Integrated structure of housing for waterproof connector and connector fitting structure

Abstract

To provide an integrated structure in which even if a housing is integrally molded with a plate to be assembled by resin molding using a simple mold constituted by upper and lower split molds, each connector can be set to a waterproof specification only by mounting an O-ring, and an arrangement configuration of connectors having a high degree of freedom is realized.SOLUTION: Since female housings 5, 5,... assembled on a plate are formed by upper and lower split molds, a through hole 15 is formed below a claw part 13 having an undercut shape. A lock spring piece 47 on a male housing 33 side is elastically rotated, and an engagement surface 51b of a claw part 51 on the male housing 33 side is engaged with an engagement surface 13b of the claw part 13 on the female housing 5 side to be in a locked state. In this locked state, a terminal accommodation part of the male housing 33 and the terminal accommodation part of the female housing 5 are closed by an O-ring 45 in a liquid-tight manner with respect to the outside to be in a waterproof region. Although it opens downward through the through hole 15, it does not affect a waterproof property of a waterproof region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an integrated structure for a moldable waterproof connector housing. [Background technology]

[0002] Connectors that electrically connect electronic components and circuit boards have been widely used for some time. Among these, housing-type connectors are designed so that terminals housed in one housing are electrically connected to the other by fitting a through-hole in the other housing with a protruding tab in the other housing. In the waterproof specification, as described in Patent Document 1, an O-ring is attached to the mating surface, and the gap between the housings is liquid-tightly sealed via the O-ring, making the inside a waterproof area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-26248 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Electric vehicles (EVs) have been rapidly gaining popularity in recent years, but because EVs have more electronic components and circuits than gasoline-powered vehicles, and because in-vehicle space is limited due to the need to install large-capacity batteries, it would be convenient to be able to integrate multiple connectors. However, both the male and female connector housings are made of injection-molded resin using a mold, and the claws have an undercut shape, so the split mold is divided into three or more parts, and when the mold is opened, it is released not only vertically but also horizontally by sliding movement, etc. Therefore, if such a demolding method is used, the connectors can only be integrated in a single row, and the benefits of integration cannot be fully utilized.

[0005] The present invention was made in response to the above-mentioned conventional problems, and aims to provide an integrated structure that realizes a highly flexible connector arrangement configuration, in which the housing is shaped in a way that allows the housing to be molded integrally with the plate to which it is attached by resin molding using a simple mold consisting of upper and lower split halves, and each connector can be made waterproof simply by attaching an O-ring. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the first invention is an integrated structure of a waterproof connector housing, which is composed of a bottomed cylindrical portion, a pair of claw portions protruding from the inner surface of the cylindrical portion, and a pair of through holes provided at the bottom of the cylindrical portion and positioned respectively below the pair of claw portions, and is made of resin and has an O-ring placement position above the pair of claw portions, and is integrated by mold molding with a plate having a plurality of assembly holes in a state where the assembly holes are blocked by the bottom portion.

[0007] Preferably, the claw portion has an inclined surface inclined relative to the inner surface and an engagement surface standing perpendicular to the inner surface. Preferably, the housing integrated into the plate is the female side.

[0008] The second invention is a connector fitting structure in which a male side housing is fitted and integrated with a female side housing of the integrated structure of the above-mentioned waterproof connector housing, and is characterized in that the male side housing is provided with claw portions that engage with the claw portions of the female side housing.

[0009] Preferably, the claw portion of the male housing is formed at the tip of a cantilever-shaped lock spring piece. Preferably, an O-ring mounting portion is provided on the male housing side. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The integrated structure of the waterproof connector housing of the present invention allows multiple housings to be arranged on a single plate without being affected by the shape or orientation of each other through resin molding using a simple mold consisting of upper and lower split dies. Furthermore, each connector can be made waterproof by attaching an O-ring to the housing. This allows for greater freedom in connector arrangement when creating an integrated structure. In addition, since a complex mold configuration is no longer necessary, the high manufacturability allows for lower manufacturing costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an integrated structure of a waterproof connector housing according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the female housing of FIG. 1 that is fitted and integrated with the male housing. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a perspective cross-sectional view of FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the portion above the flange in FIG. 2 (with an O-ring). [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a mold used to mold the female side housing of FIG. 2. [Figure 7] 2A and 2B are an overall perspective view, a perspective sectional view, and a vertical sectional view of the male-side housing of FIG. 1 in a state where the ceiling portion is made transparent. [Figure 8] 2A and 2B are a perspective cross-sectional view and a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the female-side housing and the male-side housing of FIG. 1 in a fitted and integrated state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] An integrated structure of a waterproof connector housing according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this integrated structure, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a plurality of female housings 5, 5, . . . are assembled and integrated into a metal plate 1 that constitutes a panel. As shown in FIG. 4, the plate 1 is provided with a plurality of mounting holes 3, 3, . . . , and a female housing 5, which is a resin molded product, is integrated into each mounting hole 3 by outsert molding. The mounting holes 3, 3, ... are rectangular and of the same size, but are not arranged regularly on the plate 1, and the spacing between adjacent holes is random. A substrate (not shown) is placed on the back side of the plate 1. In FIG. 1, one female housing 5 is fitted integrally with a male housing 33 .

