JP5193790B2 - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector used in a vehicle or the like.

  Patent Document 1 describes “connector”. As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the connector 201 includes a female connector 205 that houses the terminal fitting 203, a male connector 209 that houses a terminal 207 that short-circuits the terminal fitting 203, a female connector 205, and a male connector 209. The seal ring 211 is provided with four ears 213 at the four locations.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the male connector 209 is fitted to the female connector 205, the terminal 207 and the terminal fitting 203 are fitted, and the seal ring 211 is compressed between the male connector 209 and the female connector 205. The ear portion 213 of the seal ring 211 is pressed against the back wall portion 217 of the female connector 205 by the cylindrical hood portion 215 of the male connector 209, thereby obtaining a vibration isolation effect between the male connector 209 and the female connector 205.
JP 2006-147242 A

  However, since the front end side plane of the hood portion 215 formed in a cylindrical shape presses the ear portion 213 of the seal ring 211, a large pressing force is required, and there is no escape area of the bent ear portion 213, and the hood portion Since 215 presses to the bent part of the ear | edge part 213, when fitting the male connector 209, the big insertion force is needed so that workability | operativity is bad.

  Further, when the male connector 209 is fitted, the lip portion 219 of the seal ring 211 is bent before the hood portion 215 presses the ear portion 213, so that an extra amount corresponding to the resistance received from the bent lip portion 219 is provided. An insertion force is required, and the insertion force is further increased.

  Further, the seal ring 211 has a complicated shape due to the provision of the ear portion 213, is expensive, and has poor workability when attached to the female connector 205.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof connector that can be easily fitted with a small insertion force and that uses a simple and low-cost seal member.

  The waterproof connector according to claim 1 includes: a connector housing that accommodates the terminal fitting with electric wires; and a cylindrical connector hood that is integrally formed so as to surround the connector housing and that forms an accommodating portion between the connector housing and the connector housing. A male connector having a female connector, a connector main body that accommodates a terminal, and a cylindrical fitting hood portion that is integrally formed so as to surround the connector main body and that fits into the accommodating portion of the female connector; A waterproof connector comprising a ring-shaped seal member sandwiched between an outer periphery of a connector housing and an inner periphery of the fitting hood portion, wherein the fitting hood portion is provided with a pressing rib, In a state where the female connector and the male connector are fitted, the pressing rib presses the end of the seal member in the fitting direction.

  Invention of Claim 2 is the waterproof connector described in Claim 1, Comprising: The said press rib is provided in multiple places corresponding to the circumferential direction of the said sealing member, Between each press rib, A seal member relief portion into which the seal member that is pressed and bent enters is provided.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the waterproof connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the pressing rib is provided with a loose rib, and the loose rib is provided in a connector housing of the female connector. And a rib guide groove for guiding in the fitting direction.

  Invention of Claim 4 is the waterproof connector in any one of Claims 1-3, Comprising: In the connector housing of the said female connector, the anti-fitting direction from the backmost part of the said accommodating part, Positioning protrusions that contact and position the seal member, a seal member mounting surface on which the seal member is mounted, and a stepped portion that contacts the pressing rib and positions the male connector are provided in this order. It is characterized by.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the waterproof connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the female connector is provided with a lock engagement hole, and the male connector is provided with the lock engagement hole. When the male connector is inserted into the housing portion of the female connector, the terminal is held in the fitted state by the locking between the locking portion and the lock locking hole. The male connector is positioned at a predetermined position.

  The waterproof connector according to the present invention is configured to press the seal member only by the tip end portion of the pressing rib provided in the fitting hood portion, so that it can be pressed with such a small pressing force and is generated by being pressed. Since the bent portion of the seal member can escape to the space around the pressing rib, unlike the conventional example, the bent portion is not pressed, so the male connector can be easily inserted into the female with a small insertion force. It becomes possible to make it fit in a connector, and workability at the time of insertion improves. Further, after the fitting, the male connector is vibrated by the repulsive force of the seal member pushed by the pressing rib.

  Further, the seal member is simple in shape because it is not necessary to provide a vibration-proof ear portion, and the rubber material to be used is reduced by the amount of the ear portion, and a seal member having a general shape is used. This can be done at a lower cost.

  Further, since the seal member does not have an ear part, it is easy to mount and has excellent workability during mounting.

  Moreover, since the rigidity of the fitting hood part (male connector) is improved by providing the pressing rib and the deformation at the time of pressing the sealing member is suppressed, the sealing performance of the sealing member is improved.

  Further, unlike the conventional example in which the seal member is pressed over the entire cylindrical plane of the hood portion 215, the present invention provided with the pressing rib for pressing the seal member requires less plastic material for the male connector, The cost is reduced accordingly.

  Further, the waterproof connector of the present invention is provided with a sealing member relief portion into which the sealing member that is pressed and bent enters, thereby reducing the amount of plastic material used and the cost.

  In the waterproof connector of the present invention, the rib guide groove of the female connector guides the loosely packed rib (pressing rib), so that the male connector is positioned with respect to the female connector (accommodating portion) and the inclination is prevented. Therefore, the male connector and the female connector can be fitted very smoothly.

