JP2003264037A - Self locating connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a self locating connector in which an allowance value of a shaft core drift in fitting between a car body side connector and a module install side connector is large and which has a high connecting workability and connecting reliability of the connector. <P>SOLUTION: A slope 225 to increase the allowance value of the shaft core drift in fitting to a second connector 10, and a locating pin 221 having a parallel face 223 having a prescribed dimension in a shaft direction leading to the slope are installed at a first connector 20 side, and an auxiliary locating pin 101 having a slope 105 to slide and abut on the slope 225 of the locating pin 211 and a parallel face 110 are installed at the second connector, and furthermore a lever 24 to facilitate the fitting to the second connector 10 is installed at the first connector 20 side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connection structure of a connector used for electrical connection of electric equipment, and more particularly to a self-locating connector mounted on a module instrument installed in an automobile or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a self-locating device for connecting an instrument harness such as a meter, an audio, an air conditioner of an automobile or an electric device housed under the instrument panel to a body harness arranged on a vehicle body. As the connector, for example, there is one as disclosed in JP-A-6-325823.

5 to 7 are shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-325823.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional male connector, which is mounted, for example, on the vehicle body side of an automobile, in which a male terminal is inserted into the bottom of a lunch box-shaped housing body 510.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional female connector, which is mounted on, for example, the instrument side of an automobile, in which a female terminal is inserted into a rectangular parallelepiped housing body 520, and the housing body 520 is provided with a female terminal. 4 at the end
Individual stopper pieces 521 are provided. Reference numeral 53 is a bracket that supports the female connector 52, and the female connector 52 is elastically supported by elastic pieces 531 and 532 provided on the inner four sides of the opening end of the female connector 52 to form the connector device 50. .

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram before fitting the male connector and the female connector according to the conventional example, and illustrates the fitting operation of the male connector shown in FIG. 5 and the female connector shown in FIG. Is.

In FIG. 7, a certain mounting error occurs when the instrument having the connector device 50 attached thereto is assembled to the vehicle body having the male connector 51 attached thereto. Since the connector 52 is supported by the bracket 53 directly attached to the vehicle body through the elastic pieces 531 and 532, the elastic pieces 531 and 532 move vertically and horizontally within a range in which the male piece 51 can be bent. And the female connector 52 can be fitted to each other, and even if there is a certain dimensional error between the vehicle body and the instrument, the female connector 52
The nut 522 and the screw member 54 of the male connector 51 are tightened to enable the assembly of both.

[0008]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, the dimensional error between the vehicle body side and the instrument side is caused by the elastic pieces 531 and 532 provided on the four sides inside the opening end of the bracket 53. Since the elastic pieces 531 and 532 are absorbed by bending, it is necessary to increase the shape of the elastic pieces 531 and 532 in order to increase the absorption amount of the dimensional error. Since the male connector 51 and the female connector 52 can be fitted to each other by sliding contact with the outer circumference of the connector, it is necessary to secure a predetermined strength and rigidity against a load in the fitting direction. However, there was a problem that there was a limit to the absorption of the dimensional error.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and increases the allowable value of the axial misalignment when the male connector and the female connector are fitted to each other, so that the connector workability and the connection reliability can be improved. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a self-locating connector that has high performance and is used for module installation.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the invention for achieving the above object, there is provided a first connector for accommodating a male terminal or a female terminal, and a second connector for accommodating a female terminal or a male terminal. The first connector includes a locator that is slidably inserted in the male terminal or the female terminal in the axial direction, and the first connector and the second connector slide in the vertical and horizontal directions relative to the support member. A self-locating connector that is locked as much as possible and that automatically adjusts axial misalignment when they are fitted together, and guides the second connector to the tip of the locator to facilitate fitting of the second connector. At least a pair of locate pins having an inclined surface are provided, and an auxiliary locate pin having an inclined surface inscribed in the inclined surfaces of the pair of locate pins is provided in the second connector, Self locate connector, characterized by automatically adjusting.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the self-locating connector according to the first aspect of the invention, the locator is provided with a recess formed of parallel planes having a predetermined dimension in the axial direction, which is joined to the slope, and , The second connector is provided with a parallel surface which is joined to the inclined surface and is fitted into the parallel surface of the first connector, and in the fitting operation of the first connector and the second connector, a male terminal and a female terminal are formed. Before the fitting is started, the axial misalignment is automatically adjusted by the parallel surfaces provided on the first connector and the second connector.

