JP2011018476A - Split connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simply and certainly inspect appropriate fitting of a holder with each sub connector.SOLUTION: The split connector includes: a sub connector 30 mounting terminal fittings 40 in each cavity 32 in a sub connector housing 31; and a holder 20 having sub connector containing parts 22 for inserting the plurality of the sub connectors 30. A detection notch 26 is formed in the holder 20 and a through notch 34 is formed in each sub connector housing 31. When each sub connector 30 is inserted to a regular position of each sub connector containing part 22 of the holder 20, the through notch 34 is continuous with the detection notch 26 of the holder 20, and when the sub connector 30 is positioned at an irregular position of the sub connector containing part 22, the through notch is discontinuous with the detection notch 26.

Description

  The present invention relates to a split connector in which a sub-connector is disposed in a holder.

  Conventionally, as this type of split connector, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. In Patent Literature 1, a female connector is configured by fitting a sub-connector formed by attaching a terminal fitting to a cavity in a sub-connector housing into a frame having a plurality of housing portions, and the female connector and the male connector are arranged. A split connector is disclosed in which a plurality of sub-connectors are fitted together by fitting them together. This split connector has a lock mechanism that prevents the sub-connector from coming off when the sub-connector is mounted in the normal position in the frame. The rear holder provided at the rear of the connector housing is locked after the sub-connector is assembled. A window is provided for visually checking whether the mechanism is operating.

JP 2009-110672 A

  By the way, in this type of connector, if the insertion operation is stopped with insufficient insertion of the sub-connector into the holder, the locking mechanism does not operate, and the retaining function is not exhibited. If the mating connector is fitted in such an incomplete state, there is a concern that the sub-connector may be pushed back due to the fitting resistance, or an incompletely connected state.

  Conventionally, in order to prevent the occurrence of the incomplete assembly as described above, a method of visually confirming that the rear end surface of the sub-connector does not protrude from the rear end surface of the holder after the completion of the assembly of the sub-connector is used. However, the actual situation was that work efficiency was poor and there was room for improvement in terms of certainty.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above situation, and an object thereof is to provide a split connector that can easily and reliably inspect that a holder and each sub-connector are properly fitted. .

  As means for achieving the above-mentioned object, the present invention is a split connector comprising a sub-connector in which a terminal fitting is mounted in a cavity in a sub-connector housing and a holder having a receiving portion into which a plurality of sub-connectors are inserted. The holder is formed with a detection notch extending in a direction intersecting the insertion direction of the sub-connector into the housing portion, and each sub-connector housing has the sub-connector in a proper position of the holder housing portion. A through-cutout is formed which is continuous with the detection cutout of the holder when inserted to a position, and is discontinuous with respect to the detection cutout when the sub-connector is in an irregular position of the holder receiving portion. Have

  In order to inspect the mounting state of the sub-connector to the holder in the split connector having such a configuration, for example, the following is performed. First, a detection pin that can be inserted into both the detection cutout of the holder and the through cutout of the sub connector housing is prepared. And after inserting all the subconnectors in the accommodating part of a holder, said detection pin is inserted in the detection notch formed in the holder.

  When all the sub-connectors are inserted to the normal position with respect to the holder, the detection pins can be inserted through the detection notches continuously through all the through notches to a predetermined depth.

  However, when any of the sub-connectors is in an irregular position of the holder accommodating portion, the detection notch formed in the holder and the through-cut notch formed in the sub-connector housing are discontinuous, so that the detection pin is not It is impossible to enter the through-cutout of the sub-connector at the normal position. Eventually, the insertion depth of the detection pin does not reach the predetermined depth, and it is easily determined that a part of the sub-connector is at the non-normal position. can do. Note that the detection pin is not essential, and it may be confirmed by some method that the detection cutout and the through cutout are linearly connected.

  The following configuration is desirable as an embodiment of the present invention.

  It is desirable to form a through notch in the outer wall of the sub-connector housing. With such a configuration, it is possible to adopt a process of inserting a terminal fitting in the cavity of the sub-connector housing in advance, mounting the sub-connector on the holder, and then inspecting the mounting state of the sub-connector.

  The sub-connector housing is formed with guide ribs on the outer wall along the insertion direction with respect to the holder receiving portion, and the through notch is formed on the outer wall with an auxiliary groove extending in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction and the guide rib. It is desirable to make it the structure which consists of a rib hole connected to a groove | channel. According to such a structure, a penetration notch can be formed in the location which does not affect the cavity in a subconnector housing, or the accommodating part in which a subconnector is inserted.

The detection cutout or the through cutout is preferably formed by a hole.
According to such a configuration, the electric wire can be prevented from being caught when the holder and the sub-connector housing are conveyed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the division | segmentation connector which can test | inspect simply and reliably that a holder and each subconnector are fitted appropriately can be provided.

