JP2008052974A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector in which a terminal can be drawn out from a connector housing easily without using a jig. <P>SOLUTION: In the connector having the connector housing 20, a terminal housing chamber 24 to house the exterior terminal formed in the connector housing, and a lance 25 that is installed in the terminal housing chamber 24 by cantilever support and that has a projection 60 at the tip, and having an air gap into which a key 33 that is a different body from the connector housing 20 is inserted between the lance 25 and the upper inner wall 66 of the terminal housing chamber 24, at the tip of the projection of the lance 25, there are provided a tapered face 62 for locking terminals that locks the terminal 10 by protruding to the terminal locking position in a state that the key 33 is inserted into the air gap, and a tapered face 64 for lock releasing that has an inclination toward the reverse direction against the tapered face 62 for locking terminals, and that is in order to guide the projection 60 of the lance 25 toward inside of the air gap by a locked part 12 of the terminal 10 when the terminal 10 is energized toward the drawn out direction in a state that the key 33 is released. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for a wire harness used, for example, in an automobile, and more particularly to a connector that does not require a special jig when a terminal is pulled out.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a conventional connector of this type includes a female connector housing 20 (hereinafter referred to as a female housing) that houses a female terminal 10 to which an electric wire 15 is connected, a collective waterproof rubber plug 40, and the like. And a rubber stopper cover 50 for holding it.

  The female housing 20 is made of synthetic resin and has a shape in which a hood portion 22 is formed around the front end side of the tower portion 21 having a horizontally long cross section. In the tower portion 21, a terminal storage chamber 24 in which the female terminal 10 can be inserted from the rear is formed side by side in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface. A lance 25 is formed on the ceiling surface of each terminal storage chamber 24 and can be bent and deformed toward the upper bending space 26. Each bending space 26 opens forward (leftward in FIG. 6). A seal ring 28 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the tower portion 21 at a position close to the back side in the hood portion 22.

  A front holder 30 can be mounted on the front side of the tower portion 21. The front holder 30 is made of a synthetic resin and is formed in a cap shape. A terminal insertion port 32 into which a tab of a mating male terminal is inserted is opened on the surface plate 31 at each position corresponding to each terminal storage chamber 24. In addition, a key 33 that can enter the bending space 26 of the lance 25 is provided on the back surface of the front plate 31.

  The front holder 30 has a temporary locking position (see FIG. 6) in which the key 33 is retracted before the bending space 26 of the lance 25 and a main locking position (see FIG. 6) in which the protruding piece 33 has entered the bending space 26 of the lance 25. (See FIG. 8).

  On the upper surface of the tower portion 21, a lock arm 35 is formed for locking a mating male connector housing (not shown) in a fitted state. On the other hand, a window hole 36 is formed in the center of the upper surface of the hood portion 22 in the width direction by cutting away from a position slightly inserted from the tip toward the back end.

  The lock arm 35 is formed in an elongated shape in the front-rear direction reaching the rear edge of the tower portion 21 from the position of the front edge of the window hole 36, and a locked hole 37 is opened at a position near the tip. The lock arm 35 is connected to the upper surface of the tower portion 21 by a fulcrum portion 38 at a position corresponding to the rear wall of the hood portion 22. It is possible to tilt in the form of a seesaw around the fulcrum portion 38 while entering the tilt allowable space 39 formed therebetween.

  When the female housing 20 is fitted into the mating male housing, the lock arm 35 is fitted while being elastically tilted. When the female housing 20 is fitted to the normal position, the lock arm 35 is moved back to be locked. The locking projection (not shown) of the male housing is locked to 37 so that the male and female housings are locked in the fitted state.

  A batch type waterproof rubber plug 40 is mounted on the rear surface of the tower portion 21. Further, a rubber plug cover 50 that functions to prevent the waterproof rubber plug 40 from coming off is mounted on the rear surface of the tower portion 21.

  The female terminal 10 is pushed in while deforming the lance 25 and inserted into a predetermined position. When the female terminal 10 is inserted to a predetermined position, the lance 25 is restored and locked to the jaw portion 12 so that the female terminal 10 is primarily locked in the retaining state and accommodated. (See FIG. 8).

