JP2008235133A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To strongly hold both housings of a connector in a fitted state. <P>SOLUTION: A detection member 60 movable between a standby position and a detection position is installed in the female housing 10. The detection member 60 restrains the elastic deformation of a rocker arm 18 in the unlocking direction by being advanced into the deflection space 33 of the rocker arm 18 when it reaches the detection position and so held on the female housing 10 that its movement can be restrained. Further, the detection member 60 has a locking part 70 lockable with a detection receiving part 47 formed at the male housing 40. When the detection member reaches the detection position, the locking part 70 locks the detection receiving part 47, and is so held to the male housing 40 that its movement is restrained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

Patent Document 1 discloses a connector having a fitting detection function. In this connector, a detection member that is held so as to be movable between a standby position and a detection position is assembled in one of the male and female connector housings that can be fitted and detached. Also, one connector housing is provided with a lock arm that can be elastically locked to a lock receiving portion formed on the other connector housing, and the detection member is elastically bent when both connector housings are half-fitted. The movement to the detection position is regulated by the interference with the arm, and when the two connector housings are properly fitted, the movement to the detection position is allowed by the backward movement of the lock arm. Therefore, the fitting state of both connector housings can be detected by whether the detection member can be moved.
The detection member enters the bending space of the lock arm as it reaches the detection position, and restricts the elastic bending of the lock arm in the locking release direction. The housing is held in a movement restricted state.
JP 2004-63090 A

  The detection member substantially double locks both connector housings by restricting the elastic deflection of the lock arm at the detection position. However, there has been a demand to hold both connector housings more strongly in the fitted state (withdrawal restricted state).

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to strongly hold both connector housings in a fitted state.

  As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that one of the pair of connector housings that can be fitted and detached from each other is provided with a lock arm that can be elastically bent, The connector housing is provided with a lock receiving portion, and when the two connector housings are properly fitted, the lock arm elastically locks the lock receiving portion so that the two connector housings are in a fitted state. The one connector housing is movable between a standby position and a detection position, and when the two connector housings are half-fitted, they are standby at the standby position. When the two connector housings are properly fitted, a detection member that is allowed to move to the detection position is assembled. By entering the bending space of the lock arm as it reaches the detection position, the elastic deformation of the lock arm in the direction of disengagement from the lock receiving portion is restricted and the movement restriction with respect to the one connector housing is restricted. The detection member includes a detection receiving portion formed on the other connector housing and can be locked with the detection receiving portion, and reaches the detection position. Along with this, the structure is characterized in that the locking portion locks the detection receiving portion to hold the other connector housing in a movement restricted state.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the locking portion locks the detection member by locking a standby receiving portion formed in the one connector housing at the standby position. The connector housing is characterized in that it is held in a movement restricted state.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the locking portion is formed to project from one end of an arm portion that can swing and displace around a fulcrum portion, and the standby receiving portion is A recess is formed so that the locking portion can be fitted, and a release portion for releasing the holding state of the detection member in the standby position protrudes from the other connector housing, When the two connector housings are properly fitted, the release portion enters the standby receiving portion, and the locking portion is moved out of the standby receiving portion with a swinging displacement of the arm portion. It is characterized by being pushed up.

<Invention of Claim 1>
Since the detection member is held in the movement restricted state by one connector housing at the detection position and the locking portion locks the detection receiving portion, the other connector housing is also held in the movement restricted state. Thus, the relative displacement between the two connector housings is restricted, and as a result, the two connector housings are held in the fitted state. Since the bending operation of the lock arm is also restricted by the detection member, both connector housings are substantially locked in a triple manner, and both connector housings are strongly held in the fitted state.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the locking portion locks the standby receiving portion of one of the connector housings in the standby position, the detection member is held in the standby position. Therefore, means for holding the detection member in the standby position is provided by the locking portion. As a result, a dedicated structure for holding the detection member at the standby position becomes unnecessary, and the configuration of the detection member can be simplified.

<Invention of Claim 3>
When the two connector housings are properly fitted, the release part is fitted into the standby receiving part and the locking part is pushed up in the direction of coming out of the standby receiving part with the swinging displacement of the arm part. Can be moved to the detection position. By fitting the release portion into the standby receiving portion, an escape area of the release portion is secured, and the configuration of one connector housing can be simplified. Moreover, it can avoid that one connector housing enlarges in the protrusion direction of a cancellation | release part.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector of the present embodiment includes a pair of male and female housings 10 and 40 that can be fitted to each other, and a detection member 60 that can move between a standby position and a detection position. In the following description, in the front-rear direction, the fitting surface side of both housings 10 and 40 is the front.

