This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-124123 filed on Jun. 26, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a connector including a housing which can hold one electric wire or a plurality of electric wires and a cover which is slid to be mounted in the housing and defines therein a space for guiding an electric wire extending from an end part of the housing in a predetermined direction.
In a related art, a connector is proposed which includes a housing which can hold an electric wire and a cover which protects the electric wire and regulates a routing direction of the electric wire. For example, one of connectors in the related art is configured such that the cover can slide and reciprocate between a standby position and an attachment position with respect to the housing, whereby the cover is smoothly assembled with the housing (for example, see the patent document 1: JP-A-2011-198516).
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2011-198516
[Patent Document 2] JP-A-2002-352897
According to a related art, a connector is also proposed which has a lock structure for locking the cover to the housing to prevent that the cover assembled with the housing is separated unintentionally from the housing (for example, see see the patent document 2: JP-A-2002-352897). However, in a case where the connector has such a lock structure, once the cover is assembled with the housing, the separation operation may be complicated when the cover is separated from the housing for maintenance. In other words, when the cover is firmly assembled with the housing, the cover may not be easily separated from the housing.
One or more embodiments provide a connector in which a cover can firmly assembled with a housing and the cover can be easily separated from the housing.
In an aspect (1), one or more embodiments provide a connector includes a housing which is capable of holding one or more electric wires and a cover which is attached to an end part of the housing while sliding in a sliding direction and guides the electric wire extending from the end part of the housing in a predetermined direction. The cover includes a pair of plate-shaped parts and a connection part connecting the pair of plate-shaped parts, an inlet part which is formed on circumferential edge portions of the pair of plate-shaped parts and introduces the electric wire to an space between the pair of plate-shaped parts, an outlet part which is formed on circumferential edge portions of the pair of plate-shaped parts and derives the electric wire outside therefrom so as to guide the electric wire in the predetermined direction, a first locking part which is engaged with the housing to regulate sliding of the cover in a direction opposite to the sliding direction, and a second locking part which is engaged with the housing to regulate widening of a distance between the pair of plate-shaped parts. The first locking part is positioned on an outside from an outer wall surface of the housing. The second locking part is positioned closer to the outlet part than the first locking part.
In an aspect (2), the cover includes an opening part extending from an edge of the plate-shaped part between the first locking part and the second locking part.
In an aspect (3), the first locking part is positioned adjacent to the opening part in the plate-shaped part.
In an aspect (4), the cover includes a projection part on an inner wall surface of the cover to reduce a gap between the cover and the outer wall surface of the housing, on an opposite side to the first locking part across the opening part.
In an aspect (5), the housing includes a projection part on the outer wall surface of the housing to reduce a gap between the cover and the outer wall surface of the housing, on a position corresponding to an opposite side to the first locking part across the opening part.
In an aspect (6), the opening part has a slit shape or an ellipse shape.
According to the aspect (1), the electric wire extends from the end part of the housing, and the cover slid and mounted (locked) in the end part is in a state where the first locking part regulates sliding in an opposite direction, and in a state where the second locking part regulates the widening of the distance between the pair of plate-shaped parts. Further, at the time of mounting, the first locking part is positioned on the outside from the outer wall surface of the housing. For this reason, for example, when the first locking part is operated to release the engagement between the first locking part and the housing (for example, a jig for releasing the engagement abuts on the first locking part), the operation is easily performed compared to a case where the first locking part is positioned on the inside from the outer wall surface of the housing. In addition, for example, in a case where the first locking part moves with respect to the housing at the time of locking and releasing, the movement is hardly obstructed by the housing. Additionally, the second locking part is provided in a position close to the outlet part from the first locking part. For this reason, although the cover receives the external force applied in a direction in which the outlet part is widened by the electric wire passing through the outlet part (that is, the distance between the pair of plate-shaped parts is widened) when the electric wire is routed, the second locking part regulates the widening, so as to prevent that the engagement between the first locking part and the housing is unintentionally released (which results in sliding in an opposite direction to mounting).
Therefore, in the connector having this configuration, the cover can be firmly assembled with the housing, and the cover can be easily separated from the housing.
According to the aspect (2), the first locking part and the second locking part are arranged to interpose the opening part. For this reason, for example, although the cover receives the external force applied in the direction in which the outlet part is widened by the electric wire passing through the outlet part (that is, the distance between the pair of plate-shaped parts is widened) so that the distance between the pair of plate-shaped parts is changed in the vicinity of the second locking part, the change can be absorbed by the opening part, and thus the change hardly influences the first locking part. Therefore, in the connector having this configuration, it can be further reliably prevented that the engagement between the first locking part and the housing is released unintentionally.
According to the aspect (3), for example, in a case where the jig for releasing is inserted into the opening part of the cover to release the engagement between the first locking part and the housing, the jig easily reaches the first locking part. Therefore, in the connector having this configuration, the operation that separates the cover from the housing is easily performed compared to a case where the opening part and the first locking part are separated.
According to the aspect (4), for example, in a case where the jig for releasing is inserted into the opening part of the cover to release the engagement between the first locking part and the housing (for example, see
According to one or more embodiments, the connector can be provided in which the cover can be firmly assembled with the housing, and the cover can be easily separated from the housing.
Hereinbefore, the invention has been described simply. Further, by reading through the following described modes to carry out the invention (hereinafter, referred to as “embodiment”) with reference to the accompanying drawings, details of the invention will be further clarified.
Hereinafter, a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As illustrated in
The cover 20 is a member which covers and protects a wire bundle W which extends from the end part (specifically, a rear end surface) of the housing 10 to the rear side, and bends the wire bundle W to the discharging side to guide the wire bundle in a discharging direction. The end part of the housing 10 is an outer circumferential portion of the housing 10 which is adjacent to the side surface (rear end surface) of the housing 10 in which the wire bundle W is drawn. The cover 20 is mounted in the rear end part of the housing 10 by sliding (moving in parallel) on the rear end part of the housing 10 from the closing side to the discharging side. Hereinafter, the housing 10 and the cover 20 will be described in order with reference to
As illustrated in
In the rear end parts of the upper and lower surfaces of the main circumferential wall part 11, the surface directed to the upper side and the surface directed to the lower side (14) which extend in the width direction function as a pair of first guide surfaces 14 for guiding the cover 20 at the time of attaching the cover 20. Further, a pair of surfaces (15), which are formed by portions protruding from positions close to the rear end sides of the upper and lower surfaces of the main circumferential wall part 11 to the vertical outer sides, extend in the width direction and are directed to the rear side. The pair of surfaces function as a pair of second guide surfaces 15 for guiding the cover 20 at the time of attaching the cover 20.
In the first guide surfaces 14 extending in the width direction, first projections 16 projecting to the vertical outer sides are formed in positions close to the closing side, and second projections 17 projecting to the vertical outer sides are formed in positions close to the discharging side. That is, the first projection 16 and the second projection 17 are formed in parallel with a gap in a width direction. As illustrated below, the first projection 16 and the second projection 17 function to prevent that the cover 20 is deviated to the rear side after attachment. Further, the first projection 16 also functions to prevent that the cover 20 escapes to the closing side after attachment.
A rib 18 which projects to the rear side and extends in the width direction is formed in the discharging-side end part of the second guide surface 15 extending in the width direction. Further, a third projection 19 projecting to the closing side is formed in the rear end part of the side surface of the closing side of the main circumferential wall part 11. As illustrated below, a pair of ribs 18 function to prevent that the cover 20 is opened to the vertical outer sides after attachment, and the third projection 19 functions to prevent that the cover 20 is deviated to the rear side after attachment.
As illustrated in
The opening between a pair of front end surfaces 25 which extend in the width direction of the pair of plate-shaped parts 21 functions as an inlet part 26 which introduces the wire bundle W to the space 24. The opening between a pair of discharging-side end surfaces 27 which extend in the front and rear direction of the pair of plate-shaped parts 21 functions as an outlet part 28 which guides and discharges the wire bundle W introduced from the inlet part 26 in the discharging direction.
In the front end parts of the pair of plate-shaped parts 21, a pair of inner wall surfaces 29 and the pair of front end surfaces 25 which extend in the width direction are guided by the pair of first guide surfaces 14 and the pair of second guide surfaces 15 of the housing 10 at the time of attaching the cover 20, respectively.
In the plate-shaped part 21, a slit 31 (through hole) which extends by a predetermined length from the front end surface 25 toward the rear side is formed near the center in the width direction. In the inner wall surface 29 which extends in the width direction of the plate-shaped part 21, ridges 32 which extend by a predetermined length in the width direction are respectively formed in a first position near the slit 31 on the closing side from the slit 31, a second position slightly separate from the slit 31 on the discharging side from the slit 31, and a third position slightly separate on the discharging side from the second position, so as to be in parallel with a gap in the width direction. Incidentally, the slit 31 is provided in a place between a fourth projection 33 and a protrusion part 35 (to be illustrated below).
In the inner wall surface 29 of the plate-shaped part 21, the fourth projection 33 projecting inward in the vertical direction is formed in a position close to the slit 31 on the closing side from the slit 31, and a position close to the ridge 32 on the rear side from the ridge 32 of the first position (particularly, see
The protrusion parts 35 which project to the vertical outer sides and extend in the width direction are formed in the discharging-side end part of the outer wall surface which extends in the width direction in the front end part of the plate-shaped part 21. A groove 36 which is opened to the front side and the discharging side and extends in the width direction is formed inside the protrusion part 35. A window 37 (penetration hole) is formed in the closing plate part 23. As illustrated below, the pair of grooves 36 function to prevent that the cover 20 is opened in the vertical outer sides after attachment, and the window 37 functions to prevent that the cover 20 is deviated to the rear side after attachment. The protrusion part 35 is provided in a position close to the outlet part 28 from the fourth projection 33.
