JP5696893B2 - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector.

  Conventionally, a waterproof connector in which a seal ring is attached to a fitting portion of the connector is known. For example, the waterproof connector described in Patent Document 1 has a terminal accommodating portion that fits into the hood portion of the mating connector, and a seal ring is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion. It is sandwiched between the hood part and the terminal accommodating part to seal the space therebetween. The seal ring is mounted in front of a receiving portion that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion, and is positioned so as not to be displaced rearward when the connector is fitted.

JP 2009-64719 A

  However, in the above configuration, for example, when the seal ring is pulled forward due to rattling between the connectors, a gap is formed between the seal ring and the receiving portion, and water enters the seal ring from the gap. There was a risk of doing so.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a waterproof connector capable of enhancing the sealing performance.

The waterproof connector according to the present invention includes a terminal accommodating portion that fits in the hood portion of the mating connector, and a rear wall that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion and faces the distal end of the hood portion in the fitting direction. A receiving portion provided in an inner portion of the portion and an outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion are fitted between the hood portion and the terminal accommodating portion at the time of fitting with the mating connector. has a seal ring for sealing, wherein the sealing ring is mounted in front of the front Ki受 only part, the receiving part, the projection projecting forward from the front surface of the receiving portion, said terminal housing A corner portion of the protruding end surface of the projection and the inner peripheral surface bites into the outer portion of the end surface of the seal ring, when fitted with the mating connector. It will be.
According to such a configuration, even when the seal ring is pulled forward, the protrusion can block water from entering, so that the sealing performance can be improved.

Also, a terminal accommodating portion that fits within the hood portion of the mating connector and an outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion, and is sandwiched between the hood portion and the terminal accommodating portion when mating with the mating connector. And a seal ring that seals the gap between them, and the seal ring is mounted in front of a receiving portion that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion, and the front surface of the receiving portion includes A protrusion that bites into the end face of the seal ring when fitted with the mating connector is provided extending in the circumferential direction of the terminal accommodating portion, and an outer cylinder portion that covers the outer side of the hood portion, The receiving portion is provided continuously, and a lock arm is provided through a part of the outer tube portion, and the protrusion is a portion of the receiving portion between the lock arm and the terminal accommodating portion. Also provided only for It may be.
Here, the portion of the outer cylinder portion that is opened to provide the lock arm is the portion in which water is most likely to enter. By providing the protrusion only in such a portion, the sealing performance can be improved efficiently. .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the waterproof connector which can improve a sealing performance can be provided.

It is sectional drawing of the waterproof connector concerning Embodiment 1, Comprising: Sectional drawing showing the state fitted with the other party connector Front view of waterproof connector Partially enlarged sectional view of a waterproof connector showing the shape of the protrusion It is sectional drawing of the waterproof connector showing the state in the middle of fitting with the other party connector, Comprising: Sectional drawing showing the state before a seal ring is crushed It is sectional drawing of the waterproof connector showing a state in the middle of fitting with the other party connector, and is a sectional view showing the state where the seal ring was crushed It is a partially expanded sectional view of the waterproof connector in a state of being fitted with the mating connector, and is a partially enlarged sectional view showing a state in which the protrusion is biting into the end surface of the sealing ring Front view of waterproof connector according to embodiment 2 The partially expanded sectional view of the waterproof connector which shows the shape of the protrusion concerning Embodiment 3 The partially expanded sectional view of the waterproof connector which shows the shape of the protrusion concerning Embodiment 4

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 which actualized this invention is demonstrated in detail, referring FIGS. 1-6.
The waterproof connector 10 according to the present embodiment is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11 and the terminal accommodating portion 11 that fits in the hood portion 51 of the mating connector 50, and when the mating connector 50 is mated, the hood portion 51 and a seal ring 30 that is sandwiched between the terminal accommodating portion 11 and seals the gap therebetween. Hereinafter, in each component member, the fitting surface side of both connectors 10 and 50 will be referred to as the front, and the upper side in FIG. 1 will be referred to as the upper side and the lower side as the lower side.

  The mating connector 50 is a male connector and includes a hood portion 51 formed of synthetic resin. The hood portion 51 has a substantially cylindrical shape that opens forward, and a tab portion 53 of a male terminal fitting 52 that is conductively connected to a female terminal fitting 13 (described later) projects from the hood portion 51.

