Title: Waterproof connector
Abstract: A waterproof connector includes a tubular outer housing which has an opening, an inner housing which is inserted into the tubular outer housing and is held in the tubular outer housing and a vessel portion. The inner housing includes a plurality of terminal receiving chambers, a plurality of connection terminals which are provided on the terminal receiving chambers respectively, and a plurality of wires which are respectively connected to the connection terminals, and extends in the terminal receiving chambers toward an outside through the opening. The vessel portion is formed by an inner circumference of end portion of the tubular outer housing at an opening side and an end face of the inner housing from which the wires are extended toward the outside. A sealing material is filled in the vessel portion for waterproofing the wires collectively.
Patent Number: 6,984,149 Issued on 01/10/2006 to Fukuda, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Fukuda; Masaru (Shizuoka, JP);
Tashiro; Harunori (Shizuoka, JP)
|
| Assignee:
|
Yazaki Corporation (Tokyo, JP)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
849303 |
| Filed:
|
May 20, 2004 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| May 21, 2003[JP] | P. 2003-143613 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
439/587; 439/936; 439/701 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
H01R 13/40 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
439/587-589,936,274,275,157,701,937
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 3816641 | Jun., 1974 | Iversen.
| |
| 4335932 | Jun., 1982 | Herrmann, Jr.
| |
| 6174201 | Jan., 2001 | Murakami et al.
| |
| 6231388 | May., 2001 | Murakami et al.
| |
| 6361341 | Mar., 2002 | Okayasu et al.
| |
| 6364703 | Apr., 2002 | Ito.
| |
| 6390848 | May., 2002 | Murakami et al.
| |
| 6398571 | Jun., 2002 | Nishide et al.
| |
| 6527586 | Mar., 2003 | Okamura et al.
| |
| 6638108 | Oct., 2003 | Tachi.
| |
| 6767250 | Jul., 2004 | Casses et al.
| |
| 6773278 | Aug., 2004 | Valasek et al.
| |
| 2002/0031934 | Mar., 2002 | Hara et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 7-312259 | Nov., 1995 | JP.
| |
| 2000/-150058 | May., 2000 | JP.
| |
| 2000/-357557 | Dec., 2000 | JP.
| |
Primary Examiner: Paumen; Gary
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A waterproof connector, comprising:
a tubular outer housing, which has a rear opening:
an inner housing, which is inserted into the tubular outer housing, and which
is held in the tubular outer housing through the rear opening, the inner housing
which includes:
a plurality of terminal receiving chambers;
a plurality of connection terminals which are provided in the terminal receiving
chambers respectively; and
a plurality of wires which are respectively connected to the connection terminals,
and extend in the terminal receiving chambers toward the outside through the rear opening;
a vessel portion, which is formed by an inner circumference of an end portion
of the tubular outer housing at the rear opening and an end face of the inner housing
from which the wires extend toward the outside; and
a sealing material, which is filled in the vessel portion for waterproofing the
wires collectively.
2. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein each of the connection
terminals is a press-contacting terminal which has a press-contacting blade electrically
connected to the corresponding wire by pressing the corresponding wire into the
press-contacting blade.
3. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the connection terminals
include a press-contacting terminal and a crimp-type terminal;
wherein the press-contacting terminals each have a press-contacting blade electrically
connected to the corresponding wire by pressing the corresponding wire into the
press-contacting blade; and
wherein the crimp-type terminal is press-fastened to a conductor of the corresponding
wire for electrically connection.
4. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the terminal receiving
chambers are arranged in parallel; and
wherein the inner housing is cut from a split type inner housing so that the
inner housing has a desired unit number of the terminal receiving chambers.
5. A method of assembling waterproof connector, comprising the steps of:
providing a tubular outer housing, which has a rear opening:
providing an inner housing, which includes:
a plurality of terminal receiving chambers;
a plurality of connection terminals which are provided in the terminal receiving
chambers respectively; and
a plurality of wires which are respectively connected to the connection terminals,
and extend in the terminal receiving chambers toward the outside;
inserting the inner housing into the tubular outer housing through the rear opening
so that the inner housing is held in the tubular outer housing
filing a sealing material in a vessel portion for waterproofing the wires collectively,
wherein the vessel portion is formed by an inner circumference of an end portion
of the tubular outer housing at the rear opening and an end face of the inner housing
from which the wires are extended toward the outside.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a waterproof connector, and more particularly to a
waterproof connector in which a plurality of inner housings, each receiving connection
terminals connected respectively to wires, are mounted in a stacked manner in an
outer housing, and thereafter a sealing material is filled in a sealing material-filling
vessel portion formed in a rear portion of the outer housing, thereby collectively
waterproofing the plurality of wires.
There are known various related waterproof connectors in which a sealing material
is filled in the connector to effect a waterproof treatment so that water or others
will not intrude into the connector. There is disclosed one such waterproof connector
in which a housing comprises a body having a terminal support portion on which
connection terminals are placed, and a lid. The connection terminals are placed
on the terminal support portion coated with butyl rubber, and the lid, coated with
butyl rubber, is put on the terminal support portion, thereby effecting the waterproofing
(see, for example, JP-A-7-312259 (pages 2 to 3, FIG. 1)).
In the waterproof connector disclosed in JP-A-7-312259, butyl rubber is coated
on the terminal support portion of the body having the connection terminal placed
thereon, and then the cover or the like is put on the terminal support portion,
thereby effecting the waterproofing. Therefore, it is difficult to form this connector
into a multi-pole design by stacking and arranging the connection terminals in
a multi-stage manner in an upward-downward direction, and therefore this connector
could not meet requirements for an automobile connector or the like to which a
large number of wires need to be connected.
As a waterproof connector solving the above problem, there has been proposed a
multi-pole connector in which a plurality of sub-connectors are received in respective
holders within a frame, and a collective-type rubber plug and a collective-type
rubber plug holder (which are common to the plurality of sub-connectors) are provided
at rear surfaces of the sub-connectors so as to effect a waterproof treatment (see,
for example, JP-A-2000-150058 (pages 3 to 5, FIG. 1)).
There is also disclosed a connector in which a connector housing comprises
inner housings each comprising a plurality of division inner units each having
terminal receiving chambers, a space for receiving the plurality of division inner
units in a stacked manner, and an outer housing for receiving the spacer. A rubber
plug is received in a rubber plug-receiving recess formed in the outer housing,
and wires are passed through the rubber plug, thereby waterproofing the wires (see,
for example, JP-A-2000-357557 (pages 5 to 7, FIG. 1), which correspond to U.S.
patent application 6174201B1).
In the waterproof connector disclosed in JP-A-2000-150058, connection terminals
are inserted into the sub-connectors having the rubber plug fixed to the rear surfaces
thereof, and the sub-connectors are received in the respective holders within the
frame, thereby providing the multi-pole design, and the wires are waterproofed
by the rubber plug.
In the waterproof connector disclosed in JP-A-2000-357557, the spacer is fitted
in the outer housing, with the rubber plug held therebetween, and the wires are
passed through the rubber plug, and are connected respectively to connection terminals
received in the inner housings. Then, the inner housings are received in the outer
housing, and the waterproof treatment is effected by the rubber plug.
In the waterproof connectors disclosed respectively in JP-A-2000-150058 and JP-A-2000-357557,
a number of wire harnesses are divided into predetermined numbers of groups to
provide sub-wire harnesses, using the inner housings comprising the sub-connectors
or the division inner units, and then these sub-wire harnesses are combined together
to provide the multi-pole connector. The waterproof treatment is completed for
each sub-wire harness by passing the wires one by one through the rubber plug,
and therefore there have been encountered problems that the assembling process
is complicated and that much time is required for the assembling operation.
