JP4730360B2 - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof connector suitable for use in, for example, an electric system of an automobile.

  In general, a waterproof connector used in an electric system of an automobile is an assembly type in which an inner housing and an outer housing are separate parts, and this waterproof connector is a male connector that can be fitted to each other as shown in FIG. 100 and a female connector 101.

  The male connector 100 includes an oval cylindrical outer housing 103 made of an insulating resin material. The outer housing 103 includes a mating connector fitting portion 103A and a hollow portion 104 connected to the mating connector fitting portion 103A. In addition, an inner housing 105 and a metal shell 112 attached to the outer periphery of the inner housing 105 are inserted into the hollow portion 104. The inner housing 105 is formed with a terminal accommodating chamber 106, and the terminal accommodating chamber 106 accommodates a male connection terminal 109 which is a terminal connected to the insulating core wire 108 of the shield wire 107. In this case, by inserting the male retainer 110 from the mating connector fitting portion 103A to the front side of the terminal accommodating chamber 106, the lance 111 is pushed down to fix the male connection terminal 109.

  The shield wire 107 is inserted through the waterproof seal member 114, and the waterproof seal member 114 seals the space between the hollow portion 104 and the shield wire 107 in a watertight state.

  The female connector 101 is configured in substantially the same manner as the male connector 100, and an oval cylindrical outer housing 203 made of an insulating resin material is connected to the mating connector fitting portion 203A and the mating connector fitting portion 203A. A hollow portion 204 is provided, and an inner housing 205 and a metal shell 214 attached to the outer periphery of the inner housing 205 are inserted into the hollow portion 204, and the terminal housing chamber 206 of the inner housing 205 is inserted into the hollow portion 204. Accommodates a female connection terminal 209 which is a terminal connected to the insulated core wire 208 of the shield wire 207. In this case, by inserting the female retainer 210 from the mating connector fitting portion 203A to the front side of the terminal accommodating chamber 206, the lance 211 is pushed down to fix the female connection terminal 209.

  Further, a seal member 212 is mounted on the outer wall surface of the inner housing 205 of the female connector 101, the shield wire 207 is inserted through the waterproof seal member 213, and the waterproof seal member 213 is a hollow portion. The space between 204 and the shield wire 207 is sealed in a watertight state.

When the male connector 100 and the female connector 101 thus configured are coupled, the male connection terminal 109 is inserted into the female connection terminal 209, and the inner housing 105 of the male connector 100 and the female connector are connected. 101 is in contact with the inner housing 205 at the front end surfaces. At the same time, the outer housing 103 of the male connector 100 is inserted into the mating connector fitting portion 203 </ b> A of the female connector 101. At this time, the seal member 212 is positioned between the inner wall surface of the outer housing 103 of the male connector 100 and the outer wall surface of the inner housing 205 of the female connector 101 to be waterproof (see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-138798

  However, since the conventional waterproof connector described above is large, downsizing is desired. When such a waterproof connector is reduced in size, the mating connector fitting portion 103A of the male connector 100 becomes small, and the male retainer 110 is inserted into the front side of the terminal accommodating chamber 106 from the mating connector fitting portion 103A. The operability is deteriorated, and a jig or the like is required for the insertion operation of the male retainer 110. Similarly, in the female connector 101, the mating connector fitting portion 203A becomes small, and the mating connector fitting portion 203A is separated from the mating connector fitting portion 203A. There has been a problem that the operability of inserting the female retainer 210 into the front side of the terminal accommodating chamber 212 is deteriorated, and a jig or the like is required for the inserting operation of the female retainer 210.

  Further, in order to improve the operability of the male retainer 110 and the female retainer 210 during downsizing, the male retainer 110 is extended to the mating connector fitting portion 103A, and the female retainer 210 is fitted with the mating connector. Even if the male side connector 101 and the female side connector 102 are opposed to each other with the male side connection terminal 109 facing the female side connection terminal 209 even if the male side connector 101 and the female side connector 102 are opposed to each other. Since the female retainer 210 and the female retainer 210 are in a positional relationship facing each other, they cannot be extended.

