JP2002025707A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect the fit state of a connector, without having to perform an independent detecting operation. SOLUTION: In an insufficiently fit state of both housings 10 and 30, a flexible detection arm 35 is maintained in an insufficiently fit attitude by abutting on a lock arm 16 elastically displaced to a release attitude. When both housings 10 and 30 reach a normally fit state, the flexible detection arm 35 dissociates from the lock arm 16 elastically restored to a lock attitude, and it is elastically restored to a normally fit attitude. Since the displaced state of the lock arm 16 and the fit state of both housings 10 and 30 can be detected, by visually observing a displacement action of this flexible detection arm 35 in an outer part of a hood part 13, a detecting operation independent of the fitting operation becomes not necessary.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector having a fitting detecting function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as means for detecting a fitting state between connectors, a lock arm is formed on one of the connectors so as to be elastically displaceable, and a detecting member is slidably attached. When the lock arm rides on the lock projection of the other connector and flexes elastically, it cannot slide because the detection member interferes with the lock arm, and both connectors reach the proper mating state and the lock arm returns elastically. And when it is locked,
There is a structure in which the detection member can slide without interfering with the lock arm. According to such a structure, the fitting state of the connector can be detected based on whether or not the detection member can slide.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional fitting detecting means, since another detecting operation of sliding the detecting member after the fitting operation of both connectors is required, workability is not good. There was a problem. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to enable detection of a fitted state of a connector without performing an independent detection operation.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first connector housing provided with a lock arm, and a second connector housing provided with a locking portion.
In the process of fitting the two connector housings, the lock arm interferes with the locking locking portion and is elastically displaced to a release position. In a connector in which both connector housings are irremovably locked by being elastically returned to a lock position and being locked with the locking locking portion, the second connector housing includes a flexibly detectable deflection detection arm. Are formed integrally and so as to be visible during the fitting process of the two connector housings, and the bending detection arm is brought into contact with the lock arm which is elastically displaced to the release position, so that the half-fitting position is achieved. At the same time, and can be disengaged from the lock arm elastically returned to the lock position and elastically returned to the normal fitting position. It was Configurations.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the direction of elastic deformation of the deflection detecting arm is substantially perpendicular to the direction of elastic deformation of the lock arm, and the lock arm is in the locked position. When the elasticity of the lock arm is restored, a part of the flexure detection arm enters the flexure space of the lock arm to restrict the displacement of the lock arm toward the release posture. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the bending detection arm elastically returned to the normal fitting posture restricts detachment of the two connector housings. The receiving portion locked in the state is formed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the first to third aspects.
In any one of the inventions, the second connector housing has a configuration in which a restricting portion that restricts excessive displacement exceeding an elastic limit of the flexure detection arm by contacting the flexure detection arm is formed. did.

[0007]

When the two connector housings are in a half-fitted state, the bending detection arm is brought into a half-fitted position by abutting against a lock arm elastically displaced to a release position. When the connector housings are held and the two connector housings reach the normal fitting state, the bending detection arm is disengaged from the lock arm that has elastically returned to the lock position and elastically returns to the normal fit position. By visually observing the displacement operation of the bending detection arm, the displacement state of the lock arm and the fitted state of both connector housings can be detected.

[0008] When the two connector housings are locked in the properly fitted state, the bending detection arm regulates the displacement of the lock arm toward the release posture side, thereby entering the double lock state. [Invention of Claim 3] The two connector housings that are properly fitted are in a double locked state by the locking of the locking locking portion of the lock arm and the locking of the bending detection arm and the receiving portion. [Invention of claim 4] By forming the restricting portion, excessive bending deformation of the bending detection arm can be prevented.

[0009]

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 according to the present embodiment includes a male housing 10 (a first connector housing which is a constituent element of the present invention) and a female housing 30 (a second connector housing which is a constituent element of the present invention) which can be fitted and detached from each other. ). The male housing 10 is formed by integrally forming a synthetic resin housing body 11 having a cavity 12 formed therein and a rectangular cylindrical hood portion 13 projecting forward. The terminal fitting 14 is inserted, and its tab 14 </ b> A protrudes forward from the housing body 11 in the hood 13.

