JP5477257B2 - Connector for equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for equipment.

  Conventionally, what was described in patent document 1 as an example of the connector attached to a board | substrate is known. This connector is for electrical connection between a conductive path of a board accommodated in the case and a mating connector outside the case, and includes a connector housing penetrating the case inside and outside, and a terminal accommodated in the connector housing With metal fittings. For example, a seal member is disposed between an opening portion of the case that leads to the outside of the case and a connector housing that is inserted through the opening portion, so that waterproofness in the case is ensured.

  By the way, if the internal space of the case is completely sealed, for example, if the substrate generates heat during energization, the internal pressure of the case may increase. For this reason, a through-hole leading to the inside and outside of the case is provided in the connector housing in which waterproofness is ensured. Such through-holes are used for depressurization in the case, as well as for inspecting compressed air in order to check whether the sealing inside the case is maintained and whether the seal member is assembled. It is also known that it can be used as an air vent. Compressed air is fed into the case from the vent and the inside of the case is in a pressurized state, and by detecting a leak outside the case, it is determined whether or not the seal member is properly assembled.

JP 2004-342488 A

  By the way, in order to form such a vent hole in the connector housing, for example, as in the case of forming a terminal mounting hole for press-fitting a terminal fitting, if a molding die is provided with an extraction pin extending along its extraction direction. It can be molded simultaneously with injection molding. However, in the case where the connector housing is bent into, for example, an L shape and the terminal fitting accommodated in the connector housing is L-shaped and insert-molded, the vent hole and the terminal are used to ensure the waterproofness of the connector housing. It is necessary to form an L shape along the extending direction of the metal fitting. Unlike the case of forming an I-shaped vent as described above, a bent vent such as the L-shape can be formed by simply pulling it out with a punch pin using the mold drawing direction. Therefore, it was extremely difficult to form the vent.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and is a device connector capable of forming a vent hole penetrating the connector housing with a simple configuration regardless of the extending direction of the terminal fitting. The purpose is to provide.

  The present invention relates to a device connector provided in a state of penetrating a sealed case inside and outside, a core formed by combining a plurality of primary molded bodies molded in a state of holding a terminal fitting, and the core A connector housing that is molded by inserting a groove portion that extends along the extending direction of the terminal fitting on one mating surface of the mating surfaces of the primary molded body that overlap each other. It is characterized in that a vent hole penetrating the case is configured by combining with a mating surface.

  According to such a configuration, the core is configured by combining a plurality of primary molded bodies, the groove portion extending along the extending direction of the terminal fitting is formed on one mating surface, and the upper portion of the groove portion is the other It is possible to easily form a vent hole penetrating the core by closing the mating surfaces. Therefore, unlike the conventional case where the I-shaped vent is formed with a punch pin or the like using the pulling direction of the primary molding die, even if the terminal fitting has an L-shape or other complicatedly bent shape. The vent hole along the extending direction can be easily formed. By providing the device connector in which such a core is inserted to form the connector housing so as to penetrate the sealed case inward and outward, the vent hole becomes a vent hole penetrating the case. Such a vent is used, for example, to check the airtightness inside the case. Specifically, compressed air is sent from the vent and the inside of the case is pressurized to detect leaks outside the case. By doing so, it is possible to confirm the sealing property in the case.

  Of the mating surfaces overlapping each other, one mating surface is formed with a pair of ridges extending along the extending direction of the groove, and the other mating surfaces are fitted into the ridges, respectively. It is desirable that a concave strip portion is formed, and the convex strip portion and the concave strip portion are positioned on the outer surface side of the primary molded body with respect to the groove portion across the groove portion.

  According to such a configuration, when a connector housing is formed by inserting a core configured by combining a plurality of primary molded bodies, the injection pressure of the molten resin injected into the mold acts on the core. And it can suppress that the molten resin which flowed in from the clearance gap between each mating surface enters into a groove part. Thereby, the ventilation hole which penetrates a connector housing can be formed reliably. That is, the ridges are provided on both outer side surfaces of the groove, and the molten resin that enters from the outer side is blocked by the ridges. Furthermore, since the ridges are fitted to the ridges, the uneven shape formed on the mating surfaces can increase the distance of the molten resin intrusion path that enters the groove along the mating surfaces, This makes it possible to make the molten resin less likely to flow into the groove.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the connector for apparatuses which can form the vent hole which penetrates a connector housing by simple structure irrespective of the extending direction of a terminal metal fitting can be provided.

