JP2011065932A - Female connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a female connector capable of preventing rattling of a female connecting terminal without increasing insertion resistance of the counterpart connecting terminal and of maintaining reliability of electrical connection of mutual connecting terminals even when it is affected by vibration. <P>SOLUTION: Since the front end part of a terminal housing chamber 21 of a female housing 13 is equipped with a front holder 15 which moves to a terminal regulation position on the terminal housing chamber 21 side pressurized by the counterpart connector when the counterpart connector is completely fitted, and at the front holder 15, inclined faces 156, 157 to pressurize the front end ridge line parts 116, 117 of the female connecting terminal 11 are installed when moving to the terminal regulation position, the rattling of the female connecting terminal 11 can be prevented without increasing insertion resistance of the counterpart connecting terminal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a female connector for retaining a female connection terminal housed in a terminal housing chamber of a female housing with a lance formed integrally with the female housing so as to face the terminal housing chamber.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a female connector, a female connection terminal accommodated in a terminal housing chamber of a female housing is configured to be prevented from being detached by a lance formed integrally with the female housing so as to face the terminal housing chamber. There are various developments.

  Such a female connector obtains a fitting connection state between the male connection terminal in the mating connector and the female connection terminal by fitting the front end side to the mating connector.

By the way, in a normal female connector, the terminal housing chamber of the female housing has a sectional shape obtained by adding a slight clearance to the external dimensions of the female connection terminal so that the female connection terminal can be easily inserted. Designed.
Also, the engagement by the lance does not normally completely restrict the movement of the female connection terminal in the insertion / removal direction, and allows a slight displacement in the connection / removal direction of the connection terminal due to the swinging orbit of the lance. .

In other words, the female connection terminal locked in the terminal accommodating chamber by the lance has a slight clearance that causes backlash in each of the terminal insertion direction, the width direction, and the vertical direction.
Even when the clearance is left in the mating connector, when the above-mentioned clearances remain, when the connector is vibrated, the male and female connection terminals that are mated and connected are loose due to the vibration. The rattling of the male and female connection terminals may cause fine sliding between the contacts of the male and female connection terminals, leading to accelerated wear of the contacts and possibly leading to poor electrical connection.

  Therefore, as shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 below, female connectors that are designed so as to eliminate rattling of connection terminals in the housing have been proposed.

  The female connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a front holder at the front end of the terminal accommodating chamber of the female housing. The front holder is equipped with a narrow rib that comes into contact with the front end of the female connection terminal in the terminal accommodating chamber in an elastically deformed state to prevent rattling by pressing with the rib.

  In the female connector disclosed in Patent Document 2, a sub-connector that accommodates female connection terminals is attached to a female housing via a frame. The sub-connector includes a terminal accommodating chamber into which the female connection terminal is inserted, and a lance provided so as to face the terminal accommodating chamber and preventing the connecting terminal inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber. The frame is a box-shaped frame on which the sub-connector is mounted. This frame has an inclined surface that abuts against the front end ridge line portion of the female connection terminal in the sub connector at a position facing the front end of the terminal housing chamber of the sub connector. Therefore, when the sub-connector containing the female connection terminal is attached to the frame, the inclined surface of the frame comes into contact with the front end ridge line portion of the female connection terminal to prevent rattling. A frame accommodating the female connection terminal in a state in which the rattling is prevented is mounted and fixed to the female housing.

JP 2006-196348 A JP 2009-048890 A

However, in the case of the female connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the female connection terminal just before contacting the rib is inclined for clearance in the terminal accommodating chamber, it is fixed in an inclined state by contact with the rib. As a result, there arises a problem that the posture of the female connector cannot be corrected.
Further, the thin ribs are likely to remain deformed, and if the female connection terminals are repeatedly inserted and removed, there is a possibility that the female connection terminals cannot be sufficiently rattled.

