Electrical connectors – With stress relieving means for conductor to terminal joint – Curved conductor path
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-29
2001-05-15
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With stress relieving means for conductor to terminal joint
Curved conductor path
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231375
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wire holding structure for a connector housing, and more particularly to a wire holding structure for a connector housing having a wire holding member provided in the housing so as to cover and protect electric wires having one ends connected to a connecting terminal accommodated in the housing.
Among connector housings for connectors for connecting electric wires, there are connector housings which are provided with various wire holding member so as to restrict the direction in which electric wires having one ends connected to a connecting terminal accommodated in the housing are led out, and to protect the wires by covering them with a protective member or the like.
For example, in a connector housing
1
disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 2-98473, an unillustrated connecting terminal connected to one ends of electric wires
2
is accommodated in a housing body
3
, as shown in FIG.
9
. Further, a retaining member
4
for preventing the connecting terminal from coming off in the rearward direction is provided on the housing body
3
, and the retaining member
4
has an arm portion
5
for hooking the wires
2
at a predetermined position on the connector housing
1
. When the retaining member
4
is attached to the housing body
3
, by merely passing the wires
2
on the inner side of the arm
5
, it is possible to prevent the entanglement or the like of the wires
2
during transport and storage, and alleviate a tensile force applied to the wires
2
during use.
However, the above-described connector housing
1
able to restrict the leading-out direction of the wires
2
to some extent by the arm
5
which is the wire holding member, but since a member for covering and protecting the wires
2
is not provided, there is a possibility of causing damage to the wires
2
during transport or use.
Accordingly, there is a type in which, as in the case of a connector housing
6
shown in
FIG. 10
, a protective cap
8
, which is designed to protect the wires
2
having one ends connected to an unillustrated connecting terminal accommodated in a housing body
7
and the other ends led out from a rear end portion of the housing body
7
and to restrict the leading-out direction of the wires
2
, is attached to the housing body
7
as the wire holding member.
Meanwhile, in a case where the wires
2
are inserted in a vinyl tube
9
, i.e., a hollow cylindrical protective tube, for protecting the wires
2
led out from the connector housing
6
from the tensile force or heat during use, a plate-like holding portion
8
a
is provided at a wire-leading-out-direction end portion of the protective cap
8
, and a adhesive tape T or the like is wound the plate-like holding portion
8
a
together with the vinyl tube
9
extending along the plate-like holding portion
8
a
, thereby fixing the vinyl tube
9
to the connector housing
6
.
In addition, in electric connectors disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2-227973, a pair of split-type covers serving as a protective cover have a retaining portion for engaging a neck portion of a connector housing and has a corrugated tube holding groove, and the neck portion of the housing and an end portion of the corrugated tube are nipped and fixed by the split-type covers, thereby protecting joint portions of a cable and the housing.
Accordingly, the cable having one end connected to an unillustrated connecting terminal accommodated in the housing is protected by the split-type covers serving as the wire holding member, and the direction in which the cable is led out is restricted by the split-type covers. In addition, the corrugated tube serving as the protective tube is fixed to the connector housing as the end portion of the corrugated tube is nipped and fixed in the corrugated-tube holding groove in the split-type covers.
However, in the case of the connector housing
6
shown in
FIG. 10
, the vinyl tube
9
together with the wires
2
must be wound onto the plate-like holding portion
8
a
of the protective cap
8
by the adhesive tape T or the like, so that there is a problem in that the operating efficiency in assembling is not good. In particular, in a case where the direction in which the wires
2
are led out is restricted in such a manner as to be oriented toward the front end side of the housing body
7
, since the plate-like holding portion
8
a
extends in such a manner as to be laid along and in close proximity to the side surface of the housing body
7
, the gap between the housing body
7
and the vinyl tube
9
becomes narrow, so that the operation of winding the adhesive tape T becomes difficult.
In addition, in the case of the electric connectors disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2-227973, the operation of fixing the corrugated tube to the connector housing is relatively easy by the use of the split-type covers such as those described above, but the retaining portion and the corrugated-tube holding groove must be formed in the split-type covers. Further, in the case where the end portion of the corrugated tube is nipped and fixed by the split-type covers, since the presence or absence of an allowance for holding (nipping state) by the corrugated-tube holding groove becomes important, so that there arises the need to provide a window allowing the nipping state to be viewed so as to ensure reliable fixation. Accordingly, there has been a problem in that the shape of the split-type covers becomes complex, resulting in a rise in the manufacturing cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive wire holding structure for a connector housing which makes it possible to reliably protect the electric wires led out from the connector housing by a simple attaching operation.
In order to achieve the above object, there is provided a wire holding structure for a connector housing comprising: an electric wire one end of which is connected to a connection terminal accommodated within the connector housing, and led out from a rear end portion of the connector housing; a wire holding portion extending from the connector housing along in a direction of which the electric wire is led out; a groove portion formed on the wire holding portion along extending direction thereof and having a substantially U-shaped cross-section; and a protection tube fitted into the groove portion in a state of which the electric wire is inserted therethrough.
Accordingly, since the wires are held by the wire holding portion through the protective tube press fitted and held in the wire holding portion, it is sufficient to merely press fit the protective tube into the groove portion of the wire holding portion, and there is no need to hold the wires by the troublesome tape winding.
In addition, the wire holding portion of the wire holding member constituted by the wire holding portion and the protection tube suffices if it is provided with the groove portion extending along the led-out direction of the wires, so that its shape does not become complex.
The wire holding structure may further comprise a rear cover detachably provided on the rear portion of the connector housing for protecting the led-out electric wire, wherein the wire holding portion is integrally provided with the rear cover.
The wire holding structure may further comprise a rear holder detachably provided on the rear portion of the connector housing for preventing the terminal from removing from the connector housing, wherein the wire holding portion is integrally provided with the rear holder.
At least one of the wire holding portion and the protection tube may be formed so as to be able to deform elastically.
When the wire holding portion is made of a hard material and the protection tube is made of a soft material, a width of the groove portion may be substantially equal to a diameter of the protection tube.
In this case, edge portions of the groove portion may be tapered. Projections may be formed on edge porti
Hammond Briggitte R.
Luebke Renee
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Yazaki -Corporation
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