JP2005158444A - Pressure contact connector, device, and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce an installation cost in a pressure contact connector, a pressure contact device, and a pressure contact method. <P>SOLUTION: In the case a pallet having a positioning part corresponding to the size of the housings is used for forwarding the housing, it becomes necessary to change the pallet when the size of the housings are different. In this invention, sliding surfaces 27F, 27R, 37F, 37R formed at the bottom face of the housings 20, 30 are contacted and slid on the rails 50F, 50R of the pressure contact device, and the housings 20, 30 are moved in a parallel direction to the terminal fitting 40, thereby even if the size of the housings 20, 30 are different, the rails 50F, 50R are not required to change, thus compared with the case of using the pallet, the equipment cost can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pressure contact connector, a pressure contact apparatus, and a pressure contact method.

Conventionally, a pallet that intermittently moves in the same direction as the parallel direction of the terminal fittings is provided as a means for pressing the electric wire against the terminal fittings accommodated in parallel in the housing in the pressure welding connector, and is formed on the upper surface of this pallet. There is a housing in which a housing is positioned by accommodating the housing in a recess, and the electric wires are press-contacted to a plurality of terminal fittings in the housing in a state where the housing is stopped at a predetermined position. In addition, what is disclosed by patent document 1 etc. is known as an example of a press-contact apparatus.
JP-A-9-283254

  When the number and pitch of the terminal fittings accommodated in the housing are different, the size of the housing is also different. However, in the above conventional pressure contact means, since the housing is set in the recess for positioning, if the size of the housing is different, it is necessary to change the pallet accordingly, which increases the equipment cost. was there.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to reduce equipment costs.

  As a means for achieving the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is a housing in which a plurality of terminal fittings are arranged in parallel so as to open on the upper surface side, and in the same direction as the parallel direction of the terminal fittings. In the pressure welding apparatus provided with an extending rail, a pressure welding connector in which an electric wire is pressed against the terminal fitting from the upper surface side while moving the housing in the same direction as the parallel direction of the terminal fitting. A sliding contact surface along the parallel direction of the terminal fitting is formed on the lower surface of the housing, and the housing slides in the parallel direction of the terminal fitting by bringing the sliding contact surface into sliding contact with the rail. It is characterized in that it can be done.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, in the state in which the two housings are arranged in contact with each other on the rail, the two adjacent ones sandwiching the outer walls of both housings. It is characterized in that the pitch between the terminal fittings is the same dimension as the parallel pitch of the terminal fittings in each housing or an integral multiple of the parallel pitch.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the outer wall is provided with a recess capable of avoiding interference with the pressing protrusion formed on the pressure welding jig at the same pitch as the terminal fitting. However, it has characteristics.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, a rib-shaped reinforcing portion protrudes from a region of the lower surface of the housing that does not correspond to the rail. However, it has characteristics.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the electric wires are connected to the terminal fitting from the upper surface side while moving the housing in which the plurality of terminal fittings are opened in the upper surface side in the same direction as the parallel direction of the terminal fitting. A press-contacting device configured to press-contact, wherein a sliding contact surface is formed on the lower surface of the housing along the same direction as the parallel direction of the terminal fittings, and the housing is slid in contact with the sliding contact surface. It is characterized in that a rail is provided that allows the terminal fittings to be moved in the parallel direction.

  The invention according to claim 6 is an upper surface side with respect to the terminal metal fitting while moving a housing in which a plurality of terminal metal fittings are opened in the press contact apparatus in the same direction as the parallel direction of the terminal metal fittings. A pressure contact method in which the electric wire is pressed from the bottom surface of the housing, and a sliding contact surface is formed on the lower surface of the housing along the parallel direction of the terminal fittings, and the pressure welding device is provided along the parallel direction of the terminal fittings. A structure is provided in which a rail is provided, and the housing is moved in the parallel direction of the terminal fittings while the sliding contact surface is in sliding contact with the rail.