In the outer wall surface extending in the width direction in the front end part of the plate-shaped part 21, an inclined surface 38 which is inclined such that the surface is positioned close to the vertical outer side while moving from the slit 31 to the discharging side is formed in a portion close to the slit 31 on the discharging side from the slit 31, so as to extend by a length shorter than the length of the slit 31 from the front end surface 25 toward the rear side. As a result, an end surface 39 directed to the front side is formed in the rear end position of the inclined surface 38. As illustrated below, the inclined surface 38 and the end surface 39 function to facilitate the operation when the cover 20 is detached by using the jig 50. The inclined surface 38 is positioned on the back side of the fifth projection 34 with respect to the plate-shaped part 21 (see
In the outer wall surface of the plate-shaped part 21, the ribs 41 which project to the vertical outer side and extend in the front and rear direction are formed in a plural places (in this example, five places) different in the width direction, respectively. One (hereinafter, particularly referred to as “a rib 41a”) of the plurality of ribs 41 extends in the front and rear direction in a portion close to the inclined surface 38 on the discharging side from the inclined surface 38 in the width direction. The rib 41 functions to improve the rigidity of the plate-shaped part 21. Further, as illustrated below, the rib 41a also functions to facilitate the operation when the cover 20 is detached by using the jig 50.
Next, the operation that attaches the cover 20 in the housing 10 will be described with reference to
First, as illustrated in
When the cover 20 is slid to reach the vicinity of an attachment completing position, the fourth projection 33 of the cover 20 abuts on the first projection 16 of the housing 10. In that state, when the cover 20 is slid further, the pair of plate-shaped parts 21 of the cover 20 are elastically deformed to the vertical outer sides, and the fourth projection 33 is ridden on the first projection 16. Thereafter, the pair of plate-shaped parts 21 is elastically recovered, and the fourth projection 33 is ridden over the first projection 16 (the fourth projection 33 is engaged with the first projection 16 on the discharging side of the first projection 16). As illustrated in
When the fourth projection 33 is ridden over the first projection 16, the pair of grooves 36 of the cover 20 are fitted in the pair of ribs 18 of the housing 10 (see
As a result, in the attachment completing state of the cover 20, the fourth projection 33 of the cover 20 and the first projection 16 of the housing 10 are engaged to prevent that the cover 20 escapes to the closing side. The pair of grooves 36 of the cover 20 are fitted in the pair of ribs 18 of the housing 10, so as to prevent that of the pair of plate-shaped parts 21 of the cover 20 are opened to the vertical outer sides. The ridge 32 of the first position of the cover 20 and the ridge 32 of the third position are engaged with the first projection 16 and the second projection 17 of the housing 10, respectively, so as to prevent that the cover 20 is deviated to the rear side. The window 37 of the cover 20 is engaged with the third projection 19 of the housing 10, so as to prevent that the cover 20 is deviated to the rear side.
Hereinbefore, in the connector 1 according to the embodiment of the invention, the fourth projection 33 of the cover 20 and the first projection 16 of the housing 10 are engaged in a position on the closing side from a portion where the opening of the discharging-side portion of the pair of plate-shaped parts 21 which are easily opened to the vertical outer sides is prevented by fitting the pair of grooves 36 of the cover 20 in the pair of ribs 18 of the housing 10. As a result, the portions where the fourth projections 33 of the pair of plate-shaped parts 21 are positioned are hardly opened to the vertical outer sides, and thus the cover 20 hardly escapes to the closing side.
The positions where the pair of grooves 36 of the cover 20 are fitted in the pair of ribs 18 of the housing 10 are separated in the width direction from the positions where the fourth projections 33 of the cover 20 are engaged in the first projections 16 of the housing 10, and thus it is possible to reduce a pressing force, which is required to ride the fourth projection 33 over the first projection 16 in a state where the pair of grooves 36 are fitted in the pair of ribs 18, of the cover 20 to the discharging side.
The slits 31 are formed in the pair of plate-shaped parts 21 of the cover 20, and the fourth projection 33 is positioned on the closing side of the slit 31, and the groove 36 is positioned on the discharging side of the slit 31. Thus, when the fourth projection 33 is ridden over the first projection 16, the portion where the groove 36 of the pair of plate-shaped parts 21 is positioned is hardly opened to the vertical outer side. For this reason, the pair of grooves 36 are easily fitted in the pair of ribs 18.
