Connector and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

To provide a connector with high water resistance.SOLUTION: A connector includes: a housing having an opening; a terminal housed in the housing; a lid for closing the opening; and a cover material for covering the opening closed by the lid from the outer side of the housing. The terminal extends to the outside of the housing, penetrating through the lid and the cover material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector and a method for manufacturing a connector. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 relates to a connector and discloses a structure in which terminals are inserted and held in a housing without using insert molding. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-305659 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a structure in which a terminal is inserted and held in a housing without using insert molding, an opening is required to insert the terminal into the housing, and an opening is required to expose the terminal to the outside of the housing for connection with the mating terminal.In addition, space is required for the terminal to move when connecting with the mating terminal, so there is a lot of space around the terminal, making it difficult to ensure waterproofing.

[0005] An example of an object of the present invention is to provide a connector with good waterproofing. Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a housing having an opening; A terminal accommodated in the housing; A lid for closing the opening; a covering material that covers the opening closed by the lid from the outside of the housing, The terminal is a connector that extends through the lid and the covering material to the outside of the housing.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a housing having first and second openings, a terminal is inserted into the housing through the first opening, the terminal is exposed to the outside of the housing through the second opening, and the terminal protrudes from the first opening; an elastic body having a blind hole is assembled so as to close the first opening, and the terminal is caused to break through the blind hole; The method for manufacturing a connector includes filling the first opening closed by the elastic body with a coating material so as to cover the first opening from the outer side of the housing.

[0008] According to the above aspect of the present invention, a connector with excellent waterproof properties can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the upper right front side. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view of the connector 1 as viewed from the lower right rear. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of the connector 1 as viewed from the lower front right, with the sealing material 70 omitted. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the connector 1. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 4, showing a board 90 on which the connector 1 is mounted by an imaginary line. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 5, in which the cover 50 and the sealing material 70 are omitted. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 5, in which the cover 50 and the sealing material 70 are omitted. [Figure 9]FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the connector 1 with the sealing material 70 omitted, as viewed from the lower left rear. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the connector 1 with the sealing material 70 omitted, as viewed from the upper right rear side. [Figure 11] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before terminal 30 penetrates bottom 62 of blind hole 61 of lid 50 during assembly of connector 1. FIG. [Figure 12] 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after terminal 30 has penetrated bottom 62 of blind hole 61 of lid 50 from the state shown in FIG. 11. FIG. [Figure 13] 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which the blind hole 61 in FIG. 11 is replaced with a blind hole 161. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] This embodiment relates to a connector 1 used for electrical connection. Figure 1 defines the mutually orthogonal front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions of the connector 1. The front-rear and left-right directions are parallel to a board 90 (Figure 6) on which the connector 1 is mounted. The up-down direction is perpendicular to the board 90. The left-right direction is the arrangement direction of the terminals 30 when there are multiple terminals 30.

[0011] First, the overall structure of the connector 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The connector 1 includes an insulating housing 10, conductive terminals 30, a cover body 50, and a sealing material 70 as a covering material. In this embodiment, the connector includes five terminals 30 and five cover bodies 50, but the number of each is not limited to five.

[0012] The housing 10 is, for example, a resin molded body, and accommodates and holds five terminals 30. The housing 10 has five first openings 11 that are opened to insert each of the terminals 30 into the housing 10, and five second openings 12 that are opened to expose each of the terminals 30 to the outside of the housing 10. The number of the first openings 11 and second openings 12 is not limited to five.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 3 and other figures, the five first openings 11 are provided in a row in the left-right direction on the bottom surface of the housing 10. As shown in Fig. 1 and other figures, the five second openings 12 are provided in a row in the left-right direction across the front and top surfaces of the housing 10.

[0014] 6 to 8, the housing 10 has retaining holes 13 for retaining retained portions 32 of the terminals 30. The retaining holes 13 are provided above the rear of each of the first openings 11 and open downward. In this embodiment, the retaining holes 13 have left and right grooves 13a above them.