  On the upper surface of the hood portion 51, a lock protrusion 54 is provided to which the lock arm 20 of the waterproof connector 10 is locked. Further, a pair of ribs 55 are provided on both sides of the lock projection 54, and the rib 55 has a height dimension equivalent to that of the lock projection 54 and extends linearly from the front end to the rear end of the hood portion 51. ing.

  The waterproof connector 10 is a female connector and has a housing 12 formed of synthetic resin. The housing 12 includes a terminal accommodating portion 11 that can accommodate the female terminal fitting 13 and an outer cylinder portion 14 that surrounds the terminal accommodating portion 11.

  A cavity 15 into which the female terminal fitting 13 can be inserted from the rear is provided in the terminal accommodating portion 11 in a plurality of chambers (in this embodiment, five chambers) at predetermined intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions. When the terminal accommodating portion 11 is viewed from the front, as shown in FIG. 2, the terminal accommodating portion 11 has a substantially trapezoidal shape, and the cavity 15 has three chambers on the upper side and two chambers on the lower side. The cavity 15 is located. A lance 16 projects in a cantilever manner in each cavity 15, and the lance 16 prevents the female terminal fitting 13 accommodated in the cavity 15 from being pulled out rearward.

  The terminal accommodating portion 11 accommodates the female terminal fitting 13 that is electrically connected to the male terminal fitting 52. The female terminal fitting 13 has a connection portion 13A having a substantially box shape that can be connected to the tab portion 53 of the male terminal fitting 52, and an electric wire crimping portion (not shown) to which an end of the electric wire is crimped. A wire rubber plug (not shown) is pressure-bonded to the wire crimping portion together with the end of the wire, and when the wire rubber plug is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cavity 15, the inside of the cavity 15 is waterproofed.

  A front retainer 40 is mounted on the front surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11. The front retainer 40 is provided with a bending restricting portion 44 that is inserted into the bending space of the lance 16 and restricts the bending deformation of the lance 16. The front retainer 40 has a front wall 41 that covers the front side of the terminal accommodating portion 11, and a tab insertion for inserting the tab portion 53 of the male terminal fitting 52 at a position corresponding to each cavity 15 in the front wall 41. A mouth 42 is provided. Further, the front retainer 40 has an outer surface wall 43 that covers the outside of the terminal accommodating portion 11, and the front end (rear end) thereof is located on the front side of the seal ring 30 to restrict the displacement of the seal ring 30 toward the front. To do.

  The outer cylinder part 14 surrounding the periphery of the terminal accommodating part 11 includes a rear wall part 14A raised from the terminal accommodating part 11 toward the outer peripheral direction, and an outer peripheral side of the terminal accommodating part 11 connected to the inner wall part 14A. And an outer wall portion 14B surrounding the. The back wall portion 14A protrudes in the outer circumferential direction over the entire circumference from slightly behind the center in the front-rear direction of the terminal accommodating portion 11. The outer wall portion 14B is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape extending from the outer peripheral end portion of the back wall portion 14A to a position slightly beyond the front end face of the terminal accommodating portion 11 (the same position as the front end face of the front retainer 40). A space surrounded by the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder portion 14 (inner wall surfaces of the rear wall portion 14A and the outer wall portion 14B) is sealed with the hood portion 51 of the mating connector 50. An assembly space S that can accommodate the ring 30 is provided.

  The seal ring 30 is formed of an elastic member (e.g., rubber), has a cylindrical shape that opens in front and rear, and has an inner peripheral surface that is sized to fit the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11. The seal ring 30 fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11 is inserted from the front to the rear along the axis of the terminal accommodating portion 11 by an assembling jig (not shown), and is fitted at a position immediately before the rear wall portion 14A. Worn. An inner portion (portion on the terminal accommodating portion 11 side) of the back wall portion 14 </ b> A is a receiving portion 17 that is in contact with the end face of the seal ring 30. The inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the seal ring 30 are provided with a plurality of lips 31 for improving the waterproof effect. The receiving portion 17 is provided with a protrusion 18 that is in a state of being bitten into the end face of the seal ring 30 when the mating connector 17 is fitted. The protrusion 18 will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the outer cylinder portion 14 has a shape in which a central portion on the upper surface side protrudes outward, and a lock arm 20 is provided on the inner side thereof. The lock arm 20 has a form extending through the part of the back wall portion 14A and extending in the front-rear direction. Exposed.

