Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector which can prevent water from entering a case even if the connector is inclined.SOLUTION: A connector 10 fitted to a substrate 11 housed in a case C comprises: a housing 12 whose fitting part 20 to a mating connector 50 is opened forward; and a terminal fitting 13 having a substrate connection part 15 which extends rearward from the housing 12. A wall 24, of the housing 12, on the inner side of the case C is provided with an opening part 30 which penetrates the wall 24 in the thickness direction. A surface 32 on the lower side of a circumferential surface forming the opening part 30 is inclined downward toward the outer side of the case C.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to connectors. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, connectors that are attached to a case that houses a board are known, as described in, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3 below. The connector described in Patent Document 1 below includes a housing having a mating portion with a mating connector, and terminal fittings that extend rearward from the rear wall of the housing and are connected to the board. The rear of the housing and the board are housed in the case when the connector is attached to the case. An opening is formed in the rear wall of the housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-153546 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2008-130359 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2020-80237 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The connector described above may tilt during use, and there has been a demand for a solution that would prevent water from entering the case through the opening in the housing even if the connector tilts.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector that can prevent water from entering the inside of a case even if the connector is tilted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The connector of the present disclosure is a connector attached to a board contained in a case, and comprises a housing having a mating portion opening forward and a terminal fitting having a board connection portion extending rearward from the housing, wherein an opening is formed in the wall of the housing facing the interior of the case, penetrating the wall in the thickness direction, and the lower surface of the circumferential surface forming the opening is inclined downward toward the exterior of the case. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a connector that can prevent water from entering a case even if the connector is tilted. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of the connector according to the present embodiment, showing a state in which it is mated with a mating connector. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the connector in a state where it is not mated with the mating connector. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a rear view showing the connector in a mating connector mated state. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the connector, which corresponds to the cross section taken along the line AA in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the connector, which corresponds to the cross section taken along the line BB in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional view of FIG. 5, showing an enlarged view of the opening and the cam pin. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the intrusion of water into the fitting portion. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the reason why water intrusion into the case can be suppressed even if the connector is tilted backward. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. (1) The connector of the present disclosure is a connector attached to a board housed in a case, and includes a housing with a mating connector opening forward, and a terminal fitting having a board connection portion extending rearward from the housing, and an opening penetrating the wall in the thickness direction is formed in the wall of the housing on the inner side of the case, and the lower surface of the periphery forming the opening is inclined downward toward the outer side of the case. With this configuration, even if the connector is inclined, water is unlikely to flow along the lower surface of the opening into the inside of the case. Therefore, water can be prevented from entering the case. (2) In the connector described in (1) above, the upper surface of the periphery forming the opening may also be inclined downward toward the outside of the case. With this configuration, even if the connector is inclined, water is less likely to flow along the upper surface of the opening into the inside of the case, and remains inside the connector. Therefore, water can be prevented from entering the case. (3) In the connector described in (1) or (2) above, the housing may have a cam pin that engages with a lever provided on the mating connector, the opening may be formed in the rear wall of the housing and located behind the cam pin, the lower end of the upper surface of the opening may be located above the upper end of the cam pin, and the upper end of the lower surface of the opening may be located below the lower end of the cam pin. With this configuration, even if the upper and lower surfaces of the opening are inclined, the cam pin can be molded using front and rear dies as in the conventional case. Therefore, the die is not complicated and water intrusion into the case can be suppressed. (4) In the connector according to any one of (1) to (3) above, the lower surface of the inner surface of the fitting portion may have an inclined portion inclined downward toward the front, and the inclined portion may increase the gap between the lower surface of the fitting portion and the mating connector in a state where the mating portion is fitted to the fitting portion toward the front. With this configuration, if the connector is not inclined rearward, water inside the fitting portion is discharged to the outside of the fitting portion along the inclined portion, making it difficult for water to remain inside the fitting portion.

[0010] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the connector of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that 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 of the claims.

[0011] [Embodiment 1] A connector 10 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is attached to a board 11 housed in a case C. The connector 10 is matable with a mating connector 50, as shown in FIG.

