JP2009170233A - Dummy plug for watertight connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To regulate fall-off of a dummy plug used for choking up an empty cavity of a watertight connector. <P>SOLUTION: The dummy plug 60 for a watertight connector used for inserting it into an open cavity 38 where a terminal fitting is not housed to choke the cavity in a female housing 30 is provided with a dummy plug main body 62, and lips 64 fitted at an outer periphery face 62B of the dummy plug main body 62, shaped like a ring, and inhibiting fall-off of the dummy plug 60 by getting in elastic contact with a whole inner periphery face 38A of the cavity. Moreover, it is so structured that ring-shaped end-part lips 66 are provided at an outer periphery of the front side in an insertion direction of the dummy plug main body 62 to be in contact with the whole inner periphery face 38A of the cavity without any gap to partition the inside of the cavity 38 into a front and a back spaces of a housing space of the dummy plug 60 and a space SA in the cavity in front of the housing space, and further, a dummy plug main body end face 62C is bored inside the dummy plug main body 62 to form an action part 68, through a wall face 68A of which 68, an inner pressure of the inner-cavity space SA is made to act on the dummy plug main body 62 toward outside in a radial direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement of a dummy plug used for closing an empty cavity in a waterproof connector.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the connector 1, which is called a so-called private compartment waterproof type, has a waterproof rubber plug on the rear end side of the terminal fitting 7, in addition to mounting a seal ring 5 on a fitting portion with the counterpart connector 3. 9 is attached, and the waterproof rubber plug 9 closes the entrance 44 of each cavity 11. In this case, since the terminal metal fitting 7 is not inserted and the empty cavity 11 cannot be sealed, the dummy plug 13 is fitted in place of the waterproof rubber plug 9.

Conventionally, as this type of dummy plug 13, as shown in FIG. 8, three lips 17 having a semicircular cross section and elastically deformable are provided on the outer peripheral surface of a solid cylindrical dummy plug body 15. What was formed at intervals in the axial direction was used. When the lip 17 is in contact with the cavity 11 while being crushed, it has frictional resistance and has a holding force to prevent the dummy plug 13 from coming off. An example of this is described in Patent Document 1 below.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-330763

  By the way, in the waterproof connector as described above, when the male and female connectors 1 and 3 are fitted, the inside of each cavity 11 is sealed. In this case, in a place where the temperature of the room becomes high, such as in the engine room where the waterproof connector is installed, the atmospheric pressure (hereinafter referred to as internal pressure) in each cavity 11 increases as the temperature of the installation place increases, and the dummy plug A force in the pulling direction (direction of pushing out of the cavity) is applied to 13.

  In particular, in the conventional case, the space for accommodating the dummy plug 13 and the space ahead thereof are not partitioned in the cavity, and there is a gap between the outer peripheral portion 19 of the dummy plug 13 and the inner peripheral surface 11A of the cavity. There is SC.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the fluctuation of the internal pressure in the front space also acts in the gap SC, and when the internal pressure increases, a force F1 from the outer peripheral portion 19 toward the shaft center is applied to the dummy plug body. Then, the frictional force with respect to the cavity inner peripheral surface 11A of the dummy plug (lip 17) is reduced, and in some cases, the dummy plug 13 is pushed out of the cavity 11.
The present invention has been completed on the basis of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to regulate the dropping of the dummy plug.

  The present invention provides a dummy plug that is inserted into an empty cavity in which a terminal fitting is not accommodated in a waterproof connector and is used to close the cavity. The dummy plug is provided on the outer periphery of the dummy plug main body and the dummy plug main body and has an annular shape. A lip that prevents the dummy plug from coming off by elastic contact with the entire inner peripheral surface of the cavity, and the outer periphery of the cavity in the insertion direction front side of the dummy plug body. An annular partition portion that is in contact with the entire inner peripheral surface without gaps is provided, and in the cavity, the space for storing the dummy plug and the front space on the front side thereof are partitioned back and forth, and further inside the dummy plug body A front end surface on the front side of the insertion direction is recessed to form an action part, and the internal pressure of the front space is applied to the dummy plug body through the wall surface of the action part. Characterized in that it has a structure that applies radially outward.

