JP2001319742A - Connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To nearly equalize fitting forces added to the second connector 12 to the longitudinal direction without making the length of a slider 14 and the first connector 10 longer in a connector assembly in which the fitting of both connectors 10, 12 is made to progress by making the plural protrusions 26A, 26B of the second connector 12 simultaneously displaced to the fitting direction of both connectors 10, 12 by means of plural tilting cam grooves 24A, 24B of the slider 14 if the slider 14 is made to position at a push-in starting position, and the first connector 10 and the second connector 12 is made to position at a fitting starting position, and if the slider 14 is made to be pushed into the first connector 10. SOLUTION: When the fitting of both connectors 10, 12 is halfway progressed, an auxiliary protrusion 28 engaged at least with the tip side tilting cam groove 24A of plural tilting cam grooves 24A, 24B of the slider 14 is further installed at the second connector 12. Hereby, the fitting force is added to the three protrusions 28, 26A, 26B.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector assembly having a reduced force required for fitting a connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When the number of poles (the number of terminals) of a connector assembly for electrical connection increases, the force required for fitting increases in proportion to the number of poles, making the fitting operation difficult. To improve this point, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-135046 discloses a connector assembly which can be fitted with a relatively small force even when the number of poles is large.

[0003] The connector assembly includes a first connector (receptacle), a second connector (plug) fitted to the first connector, and a fitting direction of the two connectors to the first connector. And a slider that is inserted in a direction orthogonal to the slider. The slider is formed in a substantially U-shape, and two inclined cam grooves are formed in parallel at portions to be inserted into the first connector. Further, two projections are formed on both sides of the second connector, each of which enters one of the two inclined cam grooves of the slider when the first connector and the second connector are positioned at the fitting start position. Have been.

With this arrangement, when the two connectors are located at the fitting start position and the slider is pushed into the first connector, two (four on both sides) protrusions of the second connector are formed.
The sliders are simultaneously displaced in the fitting direction of the two connectors by the two (four on both sides) inclined cam grooves, so that the fitting of the two connectors proceeds. The fitting is completed by pushing the slider to the end. With such a configuration, by setting the angle of the inclined cam groove of the slider sufficiently smaller than 45 °, the force required for fitting is smaller than when both connectors are fitted by directly applying force in the fitting direction. it can.

[0005]

In a conventional connector assembly of this type, the second connector is formed with two protrusions on one side because the second connector does not tilt when the slider is pushed in. That's why. However, in the above-described conventional connector assembly, one of the two protrusions formed on the second connector is formed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the second connector, and the other is formed near the end. Therefore, a strong fitting force can be applied to the end having the protrusion, but a strong fitting force cannot be applied to the end having no protrusion. As a result, the fitting force applied to the second connector becomes unequal in the length direction, and the second connector is inclined slightly, so that a case where the second connector cannot be smoothly fitted is likely to occur.

In order to avoid this, it is conventionally known that a plurality of protrusions may be formed on both surfaces of the second connector so as to be symmetrically arranged with respect to the central portion in the longitudinal direction. However, with such a structure, it is necessary to position the engagement start position between the inclined cam groove and the projection at the center of the first connector (the engagement start position between the inclined cam groove and the projection is far from the slider entrance. Therefore, there is a problem that the lengths of the slider and the first connector are increased, and the overall dimensions of the connector assembly are increased. In particular, a connector assembly used for a wire harness or the like for an automobile is often installed in a place where there is not enough space for installation and working space. Therefore, it is desired that the connector assembly be as small as possible.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to make the fitting force applied to the second connector substantially uniform in the length direction without increasing the length of the slider and the first connector. It is to provide a connector assembly.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a first connector, a second connector fitted to the first connector, and the first connector having two connectors. A slider inserted in a direction intersecting with the fitting direction, a plurality of inclined cam grooves are formed in the slider in parallel, and when the two connectors are located at the fitting start position in the second connector, Are formed with a plurality of projections each of which engages one of the plurality of inclined cam grooves of the slider. When both connectors are positioned at the fitting start position and the slider is pushed into the first connector, the second A connector set in which a plurality of projections of the two connectors are simultaneously displaced in a fitting direction of the two connectors by a plurality of inclined cam grooves of the slider, so that the fitting of the two connectors progresses. The body further includes an auxiliary projection that engages with at least the tip-side inclined cam groove of the plurality of inclined cam grooves of the slider from the stage where the fitting of both connectors has progressed halfway to the second connector. It is characterized by having been provided.

