Connector

Abstract

To maintain the sufficient sealing performance even with the non-shielded specification.SOLUTION: A connector 10 according to the present disclosure is a connector 10 that is attached to a mating housing 2, and includes a housing 30, a seal ring 40, and a collar 50. The housing 30 includes an engaging portion 31 that can be engaged with an attachment hole 4 formed in the mating housing 2, and a fixed portion 35 that is fixed to the mating housing 2 when the collar 50 is fastened to the mating housing 2. The seal ring 40 is sandwiched between the outer surface of the engaging portion 31 and the inner surface of the attachment hole 4 with the fixed portion 35 fixed to the mating housing 2, and the collar 50 is attached so as to be movable relative to the fixed portion 35.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A connector described in JP 2021-39889 A (Patent Document 1 below) is known as a device connector that can be attached to the housing of a mating device. This connector includes a housing and a shield shell. The shield shell has a cylindrical container that houses the housing therein, an annular flange that protrudes outward from the opening edge of the container, and a half body that extends forward from the upper edge of the flange. A through hole is formed in the half body, and a collar member is arranged coaxially with this through hole. The shield shell is fixed to the housing by inserting a male screw member through the through hole and the collar member and screwing it into a fixed portion of the housing.

[0003] The housing has a connector insertion portion that can be inserted into a connector insertion hole formed in the casing. The gap between the outer peripheral surface of the connector insertion portion and the inner peripheral surface of the connector insertion hole is sealed by an annular liquid-proof member. This liquid-proof member closely contacts both the outer peripheral surface of the connector insertion portion and the inner peripheral surface of the connector insertion hole, thereby filling the annular gap between them. When the shield shell is fixed to the casing, the housing moves relative to the shield shell, causing the liquid-proof member to collapse evenly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-39889 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] If the above connector becomes a so-called non-shielded specification, which does not require a shield shell, then the shield shell to remove the shield circuit is not needed, and it does not need to be made of metal, but if the shield shell is eliminated, a collar will be inserted into the housing and the housing will be held directly in the case. In this case, since the housing and collar become rigid, the liquid-proof member will be biased toward the connector insertion hole in the case, and will not be crushed evenly, which may make it difficult to maintain a sufficient seal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The connector of the present disclosure is a connector that is attached to a mating housing, and comprises a housing, a seal ring, and a collar, wherein the housing has a mating portion that can be fitted into a mounting hole formed in the mating housing, and a fixed portion that is fixed to the mating housing by fastening the collar to the mating housing, the seal ring is sandwiched between the outer surface of the mating portion and the inner surface of the mounting hole when the fixed portion is fixed to the mating housing, and the collar is attached so as to be movable relative to the fixed portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, sufficient sealing performance can be maintained even with a non-shielded specification. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the connector. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2, showing a state in which the C-ring is rotated by 90 degrees. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the collar of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the connector is attached to a mating housing. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along CC in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. [1] The connector of the present disclosure is a connector that is attached to a mating housing, and includes a housing, a seal ring, and a collar. The housing has a mating portion that can be fitted into a mounting hole formed in the mating housing, and a fixing portion that is fixed to the mating housing by fastening the collar to the mating housing. The seal ring is sandwiched between the outer surface of the mating portion and the inner surface of the mounting hole with the fixing portion fixed to the mating housing, and the collar is attached so as to be movable relative to the fixing portion.

[0010] The housing's mating portion is fitted into the mounting hole of the mating housing, and the collar is fastened to the mating housing to secure the fixed portion to the mating housing. Because the fixed portion is movably attached to the collar, the housing can move relative to the mating housing. Therefore, the seal ring is evenly crushed between the outer circumferential surface of the mating portion and the inner circumferential surface of the mounting hole, maintaining sufficient sealing performance before and after fastening the collar.

[0011] [2] In the above [1], it is preferable that the fixing portion has an insertion hole through which the collar is inserted, and a clearance is formed between the inner surface of the insertion hole and the outer surface of the collar. When the collar is fastened to the mating housing, the fixing portion is movable relative to the collar by the amount of the clearance.

