Waterproof connector

Abstract: A waterproof connector (10) includes a main body (11) with a terminal accommodating chamber (16) and a pair of covers (13, 14) integrally formed through a membrane hinge on both the sides of the rear portion of the main body. When closed together the covers define an opening (4a) through which electric wires (W) extend into the chamber. A rubber seal (22, 23) is mounted on the inner face of each cover to adhere on the electric wire and locking means are provided to lock the covers together in the closed condition. The connector is intended for automobile wiring systems.

Description: The present invention generally relates to a waterproof connector to be used for wire harness or the like for motorcar use, and more particularly, to a water-proof mechanism, provided integrally with a connector main body, on an electric wire insertion side in a connector for accommodating a terminal adhered under pressure on the electric wire. Conventionally in a connector for accommodating, in a terminal accommodating chamber formed therein, a terminal adhered under pressure on this type of electric wire, a rubber plug 3 is mounted on the tip end portion of an electric wire W with a terminal 1 adhering under pressure against it as shown in Fig. 5 so as to effect a sealing operation of the electric wire insertion side opening, the rubber plug 3 is made to adhere on the inner face of the terminal insertion opening 4a of the connector 4 or is made to adhere, is closed to close the opening from outside into the terminal insertion opening. When leakage from the opening on the above described electric wire insertion side of the connector is specially required to be prevented, grease is injected into the opening portion on the electric wire insertion side of the connector to effect the water proof operation. In the water proof of the above described rubber plug 3 mounted and also, of only the grease injected, an effect with respect to the water proof is hardly provided if high-tension water is jetted into the opening on the electric wire insertion side of the connector with, for example, a high-tension washing operation being effected, with a problem in terms of reliability. The rubber plug is likely to be deteriorated subject to the high-tension water, and the connector sealing function with respect to the normal rain water or the like is also lowered. Also, in the operationality, grease has to be injected respectively into the opening on the electric wire insertion side of each connector at the later step, with troublesome problems. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed with a view to substantially eliminating the above discussed drawbacks inherent in the prior art and has for its essential object to provide an improved water-proof connector. It is known from DE-A-4015793 to provide a rubber seal at an opening of a connector through which wires extend. It is also known from EP-A-48930 to provide a water-proof connector comprising a main body defining a terminal accommodating chamber for receiving in use at least one terminal connected to a respective wire, the connector defining an opening through which the one or more wires extend and having seal means operable between the connector and the wires to seal the opening against the ingress of water, the connector comprising a pair of cover portions formed integrally with a main body and hingedly connected thereto by respective integral hinge portions, the cover portions being movable between an open condition in which the cover portions are separated to allow insertion of the one or more terminals into the chamber and a closed condition in which respective concave portions of the covers co-operate to define the opening through which the one or more wires extend. The present invention is characterised in that the cover portions are provided with respective sealing members of a rubber sealing material which in the closed condition form an annular mass of sealing material constituting the seal means and wherein the covers comprise part annular axially spaced ribs which in the closed condition co-operate to define an annular recess occupied by the annular mass of sealing material. An advantage of the present invention is to provide an improved water-proof connector which is capable of positively preventing leakage even in a case where the high-tension washing operation is effected, and a grease injecting operation is made unnecessary at a later step, and in addition, a rubber plug for functioning as the sealing of the connector can be protected. In the connector, a cylindrical portion for inserting an electric wire with a connector sealing rubber plug being mounted on the rear portion of the terminal pressure adhering portion is provided in the rear portion of the main body. It is preferable to form a pair of covers through the hinge portion in the rear portion of the cylindrical portion. As a cover integrally formed through a hinge is provided in the rear portion of the connector main body, and the cover is open at the terminal inserting operation into the connector, the inserting operation of the terminal can be effected smoothly without any problem. As the cover is clocked, locked after the insertion, and the rubber sealing material mounted on the inner face of the cover in the locked condition adheres on the whole face of the outer periphery of the electric wire, the water proof operation can be positively effected even with respect to the high-tension water. As the rubber plug mounted on the rear portion of the terminal pressure adhering portion of the electric wire is accommodated within the cover or in the cylindrical portion provided in the rear portion of the main body, the deterioration can be prevented without the rubber plug directly receiving the high-tension water. These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a water-proof connector of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the above described water proof connector; Fig. 3 is a right side view of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 (A) is a right side view in a condition where the cover of the above described water-proof connector is closed, (B) is a sectional view of a sealing rubber material mounting portion, (C) is a sectional view of a cylindrical portion; and Fig. 5 is a front face view showing a condition where a rubber plug for connector sealing use is mounted on the electric wire. Before the description of the present invention proceeds, it is to be noted that like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout the accompanying drawings. A water-proof connector 10 is an integral molding of insulating resin as shown in Fig. 1 through Fig. 3. It is composed of a main body 11, a hinge portion 12, and a pair of covers 13, 14. The main body 11 has four terminal accommodating chambers 16 above and below, right and left in the interior on the rear side of an approximately square cylindrical outer wall 15. The front side interior is made hollow, and is made an inserting portion 17 of a connector (not shown) on the other side. A locking portion 18 in the inserting operation of the opposite side connector is formed on the outer wall top face. A smaller square cylindrical portion 19 is projected from the rear end face of the outer wall 15 of the above described main body 11. A pair of right, left covers 13, 14 are provided through a hinge portion 12 near the rear end of both right, left side faces 19a of the cylindrical portion 19. The above described hinge portion 12 is made flexible with a central portion 12a of a coupling member between the cylindrical portion 19 and a cover 13 or 14 being made thinner. A pair of right, left covers 13, 14 have the square cylindrical portion half-divided among its axial direction. The inner end faces 13a, 14a are connected with each other by the rotation of the pair of right, left covers 13, 14 in a mutually approaching direction (an arrow mark direction of Fig. 2) with the above described hinge portion 12 as a support point so as to construct the continuous square cylindrical portion in the rear end of the cylindrical portion 19. The front end portion of the square cylindrical portion composed of the covers 13 and 14 is externally engaged with the rear end portion of the cylindrical portion 19 so that they are adapted to be connected without a gap. The above described covers 13, 14 are ]-shaped in section as described hereinabove. They are adapted to incline the rear portion side so as to form a square conical trapezoidal shape when they are connected. Opened concave portions 13c, 14c on the connection face side are formed in the center of the rear end face so as to construct an electric wire through opening 21 composed of a square hole at the connecting time as shown in Fig. 4 (A). The electric wire through opening 21 is adapted to be made large enough to extend through with four electric wires W being focused in the present embodiment. The inner face of the covers 13, 14 are reinforced with ribs 13b, 14b along the ]-shaped (in section) longitudinal face and the upper, lower face being formed at the given interval as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, and the rubber sealing materials 22, 23 adheres across the whole inner face between the adjacent ribs on the rear end side. These rubber sealing materials 22, 23 become annular when the rear end face has been connected with the covers 13, 14 being closed so as to adhere on the outer peripheral face of four electric wire W as shown in Fig. 4 (B). A locking means for mutual engaging operation on a connecting condition is provided on the cover 13, 14. Namely, an engaging projection 24 is projected from both the front, rear sides of the top face of the cover 13, and an engaging groove frame 25 for inserting the above described projection 24 is projected from both the front, rear sides of the top face of the cover 14. A positioning projection 26 is projected from both the right, left sides on the rear end side of the cylindrical portion 19 as positioning use in a condition where the covers 13, 14 are closed. A hole 27 into which the above described projection 16 is inwardly engaged is drilled in an opposite position with the covers 13, 14 being closed. When a terminal 1 adheres under pressure on the tip end shown in the above described Fig. 5 with respect to the water-proof connector of the above described construction, and an electric wire 2 with a rubber plug 3 for connector sealing use being mounted on it is mounted on the rear portion of the terminal pressure adhering portion, an electric wire W is inserted with a pair of covers 13, 14 being opened as shown in Fig. 1 though Fig. 3 so as to accommodate the terminal 1 into the terminal accommodating chamber 16 of the main body 10. A rubber plug 3 mounted on the electric wire W in this position is in contact against the inner face of the cylindrical portion 19 as shown in Fig. 4 (C). The covers 13, 14 are rotated, closed with the hinge portion 12 as a support point in this condition. At this time, the positioning projection 26 is inserted into a hole 27 so as to effect a positioning operation and an engaging frame 25 is engaged with an engaging projection 24 so as to secure the covers 13, 14 in a closed condition. The covers 13 and 14 are closed, and four electric wires W are inserted into the interior of the water-proof connector 10 from the electric through opening 21 as shown in Fig. 4 (A), and is made to adhere with sealing rubber materials 22, 23 as shown in Fig. 4 (B) in the inner position in contact with the wire electric through opening 21. The electric wire through opening of the water-proof connector 10 is completely sealed by the sealing rubber materials 22 and 23. The rubber plug 3 for connector sealing use is cut off from the electric wire through opening with sealing rubber materials 22 and 23. As it is positioned within the cylindrical portion 19, the function of the connector sealing can be sufficiently retained without deterioration. As is clear from the foregoing description, according to the arrangement of the present invention, sufficient water-proof performance can be exhibited even with respect to the high tension washing water, because a cover with a sealing rubber material being mounted integrally with the connector main body is provided. The rubber plug for connection sealing use can be protected with the cover. Such a troublesome operation as to inject grease is not necessary at the later step, with an advantage that the operationality is improved. Although the present invention has been fully described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted here that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, unless otherwise such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present claims, they should be construed as included therein.