The upper surface of the housing body 11 and the hood 13
Space 1 for accommodating the lock arm 16
5 are secured. On the upper surface of the housing body 11,
A plate-like lock arm 16 that extends elongated in the front-rear direction, that is, in parallel with the fitting / removing direction of the housings 10 and 30, is integrally formed. The lock arm 16 has a pair of left and right support portions 17 at a substantially central position in the length direction.
Are supported on the upper surface of the housing body 11 through
Normally, the housing 10 is held in a locked position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2) parallel to the fitting / removing direction of the housings 10, 30, but the front end side is displaced upward with the support portion 17 as a fulcrum ( The lower end can be elastically displaced in a seesaw shape to a release posture (displaced downward to approach the upper surface of the housing body 11) (shown by imaginary lines in FIG. 2). On the lower surface of the front end portion 16F of the lock arm 16, a mold release groove 18 extending in the front-rear direction (the direction in which the housings 10, 30 are fitted / removed) is formed. The locking surface 19 is provided. In addition, the upper surface of the housing body 11 and the support 1
The space between the rear side and the region 7 is a bending space 20, and the lock arm 16 can be elastically deformed to the release position by making the rear end 16 </ b> R advance into the bending space 20. It has become. Further, a rear surface of one support portion 17 of the lock arm 16 is provided with a receiving portion 21 to which a detection projection 35B of a deflection detection arm 35 described later is locked.
It has become. A release operation portion 22 is formed at the rear end 16 </ b> R of the lock arm 16, and the release operation portion 22 faces a notch 23 at the rear end of the upper surface of the hood 13.

The female housing 30 is made of synthetic resin, and a female terminal fitting 32 is inserted into a cavity 31 formed therein. When the housings 10 and 30 are fitted together, the male terminal fitting 14 and the female terminal fitting 32 are connected to be conductive. The lock arm 1 of the male housing 10 is provided on the upper surface of the female housing 30.
Locking surface 19 for locking and locking portion 3 for locking that can be locked
3 are protrudingly formed. The front surface of the locking portion 33 is a guiding slope 33F that is inclined downward toward the front (in the direction of fitting with the male housing 10), and the rear surface is fitted / removed between the housings 10, 30. The lock surface 33R is orthogonal to the direction.

A cut-out space 34 is formed at the left side edge of the upper surface of the female housing 30 at the front and rear end surfaces, the upper surface, and the left side surface. An elongated bending detection arm 35 (in the fitting / removing direction of the two housings 10 and 30) is formed integrally with the female housing 30. Deflection detection arm 3
5 is formed at the front end of the arm body 35A, which is linear in the front-rear direction, so as to protrude the detection projection 35B inward (to the right), and at the rear end of the arm body 35A, a finger hook 35C. Are formed to protrude outward. The flexure detection arm 35 is attached to the arm body 3
5A is connected to the female housing 30 by a support portion 36 projecting from the inner side surface (right side surface) slightly behind the center in the length direction of the 5A, and the front end portion 35F of the bending detection arm 35 is connected to the female housing 30. It protrudes further forward than the front end face. Further, a portion of the deflection detecting arm 35 behind the support portion 36 projects outward of the hood portion 13 even when the housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted.

The deflection detecting arm 35 has its supporting portion 36 as a fulcrum in a horizontal direction (a direction orthogonal to both the elastic displacement direction of the lock arm 16 and the fitting / removing directions of the housings 10 and 30). Are supported so as to be capable of elastic displacement. That is, the bending detection arm 35 always keeps the normal fitting posture in which the arm main body 35A is oriented in the front-rear direction, but displaces the front end 35F outward (displaces the rear end 35R inward). Can be resiliently displaced in a seesaw shape using the support portion 36 as a fulcrum to the half-fitting position. In addition, fitting of the two housings 10 and 30
When viewed in the disengagement direction, the protruding end of the detection protrusion 35B is in the left-right direction in the normal fitting posture.
6 and the detection projection 35B is disengaged from the lock arm 16 in the left-right direction in the half-fitting posture.

