JP2004111318A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid enlarging of a male side connector and to avoid deterioration in inserting workability of a terminal fitting to a female side connector when an attaching part is provided to the female side connector. <P>SOLUTION: In the female side connector 30, a wire cover 36 to cover the back surface of it and to bend the wire 35 so that it comes along the back surface is attached. The attaching part 37 to a body B is formed on the back surface of the wire cover 36. Since the attaching part 37 is formed on the back surface of the wire cover 36, its down sizing is easier compared to the attaching part which is of a shape protruding backward from the back surface of the female side connector. Furthermore, when the female terminal fitting 34 connected to the wire 35 is inserted to the female side connector 30, the attaching part 37 does not hinder the inserting operation of the female terminal fitting 34 when the wire cover 36 is removed from the female side connector 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector in which a module-side connector and a body-side connector are fitted together with a module such as an instrument panel attached to a body in an automobile.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When a module such as an instrument panel is assembled to a body in an automobile, a structure is adopted in which a module-side connector and a body-side connector are fitted together with the assembly of the module in order to reduce the number of assembling steps. Reference 1).
As this fitting structure, male or female fitting means for fitting one of the connectors to the male side and fitting the other female connector into the hood portion of the male connector can be used. As a means for correcting the positional deviation between the male and female connectors during the mounting of the male connector, a tapered guiding portion that is tapered at the tip of the hood portion of the male connector may be formed. it can.
[0003]
In the case where the female connector fitted into the hood of the male connector is fixedly attached to the body or the module, an attaching portion is formed on the female connector, and the attaching portion is attached to the bracket of the body or the module. Can be configured to be engaged with.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-150979 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When the guide portion is formed on the hood portion and the mounting portion is formed on the female connector as described above, the following problem occurs. That is, the mounting portion is provided on the rear side of the female connector so as not to interfere with the hood portion when the two connectors are fitted. At the time of joining, there is a structural restriction that the guiding part of the hood part surrounds the rear edge of the female connector.Therefore, the mounting part should be installed on the female connector in order to avoid interference with the electric wires and the guiding part. It must be configured to protrude rearward (in a direction perpendicular to the rear surface of the female connector) from the peripheral edge on the rear surface.
[0006]
However, if the mounting portion is made to protrude rearward as described above, there is a problem that the female connector becomes large in the front-rear direction. In addition, since the mounting portion follows the lead-out path of the electric wire, there is also a problem that the mounting portion becomes an obstacle when the terminal fitting fixed to the terminal portion of the electric wire is inserted into the female connector from the rear.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a female connector with a mounting portion, in order to avoid an increase in the size of the female connector and a decrease in workability of inserting a terminal fitting into the female connector. And
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a module such as an instrument panel is attached to a body in an automobile, and a module-side connector and a body-side connector are fitted together. A hood portion for fitting a female connector from which an electric wire is led out from the back is formed, and an opening portion of the hood portion is formed with a guiding portion capable of correcting a displacement of the male and female connectors, A connector on the back side of the side connector, which is provided with a mounting portion for fixing the female connector to the module or the body, wherein the female connector has a back surface and the electric wire. An electric wire cover that covers and bends the electric wire along the back surface is attached, and the attachment portion is formed on the back surface of the electric wire cover. It was formed.
[0008]
A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect of the invention, the mounting portion is constituted by a rib extending along a back surface of the wire cover.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the female connector has an opening restriction that restricts displacement to the outside of the side wall by abutting against the side wall of the wire cover from outside. The configuration was such that a portion was formed.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the opening restricting portion is housed in a concave portion formed on an outer surface of a side wall of the electric wire cover.
[0009]
Function and effect of the present invention
[Invention of claim 1]
Since the attachment portion is formed on the back surface of the electric wire cover, the size of the female connector can be reduced as compared with a case where the attachment portion is formed to protrude rearward from the back surface of the female connector. Further, when the terminal fitting connected to the electric wire is inserted into the female connector, if the wire cover is removed from the female connector, the mounting portion does not hinder the operation of inserting the terminal fitting. Furthermore, in a state where both connectors are fitted, the electric wire cover is attached so as to cover the back surface of the female connector, so that there is no possibility that the guide portion and the electric wire cover will interfere with each other.
[0010]
[Invention of claim 2]
Since the mounting portion is formed by a rib extending along the back surface of the wire cover, the female connector is reduced in size compared to a mounting portion projecting vertically from the back surface of the wire cover.
[Invention of claim 3]
When the back of the wire cover is pressed against the module or the body when the two connectors are fitted, a force acts to open the side wall of the wire cover to the outside, but the displacement of the side wall to the outside is restricted by the opening restriction. Can be prevented by
[0011]
[Invention of Claim 4]
Since the opening restricting portion is located along the outer surface of the side wall of the wire cover, there is a concern that the opening restricting portion may be deformed or damaged by interference with the foreign matter. Interference with the regulating section is prevented.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The connector C according to the present embodiment includes a male connector 10 (a module-side connector, which is a constituent element of the present invention) and a body provided with a module M such as an instrument panel mounted on the body B in an automobile. A female connector 30 (a body connector which is a component of the present invention) provided at B is fitted.
[0013]
First, the male connector 10 will be described. The male connector 10 includes a connector housing 11 having a rectangular hood portion 12 opening forward, a plurality of sub-connectors 13 assembled into the connector housing 11 from behind, and an electric wire cover 14 assembled to the back of the connector housing 11. A moving plate 15 movably provided in the hood portion 12, a pair of levers 16 pivotally supported on both left and right side surfaces of the connector housing 11, and a relatively movable front and rear direction with respect to the connector housing 11. And a frame 17 fitted outside.
[0014]
A guiding portion 18 is formed at the opening edge of the front end of the hood portion 12 of the connector housing 11 so as to expand in a tapered shape toward the front. When a female connector 30 described later is displaced in the up-down and left-right directions between the two connectors 10 and 30 when the female connector 30 is fitted into the hood portion 12, the peripheral edge of the front end of the female connector 30 has a tapered shape of the guiding portion 18. The guide portion 18 is in contact with the inner surface thereof, and the positional deviation is corrected by the inclination of the guide portion 18.
[0015]
Male terminal fittings 19 are inserted into the sub-connectors 13 assembled to the connector housing 11, and the electric wires 20 connected to the respective male terminal fittings 19 are led out from the back surface of the sub-connector 13 and face downward (sub) inside the electric wire cover 14. The connector 13 is bent in a direction substantially parallel to the rear surface of the connector 13) and extends downward from the wire cover 14.
The moving plate 15 has a positioning hole 15 a for positioning a tab 19 a at the front end of the male terminal fitting 19, and cam followers 15 b are formed on both left and right side edges of the moving plate 15 so as to be exposed on the outer surface of the hood 12. Have been.
[0016]
The lever 16 has a plate shape along the outer surface of the connector housing 11, and is rotatably supported by fitting a bearing hole 16 a thereof to a support shaft 11 a of the connector housing 11. A cam groove 16b and a cam follower 16c are formed on the lever 16, and the cam follower 15b of the moving plate 15 is engaged with the cam groove 16b. A pair of left and right arcuate cam grooves 17a are formed in the frame 17, and the cam followers 16c of the lever 16 are engaged with the cam grooves 17a. Since the distance from the rotation center of the lever 16 (support shaft 11a) to the cam follower 16c is set to be larger than the maximum distance from the rotation center of the lever 16 to the cam groove 16b, the connector housing 11 is When the lever 16 moves relatively in the front-rear direction, a large moment is generated around the center of rotation of the lever 16 due to the engagement between the cam follower 16c of the lever 16 and the cam groove 17a of the frame 17, and the moment force of the lever 16 A large push-pull force in the front-rear direction is applied to the cam follower 15b of the moving plate 15 and the cam follower 32 of the female connector 30 which are engaged with the cam groove 16b.
