JP2002175849A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure a locking tab of a terminal without dispersion. SOLUTION: In a connector, which a locking part 27 of the terminal 6 is locked by a flexible stopping lance 16 of a connector housing 2, a projection part 9 for position indexing is formed in either the connector housing or the terminal, and a recessed part 11 for stopping correspond to the projection part is formed in any of the other side. By stopping the projection part 9 to the dent part 11, the locking part 27 is positioned to the locking lance 16. The projection part 9 is arranged in front end side part of a perpendicular partition 8, and the recessed part 11 is arranged in the front end part of a sidewall 20 of the terminal 6, and the part 27 is arranged in the upper part or the lower part of the terminal. The recessed part 11 is a cut part, then, the back end part of the cut part is contacted at the back end of the projection part. The projection part may be arranged in the front end of the sidewall of the terminal, and the recessed part may be arranged in the perpendicular sidewall. The projection part may be arranged in the upper wall or the lower wall of the terminal, and the recessed part may be arranged in the level partition and/or the locking lance part. The dent part is the groove extending in the terminal insertion direction, and the front end of the projection part is contacted to the front end of the slot.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector which positions a terminal with respect to a locking lance in a connector housing without variation in locking margin and securely locks the terminal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG.
000-58180). The connector 51 includes a connector housing 52 made of synthetic resin,
A synthetic resin front holder 54 fitted into the front opening 53 of the connector housing 52;
2, a female terminal 56 with an electric wire inserted into the terminal housing 55, and an opening 5 in a lower wall 57 of the connector housing 52.
8 and a synthetic resin spacer 59 inserted in the terminal insertion orthogonal direction.

The terminal accommodating chambers 55 are arranged in a plurality of stages (three in this embodiment) and in parallel in the width direction. Each terminal accommodating chamber 55 includes left and right (widthwise) partitions (outer walls at left and right ends) and upper and lower partitions 61 (upper and lower walls 62 at upper and lower ends.
57). The upper and lower partitions 61 extend to a longitudinally intermediate portion of the terminal accommodating chamber 55.

A flexible terminal locking lance 63 is integrally formed in front of the upper and lower partitions 61. The locking lance 63 is formed obliquely upward, and has, at its tip, a locking surface 65 perpendicular to the front step 64 (FIG. 10) of the terminal 56. A bending space is provided below the locking lance 63. Note that the definition of “up and down” in the specification is for convenience of description, and does not always coincide with the direction of the connector 51 when actually used. "Before and after" is defined as connector 5
The front end of the fitting 1 is the front, and the lead-out side of the wire is the rear.

In front of the locking lance 63, upper and lower partitions 61 are provided.
The front portion of the terminal accommodating chamber 55 communicates vertically and continues to a rectangular front opening 53. At the periphery of the front opening 53, a portion for inserting the front holder 54 is formed.
Locking means (not shown) for the front holder 54 is provided.

The front holder 54 is a short horizontal partition 6 that forms part of the upper and lower partitions 61 of the connector housing 52.
6. The partition 66 is provided at a right angle from the vertical wall of the front holder 54, and the tip of the terminal 56 can be arranged between the upper and lower partitions 66. In the wall 67 between the upper and lower partitions 66, an insertion hole 68 for a contact tab of a mating male terminal (not shown) and a jig rod insertion for releasing the engagement of the terminal 56 are provided. A hole 69 is provided.

By providing a front opening 53 in the connector housing 52 and closing the front opening 53 with the front holder 54, the front opening 53 also serves as a die-cutting hole, and the resin of the locking lance 63 having a fine shape is formed. The molding can be easily performed, and the molding accuracy of the locking lance 63 is improved.

The spacer 59 is composed of upper and lower partitions 66, an operation wall 69 at the lower end, and a vertical side wall (not shown) connecting each partition 66 and the operation wall 69. The pitch of the upper and lower partitions 66 matches the pitch of the upper and lower partitions 61 of the terminal accommodating chamber 55, and the operation wall 69 is pulled downward.
The terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 55. The connector housing 52 is provided with a vertical spacer insertion hole (opening) 58. The spacer insertion hole 58 communicates with each terminal accommodating chamber 55.

The terminal 56 has a female electrical contact 70 on the front side.
(FIG. 10), each has a wire connection portion 71 (FIG. 9) on the rear side, and the electric contact portion 70 is constituted by a box-shaped peripheral wall and an elastic contact piece in the peripheral wall. The electric wire connection portion 71 includes a crimping piece on the front side for crimping the core portion of the insulated wire 72 and a crimping piece on the rear side for crimping and fixing the insulating coating. A step 64 (FIG. 10) for locking to the locking lance 63 is formed on the distal end side of the electric contact portion 70, and a rear end of the electric contact portion 70 is formed to a step 73 for locking to the spacer 59.
(FIG. 10).

In FIG. 9, reference numeral 74 denotes a flexible lock arm for a mating female connector (not shown). The connector 51 shown in FIG. 9 is a male connector, and the female connector (not shown) has a connector fitting chamber for the male connector 51 and the male terminal. The contact tabs of the mold terminals are projected.

The front holder 54 is mounted on the front opening 53 of the connector housing 52 and the spacer 59 is inserted into the insertion hole 5.
The terminal 56 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 55 from the rear opening in a state where the terminal 56 is temporarily locked (temporarily pushed). In FIG. 9, the lowermost terminal 56 is completely inserted, and the second and third terminals 56 are inserted.
Indicates a state during insertion. With the insertion of the terminal 56, the locking lance 63 bends downward, and at the same time as the terminal 56 is completely inserted, the locking lance 63 is restored and engages with the step 64 on the distal end side of the terminal 56. Thereby, the terminal 56 is primarily locked.