[0013] Terminals are housed inside the female housing 5 to form a female connector. Similarly, terminals are housed inside the male housing 33 to form a male connector. The female housing 5 and the male housing 33 are mechanically coupled to each other, so that the terminals housed therein are electrically connected to each other. For convenience of explanation, the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1 are defined as front, back, left, right, up and down directions.

[0014] 2 to 4, the female housing 5 has a circular flange 9 extending outward from the lower end of a rectangular cylindrical body 7 with rounded corners. The upper surface of the outer edge 9a of this flange 9 is a stepped surface that is one step lower than the remaining upper surface 9b. The following description will be focused on one female housing 5. The edge of the mounting hole 3 of the plate 1 is a recess 3a corresponding to this flange 9, and the outer edge 9a of the flange 9 is embedded, with the upper surface 9b of the flange 9 being exposed and flush with the upper surface of the plate 1.

[0015] The rectangular cylinder 7 rises vertically from the plate 1 and is closed by a flat bottom 11, which is raised and somewhat higher than the upper surface 9b of the flange 9. The inner edge of the recess 3a on the plate 1 side rises high, and the lower surface of the bottom 11 abuts against the upper end surface of the inner edge. In this way, the female housing 5 is assembled to the recess 3a of the plate 1 at the flange 9 side and the bottom 11 side, and is stably integrated inseparably, and the assembly hole 3 is closed.

[0016] As shown in Figure 4, in the female housing 5, claws 13, 13 protrude from the opposing short sides of the inner surface 7a of the rectangular tube body 7. These claws 13 are symmetrical about the center line in the front-to-rear direction, and the cross section perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction is the same everywhere. When viewed from the front-to-rear direction, the outline of a right triangle is formed by a rectangular inclined surface 13a inclined relative to the inner surface 7a, a rectangular vertical surface 13b rising perpendicularly from the inner surface 7a, and the inner surface 7a. Of these, the vertical surface 13b forming the lower side serves as the engagement surface. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as the engagement surface 13b.

[0017] The bottom 11 is formed with through-holes 15, 15, which are rectangular when viewed from above, with one long edge of the through-hole 15 running along the opposing short side of the inner surface 7a in the left-right direction. The through-hole 15 matches the rectangular outline of the claw 13 in the front-to-rear direction, and the through-hole 15 expands inward in the left-to-right direction. The claw portion 13 is located midway up and down on the inner surface 7a, and the inner surface 7a has an annular exposed surface above the claw portion 13, and as shown in Figure 5, this exposed surface becomes the area where the O-ring 45 comes into close contact.

[0018] The female housing 5 is configured as described above. Generally, connectors are manufactured using two methods: injection molding a housing made of insulating thermoplastic resin, after which the terminals are inserted and secured in place; and insert molding the thermoplastic resin and terminals. The latter method is said to be more resistant to gaps between the thermoplastic resin and the terminals, providing better waterproofing. However, over time, gaps can develop and water can seep in, impairing the connector's functionality. Therefore, in either method, the housing must be waterproof. In the present invention, either method can be used, but in this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, the former method for molding the female side housing 5 will be described.

[0019] As shown in Figure 6, the mold 17 used for molding is split into a lower mold 19 and an upper mold 27, with the lower mold 19 being the movable side and the upper mold 27 being the fixed side. For ease of visualization, some parts such as the shape of the flange 9 are shown in simplified form. A piece 21 is inserted into the lower die 19, and a piece 29 is inserted into the upper die 27. The transfer shape surface of the lower die 19 is a recess 23 which is the molding site for the flange 9 and bottom 11 of the female side housing 5 which is the molded product, and furthermore, a receiving site for the plate 1 is provided. A pair of through holes 25, 25 are formed on the molding site side of the bottom 11. The through hole 25 extends in the vertical direction, has open upper and lower ends, and has a rectangular cross section perpendicular to the vertical direction. The pair of through holes 25, 25 face each other in the left-right direction, and square pin-shaped pieces 21, 21 are inserted into the holes, respectively. The upper end surfaces 21a of the pieces 21 protrude upward, and the protruding heights of the pieces 21, 21 are the same.

