阅读说明：本技术 连接器 (Connector with a locking member ) 是由 曾艮富 熊少华 陈海峻 于 2018-06-01 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种连接器,包括：连接器本体,该连接器本体包括保持器配合部,该保持器配合部具有筒状形状且具有供电线引出的开口；以及保持器,该保持器从所述开口侧配合于所述连接器本体的所述保持器配合部,使得所述保持器的外罩覆盖所述保持器配合部的外周面,其中,所述保持器配合部包括设置在内周面上以从该内周面朝向径向内侧凸出的第一锁定部,所述内周面位于所述外周面的相反侧,其中,所述保持器包括设置在所述外罩的内侧的第二锁定部,并且其中,通过使所述第二锁定部锁定于所述第一锁定部,所述保持器安装且锁定于所述连接器本体。通过该连接器,能够提高防水表面的精度和光滑度,从而提升防水性。(A connector, comprising: a connector body including a holder fitting portion having a cylindrical shape and having an opening through which the power supply line is drawn out; and a retainer fitted to the retainer fitting portion of the connector body from the opening side such that an outer cover of the retainer covers an outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion, wherein the retainer fitting portion includes a first locking portion provided on an inner peripheral surface to project from the inner peripheral surface toward a radial inside, the inner peripheral surface being on an opposite side of the outer peripheral surface, wherein the retainer includes a second locking portion provided on an inside of the outer cover, and wherein the retainer is mounted and locked to the connector body by locking the second locking portion to the first locking portion. Through this connector, can improve the precision and the smoothness of waterproof surface to promote waterproof nature.)

1. A connector, comprising:

A connector body including a holder fitting portion having a cylindrical shape and having an opening through which the power supply line is drawn out; and

a retainer fitted to the retainer fitting portion of the connector body from the opening side such that an outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion is covered by a cover of the retainer,

Wherein the retainer fitting portion includes a first locking portion provided on an inner peripheral surface thereof to project from the inner peripheral surface toward a radially inner side, the inner peripheral surface being located on an opposite side of the outer peripheral surface,

wherein the retainer includes a second locking portion provided inside the outer cover, and

Wherein the retainer is mounted and locked to the connector body by locking the second locking portion to the first locking portion.

2. The connector of claim 1, further comprising:

an annular seal portion that is tightly fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion and is provided to abut the retainer.

3. the connector according to claim 1 or 2,

The housing of the holder includes: a bottom wall covering the opening of the retainer fitting portion when the retainer is fitted with the connector body;

The first locking portion is a projection projecting from an inner peripheral surface of the holder fitting portion toward a radially inner side, the projection having a first stop surface intersecting the inner peripheral surface; and is

The second locking portion is a lance projecting from the bottom wall of the housing of the holder toward the axially inner side, the lance having a rod portion and a hook at a tip end of the rod portion, the hook having a second stopper surface to be engaged with the first stopper surface.

4. The connector of claim 3,

the first and second stop surfaces are each an inclined surface that is inclined toward the axially inner side as it extends toward the radially inner side.

5. the connector of claim 3,

the stem portion of the lance is provided with a reinforcement portion at a root portion.

6. the connector of claim 5,

The reinforcing portion is a thick portion provided at a root portion of the rod portion such that the thickness of the root portion of the rod portion is larger than the thickness of the tip portion of the rod portion.

7. The connector of claim 5,

The reinforcing part is a reinforcing rib provided at the root of the rod part.

8. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

The holder fitting portion includes a pair of flat wall portions opposed in parallel to each other, and the first locking portions are formed on an inner peripheral surface of each of the flat wall portions, respectively.

9. The connector according to any one of claims 3 to 7,

The holder is assembled from two separate shells, and in the assembled state, a protruding part through which the power supply line is inserted is formed on the bottom wall of the holder, and

The lance is closer to the convex portion with respect to a peripheral wall of the housing of the holder that covers an outer peripheral surface of the holder fitting portion.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a connector, according to which it is not necessary to additionally process a waterproof surface of a retainer fitting portion for fitting with a retainer, the waterproof property can be improved, and miniaturization can be facilitated.