The height of the lower surfaces of the arm body 35A and the detection projection 35B of the deflection detection arm 35 is such that the male housing 10
Is set to be the same as or slightly higher than the upper surface of the housing body 11. The height of the upper surface of the detection protrusion 35B of the bending detection arm 35 is set to be slightly lower than the lower surface of the lock arm 16 in a state in which the lock arm 16 has elastically returned to the locked position.

Furthermore, the right inner side surface of the notch space 34 (the surface to which the rear end portion 35R approaches when the deflection detection arm 35 is displaced to the half-fitting position) has an elastic displacement amount of the deflection detection arm 35 equal to its elastic limit. A restricting portion 37 is provided so that the rear end portion 35R of the deflection detecting arm 35 can come into contact with the deflection detecting arm 35 in a state of being within the range. Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When the two housings 10 and 30 are fitted together, the detection projection 35B abuts on the front side edge of the support portion 17 of the lock arm 16, and the inclination of the tapered surface 35T of the detection projection 35B causes the deflection detection arm 35 to rotate. Elastically bends so as to displace the front end portion 35F outward (to the side retracted to the side from the lock arm 16 in the left-right direction), and assumes a semi-fitting posture (see FIG. 4).

Thereafter, when the fitting of the two housings 10 and 30 further proceeds, the detecting projection 35B slides on the side surface of the support portion 17, and while the sliding contact continues, the locking arm 16 The front end portion 16F (the portion in front of the locking locking surface 19) abuts on the guiding slope 33F of the locking locking portion 33 and rides on the guiding slope 33F while sliding on the guiding slope 33F. The rear part is more flexible space 2
Advance into 0. That is, the lock arm 16 is elastically displaced from the lock position to the release position.

Thereafter, with the lock arm 16 being displaced to the release position, the detection projection 35B passes through the support portion 17 and slides on the side edge of the lock arm 16 behind the support portion 17. (See FIG. 5). Then, when the two housings 10 and 30 reach a regular fitting state,
The front end 16 </ b> F of the lock arm 16 is a locking portion 33 for locking.
, The lock arm 16 elastically returns to the locked position, and the locking locking surface 19 is moved to the locking locking portion 33.
Of the two housings 1
0 and 30 are locked in the release restriction state. In addition, as the lock arm 16 elastically returns to the lock position, the rear end side of the lock arm 16 moves upward and retreats out of the bending space 20 and dissociates from the detection projection 35B. The half-fitting posture is elastically restored to the normal fitting posture, and the detecting projection 35B enters the bending space 20 (the space between the lower surface of the rear end 16R of the lock arm 16 and the upper surface of the housing body 11). And the detection protrusion 35B
Are locked to the receiving portion 21.

When the housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted as described above, the bending detection arm 35 is elastically displaced outside the hood portion 13 between the half-fitting posture and the normal fitting posture. As a result, the rear end 35R is displaced in the left-right direction, and the displacement of the bending detection arm 35 can be visually confirmed. On the other hand, when the fitting operation is completed with the two housings 10 and 30 remaining in the half-fitted state before reaching the normal fitted state, the lock arm 16 stays on the locking engagement portion 33 while the lock arm 16 is riding. Therefore, the bending detection arm 35
Cannot return elastically to the half-fitting posture, and it can be visually confirmed outside the hood 13 that the rear end 35R of the deflection detection arm 35 remains displaced inward. That is, by visually confirming the displacement state of the bending detection arm 35, the fitting state of the two housings 10, 30 can be detected.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the bending detection arm 35 which is displaced outside the hood portion 13 in conjunction with the elastic displacement of the lock arm 16 is provided, the two detection operations can be performed without performing independent detection operations. Housing 10, 30
It can be easily detected whether or not is properly fitted or remains in a semi-fitted state. Further, in a state where the two housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted, the detection protrusion 35B that has entered the bending space 20 is locked by the lock arm 1.
6 is prevented from being elastically displaced to the release posture side, so that a double lock function is exhibited. Further, since the detecting projection 35B is locked to the receiving portion 21 to prevent the detaching operation of the two housings 10, 30, this also allows the two housings 10, 3 to be moved.
0 will be locked.

