JPH0992379A - Connector with electric wire cover - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To substantially perpendicularly bend and extract electric wires near the rear face of a housing and simply store the electric wires in a cover. SOLUTION: A main cover section 16 and an auxiliary cover section 17 are provided via flexible connection sections 19 bendable in optional directions respectively on the right and left faces on the rear end side of a housing 1. When the cover sections 16, 17 are closed in the butted state, a flat rectangular cover 15 is formed. Electric wires 3 extended from cavities 2 are linearly aligned in a line, both cover sections 16, 17 are closed while the connection sections 19 are bent, and the electric wires 3 are inserted from the side. After the cover 15 is assembled, the cover 15 is turned by 90 deg. while the connection sections 19 are bent in separate directions, and the cover 15 is locked in the turned state. The electric wires 3 are extracted while they are perpendicularly bent and aligned in a line.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector with an electric wire cover in which an electric wire can be bent and pulled out at a substantially right angle in the vicinity of a rear surface of a connector housing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a connector with an electric wire cover of this type, a connector described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-53155 is known. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a pair of covers c are provided to be openable and closable on the rear surface side of a connector housing b that accommodates terminal fittings fixed to the ends of the electric wires a and extend from the housing b. The electric wires a are covered by closing the covers c while locking the electric wires a.
The structure is such that it is pulled out from the housing b in a straight direction while being covered with.

[0003]

However, when such a connector is used, it may be desirable to bend the wire at a right angle in the vicinity of the rear surface of the housing and draw it out from the relationship of the fitting position of the connector or the space. However, the conventional one cannot cope with this. The present invention has been completed based on the above demands, and the electric wire can be bent and drawn out at a substantially right angle in the vicinity of the rear surface of the housing, and the work of accommodating the electric wire in the cover can be simplified. An object of the present invention is to provide a connector with an electric wire cover that can be performed.

[0004]

As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is a connector housing into which a terminal fitting fixed to an end of an electric wire is inserted, and a rear surface side of the connector housing. And a cover capable of accommodating the electric wire extended from the connector housing,
Supporting means for rotatably supporting the cover from an attitude along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting to an attitude along a direction substantially orthogonal to the insertion direction, and the cover with respect to the connector housing. The present invention is characterized in that it is configured to include a lock unit that locks in a rotational posture.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the cover is integrally formed with the connector housing via a flexible connecting portion that can be bent in an arbitrary direction. There is a feature in that. The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the cover is formed separately from the connector housing and is rotatably attached to a support member provided in the connector housing. Have. The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, the electric wires can be accommodated in a line in the cover.

[0006]

According to the present invention, the electric wire is inserted into the connector housing, and then the electric wire extended therefrom is inserted straight into the cover. At this time, the cover takes a posture along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting. Subsequently, the cover is rotated through the support means toward a posture along a direction substantially orthogonal to the inserting direction, and the lock means locks the posture in the rotation posture. With the rotation of the cover, the electric wire is bent at a substantially right angle near the rear surface of the housing,
It is pulled out in the bending direction. The electric wire can be bent and drawn out at a substantially right angle in the vicinity of the rear surface of the housing, and when the electric wire is housed in the cover, the electric wire can be housed in a straight state extending from the housing.
There is an effect that the work of accommodating the electric wires can be performed efficiently.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the cover is provided integrally with the connector housing while accommodating the electric wire while bending the flexible connecting portion, and further bending the flexible connecting portion in another direction to provide a predetermined distance. It is turned into a turning posture. Since the cover is provided integrally with the connector housing, only one manufacturing die is required, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In the third aspect of the invention, the cover is attached to the support member while inserting the electric wire extending from the connector housing or after inserting the electric wire, and is then rotated to a predetermined rotation posture. . Since the electric wire is inserted into the cover, which is separate from the connector housing, the degree of freedom in the direction of the cover and the like can be increased when the electric wire is inserted, and the electric wire can be accommodated more easily.

According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to bending the wire in a direction substantially orthogonal to the inserting direction of the terminal fitting, it is possible to pull out from the cover in a flat state in which the wires are aligned.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. <First Embodiment> FIGS. 1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention, and exemplify a waterproof connector with a female side electric wire cover. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a connector housing (hereinafter, simply referred to as a housing), which is integrally molded with a synthetic resin material, and a total of five cavities 2 are formed in two stages inside the connector housing. There is. A female terminal fitting 4 fixed to the end of the electric wire 3 is inserted into each cavity 2 from the rear surface side (upper surface side in FIG. 1), and as shown in FIG. 5, a lance 5 provided in each cavity 2 is inserted. It is housed in a state in which it does not come off by being locked with. A waterproof rubber plug 7 is fitted on the rear end side of the female terminal fitting 4, and is tightly fitted into the entrance of the cavity 2 to provide a seal.

As shown in FIG. 5, a front type retainer 9 is mounted on the front side of the housing 1 via a rubber ring 10, and a protrusion 11 provided on the retainer 9 is provided. , The deformation space 12 of the lance 5
When the lance 5 is inserted into the female terminal fitting 4, the bending deformation of the lance 5 is restricted, and the female terminal fitting 4 is double-locked. Further, on the upper surface (the right side surface in FIG. 5) of the housing 1, when it is fitted with a mating male connector housing (not shown),
A lock lever 13 for locking the fitting state is provided.

A cover 15 for accommodating the electric wire 3 drawn out from each cavity 2 is attached to the housing 1. The cover 15 is composed of a main cover portion 16 and an auxiliary cover portion 17, and is formed into a flat rectangular tube shape when assembled with each other (see FIG. 4). Main cover part 16
Is formed in a shape in which one side wall side of the square tube is cut off, and the auxiliary cover portion 17 is formed in a shape corresponding to the cut out portion of the square tube.

Each of the cover portions 16 and 17 is formed integrally with the housing 1 via a connecting portion 19 which extends from the rear surface side of the left and right side walls of the housing 1. The connecting portion 19 is formed in a flexible rod shape and can be bent in any direction. At the abutting edges of the front surface portion 21 and the back surface portion 22 of the main cover portion 16 and at both ends thereof, flexibly deformable coupling pieces 24 having locking grooves 25 are cut out. In addition, the engaging groove 2 is formed on the abutting edge of the auxiliary cover portion 17.
5 is formed correspondingly.

That is, the both cover portions 16 and 17 are butted against each other while the connecting piece 24 is flexibly deformed, and the projecting portion 26 is fitted into the locking groove 25 to be integrally joined to each other to form the flat rectangular tubular shape. The cover 15 is formed. In the cover 15, the five electric wires 3 extending from each cavity 2 can be accommodated in a line.

On the lower surface side (the left side in FIG. 3) of the rear end portion of the housing 1 which is the terminal insertion side, as shown in the same drawing and FIG. 2, a lock plate 28 is fixed in parallel with the lower surface of the housing 1. Housing 1 which is projected with a gap
A lock protrusion 29 is formed on the lower surface of the lock plate 28 at a position corresponding to the protruding end side of the lock plate 28. On the other hand, a lock piece 30 provided with a hook portion 31 at its tip is provided at a substantially central portion of the back surface portion 22 of the main cover portion 16 so as to project perpendicularly to the back surface portion 22.

The lock piece 30, which will be described later in detail, has a hook portion when the cover 15 is in a posture along the insertion direction of the female terminal fitting 4, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 and FIG. The housing 31 is oriented toward the rear end surface side of the housing 1 and is in a posture orthogonal to the above insertion direction. Then, as shown by the chain line in FIG. 3, when the cover 15 is rotated to a posture along the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the female terminal fitting 4, the hook portion 31 of the lock piece 30 elastically moves the lock plate 28. While being deformed, it is fitted between the lock protrusions 29 and locked by the lock protrusions 29 in a retaining state.

