Patent Publication Number: US-7210962-B2

Title: Waterproof connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to a waterproof connector. 
   2. Related Art 
   First, the term “forward direction”, used in the definition of a waterproof connector in this specification, means a direction of fitting of one connector to the other connector (In other words, a direction of connection of the one connector to the other connector), and the term “rearward direction” means a direction opposite to the connector fitting direction (that is, a connector disconnecting direction). Therefore, in the definition of the waterproof connector in this specification, the term “front” added to the beginning of each of terms for members, portions, regions, etc., means that these are disposed at the front side with respect to the fitting direction (that is, the connecting direction) of the waterproof connector, while the term “rear” added to the beginning of each of terms for members, portions, regions, etc., means that these are disposed at the rear side with respect to the fitting direction of the waterproof connector. 
   There is known one waterproof connector in which a waterproof mechanism is formed, using a thermoplastic synthetic resin (see, for example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication 2002-134220). 
   There is known another waterproof connector for electrical connection to a connector portion of an on-vehicle CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera (see, for example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication 2002-231375). 
   In the formation of the waterproof mechanism of the waterproof connector by the use of the thermoplastic synthetic resin such as a hot-melt adhesive, care must be taken so that the thermoplastic synthetic resin will not flow to reach electrical contact portions of connection terminals of the waterproof connector. It is difficult to form the waterproof mechanism by the thermoplastic synthetic resin while taking this care. 
   Generally, in the formation of a waterproof mechanism of a waterproof connector by the use of a thermoplastic synthetic resin such as a hot-melt adhesive, wires (or a cable), extending from a rear side of an outer housing of the waterproof connector, are covered, together with the rear end portion of the outer housing, with the thermoplastic synthetic resin. A synthetic resin, forming the outer housing, does not always have a strong affinity for the thermoplastic synthetic resin such as a hot-melt adhesive. There is a possibility that when a stress acts on the wires after the molding, the portion of the molded outer casing, joined to the molded thermoplastic synthetic resin, is separated therefrom, so that a gap is formed in this joint portion, thus lowering the waterproof performance. Therefore, as a countermeasure for preventing the lowering of the waterproof performance, the waterproof mechanism is, in some cases, formed, using a large amount of thermoplastic synthetic resin. 
   However, the waterproof connector tends to become relatively large in size because of the provision of the waterproof mechanism, and when the waterproof connector is to be installed in some place, the waterproof connector is required to have a small (short) rearwardly-projecting length. For example, an on-vehicle CCD camera (hereinafter referred to merely as “CCD camera”) is installed within a side mirror of a vehicle, and in addition to many parts including a mirror, a mechanism for adjusting the angle of this mirror and an electric motor for driving this mechanism, the CCD camera must be received within a limited internal space of the side mirror, and therefore a space, available at the rear side of the CCD camera for the installation of the waterproof connector therein is narrow. Therefore, the waterproof connector, having a large rearwardly-projecting length, can not be used for connection to the CCD camera. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the invention is to provide a waterproof connector having a structure by which in the formation of a waterproof mechanism by the use of a thermoplastic synthetic resin such as a hot-melt adhesive, the thermoplastic synthetic resin is prevented from flowing to reach electrical contact portions of connection terminals, and therefore a rearwardly-projecting length of the waterproof connector can be made small. 
   The above object has been achieved by a waterproof connector having features recited in the following Paragraphs. 
   A waterproof connector wherein the waterproof connector receives connection terminals connected respectively to one ends of wires, and can be fitted to a mating connector to be electrically connected thereto; and the waterproof connector comprises: 
   an outer housing; 
   an inner housing which is provided within the outer housing, and holds the connection terminals; and 
   a waterproof mechanism which is made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin, and forms a liquid-tight seal between the wires, the outer housing and the inner housing; and 
   the inner housing includes: 
   a body portion having contact portion insertion holes which respectively receive electrical contact portions of the connection terminals which can be electrically connected respectively to connection terminals of the mating connector; and 
   a receiving portion having wire press-fitting portion receiving holes which respectively receive wire press-fitting portions of the connection terminals which are press-fastened respectively to the one ends of the wires; and 
   the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes are formed in the receiving portion in such a manner that the receiving portion is held in intimate contact with at least one of an outer peripheral surface of the wire press-fitting portion of each connection terminal and an outer peripheral surface of the associated wire. 