The top view of the ECU case which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention AA sectional view of FIG. Plan view of the first primary molded body Plan view of second primary molded body Front view of the first primary molded body and the second primary molded body Side view Top view of the core Front view Side view Plan view of the ECU case with the upper case attached Sectional drawing which showed process of inspecting assembly state of O-ring

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The connector in the present embodiment exemplifies a case where the connector is applied to one of a plurality of connector portions integrally provided in an ECU case 10 that houses a circuit board (not shown) and constitutes an electronic control unit (ECU). The case main body 11 including the connector housing 21 covering the outer periphery thereof by insert molding is integrally formed by using the two primary molded bodies 40 and 50 as the core 30. In the following description, the front side in FIG. 1 will be described as the upper side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ECU case 10 includes a rectangular frame-shaped case main body 11 and three connector portions 13, 14, and 20 that are integrally provided so as to penetrate the side wall 12 of the case main body 11. It has. The case main body 11 is made of synthetic resin, provided with mounting holes 15 penetrating in the vertical direction at four corners, and annular O-ring housing grooves 16 are formed on both the upper surface and the lower surface.

  Of the connector parts 13, 14, and 20, the connector part 20 corresponding to the device connector of the present invention covers the core 30 holding the plurality of terminal fittings 31 and the core 30, and the side wall 12 of the case body 11. The connector housing 21 is connected to the connector housing 21. The connector housing 21 is made of a synthetic resin that is integrally molded with the case body 11, and as shown in FIG. 2, the connector housing 21 has an L shape along the outer shape of the core 30 and opens upward. The hood part 22 is provided. A plurality of terminal fittings 31 whose one end is surrounded by the hood portion 22 are arranged in a predetermined interval, one end projects upward from the rear wall 22A of the hood portion 22, and the other end is a case body. 11 is projected from the side wall 12 to the inner peripheral side, and then bent downward. A vent hole 23 extending along the extending direction of the terminal fitting 31 is formed in the connector portion 20. The vent 23 is a through hole having one end opened to the inner wall 22A of the hood 22 and the other end opened to the inner peripheral side of the case body 11, that is, a through-hole penetrating the ECU case 10 in and out. The hole diameter is set to a size capable of sending compressed air.

  Next, the primary molded bodies 40 and 50 constituting the core 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the following, the primary molded bodies 40 and 50 will be described with the right side in FIG. 7 as the front side, the left side as the rear side, and the vertical direction as the width direction. The primary molded bodies are a first primary molded body 40 and a second primary molded body 50, respectively, and the first primary molded body 40 is assembled from above the second primary molded body 50 and stacked in the vertical direction. Constitutes one core 30. Although details will be described later, by inserting the core 30, the connector housing 21 and the case main body 11 integrated therewith are secondarily formed.

  First, a common configuration of the two primary molded bodies 40 and 50 will be described. A mode in which a conductive metal terminal fitting 31 is held by insert molding on a synthetic resin main body 32 is formed. As shown in FIG. 6, one end of the terminal fitting 31 protrudes upward from the rear upper part of the main body portion 32 and is bent at a substantially right angle in the main body portion 32, and the other end of the terminal fitting 31 is It protrudes from the front end toward the front and is bent downward in the middle of its extension, forming a shape that is bent a plurality of times. The terminal fittings 31 are arranged in series in the width direction so as not to cross each other, and in the state of 7 in the first primary molded body 40 and 6 in the second primary molded body 50. Held in the section 32.

Next, the unique configuration of each primary molded body 40, 50 will be described.
First, in the first primary molded body 40, the fitting surface in contact with the second primary molded body 50 in the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 32 </ b> A is a mating surface 41. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, four fitting protrusions 42 having a columnar shape are provided so as to protrude from the mating surface 41 so that the mutual positional relationship is substantially square. And in the approximate center part of the width direction of the mating surface 41, two concave strips 43 extending from the rear end to a position slightly in front of the front end are provided in parallel. The rear end of the concave strip 43 reaches the upper surface 44 from which the terminal fitting 31 shown in FIG. 3 protrudes, and its cross section is substantially rectangular. The concave strip 43 can be fitted into a convex strip 56 of a second primary molded body 50 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the second primary molded body 50, the fitting surface in contact with the first primary molded body 40 to be assembled is a mating surface 51, as in the first primary molded body 40. Yes. On the four sides of the mating surface 51, fitting recesses 52 that are hollowed out in a cylindrical shape are provided. By fitting the fitting concave portion 52 and the fitting convex portion 42 of the first primary molded body 40 to be assembled, the first primary molded body 40 and the second primary molded body 50 are formed. Can be assembled in the normal position.

  A groove 53 extending along the extending direction of the terminal fitting 31 is formed at the center in the width direction of the mating surface 51. The rear end reaches the upper surface 54 from which the terminal fitting 31 protrudes, the front end also reaches the front surface 55 from which the terminal fitting 31 protrudes, and the cross section has a substantially rectangular shape. A pair of ridges 56 project from both sides of the groove 50. The rear end reaches the upper surface 54 similarly to the groove portion 53, and the front end is located slightly in front of the front surface 55 in the front-rear direction so as to correspond to the concave stripe portion 43, and is formed in parallel to the groove portion 53.

  When such two primary molded bodies 40 and 50 are assembled together, the core 30 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 is formed. When the concave stripe portion 43 is fitted to the convex stripe portion 56 and the mating surfaces 41 and 51 are combined with each other, the upper portion of the groove portion 53 is blocked by the mating surface 41 of the first primary molded body 40. The vent 23 that penetrates the child 30 along the extending direction of the terminal fitting 31 is configured. The vent hole 23 has a fitting portion of the concave ridge portion 43 and the convex ridge portion 56 on the outer surface 33 side which is a side surface in the width direction of the core 30, that is, the vent port 23 is a pair in the width direction. It has the aspect pinched | interposed into the concave-line part 43 and the convex-line part 56 fitted to it.

Then, the effect | action in this embodiment is demonstrated.
First, the core 30 formed by assembling the second primary molded body 50 to the first primary molded body 40 is set in a state where it is positioned in a secondary molding die (not shown), and the mold is closed. When the mold is closed, the molding space corresponding to each part of the ECU case 10 molded by secondary molding, such as the connector housing 21 and the other case body 11, is held in the mold. After that, when the molten resin is filled into the molding space, the injection pressure acts on the outer peripheral surface of the core 30 accordingly. Here, a slight gap is generated between the mating surfaces 41 and 51 of the first primary molded body 40 and the second primary molded body 50 constituting the core 30 due to molding errors or the like. For this reason, molten resin may enter between the mating surfaces 41, 51, but the ridges 56 are arranged on both sides of the groove 53, and the ridges 43 are fitted into the ridges 56. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the molten resin from entering the groove 53 and blocking the vent 23 by the secondary molding.

  The ECU case 10 formed by inserting the core 30 or the like in this way accommodates a circuit board (not shown), terminal fittings of the connector portions 13, 14, and 20, and conductive paths on the circuit board. And connect. Thereafter, the O-ring 17 is attached to the O-ring housing groove 16 of the case body 11, and then the upper case 18 made of aluminum is covered from the upper side of the ECU case 10, and the lower case 19 made of aluminum is covered from the lower side. The upper case 18 and the lower case 19 can be attached to the ECU case 10 in a watertight manner.

  Subsequently, in order to check the assembled state of the O-ring 17, the inspection covers 60, 61, 62 are attached to the connector portions 13, 14, 20, and compressed air is sent through the vent 23. Here, in a state where the inspection covers 60, 61, 62 are attached to the connector portions 13, 14, 20, the inside of the ECU case 10 is sealed except for the vent hole 23 through which the compressed air is fed. If the O-ring 17 is properly assembled and the space between the upper case 18 or the lower case 19 and the ECU case 10 is sealed, a state in which the inside of the ECU case 10 is pressurized is detected. On the other hand, when the O-ring 17 is not properly assembled and the upper case 18 or the lower case 19 and the ECU case 10 are not sealed even at one place, the inside of the ECU case 10 is not pressurized. The leakage of compressed air to the outside of the ECU case 10 is detected. Thus, after passing through the sealing performance test of the O-ring 17, it is mounted on the vehicle as an ECU.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the core 30 is configured by combining the first primary molded body 40 and the second primary molded body 50, and on the mating surface 51 of the second primary molded body 50. A groove portion 53 extending along the extending direction of the terminal fitting 31 is formed in the upper portion, and the upper portion of the groove portion 53 is closed with the mating surface 41 of the first primary molded body 40, whereby the vent hole 23 penetrating the core 30 is formed. It can be easily molded. Therefore, unlike the conventional case where the I-shaped vent is formed with a punch pin or the like using the pulling direction of the primary molding die, for example, the terminal fitting 30 is bent multiple times as in the present embodiment. Even if it exists, the vent hole 23 along the extension direction can be formed easily. Further, by inserting the core 30 having the vent 23 into the connector housing 21 and the ECU case 10 integrated therewith, the vent 23 that penetrates the ECU case 10 in and out of the connector portion 20 is formed. Can be easily formed.

