Abstract:
A waterproof connector has: at least one conductive contact; a metal shell interior of which the contact is disposed; and a housing made of an insulating resin material such that the housing fixes the contact and the shell to form an integral structure, the shell has an insertion port into which a counterpart connector is inserted on one side, and the housing is formed such that the shell is exposed at the outer circumference of and at the vicinity of the insertion port over a predetermined width in the length direction of the shell to form an outer circumferential exposure portion, and the outer circumferential exposure portion of the shell is disposed with a waterproof portion made of an elastic material.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a waterproof connector including a metal shell and a manufacturing method thereof and particularly to a waterproof connector having a waterproofing member directly disposed on a shell and a manufacturing method thereof. 
     2. Background Art 
     A waterproof connector having waterproof property is recently known. In a method conventionally employed for acquiring the waterproof property of a connector, a housing is insert-molded or assembled on the outside of a shell making up the connector to achieve a configuration with a resin material such as rubber attached to the outer circumference of the housing, and this resin material is pressed against a component or a surface desired to be closely attached thereto, such as a counterpart connector, thereby acquiring the waterproof property of the connector. 
     For such a connector, for example, an invention of a connection device (connector) for electronic equipment having a waterproof function is disclosed in WO 2011/108679. The connection device having a waterproof function disclosed in WO 2011/108679 includes a substantially tubular housing, a supporting portion formed into a wall shape in the housing, contact terminals and power terminals supported by the supporting portion, a shell mounted inside the housing, a seal material disposed in the vicinity of an end portion of the housing on the connection terminal insertion side along the outer circumference of the housing. In the invention of the connection device for electronic equipment having a waterproof function disclosed in WO 2011/108679, it is described that water can be prevented from deeply entering between a case and the connection device and the water infiltration to a circuit board can more certainly be prevented by disposing the seal material in the vicinity of the end portion of the housing on the connection terminal insertion side. 
     The connection device for electronic equipment having a waterproof function disclosed in WO 2011/108679 has the seal material disposed along the outer circumference of the housing and the shell mounted inside the housing. Therefore, since the seal material is disposed outside the shell and the housing, the connection device problematically increases in size. Since the seal material must separately be disposed, a manufacturing process of the connection device is problematically complicated. 
     As a result of various experiments conducted in view of such problematic issues and problems to be solved of the conventional technique, the inventor found out that a waterproof connector can be downsized by directly disposing a waterproofing member on a shell, thereby completing the present invention. 
     SUMMARY 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a small-sized waterproof connector and to provide an easily-manufactured waterproof connector. Another object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method of a waterproof connector for downsizing and to provide a manufacturing method of a waterproof connector for easier manufacturing. 
     To solve the problems, a waterproof connector of a first aspect of the present invention is a waterproof connector comprising: at least one contact made of a conductive material; and a shell made of metal interior of which the contact is disposed, wherein 
     the shell has an insertion port into which a counterpart connector is inserted on one side, and 
     a waterproof portion made of an elastic material is disposed on an outer circumference of and at the vicinity of the insertion port of the shell. 
     A waterproof connector of a second aspect is the waterproof connector of the first aspect, wherein 
     the contact and shell are fixed by a housing made of an insulating resin material so as to form an integral structure, 
     the housing is formed such that the shell is exposed at the outer circumference of and at the vicinity of the insertion port to form an outer circumferential exposure portion, and 
     the outer circumferential exposure portion of the shell is disposed with the waterproof portion. 
     A waterproof connector of a third aspect is the waterproof connector of the first or second aspect, wherein the waterproof portion is a waterproof member integrally formed from the elastic material with the shell by insert molding. 
     A waterproof connector of a fourth aspect is the waterproof connector of the first or second aspect, wherein the waterproof portion is formed by attaching a waterproof component thereto made of the elastic material. 
     A waterproof connector of a fifth aspect is the waterproof connector of any one of the second to fourth aspects, wherein the shell is closed on the side opposite to the insertion port by a closing portion formed in the housing, 
     the closing portion fixes the contact such that one side of the contact is disposed interior of the shell and the other side of the contact is projected outside the shell, 
     a portion of the closing portion where the contact is fixed to is provided with a contact supporting portion extended therefrom for supporting the contact, 
     the contact supporting portion is formed with a contact exposing portion for exposing a portion of the contact to which a counterpart contact of the counterpart connector comes into contact, and 
     a plate-shaped reinforcing member is integrally disposed on the side opposite to the contact exposing portion across the contact supporting portion. 
