JP7481194B2 - Waterproof Connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a waterproof connector.

2. Description of the Related Art Waterproof connectors are known that are used in locations susceptible to rainwater or the like (see Patent Document 1).
The waterproof connector 501 shown in Fig. 11 comprises a male connector housing 503 and a female connector housing 505. The male connector housing 503 has a rising rear wall 509 standing along an outer peripheral wall 507. A cylindrical waterproof wall 513 with a cavity 511 on the inside is connected to the outer peripheral wall 507. An annular packing 515 for waterproofing is attached to the cavity 511. A locking protrusion 517 is formed on the packing 515, and a through hole 519 into which the locking protrusion 517 fits is formed in the rising rear wall 509. A head 521 is formed on the locking protrusion 517, and the head 521 protrudes to the opposite side of the rising rear wall 509. As a result, the packing 515 is held on the rising rear wall 509 of the male connector housing 503 by the locking protrusion 517 whose head 521 penetrates the through hole 519 and protrudes to the opposite side of the rising rear wall 509.

The female connector housing 505 that fits into the male connector housing 503 has a bushing portion 523 that fits into the cavity 511. The tip of the bushing portion 523 has a pressure contact surface 525 and a pressure contact surface 527 that compress the packing 515 in the fitting direction and in a direction intersecting the fitting direction. When the male and female connector housings are fitted together, the pressure contact surface 525 and the pressure contact surface 527 come into close contact with the packing 515, sealing the gap between the male and female connector housings and preventing water from entering.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-129303

The packing 515 attached to the male connector housing 503 has a pressure contact surface 525 and a pressure contact surface 527 that are in close contact with the socket portion 523 of the female connector housing 505 to prevent water from entering. Therefore, if the retention force of the locking protrusion 517 of the packing 515 is small, there is a risk that the locking protrusion 517 will come out of the through hole 519 and become detached from the male connector housing 503 when the male and female connector housings are released from each other. In contrast, if the head 521 of the locking protrusion 517 is made larger to improve retention, the insertion resistance of the head 521 into the through hole 519 increases, and the workability of assembling the packing 515 decreases. As a result, it becomes easier for the packing 515 to be improperly assembled, which may reduce the waterproof performance.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above situation, and its purpose is to provide a waterproof connector in which the packing can be easily assembled without compromising the waterproof performance.

The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configuration.
(1) A waterproof connector comprising: a housing having an outer peripheral surface of a main body portion surrounded by a hood portion via an annular fitting space, the hood portion and the main body portion being integrally connected by a rear wall portion; a through hole formed through the rear wall portion; a ring-shaped gasket fitted onto the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion; a locking projection protruding from a rear surface of the gasket facing the rear wall portion via a connecting portion toward the rear wall portion, the locking projection having an outer peripheral shape larger than the through hole and penetrating the through hole to hold the gasket in the housing; and a plurality of uneven portions formed on the outer peripheral surface of the locking projection, the uneven portions having a plurality of ribs parallel to the direction of penetrating the through hole and a plurality of grooves formed between adjacent ones of the ribs .

According to the waterproof connector having the above-mentioned configuration (1), an annular packing made of an elastic material such as rubber is fitted onto the outer circumferential surface of the main body of the housing. The packing has a locking projection that protrudes from its rear surface facing the rear wall toward the rear wall via the connecting portion. With the rear surface of the packing facing the rear wall, the locking projection penetrates the through hole of the rear wall to hold the packing in the housing.
The locking projection has an outer circumferential shape larger than the through hole. The outer circumferential surface of the outer circumferential shape is provided with a plurality of uneven portions. When the locking projection passes through the through hole, the outer circumferential shape is elastically deformed in the compression direction and the outer circumferential surface is pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the through hole, since the outer circumferential shape of the outer circumferential surface is larger than the inner diameter of the through hole.
In this case, since the outer peripheral surface is provided with unevenness, the friction when the outer peripheral surface slides against the inner peripheral surface of the through hole is smaller than that of an outer peripheral shape without unevenness, and the insertion force is smaller. In addition, when the outer peripheral surface of the locking protrusion is compressed and deformed, the displaced convex portion moves to the concave portion. As a result, the elastic repulsive force of the locking protrusion is smaller than that of a normal locking protrusion in which the compressed and deformed portion of the outer peripheral shape does not move to the concave portion, and the reaction force received from the inner peripheral surface is alleviated, further reducing the insertion force. As a result, the insertion force when passing through the through hole is greatly reduced, making it easier to assemble the packing.
Furthermore, since the packing can be easily assembled, improper assembly of the packing is less likely to occur, and the packing is properly assembled, so that deterioration of waterproof performance is less likely to occur.

