JP5488336B2 - Seal member and dummy stopper - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a seal member and a dummy plug.

  Conventionally, as a sealing member inserted into a cavity formed in a connector housing, for example, one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The seal member includes a columnar main body portion inserted into the cavity, a lip projecting on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion, and a liquid-tight seal between the inner peripheral wall of the cavity and the main body portion; It is formed at the end portion and includes a preceding fitting portion for guiding the main body portion to the cavity. Since the leading mating portion is formed in a tapered shape, when the seal member is inserted into the cavity, the outer peripheral surface of the leading mating portion abuts on the opening edge of the cavity, and the sealing member is brought into a normal position in the cavity. Guided.

JP 2005-294146 A

  However, when trying to insert this seal member into the cavity, the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion is inclined, so that the preceding fitting portion may be fitted in a state inclined with respect to the axial direction of the cavity. . For this reason, there is a problem that the operator cannot smoothly insert the seal member into the cavity, resulting in poor workability.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve the insertion workability of the seal member.

As a means for achieving the above object, the present invention is a seal member that is formed of an elastic material and is inserted into a circular hole-shaped cavity formed in a connector housing. A lip projecting in a ring shape on the outer peripheral surface and in close contact with the inner peripheral wall of the cavity to seal the space between the main body portion and the inner peripheral wall of the cavity in a liquid-tight manner, and an axial end of the main body portion A preceding fitting portion protruding in the axial direction of the main body portion and fitted into the cavity in advance of the main body portion; and a flange formed between the lip and the preceding fitting portion. The surface of the flange on the side of the preceding fitting portion is a contact surface orthogonal to the axis of the main body, and the contact surface contacts the opening edge of the cavity over the entire circumference. Regular body Characterized in place to allow positioning the insertion starting position.
According to the sealing member having such a configuration, when the preceding fitting portion is fitted to the cavity, the contact surface formed orthogonal to the axis of the main body portion is brought into contact with the opening edge of the cavity. The main body can be positioned at a proper insertion start position (a position of the main body where the axis of the main body and the axis of the cavity are substantially coaxial). Thereby, a sealing member can be smoothly inserted with respect to a cavity, and the insertion workability | operativity of a sealing member can be improved.

The following configuration is desirable as an embodiment of the present invention.
The outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion may be formed perpendicular to the abutting surface and be configured to be able to abut on the inner peripheral wall of the cavity in the entire area in the axial direction of the main body portion.
According to such a configuration, in the state where the preceding fitting portion is fitted in the cavity, when a force is exerted to incline the main body portion with respect to the cavity, the body portion on the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion is It is possible to prevent the entire region in the axial direction from coming into contact with the inner peripheral wall of the cavity and tilting the preceding fitting portion in the cavity. Thereby, compared with the case where the preceding fitting part is formed in a taper, it becomes easy to position a main-body part in a regular insertion start position.

The preceding fitting portion is formed in a columnar shape, and a plurality of positioning protrusions that contact the inner peripheral wall of the cavity are circumferentially spaced from each other on the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion over the entire circumference. When the seal member is formed and inserted into the cavity, the positioning protrusion is in contact with the inner peripheral wall of the cavity, so that the axis of the preceding fitting portion and the axis of the cavity are coaxial. Good.
The projecting dimension from the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting part to the projecting end of the flange (the projecting dimension of the flange) is set so that the contact surface of the flange can contact the opening edge of the cavity. Therefore, when a predetermined clearance is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion and the inner peripheral wall of the cavity, the flange protruding dimension should be set larger considering the play due to the clearance. become. However, increasing the protruding dimension of the flange means that the insertion resistance when starting to insert the main body portion while crushing the flange is increased. Therefore, it is desirable to make the projecting dimension of the flange as small as possible from the viewpoint of reducing the initial resistance at the start of insertion of the main body.
In that respect, according to the above configuration, since the plurality of positioning projections that contact the inner peripheral wall of the cavity are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the axis of the preceding fitting portion, the axis of the preceding fitting portion and the cavity It can be assembled so that its axis is coaxial. As a result, it is possible to prevent the positioning protrusion from coming into contact with the entire circumference of the inner peripheral wall of the cavity and causing the preceding fitting portion to rattle in the cavity, and to reduce the protruding dimension of the flange. Accordingly, when the seal member is inserted into the cavity, the catch between the flange and the opening edge of the cavity is relieved, and the main body can be easily inserted into the cavity. Moreover, it can prevent reliably that the main-body part in an insertion start position inclines with respect to the axial direction of a cavity.

The positioning protrusion may be a vertical rib extending in parallel with the axis of the preceding fitting portion.
As for the shape of the positioning protrusion, a lateral rib can be formed in a ring shape on the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion, similarly to the lip. However, since the lateral rib contacts the inner circumferential wall of the cavity over the entire circumference, the insertion resistance when the preceding fitting portion is inserted into the cavity temporarily increases. In that respect, according to the configuration described above, the insertion resistance can be made smaller than that of the lateral rib by making the positioning protrusion extend in parallel with the axis of the preceding fitting portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the preceding fitting portion from rattling in the cavity and to reduce the projecting dimension of the flange without deteriorating the insertion workability of the preceding fitting portion. Further, by arranging a plurality of vertical ribs, the contact area between the vertical ribs and the inner peripheral wall of the cavity can be increased, and the holding force for holding the preceding fitting portion in a state fitted to the cavity can be increased. it can.

The positioning protrusion may be a circular protrusion that is raised in a spherical shape.
According to such a configuration, a necessary number of circular protrusions can be pinpointed at a required position on the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion. In addition, since the circular protrusion is formed with an interval on the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion, the leading fitting portion is cavityd compared to the lateral rib formed in the ring shape on the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion. The insertion resistance at the time of insertion into the can be reduced.

The preceding fitting portion and the flange may be formed at both end portions of the main body portion.
According to such a configuration, since the preceding fitting portion and the posture adjusting flange are formed at both ends of the main body portion, the seal member can be smoothly inserted even if the seal member is inserted into the cavity from any direction. Can do.

The sealing member may be a dummy plug, and may be configured to be inserted into the cavity in which the terminal fitting is not accommodated.
According to such a configuration, the seal member can be applied to a dummy plug that is inserted into a cavity in which the terminal fitting is not accommodated.

  According to the present invention, the insertion workability of the seal member can be improved.

The perspective view of the dummy stopper which concerns on Embodiment 1. Front view Sectional drawing which looked at the state which inserted the prior fitting part of the dummy stopper concerning Embodiment 1 into the cavity from the side Sectional drawing which looked at the state inserted in the cavity to the flange of the dummy stopper which concerns on Embodiment 1 from the side Sectional drawing which looked at the state inserted in the cavity to the lip of the dummy stopper concerning Embodiment 1 from the side Partial enlarged view of FIG. Sectional drawing which showed the state in which the clearance between a preceding fitting part and the inner peripheral wall of a cavity is larger than FIG. The perspective view of the dummy stopper which concerns on Embodiment 2. Front view Sectional drawing which looked at the state which inserted the prior fitting part of the dummy stopper which concerns on Embodiment 2 into the cavity from the side The perspective view of the dummy stopper which concerns on Embodiment 3. Front view Sectional drawing which looked at the state which inserted the prior fitting part of the dummy stopper which concerns on Embodiment 3 into the cavity from the side

<Embodiment 1>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.
In this embodiment, the dummy stopper 10 is illustrated as an example of a sealing member.
The dummy plug 10 is formed of a rubber member containing oil, and is inserted into a cavity C in which a terminal fitting (not shown) is not accommodated among the circular holes C formed in a connector housing (not shown). It is for sealing in a liquid-tight manner to close the opening of the cavity C.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the dummy plug 10 protrudes from both ends in the axial direction of the main body 11, a main body 11 having a columnar shape, a plurality of lips 12 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 11. And a pair of preceding fitting portions 13.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 11 is formed to have an outer diameter that is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cavity C.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lip 12 protrudes in a ring shape from the outer peripheral surface of the main body 11 over the entire periphery. A plurality of lips 12 are formed at equal intervals in the axial direction of the main body 11. The projecting dimension of the lip 12 from the main body 11 is set so as to be in close contact with the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C when the dummy plug 10 is inserted into the cavity C. Thereby, when the main body 11 is inserted into the cavity C, the lip 12 seals between the main body 11 and the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C in a liquid-tight manner over the entire circumference, as shown in FIG.

