JP4781947B2 - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector having a waterproof function.

  Conventionally, various so-called waterproof connectors having a waterproof function have been developed as connectors applied to automobile wire harnesses and the like.

  For example, as a conventional waterproof connector, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, a female connector 120, a male connector 130, and a holder 140 provided between the female connector 120 and the male connector 130 are provided. A waterproof connector 100 is provided.

  The female connector 120 includes a female terminal 2 to which the electric wire 1 is connected and a female housing 121 that locks the female terminal 2. The female housing 121 accommodates a plurality of female terminals into which the female terminals 2 are inserted. It has the chamber 122 and the some female terminal latching | locking part 123 which latches the female terminal 2. As shown in FIG. The male connector 130 includes a male terminal 3 connected to an unillustrated electric wire, and a male housing 131 that holds the male terminal 3. The male housing 131 protrudes toward the female connector 120 to project a plurality of male connectors. A plurality of male terminal holding portions 132 for holding the terminals 3 are provided.

  The holder 140 includes a substantially plate-shaped seal member 150 made of an elastic member, and a pressing portion 141 that presses the seal member 150 between the female housing 121 and a front end surface where the female terminal accommodating chamber 122 opens. The side wall 143 has a shape extending from the pressing portion 141 toward the female connector 120 and surrounding the front end portion of the female housing 121. The pressing portion 141 is provided with a plurality of first insertion holes 141a through which the plurality of male terminal holding portions 132 can be inserted. Further, the seal member 150 is provided with a second insertion hole 150a through which the plurality of male terminal holding portions 132 can be inserted, at a position corresponding to the first insertion hole 141a.

  In the conventional waterproof connector 100 as described above, the seal member 150 is elastically deformed between the pressing portion 141 of the holder 140 and the front end surface of the female housing 121, so that the end surface of the seal member 150 on the female housing 121 side The female housing 121 is brought into close contact with the front end surface of the female housing 121, and the inner peripheral portion of the second insertion hole 150 a of the seal member 150 and the outer peripheral portion of the male terminal holding portion 132 of the male housing 131 are brought into close contact with each other. The water immersion from the outer peripheral portion and the water immersion from the male terminal holding part 132 are suppressed, and the water immersion into the female terminal accommodating chamber 122 is suppressed.

Such a conventional waterproof connector is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.
JP 2003-297479 A

  Among such waterproof connectors, those used in automobiles and the like are required to be miniaturized because of the demand for space saving.

  However, since the waterproof connector 100 is waterproofed by bringing the inner peripheral portion of the second insertion hole 150a provided in the seal member 150 into close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the male terminal holding portion 132, the seal member A sufficient elastic member that can be in close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the male terminal holding part 132 must be secured between the second insertion holes 150a. Therefore, since the distance between the second insertion holes 150a of the seal member 150, and hence the distance between the male terminals 3 and the distance between the female terminals 2, cannot be reduced, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the waterproof connector. In addition, a plurality of male terminal holding portions 132 corresponding to the number of male terminals 3 are provided in the male housing 131, and a plurality of second insertion holes 150a corresponding to the male terminal holding portions 132 must be provided in the seal member 150. The structures of the male housing 131 and the seal member 150 are complicated.

  In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof connector that can secure a waterproof function and can be miniaturized.

As means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides a female connector including a plurality of female terminals to which electric wires are connected and a female housing for holding the plurality of female terminals, a plurality of male terminals to which electric wires are connected, and When the male connector having a male housing for holding the plurality of male terminals and the male housing and the female housing are engaged with each other and the male connector and the female connector are fitted, this fitting is performed. The female housing includes a plurality of female terminal receiving chambers into which the plurality of female terminals are inserted from the rear, and a female terminal inserted into the plurality of female terminal receiving chambers. A plurality of female terminal locking portions that respectively lock the male housing, the male housing has a male terminal holding portion that protrudes toward the female connector, and the male terminal holding portion is In a region inside the peripheral surface, the plurality of male terminals have a shape that collectively holds so as to protrude from the end surface of the male terminal holding portion toward the female connector, and the holder includes the holder A connector housing wall having a shape surrounding a fitting portion between the female connector and the male connector; and a seal member made of an elastic member and provided on the inner circumferential portion of the connector housing wall over the entire circumference. The member has a cylindrical shape and collectively surrounds the outer peripheral portion of the front end portion of the female housing in a state where the outer peripheral portion of the front end portion of the female housing in which the female terminal accommodating chamber opens is inserted into the inner peripheral portion. The outer peripheral portion of the male terminal holding portion of the male housing in a state where the outer peripheral portion of the male terminal holding portion of the male housing is inserted into the inner peripheral portion of the female side sealing member having such a shape. Enclose in bulk And a male-side seal member having a shape as the male terminal holding portion, said in a state of being inserted in the inner peripheral portion of the male-side seal member, the inner peripheral portion of the male sealing member, and held A sealing member that has a shape extending between the plurality of male terminals and that surrounds the outer peripheral portion of the housing on the side of the female-side sealing member and the male-side sealing member that locks the holder, In this state, the inner peripheral portion closely contacts the outer peripheral portion of the housing on the locking side, thereby sealing the gap between the outer peripheral portion of the housing and the inner peripheral portion of the connector receiving wall of the holder, The other sealing member of the sealing member and the male side sealing member has its inner peripheral portion in close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the other housing when the female connector and the male connector are fitted together. A waterproof connector is provided in which a gap between an outer peripheral portion of the connector and an inner peripheral portion of the connector housing wall of the holder is sealed (Claim 1).

  According to such a configuration, the inner peripheral portion of the connector housing wall of the holder and the outer peripheral portion of the front end portion where the female terminal housing chamber of the female housing opens are sealed by the female side sealing member. It is possible to prevent water from entering the female terminal accommodating chamber from between the two. In addition, since the male terminal holding portion protrudes toward the female connector side and is configured to hold the plurality of male terminals together in a region inside the outer peripheral surface, the male side sealing member By sealing the outer peripheral part of the male terminal holding part and the inner peripheral part of the connector housing wall of the holder, it is possible to collectively prevent water from entering the male terminal side from between the male terminal holding part and the holder. be able to. Therefore, since it is not necessary to provide a sealing member between male terminals, the distance between terminals can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the male connector, and hence the waterproof connector. That is, as compared with the conventional case where a plurality of male terminal holding parts are provided and male terminals are individually held, and the outer peripheral portions of the plurality of male terminal holding parts are respectively sealed by the sealing member, In addition, the waterproof function can be reliably ensured and the waterproof connector can be downsized.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the seal member is bonded to the connector housing wall with an adhesive or the like, or the seal member is integrally formed with the connector housing wall by two-color molding or insert molding. Item 2, 3, 4).

  According to such a configuration, since the seal member, that is, the male side seal member and the female side seal member, and the connector housing wall can be securely adhered, the male side seal member, the female side seal member, and the connector housing wall Infiltration from the gap can be reliably suppressed. Further, when the holder is engaged with the male housing or the female housing, the displacement of the male side seal member or the female side seal member can be suppressed, and the waterproof function by the male side seal member and the female side seal member can be more reliably ensured. Can be secured. Moreover, if it shape | molds integrally previously, assembly | attachment efficiency can be improved.

  In the present invention, the female housing has a holder locking portion for locking the holder and a lock portion for locking the male connector, and the holder engages with the holder locking portion. And a holder-engaged portion capable of bringing the inner peripheral portion of the female-side seal member into close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the front end portion of the female housing, and the male housing is locked to the lock portion. It is preferable that the inner side portion of the male-side seal member can be brought into close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the male terminal holding portion, and has a locked portion that can fit the male connector and the female connector ( Claim 5).

  According to such a configuration, the female-side seal member can be securely adhered to the female housing by locking the holder to the female housing. Further, by locking the male housing to the female housing, the male connector and the female connector can be reliably fitted together, and the male side sealing member can be securely adhered to the male housing.

Further, in the present invention, the connector housing wall has a shape extending rearward from a portion where the female seal member is provided, and the engagement between the holder locking portion and the holder locked portion is engaged. In this state, it is preferable that the outer peripheral portion of the female housing has a shape that contacts the inner peripheral portion of the connector housing wall behind the front end portion that is in close contact with the female-side seal member .

According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the radial movement of the female housing in the way the rear part of the female housing, it is possible to suppress the positional displacement of the female housing.

  In the present invention, the female terminal locking portion includes a locking position at which the female terminal can be locked, and a locking release position that retreats from the locking position to release the locking state of the female terminal. And the holder protrudes toward the female connector and is inserted into each of the plurality of female terminal accommodating chambers, and the female terminal locking portion is moved from the locking position. It is preferable to have a plurality of double locking portions that suppress elastic displacement to the unlocking position.

  According to such a configuration, since the female terminal is double-locked by the female terminal locking portion and the double locking portion, it is possible to more reliably prevent the female terminal from coming off.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of double locking portions have a plurality of guide portions that respectively guide the plurality of male terminals to the female terminal accommodating chamber.

  According to such a structure, since the shift | offset | difference of the male terminal with respect to a female terminal is suppressed, fitting with a female terminal and a male terminal can be made easy.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a waterproof connector that can be miniaturized while ensuring a waterproof function.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a waterproof connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a waterproof connector 10 according to this embodiment. The waterproof connector 10 includes a female connector 20, a male connector 30, and a holder 40. As shown in FIG. 1, the female connector 20 has a female terminal 2 to which the electric wire 1 is connected and a female housing 21 made of resin or the like. The male connector 30 has a male terminal 3 to which an unillustrated electric wire is connected and a male housing 31 made of resin or the like. 2 is an exploded sectional view showing the female housing 21 and the holder 40, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the female connector 20 to which the holder 40 is attached, and FIG. 4 is a female connector to which the holder 40 is attached. FIG. 5 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the connector 20 and the male connector 30, FIG. 5 is a front view of the holder 40 viewed from the male connector 30 side, and FIG. 6 is a rear view of the holder 40 viewed from the female connector 20 side. is there.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the female housing 21 includes a plurality of female terminal accommodating chambers 22 into which the female terminals 2 can be inserted from the rear, and the female terminals 2 inserted into the female terminal accommodating chambers 22. A plurality of female terminal locking portions 23 to be stopped are provided. The female terminal locking portion 23 is provided on the upper surface of the inner peripheral wall of the female terminal accommodating chamber 22 and has a shape that swells obliquely downward from the upper side surface of the inner peripheral wall toward the front end side. . Because of this shape, the front end portion of the female terminal locking portion 23 can be elastically displaced upward, and the female terminal 2 is pushed into the female terminal receiving chamber 22 while pushing the female terminal locking portion 23 upward at the front end portion. Inserted. The engaged portion 2b provided on the upper surface of the female terminal 2 engages with the front end portion of the female terminal engaging portion 23, whereby the female terminal 2 is engaged with the female terminal engaging portion 23. .

  The female terminal accommodating chamber 22 is opened at the front end surface of the female housing 21, and the male terminal 3 can be inserted through the opening. On the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion of the female housing 21, an upper main locking projection 25a (holder locking portion) for locking the holder 40 and a locking arm 26 (locking portion) for locking the male housing 31 are provided. In addition, a temporary locking projection 25b and a lower main locking projection 25c (holder locking portion) are provided on the lower surface of the outer peripheral portion of the female housing so as to be lined up in the axial direction. The upper main locking projection 25a, the temporary locking projection 25b, and the lower main locking projection 25c protrude outward, and the locking arm 26 has a shape that can be elastically displaced in the vertical direction. .

  The temporary locking protrusion 25 b is for temporarily locking the holder 40 to the female housing 21 before the female terminal 2 is inserted into the female housing 21. The temporary locking protrusion 25b engages with a lower locked hole 43b of the holder 40 described later, so that the front end portion of the female housing 21 and the seal member 50 are in contact with each other as shown in FIG. The holder 40 is temporarily locked in the absence. Further, in this temporarily locked state, the position of a double locking portion 44 of the holder 40 described later is forward of the front end surface of the female terminal 2 locked to the female terminal locking portion 23 as shown in FIG. become.

  On the other hand, the upper main locking projection 25a and the lower main locking projection 25c are used for locking the holder 40 to the female housing 21 after the female terminal 2 is locked by the female terminal locking portion 23. Is. Then, the main locking projections 25a and 25c are respectively engaged with an upper locked hole 43a and a lower locked hole 43b of the holder 40, which will be described later, so that the front end of the female connector 20 as shown in FIG. The holder 40 is fully locked to the female connector 20 in a state where the outer peripheral portion of the portion is in close contact with the inner peripheral portion of the seal member 50. At this time, the double locking portion 44 of the holder 40 is inserted into the female terminal accommodating chamber 22 and disposed above the female terminal 2.

