JP6061146B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a panel-mounted waterproof connector.

  Conventionally, as this type of connector, one described in Patent Document 1 below is known. In this device, a male housing (standby housing) having a flange is mounted in a standby state by a plurality of elastic members in a mounting hole opened in the panel, while a female housing (fitting housing) is attached to the end of the harness. ) And the fitting side housing is fitted through a booster mechanism such as a lever. And in such a connector, in order to prevent water from entering from the mounting hole of the panel, a surface packing (surface seal) is interposed between the standby housing and the hole edge on the back side of the mounting hole, Generally, a structure is adopted in which a seal ring (shaft seal) is interposed between the two housings and the harness pull-out portion of the fitting-side housing is covered with grommets.

JP 2008-103325 A

However, in the connector as described above, the waterproof structure of the mounting holes of the panel has a structure in which waterproof members are arranged at three convenient places, so there is a problem that the number of parts and assembly man-hours are large, leading to high costs. .
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and its object is to realize cost reduction and space saving.

The connector of the present invention includes a standby housing disposed on the panel in a standby state, and a fitting housing fitted to the standby housing, and the standby housing includes a male terminal therein. A terminal housing part accommodated in the terminal housing part, a peripheral wall extending to the front edge of the terminal housing part, a peripheral wall extending to the front edge of the terminal container and arranged in line with the peripheral wall, the standby housing a temporary holding means for temporarily held in such a form that passes through the mounting hole is opened in the panel, along with are provided, wherein the mating housing is properly connected to the waiting-side housing the fitting housing When combined, the temporary holding by the temporary holding means is released and the fitting side housing can be pushed together with the standby side housing through the mounting hole. Holding release means, main holding means for holding the fitting-side housing against the panel when the fitting-side housing is pushed to a normal position, and the fitting-side housing fitted to the fitting-side housing. It is characterized in that a grommet having a sandwiched portion that is sandwiched between a hole edge portion of the mounting hole when the housing is permanently held is provided.

The standby housing is initially temporarily held in a standby state in a form penetrating the panel mounting hole by the temporary holding means. When the mating side housing is fitted to the standby side housing and the mating side housing is properly fitted, the temporary holding state is released by the temporary holding releasing means provided in the mating side housing. The standby housing is pushed back through the mounting hole. When the fitting side housing is pushed to the normal position, the holding means holds the grommet between the fitting side housing and the panel. It is clamped and sealed between the hole edges of the mounting holes.
In order to waterproof the panel mounting hole, it can be covered only with grommets, the number of parts and the number of assembling steps can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. In the final structure, since both housings are pushed into the back side of the panel, space saving on the front side of the panel mounting holes can be achieved.

The following configuration may also be used.
(1) The standby housing is elastically locked to a hole edge on the surface side of the mounting hole of the panel, and the standby housing is temporarily held in a form penetrating the mounting hole of the panel. And a temporary holding piece that engages with the temporary holding piece when the fitting side housing is properly fitted to the standby side housing. A temporary holding release plate for releasing the locking of the piece, and a protruding portion formed so as to face the hole edge on the surface side of the mounting hole at the rear end portion of the fitting-side housing, and the sandwiched portion of the grommet The mounting flange and the fitting-side housing are pushed to the normal position while compressing the sandwiched portion of the grommet between the flange and the hole edge on the surface side of the mounting hole, and then the mounting Hole And the holding piece elastically locked with the hole edge portion of the rear surface side to the maintaining said fitting housing, is provided.

  The fitting-side housing is fitted to the standby-side housing that is temporarily held by the temporary holding piece, and when temporarily fitted, the temporary holding release plate elastically displaces the temporary holding piece to release the lock, That is, the temporary holding state is released. Subsequently, the mating side housing is pushed into the standby side housing through the mounting hole, and the gripping portion of the grommet is compressed between the flange and the hole edge on the surface side of the mounting hole, while the mating side housing is properly When pushed into the position, the main holding piece is elastically locked to the hole edge portion on the back surface side of the attachment hole, and the fitting side housing is main-held.

(2) The fitting side housing is provided with a lever that engages with the standby side housing and assists the fitting force.
As the final structure, the lever can be accommodated on the back side of the panel with the housing on the mating side.In other words, the lever is not exposed on the front side of the panel, so it looks good and malfunction caused by foreign matter hitting the lever Can be prevented.

  According to the connector of the present invention, cost reduction and space saving can be realized.

The perspective view which shows the state before the fitting of both the housings which concern on one Embodiment of this invention. Side view Sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. Rear view seen from the mating side housing before the two housings are mated Cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. The perspective view seen from the front side of the fitting side housing Perspective view of slide lever Side view Side view with both housings initially fitted XX sectional view of FIG. Sectional view equivalent to the VV line cut of FIG. 4 with both housings initially fitted Side view with both housings properly fitted XIII-XIII sectional view of FIG. XIV-XIV line sectional view of FIG. Sectional view equivalent to the VV line cut of FIG. 4 with both housings properly fitted FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line XIII-XIII in FIG. A perspective view of the state where the fitting side housing is fully held Side view XIX-XIX sectional view of FIG. Sectional view equivalent to the VV line cutting of FIG. Side view with both housings remaining half-fitted XXII-XXII sectional view of FIG. XXIII-XXIII sectional view of FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the V-V line cut of FIG.

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the connector provided in the arrangement | positioning part of the door of a motor vehicle is illustrated. This connector is a slide lever type waterproof connector, and as shown in FIG. 1, a standby side housing 10 arranged in a standby state on a panel 1 stretched on the vehicle body side, and is pulled out from the door side. And a fitting side housing 30 that is connected to the end of the harness and is fitted to the standby side housing 10.
Below, in each housing 10 and 30, the mutually opposing fitting surface side is demonstrated as a front side.

The standby housing 10 is a male housing and is formed of a synthetic resin material in a generally vertically long block shape. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the front housing 10 is slightly smaller on the front surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11. In this structure, the outer hood portion 12 is formed to protrude.
A plurality of cavities 14 are arranged vertically and horizontally in the terminal accommodating portion 11, and male terminals (not shown) connected to the terminals of the wires of the harness drawn out from the devices arranged on the body side. , And inserted into the corresponding cavity 14 from the rear, and the tab at the tip is protruded into the hood portion 12 so as to be prevented from being detached.

The panel 1 is provided with a mounting hole 2 having a vertically long rectangle into which the terminal accommodating portion 11 of the standby housing 10 is fitted in a tightly close manner.
On the other hand, on the outer periphery of the terminal accommodating portion 11 near the front end, a flange 15 having an outer shape that is slightly larger than the mounting hole 2 is formed over the entire periphery, that is, the flange 15 is formed on the back surface of the mounting hole 2. It can come into contact with the hole edge 3R on the side (left side in FIG. 3).

  A short peripheral wall 16 extends from the periphery of the front end of the terminal accommodating portion 11. However, notches 16A are formed on the left and right side walls except for the upper and lower ends. Temporary holding pieces 20 are provided at three convenient locations, that is, the central width position of the upper surface of the peripheral wall 16 and the positions near the lower end portions of the left and right side surfaces (the lower end portion of the notch recess 16A). The temporary holding piece 20 includes a locking portion 21 that is locked to the hole edge 3S on the front surface side (right side in FIG. 3) of the mounting hole 2 at the tip, and is formed to project forward in a cantilevered manner. The tip can be elastically displaced toward the inside. The locking portion 21 of the temporary holding piece 20 is a locking surface 22 whose rear surface is standing upright, while the front side is a guide surface 23 having a gentle upward slope. A gap substantially equal to the thickness of the panel 1 is opened between the locking surface 22 of the locking part 21 and the flange 15.

  The fitting-side housing 30 is a female housing, and is also formed in a vertically long block shape from a synthetic resin material. In detail, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the hood of the standby-side housing 10 described above is used. It has a double structure in which a thick peripheral wall 32 is provided around the terminal accommodating portion 31 fitted into the portion 12. The peripheral wall 32 has an outer shape that fits almost closely into the mounting hole 2 of the panel 1 in the same manner as the terminal accommodating portion 11 of the standby housing 10, and between the peripheral wall 32 and the terminal accommodating portion 31, A fitting groove 33 is formed in which the hood portion 12 of the standby housing 10 is fitted almost tightly. In addition, the part which protruded back from the rear surface of the terminal accommodating part 31 in the same surrounding wall 32 is the thin wall part 32A (refer FIG. 3) by which the inner surface side was cut.

  A plurality of cavities 34 are formed in the terminal accommodating portion 31 of the fitting side housing 30 in an array facing the cavities 14 provided in the terminal accommodating portion 31 of the standby side housing 10. A female terminal (not shown) connected to the end of each wire of the harness drawn out from a device or the like arranged on the door side is inserted into the corresponding cavity 34 from behind and is housed in a manner that prevents it from coming off. .

A slide lever 50 is attached to the fitting-side housing 30. The slide lever 50 is made of synthetic resin, and is formed in a portal shape in which the base ends (upper ends) of the pair of left and right slide plates 51 are connected by an operation plate 52 as shown in FIGS. Both ends of the operation plate 52 protrude outward from the slide plate 51.
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a pair of insertion passages 35 through which both slide plates 51 of the slide lever 50 can be inserted from above are formed on the left and right side walls of the peripheral wall 32 around the terminal accommodating portion 31. In addition, an accommodation recess 36 for accommodating the operation plate 52 is formed on the upper wall.

Cam grooves 53 having a predetermined curved shape are formed symmetrically on the distal end side (lower side in FIG. 5) of both slide plates 51 in the slide lever 50. An entrance / exit 54 provided on the lower end side (start end side) of the cam groove 53 is open to the front edge of the slide plate 51. An introduction port 37 is opened at a substantially central height position on the front wall of each insertion passage 35.
On the other hand, a pair of left and right follower pins 25 that can be fitted in the respective cam grooves 53 are provided at positions near the front edges of the left and right outer surfaces of the hood portion 12 of the standby housing 10 at the center height position.

The front edge of each slide plate 51 is provided with a first lock piece 57 at the lower position and a second lock piece 58 at the upper position. Both lock pieces 57, 58 have lock portions 57A, 58A at their tips, and are provided in an upward posture so as to be elastically displaceable in the front-rear direction.
On the other hand, at a predetermined position near the upper end of the front wall of each insertion passage 35, the lock portion 57A of the first lock piece 57 and the lock portion 58A of the second lock piece 58 are elastic as shown in FIG. A lock hole 38 that can be fitted to the is formed. The locking surface of the lock portion 58A of the second lock piece 58 is formed as a forward tapered surface and has a semi-lock structure.

