Connector

Abstract

To provide a compact connector capable of suppressing deformation of a housing and preventing a seal member from falling off.SOLUTION: A connector includes: a housing 10 having a fitting portion to be fitted to a mating connector; a cover 30 assembled to an opening 16 opposite to the fitting portion; an annular seal member 50 sealing a gap between the inner peripheral side seal surface 16a of the opening 16 and the outer peripheral side seal surface of the cover 30; and a plurality of reinforcing ribs 19 disposed at predetermined intervals along the inner peripheral surface 10b of the housing 10 located behind the inner peripheral side seal surface 16a of the opening 16, and extending along the assembling direction of the cover 30. When the cover 30 is assembled to the opening 16, the ends in the extension direction of the reinforcing ribs 19 on the opening end side of the opening 16 face the seal member 50, thereby preventing the seal member 50 from falling off from the inner peripheral side seal surface 16a and the outer peripheral side seal surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3, a connector to be mounted on a device case includes a synthetic resin housing formed in a substantially L-shape and having a fitting portion that houses a terminal connected to an end of an electric wire and is fitted to a device-side connector (mating connector), and an electric wire introduction portion through which an electric wire connected to the terminal is introduced from a direction intersecting with the fitting direction of the fitting portion. The housing has a working hole (opening) formed on the opposite side to the fitting portion, and a cover is attached to the working hole.

[0003] A seal ring (annular seal member) is attached to the outer seal surface of the cover, which seals the inside of the housing by closely contacting the inner surface (inner seal surface) of the working hole. The cover is attached to the working hole to protect the housing from water and other substances entering through the working hole. In other words, the seal ring seals between the inner seal surface of the working hole and the outer seal surface of the cover. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-86150 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-82466 A [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2022-2194 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when the inner sealing surface of the working hole in the housing receives the reaction force of the sealing member in a high temperature environment, the creep deformation outward may occur, which may lead to a decrease in the sealing pressure. Therefore, in the past, the housing was provided with multiple deformation prevention ribs to suppress the deformation of the housing.

[0006] In addition, in a high-temperature environment, internal pressure within the housing can cause the seal member to fall off from the inner seal surface of the working hole and the outer seal surface of the cover. To address this issue, a conventional method is to drill a through hole in the cover and provide the seal member with a locking protrusion with a head larger than the diameter of the through hole, thereby preventing the seal member from falling off the cover.

[0007] However, providing a through hole in the cover and a locking projection on the seal member to prevent the seal member from falling off leads to an increase in size of the connector, and there is a demand for a smaller connector.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide a compact connector that can suppress deformation of the housing and prevent the sealing member from falling off. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configuration. a housing having a mating portion to be mated with a mating connector; a cover attached to the opening on the opposite side to the fitting portion; an annular seal member that seals between an inner circumferential seal surface of the opening and an outer circumferential seal surface of the cover; a plurality of reinforcing ribs disposed at predetermined intervals along an inner circumferential surface of the housing located on the rear side of an inner circumferential seal surface of the opening and extending along an assembly direction of the cover, When the cover is attached to the opening, an end portion of the reinforcing rib in an extending direction at an opening end side of the opening faces the seal member, thereby preventing the seal member from falling off the inner peripheral side seal surface and the outer peripheral side seal surface. connector. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a compact connector that can suppress deformation of the housing and prevent the sealing member from falling off.

[0011] The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the following description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the housing shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the seal member shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a procedure for assembling the connector shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3, showing a state before the cover of this embodiment is attached to the housing. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cover shown in FIG. 7 is attached to the housing. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment) 1 and 2 are a perspective view and an exploded perspective view of a connector 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this specification, the front-rear direction, the up-down direction, and the left-right direction of the connector 1 correspond to the directions of the arrows shown in Figures 1 and 2. That is, the front-rear direction is the direction along the connector fitting direction of the connector 1, and the side where a mating connector (not shown) is fitted is defined as the front of the housing 10. The up-down direction is the extension direction of the shielded electric wire 44 perpendicular to the connector fitting direction of the connector 1, and the direction in which the shielded electric wire 44 is led out is defined as downward. Furthermore, the left-right direction is the longitudinal direction of a rectangular opening in the bottomed tubular fitting portion 11 perpendicular to the connector fitting direction.

