JP2002190340A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance performance for detecting half-insertion of a terminal fitting. SOLUTION: A retainer 30 can be inserted from a side face of a female housing 20. The retainer 30 comprises a front stopper 31, disposed in the front of a cavity 21, and a plunger 37 provided on a back side of the front stopper 31 and sidewardly entering into a bending space 23 of a lance 22. When a female terminal fitting 10 is bound to a cavity 21 in the half inserted state, the plunger 37 of the retainer 30 butts against a side face of the lance 22 bent and distorted in the bending space 23, pushing in of the female terminal fitting 10 is regulated, and the half-insertion is detected. When the retainer 30 is regularly inserted, the protrusion 38 fits into the groove 14 to be locked and directly locks, the plunger 37 regulates the bend and distortion of the lance 22 and locks indirectly, locking of a jaw 15 by the lance 22 is added, and the female terminal fitting 10 is locked triply and strongly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector provided with a retainer which functions to detect half-insertion of a terminal fitting and lock it in a retaining shape.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an example of this kind of connector, a connector described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-326066 is known. This type is referred to as a front retainer type, and a retainer having a protrusion that can protrude into the bending space of the lance is mounted from the front side of the cavity. In other words, if the terminal fittings are kept in a half-inserted state in the cavity, the lance is still bent and deformed in the bending space. As a result, half-insertion is detected, but when the terminal fitting is inserted into the correct position, the lance is deformed and locked to the terminal fitting. Is inserted into the bending space, and the bending deformation of the lance is regulated, so that the terminal fitting is double-locked in a retaining state.

[0003]

However, in the prior art, when the lance of the retainer abuts against the lance which is bent and deformed into the bending space when the terminal fitting is in a half-inserted state, the lance is inserted from the front. However, there is a risk that the lance may be rushed in while shaving the lance, that is, there is a problem in that the detection of half-insertion lacks reliability. The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to further enhance the half-insertion detection power.

[0004]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector housing provided with a cavity in which a terminal fitting can be inserted.
In a connector in which a lance for locking and retaining the terminal fitting in a side wall of the cavity is provided so as to be able to bend and deform, a retainer insertion hole communicating with a bending space of the lance is provided on a side surface of the connector housing. The retainer is formed in a direction intersecting with the insertion direction of the terminal fitting, and has a feature in which a retainer having a protrusion portion that protrudes into the bending space of the lance can be inserted into the retainer insertion hole.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a terminal insertion opening through which a tab of a male terminal is inserted is formed in a front surface of the cavity, and the terminal is inserted into the cavity. Is provided, and the front stop plate is characterized by being formed integrally with the retainer. The invention of claim 3 is
3. The retainer according to claim 1, wherein the retainer has a temporary locking position in which the protrusion is retracted to a side of a bending space of the lance so as to allow the terminal fitting to be inserted into and removed from the cavity. 4. The present invention is characterized in that the projecting portion can be held at the final locking position where the projecting portion has entered the bending space.

[0006]

<Operation and effect of the present invention><Invention of claim 1> When the insertion operation of the terminal fitting is completed, the retainer is pushed in from the side surface of the cavity. Since the bending portion is still deformed in the bending space, the insertion portion is limited by the projection portion abutting against the side surface of the deformed lance, whereby the half insertion is detected. The lance part of the retainer is designed to enter from the side of the lance, and it is possible to widen the area where the lance part abuts from the side. Power can be increased.

<Invention of claim 2> When the lance is formed in the mold, the lance is restrained to a considerable extent by the opening area of the terminal insertion port provided in the front stop plate of the cavity due to the punching die and the like.
There are restrictions on the size of the lance. In this regard, in the present invention,
Since the front stop plate is covered by the retainer side, the front surface of the cavity can be formed to have a wide open shape at the time of molding, and the degree of freedom in design such as the size of the lance can be increased. <Invention of claim 3> Since the terminal fitting can be inserted into and removed from the cavity while the retainer is attached to the temporary locking position,
Easy to work.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, a female connector is illustrated, and roughly divided, as shown in FIG. 11, a female connector housing 20 (hereinafter referred to as a female housing) and an illustration accommodated in the female housing 20. It has ten female terminal fittings 10 and a retainer 30 having a function of detecting half-insertion of these female terminal fittings 10 and locking them in a retaining state.