  Further, on the mating surface 51 of the second primary forming body 50, the protruding strips 56 are formed on the outer surface 33 side of the groove 53, so that the secondary molding for molding the connector housing 21 and the like is performed. It is possible to suppress the molten resin from flowing into the groove 53 at times. More specifically, when the core 30 is set in a mold for secondary molding and insert molding is performed, the injection pressure of the molten resin injected into the mold acts on the core 30, and each mating surface There is a possibility that the molten resin flows into the groove 53 from the gap between 41 and 51. If the molten resin flows into the groove 53 and, for example, most of the groove 53 is blocked by the molten resin, the function as the vent 23 may not be achieved. In order to prevent the occurrence of such molding defects, it is necessary that the molten resin does not flow into the groove portion 53. On the other hand, in this embodiment, by providing the protrusions 56 on the outer surface 33 side of the groove 53, the molten resin that has entered the mating surfaces 41 and 51 from the outer surface 33 side is protruded. It can be stopped by 56 convex shapes. Furthermore, since the ridge 56 is fitted into the dent 43 of the first primary molded body 40, an uneven shape, so-called labyrinth structure is formed on the mating surfaces 41, 51. With this labyrinth structure, it is possible to increase the distance of the intrusion path of the molten resin that enters the groove portion 53 through the mating surfaces 41 and 51, so that the molten resin can be more reliably prevented from flowing into the groove portion 53. .

<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) In the above-described embodiment, the device connector is integrally provided in the ECU case 10 as the connector portion 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the connector may be formed separately from the ECU case. Good. According to such a configuration, the moldability is excellent. Further, the present invention is not limited to the ECU case, and may be applied to other sealed cases.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the core 30 is configured by combining two of the first primary molded body 40 and the second primary molded body 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a plurality of three or more The core may be configured by combining the primary molded bodies.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, the ridge 56 is formed on the mating surface 51 of the second primary molded body 50 on the same side as the groove 53, and the concave 43 is the mating surface of the first primary molded 40. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a concave line portion may be formed on one mating surface on which the groove portion is formed, and a convex line portion may be formed on the other mating surface. . In any case, if the fitting part of the convex part and the concave part is provided on the outer surface side of the primary molded body from the groove part, the molten resin that may flow from the outer surface side at the time of secondary molding. It can suppress flowing into a groove part.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... ECU case 11 ... Case main body 12 ... Side wall 13, 14, 20 ... Connector part 15 ... Mounting hole 16 ... O-ring accommodation groove 21 ... Connector housing 22 ... Hood part 23 ... Vent 30 ... Core 31 ... Terminal metal fitting 40 ... 1st primary molded object 41, 51 ... Matching surface 43 ... Groove part 50 ... 2nd primary molded object 53 ... Groove part 56 ... Convex line part

Claims (2)

A device connector provided in a state of penetrating a sealed case inside and outside,
A core formed by combining a plurality of primary molded bodies molded in a state of holding the terminal fitting, and a connector housing formed by inserting the core; and
Of the mating surfaces of the primary molded body that overlap each other, a groove portion extending along the extending direction of the terminal fitting is formed on one mating surface, and the vent hole that penetrates the case when combined with the other mating surface A device connector characterized by comprising:   Of the mating surfaces overlapping each other, one mating surface is formed with a pair of ridges extending along the extending direction of the groove, and the other mating surfaces are fitted into the ridges, respectively. 2. A concave strip portion is formed, and the convex strip portion and the concave strip portion are located on the outer surface side of the primary molded body with respect to the groove portion across the groove portion. Device connector as described in 1.

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