[0015] 2 and other figures, the housing 10 has a surrounding portion 14. The surrounding portion 14 is a convex portion located on the outer periphery of the lower end of the housing 10 and extending in a substantially rectangular shape, and protrudes downward so as to surround the front, rear, left and right of the lower ends of the five first openings 11.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 3 etc., the housing 10 has holding portions 15, 16 on both left and right side surfaces for holding mounting portions 81, 82. The mounting portions 81, 82 are sheet metal parts formed, for example, by pressing a metal plate. The mounting portions 81, 81 are connected, by soldering or the like, to a board 90 (Fig. 6) on which the connector 1 is to be mounted, and fix the housing 10 to the board 90.

[0017] The terminal 30 is, for example, a sheet metal part formed by pressing a metal plate. The terminal 30 may be formed by molding or cutting. In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 7 to 10, the terminal 30 has a leg portion 31, a held portion 32, a leaf spring portion 37, and a contact portion 38.

[0018] The leg 31 is a connection portion (mounting portion) that is electrically connected by soldering or the like to a conductive pattern (not shown) on a substrate 90 (FIG. 6) on which the connector 1 is mounted. The leg 31 extends parallel to the vertical direction. The leg 31 penetrates the cover 50 and the sealing material 70 and extends downward from the first opening 11 to the outside of the housing 10.

[0019] The held portion 32 is connected to the upper part of the leg portion 31. The held portion 32 is fitted into the holding hole 13 of the housing 10 and held in the holding hole 13. In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the held portion 32 has a protrusion 33 at each of the left and right ends, and two angular portions 39 at the upper part of the held portion 32. The protrusion 33 bites into the left and right inner surfaces of the holding hole 13 and generates a holding force for the holding hole 13. The angular portions 39 fit into the left and right grooves 13a of the holding hole 13 to improve the holding force. However, the holding structure is not limited to this form. Regarding the holding of the terminal 30 in the housing 10, adhesion may be used instead of or in addition to the holding force provided by the protrusions 33 and the angular portions 39.

[0020] The leaf spring portion 37 has a generally inverted U-shape when viewed from the side, and is connected to the upper part of the held portion 32. The leaf spring portion 37 acts to provide the contact portion 38 with appropriate flexibility. The contact portion 38 is supported by the leaf spring portion 37, and faces the outside of the housing 10 from the second opening 12. The contact portion 38 is divided into two parts, left and right, and a terminal (plug) of a mating connector (not shown) is inserted between them to establish an electrical connection.

[0021] 6 and 9, the lid 50 closes the first opening 11. The lid 50 is an elastic body such as silicone rubber, and its side peripheral portion (side peripheral surface) is pressed against the inner peripheral portion (inner peripheral surface) of the first opening 11 by its own elastic force, thereby keeping the first opening 11 closed.

[0022] As shown in Figs. 6 and 9 to 12, the cover 50 has a first portion 51 and a second portion 52. The first portion 51 is a lower portion of the cover 50 and fits into the first opening 11. The second portion 52 is an upper portion of the cover 50 and protrudes upward from the upper surface of the first portion 51. The second portion 52 has a smaller dimension in the front-rear direction than the first portion 51. The second portion 52 protrudes from the first opening 11 into the space within the housing 10.

[0023] The cover 50 has an inclined portion 63 on the side periphery of the first portion 51. The inclined portion 63 is an inclined surface that widens from above to below, and is provided around the entire side periphery.

[0024] The lid body 50 has a surrounding portion 64 that is continuous with the lower portion of the inclined portion 63. The surrounding portion 64 is a convex portion that is located on the outer periphery of the lower surface of the lid body 50 and extends in a substantially rectangular shape.

[0025] The cover 50 has a recess 53 (a hollow portion) on the lower surface, that is, the surface facing the outside of the housing 10. The recess 53 is surrounded by an enclosing portion 64 on the front, rear, left and right sides.

[0026] The outer dimensions of the surrounding portion 64 before fitting into the first opening 11 are slightly larger than the inner dimensions of the first opening 11. As a result, when the side periphery of the surrounding portion 64 fits into the first opening 11, it is pressed against the inner periphery of the first opening 11 and elastically deforms, generating a holding force for the first opening 11. At this time, due to the presence of the recess 53, the surrounding portion 64 can elastically deform and escape into the recess 53, suppressing bending of the lid body 50 in the vertical direction.

