JP2005071664A - Terminal metal fitting - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a rubber plug from being damaged in a waterproof terminal metal fitting. <P>SOLUTION: The terminal fittings include a pair of holding pieces 18 each having a locking hole 19 penetrated laterally, and a pair of left and right locking protrusions 23 formed on the outer periphery of the rubber plug 20. The upward movement of the rubber plug 20 is prevented by locking the locking protrusion 23 of the rubber plug 20 to the locking hole 19 of the holding piece 18. Since the outer diameter of the rubber plug 20 when the elastic deflection rate of the rubber plug 20 is in a non-locking state is suppressed to ≤5% of the outer diameter of the rubber plug 20 in the state that the locking hole 19 is locked to the locking protrusion 23, the elastic restoring force of the rubber plug 20 is suppressed to a small value, and there is no possibility of damaging the a locking part of the rubber plug 20 to the locking hole 19. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof terminal fitting.

Conventionally, some waterproof terminal fittings have a waterproof function individually. This terminal fitting has a crimping portion in a form in which an open barrel-like insulation barrel and an open barrel-like insulation barrel are arranged in the front and rear, and in this crimping portion, an electric wire in which the conductor of the wire is surrounded by an insulating coating. The terminal portion is crimped. In the wire barrel, the conductor exposed facing the insulation coating is placed on the bottom wall, and a pair of holding pieces raised from the left and right side edges of the bottom wall are caulked so as to be wound around the conductor. The terminal fitting is connected to be conductive. In addition, the insulation barrel is placed on the bottom wall together with a cylindrical rubber plug that is externally fitted so that the insulation coating portion of the wire is in close contact with the outer periphery, and is raised from the left and right edges of the bottom wall. By caulking the pair of holding pieces so as to be wound around the rubber plug, the insulating coating portion and the rubber plug are fixed in a state in which the loose movement is restricted with respect to the crimping portion. In addition, there exists what is disclosed by patent document 1 as this kind of terminal metal fitting.
JP 2002-343493 A

  In the case where the rubber stopper is held by the holding piece as described above, it is necessary to prevent not only the rubber stopper from moving in the front-rear direction but also upward (in the direction away from the bottom wall). The barrel holding piece was caulked so as to firmly hold the rubber stopper. Therefore, the rubber plug is elastically deformed so that it is greatly crushed by the strong tightening by the holding piece, and the edge portion of the holding piece bites into the outer periphery of the rubber plug, and as a result, the edge of the holding piece As a result, the outer periphery of the rubber plug may be damaged or cut.

  The present invention was created in view of the above circumstances, and aims to prevent damage to the rubber plug.

  The invention according to claim 1 has an insulation barrel in which a pair of holding pieces is raised from the left and right side edges of the bottom wall, and a cylindrical rubber stopper fitted around the electric wire is provided between the pair of holding pieces. In the terminal fitting that is mounted in a state in which relative displacement in the front-rear direction is restricted with respect to the electric wire by being held by the insulation barrel in a state of being placed on the bottom wall, The pair of holding pieces are provided with locking means for locking the rubber plug to restrict the upward movement of the rubber plug, and the elastic deformation of the rubber plug in the state locked to the locking means. The amount is set to 5% or less of the dimension of the rubber stopper when not locked to the locking means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the locking means comprises a locking hole formed so as to penetrate the holding piece in the left-right direction, and the locking hole has an outer surface of the rubber plug. By locking the locking protrusions formed on the rubber stopper, the upward movement of the rubber plug is restricted.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the locking means comprises a fitting concave portion in which the inner surface side of the holding piece is recessed, and the rubber stopper is provided in the fitting concave portion. Is inserted into the rubber plug to restrict the upward movement of the rubber plug.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the fitting recess has a circular arc shape having substantially the same curvature as the outer diameter of the rubber plug.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the locking means is configured such that the rising end portion of the holding piece is bent inward, and the rubber plug is locked to the bent portion. The configuration is such that the upward movement of the rubber plug is restricted.

