Connector

Abstract

Disclosed is a connector in which displacement and deformation of a seal member can be prevented, thereby maintaining waterproofness of an electric wire outlet. A connector (10) comprises: a cylindrical electric wire outlet (18) provided in a housing (14) through which an electric wire (20) extending from a terminal fitting (16) housed in a terminal housing part (12) of a housing (14) passes; a seal member (24) that is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire (20) in a fluid-tight manner and seals the electric wire outlet (18); and a back retainer (26) that covers the seal member (24) from the axially outer side of the electric wire outlet (18). The back retainer (26) has: an outer abutment surface (54) that abuts against an axially outer end surface (52) of the seal member (24); a support wall (50) that protrudes from the outer abutment surface (54) and is disposed so as to axially penetrate the seal member (24); and an inner abutment surface (62) that is provided on a protrusion end portion of the support wall (50) and abuts against an axially inner end surface (60) of the seal member (24).

Description

Connector

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector in which a terminal fitting connected to an end of an electric wire is housed inside a housing. The housing is provided with a wire outlet for drawing the electric wire extending from the terminal fitting out of the housing. The outer peripheral surface of a seal member attached to the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire is brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the wire outlet, whereby the space between the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire and the inner peripheral surface of the wire outlet is sealed, and the sealing performance of the wire outlet is ensured. Furthermore, a back retainer through which the electric wire penetrates is fixed to the wire outlet of the housing, preventing the seal member from falling out of the wire outlet to the outside.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-081173

[0004] However, in the structure of Patent Document 1, although displacement of the seal member toward the outer side of the wire outlet can be prevented by abutting against the back retainer, when an external force directed inward of the wire outlet is applied, for example due to negative pressure generated inside the housing, a gap is formed due to displacement or deformation of the seal member toward the inner side of the wire outlet, which may reduce the waterproof performance of the wire outlet provided by the seal member.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure discloses a connector capable of suppressing displacement and deformation of the seal member and maintaining the waterproof performance of the wire outlet.

[0006] The connector of this disclosure comprises a housing having a terminal housing portion; a terminal fitting connected to the end of an electric wire and housed in the terminal housing portion; a cylindrical electric wire outlet provided in the housing through which the electric wire extending from the terminal fitting passes; a sealing member that seals the electric wire outlet by closely contacting the outer circumferential surface of the electric wire and the inner circumferential surface of the electric wire outlet; and a back retainer fixed to the electric wire outlet and covering the sealing member from the axial outside of the electric wire outlet, wherein the back retainer has an outer contact surface that abuts the axially outer end surface of the sealing member; a support wall that protrudes axially inward from the outer contact surface and is positioned to penetrate the sealing member in the axial direction; and an inner contact surface provided at the protruding end of the support wall that abuts the axially inward end surface of the sealing member.

[0007] The connector of this disclosure makes it possible to suppress displacement and deformation of the sealing member and maintain the waterproofness of the wire outlet.

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a bottom view of the connector shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the inner components of the back retainer used in the connector of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the sealing member used in the connector of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the sealing member of Figure 5 assembled to the inner components of Figure 4. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in Figure 3.

[0009] <Description of Embodiments of the Disclosure> First, embodiments of the Disclosure will be listed and described. The connector of the Disclosure comprises: (1) a housing having a terminal housing portion; a terminal fitting connected to the end of an electric wire and housed in the terminal housing portion; a cylindrical electric wire outlet provided in the housing through which the electric wire extending from the terminal fitting passes; a sealing member that adheres closely to the outer circumferential surface of the electric wire and the inner circumferential surface of the electric wire outlet to seal the electric wire outlet; and a back retainer fixed to the electric wire outlet and covering the sealing member from the axial outside of the electric wire outlet, wherein the back retainer has an outer contact surface that abuts the axial outer end surface of the sealing member; a support wall that protrudes axially inward from the outer contact surface and is arranged to penetrate the sealing member in the axial direction; and an inner contact surface provided at the protruding end of the support wall that abuts the axial inner end surface of the sealing member.

