Connector

Abstract

A connector is provided comprising: a housing with a mating section to fit a mating connector; a cover mounted on an opening opposite the mating section; an annular sealing element that seals a gap between an inner circumferential sealing surface of the opening and an outer circumferential sealing surface of the cover; and a plurality of reinforcing ribs arranged at predetermined intervals along an inner circumferential surface of the housing and extending along a mounting direction of the cover. When the cover is mounted on the opening, one end in a direction of extension of the reinforcing ribs faces the sealing element at an opening end face, thereby preventing the sealing element from falling off the inner circumferential sealing surface and the outer circumferential sealing surface.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] In the related art, as disclosed in, for example, JP 2014-086150 A, JP 2015-082466 A, and JP 2022-002194 A, a connector attached to a housing of a device includes a casing made of synthetic resin and formed in a substantially L-shape. The casing includes a fitting portion that accommodates a terminal connected to one end of an electric wire and is fitted to a device-side connector (mating connector), and an electric wire insertion portion into which the electric wire connected to the terminal is inserted from a direction intersecting a fitting direction of the fitting portion. The casing has a working hole (opening) on ​​an opposite side to the fitting portion, and a cover is attached to the working hole.

[0003] A sealing ring (annular sealing element) in close contact with an inner peripheral surface (inner peripheral side sealing surface) of the working hole to seal the inside of the housing is mounted on an outer peripheral side sealing surface of the cover.

[0004] The cover is attached to the working hole in such a way that it prevents water or the like from entering the housing from the working hole. That is, the sealing ring seals a gap between the inner peripheral sealing surface of the working hole and the outer peripheral sealing surface of the cover.

[0005] When the inner peripheral sealing surface of the working hole of the housing is creep deformed outward due to the reaction force of the sealing element under the high-temperature environment, the sealing pressure may decrease. Therefore, in the related art, deformation of the housing is prevented by providing a plurality of deformation-preventing ribs in the housing.

[0006] When internal pressure is applied to the inside of the housing under a high-temperature environment, the sealing element may fall off from the inner peripheral sealing surface of the working hole and the outer peripheral sealing surface of the cover. In the related art, a through hole is formed in the cover, and a locking protrusion having a head portion with a larger diameter than the diameter of the through hole is provided on the sealing element, thereby preventing the sealing element from falling off the cover.

[0007] However, in order to prevent the sealing member from falling off, providing the through hole of the cover and the locking portion of the sealing member results in an increase in the size of the connector, and it is desired that the size of the connector be reduced. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present disclosure provides a compact connector capable of preventing deformation of a housing and preventing a sealing member from falling off.

[0009] According to an illustrative aspect of the present disclosure, a connector includes: a housing having a fitting portion configured to be fitted to a mating connector; a cover mounted on an opening opposite to the fitting portion; an annular sealing member configured to seal a gap between an inner peripheral side sealing surface of the opening and an outer peripheral side sealing surface of the cover; and a plurality of reinforcing ribs arranged at predetermined intervals along an inner peripheral surface of the housing and extending along a mounting direction of the cover, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the housing is located behind the inner peripheral side sealing surface of the opening.When the cover is mounted on the opening, one end in an extending direction of the reinforcing ribs on an opening end side of the opening faces the sealing member, thereby preventing the sealing member from falling off from the inner peripheral side sealing surface and the outer peripheral side sealing surface.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a compact connector capable of preventing deformation of a housing and preventing a sealing member from falling off.

[0011] The present disclosure has been briefly described above. Details of the present disclosure can be clarified by reading modes (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") for carrying out the disclosure to be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a rear view of a Fig. 2 shown housing; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line IV-IV in Fig. 3 taken; Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a Fig. 2 shown sealing element; Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing an assembly process of the Fig. 2; Fig. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line corresponding to line IV-IV of Fig. 3, which illustrates a state before a cover according to the present embodiment is mounted on a case; Fig. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the Fig. 7 shown cover is mounted on the housing; and Fig. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of main parts in Fig. 8. DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, examples of an embodiment according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. <Ausführungsform>

[0014] Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are a perspective view and an exploded perspective view of a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] In this specification, a front-back direction, an up-down direction and a left-right direction of the connector 1 follow directions of arrows in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. That is, the front-back direction is a direction along a connector fitting direction of the connector 1, and a side to which a mating connector (not shown) is fitted is referred to as a front side of a housing 10. The up-down direction is an extension direction of a shielded electric wire 44 orthogonal to the connector fitting direction of the connector 1, and a drain direction of the shielded electric wire 44 is a downward direction. Further, the left-right direction is a longitudinal direction from a rectangular opening in a bottomed cylindrical fitting portion 11, orthogonal to the connector fitting direction.