The preceding fitting part 13 is formed in a columnar shape having an outer diameter dimension substantially the same as the outer diameter dimension of the main body part 11, and protrudes from the end in the axial direction of the main body part 11 in the axial direction of the main body part 11. It has become. As shown in FIG. 1, the end edge portion of the preceding fitting portion 13 is processed into a tapered shape over the entire circumference, so that the preceding fitting portion 13 can be easily inserted into the cavity C.
Further, since the leading fitting portions 13 projecting from both end portions in the axial direction of the main body portion 11 are both formed in the same shape, the dummy plug 10 can be inserted into the cavity C from any direction. It is like that.

  A flange 14 is formed between the lip 12 and the preceding fitting portion 13 in the main body portion 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the flange 14 has a form extending over the entire circumference from the outer peripheral surface of the main body 11, and has a circular shape in front view as shown in FIG. 2. Further, the projecting dimension of the flange 14 from the main body 11 is set to be substantially the same as the projecting dimension of the lip 12. That is, the outer diameter dimension of the flange 14 is set slightly larger than the inner diameter dimension of the cavity C.

  Further, the surface of the flange 14 on the preceding fitting portion 13 side is a contact surface 15 orthogonal to the axis of the main body portion 11, and the lip 12 side surface is inclined downward toward the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 11. The surface 16 is used. That is, the contact surface 15 and the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting part 13 are orthogonal over the entire periphery. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the inclination angle of the inclined surface 16 with respect to the axis of the main body 11 is formed smaller than the inclination angle of the lip 12 with respect to the axis of the main body 11.

  Further, the projecting dimension of the flange 14 from the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion 13 is set so that the contact surface 15 contacts the opening edge C1 of the cavity C over the entire periphery. Furthermore, even when the preceding fitting portion 13 is loose in the radial direction in the cavity C, the flange 14 is set so as to contact the opening edge portion C1 of the cavity C over the entire circumference. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the dimension of the clearance between the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion 13 and the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C when the preceding fitting portion 13 and the cavity C are arranged coaxially is L1, When the diameter dimension from the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C to the opening edge C1 of the cavity C is L2, and the protrusion dimension of the contact surface protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion 13 of the flange 14 is L3> L3> It is set to be L1 × 2 + L2.

The present embodiment has the above-described configuration, and the function and effect will be described subsequently.
First, prior to inserting the main body portion 11 of the dummy plug 10 into the cavity C, the preceding fitting portion 13 is inserted into the cavity C. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the contact surface 15 of the flange 14 contacts the opening edge C1 of the cavity C over the entire circumference. Since the contact surface 15 is a surface orthogonal to the axis of the main body 11, the axis of the main body 11 and the axis of the cavity C are substantially coaxial. Thereby, the prior | preceding fitting part 13 can be fitted without inclining with respect to the cavity C, and the main-body part 11 can be positioned in a regular insertion start position.
Next, when the dummy plug 10 is further inserted into the cavity C, the flange 14 is crushed by the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C as shown in FIG. As shown, the lip 12 is crushed by the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C by insertion.

By the way, when the main body 11 is at the insertion start position, a force for tilting the main body 11 with respect to the cavity C may be applied.
However, in this embodiment, the contact surface 15 and the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion 13 are orthogonal to each other over the entire circumference, and the preceding fitting portion 13 is slightly larger than the inner diameter dimension of the cavity C. Since the outer diameter is formed to be smaller, the entire area in the axial direction of the preceding fitting portion 13 is in contact with the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C, and the preceding fitting portion 13 is prevented from being inclined in the cavity C. it can. Thereby, compared with the case where the preceding fitting part 13 is tapered, the main-body part 11 can be easily positioned at a regular insertion start position.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the main body portion 11 of the dummy plug 10 can be positioned at the normal insertion start position, the main body portion 11 can be smoothly inserted into the cavity C. The insertion workability of the stopper 10 can be improved.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 8, the dummy plug 20 in the present embodiment has a vertical rib 17 protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion 13 of the first embodiment, and has the same configuration, function, and Since the description is omitted, the description thereof is omitted, and the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are used for the same configurations as those in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the vertical rib 17 extends in parallel to the axis of the main body 11. Further, the vertical rib 17 is linearly formed from the end edge portion of the preceding fitting portion 13 to the flange 14, and is connected to the flange 14. That is, the vertical ribs 17 are disposed orthogonal to the contact surface 15 of the flange 14. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of the vertical ribs 17 (six in this embodiment) are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with the same protruding height.

  The protruding dimension of the vertical rib 17 is set so as to come into contact with the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C when the dummy plug 20 is inserted into the cavity C. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the length dimension from the protruding end of the vertical rib 17 to the axis of the preceding fitting portion 13 is the length from the axis of the cavity C to the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C. It is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the length dimension (radius dimension of the cavity C). Therefore, when inserting the preceding fitting part 13 into the cavity C, it can be inserted with almost no load, and even if a load is applied, it can be inserted against a slight frictional force. Thereby, when inserting the preceding fitting part 13 in the cavity C, it is possible to prevent the leading fitting part 13 from rattling in the cavity C by sliding the vertical ribs 17 with the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C. it can.

  Further, when the preceding fitting portion 13 is slightly narrower than the cavity C and the vertical rib 17 is not formed, it is necessary to increase the projecting dimension of the flange 14 as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, since the main body portion 11 is positioned at the normal insertion start position without any play by the vertical ribs 17, the flange 14 is not compared with the case where the vertical ribs 17 are not formed. The protruding dimension can be reduced over the entire circumference. Thereby, the initial resistance at the time of inserting the main body 11 into the cavity C can be made smaller than that of the first embodiment, and the catch between the flange 14 and the opening edge C1 of the cavity C is relieved, and the dummy plug 20 is inserted into the cavity C It can be inserted smoothly.

In addition, since the vertical ribs 17 are formed at the same protruding height and arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, the preceding fitting portion so that the axis of the leading fitting portion 13 and the axis of the cavity C are coaxial. 13 can be assembled into the cavity C. As a result, the dummy plug 20 can be inserted into the cavity C more smoothly.
Furthermore, the insertion resistance when the preceding fitting portion 13 is inserted into the cavity C can be suppressed to be smaller than when a lateral rib having the same shape as the lip 12 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion 13. Further, by increasing the contact area between the vertical rib 17 and the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C, it is possible to increase the holding force for holding the preceding fitting portion 13 in a state of being fitted in the cavity C.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 11, the dummy plug 30 in the present embodiment is formed by bulging a circular protrusion 18 on the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion 13 of the first embodiment, and has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are used for the same configurations as those in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the circular protrusion 18 is formed in a spherical shape whose width dimension in the circumferential direction is slightly longer than the width dimension in the axial direction of the preceding fitting part 13. It is distribute | arranged to the front end side rather than 13 axial direction center parts. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of circular protrusions 18 are formed at the same protrusion height and arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction (eight in this embodiment).

  The protruding dimension of the circular protrusion 18 is set so as to contact the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C when the dummy plug 30 is inserted into the cavity C. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the length dimension from the protruding end of the circular protrusion 18 to the axis of the preceding fitting part 13 is from the axis of the cavity C to the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C. It is set to be the same as or slightly larger than the length dimension (radius dimension of the cavity C). Therefore, when inserting the preceding fitting part 13 into the cavity C, it can be inserted with almost no load, and even if a load is applied, it can be inserted against a slight frictional force. Thereby, when the preceding fitting part 13 is inserted into the cavity C, the circular protrusion 18 slides with the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C, thereby preventing the preceding fitting part 13 from rattling in the cavity C. Can do. Further, as in the second embodiment, the circular protrusion 18 is formed by the circular protrusion 18 so that the main body portion 11 is positioned at the normal insertion start position without any play. Compared with the case where it is not, it can be made small over the entire circumference.