   In the waterproof connector described above, the receiving portion includes: 
   a vertical wall which is formed on the body portion, and extends upwardly therefrom in a direction of extending of the contact portion insertion holes, part of each of the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes being formed in the vertical wall; and 
   at least one opening/closing member in which other part of each of the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes is formed, the opening/closing member being engaged with the vertical wall to form the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes between the opening/closing member and the vertical wall; and 
   at least one of the outer peripheral surface of the wire press-fitting portion of each connection terminal and the outer peripheral surface of the associated wire is held between the vertical wall and the opening/closing member. 
   In the waterproof connector described above, at least one of the wire press-fitting portion of each connection terminal and that portion of the associated wire, disposed adjacent to this wire press-fitting portion, is received in the corresponding wire press-fitting portion receiving hole, with the outer peripheral surface thereof held in intimate contact with the receiving portion. Therefore, the wire press-fitting portion of the connection terminal and/or the one end portion of the wire are disposed in the wire press-fitting portion receiving hole (formed in the inner housing) in closely-contacted relation to the inner peripheral surface of this hole. In this condition, the waterproof mechanism is formed, and therefore when the thermoplastic synthetic resin is supplied from the rear side of the connector so as to form a liquid-tight seal between the wires, the outer housing and the inner housing, the thermoplastic synthetic resin will not flow to reach the electrical contact portions of the connection terminals. Therefore, the thermoplastic synthetic resin can be supplied to all of the important portions within the waterproof connector, and therefore this construction can provide a sufficient strength to prevent the separation of the waterproof mechanism (the cured thermoplastic synthetic resin) even upon application of a stress on the wires. Therefore, the waterproof connector can be formed into a compact size, and particularly the rearwardly-projecting length of the outer housing can be reduced. Therefore, the waterproof connector of the invention is suitably used as a waterproof connector for connection, for example, to a CCD camera contained in a side mirror of a vehicle. 
   In the waterproof connector described above, after the electrical contact portion of each connection terminal is inserted into the contact portion insertion hole in the body portion of the inner housing, the opening/closing member of the receiving portion of the inner housing is engaged with the vertical wall, thereby forming the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes. At this time, at least one of the wire press-fitting portion of each connection terminal and that portion of the associated wire, disposed adjacent to this wire press-fitting portion, is received in the corresponding wire press-fitting portion receiving hole, with the outer peripheral surface thereof held between the vertical wall and the opening/closing member. Therefore, the wire press-fitting portion of the connection terminal and/or the one end portion of the wire are disposed in the wire press-fitting portion receiving hole (formed in the inner housing) in closely-contacted relation to the inner peripheral surface of this hole. Thus, the connection terminals can be easily received within the inner housing, and despite this the thermoplastic synthetic resin can be prevented from flowing to reach the electrical contact portions of the connection terminals. In view of enhanced handleability and a reduced number of the component parts, preferably, the opening/closing member is formed integrally with the vertical wall via a hinge as in one preferred embodiment of a waterproof connector of the invention described later. However, the opening/closing member can be separate from the vertical wall. 
   In the waterproof connector of the present invention, when forming the waterproof mechanism by the use of the thermoplastic synthetic resin such as a hot-melt adhesive, the thermoplastic synthetic resin is prevented from flowing to reach the electrical contact portions of the connection terminals, and therefore the rearwardly-projecting length of the waterproof connector can be made small. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a waterproof connector of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line II—II of  FIG. 1 , showing the waterproof connector and a mating connector. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an outer housing in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 4  is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line IV—IV of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an inner housing in  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 6  is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line VI—VI of  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a connection terminal in  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 8  is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII—VIII of  FIG. 7 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, the invention is applied to a waterproof connector for electrical connection to a CCD camera contained in a side mirror of a vehicle or the like, and one preferred embodiment of the waterproof connector of the invention will be described. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 8 , the waterproof connector  100  of the invention receives female connection terminals  17  fixedly secured to one end portions of wires (of a cable)  21 , and is fitted to the mating connector  150  to be electrically connected thereto. This waterproof connector  100  comprises the outer housing  11 , the inner housing  13  which is provided within the outer housing  11 , and holds the connection terminals  17 , and a waterproof mechanism  15  which is made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin, and forms a liquid-tight seal between the wires  21 , the outer housing  11  and the inner housing  13 . The waterproof mechanism  15  is formed by a cured hot-melt adhesive. 
