JP2008066124A - Multiple connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multiple connector capable of coping with both cases; one where male connectors are collectively released from engagement, and the other where the male connector is individually released from engagement. <P>SOLUTION: This multiple connector is composed of a plurality of male connectors 30, a female connector 10 having a plurality of connector engagement chambers 13, and a movable locking member 20 connected to the housing 11 of the female connector 10 through a hinge 21. The movable locking member 20 gets a projecting part 23 for locking which is provided in itself engaged with the engagement projecting part 33 of the lock arm 32 of the male connector 30 through a notch 14 by being set at a home position in parallel with the upper wall 12A of the housing. Under this condition, the male connector can be individually released from engagement by the releasing operation of the lock arm. If the movable locking member 20 is rotated from the home position to an evacuation position in its vertically upper part, all lock arms 32 are disengaged, and the male connectors are collectively released from engagement. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a multi-connector connector configured such that a plurality of male connector fitting chambers are provided in a housing of one female connector, and a male connector can be fitted into each male connector fitting chamber.

The thing of patent document 1 is known as a prior art example of this kind of multiple connection connector comprised so that a several male connector could be fitted to one female connector housing. In the connector described in Patent Document 1, when the slider mounted on the housing of the female connector is moved, the fitting state between the female connector and the male connector is maintained, and the fitting between the female connector and the male connector is removed. Operates the slider to unlock the male connector.
JP-A-9-251875

  By the way, in the case of the multi-connector connector described in Patent Document 1, when it is desired to individually release the male connectors during maintenance, etc., if the slider is operated, the locks of the plurality of male connectors are released all at once. There is a problem that unintended connectors are also unmated.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a multi-connector connector that can cope with both a case where a male connector is unmated and a case where a male connector is individually unmated. Objective.

  A plurality of male connectors according to claim 1, a female connector having a plurality of male connector fitting chambers arranged in a horizontal row for fitting these male connectors, and a flexibility provided on a top plate portion of the male connector The lock arm has a length extending over the plurality of male connector fitting chambers, and has a lock projection that can engage with the engagement projection of the lock arm, and is set at a fixed position. The lock projection is held at a position where the lock projection can be engaged with the engagement projection of the lock arm, and the lock projection is engaged with the engagement projection of the lock arm by being separated from the fixed position. And a movable lock member fixing means for holding and fixing the movable lock member at a fixed position. When the movable lock member is held and fixed at a fixed position, the movable lock member Against lock protrusion Characterized in that the serial lock arm to be elastically engaged.

  The invention of claim 2 is the multiple connector according to claim 1, wherein the movable lock member is integrally connected to the housing of the female connector via a hinge, with the hinge as a fulcrum, It is possible to rotate between the fixed position and a retracted position separated from the fixed position.

  The invention of claim 3 is the multi-connector connector according to claim 2, wherein a notch is provided on the upper wall of each male connector fitting chamber from the front end in the direction in which the male connector is fitted to the rear. An engagement convex portion of the lock arm is provided so as to be movable within the notch, and the movable lock member connects the rear end edge in the short direction to the female connector housing by the hinge. When the movable lock member is rotated to a fixed position, the lock projection can be inserted through the notch into a position where it can engage with the engagement projection of the lock arm. It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the multi-connector connector according to claim 3, wherein the movable lock member is constituted by a rectangular plate-like body in which one end edge in the short direction is connected to the housing of the female connector by the hinge. Engagement portions that are one element of the movable lock member fixing means are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and the engagement as the other element of the movable lock member fixing means is provided in the housing of the female connector. An engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion is provided, and the engagement of the engaging portion and the engaged portion regulates the vertical movement and the front-back movement of the movable lock member set at a fixed position. It is characterized by that.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lock arm is bent by fitting the male connector to the female connector while the movable lock member is held and fixed at a fixed position, and the engagement convex portion of the lock arm is movable. The lock projection of the lock member can be engaged, whereby the male connector can be prevented from coming off and locked. In addition, the engagement projections of the lock arm and the locking projections can be engaged by setting and holding the movable lock member in a fixed position with all the male connectors fitted to the proper positions. Can do. In that case, it is not necessary to fit the male connector while bending the lock arm.

  In such a state, the engagement protrusions and the lock protrusions can be individually disengaged by flexing each lock arm to the release position. Therefore, the male connector can be individually released in this state.

  Further, when releasing the fitting of all the male connectors at once, the movable lock member is detached from the fixed position. As a result, the lock projection is released from the lock position along with the detachment operation of the movable lock member, so that the engagement of the engagement projections of all the lock arms is released. The mating can be released.

  As a result, for example, at the time of maintenance, the male connector can be removed individually, thereby improving the workability of the maintenance.On the other hand, at the time of disassembling the wire harness accompanying the dismantling of the vehicle, Dismantling workability can be improved.

