JP2002184523A - Connector device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To securely have a male connector insertion-coupled with a female connector and to sever one from a connector holder of the other after the insertion-coupling. SOLUTION: In a process of insertion-coupling of a male connector 10 and a female connector 12, a male-side presser wall 40 is made to press a female-side lock piece 24 so as not to release a locking state, and at same time, a female-side presser wall 38 is made to press a male-side lock piece 18 so as not to release a locked state, whereby, insertion-coupling of the male connector and the female connector surely takes place. Once the insertion-coupling of the male connector 10 and the female connector 12 is completed, an insertion-coupling lock piece 32 maintains the insertion- coupled state of the both connectors, and immediately after that, a pressing of the male-side lock piece 18 by the female-side presser wall 38 is released so as to release locking by the male-side lock piece, allowing a male holder 14 to proceed toward the male connector. Thus, when a part of the male-side holder knocks against a part of the female connector, the female-side lock piece 24 slides into a recess 42 of the male-side holder to release holding of the female connector 12 by a female-side holder 16, so that the male-side holder 14 proceeds further relatively toward the female-side holder, to sever the both connectors 10, 12 in the insertion-coupling state from the female-side holder 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector device mainly used for connecting electrical components of an automobile to a wire harness or connecting modules.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when assembling electrical components such as a meter on a vehicle body, an operator holds a connector on a wire harness side by hand, fits it into a connector on the electrical component side, and then connects the electrical component. It is common to take the procedure of fixing to the vehicle body.

On the other hand, recently, in order to improve the workability of assembling electrical components, a connector on a wire harness side is attached to a predetermined position on a vehicle body, and when assembling the electrical component on the vehicle body, the connector on the electrical component side is connected to the connector. A method of completing the fitting with the connector on the wire harness side has been proposed. In addition, for example, a method of attaching one connector to the door inner panel, attaching the other connector to the door trim, and completing the fitting of the two connectors when assembling the door trim to the door inner panel is also conceivable.

[0004]

However, as described above, one of the connectors is mounted on the fixed body in a standby state, and the other connector is mounted on the mounting member mounted on the fixed body, and is mounted on the fixed body. In the case where the two connectors are fitted together with the assembly of the members, the following problem occurs. That is, since the fixed body and the assembling member each have dimensional tolerance, if the dimensional tolerance in the connector fitting direction is large, the fitting of both connectors is completed even after the mounting of the assembling member to the fixed body. Connection may not be completed and the connection status may be incomplete. Also, when the vibration mode of the fixed body and the vibration mode of the assembly member are different, a load is applied to the terminal connection portions of both connectors due to a shift in the vibration mode,
The reliability of the connection may be reduced.

In order to avoid this problem, after fitting of both connectors is completed, one of the connectors is opened (cut) from the holder, and the mounting member is mounted on the fixed body. It is preferable that the fitting of both connectors be completed before completion. However, when assembling the mounting member to the fixed body, it is difficult to continuously perform mating of both connectors and trimming of one connector from the holder, and the trimming may occur before the mating of the connectors is completed. However, even when the connector is fitted, the case where the rim is incomplete is likely to occur.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector device capable of reliably fitting a connector and cutting off one of the connectors from a holder.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve this object, a connector device according to the present invention comprises a first connector (for example, a male connector) and a second connector (for example, a female connector) fitted with the first connector. ), A first holder for holding the first connector, and a second holder for holding the second connector, wherein the first holder,
The first connector has a first locking piece that semi-locks so that the first connector does not relatively advance and retreat, and the second connector does not relatively advance and retract in the second holder. Has a second lock piece that semi-locks to
The first connector or the second connector has a fitting lock piece that holds a fitted state of the two connectors when the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is completed, and the first connector The holder is provided between the time when the mating between the first connector and the second connector is started, the time when the mating is completed, and the time when the first holder advances a predetermined distance relatively to the second holder. Has a first pressing wall for pressing the second lock piece so that the lock is not released, and the second connector is completed after the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is started. In the meantime, it has a second pressing wall for pressing the first lock piece so that the lock is not released, and the first holder is released from pressing the second lock piece by the first pressing wall. After the second lock piece escapes in the unlocking direction In the process of fitting the first connector and the second connector, the first pressing wall presses the second lock piece so that the lock is not released, and the second pressing The wall presses the first lock piece so that the lock is not released, which ensures that the mating between the first connector and the second connector progresses, and the mating between the first connector and the second connector is completed. Then, the fitting lock piece holds the fitted state of both connectors, and at the same time or immediately thereafter, the pressing of the first lock piece by the second pressing wall is released, and the lock by the first lock piece is released. When the first holder advances relative to the first connector, thereby causing a portion of the first holder to abut a portion of the second connector, the second locking piece causes the first locking piece to move to the first connector. Escape to the recess of the holder, the second holder Is released from the second connector, the first holder is further advanced relative to the second holder, and both connectors in the fitted state are cut off from the second holder. Is characterized by the fact that

