Integrated structure and connector mating structure for waterproof connector housings

Abstract

We offer connectors that allow for a high degree of design flexibility, a highly integrated array configuration, and waterproof specifications that enable housing separation to cope with equipment failures. [Solution] The female housings 5, 5, ... assembled on the plate 1 are formed from upper and lower split molds, so the arrangement of the waterproof connector 47 completed by mating with the male housings 33, 33, ... offers a high degree of design freedom and integration. Also, since it is locked by a pair of lock spring pieces 14, 14, it can be released relatively easily if an external force is applied in a predetermined direction. In the locked state, the terminal housings of the male housing 33 and the female housing 5 are sealed liquid-tight to the outside by the O-rings 45, creating a waterproof zone. There is an opening below through the through hole 15, and that part is an open zone, but due to the arrangement described above, water cannot enter the waterproof zone inside the connector, nor can water enter the back side of the plate 1.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an integrated structure of a housing for a waterproof connector that can be die-formed and a connector fitting structure.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, connectors for electrically connecting electronic components and circuit boards to each other have been widespread. Among these, in a housing-type connector, claws protruding outward from one housing enter through the through-holes of the other housing and fit together, so that the terminals housed in each housing are electrically connected to each other. In the case of a waterproof specification, as described in Patent Document 1, an O-ring is attached to the fitting surface, and the gap between the housings is hermetically closed through the O-ring, so that the inside becomes a waterproof area.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Recently, electric vehicles (EVs) have been rapidly spreading. However, since electric vehicles have more electronic components and circuits than gasoline vehicles, it is convenient if a plurality of connectors can be integrated while in-vehicle space is limited due to the installation of a large-capacity battery or the like. However, the housings of the connectors are resin molded products injection molded using a mold, and the claws have an undercut shape. Therefore, the mold is divided into three or more parts, and when the mold is opened, it is脱模 not only in the vertical direction but also in the horizontal direction by slide movement or the like. Therefore, if such a mold release method is followed, the connectors can only be assembled in a single row, and the benefits of integration cannot be fully utilized. Furthermore, in the event of a device malfunction, it is required that the male and female housings of the connector be easily separated from the outside by manual operation, so that only the faulty device can be removed and repaired by detaching the connector.

[0005] This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and aims to provide an integrated structure that enables a highly flexible arrangement of connectors, even when the housing is integrally molded with the plate to which it is assembled by resin molding using a simple mold consisting of upper and lower split molds, by devising the shape of the housing, and each connector can be made waterproof simply by attaching an O-ring. Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a connector mating structure that allows the male and female housings of a connector to be separated by simple manual operation from the outside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and the first invention is an integrated structure for a waterproof connector housing, characterized in that a resin connector housing comprising a bottomed cylindrical portion, a pair of opposing arms connected upward from the upper edge of the cylindrical portion, a pair of claw portions protruding from the inner surfaces of the respective tip ends of the pair of arms, and a pair of through holes provided at the bottom of the cylindrical portion and located below the pair of claw portions, with the inner surface of the cylindrical portion serving as the placement area for an O-ring, is integrated with a plate having a plurality of assembly holes by mold molding with the assembly holes closed at the bottom.

[0007] Preferably, the claw portion has an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the inner surface and a locking surface that rises perpendicularly with respect to the inner surface. Preferably, the arm is made up of an extended portion of the plate-like material that constitutes the cylindrical part. Preferably, the housing integrated with the plate is the female side.

[0008] The second invention relates to a connector mating structure for a waterproof connector housing, in which a male housing is mated and integrated with a female housing in the above-described integrated structure for a waterproof connector housing, characterized in that the outer surface of the male housing has an annular stepped portion, with the upper portion being larger than the lower portion, and when mated with the female housing, the portion below the stepped portion becomes the inner mating surface, and the outer top surface becomes the locking surface of the claw portion of the female housing.

