JP2005228603A - Connection cap - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide a connection cap capable of improving the wraparound of a sealing material to ensure a stable waterproof property, increasing the rigidity of a flexible locking arm and improving the injection workability of the sealing material. provide.
A rear wall 19 is provided at the front end side of a body portion 12, an opening 13a is provided at a rear end side of the body portion 12, and a joint portion 27 of a joint electric wire 24 is inserted through the opening 13a. In the connecting cap 10 that holds the joint portion 27, a flexible locking arm 15 for temporarily fixing the joint portion 27 is integrally provided on the inner surface 12 a of the body portion 12, and a seal smaller than the rear end side opening 13 a is provided on the rear wall 19. A hole 19a for material injection is provided. A flexible locking arm 15 is extended in the direction opposite to the insertion of the electric wire, and a tapered surface 17a for inserting and guiding the joint portion 27 at the distal end portion of the flexible locking arm 15 and a locking for locking the joint portion 27. A surface 17b is provided.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention is applied to a joint electric wire in which core portions of a plurality of electric wires are connected to each other, and relates to a connection cap for covering and holding the core portions inserted from the same end, and for insulation and waterproof protection. Is.

  5 and 6 show a conventional example of this type of connection cap (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  The connection cap 50 (Patent Document 1) shown in FIG. 5 is simple without the need for the troublesome work of spreading the joint wires 59 one by one and squeezing and filling the resin or soaking the protruding resin. It is connected with the core wire part 59a of the joint electric wire 59 by work. An insulating sealing material that penetrates between the core wire portion 59a and the cap main body 51 and between the covering portion 59b and the cap main body 51 is injected into the cap main body 51 into which the core wire portion 59a is inserted.

  The joint electric wire 59 is an electric wire in which the covering portions 59b of a plurality of covered electric wires are peeled off and the exposed core wire portion 59a is jointed by various methods such as crimping and welding. The cap body 51 is made of an insulating synthetic resin material such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, or polypropylene, has a back wall 52 that is closed on the front end side, and an opening 53 for inserting the core wire portion 59a on the rear end side. have.

  At the opening end of the cap body 51, a contact plate 55 for fixing an electric wire is formed so as to protrude on the opposite side to the insertion direction of the joint electric wire 59. The contact plate 55 is for preventing the connection cap 50 from coming out, and the connection cap 50 is fixed by winding a tape 57 around the contact plate 55 together with the joint electric wire 59.

  The sealing layer 56 is formed by curing a sealing material such as an insulating and waterproof epoxy resin, polyurethane resin or the like. As the sealing material, one having a viscosity of 100 to 5000 centipoise (0.1 to 5 Pa · s) is used so as to penetrate between the core wire portion 59a and the cap body 51 and between the covering portion 59a.

  When connecting the joint wire 59 and the connection cap 50, the joint wire 59 is inserted after injecting a sealing material into the connection cap 50. If it does so, a sealing material will osmose | permeate by capillarity between the core wire part 59a and the cap main body 51, between the coating | coated parts 59b, and between the strands of the core wire part 59a. And the sealing material hardens | cures by hold | maintaining the connection cap 50 at the temperature of 20-60 degreeC for 2 to 30 minutes, and the joint electric wire 59 and the connection cap 50 are connected.

  The connection cap (Patent Document 2) shown in FIG. 6 can lock the joint portion 67a with a small number of parts, can easily connect the joint electric wire 67, and can be molded at low cost. It is.

The connection cap 60 is made of a synthetic resin material and has a stepped cylindrical shape. The connection cap 60 has a small-diameter portion 61 having a back wall 61a closed on the front end side, and continues to the small-diameter portion 61 via a tapered portion 63. It is integrally formed from a large diameter portion 64 having an opening 64a into which the joint portion 67a is inserted on the end side. An accommodation space 62 for accommodating the joint portion 67 a is formed inside the small diameter portion 61. At the end of the opening 64a of the large-diameter portion 64, a locking blade 65 is provided integrally with the hinge portion 65a so as to be connected rearward and folded back to the inside of the large-diameter portion 64 to prevent the joint portion 67a from coming off. ing.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-243539 (page 3-4, FIG. 1) JP-A-8-22847 (page 2-3, FIG. 1)

  However, the conventional connection caps 50 and 60 have the following problems to be solved.

