JP5728248B2 - Connector mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector mounting structure.

  A vehicle such as an automobile is equipped with a large number of electronic control units (hereinafter abbreviated as ECUs) for controlling electrical components. In each ECU, electronic components such as an electronic control board are individually housed in a case and are appropriately distributed in each part of the vehicle. A connector for relaying and connecting the electronic components in the case and the external electronic components is connected to the ECU case. In this connector, a packing is mounted in an annular groove on a surface facing the case, and the packing is pressed against the opening edge of the case, so that a space between the joint surface of the connector and the case is sealed ( For example, see Patent Document 1.)

  This type of connector is generally formed of a synthetic resin, and includes, for example, a holding portion that holds a conductor connected to an electronic component in a case, and a flange that protrudes from the holding portion in the circumferential direction. The flange is provided with a metal cylindrical collar at a position where the bolt is inserted, and the flange is attached to the case via the bolt inserted into the collar.

JP 2009-295492 A

  By the way, the connector fixed to the case in this way may be limited in the shape and size of the flange due to restrictions such as the positional relationship with other parts. When the flange is restricted in this manner, the bolt position on the flange is restricted by design, and there is a possibility that the joint surface between the case and the connector cannot be pressed with a uniform force.

  For example, in the case of a rectangular flange, bolt insertion holes are usually provided at the four corners, and the packing is arranged inside a frame in which four bolt insertion holes are connected by lines over the entire circumference. For this reason, the packing is pressed evenly between the joint surfaces by tightening the bolts. On the other hand, for example, in the case of a flange having a shape in which one corner of a rectangle is obliquely missing, a space for providing a bolt insertion hole in the missing corner, that is, a space for arranging a collar cannot be secured. It must be reduced or shifted. If it does so, a part of packing will be arrange | positioned on the outer side of the frame which connected the penetration hole of all the bolts with the line. For this reason, when the bolt is tightened, there is a possibility that partial floating occurs between the joint surfaces and the sealing performance is deteriorated due to insufficient packing pressing force.

  The subject of this invention is suppressing the float between the joint surfaces of a connector and a case accompanying clamping of a volt | bolt.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a second conductor from a holding portion that holds a second conductor connected to a first conductor housed in a case, and an opening formed in a wall surface of the case. A flange that faces the case and supports the holding portion on the case; an annular packing that is mounted on the surface of the flange facing the case so as to surround the holding portion; and a terminal that connects the second conductor to an external conductor; In the mounting structure of the connector to be attached to the case, the bolt holes inserted between the bolt holes of the flange and between the bolt holes of the flange are connected to each other by screwing the bolt inserted into the bolt hole of the flange into the bolt hole of the case. A leg portion standing from one of the joint surface located outside the frame connected by the line and the joint surface of the case facing the joint surface, and a claw portion projecting from the side surface of the tip of the leg portion Have A claw and a claw hole formed through the wall including the other joint surface so that the claw can be engaged, and the claw is an edge of the cave hole on the side opposite to the one joint surface or in the middle of the claw hole The nail | claw part is engaged with the step part formed in this, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  That is, by inserting and engaging the claw formed on one joint surface into the hole formed on the other joint surface, the one joint surface and the other joint surface can be attracted to each other. Further, the claw and the claw hole can be provided in a space smaller than the insertion hole of the bolt. Therefore, in the region where the shape and size of the flange of the connector is limited and a space for providing a bolt insertion hole cannot be secured on the flange, a pit or a claw is formed, and a claw or a pit is formed on the joint surface of the opposing case. By providing, the float at the time of bolting can be suppressed, and the fall of the sealing performance between the joint surfaces of a connector and a case can be suppressed.

  In this case, the pin is erected from one of the joint surface located on the outer side of the flange packing and the joint surface of the case facing the joint surface, and the pin is formed on the other joint surface. The pin hole is formed in a direction in which the connector is rotated relative to the case around the pin in a state where the pin is fitted in the pin hole and the hook is inserted in the pin hole. When moved, an opening is formed in the direction in which the leg moves, and a convex part that the claw gets over is formed at the edge of the opening opposite to the one joint surface or in the middle of the pothole. Shall be.

