JP2002270275A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To hold a retainer allowed to be mounted on a rear face of a hood part at a temporary locking state, for a connector equipped with a moving plate inside the hood. SOLUTION: A retainer 40 displacing between a temporary locking position allowing insertion of male terminal fitting 20 inside a hood part 11 and a proper locking position restraining loosening of the male terminal fitting 20 already inserted, is held at the temporary locking position by being temporarily locked to a moving plate 30 by locking of a temporary locking protrusion 34 (a temporary holding means) and a protrusion 43 (a temporary holding means). Therefore, there is no need of setting a means for temporarily locking the retainer 40 in the inner periphery of the hood part 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector having a moving plate and a retainer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a connector having a moving plate and a retainer, there is a connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-219235. This is to form a hood part projecting forward in the connector housing, make the tab of the male terminal fitting inserted into the connector housing protrude into the hood part, and insert the tab into the positioning hole of the moving plate movably provided in the hood part. The retainer is inserted into the connector housing, and the terminal fitting is prevented from being removed by the retainer.

[0003]

The above-mentioned conventional connector is of a so-called side retainer type in which a retainer is assembled from a side surface of a connector housing. There's a problem. Generally, in a connector provided with a retainer, the retainer is temporarily locked at a position allowing insertion and removal of the terminal fitting into and from the connector housing, and the connector in the temporarily locked state is shipped to a site where the terminal fitting is assembled. Then, at the assembly site, insert the terminal fitting into the connector housing,
Thereafter, assembly is performed in such a manner that the retainer is pushed into the final locking position to restrict the terminal fitting from coming off.

[0004] In this case, if the retainer at the temporary locking position protrudes from the outer surface of the connector housing, the retainer interferes with other members during transportation to the assembly site and is pushed into the full locking position. There is a possibility that it will end. In such a case, extra work is required to return the retainer from the final locking position to the temporary locking position at the assembly site. As a countermeasure, a retainer mounting hole may be formed in the connector housing so as to be opened in the inner surface of the hood portion, and the retainer may be inserted into the retainer mounting hole so as to be inserted from the front. If assembled from the front, even if the retainer protrudes from the back of the hood in the temporarily locked state, the protruding retainer is surrounded by the hood, so the protruding retainer There is no risk of being pushed into the final locking position by another member.

As means for holding the retainer in a temporarily locked state with respect to the connector housing, it is conceivable to provide locking means which can be locked to the inner periphery of the hood portion and the outer periphery of the retainer. However, since the moving plate exists on the inner periphery of the hood, it is difficult to provide a structure for temporarily locking the retainer on the inner periphery of the hood.
In particular, in the case of a waterproof type connector, it is more difficult to provide a temporary retaining means for the retainer since a seal ring is present on the inner periphery of the hood.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in a connector in which a moving plate is provided in a hood portion, a retainer which can be assembled to a back surface of the hood portion is held in a temporarily locked state. It is an object.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector housing having a hood portion, a male terminal fitting inserted into the connector housing to project a tab into the hood portion, and penetrating the tab. A positioning hole is formed in the hood portion, and a standby position in which the projection end of the tab is fitted to the positioning hole while being separated from the inner surface of the hood portion, and the hood portion approaches the inner surface of the hood portion. A moving plate that moves between a fitting position for fitting the base end of the tab into the positioning hole, a temporary locking position in the hood portion that allows the insertion of the male terminal fitting, and a temporary locking position. Displaced between a final locking position for restricting the inserted male terminal metal fitting from being inserted into the connector housing at a position on the back side of the hood portion than the position. A retainer that was configured to the retainer by temporarily holding the retainer in the moving plate and a temporary holding means capable of holding the partial locking position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the moving plate is provided with a window hole that opens to correspond to at least a part of the retainer. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, when the retainer is temporarily held by the moving plate, the window hole is closed by the retainer. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect, the window hole is formed so that the retainer can pass therethrough.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claims 1 to 4.
In any one of the inventions described above, when the retainer is in the temporary locking position, the distal end portion of the retainer is inserted into the connector housing.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the retainer is temporarily held on the moving plate so as to be held at the temporarily locked position, so that the retainer is temporarily locked on the inner periphery of the hood portion. It is not necessary to provide the means.

