JP2017027784A - Electric wire with connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrical wire with a connector that can be manufactured as easily as possible, while achieving simple waterproof function.SOLUTION: An electric wire 1 with a connector comprises an insulated electric wire Wa, a connector 10 having a housing chamber 13 for housing a terminal 31 connected to a terminal of the insulated electric wire Wa, and a protective member 20 for protecting the housing chamber 13. The terminal 31 has a length so that an end portion of the terminal 31 on the side of the insulated electric wire Wa may be located in the housing chamber 13 when housed in the housing chamber 13. The protective member 20 has an annular shape having an inner peripheral surface in close contact with the insulated electric wire Wa and an outer peripheral surface in close contact with the housing chamber 13, and is arranged in the housing chamber 13 so as to be filled in a gap between the insulated electric wire Wa and the housing chamber 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric wire with a connector.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electric wire with a connector including an electric wire and a connector that accommodates and holds a terminal (crimp terminal) provided at the end of the electric wire in a cavity (accommodating chamber) has been used for an automobile wire harness or the like. ing. In recent years, it has been proposed to use an electric wire (aluminum electric wire) that employs aluminum as a conductor for this type of electric wire with a connector. The electric wire with a connector using an aluminum electric wire is lighter and less expensive than the case where copper is used as a conductor, but due to the difference in natural potential between the material used for the terminal (generally copper) and aluminum, When liquid adheres to the contact portion between the terminal and the conductor, the conductor may be corroded (so-called galvanic corrosion).

  In particular, for cables with connectors for use in wet environments (for example, in the engine room of automobiles), high waterproofness is required. A so-called waterproof connector is often used. On the other hand, depending on the environment in which the electric wire with the connector is used (for example, when used in an under-floor and a door of an automobile), the waterproof property as high as the waterproof connector may not be required. In such a case, an ordinary electric wire with a connector (so-called non-waterproof connector) to which a simple waterproof function is added may be used from the viewpoint of cost reduction.

  For example, one of the conventional electric wires with a connector (hereinafter referred to as “conventional example”) includes a cylindrical cover member that protects the housing of the connector, and one end (expanded diameter portion) of the cover member is connected to the outer periphery of the connector. The entire surface is covered, and the other end (reduced diameter portion) of the cover member is fixed to the electric wire with a tape. Thereby, the conventional example protects the housing chamber of the connector and adds a simple waterproof function to the electric wire with the connector (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-101520 A

  By the way, the above-mentioned waterproof connector has a connector housing (for example, a waterproof packing etc.) designed exclusively for waterproofing, and a terminal-equipped electric wire (for example, a waterproof cap added to the terminal). It has a high degree of waterproofness. However, due to these dedicated parts for waterproofing (waterproof packing, waterproof caps, etc.), the size of the connector housing and the electric wire with terminals increases, so in general, these exclusive parts for waterproofing and ordinary electric wires with connectors (non-waterproof connectors) ) Is not compatible. Therefore, in order to add a simple waterproof function to an ordinary electric wire with connector (non-waterproof connector), a method different from the conventional waterproof connector is desired.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the situation mentioned above, The objective is to provide the electric wire with a connector which implement | achieved simple waterproofing by the method different from the conventional waterproof connector.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the electric wire with connector according to the present invention has the following features (1) to (4).
(1)
A connector-equipped electric wire comprising: an electrical wire; a connector having a housing chamber that houses a terminal connected to an end of the wire; and a protective member that protects the housing chamber,
The terminal is
When the terminal is housed in the housing chamber, the terminal has an end on the wire side that is positioned in the housing chamber,
The protective member is
While having an annular shape having an inner peripheral surface that is in close contact with the electric wire and an outer peripheral surface that is in close contact with the accommodating chamber, the annular member is disposed in the accommodating chamber so as to fill a gap between the electric wire and the accommodating chamber.
It is an electric wire with a connector.
(2)
In the electric wire with a connector according to the above (1),
The protective member is
In at least one place in the circumferential direction in the ring shape, the protective member has a discontinuous portion that is discontinuous,
It is an electric wire with a connector.
(3)
In the electric wire with a connector according to (1) or (2) above,
The protective member is
A first portion that closes a gap between the electric wire and the storage chamber; a second portion that extends from the first portion toward the terminal and covers at least a part of a connection portion between the electric wire and the terminal; Having
It is an electric wire with a connector.
(4)
In the electric wire with a connector according to any one of (1) to (3) above,
The protective member is
An annular projection that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the protective member toward the inner wall surface of the housing chamber and circulates around the outer peripheral surface, and a radial thickness of the protective member is an end of the protective member on the electric wire side Having at least one of a tapered shape that gradually decreases with distance from
It is an electric wire with a connector.