The following configuration is preferable as an embodiment of the present invention.
-The said partition part combines the function of the said lip by elastically contacting over the inner peripheral surface whole periphery of the said cavity. By doing so, the number of lips can be increased and the frictional force against the inner peripheral surface of the cavity is increased, so that the holding force of the dummy plug is further increased.

  -Let the front wall of the said partition part be an orthogonal surface orthogonal to the said insertion direction. In this way, the force toward the shaft center (due to fluctuations in the front space internal pressure) is not received by the end of the partition portion, so that the frictional force against the inner peripheral surface of the cavity of the dummy plug is maintained.

  -The partition part and the action part are respectively provided at both ends of the dummy plug insertion direction. In this way, the effect of the partition part and the action part can be obtained no matter which side the dummy plug is inserted into the cavity, so there is no need to check the direction of the dummy plug Good assembly workability.

  A plurality of the action portions are arranged on the front end surface on the front side in the insertion direction in the dummy plug main body while being separated from each other. In this way, the rigidity of the dummy plug main body and thus the holding force can be increased.

  The front end surface of the dummy plug body on the front side in the dummy plug insertion direction is an inclined surface cut by a single surface inclined with respect to the dummy plug insertion direction. If it does in this way, since the tip of the dummy plug has an acute angle, it can be easily inserted into the cavity.

  According to the present invention, the partition portion is provided on the front side of the dummy plug body in the insertion direction so that the storage space for storing the dummy plug and the space on the front side thereof are divided forward and backward. It is possible to avoid affecting the dummy plug through a gap between the outer peripheral portion of the main body and the inner wall of the cavity.

  Furthermore, an action part is provided on the front end surface on the front side in the insertion direction in the dummy plug body so that the internal pressure of the front space acts radially outward with respect to the dummy plug. The force acting on the outside in the radial direction acts in a superimposed manner on the elastic force of the dummy plug body, and the dummy plug is pressed against the inner peripheral wall of the cavity with a stronger force via the lip.

  Since the frictional force between the dummy plug (more specifically, the lip) and the inner wall of the cavity is proportional to the pressing force, the holding force of the dummy plug is naturally high. From the above, even if the internal pressure of the front space increases, a holding force of a certain value or more can be secured, and the dummy plug inserted into the empty cavity can be prevented from falling off.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The waterproof connector U is mainly composed of a female waterproof connector housing (hereinafter referred to as a female housing 30) and a male waterproof connector housing (hereinafter referred to as a male housing 50).

  The female housing 30 has a double cylindrical shape in which an inner cylindrical portion 32 and an outer cylindrical portion 34 surrounding the outer periphery thereof are connected by a rear wall portion 36. A plurality of cavities 38 are formed in the inner cylinder portion 32 so as to penetrate the inner cylinder portion 32 forward and backward. A terminal fitting (not shown) is inserted into each cavity 38 from an entrance 44 corresponding to the right hand side in FIG.

  On the other hand, each cavity 38 is provided with a bendable lance 38B. The lance 38B is engaged with the terminal fitting inserted into the cavity 38 to prevent it from coming off. In such a locked state, waterproof rubber (not shown) is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 38A of the cavity without any gap, and the inlet 44 of the cavity 38 is sealed (sealed).

  Further, an annular waterproof seal 40 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder portion 32 at a position near the base end. The waterproof seal 40 is disposed at the front portion of the inner cylinder portion 32, and the front end thereof is pressed against the inner retainer portion 32 by the front retainer 42 that doubles the terminal fitting together with the lance 38B. Has been.

  A lock arm 48 is provided on the outer cylindrical portion 34 of the female housing 30. The lock arm 48 extends forward from the support portion 46 on the upper surface of the rear wall portion 36, and can be elastically displaced as a whole with the support portion 46 as a fulcrum.

  The male housing 50 is obtained by connecting a hood portion 54 and a handle portion 56 back and forth. The hood portion 54 has a bottomed cylindrical shape that can receive the inner cylindrical portion 32 of the female housing 30 from the front. The upper surface wall 54 </ b> A of the hood portion 54 is provided with a latch receiving portion 52 that is a counterpart of the latch portion 49 provided at the tip of the lock arm 48.

