Connector cover

Abstract

To provide a connector cover that can improve workability. [Solution] The connector cover 1 comprises a first member 10 and a second member 20 that are assembled from the outward-facing direction to both the connector C connected to the mating connector and the corrugated tube into which the electric wire is inserted. The cover covers the lead-out portion of the electric wire pulled out from the connector C and has ribs 14, 24 that fit into recesses among the irregularities that are continuous in the longitudinal direction of the corrugated tube. At least one of the first member 10 and the second member 20 is formed with projections 15, 25 that penetrate a part of the corrugated tube when the first member 10 and the second member 20 are assembled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector cover.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a connector cover that is assembled to a connector and covers the lead-out portion of an electric wire led out from the connector is known. Such a connector cover is also known to cover not only the connector but also the tip of a corrugated tube from the outside (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Here, such a connector cover has ribs having a shape that conforms to the unevenness of the corrugated tube. When the connector cover is assembled, the ribs enter the recesses of the corrugated tube. This prevents the corrugated tube from falling out of the connector cover.

[0004] However, with such a connector cover, the rotation of the corrugated tube cannot be restricted. For this reason, for example, as the corrugated tube rotates, the orientation of the clip provided on the corrugated tube becomes incorrect, and when assembling the electric wire, an operation to correct the orientation of the corrugated tube occurs.

[0005] Therefore, a fixture for a corrugated tube has been proposed that restricts the rotation of the corrugated tube by inserting a protrusion into a slit provided in the corrugated tube (see, for example, Patent Document 2). By assembling this fixture after aligning the orientation of the slit of the corrugated tube with the protrusion, the protrusion can enter the slit of the corrugated tube and restrict the rotation of the corrugated tube.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

[0007] However, even if the rotation-restricting structure described in Patent Document 2 is applied to the connector cover described in Patent Document 1, it is still necessary to align the orientation of the slit with the protrusion during assembly, and this alignment work ultimately leads to a decrease in work efficiency.

[0008] This invention was made to solve these conventional problems, and its objective is to provide a connector cover that can improve workability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The connector cover according to the present invention comprises a first member and a second member that are assembled from an outward-facing direction to both a connector connected to a mating connector and a corrugated tube into which an electric wire is inserted, and covers the lead-out portion of the electric wire drawn out from the connector and has ribs that fit into recesses among the irregularities that are continuous in the longitudinal direction of the corrugated tube, and has a projection formed on at least one of the first member and the second member that penetrates a part of the corrugated tube when the first member and the second member are assembled. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connector cover that can improve workability. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a connector cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing how the corrugated tube is prevented from coming loose by the tube holding mechanism. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector cover during assembly, showing the cross-section passing through the protruding portion. [Figure 4] This is a top view showing the vicinity of the protrusion formed on the second member shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] This is a plan view of the protrusion shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The present invention will be described below in accordance with preferred embodiments. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, in the embodiments shown below, some illustrations and descriptions of certain components are omitted. It goes without saying that, regarding the details of the omitted technologies, publicly known or well-known technologies are applied as appropriate, to the extent that they do not contradict the content described below.

[0013] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a connector cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. The connector cover 1 shown in Figure 1 covers a connector C that is connected to a mating connector (not shown), and is assembled to sandwich one end of a corrugated tube (see Figure 2) CT in which an electric wire (see Figure 3) W is housed.

[0014] The connector cover 1 comprises a first member 10 and a second member 20, which are assembled to both the connector C and the corrugated tube CT from the outward direction, and a hinge portion 30 that connects the first member 10 and the second member 20. The hinge portion 30 is in the shape of a thin plate and is flexibly deformable in its planar direction. Therefore, the first member 10 is assembled to the second member 20 by moving it as shown by the dashed arrow in Figure 1 while deforming the hinge portion 30.

[0015] Such a first member 10 and second member 20 include connector housing portions 11, 21 that generally cover the connector C, tube holding portions 12, 22 that hold the corrugated tube CT, and fitting portions 13, 23 for assembly.

[0016] The connector housing portions 11, 21 are portions that cover the connector C from the side facing each other when the first member 10 and the second member 20 are assembled. The connector C housed in the connector housing portions 11, 21 has terminals (not shown) housed in a terminal housing chamber (not shown) and electric wires W connected to the terminals. Tube holding portions 12, 22 are provided on the lead-out side of the electric wire W drawn out from the connector C, and the lead-out portion of the electric wire W will be protected by the connector cover 1.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the corrugated tube CT is prevented from coming off by the tube holding portion 22 shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, only the tube holding portion 22 on the second member 20 side is shown, but the tube holding portion 12 on the first member 10 side has the same configuration.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the tube holding portion 22 has an inner surface that is arcuate for fitting the cylindrical corrugated tube CT. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tube holding portions 12, 22 have a plurality of ribs 14, 24 corresponding to the concavo-convex shape of the corrugated tube CT in this arcuate portion.