  In the first conventional example, the core wire portion 59a inserted into the connection cap 50 is not positioned in the radial direction (the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction), so the core wire portion 59a is bent and the like from the center of the cap body 51. There was a shift. When the sealing material hardens in a state where the core wire portion 59a is largely biased, for example, in contact with the cap inner wall, the sealing material cannot completely go around between the core wire portion 59a and the cap inner wall or between the strands of the core wire portion 59a. There was a problem that sufficient waterproofness of the core wire portion 59a could not be ensured. Moreover, since the cross-sectional shape of the core wire portion 59a jointed by press bonding, resistance welding, ultrasonic welding, or the like is distorted, gaps between the strands of the core wire portion 59a become uneven, and a capillary phenomenon occurs. There was also a problem in that the penetration and wraparound of the sealing material caused by the variation also caused a problem that stable waterproofness could not be secured.

  Furthermore, although the connection cap 50 is fixed by winding the tape 57 around the backing plate 55 to prevent the connection cap 50 from being pulled out, if a tensile force is applied to the joint wire 59 before the tape 57 is wound, The core wire portion 59a may come out of the connection cap 50. Even after the tape 57 is wound, there is a concern that the adhesive force is reduced and the tape 57 is peeled off due to the deterioration of the tape 57, and the joint wire 59 is inadvertently pulled and the core wire portion 59a comes out.

  In the second conventional example, the long locking blade 65 in the unfolded state integrally formed with the connection cap 60 is folded back inward with the thin hinge portion 65a as a fulcrum, so the hinge portion 65a is weakly damaged. There is a problem that it is easy, and there is a problem that the opening 64a of the large-diameter portion 64 has to be formed large in order to return the long locking blade 65. In order to strengthen the hinge portion 65a, the thickness of the hinge portion 65a may be increased. However, if this is done, there is another problem that the locking blade 65 is difficult to be folded back and the connection workability of the joint wire 67 is deteriorated. . If the locking blade 65 is shortened in order to reduce the opening 64a of the large diameter portion 64, the joint portion 67a cannot be positioned on the back side of the connection cap 60, and the insulation and waterproofness of the joint portion 67a are impaired. There was a problem.

  Further, since the sealing material for enhancing the waterproofness is injected from the opening 64a on the rear end side of the connection cap 60, when the viscosity of the sealing material is high and the fluidity is poor, the sealing material does not flow into the front end side. In addition, there is a problem that air bubbles are generated and the joint portion 67a cannot be completely covered.

  In view of the above points, the present invention can improve the wraparound of the sealing material and ensure the stable waterproofness of the joint wire, and increase the rigidity of the flexible locking arm to ensure the locking of the joint portion. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connection cap that can be carried out in an improved manner and can improve the workability of injection of the sealing material.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 has a back wall on the front end side of the body portion, an opening on the rear end side of the body portion, and a joint portion of the joint wire is inserted through the opening. In the connection cap for holding the joint portion, a flexible locking arm for temporarily fixing the joint portion is integrally provided on the inner surface of the trunk portion, and a hole for injecting a sealing material is provided in the back wall. It is provided.

  According to the above configuration, when the joint portion is inserted from the opening on the rear end side of the trunk portion, the flexible locking arm is elastically deformed outwardly, thereby allowing the joint portion to be inserted. The joint portion is held at the tip of the flexible locking arm and temporarily fixed at the center of the connection cap. Since the flexible locking arm has flexibility, the application range of the joint wire to be held can be expanded, and the types of connection caps can be reduced. Further, since the flexible locking arm is provided on the inner surface of the trunk portion, the length of the flexible locking arm can be shortened and the base side can be increased, and the rigidity of the flexible locking arm can be increased. it can. Since the back wall is provided with a hole for injecting the sealing material, options for the injection direction of the sealing material are increased. When the hole is small, the injected sealing material is prevented from leaking out of the hole even if the hole is not blocked with a lid or a sealing plug.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the connection cap according to the first aspect, the flexible locking arm extends in a direction opposite to the insertion of the electric wire.

  According to the above configuration, since the molding die can be extracted from the opening on the rear end side of the body portion, it is not necessary to form a large opening for die cutting on the front end side of the body portion.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the connection cap according to the second aspect, a pick-up portion that inserts and guides the joint portion at a distal end portion of the flexible locking arm, and a latch that latches the joint portion. Part.

  According to the above configuration, the joint portion is smoothly inserted into the back without being caught by the flexible locking arm, and the joint portion is locked by the locking portion, thereby preventing the connection cap from coming off.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the joint portion is temporarily fixed at the center of the connection cap by the flexible locking arm. Since the flexible locking arm is provided on the inner surface of the trunk portion, the length of the flexible locking arm can be shortened and the base side can be increased, and the rigidity of the flexible locking arm can be increased. Since the back wall is provided with a hole for injecting the sealing material, options for the injection direction of the sealing material are increased. Therefore, the sealing material can easily go around the joint portion inside the connection cap, and the joint portion can be reliably waterproofed. In addition, damage such as deformation and breakage of the flexible locking arm can be prevented. It is also possible to improve the injection workability of the sealing material.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, since the molding die can be extracted from the opening on the rear end side of the body portion, it is not necessary to form a large opening for die cutting on the front end side of the body portion. . Therefore, the hole for injecting the sealing material can be formed small, and leakage of the sealing material from the hole can be surely prevented. Further, the structure of the connection cap is not complicated, and the moldability can be improved.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the joint portion is smoothly inserted into the back side without being caught by the flexible locking arm, and the joint portion is locked by the locking portion so that it can be removed from the connection cap. It is prevented. Therefore, the insertability of the joint portion is improved and the joint portion can be securely fixed securely.

  Specific examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of a connection cap according to the present invention.

  The connection cap 10 is a connection component that insulates and waterproofs the joint portion 27 between the electric wires 25 branched from, for example, an automobile engine room or a wire harness arranged in the vehicle interior. The electric wire 25 to be connected is an electric wire having one end connected to a plurality of actuators such as a motor or a solenoid, an electric wire connected to an electronic component housed in an electric connection box, and the like, and a joint portion 27 is formed. Thus, collective grounding of the plurality of electric wires 25 is performed.

  As for each electric wire 25 connected, the coating | coated part 25a is peeled in the electric wire 25 edge part, and the core part 25b is exposed to desired length (FIG. 3). Since the exposed length of the core wire portion 25b is formed to be slightly shorter than the depth of the connection cap 10, the covering portion 25a of the electric wire 25 is also held. The core wire portions 25b of the respective electric wires 25 are aligned in the same direction, appropriately twisted so as not to scatter the strands, and are crimped by the conductive sleeve 21 (FIG. 3).

  The joint portion 27 of the electric wire 25 includes a core wire portion 25 b and the conductive sleeve 21. The conductive sleeve 21 is formed in a pipe shape using a conductive metal material such as copper or aluminum as a constituent material. The joint portion 27 is formed by uniformly compressing the outer periphery of the conductive sleeve 21 using a rotary aging device (not shown) with the core wire portion 25b inserted inside. According to the swaging process, a perfect circular shape with small variations in the outer diameter dimension can be obtained, and the contact resistance of the core wire portion 25b can be reduced and the contact reliability can be improved.

  The rotary aging device is movably held in a state where a die and a backer are in contact with each other in a spindle, and is normally used. Although a detailed description of the swaging method is omitted, the conductive sleeve 21 through which the core wire portion 25b is inserted as a processing material is disposed at the center of rotation of the spindle so as to be sandwiched between the inner surfaces of the die, and is turned inward by the rotation of the spindle. The outer dies of the conductive sleeve 21 are hit uniformly by the dies that are positioned being periodically pushed inward by a backer that is positioned outside.

  The connection cap 10 of the present embodiment can improve the wraparound of the sealing material 20 and ensure stable waterproofness, can increase the rigidity of the flexible locking arm 15, and the injection work of the sealing material 20 It has a back wall 19 on the front end side of the body part 12, an opening 13a on the rear end side of the body part 12, and the core wire part 25b extends from the opening 13a to the conductive sleeve. 21 is inserted into the joint portion 27 of the joint electric wire 24, and the connection cap 10 that holds the joint portion 27 is a flexible lock for temporarily fixing the joint portion 27 to the inner surface 12a of the body portion 12. The arm 15 is integrally provided, and the back wall 19 is provided with a hole 19a for injecting a sealing material smaller than the opening 13a on the rear end side. In A taper surface (pickup portion) 17 a for inserting and guiding the joint portion 27 and a locking surface (locking portion) 17 b for locking the joint portion 27 are provided at the distal end portion of the flexible locking arm 15. It is what makes it effective.

