JP7355594B2 - waterproof connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a waterproof connector for tunnel lighting equipment and the like.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a connector for tunnel lighting equipment that connects a lighting equipment to a branch cable that branches from a main cable routed in a tunnel. The connector for tunnel lighting equipment described in Patent Document 1 includes a plug connector attached to the tip of a branch cable, and a receptacle connector attached to the case of the lighting equipment and into which the plug connector is fitted. .

By fitting the plug connector into the receptacle connector, the plurality of male terminals of the receptacle connector and the plurality of female terminals of the plug connector are connected.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-181328

In the electrical wiring for tunnel lighting using the conventional connector for tunnel lighting equipment, an inspection for voltage drop, etc. is performed after the lighting equipment and the connector for tunnel lighting equipment are connected. At this time, the connector for the tunnel lighting equipment was disconnected, the receptacle connector for inspection was attached to the plug connector, and the lead rod of the voltage drop measuring device was brought into contact with the conductor of the electric wire to make the measurement. Bad sex. Additionally, since the test involves live wires, there may be risks such as electric shock. Furthermore, there are cases where the lead rod of a voltage drop measuring device is inserted directly into the female terminal of the plug connector for inspection without attaching a receptacle connector for inspection, which can damage the female terminal and cause a connection failure. There is a risk that you may let it happen.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art. Another object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof connector that can improve inspection work after installation of electrical wiring such as tunnel lighting, and improve safety during inspection.

A waterproof connector according to an aspect of the present invention includes a housing having a terminal accommodating portion, a terminal that is accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion of the housing and holds a conductor of an electric wire, and an opening at one end, and a a guide tube that is installed upright on the conductor and elastically holds the energization test jig from the opening, the guide tube is made of an insulating material, and the guide tube has an opening and a The gap between the housing and the housing is covered with a removable elastic member.

The connection portion between the terminal and the conductor is covered with a molding material except for the opening of the guide tube and its surrounding area, and the void is formed around the opening of the guide tube in the molded part made of the molding material. It is preferable that a mounting recess is formed as a part, and that the mounting recess is covered with a rubber-based waterproof lid as the elastic member.

The terminal has a plurality of power feeding terminals and one grounding terminal, and the guide tube is placed on each conductor in at least two of the plurality of power feeding terminals. Preferably, it is installed upright.

The electric wire is an electric wire of a branch cable branched from a main cable routed in the tunnel, and the housing is fitted into a mating housing attached to each case of a plurality of lighting devices installed in the tunnel. It is preferable that

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a waterproof connector that can improve inspection work after installation of electrical wiring such as tunnel lighting and improve safety during inspection.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of a waterproof connector for a tunnel lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention before fitting; FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the plug connector of the waterproof connector is set in a molding die before molding. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the plug connector after molding. It is a perspective view of the terminal used for the said plug connector. It is a perspective view of the said plug connector. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the main parts of the plug connector with the waterproof lid removed. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view immediately before inserting an energization test jig into a guide tube provided upright at the terminal of the plug connector. It is an explanatory view showing an example of electric wiring of tunnel lighting concerning an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a waterproof connector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail using the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a waterproof connector for tunnel lighting equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention before fitting. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the plug connector of the waterproof connector is set in a molding die before molding. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the plug connector after molding. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a terminal used in a plug connector. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the plug connector. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the main parts of the plug connector with the waterproof lid removed. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal of the plug connector immediately before the energization test jig is inserted into the guide tube installed upright. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of electrical wiring for tunnel lighting according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 8, a waterproof connector 10 for tunnel lighting equipment is used to connect a branch cable 4 of electrical wiring for tunnel lighting and a lighting equipment 5, and includes a receptacle connector 6 and a plug connector 11. To explain in detail, a trunk cable 2 is routed within the tunnel 1 for transmitting power of each phase of a three-phase AC power source to a lighting device 5 via a branch cable 4. Branch cables 4 are branched from the trunk cable 2 at predetermined intervals via branch mold parts 3. A plug connector 11 is attached to the tip of each branch cable 4. Furthermore, within the tunnel 1, a plurality of lighting fixtures 5 are installed at predetermined intervals. A receptacle connector 6 having a synthetic resin male housing (mating housing) 7 into which the resin female housing (housing) 12 of the plug connector 11 is fitted is attached to the case 5a of each lighting fixture 5. There is.