Furthermore, according to the waterproof connector having the above configuration ( 1 ), the multiple uneven parts have multiple ribs and multiple grooves formed between adjacent ribs. That is, the uneven parts have the convex parts as ribs and the concave parts as grooves. When the outer peripheral surface of the locking protrusion receives a reaction force from the inner peripheral surface of the through hole and elastically deforms, each rib is likely to move to one or both of the grooves on both sides that sandwich the rib. Therefore, compared with an uneven part in which a round hole is simply drilled in the outer peripheral surface of the locking protrusion, the round hole is a concave part, and the part other than the round hole is a convex part, the convex part made of the rib is much more likely to move to the concave part, and the elastic repulsive force of the locking protrusion is smaller. As a result, the reaction force received by the locking protrusion from the inner peripheral surface of the through hole is reliably alleviated, and the insertion force is further reduced.

( 2 ) The waterproof connector described in (1) above, wherein the locking projection has an inclined portion tapering toward the through hole and a locking portion formed between the inclined portion and the connecting portion and locked to the rear surface of the rear wall opposite the fitting space, and the rib and the groove are provided only on the inclined portion.

According to the waterproof connector of the above configuration ( 2 ), the locking projection has an inclined portion tapering toward the through hole and a locking portion that is locked to the rear surface of the rear wall. The locking portion is formed in a plate shape parallel to the rear surface of the rear wall. The rear end of a connecting portion having an outer circumferential shape smaller than the locking portion and an outer diameter almost equal to the inner diameter of the through hole is connected perpendicularly to this locking portion. The tip of the connecting portion is connected to the rear surface of the packing.
When the locking portion passes through the through hole, it is subjected to a reaction force from the inner peripheral surface of the through hole together with the inclined portion, and is elastically deformed in the compression direction, and the outer peripheral shape is reduced in diameter. After passing through the through hole, the inclined portion returns to its original shape, that is, a plate shape parallel to the rear surface of the inner wall, due to the elastic restoring force, and is not easily pulled out of the through hole. The pull-out strength at this time depends on the size of the outer peripheral shape of the locking portion and the rigidity of the locking portion. Since the locking portion is made of an elastic body, the rigidity decreases when a large number of ribs and grooves are formed. In the locking projection of this configuration, since the ribs and grooves are not formed on the locking portion, the rigidity of the locking portion does not decrease, and the holding force of the packing on the housing is not reduced. Therefore, the locking projection makes it difficult for the packing to come off from the housing compared to a structure in which the ribs and grooves are also formed on the locking portion.

( 3 ) The waterproof connector according to ( 2 ) above, wherein the rib is formed in a plate shape having a front and back surfaces parallel to the direction of penetration through the through hole.

According to the waterproof connector of the above configuration ( 3 ), the rib constituting the uneven portion is formed as a plate-like piece having a front and back surface parallel to the direction of passing through the through hole. As a result, the friction when the outer peripheral surface of the locking projection slides against the inner peripheral surface of the through hole is smaller than when the locking projection is a plate-like piece having a front and back surface perpendicular to the direction of passing through the through hole, and the insertion force is smaller. In addition, since each rib is connected perpendicularly to the locking portion parallel to the back surface of the back wall, when an external force in the pulling direction acts on the locking projection, each rib acts as a reinforcing portion that resists deformation of the locking portion. This makes it possible to suppress the decrease in rigidity of the locking portion and ensure the holding force of the packing against the housing.

The waterproof connector of the present invention allows the gasket to be easily installed without compromising the waterproof performance.