  The lock arm 20 includes a pair of opposing walls 21 extending in the front-rear direction, and a support portion 22 positioned at the approximate center of the opposing wall 21 in the front-rear direction. The lock arm 20 is swingably displaceable (elastically displaceable) in a seesaw shape in the vertical direction around the support portion 22. The space between the opposing walls 21 is an opening 19 that communicates with the inside and outside of the outer cylinder portion 14, and the support portion 22 is connected to the back wall portion 14 </ b> A. In addition, the support part 22 has the thickness dimension (dimension of the front-back direction) equivalent to 14 A of back wall parts.

  At the front end portion of the lock arm 20, a lock portion 23 that is engaged with the lock protrusion 54 is provided. The lock portion 23 connects the front end portions of the pair of opposing walls 21. Further, grooves 27 into which the ribs 55 of the mating connector 50 are fitted are formed on both sides of the lock arm 20 (outside the facing wall 21).

  A cover portion 24 is provided on the rear portion of the lock arm 20 across the pair of opposing walls 21. The cover portion 24 connects the upper end edges of the facing wall 21 from a position in front of the support portion 22 to the rear end. An operation portion 25 for releasing the lock is provided at the rear end portion of the cover portion 24, and a finger hook portion 26 having a step shape is formed on the upper surface of the operation portion 25.

  Now, a protrusion 18 is provided on the receiving portion 17 inside the back wall portion 14A. The protrusion 18 protrudes forward from the front surface of the receiving portion 17 and extends continuously in the circumferential direction of the terminal accommodating portion 11, and is formed on the entire circumference surrounding the terminal accommodating portion 11. When the projection 18 is viewed from the front, it has an annular shape that is slightly larger than the outer shape of the terminal accommodating portion 11 as shown in FIG. The protrusion 18 is provided at a position away from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11 by a predetermined dimension.

  The protrusion 18 protrudes in a quadrangular cross section, and its front surface (projecting end surface 18A) is substantially parallel to the front surface of the back wall portion 14A. Further, the width dimension (dimension in the inner and outer directions) of the protrusion 18 is substantially constant and larger than the projecting dimension (dimension in the front-rear direction), and the inner peripheral surface 18B and the outer peripheral surface 18C are substantially perpendicular to the front surface of the receiving portion 17. And substantially parallel to each other. The protrusion 18 extends along the lower edge of the opening 19, and the outer peripheral surface 18C of the protrusion 18 and the wall surface of the opening 19 are connected without a step (see FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 1, the protrusion 18 is located at a position facing the inner peripheral edge of the hood portion 51, the outer peripheral surface 18 </ b> C of the protrusion 18 is positioned outside the inner peripheral edge of the hood portion 51, and the inner peripheral surface of the protrusion 18. 18B is located inside the inner peripheral edge of the hood part 51. Further, the protrusion 18 is arranged such that the inner part thereof overlaps with the outer part of the seal ring 30 in the front-rear direction, and the inner corner of the protrusion 18 (the corner between the protruding end surface 18A and the inner peripheral surface 18B). The outer edge of the end face of the seal ring 30 bites into the outer ring, and the outer corner of the protrusion 18 protrudes outside the seal ring 30. In addition, the width dimension of the protrusion 18 is made smaller than the width dimension of the recessed part inside the protrusion 18 among the receiving parts 17.

Next, the fitting operation of both connectors 10 and 50 will be described.
When the connectors 10 and 50 are fitted together, as shown in FIG. 4, the hood portion 51 of the mating connector 50 inserted into the assembly space S is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the seal ring 30 and the outer wall portion 14B. Enter between the surface. And the front-end | tip of the hood part 51 contacts the lip 31, and as shown in FIG. At this time, the seal ring 30 is pushed rearward, and its rear end surface is pressed against the corner portion of the protrusion 18, and the protrusion 18 bites into the outer edge portion of the end surface of the seal ring 30. This restricts the seal ring 30 from sliding (turning up) along the receiving portion 17. In addition, when the sliding of the seal ring 30 is restricted, the central portion of the seal ring 30 pushed by the hood portion 51 may be deformed so as to escape to the outside (the space ahead of the hood portion 51). In such a case, the tip of the hood portion 51 contacts the raised portion of the seal ring 30, and it becomes difficult to fit further, so the operator can notice the deformation of the seal ring 30, The fitting operation can be performed again. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which both the connectors 10 and 50 are fitted and retained in a state where the seal ring 30 is turned up or deformed.