<Invention of Claim 1>
The upward movement of the rubber plug is prevented by the locking between the rubber plug and the locking means. Further, in the state where the locking means is locked to the rubber plug, the elastic deformation amount in the radial direction of the rubber plug is suppressed to 5% or less of the outer diameter of the rubber plug when not locked. The elastic restoring force of the rubber plug is also kept small, and there is no possibility that the locking portion of the rubber plug with the locking means will be damaged.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Due to the locking between the locking hole and the locking projection, the upward movement of the rubber plug is reliably restricted. Since the hook structure of the locking hole and the locking protrusion is used as the rubber plug's play restricting means, it is not necessary to bend the rubber plug almost elastically, and therefore the damage prevention effect of the rubber plug is high. In addition, since the locking hole penetrates in the left-right direction, the rubber plug is reliably restricted not only in the upward direction but also in the front-rear direction.

<Invention of Claim 3>
Due to the fitting between the fitting recess and the outer periphery of the rubber plug, the upward movement of the rubber plug is reliably restricted. Since the fitting structure of the fitting recess and the outer periphery of the rubber plug is used as the rubber plug play restricting means, it is not necessary to elastically bend the rubber plug, and therefore, the effect of preventing the rubber plug from being damaged is high.

<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the fitting recess has an arcuate surface with substantially the same curvature as the outer diameter of the rubber plug, the pressing force of the fitting recess against the rubber plug or the elastic deflection of the rubber plug is uniform in the circumferential direction, and the rubber plug is locally To be easily damaged.

<Invention of Claim 5>
The upward movement of the rubber plug is reliably restricted by the hook between the bent portion of the locking means and the outer periphery of the rubber plug. Since the hooking structure between the bent portion of the locking means and the rubber plug is used as the rubber plug play restricting means, it is not necessary to bend the rubber plug almost elastically, and therefore the damage prevention effect of the rubber plug is high.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  The terminal fitting 10 of the present embodiment is elongated in the front-rear direction as a whole and has a so-called female shape. A substantially first half portion (left portion in FIG. 8) of the terminal fitting 10 is a fitting portion 11 having a rectangular tube shape for connection with a tab of a mating terminal (not shown). It is an electric wire 28 connecting portion 12 for connecting the terminal portion of the electric wire 28. The electric wire 28 connecting portion 12 is composed of a wire barrel 13 that occupies a substantially first half region, and an insulation barrel 16 disposed at the rear end portion.

  The wire barrel 13 includes a substantially semicircular arc-shaped front bottom wall 14 connected to the bottom plate of the fitting portion 11 and a pair of front holding pieces 15 raised upward from left and right side edges of the front bottom wall 14. Become. The interval in the width direction of the front holding piece 15 is smaller than the width dimension of the fitting part 11 and is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the core wire 28 a of the electric wire 28.

  The insulation barrel 16 is connected to the front bottom wall 14 of the wire barrel 13 in a lower shape and is formed in a substantially semicircular arc shape that is wider than the front bottom wall 14. And a pair of left and right rear holding pieces 18 (holding pieces which are constituent elements of the present invention) raised from the left and right side edges of the rear bottom wall 17. In a state where the electric wire 28 is not connected to the electric wire 28 connection portion 12, the width dimension of the rear bottom wall 17 and the interval between the rear holding pieces 18 are larger than the width dimension of the front bottom wall 14 and the interval between the front holding pieces 15. The dimensions are large.

  In a state before the electric wire 28 is connected, the rear holding piece 18 has a flat plate shape standing substantially upward from the rear bottom wall 17 and has a vertically long rectangle when viewed from the side. The pair of rear holding pieces 18 have circular locking holes 19 (locking means which is a constituent element of the present invention) penetrating in the inner and outer directions, that is, in the left-right direction (the direction perpendicular to the length direction of the electric wires 28). Is formed. The locking holes 19 of the two rear holding pieces 18 are coaxial with each other, and have the same inner diameter. Further, the locking hole 19 is located at the center of the rear holding piece 18 in the front-rear direction.

  The terminal fitting 10 includes a rubber plug 20 that is attached to the insulation barrel 16 together with the electric wire 28. The rubber plug 20 has a circular center hole 21 penetrating in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of internal lip portions 22 spaced in the front-rear direction are formed on the inner periphery of the center hole 21. The rubber plug 20 includes a main body portion 23 having an outer lip portion 24 formed on the outer periphery, and a retaining portion 25 positioned at the front end of the rubber plug 20. The cross-sectional shapes of the main body part 23 and the retaining part 25 are both concentric with the center hole 21, but the outer diameter of the retaining part 25 is smaller than that of the main body part 23. The main body portion 23 and the retaining portion 25 are connected by a locking portion 26 having a substantially square cross section.

