JP2004200074A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector ensuring that imperfect insertion of a retainer is detected. <P>SOLUTION: A female housing 30 has a cavity 31 which enables a female terminal fitting 33 to move in and out. A retainer 36 which can be locked to the female terminal fitting 33 by moving into the cavity 31 can be assembled to the female housing 30. A slider 47 is assembled to the female housing 30 and a compression coil spring 54 is compressively disposed between the slider 47 and the female housing 30. A male housing 10 is provided with a lock arm 20 which enables the slider 47 to be pushed therein during a mating process and which is elastically deformed in such a manner as to disconnect from the slider 47 when the male housing is normally fitted into place. The retainer 36 is provided with a retaining arm 39 that can lock to the retaining part 41. During the process by which the retainer 36 leads to a main locking position, the retaining arm 39 is elastically deformed to move into a recess part 61 that can interfere with the slider 47. Once the retainer 36 has reached the main locking position, the retaining arm is restored to move away from the recess part 61. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector having a half-fitting prevention function and having a retainer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART Conventionally, what was described in the following patent document 1 is known as an example of the connector provided with the half mating prevention function. In this case, of the male and female housings that can be fitted together, the female housing is assembled so as to surround a substantially cylindrical slider, and a spring member is provided between the female housing and the slider. I have. When the female housing is fitted together with the slider in the hood portion of the male housing, the slider is pushed rearward by the elastic displacement portion formed in the hood portion, so that the slider retreats while compressing the spring member. Therefore, when the fitting operation is interrupted, the biasing force of the spring member is released, and the two housings are forcibly separated from each other, whereby half-fitting is prevented. If the two housings are properly fitted without interrupting the fitting operation, the lock arm is locked to the lock portion, and at the same time, the elastic displacement portion is elastically displaced and comes off the slider, so the slider moves forward by the urging force of the spring member. I do.
[0003]
Incidentally, the connector has a retainer for retaining the female terminal fitting inserted into the cavity of the female housing. In this retainer, with respect to the female housing, the retaining portion is retracted from the cavity to temporarily insert and remove the female terminal fitting, and the retaining portion advances into the cavity to retain the female terminal fitting. It is movable along the width direction between the final locking position. In the temporary locking position, the retainer protrudes outward from the outer surface of the female housing and can interfere with the slider, whereas in the final locking position, the retainer is flush with the outer surface of the female housing. Is made non-interfering with the slider.
Therefore, when the retainer has not reached the final locking position in the half-inserted state, the detection portion of the retainer projecting from the outer surface of the female housing interferes with the slider, so that the slider is restricted from being retracted. Is not possible, and half insertion of the retainer is detected.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-170629
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described detection portion of the retainer, the amount of protrusion from the outer surface of the female housing gradually decreases as the retainer moves from the temporary locking position to the full locking position. For this reason, for example, in a state immediately before the retainer reaches the final locking position, the amount of protrusion of the detection portion from the outer surface of the female housing becomes small, and there is a possibility that the slider may be allowed to retreat. As a result, a situation in which the retainer prevents the female terminal fitting from being pulled out is incomplete is overlooked.
In addition, a clearance is secured between the female housing and the slider to facilitate the movement of the slider, which makes it difficult to restrict the slider from retracting immediately before the retainer reaches the final locking position. I was
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and has as its object to reliably detect half-insertion of a retainer.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector housing capable of being fitted into a mating connector housing, wherein the connector housing is provided with a cavity through which terminal fittings can be inserted and withdrawn, and extends into the cavity. A retainer that can be locked to the terminal fitting and can move in a direction intersecting with the insertion and removal direction of the terminal fitting; a slider that can move back and forth in the insertion and removal direction of the terminal fitting; and a slider and a connector. A biasing member which is arranged between the housing and is compressible while accumulating a biasing force for detaching both connector housings as the slider retreats is assembled. While the connector housing is being fitted, it is pushed backward by an elastic displacement portion provided on the mating connector housing, When the connector housing is properly fitted, the elastic displacement portion is elastically displaced and detached from the slider, so that the urging force of the urging means is released and the lever is advanced, and the retainer has a connector. A retaining arm is provided which can be retained at a regular position for retaining the retainer to the terminal fitting by being latched to a retaining portion provided on the housing, and this retaining arm is provided in a process in which the retainer reaches the regular position. It is possible to retreat from the interference space by climbing onto the holding portion and elastically displacing the slider to advance into the interference space capable of interfering with the slider, and restoring as the retainer reaches the normal position. It is characterized by its structure.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the slider is formed so as to face the holding arm in an assembled state, and the interference space is formed on a surface of the slider facing the holding arm. The feature is that it is constituted by the formed concave portion.