Background

Conventionally, a connector includes: a connector body for accommodating a terminal connected to an electric wire, the connector body including a holder fitting portion on an electric wire lead-out side; a ring-shaped waterproof seal member tightly fitted on the outer periphery of the retainer fitting portion, whereby waterproofing of the connector can be achieved; and a retainer mounted on the retainer fitting portion of the connector body as a connector rear cover for stably retaining the electric wire connected to the terminal, while the retainer may be disposed adjacent to the waterproof seal, thereby also preventing the waterproof seal from dropping out.

In order to lock the retainer to the connector body to prevent the retainer from falling off, it is necessary to provide locking portions that can be locked to each other at positions corresponding to the retainer fitting portions of the retainer and the connector body, respectively. Conventionally, such locking is usually achieved by providing a protrusion on an outer surface of a retainer fitting portion of a connector body, and providing a catch on a housing of the retainer capable of catching on the protrusion.

Fig. 1 and 2 show a conventional such connector, which includes a connector body 100 shown in the drawings and a holder half 200 in a two-piece holder as a rear cover, which will be referred to as a holder 200 hereinafter for convenience of description. Fig. 1A is a perspective view showing the connector body 100, fig. 1B is a perspective view showing the holder 200 to be mounted to the connector body 100, and fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a mounted state of the connector body 100 and the holder 200. As shown in fig. 1A and 2, the connector body 100 includes a cover 120 and a holder fitting portion 110 on a wire lead-out side with respect to the cover 120. There is an annular space between the cover 120 and the retainer fitting portion 110, and in order to keep waterproof, a waterproof seal 300 may be inserted along the outer circumferential surface 130 of the retainer fitting portion 110 so as to be closely fitted on the outer circumferential surface 130 of the retainer fitting portion 110 and seal the annular space, so that water does not flow from the outside into the interior of the connector body 100 via the annular space.

Locking protrusions 140 protruding outward are formed on outer surfaces of upper and lower walls of the holder fitting portion 110 of the connector body 100, and a catch 210 formed on a housing of the holder 200, the catch 210 being formed in a frame form elastically deformable by cutting the housing of the holder 200. When the retainer 200 is mounted on the retainer fitting portion 110 of the connector body 100, the catch 210 of the retainer 200 is caught on the locking projection 140 of the retainer fitting portion 110 as shown in fig. 2 and is also disposed against the waterproof seal 300, whereby locking of the retainer 200 with the connector body 100 is achieved, and therefore the electric wire W can be stably held and the waterproof seal 300 can be further prevented from dropping.

The connector body 100 and the retainer 200 are generally produced by a resin molding process. According to such a conventional connector, the outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion 110 of the connector body 100 is a waterproof surface for mounting a waterproof seal, so high accuracy and smoothness are generally required. According to the conventional connector, since it is necessary to form the locking protrusion 140 on the outer peripheral surface (waterproof surface) of the holder fitting portion 110 of the connector body 100, the corresponding portion of the mold needs to be provided with a corresponding molded member which is likely to cause a processing mark at the waterproof seal mounting site 130 on the outer peripheral surface of the holder fitting portion 110 of the connector body 100; in addition, since the connector is generally mass-produced, as the mold is used over the years or worn, the molded part of the mold is likely to be changed in size, which results in a high possibility that defects such as burrs, flashes are generated on the waterproof seal mounting portion 130, and the defects such as burrs, flashes are accumulated to be larger and larger with mass production, so that the precision and smoothness of the waterproof surface are reduced, adversely affecting the waterproofness of the connector.

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, it is common practice to add a process of deburring or the like, but this undoubtedly complicates the machining and requires a high degree of precision, which is troublesome for the operator, disadvantageously increasing the labor cost and the time cost.

in addition, according to the connector of the related art, in order to secure the engagement strength of the catch 210 of the holder 200 with the locking protrusion 140 of the connector body 100, the catch 210 needs to be made thick, and accordingly, both the holder 200 and the connector body 100 fitted thereto become large in size, which increases the size of the connector as a whole, which is disadvantageous for miniaturization.

therefore, there is room for improvement in improving the waterproofness and maintaining the miniaturization for the conventional connector.

disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-described technical problems of the conventional connector, the present application proposes a connector with which the precision and smoothness of the waterproof surface of the connector can be advantageously improved, the waterproof performance is improved, without requiring additional complicated processing such as deburring on the waterproof surface of the connector, while the connector can also be kept compact as a whole.

