JP2000286003A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cope with both miniaturization of a male connector and improving operability of a retainer. SOLUTION: A housing 10 comprises an inner housing 11 which a retainer 26 is attached to, and an outer housing 20 enclosing the inner housing 11. The retainer 26 comprises a non-pull out part 27 which prevents the coming off of a terminal metal fitting T and a pair of holding pieces 28 extending in a cantilever-like manner, and the pair of holding pieces 28 are controlled to spread by a connecting part 34. When the retainer 26 moves, the parts of the holding pieces 28 where locking grooves 31, 32 of the holding pieces 28 are formed bend toward outside, however, the free end side parts are more controlled to open than the bending parts. Thus, even if the space S for the holding piece between the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 20 is small, the free ends of the holding pieces 28 never abut on the inner periphery of the outer housing 20 and the retainer 26 moves smoothly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector which is retained by a retainer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art German Patent Publication No. 370573 discloses an example of a connector for retaining terminal fittings by a retainer.
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-205. In this configuration, a terminal fitting is inserted into a connector housing from the rear, a retainer is attached from the side, and the retainer is locked to the terminal fitting to restrict the rearward displacement of the terminal fitting. . The retainer is formed by forming a protrusion-shaped retaining portion at the tip of an arm-shaped holding piece, and the retainer is held at a predetermined mounting position by fitting the holding piece along the outer surface of the connector housing. . In the assembled state, the retaining portion is locked by the terminal fitting to perform the retaining.

[0003]

[Regarding the function of preventing the terminal fitting from being removed] In the above-mentioned conventional connector, since the retaining piece of the retainer is exposed on the outer surface of the connector housing, the retaining piece interferes with foreign matter from outside. However, since the retaining piece is formed at the tip of the retaining piece, the influence of interference on the retaining piece affects the retaining piece. In this case, there is a possibility that the retaining portion may be displaced in a direction in which it comes off from the terminal fitting, and there is a problem with respect to the retaining reliability of the terminal fitting.

Therefore, as means for solving the above problem, the retaining portion is made independent of the holding piece, the retaining portion is inserted into the inside of the connector housing, and the base of the housing is inserted from the base end of the retaining portion. A shape in which the holding piece is cantilevered along the outer surface is conceivable. According to this retainer, even if the holding piece is bent by receiving interference from the outside, the retaining portion is not affected by the interference. By the way, with respect to the male connector having a cylindrical fitting portion protruding forward from the housing for accommodating the terminal fitting,
It is desired to use a side-mounting type retainer. However, if the male connector is a waterproof type, a retainer mounting hole cannot be opened on the outer surface of the housing. Therefore, it is conceivable to adopt a two-piece structure of an inner housing for accommodating the terminal fittings and an outer housing that can be assembled so as to be externally fitted to the inner housing and has a cylindrical fitting portion.
In this male housing, the retainer is assembled to the inner housing from the side at a temporary locking position, the outer housing is assembled to the inner housing so as to cover the retainer, the terminal fitting is inserted into the inner housing, and finally the retainer is inserted. Is slid to the final locking position to complete the assembly.

[0005] When a side-mounting type retainer in which the retaining portion and the holding piece are made independent as described above is applied to such a two-piece type male connector for waterproofing, the following applies. Challenges arise. A space must be secured between the outer periphery of the inner housing and the inner periphery of the outer housing for arranging the retainer retainer, but the space for the retainer should avoid increasing the size of the male connector. Considering the above, it is desirable to make the size as small as possible.

However, when the retainer moves between a temporary locking position allowing the operation of inserting and removing the terminal fitting and a full locking position preventing the terminal fitting from being pulled out, the holding piece is engaged with the locking portion on the inner housing side. In order to get over, the outer portion is bent outward toward the inner periphery of the outer housing, and in particular, the amount of bending at the free end of the holding piece is increased. Therefore, when the space for the holding piece is reduced, the free end of the holding piece strongly contacts the inner periphery of the outer housing, and as a result, a large frictional resistance is generated, and it becomes difficult to perform the displacement operation of the retainer.