The semi-lock here refers to a lock system in which the locked state is maintained until the magnitude of the fitting force reaches a certain limit, and the lock is released when the limit is exceeded.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 9 show an embodiment of a connector device according to the present invention in the order of fitting process, wherein (A) is a vertical sectional view and (B) is a horizontal sectional view. FIG. 1 shows a state before fitting. In the figure,
10 is a male connector having a male terminal (not shown) in a plastic housing, 12 is a female connector having a female terminal (not shown) in a plastic housing, 14 is a male holder for holding the male connector 10, and 16 is a male holder. It is a female holder for holding a female connector.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the male side holder 14 has male side locking pieces 18 on both side walls for semi-locking so that the male connector 10 does not advance or retreat therein.
The male lock piece 18 has a fixed end on the front end side (the female connector 14 side) of the male holder 14 and a free end on the rear end side.
The inward projection 20 formed at the free end falls into a hole 22 formed in the peripheral wall of the male connector 10 so that the locked state is maintained. The shape of the inward projection 20 and the hole 22 is such that if the force for advancing the male holder 14 relative to the male connector 10 exceeds a certain limit, the inward projection 20
It is formed so as to escape from and unlock.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1A, the female connector 12 has female lock pieces 24 on the upper and lower walls for semi-locking the female connector 12 so as not to move forward and backward in the female holder 16. . The female locking piece 24 has a fixed end on the distal end side (the male connector 10 side) of the female connector 12 and a free end on the rear end side, and an outward projection 26 and an inward projection 28 are formed at the free end. ing. The female lock piece 24 is kept locked by the outward projection 26 falling into a hole 30 formed in the female holder 16. The shapes of the outward projection 26 and the hole 30 are formed such that the lock is released when the force for retreating the female connector 12 relatively to the female holder 16 exceeds a certain limit.

Next, the male connector 10 has fitting lock pieces 32 on the upper and lower walls for holding the fitted state when the fitting between the male connector 10 and the female connector 12 is completed (FIG. 1
(A)). The mating lock piece 32 has a fixed end on the rear end side of the male connector 10 and a free end on the front end side. By dropping to 36, the lock is maintained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1 (B), the female connector 14 is provided at the distal end side of both side walls between the male connector 10 and the female connector 12 from the start of the fitting until the male connector 10 is completed. A female-side pressing wall 38 is provided for pressing the piece 18 from the outside so that the lock is not released.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the male-side holder 14 is fitted on the top and bottom walls of the upper and lower walls after the fitting of the male connector 10 and the female connector 12 is started. Until the male holder 14 advances relative to the female holder 16 by a predetermined distance, the male holder 14 has a male pressing wall 40 that presses the female lock piece 24 from the inside so that the lock is not released. Further, the male holder 14 allows the female lock piece 24 to escape in the unlocking direction after the pressing of the female lock piece 24 by the male pressing wall 40 is released in the middle part of the upper and lower walls. It has a recess 42. The male holder 14 is
A retaining piece 44 is provided in the male holding wall 40. The retaining piece 44 has a fixed end on the rear end side of the male holding wall 40 and a free end on the front end side, and has a triangular outward projection 46 formed at the free end.

The configuration of each part of the connector device is as described above. Next, a fitting process of the connector device will be described. The male holder 14 fixes the mounting piece 48 at the rear end to, for example, an electrical component of an automobile, and the female holder 16 fixes the mounting piece 50 at the rear end to a vehicle body to which the electrical component is assembled. That is, in this case, the female connector 12 becomes the standby connector.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the male holder 14 is pushed in the P direction, and the leading end of the male holder 14 has begun to be inserted into the female holder 16. At this stage, the fitting force between the male connector 10 and the female connector 12 has not been started yet, so that the fitting force is small. However, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2B, the inner surface of the distal end portion of the female holder 16 slides in contact with the outer side of the male lock piece 18.

