairs are prepared according to the size of each sub-connector 10.

  The rear holders 50 are connected in the arrangement direction (width direction) with their side edges abutted against each other, whereby the sub-connectors 10 are held side by side via the rear holder 50. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 6, a concave portion 54 and a convex portion 55 are respectively provided on the opposing surfaces (side surfaces) of the rear holders 50 adjacent in the arrangement direction, and the side edges of the two rear holders 50 adjacent to each other. The detachment of the rear holder 50 in the front-rear direction is regulated by sliding the members in the front-rear direction and elastically climbing the convex part 55 over the concave part 54. A positioning piece 56 projects from one of the rear holders 50 to the other, and the positioning piece 56 abuts the other stepped portion when the coupling operation is completed. Is regulated.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the guide ribs 57 and the guide rib receiving grooves 58 that can be fitted to each other are provided on the opposing surfaces of the rear holders 50 adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction as shown in FIG. And are formed. The guide rib 57 has a cross-sectional shape (pigtail shape) and extends in the front-rear direction, and the assembly operation of the rear holder 50 is guided by the guide rib 57 and the guide rib receiving groove 58 sliding on each other. Further, the guide rib 57 and the guide rib receiving groove 58 are engaged and engaged in the next state, thereby restricting the rear holder 50 from being removed in the width direction. Further, the engagement height positions of the guide rib 57 and the guide rib receiving groove 58 are different between the rear holders 50, so that when the two rear holders 50 adjacent to each other are in a proper combination, they are adapted to each other and engaged. However, when the combination is not proper, it is preferable to adopt a structure in which the two rear holders 50 are prevented from being erroneously assembled by setting them so that they do not match each other and are in a disengaged state.

  In addition, a pair of guide receiving portions 59 are formed on both upper and lower surfaces of the rear holders 50 to form rail grooves that extend in the width direction and open on both side surfaces. When the guide portion 65 formed on the frame 60 slides on the guide receiving portion 59, the rear holder 50 and thus the sub-connector 10 are inserted and guided into the frame 60.

  As shown in FIG. 4, only one lock portion 50B for the frame 60 is provided on the upper surface of the rear holder 50 in the sub-connector 10 (hereinafter referred to as the last sub-connector 10A) inserted last with respect to the frame 60. Yes. The lock portion 50B protrudes from the upper surface of the cover wall 59A that covers the guide receiving portion 59, and is elastic with the lock receiving portion 61 formed in the frame 60 by the cover wall 59A being bent and deformed in the guide receiving portion 59. It is locked to. Further, the last sub-connector 10 </ b> A is formed with a protective wall 50 </ b> H protruding forward from one side edge of the rear holder 50, and this protective wall 50 </ b> H is arranged across the end face side of the seal member 40. Specifically, the protective wall 50H is configured as one closing plate that stands up over the entire length in the height direction, and covers the exposed end surface of the seal member 40 disposed in the insertion port 60A of the frame 60 when mounted on the frame 60. It is supposed to hide.

  The frame 60 is also made of a synthetic resin and has a flat frame shape as a whole. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front surface and one side surface are open. Each sub-connector 10 can be sequentially mounted in the frame 60 from one side of the frame 60 as an insertion port 60A. A pair of support shafts 62 project from the upper and lower walls of the frame 60 so as to rotatably support the lever 70. The lever 70 has a gate shape as a whole with the operation portion 72 and the pair of arm portions 73, and is assembled so as to straddle the frame 60 with both arm portions 73 supported by the support shaft 62. The lever 70 is rotated counterclockwise from the initial rotation position shown in FIG. 1, reaches the rotation end position, and is locked to the side wall of the frame 60. A cam groove 71 that can be engaged with the cam pin 95 of the mating sub connector 90 is formed in the arm portion 73 of the lever 70.

  When the lever 70 is placed in the initial rotation position and each sub-connector 10 is mounted in the frame 60 and then the mating sub-connector 90 is fitted, the cam pin 95 enters the entrance of the cam groove 71 of the lever 70. In this state, when the lever 70 is rotated toward the rotation end position, the cam pin 95 moves along the cam groove 71 to exert a cam action between the two, so that the two connectors are attracted. . A pair of anti-opening walls 63 are disposed on the upper and lower walls of the frame 60 so as to cover the outside of the arm portion 73, and prevent the arm portion 73 from being expanded and deformed when both connectors are fitted.

