Electrical connectors – Coupling part including flexing insulation – Sealing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-24
2001-06-12
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part including flexing insulation
Sealing
C439S274000, C439S275000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244898
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a small multipolar waterproof connector in which the waterproof property is enhanced between a connector housing and a plurality of electrical wires connected with terminals.
2. Related Art
FIG. 9
shows one type of waterproof connector. A connector housing
102
of this waterproof connector
101
has formed therein a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers
103
each of which forms at its rear portion an electric wire sealing chamber
104
so that the sealing chamber
104
is communicated therewith. Also, each terminal accommodating chamber
3
accommodates a female terminal
106
having an electric wire connected thereto with the female terminal
106
being engaged with a lance (flexible engaging arm)
107
. Further, each terminal accommodating chamber
103
and its corresponding electric wire
105
are sealed by a rubber plug
108
forced into the electric wire sealing chamber
104
.
It is to be noted that similar techniques regarding the waterproof connector
101
are disclosed in Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. Hei. 5-65996 and Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 1-213973.
However, in the above-described waterproof connector
101
, as shown in
FIG. 10
, the diameter L of the electric wire sealing chamber
104
must be made larger than the diameter of the terminal accommodating chamber
103
for the purpose of mold releasing or terminal insertion. Therefore, the terminal-to-terminal pitch X is limited with the result that the connector housing
102
has become large in size. Also, since the rubber plug
108
is exposed from a rear surface side of the connector housing
102
to the outside, the rubber plug
108
is damaged or deformed during high-tension cleaning or due to contact therewith of a machine tool or the like, with the result that a desired level of sealing performance was not obtained.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved with such points in mind.
It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-polar waterproof connector which enables the miniaturization of the connector housing as well as the enhancement of the sealability and assemblability thereof and a method of assembling the same.
To achieve the object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a waterproof connector including: an inner housing having formed therein terminal accommodating chamber in which terminals to which electric wires are to be connected are accommodated; rubber plugs for sealing the electric wires, the rubber plugs having formed therein holes through which the electric wires are inserted and passed; and an outer housing into which the inner housing is fitted, an one wall portion of the outer housing opposing to the terminal accommodating chambers being formed with electric wire insertion and passing holes into which the electric wires are inserted and passed, an inside portion of the one wall portion of the outer housing corresponding to the electric wire insertion and passing holes being formed with rubber plug accommodating recessed portions for accommodating therein the rubber plugs, wherein the electric wires that have been inserted and passed through the electric wire insertion and passing holes and the holes of the rubber plugs are connected to the terminals which are accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers.
In this waterproof connector, since the diameter of the rubber plug accommodating recessed portions of the outer housing can be minimized irrespective of the size of the terminal accommodating chambers of the inner housing, the terminal-to-terminal's pitch becomes small with the result that it is possible to miniaturize a multipolar connector housing (which is composed of the inner housing and the outer housing). Also, since the rubber plugs are not exposed to the outside from the one wall portion of the outer housing, the degradation of the sealing performance of the rubber plugs due to an external force does not occur, with the result that the reliability on the waterproofness effected with the rubber plugs is enhanced.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, as it depends from the first aspect, there is provided a waterproof connector wherein, a tapered surface is formed on an inlet side of the rubber plug accommodating recessed portion; a tapered surface is formed on each side of the rubber plug; and a rubber plug guiding portion to guide the rubber plug is formed at a position of the inner housing corresponding to the tapered surface of the rubber plug.
In this waterproof connector, the rubber plug guiding portion off the inner housing, the tapered surface on an inlet side of the rubber plug accommodating recessed portion of the outer housing, the tapered surface of the rubber plug, and the electric wire serve and operate as guides, whereby the rubber plug is accommodated reliably in a simple way in the rubber plug accommodating recessed portion of the outer housing. As a result, the reliability on the waterproofness effected with the rubber plugs is further enhanced.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of assembling a waterproof connector including the steps of: inserting and setting rubber plugs for sealing the electric wires in rubber plug accommodating recessed portions formed in an inside portion of a one wall portion of an outer housing; inserting and passing the electric wires into and through electric wire insertion and passing holes formed in the outer housing at the positions of the one wall portion opposed to the terminal accommodating chambers; inserting and passing the electric wires which are passing through the electric wire insertion and passing holes into and through holes which are formed in the rubber plugs; connecting the electric wires passed through the holes of the rubber plugs to the terminals accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers; and fitting the inner housing into the outer housing.
In this method of assembling a waterproof connector, a small-in-size and multipolar waterproof connector having excellent waterproofness is assembled smoothly in a simple way and in a short time.
The invention provides a waterproof connector including: a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers arranged in the vertical and the traverse direction of a connector housing; and a plurality of rubber plug accommodating chambers communicated with the terminal accommodating chambers, wherein a rubber plug in which an electrical wire insertion hole is formed is arranged in each rubber plug accommodating chamber, a terminal connected with an electrical wire is capable of being freely accommodated in each terminal accommodating chamber, each terminal accommodating. chamber and an electrical wire are sealed by the rubber plug, a plug material injection port, plug material path and vent hole are serially formed in each row of the rubber plug accommodating chambers in one of the vertical and the traverse direction of the peripheral wall and the partition wall which form the rubber plug accommodating chambers of the connector housing, plug material is injected into the rubber plug accommodating chambers of each row from the plug material injection port of each row so as to integrally form rubber plugs in which electrical wire insertion holes having a plurality of sealing portions closely coming into contact with the outer circumferences of the electrical wires are formed.
In this waterproof connector, plug material is injected into each rubber plug accommodating chamber of each row from the plug material injection port of each row, so that the rubber plug can be integrally formed in which an electrical wire insertion port having a plurality of sealing portions tightly coming into contact with the outer circumference of the electrical wire is integrally formed. Therefore, no workers forget to attach the rubber plugs, and sealing can be positively made between each rubber plug accommodating chamber of the
Bradley Paula
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Ta Tho D.
Yazaki -Corporation
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