   The inner housing  13  includes a body portion  13   a  having contact portion insertion holes  13   e  for respectively receiving electrical contact portions  17   a  of connection terminals  17  which can be electrically connected respectively to mating male connection terminals  51  of the mating connector  150 , and an opening/closing receiving portion  13   b  having wire press-fitting portion receiving holes  13   r  for respectively receiving wire press-fitting portions  17   b  of the connection terminals  17  press-fastened respectively to the one end portions of the wires  21 . The wire press-fitting portion receiving holes  13   r  are so formed that the opening/closing receiving portion  13   b  can be held in intimate contact with at least one of an outer peripheral surface of the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  of each connection terminal  17  and an outer peripheral surface of that portion of the associated wire  21  disposed adjacent to this wire press-fitting portion  17   b.    
   The opening/closing receiving portion  13   b  includes a vertical wall  13   d  which is formed on the body portion  13   a , and extends upwardly therefrom in a direction of extending of the contact portion insertion holes  13   e . Part (More specifically, that portion defined by a semi-circular groove  13   n ) of each of the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes  13   r  is formed in this vertical wall  13   d . The opening/closing receiving portion  13   b  further includes a pair of opening/closing members  13   c  and  13   c  (The number of the opening/closing members  13   c  may be one) each of which has other part (More specifically, that portion defined by a semi-circular groove  13   m ) of each of the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes  13   r  formed therein. Each of the opening/closing members  13   c  and  13   c  can be engaged with the vertical wall  13   d  so as to form the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes  13   r  between the opening/closing member  13   c  and the vertical wall  13   d . The vertical wall  13   d  and each opening/closing member  13   c  hold at least one of the outer peripheral surfaces of the wire press-fitting portions  17   b  of the corresponding connection terminals  17  and the outer peripheral surfaces of those portions of the associated wires  21 , disposed adjacent respectively to these wire press-fitting portions  17   b , therebetween. 
   Details of the waterproof connector  100  of this construction will be described below. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the waterproof connector  100  of the invention is a female-type connector which can be fitted on the mating connector  150  of the male type to be electrically connected thereto. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 4 , the outer housing  11  is a generally hollow cylindrical member made of a synthetic resin. An elastic engagement arm  11   b  is formed on an outer peripheral wall  11   a  of the outer housing  11 . The engagement arm  11   b  includes a pair of parallel arm portions  11   d  which are integrally connected at their one ends to a rear end portion  11   c  of the outer housing  11 , and extend forwardly along the axis of the outer housing  11 , and an interconnecting portion  11   e  interconnecting front ends of the two arm portions  11   d . An engagement portion  57   a  on the mating connector  150  can be retainingly engaged with an end surface  11   f  of the interconnecting portion  11   e . A ring-like groove  11   g  is formed in an inner surface of the rear end portion  11   c . The inner housing  13 , shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , is molded of a synthetic resin similar to the synthetic resin forming the outer housing  11 . 
   The body potion  13   a  of the inner housing  13  has a generally cylindrical shape, and a flange  13   t  is formed on this body portion  13   a . The plurality of (four in the embodiment of  FIG. 5 ) contact portion insertion holes  13   e  are formed in the body portion  13   a , and are arranged at predetermined intervals in parallel relation to one another. The contact portion insertion holes  13   e  are provided for respectively receiving the electrical contact portions  17   a  of the connection terminals  17  therein, and the electrical contact portions  17   a  are disposed in these contact portion insertion holes  13   e , respectively. 
   A square hole  13   i  with a closed bottom is formed at a rear end of each contact portion insertion hole  13   e , and is continuous with the contact portion insertion hole  13   e . A front wall  13   g  is formed at a front end of the contact portion insertion hole  13   e , and a terminal insertion hole  13   f  is formed through the front wall  13   g  in coaxial relation to the contact portion insertion hole  13   e . A terminal inserting-side peripheral edge (that is, a front-side peripheral edge) of each terminal insertion hole  13   f  is chamfered as at  13   h  so that the mating male terminal  51  (see  FIG. 2 ) can be easily inserted into the terminal insertion hole  13   f.    
