Traditionally, casings of electronic devices, such as a mobile phone, personal digital assistant, portable music player, electronic book reader, and the like, have been desired to have a waterproof structure that prevents the ingress of rain water or the like. Various types of connectors are incorporated into such electronic devices for connecting the electronic devices to an external electronic device. Such connectors are also waterproofed in various ways in order to prevent water ingress into the casings of the electronic devices via these connectors.
In general, each of the connectors is fabricated from contact terminals and a metal shell by disposing the contact terminals in a housing made of resin and by surrounding the housing by the metal shell. In the connector, portions of the contact terminals on one end side are disposed in the casing and the other ends are disposed to be oriented toward the outside of the casing.
Because water (liquid) penetrates into a gap between components of the connector, such as between the contacts and the housing, between the housing and the shell, or the like due to the capillarity to ingress into the connector, waterproofing of the connector is carried out such that the capillarity is prevented.
For example, a molded connector of Patent Literature (hereinafter, referred to as “PTL”) 1 is waterproofed and sealed by a waterproof sealing agent filled in a gap between contacts and a metal shell on one hand and a connector housing on the other hand.
In addition, in PTL 2, water ingress into a casing along contacts is prevented by filling a sealing material in a recessed reception portion at a rear portion of a connector and solidifying the sealing material within a shell. In this connector, the recessed reception portion has a bottom surface that corresponds to a rear surface of a housing, from which ends of the contacts protrude.
Another traditional connector having a structure in which contacts are knurled to lengthen the path of water ingress into the connector from ends of the contacts on the external side to the other ends of the contacts on the internal side, and thus, water ingress into the connector is made less possible is also known.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds