connector

Abstract

To provide a connector that can be reduced in thickness and size while properly holding a seal member to a cover.SOLUTION: A connector 1 includes: a terminal fitting 6; electric wires 2, 3; and a housing 10 including an internal space 11a in which the electric wires 2, 3 are routed; a cover 60 that has a cover surface 61a closing an opening 11b connecting the internal space 11a with the outside and that is inserted into the opening 11b to isolate the internal space 11a from the outside; and an annular seal member 70 that seals a gap between an inner wall of the opening 11b and the cover 60. The seal member 70 includes: an annular body portion 71; an extending portion 72a that extends from the body portion 71 to extend along the cover surface 61a; and a protruding portion 72b that protrudes from the extending portion 72a in a direction along the cover surface 61a, the direction intersecting with an extending direction of the extending portion 72a. The cover 60 includes a recessed fitting portion 62 into which the protruding portion 72b and the extending portion 72a are fitted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector including a housing having an internal space, and a cover and a seal member that close an opening that communicates with the internal space. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, connectors have been proposed that include covers or sealing members (e.g., gaskets) for liquid-tightly isolating the inside and outside of the internal space of a housing in order to prevent liquids such as water from entering the internal space (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-004850 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the connector having the above-mentioned cover and seal member, the seal member may be fixed to the cover by inserting and engaging the locking protrusion protruding from the seal member into an insertion hole provided in the cover. In this case, it is considered to make the locking protrusion thicker and larger in order to firmly fix the two. However, if the locking protrusion is carelessly made larger, the insertion hole of the cover also needs to be made larger, which is a concern as it increases the thickness of the cover. In addition, there is a concern that the thickness of the seal member itself will increase in order to provide a large locking protrusion. Increasing the thickness of the cover or the thickness of the seal member beyond the degree necessary for the original watertightness is not preferable from the viewpoint of thinning and miniaturization of the connector.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can be made thinner and smaller while still allowing a seal member to be properly held by a cover. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the connector according to the present invention has the following features.

[0007] A terminal metal fitting, an electric wire connected to the terminal metal fitting, a housing having an internal space for routing the electric wire, and a connection between the internal space and the outside of the housing. A generally rectangular shape that is connected in the vertical direction and opens to the outside in the vertical direction. A connector comprising: an opening; a cover having a cover surface that closes the opening and is inserted into the opening to isolate the internal space from the outside; and a seal member that seals a gap between an inner wall of the opening and a periphery of the cover, The sealing member is The cover Approximately rectangular with four corners a main body portion having a ring shape along the periphery, an extension portion extending from the outer end portion of the main body portion and extending along the cover surface, and a protrusion portion protruding from the extension portion so as to intersect with the extension direction of the extension portion and to extend along the cover surface, The cover is a recessed fitting portion into which the extension portion and the protrusion portion of the seal member are fitted is provided on a cover surface opposite to a surface facing the seal member when the seal member is attached to the cover, a locking frame portion is provided at each of the four corners of the periphery of the cover, the locking frame portion extending from a position on the outer side of the main body of the seal member at the periphery and extending toward a side opposite to the outer side in the up-down direction so as to cover an outer periphery of the main body, the locking frame portion being locked to a locking protrusion provided on the housing; the seal member has locking pieces each formed of the extension and the protrusion at a plurality of locations in a circumferential direction of the main body, The cover has a plurality of fitting portions into which the plurality of locking pieces are respectively fitted. It is a connector. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the connector of the present invention, the seal member has a main body having a ring shape, an extension portion extending from an outer end of the main body and extending along the cover surface, and a protrusion portion protruding from the extension portion so as to intersect with the extending direction of the extension portion and to follow the cover surface. The extension portion and the protrusion portion are fitted into a fitting portion of the cover, so that the seal member is attached to the cover. With this fitting structure, even if an unintended external force is applied to the seal member, the extension portion and the protrusion portion of the seal member are engaged so as to be caught by the fitting portion of the cover, so that the cover and the seal member are prevented from being separated. Furthermore, since the seal member is held sufficiently firmly by this catch (engagement), it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the cover or the thickness of the seal member beyond the degree necessary for the original water stop. Therefore, the connector of this configuration can properly attach the seal member to the cover and can be made thin and small. In this way, according to the present invention, a connector that can be made thin and small while properly holding the seal member on the cover can be provided.

