JP2009238646A - Joint connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To aim at cost reduction, downsizing and weight reduction by reducing the number of connector parts needed for joint connection of a plurality of wires. <P>SOLUTION: The joint connector 10 includes a housing body 12 having penetrating a plurality of cavities 14 to insert terminals 51 connected to ends of a plurality of wires 50 respectively, insulation displacement terminals 20 housed and fixed in each cavity 14, having electric contact parts 21 with the terminals 51 of the ends of the wires 50 respectively fitted toward a terminal insertion aperture 14a side and insulation displacement slots 22 fitted on the other end side, a wire 30 for joint for insulation displacement connection with the insulation displacement terminals 20, and a rear lid 13 with a retaining part 26 of the wire 30 for joint fitted on an inner face side attached on an opposite face from a terminal insertion side of the housing body 12. The terminals 51 of ends of the wires 50 inserted and locked into the cavities 14 are insertion-coupled with electric contact parts 21 of the insulation displacement terminals 20 respectively, which 20 are jointed through the wire 30 for joint. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a joint connector for a wire harness arranged in an automobile.

An earth joint connector is known as an example of a joint connector for a wire harness.
Many conventional earth joint connectors have the structure shown in FIG. 10 proposed in JP-A-6-84565, and the earth joint connector 1 is connected to the terminals of a plurality of earth wires w branched from a harness. The plurality of ground wires w are collectively connected to the ground by performing male-female fitting connection with the counterpart harness connector 7.

  That is, the connector housing 2 of the earth joint connector 1 is a female connector housing provided with a fitting recess 3 for fitting the counterpart harness connector 7. The joint terminal 4 is accommodated and fixed in the female connector housing 2. A plurality of male tabs 5 protruding from one end side of the joint terminal 4 are projected into the fitting recess 3. The male tab 5 is configured to be fitted and connected to the female terminal 9 accommodated in the male connector housing 8 of the counterpart harness connector 7. The other end of the joint terminal 4 is connected to a ground terminal 6 fixed to a required ground portion such as a vehicle body, and the ground terminal 6 is led out of the female connector housing 2.

  However, in the structure as described above, when a plurality of ground wires w are collectively connected to the ground, two separate parts, the ground joint connector 1 and the harness connector 7, which are separate parts, are necessary. Therefore, there is a problem in that the cost is high and the weight and installation space are increased.

JP-A-6-84565

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a joint that can reduce the number of parts by reducing the number of parts by using a part required for joint connection of a plurality of wires as well as reducing the size and weight. The issue is to provide connectors.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a housing body having a plurality of cavities through which terminals connected respectively to a plurality of wire terminals branched from a group of wires constituting a wire harness are inserted;
A pressure contact terminal that is housed and fixed in each cavity, and is provided with an electrical contact portion with a terminal of each electric wire terminal facing the terminal insertion opening side and a pressure contact slot on the other end side;
A joint electric wire for press contact with the press contact terminal;
A holding cover for the joint electric wire is provided on the inner surface side, and a back cover is provided to be attached to the surface opposite to the terminal insertion side of the housing body,
Provided is a joint connector characterized in that the terminal of the electric wire terminal inserted and locked in the cavity is fitted with the electric contact portion of each press contact terminal, and these press contact terminals are jointed via the joint electric wire. Yes.

  The joint connector configured as described above has a function as a conventional harness connector by providing a plurality of cavities for inserting terminals connected to the wire terminals in the housing body, and the joint wires are attached to the housing body. A function as a conventional joint connector can be provided by assembling the back cover and press-connecting the joint wire and the press contact terminal. Therefore, by inserting terminals connected to a plurality of wire ends into the cavity and fitting and connecting with the press contact terminals, joint connection is completed within one housing, so the housings are made different as in the prior art. A male connector and a female connector are not necessary, and the number of parts can be reduced to reduce the cost, and the weight and size can be reduced.