  Further, since the sealing member 212 is positioned between the inner wall surface of the outer housing 103 of the male connector 100 and the outer wall surface of the inner housing 205 of the female connector 101, the sealing member 212 is waterproofed. There was a problem that the waterproof connector was enlarged.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a male retainer and a female retainer without using a jig or the like for the insertion operation of the male retainer and the female retainer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a waterproof connector in which the side retainer can be inserted, the insertion operability is improved, and the size can be reduced.

  The waterproof connector according to the present invention for achieving the above object has one mating connector fitting portion, and a male retainer is inserted into the one mating connector fitting portion. There is a male connector that presses the male lance to fix the male connection terminal to the male connector housing, and the other mating connector fitting part, and a female retainer is inserted into the other mating connector fitting part The waterproof connector includes a female connector that presses the female lance with the female retainer and fixes the female connection terminal to the female connector housing. The male connector and the female connector are When the side connection terminal is opposed to the female side connection terminal, the male side lance and the female side lance are spaced apart from each other in the direction perpendicular to the connector insertion / removal direction and the female side Lance is male The male retainer and the female retainer are disposed opposite to each other in the orthogonal direction, and the male retainer extends into the mating connector fitting portion. The female retainer extends into the other mating connector fitting portion.

  With this configuration, the male retainer is extended to, for example, an opening of one mating connector fitting portion of the male connector, and the female retainer is extended to, for example, the opening of the other mating connector fitting portion of the female connector. Even if extended, the male retainer does not interfere with the female retainer. For this reason, the male retainer can be extended to one of the mating connector fitting portions of the male connector, for example, an opening. In addition, the female retainer can be extended to, for example, the opening of the other mating connector fitting portion of the female connector. For this reason, the male retainer and female retainer can be inserted without using a jig or the like to insert the male retainer and female retainer. The size of the waterproof connector can be reduced.

  Further, the waterproof connector according to the present invention is the above-described waterproof connector according to the present invention, wherein the male connector housing is provided with a seal fitting insertion portion into which the female connector housing constituting the outer wall of the female connector is inserted. A seal member is inserted into the seal insertion portion, the closed cross section of the seal member is made equal to the closed cross section of the female connector housing, and the end surface of the female connector housing is pressed against the end surface of the female side connector housing. Features.

  With this configuration, the thickness of the seal member does not affect the size of the waterproof connector, and can contribute to the miniaturization of the waterproof connector.

  Further, the waterproof connector according to the present invention is the above-described waterproof connector according to the present invention, wherein a seal insertion groove is formed on an end surface portion of the seal fitting insertion portion, and when the seal member is pressed, a part of the seal member is sealed. It is made to insert in.

  With this configuration, when the seal member is pressed, a part of the seal member is inserted into the seal insertion groove, so that the waterproof strength can be improved.

  Further, the waterproof connector according to the present invention is the waterproof connector according to the present invention described above, wherein the male connector housing is provided with the male cable insertion portion and the male back cover mounted on the back side of the male cable insertion portion. The female connector housing is provided with a female cable insertion portion and a female back cover mounting portion located on the back side of the female cable insertion portion, and the male cable insertion portion has a male connection terminal. Insert the male cable seal member holding the cable connected to the male back cover, attach the male back cover to the male back cover mounting part, and press the male cable seal member with this male back cover. Then, the male cable sealing member is deformed to press the male cable sealing member against the male cable insertion portion, and the female cable insertion portion is connected to the female connection terminal. Insert the female cable seal member holding the connected cable, attach the female back cover to the female back cover mounting part, and press the female cable seal member with this female back cover. The female cable sealing member is deformed to press the female cable sealing member against the female cable insertion portion.

  With this configuration, the male cable sealing member is pressed against the male cable insertion portion by pressing the male cable sealing member with the male back cover and deforming the male cable sealing member. The female cable sealing member can be deformed by pressing the female cable sealing member with the female back cover and deforming the female cable sealing member. The waterproofing power on the cable side can be improved by pressing against the insertion part.

  According to the waterproof connector of the present invention, the male retainer is extended to, for example, the opening of one of the mating connector fitting portions of the male connector, and the female retainer is extended to the other mating connector fitting portion of the female connector. For example, even if the male retainer does not interfere with the female retainer even if it is extended to the opening, the male retainer is connected to the mating connector fitting portion of one of the male connectors. The female retainer can be extended to, for example, the opening of the other mating connector fitting portion of the female connector. For this reason, the male retainer and female retainer can be inserted without using a jig or the like to insert the male retainer and female retainer. The size of the waterproof connector can be reduced.

