JP5218236B2 - Relay connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a relay connector.

  A conventional relay connector is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This is for connecting two connectors (first and second connectors) to each other, and has a cylindrical first and second fitting part into which the first and second connectors can be fitted respectively. A housing is provided. The housing is provided with a wall for partitioning the first and second fitting portions, and a pin-shaped bus bar is mounted on the wall by insert molding. Both end portions of the bus bar are arranged so as to protrude inside the first and second fitting portions, and the first and second connectors are attached to the first and second connectors as the first and second connectors are fitted. And electrically connected to the second terminal fitting.

JP 2006-147248 A (FIG. 8)

  By the way, although both said 1st and 2nd terminal metal fittings are connected to the terminal of an electric wire, water may permeate into the inside (between strands) of an electric wire, and may be transmitted to a bus bar. For this reason, prior to insert molding, a sealing material for preventing water from entering the intermediate portion of the bus bar may be applied, and the applied portion of the sealing material may be molded into the wall. However, the sealing material in this case is required not to deteriorate even at a high temperature at the time of insert molding, and it is difficult to select the sealing material. In addition, there is a situation in which the cost of a mold for insert molding is increased. On the other hand, if the insert molding is abolished, the sealing material cannot be applied to the intermediate portion of the bus bar located in the wall, and the waterproofness is impaired.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to ensure waterproofness even when water enters the electric wire.

As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 comprises a housing having first and second fitting portions into which the first and second connectors can be respectively fitted, and the housing includes the first and second fitting portions. 1. A wall for partitioning between the first and second fitting portions is provided, and a bus bar is inserted through the wall. Both end portions of the bus bar face the first and second fitting portions, respectively. 1. When the second connector is fitted into the first and second fitting portions, the bus bar is connected to the first and second terminal fittings with electric wires attached to the first and second connectors, respectively. both end portions are connected, said wall sealing hole sealing material is introduced is formed in the intermediate portion of the bus bar, the faces the sealing hole, the relay connector that has contact with the sealing material The housing includes a first housing having the first fitting portion; The first housing is separate from the first housing and has the second fitting portion. The first and second housings each have a divided portion of the wall and the sealing hole, and are combined with each other. Thus, the wall and the sealing hole are formed, and the sealing material is a filling resin material and has fluidity .

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a connector described in claim 1, the outer surface of the wall, with the introduction port for introducing the sealing material into the sealing hole is formed opening, the The present invention is characterized in that an introduction outlet that is located on the opposite side of the introduction port and can visually recognize the introduction state of the sealing material is opened.

<Invention of Claim 1>
Since the sealing material is brought into contact with the intermediate portion of the bus bar by introducing the sealing material into the sealing hole formed in the wall that partitions the first and second fitting portions, temporarily, Even if water enters and reaches the middle of the bus bar, the sealing material prevents further water from entering. Therefore, predetermined waterproofness is ensured.

Further, since the wall and the sealing hole are formed by combining the first and second housings with each other, a process such as drilling a hole in the housing becomes unnecessary, and the manufacturing difficulty is eliminated.

Moreover, since the sealing material is a filled resin material and has fluidity, the introduction work into the sealing hole is facilitated and the contact property to the bus bar is excellent.

<Invention of Claim 2 >
On the outer surface of the wall, an introduction outlet that can visually recognize the introduction state of the sealing material is formed on the opposite side of the introduction port, so that sealing can be performed by looking at the state of the sealing material from the introduction outlet. The amount of material introduced can be confirmed. Moreover, it can be confirmed whether the bus bar and the sealing material are in good contact.

Sectional drawing of the relay connector of Embodiment 1 Sectional drawing of a state before the first and second housings are connected to each other Top view of connecting part of relay connector Exploded sectional view of relay connector Sectional view of the relay connector when the first and second connectors are in the temporary locking position before insertion of the female terminal fitting Sectional view of the relay connector when the first and second connectors are in the temporary locking position after insertion of the female terminal fitting

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The relay connector 10 of this embodiment includes a housing 20 and a bus bar 90.