As shown in FIG. 11, the female terminal fitting 10 has a rectangular tube-shaped connecting portion 11 in which a contact piece of the mating male terminal fitting with a tab is housed. The barrel 12 provided is fixed to the end of the electric wire W by caulking. On one surface of the connecting portion 11, a retainer 30 described later is provided.
The locking groove 14 into which the projection 38 can be fitted is formed to be open on the side surface, and the lance 22 can be locked to the jaw portion 15 on the rear edge of the locking groove 14.

The female housing 20 is made of synthetic resin,
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cavity 21 is formed in a block shape as a whole, and has therein five cavities 21 facing the front-rear direction for accommodating the above-mentioned female terminal fittings 10, each of which is arranged in a horizontal direction, and is vertically arranged. It is formed in two stages. The cavities 21 are formed symmetrically in a back-to-back relationship with the upper and lower cavities.
In FIG. 1, a lance 22 is provided on the bottom surface so as to be able to bend and deform toward an upper or lower bending space 23, respectively.
Therefore, the female terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the cavity 21 from the rear (the right side in FIG. 11) while bending and deforming the lance 22, and when the female terminal fitting 10 is inserted to the regular position, the lance 22 is deformed by restoring and locked to the jaw portion 15. It is supposed to. A lock arm 25 is provided on the upper surface of the female housing 20 to lock the mated connector housing (not shown) with the mating male connector housing.

Next, the structure of the retainer 30 and its mounting portion will be described. The retainer 30 is integrally formed of a synthetic resin material into the shape shown in FIGS.
The retainer 30 includes a front stop plate 31 that can be mounted so as to cover a front surface of a portion of the female housing 20 where the cavity 21 is formed. The front stop plate 31 functions to stop the female terminal fittings 10 inserted into the cavities 21 in front, while the terminal insertion openings 32 into which the tabs of the male terminal fittings can be inserted correspond to the cavities 21. An opening is provided for each position. From the upper and lower edges on the back surface of the front stop plate 31, an upper surface plate 33 and a lower surface plate 34, which constitute the front end of the ceiling surface of the upper cavity 21 and the front end of the bottom surface of the lower cavity 21, respectively. It is protruding. A lid plate 35 is formed at one end of the upper plate 33 and the lower plate 34.

Five elongated projections 37 are formed at the positions corresponding to the positions where the terminal insertion openings 32 are formed from the top edges of the upper surface plate 33 and the lower surface plate 34, respectively. Each of the protrusions 37 can enter the bending space 23 of the lance 22 from the side. Also, on the inner surface side of the upper surface plate 33 and the lower surface plate 34, five projections 38 are formed at a position corresponding to the formation position of the terminal insertion opening 32 at the center in the depth direction. Each of the projections 38 is provided in the locked groove 14 of the female terminal fitting 10 described above.
Can be approached from the side.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, from one side (left side as viewed from the front) of the female housing 20, a retainer insertion hole 4 into which the retainer 30 is inserted is provided.
0 is formed through the opposite side surface. As a whole, it is formed in a cross-sectional channel shape through which the front stop plate 31, the upper surface plate 33, and the lower surface plate 34 can be inserted. Also,
Upper and lower first insertion grooves 41 are formed to penetrate the bending spaces 23 of the upper and lower lances 22 so that the protrusions 37 can be inserted therein.
The projections 38 are passed through predetermined positions on the ceiling surface 1 and the bottom surface of the lower cavity 21, that is, the positions corresponding to the locked grooves 14 when the female terminal fitting 10 is properly inserted. A second insertion groove 42 that allows insertion is formed. In addition, a concave portion 43 is formed on the side surface on the entrance side of the retainer insertion hole 40 so that the cover plate 35 of the retainer 30 is fitted flush.

