JPH07161410A - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a waterproof connector in which the number of parts is reduced and assemble job is simple. CONSTITUTION:At least two waterproof walls 22, 23 are integratedly molded to a connector housing 14. The waterproof walls 22, 23 have cut-out parts 25 for inserting a cable 2 fixed to the connector housing 14 and also have shielding plates 27, 28 which close an edge opening 15 of the connector housing 14 and hinges 29, 30 which link the shielding plates 27, 28 so as to be capable of opening and closing the edge opening 15 to the connector housing 14. When the edge opening 15 is closed, the waterproof walls 22, 23 are overlapped to close a gap formed by the cut-out parts 25.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof connector used for connecting electric wires to each other in a wire harness for an automobile, and more particularly, to insert a connector terminal to which a wire is connected into a connector terminal holding portion in a connector housing. The present invention relates to a waterproof connector including a waterproofing unit that closes an opening for preventing water from entering.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Up to now, among electric connectors used for connecting electric wirings in a wiring harness for automobiles, etc., wiring connection at a place where raindrops or washing water may splash (for example, in an engine room or For wiring connections inside the vehicle), a waterproof connector equipped with waterproofing means is appropriately adopted.

The structure of a conventional waterproof connector is shown in FIGS. In this waterproof connector 1, after a plurality of (four in this example) connector terminals 3 to which electric wires 2 are connected are mounted in a connector housing 4, openings for mounting the connector terminals 3 provided in the connector housing 4 are provided. Section (Fig. 6,
In FIG. 7, the right end) is covered with a waterproof connector cover 5.

The connector housing 4 is a molded product made of insulating synthetic resin, and although not shown, a plurality of connector terminal holding portions for housing and holding the connector terminals 3 and a connector to which the electric wire 2 is connected. An opening for inserting the terminal 3 into the connector terminal holding portion is formed. Further, the connector cover 5 is a molded product made of soft synthetic rubber or the like, and as shown in the drawing, a large-diameter tubular connector attachment portion 7 attached to the outer peripheral surface of the connector housing 4.
And a small-diameter electric wire insertion portion 8 through which a plurality of electric wires 2 are bundled and inserted, are integrally formed.

In the above-described waterproof connector 1, the connector cover 5 has a wire bundle 9 to which the connector terminals 3 are attached in advance before the connector terminals 3 are attached to the connector housing 4, as shown in FIG. The electric wire insertion portion 8 is kept inserted. Then, after the connector terminals 3 are mounted on the connector housing 4, or further, after the connector housing 4 is male-female-coupled to the pair of connector housings 10, the connector adhered portion 7 is pulled up to the connector housing 4 side, As shown in FIG. 7, by attaching the connector attaching portion 7 to the base end portion of the connector housing 4,
The fixing tape 11 is wound around the wire insertion portion 8 so that the fixing tape 11 is tightened and fixed to complete the assembling.

[0006]

However, in the above-described conventional waterproof connector 1, the connector cover 5 is previously mounted on the electric wire 2, and after the mounting work of the connector terminal 3 to the connector housing 4 is completed, There is a problem in that the assembly work must be carried out in such a procedure that the connector cover 5 is pulled up and covered on the end portion of the connector housing 4, which is troublesome.

The connector cover 5 is a separate component from the connector housing 4 and must be manufactured and managed separately, which causes a problem of increased manufacturing cost due to an increase in the number of components. . Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide a waterproof connector that can not only obtain waterproof performance, but also has a small number of parts, is easy to assemble, and can reduce the manufacturing cost. Is to provide.

[0008]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The above object of the present invention is to provide a connector terminal which has an opening for allowing the entry of a connector terminal to which an electric wire is connected and which accommodates and holds the connector terminal on the inner side of the opening. In a waterproof connector used for connecting electrical wirings, comprising a connector housing having a holding portion and waterproof means for preventing water from entering through the opening, the waterproof means is provided in the connector housing. At least two waterproof walls provided, each waterproof wall having a wire insertion notch that allows insertion of the electric wire inserted into the opening, and a shielding plate part that closes the opening,
A hinge portion that connects the shield plate portion to the opening portion so as to be openable and closable, and the waterproof walls are opened and closed in different directions, and when the opening portion is closed, While overlapping each other to close the gap due to the electric wire insertion notch, the inner edge of the electric wire insertion notch contacts the electric wire through substantially the entire circumference of the electric wire inserted through the opening, and, This is achieved by a waterproof connector characterized in that a locking means for fixing at least the outermost waterproof wall so as to be pressed against the connector housing side is provided.

