阅读说明：本技术 连接器 (Connector with a locking member ) 是由 西岛诚道 于 2020-04-22 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开提供组装性和防水性均良好的连接器。连接器(11)具备：壳体(13),具有筒状的电线插入部(17),电线插入部(17)形成为插入有电线构件(12)的一部分；筒状的橡胶密封件(19),夹在电线插入部(17)的内表面与电线构件(12)的外表面之间；以及保持体(20),夹在电线插入部(17)的内表面与电线构件(12)的外表面之间,并且固定于电线插入部(17),限制橡胶密封件(19)脱落。在橡胶密封件(19)形成有从一端面凹设、将自身的贯穿孔(19a)包围的形状的环状凹部(19b),在保持体(20)设置有嵌插到环状凹部(19b)的嵌插筒部(20a)。(The present disclosure provides a connector excellent in both assemblability and waterproofness. A connector (11) is provided with: a housing (13) having a cylindrical wire insertion section (17), the wire insertion section (17) being formed so as to insert a part of the wire member (12); a cylindrical rubber seal (19) sandwiched between the inner surface of the wire insertion section (17) and the outer surface of the wire member (12); and a holding body (20) that is sandwiched between the inner surface of the wire insertion section (17) and the outer surface of the wire member (12), is fixed to the wire insertion section (17), and restricts the rubber seal (19) from coming off. An annular recess (19b) is formed in the rubber seal (19) so as to be recessed from one end surface and to surround the through hole (19a) of the rubber seal, and an insertion tube section (20a) to be inserted into the annular recess (19b) is provided in the holding body (20).)

1. A connector is provided with:

a housing having a cylindrical wire insertion portion formed in a state in which a part of a wire member is inserted;

a cylindrical rubber seal member sandwiched between an inner surface of the wire insertion portion and an outer surface of the wire member; and

a holding body that is sandwiched between an inner surface of the wire insertion portion and an outer surface of the wire member and is fixed to the wire insertion portion to restrict the rubber seal from coming off,

the rubber seal is formed with an annular recess having a shape recessed from one end surface and surrounding a through-hole of the rubber seal,

the holder is provided with an insertion tube portion to be inserted into the annular recess.

2. The connector of claim 1,

the length of the holding body contacting the wire insertion portion is set to be equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the holding body.

3. The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2,

the depth of the annular recess is set to be at least half of the length of the rubber seal.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to connectors.

Background

Conventionally, there is a connector provided with a housing having a cylindrical wire insertion portion in which a part of a wire member is inserted (see, for example, patent document 1). The connector includes: a cylindrical rubber seal member sandwiched between an inner surface of the wire insertion portion and an outer surface of the wire member; and a holding body which is mounted on the opening of the wire insertion part and limits the falling of the rubber seal, and the connector can prevent liquid from entering into the connector along the wire member exposed to the outside.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2018-55833

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, the above-described connector may increase the distance between the wire insertion portion and the wire member. Specifically, for example, in the case where a housing having the same product number is used as a common component so as to correspond to a thick wire member and also to correspond to a thin wire member, when a thin wire member is used, the interval between the wire insertion portion and the wire member may become large. In such a case, the thickness of the rubber seal provided in the entire gap between the wire insertion portion and the wire member becomes thick, and therefore it is difficult to improve the waterproofness between the wire member and the rubber seal and to improve the assemblability of the rubber seal to the wire insertion portion. That is, if a rubber seal having a compression ratio equivalent to that of a rubber seal in the case of using a thick wire member is used, the outer diameter of the rubber seal may become too large, and the assembling property when the rubber seal is inserted into the wire insertion portion may be deteriorated.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a connector having excellent assemblability and waterproofness.

