JP2010080104A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector of a high practical value with enlargement of a cover avoided. <P>SOLUTION: The connector 10 is provided with: a terminal metal fitting connected to a terminal of a wire 100; a housing 20 for the terminal fitting to be inserted into; and a cap-like cover 60 fitted to the housing 20 and regulating the wire 100 drawn out of a wire-draw-out face of the housing 20 toward a given direction. The cover 60 is equipped with a wire lead-in port 65 opening toward the wire-draw-out face and a wire lead-out port 66 opening outward. The cover 60 is also provided with a swollen part 78 swollen toward a wire lead-out port 66 side to enlarge a guide-out path 77 of the wire 100. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  The connector described in Patent Document 1 includes a terminal fitting connected to an end of an electric wire, a housing having a plurality of cavities in which the terminal fitting is accommodated, and a cap-like cover attached to the rear portion of the housing. A plurality of electric wires are drawn out from the rear surface of the housing, and the drawn out electric wires are defined in a predetermined direction by the cover and then led out through the outlet of the cover.

The cover has a back plate that defines the direction of the electric wire and a pair of side plates that protrude substantially parallel to each other from both sides of the back plate, and the electric wires are accommodated in a bent state inside the both side plates and the back plate. . Between both side plates, a wire lead-out path having a substantially constant width in the wiring direction of the wire is held.
JP 2008-123899 A

  By the way, when a connector with a cover as described above is mounted on a vehicle, the connector may be penetrated from one side of the panel to the other side. In such a case, a connector having a size smaller than the diameter of the through hole must be prepared so that the connector can pass through the through hole of the panel. However, as the electric wire density increases, the size of the cover is increased, and the height of the cover becomes a barrier, which prevents the connector from passing through. In view of this, for example, it is possible to suppress the height dimension by increasing the width dimension of the cover, but in that case, in addition to the waste of material, the lever of the lever having the outer surface of the both side plates as the rotation region Similarly, the width dimension must be increased, and there is a problem of lack of practicality.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector with high practical value that avoids an increase in the size of the cover.

  As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to a terminal fitting connected to an end of an electric wire, a housing accommodating the terminal fitting, an electric wire attached to the housing, and the electric wire of the housing. A cap-shaped cover for prescribing a wire drawn from the lead-out surface in a predetermined direction, the cover opening toward the wire lead-out surface, the wire introduction port, and the wire leading out and facing outward The cover has a bulging portion that bulges toward the electric wire outlet and expands the electric outlet path of the electric wire. However, it has characteristics.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the cover includes a back plate that bends the electric wire in a predetermined direction so as to face the electric wire drawing surface, and protrudes from both sides of the back plate. A pair of side plates that define the wire introduction port and the wire lead-out port between the back plate, the wire introduction port and the wire lead-out port open in a direction substantially orthogonal to each other; and The bulging part is provided on the back plate side of the side plate, and the opening width of the electric wire outlet is larger than the opening width of the electric wire introduction port.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the outer surface of the side plate includes a rotation region in which a lever that assists a fitting operation with a mating connector rotates, and a non-rotation in which the lever does not rotate. The bulging part is characterized in that it is provided in the non-rotating area.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the back plate is provided with a die-cutting hole corresponding to the bulging portion so as to penetrate in the opening direction of the wire introduction port. However, it has characteristics.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the rib according to the fourth aspect, wherein an inner surface of the bulging portion extends in an opening direction of the wire introduction port and is continuous with the back plate in the die-cutting hole. It is characterized in that is provided.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, the bulging portion is provided on each of the both side plates, and a plurality of the ribs are provided on each of the two bulging portions. The bulging portion is characterized by being arranged in a staggered manner so as to be staggered in the wiring direction of the electric wire.

<Invention of Claim 1>
By providing the bulging portion in a bulging manner, the lead-out path for the electric wire is secured without increasing the size of the entire cover, and thus the practical value is enhanced.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the bulging part is provided on the back plate side of the side plate and the opening width of the wire outlet port is larger than the opening width of the wire inlet port, the wire outlet port side and the back plate side where the wire density becomes higher In this area, the bulging portion is provided, and the electric wires are efficiently accommodated in the bulging portion. Therefore, the bulging portion does not become unnecessarily large, and wasteful material is saved as much as possible. As a result, the practical value is further increased.

<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the bulging portion is provided in the non-rotating region of the lever, the lever does not increase in size when the bulging portion is provided.