Now, the two housings 1 in the properly fitted state.
In order to leave the 0, 30 first, the bending detection arm 35
The bending detection arm 35 is elastically bent from the normal fitting posture to the half-fitting posture by directing a finger to the finger hook 35C of the rear end 35R. As a result, the detection protrusion 35B retracts outside the bending space 20, so that the detachment restricted state of the housings 10, 30 due to the engagement between the detection protrusion 35B and the receiving portion 21 is released, and the lock arm 16 is locked. Elastic bending to the release posture side is allowed.

Thereafter, the notch 23 of the hood portion 13 is held while the bending detection arm 35 is elastically bent toward the half-fitting posture.
Then, the lock arm 16 is elastically bent from the locked position to the released position by directing a finger to the release operation unit 22 of the lock arm 16. Then, since the lock by the lock between the lock arm 16 and the lock locking portion 33 is released, the two housings 10 and 30 may be separated while maintaining the unlocked state. When the bending detection arm 35 is elastically bent to the half-fitting posture side, even if the amount of bending becomes large,
While the amount of flexure is within the range of the elastic limit of the flexure detection arm 35, the rear end 35R of the flexure detection arm 35 abuts on the regulating portion 37, and further elastic flexure of the flexure detection arm 35 is prevented. Therefore, the bending detection arm 35 is not excessively bent.

[Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments 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 direction of deflection of the deflection detection arm is set to a direction orthogonal to the direction of elastic deformation of the lock arm. However, according to the present invention, the deflection detection arm is configured to cover the lock arm. Alternatively, the elastic deformation directions of the deflection detection arm and the lock arm may be substantially the same.

(2) In the above embodiment, the first connector housing is a male connector and the second connector housing is a female connector. However, according to the present invention, the first connector housing is a female connector and the second connector housing is a female connector. The connector housing may be a male connector.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which both connector housings are detached in a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which both connector housings are detached.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state in which both connector housings are detached.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state in which both connector housings are being fitted.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state in which both connector housings are being fitted.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state in which both connector housings are locked in a properly fitted state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Male side housing (1st connector housing) 16 ... Lock arm 20 ... Bending space 21 ... Receiving part 30 ... Female side housing (2nd connector housing) 33 ... Locking part 35 ... Bending detection arm 37 ... Regulatory part

Claims (4)

[Claims] A first connector housing having a lock arm formed thereon; and a second connector housing having a locking engagement portion. In the process of fitting the two connector housings, the lock arm is used for the lock. By interfering with the locking portion, it is elastically displaced to the release position, and when the two connector housings reach a normal fitting state, the lock arm elastically returns to the locking position and locks with the locking locking portion. In this connector, the two connector housings are locked so that they cannot be detached. The second connector housing is provided with a flexibly detectable elastically-displaceable detection arm integrally and visually during the fitting process of the two connector housings. The deflection detection arm is half-fitted by contacting the lock arm elastically displaced to the release position. While being capable of holding the energizing connector, characterized in that it is resiliently restored to the normal fitting position dissociate from the lock arm elastically restored to the locking posture. 2. The elastic deformation direction of the deflection detection arm is substantially perpendicular to the elastic deformation direction of the lock arm, and when the lock arm is elastically returned to the lock position, 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a part of the lock arm moves into the bending space of the lock arm to restrict the displacement of the lock arm toward the release posture. 3. 3. A receiving portion is formed in the first connector housing so that the deflection detecting arm elastically returned to the normal fitting posture is locked in a state of restricting detachment of the two connector housings. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein
Or the connector according to claim 2. 4. A restricting portion is formed on the second connector housing to restrict excessive displacement exceeding the elastic limit of the deflection detecting arm by bringing the deflection detecting arm into contact with the second connector housing. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein