JP2002110300A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector provided with an inner housing and an outer housing allowing efficient assembly. SOLUTION: The inner housing 21 is capable of sliding in a front and rear direction under a condition of being housed in the outer housing 22. Left and right pair of a front stopper projection 27 and a rear stopper projection 26 are provided on rear end parts of both of upper and lower surface of the inner housing 21. Each projection 26, 27 is capable of sliding in a front and rear direction under a condition of being fitted in groove parts 28, 29 provided on an inner surface of the outer housing 22. Rearward positioning is done by getting the rear stopper projection 26 into contact with a rear end edge 28A of the outside groove part 28 and forward positioning is done by engaging the front stopper projection 27 with a getting over part 19 of the inside groove part 29 in a fitting completion position where the inner housing 21 slides rearward.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to facilitate a mating operation of a pair of male and female connectors accommodating a large number of terminal fittings, an inner housing and an outer housing are provided in which one of the connectors is slidable in the front-rear direction. What was done is known.

Among such connectors, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
No. 26077 discloses a connector 10 shown in FIGS.
0,101 are disclosed. Of the pair of male and female connectors 100 and 101 configured to be fittable with each other, the male connector 100 is formed in a hood shape opened to the front side, and has a tab-shaped male terminal fitting M inside. Is housed. On the other hand, the female connector 101 includes an inner housing 102 capable of housing a female terminal fitting (not shown),
And an outer housing 103 for accommodating the inner housing 102.
Reference numeral 2 is attached to the outer housing 103 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

When the mating of the male and female connectors 100, 101 is started, the inner housing 102 is at the mating start position (the position shown in FIG. 8) which protrudes from the front end of the outer housing 103, and 10
As the fitting of No. 1 proceeds, the inner housing 102 slides so as to be housed inside the outer housing 103, and finally reaches the fitting completed position (the position shown in FIG. 9) completely housed inside. . At the fitting start position, the positioning is performed by fixing means so that the two housings 102 and 103 do not inadvertently slide in the direction of the fitting completion position.

[0005]

The above-described connectors 100 and 101 are often mounted on, for example, an automobile. In this case, in the female connector 101, a process of separately forming and assembling the two housings 102 and 103 (first assembling process), the female terminal attached to the end of the electric wire inside the inner housing 102. After the step of mounting the metal fittings (the second assembling step), finally, the step of fitting the male and female connectors 100 and 101 (the third assembling step) completes the assembling of the connectors 100 and 101. Among these, the two housings 102 and 103 integrated by passing through the first assembling step are set to the fitting start position by the fixing means, and are carried to the site where the second assembling step is performed.

When the two housings 102 and 103 are at the fitting start position, the rear end of the inner housing 102 is located with the rear end of the outer housing 103 dropped into the inside, so that the terminal fittings can be mounted as they are. Difficult to operate. For this reason, in the second assembling step, the fixing means is removed by using a dedicated jig (not shown), and the two housings 102 and 103 are held at the fitting completed position, so that the rear end of the inner housing 102 is The outer housing 103
The terminal fitting is mounted on the inner housing 102 in a state of being substantially flush with the rear end surface of the inner housing 102. When the mounting of all the terminal fittings is completed, the jig is removed from the connector 101, the two housings 102 and 103 are returned to the fitting start position again, and are then carried to the site where the third assembly process is performed. .