   The opening/closing receiving portion  13   b  includes the vertical wall  13   d  extending upwardly from the body portion  13   a  in the axial direction, and the pair of opening/closing members  13   c  and  13  openably/closably connected to one end of the vertical wall  13   d  by respective hinges  13   j  and  13   j . The cross-sectionally semi-circular grooves  13   n , each defining part of a respective one of the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes  13   r , are formed in opposite sides (side surfaces)  13   k  of the vertical wall  13   d , and extend continuously from the respective contact portion insertion holes  13   e  in the direction of extending of the contact portion insertion holes  13   e . A groove is formed in that end surface of the vertical wall  13   d  remote from the hinges  13   j , and is disposed in a central portion of this surface in the circumferential direction, and extends in the axial direction. Elongate projections  13   p  are formed respectively at opposite sides of this groove (that is, formed respectively at axially-extending corner portions of the vertical wall  13   d ). The elongate projections  13   p  serve as engagement portions, and can be engaged respectively with retaining portions  13   q  (formed respectively on the opening/closing members  13   c ) to hold the opening/closing members  13  in their closed condition. 
   Each opening/closing member  13   c  has a generally semi-circular cross-section, and is connected to the one end of the vertical wall  13   d  by the hinge  13   j , and the cross-sectionally semi-circular grooves  13   m  (corresponding respectively to the associated semi-circular grooves  13   n ), each defining the other part of a respectively one of the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes  13   r , are formed in a flat surface of the opening/closing member  13 . When each opening/closing member  13  is pivotally moved about the hinge  13   j  into the closed position, the flat surface of the opening/closing member  13   c  is brought into abutting engagement with the side surface  13   k  of the vertical wall  13   d , so that the semi-circular grooves  13   n  in the vertical wall  13   d  cooperate respectively with the semi-circular grooves  13   m  in the opening/closing member  13   c  to form the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes  13   r  of a circular cross-section. The inner diameter of the wire press-fitting portion receiving hole  13   r  is equal to or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of wire press-fitting portion  17   b  of the connection terminal  17  and the outer diameter of the wire  21 . Therefore, when the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  is inserted into the wire press-fitting portion receiving hole  13   r , the outer peripheral surface of the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  and the outer peripheral surface of that portion of the associated wire  21 , disposed adjacent to this wire press-fitting portion  17   b , are held in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the opening/closing receiving portion  13   b  (which defines the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes  13   r ) (that is, held in close contact with the surfaces of the corresponding semi-circular grooves  13   n  and  13   m ). Each wire press-fitting portion receiving hole  13   r  can be so formed that the outer peripheral surface of the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  or the outer peripheral surface of that portion of the associated wire  21 , disposed adjacent to this wire press-fitting portion  17   b , can be held in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the opening/closing receiving portion  13   b  which defines the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes  13   r.    
   The retaining portion  13   q  is formed at the distal end of each opening/closing member  13   c  remote from the hinge  13   j . The retaining portion  13   q  includes an arm portion extending from the distal end of the opening/closing member  13   c  (remote from the hinge  13   j ) in the circumferential direction, and a projection portion  13   s  formed on and projecting radially inwardly from a distal end of this arm portion. The projection portion  13   s  of the retaining portion  13   q  is engaged with the elongate projection  13   p  formed on the vertical wall  13   d , thereby holding the opening/closing member  13   c  in the closed condition. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the connection terminal  17  is formed by pressing a metal sheet with a thickness, for example, of about 0.2 mm into the predetermined shape. A plating treatment, such as copper undercoat plating or reflow tinning, is applied to the surface of the connection terminal if necessary. The connection terminal  17  includes the electrical contact portion  17   a  for electrical connection to the mating connection terminal  51 , and the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  for being press-fastened to a conductor  21   b  of the wire  21  covered with a sheath  21   a . The wire press-fitting portion  17   b  is formed into a generally U-shape, and the conductor  21   b  is placed on this U-shaped wire press-fitting portion  17   b , and then the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  is press-deformed into a generally cross-sectionally circular shape to be fastened to the conductor  21   b , and therefore is electrically connected to the conductor  21   b  (see  FIG. 2 ). A portion of the connector terminal  17  is stamped out and raised to form a lance portion  17   c.    