[0016] As in Fig. 1 and Fig. As shown in FIG. 2, the connector 1 according to the present embodiment includes the housing 10, two terminal-equipped electric wires 40, a cover 30, a sealing member 50, and a shield shell 60. The connector 1 is, for example, a shielded connector used in a power supply circuit such as an inverter or a motor of a vehicle, such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle. The connector 1 is fitted to and electrically connected to a mating connector provided in a housing such as an inverter or a motor.

[0017] As in Fig. 2 to 4, the housing 10 is a housing formed in a substantially L-shape, and includes a fitting portion 11 that receives tab terminals (terminals) 41 of the terminal-equipped electric wires 40 and is fitted to a device-side connector (counter connector), and electric wire insertion portions 12 that are inserted from a direction in which terminals of the shielded electric wires 44 connected to the tab terminals 41 are located, with a fitting direction X (see Fig. 1) of the fitting section 11.

[0018] The fitting portion 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom having a rectangular opening and protrudes forward in the fitting direction X of the housing 10 with the mating connector. A pair of terminal through holes 14 (see Fig. 3) is formed in a bottom portion of the fitting portion 11.

[0019] A gasket 24 and a front holder 22 are mounted on an outer periphery of the fitting portion 11, and an inner housing 20 having a terminal receiving chamber 21 is mounted on an inner periphery of the fitting portion 11.

[0020] Each electric wire insertion portion 12 extends in a downward direction that intersects the mating direction X of the housing 10 with the mating connector. Electric wire through-holes (not shown) through which the shielded electric wires 44 are inserted are formed in the electric wire insertion portions 12.

[0021] A rear portion of the housing 10 opposite the fitting portion 11 is a receiving portion 13 formed in a concave shape opening into an opening 16. The cover 30 is mounted on the opening 16 opposite the fitting portion 11 in the rear portion of the housing 10. The housing 10 and the cover 30 are formed of synthetic resin with electrical insulation properties. When the cover 30 is mounted on the housing 10, the opening 16, which is a working hole for the terminal-equipped electric wire 40, is covered with the cover 30.

[0022] As in Fig. 3 and Fig. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of ribs 17 are arranged along an outer peripheral surface 10a of the housing 10, which corresponds to the outside of the opening 16. Each rib 17 is a protrusion with a rectangular cross section extending along a mounting direction of an upper shield shell 61, which will be described later. Furthermore, a plurality of locking claws 15 protrude from the outer peripheral surface 10a of the housing 10.

[0023] As in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 19 are arranged at an inner corner of the receiving portion 13 to prevent deformation of the receiving portion 13. The reinforcing ribs 19 are arranged at predetermined intervals along an inner peripheral surface 10b of the housing 10, which is located behind an inner peripheral side sealing surface 16a of the opening 16, and extend along a mounting direction of the cover 30 (top-bottom direction in Fig. 4).

[0024] That is, each reinforcing rib 19 extends from a bottom surface 10c of the housing 10 toward an open end of the opening 16 along the inner peripheral surface 10b, and one end in an extending direction of the reinforcing rib 19 is located at the inner peripheral side sealing surface 16a. The reinforcing rib 19 has a contact surface 19a at the end in the extending direction, which is parallel to a width-direction end surface 51c of a sealing body portion 51 when the cover 30 is mounted on the opening 16.

[0025] As in Fig. 2 and Fig. 6, the cover 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape and is mounted to the opening 16 of the housing 10 from a rear side via the annular sealing member 50.

[0026] The cover 30 includes an outer peripheral sealing surface 31 having an outer peripheral shape corresponding to the opening 16 of the housing 10, onto which the sealing element 50 is fitted, and a flange portion 32 protruding from a rear end of the outer peripheral sealing surface 31 in an assembly direction toward an outer diameter direction. The flange portion 32 restricts rearward movement of the sealing element 50 fitted onto the outer peripheral sealing surface 31.

[0027] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the sealing member 50 includes the sealing body portion 51 formed in an annular shape by an elastic material such as rubber, and a plurality of T-shaped locking pieces 53 projecting from a rear end side of the sealing body portion 51 in a fitting direction toward a center. Each of the T-shaped locking pieces 53 is formed in a T-shape in which a distal end portion thereof extends in the left-right direction.

[0028] An outer lip 51a is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the sealing body portion 51 to be in close contact with the inner peripheral side sealing surface 16a of the opening 16. An inner lip 51b is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the sealing body portion 51 to be in close contact with the outer peripheral side sealing surface 31 of the cover 30. Further, the width-direction end surface 51c of the sealing body portion 51 may face the contact surface 19a formed in the end in the extending direction of the reinforcing rib 19.