In order to secure the locking of the terminal 56, the spacer 59 is pushed upward and fully locked, so that the partition 66 of the spacer 59 and the operation wall 69 are connected to the step 73 (the rear side of the terminal 56). 10), and the terminal 56 is secondarily locked. Depending on the type of the connector 51, the spacer 59 may not be used. In that case, the terminal 56 is locked only by the locking lance 63.

[0013]

However, in the above-described conventional connector 51, a connector housing 52 is provided.
Of the front holder 53 in the front opening 53 depending on the variation in the fitting dimension between the front opening 53 and the front holder 54.
In this case, the front end of the terminal 56 follows the front holder 54 as shown in FIG.
There is a concern that the locking margin (latch margin) L between the step 64 on the front side of the terminal 56 and the locking lance 63 decreases, and the locking force of the terminal 56 decreases. Further, there is a concern that the locking margin L may be reduced due to the accumulated dimensional error between the front holder 54 and the connector housing 52. These are particularly important problems when the spacer 59 for secondary locking is not used.

Even when the spacer 59 is used, if a strong tensile force acts on the electric wire 72 before the spacer 59 is pushed in after the terminal 56 is inserted into the connector housing 52, the terminal 56 easily comes out. There was a concern that it would. In this case, there is a concern that re-insertion of the terminal 56 may require extra time, which is not preferable in terms of quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, the present invention provides a connector which can stably lock a terminal with little or no variation in the locking force of the terminal due to the locking lance. The purpose is to:

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a connector for locking a locked portion of a terminal with a flexible locking lance in a connector housing. One of the terminals is provided with a projection for positioning, and the other is provided with a recess for engagement with the projection, and the projection is engaged with the recess, so that the locking lance is The locked portion is positioned with respect to the locked portion (claim 1). The protrusion is provided at a front end side of a vertical partition wall of the connector housing, the recess is provided at a front end of a side wall of the terminal, and the locked part is provided at an upper portion or a lower portion of the terminal. Is also effective (claim 2). It is also effective that the recess is a notch, and that the rear end of the notch can contact the rear end of the projection. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided on a front end of a side wall of the terminal, the recess is provided on a vertical partition wall of the connector housing, and the locked portion is provided on an upper portion of the terminal or It is also effective to be provided at the lower part (claim 4). Also,
In the connector according to any one of claims 2 to 4, it is also effective that the protrusion and the recess are provided symmetrically with each other (claim 5). The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the protrusion is provided on an upper wall or a lower wall of the terminal, and the recess is provided on a horizontal partition wall of the connector housing and / or the locking lance. It is also effective that the locked portion is provided at a lower portion or an upper portion of the terminal (claim 6). Further, in the connector according to any one of claims 4 to 6, it is also effective that the recess is a groove extending in the terminal insertion direction, and the front end of the protrusion can contact the front end of the groove. Item 7). Further, in the connector according to any one of claims 2 to 7, it is also effective that the locked portion is provided at an upper portion of a front end or a lower portion of a front end of the terminal. Further, in the connector according to any one of claims 1 to 8, it is also effective that a substantially plate-shaped front holder is attached to a front opening of the connector housing.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of a connector according to the present invention.

The connector 1 has a connector housing 2 made of a synthetic resin, a front holder 4 made of a synthetic resin which is mounted on a front opening 3 of the connector housing 2, and a connector 1 which is inserted into a terminal accommodating chamber 5 of the connector housing 2. Each terminal accommodating chamber 5 of the connector housing 2 is composed of a female terminal 6 to be stopped and a synthetic resin spacer 7 for secondary locking of the terminal, which is mounted at an intermediate portion of the connector housing 2 in the front-rear direction. A protrusion 9 for terminal positioning is integrally formed on the front end of the partition wall 8 in the vertical direction (vertical direction), and a front end of the electrical contact portion 10 in the first half of the terminal 6 is provided for engagement with the protrusion 9. A notch (recess) 11 is formed.

In FIG. 1, the connector housing 2 includes upper, lower, left and right outer walls (peripheral walls) 12 (left and right outer walls are not shown),
A plurality of vertical and horizontal partitions 8 and 14 that partition the inside of the outer wall 12 vertically and horizontally to define a plurality of terminal receiving chambers 5 are provided. The horizontal (horizontal) partition wall 14 extends from the rear opening 15 of the connector housing 2 to at least the middle portion in the front-rear direction of the connector housing 2, and a flexible terminal locking lance 16 is formed to project obliquely downward from the front end of the partition wall 14. ing. The locking lance 16 has a horizontal straight portion 16c in the second half and an inclined portion 16 in the first half.
d. A spacer insertion hole 17 is provided in a longitudinal middle portion of the horizontal partition 14 in the front-rear direction, and a locking lance 16 is located in front of the spacer insertion hole 17. There is no horizontal partition wall 14 in front of the locking lance 16, and a space 18 is formed above and below the locking lance 16 by the connector housing 2.
To the upper and lower wall portions 12 of the slab. Note that the direction of “up and down” is opposite to that of the connector shown in the related art.

The vertical partition 8 is connected to the connector housing 2.
At the rear half of the connector housing 2, the width of the front half of the connector housing 2 is reduced to about the height of the terminal 6, and is extended to the front opening 3 or the rear end face of the front holder 4. I have.