[0009] The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the following description of the embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the components mounted from below on the main body of the housing in the connector shown in FIG. 1 are disassembled. [Diagram 3] 3 is a bottom view of the main body of the housing shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cover and the packing shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from below. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cover with the packing attached, seen from below. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged bottom view of part B in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a cross section taken along line CC in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram corresponding to FIG. 7, showing a modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The connector 1 shown in Fig. 1 functions as a relay connector that electrically connects a pair of electric wires 2 extending from a main body 11 of a housing 10 to a mating part (not shown) having a mating part that is fitted into a fitting part 12 of the housing 10. The mating part is, for example, an inverter (DC-AC converter) mounted on a vehicle, and one end of the pair of electric wires 2 extending from the main body 11 is connected to, for example, an air conditioner mounted on the vehicle.

[0012] For the sake of convenience, the "front-rear direction", "up-down direction" and "left-right direction" are defined below as shown in Figs. 1 to 9. The "front-rear direction", "up-down direction" and "left-right direction" are perpendicular to each other. The up-down direction coincides with the fitting direction between the fitting portion 12 and the fitted portion of the mating component.

[0013] The connector 1 includes a housing 10. The housing 10 is a resin molded product, and mainly includes a main body portion 11, a fitting portion 12, and a convex portion 13, which are integral with each other, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 .

[0014] As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the main body 11 has a generally rectangular box shape extending in the front-rear direction. A generally rectangular opening 11b is formed in the lower part of the main body 11 (see Fig. 3) and connects the internal space 11a (see Fig. 3) of the main body 11 to the outside in the up-down direction (see Fig. 3). The opening 11b is liquid-tightly sealed by a resin cover 60 fitted with a rubber packing 70 (see Fig. 2). The cover 60 and the packing 70 will be described in detail later. The internal space 11a of the main body 11 accommodates various components including a fuse 20 (see Fig. 3), as will be described later.

[0015] 1, the fitting portion 12 is a generally cylindrical portion that protrudes upward from the approximate center of the upper surface of the main body portion 11, and constitutes a fitting portion with a fitted portion of a mating component. As shown in FIG. 1, a packing 30, a front holder 40, and an inner housing 50 are attached to the fitting portion 12 from above in this order.

[0016] The packing 30 is a rubber seal member, and serves to seal the gap between the outer periphery of the fitting portion 12 and the inner periphery of the fitted portion of the mating part that fits with the fitting portion 12. The front holder 40 is a resin molded part, and is arranged adjacent to the packing 30 to prevent the packing 30 from falling off (upwardly falling off) from the fitting portion 12. The inner housing 50 is a resin molded part, and serves to define an opening 51 (see FIG. 1) into which a mating connector (not shown) of the mating part is inserted, to hold the terminals 6 (see FIG. 3), and to align the terminals 6 with mating terminals (not shown) provided on the mating part (not shown) (so-called centering function). Detailed descriptions of the shapes of the packing 30, the front holder 40, and the inner housing 50 will be omitted.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the convex portion 13 is a portion at the front end of the upper wall of the main body 11, whose upper surface protrudes upward and whose lower surface is recessed upward. In this example, the convex portion 13 has a semi-cylindrical shape that protrudes upward and extends in the left-right direction. In other words, in the convex portion 13, a part of the upper wall (outer wall) of the main body 11 is curved so as to be convex upward, thereby defining a hollow portion below the curved portion. The thickness of the upper wall (outer wall) of the main body 11 at the curved portion is approximately constant. The convex portion 13 is a portion that serves to accommodate the fuse 20 (main body 21) (FIG. 3).

[0018] 2 and 3, the fuse 20 is composed of a cylindrical main body (so-called glass tube) 21 with a built-in fusing portion, and a pair of metal extension plates 22 extending from both ends of the main body 21. When a current exceeding a predetermined rated current flows through the main body 21 via the pair of extension plates 22, the fusing portion melts, thereby serving to cut off the electrical connection between the pair of extension plates 22.

[0019] 2 and 3, the main body 21 of the fuse 20 is housed inside (semi-cylindrical space) of the convex portion 13. A pair of extension plates 22 of the fuse 20 are respectively connected to a pair of stud bolts 4 integrated with the main body 11 of the housing 10 by insert molding. The pair of stud bolts 4 extend downward within the internal space 11a from a position in the front-rear direction between the fitting portion 12 and the convex portion 13 on the upper wall of the main body 11 so as to be aligned with a gap in the left-right direction.