[0029] The sealing member 50 is attached to the outer peripheral sealing surface 31 of the cover 30, and waterproofs and seals a gap between the opening 16 of the housing 10 and the cover 30. In the sealing member 50, the T-shaped locking pieces 53 are locked to locking portion recesses 33 formed on an outer peripheral edge of the cover 30, thereby preventing the sealing member 50 from accidentally falling forward.

[0030] Consequently, the opening 16 of the receiving portion 13 of the housing 10 is sealed by the cover 30 in a watertight manner. A plurality of locking pieces 35 with locking holes are formed in a peripheral edge of the cover 30. The locking claws 15 formed in the housing 10 enter the locking holes of the locking pieces 35 by mounting the cover 30 to the housing 10. The locking pieces 35 are locked by the locking claws 15, and the cover 30 is held in an assembled state with respect to the housing 10.

[0031] As in Fig. 2, each terminal-equipped electric wire 40 includes the shielded electric wire 44, the tab terminal (terminal) 41 connected to a conductor terminal of the shielded electric wire 44, a shield terminal 43 connected to a braid of the shielded electric wire 44, and rubber plugs 45 and 46 for sealing a gap between the electric wire insertion portion 12 of the housing 10 and the shielded electric wire 44.

[0032] The shielded electric wire (electric wire) 44 is configured as a coaxial cable having a core wire arranged from a center, an inner coating covering the core wire, a conductive braid covering the inner coating, and an outer sheath covering the braid.

[0033] The flat terminal 41 is formed, for example, from a conductive metal material such as copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, or an aluminum alloy. The flat terminal 41 is crimped onto the core wire exposed at one terminal of the shielded electrical wire 44 and is electrically connected to the shielded electrical wire 44.

[0034] The tab terminal 41 is inserted into and electrically connected to an electrical connection portion of a mating terminal (not shown) provided in the mating connector.

[0035] With the terminal-equipped electric wire 40 mounted on the housing 10, the shielded electric wires 44 are inserted into the electric wire through-holes of the electric wire insertion portions 12, and the tab terminals 41 are inserted into the terminal through-holes 14 of the fitting portion 11 and are received in the terminal receiving chamber 21 of the inner housing 20. In this way, the tab terminals 41 of the terminal-equipped electric wires 40 are fixed to the fitting portion 11 of the housing 10.

[0036] The rubber plugs 45 and 46 are attached to the shielded electric wires 44 of the terminal-equipped electric wire 40. The rubber plug 45 seals a gap between the shield terminal 43, which is connected to the braid of the shielded electric wire 44, and the electric wire insertion portion 12. The rubber plug 46 seals a gap between the shielded electric wire 44 and the shield terminal 43. The rubber plugs 45 and 46 seal a gap between the shielded electric wire 44 and the electric wire insertion portion 12.

[0037] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the connector 1 according to the present embodiment includes the shield shell 60 having an upper shield shell 61 mounted from a rear side of the housing 10 and a lower shield shell 62 mounted from a lower side. The upper shield shell 61 and the lower shield shell 62 are each made of a conductive metal material.

[0038] The upper shield shell 61 is formed in a box shape, including a substantially rectangular flat bottom plate portion 63 and a peripheral wall 65 erected at a peripheral edge of the bottom plate portion 63. The bottom plate portion 63 covers a rear surface of the housing 10, and the peripheral wall 65 covers an upper surface and left and right side surfaces (side surfaces) of the housing 10. The upper shield shell 61 is provided with a through hole 69 and fixing pieces 67 in which hole portions are formed.

[0039] The lower shield shell (shield shell) 62 covers a portion on a front surface of the housing 10 except for the fitting portion 11. The lower shield shell 62 is provided with screw holes (not shown) and fixing pieces 64 in which hole portions are formed.

[0040] Next, a case of assembling the connector 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0041] First, as in Fig. 6, after the shielded electric wires 44 of the terminal-equipped electric wires 40 are passed through the electric wire insertion portions 12 of the housing 10 and the tab terminals 41 are pulled out toward the receiving portion 13, the tab terminals 41 are inserted into the terminal through holes 14 of the housing 10.

[0042] As in Fig. 7, the cover 30 is brought close to the receiving portion 13 of the housing 10 to cover the opening 16 from a rear side, and the locking claws 15 of the housing 10 are locked to the locking pieces 35 of the cover 30.