[0014] 1 and 2, the connector 1 according to this embodiment includes a housing 10, two electric wires 40 with terminals, a cover 30, a seal member 50, and a shield shell 60. This connector 1 is a shield connector used in a power supply circuit of an inverter, a motor, etc. of a vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle. This connector 1 is fitted into a mating connector provided on a case of the inverter, motor, etc., and electrically connected.

[0015] As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the housing 10 is a generally L-shaped housing having a fitting portion 11 that receives a tab terminal (terminal) 41 of the terminal-fitted electric wire 40 and is fitted into an equipment-side connector (mating connector), and an electric wire introduction portion 12 into which an end of a shielded electric wire 44 connected to the tab terminal 41 is introduced from a direction intersecting with the fitting direction X (see Fig. 1) of the fitting portion 11.

[0016] The fitting portion 11 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape having a rectangular opening, and protrudes forward in a fitting direction X with a mating connector in the housing 10. A pair of terminal insertion holes 14 (see FIG. 3) are formed in the bottom of the fitting portion 11. A packing 24 and a front holder 22 are attached to the outer periphery of the fitting portion 11 , and an inner housing 20 having terminal accommodating chambers 21 is attached to the inner periphery of the fitting portion 11 .

[0017] The electric wire introduction portion 12 extends downward intersecting with a fitting direction X of the housing 10 with a mating connector. The electric wire introduction portion 12 is formed with an electric wire insertion hole (not shown) through which the shielded electric wire 44 is inserted.

[0018] The housing 10 has a rear portion opposite the fitting portion 11 that serves as a receiving portion 13 formed in a recessed shape with an opening 16. A cover 30 is attached to the opening 16 on the rear portion of the housing 10 opposite the fitting portion 11. The housing 10 and the cover 30 are molded from an electrically insulating synthetic resin. When the cover 30 is attached to the housing 10, the opening 16, which is an attachment hole for the terminal-fitted electric wire 40, is covered by the cover 30.

[0019] 3 and 4, a plurality of ribs 17 are disposed along the outer peripheral surface 10a of the housing 10 corresponding to the outside of the opening 16. The ribs 17 are protrusions having a rectangular cross section and extending along the assembly direction of an upper shield shell 61, which will be described later. Furthermore, a plurality of locking claws 15 are protrudingly provided on the outer peripheral surface 10a of the housing 10.

[0020] 3 and 4, a number of reinforcing ribs 19 are provided at the inner corners of the accommodating portion 13 to suppress deformation of the accommodating portion 13. The reinforcing ribs 19 are provided at predetermined intervals along the inner peripheral surface 10b of the housing 10 located on the rear side of the inner peripheral seal surface 16a of the opening 16, and extend in the assembly direction of the cover 30 (the up-down direction in FIG. 4).

[0021] That is, the reinforcing rib 19 extends from the bottom surface 10c of the housing 10 along the inner circumferential surface 10b toward the open end of the opening 16, with the end of the reinforcing rib 19 in the extending direction being located on the inner side of the inner circumferential seal surface 16a. The end of the reinforcing rib 19 in the extending direction has an abutment surface 19a that is parallel to the width direction end surface 51c of the seal body 51 when the cover 30 is assembled to the opening 16.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the cover 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape, and is attached to the opening 16 of the housing 10 from the rear side with an annular seal member 50 interposed therebetween. The cover 30 has an outer circumferential seal surface 31 having an outer circumferential shape corresponding to the opening 16 of the housing 10 and onto which the seal member 50 is fitted, and a flange portion 32 protruding in the outer diameter direction from the rear end in the assembly direction of the outer circumferential seal surface 31. The flange portion 32 restricts rearward movement of the seal member 50 fitted onto the outer circumferential seal surface 31.

[0023] 5, the seal member 50 is composed of a seal body 51 formed in an annular shape from an elastic material such as rubber, and a number of T-shaped locking pieces 53 that protrude toward the center from the rear end side in the insertion direction of the seal body 51. The T-shaped locking pieces 53 each have a tip end formed in a T shape that extends to the left and right.

