JPH0529052A - Manufacture of waterproofing connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow easy insertion of a lead even when the diameter of a through-hole in 2a water-proof rubber tap, etc., in which the lead is passed is made small. CONSTITUTION:A tube 20 to fix a lead 6 in a housing hole is formed of silicon material, and the tube 20 is immersed in gasoline and swollen to enlarge the diameter of a through-hole 20a in the tube 20. The lead 6 is inserted through the enlarged through-hole 20a and then the tube 20 is dried to narrow the diameter of the through-hole 20a. In this way, the lead 6 is closely fixed in the through-hole 20a.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a waterproof connector for electrically connecting and disconnecting electronic circuits and devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 8, male and female lead wires A1 and B1 coated with an airtight insulating material are kept airtight and the male side and female of a waterproof connector AB are kept. Side housings A2, B2 for fixing the housings A2, B2 in the holes A3, B3 inserted in both the lead wires A1, B1 and the housings A2, B2 in the gap between the male side and the female side for waterproofing. Waterproof rubber stopper A4
B4 was press-fitted.

[0003]

The above-mentioned lead wires A1,
As the electronic equipment and the like are downsized, B1 is used with a smaller diameter, so that both lead wires A1, B can be used.
It has become necessary to reduce the diameters of the through holes of the waterproof rubber plugs A4 and B4 through which 1 is inserted.

However, these waterproof rubber stoppers A4 and B4
Since the mold is manufactured by molding, a pin for forming a through hole must be provided in the mold, and if the diameter of the through hole is small, the pin becomes thin and easily broken.

Further, when the waterproof rubber plugs A4 and B4 are formed by extrusion molding, it is possible to form a tube having a small through hole diameter, but it is difficult to pass the lead wire through the small through hole of the tube. Met.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and even if the diameter of a through hole such as a waterproof rubber plug through which a lead wire is inserted is reduced, the lead wire can be easily inserted. It aims at providing the manufacturing method of.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, a lead wire coated with an airtight insulating material in a hole of a housing is formed by a cylindrical fixing member. A method of manufacturing a waterproof connector in which the hole is fixed and airtight is provided, wherein the fixing member is formed of an elastic swelling material, and the fixing member is dipped in a swelling liquid to swell and pierce the fixing member. The lead wire is inserted into the through hole having the expanded diameter, and then the fixing member is dried to reduce the diameter of the through hole, and the lead wire is closely fixed in the through hole. The gist is a method of manufacturing a waterproof connector.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a waterproof connector according to the first aspect, wherein the fixing member is a silicone rubber tube.

Further, the invention of claim 3 provides a method of manufacturing a waterproof connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the insulating material is polytetrafluoroethylene.

Here, the fixing member is a tube made of, for example, silicone rubber, which has a property of swelling when immersed in mineral oil type gasoline or the like, and contracting when dried, and is made of an insulating material. Is polytetrafluoroethylene (for example, Teflon (trade name)) or the like. still,
As a method of immersing in mineral oil or the like, a method of inserting the fixing member into mineral oil, a method of spraying mineral oil, or the like can be adopted.

The housing may be made of resin or the like or rubber or the like. Further, the housing may be an integral type or may be divided into a plurality of parts, and may be formed by press-fitting a flexible rubber cylinder into a flexible resin cylinder.

[0012]

According to the present invention, the cylindrical fixing member swells with mineral oil gasoline or the like, and the lead wire coated with the airtight insulating material is inserted into the through hole widened thereby. As the fixing member dries and contracts, the lead wire is pressed and comes into close contact with the fixing member, while the fixing member is pressed into the hole of the housing and comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface thereof.

Therefore, the lead wire having the airtight coating and the fixing member are in close contact with each other, and the fixing member and the housing are in close contact with each other to maintain the airtightness, so that the lead wire is fixed in the watertight state. The connector is manufactured.

It is preferable that the fixing member is a silicone rubber tube or the insulating material is polytetrafluoroethylene because the waterproof connector can be easily manufactured.

[0015]

Next, a method for manufacturing a waterproof connector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 shows the waterproof connector 1 according to the first embodiment, and by fitting the male contact 3 of the male connector 2 and the female contact 5 of the female connector 4, the male side lead wire 6 and the female side lead wire 8 are attached. And are electrically connected.

As shown in FIG. 1, the male connector 2 has the male side lead wire 6 in the through hole 12 of the male connector shell 10.
Is fixed, and one end of the male lead wire 6 extending outward is connected to an output terminal such as a temperature sensor or an oxygen sensor (not shown).

The male side lead wire 6 has an outer diameter of 1.2 mm.
It is below (for example, 1.0 mm), and is composed of a metal wire 16 made of a stainless steel wire or a plurality of copper wires or the like for transmitting an output signal, and an insulator 18 coated on the outer circumference of the metal wire 16. There is.

The insulator 18 is made of a material such as Teflon (trade name), which is impermeable to gas and liquid and resistant to heat, and the outer periphery of the insulator 18 is made of silicon having a property of swelling with mineral oil-based gasoline or the like. The tube 20 made of rubber such as the above is in close contact with the insulator 18 in a pressed state.