The connector of the first aspect of the present invention comprises: a connector body including a holder fitting portion having a cylindrical shape and having an opening through which the power supply line is drawn out; and a retainer fitted to the retainer fitting portion of the connector body from the opening side such that an outer cover of the retainer covers an outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion, wherein the retainer fitting portion includes a first locking portion provided on an inner peripheral surface thereof to protrude from the inner peripheral surface toward a radial inside, the inner peripheral surface being on an opposite side of the outer peripheral surface, wherein the retainer includes a second locking portion provided on an inside of the outer cover, and wherein the retainer is mounted and locked to the connector body by locking the second locking portion to the first locking portion.

According to the connector having the above structure of the present application, the mounting and fixing of the retainer and the connector body are achieved by the locking engagement between the first locking portion of the retainer fitting portion of the connector body and the second locking portion of the retainer. The first locking portion of the retainer fitting portion of the connector body is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion, which is not a waterproof surface for mounting a waterproof seal (seal portion), so that molding defects of burrs or the like caused by the provision of the protrusion do not occur on the waterproof surface and additional processing of additional burrs or the like is not required, as compared with the structure of the conventional connector in which the protrusion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion. Therefore, the precision and smoothness of the waterproof surface can be favorably maintained, the waterproof performance of the connector can be correspondingly improved, and the process is simple and low in cost.

In addition, since the first locking portion of the retainer fitting portion of the connector body is formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof and the retainer second locking portion is provided inside the housing, the locking engagement between the connector body and the retainer is achieved by the first locking portion and the second locking portion, rather than the locking engagement by making the housing itself of the retainer into a snap as in the conventional art, it is not necessary to increase the locking engagement strength by increasing the thickness of the housing of the retainer, so that the miniaturization of the entire connector can be maintained as compared with the conventional connector. Further, since the first locking portion and the second locking portion are both formed inside, it is possible to make full use of the spaces inside the connector body and the retainer, which may be a space that is not useful in the conventional connector, and therefore, it is possible to contribute to miniaturization from this point of view as well.

Preferably, the connector further includes an annular seal portion which is tightly fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion and which is provided to abut the retainer.

According to the connector having the above structure of the present application, the annular seal portion is closely mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion, so that it is possible to prevent water from entering the connector from the outside, and the retainer is disposed to be adjacent to the seal portion, so that there is no gap in which water enters in the axial direction, the waterproof performance is improved, and the retainer can further prevent the seal portion from being accidentally disengaged.

preferably, the housing of the holder comprises: a bottom wall covering the opening of the retainer fitting portion when the retainer is fitted with the connector body; the first locking portion is a projection projecting from an inner peripheral surface of the holder fitting portion toward a radially inner side, the projection having a first stop surface intersecting the inner peripheral surface; and the second locking portion is a lance projecting from the bottom wall of the housing of the holder toward the axially inner side, the lance having a rod portion and a hook at a tip end of the rod portion, the hook having a second stopper surface to be engaged with the first stopper surface.

According to the connector of the present application having the above-described structure, the locking connection between the first locking portion of the retainer fitting portion of the connector body and the second locking portion of the retainer is the locking connection between the protrusion and the lance, and by this connection manner, molding is simple and connection reliability is high.

Preferably, the first and second stop surfaces are each an inclined surface that is inclined closer to the axially inner side as it extends closer to the radially inner side.

According to the connector of the present application having the above-described structure, the first stop surface of the first locking portion and the second stop surface of the second locking portion are both inclined surfaces, and the inclined surfaces are inclined closer to the axial inner side as they extend closer to the radial inner side, and therefore, in the locking fit connection of the first locking portion and the second locking portion, the inclined surfaces can be guided to each other, so that the insertion force can be reduced, and the fit between the inclined surfaces can also increase the contact area, so that the further prevention of disengagement of the first locking portion and the second locking portion is achieved.

Preferably, the stem portion of the lance is provided with a reinforcing portion at a root portion. The reinforcing portion may be a thick portion provided at a root portion of the shaft portion such that the thickness of the root portion of the shaft portion is greater than the thickness of the tip portion of the shaft portion; alternatively, the reinforcing portion may be a reinforcing rib provided around the root of the stem portion.