  Moreover, according to the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention, the thickness of a sealing member does not affect the magnitude | size of a waterproof connector, but can contribute to size reduction of a waterproof connector.

  Moreover, according to the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention, when a sealing member is pressed, since a part of sealing member is inserted in a seal insertion groove part, waterproofing power can be improved.

  Further, according to the waterproof connector of the present invention, the male cable sealing member is pressed by the male back cover, and the male cable sealing member is deformed in the radial direction so that the male cable sealing member is deformed. Can be pressed against the male cable insertion part to improve the waterproofing strength of the cable side, and the female cable sealing member is pressed by the female back cover to deform the female cable sealing member in the radial direction. By doing so, the waterproof member on the cable side can be improved by pressing the female-side cable sealing member against the female-side cable insertion portion.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a waterproof connector according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a cross-section of the waterproof connector according to the present invention immediately before the male connector and the female connector are coupled, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the coupled state of the male connector and the female connector. FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of the male connector viewed from the back side. In FIG. 1, the connector insertion / extraction direction is indicated by a symbol a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the waterproof connector includes a male connector A and a female connector B. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 10, the male connector A has a cylindrical male connector housing 2 made of an insulating resin material. The male connector housing 2 has a closed end 3 on the back surface. There is a mating connector fitting portion 4 that is one mating connector fitting portion (see FIG. 8).

  Then, the closed end portion 3 side of the mating connector fitting portion 4 is an annular seal fitting insertion portion 5, and an annular seal insertion groove portion 6 is formed on the end surface portion 5a of the seal fitting insertion portion 5. is there. Further, the male connector housing 2 is formed with a locking hole 5b which is opened at the upper portion in FIG. 8 so as to open to the seal fitting portion 5, and as shown in FIG. The chamber forming portion 10 is provided with a locking recess 5 c that opens to the seal fitting insertion portion 5.

  Further, the male connector housing 2 is formed with a lock insertion portion 7 positioned on the upper side in FIG. 9, and the lock insertion portion 7 is provided with a lock engaging hole 8. A male cable insertion portion 9 is provided at the closed end 3 of the male connector housing 2.

  The closed end portion 3 of the male connector housing 2 is provided with a terminal accommodating chamber forming portion 10 so as to protrude into the mating connector fitting portion 4, and this terminal accommodating chamber forming portion 10 is shown in FIG. Thus, a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 11 are provided in a direction (vertical direction in FIG. 10) orthogonal to the connector insertion / extraction direction A, and the upper surface side of these terminal accommodating chambers 11 is open. And the back side of these terminal accommodating chambers 11 leads to the male cable insertion portion 9.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a terminal insertion hole 12 leading to the terminal accommodating chamber 11 is provided in the distal end surface portion 10a of the terminal accommodating chamber forming portion 10, and as shown in FIG. 10, a protrusion insertion groove portion 13 is formed along the connector insertion / removal direction (A) so as to be positioned outside the terminal accommodating chamber 11 on both ends.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the closed end portion 3 of the male connector housing 2 has the same number of male lances 14 as the terminal accommodating chamber 11 protruding in a cantilever manner. The male lance 14 is located on the open surface of the terminal accommodating chamber 11. In addition, a retainer fitting wall portion 15 projects from the closed end portion 3 so as to cover the male lance 14, and the male fitting lance 14 is provided between the retainer fitting wall portion 15 and the terminal accommodating chamber forming portion 10. A side retainer fitting portion 16 is formed. The retainer fitting wall portion 15 is formed with a locking notch portion 17 a and a locking hole portion 17.

  A male back cover mounting portion 18 is provided on the outer surface of the closed end 3 of the male connector housing 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the male back cover mounting portion 18 includes an annular protrusion 19 projecting from the outer surface of the closed end portion 3 so as to surround the male cable insertion portion 9, and a closed portion of the male connector housing 2. Engaging recesses 20 formed on both side surfaces of the end portion 3 are provided, and the annular protrusions 19 are provided with engaging protrusions 21 on the upper and lower sides in FIG. Is provided with an engaging protrusion 22.