  The locking portion 26 has upper and lower surfaces that are horizontally flat and side surfaces that are perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces, and these surfaces are smoothly connected to each other by a substantially quadrangular arc surface. . The vertical dimension of the locking part 26 is larger than the width dimension of the locking part 26 and is the same as the outer diameter of the retaining part 25. The width of the locking portion 26 is set to be approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the interval between the inner side surfaces of the rear holding piece 18. Moreover, in the latching | locking part 26, the center hole 21 is distribute | arranged to the center position in the up-down direction and the center position in the left-right direction.

  On both the left and right outer surfaces of the locking portion 26, locking protrusions 27 are formed to protrude. The pair of locking projections 27 includes a cylindrical portion 27a whose axis is oriented at a right angle with respect to the outer surface, and a substantially hemispherical portion 27b formed at the protruding end of the middle portion of the edge. The axis lines of the left and right circular portions 27a are coaxial with each other, and the outer diameters of both cylindrical portions 27a are the same (the same as or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the locking hole 19). Further, the locking projection 27 is positioned at the center height of the locking portion 26 in the vertical direction, and therefore, the axis of the locking projection 27 and the axis of the center hole 21 are positioned at the same height. Also in the front-rear direction, the locking protrusion 27 is located at the center of the locking portion 26. The front-rear length of the locking part 26 is smaller than the dimension of the rear holding piece 18 in the front-rear direction.

  An electric wire 28 in which a core wire 28a is surrounded by an insulating coating 28b is passed through the center hole 21 of the rubber plug 20. Since the outer diameter of the electric wire 28 is larger than the minimum diameter of the inner lip portion 22, the inner lip portion 22 is in close contact with the outer periphery of the insulating coating 28b of the electric wire 28 in an elastically deformed state. The space between them is waterproof. The terminal portion of the electric wire 28 protrudes forward from the front end face of the rubber plug 20, and the insulating coating 28b is peeled off at the protruding portion so that the core wire 28a is exposed.

  The electric wire 28 and the rubber plug 20 are attached to the electric wire 28 connection portion 12. When mounting, first, the retaining portion 25 and the retaining portion 26 of the rubber plug 20 are placed on the rear bottom wall 17 of the insulation barrel 16, and the exposed core wire 28 a is placed on the front bottom wall of the wire barrel 13. 14. At this time, the rear holding piece 18 is elastically deformed so as to widen the interval, and this elastic deformation avoids the interference of the locking projection 27 of the rubber plug 20 with the rear holding piece 18. When the locking part 26 is dropped to a predetermined position where it is placed on the rear bottom wall 17 or a position slightly above the rear bottom wall 17, when the rear holding piece 18 is elastically returned, the rear holding piece 18 is restored. The locking hole 19 and the locking projection 27 are fitted. In this fitting portion 11 minutes, there may be a gap between the outer periphery of the locking projection 27 and the inner periphery of the locking hole 19, or there may be no gap. Further, the rear holding piece 18 may have a gap with respect to the outer surface of the locking portion 26, may be in close contact, or may be elastically deformed so as to crush the locking portion 26 in the width direction. When the locking portion 26 is elastically bent, the elastic deflection amount in the width direction of the locking portion 26 is 5% or less with respect to the width dimension of the locking portion 26 when the locking portion 26 is not elastically bent. Due to the locking of the locking hole 19 and the locking projection 27, the rubber plug 20 is prevented from coming off upward with respect to the terminal fitting 10 (insulation barrel 16).

  In this state, the rear holding piece 18 is not in contact with both the retaining portion 25 and the main body portion 23. Further, the rear holding piece 18 is not subjected to deformation processing such as caulking, and the upper end of the rear holding piece 18 is located higher than the upper surface of the locking portion 26. Further, the retaining portion 25 of the rubber plug 20 is disposed between the front holding piece 15 and the rear holding piece 18, and the left and right sides of the retaining portion 25 protrude from the rear bottom wall 17 to the side. . Therefore, when a rearward tensile force acts on the rubber plug 20 or the electric wire 28, the rear surface of the retaining portion 25 abuts on the front end edge of the rear holding piece 18, so that the rubber plug 20 and the electric wire 28 are The rearward relative movement with respect to the insulation barrel 16 is restricted. In the region where the retaining portion 25 is located, the height of the left and right side edges of the rear side wall is kept low, so that the retaining portion 25 is not strongly pressed against the electric wire 28 connecting portion 12.