  The housing 20 is made of synthetic resin, and includes first and second housings 21A and 21B that can be connected to each other. In the following description, with respect to the front-rear direction, the connection surface side of the first and second housings 21A, 21B is the front, and the vertical direction is based on FIG.

  The bus bar 90 is made of a conductive metal and is configured as a pin-shaped male terminal fitting. The bus bar 90 is formed to extend linearly along the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first housing 21A has a back wall 22A and a cylindrical first fitting portion 23A that protrudes forward from the outer peripheral edge of the back wall 22A, specifically, to the right as viewed in the figure. doing. A stepped portion 24A is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the first fitting portion 23A, and the opening area on the front side of the stepped portion 24A is larger than the rear side. A rubber seal ring 25A, which is positioned in close contact with the stepped portion 24A, is fitted inside the first fitting portion 23A. The seal ring 25A is formed with a retaining portion 26A protruding outward. The first fitting portion 23A is formed with a retaining portion 27A that receives the retaining portion 26A. When the retaining portion 26A is elastically fitted to the retaining member 27A, the sealing ring 25A is prevented from being detached from the first housing 21A.

  In addition, the first fitting portion 23A is formed with a main latch receiving portion 28A penetratingly formed at a position farther from the back wall 22A than the seal ring 25A, and further the rear wall 22A than the main latch receiving portion 28A. A temporary latch receiving portion 29 </ b> A is formed so as to penetrate at a position distant from. A lock portion 58A of a first connector 50A, which will be described later, can be locked to the temporary lock receiving portion 29A and the main lock receiving portion 28A.

  An insertion hole 31A through which the bus bar 90 is inserted in a press-fitted state is formed through the center of the back wall 22A. Further, a first divided hole 32A that defines a sealing hole 42 is formed between a rear surface of the rear wall 22A, that is, a surface of the rear wall 22A that faces the second housing 21B, and a second divided hole 32B that will be described later. Has been. The first divided hole 32A is semicircular in cross section and has a shape extending over the entire height of the back wall 22A, and both end portions in the height direction are narrower than the intermediate portion. Of the both end portions in the height direction of the first divided hole 32A, the upper end portion is a first introduction port 33A that defines an introduction port 43 of the sealing material 80 between the second divided hole 32B described later and the lower end. The part is a first introduction outlet 34A that defines an introduction outlet 44 of the sealing material 80 between the second divided hole 32B described later.

  Also, a pair of flexible housing lock portions 35 are formed at both ends in the width direction of the first housing 21A so as to protrude rearward. A lock hole 36 is formed in the housing lock portion 35, and a lock projection 37 (to be described later) is elastically fitted into the lock hole 36 so that the connection state of the first and second housings 21A and 21B is maintained. It has become.

  The second housing 21B has a common structure portion having the same shape as the first housing 21A. The common structure portion includes a seal ring 25B having a retaining portion 26B, a back wall 22B having an insertion hole 31B, a stepped portion 24B, a retaining receiving portion 27B, a main locking receiving portion 28B, and a second retaining lock receiving portion 29B. It is comprised by the fitting part 23B. The second fitting portion 23B has a shape that protrudes forward from the outer peripheral edge of the back wall 22B, specifically, to the left as viewed in the drawing. Therefore, the opening direction of the second fitting portion 23B is the first fitting portion 23A. The direction of the opening is opposite to the opening direction. In addition, a second divided hole 32B that defines a sealing hole 42 between the first divided hole 32A is formed on the rear surface of the inner wall 22B, that is, the surface of the inner wall 22B that faces the first housing 21A. Yes. The second divided hole 32B also has the same shape as the first divided hole 32A, has a semicircular cross section in which the sealing hole 42 is divided in the axial direction, and both end portions in the height direction are more holes than the intermediate portion. While being narrowed in width, the upper end portion thereof is a second introduction port 33B, and the lower end portion thereof is a second introduction outlet 34B.