   For forming the waterproof mechanism  15 , first, the outer housing  11  and the inner housing  13  are introduced into a mold (not shown), and are held respectively in predetermined positions within the mold, and then a hot-melt adhesive is poured into the interior of the mold, and is filled in gaps between the outer housing  11 , the inner housing  13  and the wires (cable)  21 , and is cured to form the waterproof mechanism  15  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The outer housing  11 , the inner housing  13  and the wires  21  are integrally connected together by the cured hot-melt adhesive. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , in order to reduce the length of projecting of the cable (comprising the wires  21 ) from the rear side of the outer housing  11  in the axial direction, the cable (comprising the wires  21 ) is bent into a generally L-shape, and the hot-melt adhesive is molded on this L-shaped portion of the cable. 
   Next, the procedure of assembling the waterproof connector  100  will be described. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the sheath  21   a  is removed from the end portion of each wire  21  over a predetermined length to expose the conductor  21   b , and the exposed conductor  21   b  is placed on the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  of the connection terminal  17 , and the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  is press-deformed, thereby electrically connecting the wire  21  and the connection terminal  17  together. 
   The electrical contact portion  17   a  of each connection terminal  17  is inserted into the contact portion insertion hole  13   e  in the inner housing  13 , and is received therein. At this time, the lance portion  17   c  of the connection terminal  17  is received in the bottom-closed square hole  13   i , thereby positioning the connection terminal  17  with respect to a direction of rotation of this connection terminal  17  about its axis (see  FIG. 5 ). At the same time, also, a generally half of the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  of the connection terminal is received in the semi-circular groove  13   n  formed in the vertical wall  13   d.    
   Then, each opening/closing member  13   c  is pivotally moved about the hinge  13   j  into the closed position, so that the flat surface of the opening/closing member  13   c  is brought into abutting engagement with the side surface  13   k  of the vertical wall  13   d , and also the projection portion  13   s  of the retaining portion  13   q  is engaged with the elongate projection  13   p  formed on the vertical wall  13   d . As a result, each semi-circular groove  13   n  in the vertical wall  13   d  and the corresponding semi-circular groove  13   m  in the opening/closing member  13   c  jointly form the wire press-fitting portion receiving hole  13   r , so that the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  and the wire  21  are received in the wire press-fitting portion receiving hole  13   r  in closely-contacted relation to the surface of this hole  13   r.    
   The inner diameter of the wire press-fitting portion receiving hole  13   r  is equal to or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  and the outer diameter of the wire  21 , and therefore the outer peripheral surface of the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  and the outer peripheral surface of that portion of the wire  21 , disposed adjacent to this wire press-fitting portion  17   b , are held in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the opening/closing receiving portion  13   b  which defines the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes  13   r . The open side of the bottom-closed square hole  13   i , having the lance portion  17   c  received therein, is closed by the end surface of the opening/closing member  13   c , and therefore the connection terminal  17  is prevented from being withdrawn rearwardly from the inner housing  13 , so that the connection terminal  17  is positively held within the inner housing  13 . 
   Then, the outer housing  11  and the inner housing  13 , having the connection terminals  17  inserted therein, are held respectively in the predetermined positions within the mold (not shown), and in this condition the hot-melt adhesive is supplied into the mold from the rear side of the outer housing  11 . 
   As a result, the hot-melt adhesive is filled in all of the gaps disposed rearwardly of the flange  13   t  of the inner housing  13  provided within the outer housing  11 , and also covers part of the cable (comprising the wires  21 ). The hot-melt adhesive is cured to form the waterproof mechanism  15  which integrally connects the outer housing  11 , the inner housing  13  and the cable (comprising the wires  21 ) together. Namely, the waterproof mechanism  15  is extended into the interior of the outer housing  11 , and covers the outer peripheries of the opening/closing members  13   c , and fixes the inner housing  13 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the mating connector  150  is, for example, the male connector formed integrally with a camera casing for receiving a CCD camera unit (not shown). This male connector  150  comprises a casing half portion  53 , a packing  53 , and a packing holder  57 . The casing half portion  53  is divided by a generally rectangular plate-like partition wall  53   a  (in which the mating connection terminals  51  are integrally molded) into an electrical parts chamber  59  and a packing chamber  61 . 
