JP2008071524A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure stability of a mounting state of a connector housing to a panel. <P>SOLUTION: On the outside surface of the connector housing 10, panel lock parts 21 and 22 having lock surfaces 29 and 38 facing to and contactable to an opening edge of a mounting hole 91 of the panel 90 in a coming-off direction of the connector housing 10 from the panel 90 in mounting it to the panel 90 are formed, and projecting parts 31 and 41 having projecting ends facing to and contactable to the inside surface of the mounting hole 91 of the panel 90 in the mounting are formed. The projecting ends of the projecting parts 31 and 41 are installed at positions corresponding to a central part in the width direction along the opening end of the mounting hole 91 within the lock surfaces 29 and 38 of the panel lock parts 21 and 22. The connector housing 10 can be tiltably displaced around a lateral axis centering the projecting ends of the projecting parts 31 and 41 in a space range to the inside surface of the mounting hole 91. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector attached to a panel.

As this type of connector, a connector described in Patent Document 1 below is known. In this device, the connector housing is mounted in a waiting state in a mounting hole provided in the panel. The connector housing is elastically attached to the panel on each of the upper, lower, left and right surfaces of the connector housing. A panel lock portion for supporting is formed. The panel lock portion includes a cantilevered elastic arm that extends along the outer surface of the connector housing, and a claw-shaped lock body that projects from the free end of the outer surface of the elastic arm.
When the connector housing is inserted into the mounting hole of the panel, the lock body comes into contact with the opening edge on the front surface side of the mounting hole, and the elastic arm is bent and deformed in a direction approaching the outer surface of the connector housing. After that, when the connector housing reaches the proper insertion position with respect to the mounting hole, the elastic arm is restored and deformed, and the lock surface of the lock body comes into contact with the rear surface side of the panel. It is locked in a state where it is positioned back and forth. At this time, of the outer surface of the elastic arm, the surface (opposite surface) that is orthogonal to the lock surface of the lock body is in full contact with the rear surface of the panel with the same width as the lock surface of the lock body.
JP 2003-338346 A

  By the way, if the connector housing is displaced in the circumferential direction along the inner surface of the mounting hole, the panel lock portion 2 is centered on one end in the width direction on the opposing surface of the elastic arm 3 as shown in FIG. In this case, the connector housing is tilted and displaced in the displacement direction of the connector housing while being rotated. Then, the locking allowance of the lock body 5 with respect to the panel 4 is greatly reduced by the amount indicated by the halftone dot Z in FIG. 8, and the stability of the connector housing mounting state may be impaired.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above situation, and an object thereof is to ensure the stability of the mounting state of the connector housing with respect to the panel.

  As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 comprises a connector housing that can be fitted into a mating connector housing and is arranged in a standby state in an attachment hole provided in the panel, A panel lock having a lock surface on the outer surface of the connector housing that can be brought into contact with the opening edge of the mounting hole in the panel when the connector housing is attached to the panel in a direction in which the connector housing is detached from the panel. And a protrusion having a protruding end capable of facing and contacting the inner surface of the mounting hole in the panel is formed so as to be unable to independently bend, and the protruding end of the protrusion is Of the lock surface of the panel lock portion, installed at a position corresponding to the intermediate portion in the width direction along the opening edge of the mounting hole, the connector housing Gap range and in, characterized in was the tilting displaceable and become Configurations in the lateral direction of the axis centered around the protruding end of the protrusion.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the protruding end of the protruding portion corresponds to a central portion in the width direction along the opening edge of the mounting hole in the lock surface of the panel lock portion. It is characterized by being installed at a position where

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the panel lock portion includes a flexible deformable elastic arm extending along the outer surface of the connector housing, and an outer surface of the elastic arm. A lock main body having the protruding lock surface, and the protrusion is formed in a rib shape along the extending direction of the elastic arm on the outer surface of the elastic arm which is bent and connected to the lock surface. It is characterized in that it is formed.

<Invention of Claim 1>
When the connector housing is inserted into the mounting hole of the panel, the locking surface of the panel lock portion faces the opening edge of the mounting hole so as to come into contact with the mounting hole, and the connector housing is prevented from coming off from the panel. In this case, the protruding end of the protruding portion is installed at a position corresponding to the widthwise intermediate portion along the opening edge of the mounting hole on the lock surface of the panel lock portion, and the connector housing is further connected to the inner surface of the mounting hole. With the tilting movement of the connector housing, the allowance of the panel lock part to the panel is in the width direction. For one side (the side where the outer surface of the connector housing is separated from the inner surface of the mounting hole) across the contact position between the protruding end of the protrusion and the panel, the other side (the outer surface of the connector housing is connected to the inner surface of the mounting surface) It will increase at the approaching side (see FIG. 7). Therefore, according to the present invention, a decrease in the locking allowance of the panel lock portion is suppressed as compared with the conventional case, and an increase in the locking allowance of the panel lock portion is expected. The stability of the mounting state of the housing can be maintained.
In addition, since the space between the inner surface of the mounting hole of the panel and the outer surface of the connector housing is filled with protrusions, rattling of the connector housing due to mounting errors or the like can be suppressed.

<Invention of Claim 2>
The side where the connector housing is different from the eccentric side of the projecting end when the projecting end of the projecting portion is installed corresponding to the position where it deviates from the center in the width direction on the lock surface of the panel lock unit to the left or right side When the position shifts to the position, there is a situation in which the amount of reduction in the locking allowance of the panel lock portion increases. In that respect, according to the present invention, since the protruding end of the protruding portion is installed at a position corresponding to the central portion in the width direction of the locking surface of the panel lock portion, the increase / decrease amount of the locking allowance of the panel lock portion is It is the same when the connector housing is displaced counterclockwise and when it is displaced clockwise. As a result, even if the connector housing is displaced in the left or right direction, a sufficient allowance for the panel lock portion can be ensured.

<Invention of Claim 3>
When the connector housing is inserted into the mounting hole of the panel, the elastic arm bends and deforms and enters into the mounting hole in the insertion process, but as the connector housing is properly attached, the elastic arm is elastically restored, The projecting end of the protrusion provided on the outer surface of the elastic arm faces the inner surface of the mounting hole so that it can contact the inner surface of the mounting hole, and the lock surface of the lock body contacts the opening edge of the mounting hole in the panel. A stop is made. In this case, since the protrusion is formed in a rib shape along the extending direction of the elastic arm, the strength of the elastic arm can be increased, and the shape, arrangement, etc. of the protrusion can be adjusted to The amount of deflection can also be adjusted.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector of the present embodiment includes a male connector housing 10 that can be fitted with a mating connector housing (not shown), and the connector housing 10 is inserted into a mounting hole 91 provided through the panel 90. Installed in a standby state.

  The connector housing 10 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a block-like, specifically, a square-block-like terminal accommodating portion 11 and a terminal accommodating portion 11 that can accommodate a male terminal fitting (not shown). It is formed of a cylindrical shape, more specifically, a rectangular tube-shaped hood portion 12 which is larger than the terminal accommodating portion 11 and is elongated in the height direction (vertical direction) as a whole. The terminal accommodating portion 11 is provided with a plurality of cavities 13 into which male terminal fittings can be inserted from the rear, aligned in the height direction and the width direction (left-right direction). A lance 14 that can be bent and deformed is formed on the inner wall of each cavity 13, and the male terminal fitting that is normally inserted into the cavity 13 is locked by the lance 14 in a state of being prevented from coming off.