  A pair of lock protrusions 37 that are locked to the housing lock portion 35 are formed at both ends in the width direction of the second housing 21B. The common structural part of the first and second housings 21A and 21B is constituted by a part excluding the lock protrusion 37 and the housing lock part 35, and the first and second housings 21A and 21B are the lock protrusion 37 and the housing lock part 35. Except for the above, it is symmetrical with respect to the sealing hole 42.

  Here, when the rear surfaces of both the back walls 22A and 22B of the first and second housings 21A and 21B are brought into contact with each other, the housing lock portion 35 elastically locks the lock projection 37 from the outside, and the first 1. The second housings 21A and 21B are held in the detachment restricted state. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the housing 20 formed in this way has the first and second fitting portions 23 </ b> A and 23 </ b> B by combining the back walls 22 </ b> A and 22 </ b> B with each other at the center in the front-rear direction. A wall 41 for partitioning is formed, and a sealing hole 42 into which the sealing material 80 can be introduced is formed by opening the first and second divided holes 32A and 32B to each other. In addition, the first and second introduction ports 33A and 33B are formed in the upper end portion of the sealing hole 42 so that the introduction port 43 is opened, and the lower end portion of the sealing hole 42 is When the first and second introduction outlets 34A and 34B are fitted to each other, the introduction outlet 44 is opened. The introduction port 43 and the introduction outlet 44 are disposed in a cylindrical tube portion 45 that protrudes in the height direction from the joint portion of the first and second housings 21A and 21B. The sealing hole 42, the introduction port 43, and the introduction outlet 44 have a circular cross section, specifically a true circular cross section (see FIG. 3). The diameters of the inlet 43 and the inlet 44 are substantially the same. Further, an intermediate portion of the sealing hole 42 is a holding portion 46 that holds the sealing material 80 with a diameter larger than that of the introduction port 43 and the introduction outlet 44.

  As the sealing material 80, a filling resin material having fluidity such as grease or silicon gel is used. However, the sealing material 80 is not particularly limited, and may be a rubber material such as silicon rubber.

  Further, the first and second housings 21A and 21B are combined with each other, so that the insertion holes 31A and 31B of the first and second housings 21A and 21B are aligned on the same straight line in the front-rear direction via the sealing holes 42. They are arranged side by side. Accordingly, the bus bar 90 inserted into both the insertion holes 31A and 31B penetrates the wall 41 substantially horizontally while traversing the holding portion 46 of the sealing hole 42, and both end portions 91 thereof are the first and second fitting portions, respectively. It is arranged so as to protrude inside 23A and 23B.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first and second connectors 50A and 50B fitted to the first and second fitting portions 23A and 23B have the same shape as each other, and the block-like terminal accommodating portions 51A and 51B. Female terminal fittings 52A, 52B (first terminal fitting 52A, second terminal fitting 52B). Cavities 53A and 53B into which the female terminal fittings 52A and 52B can be inserted from the rear are formed in the terminal accommodating portions 51A and 51B, and the female terminal fittings 52A and 52B are held in the cavities 53A and 53B. Small-diameter insertion ports 57A and 57B communicating with the cavities 53A and 53B are formed in the front walls of the terminal accommodating portions 51A and 51B, through which both end portions 91 of the bus bar 90 are inserted into the cavities 53A and 53B. .

  The female terminal fittings 52A and 52B are connected to the ends of the electric wires 54A and 54B, and rubber plugs 55A and 55B fitted on the outer peripheral surfaces of the electric wires 54A and 54B are arranged behind the female terminal fittings 52A and 52B. The inner peripheral surfaces of the rubber plugs 55A and 55B are in close contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the electric wires 54A and 54B, so that a seal is established between the rubber plugs 55A and 54B. The outer peripheral surfaces of the rubber plugs 55A and 55B are the inner surfaces of the cavities 53A and 53B. The seal between the terminal accommodating portions 51A and 51B is taken by being in close contact with the peripheral surface.