The perspective view which showed the state before attaching the subconnector in embodiment to a holder Side sectional view showing a state in which all the sub-connectors are properly fitted in the holder housing Top view showing the state before fitting between the holder and the sub-connector The perspective view which showed the state of the rear surface of a holder Side sectional view showing a state in which the sub-connector is half-fitted to the uppermost housing portion of the holder Side sectional view showing a state in which the detection hole of the holder and the through-cutout of the sub connector are continuous Side sectional view showing a state where the detection pin is passed through the holder and the sub-connector Side sectional view showing a state where the detection hole of the holder and the through-cutout of the sub connector are discontinuous

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a lever-type female connector will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the female connector of this embodiment includes a holder 20 and a plurality of sub-connectors 30 that are coupled to each other. In the following description, “front” and “rear” refer to the front side and the rear side in the operation direction for fitting to the mating connector, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the holder 20 has a substantially square rectangular tube shape as a whole, and both front and rear surfaces are open. The inner side of the holder 20 is formed such that a plurality of sub-connector accommodating portions 22 are stacked in a vertical direction so as to be partitioned by a partition wall 21 extending in the lateral direction, and the sub-connector 30 can be inserted from the rear toward the front. As shown in FIG. 4, guide grooves 25 extending in the front-rear direction are formed on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls 20 </ b> A of the holder 20, and the guide grooves 25 are open on the rear surface of the holder 20. .

  On the other hand, the sub-connector 30 has a flat box shape as shown in FIG. 1, and guide ribs 33 that can be fitted into the guide grooves 25 are slightly retracted from the front surface of the sub-connector 30 on both left and right outer surfaces. To the rear end surface so as to extend linearly in the front-rear direction. When the sub connector 30 is inserted into the connector housing portion 22 of the holder 20, the guide rib 33 is fitted into the guide groove 25 and slides, whereby the sub connector 30 is guided to a predetermined position in the connector housing portion 22. As shown in FIG. 6, the guide groove 25 is formed with the rear end surface of the holder 20 as a starting point and the position slightly retracted from the front surface of the holder 20 as an end point. In the state accommodated in the position (regular position), the front end of the guide rib 33 abuts on the end point of the guide groove 25 and further advancement is prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the holder 20 is integrally formed with a housing fixing lance 22A for each connector housing portion 22, and a locking step portion 31A formed on the upper surface of the sub-connector 30 is locked to the lance 22A. Thus, the inserted sub-connector 30 is prevented from being pulled out until the normal position is reached. In FIG. 5, the housing fixing lance 22 </ b> A is drawn only in the uppermost and lowermost connector housing portions 22 because of the position of the cut surface. A fixed lance is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 1, cavities 32 that accommodate female terminal fittings 40 are arranged in two rows in the vertical direction inside the sub-connector housing 31. As shown in FIG. 2, each cavity 32 is formed so as to penetrate the sub connector housing 31 in the front-rear direction, and a lance 31B for preventing the terminal fitting 40 inserted in the regular position from being formed inside is formed. The retainer 24 is inserted from the bottom wall to be double-locked.

  Now, on one side of the side wall surface 20 </ b> A of the holder 20, as shown in FIG. 3, a straight straight detection cutout 26 is formed penetrating in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 8, the detection notch 26 is formed in the wall surface hole 26 </ b> A that vertically penetrates the upper and lower wall portions of the holder 20 and the partition wall 21, and the detection formed in each side wall 20 </ b> A of the holder 20 for each connector housing portion 22. It is comprised from the groove | channel 26B. The wall surface hole 26A has a round cross section, each detection groove 26B is formed across the guide groove 25, and the groove bottom has an arcuate cross section. These are all connected in a straight line.

  On the other hand, on one side of the side wall 30A of the sub-connector housing 31, as shown in FIG. 1, a single through notch 34 that extends linearly in the vertical direction is formed. This is a position that is continuous with the detection notch 26 formed in the holder 20 when the sub-connector 30 is inserted to the normal position.

  The through-cut 34 is configured by linearly connecting an auxiliary groove 35 in which the cross-sectional shape of the groove bottom surface is an arc and a rib hole 36 penetrating the guide rib 33 in a direction orthogonal to the auxiliary groove 35. The rib hole 36 is a round hole having the same inner diameter as the wall surface hole 26 </ b> A formed in the holder 20.

  Therefore, the auxiliary groove 35 faces the detection groove 26B of the sub-connector 30 and forms a round hole having the same inner diameter as the wall surface hole 26A when the sub-connector 30 is inserted into the connector housing portion 22 to the normal position. As shown in FIG. 6, the round hole is sandwiched between the wall surface hole 26 </ b> A and the rib hole 36, extends in the vertical direction, and continues in a straight line.

  The divided connector of the present embodiment is configured as described above, and the assembly procedure will be described next.

The terminal fitting 40 crimped to the electric wire is inserted into each cavity 32 of the sub connector housing 31.
If the terminal fitting 40 is inserted to the normal position, the terminal fitting 40 is locked to the lance 31B. If all the terminal fittings 40 are inserted and double-retained by the retainer 24, the sub-connector 30 is configured, and the necessary number is prepared.

  Next, the sub-connector 30 is inserted into the sub-connector accommodating portion 22 formed in the holder according to the guide of the guide rib 33 and the guide groove 25.