[0020] A pair of terminal insertion holes (not shown) that vertically communicate between the internal space 11a and the inside of the fitting portion 12 are formed in the upper wall of the main body 11 of the housing 10 at a position corresponding to the fitting portion 12, and are spaced apart in the left-right direction. A pair of terminals 6 (see FIG. 3) are inserted from below into the pair of terminal insertion holes. As a result, the terminals 6 are accommodated in the fitting portion 12.

[0021] 3, a pair of wire insertion holes 15 that communicate between the internal space 11a of the main body 11 and the outside in the front-rear direction are formed in the rear wall of the main body 11 of the housing 10 and are spaced apart in the left-right direction. In this manner, the pair of wire insertion holes 15 are positioned so as to sandwich the fitting portion 12 between themselves and the convex portion 13 in the front-rear direction.

[0022] The other ends of the pair of electric wires 2 extending from the housing 10 are inserted into the pair of electric wire insertion holes 15, respectively, and the other ends of the pair of electric wires 2 are arranged in the internal space 11a. Furthermore, an electric wire 3 is arranged in the internal space 11a. A terminal (so-called LA terminal) 5 is connected to the other end of the electric wire 2 inserted into the left electric wire insertion hole 15 and one end of the electric wire 3, respectively. A rectangular flat terminal 6 is connected to the other end of the electric wire 2 inserted into the right electric wire insertion hole 15 and the other end of the electric wire 3, respectively.

[0023] The pair of terminals 5 are connected to the pair of stud bolts 4, respectively, and are fastened together by using the pair of extension plates 22 of the fuse 20 and the pair of nuts 7, respectively (see FIG. 3). The pair of terminals 6 are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes of the housing 10 from below, and are fixed to the housing 10 with their upper ends exposed inside the fitting portion 12. The pair of terminals 6 are fixed to the housing 10 by engaging a pair of locking pieces (not shown) provided on the inner housing 50 attached to the fitting portion 12 with a pair of locking holes (not shown) provided in the pair of terminals 6. As a result, of the pair of electric wires 2 extending from the housing 10, the right electric wire 2 is directly connected to the right terminal 6, and the left electric wire 2 is connected to the left terminal 6 via the fuse 20.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 3, locking projections 16 are provided at each of the four corners of the outer circumferential side surface of the main body 11 of the housing 10. The locking projections 16 function to hold the cover 60 to the housing 10 in cooperation with a locking frame portion 63 (see Fig. 2) of the cover 60, which will be described later.

[0025] Next, with reference to FIG. 2 etc., the cover 60, the packing 70, and the pressing plate 80 which are attached to the main body 11 of the housing 10 from below will be described in detail in order.

[0026] First, the cover 60 will be described. The cover 60 serves to close the opening 11b (see FIG. 3) of the main body 11 of the housing 10. The cover 60 is a resin molded product, and has a flat main body 61 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The main body 61 has a substantially rectangular outer shape that corresponds to the shape of the opening 11b (see FIG. 3). In other words, the main body 61 forms a cover surface 61a that closes the opening 11b.

[0027] Fitting portions 62 are formed at a plurality of circumferential positions on the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface of the main body 61 (see Figs. 2 and 4). In this example, as shown in Figs. 4, 6 and 8, each fitting portion 62 is composed of a first portion 62a extending along the planar direction of the main body 61 from the outer peripheral edge of the main body 61 in a direction perpendicular to the outer peripheral edge, and a second portion 62b extending along the planar direction of the main body 61 from the extending end of the first portion 62a toward both sides in a direction perpendicular to the first portion 62a (i.e., along the outer peripheral edge), and has a generally T-shaped shape continuing from the outer peripheral edge. A locking piece portion 72 of the packing 70, which will be described later, is fitted into the fitting portion 62. A locking frame portion 63 is provided at each of the four corners of the main body 61, extending upward from the corner in correspondence with the four locking projections 16 (see Fig. 3) of the main body 11 of the housing 10.

[0028] Next, the packing 70 will be described. The packing 70 is a rubber sealing member, and functions to seal the gap between the outer peripheral surface (i.e., the periphery) of the cover 60 and the inner wall surface of the opening 11b of the main body 11 of the housing 10. The packing 70 includes a substantially rectangular annular main body 71 that corresponds to the outer shape of the periphery of the main body 61 of the cover 60. Annular lip portions are formed on the inner and outer peripheral sides of the main body 71.