  When both the connectors 10 and 50 are properly fitted, as shown in FIG. 1, the tip of the hood portion 51 reaches a position in front of the back wall portion 14 </ b> A, and the seal ring 30 is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 51. It will be in the state compressed between the outer peripheral surfaces of the terminal accommodating part 11. FIG. Thereby, the fitting part of both the connectors 10 and 50 is sealed, and as a result, the internal space of both the connectors 10 and 50 is sealed by this seal ring 30 and the rubber plug for electric wires (not shown). In addition, the male and female terminal fittings 13 and 52 are normally conductively connected, and the lock arm 20 is locked to the lock projection 54 and the connectors 10 and 50 are held in the fitted state.

According to the first embodiment configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
On the front surface of the receiving portion 17 of the waterproof connector 10 of the present embodiment, a protrusion 18 that bites into the end surface of the seal ring 30 when fitted with the mating connector 50 extends in the circumferential direction of the terminal accommodating portion 11. Is provided. Here, in a state where the waterproof connector 10 is normally fitted to the mating connector 50, the seal ring 30 may be pulled forward due to backlash between the lock arm 20 and the lock projection 54, and the like. In such a case, the end face of the seal ring 30 may be separated from the receiving portion 17. However, according to the waterproof connector 10 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, even if the end surface of the seal ring 30 is separated from the receiving portion 17, the protrusion 18 straddles between the receiving portion 17 and the seal ring 30. Thus, since the gap between the end face of the seal ring 30 and the receiving portion 17 is closed, it is possible to prevent water from entering the gap, thereby improving the sealing performance.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a waterproof connector 70 according to a second embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The waterproof connector 70 of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the protrusion 71 is provided only in a portion of the receiving portion 17 between the lock arm 20 and the terminal accommodating portion 11. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure similar to Embodiment 1, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As in the first embodiment, the waterproof connector 70 according to the present embodiment is attached to the terminal housing portion 11 fitted in the hood portion 51 of the mating connector 50 and the outer peripheral surface of the terminal housing portion 11. 50 and a seal ring 30 that is sandwiched between the hood portion 51 and the terminal accommodating portion 11 and seals between the hood portion 51 and the terminal accommodating portion 11, and the seal ring 30 projects outward from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11. A projection 71 is provided on the front surface of the receiving portion 17. The projection 71 bites into the end surface of the seal ring 30 when fitted to the mating connector 50.

  The shape of the protrusion 71 and the position in the inner and outer directions are the same as in the first embodiment. The protrusion 71 is continuously formed only in a portion corresponding to the opening range of the outer cylinder portion 14 in the receiving portion 17, that is, only in a portion between the terminal accommodating portion 11 and the lock arm 20. The protrusions 71 extend substantially parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11 along the inner edge of the opening 19, and both end surfaces 72 in the extending direction are arranged at positions slightly beyond the grooves 27 on both sides of the lock arm 20. Yes. Both end surfaces 72 of the protrusion 71 are substantially perpendicular to the front surface of the receiving portion 17, like the inner peripheral surface 73 and the outer peripheral surface 74.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the front surface of the receiving portion 17 is provided with the protrusion 71 that is in a state of being bitten into the end surface of the seal ring 30 when the mating connector 50 is fitted. Similarly to 1, even when the seal ring 30 is pulled forward, the protrusion 71 blocks water from entering, so that the sealing performance can be improved.
Furthermore, since the projection 71 is provided only in the opening portion 19 that is opened to provide the lock arm 20 in the outer cylinder portion 14, that is, the portion where water is most likely to enter, the sealing performance can be improved efficiently.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, a waterproof connector 80 according to Embodiment 3 embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The waterproof connector 80 of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the width dimension of the protrusion 81 is small. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure similar to Embodiment 1, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As in the first embodiment, the waterproof connector 80 according to the present embodiment is attached to the terminal housing portion 11 that fits in the hood portion 51 of the mating connector 50 and the outer peripheral surface of the terminal housing portion 11. 50 and a seal ring 30 that is sandwiched between the hood portion 51 and the terminal accommodating portion 11 and seals between the hood portion 51 and the terminal accommodating portion 11, and the seal ring 30 projects outward from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11. A projection 81 is provided on the front surface of the receiving portion 17. The projection 81 bites into the end surface of the seal ring 30 when fitted to the mating connector 50.

