Waterproof Connector

Abstract

To provide a waterproof connector capable of satisfactorily sealing a plurality of wires with terminals.SOLUTION: A waterproof connector comprises: a housing 10 including a plurality of terminal storage chambers 17; a wire 30 with a terminal where a terminal 32 is connected to an end of a wire 31 and the terminal 32 is stored in the terminal storage chamber 17; a sealant 50 mounted to the wires 31, which are pulled out of the housing 10 and arrayed in a row, and fitted to the housing 10, thereby sealing a space between the housing 10 and the wires 31; and a holder 60 which is mounted in the housing 10 and holds the sealant 50. The holder 60 consists of an upper split holder 61 and a lower split holder 62 which are split along the array of the wires 31. The lower split holder 62 includes a support wall 82 pressing a surface of the sealant 50 at an opposite side of a fitting side into the housing 10, and the upper split holder 61 includes a reinforcement wall 72 overlapping the support wall 82 of the lower split holder 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a waterproof connector. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a waterproof connector in which a sealing material consisting of a rubber plug attached to an electric wire is fitted into a cylindrical portion of a housing, and a holder that prevents the sealing material from coming off is attached to the rear of the housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-160315 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a waterproof connector in which terminals of a plurality of electric wires with terminals are housed in a housing, a large tensile force acts on the holder when the electric wires are pulled, which may cause deformation of the portion of the seal material held by the holder, resulting in a deterioration of the sealing performance.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof connector that is capable of satisfactorily sealing a plurality of electric wires with terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configuration.

[0007] a housing having a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers; a terminal-attached electric wire having a terminal connected to an end of the electric wire and the terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber; a sealant that is attached to the electric wires that are drawn out of the housing and arranged in a row, and that is fitted into the housing to seal between the housing and the electric wires; a holder attached to the housing to hold the sealing material; Equipped with the holder is composed of a pair of split holders split along the arrangement of the electric wires, one of the divided holders has a support wall that presses a surface of the sealing material opposite to a side that is fitted into the housing, The other divided holder has a reinforcing wall that is superimposed on the support wall of one divided holder. death , the support wall has an extending wall portion extending beyond the electric wires toward the other divided holder at a position between adjacent electric wires in an arrangement direction of the electric wires, The extension wall portion is disposed in a gap between the sealing material and the reinforcing wall and overlaps the reinforcing wall. Waterproof connector. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a waterproof connector capable of satisfactorily sealing a plurality of electric wires with terminals.

[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 preferred 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 of a waterproof connector according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a rear view of the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a rear view of the waterproof connector in the middle of attaching the holder. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a part of the cross section taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a waterproof connector according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment, and Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment.

[0013] 1 and 2, the waterproof connector 100 according to this embodiment includes a housing 10, an electric wire with terminal 30, a sealing material 50, and a holder 60. The electric wire with terminal 30 is formed by connecting a terminal 32 to an end of an electric wire 31, and the waterproof connector 100 includes a plurality of electric wires with terminals 30 (four in this example). The terminal 32 of the electric wire with terminal 30 is accommodated in the housing 10, and the electric wire 31 is drawn out from the rear of the housing 10.

[0014] In this waterproof connector 100, the tip side of the housing 10 is fitted into a mating housing (not shown) of a mating connector, thereby electrically connecting the terminals 32 of the waterproof connector 100 and the mating terminals (not shown) of the mating connector.

[0015] Fig. 3 is a plan view of the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment, Fig. 4 is a rear view of the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment, Fig. 5 is a back view of the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment, and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 5.

[0016] 3 to 6, the housing 10 has a main body portion 11, a connection portion 12, and a seal portion 13. The housing 10 is molded from an insulating resin material, and the connection portion 12 and the seal portion 13 are molded integrally with the main body portion 11.

[0017] The connection portion 12 has the same number of connection tube portions 14 as the number of electric wires with terminals 30, and these connection tube portions 14 protrude forward from the main body portion 11. The housing 10 has an annular recess 15 at the base of the connection portion 12 in the main body portion 11, and an annular seal member 16 is attached to this annular recess 15. This seal member 16 provides a seal with the mating housing when connected to a mating connector.

[0018] The housing 10 has terminal accommodating chambers 17 in the same number as the electric wires with terminals 30. These terminal accommodating chambers 17 are formed in the front-rear direction of the housing 10 from the main body portion 11 to each of the connection tube portions 14 of the connection portion 12. The terminal accommodating chambers 17 accommodate the terminals 32 of the electric wires with terminals 30 by inserting them from the rear side of the housing 10. The terminal accommodating chambers 17 are formed with lance portions 18 that engage the terminals 32 of the electric wires with terminals 30 to prevent them from coming out.