[0024] An outer lip 51a is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the seal body 51, which is in close contact with the inner peripheral seal surface 16a of the opening 16. An inner lip 51b is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the seal body 51, which is in close contact with the outer peripheral seal surface 31 of the cover 30. Furthermore, a width direction end surface 51c of the seal body 51 can face a contact surface 19a formed on an end of the reinforcing rib 19 in the extension direction.

[0025] The seal member 50 is attached to the outer peripheral seal surface 31 of the cover 30, and provides a waterproof seal between the opening 16 of the housing 10 and the cover 30. The seal member 50 has a T-shaped locking piece 53 which is locked in a locking recess 33 formed on the outer peripheral edge of the cover 30, preventing it from accidentally falling off forward.

[0026] As a result, the opening 16 of the accommodating portion 13 of the housing 10 is watertightly sealed by the cover 30. A plurality of locking pieces 35 having locking holes are formed on the periphery of the cover 30. When the cover 30 is assembled to the housing 10, the locking claws 15 formed on the housing 10 fit into the locking holes of the locking pieces 35. The locking pieces 35 are locked by the locking claws 15, and the cover 30 is held in an assembled state to the housing 10.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the electric wire with terminal 40 includes a shielded electric wire 44, a tab terminal (terminal) 41 connected to the conductor end of the shielded electric wire 44, a shield terminal 43 connected to the braid of the shielded electric wire 44, and rubber plugs 45, 46 that provide a waterproof seal between the electric wire introduction portion 12 of the housing 10 and the shielded electric wire 44.

[0028] The shielded electric wire (electric wire) 44 is configured as a coaxial cable consisting of a core wire arranged from the center, an inner coating covering the core wire, a conductive braid covering the inner coating, and an outer sheath covering the braid.

[0029] The tab terminal 41 is made of a conductive metal material such as copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, an aluminum alloy, etc. The tab terminal 41 is crimped to the core wire exposed at the end of the shielded electric wire 44, and is electrically connected to the shielded electric wire 44. This tab terminal 41 is inserted into an electrical connection portion of a mating terminal (not shown) provided on a mating connector, and is electrically connected.

[0030] The electric wire with terminal 40 to be assembled to the housing 10 has the shielded electric wire 44 passed through the electric wire insertion hole of the electric wire introduction portion 12 and the tab terminal 41 inserted into the terminal insertion hole 14 of the fitting portion 11 to be accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 21 of the inner housing 20. As a result, the tab terminal 41 of the electric wire with terminal 40 is fixed to the fitting portion 11 of the housing 10.

[0031] Further, rubber plugs 45, 46 are attached to each shielded electric wire 44 of the electric wire with terminal 40. The rubber plug 45 seals between the shielded terminal 43 connected to the braid of the shielded electric wire 44 and the electric wire introduction portion 12. The rubber plug 46 seals between the shielded electric wire 44 and the shielded terminal 43. The rubber plugs 45, 46 seal between the shielded electric wire 44 and the electric wire introduction portion 12.

[0032] 2, the connector 1 according to this embodiment includes a shield shell 60 including an upper shield shell 61 that is assembled from the rear side of the housing 10, and a lower shield shell 62 that is assembled from the lower side. The upper shield shell 61 and the lower shield shell 62 are each made of a conductive metal material.

[0033] The upper shield shell 61 is formed in a box shape having a bottom plate portion 63 having a substantially rectangular flat plate shape and a peripheral wall 65 vertically extending from the peripheral edge of the bottom plate portion 63. The bottom plate portion 63 covers the rear surface of the housing 10, and the peripheral wall 65 covers the top surface and the left and right side surfaces (side surfaces) of the housing 10. The upper shield shell 61 is also provided with a fixing piece 67 having a hole portion formed therein and a through hole 69.

[0034] The lower shield shell (shield shell) 62 covers the front surface of the housing 10 except for the fitting portion 11. The lower shield shell 62 is provided with a fixing piece 64 having a hole and a screw hole (not shown).

[0035] Next, a method of assembling the connector 1 according to this embodiment will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 6 , the shielded wire 44 of the terminal-attached wire 40 is passed through the wire introduction portion 12 of the housing 10, and the tab terminal 41 is pulled out toward the accommodating portion 13. Then, the tab terminal 41 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 14 of the housing 10.