Claims: A waterproof connector (10) comprising a main body (11) defining a terminal accommodating chamber (16) for receiving in use at least one terminal (1) connected to a respective wire (W), the connector defining an opening (4a) through which the one or more wires extend and having seal means (22,23) operable between the connector and the wires to seal the opening against the ingress of water, the connector comprising a pair of cover portions (13,14) formed integrally with the main body and hingedly connected thereto by respective integral hinge portions (12), the cover portions being movable between an open condition in which the cover portions are separated to allow insertion of the one or more terminals into the chamber and a closed condition in which respective concave portions (13c,14c) of the covers co-operate to define the opening through which the one or more wires extend, characterised in that the cover portions are provided with respective sealing members (22,23) of a rubber sealing material which in the closed condition form an annular mass of sealing material constituting the seal means and wherein the covers comprise part annular axially spaced ribs (13b,14b) which in the closed condition co-operate to define an annular recess occupied by the annular mass of sealing material. A waterproof connector as claimed in claim 1 comprising locking means (24,25) operable between the cover portions to lock the portions in the closed condition. A waterproof connector as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the concave portions (13c,14c) are located at the respective free end portions of the covers (13,14). A waterproof connector as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the main body comprises a front portion defining the terminal accommodating chamber and a cylindrical rear portion to which the covers (13,14) are connected and defining a duct through which the wires W extend in use whereby in use a connector sealing rubber plug mounted on a rearward portion of the terminal extends within the duct in contact with the cylindrical rear portion. A waterproof connector as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the rubber sealing material is adhesive.

Inventors: HAYASHI HIROYUKI, HAYASHI, HIROYUKI, Hayashi, Hiroyuki, c/o Sumitomo Wiring Syst.Ltd,
Applicants: SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
Application year: 1992
Main classification: H01R13
IPC codes: H01R13