JP4667996B2 - Waterproof connector for flat cable - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a flat cable waterproof connector attached to a terminal portion of a flexible flat cable such as an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable), a ribbon electric wire, or the like.

  As an example of a conventional waterproof connector for a flat cable, one shown in FIG. 7 is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 7 shows a male connector and a female connector of a waterproof connector for a flat cable. A terminal portion of the flat cable 1a to which the male terminal 2a is connected and a terminal portion of the flat cable 1b to which the female terminal 2b is connected are accommodated in the male connector housing 5 and the female connector housing 6, respectively.

  The flat cables 1a and 1b are provided with resin molding portions 3a and 3b formed by embedding a part of the cable in the longitudinal direction. Ring-shaped rubber plugs 4a and 4b are fitted into the resin molding portions 3a and 3b, respectively.

  Two annular lips are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rubber plugs 4a and 4b in the circumferential direction. The rubber plugs 4a and 4b are connected to the inner peripheral wall surface of the cable lead-out portion of the male connector housing 5 and The female connector housing 6 is in close contact with the inner peripheral wall surface of the cable lead-out portion, thereby ensuring the waterproofness of the cable lead-out portion.

JP-A-6-5327

  However, in the above-described conventional flat cable waterproof connector, for example, the flat cable 1a (the same applies to the flat cable 1b) is connected to the cable lead-out portion of the male connector housing 5 via the resin molding portion 3a and the rubber plug 4a. It is only supported by the peripheral wall.

  For this reason, when an external force such as pulling acts on the flat cable 1a, the flat cable 1a is easily displaced. Usually, the male terminal 2a is locked in the male connector housing 5, and accordingly, a load is applied to the connecting portion between the flat cable 1a and the male terminal 2a in accordance with the displacement of the flat cable 1a. There was a risk of hindering the electrical connection.

  Further, when an external force is applied through the flat cable 1a in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the annular rubber plug 4a, the rubber plug 4a is deformed, and the cable outlet portion of the rubber plug 4a and the male connector housing 5 is deformed. There is a possibility that a gap is generated between the inner peripheral wall surface and the waterproof property is lowered.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flat cable waterproof connector excellent in reliability and waterproofness of electrical connection between a flat cable and a terminal.

  The above object is achieved by the flat cable waterproof connector according to the present invention described in (1) to (4) below.

(1) and a connector housing for receiving terminals connected to the terminal portion of the flat cable,
A sealing member that will be interposed between the connector Pillow grayed and the flat cable,
Has an insertion hole into which the connector Pillow grayed or we rolled out the said flat cable is inserted, and a rear cover which is mounted on the proximal end of the connector housing while inserting the flat cable to the insertion hole,
A fixing plate attached to the rear cover so as to sandwich the flat cable inserted through the insertion hole of the rear cover with the rear cover;
Bei to give a,
In the rear cover, a step portion for expanding the insertion hole in the thickness direction of the flat cable inserted through the insertion hole is recessed in the opening portion of the insertion hole, and the flat cable extends to the step portion. A lateral groove extending in the opposite direction to the exit direction is recessed,
The fixing plate has a fitting portion that can be fitted to the step portion by interposing the flat cable between the step portion and the flat cable between the wall surface defining the lateral groove. Protrusions that can be fitted in the lateral grooves by being interposed are provided in the fitting portions,
The flat cable waterproof connector is characterized in that by mounting the fixing plate on the rear cover, the flat cable is positioned with the displacement in the thickness direction and the width direction being regulated in the insertion hole.

( 2 ) The rear cover extends in the thickness direction of the flat cable inserted through the insertion hole from a middle portion of the insertion hole, and extends in the width direction of the flat cable to extend the insertion hole and the vertical groove. A communication hole that communicates with the outside,
The fixing plate has an insertion piece that can be inserted into the vertical groove with the flat cable interposed between the fixing plate and the wall surface that defines the vertical groove. The waterproof connector for flat cables according to (1) above.

  According to the flat cable waterproof connector described in (1) above, the flat cable is sandwiched between the rear cover and the fixing plate at a position in front of the connecting portion with the terminal and the sealing member in the longitudinal direction. For this reason, even when an external force such as pulling acts on the flat cable, the force is interrupted at the portion sandwiched between the rear cover and the fixing plate, and can be transmitted to the connection portion with the terminal and the seal member. Absent. Thereby, the reliability and waterproofness of the electrical connection between the flat cable and the terminal can be ensured. The flat cable is positioned in the rear cover by being passed through the insertion hole of the rear cover. Therefore, the flat cable may shake when the fixing plate is attached to the rear cover and the flat cable is sandwiched. And the fixing plate can be easily mounted.

Further , according to the flat cable waterproof connector described in ( 1 ) above, the flat cable has a substantially crank shape by the step provided in the opening of the insertion hole of the rear cover and the fitting portion of the fixing plate. It is bent and a part thereof is drawn around in a direction intersecting with the extending direction from the insertion hole. Thereby, the external force which acted on the flat cable can be interrupted | blocked reliably.

Further , according to the flat cable waterproof connector described in ( 1 ) above, the flat cable is formed by the lateral groove provided in the step portion of the insertion hole of the rear cover and the protrusion provided in the fitting portion of the fixing plate. Further, it is bent into a substantially S shape, and a part thereof is routed in the direction opposite to the extending direction from the insertion hole. Thereby, the external force which acted on the flat cable can be interrupted more reliably.

According to the flat cable waterproof connector described in ( 2 ) above, the flat cable is bent into a substantially Ω shape by the longitudinal groove of the rear cover and the insertion piece of the fixing plate, and a part of the flat cable extends from the insertion hole. It is routed in a direction that intersects the extending direction. Thereby, the external force which acted on the flat cable can be interrupted | blocked reliably. In addition, a flat cable bent in a substantially Ω shape is displaced in the longitudinal direction and thickness direction when tension is applied, and is restored to a straight line. It is inserted in the longitudinal groove of the rear cover in the width direction, so that the fixing plate does not fall off the rear cover even when the flat cable is pulled strongly.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the waterproof connector for flat cables which is excellent in the reliability of the electrical connection of a flat cable and a terminal and waterproofness can be provided.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a flat cable waterproof connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the flat cable waterproof connector of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a flat cable according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a rear cover and a fixing plate, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a flat cable is sandwiched between the rear cover and the fixing plate of FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a rear cover and a fixing plate according to a third embodiment of the cable waterproof connector, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a flat cable is held between the rear cover and the fixing plate of FIG.

(First embodiment)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flat cable waterproof connector (hereinafter simply referred to as a connector) 10 of the first embodiment is a terminal portion of two FFCs 11 that are spaced apart from and parallel to each other in the thickness direction. A plurality of terminals 12 connected to the terminal portion of the FFC 11, a connector housing 13 that accommodates the plurality of terminals 12, a sealing member 14 that forms a waterproof between the FFC 11 and the connector housing 13, and a connector A rear cover 15 attached to the housing 13 and a fixing plate 16 attached to the rear cover 15 are provided.

  The FFC 11 is formed by, for example, sandwiching a plurality of long conductors made of rolled copper foil or the like in parallel at a predetermined interval between base films. The terminal portion of the FFC 11 is connected to a plurality of terminals 12 that are electrically connected to the respective conductors.

  The terminal 12 has a plurality of blades 21 at its proximal end that penetrate the FFC 11 in the thickness direction and are electrically connected to an internal conductor and fixed by crimping to the FFC 11, and at its distal end. The electric connection part 22 is connected to a terminal of a mating connector (not shown).

  The plurality of terminals 12 connected to the terminal portion of the FFC 11 are accommodated in the connector housing 13. Inside the connector housing 13, a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 23 for accommodating the plurality of terminals 12 are provided. The plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 23 are arranged in two stages corresponding to the FFCs 11 arranged in two stages.

  The base end portion 13 a of the connector housing 13 is provided with an introduction hole 24 that communicates with the base end side of the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 23 from the outside. The terminal portions of the two FFCs 11 are introduced into the connector housing 13 through the introduction holes 24, and a plurality of terminals 12 respectively connected to the terminal portions of these FFCs 11 are inserted into the terminal housing chambers 23, respectively. Be contained. The terminal 12 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 23 is locked at the base end portion of the electrical connecting portion 22 by an elastic locking piece 25 provided inside the terminal accommodating chamber 23, and can be removed from the terminal accommodating chamber 23. It is blocked.

  The connector housing 13 is provided with a cylindrical hood portion 26 that surrounds the outer circumferences of the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 23 at intervals. A similar hood portion of the mating connector enters between the hood portion 26 and the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 23 when the connector 10 and the mating connector are fitted. An annular seal member 17 is fitted in the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 23, and the seal member 17 is in close contact with the outer peripheral wall surface of the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 23 and the inner peripheral wall surface of the hood portion of the mating connector. It is waterproofing.

  In addition, a front holder 18 is attached to the distal ends of the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 23. A part of the front holder 18 (front holder front side protruding portion) enters the bending space of the elastic locking piece 25 and double-locks the terminal 12.

