JP2001326019A - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure prevention of falling of gel material and aim for smooth mounting. SOLUTION: One ends 25A of the male terminal fitting 25 of L-tab shape are inserted in the terminal insertion grooves 23 from the back side and protrude in a row from the inner face of the small good portion 22. A gel material 40 is puted at the inner face of the small hood portion 22. A locking portion 42 us formed extendedly at the both right and left side edge of the protruding portion of the inner face of the small hood portion 22 of the male terminal fitting 25. The extended top end edge of the locking portion 42 becomes a tapered edge 43 narrowing toward the front and forms a V-shape and the rear edge forms a right angle locking edge 44. When the gel material 40 is pushed into the inner part of the hood portion 22, the extended tapered edge 43 of the locking portion 42 functions like guiding and the gel material 40 is pushed smoothly in the whole area. After installation, the locking edge 44 of the rear edge catches and prevents falling of the gel material.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, when an electric wire drawn from a connector is used in such a form that the other end is exposed to water, water flows through the electric wire due to a capillary phenomenon and leaks into a cavity. There is a risk of short-circuiting between the fitting terminal fittings, and in order to prevent the short-circuit, it is necessary to seal between the cavities, that is, to perform so-called waterproofing in a private room. Conventionally,
As a waterproof connector with such a private room waterproof function,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-134756 is known. In this method, the front end side of the cavity of the female housing is formed in a separated shape with a gap, and a rubber sealing member is attached so as to cover the entire front end of the cavity and fill the gap. When the housing is fitted into the hood portion of the male housing, the outer peripheral portion of the sealing member is sandwiched between the cavity and the hood portion to seal between the two housings, and the insertion member protrudes from the back surface of the hood portion. The portions are inserted while widening the grooves, and the gaps between the cavities are sealed by pressing the portions filled in the voids around the independent cavities.

[0003] However, in the above-mentioned conventional device, the structure of the seal member and the housing is inevitably complicated, and there is a tendency to increase the cost. Therefore, the applicant of the present application has proposed using a gel material in order to achieve waterproofing of a private room at low cost. Specifically, in the male housing, a plurality of male terminal fittings are housed in a state in which their tips are protruded side by side in the hood portion. It has a structure in which a gel material is attached while penetrating. By pressing the front surface of the mating female housing against this gel material, the private room is waterproofed.

[0004]

However, in the prior proposal, the connector is used, for example, in a place where a high-temperature atmosphere is present, and when the two housings are separated from each other for maintenance or the like, a gel material is formed on the front of the female housing. And the gel material may come off as the female housing is pulled out. In order to avoid this, for example, it is conceivable to form a hooking portion which is to be hooked on the gel material from the side edge of the male terminal fitting, but the hooking portion formed in this way is said to be the opposite. And the gel material is pushed into the back of the hood and becomes a resistance when it is attached.For example, if the gel material has an elongated shape, the place where the jig etc. is actually applied and pushed is good, but other places In such a case, the push-in is restricted by the resistance of the hook portion, and the gel material may be pushed in a warped posture. Therefore, in order to properly attach the gel material to the entire back surface of the hood part, it is necessary to push it again at multiple places, and a new problem that it takes time and effort was found, and further improvement is eagerly sought. I was The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the gel material from falling off and to smoothly perform the mounting operation.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is to provide a male connector housing having a hood portion into which a mating female connector housing is fitted. A waterproof connector in which a male terminal fitting is mounted in a state protruding side by side in the hood portion, and a gel material is mounted on the inner surface of the hood portion by penetrating the male terminal fitting. On the side edge, a hooking portion that hooks on the gel material to prevent the gel material from projecting is formed, and the projecting edge of the hooking portion gradually increases the amount of protrusion toward the rear in the insertion direction with respect to the gel material. It is characterized in that it is configured to have a large tapered shape. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a guide groove slidably provided on an inner peripheral surface of the hood portion with a rib protruding from an outer peripheral surface of the female connector housing. , And is characterized in that a back end of the guide groove is fastened to a position short of a mounting position of the gel material.

[0006]

<Operation and Effect of the Invention><Invention of claim 1> When the gel material is pushed toward the inner surface of the hood portion, the taper of the protruding edge of the hook portion functions to guide the gel material, so that the gel material covers the entire surface. Pushed in smoothly. After the attachment, the trailing edge of the hooking portion is caught, thereby preventing the gel material from falling off. While ensuring that the gel material does not fall off, smooth mounting work can be expected. <Invention of Claim 2> Even when the gel material is compressed between the mating female housing and the front surface, the gel material does not escape to the guide groove, so that the gel material layer does not partially become thin. Thus, a uniform sealing force can be obtained over the entire surface.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
7 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector of this embodiment includes a female connector housing 10 (hereinafter referred to as a female housing) and a male connector housing 20 (hereinafter referred to as a male housing). . In the following, the male and female housings 10, 2
0, the description will be made with the fitting end side as the front end.