The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following description of the embodiment of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the attached drawings.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a waterproof connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a front view of the housing shown in FIG. 1 . This is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the packing shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the rear side. FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the packing shown in FIG. 4 . 6 is an enlarged front view of a main portion of one of the locking projections shown in FIG. 5, as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the locking projection shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 8 is a side view of the locking projection shown in FIG. 7 . This is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 10A to 10C are operation explanatory views showing a process of inserting the locking protrusion into the through hole. 1A is a perspective view of a male connector housing and a packing which constitute a conventional waterproof connector, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the male connector housing and the female connector housing which are mated together.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is an exploded perspective view of a waterproof connector 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure with arrows indicating directions, the X-axis indicates the right-left direction, the Y-axis indicates the front-back direction, and the Z-axis indicates the up-down direction. Also, a black dotted circle at the intersection of any two axes indicates the front of the tip of the arrow, and a cross circle indicates the back of the rear end of the arrow.

The waterproof connector 11 according to this embodiment has as its main components a housing 13, a through hole 15 (see FIG. 9), a gasket 17, a locking projection 19 (see FIG. 4), and an uneven portion 21 (see FIG. 6).

The waterproof connector 11 has a main body 23, a hood 25, and a lock arm 27 formed in a housing 13. The housing 13 is made of insulating synthetic resin, and these parts are molded as a single unit. The waterproof connector 11 has an annular packing 17 attached to the outer periphery of the main body 23 from the front. The housing 13 has a terminal insertion port 31 at the rear that opens into a terminal accommodating chamber 29 (see Figure 9). A terminal 35 attached to the end of an electric wire 33 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 29 through the terminal insertion port 31.

In this embodiment, the terminals 35 are female terminals in which an electric contact spring portion 37 (see FIG. 9 ) is housed inside a box-shaped portion 39. The gender of the terminals 35 is not limited to this. A ring-shaped rubber plug 41 (see FIG. 9 ) is attached to each electric wire 33. The rubber plug 41 provides a watertight seal between the electric wire 33 and the terminal insertion port 31.
In this way, the waterproof connector 11 equipped with the packing 17 and the rubber plug 41 and with the female terminal attached can be called a waterproof female connector.

A cantilever-shaped locking arm 27 is provided on the top surface of the housing 13. The locking arm 27 engages with a mating waterproof connector (not shown) that fits into the housing 13, and locks the housing 13 from being separated from the mating waterproof connector.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the housing 13 shown in FIG.
The housing 13 is formed by integrally connecting the main body 23 and the hood 25 to the rear wall 43 (see FIG. 3). The main body 23 is formed in a flat tubular shape that is long in the left-right direction and short in the up-down direction. The rear end of the main body 23 is connected to the rear wall 43 of the housing 13. The main body 23 is formed with a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 29 arranged in parallel in the left-right direction. The front surface 45 of the main body 23 is formed with a plurality of insertion openings 47 through which electrical contact portions (not shown) of a mating waterproof connector enter, and which communicate with the respective terminal accommodating chambers 29. The electrical contact portions entering through the insertion openings 47 are electrically connected to the terminals 35 attached to the terminal accommodating chambers 29.