  Below, the main structural part of the connection cap 10 of this embodiment and its effect | action are demonstrated in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connection cap 10 is made of an insulative synthetic resin material such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyamide resin as a constituent material and is molded by an injection molding method. A back wall 19 having a small hole portion 19a for injecting a sealing material is formed on the front end side of the barrel portion 12 which is a cylindrical wall, and a joint portion 27 of the joint electric wire 24 is inserted on the rear end side of the barrel portion 12. Opening 13a is formed. In addition, the front-back direction in this specification shall refer to the axial direction of the connection cap 10 for convenience of explanation, the front side is defined as the side where the back wall 19 is positioned, and the rear side is defined as the side where the opening 13a is positioned. It will be determined.

  The end portions of the joint portion 27 and the covering portion 25a in the electric wire housing space 13 are immersed in the sealing material 20 (FIG. 3), the sealing material 20 wraps around the joint portion 27, and the core wire portion 25b and the trunk portion 12 are inserted. In between the sheath portion 25a and between the strands of the core wire portion 25b, it penetrates by capillarity and is completely waterproofed from the outside. A foamed urethane resin having a viscosity of about 1 Pa · s is used for the sealing material 20, but an epoxy resin, a hot melt resin, a silicon resin, or the like can be used as long as it has excellent insulation and waterproofness. .

  Four flexible locking arms 15,..., 15 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner surface 12a of the body portion 12 near the back wall 19 (FIG. 1 shows three flexible locking arms). Arms are shown). Between the flexible locking arm 15 and the body portion 12, a bending space 14 that allows bending of the flexible locking arm 15 is formed. The flexible locking arm 15 is composed of a wide base portion 16 and a narrow free end portion 17 that gradually narrows following the base portion 16 (FIGS. 2 and 3). It extends toward. Thus, since the flexible locking arm 15 is formed in a tapered shape that is thick on the base 16 side and thin on the free end side 17, the base 16 side has high bending rigidity and is difficult to break, and the free end 17. The side has low rigidity and is easily bent, so that the insertion of the joint part 27 is improved and the joint part 27 is prevented from coming off, so that temporary fixing is surely performed.

  Since the base portion 16 of the flexible locking arm 15 is continuous with the inner surface 12a of the body portion 12 near the back wall 19, the molding die for forming the locking surface 17b of the flexible locking arm 15 is made smaller. As a result, the hole 19a that also serves as a punching hole of the molding die can be formed small. The free end portion 17 of the flexible locking arm 15 has flexibility, and when the joint portion 27 is inserted, it bends outward with the base portion 16 as a fulcrum, and the joint portion 27 is completely inserted to the back. As a result, the joint portion 27 is temporarily fixed.

  An inward protruding portion is formed on the distal end side of the free end portion 17, and a tapered surface 17a for inserting and guiding the joint portion 27 and an engaging surface 17b following the tapered surface 17a are formed on the protruding portion. Has been. Since the tapered surface 17a is a surface that gradually inwards in the insertion direction of the joint portion 27, the joint portion 27 is picked up by the tapered surface 17a, and the joint portion 27 is located between the four flexible locking arms 15. It is designed to be inserted smoothly. The locking surface 17b is a vertical locking surface formed in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the joint portion 27. The rear end surface of the conductive sleeve 21 abuts on the locking surface 17b, whereby the joint portion 27 is engaged. The joint portion 27 is prevented from coming off.

  When the joint portion 27 is temporarily fixed by the flexible locking arm 15, the joint portion 27 is positioned at the center of the connection cap 10, and the joint portion 27 is prevented from contacting the inner surface 12 a of the trunk portion 12. The As a result, the sealing material 20 can uniformly wrap around the joint portion 27, and seals between the core wire portion 25b and the body portion 12, between the covering portion 25a, and between the strands of the core wire portion 25b. The material 20 penetrates and the joint portion 27 is surely waterproofed.

  There is a gap 18 between the adjacent flexible locking arms 15, and the sealing material 20 flows through the gap 18 from one side of the flexible locking arm 15 to the other through the gap 12. Yes. Thereby, the sealing material 20 is filled in the trunk portion 12, and the end portion of the joint electric wire 24, that is, between the core wire portion 25b and the trunk portion 12, between the covering portion 25a, and between the strands of the core wire portion 25b is completely completed. It is designed to be waterproof. In the present embodiment, four flexible locking arms 15 are provided, but the number of flexible locking arms 15 is determined in consideration of the flow of the sealing material 20.

