Connector

Details Connector Connector

2002-05-20

2004-08-10

Zarroli, Michael C. (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

With or having flexible guard or support for cable or conductor

C439S248000, C439S456000, C439S596000, C174S093000, C385S072000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06773296

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a connector having an electric wire cover.
2. Description of Related Art
In the case that a sufficient wiring-arrangement space cannot be secured in the vicinity of an inverter apparatus provided in an engine room of an electric car, wiring arrangement is troublesome. When a connector of a motor circuit, which is extended from a motor for driving wheels, is connected to the inverter apparatus, a wiring arrangement should be performed by bending an electric wire, which is led out from the connector, almost 90 degrees so that the wire extends along an external surface of the inverter apparatus.
However, the wire used in the motor circuit is large in a total diameter of an electric conductor and an insulating coating, and has high flexural rigidity and high restoring force when bend-deformed, as compared with a wire used in a signal circuit. Thus, the conventional wire has problems in that it is difficult to bend the wire in such a way as to have a predetermined curvature, and that the bent condition of the wire cannot be maintained for a long time simply by bending the wire by hands.
There have been techniques disclosed in JP-A-5-69868U as means for bending a wire led out from the rear surface of a connector housing in a transverse direction. That is, the rear surface of a connector housing is covered with a wire cover having a nearly U-shaped section. In the wire cover, pluralities of wires are accommodated in such a way as to extend in a transversal direction. Further, the wires are led out in a transversal direction from an opening provided in a side surface of the wire cover.
However, this wire cover is for wires each having relatively low flexural rigidity. That is, in the wire cover, each of the wires is not guided but bent with a suitable curvature. Thus, inevitably, there is slight variation in the direction, in which the wire is led out from the wire cover, among the wires. Incidentally, in the case that the wire has low flexural rigidity and that the direction, in which the wire is led out from the wire cover, can easily be corrected, the wiring arrangement of the wire along a predetermined path can be achieved. In contrast, in the case of a thick wire to be used in a motor circuit of an electric car, it is difficult to correct the direction, in which the wire is led out from the wire cover. Therefore, it is difficult to perform the wiring arrangement along a predetermined path.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is created in view of the aforementioned circumstances. Accordingly, an object of the invention is to enable an electric wire to be held in a bent condition even in the case that the wire generates a large restoring force when bend-deformed.
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a connector comprising: a housing, from the rear surface of which a wire is led out; and a wire holder to which the wire led out from the rear surface of the housing is fitted thereby to hold the wire in an arcuately bent state, wherein the wire holder includes: an arcuate outer-surface-side half member to which an outer surface of a bent part of the wire is fitted; an arcuate inner-surface-side half member to which an inner surface of a bent part of the wire is fitted; and a unification holder for holding the outer-surface-side half member and the inner-surface-side half member in a united condition.
When the outer-surface-side half member and the inner-surface-side half member are held in a state in which these half members are united with each other in such a way as to sandwich a wire, the wire is brought into a state in which the wire is arcuately bent by the fitting between the wire and each of both the half members. Both the outer surface and the inner surface of the bent part of the wire are fitted to the arcuate half members, so that the wire can be held in a state in which the wire is bent with a predetermined curvature.
It is preferable that an arcuate reinforcing rib is formed on at least one of an outer surface of an arcuate portion of the outer-surface-side half member and an inner surface of an arcuate portion of the inner-surface-side half member.
When the arcuate reinforcing rib is formed, there is no fear that the outer-surface-side half member or the inner-surface-side half member is deformed in such a way as to change the curvature of the arcuate portion. Consequently, the wire can be reliably held so that the wire has a predetermined curvature.
It is preferable that the unification holder includes: a connecting portion for pivotally connecting the outer-surface-side half member and the inner-surface-side half member to each other at leading end portions thereof; and a fitting hole, provided in the rear surface of the housing, for regulating disengagement between the half members by inner-fitting base end portions of the half members.
After the wire is fitted to one of the outer-surface-side half member and the inner-surface-side half member, the other half member is rotated with respect to the connecting portion, which serves as a fulcrum, until those half members are engaged with each other. Then, the disengagement between both the half members is regulated by inner-fitting the base end portions of the half members into the fitting hole of the housing, while both the half members are caused to slide along the direction of length of the wire. Thus, both the half members are locked in a united condition. When united with each other, both the half members are engaged with each other by using the connecting portion as a fulcrum. Thus, even when the wire is hard and thus difficult to bend, the wire can be reliably held with a small force by inserting the wire into between both the half members and by leverage.
It is preferable that fitting portions are provided on the rear surface of the housing and abase end portion of the wire holder, the fitting portions are fitted to each other so as to regulate a saccadic movement (rattling) of the wire holder with respect to the housing.
When the above structure is adopted, the direction, in which the wire is led but from the rear surface of the housing, is held constant by regulating a rattling of the wire holder with respect to the housing. Thus, in the case that a waterproof cylindrical rubber plug is attached to between the inner periphery of a cavity opened in the rear surface portion of the housing and the outer periphery of the wire, an amount of leakage can be set to be uniform over the entire perimeter of the rubber plug, so that the waterproofing function of the rubber plug can be enhanced.
It is preferable that the wire comprises a plurality of wires, and a plurality of guide grooves, to which the plurality of wires are individually fitted, are formed in parallel in each of the outer-surface-side half member and the inner-surface-side half member in such a manner as to widen toward base end portions thereof, the outer-surface-side half member and the inner-surface-side half member are pivotally connected to each other by a connecting portion provided at one end of the half members, a shaft center of the connecting portion is shifted radially outwardly or radially inwardly with respect to arcuate mating surfaces of the half members, the outer-surface-side half member and the inner-surface-side half member are engaged and disengaged while the arcuate mating surfaces are obliquely displaced with each other, and wherein displacement in a disengaging direction of the half members is regulated by causing inner surfaces of the guide grooves of both the half members to obliquely push outer-surfaces of the wires when an external force acting in a disengaging direction is exerted.
When the above structure is adopted, even when an external force acting in a disengaging direction is exerted on both the half members put in a united condition, the displacement in a disengaging direction of each of both the half members is regulated by causing the inner surfaces of the guide grooves of both the half members to oblique

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