As shown in FIG. 2, the protrusions 9 for terminal positioning are formed on both side surfaces of the front end of the extended partition wall 8b. The rear end of the projection 9 is formed in a substantially semicircular shape, the upper and lower ends are parallel straight faces, the arc surface 9a at the rear end smoothly follows the upper and lower straight faces 9b, and the front end face of the projection 9 is formed. 9c has a rectangular shape and is located on the same plane as the front end face 8c of the extended partition wall 8b. The side surface 9d of the protrusion 9 is located parallel and perpendicular to the side surface of the extension partition 8b.
Is substantially equal to the thickness of the side wall 20 of the electrical contact portion 10 of the terminal 6.

As shown in FIG. 2, the positioning projections 9 are arranged so as to face the inner surfaces of the parallel extension walls 8b. The outermost partition walls 8 'are left and right outer walls of the connector housing 2, and the outer walls are provided with protrusions 9 only on the inner side surfaces. In addition, if resin molding is possible, each extension partition 8b may be extended in the up-down direction (vertical direction).

In the present embodiment, the space 21 between the locking lances 16 is located above the extension partition 8b, and the locking lance 16 is formed to extend forward from the horizontal partition 14 so that each of the extension partition 8b The terminal (the front end) of the locking lance 16 is located above the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the extension partition wall 8b. The locking lance 16 is formed slightly narrower than the distance between the inner surfaces of the extension bulkheads 8b, has a vertical terminal locking surface 16a on the left half of the distal end, and has a unlocking release on the right half. Has an inclined surface 16b for abutting the jig rod.

The female terminal 6 has a box-shaped electrical contact portion 10 in the first half and a wire connection portion (crimp portion) 23 (FIG. 1) in the second half, and the electrical contact portion 10 and the wire connection portion 23 are intermediate. The electrical contact portion 10 is integrally formed with a rectangular cylindrical wall (peripheral wall) of upper, lower, left and right, and an elastic contact piece 25 integrally formed from a lower wall (lower wall). A first locking projection (locked portion) which is extended from the left side wall 20 and folded back in a substantially U-shape on the left half of the front part of the upper wall 26.
27, and a second locking projection 28 raised from the side wall 20 and bent parallel to the upper wall 26 on the rear side of the electric contact portion 10, from the front ends of the left and right side walls 20 to the rear. The notch (recess) 11 for positioning is formed so as to face.

The notch 11 has upper and lower parallel inner end faces 11a.
And a semi-circular arc surface 11b at the end (rear end), and a short tapered guide surface 11c following the upper and lower inner end surfaces 11a at the entrance at the front end. The inner width of the notch 11 is slightly wider than the outer width of the positioning protrusion 9, and the length (depth) of the notch 11 is substantially equal to the length of the positioning protrusion 9, or the notch is formed. It is preferable that the length of 11 is slightly shorter than the length of the positioning projection 9. The pair of left and right cutouts 11 are opposed and arranged in parallel. Notch 11
Can be easily formed with a punch at the same time as the terminal 6 is punched out of a conductive metal plate (not shown) in a developed state.

When the terminal 6 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 5 from the rear opening 15 (FIG. 1) of the connector housing 2, the electric contact portion 10 of the terminal 6 in the first half of the connector housing 2 is connected to each of the left and right extension partitions 8 b. As shown in FIG. 3 (front view), the protrusion 9 enters and engages with the notch 11 so that the terminal 6 is positioned.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, a positioning projection 9 is provided on a vertical side surface of the extended partition wall 8b, and a notch 11 is provided on a side of the terminal 6, that is, for locking the terminal 6. Since the positioning projection 9 projects in a direction orthogonal to the projection direction of the projection 27, the terminal 6 does not swing in the vertical direction due to the engagement between the positioning projection 9 and the notch 11. It is positioned, and the position of the protrusion 27 for locking on the upper portion of the terminal 6 is accurately defined with respect to the locking surface 16a at the tip of the locking lance 16 on the upper side of the terminal 6, and the locking allowance L (FIG. 1) That is, a vertical lap margin between the locking surface 16a and the rear end of the projection 27 is accurately secured. This operational effect is particularly effective in a connector having a structure in which the horizontal end wall 14 is not provided at the front end side of the terminal accommodating chamber 5 of the connector housing 2 and the front end of the terminal 6 easily swings up and down.

A notch 11 is provided at the front end of the terminal 6, a first locking projection 27 is provided above the notch 11 at the front end of the terminal 6, and the extension partition 8 b of the connector housing 2 is provided. A projection 9 for positioning is provided at the front end, and the projection 9
The locking surface 16a at the tip of the locking lance 16
, The notch 11 is engaged with the protrusion 9 without play, so that the protrusion 27 for locking on the front end side of the terminal 6 with respect to the locking surface 16 a at the tip of the locking lance 16. Accurate positioning (positioning) also ensures that the locking margin is always accurate.

As shown in FIG. 3, the left and right vertical partition walls 8b or the projections 9 of the outer wall 8 'are engaged with the left and right cutouts 11 of the electrical contact portion 10 of the terminal 6, respectively. FIG. 2 upon engagement
Sliding contact between the arcuate surface 9a at the rear end of the projection 9 and the tapered guide surface 11a at the front end entrance of the notch 11 guides the projection 9 smoothly into the notch 11 without being caught.
The side surface 9d of the projection 9 is located within the range of the thickness of the side wall 20 of the electric contact portion 10 or slightly inward from the side wall 20, and there is no fear of interfering with the inner elastic contact piece 25. Both side walls 20 of the electric contact portion 10 are located substantially without backlash along the inner surfaces of the left and right extended partition walls 8b or the outer wall 8 '.