[0019] The seal portion 13 is formed at the rear of the main body portion 11, and has seal recesses 21 into which the seal materials 50 are respectively fitted. A pair of engagement claws 22 are formed on the upper surface of the seal portion 13. In addition, a locking claw 28 is formed in the center of the lower surface of the seal portion 13.

[0020] A locking lever 23 for engaging and disengaging with a mating housing is integrally formed on the upper surface of the housing 10. The locking lever 23 has a pair of arms 24 connected to the front end of the main body 11 and extending rearward, a pressing portion 25 provided at the rear ends of the arms 24, and a locking claw 26 provided between the arms 24.

[0021] The terminal 32 constituting the electric wire with terminal 30 has an electrical connection portion 33 connectable to a mating terminal, and a crimping portion 34 crimped and connected to the electric wire 31. The terminal 32 is formed of a conductive metal material such as copper or a copper alloy. The electrical connection portion 33 of the terminal 32 is formed with a terminal lance 35 that protrudes outward. Each of the electric wires 31 of the electric wire with terminal 30 may be a solid wire, or may be a twisted wire in which a pair of electric wires 31 are twisted together.

[0022] The terminal 32 of the electric wire with terminal 30 is accommodated in the housing 10 from its rear side. Specifically, the terminal 32 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 17 of the housing 10 from the side of the electrical connection portion 33. This brings the electrical connection portion 33 of the terminal 32 into a state where it is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 17. In this state, the terminal lance 35 of the electrical connection portion 33 of the terminal 32 is engaged with the lance portion 18 of the terminal accommodating chamber 17 to prevent it from coming out.

[0023] The seal material 50 is a rubber plug made of an elastic material such as rubber. The seal material 50 is formed in a circular shape in a plan view, and a seal hole 51 is formed in the center. A plurality of seal lips 52 are formed in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the seal hole 51. In addition, a plurality of seal lips 53 are formed in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the seal material 50.

[0024] The electric wire 31 of the electric wire with terminal 30 is inserted into the seal hole 51 of the seal material 50. As a result, the seal lip 52 of the seal hole 51 of the seal material 50 comes into close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the electric wire 31, thereby sealing between the seal material 50 and the electric wire 31. The seal material 50 is also fitted into the seal recess 21 formed in the seal portion 13 of the housing 10. As a result, the seal lip 53 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the seal material 50 comes into close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the seal recess 21, thereby sealing between the seal material 50 and the housing 10.

[0025] The holder 60 is molded, for example, from a synthetic resin, and is attached to the seal portion 13 of the housing 10 to hold the seal material 50. The holder 60 is divided into an upper divided holder 61 and a lower divided holder 62 along the arrangement of the electric wires 31 of the electric wire with terminal 30 assembled to the housing 10.

[0026] The upper separate holder 61 is attached so as to cover the upper part of the seal portion 13 of the housing 10, and the lower separate holder 62 is attached so as to cover the lower part of the seal portion 13 of the housing 10. The upper separate holder 61 and the lower separate holder 62 are rotatably connected at one end by a hinge portion 63. A locking claw 65 is formed at the other end of the upper separate holder 61, and a recess 66 that engages with the locking claw 65 is formed at the other end of the lower separate holder 62.

[0027] The upper divided holder 61 has a peripheral plate portion 71 that covers the top and side surfaces of the seal portion 13 when attached to the housing 10, and a reinforcing wall 72 that is arranged at the rear of the seal portion 13. The reinforcing wall 72 is formed with a recess 73 in which the electric wire 31 is arranged. The peripheral plate portion 71 is also formed with a notch portion 75 in which the locking lever 23 of the housing 10 is arranged. The peripheral plate portion 71 is also formed with an engagement hole 76 that engages with the engagement claw 22 formed on the seal portion 13.

[0028] The lower divided holder 62 has a peripheral plate portion 81 that covers the lower surface and side surface of the seal portion 13 when attached to the housing 10, and a support wall 82 that is disposed at the rear of the seal portion 13. The support wall 82 has a recess 83 in which the electric wire 31 is disposed. The support wall 82 has an extension wall portion 84 that extends beyond the electric wire 31 toward the upper divided holder 61. The extension wall portion 84 is thinner than other portions. The extension wall portion 84 of the support wall 82 is disposed in the gap between the seal material 50 and the reinforcing wall 72 of the upper divided holder 61, so that the support wall 82 is overlapped. In this state, the extension wall portion 84 of the support wall 82 and the reinforcing wall 72 are disposed at positions that do not interfere with each other.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 7, to assemble the holder 60, first, the upper divided holder 61 is placed over the upper part of the seal portion 13 of the housing 10, and the engaging claws 22 of the seal portion 13 are engaged with the engaging holes 76 of the upper divided holder 61.

