Title: Wire cover with two longitudinal halves connectable around electric wires
Abstract: A cover (20) has opposed halves (21) with butting walls (28). An engaging projection (27) is formed in an accommodation concavity (30) rearward from an edge (29) of the butting wall (28). A portion between the engaging projection (27) and the edge (29A) on a bottom surface of the accommodation concavity (30) defines a temporary holding surface (32) which is contacted by a connection portion (26B) of a locking arm (26) on the opposed half (21). The temporary holding surface (32) stabilizes the posture of each half (21) before the locking arm (26) rides over the engaging projection (27). Thus, halves (21) do not incline and the connection operation is accomplished smoothly.
Patent Number: 7,021,959 Issued on 04/04/2006 to Tsuji, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Tsuji; Takeshi (Yokkaichi, JP);
Ichio; Toshifumi (Yokkaichi, JP);
Okamoto; Michiaki (Yokkaichi, JP)
|
| Assignee:
|
Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. (JP)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
719324 |
| Filed:
|
November 20, 2003 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Nov 22, 2002[JP] | 2002-339567 |
| Jan 10, 2003[JP] | 2003-004817 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
439/470; 439/731 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
H01R 13/58 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
439/445,452,456,459,465,467,470,731,471
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 4108527 | Aug., 1978 | Douty et al.
| |
| 4749369 | Jun., 1988 | Wang.
| |
| 5391092 | Feb., 1995 | Sumida.
| |
| 5422437 | Jun., 1995 | Schnell.
| |
| 5586916 | Dec., 1996 | Shinji et al.
| |
| 5980327 | Nov., 1999 | Yen.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 10-27645 | Jan., 1998 | JP.
| |
| 11-089046 | Mar., 1999 | JP.
| |
Primary Examiner: Harvey; James R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hespos; Gerald E., Casella; Anthony J.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A connector comprising a housing accommodating electric wires extended from
a rear end of the housing; and a cover mounted on the rear end of said housing
(
10) to surround said electric wires,
said cover having two halves that are connected to each other by butting an edge
of one buffing wall on one said half against an edge of a butting wall formed on
said other half,
at least one engaging projection on each said butting wall in each of said halves,
and at least one locking piece on each butting wall in each of said halves at positions
corresponding to positions of said engaging projections of the opposed half, said
locking pieces being configured to ride across and lock to said corresponding engaging
projection for preventing said halves from separating;
each of said engaging projections being formed on said butting wall at a position
spaced inwardly from said edge of said butting wall in a direction in which said
both halves are connected, whereby a portion of an outer surface of said butting
wall between said edge of said butting wall and said engaging projection defines
an outwardly open temporary holding surface that supports said locking piece before
said locking piece reaches said engaging projection in connecting said halves to
each other, thereby holding a connected posture of each of said halves in a normal
posture, said outwardly open temporary holding surface permitting outward deflection
of said locking piece so that said locking piece can ride across and lock to said
corresponding engaging projection; and
at least one guide formed on said butting wall outwardly from the respective
engaging projection and at least partly surrounding portions of said engaging projections
spaced from said edge of said butting wall so that an accommodation concavity is
formed between said engaging projection and said guide, said locking piece being
dimensioned to fit between the engaging projection and the guide, whereby the guide
protects the locking piece from inadvertent contact.
2. The connector of claim 1, wherein said guide is formed integrally with said
accommodation concavity.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector with a cover to protect electric wires extended
from a connector housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-27645 and FIGS. 16-18 herein
disclose a connector with a cover for protecting electric wires that extend from
a connector housing. The cover is formed as two longitudinal halves of a rectangular tube.
An engaging portion and a receiving portion are formed on each of the upper and
lower butting walls that are butted against each other when the halves of the cover
are connected. The engaging portions on opposed edges are disposed obliquely, and
the receiving portions on the opposed edges also are disposed obliquely. The line
that connects the engaging portions to each other crosses the line that connects
the receiving portions to each other. Additionally the engaging portions of one
half align with the receiving portions of the other half.
The two halves of the cover are reversed with respect to their axes, and the
respective halves of the cover are mounted laterally on the rear end of the housing.
As a result, the engaging portion of one half rides across the receiving portion
of the other half and is locked to the receiving portion. Thus both halves are
fit on each other, and the halves form a tubular cover mounted on the housing.
The end of the cover remote from the housing has an irregular holding portion
that fits on the periphery of a corrugate tube and holds the corrugate tube unremovably.