  The seal member 14 is provided with two through holes formed in a cross-sectional shape slightly larger than the cross-sectional shape of the FFC 11, and the seal member 14 allows the two FFCs 11 to pass through these through-holes. It is disposed in the introduction hole 24 of the connector housing 13 and is interposed between the FFC 11 and a peripheral wall defining the introduction hole 24 of the connector housing 13. An annular lip projecting outward is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the seal member 14, and an annular lip projecting inward is formed on the peripheral surface defining the through hole of the seal member 14. These lips are in close contact with the peripheral wall surface defining the introduction hole 24 of the connector housing 13 and the outer peripheral surface of the FFC 11, thereby waterproofing the FFC 11 and the connector housing 13.

  The rear cover 15 is provided with two insertion holes 27 each having a cross-sectional shape slightly larger than the cross-sectional shape of the FFC 11, and the rear cover 15 has two extending holes extending from the introduction holes 24 of the connector housing 13. The FFC 11 is attached to the base end portion of the connector housing 13 so as to cover the introduction hole 24 of the connector housing 13 while being inserted through the insertion holes 27 respectively. The FFC 11 inserted through the insertion hole 27 of the rear cover 15 is in a state in which the displacement in the thickness direction and the width direction is restricted and positioned in the insertion hole 27.

  The opening 27 a of the insertion hole 27 is recessed with a step 29 that widens the opening of the insertion hole 27 in the thickness direction of the FFC 11, and the step 29 has an extension of the FFC 11 from the insertion hole 27. A lateral groove 31 extending in the direction opposite to the outgoing direction is recessed. The step portion 29 and the lateral groove 31 respectively provided in the opening portion 27a of the insertion hole 27 arranged in two steps are symmetric with respect to an imaginary plane passing through the center of the insertion hole 27 arranged in two steps. ing.

  The fixing plate 16 is connected to one outer surface of the rear cover 15 in the width direction of the FFC 11 via a hinge 28 and is formed integrally with the rear cover 15. The fixing plate 16 has a set of fitting portions 30 that can be fitted to the step portions 29 with the FFC 11 interposed between the step portions 29 of the rear cover 15, and the fitting portions 30. Are provided with protrusions 32 that can be fitted to the lateral grooves 31 with the FFC 11 interposed between the wall surfaces defining the lateral grooves 31 provided in the corresponding step portions 29.

  The fixing plate 16 is attached to the rear cover 15 by fitting the fitting portions 30 and the protrusions 32 to the corresponding step portions 29 and the lateral grooves 31 of the rear cover 15. The two FFCs 11 are symmetrical to each other, and each is bent into a substantially crank shape by the step portion 29 of the rear cover 15 and the fitting portion 30 of the fixing plate 16, and a part thereof extends from the insertion hole 27. And is further bent into a substantially S shape by the lateral groove 31 of the rear cover 15 and the protrusion 32 of the fixing plate 16, and a part of the direction extends from the insertion hole 27. And is sandwiched between the rear cover 15 and the fixing plate 16 in a bent state.

  As described above, according to the connector 10 of the present embodiment, the FFC 11 is sandwiched between the rear cover 15 and the fixing plate 16 at a position where the FFC 11 is connected to the terminal 12 and in front of the seal member 14 in the longitudinal direction. The For this reason, even when an external force such as pulling acts on the FFC 11, the force is interrupted at the portion sandwiched between the rear cover 15 and the fixing plate 16 and transmitted to the connection portion with the terminal 12 and the seal member 14. There is nothing to do. Thereby, the reliability of the electrical connection between the FFC 11 and the terminal 12 and the waterproofness by the seal member 14 can be ensured. The FFC 11 is positioned in the rear cover 15 by being passed through the insertion hole 27 of the rear cover 15, and therefore the FFC 11 is shaken when the fixing plate 16 is attached to the rear cover 15 and the FFC 11 is sandwiched. The fixing plate 16 can be easily mounted.

  Further, according to the connector 10 of the present embodiment, the FFC 11 is bent in a substantially crank shape by the step portion 29 provided in the opening portion 27 a of the insertion hole 27 of the rear cover 15 and the fitting portion 30 of the fixing plate 16. A part of which is routed in a direction intersecting with the extending direction from the insertion hole 27, and the fitting portion between the lateral groove 31 provided in the step portion 29 of the insertion hole 27 of the rear cover 15 and the fixing plate 16. Further, the projection 32 is further bent into a substantially S shape by the protrusion 32 provided on the portion 30, and a part of the projection 32 is routed in the direction opposite to the extending direction from the insertion hole 27. Thereby, the external force which acted on FFC11 can be interrupted | blocked reliably. That is, the rear cover 15 and the fixing plate 16 function as a strain relief.

