JP2013073797A - Earth connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an earth connector with improved waterproofness.SOLUTION: An earth connector 10 comprises: a metallic conductive member 30 having a male terminal 32 electrically connected to a female terminal 12 connected to an electric wire 11 and a ground part 37 fixed to a vehicle body; and a synthetic resin housing 13 integrally molded to the conductive member 30. The conductive member 30 is arranged inside the housing 13, and the ground part 37 is arranged outside the housing 13. A region 35 between the male terminal 32 and the ground part 37 is mounted to the housing 13 by insert-molding. A resin penetration part 47 through which a synthetic resin material 49 constituting the housing 13 penetrates, is provided between the male terminal 32 and the ground part 37 of the conductive member 30, and a region 35 between the male terminal 32 and the ground part 37 of the conductive member 30 is jointed to the synthetic resin material 49 with an adhesive.

Description

  The present invention relates to a ground connector.

  Conventionally, as an earth connector mounted on a vehicle, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. This earth connector is a metal conductive body provided with a synthetic resin housing formed with a cavity capable of accommodating a female terminal connected to the end of an electric wire, and a male tab disposed in the housing and connected to the female terminal. A member.

  In this structure, a lance is formed in the cavity, and the female terminal is locked to the housing by engaging the female terminal with the lance. Then, the female terminal is accommodated in the cavity, and the male tab is inserted into the connecting tube portion of the female terminal, whereby the female terminal and the male tab are electrically connected.

  In this ground connector, the conductive member includes a male tab protruding inside the housing, and a ground connection portion that extends from the male tab and is led out of the housing and fixed to the vehicle body of the vehicle. By fixing the ground connection portion to the vehicle body, the ground connector is fixed to the vehicle body, and the electric wire, female terminal, male tab, ground connection portion, and vehicle body are electrically connected and grounded.

JP 2010-40263 A

  By the way, in the above ground connector, the conductive member is attached to the housing by insert molding at a portion between the male tab and the ground connection portion. Here, since the conductive member receives vibration from the vehicle and the housing receives vibration transmitted from the electric wire, a stress is applied to a portion derived from the housing of the conductive member due to the difference in vibration, and the synthetic resin material constituting the housing Separation of the interface between the conductive member and the conductive member may occur. When peeling occurs at the interface between the conductive member and the housing, there is a concern that the synthetic resin material constituting the housing opens and water enters the housing.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a ground connector with improved waterproofness.

As a method for solving the above problem, it is conceivable to perform insert molding after applying an adhesive capable of adhering metal and resin to a portion of the conductive member that is attached to the housing by insert molding.
However, like the conductive member described in Patent Document 1, when the width of the portion fixed to the housing is approximately the same as the portion derived from the housing and the area to which the adhesive is applied is large, A large amount of adhesive was required, and the cost was high.

  As a result of further studies, the present invention has been reached. That is, the present invention is an earth connector attached to the vehicle body of a vehicle, a metal conductive member having a connection portion electrically connected to a counterpart terminal connected to an electric wire and a grounding portion fixed to the vehicle body, A housing made of synthetic resin formed integrally with the conductive member, and the conductive member has the connecting portion disposed inside the housing and the grounding portion disposed outside the housing. A region between the connection portion and the grounding portion is attached to the housing by insert molding, and a synthetic resin material constituting the housing penetrates between the connection portion of the conductive member and the grounding portion. A resin penetrating part is provided, and a region between the connection part and the grounding part of the conductive member is joined by the synthetic resin material and an adhesive. To.

  In this invention, since the area | region between the connection part of an electrically-conductive member and a grounding part is joined to a synthetic resin material with an adhesive agent, the sealing performance of an electrically-conductive member and a housing improves, and the penetration | invasion of water is prevented. Further, in the present invention, since a resin penetration part through which the synthetic resin material penetrates is provided between the connection part and the grounding part of the conductive member, it is not necessary to apply an adhesive to this part, and the patent Compared with the conductive member having the configuration described in Document 1, the area of the portion where the adhesive should be applied can be reduced, and the amount of adhesive can be reduced. Furthermore, in the present invention, since the synthetic resin material penetrates in the resin penetration portion and supports the joint portion between the conductive member and the synthetic resin material, it is possible to prevent the conductive member from being separated from the synthetic resin material. As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a ground connector with improved waterproofness.

The present invention may have the following configurations.
The resin penetrating portion may be provided outside a joint portion between the conductive member and the synthetic resin material.
With such a configuration, since the joint portion between the conductive member and the synthetic resin material is supported by the resin penetrating portion provided outside the joint portion, it is ensured that the conductive member peels from the synthetic resin material. Can be prevented.

The resin penetration portion may be formed by providing a through hole in the conductive member.
With such a configuration, since the synthetic resin material penetrates into the conductive member and supports the conductive member, it is possible to more reliably prevent the conductive member from being separated from the synthetic resin material.

In the housing, a lightening portion may be formed corresponding to the resin penetration portion.
In the housing, the portion where the thickness is larger than the other portion may shrink and dent after insert molding, but with the above configuration, the thickness reduction portion corresponds to the resin penetration portion that tends to increase in thickness. Is formed, the thickness can be made uniform and shrinkage after molding can be prevented.

The adhesive may be one that joins the conductive member to the synthetic resin material by solidifying after melting by heat generated when the conductive member is attached to the housing by insert molding.
With such a configuration, if the adhesive applied to the conductive member is melted using heat generated during insert molding and the synthetic resin material is solidified, the conductive member and the synthetic resin Since the material can be joined, the conductive member can be joined to the synthetic resin article by a simple method.

While the plurality of counterpart terminals are plural, the conductive member may be provided with a plurality of connection portions, and the plurality of counterpart terminals may be electrically connected by the conductive member.
With such a configuration, the present invention can be applied to a joint connector.

The housing may include a terminal accommodating portion in which the counterpart terminal is accommodated, and the connection portion may be disposed so as to protrude into the terminal accommodating portion of the housing and be electrically connected to the counterpart terminal.
With such a configuration, the housing includes not only the connecting portion on the inner side but also a terminal accommodating portion that accommodates the counterpart terminal connected to the connecting portion. In other words, according to such a configuration, there is no need for a separate housing for accommodating the mating terminal, so not only the number of parts can be reduced, but also a space for fitting another housing for accommodating the mating terminal becomes unnecessary. Can be reduced in size.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the ground connector which improved waterproofness can be provided.

The perspective view of the ground connector of Embodiment 1 Top view of the ground connector AA sectional view in FIG. The perspective view which shows the state in which the electrically-conductive member was inserted in the housing Rear view showing a state where the conductive member is inserted into the housing BB sectional view in FIG. Front view showing a state in which the conductive member is inserted into the housing CC sectional view in FIG. Perspective view of conductive member to which adhesive is applied Side view of conductive member with adhesive applied Perspective view of conductive member before applying adhesive

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a ground joint connector 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. An earth joint connector 10 (hereinafter referred to as an earth connector 10) according to the present embodiment is attached to a vehicle body (not shown) to ground a plurality of electric wires 11. The ground connector 10 includes a housing 13 in which a female terminal 12 (an example of a counterpart terminal) connected to ends of a plurality of electric wires 11 is accommodated, and a conductive member 30 that is attached to the housing 13 and connected to the female terminal 12. And comprising. In the following description, the left side in FIG. 3 is the front side, the right side is the rear side, the upper side is the upper side, and the lower side is the lower side. Further, the vertical direction in FIG.