[0030] 8, the upper part of the seal portion 13 is covered by the peripheral plate portion 71 of the upper divided holder 61. In this state, the reinforcing wall 72 of the upper divided holder 61 is disposed at a position with a gap relative to the seal material 50 fitted in the seal recess 21 of the seal portion 13.

[0031] Next, the lower split holder 62 is rotated toward the upper split holder 61 around the connection point of the hinge portion 63 relative to the upper split holder 61 so as to be positioned against the lower part of the seal portion 13 of the housing 10, and the locking claw 28 of the seal portion 13 is engaged with the engagement hole 86 of the lower split holder 62, while the locking claw 65 of the upper split holder 61 is engaged with the recess 66 of the lower split holder 62.

[0032] In this manner, the lower part of the seal portion 13 is covered by the peripheral plate portion 81 of the lower divided holder 62. In this state, the support wall 82 of the lower divided holder 62 is disposed in a position adjacent to the rear part of the seal material 50 fitted into the seal recess 21 of the seal portion 13. Also, the extension wall portion 84 of the support wall 82 fits into the gap between the seal material 50 and the reinforcing wall 72 of the upper divided holder 61. As a result, the reinforcing wall 72 of the upper divided holder 61 is superimposed on the extension wall portion 84 of the support wall 82 of the lower divided holder 62.

[0033] When the holder 60 is attached to the seal portion 13 of the housing 10 as described above, the rear portion of the seal material 50 fitted into the seal portion 13 is supported by the support wall 82 of the lower divided holder 62, and is held in a prevented state from falling out. Furthermore, the support wall 82 of the lower divided holder 62 that holds the seal material 50 is reinforced by the reinforcing wall 72 of the upper divided holder 61 that is overlapped with the extended wall portion 84 on the edge side of the support wall 82.

[0034] As described above, according to the waterproof connector 100 of this embodiment, the holder 60 is composed of the upper divided holder 61 and the lower divided holder 62 that are divided along the arrangement of the electric wires 31. Therefore, after the electric wires with terminals 30 are incorporated into the housing 10 and the sealing material 50 is fitted, the upper divided holder 61 and the lower divided holder 62 can be assembled to the housing 10, improving workability.

[0035] Furthermore, since the upper divided holder 61 has the reinforcing wall 72 that is overlapped with the extending wall portion 84 of the supporting wall 82 of the lower divided holder 62, even if a large tensile force acts on the holder 60 as a result of the plurality of electric wires 31 being pulled, this large tensile force can be received by the holder 60. Therefore, good sealing properties provided by the sealing material 50 can be maintained.

[0036] Moreover, the upper divided holder 61 and the lower divided holder 62 are rotatably connected by a hinge portion 63. Therefore, with the upper divided holder 61 attached to the housing 10, the lower divided holder 62 can be rotated by the hinge portion 63 and attached to cover the housing 10. This improves the ease of assembling the holder 60 to the housing 10.

[0037] Furthermore, by attaching the holder 60 to the housing 10, the sealing material 50 consisting of a plurality of rubber plugs which are attached to each of the electric wires 31 of the plurality of electric wires with terminals 30 can be held together and in a good condition by the holder 60.

[0038] In the above embodiment, when attaching the holder 60 to the housing 10, the upper divided holder 61 is assembled first and then the lower divided holder 62 is assembled. However, it is also possible to first assemble the lower divided holder 62 to the housing 10 and then assemble the upper divided holder 61 to the housing 10.

[0039] Next, a waterproof connector according to a modified example having another sealing material will be described. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a waterproof connector according to a modified example. 9, the waterproof connector 100A according to the modified example includes one seal material 90 made of a matte seal. Also, the seal portion 13 of the housing 10 is formed with one seal recess (not shown) into which the seal material 90 is fitted.

[0040] A plurality of (four in this example) seal holes 91 are formed in the seal material 90. A plurality of seal lips (not shown) are formed in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of each of the seal holes 91. In addition, a plurality of seal lips 93 are formed in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the seal material 90.

[0041] The electric wires 31 of the electric wire with terminal 30 are inserted into the respective seal holes 91 of the seal material 90. As a result, the seal lips of the seal holes 91 of the seal material 90 come into close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the electric wires 31, thereby forming a seal between the seal material 90 and the electric wires 31. The seal material 90 is then fitted into a seal recess formed in the seal portion 13 of the housing 10. As a result, the seal material 90 has a seal lip 93 formed on its outer circumferential surface come into close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the seal recess, thereby forming a seal between the seal material 90 and the housing 10.