It is preferable that the housing body has a plurality of cavities arranged in the same row, or a plurality of rows in which the plurality of cavities are arranged in parallel.
As described above, when a large number of cavities are provided in one housing to form a multipolar connector, the number of poles to be jointed by one component can be increased.
In addition, by forming a plurality of cavities in close proximity to each other in a row or in a plurality of stages, joint wires that are press-connected to the press-contact terminals accommodated and fixed in the cavities can be wired in a straight line or bent. Even in the case of wiring or meandering wiring, the bending width can be reduced, so that the length of the electric wire can be set as short as possible and the cost can be reduced.

  The joint electric wire that is press-connected to all the press contact terminals accommodated and fixed in the cavity is a single electric wire, the electric wire is drawn out to the outside, and a ground terminal is connected to the external lead end to form an earth joint connector.

  Alternatively, one joint wire is press-connected to all the press contact terminals accommodated and fixed in the cavity, or a plurality of joint wires connected to the plurality of press contact terminals are provided. It may be used for connection.

Or, among the plurality of joint wires pressure-connected to the plurality of pressure contact terminals, one wire is drawn to the outside, and a ground terminal is connected to the external lead end,
And the other joint electric wires are for circuit connection to be connected to a plurality of press contact terminals,
An earth joint and a circuit connection joint may be provided.

In this way, the connector can be selectively used as a ground joint connector or a circuit connection connector depending on whether or not the ground terminal is connected to the joint wire fixed to the back cover.
Furthermore, by using a plurality of electric wires for joints cut in an electric circuit, a plurality of circuits independent from each other can be formed in one connector.

The press contact terminal is a flat plate, and the electrical contact portion is formed of a tab, and a U-shaped press contact slot is provided at the lower portion of the lower end surface, and a press contact blade is provided on the inner periphery of the press contact slot.
The press contact terminal is inserted and locked in each cavity, or is insert-molded and fixed in the cavity when the housing body is molded.

As described above, according to the present invention, the terminal connected to the electric wire terminal is inserted and connected into the cavity provided in the housing main body, and the back cover with the joint electric wire attached thereto is assembled to the housing main body. The terminal of each electric wire end and the electric wire for joint can be connected via the press contact terminal accommodated and fixed in the housing main body, and by extension, a plurality of electric wires can be joint connected via the electric wire for joint.
Therefore, the joint connection is completed in one housing instead of connecting the joint connector with a separate male connector and harness connector with different housings as in the past, so the number of parts can be reduced. The cost can be reduced, and the installation space can be reduced and the weight can be reduced by downsizing.

  The joint connector of the present invention can be selectively used as a ground joint connector or a circuit connection connector depending on whether or not a ground terminal is connected to a joint wire attached to the back cover. Furthermore, since multiple circuits can be formed in the housing body by attaching multiple joint wires to the back cover, one joint connector can function simultaneously as both a ground joint connector and a circuit connection connector. it can. Also from these points, versatility increases and cost reduction can be achieved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 5 show a joint connector 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The joint connector 10 is a ground joint connector for grounding a plurality of ground wires 50 branched from a group of wires constituting a wire harness of an automobile to the vehicle body.
As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 11 of the joint connector 10 includes a housing body 12 and a back cover 13 both made of insulating resin.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4A, the housing body 12 includes a plurality of cavities 14 into which the terminals 51 of the ground wire 50 are inserted, and these cavities 14 are opened on the insertion side of the terminals 51. I am letting. A housing recess 15 for housing the joint wire 30 is formed on the opposite side of the housing body 12 from the terminal 51 insertion side, and the housing recess 15 is formed on the side surface opposite to the terminal 51 insertion side (on the lower surface in the illustrated example). Therefore, it is opened below (hereinafter referred to as “lower surface”).
The cavity 14 has two rows arranged in parallel, forming a total of six.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the bottom surface of the cavity 14 and the housing recess 15 is partitioned by a partition portion 16, and the press contact terminal 20 is fixed to the partition portion 16.
The press contact terminal 20 is made of a conductive metal plate, has an electrical contact portion 21 formed of a tab at one end, a U-shaped press contact slot 22 at the other end, and a central portion. Locking grooves 24 are recessed from both sides in the width direction. When the housing body 12 is molded, the press contact terminal 20 is filled with resin in the locking groove 24 and fixed to the partition portion 16 by insert molding, and the electrical contact portion 21 is opened into the cavity 14 through the terminal insertion opening. The pressure contact slot 22 is protruded into the receiving recess 15 toward the lower surface side opening 15a. As shown in FIG. 4B, a press contact blade 23 is provided on the inner periphery of the press contact slot 22.

