JP2010050018A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector configured to ensure that a retainer can be held in a connector housing and a terminal metal fitting can be prevented from slipping out. <P>SOLUTION: The connector includes: a connector housing 1 having a terminal metal fitting housing cavity and a retainer mounting opening; the terminal metal fitting which is housed in the terminal metal fitting housing cavity; a terminal locking portion for preventing the terminal metal fitting housed in the terminal metal fitting housing cavity from slipping out; a first lock mechanism 15a which is locked to the connector housing 1; and the retainer 3 mounted in the retainer mounting hole. Since the retainer 3 is mounted in the retainer mounting opening, the terminal metal fitting is prevented from slipping out of the connector housing 1. The retainer 3 includes a second lock mechanism 19 which is locked to the connector housing 1 to regulate a position in the connector's width direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  24 to 26 show conventional examples of connectors.

  The connector shown here is a connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, in which a plurality of female terminal fittings 110 are accommodated in a cavity 106 in a female connector housing 101, and the accommodated female terminal fittings 110 are retained by a retainer 115. By locking, the female terminal fitting 110 is configured not to come out.

  As shown in FIG. 26, the retainer 115 is formed in a U-shape, has a terminal locking portion 120 at the base, and the front end portions 122a of the both side plates 122 project inward. The front end portions 122 a of the both side plates 122 are locked to the temporary locking protrusions 124 and the main locking protrusions 125 provided on the female connector housing 101.

  The connector holds the state in which the female terminal fitting 110 is prevented from coming off by housing the female terminal fitting 10 and then engaging the leading end portions 122a of the side plates 122 of the retainer 115 with the main locking projections 125.

JP 2006-100237 A

  However, the retainer 115 is made of synthetic resin, and some warping occurs after injection molding. As shown in FIG. 26, this warpage occurs in the direction of arrow B where both side plates expand in the direction of arrow A, and therefore, the engagement between the main locking projection 125 of the female connector housing 101 and the leading end portion 122a of the side plates 122. Will become smaller. Then, the holding force of the retainer 115 becomes low, and there is a problem that the retainer 115 cannot be reliably held. When the holding force of the retainer 115 is reduced, the female terminal fitting 110 may not be securely removed and may come out of the female connector housing 101.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and to provide a connector having a configuration in which a retainer is securely held by a connector housing and can be reliably prevented from coming out of a terminal fitting.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configurations.
(1) a connector housing having a terminal fitting receiving cavity and a retainer mounting opening;
A terminal fitting housed in the terminal fitting housing cavity;
A retainer that has a terminal locking portion that prevents the terminal fitting housed in the terminal fitting housing cavity from being removed, and a first lock mechanism that is locked to the connector housing; With
A connector in which the terminal fitting is prevented from being detached from the connector housing by mounting the retainer in the retainer mounting port,
The connector, wherein the retainer includes a second lock mechanism that is locked to the connector housing and restricts a position in a connector width direction.

(2) The retainer is formed in a U-shaped cross section having side walls on both sides of the base,
The second locking mechanism includes a convex portion provided in the base portion of the retainer and protruding in a retainer mounting direction, and a concave portion provided in the connector housing and fitted to the convex portion. The connector according to (1).

(3) The retainer is formed in a U-shaped cross section having side walls on both sides of the base,
The second locking mechanism includes a protrusion provided on the outer surface of the side wall of the retainer, and a locking protrusion provided on the connector housing for locking the protrusion. The connector according to 1).

(4) The first lock mechanism includes a protrusion provided on an inner surface of the side wall of the retainer and a locking protrusion provided on the connector housing, and the side wall is elastically deformed to cause the side wall to The protrusion is configured to be locked over the locking protrusion of the connector housing, and the protrusion provided on the outer surface of the side wall of the retainer is provided at a base portion of the side wall. The connector according to (3).

  According to the configuration of (1) above, even if the retainer is warped after injection molding, the warp is corrected and attached to the connector housing by the second lock mechanism restricting the position of the retainer in the width direction. The Accordingly, the retainer is mounted on the connector housing in an appropriate state, and the locking is not reduced even in the first lock mechanism, and a reliable lock is performed. Therefore, the holding force of the retainer is improved, the retainer is not detached from the connector housing, and the terminal fitting is not detached from the connector housing. The present invention is applicable to both male and female connectors.

  According to the configuration of (2) above, when the retainer is mounted, the convex portion provided on the base portion of the retainer is fitted into the concave portion provided on the connector housing, so that the retainer is securely held by the connector housing. It is preferable that the convex part provided in the base part of a retainer is provided in the vicinity of a side wall. Accordingly, even when the retainer is warped, the base portion of the retainer is securely fixed to the connector housing, and the retainer is mounted on the connector housing after the warp is corrected. Therefore, the holding force of the retainer is improved, the retainer is not detached from the connector housing, and the terminal fitting is not detached from the connector housing.