[0010] The connector of this disclosure has a back retainer that covers a sealing member, which seals the wire outlet by closely contacting the outer surface of the wire and the inner surface of the wire outlet, from the axial outside of the wire outlet. The back retainer has an outer contact surface that abuts the axially outer end surface of the sealing member, a support wall that protrudes axially inward from the outer contact surface and penetrates the sealing member axially, and an inner contact surface provided at the protruding tip of the support wall that abuts the axially inward end surface of the sealing member. As a result, the axially outer end surface of the sealing member is stably held by the outer contact surface of the back retainer, thereby preventing displacement and deformation of the sealing member axially outward. In addition, since the support wall of the back retainer penetrates the sealing member axially and protrudes inward, it is possible to prevent inclined deformation of the sealing member toward the inner circumference, and advantageously prevent the occurrence of a gap between the sealing member and the housing due to the inclination of the sealing member. Furthermore, since the inner contact surface of the back retainer contacts the axially inward end surface of the sealing member, axial inward deformation and displacement of the sealing member can be reliably prevented by contact with the inner contact surface of the back retainer. As a result, displacement and deformation of the sealing member can be suppressed, and the waterproofness of the wire outlet can be maintained.

[0011] (2) In (1) above, it is preferable that the outer peripheral edge of the sealing member is held in the axial direction between the outer contact surface of the back retainer and the stepped surface provided on the inner circumferential surface of the wire outlet, and the part of the sealing member that is inward of the outer peripheral edge is held in the axial direction between the outer contact surface and the inner contact surface of the back retainer. In addition to the outer peripheral edge of the sealing member being held in the axial direction between the outer contact surface of the back retainer and the stepped surface on the inner circumferential surface of the wire outlet, the part of the sealing member that is inward of the outer peripheral edge is held in the axial direction between the outer contact surface and the inner contact surface of the back retainer. This makes it possible to hold the sealing member in the axial direction over a wide area dispersed in the radial direction of the sealing member, which further advantageously suppresses displacement and deformation of the sealing member and further enhances the waterproofness of the wire outlet.

[0012] (3) In (1) or (2) above, the back retainer is composed of an inner part and an outer part, the inner part having a first flat plate portion having a first wire insertion tube portion in the center, a plate-shaped support wall that protrudes in the axial direction from the outer contact surface formed by the axially inward surface of the first flat plate portion around the first wire insertion tube portion, and an overhang portion that extends in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction from the protruding end of the support wall, the sealing member in the axial direction of the overhang portion Preferably, the inner contact surface is formed by opposing surfaces, and the outer component has a second flat plate portion having a second wire insertion tube portion in the center, and a fixing engagement portion that protrudes inward in the axial direction from the peripheral edge of the second flat plate portion and engages with the engaged portion of the housing, and the back retainer is fixed to the housing by the second flat plate portion covering the first flat plate portion from the outer side in the axial direction when the fixing engagement portion engages with the engaged portion of the housing. The back retainer can be divided into an inner component that performs the function of suppressing deformation of the sealing member and an outer component that performs the function of fixing to the housing, making it easy to manufacture the entire multi-functional back retainer. Moreover, the axial gap required to enable engagement with the engaged portion of the housing can be considered by the outer component having the fixing engagement portion. Therefore, in the inner component, the sealing member can be clamped or held in the axial direction between the first flat plate portion (outer contact surface) and the protruding portion (inner contact surface), which further advantageously prevents deformation and displacement of the sealing member. Furthermore, since the support wall that penetrates the sealing member in the axial direction is also plate-shaped, it becomes possible to prevent deformation and tilting of the sealing member over a wider area.

[0013] <Details of Embodiments of the Disclosure> Specific examples of the connectors of the Disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings. However, the Disclosure is not limited to these examples and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims as indicated by the claims.

[0014] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, the connector 10 of Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. The connector 10 is provided at the end of an electric wire connected to in-vehicle equipment installed in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. The connector 10 can be positioned in any orientation within the vehicle, but in the following description, unless otherwise specified, the directions indicated by the arrows in Figure 1 will be described as the up-down direction, the front-back direction, and the left-right direction. In addition, for multiple identical components, reference numerals may be assigned to only some of the components, while the reference numerals for other components may be omitted.