<Invention of Claim 4>
The back plate is provided with a die-cutting hole corresponding to the bulging portion in the opening direction of the electric wire introduction port, that is, the back plate and both side plates are formed by a mold that moves in the opening direction of the electric wire introduction port. In addition, since the bulging part is also molded, it is not necessary to prepare a separate mold for molding the bulging part, and the mold structure can be simplified.

<Invention of Claim 5>
Since the punching hole is provided through the back plate, the strength of the back plate and the bulging portion may not be maintained, but the back plate and the rib are integrally formed with the back plate in the punching hole. The strength of the bulging portion is ensured. In addition, since the rib extends in the opening direction of the electric wire introduction port and is formed by the mold for forming the bulging portion, it is not necessary to prepare a mold for forming the rib, and the mold structure is not complicated. .

<Invention of Claim 6>
If the ribs are arranged opposite to the same position in the wiring direction of the electric wire at both bulged portions, the lead-out path of the electric wire is narrowed between the opposing ribs, and it becomes impossible to cope with the high density of the electric wire. However, according to the present invention, the ribs are arranged in a staggered manner so that the ribs are staggered in the wiring direction of the wires at the two bulging portions, so that the lead-out path of the wires is configured to meander by each rib, It is possible to cope with higher density of electric wires without any problem.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector 10 according to this embodiment includes a housing 20, a lever 40, a cover 60, and a terminal fitting (not shown). The housing 20 can be mated with the mating connector 90. In the following description, in the front-rear direction, the fitting surface side with the mating connector 90 is the front.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mating connector 90 is made of a synthetic resin and includes a hood portion 91 that is elongated in the left and right sides, and a plurality of tabs (not shown) project into the hood portion 91. Is arranged in. A pair of left and right cam followers 92 project from the inner surfaces of both long side walls of the hood portion 91. In addition, a pair of left and right lever lock portions 93 project from the inner surface front ends of both short side walls of the hood portion 91.

  The housing 20 is made of a synthetic resin and has an elongated block shape on the left and right as a whole, and can be fitted into the hood portion 91 as a whole. The housing 20 has a plurality of cavities (not shown), and terminal fittings can be inserted into the cavities from the rear. The terminal metal fitting is a female terminal metal fitting connected to the terminal of the electric wire 100, and accepts a tab from the front in accordance with the mating with the mating connector 90 and can be connected to the mating male terminal fitting. The rear surface of the housing 20 is an electric wire drawing surface from which the electric wires 100 are drawn.

  A pair of left and right support shafts 21 project from the rear ends of the outer surfaces of both long sides of the housing 20. The lever 40 is rotatable about the support shaft 21. A pair of left and right peripheral walls 22 that run from the long side outer surface to the short side outer surface are provided at both ends in the length direction (left and right direction) of the housing 20, and levers 40 are provided at the corners of both peripheral walls 22 on the long side outer surface. A restricting piece 23 is provided to prevent excessive expansion deformation. A pair of left and right engagement ribs 24 extending rearward from a substantially central portion in the width direction of the rear end of the peripheral wall 22 are provided on the outer surfaces on both short sides of the housing 20. In addition, a pair of left and right locking portions 25 protrude from both ends in the length direction of the outer surfaces on both long sides of the housing 20.

  The lever 40 is made of a synthetic resin, and includes an operation portion 41 extending in the width direction and a pair of arm portions 42 projecting substantially in parallel from both ends (both sides) of the operation portion 41 in the width direction. It has a template shape. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation portion 41 is provided with a lever lock receiving portion 43 that can be bent inward and outward. The lever lock receiving portion 43 has a lever lock hole 44 into which the lever lock portion 93 can be fitted, and the engagement rib 24 can be fitted in front of the lever lock hole 44 so as to be at the front end of the operation portion 41. It has an engaging groove 45 that opens. As shown in FIG. 3, both the lever lock hole 44 and the engagement groove 45 are provided at the substantially central portion in the width direction of the operation portion 41.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the arm portion 42 is provided with a bearing hole 46 that receives the support shaft 21, and the support shaft 21 is fitted into the bearing hole 46, so that the lever 40 rotates to the housing 20. It is designed to be mounted movably. The arm portion 42 is provided with a cam groove 47 that can be engaged with the counterpart cam follower 92. The cam groove 47 has a groove inlet 48 opened at the outer peripheral edge of the arm portion 42, and the cam follower 92 can be received from the front through the groove inlet 48.