  In this case, the movable lock member may be integrally connected to the female connector housing via a hinge or the like, or may be prepared separately from the female connector housing. The reason why there is no particular problem even if it is prepared separately is that, when the movable lock member is once released for batch release, there is little possibility of being attached again.

  However, in terms of manufacturing, it is advantageous to be able to mold in an integrally connected form, and it becomes easier to manage parts. In addition, during the maintenance, if there is a request to release all the connectors at once in addition to the request to release the male connectors individually, there is a possibility that the movable lock member will be mounted again. Therefore, it can be said that it is more advantageous to connect them together.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the movable lock member is integrally connected to the housing of the female connector by the hinge and can be rotated between the fixed position and the retracted position. It can be easily removed from the fixed position. In particular, even when detached, the movable lock member is connected to the female connector housing, so that it is easy to manage without fear of loss. The same applies to the stage before setting at a fixed position. Further, since the fitting of all the male connectors can be released simply by rotating the movable lock member from the fixed position, the operation can be performed easily.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the lock convex part of the movable lock member and the engagement convex part of the lock arm are engaged through the notch provided in the upper wall of the male connector fitting chamber, other than the notch The male connector can be reliably supported from above by the upper wall portion, and the effect of suppressing rattling can be exhibited. Further, since the positions of the lock projection and the engagement projection can be regulated by the inner edge of the notch, the alignment of the engagement surfaces can be performed accurately, and the locking can be ensured. Further, since the engaging convex portion of the lock arm can be moved in the notch, it is possible to save a useless space around the lock arm by effectively using the narrow space, and to contribute to a compact connector.

  Furthermore, the movable lock member is composed of a rectangular plate-like body, and the rear end edge in the short direction is connected to the housing of the female connector by a hinge, so that a pulling force is applied to the male connector, and the force is applied to the lock arm. Even when it is transmitted to the movable lock member via the engaging convex portion and the locking convex portion, it is possible to counter some of the force by the tensile stress generated in the hinge. In other words, the tensile stress of the hinge is transmitted to the male connector through the lock convex portion, the engagement convex portion, and the lock arm, although this is slight, and contributes to prevention of rattling of the male connector.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by engaging the engaging portions provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the movable lock member with the engaged portions provided in the housing of the female connector, the movable lock member is moved in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction. The direction can be restricted, and the plurality of male connectors can be reliably held and fixed by the movable lock member. Further, since the engaging portions of the movable lock member are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction, it is easy to remove even when the engagement is removed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  1 is an exploded perspective view of the connector of the embodiment, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the connector in a fitted state, FIG. 3 is a sectional view in the state of FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view in the state of FIG.

  As shown in these drawings, the multiple connector of this embodiment includes a plurality of male connectors 30 made of synthetic resin, a female connector 10 made of synthetic resin that fits these male connectors 30, and a housing of the female connector 10. 11 and a movable lock member 20 made of a synthetic resin, which is rotatably connected to a hinge 11 via a hinge 21.

  The housing 11 of the female connector 10 has a plurality of male connector fitting chambers 13 arranged in a horizontal row on the front surface in the fitting direction with respect to the mating connector. A plurality of male connector fitting chambers 13 arranged in a horizontal row are formed by partitioning a rectangular space surrounded by an upper wall 12A, a lower wall 12B, and left and right side walls 12C, 12C with a plurality of partition walls 12D. In each male connector fitting chamber 13, a terminal is inserted and fixed from the rear wall of the housing 11 (not particularly shown).

  The top plate portion of the housing 31 of each male connector 30 is cantilevered by a fixed end on the front side in the connector fitting direction, so that the free end side extending rearward can be bent in the vertical direction. A flexible lock arm 32 is provided. A locking engagement convex portion 33 is provided on the upper surface portion between the free end and the fixed end of the lock arm 32. Further, a release operation portion 34 is provided at the free end side terminal portion, and a protective frame 35 is provided at the upper portion of the housing 31 so as to protect the release operation portion 34 from erroneous operation.

  On the other hand, a notch 14 is formed in the upper wall 12A of each male connector fitting chamber 13 from the front end (left end in FIG. 1) in the direction in which the male connector 30 is fitted to the rear (right side in FIG. 1). An engagement convex portion 33 of the lock arm 32 is provided so as to be movable within the notch 14.

  In addition, the movable lock member 20 is configured by a rectangular plate-like body having a length extending over the plurality of male connector fitting chambers 13 and is arranged at the rear end edge in the short direction (after the fitting direction with the mating connector). 1 is integrally connected to the housing 11 of the female connector 10 via the hinge 21 so that the hinge 21 serves as a fulcrum and is parallel to the upper wall 12A of the housing 11. It is supported so that it can rotate from a position (position shown in FIG. 2) to a vertically standing position (position shown in FIG. 1). In this case, a position parallel to the upper wall 12A of the housing 11 is a fixed position, and a vertically raised position is a retracted position separated from the fixed position.