When all the female terminals 10 are accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 24 in the same manner as described above, as shown in FIG. 8, the front holder 30 is pushed into the final locking position and held. Here, since the key 33 of the front holder 30 enters the bending space 26, the bending deformation of the lance 25 is restricted, and the female terminal 10 is indirectly double-locked.
JP 2004-63393 A (FIGS. 1, 8, and 11)

  However, in the above configuration, in order to remove the terminal 10 from the female housing 20, the front holder 30 is unlocked, the lance 25 is released using a jig, and the electric wire 15 is pulled in that state. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to work because the electric wire 15 is pulled while releasing the lance with the jig. Moreover, in order to remove many terminals 10, since a jig | tool is inserted and the removal operation | work is performed each time, there exists a problem that work requires a long time.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described conventional problems, and to provide a connector capable of easily removing a terminal from a connector housing without using a jig.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configurations.
(1) a connector housing, a terminal storage chamber for storing external terminals formed in the connector housing, and a lance that is provided in a cantilevered manner in the terminal storage chamber and has a protrusion at a tip portion; In the connector having a gap into which a key separate from the connector housing is inserted between the inner wall of the terminal storage chamber and
At the tip of the projection of the lance, a taper surface for terminal locking that protrudes to a terminal locking position with the key inserted into the gap to lock the terminal, and opposite to the taper surface for terminal locking An unlocking taper surface for guiding the projection of the lance into the gap by the locked portion of the terminal when the terminal is urged in the pulling direction with the key removed and the key removed. And a connector.

(2) The connector according to (1), wherein the locking release taper surface is located at a position facing the locked portion of the terminal in a state where the key is removed.

(3) The locking taper surface is located at a position facing the locked portion of the terminal in a state where the key is inserted and is in contact with the back surface of the lance. 2) The connector described.

(4) The lance can be retracted to the non-locking position by inserting the terminal in a temporarily locked state in which the key is inserted and in contact with the rear surface of the tip of the lance. The connector according to any one of (3).

(5) A key relief portion is formed on the inner wall of the terminal storage chamber, and the lance is unlocked by insertion of the terminal in a temporarily locked state in which the key is inserted and is in contact with the rear end of the lance. The connector according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the connector is retractable.

  According to the connector of the present invention, when the electric wire is pulled in order to pull out the terminal with the key removed, the locked portion of the terminal moves while in contact with the unlocking taper surface of the lance, and the direction perpendicular to the pulling direction is moved. Since the component force acts to retract the lance from the locking position, the terminal can be pulled out of the connector housing with a small force without requiring a special jig.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 and 2 are cross-sectional views of a main part of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. Since the basic configuration of this connector is the same as the conventional one shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the same reference numerals are given to the same configuration as the conventional one, and the description is omitted or simplified, and only the configuration different from the conventional one will be described in detail. .

  The connector has a terminal housing chamber 24 provided in the tower portion 21 of the housing 20, and a lance 25 that is cantilevered so that a projection 60 at the tip protrudes into the terminal housing chamber 24. Yes. The terminal storage chamber 24 stores the terminal 10 connected to the electric wire 15.

  The lance 25 is cantilevered in the terminal insertion direction, and a protrusion 60 is provided at the tip thereof. The protrusion 60 protrudes into the terminal storage chamber 24.

  As shown in the partial enlarged view on the right side of FIG. 1, the protrusion 60 of the lance 25 is provided with a terminal locking tapered surface 62 and a locking releasing tapered surface 64. The terminal locking taper surface 62 is formed as an inclined surface for locking the locked portion 12 of the terminal 10. The locking release taper surface 64 is formed as an inclined surface opposite to the terminal locking taper surface 62. The lock release taper surface 64 acts to release the temporarily locked state of the terminal 10 by the lance 25 alone.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a key 33 for permanently locking the terminal 25 is inserted into the gap between the inner wall 66 at the top of the terminal storage chamber 24 and the lance 25. The key 33 is formed as a part of the front holder 30, and the key 33 is inserted into the gap by attaching the front holder 30 to the housing 20.