  According to the configuration of (3), since the protrusions are provided on the outer surfaces of the both side walls of the retainer, the both side walls are securely fixed to the connector housing. Therefore, the holding force of the retainer is improved, the retainer is not detached from the connector housing, and the terminal fitting is not detached from the connector housing.

  According to the configuration of the above (4), since the protrusions are provided on the base portions of the both side walls of the retainer, it is possible to prevent elastic deformation of the both side walls when the retainer is attached to the connector housing. The mounting operation can be executed with the connector width direction position being appropriate, and the retainer is securely fixed to the connector housing. Therefore, the holding force of the retainer is improved, the retainer is not detached from the connector housing, and the terminal fitting is not detached from the connector housing.

  According to the connector of the present invention, the position of the retainer in the width direction of the retainer is regulated and is attached to the connector housing. Therefore, even if the retainer is warped during injection molding, the retainer is warped and attached to the connector housing. The Therefore, the retainer is securely held by the connector housing, does not come off the connector housing, and the terminal fitting does not come out of the connector housing.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a connector according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 is a perspective view of a connector housing constituting a female connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector housing from below, FIG. 3 is a front view of the connector housing, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a retainer. FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a front view of the retainer, FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the first locking mechanism which is part C of FIG. 3, FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the second locking mechanism, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the retainer in the vicinity of the side wall, FIG. 10 is a view showing the relative position between the convex portion of the retainer and the jig insertion notch of the connector housing, and FIG. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the retainer mounting port of the connector housing as viewed from the side opposite to FIG. 11.

  The female connector includes a connector housing 1, a retainer 3, and a female terminal fitting (not shown). The connector housing 1 is formed with a cavity 5 that can accommodate terminal fittings and a retainer mounting port 7 into which the retainer 3 can be mounted. The retainer mounting port 7 is formed to open downward so as to communicate with each cavity 5. The side wall insertion portion 8 into which a later-described side wall 15 of the retainer 3 is inserted in the retainer mounting port 7 is provided with a temporary locking projection 9 for temporarily locking the mounted retainer 3 and a main lock for permanently locking the retainer 3. A stop projection 11 is provided. The retainer 3 is attached to the connector housing 1 from below.

  The retainer 3 has a side wall 15 integrally formed on both sides of the base portion 13 and has a U-shaped cross section. The base portion 13 is formed with a locking portion 17 that locks the terminal fitting accommodated in the connector housing 1 to prevent it from coming off. Further, the front end portions 15a of the side plates 15 are protrusions projecting inward, and the pair of side walls 15 are elastically deformed in the direction of expanding the U-shape so that the front end portions 15a are connected to the connector housing 1. It is adapted to be locked to the temporary locking projections 9 and the main locking projections 11 provided on the top. Here, the front end 15a of the side wall 15 of the retainer 3, the temporary locking projection 9 and the main locking projection 11 of the connector housing 1 constitute a first locking mechanism.

  Further, the base portion 13 of the retainer 3 is provided with convex portions 19 projecting in the mounting direction to the connector housing 1 so as to be positioned in the vicinity of the side walls 15. Further, a concave portion 21 into which the convex portion 19 is fitted is formed in a portion corresponding to the convex portion 19 of the retainer 3 in the retainer mounting port 7 of the connector housing 1. The convex portion 19 is composed of a pair of elastic pieces that can be elastically deformed. As shown in FIG. 7, the tip portion protrudes outward, and is elastically press-fitted into the concave portion 21 of the connector housing 1 so as to be tightly fitted. It comes to match.

  When the retainer 3 is mounted on the connector housing 1, the mounting portion of the retainer 3 is fixed by fitting the convex portion 19 of the retainer 3 into the concave portion 21 of the connector housing 1. Here, the convex portion 19 of the retainer 3 and the concave portion 21 of the connector housing 1 constitute a second lock mechanism. Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 12, a notch 23 for inserting a jig for releasing the locked state between the terminal fitting and the retainer 3 is provided at the edge of the retainer mounting opening 7. Yes. And the convex part 19 of the retainer 3 and the concave part 21 of the connector housing 1 are arrange | positioned on the part on the opposite side to the part in which the notch 21 was formed in the retainer installation port 7, and the notch 21 and the substantially same straight line. Therefore, when the jig is inserted into the connector housing 1 from the notch 21, the convex portion 19 and the concave portion 21 do not become an obstacle.

Next, the operation according to the first embodiment will be described.
First, the retainer 3 is mounted in the retainer mounting port 7 of the connector housing 1, and the front end portion 15 a of the side wall 15 of the retainer 3 is locked to the temporary locking protrusion 9 to be in a temporarily locked state. Then, the terminal fitting is accommodated in each terminal cavity 5 in the temporarily locked state. After the terminal fittings are accommodated in all the cavities 5, the base 13 of the retainer 3 is pressed to push the retainer 3 further from the temporarily locked state. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the convex portion 19 of the base portion 13 is fitted into the concave portion 21 of the connector housing 1, and the distal end portion 15 a of the side wall 15 is locked to the main locking projection 11 to be in the final locking state. . That is, the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism simultaneously perform a locking operation.

  Therefore, even if the retainer 3 is warped after injection molding, since the convex portion 19 provided in the vicinity of the side wall 15 is fitted and fixed to the concave portion 21 of the connector housing 1, the retainer 3 is corrected for warpage. Installed. Moreover, since the front-end | tip part 15a of the both-sides wall 15 is simultaneously latched by this latching protrusion 11, operation feeling improves and a reliable mounting operation can be performed.

  According to the first embodiment, the convex portion 19 provided on the base portion 13 of the retainer 3 is fitted into the concave portion 21 of the connector housing 1, whereby the position of the retainer 3 in the connector width direction is restricted and the base portion. Even if there is 13 warpage, the warpage is corrected and attached to the connector housing 1. Therefore, the side plate 15 of the retainer 3 does not open outward, the main locking state between the connector housing 1 and the retainer 3 is reliably maintained, and there is no possibility that the terminal fitting will come out.

  Further, the holding force of the retainer 3 can be improved and rattling can be suppressed. Further, by suppressing the rattling, the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism function simultaneously, so that the operability is improved. Moreover, since the 2nd lock mechanism is not provided in the surface exposed to the exterior of the connector housing 1 and the retainer 3, a lock function can be added, without changing the external appearance of a connector.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the connector is a male connector and the configuration of the second locking mechanism of the retainer, and the other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  13 is a perspective view of a connector housing constituting a male connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the connector housing from below, FIG. 15 is a front view of the connector housing, and FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the retainer. 17 is a front view of the retainer, FIG. 18 is an enlarged perspective view of the second locking portion, FIG. 19 is an enlarged sectional view of the second locking mechanism, FIG. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of the second locking mechanism, and FIG. FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of the first lock mechanism and the second lock mechanism, FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the first lock mechanism and the second lock mechanism in a temporarily locked state, and FIG. FIG.

  A protrusion 31 is provided on the outer surface of each side wall 15 of the retainer 3. These protrusions 31 are provided on the base portion 15b of the side wall 15 serving as a deformation starting point when the side wall 15 is elastically deformed during temporary locking and main locking. The protrusion 31 is provided with a cavity 15c formed in the base portion 15b, and can be elastically deformed toward the cavity 15c. Further, a second temporary locking protrusion 33 and a second temporary locking protrusion 33 for locking the protrusion 31 are formed on the side wall insertion portion 8 of the retainer mounting port 7 of the connector housing 1 corresponding to the protrusion 31 of the retainer 3. A main locking projection 35 is provided.

  Then, when the retainer 3 is mounted on the connector housing 1, the protrusion 31 provided on the outer surface of the side wall 15 of the retainer 3 is locked to the temporary locking protrusion 33 and the main locking protrusion 35 of the connector housing 1. The mounting state of the retainer 3 is fixed. Here, the protrusion 31 provided on the outer surface of the side wall 15 of the retainer 3, the temporary locking protrusion 33 of the connector housing 1, and the main locking protrusion 35 constitute a second locking mechanism.

Next, the operation according to the second embodiment will be described.
First, the retainer 3 is mounted on the retainer mounting port 7 of the connector housing 1, and the front end portion 15 a of the side wall 15 of the retainer 3 is locked to the temporary locking protrusion 33 to be in a temporarily locked state. At the same time, the protrusion 31 provided on the outer surface of the side wall 15 is also locked by the second temporary locking protrusion 33 to be in a temporarily locked state. Then, the terminal fitting is accommodated in each terminal cavity 7 in the temporarily locked state. After the terminal fittings are accommodated in all the cavities 7, the base portion 13 of the retainer 3 is pressed to push the retainer 3 further back from the temporarily locked state. Then, the front end portion 15a of the side wall 15 is locked to the main locking projection 11 to be in the final locking state, and the projection 31 provided on the outer surface of the side wall 15 gets over the second main locking projection 35 and is locked. It will be in this locked state. That is, temporary locking and main locking are performed simultaneously on the distal end side and the base side of the side wall 15.

  Therefore, even if the retainer 3 is warped after injection molding, the protrusion 31 provided on the outer surface of the side wall 15 is locked and fixed to the second main locking protrusion 35 of the connector housing 1. The warpage is corrected and worn. Moreover, since the front-end | tip part 15a of the both-sides wall 15 is simultaneously latched by this latching protrusion 35, an operation feeling improves and a reliable mounting operation can be performed. Further, since the protrusions 31 on the outer surface of the side wall 15 are provided on the base portion 15b serving as the elastic deformation starting point of the side wall 15, the side wall 15 is not restrained from being deformed during temporary locking and main locking by the first locking mechanism. Good temporary locking and permanent locking can be executed.

  According to the second embodiment, the retaining protrusion 31 is retained on the outer surface of the side wall 15 of the retainer 3 by the second temporary retaining protrusion 33 and the second permanent retaining protrusion 35 of the connector housing 1. 3 is restricted in position in the connector width direction, and even if the base portion 13 is warped, the warp is corrected and attached to the connector housing 1. Therefore, the side plate 15 of the retainer 3 does not open outward, the main locking state between the connector housing 1 and the retainer 3 is reliably maintained, and there is no possibility that the terminal fitting will come out.

  Further, the holding force of the retainer 3 can be improved and rattling can be suppressed. Further, by suppressing the rattling, the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism function simultaneously, so that the operability is improved. Moreover, since the 2nd lock mechanism is not provided in the surface exposed to the exterior of the connector housing 1 and the retainer 3, a lock function can be added, without changing the external appearance of a connector.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably. In addition, the material, shape, dimension, numerical value, form, number, arrangement location, and the like of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

  For example, in the first embodiment, the convex portion 19 is an elastic piece and is configured to be elastically fitted to the concave portion 21, but the convex portion 19 is configured to be closely fitted to the concave portion 21 without providing elasticity. May be.

It is a perspective view of a connector housing which constitutes a female connector which is a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view from the lower part of the connector housing of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the connector housing of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the retainer of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the retainer of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is an enlarged view of the 1st locking mechanism of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an expansion perspective view of the 2nd lock mechanism of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the 2nd lock mechanism of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the side wall vicinity of the retainer of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relative position of the convex part of the retainer of 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the notch for jig | tool insertion of a connector housing. It is the perspective view which looked at the retainer mounting opening of the connector housing of 1st Embodiment of this invention from the notch side for jig | tool insertion. It is the perspective view which looked at the retainer mounting port of the connector housing of 1st Embodiment of this invention from the opposite side to FIG. It is a perspective view of the connector housing which comprises the male connector which is 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view from the lower part of the connector housing of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the connector housing of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the retainer of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the retainer of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is an expansion perspective view of the 2nd lock mechanism of a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the 2nd lock mechanism of a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view seen from the lower part of the 2nd locking mechanism of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the 1st lock mechanism and 2nd lock mechanism of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the temporary locking state of the 1st locking mechanism and 2nd locking mechanism of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the main locking state of the 1st locking mechanism and 2nd locking mechanism of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the connector of a prior art example. It is sectional drawing of the connector of a prior art example. It is a perspective view of the retainer of a prior art example. It is the fragmentary sectional view seen from the front of the connector of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector housing 3 Retainer 5 Cavity 7 Retainer mounting port 9 Temporary locking projection 11 Main locking projection 13 Retainer base 15 Side wall 15a Tip 15b Side wall base 15c 33 Second temporary locking projection 35 Second final locking projection

Claims (4)

A connector housing having a terminal fitting receiving cavity and a retainer mounting opening;
A terminal fitting housed in the terminal fitting housing cavity;
A retainer mounted on the retainer mounting opening, having a terminal locking portion for retaining the terminal metal fitting housed in the terminal metal fitting receiving cavity, and a first locking mechanism locked on the connector housing; With
A connector in which the terminal fitting is prevented from being detached from the connector housing by mounting the retainer in the retainer mounting port,
The connector, wherein the retainer includes a second lock mechanism that is locked to the connector housing and restricts a position in a connector width direction. The retainer is formed in a U-shaped cross section having side walls on both sides of the base,
The second lock mechanism includes a convex portion provided in the base portion of the retainer and protruding in a retainer mounting direction, and a concave portion provided in the connector housing and fitted to the convex portion. Item 10. The connector according to Item 1. The retainer is formed in a U-shaped cross section having side walls on both sides of the base,
The said 2nd locking mechanism is provided with the protrusion provided in the outer surface of the said side wall of the said retainer, and the latching protrusion provided in the said connector housing which latches the said protrusion. The connector according to 1.   The first locking mechanism includes a protrusion provided on an inner surface of the side wall of the retainer and a locking protrusion provided on the connector housing, and the protrusion on the side wall is elastically deformed so that the protrusion on the side wall is The connector housing is configured to climb over the locking projection of the connector housing, and the projection provided on the outer surface of the side wall of the retainer is provided on a base portion of the side wall. 3. The connector according to 3.

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