The first embodiment has the structure as described above, and the procedure of the assembling will be described subsequently. First, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the main cover portion 16 and the auxiliary cover portion 17 are opened on both left and right sides of the housing 1 with their abutting edges facing rearward (upward in the figure). The female terminal fitting 4 and the waterproof rubber plug 7 fixed to the end of the electric wire 3 are inserted into the cavity 2 from the rear surface side, and are housed in a state in which they do not come off. Continue to housing 1
The retainer 9 is attached to the front surface of the double lock.

Next, the electric wires 3 extending from the rear surface of the cavity 2 are arranged in a line, and the cover portions 16 and 17 are closed while bending the connecting portion 19 so that the abutting edges thereof are abutted to each other. The electric wires 3 lined up in 16 and 17 are inserted from the side. When both the cover parts 16 and 17 are completely closed, the projection 26 is fitted into the locking groove 25 of the coupling piece 24 as described above, so that the flat part as shown in the solid line of FIG. 3 and FIG. A rectangular tubular cover 15 is formed. At that time, the cover 15 takes a posture along the insertion direction of the female terminal fitting 4, and the electric wires 3 are arranged in a line and pulled straight in the same direction.

Finally, while bending both connecting portions 19 in different directions, the cover 15 is moved counterclockwise from the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 so as to approach the lower rear end surface of the housing 1. Rotate. When the cover 15 is rotated until it takes a posture along the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the female terminal fitting 4, as shown by the chain line in the figure, as described above, the hook portion 31 of the lock piece 30. Lock plate 28 and lock protrusion 29
The cover 15 is locked in the above-described rotational posture by entering the space and being locked by the lock projection 29.

As the cover 15 is rotated, each electric wire 3
Are aligned in a line and are gradually bent at the portion drawn out from the corresponding cavity 2, and when the cover 15 is locked in the chain line in FIG. 3 and the rotational posture shown in FIG.
The five electric wires 3 are bent in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the female terminal fitting 4, and are drawn out in a flat state in which they are aligned.

That is, according to the first embodiment, the electric wire 3
Can be bent at a right angle in the vicinity of the rear surface of the housing 1 and can be pulled out in a flat state in which they are aligned. Moreover, when the electric wire 3 is housed in the cover 15, the electric wire 3 can be housed in the straight state of being extended from the cavity 2, so that the housing work of the electric wire 3 can be performed smoothly. Further, since both cover parts 16 and 17 are formed integrally with the housing 1 through the connecting part 19, respectively, only one mold is required for manufacturing, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. .

<Second Embodiment> FIGS. 6 to 8 show a second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment also includes a main cover body 41 and an auxiliary cover body 42 that have substantially the same shape as the cover portions 16 and 17 of the above-described first embodiment.
Each of them is formed separately from the housing 1.

As a means for rotatably supporting both cover bodies 41, 42 with respect to the housing 1, a pair of support columns 43 are formed on the left and right side walls of the housing 1 so as to project toward the rear surface by a certain size. A shaft 44 is provided so as to project from the outer surface of the projecting end of each of the support columns 43. On the other hand, a connecting plate 45 is projectingly provided on the side wall of the cover body 41, 42 opposite to the butting side, and a shaft hole 46 rotatably fitted to the shaft 44 is opened at each projecting end. ing. The other structures are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted.

The assembling procedure of the second embodiment is as follows. After inserting the terminal fittings 4 into the cavities 2, the electric wires 3 extending from the rear surface of the cavities 2 are aligned in a straight line. Then, the both cover bodies 41, 42,
As shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, the electric wires 3 arranged in a line are closed so as to abut against each other from both sides, and the electric wire 3 is inserted thereinto, and the cover 40 having a flat rectangular tube shape is assembled. At the same time, the shafts 46 of the support pillars 43 corresponding to the shaft holes 46 of the connecting plates 45 provided in the cover bodies 41 and 42, respectively.
To fit.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 7, the cover 40 takes a posture along the inserting direction of the female terminal fitting 4 and is supported rotatably about the shaft 44. And
From this state, the cover 40 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 7 so as to approach the lower end rear end surface of the housing 1. The cover 40, as shown in FIG.
When it is rotated until it takes a posture along a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction, the five electric wires 3 are orthogonal to the insertion direction of the female terminal metal fitting 4, respectively. It is bent in the same direction and is pulled out in a flat state.