<Invention of Claims 1, 5 and 6>
When the housing is fed using a pallet having a positioning portion that matches the size of the housing, it is necessary to change the pallet when the size of the housing is different. Since it is made to slide above, it is not necessary to change a rail even if the size of a housing differs, and installation cost can be reduced compared with the case where a pallet is used.

<Invention of Claim 2>
When a single pressure welding jig is used to perform pressure welding on a plurality of terminal fittings at the same time, pressure welding can be performed even when the pressure welding jig straddles between two housings. Even if the number of pressure contacts and the number of terminal fittings in one housing do not coincide with each other, it is possible to efficiently perform pressure welding in a state where a plurality of housings are continuously connected.

<Invention of Claim 3>
By forming the recess in the outer wall, the thickness (width) of the outer wall can be increased and the strength of the outer wall can be increased.

<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the reinforcing portion is formed in the housing, the strength of the housing can be increased without hindering the sliding operation by the rail even when the housing has a thin plate shape.

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The pressure contact connector C according to the present embodiment is obtained by housing a plurality of terminal fittings 40 in a connector housing H and pressing the electric wires 42 to the respective terminal fittings 40 by a pressure welding device described later. The connector housing H includes a cover 10 made of synthetic resin, an upper housing 20 that is also made of synthetic resin (a housing that is a component of the present invention), and a lower housing 30 made of synthetic resin (a housing that is a component of the present invention). Are assembled in a state of being stacked in order from the top.

  The cover 10 has a rectangular flat plate shape that is long in the left-right direction (width direction) as a whole. A plurality of upper pressing protrusions 11 elongated in the front-rear direction are formed on the lower surface of the cover 10 so as to be divided into two symmetrical groups and arranged in parallel at a constant pitch for each group. These upper-stage pressing projections 11 are arranged in a region corresponding to the front end portion of the terminal fitting 40 of the upper-stage housing 20 in the front-rear direction. Between the two groups of upper pressing projections 11, a lock arm 12 is provided for engaging a mating connector (not shown) to lock the mating connector and the pressure contact connector C in a fitted state. .

  At the left and right side edges of the cover 10, holding pieces 13 extending in a plate shape at a substantially right angle downward from the rear end region are formed, and the inner surfaces of these holding pieces 13 are related to the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30. Two upper and lower holding grooves 14 and 15 are formed. A first positioning protrusion 16 is formed in a substantially front half region on both the left and right side edges of the cover 10 so as to protrude downward in the form of a long and narrow rib.

  Further, on the upper surface of the cover 10, a rib-shaped reinforcing portion 17a extending in the left-right direction along the rear edge, a rib-shaped reinforcing portion 17b extending in the front-rear direction along the left and right side edges, and the reinforcing in the front-rear direction are provided. A rib-shaped reinforcing portion 17c extending in the front-rear direction is formed between the portion 17b and the lock arm 12, and the curved deformation of the cover 10 is restricted or suppressed by these reinforcing portions 17a, 17b, 17c.

  Similar to the cover 10, the upper housing 20 has a rectangular flat plate shape that is long in the left-right direction (width direction) as a whole. On the upper surface of the upper housing 20, a plurality of upper cavities 21 elongated in the front-rear direction are divided into two symmetrical groups, and each group is arranged in parallel at a constant pitch (the same pitch as the upper pressing protrusions 11 for the cover 10). It is formed with. In the left-right direction, the upper pressing protrusion 11 of the cover 10 corresponds to the upper cavity 21 of the upper housing 20. When the upper housing 20 is assembled to the lower surface side of the cover 10, the upper pressing protrusion 11 of the cover 10. Enters the upper cavity 21 of the upper housing 20 and restricts the lifting of the terminal fitting 40. A tab insertion opening 21b for inserting a male tab (not shown) of the mating connector is formed in the front wall 21a of each upper cavity 21 so as to penetrate therethrough. As means for restricting the finished electric wire 42 from being separated upward, a partition wall for partitioning the upper cavities 21 and a locking protrusion 21c protruding inward from the left and right outer walls 22 of the upper housing 20 are formed.