  According to this, the claw can be engaged with the claw hole by a simple operation of rotating the connector relative to the case with the pin as a fulcrum. Further, the claw portion of the claw gets over the convex portion with the rotation of the connector, so that the claw can be made difficult to come out of the claw hole. Further, since the claw is locked after overcoming the convex portion, the connector can be positioned with respect to the case, and the subsequent bolting operation can be efficiently performed.

  According to the connector mounting structure of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the float between the joint surface of the connector and the case accompanying tightening of the bolt.

It is a disassembled perspective view when the attachment structure of the connector to which this invention is applied is seen from the case side. It is a disassembled perspective view when the attachment structure of the connector to which this invention is applied is seen from the connector side. It is a figure which expands and shows the coffin hole of FIG. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement which engages a claw and a claw hole.

  Hereinafter, an example of a connector mounting structure to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, a connector mounting structure that is attached to a side surface of an ECU case (hereinafter abbreviated as a case) mounted on an automobile or the like will be described, but the mounting structure of the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, it can be widely applied when a connector is attached to a case in which an electronic component is stored.

  A connector 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is attached to a side wall of a case in which an electronic component such as an electronic control board is accommodated, and is used when connecting the electronic component in the case and an external electronic component. In this embodiment, in order to make the structure easy to understand, the case 3 is represented by a side wall to which the connector 1 is attached.

  The connector 1 is formed of, for example, an insulating synthetic resin, and a holding portion 5 that holds a conductor connected to an electronic component housed in the case 3 and an opening 9 formed in the joint surface 7 of the case 3. A flange 11 for supporting the holding portion 5 on the case 3 with the conductor facing the case, and a ring mounted so as to surround the holding portion 5 on the joint surface 13 of the flange 11 facing the joint surface 7 of the case 3 The packing 15 is provided. The packing 15 is attached to an annular groove (not shown) formed on the joint surface 13 of the flange 11.

  The holding portion 5 holds conductors connected to electronic components in the case 3, that is, terminal fittings on which Y terminals 17 and RH terminals 19 are respectively formed. A terminal connected to an external electronic component is formed on the other end side (front side in FIG. 2) of the terminal fitting. Therefore, the terminal fitting is provided with terminals that can be connected to electronic components at both ends. Cylindrical housings 21 and 23 that surround the other end sides of the respective terminal fittings are formed on the back surface of the holding portion 5, that is, the back surface of the surface facing the bonding surface 7 of the case 3. The housings 21 and 23 are formed, for example, so that a mating connector connected to an external electronic device can be attached. In addition to this example, the connector 1 is an electronic device such as a connector that directly connects an electric wire to a terminal on the back side of the holding unit 5 to electrically connect an electronic device in the case 3 and an external electronic device. It is assumed to include a known connector that can connect devices.

  A flange 11 formed integrally with the holding unit 5 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the holding unit 5. The flange 11 is provided with an annular groove in which the packing 15 is mounted and one pin 27 erected from the joint surface 13 of the flange 11. The pin 27 can be inserted into a pin hole 29 formed in the wall of the case 3. The pin hole 29 is formed by penetrating the wall of the case 3. However, the pin hole 29 may not be penetrated as long as the pin 27 has a hole into which the pin 27 is fitted. A plurality of (four in the figure) cylindrical metal collars 31 are insert-molded in the flange 11 so that bolts can be inserted therethrough. The collar 31 is not limited to insert molding, and may be press fitted into a hole formed in the flange 11.

  The packing 15 is formed in an O-ring shape with an elastic material such as rubber or resin, and a part of the packing 15 protrudes from the annular groove in a state of being attached to the annular groove. That is, the diameter of the packing 15 is formed larger than the depth dimension of the annular groove.

  By the way, in the connector 1 of the present embodiment, the flange 11 is limited in shape and size due to restrictions on the positional relationship with other parts, etc., and the corners of the substantially rectangular four corners are missing to form the inclined surface 33. It has a shape. Here, in the case of a flange formed in a rectangular shape without a missing portion, it is usual that one collar 31 is arranged at each of the four corners. However, in the case of the flange 11 having a shape that is partially missing as in the present embodiment, the collar 31 that should originally be provided in the missing portion is shifted to another position. That is, since one of the four collars 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d is arranged so as to be shifted inward, the packing is placed outside the frame that connects the four collars 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d with lines. A part of 15 is arranged.