In FIG. 2, when the notch 11 of the terminal 6 engages with the projection 9 of the connector housing 2, the rear end (end) 11 b of the notch 11 comes into contact with the rear end 9 a of the projection 9. As a result, the terminal 6 is accurately positioned also in the front-rear direction, and the rear end 27a of the locking projection 27 is accurately positioned with respect to the locking surface 16a at the tip of the locking lance 16. As a result, incomplete locking of the terminal 6 and rattling of the terminal 6 in the front-rear direction after locking are prevented.

That is, when the terminal 6 is inserted, the locking projection 27 deflects the locking lance 16 upward, and the notch 1
1 engages with the positioning projection 9, and at the same time when the engagement is completed, the locking projection 27 is located in front of the locking lance 16, and the locking lance 16 is elastically restored downward and engaged. Stop projection 27
At this time, the rear end 11b of the notch 11 abuts against the rear end 9a of the projection 9 and the terminal 6
Forward movement of the terminal 6 is sensed (a hand sensation at the time of insertion by an operator, or a change in insertion load at the time of insertion by an automatic machine). In addition, the rear end 27a of the locking projection 27 is accurately positioned close to the front end of the locking lance 16 without a large gap, and the terminal 6 is rattled in the front-rear direction and the mating side thereof is caused. The occurrence of sliding wear and abnormal noise with a male terminal (not shown) is prevented.

In FIG. 3, a tab or pin of a mating male terminal (not shown) is provided between the lower elastic contact piece 25 and the upper contact projection 29 of the electric contact portion 10 of the terminal 6. Electrical contacts are inserted. Male terminal electrical contact (not shown)
Are located in a mating female connector (not shown) with respect to the male connector 1 in FIG. A male electrical contact is inserted into the electrical contact 10 of the female terminal 6 in the chamber 5, thereby connecting the male and female terminals.

In FIG. 1, the front holder 4 is formed in the shape of a rectangular flat plate, and a front opening of the connector housing 2 is formed by a locking means 31 (the locking projection engages with the engagement hole) such as a locking projection and an engaging hole. Fixed to 3. The front holder 4 is composed of only the vertical wall portion 32 and does not have a short protruding partition wall as in the related art. The wall 32 constitutes a front end wall of the connector 1. The wall portion 32 is provided with a plurality of mating terminal insertion holes 30 and a jig rod insertion hole (not shown) for unlocking. At the front end of the mating terminal insertion hole 30, a tapered guide surface 30a for guiding the tip of the electrical contact portion of the male terminal (not shown) is formed.

The mating terminal insertion hole 30 communicates with each terminal accommodating chamber 5 of the connector housing 2 and is located forward between the elastic contact piece 25 and the contact projection 29 of the terminal 6 in FIG. The position of the notch 11 of the terminal 6 is preferably substantially at the center in the height direction of the side wall 20 of the electric contact portion 10, and the mating terminal insertion hole 30 is provided slightly above the notch 11 and the positioning projection 9 (FIG. 1).
Is located.

Since the front end of the terminal 6 is accurately positioned by the positioning projection 9 of the connector housing 2, the mating male terminal (not shown) is aligned with the female terminal simultaneously with the mating of the connector. Is inserted into the electrical contact portion 10 of the terminal 6. This allows the mating male terminal to be
There is no concern that the elastic contact piece 25 in the inside is plastically deformed by being pebbled or prying from an oblique direction.

The second locking projection 28 on the rear side of the terminal 6 is locked by the substantially comb-shaped protruding plate 33 of the spacer 7 and the front end corner of the operating portion 34. In FIG. 1, the spacer 7 is temporarily locked to the connector housing 2, and the terminal 6 is inserted in that state. By pressing the spacer 7 downward after the terminal is inserted, the terminal 6
Is secondarily locked. Since the notch 11 of the terminal 6 is engaged with the positioning projection 9 of the connector housing 2, the locking margin L is always accurately maintained without variation, and the locking force of the terminal 6 is guaranteed. It is also possible to eliminate the spacer 7.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the connector according to the present invention. This connector 35
Similar to the previous example of the connector housing 36 made of synthetic resin, the vertical partition wall 8 and the groove (recess) 37 for terminal positioning are formed in the inner surface of the outer wall in the terminal insertion direction, and the box-shaped electrical contact of the female terminal 38 is formed. On both side walls of the portion 39, protrusions 40 engaging with the positioning grooves 37 are formed so as to protrude so as to position the terminals 38 with respect to the flexible locking lances 16 in the connector housing 36. It is assumed that.

As shown in FIG. 4, the vertical partition 8 is composed of a wide part 8a in the latter half and a narrow extended partition 8b in the first half.
The positioning groove 37 is formed straight from the rear opening 41 of the connector housing 36 to a position near the front end of the extended partition wall 8b, and functions as a positioning and guide groove for the terminal 38. The front end 37a of the groove 37 is located slightly behind the front end of the extension partition 8b. The groove 37 is formed on both the right and left sides of the partition 8b. A similar groove 37 is formed on the inner surface of the outer wall of the connector housing 36 which is the outermost partition. A similar groove 37 can be formed in the vertical wall portion 43 of the spacer 42 (the wall connecting the horizontal locking plate 44). When the latter half of the terminal accommodating chamber 45 is widened, it is possible to form the groove 37 only in the former half extended partition wall 8b. The width of the groove 37 is about 1/3 of the vertical width of the extension partition 8b.