When the slide lever 50 (slide plate 51) is inserted into the insertion passage 35 from above, first, the lock portion 57A of the lower first lock piece 57 is elastically fitted into the lock hole 38 as shown in FIG. Thus, it is prevented from coming off upward. This position is the initial position of the slide lever 50, and the entrance / exit 54 of the cam groove 53 and the introduction port 37 of the insertion path 35 are aligned.
When the fitting side housing 30 is fitted to the standby side housing 10 with the slide lever 50 in the initial position, the follower pin 25 of the standby side housing 10 is introduced into the insertion passage 35 as shown in FIG. It passes through the opening 37 and faces the start end of the cam groove 53 from the entrance 54. Subsequently, when the slide lever 50 is pushed in, the housings 10 and 30 are gradually fitted together by the cam action accompanying the movement of the follower pin 25 along the cam groove 53, and the follower pin 25 is camped. When the end of the groove 53 is reached, both the housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 15, the slide lever 50 is pushed in while the follower pin 25 moves in the play portion 55 of the cam groove 53, and the push-in is stopped when the operation plate 52 is flush with the receiving recess 36. . At this time, the lock portion 58A of the upper second lock piece 58 is elastically fitted into the lock hole 38 to prevent it from coming off upward, and this position becomes the lock position of the slide lever 50 (however, semi-lock).
When the slide lever 50 is lifted while holding both ends of the operation plate 52 to release the semi-lock by the second lock piece 58, the follower pin 25 moves along the cam groove 53 in the opposite direction to the above, so that both housings As shown in FIG. 11, the pulling operation is stopped when the sliders 10 and 30 are gradually released and the slide lever 50 reaches the initial position.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the front edge of the peripheral wall 32 of the fitting-side housing 30 is located at the center width position of the upper surface and the positions near the lower end portions of the left and right side surfaces, that is, each temporary holding of the standby-side housing 10. A temporary holding release plate 40 is formed for each position facing the piece 20. The temporary holding release plate 40 is formed with a tapered surface 40A so as to be tapered toward the outer surface side.
When the fitting side housing 30 is gradually fitted to the standby side housing 10 from the state shown in FIG. 10, the temporary holding release plate 40 rides on the opposing temporary holding piece 20 and moves the temporary holding piece 20 inward. When the housings 10 and 30 are brought into a properly fitted state, the temporary holding piece 20 is moved until the top of the locking portion 21 is retracted to the position of the outer surface of the peripheral wall 16 as shown in FIG. It is designed to be displaced. Thereby, the latching to the attachment hole 2 of the panel 1 by the temporary holding piece 20 is cancelled | released.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, book holding pieces 45 are formed on the left and right outer surfaces of the peripheral wall 32 of the fitting-side housing 30 at two symmetrical positions. Specifically, the main holding piece 45 is a piece facing backward between a pair of slits 44 formed from a substantially central position in the front-rear direction of the outer wall 35A of the insertion passage 35 to the rear edge of the thin wall portion 32A. It is formed so as to extend like a hand, and the extended end side can be bent and displaced inward. An escape recess 42 is formed in the rear wall of the insertion passage 35 so as to fit the extension end of the holding piece 45 that has been deflected and displaced.

On the outer surface near the base end of the main holding piece 45, a locking portion 46 that locks to the hole edge 3R on the back surface side of the mounting hole 2 of the panel 1 is formed protrudingly (see FIG. 19). As shown in FIG. 3, the locking portion 46 of the holding piece 45 is a locking surface 47 </ b> A whose rear surface is standing upright, while the front side is an upwardly inclined guide surface 47 </ b> B.
At the rear edge of the thin wall portion 32 </ b> A in the peripheral wall 32 of the fitting side housing 30, a flange 48 is formed so as to extend over the entire periphery. A predetermined space (about 6 to 7 times the thickness of the panel 1) is provided between the front surface of the flange 48 and the locking surface 47A of the locking portion 46 of the main holding piece 45.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper and lower positions of the rear edge of the outer surface of the left and right slide plates 51 of the slide lever 50, more specifically, each book holding piece when the slide lever 50 is pushed to the locked position. For each position corresponding to the inner side of 45, a displacement allowance groove 59 that allows bending displacement of the extended end of the same holding piece 45 is formed as a recess. The displacement-permissible groove 59 has a width that allows the holding piece 45 to be fitted almost tightly, and is formed in a taper shape with the groove bottom deepening toward the rear.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, a grommet 60 is attached to the fitting-side housing 30. The grommet 60 is made of rubber and has a rectangular funnel-shaped main body 61 that covers the rear surface of the fitting-side housing 30 and a harness (not shown) that is pulled out to the rear surface of the fitting-side housing 30 and then gathered together. ), And a corrugated tube-shaped electric wire insertion portion 62 projecting from the center of the main body portion 61.

A mounting portion 64 for the flange 48 of the fitting-side housing 30 is formed at the opening edge of the main body 61 of the grommet 60. The attachment portion 64 is formed in a thick and rectangular frame shape, and a fitting groove 65 into which the flange 48 is fitted is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the attachment portion 64 over the entire circumference.
On the front surface of the mounting portion 64 of the grommet 60, a close-contact portion 66 spreading in a trumpet shape is formed forward, and a lip 67 is formed on the inner peripheral side of the close-contact portion 66 over the entire circumference. Has been. The close contact portion 66 and the lip 67 described above correspond to the “fixed portion” of the present invention.

The connector of the present embodiment has the above structure, and the operation thereof will be described next.
First, the standby housing 10 is temporarily held in a standby state with respect to the panel 1. To that end, the standby housing 10 is fitted into the mounting hole 2 from the back side of the panel 1 and is pushed in while elastically bending the temporary holding piece 20, and the flange 15 is on the back side of the mounting hole 2 as shown in FIG. 3. Then, the temporary holding piece 20 is restored and displaced, and the locking portion 21 is locked to the hole edge portion 3S on the surface side of the mounting hole 2. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the standby housing 10 is temporarily held in a standby state in the form in which the hood portion 12 protrudes from the surface of the panel 1 through the attachment hole 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the fitting-side housing 30 is prepared in a form in which the grommet 60 is attached and the slide lever 50 is mounted at the initial position. This fitting-side housing 30 is fitted from the front to the standby-side housing 10 temporarily held in the standby state, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. In the initial fitting state, as shown in FIG. 11, when the follower pin 25 faces the start end of the corresponding cam groove 53 and then pushes the slide lever 50, the fitting side housing 30 is moved to the standby side by the cam action described above. After the housing 10 is drawn and the fitting proceeds and both the housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted, the slide lever 50 reaches the lock position and is locked as shown in FIG.

During this time, the temporary holding release plate 40 provided in the fitting side housing 30 rides on the temporary holding piece 20 locked to the panel 1 of the standby side housing 10 and gradually bends and displaces inwardly. , 30 are normally fitted, as shown in FIG. 14, the engagement with the hole edge 3S on the surface side of the mounting hole 2 of the panel 1 is released.
Subsequently, when the fitting-side housing 30 is pushed together with the standby-side housing 10 through the mounting hole 2 to reach the final stage, as shown in FIG. 16, the main holding piece 45 provided in the fitting-side housing 30 is locked. When the portion 46 hits the hole edge 3S of the mounting hole 2, the holding piece 45 is pushed in while being deflected inward, and the close contact portion 66 of the grommet 60 is also a hole edge on the surface side of the mounting hole 2. It hits 3S.

  When the fitting-side housing 30 is further pushed in, as shown in FIG. 19, the close contact portion 66 and the lip 67 of the grommet 60 are elastically pressed and pressed against the hole edge 3 </ b> S on the surface side of the mounting hole 2. When the portion 46 passes through the mounting hole 2, the main holding piece 45 is restored and displaced, and the locking portion 46 is locked to the hole edge 3 </ b> R on the back surface side of the mounting hole 2. As a result, the fitting-side housing 30 that is normally fitted to the standby-side housing 10 is permanently held with respect to the panel 1, and the hole edge 3S on the surface side of the mounting hole 2 is sealed together.

  If the slide lever 50 is not properly pushed to the locked position, as shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, the two housings 10 and 30 may not be properly fitted and may remain in a so-called half-fitted state. . However, in this case, since the operation plate 52 of the slide lever 50 protrudes from the upper surface of the peripheral wall 32 of the fitting side housing 30, when the fitting side housing 30 is pushed into the mounting hole 2, FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, it can be confirmed that the operation side 52 hits the hole edge 3S of the mounting hole 2 and the fitting housing 30 cannot be pushed in, and the slide lever 50 is not pushed to the locked position.

Even if the slide lever 50 is pushed into the mounting hole 2 of the panel 1 in a state where the slide lever 50 has not reached the lock position, as long as the slide lever 50 remains in front of the lock position, as shown in FIGS. In addition, since the displacement allowance groove 59 of the slide plate 51 is not aligned and corresponds to the inside of the book holding piece 45 provided in the fitting-side housing 30, the locking portion 46 of the book holding piece 45 is attached to the mounting hole. 2, the lower surface of the extended end of the main holding piece 45 is prevented from being bent and displaced by hitting the side edge of the displacement allowance groove 59. The fitting side housing 30 is prevented from being pushed further. Thereby, it can confirm that the slide lever 50 is not pushed in to the lock position.
In any of the above cases, after the slide lever 50 is pushed again to the locked position, the fitting-side housing 30 may be pushed into the mounting hole 2 and held in the manner described above.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the mounting hole 2 opened in the panel 1 is waterproofed, it can be covered only with the grommet 60 attached to the fitting-side housing 30, thereby reducing the number of parts and consequently the assembly man-hours. The cost can be reduced. In the final structure, since both the housings 10 and 30 are pushed into the back side of the panel 1, space saving on the front side of the mounting hole 2 of the panel 1 can be achieved.