As described above, in the second assembling step of mounting the terminal fittings, a dedicated jig for fixing the housings 102 and 103 is required, and the fitting is started from the fitting start position. The number of steps to return to the completed position increased, and it was difficult to perform efficient assembly operations. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector including an inner housing and an outer housing that can perform an efficient assembling operation.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector comprising: an inner housing accommodating a terminal fitting; and an outer housing accommodating the inner housing. The two housings are relatively positioned between a fitting start position in which the tip of the inner housing projects forward from the outer housing and a fitting completed position in which the inner housing is retracted toward the outer housing from the fitting start position. A first fixing means for restricting the two housings from inadvertently sliding in the direction of the fitting completion position at the fitting start position. A second restricting mechanism for preventing the housings from inadvertently sliding in the direction of the fitting start position at the fitting completion position. Characterized in that the fixing means is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the rear end of the inner housing projects rearward from the rear end of the outer housing at the fitting completed position. Features.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in order to assemble the two housings, the inner housing is housed inside the outer housing and assembled at the fitting completed position (first assembly). Attaching process). In this state, the two housings are carried into the mounting site of the terminal fittings, and the terminal fittings are accommodated in the inner housing (second assembling step). Thereafter, the two housings are slid to set the inner housing at the fitting start position, and the fitting operation of the male and female connectors (third assembling step) is performed.

[0011] Of these, after the first assembling step, the two housings are fixed by the second fixing means to the fitting completed position where the terminal fittings can be easily mounted on the inner housing. There is no need to slide both housings from the fitting start position to the fitting completed position prior to the start of the two assembling steps. In addition, in the second assembling step, the positions of the two housings are positioned by the second fixing means, and the careless sliding in the direction of the fitting start position is regulated. There is no need to hold it using a jig. For this reason, a specialized jig is not required, and the number of assembling steps can be reduced to perform an efficient assembling operation.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the rear end of the inner housing projects rearward from the rear end of the outer housing at the fitting completed position, so that the terminal fitting is mounted on the inner housing in the second assembling step. Easy to do operations.

[0013]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the female connector 20 (corresponding to the connector of the present invention) in this embodiment is a panel 10.
(Shown in FIG. 5 and the like) in a standby state. The female connector 20 is provided with a pair of upper and lower levers 40, and the mating male connector 30 is fitted by the lever 40 while assisting the operating force. In the following description, the respective mating surfaces of the male and female connectors 20, 30 will be described as front surfaces.

The male connector 30 has a base 32 and a hood 33 provided on the front side of the base 32. The inner housing 21 of the female connector 20 is fitted inside the hood 33, and the outer housing 22 is fitted outside the hood 33. A male terminal fitting 34 is attached to the male connector 30 through the base 32,
The tip of each male terminal fitting 34 projects into the space inside the hood 33. A pair of follower pins 46 are erected from both upper and lower surfaces of the male connector 30 so as to sandwich the center in the left-right width direction. The follower pin 46 can be fitted to the lever 40 of the female connector 20 as described later, and is guided by the lever 40 when the male and female connectors 30 are fitted.

On the other hand, the female connector 20 is composed of a horizontally long, flat, substantially block-shaped inner housing 21 and a substantially rectangular outer housing 22 capable of accommodating the inner housing 21. Inner housing 21
Is divided into three regions in the left-right direction, and the cavities 23 are formed in each region in alignment. The cavity 23 is provided in alignment with the position where the male terminal fitting 34 projects. In addition, each cavity 2
A female terminal fitting (not shown) is inserted from the rear and accommodated in the inside of the housing 3.

The inner housing 21 is fitted to the outer housing 22 so as to be relatively slidable in the front-rear direction while being housed inside the outer housing 22. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the fitting start position where the tip of the inner housing 21 protrudes forward from the outer housing 22, and as shown in FIGS. It is retracted to the outer housing 22 side, and is slidable between respective positions with a fitting completed position accommodated therein.

A pair of levers 40 are provided on both upper and lower surfaces of the inner housing 21. This lever 4
0, a predetermined curved cam groove 41 is formed on one end side,
It is rotatably supported by a shaft 42 in a vertically symmetrical position, and a connecting pin 43 at the other end is fitted and connected to a connecting groove 44 of the outer housing 22. When the inner housing 21 is held at the fitting start position, the entrance 41A of the cam groove 41 of both levers 40 opens forward.

