Connecting Device

The present invention relates to a connecting device and in particular to a connecting device by which an electric device is electrically connected to another electric device.

A conventional connecting device which is shown in FIG. 13 includes a first housing 2 having a pair of parallely spaced male terminals 1 (only one is shown), and a second housing 4 having a pair of parallely spaced female terminals 3 (only one is shown). The first housing 2 is detachably coupled to the second housing 4 in such a manner that each of the male terminals 1 is fitted in the corresponding female terminal 3. The first housing 2 is provided therein with a pair of parallely spaced passages 2a (only one is shown) in which the male terminals 1 are secured. Similarly, the second housing 4 is provided therein a pair of parallely spaced passages 4a (only one is shown) in which the female terminals 3 are secured. Each of the passage 2a and each of the passage 4a are extended throughout the first housing 2 and the second housing 4, respectively.

The foregoing connecting device sometimes may not be used in specific facilities or equipment. In particular, a unit bath room which is so constructed as to install a bath tub and a sanitary device in a common container or unit is becoming widely used. When, as the sanitary device, an electrically operated sanitary device is used which has a toilet bowl and an electrically operated washing apparatus for the washing of a portion (the anus and/or the crotch), the connecting device employed in the electrically operated washing apparatus should be protected from high humidity within the container or unit bath room. The reason is that the high humidity will bring condensation in the neighbourhood of each of the housing 2 and 4, which may be the cause of poor insulation, short circuit or electric leakage. In the light of the current reliability of the conventional connecting device, no conventional connecting device is qualified for being employed in the foregoing sanitary device. Thus, at present, the the sanitary device which is commercially available to be installed in the unit bath room is not provided with the electrically operated washing apparatus. In order to make the conventional connecting device to increase the reliability thereof against humidity, synthetic resin may be supplied into the passages 2a and 4a for the prevention of condensation in the housings 2 and 4. Such an idea, though it is excellent in a sense, is impractical due to the fact that one of the housing then can't be separated from the other housing.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a humidity-proof connecting device in which two housing are detachable from each other.

Another object of tile present invention is to provide a humidity-proof connecting device in which a conductive grease is used for the humidity-proof, thereby enabling the two housing to be detachable from each other.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a humidity-proof connecting device in which a conductive grease is used for the humidity-proof to thereby enable that the two housing are detachable each other, and in which the conductive grease is protected by a sealing means.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a humidity-proof connecting device in which a conductive grease is used for the humidity-proof to thereby enabling that two housing are detachable from each other, and in which the conductive grease is protected from deterioration by a sealing member.

In order to attain the foregoing objects, a connecting device is comprised of a first housing having therein a pair of parallely spaced first passages each of which has a proximal end and a distal end, a male terminal accommodated in each of the first passages and having a proximal end to which a first wire is connected and a distal end, a second housing having therein a pair of parallely spaced second passages each of which has a proximal end and a distal end fitted into the distal end of the corresponding First passage, a female terminal accommodated in each of the second passages, having a proximal end to which a second wire is connected and a distal end engaged with the distal end of the corresponding male terminal, and an amount of viscous oily substance is positioned in the neighbourhood of a portion at which the distal end of the male terminal and the distal end of the female terminal are in engagement with each other in such a manner establish conductivity therebetween.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following detailed description of preferred exemplarily embodiment of the present invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which;

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a connecting device according to the present invention which is in its separated condition;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a connecting device according to the present invention which is in its coupled condition;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a connecting device according to the present invention which is in its separated condition;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a connecting device according to the present invention which is in its separated condition;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a connecting device according to the present invention which is in its connected condition;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a connecting device according to the present invention which is in its separated condition;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of connecting device according to the present invention which is in its connected condition;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment of a connecting device according to the present invention which is in its separated condition;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a sixth embodiment of a connecting device according to the present invention which is in its separated condition;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a sixth embodiment of a connecting device according to the present invention which is in its connected condition;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a seventh embodiment of a connecting device according to the present invention which is in its separated condition;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a eighth embodiment of a connecting device according to the present invention which is in its separated condition; and

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional connecting device;

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinunder in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, a connecting device includes a first housing 10 and a second housing 20. A pair of parallely spaced passages 11 (only one is shown) are so formed in the first housing 10 as to pass therethrough. The passage 11 is provided with an inner projecting holding portion 12 to which a male terminal 13 is secured. Between the male terminal 13 and the holding portion 12, there is defined a gap or clearance 12a by which the passage 11 remains its open condition. The male terminal 13 is connected at its left end 17 with a wire 14. A convex portion 16 is formed on the first housing 10 which is to be interlocked with an engaging portion 26 of the second housing 20.