  Thereafter, the front holding piece 15 is crimped so as to be wound around the core wire 28a. Thereby, the core wire 28a is connected to the wire barrel 13 so as to be conductive by crimping. Thus, the attachment of the rubber plug 20 and the electric wire 28 to the terminal fitting 10 is completed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the upward movement of the rubber plug 20 with respect to the terminal fitting 10 is prevented by the locking of the rubber plug 20 and the locking means (the locking hole 19 and the locking protrusion 27). . Further, in a state where the locking hole 19 is locked to the locking protrusion 27 of the rubber plug 20, the elastic deflection amount in the radial direction of the rubber plug 20 is 5 of the outer diameter of the rubber plug 20 when the rubber plug 20 is not locked. % Or less. Therefore, the elastic restoring force of the rubber plug 20 can be suppressed to a small level, or no elastic restoring force can be generated in the rubber plug 20, and there is no possibility that the engaging portion 26 between the rubber plug 20 and the terminal fitting 10 is damaged.

  Further, since the hooking structure of the locking hole 19 and the locking projection 27 is used as a means for restricting the upward movement of the rubber plug 20, it is not necessary to bend the rubber plug 20 almost elastically. The damage prevention effect of the rubber plug 20 is also high. Further, since the locking hole 19 penetrates in the left-right direction, the rubber plug 20 is reliably restricted not only in the upward direction but also in the front-rear direction.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the locking means of the rubber plug 20 with respect to the insulation barrel 16 in the first embodiment. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions of structures, operations, and effects are omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the through hole type locking hole 19 is formed in the rear holding piece 18, but in the second embodiment, the rear holding piece 18 is in a non-penetrating form, and the inner surface side of the rear holding piece 18 is recessed. A fitting recess 31 (locking means which is a constituent element of the present invention) is formed. The fitting recess 31 is fitted with a locking projection 27 of the rubber plug 20, and the upward movement of the rubber plug 20 is restricted by this fitting. Although the locking projection 27 is fitted in an elastically deformed state with respect to the fitting recess 31, the locking projection 27 does not substantially elastically bend when no external force is applied to the rubber plug 20. It may be.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the locking means of the rubber plug 32 with respect to the insulation barrel 16 in the first embodiment. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions of structures, operations, and effects are omitted.

  In the rubber plug 32 of the third embodiment, a held portion 33 having a circular shape concentric with the center hole 21 is formed instead of the locking portion 26 having a substantially square cross section of the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the penetrating locking hole 19 is formed in the rear holding piece 18, but in the third embodiment, the rear bottom wall 34 has an arc shape with substantially the same curvature as the outer periphery of the held portion 33. In addition to being molded, the left and right rear holding pieces 35 are also formed in an arc shape having substantially the same curvature as the outer periphery of the held portion 33. A fitting recess 36 is formed by the rear bottom wall 34 and the rear holding piece 35, and the held portion 33 is fitted into the fitting recess 36, thereby reliably restricting the upward movement of the rubber plug 32. Is done.

  In the third embodiment, since the fitting structure of the fitting recess 36 and the outer periphery of the rubber plug 32 is used as the movement restricting means of the rubber plug 32, the rubber plug 32 does not need to be elastically bent. The effect of preventing the rubber plug 32 from being damaged is also high.

  Further, since the fitting recess 36 has an arcuate surface shape with substantially the same curvature as the outer diameter of the held portion 33, the pressing force of the fitting recess 36 against the held portion 33 or the amount of elastic deflection of the held portion 33 is large. It becomes uniform in the circumferential direction, and it is reliably avoided that the rubber plug 32 (held portion 33) is easily damaged locally.

  Also in the third embodiment, the amount of elastic deflection in the radial direction of the held portion 33 in a state where the held portion 33 is fitted in the fitting recess 36 is the outer diameter dimension of the held portion 33 in the fitted state. 5% or less.

<Embodiment 4>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The fourth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the locking means of the rubber stopper 32 with respect to the insulation barrel 16 in the first embodiment. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the third embodiment, the same reference numeral is given to the same configuration, and the description of the structure, operation, and effect is omitted.