Further, the above object of the present invention is to provide a pair of waterproofing means in the above waterproof connector, and to provide a hinge part arranged so that the pair of the shielding plate parts face each other along an opening edge of the opening part. This is achieved by a structure integrally formed with the connector housing.

Further, the above-mentioned object of the present invention is any one of the above-mentioned waterproof connectors, wherein the notch for inserting an electric wire is gradually narrowed toward the deepest portion, and
This is achieved by a waterproof connector in which the innermost edge of the notch in the deepest portion and the vicinity thereof is in pressure contact with the outer peripheral portion of the electric wire inserted through the opening.

Further, the above-mentioned object of the present invention is that, as the locking means for keeping the waterproof wall in a closed state, a protrusion at the side end of the shield plate portion which is the outermost side and the protrusion are formed on the protrusion. And an engaging concave portion that engages with a locking projection that is provided on the outer surface of the connector housing, and further, the engaging member that maintains the waterproof wall that overlaps the outermost side in a closed state. This is achieved by a structure in which the connector housing is equipped with a belt-shaped locking means for pressing the waterproof wall, which is superposed on the outermost side, in the closed state as the stopping means.

[0012]

According to the above construction of the present invention, the waterproof wall as the waterproof means can be formed integrally with the connector housing, for example, so that the number of parts can be reduced. Further, each waterproof wall as a waterproofing means has a shielding plate part covering the opening so as to be openably and closably attached to the connector housing by a hinge part, and the work of closing the opening of the connector housing is performed by the shielding plate of each waterproofing wall. Only the operation of closing the parts is required, and the assembly work becomes easy. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, a plurality of waterproof walls equipped in the connector housing as waterproof means have different opening and closing directions,
When they are closed, they overlap each other and close up the wire insertion notches provided in other waterproof walls. And further, the notch for wire insertion in each waterproof wall has a different cutting direction for each waterproof wall,
The innermost edge of the notch near the deepest part of the notch contacts the outer circumference of the wire that passes through the opening, and one of the wires is inserted over the entire circumference of the wire that passes through the opening. The inner edge of the notch is prevented from coming into contact with each other to prevent a large gap for communicating the inside and outside of the connector housing from being formed around the inserted electric wire. Therefore, excellent waterproof performance can also be obtained.

At least the outermost waterproof wall,
When the opening is closed, it is equipped with locking means that engages with the connector housing side and maintains the closed state.To maintain the closed state, tighten and fix with adhesive tape or the like. You don't even have to do it. Therefore, the assembling workability can be further improved.

Furthermore, since the notch for inserting an electric wire formed in the shield plate portion of the waterproof wall has a structure in which the notch width becomes narrower toward the deepest side, it is inserted into the opening by closing each waterproof wall. It is possible to position and fix the existing electric wire at a predetermined position, and it is also possible to reinforce the fixing strength of the connector terminal and the electric wire in the connector housing and improve the strength performance of the waterproof connector as a whole.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described in detail below. 1 to 4 show a waterproof connector 1 according to the present invention.
3 shows an example of No. 3 of the present invention. This waterproof connector 1
3 is used to connect electric wires to each other in a wire harness for an automobile, and includes a connector housing 14 and
The waterproof means 16 for preventing water from entering through the opening 15 of the connector housing 14 is integrally formed of insulating synthetic resin.

The connector housing 14 has a substantially box-shaped outer shape, and inside thereof, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of (two in this embodiment) which accommodates and holds the connector terminals 3. The connector terminal holding portions 17 are formed, and in each of the connector terminal holding portions 17, the lance 18 protruding toward the connector terminal 3 inserted into the connector housing 14 prevents the inserted connector terminal 3 from coming off. The opening 15 is an opening for inserting the connector terminal 3 to which the electric wire 2 is connected into the connector terminal holding portion 17. Also, on the outer surface of the connector housing 14,
For example, a housing locking arm 20 which is an engaging means for engaging the connector housing 14 with another appropriate member is provided in a protruding manner.

Further, the above-mentioned waterproof means 16 is composed of, for example, two waterproof walls 22 integrally formed with the connector housing 14,
23. Here, each waterproof wall 22,
Reference numeral 23 is provided with two wire insertion notches 25 that allow the insertion of the two electric wires 2 connected to the connector terminal 3 housed and held in the connector terminal holding portion 17, and the opening 15
The shield plates 27 and 28 for closing the connector housing 14 and the shield plates 27 and 28 along the upper and lower edges of the opening 15.
And a hinge part 29, 30 connected to.

The waterproof wall 22 is openably and closably connected to the upper edge of the opening 15 by the hinge portion 29 as described above.
The waterproof wall 23 is openably and closably connected to the lower edge of the opening 15 by a hinge portion 30. That is, these two waterproof walls 22 and 23 are provided around the opening 15 at two opposite positions.

Since the waterproof walls 22 and 23 are provided at opposite positions on the peripheral edge of the opening 15, the waterproof wall 22 opens upward and the waterproof wall 23 opens downward. They are in opposite directions. And
A notch 25 for inserting an electric wire according to the difference in the opening / closing direction.
The direction of the notch is set differently. Further, the waterproof wall 23 has a specification to close after closing the waterproof wall 22, and the extra lengths of the hinge portions 29 and 30 are set according to the specification. The hinge portions 29, 30 are thin-walled portions whose curved state and plate thickness are selected in order to obtain the flexibility required for the rotating operation of the shield plates 27, 28.

Further, the wire insertion notch 25 formed in each of the shielding plates 27 and 28 is not shown in the illustrated example,
The contour of the deepest part is a semi-circular shape corresponding to the outer diameter of the electric wire 2, the notch width is gradually narrowed toward the deepest part, and the innermost edge of the notch at the deepest part and its vicinity is the opening 15 It is configured to be in close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the electric wire 2 which is inserted. And each waterproof wall 22,
When the opening 15 is closed, the reference numeral 23 overlaps with each other to close the gap formed by the wire insertion notch 25, and the wire insertion portions of the shield plates 27 and 28 are inserted over substantially the entire circumference of the wire 2 through the opening 15. The inner edge of the general cutout 25 abuts and supports the electric wire. For example, the shield plate 2
The semicircular arc-shaped inner edge of the deepest part of the wire insertion notch 25 formed in 7 abuts on the upper half of the outer circumference of the wire 2, and the wire insertion notch 25 formed in the shield plate part 28. The semicircular arc-shaped inner edge of the deepest part of the wire abuts on the lower half of the outer circumference of the electric wire 2, and as a result, the inner edge of the cutout abuts the entire circumference of the electric wire 2 and Movement is restricted.

Of the above two waterproof walls 22 and 23, the waterproof wall 23 which is the outermost one is engaged with the connector housing 14 side to keep the opening 15 closed. 31 is equipped. As shown in FIG. 3, the locking means 31 extends at a right angle from the side end of the shield plate 28, and when it is in the closed state, the side end of the waterproof wall 22 that overlaps the inside of the side wall of the shield plate 28 is closed. Cover and connector housing 1
4 is provided with a projecting piece 33 projecting on the outer side surface and an engaging recess 35 formed on the projecting piece 33 and engaging with a locking projection 34 projecting on the outer side surface of the connector housing 14. It is composed.

The waterproof wall 23 is closed, and the engaging recess 35 on the waterproof wall 23 and the locking projection 34 on the connector housing 14 are closed.
When and are engaged, a suitable biasing force is applied to the shield plates 27, 2
The installation positions of the engaging recesses 35 and the locking projections 34 are selected so that the state in which 8 is in close contact with the periphery of the opening 15 is maintained.

