JP6415240B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  Some connectors include a retainer that is attached to a housing and maintains the accommodation state of terminals accommodated in the housing (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2003-229195 A JP-A-11-29797

  Between the retainer and the housing, there is a locking portion for locking the front retainer to the housing, but the retainer is tilted with respect to the housing, or the direction crossing the mounting direction to the housing If the retainer is mounted in the state of being displaced to the position, the retainer cannot be mounted smoothly on the housing, and an excessive force may act on the locking portion to cause damage.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to smoothly mount the retainer on the housing, and to protect the locking portion that locks the retainer to the housing. Is to provide a simple connector.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the connector according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1) to ( 2 ).
(1) a housing having a cavity;
A terminal accommodated in the cavity;
A retainer mounted on the housing to maintain the accommodation state of the terminal in the cavity;
A locking portion for locking the retainer mounted on the housing to the housing,
The housing has a guide groove along the mounting direction of the retainer,
The retainer has a guide rib provided along the mounting direction to the housing and inserted into the guide groove when mounted to the housing.
The retainer includes a flat bottom plate portion, and a pair of flat side plate portions that protrude upward from both ends in the width direction of the bottom plate portion and extend in the mounting direction. Are not connected to each other,
The guide rib is a flat rib that protrudes upward from the center in the width direction of the bottom plate and extends in the mounting direction.
The locking portion is formed on the inner surface in the width direction of one of the side plate portions of the retainer, and is temporarily locked to lock the retainer in a temporarily locked state in which the terminal is not held in the cavity. A main locking protrusion for locking the retainer in a main locking state that is formed on the widthwise inner side surface of the other side plate portion of the retainer and maintains the terminal in the cavity. A pair of locking step portions formed on both side surfaces on the outer side in the width direction of the terminal accommodating portion that defines the cavity of the housing,
The temporary locking state is maintained by locking the temporary locking protrusion to one locking step, and the main locking protrusion is locked to the other locking step by locking the main locking protrusion to the other locking step. A connector that is maintained in a stopped state .
( 2 ) The connector according to (1) , wherein the guide rib protrudes from the edge of the bottom plate portion of the retainer on the front side in the mounting direction to the housing toward the front in the mounting direction.

In the connector having the configuration (1), when the retainer is mounted on the housing, the guide rib of the retainer is inserted into the guide groove of the housing formed along the mounting direction, and the retainer mounted on the housing is guided in the mounting direction. Is done. Accordingly, the retainer can be easily and smoothly mounted on the housing.
In addition, by inserting the guide rib into the guide groove, it is possible to prevent the retainer from being tilted with respect to the housing or mounted in a direction crossing the mounting direction when the housing is mounted on the housing. Therefore, it is possible to protect the locking portion that locks the retainer on the housing without causing a problem that an excessive force acts on the locking portion to cause damage.
In addition, with the retainer mounted on the housing, the guide ribs are inserted into the guide grooves and engaged with each other. Therefore, for example, even when the housing of the mating connector comes into contact with the retainer and an external force is applied to the retainer at the time of joining with the mating connector, the external force is received at the engagement portion between the guide rib and the guide groove. As a result, it is possible to eliminate such a problem that an unreasonable force acts on the locking portion due to the retainer being displaced with respect to the housing. That is, the locking portion can be protected even when the retainer is mounted on the housing.
Furthermore, in the connector having the above configuration ( 1 ), the guide rib is inserted into the guide groove, so that the retainer is prevented from being tilted or displaced in the direction crossing the mounting direction. It is possible to protect both the temporary locking portion and the final locking portion that locks the retainer to the housing.
In the connector having the configuration ( 2 ), when the retainer is attached to the housing, first, the guide rib is inserted into the guide groove, and then the housing and the retainer are locked by the locking portion. As described above, the retainer is guided in the mounting direction by the guide rib inserted into the guide groove before the housing and the retainer are locked by the locking portion, so that the locking portion can be further reliably protected. .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the connector which can attach a retainer to a housing smoothly and can protect the latching | locking part which latches a retainer to a housing can be provided.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through a mode for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the connector according to the present embodiment. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating the structure of the connector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2A is a front view, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view seen from the front side of the housing. FIG. 4 is a perspective view seen from the rear side in the mounting direction of the front retainer to the housing. FIG. 5 is a perspective view seen from the front side in the mounting direction of the front retainer to the housing. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the front retainer when it is mounted on the housing, and FIGS. 6A to 6C are cross-sectional views taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the housing showing the front retainer in a temporarily locked state with respect to the housing in a horizontal cross-sectional view. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the front retainer that is temporarily locked with respect to the housing, as viewed from the front side of the housing. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the front retainer that is temporarily locked with respect to the housing, as viewed from the front side of the housing. FIG. 10 is a perspective view seen from the front side in the mounting direction of the front retainer to the housing, showing a modification of the front retainer.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the connector according to the present embodiment.
In this specification, the front side, the rear side, the upper side, the lower side, the left side, and the right side are defined and described as indicated by arrows in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 10 according to this embodiment includes a housing 21, a front retainer (retainer) 31, and a plurality of male terminals (terminals) 41.