Further, the connection terminals must be inserted into the housing after
the connection terminals are connected to the respective wires, and therefore it
is difficult to use press-contacting terminals as the connection terminals, and
the connection terminals have long been limited to crimp-type terminals, and it
has been eagerly desired to put a waterproof connector, using press-contacting
terminals, into practical use. In addition, there has existed no waterproof connector
of the type in which press-contacting terminals and crimp-type terminals can be
used in a mixed manner, and a connector for the press-contacting terminals and
a connector for the crimp-type terminals have been provided separately, and this
has prevented the wires form being installed in a simplified manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of
the invention is to provide a waterproof connector in which a number of wires to
be connected to the connector are collectively waterproofed, and only press-contacting
terminals can be used, and also press-contacting terminals and crimp-type terminals
can be used in a mixed manner.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there
is provided a waterproof connector, comprising:
a tubular outer housing, which has an opening:
an inner housing, which is inserted into the tubular outer housing, and which
is held in the tubular outer housing, the inner housing which includes:
- a plurality of terminal receiving chambers;
- a plurality of connection terminals which are provided on the terminal
receiving chambers respectively; and
- a plurality of wires which are respectively connected to the connection
terminals, and extends in the terminal receiving chambers toward an outside through
the opening;
a vessel portion, which is formed by an inner circumference of end portion of
the
tubular outer housing at an opening side and an end face of the inner housing from
which the wires are extended toward the outside; and
a sealing material, which is filled in the vessel portion for waterproofing the
wires collectively.
In the waterproof connector of the above construction, the plurality of inner
housings, each having the plurality of terminal receiving chambers which are arranged
in the plane, and receive the respective connection terminals, are stacked together,
and the stacked inner housings are inserted into the outer housing through the
opening thereof, and then the sealing material is filled in the vessel portion,
thereby collectively waterproofing the plurality of wires. Therefore, as compared
with the related waterproof connectors in which the wires are passed one by one
through the rubber plug, the time, required for the operation is much reduced,
so that the efficiency of the operation is greatly enhanced.
The inner housings, each receiving the connection terminals, are inserted into
the outer housing, and then the waterproof treatment is collectively effected.
Therefore, sub-wire harnesses, produced respectively in different processes, can
be collectively inserted into the outer housing to provide the waterproof connector.
And besides, press-contacting terminals (The use of such press-contacting terminals
has heretofore been difficult) can be used in the waterproof connector, and therefore
even when press-contacting terminals and crimp-type terminals are used in a mixed
manner, these terminals can be connected to the waterproof connector in a waterproof manner.
Preferably, each of the connection terminals is a press-contacting terminal
which has a press-contacting blade electrically connecting the corresponding wire
by pressing the corresponding wire into the press-contacting blade.
In the waterproof connector of the above construction, each of the connection
terminals of the waterproof connector is the press-contacting terminal which is
electrically connected to the corresponding wire by forcing the wire into the press-contacting
blade of the terminal, and therefore the connection of each wire to the connection
terminal can be easily effected in an automated manner, so that the efficiency
of the assembling operation of the waterproof connector can be greatly enhanced.
Preferably, the connection terminals include a press-contacting terminal
and a crimp-type terminal. The press-contacting terminals has a press-contacting
blade electrically connecting the corresponding wire by pressing the corresponding
wire into the press-contacting blade. The crimp-type terminal is press-fastened
to a conductor of the corresponding wire for electrically connection. The press-contacting
terminals and the crimp-type terminals are received in the respective terminal
receiving chambers in a mixed manner.
In the waterproof connector of the above construction, the press-contacting terminals
and the crimp-type terminals can be used in a mixed manner as the connection terminals
of the waterproof connector, and therefore the wires, connected to the press-contacting
terminals, and the wires, connected to the crimp-type terminals, do not need to
be installed separately, and these terminals can be connected to one waterproof
connector, so that the installation of the wires can be simplified. Therefore,
the installation operation can be simplified, and can be effected in a short time.
Preferably, the terminal receiving chambers are arranged in parallel.
The inner housing is cut from a split type inner housing so that the inner housing
has a desired unit number of the terminal receiving chambers.