  On the outer peripheral edge of the arm portion 42, a thin portion 49 having a concave outer surface is provided. When the regulating piece 23 comes into contact with the outer surface of the thin-walled portion 49, excessive bending of both arm portions 42 is regulated. A substantially straight rib-shaped straight portion 51 is provided at the rear end edge of the arm portion 42. Such a lever 40 has a temporary locking position (see FIG. 1) in which the linear portion 51 is arranged obliquely with respect to the horizontal axis by a rotation operation about the support shaft 21, and the linear portion 51 about the horizontal axis. It can be displaced to a main locking position (see FIG. 2) arranged along. In the temporary locking position, the groove inlet 48 of the cam groove 47 faces forward to receive the cam follower 92. In the process from the temporary locking position to the final locking position, the cam follower 92 slides on the groove surface of the cam groove 47. The mating connector 90 is attracted with a low fitting force by the cam action to be exerted, and the lever lock portion 93 is elastically fitted into the lever lock hole 44 of the lever lock receiving portion 43 in the final locking position, so that the lever 40 is rotated. It is held in a regulated state. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the engaging rib 24 is fitted in the engaging groove 45 of the operation portion 41 from the end position of the lever 40 to the final locking position, whereby the lever 40 with respect to the housing 20 is engaged. The positional deviation in the width direction is regulated, and the inclination of the posture caused by the fitting operation with the mating connector 90 is corrected.

  Next, the cover 60 will be described. The cover 60 is also made of synthetic resin and has a cap shape as a whole, and is opposed to the rear surface of the housing 20 with a predetermined height interval as shown in FIGS. A back plate 61 and a pair of left and right side plates 62 that extend over the entire length of the back plate 61 in the width direction and project substantially in parallel with each other. ing. The back plate 61 is arranged in parallel with the rear surface of the housing 20 to forcibly bend the electric wire 100, and a closing plate 64 that hangs down in a curved shape from one end in the length direction of the forcing plate 63 to the front. Become. The cover 60 is surrounded by the front ends of the closing plate 64 and both side plates 62 and opens toward the rear surface of the housing 20. The cover 60 is located at a position facing the closing plate 64 and the forcing plate 63 and It has an electric wire outlet 66 that is surrounded by the other ends in the length direction of both side plates 62 and opens outward.

  The electric wire introduction port 65 and the electric wire outlet port 66 are in a positional relationship that opens in a direction substantially orthogonal to each other, and communicate with each other between the corners on the free end sides of the both side plates 62. The opening width of the electric wire outlet port 66 is larger than the opening width of the electric wire inlet port 65, and the opening length (opening height) of the electric wire outlet port 66 is smaller than the opening length of the electric wire inlet port 65. Then, the plurality of electric wires 100 drawn out from the housing 20 are introduced into the accommodation space 70 through the electric wire introduction port 65, changed in direction to one side by the forcing plate 63, and then led out from the electric wire outlet port 66 to the outside. It has come to be. The cover 60 is provided with a substantially gate-shaped protruding edge portion 67 so as to surround the opening of the electric wire outlet 66.

  A notch recess 68 is provided in a substantially U shape at the front end of the closing plate 64. In addition, a pair of left and right lock receiving portions 69 projecting forward are provided at both ends in the length direction of both side plates 62 so as to bend inward and outward (width direction). The cover 60 is held by the housing 20 by the lock receiving portion 69 being elastically locked to the lock portion 25.

  Among the lock receiving portions 69, the lock receiving portions 69 near the electric wire outlet 66 have a substantially U-shape by having a lock hole 71 penetrating in the plate thickness direction (width direction), as shown in FIG. The lock portion 25 is elastically fitted into the lock hole 71. The both side plates 62 are expanded in a form that extends continuously over the entire height in the height direction continuously to the lock receiving portion 69 near the electric wire outlet 66 and bulges outward from the lock receiving portion 69. A portion 72 is provided, and the opening width of the wire outlet port 66 is widened by the widened portion 72. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the back plate 61 is provided with a die-cutting hole 73 for forming an enlarged portion corresponding to the enlarged portion 72 so as to penetrate in the plate thickness direction which is the opening direction of the electric wire introduction port 65. ing. The lock hole 71 of the lock receiving portion 69 is formed by being penetrated by a mold (not shown) that passes through the die-cutting hole 73 for forming the expanded portion. On the other hand, the lock receiving portion 69 near the closing plate 64 does not have the lock hole 71, and a claw portion 74 that is hooked and locked to the lock portion 25 is provided on the inner surface thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the outer surfaces of the both side plates 62 are positioned on the wire introduction port 65 side and on the closing plate 64 side, and a rotation region 75 covered with the arm portion 42 over the rotation range of the lever 40. And the non-rotating region 76 that is located on the electric wire outlet 66 side and on the back plate 61 side and is not covered with the arm portion 42.