A groove 37 is provided in place of the positioning projection 9 of the connector housing 2 of FIG. 1, and a projection 40 is provided in place of the cutout 11 of the terminal 6 in FIG. Since the third embodiment is the same as the first embodiment, detailed description other than the main part is omitted. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the connector 35 having the terminal accommodation chambers 45 in the upper and lower stages is illustrated (the connector 1 in FIG. 1 is in the upper and lower stages). If there is no risk of short-circuiting between the adjacent terminals 38, a slit-shaped hole (not shown) may be formed instead of the groove 37.

In FIG. 4, the tip of the locking lance 16 similar to the previous example is located obliquely above and behind the front end 37a of the groove 37. A bending space 46 is located above the locking lance 16. A spacer insertion hole 47 is located behind the locking lance 16, and when the terminal 38 is inserted, the spacer 42 is pulled out one step upward and is temporarily locked. Since the locking force of the terminal 38 is secured by the primary locking by the locking lance 16, the spacer 42 can be eliminated. The plate-shaped front holder 48 is locked by a locking means 31 in a front opening 49 of the connector housing 36. The counterpart insertion hole 30 of the front holder 48 is provided with a terminal receiving chamber (terminal receiving space) 45 between the left and right extended partition walls 8b.
Is in communication with The front end 27b of the locking projection 27 on the front side of the terminal 38 has a tapered inclined surface and a locking surface 2 perpendicular to the rear end.
7a.

As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal 38 has a substantially mountain-shaped projection 40 for positioning on both side walls 50 of the box-shaped electric contact portion 39. The protruding portion 40 is formed by cutting or bulging a part of the side wall 50 from the inside to the outside in a horizontally long rectangular shape or bulging, and has a horizontal and parallel upper end surface 40a and a lower end surface 40b. Each has an inclined surface 40c, and has a top portion 40d at the center, and each inclined surface 40d smoothly continues to the outer surface of the side wall 50. Each protrusion 40 is formed symmetrically on both side walls 50. The protrusion 40 can be easily formed by pressing with a press when the terminal 38 is punched out of a metal plate in a developed state, for example.

The protruding portion 40 can be a flexible positioning piece having only the inclined first half 40c or only the second half. Alternatively, the protrusion 40 may be formed in a substantially conical shape, a substantially triangular pyramid shape, a rectangular box shape, a columnar shape, or a plate piece shape, and the shape of the protrusion 40 is arbitrary. The protrusion 40 is attached to the side wall 50
It is also possible to dispose it from the front end of the rear. However, end surfaces 40a and 40b parallel to each other as in the case of the protrusion 40 in FIG.
It is best that accurate positioning can be performed by contacting the upper and lower inner end faces 37b of the groove 37 of the extension partition wall 8b without play. The protruding height of the protruding portion 40 is the extension partition 8b.
Is less than half of the plate thickness.

An elastic contact piece 74 is integrally or separately provided inside the rectangular cylindrical peripheral wall of the electric contact portion 39.
Since the protruding portion 40 protrudes outside the electric contact portion 39,
There is no need to worry about interference with the elastic contact piece 74,
Is sufficiently wide, and the contact pressure with the male terminal on the mating side can be secured. In addition, the inclined surface 40 c on the front side of the protrusion 40 is
The terminal 38 can be smoothly inserted without being caught by smoothly sliding along the entrance 37c (FIG. 4) and the middle portion of the terminal 38.

The upper wall 75 of the electric contact portion 39 (FIG. 5)
A first locking projection 27 is formed at the front end side, a contact projection 29 is formed to project inward at the middle part, and a second locking projection 28 is formed at the rear end side. Have been. The first locking protrusion 27 has a tapered front end 27b to reduce the sliding resistance with the locking lance 16 during terminal insertion. The rear end of the extended partition wall 8b continues to the upper horizontal partition wall 14, and a locking lance 16 is formed to project forward from the horizontal partition wall 14. Locking lance 1
The shape of 6 has a horizontal straight portion 16c in the second half and an inclined portion 16d in the first half as shown in FIG. 5, a short inclined portion (16d) for locking at the tip of a long horizontal straight portion (16c), and the like. The shape is arbitrary, such as one having a locking projection (not shown) or one having only an inclined portion (16d).

As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal insertion chamber 45 of the connector housing 36 is in a state where the spacer 42 is temporarily locked (temporarily pushed).
The terminal 38 is inserted into. At this time, a pair of left and right protrusions 40 on the front end side of the terminal 38 slide in the groove 37 of the right and left vertical partition walls 8a while engaging with the grooves 37 of the right and left vertical partition walls 8a, and project on the front end face 37a of the groove 37 of the extension partition wall 8b. The part 40 comes into contact and stops. Protrusion 40
The upper end surface 40a (FIG. 5) of the
(FIG. 5), and the lower end surface 40b of the protrusion 40 abuts on the lower inner end surface 37b of the groove 37 (FIG. 5). Thereby, especially the electric contact portion 39 of the terminal 38 is positioned without play in the vertical direction, and the vertical movement of the terminal 38 is suppressed.
Locking surface 16a at the tip of locking lance 16 above terminal 38
A locking margin L (FIG. 4) between the terminal and the locking projection 27 of the terminal 38 is accurately secured. Further, the front end side of the projection 40 abuts on the front end face 37 a of the groove 37, whereby the front position of the terminal 38 is defined, and the tip of the locking lance 16 becomes the rear end of the first locking projection 27. 27a and closely contact with almost no gap.

As described above, the protrusion 40 for locking and the protrusion 27 for positioning are provided on the front end side of the electric contact portion 39 of the terminal 38, and the extension partition 8 b of the connector housing 36 is extended to the front opening 49. A groove is provided up to the front end side of the extension partition wall 8b, and the locking surface 16a at the tip of the locking lance 16 of the connector housing 36 is located behind the positioning projection 40, so that the locking lance 16 is engaged. The position of the projection 27 for positioning the terminal 38 with respect to the stop surface 16a is accurately defined,
The locking margin L is accurately and accurately secured.

The positioning projection 40 may be provided on the lower wall (substrate) instead of the side wall 50 of the terminal 38. In addition, the positioning projection 40 is connected to the side wall 5 of the terminal 38.
It is also effective to provide them in the two-dimensional direction between 0 and the lower wall (substrate unit). If the terminal can be formed, a positioning groove (37) may be provided on the terminal side, and a positioning rib-shaped protrusion (protrusion) may be provided on the connector housing side.

After inserting the terminal 38 in FIG.
2 is pushed in to lock the locking projection 28 on the rear side of the terminal 38. Since the primary locking between the protrusion 27 on the front side of the terminal 38 and the locking lance 16 is reliably performed at the accurate locking margin L, the spacer 42 does not need to be provided.

For example, the position of the spacer 42, that is, the terminal 3
In the case where the locking lance 16 is provided on the rear half side of the rear end 8, a positioning groove 37 is formed only in the rear half vertical partition wall 8a,
The positioning projection 40 is preferably provided in the rear half of the side wall 50 of the terminal 38. As a result, the rear locking projection 28 or step is accurately positioned with respect to the tip of the locking lance 16.

FIGS. 6 to 8 show a connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention, in which a projection 79 for positioning is provided on a lower wall (substrate portion) 78 of a terminal 77 and a connector housing 80 is provided.
The connector structure is characterized in that a groove (recess) 81 for engaging with the projection 79 is provided straight from the horizontal partition wall 14 to the upper surface of the flexible locking lance 16 in the terminal insertion direction. is there.

As shown in FIG. 4, the locking lances 16 are arranged in a plurality of stages below and above the terminal, but the locking lance 16 shown in FIG. 6 is located below the terminal 77. ,
The positioning groove 81 is formed on the upper surface of the horizontal straight portion 16c of the locking lance 16, that is, the surface of the locking lance 16 in the bending direction.
Is provided. The groove 81 is arranged at the center of the locking lance 16 in the width direction, and extends to a position before the inclined portion 16d in the first half of the locking lance. The straight portion 16c is located on the same plane as the horizontal partition wall 14. The groove 81 can be made to penetrate to the front end of the straight portion 16c. In this case, the stop of the terminal 77, that is, the positioning in the forward direction, needs to be performed at another portion such as the inner end surface of the front holder 48 (FIG. 4).

The groove 81 can be replaced with a slit-shaped hole if there is no fear of short-circuiting of the upper and lower terminals 77. However, since the strength and spring strength of the locking lance 16 may be reduced, The groove 81 is optimal. Also, the horizontal partition 14
Alternatively, it is possible to provide a rib-shaped protrusion (not shown) in place of the groove 81 in the locking lance 16 and to provide a groove (not shown) in place of the protrusion 79 in the terminal 77.

It is also possible to provide the groove 81 only in the horizontal partition wall 14 instead of the locking lance 16, but in this case, a positioning projection 79 must be provided in the rear half of the terminal 77. In addition, there is a concern that the positioning accuracy of the locking projection 27 on the front side of the terminal 38 with respect to the locking lance 16 is deteriorated. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the locking lance 16
The groove 81 for positioning is continued also in the straight portion 16c in the latter half where the amount of bending of the upper portion is small, and the front end 81a of the groove 81 approaches the tip of the locking lance 16 as much as possible.
The positioning accuracy of the locking projection 27 on the front side of the lower terminal 77 with respect to the locking surface 16a at the front end of the lower terminal 77 is improved.

The positioning projection 27 is provided at a longitudinally intermediate portion of the lower wall 78 of the box-shaped electric contact portion 82. Depending on the type of the terminal 77, the length and the position of the locking lance 16, etc., the substrate portion near the front end of the lower wall 78 of the electrical contact portion 82 or on the rear side or behind the lower wall 78 (the substrate portion extends from the lower wall 78). It is also possible to provide a projection 79 for positioning on the portion. The projection 79 can be easily formed with a punch or the like at the same time when the terminal 77 is punched out of a metal plate into a developed shape.

[0055] FIG. 7 (a) (b) is shows an embodiment of a projection 79 for positioning, a box-shaped electrical contact portion 8 of the terminal 77 ₁
A portion of the second bottom wall 78 devalued outwardly rectangular, in which a plate-shaped projection 79 ₁ of the cantilevered. Projections 79 ₁ protrudes perpendicularly outwardly from one end of the rectangular opening 83. Since projection 79 ₁ is plate-shaped, deep engaged in the groove 81 of the locking lance 16 (FIG. 6), there is no fear of projection 79 ₁ of the out-out from the groove 81. Forms the protruding portion 79 ₁ can also be used as a projection 40 of the embodiment of FIG. 5. Also, the form of the protrusion 40 in FIG.
Can also be used as ₁ .