(Terminal receiving portion 14)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the synthetic resin housing 13 includes a terminal accommodating portion 14 that accommodates a plurality of female terminals 12. In the terminal accommodating portion 14, the female terminals 12 are accommodated in two stages in the vertical direction and four in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a lance 15 protrudes forward from the inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion 14 on the inner wall of each terminal accommodating portion 14. The lance 15 is formed integrally with the housing 13 at the base portion 16. A locking claw 17 that locks the female terminal 12 protrudes from the tip of the lance 15. The locking claw 17 of the lance 15 positioned on the upper side protrudes upward, and the locking claw 17 of the lance 15 positioned on the lower side protrudes downward.

(Female terminal 12)
The female terminal 12 includes a crimping part 18 that is crimped to the end of the electric wire 11 and a connecting cylinder part 19 that extends forward from the crimping part 18 and has a cylindrical shape. An elastic contact piece 20 is formed inside the connecting tube portion 19. A locking hole 21 that engages with the locking claw 17 of the lance 15 is formed through the wall portion of the connecting cylinder portion 19. When the locking claw 17 is locked to the hole edge of the locking hole 21 from behind, the female terminal 12 is restricted from being displaced backward.

  A waterproof cylindrical portion 22 is formed behind the terminal accommodating portion 14 (on the right side in FIG. 3). The waterproof cylinder portion 22 has a cylindrical shape (see FIGS. 1 and 3). The waterproof cylinder portion 22 is opened to the rear, and a wire-side rubber plug 23 that is externally fitted to the electric wire 11 is accommodated inside the waterproof cylinder portion 22. When the outer periphery of the wire-side rubber plug 23 and the inner wall of the waterproof cylindrical portion 22 are in close contact, the space between the wire 11 and the housing 13 is sealed in a liquid-tight manner.

(Rubber stopper 30)
As shown in FIG. 3, the front (left side in FIG. 3) of the terminal accommodating portion 14 of the housing 13 is opened, and a rubber plug accommodating portion 24 is formed in this portion. A rubber plug 25 is accommodated inside the rubber plug accommodating portion 24.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 and FIGS. 7 to 8, the rubber plug 25 is attached to a cap 27 formed through a hinge 26 at a position near the front end of the upper wall of the housing 13. . The cap 27 can be rotated via the hinge 26.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lock portion 28 formed on the side wall of the cap 27 and the lock receiving portion 29 formed on the side wall of the housing 13 are elastically engaged with each other. Is locked.

  In a state where the cap 27 and the housing 13 are locked, the rubber plug 25 attached to the cap 27 is accommodated in the rubber plug accommodating portion 24 of the housing 13 as shown in FIG. The cap 27 and the housing 13 are sealed in a liquid-tight manner when the inner wall of the rubber plug housing portion 24 and the outer surface of the rubber plug 25 are in close contact with each other.

(Conductive member 30)
At a position near the front end of the housing 13, a conductive member 30 formed by pressing a conductive metal plate into a predetermined shape is attached by insert molding. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the conductive member 30 has a male terminal 32 (an example of a connecting portion) that is electrically connected to the female terminal 12 disposed inside the housing 13, and is disposed outside the housing 13. A flat plate-like conductive plate portion 34 having a grounding portion 37 is disposed, and a region 35 between the male terminal 32 and the grounding portion 37 is attached to the housing 13 by insert molding.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the conductive member 30 includes a conductive plate portion 34 disposed on the left side (front side) in FIG. 9 and a terminal portion 31 disposed on the right side (rear side) in FIG. The terminal portion 31 and the conductive plate portion 34 are integrally connected.

  The conductive plate portion 34 includes a detent portion 36 that extends downward at the front end portion (left end portion in FIG. 9). The anti-rotation part 36 prevents the conductive plate part 34 from being rotated in accordance with the bolting operation by being fitted into an anti-rotation recess (not shown) formed in the vehicle body.

  A grounding portion 37 is provided at a substantially central portion in the length direction (front-rear direction) of the conductive plate portion 34. The grounding portion 37 is formed with a bolt insertion hole 38 through which a grounding bolt (not shown) can be inserted. A grounding bolt (not shown) is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 38 and screwed into a screw hole (not shown) formed in the vehicle body, thereby fixing the grounding portion 37 to the vehicle body.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of ribs 39 </ b> A and 39 </ b> B are formed on the conductive plate portion 34 so as to protrude above the conductive plate portion 34. At a position away from the grounding portion 37, a rib 39B having a height and a larger width dimension than the rib 39A formed in the vicinity of the grounding portion 37 is formed. That is, by providing the rib 39A having low rigidity near the grounding portion 37 and providing the rib 39B having high rigidity away from the grounding portion 37, the conductive plate portion 34 is not concentrated in the vicinity of the grounding portion 37. Stress can be dispersed throughout.

  The rear end portion of the conductive plate portion 34 rises substantially perpendicular to the region where the grounding portion 37 is provided (referred to as a fixed region 40) (referred to as an upright wall 41). A connecting portion 42 that connects the conductive plate portion 34 and the terminal portion 31 is formed at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the standing wall 41. A through hole 43 is formed at the boundary between the standing wall 41 and the connecting portion 42. Moreover, the notch part 44 is formed in the both sides of the connection part 42, respectively, and the terminal part 31 and the electrically-conductive board part 34 are not continuing except the part in which the connection part 42 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the terminal portion 31 is formed with four flat male terminals 32 arranged in two rows in the upper and lower sides in the width direction (a total of eight). Each male terminal 32 is integrally formed by a U-shaped terminal connecting portion 33. Further, the terminal connecting portion 33 is connected to the right edge in FIG. 9 of the conductive plate portion 34 via the connecting portion 42.

  A portion above the through hole 43 of the conductive plate portion 34 and the terminal connecting portion 33 (an example of the region 35 between the male terminal 32 and the ground portion 37) are formed in the housing 13 as shown in FIGS. It is integrated by insert molding.

  In this embodiment, the connection part 42 which connects the electrically-conductive board part 34 and the terminal part 31 is joined to the housing 13 with the adhesive agent. Further, in the through hole 43 provided at the boundary between the standing wall 41 and the connecting portion 42 and the notch portions 44 provided on both sides of the connecting portion 42, the synthetic resin material 49 constituting the housing 13 is in the thickness direction of the conductive plate portion 34. It penetrates (front-rear direction). In other words, in the present embodiment, the resin penetrating portion 47 is resin on both sides (outside the joint portion 36) with the joint portion 36 between the conductive member 30 (connecting portion 42) and the synthetic resin material 49 constituting the housing 13 interposed therebetween. Not only the penetration part 47 is formed, but also the resin penetration part 47 that penetrates the conductive member 30 is formed.

  In this embodiment, the resin penetrating portion 47 penetrating the conductive member 30 is below the joint portion 36 between the conductive member 30 and the synthetic resin material 49 constituting the housing 13, that is, the housing 13 than the joint portion 36. It is formed in the place near the outer surface. Thereby, the resin penetration part 47 not only supports the connection part 42 on the lower side of the joint part 36, but also prevents water from entering from the outside.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a cutout portion 44 provided in the conductive plate portion 34 is provided at a portion (lower end portion at the front end of the housing 13) where the conductive plate portion 34 of the housing 13 is led out. In other words, a thinned portion 48 is formed at a position corresponding to the resin penetrating portion 47. As described above, the synthetic resin material 49 passes through the cutout portion 44 and the thickness of the resin is larger than that of the other portions, but the thickness is made uniform by forming the cutout portion 48.

(Integration of housing 13 and conductive member 30)
The integration of the housing 13 and the conductive member 30 of the ground connector 10 of this embodiment will be described. A conductive member 30 having a shape as shown in FIG. 11 is produced by pressing a conductive metal plate material (not shown), and then an adhesive is applied to the connecting portion 42 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

  In the present embodiment, the adhesive is applied so as to cover the entire circumference of the connecting portion 42 of the conductive member 30. Here, as an adhesive that joins the connecting portion 42 and the synthetic resin material 49 of the housing 13, a thermoplastic resin that is solidified after being melted by heat generated when the conductive member 30 is attached to the housing 13 by insert molding, or the like. An adhesive containing is used. 9 and 10 show an example in which the adhesive layer 45 having a large thickness is formed, the adhesive may be applied in the form of a thin film.

  Next, the conductive member 30 with the adhesive applied is placed in an insert molding die (not shown) that matches the shape of the housing 13, insert molding is performed, and the conductive plate portion 34 penetrates. The portion above the hole 43 and the terminal connecting portion 33 are integrated with the housing 13. At this time, the adhesive layer 45 formed on the connecting portion 42 is melted by heat generated by insert molding.

When the synthetic resin material 49 is solidified, the connecting portion 42 is joined to the synthetic resin material 49, and a resin through portion 47 is formed in the through hole 43 of the connecting portion 42, corresponding to the notches 44 on both sides of the connecting portion 42. The resin penetration part 47 by which one part was thinned is formed in the position to do. In addition, four male terminals 32 are arranged in two upper and lower stages inside the housing 13.
(Operation and effect of this embodiment)
In the present embodiment, since the connecting portion 42 of the conductive plate portion 34 is joined to the synthetic resin material 49 by an adhesive, the sealing performance between the conductive member 30 and the housing 13 is enhanced, and water intrusion is prevented.

  In the present embodiment, a resin penetration portion 47 through which the synthetic resin material 49 penetrates is formed between the terminal portion 31 and the grounding portion 37 of the conductive member 30 by forming the notch portion 44 and the through hole 43. Since the metal conductive member 30 does not exist in the resin penetrating portion 47, it is not necessary to apply an adhesive. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the area of the portion where the adhesive should be applied can be reduced and the amount of the adhesive can be reduced as compared with the conductive member 30 having the conventional configuration.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the synthetic resin material 49 penetrates through the resin penetration portion 47 and supports the joint portion 36 between the conductive member 30 and the synthetic resin material 49, the conductive member 30 receives vibration from the vehicle, and the housing The conductive member 30 peels from the synthetic resin material 49 even if stress is applied to the portion (standing wall 42) led out from the housing 13 of the conductive member 30 due to the difference in vibration due to the vibration transmitted from the electric wire 11. Can be prevented. As a result, according to the present embodiment, the ground connector 10 with improved waterproofness can be provided.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, since the resin penetration part 47 is provided in the outer side rather than the junction part 36 of the electrically-conductive member 30 (connection part 42) and the synthetic resin material 49, the connection part 42 and a synthetic resin material 49 is supported by the resin penetration part 47 provided on the outer side of the joint part 36, it is possible to reliably prevent the conductive member 30 from being separated from the synthetic resin material 49.

  In particular, according to the present embodiment, since the resin penetration part 47 formed by providing the through hole 43 in the conductive member 30 is also provided, the synthetic resin material 49 penetrates into the conductive member 30 so that the conductive member 30 is provided. It is possible to more reliably prevent the conductive member 30 from peeling from the synthetic resin material 49.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the housing 13 is formed with the thinned portion 48 corresponding to the resin penetrating portion 47, so that the thickness can be made uniform, and the resin penetrating portion 47 shrinks after molding. Can be prevented.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the adhesive joins the conductive member 30 to the synthetic resin material 49 by solidifying after melting by heat generated when the conductive member 30 is attached to the housing 13 by insert molding. is there. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the adhesive applied to the conductive member 30 is melted using the heat generated during the insert molding, and if the synthetic resin material 49 is solidified, the conductive material 30 is electrically conductive. Since the member 30 and the synthetic resin material 49 can be joined, the conductive member 30 can be joined to the synthetic resin goods by a simple method.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the housing 13 includes a terminal accommodating portion in which the female terminal 12 is accommodated, and the male terminal 32 is arranged to protrude into the terminal accommodating portion of the housing 13 and is electrically connected to the female terminal 12. Therefore, the housing 13 includes not only the male terminal 32 on the inner side but also a terminal accommodating portion that accommodates the female terminal 12 connected to the male terminal 32. That is, according to the present embodiment, since a separate housing for accommodating the female terminal 12 is not required, not only can the number of parts be reduced, but also a space for fitting another housing for accommodating the female terminal 12 becomes unnecessary. The ground connector 10 can be reduced in size.