[0012] [3] In the above [2], it is preferable that the collar has a one-side locking portion that locks onto one-side opening edge of the insertion hole and an other-side locking portion that locks onto the other-side opening edge of the insertion hole, and that the dimension between the one-side locking portion and the other-side locking portion is larger than the dimension between the one-side opening edge and the other-side opening edge of the fixing portion. When the collar is fastened to the mating housing, the fixing portion is movable between the one-side locking portion and the other-side locking portion.

[0013] [4] In the above [3], it is preferable that the collar has a collar body that is inserted into the insertion hole, the one-side locking portion is formed integrally with the collar body, and the other-side locking portion is a separate part that is detachably attached to the collar body. After the collar body is inserted into the insertion hole, the other-side locking portion is attached to the collar body, so that the collar can be attached movably relative to the fixed portion. In addition, the other-side locking portion can be removed from the collar body, so that the collar can be removed from the fixed portion.

[0014] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure. The present disclosure 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. In the drawings, for the sake of convenience, some components may be exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of the components may differ between drawings. In this specification, "orthogonal" does not only refer to a strict orthogonal relationship, but also includes a roughly orthogonal relationship within the scope of the operation and effect of the present embodiment.

[0015] In addition, "facing" in this specification refers to surfaces or components facing each other, and includes not only cases where they are completely facing each other, but also cases where they are partially facing each other. In addition, "facing" in this specification includes both cases where a component separate from the two components is interposed between the two components, and cases where nothing is interposed between the two components.

[0016] <Embodiment> An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. In the following description, the direction indicated by arrow Z is defined as upward, the direction indicated by arrow X as forward, and the direction indicated by arrow Y as leftward. Note that, for multiple identical components, only some of the components may be designated by reference numerals, and the reference numerals for the other components may be omitted.

[0017] (Connector 10) As shown in Fig. 1, the connector 10 of this embodiment is configured to include terminals 20, a housing 30, a seal ring 40, and a collar 50. As shown in Fig. 5, the connector 10 is configured to be attached to a device 1. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the device 1 has a mating housing 2 and a mounting portion 3 formed to protrude from the mating housing 2. The mounting hole 4 is an oval through-hole that is long in the left-right direction. The mounting hole 4 is formed inside the mounting portion 3 and penetrates in the front-rear direction.

[0018] (Terminal 20) As shown in Fig. 1, terminal 20 is a flat bus bar terminal extending in the front-to-rear direction. A bolt hole 21 is formed in the front end of terminal 20 so as to penetrate in the vertical direction for fastening to a mating terminal (not shown) with a bolt. Meanwhile, an electric wire W is connected to the rear end of terminal 20. Electric wire W is drawn out rearward from connector 10.

[0019] (Housing 30, Seal ring 40) The housing 30 is made of synthetic resin and has a fitting portion 31 that can be fitted in the front-rear direction to the mounting hole 4 of the mating housing 2. The fitting portion 31 is formed with a pair of cavities 32 that receive the pair of terminals 20 from the rear.

[0020] A mounting groove 33 into which a seal ring 40 is attached is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion 31. A pair of mounting grooves 33 are provided side by side in the front-to-rear direction. The seal rings 40 are made of rubber. When the fitting portion 31 is fitted into the mounting hole 4, as shown in FIG. 6, each seal ring 40 comes into close contact with both the bottom surface of the mounting groove 33 and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole 4. This seals the inside of the mating housing 2 from the outside.

[0021] A flange 34 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion 31 behind the mounting groove 33. The flange 34 projects radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion 31. As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of fixing portions 35 are formed on the upper edge of the flange 34. The fixing portions 35 project forward from the upper edge of the flange 34.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 7, the fixing portion 35 has an insertion hole 36 through which the collar 50 is inserted. The insertion hole 36 is a through-hole that passes through the fixing portion 35 in the vertical direction. Below the insertion hole 36 in the mounting portion 3 of the mating housing 2, a threaded hole 5 into which the bolt B0 is screwed is formed. The threaded hole 5 is configured to open upward. The bolt B0 is a well-known bolt configured with a head B1 and a shaft B2.