  Further, according to the waterproof connector of the present invention, the sealing member is correctly positioned on the sealing member mounting surface provided in the connector housing by the positioning function of the positioning protrusion provided in the female connector, and the pressing rib ( The positioning function of the male connector) prevents the pressing rib from excessively pressing the sealing member, so that a desired sealing function is obtained.

  Further, by providing the stepped portion and the seal member mounting surface in this order in the fitting direction as described above, unlike the conventional example, the pressing rib does not bend the lip portion of the seal member during fitting. Therefore, since the resistance from the bent lip portion is not received, an increase in insertion force can be avoided.

  In the waterproof connector of the present invention, when the male connector is fitted to the female connector, the lock portion is locked in the lock locking hole, and the male connector is in a predetermined position against the repulsive force of the bent seal member. Therefore, the fitting state between the male connector and the female connector and the fitting state between both terminals are firmly maintained.

<One Embodiment>
The waterproof connector 1 (one embodiment of the present invention) will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a perspective view showing a state where the female connector 3 and the male connector 5 of the waterproof connector 1 are fitted, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the female connector 3, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the male connector 5, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the waterproof connector 1 viewed from the female connector 3 side, FIG. 6 is a rear view of the waterproof connector 1 viewed from the male connector 5 side, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 is a front view of the male connector 5 showing the pressing rib 9.

  The waterproof connector 1 includes a connector housing 13 that houses the terminal fitting 11 with electric wires, and a cylindrical connector hood 17 that is integrally formed so as to surround the connector housing 13 and that forms a housing portion 15 between the connector housing 13 and the connector housing 13. A female connector 3, a connector main body 21 that accommodates the bus bar joint terminal 19 (terminal), and a cylindrical fitting that is integrally formed so as to surround the connector main body 21 and fits into the accommodating portion 15 of the female connector 3. A male connector 5 having a hood portion 23 and a packing 7 (ring-shaped seal member) sandwiched between the outer periphery of the connector housing 13 and the inner periphery of the fitting hood portion 23; The portion 23 is provided with a pressing rib 9, and the pressing rib 9 (the tip thereof) is packed in a state where the female connector 3 and the male connector 5 are fitted. And it is configured to press the ends of the grayed 7 in the fitting direction.

  Further, the pressing ribs 9 are provided at eight places (a plurality of places) corresponding to the circumferential direction of the packing 7, and between the pressing ribs 9, bent portions 25 (FIG. 7) An escape portion 27 (sealing member escape portion: FIGS. 7 and 9) into which the product enters is provided.

  The pressing rib 9 is provided with a loose rib 29, and a rib guide groove 31 (FIG. 8) for engaging the loose rib 29 in the connector housing 13 of the female connector 3 and guiding it in the fitting direction. ) Is provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the connector housing 13 of the female connector 3 is provided with a positioning projection 33 that contacts and positions the packing 7 in the anti-fitting direction from the innermost portion of the housing portion 15, and the packing 7. The sealing member mounting surface 35 and the stepped portion 37 that contacts the pressing rib 9 and positions the male connector 5 are provided in this order.

  Further, the female connector 3 is provided with a lock engaging hole 39, and the male connector is provided with a lock portion 41 that engages with the lock engaging hole 39, and the male connector 5 is inserted into the accommodating portion 15 of the female connector 3. Then, the bus bar joint terminal 19 is fitted to the terminal fitting 11, the pressing rib 9 presses the packing 7, and the lock portion 41 is locked in the lock locking hole 39 to position the male connector 5 at a predetermined position.

  Next, the configuration and fitting of the waterproof connector 1 will be supplementarily described.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, three lip portions 43 are provided on the outer periphery of the packing 7. As described above, the packing 7 has a seal member mounting surface of the connector housing 13 (female connector 3). 35 and is positioned by the positioning projection 33.

  When the male connector 5 is inserted into the accommodating portion 15 of the female connector 3, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the loose rib 29 of the pressing rib 9 engages with the rib guide groove 31 of the connector housing 13 in the fitting direction. The bus bar joint terminal 19 is guided and short-circuited with the terminal fitting 11, the fitting hood portion 23 bends the lip portion 43 of the packing 7 to obtain a sealing property, and the pressing rib 9 is the end portion of the packing 7. , And the resulting bent portion 25 enters the escape portion 27. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the lock portion 41 engages with the lock engagement hole 39, thereby resisting the repulsive force of the bent packing 7. Then, the male connector 5 is positioned, and the female connector 3, the male connector 5, and the terminals 11 and 19 are held in the fitted state.

  The waterproof connector 1 has the following effects.

  Since the packing 7 is configured to be pressed only by the tip portion of the pressing rib 9 provided on the fitting hood portion 23 of the male connector 5, the necessary pressing force is reduced accordingly, and the packing 7 generated by being pressed is reduced. Since the bent portion 25 is not pressed by entering the escape portion 27 provided between the pressing ribs 9, the male connector 5 can be easily fitted to the female connector 3 with a small insertion force. The workability at the time of insertion is improved, and the male connector 5 is vibrated by the repulsive force of the packing 7 pressed against the pressing rib 9, so that the movement (backlash) in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIGS. To be suppressed.