In this embodiment, since the cover bodies 41 and 42 are formed separately from the housing 1, the degree of freedom in the direction in which the electric wire 3 is inserted can be increased and the electric wire 3 can be accommodated more smoothly. To be done.

<Third Embodiment> In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the cover members 41 and 4 in the second embodiment described above are used.
A fitting groove 48 communicating with the shaft hole 46 is cut at the leading edge of the connecting plate 45 provided in FIG. That is, the shaft 44 provided on the support column 43 of the housing 1 can be fitted into the shaft hole 46 from the radial direction through the fitting groove 48.

In the assembling procedure of the third embodiment, when the electric wires 3 extending from the rear surface of each cavity 2 are aligned in a straight line, both cover bodies 41, 42 are placed at arbitrary positions in the longitudinal direction. The electric wire 3 is accommodated in it by closing it so that it abuts. After that, the assembled cover 40a is moved closer to the rear end surface side of the housing 1 along the length direction of the electric wire 3, and the mating shaft 44 is fitted into the shaft hole 46 through the fitting groove 48.

As a result, the cover 40a is rotatably supported about the shaft 44 in a posture along the inserting direction of the female terminal fitting 4, so that the cover 40a is similar to the second embodiment.
When the cover 40a is rotated 90 degrees so as to approach the rear end surface of the lower side of the housing 1 and locked in the rotating posture, the five electric wires 3 are respectively arranged in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the female terminal fitting 4. It is bent in a straight line and pulled out in a flat state. According to the third embodiment, the work of housing the electric wire 3 in the cover 40a is further simplified.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the case where the cover as in the second or third embodiment is formed separately from the housing, it is also possible to have a split shape so that the arranged electric wires can be sandwiched from both front and back sides and accommodated. is there.

(2) The present invention is not limited to the case where the electric wires are drawn out in a line as in the above-described embodiment, but the present invention can be similarly applied to a type in which the electric wires are bent in a substantially right angle and pulled out in a multistage manner. . (3) Further, the invention is not limited to the female-side waterproof connector exemplified in the above embodiment, but can be widely applied to a male-side connector and a non-waterproof type connector.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an open state of a cover according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway enlarged perspective view showing the structure of the lower surface side of the housing.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view showing the pivoting operation of the closed cover.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view with a cover closed.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a state where the cover is rotated and locked.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the cover is closed.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state where the cover is locked in a rotation posture.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a conventional cover in an open state.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the cover in a closed state.

[Explanation of Codes] 1 ... Connector housing 2 ... Cavity 3 ... Electric wire 4 ... Female terminal fitting 15 ... Cover 16 ... Main cover part 17 ... Auxiliary cover part 19 ... Connection part 28 ... Lock plate 29 ... Lock protrusion 30 ... Lock piece 31 ... Hook part 40, 40a ... Cover 41 ... Main cover body 42 ... Auxiliary cover body 43 ... Support pillar 44 ... Shaft 45 ... Connecting plate 46 ... Shaft hole 48 ... Fitting groove

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A connector housing in which a terminal fitting fixed to an end of an electric wire is inserted, a cover arranged on the rear surface side of the connector housing and capable of accommodating an electric wire extending from the connector housing, and a cover thereof. Supporting means for rotatably supporting the cover from an attitude along the insertion direction of the terminal metal fitting to an attitude along a direction substantially orthogonal to the insertion direction, and the cover with respect to the connector housing. A connector with an electric wire cover, comprising: locking means for locking the posture. 2. The wire cover according to claim 1, wherein the cover is integrally formed with the connector housing via a flexible connecting portion that can be bent in an arbitrary direction. connector. 3. The connector with an electric wire cover according to claim 1, wherein the cover is formed separately from the connector housing and is rotatably attached to a support member provided in the connector housing. 4. The electric wires can be accommodated in a line in the cover.
A connector with an electric wire cover according to claim 2 or 3.