JP5631225B2 - Relay connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a relay connector that is mounted on a housing such as an engine, a mission, or a motor and connects an internal electric wire and an external electric wire.

  The relay connector has an insertion portion to which an O-ring is attached and a flange in which a bolt insertion hole is formed. The insertion portion is inserted into the through hole of the housing, and the flange is abutted against the opening edge of the through hole of the housing. It is known that a bolt can be attached to a casing by inserting a bolt into a bolt insertion hole of the flange and fastening the bolt to the casing (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). According to this connector, the O-ring ensures waterproofness between the inside and outside of the housing, and electrical connection is made between the inside and outside of the housing.

JP 2002-8791 A JP-A-8-250245

  By the way, in the relay connector of the said structure, since a big fastening force acts on the fastening location to the housing | casing with a volt | bolt, the reaction force of a reverse direction to a fastening direction will arise in places below fastening locations, such as a side opposite to a fastening part. . When a reaction force is generated in the relay connector as described above, a rotational force is generated in the connector due to the fastening force and the reaction force, and the connector is inclined with respect to the axis of the mounting hole, and the balance of the abutting force of the flange to the housing is balanced. Collapses and the flange rises, and the sealing performance by the O-ring may be reduced. Further, if a large fastening force acts on the flange, the flange itself may be damaged.

  In this case, it is conceivable that a collar is attached to the bolt insertion hole of the flange so that the fastening force of the bolt is not applied to the flange. However, in this case, the flange abutting force on the housing cannot be obtained sufficiently. Otherwise, the sealing performance may be deteriorated. In particular, when the housing is washed with high-pressure water by a high-pressure washing machine, water may enter the inside of the housing through the gap between the housing and the flange.

  In addition, when pressure is applied to the inside of the housing, a reaction force in the direction opposite to the fastening direction is generated at a place other than the fastening part such as the side opposite to the fastening part due to the pressure, and a rotational force is generated by the fastening force and the reaction force. As a result, the connector is inclined with respect to the axis of the mounting hole, the balance of the abutting force of the flange against the housing is lost, the flange is lifted, and the sealing performance by the O-ring may be deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a relay connector capable of maintaining good sealing performance without problems such as breakage due to fastening.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the relay connector according to the present invention is characterized by any one of the following (1) to (3).
(1) an insertion portion fitted into the mounting hole of the housing;
An O-ring that is attached to the insertion portion and seals between the mounting holes;
A flange portion formed on the side opposite to the insertion side to the mounting hole in the insertion portion;
A relay connector provided with a fastening portion formed on a part of the flange portion and fastened and fixed to the outer surface of the housing;
An elastically deformable lip portion that protrudes toward the attachment side to the housing is formed on the flange portion at the periphery on the attachment side to the housing over the entire circumference.
(2) In the relay connector configured as described in (1) above, a hole is formed in the fastening portion, and the hole has a cylindrical shape having a length dimension larger than the thickness dimension of the fastening portion. A collar is inserted, and a bolt to be fastened to a screw hole formed in the casing is inserted into the collar.
(3) In the relay connector configured as described in (1) or (2) above, a groove is formed in the lip portion with an interval in the circumferential direction of the flange portion.