  A male retainer 23 is shown in FIGS. The male retainer 23 is configured by forming a lance pressing portion 25 at the tip of the lever portion 24. The lance pressing portion 25 is formed with an abutting portion 27A formed of a step portion on the back surface portion 26a of the plate-like insertion portion 26, and a front side of the abutting portion 27A is used as a pressing portion 27B, and a plurality of the back surface portion 26a The partition wall portion 28 is provided, and the presser portion 27B is partitioned into a plurality of portions. A guide projection 29A protrudes from the bottom of both side walls 25a and 25b located on both sides of the lance pressing portion 25, and a locking projection 29B at the center of the surface portion of the lance pressing portion 25. Is protruding.

  The seal member 30 is shown in FIGS. The seal member 30 has an annular member main body 30A, and a plurality of lip portions 31 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the member main body 30A. In FIG. 17, a locking projection 32 is projected, and a locking projection 33 is projected in the center of the lower portion of the inner periphery of the seal member 30 in FIG. The closed cross section of the seal member 30 is the same as the closed cross section of the portion 60A on the mating connector fitting portion 62 side of the female connector housing 60, which will be described later, constituting the outer wall of the female connector B.

  19 and 20 show the male cable sealing member 36. The male cable sealing member 36 has a member main body 36A having the same shape as the cross-sectional shape of the male cable insertion portion 9, and a plurality of lip portions 37 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the member main body 36A. In addition, locking projections 37a and 37b project from the upper and lower centers of the outer peripheral portion of the member main body 36A in FIG. A plurality of cable insertion holes 38 are formed in the surface portion of the member main body 36A.

  FIG. 3 shows the male back cover 40. The male back cover 40 is mounted on the male back cover mounting portion 18 of the male connector housing 2, and the male back cover 40 has the same shape as the male back cover mounting portion 18. The member main body 40A is provided, and a locking notch 41 is formed at the upper and lower center of the outer peripheral surface of the member main body 40A in FIG. Further, in FIG. 3 on the outer peripheral surface of the member main body 40A, a locking piece portion 42 projects from the center of the left and right side portions, and a locking hole portion 43 is provided in these locking piece portions 42. A plurality of male cable insertion holes 44 are formed in the surface portion of the member main body 40A.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the male connection terminal 45 includes a crimping portion 46, a fitting portion 47, and a male contact 48.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a seal member 30 is inserted into the seal fitting insertion portion 5 of the male connector housing 2. In this case, the locking protrusion 32 of the seal member 30 is locked in the locking hole 5b of the male connector housing 2, and the locking protrusion 33 is locked in the locking recess 5c. The end surface portion 30 a of the seal member 30 is in contact with the end surface portion 5 a of the seal fitting insertion portion 5.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the shield wire 50 that is a cable is inserted into the male cable insertion hole 44 of the male back cover 40, and further inserted into the cable insertion hole 38 of the male cable sealing member 36. Later, it is crimped to the crimping portion 46 of the male connection terminal 45.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 1, after the male connection terminal 45 is inserted into the male cable insertion portion 9, the fitting portion 47 is fitted and accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 11. In this case, the male contact 48 penetrates the terminal insertion hole 12 and enters the mating connector fitting portion 4. Then, the male cable sealing member 36 is fitted into the male cable insertion portion 9.