When the male connector 30 is fitted to the inner housing 21 at the fitting start position, a pair of upper and lower follower pins 4 protruding from the male connector 30 is provided.
6 faces the entrance 41A of the cam groove 41 of the corresponding lever 40, and subsequently pushes in the male connector 30. As the lever 40 rotates, the inner housing 21 is pushed into the outer housing 22 while rotating the lever 40. Cam groove 4
The male connector 30 is drawn into the inner housing 21 by leverage between the first connector 1 and the follower pin 46. Finally, when the inner housing 21 is pushed to the fitting completed position, the male and female connectors 20, 30 are properly fitted.

Further, on the side wall of the outer housing 22,
A pair of left and right elastic engagement pieces 24 extend inward. Each elastic engagement piece 24 is provided so as to protrude toward the front of the outer housing 22, and is elastically deformed in the left-right direction (direction of approaching or separating from the inner housing 21). Also, the elastic engagement piece 24
An engagement claw 24A protrudes inward from each other at the distal end portions, and engages with a pair of left and right fixing protrusions 25 protruding from both side walls of the inner housing 21 to protrude.
The inner housing 21 is fixed at the fitting start position, and is prevented from being accidentally slid to the fitting completion position side. In the male connector 20, inside the hood portion 33, a pair of upper and lower disengagement projections 35 are provided on the left and right wall portions so as to project when the connectors 20 and 30 are fitted. The engagement between the elastic engagement piece 24 and the fixing projection 25 is released by the projection 35 bending the elastic engagement piece 24 outward. Furthermore, although not shown, both housings 2
1 and 22 are provided with front stop means for restricting the inner housing 21 from dropping forward of the outer housing 22 when the inner housing 21 is at the fitting start position.

A pair of stop projections 2 are provided on the left and right sides of the inner housing 21 near the rear end on both upper and lower surfaces.
6 and 27 (that is, a total of eight stop projections 26 and 27 are provided on both upper and lower surfaces). Of the two projections 26, 27, the rear stop projection 26 located outside
Performs positioning of the inner housing 21 rearward at the fitting completed position. On the other hand, the front stop projection 27 located inside positions the front of the inner housing 21 at the fitting completed position. The stopper projections 26 and 27 are located on the upper and lower inner surfaces of the outer housing 22 (the inner housing 2).
(The surface side in contact with 1) is fitted into each of the groove portions 28 and 29 recessed, and when the inner housing 21 slides in the front-rear direction with respect to the outer housing 22, the stopper projections 26 and 29 are provided. 27 slides in the grooves 28, 29. The rear end portion of the outer groove portion 28 is terminated slightly before the rear end of the outer housing 22, and the rear end edge 28A abuts the rear end of the rear stop projection 26, whereby the inner housing 21 is fitted. The rear end position when the combination completion position is reached is determined.

On the other hand, the inner groove 29 is formed to be open to the rear end of the outer housing 22, and the portion extending forward from the rear end is slightly forward of the rear end edge 28 A of the outer groove 28. Position (more specifically, the trailing edge 2
8A, forwardly cut off by a length equal to or slightly longer than the length of the front stop projection 27).
A climbing portion 19 is provided so as to be raised to a position equivalent to the inner surface of the outer housing 22. Further, in front of the riding-over portion 19, an inner groove 29 is again extended toward the front of the outer housing 22.

When the inner housing 21 is at the fitting completed position, as shown in FIG.
6 is engaged with the rear end edge 28A of the outer groove 28, and the rearward positioning is performed. Further, at this time, since the front stop projection 27 is engaged with the riding-over portion 19, the inner housing 21 is prevented from being inadvertently slid in the direction of the fitting start position. When the inner housing 21 is at the fitting completed position, the rear end 21A of the inner housing 21 projects rearward from the rear end of the outer housing 22, as shown in FIG. In addition, a pair of elastic engaging portions 18 are protruded from the left and right side walls of the outer housing 22 so as to be resilient in the left-right direction, and are formed so as to face the front of each elastic engaging portion 18. The panel 10 is sandwiched between the panel 10 and the wall 17.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, in order to assemble the two housings 21 and 22 in the female connector 20, the inner housing 21 is inserted into the outer housing 22, and is assembled at the fitting completed position (the position shown in FIG. 3) (first assembling step). ). In that state, both housings 2
The terminal fittings 1 and 22 are carried into the mounting site of the female terminal fittings (not shown), and the terminal fittings are accommodated in the cavities 23 of the inner housing 21 (second assembly process).

Then, in the female connector 20, the housings 21, 22 are slid to the fitting start position, and the fitting operation of the male and female connectors 20, 30 is performed (third assembling step). In this fitting operation, as shown in FIG. 5, the male connector 30 is pushed in from the state where the male and female connectors 20, 30 are aligned. The upper and lower follower pins 46 of the male connector 30 face the entrance 41A of the cam groove 41 of the corresponding lever 40, and the inner housing 21 is pushed into the outer housing 22 while rotating the lever 40, whereby the cam groove 41 and the follower pin are moved. 46, the male connector 30 is pulled into the inner housing 21 side, and the male and female connectors 2
0, 30 are properly fitted (see FIG. 6).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, after the first assembling step, the two housings 21 and 22 are fixed to the front stop projections 2.
7 and the overcoming portion 19 are engaged with each other,
Since the terminal fittings are fixed to the inner housing 21 at the fitting completion position where they can be easily mounted, the housings 102 and 103 are fitted from the fitting start position prior to the start of the second assembling step as in the related art. No need to slide to completion position. In addition, in the second assembling step of attaching the terminal fittings, the positions of the two housings 21 and 22 are adjusted by the front stopper projections 27.
Is positioned by abutment with the overhanging portion 19, and the careless sliding in the direction of the fitting start position is restricted. . For this reason, a specialized jig is not required, and the number of assembling steps can be reduced to perform an efficient assembling operation.

In the fitting completed position, the rear end of the inner housing 21 projects rearward from the rear end of the outer housing 22, so that the terminal fitting is mounted in the cavity 23 of the inner housing 21 in the second assembling step. Easy to operate. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with, for example, the following modifications. The technical scope of the present invention extends to an equivalent range.

(1) In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to the female connector 20. However, according to the present invention, the present invention can be applied to the male connector. (2) In the present embodiment, the connector 2 having the lever 40
However, according to the present invention, the present invention can be applied to a connector having no lever.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment before fitting a male and a female connector.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view when the female connector is at a fitting start position.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view when the female connector is at a mating completed position.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of a circle R in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional plan view before a male and female connector is fitted.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view after fitting the male and female connectors.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a conventional example before fitting both male and female connectors.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of a conventional example before fitting both male and female connectors.

FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view after fitting both male and female connectors in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 19: Overriding portion (second fixing means) 20: female connector (connector) 21: inner housing 22: outer housing 24: elastic engagement piece (first fixing means) 25: fixing projection (first fixing means) 27 ... front stop projection (second fixing means)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5E021 FA05 FA09 FC31 FC32 HB03 HB04 HB05 5E023 AA04 BB02 DD11 DD18 EE03 EE15 GG02 GG07 GG15 HH01 HH17

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An inner housing capable of accommodating a terminal fitting and an outer housing accommodating the inner housing, wherein the two housings have a fitting start position in which a tip of the inner housing projects forward from the outer housing. A connector in which the inner housing is relatively slidably mounted between a fitting completion position in which the inner housing is retracted toward the outer housing side from the fitting start position, and First fixing means for restricting the two housings from inadvertently sliding in the direction of the fitting completion position at the position, and the two housings being carelessly moving toward the fitting start position at the fitting completion position. A connector provided with second fixing means for restricting sliding. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a rear end of the inner housing projects rearward from a rear end of the outer housing at the fitting completed position.