JP2011003299A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To regulate floating of a front member due to reduction in height of a connector.SOLUTION: A female connector 10, which can engage with a male connector 50 having a rib 55 in to-and-fro direction, includes: a female housing 11 where a groove 18 is formed to open on a front surface 11A to receive the rib 55; a front mask 30 that is attached to the front surface 11A of the female housing 11; a protruding part 37A (bridge part 37B) provided at a position corresponding to the groove 18 at the front mask 30; and a hooking hole 19A (hooking recess 19B) which is provided to the groove 18 to regulate the movement of the front mask 30 away from the front surface 11A of the female housing 11 by engaging with the protruding part 37A (bridge part 37B) in to-and-fro direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector provided with a front member.

  Conventionally, as a connector provided with a front member such as a front mask, for example, a connector described in Patent Document 1 is known. This connector has a housing that can be fitted inside a hood portion provided in the mating housing, and a front member is attached to the fitting surface side of the housing. A plurality of cavities penetrating in the front-rear direction are formed inside the housing, and female terminals are accommodated in these cavities. A terminal insertion hole through which a male terminal is inserted is formed at a position corresponding to each cavity in the front member. The front member is held at a position along the fitting surface of the housing by a holding projection provided at the center in the width direction of the fitting surface of the housing.

JP 2006-302769 A

  However, when the height of the connector is reduced, it is difficult to secure a space for providing the holding projection on the fitting surface of the housing. Therefore, when the holding projections are provided on both sides in the width direction of the housing, the front member tends to float in a direction away from the fitting surface of the housing. If the two housings are fitted with the front member floating, the male terminal may bend due to interference with the edge of the terminal insertion hole. In this way, it is difficult to regulate the floating of the front member that accompanies a reduction in the height of the connector.

  This invention is completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It aims at controlling the float of the front member accompanying the low profile of a connector.

  The present invention is a connector that can be fitted in a front-rear direction with a mating connector having a rib, a housing having a recess that is open on the front surface and receives the rib, a front member that is attached to the front surface of the housing, A hook portion provided at a position corresponding to the concave portion in the member, and a hook portion provided in the concave portion, and being able to regulate the movement of the front member in a direction away from the front surface of the housing by engaging with the hook portion in the front-rear direction. It is characterized in that it has a configuration including a regulating portion.

  According to such a configuration, the front member is attached to the front surface of the housing and the hooking portion and the restricting portion are locked in the front-rear direction, thereby restricting the front member from moving and floating away from the front surface of the housing. it can. Further, since the restricting portion is provided by using the concave portion into which the rib enters when the two connectors are fitted, it is possible to cope with a reduction in the height of the connector. Therefore, the floating of the front member can be restricted even if the height of the connector is lowered.

The following configuration is preferable as an embodiment of the present invention.
The front member can be assembled along the front surface of the housing, and the recess is formed in a groove shape that opens on both the front surface of the housing and a surface intersecting the assembly direction of the front member. It is good also as a structure provided in the part which comprises the bottom face of a recessed part.
According to such a structure, a control part can be formed in the part which comprises the bottom face of a recessed part. In addition, by forming a die-cutting hole for molding the restricting portion, it is possible to reduce sink marks of the housing at the time of molding.

The hooking portion may be arranged to face the bottom surface of the recess in a state where the hooking portion is locked in the front-rear direction.
According to such a structure, the latching state of a hook part and a control part can be visually recognized from the exterior of a connector.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the floating of the front member accompanying the low profile of a connector can be controlled.

Plan view of both connectors in mating condition Side view of both connectors mated Bottom view when both connectors are mated View of the mated state of both connectors as seen from the back side of the male connector View of the mating state of both connectors as seen from the back side of the female connector It is AA sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 5, Comprising: Sectional drawing in the fitting state of both connectors Sectional drawing which showed the state before making both connectors fit in FIG. Sectional drawing which showed the state before attaching a front mask to the fitting surface side of a female connector in FIG. Side view of female connector BB sectional view of FIG. Front view of female connector CC sectional view of FIG. DD sectional view of FIG. EE sectional view of FIG. Front view of male connector Front mask top view Front view of front mask Bottom view of front mask Front mask side view FF sectional view of FIG.

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. The female connector (an example of the “connector” of the present invention) 10 of the present embodiment can be fitted with a male connector 50 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the male connector 50 is a board (not shown). It is a connector for a board fixed to. In the following description, the front-rear direction is based on the mating direction of the connectors 10 and 50, and the mating surface side is the front side.