The hood portion 25 is formed continuously with the main body portion 23 via the rear wall portion 43. Between the main body portion 23 and the hood portion 25, an annular mating space 49 is defined, which is closed by the rear wall portion 43. That is, the hood portion 25 is formed in a cylindrical shape that surrounds the main body portion 23, separating the mating space 49. A pair of parallel guide grooves 51 extending in the direction along the Y axis are formed on the left and right sides of the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 25. Guide ribs (not shown) formed on the left and right sides of the mating waterproof connector enter the guide grooves 51. The guide grooves 51 are positioned so that the right and left sides are offset in the height direction. This prevents the mating waterproof connector from being erroneously mated in the upside-down reverse orientation.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
The packing 17 is formed in an annular shape with a cross-sectional shape on the inner diameter side perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical main body 23. The packing 17 is made of an elastic material such as rubber. The packing 17 is attached from the front of the housing 13 and is elastically fitted onto the outer circumferential surface of the main body 23, with the rear part attached in close contact with the inner wall part 43.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the packing 17 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the rear side.
The packing 17 has a packing body 53 formed in a cylindrical shape with an inner hole 55. The inner hole 55 is formed with an inner shape that is almost similar to and slightly smaller than the outer shape of the body 23 in the housing 13. As a result, the inner hole 55 of the packing 17 is in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the body 23 in a watertight manner. An annular flange 57 is formed at the rear of the packing body 53, which protrudes outward from the outer circumferential surface of the packing body 53. A pair of locking projections 19 protrude from the left and right rear surfaces 59 of the flange 57 toward the rear wall 43. A recessed cutout 61 is formed at the upper and lower edges of the flange 57, which is cut out toward the inner hole 55.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the packing 17 shown in FIG.
The locking projections 19 protrude from a rear surface 59 of the packing 17 (i.e., the rear surface 59 of the flange portion 57) that faces the rear wall portion 43, via a connecting portion 63, toward the rear wall portion 43. An annular lip portion 65 is formed on the outer periphery of the packing body portion 53 in a direction along the axis of the packing body portion 53 (Y direction) in multiple stages (three stages in this embodiment) with gaps between them. The lip portion 65 has a mountain-shaped cross section perpendicular to the direction in which it extends annularly. The portions between the lip portions 65 form valleys 67.

These lip portions 65 and valley portions 67 are arranged alternately from the tip side on the outer periphery of the packing body 53. On the other hand, on the inner periphery side of the packing body 53, the lip portion 65 corresponds to the inner hole 55, and the valley portion 67 corresponds to a concave inner periphery groove 69 (see FIG. 3) that is recessed radially outward. Therefore, on the inner periphery of the packing body 53, these inner holes 55 and concave inner periphery grooves 69 are arranged alternately from the tip side. Note that the number of steps, shape, etc. of the lip portion 65 of the packing 17 are not limited to this.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of a main portion of one of the locking projections 19 shown in FIG. 5, as viewed from the rear side.
The locking projection 19 has a plurality of uneven portions 21 formed on the outer peripheral surface 71. In this embodiment, the plurality of uneven portions 21 have a plurality of ribs 73 and a plurality of grooves 75 formed between adjacent ribs. The locking projection 19 has a substantially quadrangular pyramid shape in a rear view in the Y direction. A rectangular column portion 77 along the Y axis protrudes in the center of the rectangle in the direction opposite to the Y direction. The rectangular column portion 77 has a plate shape with a thin thickness in the left-right direction. Three side ribs 79 parallel to the X axis are provided on each of the left and right sides of the rectangular column portion 77. One upper rib 81 and one lower rib 83 parallel to the Z axis are provided on the top and bottom of the rectangular column portion 77. A total of four inclined ribs 85 are provided at each of the four corners of the rectangle. A total of four short reinforcing ribs 87 are connected to each inclined rib 85.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the locking projection 19 shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a side view of the locking projection 19 shown in Fig. 7.
The locking projection 19 has an inclined portion 89 tapering toward the through hole 15, and a locking portion 93 formed between the inclined portion 89 and the connecting portion 63 and locked to a rear surface 91 (see FIG. 10 ) of the inner wall opposite the fitting space 49. In this embodiment, the locking projection 19 has the rib 73 and the groove 75 provided only on the inclined portion 89.
Each of the ribs 73 is formed in the shape of a plate having front and back surfaces parallel to the direction passing through the through hole 15 (the direction along the Y axis).

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.
As described above, the locking projection 19 projects from the rear surface 59 of the flange portion 57 toward the rear wall portion 43 via the connecting portion 63. That is, the rear surface 59 of the flange portion 57 of the packing 17 faces the rear wall portion 43. A pair of through holes 15 are formed in the rear wall portion 43 on the left and right sides corresponding to the locking projection 19. The through holes 15 that open into the fitting space 49 are formed by penetrating the rear wall portion 43 in the wall thickness direction and are substantially rectangular in cross section. The locking projection 19 has an outer circumferential shape larger than the through holes 15. The locking projection 19 can pass through the through holes 15 by elastically deforming, and holds the packing 17 in the housing 13.

