connector

Abstract

To provide a connector that makes it easy to control an inclination of a contact to a sleeve member.SOLUTION: A connector comprises a housing, a holder, a contact, an electrical wire, and a sleeve member. The contact is accommodated in a contact accommodation portion of the housing at least in part. The holder is attached to the housing and defines a rear end of the contact accommodation portion. An electrical wire is connected to the contact and extends outside through a through hole of the holder. The sleeve member has a main portion and three or more front protrusions. The main portion extends in a front-rear direction and has a C-chape section in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Each of the front protrusions protrudes forward from a front end of the main portion. The sleeve member is attached to the contact to accommodate a part of the contact and a part of the electrical wire in the main portion, and located between an abutment portion and the holder. At least three of the front protrusions are brought into abutment with the abutment portion of the contact.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to connectors, and more particularly to connectors having contacts connected to electrical wires and housed in a housing. [Background technology]

[0002] A connector having contacts connected to electric wires and accommodated in a housing is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 20, a connector 90 of Patent Document 1 includes a terminal metal 910, a connector housing 920, a rear holder 930, a sleeve member 940, a center packing 950, and a rear packing 960.

[0004] 21 , the connector housing 920 includes a terminal accommodating chamber 922. The terminal metal 910 is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 922 and connected to an electric wire 970. The rear holder 930 is attached to the rear of the connector housing 920 and partially covers the terminal accommodating chamber 922.

[0005] 21, the terminal metal 910 has a flange portion 912. The flange portion 912 prevents the terminal metal 910 from moving forward relative to the connector housing 920. In addition, a center packing 950 is attached to the flange portion 912.

[0006] 21 , the sleeve member 940 is disposed between the flange portion 912 of the terminal metal 910 and the rear holder 930. Furthermore, a rear packing 960 is disposed between the sleeve member 940 and the rear holder 930. A part of the terminal metal 910 and a part of the electric wire 970 are located inside the sleeve member 940. The electric wire 970 passes through a through hole 962 formed in the rear packing 960 and a through hole 932 formed in the rear holder 930, and extends rearward. The sleeve member 940, together with the rear packing 960, restricts the terminal metal 910 from moving rearward with respect to the connector housing 920. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-55809 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The connector 90 of Patent Document 1 is configured so that the front end face of the sleeve member 940 abuts against the flange portion 912 of the terminal metal 910. If the front end face of the sleeve member 940 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sleeve member 940, when the front end face of the sleeve member 940 abuts against the terminal metal 910, the terminal metal 910 can extend straight along the longitudinal direction of the sleeve member 940. In contrast, when the front end face of the sleeve member 940 is not perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sleeve member 940, when the front end face of the sleeve member 940 abuts against the terminal metal 910, the terminal metal 910 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the sleeve member 940. However, considering manufacturing variations, it is very difficult to make the front end face of the sleeve member 940 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sleeve member 940. Therefore, the connector 90 of Patent Document 1 has a problem that the terminal metal 910 may be inclined with respect to the sleeve member 940.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a connector that is configured to facilitate control of the inclination of the contact relative to the sleeve member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention provides a first connector comprising a housing, a holder, contacts, electric wires, and a sleeve member, The housing is formed with a contact receiving portion, The contact is at least partially received in the contact receiving portion, the holder is attached to the housing and defines a rear end of the contact accommodating portion in a front-rear direction; The holder is formed with a through hole penetrating in the front-rear direction, the electric wire is connected to the contact and extends from the contact accommodating portion to the outside through the through hole of the holder, The contact is provided with an abutted portion, the sleeve member having a main portion and three or more front projections; The main portion extends in the front-rear direction and has a C-shaped cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction, Each of the front projections protrudes forward in the front-rear direction from a front end of the main portion, the sleeve member is attached to the contact so as to accommodate a portion of the contact and a portion of the electric wire within the main portion, and is located between the abutted portion and the holder in the front-rear direction, At least three of the front projections abut against the abutted portion. Provide a connector.

[0011] The present invention provides a first connector as a second connector, In a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and perpendicular to the surface of the main portion of the sleeve member, the maximum dimension of the front projection is greater than the dimension of the main portion adjacent thereto. Provide a connector.