In each of the pair of plate-shaped parts 21 of the cover 20, the fourth projection 33 is formed in a position on the closing side from the slit 31. Thus, even if the external force unintentionally acts to the vertical outer sides on the portions on the discharging side from the slits 31 of the pair of plate-shaped parts 21, the fourth projections 33 are hardly opened to the vertical outer sides. For this reason, the cover 20 hardly escapes to the closing side.
In the plate-shaped part 21 of the cover 20, the fourth projection 33 is formed in a position close to the slit 31. Thus, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As indicated by an arrow in
Herein, in the plate-shaped part 21 of the cover 20, the fifth projection 34 is formed on the back side of the inclined surface 38 (see
Incidentally, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications may be adopted within a range of the invention. For example, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and a modification, a variation or the like is allowed. In addition, material, shape, size, number, location or the like of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can attain the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the cover 20 is mounted with respect to the housing 10 by sliding (moving in parallel) the cover 20 on the housing 10 to the discharging side. However, the cover 20 may be configured to be mounted in the housing 10 by sliding (moving in parallel) the cover 20 on the housing 10 toward the front side.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the fifth projection 34 (projection part) is configured as a place (thick place) in which the thickness of the plate-shaped part 21 is large compared to the place different from the place provided with the fifth projection 34. However, the fifth projection 34 (projection part) is not necessarily such a thick place. For example, the fifth projection 34 (projection part) may be configured to be a place (embossing place) in which part of the plate-shaped part 21 is curved and projects toward the housing 10 while the thickness of the plate-shaped part 21 is constant. In addition, the fifth projection 34 (projection part) may be configured to be a place in which a member different from the plate-shaped part 21 is stuck to the inner wall surface of the cover 20.
Herein, the features of the embodiments of the connector according to the invention will be simply summarized as the following [1] to [4].
(1) A connector (1) comprising:
a housing (10) which is capable of holding one or more electric wires; and
a cover (20) which is attached to an end part of the housing while sliding in a sliding direction and guides the electric wire extending from the end part of the housing in a predetermined direction,
wherein the cover (20) includes:
a pair of plate-shaped parts (21) and a connection part (22) connecting the pair of plate-shaped parts;
an inlet part (26) which is formed on circumferential edge portions of the pair of plate-shaped parts and introduces the electric wire to an space between the pair of plate-shaped parts, and an outlet part (28) which is formed on circumferential edge portions of the pair of plate-shaped parts and derives the electric wire outside therefrom so as to guide the electric wire in the predetermined direction;
a first locking part (33) which is engaged with the housing to regulate sliding of the cover in a direction opposite to the sliding direction; and
a second locking part (35) which is engaged with the housing to regulate widening of a distance between the pair of plate-shaped parts,
wherein the first locking part (33) is positioned on an outside from an outer wall surface of the housing, and
wherein the second locking part (35) is positioned closer to the outlet part than the first locking part.
(2) The connector according to (1),
wherein the cover (20) includes an opening part (31) extending from an edge of the plate-shaped part between the first locking part (33) and the second locking part (35).
(3) The connector according to (2),
wherein the first locking part (33) is positioned adjacent to the opening part (31) in the plate-shaped part.
(4) The connector according to (3),
wherein the cover (20) includes a projection part (34) on an inner wall surface of the cover to reduce a gap between the cover and the outer wall surface of the housing, on an opposite side to the first locking part (33) across the opening part (31).
(5) The connector according to according to (3),
wherein the housing (10) includes a projection part (34) on the outer wall surface of the housing to reduce a gap between the cover and the outer wall surface of the housing, on a position corresponding to an opposite side to the first locking part (33) across the opening part (31).
(6) The connector according to according to (2),
wherein the opening part has a slit shape or an ellipse shape.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2017-124123 | Jun 2017 | JP | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5876227 | Kashiyama | Mar 1999 | A |
6155884 | Sugiyama | Dec 2000 | A |
8057245 | Sakamaki | Nov 2011 | B2 |
9774127 | Yamaki | Sep 2017 | B2 |
20060281350 | Yamamoto | Dec 2006 | A1 |
20110070763 | Kobayashi | Mar 2011 | A1 |
20110230106 | Shamoto | Sep 2011 | A1 |
20120208383 | Kobayashi | Aug 2012 | A1 |
20130102168 | Kobayashi | Apr 2013 | A1 |
20140134862 | Itou | May 2014 | A1 |
20140273566 | Allgood | Sep 2014 | A1 |
20160204538 | Matsuura | Jul 2016 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
H07-298450 | Nov 1995 | JP |
H11-250973 | Sep 1999 | JP |
2002-352897 | Dec 2002 | JP |
2011-198516 | Oct 2011 | JP |
WO 2013115414 | Aug 2013 | JP |
Entry |
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Apr. 16, 2019—(JP) Notification of Reasons for Refusal—App 2017-124123. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20180375247 A1 | Dec 2018 | US |