Means for solving the problems

The disclosed connector is provided with: a housing having a cylindrical wire insertion portion formed in a state in which a part of a wire member is inserted; a cylindrical rubber seal member sandwiched between an inner surface of the wire insertion portion and an outer surface of the wire member; and a holding body that is sandwiched between an inner surface of the wire insertion portion and an outer surface of the wire member, is fixed to the wire insertion portion, and restricts the rubber seal from dropping off, wherein an annular recess is formed in the rubber seal in a shape that is recessed from one end surface and surrounds a through hole of the rubber seal, and the holding body is provided with an insertion tube portion that is inserted into the annular recess.

Effects of the invention

According to the connector of the present disclosure, both the assemblability and the waterproof property can be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a connector in an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a connector in an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of a connector in one embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a connector in one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a connector in one embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a partial sectional view of a connector employing a thick wire member.

Detailed Description

[ description of embodiments of the present disclosure ]

First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

The connector of the present disclosure is provided with a connector,

[1] the disclosed device is provided with: a housing having a cylindrical wire insertion portion formed in a state in which a part of a wire member is inserted; a cylindrical rubber seal member sandwiched between an inner surface of the wire insertion portion and an outer surface of the wire member; and a holding body that is sandwiched between an inner surface of the wire insertion portion and an outer surface of the wire member, is fixed to the wire insertion portion, and restricts the rubber seal from dropping off, wherein an annular recess is formed in the rubber seal in a shape that is recessed from one end surface and surrounds a through hole of the rubber seal, and the holding body is provided with an insertion tube portion that is inserted into the annular recess.

According to this configuration, since the annular recess that is recessed from the one end surface and has a shape that surrounds the through hole of the rubber seal is formed in the rubber seal, and the insertion tube portion that is inserted into the annular recess is provided in the holding body, even when the distance between the wire insertion portion and the wire member is large, the ease of assembly of the rubber seal into the wire insertion portion can be improved, and the waterproof property between the wire member and the rubber seal can be improved. That is, in the case where the distance between the wire insertion portion and the wire member is large and the rubber seal is uniformly provided over the entire gap, the rubber seal becomes thick, and it is difficult to improve both the assembling property and the waterproof property. In addition, the housing having this structure can be used as a common component even when the wire member is thick. That is, in the case of using a thick wire member, the distance between the wire insertion portion and the wire member is reduced, and the rubber seal does not become thick even if the rubber seal is provided over the entire gap, so that the assemblability and the waterproof property can be improved.

[2] Preferably, a length of the holding body contacting the wire insertion portion is set to be equal to or greater than an inner diameter of the holding body.

According to this configuration, since the length of the holding body contacting the wire insertion portion is set to be equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the holding body, that is, equal to or greater than the diameter of the wire member passing through the holding body, the force generated when the wire member is bent is mainly received by the holding body outside the wire insertion portion, and it can be made difficult to transmit the force to the rubber seal. Therefore, deformation of the rubber seal can be suppressed, and waterproofness between the wire member and the rubber seal can be improved.

[3] Preferably, the depth of the annular recess is set to be at least half of the length of the rubber seal.

According to this configuration, since the depth of the annular recess is set to be equal to or greater than half the length of the rubber seal, the thicknesses of the rubber seal inside and outside the insertion tube portion can be set within a range of equal to or greater than half the length of the rubber seal. In this case, the assembling property and the waterproof property can be improved as compared with a case where the thicknesses of the rubber seals inside and outside the insertion tube portion are set in a range smaller than half the length of the rubber seal.

[ details of embodiments of the present disclosure ]

Specific examples of the connector of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

As shown in fig. 1, the connector 11 is fitted in the mating connector 10 in the height direction, and the mating connector 10 is provided in an electrical device such as an inverter, not shown, mounted in a vehicle. The connector 11 is used to hold the wire member 12 held by the connector 11 so as to be electrically connected to the terminal of the mating connector 10.

As shown in fig. 2, the connector 11 includes a housing 13, a1 st cover 14 provided to cover an outer surface of the housing 13, and a2 nd cover 15. The housing 13 is made of a resin material. The 1 st cover 14 and the 2 nd cover 15 are made of a metal material and function as electromagnetic shields.