  From the above, when the male housing 50 is fitted into the female housing 30 while the hood portion 54 is inserted into the space between the inner cylindrical portion 32 and the outer cylindrical portion 34 of the female housing 30, The engaging portion 49 is engaged with the engaging receiving portion 52 so that the fitted state of the housings 30 and 50 is maintained (see FIG. 1).

  In such a fitting state, the waterproof seal 40 is in close contact with both opposing surfaces in a state where the waterproof seal 40 is constricted between the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 32 and the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 54, so that both housings 30, It is the structure which seals between 50.

  The plurality of cavities 38 provided in the female housing 30 include those in which terminal fittings are accommodated and those that are not accommodated and are vacant. The empty cavities 38 are made of waterproof rubber provided in the terminal fittings. Instead, a dummy plug 60 described below is assembled in advance, and the entrance 44 of the empty cavity 38 is closed and sealed.

  The dummy plug 60 is made of a rubber material (elastic material) such as silicone, and as shown in FIG. 1, it is mainly composed of a cylindrical dummy plug body 62 and lips 64 and 66 provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof. Yes. The dummy plug main body 62 has an outer diameter dimension A1 smaller than the inner diameter dimension A2 of the cavity 38, and the dummy plug main body 62 itself has a gap with the inner peripheral surface 38A of the cavity 38 when assembled. It is the composition to do.

  The lips 64 and 66 have a semicircular cross section and are formed over the entire circumference of the dummy plug main body 62, and have an annular shape as a whole. The protruding height of the lips 64 and 66 with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the dummy plug main body 62 is such a height that the zenith portion of the lips 64 and 66 interferes with the inner peripheral surface 38A of the cavity 38 (in other words, outside the portion). The diameter dimension A3 is larger than the inner diameter dimension A2 of the cavity 38).

  From the above, when the dummy plug 60 is assembled to the cavity 38, the entire dummy plug 60 is deformed in the direction of the diameter reduction, and the repulsive force causes the zenith portions of the lips 64, 66 to the inner peripheral surface 38A of the cavity. Elastically hit across. Thus, the empty cavity 38 is in a state in which the entrance 44 is closed and airtightness (seal) is maintained.

  In the present embodiment, the above-described lips 64 and 66 are provided at two locations in the center of the dummy stopper shaft direction, and in addition, one at each of the front and rear end portions in the insertion direction. Thus, by providing the lips 64 and 66 at the front end portion in the insertion direction, as shown in FIG. 2, the space for storing the dummy plug 60 and the front side in front of it are provided in the cavity 38 when assembled. A space (symbol SA) is partitioned forward and backward.

  Note that the lips 66 positioned in the front and rear directions in the insertion direction correspond to the “partition portion” of the present invention, and in the following description, these are referred to as end lips 66.

  As shown in FIG. 2, action portions 68 </ b> F and 68 </ b> R are recessed in the front and rear end faces of the dummy plug main body 62. More specifically, the action portion 68F is recessed at the front end surface and is opened forward, and the action portion 68R is recessed at the rear end surface and is opened rearward. Both the action portions 68R and 68F have the same shape, and the depth of the recess per action portion is set to about 1/3 of the dummy plug main body 62.

  The dummy plug 60 has a front-rear symmetrical shape and can be assembled to the empty cavity 38 from either front or rear.

  Next, the effect of the waterproof connector U described above will be described by taking as an example a case where the waterproof connector U is installed in an engine room in a vehicle. In the engine room, the room temperature increases as the engine is driven. Then, in each of the cavities 11 that are sealed as the indoor temperature rises, the atmospheric pressure (hereinafter referred to as internal pressure) increases due to the thermal expansion of the air, and in the empty cavities, the removal direction (the direction of pushing out of the cavities) with respect to the dummy plug 60 ) Force P1 is applied.

  In this regard, in the dummy plug 60 of the present embodiment, the action portion 68F is provided on the front end surface of the dummy plug main body 62 on the front side in the insertion direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, as a result of the wall surface 68A of the action portion 68F being pushed by the internal pressure of the front space, a force F2 acts on the dummy plug 60 in the up-down direction in FIG.