In the case of the female connector described in Patent Document 2, the inclined surface that contacts the female connection terminal is symmetrically disposed so as to sandwich the front end portion of the female connection terminal, so that the female connector is placed on the axis of symmetry. An action of inducing the connection terminal occurs, and the inclination of the female connection terminal with respect to the symmetry axis between the inclined surfaces can be corrected.
However, in the female connector of Patent Document 2, since the female connection terminal is already fixed before the female connector is fitted and connected to the mating connector, the insertion direction of the male connection terminal of the mating connector is There is no flexibility to follow the female connection terminal. As a result, there is a possibility that the insertion resistance of the mating connection terminal is increased and the fitting operability between the connectors is lowered.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and can prevent rattling of the female connection terminal without increasing the insertion resistance of the mating connection terminal, and can be connected even when vibration acts. An object of the present invention is to provide a female connector capable of maintaining the reliability of electrical connection between terminals.

The above-described object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration.
(1) A female connection terminal and a female connection terminal between the male connection terminal in the mating connector and the female connection terminal by accommodating the female connection terminal from the rear end side and fitting the front end side to the mating connector. A female housing that obtains a mating connection state,
The female housing is provided with a terminal accommodating portion having a terminal accommodating chamber into which the female connecting terminal can be inserted from the rear end side, and facing the terminal accommodating chamber, and inserting the female connecting terminal A lance that elastically deforms to allow insertion sometimes and returns when the insertion is completed to restrict the female connection terminal from being pulled out in the direction opposite to the insertion direction,
The terminal on the terminal housing chamber side is attached to the front end portion of the terminal housing portion of the female housing so as to be movable along the penetrating direction of the terminal housing chamber, and is pressed by the mating connector when the mating connector is completely fitted. A front holder that moves to a restricted position;
It is formed in the front holder so as to face the front end ridge line portion of the female connection terminal of the terminal accommodating chamber, and when the front holder moves to the terminal restriction position, the front end ridge line portion is pressed, An inclined surface that urges the front end ridge line portion in a pulling-out direction opposite to the terminal insertion direction and in a direction perpendicular to the pulling-out direction;
A female connector characterized by comprising:

  (2) The connector according to (1), wherein the inclined surface of the front holder is disposed so as to sandwich the ridge lines on both sides of the front end of the female connection terminal.

  (3) In the above (1) or (2), the inclined surface of the front holder is disposed so as to face the upper and lower ridges of the front end of the female connection terminal. Connector.

According to the configuration of (1) above, the rattling of the female connection terminal housed in the terminal housing chamber of the female housing is performed when the female connector and the mating connector are completely fitted. .
Therefore, during the fitting connection operation with the mating connector, the flexibility of allowing the female connection terminal to follow the insertion direction of the male connection terminal of the mating connector is ensured. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an increase in insertion resistance due to misalignment of the axial centers of the male connection terminal and the female connection terminal.
Therefore, rattling of the female connection terminal can be prevented without increasing the insertion resistance of the counterpart connection terminal, and the reliability of the electrical connection between the connection terminals can be maintained even when vibration is applied. it can.

  Also, the backlash is by pressing the front end ridge line portion of the female connection terminal with an inclined surface provided on the front holder, and compared with the case where the front end of the female connection terminal is pressed with a narrow rib. Deformation hardly remains in the portion, and even if the female connection terminal is repeatedly inserted and removed, the backlash prevention performance does not deteriorate.

In addition, the inclined surface that is in contact with the front end ridge line portion of the female connection terminal for backlash is a removal direction that is opposite to the terminal insertion direction with respect to the front end ridge line portion, and a direction perpendicular to the removal direction. The urging force is applied to the two directions.
Therefore, by arranging the inclined surfaces symmetrically so as to sandwich the front end portion of the female connection terminal, an action of inducing the female connection terminal on the symmetry axis occurs, and the female with respect to the symmetry axis between the inclined surfaces is generated. The inclination of the mold connection terminal can also be corrected.

  According to the configuration of (2) above, the female connection terminal is urged toward the lance side while the female connection terminal is prevented from rattling in the width direction by the opposed inclined surfaces, and the female connection terminal It is possible to prevent rattling in the insertion / extraction direction. Further, the inclination of the female connection terminal in the width direction can be corrected.