  Similar to the first embodiment, the protrusion 81 protrudes forward from the front surface of the receiving portion 17 and is formed continuously around the entire circumference surrounding the terminal accommodating portion 11. Further, the protrusion 81 is provided at a position away from the opening 19 by a certain distance inward. As in the first embodiment, the protrusion 81 protrudes with a quadrangular cross section, and its front surface (projecting end surface 82) is substantially parallel to the front surface of the rear wall portion 14A. Further, the width dimension (inside / outside dimension) of the protrusion 81 is substantially constant as in the first embodiment, and is larger than the projecting dimension (front / rear direction dimension). The front surface of 17 is substantially perpendicular and is substantially parallel to each other. The width dimension of the protrusion 81 is the same as the width dimension of the recess between the opening 19 and the protrusion 81. As in the first embodiment, the inner corner of the protrusion 81 bites into the outer portion of the end face of the seal ring 30.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the front surface of the receiving portion 17 is provided with the protrusion 81 that is in a state of being bitten into the end surface of the seal ring 30 when the mating connector 50 is fitted. Similarly to 1, even when the seal ring 30 is pulled forward, the protrusion 81 blocks water from entering, so that the sealing performance can be improved.

<Embodiment 4>
Next, a waterproof connector 90 according to a fourth embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The waterproof connector 90 of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the protrusion 91 protrudes with a triangular cross section. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure similar to Embodiment 1, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The waterproof connector 90 according to the present embodiment is attached to the terminal housing portion 11 that fits into the hood portion 51 of the mating connector 50 and the outer peripheral surface of the terminal housing portion 11, as in the first embodiment. 50 and a seal ring 30 that is sandwiched between the hood portion 51 and the terminal accommodating portion 11 and seals between the hood portion 51 and the terminal accommodating portion 11, and the seal ring 30 projects outward from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11. A projection 91 is provided on the front surface of the receiving portion 17 so as to bite into the end surface of the seal ring 30 when fitted to the mating connector 50.

  Similar to the first embodiment, the protrusion 91 protrudes forward from the front surface of the receiving portion 17 and is formed continuously around the entire circumference surrounding the terminal accommodating portion 11. Further, the protrusion 91 is provided at a position away from the opening 19 inward, and the entire protrusion 91 bites into the outer portion of the end face of the seal ring 30 in the inner and outer directions. The protrusion 91 protrudes with a triangular cross section, and the outer surface 92 and the inner surface 93 thereof have the same gradient, and the protruding end is pointed. In addition, the width dimension (inside / outside dimension) of the protrusion 91 is substantially constant, as in the first embodiment, and is larger than the projecting dimension (front-rear direction dimension).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the front surface of the receiving portion 17 is provided with the protrusion 91 that is in a state of being bitten into the end surface of the seal ring 30 when the mating connector 50 is fitted. 1, even when the seal ring 30 is pulled forward, the protrusion 91 blocks water from entering, so that the sealing performance can be improved. Further, since the protrusion 91 has a sharp tip, it easily bites into the end face of the seal ring 30.

<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, an example in which the present invention is applied to a female connector has been described. However, the present invention may be applied to a male connector.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 70, 80, 90 ... Waterproof connector 11 ... Terminal accommodating part 14 ... Outer cylinder part 17 ... Receiving part 18, 71, 81, 91 ... Protrusion 20 ... Lock arm 30 ... Sealing ring 50 ... Counterpart connector 51 ... Hood part

Claims (2)

A terminal accommodating portion that fits into the hood portion of the mating connector;
A receiving portion that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion and that is provided on the inner portion of the back wall portion that opposes the leading end of the hood portion in the fitting direction;
A seal ring that is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion and is sandwiched between the hood portion and the terminal accommodating portion when sealed with the mating connector;
The sealing ring is mounted in front of the front Ki受 only part,
The receiving portion is provided with a protrusion that protrudes forward from the front surface of the receiving portion , extending in the circumferential direction of the terminal accommodating portion, and when the mating connector is engaged with the protruding end surface of the protrusion. A waterproof connector in which a corner with an inner peripheral surface bites into an outer portion of an end surface of the seal ring . A terminal accommodating portion that fits into the hood portion of the mating connector;
A seal ring that is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion and is sandwiched between the hood portion and the terminal accommodating portion when sealed with the mating connector;
The seal ring is mounted in front of a receiving portion protruding outward from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion,
On the front surface of the receiving portion, a protrusion that is in a state of biting into the end face of the seal ring when fitted with the mating connector is provided extending in the circumferential direction of the terminal accommodating portion,
An outer cylinder portion that covers the outside of the hood portion is provided continuously with the receiving portion,
A lock arm is provided through a portion of the outer cylinder,
It said projection only waterproof connector that provided in the portion between the locking arm and the terminal accommodating portion of the receiving portion.

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