Further, since the circular protrusions 18 are formed at the same protrusion height and arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, the preceding fitting is performed so that the axis of the preceding fitting part 13 and the axis of the cavity C are coaxial. The part 13 can be assembled in the cavity C. As a result, the dummy plug 30 can be smoothly inserted into the cavity C. Furthermore, as many circular protrusions 18 as necessary can be disposed at necessary positions on the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion 13 at a pinpoint.
Further, compared to the case where a lateral rib having the same shape as the lip 12 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion 13, it does not contact the inner peripheral wall of the cavity over the entire circumference. The insertion resistance at the time of inserting into C can be kept small.

<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 embodiment, the seal member is applied to a dummy plug. However, the present invention is not limited to such a mode, and a rubber plug through which an electric wire is inserted into the main body 11 is provided. You may apply to.
(2) In the second and third embodiments, the positioning protrusion is configured as the vertical rib 17 extending in the vertical direction or the circular protrusion 18 having a spherical shape, but the present invention is not limited to such an aspect. For example, the positioning protrusion may be formed in a tapered protrusion shape. Further, the diameter dimension of the preceding fitting part 13 including the positioning protrusions may be the same as or slightly larger than the diameter dimension of the cavity C.
(3) In the said embodiment, although it was set as the structure which formed the precedence fitting part 13 in the column shape, this invention is not limited to such an aspect, For example, the precedence fitting part 13 is prismatic shape, for example. The corners may be brought into contact with the inner peripheral wall of the cavity C.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the surface on the lip 12 side of the flange 14 is configured as the inclined surface 16 that is inclined with respect to the axis of the main body 11. However, the present invention is not limited to such an aspect. The surface on the lip 12 side of the flange 14 may also be formed so as to be orthogonal to the axis of the main body 11, similarly to the contact surface 15.
(5) In the above-described embodiment, the preceding fitting portion 13 and the flange 14 are formed at both end portions in the axial direction of the main body portion 11. However, the present invention is not limited to such an aspect, and the preceding portion. The fitting part 13 and the flange 14 are good also as a structure formed in either one of the both ends of the axial direction in the main-body part 11. FIG.

10: Dummy plug (seal member)
11: Body portion 12: Lip 13: Preliminary fitting portion 14: Flange 15: Contact surface 17: Vertical rib (positioning protrusion)
18: Circular protrusion (positioning protrusion)
C: Cavity C1: Open edge

Claims (7)

A seal member formed of an elastic material and inserted into a circular hole-shaped cavity formed in the connector housing,
A cylindrical body,
A lip projecting in a ring shape on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion and in close contact with the inner peripheral wall of the cavity, and a liquid-tight seal between the main body portion and the inner peripheral wall of the cavity;
A preceding fitting portion that protrudes in the axial direction of the main body portion from an end portion in the axial direction of the main body portion and is fitted into the cavity in advance of the main body portion;
A flange projecting between the lip and the preceding fitting portion, and the surface of the flange on the side of the preceding fitting portion is a contact surface orthogonal to the axis of the main body, and this contact A seal member characterized in that the main body portion can be positioned at a normal insertion start position by contacting a face with an opening edge of the cavity over the entire circumference.   The outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion is formed perpendicular to the contact surface, and is capable of contacting the inner peripheral wall of the cavity in the entire region in the axial direction of the main body portion. Item 2. The sealing member according to Item 1. The preceding fitting portion is formed in a columnar shape,
On the outer peripheral surface of the preceding fitting portion, a plurality of positioning protrusions that contact the inner peripheral wall of the cavity are formed over the entire circumference at intervals in the circumferential direction.
When the sealing member is inserted into the cavity, the positioning protrusion is in contact with the inner peripheral wall of the cavity, so that the axis of the preceding fitting portion and the axis of the cavity are coaxial. Item 3. The sealing member according to item 1 or 2.   The seal member according to claim 3, wherein the positioning protrusion is a vertical rib extending in parallel with an axis of the preceding fitting portion.   The seal member according to claim 3, wherein the positioning protrusion is a circular protrusion that is raised in a spherical shape.   The sealing member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the preceding fitting portion and the flange are formed at both end portions of the main body portion.   The sealing member according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sealing member is a dummy plug, and the dummy member is inserted into the cavity of the cavity in which a terminal fitting is not accommodated.

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