  According to the connector-attached electric wire having the configuration (1), the gap between the electric wire and the storage chamber is filled with the protective member disposed in the storage chamber. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent water from entering the storage chamber through the opening of the storage chamber (the gap between the electric wire and the storage chamber). As a result, without changing the shape of the terminal with the electric wire and the connector (that is, with respect to the normal non-waterproof connector), the protective member is simply attached (arranged in the accommodation chamber) to the connection portion between the electric wire and the terminal. It is possible to prevent water from coming into contact. Therefore, the electric wire with connector of this configuration can realize simple waterproofing by a method different from the conventional waterproof connector.

  According to the connector-attached electric wire having the configuration (2), the electric wire can be inserted from the outer side (outer peripheral surface) to the inner side (inner peripheral surface) of the protective member through the dividing portion provided in the protective member. Therefore, for example, since the protective member can be attached to the electric wire after the electric wire (terminal) is accommodated in the connector housing chamber, it is not necessary to attach the protective member to the electric wire in advance. Therefore, the electric wire with a connector of this structure can make the process of attaching a protection member to an electric wire easy. In addition, since a parting part will be closed naturally when arrange | positioning a protection member to a storage chamber, even if it has a parting part, a waterproof function is not impaired substantially.

  According to the connector-attached electric wire having the configuration (3), the protection member can protect the connection portion between the electric wire and the terminal by the second portion. As a result, the electric wire with connector of the present configuration has a high waterproof function as compared with the case where the second portion is not provided.

  According to the connector-attached electric wire having the configuration (4), the annular convex portion comes into close contact with the inner wall surface of the accommodating chamber by fitting the protective member having the annular convex portion into the accommodating chamber. Thereby, the contact | adhesion power of the protection member with respect to the inner wall surface of a storage chamber increases, and it can prevent more reliably that a protection member falls out from a storage chamber. On the other hand, the process of arrange | positioning a protection member to a storage chamber can be facilitated by arrange | positioning the protection member which has a taper shape in a storage chamber.

  According to the present invention, simple waterproofing can be realized by a method different from the conventional waterproof connector.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through a mode for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

Drawing 1 is an outline perspective view seen from the back side of the electric wire with a connector concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Ia-Ia in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the protective member. FIG. 4 is a side view of a crimp terminal and an insulated wire to which a protective member for explaining a second embodiment of the present invention is attached. FIG. 5 is a side view of a crimp terminal and an insulated wire to which a protection member for explaining a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention is attached. FIG. 6 is a side view of a crimp terminal and an insulated wire to which a protective member for explaining a third embodiment of the present invention is attached. FIG. 7 is a side view of a crimp terminal and an insulated wire to which a protective member for explaining a fourth embodiment of the present invention is attached. FIG. 8 is a side view of a crimp terminal and an insulated wire to which a protective member for explaining a fifth embodiment of the present invention is attached.

  Hereinafter, an electric wire 1 with a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as “electric wire 1 with a connector”) will be described.

(First embodiment)
First, the connector-attached electric wire 1 according to the first embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the connector-attached electric wire 1 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of insulated wires Wa, a connector 10, and a protection member 20.

  In FIG. 1, the direction indicated by arrow A in the figure is referred to as “front”, the direction indicated by arrow B is referred to as “rear”, the direction indicated by arrow C is referred to as “upward”, and is indicated by arrow D. The direction is referred to as “downward”.

  The insulated wire Wa is obtained by coating a conductor that is a core wire with an insulator, and the conductor is exposed by peeling off the insulator at a terminal portion. As shown in FIG. 2, a crimp terminal 31 is crimped and connected to the end of the insulated wire Wa from which the conductor is exposed. The crimp terminal 31 has a connection part 32 that is conductively connected to the terminal of the mating connector, and a crimp part 33 that is crimped to the end of the insulated wire Wa. In this example, each insulated wire Wa is made of an aluminum wire, and the crimp terminal 31 is made of a metal material mainly composed of copper. That is, in this example, the conductor (core wire) of the insulated wire Wa and the crimp terminal 31 are made of different metals.