  Upper left and right outer walls 22 of the upper housing 20 are formed with upper holding protrusions 23 protruding outward from the rear end region. When the upper housing 20 is assembled to the lower surface side of the cover 10, the upper holding protrusions 23. Is fitted into the holding groove 14 on the upper side of the cover 10 so that the cover 10 and the upper housing 20 are prevented from being detached in the vertical direction.

  An upper step recess 24 is formed in a substantially front half region of the left and right outer walls 22 with the upper surface side cut away. The upper step recess 24 is long in the front-rear direction and opened to the outer surface of the outer wall 22. When the cover 10 and the upper housing 20 are assembled, the first positioning projection 16 of the cover 10 is formed by the upper step recess 24. As a result, the positional deviation of the cover 10 and the upper housing 20 in the front-rear direction is regulated. Similarly, a second positioning protrusion 25 is formed in a substantially front half region of the outer wall 22 so as to protrude in the form of an elongated rib in the front-rear direction downward from its lower surface.

  On the lower surface of the upper housing 20, a plurality of lower pressing protrusions 26 elongated in the front-rear direction are formed in parallel with each other at a constant pitch in the left-right direction (width direction). In the parallel direction (left-right direction) of the terminal fittings 40, the upper pressing protrusion 11 of the cover 10 and the upper cavity 21 of the upper housing 20 are all arranged so as to correspond to the lower pressing protrusion 26 of the upper housing 20. .

  In addition, a region along the front edge on the lower surface of the upper housing 20 and a substantially second half region (a region corresponding to the press contact blade 41 in the terminal fitting 40 in the upper cavity 21) are along the left-right direction (the parallel direction of the terminal fitting 40). Thus, a pair of front and rear upper sliding contact surfaces 27F and 27R that extend continuously in a planar shape and face the left and right outer surfaces of the upper housing 20 are formed. In the front-rear direction, the second positioning protrusion 25 and the lower pressing protrusion 26 are positioned between the pair of front and rear upper sliding contact surfaces 27F, 27R.

  Similar to the upper housing 20, the lower housing 30 has a rectangular flat plate shape that is long in the left-right direction (width direction) as a whole. On the upper surface of the lower housing 30, a plurality of lower cavities 31 elongated in the front-rear direction are formed in parallel with each other at a constant pitch in the left-right direction. In the left-right direction, the lower pressing protrusion 26 of the upper housing 20 and the lower cavity 31 of the lower housing 30 correspond to each other. When the lower housing 30 is assembled to the lower surface side of the upper housing 20, The pressing protrusion 26 enters the inside of the lower cavity 31 and restricts the lifting of the front end portion of the terminal fitting 40. A tab insertion port 31b for inserting a male tab (not shown) of the mating connector is formed in the front wall 31a of each lower cavity 31 so as to penetrate therethrough. As means for restricting the detached electric wire 42 from separating upward, a partition wall that partitions the lower cavities 31 and a locking protrusion 31 c that protrudes inward from the left and right outer walls 32 of the lower housing 30 are formed.

  The left and right outer walls 32 of the lower housing 30 are formed with lower holding projections 33 protruding outward from the rear end region, and the lower housing 30 is attached to the lower surface side of the upper housing 20 assembled to the lower surface of the cover 10. In the assembled state, the lower-stage holding projection 33 is fitted into the lower holding groove 15 of the cover 10, so that the vertical separation of the cover 10, the upper-stage housing 20, and the lower-stage housing 30 is restricted. Yes.

  A lower recess 34 is formed in a substantially front half region of the left and right outer walls 32 of the lower housing 30, with the upper surface side notched. The lower recess 34 is long in the front-rear direction and is open to the outer surface of the outer wall 32. When the lower housing 30 is assembled to the lower surface of the upper housing 20, the second positioning projection of the upper housing 20 is provided. 25 is fitted into the lower recess 34 so that the positional deviation in the front-rear direction of the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 is regulated. Similarly, a third positioning projection 35 is formed in a substantially front half region of the outer wall 32 so as to project in the form of an elongated rib in the front-rear direction downward from its lower surface.

