JP2014229420A - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to prevent a rubber ring from coming off when repeatedly engaging and disengaging while twisting diagonally. The present invention relates to a waterproof connector 10 having a fitting groove 80 into which a charging connector can be fitted, and a main body 30 and a rubber ring fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the main body 30. 70, a locking member 74 that protrudes rearward from the side edge 73 of the rubber ring 70 and can be inserted into the through hole 43 formed in the back wall of the fitting groove 80, and is inserted into the through hole 43 and It is characterized in that it has a configuration including a pressing portion 65 that holds the distal end portion of the locking member 74 protruding rearward from the wall in a bent state. [Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector.

  Conventionally, as a holding structure of a rubber ring attached to a waterproof connector, for example, a structure described in Patent Document 1 below is known. This has a main body portion in which a cavity for accommodating a terminal is formed, and a rubber ring fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion. A locking member is formed on the side edge of the rubber ring so as to protrude rearward, and a slightly larger head is formed at the tip of the locking member. On the other hand, a fitting groove that opens forward is formed on the outer periphery of the main body, and a through hole into which the head of the locking member is inserted is formed on the inner surface of the fitting groove. The head is inserted into the through hole while being crushed, and the head is caught in the through hole by elastically returning through the through hole. As a result, the rubber ring is prevented from coming off and is held on the outer peripheral surface of the main body.

JP-A-8-250196

  The fitting groove of the above-mentioned waterproof connector can be fitted with the hood part provided on the male connector. When it repeats, there is a problem that the load applied to the rubber ring is biased and the rubber ring is easily detached.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the rubber ring from coming off when it repeatedly engages and disengages while twisting diagonally.

  The present invention is a waterproof connector having a fitting groove in which a mating connector can be fitted, and includes a main body portion, a rubber ring fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion, and a side edge of the rubber ring. A locking member that protrudes rearward and can be inserted into a through-hole formed in the inner wall of the fitting groove, and a distal end portion of the locking member that is inserted into the through-hole and protrudes rearward from the inner wall are bent. It is characterized in that it has a configuration including a holding portion for holding the state.

  According to such a configuration, when the rubber ring is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion, the locking member is inserted into the through hole so as to protrude rearward from the back wall, and the protruding portion is retained by the holding portion. Hold in a bent state. Thereby, since the locking allowance with respect to the opening edge part of a through-hole becomes large, when fitting and detachment are repeated while twisting diagonally, it is possible to prevent the rubber ring from coming off.

The following configuration is preferable as an embodiment of the present invention.
The main body part has a cylindrical shape that penetrates the back wall of the fitting groove in the front-rear direction, the front part of the main body part is the front cylinder part from the back wall, and the rear part is the rear cylinder part, It is good also as a structure by which the retainer is fitted by the outer peripheral surface of the rear side cylinder part, and it protrudes ahead from this retainer and the holding part is provided.
According to such a structure, the front-end | tip part of a locking member can be bent with a holding | maintenance part by fitting a retainer to the outer peripheral surface of a rear side cylinder part.

The holding part may be configured to have an inclined surface that bends the locking member in the radial direction by pressing the front end of the locking member from the rear.
According to such a structure, the front-end | tip part of a latching member can be bent to radial direction by pressing the front-end | tip part of a latching member from back with the inclined surface of a holding | maintenance part.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the rubber ring from coming off when repeatedly engaging and disengaging while twisting diagonally.

The perspective view which looked at the waterproof connector in Embodiment 1 from diagonally back Front view of connector Connector side view Rear view of connector AA line sectional view in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state which the head of the locking member approached the through-hole Sectional drawing which shows the state which the head returned elastically past the through-hole Sectional drawing which showed the state in the middle of attaching a retainer to the back side cylinder part of a main-body part Sectional drawing which showed the state just before pushing in contact with the inclined surface of a locking member to a head Perspective view of rubber ring seen from diagonally behind Perspective view of retainer viewed from diagonally rear The perspective view which looked at the waterproof connector in Embodiment 2 from diagonally back Sectional drawing which showed the state which the latching member bent by the inclined surface of the latching member, and latched to the opening edge part of the through-hole 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. Sectional drawing which showed the state in the middle of attaching a retainer to the back side cylinder part of a main-body part Sectional drawing which showed the state just before pushing in contact with the inclined surface of a locking member to a head Perspective view of retainer viewed from diagonally rear