  The male housing 40 (corresponding to the “other connector housing” of the present invention) is formed of a synthetic resin material. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the base wall portion 41 having a substantially rectangular plate shape, And a hood portion 42 having a substantially rectangular tube shape protruding forward from the front surface. A tab 44 of a male terminal fitting 43 is attached to the base wall portion 41 so as to penetrate therethrough, and a tip end portion of the tab 44 is disposed so as to protrude into the hood portion 42.

On the upper surface of the upper wall of the hood portion 42, a lock receiving portion 45 that protrudes elastically to the lock arm 18 on the other side protrudes from a substantially central portion in the width direction. The front surface of the lock receiving portion 45 is an inclined surface having an upward slope toward the rear, and the rear surface of the lock receiving portion 45 is a vertical surface that is substantially vertical.
In addition, on the upper surface of the upper wall of the hood portion 42, a release for releasing the locked state of the detection member 60 at the standby position on both sides of the lock receiving portion 45 and near the front edge of the hood portion 42. The portions 46 protrude in pairs on the left and right. Both release portions 46 are mountain-shaped in cross section, and the front surface thereof is an inclined surface with an upward slope toward the rear, and the rear surface thereof is an inclined surface with an upward slope toward the front. The protruding dimension of the release part 46 is suppressed to be lower than the protruding dimension of the lock receiving part 45.

  In addition, a detection receiving portion 47 for holding the detection member 60 at the detection position is formed in a pair on the left and right sides of the upper wall of the hood portion 42 behind the release portions 46. The detection receiving portion 47 has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view and a substantially V-shaped stepped surface, and the front and rear width is reduced as the depth increases.

  The female housing 10 (corresponding to “one connector housing” of the present invention) is formed of a synthetic resin material, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, the block-shaped terminal accommodating portion 11 and the periphery of the terminal accommodating portion 11 are formed. It is provided with an enclosing fitting cylinder part 12 and a connecting part 13 connected to the terminal accommodating part 11 and the fitting cylinder part 12 at the rear end, and a hood from the front between the terminal accommodating part 11 and the fitting cylinder part 12. The part 42 enters. A plurality of cavities 14 are arranged in the terminal accommodating portion 11 at positions corresponding to the male terminal fittings 43. A female terminal fitting 16 connected to the end of the electric wire 15 is inserted into each cavity 14 from behind.

  A mounting portion 17 for the detection member 60 is formed on the upper wall of the fitting cylinder portion 12 so as to bulge into a cross-sectional gate shape. An elastically bendable lock arm 18 is disposed between the mounting portion 17 and the terminal accommodating portion 11. As shown in FIG. 6, the lock arm 18 is substantially in the same position in the front and rear as the connecting portion 13, and has a root portion 19 that stands up from the upper surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11, and is elongated in the front-rear direction. The arm main body 20 includes an elongated plate-like arm main body 20 that is extended, and the arm main body 20 can be oscillated and displaced in a seesaw shape (elastically displaceable) with the base 19 as a fulcrum. At the front end of the arm main body 20, a claw-like lock protrusion 21 is projected downward. The rear surface of the lock projection 21 is a vertical surface that is substantially vertical, and when the two housings 10 and 40 are normally fitted, along the direction substantially perpendicular to the rear surface of the lock receiving portion 45 and the fitting direction of the two housings 10 and 40. It can be locked.

  On the both sides of the fitting cylinder portion 12 within the width of the mounting portion 17 and sandwiching the bending region of the lock arm 18, there are substantially horizontal plate-like support portions 22 on which the detection member 60 is placed and supported at the standby position. It is formed in pairs on the left and right. Each of the support parts 22 is provided with a recess 23 for receiving the detection member 60 at the standby position. The standby receiving portion 23 is formed in a substantially square shape in plan view and penetrates in the wall thickness direction of the fitting tube portion 12. In addition, the front wall 24 that defines the standby receiving portion 23 in the support portion 22 substantially becomes a portion that supports the detection member 60, and the lower surface side thereof is gradually thickened to secure the through space 25 of the release portion 46. . An assembly space 27 for the detection member 60 is held between the front wall 24 and the front end wall 26 of the fitting cylinder portion 12 positioned in front of the front wall 24, and the detection member 60 reaching the detection position is in front. The wall 24 and the front end wall 26 are restrained in a movement restricted state in the front-rear direction.

The mounting portion 17 includes a pair of left and right side walls 28 erected along the front-rear direction, and includes a mounting space 29 for the detection member 60 penetrating forward and backward by being partitioned by the side walls 28. . A pair of left and right guide plates 30 are formed at the upper ends of the side walls 28 so as to project into the mounting space 29. The two guide plates 30 are configured to extend in the front-rear direction at the rear portion of the mounting portion 17, and serve to move and guide the detection member 60 and to restrict the upward displacement of the detection member 60.
A pair of left and right abutment walls 31 for restricting further advancement of the detection member 60 reaching the detection position is formed at the front portion of the mounting portion 17, and a plate-like shape is formed between the upper ends of the front half portions of the abutment wall 31. Bridge 32 is bridged. Below the bridge portion 32 is a bending space 33 of the lock arm 18 and an entry space 34 into which a part of the detection member 60 enters, and the detection member 60 that has entered here can be restricted from being lifted. .

  The detection member 60 is also formed of a synthetic resin material, and as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, a substantially square plate-like cover portion 61, a pressing portion 62 protruding forward from the cover portion 61, and the left and right sides of the cover portion 61. A fulcrum part 63 suspended from the lower surfaces of both ends, and an arm part 64 extending in the front-rear direction connected to the lower end of the fulcrum part 63, are relatively forward with respect to the female housing 10 from the standby position to the detection position. It is movable.

  The cover portion 61 is configured to have a size that covers substantially the entire mounting space 29 of the mounting portion 17 at the detection position, and both side portions 65 sandwiching the pressing portion 62 are thicker than the center portion. A pair of left and right guide grooves 66 that can engage with the guide plate 30 on the female housing 10 side are formed on the upper surfaces of the left and right ends of the cover 61. Both guide grooves 66 are elongated in the front-rear direction and open at the rear end of the cover 61. When the detection member 60 is in the standby position, the guide plate 30 can be fitted almost tightly here. ing. Further, on the upper surface of the rear end portion of the cover portion 61, a knob portion 67 is provided so as to protrude in a rib shape extending substantially over the entire width of the intermediate portion except for the left and right guide grooves 66. It is operated by picking this with a finger when moving. And the front end of the cover part 61 which makes a pair on both sides across the pressing part 62 is configured as an abutting part 68 that can be held against the abutting wall 31 when the detection member 60 reaches the detection position.

  The holding portion 62 is disposed between a pair of slits 69 inserted in the front end of the cover portion 61, and when the detection member 60 is in the standby position, the front end portion is positioned in front of the bridge portion 32, and the detection member 60 When the position reaches the detection position, the front end portion of the arm enters the entry space 34 below the bridge portion 32 and covers the arm main body portion 20 of the lock arm 18 from above. When the pressing portion 62 covers the arm main body portion 20 and comes into contact with the arm main body portion 20, the bending operation in the unlocking direction that is dissociated from the lock receiving portion 45 of the arm main body portion 20 is restricted. At this time, the front end portion of the pressing portion 62 itself is pressed by the bridge portion 32 from above, and the upward lifting operation is restricted.

The arm portion 64 has a long plate shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction, and is swingable and displaceable (elastically displaceable) in a seesaw shape around the fulcrum portion 63. The arm portion 64 is abutted and supported by the support portion 22 on the female housing 10 side when the detection member 60 is in the standby position, and is inserted into the assembly space 27 in a restrained state when the detection member 60 reaches the detection position. It is like that.
When the detection member 60 is in the standby position, the standby receiving portion 23 on the female housing 10 side is locked to the lower surfaces of the rear ends of both arm portions 64, and when the detection member 60 reaches the detection position, the male housing 40 is engaged. A pair of left and right locking portions 70 that lock the side detection receiving portion 47 are formed to protrude downward. The locking portion 70 includes a portion having a substantially V-shaped cross section so as to correspond to the shape of the detection receiving portion 47, and is fitted into the standby receiving portion 23 and the detection receiving portion 47, thereby detecting the member 60. It plays the role of keeping the movement restricted state in front and back. The locking portion 70 is integrated with the arm portion 64, and can be separated from the standby receiving portion 23 and the detection receiving portion 47 when the arm portion 64 swings and displaces in the direction of lifting the rear end portion. .

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, the detection member 60 is assembled to the female housing 10. In assembling, the detection member 60 is slide-mounted from behind to the mounting space 29 of the mounting portion 17 of the female housing 10. Thus, when the detection member 60 is assembled at the standby position, the guide plate 30 is fitted into the guide groove 66 of the cover portion 61, the arm portion 64 is placed and supported on the support portion 22 of the fitting cylinder portion 12, and When the locking portion 70 is fitted into the standby receiving portion 23 from above, the detection member 60 is held in the movement restricted state. Further, in a state where the detection member 60 is held at the standby position, the pressing portion 62 is disposed above the arm main body portion 20 of the lock arm 18 with a space therebetween, and the bending operation of the lock arm 18 is allowed. .

Subsequently, the female housing 10 assembled with the detection member 60 is directly opposed to the male housing 40, and the fitting operation of both the housings 10 and 40 is started from this state (see FIGS. 1, 3, and 6). In the drawings, FIGS. 1, 3 and 6, FIGS. 4 and 7, and FIGS. 2, 5 and 8 show the timing of the fitting operation in each group at the same timing.
In the process in which the two housings 10 and 40 are fitted, the lock projection 21 of the lock arm 18 interferes with the lock receiving portion 45 of the male housing 40, and the arm main body portion 20 is elastically tilted upward. Thereafter, when the two housings 10 and 40 reach the normal fitting position, the lock projection 21 gets over the lock receiving portion 45 and the arm main body portion 20 elastically moves back to the original horizontal posture. 21 elastically locks the lock receiving portion 45 (see FIG. 7). Thereby, both the housings 10 and 40 are primarily locked in the fitted state.

  When both the housings 10 and 40 are properly fitted, the release portion 46 of the male housing 40 passes through the through space 25 and reaches a position corresponding to the standby receiving portion 23, and the latching portion fitted therein. Push 70 up from below. Then, the locking portion 70 is displaced in the direction of coming out of the standby receiving portion 23 with the swinging displacement of the arm portion 64 (see FIG. 4). Thereby, the locked state (holding state) of the detection member 60 at the standby position is released, and the movement of the detection member 60 to the detection position is allowed.

  When the fitting operation of both the housings 10 and 40 is completed, the detection member 60 is pushed into the detection position side in order to confirm whether or not the two housings 10 and 40 are properly fitted. As a result, the detection member 60 is lowered one step as the locking portion 70 gets over the front wall 24 and falls down one step, and as the detection member 60 reaches the detection position in this state, the arm portion 64 is placed on the upper surface of the upper wall of the hood portion 42. It is supported by abutting. Thus, when the detection member 60 reaches the detection position, the pressing portion 62 covers the arm main body portion 20 of the lock arm 18 together with the cover portion 61 from above, and the front end portion of the pressing portion 62 enters the entry space 34 and the bridge portion. The elastic bending in the unlocking direction, which is pressed from above by 32 and separated from the lock receiving portion 45 of the lock arm 18, is regulated (see FIG. 8). Thereby, both housings 10 and 40 are secondarily locked in the fitted state.

  Further, when the detection member 60 reaches the detection position, the abutment portion 68 of the cover portion 61 is opposed to the abutting wall 31 and the arm portion 64 is fitted into the assembly space 27 of the female housing 10 so that the detection member 60 is moved. The movement member 70 is held in a movement-restricted state with respect to the female housing 10 in the front-rear direction, and the detection member 60 is moved back and forth with respect to the male housing 40 by closely fitting the locking portion 70 into the detection receiving portion 47 of the male housing 40 from above. To keep the movement restricted state (see FIG. 5). Therefore, the relative front and rear position fluctuations between the two housings 10 and 40 are eliminated through the detection member 60, and the two housings 10 and 40 are tertiary-locked in the fitted state.

  On the other hand, if both the housings 10 and 40 have not yet reached the normal fitting position and are left in the half-fitted state, the release portion 46 of the male housing 40 does not reach the position corresponding to the standby receiving portion 23. The locked state between the locking portion 70 and the standby receiving portion 23 is maintained. Therefore, the movement of the detection member 60 to the detection position is restricted, and it is informed that both the housings 10 and 40 are in the half-fitted state. In this case, both housings 10 and 40 may be fitted deeply to reach the normal fitting position.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The two housings 10 and 40 that are normally fitted are primarily locked by the lock of the lock arm 18 and the lock receiving portion 45, and are secondary by the restriction of the lock arm 18 in the unlocking direction by the pressing portion 62 of the detection member 60. Since it is locked and is tertiary-locked by the engagement between the engaging portion 70 of the detection member 60 and the detection receiving portion 47, it is strongly held in the fitted state, and it is possible to avoid inadvertent unlocking. .

  Moreover, since the latching | locking part 70 hold | maintains the detection member 60 in a standby position by latching the standby receiving part 23 of the female housing 10 in a standby position, in order to hold | maintain the detection member 60 in a standby position. These means are covered by the locking portion 70. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a separate dedicated structure for holding the detection member 60 at the standby position, and the configuration of the detection member 60 can be simplified.

  Further, when the two housings 10 and 40 are properly fitted, the release portion 46 of the male housing 40 is fitted into the standby receiving portion 23 from below, and in exchange, the locking portion 70 is pushed up in the direction of coming out of the standby receiving portion 23. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a separate relief structure for the release portion 46, the configuration of the female housing 10 can be simplified, and the female housing 10 can be prevented from being enlarged in the height direction (vertical direction).

<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) Another locking portion may be provided auxiliary to the lower surface of the front end of the arm portion, and another detection receiving portion corresponding thereto may be provided on the male housing side. As a result, the two housings are more strongly held in the fitted state.
(2) The means for holding the detection member at the standby position in the movement restricted state may be constituted by a portion other than the locking portion.
(3) The detection member may be assembled on the male housing side.
(4) The detection receiving portion may be configured to penetrate the upper wall of the hood portion.

In Embodiment 1 of this invention, the top view which shows the state by which the detection member was put in the standby position and fitting operation of both housings was started The top view which shows the state in which both housings were normally fitted and the detection member reached the detection position Sectional drawing which shows the state by which the detection member was hold | maintained in the standby position because the latching | locking part latches the standby | standby receiving part. Sectional drawing which shows the state by which both housings were normally fitted and the latching state of the detection member in the standby position was released by the release part Sectional drawing which shows the state which the detection member moved to the detection position from the standby position, and the latching | locking part latched the detection receiving part. Sectional drawing which shows the state immediately before a detection member is put in a standby position and a lock arm latches a lock receiving part Sectional drawing which shows the state in which both housings are normally fitted and the lock arm elastically locks the lock receiving portion Sectional drawing which shows the state which the detection member moved from the standby position to the detection position, and the press part restricted the bending operation of the lock arm The perspective view which shows the state in which the detection member was put in the standby position and the fitting operation of both housings was started Perspective view of detection member Bottom view of detection member

Explanation of symbols

10: Female housing (one connector housing)
18 ... Lock arm 21 ... Lock projection 23 ... Standby receiving part 40 ... Male housing (the other connector housing)
42 ... Hood part 45 ... Lock receiving part 46 ... Release part 47 ... Detection receiving part 60 ... Detection member 62 ... Holding part 70 ... Locking part

Claims (3)

One connector housing of the pair of connector housings that can be fitted and detached from each other is provided with a lock arm that can be elastically bent, and the other connector housing is provided with a lock receiving portion. When the lock arm is elastically locked to the lock receiving portion, the two connector housings are held in a fitted state, and
The one connector housing is movable between a standby position and a detection position, and when both the connector housings are in a semi-fitted state, the two connector housings are normally fitted. Sometimes a detection member that is allowed to move to the detection position is assembled, and the detection member enters the bending space of the lock arm as it reaches the detection position, so that the lock receiving portion of the lock arm A connector that is configured to be held in a movement-restricted state with respect to the one connector housing while being elastically bent in a direction of dissociating from the connector housing,
The detection member includes a locking portion that can be locked with a detection receiving portion formed in the other connector housing, and the locking portion locks the detection receiving portion as the detection position is reached. Thus, the connector is held in a movement restricted state with respect to the other connector housing. The locking portion holds the detection member in a movement restricted state with respect to the one connector housing by locking a standby receiving portion formed in the one connector housing at the standby position. The connector according to claim 1. The locking portion is formed to protrude from one end of an arm portion that can be oscillated and displaced around a fulcrum portion, and the standby receiving portion is formed to be recessed so that the locking portion can be fitted. ,
In the other connector housing, a release portion for releasing the holding state of the detection member in the standby position is formed to protrude,
When the two connector housings are properly fitted, the release portion enters the standby receiving portion, and the locking portion is moved out of the standby receiving portion with a swinging displacement of the arm portion. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the connector is pushed up.

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