  The male connector 50 includes a male housing 51 made of a synthetic resin, and the male housing 51 is provided with a hood portion 52 having a hood shape that opens forward. The female connector 10 can be fitted inside the hood portion 52. The hood portion 52 has a horizontally long flat shape in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of substrate fixing portions 53 fixed to the substrate are disposed on the outer sides in the width direction on both sides of the hood portion 52 in the width direction. An overhang is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of male terminals 60 having a tab shape are provided on the back wall 54 of the hood portion 52. The male terminals 60 are arranged side by side in two upper and lower stages. In the present embodiment, ten male terminals 60 are arranged on the upper stage side, and 14 male terminals 60 are arranged on the lower stage side. The front end side of the male terminal 60 is configured to protrude forward inside the hood portion 52. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the rear end side of the male terminal 60 is bent downward at a substantially right angle after passing through the back wall 54, and is inserted and connected to a through hole provided in the substrate. It has come to be.

  A plurality of ribs 55 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 52. In the present embodiment, two ribs 55 are disposed on the upper surface of the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 52, and two ribs 55 are disposed on the lower surface. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the upper and lower ribs 55 are each configured to extend in the front-rear direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, a lock receiving portion 56 that can be engaged with the lock projection 16 </ b> A of the lock arm 16 described below is formed to protrude downward at the center of the upper surface of the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 52. Yes.

  The female connector 10 has a female housing 11 (an example of the “housing” of the present invention) 11 made of synthetic resin, and the female housing 11 has a horizontally long flat shape as shown in FIG. It has an almost square block shape. A central portion of the upper surface of the outer peripheral surface of the female housing 11 is formed one step lower, and a lock arm 16 is disposed in the lower portion. In the central portion of the female housing 11 where the lock arm 16 is provided, the upper female terminal 20 is not disposed, and only the lower female terminal 20 is disposed. Thereby, the amount of the lock arm 16 protruding upward from the upper surface of the female housing 11 can be minimized, and the female connector 10 is reduced in height.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the lock arm 16 has a shape extending in the front-rear direction, and has a base end portion 16 </ b> C that rises upward from the front end of the upper surface of the female housing 11. The lock arm 16 is formed in a cantilever shape extending rearward from the base end portion 16C. A lock protrusion 16A is provided slightly on the upper surface of the lock arm 16, and a lock release portion 16B is provided further rearward of the lock protrusion 16A (upper rear end of the lock arm 16). When the locking projection 16A is engaged with the lock receiving portion 56 of the male connector 50 in the front-rear direction, both the connectors 10 and 50 are held in a properly fitted state.

  As shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of grooves 18 that receive the ribs 55 of the male housing 51 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the outer surface of the female housing 11. These groove portions 18 are configured to extend in the front-rear direction, and include a pair of upper groove portions 18 and a pair of lower groove portions 18. The upper groove portion 18 has a groove shape that opens both forward and upward, and the lower groove portion 18 has a groove shape that opens both forward and downward. When the connectors 10 and 50 are fitted together, the ribs 55 enter the grooves 18 so that the fitting operation of the connectors 10 and 50 is guided. The groove portion 18 corresponds to the “concave portion” of the present invention, and the bottom surface of the groove portion 18 refers to the lower surface of the upper groove portion 18 and the upper surface of the lower groove portion 18.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a cavity 12 is formed inside the female housing 11 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction. A female terminal 20 can be inserted into the cavity 12 from behind. As shown in FIG. 6, the female terminal 20 is held in the cavity 12 in a state in which the female terminal 20 is prevented from coming out backward by a lance 13 formed on the lower surface of the inner wall of the cavity 12.

  Further, a retainer mounting hole 14 is formed in the female housing 11 so as to cross the cavity 12 and open downward. A retainer 40 can be mounted in the retainer mounting hole 14 from below. The retainer 40 has a terminal insertion hole 41 through which the female terminal 20 can be inserted. The temporary locking position at which the female terminal 20 can be inserted, and the main locking that locks the female terminal 20 and prevents the female terminal 20 from coming off. It is possible to move between positions. Although the temporary locking position is not shown, the final locking position refers to the position of the retainer 40 in FIG.