If the frictional resistance is to be reduced, the space between the inner housing and the outer housing may be increased, but this will increase the size of the male connector. As described above, there has been a problem that it is impossible to achieve both miniaturization of the male connector and improvement in operability of the retainer. As a countermeasure, it is conceivable that the rigidity of the holding piece is reduced by making the entire holding piece thin, thereby reducing the frictional resistance generated between the holding piece and the inner periphery of the outer housing. However, when the retainer before being attached to the inner housing is packed in a loose state and the bag is transported or the retainer is taken out of the bag, if the retainer is thin, the retainer may be deformed or broken. is there. Therefore, making the holding piece thinner cannot be a fundamental solution.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to achieve both the miniaturization of the male connector and the improvement of the operability of the retainer.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a terminal fitting is inserted from the rear with a retainer assembled to a temporary locking position from a side of a housing having a cylindrical fitting portion. A male connector which is laterally displaced toward the final locking position to lock the retainer to the terminal fitting to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off, and a cylindrical fitting of the male connector. A female connector fitted into the mating portion, wherein the housing is assembled so as to surround the inner housing with an inner housing capable of inserting the terminal fitting and assembling the retainer. And an outer housing,
A retainer that is inserted into the inner housing and engages with the terminal fitting to prevent the terminal fitting from being removed; and attaching the retainer to the inner housing from a base end of the retaining portion. A holding piece extending in the same direction as the cantilever shape, and a locking portion of the holding piece locks to an outer surface of the inner housing, so that the retainer is in the temporary locking position and the final locking. A connector configured to restrict movement in a position, wherein a pair of the holding pieces are provided so as to extend in the same direction with respect to each other with the retaining portion interposed therebetween, and the pair of holding pieces are provided in the inner housing. The positions on the free end side of the locking portion with respect to are connected to each other by the connecting portion in the expansion-restricted state.

In a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a region where the retaining portion is formed in the holding piece is thin. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the formation region of the locking portion is made thin by depressing a surface of the holding piece facing the outer housing. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the connecting portion is configured to be exposed at a front end surface of the inner housing.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the connecting portion projects from a front end face of the inner housing, and the retainer is provided on a front end face of the female connector. The detection groove which can be fitted only in the stop position is formed.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the retainer is displaced, the retaining portion of the pair of holding pieces along the outer surface of the inner housing is moved outside the retaining portion on the inner housing side. However, since the portion on the free end side of the locking portion is restricted by the connecting portion, the opening is restricted even if the space for the holding piece between the inner housing and the outer housing is narrow. The free end of the piece does not strongly contact the inner periphery of the outer housing, and the displacement operation of the retainer is performed smoothly.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the expansion of the holding piece is restricted, so that the entire holding piece does not easily bend. However, in the area where the locking portion is formed, the holding piece is thin and easily bent. Therefore, the resistance when the locking portion of the holding piece gets over the locking portion on the inner housing side is reduced, and the smoothness of the displacement operation of the retainer is improved. [Invention of Claim 3] The recessed portion of the formation region of the locking portion is
Since the locking portion serves as a bending space when bending outward so as to be separated from the inner housing, when the region where the locking portion is formed swells outward, contact with the inner periphery of the outer housing is avoided or abutted. The pressure can be reduced.

Since the connecting portion is exposed at the front end face of the inner housing, the retainer can be displaced by operating the connecting portion with a finger or a jig from the front of the male connector. Can be. [Invention of Claim 5] When the two connectors are fitted in the regular state where the retainer is at the final locking position, the connecting portions are fitted into the detection grooves, and the two connectors are brought into the regular fitted state.
When the male and female connectors are fitted together with the retainer in the temporary locking position, the connectors protruding in a rib shape abut against the front end surface of the female connector, so that the connectors cannot be fitted. Thus, the position of the retainer can be detected during the fitting process of the two connectors.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The connector of the present embodiment includes a male connector M and a female connector F that can be fitted and disconnected from each other. The female connector F includes a housing body Fa into which a terminal fitting (not shown) is inserted, a cylindrical portion Fb formed so as to surround the housing body Fa, and a seal ring Fc mounted on the outer periphery of the housing body Fa. Be composed.

