JP6811875B2 - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a waterproof connector provided with a sealing member to waterproof the mating portion with the mating connector.

Conventionally, the above-mentioned type of waterproof connector has been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a waterproof connector having a structure in which a waterproof rubber ring is sandwiched between a housing and a front retainer from both sides in the fitting direction. The rubber ring constituting the waterproof connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a detent rib protruding forward. Further, the front retainer that sandwiches the rubber ring between the rubber ring and the housing is provided with a storage groove for accommodating the detent rib. Then, the detent rib of the rubber ring is accommodated in the accommodating groove to detent the rubber ring.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-219381

In the case of the waterproof connector of Patent Document 1 described above, the detent rib is covered with the front retainer. Therefore, even if the rubber ring is displaced in rotation position during assembly, the front retainer becomes an obstacle and it is difficult to inspect whether or not the rubber ring is displaced in rotation position.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof connector capable of easily visually recognizing a rotation position shift of a seal member.

The waterproof connector of the present invention that achieves the above object is
A housing with a side wall that covers the entire circumference,
It is provided with a sealing member that surrounds the side wall surface all around and contacts both the side wall surface and the mating connector all around when mating with the mating connector to waterproof the mating portion with the mating connector.
The housing has a first rib that forms a standing wall along the front end surface of the sealing member with respect to the mating orientation and extends intermittently in the circumferential direction.
The seal member, the fitting direction in the region where the first rib is broken, have a second rib extending in the circumferential direction protrudes to a position overlapping with the first rib relates direction of the fitting,
The height of the first rib and the flexibility of the seal member so that the second rib rides on the first rib when the seal member receives a force in a direction of rotation such as its circumferential direction. Has sex or elasticity,
The seal member is characterized in that when the second rib rides on the first rib, it is visually recognized that the second rib has run on the first rib .

In the waterproof connector of the present invention, it is assumed that a force acting in a direction that causes a positional shift in the circumferential direction acts on the seal member. Then, first, the end faces of the first rib and the second rib interfere with each other. As a result, the displacement of the seal member in the circumferential direction is suppressed to some extent. However, as the sealing member, a material that requires flexibility or elasticity, such as a rubber material, is used. Therefore, when a large force that causes a displacement in the circumferential direction is applied to the seal member, the second rib rides on the first rib and the seal member is displaced in rotation. Alternatively, apart from the rotation of the seal member, the seal member may be mounted in a posture in which the seal member is displaced in the circumferential direction when the seal member is mounted on the housing. In any case, when the second rib is in a posture of riding on the first rib, the seal member is deformed by the riding, and the deformation can be easily visually recognized.

Here, in the waterproof connector of the present invention,
The region of the side wall surface on which the seal member is arranged has a substantially oval shape that is long to the left and right when viewed in the direction of fitting.
The first rib is formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the side wall surface.
It is preferable that the second rib extends in a substantially arc shape along the side wall surface to a position where the end surface faces the end surface of the first rib.

The seal member also needs to have appropriate rigidity. It is assumed that the side wall surface has a substantially oval shape, and the sealing member is also formed in a substantially oval ring shape accordingly. Then, it is assumed that the seal member having a substantially elliptical shape and having a certain degree of rigidity causes a rotational position shift, and the second rib having a substantially arc shape rides on the first rib having a substantially linear shape. Then, due to the rigidity of the seal member, the seal member is greatly deformed. Therefore, in the case of this aspect, it is more clearly visible that the seal member is displaced in rotational position.

The present invention can also be applied to the case where a sealing member having flexibility or elasticity to such an extent that the anti-rotation effect due to interference between the end faces of the first rib and the second rib can hardly be expected is adopted. it can. Even in this case, the rotational position deviation of the seal member can be easily known by visually recognizing the deformation of the seal member caused by the second rib riding on the first rib.

According to the above-mentioned waterproof connector of the present invention, when the sealing member is displaced in rotation position, it can be easily visually recognized.

It is a perspective view of the waterproof connector as one Embodiment of this invention. It is an exploded perspective view of the waterproof connector which showed the perspective view in FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the waterproof connector whose perspective view is shown in FIG. It is a side view of the waterproof connector which showed the perspective view in FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view of the waterproof connector whose perspective view is shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front in the mating direction. It is an enlarged view (A) of the part of the circle R of FIG. 5, and is a schematic view (B) of the part of the circle R when the seal member is displaced in the circumferential direction.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a waterproof connector as an embodiment of the present invention.