  The frame 60 has one connector accommodating space 64 that can accommodate the sub-connectors 10 in a lump without being partitioned by a partition wall, and extends in the width direction on the inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls to form a rail shape. A pair of guide portions 65 are provided. In addition, a pair of receiving walls 66 extending in parallel with the guide portion 65 are formed behind the guide portion 65 on the inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls of the frame 60, and the upper and lower walls of the frame 60 are inserted. In the vicinity of the opening 60A, a substantially rectangular lock receiving portion 61 is formed penetrating in the thickness direction. In the frame 60, a front region with the receiving wall 66 as a boundary is a connector housing space 64, and a rear region is a wire housing space 67 for collectively housing the wires W drawn from the rear surface of the rear holder 50. Further, the frame 60 includes a rear wall 68 that guides the electric wire W led out from each sub-connector 10 to the same side as the insertion port 60A.

  The sub-connectors 10 are slid into the frame 60 in the alignment direction from the insertion port 60 </ b> A while maintaining the united state with the rear holder 50. At this time, the guide receiving portion 59 and the guide portion 65 are engaged in the front-rear direction, so that each sub-connector 10 in the frame 60 is positioned in the front-rear direction. Then, when the last sub-connector 10A is mounted, the lock portion 50B of the rear holder 50 is elastically fitted into the lock receiving portion 61 of the frame 60, thereby positioning each sub-connector 10 in the width direction. The sub connector 10 is prevented from coming out from the insertion port 60A. At this time, the side edge of the sub-connector 10 inserted first is abutted against the back wall 69 (corresponding to the closing wall of the present invention) of the frame 60, and further insertion operation is restricted. At the time of mating with the mating sub-connector 90, a pressing force is applied in the mating direction of the mating sub-connector 90. When the wall 66 receives the pressing force, the sub-connector 10 moves backward. Displacement is prevented.

  By the way, the seal member 40 is protected by the protective cap 20 until the sub-connectors 10 are combined via the rear holder 50. The protective cap 20 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, has a cylindrical shape surrounding the side surface of each sub-housing 11, and is formed with both front and rear surfaces opened. The protective cap 20 is put on the sub-connector 10 from the front, and the temporary holding claw 21 formed at the rear end thereof is elastically locked to the guide receiving portion 59 of the rear holder 50 in a hooked state. Temporarily held. The protective cap 20 in the temporary holding state is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the sub-housing 11 and the seal member 40 with a space therebetween. A drooping wall 22 that can be opposed to the locking leg piece protection wall 14 erected on the sub-housing 11 is formed on the upper front end of the protection cap 20. Further, a retainer insertion port 23 for passing the retainer 35 through the insertion hole 15 is cut out on the lower surface of the protective cap 20 at a position corresponding to the insertion hole 15 of the retainer 35.

  Prior to mounting the female terminal fitting 30 on the sub-housing 11, the protective cap 20 is attached to the corresponding sub-connector 10 from the front. The protective cap 20 is pulled forward after the mounting work of the female terminal fitting 30 and the mounting work of the retainer 35, and is removed from the sub connector 10 by forcibly removing the temporary holding claw 21 from the guide receiving portion 59. It is. When the protective cap 20 is pulled, the flange portion 24 is formed so as to project from the side edges of the opening of the protective cap 20 to the side.

  Next, the assembly procedure of this embodiment will be described. First, the sealing member 40 is attached to the rear surface of the sub-housing 11, and the rear holder 50 is covered while the locking leg piece 51 of the rear holder 50 is passed from the rear through the locking leg piece insertion hole 42. When the locking claw 51A of the locking leg piece 51 is elastically locked to the locking receiving portion 13 of the sub housing 11, the rear holder 50 is attached to the sub housing 11 with the seal member 40 interposed therebetween.