When the male holder 14 is further pushed in the P direction from the state shown in FIG. 2, the fitting between the male connector 10 and the female connector 12 proceeds as shown in FIG. At this stage, the fitting force increases, and the male lock piece 18 of the male holder 14 pulls the male connector 10 strongly toward the female connector 12 as shown in FIG. At this time, since the outer surface of the male lock piece 18 is pressed by the female pressing wall 38, it cannot be deformed outward, and the male holder 14 and the male connector
The locked state of 10 is reliably maintained. Therefore, the male connector 10 moves forward together with the male holder 14.

When the male connector 10 moves forward, the female connector 12 is strongly pushed by the male connector 10. However, as shown in FIG.
Since the inner surface of the inward projection 28 is pressed by the male holding wall 40 (both sides of the retaining piece 44), it cannot be deformed inward, and the locked state between the female connector 12 and the female holder 16 is ensured. Is kept. Therefore, the female connector 12 does not retreat in the female holder 16. In this way, the fitting between the male connector 10 and the female connector 12 proceeds reliably. In the process of fitting the male connector 10 and the female connector 12, the fitting lock piece 32 of the male connector 10 is deformed outward by the female connector 12.

When the fitting of the male connector 10 and the female connector 12 is completed, as shown in FIG. 4A, the inward projection 34 at the tip of the fitting lock piece 32 falls into the concave portion 36 of the female connector 12 and fits. The matching state is maintained.

Immediately after the engagement lock is applied, as shown in FIG. 5B, the pressing of the male locking piece 18 by the female pressing wall 38 is released, and the male locking piece 18 can be deformed outward. Becomes At this stage, since the female connector 12 and the female holder 16 are still locked by the female locking piece 40 as shown in FIG. Connector 10 cannot advance. As a result, the male lock piece 18 is deformed outward by the pushing force, as shown in FIG.

When the male locking piece 18 is deformed outward and the inward projection 20 at the tip of the locking piece 18 escapes from the hole 22, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the lock between the male holder 14 and the male connector 10 is released, and the male holder 14 advances independently while leaving the male connector 10 at the fitting position.

Only the male side holder 14 moves forward, and FIG.
As shown in FIG.
However, when it comes to the position of the concave portion 42 of the male side holder 14, the front end face of the male side holder 14 (the wall having the male side lock piece 18 and the male side holding wall 40 are formed so as to protrude from this front end side. ) Abuts against the back wall 52 (see FIG. 1) of the female connector 12 (the wall having the male lock piece 18 and the male holding wall 40 are the back wall 52).
Through the hole). As a result, the male holder 14 pushes the female connector 12 in the P direction.

When the female connector 12 is pressed strongly by the male holder 14, the female holder 14 remains fixed at a fixed position, so that the outward projection 26 of the female locking piece 24 and the hole 30
8A, a strong force is applied to the engaging portion, and as a result, as shown in FIG. The lock between the connector 12 and the female holder 16 is released. For this reason, the male holder 14 holds the male connector 10 and the female connector 12 in the fitted state.
Go further with the embracing.

When the male holder 14 advances to the end,
As shown in FIG. 9, the female holder 16 does not hold anything. That is, the male connector 10 and the female connector 12 in the fitted state are cut off from the female side holder 16 and
The state is held only at 14. Therefore male connector 10
And the terminal connection portion of the female connector 12 is not loaded by the displacement of the vibration mode of the male holder 14 and the female holder 16, and a highly reliable connection state can be obtained. In this state, the protrusion of the retaining piece 44 of the male holder 14 is
Since 46 engages with the rear end edge of the outer peripheral wall of the female connector 12, there is no possibility that the male connector 10 and the female connector 12 in the fitted state come off from the male holder 14.

In order to release the mating between the male connector 10 and the female connector 12, the reverse operation may be performed.

In the above embodiment, the case where the first connector is a male connector and the second connector is a female connector has been described. On the contrary, the first connector is a female connector and the second connector is a second connector. The connector may be a male connector.

