JP2007324072A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently convey a strike sound without requiring a design change of a male housing. <P>SOLUTION: A connector 1 is provided with both connectors F, M capable of being mutually fitted, and has a resonant cylinder 33 which opens in back and forth direction while covering the whole length of the side part of a lock arm 24 when the both connectors F, M are in a regular fitting state. The resonant cylinder 33 is constituted of the upper face of a hood part 11 of the male connector M, a pair of side walls 32A, 32A erected upward while in sequence with a fitting cylindrical part 23 of a female connector F, and a ceiling wall 32B formed by mutually coupling the upper end brims of the both side walls 32A, 32A. When the both connectors F, M reach a regular fitting state, the lock arm 24 climbs over a locked part 13 and strikes the upper face of the hood part 11 when it returns, that strike sound is efficiently conveyed to an operator at the rear of the lock arm 24 by the resonant cylinder 33, and by this, it can be detected that the regular fitting state has been attained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

As a general structure of a connector for detecting a normal fitting state of both male and female connectors by a striking sound when the lock arm is restored and the outer surface of the mating connector is struck, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. In this device, a large hitting sound can be obtained by providing a space for reflecting the hitting sound inside the hitting surface.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-6816

  However, since the striking surface is exposed to the outside, even if a loud striking sound is obtained, the striking sound is dispersed in each direction, so that the worker who performs the fitting work It is not possible to convey the hitting sound efficiently. Furthermore, since it involves a design change of the counterpart housing, it cannot be easily implemented. The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently transmit an impact sound to an operator side without requiring a design change of the counterpart housing.

  As a means for achieving the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to an outer surface of either one of the two housings that can be fitted to each other, which can be displaced in a direction approaching and separating from the outer surface. A lock arm having a stop portion and extending along the fitting direction is provided, and the other housing is locked with the locking portion to hold the two housings in a properly fitted state. The latching portion rides on the latched portion while the two housings are fitted, and when the two housings reach a normal fitting state, the latching portion returns and displaces. It is a connector for detecting that the normal fitting state has been reached by tapping the outer surface provided with a stop, and the one housing covers the side of the lock arm over the entire length. Open in the front-rear direction Characterized in was configured to resonance tube is formed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the resonance tube is configured to expand at least in the height direction from the fitting surface side toward the rear, and is opposite to the fitting surface. The opening is provided with an operating portion for releasing the locking state between the locking portion and the locked portion.

  The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, the resonance cylinder is configured to expand in the width direction from the fitting surface side toward the rear. Have.

  The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the inner side surface of the resonance tube is formed flat without a step.

<Invention of Claim 1>
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the impact sound is restricted from being dispersed in each direction, and the impact sound can be efficiently transmitted along the front-rear direction by the resonance cylinder. As a result, by placing the worker performing the fitting work behind the lock arm, it is possible to efficiently transmit the hitting sound to the worker without changing the design of the counterpart housing.

<Invention of Claim 2>
According to the invention of claim 2, it becomes easy to perform a releasing operation when inserting a finger through the opening opposite to the fitting surface and pressing the operation portion.

<Invention of Claim 3>
According to the invention of claim 3, when the operator pulls out both housings, the pulling operation can be performed so that the fingers are placed on both outer side surfaces in the width direction of the resonance cylinder. For this reason, it becomes easy to hook a finger on the outer surface of the resonance cylinder, and the pulling-out operation is facilitated.

<Invention of Claim 4>
When the inner surface of the resonance cylinder is formed in a concavo-convex shape, these irregularities become obstacles and the striking sound stays in the resonance cylinder, reducing the sound or creating a muffled sound, etc. There is a risk. In that respect, according to the invention of claim 4, the hitting sound can easily escape to the outside, so that a clear and loud hitting sound can be obtained.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector 1 in this embodiment includes a male connector M and a female connector F that can be fitted to each other. In the following description, the front-rear direction refers to the front of the mating surface with reference to the mating direction of the connectors F and M.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the male connector M has a male housing 10 made of synthetic resin. The male housing 10 has a hood portion 11 having a shape opening forward. A male tab 12 is provided on the rear wall of the hood portion 11 so as to protrude forward. On the upper surface of the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 11, a locked portion 13 is provided so as to protrude upward. A pair of protective walls 14 are provided along the front-rear direction at positions where the locked portion 13 is sandwiched from both sides in the width direction on the same surface.

  The female connector F has a female housing 20 made of synthetic resin. The female housing 20 includes a terminal accommodating portion 21 having a substantially square block shape, and a pair of cavities 22 penetrating along the front-rear direction are formed in the interior thereof. As shown in FIG. 4, a fitting cylinder portion 23 is formed at a position surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 21. The hood portion 11 can enter between the inner peripheral surface of the fitting tube portion 23 and the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 21 as the connectors F and M are fitted.