[0009] Preferably, an O-ring mounting portion is provided on the inner fitting surface of the male housing side. Preferably, a grooved surface for accommodating the arm of the female housing is provided above the inner fitting surface on the outer surface of the male housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The integrated housing structure for waterproof connectors of the present invention can be molded using a simple mold consisting of upper and lower split molds, and multiple housings can be arranged on a single plate without being affected by each other's shape or orientation. Since the outer surface of the molded housing can be free of protrusions, it is possible to place them very close together. Furthermore, each connector can be made to have satisfactory waterproofing by attaching an O-ring to the housing. Therefore, when creating an integrated structure, the design flexibility of the connector arrangement increases. In addition, complex mold configurations are not required, resulting in high manufacturability and enabling low manufacturing costs. Furthermore, according to the connector mating structure of the present invention, the male housing and female housing of the connector can be separated by simple manual operation from the outside. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1]It is a perspective view of an integrated structure of a housing for a waterproof connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an enlarged perspective view of the female housing of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a plan view of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] It is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 2. [Figure 5] It is an explanatory view of a mold used to mold the female housing of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional perspective view and a longitudinal sectional view of the female housing molded with the mold of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] It is a perspective view of a male housing that fits and integrates with the female housing of FIG. 2. [Figure 8] It is a longitudinal sectional view of the male housing of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] It is a perspective view of the state where the female housing of FIG. 2 and the male housing of FIG. 7 are fitted and integrated. [Figure 10] It is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 9.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] The integrated structure of the housing for a waterproof connector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, this integrated structure is formed by assembling and integrating a plurality of female housings 5, 5,... on a metal plate 1 that constitutes a panel. The plate 1 is provided with a plurality of mounting holes 3, 3,... and a female housing 5 made of 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 their arrangement on the plate 1 is not regular, and their orientations and adjacent intervals are random. A substrate or the like (not shown) is arranged on the back side of the plate 1.

[0013] The female housing 5 has terminals housed therein to form a female connector. Similarly, the male housing 33 (Fig. 7) has terminals housed therein to form a male connector. By mechanically coupling the respective female housing 5 and male housing 33, the terminals housed in each are electrically connected to each other. For convenience of explanation, the front, rear, left, right, upper, and lower directions of the female housing 5 are defined by the arrows shown in Fig. 2.

[0014] The rectangular tube body 7 of the female housing 5 has corners that are curved to form rounded corners R parts. An annular flange 9 extends outward on the lower end side of the tube body 7. In Figs. 2 to 4, the flange 9 is not shown for the sake of simplicity. As shown in Fig. 6, the lower surface 9a of this flange 9 has an uneven surface so as to unevenly engage with the uneven shape of the recess 3a at the hole edge of the mounting hole 3 of the plate 1. The upper surface 9b is a single flat surface. The lower surface 9a of the flange 9 is embedded, and the upper surface 9b is flush with the upper surface of the plate 1 and exposed. Hereinafter, description will be made by focusing on one female housing 5.

[0015] The tube body 7 stands vertically from the plate 1 and is closed by a flat bottom 11. With respect to the recess 3a of the plate 1, the female housing 5 is assembled on the flange 9 side and the bottom 11 side and is stably integrated inseparably, and the mounting hole 3 is closed by the bottom 11.

[0016] Also, in the female housing 5, arms 12, 12 are continuously provided on the upper edges 7c of the short sides facing each other in the left - right direction of the tube body 7. This arm 12 is composed of an extension of the plate - like body that forms the tube part of the tube body 7, has the same thickness as the tube part, and the boundary with the tube part side is also flush. The arm 12 extends upward symmetrically in the front - rear direction from the center in the front - rear direction of the tube body 7 and is in the shape of a vertically long rectangular thin plate. And it is continuously provided with the tube body 7 on one short side of the rectangle. The male housing 33 (Fig. 7) has terminals housed therein to form a male connector. By mechanically coupling the respective female housing 5 and male housing 33, the terminals housed in each are electrically connected to each other.

[0017] Claw portions 13, 13 protrude from the inner surface 12a on the upper tip side of each arm 12, that is, from the inner surfaces of the pair of arms 12, 12 in opposing directions. This claw portion 13 is symmetrical with respect to its center line in the front-rear direction, and the cross-section perpendicular to the front-rear direction is the same at all points. When viewed from the inside in the left-right direction, its outer surface consists of a rectangular inclined surface 13a that slopes relative to the inner surface 12a, and a rectangular vertical surface 13b that rises perpendicularly to the inner surface 12a. When viewed from the front-rear direction, the inclined surface 13a and the vertical surface 13b form the outline of a right triangle. The vertical surface 13b that forms the bottom side of this triangle is the locking surface. Hereafter, it will be referred to as the locking surface 13b.