  In such a configuration, in order to attach the connector 1 to the case 3, when bolts are inserted through the respective collars 31 and tightened, the joint surface between the connector 1 and the case 3 is tightened in a direction where many bolts are gathered. For example, in the region A outside (the inclined surface 33 side) from the line connecting the collar 31a and the collar 31d, there is a possibility that floating occurs between the joint surfaces. When this floating occurs, the force for pressing the packing 15 is insufficient, and the sealing performance is lowered.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the hole 35 is formed in such a region A of the flange 11, and the hook 37 inserted into the hole 35 is provided upright from the joint surface 7 of the case 3. The claw 37 has a leg portion 39 standing from the joint surface 7 and a claw portion 41 protruding from the side surface at the tip of the leg portion 39. The flange 35 is formed through the flange 11 so that the inserted hook 37 is engaged.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the pit hole 35 has a substantially rectangular opening, and is formed to be wide along the longitudinal direction 47 from one end surface 43 to the other end surface 45 of the opening. Further, at the edge of the wide opening, a convex portion 51 that is raised in a mountain shape in the longitudinal direction 47 is provided along the other end surface 49. The claw claw 37 inserted into such a claw hole 35 moves while the leg portion 39 moves from the one end surface 43 of the opening toward the other end surface 45, and the claw portion 41 gets over the pressing portion 49 while pressing it. The locking surface 53 is moved in the longitudinal direction 47. Here, since the convex portion 49 is formed in a curved shape in the longitudinal direction 47 from the other end surface 49, the claw portion 41 is easily engaged without being caught by the other end surface 49.

  Next, an operation of fixing the connector 1 configured as described above to the case 3 will be described.

  First, the joint surface 7 of the case 3 and the joint surface 13 of the flange 11 of the connector 1 are opposed to each other, and the Y terminal 17 and the RH terminal 19 are inserted into the opening 9 of the case 3 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The pin 27 protruding from the joint surface 13 is inserted into the pin hole 29 formed on the joint surface 7 of the case 3, and the claw 37 formed on the joint surface 7 of the case 3 is inserted into the flange hole 35 of the flange 11. To do. As a result, the pin 27 is fitted into the pin hole 29, and the claw 37 is in a state in which the claw portion 41 protrudes from the opening of the claw hole 35 on the side opposite to the joint surface 13.

  Next, with the pin 27 as a fulcrum, the connector 1 is rotated with respect to the case 3 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. As a result, the position of the connector 1 with respect to the case 3 changes from the state shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C to the state where the connector 1 is positioned at an appropriate position. By rotating the connector 1 in this way, the claw portion 41 that was initially positioned on the one end face 43 side of the opening of the pit hole 35 as shown in FIG. Next, it moves to the other end face 45 side of the opening of the pit hole 35.

  Here, when the claw 37 moves from the state shown in FIG. 4B to the state shown in FIG. 4D, the inner surface of the claw portion 41, that is, the surface facing the joint surface 7 presses the convex portion 51. get over. When the claw portion 41 moves over the convex portion 51 and moves while pressing the locking surface 53, the leg portion 39 comes into contact with the other end surface 49 of the hole 35, so that the hook claw 37 is locked and the connector 1 is Positioned.

  After positioning the connector 1 in this manner, the bolts are passed through the collars 31 of the flange 11 and the bolts are screwed into the bolt holes 53 of the case 3 to fix the connector 1 to the case 3. Further, the packing 15 projecting from the annular groove is compressed by the connector 1 and the case 3 and elastically deformed by the fastening force of the bolt, so that the space between the joint surface 7 and the joint surface 13 is sealed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent water or the like from entering the case 3 from the opening 9 of the case 3. An electronic device in the case 3 is connected to the Y terminal 17 and the RH terminal 19 of the connector 1 supported by the case 3. Then, the counterpart connector connected to the external electronic device is attached to the housings 21 and 23, whereby the electronic device in the case and the external electronic device are electrically connected.