  Subsequently, the protective cap 20 is slid from the front, and the temporary holding claw 21 of the protective cap 20 is temporarily temporarily held by the guide receiving portion 59 to bring the seal member 40 into a protected state. Each sub-connector 10 is shipped while maintaining the protection state of the seal member 40, and is transferred to the harness assembly site. At the assembly site, first, the retainer 35 is inserted into the sub-housing 11 from below through the retainer insertion port 23 of the protective cap 20, and the retainer 35 is kept in the temporary locking position. In this state, the female terminal fitting 30 connected to the electric wire W is inserted from the rear, and the female terminal fitting 30 with the electric wire W is sequentially inserted into the insertion path 53 of the rear holder 50 and the electric wire insertion hole 41 of the seal member 40. Thereafter, the sub-housing 11 enters the cavity 12 and is temporarily locked by a lance 18 formed on the inner surface of the cavity 12 so as to be deflectable. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11, the retainer 35 is inserted deeply to reach the final locking position, and the female terminal fitting 30 is secondarily locked by the locking projection 38 of the retainer 35, so that the female terminal fitting 30 is securely pulled out. Make a stop. Next, the temporary holding state of the guide receiving portion 59 and the temporary holding claw 21 is released by gripping the flange portion 24 and pulling the protective cap 20 forward, and the protective cap 20 is removed from the sub connector 10.

  When the mounting work of the female terminal fittings 30 is completed for all the sub-connectors 10, the adjacent rear holders 50 are then slidably engaged in the front-rear direction while the guide ribs 57 and the guide rib receiving grooves 58 are fitted together, and the recesses are further recessed. Both rear holders 50 are connected and held in a detachment restricted state based on the elastic locking action between the protrusion 54 and the convex portion 55. When the pair of sub-connectors 10 are combined with each other, the rear holder 50 of another sub-connector 10 is connected to one of the rear holders 50, and the sub-connectors 10 are sequentially combined in the arrangement direction. In the case of this embodiment, the four subconnectors 10 are combined (assembled), and among these, the last subconnector 10A is positioned at the right end. In such a combined state, the guide receiving portions 59 of each sub-connector 10 are continuously connected on a straight line in the width direction.

  Next, each sub-connector 10 in the combined state is inserted into the connector housing space 64 of the frame 60 through the insertion port 60A. At the start of insertion, the guide receiving portion 59 of the leftmost sub-connector 10 is fitted to the guide portion 65 of the frame 60, and each sub-connector 10 is pushed into the connector housing space 64 from that state. Then, each sub-connector 10 is inserted into the frame 60 while being guided by the guide portion 65, and the sub-connector 10 inserted first is attached to the back wall 69 as each sub-connector 10 reaches the proper mounting position. At the same time, the lock portion 50B provided in the last sub-connector 10A is elastically locked to the lock receiving portion 61 of the frame 60. When each sub-connector 10 is in the regular mounting state, the seal member 40 of the last sub-connector 10A is arranged at a position facing the insertion port 60A of the frame 60, but the exposed end face is covered by the protective wall 50H of the rear holder 50. Concealed, the seal member 40 is protected from external foreign matter (see FIG. 2). Each sub-connector 10 is locked in a state in which the relative position between the sub-connectors 10 and the frame 60 is positioned with the rear holder 50 kept constant. In addition, the electric wires W drawn from the sub-connectors 10 are collected and stored in the electric wire housing space 67 and drawn in a predetermined direction.

  When the assembly is completed in this way, the mating sub-connector 90 is loosely fitted to the corresponding sub-connector 10 from the front, and the lever 70 is rotated in this state, so that both connectors are fitted at the normal depth. In the course of fitting, as shown in FIG. 13, the partition wall 92 of the mating sub-connector 90 slidably enters between the opposing surfaces of the two rear holders 50 and is guided by both opposing surfaces. The fitting operation of the sub-connectors 10 and 90 proceeds smoothly. When both the connectors are properly fitted, the seal member 40 is elastically compressed in the front-rear direction by the fitting compression force acting between the mating sub-connector 90 and the receiving wall 66, whereby the wire insertion hole 41 is formed. The diameter of the wire W is deformed and tightly adhered to the outer periphery of the electric wire W, and a reliable seal with the electric wire W is obtained. When both connectors are properly fitted, the peripheral wall of the hood 91 is tightly fitted to the seal member 40, and the lip 43 of the seal member 40 is crushed by the peripheral wall of the hood 91, thereby A positive seal between is taken.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the partition wall of the frame 60 that partitions the adjacent sub-connectors 10 in the arrangement direction is eliminated, the width of the partition wall can be reduced. A compact connector can be realized. And since the lock part 50B is provided in the rear holder 50 and each sub-connector 10 is united via the rear holder 50, it is set to be elastically locked to the lock part 50B and the lock receiving part 61 of the frame 60. Even if the partition wall is eliminated, a lock structure for the frame 60 can be realized. Furthermore, since a predetermined sealing performance can be secured between the sub-connector 10 and the mating sub-connector 90 by setting the lock portion 50B in the rear holder 50, the waterproof property is not impaired.