The male connector M includes a housing 10 into which the male terminal fitting T is inserted, and a retainer 26 for retaining the inserted male terminal fitting T. The housing 10 includes an inner housing 11 and an outer housing 20. It is assembled and assembled. The inner housing 11 is made of a synthetic resin. Inside the inner housing 11, a plurality of cavities 12 penetrating between the front and rear end surfaces of the inner housing 11 are formed side by side in the left-right direction. Is formed. On the left side surface of the inner housing 11, a relief recess 14 in which the upper edge and the lower edge of the hole edge of the retainer mounting hole 13 are cut out is provided. The relief recess 14 has a support portion for a retainer 26 as described later. 30 are fitted. The outer periphery of the rear end portion of the inner housing 11 is a positioning portion 15 which is fitted to the inner periphery of the outer housing 20 so as to be non-movable in the up, down, left, and right directions. Further, in front of the positioning portion 15, an upper surface and a lower surface are flat guide surfaces 16 which are parallel to each other.
The positioning portion 15 is configured to project in a step-like manner with respect to the guide surface 16. On this guide surface 16,
A locking projection 17 is formed substantially at the center in the left-right direction. The locking projection 17 has a triangular cross section and extends in the front-rear direction. The locking projection 17 holds the retainer 26 at the temporary locking position and the final locking position. Further, on the right side surface of the inner housing 11, a lock projection 18 for holding the inner housing 11 in an assembled state with respect to the outer housing 20 is formed. The lock projection 18 does not protrude from the outer surface of the inner housing 11, but has a form in which the outer surface is partially cut out in a groove shape in the front-rear direction.

The outer housing 20 is made of a synthetic resin and has a cylindrical shape as a whole. Outer housing 2
A plurality of cavities 22 penetrating in the front-rear direction by being partitioned by the partition wall 21 are formed in substantially the rear half portion of 0 in the left-right direction. The cavities 22 are respectively positioned so as to be aligned with the cavities 12 of the inner housing 11. Further, a space adjacent to the front of the cavity 22 in the outer housing 20 is a fitting space 23 into which the inner housing 11 is fitted, and a cylindrical portion forward of the fitting space 23 is a female side. Connector F
The cylindrical fitting portion 24 is fitted inside the cylindrical portion Fb. The seal ring Fc of the female connector F is in close contact with the inner periphery of the cylindrical fitting portion 24, and the space between the peripheral surfaces of the connectors M and F is made waterproof. A lock projection 25 on which the lock projection 18 of the inner housing 11 is locked is provided on a right side surface of the inner periphery of the outer housing 20.

The retainer 26 is made of a synthetic resin, is attachable to the inner housing 11, and is held at a temporary locking position and a full locking position.
The retainer 26 includes a retaining portion 27 and a pair of holding pieces 28. The retaining portion 27 is formed in a thick, relatively rigid, rectangular plate shape, and is fitted into the retainer mounting hole 13 so as to be tight and can be pulled out and inserted. The retaining portion 27 has a through hole 29 that allows the male terminal fitting T to pass therethrough.
2, and a part of the edge of the through hole 29 can be engaged with the stepped portion Te of the male terminal fitting T which is properly inserted into the cavities 12 and 22. In a state where the retainer 26 is temporarily locked to the inner housing 11 as shown in FIG. 2, the through holes 29 are aligned with the cavities 12 and 22 to allow the male terminal fitting T to be inserted, and as shown in FIG. Is locked, the hole edge of the through hole 29 is locked to the stepped portion Te of the male terminal fitting T, so that the male terminal fitting T is prevented from coming off.

The holding piece 28 is formed integrally with the base end of the retaining portion 27 via a support portion 30 and is in the same direction as the direction in which the retaining portion 27 is fitted into the retainer mounting hole 13 (with reference to the inner housing 11). To the right). The holding piece 28 has a plate shape with the plate surface oriented perpendicular to the retaining portion 27, and slides along the upper and lower guide surfaces 16 of the inner housing 11. The holding piece 28 is for holding the retainer 26 at the temporary locking position and the full locking position with respect to the inner housing 11. 31 (a locking part which is a component of the present invention) and a main locking groove 32 (a locking part which is a component of the present invention) are formed. The retainer 26 is held in the provisionally locked position by fitting the temporary locking groove 31 to the locking projection 17 of the inner housing 11, and the retainer 26 is fitted by fitting the temporary locking groove 32 to the locking projection 17. It is held in the final locking position. The area where the temporary locking groove 31 and the final locking groove 32 of the holding piece 28 are formed is the outer surface of the holding piece 28 (the outer housing 20).
Thin portion 33 in which the surface facing the inner periphery of the
It has been. When the retainer 26 is displaced from the temporary locking position to the full locking position, the region where the locking grooves 31 and 32 are formed, that is, the thin portion 33 is It is configured to be elastically deformed outward in a curved shape so as to be separated from the guide surface 16.