[Invention of Claim 2] By inserting a jig or a finger into the window hole, the retainer can be moved from the temporary locking position to the full locking position without moving the moving plate. [Invention of Claim 3] In a state where the retainer is temporarily held by the moving plate, the window hole is closed by the retainer, so that foreign matter is prevented from entering through the window hole. [Invention of Claim 4] Even after the moving plate is assembled to the hood, the operation of moving the retainer from the near side to the far side of the moving plate, that is, assembling the retainer from the near side to the moving plate, An operation of moving the retainer toward the final locking position on the back side of the moving plate can be performed.

[Invention of Claim 5] The front end portion of the retainer held at the temporary locking position has already entered the connector housing, so that the retainer is moved to the full locking position. The operation of entering the connector housing toward the connector housing proceeds reliably.

[0013]

[First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The connector M of the present embodiment is a connector housing 1
0, a male terminal fitting 20, a moving plate 30, and a retainer 40. In the following description, the left side of FIG. 1 is the front side in the front-rear direction, and FIG.

The connector housing 10 is made of a synthetic resin.
Are formed. A plurality of cavities 12 are formed inside the connector housing 10. The cavities 12 are located substantially at the center in the height direction, are divided into upper and lower tiers, and are horizontally arranged in a plurality of chambers at each tier. The double locking structure of the lance 13 and the retainer 40 restricts the detachment.

The upper cavity 12 and the lower cavity 12 are vertically symmetrical, and a resin lance 13 extending forward in a cantilever manner is formed at the front end thereof. The upper resin lance 13 is formed along the lower surface of the cavity 12, and the lower resin lance 13 is formed along the upper surface of the cavity 12.
Between them, a bending space 17A for allowing the resin lance 13 to be elastically bent is formed in a form opened to the front end face of the connector housing 10. In the process of inserting the male terminal fitting 20 into the cavity 12 from behind, the resin lance 1
3 elastically bends toward the bending space 17A due to the interference with the male terminal fitting 20, and when the male terminal fitting 20 is properly inserted, the interference is released and the resin lance 13 elastically returned to the free state is attached to the male terminal fitting 20. On the other hand, it is locked in the removal restriction state. The inserted male terminal fitting 20 is configured such that the tab 21 at the front end of the male terminal fitting 20 projects from the front end face of the connector housing 10 (the back face of the hood section 11) into the hood section 11.

The bending space 17A communicates with the adjacent cavities 12 and has a slit shape elongated in the left-right direction as a whole. When the resin lance 13 is in a free state in which the resin lance 13 is not elastically deformed, the disengagement restriction function portion 41 of the retainer 40 is provided in the bending space 17A.
Are fitted without play in the vertical direction. The bending space 1 is provided on both left and right sides of the bending space 17A.
A pair of left and right guide holes 17B is formed to communicate with the connector 7A and open at the front end surface of the connector housing 10. The guide portion 42 of the retainer 40 can be fitted into the guide hole 17B without play in the vertical and horizontal directions. As described above, the bending space 17 </ b> A and the pair of guide holes 17 </ b> B constitute the retainer mounting hole 17 which is open on the inner surface of the hood 11 in the connector housing 10.

Next, the moving plate 30 will be described. The moving plate 30 is made of a synthetic resin, and has a male terminal fitting 20 protruding into the hood 11 from a front end surface (a back surface of the hood 11) of the connector housing 10.
A plate-shaped plate body 31 parallel to and having the same shape as the front end face of the connector housing 10, and a tab 21 protruding forward from the outer periphery of the plate body 31. It is formed integrally with a guide tube portion 32 which can slide on the inner periphery. A positioning hole 33 is formed in the plate body 31 for allowing the tab 21 of the male terminal fitting 20 inserted into the upper and lower cavities 12 to pass therethrough.

Retainer 40 in plate body 31
On the surface facing the (retainer mounting hole 17), a window hole 36 which is substantially aligned with the bending space 17A and the guide hole 17B of the connector housing 10 is formed so as to penetrate between the front and rear surfaces of the plate body 31. In addition, this window hole 36
Is set to a shape and dimensions necessary for penetrating the retainer 40. The window holes 36 are arranged between the rows of the positioning holes 33 for penetrating the tabs 21 of the male terminal fittings 20 inserted into the upper and lower two-stage cavities 12. A relief portion 37 is formed which communicates with each positioning hole 33 individually. The support portion 45 of the retainer 40 penetrates these relief portions 37. The window 36 has a shape and a size to be closed by the retainer 40 as described later.

The guide tube 32 of the moving plate 30
, A seal member 38 is provided integrally. The seal member 38 is provided at the rear end of the guide cylinder 32 (the plate body 3).
1) outer peripheral side sealing portion 38A along the outer periphery
And an inner peripheral side seal portion 38B along the inner periphery in front of the outer peripheral side seal portion 38A. The two seal portions 38A and 38B are provided with a plurality of connection holes 39 provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. Are connected to each other.