  Further, when each sub-connector 10 is inserted into the frame 60, the first sub-connector 10 to be inserted is held against the back wall 69 of the frame 60, and the last sub-connector 10A is provided with a single locking portion on the rear holder 50. Since the frame 60 is locked in the retaining state by the locking by 50B, it is not necessary to provide the lock portion 50B for each sub-connector 10, and the lock structure for the frame 60 can be simplified. Furthermore, when each sub-connector 10 is inserted into the frame 60, the sub-connectors 10 are inserted into the frame 60 sequentially after being held together in the alignment direction via the rear holder 50, so that the workability is excellent. Yes.

  Further, when mating with both connectors, the partition wall 92 of the mating subconnector 90 is slidably inserted between the opposing surfaces of the subconnectors 10 adjacent in the arrangement direction. It is possible to prevent the sub-connectors 10 and 90 from being engaged with each other. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated twist prevention structure, and the connector can be further reduced in size. Furthermore, after fitting both the connectors, since the sealing member 40 has a function of sealing between the mating sub-connector 90 in addition to the function of sealing between the sealing member 40 and the electric wire W connected to the female terminal fitting 30, It is not necessary to provide a plurality of types of seal members 40 in one sub-connector 10, and the number of parts can be reduced.

  Further, since a plurality of rear holders 50 are provided corresponding to each sub-connector 10 and can be connected in the arrangement direction, before each sub-connector 10 is brought into a combined state, each sub-connector 10 is connected. The insertion work of the female terminal fitting 30 can be performed every time. As a result, erroneous insertion of the female terminal fitting 30 is less likely to occur, and the wire W is easily routed, and the assembly workability is improved.

<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 embodiment, each sub-connector is inserted into the frame after being combined with the rear holder, but according to the present invention, each sub-connector is individually inserted into the frame from the insertion port, You may be united in the frame.
(2) In the above embodiment, the rear holder is provided for each sub-connector. However, according to the present invention, the rear holder may be provided for all or a part of the sub-connectors. Good.
(3) In the above embodiment, the lock portion for the frame is provided only in the last sub-connector. However, according to the present invention, the lock portion may be provided for each sub-connector.
(4) The present invention can also be applied to a male connector that houses a plurality of sub-connectors equipped with male terminal fittings in a frame.

The exploded perspective view of the whole connector of this embodiment Front view of the entire connector Exploded perspective view of sub connector Exploded perspective view of the sub-connector inserted last in the frame Cross-sectional perspective view of main part immediately before connecting both adjacent rear holders Cross-sectional perspective view of main parts when adjacent rear holders are connected Main part longitudinal perspective view when adjacent rear holders are connected Exploded side sectional view of sub connector Perspective view of protective cap Perspective view with protective cap on sub connector Side sectional view of the sub-connector with a protective cap Perspective view of mating connector Schematic showing the mated state of both connectors

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Subconnector 10A ... The last subconnector 11 ... Subhousing 40 ... Sealing member 50 ... Rear holder 50B ... Lock part 60 ... Frame 61 ... Lock receiving part 64 ... Connector accommodation space 65 ... Guide part 66 ... Receiving wall 69 ... Frame Back wall 70 ... Lever 71 ... Cam groove 73 ... Arm

Claims (3)

A plurality of sub-connectors, and a frame that can be accommodated by sequentially inserting each of the sub-connectors in the alignment direction through an insertion opening that is opened on a side surface,
The sub-connector includes a sub-housing that can accommodate terminal fittings, a seal member that is in close contact with the rear surface of the sub-housing in a watertight state, and a rear holder that is attached to the sub-housing with the rear surface of the seal member pressed. With
The rear holder is provided with a lock portion, and the frame is provided with a lock receiving portion,
Each of the sub-connectors is locked in a retaining state with respect to the frame by engagement of the lock portion and the lock receiving portion in a state of being combined in the arrangement direction via the rear holder. And waterproof connector. The frame includes a closing wall that holds and stops the sub-connector that is first inserted into the frame at a position facing the insertion direction of the sub-connectors,
The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the lock portion is provided in the rear holder corresponding to the sub-connector inserted last with respect to the frame. 3. The waterproof according to claim 1, wherein each of the sub-connectors is inserted into the frame from the insertion port after being held in the united state in the arrangement direction via the rear holder. connector.

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