A third aspect of the present invention is the self-locating connector according to the first or second aspect, wherein the second aspect
A lever lever having a cam groove that engages with a lock pin provided on a pair of parallel surfaces of the connector and a cam groove that engages with a guide pin provided on the first connector is rotatably supported on the locator, and It is characterized in that the first connector and the second connector are fitted by operating the lever handle.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (Embodiment of the Invention) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a module instrument side connector and a vehicle body side connector before mating according to an embodiment of the present invention. Shows the state of being assembled to the bracket on the module instrument side and the bracket on the vehicle body side, respectively. In FIG. 1, arrow P indicates the front-rear direction of the vehicle, arrow M indicates the left-right direction, and arrow Q indicates the up-down direction.

FIG. 2 shows a module instrument side connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a side sectional view,
(B) is a front view of a connector and a locator.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 20 is a connector which is built in the module instrument side and is composed of components such as an instrument panel, a meter, an audio system and an air conditioner.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a locator, in which the connector 20 is housed so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the terminal (hereinafter referred to as "axial direction").

A pair of locate pins 221 in the M direction and a pair of locate pins 222 in the Q direction are provided at the end of the locator 22 in the P direction, and a recess 203 for receiving the mating connector 10 on the vehicle body side is formed inside thereof. ing.

Further, slopes 225 and 226 are formed at the tips of the pair of locations and the pins 221 and 222 to absorb the misalignment at the time of fitting the connector 10 on the vehicle body side.
25 and 226, a pair of parallel surfaces 22 extending in the axial direction
3, 224 are formed, and the concave groove 22 is formed inside the parallel surface 223.
7 extends in the axial direction.

The dimensions of the parallel surfaces 223, 224 in the axial direction are ensured to be necessary and sufficient to prevent axial misalignment of both connectors even after the connectors on the vehicle body side are fitted in the corresponding portions.

Further, the slope 226 of the locate pin 222 is provided with a triangular recess 228 for receiving the lock pin 102 of the vehicle body side connector 10.

Reference numeral 200 denotes a housing body constituting the connector 20, which has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a plurality of male terminals 201 are inserted therein, and locators 22 are provided on both sides in the M direction.
Is provided with a ridge 202 slidably fitted into the groove 227 of the vehicle body, and the surface facing the connector 10 on the vehicle body side is provided with a recess 204 and a protector to which an auxiliary locate pin (105 described later) of the vehicle body side connector is fitted. A recess 205 into which (108 described later) is fitted is provided.

24 is a connector 2 on the module installation side
0 is a lever for facilitating the fitting operation of the connector on the vehicle body side.

The lever 24 has a U-shape and comprises a handle 245 and a pair of base plates 243 opposite to each other. Each base plate 243 has a center hole 2 at the center of rotation of the lever.
44 is provided, and the housing body 220 of the locator 22 is provided.
A center pin 232 provided at the center of the center hole 244 is engaged with the cam groove (notch) 241 concentrically with the center hole 244 and a cam groove extending radially outward from the rotation center of the lever. A (slot) 242 is formed.

A guide pin 206 integrally formed with the connector housing body 200 is slidably engaged with the cam groove 242.

In the lever lever 24, the substrate portion 243 is elastically deformed inward so that the housing body 2 of the locator 22 can be obtained.
After the insertion into the inside of 20, the elastic deformation is released and the center hole 244 and the center pin 232 of the locator are engaged. As a result, the position of the lever 24 is determined by using the locator 22 as an opposition. Next, lever 2
4, the housing body 2 of the connector is provided between the two board portions 243.
When 00 is inserted from the rear in the P direction, the guide pin 206
However, the board portion 243 is expanded in the thin portion formed near the outer end of the cam groove 242 of the board portion 243, and the guide pin 20
6 is engaged with the cam groove 242. As a result, the housing body 200 of the connector is prevented from coming off from the locator 22 via the lever 24.

The other end of the locator 22 has a flexible portion 23.
The locking claws 229 and the positioning portions 230 provided on the No. 1 engage the frame-shaped bracket 28, which is a support member on the module instrument side, so as to be slidable in the Q direction by a predetermined amount (FIG. 1).

Reference numeral 23 is a resin harness cover, which is engaged with a locking hole by a locking projection provided on the housing body 200 (not shown).

FIG. 3 shows a vehicle body side connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 10 denotes a connector attached to the vehicle body side, which is a rectangular parallelepiped housing body 10.
A plurality of female terminals 103 are inserted inside 0.