  In addition, the slide lever 50 is provided in the fitting side housing 30 to assist the fitting force between the two housings 10 and 30. In the final structure, the slide lever 50 is housed on the back side of the panel 1 together with the fitting side housing 30. In other words, since the slide lever 50 is not exposed to the front side of the panel 1, the appearance is good, and malfunction caused by a foreign object hitting the operation plate 52 of the slide lever 50 can be prevented.

<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 number and arrangement location of the temporary locking pieces provided in the standby housing and the final locking pieces provided in the fitting-side housing are not limited to those illustrated in the above embodiment, and can be appropriately selected. .
(2) In the above embodiment, the slide lever is exemplified as the lever that assists the fitting force between the standby side housing and the fitting side housing. However, a rotary lever may be applied.
(3) Furthermore, the present invention can be similarly applied to a connector having no lever.
(4) The standby housing and the fitting housing may be male and female opposite to the above.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Panel 2 ... Mounting hole 3S ... Hole edge part of the surface side (of the mounting hole 2) 3R ... Hole edge part of the back side (of the mounting hole 2) 10 ... Standby side housing 15 ... Flange 20 ... Temporary holding piece (temporary Holding means)
30 ... Fitting side housing 40 ... Temporary holding release plate (Temporary holding release means)
45 ... Book holding piece (Book holding means)
48 ... Flange 50 ... Slide lever (lever)
60 ... Grommet 64 ... Mounting portion 65 ... Fitting groove 66 ... Close contact portion (clamped portion)
67 ... Lip (Clamped part)

Claims (3)

A standby housing arranged in a standby state on the panel, and a fitting housing fitted to the standby housing,
The standby housing includes a terminal accommodating portion in which a male terminal is accommodated, and
A peripheral wall formed extending around the front edge of the terminal accommodating portion;
Wherein the front end peripheral edge of the terminal accommodating portion is extended form are arranged in the peripheral wall, and the temporary holding means, is provided to temporarily hold the waiting-side housing in a form through the apertured mounting hole in the panel With
When the fitting-side housing is properly fitted to the standby-side housing, the fitting-side housing is released from temporary holding by the temporary holding means, and the fitting-side housing is moved to the standby-side housing. Temporary holding release means that can be pushed through the mounting hole,
Book holding means for holding the fitting side housing with respect to the panel when the fitting side housing is pushed to a normal position;
And a grommet having a clamped portion that is clamped between a hole edge of the mounting hole when the fitting-side housing is externally fitted to the fitting-side housing. Connector. The standby housing is temporarily held by elastically locking to the surface side hole edge of the mounting hole of the panel, and temporarily holding the standby housing in a form penetrating the mounting hole of the panel. A piece is provided,
The fitting-side housing temporarily holds the fitting-side housing so that when the fitting-side housing is properly fitted to the standby-side housing, the fitting-side housing engages with the temporary holding piece to release the temporary holding piece. A release plate,
A flange which is formed so as to be opposed to the hole edge portion on the surface side of the mounting hole at the rear end portion of the fitting-side housing, and to which the sandwiched portion of the grommet is attached;
When the fitting-side housing is pushed to a normal position while compressing the sandwiched portion of the grommet between the flange and the hole edge on the surface side of the mounting hole, a hole on the back side of the mounting hole A book holding piece that elastically locks to the edge and holds the fitting-side housing;
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is provided.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the fitting side housing is provided with a lever that engages with the standby side housing and assists the fitting force.

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