Patent Publication Number: US-11038303-B2

Title: Cable cover

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is based on, and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-048523, filed on Mar. 15, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The disclosure relates to a cable cover of a connector. 
     BACKGROUND 
     This kind of cable cover includes what is disclosed in JP 2004-127813 A. A cable cover in JP 2004-127813 A is attached to a rear surface side of a female housing of a waterproof connector, and is divided into two that are a main body cover and a lid cover and connected in an openable/closable manner by a hinge. 
     A pair of right and left holding boards is provided in a protruded manner in an attachment hole of the main body cover. When a pair of right and left protruded pieces of an attachment wall of the female housing is fitted into fitting grooves respectively provided in the holding boards, the main body cover is temporarily held by the female housing. Then, the lid cover is folded back at the hinge toward an upper surface of the main body cover, and a lock protrusion portion of the main body cover is fitted into a lock hole in a lock piece of the lid cover, whereby the main body cover and the lid cover are locked in a combined state. 
     SUMMARY 
     However, in the cable cover of JP 2004-127813 A, the hinge is formed with the same thickness in an entire region. Thus, there is a possibility that the hinge is bent in a part close to a root of the hinge instead of being bent in a central part of the hinge when being bent, and there is a possibility that it becomes difficult to assemble a main body cover and a lid cover. 
     Thus, the disclosure is provided to solve the above-described problem and is to provide a cable cover with which a hinge is more easily bent in assembling to a housing and assembling to the housing is easily performed. 
     A cable cover according to an embodiment is a cable cover that is attached to a side of a rear surface of a housing of a connector and that is to cover a cable pulled out from the rear surface of the housing, and includes: a main body cover mounted to the side of the rear surface of the housing; a lid cover that is combined with the main body cover into a tubular shape and covers the cable; and a hinge which couples the main body cover and the lid cover and in which a central portion is formed thinner than a root portion of the main body cover and a root portion of the lid cover. 
     With the cable cover according to the embodiment, the hinge can be easily bent when the cable cover is assembled to the housing, and the cable cover can be easily assembled to the housing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a cable cover according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a main body cover of the cable cover according to the embodiment is attached to a connector. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view illustrating a state in which the main body cover of the cable cover according to the embodiment is attached to the connector. 
         FIG. 4A  is an enlarged front view of a hinge that connects the main body cover and a lid cover of the cable cover according to the embodiment. 
         FIG. 4B  is an enlarged front view of a hinge of a modification example of the embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view illustrating a state in which the cable cover according to the embodiment is attached to the connector. 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view along a line X-X in  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Various embodiments will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 3, and 6 , a cable cover  10  according to an embodiment is attached to a side of a rear surface  21   a  of a female housing (housing)  21  of a female connector (connector)  20 , and covers a cable  30  pulled out from the rear surface  21   a . The cable cover  10  includes a main body cover  11  made of a synthetic resin and having a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, a lid cover  14  made of a synthetic resin and having a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and a hinge  18  made of a synthetic resin and coupling the main body cover  11  and the lid cover  14 . The main body cover  11  is attached to recessed cover locking grooves  22  each provided on respective side surfaces  21   b  of the female housing  21 . The lid cover  14  is attached to a cover attachment protrusion  23  provided on a lower surface  21   c  of the female housing  21  in a state of being combined with the main body cover  11  into a tubular shape, and covers a front end side of a corrugated tube  32  through which the cables  30  penetrate. 