[0020] The transfer shape surface of the upper die 27 is the molding portion for the rectangular tubular body 7 of the female side housing 5, which is the molded product. A large hole is formed through the mold in the vertical direction, and a piece 29 is inserted into the large hole. The recesses 31a, 31a provided between the upper mold 27 and the piece 29 are the molding site for the square tubular body 7. Furthermore, two opposing recesses 31b, 31b are provided on the side of the link 29, recessed inward, and serve as a molding area for the claw portion 13 and a receiving area for the link 21 connected thereto. The recess 31b is connected to the recess 31a.

[0021] The recess 31 is shaped so that when the lower mold 19 and the upper mold 27 are opened to remove the molded product, the molds can be released only in the opening direction.

[0022] The lower mold 19 is raised and the mold 17 is closed with the plate 1 inside, forming a cavity for molding the female side housing 5. This cavity is composed of recesses 23 and 31. The lower mold 19 is formed with a gate (not shown) that communicates with the cavity. After the mold is closed, molten thermoplastic resin is injected into the cavity from the gate using an injection molding machine (not shown). The molten thermoplastic resin fills the cavity so as to cover the entire surface of the transferred shape, and then solidifies inside the mold 17. After solidification, the lower die 19 descends to open the die, and the molded resin product stuck to the transfer shape surface of the lower die 19 is pushed up by the top 21, which acts as an ejector pin, and is then appropriately removed together with the plate 1. Gate cutting is also performed as necessary. Figure 6 shows the die open state.

[0023] The mold 17 is made up of an upper and lower part, so the shape of the mold 17 is simple.

[0024] The male housing 33 is also a resin molded product, and is mechanically coupled to the female housing 5 by fitting. 1 and 7, male housing 33 has a rectangular cylindrical section 35 with curved corners, and a ceiling section (not shown) is provided at the upper end of the cylindrical section 35. The cylindrical section 35 is vertically partitioned via a partition section 39. Terminals (not shown) are housed between the partition section 39 and the ceiling section (not shown), and parts of the terminals protrude from through holes 39a, 39a, ... formed in partition section 39 to be electrically connected to terminals housed in female housing 5.

[0025] The rectangular tube portion 35 has a stepped surface 35a at the same height as the lower surface of the partition portion 39, and the outer surface of the lower portion 43 is located one step inward from the outer surface of the upper portion 41. The outer surface 43a of the lower portion 43 has a circumferentially continuous ring-shaped grooved portion 43b, into which an O-ring 45 is fitted. A portion of the O-ring 45 protrudes beyond the grooved portion 43b. The lower portion 43 of the male housing 33 is fitted into the rectangular cylindrical body 7 of the female housing 5, thereby mechanically joining them together. At this time, the O-ring 45 comes into contact with the inner surface 7a and is elastically deformed, thereby providing a liquid-tight seal and closing the gap.

[0026] The groove portion 43b is provided closer to the step surface 35a. A pair of cantilevered locking spring pieces 47, 47 are formed on opposing short sides of the outer surface 43a of the lower portion 43. A main portion 49 of this locking spring piece 47 forms a leaf spring, and is formed so as to be suspended from the ceiling surface of a rectangular recessed portion provided in the lower portion 43. The plate surface faces the left-right direction, and when pressed inward in the left-right direction, it elastically rotates with the ceiling surface side as a fulcrum and retreats inward. Claw portions 51 are formed at the lower end of the main portion 49. These claw portions 51 are configured in a similar shape to the claw portions 13 formed on the female housing 5, and protrude outward in the left-right direction from the outer plate surface of the main portion 49. Therefore, when the female housing 5 and the male housing 33 are lined up in the vertical direction, the respective claw portions 13 and claw portions 51 are positioned in a point-symmetrical relationship.

[0027] The male housing 33 is also made of insulating thermoplastic resin and is formed by injection molding using a mold, just like the female housing 5. However, since the male housings 33 are not stacked but are molded individually, the mold configuration can utilize not only upper and lower molds but also a slide mechanism. Therefore, the male housing 33 does not have the through-hole 15 formed therein, unlike the female housing 5 .

