JP2005222758A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector with a retainer capable of preventing a dimension in the thickness direction from increasing. <P>SOLUTION: A retainer mounting hole 30 opening to a bottom surface 21 and a pair of side surfaces 22 is formed in a connector housing 2 of this connector 1, and regular lock parts 32 and tentative lock parts 33 are projected in a front part relative to the front edge 30a of the retainer mounting hole 30 on the side surfaces 22. A retainer 4 has a base body 41 extending long in the width direction of the connector 1, and side wall parts 42 erected on both its ends; and lock receiving parts 47 engaging with the regular lock parts 32 and the tentative lock parts 33 are formed on the inside surfaces of the side wall parts 42. The retainer 4 is brought close to the retainer mounting hole 30 from the outer lower side of the connector housing 2 and the lock receiving parts 47 are engaged with the regular lock parts 32 or the tentative lock parts 33, whereby they are each brought into a regular lock state or tentative lock state thereof. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector including a retainer that prevents a terminal fitting from coming off.

As a conventional technique related to a connector, a retainer mounting hole opened on the bottom surface and a pair of side surfaces is formed in the connector housing, and the retainer is fitted into the retainer mounting hole so as to protrude into the cavity of the connector housing. There is a connector that prevents the disconnection (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3415136 (FIG. 1)

  However, in the above-described prior art, since the lock portion that is formed on the connector housing and engages with the lock claw provided on the retainer is formed on the side surface above the retainer mounting hole, the thickness of the connector housing The dimension in the (up and down) direction is increased, and the dimension in the thickness direction of the connector itself is also increased. For example, when the connector is attached to a vehicle, the connector may be inserted into the through hole formed in the body part. At this time, the size of the through hole of the body part is restricted by the dimension in the thickness direction of the connector. Increasing the size of the connector in the thickness direction increases the size of the through hole, which is a problem in vehicle design.

  This invention is completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It aims at providing the connector with a retainer which prevents the dimension of the thickness direction from becoming large.

  As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 has a cavity extending in the front-rear direction to accommodate the terminal fitting therein, and is formed so as to reach the cavity from its outer peripheral surface. A connector housing having a retainer mounting hole that opens in three directions of one side of the outer peripheral surface and a pair of side surfaces sandwiching the outer surface, a continuous base, and side wall portions erected at both ends thereof, By making it approach perpendicularly to the one surface sandwiched by side surfaces from the outside of the connector housing and mounting the retainer mounting hole, the base projects into the cavity and engages with the terminal fitting. In the connector having a retainer for preventing the terminal fitting from coming out of the cavity, the retainer mounting hole is formed in the side surface of the connector housing. A lock portion is formed in front of the front edge, and the side wall portion of the retainer is engaged with the lock portion to prevent the retainer from being pulled out of the retainer mounting hole when mounted in the retainer mounting hole. The connector is characterized in that a lock receiving portion is formed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the lock portion engages with the lock receiving portion and positions the retainer base at a position in which the retainer base protrudes into the cavity. The retainer is provided on the approaching side, and is configured by a temporary locking portion that engages with the lock receiving portion and positions the retainer at a position where the terminal fitting can be inserted into and removed from the cavity. A connector according to claim 1.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the main locking portion protrudes from the side surface of the connector housing, a slope is formed at the lower end thereof, and the lock receiving portion is formed to protrude inward of the side wall portion of the retainer. In addition, an inclined surface corresponding to the inclined surface formed in the main locking portion is formed at the upper end of the main locking portion. When the lock receiving portion is engaged with the temporary locking portion, the main locking portion is formed. The inclined surface of the locking portion and the inclined surface of the lock receiving portion are brought into contact with each other, the inclined surface of the lock receiving portion rides on the inclined surface of the main locking portion, and the lock receiving portion is engaged with the main engaging portion. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the connector is engaged with a stop portion.

<Invention of Claim 1>
Since the lock part is formed on the side of the connector housing in front of the front edge of the retainer mounting hole, the formation of the lock part does not increase the dimension of the connector housing in the thickness direction, making it easy to mount the connector. Can be. In addition, even when the front end of the retainer comes into contact with the mating connector while the connector is being fitted to the mating connector, the lock portion is formed at the front portion of the retainer mounting hole. The retainer is pressed by the engagement with the receiving portion and is not turned up from the connector housing.

<Invention of Claim 2>
The lock portion is provided at a position where the lock receiving portion is engaged with the lock receiving portion to position the retainer base body into the cavity, and the lock receiving portion is provided closer to the retainer than the main locking portion. The terminal fitting is configured by a temporary locking portion that positions the retainer at a position where the terminal fitting can be inserted into and removed from the cavity, so that the connector can be conveniently transported before the terminal fitting is received in the cavity. A state in which the housing and the retainer are not separated can be achieved.

<Invention of Claim 3>
The locking portion protrudes from the side surface of the connector housing, a slope is formed at the lower end thereof, and the lock receiving portion protrudes inward of the side wall portion of the retainer, and the locking lock portion is formed at the upper end of the locking portion. An inclined surface corresponding to the inclined surface formed in the portion is formed, and when the lock receiving portion is engaged with the temporary engaging portion, the inclined surface of the main engaging portion and the inclined surface of the lock receiving portion are in contact with each other. By being in a possible state, the lock receiving portion of the retainer is held in a stable posture between the main locking portion and the temporary locking portion in the temporary locking state.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the left side of FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 1 includes a connector housing 2 housing a female terminal fitting TF (shown in FIG. 14) formed of a conductive metal material, and a terminal fitting TF for preventing the terminal fitting TF from coming off. And a retainer 4 attached to the connector housing 2. First, the connector housing 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector housing 2 is formed of a synthetic resin material, and as shown in FIG. 3, a bottom surface 21 extending to the lower end, a pair of side surfaces 22 standing on both side ends of the bottom surface 21 and sandwiching the bottom surface 21 as shown in FIG. It has the upper surface 23 which connected 22 upwards.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the connector housing 2 is provided with a plurality of cavities 24 extending in the front-rear direction in order to accommodate the terminal fitting TF therein. The plurality of cavities 24 are provided in a row in the width direction of the connector housing 2, and each of the front walls has a rectangular shape through which a male terminal fitting is inserted when the connector 1 is fitted to a mating connector (not shown). Terminal entry hole 25 is provided. In the front part of the terminal entry hole 25, an inclined guide part 25a is provided to guide the male terminal fitting.

  On the lower surface of each cavity 24, a lance 26 that engages with the terminal fitting TF and prevents it from protruding protrudes into the cavity 24. The lance 26 is formed so as to be able to bend downward, and a lance release portion 26a for engaging a jig and bending the lance 26 downward when the terminal fitting TF is pulled out from the cavity 24 is provided at the front portion thereof. It is provided integrally so as to extend. Further, a release hole 27 into which a jig for bending the lance 26 described above is inserted is formed on the lower surface of each cavity 24.

  At the upper end portion of the connector housing 2, a cantilevered lock piece 28 extending from the front end portion toward the rear is provided so as to face the upper surface 23. The lock piece 28 can be bent downward, and a lock projection 28a protrudes upward on the upper surface thereof. In addition, a pressing end 28b that can bend the lock piece 28 by pressing downward is provided at the rear end. Further, a pair of guard portions 29 are provided on both sides of the pressing end 28b to protect the pressing end 28b when the connector 1 comes into contact with another member (shown in FIG. 3). When the connector 1 is mated with the mating connector, the connector housing 2 is inserted into the mating connector, and the locking piece 28 is bent downward, while the locking piece 28 is locked to the engaging portion provided on the mating connector. 28a is engaged. Thereby, both connectors are firmly fixed and cannot be separated.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the connector housing 2 has a retainer mounting hole 30 that is formed from the outer peripheral surface thereof toward the inside, and that opens to three sides of the bottom surface 21 and the pair of side surfaces 22 sandwiching the bottom surface 21. Yes. The retainer mounting hole 30 extends upward and reaches the cavity 24, and the retainer 4 is mounted from below as will be described later. Further, the pair of side surfaces 22 of the connector housing 2 are provided with recesses 31 that are recessed one step from the respective end surfaces so as to surround the periphery of the retainer mounting hole 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, from the bottom surface of the recess 31, the main locking portion 32 and the temporary locking portion 33 (both the main locking portion 33 and the main locking portion 33 are positioned so as to be positioned forward of the front edge 30a of the retainer mounting hole 30. Constituting the lock part of the invention). The main locking portion 32 protrudes outward from the recess 31, and slopes 32a and 32b are formed at the lower and upper ends, respectively, and engages with a lock receiving portion 47 of the retainer 4, which will be described later. It is positioned at a position (final locking position) that protrudes into 24. The temporary locking portion 33 is provided below the main locking portion 32 on the side where the retainer 4 approaches the connector housing 2, and also protrudes outward from the recess 31 and has a gentle slope at the lower end thereof. A surface 33 a is formed, and engages with the lock receiving portion 47 to position the retainer 4 at a position (temporary locking position) where the terminal fitting TF can be inserted into and removed from the cavity 24.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a jig guide 34 is formed at the lower end of the retainer mounting hole 30 to guide a removal jig when the retainer 4 in the fully locked state is moved to the temporarily locked state. Has been. The jig guides 34 are provided at two locations on the front edge 30 a of the retainer mounting hole 30, are inclined surfaces that chamfer the corners of the front edge 30 a, and extend in the width direction of the connector housing 2.