According to the connector of the present application having the above structure, since the stem portion of the lance is provided with the reinforcement portion at the root portion, the strength of the lance can be improved. The reinforcing portion of the lance may be a thick portion formed by thickening the root portion, or a reinforcing rib provided around the root portion, and the molding method is simple.

Preferably, the holder fitting portion includes a pair of flat wall portions opposed in parallel to each other, and the first locking portions are formed on an inner peripheral surface of each of the flat wall portions, respectively.

According to the connector of the present application having the above-described structure, the first locking portions are respectively formed on the inner peripheral surface of each of the flat wall portions of the holder fitting portions which are opposed in parallel to each other. This arrangement of the locking portions is simple for the manufacturing process, while also contributing to an increase in the locking holding force, preventing accidental disengagement of the connector body from the retainer.

Preferably, the holder is assembled from two separate cases, a bottom wall of the holder is formed with a convex portion through which the electric power supply line is inserted in an assembled state, and the lance is closer to the convex portion with respect to a peripheral wall of the housing of the holder that covers an outer peripheral surface of the holder fitting portion.

According to the connector of the present application having the above structure, the holder is assembled by two split cases, and in an assembled state, the bottom wall of the holder is formed with the convex portion through which the power supply line is inserted, so that the holder is convenient to mount to the connector body, and at the same time, even if the electric wire is long, the insertion of the electric wire into the convex portion is also very convenient, and the vibration of the electric wire can be prevented, while saving the cost and facilitating the miniaturization. In addition, the lance as the second locking portion is closer to the convex portion with respect to the peripheral wall of the holder, which is more advantageous in arrangement of parts and utilization of space.

hereinafter, the detailed embodiments of the present application will be described by referring to the drawings, so as to more clearly explain the structure and effects of the present invention.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an exploded view showing a connector body and a retainer of a conventional connector, in which fig. 1A is the connector body and fig. 1B is the retainer.

Fig. 2 shows an assembled state of a connector body and a retainer of a conventional connector.

Fig. 3 shows an exploded view of the connector body and retainer of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the retainer is shown in only half of a split configuration.

fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the half of the holder shown in fig. 3, seen from the outside.

Fig. 5 shows a plan view of the two holder halves combined together, as seen from the inside.

Fig. 6 shows an assembled state of the connector body and the retainer of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

fig. 7 is a sectional view of an assembled state of the connector body and the retainer of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing locking between the first locking portion of the connector body and the second locking portion of the retainer, in which the waterproof seal is not assembled.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of an assembled state of the connector body and the retainer of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing locking between the first locking portion of the connector body and the second locking portion of the retainer, in which a waterproof seal is assembled.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view only partially showing the engagement between the first locking portion and the second locking portion according to the embodiment of the present invention.

fig. 10 is a schematic view only partially showing the engagement between the first locking portion and the second locking portion according to the modification.

List of reference numerals

1 connector

10 holder

11 outer cover

111 peripheral wall

112 bottom wall

12 convex part

13 additional convex part

14 second locking part

18 inspection opening

141 stop surface (second stop surface)

20 connector body

21 retainer mating part

22 wire leading-out part

23 first locking part

231 guide surface

232 stop surface (first stop surface)

30 waterproof sealing member (sealing part)

W wire

Detailed Description

fig. 3 to 9 show a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a connector body 20 and a retainer 10 to be mounted to the connector body 20, and both the connector body 20 and the retainer 10 may be molded from a resin material. The interior of the connector body 20 includes a terminal accommodating chamber in which a terminal connected to the electric wire W can be accommodated, and the connector body 20 can be mated with a counterpart connector body so that the terminal accommodated in the connector body 20 is electrically connected with the terminal accommodated in the counterpart connector body.

Note that "axial direction" referred to herein is an axial direction of the connector body 20 or an axial direction of the retainer 10, parallel to a fitting direction of the connector body with the counterpart connector. The "axially outer side" refers to a wire lead-out side in the axial direction, and the "axially inner side" refers to a side opposite to the "axially outer side" in the axial direction. "radial" is a direction perpendicular to the "axial" direction.

according to an embodiment of the invention, the holder 10 is embodied in a split construction, in other words the holder 10 is formed from two identical halves. Since the two halves are identical, only one half of the holder 10 is shown in fig. 3. In the present embodiment, the effect of employing the split type retainer is not only to facilitate the mounting to the connector body 20, but also to easily mount the retainer at the corresponding portion of the electric wire by assembling only the two halves even if the electric wire W is long, improving the assembling workability of the electric wire. Of course, the split structure is only an example, and it may be a single structure. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the holder 10 described later in the embodiment of the present invention refers to one half of the holder shown in fig. 3, if not specifically described.