  The rubber plug 32 of the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the third embodiment and has a circular held portion 33. Further, the rear bottom wall 41 of the insulation barrel 16 is a flat plate that is horizontal and wider than the outer diameter of the held portion 33, and a pair of rear holding pieces 42 are perpendicular to the left and right side edges (upward). F) and is raised in a flat plate shape. The rising height of the rear holding piece 42 is larger than the outer diameter (height dimension) of the held portion 33. Then, the upper end edge (rising edge) of the left and right rear holding pieces 42 is inward (partner) after the held portion 33 of the rubber plug 32 is dropped (accommodated) between the both rear holding pieces 42. The bent portion is bent at a right angle (toward the rear holding piece 42 side), and the bent portion extends inwardly from the rear holding piece 42 in parallel with the rear bottom wall 41. 43. In the present embodiment, the extended edges of the bent portion 43 are slightly spaced from each other, but the extended edges may be abutted against each other.

  Now, in this state, when the held portion 33 is locked from below with respect to the pair of left and right bent portions 43 formed so as to cover the held portion 33, the rubber plug 32 is displaced upward. Is reliably prevented. In this state, the held portion 33 is not elastically bent, but the held portion 33 is sandwiched between the left and right rear holding pieces 42 or between the rear bottom wall 41 and the bent portion 43. Alternatively, it may be elastically crushed and deformed. However, the amount of elastic deflection of the held portion 33 at this time is 5% or less of the outer diameter of the held portion 33 when not elastically bent.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the locking means is provided on both the left and right holding pieces. However, according to the present invention, the locking means may be provided only on either the left or right holding piece.

  (2) In Embodiment 3 described above, the fitting recess has an arc surface shape with substantially the same curvature as the outer diameter of the rubber plug, but according to the present invention, it may have a shape other than the arc shape.

  (3) The locking structure of the third embodiment and the locking structure of the first embodiment may be combined.

The partial side view showing the state which connected the rubber stopper and the electric wire in Embodiment 1 to the terminal metal fitting Partial horizontal sectional view showing the state where the rubber plug and wire are connected to the terminal fitting Partial enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state where the rubber plug and wire are connected to the terminal fitting Side view of rubber stopper Front view of rubber stopper AA sectional view of FIG. BB sectional view of FIG. Side view of terminal fitting Partial cutaway view of terminal bracket The cross-sectional view showing the state which connected the rubber stopper and the electric wire to the terminal metal fitting in Embodiment 2. The cross-sectional view showing the state which connected the rubber stopper and the electric wire to the terminal metal fitting in Embodiment 3 Cross-sectional view showing a state where the rubber plug and the electric wire are connected to the terminal fitting in the fourth embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Terminal metal fitting 16 ... Insulation barrel 17 ... Rear bottom wall (bottom wall)
18 ... Rear holding piece (holding piece)
19: Locking hole (locking means)
20 ... rubber plug 27 ... locking projection 28 ... electric wire 31, 36 ... fitting recess (locking means)
32 ... Rubber plug 34,41 ... Rear bottom wall (bottom wall)
35, 42 ... rear holding piece (holding piece)
43 ... Bent part (locking means)

Claims (5)

It has an insulation barrel with a pair of holding pieces raised from the left and right side edges of the bottom wall,
By holding the cylindrical rubber plug fitted around the electric wire by the insulation barrel in a state of being placed on the bottom wall between the pair of holding pieces, relative displacement in the front-rear direction with respect to the electric wire is achieved. It is a terminal fitting that can be attached in a regulated state,
The pair of holding pieces is provided with a locking means for restricting the upward movement of the rubber plug by locking the rubber plug,
The terminal fitting, wherein an elastic deflection amount of the rubber plug in a state of being locked to the locking means is 5% or less of a dimension of the rubber plug in a state of not being locked to the locking means. The locking means comprises a locking hole formed so as to penetrate the holding piece in the left-right direction, and by locking a locking projection formed on the outer surface of the rubber plug into the locking hole, 2. The terminal fitting according to claim 1, wherein the upward movement of the rubber plug is restricted. The locking means is composed of a fitting recess having a shape in which the inner surface side of the holding piece is recessed, and the rubber plug is fitted into the fitting recess so as to regulate the upward movement of the rubber plug. The terminal fitting according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the terminal fitting is made. 4. The terminal fitting according to claim 3, wherein the fitting recess has an arcuate surface shape having substantially the same curvature as the outer diameter of the rubber plug. The locking means is configured such that the rising end of the holding piece is bent inward, and the rubber plug is locked to the bent portion to restrict the upward movement of the rubber plug. The terminal fitting according to claim 1.

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