  A seal ring 25 is fitted to the back of the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 21. In addition, a cap-shaped retainer (not shown) can be crowned on the fitting surface of the terminal accommodating portion 21, and in the state where the retainer is crowned, the opening edge of the retainer leads to the front of the seal ring 25. It is possible to regulate the retaining. When both connectors F and M are properly fitted, the rubber plug 25 is sandwiched between the hood portion 11 and the terminal accommodating portion 21 as shown in FIG. It is designed to be waterproof.

  A female terminal 26 can be inserted into the cavity 22 from behind. The female terminal 26 has a substantially rectangular tube shape and includes a main body portion 26A that penetrates in the front-rear direction and a barrel portion 26B that is continuously arranged behind the main body portion 26A. An electric wire W is also crimped to the barrel portion 26B so as to be conductive with the rubber plug 27. The cavity 22 includes a main body portion locking portion 22A that stores the main body portion 26A, and a rubber plug housing portion 22B that houses the barrel portion 26B to which the rubber plug 27 is fixed. A rubber plug 27 is held in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the rubber plug housing portion 22B, and water is restricted from entering the cavity 22 from the rear.

  Inside the main body accommodating portion 22A, a lance 28 that is cantilevered so as to protrude forward is formed so as to be deflectable. The lance 28 restricts the female terminal 26 from being pulled backward by being locked to the rear end portion of the main body portion 26 </ b> A when the main body portion 26 </ b> A is in a state of being stopped by the front wall 29 of the cavity 22. Yes. The front wall 29 is provided with a terminal insertion hole coaxially with the front opening of the main body portion 26A. The male tab 12 enters the main body portion 26A through the terminal insertion hole, and the male tab 12 and the female terminal 26 are inserted. Are connected so as to be conductive.

  A lock arm 24 is disposed on the upper surface of the terminal accommodating portion 21. The lock arm 24 has a base end portion 24A that rises upward as it is from the inner wall of the fitting cylinder portion 23, and can be oscillated and displaced in a seesaw shape with the base end portion 24A as a fulcrum. And an arm main body 24B extending along the fitting direction. A locking portion 30 is formed at the front end of the arm main body 24B. The locking portion 30 approaches and separates from the upper surface of the male housing 10 when both the connectors F and M are properly fitted. Displaceable. The locking portion 30 is formed by punching the substantially central portion in the width direction on the lower surface of the arm main body 24B, leaving the front end portion of the arm main body 24B.

  The bottom surface of the front end of the locking portion 30 is rounded, and the locking portion 30 is moved while the arm body 24B swings and displaces with the base end portion 24A as a fulcrum as the connectors F and M are fitted. It is possible to ride on the locked portion 13. Further, when both connectors F and M reach the normal fitting state, the arm main body 24B is returned and displaced so that the locking portion 30 is locked with the locked portion 13, and the locking portion 30 is the upper surface of the male housing 10 ( The hitting sound is generated by striking the outer surface on which the locked portion 13 is provided, and it is possible to detect that both connectors F and M have reached the normal fitting state with this hitting sound.

  The rear end of the arm main body 24B is formed so as to be one step higher than the upper surface of the arm main body 24B. Below the operation unit 31, a displacement space is provided for the operation unit 31 to swing and displace downward. Thus, the locked state between the locking portion 30 and the locked portion 13 can be released by pressing the operating portion 31 downward to swing the locking portion 30 upward. ing. As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of guide grooves 33 are formed between the arm body 24B and the side walls 32A and 32A along the front-rear direction. When the protective wall 14 of the male connector M enters the guide groove 33 as the connectors F and M are fitted together, the fitting guide for the connectors F and M is provided.

  A bulging portion 32 is formed above the terminal accommodating portion 21 by bulging a part of the upper surface portion of the fitting cylinder portion 23 upward while continuing to the fitting cylinder portion 23. The bulging portion 32 is formed over the entire length of the female housing 20 in the front-rear direction, and the lock arm 24 is disposed inside the bulging portion 32. The bulging portion 32 includes a pair of side walls 32A that rise upward while continuing to the fitting cylinder portion 23, and a ceiling wall 32B that is formed by connecting the upper ends of both side walls 32A and 32A. . The upper surface of the hood portion 11 enters the lower end surfaces of the side walls 32A and 32A in a substantially abutting state as the connectors F and M are fitted. Thereby, when both the connectors F and M are properly fitted, as shown in FIG. 2, the resonance cylinder 33 composed of the both side walls 32 </ b> A and 32 </ b> A of the bulging portion 32, the ceiling wall 32 </ b> B and the upper surface of the hood portion 11. Is to be formed.