[0036] Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the cover 30 is brought close to the accommodating portion 13 of the housing 10 so as to cover the opening 16 from the rear side thereof, and the locking claws 15 of the housing 10 are locked with the locking pieces 35 of the cover 30. 8 and 9, the seal member 50 attached so that the inner lip 51b is in close contact with the outer peripheral seal surface 31 of the cover 30 has the outer lip 51a in close contact with the inner peripheral seal surface 16a of the opening 16. Thus, the seal member 50 attached to the housing 10 can provide a waterproof seal between the opening 16 of the housing 10 and the cover 30.

[0037] Next, the shield shell 60 is attached to the housing 10 . First, the upper shield shell 61 of the shield shell 60 is attached from the rear side so as to cover the housing 10 to which the cover 30 is attached. At this time, the peripheral wall 65 of the housing 10 is guided while its inner surface is in sliding contact with a plurality of ribs 17 protruding from the outer peripheral surface 10a of the housing 10.

[0038] The lower shield shell 62 of the shield shell 60 is attached from below so as to cover the electric wire introduction portion 12 of the housing 10 . Then, 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 are communicated with the screw holes of the lower shield shell 62. Thereafter, mounting screws (not shown) are inserted into the through holes 69 and screwed into the screw holes, thereby fixing the upper shield shell 61 and the lower shield shell 62 to the housing 10.

[0039] The upper shield shell 61 and the lower shield shell 62 are electrically connected to each other via mounting screws. Furthermore, one end of the braid of the shielded electric wire 44 is electrically connected to the shield shell 60 by the shield terminal 43 of the electric wire with terminal 40.

[0040] The connector 1 having the above structure has its mating portion 11 mated with a mating connector provided on a case of an inverter, a motor, or the like. As a result, the tab terminal 41 in the mating portion 11 is inserted into the electrical connection portion of the mating terminal and electrically connected. When the connector 1 is mated with the mating connector, the packing 24 adheres closely to the housing of the mating connector. This seals the mating portion between the connector 1 and the mating connector.

[0041] Furthermore, when fitting the connector 1 to the mating connector, a bolt (not shown) inserted into the hole of the fixing piece 67 of the upper shield shell 61 and the hole of the fixing piece 64 of the lower shield shell 62 is screwed into a screw hole (not shown) formed in the case. Then, the fastening force of the bolt presses the connector 1 toward the mating connector. This allows the connector 1 to be easily fitted to the mating connector.

[0042] Furthermore, the fixing piece 67 of the upper shield shell 61 and the fixing piece 64 of the lower shield shell 62 are fastened together with a bolt, whereby the shield shell 60 is electrically connected to the case. As a result, the connector 1 is covered by the shield shell 60 fixed to the case, and a good electromagnetic shielding effect is obtained.

[0043] When the above-mentioned connector 1 is mounted on a vehicle, in a high temperature environment, the inner peripheral seal surface 16a of the opening 16 in the housing 10 tends to creep outward due to the repulsive force of the seal member 50. However, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 19 are provided at the inside corners of the accommodating section 13, which can suppress deformation of the opening 16 in the radial direction.

[0044] Furthermore, when internal pressure is applied to the housing 10 in a high temperature environment, the seal member 50 tends to fall off from the inner seal surface 16a of the opening 16 and the outer seal surface 31 of the cover 30. However, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the end of the reinforcing rib 19 in the extending direction that faces the seal member 50 comes into contact with the seal member 50 that tends to move in the falling off direction and restricts the movement, so that the reinforcing rib 19 can prevent the seal member 50 from falling off.

[0045] Therefore, in the connector 1 of this embodiment, the suppression of outward creep deformation of the inner peripheral seal surface 16a of the opening 16 and the prevention of the seal member 50 from falling off can be achieved only by the reinforcing rib 19 provided on the housing 10. Therefore, in order to prevent the seal member from falling off, it is not necessary to provide a through hole in the cover and a locking protrusion on the seal member as in the conventional case, and the connector 1 can be made smaller without increasing in size.

[0046] As a result, the connector 1 of the present embodiment can prevent a drop in the sealing pressure of the seal member 50, and can ensure good waterproof sealing. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a compact connector 1 that can suppress deformation of the housing 10 and prevent the seal member 50 from falling off.