[0029] The main body 71 is provided at a plurality of circumferential positions with locking pieces 72 branching from the lower side of the main body 71 toward the inside of the ring of the main body 71 in correspondence with the plurality of fitting portions 62 of the cover 60. As shown in Figs. 4, 6 and 8, each locking piece 72 is composed of an extension portion 72a that extends downward from the lower side of the main body 71 (i.e., the outer end portion 73; see Fig. 8) and curves toward the inside of the ring perpendicular to the main body 71 so as to follow the cover surface 61a formed by the main body 61 of the cover 60, and a protrusion 72b that extends from the extension end of the extension portion 72a in a direction perpendicular to the extension portion 72a (i.e., so as to follow the cover surface 61a formed by the main body 61 of the cover 60). More specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, the extension portion 72a has a first portion 72a1 extending downward from the end portion 73 on the outer side (lower side) of the main body portion 71, a second portion 72a2 continuing from the first portion 72a1 and curving toward the inside of the ring (i.e., toward the right in Fig. 8), and a third portion 72a3 continuing from the second portion 72a2 and extending along the cover surface 61a (i.e., toward the right in Fig. 8). Each locking piece portion 72 has a generally substantially T-shaped shape corresponding to the shape of the fitting portion 62 of the cover 60. In this example, the angle θ (see Fig. 7) between the protruding direction of the extension portion 72a and the protruding direction of the protruding portion 72b is 90 degrees.

[0030] In this example, since the length of the first portion 72a1 of the extension portion 72a in the vertical direction is short, the extension portion 72a has a shape that extends downward from the end portion 73 of the main body portion 71 of the packing 70 and immediately curves toward the inside of the ring. In contrast, for example, when the thickness of the main body portion 61 of the cover 60 in the vertical direction is thicker than that of this example, the extension portion 72a may have a shape that curves toward the inside of the ring after the first portion 72a1 of a sufficient length corresponding to the thickness of the main body portion 61 of the cover 60 extends in the vertical direction from the end portion 73 of the main body portion 71. That is, the vertical length of the first portion 72a1 of the extension portion 72a may be appropriately determined according to the shape of the cover 60, etc. Similarly, the radius of curvature of the second portion 72a2 of the extension portion 72a and the length of the third portion 72a3 may also be appropriately determined according to the shape of the cover 60, etc.

[0031] The packing 70 is attached to the cover 60 from above so that the main body 71 is in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the main body 61 of the cover 60 and the multiple locking pieces 72 are fitted into the multiple fitting portions 62 (see Figs. 5 to 8). More specifically, the extension 72a and the protrusion 72b of each locking piece 72 are fitted into the first portion 62a and the second portion 62b of the corresponding fitting portion 62, respectively. As a result, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, the entire locking piece 72 is stored in the groove of the fitting portion 62. That is, the locking piece 72 is fitted into the fitting portion 62 so that the locking piece 72 does not protrude outside the recess of the fitting portion 62.

[0032] In this manner, when the main body 71 of the packing 70 is moved relative to the cover 60 in a direction (upward) in which the packing 70 is separated from the cover 60, an outward force (direction in which the packing 70 is separated from the cover 60) along the extending direction of the extending portion 72a acts on the locking piece 72. Even if such an outward force acts on the locking piece 72, the protruding portion 72b of the locking piece 72 gets caught on the second portion 62b of the fitting portion 62. Therefore, the locking piece 72 is prevented from coming outward from the fitting portion 62, and thus separation of the packing 70 from the cover 60 (i.e., coming outward) is prevented.

[0033] The cover 60 with the packing 70 attached thereto is attached to the opening 11b of the main body 11 of the housing 10. When the cover 60 is attached to the opening 11b, the main body 71 of the packing 70 is positioned between the outer circumferential surface of the main body 61 and the inner wall surface of the opening 11b to seal the gap between them (see FIG. 9). The four locking frame portions 63 of the cover 60 engage with the locking projections 16 of the housing 10, thereby holding the cover 60 to the housing 10. When the cover 60 attached to the housing 10 is removed from the housing 10, a force acts on the main body 71 of the packing 70 in a direction (upward) that separates the cover 60 from the cover 60 due to a frictional force between the main body 71 of the packing 70 and the inner wall surface of the opening 11b. In this case as well, the locking pieces 72 are prevented from coming outward from the fitting portions 62 by the same action as described above, so that the packing 70 is prevented from separating from the cover 60 (coming out upward).