  In addition, a region along the front edge on the lower surface of the lower housing 30 and a substantially second half region (region corresponding to the press contact blade 41 in the terminal fitting 40 in the lower cavity 31) are along the left-right direction (the parallel direction of the terminal fitting 40). A pair of front and rear lower slide contact surfaces 37F and 37R that extend continuously in a planar shape and face the left and right outer surfaces of the lower housing 30. In the front-rear direction, the third positioning protrusion 35 is located between the pair of front and rear lower slide contact surfaces 37F, 37R. Further, a rib-shaped reinforcing portion 38 extending in the left-right direction along the rear edge of the lower housing 30 is formed continuously over a wide area excluding the left and right ends of the lower housing 30.

  Regarding the width dimension of the outer wall 22 of the upper housing 20 and the outer wall 32 of the lower housing 30 described above, when the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 are arranged side by side with their outer walls 22 and 32 in contact with each other, The pitch between the terminal fitting 40 located at the right end of the upper housing 20 and the terminal fitting 40 located at the left end of the lower housing 30 that are adjacent to each other with the outer walls 22 and 32 of the housings 20 and 30 interposed therebetween is determined by 21 and 31 (terminal fitting 40) are three times the parallel pitch (see FIG. 10). The width dimensions of the outer walls 22 and 32 of the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 are all the same.

  The pressure welding apparatus includes a pair of front and rear linearly extending rails 50F and 50R, and a pressure welding jig 51 disposed above the rails 50F and 50R so as to be vertically movable. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the front-rear width of the front rail 50F is substantially the same as the front upper-sliding contact surface 27F and the front lower-sliding contact surface 37F, and the front-rear width of the rear rail 50R is the rear. It is narrower than the upper slidable contact surface 27R on the side and the lower slidable contact surface 37R on the rear side, and the front-rear width of the rear rail 50R is larger than the width of the front rail 50F.

  The pressure welding jig 51 has a thick plate shape as a whole, and a plurality of push-in protrusions 52 that are elongated in the front-rear direction are formed on the lower surface of the pressure welding jig 51 in the left-right direction (in the direction parallel to the terminal fittings 40). In addition, the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 are moved in the direction of the rails 50F and 50R (in the direction of movement) in parallel with each other at a constant pitch. The parallel pitch of the pushing protrusions 52 is the same as the parallel pitch of the upper cavity 21 and the lower cavity 31, and the lateral width of the pushing protrusions 52 is smaller than the opening width of the cavity.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  In the pressure contact connector C of the present embodiment, first, with the cover 10, the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 separated, a plurality of upper housings 20 and a plurality of lower housings 30 are alternately arranged on the rails 50F and 50R of the pressure welding device. The outer walls 22 and 32 that are adjacent to each other are placed so as to line up. At this time, the front upper sliding contact surface 27F and the lower sliding contact surface 37F are in contact with the upper surface of the front rail 50F, and the rear upper sliding contact surface 27R and the lower sliding contact surface 37R are the upper surfaces of the rear rail 50R. The second positioning projection 25 and the third positioning projection 35 are positioned between the front and rear rails 50F, 50R. In addition, the reinforcing portion 38 on the lower surface of the lower housing 30 is located rearward of the rear rail 50R.

  In this state, all the housings 20 and 30 are intermittently moved simultaneously in one direction along the length direction of the rails 50F and 50R. During this time, the terminal fittings 40 are sequentially accommodated in the cavities 21 and 31 of the respective housings 20 and 30, and electric wires are connected to the plurality of terminal fittings 40 accommodated in the housings 20 and 30 stopped below the pressure welding jig 51. 42 are pressed together. At the time of press contact, the electric wire 42 is supplied from above to the press contact blade 41 of each terminal fitting 40, and then the press contact jig 51 descends and the plurality of pushing projections 52 push the wire 42 into the press contact blade 41 all at once. When the pressure welding is completed, the pressure welding jig 51 is raised, and then all the housings 20 and 30 are simultaneously moved by a predetermined distance. This moving distance has a dimension obtained by multiplying the number of the plurality of terminal fittings 40 that are press-contacted by the press-contacting jig 51 by the parallel pitch of the terminal fittings 40.