  In FIG. 3, the male back cover 40 is fitted into the annular protrusion 19 of the male back cover mounting portion 18 of the male connector housing 2, and the locking notch 41 of the male back cover 40 is fitted. The locking projection 21 is locked, the locking piece 42 is inserted into the locking recess 20, and the locking projection 22 is detachably engaged with the locking hole 43 of the locking piece 42. By stopping, the male back cover 40 is mounted on the male back cover mounting portion 18, and the male side cover 40 is pressed against the male cable seal member 36. The seal member 36 for male cable is deformed and pressed against the peripheral surface of the male cable insertion portion 9 to seal the shield wire 50 and the male cable insertion portion 9.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the male retainer 23 is inserted into the male retainer fitting portion 15 of the male connector housing 2. In this case, the pair of guide projections 29A of the male retainer 23 is slidable to the front side (left end side in FIG. 10) of the pair of projection insertion groove portions 13 provided in the terminal accommodating chamber forming portion 10 shown in FIG. The engaging projection 29B of the lance pressing portion 25 is inserted into the locking notch 17a of the retainer fitting wall 15 so as to be engaged. In this state, the lance pressing portion 25 does not press the plurality of male lances 14, and the end portion of the lever portion 24 protrudes outside the mating connector fitting portion 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 11, 21, and 22, in the state described above, the male retainer 23 is in a preset state, and the male retainer 23 does not set (adhere) the male connection terminal 45. When the male connection terminal 45 is set (fixed) with the male retainer 23, the male retainer 23 is pushed by operating the lever portion 24 of the male retainer 23. The engaging protrusion 29B is moved from the locking notch 17a of the retainer fitting wall 15 to the inner surface side of the retainer fitting wall 15 to move the engaging protrusion 29B to the retainer fitting wall 15. , The male lance 14 is pressed by the pressing portion 27B of the lance pressing portion 25, and the abutting portion 27A is abutted against the end portion of the male lance 14. The male side lance 14 is pressed by the holding part 27B, and the fitting part 47 of the male side connection terminal 45 is pressed by these male side lances 14 to set (fix) the male side connection terminal 45.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 23 to 28, the female connector B has a cylindrical female connector housing 60 made of an insulating resin material. The female connector housing 60 has a closed end on the back side. It is the part 61, The inside is made into the other party connector fitting part 62 which is the other party connector fitting part.

  The female connector housing 60 is provided with a cantilever-like lock portion 63 positioned on the upper side in FIG. 26, and the lock portion 63 is provided with an engaging protrusion 63a. A female cable insertion part 64 is provided at the closed end 61 of the female connector housing 60.

  The closed end portion 61 of the female connector housing 60 is provided with a terminal accommodating chamber forming portion 65 and a female retainer fitting portion 68. The terminal accommodating chamber forming portion 65 has a connector insertion / extraction as shown in FIG. A plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 66 are provided in a direction orthogonal to the direction (a vertical direction in FIG. 28), and these terminal accommodating chambers 66 are open on the lower surface side in FIG. These terminal accommodating chambers 66 communicate with the female cable insertion portion 64. As shown in FIG. 26, a terminal insertion hole 67 that communicates with the terminal accommodating chamber 66 is provided at the distal end surface portion of the terminal accommodating chamber forming portion 65.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, a pair of rail portions 69 are formed on the bottom surface of the female retainer fitting portion 68 in parallel with the connector insertion / removal direction A, and these rail portions 69 are terminals. The storage chamber 66 extends downward in FIG. The rail portion 69 is provided with a retainer stopper portion 70A. Further, on the bottom surface of the female retainer fitting portion 68, a guide groove portion 71 is formed in the connector insertion / removal direction a so as to be located outward of the rail portion 68. As shown in FIG. A retainer stopper portion 70 </ b> B projects from the groove portion 71.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 26, the same number of female lances 72 as the terminal accommodating chambers 66 project from the closed end portion 61 of the female connector housing 60 so as to be cantilevered. 72 is located below the open surface of the terminal accommodating chamber 66.

  A female back cover mounting portion 73 is provided on the back side of the closed end portion 61 of the female connector housing 60. As shown in FIG. 25, the female back cover mounting portion 73 has an annular protrusion 19A formed on the outer surface of the closed end portion 61 so as to surround the male cable insertion portion 64, and this annular protrusion In FIG. 25, engagement protrusions 21A are provided on the upper and lower parts of FIG. 25, and engagement protrusions 22A are provided on the left and right parts of FIG.

  A female retainer 74 is shown in FIGS. The female retainer 74 includes a plate-like retainer main body 74A, and a plurality of lance pressing portions 75 are formed at the tip of the retainer main body 74A. As shown in FIG. 32, these lance pressing portions 75 are formed with a stepped portion 76 at the front portion of the surface portion 74a of the retainer main body 74A, and the front side of the stepped portion 76 is used as a pressing portion 78, and the surface portion 74a. In this configuration, a plurality of partition wall portions 79 are provided, and the presser portion 78 is partitioned into a plurality of portions.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 33, a pair of rail guide groove portions 80 are formed in parallel with the partition wall portion 79 on the back surface portion 74b of the retainer main body 74A. An abutting portion 81 is provided. Further, guide protrusions 81A are provided on the front side of the back surface 74b of the retainer main body 74A so as to be positioned on both sides thereof.