The female housing 10 is formed of a synthetic resin material so as to be horizontally long as a whole, and has a shape in which a large hood portion 12 is formed around a front end side of a main body portion 11. A plurality of cavities 13 are formed in the main body 11 so as to be aligned vertically in two stages. In each cavity 13, a female terminal fitting 15 is inserted and accommodated from the rear side, and the entrance of the cavity 13 is closed with a collective waterproof rubber stopper 17 and held by a rubber stopper 18.

One male housing 20 is for connecting a board, and is also formed of a synthetic resin material to be horizontally long as a whole. Specifically, a small hood portion 22 that can be fitted between the main body portion 11 of the female housing 10 and the large hood portion 12 is formed on the front surface of the thick plate-shaped main body portion 21. A plurality of terminal insertion grooves 23 are formed in the main body 21,
As will be described in detail later, an L-shaped tab-shaped male terminal fitting 25 is inserted into each of the terminal insertion grooves 23 from the rear side.
The one end 25A side is aligned with and protrudes from the back surface of the small hood portion 22 in two vertical steps so as to correspond to each cavity 13 of the female housing 10 described above.

On the other hand, the other end 25 B side of the male terminal fitting 25 projects upward in two front and rear rows and is aligned by an alignment plate 27. The other end 25B of each of these male terminal fittings 25 is connected to a corresponding conductive path by inserting an edge of a printed wiring board (not shown) from the main body 21 of the male housing 20 to a printed wiring board. The board and the circuit board are housed in a watertight manner in the electrical box.

A lever 30 for fitting operation is mounted on the female housing 10. The lever 30 is formed in a bifurcated shape so as to straddle the female housing 10. The lever 30 has a starting end position (FIG. 1) in which the operation unit 31 stands upward with the shaft 32 as a center, and the operation unit 31 faces rearward. It is rotatable between the reclined end position (FIG. 5). Lever 30
On the other hand, a follower pin 35 that can be fitted into the cam groove 33 is formed on both sides of the small hood portion 22 of the male housing 20 described above. It is protruding. An entrance 33A is formed at the start end side of the cam groove 33, and when the lever 30 is at the start end position as described above, the entrance 33A opens forward. A protrusion 36 is formed on the rear side of the root of the follower pin 35, and a left and right side surface of the large hood portion 12 of the female housing 10 is provided with a guide groove in the front-rear direction in which the protrusion 36 can be fitted. 37 is formed with an opening at the front edge.

The small hood portion 22 of the male housing 20
A gel material 40 for sealing is mounted on the back surface of the. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the gel material 40 is a single piece of a thick plate, and has an outer shape that fits almost tightly to the back end of the small hood portion 22 in a natural state. , The thickness of the small hood portion 22 is about 1/4 of the depth dimension. On the other hand, a portion of the male terminal fitting 25 protruding from the inner surface of the small hood 22 is shown in FIG.
As shown in detail in FIG. 2, a pair of left and right locking portions 42 are formed so as to project laterally from both left and right side edges. The formation position of the engaging portion 42 is a position where the gel material 40 stays in the compressed gel material 40 when the gel material 40 is compressed as described later. The protruding edge of the hook portion 42 is a tapered edge 43 gradually narrowing forward, forming a wedge shape, and the rear edge of the hook portion 42 has a right-angle hook edge 44.
It has become.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the left and right side surfaces of the main body portion 11 of the female housing 10, ribs 46 facing the front and rear are formed at positions near the base end thereof. On the left and right inner peripheral surfaces of the small hood portion 22 of the male housing 20, a guide groove 47 in the front-rear direction enabling the rib 46 to slide is formed at the front edge thereof. However, the back end of the guide groove 47 is fixed to a position shorter than the initial mounting position of the gel material 40.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. On the male housing 20 side, the male terminal fittings 25 are provided as described above.
Is mounted, the gel material 40 is mounted. The gel material 40 is inserted and pushed into the small hood portion 22 of the male housing 20, as shown by the arrow in FIG. The pushing is performed using, for example, a jig having a shape that can enter between the male terminal fittings 25 that have been erected. The gel material 40 is pushed in while the one end 25A side of the male side terminal fitting 25 is relatively inserted, and furthermore, the overhanging hook portion 42 is relatively inserted, but the overhanging edge of the hook portion 42 has a tapered edge 43.
Is formed into a wedge shape, so that the gel material 40 can be smoothly pushed in without receiving the appropriate resistance.
In other words, it can be smoothly pushed in even at places not directly receiving the pressing force from the jig, and as shown in FIG. can do.