In the relay connector having the above configuration (1), when the fastening portion is fastened to the housing, the lip portion formed on the flange portion is pressed against the outer surface of the housing while being elastically deformed. As a result, the gap between the flange portion and the outer surface of the housing is sealed by the lip portion as well as the seal between the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole by the O-ring attached to the insertion portion, and thus the flange portion is greatly tightened. Very good sealing performance can be secured without pressing against the outer surface of the housing with force. In other words, good sealing performance can be maintained without problems such as breakage of the flange portion due to fastening.
In addition, due to the large fastening force on the housing at the fastening part and the pressure inside the housing, a reaction force in the direction opposite to the fastening direction occurs at a place other than the fastening part such as the side opposite to the fastening part, and the flange part slightly lifts from the housing. Even so, since the lip portion that is elastically deformed and adhered to the outer surface of the housing is provided on the entire periphery of the flange portion, the gap between the flange portion and the outer surface of the housing is blocked by the lip portion. Can be maintained. Therefore, the seal at the lip portion can be maintained for a long time as well as the seal between the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole by the O-ring attached to the insertion portion.
In the relay connector configured as described in (2) above, a cylindrical collar having a length dimension larger than the thickness dimension of the fastening portion of the flange portion is inserted into the hole portion of the fastening portion, and the bolt inserted into the collar is Since it is screwed into the screw hole of the housing, even if the bolt is screwed into the screw hole and tightened, it is possible to prevent a problem that the fastening force reaches the flange portion and the flange portion is damaged. In addition, since the fastening force of the bolt does not reach the flange part so much, even if the flange part is not strongly pressed against the outer surface of the casing, the flange lip part is elastically deformed and adhered to the outer surface of the casing. And the outer surface of the housing can be sealed with a lip.
In the relay connector having the configuration (3), since the groove portion is formed in the lip portion with a gap in the circumferential direction of the flange portion, the lip portion is elastically deformed with a small force when fastened and fixed to the housing. . Thereby, the fastening force to a housing can be reduced and the attachment operation can be facilitated.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the relay connector which can eliminate the inclination by fastening force or a pressure, and can maintain favorable sealing performance can be provided.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the modes for carrying out the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a perspective view which shows the relay connector which concerns on embodiment. It is a sectional side view of the state before the fastening to the housing which shows the relay connector which concerns on embodiment. It is a sectional side view which passes along the fastening part of the state before the fastening to the housing which shows the relay connector which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the holder assembly of the relay connector which concerns on embodiment. It is a sectional side view which passes along the fastening part which shows the fastening state to the housing of the relay connector which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the relay connector which concerns on embodiment.

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

  1 is a perspective view showing a relay connector according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a state before fastening to the housing showing the relay connector according to the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a housing showing the relay connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a holder assembly of the relay connector according to the embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a fastening portion showing a fastening state of the relay connector according to the embodiment to the housing. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the relay connector 11 according to the present embodiment includes a non-conductive synthetic resin housing 12, a rubber O-ring 13, and a collar 14. The relay connector 11 is attached to a mounting hole 16 of a housing 15 such as an engine, a mission, or a motor, for example, and an internal cable (not shown) inside the housing 15 and an external cable (not shown) outside the housing 15. It is a connector to be electrically connected.

  The housing 12 includes an insertion portion 19, a flange portion 20, an outer connector portion 21, an inner connector portion 22, and a fastening portion 23. The insertion portion 19 is formed in a circular shape and is fitted into the mounting hole 16 of the housing 15. A mounting groove 19 a is formed in the circumferential surface of the insertion portion 19 in the circumferential direction, and the O-ring 13 is mounted in a mounting groove 19 a of the insertion portion 19. The O-ring 13 is brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole 16 by fitting the insertion portion 19 into the mounting hole 16 of the housing 15, and seals the housing 15 and the relay connector 11. The mounting hole 16 is formed with an insertion guide surface 16a by chamfering the opening edge portion, so that the insertion portion 19 can be smoothly inserted.

  The flange portion 20 is formed integrally with an upper end portion of the insertion portion 19 that is opposite to the insertion side of the mounting hole 16. The flange portion 20 is formed in a circular shape having a diameter larger than that of the mounting hole 16, and the insertion edge 19 is inserted into the mounting hole 16 of the housing 15, thereby opening the opening edge of the mounting hole 16 on the outer surface side of the housing 15. It is hit by. The outer connector portion 21 protrudes perpendicularly from the upper surface of the flange portion 20 and then bends and extends parallel to the upper surface. The inner connector portion 22 projects vertically from the lower surface of the insertion portion 19.

  A fastening portion 23 is formed in a part of the flange portion 20 of the housing 12 in the circumferential direction. A collar mounting hole (hole) 24 is formed in the fastening portion 23, and the collar 14 is inserted into the collar mounting hole 24 from above. The collar 14 prevents the fastening force of the bolt 18 from reaching the housing 12 and protects the housing 12, and is formed of, for example, metal.