[0008]
Function and effect of the present invention
<Invention of claim 1>
When assembling, insert the terminal fitting into the cavity, and then assemble the retainer to the connector housing in the correct position.When the retainer advances into the cavity and is locked to the terminal fitting, the terminal fitting is removed. A fall is aimed at. At this time, since the holding arm locked to the holding section is retracted from the interference space, the movement of the slider is allowed.
Subsequently, when the fitting operation is performed, while the connector housing is being fitted to the mating connector housing, the slider is pushed backward by the elastic displacement portion, so that the biasing means is compressed while accumulating the biasing force. Therefore, when the fitting operation is interrupted in the middle of the fitting, the urging force of the urging member is released, whereby the two connector housings are forcibly detached, thereby preventing the half-mating. You. When the two connector housings are properly fitted, the elastic displacement portion is elastically displaced and comes off the slider, so that the urging force of the urging member is released and the slider is advanced.
[0009]
By the way, when the retainer is moved to the regular position, the retainer may not completely reach the regular position. In this case, since the holding arm has climbed onto the holding portion and has advanced into the interference space, even if an attempt is made to perform a fitting operation, the slider is interfered with the holding arm to restrict the retreating operation. That is, the fitting is impossible. Thus, it is detected that the retainer is in the half-inserted state.
Since the amount of protrusion of the holding arm into the interference space increases as the retainer reaches the regular position, a sufficient interference area with the slider is secured even immediately before reaching the regular position. Thus, half insertion of the retainer can be reliably detected.
[0010]
<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the holding arm can be covered by the portion of the slider where the concave portion is formed, it is possible to prevent the holding arm from being damaged by an external foreign substance or the like.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the female connector housing 30 (hereinafter, simply referred to as the female housing 30) to which the retainer 36 is attached is assembled together with the compression coil spring 54 with the slider 47 fitted outside. The female housing 30 can be fitted inside the mating male connector housing 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as the male housing 10) together with the slider 47. In the following, a description will be given assuming that the fitting surface side of both housings 10 and 30 is the front.
[0012]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the male housing 10 is made of synthetic resin, and has a substantially rectangular tubular hood portion 11 that opens roughly forward, and a terminal accommodating portion 12 that can accommodate a male terminal fitting 14. Are connected back and forth. In the terminal accommodating portion 12, three cavities 15 are arranged in the width direction in which a male terminal fitting 14 crimp-connected to the terminal of the electric wire 13 can be inserted from behind. On the upper surface of each cavity 15, a locking groove 15a, which can be elastically locked with a lance 14a cut and raised from the male terminal fitting 14, is provided to open forward.
[0013]
A short terminal housing chamber 16 capable of housing short terminals 17 from the front is provided below the cavities 15 of the terminal housing portion 12 so as to open forward. The short terminal 17 includes a flat main body 17a and two elastic contact pieces 17b protruding from the rear end of the main body 17a. By projecting and elastically contacting the tabs 14b of the two male terminal fittings 14 housed in the center and left cavities 15 in FIG. 1, the two male terminal fittings 14 can be short-circuited. In the short terminal accommodating chamber 16, two holding pieces 16 a that can be elastically locked in locking holes 17 c formed in the main body 17 a are provided.
[0014]
In addition, a retainer mounting hole 18 through which a retainer 19 for secondary locking of the male terminal fitting 14 inserted into each cavity 15 is formed on the rear side surface of the terminal accommodating portion 12 is formed across each cavity 15. ing. The retainer 19 has a retaining portion 19a for retaining each male terminal fitting 14, and the retaining portion 19a is retracted to the side of the cavity 15 with respect to the male housing 10 by holding means (not shown). A temporary locking position that allows each male terminal fitting 14 to be inserted into and removed from the cavity 15, and a book that allows each retaining portion 19a to advance into the cavity 15 and lock to the jaw 14c of each male terminal fitting 14. It can be selectively held at the locking position, and can be moved between both positions along the width direction.