[0056] FIG. 8 (a) (b) are those showing another embodiment of projection for positioning, a box-shaped electrical contact portion 82 of the terminal 77 ₂
A portion of the lower wall 78 of bulged outwardly Ryakuyama type shape is obtained by the projection 79 ₂ supported at both ends. The protruding portion 79 ₂ is formed shorter than the longitudinal direction length of the projection 40 in FIG. 5, the longitudinal direction matches the width direction of the electrical contact portion 82 and a substantially mountain shape is viewed from the front. Top 79a of the projection 79 ₂ is engaged with the groove 81 of the locking lance 16 projects from the bottom wall 78 (FIG. 6). Left and right inclined plate portions 79b of which constitute the projection 79 ₂ is supported at both, do not or deflection and deformation in the lateral, increases the terminal 77 ₂ of the positioning accuracy. It is also possible to cross section triangular fit the shape of the groove 81 with the projection 79 _2. The form of the protrusion 79 is not limited to the above embodiments.

When the terminal 77 is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber from the rear opening of the connector housing 80 in FIG.
Of the terminal 77 is engaged with the positioning groove 81 of the horizontal partition wall 14 of the connector housing 80.
The projection 79 slides in the groove 81 along with the insertion operation of the lock lance 16 and advances along the groove 81 on the upper surface side of the locking lance 16,
When the projection 79 abuts on the front end surface 81a of the terminal 77, the insertion of the terminal 77 is completed, the swing of the terminal 77 in particular in the width direction is suppressed, and the locking projection 27 on the front end side of the terminal 77 and the rear end are formed. The leading end of the locking lance 16 is accurately positioned in the width direction, and a locking margin is secured, and the locking surface 16a of the locking lance 16 approaches or contacts the rear end of the locking projection 27. As a result, the terminal 77 is securely locked by the connector housing 8.
Locked to zero.

The positioning projection 79 of the terminal 77 projecting in the vertical direction is engaged with the groove 81 on the connector housing side, so that the terminal 77 is reliably prevented from swinging in the width direction. Is prevented from being displaced in the width direction of the locking lance 16, and a contact area between the locking surface 16 a of the locking lance 16 and the rear end 27 a of the projection 27 is ensured. The locking force is sufficiently secured.

Even when the groove 81 is provided on the upper surface of the straight portion 16c of the locking lance 16 and the lower surface (bottom surface) of the terminal 77 is positioned along the straight portion 16c, the inclined portion 16d of the locking lance 16 bends. When the next terminal 77 is inserted into the lower terminal accommodating chamber, the insertability is not hindered at all. The projection 79 of the terminal 77 at the bottom in the connector housing engages with a groove (not shown) provided on the bottom wall (outer wall) of the connector housing, which is the bottom horizontal partition.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the terminal 77 can be secondarily locked by the spacer 42 (FIG. 4). Even if the spacer 42 is not used or is used, the terminal 77
When the locking lance 16 is arranged rearward so as to lock the rear end (rear stage) or the rear second projection 28 of the electrical contact portion 82 with the locking lance 16, the connector housing 8
The positioning groove 8 is formed only in the horizontal partition wall 14 in the latter half of 0 or only in the portion near the rear end of the partition wall 14 and the locking lance 16.
1 can be provided.

It should be noted that the positioning projections 9, 40 and grooves 11, 37 shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 and the positioning projection 79 and groove 81 shown in FIG. 77
Can be prevented in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the locking allowance L can be secured more accurately. 6, a groove 81 is provided only in the locking lance 16, and a groove 8 is provided in the horizontal partition 14.
1 is not provided, the terminal 77 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber slightly obliquely upward, and the groove 8
The projection 79 of the terminal 77 may be engaged with 1 so that the posture of the terminal 77 is stabilized.

In FIGS. 2 and 5, only one of the right and left protrusions is provided instead of the pair of protrusions 9 and 40, and one of the left and right is used instead of the pair of recesses (notches 11, 37 or grooves). It is also possible to provide only the recess. Further, the terminal positioning structure of each of the above embodiments is also applied to a connector in which the front holders 4 and 48 are not used in the above embodiments and the front end wall (not shown) of the connector housing substitutes for the front holder. It is possible.

Further, a male terminal (not shown) is used in place of the female terminals 6, 38, 77, and an intermediate box following the tab-like or pin-like electrical contact portion in the first half of the male terminal. The notch 11 (FIG. 2) or the protrusion 40 (FIG. 5) for positioning is provided in the shape (not shown), and the terminal housing of the female connector housing (not shown) for housing the box-like portion is provided. The protrusion 9 (FIG. 2) or the groove 37 (FIG. 5) is provided in the vertical partition of the chamber, and / or the groove 81 (FIG. 6) is provided in the horizontal partition or the locking lance, and the male terminal box is provided. It is also possible to provide a projection 79 (FIG. 6) on the shaped part.

