Electrical connectors – Coupling part including flexing insulation – Sealing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-23
2001-12-18
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part including flexing insulation
Sealing
Reexamination Certificate
active
06331124
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
JP-A-60-46672 discloses a waterproof connector having a structure in which a plurality of cavities are formed in parallel inside a housing, and terminal metal fittings are inserted into the respective cavities from the rear, and rubber caps having an electric wire inserted therethrough are individually fitted to respective rear-end openings of the cavities, and moreover a retainer for collectively preventing a plurality of rubber caps from coming off is fitted to the housing.
The retainer includes a pair of half members extending in a direction in which the rubber caps are arranged. The pair of half members are connected to each other at one end of each of the pair of half members by a hinge, and are capable of undergoing opening and closing deformation between a combined state and a separated state. Concave portions for avoiding interference with the electric wires in the combined state are formed at each abutment surface of the half member. The retainer is fitted to the housing in such a manner as to retain the rubber caps from the rear of the rubber caps in the state in which the half members are combined so as to clamp the electric wires.
As for the above-described conventional retainer, since the abutment surfaces of the half members have flat shapes, when the half members are combined to each other, there is a possibility that the pair of half members undergo relative displacement while causing the abutment surfaces to slide on each other with the hinge serving as a fulcrum.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the mutual displacement of the half members when the half members are combined.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there are provided:
a housing defining a plurality of cavities each having a terminal inserting port;
a plurality of terminal metal fittings secured to a plurality of electric wires respectively and inserted into the plurality of cavities respectively;
a plurality of rubber caps through which the plurality of electric wires are watertightly inserted respectively, the plurality of rubber caps fitted in the terminal inserting ports of the cavities respectively; and
a retainer fitted to the housing for restricting the disengagement of the rubber caps, the retainer comprises a pair of a first and second half members connected to each other by a hinge to be removable from each other,
wherein each of the first and second half members has a plurality of concave portions on an abutment surface of the half members for avoiding interference with the electric wires;
the retainer retains the rubber caps in such manner that the retainer is fitted to the housing in a state in which the first and second half members are combined, to restrict the disengagement of the rubber caps; and
each of the first and second half members has a restricting portion, and the restricting portion of the first half member is retained with the restricting portion of the second half member to restrict relative displacement of the first and second half members in a direction along with the abutment surfaces of the first and second half members.
According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention,
the first and second half members are connected to each other by the hinge at one end portion of each of the first and second half members in the longitudinal direction of the first and second half members;
the restricting portion of each of the first and second half members comprising at least two restricting portions positioned close to the hinge and far from the hinge;
the restricting portions of the first half member are abutable against the restricting portions of the second half member in an offsetting direction with the hinge serving as a fulcrum, and
directions in which the restricting portions of the first half member abut against the restricting portions of the second half member are mutually opposite between the restricting portion close to the hinge and the restricting portion far from the hinge.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the first aspect and the second aspect, the restricting portions are formed on the abutment surface of the half member.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, in a state where the first half member and the second half member are combined, the restricting portion of the first half member is retained by the second half member, whereby the offset in the directions along the abutment surfaces of the first and second half member is prevented.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the structure where the first and second half member are connected to each other by the hinge at one end portions of each of the first and second half member in the longitudinal direction, it is necessary to restrict the offset in two directions with the hinge serving as a fulcrum. However, since the structure of the restricting portion is such that the restricting portion of the first half member abuts against the second half member only in one direction to restrict the offset, the shape of each restricting portion is simplified as compared with the structure of the restricting portion to restrict the offset in two directions by one restricting portion.
According to the third aspects of the present invention, since the restricting portions are formed on the abutment surface of the first and second half member, the compact size and the simplification of the shape of the half members can be realized as compared with a case where the restricting portions are formed on the outer surface of the half member.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5573429 (1996-11-01), Miyazaki et al.
patent: 5580264 (1996-12-01), Aoyama et al.
patent: 5890927 (1999-04-01), Yashima
patent: 5934938 (1999-08-01), Clark et al.
patent: 5980316 (1999-11-01), Shinchi
patent: 0 549 269 A1 (1993-06-01), None
patent: 0 696 827 A2 (1996-02-01), None
patent: 60-46672 (1985-03-01), None
patent: 9-245872 (1997-09-01), None
patent: WO 96/13880 (1996-05-01), None
Ichioka Tetsuo
Miyazaki Sho
Autonetworks Technologies Ltd.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Paumen Gary
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