[0028] The female housing 5 and the male housing 33 configured as described above are fitted together and integrated as shown in FIGS. When the lower part 43 of the male housing 33 is inserted into the rectangular tube 7 of the female housing 5 and lowered, the inclined surface 13a of the claw portion 13 on the female housing 5 comes into contact with the inclined surface 51a of the claw portion 51 on the male housing 33 side, but when it is pushed further downward, the lock spring piece 47 on the male housing 33 side rotates elastically and descends while retreating inward, and when the claw portion 51 passes the tip edge of the claw portion 13, the lock spring piece 47 elastically returns, and the engagement surface 13b of the claw portion 13 on the female housing 5 side engages with the engagement surface 51b of the claw portion 51 on the male housing 33 side, resulting in a locked state.

[0029] In this locked state, the terminal accommodating portions of the male housing 33 and the female housing 5 are closed liquid-tightly from the outside by the O-ring 45 as described above, forming a waterproof area. The through hole 15 opens downward, and this area is an open area, but due to the above-mentioned positioning relationship, water etc. cannot penetrate into the waterproof area, and the waterproofing is not affected. However, because the female housing 5 and the male housing 33 are sealed by the O-ring 45 at the rear side where the claws 13, 51 are engaged, the waterproof connector 53 is locked once it is completed, and it cannot be unlocked from the outside. In other words, the waterproof connector 53 is locked once it is completed, and the locked state is fixed.

[0030] Since a plurality of female housings 5 ​​can be arranged randomly on the plate 1, the waterproof connectors 53, 53, . . . completed as described above can be arranged with a high degree of freedom. Furthermore, since the female side housing 5 does not require a complicated mold configuration, the manufacturing cost can be kept low due to high productivity.

[0031] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the invention also includes design changes within the scope of the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the shape and size of the housing, especially the female housing, and furthermore the arrangement on the plate can be freely set as long as it can be achieved with an upper and lower split mold. Furthermore, when actually designing a mold, the push-up pin may not be link 21, or more may be added. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1... Plate 3... Assembly hole 3a... Recess 5... Female side housing 7... Square cylinder 7a... Inner surface 9...Flange 9a...Outer edge 9b...Top surface 11...Bottom part 13...Claw part 13a...Slanted surface 13b... engagement surface (vertical surface) 15... through hole 17... mold 19... Lower die 21... Link 21a... Upper end surface 23...recess 25...through hole 27...upper die 29... Link 31a, 31b... Recess 33... Male side housing 35... Square tube portion 35a... Step surface 39...Partition portion 39a...Through hole 41...Upper part (square tube part) 43...Lower part (square tube part) 43a...Outer surface 43b...concave portion 45...O-ring 47...Lock spring piece 49...Main part 51...Claw part 51a...Slope surface 51b...Engagement surface 53...Waterproof connector

Claims

1. An integrated structure of a waterproof connector housing, characterized in that the connector housing is made of resin and is composed of a bottomed cylindrical portion, a pair of claw portions protruding from the inner surface of the cylindrical portion, and a pair of through holes provided at the bottom of the cylindrical portion and positioned respectively below the pair of claw portions, with the upper side of the pair of claw portions being used as an O-ring placement location, and is integrated with a plate having a plurality of assembly holes by mold molding in a state in which the assembly holes are blocked by the bottom.

2. 2. The integrated structure of a waterproof connector housing according to claim 1, 1. An integrated structure for a waterproof connector housing, wherein the claw portion has an inclined surface inclined relative to the inner surface and an engaging surface standing perpendicular to the inner surface.

3. 3. The integrated structure of a waterproof connector housing according to claim 2, An integrated structure of a housing for a waterproof connector, characterized in that the housing integrated with the plate is the female side.

4. 4. A connector fitting structure for a male side housing that is fitted and integrated with a female side housing of the integrated waterproof connector housing structure according to claim 3, A connector fitting structure characterized in that the male housing is provided with claws that engage with the claws of the female housing.

5. 5. The connector fitting structure according to claim 4, A connector fitting structure characterized in that the claw portion of the male housing is formed at the tip of a cantilever-shaped lock spring piece.

6. 6. The connector fitting structure according to claim 5, A connector fitting structure characterized in that an O-ring mounting portion is provided on the male housing side.

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