On the outer surface of each of the upper plate 33 and the lower plate 34 of the retainer 30, a rib 50 extending in the left-right direction is formed over the entire width at a position closer to the front edge side. On the other hand, on the ceiling surface and the bottom surface of the retainer insertion hole 40,
A guide groove 51 is formed in the left and right direction through which the ribs 50 can be inserted. At a position near the rear end in the insertion direction on the outer surface of the upper plate 33 of the retainer 30 (a position near the left end in FIG. 5), a temporary locking ridge 52 and a main locking ridge 53 on the left side thereof have ribs 50. Is formed to protrude over the entire depth except for the formation part of. On the other hand, on the ceiling surface of the retainer insertion hole 40, as shown in FIG. 1, a lock groove 54 is formed in which the above-mentioned temporary locking ridge 52 and the final locking ridge 53 can be fitted. Note that, on both sides of the lock groove 54, the temporary locking ridges 5 are provided.
An escape groove 55 is formed in which the second engagement protrusion 53 is fitted and released.

When the retainer 30 is inserted into the retainer insertion hole 40, first, as shown in FIG. 8, the temporary locking projection 52 is fitted and held in the lock groove 54, and this is the temporary locking position of the retainer 30. When the retainer 30 is further pushed in, the locking ridge 53 is locked by the lock groove 54 as shown in FIG.
And this is the final locking position. When the retainer 30 is in the temporary locking position, the cover plate 35 projects from the side surface of the female housing 20, and as shown in FIG.
Are retracted to the near side (left side in the figure) in the width direction, and each projection 38 is also retracted to the front in the width direction of the corresponding cavity 21. On the other hand, when in the final locking position, the cover plate 35 is flush with the concave portion 43 on the side surface of the female housing 20, and as shown in FIG. , And each projection 38 also enters the corresponding cavity 21.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. First, the retainer 30 is inserted into the retainer insertion hole 40, and assembled at the temporary locking position as shown in FIGS. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the respective projecting portions 37 of the retainer 30 retreat to the near side in the width direction of the bending space 23 of the corresponding lance 22, and each projection 38 corresponds to the width of the corresponding cavity 21. It is retracted to the near side in the direction. The front stop plate 31 of the retainer 30 closes the front surface of the cavity 21 in a state where the axis of the terminal insertion port 32 is shifted.

In this state, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 11, the female terminal fittings 10 are inserted into the corresponding cavities 21 in a back-to-back posture. Female terminal fitting 10
Is pushed in without bending the lance 22 toward the bending space 23 and without being hindered by the projection 38 of the retainer 30. When inserted to the proper position, the lance 22
Is restored and deformed and is hooked on the jaw portion 15 to be temporarily locked in a retaining state (see FIG. 14).

All female terminal fittings 10 are
When the retainer 30 is inserted into the housing 1, the retainer 30 is pushed toward the final locking position as shown in FIG. When the retainer 30 is pushed into the final locking position, the protrusion 38 of the retainer 30 enters into the cavity 21 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, and is laterally inserted into the locked groove 14 of the female terminal fitting 10. Fits from. Also, the protrusion 37 of the retainer 30 protrudes into the bending space 23 of the lance 22 from the side, and the bending deformation of the lance 22 is restricted, so that the female terminal fitting 10 is prevented from being pulled out while bending the lance 22. Is done. In other words, the female terminal fitting 10 is locked in a double or triple manner by the retainer 30 in addition to the lance 22 in a retaining state. In addition, the terminal insertion holes 32 of the front stop plate 31 are concentrically aligned on the front surface of each cavity 21.