Similar to the first housing 10, the second housing 20 includes a pair of parallely spaced passages 22 (only one is shown) which are so formed in the second housing 20 as to pass therethrough. The second housing 20 is provide with a pair of parallely spaced cylinder portions 20a. A second passage 21 is so provided in each of the cylinder portions 20a as to pass therethrough. At an inner projecting holding portion 22 of the second passage 21, there is secured a female terminal 23 which is connected at its right end with a wire 24. The outer radius of each of the cylinder portions 20a is identical to the inner radius of each of the first passages 11, which enables a male-female connection or coupling therebetween. Once such coupling is established, the resultant coupling is kept by the interlocking connection between the convex portion 16 of the first housing 10 and the engaging portion 26 of the second housing 20.

Within the first passage 11, an amount of viscous oily insulation grease 19 is filled. As the grease 19, one is used which is supplied, by name of "Multtemp CE-T No.2", by Kyodo Yushi Co.,Ltd in Japan. Thus, when the cylinder portion 20a of the second housing 20 is inserted into the first passage 11 for the connection of the first housing 10 with the second housing 20 which will bring the connection between the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 23, as best shown in FIG. 2, the grease 19 in the first passage 11 is displaced or moved into the second passage 21, which leads to that the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 23 are entirely covered with the grease 19. The grease 19, though it is insulating per se, is of a character that its oil thin film is apt to disappear when a pressure is applied thereto. Thus, the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 23 are shielded from the atmosphere, whereby each of the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 23 becomes water-proof. The grease 19 in the form of a oil thin film between the the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 23 is under a pressure therebetween, which results in that the insulation function of the grease 19 disappears therebetween due to disappearance of the oil thin film. Thus, the conductivity between the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 23 is assured. In the light of the fact that grease fails to solidify, the first housing 10 can be removed from the second housing 20 after the connection therebetween. So long as the grease exists in the passage, the connection and removal of the first housing 10 relative to the second housing 20 can be repeated.

As shown in FIG. 3, the grease is filled in the second passage 21 as well as the first passage 11. Thus, upon connection between the first housing 10 and the second housing 20, the male terminal 13 and the female terminal 23 are entirely covered with the grease 19, with the results in higher water-proofing.

As shown in FIG. 4, before coupling, the grease is filled in the neighbourhood of the male terminal 13. After coupling, as shown in FIG. 5, each of the left end of the first passage 11 and the right end of the second passage 21 are closed by the grease 19. The amount of grease 19 can be decreased in comparison with the previously disclosed embodiments.

In FIG. 6, the grease 19 is filled in the first passage 11 left end is closed by a silicon cover 18. After coupling of the first housing 10 with the second housing 20 in which the right end of the second passage 23 is closed by a silicon cover 28. Thus, the grease 19 in the passages 11 and 21 are shielded from the atmosphere. This ensures the long-range prevention of an invasion of water into each housing and the holding of the wire 14 (24) to the housing 10 (20). It is to be noted that as shown in FIG. 8 the grease 19 can be filled in both passages 11 and 21 before coupling.

In FIG. 9, the first passage 11 is provided at its right end and left end with the grease 19 and the silicon cover 18. When the first housing 10 which is of such structure is brought into coupling with the second housing 20 in which the second passage 21 is closed at its right end by the silicon 28, the structure shown in FIG. 10 is established. In addition to the structure in FIG. 9, as shown in FIG. 11, the grease 19 can be filled in the left end of the second passage 21. Moreover, the grease 19 can be filled at both ends of the first passage 11 (the second passage 21) which is closed at its left end (right end) by the silicon 18(28).

The invention has thus been shown and described with reference to reference to specific embodiments, however, it should be noted that the invention is in no way limited to the details of the illustrated structures but changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.