  The resonance cylinder 33 is configured to open in the front-rear direction while covering the entire length of the side of the lock arm 24, and to expand in the height direction and the width direction from the fitting surface side toward the rear. It is said that. Inside the rear end opening of the resonance cylinder 33, an operation unit 31 for releasing the locked state between the locking portion 30 and the locked portion 13 is provided. Further, the inner side surface constituting the resonance cylinder 33 is flat with no steps. Therefore, the hitting sound can easily escape to the outside, and a clear and loud hitting sound can be obtained.

The present embodiment has the above-described structure, and the operation thereof will be described subsequently.
First, the connectors F and M are engaged. When the connectors F and M are fitted together, the protective wall 14 enters the guide groove 33 so that the connectors F and M are fitted. If the fitting operation is continued as it is, the locking portion 30 rides on the locked portion 13, and if the locking portion 13 is moved over the locked portion 13, the arm main body 24 </ b> B is returned and displaced, and the locking portion 30 and the locked portion 13 and the locking portion 30 strikes the upper surface of the male housing 10 to generate a striking sound. At this time, the operator arranged behind the lock arm 24 can know that both connectors F and M have reached the normal fitting state by hearing a clear and loud impact sound.

  Next, both connectors F and M are disconnected. When the connectors F and M are detached, a finger is inserted from the rear end opening of the resonance cylinder 33 and the operation unit 31 is pushed downward. Here, since the resonance cylinder 33 is configured to expand rearward, it is easy to put a finger into the rear end opening of the resonance cylinder 33. When the operation part 31 is pushed down, the locking part 30 is displaced upward, and the locking state between the locking part 30 and the locked part 13 is released. In this state, by pulling out the female connector F from the male connector M so that the fingers are directed to both outer side surfaces of the resonance cylinder 33 in the width direction, the detachment of both the connectors F and M is completed.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the impact sound is restricted from being dispersed in each direction, and the impact sound can be efficiently transmitted along the front-rear direction by the resonance cylinder 33. As a result, by placing the worker performing the fitting operation behind the lock arm 24, it is possible to efficiently transmit the hitting sound to the worker without changing the design of the male connector M. Further, since the resonance cylinder 33 is configured to expand rearward in the height direction, a release operation is performed when the finger is inserted through the rear end opening of the resonance cylinder 33 and the operation unit 31 is pressed. It becomes easy. Further, when the operator pulls out both the connectors F and M, the pulling operation can be performed so that the fingers are directed to both outer side surfaces of the resonance cylinder 33 in the width direction. For this reason, it becomes easy to hook a finger on the outer surface of the resonance cylinder 33, and the pulling-out operation becomes easy. Since the inner surface of the resonance cylinder 33 is flat without a step, the hitting sound does not stay inside the resonance cylinder 33, and a clear and loud hitting sound can be obtained.

<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.

  (1) In this embodiment, the resonance cylinder 33 is configured to expand in the width direction and the height direction from the fitting surface side toward the rear, but according to the present invention, the resonance cylinder 33 is fitted. It may be configured to expand only in the height direction with the same width from the surface side toward the rear, or as a configuration in which the resonance cylinder 33 expands only in the width direction at the same height from the fitting surface side toward the rear. Also good.

  (2) In the present embodiment, the inner surface of the resonance cylinder 33 is illustrated as being flat without a step, but according to the present invention, the inner surface of the resonance cylinder 33 is formed in an uneven shape. It may be what is done.

Sectional drawing which shows the state before both the connectors in Embodiment 1 fitting Sectional view showing the normal mating state Side view of the female housing Front view of the female housing Rear view of the female housing Top view of the female housing

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Connector 10 ... Male housing 13 ... Locked part 20 ... Female housing 24 ... Lock arm 30 ... Locking part 31 ... Operation part 33 ... Resonance cylinder F ... Female connector M ... Male connector

Claims (4)

The outer surface of either one of the two housings that can be fitted to each other has a locking portion that can be displaced in a direction approaching and separating from the outer surface, and extends along the fitting direction. A locking arm is provided, and the other housing is provided with a locked portion that locks with the locking portion and holds the two housings in a properly fitted state. In the middle of fitting, while riding on the locked portion, when the both housings reach the normal fitting state, the housing is returned and displaced to strike the outer surface on which the locked portion is provided, thereby causing the normal fitting state. It is a connector that detects that it has reached
The one of the housings is formed with a resonance cylinder that opens in the front-rear direction while covering the side of the lock arm over its entire length. The resonance cylinder is configured to expand at least in the height direction from the fitting surface side toward the rear, and the locking portion and the locked portion are disposed inside the opening opposite to the fitting surface. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising an operation unit that releases a locked state with the unit. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the resonance cylinder is configured to expand in the width direction from the fitting surface side toward the rear. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an inner surface of the resonance cylinder is flat without a step.

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