[0034] Next, the pressing plate 80 will be described. The pressing plate 80 serves to prevent the cover 60, to which the packing 70 is attached, from falling off (falling off downward) from the housing 10, and to fix the connector 1 to a mating component. The pressing plate 80 is formed by subjecting a single metal plate to predetermined pressing, bending, and other processes.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 2, the pressing plate 80 has a flat plate shape capable of covering the entire outer periphery of the main body 61 of the cover 60 attached to the housing 10. The pressing plate 80 is provided with flanges 81 at multiple locations (two locations in this example) that extend out from the housing 10 when the pressing plate 80 is attached to the housing 10 (see also Fig. 1). Each flange 81 is formed with a bolt insertion hole 82 that penetrates in the vertical direction. The pressing plate 80 is formed with screw insertion holes 83 that penetrate in the vertical direction at multiple predetermined locations (two locations in this example).

[0036] The pressing plate 80 is attached to the housing 10 from below so as to cover the cover 60 from below, and is fixed to the housing 10 by screwing the screws 8 (see FIG. 2) inserted into the screw insertion holes 83 into the corresponding female threads 10a (see FIG. 2) provided on the housing 10. By fixing the pressing plate 80 to the housing 10, the cover 60 to which the packing 70 is attached is prevented from falling off (falling off downward) from the housing 10.

[0037] The above completes the assembly of the connector 1, and the connector 1 shown in Fig. 1 is obtained. The connector 1 for which assembly is complete is assembled to a mating part such that the fitting portion 12 fits into a mated portion of the mating part, and is fastened and fixed to the mating part by using bolts (not shown) inserted into bolt insertion holes 82 of a flange portion 81 of a pressing plate 80. A mating connector of the mating part is inserted into the fitting portion 12 of the connector 1 fixed to the mating part. This electrically connects a mating terminal (female terminal) accommodated in the mating connector to a pair of terminals 6 located in the fitting portion 12.

[0038] <Actions and Effects> As described above, according to the connector 1 of this embodiment, the packing 70 has an annular main body 71, an extension 72a extending from an outer end 73 of the main body 71 and extending along the cover surface 61a of the cover 60, and a protrusion 72b protruding from the extension 72a in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the extension 72a and along the cover surface 61a. When the packing 70 is attached to the cover 60, the extension 72a and the protrusion 72b are fitted into the fitting portion 62 of the cover 60. This fitting causes the extension 72a and the protrusion 72b of the packing 70 to be caught in the fitting portion 62 of the cover 60, and the cover 60 and the packing 70 are firmly fixed to each other. Furthermore, since the extension portion 72a and the protrusion portion 72b extend along the main body portion 61, it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the cover 60 or the width of the packing 70 for fixing. Therefore, the connector 1 according to this embodiment can be made thinner and smaller while properly fixing the packing 70 to the cover 60.

[0039] Furthermore, the angle formed by the extension portion 72a and the protrusion portion 72b of the packing 70 is 90 degrees. This more reliably prevents the extension portion 72a and the protrusion portion 72b from coming out of the fitting portion 62 of the cover 60 when the packing 70 moves in a direction to be removed from the cover 60. That is, the packing 70 can be attached to the cover 60 more firmly.

[0040] Furthermore, the extension portion 72a and the protrusion portion 72b are entirely stored in the fitting portion 62 of the cover 60. That is, the extension portion 72a and the protrusion portion 72b do not protrude outside the fitting portion 62. This allows the connector 1 to be made even thinner.

[0041] <Other forms> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications, improvements, etc. are possible. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the angle θ (see FIG. 7) between the protruding direction of the extension portion 72a of the packing 70 and the protruding direction of the protruding portion 72b is 90 degrees. In contrast, the angle θ may be an acute angle less than 90 degrees. In other words, in the above embodiment, the extension portion 72a and the protruding portion 72b have a generally T-shaped shape. In contrast, the extension portion 72a and the protruding portion 72b may have a cross shape intersecting with each other as shown in FIG. 10(a), or may have a generally L-shaped shape as shown in FIG. 10(b). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10(c), the protruding portion 72b may have a shape in which a part of the extension portion 72a (in this example, the extension end) bulges out so as to spread out (in this example, in a generally circular shape).

[0043] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the entirety of the locking piece portion 72 (extending portion 72a+projecting portion 72b) of the packing 70 is stored in the fitting portion 62 of the cover 60. In contrast to this, a part or the entirety of the locking piece portion 72 may protrude outside the fitting portion 62.

[0044] Here, the features of the above-described embodiment of the connector 1 according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [3].