  In addition, since the number of push-in protrusions 52 formed on one pressure welding jig 51 is smaller than the number of cavities 21 and 31 formed on one housing 20 and 30, one pressure welding jig 51 is adjacent. In some cases, the two housings 20 and 30 are positioned so as to straddle. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, when the pressure welding jig 51 pushes the electric wire 42 into the pressure welding blade 41 of the terminal fitting 40, the adjacent housings 20, 30 among the plurality of pushing projections 52 of the pressure welding jig 51. The two pushing projections 52 corresponding to the outer walls 22 and 32 of the first and second outer walls 22 and 32 enter the recesses 24 and 34 formed in the two adjacent outer walls 22 and 32. Accordingly, interference between the push-in projection 52 and the outer walls 22 and 32 is avoided, so that even if the press-contact jig 51 is positioned across the two housings 20 and 30, the press-contact operation is not hindered.

  The housings 20 and 30 that have been press-contacted with the electric wires 42 to the terminal fittings 40 are removed from the rails 50F and 50R, and the process proceeds to the assembly process of the press-connecting connector C. At the time of assembly, the cover 10, the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 are stacked one above the other, and the holding protrusions 23 and 33 are fitted into the holding grooves 14 and 15 while the holding pieces 13 are elastically bent outward, and the concave portions 24 are fitted. 34, the positioning protrusions 16 and 25 are fitted. In a state where the assembly is completed, the pressing protrusions 11 and 26 enter the corresponding cavities 21 and 31 below, and the front end portions of the terminal fittings 40 in the cavities 21 and 31 are pressed from above to lift up. regulate.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, as means for intermittently moving the housings 20 and 30, the rails 50F and 50R in which the slidable contact surfaces 27F, 27R, 37F, and 37R formed on the lower surfaces of the housings 20 and 30 are provided in the press contact device. It is made to slide on. Accordingly, when the housing is sent using a pallet having a positioning portion that matches the size of the housing, it is necessary to change the pallet when the size of the housing is different. The rails 50F and 50R do not need to be changed even if the sizes of 20 and 30 (the number of terminals 40 in parallel) are different, and the equipment cost can be reduced as compared with the case of using a pallet.

  Further, in the state where the two housings 20 and 30 are arranged in contact with each other on the rails 50F and 50R, the two terminals adjacent to each other with the outer walls 22 and 32 of both the housings 20 and 30 interposed therebetween. The pitch between the metal fittings 40 is three times (integer multiple) the parallel pitch of the terminal metal fittings 40 in the housings 20 and 30. As a result, when a single pressure welding jig 51 is used to perform pressure welding on a plurality of terminal fittings 40 at the same time, the pressure welding jig 51 can be in pressure contact even when it is straddled between the two housings 20 and 30. Even if the number of press-contacts by one press-contact jig 51 and the number of terminal fittings 40 in one housing 20, 30 do not match, intermittent movement is performed in a state where a plurality of housings 20, 30 are continuously connected. It is possible to perform the pressure contact while efficiently.

  In addition, since the outer walls 22 and 32 are formed with recesses 24 and 34 that allow the pressing jig 51 to avoid interference with the pressing protrusions 52 formed at the same pitch as the terminal fitting 40, The thickness (width) of the outer walls 22 and 32 can be increased, and the strength of the outer walls 22 and 32 can be increased.

  In addition, rib-shaped reinforcing portions 38 are formed so as to protrude in regions (regions other than the sliding contact surfaces 37F and 37R) on the lower surface of the lower housing 30 that do not correspond to the rails 50F and 50R. Even if it forms, the intensity | strength of the lower housing 30 is raised, without causing trouble in the sliding operation by the rails 50F and 50R.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment 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 further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.

