The present disclosure relates to a connector.
A connector described in Patent Literature 1 includes a housing having a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers (hereinafter, referred to as cavities), a seal member having a plurality of seal holes, and a rear holder attached to the housing. The seal member is held between the rear holder and the housing. The housing accommodates a plurality of terminal fittings. The terminal fittings are inserted into the cavities from the rear holder side through the seal holes. Electric wires connected to the terminal fittings are liquid-tightly inserted into the seal holes of the seal member.
The seal member includes a main body portion and a plurality of following portions protruding forward from the main body portion. Each of the seal holes penetrates from the main body portion to each of the following portions. The main body portion has a tapered guide surface at the rear portion of the inner periphery of each of the seal holes. Each of the following portions is elastically deformable in a space formed between the housing and the seal member (in an accommodating recess that is open in the rear surface of the housing).
When the electric wire swings behind the rear holder, the following portion is elastically displaced in accordance with the swing of the electric wire. As a result, a state in which the electric wire is in close contact with inner surface of the seal hole of the following portion is maintained. Patent Literatures 2 and 3 each also disclose a connector including a rubber plug corresponding to a seal member. However, the connectors described in Patent Literatures 2 and 3 do not have a structure corresponding to the following portions.
In assembling of a terminal fitting, there is a case where a large frictional resistance occurs between the terminal fitting and an upper portion of an inner surface of a seal hole in an upper stage, and an electric wire is inserted into the seal hole in the upper stage in a state where a following portion in the upper stage is deformed. Specifically, as illustrated in
Thus, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector capable of preventing damage to a seal member while improving sealing property.
A connector according to the present disclosure includes: a housing having a plurality of cavities; a seal member having a plurality of seal holes; a rear holder that is locked to the housing and holds the seal member between the housing and the rear holder; and a terminal fitting that is inserted into a cavity of the plurality of cavities through a seal hole of the plurality of seal holes. The seal member includes a main body portion disposed on a side of the rear holder, and a plurality of protrusions protruding forward from the main body portion. Each of the plurality of seal holes has a shape penetrating in a front-rear direction from the main body portion to each of the plurality of protrusions, and an electric wire connected to the terminal fitting is inserted into the seal hole. A space that allows displacement of each of the plurality of protrusions is provided between the housing and the seal member. The housing is provided with a restriction portion disposed between the plurality of protrusions with a gap interposed therebetween.
According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a connector capable of preventing damage to a seal member while improving sealing property.
First, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be listed and described.
A connector according to the present disclosure includes:
(1) a housing having a plurality of cavities; a seal member having a plurality of seal holes; a rear holder that is locked to the housing and holds the seal member between the housing and the rear holder; and a terminal fitting that is inserted into a cavity of the plurality of cavities through a seal hole of the plurality of seal holes. The seal member includes a main body portion disposed on a side of the rear holder, and a plurality of protrusions protruding forward from the main body portion. Each of the plurality of seal holes has a shape penetrating in a front-rear direction from the main body portion to each of the plurality of protrusions, and an electric wire connected to the terminal fitting is inserted into the seal hole. A space that allows displacement of each of the plurality of protrusions is provided between the housing and the seal member. The housing is provided with a restriction portion that is disposed between the plurality of protrusions with a gap interposed therebetween.
According to this configuration, since the restriction portion is disposed between the plurality of protrusions, a distal end of the restriction portion can be brought into contact with a front surface of the main body portion even if the seal member is elastically deformed. When the distal end of the restriction portion is brought into contact with the front surface of the main body portion, the main body portion can be prevented from being curved and deformed forward. Therefore, adjacent protrusions can be prevented from being elastically deformed so as to open forward (see
The protrusions are allowed to be displaced in the space between the housing and the seal member. Further, a gap is provided between the protrusions and the restriction portion, so that the protrusions are not in contact with the restriction portion. With this configuration, the protrusions can be displaced by following in accordance with swing of the electric wire. Thus, a state where the electric wire is in close contact with the inner surface of the seal hole can be maintained.
(2) The restriction portion, disposed between the plurality of protrusions, preferably has a gap from the front surface of the main body portion when the seal member is in a natural state. According to this configuration, when the seal member is in the natural state, since the restriction portion is not in contact with the front surface of the main body portion, the seal member is not pushed by the restriction portion and elastically deformed. Thus, the original sealing property of the seal member can be maintained.
