JP2008117649A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To lock each terminal fitting inserted into a plurality of cavities arranged in a row in installation direction by one retainer. <P>SOLUTION: The connector includes a connector housing 10 having a plurality of cavities 13 in column direction and a retainer 60 connected integrally to the both sides right and left of the connector housing 10 by a hinge 40. The retainer 60 has a locking plate 63 turning around the hinge 40 formed for every column of each cavity 13. Installation holes 22 which cross each cavity 13 in the column direction are formed opening on the exterior face of the side wall. The locking plate 63 has a plurality of locking faces 82, 83, 84 which cross the plurality of cavities 13 arranged in a row in the column direction as it is inserted rotating into the installation hole 22, and can push from the rear the receptacle face 56 of a terminal fitting 50 inserted into each cavity 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

Patent Document 1 discloses a connector with a retainer. This comprises a connector housing having two upper and lower cavities into which terminal fittings can be inserted from the rear, and a pair of upper and lower retainers integrally connected to the upper and lower surfaces of the connector housing by flexible hinges. Is done. The connector housing is provided with retainer mounting holes that communicate with the cavities and open on both the upper and lower surfaces of the connector housing. Each retainer is inserted into the corresponding mounting hole while bending the hinges, and the terminal fittings that are normally inserted into the cavities are locked in a retaining state.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-65924

  By the way, since the retainer is provided corresponding to each cavity on the upper and lower surfaces of the connector housing, the cavity is forced to be installed in two upper and lower stages. That is, in the above, one retainer has a structure in which each terminal fitting inserted into the plurality of cavities arranged in the mounting direction cannot be locked.

  However, according to a general side type retainer, it can be applied to a connector housing in which a plurality of cavities are arranged in the retainer mounting direction, but in this case, the retainer and the connector housing are separate. There are circumstances that the number of parts increases and management is troublesome. Further, if this retainer is integrally connected to the connector housing by a hinge, it is necessary to prepare a long string-like hinge, and foreign matter may be caught on the hinge. Moreover, in the case of a general side type retainer, there is a situation in which a terminal fitting that is kept in a half-inserted state in a connector housing cannot be brought into a regular inserted state.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and its purpose is to insert a single retainer into a plurality of cavities arranged in the mounting direction without lengthening the hinge. Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector having a retainer capable of locking each terminal metal fitting and capable of bringing the terminal metal fitting into a normal insertion state.

  As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to a connector housing in which a plurality of cavities are arranged in a row and terminal fittings are inserted into the cavities from the rear, and the connector housing A retainer integrally connected to the side wall by a hinge, and the retainer is formed with a locking plate that rotates around the hinge for each row of cavities. A mounting hole that allows the locking plate to be inserted is formed to open in the outer surface of the side wall in a form traversing in the row direction, and the terminal fitting can interfere with the locking plate on its rotating track. The locking plate has a receiving surface at a certain position, and the locking plate is inserted into each cavity by traversing a plurality of cavities arranged in the same row as the rotation plate is inserted into the mounting hole. The Characterized in place where the structure has a plurality of locking surface that is capable pressed from behind against the receiving surface of the terminal fitting has.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the rear hole edge of the mounting hole in the connector housing is formed by cutting out in an arc shape along the rotation locus of the locking plate. However, it has characteristics.

  The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, the retainers are respectively provided on both side surfaces of the connector housing facing each other in the row direction of the cavities.

<Invention of Claim 1>
The retainer is provided with a locking plate corresponding to each row of cavities, and the locking plate can be pressed against the receiving surfaces of terminal fittings inserted into a plurality of cavities arranged in the same row. Thus, with the mounting operation of the retainer, it becomes possible for one retainer to lock the terminal fittings accommodated in the plurality of cavities arranged in the same row in the mounting direction. Therefore, unlike the conventional case where only one terminal fitting can be locked in the retainer mounting direction, the applicable range is expanded.
Further, since the retainer rotates around the hinge and is inserted into the mounting hole of the connector housing, it is not necessary to lengthen the length of the hinge, and foreign objects can be prevented from being caught on the hinge. In addition, when the terminal fitting is not properly inserted into the cavity and remains in the half insertion position, the locking plate pushes the receiving surface of the terminal fitting from the rear by its turning operation to guide the terminal fitting to the normal insertion position. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the terminal fitting from being retained in the half-inserted state.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the rear hole edge of the mounting hole in the connector housing is cut out in an arc shape along the rotation trajectory of the locking plate, the mounting hole formation area in the connector housing does not become larger than necessary. The required strength of the connector housing can be ensured.

<Invention of Claim 3>
In the present invention, if the connector is provided with only one retainer, the locking plate needs to be formed with a large turning radius sufficient to cross all the cavities arranged in the row direction. When the number of cavities increases, the mounting hole may open to the rear end surface of the connector housing, and the function of the cavity may be impaired. However, according to the present invention, since the retainers are respectively provided on both side surfaces of the connector housing facing each other in the column direction of the cavities, the rotation radius of each locking plate is made smaller than covering all the cavities with one retainer. It is possible to prevent the mounting hole from opening on the rear surface of the connector housing.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment exemplifies a connector attached to a panel 90 of an automobile door mirror, and includes a connector housing 10 and a retainer 60, and the retainer 60 is rotatable with respect to the connector housing 10 via a hinge 40. Is done.

  The connector housing 10 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a terminal accommodating portion 11 that accommodates the male terminal fitting 50, and a rectangular tube shape that protrudes forward from the front end of the terminal accommodating portion 11. And the hood part 12. The terminal accommodating portion 11 has cavities 13 in a plurality of stages in the height direction, specifically four stages, and in a plurality of rows in the width direction, specifically five rows (however, the top row is two rows). The terminal fitting 50 can be inserted from the rear. Among the cavities 13, the one located at the uppermost stage is disposed in a pair at both left and right ends, and between both cavities 13, a housing lock portion 14 that can be elastically locked to a housing case 70 described later is interposed. It is installed.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a pair of left and right recesses 15 that are one step lower than the surroundings are provided on the rear portions of the upper and lower surfaces of the connector housing 10, and a retainer lock portion is provided on the bottom surface of each recess 15. 16 is formed. The retainer lock portion 16 has a rib shape extending in the front-rear direction, and a lock claw 62 of a lock plate 61 provided on the retainer 60 can be locked therein. And the lance 17 which can be elastically locked to the terminal metal fitting 50 is formed in the inner wall of each cavity 13 at both ends.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the rear surface of the lance 17 is an insertion guide surface 18 inclined in a taper shape with respect to the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 50, and is arranged in an upward gradient toward the front. On the other hand, the front surface of the lance 17 is an extraction guide surface 19 that is inclined in a taper shape with respect to the extraction direction of the terminal fitting 50, and is arranged in a downward gradient toward the front. The extraction guide surface 19 of the lance 17 functions as a locking surface of the terminal fitting 50 at the same time, but the locking force with respect to the terminal fitting 50 is relatively low, and the terminal fitting 50 is mainly prevented from coming off. Provided by retainer 60. When extracting the terminal fitting 50 from the cavity 13, the terminal fitting 50 is pulled out of the lance 17 by pulling the terminal fitting 50 backward by picking the electric wire 100 after the retainer 60 is not attached. The lance 17 is bent in the unlocking direction while being in sliding contact with the guide surface 19. Therefore, there is an advantage that a jig for releasing the locked state of the lance 17 is not required, and the work of removing each terminal fitting 50 can be easily performed to reduce the work load.

  The terminal fitting 50 is formed by bending a conductive metal plate or the like. As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal fitting 50 includes a tab 51, a box portion 52, and a barrel portion 53 in order from the front, and further includes a box portion 52, a barrel portion 53, A constricted portion 54 having a concave shape is provided between them. A receiving surface 56 that is locked by the retainer 60 is held in the jaw portion of the box portion 52 that is continuous with the constricted portion 54. A lance receiving portion 57 is formed in the box portion 52 by cutting out a part of the box portion 52, the terminal fitting 50 is normally inserted into the cavity 13, and the lance 17 is elastically inserted into the lance receiving portion 57. By fitting, the terminal fitting 50 is prevented from coming off. In addition, when the terminal fitting 50 is in the normal insertion state, the tab 51 is disposed so as to protrude into the hood portion 12.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the connector housing 10 is accommodated and held by a housing lock portion 14 in a cylindrical housing case 70, and in this state, the mating connector housing 10 is inserted into the housing case 70 from the front. The The mating connector housing 95 inserted into the housing case 70 is locked in a locked state by the lock portion 71 of the housing case 70 and is fitted into the hood portion 12 and accommodated in the female side. The terminal fitting 96 is fitted to the tab 51 in a conductive state. The housing case 70 is attached to the panel 90, and has a pair of attachment portions 72 projecting from the upper and lower surfaces thereof.

  Further, the connector housing 10 is provided with mounting holes 22 for retainers 60 that communicate with the cavities 13 by notching the partition walls 21 that partition the upper and lower cavities 13 (for each stage). A plurality of locking plates 63 provided in the retainer 60 can be accommodated in the mounting hole 22, and are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the connector housing 10 (both side surfaces of the connector housing 10 facing each other in the row direction of the cavities 13). As shown in FIG. 3, the insertion opening 29 of the locking plate 63 is formed in each of the locking plates 63 in the fitting recess 39 dropped one step from the periphery.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the front hole edge of the mounting hole 22 in the connector housing 10 has a row direction of the cavities 13 (a direction perpendicular to the width direction of the connector housing 10, the insertion / removal direction of the terminal fitting 50, and the connector housing 10. The straight edge 23 is formed by extending along the cavities 13 arranged in the same row direction at a substantially right angle by extending along the direction perpendicular to the fitting / removing direction. On the other hand, the rear hole edge of the mounting hole 22 in the connector housing 10 is a straight edge 23 and a pair of left and right arc edges 24 along a semicircular arc having radius portions on both left and right side surfaces of the connector housing 10. Both the arc edges 24 are joined to each other at a position where the straight edge 23 faces in the approximate center in the width direction of the connector housing 10 so that the end edges intersect with each other. Note that the partition walls 25 that partition the cavities 13 that are adjacent in the row direction in the connector housing 10 are divided by a straight edge 23 and both arc edges 24 in the front-rear direction.

  A pair of left and right hinges 40 are connected to the left and right side surfaces of the connector housing 10 at positions just before both ends of the straight edge 23. The hinge 40 has a short flexible band shape, and is elongated in the height direction on both side surfaces of the connector housing 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the hinge 40 has an initial position where the retainer 60 is disposed so that the plate surface of the closing plate 64 provided on the retainer 60 and both side surfaces of the connector housing 10 are substantially parallel to each other. The retainer 60 is rotated with an angular difference of 180 degrees between the mounting position where the retainer 60 is disposed so that the plate surface of the stop plate 63 and both side surfaces of the connector housing 10 are substantially flush with each other. At the initial position, it extends linearly, and at the mounting position, it is bent into a semicircular arc.

  The retainer 60 is made of synthetic resin, and is integrally connected to the left and right side surfaces of the connector housing 10 by hinges 40. Specifically, the retainer 60 has a wing shape in plan view, and includes a closing plate 64, a locking plate 63 protruding from the plate surface of the closing plate 64, and each locking plate 63 from both upper and lower ends of the closing plate 64. A locking plate 61 protruding substantially in parallel is provided, and a hinge 40 is integrally connected to a plate surface of the closing plate 64 opposite to the plate surface on which the locking plate 63 protrudes. As shown in FIG. 3, the closing plate 64 has a rectangular plate shape with its plate surface extending in the height direction, and is fitted into the fitting recess 39 at the mounting position so that the insertion port 29 of the mounting hole 22 is formed. It can be closed. When the closing plate 64 is fitted into the fitting recess 39, the outer plate surface of the closing plate is continuous with the periphery of both the left and right side surfaces of the connector housing 10. The lock plate 61 has a form in which the protruding end portion of the locking plate 63 is cut out in a straight line, and a lock claw 62 is projected inward (locking plate 63 side) along the cut edge. Yes. The lock claw 62 is formed along with the formation of the recessed portion 65 on the inner surface of the lock plate 61, and at the mounting position, it contacts the retainer lock portion 16 in the front-rear direction and restricts the rotation of the retainer 60 relative to the connector housing 10. Keep in state.

  The locking plate 63 is arranged in a plurality of stages for each row of the cavities 13, and the plate surface has an arc shape corresponding to the mounting hole 22, specifically a quarter arc shape. The locking plate 63 is inserted from the rear into the mounting hole 22 of the connector housing 10 through the insertion port 29 by being rotated about the hinge 40 in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the cavity 13. As the mounting position is reached after traversing the cavities 13 in the row direction, the inner wall of each cavity 13, specifically the bottom wall, is connected and the front edge in the rotational direction is adapted to the straight edge 23. A recess 66 is formed on the front end edge of the locking plate 63 in the rotational direction with a space therebetween, and the end edge of each partition wall 25 and the recess 66 can be fitted into the concave and convex portions at the mounting position.

  Here, the connector housing 10 has five cavities 13 arranged side by side in the same row except for the uppermost stage. Of these, two cavities 13 located on both the left and right sides are respectively connected to the corresponding left and right cavities. The locking plates 63 cross each other, and the corresponding left and right locking plates 63 cross the left and right sides of the single cavity 13 located in the center. That is, the left and right locking plates 63 share the single cavity 13 located at the center, and the outer peripheral edges of the locking plates 63 face each other with the center in the width direction of the cavity 13 as a boundary. Among the locking plates 63, the one located at the uppermost stage is caused by the fact that the corresponding cavity 13 is provided only on the left and right ends of the connector housing 10, and the length direction ( It is shorter in the protruding direction.

  Among the plate surfaces of the locking plate 63 excluding the uppermost step, a first flat surface portion 67, a second flat surface portion 68, and a third flat surface portion 69 are formed on the inner surface constituting the inner wall of the cavity 13 in this order from the closing plate 64 side. These are arranged substantially horizontally. The first flat surface portion 67, the second flat surface portion 68, and the third flat surface portion 69 are connected to each other by a slope portion 81 having a tapered downward slope as the distance from the closing plate 64 increases. The height gradually decreases from the one plane portion 67 to the third plane portion 69. A first locking surface 82 is set at a position corresponding to the inclined surface portion 81 between the first flat surface portion 67 and the second flat surface portion 68 in the rotation direction front end edge of the locking plate 63. The second locking surface 83 is set at a position corresponding to the inclined surface portion 81 between the second flat surface portion 68 and the third flat surface portion 69, and further corresponds to the tip portion of the third flat surface portion 69. A third locking surface 84 is set at the position. A recess 66 is provided on both sides of the first and second locking surfaces 82 and 83 or on one side of the third locking surface 84. The uppermost locking plate 63 is provided with a first flat surface portion 67, a second flat surface portion 68, a slope portion 81, and a first locking surface 82, respectively.

  When the locking plate 63 reaches the mounting position, the first locking surfaces 82 are removed from the receiving surfaces 56 of the terminal fittings 50 inserted into the cavities 13 positioned at the left and right ends of the connector housing 10 and the terminal fittings 50. And the second locking surface 83 faces the receiving surface 56 of the terminal fitting 50 inserted into the cavity 13 positioned on the inner side of the left and right ends of the connector housing 10 in the direction in which the terminal fitting 50 is removed. Furthermore, a third locking surface 84 is provided for each locking plate 63 in the direction in which the receiving surface 56 of the terminal fitting 50 inserted into the cavity 13 located in the center of the width direction in the connector housing 10 and the terminal fitting 50 is removed. The terminal fittings 50 that face each other from both the left and right sides and are arranged in the row direction by the locking surfaces 82, 83, 84 are prevented from coming off. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the locking plate 63 is formed with a recess 88 that is notched in the third flat surface portion 69 and opens at the rear end edge in the rotation direction of the locking plate 63. It is easy to pick and operate.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the retainer 60 is arranged in an open position in the initial position with respect to the connector housing 10. Subsequently, the terminal fitting 50 is inserted into the cavity 13 of the connector housing 10 from the rear, and the terminal fitting 50 is pushed deeply into the cavity 13 so that the front end of the box portion 52 abuts against the front wall of the cavity 13. As the terminal fitting 50 reaches the normal insertion position, the lance 17 is elastically fitted to the lance receiving portion 57 of the box portion 52, and the terminal fitting 50 is loosely locked by the lance 17 in a temporarily held state.

  When all the terminal fittings 50 are inserted into the cavity 13, the retainer 60 is rotated about the hinge 40 toward the mounting position. Then, the locking plate 63 installed for each row of the cavities 13 rotates on a plane along the row direction of the cavities 13. When rotating about 90 degrees around the hinge 40 from the initial position, the front end edge of the locking plate 63 in the rotational direction faces the insertion port 29 while facing both side surfaces of the connector housing 10, and the rotational operation is further advanced. Thus, the locking plate 63 is inserted into the mounting hole 22 from the corresponding insertion port 29. In the insertion process, the lock plate 61 enters the recess 15 of the connector housing 10, and the locking plate 63 crosses the cavity 13 from behind along an arc locus.

  The locking plate 63 is made non-interfering with the terminal fitting 50 by passing through the recessed space 55 that is recessed by the constricted portion 54 in the turning process. When the retainer 60 reaches the mounting position by rotating about 180 degrees around the hinge 40 from the initial position, the lock plate 61 elastically locks the retainer lock portion 16 and the rotation operation of the retainer 60 is restricted. When the retainer 60 reaches the mounting position, as shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of locking surfaces 82, 83, 84 of the locking plate 63 respectively contact the receiving surfaces 56 of the corresponding terminal fittings 50 from the rear. In contact with or in proximity to each other, each terminal fitting 50 is locked by the locking plate 63 so that the terminal metal fitting 50 is reliably prevented from coming off.

  In the above case, if the terminal fitting 50 is not normally inserted into the cavity 13 and remains in the half-insertion position, the respective locking surfaces 82, 83, 84 of the locking plate 63 in the middle of rotation are connected to the terminal fitting 50. The terminal fitting 50 is pressed against the receiving surface 56 from behind, and the terminal plate 50 is forcibly moved to the normal insertion position in a pressed state by further rotating the locking plate 63. At the same time that the locking plate 63 reaches the mounting position, the terminal fitting 50 also reaches the regular mounting position and is elastically locked by the lance 17.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, with the mounting operation of the retainer 60 to the connector housing 10, the locking plates 63 are accommodated in the plurality of cavities 13 arranged in the same row in the insertion direction into the mounting hole 22. Since each terminal fitting 50 is locked in a retaining state, it differs from the conventional hinge type retainer in which only one terminal fitting 50 can be locked along the mounting direction of the retainer 60 in terms of design. The range of variations can be expanded and the degree of freedom in design can be increased.
Further, since the retainer 60 rotates around the hinge 40 to reach the mounting position, it is not necessary to lengthen the length of the hinge 40 and foreign objects can be prevented from being caught on the hinge 40. In addition, when the terminal fitting 50 is not properly inserted into the cavity 13 and remains in the half-insertion position, the locking plate 63 presses the receiving surface 56 of the terminal fitting 50 from the rear by the turning operation, thereby the terminal fitting 50. Thus, the terminal fitting 50 can be prevented from being left in the half-inserted state. In addition, since the retainer 60 is integrally connected with the connector housing 10 by the hinge 40, it cannot be overemphasized that the number of parts can be reduced and management is easy.

Further, since the rear hole edge of the mounting hole 22 in the connector housing 10 is an arc edge 24 cut out in an arc shape along the rotation locus of the locking plate 63, this is the rotation locus of the locking plate 63. As compared with the case where the mounting hole 22 is greatly opened and opened, the formation region of the mounting hole 22 can be set small, and the required strength of the connector housing 10 can be ensured.
Further, when the locking plate 63 is inserted into the mounting hole 22 at a normal depth, the recess 66 provided at the front end edge in the rotational direction of the locking plate 63 can be concavo-convexly fitted into the partition wall 25 partitioning the cavities 13. As a result, the locking plate 63 is positioned relative to the connector housing 10 in a play-restricted state, so that the stability of the locking state by the locking plate 63 can be ensured.

  And according to this embodiment, since the retainer 60 is each provided in the both sides | surfaces of the connector housing 10 which opposes in the row direction of the cavity 13, each engagement is compared with the case where only one retainer 60 is provided. The turning radius of the stop plate 63 can be set small. As a result, it can be prevented that the mounting hole 22 is opened on the rear surface of the connector housing 10 and the function of the cavity 13 is impaired.

<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, only one retainer may be integrally connected to any one of the left and right side surfaces of the connector housing.
(2) According to the present invention, the number of locking surfaces provided on the locking plate may be made different between the left and right retainers.
(3) According to the present invention, the shape of the locking plate is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a polygonal shape in plan view.
(4) According to the present invention, the receiving surface may be formed by cutting and raising the wall of the box portion of the terminal fitting, or may be formed at the rear edge of the barrel portion.
(5) The present invention is also applicable to a one-stage type in which cavities are arranged in a horizontal row.
(6) The present invention is applicable to a female connector housing that can accommodate female terminal fittings.

The rear view of the connector of Embodiment 1 Top view of the connector with the retainer open to the initial position Side view of connector with retainer open to initial position Cross section of the connector with the retainer open to the initial position Cross section of the connector with the retainer closed in the mounting position Side sectional view of the side of the connector housing Side cross-sectional view at the center of the connector housing Cross-sectional side view of connector mated with mating connector

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector housing 11 ... Terminal accommodating part 13 ... Cavity 16 ... Retainer lock part 17 ... Lance 22 ... Mounting hole 24 ... Arc edge 25 ... Bulkhead 40 ... Hinge 60 ... Retainer 61 ... Lock plate 63 ... Locking plate 64 ... Closing plate 82: First locking surface 83: Second locking surface 84: Third locking surface

Claims (3)

A connector housing in which a plurality of cavities are arranged in a row direction, and terminal fittings are inserted into the cavities from the rear,
A retainer integrally connected to the side wall of the connector housing by a hinge;
In the retainer, a locking plate that rotates around the hinge is formed for each row of cavities,
In the connector housing, in a form that crosses each cavity in the row direction, a mounting hole that allows the locking plate to be inserted is formed in the outer surface of the side wall,
The terminal fitting has a receiving surface at a position capable of interfering with the locking plate and its rotating track,
The locking plate traverses a plurality of cavities arranged in the same row as it is inserted into the mounting hole in the row direction, with respect to the receiving surface of the terminal fitting inserted in each cavity. A connector having a plurality of locking surfaces that can be pressed from the rear. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a rear hole edge of the mounting hole in the connector housing is formed by cutting out in an arc shape along a rotation trajectory of the locking plate. 3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the retainer is provided on each side surface of the connector housing opposed in the row direction of the cavities. 4.

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