  Steps 56A and 56B are formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the terminal accommodating portions 51A and 51B, and the front region with the steps 56A and 56B as a boundary is one step down from the rear region. The seal rings 25A and 25B described above are in close contact with the front regions of the terminal accommodating portions 51A and 51B.

  Further, lock portions 58A and 58B project from the outer peripheral surfaces of the terminal accommodating portions 51A and 51B. When the lock portions 58A and 58B are elastically locked to the temporary lock receiving portions 29A and 29B, the terminal accommodating portions 51A and 51B are held at the temporary lock positions apart from the back walls 22A and 22B (wall 41). On the other hand, when the lock portions 58A and 58B are elastically locked to the main lock receiving portions 28A and 28B, the terminal lock portions 51A and 51B are close to the back walls 22A and 22B (wall 41). Is supposed to be retained. When moving the terminal accommodating portions 51A and 51B from the temporary locking position to the final locking position, by applying a pressing force to the back walls 22A and 22B (wall 41 side) to the terminal accommodating portions 51A and 51B, The locked state between the lock portions 58A and 58B and the temporary lock receiving portions 29A and 29B is released. Further, with the movement from the temporary locking position to the main locking position, the female terminal fittings 52A and 52B are electrically connected to the end portions 91 of the corresponding bus bars 90.

Next, the assembly procedure and operation of the relay connector 10 of the present embodiment will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 2, the seal rings 25A and 25B are attached to the first and second housings 21A and 21B, and the bus bar 90 is press-fitted and attached to the insertion hole 31B of the second housing 21B. Next, the first and second housings 21A and 21B are opposed to each other, and the rear surfaces 22A and 22B of the first and second housings 21A and 21B are butted against each other in this state. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the housing lock portion 35 elastically locks the lock projection 37 to fix the first and second housings 21 </ b> A and 21 </ b> B to each other and The wall 41 is formed by 22B, and the sealing hole 42 is formed in the wall 41. In this state, the end portion 91 of the bus bar 90 also passes through the insertion hole 31A of the first housing 21A and faces the seal ring 25A of the first fitting portion 23A, and the intermediate portion 92 of the bus bar 90 is sealed. It faces the holding part 46 of 42.

  Subsequently, the sealing material 80 is poured from the introduction port 43 into the sealing hole 42. When an appropriate amount of the sealing material 80 is introduced into the sealing hole 42, the tip of the sealing material 80 faces the introduction outlet 44, and the sealing material 80 is visually recognized through the introduction port 43 and the introduction outlet 44. Moreover, the sealing material 80 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion 92 of the bus bar 90, and the intermediate portion 92 of the bus bar 90 is liquid-tightly sealed as the sealing material 80 is solidified.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the terminal accommodating portion 51A of the first connector 50A is inserted into the first fitting portion 23A and retained at the temporary locking position, and the terminal accommodating portion 51B of the second connector 50B is secondly inserted. It is inserted into the fitting portion 23B and retained at the temporary locking position. In this state, the relay connector 10 is transported to the assembly site of the wire harness. At this time, both end portions 91 of the bus bar 90 are arranged so as to face the insides of the insertion ports 57A and 57B of the first and second connectors 50A and 50B. At the site, as shown in FIG. 6, female terminal fittings 52A and 52B are inserted into the cavities 53A and 53B of the first and second connectors 50A and 50B from the rear. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 1, the terminal accommodating portions 51A and 51B of the first and second connectors 50A and 50B are moved to the final locking position, and the female terminal fittings 52A and 52B are attached to both end portions 91 of the bus bar 90. Connect at regular depth.

  When the first and second connectors 50A and 50B are assembled in this way, the seals 25A and 25B provide a seal between the terminal accommodating portions 51A and 51B and the housing 20, and the rubber plugs 55A and 55B allow the electric wire 54A. , 54B and the terminal accommodating portions 51A, 51B are sealed. However, water may enter the wires 54 </ b> A and 54 </ b> B connected to the female terminal fittings 52 </ b> A and 52 </ b> B (between the strands), and the water may be transmitted to the bus bar 90. Then, the mating female terminal fittings 52A and 52B are also wetted through the bus bar 90, and there is a concern that the waterproofness between the female terminal fittings 52A and 52B and thus the connection reliability is not ensured.