  On the inner side of the hood portion 12, a tab of a male terminal fitting (not shown) is arranged in a protruding state. A pair of left and right cam pins 15 project from the inner surfaces of both sides of the hood portion 12. Both cam pins 15 are set at the center in the height direction on the inner surface of the hood portion 12, and the cam action is achieved by operating the lever in a state of engaging with the cam groove of the lever provided in the mating connector housing. And has the role of guiding both connector housings to the proper mating position. A flange portion 16 that projects in the radial direction over the entire circumference is provided at a substantially central portion of the outer surface of the hood portion 12 in the front-rear direction (length direction). A plurality of plate-like ribs 18 having a hypotenuse that becomes an upward gradient from the rear end of the hood portion 12 toward the rising end of the flange portion 16 are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction. A flange portion 17 projecting forward from the rising end of the flange portion 16 is formed over the entire circumference, and the flange portion 16 and the flange portion 16 form a L-shaped cross section. The protruding end of the flange portion 17 can be brought into contact with the periphery of the opening edge on the rear surface side (the rear side in the insertion direction of the connector housing 10) in the mounting hole 91 of the panel 90.

  The front end portion of the hood portion 12 has an outer shape that can be fitted into the mounting hole 91 of the panel 90, and is formed between the panel lock portions 21 and 22 and the lock claw 23 and the collar portion 17 formed on the opening edge of the hood portion 12. The connector housing 10 is attached to the panel 90 by sandwiching the panel 90 in the thickness direction. The panel lock portions 21 and 22 are formed to include elastically deformable portions, one at the upper end edge on the short side of the hood portion 12 and one on each side edge on the long side of the hood portion 12 in total. Three are arranged. On the other hand, one lock claw 23 is arranged at the lower end edge on the short side of the hood portion 12 and is fixedly formed there. Specifically, the lock claw 23 has a linear and rib shape along the short side direction of the hood portion 12, and is an opening on the front surface side (front side in the insertion direction of the connector housing 10) in the mounting hole 91 of the panel 90. It can be brought into contact with the edge in close contact.

The panel lock portions 21 and 22 are different from the first panel lock portion 21 disposed on the short side of the hood portion 12 and the first panel lock portion 21 disposed on the long side of the hood portion 12. And a second panel lock portion 22 of the form.
A pair of left and right substantially trapezoidal protruding pieces 24 projecting forward are formed on the opening edge at both side edges on the long side of the hood portion 12, and each protruding piece 24 is a panel when attached to the panel 90. It protrudes forward from the front surface of 90. The second panel lock portion 22 is disposed on the pair of left and right protrusions 24 on the upper end side in the height direction of the hood portion 12, and is located between the inside and outside of the substantially channel-shaped cut groove 25 (on the axis of the connector housing 10). A bending piece 26 that can be bent and deformed in the direction of approaching / separating is provided. The flexure piece 26 has a base end portion on the front end side and extends rearwardly like a cantilever, and a lock projection 27 is formed on the outer surface thereof. The lock protrusion 27 has a gate shape along the outer periphery of the outer surface of the flexure piece 26 as viewed from the side, and has a tapered hypotenuse and an approximately inclined slope that rises backward from the front edge according to the plan view. It has a substantially right triangle shape including a rear edge that vertically stands. Among these, as shown in FIG. 6, the tapered oblique side is a guide surface 28 that can be slidably contacted with the inner surface of the mounting hole 91 in the process of mounting to the panel 90, and the rear edge that is cut substantially vertically is the panel 90. The lock surface 29 can be brought into perpendicular contact with the front surface of the panel 90 in a surface contact state when attached to the panel 90.

  And the rib-shaped protrusion 31 is formed in the both-sides outer surface of the long side of the food | hood part 12, respectively. The protruding end surface 45 of the protruding portion 31 is in the width direction (a direction perpendicular to the bending direction of the bending piece 26, and at the opening edge of the mounting hole 91 that the locking surface 29 of the bending piece 26 covers when attached to the panel 90. The locking protrusion 27 is disposed within the width dimension of the lock surface 29 in the width direction and at a position corresponding to the intermediate portion excluding both ends of the width dimension of the lock surface 29. Specifically, the protruding end surface 45 of the protruding portion 31 is disposed at a position facing the central portion of the locking surface 29 of the locking protruding portion 27 with the notch groove 25 interposed therebetween, and extends substantially horizontally at the same height position at the position. It has a form. Further, the rear end of the protrusion 31 is connected to the base of the flange portion 16, and the notch recess 32 is formed in the flange portion 17 so that the protrusion 31 is visible through the notch recess 32. .