[0018] The arm 12 and the claw portion 13 form a cantilevered lock spring piece 14. The arm 12 of this lock spring piece 14 is a leaf spring, and its plate surface is oriented in the left-right direction. When pushed outward in the left-right direction, it elastically rotates with the upper end of the rectangular tube body 7 as a pivot point, causing the claw portion 13 to retract outward.

[0019] Through holes 15, 15 are formed in the bottom portion 11. When viewed from above, the through holes 15 are rectangular in shape, with one of their long edges being formed by the inner surface 7a of the rectangular tube body 7. The remaining three edges that define the through holes 15 surround the contour of the inwardly protruding portion of the claw portion 13 from the outside, with a small gap between them. The upper edge 7c side of the inner surface 7a becomes the contact area for the O-ring 45, which will be described later.

[0020] The female housing 5 is configured as described above. Generally, when manufacturing connectors, there are two main methods: one is to mold the housing from an insulating thermoplastic resin by injection molding and then house and fix the terminals; the other is to perform insert molding of the thermoplastic resin and terminals. The latter method is said to have better waterproofing performance because it is less likely for gaps to form between the thermoplastic resin and terminals. However, gaps can form during long-term use of the connector, and water ingress can impair the connector's function. Therefore, regardless of the method used, it is necessary to provide waterproofing to the housing. In this invention, both methods are available, but in this embodiment, for the sake of explanation, the method for forming the female housing 5 using the former method will be described.

[0021] As shown in Figure 5, the mold 17 used for molding consists of 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. Frame 21 is inserted into the lower mold 19, and frame 29 is inserted into the upper mold 27. The transfer shape surface of the lower mold 19 is a recess 23 which becomes the molding area for the flange 9 and bottom 11 of the female housing 5, which is the molded product, and furthermore, a receiving area for the plate 1 is provided. Furthermore, a pair of through holes 25, 25 are formed on the molded portion side of the bottom 11. These through holes 25 extend in the vertical direction, with their upper and lower ends open, and the cross-section perpendicular to the vertical direction is rectangular. A pair of through holes 25, 25 are opposite each other in the left-right direction, and square pin-shaped pieces 21, 21 are inserted into each. The upper end surface 21a of each piece 21 protrudes upward, and the protrusion height of each piece 21, 21 is the same.

[0022] Furthermore, the transfer shape surface of the upper mold 27 becomes the molded portion of the rectangular tubular body 7 of the female housing 5, which is a molded product. A large hole is formed that penetrates vertically, into which the die 29 is inserted, and the recesses 31a, 31a provided between the upper mold 27 and the die 29 form the molding area of ​​the rectangular tube 7. Furthermore, on the side of the saddle 29, there are two opposing recesses, with a recess 31b above the recess 31a, which serve as the molding areas for the arm 12 and the claw portion 13, and the receiving areas for the saddle 21 that are connected below them, respectively. The recess 31a is shaped so that when opening the lower mold 19 and the upper mold 27 to remove the molded product, the mold can be released only by opening the mold.

[0023] The lower mold 19 rises, closing the mold 17 with the plate 1 enclosed, and a cavity for forming the female housing 5 is created. This cavity consists of recesses 23 and 31a. A gate (not shown) that communicates with the cavity is formed in the lower mold 19. After the mold is clamped, molten thermoplastic resin is injected from the gate into the cavity using an injection molding machine (not shown). The molten thermoplastic resin fills the cavity to completely cover the transferred shape surface, and then solidifies within the mold 17. After solidification, the lower mold 19 descends to open the mold, and the resin molded product that has adhered to the transferred shape surface of the lower mold 19 is pushed up by the ejector pins 21, and removed as needed along with the plate 1. Gate cutting is also performed as necessary. Figure 6 shows the state after the mold has been opened.

[0024] Since mold 17 is made up of two halves (top and bottom), the shape of mold 17 is simple.

[0025] The male housing 33 is also a resin molded product and is mechanically connected to the female housing 5 by fitting. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the rectangular tube portion 35 of the male housing 33 is rectangular when viewed from above. The rectangular tube portion 35 is closed off by a flat top surface 37 and a bottom surface 39, and is penetrated vertically by multiple through holes.