The housing 13 includes a main body 16 and a wire insertion portion 17 extending from the main body 16 in a direction perpendicular to the height direction. The wire insertion portion 17 is formed in a cylindrical shape, is open in a direction orthogonal to the height direction, and is formed in a state where the distal end portion of the wire member 12 is inserted. The wire insertion portions 17 of the present embodiment are cylindrical, and a pair thereof are arranged in parallel at the same height. A lower housing 18 fitted to the mating connector 10 is fixed to a lower portion of the housing 13 in the height direction of the body portion 16. The wire member 12 includes a core wire 12a such as a conductive metal wire and an insulating coating portion 12b (see fig. 4 and 5) that coats an outer periphery of the core wire 12 a. A female terminal 12c electrically connected to the terminal of the mating connector 10 is fixed to a distal end portion of the core wire 12a exposed from the insulating cover 12 b.

As shown in fig. 3 to 5, the connector 11 includes a rubber seal 19 and a holding body 20. The rubber packing 19 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is sandwiched between the inner surface of the wire insertion portion 17 and the outer surface of the wire member 12. The holding body 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape, is sandwiched between the inner surface of the wire insertion portion 17 and the outer surface of the wire member 12, is fixed to the wire insertion portion 17, and restricts the rubber packing 19 from falling off from the wire insertion portion 17.

An annular recess 19b is formed in the rubber seal 19, and the annular recess 19b is recessed from one end surface of the rubber seal 19 and has a shape surrounding the through-hole 19a of the rubber seal 19. The holder 20 is provided with an insertion tube portion 20a inserted into the annular recess 19 b.

Specifically, the rubber seal 19 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a through hole 19a at the center thereof, and an annular recess 19b surrounding the through hole 19a is formed at one end surface in the penetrating direction of the through hole 19 a. As shown in fig. 5, the depth L1 of the annular recess 19b is equal to or more than half the length L2 of the rubber seal 19, and in the present embodiment, is equal to or more than 3/4 of the length L2 of the rubber seal 19.

As shown in fig. 3, the holding body 20 is formed by combining a pair of holding body members 21 each divided into 180 degrees. As shown in fig. 5, the length L3 of the holding body 20 in contact with the wire insertion portion 17 is set to be equal to or greater than the inner diameter a1 of the holding body 20, in other words, equal to or greater than the diameter a2 of the wire member 12 passing through the holding body 20. In addition, the wire member 12 of the present embodiment is a wire member having a diameter a2 of 18 mm. An insertion tube portion 20a is formed in the holder 20, and the insertion tube portion 20a is formed in a shape corresponding to the annular recess 19b, is fitted into the annular recess 19b, and is fitted into the annular recess 19b with substantially no gap. The insertion tube portion 20a is formed in a divided manner in the pair of holding member members 21. As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the retaining body 20 is formed with an engaging projection 20b that is elastically deformable in the radial direction and projects outward in the radial direction. The locking projections 20b are formed for each holding member 21, and a pair of locking projections 20b are provided at an interval of 180 degrees on the holding member 20 combined with the pair of holding members 21. When the holding body 20 is inserted into the wire insertion portion 17, the holding body is fixed to the wire insertion portion 17 by fitting and inserting the locking protrusion 20b into the locking hole 17a formed in the wire insertion portion 17. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a portion corresponding to the locking projection 20b, and fig. 5 is a sectional view of a portion where the locking projection 20b is not provided.

Next, the procedure of assembling the connector 11 and the wire member 12 configured as described above and the operation thereof will be described.

As shown in fig. 2, first, the wire member 12 is assembled with the rubber packing 19 and the holding body 20, and the distal end side of the wire member 12 is inserted into the wire insertion portion 17. At this time, as shown in fig. 4, the rubber seal 19 is press-fitted into the wire insertion portion 17, and the holding body 20 is fixed to the wire insertion portion 17 by engaging and locking the engaging protrusion 20b in the engaging hole 17 a.