One end side (left side in fig. 3) of the connector body 20 includes an open holder fitting portion 21, and the holder 10 can be fitted on the holder fitting portion 21. The other end side of the connector body 20 opposite to the one end side is also opened for insertion of a mating connector body. As shown in fig. 3, the retainer fitting portion 21 of the connector body 20 may have a cylindrical shape following the housing of the connector body 20, and a size in a radial direction is smaller than that of the housing of the connector body 20, so that an annular space may be formed between the retainer fitting portion 21 and the housing of the connector body 20, in which a waterproof seal 30 described later may be inserted. The holder fitting portion 21 has a circular wire lead-out portion 22 for leading out the wire W connected to the terminal as shown in the drawing. In fig. 3, the wire drawing parts 22 are two arranged side by side, but this is not limitative, and the number and arrangement of the wire drawing parts 22 may be provided corresponding to the terminals according to actual needs.

Fig. 3 and 4 show perspective views of the holder 10 as viewed from the inside and the outside, respectively. Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of the two halves of the split retainer assembled together, as viewed from the inside. As shown in fig. 3 to 6, the holder 10 has a semi-cylindrical housing 11, and the housing 11 has: a peripheral wall 111 that is to cover an outer peripheral surface of the holder fitting portion 21 of the connector body 20; and a bottom wall 112 standing radially inward from the peripheral wall 111 so as to cover the opening of the holder fitting portion 21 of the connector body 20.

in the bottom wall 112 of the housing 11, semicircular convex portions 12 protruding outward and inward from the bottom wall 112 are formed at positions corresponding to the wire drawing portions 22 of the connector body 20. When the retainer 10 is mounted on the retainer fitting portion 21 of the connector body 20, the convex portion 12 is inserted inside the wire lead-out portion 22, so that the convex portion 12 can provide a fixing force to the connector body 20, and fixing reliability between the retainer and the connector body can be enhanced. Further, since the convex portion 12 is present, the contact area between the wire W and the retainer 10 increases, and the holding force of the wire increases.

As shown in fig. 3, the retainer 10 may include at least one additional protrusion 13 in addition to the protrusion 12, and the number of the additional protrusions 13 is two in the present embodiment as an example. The additional projection 13 is provided apart from the projection 12 in the middle of the two projections 12 shown in the figure, and extends upright inward in the shape of a column from the bottom wall 112 of the retainer 10. When the retainer 10 is fixed to the connector body 20, the wire lead-out portion 22 of the connector body 20 is sandwiched between the convex portion 12 and the additional convex portion 13, so that the wire lead-out portion 22 of the connector body 20 is also fitted (clearance fitted) with the additional convex portion 13, whereby the fixing force to the wire lead-out portion 22 of the connector body 20 can be further enhanced.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, on the inner peripheral surface of the holder fitting portion 21 of the connector body 20 opposite to the outer peripheral surface, two first locking portions 23 in the form of protrusions protruding from the inner peripheral surface toward the radially inner side are formed, as shown in fig. 7. The formation position of the first locking portion 23 may be appropriately selected depending on the internal space, and is usually formed on the inner surfaces of a pair of flat wall portions (upper and lower side wall portions in the drawing) of the holder fitting portion 21 opposed in parallel to each other in consideration of molding convenience. The number of the first locking portions 23 may also be appropriately selected according to the internal space, and is not limited to two.

The first locking portion 23 of the connector body 20 has a guide surface 231 and a stopper surface 232 in the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the connector body. The guide surface 231 near the opening side is an inclined surface which is inclined toward the axial inner side as it extends toward the radial inner side as shown in fig. 7 to 9, thereby being capable of playing a guiding role to contribute to reduction of the insertion force when the second locking portion 14 of the retainer 10 is inserted.