   The packing  55 , having annular lips  55   a  formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof, is mounted within the packing chamber  61 , and is supported by the packing holder  57 . The packing  55  forms a seal between the electrical parts chamber  59  and the packing chamber  61 . One end portions  51   a  of the mating connection terminals  51  project from the packing  55 . The CCD camera unit (not shown), electrically connected to the other ends of the mating connection terminals  51 , is received within the electrical parts chamber  59 . A lid  65  is fastened by screws to the casing half portion  53  through a sealing rubber member  63 . 
   The packing holder  57  of the mating connector  150  is fitted into the outer housing  11  of the waterproof connector  100 , and the one end portions  51   a  of the mating connection terminals  51  are inserted respectively into the electrical contact portions  17   a  of the connection terminals  17 , thereby electrically connecting the mating connection terminals  51  respectively to the connection terminals  17 . At this time, the annular lips  55   a  of the packing  55  are fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the inner housing  13 , and are held in intimate contact therewith. 
   In the waterproof connector  100  of the above construction, at least one of the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  of each connection terminal  17  and that portion of the associated wire  21 , disposed adjacent to this wire press-fitting portion  17   b , is received in the corresponding wire press-fitting portion receiving hole  13   r , with the outer peripheral surface thereof held in intimate contact with the opening/closing receiving portion  13   b . Therefore, the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  of the connection terminal  17   b  and/or the one end portion of the wire  21  are disposed in the wire press-fitting portion receiving hole  13   r  (formed in the inner housing  13 ) in closely-contacted relation to the inner peripheral surface of this hole  13   r . In this condition, the waterproof mechanism  15  is formed, and therefore when the hot-melt adhesive is supplied from the rear side of the connector so as to form a liquid-tight seal between the wires  21 , the outer housing  11  and the inner housing  13 , the hot-melt adhesive will not flow to reach the electrical contact portions  17   a  of the connection terminals  17 . Therefore, the hot-melt adhesive can be supplied to all of the important portions within the waterproof connector  100 , and therefore this construction can provide a sufficient strength to prevent the separation of the waterproof mechanism (the cured hot-melt adhesive) even upon application of a stress on the wires  21 . Therefore, the waterproof connector  100  can be formed into a compact size, and particularly the rearwardly-projecting length of the outer housing  11  can be reduced. Therefore, the waterproof connector  100  is suitably used as a waterproof connector for connection, for example, to the CCD camera contained in a side mirror of a vehicle. 
   In the waterproof connector  100  of the above construction, after the electrical contact portion  17   a  of each connection terminal  17  is inserted into the contact portion insertion hole  13   e  in the body portion  13   a  of the inner housing  13 , each opening/closing member  13   c  of the opening/closing receiving portion  13   b  of the inner housing  13  is closed, and is engaged with the vertical wall  13   d , thereby forming the wire press-fitting portion receiving holes  13   r . At this time, at least one of the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  of each connection terminal  17  and that portion of the associated wire  21 , disposed adjacent to this wire press-fitting portion  17   b , is received in the corresponding wire press-fitting portion receiving hole  13   r , with the outer peripheral surface thereof held between the vertical wall  13   d  and the opening/closing member  13   c . Therefore, the wire press-fitting portion  17   b  of the connection terminal  17   b  and/or the one end portion of the wire  21  are disposed in the wire press-fitting portion receiving hole  13   r  (formed in the inner housing  13 ) in closely-contacted relation to the inner peripheral surface of this hole  13   r . Thus, the connection terminals  17  can be easily received within the inner housing  13 , and despite this the hot-melt adhesive can be prevented from flowing to reach the electrical contact portions  17   a  of the connection terminals  17 . 
   Although the waterproof connector  100  is suited for use as a waterproof connector for connection, for example, to the CCD camera contained in a side mirror of a vehicle, the invention is not limited to such application, but can be applied to any other suitable equipment in the case where it is difficult to obtain a relative large space at the rear side of the waterproof connector. 
   The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and suitable modifications, improvements and so on can be made. The material, shape, dimensions, numerical values, form, number, disposition, etc., of each of the constituent elements of the above embodiment are arbitrary, and are not limited in so far as the invention can be achieved.