[0064]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, at the same time as inserting the terminal into the connector housing,
Since the positioning protrusion of the connector housing or the terminal engages with the recess of the terminal or the connector housing, and the terminal is accurately positioned in the connector housing, the terminal is positioned with respect to the locking lance which is a part of the connector housing. Is accurately positioned, the locking margin is always ensured without variation, and the locking force of the terminal is always secured accurately without variation. Thus, even if a strong tensile force acts on the electric wire, the terminal is reliably prevented from coming out of the connector housing. Further, a spacer for secondary locking of the terminal is not required, so that the structure is simplified and the cost is reduced. These effects are achieved regardless of whether the front holder is mounted on the front opening of the connector housing.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the concave portion of the side wall of the terminal is engaged with the projection of the vertical partition wall, so that the front end of the terminal is shaken or rattled in the vertical direction (vertical direction). And the locked part on the upper or lower part of the terminal is accurately positioned with respect to the locking lance of the connector housing. As a result, the vertical allowance is accurately secured. In addition, since the position of the front end of the terminal is accurately defined, the mating terminal is inserted and connected to the terminal without misalignment when the male and female connectors are mated, so that the reliability of the electrical connection is increased, and due to twisting, etc. The terminal is prevented from being damaged or plastically deformed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the notch of the terminal engages with the projection of the partition wall, and the rear end of the notch contacts the rear end of the projection, so that the terminal can be moved in the front-rear direction. The front end of the locking lance contacts the rear end of the locked portion of the terminal securely and without backlash, preventing improper locking and abrasion due to back and forth play of the terminal. Etc. are prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the protrusion of the side wall of the terminal is engaged with the recess of the vertical partition wall, so that the front end of the terminal is shaken or rattled in the vertical direction (vertical direction). And the locked part on the upper or lower part of the terminal is accurately positioned with respect to the locking lance of the connector housing. As a result, the vertical allowance is accurately secured. In addition, since the position of the front end of the terminal is accurately defined, the mating terminal is inserted and connected to the terminal without misalignment when the male and female connectors are mated, so that the reliability of the electrical connection is increased, and due to twisting, etc. The terminal is prevented from being damaged or plastically deformed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the pair of projections engage with the pair of recesses, so that the terminal is more accurately positioned in the vertical direction without rotating in the circumferential direction. The locking margin is more accurately secured.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, for example, the protrusion on the lower side of the terminal is engaged with the upper surface of the horizontal partition wall and / or the concave portion on the upper surface of the locking lance, so that the terminal is in the width direction. And the locked portion on the upper side of the terminal is accurately positioned in the lateral width direction with respect to the upper locking lance. Thereby, the lateral locking margin is always ensured without variation, and the locking force of the terminal is increased. In particular, by providing the recess directly in the locking lance, the position of the locked portion of the terminal with respect to the locking lance positioned above the locking lance is accurately defined. In addition, by combining the protrusions and recesses located in the horizontal direction in the invention described in claim 2 or 4 with the protrusions and recesses located in the vertical direction according to claim 6, the terminals can be vertically and horizontally (vertically). (In the horizontal direction) and the locking margin is more accurately secured.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the front end of the projection abuts on the front end of the groove, whereby the position of the terminal in the front-rear direction is accurately defined, and the front end of the locking lance is covered with the terminal. The rear end of the locking portion is securely and without backlash, preventing poor locking and preventing the terminal from being worn due to back and forth play.

According to the invention of claim 8, in particular, a combination of a configuration in which a recess or a projection is provided at the front end of the terminal and a projection or a recess is provided at the front end of the partition wall is provided. As the position of the front end of the terminal is accurately defined by the engagement with the terminal, the locked portion at the front end of the terminal is accurately positioned with respect to the locking lance, the positioning accuracy is improved, and the locking margin is improved. Is more accurately ensured.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the position of the terminal is accurately defined irrespective of the front holder by the engagement between the projection or the recess of the terminal and the recess or the projection of the connector housing. In addition, the terminal holder is secured without being affected by the dimensional accuracy of the front holder, misalignment, backlash, etc., thereby enabling the front holder to have a simple plate-like structure. Accordingly, the cost of parts is reduced, and the assembly of the front holder is also facilitated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a first embodiment of a connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of the connector.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a main part of the connector.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second embodiment of the connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of the connector.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of a third embodiment of the connector according to the present invention.

7A and 7B show one form of the terminal of the connector, wherein FIG. 7A is a front view and FIG. 7B is a perspective view of a main part.

FIG. 8 shows another form of the terminal, in which (a) is a front view,
(b) is a perspective view of a main part.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one form of a conventional connector.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the principal part showing the locked state of the terminal of the connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,35 Connector 2,36,80 Connector housing 3,49 Front opening 4,48 Front holder 6,38,77 Terminal 8 Vertical partition 9,40,79 Positioning protrusion 11 Notch (recess) 14 Horizontal Partition 16 Locking lance 20, 50 Side wall 27 Locking projection (locked portion) 37, 81 Groove (recess) 78 Lower wall

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A connector for locking a locked portion of a terminal with a flexible locking lance in a connector housing, wherein one of the connector housing and the terminal is provided with a positioning projection. On either side, a concave portion for engagement with the projection is provided, and the locked portion is positioned with respect to the locking lance by engaging the projection with the concave portion. Connector to be. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided at a front end of a vertical partition wall of the connector housing, the recess is provided at a front end of a side wall of the terminal, and the locked portion is located at an upper or lower portion of the terminal. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is provided in a connector. 3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the recess is a notch, and a rear end of the notch can be brought into contact with a rear end of the protrusion. 4. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided on a front end of a side wall of the terminal, the recess is provided on a vertical partition wall of the connector housing, and the locked part is provided on an upper or lower part of the terminal. The connector according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The connector according to claim 2, wherein said projection and said recess are provided symmetrically with each other. 6. The protrusion is provided on an upper wall or a lower wall of the terminal, the recess is provided on a horizontal partition wall of the connector housing and / or the locking lance, and the locked portion is provided on the terminal. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the connector is provided at a lower portion or an upper portion of the connector. 7. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the recess is a groove extending in a terminal insertion direction, and a front end of the projection can abut on a front end of the groove. 8. The terminal according to claim 2, wherein the locked portion is provided at an upper portion of a front end or a lower portion of a front end of the terminal.
8. The connector according to any one of items 7 to 7. 9. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a substantially plate-shaped front holder is mounted on a front opening of the connector housing.