Further, a cylindrical waterproof rubber plug 24 made of silicon rubber having a plurality of flanges 22 is closely fitted on the outer periphery of the tube 20. The waterproof rubber stopper 24 has a length of 7.8 mm, an outer diameter of 6.5 mm, and an inner diameter of 0.8 m.
As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and (b), the outside is three large-diameter flange portions 22a to 22c and one small-diameter flange portion 22d.
On the other hand, in the inside through hole 25, the diameter is reduced at two places. The collar portion 22 is provided on the inner peripheral surface 12a of the through hole 12 of the male connector shell 10,
It keeps airtightness by closely contacting in the pressed state.

Further, inside the through hole 12, the metal wire 1
The male contact 3 connected to 6 is a conductor made of metal and is fastened to the outer periphery of the end of the tube 20 of the male side lead wire 6. The male contact 3 is an insulator fastening portion 28 that fastens itself to the male side lead wire 6, and an electric wire fastening portion that is fastened to the outer circumference of the metal wire 16 to electrically connect the metal wire 16 and the male contact 3. 30 and female contact 5
(FIG. 3) A plate-shaped insertion portion 32 fitted in the insertion portion 32 and the insertion portion 32.
And a base 34 having a hole 36 formed in the center thereof.

The male connector shell 10 is made of resin (for example, nylon resin), and has the male side lead wire 6
Male side first outer diameter portion 38 having a small outer diameter on the side connecting the
And a male-side second outer diameter portion 40 having a large outer diameter (in which the female connector 4 (FIG. 3) is fitted).

Further, inside the male connector shell 10, there is a male-side first inner diameter portion 42 into which the collar portion 22 of the waterproof rubber plug 24 is hermetically fitted, and the male-side first inner diameter portion 42 and the step 44. The second male inner side inner diameter portion 46 having a small diameter through which the insulator fastening portion 28 of the male contact 3 is loosely fitted, the male contact holding portion 48 holding the base portion 34 of the male contact 3, and the male contact 3 The male-side third inner-diameter portion 52 in which the insertion portion 32 is disposed, and the fourth inner-diameter portion 56 having a large diameter are formed through the male-side third inner-diameter portion 52 and the step 54.

Inside the male-side third inner diameter portion 52, a protrusion 58 parallel to the insertion portion 32 of the male contact 3 is provided.
Are formed. Further, inside the male contact holding portion 48, a protrusion (not shown) that fits into the hole 36 of the male contact 3 is formed. By inserting the male contact 3 into the male connector shell 10, the male contact 3 is inserted. The protrusion fits into the hole 36 of the male connector 3 so that the male contact 3 does not come off from the male connector shell 10.

Male connector 2 of the waterproof connector 1 described above
The manufacturing method will be described with reference to FIG. First, the silicon rubber tube 20 is swollen with mineral oil-based gasoline or the like, and the through-hole 2 expanded thereby
Pass the male side lead wire 6 through 0a.

Next, the tube 20 is dried and contracted, and the tube 20 and the male side lead wire 6 are
And close contact. Then, the tube 20 is press-fitted into the through hole 25 of the waterproof rubber plug 24 to fix the tube 20 to the waterproof rubber plug 24 and to hermetically seal between the tube 20 and the waterproof rubber plug 24.

Further, the exposed metal wire 16 of the male side lead wire 6 is crimped at the wire fastening portion 30 of the male contact 3 and at the insulator fastening portion 28. The male contact 3 is inserted into the through hole 12 of the male connector shell 10 and fitted into the male contact holding portion 48 to be fixed.

At the same time, the waterproof rubber plug 24 is press-fitted into the through hole 12, and the collar portions 22a to 22d are pressure-bonded to the inner circumferences of the first and second inner diameter portions 42 and 46. As a result, the male lead wire 6 is connected to the male connector shell 1 while maintaining airtightness.
Fixed at 0.

Next, the female connector 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. Similarly to the male lead wire 6, the female lead wire 8 of the female connector 4 is also covered with an insulator 61 such as Teflon. Then, in order to fix the female-side lead wire 8 to the female connector shell 62 to make it airtight, the female-side lead wire 8 is inserted into the swelling silicone rubber tube 64 as in the male connector 2. Has been done.

A silicone rubber waterproof rubber plug 66 is fitted around the outer circumference of the tube 64, and the waterproof rubber plug 66 is press-fitted into the through hole 68 of the female connector shell 62. .

The female contact 5 held in the through hole 68 is a metallic conductor that is connected to the male contact 3 and is fastened to the outer circumference of the insulator 61 of the female side lead wire 8. The female contact 5 includes an insulator fastening portion 72 for fixing itself to the female side lead wire 8 and a metal wire 74.
A wire fastening portion 76 that is fastened to the outer periphery of the metal wire 74 to electrically connect the metal wire 74 and the female contact 5, an inserted portion 78 into which the male contact 3 is inserted, and a base portion 8 that supports the inserted portion 78.
It is composed of 0 and 0.