     A waterproof connector of a sixth aspect is the waterproof connector of any one of the second to fifth aspects, wherein 
     a metal shield cover covering the housing is mounted on the housing, 
     at least one opening portion for exposing a portion of an outer surface of the shell is formed in the housing in a portion covered by the shield cover, and 
     the shield cover and the shell contact with each other through the opening portion. 
     A method of manufacturing a waterproof connector of a seventh aspect comprises at least the following steps of: 
     (1) placing in an insert molding machine at least one contact made of a conductive material and a shell made of metal interior of which the contact is disposed and an insertion port into which a counterpart connector is inserted on one side, and forming a housing from an insulating resin material by insert molding integrally with the contact and the shell such that the shell is exposed at the outer circumference of and at the vicinity of the insertion port to form an outer circumferential exposure portion; and 
     (2) disposing a waterproof portion on the outer circumferential exposure portion of the shell. 
     A method of manufacturing a waterproof connector of an eighth aspect is the manufacturing method of a waterproof connector of the seventh aspect, wherein 
     at the step (2), the waterproof portion is formed as a waterproof member integrally formed on the outer circumferential exposure portion of the shell by insert molding of an elastic material. 
     A method of manufacturing a waterproof connector of a ninth aspect is the manufacturing method of a waterproof connector of the seventh aspect, wherein 
     at the step (2), the waterproof portion is disposed by attaching a separately molded waterproof component to the outer circumferential exposure portion of the shell. 
     A method of manufacturing a waterproof connector of a tenth aspect is the manufacturing method of a waterproof connector of any one of the seventh to ninth aspects, wherein 
     at the step (1), a closing portion is formed in the housing to close the shell on the side opposite to the insertion port, wherein 
     the closing portion fixes the contact such that one side of the contact is disposed interior of the shell and the other side of the contact is projected outside the shell and a portion of the closing portion where the contact is fixed to is provided with 
     a contact supporting portion extended therefrom for supporting the contact, the contact supporting portion is formed with a contact exposing portion for exposing a portion of the contact to which a counterpart contact of the counterpart connector comes into contact, and 
     a plate-shaped reinforcing member is integrally disposed on the side opposite to the contact exposing portion across the contact supporting portion. 
     A method of manufacturing a waterproof connector of an eleventh aspect is the manufacturing method of a waterproof connector of any one of the seventh to tenth aspects, further comprising the step of 
     (3) mounting a shield cover to cover the housing, wherein 
     at the step (1), at least one opening portion exposing a portion of the shell is formed in the housing in a portion covered by the shield cover, and 
     at the step (3), the shield cover and the shell contact with each other through the opening portion. 
     According to the waterproof connector of the first aspect, since the waterproof portion is directly disposed on the outer circumference of the shell, the thickness of the portion disposed with the waterproof portion can be made thinner as compared to a conventional connector having the waterproof portion formed on the housing, and the waterproof connector can be reduced in height and size. 
     According to the waterproof connector of the second aspect, since the waterproof portion is directly disposed on the outer circumferential exposure portion of the shell disposed to be exposed from the housing, the thickness of the portion disposed with the waterproof portion can be made thinner even when the housing is formed, and the waterproof connector can be reduced in height and size. 
     According to the waterproof connector of the third aspect, since the waterproof portion is the waterproof member formed by insert molding, the waterproof member can easily be formed. 
     According to the waterproof connector of the fourth aspect, the waterproof portion can easily be formed by attaching the waterproof component separately formed from an elastic material. 
     According to the waterproof connector of the fifth aspect, since the reinforcing member can be disposed to strengthen the contacts and the contact supporting portion supporting the contacts, when the contacts of the waterproof connector are connected to counterpart contacts of a counterpart connector, the contacts are restrained from bending or deforming even if the contacts are pressed by the counterpart contacts, and a higher contact pressure can be retained. 
     According to the waterproof connector of the sixth aspect, the shell and the shield cover are brought into contact to conduct electricity and static electricity in the shell can be released to the outside so as to suppress short-circuiting etc. 
     According to the manufacturing method of a waterproof connector of the seventh aspect, since the waterproof portion is directly disposed on the shell, the waterproof connector can be manufactured that can be reduced in height and size as compared to a conventional connector having the waterproof portion disposed on the housing. 