[0015]
The hood portion 11 has an opening range such that the female housing 30 can be fitted inside the slider 47 together. A cantilevered lock arm 20 protrudes from a substantially central position in the width direction of the inner surface of the hood portion 11 (the fitting surface with respect to the female housing 30) and above the respective cavities 15. The lock arm 20 can be elastically displaced in the vertical direction with the base end protruding from the back surface serving as a fulcrum, and can be retracted into a displacement allowable space 21 secured between the lock arm 20 and the ceiling surface of the hood portion 11. Is done. A hook 22 protruding downward is provided at the distal end of the lock arm 20, and the hook 22 can be locked to a lock 42 on the female housing 30 side. The rear surface 22a of the hook portion 22, which is a locking surface with respect to the lock portion 42, is formed in a substantially arc shape that slopes upward toward the rear. Further, on both inner side surfaces of the hood portion 11, a pair of guide concave portions 23 into which the guide ribs 58 of the slider 47 can be fitted are formed to face each other. A mounting portion 24 for mounting the male housing 10 to a bracket (not shown) is provided on the lower surface side of the male housing 10.
[0016]
The female housing 30 is made of a synthetic resin, is formed in a substantially oblong block shape as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, and has a female terminal fitting 33 crimped and connected to an end of the electric wire 32 inside. Three cavities 31 that can be inserted from the rear are arranged side by side in the width direction. On the upper surface of the cavity 31, a locking groove 31a, which can be elastically locked with a lance 33a cut and raised from the female terminal fitting 33, is provided to open forward. The female terminal fitting 33 has an elastic contact piece 33b which can be elastically contacted with the tab 14b of the male terminal fitting 14 inside. Immediately below the cavities 31 on the lower surface of the front end of the female housing 30, three engagement recesses 34 are provided which can be engaged with the respective elastic contact pieces 17b of the short terminal 17, and are engaged with the elastic contact pieces 17b. The surface is formed as a tapered surface inclined downward to the right in FIG. 5 so that the elastic contact piece 17b smoothly bends downward.
[0017]
On the side surface of the female housing 30, a retainer mounting hole 35 in which a retainer 36 can be mounted is opened across each cavity 31. The retainer 36 has a vertically long base 37, a retaining plate 38 protruding leftward from the left side surface (excluding the lower end) of FIG. 2 of the base 37, and a retaining plate 38 substantially parallel to the lower end of the base 37. And a holding arm 39 protruding leftward. On the left side (inner edge) of the base 37, there is formed an operation recess 37a that opens forward and allows a jig or the like to be inserted. A jig insertion recess 40 is formed at the front hole edge of the retainer mounting hole 35 in the female housing 30 so that a jig for operating the operation recess 37a can be inserted from the side outside (FIG. 4). The retaining plate 38 is formed in a laterally elongated substantially frame shape, and has a retaining portion 38a that can be locked to the jaw portion 33c of each female terminal fitting 33 on the upper surface of FIG. Are provided side by side at equal intervals. The holding arm 39 has the same length as the base 37 in the front-rear direction, but is formed in a cantilever shape in which the length in the width direction is set to slightly less than half of the retaining plate 38 and has a vertical direction. It can be elastically displaced along. On the upper surface of the holding arm 39, a temporary locking concave portion 39a and a final locking concave portion 39b that can be locked to the holding portion 41 projecting from the lower surface of the retainer mounting hole 35 are arranged side by side. I have.
[0018]
In this retainer, the temporary locking concave portion 39a and the final locking concave portion 39b of the holding arm 39 are locked to the holding portion 41, so that the temporary locking position shown in FIGS. At the final locking position (corresponding to the regular position described in the claims), and between the two positions in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the female terminal fitting 33 is inserted into and removed from the cavity 31). ). In the temporary locking position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each retaining portion 38 a is retracted to the right side of FIG. 6 with respect to each cavity 31, so that the female terminal fitting 33 is inserted into and removed from each cavity 31. Operation is allowed. In this temporary locking position, the base portion 37 of the retainer 36 is arranged so as to protrude outward from the right outer surface of the female housing 30 over substantially the entire area, and the holding arm 39 is held in the temporary locking recess 39a. The fitting of the portion 41 is in a natural state and does not protrude downward from the lower surface of the female housing 30 to the outside.
[0019]
On the other hand, in the final locking position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, each retaining portion 38 a advances into each cavity 31 and is locked to the jaw 33 c of each female terminal fitting 33. In this full locking position, the retainer 36 is completely accommodated in the retainer mounting hole 35, and the right outer surface of the retainer 36 in FIG. 9 and the right outer surface of the female housing 30 are substantially flush with each other. The holding arm 39 is in a natural state when the holding portion 41 is fitted into the final locking recess 39b, and does not protrude downward from the lower surface of the female housing 30 to the outside. In the process in which the retainer 36 moves between the provisionally locked position and the fully locked position, the holding arm 39 is elastically displaced downward as it rides on the holding portion 41, and is moved downward from the lower surface of the female housing 30. (FIG. 16).
[0020]
A lock portion 42 to which the lock arm 20 can be locked protrudes from a substantially central front end in the width direction on the upper surface of the female housing 30. The height of the lock portion 42 is set to be substantially the same as that of the hook portion 22, and the front surface 42 a of the lock portion 42 is formed in a tapered shape that forms an upward slope toward the rear, so that the lock arm 20 can climb up. Guide is possible. On the other hand, a rear surface 42 b of the lock portion 42, which is a locking surface for the lock arm 20, is formed in a substantially arc shape so as to have a downward slope toward the rear and along the rear surface 22 a of the hook portion 22. Thus, when a force equal to or more than a predetermined value is applied to detach the housings 10 and 30 from the locked state of the hook 22, the lock arm 20 is automatically elastically displaced and the locked state can be released. You. That is, the locking means of both connectors has a so-called semi-lock structure.
[0021]
At the rear end of the upper surface of the female housing 30, a rear wall 43 having the same width as the female housing 30 is provided to protrude upward. A pair of spring receiving portions 44 that can support the rear end of the compression coil spring 54 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the rear wall 43 in a recessed manner. At a substantially central portion in the width direction of the rear wall 43, a hook portion 45 that can be hooked to the slider 47 is provided to protrude upward. A pair of front stop projections 46 are provided on both outer side surfaces of the rear end of the female housing 30 for front stop of a slider 47 to be described later.
[0022]
A slider 47 can be attached from the front to the outer peripheral side of the female housing 30 having the above-described structure. The slider 47 is made of a synthetic resin, has a substantially rectangular prism shape as a whole, and includes four upper, lower, left and right sides 47a to 47d shown in FIG. The length dimension of the slider 47 is set to be substantially the same as that of the female housing 30, and the slider 47 can surround the female housing 30 all around. The lengths of the slider 47 and the female housing 30 are set to be larger than the hood portion 11 by a predetermined length, so that the rear ends of the female housing 30 and the slider 47 when the housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted. The part projects rearward from the hood part 11 (FIG. 12). The slider 47 can be moved back and forth along the fitting / removing direction of the two housings 10 and 30 in the assembled state, and the inner peripheral surface thereof is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the female housing 30 over substantially the entire area in the moving process. It is possible. A slight clearance is secured between the female housing 30 and the slider 47 in order to make the relative movement of the slider 47 smooth. Further, three pulling operation portions 48 for pulling the slider 47 are provided to protrude outward from the upper side portion 47a of the slider 47 and the rear ends of both side portions 47b and 47c.
[0023]
On both sides in the width direction of the upper side portion 47a of the slider 47, a pair of spring pressing portions 49 that can sandwich the compression coil spring 54 with the spring receiving portion 44 and support the front end of the compression coil spring 54 protrude. Is provided. The two spring holding portions 49 sandwich the lock portion 42 from the side in the assembled state, and have a width dimension and a height dimension such that the lower surface thereof can slide on the upper surface of the female housing 30. . On the inner surface at the rear part of the upper side portion 47a, a hooking groove 50 that allows the hooking portion 45 described above to escape is formed to open rearward, and a slider 47 is provided on the back end surface of the hooking groove 50. When retracted to the maximum, the front of the hook 45 can be hooked (FIG. 13). A pair of lightening portions 51 are formed on the front sides of the upper side portion 47a and both spring pressing portions 49 to prevent sinking during molding.
[0024]
In the assembled state, a predetermined height (of the lock arm 20 excluding the hook portion 22) is provided between the lock portion 42 and the substantially central portion in the width direction between the spring pressing portions 49 of the upper side portion 47a of the slider 47. (Equivalent to the height dimension), and the lock arm 20 in a natural state can enter therein. A substantially central portion in the width direction of the upper side portion 47a enters into the displacement allowable space 21 of the lock arm 20 when the two housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted, and the displacement regulating portion 52 that regulates the displacement operation of the lock arm 20. (FIG. 12A). On the inner surface of the front end portion of the displacement restricting portion 52, a displacement allowing concave portion 53 that allows the lock arm 20 to ride on the lock portion 42 and elastically displace is provided to open forward (FIG. 10A). . The front end surface of the lock arm 20 that has been elastically displaced can be abutted against the rear end surface of the displacement allowable concave portion 53. Accordingly, the lock arm 20 can interfere with the slider 47 when elastically displaced into the displacement allowable space 53, but does not interfere with the slider 47 in a natural state.
[0025]
A pair of front stop grooves 55 are formed in the left and right side portions 47b and 47c of the slider 47 so that the front stop protrusions 46 of the female housing 30 can be locked. By locking the front stop projection 46 and the front stop groove 55, the slider 47 can be held in the front stop state with respect to the female housing 30 (FIG. 7). In this state, the front and rear end surfaces of the female housing 30 and the slider 47 are substantially flush with each other, and the compression coil spring 54 is slightly compressed. Thus, the rattling of the slider 47 before and after can be elastically restricted. A retainer insertion hole 56 through which the retainer 36 can be inserted is formed in the right side portion 47c of FIG. A jig insertion hole 57 through which a jig for operating the operation concave portion 37a of the retainer 36 can be inserted from the side outside is provided at a front hole edge of the retainer insertion hole 56, and the jig insertion hole 57 is It can be aligned with the above described jig insertion recess 40 in the stopped state (FIG. 4). A pair of guide ribs 58 are formed on the outer side surfaces of the side portions 47b and 47c so as to be able to guide the movement of the slider 47 by being fitted into the guide recess 23 of the male housing 10.
[0026]
At the front end of the lower side portion 47d of the slider 47, a cutout portion 59 through which each elastic contact piece 17b of the short terminal 17 can escape is formed. The notch portion 59 is formed in a width region that traverses the entire engagement concave portion 34, and when the slider 47 is stopped at the front with respect to the female housing 30, the rear end position is aligned with the engagement concave portion 34. ing. In addition, a relief portion 60 is cut out at a rear end of the lower side portion 47d by a predetermined length. Accordingly, even when the slider 47 is retracted in the fitting process, the lower side portion 47d does not protrude rearward from the female housing 30, and the lower end portion of the rear end face of the female housing 30 is lower than each cavity 31 at the time of fitting. The work of pushing in the part is easy (see FIG. 11).
[0027]
In the assembled state, the lower side 47d of the slider 47 is disposed below the holding arm 39 of the retainer 36 so as to be opposed to the holding arm 39. The inner surface of the lower side 47d facing the holding arm 39 has a concave portion. 61 is formed so as to open backward. The concave portion 61 is formed in a width region having a size obtained by adding the widths of the base portion 37 and the holding arm 39 on a side portion of the lower side portion 47d closer to the side portion 47c, and has a depth equal to the lower side portion. The thickness is set to slightly less than half of the thickness of 47d (FIG. 3). The front end position of the concave portion 61 is substantially aligned with the holding arm 39 when the slider 47 is stopped at the front, thereby allowing the holding arm 39 to be elastically displaced downward. Therefore, when the retainer 36 is located between the temporary locking position and the full locking position (semi-inserted state), the elastically displaced holding arm 39 advances into the concave portion 61 and the front end surface of the concave portion 61, ie, the slider. When the retainer 36 is disposed in the temporary locking position or the full locking position, the holding arm 39 in the natural state is retracted from the concave portion 61 and is not in contact with the slider 47. Interference. The allowance of the elastically displaced holding arm 39 into the recess 61 is set sufficiently larger than the clearance between the female housing 30 and the slider 47. As described above, the concave portion 61 forms the interference space described in the claims. The holding arm 39 is covered by the portion of the lower side 47d of the slider 47 where the recess 61 is formed without being exposed to the outside.
[0028]
The present embodiment has the above structure, and its operation will be described below. The work of assembling the female housing 30 will be described. After the two compression coil springs 54 and the slider 47 are sequentially assembled to the female housing 30 from the front and brought into a stopped state, the retainer 36 is assembled into the retainer mounting hole 35 while passing through the retainer insertion hole 56 from the side. To the temporary locking position. In this temporary locking position, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each retaining portion 38a is retracted to the side of each cavity 31, and the base portion 37 is disposed in the retainer insertion hole 56 and Projecting outside. Thereafter, the female terminal fittings 33 connected to the electric wires 32 are inserted into the respective cavities 31 from behind, and are temporarily prevented by the lances 33a. When all the female terminal fittings 33 have been inserted, the retainer 36 is pushed into the final locking position from the side via the retainer insertion hole 56.
[0029]
In the process of moving the retainer 36 from the temporary locking position to the full locking position, as shown in FIG. 16, while the amount of projection of the base 37 into the retainer insertion hole 56 gradually decreases, the holding arm 39 Then, since it gets on the holding portion 41 and elastically displaces downward and advances into the concave portion 61, the amount of protrusion of the holding arm 39 into the concave portion 61 gradually increases. When the retainer 36 reaches the final locking position, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, each retaining portion 38 a advances into each cavity 31 and locks on the jaw 33 c of each female terminal fitting 33. The female terminal fittings 33 are double prevented from falling off. At this time, while the base 37 is completely retracted from the retainer insertion hole 56, the holding arm 39 gets over the holding protrusion 41 and is restored, and the holding portion 41 is locked in the permanent locking recess 39b, and the natural state is achieved. Is completely retracted from the recess 61. Accordingly, the slider 47 does not interfere with the retainer 36, so that the slider 47 is allowed to move relative to the female housing 30.
[0030]
The operation of fitting the female housing 30 assembled in this manner to the mating male housing 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the female housing 30 and the slider 47 enter the hood 11 together with the female housing 30 and the slider 47 facing the front of the hood 11 of the male housing 10. When the two housings 10 and 30 are fitted to a predetermined depth, as shown in FIG. 10, the hook portion 22 rides up while being guided by the front surface 42 a of the lock portion 42, whereby the lock arm 20 is elastically displaced upward. At the same time, it is retracted into the displacement allowing space 21 and the displacement allowing recess 53.
[0031]
As the fitting proceeds from this state, as shown in FIG. 11, the front end face of the elastically displaced lock arm 20 presses the rear end face of the displacement allowing recess 53, thereby causing the slider 47 to move the female housing 30. And the compression coil spring 54 is compressed. In this process, the tab 14b of the male terminal fitting 14 starts to be elastically contacted with the elastic contact piece 33b of the female terminal fitting 33.
[0032]
If the worker interrupts the fitting operation in the middle of the fitting, the biasing force accumulated so far in the compressed compression coil spring 54 is released, so that the compression coil spring 54 is biased forward. When the slider 47 presses the lock arm 20 in the detaching direction, the two housings 10 and 30 are forcibly detached. This prevents the housings 10, 30 from being left in a semi-fitted state.
[0033]
When the two housings 10 and 30 are fitted to the normal depth, as shown in FIG. 12, the hook portion 22 gets over the lock portion 42 and the lock arm 20 is restored (elastic displacement), and the rear surface 22 a of the hook portion 22 is The rear surface 42b of the lock portion 42 is locked. At the same time, the front end face of the lock arm 20 is disengaged from the back end face of the displacement allowing concave portion 53 and the pressed state is released (the lock arm 20 does not interfere with the slider 47), so that the lock arm 20 is accumulated in the compression coil spring 54. When the urging force is released, the slider 47 moves forward and reaches the front stop position before fitting. As the slider 47 advances, the displacement restricting portion 52 enters the displacement allowable space 21 of the lock arm 20, thereby restricting the elastic displacement operation of the lock arm 20. As a result, the housings 10 and 30 are double-locked and firmly held undetachably. In a process in which the two housings 10 and 30 reach the normal fitting, each elastic contact piece 17b of the short terminal 17 is elastically displaced downward while being separated from the tab 14b by each engaging concave portion 34, and the engaging concave portion 34 and the notch Since it escapes into the portion 59, the short-circuit state between the two male terminal fittings 14 is released.
[0034]
On the other hand, there is a case where both housings 10 and 30 are detached depending on circumstances such as maintenance. In this case, in the properly fitted state, the respective pulling operation sections 48 provided at the rear end of the slider 47 projecting rearward from the hood section 11 are pulled. The slider 47 is moved backward while resisting the bias of the compression coil spring 54, and reaches a position where the front end face of the hook groove 50 is hooked to the front end face of the hook portion 45 released into the hook groove 50. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the displacement restricting portion 52 is completely retracted from the displacement allowable space 21 of the lock arm 20 and the displacement allowable concave portion 53 is disposed on the front end of the lock arm 20. Is released. When the slider 47 is further pulled backward from this state, as shown in FIG. 14, the lock arm 20 is guided by the rear surface 22a of the hook portion 22 and the rear surface 42b of the lock portion 42 and automatically elastically displaced. The locked state is released. By pulling the slider 47 backward as it is, the female housing 30 and the slider 47 are pulled out from the hood portion 11.
[0035]
If the worker interrupts the detaching operation in the middle of the detaching operation, the urging force of the compressed coil spring 54 which is compressed by retreating the slider 47 is released. As shown by the line, as the slider 47 moves forward, the rear end face of the displacement allowing recess 53 abuts against the front end face of the lock arm 20 in the elastically displaced state, and the two housings 10 and 30 are forcibly detached. This prevents the two housings 10 and 30 from being left in a half-fitted state even during detachment.
[0036]
By the way, when assembling the female housing 30 side, when the retainer 36 is moved from the temporary locking position to the final locking position after the insertion of the female terminal fitting 33, the retainer 36 is not fully pushed in and the retainer 36 is completely inserted. There is a case where it is not in the final locking position and is in a half-inserted state. In this case, as shown in FIG. 16, the base 37 of the retainer 36 partially projects into the retainer insertion hole 56, and the holding arm 39 rides on the holding portion 41 and is elastically displaced, so that the recess 61 is formed. Has advanced into. Even if an attempt is made to engage the housings 10 and 30 in this state, when the slider 47 is pressed backward by the lock arm 20 of the male housing 10 as shown in FIG. When the front end face of the insertion hole 56 abuts and the front end face of the recess 61 abuts on the front end face of the holding arm 39, the retreating operation of the slider 47 is restricted. If the retraction of the slider 47 is restricted, the fitting of the housings 10 and 30 cannot be advanced, and it is detected that the retainer 36 is in the half-inserted state.
[0037]
In the case where the operation of pushing the retainer 36 into the final locking position is forgotten, the holding arm 39 is in the natural state and retracts from the concave portion 61 as shown in FIG. When the front end face of the retainer insertion hole 56 abuts against the base 37 that protrudes from the front end, the retracting operation of the slider 47 is restricted, and the fitting of the housings 10 and 30 becomes impossible. Is detected.
[0038]
When removing the female terminal fitting 33 from the female housing 30, the jig is inserted into the jig insertion hole 57 and the jig insertion recess 40 from the side, and is inserted into the operation recess 37 a facing the jig insertion recess 40. On the other hand, the retaining operation of the female terminal fitting 33 by the retainer 36 is released by moving the retainer 36 to the temporary locking position by performing a pulling operation while hooking the jig (see FIG. 4). The female terminal fitting 33 is pulled out of the cavity 31 by inserting the jig from the front into the locking groove 31a to elastically deform the lance 33a and pulling the electric wire 32 backward while releasing the retaining state.
[0039]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the retainer 36 reaches the final locking position, the holding arm 39 is elastically displaced and the amount of protrusion into the recess 61 increases. Therefore, even before the retainer 36 reaches the final locking position, a sufficient interference area of the retainer 36 with the slider 47 can be secured, and the movement of the slider 47, that is, the fitting operation of the two housings 10, 30 can be performed. Can be reliably regulated. Thereby, half insertion of the retainer 36 can be reliably detected. Further, even if a clearance is provided between the female housing 30 and the slider 47 for smooth movement of the slider 47, a sufficient interference area of the retainer 36 with the slider 47 is ensured. Can be reliably detected.
[0040]
Moreover, since the holding arm 39 can be covered by the portion of the slider 47 in which the concave portion 61 is formed, the holding arm 39 can be prevented from being damaged by an external foreign substance or the like, thereby preventing the female terminal fitting 33 from coming off. Effects such as improvement in reliability can be obtained.
[0041]
<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and furthermore, besides the following, within the scope not departing from the gist. Can be implemented with various modifications.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, a case was described in which a recess was formed in the slider to allow the holding arm to escape. However, the recess was omitted, and the length of the lower side of the slider was set to just before the holding arm, and An embodiment in which the holding arm interferes with the rear end surface is also included in the present invention. In that case, the space provided behind the lower side of the slider becomes the interference space. In the above-described embodiment, the slider has a substantially cylindrical shape. However, the slider may have another shape (such as a substantially flat plate shape or a substantially U-shape).
[0042]
(2) In the embodiment described above, the retainer is movable between the temporary locking position and the full locking position. However, for example, a state in which the temporary locking position of the retainer is not set and the retainer is removed. The present invention is also applicable to a device in which the female terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity by the above method, and then the retainer is assembled at the final locking position to lock the female terminal fitting.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, the slider is pushed by the elastically displaced lock arm. However, for example, the lock means is a so-called inertial lock mechanism, and the slider is pushed by the lock arm in a natural state. Included in the invention.
[0043]
(4) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the lock arm constituting the lock means also serves as the elastic displacement portion described in the claims is described, but the elastic displacement portion is provided as a dedicated portion separately from the lock arm. Such a configuration is also included in the present invention.
(5) In the above-described embodiment, the locking means has a semi-lock structure, and the displacement restricting portion of the slider restricts the displacement operation of the lock arm. However, the displacement restricting portion is omitted and the locking means is normally used. The lock structure (for example, a structure in which the rear surfaces of the hook portion and the lock portion are vertically straight surfaces) is also included in the present invention.
[0044]
(6) Contrary to the above-described embodiment, the present invention includes an arrangement in which the slider and the compression coil spring are assembled on the male housing side and the lock arm is provided on the female housing side.
(7) In the above-described embodiment, a so-called wire-to-wire type connector has been described as an example. However, the present invention is also applicable to a connector in which a male housing is directly connected to a device.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a male housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of a female housing and a retainer on which a slider is assembled.
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the female housing on which the slider is assembled.
FIG. 4 is a side view of a female housing on which a slider is assembled.
FIG. 5A is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2 showing a state before the female terminal fitting is inserted with the retainer in a temporary locking position.
(B) A sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 2 showing a state before the female terminal fitting is inserted with the retainer in a temporary locking position.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 5 showing a state where the retainer is in a temporary locking position.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 2;
FIG. 8A is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing a state before the housings are fitted with the retainer in a final locking position.
(B) A sectional view taken along the line BB in FIGS. 1 and 2 showing a state before the housings are fitted with the retainer in a final locking position.
9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 8, showing a state where the retainer is in a final locking position.
10A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing an initial state of fitting of both housings.
(B) A sectional view taken along the line BB of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing an initial state of fitting of both housings.
FIG. 11A is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing a state in which both housings are being fitted;
(B) A sectional view taken along the line BB in FIGS. 1 and 2 showing a state in which both housings are being fitted.
FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing a properly fitted state of both housings.
(B) A cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIGS. 1 and 2 showing a properly fitted state of both housings.
13A is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIGS. 1 and 2, showing a state in which the slider is retracted.
(B) A sectional view taken along the line BB of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing a state in which the slider is retracted.
14A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIGS. 1 and 2, showing a state in which both housings are being detached.
(B) A sectional view taken along the line BB in FIGS. 1 and 2 showing a state in which both housings are being detached.
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2 showing a state in which the retainer is half-inserted and the housings cannot be fitted;
FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 15 showing a state in which the retainer is half-inserted;
[Explanation of symbols]
10. Male housing (other connector housing)
20: Lock arm (elastic displacement part)
30 ... female housing (connector housing)
31 ... Cavity
33 ... Female terminal fitting (terminal fitting)
36 ... Retainer
39 ... Holding arm
41 ... holding part
47 ... Slider
54 ... compression coil spring (biasing member)
61 ... recess

Claims (2)

The connector housing, which can be fitted to the mating connector housing, is provided with a cavity through which the terminal fitting can be inserted and withdrawn, and can be advanced into the cavity to be locked to the terminal fitting, and intersect with the direction of inserting and removing the terminal fitting. And a slider movable back and forth in the direction of insertion and removal of the terminal fitting. A slider is disposed between the slider and the connector housing, and the slider is retracted. A biasing member that is compressible while accumulating a biasing force to detach the connector housing is assembled,
The slider is pushed rearward by an elastic displacement portion provided on the mating connector housing while the two connector housings are being fitted together, while the elastic displacement portion is pushed when the two connector housings are properly fitted. By being elastically displaced and coming off the slider, the urging force of the urging means is released and the slider is moved forward,
The retainer is provided with a holding arm that can be held at a regular position for locking the retainer to the terminal fitting by being locked to a holding portion provided on the connector housing. In the process of arriving at the normal position, the robot rides on the holding portion and undergoes elastic displacement to advance into the interference space capable of interfering with the slider, and is restored as the retainer reaches the normal position, thereby recovering from the interference space. A connector characterized by being evacuable. 2. The slider according to claim 1, wherein the slider is formed so as to face the holding arm in an assembled state, and the interference space is formed by a concave portion formed on a surface of the slider facing the holding arm. Connector as described.

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