[0042] In the case of the waterproof connector 100A according to this modification, even if a large tensile force acts on the holder 60 due to the pulling of the multiple electric wires 31 in a state where the holder 60 is attached to the housing 10, the large tensile force can be received by the holder 60. Therefore, the good sealing performance of the sealing material 90 can be maintained.

[0043] Furthermore, by mounting the holder 60 on the housing 10, the sealing material 90 made of a mat seal which is collectively mounted on the electric wires 31 of the multiple electric wires with terminals 30 can be favorably held collectively by the holder 60.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0045] Here, the features of the waterproof connector according to the embodiment of the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [4]. [1] A housing (10) having a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers (17); a terminal-attached electric wire (30) in which a terminal (32) is connected to an end of an electric wire (31) and the terminal (32) is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber (17); a seal member (50, 90) attached to the electric wires (31) drawn out from the housing (10) and arranged in a row, and fitted into the housing (10) to seal between the housing (10) and the electric wires (31); a holder (60) attached to the housing (10) to hold the sealing material (50, 90); Equipped with The holder (60) is composed of a pair of divided holders (upper divided holder 61 and lower divided holder 62) divided along the arrangement of the electric wires (31), One of the divided holders (lower divided holder 62) has a support wall (82) that presses a surface of the sealing material (50, 90) opposite to the side that is fitted into the housing (10), The other divided holder (upper divided holder 61) has a reinforcing wall (72) that is superimposed on the support wall (82) of one divided holder (lower divided holder 62), forming a waterproof connector.

[0046] According to the waterproof connector having the configuration described above in [1], the holder is composed of a pair of split holders that are split along the arrangement of the electric wires. Therefore, after the electric wires with terminals are inserted into the housing and the sealing material is fitted, each split holder can be assembled to the housing, improving workability.

[0047] In addition, since one of the divided holders has a reinforcing wall that overlaps with the support wall of the other divided holder, even if a large tensile force acts on the holder when the multiple electric wires are pulled, this large tensile force can be received by the holder, thereby maintaining good sealing properties of the sealing material.

[0048] [2] The divided holders (upper divided holder 61, lower divided holder 62) are rotatably connected by a hinge portion (63). The waterproof connector according to [1] above.

[0049] According to the waterproof connector having the configuration [2] above, while one of the divided holders is attached to the housing, the other divided holder can be rotated at the hinge portion and attached to cover the housing, thereby improving the ease of assembling the holders to the housing.

[0050] [3] The sealing material (50) is a plurality of rubber plugs attached to each of the electric wires (31) of the electric wire with terminal (30). The waterproof connector according to the above [1] or [2].

[0051] According to the waterproof connector having the configuration [3] above, the sealing material made of a plurality of rubber plugs can be well held collectively by the holder.

[0052] [4] The sealing material (90) is a mat seal that is collectively attached to the plurality of electric wires (31). The waterproof connector according to the above [1] or [2].

[0053] According to the waterproof connector having the configuration [4] above, the sealing material made of the mat seal attached to the multiple electric wires at once can be well held by the holder. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10. Housing 17 Terminal compartment 30 Wire with terminal 31 Electric wire 32 terminals 50,90 Sealing material 60 Holder 61 Upper split holder (split holder) 62 Lower split holder (split holder) 63 Hinge part 72 Reinforced Wall 82 Supporting wall 100,100A waterproof connector

Claims

1. a housing having a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers; a terminal-attached electric wire, the terminal being connected to an end of the electric wire and accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber; a sealant that is attached to the electric wires that are drawn out of the housing and arranged in a row, and that is fitted into the housing to seal between the housing and the electric wires; a holder attached to the housing to hold the sealing material; Equipped with the holder is composed of a pair of split holders split along the arrangement of the electric wires, one of the divided holders has a support wall that presses a surface of the sealing material opposite to a side that is fitted into the housing, the other divided holder has a reinforcing wall that is superimposed on the support wall of one divided holder, the support wall has an extending wall portion extending beyond the electric wires toward the other divided holder at a position between adjacent electric wires in an arrangement direction of the electric wires, The extension wall portion is disposed in a gap between the sealing material and the reinforcing wall and overlaps the reinforcing wall. Waterproof connector.

2. The divided holders are rotatably connected by a hinge portion. The waterproof connector according to claim 1.

3. The sealing material is a plurality of rubber plugs attached to each of the electric wires with terminals.

3. The waterproof connector according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The sealing material is a mat seal that is attached to a plurality of the electric wires at once.

3. The waterproof connector according to claim 1 or 2.

Images