     According to the manufacturing method of a waterproof connector of the eighth aspect, since the water waterproof portion can be formed by integrally forming the waterproof member by insert molding on the outer circumferential exposure portion of the shell, the waterproof portion can easily be formed. Since the waterproof member is directly formed on the shell, the small-sized waterproof connector can be manufactured. 
     According to the manufacturing method of a waterproof connector of the ninth aspect, since the waterproof portion is formed by attaching the separately molded waterproof component on the shell, the small-sized waterproof connector can easily be manufactured. 
     According to the manufacturing method of a waterproof connector of the tenth aspect, since the reinforcing member can be disposed to strengthen the contacts and the contact supporting portion, the contacts are restrained from bending or deforming due to a pressing force when the contacts are connected to counterpart contacts, and the waterproof connector capable of retaining a higher contact pressure can be manufactured. 
     According to the waterproof connector of the eleventh aspect, by disposing the shield cover on the housing to contact the shell with the shield cover, static electricity in the shell can be released to the outside and the waterproof connector suppressing short-circuiting can be manufactured. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a waterproof connector of first and second embodiments;  FIG. 1B  is an exploded view of the waterproof connector of the first embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II of  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 3A  is a perspective view of an insert molded body;  FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line IIIB-IIIB of  FIG. 3A ; 
         FIG. 4A  is a front view of the insert molded body;  FIG. 4B  is a back view;  FIG. 4C  is a side view from one direction; 
         FIG. 5A  is a plain view of the insert molded body;  FIG. 5B  is a bottom view; 
         FIG. 6A  is a perspective view of a plurality of contacts;  FIG. 6B  is a perspective view of one contact; 
         FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of a shell;  FIG. 7B  is a plain view;  FIG. 7C  is a front view;  FIG. 7D  is side view from one direction;  FIG. 7E  is a bottom view; 
         FIG. 8A  is a perspective view of a reinforcing member;  FIG. 8B  is a front view; 
         FIG. 8C  is a plain view;  FIG. 8D  is a side view from one direction; 
         FIG. 9A  is a perspective view of a shield cover;  FIG. 9B  is a plain view;  FIG. 9C  is a front view;  FIG. 9D  is a side view from one direction;  FIG. 9E  is a back view; 
         FIG. 10A  is a cross-sectional view of a process of manufacturing a housing; FIG.  10 B is a cross-sectional view of a process of manufacturing a waterproof member; and 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded view of the waterproof connector of the second embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are mere exemplifications of a waterproof connector and a manufacturing method of the water proof connector for embodying a technical concept of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention thereto. The present invention is equally applicable to the other embodiments included in claims. 
     First Embodiment 
     A waterproof connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1A to 9E . A waterproof connector  10  according to the first embodiment has a configuration attached to a housing making up various devices such as portable telephones and information terminals including portable mobile devices and notebook personal computers and connected to a substrate disposed in the housing such that a counterpart connector such as USB (universal serial bus) is detachably inserted and connected. Since a known device can be utilized as the device to which the waterproof connector is attached, the device will not be depicted and described in detail. 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2 , the waterproof connector  10  of the first embodiment is made up of a plurality of contacts  12 , a metal shell  16  with the contacts  12  disposed therein, a reinforcing member  25  disposed under the contacts  12 , and a housing  32  formed to integrate these elements. The housing  32  is made of an insulating resin material by insert molding such that the contacts  12  supported/fixed at predetermined intervals, the shell  16 , and the reinforcing member  25  are integrated. 
     The housing  32  is provided with a contact supporting portion  47  extended to support the contacts  12  disposed in the shell  16  and the contact supporting portion  47  is interposed between the contact  12  located on the upper side and the reinforcing member  25  located on the lower side. As depicted in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , a configuration of the contacts  12 , the shell  16 , and the reinforcing member  25  integrally formed with the housing  32  by insert molding is collectively referred to as an insert molded body  11 . 
     The shell  16  has a waterproof portion  49  on the side connected to a counterpart connector. In the waterproof connector  10  of the first embodiment, the waterproof portion  49  is disposed with a waterproof member  50  formed integrally with the shell  16  by insert molding of an elastic material. A metal shield cover  51  is mounted on the housing  32 , covering a portion of the housing  32 . 
     Although the contacts  12  making up the waterproof connector  10  of the first embodiment are so-called compression type contacts pressed into contact with a substrate etc., in this description, surface-mount type contacts are also available. 