  (1) In the above embodiment, in a state where two housings are arranged in contact with each other on the rail, the pitch between two terminal fittings adjacent to each other across the outer walls of both housings is the terminal in each housing. According to the present invention, the pitch between two terminal fittings adjacent to each other across the outer wall is the same as the parallel pitch of the terminal fittings in each housing or the parallel pitch. It is good also as an integral multiple of 2 times or 4 times, and it is good also as a dimension other than an integral multiple.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the concave portion is formed on the outer wall. However, according to the present invention, the concave portion may not be formed as described above. In this case, it is only necessary that the pressure welding jig does not straddle between the two housings.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the rib for increasing the strength is formed on the lower surface of the housing. However, according to the present invention, the rib may not be formed in this way.

Perspective view with connector housing separated Rear view with the connector housing separated Cross-sectional view of the connector housing assembled Side view of the upper housing mounted on the rail A longitudinal sectional view of the upper housing mounted on the rail Longitudinal sectional view showing the state where the wire is pressed against the terminal fitting in the upper housing Longitudinal sectional view showing the state where the wire is pressed against the terminal fitting in the lower housing A plan view showing a state where the upper housing and the lower housing are placed side by side on the rail. Cross-sectional view showing the state where the upper and lower housings are arranged side by side Partial enlarged view of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

C ... Pressure contact connector 20 ... Upper housing 22,32 ... Outer wall 24 ... Upper recess 27F, 27R ... Upper sliding contact surface 30 ... Lower housing 34 ... Lower recess 37F, 37R ... Lower sliding contact surface 38 ... Reinforcement portion 40 ... Terminal fitting 50F , 50R ... Rail 51 ... Pressure welding jig 52 ... Pushing projection

Claims (6)

In a pressure welding apparatus, wherein a plurality of terminal fittings are arranged in parallel in a form in which a plurality of terminal fittings are opened on the upper surface side, and rails extending in the same direction as the parallel direction of the terminal fittings are provided. While being moved in the same direction as the parallel direction, a pressure contact connector in which the electric wire is pressure contacted from the upper surface side to the terminal fitting,
A sliding contact surface is formed on the lower surface of the housing along the parallel direction of the terminal fittings,
The press contact connector, wherein the housing can be slid in the parallel direction of the terminal fittings by sliding the sliding contact surface on the rail. In a state where the two housings are arranged in contact with each other on the rail, the pitch between the two terminal fittings adjacent to each other across the outer walls of both housings is the parallel of the terminal fittings in each housing. 2. The press-connecting connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector has the same dimension as the pitch or an integral multiple of the parallel pitch. The press-connecting connector according to claim 2, wherein the outer wall is formed with a recess capable of avoiding interference with the pressing protrusion formed on the press-contacting jig at the same pitch as the terminal fitting. The press-connecting connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a rib-shaped reinforcing portion protrudes from a region of the lower surface of the housing that does not correspond to the rail. A pressure welding apparatus in which a housing in which a plurality of terminal fittings are opened on the upper surface side is moved in the same direction as the parallel direction of the terminal fittings, and an electric wire is pressed against the terminal fittings from the upper surface side. Because
On the lower surface of the housing, after forming a sliding contact surface along the same direction as the parallel direction of the terminal fittings,
A pressure welding apparatus, comprising: a rail that enables the housing to move in a direction parallel to the terminal fitting while sliding the sliding surface. A pressure welding method for pressure-welding a wire from the upper surface side to the terminal fitting while moving a housing in which a plurality of terminal fittings are opened in the pressure welding apparatus in parallel with the terminal fitting being opened in the same direction as the parallel direction of the terminal fitting. Because
On the lower surface of the housing, a sliding contact surface is formed along the same direction as the parallel direction of the terminal fittings, and a rail is provided on the pressure welding device along the parallel direction of the terminal fittings.
A pressure welding method, wherein the housing is moved in a parallel direction of the terminal fittings while the sliding surface is in sliding contact with the rail.

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