On the other hand, the female terminal fitting 10 is
When it is inserted into the device, there may be a case where it is not inserted to the normal position and remains in a half-inserted state. At that time, as shown in FIG. 15, the lance 22 is in a state of being bent and deformed into the bending space 23, and when the retainer 30 is pushed from the temporary locking position to the full locking position, the retainer 30 enters The portion 37 hits the side surface of the lance 22 that is bent and deformed into the bending space 23, and when the insertion depth is deep as in the upper row, the protrusion 38 hits the side surface of the connecting portion 11 of the female terminal fitting 10, and the pushing is restricted. Is done. Thereby, it is detected that there is the female terminal fitting 10 held in the half-inserted state.
In particular, when it is more difficult to perform visual detection at the half-insertion position close to the normal position, the detection is performed at two places, so that the detection can be performed more reliably.
In addition, even if it is on one side of the lance 22, the entry portion 37
Is applied to a large area of the side surface of the lance 22, so that the rush can be more reliably restricted.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
The fact that the female terminal fitting 10 is fixed in the half-inserted state is confirmed by the use of the retainer 3 which is bent into the bending space 23 by the lance 22.
When the detection is performed by abutting the zero intruding portion 37, the intruding portion 37 enters from the side of the lance 22. Compared with the case of intruding from the front, the intruding portion 3
Since it is possible to widen the area where 7 comes into contact,
Intrusion can be more reliably limited, and the detection power of half insertion can be increased.

In the case where the lance 22 is formed in a mold, the size of the lance 22 is restricted by the opening area of the terminal insertion port 32 provided in the front stop plate 31 of the cavity 21 due to the punching die and the like. Subject to restrictions. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the front stop plate 31 is covered by the retainer 30 side, so that the front surface of the cavity 21 can be formed to have a wide open shape at the time of molding, and the design flexibility such as the size of the lance 22 can be increased. Can be. Further, since the retainer 30 can be carried into the terminal insertion site with the retainer 30 assembled at the temporary locking position, and subsequently, the operation of inserting the female terminal fitting 10 into the cavity 21 can be performed. Will also be excellent.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the above embodiment, the surface locked by the lance and the surface locked by the protrusion of the retainer are set on the same plane.
If the cavities are arranged in one step, they may be set on the opposite surface. (2) The present invention is similarly applicable to a male connector that accommodates a male terminal fitting.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a female housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a left side view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a retainer.

FIG. 6 is a plan view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a right side view thereof.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a state in which the retainer is attached to a temporary locking position.

FIG. 9 is a left side view thereof.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view thereof.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the insertion operation of the female terminal fitting.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a state in which the retainer is mounted at the final locking position.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view thereof.

FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view when half-insertion of the female terminal fitting is detected.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Female terminal fitting (terminal fitting) 11 ... Connection part 14 ... Locked groove 15 ... Jaw part 20 ... Female housing (connector housing) 21 ... Cavity 22 ... Lance 23 ... Flexure space 30 ... Retainer 31 ... Front stop plate 32 ... Terminal Insertion Port 37 ... Protrusion 38 ... Protrusion 40 ... Retainer Insertion Hole 50 ... Rib 51 ... Guide Groove 52 ... Temporary Locking Protrusion 53 ... Full Locking Protrusion 54 ... Lock Groove

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A connector in which a cavity in which a terminal fitting can be inserted is provided in a connector housing, and a lance is provided on a side wall of the cavity so as to be able to bend and lock to the terminal fitting so as to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off. A retainer insertion hole communicating with the bending space of the lance is formed in a side surface of the connector housing in a direction intersecting with the insertion direction of the terminal fitting.
A connector characterized in that a retainer having a projecting portion projecting into a bending space of the lance is insertable. 2. The front face of the cavity is provided with a terminal insertion opening through which a tab of a male terminal fitting is inserted, and a front stop plate for stopping the terminal fitting inserted into the cavity in advance. The connector of claim 1 wherein a plate is formed integrally with said retainer. 3. The retainer has a provisionally locked position in which the projecting portion is retracted to the side of the bending space of the lance so as to allow the terminal fitting to be inserted into and removed from the cavity, and the projecting portion is formed in the bending space. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector can be held at a final locking position protruding from the connector.