     Constituent elements of the waterproof connector  10  of the first embodiment will be described with reference to  FIGS. 3 to 9 . The contacts  12 , the shell  16 , the reinforcing member  25 , and the housing  32  making up the insert molded body  11  will be described along with the insert molded body  11 . 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5B, and 6A , the contacts  12  of the first embodiment are made up of a plurality of, for example, five, contacts  12  and are arranged symmetrically relative to the center contact  12 . Although respective shapes are different, the five contacts  12  of the first embodiment have a common configuration and, therefore, as depicted in  FIG. 6B , one of the contacts  12  will representatively be described. 
     The contact  12  has a contact main body  13  made of a conductive metal plate as depicted in  FIG. 6B  and is disposed with a connecting portion  14  connected to a counterpart contact included in a counterpart connector on one side and a contacting portion  15  brought into contact with a substrate etc., included in the device on the other side. The contact main body  13  is bent in the same direction at two positions near the center portion. The contact main body  13  is bent into a form corresponding to a position at which the contact  12  is located in the housing  32 , i.e., is bent at two positions in opposite directions. 
     A tip part  14   a  of the connecting portion  14  of the contact  12  is formed into a curved surface for smooth connection with the counterpart contact of the counterpart connector. A tip part  15   a  of the contacting portion  15  of the contact  12  is also formed into a curved shape for smooth contact with the substrate etc. 
     The contact  12  in the insert molded body  11  is fixed to the housing  32  as depicted in  FIGS. 3A to 5B , and a portion of the contact main body  13  is integrally fixed to the housing  32  by insert molding while a surface of the connecting portion  14  other than the surface brought into contact with the counterpart contact is fixed to and integrated with the contact supporting portion  47  of the housing  32 . 
     Although the contacts  12  of the first embodiment are made up of five contacts, this is not a limitation and the number of contacts may be less than five or more than five. The shape of the contact  12  is not limited to those depicted in  FIGS. 6A and 6B  and may be an arbitrary shape. 
     The shell  16  will be described. As depicted in  FIGS. 3B, 4A, and 7A to 7E , the shell  16  is made up of an upper surface  17 , a bottom surface  18 , a first side surface  19 , and a second side surface  20  made of metal plates having a predetermined thickness. The shell  16  is formed into a tubular flattened rectangular parallelepiped having an insertion port  21  into which the counterpart connector is inserted on one side and a projection port  22  from which the arranged contacts  12  are projected on the other side and having a space  23  in which a plurality of the contacts  12  is disposed. 
     The upper surface  17  of the shall  16  is formed into a rectangular shape with a predetermined area and is provided with respective first extending portions  17   a  in a narrow plate shape extended from both ends of the upper surface  17  on the projection port  22  side. The first extending portions  17   a  are portions brought into contact with the shield cover  51  described later to conduct electricity (see  FIGS. 1A and 1B ). 
     First projecting portions  17   b  in a narrow plate shape projected toward the first and second side surfaces  19  and  20  of the shell  16  are respectively formed from the first extending portions  17   a . The first projecting portions  17   b  are used when the shell  16  is placed in an insert molding machine described later, and are partially integrally formed with the housing  32  to further strengthen the integration between the shell  16  and the housing  32 . 
     The bottom surface  18  of the shell  16  is formed into a rectangular shape with a predetermined area and has concave portions  18   a  formed at two positions by concaving portions of the bottom surface  18 . The concave portions  18   a  are formed to be engaged with convex portions formed on the counterpart connector at the time of connection with the counterpart connector so as to certainly establish the connection between the waterproof connector  10  of the first embodiment and the counterpart connector, and can act as a retainer so that the connectors hardly come off. The formation of the concave portions  18   a  in the bottom surface  18  increases an area brought into contact with the housing  32 , thereby further strengthening the integration with the housing  32 . 
     In the shell  16  depicted in  FIG. 7A , portions linked to the upper surface  17  and the first and second side surfaces  19  and  20  are formed in a slanted manner. The shape of the shell  16  is formed in accordance with a shape of the counterpart connector to be connected. A taper  21   a  is formed in the insertion port  21  of the shell  16  toward the inside space  23  such that the counterpart connector can smoothly be inserted. 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 3A to 5B , the housing  32  is not formed on an outer circumference of the shell  16  on the insertion port  21  side in the insert molded body  11  and the shell  16  is exposed. This exposure portion of the shell  16  forms an outer circumferential exposure portion  24  disposed with the waterproof member  50 . 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 3B, 4A, and 8A to 8D , the reinforcing member  25  is a plate-shaped body with a predetermined thickness and has a support surface  26  formed with an area capable of supporting a plurality of the contacts  12  arranged in the space  23  in the shell  16 . The support surface  26  has a front portion  27  disposed on the insertion port  21  side of the shell  16 , a rear portion  28  opposing the front portion  27 , a first side portion  29 , and a second side portion  30 . The front portion  27  and the first and second side portions  29  and  30  of the supporting surface  26  are respectively provided with a front standing portion  27   a , a first side standing portion  29   a , and a second side standing portion  30   a  standing at a predetermined height. 