[0017]
When the connector housing 11 moves forward with respect to the frame 17, when the moving plate 15 and the cam follower 32 of the female connector 30 are located at the entrance of the cam groove 16 b of the lever 16, the cam follower 16 c of the lever 16 is moved to the frame. 17 is caught by the cam groove 17a, whereby further forward movement of the connector housing 11 is restricted. When the connector housing 11 is relatively moved rearward with respect to the frame 17, the outer surface of the connector housing 11 is located when the moving plate 15 and the cam follower 32 of the female connector 30 are located at the deep end of the cam groove 16 b of the lever 16. The abutment projection 21 abuts against the receiving portion 17b on the inner periphery of the frame 17, and this abutment restricts the further rearward movement of the connector housing 11 (see FIG. 10).
[0018]
The frame 17 is mounted so as to be able to move only vertically relative to the holder 22 fixed to the module M. The male connector 10 is attached to the module M via the holder 22. I have. The module M is mounted on the body B while moving in a substantially horizontal direction while being guided by guide means (not shown).
The female connector 30 includes a rectangular connector housing 31 fitted into the hood portion 12 of the male connector 10 from the front, a plurality of sub-connectors 33 assembled into the connector housing 31 from the rear, and a connector housing 31. And an electric wire cover 36 to be attached to the back surface of the electronic device.
[0019]
A pair of cam followers 32 protrude from both left and right outer surfaces of the connector housing 31. The cam follower 32 is fitted into a concave portion of the cam follower 15b of the moving plate 15, whereby the two cam followers 15b and 32 are integrated and engaged with the cam groove 16b of the lever 16, and the two cam followers 15b and 32 are fitted. In the combined state, the female connector 30 and the moving plate 15 move integrally in the front-rear direction. Further, female terminal fittings 34 are inserted into the sub-connectors 33 assembled to the connector housing 31, and electric wires 35 connected to the respective female terminal fittings 34 are led out rearward from the back surface of the sub-connector 33 (connector housing 31). I have.
[0020]
The electric wire cover 36 has a box shape opened forward and downward, and covers the connector housing 31 with its rear surface (the right surface in FIGS. 6 to 10) and the plurality of electric wires 35 led out from this rear surface. Assembled. Inside the electric wire cover 36, the electric wire 35 drawn backward from the connector housing 31 is bent downward (in a direction substantially parallel to the rear surface of the sub-connector 33) and extends downward from the electric wire cover 36.
[0021]
The female connector 30 is attached to the rear surface (the right surface in FIGS. 6 to 10) of the electric wire cover 36, that is, the surface directly opposite to the front surface facing the male connector 10 to which the female connector 30 is fitted. A mounting portion 37 for fixing to B is formed. The mounting portion 37 includes a pair of upper and lower ribs 38 that extend linearly in the left-right direction (horizontal direction) along the back surface of the wire cover 36. The rib 38 has a shape that is bent into a substantially L-shape when viewed from the side, thereby forming a catch portion that can regulate the separation from the rear surface. One end of each of the ribs 38 is connected to each other by an elongated projection 39 extending in the vertical direction, and the wire cover 36 is surrounded by the rib 38 and the projection 39 and has a rear surface. Is formed along the mounting space 40. The mounting space 40 is open to the side opposite to the protrusion 39 in the left-right direction and to the rear. A retaining projection 41 is formed on the rear surface of the wire cover 36 so as to protrude into the mounting space 40. A side surface of the retaining projection 41 facing the projection 39 is a locking surface 41a orthogonal to the rear surface, and a side surface opposite to the locking surface 41a is a guiding slope 41b inclined with respect to the rear surface.
[0022]
Now, the attachment portion 37 is attached to a bracket 50 fixed to the body B. The bracket 50 includes a mounting plate 51 parallel to the rear surface of the wire cover 36 and a support plate 52 extending rearward from a side edge of the mounting plate 51 and continuing to the body B. The mounting plate 51 has a retaining hole 53 that can be engaged with the retaining projection 41.
The connector housing 31 of the female connector 30 is provided with an opening restricting portion 42 for restricting displacement to the outside of the side wall 36S by abutting against the side wall 36S of the electric wire cover 36 from outside. The opening restricting portions 42 project from the rear edges of the left and right outer surfaces of the connector housing 31 to the rear from the rear surface of the connector housing 31. A pair of upper and lower portions is formed on each of the right and left side surfaces, for a total of four pieces. I have. A retaining projection 43 is formed on the outer surface of the base end of the opening restricting portion 42. On the other hand, on the outer surface of the left and right side walls 36S of the electric wire cover 36, a concave portion 44 extending in the front-rear direction capable of accommodating the front end portion (rear end portion) of each opening regulating portion 42 is formed. When assembled to the base 31, the opening restricting portion 42 is accommodated in the recess 44 and abuts against the inner surface of the recess 44 from the outside. A locking piece 45 is formed on the side wall 36S of the electric wire cover 36 so as to protrude forward from the concave portion 44 along the outer surface of the base end of the opening restricting portion 42. In the assembled state, the locking piece 45 is locked from the front with respect to the retaining protrusion 43 of the wire cover 36, so that the wire cover 36 is held in the detachable state with respect to the connector housing 31.
[0023]
Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
When the two connectors 10 and 30 are fitted together, in the male connector 10, the sub-connector 13, the male terminal fitting 19 and the wire cover 14 are assembled to the connector housing 11, and the connector housing 11 is further moved forward with respect to the frame 17. After the relative movement, the cam follower 15b of the moving plate 15 is made to stand by at the entrance of the cam groove 16b of the lever 16. On the other hand, in the female connector 30, the sub-connector 33, the female terminal fitting 34, and the wire cover 36 are assembled to the connector housing 31, and the mounting portion 37 of the female connector 30 is further attached to the mounting plate of the bracket 50 of the body B. It is assembled to the unit 51 (see FIGS. 1 and 6). At the time of assembling, the mounting plate portion 51 is inserted into the mounting space 40 between the ribs 38 from the side while being along the rear surface of the wire cover 36. In the process of insertion, the mounting plate portion 51 gets over the retaining projection 41 while being curvedly deformed rearward. In the assembled state, the locking of the retaining projection 41 and the retaining hole 53 restricts the female connector 30 from coming off from the bracket 50 to the side. Further, since the two ribs 38 are locked from the rear with respect to the upper and lower edges of the mounting plate portion 51, the detachment of the female connector 30 from the bracket 50 to the front is restricted.
[0024]
In this state, the module M is made to approach the body B horizontally, and the female connector 30 is fitted to the hood portion 12 from the front thereof. At this time, even if the hood portion 12 is displaced relative to the female connector 30 in a direction intersecting with the fitting direction (up, down, left and right directions), the tapered inner surface of the guiding portion 18 is connected to the connector housing of the female connector 30. The hood portion 12 and the module M are corrected to the proper positions with respect to the female connector 30 and the body B in accordance with the inclination of the guide portion 18 as the fitting progresses.
[0025]
When the female connector 30 starts to be fitted into the hood portion 12, the cam follower 32 of the female connector 30 is combined with the cam follower 15b of the moving plate 15. Thereafter, when the connector housing 11 of the male connector 10 is pushed rearward relative to the frame 17 as the insertion of the female connector 30 proceeds, the cam groove 17a of the frame 17 and the cam follower 16c of the lever 16 The female connector 30 and the moving plate 15 are drawn into the rear side of the frame 17 by the engagement between the cam groove 16b and the two cam followers 15b and 32 due to the rotation of the lever 16. It is.
[0026]
In the process of fitting the two connectors 10 and 30, the frame 17 and the module M move downward relative to the connector housing 11 of the male connector 10 and the female connector 30.
Then, after the connectors 10, 30 have reached the normal fitting state (FIGS. 9 and 10), the connectors 10, 30 and the module M are moved to the side of the body B as a whole. By this movement, the module M is locked by a fixing piece (not shown) provided on the body B, and is fixed in a non-movable state. Along with this, the mounting portion 37 of the electric wire cover 36 of the female connector 30 slides sideways with respect to the bracket of the body B, resulting in the state shown in FIG.
[0027]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the mounting portion 37 for fixing the female connector 30 to the bracket 50 of the body B is provided on the back surface of the wire cover 36 of the female connector 30. It is possible to reduce the size of the female connector 30 as compared to a connector formed so as to protrude rearward from the rear surface of the connector.
When the female terminal fitting 34 connected to the electric wire 35 is inserted into the female connector 30 from the rear, if the electric wire cover 36 is removed from the connector housing 31, the mounting portion 37 can be used for inserting the female terminal fitting 34. There is no hindrance.
[0028]
Further, when the connectors 10 and 30 are fitted together, the electric wire cover 36 is attached so as to cover the rear surface of the female connector 30, and the guide portion 18 of the male connector 10 is located so as to surround the electric wire cover 36. In addition, there is no possibility that the guiding portion 18 and the wire cover 36 will interfere with each other.
Further, since the mounting portion 37 is constituted by the ribs 38 extending along the rear surface of the electric wire cover 36, the size of the female connector 30 can be further reduced as compared with the mounting portion which projects vertically from the rear surface of the electric wire cover. Has been realized.
[0029]
Also, when the back surface of the wire cover 36 of the female connector 30 is pressed against the bracket 50 when the connectors 10 and 30 are fitted together, a force acts to open the side wall 36S of the wire cover 36 outward. However, the outward displacement of the side wall 36S is prevented by abutting the opening restricting portion 42 provided on the connector housing 31 of the female connector 30 from outside.
Further, since the opening restricting portion 42 is located along the outer surface of the side wall 36S of the wire cover 36, there is a concern that the opening restricting portion 42 may be deformed or damaged by interference with foreign matter. Since the 42 is accommodated in the concave portion 44 formed in the side wall 36S, the foreign matter is prevented from opening and interfering with the restricting portion 42.
[0030]
[Other embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Can be implemented with various modifications.
(1) In the above embodiment, the module-side connector is a male connector and the body-side connector is a female connector. However, according to the present invention, the module-side connector is a female connector and the body-side connector is a male connector. Is also good.
[0031]
(2) In the above embodiment, the mounting portion is constituted by the rib extending along the back surface of the wire cover. However, according to the present invention, the mounting portion may be configured to protrude vertically from the back surface of the wire cover.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, the pressing portion is configured to open and abut on the base end of the restricting portion. However, according to the present invention, the pressing portion may be configured to abut on the distal end portion of the opening restricting portion.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment in which both male and female connectors are detached. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a female connector. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a male connector. FIG. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the female connector. FIG. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the male and female connectors detached from the lower surface. FIG. 7 is a bottom sectional view showing the male and female connectors fitted. FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state in which the male and female connectors are being fitted. FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state in which the male and female connectors are fitted. FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the female and female connectors are fitted. FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.
M: Module B: Body C: Connector 10: Male connector (module connector)
12 Hood part 18 Guide part 30 Female connector (Body side connector)
35 ... electric wire 36 ... electric wire cover 36S ... side wall 37 of the electric wire cover ... attachment portion 38 ... rib 42 ... opening regulating portion 44 ... concave portion

Claims (4)

Along with mounting a module such as an instrument panel on a body in an automobile, a module-side connector and a body-side connector are to be male and female mated.
On the male connector, a hood portion for fitting the female connector from which the electric wire is led out from the back is formed,
At the opening edge of the hood portion, a guiding portion capable of correcting a displacement of the male and female connectors is formed,
On the back side of the female connector, a connector provided with a mounting portion for fixing the female connector to the module or the body,
The female connector is provided with an electric wire cover that covers the rear surface and the electric wire and bends the electric wire along the rear surface,
The connector, wherein the attachment portion is formed on a back surface of the wire cover. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the attachment portion is formed by a rib extending along a back surface of the wire cover. 3. The female connector according to claim 1, wherein the female connector is provided with an opening restricting portion that restricts displacement to the outside of the side wall by abutting against the side wall of the wire cover from outside. The connector described in 1. 4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the opening restricting portion is accommodated in a concave portion formed on an outer surface of a side wall of the wire cover.

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