In the waterproof connector 13 described above, since the waterproof walls 22 and 23, which are waterproof means, are formed integrally with the connector housing 14, the number of parts can be reduced. Further, each of the waterproof walls 22 and 23 as waterproofing means is formed by attaching shield plates 27 and 28 covering the opening 15 of the connector housing 14 to the connector housing 14 by hinges 29 and 30 so as to be openable and closable. The operation of closing the opening 15 of the connector housing 14 is performed only by closing the shield plates 27 and 28 of the waterproof walls 22 and 23, and the assembling work is facilitated. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, the plurality of waterproof walls 22 and 23 provided in the connector housing 14 as waterproof means have different opening and closing directions, and overlap each other in the closed state,
The electric wire insertion notches 25 provided on the other waterproof walls are closed. And, further, each waterproof wall 22, 2
The notch 25 for wire insertion in 3 is each waterproof wall 2
An electric wire inserted through the opening 15 has a configuration in which the cutting direction is different for each of the Nos. The inner edge of the wire insertion notch 25 comes into contact with substantially the entire circumference of the outer periphery of the electric wire 2 to be inserted.
A large gap for communicating the inside and outside of the connector housing 14 is prevented from being formed around the. Therefore, excellent waterproof performance can also be obtained.

Further, at least the outermost waterproof wall 23 is engaged with the locking projection 34 on the connector housing 14 side when the opening 15 is closed to maintain the closed state. An engaging recess 35 of the protrusion 33 is formed. By equipping the locking means 31 including the protrusion 33, the engaging recess 35, and the engaging protrusion 34, all the waterproof walls can be maintained in a closed state, and the conventional tightening with tape or the like can be performed. There is no need to fix it. Therefore, the assembling workability can be further improved.

Further, the shielding plate portion 2 of each of the waterproof walls 22 and 23
If the notch 25 for electric wire insertion formed in 7, 28 has a structure in which the notch width becomes narrower toward the deepest side, the electric wire inserted in the opening 15 by the work of closing each waterproof wall 22, 23. Since it is possible to position and fix the wire 2 at a predetermined position, not only the strength of the waterproof connector 13 as a whole is improved by reinforcing the fixing strength of the connector terminal 3 and the wire 2 in the connector housing 14, but also the wire 2 It is possible to reliably prevent the water and the like transmitted from entering the housing.

Further, in the above embodiment, as the locking means 31 for keeping the outermost waterproof wall 23 closed, the engaging recess 35 is provided on the projection 33 integral with the shield plate 28. Although the configuration is adopted, the locking means 31 is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various forms can be adopted. For example, instead of equipping the protrusion 33 as the locking means 31,
A structure may be used in which a fixing band 38 provided on the housing body is used separately from the shield plate portion 28 as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. The fixing band 38 is formed by integrally molding one end of a flexible synthetic resin belt-shaped body on the side surface of the connector housing 14, and engaging the other end with a protrusion such as the locking protrusion 34 on the connector housing 14. Engagement recess (hole) 39
Is formed. Further, the fixing band 38 may be formed separately from the connector housing 14 by forming engaging recesses 39 at both ends and hooking the engaging projections 34.

In the above embodiment, the waterproof walls 22 and 23 are provided at the two upper and lower edges of the opening 15 facing each other.
However, the form in which the waterproof wall is provided is not limited to this embodiment, and the waterproof wall can be provided at three or more arbitrary positions. It is also possible to provide a waterproof wall on each of the two edges. FIG. 5 shows an example of a structure provided with three waterproof walls. In this case, the left and right waterproof walls 22 both have a single notch 25 for inserting an electric wire and are configured so as not to overlap each other. Has been done. The rest of the configuration is similar to that of the embodiment shown in FIG.