[0015] <Connector 10> The connector 10 is composed of a housing 14 having a hollow, cylindrical terminal housing portion 12, and terminal fittings 16 housed in the terminal housing portion 12. As shown in the exploded view in Figure 2, a pair of rectangular cylindrical wire outlets 18, 18 are provided at one end of the terminal housing portion 12 (the rear side in Figure 1), and the terminal housing portion 12 is exposed to the outside through the wire outlets 18. In this embodiment, a pair of terminal fittings 16 are housed and held in the terminal housing portion 12, and the core wire 22 exposed at the end of the electric wire 20 is fixed to the base end of each terminal fitting 16. The electric wire 20 extending from the terminal fittings 16 is pulled out to the outside of the housing 14 by passing through the wire outlets 18. Note that in order to improve visibility in the drawings, the terminal fittings 16 and the electric wire 20 connected to the terminal fittings are shown with dashed lines in Figure 7 and omitted from Figure 2. Furthermore, the wire outlet 18 is equipped with a sealing member 24 that is fitted onto the wire 20 and seals the wire outlet 18 by closely contacting the outer surface of the wire 20 and the inner surface of the wire outlet 18, and a back retainer 26 that is fixed to the wire outlet 18 and covers the sealing member 24 from the axial outward side (rear in Figure 1) of the wire outlet 18.

[0016] <Housing 14> The housing 14 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and is configured as a rectangular box. Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the housing 14 is provided with a pair of cylindrical terminal housings 12 that extend vertically through the inside of the housing 14. The upper end of each terminal housing 12 is exposed to the outside through an opening 28 that opens on one side of the housing 14 (the upper surface in Figure 1). The lower end of each terminal housing 12 is exposed to the outside through a pair of wire outlets 18 that open on the bottom surface of the housing 14 (the rear surface in Figure 1). The wires 20 fixed to the terminal fittings 16 are pulled out to the outside of the housing 14 by passing through each wire outlet 18. As shown in Figure 7, the terminal fitting 16 is made of copper, aluminum, or an alloy thereof. Its tip, which is electrically connected to the mating terminal fitting of a mating connector (not shown), is exposed to the outside through an opening 28, while the exposed core wire 22 at the end of the electric wire 20 is fixed and electrically connected to the base end located near the electric wire outlet 18. Furthermore, both ends of the lever 30 are rotatably supported on both sides of the housing 14 (left and right sides in Figure 1). The lever 30 is used to rotate when the connector 10 is mated with a mating connector (not shown) to maintain the mated state.

[0017] As clearly shown in Figure 2, each wire outlet 18 has a roughly rectangular cylindrical shape with a roughly rectangular frame-like cross-section that extends in the axial direction. The inner circumferential surface of the wire outlet 18 is provided with a stepped surface 32 that widens in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, with the diameter of the part located axially inward being smaller than the diameter of the part located axially outward. On the outer circumferential surface of the wire outlet 18, a pair of protruding engaged parts 34 are provided at opposing parts in one radial direction (vertical direction in Figure 2) (see Figure 7), into which the fixing engaging part 74 of the back retainer 26 (outer part 26b), described later, engages. A positioning recess 35 is provided near each engaged part 34, opening to the axially outward end face of the wire outlet 18. Furthermore, a pair of guide rails 36 that guide the fixing engaging part 74 of the back retainer 26 are provided protruding in the axial direction on both sides of the circumferential direction of each engaged part 34. In this embodiment, the pair of adjacent wire outlets 18 are integrated with each other by their adjacent side walls, but are not limited to this and may be separated from each other. On the outer circumferential surfaces of the pair of wire outlets 18, each of the separated sides (left and right sides in Figure 2) is provided with a pair of trough-shaped portions 38 into which the respective side edges of a pair of fitting projections 76, described later, provided on the back retainer 26 (outer part 26b), are fitted in the assembly direction.