The upper and lower holding pieces 28 are connected to each other at their front edges by a connecting portion 34 so that the expanding displacement is restricted. The connecting portion 34 has a vertically elongated shape, and the position of the connecting portion 34 is determined by the provisional locking groove 31 and the final locking groove 3.
The holding piece 28 is on the free end side with respect to the thin portion 33 where the second portion 2 is formed. The connecting portion 34 is the inner housing 1
The connecting portion 34 moves along the front end surface of the inner housing 11 as the retainer 26 is displaced between the temporary locking position and the final locking position. In addition, on the front end face of the housing main body Fa of the female connector F, the connecting portion
4, a detection groove Fd is formed. Therefore, when the retainer is in the temporary locking position, the connecting portion 34 is at a position where it is disengaged from the detection groove Fd.

The male terminal fitting T is elongated in the front-rear direction as a whole, and has a front end formed with a tab Ta fitted and connected to a female terminal fitting (not shown) of the female connector F. Tb is coupled, a thin extension Tc is coupled to the rear end of the rectangular tube portion Tb, and a wire connection portion Td to which the electric wire W is crimped is coupled to the rear end of the extension Tc. A continuous portion between the rectangular tube portion Tb and the extension portion Tc forms a step portion Te that is locked by the retainer 26. The male terminal fitting T is inserted into the cavities 22 and 12 from behind.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When assembling the male connector M, first, the retainer 26 is assembled to the inner housing 11 separated from the outer housing 20. At this time, the retaining portion 27 of the retainer 26 is fitted into the retainer mounting hole 13 from the left,
The upper and lower holding pieces 28 are slid along the upper and lower guide surfaces 16 of the inner housing 11, and the connecting portion 34 is displaced along the front end surface of the inner housing 11. Then, when the temporary locking groove 31 of the holding piece 28 is fitted to the locking projection 17 of the inner housing 11, the retainer 26 is assembled at the temporary locking position.

Next, the inner housing 11 to which the retainer 26 is attached is pushed into the outer housing 20 from the front. Inner housing 11 is fitting space 2
When the rear end of the housing 3 comes into contact with the rear end surface of the housing 3 and reaches a proper assembling state, the lock projections 18 and 25 are locked with each other, and the housings 11 and 20 are brought into a united state. In this state, only a slight gap S is left between the holding piece 28 of the retainer 26 and the inner periphery of the outer housing 20.

Thereafter, the male terminal fitting T is inserted into the housing 10 from behind. At this time, since the retainer 26 is located at the temporary locking position, the insertion operation is performed without any trouble. In the inserted state, the tab Ta projects forward of the inner housing 11, faces the inside of the tubular fitting portion 24, and
b is located in a space in front of the retainer mounting hole 13 in the cavity 12 of the inner housing 11, and the extension Tc extends from the through hole 29 of the retainer 26 through the rear end of the cavity 12 of the inner housing 11. The wire connection portion Td and the terminal portion of the wire W connected thereto are located in the cavity 22 of the outer housing 20.

Thereafter, the retainer 26 at the temporarily locked position is moved to the fully locked position. Thereby, the hole edge of the through hole 29 is locked to the stepped portion Te of the male terminal fitting T, so that the male terminal fitting T is stopped. This moving operation can be performed by inserting a jig or a finger or the like (not shown) from the front of the outer housing 20, hooking the jig or the finger on the connecting portion 34, and pushing it to the right. When the retainer 26 is moved to the full locking position, the retaining piece 28 is displaced so as to be curved outward (inner side of the outer housing 20) in order to get over the locking projection 17 of the inner housing 11. At this time, since the curved portion is formed as the thin portion 33 and the flexural rigidity is reduced, the resistance due to the flexure of the holding piece 28 when climbing over the locking projection 17 can be reduced. Further, since the expansion displacement of the position of the holding piece 28 on the free end side of the thin portion 33 is regulated by the connecting portion 34, the free end of the holding piece 28 is largely displaced outward when going over the It does not come into contact with the inner periphery of the housing 20.

This embodiment has the following advantages. When the retainer 26 is displaced from the provisionally locked position to the fully locked position, the pair of holding pieces 28 along the outer surface of the inner housing 11 bend outward to get over the locking projections 17 on the inner housing 11 side. However, this holding piece 28
Since the portion over the locking projection 17 (the area where the temporary locking groove 31 and the final locking groove 32 are formed) is restricted by the connecting portion 34, the inner housing 11 and the outer housing are provided as in the present embodiment. The free end of the holding piece 28 does not strongly contact the inner circumference of the outer housing 20 even if the space S for the holding piece between
The displacement operation of the retainer 26 can be performed smoothly.