Further, cam pin receivers 32A are formed on both upper and lower sides of the guide cylinder portion 32. Further, a lever 50 is supported by the connector housing 10 so as to be rotatable about a rotary shaft 32B. When the lever 50 is in the initial position (see FIGS. 1 and 2), the cam pin receiver 32A is fitted into the entrance of the cam groove 51, and the rear end of the cam pin receiver 32A contacts the inner surface of the cam groove 51. Accordingly, the moving plate 30 is restricted from moving backward, and is held at the standby position. In this standby position, the positioning hole 33 is fitted to the end of the tab 21 protruding into the hood 11. In the process of fitting with the female connector F, the cam pins Fa of the female connector F are fitted and integrated with the cam pin receiver 32A.
Is rotated, the cam pin Fa and the cam pin receiver 32A are engaged with the cam groove 51 in an integrated state,
It is drawn backward (in the direction approaching the inner surface of the hood 11). In other words, the female action of the female connector F approaches the connector housing 10 integrally with the moving plate 30 by the cam action of the lever 50, and reaches the fitted state. When the connectors M and F are fitted, the moving plate 30 reaches the fitting position (see FIG. 3), and the positioning hole 33 is fitted to the base end of the tab 21. Thus, the moving plate 30 moves between the standby position and the fitting position.

The retainer 40 is made of a synthetic resin, and has a horizontal plate-shaped detachment restricting function portion 41 which is long in the left-right direction. The surface is formed by integrally molding a pair of guide portions 42 having a plate shape oriented substantially perpendicularly. The front end face of the retainer 40 is substantially flush with both the disengagement restriction function part 41 and the guide part 42, but the rear end part of the guide part 42 is further rearward than the rear end of the disengagement restriction function part 41 ( It protrudes in the mounting direction with respect to the connector housing 10).

Here, means for holding the retainer 40 in the temporary locking position and the full locking position will be described. A pair of front and rear projections 43 (temporary holding means, which is a component of the present invention) are formed on the outer surface of the front end of the guide portion 42 of the retainer 40. The moving plate 30
At the left and right ends of the opening edge of the window hole 36, the temporary locking projections 3 fitted to the pair of front and rear projections 43 of the retainer 40 are provided.
4 (temporary holding means, which is a component of the present invention). A pair of protrusions 43 are formed on the temporary locking protrusions 34.
The temporary locking projections 4 are provided from both sides in the front-rear direction (the direction of movement of the retainer 40 between the temporary locking position and the full locking position).
3, so that the retainer 40 is temporarily held by the moving plate 30 (see FIG. 11). The retainer 40 temporarily held by the moving plate 30 is in a state of being held at the temporarily locked position with respect to the connector housing 10 when the moving plate 30 is at the standby position. Retainer 40
Is in the temporary locking position, the detachment restricting function portion 41 does not enter the bending space 17A, and therefore, elastic bending of the resin lance 13 into the bending space 17A is allowed. Male terminal fitting 20
Can be inserted and removed.

When the retainer 40 is temporarily held in the window hole 36 of the moving plate 30, the front end face of the retainer 40 and the front surface of the plate body 31 of the moving plate 30 are flush with each other, and the window hole 3
6 is closed almost entirely by the front end face of the retainer 40. Further, on the inner surface of the guide hole 17 </ b> B of the connector housing 10, a projection 18 for final locking is provided.
Are formed. The pair of projections 43 of the retainer 40 are engaged with the main locking projection 18 so as to sandwich the main locking projection 18 from both sides in the front-rear direction (the direction in which the retainer 40 is attached to and detached from the connector housing 10). The retainer holds the retainer 40 at the final locking position with respect to the connector housing 10. In a state where the retainer 40 is in the final locking position, the detachment restricting function portion 41 is fitted into the bending space 17A without play, so that the resin lance 13 moves toward the bending space 17A (in a direction in which the resin lance 13 is separated from the male terminal fitting 20). Of the male terminal fitting 20 is thereby restricted.

Further, a rear end portion of the guide portion 42 (a front end portion in the mounting direction with respect to the retainer mounting hole 17 and a rear end portion of the retainer which is a constituent element of the present invention) has a rear end side. A leading portion 44 having a tapered shape is formed such that the upper and lower widths gradually become smaller. In a state where the moving plate 30 is in the standby position and the retainer 40 is temporarily held on the moving plate 30, that is, in a state where the retainer 40 is in the temporarily locked position with respect to the connector housing 10, the leading portion 44 is It is designed to enter the inside of the connector housing 10, that is, into the guide hole 17B.