  The lock release taper surface 64 formed on the protrusion 60 of the lance 25 faces the locked portion 12 of the terminal 15 before the key 33 is inserted. When the electric wire 15 connected to the terminal 10 is pulled in the pulling direction, the locked portion 12 of the terminal 10 comes into contact with the locking release taper surface 64.

  Here, when the terminal 10 is pulled with an extremely weak force, the terminal 10 is temporarily locked while being kept in contact with the unlocking taper surface 64, thereby preventing the terminal 10 from being accidentally dropped off. The Further, when the terminal 10 is pulled with a stronger force than when the terminal 10 comes into contact with the locking release taper surface 64, the locked portion 12 of the terminal 10 comes into sliding contact with the locking release taper surface 64 and moves in the pulling direction. At this time, a component force in the direction perpendicular to the drawing direction (upward in the figure) acts on the lance 25. Then, the lance 25 bends and deforms so that the protrusion 60 is retracted upward in the figure from the terminal locking position. When the projection 60 of the lance 25 is retracted from the terminal locking position, the temporary locking by the lance 25 is released, and the terminal 10 can be pulled out as it is.

  Therefore, in a state where the key 33 is not inserted, the terminal 10 can be pulled out only by pulling the electric wire 15 with a weak force without using a special jig.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, when the key 33 is inserted into the back side of the lance 25, the thickness of the key 33 is greater than the thickness of the back side gap of the lance 25 at the proper mounting position of the key 33. Therefore, the lance 25 is slightly bent downward in FIG. Then, the locking tapered surface 62 of the projection 60 of the lance 25 is opposed to the locked portion 12 of the terminal 10, and the lance 25 is moved from the terminal locking position upward in FIG. Retreating becomes impossible and the main locking state is established. Therefore, even if the terminal 10 is pulled in the pulling direction with a strong force, the locked portion 12 is reliably locked by the locking taper surface 62 of the lance 25, so that the terminal 10 does not come off. In addition, when the lance 25 is fully locked, the locking taper surface 62 is angled with respect to the locked surface of the terminal 10 so that the terminal 10 is pulled in the pulling direction. At this time, since it bends downward, the retaining is more effective. The right side of FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the main part.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views of the main part of the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an assembly process diagram of the second embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, the front holder 30 has a temporary locking / final locking function. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a key escape portion 68 is formed on the inner wall 66 at the top of the terminal storage chamber 24. Therefore, in FIG. 3, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  A key escape portion 68 is formed in the upper inner wall 66 of the terminal storage chamber 24 on the rear side of the lance so that the key 33 in the temporarily locked state can be retracted from the temporarily locked position.

  Further, the thickness of the gap on the back side of the lance 25 is smaller than the thickness of the key 33. As shown in FIG. 4, the key 33 is inserted on the back side of the front end of the lance 25 in the temporarily locked state of the front holder. In the state where it is, the lance 25 is slightly bent and deformed downward in FIG. At this time, the terminal locking tapered surface 62 at the tip of the lance 25 faces the locked portion 12 of the terminal 10. Therefore, even if the terminal 10 is pulled in the pulling direction, the locked portion 12 contacts and locks against the terminal locking taper surface 62, so that the terminal 10 does not come off. The right side of FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part.

  Next, from the insertion of the terminal 10 to the extraction in the second embodiment will be described in order with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5A shows the state before temporary locking, and nothing is inserted into the terminal storage chamber 24 of the housing 20.

  FIG. 5B shows a temporarily locked state in which the front holder 31 is mounted on the housing 20 and the key 33 is inserted to the temporarily locked position, and the key 33 is in contact with the rear side of the tip of the lance 25. 24 is not in contact with the inner wall 66 at the upper part of 24. Here, since the thickness of the gap on the back side of the lance 25 is smaller than the thickness of the key 33, when the key 33 is inserted into the back side of the lance 25, the lance 25 is slightly lowered from the position shown in FIG. It bends and deforms and is set to the final locking position.