<Embodiment 1>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. The waterproof connector 10 in this embodiment is a vehicle-side connector connected to a battery of a vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle, and a charging connector (not shown) can be fitted therein. This waterproof connector 10 is fixed to the body of the vehicle, and is waterproof so that water does not enter the vehicle from outside the vehicle. In the following description, the front-rear direction is based on the fitting direction with the charging connector, and the fitting surface side is the front side (the front side in FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the waterproof connector 10 includes a housing 20 made of synthetic resin and terminals (not shown) accommodated in the housing 20. The housing 20 includes a plurality of cylindrical main body portions 30, a cylindrical hood portion 40 that covers these main body portions 30, a flange portion 50 that projects from the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 40, and the like. A fitting groove 80 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the plurality of main body portions 30 and the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 40, and the charging connector is fitted into the fitting groove 80. A plurality of mounting holes 51 are formed in the flange portion 50, and the waterproof connector 10 is fixed to the body by inserting bolts into the mounting holes 51 and fastening them to the vehicle body.

  A cavity 81 is formed in the main body 30. The cavity 81 is configured to penetrate in the front-rear direction, and a slot terminal (not shown) can be accommodated therein. The pair of main body portions 30 positioned at the top and bottom of the plurality of main body portions 30 are for accommodating signal terminals therein, and the pair of main body portions 30 positioned at the left and right are for accommodating power supply terminals therein. To do. On the other hand, the charging connector includes a plurality of round pin terminals. When the charging connector is fitted into the fitting groove 80 of the waterproof connector 10, the round pin terminal enters the cavity 81 from the front end opening of the main body 30. It is designed to be fitted and connected to the slot terminal. A rubber ring 70 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of each main body 30 so that each cavity 81 can be individually waterproofed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the inner wall of the fitting groove 80 is configured by a rear end wall 41 of the hood portion 40. That is, the hood portion 40 includes a circular rear end wall 41 connected to the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 30 and a cylindrical peripheral wall 44 that protrudes forward from the periphery of the rear end wall 41 in a cylindrical shape. . The main body portion 30 is arranged adjacent to the inner peripheral side of the fitting groove 80 and is provided in a form penetrating the rear end wall 41 of the hood portion 40 in the front-rear direction. A front portion of the main body portion 30 with respect to the rear end wall 41 is a front cylinder portion 31, and the rear portion is a rear cylinder portion 32. A retainer 60 is fitted to the rear cylinder portion 32. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the retainer 60 includes a cylindrical inner cylinder portion 61 and an outer cylinder portion 62 that is arranged on the outer periphery of the inner cylinder portion 61 and also has a cylindrical shape. A plurality of slits 63 are provided in the outer cylindrical portion 62, and lock pieces 64 that are elastically deformable and have a substantially portal shape and pressing portions 65 that are not elastically deformable are alternately formed by the slits 63. Among these, the front end portion 66 of the pressing portion 65 is provided with a flat pressing pin 67 protruding forward. An inclined surface 68 is formed at the front end of the pressing pin 67 so as to form a mortar shape and go radially inward as it goes forward.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a lock protrusion 33 that can be engaged with the lock piece 64 of the retainer 60 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylinder portion 32 of the main body portion 30. When the lock piece 64 is locked to the lock protrusion 33, the retainer 60 is locked in a state of being fitted to the rear cylinder portion 32. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer cylindrical portion 62 of the retainer 60 is disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylindrical portion 32, and the inner cylindrical portion 61 is disposed along the inner peripheral surface of the rear cylindrical portion 32. The The retainer 60 is a holding member that prevents a rubber plug and a slot terminal (not shown) mounted in the rear cylinder portion 32 from the rear from coming off.

  A rubber ring 70 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the front cylinder portion 31. As shown in FIG. 10, the rubber ring 70 includes a seal portion 72 in which an annular lip 71 is formed, and a locking member 74 that protrudes rearward from a side edge 73 of the seal portion 72. Yes. The locking member 74 is formed at a pedestal portion 75 rising in the radial direction from the side edge 73 of the seal portion 72, a shaft portion 76 rising rearward from the central portion of the pedestal portion 75, and a rear end portion of the shaft portion 76. And a head 77. The head portion 77 is formed slightly larger than the shaft portion 76 and has a conical shape.