The female connector shell 62 is made of the same resin as the male connector shell 10, and has a female-side first outer diameter portion 82 having a small outer circumference on the side to which the female-side lead wire 8 is connected,
A female-side second outer-diameter portion 86 having a larger diameter than the female-side first outer-diameter portion 82 via the step 82 and fitted into the male-side fourth inner-diameter portion 56 of the male connector shell 10, and a female-side. The second outer diameter portion 86 has a diameter smaller than that of the second outer diameter portion 86 via the step 88, and includes a female side third outer diameter portion 90 fitted in the male side third inner diameter portion 52 of the male connector shell 10.

A groove 92 is formed in the outer peripheral intermediate portion of the female side third outer diameter portion 90, and an O-ring 94 having elasticity such as synthetic rubber is fitted on the groove 92. Also,
In the through hole 68 of the female connector shell 62, the electric wire fastening portion 76 of the female contact 5 is internally fitted, and the female side first inner diameter portion 96 that holds the base portion 80 of the female contact 5 and the female side first inner diameter portion 96. 3 The female-side second inner diameter portion 98 formed to hold the inserted portion 78 of the female contact 5 inside the outer diameter portion 90 and to fit the protrusion 58 (FIG. 1) of the male connector shell 10 therein. Are formed.

The main part of the manufacturing method using the swelling of the tube 64 of the female connector 4 is the male connector 2 described above.
The description is omitted because it is almost the same as. As mentioned above,
In this embodiment, since the silicone rubber tubes 20 and 64 are used, the male and female lead wires 6 and 8 can be easily passed through in a state of being swollen with mineral oil type gasoline and dried. In this case, the tubes 20 and 64 can press the lead wires 6 and 8 to be in close contact with each other and maintain airtightness.

Further, if the tubes 20 and 64 are used, the through holes 2 of the waterproof rubber plugs 24 and 64 fitted onto the tubes 20 and 64, respectively.
Since it is not necessary to reduce the diameter of 5, there is an advantage that the mold is less likely to be damaged when forming the waterproof rubber stopper by molding, and further, it is manufactured conventionally without using a pin with a small diameter. Since the existing pin (0.8 mmφ) can be used as it is, it is also easy to manufacture from this point.

Moreover, since the tubes 20 and 64 can be manufactured by extrusion molding,
The tubes 20 and 64 having the small through holes 20a can be easily manufactured.

Next, an experimental example using the waterproof connector 1 will be described. (Experimental example) In this experiment, the first inner diameter portion 42 of the male connector 2 is used.
The side of is put in water, and air is sent from the fourth inner diameter portion 56 to check whether or not the airtight state is maintained. The results are shown in Table 1 below. The waterproof connector 1 is 0.5
If air is not leaked by applying a pressure of up to 1.0 kg / cm ² , there is no problem in practical use.

[0037]

[Table 1]

As can be seen from this experiment, practically sufficient airtightness can be maintained in this embodiment. In the above embodiment, both connector shells 10 and 62 and the waterproof rubber plug 2 are used.
4, 66 correspond to the housing, but in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the waterproof rubber plug and the connector shell 102 are integrated to form the housing. In this case, in order to fix the lead wire 100 while keeping airtightness, it is only necessary to use the tube 104, which can be used when manufacturing a waterproof connector smaller than that of the first embodiment. The connector shell may be made of rubber instead of resin.

[0039]

According to the present invention, by swelling the fixing member to widen the through hole, it is possible to easily pass a thin lead wire through the through hole. Further, by drying and shrinking the fixing member, the lead wire and the fixing member come into close contact with each other, so that the airtightness can be sufficiently maintained.

If this fixing member is used, it is not necessary to reduce the diameter of the through hole of the waterproof rubber plug, and therefore, when the waterproof rubber plug is formed by molding, the mold corresponding to the through hole is formed. Since the pins do not have to be thin, the pins will not be broken and the manufacturing work will be very easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a male connector of a waterproof connector according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing a male connector of the waterproof connector.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a connection of a waterproof connector.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a front surface and a cross section of a waterproof rubber plug.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a female connector of a waterproof connector.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a waterproof connector of a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view showing a waterproof connector of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a connection of a conventional waterproof connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Waterproof connector 2 ... Male connector 3 ... Male contact 4 ... Female connector 5 ... Female connector 6 ... Male side lead wire 8 ... Female side lead wire 10 ... Male connector shell 18, 61 ... Insulator 20, 64, 104 ...
Tube 62 ... Female connector shell 102 ... Connector shell 100 ... Lead wire

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a waterproof connector, wherein a lead wire, the surface of which is covered with an airtight insulating material, is fixed in a hole of a housing with a cylindrical fixing member, and the hole is airtight. The fixing member is formed of a swelling material having elasticity, and the fixing member is immersed in a swelling liquid to swell and expand the diameter of the through hole of the fixing member, and the lead wire is passed through the through hole having the increased diameter. A method for manufacturing a waterproof connector, characterized in that the lead wire is inserted and then the fixing member is dried to reduce the diameter of the through hole, and the lead wire is tightly fixed in the through hole. 2. The method for manufacturing a waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is a silicone rubber tube. 3. The method for manufacturing a waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the insulating material is polytetrafluoroethylene.