  FIG. 5C shows a state in which the terminal is being inserted, and the terminal 10 is bent and deformed upward so that the lance 25 and the key 33 in the temporary locking position are retracted from the temporary locking position. Inserted. Since the key escape portion 68 is formed in the inner wall 66 at the upper part of the terminal storage chamber 24, the key 33 can be deformed and retracted from the temporary locking position.

  FIG. 5D shows a state in which the insertion of the terminal 10 is completed, the lance 25 and the key 33 are restored to the original temporarily locked state, and the locked portion 12 of the terminal 10 is the taper for locking the terminal of the lance 25. By being locked to the surface 62, the main locking is achieved, and the terminal 10 is prevented from coming off.

  FIG. 5E shows a state in which the key 33 is inserted so as to reach the final locking position and the front holder 31 is completely attached. When the key 33 reaches the full locking position, the back surface of the key 33 comes into contact with the inner wall 66 at the upper part of the terminal storage chamber 24, so that the key 33 cannot be deformed. Therefore, the lance 25 and the key 33 are in the final locked state in which the locked state is fixed, and the terminal 10 is reliably prevented from coming off.

  FIG. 5 (f) shows a state in which the front holder 31 is removed from the connector housing 20 in the final locked state and the key 33 is removed, which is the same as the state shown in FIG. When the front holder 31 is removed, the locked portion 12 of the terminal 10 faces the unlocking taper surface 64 at the tip of the lance 25. Therefore, when the electric wire 15 connected to the terminal 10 is pulled in the pulling direction. The locked portion 12 of the terminal 10 is in sliding contact with the locking release taper surface 64, and the lance 25 is retracted upward by a component force orthogonal to the pulling direction. Accordingly, the terminal 10 is released from the locked state and is easily pulled out. Thus, in order to pull out the terminal 10, it is only necessary to remove the front holder 31 so that the key 33 does not contact the lance 25, and the terminal 10 can be easily pulled out without using a special jig.

  As described above, according to the connectors of the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention, if the key 33 is removed, the tent 25 can be temporarily locked only by pulling the electric wire 15 connected to the terminal 10. Is released and the terminal 10 can be pulled out, so that the terminal 10 can be easily removed without using a special jig.

  The present invention can also be applied to a non-waterproof connector housing.

It is principal part sectional drawing of the connector which is 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the connector which is 1st Embodiment of this invention, and represents this latching state. It is principal part sectional drawing of the connector which is 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the connector which is 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and represents a temporary latching state. It is an assembly process figure of the connector of a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is an exploded sectional view of the conventional connector. It is sectional drawing of the state before the terminal insertion of the conventional connector. It is sectional drawing after the assembly | attachment of the conventional connector is completed.

Explanation of symbols

10 Terminal 12 Locked portion 15 Electric wire 20 Housing 21 Tower portion 24 Terminal storage chamber 25 Lance 33 Key 60 Projection 62 Terminal locking taper surface 64 Lock release taper surface 66 Inner wall 68 on the upper side of the terminal storage chamber Key relief portion

Claims (5)

A connector housing; a terminal housing chamber for housing an external terminal formed in the connector housing; and a lance that is provided in a cantilevered manner in the terminal housing chamber and has a protrusion at a distal end portion. In the connector having a gap into which a key separate from the connector housing is inserted between the inner wall of the storage chamber,
At the tip of the projection of the lance, a taper surface for terminal locking that protrudes to a terminal locking position with the key inserted into the gap to lock the terminal, and opposite to the taper surface for terminal locking An unlocking taper surface for guiding the projection of the lance into the gap by the locked portion of the terminal when the terminal is urged in the pulling direction with the key removed and the key removed. And a connector.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the unlocking taper surface is located at a position facing the locked portion of the terminal in a state where the key is removed.   3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking taper surface is located at a position facing the locked portion of the terminal when the key is inserted and in contact with the back surface of the lance.   4. The lance can be retracted to an unlocked position by inserting the terminal in a temporarily locked state in which the key is inserted and is in contact with the rear surface of the tip of the lance. The connector described.   A key relief portion is formed in the inner wall of the terminal storage chamber, and the lance can be retracted to the non-locking position by inserting the terminal in a temporarily locked state in which the key is inserted and is in contact with the rear end of the lance. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

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