As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. A female terminal (terminal) 20 that holds a conductor (core wire) 41 is provided. Further, the plug connector 11 has an opening 32 at the upper end (one end) 31, is erected on the conductor 41 in the female terminal 20, and the lead rod of the voltage drop measuring device 60 is inserted through the opening 32. (Electrification inspection jig) A guide tube 30 for elastically holding the 61 is further provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the female housing 12 includes a block-shaped terminal accommodating part 13 in which four terminal accommodating holes 13a are formed, a square cylindrical hood part 14 that covers the terminal accommodating part 13, and a terminal accommodating part 14. It has a rear cylindrical part 15 that extends rearward from the part 13 and covers the crimped part of the female terminal 20. The insulation coating 4a of the branch cable 4, in which the four electric wires 40 are exposed from the rear cylindrical part 15 of the female housing 12 that covers the connection part 45 between the female terminal 20 and the conductor 41, covers the opening 32 of the guide tube 30 and its surrounding area. It is covered with a molding material 73 except for the parts.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the female housing 12 is set in the cavity 71 of the mold 70, the molding material 73 is filled through the injection port 72, and the four electric wires 40 are inserted from the rear cylindrical portion 15 of the female housing 12. The parts up to the exposed insulation coating 4a of the branch cable 4 are molded. By this molding, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a rectangular mounting recess 17 as a gap is formed around the opening 32 of the guide tube 30 in the mold part 16 made of the mold material 73. . During this molding, a mold piece (not shown) is attached to prevent resin from entering the opening 32 of the guide tube 30 and its surroundings. Further, as the molding material 73, for example, an elastic plastic material such as soft polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is used.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the mounting recess 17 formed in the mold part 16 is covered with a waterproof lid 50 made of rubber as an elastic member. The hood part 14 of the female housing 12 is fitted into the hood part 7a of the male housing 7, and the hood part 14 of the male housing 7 is guided into each guide recess 7b at the center of both sides of the male housing 7. A convex portion 18 for a fitting guide is formed. Further, a lock arm 19 is formed on the upper surface side of the hood portion 14 and is locked to a lock portion 7c at the upper portion of the male housing 7.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the female terminal 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and has a sleeve 21a on the distal end side, into which a male terminal (not shown) of the male housing 7 is inserted, with the intermediate flange portion 22 in between. A cylindrical portion 21 is formed, and the rear end side thereof is a crimping portion 23 for crimping and connecting the conductor 41 of the electric wire 40. Further, a total of four female terminals 20 are accommodated, two in the upper tier and two in the lower tier of each terminal accommodating hole 13a formed in the terminal accommodating portion 13 of the female housing 12, and two in the upper tier and one in the lower tier. A total of three terminals are for power supply, and the remaining terminal at the bottom is for grounding. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a diamond-shaped hole 23a is formed in the intermediate flange portion 22 of the caulking portion 23 of each of the two female terminals 20 for power feeding located at the upper stage when viewed from the front. The guide tubes 30 are respectively erected on the conductors 41 of the electric wires 40 in the holes 23a on the diamond side.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the guide tube 30 is made of an insulating material and has a cylindrical shape. An opening 32 is formed at the upper end 31 of this guide tube 30 . Further, a pair of slits 33, 33 are formed from the upper end 31 of the guide tube 30 to the center. The mounting recess (gap) 17 between the opening 32 of the guide tube 30 and the molded part 16 of the female housing 12 is covered with a removable waterproof lid (elastic member) 50 made of rubber. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, on the lower surface of the waterproof lid 50 that is fitted into the mounting recess 17 of the female housing 12, a pair of cylindrical parts 51, 51 that are fitted into the respective openings 32 of the pair of guide tubes 30 are provided. It is formed. Further, on both sides of the waterproof lid 50, a pair of locking protrusions 52, 52 are formed to be locked in a pair of locking recesses 17a, 17a formed on both sides of the mounting recess 17. Further, a knob 53 is provided at one end of the surface of the waterproof lid 50, so that the waterproof lid 50 can be removed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, four electric wires 40 are exposed at the terminal of the branch cable 4 on the power supply side, and the caulking portion 23 of the female terminal 20 is attached to the conductor 41 of each electric wire 40. Crimp connection is made and assembled into each terminal accommodating hole 13a of the terminal accommodating portion 13 of the female housing 12. After this assembly, the rear cylindrical portion 15 of the female housing 12 and each electric wire 40 of the branch cable 4 are molded together, thereby forming the female housing 12 that satisfies electrical performance, mechanical performance, and waterproof performance. The plug connector 11 having this female housing 12 is manufactured at a factory, delivered to the installation site, and is fitted with a receptacle connector 6 attached to the case 5a of the lighting device 5 on the load side. . Further, the lighting lamp 5b of the lighting fixture 5 and the receptacle connector 6 are connected by a plurality of electric wires 8 on the load side.

