Electrical connectors – Coupling part including flexing insulation – Sealing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-12
2001-07-03
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part including flexing insulation
Sealing
C439S595000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254431
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a waterproof connector.
A conventional waterproof connector has an outer housing made of synthetic resin, an inner housing having terminal accommodation chambers, which is made of synthetic resin and which is fitted into the outer housing, and a spacer retaining terminals within the terminal accommodation chambers between the inner housing and the outer housing, which spacer is made of synthetic resin.
A wall of the outer housing has a concavity portion open to within the outer housing and a hole communicating a bottom of the concavity portion and the outside of the outer housing. In the concavity portion there is inserted a cylindrical rubber plug. An electric wire that has been connected to the terminal within the inner housing passes through the rubber plug and the hole and then is extended to outside the waterproof connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, in the above-described waterproof connector, the electric wire directly contacts the inner surface of the hole of the outer housing made of hard synthetic resin. Therefore, there is the likelihood that the electric wire would be impaired due to the friction caused by vibrations and to the impact applied thereto. Also, there is the likelihood that water will enter into between the concavity portion of the outer housing and the rubber plug by way of and along the electric wire and will be frozen. In this case, it is likely that, because the water is in contact with the wall of the hard synthetic resin outer housing, the wall will be pressed by the volumetric expansion of the water when it becomes ice and be broken.
Thereupon, it is an object of the present invention to provide a waterproof connector capable of preventing impairment of the electric wire due to vibrations, etc. and impairment of the wall due to freezing of the water that has entered.
To achieve the above object, a waterproof connector according to a first aspect of the present invention has an inner housing, an outer housing, and a rubber plug. The inner housing has a terminal accommodation chamber, and a terminal accommodated within the terminal accommodation chamber is connected to the electric wire. The outer housing has an opening and a bottom wall. When the inner housing has been inserted through the opening into the outer housing and the both are fitted together, the bottom wall opposes the terminal accommodation chamber. The outer housing has a hole that is formed in the bottom wall and that opens toward outside the outer housing. The outer housing also has a concavity portion that communicates with the hole and with the interior of the outer housing. The rubber plug has a main-body portion configured to fit into the concavity portion, a cylindrical extended portion configured to fit into the hole, and a through hole passing through the interior of the main-body portion and that of the extended portion. The main-body portion is inserted into the concavity portion while the extended portion is inserted into the hole. The through hole provided communicates between the interior of the outer housing and the exterior of the same. The electric wire passes through the through hole and is then extended into the outer housing and connected to the terminal.
The extended portion of the plug may be extended outside the outer housing. The concavity portion may be a second hole that has been formed in the bottom wall. The rubber plug may have a cylindrical configuration. The main-body portion of the rubber plug may have an outer protrusion that elastically contacts the inner surface of the second hole. The main-body portion of the rubber plug may have an inner protrusion that elastically contacts the outer surface of the electric wire. The inner housing may have a plurality of terminal accommodation chambers while the bottom wall of the outer housing may have a plurality of holes that receive therein a plurality of the extended portions. Further, the waterproof connector may have a spacer that retains the terminal within the terminal accommodation chamber between the inner housing and the outer housing.
According to this construction, the electric wire contacted with the extended portion of the rubber plug extended into the hole of the outer housing. Therefore, impairment of the electric wire due to the vibrations, etc. is reliably prevented owing to the elasticity of the extended portion of the rubber plug. Also, even when water pools within the extended portion of the rubber plug and freezes, the expansion of its volume is absorbed owing to the elasticity of the extended portion. Therefore, impairment of the outer housing is reliably prevented with the result that the reliability of the waterproofing of the connector is enhanced.
The waterproof connector according a second aspect of the present invention is one wherein in the first aspect of waterproof connector the rubber plug has an engaging portion that is engaged with the outer housing.
The engaging portion may be engaged with the bottom wall.
According to this construction, the engaging portion of the rubber plug is engaged with the outer housing. Therefore, when the electric wire is inserted from outside the outer housing by way of the interior of the rubber plug, the rubber plug is prevented from being drawn off from the concavity portion of the outer housing. Accordingly, reliability of the waterproofing obtained with the use of the rubber plug is further enhanced.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4895533 (1990-01-01), Yagi et al.
patent: 5571032 (1996-11-01), Sano et al.
Fukuda Masaru
Murakami Takao
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Sircus Brian
Yazaki -Corporation
Zarroli Michael C.
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