  The back wall 19 is formed with four small sealing material injection holes 19a at positions corresponding to the locking surface 17b of the flexible locking arm 15 (FIG. 4). Since the hole 19a also serves as a punching hole for a molding die for forming the locking surface 17b on the flexible locking arm 15, the smaller the molding die, the smaller the hole 19a can be formed. It can be done. By forming the hole 19a small, the sealing material 20 is prevented from leaking out of the hole 19a even if the hole 19a is not blocked by a lid or a sealing plug.

  Next, a method for connecting the connection cap 10 and the joint wire 24 will be described. As the joint electric wire 24, as described above, the core wire portion 25b is crimped by the conductive sleeve 21 is used. When the joint portion 27 is inserted from the opening 13 a on the rear end side of the connection cap 10, the joint portion 27 is temporarily fixed at the center by the flexible locking arm 15. And the sealing material 20 is inject | poured into the connection cap 10, inserting a thin nozzle in the hole 19a and applying a pressure. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the tip end side of the connection cap is directed downward, but when actually injecting the sealing material 20, it is injected with the tip end side facing upward. The sealing material 20 is a two-component resin mixed with a curing accelerator, and curing starts in the course of injection, so there is no risk of leakage from the lower opening 13a.

  When the connection cap 10 is fully filled with the sealing material 20, the connection cap 10 is turned upside down so that the tip side is on the lower side. Then, the uncured sealing material 20 goes around to the back wall 19 side, and the front end side of the joint portion 27 is also waterproofed by the sealing material 20.

  The method of injecting the sealing material 20 from the hole 19a of the connection cap 10 is effective when the sealing material 20 has a high viscosity and poor fluidity, and the sealing material 20 can be reliably wound around the joint portion 27. In addition, the generation of bubbles can be prevented, and the waterproofness of the joint portion 27 can be reliably improved.

  The present invention is not limited to injecting the sealing material 20 from the hole 19a of the connection cap 10. When the sealing material 20 has a low viscosity and good fluidity, the sealing material 20 is sealed from the opening 13a on the rear end side. The material 20 can also be injected. Thereby, it becomes possible to inject the sealing material 20 from an arbitrary direction according to the fluidity of the sealing material 20 and the work form of the wire harness process, and the choice of the injection direction of the sealing material 20 is increased. The injection workability is improved.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the joint portion 27 is temporarily fixed at the center of the connection cap 10 by the flexible locking arm 15, the sealing material 20 is provided around the joint portion 27 inside the connection cap 10. The joint portion 27 can be reliably waterproofed. Since the flexible locking arm 15 is provided on the inner surface 12a of the trunk portion 12, the length of the flexible locking arm 15 can be shortened and the base side can be increased, and the rigidity of the flexible locking arm 15 can be increased. Can be increased. Since the back wall 19 is provided with the hole 19a for injecting the sealing material, the options of the injection direction of the sealing material 20 are widened, and the injection workability of the sealing material 20 can be improved.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the main point of this invention, it can deform | transform and implement variously.

It is a perspective sectional view showing one embodiment of a connection cap concerning the present invention. It is the figure which expanded the flexible latching arm of the connection cap shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state by which the joint part was similarly inserted in the connection cap. It is a bottom view of a connection cap similarly. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the conventional connection cap. It is sectional drawing which shows another example of the conventional connection cap.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Connection cap 12 Trunk part 12a Inner surface 13a Opening 15 Flexible locking arm 17a Tapered surface (pickup part)
17b Locking surface (locking part)
19 Back wall 19a Hole 24 Joint electric wire 27 Joint part

Claims (3)

In the connection cap that has a back wall on the front end side of the body part, has an opening on the rear end side of the body part, inserts the joint part of the joint electric wire from the opening, and holds the joint part,
A connection cap, wherein a flexible locking arm for temporarily fixing the joint portion is integrally provided on an inner surface of the body portion, and a hole for injecting a sealing material is provided on the back wall.   The connection cap according to claim 1, wherein the flexible locking arm is extended in a direction opposite to the electric wire insertion.   The connection according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a pick-up portion for inserting and guiding the joint portion and a locking portion for locking the joint portion are provided at a distal end portion of the flexible locking arm. cap.

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