The electric wires extend from the corrugate tube and are inserted into the cavities
of the housing through the path formed inside the cover.
The halves of the cover shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-27645
are intended to approach each other linearly after the engaging portion and the
receiving portion butt against each other. The engaging portion should deform elastically
in an expansion direction and should ride over the receiving portion. The engaging
portion then should return elastically to its original state and lock to the receiving portion.
However, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the halves
101 may have an
inclined posture when a pressing force is applied to the halves
101. As
a result, both halves
101 butt against each other, and the engaging portion
102 may deform and ride obliquely over the receiving portion
103.
However, the engaging portion
102 and the receiving portion
103 are
not locked together. More particularly, each receiving portion
103 faces
the butting edge of the opposed half
101. Thus, in connecting the halves
101 to each other, the posture of each of the halves
101 becomes
unstable because the engaging portion
102 rides over the receiving portion
103 without engagement. Thus the engaging portion
102 is not subject
to a high resistance accompanied by elastic deformation. Rather, the engaging portion
102 is subject only to a low resistance with no elastic deformation. Accordingly,
the halves
101 are liable to be easily connected to each other in an inclined posture.
FIG. 18 shows a portion of the inside of the cover
100 where the electric
wires W extend from an edge
112a of a corrugate tube
112.
The electric wires W are introduced into the housing through the inner path of
the cover
100 and contact the inner periphery of the corrugate tube
112.
Sharply pointed burrs project from the edge
112a of the corrugate
tube
112 due to a molding or cutting operation. The electric wires W are
subjected to sliding contact with the edge
112a of the corrugate
tube
112 due to shaking caused by vibrations of a traveling vehicle. As
a result, there is a possibility that insulating coatings of the electric wires
W will be damaged.
The invention has been made in view of the above-described problems.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a cover that facilitates
connecting both halves of the cover together.
It is another object of the invention to prevent damage to electric wires by
holding
the electric wires in a cover without contact between extended portions of the
electric wires and an edge of the corrugate tube.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a connector with a housing and wires that extend from
a rear end of the housing. A cover is mounted on a rear end of the housing to surround
the wires. The cover has two opposed halves that preferably are connected by butting
edges of one half against edges of the other half.
At least one engaging projection is formed on each butting wall and the engaging
projections on the respective butting walls are offset obliquely with respect to
one another. At least one locking piece also is formed on each butting wall. The
locking pieces are offset obliquely with respect to one another, but align with
the engaging projections on the opposite butting wall. Each locking piece rides
across the corresponding engaging projection and locks with the corresponding engaging
projection to prevent the halves from separating.
The engaging projections are slightly rearward from the edge of the butting wall
along the connecting direction. Thus, a portion of an outer surface of the butting
wall between the edge of the butting wall and the engaging projection defines a
temporary holding surface that supports the locking piece before the locking piece
reaches the engaging projection during the connection of the halves. Consequently,
the halves are held in a normal posture. The temporary holding surface of the butting
wall stabilizes the posture of each of the halves in an initial stage of the connecting
operation and before the locking piece rides over the engaging projection. Thus,
unlike the prior art, it is possible to prevent the halves from being connected
in an inclined posture and the connection can be accomplished smoothly.
A guide preferably is formed on the butting wall for guiding the locking piece
in the direction in which the halves are connected. The guide prevents the locking
piece from deviating in the front-to-back direction on the upper surface of the
butting wall. Accordingly, the halves will not be connected in an inclined posture
and the connection can be accomplished smoothly.
An accommodation concavity preferably is formed on an outer surface of the butting
wall and opens toward the edge of the butting wall. The locking projection is formed
in the accommodation concavity. The locking piece is formed on a level that allows
the locking piece to slide on an inner surface of the accommodation concavity while
the halves are being connected together. Additionally, the locking piece can fit
in the accommodation concavity after the two halves are connected. Thus, the locking
piece and the accommodation concavity overlap in a thickness direction of the butting
wall. Therefore, the outer dimension of the cover is reduced.
The guide preferably is integral with the accommodation concavity. Thus, the
guide cooperates with the inner sidewall of the accommodation concavity, and the
construction of the connector is simplified.
The cover may include a lock on an inner peripheral surface of an end of the
cover at a side from which electric wires extend. The lock preferably engages a
periphery of the corrugate tube to allow the corrugate tube to be mounted unremovably
on the cover. An electric wire guide preferably is adjacent the lock and defines
a diameter of a path for the electric wires extended from the corrugate tube that
is smaller than an inner diameter of an edge of the corrugate tube. Thus, the electric
wires do not have a sliding contact with the edge of the corrugate tube even if
the wires are shaken, and the insulating coating of the wires cannot be damaged.