[0012] In the following description of the connector 10, the front side in the mating direction with the mating connector 50 is defined as the front side. The up-down direction is based on the up-down direction when the connector 10 is installed. The installed state of the connector 10 means a state in which the rear wall 24 is vertical, and in this state, the mating direction with the mating connector 50 is horizontal. The left-right direction is based on the left-right direction when the connector 10 is viewed from the front. In each drawing, the positive side of the X axis is the front side, the negative side of the X axis is the rear side, the positive side of the Y axis is the upper side, the negative side of the Y axis is the lower side, the positive side of the Z axis is the left side, and the negative side of the Z axis is the right side.

[0013] The mating connector 50 includes a mating housing 51 and a lever 52. The mating housing 51 houses a mating terminal fitting (not shown). The mating terminal fitting is a female terminal fitting, and is connected to an end portion of an electric wire (not shown). The lever 52 rotates about an axis (not shown). The lever 52 includes a cam plate 53 (see FIG. 4). A cam groove (not shown) is formed in the cam plate 53. When the connector 10 and the mating connector 50 are mated, a cam pin 28 (described later) is inserted into the cam groove. The cam pin 28 moves along the cam groove as the lever 52 is rotated. This allows the mating of the connector 10 and the mating connector 50 to proceed.

[0014] 1 and 2, the connector 10 includes a housing 12 and terminal fittings 13. The terminal fittings 13 are connected to a board 11. The board 11 is a rigid printed wiring board. In each drawing, the board 11 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. When the connector 10 is installed, the board 11 is arranged vertically.

[0015] The housing 12 is made of synthetic resin and has a generally vertically long rectangular box shape as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The housing 12 has a mating portion 20 for mating with a mating connector 50. The mating portion 20 opens forward. The mating housing 51 and the lever 52 are inserted into the mating portion 20 from the front.

[0016] The terminal fitting 13 is made of conductive metal and has an overall L-shape. The terminal fitting 13 has a connection portion 14 with a mating connector and a board connection portion 15. The connection portion 14 with the mating connector is disposed so as to protrude into the fitting portion 20. The connection portion 14 with the mating connector is connected to the mating terminal fitting when the connector 10 and the mating connector 50 are fitted together.

[0017] The board connection parts 15 extend rearward from the housing 12. The board connection parts 15 are bent at right angles in the horizontal direction at the rear of the housing 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the three board connection parts 15 extend across the rear of one of two openings 30 described below. The board connection parts 15 are housed inside the case C. Ends of the board connection parts 15 are connected to the board 11.

[0018] 2, the fitting portion 20 has an upper wall 21, a lower wall 22, left and right side walls 23, and a rear wall 24. The lower surface of the upper wall 21, the upper surface of the lower wall 22, the right surface of the left side wall, the left surface of the right side wall, and the front surface of the rear wall 24 form the inner surface of the fitting portion 20.

[0019] The upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22 are disposed horizontally. Fitting ribs 25 are provided on the lower surface of the upper wall 21 and the upper surface of the lower wall 22. The upper fitting rib 25 and the lower fitting rib 25 are misaligned in the left-right direction. When the mating housing 51 is inserted into the mating portion 20, each fitting rib 25 fits into a fitting groove (not shown) of the mating housing 51.

[0020] 2 and 4, the upper surface of the lower wall 22 has an inclined portion 26 that slopes downward toward the front. The inclined portion 26 increases the gap toward the front between the upper surface of the lower wall 22 and the mating connector 50 in a state mated with the fitting portion 20. The front end of the inclined portion 26 reaches the open end of the fitting portion 20. The rear end of the inclined portion 26 reaches the rear wall 24. The inclined portion 26 is inclined at a constant angle from the front end to the rear end.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 2, two inclined portions 26 are provided. The two inclined portions 26 are provided with a gap between them on the left and right. The width dimension of one of the left and right inclined portions 26 is larger than the width dimension of the other inclined portion 26. The lower fitting rib 25 is provided between the left and right inclined portions 26.

[0022] The left and right side walls 23 are disposed vertically as shown in Fig. 2. A locking opening 27 is formed penetrating the left and right side walls 23 located on the side opposite the substrate 11. The locking opening 27 has a rectangular opening (see Fig. 1). The left and right side walls 23 located on the substrate 11 side do not have any holes or openings.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the left and right side walls 23 are provided with a pair of cam pins 28. The pair of cam pins 28 protrude from the left and right side walls 23 toward the inside of the fitting portion 20. Each cam pin 28 engages with a cam groove of a lever 52 provided on the mating connector 50. Each cam pin 28 is cylindrical as shown in Fig. 5.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 2, a pair of left and right inner walls 29 are provided inside the fitting portion 20. The inner walls 29 are formed to protrude forward from the rear wall 24. The left and right inner walls 29 are provided at positions closer to the center in the left-right direction than the left and right cam pins 28. The plate surfaces of the inner walls 29 are disposed parallel to the left and right side walls 23. The cam plate 53 of the lever 52 is housed between the left and right inner walls 29 and the left and right side walls 23, respectively.