In the waterproof connector of the above construction, each of the inner housings
is so cut from the split type inner housing, having a large number of parallel
terminal receiving chambers, that the inner housing has the desired unit number
of the parallel terminal receiving chambers. Therefore, the split type inner housing
can be used for a plurality of kinds of waterproof connectors, and the efficiency
of the assembling operation is enhanced, and the cost of the inner housings can
be reduced.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a method of
assembling waterproof connector, comprising the steps of:
providing a tubular outer housing, which has an opening:
providing an inner housing, which includes:
- a plurality of terminal receiving chambers;
- a plurality of connection terminals which are provided on the terminal
receiving chambers respectively; and
- a plurality of wires which are respectively connected to the connection
terminals, and extends in the terminal receiving chambers toward an outside;
inserting the inner housing into the tubular outer housing through the
opening so that the inner housing is held in the tubular outer housing
filing a sealing material in a vessel portion for waterproofing the wires collectively,
wherein the vessel portion is formed by an inner circumference of end portion
of the tubular outer housing at an opening side and an end face of the inner housing
from which the wires are extended toward the outside.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent
by describing in detail preferred exemplary embodiments thereof with reference
to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a multi-pole waterproof connector
of the invention as seen from the front side thereof;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the multi-pole waterproof connector as seen
from the rear side thereof;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a split type inner housing;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an inner housing which is so cut from the split
type inner housing that it has a desired unit number of terminal receiving chambers;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the inner housing, showing a condition in which
press-contacting terminals are received respectively in the terminal, receiving chambers;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a condition in which wires are press-contacted
respectively with press-contacting blades of the press-contacting terminals received
respectively in the terminal receiving chambers;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the inner housing showing a condition in which
crimp-type terminals, press-fastened respectively to wires, are received respectively
in the terminal receiving chambers;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a sub-wire harness in which a press-contacting
terminal and a crimp-type terminal are connected respectively to opposite ends
of each wire, and are received respectively in terminal receiving chambers of corresponding
inner housings;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a condition in which a plurality of inner
housings, each receiving press-contacting terminals press-contacted respectively
with wires, are stacked together;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a wire harness in which wires are connected
at one ends to the multi-pole waterproof connector, and are connected at the other
ends to a plurality of small-number-pole waterproof connectors;
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional, perspective view showing a condition in which
the stacked inner housings are inserted in an outer housing of the multi-pole connector;
FIG. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the multi-pole waterproof connector
in which a sealing material is filled in a sealing material-filling vessel portion
of the outer housing (in which the inner housings are inserted) to effect a waterproof treatment;
FIG. 13 is an exploded, perspective view of the small-number-pole waterproof
connector as seen from the front side thereof;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the small-number-pole waterproof connector
as seen from the front side thereof;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the small-number-pole waterproof connector
as seen from the rear side thereof; and
FIG. 16 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the small-number-pole connector
in which a sealing material is filled in a sealing material-filling vessel portion
of an outer housing (in which inner housings are inserted) to effect a waterproof treatment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
One preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail
with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16.
FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a multi-pole waterproof connector
of the invention as seen from the front side thereof, FIG. 2 is a perspective view
of the multi-pole waterproof connector as seen from the rear side thereof, FIG.
3 is a perspective view of a split type inner housing, FIG. 4 is a perspective
view of an inner housing which is so cut from the split type inner housing that
it has a desired unit number of terminal receiving chambers, FIG. 5 is a perspective
view of the inner housing, showing a condition in which press-contacting terminals
are received respectively in the terminal receiving chambers, FIG. 6 is a perspective
view showing a condition in which wires are press-contacted respectively with press-contacting
blades of the press-contacting terminals received respectively in the terminal
receiving chambers, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the inner housing showing a
condition in which crimp-type terminals, press-fastened respectively to wires,
are received respectively in the terminal receiving chambers, FIG. 8 is a perspective
view of a sub-wire harness in which a press-contacting terminal and a crimp-type
terminal are connected respectively to opposite ends of each wire, and are received
respectively in terminal receiving chambers of corresponding inner housings, and
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a condition in which a plurality of inner
housings, each receiving press-contacting terminals press-contacted respectively
with wires, are stacked together.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a wire harness in which wires are connected
at one ends to the multi-pole waterproof connector, and are connected at the other
ends to a plurality of small-number-pole waterproof connectors, FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional,
perspective view showing a condition in which the stacked inner housings are inserted
in an outer housing of the multi-pole connector, FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view
of the multi-pole waterproof connector in which a sealing material is filled in
a sealing material-filling vessel portion of the outer housing (in which the inner
housings are inserted) to effect a waterproof treatment, FIG. 13 is an exploded,
perspective view of the small-number-pole waterproof connector as seen from the
front side thereof, FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the small-number-pole waterproof
connector as seen from the front side thereof, FIG. 15 is a perspective view of
the small-number-pole waterproof connector as seen from the rear side thereof,
and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the small-number-pole connector in which
a sealing material is filled in a sealing material-filling vessel portion of an
outer housing (in which inner housings are inserted) to effect a waterproof treatment.
In this specification, for description purposes, "the front side" means that side
of the waterproof connector for fitting connection to a mating connector, and "the
rear side" means that side of the waterproof connector from which the wires extend outwardly.
As shown in FIG. 1, the waterproof connector (multi-pole waterproof connector)
21 of the invention includes the tubular outer housing
23 which is
injection molded into a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, using a synthetic
resin. The outer housing
23 includes a tubular body portion
23a
capable of receiving a plurality of stacks of inner housings
31 in a
juxtaposed manner, and a tubular frame portion
23b formed integrally
with and extending rearwardly from the body portion
23a.
The body portion
23a is of a double-wall construction, and therefore
has an outer tubular portion
23c and an inner tubular portion
23d.
A packing
26 (FIG. 11) is fitted on the outer periphery of the inner
tubular portion
23d. When the mating connector (not shown) is inserted
between the outer tubular portion
23c and the inner tubular portion
23d, the packing
26 is held in intimate contact with an inner
peripheral surface of a mating connector housing to form a waterproof seal. The
front surface of the inner tubular portion
23d are divided into sections
by vertical ribs
23e and horizontal ribs
23f, and a
plurality of terminal entry ports
25 (into which electrical contact portions
of mating connection terminals (not shown) are inserted) are formed in the front
surface, and are arranged in rows and columns. A lever
27 for reducing an
insertion force required for fitting the waterproof connector on the mating connector
is pivotally mounted on upper and lower outer surfaces of the outer housing
23.
As shown in FIG. 2, the outer housing
23 is open at its rear end, and
therefore
has a rear opening
29. The plurality of stacks of plate-like inner housings
31 can be inserted into the outer housing
23 through the rear opening
29 in a juxtaposed manner. The interior of the outer housing
23 is
partitioned by the vertical ribs
23e into sections corresponding
respectively to the stacks of inner housings
31. The outer housing
23
has the sealing material-filling vessel portion
33 which is defined by the
inner housings
31, inserted in the body portion
23a, and the
tubular frame portion
23b extending rearwardly from the body portion
23a.
As shown in FIG. 3, the split type inner housing
31 is injection molded
of an insulative synthetic resin, and a number of terminal receiving chambers
37
are formed on an upper surface of a flat plate portion
31a, and are
separated from one another by partition walls
31b, and are disposed
at predetermined intervals in parallel relation to one another. In the split type
inner housing
31, an arbitrary (desired) number of terminal receiving chambers
is selected, and the split type inner housing
31 is cut at a relevant portion
thereof between the adjacent terminal receiving chambers
37 to provide the
inner housing
31 having the desired number of terminal receiving chambers
37.
As shown in FIG. 4, each of the terminal receiving chambers
37 is formed
into an upwardly-open groove-like shape, and a front portion
37a of
the terminal receiving chamber
37 forms a space for receiving an electrical
contact portion
39a of a press-contacting terminal
39 (which
is one example of connection terminals) or an electrical contact portion
40a
of a crimp-type terminal
40 (which is one example of the connection
terminals), while a rear portion
37b of the terminal receiving chamber
37 forms a space for receiving an electrical press-contacting portion
39b
of the press-contacting terminal
39 or an electrical clamping portion
40b of the crimp-type terminal
40 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The
inner housing
31 of FIG. 4 is so cut from the split type inner housing
31
that it has
12 terminal receiving chambers
37.
As shown in FIG. 5, the press-contacting terminal
39 is an electrically-conductive
member produced by pressing an electrical-conductive material (such as metal).
The electrical contact portion
39a is formed at a front portion of
the terminal
39, and the electrical press-contacting portion
39b
is formed at a rear portion thereof extending from the front portion thereof,
and a pair of press-contacting blades
39c are formed at the electrical
press-contacting portion
39b. The press-contacting terminal
39
is received in the terminal receiving chamber
37 in such a manner that the
press-contacting blades
39c are open upwardly. When a wire
49
is pressed against the press-contacting blades
39c of the press-contacting
terminal
39 received in the terminal receiving chamber
37, a sheath
of the wire
49 is cut by the press-contacting blades
39c, and
a conductor (not shown) of the wire
49 is brought into contact with the
press-contacting blades
39c, thereby electrically connecting the
wire
49 to the press-contacting terminal
39 as shown in FIG. 6. The
wire
49 extends rearwardly from the rear portion
37b of the
terminal receiving chamber
37.
As shown in FIG. 7, the crimp-type terminal
40 is an electrically-conductive
member produced by pressing an electrical-conductive material (such as metal).
The box-like electrical contact portion
40a is formed at a front
portion of the terminal
40, and clamping piece portions, serving as the
electrical clamping portion
40b, are formed at a rear portion thereof
extending from the front portion thereof. For press-fastening the terminal
40
to a wire
49 first, a sheath is removed from one end portion of the wire
49 to expose a conductor thereof, and then the electrical clamping portion
40b is pressed by a press-clamping tool in such a manner that the
press-clamping piece portions are wound on the conductor. The crimp-type terminal
40, press-fastened to the wire
49, is received in the terminal receiving
chamber
37 of the inner housing
31, and the wire
49 is extended
rearwardly from the rear portion
37b of the terminal receiving chamber
37.
The connection terminals are connected to the opposite ends of wires
49
as described above, thereby forming the sub-wire harness
50. In the sub-wire
harness
50 shown in FIG. 8, press-contacting terminals
39 are press-connected
respectively to one ends
49a of
12 wires
49, and are
received in an inner housing
31A having
12 terminal receiving chambers
37, and crimp-type terminals
40 are press-connected respectively
to the other ends of six of the
12 wires
49, and are received in
an inner housing
31B having six terminal receiving chambers
37, and
also crimp-type terminals
40 are press-connected respectively to the other
ends of the other six wires
49, and are received in another inner housing
31B having six terminal receiving chambers
37.
As shown in FIG. 9, the inner housings
31A, each having
12 press-contacting
terminals
39 (each connected to the wire
49) received respectively
in the terminal receiving chambers
37, are stacked together in a multi-stage
manner (that is, stacked in four stages in the illustrated embodiment), and the
stacked inner housings
31A are inserted into the inner tubular portion
23d
of the multi-pole waterproof connector
21 as shown in FIG. 10. The inner
housings
31B, each having 6 crimp-type terminals
40 each connected
to the wire
49) received respectively in the terminal receiving chambers
37, are stacked in two stages, and the stacked inner housings
31B
are inserted into an inner tubular portion
123d of the small-number-pole
waterproof connector
121 (see FIG. 13).
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the inner housings
31A, stacked in four stages,
are inserted into the inner tubular portion
23d of the outer housing
23 through the rear opening
29. FIG. 11 shows an example (see FIG.
1) in which the horizontal ribs
23 are formed on the outer housing
23,
and the terminal entry ports
25, corresponding respectively to the inner
housings
31, are separated from one another. Retaining portions
23g,
formed on and projecting from the upper surface of each horizontal rib
23f,
are engaged respectively in retaining holes
31c formed in the
flat plate portion
31a of the corresponding inner housing
31,
thereby preventing the rearward withdrawal of the inner housing
31. FIG.
12 shows an example in which any horizontal rib is not formed on the outer housing
23, and the inner housings
31A, stacked in four stages, are collectively
inserted into the inner tubular portion
23d of the outer housing
23 through the rear opening
29.
The multi-pole waterproof connector
21, shown in FIG. 1, can receive four
stacks of inner housings
31A (each stack comprising the inner housings
31
stacked in four stages) in a juxtaposed manner.
12 press-contacting terminals
39 are received in each inner housing
31A, and therefore a total
of 192 press-contacting terminals
39 can be mounted in the multi-pole waterproof
connector
21, and a large number of wires can be connected to the connector.
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the wires
49, extending rearwardly from the
stacked inner housings
31A inserted in the inner tubular portion
23d
of the outer housing
23, pass through the sealing material-filling vessel
portion
33 whose periphery is defined by the tubular frame portion
23b.
Therefore, by filling a sealing material
36 in the sealing material-filling
vessel portion
33, a large number of (
192 in the example shown in
FIG. 11) wires
49 are collectively waterproofed. Ultraviolet-curing rubber,
RTV silicone rubber (a one-pack type or a two-pack type), foamed urethane, a hot
melt or others can be used as the sealing material
36.
As shown in FIG. 13, the inner housings
31B, each having 6 crimp-type
terminals
40 received respectively in the terminal receiving chambers
37, are
stacked in two stages, and are inserted into the small-number-pole waterproof connector
121 through a rear opening
129 thereof. The small-number-pole waterproof
connector
121, shown in FIG. 13, is a 12-pin connector, and includes an
outer housing
123 of a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape injection
molded of an insulative synthetic resin.
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the outer housing
123 includes a tubular
body
portion
123a capable of receiving stacked inner housings
31B,
and a tubular frame portion
123b formed integrally with and extending
rearwardly from the body portion
123a. The body portion
123a
is of a double-wall construction, and therefore has an outer tubular portion
123c and the inner tubular portion
123d. A packing
126 is fitted on the outer periphery of the inner tubular portion
123d
(see FIG. 16). When a mating connector (not shown) is inserted between the
outer tubular portion
123c and the inner tubular portion
123d,
the packing
126 is held in intimate contact with an inner peripheral
surface of a mating connector housing to form a waterproof seal. The front surface
of the inner tubular portion
123d are divided into sections by horizontal
ribs
123f and a plurality of terminal entry ports
125 (into
which electrical contact portions of mating connection terminals (not shown) are
inserted) are formed in the front surface, and are arranged in two rows in the
upward-downward direction.
As shown in FIG. 15, the outer housing
123 is open at its rear end, and
therefore has the rear opening
129. The plate-like inner housings
31B,
stacked in two stages, can be inserted into the outer housing
123 through
the rear opening
129. The outer housing
123 has a sealing material-filling
vessel portion
133 which is defined by the inner housings
31B, inserted
in the body portion
123a, and the tubular frame portion
123b
extending rearwardly from the body portion
123a.
As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the wires
49, extending rearwardly from the
inner housings
31B (stacked in two stages) inserted in the inner tubular
portion
123d of the outer housing
123, pass through the sealing
material-filling vessel portion
133 whose periphery is defined by the tubular
frame portion
123b. By filling a sealing material
36 in the
sealing material-filling vessel portion
133, many (12 in the example shown
in FIG. 15) wires
49 are collectively waterproofed. Ultraviolet-curing rubber,
RTV silicone rubber (a one-pack type or a two-pack type), foamed urethane, a hot
melt or others can be used as the sealing material
36.
As described above, in the multi-pole waterproof connector
21 and the
small-number-pole
waterproof connector
121, the front end is waterproofed by the packing
26,
126 held in intimate contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mating
connector housing, while the rear end is waterproofed by the sealing material
36
filled in the sealing material-filling vessel portion
33,
133. The
terminals to be received in the respective terminal receiving chambers
37
of the inner housing
31 are not limited to any specified kind, and the press-contacting
terminals
39 or the crimp-type terminals
40 can be used. And besides,
the press-contacting terminals
39 and the crimp-type terminals
40
can be used in a mixed manner, in which case the terminals can be handled in the
same manner, and the waterproof treatment can be effected. The wires
49
are waterproofed by filling the sealing material
36 in the sealing material-fitting
vessel portion
33,
133, and therefore the inner housings
31
of the non-waterproof type can be used, and besides the waterproof treatment can
be effected quite easily and positively regardless of the number of wires
49
to be installed.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and suitable modifications,
improvements and others can be made. The material, shape, dimensions, numerical
values, form, number, mounting position, etc., of each of the constituent elements
are arbitrary, and are not limited in so far as the invention can be achieved.
In the above embodiment, the sub-wire harnesses are stacked together in a multi-stage
manner, and the stacked sub-wire harnesses are inserted into the outer housing.
However, the invention is not limited to such a construction, and a single sub-wire
harness can be inserted into the outer housing.
Although the present invention has been shown and described with reference
to specific preferred embodiments, various changes and modifications will be apparent
to those skilled in the art from the teachings herein. Such changes and modifications
as are obvious are deemed to come within the spirit, scope and contemplation of
the invention as defined in the appended claims.
*