  The female terminal 20 is formed by punching and bending a metal thin plate. As shown in FIG. 6, the female terminal 20 includes a rectangular tube portion 21 that is connected to the male terminal 60 so as to be conductive, and an electric wire connecting portion 22 that is formed behind the rectangular tube portion 21. Has been. The rear end of the rectangular tube portion 21 is locked in the front-rear direction with a portion constituting the lower surface of the terminal insertion hole 41 of the retainer 40 at the main locking position, thereby preventing the female terminal 20 from coming off. The core wire of the electric wire W is crimped to the electric wire connecting portion 22. The electric wire W is drawn out behind the cavity 12.

  By the way, the female connector 10 of this embodiment is low-profile, and the upper and lower surfaces of the hood portion 52 are thinner than the side surfaces. When the upper and lower surfaces of the hood portion 52 are thin, the strength of the hood portion 52 is reduced, and the hood portion 52 is easily damaged. For this reason, in this embodiment, measures are taken to prevent damage to the upper and lower surfaces of the hood portion 52. First, as shown in FIG. 15, the rigidity of the upper and lower surfaces of the hood portion 52 is increased by a plurality of ribs 55. Since the rib 55 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the hood portion 52 and is disposed using an empty area where the male terminal 60 does not exist, the hood portion 52 does not increase the vertical dimension of the hood portion 52. The upper and lower surfaces of 52 can be reinforced.

  Next, a restriction recess 57 is provided on both sides of the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 52 in the width direction. This is a measure for preventing the female housing 11 from being damaged due to a direct load applied to the upper and lower surfaces of the hood portion 52 when the electric wire W is swung in the vertical direction. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, on both sides in the width direction of the female housing 11, there are provided restriction protrusions 15 that fit in the front-rear direction with the restriction recesses 57 as the connectors 10 and 50 are fitted. The restriction protrusion 15 and the restriction recess 57 are locked in the vertical direction to restrict the load on the upper and lower surfaces of the hood part 52.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, a front mask 30 made of a separate member from the female housing 11 is attached to the front surface 11 </ b> A of the female housing 11. The front mask 30 is made of synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 8, a mounting recess 17 in which the front mask 30 can be mounted is formed on the front surface 11 </ b> A of the female housing 11. The front mask 30 is mounted in the mounting recess 17 from below (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 8) along the front surface 11A of the female housing 11.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the front mask 30 has a main body 31 having a lattice shape. Similar to the female housing 11, the main body 31 has a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the width direction. A terminal entry hole 32 is formed through the body portion 31 at a position corresponding to the female terminal 20. As shown in FIG. 6, the male terminal 60 enters the terminal entry hole 32 when the connectors 10 and 50 are fitted together. The male terminal 60 penetrating through the terminal insertion hole 32 is connected to the rectangular tube portion 21 of the female terminal 20 so as to be conductive.

  As shown in FIG. 17, a pair of holding protrusions 33 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the main body 31. On the other hand, on both sides in the width direction of the female housing 11, as shown in FIG. 9, holding protrusions 33 and holding grooves 11 </ b> B that can be locked in the vertical direction are provided. The holding groove 11 </ b> B is cut out so as to open to the fitting surface side of the female housing 11, and is provided in communication with the mounting recess 17. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 10, when the front mask 30 is mounted on the mounting recess 17 from below, the holding projection 33 enters the holding groove 11B from the inside of the mounting recess 17 and engages with the lower surface of the holding groove 11B in the vertical direction. Stop. As a result, the front mask 30 is held in the mounting recess 17 and the drop-off of the front mask 30 is restricted.

  As can be seen from a comparison between FIG. 11 and FIG. 17, the position corresponding to the lock arm 16 in the main body 31 is notched, and a holding projection 34 is also provided on the upper surface of the notched portion. As shown in FIG. 20, the holding protrusion 34 has a form protruding rearward from the back surface of the main body 31. As shown in FIG. 13, the holding protrusion 34 enters the die release hole S <b> 2 for forming the base end portion 16 </ b> C of the lock arm 16. This die punching hole S2 is also a bending space of the lock arm 16. The holding projection 34 is positioned near the front end of the die punching hole S2, and this position is a position that does not hinder the bending operation of the lock arm 16.

  The holding projection 34 can be locked in the vertical direction with respect to the front end of the lower surface of the mold release hole S2. For this reason, in the central portion of the front mask 30 in the width direction, the downward protrusion is restricted by the holding protrusion 34. That is, the front mask 30 is held in the mounting recess 17 by the pair of left and right holding projections 33 and the central holding projection 34, and is prevented from dropping downward.

  As can be seen from a comparison between FIG. 11 and FIG. 17, the position corresponding to the groove 18 in the main body 31 is notched, and this notch is formed between the upper notch 36 </ b> A corresponding to the upper groove 18 and the lower side. The lower notch 36B corresponding to the groove 18 is formed. As shown in FIG. 17, the upper notch 36 </ b> A is provided with a protrusion 37 </ b> A (an example of the “hook portion” of the present invention) protruding upward. On the other hand, the lower cutout portion 36B is provided with a construction portion (an example of the “hook portion” in the present invention) 37B. This erection part 37B is erected between both side walls constituting the lower notch part 36B. Both the projecting portion 37A and the erection portion 37B are arranged at positions that do not hinder the entry of the rib 55 when the connectors 10 and 50 are fitted together.

  When the front mask 30 is mounted in the mounting recess 17, as shown in FIG. 12, the rear surface of the front mask 30 is in contact with the front surface 11 </ b> A of the female housing 11, and the front surface of the front mask 30 is the female housing 11. Part of the mating surface. The front surface of the front mask 30 is flush with the front surface of the bottom surface side portion (hereinafter referred to as “front end opening”) 18A in the front end opening of the upper groove 18. Note that a locking hole (an example of a “regulating portion” in the present invention) 19 </ b> A penetrating in the vertical direction is formed behind the front end opening 18 </ b> A of the upper groove 18.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the protrusion 37A is fitted into the locking hole 19A from below and is locked in the front-rear direction with respect to the front surface of the locking hole 19A, that is, the rear surface of the front end opening 18A. Thereby, the movement of the front mask 30 in a direction away from the front surface 11 </ b> A of the female housing 11 is restricted. Since the protrusion 37A is disposed above the groove portion 18, the locking state between the protrusion 37A and the front end opening 18A can be viewed from above the female connector 10.

  Further, the space in which the protrusion 37A enters in the female housing 11 is a mold punching hole S1 for forming the front end opening 18A, and this mold punching hole S1 is a groove on the bottom surface side (lower surface side) of the groove 18. 18 communicates with the interior. The protrusion 37A is disposed in the die-cutting hole S1 and has a protrusion height that does not enter the groove 18. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6, the rib 55 and the protrusion 37 </ b> A do not interfere with each other when the connectors 10 and 50 are fitted together. In addition, by forming the die-cutting hole S1, sink marks or the like of the female housing 11 at the time of molding can be reduced.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14, a locking recess (an example of the “restricting portion” of the present invention) 19 </ b> B is formed at the front end portion on the bottom surface side (upper surface side) of the lower groove portion 18. The erection part 37B is fitted to the locking and locking recess 19B from below. In this state, the front surface of the installation portion 37B is locked in the front-rear direction with the front surface of the locking recess 19B, and the movement of the front mask 30 in a direction away from the front surface 11A of the female housing 11 is restricted. Note that the erection portion 37B fitted into the locking and locking recess 19B is disposed at a position that does not hinder the entry of the rib 55 when the connectors 10 and 50 are fitted.

  The present embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described subsequently. First, as shown in FIG. 8, the front mask 30 is assembled to the mounting recess 17 of the female housing 11 from below. As a result, both holding projections 33 are fitted into the holding grooves 11B from the inside of the mounting recess 17 as shown in FIG. 10, and the holding projections 34 are fitted into the mold release holes S2 as shown in FIG. Then, both the holding projections 33 and the lower surface of the holding groove 11B are locked in the vertical direction, and the holding mask 34 and the lower surface front end of the mold release hole S2 are locked in the vertical direction, so that the front mask 30 is attached to the mounting recess 17. Retained.

  In parallel with this, the protrusion 37A fits into the locking hole 19A as shown in FIG. 7, and the installation part 37B fits into the locking recess 19B as shown in FIG. Then, the front surface of the protrusion 37A and the rear surface of the front end opening 18A are locked in the front-rear direction, and the front surface of the installation portion 37B and the front surface of the locking recess 19B are locked in the front-rear direction, so that the front mask 30 is female. Floating forward from the front surface 11A of the housing 11 is restricted. At this time, since the protrusion 37A and the erection part 37B face the groove part 18, the locking state of the protrusion 37A and the erection part 37B can be visually confirmed.