As shown in FIG. 1, a wire lead-out recess 17 that communicates with the housing recess 15 is formed on one side of the housing body 12 by notching from the lower surface side.
In addition, a locked frame portion 25 that locks a locking claw 24 of a back cover 13 to be described later protrudes from the lower portion of a pair of opposing side surfaces of the housing body 12 that do not form the wire drawing recess 17. Yes.

The lower surface side opening 15a of the housing recess 15 of the housing body 12 is closed by the back cover 13 as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a single joint electric wire 30 is attached to the inner surface of the back cover 13 that faces the housing recess 15. When the joint wire 30 is housed in the housing recess 15, as shown in FIG. 4A, the joint wire 30 is sandwiched between the press-contacting slots 22 of the all press-contact terminals 20 protruding into the housing recess 15. It is installed with meander wiring. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the wiring direction B of the joint wire 30 is orthogonal to the width direction A of the press contact terminal 20 at all the press contact positions of the press contact terminal 20 and the joint wire 30. It is installed with meandering wiring.

  On the inner surface side of the back cover 13, an inverted U-shaped spring locking piece 26 for fixing the joint electric wire 30 is provided along the wiring path of the joint electric wire 30 with a predetermined interval. In this embodiment, in order to meander the joint electric wire 30, the spring locking pieces 26 protrude from the meandering bending position and the both ends of the wiring. As shown in FIG. 5, the spring locking piece 26 is provided at a position shifted from the position facing the press contact slot 22 of the press contact terminal 20 protruding into the housing recess 15.

On the pair of opposite side surfaces of the back cover 13, a lock claw 24 that is inserted and locked into the locked frame portion 25 of the housing main body 12 protrudes upward.
Further, on the outer surface side (lower surface side) of the back cover 13, as shown in FIG.
The joint wire 30 is a covered wire, and a ground terminal 33 is connected to a terminal.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ground connection procedure using the joint connector 10 having the above-described configuration is as follows. First, a terminal 51 connected to the end of each ground wire 50 is inserted into the cavity 14 of the housing body 12, and FIG. As shown, the terminal 51 and the electrical contact portion 21 of the press contact terminal 20 in the cavity 14 are fitted and connected.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 (A), with the joint electric wire 30 locked to the spring locking piece 26 of the back cover 13 and meandering wiring, as shown in FIG. The lid 13 is attached to the lower surface side opening 15 a of the housing recess 15 of the housing body 12 to house the joint wire 30 in the housing recess 15, and the joint wire 30 and the ground terminal 33 are connected from the wire lead-out recess 17. In a state of being pulled out to the outside, the lock claw 24 of the back cover 13 is inserted and locked into the locked frame portion 25 of the housing main body 12 to be locked.

  The joint electric wire 30 accommodated in the accommodating recess 15 is inserted into the press contact slot 22 of each press contact terminal 20 protruding into the accommodating recess 15 as shown in FIGS. The press contact blade 23 bites into the covering portion 31 of the joint electric wire 30 and comes into contact with the core wire 32. As a result, the six ground wires 50 are joint-connected via the press contact terminal 20 and the joint wire 30.

As described above, the ground wire branched from the wire harness is connected to the joint connector 10 to assemble the wire harness.
When wiring the wire harness to the automobile, the clamp 27 of the back cover 13 assembled to the housing body 12 is inserted and locked into the mounting hole of the vehicle body panel (not shown) to fix the joint connector 10 to the vehicle body. The ground terminal 33 is fastened and fixed with a bolt 40 to a ground point of the vehicle body (not shown).
Accordingly, the six ground wires 50 connected to each other through the single joint wire 30 in the housing 11 of the joint connector 10 can be collectively connected to the vehicle body.