  The force F2 acting on the outer side in the radial direction acts in a superimposed manner on the elastic force of the dummy plug 60, and the dummy plug 60 is pressed against the inner circumferential surface 38A of the cavity with a stronger force via the lips 64 and 66.

  Therefore, the frictional force between the dummy plug (more specifically, the lip) and the cavity inner peripheral surface 38A is increased, and it is possible to resist the pulling direction force P1 caused by the temperature increase in the engine room. .

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the end lip 66 is provided at the front end of the dummy plug body 62 so that the storage space for storing the dummy plug 60 and the front space SA on the front side thereof are partitioned forward and backward. It is possible to avoid the internal pressure of the front space from affecting the dummy plug 60 through the gap (symbol SC) between the outer peripheral portion of the dummy plug main body 62 and the cavity inner peripheral surface 38A.

  Here, if both are not partitioned, as already described with reference to FIG. 8, the force F <b> 1 from the outer peripheral portion 19 toward the shaft center is a dummy as the internal pressure of the front space SA increases. Join the plug body. Then, although the frictional force with respect to 11 A of cavity internal peripheral surfaces of the dummy stopper 13 is reduced, since it is partitioned off by the edge part lip 66 if it is the structure of this embodiment, the said situation cannot arise.

  From the above, even if the internal pressure of the front space SA increases, the frictional force does not decrease, and the dummy plug 60 can be reliably retained in the empty cavity 38 (preventing the dummy plug from falling off). The sealed state of the housings 30 and 50 can be maintained.

  In addition, the end lip 66 has a function as a seal edge in addition to the space partition function for partitioning the inside of the cavity forward and backward, so that the sealing performance of the entire dummy plug 62 can be enhanced. The point is also effective.

  In addition, the present embodiment has a symmetric shape in the front-rear direction, and the dummy plug 60 can be inserted into the cavity entrance 44 from either the front or rear side, and the assembly workability is good.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a dummy plug applied to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted, and only different points will be described.
In the dummy plug 80 of the second embodiment, the front wall 82A on the front side in the insertion direction of the end lip 82 is an orthogonal surface orthogonal to the dummy plug insertion direction.

  In this way, in the first embodiment, only the zenith portion of the end lip 66 is in elastic contact with the inner peripheral surface 38A of the cavity, whereas in the second embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the end lip 82 is in contact. All the front end sides are configured to elastically contact the cavity inner peripheral surface 38A.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, the force F3 toward the axial center is not applied to the dummy plug body via the front end B in the insertion direction of the end lip 66 as the internal pressure rises, and the inner peripheral surfaces of the lips 64 and 82 It can avoid that the frictional force with respect to 38A falls.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a dummy plug applied to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the drawings, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

  In the first embodiment, a single action portion (large-diameter dent) is formed on each end face of the dummy plug 100. However, in this third embodiment, a plurality of action portions (small-diameter dent) are provided on each end face of the dummy plug 100. 102 are separated from each other.

  Each action part 102 has each center d located on the same radius from the center C of the dummy plug 100, and is arranged at equal intervals (almost 120 degree intervals) in the circumferential direction.

  If the action part 102 is arranged separately as described above, the rigidity of the dummy plug main body 62 is higher than that in the case where a single large-diameter dent is opened as the action part in the dummy plug main body as in the first embodiment. The degree of decrease is small.

  Therefore, when the dummy plug 60 is inserted into the cavity 38, the repulsive force of the dummy plug 60 is stronger than that of the first embodiment, and as a result, the frictional force of the dummy plug 60 against the inner wall surface of the cavity increases. Further, it can be expected that the effect of preventing the dummy plug 60 from coming off is enhanced.

<Embodiment 4>
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of inserting the dummy plug 120 applied to the fourth embodiment of the present invention into the cavity. In the drawings, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the front and rear end faces of the dummy plug 100 are orthogonal planes orthogonal to the insertion direction (see FIG. 2), but in the fourth embodiment, the front and rear end faces of the dummy plug 120 are inclined with respect to the insertion direction. 124A.