A lance-shaped second locking portion 14 projecting from the bottom wall 112 toward the axial inside is formed on the bottom wall 112 of the housing 11 of the holder 10. The second locking portion 14 has a lever portion and a hook at the tip of the lever portion, the hook having a stopper surface (second stopper surface) 141 that engages with a stopper surface (first stopper surface) 232 of the first locking portion 23. As shown in fig. 7 to 9, the shaft portion of the second locking portion 14 is formed with a thick portion at the root portion so that the thickness of the root portion of the shaft portion is larger than the thickness of the tip portion of the shaft portion, thereby making it possible to reinforce the strength of the second locking portion 14. Further, a rod portion having a uniform thickness may be provided, and reinforcing ribs may be provided around the rod portion to reinforce the strength of the second locking portion 14.

On the bottom wall 112 of the housing 11 of the holder 10, the position where the lance of the second locking portion 14 is provided may be closer to the convex portion 12 with respect to the peripheral wall 111 of the housing 11 of the holder 10. This is because, in actual use, the size of the holder 10 is limited, the distance between the peripheral wall 111 and the convex portion 12 is also limited, and disposing the second locking portion 14 closer to the convex portion 12 enables more favorable use of space and arrangement of components while maintaining the locking strength of the first and second locking portions. The arrangement position of the corresponding first locking portion 23 of the connector body 20 can be set appropriately according to the arrangement position of the second locking portion 14 of the holder 10.

when the retainer 10 is mounted on the retainer fitting portion 21 of the connector body 20, the second locking portion 14 of the retainer 10 abuts against the guide surface 231 of the first locking portion 23 of the connector body 20 with insertion. Upon further insertion of the retainer 10, the lever portions of the second locking portions 14 are elastically deformed radially inward and slide along the inclined guide surfaces 231. When the hook of the distal end portion of the lever portion of the second locking portion 14 passes over the first locking portion 23, the lever portion of the second locking portion 14 is elastically restored, and the stopper surface 141 of the hook of the second locking portion 14 is engaged with the stopper surface 232 of the first locking portion 23.

In addition, as shown in fig. 4 and 7, according to the embodiment of the present invention, on the bottom wall 112 of the housing 11 of the holder 10, the inspection opening 18 may be provided at a position corresponding to the position where the second locking portion 14 is provided. By inserting the jig through the inspection opening 18, it can be determined whether or not the first locking portion 23 and the second locking portion 14 have been correctly engaged.

As shown in fig. 8, in the use state of the connector, the ring-shaped waterproof seal 30 is inserted along the outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion 21 of the connector body 20 and is tightly fitted at an appropriate position on the outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion 21 of the connector body 20, and the retainer 10 and the waterproof seal 30 can be disposed in abutment, so that the waterproof seal 30 can be prevented from being detached, and the waterproofness can also be improved.

As is apparent from the above description, according to the connector of the embodiment of the present invention, the mounting fixation of the holder 10 and the connector body 20 is achieved by the locking engagement between the first locking portion 23 provided inside the holder fitting portion 21 of the connector body 20 and the second locking portion 14 provided inside the holder 10. The first locking portion 23 of the holder fitting portion 21 of the connector body 20 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the holder fitting portion 21, which is not a waterproof surface for mounting the waterproof seal (seal portion) 30, so that molding defects of burrs or the like caused by the provision of the protrusion do not occur on the waterproof surface and additional processing of additional burrs or the like is not required, as compared with the structure of the conventional connector in which the protrusion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the holder fitting portion. Therefore, the precision and smoothness of the waterproof surface can be favorably maintained, the waterproof performance of the connector can be correspondingly improved, and the process is simple and low in cost.

In addition, since the first locking portions 23 of the holder fitting portions 21 of the connector body 20 are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the holder fitting portions 21 and the second locking portions 14 of the holder 10 are provided inside the housing 11 of the holder 10, the locking engagement between the connector body and the holder is achieved by the first locking portions 23 and the second locking portions 14, rather than the locking engagement by making the housing itself of the holder into a snap as in the conventional art, it is not necessary to increase the locking engagement strength by increasing the thickness of the housing of the holder, so that the miniaturization of the connector as a whole can be maintained as compared with the conventional connector. Further, since the first locking portion and the second locking portion are both formed inside, it is possible to make full use of the spaces inside the connector body and the retainer, which may be a space that is not useful in the conventional connector, and therefore, it is possible to contribute to miniaturization from this point of view as well.