[0027] The lid 50 has a recess 54 on its upper surface, i.e., the surface facing the inside of the housing 10. The lid 50 has protrusions 55, 56 in front of and behind the recess 54. The recess 54 prevents the lid 50 from interfering with the terminals 30 or hindering the elastic deformation of the terminals 30 when the lid 50 is bent upward. The protrusions 55, 56 prevent the terminals 30 from being excessively deformed.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 12, the cover 50 has a through-hole 57 in the first portion 51 through which the leg 31 of the terminal 30 passes. The through-hole 57 has an inner surface that elastically contacts the outer surface of the leg 31 at a lower end portion as a part of the vertical length direction, and has an inner surface that is not in contact with the outer surface of the leg 31 at the other portion in the vertical length direction. That is, as shown in Fig. 12, the through-hole 57 has a contact portion 60 whose inner surface elastically contacts the outer surface of the leg 31, and a non-contact portion 58 whose inner surface is not in contact with the outer surface of the leg 31. The contact portion 60 is a portion formed by the leg 31 breaking through the bottom portion 62 of the blind hole 61 shown in Fig. 11. The non-contact portion 58 is inclined so as to widen as it goes upward.

[0029] The sealing material 70 is a urethane resin, an epoxy resin, or the like, and covers the first openings 11 closed by the lid 50 from the outer side of the housing 10. The sealing material 70 fills the inside of each of the five first openings 11, and is filled beyond the first openings 11 to a depth that touches the inner periphery of the surrounding portion 14.

[0030] The connector 1 is manufactured, for example, as follows.

[0031] The terminal 30 is inserted into the housing 10 through the first opening 11 of the housing 10, so that the contact portion 38 of the terminal 30 faces the outside of the housing 10 through the second opening 12, and the leg portion 31 of the terminal 30 protrudes from the first opening 11. Next, the lid 50 having a blind hole 61 (FIG. 11) is attached to close the first opening 11, and the leg portion 31 is caused to break through the bottom portion 62 of the blind hole 61. Next, a potting process is performed. Specifically, a sealing material 70 is filled so as to cover the first opening 11 closed by the lid 50 from the outside of the housing 10.

[0032] The blind hole 61 of the lid 50 may be a blind hole 161 with a curved shape having a predetermined curvature around the bottom 162 as shown in Fig. 13. By making it a curved shape, it is possible to adjust the penetration of the leg 31 so that it penetrates approximately at the center of the bottom 162, rather than at the boundary between the bottom 162 and the side surface. Since it penetrates approximately at the center, it is possible to prevent burrs from occurring on the bottom 162 after penetration.

[0033] This embodiment provides the following advantages.

[0034] (1) Since the first opening 11 of the housing 10 is closed by the lid 50 and further covered by the sealing material 70, water that has entered the housing 10 from the second opening 12 can be prevented from leaking out from the first opening 11. This makes it possible to ensure good waterproofing even when the mating connector is not mated with the connector 1. In addition, waterproofing can be ensured while ensuring the movable range of the mating connector.

[0035] (2) The legs 31 of the terminals 30 extend downward from the first opening 11 to the outside of the housing 10, penetrating the lid 50 and the sealing material 70. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the terminals 30 are pulled out around the lid 50, for example to the rear of the lid 50, and then extended downward, the housing 10 can be made smaller and has a simpler structure, and waterproofing the pulled-out portion is not required.

[0036] (3) The lid 50 is an elastic body, and is fitted into and held in the first opening 11 by its own elasticity. This eliminates the need for a structure to hold the lid 50 from below, which can suppress an increase in the number of parts and costs. In comparison, in a structure in which a sheet metal part that holds the lid 50 from below is attached to the housing 10, it is difficult to configure the legs 31 of the terminals 30 to penetrate the lid 50. This embodiment can also eliminate such disadvantages.

[0037] (4) Because the lid 50 is an elastic body, a gap is unlikely to form between the side periphery of the lid 50 and the inner periphery of the first opening 11, making it easy to control the filling range of the sealant 70. In other words, it is possible to prevent the sealant 70 from leaking and adhering to the inside of the housing 10 during the potting process.

[0038] (5) Since the recess 53 is provided on the underside of the lid 50, when the side periphery of the surrounding portion 64 is pressed against the inner periphery of the first opening 11 and elastically deforms, the surrounding portion 64 can escape into the recess 53. This suppresses the lid 50 from bending in the vertical direction. This suppresses the lid 50 from bending downward and narrowing the filling range of the sealing material 70. It also suppresses the lid 50 from bending upward and interfering with the terminals 30 or impeding the elastic deformation of the terminals 30.

[0039] (6) The recess 54 is provided on the top surface of the lid 50, so that when the lid 50 is bent upward, it is possible to prevent the lid 50 from interfering with the terminal 30 or hindering the elastic deformation of the terminal 30. On the other hand, the lid 50 has protrusions 55, 56 in front of and behind the recess 54, which determine the amount of deformation of the terminal 30, so that excessive deformation of the terminal 30 can be prevented.

[0040] (7) As shown in Fig. 12, the through portion 57 of the lid 50 has a contact portion 60 whose inner surface elastically contacts the outer surface of the leg 31, and a non-contact portion 58 whose inner surface does not contact the outer surface of the leg 31. The contact portion 60 is formed when the leg 31 breaks through the bottom portion 62 of the blind hole 61 shown in Fig. 11 during assembly of the connector 1. Therefore, even if the leg 31 is a square shape as in this embodiment, or has any shape such as a thin plate or a round shape, the gap between the outer periphery of the leg 31 and the contact portion 60 can be made small, and the sealing material 70 can be prevented from leaking and adhering to the inside of the housing 10 during potting. In addition, since it is not necessary to design the blind hole 61 for each shape of the leg 31, the lid 50 can be used for various terminals.

[0041] (8) Since the blind hole 61 of the lid 50 is broken through by the leg 31 of the terminal 30 when the connector 1 is assembled, there is no need to form a through hole at the stage of processing the lid 50, and the productivity of processing the lid 50 is high. If the through hole is formed at the stage of processing the lid 50, in a method of manufacturing the lid 50 using a mold, the upper and lower dies of the mold may be subjected to mutual pressure at the part where the upper and lower dies form the through hole, which may damage the mold, or the mold may deteriorate faster due to wear caused by repeated contact. In contrast, in the present embodiment, it is sufficient to form the blind hole 61 at the stage of processing the lid 50, so that damage due to pressure from the upper and lower dies and wear due to contact can be suppressed.

[0042] (9) The inside dimensions of the blind hole 61 are larger than the outside dimensions of the leg portion 31 of the terminal 30. Therefore, the mold portion for forming the blind hole 61 may also be larger than the outside dimensions of the leg portion 31, and the strength and durability of the mold are increased. Also, for example, even in a method of punching as additional processing, if a through hole is formed in the lid body 50, the inside dimensions of the through hole must be smaller than the outside dimensions of the leg portion 31 to ensure waterproofing, and precise processing techniques are required. In contrast, in this embodiment, the inside dimensions of the blind hole 61 are larger than the outside dimensions of the leg portion 31 of the terminal 30, so that punching as additional processing does not require precise processing techniques compared to the case of a through hole.

[0043] (10) Since the blind hole 61 is shaped to widen toward the top, the leg 31 of the terminal 30 can be easily inserted, and assembly is easy. In addition, when the blind hole 161 has a curved bottom 162 as shown in Fig. 13, the leg 31 can be adjusted to pass through approximately the center of the bottom 162, which prevents burrs from occurring on the bottom 162 after the leg 31 passes through.

[0044] Although the embodiment and modified examples of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples of the present invention, and various configurations other than those described above may be adopted. For example, the number of first openings 11 and second openings 12 and the number of terminals 30 in the housing 10 are not limited to five, and may be any number.

[0045] According to the present specification, there are provided a connector and a method for manufacturing the connector in the following aspects.

[0046] (Aspect 1) a housing having an opening; A terminal accommodated in the housing; A lid for closing the opening; a covering material that covers the opening closed by the lid from the outside of the housing, The terminals extend through the lid and the covering material to the outside of the housing.

[0047] According to the first aspect, the opening of the housing is closed with the lid and further covered with the covering material, thereby improving waterproofing.

[0048] (Aspect 2) the housing has a second opening; The terminal faces outside the housing through a second opening.