  On the other hand, a pair of slits 34 having a groove width wider than the cut groove 25 is formed at the opening edge of the hood portion 12 at the center in the width direction at the upper edge on the short side of the hood portion 12. The first panel lock portion 21 is formed between the slits 34. The first panel lock portion 21 is disposed between the slits 34 so as to be able to bend and deform inside and outside (in a direction approaching and separating from the axis of the connector housing), and both the length dimension and the width dimension are larger than those of the flexure piece 26. A large elastic arm 35 and a claw-like lock body 36 protruding from the outer surface of the elastic arm 35 are provided. In the process of attaching to the panel 90, the lock body 36 is attached to the panel 90 while the elastic arm 35 is bent. It can pass through the mounting hole 91. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the elastic arm 35 is configured to extend forward in a cantilever shape while connecting the base end portion to the flange portion 16, and its extended end portion (free end portion). A lock main body 36 is integrally projected on the upper surface side of the. Similar to the lock protrusion 27 described above, the lock main body 36 includes a guide surface 37 formed of a tapered oblique side that rises backward from the front end edge and a lock surface 38 formed of a rear end edge that is substantially perpendicular. In this case, the guide surface 37 has a slightly smaller inclination angle than the guide surface 28 on the lock protrusion 27 side, and is configured as a square surface.

  A protrusion 41 is formed on the outer surface of the elastic arm 35 so as to be able to close a gap with the inner surface of the mounting hole 91 when attached to the panel 90. That is, the protrusion 41 is indirectly formed on the outer surface of the connector housing 10 via the elastic arm 35. In this respect, the protrusion 41 of the hood portion 12 is formed directly on the outer surface of the connector housing 10. It differs from the protrusion 31 formed on the long side. The protruding end surface 46 of the protrusion 41 is in the width direction of the lock surface 38 of the lock body 36 (a direction orthogonal to the bending direction of the elastic arm 35), and when the lock surface 38 of the lock body 36 is attached to the panel 90, It is installed at a position corresponding to the intermediate portion excluding both ends (in the direction along the opening edge of the mounting hole 91 to be covered), more specifically, at a position facing the central portion of the lock surface 38 of the lock body 36 in the width direction. When viewed as a whole connector, the connector housing 10 is installed at the center in the width direction.

  Unlike the protrusion 31 provided on the long side of the hood part 12, the protrusion 41 is displaced following the bending operation of the elastic arm 35. However, its own independent bending operation is impossible. It is said. The rear end of the protrusion 41 is connected to the base of the flange portion 16, and the notch recess 32 is formed in the flange portion 17 so that the protrusion 41 is visible through the notch recess 32. And the protrusion 41 is set as the form extended in rib shape along the extension direction (length direction) of the elastic arm 35, and it extends over the full length of the extension direction of the elastic arm 35 in detail. The projecting end surface 46 is bent and continues to the lock surface 38 of the lock body 36. The protruding end surface 46 of the protruding portion 41 is the same as the protruding end surface 45 of the protruding portion 31 provided on the long side of the hood portion 12, but enters the mounting hole 91 of the panel 90 when mounting to the panel 90. Thus, it can be brought into contact with the inner surface of the mounting hole 91, and can be supported on the panel 90 side through the protruding end surface 46. Note that both side surfaces of the elastic arm 35 sandwiching the protrusion 41 are not in contact with the inner surface of the mounting hole 91.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, a male terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity 13 of the connector housing 10 from the rear, and the male terminal fitting is locked by the lance 14 in a retaining state. Subsequently, the locking claw 23 is first passed through the mounting hole 91 while tilting the connector housing 10 upward with respect to the mounting hole 91 of the panel 90 and mounting on the front side (front side) of the panel 90. It is hooked on the opening edge of the hole 91. From this state, when the connector housing 10 is turned to a substantially vertical posture (a posture standing upright) with the hook portion of the lock claw 23 and the panel 90 as a fulcrum, the lock protrusion on the second panel lock portion 22 side 27 and the lock main body 36 on the first panel lock portion 21 side are pressed by the opening edge on the rear surface side (back surface side) of the mounting hole 91, whereby the bending piece 26 on the second panel lock portion 22 side and the first The elastic arm 35 on the panel lock portion 21 side advances in the mounting hole 91 while being bent and deformed. In this process, the protrusions 31 and 41 of the panel lock portions 21 and 22 are located behind the rear surface of the mounting hole 91 and are not allowed to enter the mounting hole 91. Then, as the connector housing 10 reaches a substantially vertical posture, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 6, the tip of the flange portion 17 abuts the rear surface side of the panel 90 over substantially the entire area. At the same time that the lock protrusion 27 and the lock main body 36 pass through the mounting hole 91, the flexure piece 26 and the elastic arm 35 are elastically restored, and both lock surfaces 29, 38 of the lock protrusion 27 and the lock main body 36 are attached to the mounting hole. It faces the opening edge of the front side of 91 so that it can contact. Thus, the connector housing 10 is held in a properly attached state with respect to the panel 90 in a state where the panel 90 is sandwiched between the flange portion 17, the lock protrusion 27, and the lock body 36.

  By the way, when the connector housing 10 is properly attached to the panel 90 as described above, the protrusions 31 and 41 of the panel lock portions 21 and 22 are arranged so as to be able to contact the inner surface of the attachment hole 91 in the panel 90. That is, when a gap due to an attachment error or the like occurs between the connector housing 10 and the inner surface of the attachment hole 91, the protrusions 31 and 41 are in contact with the inner surface of the attachment hole 91 to fill the gap. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the projecting end surfaces 45 and 46 of the protrusions 31 and 41 and the inner surface of the mounting hole 91 come into contact with each other in a surface contact state. As shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure, around the axis having a contact position between one end of the projecting end surfaces 45 and 46 of the projecting portions 31 and 41 and the panel 90 as a fulcrum, specifically along the inner surface of the mounting hole 91. Therefore, it is tilted and displaced in the direction in which the external force acts (either left or right).

  Therefore, one side of the lock surfaces 29 and 38 of the panel lock portions 21 and 22 with respect to the contact position between the projections 31 and 41 and the panel 90 (the outer surface of the connector housing 10 is separated from the inner surface of the mounting hole 91). On the side), although the locking allowance with respect to the panel 90 is reduced from before the inclination of the connector housing 10 (X portion in the figure), the amount of decrease corresponds to the contact position at the center in the width direction of the lock surfaces 29 and 38. Because it is installed in the position, it is suppressed more than before. On the other hand, of the lock surfaces 29 and 38 of the panel lock portions 21 and 22, the other side of the contact position between the projections 31 and 41 and the panel 90 (the outer surface of the connector housing 10 approaches the inner surface of the mounting hole 91. In this case, the locking allowance for the panel 90 is increased from that before the connector housing 10 is tilted (Y portion in the figure). As a result, even if the connector housing 10 is displaced in the mounting hole 91, the locking allowance of the panel lock portions 21 and 22 is not significantly reduced as in the related art.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the decrease in the locking allowance of the panel lock portions 21 and 22 is suppressed as compared with the conventional case, and the increase in the locking allowance of the panel lock portions 21 and 22 is increased. Therefore, even when the connector housing 10 is displaced in the mounting hole 91, the stability of the mounting state of the connector housing 10 with respect to the panel 90 can be kept good. Moreover, since the space between the inner surface of the mounting hole 91 of the panel 90 and the outer surface of the connector housing 10 is filled with the protrusions 31 and 41, rattling of the connector housing 10 due to mounting errors or the like can be suppressed. Further, regarding the first panel lock portion 21, since the protrusion 41 is formed in a rib shape along the extending direction of the elastic arm 35, the strength of the elastic arm 35 is increased and the protrusion 41 is The amount of bending of the elastic arm 35 can be adjusted by adjusting the shape, arrangement, and the like.

  By the way, the protruding end surfaces 45 and 46 of the protrusions 31 and 41 are installed corresponding to positions deviated from the center in the width direction on the lock surfaces 29 and 38 of the panel lock portions 21 and 22 to the left or right side. In this case, if the connector housing 10 is displaced to a side different from the eccentric side of the protruding end surfaces 45 and 46 of the protrusions 31 and 41, there is a situation that the amount of reduction in the locking allowance of the panel lock portions 21 and 22 increases. In that respect, according to the present embodiment, since the protruding ends of the protrusions 31 and 41 are installed at positions corresponding to the center portions in the width direction of the lock surfaces 29 and 38 of the panel lock portions 21 and 22, The amount of increase / decrease in the locking allowance of the portions 21 and 22 is the same when the connector housing 10 is displaced counterclockwise and when it is displaced clockwise, and the connector housing 10 is positioned in either the left or right direction. Even if they deviate, it is possible to sufficiently secure the locking margin of the panel lock portions 21 and 22.

<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.
(1) According to the present invention, the connector housing may be inserted into the mounting hole of the panel from the front side thereof, and the locking surface may be brought into contact and locked to the rear side of the panel.
(2) According to the present invention, only one of the first and second panel lock portions may be formed on the outer surface of the connector housing.
(3) According to the present invention, the protruding end of the protruding portion may have a pointed shape and can be brought into contact with the inner surface of the mounting hole in the panel in a point contact state.
(4) According to the present invention, the protruding end of the protruding portion only needs to be installed at a position corresponding to the intermediate portion excluding both end portions in the width direction of the lock surface, and either left or right of the central portion in the width direction of the lock surface. It may be installed corresponding to a slightly deviated position.
(5) According to the present invention, the protrusion may be formed in a simple protrusion shape without extending in a rib shape.
(6) According to the present invention, the bending piece and / or the elastic arm may be formed in a doubly supported beam shape.
(7) The present invention can be applied to a female connector housing that houses female terminal fittings.

The front view which shows the attachment state to the panel of the connector of this embodiment Top view of connector housing Side view of connector housing Side sectional view showing the state of mounting to the panel Part A enlarged view in FIG. Cross section showing the locked state of the second panel lock BB sectional view in FIG. Conventional diagram corresponding to FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector housing 12 ... Hood part 21 ... 1st panel lock part 22 ... 2nd panel lock part 23 ... Lock claw 35 ... Elastic arm 36 ... Lock main body 31,41 ... Projection part 90 ... Panel 91 ... Mounting hole

Claims (3)

A connector housing is provided that can be fitted into the mating connector housing and is arranged in a standby state in a mounting hole provided in the panel.
A panel lock having a lock surface on the outer surface of the connector housing that can be brought into contact with the opening edge of the mounting hole in the panel when the connector housing is attached to the panel in a direction in which the connector housing is detached from the panel. And a protrusion having a protruding end capable of facing and abutting against the inner surface of the mounting hole in the panel is formed incapable of independent bending operation,
The protruding end of the protruding portion is installed at a position corresponding to an intermediate portion in the width direction along the opening edge of the mounting hole in the lock surface of the panel lock portion,
The connector housing is capable of being tilted and displaced about an axis in a left-right direction centering on a protruding end of the protrusion within a range of a gap with an inner surface of the mounting hole. The protruding end of the protruding portion is installed at a position corresponding to a central portion in the width direction along the opening edge of the mounting hole on the lock surface of the panel lock portion. The connector described. The panel lock portion is composed of an elastic arm that can be bent and deformed so as to extend along the outer surface of the connector housing, and a lock body that has the lock surface protruding from the outer surface of the elastic arm,
The said protrusion is formed in the rib shape along the extension direction of this elastic arm in the surface which bends and continues with the said lock surface among the outer surfaces of the said elastic arm. Item 3. The connector according to item 2.

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