  However, according to the present embodiment, the water that has traveled through the wires 54A and 54B and reached the intermediate portion 92 of the bus bar 90 is sealed by the sealing material 80, so that the waterproof property between the female terminal fittings 52A and 52B is achieved. Is secured. In this case, since the sealing member 80 is introduced into the sealing hole 42 in the wall 41 after the housing 20 is assembled, unlike the case where the sealing member 80 is inserted in the wall 41 in advance, the temperature resistance is not so required. Therefore, the range of variations when selecting the sealing material 80 is widened.

  Moreover, since the wall 41 and the sealing hole 42 are formed by combining the first and second housings 21A and 21B with each other, a process of drilling holes in the housing 20 is not necessary, and manufacturing is difficult. Sex is eliminated.

  Furthermore, since the sealing material 80 is a filled resin material and has fluidity, the introduction work into the sealing hole 42 is facilitated, and the contact property of the sealing material 80 to the bus bar 90 is excellent.

  Furthermore, since an introduction outlet 44 that can visually recognize the introduction state of the sealing material 80 is formed on the outer surface of the wall 41 on the opposite side of the introduction port 43, the sealing material 80 extends from the introduction outlet 44. The amount of the sealing material 80 introduced can be confirmed by looking at this state. Moreover, it can also be confirmed whether the bus-bar 90 and the sealing material 80 were contacted favorably.

<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.
(1) The opening directions of the first and second fitting portions may face the same direction or intersecting directions.
(2) The introduction port may be formed at the lower end portion of the sealing hole, and the introduction outlet may be formed at the upper end portion of the sealing hole.
(3) After the bus bar is press-fitted into the insertion hole of the first housing and attached, the connecting operation of the first and second housings may be started.
(4) The bus bar may be attached to the wall by insert molding.
<Reference example>
(1) The first and second housings may be integrated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector 20 ... Housing 21A ... 1st housing 21B ... 2nd housing 23A ... 1st fitting part 23B ... 2nd fitting part 32A ... 1st division hole (division part)
32B ... 2nd division hole (division part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 41 ... Wall 42 ... Sealing hole 43 ... Introducing port 44 ... Introducing port 50A ... 1st connector 50B ... 2nd connector 52A, 52B ... Female terminal metal fitting (1st terminal metal fitting, 2nd terminal metal fitting)
54A, 54B ... Electric wire 80 ... Sealing material 90 ... Bus bar 91 ... End of bus bar 92 ... Middle part of bus bar

Claims (2)

A housing having first and second fitting portions into which the first and second connectors can be respectively fitted;
The housing is provided with a wall that partitions between the first and second fitting portions, and a bus bar is inserted through the wall,
Both end portions of the bus bar face the first and second fitting portions, and the first and second connectors are fitted to the first and second fitting portions, so that the first and second fitting portions are fitted. Two ends of the bus bar are connected to the first and second terminal fittings with electric wires attached to the two connectors ,
The sealing hole sealing material is introduced is formed in the wall, an intermediate portion of the bus bar, the faces the sealing hole, a relay connector that has contact with the sealing material,
The housing includes a first housing having the first fitting portion, and a second housing having the second fitting portion which is separate from the first housing,
The first and second housings have divided portions of the wall and the sealing hole, respectively, and are combined with each other to form the wall and the sealing hole,
The relay connector according to claim 1, wherein the sealing material is a filled resin material and has fluidity . On the outer surface of the wall, an introduction port for introducing the sealing material into the sealing hole is formed to be open, and the introduction state of the sealing material is located on the opposite side of the introduction port. The relay connector according to claim 1, wherein an introduction outlet capable of visually recognizing is formed with an opening .

Images