  Further, the female connection terminal 82 shown in FIG. 1 has a crimping portion 83, a fitting portion 84, and a female contact 85. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the female back cover 40 </ b> B attached to the female back cover attaching portion 73 has the same configuration as the female back cover 40 attached to the male back cover attaching portion 18. The same reference numerals are given and the description is omitted. Further, the female cable sealing member 36B has the same configuration as the male cable sealing member 36, and therefore, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the shield wire 90, which is a cable, is inserted into the female cable insertion hole 44 of the female back cover 40B, and further inserted into the cable insertion hole 38 of the female cable sealing member 36B. Later, it is crimped and connected to the crimping portion 83 of the female connection terminal 82.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 1, after the female connection terminal 82 is inserted into the female cable insertion portion 64, the fitting portion 84 is fitted and accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 66. Then, the female cable sealing member 36 </ b> B is fitted into the cable insertion portion 64.

  Then, the female back cover 40B is fitted into the annular protrusion 19A of the female back cover mounting portion 73, and the locking protrusion 21A is locked to the locking notch 41 of the female back cover 40B. The locking projection 22A is detachably locked in the locking hole 43 of the stopper piece 42, so that the female back cover 40B is mounted on the female back cover mounting portion 73, and this female back cover 40B. Is pressed against the female cable sealing member 36B, the female cable sealing member 36B is deformed, and the female cable sealing member 36B is pressed against the peripheral surface of the female cable insertion portion 64 to thereby connect the shield wire 90 and the female cable. The side cable insertion part 64 is sealed.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 34, the female retainer 74 is inserted into the female retainer fitting portion 68 of the female connector housing 60. In this case, the rail portion 69 of the female retainer fitting portion 68 is slidably inserted into the pair of rail guide groove portions 80 of the female retainer 74, and the contact portion 81 on the female retainer 74 side is inserted into the retainer stopper portion. 70A (specified in FIGS. 26, 27, and 28), and the guide projection 81A on the female retainer 74 side is connected to the retainer stopper portion 70B (specified in FIGS. 26 and 27) on the guide groove 71 side. Abut. In this case, the pressing portion 78 of the lance pressing portion 75 of the female retainer 74 does not press the female lance 72.

  In the above-described state, the female retainer 74 is in a preset state, and the female retainer 74 does not set (fix) the female connection terminal 82. When the female side connection terminal 82 is set (fixed) with the female side retainer 74, the female side retainer 74 is pushed in to hold the lance pressing portion 75 of the female side retainer 74 as shown in FIG. The female lances 72 are pressed by 78 and the fitting portions 84 of the female connection terminals 82 are pressed against these female lances 72 to set (fix) the female connection terminals 82.

  Next, the arrangement relationship between the male contact terminal 45, the male lance 14 and the male retainer 23 in the male connector A and the female contact terminal 82, the female lance 72 and the female retainer 74 in the female connector B is as follows. explain.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the male connector A and the female connector B are opposed to each other with the male connection terminal 45 facing the female connection terminal 82, the female connection terminal 82 is The male lance 14 and the female lance 72 are opposite to each other in the reverse direction with respect to the male connection terminal 45, and are spaced apart from each other in a direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) perpendicular to the connector insertion / removal direction A. At the same time, the female lance 72 is reverse to the male lance 14, and the male retainer 23 and the female retainer 74 are disposed apart from each other in the direction orthogonal to the connector insertion / removal direction a. The female retainer 74 is in the reverse direction inverted with respect to the male retainer 23.

  Therefore, the male retainer 23 is extended to the opening of the mating connector fitting portion 4 of the male connector A, and the female retainer 74 is extended to the opening of the mating connector fitting portion 62 of the female connector B. However, the male retainer 23 does not interfere with the female retainer 74. For this reason, the male retainer 23 can be extended to the opening of the mating connector fitting portion 4, and the female retainer 72 can be extended. It can be extended to the opening of the mating connector fitting portion 62.

  Next, insertion / extraction of the male connector A and the female connector B will be described. The portion 60A on the female connector housing 60 side is fitted to the mating connector fitting portion 4 of the male connector A, and the male contact 48 of the male connection terminal 45 is replaced with the female contact 85 of the female connection terminal 82. Insert them into contact with each other. At the same time, the lock part 63 of the female connector B is inserted into the lock insertion part 7 of the male connector A, and the engagement protrusion 63a is detachably engaged with the lock locking hole 8, so that the female connector B is engaged with the male connector B. Connect to side connector A.