The packing 17 is held in the housing 13 by a pair of locking projections 19 that are inserted and locked into the through holes 15. In this way, the packing 17, which is attached to the outer periphery of the main body 23 and placed in the mating space 49, provides a watertight seal between the inner periphery of the cylindrical mating portion of the mating waterproof connector (not shown) that is mated with the mating space 49 and the outer periphery of the main body 23.

Next, the operation of the waterproof connector 11 according to this embodiment will be described.
10A to 10C are explanatory views showing the process of inserting the locking projection 19 into the through hole 15. FIG.
In the waterproof connector 11 , when the locking projection 19 of the packing 17 is inserted (pushed) into the through hole 15 , first the multiple ribs 73 of the inclined portion 89 of the locking projection 19 abut against the opening edge of the through hole 15 .

Next, when the locking projection 19 is further inserted, the locking projection 19 moves backward relative to the through hole 15, and the multiple ribs 73 in the inclined portion 89 are crushed (compressed) against the opening edge and inner peripheral surface of the through hole 15 while sliding against the opening edge and inner peripheral surface. The crushed (compressed) rib 73 is deformed so that the flesh of the rib 73 escapes into the groove 75. In addition, the flesh of the inclined portion itself other than the rib 73 also escapes into the groove 75. Therefore, since the flesh of the rib 73 and the inclined portion 89 other than the rib can escape into the groove 75, the sliding force accompanied by the compressive force is reduced when the inclined portion 89 is inserted through the through hole 15. In other words, since the inclined portion 89 of the locking projection 19 has a space for the flesh of the rib 73 to escape due to the groove 75, the reaction force acting from the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 15 at the compressed inclined portion 89 is reduced.

Next, when the locking projection 19 is further inserted, the locking portion 93 starts to be inserted into the through hole 15, continuing on from the inclined portion 89. Then, the crushed (compressed) locking portion 93 deforms so that its flesh escapes into the groove 75 of the inclined portion 89 and toward the connecting portion. In other words, because the flesh of the locking portion 93 can escape into the groove 75, the sliding force accompanying the compressive force is reduced even when the locking portion 93 without the groove 75 is inserted through the through hole 15.

When the locking projection 19 passes through the through hole 15, the locking projection 19 is released from the crushed (compressed) state and returns to its original state, and the locking portion 93 of the locking projection 19 is locked to the rear wall portion 43. In this way, the packing 17 is assembled to the housing 13.

The reason why the locking portion 93 does not have a rib 73 or a groove 75 is to increase the locking force when the locking projection 19 is locked to the rear wall portion 43, thereby increasing the holding force of the packing 17 to the housing 13. As a result, the packing 17 is less likely to come off the housing 13.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned configuration will be described.
In the waterproof connector 11 according to this embodiment, annular packing 17 made of an elastic material such as rubber is fitted onto the outer peripheral surface of the main body 23 of the housing 13. The packing 17 has a locking projection 19 that protrudes from a rear surface 59 facing the rear wall 43 toward the rear wall 43 via a connecting portion 63. With the rear surface 59 of the packing 17 facing the rear wall 43, the locking projection 19 penetrates the through hole 15 of the rear wall 43 to hold the packing 17 to the rear wall 43, i.e., the housing 13.

The outer peripheral shape of the locking projection 19 is larger than the through hole 15. The outer peripheral surface 71 of the outer peripheral shape is provided with a plurality of uneven portions 21. When the locking projection 19 passes through the through hole 15, the outer peripheral shape of the outer peripheral surface 71 is larger than the inner diameter of the through hole 15, so that the outer peripheral shape elastically deforms in the compression direction and the outer peripheral surface 71 presses against the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 15.

At this time, since the outer peripheral surface 71 is provided with the uneven portion 21, the friction when the outer peripheral surface 71 slides against the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 15 is smaller than in an outer peripheral shape without the uneven portion 21, and the insertion force is smaller. In addition, when the outer peripheral surface 71 is compressed and deformed, the displaced convex portion moves to the concave portion. As a result, the elastic repulsive force of the locking protrusion 19 is smaller than that of a normal locking protrusion in which the compressed and deformed portion of the outer peripheral shape does not move to the concave portion, and the reaction force received from the inner peripheral surface is alleviated, further reducing the insertion force. As a result, the insertion force when passing through the through hole 15 is greatly reduced, making it easier to assemble the packing 17.

In addition, since the assembly of the packing 17 is made easier, assembly errors of the packing 17 are less likely to occur, and the packing 17 is properly assembled, making it less likely that the waterproof performance will deteriorate.

In addition, in the waterproof connector 11 of this embodiment, the multiple uneven portions 21 have multiple ribs 73 and multiple grooves 75 formed between adjacent ribs. That is, the uneven portions 21 have the ribs 73 at the protruding portions, and the grooves 75 at the protruding portions. When the outer peripheral surface 71 of the locking projection 19 receives a reaction force from the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 15 and elastically deforms, each rib 73 is likely to move to one or both of the grooves 75 on both sides that sandwich the rib 73. Therefore, compared to an uneven portion in which a round hole is simply drilled in the outer peripheral surface 71 of the locking projection 19, the round hole is a recess, and the portion other than the round hole is a protruding portion, the protruding portion consisting of the rib 73 is much more likely to move to the recess, and the elastic repulsive force of the locking projection 19 is smaller. As a result, the reaction force received by the locking projection 19 from the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 15 is reliably alleviated, and the insertion force is further reduced.

In addition, in the waterproof connector 11 of this embodiment, the locking projection 19 has an inclined portion 89 that tapers toward the through hole 15, and a locking portion 93 that locks onto the rear wall back surface 91. The locking portion 93 is formed in a plate shape parallel to the rear wall back surface 91. The rear end of a connecting portion 63, which has a smaller outer peripheral shape than the locking portion 93 and an outer diameter approximately equal to the inner diameter of the through hole 15, is connected perpendicularly to this locking portion 93. The tip of the connecting portion 63 is connected to the rear surface 59 of the packing 17.

When the locking portion 93 passes through the through hole 15, it is subjected to a reaction force from the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 15 together with the inclined portion 89, and is elastically deformed in the compression direction, causing the outer peripheral shape to shrink in diameter. After passing through the through hole 15, the inclined portion 89 returns to its original shape, that is, a plate shape parallel to the rear wall back surface 91, due to the elastic restoring force, and is not easily pulled out of the through hole 15. The pull-out strength at this time depends on the size of the outer peripheral shape of the locking portion 93 and the rigidity of the locking portion 93. Since the locking portion 93 is made of an elastic body, the rigidity decreases when a large number of ribs 73 and grooves 75 are formed in the locking portion itself.

In the locking projection 19 of this embodiment, the rib 73 and groove 75 are not formed in the locking portion 93, so the rigidity of the locking portion 93 is not reduced, and the holding force of the packing 17 on the housing 13 is not reduced. Therefore, the locking projection 19 makes it more difficult for the packing 17 to come off the housing 13 compared to a structure in which the rib 73 and groove 75 are also formed in the locking portion 93.

Furthermore, in the waterproof connector 11 of this embodiment, the rib 73 constituting the uneven portion 21 is formed as a plate-like piece having a front and back surface parallel to the direction of passing through the through hole 15. As a result, the friction when the outer peripheral surface 71 of the locking projection 19 slides against the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 15 is smaller than when the rib 73 is a plate-like piece having a front and back surface perpendicular to the direction of passing through the through hole 15, and the insertion force is smaller. In addition, since each rib 73 is connected vertically to the locking portion 93 parallel to the rear wall back surface 91 (see FIG. 10), when an external force F in the pulling direction acts on the locking projection 19, each rib 73 acts as a reinforcing portion that resists deformation of the locking portion 93. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in rigidity in the locking portion 93, and it is possible to ensure the holding force of the packing 17 against the housing 13 while ensuring insertion due to low friction.

Therefore, with the waterproof connector 11 of this embodiment, the gasket 17 can be easily assembled without compromising the waterproof performance.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited.