[0026] The outer surface of the rectangular tube section 35 has two stages of annular steps, which narrow towards the bottom. The stepped surfaces are parallel to the upper and lower surfaces. The rectangle in the upper part 35a has curved corners, forming rounded corners (R). The rectangle in the middle part 35b is coaxially similar to the upper part 35a. The rectangle in the lower part 35c is also coaxially similar, but the radius of its corners is smaller. Furthermore, the intermediate portion 35b is provided with a series of concave surfaces 41 arranged in an annular pattern in the circumferential direction. These concave surfaces 41 are recessed radially inward, and an O-ring 45 is fitted and installed within them. A portion of the O-ring 45 protrudes outward from the concave surfaces 41, but is positioned sufficiently inward from the upper portion 35a.

[0027] Furthermore, the outer surface of the upper part 35a is provided with concave surfaces 43, 43 on opposite short sides when viewed from above. These concave surfaces 43 are located midway in the front-to-back direction and are concave in a rectangular shape towards the left-to-right direction. The concave surfaces 43 also extend in the vertical direction, and their upper ends are open, passing through the upper surface 37. Their lower ends are open, passing through the stepped surface 35d between the upper part 35a and the intermediate part 35b. The depth of the concave surface 43 is approximately equal to the width of the stepped surface 35d, and in the longitudinal section view, the concave bottom surface 43a and the intermediate portion 35b of the concave surface 43 are almost flush with each other. The vertical length dimension is such that the upper part 35a > middle part 35b ≈ lower part 35c, and a concave surface 41 is formed approximately in the center of the middle part 35b in the vertical direction.

[0028] The male housing 33 is also made from an insulating thermoplastic resin and is molded using injection molding with a mold, similar to the female housing 5. However, since the male housing 33 is molded individually rather than in a series, a sliding mechanism can be used in the mold configuration, in addition to an upper and lower mold. Therefore, the male housing 33 does not have a through hole 15 like the female housing 5.

[0029] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the female housing 5 and the male housing 33, configured as described above, are fitted together and integrated. Note that the flange 9 of the female housing 5 is omitted from the illustration in Figures 9 and 10. With the O-ring 45 fitted onto the male housing 33, and the orientation aligned, the intermediate portion 35b and the lower portion 35c are inserted into the rectangular tube 7 of the female housing 5 as it descends. The intermediate portion 35b on the male housing 33 side comes into contact with the inclined surface 13a of the claw portion 13 on the female housing 5 side. When a force is applied in a direction that pushes it further downward, the lock spring piece 14 on the female housing 5 side rotates elastically and retracts outward, causing the intermediate portion 35b, which straddles the O-ring 45, and the concave bottom surface 43a of the concave groove surface 43 connected thereto to slide downward against the inward tip of the claw portion 13 in the left-right direction.

[0030] When the stepped surface 35d of the male housing 33 comes into contact with the upper edge 7c of the rectangular tube 7 of the female housing 5, further downward movement is restricted. At that time, the arm 12 of the lock spring piece 14 elastically returns to its original position, and the locking surface 13b of the claw portion 13 comes into contact with or is very close to contact with the upper surface 37, which is the edge surface of the concave surface 43, from above. In this state, the arms 12, 12 insert themselves into the recessed surfaces 43, 43 of the male housing 33 from both the left and right sides, and the arms 12, 12 clamp and press the upper part 35a of the male housing 33 from both sides. Furthermore, the upper part 35a is clamped between the claw portion 13 and the upper edge 7c of the female housing 5. In other words, it is locked.

[0031] When locked, the terminals housed in the female housing 5 and the terminals housed in the male housing 33 are electrically connected to each other. Specifically, the middle portion 35b and the lower portion 35c of the male housing 33 are mechanically coupled by being fitted into the rectangular tube 7 of the female housing 5.

[0032] In the locked state, the O-ring 45 contacts the inner surface 7a and undergoes elastic deformation, creating a liquid-tight seal and closing the gap. Therefore, the terminal housing portion of the male housing 33 and the terminal housing portion of the female housing 5 are sealed liquid-tight to the outside, creating a waterproof zone. The female housing 5 opens downwards through the through hole 15, as shown by the arrow in Figure 10, and connects to the back side of the plate 1. Although this area is an open area, due to the arrangement described above, water cannot enter the waterproof area inside the connector, nor can water enter the back side of the plate 1. In this way, the female housing 5 is mated with the male housing 33 to complete the waterproof connector 47.