[0045] [1] a housing (10) having an internal space (11a) in which the electric wires (2, 3) are routed; an opening (11b) connecting the internal space (11a) to an outside of the housing (10); a cover (60) having a cover surface (61a) that closes the opening (11b) and is inserted into the opening (11b) to isolate the internal space (11a) from the outside; and a seal member (70) that seals a gap between an inner wall of the opening (11b) and a periphery of the cover (60), The sealing member (70) is a main body portion (71) having a ring shape that follows the periphery of the cover (60), an extension portion (72a) that extends from an end portion (73) on the outer side of the main body portion (71) and extends along the cover surface (61a), and a protrusion (72b) that protrudes from the extension portion (72a) intersecting the extending direction of the extension portion (72a) and following the cover surface (61a), The cover (60) is a recessed fitting portion (62) into which the extension portion (72a) and the protrusion portion (72b) of the seal member (70) are fitted, Connector(1).

[0046] According to the connector of the configuration of [1] above, the seal member has a main body having a ring shape, an extension portion that branches off from the main body and extends from the gap between the cover and the housing toward the outside, and a protrusion portion that protrudes from the extension portion so as to intersect with the extension direction of the extension portion and to run along the cover surface. The extension portion and the protrusion portion are fitted into the fitting portion of the cover, so that the seal member is attached to the cover. With this fitting structure, even if an unintended external force is applied to the seal member, the extension portion and the protrusion portion of the seal member are engaged so as to be caught by the fitting portion of the cover, so that the cover and the seal member are prevented from being separated. Furthermore, since the seal member is held sufficiently firmly by this catch (engagement), there is no need to increase the thickness of the cover or the thickness of the seal member beyond the degree necessary for the original water stop. Therefore, the connector of this configuration can both properly fix the seal member to the cover and make the connector thinner and smaller.

[0047] [2] In the connector (1) described in the above [1], the angle (θ) between the extending direction of the extension portion (72a) and the extending direction of the protruding portion (72b) is 90 degrees or less; Connector(1).

[0048] According to the connector having the configuration of [2] above, the angle between the extension and protrusion of the seal member is 90 degrees or less. This increases the holding force provided by the above-mentioned catch (i.e., the engagement between the extension and protrusion and the fitting portion), thereby more reliably preventing the extension and protrusion from unintentionally coming out of the fitting portion of the cover. In other words, the seal member can be more firmly attached to the cover.

[0049] [3] The connector (1) according to the above [1] or [2], the extending portion (72a) and the protruding portion (72b) are fitted into the fitting portion (62) so that the extending portion (72a) and the protruding portion (72b) do not protrude outside the recess of the fitting portion (62); Connector(1).

[0050] According to the connector having the configuration of [3] above, the extension and protrusion are stored in the fitting portion without protruding out of the recess of the fitting portion of the cover. In other words, the extension and protrusion do not protrude from the cover surface of the cover. Therefore, the connector can be made thinner overall by the amount of such protrusion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 Connector 2 electric wire 3 electric wire 6 Terminals (Terminal fittings) 10. Housing 11a Interior space 11b opening 60 Cover 61 Main body 61a Cover surface 62 Fitting 70 Packing (sealing material) 71 Main body 72a Extension 72b Protrusion

Claims

1. a housing having an internal space for routing the electric wires and terminal fittings; a generally rectangular opening that vertically connects the internal space to an outside of the housing and opens to the outside in the vertical direction; a cover having a cover surface that closes the opening and that is inserted into the opening to isolate the internal space from the outside; and a seal member that seals a gap between an inner wall of the opening and a periphery of the cover, The sealing member is a main body portion having a ring shape along the periphery of a substantially rectangular shape having four corners of the cover, an extension portion extending from an end portion on the outer side of the main body portion and extending along the cover surface, and a protrusion portion protruding from the extension portion so as to intersect with the extension direction of the extension portion and to extend along the cover surface, The cover is a recessed fitting portion into which the extension portion and the protrusion portion of the seal member are fitted is provided on a cover surface opposite to a surface facing the seal member when the seal member is attached to the cover, a locking frame portion extending from a position on the outer side of the main body portion of the seal member at the outer periphery of the cover toward a side opposite to the outer side in the up-down direction so as to cover an outer periphery of the main body portion, the locking frame portion being locked to a locking protrusion provided on the housing; the seal member has locking pieces each formed of the extension and the protrusion at a plurality of locations in a circumferential direction of the main body, The cover has a plurality of fitting portions into which the plurality of locking pieces are respectively fitted. connector.

2. 2. The connector according to claim 1, The angle between the extending direction of the extending portion and the extending direction of the protruding portion is 90 degrees or less. connector.

3. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, The extension portion and the protrusion are fitted into the fitting portion so that the extension portion and the protrusion do not protrude outside the recess of the fitting portion. connector.

Images