<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) Although the resin penetration part 47 is provided outside the joint part 36 between the conductive member 30 and the synthetic resin material 49 in the above embodiment, the joint part may be provided outside the resin penetration part.
(2) In the above embodiment, the example in which the resin through-hole 47 is formed in these portions by forming the cut-out portion 44 and the through-hole 43 in the conductive member 30 is shown, but only the cut-out portion is formed. Alternatively, only the through hole may be formed.
(3) In the above embodiment, the thinned portion 48 is formed at a position corresponding to the resin penetrating portion 47, but the thinned portion 48 may not be provided.
(4) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the adhesive is solidified after being melted by the heat generated when the conductive member 30 is attached to the housing 13 by insert molding has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Any adhesive may be used as long as it has an affinity for the metal material constituting the conductive member 30 and the synthetic resin material 49 constituting the housing, and has a sealing property capable of preventing water from entering from the outside.
(5) In the above embodiment, the conductive member 30 is provided with a plurality of male terminals 32, and the plurality of female terminals 12 are electrically connected by the conductive member 30. One connecting portion may be provided on the member, and one counterpart terminal connected to the connecting portion may be provided.
(6) In the above-described embodiment, the earth connector 10 including the connecting portion and the terminal receiving chamber of the mating terminal that is electrically connected to the connecting portion is shown in one housing 13, but the mating terminal is a separate terminal receiving chamber. It may be accommodated in a housing comprising

10 ... Earth joint connector (Earth connector)
11 ... Electric wire 12 ... Female terminal (mating terminal)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Housing 14 ... Terminal accommodating part 30 ... Conductive member 32 ... Male terminal (connection part)
34 ... Conductive plate part 35 ... Area between male terminal and ground part 37 ... Ground part 42 ... Connection part 43 ... Through hole 44 ... Notch part 45 ... Adhesive layer 46 ... Joint part 47 ... Resin penetration part 48 ... Meat Extraction part 49 ... Synthetic resin material

Claims (7)

An earth connector attached to a vehicle body,
A metal conductive member having a connection portion electrically connected to a counterpart terminal connected to the electric wire and a grounding portion fixed to the vehicle body, and a synthetic resin housing molded integrally with the conductive member. ,
In the conductive member, the connecting portion is disposed inside the housing, the grounding portion is disposed outside the housing, and a region between the connecting portion and the grounding portion is formed in the housing by insert molding. Attached,
Between the connection part of the conductive member and the grounding part, a resin penetration part through which a synthetic resin material constituting the housing penetrates is provided, and between the connection part of the conductive member and the grounding part The ground connector is bonded to the synthetic resin material by an adhesive. The ground connector according to claim 1, wherein the resin penetrating portion is provided outside a joint portion between the conductive member and the synthetic resin material. The ground connector according to claim 1, wherein the resin penetration portion is formed by providing a through hole in the conductive member. The ground connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a hollow portion is formed in the housing corresponding to the resin penetration portion. 2. The adhesive is bonded to the synthetic resin material by solidifying after the conductive member is melted by heat generated when the conductive member is attached to the housing by insert molding. The ground connector as described in any one of Claim 4 thru | or 4. The plurality of counterpart terminals are provided, while the conductive member is provided with a plurality of connection portions, and the plurality of counterpart terminals are electrically connected by the conductive member. The ground connector according to any one of 5. The housing includes a terminal accommodating portion in which the counterpart terminal is accommodated,
The ground connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the connection portion projects from the terminal accommodating portion of the housing and is electrically connected to the counterpart terminal.

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