  Furthermore, the outer peripheral part of the female housing 21 has a shape that is recessed toward the front, and the size in the radial direction differs between the front end part that is in close contact with the female side sealing member 51 described later and the rear part thereof. That is, the outer peripheral portion of the female housing 21 increases in the radial direction from the front end portion toward the rear, and the outer peripheral portion abuts on the inner peripheral portion of the connector housing wall 41 of the holder 40 described later in the rear portion. It has a shape.

  The male housing 31 has a base portion 35 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 and a hood 33 extending from the outer peripheral portion of the base portion 35 to the female connector 20 side.

  A male terminal holding portion 32 protrudes from the central portion of the base portion 35 toward the female connector 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the male terminal holding portion 32 has a size that can be inserted into the inner peripheral portion of the holder 40, and holds all the male terminals 3 in a region inside the outer peripheral surface. ing. The male terminals 3 protrude from the end surface 32 a of the male terminal holding portion 32 toward the female connector 20, and the protruding portion and the female terminal 2 are fitted.

  The hood 33 has a shape capable of accommodating the female connector 20 and the holder 40 inside thereof. Further, on the outer peripheral portion of the hood 33, a locking projection 34 (locked portion) that is locked to a locking arm 26 provided on the female housing 21 is provided. The engagement between the female connector 20 and the male connector 30 is locked by engaging the locking projection 34 with the locking arm 26.

  The holder 40 includes a connector housing wall 41 and a seal member 50. The connector housing wall 41 is formed of resin or the like and has a shape that surrounds the fitting portion between the female connector 20 and the male connector 30. The seal member 50 is made of an elastic member such as rubber and is provided on the inner peripheral portion of the connector housing wall 41 over the entire circumference. The outer peripheral portion of the connector housing wall 41 has an upper locked hole 43a (holder locked portion) locked to an upper main locking projection 25a provided in the female housing 21, and the temporary locking projection. 25b and a lower locked hole 43b (holder locked portion) that is locked to the lower main locking projection 25c is formed.

  A partition wall 42 is formed integrally with the connector receiving wall 41. The partition wall 42 supports a plurality of double locking portions 44 to be described later, and is provided at a central portion in the axial direction of the seal member 50. The plurality of double locking portions 44 supported by the partition wall 42 are provided at positions corresponding to the female terminal accommodating chambers 23 so as to protrude to the female connector 20 side. The double locking portion 44 is for suppressing the female terminal locking portion 23 from being elastically displaced upward due to vibration or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the double locking portion 44 is inserted into the female terminal accommodating chamber 22 and disposed above the female terminal 2 so that the front end portion of the female terminal locking portion 23 is elastic. The displacement of the female terminal 2 is restricted from being retracted. The double locking portion 44 is formed with a guide hole (guide portion) 44a for guiding the male terminal 3 into the female terminal accommodating chamber 22 on the male connector 30 side.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6, the seal member 50 includes a female-side seal member 51 and a male-side seal member 52 provided on the female connector 20 and male connector 30 sides with the partition wall 42 interposed therebetween. . The female side sealing member 51 and the male side sealing member 52 each have a substantially cylindrical shape, and are attached to the inner peripheral portion of the connector housing wall 41. Specifically, it is bonded to the inner peripheral portion of the connector housing wall 41 with an adhesive or the like, or is formed integrally with the connector housing wall 41 by two-color molding or insert molding, It is attached in close contact with the inner periphery. Further, on the inner peripheral portions of the female-side seal member 51 and the male-side seal member 52, close-contact convex portions 51a and 52a that protrude radially inward are provided over the entire circumference. The front end portion of the female connector 20 and the male terminal holding portion 32 can be inserted into each inner peripheral portion.

  Next, a method for assembling the above components will be described.

  First, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holder 40 is temporarily locked to the female housing 21. Specifically, the front end portion of the female housing 21 is inserted into the connector housing wall 41 of the holder 40. Then, the temporary locking protrusion 25 b provided on the female housing 21 and the lower locked hole 43 b provided on the connector housing wall 41 are engaged. At this time, the female-side seal member 51 is not in contact with the front end surface of the female housing 21. At this time, the double locking portion 44 of the holder 40 is inserted into the female terminal accommodating chamber 22. However, the end surface of the double locking portion 44 is positioned in front of the front end surface of the female terminal 2 in a state where it is locked to the female terminal locking portion 23.

  Next, the plurality of female terminals 2 to which the electric wires 1 are connected are inserted into the female terminal accommodating chamber 22. And the to-be-latched part 2b provided in the upper part of the female terminal 2 and the female terminal latching | locking part 23 provided in the female housing 21 are engaged. By this engagement, the female terminal 2 is held in the female terminal accommodating chamber 22. At this time, as described above, the holder 40 and the female housing 21 are still in a temporarily locked state, and the female-side seal member 51 and the female housing 21 are not in close contact with each other. That is, since the female housing 21 can move slightly in the radial direction, the female terminal 2 can be inserted into the female terminal accommodating chamber 22 relatively easily.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the holder 40 is permanently locked to the female housing 21. Specifically, the front end portion of the female housing 21 is inserted into the inner peripheral portion of the female side sealing member 51 while pressing the female side sealing member 51 radially outward by the outer peripheral portion of the female housing 21. Then, the upper locked hole 43a of the holder 40 and the upper main locking protrusion 25a of the female housing 21 are engaged. Furthermore, the lower locking hole 43 b of the holder 40 and the lower main locking projection 25 c of the female housing 21 are engaged to lock the holder 40 to the female housing 21.

  At this time, the female-side seal member 51 is elastically deformed by being pressed against the outer peripheral portion of the female housing 21 as described above, and is in close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the female housing 21. As described above, the seal member 50 is bonded or integrally formed with the holder 40. Accordingly, the gap between the female housing 21 and the holder 40 is sealed by the elastic deformation of the female side sealing member 51. In particular, if the sealing member 51 is provided with the close contact convex portion 51a, the gap can be more reliably sealed. Thus, when the gap between the female housing 21 and the holder 40 is sealed, the outer sides of the plurality of female terminal accommodating chambers 22 of the female housing 21 are collectively surrounded by the female-side seal member 51. Intrusion of water from the outside into the female terminal accommodating chamber 22 is suppressed.

  Further, at the time of the main locking, the double locking portion 44 of the holder 40 is inserted above the female terminal 2 locked by the female terminal locking portion 23. Therefore, it is difficult for the female terminal locking portion 23 to move upward from the locking position at which the female terminal 2 is locked to the unlocking position at which this locked state is released. It is held in the terminal accommodating chamber 22. Further, at the time of the final locking, the front end surface of the female housing 21 and the end surface of the partition wall 42 come into contact with each other, and the rear portion of the outer peripheral portion of the female housing 21 and the connector of the holder 40 from the portion facing the female-side seal member 51. The inner peripheral portion of the accommodation wall 41 is in contact with the inner wall 41.

  Next, the male connector 30 is fitted to the female connector 20 to which the holder 40 is attached. First, as shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of male terminals 3 are inserted through the male terminal holding portion 32 of the male connector 30. At this time, the plurality of male terminals 3 are projected from the end surface 32 a of the male terminal holding portion 32 toward the female connector 20. The holder 40 and the female connector 20 are inserted into the inner peripheral portion of the hood 33 while the male terminal holding portion 32 is inserted into the inner peripheral portion of the male seal member 52. At this time, the male-side seal member 52 is pressed radially outward by the outer peripheral portion of the male terminal holding portion 32. By this pressing, the male side sealing member 52 is elastically deformed and is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the male terminal holding portion 32. The insertion is performed until the locking protrusion 34 provided on the outer peripheral portion of the hood 33 of the male housing 31 and the locking arm 26 of the female housing 21 are engaged, and the male connector 30 and the female connector 20 are locked. Do. Then, by inserting the holder 40 and the female connector 20, the plurality of male terminals 3 are guided in the guide portions 44 a provided in the double locking portions 44 of the holder 40, and are respectively in the corresponding female terminal accommodating chambers 22. Inserted into. As a result, the plurality of male terminals 3 are electrically connected to the corresponding female terminals 2, respectively.

  Here, since the male-side seal member 52 is fixed in close contact with the connector housing wall 41 as described above, the male-side seal member 52 comes into close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the male terminal holding portion 32 so that the male housing. The outer peripheral portion 31 and the inner peripheral portion of the connector housing wall 41 are sealed. That is, the outer side of the portion of the plurality of male terminals 3 that protrudes from the end surface 32 a of the male terminal holding portion 32 toward the female connector 20 is collectively surrounded by the male-side seal member 52. Therefore, it is possible to reliably suppress water from entering from the outside to the side where the plurality of male terminals 3 protrude. In particular, if the male-side seal member 52 is provided with the close contact convex portion 52a as described above, this sealing can be further ensured.

  As described above, the female connector 20 and the male connector 30 are fitted and electrically connected to each other, and the assembly of the waterproof connector 10 is completed.