According to the configuration of the above (3), the female connection terminal is urged toward the lance side while the female connection terminal is prevented from rattling in the vertical direction by the inclined surfaces arranged opposite to each other. It is possible to prevent rattling in the insertion / extraction direction. In addition, the vertical inclination of the female connection terminal can be corrected.
In addition to the inclined surfaces that face each other so as to sandwich the upper and lower ridges at the front end of the female connection terminal, there are also inclined surfaces that are placed so as to sandwich the ridge lines on both sides of the front end of the female connection terminal. In this case, the play in the width direction of the female connection terminal is further prevented, and all play in the insertion / removal direction, width direction, and vertical direction of the female connection terminal can be prevented.

  According to the connector of the present invention, the female connection terminal is loosened when the female connector and the mating connector are completely fitted, and therefore, during the mating connection operation with the mating connector, the male of the mating connector. The flexibility to follow the female connection terminal with respect to the insertion direction of the mold connection terminal is ensured. Therefore, rattling of the female connection terminal can be prevented without increasing the insertion resistance of the other connection terminal, and the reliability of the electrical connection between the connection terminals can be maintained even when vibration is applied. it can.

  In addition, since the rattling is performed on the inclined surface provided in the front holder, the pressing portion is hardly deformed and the rattling performance is not deteriorated even if the female connection terminal is repeatedly inserted and removed.

  Moreover, the inclination of the female connection terminal with respect to the symmetry axis between the inclined surfaces can be corrected by arranging the inclined surface for backlash symmetrically so as to sandwich the front end portion of the female connection terminal. .

It is a disassembled perspective view of one Embodiment of the female connector which concerns on this invention. FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a state in which the mating male connector is completely fitted to the female connector shown in FIG. 1 and the female connection terminal is rattled by the inclined surface of the front holder. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is a horizontal sectional view before a female connection terminal is inserted into a female housing in which a front holder is mounted at a temporary locking position. It is BB sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a state in which a female connection terminal inserted into the female housing shown in FIG. 5 is locked by a lance. It is an enlarged view of the front holder shown in FIG. It is an enlarged view of the C section of FIG. (A) is a front view of the front holder shown in FIG. 7, (b) is a DD sectional view of (a), and (c) is an enlarged view of an E portion of (b). It is a top view of the state which moved the front holder to the final locking position after mounting | wearing with a female connection terminal. It is FF sectional drawing of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the G section of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the H section of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the I section of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the J section of FIG.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a female connector according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a female connector according to the present invention.
The female connector 1 of this embodiment is fitted and connected to a male connector 3 that is a mating connector.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the male connector 3 is provided with a tongue-shaped male connection terminal 5 fixed inside a cylindrical portion 4 that fits with the female connector 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the female connector 1 includes a female connection terminal 11, a female housing 13, a packing 14 and a front holder 15 that are fitted and fitted to the female housing 13, and a lever for fitting operation. 17.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the female connection terminal 11 includes a rectangular tube-shaped terminal fitting portion 111 into which the male connection terminal 5 is fitted, and a wire crimping portion 112 that is connected to the rear end of the female connection terminal 11. It is integrally formed.
A rubber plug 19 is fitted and attached to the wire crimping portion 112 to which the wire 18 is crimped. The rubber plug 19 seals an opening of a terminal accommodating chamber described later.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the female housing 13 includes a terminal accommodating portion 23 having a terminal accommodating chamber 21 and an outer tubular portion 25 that covers the tubular portion 4 of the male connector 3. Yes.
The terminal accommodating chamber 21 of the terminal accommodating portion 23 is provided open to the rear end side of the housing. The female connection terminal 11 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 21 from the rear end side of the housing.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the terminal accommodating portion 23 of this embodiment, three terminal accommodating chambers 21 are arranged in a line.
As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal accommodating portion 23 is provided with a lance 26 facing each terminal accommodating chamber 21. Further, a displacement allowance groove 232 is formed in the front end surface of the terminal accommodating portion 23 so that the back surface of the lance 26 faces.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a front holder 15 described later is supported on the front end surface of the partition wall 234 that partitions between the adjacent terminal accommodating chambers 21 so as to be movable along the penetration direction of the terminal accommodating chamber 21. A guide groove 235 is formed.