     A plurality of holes  31  is formed on the front portion  27  side of the support surface  26  from the front standing portion  27   a  into the support surface  26 . The holes  31  are for the purpose of being combined with a metal mold  56  disposed in the insert molding machine so that the contacts  12  arranged within the shell  16  are supported by the metal mold (see  FIG. 10A ). The holes  31  are also for the purpose of causing a resin material to enter through a gap between the metal mold and the holes  31  of the reinforcing member  25  when the housing  32  is formed, so as to form the contact supporting portion  47  and cause the integration between the housing  32  and the reinforcing member  25 . 
     A second extending portion  28   a  extended in the direction of the rear portion  28  is formed in the rear portion  28  of the support surface  26 , and second projecting portions  28   b  in a narrow plate shape are respectively formed and projected from the second extending portion  28   a  toward the first and second side portions  29  and  30 . The second projecting portions  28   b  are used when the reinforcing member  25  is placed in the insert molding machine described later, and are partially integrally formed with the housing  32  to further strengthen the integration between the reinforcing member  25  and the housing  32 . 
     The housing  32  will be described. As depicted in  FIG. 3A to 5B , the housing  32  is formed to cover the outside of the shell  16  with the contact  12  and the reinforcing member  25  integrated therein. The housing  32  has a front surface portion  33  disposed on the insertion port  21  side of the shell  16 , a back surface portion  34  opposing the front surface portion  33 , a first side surface portion  35 , and a second side surface portion  36  and is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape having an upper surface portion  41  and a bottom surface portion  42 . The upper surface portion  41 , the first side surface portion  35 , the bottom surface portion  42 , and the second side surface portion  36  have respective portions projected on the front surface portion  33  side of the housing  32  and these projecting portions form an annular flange portion  45 . 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 3A and 4A , the front surface portion  33  of the housing  32  allows the shell  16  to project and has a surface formed larger than the insertion port  21  of the projecting shell  16 . The recess portions  18   a  formed in the shell  16  are formed to partially overlap with the front surface portion  33 . The outer circumference of the shell  16  projecting from the front surface portion  33  of the housing  32  forms the outer circumferential exposure portion  24  disposed with the waterproof member  50  acting as the waterproof portion  49 . The outer circumferential exposure portion  24  is a range from the insertion port  21  to the front surface portion  33  formed in the housing  33 . 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 3B and 4B , the back surface portion  34  of the housing  32  allows the contacts  12  to project and has an insertion portion  46   a  into which the contacts  12  are inserted. The back surface portion  34  has respective partition wall portions  43  between the contacts  12  so as to restrain the contacts  12  passing thorough the insert portion  46   a  from contacting with each other. The back surface portion  34  is provided with a locking projection  34   a  locking a portion of the shield cover  51  described later. 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 3A and 5A , the upper surface portion  41  of the housing  32  is provided with an opening portion  41   a  exposing portions of the upper surface  17  and the first extending portions  17   a  of the shell  16 . The shell  16  exposed from the opening portion  41   a  comes into contact with a portion of the shield cover  51  described later. Therefore, the shape of the opening portion  41   a  is not limited thereto, may be disposed with a plurality of opening portions, and may have an arbitrary shape. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 5B , the bottom surface portion  42  of the housing  32  is formed with a predetermined area and the partition wall portions  43  of the back surface portion  34  are formed across the bottom surface portion  42 . The bottom surface portion  42  has end partition wall portions  44  formed shorter than the partition wall portions  43  in the axial direction of the housing  32  on the outside of the contacts  12  disposed on the outermost sides along with the partition wall portions  43  from the back surface portion  34 . The partition wall portions  43  and the end partition wall portions  44  are formed higher than the bottom surface portion  42  in the height direction of the housing  32 . The height is set to form gaps such that when the waterproof connector  10  is pressed and brought into contact with the substrate in the device, the contacting portions  15  of the contacts  12  pressed by a pressing force can be fit into the gaps. The end portions of the partition wall portions  43  and the end partition wall portions  44  on the bottom surface  42  side act as portions placed on the substrate etc., so that the waterproof connector can stably be mounted on the substrate. 