  The connector 10 is a connector housing 11, which is a synthetic resin molded product, in which a crimp terminal 31 connected to the end of an insulated wire Wa is disposed and held. The connector housing 11 has a substantially rectangular block shape that is longer to the left and right than the top and bottom when viewed from the front, and includes four outer peripheral surfaces each including a flat upper wall 11a, a lower wall 11b, and left and right side walls 11c and 11d, and a front end surface 11e. And a rear end face 11f. The connector housing 11 does not necessarily have the shape described above, and connector housings having various shapes can be used for the electric wire with connector of the present invention. For example, as the shape of the connector housing, a rectangular substantially block shape that is vertically longer than the left and right when viewed from the front, a substantially block shape that is square when viewed from the front, a circular or elliptical shape when viewed from the front, and the outer peripheral surface are Examples include shapes that are not flat surfaces.

  The connector housing 11 has a plurality of storage chambers 13. The storage chambers 13 are arranged on the left and right, and the arrangement is arranged in two stages. These accommodation chambers 13 are formed along the front-rear direction of the connector housing 11, and an opening portion at the end surface 11 f of the connector housing 11 serves as the accommodation port 14. The crimp terminal 31 connected to the insulated wire Wa is inserted and held in the storage chamber 13 through the storage port 14 of the end surface 11 f of the connector housing 11. When the crimp terminal 31 is accommodated in the accommodation chamber 13, the end portion on the insulated wire Wa side, which is the rear end thereof, has a length such that it is located in the accommodation chamber 13. A plurality of insulated wires Wa connected to the crimp terminals 31 housed in the housing chamber 13 extend rearward B from the housing opening 14 of the housing chamber 13 of the connector housing 11, and an adhesive tape or the like is behind the connector housing 11. Are bundled to form a multi-core cable W. In addition, the connector housing 11 does not necessarily need to have the arrangement of the accommodation chamber 13 described above, and connector housings having various arrangements of the accommodation chamber 13 can be used for the electric wire with connector of the present invention.

  The connector housing 11 is joined to the connector housing of the mating connector by fitting into the connector housing (not shown) of the mating connector. Thereby, the crimp terminal 31 accommodated in the accommodation chamber 13 of the connector housing 11 is electrically connected to the terminal provided in the connector housing of the mating connector.

  The protection member 20 is made of a flexible resin material having elasticity such as rubber or elastomer. The protective member 20 is attached to the electric wire Wa in the vicinity of the end of the crimp terminal 31 on the electric wire Wa side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the protection member 20 has an insertion hole 21. The insulated wire Wa is passed through the insertion hole 21 of the protection member 20. By passing the insulated wire Wa through the insertion hole 21, the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 21 is brought into close contact with the insulated wire Wa. On the other hand, the outer shape of the protection member 20 is formed in substantially the same shape as the cross-sectional shape of the storage chamber 13 of the connector housing 11 and can be fitted into the storage chamber 13 from the storage port 14. Thus, the protection member 20 has an annular shape having an inner peripheral surface that is in close contact with the insulated wire Wa and an outer peripheral surface that is in close contact with the inner wall surface of the housing chamber 13. The protection member 20 is inserted into the accommodation port 14 that is an opening of the accommodation chamber 13 so as to fill a space between the insulated wire Wa and the accommodation chamber 13 in a state where the protection member 20 is attached to the insulation wire Wa. The protective member 20 is fitted into the storage chamber 13 so that the outer peripheral surface thereof is in close contact with the inner wall surface of the storage chamber 13.

  The protection member 20 has the parting part 22 at one place in the circumferential direction in the ring shape. This parting part 22 consists of a slit along the insertion hole 21, and the protective member 20 is discontinuous in the circumferential direction by having this parting part 22. Thereby, the protection member 20 can be attached to the insulated wire Wa and removed from the insulated wire Wa via the expanded divided portion 22 by expanding the divided portion 22. When the protective member 20 is fitted into the storage chamber 13, the end surfaces of the dividing portion 22 are in close contact with each other. Therefore, even if the dividing part 22 is provided in the protective member 20, the waterproof function is not substantially impaired.