When the male and female housings 10 and 20 are fitted, the female housing 10 is opposed to the male housing 20 as shown in FIG. 1 with the lever 30 held at the starting end position. Subsequently, when the large hood portion 12 of the female housing 10 is pushed in so as to cover the outside of the small hood portion 22 of the male housing 20, the follower pin 35 faces the entrance 33A of the cam groove 33. Next, when the lever 30 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 1 around the shaft 32 by putting a hand on the operating portion 31, the female action of the female housing 10 is caused by the cam action between the cam groove 33 and the follower pin 35. 5 and 6, the lever 30 is held when the lever 30 is turned to the end position.

At this time, the male and female terminal fittings 15,
25 are normally connected. At the same time, the gel material 40 is interposed in a compressed state between the back surface of the small hood portion 22 of the male housing 20 and the front surface of the main body portion 11 of the female housing 10 opposed thereto.
The waterproof between 20 and the waterproof between the cavities 13 provided in the female housing 10 are performed together. Further, guide grooves 47 are provided on the left and right inner peripheral surfaces of the small hood portion 22, and the ribs 46 are guided so that
However, since the guide groove 47 is held short of the mounting position of the gel material 40, even when the gel material 40 receives a compressive force, the guide groove 47 is formed. There is no escape to 47.

When detaching the male and female housings 10 and 20 for maintenance or the like, the operator puts his hand on the operation unit 31 from the state shown in FIG. The female housing 10 is gradually separated from the male housing 20 by the cam action between the cam groove 33 and the follower pin 35. When the lever 30 is returned to the start position, the corresponding male and female terminal fittings 15, 25 are provided.
Since the connection between them is completely released, and the follower pin 35 also returns to the entrance 33A of the cam groove 33, the female housing 10 is successively grasped and pulled rearward.
0 can be disengaged from the male housing 20.

Here, for example, when the connector is used in a place where a high-temperature atmosphere is present, the gel material 40 adheres to the front surface of the main body 11 of the female housing 10 and the female housing 10 is pulled out. Gel material 40
May be pulled, but this is not the case with the hooking portion 42 of the male terminal fitting 25, especially the right-hand hooking edge 4 at the rear edge.
Since 4 is digging into gel material 40, it is prevented from being taken.

As described above, in this embodiment, the hook portion 42 is formed at the portion of the male terminal fitting 25 pierced by the gel material 40 so as to project laterally from both left and right edges thereof, and The protruding edge of the hook portion 42 has a tapered edge 4 gradually narrowing forward.
3, the wedge shape is formed, so that when the gel material 40 is pushed toward the inner surface of the small hood portion 22, the tapered edge 43 of the hook portion 42 functions so as to be guided, and the gel material 40 extends over the entire surface. After being smoothly pushed in and attached, the hooking edge 44 at the rear edge of the hooking portion 42 is hooked, thereby preventing the gel material 40 from being taken along.
That is, while ensuring that the gel material 40 is prevented from falling, a smooth mounting operation can be expected. In addition, since the guide groove 47 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the small hood portion 22 to prevent prying is fastened to a position just before the mounting position of the gel material 40, the gel material 40 is Even when compressed with the front surface of the portion 11, the guide groove 47 does not escape. Therefore, the layer of the gel material 40 does not become partially thin, and uniform sealing force can be exerted over the entire surface.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) The present invention can be applied to ordinary wire-wire connectors. (2) Further, the present invention can be similarly applied to a waterproof connector of a type which does not include a lever and is simply fitted by a hand.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a male and female housing according to an embodiment of the present invention before fitting.

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mounting operation of the gel material.

FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state where both housings are completely fitted.

FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged sectional view thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Female housing 11 ... Body part 15 ... Female side terminal fitting 20 ... Male housing 21 ... Body part 22 ... Small hood part (hood part) 23 ... Terminal insertion groove 25 ... Male side terminal fitting 25A ... (Male side terminal fitting 25) ) One end 40 ... Gel material 42 ... Hook portion 43 ... Taper edge 44 ... Hook edge 46 ... Rib 47 ... Guide groove

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5E021 FA05 FA09 FB02 FB07 FC05 FC25 FC40 HA07 HB02 HB04 HB05 5E087 EE02 EE14 FF02 FF06 FF12 HH06 LL04 LL12 LL26 LL33 MM04 MM08 RR11 RR12 RR25 RR36

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A male connector housing having a hood portion into which a mating female connector housing is fitted, a plurality of male terminal fittings are mounted in a state protruding side by side in the hood portion. In a waterproof connector in which a gel material is inserted through the male terminal fitting on the inner surface thereof, a hooking portion is formed on a side edge of the male terminal fitting so as to be hooked on the gel material to prevent the male terminal fitting from coming off. The waterproof connector is characterized in that the protruding edge of the hook portion is formed in a tapered shape in which the protruding amount gradually increases toward the rear in the insertion direction with respect to the gel material. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein a guide groove slidable on a rib protruding from an outer peripheral surface of the female connector housing is formed in an inner peripheral surface of the hood portion along a fitting direction. 2. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein a back end of the guide groove is fastened to a position short of a mounting position of the gel material.