     A pair of attachment portions  12  is integrally formed on a front side of the main body cover  11  in such a manner as to be vertically extend in parallel. On an inner side of each of the attachment portions  12 , a housing locking protrusion  12   a  formed in a protruded shaped is provided as a housing locking portion fitted into a corresponding cover locking groove  22 . On an inner surface of the main body cover  11 , a recessed portion (not illustrated) locked to a bellows-like protruded portion  32   a  of the corrugated tube  32  is provided. A lock hole  13  is provided at an end portion, on an opposite side of the hinge  18 , of the main body cover  11 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , on a front side of an inner surface of the lid cover  14 , a recessed housing attachment groove  15  is provided as a housing attachment portion into which the cover attachment protrusion  23  of the female housing  21  is fitted. Also, a recessed portion (not illustrated) locked to the bellows-like protruded portion  32   a  of the corrugated tube  32  is provided on the inner surface of the lid cover  14 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a lock protrusion portion  16  locked into the lock hole  13  is provided at an end portion, on an opposite side of the hinge  18 , of the lid cover  14 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 6 , a protrusion portion  17   a  of a lock arm  17  locked to the lock protrusion portion  13   a  of the main body cover  11  is provided at an end portion, on a side of the hinge  18 , of the lid cover  14 . When the main body cover  11  and the lid cover  14  are combined into a tubular shape, a step portion  15   b  formed in a front portion on an outer side of the lid cover  14  is fitted into a notch portion  12   b  formed on a side of a lower end of the attachment portion  12  on an outer side of the main body cover  11 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the hinge  18  is integrally formed at facing end portions of the main body cover  11  and the lid cover  14 . Also, the hinge  18  has a central portion  18   b  formed thinner than a root portion  18   a  of the main body cover  11  and a root portion  18   a  of the lid cover  14 , and is formed in an arc surface shape curved upward as a whole. That is, in the hinge  18 , the central portion  18   b  is curved in a bending direction of combining the main body cover  11  and the lid cover  14 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the recessed cover locking groove  22  as a cover locking portion is formed on a rear end side of each of the side surfaces  21   b  of the female housing  21 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the cover attachment protrusion  23  as a cover attachment portion is provided at a rear end of the lower surface  21   c  of the female housing  21 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2, 5, and 6 , the female housing  21  includes two terminal housing chambers (not illustrated) in which female terminals (terminal)  31  connected to the cables  30  are housed. Also, at a center of the female housing  21 , a hood portion  24  having an opened front surface side and upper surface side into which a male housing (not illustrated) of a male connector (not illustrated) on an opposite side is fitted, and a tubular cap (sub-housing)  25  that is fitted into a front side and that has a terminal insertion hole  25   a , into which a male terminal (not illustrated) on an opposite side is inserted, and a lance  25   b  to lock the female terminal  31  are provided. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , a lock arm  26  to lock a fitted state with respect to a male connector on the opposite side is provided in the hood portion  24  on a ceiling surface side of the female housing  21 . An operation end  26   a  of the lock arm  26  is provided on a rear side of the upper surface opening of the hood portion  24 . 
     With the cable cover  10  according to the embodiment, the hinge  18  that couples the main body cover  11  and the lid cover  14  is not straight but is in an arc manner, whereby a thin part of the central portion  18   b  of the hinge  18  is bent when the lid cover  14  is rotated, closed, and assembled with respect to the main body cover  11 . Thus, assembly of the main body cover  11  and the lid cover  14  becomes easy. Also, since the hinge  18  is thinned from the root portion  18   a  of the main body cover  11  and the root portion  18   a  of the lid cover  14  toward the central portion  18   b , bending becomes easier and assembly of the cable cover  10  is improved. 
       FIG. 4B  is an enlarged front view of a hinge  18 ′ that is a modification example of the embodiment and that couples a main body cover  11  and a lid cover  14 . 
     In the hinge  18 ′ of the modification example of the embodiment, a central portion  18   b  is formed thinner than a root portion  18   a  of the main body cover  11  and a root portion  18   a  of the lid cover  14 . Moreover, in the hinge  18 ′, an inner surface of the central portion  18   b  on an inner peripheral side in a bending direction of combining the main body cover  11  and the lid cover  14  is formed as an arc surface  18   c , and an outer surface of the central portion  18   b  on an outer peripheral side is formed as a straight surface  18   d.    
     Similarly to the hinge  18  of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 4A , in the hinge  18 ′ of the modification example of the embodiment, the inner surface on the inner peripheral side in the bending direction of the central portion  18   b  is also the arc surface  18   c  curved upward. Thus, a function and an effect of the hinge  18 ′ of the modification example of the embodiment similar to those in a case of the hinge  18  of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 4A  are acquired. 
     While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.