  As described above, according to the electric wire 1 with a connector according to the first embodiment, it is inserted into the accommodation port 14 that is an opening of the accommodation chamber 13 so as to fill the space between the insulated wire Wa and the accommodation chamber 13. The space between the insulated wire Wa and the storage chamber 13 is filled with the protective member 20 that is applied. Thereby, the penetration | invasion of the water to the connection position of the insulated wire Wa and the crimp terminal 31 from the accommodating port 14 can be prevented, and a simple waterproof function can be added with respect to a non-waterproof connector.

  With this simple waterproofing, for example, galvanic corrosion is suppressed even if an insulated wire Wa made of an aluminum wire made of aluminum, which is a different material, is used for a crimp terminal 31 made of a metal material mainly composed of copper. it can.

  Furthermore, by providing the protective member 20 with the dividing portion 22, the insulating member Wa can be passed from the dividing portion 22 and the protective member 20 can be easily attached (retrofitted) to the insulated wire Wa.

  The protective member 20 may be attached to the insulated wire Wa after the crimp terminal 31 to which the insulated wire Wa is connected is accommodated in the accommodation chamber 13 and then inserted into the accommodation chamber 13, or may be accommodated by being previously attached to the insulated wire Wa. It may be inserted into the chamber 13 together with the crimp terminal 31.

Second Embodiment
Next, the electric wire 1 with a connector according to the second embodiment will be described.
In addition, the same components as the connector-equipped electric wire 1 according to the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The same applies to third to fifth embodiments described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the electric wire with connector 1 according to the second embodiment, the protection member 20 includes a first portion 25 and a second portion 26. The first portion 25 is a portion that closes the accommodation port 14 that is an opening of the accommodation chamber 13 in a state where the protection member 20 is fitted in the accommodation chamber 13. The second portion 26 is a portion that extends so as to cover a part of the crimp portion 33 of the crimp terminal 31 in a state in which the protection member 20 is fitted in the storage chamber 13.

  According to the connector-equipped electric wire 1 according to the second embodiment, the protection member 20 includes the second portion 26 extending so as to cover the crimp terminal 31 from the first portion 25 that closes the accommodation opening 14 that is the opening of the accommodation chamber 13. Thus, the crimping terminal 31 can be protected by the second portion 26 by inserting the protective member 20 into the accommodation chamber 13 and mounting it. Thereby, stronger waterproofness can be secured.

  The second portion 26 can protect the crimping portion 33 as long as it extends to a position covering at least a part of the crimping portion 33 of the crimping terminal 31. However, as shown in FIG. You may extend so that the whole crimping | compression-bonding part 33 may be covered. Thereby, the crimping | compression-bonding part 33 of the crimp terminal 31 can be protected over the whole.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, the electric wire 1 with a connector according to the third embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the electric wire with connector 1 according to the third embodiment, an annular convex portion 28 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first portion 25 of the protection member 20. The annular protrusions 28 are formed at two positions spaced apart in the axial direction, and are formed so as to go around the circumferential surface in the circumferential direction. These annular protrusions 28 protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the first portion 25 toward the inner wall surface of the storage chamber 13 in a state where the protective member 20 is fitted in the storage chamber 13.

  According to the electric wire 1 with a connector according to the third embodiment, the annular protrusion 28 is brought into close contact with the inner wall surface of the storage chamber 13 by fitting the protective member 20 into the storage chamber 13. Thereby, the adhesive force to the inner wall surface of the storage chamber 13 can be increased to prevent the storage chamber 13 from coming off, and the waterproof function can be more reliably maintained even when used over time.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, the electric wire 1 with a connector according to the fourth embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the electric wire 1 with a connector according to the fourth embodiment, as the radial thickness of the first portion 25 of the protection member 20 increases away from the end portion on the insulated wire Wa side in the first portion 25. The taper shape gradually decreases. The outer shape of the rear end of the first portion 25 of the protection member 20 is larger than the cross-sectional shape of the storage chamber 13.

  According to the connector-equipped electric wire 1 according to the fourth embodiment, since the radial thickness of the first portion 25 is a tapered shape that gradually decreases as the distance from the end portion on the electric wire side of the first portion 25 increases, The taper shape can facilitate the insertion of the protection member 20 into the storage chamber 13. In addition, by fitting the protection member 20 into the storage chamber 13, the compression rate toward the center side of the first portion 25 increases as it goes toward the rear end side. Thereby, the contact | adhesion power to the insulated wire Wa of the 1st part 25 and the inner wall face of the storage chamber 13 is raised, and waterproofness will be improved more.