     The first side surface portion  35  and the second side surface portion  36  of the housing  32  have a common configuration except that the portions are symmetrical and, therefore, the first side surface portion  35  will representatively be described. 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 3A, 4C, and 5A , the first side surface portion  35  of the housing  32  are formed in two stages of a lower stage portion  35   a  and a higher stage portion  35   b . The first projecting portions  17   b  of the shell  16  and the second projecting portions  28   b  of the reinforcing member  25  placed in the insert molding machine are projected from the lower stage portion  35   a  when integrated in the housing  32 . On the other hand, the higher stage portion  35   b  has grooves  37  formed on the upper surface portion  41  side and the bottom surface portion  42  side, and the grooves  37  are linked at a center portion. This linked portion at the center portion acts as an engagement portion  38  engaged with the shield cover  51  described later. 
     A protruding portion  39  and groove portions  40  are formed on the side surface side of the higher stage portion  35   b . The protruding portion  39  and the groove portions  40  are used along with the flange portion  45  when attached to a housing making up the device. Therefore, the protruding portion  39 , the groove portions  40 , and the flange portion  45  are formed in accordance with an attaching portion etc., formed on the housing of the device. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 3B , a closing portion  46  closing the projection port  22  of the shell  16  is formed on the side of the housing  32  opposite to the insertion port  21  in the shell  16 . The contact supporting portion  47  is formed from the closing portion  46  into the shell  16 . The contact supporting portion  47  is formed on the reinforcing member  25  and the contacts  12  are disposed on the upper side across the contact supporting portion  47 . Separating portions  47   a  separating each of the contacts  12  are formed on the contact  12  side of the contact supporting portion  47  (see  FIGS. 3A and 4A ). 
     The contact supporting portion  47  is provided with contact exposing portions  48  exposing the contacts  12  such that the upper sides of the contacts  12  can be connected to the counterpart contacts of the counterpart connector. A tip portion  47   b  of the contact supporting portion  47  is formed to cover the tip sides of the connecting portions  14  of the contacts  12 . The tip sides of the tip portion  47   b  and the separating portions  47   a  of the contact supporting portion  47  have a taper formed to facilitate insertion of the counterpart contacts. The tip side of the contact supporting portion  47  and the tip sides of the separating portions  47   a  are formed on the front standing portion  27   a  of the reinforcing member  25  disposed on the underside. The separating portions  47   a  are also formed on the first side standing portion  29   a  and the second side standing portion  30   a  of the reinforcing member  25 . 
     When the contact supporting portion  47  and the reinforcing member  25  are integrated, the reinforcing member  25  reinforces the strength of the contact supporting portion  47  to restrain the contacts from bending or deforming even when the contacts are pressed at the time of connection with the counterpart connectors so that the contact pressure of the contacts can be retained. 
     The waterproof member  50  of the first embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 1 . The waterproof member  50  of the first embodiment is formed integrally with the outer circumferential exposure portion  24  disposed on the shell  16  by insert molding of an elastic material. Therefore, the waterproof member  50  of the first embodiment is formed by first forming an insert molded body and then placing this insert molded body in an insert molding machine to insert-mold the waterproof member  50 . 
     The waterproof member  50  is formed into an annular shape surrounding the outer circumferential exposure portion  24  of the shell  16  and is formed into substantially the same size as that of the front surface portion  33  of the housing  32 . When attached to the housing of the device, the waterproof member  50  fits between the housing and the waterproof connector  10  and deforms to fill a gap so that the infiltration of water etc. can be prevented. 
     Therefore, the elastic material of the waterproof member  50  is preferably an elastically deformable material capable of closely adhering to the metal shell and particularly preferably silicone rubber. Although convexes and concaves are formed on an outer circumferential portion  50   a  of the waterproof member  50  depicted in  FIG. 1B  to increase adhesiveness, this is not a limitation and the outer circumferential portion  50   a  may not be provided with convexes and concaves given that adhesiveness is acquired, or may be formed into another shape. 