  Now, as shown in FIG. 10, the both side plates 62 have a width direction in which the lead-out path 77 of the electric wire 100 is enlarged at a position on the wire lead-out port 66 side and the back plate 61 side corresponding to the non-rotating region 76. A pair of bulging portions 78 are provided. The bulging portion 78 has a form that is widened outwardly by one step from the region on the wire introduction port 65 side and the closing plate 64 side corresponding to the rotation region 75, and is integrated with the back plate 61 and the expansion portion 72. As shown in FIG. 1, it has a hypotenuse part 79 arranged substantially parallel to the straight part 51 of the lever 40 in the temporary locking position. The bulging dimension of the bulging part 78 is smaller than the bulging dimension of the expanding part 72, and a substantially L-shaped outer rib 81 extending from the back plate 61 to the expanding part 72 is provided on the outer surface of the bulging part 78. The outer surface of the outer rib 81 is substantially flush with the outer surface of the expanded portion 72.

  At both ends in the width direction of the back plate 61, bulging portion forming die holes 82 corresponding to the bulging portions 78 are provided penetrating in the plate thickness direction, which is the opening direction of the electric wire introduction port 65. . The die-cutting hole 82 for forming the bulging portion is formed by interposing a bridging portion 83 integrally connected to the back plate 61 between the die-cutting hole 73 for forming the expanding portion, so that the die-cutting for forming the expanding portion is formed. It is arranged inside the hole 73.

  A plurality of, specifically three, inner ribs 85 are provided on the inner surfaces of the bulging portions 78 and extend over the entire height in the height direction. Each inner rib 85 is integrally connected to the back plate 61 in the bulging portion molding die-cutting hole 82, and thereby, as shown in FIG. While dividing into 2 in the length direction of the board 61 (wiring direction of the electric wire 100), as shown in FIG. 9, the other punching hole 82 for forming the bulging portion is divided into 3 in the length direction of the back board 61. It is like that. Each inner rib 85 is formed by a mold for forming both bulging portions 78. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the inner ribs 85 are arranged in a staggered manner so as to be shifted from each other in the length direction of the back plate 61 (wiring direction of the electric wire 100). The lead-out path 77 of the electric wire 100 is configured to meander and snake in a continuous S shape.

  In the case of this embodiment, the support shaft 21, the cam follower 92, the lever lock portion 93, the engagement rib 24, the restriction piece 23, and the lock portion 25 are respectively paired on the left and right sides of the housing 20 in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the lever 40 and the cover 60 can be selectively replaced in the left-right reverse direction according to the installation layout.

Next, the function and effect of the connector 10 according to this embodiment will be described.
In fitting with the mating connector 90, the lever 40 is first retained in the temporary locking position, and the housing 20 is shallowly fitted into the hood portion 91 in this state as shown in FIG. Then, the cam follower 92 enters the cam groove 47 of the lever 40. Subsequently, when the lever 40 is rotated toward the final locking position while grasping the operation portion 41, the mating operation with the mating connector 90 is performed with a low mating force due to the cam action by the engagement of the cam groove 47 and the cam follower 92. proceed. When the lever 40 reaches the final locking position, as shown in FIG. 2, the cam follower 92 reaches the back end of the cam groove 47 and the housing 20 is fitted into the hood portion 91 at a normal depth. Both terminal fittings are conductively connected. Further, when the lever 40 reaches the final locking position, the lever lock receiving portion 43 is elastically locked to the corresponding lever lock portion 93 and the engagement rib 24 is almost tightly fitted in the engagement groove 45. Is inserted.

  By the way, a plurality of electric wires 100 are tightly accommodated in the cover 60 while being bent by the back plate 61. In this case, since the electric wire density is higher on the electric wire outlet port 66 side than on the electric wire inlet port 65 side, a situation may occur in which the electric wire 100 cannot be fully accommodated on the electric wire outlet port 66 side. In particular, as shown in FIG. 4, since the large-diameter wire is bent at a high tension by being positioned on the wire outlet port 66 side than the thin-diameter wire, the wire density is increased on the bulging portion 78 side. There are circumstances that make it easy to concentrate.

  In this respect, according to the present embodiment, since the cover 60 is provided with the bulging portion 78 that bulges toward the electric wire outlet port 66 side and expands the electric outlet path 77 of the electric wire 100, as shown in FIG. A lead-out path 77 for the electric wire 100 is widely secured in the outlet portion 78. Therefore, it is not necessary to enlarge the entire cover 60 to secure the lead-out path 77, and the practical value is increased. In this case, since the bulging portion 78 is provided on the side plate 62 on the side of the electric wire outlet port 66 and on the back plate 61 side, the electric wire 100 is efficiently released in the region where the electric wire density is increased. Accordingly, the bulging portion 78 does not become unnecessarily large, and as a result of the waste of material being omitted, the practical value is further increased.