  Specifically, the inclined surface 124A has a shape that is obtained by cutting the front and rear end portions of the dummy plug of the shape of Embodiment 1 with a single inclined surface, and the front end portion 124B of the dummy plug has an acute angle shape. It has become.

  In this way, if the tip end portion 124B is formed into an acute angle, the lead-in into the cavity 38 becomes smooth, so that the dummy plug 120 can be easily inserted into the cavity 38 and the assembly workability is good.

  Further, since the inclined surfaces 124A are provided at both ends of the dummy plug main body 124 in the insertion direction, the dummy plugs can be assembled from either the front or rear side, and the assembly workability is further improved.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  (1) In Embodiment 1, as an example of the partition portion in the present invention, an example using an end lip (which elastically contacts the inner peripheral wall of the cavity) is illustrated, but the partition portion contacts the inner peripheral surface of the cavity. It is sufficient if it can be made, and it can also be constituted by an annular spacer that fills the space between the outer peripheral portion of the dummy plug body and the cavity without any gap.

The figure which shows the operation | movement which inserts the dummy stopper of Embodiment 1-3 into a cavity. Sectional drawing of the state which inserted the dummy stopper of Embodiment 1 in the cavity Sectional drawing of the state which inserted the dummy stopper of Embodiment 2 in the cavity The figure which shows a mode that internal pressure acts on the insertion direction front end of an end lip FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1 showing a state where the dummy plug of Embodiment 3 is inserted into the cavity. Sectional drawing which shows the operation | movement which inserts the dummy stopper of Embodiment 4 in a cavity The figure which shows the operation which inserts the conventional dummy stopper in the cavity Enlarged view near the cavity entrance in Fig. 7

Explanation of symbols

30 ... Female housing (corresponding to "waterproof connector" in the present invention)
38 ... Cavity 38A ... Inner circumferential surface 60, 80, 100, 120 ... Dummy plug 62, 124 ... Dummy plug main body 62B ... Outer peripheral surface 62C of dummy plug main body 62 ... Dummy plug main body end surface ("front side in the insertion direction" in the present invention) Equivalent to the front end face of
64: Lip 66, 82: End lip (corresponding to "partition section" in the present invention)
68, 102 ... action part 68A ... wall surface (corresponding to "wall surface of action part" in the present invention)
82A ... Front wall (corresponding to "front wall of partition" in the present invention)
124A ... Inclined surface SA ... Space in cavity (corresponding to "front space" in the present invention)

Claims (6)

In the dummy plug used to close the cavity by inserting it into an empty cavity where the terminal fitting is not accommodated in the waterproof connector,
A dummy plug body,
A lip that is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the dummy plug main body and has an annular shape and prevents the dummy plug from coming off by elastically contacting the entire inner peripheral surface of the cavity; and
An annular partition that contacts the inner peripheral surface of the cavity without any gap is provided on the outer peripheral portion on the front side in the insertion direction of the dummy plug main body, so that the storage space for the dummy plug and the front side of the dummy plug in the cavity are provided. Partition the front space back and forth,
Further, a front end surface on the front side in the insertion direction in the dummy plug body is recessed to form an action portion, and the internal pressure of the front space is radially outward with respect to the dummy plug body via the wall surface of the action portion. A dummy plug for a waterproof connector, characterized by being configured to act. 2. The dummy plug for a waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the partition portion also functions as the lip by being elastically contacted over the entire inner peripheral surface of the cavity. The waterproof connector dummy plug according to claim 1, wherein the front wall of the partition portion is an orthogonal surface orthogonal to the insertion direction. The waterproof plug dummy plug according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the partition portion and the action portion are provided at both ends of the dummy plug insertion direction. 5. The waterproof connector dummy plug according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the action portions are arranged on the front end surface in the insertion direction front side of the dummy plug body while being separated from each other. 6. . 6. The front end surface of the dummy plug body on the front side in the dummy plug insertion direction is an inclined surface cut by a single surface inclined with respect to the dummy plug insertion direction. The dummy plug for waterproof connectors according to one item.

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