  The maximum diameter of the head 77 is larger than the diameter of the through hole 43. Further, the head 77 can be inserted into the through-hole 43 in a press-fit state by being crushed by the inner peripheral wall of the through-hole 43.

  On the other hand, on the front surface of the rear end wall 41 of the hood portion 40, as shown in FIG. 6, a mounting portion 42 into which the pedestal portion 75 of the locking member 74 is fitted is recessed. A through hole 43 into which the shaft portion 76 of the locking member 74 is inserted is formed to penetrate in the front-rear direction. The length in the front-rear direction of the shaft portion 76 and the length in the front-rear direction of the through hole 43 are substantially the same. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, in a state where the rubber ring 70 is properly fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the front cylindrical portion 31, the pedestal portion 75 is fitted into the mounting portion 42, and the shaft portion 76 is inserted into the through hole 43. The head 77 is disposed at a position in contact with the rear end opening edge of the through hole 43 from the rear.

  Further, when the head 77 is inserted into the through hole 43, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the head 77 is crushed and reduced in diameter and elastically when the head 77 passes through the through hole 43. Return and expand diameter. Further, when the retainer 60 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylindrical portion 32, the pressing pin 67 of the pressing portion 65 presses the head 77 from the rear as shown in FIG. Will be bent radially outward. Thereby, the engaging margin of the head 77 is increased, and the holding force of the rubber ring 70 is significantly increased. Therefore, the rubber ring 70 can be inserted when the charging connector repeatedly engages and disengages while obliquely twisting the waterproof connector 10 while maintaining the insertion workability of inserting the head 77 into the through-hole 43 as in the conventional case. It can prevent detachment.

  The present embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described subsequently. First, the seal part 72 of the rubber ring 70 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the front cylinder part 31 of the main body part 30, and the rubber ring 70 is pushed backward. As shown in FIG. 6, when the head 77 reaches the front opening edge of the through hole 43 and continues to be pushed in, the head 77 passes through the through hole 43 with the head 77 being crushed. When the head 77 returns elastically past the through-hole 43, the maximum diameter of the head 77 becomes larger than the diameter of the through-hole 43 as shown in FIG. Even in this state, the rubber ring 70 does not normally fall off from the front side cylinder portion 31 of the main body 30, but when the fitting is repeatedly removed while the charging connector is obliquely twisted, the rubber ring 70 is pulled strongly and the main body 30. May come off. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the retainer 60 is fitted to the rear cylinder portion 32 of the main body portion 30, and the pressing pin 67 of the pressing portion 65 causes the head 77 to be attached. By pressing from behind, the inclined surface 68 bends the head 77 radially outward and holds it in this bent state.

  Specifically, the retainer 60 is fitted into the rear cylinder portion 32 of the main body portion 30 from the rear, and the lock piece 64 is engaged with the lock projection 33 so that the retainer 60 is in the proper mounting posture on the rear side. It is fixed to the cylinder part 32. If it does in this way, as shown in FIG. 5, the axial part 76 will be bent at right angle, and the engagement margin with respect to the rear-end opening edge part of the through-hole 43 of the head 77 will become large. Further, a right-angled bent portion of the shaft portion 76 is sandwiched between the inclined surface 68 and the opening edge portion of the through hole 43, and the head 77 is locked to the peripheral portion of the inclined surface 68 from the outside in the radial direction. Accordingly, even when the rubber ring 70 is strongly pulled forward by repeating the diagonal fitting and the diagonal detachment of the charging connector, there is no possibility that the head 77 slips through the through hole 43 and detaches forward. Can be firmly held in the front cylinder portion 31 of the main body portion 30.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the rubber ring 70 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the main body 30, the locking member 74 is inserted into the through-hole 43 and protruded rearward from the rear wall. The protruding portion is held in a bent state by the pressing portion 65. Thereby, since the locking allowance with respect to the opening edge part of the through-hole 43 becomes large, when the fitting / removing is repeated while twisting obliquely, the rubber ring 70 can be prevented from coming off.