[0047] 5, the seal member 50 has an annular seal body 51, an outer lip 51a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the seal body 51, and an inner lip 51b provided on the inner peripheral surface of the seal body 51. Furthermore, the extending end of the reinforcing rib 19 has an abutment surface 19a parallel to a widthwise end face 51c of the seal body 51, as shown in FIG.

[0048] When the extending end of the reinforcing rib 19 comes into contact with the seal member 50 attempting to move in the falling off direction to restrict the movement, the abutment surface 19a parallel to the width direction end surface 51c of the seal main body 51 comes into contact with the extending end of the reinforcing rib 19. This makes it possible to prevent the extending end of the reinforcing rib 19 from locally deforming or damaging the seal member 50 with which it comes into contact.

[0049] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited. For example, in the above embodiment, the connector 1 of this embodiment has been described using a shielded connector as an example, but this is not limited to this and the connector can be applied to various connectors that require a waterproof seal between the opening of the housing and the cover using a sealing member.

[0050] Here, the features of the above-described embodiments of the connector according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [2]. [1] A housing (10) having a mating portion (11) to be mated with a mating connector; a cover (30) attached to the opening (16) on the opposite side to the fitting portion (11); an annular seal member (50) that seals between an inner peripheral seal surface (16a) of the opening (16) and an outer peripheral seal surface (31) of the cover (30); a plurality of reinforcing ribs (19) that are disposed at predetermined intervals along an inner peripheral surface (10b) of the housing (10) located on the rear side of an inner peripheral seal surface (16a) of the opening (16) and extend along an assembly direction of the cover (30), When the cover (30) is attached to the opening (16), an end portion in the extending direction of the reinforcing rib (19) at the opening end side of the opening (16) faces the seal member (50), thereby preventing the seal member (50) from falling off the inner peripheral side seal surface (16a) and the outer peripheral side seal surface (31). Connector(1).

[0051] According to the connector (1) having the configuration [1] above, the suppression of outward creep deformation of the inner peripheral seal surface (16a) of the opening (16) and the prevention of the seal member (50) from falling off can be achieved only by the reinforcing rib (19) provided on the housing (10). Therefore, in order to prevent the seal member from falling off, it is not necessary to provide a through hole in the cover and a locking protrusion on the seal member as in the conventional case, and the connector (1) can be made smaller without increasing in size.

[0052] [2] The seal member (50) has an annular seal body (51), an outer lip (51a) provided on an outer peripheral surface of the seal body (51), and an inner lip (51b) provided on an inner peripheral surface of the seal body (51), The end of the reinforcing rib (19) in the extending direction has a contact surface (19a) parallel to the width direction end surface (51c) of the seal body portion (51). The connector (1) described in [1] above.

[0053] According to the connector (1) having the configuration [2] above, when the extending end of the reinforcing rib (19) abuts against the seal member (50) attempting to move in the falling-off direction to restrict the movement, the abutment surface (19a) that is parallel to the widthwise end face (51c) of the seal body (51) abuts against the extending end of the reinforcing rib (19), thereby making it possible to prevent the extending end of the reinforcing rib (19) from locally deforming or damaging the seal member (50) with which it comes into contact. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1…Connector 10. Housing 10b…Inner peripheral surface 11...Fitting part 16…Opening 16a…Inner seal surface 19…Reinforcing rib 30…Cover 31...Outer seal surface 50...Sealing material

Claims

1. a housing having a mating portion to be mated with a mating connector; a cover attached to the opening on the opposite side to the fitting portion; an annular seal member that seals between an inner circumferential seal surface of the opening and an outer circumferential seal surface of the cover; a plurality of reinforcing ribs disposed at predetermined intervals along an inner circumferential surface of the housing located on the rear side of an inner circumferential seal surface of the opening and extending along an assembly direction of the cover, When the cover is attached to the opening, an end portion of the reinforcing rib in an extending direction at an opening end side of the opening faces the seal member, thereby preventing the seal member from falling off the inner peripheral side seal surface and the outer peripheral side seal surface. connector.

2. The seal member has an annular seal body, an outer lip provided on an outer peripheral surface of the seal body, and an inner lip provided on an inner peripheral surface of the seal body, The end of the reinforcing rib in the extension direction has an abutment surface parallel to the end surface of the seal body in the width direction. The connector of claim 1 .

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