[0019] The plurality of ribs 14, 24 are provided side by side in a direction that becomes the longitudinal direction of the corrugated tube CT (a direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction) when the corrugated tube CT is assembled to the connector cover 1. The plurality of ribs 14, 24 are provided with intervals in the order of the first rib 14a, 24a, the second rib 14b, 24b, and the third rib 14c, 24c from the side farther from the connector housing portions 11, 21. Each of these ribs 14, 24 enters the concave portion of the corrugated tube CT in which the concavo-convexity is continuous in the longitudinal direction, so that the corrugated tube CT is in a state of being prevented from coming off.

[0020] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the tube holders 12 and 22 are provided with protrusions 15 and 25. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view when the connector cover 1 is assembled, showing a cross-section passing through the protrusions 15 and 25.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, when the first member 10 and the second member 20 are assembled, the assembly fitting portions 13 and 23 are fitted to each other. At the time of this assembly, the protrusions 15 and 25 penetrate a part of the corrugated tube CT. The connector cover 1 according to the present embodiment (see FIG. 1) restricts the rotation of the corrugated tube CT by the protrusions 15 and 25 penetrating a part of the corrugated tube CT. The protrusions 15 and 25 may be formed on at least one of the first member 10 and the second member 20, but it is preferable that they are formed on both as in the present embodiment.

[0022] Specifically, the protrusions 15 and 25 are shaped to extend toward the center position O of the corrugated tube CT at the time of assembly. Also, the protrusions 15 and 25 provided on the first member 10 and the second member 20 respectively project in directions facing each other when the first member 10 and the second member 20 are assembled. That is, the two protrusions 15 and 25 project in opposite directions to each other at the time of assembly and sandwich the corrugated tube CT from directly opposite sides. Thereby, the protrusions 15 and 25 are made more likely to penetrate a part of the corrugated tube CT.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a top view showing the vicinity of the protrusion 25 formed on the second member 20 shown in FIG. 1. The protrusion 25 formed on the second member 20 has a quadrangular pyramid structure that is slightly flattened in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the corrugated tube CT (that is, the circumferential direction) at the time of assembling the corrugated tube CT (see FIG. 2). Such a protrusion 25 is provided between the first rib 24a and the second rib 24b.

[0024] Furthermore, although not shown in the illustration, the projection 15 formed on the first member 10 also has a square pyramidal structure that is slightly flattened in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the corrugated tube CT when the corrugated tube CT is assembled. This projection 15 is also provided between the first rib 14a and the second rib 14b.

[0025] As described above, the protrusions 15 and 25 are provided between the ribs 14 and 24, and thus penetrate the convex portions of the corrugated tube CT. Here, in the example shown in Figure 3, the dashed-dotted line corresponds to the convex portion of the corrugated tube CT, and the dashed-dotted line corresponds to the concave portion of the corrugated tube CT. In this case, since the protrusions 15 and 25 penetrate the convex portion of the corrugated tube CT, their tips only reach, for example, slightly inside the concave portion shown by the dashed-dotted line. Therefore, the tips of the protrusions 15 and 25 are less likely to approach the center position O of the corrugated tube CT, and the possibility of the internal wires W being damaged by the tips of the protrusions 15 and 25 protruding into the corrugated tube CT is reduced.

[0026] Figure 5 is a plan view of the projection 25 shown in Figure 1. Although Figure 5 shows the projection 25 of the second member 20, the projection 15 of the first member 10 is similar. As shown in Figure 5, the projection 25 has a textured portion S in which at least a part of it is textured. Textured processing refers to a process that applies a pattern such as leather, pear-skin, or geometric pattern to the surface of a member. The textured portion S, which has been textured in this way, has a rough surface structure and functions as an anti-slip surface.

[0027] As a result, as shown in Figure 5, when the projection 25 is partially penetrating the corrugated tube CT and the textured portion S is in contact with the corrugated tube CT, the possibility of the projections 15 and 25 slipping out is reduced.

[0028] Next, the assembly method and operation of the connector cover 1 according to this embodiment will be described. First, the worker prepares the connector cover 1 with the first member 10 and the second member 20 in the unfolded state shown in Figure 1. Next, the worker prepares a wire harness with the connector C and corrugated tube CT attached to the electric wire W. Then, the worker places the connector C on the connector housing portion 21 of the second member 20, and places the corrugated tube CT on the tube holding portion 22 of the second member 20. At this time, the worker places the corrugated tube CT on the tube holding portion 22 so that the multiple ribs 24 fit into the recesses of the corrugated tube CT.

[0029] Then, the worker deforms the hinge portion 30 and assembles the first member 10 onto the second member 20. At this time, the assembly fitting portions 13 and 23 fit together, and the multiple ribs 14 of the first member 10 fit into the recesses of the corrugated tube CT. As a result, the lead-out portion of the electric wire W drawn out from the connector C and the end of the corrugated tube CT are covered by the connector cover 1.