  Moreover, in the connector 10 of this embodiment, the fixing plate 16 is attached to the rear cover 15 from the side where the FFC 11 is extended, and the FFC 11 is sandwiched between these two members, in other words. The flat cable is sandwiched between two members arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the flat cable. Here, in the holding structure in which the flat cable is sandwiched between two members arranged so as to sandwich the flat cable in the thickness direction, the flat cable is arranged in multiple stages, that is, a plurality of flat cables are arranged in parallel in the thickness direction. In this case, the two members sandwiching each flat cable are stacked in the thickness direction of the flat cable, which makes it difficult to attach and enlarges in the thickness direction. That is, the flat cable holding structure in which the flat cable is sandwiched between the two members arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the flat cable is easy to apply even when the flat cable is multistage, and contributes to downsizing of the connector. It has.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a flat cable waterproof connector (hereinafter simply referred to as a connector) according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the connector of the present embodiment is different from the connector 10 of the first embodiment described above only in the rear cover and the fixing plate, and the other members are the same and will not be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rear cover 35 of the present embodiment is provided with two insertion holes 47 formed in a cross-sectional shape slightly larger than the cross-sectional shape of the FFC 11. The two FFCs 11 extending from the introduction hole 24 of the housing 13 are inserted into the insertion holes 47 and attached to the base end portion of the connector housing 13 so as to cover the introduction hole 24 of the connector housing 13. The FFC 11 inserted through the insertion hole 47 of the rear cover 35 is restricted from being displaced in the thickness direction and the width direction within the insertion hole 47.

  In the opening of the insertion hole 47, a step portion 49 is provided to widen the opening of the insertion hole 47 in the thickness direction of the FFC 11. The step portions 49 respectively provided at the opening portions of the insertion holes 47 arranged in two steps are symmetrical to each other with respect to a virtual plane passing through the center of the insertion hole 47 arranged in two steps.

  The connector of this embodiment includes two fixing plates 36 connected to both outer side surfaces of the rear cover 35 in the thickness direction of the FFC 11 via hinges 48. Each fixing plate 36 has a fitting portion 50 that can be fitted to the step portion 49 with the FFC 11 interposed between the fixing plate 36 and the step portion 49 of the corresponding rear cover 35.

  These fixing plates 36 are attached to the rear cover 35 by fitting the fitting portions 50 to the corresponding step portions 49 of the rear cover 35. The two FFCs 11 are symmetrical to each other, and each is bent into a substantially crank shape by the step portion 49 of the rear cover 35 and the fitting portion 50 of the fixing plate 36, and a part thereof extends from the insertion hole 47. It is drawn in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction and is sandwiched between the rear cover 35 and the fixing plate 36 in a bent state.

  The flat cable waterproof connector of the present embodiment has the same effects as the flat cable waterproof connector 10 of the first embodiment described above.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a flat cable waterproof connector (hereinafter simply referred to as a connector) according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the connector of the present embodiment is different from the connector 10 of the first embodiment described above only in the rear cover and the fixing plate, and the other members are the same and will not be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rear cover 65 of the present embodiment is provided with two insertion holes 77 formed in a cross-sectional shape slightly larger than the cross-sectional shape of the FFC 11. The two FFCs 11 extending from the introduction hole 24 of the housing 13 are inserted into the insertion holes 77 and attached to the base end portion of the connector housing 13 so as to cover the introduction hole 24 of the connector housing 13. The FFC 11 inserted through the insertion hole 77 of the rear cover 65 is restricted in displacement in the thickness direction and the width direction within the insertion hole 77.

  The rear cover 65 has two vertical grooves 79 extending from the middle portion of each insertion hole 77 so as to be separated from each other in the thickness direction of the FFC 11. These two vertical grooves 79 are symmetric with respect to an imaginary plane passing through the center of the insertion hole 77 arranged in two steps. Furthermore, the rear cover 65 has two communication holes 82 that extend in the width direction of the FFC 11 and allow the insertion holes 77 connected to the vertical grooves 79 to communicate with the outside.

  The fixing plate 66 of the present embodiment is inserted into the vertical groove 79 to which the communication hole 82 is connected from each communication hole 82 of the rear cover 65, and the FFC 11 is interposed between the vertical groove 79 and the wall surface defining the vertical groove 79. Thus, there are two insertion pieces 80 that can be fitted in the vertical groove 79.

