JP2010073361A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent looseness at insertion-coupling without giving causing a rise to a dimensional increase of a connector housing. <P>SOLUTION: A spring 40 and engagement protrusions 55 coming in contact with each other accompanied by the insertion coupling of connectors are provided at an insidewall of a female connector housing 11 and an outsidewall of a male connector housing 51, respectively. The spring is a wire spring nearly Ω-shaped having a C-shaped curved part 42 and a pair of leg parts 43, 43, and flexibly deforms in a face along an inner wall of the female connector housing 11 as it is in contact with the engagement protrusions 55. At a stage in which the female connector housing 11 is locked, the engagement protrusions 55 go over a maximum-width part 42a of the C-shaped curved part while being pressed to an arc-shaped slanted part 42b at the rear of the maximum-width part. By this, an elastic reaction force of the spring 40 acts on two directions of a connector-insertion-coupling direction and a direction crossing the same, whereby, looseness in those directions is absorbed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector having a function of preventing rattling during fitting.

  Conventionally, a spring for preventing rattling is assembled in one connector housing, and when the connector is fitted, the spring exerts an elastic reaction force on the other connector housing, thereby preventing rattling between the two connector housings. A connector having a prevention function is known.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of this type of connector described in Patent Document 1, for example.

  In this connector, when the connectors 210 and 260 are fitted into the housing 211 of the male connector 210 and the housing 261 of the female connector 260, the lock protrusion 212 and the lock arm 262 that are engaged with each other so as to maintain the fitted state. When the male connector 210 and the female connector 260 are fitted together on the inner side surface of the hood portion of the female connector housing 261 with a metal spring 280 having a chamfer shape with the top portion 285 facing inward, The male connector 210 and the female connector 260 are locked by the engagement of the protrusion 212 and the lock arm 262, and the spring 280 provided on the inner surface of the hood portion of the female connector housing 261 is in a direction perpendicular to the inner surface of the hood portion. By bending, the top portion 285 of the spring 280 becomes the housing of the male connector 210. It exerts an elastic reaction force in contact with the outer surface of the grayed 211, thereby so as to prevent rattling between the female connector housing 261 and the male connector housing 211.

  In the example of FIG. 9, a concave portion 215 having a square shape is provided on the outer surface of the male connector housing 211, and the top portion 285 of the spring 280 fits into the concave portion 215 when the male connector 210 and the female connector 260 are properly fitted. By doing so, the fitting force between the connectors 210 and 260 is increased.

As shown in FIG. 10, such a spring 280 is provided on three surfaces of the female connector housing 261 except for the portion where the lock arm 262 exists, so that the spring 280 is loose in various directions. Can be prevented.
JP 2004-186078 A

  By the way, in the conventional connector described above, the top portion 285 of the spring 280 simply pushes the outer surface of the male connector housing 211 inward when the two connector housings 261 and 211 are completely fitted. However, there is a problem that play in the connector fitting direction (front-rear direction) cannot be effectively prevented.

  Further, the spring 280 generates an elastic reaction force by being bent in a direction orthogonal to the inner surface of the hood portion of the female connector housing 261 (a direction orthogonal to the connector fitting direction). The space had to be secured in a direction orthogonal to the inner surface of the hood part, and the dimensions of the hood part increased accordingly, and the connector could be increased in size.

  In consideration of the above circumstances, the present invention can effectively prevent rattling in various directions at the time of fitting, and it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the connector from the necessity of securing a spring bending space. It is an object to provide a connector.

  The connector of the invention of claim 1 is provided with a locking means for locking the female connector housing and the male connector housing which are fitted to each other in a state where both the connector housings are completely fitted and maintaining the fitted state. A spring and a contact portion that come into contact with each other when the connector housings are fitted to the inner wall of the female connector housing and the outer wall of the male connector housing, which are opposed to each other on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side, respectively. The spring is disposed on the inner wall of the female connector housing so as to bend and deform in a plane along the inner wall when contacting with the contact portion on the male connector housing side. The abutment portion is configured so that, when the locking means is locked, the elastic reaction force by the spring is applied in the direction perpendicular to the front of the connector fitting direction. And it is provided to receive the two directions.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the connector according to the first aspect, wherein the spring includes a C-shaped curved portion having a part of the circumference opened and a pair of legs extending from both ends of the C-shaped curved portion. The female connector housing is composed of a substantially Ω-shaped wire spring having the C-shaped curved portion facing the front side into which the male connector housing is fitted and the pair of legs facing the rear side. The abutting portion is arranged to bend and deform in a plane along the inner wall, and the abutting portion is adapted to move the spring according to the progress of fitting when the female connector housing and the male connector housing are fitted. The spring is bent inward by abutting against the outer portion of the C-shaped bending portion, and at the stage where the locking means locks, the maximum width portion in the direction perpendicular to the connector fitting direction of the C-shaped bending portion is overcome. The rear side of the maximum width portion It is in a state where it is pressed against an arcuate inclined portion, and is thereby provided as an engaging convex portion that receives the elastic reaction force of the spring in two directions, the front in the connector fitting direction and the direction orthogonal thereto. .

  A third aspect of the present invention is the connector according to the second aspect, wherein a portion of the engagement convex portion that contacts the C-shaped curved portion is formed as an inclined surface that matches the C-shaped curved portion. It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the connector according to claim 2 or 3, wherein hooks projecting outward are provided at the tips of the pair of leg portions of the spring, and these hooks are provided on the inner wall of the female connector housing. In the state in which the C-shaped curved portion can be bent and deformed inwardly, the spring can be attached to the female connector housing. It is fixed to the inner wall.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the connector according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the outer wall of the male connector housing is provided with a wide and shallow spring guide groove into which the C-shaped curved portion of the spring enters when the connector is fitted. A pair of the engaging projections are provided on both inner side walls of the spring guide groove.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the spring is arranged to bend and deform in a plane along the inner wall of the female connector housing, the spring bending space is orthogonal to the inner wall of the female connector housing. There is no need to secure in the direction. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the dimension of the female connector housing to the outside in order to secure the bending space of the spring, and the connector can be made compact.

  That is, in the connector of the present invention, the spring is bent in the direction along the inner wall of the female connector housing. Therefore, the spring bending space is not secured in the direction perpendicular to the inner wall of the female connector housing. It is sufficient to ensure in the direction along the inner wall of the female connector housing. Since it is easy to secure a spring bending space in the direction along the inner wall of the female connector housing, it is not necessary to increase the size of the connector housing in particular, which can contribute to the compactness of the connector.

  In addition, when the connector is completely mated, the elastic reaction force due to the spring is received by the contact portion on the male connector housing side in the front direction of the connector mating direction and in two directions orthogonal thereto, so that the connector mating holding force is increased. While strengthening, it is possible to prevent backlash in various directions between the connector housings.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the substantially Ω-shaped wire spring is disposed on the inner wall of the female connector housing, and the engagement protrusion on the male connector housing side when the connector is completely fitted and the locking means is locked. Can overcome the maximum width of the C-shaped curved portion of the spring, so that it is possible to reliably prevent rattling of the connector fitting direction and two directions orthogonal to the connector fitting direction while using a spring having a simple structure. .

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the portion of the engagement convex portion that comes into contact with the C-shaped curved portion is formed as an inclined surface that matches the C-shaped curved portion. The contact of the convex portion can be stabilized, the elastic reaction force of the spring can be surely acted in a predetermined direction, and rattling can be effectively prevented.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the spring is easily attached to the female connector housing by engaging the hook provided at the tip of the pair of leg portions of the spring with the engaging portion provided on the inner wall of the female connector housing. Can be installed.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the spring guide groove is provided on the outer wall of the male connector housing, and the C-shaped curved portion of the spring is accommodated in the spring guide groove. Since the engaging convex portion is provided, the engaging convex portion and the outer portion of the C-shaped curved portion can be stably brought into contact with each other, and the elastic reaction force of the spring can be smoothly passed through the pair of engaging convex portions. It can act on the male connector housing side.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a female connector which is one element of the connector of the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing a configuration of a portion to which a spring of the female connector is attached, and FIGS. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state before the female connector and the male connector are fitted from different directions, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the main part showing an initial state of fitting of the female connector and the male connector, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part showing a state before the connector of the comparative example is fitted to the connector of the embodiment, FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part which shows the state at the time of the perfect fitting of the connector of the comparative example.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the connector of this embodiment includes a female connector 10 and a male connector 50 that is fitted to the female connector 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the female connector 10 is formed at the inner back of a rectangular tubular resin female connector housing 11 having an upper wall 11A, a lower wall 11B, a left side wall 11C, and a right side wall 11D. A terminal fitting (not shown) is housed and fixed.

  A lock arm (locking means) 15 having a locking hole 16 is provided on the upper portion of the upper wall 11A. Further, locking portions 21 and 22 for fixing a spring 40 described later are provided on the inner surface of the left side wall 11C.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the male connector 50 is obtained by housing and fixing a terminal fitting (not shown) inside a rectangular male resin connector housing 51 that fits into the female connector housing 11.

  When the male connector 50 and the female connector 10 are completely fitted to the upper part of the male connector housing 51, both the connector housings 11 and 51 are locked by engaging with the locking holes 16 of the lock arm 15. A lock protrusion (lock means) 56 is provided for maintaining the fitted state.

  Further, when the male connector 50 and the female connector 10 are fitted together, the inner surface (inner wall) of the left side wall 11C of the female connector housing 11 facing each other on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side, and the left side wall of the male connector housing 51 On the outer surface (outer wall) of 51C, there is provided a rattling-preventing spring 40 and an engaging convex portion (contacting portion) 55 that come into contact with each other as both connectors 10 and 50 are fitted. .

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the spring 40 in this case is formed on the inner surface (inner wall) of the left side wall 11 </ b> C of the female connector housing 11 when it abuts on the engagement convex portion 55 on the male connector housing 51 side. It arrange | positions so that it may bend and deform | transform in the plane which followed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the spring 40 has a substantially Ω-shape having a C-shaped curved portion 42 having a partially opened circumference and a pair of legs 43, 43 extending from both ends of the C-shaped curved portion 42. And is arranged in such a posture that the C-shaped curved portion 42 faces the front side into which the male connector housing 51 is fitted and the pair of leg portions 43 and 43 face the rear side. .

  A hook 41 protruding outward is provided at the tip of the pair of leg portions 43, 43 of the spring 40, and as shown in FIG. 4, these hooks 41 are connected to the inner surface of the left side wall 11 </ b> C of the female connector housing 11 ( The C-shaped bending portion 42 is bent inward by being slidably locked in a direction (arrow A direction) in which the gap between the leg portions 43 is slidably locked to the pair of locking portions 21 provided on the inner wall. The spring 40 is fixed to the female connector housing 11 in a deformable state. As shown in FIG. 1, another locking portion 22 on the female connector housing 11 side locks the C-shaped curved portion 42 of the spring 40 so as not to come off.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the outer surface (outer wall) of the left side wall 51C of the male connector housing 51 has a wide and shallow spring guide groove 52 into which the C-shaped curved portion 42 of the spring 40 enters when the connector is fitted. A pair of engaging projections 55 are provided on the upper and lower inner walls of the spring guide groove 52.

  Then, when the upper and lower engaging projections 55 are locked by the lock arm 15 and the locking projection 56, the elastic reaction force by the spring 40 is applied in the direction perpendicular to the front of the connector fitting direction (in the vertical direction in this example). ) In two directions.

  That is, when the female connector housing 11 and the male connector housing 51 are fitted, the engaging convex portion 55 abuts the spring 40 on the inner side (see FIG. 4, in the stage where the lock arm 15 and the lock projection 56 are locked, as shown in FIG. 5, the maximum width portion 42 a in the direction orthogonal to the connector fitting direction of the C-shaped curved portion 42 is formed. It gets over and is pressed against the arcuate inclined portion 42b on the rear side of the maximum width portion 42a, so that the elastic reaction force of the spring 40 is received in two directions, the front in the connector fitting direction and the direction orthogonal thereto. It seems to be like that. A portion of the engaging convex portion 55 that contacts the C-shaped curved portion 42 is formed as an inclined surface 55 a that matches the C-shaped curved portion 42.

  Next, the operation will be described.