  When the sub-connector 30 is inserted to the proper position, the sub-connector 30 is engaged with the housing fixing lance 22A and the sub-connector 30 is connected to the sub-connector of the holder 20 as shown in FIG. It is assembled to the accommodating part 22. The female connector is completed by assembling all the sub-connectors 30 to the holder 20.

  When all the sub-connectors 30 are inserted into the sub-connector accommodating portion 20 of the holder 20 to the normal position, as shown in FIG. 6, the detection notches 26 are connected to the through-cuts 34 formed in the sub-connectors 30, and are linear. A single passage is formed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along line AA of FIG. 3 in the holder 20 in which all the sub-connectors 30 are fitted to the holder 20 to the normal position.

  Therefore, the detection pin 50 prepared in advance is inserted from the detection notch 26 formed in the ceiling wall of the holder 20 as shown in FIG. A detection pin 50 of a length that penetrates from the ceiling wall to the bottom wall of the holder 20 with the thickness that the inner diameter dimension and the outer dimension dimension of the detection notch 26 that can be inserted through all of the detection notches 26 and the through notches 34 are substantially the same. The detection notches 26 and all the through notches 34 pass through a straight line and reach the detection notches 26 on the bottom wall of the holder 20. When the detection pin 50 passes through all the notches, it can be determined that the sub-connector 30 is in the normal position.

  However, in the state where any of the sub-connectors is in the non-regular position of the sub-connector accommodating portion 22 of the holder 20, the detection notch 26 and the through-cut notch 34 are discontinuous as shown in FIG. 50 contacts the upper wall surface 37 of the sub-connector 30 at the non-regular position, and the detection pin 50 cannot be passed through the holder 20, so that it can be determined that any of the sub-connectors 30 is at the non-normal position. Which sub-connector 30 is in the non-regular position can be estimated from the insertion depth of the detection pin 50.

  In addition, by marking the detection pin 50 in advance based on the thickness of the sub-connector, the depth at which the detection pin 50 can be inserted can be more quickly confirmed, and what number of sub-connectors are irregular You can easily determine if it is in position.

<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, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the four sub-connectors are applied to the connector configured to be mounted in the sub-connector accommodating portion of the holder. However, the present invention can be widely applied to a split connector that can accommodate a plurality of sub-connectors.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a female-side split connector is configured has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a male-side split connector.

  (3) In the above embodiment, both the detection notch and the through notch are configured by a combination of a groove and a hole. However, the present invention is not limited to such a mode, and all the notches are configured by a groove. Alternatively, all the cutouts may be formed of holes.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the sub-connectors are stacked in the vertical direction, and the detection cutout is formed in the vertical direction, which is the same direction as the stacked direction. However, the present invention is not limited to such a mode. In the present invention, for example, the sub-connectors may be arranged in the horizontal direction, and the detection cutout and the through cutout may be formed to extend in the horizontal direction.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the through cutout is provided outside the side wall of the sub-connector housing. However, the present invention is not limited to such a mode. In the present invention, it is also possible to form the through-cut through, for example, the ceiling wall and the bottom wall of the sub-connector housing. In this case, it is desirable to form the through notch at a location where it does not interfere with the terminal fitting in the cavity, but even when forming at a position where it interferes with the terminal fitting, the sub-connector housing was assembled to the holder for inspection. Then, the terminal fitting may be inserted into the sub connector housing.

  (6) In the above embodiment, the detection tool has a circular cylindrical detection pin configuration, but the present invention is not limited to such a mode. The detector used in the present invention may be formed in a plate shape or a triangular prism shape, for example.

  (7) In the above embodiment, the detection notch and the tangible object detection tool that penetrates the penetration notch are used for detection. However, the present invention is not limited to such a mode. In order to inspect the split connector of the present invention, light may be emitted from one side of the detection cutout of the holder, and a light receiving device may be installed on the other side to measure the amount of light and detect the passage formation state.

20 ... Holder 21 ... Bulkhead 26 ... Detection notch 22 ... Sub connector housing 30 ... Sub connector 31 ... Sub connector housing 32 ... Cavity 34 ... Through notch 35. ..Auxiliary groove 36 ... Rib hole 40 ... Terminal fitting

Claims (4)

A sub-connector comprising a sub-connector in which a terminal fitting is attached to a cavity in a sub-connector housing, and a holder having a receiving portion into which a plurality of the sub-connectors are inserted,
The detection notches extending in a direction intersecting with the insertion direction of the sub-connector into the housing portion are formed in the holder, and each sub-connector housing has the sub-connector up to a normal position of the housing portion of the holder. A split connector formed with a through-cutout that is continuous with the detection cutout of the holder when inserted, and is discontinuous with respect to the detection cutout when the sub-connector is in an irregular position of the housing portion.   The split connector according to claim 1, wherein the through notch is formed in an outer wall of the sub-connector housing.   The sub-connector housing has a guide rib formed on an outer wall of the sub-connector housing along the insertion direction with respect to the holder receiving portion, and the through notch is formed in the auxiliary groove extending in the direction intersecting the insertion direction on the outer wall and the guide rib. The split connector according to claim 2, comprising a rib hole formed and connected to the auxiliary groove.   The split connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the detection notch or the through notch is formed by a hole.

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