Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector that can prevent incorrect assembly of a cover, and can be easily assembled.SOLUTION: A connector 1 comprises: terminals 3 connected to ends of electrical wires 2; a housing 5 housing rubber plugs 4 installed in the terminals 3 and the electrical wires 2; and a pair of covers 6a, 6b which restrain falling of the rubber stoppers 4. The covers 6a, 6b have the same shape and the same size. By sliding of the cover 6a toward the cover 6b, an assembly rib 64 of the cover 6b moves into an assembly groove 63 of the cover 6a and an assembly rib 64 of the cover 6a moves into an assembly groove 63 of the cover 6b to allow the covers 6a, 6b to be assembled. By sliding of the covers 6a, 6b toward the housing 5, locking arms 65 lock locking protrusions 55, a cover inclination regulation part 69 is inserted into a cover inclination regulation hole 56, and the covers 6a, 6b are assembled with the housing 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Fig. 19 is an exploded view of the conventional connector disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in Fig. 19, connector 501 includes terminals connected to the ends of electric wires 513, housing 510 accommodating the plurality of terminals, and upper cover 503 and lower cover 504 attached to the side of housing 510 from which electric wires 513 are led out.

[0003] When the upper cover 503 is brought close to the housing 510 from behind as shown by the arrow in FIG. 19, the horizontal engagement pieces 535 engage with the engagement protrusions 515 of the housing 510 and the upper cover 503 is assembled to the housing 510 .

[0004] When the lower cover 504 is brought close to the housing 510 from below as shown by the arrow in FIG. 19, the vertical engagement pieces 544 engage with the engagement holes 538 of the upper cover 503 , and the upper cover 503 and the housing 510 are assembled together. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-260923 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the above-mentioned conventional connector 501, it is necessary to follow the cover assembly procedure, but because the upper cover 503 and the lower cover 504 have similar shapes, there is a concern that the assembly order and direction may be incorrect, which creates the problem of not being able to ensure stable workability.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector that can be easily assembled and that can prevent incorrect assembly of a cover. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides a housing that houses a terminal connected to an end of an electric wire, a sealing member attached to the outer periphery of the terminal and the electric wire, and a pair of covers that are assembled to a rear portion of the housing from which the electric wire is led out and that prevent the sealing member from falling off the housing, the pair of covers having the same shape and size and assembled to each other with the electric wire sandwiched therebetween, and each cover includes a housing holding portion that fits along the housing, an electric wire holding portion that fits along the electric wire, an assembly groove, an assembly rib, a locking arm, and a cover tilt regulation portion. The housing has a locking protrusion with which the locking arm locks when each cover is slid toward the housing in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire, and at least one cover tilt control hole into which the cover tilt control portion is inserted, and is configured so that when one cover is slid toward the other cover in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire, the assembly rib of one cover enters the assembly groove of the other cover and the assembly rib of one cover enters the assembly groove of the other cover, thereby assembling the pair of covers together. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, when assembling a connector, incorrect assembly of the cover can be prevented, and assembly can be easily performed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded view of a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cover of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the cover of FIG. 1. [Figure 4]1. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a method for assembling the connector of FIG. 1, showing how a pair of covers are slid. [Figure 5] 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the pair of covers in FIG. 4 are assembled to the housing. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connector of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the electric wire connected to the connector of FIG. 5 is bent. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a plan view of the cover of FIG. 10. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a front view of the cover of FIG. 10. [Figure 13] 11 is an explanatory diagram of a method of assembling the connector of FIG. 10, showing how a pair of covers are slid. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a side view of the connector of FIG. 13. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. [Figure 16] 14 is a diagram showing a state in which the pair of covers in FIG. 13 are assembled to the housing. FIG. [Figure 17] 17 is a diagram showing a state in which the electric wire connected to the connector of FIG. 16 is bent. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of part E in FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a conventional connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A "connector" according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] 1 and 6 includes a terminal 3 connected to an end of an electric wire 2, a housing 5 accommodating the terminal 3, and a pair of covers 6a and 6b attached to the rear of the housing 5 from which the electric wire 2 is led out. The connector 1 is mated with a mating connector (not shown).

[0013] The connector 1 of this example is connected to two electric wires 2, and two terminals 3 are housed in a housing 5. A rubber plug 4 is attached to the outer periphery of each electric wire 2 as a "sealing member."

[0014] In this specification, the side of connector 1 that mates with a mating connector is referred to as the "front," and the side from which wires 2 are led out is referred to as the "rear." Furthermore, the side of one cover 6a is referred to as the "top," and the side of the other cover 6b is referred to as the "bottom." These terms are used for the convenience of explaining the configuration of connector 1, and do not necessarily correspond to the directions in the location where it is actually used.

[0015] The housing 5 is made of insulating synthetic resin and includes a terminal accommodating section 53 that accommodates the terminal 3, an electric wire lead-out section 54 that communicates with the terminal accommodating section 53, a locking section 52, and a cover tilt restriction hole 56.

[0016] Each electric wire 2 is led out of the housing 5 from the electric wire lead-out portion 54. A rubber stopper 4 attached to the outer periphery of each electric wire 2 is in close contact with the inner surface of the electric wire lead-out portion 54 to waterproof the space between the inner surface and the electric wire 2. The outer surface of the electric wire lead-out portion 54 is provided with locking protrusions 55 that lock with the locking arms 65 of each cover 6a, 6b. Two locking protrusions 55 are provided on the upper side and two on the lower side of the electric wire lead-out portion 54.

[0017] The locking portion 52 is for engaging with the mating connector to maintain the mated state between the connector 1 and the mating connector. The locking portion 52 is continuous with the outer surface of the terminal accommodating portion 53. One locking portion 52 is provided on the upper side of the terminal accommodating portion 53.

[0018] The cover tilt restriction hole 56 is a hole into which the cover tilt restriction portion 69 of one cover 6a is inserted. The cover tilt restriction hole 56 is a hole surrounded by the rear end surface 53b of the terminal accommodating portion 53, the outer surface of the wire guide portion 54, and a wall extending rearward from the rear end surface 53b, and opens to the rear of the connector 1.

[0019] In this example, one cover tilt restriction hole 56 is provided on the upper side of the wire leading-out portion 54. That is, in this example, there is no cover tilt restriction hole into which the cover tilt restriction portion 69 of the other cover 6b is inserted. In this example, such a configuration is adopted to prioritize ease of assembly of the covers 6a, 6b and prevention of an increase in size of the connector 1, but of course, a configuration in which one cover tilt restriction hole 56 is provided on the upper side and one on the lower side of the wire leading-out portion 54 is also included in the present invention.

[0020] The two locking projections 55 provided on the upper side of the electric wire guide portion 54 are provided on both the left and right sides of the cover tilt restriction hole 56 and behind it.

[0021] The pair of covers 6a, 6b are made of insulating synthetic resin and have the same shape and size. The pair of covers 6a, 6b are assembled to each other with the wire guide portion 54 and the wire 2 sandwiched between them, preventing the rubber plug 4 from falling off the housing 5.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, each cover 6a, 6b includes a housing holding portion 61, two locking arms 65, two wire holding portions 62, a connecting portion 60, a protrusion 68 having an assembly groove 63 formed therein, an assembly rib 64, a contact portion 66, and a cover tilt regulating portion 69.

[0023] The housing holding portion 61 is a portion that is aligned along the upper half or lower half of the wire guide portion 54. The housing holding portion 61 of the cover 6a is aligned along the upper half of the wire guide portion 54, and the housing holding portion 61 of the cover 6b is aligned along the lower half of the wire guide portion 54.

[0024] The two locking arms 65 are formed as part of the housing holding portion 61. That is, as shown in FIG. 2 , a pair of notched grooves 67 are formed in the housing holding portion 61, and a through-hole 65a is formed between the pair of notched grooves 67 to form one locking arm 65. The two locking arms 65 are arranged side by side in the radial direction of the electric wires 2 (the direction in which the two electric wires 2 are arranged side by side). Each locking arm 65 is locked to a corresponding locking protrusion 55.

[0025] The wire holding portion 62 is a semi-cylindrical portion that is aligned along the upper half or lower half of the wire 2. The wire holding portion 62 of the cover 6a is aligned along the upper half of the wire 2, and the wire holding portion 62 of the cover 6b is aligned along the lower half of the wire 2. In other words, when the pair of covers 6a, 6b are assembled together, the wire holding portion 62 of the cover 6a and the wire holding portion 62 of the cover 6b are butted against each other to form a cylindrical body that surrounds one wire 2. The two wire holding portions 62 are arranged side by side in the radial direction of the wire 2 (the direction in which the two wires 2 are arranged).

[0026] Furthermore, a plate-shaped connecting portion 60 is interposed between the two electric wire holding portions 62. Furthermore, a protruding portion 68 and an assembly rib 64 are arranged on both sides of these two electric wire holding portions 62. That is, the protruding portion 68 is connected to one of the electric wire holding portions 62 and protrudes on the side opposite the connecting portion 60. The assembly rib 64 is connected to the other electric wire holding portion 62 and protrudes on the side opposite the connecting portion 60. An assembly groove 63 is formed in the protruding portion 68. The abutting portion 66 is arranged on the side opposite the connecting portion 60, spaced apart from the assembly rib 64.

[0027] The cover tilt restriction portion 69 is inserted into the cover tilt restriction hole 56 to restrict the tilt of the covers 6a and 6b. The cover tilt restriction portion 69 protrudes forward from the portion between the two locking arms 65 in the housing holding portion 61.

[0028] The pair of covers 6a, 6b are arranged above and below the electric wire 2 with the connecting portions 60 overlapping each other, and are assembled together by sliding one cover toward the other in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 2. At this time, the assembly rib 64 of the cover 6b enters the assembly groove 63 of the cover 6a, and the protrusion 68 of the cover 6a is sandwiched between the assembly rib 64 and the abutment portion 66 of the cover 6b. At the same time, the assembly rib 64 of the cover 6a enters the assembly groove 63 of the cover 6b, and the protrusion 68 of the cover 6b is sandwiched between the assembly rib 64 and the abutment portion 66 of the cover 6a. By sandwiching the protrusion 68 between the assembly rib 64 and the abutment portion 66 in this way (the abutment portion 66 abuts against the protrusion 68 from the outside), lateral displacement of the covers 6a, 6b is suppressed. In this way, the pair of covers 6a, 6b are assembled together as shown in FIG. 4.

[0029] Then, the assembled covers 6a, 6b are slid toward the housing 5 in the longitudinal direction of the wires 2 as shown by arrow D1 in Fig. 4. As a result, the locking arms 65 are engaged with the locking projections 55, and the cover tilt restricting portions 69 are inserted into the cover tilt restricting holes 56, and the covers 6a, 6b are assembled to the housing 5 as shown in Figs.

[0030] Since the covers 6a and 6b have the same shape and size, they can be assembled even when the cover 6b is placed on top and the cover 6a is placed on the bottom.

[0031] In this way, the connector 1 of this example can be easily assembled because the direction in which the covers 6a, 6b are attached to each other is the same as the direction in which the covers 6a, 6b are attached to the housing 5. Furthermore, because the covers 6a, 6b are the same part, incorrect assembly can be prevented.

[0032] Furthermore, in the above-described structure, when the electric wire 2 connected to the connector 1 is bent in the direction of arrow D2 as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the tilt of the covers 6a and 6b is restricted as shown in Figure 9. That is, the cover tilt restricting portion 69 of the cover 6a abuts against the wall that defines the cover tilt restricting hole 56, and the cover tilt restricting portion 69 of the cover 6b abuts against the rear end surface 53b of the terminal accommodating portion 53, restricting the tilt of the covers 6a and 6b. By restricting the tilt of the covers 6a and 6b in this manner, the locked state between the locking arm 65 and the locking protrusion 55 can be prevented from being released, and the retention performance of the covers 6a and 6b can be ensured.

[0033] In addition, the locking arm 65 is positioned near the cover tilt regulating portion 69, and a notched groove 67 is formed between them, so that the load generated by bending the electric wire 2 is less likely to be transmitted to the locking arm 65.

[0034] A "connector" according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 18. In Figures 10 to 18, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0035] 10 and 16 includes a pair of covers 106a and 106b instead of the pair of covers 6a and 6b described in the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0036] The pair of covers 106a, 106b are made of insulating synthetic resin and have the same shape and size. These covers 106a, 106b are configured by adding a wall portion 70 to the pair of covers 6a, 6b described in the first embodiment.