  An insertion hole 14 a is formed in the collar 14, and the bolt 18 is inserted into the insertion hole 14 a when the relay connector 11 is attached to the housing 15. The collar 14 has a cylindrical portion 14b and a collar portion 14c formed at the upper end of the cylindrical portion 14b. By inserting the cylindrical portion 14b into the collar mounting hole 24, the collar portion 14c is connected to the fastening portion 23. And is held by the fastening portion 23. The length dimension of the cylindrical portion 14 b of the collar 14 is slightly larger than the thickness dimension of the fastening portion 23.

  The casing 15 is formed with a screw hole 15a into which the bolt 18 can be screwed. Then, the bolts 18 are inserted into the collars 14 mounted in the collar mounting holes 24, and the bolts 18 are screwed into the screw holes 15a of the casing 15, so that the housing 12 is attached to the casing 15 by the fastening force of the bolts 18 to the screw holes 15a. It is concluded. Thereby, the relay connector 11 is attached to the housing 15.

  Further, a lip portion 17 is formed on the flange portion 20 of the housing 12 around the entire circumference of the flange portion 20 on the periphery on the insertion portion 19 side. The lip portion 17 is formed integrally with the housing 12 made of synthetic resin, and can be elastically deformed. The lip portion 17 protrudes from the periphery of the flange portion 20 toward the insertion portion 19 and is inclined outward. Accordingly, when the insertion portion 19 is fitted into the mounting hole 16 of the housing 15, the lip portion 17 is brought into contact with the outer surface of the housing 15 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

  A holder assembly 60 including a terminal 25 made of conductive metal, a holder 26 made of non-conductive synthetic resin, and a cover 27 made of non-conductive synthetic resin is integrally embedded in the housing 12. Yes. The outer connector portion 21 is formed with a fitting opening 30 for fitting a connector of an unillustrated external cable. The inner connector portion 22 is also formed with a fitting opening 31 for fitting the connector of the internal cable. The fitting opening 30 opens to the distal end side of the outer connector portion 21, and the fitting opening 31 opens downward.

  The terminal 25 of the holder assembly 60 has one end protruding into the fitting opening 30 and the other end protruding into the fitting opening 31, and an intermediate portion embedded in the housing 12. As a result, the outer connector portion 21 and the terminal 25 constitute a male connector 32 at one end of the relay connector 11, and the inner connector portion 22 and the terminal 25 constitute a male connector 33 at the other end of the relay connector 11. The cover 27 is embedded near the bottom of the fitting opening 30 in the housing 12. The holder 26 is embedded in the housing 12 so as to connect the vicinity of the bottom of the fitting opening 30 and the vicinity of the bottom of the fitting opening 31.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the holder assembly 60 includes eight terminals 25. The terminals 25 are L-shaped when viewed from the side, and four terminals 25 are held on the front and back of the holder 26. The cover 27 has insertion holes 58 through which the terminals 25 are inserted, and is attached to the upper end side of the holder 26 while inserting the terminals through the insertion holes 58. As a result, the terminal 25 is held by holding one end of the terminal 25 between the holder 26 and the cover 27.

  Then, a holder assembly 60 formed by holding the terminal 25 on the front surface side of the holder 26 and sandwiched between the holder 26 and the cover 27 is set at a predetermined position of the mold, and this mold is filled with a synthetic resin to fill the housing 12. Form. That is, the holder assembly 60 is insert-molded. Thereby, the relay connector 11 is formed.

  In the relay connector 11 formed in this way, as shown in FIG. 2, one end side of the terminal 25 protrudes into the fitting opening 31 of the inner connector portion 22 and becomes a tab of the male connector 33. The end side protrudes into the fitting opening 30 of the outer connector portion 21 and becomes a tab of the male connector 32. Thereby, one end side of the terminal 25 is fitted to the female terminal of the connector of the internal cable, and the other end side of the terminal 25 is fitted to the female terminal of the connector of the external cable. As a result, an electrical signal between the internal cable and the external cable can be transmitted via the terminal 25.