[0043] Thus, as in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, in the sealing member 50 mounted such that the inner lip 51b is in close contact with the outer peripheral side sealing surface 31 of the cover 30, the outer lip 51a is in close contact with the inner peripheral side sealing surface 16a of the opening 16. Thus, the sealing member 50 mounted on the housing 10 can waterproof and seal a gap between the opening 16 of the housing 10 and the cover 30.

[0044] Next, the shielding jacket 60 is attached to the housing 10.

[0045] First, the upper shield shell 61 of the shield shell 60 is attached from the rear side to cover the case 10 to which the cover 30 is mounted.

[0046] At this time, an inner surface of the peripheral wall 65 of the housing 10 is inserted into and guided by the plurality of ribs 17 projecting from the outer peripheral surface 10a of the housing 10 while contacting the ribs 17 in a sliding manner.

[0047] Next, the lower shield shell 62 of the shield shell 60 is attached from the lower side to cover the electric wire insertion portion 12 of the housing 10.

[0048] The upper shield shell 61 and the lower shield shell 62 are attached to the housing 10, and the through holes 69 of the upper shield shell 61 and the screw holes of the lower shield shell 62 are communicated with each other. Then, the upper shield shell 61 and the lower shield shell 62 are fixed to the housing 10 by inserting fixing screws (not shown) into the through holes 69 and screwing the fixing screws into the screw holes.

[0049] The upper shielding shell 61 and the lower shielding shell 62 are electrically connected to each other via the fastening screws. Furthermore, one end of the braided shielded electrical wires 44 is electrically connected to the shielding shell 60 through the shielding terminal 43 of the terminal-equipped electrical wire 40.

[0050] In the connector 1 having the above structure, the fitting portion 11 is fitted to a mating connector provided in a housing such as an inverter or a motor. Consequently, the tab terminal 41 in the fitting portion 11 is inserted into and electrically connected to the electrical connection portion of the mating terminal. When the connector 1 is fitted to the mating connector, the gasket 24 is brought into close contact with a housing of the mating connector. Thus, a fitting portion between the connector 1 and the mating connector is sealed.

[0051] When the connector 1 is fitted to the mating connector, bolts (not shown) inserted into the hole portions of the fixing pieces 67 of the upper shield shell 61 and the hole portions of the fixing pieces 64 of the lower shield shell 62 are screwed into screw holes (not shown) formed in the housing. Thus, the connector 1 is pushed toward the mating connector by a fastening force of the bolt. Consequently, the connector 1 can be easily fitted to the mating connector.

[0052] Furthermore, since the fixing pieces 67 of the upper shield shell 61 and the fixing pieces 64 of the lower shield shell 62 are bolted, the shield shell 60 is electrically connected to the housing. Consequently, the connector 1 is covered with the shield shell 60, which is fixed to the housing, and a good electromagnetic shielding effect is obtained.

[0053] When the connector 1 is mounted on a vehicle, the inner peripheral side sealing surface 16a of the opening 16 of the housing 10 is creep deformed outward by a reaction force of the sealing member 50 under a high-temperature environment. As shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 19 are arranged at an inner corner of the receiving portion 13, and deformation of the opening 16 in an extension direction can be prevented.

[0054] When an internal pressure is applied to the inside of the housing 10 under the high-temperature environment, the sealing element 50 falls off from the inner peripheral side sealing surface 16a of the opening 16 and the outer peripheral side sealing surface 31 of the cover 30. As shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, since an end facing the sealing member 50 in the extending direction of the reinforcing rib 19 comes into contact with the sealing member 50 moving in a falling direction to restrict the movement, the reinforcing rib 19 can prevent the sealing member 50 from falling off.

[0055] In the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the creep deformation of the inner peripheral side sealing surface 16a of the opening 16 to the outside and prevent the sealing member 50 from falling off only by the reinforcing ribs 19 provided in the housing 10. Therefore, in order to prevent the sealing member from falling off, it is not necessary to provide a through hole of a cover and a locking projection of a sealing member as in the related art, and a size of the connector 1 can be prevented and the size can be reduced.

[0056] As a result, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent a decrease in a sealing pressure of the sealing member 50, and it is possible to ensure a good waterproof seal.

[0057] Therefore, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a compact connector 1 capable of preventing deformation of the housing 10 and preventing the sealing member 50 from falling off.

[0058] In the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, the sealing element 50 comprises the annular sealing body portion 51, the outer lip 51a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the sealing body portion 51, and the inner lip 51b provided on the inner peripheral surface of the sealing body portion 51. As shown in Fig.9, the reinforcing rib 19 has a contact surface 19a at the end in the extension direction, which is parallel to a width direction end surface 51c of the seal body portion 51.