     The shield cover  51  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1A, 1B and 9A to 9E . The shield cover  51  is formed by bending a metal plate. The shield cover  51  is formed into a size partially covering the housing  32  and is made up of an upper surface plate portion  52  covering the upper surface portion  41  of the housing  32 , a back surface plate portion  53  covering the back surface portion  34  of the housing  32 , and a first side surface plate portion  54  and a second side surface plate portion  55  covering the first side surface portion  35  and the second side surface portion  36 , respectively, of the housing  32 . The shield cover  51  is opened in portions corresponding to the front surface portion  33  and the bottom surface portion  42  of the housing  32  and is inserted and mounted on the housing  32  through these portions. 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 9A and 9B , the upper surface plate portion  52  of the shield cover  51  is formed into a size such that the upper surface portion  41  except the flange portion  45  of the housing  32  is covered. The upper surface plate portion  52  is provided with two open holes  52   a  and the open holes  52   a  are provided with conductive pieces  52   b  formed integrally with the upper surface plate portion  52 . The conductive pieces  52   b  are brought into contact with the first extending portions  17   a  on the upper surface of the shell  16  through the opening portion  41   a  of the housing  32  of the insert molded body. 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 9A, 9D, and 9E , the back surface plate portion  53  of the shield cover  51  has a center portion formed into a size covering the back surface portion  34  of the housing  32  and into substantially the same height as that of the partition wall portions  43  of the back surface portion  34  of the housing  32 . This height is formed such that when the waterproof connector  10  is pressed by the substrate and the partition wall portions  43  are placed, a slight gap is made between the substrate and the back surface plate portion  53 . 
     A pair of cover terminals  53   a  brought into contact with the substrate is formed in the both end portions of the back surface plate portion  53 . The cover terminals  53   a  are brought into contact with the substrate to be conductive so that static electricity charged in the shield cover  51  can be released. The shield cover  51  is brought into contact with the shell  16  through the conductive pieces  52   b  so that static electricity charged in the shell  16  can also be released. The same effect can be acquired for the reinforcing member  25  by bringing the reinforcing member  25  and the shield cover  51  into contact with each other. Portions of the cover terminals  53   a  coming into contact with the substrate are formed into curved surfaces to enable smooth contact. 
     The first side surface plate portion  54  and the second side surface plate portion  55  of the shield cover  51  will be described. The first side surface plate portion  54  and the second side surface plate portion  55  are the same except that the shapes are symmetrical and, therefore, the first side surface plate portion  54  will representatively be described. As depicted in  FIGS. 9A and 9D , the first side surface plate portion  54  is formed into a size covering the first side surface portion  35  except the flange portion  45  of the housing  32 . The first side surface plate portion  54  is provided with an engagement groove  54   a  engaged with the engagement portion  38  formed in the higher stage portion  35   b  of the first side surface portion  35  of the housing  32 . 
     A convex portion  54   b  is formed in the engagement groove  54   a  and the convex portion  54   b  can fit into the engagement portion  38  to retain the shield cover  51 . The first side surface plate portion  54  is provided with a locking piece  54   c  locked by the locking projection  34   a  formed on the back surface portion  34  of the housing  32  such that the locking piece  54   c  is bent toward the inside of the shield cover  51  (see  FIG. 9C ) and the shield cover  51  can be restrained from rocking and can be positioned and fixed by locking the locking projection  34   a  and the locking piece  54   c.    
     Such a configuration enables the waterproof connector of the first embodiment to have a portion forming the waterproof member formed thinner and, therefore, the waterproof connector can be downsized. 
     A manufacturing method of the waterproof connector  10  of the first embodiment will be described. First, the insert molded body  11  making up the waterproof connector  10  of the first embodiment is formed. When the insert molded body  11  is formed, a plurality of the contacts  12 , the shell  16 , and the reinforcing member  25  separately formed in advance are placed in an insert molding machine (see  FIG. 10A ). The metal mold  56  for forming the housing  32  is then placed and a resin material is injected into a hollow portion  32 ′ of the insert molding machine to form the housing  32 , thereby forming the insert molded body  11  with the contacts  12 , the shell  16 , and the reinforcing member  25  integrated. The contacts  12 , the shell  16 , and the reinforcing member  25  are formed by punching work, bending work, pressing work, etc., of metal plates. 
     The waterproof portion  49  is then formed. The waterproof portion  49  is formed integrally with the outer circumferential exposure portion  24  of the shell  16  of the insert molded body  11  by insert molding of the waterproof member  50 . In this manufacturing method, first, the preliminarily formed insert molded body  11  is disposed in an insert molding machine in which a metal mold  57  for molding the waterproof member  50  is placed (see  FIG. 10B ). An elastic material is then injected into a hollow portion  50 ′ of the insert molding machine to form the waterproof member  50  integrally with the outer circumferential exposure portion  24  of the shell  16  of the insert molded body  11 . The elastic material forming the waterproof member is preferably a material easily adhering to the metal shell and particularly preferably silicon rubber. 
     The preliminarily formed shield cover  51  is attached to the housing  32  of the insert molded body  11  with the waterproof member  50  formed. When the shield cover  51  is attached, the shield cover  51  is fitted from the back surface portion  34  side of the housing  32  of the insert molded body  11  to engage the engagement portions  38  formed in the first and second side surface portions  35  and  36  of the housing  32  with the engagement groove  54   a  formed in the shield cover  51 . The locking projection  34   a  on the back surface portion  34  of the housing  32  is locked with the locking piece  54   c  of the shield cover  51 . This brings the conductive pieces  52   b  of the shield cover  51  into contact with the first extending portions  17   a  of the shell  16 . As a result, the waterproof connector  10  of the first embodiment is completed (see  FIG. 1A ). 
     According to the manufacturing method of the water proof connector of the first embodiment, the waterproof member is formed by insert molding as described above and, therefore, the small-sized waterproof connector can easily be manufactured. 
     Second Embodiment 
     The waterproof connector  10  of the first embodiment has been described as the configuration having the waterproof member  50  formed by insert molding as the waterproof portion  49 . A waterproof connector  10 A of a second embodiment will be described as a configuration having a separately formed waterproof component  50 A attached as a waterproof portion  49 A. Since the waterproof connector  10 A of the second embodiment is only different in configuration of the waterproof portion  49 A from the waterproof connector  10  of the first embodiment, the other common constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 11 , the waterproof connector  10 A of the second embodiment is made up of the insert molded body  11  made up of a plurality of the contacts  12 , the shell  16 , the reinforcing member  25 , and the housing  32 , the waterproof component  50 A attached to the insert molded body  11 , and the shield cover  51 . The configuration of the insert molded body  11  and the shield cover  51  is common with that of the first embodiment and therefore will not be described. 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 1A and 11 , the waterproof component  50 A of the second embodiment is an annular body made of an elastic material having an attachment port  50 Aa to which the outer circumferential exposure portion  24  of the shell  16  is inserted and attached in the center. The width of the waterproof component  50 A is formed as a width covering the outer circumferential exposure portion  24  when attached to the outer circumferential exposure portion  24  of the shell  16 . The thickness of the waterproof component  50 A is formed as substantially the same thickness as that of the front surface portion  33  of the housing  32  of the insert molded body  11 . The attachment port  50 Aa is formed into substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the outer circumferential exposure portion  24  so that the waterproof component  50 A can be attached to the outer circumferential exposure portion  24  of the shell  16 . 
     As depicted in  FIG. 11 , the attachment port  50 Aa has concaves  50 Ab formed to be fit to the concave portions  18   a  formed in the bottom surface  18  of the shell  16 . The inner circumference of the attachment port  50 Aa is formed slightly smaller than the outer circumferential exposure portion  24  and can be attached in a closely adhering manner by fitting to the outer circumferential exposure portion  24 . This attachment can be implemented not only by fitting but also by using an adhesive as needed. 
     With such a configuration, according to the waterproof connector of the second embodiment, the small-sized waterproof connector can easily be manufactured by attaching the waterproof component separately formed from an elastic material. 
     A manufacturing method of the waterproof connector  10 A of the second embodiment will be described. First, the insert molded body  11  making up the waterproof connector  10 A of the second embodiment is formed. The formation of the insert molded body  11  is the same as the first embodiment and therefore will not be described in detail. 
     The separately formed waterproof component  50 A is attached to the outer circumferential exposure portion  24  of the shell  16  of the insert molded body  11 . This attachment is achieved by fitting the attachment port  50 Aa of the waterproof component  50 A to the outer circumferential exposure portion  24 . Since the attachment port  50 Aa of the waterproof component  50 A is formed slightly smaller than the outer circumferential exposure portion  24 , the waterproof component  50 A can be attached in a closely adhering manner to the outer circumferential exposure portion  24 . 
     The shield cover  51  is then attached to the housing  32  of the insert molded body  11 . The attachment of the shield cover  51  is the same as the first embodiment and therefore will not be described in detail. As a result, the manufacturing of waterproof connector of the second embodiment is completed. 
     According to the manufacturing method of the water proof connector of the second embodiment, the small-sized waterproof connector can easily be manufactured by attaching the waterproof component separately formed from an elastic material.