  The main body 30 has a cylindrical shape that penetrates the back wall of the fitting groove 80 (the rear end wall 41 of the hood 40) in the front-rear direction, and the front portion of the main body 30 with respect to the back wall is the front cylindrical portion 31. The rear portion is the rear cylinder portion 32, the retainer 60 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylinder portion 32, and the pressing portion 65 is provided so as to protrude forward from the retainer 60. It is good. According to such a configuration, the distal end portion of the locking member 74 can be bent by the pressing portion 65 by fitting the retainer 60 to the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylinder portion 32.

  The pressing portion 65 may be configured to have an inclined surface 68 that bends the locking member 74 in the radial direction by pressing the distal end portion of the locking member 74 from the rear. According to such a structure, the front-end | tip part of the latching member 74 can be bent to radial direction by pressing the front-end | tip part of the latching member 74 from back by the inclined surface 68 of the press part 65. FIG.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. As shown in FIG. 12, the waterproof connector 11 in the present embodiment is obtained by partially changing the configuration of the retainer 60 of the first embodiment, and the configuration other than the retainer 60 is the same as that of the first embodiment. The same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are used for the same configurations as those in the first embodiment, and the configurations, operations, and effects that are the same as those in the first embodiment are omitted.

  As can be seen from a comparison between FIG. 12 and FIG. 17, the retainer 90 of this embodiment includes an inner cylinder portion 91, an outer cylinder portion 92, a slit 93, a lock piece 94, and the like as the retainer 60 of the embodiment. Yes. However, as shown in FIG. 13, a plate-like pressing piece 97 is formed on the front end portion 96 of the pressing portion 95 so as to protrude forward. An inclined surface 98 is formed on the distal end portion of the pressing piece 97 so as to be directed outward in the radial direction toward the front. The inclined surface 98 is tapered.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, when the retainer 90 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylinder portion 32, the pressing piece 97 of the pressing portion 95 presses the head 77 from the rear, and the inclined surface 98 The head 77 is bent radially inward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the engaging margin of the head 77 is increased, and the holding force of the rubber ring 70 is significantly increased. Further, in a state where the retainer 90 is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the rear cylinder portion 32, the head 77 is hidden from the outside by the pressing piece 97 as shown in FIG. There is no damage due to this, and naturally, an external force that causes the head 77 to disengage from the through-hole 43 does not act directly.

<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.
(1) In the above embodiment, the pressing portion 65 is pressed against the head 77 from behind to hold the distal end portion of the locking member 74 in a bent state. You may make it bend the front-end | tip part of the latching member 74 by pressing from a radial direction.

  (2) Although the pressing portions 65 and 95 are provided on the retainers 60 and 90 for preventing the rubber plugs from being removed in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, the pressing portion may be provided on a member different from the retainers 60 and 90. Good.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the retainer 60 includes the inner tube portion 61 and the outer tube portion 62. However, according to the present invention, the retainer may include only the outer tube portion.

  (4) Although the waterproof connector 10 in which the charging connector can be fitted is illustrated in the above embodiment, the present invention includes a case where the mating connector is not the charging connector.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 11 ... Waterproof connector 30 ... Main-body part 31 ... Front side cylinder part 32 ... Rear side cylinder part 41 ... Rear end wall (the back wall of a fitting groove)
60, 90 ... Retainer 65, 95 ... Pressing part (holding part)
68, 98 ... inclined surface 70 ... rubber ring 73 ... side edge 74 ... locking member 80 ... fitting groove

Claims (3)

A waterproof connector having a fitting groove in which the mating connector can be fitted,
A main body disposed adjacent to the fitting groove;
A rubber ring fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the main body,
A locking member that protrudes rearward from the side edge of the rubber ring and can be inserted into a through hole formed in the inner wall of the fitting groove,
A waterproof connector comprising: a holding portion that holds the distal end portion of the locking member that is inserted into the through hole and protrudes rearward from the back wall in a bent state.   The main body portion has a cylindrical shape penetrating the back wall of the fitting groove in the front-rear direction, and the front side portion of the main body portion with respect to the back wall is a front side cylinder portion, and the rear side portion is a rear side cylinder. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein a retainer is fitted on an outer peripheral surface of the rear cylinder portion, and the holding portion is provided to protrude forward from the retainer.   The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion has an inclined surface that bends the locking member in a radial direction by pressing a distal end portion of the locking member from behind.

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