[0030] Furthermore, in this state, the protrusions 15 and 25 penetrate the convex portion of the corrugated tube CT. As a result, the rotation of the corrugated tube CT is restricted. In particular, since the protrusions 15 and 25 penetrate the corrugated tube CT, there is no need to align them to fit into the slits of the corrugated tube CT.

[0031] In addition, the projections 15 and 25 are provided on both the first member 10 and the second member 20, and each protrudes toward the center position O of the corrugated tube CT. Therefore, the projections 15 and 25 grip the corrugated tube CT from the opposite side toward the center position O and penetrate the corrugated tube CT. Thus, the configuration makes it easy to penetrate a part of the corrugated tube CT.

[0032] Furthermore, since the protrusions 15 and 25 penetrate the convex portion of the corrugated tube CT, the tips of the protrusions 15 and 25 are less likely to reach the electric wire W compared to when they penetrate the concave portion, thus reducing the likelihood of damaging the electric wire W.

[0033] In addition, the protrusions 15 and 25 are equipped with a textured surface S. Therefore, when the textured surface S is in contact with the corrugated tube CT, the textured surface S functions as an anti-slip surface. As a result, the possibility of the protrusions 15 and 25 coming off the corrugated tube CT due to slippage is also suppressed.

[0034] In this way, the connector cover 1 according to this embodiment is provided with projections 15 and 25 that penetrate a portion of the corrugated tube CT when the first member 10 and the second member 20 are assembled. Therefore, after assembly, the rotation of the corrugated tube CT is restricted by the projections 15 and 25. In particular, since the projections 15 and 25 penetrate a portion of the corrugated tube CT, there is no need to align them with specific parts of the corrugated tube CT such as slits. Thus, a connector cover 1 that can improve workability can be provided.

[0035] Furthermore, the projections 15 and 25 are shaped to extend toward the center position O of the corrugated tube CT during assembly, and are formed on both the first member 10 and the second member 20. Therefore, the projections 15 and 25 are clamped from the opposite side of the corrugated tube CT toward the center position O and penetrate a portion of the corrugated tube CT. Thus, it is possible to penetrate a portion of the corrugated tube CT more easily.

[0036] Furthermore, multiple ribs 14 and 24 are formed along the longitudinal direction of the corrugated tube CT, and projections 15 and 25 are formed between multiple ribs 14 and 24. As a result, the projections 15 and 25 penetrate the convex portions of the corrugated tube CT, which have continuous irregularities in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, compared to the case where the projections penetrate the concave portions of the corrugated tube CT, the tips of the projections 15 and 25 are less likely to approach the center position O of the corrugated tube CT. As a result, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of damaging the electric wires W inside the corrugated tube CT.

[0037] Furthermore, since the protrusions 15 and 25 are textured in at least part of their surface, when the textured portion S comes into contact with the corrugated tube CT, the textured portion S provides anti-slip properties. Therefore, the possibility of the protrusions 15 and 25, which have penetrated the corrugated tube CT, slipping out of the corrugated tube CT can be suppressed.

[0038] Although the present invention has been described above based on embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, other technologies may be combined as appropriate to the extent possible.

[0039] For example, in this embodiment, the projections 15 and 25 are substantially pyramidal in shape, but are not limited to this and may be other shapes such as cones. Also, the projections 15 and 25 may be formed on the ribs 14 and 24 so as to extend from the ribs 14 and 24.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ribs 14 and 24 are formed on both the first member 10 and the second member 20, but this is not limited to this, and they may be formed on only one of them as long as the corrugated tube CT is prevented from being removed. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1: Connector cover 10: First member 20: Second member 14,24: Rib 15,25:Protrusion C: Connector CT: Corrugated tubing O: Center position S: Textured part W: Electric wire

Claims

1. A connector cover comprising a first member and a second member assembled from the outward-facing direction to both the connector connected to the mating connector and the corrugated tube into which the electric wire is inserted, the connector cover covers the lead portion of the electric wire pulled out from the connector and has ribs that fit into recesses among the irregularities that are continuous in the longitudinal direction of the corrugated tube, At least one of the first member and the second member is formed with a projection that penetrates a portion of the corrugated tube when the first member and the second member are assembled. A connector cover characterized by the following features.

2. The aforementioned projection is shaped to extend toward the center of the corrugated tube during assembly and is formed on both the first member and the second member. The connector cover according to feature 1.

3. The ribs are formed in a plurality, arranged in a direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the corrugated tube, The aforementioned protrusions are formed between the plurality of ribs. The connector cover according to feature 1.

4. The aforementioned projection has a textured surface, at least in part, which is textured. The connector cover according to feature 1.

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