  As described above, when the joint connector 10 is used, since the joint connection of each ground wire 50 is completed in one housing 11, the ground joint connector and the harness connector having different housings are connected by male and female. Compared to the above, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Further, the weight and size can be reduced, and the installation space for the joint connector can be reduced.

FIG. 6 shows a joint connector 10-1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
The joint connector 10-1 jointly connects a plurality of electric wires 52 branched from the electric wire group constituting the wire harness, and a terminal 53 connected to the end of the electric wire 52 is inserted into the cavity 14. The terminal 53 is fitted and connected to the electrical contact portion 21 of the press contact terminal 20 in the housing body 12.

A single joint wire 34 for circuit connection is attached to the back cover 13 attached to the lower surface of the housing body 12. The joint electric wire 34 is attached by meandering wiring so as to be sandwiched between the press contact slots 22 of all the press contact terminals 20 when stored in the storage recess 15.
Since other configurations are the same as those of the joint connector 10 of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  Also in this embodiment, since joint connection of the plurality of electric wires 52 can be completed in one connector housing 11, the number of parts can be reduced, and cost reduction, weight reduction, and size reduction can be achieved.

7 and 8 show a joint connector 10-2 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
The joint connector 10-2 jointly connects a plurality of electric wires 52a to 52f branched from the electric wire group constituting the wire harness, and terminals 53 connected to the terminals of the electric wires 52a to 52f are connected to the cavities 14a to 14f. Inserted. These terminals 53 are fitted and connected to the electrical contact portion 21 of the press contact terminal 20 fixed in the housing body 12.

  Two joint connecting wires 35 and 36 for circuit connection are attached to the back cover 13 attached to the lower surface of the housing body 12. The joint electric wire 35 has its wiring direction and wiring position corresponding to the parallel arrangement direction of the first-stage cavities 14a to 14c of the housing body 12, and the joint electric wire 36 is arranged in parallel with the second-stage cavities 14d to 14f. Corresponding to the direction, each is wired in parallel in a straight line.

As shown in FIG. 8, the spring locking piece 26 protruding from the back cover 13 is in a pressure contact position between the pressure contact terminal 20 and the joint wires 35, 36 along the wiring direction of the joint wires 35, 36. And at both ends of the wiring.
As shown in FIG. 8, the press contact terminal 20 fixed in the housing body 12 is fixed so that the width direction C thereof is orthogonal to the wiring direction D of the joint wires 35 and 36.

  The joint connector 10-2 jointly connects the three electric wires 52a, 52b, and 52c through the joint electric wire 35 in one housing 11 and joints the other three electric wires 52d, 52e, and 52f. A joint connection can be made via the electrical wire 36, and two joint connections independent of each other can be performed.

FIG. 9 shows a joint connector 10-3 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
The joint connector 10-3 is used to jointly connect the electric wires 52a, 52b, 52c branched from the electric wire group constituting the automobile wire harness and the ground wires 50a, 50b, 50c, respectively.

  Terminals 53 connected to the terminals of the wires 52a to 52c are inserted into the first-stage cavities 14a to 14c of the housing body 12, and terminals connected to the terminals of the ground wires 50a to 50c are inserted into the second-stage cavities 14d to 14f. 51 is inserted. These terminals 53 and 51 are fitted and connected to the electrical contact portion 21 of the press contact terminal 20 fixed in the housing body 12.

  Two joint wires 54 and 37 are attached to the back cover 13 attached to the lower surface of the housing body 12. The joint electric wire 37 is made longer than the joint electric wire 35 and is connected to the ground terminal 38 at the terminal.