[0012] The present invention provides a third connector, which is the first or second connector, the sleeve member has three or more rear projections that protrude rearward in the front-rear direction from a rear end of the main portion, At least three of the rear projections are abutted against the holder. Provide a connector.

[0013] The present invention provides a fourth connector, which is the third connector, The connector further comprises an annular member, the annular member is located within the contact accommodating portion between the rear end of the main portion of the sleeve member and the holder, The annular member has three or more through holes formed therethrough in the front-rear direction, the through holes of the annular member correspond to the rear protrusions, Each of the rear projections is inserted into the corresponding through hole. Provide a connector.

[0014] The present invention provides a fifth connector, which is the third or fourth connector, The front protrusions correspond to the rear protrusions, a protrusion portion is formed on the main portion of the sleeve member to connect each of the front projections to the corresponding rear projection in the front-rear direction; The protrusions protrude from a surface of the main portion of the sleeve member. Provide a connector.

[0015] The present invention provides a sixth connector, which is any one of the third to fifth connectors, The rear projection is disposed rotationally symmetrically with respect to an axis of symmetry extending in the front-rear direction. Provide a connector.

[0016] The present invention provides a seventh connector, which is any one of the first to sixth connectors, The front projections are arranged rotationally symmetrically with respect to an axis of symmetry extending in the front-rear direction. Provide a connector.

[0017] The present invention provides an eighth connector, which is any one of the first to seventh connectors, the connector includes a first waterproofing member and a second waterproofing member, the first waterproofing member and the second waterproofing member are located within the contact accommodating portion, The contact has a flange, An inwardly recessed groove is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the flange, The first waterproofing member is attached to the groove, The second waterproof member is sandwiched between the rear end of the main portion of the sleeve member and the holder. Provide a connector.

[0018] The present invention provides a ninth connector, which is the eighth connector, the second waterproofing member is annular, The second waterproofing member has three or more through holes formed therethrough in the front-rear direction, the sleeve member has three or more rear projections protruding rearward in the front-rear direction from the rear end of the main portion, the through holes of the second waterproofing member correspond to the rear protrusions, Each of the rear projections is inserted into the corresponding through hole. Provide a connector.

[0019] The present invention provides a tenth connector, which is the eighth or ninth connector, The connector further comprises a sensor; the wiring of the sensor is disposed in a slit portion of the sleeve member, The wiring of the sensor extends rearward through an additional through hole formed in the second waterproofing member and the through hole of the holder. Provide a connector.

[0020] The present invention provides an eleventh connector, which is the tenth connector, The contact has a hole formed therein, the hole being drilled in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, The sensor is inserted vertically into the hole, The wiring of the sensor is bent in the front-back direction at the edge of the hole. Provide a connector.

[0021] The present invention provides a twelfth connector, which is any one of the eighth to eleventh connectors, the electric wire connected to the contact is one, The first waterproofing member and the second waterproofing member are each annular. Provide a connector. Effect of the Invention

[0022] In the connector of the present invention, the sleeve member has three or more front projections, and at least three of the front projections abut against the abutted portion of the contact. When the contact is tilted relative to the sleeve member, the amount of projection of one or more front projections can be adjusted. This is easier than adjusting the overall tilt of the C-shaped front end face of the sleeve member. For example, when molding the sleeve member, adjusting the amount of projection of the front projections in the mold is significantly easier than adjusting the overall tilt of the C-shaped front end face in the mold. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a front perspective view showing a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is another front perspective view of the connector of FIG. 1 with the cover shell removed; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the connector of FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the connector of FIG. 3 taken along line AA. [Diagram 5] 5 is another cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 4 with the wires, toroid, sensor and associated wiring removed. [Figure 6] 3 is a side view showing a contact assembly included in the connector of FIG. 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the contact assembly of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view showing the contact assembly of FIG. 6. [Figure 9] 9 is another rear perspective view of the contact assembly of FIG. 8 with the sleeve member and the toric member removed. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a front perspective view showing the contact assembly of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 7 is a front perspective view showing a sleeve member included in the contact assembly of FIG. 6. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of the sleeve member of FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the sleeve member of FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 12 is a side view showing the sleeve member of FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 12 is a front view showing the sleeve member of FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 12 is a rear view of the sleeve member of FIG. [Figure 17] 7 is a front perspective view showing an annular member included in the contact assembly of FIG. 6. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a front view showing the annular member of FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 18 is a side view showing the annular member of FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector disclosed in Patent Document 1. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing the connector of FIG. 20. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] 1 and 3, a connector 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a charging connector for an electric vehicle attached to one end of a cable 80. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention is applicable to connectors for any purpose.