  Next, the retainer 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. The retainer 4 is formed of a synthetic resin material, and engages with the above-described final locking portion 32 and temporary locking portion 33 of the connector housing 2 to be in a final locking state or a temporary locking state. The retainer 4 includes a base body 41 that extends continuously in the width direction of the connector 1 and a pair of side wall portions 42 provided upright at both ends thereof. On the upper surface of the base body 41, a protrusion 43 is provided between the protrusions 43, which is disposed between the cavities 24 and becomes a part of the partition wall when the connector housing 2 is mounted. A plurality of engaging portions 44 projecting into the cavity 24 when in the state are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the tip of the removal jig is inserted into the front portion of the base body 41 when the retainer 4 is moved from the fully locked state to the temporarily locked state as described above. Jig grooves 45 are formed at two positions corresponding to the jig guides 34 of the connector housing 2. On the bottom surface of the retainer 4, a cutout portion 45 a that is cut off by the same length as the jig groove 45 is formed at the portion where the jig groove 45 is formed, so that the removal jig can be easily inserted into the jig groove 45. Is provided.

  On the other hand, each of the pair of side wall portions 42 is provided with a recessed portion 46 that is recessed by one step on its inner side surface. As shown in FIG. 9, the recess 46 is formed in a rectangular shape, and a lock receiving portion 47 is formed on the upper edge thereof so as to protrude inward of the side wall portion 42 and extend in the front-rear direction. Yes. As will be described later, when the retainer 4 is mounted in the retainer mounting hole 30, the lock receiving portion 47 engages with the main locking portion 32 or the temporary locking portion 33 of the connector housing 2, and the retainer 4 is connected to the connector housing. 2 is prevented from coming out of the retainer mounting hole 30. An inclined surface 47a having an equivalent inclination angle corresponding to the inclined surface 32a is disposed on the upper end of the lock receiving portion 47 so as to engage with the inclined surface 32a of the main locking portion 32 described above.

  Next, a method for assembling the connector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the retainer 4 is approached substantially perpendicularly to the bottom surface 21 from below the connector housing 2 and is moved upward with respect to the connector housing 2 while being inserted into the retainer mounting hole 30. As a result, the pair of side wall portions 42 of the retainer 4 bends outward, the inclined surface 47a of the lock receiving portion 47 gets over the inclined surface 33a of the connector housing 2, engages with the temporary locking portion 33, and the base 41 11 is engaged with the retainer mounting hole 30 so that the retainer 4 is temporarily locked (shown in FIG. 11). In this state, the engaging portion 44 of the retainer 4 does not protrude into the cavity 24, and the terminal fitting TF can be inserted into and removed from the cavity 24. Further, in the temporarily locked state, the inclined surface 47a of the retainer 4 can come into contact with the inclined surface 32a of the main locking portion 32 inclined at the same angle, so that the lock receiving portion 47 and the temporary locking portion 33 are connected to the main locking portion. It is stably held between the stop portion 32.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the terminal fitting TF whose rear portion is caulked to the electric wire W is inserted into the cavity 24 from the rear. The terminal fitting TF enters and is accommodated in the cavity 24 while bending the lance 26 downward. The lance 26 returns to the upper shape when the terminal fitting TF gets over, and prevents the terminal fitting TF from coming off.

  Next, the retainer 4 is moved further upward with respect to the connector housing 2, and the pair of side wall portions 42 of the retainer 4 are bent outward again, so that the main surface of the inclined surface 47 a of the lock receiving portion 47 is engaged. The lock receiving portion 47 and the main locking portion 32 are engaged with each other by getting over the slope 32 a at the lower end of the stop portion 32. In this state, the retainer 4 is mounted in the retainer mounting hole 30, and the engaging portion 44 provided in the base body 41 protrudes into the cavity 24 and engages with the terminal fitting TF. Is prevented (shown in FIGS. 14 and 15).

  When the retainer 4 in the main locking state is to be temporarily locked, the jig guide of the connector housing 2 is engaged after the removal jig inserted into the notch 45a of the retainer 4 is engaged with the jig groove 45. The retainer 4 is moved downward in the retainer mounting hole 30 by rotating around the support 34. As a result, the pair of side wall portions 42 are bent outward, the lock receiving portion 47 is moved over the slope 32b at the upper end of the main locking portion 32, and the engagement with the main locking portion 32 is released. The same operation is performed on the jig grooves 45 provided at two locations of the retainer 4 to release the engagement of the lock receiving portions 47 at both ends with the main locking portions 32.