[0018] <Sealing Member 24> As shown in Figure 5, the sealing member 24 is made of an elastic material such as rubber or elastomer, and is formed as a rectangular plate shape corresponding to the opening shape of each wire outlet 18, with an inner hole 40 through which the wire 20 passes and is in close contact with the outer surface of the wire in the central part. In the sealing member 24, a pair of slit-shaped through holes 42, 42 are provided on both sides in the long side direction (left and right direction in Figure 5) with the inner hole 40 in between, extending straight in the short side direction and penetrating the sealing member 24 in the thickness direction. A support wall 50, which will be described later and is provided on the inner part 26a of the back retainer 26, is press-fitted into each through hole 42. Furthermore, the outer surface of the sealing member 24 has a shape similar to the inner surface of the wire outlet 18 and has an outer dimension that is slightly larger than the inner dimension of the inner surface. Therefore, by inserting the sealing member 24 into the wire outlet 18 from the axial outward side to the inward side, the outer surface of the sealing member 24 is pressed against the inner surface of the wire outlet 18, ensuring a tight seal without any gaps. As clearly shown in Figure 7, annular sealing ribs 44 are provided protruding from the inner surface of the inner hole 40 of the sealing member 24, the inner surface of each through hole 42, and the outer surface of the sealing member 24 at multiple locations (three in this embodiment) that are spaced apart from each other in the axial direction. This ensures that the space between the opposing surfaces of the inner hole 40 and the wire 20, the space between the opposing surfaces of the through holes 42 and the support wall 50, and the space between the outer surface of the sealing member 24 and the inner surface of the wire outlet 18 are securely sealed without any gaps.

[0019] <Back retainer 26 (inner part 26a)> The back retainer 26, which is fixed to the wire outlet 18 and covers the sealing member 24 from the axial outward side (rear in Figure 1) of the wire outlet 18, is configured by assembling an outer part 26b to an inner part 26a. Both the inner part 26a and the outer part 26b of the back retainer 26 are made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. As shown in Figure 4, the inner part 26a has a first flat plate portion 46 formed in the shape of a rectangular plate, corresponding to the planar shape of the sealing member 24. In the central part of the first flat plate portion 46, a first wire insertion cylinder portion 48 is provided, which is arranged through which the electric wire 20 passes, protruding cylindrically from the first flat plate portion 46 axially outward (downward in Figure 4). In the first flat plate portion 46, a pair of support walls 50, 50 are provided on both sides in the long-side direction (left-right direction in Figure 4) with the first wire insertion cylinder portion 48 in between, extending straight in the short-side direction and projecting inward in the axial direction (upward in Figure 4) from the first flat plate portion 46 in a plate-like manner.

[0020] Here, the inner component 26a of the back retainer 26 has an outer contact surface 54 formed by the axially inward surface of the first flat plate portion 46, which abuts against the axially outward end surface 52 of the sealing member 24 when it is attached to the wire outlet 18. Each support wall 50 has a protruding end portion 56, 56 that extends in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. In this embodiment, a pair of protruding portions 56, 56 are provided at both ends of the support wall 50 in the longitudinal direction, spreading out in a substantially semi-circular shape. The first flat plate portion 46 has a mold-cut hole formed at a position corresponding to the axial direction of the protruding portion 56. The surface of each protruding portion 56 that corresponds to the outer contact surface 54 on the axially outward side forms an inner contact surface 62 that abuts against the axially inward end surface 60 of the sealing member 24. Positioning protrusions 64, 64 that extend outward are provided at the center of the short sides on both sides of the first flat plate portion 46. The positioning protrusions 64, 64 provided on the first flat plate portion 46 fit into the positioning recesses 35 provided on the axial end face of the wire outlet 18, thereby ensuring that the inner component 26a of the back retainer 26 is stably positioned relative to the open end face of the wire outlet 18.

[0021] <Back Retainer 26 (Outer Part 26b)> The outer part 26b of the back retainer 26 has a pair of second flat plate portions 66 formed in a rectangular plate shape corresponding to the planar shape of the sealing member 24. In the central part of each second flat plate portion 66, a second wire insertion cylinder portion 68 is provided, which is arranged through which the electric wire 20 passes, and protrudes cylindrically from the second flat plate portion 66 in the axial direction outward (diagonally rearward in Figure 1). Multiple wire holding ribs are provided protruding from the opening end of each second wire insertion cylinder portion 68, which protrudes inward. Multiple reinforcing ribs 72 are provided protruding from multiple locations on the outer surface of each second wire insertion cylinder portion 68 that are spaced apart in the circumferential direction, connecting the outer surface of the second wire insertion cylinder portion 68 and the second flat plate portion 66. In each second flat plate portion 66, frame-shaped fixing engagement portions 74, 74 are provided at the center of both short sides, which are cantilevered by the second flat plate portion 66 and project inward in the axial direction, elastically returning to engage with the engaging portions 34, 34 that are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the wire outlet 18 of the housing 14.