[0025] 1 and 3, the connector 10 includes a fitting portion 12 and a body 14. The body 14 includes a base shell 141 and a cover shell 143.

[0026] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the base shell 141 is provided with a housing 20. As can be seen from Figures 1, 3 and 4, in this embodiment, the number of housings 20 is two. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The connector of the present invention may include at least one housing 20. Furthermore, the housing 20 may not be provided in the base shell 141 and may be exposed to the outside.

[0027] 2 and 4, the holders 30 are attached to the housings 20, respectively. More specifically, each of the holders 30 is attached to the rear end of the corresponding housing 20. In this embodiment, the front-rear direction is the Y direction. The -Y direction is the front, and the +Y direction is the rear.

[0028] 4, the holder 30 has an end surface portion 32 and a side wall portion 34 extending forward from the end surface portion 32. A through hole 321 is formed in the end surface portion 32 so as to penetrate therethrough in the front-rear direction.

[0029] 4, the housing 20 is formed with a contact accommodating portion 22. The holder 30 attached to the housing 20 defines the rear end of the contact accommodating portion 22 in the front-rear direction.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 4, the contact accommodating portion 22 of the housing 20 accommodates the contact assembly 16. More specifically, the contact accommodating portion 22 accommodates the contacts 40, the sleeve member 50, the annular member 60, the first waterproof member 70, and the sensor 72. In other words, the connector 10 includes the contacts 40, the sleeve member 50, the annular member 60, the first waterproof member 70, and the sensor 72. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The annular member 60, the first waterproof member 70, and the sensor 72 are not necessarily required. The connector of the present invention only needs to include at least the contacts 40 and the sleeve member 50 in addition to the housing 20 and the holder 30.

[0031] 9 and 10, the contact 40 has a multi-stage cylindrical shape. More specifically, the contact 40 has a connection portion 42, a body portion 44, and a wiring portion 46. The connection portion 42, the body portion 44, and the wiring portion 46 are arranged in this order in the front-rear direction so that their central axes coincide with each other.

[0032] As can be seen from Figs. 9 and 10, the connection portion 42 has a cylindrical base portion 421 and a plurality of contact pieces 423 extending forward from the base portion 421. The contact pieces 423 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The contact pieces 423 are elastically deformable. When the connector 10 is mated with an inlet (not shown), the contact pieces 423 come into contact with a mating contact (not shown). In this embodiment, the number of contact pieces 423 is eight. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The configuration and shape of the connection portion 42 can be designed arbitrarily.

[0033] 9 and 10, the body portion 44 has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the base portion 421 of the connection portion 42. The body portion 44 has a flange portion 441. The outer diameter of the flange portion 441 is larger than the outer diameter of other portions of the body portion 44. The flange portion 441 has a front end surface 443 and a rear end surface 445. As will be described later, the rear end surface 445 of the flange portion 441 functions as an abutted portion. In other words, the contact 40 has an abutted portion.

[0034] 9 and 10, an inwardly recessed groove 447 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the flange portion 441 of the contact 40. The first waterproofing member 70 is attached to the groove 447. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If the first waterproofing member 70 is not required, the groove 447 is not required either.

[0035] As can be seen from FIG. 4, FIG. 9, and FIG. 10, the body 44 further has a bottomed hole 449 formed therein. The hole 449 is bored in the up-down direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the up-down direction is the Z direction. The +Z direction is the up direction, and the -Z direction is the down direction. The sensor 72 is inserted and disposed vertically in the hole 449. The wiring 721 of the sensor 72 extends upward from the sensor 72 and is bent at a substantially right angle at the edge of the hole 449. In other words, the wiring 721 of the sensor 72 is bent in the front-rear direction at the edge of the hole 449. The wiring 721 of the sensor 72 extends to the outside of the contact accommodating portion 22 through the through hole 321 of the holder 30. In this way, the sensor 72 is inserted and disposed vertically in the hole 449 formed in the up-down direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the wiring 721 is bent at a substantially right angle, thereby shortening the length of the body 44 in the front-rear direction. The bent portion of wiring 721 protrudes slightly from body portion 44, but this does not pose a problem since it is disposed within slit 521 of sleeve member 50. In this embodiment, sensor 72 is a temperature sensor. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If sensor 72 is not required, hole 449 is also not required.

[0036] 4, 9, and 10, the connection portion 46 has an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the body portion 44. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The outer diameter of the connection portion 46 may be the same as the outer diameter of the body portion 44. An electric wire 82 included in a cable 80 is connected to the connection portion 46. The electric wire 82 connected to the connection portion 46 of the contact 40 extends to the outside of the contact accommodating portion 22 through a through hole 321 of the holder 30.

[0037] 11 to 14, the sleeve member 50 has a cylindrical main portion 52 extending in the front-rear direction. The main portion 52 has a slit 521 extending in the front-rear direction. In other words, the sleeve member 50 is a split sleeve. The main portion 52 of the sleeve member 50 has a C-shaped cross section in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction.

[0038] 11 to 14, the sleeve member 50 has three or more front projections 54 that project forward in the front-rear direction from the front end surface 523 of the main portion 52. In the present embodiment, the number of front projections 54 is four.

[0039] 11 and 15, the front protrusion 54 has a semicircular cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The shape of the front protrusion 54 may be a shape other than a semicircular shape, such as a polygon, a circle, or an ellipse.

[0040] As can be seen from Fig. 15, the front projections 54 are disposed rotationally symmetrically about an axis of symmetry extending in the front-rear direction. This is to ensure that the front projections 54 abut against the rear end surface 445 of the flange portion 441, i.e., the abutted portion, in a balanced manner when the sleeve member 50 is attached to the contact 40, as shown in Fig. 8.

[0041] As can be seen from FIG. 15, in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and perpendicular to the surface (outer peripheral surface 527 or inner peripheral surface 529) of the main portion 52, the maximum dimension of the front projection 54 is larger than the dimension (thickness) of the main portion 52 in the vicinity thereof. This is to provide the front projection 54 with necessary strength. In this embodiment, when the sleeve member 50 is viewed from the front, the front projection 54 protrudes toward the outer peripheral side of the main portion 52. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When the sleeve member 50 is viewed from the front, the front projection 54 may protrude toward the inner peripheral side of the main portion 52. Alternatively, when the sleeve member 50 is viewed from the front, the front projection 54 may protrude toward both the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side of the main portion 52.

[0042] 11 to 14, the sleeve member 50 has three or more rear projections 56 that project rearward in the front-rear direction from the rear end surface 525 of the main portion 52. In this embodiment, the number of rear projections 56 is four. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The rear projections 56 are not necessarily required. However, when the annular member 60 has elasticity, for example, when it is the second waterproof member, it is desirable to have the rear projections 56. This is to reliably restrict rearward movement of the contacts 40 relative to the housing 20.

[0043] 12 and 16, the rear projection 56 has a circular cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The shape of the rear projection 56 may be a shape other than a circle, such as a polygon, a semicircle, or an ellipse. However, in order to ensure the strength of the rear projection 56, it is desirable for the cross-sectional area to be large.

[0044] 16, the rear projections 56 are arranged rotationally symmetrical about an axis of symmetry extending in the front-rear direction so that the rear projections 56 abut against the end surface portions 32 of the holder 30 in a well-balanced manner.

[0045] 16, in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and perpendicular to the surface (outer peripheral surface 527 or inner peripheral surface 529) of the main portion 52, the maximum dimension of the rear projection 56 is greater than the dimension (thickness) of the main portion 52 in its vicinity. In this embodiment, when the sleeve member 50 is viewed from the rear, the rear projection 56 protrudes toward both the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side of the main portion 52. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The rear projection 56 may protrude toward either the inner peripheral side or the outer peripheral side of the main portion 52 when the sleeve member 50 is viewed from the rear.

[0046] 11 to 16, the front projections 54 correspond to the rear projections 56, respectively. An outer ridge 581 is provided on the outer circumferential surface 527 of the main portion 52 to connect the front projections 54 to the corresponding rear projections 56 in the front-rear direction. The outer ridge 581 protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface 527 of the main portion 52. The outer ridge 581 is not necessarily required, but can provide strength to the sleeve member 50.

[0047] As can be seen from FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, an inner ridge 583 continuing to the rear projection 56 is provided on the inner peripheral surface 529 of the main portion 52. The inner ridge 583 protrudes radially inward from the inner peripheral surface 529 of the main portion 52. The inner ridge 583 extends forward in the front-rear direction to the middle of the main portion 52. This is in consideration of the difference between the outer diameter of the body portion 44 of the contact 40 and the outer diameter of the connection portion 46. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The inner ridge 583 may extend to the front projection 54. In that case, the outer ridge 581 may not be provided as long as the sleeve member 50 can have sufficient strength. In any case, it is preferable that a ridge that connects each of the front projections 54 to the corresponding rear projections 56 in the front-rear direction is provided on at least one of the outer peripheral surface 527 and the inner peripheral surface 529 of the main portion 52.

[0048] 17 to 19, in this embodiment, the annular member 60 is the second waterproof member. In other words, in this embodiment, the connector 10 is provided with the second waterproof member. More specifically, the annular member 60 is formed in a bellows shape using synthetic rubber. With this configuration, the annular member 60 is elastically deformable in the front-rear direction and in the radial direction.

[0049] As shown in Figs. 17 and 18, in addition to the central hole 62, the annular member 60 has three or more through holes 64 and one or more additional through holes 66 formed therein, which penetrate the annular member 60 in the front-rear direction. The through holes 64 correspond to the rear projections 56 of the sleeve member 50. In this embodiment, the number of the through holes 64 is four. The additional through holes 66 correspond to the wiring 721 of the sensor 72. In this embodiment, the number of the additional through holes 66 is two. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of the through holes 64 depends on the number of the rear projections 56, and the number of the additional through holes 66 depends on the number of the wiring 721.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the contact 40, the sleeve member 50 and the annular member 60 are assembled together to form the contact assembly 16. As shown in FIG.

[0051] 6 to 8, the sleeve member 50 is attached to the contact 40. At this time, a part of the contact 40 and a part of the electric wire 82 are housed in the main portion 52 of the sleeve member 50. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the sleeve member 50 is located behind the flange portion 441 of the contact 40 in the front-rear direction. A part of the body portion 44 and the connection portion 46 of the contact 40 are located in the main portion 52 of the sleeve member 50. The wiring 721 of the sensor 72 is partially disposed in the slit 521. The wiring 721 passes through the slit 521 and extends rearward.

[0052] 6 to 8, the annular member 60 is attached to the sleeve member 50. At this time, the rear projections 56 of the sleeve member 50 are inserted into the corresponding through holes 64 of the annular member 60. In addition, the wiring 721 of the sensor 72 passes through the corresponding additional through holes 66 of the annular member 60 and extends rearward.

[0053] 4, when the contact assembly 16 is accommodated in the housing 20, the first waterproofing member 70 is sandwiched between the flange portion 441 of the contact 40 and the housing 20. The first waterproofing member 70 prevents water that has entered the contact accommodating portion 22 from the front from reaching the sensor 72 or the wiring portion 46. The first waterproofing member 70 is made of synthetic rubber and has a circular ring shape.

[0054] 4, when the contact 40 is accommodated in the housing 20, the front end surface 443 of the flange portion 441 abuts against the abutted surface 24 of the housing 20. This restricts the forward movement of the contact 40 relative to the housing 20. In the present embodiment, the contact 40 is entirely located within the housing 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is sufficient that the contact 40 is at least partially accommodated within the contact accommodating portion 22 of the housing 20. For example, the connecting portion 42 may partially protrude forward from the housing 20.

[0055] 4, when the sleeve member 50 is accommodated in the contact accommodating portion 22 of the housing 20, it is located between the flange portion 441 of the contact 40 and the holder 30 in the front-rear direction. More specifically, the sleeve member 50 is located between the rear end surface 445 of the flange portion 441, i.e., the abutted portion, and the end face portion 32 of the holder 30. At this time, the front projection 54 abuts against the rear end surface 445 of the flange portion 441. In this way, the rear end surface 445 of the flange portion 441 functions as the abutted portion against which the front projection 54 abuts.

[0056] It is desirable that the protruding amounts of the front projections 54 are equal to each other. However, due to manufacturing variations, the protruding amounts of the front projections 54 may differ from each other. In that case, if the difference in the protruding amounts of the front projections 54 is within the allowable range, at least three front projections 54 abut against the rear end surface 445. If the difference in the protruding amounts of the front projections 54 is outside the allowable range, the number of the front projections 54 abutting against the rear end surface 445 will be one or two, and the positional relationship between the contact 40 and the sleeve member 50 will become unstable. In addition, there is a risk that the front projections 54 will be damaged. Therefore, if the difference in the protruding amounts of the front projections 54 is outside the allowable range, the protruding amounts of the front projections 54 must be adjusted. This adjustment of the protruding amount of the front projections 54 is performed on the mold used to manufacture the sleeve member 50. This adjustment is significantly easier than the adjustment of the mold used to manufacture the sleeve member 940 of Patent Document 1. In other words, the adjustment of the protruding amount of the front projections 54 is significantly easier than the adjustment of the inclination of the entire front end surface of the sleeve member 940 of Patent Document 1.

[0057] As can be seen from Fig. 5, when the sleeve member 50 is accommodated in the contact accommodating portion 22 of the housing 20, the rear projections 56 of the sleeve member 50 abut against the end face portion 32 of the holder 30. At this time, if the difference in the protruding amounts of the rear projections 56 is within the allowable range, at least three of the rear projections 56 abut against the end face portion 32. As in the case of the front projections 54, if the difference in the protruding amounts of the rear projections 56 is outside the allowable range, the protruding amounts of the rear projections 56 must be adjusted. In this case, too, adjusting the protruding amounts of the rear projections 56 is significantly easier than adjusting the inclination of the entire rear end face of the sleeve member 940 of Patent Document 1.

[0058] As can be seen from FIG. 5, the sleeve member 50 is sandwiched between the contact 40 and the holder 30. The front projection 54 abuts against the rear end surface 445 of the flange portion 441, and the rear projection 56 abuts against the end surface portion 32 of the holder 30. In this way, the sleeve member 50 restricts rearward movement of the contact 40 relative to the housing 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When the sleeve member 50 does not have the rear projection 56, the main portion 52 of the sleeve member 50 may abut against the holder 30 directly or via the annular member 60. When the annular member 60 is used, it is necessary that the annular member 60 has a predetermined strength in the front-rear direction.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 4, when the annular member 60 is accommodated in the contact accommodating portion 22 of the housing 20, it is located between the main portion 52 of the sleeve member 50 and the holder 30 in the front-rear direction. More specifically, the sleeve member 50 is sandwiched between the rear end surface 525 of the main portion 52 of the sleeve member 50 and the end surface portion 32 of the holder 30. In this embodiment, the annular member 60 is sandwiched between the electric wire 82 and the housing 20, and prevents water from entering the contact accommodating portion 22 from the rear of the contact accommodating portion 22. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The annular member 60 may be intended to prevent the main portion 52 of the sleeve member 50 from moving rearward relative to the holder 30, instead of the rear projection 56 of the sleeve member 50, without being intended for waterproofing.

[0060] Although the present invention has been specifically described above with reference to the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications are possible.

[0061] For example, in the above embodiment, the number of electric wires 82 connected to the connection portion 46 of the contact 40 is one, but the number of electric wires 82 connected to the connection portion 46 may be two or more. In that case, a member having a plurality of through holes corresponding to the plurality of electric wires 82 instead of the central hole 62 can be used in place of the annular member 60. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10 Connectors 12 Fitting part 14 Body 141 Base Shell 143 Cover Shell 16 Contact Assembly 20. Housing 22 Contact receiving section 24 Abutting surface 30 Holder 32 End section 321 Through hole 34 Side wall 40 Contact 42 Connection 421 Base 423 Contact piece 44 Torso 441 Flange part 443 Front end surface 445 Rear end surface 447 Groove 449 holes 46 Wiring section 50 Sleeve member 52 Main part 521 Slit 523 Front end surface 525 Rear end surface 527 Outer surface 529 Inner surface 54 Anterior process 56 Posterior process 581 Outer protrusion 583 Inner protrusion 60 Circular member 62 Central hole 64 Through hole 66 Additional Through Holes 70 First waterproofing component 72 Sensors 721 Wiring 80 Cable 82 Electric wire

Claims

1. A connector comprising a housing, a holder, a contact, an electric wire, and a sleeve member, The housing is formed with a contact receiving portion, The contact is at least partially received in the contact receiving portion, the holder is attached to the housing and defines a rear end of the contact accommodating portion in a front-rear direction; The holder is formed with a through hole penetrating in the front-rear direction, the electric wire is connected to the contact and extends from the contact accommodating portion to the outside through the through hole of the holder, The contact is provided with an abutted portion, the sleeve member having a main portion and three or more front projections; The main portion extends in the front-rear direction and has a C-shaped cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction, Each of the front projections protrudes forward in the front-rear direction from a front end of the main portion, the sleeve member is attached to the contact so as to accommodate a portion of the contact and a portion of the electric wire within the main portion, and is located between the abutted portion and the holder in the front-rear direction, At least three of the front projections abut against the abutted portion. connector.

2. 2. The connector of claim 1, In a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and perpendicular to the surface of the main portion of the sleeve member, the maximum dimension of the front projection is greater than the dimension of the main portion adjacent thereto. connector.

3. 3. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, the sleeve member has three or more rear projections that protrude rearward in the front-rear direction from a rear end of the main portion, At least three of the rear projections are abutted against the holder. connector.

4. 4. The connector of claim 3, The connector further comprises an annular member, the annular member is located within the contact accommodating portion between the rear end of the main portion of the sleeve member and the holder, The annular member has three or more through holes formed therethrough in the front-rear direction, the through holes of the annular member correspond to the rear protrusions, Each of the rear projections is inserted into the corresponding through hole. connector.

5. The connector according to claim 3 or 4, The front protrusions correspond to the rear protrusions, a protrusion portion is formed on the main portion of the sleeve member to connect each of the front projections to the corresponding rear projection in the front-rear direction; The protrusions protrude from a surface of the main portion of the sleeve member. connector.

6. A connector according to any one of claims 3 to 5, The rear projection is disposed rotationally symmetrically with respect to an axis of symmetry extending in the front-rear direction. connector.

7. A connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The front projections are arranged rotationally symmetrically with respect to an axis of symmetry extending in the front-rear direction. connector.

8. A connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The connector includes a first waterproof member and a second waterproof member, the first waterproofing member and the second waterproofing member are located within the contact accommodating portion, The contact has a flange, An inwardly recessed groove is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the flange, The first waterproofing member is attached to the groove, The second waterproof member is sandwiched between the rear end of the main portion of the sleeve member and the holder. connector.

9. 9. The connector of claim 8, the second waterproofing member is annular, The second waterproofing member has three or more through holes formed therethrough in the front-rear direction, the sleeve member has three or more rear projections protruding rearward in the front-rear direction from the rear end of the main portion, the through holes of the second waterproofing member correspond to the rear protrusions, Each of the rear projections is inserted into the corresponding through hole. connector.

10. The connector according to claim 8 or claim 9, The connector further comprises a sensor; the wiring of the sensor is disposed in a slit portion of the sleeve member, The wiring of the sensor extends rearward through an additional through hole formed in the second waterproofing member and the through hole of the holder. connector.

11. 11. The connector of claim 10, The contact has a hole formed therein, the hole being drilled in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, The sensor is inserted vertically into the hole, The wiring of the sensor is bent in the front-back direction at the edge of the hole. connector.

12. A connector according to any one of claims 8 to 11, the electric wire connected to the contact is one, The first waterproofing member and the second waterproofing member are each annular. connector.

Images