(3) The plurality of protrusions may be arranged side by side in a width direction and in a height direction, and the restriction portion may be a plate piece that enters between the protrusions adjacent in the height direction and extends in the width direction so as to face the plurality of protrusions arranged in the width direction. According to the above configuration, as compared with a case where the restriction portion is divided in the width direction to be provided, a structure of the restriction portion can be made simpler, and strength of the restriction portion can be secured easily.
Specific examples of the connector of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.
As illustrated in
<Housing 10>
The housing 10 is made of a synthetic resin and has a flat shape in the width direction as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The rear end of each partition wall 19 is disposed to be recessed forward from the rear end of the outer wall 17 of the housing 10. As illustrated in
The housing 10 has a restriction portion 22 protruding backward from the division wall 18. The restriction portion 22 is a plate piece elongated in the width direction and is provided continuously over the entire width of the division wall 18. In short, the restriction portion 22 has a shape crossing the space 21 of the housing 10 over the entire width. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
<Seal Member 40>
The seal member 40 is made of a rubber and has, at the rear portion, a main body portion 41 elongated in the width direction corresponding to the housing 10. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The peripheral portion 48 has a pair of through holes 51 penetrating in the front-rear direction at both ends in the width direction. The through hole 51 has a circular cross-sectional shape, specifically, a circular cross-sectional shape elongated in the vertical direction.
As illustrated in
<Rear Holder 60>
The rear holder 60 is made of a synthetic resin and has a shape elongated in the width direction corresponding to the housing 10 and the seal member 40, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
<Terminal Fitting 80>
The terminal fitting 80 is formed by bending a conductive metal plate. As illustrated in
The terminal body 81 is locked to the lance 12 in the cavity 11. The tab portion 82 is inserted into a box portion of a mating terminal fitting (not illustrated). When the tab portion 82 comes into contact with a contact portion in the box portion, the terminal fitting 80 is electrically connected to the mating terminal fitting.
<Entire Structure of Connector>
In assembling, as illustrated in
In a state where the seal member 40 is assembled to the housing 10, as illustrated in
A front surface of each protrusion 42 faces a space 21 formed between the housing 10 and the rear holder 60 and is not in contact with each partition wall 19 of the housing 10, or the like. The side surface of each protrusion 42 faces the lateral slit 45, the peripheral groove 49, the vertical slit 44, and the gap formed between the protrusion 42 and the restriction portion 22, and is not in contact with the peripheral portion 48 and the restriction portion 22. Thus, each protrusion 42 is disposed in a state where elastic displacement is allowed in the space 21.
The terminal fitting 80 is inserted into the cavity 11 of the housing 10 from the rear side. The tab portion 82 of the terminal fitting 80 passes through the insertion hole 61 and the seal hole 43 in this order, enters the cavity 11, and is disposed so as to protrude from the cavity 11 to the front side of the housing 10. The terminal body 81 of the terminal fitting 80 is inserted into the cavity 11. The terminal body 81 is locked to the lance 12 and is retained in the cavity 11. In a state where the terminal body 81 is retained in the cavity 11, the electric wire 30 connected to the terminal fitting 80 is drawn backward from the rear holder 60. In a state where the connector is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 91 of the frame 90, the tab portion 82 is disposed so as to protrude into the accommodating chamber 91. The tab portion 82 is connected to a mating terminal fitting (not illustrated) in the accommodating chamber 91.
After the terminal fitting 80 is assembled, when the electric wire 30 swings in a direction intersecting with the front-rear direction (drawing direction) behind the rear holder 60, the vibration force is transmitted to the seal member 40. In a case of the present embodiment, the protrusion 42 can be elastically displaced in accordance with the swing of the electric wire 30 with a connecting portion with the main body portion 41 serving as a fulcrum. As described above, since the protrusion 42 follows the swing of the electric wire 30, an opening is prevented from occurring between the protrusion 42 and the electric wire 30 in the seal hole 43. Thus, the state where the electric wire 30 is in close contact with the inner surface of the seal hole 43 of the protrusion 42 can be maintained.
