JP5974508B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector designed to be waterproofed using a potting material such as a relay connector.

Conventionally, the thing of the following patent document 1 is known as a relay connector for vehicles. This relay connector is attached to a device case filled with oil, such as a differential gear case, and is used to connect a circuit arranged inside the case and a control circuit outside the case.
As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of terminal fittings 5 having a bus bar shape penetrate through the partition wall 4 with respect to the synthetic resin housing 1 provided with fitting recesses 2 and 3 on both sides. Each end is mounted in a form that protrudes into each fitting recess 2, 3. Further, a potting material 6 is filled in the back side of one fitting recess 2 so that oil does not leak through the penetrating portion of the terminal fitting 5. In the conventional example, the terminal fitting 5 is mounted by press-fitting, but it can also be mounted by insert molding.

  Here, when the straight terminal fitting 5 is mounted by insert molding as described above, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the terminal fitting 5 from being displaced in the length direction in the partition wall 4. Therefore, in the same figure, the terminal metal 5 is provided with a retaining portion that is hooked to the synthetic resin that constitutes the partition wall 4 at the central portion x in the length direction of the portion embedded in the partition wall 4. It has been proposed to prevent misalignment within 4.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-12318

However, the above measures still have the following problems. Since this type of relay connector is used in an ambient environment having a large temperature difference, thermal expansion and contraction is likely to occur, and the thermal expansion coefficient differs between the synthetic resin constituting the housing 1 and the terminal fitting 5.
In the case of FIG. 6, for example, when the connector is exposed to a high temperature, the retaining portion of the terminal fitting 5 is disposed at the center thickness of the partition wall 4, so that the housing 1 is positioned at the retaining portion of the terminal fitting 5. It expands up and down around x. At this time, the potting material 6 is also dragged by the housing 1 and integrally moved upward. However, since the potting material 6 is located relatively far from the expansion center x, the potting material 6 is connected to the terminal fitting 5 that hardly thermally expands. A relatively large misalignment occurs between them. As a result, a shearing stress is generated at the interface between the terminal fitting 5 and the potting material 6, causing a situation in which the potting material 6 is peeled off from the surface of the terminal fitting 5, and liquid tightness may not be maintained.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a connector that can maintain the liquid tightness between the terminal fitting and the potting material even when thermal expansion and contraction occurs. There is to offer.

The present invention includes a connector housing made of synthetic resin provided with fitting recesses on both sides of a partition wall, a bus bar-like terminal fitting mounted on the connector housing in a form penetrating the partition wall, and one of the fittings. And a potting material filled in the back of the joint recess, wherein the terminal fitting is formed on the other end of the terminal body and the other end of the terminal body. An inner connecting portion protruding inward, and an outer connecting portion formed at one end of the terminal main body and protruding into one of the fitting recesses and narrower than the terminal main body. a retaining portion which restricts movement of said along the partition wall in the longitudinal direction is latched to the terminal fitting the synthetic resin of the, is provided with the bent portion of the predetermined area is bent, and the stomach retaining portion and the bent portion Re also among the buried portions to said partition wall in the terminal fitting, provided at a location close to the inner surface of the fitting recess of the one, inner surface of the bent portion and said one said engaging recess and The one end of the terminal body protrudes into one of the fitting recesses, and the potting material extends from the inner surface of one of the fitting recesses to one end of the terminal body. It is characterized by being filled.

  When thermal expansion / contraction occurs with respect to the connector as the ambient temperature changes, the connector housing expands / contracts to the opposite side with the position of the retaining portion of the terminal fitting in the partition wall as the center. At this time, the potting material also moves integrally with the connector housing, but the position of the retaining portion of the terminal fitting, which is the center of thermal expansion and contraction, is close to the back surface of the fitting recess on the side filled with the potting material. In other words, since the potting material is at a position near the center of thermal expansion and contraction, there is almost no displacement between the terminal fittings. As a result, the occurrence of shear stress at the interface between the terminal fitting and the potting material is avoided, and the potting material is prevented from peeling off from the surface of the terminal fitting, and as a result, the liquid tightness between the terminal fitting and the potting material is reduced. It can be maintained for a long time.

The following configuration may also be used.
(1) The retaining portion is constituted by a recess or a protrusion formed on a side edge of the terminal fitting.
(2) The retaining portion is constituted by a through hole formed through the terminal fitting.

  According to the connector of the present invention, the liquid tightness between the terminal fitting and the potting material can be maintained even when thermal expansion and contraction occurs.

The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the relay connector which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention Front view of terminal fitting Partial enlarged front view of terminal fitting Partial enlarged front view of the terminal fitting according to the second embodiment Partial enlarged front view of a terminal fitting according to Embodiment 3 Longitudinal sectional view of a conventional relay connector

<Embodiment 1>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The relay connector C of this embodiment is used to connect a circuit arranged inside the case and a control circuit outside the case to the case of the differential gear for the vehicle through the wall surface from the outside. Is done.

As shown in FIG. 1, the relay connector C includes a connector housing 10 made of synthetic resin (hereinafter simply referred to as the housing 10), seven terminal fittings 20, and a potting material 30.
The housing 10 has a slightly vertically long block shape, and fitting recesses 12 and 13 are formed on both upper and lower sides of the thick partition wall 11.
A mounting plate 15 having a mounting hole 16 (a central hole of the bush) is formed to protrude at a substantially central height position on the side surface of the housing 10, and a mounting groove 19 of the seal ring 18 is positioned below the mounting plate 15. Is formed over the entire circumference.

The terminal fitting 20 is formed in the shape of a vertically long bus bar. Basically, as shown also in FIG. 2, a narrow outer connecting portion 22 is provided at the upper end of the wide terminal body 21, and an inner connection having an intermediate width is provided at the lower end. A portion 23 is formed.
These terminal fittings 20 are arranged in such a manner that the inner connection portion 23 is arranged at a narrower pitch than the outer connection portion 22, whereas the central terminal fitting 20 of the seven terminal fittings 20 is in a straight posture. The three terminal fittings 20 on both sides of the terminal main body 21 are bent in a predetermined region near the upper end of the terminal main body 21 so that the axis of the inner connecting portion 23 is offset toward the central portion side with respect to the outer connecting portion 22. Is formed. The amount of offset increases as the terminal metal fittings 20 move outward in the arrangement direction.

As shown in part of FIG. 2, the above-described terminal fitting 20 is set in a molding die in an arrangement aligned on the same surface, and insert molding using these seven terminal fittings 20 as inserts. A housing 10 is formed.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, a length region extending from a position slightly above the bent portion 24 of the terminal main body 21 in each terminal fitting 20 to the root portion of the inner connecting portion 23 penetrates the inside of the partition wall 11. Buried. At the same time, the outer connecting portion 22 protrudes from the bottom surface of the upper fitting recess 12 into the fitting recess 12 from a position slightly above the bent portion 24 of the terminal body 21 in each terminal fitting 20, and each terminal. The front end side of the inner connection portion 23 in the metal fitting 20 projects from the ceiling surface of the lower fitting recess 13 into the fitting recess 13.

Thus, the outer connector portion C1 is formed on the upper surface side of the housing 10, and the inner connector portion C2 is formed on the lower surface side.
On the other hand, the potting material 30 is injected into the bottom of the upper fitting recess 12 constituting the outer connector portion C1 up to the upper end position of the terminal body 21 in each terminal fitting 20, and this solidifies to prevent oil leakage. It is like that.

By the way, especially the three terminal fittings 20 in the center among the seven terminal fittings 20 have the terminal body 21 in a straight posture or a substantially straight posture, and therefore, the terminal fittings 20 may be pulled out upward.
Therefore, a retaining portion for restricting the terminal metal member 20 from moving up and down by being hooked on the synthetic resin constituting the partition wall 11 of the housing 10 is formed on the terminal metal member 20.
In the four terminal fittings 20 near the both ends in the arrangement direction, the retaining portions of the terminal fittings 20 are essentially unnecessary, but for the reasons described later, the retaining portions are the same as the three terminal fittings 20 in the center. Is formed.

  In the present embodiment, the retaining portion is composed of a semicircular cutout hole 25, and the cutout holes 25 are formed in the left and right side edges of the terminal fitting 20 at positions corresponding to slightly above the bent portions 24 of the terminal body 21. . In addition, in the terminal fittings 20 on both sides of the central terminal fitting 20, a notch hole 25 is formed only on the side edge on the central portion side in the arrangement direction.

  In other words, when the terminal fitting 20 is mounted on the housing 10 by insert molding, the notch hole 25 of each terminal fitting 20 is located immediately below the bottom surface of the upper fitting recess 12 in the partition wall 11, As the synthetic resin bites into the notch hole 25 at this position X, the vertical displacement of the terminal fitting 20 is regulated.