[0033] Since the lock spring piece 14 of the female housing 5 is exposed to the outside, the claw portion 13 of the lock spring piece 14 can be detached from the upper surface 37, and the arm 12 can be rotated outward in the left-right direction to release the lock, allowing the male housing 33 to be pulled upward and separated from the female housing 5. The above can be done manually.

[0034] In the waterproof connector 47, there is almost no step between the outer surface of the female housing 5 and the outer surface of the male housing 33. Also, the arm 12 is housed in the recessed surface 43, and its outer surface 12b is almost flush with the outer surface of the male housing 33. The female housing 5 can be molded using a split mold 17. Therefore, the female housings 5 ​​can be arranged in multiple random orientations on the plate 1, and it is also possible to arrange them so that they are almost touching when aligning them, for example, the female housings 5, 5... together. Consequently, the design flexibility and integration of the completed waterproof connector 47 arrangement are increased. Furthermore, since a complex mold configuration is not required for the male housing 33, high manufacturability allows for lower manufacturing costs.

[0035] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and any design changes or other modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the invention are also included in the invention. For example, the shape and size of the housing, especially the female housing, and furthermore, its arrangement on the plate, can be freely set as long as it can be achieved with a split mold. Furthermore, when actually designing the mold, the push-up pin may not be coma 21, or additional pins may be added. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 1…Plate 3…Assembly hole 3a…Recess 5...Female housing 7...Rectangular tube 7a...Inner surface 7b…Outer surface 7c…Top edge 9…Flange 9a…Bottom surface 9b…Top surface 11…Bottom 12...Arm 12a...Inner surface 12b...Outer surface 13...Claw portion 13a...Slanted surface 13b...Locking surface (vertical surface) 14... Lock spring piece 15... Through hole 17... Mold 19...Lower mold 21...Cylinder 21a...Upper end surface 23...Recess 25...Through hole 27...Upper mold 29...Combo 31a, 31b...Recess 33...Male housing 35...Square tube part 35a...Upper part 35b...Middle part 35c...Bottom 35d...Step surface 37...Top surface 39…Bottom surface 41…Concave surface 43…Concave surface 43a...Concave bottom surface 45...O-ring 47...Waterproof connector

Claims

1. A composite structure for a waterproof connector housing, characterized in that a resin connector housing is formed by molding a plate with a plurality of assembly holes, with the assembly holes closed at the bottom, and the resin housing comprising a bottomed cylindrical portion, a pair of opposing arms connected upward from the upper edge of the cylindrical portion, a pair of claw portions protruding from the inner surfaces of the respective tip ends of the pair of arms, and a pair of through holes provided at the bottom of the cylindrical portion and located below the pair of claw portions, with the inner surface of the cylindrical portion serving as the placement area for the O-ring, and the resin housing comprising the resin housing comprising a plurality of assembly holes comprising a plate with a plurality of assembly holes, and the assembly holes being closed at the bottom.

2. In the integrated structure of the waterproof connector housing described in claim 1, The integrated housing structure for a waterproof connector is characterized in that the claw portion has an inclined surface that is tilted with respect to the inner surface and a locking surface that rises perpendicularly with respect to the inner surface.

3. In the integrated structure of the waterproof connector housing described in claim 2, An integrated housing structure for a waterproof connector, characterized in that the arm is composed of an extended portion of a plate-like material that constitutes the cylindrical part.

4. In the integrated structure of the waterproof connector housing described in claim 3, An integrated housing structure for a waterproof connector, characterized in that the housing integrated into the plate is the female side.

5. In a connector mating structure for a waterproof connector housing described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the female housing and the male housing are mated together and integrated, A connector mating structure characterized in that the outer surface of the male housing has an annular stepped portion, with the upper portion being larger than the lower portion, and when mated with the female housing, the portion below the stepped portion becomes the inner mating surface, and the outer top surface becomes the locking surface of the claw portion of the female housing.

6. In the connector mating structure described in claim 5, A connector mating structure characterized by having an O-ring mounting portion provided on the inner fitting surface of the male housing side.

7. In the connector mating structure described in claim 6, A connector mating structure characterized in that a recessed surface for accommodating the arm of the female housing is provided above the inner fitting surface on the outer surface of the male housing.

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