  In order to attach the relay connector 11 having the above structure to the housing 15, the insertion portion 19 to which the O-ring 13 is attached is attached to the attachment hole 16 of the housing 15, and the lip portion 17 of the flange portion 20 is an attachment hole on the outer surface side of the housing 15. It pushes in until it contacts 16 opening edges, and it is made to fit (refer FIG.2 and FIG.3).

  If it does in this way, O-ring 13 with which insertion part 19 was equipped will stick to the inner skin of attachment hole 16 of case 15, and, thereby, housing 15 and relay connector 11 will be sealed.

  When the insertion portion 19 is fitted into the mounting hole 16, the bolt 18 is inserted into the insertion hole 14 a of the collar 14 attached to the fastening portion 23 and screwed into the screw hole 15 a of the housing 15.

  If it does in this way, as shown in FIG. 5, the fastening part 23 of the flange part 20 will be fastened by the housing 15 with the fastening force of the volt | bolt 18 to the screw hole 15a, and the relay connector 11 will be attached to the housing 15. FIG.

  In addition, when the bolt 18 is screwed into the screw hole 15a and tightened in this manner, the relay connector 11 is brought closer to the housing 15 side by screwing the bolt 18 into. Thereby, the lip part 17 formed in the flange part 20 is pressed against the outer surface of the housing 15 while being elastically deformed. When the fastening of the bolt 18 is completed, the lip portion 17 is pressed against the outer surface of the housing 15 with a strong force by the fastening force of the bolt 18 to the housing 15 and is brought into close contact therewith. Thereby, the flange part 20 and the outer surface of the housing 15 are closed by the lip part 17, and the housing 15 and the relay connector 11 are sealed.

  The cylindrical portion 14b of the collar 14 has a length slightly larger than the thickness of the fastening portion 23 of the flange portion 20, so that the flange portion 20 and the housing are fastened with the bolt 18 fastened to the housing 15. A slight gap is formed between the 15 outer surfaces. Therefore, damage to the flange portion 20 due to excessive application of the fastening force of the bolt 18 to the fastening portion 23 of the flange portion 20 is prevented. In this way, even if a slight gap is formed between the flange portion 20 and the outer surface of the housing 15, the flange portion 20 and the outer surface of the housing 15 are closed by the lip portion 17. The seal between the part 20 and the outer surface of the housing 15 is ensured reliably.

  Here, assuming that a large fastening force is applied to the fastening portion 23 of the flange portion 20, the relay connector 11 has a fastening direction at a place other than a fastening place such as a place opposite to the fastening place to the housing 15 by the bolt 18. A reverse reaction force acts. Then, a rotational force is generated in the relay connector 11 that receives the fastening force and the reaction force. For this reason, the flange portion 20 is inclined with respect to the central axis of the mounting hole 16 and is likely to float from the outer surface of the housing 15. To do.

  However, in the relay connector 11 according to the present embodiment, the lip portion 17 that elastically deforms and adheres to the outer surface of the housing 15 is provided on the entire periphery of the flange portion 20, so that the flange portion 20 is the outer surface of the housing 15. Even if the air is slightly lifted from the upper surface of the housing 15, the gap between the flange portion 20 and the outer surface of the housing 15 is kept closed by the lip portion 17.

  Further, when the inside of the housing 15 is at a high pressure, the pressure acts on the relay connector 11. Since this pressure acts in the opposite direction to the fastening force of the bolt 18, a rotational force is generated in the relay connector 11 that receives the fastening force and the pressure. Then, the relay connector 11 is inclined with respect to the central axis of the mounting hole 16, and the flange portion 20 tends to float from the outer surface of the housing 15.

  However, also in this case, in the relay connector 11 according to the present embodiment, the lip portion 17 that is elastically deformed and adhered to the outer surface of the housing 15 is provided on the entire periphery of the flange portion 20, so that the flange portion 20 is Even if the surface is slightly lifted from the outer surface of the housing 15, the gap between the flange portion 20 and the outer surface of the housing 15 is maintained in a state of being closed by the lip portion 17.

  Thus, according to the relay connector 11 having the above-described configuration, when the fastening portion 23 is fastened to the housing 15, the lip portion 17 formed on the flange portion 20 is pressed against the outer surface of the housing 15 while being elastically deformed. As a result, the gap between the flange portion 20 and the outer surface of the casing 15 is sealed by the lip portion 17 as well as the seal between the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole 16 by the O-ring 13 attached to the insertion portion 19. It is possible to ensure a very good sealing performance without pressing the flange portion 20 against the outer surface of the housing 15 with a large fastening force. In other words, good sealing performance can be maintained without problems such as breakage of the flange portion 20 due to fastening.

  Further, due to the large fastening force to the housing 15 at the fastening portion 23 and the pressure inside the housing 15, a reaction force in the direction opposite to the fastening direction is generated at a location other than the fastening location, such as the side opposite to the fastening portion 23. Since the lip portion 17 that is elastically deformed and adhered to the outer surface of the housing 15 is provided on the entire periphery of the flange portion 20 even if the 20 is slightly lifted from the housing 15, the flange portion 20 and the outer surface of the housing 15 It is possible to maintain a state where the gap is closed by the lip portion 17. Therefore, the seal at the lip portion 17 can be maintained for a long time as well as the seal between the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole 16 by the O-ring 13 attached to the insertion portion 19.

  A collar 14 having a cylindrical portion 14 b having a length dimension larger than the thickness dimension of the fastening portion 23 of the flange portion 20 is inserted into the collar mounting hole 24 of the fastening portion 23, and the bolt 18 inserted into the collar 14. However, even if the bolt 18 is screwed into the screw hole 15a and tightened, the problem that the flange portion 20 is damaged by the fastening force can be prevented. Further, since the fastening force of the bolt 18 does not reach the flange portion 20 so much, even if the flange portion 20 is not strongly pressed against the outer surface of the housing 15, the lip portion 17 of the flange portion 20 is elastically deformed to the outer surface of the housing 15. Therefore, the gap between the flange portion 20 and the outer surface of the housing 15 can be closed by the lip portion 17 and sealed.

  Here, what is shown in FIG. 6 is a relay connector 11 according to a modification. A groove portion 17 a is formed in the lip portion 17 formed on the flange portion 20 of the relay connector 11 with an interval in the circumferential direction of the flange portion 20. These groove portions 17 a are formed along the radial direction of the lip portion 17.

  Thus, when the groove part 17a is formed in the lip part 17, when the relay connector 11 is fastened and fixed to the housing 15 with the bolt 18, the lip part 17 is elastically deformed with a small force. Thereby, the fastening force of the volt | bolt 18 at the time of attaching the relay connector 11 to the housing | casing 15 can be reduced, and the attachment operation can be facilitated.

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

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Relay connector 13 O-ring 14 Collar 15 Housing 15a Screw hole 16 Mounting hole 17 Lip part 17a Groove part 18 Bolt 19 Insertion part 20 Flange part 23 Fastening part 24 Collar mounting hole (hole part)

Claims (3)

An insertion part to be fitted into the mounting hole of the housing;
An O-ring that is attached to the insertion portion and seals between the mounting holes;
A flange portion formed on the side opposite to the insertion side to the mounting hole in the insertion portion;
A relay connector provided with a fastening portion formed on a part of the flange portion and fastened and fixed to the outer surface of the housing;
The relay connector is characterized in that an elastically deformable lip portion that protrudes toward the attachment side to the housing is formed on the flange portion around the circumference on the attachment side to the housing.   A hole is formed in the fastening part, and a cylindrical collar having a length dimension larger than the thickness dimension of the fastening part is inserted into the hole part, and the collar is formed in the casing. The relay connector according to claim 1, wherein a bolt to be fastened to the screw hole is inserted.   The relay connector according to claim 1, wherein a groove portion is formed in the lip portion at an interval in a circumferential direction of the flange portion.

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