The electric wire guide preferably includes half annular projections formed circumferentially
on an inner surface of each half of the cover. Thus, an end of the corrugate tube
is inserted into one of the half covers. The electric wires then are positioned
on the inner periphery of the half projection, and the half covers are fixed together
by a locking mechanism. Accordingly, the corrugate tube and the electric wires
can be mounted easily. The path for the electric wires is regulated by the inner
periphery of the annular projection, and the electric wires will not be cut by
the periphery of the cover.
The electric wire guide preferably includes a contact portion with a smooth rounded
surface for contacting the electric wires W. Thus, the contact portion of the electric
wire guide will not adversely affect the insulating coating of the electric wires.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector of an embodiment
of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the connector before halves of a cover connect
to each other.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the cover before the halves of the cover
are connected to each other.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the connector while the halves of the cover are
being connected to each other.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the cover while the halves of the cover are
being connected to each other.
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the connector after the halves of the cover are
connected to each other.
FIG. 7 is a side view showing the connector after the halves of the cover are
connected to each other.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the cover after the halves of the cover are
connected to each other.
FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing the cover after the halves of the cover
are connected to each other.
FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an alternate embodiment of a connector with a
cover for a corrugate tube.
FIG. 11 is a left side view of the connector of FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the opened cover of FIGS. 10 and 11.
FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the opened cover of FIG. 12.
FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the corrugate tube in the cover of FIGS. 10-13.
FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along a line 15—15 of
FIG. 14.
FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a cover of a conventional connector.
FIG. 17 is a side view showing the cover of the conventional connector.
FIG. 18 shows a cross-section of the prior art cover and the corrugate tube.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A connector according to the invention is identified generally by the numeral
1
in FIGS. 1 through 9. The connector
1 includes a housing
10 that
accommodates terminal fittings (not shown) connected to electric wires
12
and a cover
20. The cover
20 is constituted of two halves
21A
and
21B and is mounted on the housing
10 (see FIGS. 1 through 3).
In the following description, the direction in which the electric wires
12
are extended from the connector housing
10 is defined as the front-to-back
direction. The direction in which the halves
21A and
21B are connected
to each other is defined as the right-to-left direction. The direction crossing
the above two directions (i.e. the direction crossing the paper on which FIG. 2
is shown) is defined as the vertical direction.
The wires
12 connected to the terminal fittings extend from a rear end
of the housing
10. Mounting projections
11 for mounting the cover
20 on the connector housing
10 are formed at right and left sides
of a rear end of the housing
10.
The wires
12 that extend from the housing
10 are inserted in a
corrugate tube
40 to protect the wires
12 without exposure to the outside.
The cover
20 is approximately a rectangular tube that is open in the front-to-back
direction to surround and protect a portion of the wires
12 extended from
the housing
10. The cover
20 has two longitudinal halves
21A
and
21B configured as if the cover
20 was divided along its axis.
The halves
21A and
21B have the same configuration and are connected
to each other by axially reversing them.
A mounting hole
22 penetrates a front portion of each half
21A,
21B
for receiving the mounting projections
11 of the housing
10. The
cover
20 can be installed on the housing
10 by fitting the mounting
projections
11 in the mounting holes
22.
A semicircular cutout
23 is formed at a rear surface of each half
21A,
21B for receiving the corrugate tube
40. The cutouts
23 of
the halves
21A and
21B are coincident with each other when the halves
21A and
21B are connected so that the corrugate tube
40 can
be inserted therein. Locking plates
24 are formed circumferentially at regular
intervals on the inner peripheral surface of each half
21A,
21B close
to the cutout
23 and fit in grooves
41 of the corrugate tube
40.
The locking plates
24 lock the corrugate tube
40 axially by fitting
in the groove
41. Thus, axial movement of the corrugate tube
40 with
respect to the cover
20 is prevented.
Upper and lower locking arms
26 and upper and lower engaging projections
27 are formed on each half
21A and
21B. More particularly,
one locking arm
26 and one engaging projection
27 are disposed on
an upper buffing wall
28 and the other locking arm
26 and the other
engaging projection
27 are disposed on a lower butting wall
28. The
butting walls
28 are butted together when halves
21A and
21B
are connected together. The two engaging projections
27 of each of the half
21A and
21B are disposed obliquely with respect to one another. The
two locking arms
26 of each half
21A and
21B also are disposed
obliquely with respect to one another. A line connecting the engaging projections
27 to each other crosses a line connecting the locking arms
26 to
each other. Additionally, the locking arm
26 of one half
21A,
21B
aligns with the engaging projection
27 of the other half
21A,
21B.