[0030]

As described above, according to the waterproof connector of the present invention, since the waterproof wall as the waterproof means is formed integrally with the connector housing, the number of parts can be reduced. . Further, each waterproof wall as a waterproofing means has a shield plate portion that covers the opening and is attached to the connector housing by a hinge portion so as to be openable and closable.
The operation of closing the opening of the connector housing is performed only by the operation of closing the shielding plate of each waterproof wall, and the assembling work becomes easy.
Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, a plurality of waterproof walls equipped in the connector housing as waterproofing means have different opening and closing directions, and when they are closed, they overlap each other to close the wire insertion notches equipped in the other waterproofing walls. Fit. Further, the notch for electric wire insertion in each waterproof wall has a different notch direction for each waterproof wall, and the innermost edge of the notch of the deepest part of the notch and the vicinity of the notch of the electric wire inserted through the opening. With the configuration of abutting the outer circumference, the inner edge of one of the wire insertion cutouts abuts almost the entire circumference of the outer circumference of the wire inserted through the opening to connect the inside and outside of the connector housing to the circumference of the inserted wire. It prevents the formation of large gaps. Therefore, excellent waterproof performance can also be obtained. Further, at least the outermost waterproof wall is equipped with a locking means that engages with the connector housing side when the opening is closed and maintains the closed state,
In order to maintain the closed state, it is not necessary to perform fastening and fixing with tape or the like. Therefore, the assembling workability can be further improved. Further, since the notch for inserting the electric wire formed in the shield plate portion of the waterproof wall has a structure in which the notch width becomes narrower toward the deepest part side, the electric wire inserted into the opening by the work of closing each waterproof wall. Can be positioned and fixed at a predetermined position, and it is also possible to reinforce the fixing strength of the connector terminal and the electric wire in the connector housing and improve the strength performance of the waterproof connector as a whole.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an opened state of an opening of a waterproof connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a work of closing the opening of the waterproof connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a waterproof connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in a completely assembled state.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the waterproof connector of the embodiment of the present invention in a completely assembled state.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a conventional waterproof connector assembling process.

FIG. 7 is an assembly state diagram of a conventional waterproof connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 electric wire 3 connector terminal 13 waterproof connector 14 connector housing 15 opening 16 waterproof means 17 connector terminal holding portion 18 lance 22, 23 waterproof wall 25 notch for inserting electric wire 27, 28 shield plate portion 29, 30 hinge portion 31 locking means 33 Projecting piece 34 Locking projection 35 Engaging recess

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A connector housing having an opening for allowing a connector terminal to which an electric wire is connected to enter, and a connector terminal holding portion for housing and holding the connector terminal at the back side of the opening, A waterproof connector for preventing water from entering through an opening, the waterproof connector being used for connecting electrical wires to each other, wherein the waterproof means includes at least two waterproof walls provided in the connector housing. And each of the waterproof walls includes an electric wire insertion notch that allows insertion of the electric wire inserted into the opening, and a shield plate portion that closes the opening, and the shield plate portion with respect to the opening portion. A hinge part that is openably and closably coupled, and the waterproof plates are opened and closed in different directions in the waterproof walls, and when the opening is closed, the waterproof walls overlap with each other so that the cutouts for wire insertion are formed. While covering the gaps with each other, the inner edge of the electric wire insertion notch contacts the electric wire through substantially the entire circumference of the electric wire inserted through the opening to support the electric wire, and at least the outermost waterproof wall overlapped with the waterproof wall. A waterproof connector, characterized in that it is equipped with locking means for fixing the connector housing so that it is pressed against the housing. 2. The waterproofing means is integrally formed with the connector housing via a hinge portion arranged so that the pair of shield plates are opposed to each other along an opening edge of the opening. The waterproof connector according to claim 1. 3. The cutout for wire insertion has a cutout width gradually narrowed toward the deepest part thereof, and the innermost edge of the cutout for wire insertion and the vicinity thereof has an opening. The waterproof connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the waterproof connector is configured to be in pressure contact with an outer peripheral portion of the electric wire to be inserted. 4. The locking means for keeping the waterproof wall closed is provided with a projecting piece at a side end of the shield plate which is the outermost side, and an outer side of the connector housing formed on the projecting piece. The waterproof connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: an engaging recess that engages with a locking projection that is provided on a side surface. 5. A belt-shaped locking means for pressing the outermost waterproof wall in the closed state as the locking means for maintaining the outermost waterproof wall in a closed state. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the waterproof connector is provided in the connector housing.