  The male terminal 41 is made of a conductive metal material such as copper. The male terminal 41 includes a main body portion 42 formed in a rectangular tube shape, a tab portion 43 protruding forward from the front end of the main body portion 42, and a crimping portion 44 formed on the rear end side of the main body portion 42. ing. An end portion of the electric wire 51 is crimped and connected to the crimping portion 44. The electric wire 51 is an insulated electric wire in which the periphery of the conductor 52 is covered with an outer sheath 53, and the conductor 52 of the electric wire 51 and the male terminal 41 are electrically connected. A rubber plug 55 is attached to the end of the electric wire 51.

  2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating the structure of the connector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2A is a front view, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the front retainer 31 is attached to the housing 21 from the front side. The housing 21 is a member molded from a synthetic resin.

  The housing 21 has a hood portion 22 formed in a cylindrical shape on the front side thereof. A mating connector (not shown) is fitted to the hood portion 22. As a result, the mating connector is joined to the connector 10, and the male terminal 41 of the connector 10 and the female terminal of the mating connector are conductively connected.

  The rear side of the housing 21 is a terminal insertion portion 23, and a plurality of terminal insertion holes 24 are formed in the terminal insertion portion 23. In the housing 21, male terminals 41 are inserted into the respective terminal insertion holes 24 from the rear end side. The terminal insertion hole 24 is fitted with a rubber plug 55 attached to the end of the electric wire 51, whereby the gap between the electric wire 51 and the terminal insertion hole 24 is sealed by the rubber plug 55, and the housing 21 The rear end side is waterproofed.

  The housing 21 has a terminal accommodating portion 25 between the hood portion 22 and the terminal insertion portion 23. A plurality of cavities 26 are formed in the terminal accommodating portion 25, and the male terminals 41 inserted from the terminal insertion holes 24 are accommodated in these cavities 26. A lance 27 having a locking claw 27 a protruding into the cavity 26 is formed at the lower portion of the cavity 26. The rear end side of the lance 27 is connected to the housing 21. The lance 27 is elastically deformed by being pushed down when the main body portion 42 of the male terminal 41 inserted into the cavity 26 comes into contact with the locking claw 27 a, and then the locking claw 27 a is the lower surface of the main body portion 42 of the male terminal 41. It is restored by returning to the locking hole (not shown) formed in the back and returns to the original position. And the male terminal 41 is latched by the latching claw 27a of the lance 27, and is accommodated in the cavity 26 in a state in which the backward movement is restricted.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view seen from the front side of the housing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal accommodating part 25 protrudes toward the front. The terminal accommodating portion 25 is formed with locking step portions (locking portions) 28 at the front end portions on both side portions thereof. In addition, a guide groove 29 is formed between the cavities 26 along the front-rear direction at the lower portion of the terminal accommodating portion 25. Further, a support portion 30 is formed below the terminal accommodating portion 25 with a gap.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view seen from the rear side in the mounting direction of the front retainer to the housing. FIG. 5 is a perspective view seen from the front side in the mounting direction of the front retainer to the housing.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front retainer 31 includes a bottom plate portion 32, side plate portions 33 erected on both sides of the bottom plate portion 32, and a width direction of the bottom plate portion 32 (in FIG. 2B). And a guide portion 34 provided at the center in the direction of arrow B). The front retainer 31 is a member molded from a synthetic resin. A temporary locking projection (locking portion, temporary locking portion) 35 is formed on the inner surface side of one side plate portion 33. Further, a main locking projection (locking portion, main locking portion) 36 is formed on the inner surface side of the other side plate portion 33. The temporary locking protrusion 35 is formed on the front side in the mounting direction with respect to the housing 21, and the main locking protrusion 36 is formed on the rear side in the mounting direction with respect to the temporary locking protrusion 35. The guide portion 34 is formed with a plate-like guide rib 37 protruding upward. The guide rib 37 is formed along the mounting direction to the housing 21.

  The front retainer 31 is attached to the housing 21 by being assembled to the terminal accommodating portion 25 from the front side thereof. When the front retainer 31 is assembled to the housing 21, the bottom plate portion 32 is disposed between the terminal accommodating portion 25 and the support portion 30. Thereby, the lance 27 formed in the terminal accommodating portion 25 is restricted from being displaced downward by the bottom plate portion 32 of the front retainer 31, and the locked state of the male terminal 41 by the locking claw 27 a of the lance 27 is maintained. The When the front retainer 31 is assembled to the housing 21, the side plate portion 33 of the front retainer 31 is disposed along the side surface of the terminal accommodating portion 25, and the main locking projection 36 is formed on the side portion of the terminal accommodating portion 25. The locking step 28 is locked. Thereby, the front retainer 31 is restricted from moving forward of the housing 21.

  Next, the movement when the front retainer 31 is mounted on the housing 21 will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the front retainer when it is mounted on the housing, and FIGS. 6A to 6C are cross-sectional views taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the housing showing the front retainer in a temporarily locked state with respect to the housing in a horizontal cross-sectional view. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the front retainer that is temporarily locked with respect to the housing, as viewed from the front side of the housing. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the front retainer that is temporarily locked with respect to the housing, as viewed from the front side of the housing.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the front retainer 31 is inserted into the hood portion 22 of the housing 21. Then, the bottom plate portion 32 is inserted between the terminal accommodating portion 25 and the support portion 30 of the housing 21 while the front retainer 31 is disposed at the center position in the width direction of the housing 21 (the arrow B direction in FIG. 6A). Push it in as if

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the front retainer 31 is further pushed into the housing 21. In this way, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the temporary locking protrusion 35 formed on the inner surface side of the one side plate portion 33 of the front retainer 31 gets over the locking step portion 28 of the terminal accommodating portion 25, It enters the rear side of the housing 21 from the locking step 28. As a result, the temporary retainer protrusion 35 of the front retainer 31 is engaged with the engagement step portion 28, and the front retainer 31 is restricted from moving rearward in the mounting direction with respect to the housing 21. And temporarily locked. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the main locking projection 36 is disposed on the front side of the housing 21 with respect to the locking step portion 28 of the terminal accommodating portion 25.

  At this time, the guide rib 37 formed in the guide portion 34 of the front retainer 31 is inserted into the guide groove 29 formed in the terminal accommodating portion 25 of the housing 21. Thereby, the front retainer 31 is guided along the mounting direction to the housing 21. Therefore, the inclination of the front retainer 31 with respect to the housing 21 at the time of mounting on the housing 21 and the displacement in the width direction (direction of arrow B in FIG. 6B) that intersects the mounting direction are prevented.

  In this temporarily locked state, the front retainer 31 is not dropped from the housing 21 because the temporarily locking projection 35 locks the locking step portion 28. In this state, the bottom plate portion 32 of the front retainer 31 is not disposed below the lance 27 of the terminal accommodating portion 25. Accordingly, the lance 27 can be displaced downward. When the male terminal 41 is inserted into the cavity 26 from the rear end side of the housing 21 in this state, the lance 27 is pushed down and elastically deformed by the main body portion 42 of the male terminal 41 coming into contact with the locking claw 27a of the lance 27. Thereafter, the locking claw 27 a enters the locking hole formed in the lower surface of the main body portion 42 of the male terminal 41. Thereby, the male terminal 41 is held in the state accommodated in the cavity 26.

  In this temporarily locked state, the lance 27 can be displaced downward, and the male terminal 41 can be inserted into and removed from the cavity 26. That is, the temporarily locked state of the front retainer 31 is a state where the accommodation state of the male terminal 41 in the cavity 26 is not maintained.

  As shown in FIG. 6C, the front retainer 31 is further pushed into the housing 21. In this way, the main locking projection 36 formed on the inner surface side of the other side plate portion 33 of the front retainer 31 gets over the locking step portion 28 of the terminal accommodating portion 25, and the housing 21 rather than the locking step portion 28. Go into the back side. Thereby, in the front retainer 31, the main locking projection 36 locks the locking step portion 28. Thereby, the front retainer 31 is restricted from moving backward in the mounting direction with respect to the housing 21, and is in a mounting state in which the front retainer 31 is permanently locked to the housing 21.

  Also at this time, the guide rib 37 formed in the guide portion 34 of the front retainer 31 is inserted into the guide groove 29 formed in the terminal accommodating portion 25 of the housing 21, so that the front retainer 31 is attached to the housing 21. Guided along the mounting direction. This prevents the front retainer 31 from being tilted with respect to the housing 21 when mounted on the housing 21 and misaligned in the width direction (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 6C) that intersects the mounting direction.

  In this fully locked state, the front retainer 31 is not dropped from the housing 21 because the fully locking projection 36 locks the locking step 28. In this state, the bottom plate portion 32 of the front retainer 31 is disposed below the lance 27 of the terminal accommodating portion 25, and the downward displacement of the lance 27 is restricted. Thereby, the latching state of the male terminal 41 by the latching claw 27a of the lance 27 is maintained, and the dropout of the male terminal 41 from the cavity 26 is prevented.

  Thus, in the final locking state, the lance 27 cannot be displaced downward, and the male terminal 41 cannot be inserted into and removed from the cavity 26. That is, the main locking state of the front retainer 31 is a state in which the accommodation state of the male terminal 41 in the cavity 26 is maintained.

  Also in this fully locked state, the guide ribs 37 are inserted into the guide grooves 29 and engaged with each other. Therefore, for example, even when an external force acting in the width direction (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 6C) is applied to the front retainer 31 when the housing of the counterpart connector is in contact with the counterpart connector, the external force Is received at the engaging portion between the guide groove 29 and the guide rib 37.

  As described above, according to the connector according to the present embodiment, when the front retainer 31 is mounted on the housing 21, the guide rib 37 of the front retainer 31 is formed in the guide groove 29 of the housing 21 formed along the mounting direction. The front retainer 31 that is inserted and mounted on the housing 21 is guided in the mounting direction. Thereby, the front retainer 31 can be easily and smoothly mounted on the housing 21.

  Further, by inserting the guide rib 37 into the guide groove 29, it is possible to prevent the front retainer 31 from being tilted with respect to the housing 21 when mounted on the housing 21 or being displaced in the width direction that intersects the mounting direction. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to protect the temporary locking projection 35, the main locking projection 36, and the locking step portion 28 for locking the front retainer 31 to the housing 21 without any trouble that may be damaged by an excessive force. .

  In addition, with the front retainer 31 mounted on the housing 21, the guide rib 37 is inserted into the guide groove 29 and engaged with each other. Therefore, for example, even when the housing of the mating connector abuts against the front retainer 31 and an external force acts on the front retainer 31 at the time of joining with the mating connector, the external force is received at the engagement portion between the guide rib 37 and the guide groove 29. . As a result, the front retainer 31 is displaced with respect to the housing 21, thereby eliminating a problem that an excessive force acts on the main locking projection 36 and the locking step portion 28. That is, even when the front retainer 31 is mounted on the housing 21, the main locking projection 36 and the locking step portion 28 can be protected.

  Next, a front retainer 31A according to a modification will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view seen from the front side in the mounting direction of the front retainer to the housing, showing a modification of the front retainer.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the front retainer 31 </ b> A according to the modification, the guide portion 34 protrudes forward in the mounting direction to the housing 21. As a result, in the front retainer 31 </ b> A, the guide rib 37 of the guide portion 34 protrudes forward in the mounting direction to the housing 21.

  According to the front retainer 31 </ b> A, when the housing 21 is mounted, the guide rib 37 of the guide portion 34 is first inserted into the guide groove 29 formed in the terminal accommodating portion 25 of the housing 21. Thereafter, the temporary locking projection 35 of the front retainer 31 is brought into contact with the locking step portion 28 of the terminal accommodating portion 25, gets over the locking step portion 28 and enters the rear side of the housing 21 from the locking step portion 28. . As described above, in the front retainer 31A, the temporary locking projection 35 is guided in the mounting direction to the housing 21 by the guide rib 37 inserted into the guide groove 29 before contacting the locking step portion 28. Become.

  Therefore, when the housing 21 is mounted, it is possible to prevent damage due to the temporary locking projection 35 coming into contact with a portion other than the locking step portion 28 or being inclined with respect to the locking step portion 28. Further, the temporary locking projection 35 and the locking step portion 28 can be more reliably protected.

  In the above-described embodiment, the connector 10 including the front retainers 31 and 31A mounted from the front side of the housing 21 is described as an example of the retainer. However, the retainer is mounted on the housing 21 from the side. Things can be used.

  Moreover, the terminal accommodated in the cavity 26 of the housing 21 is not limited to the male terminal 41 but may be a female terminal having a fitting portion into which the tab portion of the other male terminal is fitted.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, and the like of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

Here, the features of the embodiment of the connector according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [3], respectively.
[1] a housing (21) having a cavity (26);
A terminal (male terminal 41) received in the cavity (26);
A retainer (front retainer 31) that is attached to the housing (21) and maintains the accommodation state of the terminal (male terminal 41) in the cavity (26);
Locking portions (locking step portions, temporary locking protrusions 35, main locking protrusions 36) for locking the retainer (front retainer 31) mounted on the housing (21) to the housing (21), Prepared,
The housing (21) has a guide groove (29) along the mounting direction of the retainer (front retainer 31),
The retainer (front retainer 31) has a guide rib (37) provided along the mounting direction to the housing (21) and inserted into the guide groove (29) when mounted to the housing (21). Features a connector.
[2] The locking portion (the locking step portion, the temporary locking protrusion 35, the main locking protrusion 36) is in a temporarily locked state in which the accommodation state of the terminal (male terminal 41) in the cavity (26) is not maintained. The temporary locking portion (temporary locking projection 35) locked to the housing (21) and the housing (in the final locking state for maintaining the accommodation state of the terminal (male terminal 41) in the cavity (26)). 21) The main locking portion (the main locking projection 36) that is locked to 21). The connector according to [1].
[3] The guide rib (37) projects from the edge of the retainer (front retainer 31A) on the front side in the mounting direction to the housing (21) toward the front in the mounting direction. ] Or the connector according to [2].

10 Connector 21 Housing 26 Cavity 28 Locking Step (Locking Portion)
29 Guide groove 31, 31A Front retainer (Retainer)
35 Temporary locking projection (locking part, temporary locking part)
36 Locking projections (Locking part, Locking part)
37 Guide rib 41 Male terminal (terminal)

Claims (2)

A housing having a cavity;
A terminal accommodated in the cavity;
A retainer mounted on the housing to maintain the accommodation state of the terminal in the cavity;
A locking portion for locking the retainer mounted on the housing to the housing,
The housing has a guide groove along the mounting direction of the retainer,
The retainer has a guide rib provided along the mounting direction to the housing and inserted into the guide groove when mounted to the housing.
The retainer includes a flat bottom plate portion, and a pair of flat side plate portions that protrude upward from both ends in the width direction of the bottom plate portion and extend in the mounting direction. Are not connected to each other,
The guide rib is a flat rib that protrudes upward from the center in the width direction of the bottom plate and extends in the mounting direction.
The locking portion is formed on the inner surface in the width direction of one of the side plate portions of the retainer, and is temporarily locked to lock the retainer in a temporarily locked state in which the terminal is not held in the cavity. A main locking protrusion for locking the retainer in a main locking state that is formed on the widthwise inner side surface of the other side plate portion of the retainer and maintains the terminal in the cavity. A pair of locking step portions formed on both side surfaces on the outer side in the width direction of the terminal accommodating portion that defines the cavity of the housing,
The temporary locking state is maintained by locking the temporary locking protrusion to one locking step, and the main locking protrusion is locked to the other locking step by locking the main locking protrusion to the other locking step. A connector that is maintained in a stopped state . 2. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the guide rib projects from the edge of the bottom plate portion of the retainer on the front side in the mounting direction to the housing toward the front in the mounting direction.

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