That is, the locking arms
26 of the half
21A in FIG. 1 are toward
the rear end of the upper buffing wall
28 and toward the front end of the
lower butting wall
28. Conversely, the engaging projections
27 are
close to the front end of the upper butting wall
28 and the rear end of
the lower buffing wall
28.
The locking arm
26 extends from an edge
29 of the butting wall
28 of the half
21 in a direction in which the halves
21A and
21B are connected together. Each locking arm
26 has spaced apart
arm portions
26A and a connection portion
26B that connects the arm
portions
26A to each other at a projected end of each arm portion
26A.
Thus the locking arm
26 has a U-shape, and is capable of accommodating the
engaging projection
27 of the mating half
21A,
21B therein.
An accommodation concavity
30 is formed concavely at a position aligned
with the locking arm
26 of the mating half
21A,
21B and is
dimensioned to accommodate the locking arm
26. Additionally, the accommodation
concavity
30 is open at the side of the edge
29 to allow the locking
arm
26 to advance therein. The upper end of the locking arm
26 is
lower than the upper end of the edge
29. Thus, the locking arm
26
slides in contact with a bottom surface of the accommodation concavity
30
as the halves
21A and
21B are connected.
Generally L-shaped guide walls
31 align with and extend continuously
from the inner surfaces
30A of the accommodation concavity
30. The
guide walls
31 have legs that extend parallel to the direction of advance
of the locking arm
26 and rear end legs that extend along a rear end surface
of the accommodation concavity
30. The guide walls
31 and the inner
side surfaces
30A function to guide the locking arm
26 into the accommodation
concavity
30.
The engaging projection
27 is formed on the bottom surface of the accommodation
concavity
30 at a position slightly rearward from the edge
29 in
the direction in which the halves
21A and
21B are connected. A portion
between the engaging projection
27 and the edge
29A on the bottom
surface of the accommodation concavity
30 defines a temporary holding surface
32 that is contacted by the connection portion
26B of the locking
arm
26. The engaging projection
27 has an inclined surface
27A
at the side of the edge
29. The inclined surface
27A inclines down
toward the front to allow the locking arm
26 to ride smoothly thereon.
The cover
20 is mounted on the housing
10 by axially reversing
the halves
21A and
21B and then laterally fitting the halves
21A
and
21B on the rear end of the housing
10. At this time, the mounting
projection
11 of the housing
10 is fit temporarily in the mounting
hole
22 of the half
21A, and the locking plate
24 of the half
21A is fit temporarily in the groove
41 of the corrugate tube
40.
The halves
21A and
21B then are fit together and on both the housing
10 and the corrugate tube
40. More specifically, the locking arms
26 of each half
21A and
21B are advanced into the accommodation
concavities
30. Thus, the halves
21A and
21B are fit lightly
on each other while the tips of the connection portion
26B of each locking
arm
26 is held on the temporary holding surface
32 of the accommodation
concavity
30 of the mating halves
21A and
21B. The halves
21A and
21B are held in a normal fit-on posture (see FIGS. 4 and
5) because the connection portions
26B of the respective locking arms
26
contact the respective temporary holding surfaces
32 in this state.
The half
21B then is pressed toward the mating half
21A, so that
both halves
21A and
21B are fit together (see FIGS. 6 and 8). At
this time, the locking arm
26 is guided straight into the accommodation
concavity
30 by the inner sidewall
30A of the accommodation concavity
30 and the guide wall
31. Thus, the locking arm
26 does not
deviate in the front-to-back direction.
The half
21B is pressed further so that the connection portion
26B
of each half
21A and
21B rides over the inclined surface
27A
of the engaging projection
27. As a result, the locking arm
26 is
flexed in an expansion direction. The half
21B then is pressed sufficiently
for the connection portion
26B of the locking arm
26 to ride across
the engaging projection
27. As a result, the locking arm
26 returns
elastically to its original state and locks to the engaging projection
27.
Thus, the halves
21A and
21B are held inseparably together. The locking
arm
26 contacts the temporary holding surface
32 of the butting wall
28 to stabilize the posture of each half
21A and
21B before
the locking arm
26 rides over the engaging projection
27. Thus, the
halves
21A and
21B are not connected to each other in an inclined
posture and the connection is accomplished smoothly.
The locking arm
26 is fit in the accommodation concavity
30 when
the halves
21A and
21B are connected properly together. At the same
time, the mounting projection
11 of the housing
10 is fit in the
mounting hole
22 of each half
21A and
21B, and the locking
plate
24 is fit in the groove
41 of the corrugate tube
40.
Thus, the halves
21A and
21B are connected together, and the cover
20 is mounted on the rear end of the housing
10. At the same time,
the corrugate tube
40 is installed on the cover
20 (see FIGS. 7 and
9). Thus, the mounting of the cover
20 on the housing
10 is completed.
As described above, the engaging projection
27 is in the accommodation
concavity
30 on the butting wall
28 and slightly rearward from the
edge
29. The temporary holding surface
32 is formed between the engaging
projection
27 and the edge
29A on the bottom surface of the accommodation
concavity
30 and is contacted by the connection portion
26B of the
locking arm
26. Thus, the temporary holding surface
32 of the butting
wall
28 stabilizes the posture of each half
21A and
21B before
the locking arm
26 rides over the engaging projection
27 in an initial
stage in the operation of connecting the halves
21A and
21B together.
Thus, unlike the conventional art, the halves
21A and
21B cannot
be connected in an inclined posture and the connection operation is accomplished smoothly.
The accommodation concavities
30 are formed concavely on the outer surface
of the halves
21, and the locking arms
26 are on a level to slide
on the bottom surface of the accommodation concavities
30. The locking arms
26 fit in the accommodation concavities
30 after both halves
21A
and
21B are connected, and the thickness of the butting wall
28 overlaps
the thickness of the locking arm
26 in the accommodation concavity
30.
Therefore, the outer dimension of the cover
20 is small.
The accommodation concavity
30 has two guide walls
31 formed at
the right and left edges thereof in the advance direction of the locking arm
26.
The guide wall
31 is continuous with the right and left inner sidewalls
30A of the accommodation concavity
30. The guide wall
31 and
the inner sidewall
30A function to guide the locking arm
26 during
connection of the halves
21A and
21B. Accordingly, the locking arm
26 cannot deviate in the front-to-back direction on the upper surface of
the butting wall
28, and the halves
21A and
21B cannot be
connected in an inclined posture. Thus, the connection operation is accomplished smoothly.
FIG. 10 shows an alternate embodiment of a connector
10a with
a cover for a corrugate tube. The connector
10a has a housing
11
for receiving terminal fittings (not shown) mounted on ends of electric wires W.
A cover
51 covers the electric wires W extended from the housing
11
and holds an end of a corrugate tube
40 mounted on the periphery of the
electric wires W.
The housing
11a is made of synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 11,
the housing
11a has five cavities
12 accommodating the terminal
fittings respectively. A locking arm
13a for fixing the connector
to a mating connector is formed on an outer surface of the housing
11a.
A projection
14a on which an end of the cover
51 is mounted
is formed on a terminal filling insertion surface
11b disposed on
the rear of the housing
11a (see FIG. 13).
The corrugate tube
40 is made of synthetic resin and is elastic. The corrugate
tube
40 protects bundled five electric wires W extended from the cavities
12a of the housing
11a. Convexities
41a and
concave grooves
41b are formed alternately on the peripheral surface
of the corrugate tube
40. An edge
42 held by the cover
51
is cut at an intermediate portion of the concave groove
41b.
The cover
51 is L-shaped and made of synthetic resin. As shown in FIG.
12, the cover
51 has two half covers
51a and
51b
that are connected to each other and can be opened and closed through a hinge
52 projected from one side of a housing-side end
53 that is to be
mounted on the housing
11a. A locking mechanism is provided for fixing
the half covers
51a and
51b in a closed condition.
More particularly, locking claws
55 are provided at four positions of the
half cover
51a, namely, a portion of a side wall at the housing end
53 opposite to a side wall on which the hinge
52 is formed, a portion
of both side walls at a tube end
54 holding the corrugate tube
40,
and a portion on an inclined wall intermediate between the hinge
52 and
a electric wire guide
59. The other half cover
51b has locking
frames
56 at positions corresponding to the positions of the locking claws
55. The locking frames
56 engage the respective locking claws
55
when the half covers
51a and
51b have been closed.