  According to the present embodiment, the main locking portion 32 and the temporary locking portion 33 are formed on the side surface 22 of the connector housing 2 in front of the front edge 30 a of the retainer mounting hole 30. The size of the connector housing 2 in the vertical (thickness) direction is not increased, and the connector 1 can be easily mounted. Even when the front end of the retainer 4 is in contact with the mating connector while the connector 1 is being fitted to the mating connector, the main locking portion 32 is formed at the front portion of the retainer mounting hole 30. Therefore, the retainer 4 is pressed by engaging with the lock receiving portion 47, and the front end portion does not turn up from the side surface 22 of the connector housing 2.

  The lock portion is engaged with the lock receiving portion 47 and positioned at a position where the base 41 of the retainer 4 protrudes into the cavity 24, and the side closer to the retainer 4 than the main lock portion 32. Is provided with a temporary locking portion 33 that engages with the lock receiving portion 47 and positions the retainer 4 at a position where the terminal fitting TF can be inserted into and removed from the cavity 24. Before the terminal fitting TF is accommodated, the connector housing 2 and the retainer 4 can be brought into a state where they are not separated so as to facilitate transportation.

  The locking portion 32 protrudes from the side surface 22 of the connector housing 2, and an inclined surface 32 a is formed at the lower end thereof, and the lock receiving portion 47 is formed to protrude inward of the side wall portion 42 of the retainer 4, At the upper end, an inclined surface 47a having an inclination angle equivalent to this is formed so as to correspond to the above-described inclined surface 32a, and in a state where the lock receiving portion 47 is engaged with the temporary locking portion 33, When the inclined surface 32a of the main locking portion 32 and the inclined surface 47a of the lock receiving portion 47 are brought into contact with each other, the lock receiving portion 47 of the retainer 4 is temporarily engaged with the main locking portion 32 in the temporary locking state. It is held in a stable posture with the stopper 33.

<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. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
(1) The present invention may be applied to a connector that accommodates a male terminal fitting.
(2) The lock portion may be constituted only by the main locking portion.
(3) The retainer may be attached to the connector housing not only from below but also from above or from the side.

It is a side view of the connector by this embodiment. It is a side view of the connector housing shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a rear view of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of FIG. 2. It is a front view of the retainer shown in FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 10 is a bottom view of FIG. 9. It is a side view when the connector housing shown in FIG. 1 exists in a temporary latching state. It is sectional drawing which showed the place which inserted the terminal metal fitting when the connector housing shown in FIG. 1 exists in a temporary latching state. It is sectional drawing regarding a surface perpendicular | vertical to the cavity of FIG. It is sectional drawing which showed the time of the connector housing shown in FIG. 1 in a final locking state. It is sectional drawing regarding a surface perpendicular | vertical to the cavity of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Connector 2 ... Connector housing 4 ... Retainer 21 ... Bottom surface 22 ... Side surface 24 ... Cavity 30 ... Retainer mounting hole 30a ... Front edge 32 ... This locking part 32a ... Slope 33 ... Temporary locking part 41 ... Base | substrate 42 ... Side wall part 47 ... Lock receiving portion 47a ... Inclined surface TF ... Terminal fitting

Claims (3)

It has a cavity extending in the front-rear direction to accommodate the terminal fitting inside, and is formed so as to reach the cavity from its outer peripheral surface, and one surface of the outer peripheral surface and a pair of side surfaces sandwiching it A connector housing having a retainer mounting hole that opens in three directions;
And having a continuous base and side wall portions erected at both ends of the base, and being vertically approached to the one surface sandwiched by the side surface from the outside of the connector housing, and being mounted in the retainer mounting hole In the connector provided with a retainer for preventing the terminal fitting from coming out of the cavity by the base protruding into the cavity and locking with the terminal fitting,
On the side surface of the connector housing, a lock portion is formed in front of the front edge of the retainer mounting hole, and the side wall portion of the retainer is engaged with the lock portion in a state of being mounted in the retainer mounting hole. And a lock receiving portion for preventing the retainer from coming out of the retainer mounting hole. The lock portion is provided at a position where the retainer is engaged with the lock receiving portion and positioned at a position where the retainer base body protrudes into the cavity, and on the side closer to the retainer than the main lock portion. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a temporary locking portion that engages with the lock receiving portion and positions the retainer at a position where the terminal fitting can be inserted into and removed from the cavity. The main locking portion protrudes from the side surface of the connector housing, and an inclined surface is formed at the lower end thereof. The lock receiving portion is formed to protrude inward of the side wall portion of the retainer, and at the upper end thereof. Is formed with an inclined surface corresponding to the inclined surface formed in the main locking portion, and in a state where the lock receiving portion is engaged with the temporary locking portion, the inclined surface of the main locking portion and the lock The inclined surface of the receiving portion comes into contact with the inclined surface of the receiving portion, the inclined surface of the lock receiving portion rides on the inclined surface of the main engaging portion, and the lock receiving portion engages with the main engaging portion. The connector according to claim 2.

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