As described above, according to the waterproof connector 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the female terminal 20 of the plug connector 11 has a voltage drop in the direction perpendicular to the connection direction of the female terminal 20 at the crimped portion 23. A guide tube 30 into which a lead rod 61 of a measuring device 60 is inserted is provided. By forming the guide tube 30 from an insulating material and having a spring structure, it becomes possible to easily hold the lead rod 61.

When measuring the voltage drop in the electrical wiring of the tunnel lighting, as shown in FIG. Insert it into the installed guide tube 30 and carry out the operation. Inspection work is improved because there is no need to remove the waterproof connector 10 for tunnel lighting equipment or attach a receptacle connector for inspection to the plug connector 11 as in the conventional case.

In addition, since the lead rod 61 is held in the guide tube 30 installed vertically on the female terminal 20, it is possible to perform measurements without the risk of electric shock due to contact with the conductor 41 of the electric wire 40, thereby ensuring safety during inspection. Sexuality also improves. After the measurement is completed, the lead rod 61 is pulled out from the guide tube 30 and the waterproof lid 50 is fitted into the mounting recess 17 of the female housing 12 to return to the original state and satisfy the insulation performance and waterproof performance. In this way, it is possible to further improve the inspection work after installation of the electrical wiring for tunnel lighting and the safety during inspection.

Although this embodiment has been described above, this embodiment is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of this embodiment.

That is, according to the embodiment, the waterproof connector has been described as a connector for tunnel lighting equipment, but the embodiment can also be applied to waterproof connectors other than tunnel lighting equipment.

1 Tunnel 2 Main cable 4 Branch cable 5 Lighting equipment 5a Case 7 Male housing (mating housing)
10 Waterproof connector 11 Plug connector 12 Female housing (housing)
13 Terminal accommodating part 16 Mold part 17 Mounting recess (void part)
20 Female terminal (terminal)
30 Guide tube 31 Upper end (one end)
32 Opening 40 Electric wire 41 Conductor 45 Terminal and conductor connection 50 Waterproof lid (elastic member)
61 Lead rod of voltage drop measuring device (current testing jig)
73 Mold material

Claims (4)

a housing having a terminal accommodating portion;
a terminal that is accommodated in a terminal accommodating portion of the housing and holds a conductor of an electric wire;
a guide tube having an opening at one end, standing above the conductor in the terminal, and elastically holding an energization test jig from the opening;
Equipped with
The guide tube is made of an insulating material,
A waterproof connector, wherein a gap between an opening of the guide tube and the housing is covered with a detachable elastic member. The housing has a molded part that covers the connecting part of the terminal and the conductor with a molding material except for the opening of the guide tube and its surrounding area,
A mounting recess serving as the void is formed around the opening of the guide tube in the mold ,
2. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the mounting recess is covered with a rubber-based waterproof lid serving as the elastic member. The terminal has a plurality of power feeding terminals and one grounding terminal,
The waterproof connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide tube is provided upright on each conductor in at least two of the plurality of power feeding terminals. The electric wire is a branch cable electric wire branched from a main cable routed in the tunnel,
The waterproof connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the housing is fitted into a mating housing attached to each case of a plurality of lighting devices installed in a tunnel.

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