A lower case 18 is assembled below the body portion 16 of the case 13. The 1 st cover 14 is covered from above on the main body portion 16 of the housing 13, the 2 nd cover 15 is covered on the electric wire insertion portion 17 of the housing 13, and the 2 nd cover 15 is fixed to the 1 st cover 14 with screws 22.

The connector 11 assembled as described above is fitted from above to a mating connector 10 provided in an electrical device such as an inverter, and is fixed to the electrical device by a screw 23 that is screwed into the electrical device through the 1 st cover 14. In addition, a cap 24 is covered on the head of the screw 23. The connector 11 of the present embodiment is configured to be fitted and assembled with the mating connector 10 from above, but is not limited to this, and may be configured to be changed to any assembly type such as a direct fitting type or a bolt fastening type.

Next, the effects of the above embodiment are described below.

(1) The rubber seal 19 is formed with an annular recess 19b recessed from one end surface thereof and having a shape surrounding the through hole 19a of the rubber seal 19, and the holder 20 is provided with an insertion tube portion 20a inserted into the annular recess 19 b. Therefore, even when the distance between the wire insertion portion 17 and the wire member 12 is large, the assembling property of the rubber packing 19 to the wire insertion portion 17 can be improved, and the waterproof property between the wire member 12 and the rubber packing 19 can be improved. That is, when the distance between the wire insertion portion 17 and the wire member 12 is large and a rubber seal having no annular recess 19b is provided over the entire gap, the rubber seal becomes thick, and it is difficult to improve both the assemblability and the waterproof property. In contrast, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the thickness of the rubber seal 19 can be optimally set inside and outside the insertion tube portion 20a of the retainer 20, and therefore, the assembling property and the waterproof property can be both improved. In addition, the housing 13 of the present embodiment can be used as a common component even when the wire member 12 is thick. That is, as shown in fig. 6, in the case of using the thick wire member 31, the distance between the wire insertion portion 17 and the wire member 31 becomes small, and even if the rubber seal 32 is provided over the entire gap and the holding body 33 having no fitting cylinder portion 20a is formed, the rubber seal 32 does not become thick, so that the assembling property and the waterproof property can be both improved. In other words, the housing 13 can be assembled and waterproofed well even when the housing 13 having the same product number is used as a common component to correspond to the thick wire member 31 and also to correspond to the thin wire member 12.

(2) Since the length L3 of the holding body 20 in contact with the wire insertion portion 17 is set to be equal to or greater than the inner diameter a1 of the holding body 20, that is, equal to or greater than the diameter a2 of the wire member 12 passing through the holding body 20, as shown in fig. 5, the force generated when the wire member 12 bends is mainly received by the holding body 20 outside the wire insertion portion 17, and can be made difficult to transmit to the rubber seal 19. Therefore, deformation of the rubber seal 19 can be suppressed, and the waterproof property between the wire member 12 and the rubber seal 19 can be improved.

(3) Since the depth L1 of the annular recess 19b is set to be equal to or more than half the length L2 of the rubber seal 19, the thickness of the rubber seal 19 inside and outside the insertion tube portion 20a can be set within a range of equal to or more than half the length L2 of the rubber seal 19. In this case, the assembling property and the waterproof property can be improved more than in the case where the thicknesses of the rubber seal 19 inside and outside the insertion tube portion 20a are set in a range smaller than half the length of the rubber seal 19. In the present embodiment, the depth L1 of the annular recess 19b is set to be equal to or greater than 3/4 of the length L2 of the rubber seal 19, and therefore both the assemblability and the waterproof property can be further improved.

As shown in fig. 4, the rubber seal 19 can have: an elastic inner tube 19c defining a through hole 19 a; an elastic outer tube 19d provided radially outside the elastic inner tube 19 c; and a bottom wall or annular wall 19e connecting the elastic inner tube 19c and the elastic outer tube 19d in the radial direction. An annular gap defined between the elastic inner tube 19c and the elastic outer tube 19d of the rubber seal 19 constitutes an annular recess 19 b. Since the annular recess 19b facilitates elastic deformation of the rubber seal 19, the rubber seal 19 can be easily assembled to the wire insertion portion 17. In addition, the thickness of the elastic inner tube 19c, the thickness of the elastic outer tube 19d, and the radial dimension of the annular wall 19e can be independently set. For example, the radial dimensions of the elastic inner cylinder 19c, the elastic outer cylinder 19d, and the annular wall 19e can be independently set according to the outer diameter of the wire member 12 and/or according to the inner diameter of the wire insertion portion 17 of the housing 13.

As shown in fig. 4, the electric wire insertion portion 17 of the housing 13 can have a stopper surface or step 17b that faces or contacts the annular wall 19e of the rubber seal 19 in the axial direction. The step 17b prevents liquid such as water in the rubber seal 19 from entering the housing 13 through the step 17 b.

The elastic inner tube 19c and the elastic outer tube 19d of the rubber seal 19 can be in close contact with the insertion tube portion 20a of the holding body 20 over the entire circumference thereof. The outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube portion 20a of the holding body 20 may be smooth surfaces, and the outer peripheral surface of the elastic inner tube 19c and the inner peripheral surface of the elastic outer tube 19d of the rubber seal 19 may be smooth surfaces. This structure facilitates the continuous ground contact of the rubber seal 19 and the holding body 20 with the axial length. In one example, the work of inserting the holding body 20 into the rubber seal 19 is facilitated. In addition, in a specific example, the work of attaching the rubber packing 19 and the holding body 20 to the wire insertion portion 17 is facilitated. For example, the work of inserting a part or the whole of the rubber seal 19 into the wire insertion portion 17 and then inserting the insertion tube portion 20a of the holding body 20 into the annular recess 19b of the rubber seal 19 is facilitated.

This embodiment can be modified as follows. The present embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within a range not technically contradictory to each other.

In the above embodiment, the length L3 of the holding body 20 in contact with the wire insertion portion 17 is set to be equal to or larger than the inner diameter a1 of the holding body 20, that is, equal to or larger than the diameter a2 of the wire member 12 passing through the holding body 20, but is not limited thereto, and may be set to be smaller than the inner diameter a1 of the holding body 20, that is, smaller than the diameter a2 of the wire member 12.

In the above embodiment, the depth L1 of the annular recess 19b is set to be equal to or greater than 3/4 of the length L2 of the rubber seal 19, but is not limited to this, and may be set to be equal to or greater than half the length L2 of the rubber seal 19 and smaller than 3/4 of the length L2 of the rubber seal 19, or may be set to be smaller than half the length L2 of the rubber seal 19.

In the above embodiment, the wire insertion portion 17 is formed in a cylindrical shape, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed in another cylindrical shape such as a square cylindrical shape. In this case, too, the outer shape of the rubber seal 19 preferably corresponds to the shape of the wire insertion portion.

In the above embodiment, the annular concave portion 19b and the insertion tube portion 20a are formed in a circular shape, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be formed in another annular shape such as a square shape.

In the above embodiment, the holding body 20 is configured by combining the pair of holding body members 21 each divided into 180 degrees, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a single holding body may be used, or three or more holding bodies may be combined.

In the above embodiment, the rubber seal 19 is formed in a cylindrical shape by a single member, but is not limited thereto, and may be a rubber seal configured by combining two or more members, for example.

In the above embodiment, the holding body 20 is fixed to the wire insertion portion 17 by the locking protrusion 20b being fitted into and locked to the locking hole 17a of the wire insertion portion 17, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a holding body fixed to the wire insertion portion 17 by a structure other than the locking protrusion 20b may be used.

The connector 11 of the above embodiment includes the pair of wire insertion portions 17, but is not limited to this, and the connector 11 may include only one wire insertion portion 17, or may include three or more wire insertion portions 17, for example.

The wire insertion portion 17 of the housing 13 of the embodiment is an example of a cylindrical wire lead-out port. The rubber seal 19 of the embodiment is an example of an elastic sealing plug. The holder 20 of the embodiment is an example of a plug holder configured to prevent the elastic sealing plug from falling off from the cylindrical wire outlet. The fitting cylindrical portion 20a of the embodiment is an example of a cylindrical protrusion of the holding body 20.

The present disclosure includes the following embodiments. Reference numerals are used for some components of the illustrated embodiments, and are not intended to limit the embodiments. Some of the items described in the following mounting examples may be omitted, or some of the items described in the mounting examples may be selected or extracted and combined.

The wire insertion portion 17 of the housing 13 of the embodiment is an example of a cylindrical wire lead-out port. The rubber seal 19 of the embodiment is an example of an elastic sealing plug. The holder 20 of the embodiment is an example of a plug holder configured to prevent the elastic sealing plug from falling off from the cylindrical wire outlet. The fitting cylindrical portion 20a of the embodiment is an example of a cylindrical protrusion of the holding body 20.

The present disclosure includes the following embodiments. Reference numerals are used for some components of the illustrated embodiments, and are not intended to limit the embodiments. Some of the items described in the following mounting examples may be omitted, or some of the items described in the mounting examples may be selected or extracted and combined.

[ additional note 1] the connector (11) according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include:

a connector housing (13) having a cylindrical wire outlet port (17);

an electric wire (12) led out from the cylindrical electric wire outlet (17) to the outside of the connector housing (13);

an elastic sealing plug (19) which is fitted to the cylindrical wire outlet (17) from the opening of the cylindrical wire outlet (17) and is disposed between the inner surface of the cylindrical wire outlet (17) and the outer surface of the wire (12); and

a plug holder (20) which is fitted to the cylindrical wire outlet (17) from the opening of the cylindrical wire outlet (17) and which is configured to prevent the elastic sealing plug (19) from falling off from the cylindrical wire outlet (17),

the elastic sealing plug (19) can have: an elastic inner tube (19c) configured to be in water-tight contact with the outer surface of the electric wire (12); an elastic outer tube (19d) configured to be in watertight contact with the inner surface of the tubular wire outlet (17); and an annular groove (19b) defined by the elastic inner tube (19c) and the elastic outer tube (19d),

the plug holder (20) may have a cylindrical protrusion (20a), and the cylindrical protrusion (20a) is inserted into the annular groove (19b) of the elastic sealing plug (19).

[ appendix 2] in several embodiments,

the cylindrical protrusion (20a) of the plug holder (20) may be configured such that: pressing the elastic inner tube (19c) of the elastic sealing plug (19) radially towards the outer surface of the electric wire (12),

the cylindrical protrusion (20a) of the plug holder (20) may be configured such that: pressing the elastic outer tube (19d) of the elastic sealing plug (19) radially toward the inner surface of the tubular wire outlet (17).

[ additional note 3] in several embodiments, the following configuration may be adopted: the elastic sealing plug (19) and the plug holder (20) are separate, or the elastic sealing plug (19) can be attached to the cylindrical wire outlet (17) in a state of being attached to the plug holder (20).

Attached 4 in several embodiments,

the following may be configured: the cylindrical protrusion (20a) of the plug holder (20) is in sliding contact with the annular groove (19b) of the elastic sealing plug (19) in the axial direction before the elastic sealing plug (19) is fitted to the cylindrical wire lead-out port (17) or after the elastic sealing plug (19) is fitted to the cylindrical wire lead-out port (17).

[ additional character 5] in several embodiments, the connector (11) may be provided at one end of a vehicle wire harness.

Description of the reference numerals

11 connector

12 electric wire component

12a core wire

12b insulating coating part

12c female terminal

13 casing

14 st cover

15 nd 2 nd cover

16 main body part

17 electric wire insertion part

17a locking hole

18 lower casing

19 rubber sealing element

19a through hole

19b annular recess

20 holding body

20a insertion cylinder part

20b locking projection

21 holding body component

22. 23 screw

24 cap

A1 inner diameter

A2 diameter

L1 depth

L2, L3 Length