  In the present embodiment, in the region A of the connector 1, the claw 37 is engaged so as to hold the flange 11 of the connector 1, and a force in a pulling direction acts between the joint surfaces of the connector 1 and the case 3. For this reason, it is possible to prevent floating between the joining surfaces in the region A when tightening the bolt, and it is possible to suppress deterioration of the sealing performance between the connector 1 and the case 3.

  Further, in this embodiment, the claw hole 41 is in a state where the claw portion 41 of the claw 37 has climbed over the convex portion 51 at the edge of the claw hole 35, that is, in a state where the claw 37 is positioned between the convex portion 51 and the other end surface 45. Therefore, the connector 1 can be easily positioned in the rotational direction. Further, by providing the convex portion 51, it is possible to prevent the claw 37 from falling out of the pit hole 35.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been explained in full detail with drawing, the said embodiment is only an illustration of this invention and this invention is not limited only to the structure of the said embodiment. Needless to say, changes in design and the like within the scope of the present invention are included in the present invention.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the example in which the opening extending from the one end surface 43 to the other end surface 45 of the pit hole 35 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in the longitudinal direction 47 is described, but the shape of the opening is limited to this example. The point is that the connector 1 is rotated with respect to the case 3 around the pin 27 in a state where the pin 27 is fitted in the pin hole 29 and the hook 37 is inserted in the hole 35. It is only necessary that the leg portion 39 of the claw 37 is formed so as to extend in a direction in which the leg portion 39 is moved when the claw 37 is moved.

  Moreover, although this embodiment demonstrated the example which provides the convex part 51 and the engagement surface 53 which the nail | claw part 41 engages in the edge of the opening of the coffin hole 35 on the opposite side to the joint surface 13 of the flange 11, For example, the hole 35 is formed with a stepped shape, that is, a plurality of openings having different areas, and a protrusion or engagement surface is formed on the step formed in the middle of the hole 35. May be formed. Even if comprised in this way, since the nail | claw part 41 engages so that the flange 11 of the connector 1 may be held, the effect similar to this embodiment can be produced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the example in which the claw 37 is formed on the joint surface 7 of the case 3 has been described, but the claw 37 may be formed on the joint surface 13 of the connector 1 on the contrary. Similarly, the pins 27 may be formed on the joint surface 7 of the case 3 instead of the joint surface 13 of the connector 1. Furthermore, the hole 35 and the claw 37 are not limited to one set, and a plurality of sets may be provided. However, even in that case, it goes without saying that the pin 27 and the pin hole 29 are limited to one set.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 3 Case 5 Holding | maintenance part 7,13 Joint surface 9 Opening 11 Flange 15 Packing 27 Pin 29 Pin hole 31 Collar 35 Bore hole 37 Claw 39 Leg part 41 Claw part 51 Convex part

Claims (2)

The holding portion holding the second conductor connected to the first conductor housed in the case, and the holding the second conductor facing the inside of the case from the opening formed in the wall surface of the case A flange for supporting the portion on the case, an annular packing mounted on the surface of the flange facing the case so as to surround the holding portion, and a terminal for connecting the second conductor to an external conductor In the connector mounting structure for attaching the connector to the case by screwing the bolt inserted into the bolt hole of the flange into the bolt hole of the case,
From either one of the joining surface located outside the packing of the flange and outside the frame connecting the bolt bolt holes of the flange with a line, and the joining surface of the case facing the joining surface A claw having a leg portion standing up and a claw portion projecting from the side surface of the tip of the leg portion, and a claw hole formed through the wall including the other joint surface so that the claw can be engaged, The connector mounting structure, wherein the claw is formed by engaging the claw part with an edge part of the side hole opposite to the one joint surface or a step part formed in the middle of the side hole. . A pin standing from one of the joint surfaces of the flange positioned outside the packing and the joint surface of the case facing the joint surface, and the pin is formed on the other joint surface and is fitted with the pin And having a pin hole
The saddle hole moves in a direction in which the connector is rotated relative to the case around the pin in a state where the pin is fitted in the pin hole and the claws are inserted into the saddle hole. When this is done, an opening is formed in the direction in which the leg moves, and the protrusion over which the claw gets over is an edge of the opening opposite to the one joint surface or a step in the middle of the pothole The connector mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the connector mounting structure is formed.

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