  The movable lock member 20 has a lock protrusion 23 for engaging with the engagement protrusion 33 of the lock arm 32 of each male connector 30. Each lock projection 23 is provided corresponding to the notch 14 in the upper wall 12A of each male connector fitting chamber 13, and when the movable lock member 20 is rotated to a fixed position, the lock projection 23 is locked through the notch 14. The arm 32 is inserted to a position where it can engage with the engaging convex portion 33.

  When the movable lock member 20 is held and fixed at a fixed position, the lock arm 32 can be elastically engaged with the lock convex portion 23 of the movable lock member 20, and the movable lock member 20 is rotated from the fixed position to the retracted position. By doing so, the engagement between the lock projection 23 and the engagement projection 33 of the lock arm 32 can be released.

  Further, at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the movable lock member 20, an engagement frame (engagement portion) 22 which is one element constituting the movable lock member fixing means is provided, and the housing 11 of the female connector 10 is movable. As the other element constituting the lock member fixing means, an engagement protrusion (engaged portion) 15 that engages with the engagement frame 22 is provided. The engagement frame 22 and the engagement protrusion 15 are configured to restrict the vertical movement and the front-back movement of the movable lock member 20 set at a fixed position while being engaged with each other.

  Next, the operation will be described.

  2 and 3, when the movable lock member 20 is held and fixed at a fixed position, the lock arm 32 is bent by fitting the male connector 30 to the female connector 10 in that state. The engagement convex portion 33 of the lock arm 32 and the lock convex portion 23 of the movable lock member 20 can be engaged with each other, whereby the male connector 30 can be prevented from coming off and locked.

  Note that the engagement convex portion 33 and the lock convex portion 23 of the lock arm 32 can also be obtained by setting the movable lock member 20 to a fixed position and holding and fixing it with all the male connectors 30 fitted to the appropriate positions. Can be engaged. In that case, it is not necessary to fit the male connector 30 while bending the lock arm 32.

  When it is necessary to remove the male connector 30 individually in such a fitting lock state, the engagement protrusions 33 and the lock protrusions 23 are individually engaged by bending each lock arm 32 to the release position. Can be removed. Therefore, the fitting of the male connector 30 can be individually released in this state.

  Further, when releasing the fitting of all the male connectors 30 at once, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the movable lock member 20 is raised from a fixed position to a vertical retracted position. Then, as the movable lock member 20 is rotated, the lock projection 23 is released from the lock position, and the engagement of the engagement projections 33 of all the lock arms 32 is thereby released. The connectors 30 can be released together.

  As a result, for example, during maintenance, the male connector 30 can be individually detached, so that the maintenance workability can be improved. On the other hand, when the wire harness is disassembled when the vehicle is disassembled, the male connector 30 can be collectively removed. Thus, dismantling workability can be improved.

  Further, in the connector of this embodiment, the movable lock member 20 is integrally connected to the housing 11 of the female connector 10 by a hinge 21 so that it can be rotated between a fixed position and a retracted position. It can be easily set to a position or removed from a fixed position.

  Particularly when the movable lock member 20 is detached from the home position, the movable lock member 20 is connected to the housing 11 of the female connector 10, so that it is easy to manage without fear of loss. The same applies to the stage before setting at a fixed position. Further, since the fitting of all the male connectors 30 can be released simply by rotating the movable lock member 20 from a fixed position, the operation can be performed easily.

  Further, in the connector of this embodiment, the lock convex portion 23 of the movable lock member 20 and the engagement convex portion 33 of the lock arm 32 are engaged through the notch 14 provided in the upper wall 12A of the male connector fitting chamber 13. Therefore, the male connector 30 can be reliably supported from above by the upper wall 12A portion other than the notch 14, and the effect of suppressing rattling can be exhibited.

  Moreover, since the position of the lock convex part 23 and the engagement convex part 33 can be controlled by the inner edge of the notch 14, the alignment of the engagement surfaces of the lock convex part 23 and the engagement convex part 33 is accurately performed. Thus, the locking can be ensured. In addition, since the engaging convex portion 33 of the lock arm 32 can be moved in the notch 14, it is possible to save a useless space around the lock arm 32 by effectively using the narrow space and contribute to a compact connector. can do.