When such an auxiliary projection is provided, a plurality of projections which engage with the plurality of inclined cam grooves of the slider at the fitting start position of both connectors are provided on one end side (slider entrance side) of the second connector. Even if they are offset, if the fitting progresses halfway, the auxiliary protrusions engage with the inclined cam grooves to exert a fitting force, so that the fitting force applied to the second connector is substantially uniform in the length direction. It becomes possible to. Further, since the engagement start position between the plurality of inclined cam grooves and the plurality of protrusions can be made closer to the slider entrance side, the slider and the first connector do not need to be long, and the size can be avoided.

In the connector assembly of the present invention, the slider is provided with a lock piece which engages with the lock portion of the first connector to hold the slider at the pushing start position, and the second connector has the second connector. It is preferable to provide a rib for pushing the lock piece away when the connector is positioned at the fitting start position with the first connector to release the engagement with the lock portion. With such a configuration, the slider can be held at the pushing start position before the first connector and the second connector are fitted, and the second connector is placed at the fitting start position with the first connector. By positioning
Pushing of the slider can be enabled.

[0011] In the connector assembly of the present invention,
It is preferable to form a ridge on the rear side of the projection located between the rib and the auxiliary projection of the second connector to prevent the lock piece of the slider from falling into the notch of the first connector. With such a configuration, the lock piece does not fall into the notch of the first connector in the process of pushing the slider, so that the slider can be pushed smoothly.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention.
In the figure, 10 is the first connector, 12 is the first connector
The second connector to be mated to 10, 14 is the first connector 10
The slider is inserted in a direction (length direction) orthogonal to the direction in which the first connector 12 is fitted. Each connector 1
Reference numerals 0 and 12 are made of polypropylene, nylon or polybutylene terephthalate, and the slider 14 is made of polyacetal or polybutylene terephthalate.

The first connector 10 has a female terminal (not shown).
The male connector 16 is incorporated in the second connector 12. The first connector 10 also has a guide passage 18 for the slider 14 inside a parallel outer wall extending in the longitudinal direction.
A and 18B are formed. The slider 14 has two parallel slide pieces 20A and 20B inserted into the guide passages 18A and 18B of the first connector 10, and the slide pieces 20A and 20B.
And a pressing portion 22 that integrally connects the rear ends of the two.

On the inner surfaces of the slide pieces 20A and 20B, two inclined cam grooves 24A and 24B are formed in parallel. The tip of one inclined cam groove 24A is open in the direction in which the second connector 12 is fitted and in the direction in which the slider 14 is pushed in, and the tip of the other inclined cam groove 24B is in the second connector 12A. Are open in the direction of fitting.
On both surfaces of the second connector 12, when both connectors 10, 12 are located at the fitting start position, one for each of the two (four on both sides) inclined cam grooves 24A, 24B of the slider 14 Two (four on both sides) projections 26A and 26B to be engaged are formed. One of the protrusions 26A is formed near the center of the second connector 12 in the length direction, and the other protrusion 26B is formed near the end of the second connector 12 on the slider entrance side in the length direction. I have.

The configuration so far is the same as that of the conventional connector assembly. The feature of this connector assembly is that the inclined cam groove 24 on the distal end side of the slider 14 is formed on both surfaces of the second connector 12 from the stage where the fitting of the connectors 11 and 12 has progressed halfway.
That is, an auxiliary projection 28 engaging with A is further provided. It should be noted that if the auxiliary projection 28 is beveled in accordance with the inclination of the inclined cam groove 24A as shown in FIG.
And the inclined cam groove 24A come into contact with each other, which is preferable for stabilizing the engagement state.