[0059] When the end in the extending direction of the reinforcing rib 19 comes into contact with the sealing member 50 moving in a falling direction to restrict the movement, the contact surface 19a, which is parallel to the width-direction end surface 51c of the sealing body portion 51, comes into contact. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the end in the extending direction of the reinforcing rib 19 from locally deforming or damaging the sealing member 50 in contact therewith.

[0060] The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. Furthermore, the materials, shapes, sizes, numbers, arrangement positions, or the like of components in the above embodiment are freely selected and are not limited as long as the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0061] For example, in the above embodiment, the connector 1 according to the present embodiment has been described by taking a shielded connector as an example, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various connectors in which a gap between an opening of a housing and a cover needs to be sealed with a sealing member.

[0062] Here, features of the embodiment of the connector according to the present disclosure described above are briefly summarized and listed in the following first and second aspects.

[0063] According to a first aspect, a connector (1) comprises: a housing (10) having a fitting portion (11) configured to be fitted to a mating connector; a cover (30) mounted on an opening (16) opposite to the fitting portion (11); an annular sealing member (50) configured to seal a gap between an inner peripheral side sealing surface (16a) of the opening (16) and an outer peripheral side sealing surface (31) of the cover (30); and a plurality of reinforcing ribs (19) arranged at predetermined intervals along an inner peripheral surface (10b) of the housing (10) and extending along a mounting direction of the cover (30), wherein the inner peripheral surface (10b) of the housing (10) is located behind the inner peripheral side sealing surface (16a) of the opening (16).When the cover (30) is mounted on the opening (16), one end in an extending direction of the reinforcing ribs (19) on an opening end side of the opening (16) faces the sealing member (50), thereby preventing the sealing member (50) from falling off the inner peripheral side sealing surface (16a) and the outer peripheral side sealing surface (31).

[0064] According to the connector (1) having a configuration of the above first aspect, the inner peripheral side sealing surface (16a) of the opening (16) can be creep-deformed outward, and the sealing member (50) can be prevented from falling off only by the reinforcing ribs (19) provided in the housing (10). Therefore, in order to prevent the sealing member from falling off, it is not necessary to provide a through hole of a cover and a locking projection of a sealing member as in the related art, and a size of the connector (1) can be prevented and reduced.

[0065] According to the second aspect, in the connector (1) according to the first aspect, the sealing element (50) comprises an annular sealing body portion (51), an outer lip (51a) provided on an outer peripheral surface of the sealing body portion (51), and an inner lip (51b) provided on an inner peripheral surface of the sealing body portion (51). The reinforcing ribs (19) have a contact surface (19a) at the end in the extension direction, the contact surface being parallel to a width-direction end surface (51c) of the sealing body portion (51).

[0066] According to the connector (1) having a configuration of the above second aspect, when the end in the extending direction of the reinforcing rib (19) comes into contact with the seal member (50) moving in a falling direction, to restrict the movement, the contact surface 19a parallel to the width-direction end surface 51c of the seal body portion 51 comes into contact. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the end in the extending direction of the reinforcing rib (19) from locally deforming or damaging the seal member (50) in contact therewith. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2014-086 150 A

[0002] JP 2015- 082 466 A

[0002] JP 2022-002 194 A

[0002]

Claims

[1] Connector (1), with: a housing (10) having a fitting portion (11) configured to be fitted to a mating connector; a cover (30) mounted on an opening (16) opposite the fitting portion (11); an annular sealing element (50) configured to seal a gap between an inner peripheral side sealing surface (16a) of the opening (16) and an outer peripheral side sealing surface (31) of the cover (30); and a plurality of reinforcing ribs (19) arranged at predetermined intervals along an inner peripheral surface (10b) of the housing (10) and extending along a mounting direction of the cover (30), wherein the inner peripheral surface (10b) of the housing (10) is located behind the inner peripheral side sealing surface (16a) of the opening (16), wherein when the cover (30) is mounted on the opening (16), one end in an extending direction of the reinforcing ribs (19) on an opening end side of the opening (16) faces the sealing member (50), thereby preventing the sealing member (50) from falling off the inner peripheral side sealing surface (16a) and the outer peripheral side sealing surface (31). [2] Connector (1) according to claim 1, wherein the sealing element (50) has an annular sealing body portion (51), an outer lip (51a) provided on an outer peripheral surface of the sealing body portion (51), and an inner lip (51b) provided on an inner peripheral surface of the sealing body portion (51), and the reinforcing ribs (19) have a contact surface (19a) at the end in the extension direction, the contact surface being parallel to a width direction end surface (51c) of the sealing body portion (51).

Images