By the way, for example, when the tab portion 82 of the terminal fitting 80 passes through the seal hole 43 of the protrusion 42 in the upper stage, a distal end of the tab portion 82 slides on an upper portion of the guiding surface 47 of the seal hole 43, so that a force that causes the protrusion 42 to be inclined upward may be applied to the protrusion 42 in the upper stage. If the protrusion 42 in the upper stage is deformed so as to be inclined upward by receiving the force, there is a concern that the central portion in the vertical direction of the main body portion 41 is curved so as to protrude forward, and the protrusion 42 in the lower stage is also deformed so as to be inclined downward together with elastic deformation (curved deformation) of the main body portion 41 (see
In a case of the present embodiment, however, when the main body portion 41 is going to be curved forward, the central portion in the vertical direction of the main body portion 41 comes into contact with the distal end (the straight portion 23) of the restriction portion 22, so that elastic deformation of the main body portion 41 toward the front side can be prevented. As a result, the protrusion 42 in the lower stage is prevented from being deformed downward, and the protrusion 42 in the upper stage is also prevented from being deformed upward.
As a result of the restriction portion 22 preventing elastic deformation of the main body portion 41, even when the electric wire 30 has been inserted into the protrusion 42 in the upper stage, a state where the protrusions 42 in the upper and lower stages protrude straight backward from the main body portion 41 can be maintained. Thus, thereafter, when the tab portion 82 of the terminal fitting 80 passes through the seal hole 43 of the protrusion 42 in the lower stage, the tab portion 82 does not strongly interfere with the inner surface of the seal hole 43. Thus, the seal member 40 can be prevented from being damaged due to interference with the tab portion 82.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the restriction portion 22 enters the lateral slit 45 formed between the protrusions 42, and the distal end of the restriction portion 22 is brought into contact with the front surface of the main body portion 41, so that the main body portion 41 can be prevented from being curved and deformed forward. Thus, a state where the protrusions 42 protrude along the front-rear direction can be maintained, and consequently, a state where the electric wire 30 is properly inserted into the seal hole 43 of the protrusion 42 can be realized.
In addition, each protrusion 42 is allowed to be elastically displaced in the space 21 provided between the housing 10 and the seal member 40. Further, a gap is provided between the protrusion 42 and the restriction portion 22, so that the protrusion 42 is not in contact with the restriction portion 22. With this configuration, each protrusion 42 can be elastically displaced by following in accordance with swing of the electric wire 30. Thus, a state where the electric wire 30 is properly inserted into the seal hole 43 of the protrusion 42 can be more reliably realized.
When the seal member 40 is in a natural state (a state where the seal member 40 is not elastically deformed), the restriction portion 22 that has entered the lateral slit 45 has a gap from the front surface of the main body portion 41. Thus, since the seal member 40 in the natural state is not pushed by the restriction portion 22 and elastically deformed, the original sealing property of the seal member 40 can be maintained.
The restriction portion 22 is configured as a plate piece that enters the lateral slit 45 formed between the protrusions 42 adjacent in the height direction and extends in the width direction so as to face the protrusions 42 arranged in the width direction. Thus, as compared with a case where the restriction portion 22 is divided into a plurality of portions in the width direction to be provided, a structure of the restriction portion 22 can be made simpler, and strength of the restriction portion 22 can be secured easily.
It should be considered that the embodiment disclosed herein is an example in all respects and is not restrictive.
In the above embodiment, the restriction portion has a shape along the width direction so as to enter between the protrusions adjacent in the height direction. However, as another embodiment, the restriction portion may have a shape along the height direction so as to enter between the protrusions adjacent in the width direction.
In the above embodiment, the restriction portion is a plate piece. However, as another embodiment, the restriction portion is not particularly limited as long as the restriction portion has a shape capable of preventing elastic deformation of the main body portion toward the front side. For example, the restriction portion may have a shape such as a cylinder, a prism, a triangle in cross section, or a cross shape in cross section.
In the above embodiment, the restriction portion has such a shape that crosses the space of the housing over the entire width so as to face all of the protrusions arranged in the width direction. However, as another embodiment, the restriction portion may be divided into a plurality of portions in the width direction. In this case, the restriction portions may be provided so as to individually face the respective protrusions arranged in the width direction or may be provided to face a plurality of sets of the protrusions arranged in the width direction. Further, the restriction portions may be provided at positions shifted from the respective protrusions arranged in the width direction.
In the above embodiment, the terminal fitting is a male terminal fitting in which the tab portion protrudes forward. However, as another embodiment, the terminal fitting may be a female terminal fitting which includes a box portion having a contact portion provided therein.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2019-208833 | Nov 2019 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2020/040551 | 10/29/2020 | WO |