  When the female connector 10 and the male connector 50 are fitted, the C-shaped curved portion 42 of the spring 40 enters the spring guide groove 52 of the male connector housing 51 as shown in FIG. When the fitting is further advanced, the engaging convex portions 55 provided above and below the spring guide groove 52 hit the front side of the C-shaped curved portion 42 of the spring 40. When the fitting is further advanced, the engaging convex portion 55 becomes the C-shape. As shown in FIG. 5, the bending portion 42 gets over the maximum width portion 42a of the C-shaped bending portion 42 while bending the bending portion 42 inward. When overriding, the engagement convex portion 55 is pressed against the arcuate inclined portion 42b on the rear side of the maximum width portion 42a, whereby the elastic reaction force (force in the direction of arrow B) of the spring 40 is applied to the male connector housing. With respect to 51, it acts in two directions, the front of the connector fitting direction and the direction orthogonal thereto. Therefore, rattling in various directions between the connector housings 11 and 51 can be prevented while increasing the fitting and holding force between the male connector 50 and the female connector 10.

  Compare this with the comparative example.

  The connector of the comparative example shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 includes a female connector 110 and a male connector 150, and the male connector housing 151 can be fitted inside the fitting port 112 of the female connector housing 111. A V-shaped wire rod spring 140 having a pair of legs 143 and 143 extending obliquely outward from the bent portion 142 at the front end at an angle θ 1 is attached to the inner wall of the fitting port 112. The spring 140 is fixed to the female connector housing 111 by locking the hook 141 provided at the tip of 143 to the locking portion 121.

  Further, the mating male connector housing 151 is provided with a V-groove 152 having an included angle θ2 (<θ1) corresponding to the spring 140, and the male connector 150 and the female connector 110 are completely connected as shown in FIG. When fitted, the inner wall of the V-groove 152 presses the pair of legs 143 and 143 of the spring 140 inward, so that the elastic reaction force of the spring 140 acts in a direction to push back the male connector 150, thereby It is designed to absorb backlash in the fitting direction when locked.

  However, in the case of this connector, the spring 140 is configured in a V shape with the bent portion 142 facing forward, and the elastic reaction force of the spring 140 acts in a direction to push back the male connector 150. It will weaken.

  On the other hand, in the connector of the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the spring 40 exerts an elastic reaction force toward the front in the connector fitting direction at the time of complete fitting, so that the fitting can be strengthened. The fitting holding force can be strengthened.

  Further, according to this connector, the spring 40 is arranged so as to bend and deform in the plane along the left side wall 11C of the female connector housing 11, so that the bending space of the spring 40 is provided on the left side of the female connector housing 11. There is no need to ensure the direction perpendicular to the wall 11C. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the size of the female connector housing 11 to secure the bending space of the spring 40, and the connector can be made compact.

  That is, in this connector, since the spring 40 is bent in the direction along the left side wall 11C of the female connector housing 11, a bending space of the spring 40 is ensured in a direction orthogonal to the left side wall 11C of the female connector housing 11. Instead, it is only necessary to secure the female connector housing 11 in the direction along the left side wall 11C. Since it is easy to secure the bending space of the spring 40 in the direction along the left side wall 11C of the female connector housing 11, it is not necessary to specially increase the size of the female connector housing 11, As a result, the connector can be made compact.

  In this embodiment, the substantially Ω-shaped wire spring 40 is disposed on the inner surface of the left side wall 11C of the female connector housing 11, and the male is in a stage where the connector is completely fitted and the lock arm 15 and the lock projection 56 are locked. Since the engagement convex portion 55 on the connector housing 51 side extends over the maximum width portion 42a of the C-shaped curved portion 42 of the spring 40, the connector fitting direction is orthogonal to the connector fitting direction while using the spring 40 with a simple structure. It is possible to reliably prevent backlash in two directions. In particular, since the portion of the engaging convex portion 55 that contacts the C-shaped curved portion 42 is formed as an inclined surface 55a that matches the C-shaped curved portion 42, the spring 40 and the engaging convex portion in the connector fully-fitted state The hitting of 55 can be stabilized, and the elastic reaction force of the spring 40 can be made to act reliably in a predetermined direction, and rattling can be effectively prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the hook 41 provided at the tip of the pair of leg portions 43 and 43 of the spring 40 is locked to the locking portions 21 and 22 provided on the inner surface of the left side wall 11C of the female connector housing 11. Thus, the spring 40 can be easily attached to the female connector housing 11.