[0022] In this embodiment, a pair of second flat plate portions 66, 66 are integrally connected at their adjacent side edges. On the right side edge of one second flat plate portion 66 and on the left side edge of the other second flat plate portion 66, thin plate-shaped fitting projections 76, 76 protrude inward in the axial direction. Each fitting projection 76 is formed with thick walls on both sides and in the center, and the side edges of the fitting projections 76 are stably held by a pair of trough-shaped portions 38, 38 that protrude from the outer circumferential surface of the wire outlet 18 of the housing 14.

[0023] <Assembly of Connector 10> Next, an example of how to assemble the connector 10 configured as described above will be given. When assembling the connector 10, first, the housing 14 with the shape described above, the sealing member 24, and the inner part 26a and outer part 26b of the back retainer 26 are prepared by injection molding or the like. Furthermore, the terminal fitting 16, which is formed by press working on a metal plate, and the electric wire 20 with the core wire 22 exposed at the end are manufactured and prepared. Subsequently, as shown in Figure 6, the inner part 26a of the back retainer 26 is attached to the sealing member 24. When attaching, the sealing member 24 is deformed to widen the openings of each through hole 42, allowing it to pass through the support wall 50 of the inner part 26a, and the protruding portion 56 of the inner part 26a to protrude beyond the axially inward end face 60 of the sealing member 24. In this state, the outer contact surface 54 of the first flat plate portion 46 of the inner component 26a is in contact with the axially outer end surface 52 of the sealing member 24 with a wide contact area. In addition, the inner contact surface 62 of the overhang portion 56 provided at the protruding end of the support wall 50, which protrudes axially inward from the outer contact surface 54 of the first flat plate portion 46 of the inner component 26a and is arranged to penetrate the sealing member 24 in the axial direction, is in contact with the axially inner end surface 60 of the sealing member 24 with a wide contact area.

[0024] Next, the outer part 26b of the back retainer 26, the inner part 26a, and the sealing member 24 are inserted into the end of the electric wire 20. The electric wire 20 is then inserted into the second wire insertion tube portion 68 of the outer part 26b of the back retainer 26, the inner hole 40 of the sealing member 24, and the first wire insertion tube portion 48 of the inner part 26a. Furthermore, the core wire 22 of the electric wire 20 is fixed to the base end of the terminal fitting 16. Subsequently, the wire outlet 18 of the housing 14 is inserted, and the terminal fittings 16 are inserted into the terminal housing portions 12 of the housing 14 with the tip of the terminal fitting 16 leading, so that the electric wires 20 are pulled out from the wire outlet 18.

[0025] Next, the assembly of the sealing member 24, which has been pre-inserted onto the wire 20, and the inner part 26a of the back retainer 26 is brought close to the wire outlet 18 from the axial outer side of the wire outlet 18 of the housing 14, and the sealing member 24 is press-fitted into the inner circumferential surface of the wire outlet 18. The axial inner end face 60 of the sealing member 24 then contacts the stepped surface 32 provided on the inner circumferential surface of the wire outlet 18, thereby defining the press-fit end of the sealing member 24 into the wire outlet 18. At this time, the positioning projection 64 protruding from the first flat plate portion 46 of the inner part 26a fits into the positioning recess 35 provided on the axial end face of the wire outlet 18, thereby stably positioning the inner part 26a of the back retainer 26 relative to the open end face of the wire outlet 18. In this state, the sealing ribs 44 are pressed against the opposing surfaces of the inner circumferential surface of the inner hole 40 of the sealing member 24 and the outer circumferential surface of the electric wire 20, creating a gap-free seal. Similarly, the sealing ribs 44 are pressed against the opposing surfaces of each through hole 42 and the support wall 50, creating a gap-free seal. Furthermore, the sealing ribs are also pressed against the outer circumferential surface of the sealing member 24 and the inner circumferential surface of the electric wire outlet 18, creating a gap-free seal.