(modification example)

Fig. 10 is a schematic view only partially showing the engagement between the first locking portion and the second locking portion according to the modification. The difference from the first locking portion 23 and the second locking portion 14 in the embodiment of the invention shown in fig. 9 is that, instead of the stopper surfaces 232 and 141 projecting substantially perpendicularly in fig. 9, the stopper surfaces 232 'and 141' in the modification are projecting obliquely, each being inclined closer to the axially inner side as it extends closer to the radially inner side.

According to such obliquely arranged stopper surfaces 232 'and 141' of the modified example, during the locking fitting connection of the first locking part with the second locking part, the obliquely arranged stopper surfaces 232 'and 141' can be guided to each other, so that the insertion force can be reduced, and the fitting between the obliquely arranged stopper surfaces 232 'and 141' can also increase the contact area, so that further prevention of disengagement of the first locking part from the second locking part can be achieved.

Above, the embodiments of the present application have been described in detail, but it should be understood that it is not restrictive, and the structures of the respective components of the present invention can be appropriately modified as needed as long as they can achieve the corresponding functions. For example, in the embodiment of the present invention, the first locking portion and the second locking portion employ the engagement between the protrusion and the protrusion, but the first locking portion and the second locking portion are not limited to the form of being both the protrusion, and may also employ the engagement such as the engagement between the protrusion and the hole, the engagement between the protrusion and the catch, and the like.

Hereinafter, the features of the embodiment of the connector according to the present invention will be briefly summarized in the following [1] to [9].

[1] A connector (1) comprising:

A connector body (20) that includes a holder fitting portion (21), the holder fitting portion (21) having a cylindrical shape and having an opening through which a power supply line (W) is drawn; and

A retainer (10) that is fitted to the retainer fitting portion (21) of the connector body (20) from the opening side so that an outer cover (11) of the retainer (10) covers an outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion (21),

Wherein the holder fitting portion (21) includes a first locking portion (23) provided on an inner peripheral surface thereof on an opposite side of the outer peripheral surface to project from the inner peripheral surface toward a radially inner side,

Wherein the retainer (10) includes a second locking portion (14) provided inside the outer cover (11), and

Wherein the retainer (10) is mounted and locked to the connector body (20) by locking the second locking portion (14) to the first locking portion (23).

[2] The connector (1) according to [1], further comprising:

an annular seal portion (30), the seal portion (30) being tightly fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion (21), and the seal portion (30) being provided so as to be adjacent to the retainer (10).

[3] the connector (1) according to [1] or [2], wherein,

The housing (11) of the holder (10) comprises: a bottom wall covering the opening of the holder fitting portion (21) when the holder (10) is fitted to the connector body (20);

The first locking portion (23) is a projection projecting toward a radially inner side from an inner peripheral surface of the holder fitting portion (21), the projection having a first stopper surface (232) intersecting the inner peripheral surface; and is

The second locking portion (14) is a lance projecting toward the axially inner side from the bottom wall (112) of the housing (11) of the holder (10), and has a rod portion and a hook at a tip end thereof, the hook having a second stopper surface (141) to be engaged with the first stopper surface (232).

[4] The connector (1) according to [3], wherein,

The first stop surface (232) and the second stop surface (141) are each an inclined surface that is inclined toward the axially inner side as it extends toward the radially inner side.

[5] The connector (1) according to [3], wherein,

the stem portion of the lance is provided with a reinforcement portion at a root portion.

[6] The connector (1) according to [5], wherein,

The reinforcing portion is a thick portion provided at a root portion of the rod portion such that the thickness of the root portion of the rod portion is larger than the thickness of the tip portion of the rod portion.

[7] The connector (1) according to [5], wherein,

the reinforcing part is a reinforcing rib provided at the root of the rod part.

[8] The connector (1) according to any one of [1] to [7], wherein,

the holder fitting portion (21) includes a pair of flat wall portions opposed in parallel to each other, and the first locking portions (23) are formed on an inner peripheral surface of each of the flat wall portions, respectively.

[9] The connector according to [3] to [7], wherein,

The holder (10) is assembled from two separate shells, and in the assembled state, a protruding portion (12) through which a power supply line (W) is inserted is formed on a bottom wall (112) of the holder (10), and

The lance is closer to the convex portion (12) with respect to a peripheral wall (111) of the outer cover (11) of the retainer (10) that covers an outer peripheral surface of the retainer fitting portion (21).