Since the holding piece 28 is restricted from expanding, it is difficult for the holding piece 28 as a whole to bend. Therefore, when the retainer 26 is individually packed in a bag and transported, the retainer 2 is not used.
Even if the six pieces interfere with each other, there is no possibility that the holding piece 28 is deformed or damaged. Moreover, since the two holding pieces 28 are connected by the connecting portion 34, the effect of preventing deformation and breakage is high. The holding piece 28 is generally thick and high in rigidity.
(The area where the temporary locking groove 31 and the final locking groove 32 are formed) is made thinner to bend easily, so that the bending resistance at the time of overcoming is reduced. Therefore, the smooth displacement operation of the retainer 26 due to the increase in the rigidity of the entire holding piece 28 is not hindered.

The concave portion on the outside of the thin portion 33 becomes a bending space when the thin portion 33 is bent outward so as to be separated from the inner housing 11. Therefore, when the thin portion 33 expands outward, there is no possibility that the thin portion 33 will come into contact with the inner periphery of the outer housing 20. Since the connecting portion 34 is exposed at the front end surface of the inner housing 11, if the connecting portion 34 is operated with a finger or a jig from the front of the male connector M, the retainer 26 can be displaced. There is no need to provide a space for displacement operation between the retainer 26 and the inner periphery of the outer housing 20, and the size can be reduced accordingly.

When the male and female connectors M and F are fitted in the regular state where the retainer 26 is in the final locking position, the connecting portion 34 is fitted into the detection groove Fd, so that the connectors M and F are fitted. Reaches a regular fitting state. On the other hand, if the male and female connectors M and F are to be fitted together with the retainer 26 in the provisionally locked position, the connecting portion 34 protruding in a rib shape.
Does not fit into the detection groove Fd and abuts on the front end face of the female connector F, so that the two connectors M and F cannot reach a normal fitting state. As described above, the position of the retainer 26 can be detected based on whether or not both connectors M and F reach a proper fitting state.

[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 embodiment, the region where the retaining portion of the holding piece is formed is made thin by making the surface facing the outer housing thin. However, according to the present invention, the surface facing the inner housing is made thin and thin. Alternatively, both the surface facing the outer housing and the surface facing the inner housing may be recessed to be thin.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the connecting portion protrudes from the front surface of the inner housing. However, according to the present invention, the connecting portion may be accommodated in the inner housing. (3) In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a waterproof connector is described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a non-waterproof type connector. (4) In this embodiment, the connecting portion is provided at a position closer to the base end than the free end of the holding piece. However, according to the present invention, the connecting portion may be provided at the free end of the holding piece.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a retainer is at a temporary locking position.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the retainer is at a final locking position.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state where the retainer is at a temporary locking position.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state where the retainer is in a final locking position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 F: Female connector Fd: Detection groove M: Male connector T: Male terminal fitting 10: Housing 11: Inner housing 20: Outer housing 24: Cylindrical fitting part 26: Retainer 27: Retaining part 28: Holding piece 31 ... Temporary locking groove (locking part) 32... Permanent locking groove (locking part) 33 .. thin part 34.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A terminal fitting is inserted from the rear with a retainer assembled at a temporary locking position from the side to a housing having a cylindrical fitting portion, and the retainer is laterally directed toward the full locking position. A male connector configured to lock the retainer to the terminal fitting by displacing the terminal fitting to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off; and a female connector fitted into the cylindrical fitting portion of the male connector. The housing is configured by an inner housing that allows the terminal fitting to be inserted and the retainer to be assembled, and an outer housing that is assembled so as to surround the inner housing. A retaining portion that is inserted into the inner housing and locks the terminal fitting so as to prevent the terminal fitting from being removed; and the inner how from the base end of the retaining portion. A holding piece extending in a cantilevered manner in the same direction as the mounting direction of the retainer with respect to the jig, and a locking portion of the holding piece is locked to an outer surface of the inner housing to thereby hold the retainer in the temporary engagement position. A connector configured to restrict movement in a stop position and the final locking position, wherein a pair of the holding pieces are provided so as to extend in the same direction with respect to each other with the retaining portion interposed therebetween. The connector is characterized in that the pieces are connected to each other on the free end side with respect to the inner housing in a state of restricted expansion by a connecting portion. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a region of the holding piece where the locking portion is formed is thin. 3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein a region where the locking portion is formed is made thin by recessing a surface of the holding piece facing the outer housing. 4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is exposed at a front end surface of the inner housing. 5. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion projects from a front end surface of the inner housing, and can be fitted to the front end surface of the female connector only when the retainer is located at the final locking position. The connector according to claim 4, wherein a detection groove is formed.