[0026] Subsequently, the outer part 26b of the back retainer 26, which has been pre-inserted onto the wire 20, is brought closer to the wire outlet 18 from the axial outer side of the wire outlet 18 of the housing 14, and the fixing engagement portion 74 and the fitting projection 76 of the outer part 26b are inserted between a pair of guide rails 36 and a pair of trough-shaped portions 38 provided on the outer circumferential surface of the wire outlet 18, respectively. This allows the outer part 26b to be assembled to the wire outlet 18 in a state where the outer part 26b is stably positioned relative to the wire outlet 18. Finally, the fixing engagement portion 74 elastically deforms outward to overcome the engaged portion 34, and the engaged portion 34 is fitted into the inside of the frame of the elastically returned fixing engagement portion 74. As a result, the fixing engagement portion 74 engages with the engaged portion 34, and the outer part 26b of the back retainer 26 and the inner part 26a, which is held by the outer part 26b from the axially outward side and whose positioning projection 64 fits into the positioning recess 35 of the wire outlet 18 to position and fix in place, are fixed and held in the wire outlet 18 of the housing 14 (see Figure 1). In this way, the assembly of the connector 10 is completed, and the connector 10 of Embodiment 1 is completed.

[0027] In the connector 10 of Embodiment 1, which has the structure described above, the sealing member 24 that seals the wire outlet 18 by closely contacting the outer surface of the wire 20 and the inner surface of the wire outlet 18 is covered by the back retainer 26 from the axial outside of the wire outlet 18. The inner component 26a of the back retainer 26 has an outer contact surface 54 that abuts against the axially outer end surface 52 of the sealing member 24, a support wall 50 that protrudes axially inward from the outer contact surface 54 and is positioned to penetrate the sealing member 24 in the axial direction, and an inner contact surface 62 provided at the protruding tip of the support wall 50 that abuts against the axially inward end surface 60 of the sealing member 24 (see Figure 7). As a result, the axially outer end surface 52 of the sealing member 24 is stably held by the outer contact surface 54 of the inner component 26a of the back retainer 26, thereby preventing displacement and deformation of the sealing member 24 in the axially outward direction. In addition, since the support wall 50 of the inner component 26a of the back retainer 26 penetrates the sealing member 24 in the axial direction and protrudes inward, it is possible to prevent the sealing member 24 from deforming inward toward the inner circumference, and advantageously prevent the occurrence of a gap between the sealing member 24 and the housing 14 (the inner surface of the wire outlet 18) due to the inclination of the sealing member 24. Furthermore, since the inner contact surface 62 of the inner component 26a of the back retainer 26 abuts against the axially inward end surface 60 of the sealing member 24, axially inward deformation and displacement of the sealing member 24 can be reliably prevented by contact with the inner contact surface 62 of the inner component 26a of the back retainer 26. As a result, displacement and deformation of the sealing member 24 can be suppressed, and the waterproofness of the wire outlet 18 can be maintained.

[0028] Furthermore, the outer peripheral edge of the sealing member 24 is held axially between the outer contact surface 54 of the inner component 26a of the back retainer 26 and the stepped surface 32 of the inner peripheral surface of the wire outlet 18. In addition, the inner peripheral side of the sealing member 24 is held axially between the outer contact surface 54 and the inner contact surface 62 of the inner component 26a of the back retainer 26. As a result, the sealing member 24 can be held axially over a wide area distributed radially, which further advantageously suppresses displacement and deformation of the sealing member 24 and maintains the waterproofness of the wire outlet 18 to an even higher degree.

[0029] Furthermore, the back retainer 26 is divided into an inner part 26a, which is responsible for suppressing deformation of the sealing member 24, and an outer part 26b, which is responsible for fixing it to the housing 14. This makes it easy to manufacture the entire back retainer 26, which performs multiple functions. Moreover, the axial gap necessary to enable engagement with the engaged portion 34 protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the wire outlet 18 of the housing 14 can be considered by the outer part 26b, which has a fixing engagement portion 74. Therefore, in the inner part 26a, it becomes possible to clamp or hold the sealing member 24 in the axial direction between the outer contact surface 54 of the first flat plate portion 46 and the inner contact surface 62 of the protruding portion 56, thereby more advantageously preventing deformation and displacement of the sealing member 24. Furthermore, since the support wall 50 that penetrates the sealing member 24 in the axial direction is also plate-shaped, it becomes possible to prevent deformation and tilting of the sealing member 24 over a wider area.