  In addition, since the bulging portion 78 is provided in the non-rotating region 76 of the lever 40, it is not necessary to increase the width of the operation portion 41 of the lever 40 when the bulging portion 78 is provided. Is also avoided.

  In addition, the back plate 61 is provided with a mold punching hole 82 for forming the bulging portion in the opening direction of the wire introduction port 65, that is, by a mold that moves in the opening direction of the wire introduction port 65, Since both side plates 62 are formed and the bulging portion 78 is also formed at the same time, the bulging portion 78 does not have to be formed by a slide mold that moves in the opening direction of the wire outlet port 66, and the mold structure is simplified. Can be planned.

  Furthermore, since the die punching hole 82 for forming the bulging portion is provided through the back plate 61, the strength of the back plate 61 and the bulging portion 78 may not be maintained. The strength of the back plate 61 and the bulging portion 78 is ensured by the inner rib 85 integrally connected to the back plate 61 inside. Further, since the inner rib 85 extends in the opening direction of the electric wire introduction port 65 and is formed by a mold for forming the bulging portion, it is not necessary to prepare a separate mold for rib formation, and the mold structure is complicated. It will never be.

  Furthermore, since the inner ribs 85 are arranged in a staggered manner so as to be alternately shifted in the wiring direction of the electric wire 100 at the two bulging portions 78, the lead-out path 77 of the electric wire 100 is configured to meander by each rib. Thus, the high density of the electric wire 100 can be dealt with without any trouble.

<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) The structure by which a bulging part is provided only in one side plate of both side plates may be sufficient.
(2) The structure by which a bulging part is provided also in the electric wire inlet side may be sufficient.
(3) The configuration may be such that the expanding portion is omitted and the bulging portion is directly connected to the electric wire outlet.

In the connector which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention, it is a front view which shows the state in which the lever was kept in the temporary latching position. It is a front view which shows the state in which the lever was kept in this latching position. It is a side view of the one side which shows the state by which the lever was kept in this latching position. It is a side view of the other side which shows the state by which the lever was kept in this latching position. It is a front view of a cover. It is a side view of a cover. It is a top view of a cover. It is XX sectional drawing of FIG. It is YY sectional drawing of FIG. It is a principal part broken bottom view of a cover.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector 20 ... Housing 40 ... Lever 60 ... Cover 61 ... Back plate 62 ... Side plate 65 ... Electric wire introduction port 66 ... Electric wire outlet 75 ... Rotation area | region 76 ... Non-rotation area | region 77 ... Derivation path 78 ... Expansion part 82 ... Die release hole for bulging part molding 85 ... Inner rib (rib)
100: Electric wire

Claims (6)

A terminal fitting connected to a terminal of the electric wire, a housing in which the terminal fitting is accommodated, a cap-shaped cover attached to the housing and defining a wire drawn from the electric wire drawing surface of the housing in a predetermined direction; The cover has a wire introduction port that opens toward the wire lead-out surface and a wire lead-out port that opens toward the outside,
The connector, wherein the cover is provided with a bulging portion that bulges toward the electric wire outlet port and expands the electric wire outlet path.   The cover has a back plate that bends the electric wire in a predetermined direction so as to face the electric wire drawing surface, and the electric wire introduction port and the electric wire outlet port that protrude from both sides of the back plate and the back plate. A pair of side plates that define, the wire introduction port and the wire lead-out port open in a direction substantially orthogonal to each other, and the bulging portion is provided on the back plate side of the side plate. The connector according to claim 1, wherein an opening width of the electric wire outlet is larger than an opening width of the electric wire inlet.   The outer surface of the side plate is composed of a rotation area in which a lever that assists the fitting operation with the mating connector is rotated, and a non-rotation area in which the lever is not rotated. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the connector is provided in the region.   The connector according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a die-cut hole corresponding to the bulging portion is provided in the back plate so as to penetrate in the opening direction of the wire introduction port.   The connector according to claim 4, wherein a rib is provided on an inner surface of the bulging portion so as to extend in an opening direction of the electric wire introduction port and to be continuous with the back plate in the mold release hole. The bulging portion is provided on each of the both side plates,
The connector according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of the ribs are provided in each of the bulging portions, and are arranged in a staggered manner so as to be alternately shifted in the wiring direction of the electric wires at the bulging portions.

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