[0023] (Color 50) The collar 50 is made of metal and, as shown in Figure 4, is configured as a separate body from the fixed portion 35 of the housing 30 and is attachable to the fixed portion 35. The collar 50 is configured to include a collar main body 51 and a C-ring 52. The collar main body 51 has a cylindrical portion 53 extending in the vertical direction, an attachment groove 54 formed at the lower end of the cylindrical portion 53, and a retaining flange 55 formed at the upper end of the cylindrical portion 53. The C-ring 52 is formed by stamping out a metal sheet and is capable of expanding and deforming in a planar direction.

[0024] The diameter of the collar body 51 in the mounting groove 54 is larger than the distance between the ends 52A of the C-ring 52. Therefore, when the C-ring 52 is mounted in the mounting groove 54, the C-ring 52 expands and deforms so that the ends 52A move apart, and when the C-ring 52 is mounted in the correct position, the C-ring 52 returns to its original shape and deforms so that the ends 52A move closer together. This holds the C-ring 52 in place in the collar body 51.

[0025] Similarly, when the C-ring 52 is pulled away from the mounting groove 54, the C-ring 52 expands and deforms so that the ends 52A move apart, and when the C-ring 52 is released from the collar body 51, the C-ring 52 returns to its original shape. In this way, the C-ring 52 is detachably attached to the collar body 51.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 7, the dimension L1 between the lower surface of the flange 55 of the collar 50 and the upper surface of the C-ring 52 is larger than the thickness dimension L2 between the upper opening edge 36A and the lower opening edge 36B of the fixing portion 35. As shown in FIG. 3, the flange 55 of the collar 50 can be engaged with the upper opening edge 36A of the insertion hole 36 from above. Furthermore, the C-ring 52 of the collar 50 can be engaged with the lower opening edge 36B of the insertion hole 36 from below. When the flange 55 is engaged with the upper opening edge 36A, a clearance CL2 is formed between the C-ring 52 and the lower opening edge 36B. Therefore, the fixing portion 35 can move in the Z direction (the axial direction of the insertion hole 36) relative to the collar 50 by the amount of the clearance CL2.

[0027] When the collar 50 is attached to the fixed part 35, a clearance CL1 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the collar body 51 of the collar 50 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 36 of the fixed part 35. Therefore, the fixed part 35 can move relative to the collar 50 in the XY plane direction (radial direction of the insertion hole 36) by the amount of the clearance CL1, as shown in FIG.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 7 , the bolt B0 is inserted through the cylindrical portion 53 of the collar 50 and can be threaded into the threaded hole 5 of the mating housing 2. When the bolt B0 is fastened to the threaded hole 5, the collar 50 is sandwiched between the head B1 and the opening edge 5A of the threaded hole 5. That is, the collar 50 is fastened and fixed to the mating housing 2 in a metal-to-metal manner. Even when the collar 50 is rigidly fixed to the mating housing 2 in this manner, the fixing portion 35 can move freely relative to the collar 50 by the clearances CL1 and CL2. This allows the fixing portion 35 to move while the fitting portion 31 remains coaxially fitted in the mounting hole 4. Therefore, the seal ring 40 is crushed by being sandwiched between the outer circumferential surface of the fitting portion 31 and the inner circumferential surface of the mounting hole 4, and the amount of crushing of the seal ring 40 is uniform around the entire circumference, thereby maintaining sufficient sealing performance before and after fastening.

[0029] (Effects of the embodiment) (1) The connector 10 according to the embodiment is a connector 10 that is attached to a mating housing 2, and includes a housing 30, a seal ring 40, and a collar 50. The housing 30 has a mating portion 31 that can be fitted into a mounting hole 4 formed in the mating housing 2, and a fixed portion 35 that is fixed to the mating housing 2 when the collar 50 is fastened to the mating housing 2. The seal ring 40 is sandwiched between the outer surface of the mating portion 31 and the inner surface of the mounting hole 4 with the fixed portion 35 fixed to the mating housing 2, and the collar 50 is attached so as to be movable relative to the fixed portion 35.

[0030] The fitting portion 31 of the housing 30 is fitted into the mounting hole 4 of the mating housing 2, and the collar 50 is fastened to the mating housing 2, thereby fixing the fixing portion 35 to the mating housing 2. Here, because the fixing portion 35 is movably attached to the collar 50, the housing 30 is able to move relative to the mating housing 2. Therefore, the seal ring 40 is evenly crushed between the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion 31 and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole 4, and sufficient sealing performance can be maintained before and after fastening the collar 50.

[0031] (2) The fixing portion 35 has an insertion hole 36 through which the collar 50 is inserted, and it is preferable that a clearance CL1 is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 36 and the outer peripheral surface of the collar 50 . In a state in which the collar 50 is fastened to the mating housing 2, the fixing portion 35 is movable relative to the collar 50 by the amount of the clearance CL1.

[0032] (3) The collar 50 has a flange 55 that engages with the upper opening edge 36A of the insertion hole 36 and a C-ring 52 that engages with the lower opening edge 36B of the insertion hole 36, and it is preferable that the dimension L1 between the flange 55 and the C-ring 52 is larger than the dimension L2 between the upper opening edge 36A and the lower opening edge 36B at the fixing portion 35. When the collar 50 is fastened to the mating housing 2, the fixed portion 35 is movable between the flange 55 and the C-ring 52.

[0033] (4) It is preferable that the collar 50 has a collar body 51 that is inserted into the insertion hole 36, the flange 55 is formed integrally with the collar body 51, and the C-ring 52 is a separate part that is detachably attached to the collar body 51. After inserting the collar body 51 into the insertion hole 36, the C-ring 52 is attached to the collar body 51, thereby allowing the collar 50 to be attached movably relative to the fixed part 35. Moreover, the collar 50 can be removed from the fixed part 35 by removing the C-ring 52 from the collar body 51.

[0034] (Other embodiments) The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the collar 50 is illustrated as including the collar body 51 and the C-ring 52, but it may also be provided with only the collar body 51.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the flange 55 is illustrated as engaging with the upper opening edge 36A of the insertion hole 36 from above, but a step may be formed inside the insertion hole so that the flange 55 engages with the step from above.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the flange 55 is used as an example of the one-side locking portion, but a C-ring may also be used.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the C-ring 52 is exemplified as the other-side engaging portion, but a horizontal hole penetrating radially through the collar body 51 may be formed, and a rod-shaped member may be inserted into this horizontal hole to engage with the lower opening edge portion 36B from below. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1:Equipment 2: Opponent cabinet 3: Mounting part 4: Mounting hole 5: Screw hole 5A: Opening edge 10: Connector 20: Terminal 21: Bolt hole 30: Housing 31: Fitting part 32: Cavity 33: Mounting groove 34: Flange 35: Fixed part 36:Through hole 36A: Upper opening edge (one side opening edge) 36B: Lower opening edge (other side opening edge) 40: Seal ring 50:Color 51: Color body 52: C-ring (other side locking part) 52A: End 53: Cylindrical part 54: Mounting groove 55: Flange (one side locking part) B0: Bolt B1:Head B2: Shaft CL1, CL2: Clearance L1, L2: Dimensions W: Electric wire

Claims

1. A connector that is attached to a mating housing, The housing includes a seal ring and a collar. the housing has a fitting portion that can be fitted into a mounting hole formed in the mating housing, and a fixing portion that is fixed to the mating housing by fastening the collar to the mating housing, the seal ring is sandwiched between an outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion and an inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole in a state in which the fixing portion is fixed to the mating housing, The connector, wherein the collar is movably attached to the fixed portion.

2. The fixing portion has an insertion hole through which the collar is inserted, The connector according to claim 1 , wherein a clearance is formed between an inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole and an outer peripheral surface of the collar.

3. the collar has a one-side locking portion that locks onto one opening edge of the insertion hole, and a other-side locking portion that locks onto the other opening edge of the insertion hole, The connector according to claim 2 , wherein a dimension between the one-side locking portion and the other-side locking portion is larger than a dimension between the one-side opening edge portion and the other-side opening edge portion of the fixing portion.

4. 4. The connector of claim 3, wherein the collar has a collar body that is inserted into the insertion hole, the one-side locking portion is formed integrally with the collar body, and the other-side locking portion is a separate part that is detachably attached to the collar body.

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