In the drawing, reference numeral 30 denotes a locking claw that is engaged with the first-stage opening 32 of the first connector 10 at the position where the slider 14 starts to be pushed, and reference numeral 34 denotes a second stage for releasing the locking claw 30 at the position where the slider 14 is completely pushed. An opening 36 is a locking claw that is hooked on the first-stage opening 32 of the first connector 10 at the position where the slider 14 is completely pushed in, a locking piece 38 is formed on the slider 14, and a lock 40 is formed on the second connector 12. The release rib 41 is a ridge (projection 26A) formed on the rear side (lower side) of the projection 26A located between the rib 40 of the second connector 12 and the auxiliary projection 28.
Projection is lower).

The lock piece 38 engages with a lock portion (opening 43 in FIG. 3) in the first connector 10 to hold the slider 14 at the pushing start position. The rib 40 pushes back the lock piece 38 to release the holding of the slider 14 by the lock piece 38. As the ridge 41 pushes the slider 14, the locking piece 38 engages with the notch in the first connector 10 (FIG. 3).
42A) is prevented.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a state in which the leading end of the slider 14 is inserted into the guide passages 18A and 18B of the first connector 10, and the slider 14 is positioned at the pushing start position. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line PP of FIG. In this state,
The locking claw 30 of the slider 14 is in the first opening of the first connector 10.
An opening 43 formed in the inner wall of the guide passages 18A, 18B of the first connector 10
(Locking part).
Cannot slide in both the pushing and pulling directions. In this state, the tip openings of the inclined cam grooves 24A, 24B coincide with the notches 42A, 42B formed on the inner side walls of the guide passages 18A, 18B of the first connector 10.

After that, when the second connector 12 is inserted into the first connector 10, as shown in FIG.
Passes through the notches 42A, 42B and the inclined cam grooves 24A, 24B
And the auxiliary projection 28 passes through the notch 44 and enters the guide passages 18A and 18B. This position is a fitting start position of the first connector 10 and the second connector 12. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance at this time. FIG.
As is clear from FIG. 7, the auxiliary projection 28 is formed so as to be located on an extension of the inclined cam groove 24A on the distal end side in this state. In this state, the rib of the second connector 12
40 pushes the lock piece 38 of the slider 14 outward (to push it into the guide passages 18A and 18B from the opening 43 in FIG. 3).
To release the lock, the slider 14 can slide in the pushing direction.

Next, a pressing force is applied to the pressing portion 22 to apply a slider.
When the connector 14 is pushed into the first connector 10, the two projections 26A and 26B are moved into two inclined cam grooves 24 as shown in FIG.
Since the connectors A and 24B are simultaneously displaced in the fitting direction of the two connectors 10, 12, the second connector 12 is drawn toward the first connector 10, and the fitting of the connectors 10, 12 proceeds. At this stage, since the fitting force is applied only to the two protrusions 26A and 26B, the fitting force applied to the second connector 12 is uneven in the length direction. Since the force required for mating is relatively small,
Even when the fitting force is applied only to the two protrusions 26A and 26B,
The second connector 12 is fitted to the first connector 10 in a correct posture without tilting.

When the slider 14 is further pushed in, as shown in FIG. 7, the auxiliary projection 28 is engaged with the inclined cam groove 24A, and a fitting force is applied to the auxiliary projection 28 as well. For this reason, the fitting force applied to the second connector 12 becomes substantially equal in the length direction. In the latter half of the fitting process of the two connectors 10, 12, a relatively large fitting force is required, but in the latter half of the fitting process, the fitting force is applied to the three projections 28, 26A, 26B, so that the second connector 12 is inclined. First connector 10 in correct posture without
Will be fitted.

In the course of the transition from the state of FIG. 6 to the state of FIG.
The projection 26A passes through the notch 42A after the projection 26A has passed upward, but the notch 42A is formed below the projection 26A of the second connector 12 as shown in FIG. Ridge
The lock piece 38 can pass through the notch portion 42A without dropping into the notch portion 42A because the 41 has entered.
A, the slider 14 cannot be pushed). Therefore, the slider 14 can be pushed in smoothly.

