Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Mechanical shaping or molding to form or reform shaped article – To produce composite – plural part or multilayered article
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-29
2001-10-30
Ortiz, Angela (Department: 1732)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Mechanical shaping or molding to form or reform shaped article
To produce composite, plural part or multilayered article
C264S267000, C264S275000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309578
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof connector housing and a method of manufacturing the same, and also to a mold used in manufacturing the same.
2. Related Art
FIG. 4A
is a sectional view of a connector housing a of the prior art. In
FIG. 4A
, reference numeral a
1
indicates a connector housing main body, and a hood portion a
3
, required for engaging a mating housing (not shown), expands from the connector housing main body via stair portions a
2
. Inside the hood portion a
3
, an elastic seal ring a
4
is provided for maintaining water-tightness between the hood portion a
3
and the mating housing.
FIG. 4A
is a sectional view of a connector housing a of the prior art. In
FIG. 4A
, reference numeral a
1
indicates a connector housing main body, and a hood portion a
3
, required for engaging a mating housing (not shown), expands from the connector housing main body via stair portions a
2
. Inside the hood portion a
3
, an elastic seal ring a
4
is provided for maintaining water-tightness between the hood portion a
3
and the mating housing. This elastic seal ring a
4
is provided with slip-off preventing pieces a
5
which engage with slip-off preventing holes a
6
so as to prevent the elastic seal ring a
4
from slipping off at the time of insertion or pulling-out of the mating housing. A terminal receiving chamber a
7
for receiving terminals is provided inside the housing main body a
1
, and terminal stopping pieces
8
for stopping terminals are provided inside the terminal receiving chamber a
7
. A terminal receiving chamber a
7
for receiving terminals is provided inside the housing main body a
1
, and terminal stopping pieces
8
for stopping terminals are provided inside the terminal receiving chamber a
7
.
The above waterproof connector housing a is manufactured as follows. As shown in
FIG. 4B
, an intermediate product integrally consisting of the housing main body a
1
and the hood portion a
3
molded by injection molding is set beforehand in a cavity formed by an upper mold b
1
and a lower mold b
2
. An elastic material or its raw material (hereinafter referred to as “elastic raw material”) is introduced into elastic seal ring cavity portions b
4
from elastic material introducing portions b
3
provided on the lower mold b
2
through the slip-off prevention piece holes a
6
of the hood portion a
3
. After that, the elastic seal ring a
4
is formed by curing and/or reaction, and the mold is then opened to take out the obtained waterproof connector.
This waterproof connector is less likely to lose the elastic seal ring, and exhibits an excellent water proofing ability. However, there is a problem that less freedom is allowed in design when providing a locking mechanism for locking a mating connector to the hood portion or forming irregularities for preventing wrong connections. If the engaging area between the slip-off prevention pieces a
5
and the prevention piece holes a
6
is increased to improve reliability in preventing slip-off of the elastic seal ring, the hood portion of the corresponding portion has to be thickened accordingly, resulting in increases in size and weight of the hood portion. This is very disadvantageous in such a field as car manufacturing in which many wires need to be arranged in a small space.
Another disadvantageous point of the conventional waterproof connector in car manufacturing is that since a runner inside the mold has to detour around the hood portion a
3
in
FIG. 4B
, which is the thickest part in the connector housing, so as to be connected to the two elastic material introducing portions b
4
, the path for the elastic raw material becomes long, and it is troublesome and time-consuming to take out the material cured and reacted inside the runner. In such case, the raw material is often wasted. If the two elastic material introducing portions b
4
are merged into one, a short shot is caused, reducing yield as well as reliability in waterproofing.
The above disadvantages in manufacturing cannot be avoided even if a housing c shown in
FIG. 4C
is employed. In this housing c, a hood portion c
3
is formed as an expansion from a housing main body c
1
via stair portions c
2
. The housing c is the same as the housing a in that an elastic seal ring c
4
is provided inside the hood portion c
3
, but slip-off prevention pieces c
5
of the elastic seal ring c
4
are engaged with slip-off prevention piece holes c
6
formed at the stair portions c
2
.
When molding the elastic seal ring c
4
in such case, the runner of the mold detours around the housing main body, which is thinner than the hood portion. Thus, the disadvantages in manufacturing can be eliminated to some extent. However, the stair portions c
2
still need to be larger than the slip-off prevention piece holes c
6
. Because of this, it is difficult to shorten the outer diameter of the hood portion c
3
, and there is a limit to the design of the hood portion c
3
. Furthermore, various irregularities often need to be formed on the side surfaces of the housing main body. In such case, it is difficult to secure the elastic material introducing portions, and there is a limit to the design of the housing main body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof connector housing. With this waterproof connector housing, it is easy to mold an elastic seal ring and reduce the amount of wasted raw material. Also, the hood portion can take various forms and be made smaller.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a waterproof connector housing which comprises a housing main body, a hood portion expanding from the housing main body for engaging with the mating housing via a stair portion, an elastic seal ring for maintaining water-tightness with the mating housing inside the hood portion, and a holding portion for the elastic seal ring which communicates with the terminal insertion surface of the housing main body.
The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing the above waterproof connector housing. This method comprises the steps of setting the housing main body provided with a hood portion formed beforehand to a mold for molding an elastic seal ring, and forming the elastic seal ring by introducing a fluid elastic material or its raw material through a holding portion linking hole which links the terminal insertion surface of the housing main body to an elastic seal ring cavity.
The present invention further provides a waterproof connector housing mold used in manufacturing the waterproof connector housing. This waterproof connector housing comprises a holding portion linking hole for linking the terminal insertion surface of the housing main body to an elastic seal ring cavity, and an elastic material introducing portion for receiving the housing main body provided with a hood portion formed beforehand and for introducing an elastic material or its raw material. The elastic material introducing portion is in contact with the holding portion linking hole.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4724113 (1988-02-01), Lee
patent: 5336101 (1994-08-01), Kasugai et al.
patent: 5861120 (1999-01-01), Yagi et al.
Maeda Akira
Suzuki Toshifumi
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Ortiz Angela
Yazaki -Corporation
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