<Fifth Embodiment>
Next, the connector-attached electric wire 1 according to the fifth embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the electric wire with connector 1 according to the fifth embodiment, the protection member 20 is integrally formed with respect to the crimping portion 33 of the crimp terminal 31 and the insulated wire Wa. Thus, if the protection member 20 is integrally formed with the crimping portion 33 of the crimp terminal 31 and the insulated wire Wa, the waterproofness between the insulated wire Wa and the protective member 20 can be enhanced, and the insulated wire Wa The connection portion between the conductor and the crimping portion 33 of the crimp terminal 31 can be reliably covered with the protective member 20 and shielded from the outside air, and the corrosion resistance can be further improved. Furthermore, the mounting work of the protection member 20 on the insulated wire Wa can be eliminated.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, and the like of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

Here, the features of the embodiment of the electric wire with connector according to the present invention described above are summarized and listed in the following (1) to (4), respectively.
(1)
The connector (10) which has the accommodation chamber (13) which accommodates the electric wire (Wa), the terminal (31) connected to the terminal of the said electric wire, and the protection member (20) which protects the said accommodation chamber were provided. An electric wire with a connector (1),
The terminal (31) is
When the terminal is housed in the housing chamber (13), the end of the terminal on the electric wire side is positioned in the housing chamber,
The protective member (20)
While having an annular shape having an inner peripheral surface that is in close contact with the electric wire (Wa) and an outer peripheral surface that is in close contact with the storage chamber (13), the storage chamber ( 13)
Electric wire with connector.
(2)
In the electric wire with a connector according to the above (1),
The protective member (20) is
In at least one place in the circumferential direction in the ring shape, the protective member has a dividing portion (22) that is discontinuous.
Electric wire with connector.
(3)
In the electric wire with a connector according to (1) or (2) above,
The protective member (20) is
A first portion (25) that closes a gap between the electric wire (Wa) and the accommodating chamber (13), and extends from the first portion toward the terminal (31) and is connected to the electric wire and the terminal. A second part (26) covering at least a part of the part,
Electric wire with connector.
(4)
In the electric wire with a connector according to any one of (1) to (3) above,
The protective member (20) is
An annular projection (28) that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the protective member toward the inner wall surface of the housing chamber and circulates around the outer peripheral surface, and the radial thickness of the protective member is the electric wire side of the protective member Having at least one of a tapered shape that gradually decreases with increasing distance from the end of
Electric wire with connector.

1: Electric wire with connector 10: Connector 13: Storage chamber 20: Protection member 22: Dividing part 25: First part 26: Second part 28: Annular convex part 31: Crimp terminal (terminal)
W: Multi-core cable (electric wire)
Wa: Insulated wire (wire)

Claims (4)

A connector-equipped electric wire comprising: an electrical wire; a connector having a housing chamber that houses a terminal connected to an end of the wire; and a protective member that protects the housing chamber,
The terminal is
When the terminal is housed in the housing chamber, the terminal has an end on the wire side that is positioned in the housing chamber,
The protective member is
While having an annular shape having an inner peripheral surface that is in close contact with the electric wire and an outer peripheral surface that is in close contact with the accommodating chamber, the annular member is disposed in the accommodating chamber so as to fill a gap between the electric wire and the accommodating chamber.
Electric wire with connector. In the electric wire with a connector according to claim 1,
The protective member is
In at least one place in the circumferential direction in the ring shape, the protective member has a discontinuous portion that is discontinuous,
Electric wire with connector. In the electric wire with a connector according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The protective member is
A first portion that closes a gap between the electric wire and the storage chamber; a second portion that extends from the first portion toward the terminal and covers at least a part of a connection portion between the electric wire and the terminal; Having
Electric wire with connector. In the electric wire with a connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The protective member is
An annular projection that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the protective member toward the inner wall surface of the housing chamber and circulates around the outer peripheral surface, and a radial thickness of the protective member is an end of the protective member on the electric wire side Having at least one of a tapered shape that gradually decreases with distance from
Electric wire with connector.

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