  In the relay connector C having the above-described structure, the housing 10 is liquid-tightly fitted into the mounting hole opened in the upper wall of the case via the seal ring 18, and the mounting plate 15 is bolted to the case. The connector fixed and connected to the inner connector C2 with the circuit arranged inside the case is used in the form of being fitted and connected to the outer connector C1 and the connector connected to the control circuit outside the case. Is done.

  The temperature around the mounting position of the relay connector C is drastically changed, and thermal expansion and contraction occurs with respect to the relay connector C along with the temperature change. In this case, the housing 10 is formed in the notch hole 25 of the terminal fitting 20 in the partition wall 11. With the formation position X as the center, they expand and contract in opposite directions in the vertical direction. At this time, the potting material 30 also moves integrally with the housing 10, but the formation position X of the notch hole 25 of the terminal fitting 20 that becomes the center of thermal expansion and contraction is the bottom surface of the upper fitting recess 12 filled with the potting material 30. In other words, since the potting material 30 is located at a position close to the center X of thermal expansion and contraction, the potting material 30 has a small coefficient of thermal expansion and is hardly expanded / contracted (terminal body 21). There is almost no misalignment even in between.

  As a result, it is avoided that shear stress is generated at the interface between the terminal fitting 20 (terminal body 21) and the potting material 30, and the potting material 30 is prevented from being peeled off from the surface of the terminal fitting 20 (terminal body 21). As a result, the liquid-tightness between the terminal fitting 20 and the potting material 30 can be maintained over a long period of time.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 4 shows Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the retaining portion that restricts the movement of the terminal fitting 20A in the vertical direction is provided at both side edges of a predetermined position of the terminal fitting 20A (a position slightly above the bent portion 24 of the terminal body 21). A rectangular protrusion 26 is formed by overhanging.
The effects are the same as in the first embodiment.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 5 shows Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the third embodiment, the retaining portion that restricts the movement of the terminal fitting 20B in the vertical direction is located at a predetermined position of the terminal fitting 20B (a position corresponding slightly above the bent portion 24 of the terminal body 21). The circular through hole 27 is formed so as to penetrate the front and back surfaces of 21.
The same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

<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) The notch holes, protrusions, and through holes as the retaining portions illustrated in the embodiments are not limited to the illustrated shapes, and the terminal fittings are hooked on the synthetic resin constituting the partition walls in the length direction. As long as it is possible to restrict movement along the direction, any shape may be adopted.
(2) The number and arrangement of terminal fittings are arbitrary.
(3) The present invention is not limited to the relay connector used in the case of the differential gear for a vehicle exemplified in the above embodiment, and the relay connector used in other parts is essential to the housing. While the terminal fitting is mounted by insert molding, it can be widely applied to all connectors that are waterproofed by a potting material.

C ... Relay connector (connector)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector housing 11 ... Partition 12, 13 ... Fitting recessed part 20, 20A, 20B ... Terminal metal fitting 21 ... Terminal main body 22 ... Outer connection part 23 ... Inner connection part 25 ... Notch hole (recessed part: Retaining part)
26 ... Projection (prevention part)
27 ... Through hole (prevention part)
35 ... potting material X ... (notch hole 25) formation position (thermal expansion / contraction center)

Claims (3)

A connector housing made of synthetic resin provided with fitting recesses on both sides of the partition;
A bus bar-like terminal fitting attached to the connector housing in a form penetrating the partition;
In a connector comprising a potting material filled in the back of one of the fitting recesses,
The terminal fitting is formed at one end of the terminal body, a terminal body disposed on the partition wall, an inner connection part formed at the other end of the terminal body and protruding into the other fitting recess, And an outer connecting portion that is narrower than the terminal main body, and the terminal main body has a length of the terminal fitting that is hooked to the synthetic resin that constitutes the partition wall. a retaining portion for restricting the move along the direction, a bent portion of a predetermined area is bent is provided, and both the retaining portion and the bent portion embedded in the partition wall in the terminal fitting Provided in a portion close to the back surface of the one fitting recess, and the retaining portion is provided between the bent portion and the back surface of the one fitting recess. And
One end of the terminal body protrudes into one of the fitting recesses, and the potting material is filled from the back surface of the one fitting recess to one end of the terminal body.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the retaining portion is configured by a recess or a protrusion formed on a side edge of the terminal fitting.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the retaining portion is configured by a through hole formed through the terminal fitting.

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