Further, at the front end of the position corresponding to each cavity 12 (each resin lance 13) in the removal restricting function portion 41, a support portion 4 protruding upward and downward, respectively.
5 are formed. This support portion 45 is provided on the retainer 40.
Is assembled in the final locking position, and the cavity 12 is
The male terminal fitting 20 abuts against the front end of the male terminal fitting 20 from the side of the bending space 17A, thereby restricting the front end of the male terminal fitting 20 from tilting toward the bending space 17A, and thereby stabilizes the male terminal fitting 20. Is kept. The support portion 45 also functions as a stopper that restricts excessive pushing of the retainer 40 by abutting on the front end of the resin lance 13 when the retainer 40 is assembled at the final locking position.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When assembling the connector M of the present embodiment, first, the retainer 40 is temporarily held in the window hole 36 of the moving plate 30, and the moving plate 30 is attached to the hood 1 from the front.
1, and is held at a standby position away from the front end surface of the connector housing 10 (the back surface of the hood portion 12) as shown in FIGS. In this state, the retainer 40 is held at the temporary locking position with respect to the connector housing 10, and the leading portion 4 of the retainer 40 is
4 has entered into the guide hole 17B opened in the back surface of the hood part 12. The front end face of the retainer 40 is positioned so as to be substantially flush with the front end face of the plate main body 31 of the moving plate 30, and the window hole 36 is closed by the retainer 40.

From this state, the male terminal fittings 20 are inserted into the cavities 12 so as to be in a primary locking state by the resin lance 13, and the leading end of the tab 21 projecting from the front end face of the connector housing 10 is positioned on the moving plate 30. Fit into the hole 33 (see FIG. 1). Thereby, each tab 21 is positioned in a state where play in the up, down, left, and right directions is regulated, and prepares for fitting with each female terminal fitting (not shown) of the female connector F.

When all the male terminal fittings 20 are fitted, the retainer 40 at the temporary locking position is pushed into the full locking position while the moving plate 30 is kept at the standby position (FIGS. 2 and 12). See). At this time, the front end face of the retainer 40 which is exposed in the window hole 36 of the moving plate 30 so as to be visible and substantially flush may be pressed with a finger. When the retainer 40 is pushed into the final locking position,
The detachment restricting function part 41 is fitted in the bending space 17A to restrict the elastic bending of the resin lance 13. As a result, the male terminal fitting 20 is in the secondary locking state, and the male terminal fitting 20 is held in the double locked state by the primary locking by the resin lance 13 and the secondary locking by the retainer 40. Is reliably controlled.

After the assembly of the connector M is completed, the female connector F may be fitted into the hood 11 by rotating the lever 50. In the process of fitting the female connector F, the female connector F and the moving plate 30
Move together, and each tab 21 positioned by the positioning hole 33 of the moving plate 30.
Is securely fitted and connected to each female terminal fitting of the female connector F. In a state in which the female connector F is fitted, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer peripheral side seal portion 38A of the moving plate 30 is brought into close contact with the inner periphery of the hood portion 11 so that the hood portion 11 is closed.
And the moving plate 30 are sealed in a watertight state, and the inner peripheral side seal portion 38B of the moving plate 30 is in close contact with the outer periphery of the female connector F, so that the space between the moving plate 30 and the female connector F is watertight. The hood portion 1 is sealed by the sealing member 38.
1 and the female connector F are sealed. In addition, due to the sealing action of the seal member 38, the retainer mounting hole 17 that is open in a region inside the seal member 38 on the front end surface of the connector housing 10 also becomes waterproof.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the retainer 40 is temporarily held on the moving plate 30 so as to be held at the temporarily locked position with respect to the connector housing 10. Need not be provided with a means for temporarily locking the retainer 40. In addition, since the moving plate 30 is formed with a window hole 36 that opens to correspond to the retainer 40, a jig or a finger is inserted into the window hole 36 to move the retaining plate 40 without moving the moving plate 30. Can be moved from the temporary locking position to the final locking position.

When the retainer 40 is temporarily held on the moving plate 30, the window hole 36 is closed by the retainer 40.
There is no danger of foreign matter entering the moving plate 30 from behind. Further, since the window hole 36 is formed so that the retainer 40 can pass through, the work of moving the retainer 40 from the near side to the far side of the moving plate 30 even after the moving plate 30 is assembled to the hood portion 11. That is, it is possible to perform an operation of attaching the retainer 40 to the moving plate 30 from the near side, and moving the assembled retainer 40 toward the final locking position on the back side of the moving plate 30. .

In the state where the retainer 40 is temporarily held by the moving plate 30 and is in the temporarily locked position,
Since the leading portion 44 (the distal end portion) of the retainer 40 is inserted into the connector housing 10, the leading portion 44 is inserted into the connector housing 10 when the retainer 40 is moved toward the final locking position. 44 is a guide hole 17B
Work will be performed reliably.
In addition, by forming the window hole 36 in the moving plate 30, the retainer 40 can be assembled from the front. Means no. Further, the retainer mounting holes 17
Are disposed on the inner surface of the hood 11 in the connector housing 10, that is, on the inner surface of the hood 11. Therefore, the inner circumference of the hood portion 11 and the female connector F
Only by providing the seal member 38 between the outer periphery of the female connector F and the female connector F, it is possible to waterproof the fitting portion.
Water entry into the retainer mounting hole 17 is also prevented.

[Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the above embodiment, the retainer is held at the temporary locking position while the moving plate is at the standby position. However, according to the present invention, the retainer is temporarily moved while the moving plate is at the fitting position. The locking position may be set.

(2) In the above embodiment, the window hole is closed by the retainer while the retainer is temporarily held by the moving plate. However, according to the present invention, the retainer is temporarily held by the retainer moving plate. The gap between the window hole and the retainer may be formed in a state where the window hole and the retainer are open. (3) In the above embodiment, the rear end of the retainer is fitted into the inside of the connector housing from the rear surface of the hood while the retainer is held at the temporary locking position. Alternatively, an interval may be provided between the retainer and the inner surface of the hood portion while being held at the temporary locking position.

(4) In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a waterproof connector is described. However, the present invention can be applied to a non-waterproof connector. (5) In the above embodiment, the seal ring is provided around the inner and outer peripheries of the moving plate as a waterproof means between the hood and the mating connector. The seal member may be directly adhered to the outer periphery of the mating connector. (6) In the above embodiment, the moving plate is provided with the window hole through which the retainer can pass, and the retainer is locked on the inner periphery of the window hole. Alternatively, the size of the retainer may be small enough to allow a jig or finger to move the retainer from the temporary locking position to the full locking position.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a horizontal sectional view showing a state where a retainer is temporarily locked and a terminal fitting is inserted.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view showing a state where a retainer is fully locked.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view showing a state where a mating connector is fitted.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a moving plate.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a retainer.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a retainer.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a retainer.

FIG. 8 is a front view.

9 is a partially enlarged front view of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 8, showing a state in which the retainer is held at a temporary locking position.

FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 8, showing a state in which the retainer is assembled at a final locking position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 M connector 10 connector housing 11 hood 20 male terminal 21 tab 30 moving plate 33 positioning hole 34 temporary locking projection (temporary holding means) 36 window hole 40 retainer 43 projection (Temporary holding means) 44... Leader (front end of retainer)

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kouki Takatsuki 1-114, Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie F-term (reference) in Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. 5E087 EE02 EE14 GG15 GG24 GG31 GG32 HH02 LL02 LL12 RR36

Claims (5)

[Claims] A connector housing having a hood portion; a male terminal fitting inserted into the connector housing to project a tab into the hood portion; and a positioning hole for penetrating the tab is formed. A stand-by position spaced apart from the inner surface of the hood portion and a protruding end of the tab fitted into the positioning hole, and a base end portion of the tab fitted into the positioning hole approaching the inner surface of the hood portion. A moving plate that moves between a mating position to be mated, a temporary locking position in the hood portion that allows the insertion of the male terminal fitting, and a back side of the hood portion that is closer than the temporary locking position. A retainer that is displaced between a full locking position for restricting the inserted male terminal fitting by being inserted into the connector housing by being inserted into the connector housing; and Connector, characterized in that the retainer by temporarily holding the retainer in the rate and a temporary holding means capable of holding the partial locking position. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a window hole is formed in the moving plate so as to correspond to at least a part of the retainer. 3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the window hole is closed by the retainer when the retainer is temporarily held by the moving plate. 4. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the window hole is formed so that the retainer can pass therethrough. 5. A structure in which, when the retainer is at a temporary locking position, a distal end portion of the retainer is inserted into the connector housing.
The connector according to claim 4.