  In this embodiment, a spring guide groove 52 is provided on the outer wall of the male connector housing 51, and the C-shaped curved portion 42 of the spring 40 is accommodated in the spring guide groove 52. Since the wall is provided with the pair of engaging convex portions 55, 55, the engaging convex portion 55 and the outer portion of the C-shaped curved portion 42 can be stably brought into contact with each other, and the elastic reaction force of the spring 40 can be smoothly smoothed. Can be made to act on the male connector housing 51 side via the pair of engaging convex portions 55, 55.

  In the above embodiment, the spring 40 and the engaging convex portion 55 are provided only on one side in the left-right direction of the female connector housing 11 and the male connector housing 51, but the spring and the engaging convex portion may be provided on both the left and right sides. Good.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the female connector which is one element of the connector of embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the structure of the part which attached the spring of the female connector. (A), (b) is a perspective view which shows the state before the fitting of a female connector and a male connector from another direction, respectively. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part which shows the initial state of fitting of a female connector and a male connector. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part which shows the state at the time of complete fitting of a female connector and a male connector. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part which shows the state before the fitting of the connector of the comparative example with respect to the connector of embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part which shows the state at the time of the perfect fitting of the connector of the comparative example. It is a top view which shows the example of the connector provided with the conventional rattling prevention function. It is a figure which shows the modification, (a) is a top view of a male connector, (b) is a top view which shows the fitting state of a male-female connector. It is a front view of the female connector for showing the example of the arrangement | positioning location of a rattling prevention spring.

Explanation of symbols

11 Female connector housing 15 Lock arm (locking means)
40 Spring 41 Hook 42 C-shaped curved portion 42a Maximum width portion 42b Inclined portion 43 Leg portion 51 Female connector housing 52 Spring guide groove 55 Engaging convex portion (contact portion)
55a Inclined surface 56 Lock protrusion (locking means)

Claims (5)

  The female connector housing and the male connector housing that are fitted to each other are provided with locking means for locking the two connector housings in a fully fitted state and maintaining the fitted state. And the outer wall of the male connector housing and the outer wall of the male connector housing which are opposed to each other are provided with a spring and an abutting portion, respectively, that come into contact with each other when the two connector housings are fitted. An inner wall of the connector housing is arranged so as to bend and deform in a plane along the inner wall when abutting with the abutting portion on the male connector housing side. When the means is locked, the elastic reaction force by the spring is provided so as to be received in two directions, the front of the connector fitting direction and the direction orthogonal thereto. Connector, characterized in that is. The connector according to claim 1,
The spring is constituted by a substantially Ω-shaped wire spring having a C-shaped curved portion with a part of the circumference open and a pair of legs extending from both ends of the C-shaped curved portion, and the male connector housing is fitted into the spring. In such a posture that the C-shaped curved portion is directed to the front side and the pair of legs are directed to the rear side, the inner wall of the female connector housing is bent and deformed in a plane along the inner wall. The abutting portion is brought into contact with the outer portion of the C-shaped curved portion of the spring as the mating progresses when the female connector housing and the male connector housing are mated. At the stage of bending and locking the locking means, the C-shaped curved portion is moved over the maximum width portion in the direction perpendicular to the connector fitting direction and pressed against the arc-shaped inclined portion on the rear side of the maximum width portion. State, so that said Connector, characterized in that provided the elastic reaction of Ne as engaging portions for receiving the two directions of a direction perpendicular thereto and forwardly of the connector fitting direction. The connector according to claim 2,
The connector is characterized in that a portion of the engagement convex portion that abuts on the C-shaped curved portion is formed as an inclined surface that matches the C-shaped curved portion. The connector according to claim 2 or 3,
Hooks projecting outward are provided at the tips of the pair of leg portions of the spring, and these hooks are slidable in a direction to close the interval between the leg portions on a locking portion provided on the inner wall of the female connector housing. The connector, wherein the spring is fixed to the inner wall of the female connector housing in a state where the C-shaped curved portion can be bent and deformed inward by being locked. The connector according to claim 2 or 3,
The outer wall of the male connector housing is provided with a wide and shallow spring guide groove into which the C-shaped curved portion of the spring is inserted when the connector is fitted, and a pair of the engaging convex portions are provided on both inner side walls of the spring guide groove. A connector characterized by that.

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