Reference numeral 101 is an auxiliary locate pin for aligning the axial misalignment in the M direction when fitting with the connector 20 on the module instrument side, and an inclined surface 105 is provided on the outside.

A parallel surface 11 fitted on the module instrument side connector 20 on the end surface in the P direction of the housing body 100.
1 is formed and a lock pin 102 is provided at the center of
A pair of parallel surfaces 110 that fit with the module instrument side connector 20 are formed at both ends in the M direction, and a concave groove 107 into which the protrusion 202 of the module instrument side connector 20 is fitted is provided at the center. Reference numeral 108 denotes a protector having a T-shape when viewed from the front, and prevents damage during the fitting work of the connector 20 of the female terminal inserted in the housing body 100 and the connector 10 and during transportation of the connector 10. The protector 108 also serves as an auxiliary locate pin for aligning the axial misalignment in the Q direction when the protector 108 is fitted to the connector 20 on the module instrument side, and is provided with a slope 112 on the outer side.

Reference numerals 104 and 109 are locking claws and guides that engage with a frame-shaped bracket 28 (FIG. 1), which is a support member on the vehicle body side, so as to be slidable in a predetermined amount in the M direction.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the fitting operation of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The fitting operation of the connector on the module instrument side and the connector on the vehicle body side will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3A shows a state immediately before the fitting, and shows a position where the connector 10 on the vehicle body side and the connector 20 on the module instrument side face each other when mounting the module instrument on the vehicle body. In this state, the slope 105 of the auxiliary locate pin 101 of the connector 10 is just the locator 22.
Of the locate pin 221 and the connector 20 on the module instrument side from this position.
Indicates a limit point where the connectors cannot be fitted to each other when the position is displaced to the outside.

From this position, when mounting the module instrument on the vehicle body, the connector 2 on the module instrument side
When 0 is pushed in the axial direction (P direction, connector 10 side), the connector 10 on the vehicle body side moves the slope 22 of the locator 22.
5 and the slope 105 of the vehicle body side connector 10 are engaged,
Aligned in the M direction with respect to the bracket 10 on the vehicle body side,
Also, in the Q direction (direction perpendicular to M), the slope 2 of the locator 22
26 and the slope 112 of the vehicle-body-side connector 10 engage with each other, and subsequently the end surface 1 of the lock pin 102 of the vehicle-body-side connector 10
06 is slidably in contact with the slope 226 of the locator 22 so that the connector 10 on the module instrument side moves and is aligned with the bracket 28 on the module instrument side.

Then, the connector 20 on the module installation side is further pushed in to reach the position shown in FIG. This position is a position where the module instrument is completely attached to the vehicle body and the module instrument is fixed to the vehicle body by an appropriate means such as a bolt, and the parallel surface 223 of the locator 22 is parallel to the parallel surface 110 of the vehicle body side connector.
On the parallel surface 224 of the locator 22.
The parallel surfaces 111 of are fitted with a predetermined dimension in the axial direction,
The lock pin 102 is a triangular recess 22 of the locator 22.
8 is a position where the lever is fitted into the starting end 246 of the cam groove 241 of the lever 24.

FIG. 6 (c) shows the end of connector fitting.

When the lever lever 24 is rotated in the R direction from the state in which the module instrument has been fixed to the vehicle body as shown in FIG. 7B, the lock pin 102 of the connector 10 on the vehicle body side is axially moved by the cam groove 241. On the other hand, the guide pin 206 is guided by the cam groove 242, the connector 20 is pulled toward the connector 10, and the tip end of the protrusion 202 of the connector 20 is recessed groove 1 of the connector 10.
While fitting into 07, the connector 20 and the connector 10 are completely fitted, the auxiliary locate pin 101 is in the recess 204 of the connector 20, and the protector 108 is the recess 2 of the connector 20.
Fit in 05.

In this embodiment, the locator 22 is used as described above.
The locating pins 221 and 222 are provided with slopes 225 and 226, and the auxiliary locate pin 101 provided on the vehicle body side connector 10 and the protector 108 are also provided with the slope 10.
Since 1 and 112 are provided, the centering function in the M direction has a sum L (= L) of the size L1 of the locator 22 and the size L2 of the auxiliary locate pin 101 of the vehicle body side connector 10.
L1 + L2), and in the embodiment, the L dimension is about 10 mm, which is about twice as large as that of the auxiliary locate pin 101 having no inclined surface. The same applies to the Q direction.

Therefore, in the conventional connector, it is inevitable that the connector is large in size in order to obtain the aligning function required for modularization, but it is possible to obtain a connector having a high aligning function by making it small. .

Further, the auxiliary locate pin 101 and the protector 108 are provided inside the housing main body 100, and when the connector is completely fitted, they are housed in the housing main body 200 of the connector 20, which is effective for downsizing.

Further, since the connector housing main body 100 is fitted in the recess 203 of the connector housing 200 and fitted to each other in parallel planes having a predetermined dimension in the axial direction, the male member is bent by the bending force or the pulling force of the harness. , No twisting force is applied to the female terminal.

[0044]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, at least a pair of locate pins having an inclined surface for guiding the second connector to facilitate the axial alignment of the second connector are provided at the tip of the locator, Since the connector is a self-locating connector in which an auxiliary guide pin having a slant surface inscribed in the slant surface of the pair of locators is provided, there is an effect that a connector having a small size and a high centering function can be obtained.

According to the second invention, in the work of fitting the first connector and the second connector, before the male terminal and the female terminal start to be fitted (for example, the fixing of the module instrument to the vehicle body is completed. The self-locating connector is characterized in that the first connector and the second connector are fitted to each other on a parallel surface having a predetermined dimension in the axial direction to automatically adjust the axial misalignment. Therefore, there is an effect that the bending force and the pulling force of the harness do not apply a prying force to the male and female terminals, the workability of connecting the connector is good, and the connection reliability can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the first connector and the second connector are fitted by rotating the lever, the tool is unnecessary, and the fitting work is performed in parallel with the axial direction of the terminal. Therefore, the workability of connecting the connector is good, and the connection reliability can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a module instrument side connector and a vehicle body side connector before fitting according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a module instrument side connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a side sectional view and (b) is a front view of a connector and a locator.

FIG. 3 is a vehicle-body-side connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view.

4A and 4B are explanatory views of the fitting operation of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 4A is immediately before fitting, FIG. 4B is when the lever operation is started, and FIG. Indicates the time.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a male connector according to a conventional example.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a female connector according to a conventional example.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram before fitting a male connector and a female connector according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: Connector (second connector, vehicle body side) 50: Connector device 100: Housing body 51: Male connector 101: Auxiliary locate pin 510:
Male connector body 102: Lock pin 52: Female connector 103: Female terminal 520:
Female connector body 104: locking claw 521:
Stopper pieces 105, 112: Slope 522:
Nut 106: End face 53: Bracket 107: Groove 531,
532: elastic piece 108: protector 54: screw member 109: guide 110, 111: parallel surface 20: connector (first connector, module instrument side) 200: housing body 201: male terminal 202: ridge 203: recess 204, 205: recess 206: guide pin 22: locator 220: housing body 22
9: Locking claws 221, 222: Locating pin 23
0: Positioning units 223, 224: Parallel plane 23
1: Flexible part 225, 226: Slope 23
2: Center pin 227: Recessed groove 228: Recessed portion 24: Lever 241, 242: Cam groove 243: Substrate portion 244: Center pin 245: Handle 246: Starting end 25: Harness cover 26: Harness 27: Bracket (module instrument side) 28 : Bracket (vehicle body side)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A first housing for accommodating a male terminal or a female terminal.
A connector, a second connector accommodating a female terminal or a male terminal, and a locator into which the first connector is slidably inserted in the axial direction of the male terminal or the female terminal, the first connector and the second connector A self-locating connector in which a connector is slidable relative to a supporting member in a slidable direction in the vertical and horizontal directions, and automatically adjusts axial misalignment when they are fitted together. At least a pair of locate pins having slopes for guiding the connector to facilitate the fitting of the second connector are provided, and the second connector is provided with an auxiliary locate pin having a slope inscribed in the slopes of the pair of locate pins. The self-locating connector is characterized in that the axial misalignment is automatically adjusted. 2. The locator is provided with a recess formed by a parallel surface having a predetermined dimension in the axial direction, which is joined to the slope, and the second connector is joined to the slope to form the first connector.
A parallel surface that is fitted into the parallel surface of the connector is provided, and in the fitting operation of the first connector and the second connector,
Before the male terminal and the female terminal start fitting, the first
The self-locating connector according to claim 1, wherein the axial misalignment is automatically adjusted by the parallel surfaces provided on the connector and the second connector. 3. A lever lever provided with a cam groove engaging with a lock pin provided on a pair of parallel surfaces of the second connector and a cam groove engaging with a guide pin provided on the first connector, The self-locating connector according to claim 1, wherein the first connector and the second connector are fitted to each other by rotatably supporting the lever and operating the handle of the lever.