The joint electric wire 35 has its wiring direction and wiring position corresponding to the parallel arrangement direction of the first-stage cavities 14a to 14c of the housing body 12, and the joint electric wire 37 has its wiring direction and wiring position changed to the second stage. Corresponding to the parallel arrangement direction of the cavities 14d to 14f, the wires are wired in a straight line. The joint wire 37 is led out from the wire lead-out recessed portion 17 and the ground terminal 38 is taken out to the outside.
Since other configurations are the same as those of the third embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  The joint connector 10-3 includes, in one housing 11, a joint portion for circuit connection for jointly connecting three electric wires 52a to 52c via a joint electric wire 35, and the other three ground wires 50a to 50c. Are connected to each other via a joint electric wire 37, and two joint connections independent of each other can be performed, and the ground wires 50a to 50c can be collectively connected to the ground.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. Some cavities 14 may not have terminals inserted. The press contact terminal 20 is not limited to being fixed to the housing main body 12 by insert molding, and the housing main body 12 is provided with a locking structure for the press contact terminal 20 so that the press contact terminal 20 can be inserted and locked to be detachable. It may be fixed.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the joint connector which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the electric wire for joints to the back cover. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the state which attached the back cover to the housing main body. (A) is front view cross-section explanatory drawing which shows the structure in a housing, (B) is a principal part enlarged view of (A). It is a plane view explanatory drawing which shows the circuit state of the press-contact terminal in a housing, and the electric wire for joints. It is a disassembled perspective view of the joint connector which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the joint connector which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention. FIG. 8 is an explanatory plan view showing a circuit state of a pressure contact terminal and a joint wire in the housing of the joint connector shown in FIG. 7. It is a disassembled perspective view of the joint connector which concerns on 4th embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 Joint connector 12 Housing main body 13 Back cover 14 Cavity 15 Receiving recessed part 20 Pressure contact terminal 21 Electrical contact part 22 Pressure contact slot 26 Spring locking piece (holding part)
30, 34, 35, 36, 37 Electric wire for joint 33, 38 Earth terminal 50, 50a-50c Earth wire 51, 53 Terminal 52, 52a-52f Electric wire

Claims (7)

A housing body having a plurality of cavities for inserting terminals respectively connected to terminals of a plurality of electric wires;
A pressure contact terminal that is housed and fixed in each cavity, and is provided with an electrical contact portion with a terminal of each electric wire terminal facing the terminal insertion opening side and a pressure contact slot on the other end side;
A joint electric wire for press contact with the press contact terminal;
A holding cover for the joint electric wire is provided on the inner surface side, and a back cover is provided to be attached to the surface opposite to the terminal insertion side of the housing body,
A joint connector, wherein a terminal of an electric wire terminal inserted and locked in the cavity is fitted to an electric contact portion of each press contact terminal, and the press contact terminals are jointed via the joint electric wire.   The joint connector according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electric wires are electric wires branched from a group of electric wires constituting a wire harness.   The joint connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing body is provided with a plurality of cavities arranged in the same row, or a plurality of rows in which the cavities are arranged in parallel.   2. The joint electric wire to be press-connected to all the press contact terminals accommodated and fixed in the cavity is a single electric wire, the electric wire is drawn to the outside, and a ground terminal is connected to the external lead end to form an earth joint connector. The joint connector according to any one of claims 3 to 3.   One joint wire is press-connected to all the press contact terminals accommodated and fixed in the cavity, or a plurality of joint wires connected to a plurality of press contact terminals are provided. These joint wires are used for circuit connection. The joint connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Of the plurality of joint wires that are pressure-connected to the plurality of pressure contact terminals, one wire is drawn out to the outside, and an earth terminal is connected to the external lead end,
And the other joint electric wires are for circuit connection to be connected to a plurality of press contact terminals,
The joint connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a ground joint portion and a circuit connection joint portion are provided. The press contact terminal is a flat plate, and the electrical contact portion is formed of a tab, and a U-shaped press contact slot is provided at the lower portion of the lower end surface, and a press contact blade is provided on the inner periphery of the press contact slot.
The joint connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the press contact terminal is inserted and locked in each cavity, or is insert-molded and fixed in the cavity when the housing body is molded.

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