For example, in the above embodiment, the uneven portion 21 has the ribs 73 and the grooves 75, but the uneven portion may also be formed by arranging recesses such as round holes, elongated holes, or polygonal holes in a regular or irregular manner. In this case, the protrusions become the outer peripheral surface portions of the locking projections where no recesses are formed.

In the above embodiment, the locking protrusion 19 is formed in a generally quadrangular pyramid shape, but the locking protrusion of the present invention may have an outer peripheral surface in a polygonal pyramid shape such as a pentagonal pyramid, a cone shape, or a hemisphere shape, and may have an uneven portion on the outer peripheral surface. In addition, the through hole through which the locking protrusion passes is not limited to a generally rectangular cross section, and may have various cross-sectional shapes such as a generally polygonal cross section or a generally circular cross section.

Furthermore, the packing of the present invention may also have ribs 73 and grooves 75 in the locking portion. This reduces the sliding force accompanied by a compressive force when the locking portion is inserted through the through hole, and reduces the sliding force accompanied by a compressive force of the entire locking projection consisting of the inclined portion and the locking portion. In other words, the insertion force required to insert the locking projection into the through hole can be reduced, which ultimately reduces the force required to assemble the packing to the housing.

Here, the features of the embodiments of the waterproof connector according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [4].
[1] A housing (13) in which an outer peripheral surface of a main body portion (23) is surrounded by a hood portion (25) via an annular fitting space (49), and the hood portion (25) and the main body portion (23) are integrally connected by a rear wall portion (43);
A through hole (15) formed through the inner wall portion (43);
an annular packing (17) fitted onto the outer circumferential surface of the main body (23);
a locking projection (19) that projects from a rear surface (59) of the packing (17) facing the rear wall portion (43) via a connecting portion (63) toward the rear wall portion (43), has an outer circumferential shape larger than the through hole (15), and penetrates the through hole (15) to hold the packing (17) in the housing (13);
A plurality of uneven portions (21) formed on an outer peripheral surface (71) of the locking projection (19);
A waterproof connector (11) comprising:
[2] The plurality of uneven portions (21) are
A plurality of ribs (73) and a plurality of grooves (75) formed between adjacent ribs (73);
The waterproof connector (11) according to the above [1],
[3] The locking projection (19) is
A tapered portion (89) that tapers toward the through hole (15);
a locking portion (93) formed between the inclined portion (89) and the connecting portion (63) and locked to a rear surface (91) of a back wall on the opposite side to the fitting space (49),
3. The waterproof connector (11) according to claim 2, characterized in that the rib (73) and the groove (75) are provided only on the inclined portion (89).
[4] The waterproof connector (11) described in [3] above, wherein the rib (73) is formed in the shape of a plate having front and back surfaces parallel to the direction of passage through the through hole (15).

11...waterproof connector 13...housing 15...through hole 17...packing 19...locking projection 21...uneven portion 23...main body 25...hood portion 43...rear wall portion 49...fitting space 59...rear surface 63...connecting portion 71...outer peripheral surface 73...rib 75...groove 89...inclined portion 91...rear wall back surface 93...locking portion

Claims (3)

a housing in which an outer peripheral surface of a main body is surrounded by a hood portion via an annular fitting space, and the hood portion and the main body are integrally connected by a back wall portion;
A through hole formed through the inner wall portion;
an annular packing fitted onto an outer circumferential surface of the main body;
a locking projection that protrudes from a rear surface of the packing that faces the rear wall portion toward the rear wall portion via a connecting portion, has an outer circumferential shape larger than that of the through hole, and penetrates the through hole to hold the packing in the housing;
a plurality of projections and recesses formed on an outer peripheral surface of the locking projection , the projections having a plurality of ribs parallel to a direction of passing through the through hole and a plurality of grooves formed between adjacent ones of the ribs;
A waterproof connector comprising: the locking projection has an inclined portion tapered toward the through hole, and a locking portion formed between the inclined portion and the connecting portion and locked to a rear surface of a back wall on a side opposite to the fitting space,
2. The waterproof connector according to claim 1 , wherein the rib and the groove are provided only on the inclined portion . 3. The waterproof connector according to claim 2 , wherein the rib is formed in a plate shape having a front and back surface parallel to a direction in which the rib penetrates the through hole.