[0025] The rear wall 24 closes the rear surface of the mating portion 20. The terminal fittings 13 pass through the rear wall 24. The rear wall 24 is housed inside the case C when the board-mounted connector 10 is attached to the case C. As shown in FIG. 2, the rear wall 24 is formed with two openings 30. The openings 30 are located behind the cam pins 28. The centers of the cam pins 28 and the openings 30 are located at the same height. The openings 30 are punch holes in a mold that forms the cam pins 28. Each opening 30 has a vertically long rectangular shape. The left and right openings 30 have the same shape.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 6, the opening 30 penetrates the rear wall 24 in the thickness direction (front-rear direction). Of the peripheral surfaces forming the opening 30, the upper surface 31 and the lower surface 32 are both inclined downward toward the front. The inclinations of the upper surface 31 and the lower surface 32 are equal. As shown in FIG. 6, a horizontal portion 33 is provided at the front end of the upper surface 31. The inclination of the upper surface 31 continues from the rear end of the opening 30 to the rear end of the horizontal portion 33. A wall-shaped portion 34 is provided at the rear end of the lower surface 32. The rear surface of the wall-shaped portion 34 is flush with the rear surface of the rear wall 24 and constitutes a part of the rear surface of the rear wall 24. The upper surface of the wall-shaped portion 34 is a horizontal plane 35. The dimension of the horizontal portion 33 in the front-rear direction and the dimension of the horizontal plane 35 in the front-rear direction are equal. The inclination of the lower surface 32 continues from the lower end of the front surface of the wall-shaped portion 34 to the front end of the opening 30.

[0027] The lower end of the upper surface 31 of the opening 30 is located above height position 28U of the upper end of the cam pin 28. The lower end of the upper surface 31 is at the height position of the horizontal portion 33. The upper end of the cam pin 28 is at the uppermost end position of the cam pin 28 in the XY cross section. The upper end of the lower surface 32 of the opening 30 is located below height position 28S of the lower end of the cam pin 28. The upper end of the lower surface 32 is at the height position of the horizontal plane 35.

[0028] Next, we will explain the flow of water when it enters the inside of the fitting part 20. Water may enter the inside of the fitting part 20 from a gap between the fitting part 20 and the mating connector 50, the locking opening 27, etc. Water that has entered the inside of the fitting part 20 may flow along the inner surface of the fitting part 20 as shown by the arrow in FIG.

[0029] When the connector 10 is tilted backward because the vehicle on which it is mounted is placed on a slope, in other words, when the mating portion 20 faces slightly upward, water may reach the opening 30 from above along the front surface of the rear wall 24 as shown by the arrow in Fig. 8. The upper surface 31 of the opening 30 has an upward slope toward the rear even when the connector 10 is tilted backward. Therefore, water is prevented from entering the inside of the case C along the upper surface 31 of the opening 30. Water that reaches the opening 30 from above tends to fall downward from the lower end of the upper surface 31.

[0030] Water may reach the lower surface 32 of the opening 30 by dropping from the lower end of the upper surface 31, etc. The lower surface 32 of the opening 30 has an upward slope toward the rear even when the connector 10 is tilted rearward. Therefore, water is prevented from flowing down the lower surface 32 of the opening 30 and entering the inside of the case C. Water that reaches the lower surface 32 of the opening 30 flows into the inside of the fitting portion 20 due to the inclination of the lower surface 32.

[0031] When the connector 10 is not tilted rearward, water inside the fitting portion 20 flows forward along the inclined portion 26 provided on the bottom wall 22 of the fitting portion 20 and can be drained from the front end of the fitting portion 20 to the outside of the fitting portion 20. This makes it difficult for water to remain inside the fitting portion 20.

[0032] Next, the operation and effect of the embodiment configured as described above will be described. The connector 10 is attached to the board 11 and housed in the case C. The connector 10 includes a housing 12 and a terminal fitting 13. The fitting portion 20 of the housing 12 that fits with the mating connector 50 opens forward. The terminal fitting 13 has a board connection portion 15 that extends rearward from the housing 12. The rear wall 24 of the housing 12 that faces the inside of the case C has an opening 30 that penetrates the rear wall 24 in the thickness direction. The lower surface 32 of the peripheral surface that forms the opening 30 is inclined downward toward the front (the outside side of the case C). With this configuration, even if the connector 10 is slightly inclined rearward, water is unlikely to flow along the lower surface 32 of the opening 30 to the rear side (the inside side of the case C). Therefore, water can be prevented from entering the case C.

[0033] Among the peripheral surfaces that define the opening 30, the upper surface 31 is also inclined downward toward the front (the outside of the case C). With this configuration, even if the connector 10 is inclined rearward, water is unlikely to flow rearward (the inside of the case C) along the upper surface 31 of the opening 30. Therefore, water can be prevented from entering the case C.

[0034] The housing 12 has a cam pin 28 that engages with a lever 52 provided on a mating connector 50. The opening 30 is formed in the rear wall 24 of the housing 12 and is located behind the cam pin 28. The lower end of the upper surface 31 of the opening 30 is located above the upper end of the cam pin 28. The upper end of the lower surface 32 of the opening 30 is located below the lower end of the cam pin 28. With this configuration, even if the upper surface 31 and the lower surface 32 of the opening 30 are inclined, the cam pin 28 can be molded using front and rear dies as in the conventional case. Therefore, the die is not complicated and water intrusion into the case C can be suppressed.

[0035] The lower surface of the inner surface of the fitting portion 20 has an inclined portion 26 that inclines downward toward the front. The inclined portion 26 increases the gap toward the front between the lower surface of the fitting portion 20 and the mating connector 50 in a state where it is mated with the fitting portion 20. According to this configuration, if the connector 10 is not inclined rearward, water inside the fitting portion 20 flows down the inclined portion 26 and is discharged to the outside of the fitting portion 20, making it difficult for water to remain inside the fitting portion 20.

[0036] [Another embodiment of the present disclosure] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. In the above embodiment, the opening is provided in the rear wall, but in another embodiment, the opening may be provided in the rear end of the left or right side wall (the portion facing the inside of the case). In this case, by inclining the lower surface of the opening downward toward the opposite side (the inside of the fitting portion) from the side facing the inside of the case, it is possible to prevent water from entering the inside of the case when the connector is tilted to the left or right. In the above embodiment, the upper surface of the opening is also inclined, but in other embodiments, the upper surface of the opening may be, for example, horizontal. In the above embodiment, the inclined portion is provided on the lower wall of the fitting portion, but in other embodiments, the inclined portion does not have to be provided on the lower wall of the fitting portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 10…Connector 11...Substrate 12. Housing 13...Terminal metal fitting 14…Connection with mating connector 15...Board connection part 20…Fitting part 21…Upper wall 22…Lower wall 23…Side wall 24…Back wall 25…Mating rib 26…Slope part 27…Lock opening 28…Cam Pin 28S…Height position 28U…Height position 29…Inner wall 30…Opening 31...Upper surface 32…Lower surface 33…Horizontal part 34…Wall-shaped part 35…Horizontal plane 50…Mating connector 51…Mating housing 52...Lever 53…Cam plate C…Case

Claims

1. A connector attached to a board housed in a case, a housing having a mating connector mating portion open forward; a terminal fitting having a board connection portion extending rearward from the housing, An opening is formed in a wall of the housing on the inner side of the case, the opening penetrating the wall in a thickness direction, A connector, wherein a lower surface of the peripheral surface that defines the opening is inclined downward toward the outside of the case.

2. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the circumferential surface that defines the opening is also inclined downward toward the outside of the case.

3. The housing has a cam pin that engages with a lever provided on the mating connector, the opening is formed in a rear wall of the housing and is located rearward of the cam pin; a lower end of the upper surface of the opening is located above an upper end of the cam pin, The connector according to claim 2 , wherein an upper end of the lower surface of the opening is located lower than a lower end of the cam pin.

4. a lower surface of the inner surface of the fitting portion has an inclined portion inclined downward toward the front, The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the inclined portion increases a gap between a lower surface of the mating portion and the mating connector when mated to the mating portion toward the front.

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