  In this case, the part 60A of the female connector housing 60 is inserted into the seal fitting portion 5, the end surface of the part 60A is pressed against the end surface of the seal member 30, and the deformation of the seal member 30 causes the female side connector housing 60 and Watertightness between the female connector housing 2 is maintained. On the other hand, when the seal member 30 is pressed, a part of the seal member 30 is inserted into the seal insertion groove 6 and contributes to the improvement of the waterproof power.

  Further, when the coupling between the male connector A and the female connector B is released, the lock 63 is pressed, the engaging protrusion 63a is removed from the lock engagement hole 8, and the female connector B is pulled out. Done.

  According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the male retainer 23 is extended to, for example, the opening of the mating connector fitting portion 4, and the female retainer 74 is extended to, for example, the opening of the mating connector fitting portion 62. Even if extended, the male retainer 23 does not interfere with the female retainer 74, and the male retainer 23 can be extended to, for example, the opening of the mating connector fitting portion 4 of the male connector A. At the same time, since the female retainer 74 can be extended to, for example, the opening of the mating connector fitting portion 62 of the female connector B, a jig or the like is used for inserting the male retainer 23 and the female retainer 74. The male retainer 23 and the female retainer 74 can be inserted without being used, the insertion operability is improved, and the mating connector fitting portions 4, 62 can be miniaturized. Miniaturization is possible.

  Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the male connector housing 2 is inserted into the annular connector portion 60A on the mating connector fitting portion 62 side of the female connector housing 60 that constitutes the outer wall of the female connector B. A seal fitting insertion portion 5 is provided, and a seal member 30 is fitted into the seal fitting insertion portion 5 so that the closed cross section of the seal member 30 is equal to the closed cross section of the portion 60A, and the end face of the female connector housing 60 is sealed. By pressing the end face of the member 30, the thickness of the seal member 30 does not affect the size of the waterproof connector, and can contribute to downsizing of the waterproof connector.

  In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the annular seal insertion groove 6 is formed in the end surface portion 5 a of the seal fitting insertion portion 5, and when the seal member 30 is pressed, part of the seal member 30 is sealed. When the seal member 30 is pressed, a part of the seal member 30 is inserted into the seal insertion groove 6 when the seal member 30 is pressed, so that the waterproof strength can be improved.

  Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the male cable sealing member 36 is pressed by the male back cover 40 to deform the male cable sealing member 36, so that the male cable sealing member is deformed. 36 can be pressed against the male cable insertion portion 9 to improve the waterproof strength on the cable side, and the female cable sealing member 36B is pressed by the female back cover 40B, and the female cable sealing member 36B is pressed. By deforming, the female-side cable seal member 36B can be pressed against the female-side cable insertion portion 64 to improve the waterproof strength on the cable side.

  According to the waterproof connector according to the present invention, the insertion operability of the male retainer and the female retainer is improved, the mating connector fitting portion can be miniaturized, and the waterproof connector can be miniaturized. For example, it is useful for a waterproof connector suitable for use in an electric system of an automobile.

It is explanatory drawing showing the state just before the coupling | bonding of the male connector and female connector in the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention with the cross section. It is explanatory drawing which represented the coupling state of the same male side connector and a female side connector in the cross section. FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the male connector viewed from the back side. It is a top view of a male side connector. It is a side view of the same male connector. It is a front view of the same male connector. It is a rear view of the same male side connector. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the BB line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the CC line of FIG. It is a top view of a male side retainer. It is a front view of the same male side retainer. It is a side view of the same male side retainer. It is a reverse view of the same male side retainer. It is sectional drawing which follows the DD line | wire of FIG. It is a top view of a sealing member. It is a front view of the seal member. It is sectional drawing which follows the EE line | wire of FIG. It is a front view of the sealing member for male cables (seal member for female cables). It is a top view of the sealing member for male cables (seal member for female cables). It is explanatory drawing of the preset state of a male side connection terminal. It is explanatory drawing of the set state of a male side connection terminal. It is a side view of a female connector. It is a front view of the female connector. It is a rear view of the female connector. It is sectional drawing which follows the FF line | wire of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the GG line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the HH line of FIG. It is a front view of a female side retainer. It is a side view of the female side retainer. It is sectional drawing which follows the II line | wire of FIG. It is a top view of the female side retainer. It is a reverse view of the female side retainer. It is explanatory drawing of the preset state of a female side connection terminal. It is explanatory drawing which represented the state just before the coupling | bonding of the male connector and female connector in the conventional connector with the cross section.