  Next, the retainer 40 is assembled to the retainer mounting hole 14 in a temporarily locked position, all the female terminals 20 are inserted into all the cavities 12, and these female terminals 20 are prevented from being detached by the lances 13. By pushing the retainer 40 into the main locking position, all the female terminals 20 are prevented from coming off twice. Thereafter, the female connector 10 is fitted into the hood portion 52 of the male connector 50, so that both the connectors 10 and 50 are properly fitted.

  Thereby, since both the control protrusions 15 are fitted in the both control recesses 57, the female housing 11 does not apply a load to the hood part 52 even when the electric wire W is swung in the vertical direction, and the hood part 52 is damaged. Can be prevented. In addition, although the rib 55 enters the groove 18, the protrusion 37 </ b> A and the erection part 37 </ b> B are in a position retracted from the groove 18, so that the rib 55 does not interfere with the protrusion 37 </ b> A and the erection part 37 </ b> B. The fitting operation of both the connectors 10 and 50 can be guided. Furthermore, since the floating of the front mask 30 is restricted, the male terminal 60 does not interfere with the front mask 30 and bend due to the fitting of the connectors 10 and 50.

  As described above, in this embodiment, as a measure for preventing the front mask 30 from floating, the locking hole 19A is formed on the lower surface of the upper groove portion 18 and the locking recess 19B is formed on the upper surface of the lower groove portion 18. Therefore, the interference between the front mask 30 and the male terminal 60 can be prevented. Further, since the locking holes 19A and the locking recesses 19B are formed using the dead space constituting the groove portion 18, it is possible to cope with a reduction in the height of the female connector 10.

  Further, as a result of providing the protrusion 37A, a die-cutting hole S1 for forming the protrusion 37A is formed, so that the sink of the female housing 11 at the time of forming can be reduced. Further, in a state where the front mask 30 is mounted in the mounting recess 17, the state in which the protrusion 37 </ b> A is fitted in the locking hole 19 </ b> A can be viewed from above the female housing 11. Similarly, the state in which the erection portion 37B is fitted in the locking recess 19B can be visually recognized from below the female housing 11.

<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) Although the male connector 50 is a board connector in the above embodiment, the male connector 50 may be a connector connected to the end of the electric wire W according to the present invention.
(2) In the above embodiment, the locking hole 19A that fits into the protrusion 37A is illustrated as penetrating vertically, but according to the present invention, the protrusion 37A fits into a recess that does not penetrate vertically. You may make it do. Similarly, instead of the locking recess 19B, a through hole may be provided, and the installation part 37B may be fitted into this through hole.

(3) Although the front mask 30 is assembled from below along the front surface 11A of the female housing 11 in the above embodiment, the front mask 30 may be assembled from the front of the female housing 11 according to the present invention. .
(4) Although the protrusion 37A and the erection part 37B are arranged facing the bottom surface of the groove part 18 in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, the protrusion 37A and the erection part 37B do not face the bottom surface of the groove part 18. May be.

(5) Although in the above embodiment, the groove portion 18 is illustrated as being formed in a groove shape, according to the present invention, the groove portion 18 may be formed in a hole shape that opens only forward.
(6) Although the front mask 30 is illustrated as the front member in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, the front member may be a front cover or a front retainer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Female connector 11 ... Female housing 11A ... Front 18 ... Groove (concave part)
19A ... Locking hole (regulator)
19B ... Locking recess (regulator)
30 ... Front mask (front member)
37A ... Projection (Hook)
37B ... Installation part (hanging part)
50 ... Male connector (mating connector)
55 ... Ribs

Claims (3)

It is a connector that can be fitted in a front-rear direction with a mating connector having a rib,
A housing formed with a recess that opens to the front surface and receives the rib;
A front member attached to the front surface of the housing;
A hook portion provided at a position corresponding to the concave portion in the front member;
A connector provided with a restricting portion provided in the recess and capable of restricting movement of the front member in a direction away from the front surface of the housing by being locked in the front-rear direction with the hook portion. .   The front member can be assembled along the front surface of the housing, and the recess is formed in a groove shape that opens on both the front surface of the housing and a surface intersecting the assembly direction of the front member. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the restricting portion is provided at a portion constituting a bottom surface of the concave portion.   The connector according to claim 2, wherein the hooking portion is disposed facing the bottom surface of the recess in a state where the hooking portion is locked in the front-rear direction to the restriction portion.

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