  As described above, in the waterproof connector 10, the male connector 30 is provided with the male terminal holding portion 32 that collectively holds the plurality of male terminals 3. By constituting so as to enclose the portion at once, it is possible to prevent water from entering the male terminal 3 projecting from the end surface 32a of the male terminal holding portion 32 from the outside. That is, the male-side seal member 52 can seal the space between the male terminal holding portion 32 and the connector housing wall 41 to prevent water from entering. Accordingly, since it is not necessary to provide a sealing member between the plurality of male terminal holding portions 32, the distance between the male terminals 3 can be reduced, and the male connector 30 and thus the waterproof connector 10 can be miniaturized. Become. Further, the shapes of the male connector 30 and the seal member 50 can be simplified.

  Similarly, in the waterproof connector 10, the female side sealing member 51 is provided so as to surround the front end portion of the female housing 21, and the female side sealing member 51 allows the outer peripheral portion of the front end portion of the female housing 21 and the connector receiving wall 41 of the holder 40. By sealing the space between the connector housing wall 41 and the female housing 21, it is possible to prevent water from entering the front end surface where the female terminal housing chamber 22 opens.

  Further, as described above, the male side seal member 52 and the female side seal member 51 are pressed in the radial direction between the outer peripheral portion of the male terminal holding portion 32 and the outer peripheral portion of the female housing 21 and the connector housing wall 41 of the holder 40. If the sealing member is configured to be elastically deformed, the pressing force on the sealing member varies with the vibration in the axial direction of the waterproof connector 10 as compared with the case where the sealing member is elastically deformed by pressing in the axial direction. Can be suppressed.

  Further, if the connector housing wall 41 and the seal member 50 of the holder 40 are integrally formed as described above, the seal member 50 and the connector housing wall 41 can be securely adhered, and the seal member 50 When the female housing 21 and the male terminal holding portion 32 are inserted into the inner peripheral portion, it is possible to prevent the female side sealing member 51 and the male side sealing member 52 from shifting. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably suppress water from the gap between the connector housing wall 41 and the seal members 51 and 52. Furthermore, when it forms integrally as mentioned above, the effort of an assembly can be reduced.

  Further, as described above, the partition 42 is provided between the male-side seal member 52 and the female-side seal member 51 of the holder 40, and the double locking that suppresses the elastic displacement of the female terminal locking portion 23 is provided on the partition 42. If the portion 44 is provided, the female terminal 2 can be more reliably held in the female terminal accommodating chamber 22. Therefore, even if a pulling force is applied to the electric wire 1 connected to the female terminal 2 due to vibration or the like, the displacement of the female terminal 2 can be suppressed and connection failure with the male terminal 3 can be suppressed.

  Moreover, if the guide part 44a which guides the male terminal 3 to the female terminal accommodating chamber 22 is provided in the double latching part 44 as mentioned above, position shift of the female terminal 2 and the male terminal 3 can be suppressed. Thus, the female terminal 2 and the male terminal 3 can be easily fitted.

  Further, as described above, if the outer peripheral portion of the female housing 21 is recessed toward the front and the outer peripheral portion and the inner peripheral portion of the connector receiving wall 41 of the holder 40 are in contact with each other, the female A radial shift of the housing 21 with respect to the holder 40 can be suppressed.

  Here, the female side sealing member 51 and the male side sealing member 52 may be integrally formed, or may be separate.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the female terminal 21 and the holder 40 are fixed by temporarily holding and fully locking the holder 40 to the female housing 21 has been described.

  In the above embodiment, the holder 40 is locked to the female housing 21, but may be locked to the male housing 31.

  Moreover, although the case where the male terminal 3 was inserted and held in the male terminal holding part 32 was shown in the said embodiment, even if the male terminal 3 and the male terminal holding part 32 are integrally molded by two-color molding etc. Good.