Explanation of symbols

A Connector insertion / extraction direction A Male connector B Female connector 2 Male connector housing 3 Closed end 4 Mating connector fitting (one mating connector fitting)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Seal insertion part 5a End surface part 6 Seal insertion groove part 9 Male side cable insertion part 10 Terminal accommodating chamber formation part 11 Terminal accommodating chamber 13 Projection insertion groove part 14 Male side lance 15 Retainer fitting wall part 16 Male side retainer fitting part 17a Locking notch 17 Locking hole 18 Male back cover mounting part 19 Annular protrusion 20 Engaging recess 21 Engaging protrusion 22 Engaging protrusion 23 Male retainer 24 Lever part 25 Lance pressing part 26 Insertion part 27A Impact Joint portion 27B Presser portion 28 Partition wall portion 29A Guide projection portion 29B Locking projection portion 30 Seal member 32 Locking projection portion 33 Locking projection portion 36 Male side cable seal member 36B Female side cable seal member 40 Male side back cover 40B Female-side back cover 45 Male-side connection terminal 46 Crimping part 47 Fitting part 48 Male-side contactor 60 Female-side connector housing 61 closed end 62 mating connector fitting portion (the other of the mating connector fitting portion)
63 Locking portion 64 Female cable insertion portion 65 Terminal accommodating chamber forming portion 66 Terminal accommodating chamber 68 Female retainer fitting portion 69 Rail portion 70A Retainer stopper portion 71 Guide groove portion 70B Retainer stopper portion 72 Female side lance 73 Female side Back cover mounting portion 74 Female side retainer 75 Lance pressing portion 78 Holding portion 79 Partition wall portion 80 Rail guide groove portion 81 Abutting portion 81A Guide projection portion 82 Female side connection terminal 83 Crimping portion 84 Fitting portion 85 Female side contactor

Claims (4)

It has one mating connector fitting portion, and a male retainer is inserted into this one mating connector fitting portion, and the male lance is pressed by the male retainer to connect the male connection terminal to the male connector housing. A male connector that is fixed to the other connector fitting portion, and a female retainer is inserted into the other mating connector fitting portion, and the female lance is pressed by the female retainer to A waterproof connector having a female connector for fixing the side connection terminal to the female connector housing,
When the male connector and the female connector are opposed to each other with the male connection terminal facing the female connection terminal, the male lance and the female lance are connected to each other. The female lances are disposed opposite to each other in a direction perpendicular to the insertion / extraction direction, and the female lances are reversed with respect to the male lances. The male retainer is disposed so as to be spaced apart, the male retainer extends into the one mating connector fitting portion, and the female retainer extends into the other mating connector fitting portion. Waterproof connector.   The male connector housing is provided with a seal fitting insertion portion into which the female connector housing constituting the outer wall of the female connector is inserted, and a sealing member is fitted into the seal fitting insertion portion. 2. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the end face of the seal member is pressed by the end face of the female connector housing in the same manner as the closed cross section of the female connector housing.   The seal insertion groove part is formed in the end surface part of the seal fitting insertion part, and a part of the seal member is inserted into the seal insertion groove part when the seal member is pressed. Waterproof connector. The male connector housing is provided with a male cable insertion portion and a male back cover mounting portion located on the back side of the male cable insertion portion, and the female cable housing is provided with a female cable insertion portion. A female back cover mounting portion is provided on the back side of the female cable insertion portion, and a male cable sealing member holding a cable connected to the male connection terminal is inserted into the male cable insertion portion. At the same time, a male back cover is attached to the male back cover mounting portion, the male cable sealing member is pressed by the male back cover, the male cable sealing member is deformed, and A female side cable holding a cable connected to the female side connection terminal on the female side cable insertion part by pressing a male cable sealing member against the male side cable insertion part. A female-side back cover is inserted into the female-side back cover mounting portion, and the female-side cable seal member is pressed by the female-side back cover. The waterproof connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a member is deformed to press the female cable sealing member against the female cable insertion portion.

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