  The fixing plate 66 is attached to the rear cover 65 by inserting each insertion piece 80 into the vertical groove 79 to which the communication hole 82 is connected through the communication hole 82 of the corresponding rear cover 65 with the FFC 11 interposed. Yes. The two FFCs 11 are symmetrical to each other, and each is bent into a substantially Ω shape by the longitudinal groove 79 of the rear cover 65 and the insertion piece 80 of the fixing plate 66, and a part of the FFC 11 extends from the insertion hole 77. It is drawn in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction and is sandwiched between the rear cover 65 and the fixing plate 66 in a bent state.

  According to the flat cable waterproof connector of the present embodiment, the FFC 11 is bent into a substantially Ω shape by the vertical groove 79 of the rear cover 65 and the insertion piece 80 of the fixing plate 66, and a part of the FFC 11 extends from the insertion hole 77. It is routed in a direction that intersects the extending direction. Thereby, the tension | tensile_strength and external force which acted on FFC11 can be interrupted | blocked reliably. That is, the rear cover 65 and the fixing plate 66 function as a strain relief. In addition, the FFC 11 bent into a substantially Ω shape is displaced in the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction when tension is applied, and is restored to a linear shape. However, the insertion piece 80 of the fixing plate 66 is formed of the FFC 11. The fixing plate 66 is not dropped from the rear cover 65 even when the FFC 11 is pulled strongly, because it is inserted in the vertical groove 79 of the rear cover 65 in the width direction. Other effects are the same as those of the flat cable waterproof connector 10 of the first embodiment described above.

  Further, in the flat cable waterproof connector of the present embodiment, the fixing plate 66 is mounted on the rear cover 65 from the side corresponding to the width direction of the FFC 11, and the FFC 11 is sandwiched between these two members. Such a flat cable holding structure is easy to apply even when the flat cable has multiple stages, and has the advantage of contributing to the miniaturization of the connector.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably. In addition, the material, shape, dimension, numerical value, form, number, arrangement location, and the like of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

It is a disassembled perspective view of 1st Embodiment of the waterproof connector for flat cables which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing in the assembly state of the waterproof connector for flat cables of FIG. It is 2nd Embodiment of the waterproof connector for flat cables which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view of a rear cover and a fixing plate. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where a flat cable is sandwiched between a rear cover and a fixing plate in FIG. 3. It is 3rd Embodiment of the waterproof connector for flat cables which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view of a rear cover and a fixing plate. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where a flat cable is sandwiched between the rear cover and the fixing plate of FIG. 5. It is sectional drawing of the conventional waterproof connector for flat cables.

Explanation of symbols

10 Waterproof connector for flat cable 11 FFC (flat cable)
12 terminal 13 connector housing 14 seal member 15 rear cover 16 fixing plate 24 introduction hole 27 insertion hole 27a opening 29 step part 30 fitting part 31 horizontal groove 32 protrusion

Claims (2)

A connector housing for accommodating the terminals connected to the terminal portion of the flat cable,
A sealing member that will be interposed between the connector Pillow grayed and the flat cable,
Has an insertion hole into which the connector Pillow grayed or we rolled out the said flat cable is inserted, and a rear cover which is mounted on the proximal end of the connector housing while inserting the flat cable to the insertion hole,
A fixing plate attached to the rear cover so as to sandwich the flat cable inserted through the insertion hole of the rear cover with the rear cover;
Bei to give a,
In the rear cover, a step portion for expanding the insertion hole in the thickness direction of the flat cable inserted through the insertion hole is recessed in the opening portion of the insertion hole, and the flat cable extends to the step portion. A lateral groove extending in the opposite direction to the exit direction is recessed,
The fixing plate has a fitting portion that can be fitted to the step portion by interposing the flat cable between the step portion and the flat cable between the wall surface defining the lateral groove. Protrusions that can be fitted in the lateral grooves by being interposed are provided in the fitting portions,
The flat cable waterproof connector is characterized in that by mounting the fixing plate on the rear cover, the flat cable is positioned with the displacement in the thickness direction and the width direction being regulated in the insertion hole. The rear cover extends in the thickness direction of the flat cable inserted through the insertion hole from the middle portion of the insertion hole, and extends in the width direction of the flat cable to connect the insertion hole, the vertical groove, and the outside. And a communication hole that allows communication,
The fixing plate has an insertion piece that can be inserted into the vertical groove with the flat cable interposed between the fixing plate and the wall surface that defines the vertical groove. The waterproof connector for flat cables according to claim 1.

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