  Further, unlike the conventional example, the packing 7 is simple in shape because it is not necessary to provide an anti-vibration ear portion, and the amount of rubber material used is reduced by the amount of the ear portion. Since the seal member can be used, the cost can be reduced accordingly.

  Further, since the packing 7 has no ear portion, it can be easily mounted and has excellent workability during mounting.

  Further, the provision of the pressing rib 9 improves the rigidity of the fitting hood portion 23 (male connector 5) and suppresses deformation when the packing 7 is pressed, so that the sealing performance of the packing 7 is improved.

  Further, unlike the conventional example in which the sealing member is pressed over the entire flat surface at the tip of the cylindrical member, the male connector 5 provided with the pressing rib 9 for pressing the packing 7 has a relief portion 27 (space) between the pressing ribs 9. ), The amount of plastic material used can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, the rib guide groove 31 on the female connector 3 side guides the loose rib 29 of the pressing rib 9 so that the male connector 5 is positioned with respect to the accommodating portion 15 of the female connector 3 and the inclination is prevented. Therefore, the male connector 5 and the female connector 3 can be fitted very smoothly.

  Further, the packing 7 is correctly positioned on the seal member mounting surface 35 of the connector housing 13 by the positioning function of the positioning projection 33 provided on the female connector 3, and the pressing rib 9 (male connector 5) by the stepped portion 37. This positioning function prevents the pressing rib 9 from excessively pressing the packing 7 and provides a desired sealing function.

  Further, by providing the step portion 37 and the seal member mounting surface 35 in this order in the fitting direction, unlike the conventional example, the pressing rib 9 can bend the lip portion 43 of the packing 7 during fitting. Therefore, since the resistance from the bent lip portion 43 is not received, an increase in insertion force can be avoided.

  Further, since the male connector 5 is positioned at a predetermined position against the repulsive force of the packing 7 by the engagement between the lock portion 41 and the lock engagement hole 39, the male connector 5 and the female connector 3 are fitted to each other. The state and the fitted state of the terminals 19 and 11 are each maintained firmly.

It is a perspective view which shows the state which the female connector 3 and the male connector 5 of the waterproof connector 1 fitted. 2 is a perspective view of a female connector 3. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a male connector 5. FIG. It is a perspective view of the packing 7. FIG. It is the front view which looked at the waterproof connector 1 from the female connector 3 side. It is the rear view which looked at the waterproof connector 1 from the male connector 5 side. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of FIG. 2 is a front view of a male connector 5 showing a pressing rib 9. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state before the female connector 205 and male connector 209 of the connector 201 of a prior art example fit. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the female connector 205 and male connector 209 of the connector 201 of the prior art example fitted. It is a front view of the sealing member 211 used for the prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Waterproof connector 3 Female connector 5 Male connector 7 Packing (ring-shaped sealing member)
9 Pressing rib 11 Terminal fitting with electric wire 13 Connector housing 15 Housing portion 17 Connector hood 19 Bus bar joint terminal (terminal)
21 Connector body 23 Fitting hood portion 25 Deflection portion 27 of packing 7 Relief portion (seal member relief portion)
29 Backlash rib 31 Rib guide groove 33 Positioning projection 35 Seal member mounting surface 37 Stepped portion 39 Lock locking hole 41 Lock portion

Claims (5)

A female connector having a connector housing that accommodates a terminal fitting with electric wires, and a cylindrical connector hood that is integrally formed so as to surround the connector housing and that forms an accommodating portion between the connector housing;
A male connector having a connector main body that accommodates a terminal, and a cylindrical fitting hood portion that is integrally formed so as to surround the connector main body and fits into the accommodating portion of the female connector;
A waterproof connector comprising a ring-shaped sealing member sandwiched between an outer periphery of the connector housing and an inner periphery of the fitting hood portion,
The fitting hood is provided with a pressing rib, and the pressing rib presses an end of the seal member in a fitting direction in a state where the female connector and the male connector are fitted. Waterproof connector. The waterproof connector according to claim 1,
The pressing rib is provided at a plurality of locations corresponding to the circumferential direction of the seal member, and a seal member relief portion into which the pressed and bent seal member enters is provided between the pressing ribs. Waterproof connector characterized by having The waterproof connector according to claim 1 or 2,
The pressing rib is provided with a loose rib, and the connector housing of the female connector is provided with a rib guide groove for engaging the loose rib and guiding it in the fitting direction. Waterproof connector. The waterproof connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A positioning projection that contacts and positions the seal member in a counter-fitting direction from the innermost portion of the housing portion to the connector housing of the female connector, a seal member mounting surface on which the seal member is mounted, and the press A waterproof connector in which a step portion for positioning the male connector by contacting with a rib is provided in this order. The waterproof connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The female connector is provided with a lock engagement hole, and the male connector is provided with a lock portion that engages with the lock engagement hole,
When the male connector is inserted into the housing portion of the female connector, the terminal is held in a fitted state and the male connector is positioned at a predetermined position by the locking of the lock portion and the lock locking hole. Waterproof connector featuring.

Images