Fit-on grooves
53a are formed on inner surfaces of the housing
ends
53 of the half cover
51a and fit on the projection
14a
of the housing
11a. Looseness prevention projections
53b
are formed at upper and lower positions of the fit-on grooves
53a
and fit in concavities
14b at upper and lower positions of the
projection
14a. A lock
57 is defined by three half locking
projections
57a and
57b that project from inner peripheral
surfaces of the tube end
34 of the cover
51a and from an inner
peripheral surface of the tube end of the half cover
51b respectively.
The half locking projections
57a and
57b engage the
concave groove
41b of the corrugate tube
40 to unremovably
install the end of the corrugate tube
40 on the cover
51.
The electric wire guide
59 is formed at an inward position adjacent the
locking portion
57, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, and regulates a path
58
of the electric wires W. The electric wire guide
59 has a smaller diameter
than the inner diameter D
1 of the edge
42 of the corrugate tube
40
mounted on the locking portion
57. The electric wire guide
59 is
composed of half annular projections
59a and
59b formed
circumferentially in integration with an inner peripheral wall of each of the half
covers
51a and
51b. A portion surrounded with the half
annular projections
59a and
59b defines the path
58
for the electric wires W. That is, the diameter D
2 of the path
58
is smaller than the inner diameter D
1 of the edge
42 of the corrugate
tube
41. Thus, the electric wire guide
59 guides the electric wires
W from the corrugate tube
41 into the cover
51 without contact between
the electric wires W and the edge
42 of the corrugate tube
40. The
section of a contact portion of the annular projections
59a and
59b
defining the path
58 for the electric wires W is formed as a rounded
surface
59c, as shown in FIG. 14 to prevent an insulating coating
of the electric wires W from being damaged.
As shown in FIG. 13, the terminal fittings mounted at the ends of the five electric
wires W on which the corrugate tube
40 has been mounted are inserted into
the corresponding cavities
12a and locked thereto. The housing end
53 of the half cover
51a is engaged and held by the terminal
fitting insertion surface
11b of the housing
11a. The
edge
22 of the corrugate tube
40 is locked to the corresponding locking
projection
57a. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, the electric wires
W extended from the edge of the corrugate tube
40 are disposed inside the
path
58 of the annular projection
59a of the electric wire
guide
59. Thereafter the half cover
51b is closed and connected
to the half cover
51a, and the half covers
51a and
51b are fixed to each other in a closed state by the locking mechanism
defined by the locking claws
55 and the locking frames
56.
The electric wires W extend from the edge
42 of the corrugate tube
40
and are guided through the cover
51 along the path
58 defined by
the electric wire guide
59. The diameter D
2 of the path
58
is smaller than the inner diameter D
1 of the edge
42 of the corrugate
tube
40. As a result, the electric wires W are disposed without contacting
the edge
42 of the corrugate tube
40. Therefore, the electric wires
W do not contact cut burrs at the edge
42 of the corrugate tube
40
even if vibrations of a traveling vehicle shake the electric wires W. Thus, the
insulating coating of the electric wires W will not be damaged, because the electric
wires W do not slide in contact with the edge
42 of the corrugate tube
40.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above with reference
to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are included in the technical
scope of the present invention. Further, various modifications of the embodiments
can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The invention is applicable to a connector that does not use a corrugate tube.
The illustrated halves have the same configuration. However, the halves may have
different configurations.
The locking arm and the engaging projection are formed on the peripheral surface
of each half. However, the locking arm and the engaging projection do not have
to be formed thereon. For example, the locking arm and the engaging projection
may be on the inner peripheral surface of the half.
The guide wall
31 and the inner sidewall
30A of the accommodation
concavity
30 serve as a means for guiding the locking arm
26. However,
only the inner sidewall of the accommodation concavity may guide the locking arm.
It is possible that the half does not have the accommodation concavity and that
the guide wall is projected from the outer surface of the butting wall so that
only the guide wall guides the locking piece.
In the second embodiment, the electric wire guide portion
59 is defined
by the annular projections
59a and
59b. However, the
path
58 may be quadrangular, provided that the cross-section D
2 of
the path
38 is smaller than the inner cross-section D
1 of the edge
42 of the corrugate tube
40.
It is possible to reduce the diameter of the path
38 surrounded with the
inner periphery of the annular projections
59a and
59b
by making the side wall of the cover
51 thick.
Although the cover
51 is L-shaped and quadrangular in the second
embodiment, the cover
51 may be straight or cylindrical.
Although the half covers
51a and
51b are connected
to each other with the hinge
52 in second embodiment, they may be separate
as in the first embodiment.
*