It is sectional drawing of the waterproof connector which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing an exploded female housing and holder of the waterproof connector shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing an exploded female housing and female terminals of the waterproof connector shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the waterproof connector shown in FIG. 1 in an exploded manner. It is a front view of the holder of the waterproof connector shown in FIG. It is a rear view of the holder of the waterproof connector shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the conventional waterproof connector. It is sectional drawing of the holder of the conventional waterproof connector shown in FIG. It is a front view of the holder of the conventional waterproof connector shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric wire 2 Female terminal 3 Male terminal 10 Waterproof connector 20 Female connector 21 Female housing 22 Female terminal accommodating chamber 23 Female terminal latching | locking part 30 Male connector 31 Male housing 32 Male terminal holding | maintenance part 33 Hood 40 Holder 41 Connector accommodating wall 42 Bulkhead 44 Double locking portion 44a Guide portion 50 Seal member 51 Female side seal member 52 Male side seal member

Claims (8)

A female connector comprising a plurality of female terminals to which an electric wire is connected and a female housing for holding the plurality of female terminals;
A male connector comprising a plurality of male terminals to which an electric wire is connected and a male housing for holding the plurality of male terminals;
A holder that is locked to one of the male housing and the female housing, and is provided so as to surround the fitting portion when the male connector and the female connector are fitted.
The female housing includes a plurality of female terminal housing chambers into which the plurality of female terminals are inserted from the rear, and a plurality of female terminal latches that respectively latch the female terminals inserted into the plurality of female terminal housing chambers. And
The male housing has a male terminal holding part protruding to the female connector side,
The male terminal holding portion is shaped so as to hold the plurality of male terminals collectively so as to protrude from the end surface of the male terminal holding portion to the female connector side in a region inside the outer peripheral surface. Have
The holder includes a connector housing wall having a shape surrounding a fitting portion between the female connector and the male connector, and a seal member that is formed of an elastic member and is provided on the inner circumferential portion of the connector housing wall. Have
The seal member has a cylindrical shape, and the outer peripheral portion of the front end portion of the female housing is inserted into the inner peripheral portion with the outer peripheral portion of the front end portion of the female housing being inserted into the inner peripheral portion. A female-side sealing member having a shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the male terminal holding portion of the male housing in a state where the outer peripheral portion of the male terminal holding portion of the male housing is inserted into the inner peripheral portion. A male-side seal member having a shape that encloses the part collectively,
The male terminal holding portion is inserted into the inner peripheral portion of the male seal member, and has a shape extending between the plurality of male terminals held in the inner peripheral portion of the male seal member. Have
Of the female side seal member and the male side seal member, the seal member surrounding the outer peripheral part of the housing on the side where the holder is locked is, in the locked state, the inner peripheral part is the outer periphery of the housing on the locking side. By closely contacting the part, the gap between the outer peripheral part of the housing and the inner peripheral part of the connector housing wall of the holder is sealed,
Of the female-side seal member and the male-side seal member, the other seal member has its inner peripheral portion in close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the other housing when the female connector and the male connector are fitted together. A waterproof connector, wherein a gap between the outer peripheral portion of the holder and the inner peripheral portion of the connector housing wall of the holder is sealed. The waterproof connector according to claim 1,
The waterproof connector, wherein the seal member is bonded to the connector housing wall with an adhesive or the like. The waterproof connector according to claim 1,
The waterproof connector, wherein the seal member is molded integrally with the connector housing wall by two-color molding. The waterproof connector according to claim 1,
The waterproof connector, wherein the seal member is formed integrally with the connector housing wall by insert molding. The waterproof connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The female housing has a holder locking portion for locking the holder, and a lock portion for locking the male connector,
The holder has a holder locked portion that can be brought into close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the front end portion of the female housing by engaging the holder locking portion.
The male housing can be brought into close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the male terminal holding portion by fitting the male connector and the female connector by being locked to the lock portion. A waterproof connector having a locked part that can be locked. The waterproof connector according to claim 5,
The connector housing wall has a shape extending rearward from a portion where the female seal member is provided,
In the engaged state in which the holder locking portion and the holder locked portion are engaged, the outer peripheral portion of the female housing is behind the front end portion in close contact with the female-side seal member, and A waterproof connector having a shape that abuts against an inner peripheral portion . The waterproof connector according to claim 5 or 6,
The female terminal locking portion is elastically displaceable between a locking position at which the female terminal can be locked and a locking release position that retreats from the locking position and releases the locking state of the female terminal. Have a shape,
A plurality of the holders protruding to the female connector side and inserted into the plurality of female terminal accommodating chambers, respectively, to suppress elastic displacement of the female terminal locking portion from the locking position to the locking release position. A waterproof connector having a double locking portion. The waterproof connector according to claim 7,
The waterproof connector, wherein the plurality of double locking portions have a plurality of guide portions for guiding the plurality of male terminals to the female terminal accommodating chamber, respectively.

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