[0030] <Modifications> Although Embodiment 1 has been described in detail above as a specific example of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited by this specific description. Modifications, improvements, etc., to the extent that they can achieve the purpose of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. For example, the following modifications of the embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0031] (1) Embodiment 1 shows an example in which the back retainer 26 is composed of an inner part 26a and an outer part 26b that are assembled to each other in the axial direction, but is not limited to this. For example, the back retainer 26 may be made of a single part and integrally have an outer contact surface 54, a support wall 50, an overhang 56, an inner contact surface 62 and a fixing engagement part 74.

[0032] (2) In Embodiment 1, an example was shown in which a pair of terminal fittings 16 are housed in the terminal housing portion 12 of the housing 14. However, the number and shape of the terminal fittings, the shape of the wire outlet 18 and the sealing member 24 can be arbitrarily set. For example, in a configuration in which multiple wires 20 connected to multiple terminal fittings 16 are drawn out from a single wire outlet 18, a single sealing member 24 may be provided with multiple internal holes 40 through which multiple wires 20 are inserted and arranged. When a single sealing member 24 is provided with multiple internal holes 40 through which wires 20 are drawn out, a first wire insertion tube portion 48 and a second wire insertion tube portion 68 may similarly be provided in the first flat plate portion 46 and the second flat plate portion 66 of the back retainer 26.

[0033] (3) In Embodiment 1, a pair of slit-shaped through holes 42 were provided on both sides of the inner hole 40 of the sealing member 24, and plate-shaped support walls 50 were inserted and positioned therein. However, the number and shape of these can be set arbitrarily. In addition, the number of support walls 50, the amount of overhang of the protruding parts, the contact area of ​​the inner contact surface 62 and the outer contact surface 54 can be adjusted as needed according to the required waterproofness.

[0034] 10 Connector 12 Terminal housing 14 Housing 16 Terminal fitting 18 Wire outlet 20 Wire 22 Core wire 24 Seal member 26 Back retainer 26a Inner part 26b Outer part 28 Opening 30 Lever 32 Stepped surface 34 Engaged part 35 Positioning recess 36 Guide rail 38 Trough-shaped part 40 Inner hole 42 Through hole 44 Seal rib 46 First flat plate part 48 First wire insertion tube part 50 Support wall 52 Axial outer end face 54 Outer contact surface 56 Protruding part 58 Die-cut hole 60 Axial inner end face 62 Inner contact surface 64 Positioning projection 66 Second flat plate part 68 Second wire insertion tube part 70 Wire holding rib 72 Reinforcement rib 74 Fixing engagement portion 76 Fitting projection

Claims

1. A connector comprising: a housing having a terminal housing; a terminal fitting connected to the end of an electric wire and housed in the terminal housing; a cylindrical electric wire outlet provided in the housing through which the electric wire extending from the terminal fitting passes; a sealing member that adheres closely to the outer surface of the electric wire and the inner surface of the electric wire outlet to seal the electric wire outlet; and a back retainer fixed to the electric wire outlet and covering the sealing member from the axial outside of the electric wire outlet, wherein the back retainer has an outer contact surface that abuts the axial outer end surface of the sealing member; a support wall that protrudes axially inward from the outer contact surface and is positioned to penetrate the sealing member in the axial direction; and an inner contact surface provided at the protruding end of the support wall that abuts the axial inner end surface of the sealing member.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral edge of the sealing member is held in the axial direction between the outer contact surface of the back retainer and a stepped surface provided on the inner peripheral surface of the wire outlet, and the part of the sealing member on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral edge is held in the axial direction between the outer contact surface and the inner contact surface of the back retainer.

3. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the back retainer comprises an inner part and an outer part, the inner part having a first flat plate portion having a first wire insertion cylinder portion in the center, a plate-shaped support wall projecting inward in the axial direction from an outer contact surface formed by the axially inward surface of the first flat plate portion around the first wire insertion cylinder portion, and an overhang extending from the protruding end of the support wall in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, the inner contact surface being formed by the surface of the overhang portion facing the sealing member in the axial direction, the outer part having a second flat plate portion having a second wire insertion cylinder portion in the center, and a fixing engagement portion projecting inward in the axial direction from the peripheral edge of the second flat plate portion and engaging with the engaged portion of the housing, the back retainer being fixedly fixed to the housing by the second flat plate portion covering the first flat plate portion from the axially outward side when the fixing engagement portion engages with the engaged portion of the housing.

Images