Further, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the waterproof connector whose perspective view is shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the waterproof connector 10 includes a connector main body 20 and a seal member 30. The connector main body 20 has a circuit board 21 and a resin housing 22. The connector body 20 exposes the tip of the circuit board 21 at the tip of the mating direction (direction of arrow X shown in FIG. 1) with the mating connector (not shown). Connection pads 211 formed of printed wiring are lined up at the exposed tip of the circuit board 21. The connection pads 211 act as terminals that are electrically connected to elastic contact terminals provided on the mating connector (not shown).

Further, the resin housing 22 covers the entire rest of the circuit board 21 except for the tip where the connection pads 211 are arranged, together with circuit components (not shown) mounted on the circuit board 21. There is. The resin housing 22 corresponds to an example of the housing referred to in the present invention.

A recess 221 is formed at the tip of the resin housing 22 adjacent to the tip of the exposed circuit board 21. The recessed portion 221 is responsible for temporary locking in a semi-fitted state with the mating connector. Further, a boss 222 is provided further behind the region where the seal member 30 is arranged in the resin housing 22. The boss 222 enters the cam groove (not shown) of the mating connector at the time of fitting with the mating connector, and plays a role of assisting the mating with the mating connector by the action of the cam. Since these recessed portions 221 and boss 222 have nothing to do with the characteristic portions of the present invention, further description thereof will be omitted.

The resin housing 22 has a side wall surface 223 extending around the circumference on which the sealing member 30 is arranged. The region of the side wall surface 223 on which the seal member 30 is arranged has a substantially oval shape that is long to the left and right when viewed in the direction opposite to the fitting direction (direction of arrow X shown in FIG. 1). The seal member 30 is also formed in a substantially oval ring shape corresponding to the substantially oval shape of the side wall surface 223. The sealing member 30 is a member made of a rubber material having rigidity enough to substantially maintain the substantially oval shape shown in FIG. 2 when no external force acts, and having the necessary flexibility and elasticity. is there. The seal member 30 is arranged so as to surround the side wall surface 223 of the resin housing 22 all around.

The mating connector (not shown) is formed with a fitting space for receiving a portion of the waterproof connector 10 at the tip thereof, including a portion where the seal member 30 is arranged. When the waterproof connector 10 is fitted with the mating connector, the sealing member 30 comes into contact with both the side wall surface 223 of the waterproof connector 10 and the inner wall surface of the mating connector that divides the fitting space all around. To do. In this way, the seal member 30 waterproofs the fitting portion between the waterproof connector 10 and the mating connector.

3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5 are a plan view, a side view, and a front view of the waterproof connector whose perspective view is shown in FIG. 1, respectively, as viewed from the front in the fitting direction.

Here, in addition to FIGS. 1 and 2, the feature portions of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

In order for the fitting portion between the waterproof connector 10 and the mating connector to be reliably waterproofed, the sealing member 30 needs to be arranged at the correct position of the resin housing 22 in the correct posture. First, it is necessary to arrange the seal member 30 at a correct position in the fitting direction and maintain that position. For this purpose, a vertical wall 224 is provided in the resin housing 22 immediately behind the side wall surface 223 on which the seal member 30 is arranged. As a result, the sealing member 30 arranged on the side wall surface 223 is prevented from moving backward in the fitting direction. Further, ribs 225 are provided at positions along the front end surface in the fitting direction of the seal member 30 arranged on the side wall surface 223. The rib 225 projects in a direction forming a standing wall on the side wall surface 223, that is, outwards, and extends intermittently in the circumferential direction. In the case of the waterproof connector 10 of the present embodiment, the rib 225 is formed so as to extend linearly to the upper surface and the lower surface of the side wall surface 223 having a substantially oval shape. The rib 225 is interrupted near the ends of the upper and lower surfaces, and is not formed in the left and right substantially arc-shaped portions 223a. However, the rib 225 may be intermittently interrupted on the upper and lower surfaces, or may be formed on a part of the left and right substantially arc-shaped portions. The rib 225 corresponds to an example of the first rib according to the present invention. The seal member 30 arranged on the side wall surface 223 is prevented from moving forward in the fitting direction by the rib 225. In this way, the position of the seal member 30 in the fitting direction is regulated by the vertical wall 224 and the rib 225.

It is not enough that the position of the seal member 30 in the fitting direction is regulated. Even if the seal member 30 is arranged at a correct position in the fitting direction, a rotational position shift may occur in the circumferential direction. The seal member 30 is not circular but has a substantially oval shape as shown in FIG. 2, and has a certain degree of rigidity for maintaining the shape. Therefore, if the seal member 30 remains in a posture in which the position is displaced in the circumferential direction, there is a possibility that reliable waterproof performance cannot be exhibited. That is, in fitting, the seal member 30 needs to be arranged at a correct position in the fitting direction and in a posture that does not shift in the circumferential direction. For this purpose, it is necessary to be able to easily inspect whether or not the seal member 30 is misaligned in the circumferential direction.

In the case of the present embodiment, in order to realize this, the seal member 30 is also provided with the rib 31. The rib 31 protrudes in the fitting direction in the region where the rib 225 intermittently extending in the circumferential direction, which is provided in the resin housing 22, is interrupted. The rib 31 protrudes to a position where it overlaps with the resin housing 22 with respect to the fitting direction. In the present embodiment, the rib 225 formed on the resin housing 22 is provided so as to extend linearly on the upper surface and the lower surface of the side wall surface 223. The rib 225 is interrupted near the ends of the upper and lower surfaces, and is not formed in the left and right substantially arc-shaped portions 223a. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the rib 31 is formed in a substantially arc shape so as to be along the left and right substantially arc shape regions where the rib 225 provided on the resin housing 22 is interrupted.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view (A) of the portion of the circle R of FIG. 5, and a schematic view (B) of the portion of the circle R when the seal member is displaced in the circumferential direction. In FIG. 6, the seal member 30 is hatched for the sake of clarity.

FIG. 6A shows the seal member 30 in the correct posture without causing a displacement in the circumferential direction. In this correct posture, the end face 225a of the rib 225 formed on the resin housing 22 and the end face 31a of the rib 31 formed on the seal member 30 are at positions facing each other.

It is assumed that a force in the direction of rotating the seal member 30 in the rotational direction, which is indicated by an arrow S in FIG. 6B, acts on the seal member 30 in the correct posture. Then, first, the end face 31a of the rib 31 abuts against the end face 225a of the rib 225. As a result, if the force is extremely weak, the abutting between the end faces 225a and 31a may act as a rotation stopper. However, the sealing member 30 has flexibility and elasticity. Therefore, when a force exceeding the extremely weak force in the direction of the arrow S acts on the seal member, the rib 31 of the seal member 30 easily rides on the rib 225 of the resin housing. Alternatively, apart from the action of the force in the direction of the arrow S, when the seal member 30 is attached to the connector body 20, the seal member 30 may be attached in a posture in which the position is displaced in the circumferential direction. ..

In any case, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the seal member 30 is in a posture in which the position is displaced in the circumferential direction, the seal member 30 is deformed due to the rib 31 riding on the rib 225. This deformation can be easily visually recognized at a glance. That is, it is possible to easily inspect whether or not the seal member 30 is in the correct posture without any positional deviation in the circumferential direction. In particular, in the case of the present embodiment, the seal member 30 is formed in a substantially oval shape shown in FIG. 2, and has rigidity sufficient to maintain the shape to some extent. Therefore, when the seal member 30 is displaced in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. 6B, the amount of deformation thereof appears large, and it is more easily visually recognized that the seal member 30 has a deformed shape. To.

If the seal member 30 is misaligned in the circumferential direction, the seal member 30 is returned to the correct posture shown in FIG. 6A, and then the waterproof connector 10 is fitted to the mating connector. As a result, reliable and highly reliable waterproofing is realized.

Here, a waterproof connector of a type in which the circuit board 21 is covered with a resin housing 22 except for the tip portion thereof has been described. However, the present invention does not apply only to this type of waterproof connector. That is, the present invention can be widely applied to a waterproof connector provided with a sealing member that surrounds the side wall surface of the housing all around and is responsible for waterproofing the fitting portion with the mating connector.

10 Waterproof connector 20 Connector body 21 Circuit board 211 Connection pad 22 Resin housing 221 Indentation 222 Boss 223 Side wall surface 224 Standing wall 225 Rib 225a End surface 30 Sealing member 31 Rib 31a End surface

Claims (2)

A housing with a side wall that covers the entire circumference,
It is provided with a seal member that surrounds the side wall surface all around and contacts both the side wall surface and the mating connector all around when mating with the mating connector to waterproof the mating portion with the mating connector. ,
The housing has a first rib that forms a standing wall along the front end surface of the sealing member with respect to the mating orientation and extends intermittently in the circumferential direction.
Said seal member, said first fitting direction in rib is interrupted region, have a second rib extending in the circumferential direction protrudes to a position overlapping with the first rib relates orientation of the fitting,
The height of the first rib and the flexibility or elasticity of the sealing member so that the second rib rides on the first rib when the sealing member receives a force in the direction of rotation. Have,
A waterproof connector in which the sealing member makes it visible when the second rib rides on the first rib . The region of the side wall surface on which the seal member is arranged has a substantially oval shape that is long to the left and right when viewed in the direction of fitting.
The first rib is formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the side wall surface.
The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the second rib has a substantially arc shape along the side wall surface, and an end surface extends to a position facing the end surface of the first rib.

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