  Furthermore, since the movable lock member 20 is formed of a rectangular plate-like body and the rear end edge in the short direction is connected to the housing 11 of the female connector 10 by the hinge 21, a pulling force is applied to the male connector 30, Even when the force is transmitted to the movable lock member 20 through the engagement convex portion 33 and the lock convex portion 23 of the lock arm 32, the force is somewhat countered by the tensile stress generated in the hinge 21. be able to. That is, although the tensile stress of the hinge 21 is slight, it is transmitted to the male connector 30 via the lock convex portion 23, the engagement convex portion 33, and the lock arm 32, thereby contributing to prevention of rattling of the male connector 30. Will be.

  Further, in the connector of the present embodiment, the movable lock member 20 is engaged by engaging the engagement frames 22 provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the movable lock member 20 with the engagement protrusions 15 provided on the housing 11 of the female connector 10. Therefore, the plurality of male connectors 30 can be reliably held and fixed by the movable lock member 20. Moreover, since the engagement frames 22 of the movable lock member 20 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction, there is an advantage that it is easy to remove even when the engagement is removed.

  In the connector of the above embodiment, the movable lock member 20 is integrally connected to the housing 11 of the female connector 10 via the hinge 21, but may be provided separately from the housing 11 of the female connector 10. Good. The reason why it may be provided separately is that, when the movable lock member 20 is once removed from the fixed position for batch release, there is a low possibility that it will be mounted again. Further, when it is provided as a separate body, it is not necessary to rotate the movable lock member 20, and it is only necessary to disengage it upward.

  However, in terms of manufacturing, it is advantageous to be able to mold in the form of being integrally connected as in the above embodiment, and it is easy to manage parts. In addition, during maintenance, etc., there is a possibility that the movable lock member 20 will be mounted again if there is a request to release all the connectors at once in addition to the request to release the male connectors 30 individually. Therefore, it can be said that it is more advantageous to connect them together.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the movable lock member 20 is moved upward because the lock projection 23 is engaged with the engagement projection 33 of the lock arm 32 through the notch 14 provided on the upper wall 12A of the housing 11. It was supposed to be mounted in a fixed position from the position and removed upward from the fixed position, but a part of the upper wall 12A was opened, and the movable lock member 20 was fitted to the male connector along the open surface. It is also possible to slide in the direction in which the chambers 13 are arranged, and to engage or disengage the lock projection 23 with the engagement projection 33 of the lock arm 32 depending on the slide position.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the connector of embodiment of this invention. It is an external appearance perspective view of the said connector of a fitting state. It is sectional drawing in the state of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a state when performing collective cancellation | release. It is sectional drawing in the state of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Female connector 11 Housing 12A Upper wall 13 Male connector fitting chamber 14 Notch 15 Engagement protrusion (engaged part)
20 movable lock member 21 hinge 22 engagement frame (engagement part)
23 Lock convex part 30 Male connector 32 Lock arm 33 Engaging convex part

Claims (4)

A plurality of male connectors, a female connector having a plurality of male connector fitting chambers arranged in a horizontal row for fitting these male connectors, and a flexible lock arm provided on the top plate portion of the male connector And having a length extending over the plurality of male connector fitting chambers, and having a lock projection that can be engaged with an engagement projection of the lock arm, and being set at a fixed position, the lock projection The part is held at a position where it can engage with the engagement convex part of the lock arm, and is disengaged from the fixed position, so that the engagement between the lock convex part and the engagement convex part of the lock arm is released. A lock member, and a movable lock member fixing means for holding and fixing the movable lock member at a fixed position,
A multi-connector connector, wherein when the movable lock member is held and fixed at a fixed position, the lock arm can be elastically engaged with a lock convex portion of the movable lock member. The multi-connector connector according to claim 1,
The movable locking member is integrally connected to the housing of the female connector via a hinge, and is rotatable between the fixed position and a retracted position separated from the fixed position with the hinge as a fulcrum. A multi-connector connector characterized by The multi-connector connector according to claim 2,
A cutout is provided in the upper wall of each male connector fitting chamber from the front end in the direction in which the male connector is fitted to the rear, and the engagement protrusion of the lock arm is movable so as to move within the cutout. And the movable lock member is formed of a rectangular plate-like body whose rear end edge in the short direction is connected to the housing of the female connector by the hinge, and the movable lock member is rotated to a fixed position. When this is done, the multi-connector connector can be inserted through the notch into a position where the lock projection can be engaged with the engagement projection of the lock arm. The multi-connector connector according to claim 3, wherein
The movable lock member is formed of a rectangular plate-like body having one end edge in the short direction connected to the housing of the female connector by the hinge, and at one end of the movable lock member fixing means at both ends in the longitudinal direction. An engaging portion is provided, and an engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion is provided as the other element of the movable lock member fixing means on the housing of the female connector. The multi-connector connector is characterized in that the vertical movement and the front-back movement of the movable lock member set at a fixed position are restricted by the engagement of the joint portion.

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