[0049] According to the second aspect, since the opening of the housing is closed with the lid and further covered with the covering material, it is possible to prevent water that has entered the housing from the second opening from leaking out of the opening. Therefore, it is possible to ensure good waterproofing even when the mating connector is not mated with the connector. In addition, it is possible to ensure waterproofing while ensuring the movable range of the mating connector.

[0050] (Aspect 3) The cover is an elastic body, and its side periphery is pressed against the inner periphery of the opening by its own elastic force.

[0051] According to the third aspect, a configuration for pressing the lid is not necessary, and an increase in the number of parts and costs can be suppressed.

[0052] (Aspect 4) The cover has a recess on a surface facing outward from the housing.

[0053] According to the fourth aspect, the recessed portion can suppress the deflection of the entire lid.

[0054] (Aspect 5) The cover has a recess on a surface facing the inside of the housing.

[0055] According to the fifth aspect, the recess can suppress interference between the lid and the terminal.

[0056] (Aspect 6) the lid is an elastic body and has a through-hole through which the terminal passes, A connector, wherein the inner surface of the through portion is in elastic contact with the outer surface of the terminal at one portion in the length direction, and the inner surface is not in contact with the outer surface of the terminal at another portion in the length direction.

[0057] According to the sixth aspect, unlike the case where the inner surface of the through portion is in elastic contact with the outer surface of the terminal over the entire length direction, the productivity of the lid body is high and the ease of assembly is also improved.

[0058] (Aspect 7) A plurality of the terminals and a plurality of the lids are provided, The housing has a plurality of the openings, The covering material covers a plurality of the openings.

[0059] (Aspect 8) a housing having first and second openings, a terminal is inserted into the housing through the first opening, the terminal is exposed to the outside of the housing through the second opening, and the terminal protrudes from the first opening; an elastic body having a blind hole is assembled so as to close the first opening, and the terminal is caused to break through the blind hole; A method for manufacturing a connector, comprising filling a coating material so as to cover the first opening closed by the elastic body from the outer side of the housing.

[0060] According to the eighth aspect, since it is not necessary to form a through hole in the processing stage of the elastic body, but it is sufficient to form a blind hole, the productivity of the elastic body is high. In addition, since the part of the elastic body where the terminal breaks through the blind hole elastically contacts the outer surface of the terminal, it is difficult for a gap to occur, and leakage of the coating material can be suppressed.

[0061] (Aspect 9) A method for manufacturing a connector, wherein a bottom periphery of the blind hole is curved.

[0062] According to the ninth aspect, the generation of burrs at the bottom of the blind hole after the terminal has penetrated therethrough can be suppressed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1 Connector 10. Housing 11 First opening 12 Second opening 30 Terminals 50 Lid 53, 54 Recess 57 Penetration 58 Non-contact part 60 Contact part 61 Blind hole 70 Sealant

Claims

1. a housing having an opening; A terminal accommodated in the housing; A lid for closing the opening; a covering material that covers the opening closed by the lid from the outside of the housing, The terminals extend through the lid and the covering material to the outside of the housing.

2. the housing has a second opening; The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the terminals face outwardly from the housing through the second opening.

3. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the lid is an elastic body, and a side periphery of the lid is pressed against an inner periphery of the opening by an elastic force of the lid.

4. The connector according to claim 3 , wherein the cover has a recess on a surface facing outward from the housing.

5. The connector according to claim 3 , wherein the cover has a recess on a surface facing the inside of the housing.

6. the lid is an elastic body and has a through-portion through which the terminal passes, The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the through-portion has an inner surface that is in elastic contact with the outer surface of the terminal at one portion in the length direction and an inner surface that is not in contact with the outer surface of the terminal at another portion in the length direction.

7. A plurality of the terminals and a plurality of the lids are provided, The housing has a plurality of the openings, The connector of claim 1 , wherein the covering material covers a plurality of the openings.

8. a housing having first and second openings, a terminal being inserted into the housing through the first opening, the terminal being exposed to the outside of the housing through the second opening, and the terminal being protruding from the first opening; an elastic body having a blind hole is assembled to close the first opening, and the terminal is caused to break through the blind hole; A method for manufacturing a connector, comprising filling a coating material so as to cover the first opening closed by the elastic body from the outer side of the housing.

9. The method for manufacturing a connector according to claim 8 , wherein a periphery of a bottom of the blind hole is curved.

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