When the slider 14 is pushed all the way to the end, the result is as shown in FIG. 9, and the fitting of the connectors 10 and 12 is completed. In this state, since the locking claw 36 of the slider 14 is hooked on the first-stage opening 32 of the first connector 10, the slider 14 is not pulled out, and the fitted state of the connectors 10, 12 is maintained.
When releasing the mating of both connectors 10 and 12,
The slider 14 may be pulled out to the position shown in FIG. 4 by removing the 36 from the first-stage opening 32.

In the above embodiment, the number of the inclined cam grooves is two (on one side), and the number of the projections engaging with the inclined cam grooves at the fitting start position is two.
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be similarly applied to a case where there are three inclined cam grooves and three protrusions which engage with the inclined cam grooves at the fitting start position. . When the length of both connectors is long, the distance between the two inclined cam grooves (the distance between the two protrusions) is widened, and an auxiliary protrusion is provided between the two protrusions. The auxiliary projection can be engaged not only with the inclined cam groove but also with the inclined cam groove on the rear end side.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, the second connector is provided with the auxiliary projection which engages with the inclined cam groove of the slider during the connector fitting process.
Since the fitting force applied to the second connector can be made substantially uniform in the length direction, the second connector can be fitted to the first connector in a correct posture. Further, even if the auxiliary projection is provided, the length of the slider and the first connector does not need to be increased, so that it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the connector assembly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a connector assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the slider is inserted into a first connector from the state of FIG. 1 and is positioned at a pushing start position.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line PP of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state where the second connector is inserted into the first connector from the state of FIG. 2 and is positioned at a fitting start position.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance in the state of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state where the slider is pushed halfway from the state of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a state where the slider is further pushed in from the state of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a bottom view showing a state where the lock piece of the slider passes through the notch of the first connector in the process of shifting from FIG. 6 to FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a state where the slider is pushed all the way from the state of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 10: first connector 12: second connector 14: slider 18A, 18B: guide passage 24A, 24B: inclined cam groove 26A, 26B: protrusion 28: auxiliary protrusion 38: lock piece 40: rib 41: protrusion 42A, 42B: Notch 43: Opening (lock)

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 5E021 FA05 FA09 FA14 FA16 FB07 FC25 FC31 HA07 HB07 HB11 HC31 HC35 5E023 AA04 AA13 BB03 DD02 DD09 EE03 GG02 GG15 HH17

Claims (3)

[Claims] A first connector (10), a second connector (12) fitted to the first connector (10), and both connectors (10, 10) in the first connector (10). A slider (14) inserted in a direction intersecting with the fitting direction of (12), wherein the slider (14) has a plurality of inclined cam grooves (24A, 24A).
B) are formed in parallel, and the second connector (12) has a plurality of inclined cam grooves (24A, 24B) of the slider when both connectors (10, 12) are located at the fitting start position. A plurality of projections (26A, 26B) are formed one by one, and the slider (14) is connected to the first connector (10) by positioning both connectors (10, 12) at the fitting start position. And push it into
A plurality of protrusions (26A, 26B) of the second connector (12)
However, a plurality of inclined cam grooves (24A,
24B), both connectors (10, 12) are simultaneously displaced in the fitting direction of both connectors (10, 12).
In the connector assembly, the fitting of the slider (14) to the second connector (12) proceeds from the stage where the fitting of the two connectors (10, 12) has progressed halfway.
Of the plurality of inclined cam grooves (24A, 24B), the auxiliary projections (2
8) A connector assembly further provided with: 2. A first connector (10) attached to a slider (14).
A lock piece (38) is provided for engaging the lock portion (43) of the first connector and holding the slider (14) at the pushing start position, and the second connector (12) is connected to the second connector (12). A rib (40) that pushes back the lock piece (38) to release the engagement with the lock portion (43) when the lock piece (38) is positioned at the fitting start position with the connector (10). Claim 1
A connector assembly according to claim 1. 3. The locking piece (38) of the slider (14) is provided behind the projection (26A) located between the rib (40) and the auxiliary projection (28) of the second connector (12). One connector (1
Ridge (4) to prevent it from falling into the notch (42A)
3. The connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein 1) is formed.