[0037] As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the wall portion 70 is connected to the side of the cover tilt restriction portion 69 in a flange-like manner and is positioned in front of the two locking arms 65. The portion of the cover tilt restriction portion 69 that is forward of the wall portion 70 is inserted into the cover tilt restriction hole 56. The wall portion 70 is positioned outside the cover tilt restriction hole 56. The width of the wall portion 70 (the width in the arrangement direction of the two locking arms 65) is equal to or less than the distance between the two locking protrusions 55 arranged in the arrangement direction of the two locking arms 65. In this example, the width of the wall portion 70 is formed to be slightly smaller than the distance between the two locking protrusions 55.

[0038] Such a pair of covers 106a, 106b are arranged above and below the wire 2 with the connecting portions 60 overlapping each other, and are assembled to each other by sliding one toward the other in the longitudinal direction of the wire 2 as shown in FIG.

[0039] The assembled covers 106a, 106b are then slid toward the housing 5 in the longitudinal direction of the wires 2 as indicated by arrow D3 in FIGS. 13 and 14. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the wall portion 70 of the cover 6a passes over the two locking projections 55 on the upper side of the wire guide portion 54, and the wall portion 70 of the cover 6b passes over the two locking projections 55 on the lower side of the wire guide portion 54. This restricts the inclination of the covers 106a, 106b, allowing the covers 106a, 106b to slide straight relative to the housing 5. As the covers 106a, 106b are slid in this manner, the locking arms 65 are locked onto the locking projections 55, and the cover inclination restricting portions 69 are inserted into the cover inclination restricting holes 56, thereby assembling the covers 106a, 106b to the housing 5 as shown in FIG. 16.

[0040] In this way, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the connector 101 of this example has the wall portion 70, which can regulate the tilt of the covers 106a, 106b when assembling the covers 106a, 106b to the housing 5, thereby improving the ease of assembly.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above-described structure, when the electric wire 2 connected to the connector 101 is bent in the direction of the arrow D4 as shown in Fig. 17, the tilt of the covers 106a and 106b is restricted as shown in Fig. 18. That is, the cover tilt restricting portion 69 of the cover 106a abuts against the inside of the wall that constitutes the cover tilt restricting hole 56, and the wall portion 70 abuts against the outside of the wall that constitutes the cover tilt restricting hole 56 (portion F in Fig. 18), restricting the tilt of the covers 106a and 106b.

[0042] The above-described embodiment merely shows a typical form of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In other words, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the gist of the present invention. As long as such modifications still include the configuration of the present invention, they are of course included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1,101 connectors 2 electric wire 3 terminals 4 Rubber stopper (sealing material) 5. Housing 6a, 6b, 106a, 106b Cover 55 Locking protrusion 56 Cover tilt regulation hole 61 Housing holding part 62 Wire holding part 63 Assembly groove 64 Assembly rib 65 Locking arm 69 Cover tilt control part 70 Wall

Claims

1. a terminal connected to an end of the electric wire; a housing containing a seal member attached to the outer periphery of the terminal and the electric wire; a pair of covers attached to a rear portion of the housing from which the electric wires are led out, and preventing the sealing member from falling off the housing; the pair of covers have the same shape and size and are assembled to each other with the electric wire sandwiched between them; Each cover includes a housing holding portion that fits along the housing, an electric wire holding portion that fits along the electric wire, an assembly groove, an assembly rib, a locking arm, and a cover tilt regulating portion, the housing includes a locking protrusion with which the locking arm is locked when each cover is slid toward the housing in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire, and at least one cover tilt restriction hole into which the cover tilt restriction portion is inserted, When one cover is slid toward the other cover in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire, the assembling rib of the other cover enters the assembling groove of one cover, and the assembling rib of the one cover enters the assembling groove of the other cover, so that the pair of covers are assembled together. A connector characterized by:

2. In each of the covers, the two locking arms are arranged side by side in the radial direction of the electric wires, the housing includes the same number of locking projections as the number of locking arms; Each of the locking arms is formed as a part of the housing holding portion by forming a pair of notched grooves in the housing holding portion and forming a through hole between the pair of notched grooves, The cover tilt regulating portion protrudes forward from a portion of the housing holding portion between the two locking arms and further forward than the two locking arms.

2. The connector according to claim 1.

3. Each cover includes a wall portion that is connected to a side surface of the cover tilt restriction portion and is disposed in front of the two locking arms, The wall portion is positioned outside the cover tilt restriction hole.

3. The connector according to claim 2.

4. The width of the wall portion is set to be equal to or less than the distance between the two locking projections arranged in the arranging direction of the two locking arms of each cover.

4. The connector according to claim 3.

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