[0027]

As described above, in the connector device of the present invention, in the step of fitting the first connector and the second connector, the first holder is locked with the first connector and the second holder is locked. The lock of the second connector is securely held. Also, when the mating of the first connector and the second connector is completed, after the mating lock of both connectors is engaged,
The first holder and the first connector are unlocked,
As the pushing of the first holder proceeds, the lock between the second holder and the second connector is released, and the second connector is cut off from the second holder.
Therefore, according to the present invention, the fitting of the connector and the beveling of the fitted connector from one holder can be reliably performed. For this reason, even if the members to which the first holder is attached and the members to which the second holder is attached have variations in the dimensions in the connector fitting direction, the variations can be absorbed and a proper connection state can be reliably obtained. In addition, since a load due to a shift in the vibration mode is not applied to the terminal connection portions of both connectors, a highly reliable connection state can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view and FIG. 1B is a horizontal sectional view showing an embodiment of a connector device according to the present invention before fitting.

2 (A) is a vertical sectional view and FIG. 2 (B) is a horizontal sectional view showing a state when the male holder is started to be fitted into the female holder from the state of FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a stage in which the fitting has progressed from the state of FIG. 2 and the fitting of both connectors has progressed, (A) is a vertical sectional view,
(B) is a horizontal sectional view.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a stage in which the fitting is further advanced from the state of FIG. 3 and the fitting of both connectors is completed.
(B) is a horizontal sectional view.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the fitting is further advanced from the state of FIG. 4 and the pressing of the male locking piece by the female pressing wall is released.
(A) is a vertical sectional view, (B) is a horizontal sectional view.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which the fitting is further advanced from the state of FIG. 5 and the male side holder and the male connector are unlocked.
(A) is a vertical sectional view, (B) is a horizontal sectional view.

7A and 7B show a state in which the fitting is further advanced from the state of FIG. 6 and the front end surface of the male holder abuts against the back wall of the female connector. FIG. 7A is a vertical sectional view, and FIG. FIG.

FIG. 8 shows a state in which the fitting is further advanced from the state of FIG. 7 and the lock between the female side holder and the female connector is released.
(A) is a vertical sectional view, (B) is a horizontal sectional view.

9A and 9B are a vertical sectional view and a horizontal sectional view, respectively, showing a state in which the male-side holder is pushed in to the final position, and both connectors in the fitted state are cut off from the female-side holder.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10: Male connector 12: Female connector 14: Male side holder 16: Female side holder 18: Male side lock piece 24: Female side lock piece 28: Inward projection 32: Mating lock piece 36: Recess 38: Female side holding wall 40: Male side holding wall 42: Recess 48: Back wall

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Atsushi Fujisaki 2-6-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5E021 FA05 FA09 FB09 FB20 FC36 HC09

Claims (1)

[Claims] A first connector (10), a second connector (12) fitted with the first connector, a first holder (14) for holding the first connector, A second holder (16) for holding a second connector, wherein the first holder (14) is semi-locked so that the first connector (10) does not relatively move forward and backward. A second locking piece (24) that semi-locks so that it does not relatively move forward and backward in the second holder (16). ), The first connector (10) or the second connector (12)
Has a fitting lock piece (32) for holding the fitted state of both connectors when the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is completed, and the first holder (14) After the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is started, the fitting is completed, and the second holder is moved forward by a predetermined distance relative to the second holder. A first holding wall (40) for holding the lock piece (24) so that the lock is not released, and the second connector (12) starts fitting of the first connector and the second connector. A second pressing wall (38) for pressing the first lock piece (18) so that the lock is not released until the first lock piece (18) is completed. After the holding of the second lock piece by the holding wall is released, the second lock piece moves in the direction to release the lock. Recess (42) to allow escape
In the process of fitting the first connector (10) and the second connector (12), the first holding wall (40) is connected to the second lock piece (2).
4) is pressed so that the lock is not released, and the second holding wall (38) presses the first lock piece (18) so that the lock is not released. When the mating between the first connector and the second connector is completed,
The mating lock piece (32) holds the mated state of both connectors,
Next, the first holder (14) advances relative to the first connector (10), releasing the second holder (16) from holding the second connector (12), The first holder (14) is further advanced relative to the second holder so as to cut off the mating connectors (10, 12) from the second holder (16). A connector device.