JP2000235882A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely prevent a retainer from pulling out. SOLUTION: A retainer 20 is brought into a pull-out checked state by locking its left-front elastic bendable piece 23LF and right-rear elastic bendable piece 23RR on pull-out check parts 16. When the retainer 21 is leaned backward by a forward external force exerted on a body part 21 thereof, if the left-front elastic bendable piece 23LF pulls out the pull-out check part 16, the right-rear elastic bendable piece 23RR maintains its pull-out checked state on the pull-out check part 16, and therefore the retainer 20 is prevented from pulling out. When a backward external force is exerted thereon, the retainer 20 is kept in the pull-out checked state likewise.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector provided with a retainer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 8 and 9 show a connector having a retainer. This is because the retainer mounting hole c that reaches the cavity from the lower surface of the connector housing a
And a retainer d is fitted into the retainer mounting hole c. When a terminal fitting (not shown) is inserted into the cavity, the retainer d is previously held at a temporary locking position shown in the drawing, and After the insertion, the retainer d is pushed into the final locking position where the retainer d is locked to the terminal fitting in a retaining state.

At both left and right ends of the retainer d, a pair of front and rear elastic bending pieces e and f project in the same direction as the direction of insertion into the retainer mounting hole c, and the retainer d is inserted into the retainer mounting hole c. In the process, the front and rear elastically bent pieces e and f elastically bend so as to close toward the other side while slidingly contacting the front and rear wall surfaces of the retainer mounting hole c. The elastic pieces e and f elastically return, and the elastic elastic piece e on the front side is locked to the retaining portion g, thereby preventing the retainer d from slipping out, and the front and rear elastic elastic pieces e and f.
When f touches the front wall and the rear wall of the retainer mounting hole c, the retainer d is maintained in a predetermined posture.

In the process of pushing the retainer d from the temporary locking position to the full locking position, the front and rear elastic bending pieces e and f are used.
When the retainer d reaches the full locking position while the rear elastic flexing piece f climbs over the projection h while elastically flexing so as to close, the rear elastic flexing piece f elastically returns and is locked to the projection h. Thus, the retainer d is retained and retained.

[0005]

As described above, the elastic bending pieces e and f for provisionally locking or fully locking the retainer d are provided on both the left and right sides. The retaining of d was performed by the front elastic bending piece e on both the left and right sides. Therefore, when a forward pressing force acts on the protruding portion of the retainer d from the connector housing a, the rear elastic bending piece f abuts on the inner wall surface on the rear side of the retainer mounting hole c and elastically bends. , The retainer d is rotationally displaced clockwise in the drawing with the base end of the front elastic bending piece e as a fulcrum, and as a result, the front elastic bending piece e
May come off the retaining portion g.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to reliably prevent a retainer from coming off.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector housing having a retainer mounting hole, and a retainer which is inserted into the retainer mounting hole to prevent a terminal fitting attached to the connector housing from coming off. It is provided on both left and right sides of the retainer, and cantileverly protrudes from two positions spaced apart in the front-rear direction toward the direction of insertion into the retainer mounting hole, and can be elastically bent toward each other. In a state in which two elastic bending pieces are provided and the retainer is inserted into the retainer mounting hole, only one of the front and rear elastic bending pieces on the left and right sides of the retainer is engaged with the retaining portion in the retainer mounting hole. When the retainer is stopped, the retainer is prevented from being pulled out, and the front and rear elastic contact pieces abut against the front and rear inner wall surfaces of the retainer mounting hole. In the configuration in which the attitude of the retainer is maintained, one of the front and rear elastic bending pieces for retaining the retainer is configured to be located at positions opposite to each other on the right and left sides. did.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the retainer has a point-symmetrical shape about an axis parallel to the direction of insertion into the retainer mounting hole.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a forward external force is applied to the retainer which is inserted into the retainer mounting hole and is prevented from being removed by the elastic locking piece, the rear elastic bending is performed. While the piece is pressed against the rear wall surface of the retainer mounting hole and elastically bends, the retainer is rotationally displaced with the base end of the front elastic bend piece as a fulcrum. As a result, the elastic resilient piece on the front side is disengaged from the retaining portion on one of the right and left sides, but the elastic resilient piece on the rear side is pressed against the rear wall surface of the retainer mounting hole on the opposite side, so that the retaining portion is not retained. In order to maintain the locking state of the retainer, the retainer is kept in the locking state by locking the rear elastic bending piece and the locking portion. Also, when a rearward external force acts on the retainer, the retainer is retained in the retaining state by the engagement between the front elastic bending piece and the retaining portion, contrary to the above.

[Invention of Claim 2] Since the retainer can be inserted into the retainer mounting hole even if it is turned left and right, there is no need to consider the direction of the retainer, and the workability of insertion into the retainer mounting hole is excellent.

[0011]

[First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. In the description of the direction of the present embodiment, the left side is the front side in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 1 to 5, the left side is the front side of the paper in the cross-sectional views, and the right side is the rear side of the paper.

The connector of the present embodiment includes a connector housing 10, a retainer 20, and a terminal fitting 30. A plurality of cavities 11 for inserting the terminal fittings 30 from the rear are provided in the connector housing 10.
Are formed in parallel on the left and right sides, and a stepped primary locking portion 12 is formed in each cavity 11. The connector housing 10 is formed with a retainer fitting hole 13 which is opened in the bottom surface thereof and communicates with each cavity 11 and which is long in the left-right direction. The terminal fitting 30 is a lance 31
And a step-shaped secondary locking portion 32. The retainer 20 has a body part 21 elongated in the left-right direction and a movable locking part 22 elongated in the left-right direction formed on the upper surface of the body part 21, and the movable locking part 22 is fitted into the retainer fitting hole 13. By being fitted, the connector housing 10 is selectively attached to the temporary locking position and the final locking position.

When the terminal fitting 30 is inserted into the cavity 11, as shown in FIG. 4, the retainer 20 is held at the temporary locking position, and the movable locking portion 22 is retracted below the cavity 11. The terminal fitting 30 gets over the primary locking portion 12 while bending so as to close the lance 31, and when reaching the regular insertion position, the lance 31 is elastically restored and locked to the primary locking portion 12, thereby preventing the terminal fitting 30 from being pulled out. Thus, the terminal fitting 30 is in the primary locked state. Thereafter, when the retainer 20 is pushed into the final locking position, the movable locking portion 22
By being locked to the secondary locking portion 32, it is prevented from coming off, and the secondary locking state is established. The terminal fitting 30 is securely held in the retaining state by the primary locking and the secondary locking.

Next, means for locking the retainer 20 between the temporary locking position and the full locking position will be described. Retainer 20
On each of the left and right sides, a pair of front and rear elastic bending pieces 23 are respectively provided.
LF, 23LR, 23RF, and 23RR are formed. The pair of left elastic resilient pieces 23 LF and 23 LR are located above two positions separated from each other in the front and rear directions (the connector housing 10.
(The direction in which the elastic bending pieces 23L are protruded toward each other).
F, 23LR can be elastically bent. The upper end (projecting end) of the elastic bending piece 23LF (hereinafter referred to as the left front elastic bending piece 23LF) located at the left front portion projects forward (outward). Retaining projection 23
A is formed. On the other hand, the left rear elastic bending piece 23LR
A locking projection 23B protruding rearward is formed at the upper end of the head. On the other hand, the right elastic bending pieces 23RF and 23RF
As for RR, a locking projection 23B protruding forward is formed on the upper end of the right front elastic bending piece 23RF, and a retaining projection 23A protruding rearward is formed on the upper end of the right rear elastic bending piece 23RR. When viewed from the side, the left front elastic bend 23LF and the right rear elastic bend 23RR are symmetrical in the front-rear direction, and the left rear elastic bend 23LR and the right front elastic bend 23RF are also symmetrical in the front and rear. That is, the retainer 20 has a shape which is point-symmetrical with respect to an axis parallel to the up-down direction (the direction of assembly to the connector housing 10) as a whole.

In the connector housing 10, a pair of left and right retainer mounting holes 14L and 14R are formed so as to open to the bottom surface. As shown in FIG. 2, the left retainer mounting hole 14L communicates with the back end of a die-cutting hole 15F that opens on the front face of the connector housing 10, and the right retainer mounting hole 14R communicates with the connector housing 10 as shown in FIG. It communicates with the back end of the die-cut hole 15R that opens on the rear surface.
The portion of the left retainer mounting hole 14L that communicates with the release hole 15F on the front wall surface is the retaining projection 23A of the left front elastic bending piece 23LF when the retainer 20 is in the temporary locking position.
Are locked. Also, a left rear elastic bending piece 23L is provided on the rear wall surface of the retainer mounting hole 14L.
A receiving projection 17 is formed so that the locking projection 23B of R can be locked from below and above.

On the other hand, in the right retainer mounting hole 14R,
The retainer mounting hole 14L on the left side is in the form of a front and rear reverse. That is, the communicating portion with the die release hole 15R on the rear wall surface of the retainer mounting hole 14R is a retaining portion where the retaining projection 23A of the right rear elastic bending piece 23RR is locked when the retainer 20 is in the temporary locking position. 16 is provided on the front wall surface of the retainer mounting hole 14R.
The receiving projection 17 is formed so that the locking projection 23B of the 3RF can be locked from below and above.

In the process of assembling the retainer 20 to the connector housing 10, the left front and right rear elastic bending pieces 23LF, 23RR slide their retaining projections 23A on the front and rear wall surfaces of the retainer mounting holes 14L, 14R, respectively. 23L of the left rear part and the right front part.
R and 23RF have their locking projections 23 without elastic bending.
B is brought into sliding contact with the rear wall surface and the front wall surface of the retainer mounting holes 14L and 14R. When the retainer 20 reaches the temporary locking position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the locking projections 23B of the left and right front elastic resilient pieces 23LR and 23RF abut against the receiving projections 17 from below, so that the retainer 20 is held. Are stopped at the front, and the elastic bending pieces 23L at the left front portion and the right rear portion are provided.
The retaining projections 23A are locked to the retaining portions 16 by the elasticity of the F and 23RR, and the retainer 20 is brought into the retaining state.

In the left retainer mounting hole 14L,
Since the left front elastic bending piece 23LF contacts the front wall surface and the locking projection 23B of the left rear elastic bending piece 23LR contacts the rear wall surface, the posture of the two elastic bending pieces 23LF and 23LR is maintained. In the right retainer mounting hole 14R, the posture of the two elastic bending pieces 23RF and 23RR is changed by the right rear elastic bending piece 23RR abutting on the rear wall surface and the locking projection 23B of the right front elastic bending piece 23RF abutting on the front wall surface. Will be kept. These elastic bending pieces 23LF, 23LR, 23R
By the F and 23RR, the retainer 20 is maintained at a predetermined posture with respect to the connector housing 10.

When the retainer 20 is pushed into the final locking position from the temporarily locked state, in the process, the locking projections 23B receive the receiving projections 17 while the elastic bending pieces 23LR and 23RF at the left rear portion and the right front portion elastically bend. When the retainer 20 reaches the final locking position after getting over, the elastic bending pieces 23LF and 23RF
Is elastically restored, and the locking projection 23B is locked from above with respect to the receiving projection 17, whereby the retainer 20 is held at the full locking position. Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

When the retainer 20 is in the temporary locking position, the main body 21 of the retainer 20 is connected to the connector housing 1.
It is in a state of protruding below 0. When a forward external force acts on the main body 21, the retainer 20 is rotated clockwise in FIGS. 1 and 2 around the base end of the left front elastic bending piece 23 LF (the front edge of the retainer mounting hole 14 </ b> L). Rotate in the direction. At this time, in the left retainer mounting hole 14L, the retaining projection 23A of the left front elastic bending piece 23LF is displaced rearward from the retaining section 16, but in the right retainer mounting hole 14R, the right rear elastic bending piece 23RR is attached to the retainer mounting hole. The retaining projection 23A is pressed against the rear wall surface of the hole 14R.
Keeps the retaining state with the retaining portion 16, so that the retainer 20 is prevented from coming off the connector housing 10. Also, when the action of the external force is released from this state,
The retainer 20 returns to the original posture by the elastic restoring force of the elastic rear pieces 23LR, 23RR of the left rear portion and the right rear portion, and the retaining projection 23A of the front left elastic flexing piece 23LF moves to the retaining portion 16.
Will be locked.

Contrary to the above, when a rearward external force acts on the main body 21, the retainer 20 rotates counterclockwise in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the right rear elastic bending piece 23R
Although the retaining protrusion 23A of the R comes off the retaining portion 16, the retainer 20 does not come off because the retaining projection 23A of the left front elastic bending piece 23LF keeps being locked to the retaining portion 16. When released from the external force, the retainer 20 returns to the original posture by the elastic restoring force of the elastic bending pieces 23LF and 23RF at the left front portion and the right front portion.

As described above, in this embodiment, the retainer 20
The retaining projection 23A and the retaining portion 16 for retaining the lock are locked at two positions, that is, a front left position and a rear right position, that is, two positions where the right and left sides are opposite to each other.
Even if 0 is displaced forward or backward and one of the right and left retaining stops is released, the other retaining operation is maintained, so that the retainer 20 can be reliably held at the temporary locking position. . Further, the retainer 20 is connected to the connector housing 1.
Since the shape is symmetrical with respect to an axis parallel to the mounting direction to the center 0, even if the retainer 20 is turned left and right, the retainer fitting hole 13 and the retainer mounting holes 14L and 14R are provided.
Can be assembled. Therefore, it is not necessary to consider the direction of the retainer 20 when assembling the connector housing 10, and the workability of insertion into the retainer mounting holes 14L and 14R is excellent.

[Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the retainer is prevented from coming out when the retainer is stopped at the temporary locking position.
The present invention can also be applied to the case where the retainer is prevented from coming out when the retainer is stopped at the final locking position.

(2) In the above embodiment, the retainer has a point-symmetrical shape about the axis parallel to the direction of insertion into the retainer mounting hole, but according to the present invention, the retainer may have an asymmetrical shape.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a right retainer mounting hole when a retainer is at a temporary locking position in a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a left retainer mounting hole when the retainer is at a temporary locking position.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a left retainer mounting hole when the retainer is at a final locking position.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state of a cavity when a retainer is at a temporary locking position.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a locked state of the terminal fitting when the retainer is at a full locking position.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a retainer.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the connector housing.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a right retainer mounting hole in a conventional example.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a left retainer mounting hole in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector housing 14L, 14R ... Retainer mounting hole 16 ... Retaining part 20 ... Retainer 23LF ... Left front elastic bending piece 23LR ... Left rear elastic bending piece 23RF ... Right front elastic bending piece 23RR ... Right rear elastic bending piece 30 ... Terminal Metal fittings

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A connector housing having a retainer mounting hole, and retainers which are inserted into the retainer mounting hole to prevent a terminal fitting mounted on the connector housing from being removed, and on both left and right sides of the retainer. Two elastic bending pieces are provided, each of which cantileverly protrudes from two positions spaced apart in front and rear in the direction of insertion into the retainer mounting hole and can elastically bend toward each other, In a state in which the retainer is inserted into the retainer mounting hole, only one of the front and rear elastic bending pieces on the left and right sides of the retainer is locked to the retaining portion in the retainer mounting hole, so that the retainer is in the retaining state. So that the posture of the retainer is maintained by contacting the front and rear inner contact surfaces of the retainer mounting hole with the front and rear elastic contact pieces. In those with, the retainer bending one elastic either the aforementioned front and rear for retaining fit piece, connector, characterized in that it is set to the front and rear opposite positions to each other in the right and left. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the retainer has a point-symmetric shape about an axis parallel to a direction of insertion into the retainer mounting hole.