The lance 26 includes a cantilever-like elastic piece 261 extending from the rear end side to the front end side of the housing, and a locking protrusion 262 protruding into the terminal accommodating chamber 21 from the front end side of the elastic piece 261. Yes.
The lance 26 is elastically deformed toward the displacement allowance groove 232 so as to allow insertion when the female connection terminal 11 is inserted, and returns when the insertion is completed, and the engagement of the terminal fitting portion 111 as shown in FIG. Engaging with the recess 114 restricts the withdrawal of the female connection terminal 11 in the direction opposite to the insertion direction.

  The displacement allowance groove 232 not only becomes a space that allows elastic displacement of the lance 26 when the connection terminal is inserted, but also restricts elastic displacement of the lance 26 by fitting a lock piece of the front holder 15 described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the packing 14 is fitted and attached to the outer periphery of the terminal accommodating portion 23. The packing 14 includes a sealing cylinder portion 141 fitted into the terminal accommodating portion 23 and a flange 142 formed to protrude from the proximal end of the sealing cylinder portion 141.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the male connector 3 is completely fitted (fitting completion), the sealing cylinder portion 141 of the packing 14 is tightly attached to the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 4 as shown in FIG. 3. Mating. At that time, the tip of the cylindrical portion 4 is in close contact with the flange 142 of the packing 14. In other words, the packing 14 seals the fitting portion between the tubular portion 4 and the terminal accommodating portion 23 by being in close contact with the distal end surface of the tubular portion 4 and the inner periphery of the distal end side.

As shown in FIG. 5, the front holder 15 is fitted and attached to the front end portion of the terminal accommodating portion 23 (that is, the front end portion of the terminal accommodating chamber 21).
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the front holder 15 has an opening 151 serving as an insertion port for the male connection terminal 5 at the front end. The opening 151 is provided for each terminal accommodating chamber 21 of the terminal accommodating portion 23. Each opening 151 communicates with the front end of each terminal accommodating chamber 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 to 9, the front holder 15 slides on a holder cylinder 152 that is slidably fitted to the outer periphery on the front end side of the terminal accommodating portion 23 and a guide groove 235 of the terminal accommodating portion 23. Guide ribs 153 that can be fitted, and lock pieces 154 (see FIG. 5) that can be fitted into the displacement allowance grooves 232 of the terminal accommodating portion 23 are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the front holder 15 is configured such that the holder tube 152 is fitted to the outer periphery of the front end portion of the terminal accommodating portion 23, and the guide rib 153 is fitted to the guide groove 235, thereby It is mounted on the front end portion of the terminal accommodating portion 23 so as to be movable along the through direction. At this time, as shown in FIG.

  The front holder 15 can switch the attachment position to the terminal accommodating portion 23 to the three positions of the temporary engagement position, the main engagement position, and the terminal restriction position along the penetration direction of the terminal accommodation chamber 21.

  The temporary locking position of the front holder 15 is the position shown in FIG. 5, and the position where the tip of the lock piece 154 does not overlap the back surface of the lance 26. At this time, the lance 26 can be freely elastically displaced toward the displacement allowing groove 232 side, and the female connection terminal 11 can be inserted into and mounted in the terminal accommodating chamber 21.

  The main locking position of the front holder 15 is the position shown in FIG. 11 and is fitted in the displacement allowance groove 232 until the tip of the lock piece 154 overlaps the back surface of the lance 26. At this time, the elastic displacement of the lance 26 toward the displacement allowance groove 232 is restricted by the lock piece 154, and the shape state of the lance 26 and the female connection terminal 11 is in the locked state.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the front end side of the female connector 1 is fitted to the male connector 3 with the front holder 15 pushed into the final locking position, as shown in FIGS. In addition, a fitting connection state between the male connection terminal 5 and the female connection terminal 11 in the male connector 3 is obtained.

  The terminal restricting position of the front holder 15 is the position shown in FIG. When the male connector 3 is completely fitted into the female connector 1, the front holder 15 presses the front end surface of the front holder 15, so that the terminal holder 23 is further moved over the terminal accommodating chamber 21. It moves to the rear end side and is positioned at the terminal restriction position.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the front holder 15 of the present embodiment is a first for restricting the position of the female connection terminal 11 on the inner surface side of the lower edge of each opening 151 corresponding to each terminal accommodating chamber 21. A first inclined surface 156 and a second inclined surface 157 are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the first inclined surface 156 is provided to face the ridge line portion 116 on one side (left side in FIG. 12) of the front end of the female connection terminal 11. The first inclined surface 157 is provided to face the ridge line portion 117 on the other side (right side in FIG. 12) of the front end of the female connection terminal 11.

  The first inclined surface 156 and the second inclined surface 157 are inclined surfaces that narrow the opening width between the inclined surfaces toward the opening 151 at the front end of the front holder 15. The inclined surfaces 156 and 157 are arranged to face each other so as to sandwich the ridge line portions 116 and 117 on both sides of the female connection terminal 11.

  The inclined surfaces 156 and 157 are separated from the ridge portions 116 and 117 as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 when the front holder 15 is positioned at the final locking position.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the inclined surfaces 156 and 157 press the front edge line portions 116 and 117 when the front holder 15 is moved to the terminal restriction position by the complete fitting of the male connector 3. Then, the front edge portions 116 and 117 are attached to a removal direction (arrow X1 and X2 direction in FIG. 15) opposite to the terminal insertion direction and a direction orthogonal to the removal direction (Y1 and Y2 direction in FIG. 15). To force.

  By urging by the inclined surfaces 156 and 157, the female connection terminal 11 is sandwiched between the locking projection 262 of the lance 26 and the inclined surfaces 156 and 157, and the front-rear direction due to the clearance in the terminal accommodating chamber 21. Is prevented, and the female connection terminal 11 is prevented from rattling in the width direction.

  In the female connector 1 according to the embodiment described above, the rattling of the female connection terminal 11 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 21 of the female housing 13 This is done when fully mated with.

Therefore, during the fitting connection operation with the mating connector, the flexibility of allowing the female connection terminal 11 to follow the insertion direction of the male connection terminal of the mating connector is ensured. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an increase in insertion resistance due to misalignment of the axial centers of the male connection terminal and the female connection terminal 11.
Therefore, rattling of the female connection terminal 11 can be prevented without increasing the insertion resistance of the mating connection terminal, and the reliability of electrical connection between the connection terminals can be maintained even when vibration is applied. Can do.

  Further, the backlash is caused by pressing the front end ridge line portions 116 and 117 of the female connection terminal 11 with the inclined surfaces 156 and 157 provided on the front holder 15, and the front end of the female connection terminal is formed with a narrow rib. Compared with the case of pressing, deformation hardly remains in the pressing portion, and even when the female connection terminal 11 is repeatedly inserted and removed, the backlash prevention performance does not deteriorate.

In addition, the inclined surfaces 156 and 157 that are in contact with the front end ridge line portions 116 and 117 of the female connection terminal 11 for backlash are removed from the front end ridge line portions 116 and 117 in a direction opposite to the terminal insertion direction. The urging force is applied in two directions, that is, the direction and the direction perpendicular to the removal direction.
Therefore, by arranging the inclined surfaces 156 and 157 symmetrically so as to sandwich the front end portion of the female connection terminal 11, an action of guiding the female connection terminal 11 on the axis of symmetry occurs, and the inclined surface 156 157, the inclination of the female connection terminal 11 with respect to the symmetry axis can be corrected.

In the case of the female connector 1 of the present embodiment, the front holder 15 has two inclined surfaces 156 and 157 for each terminal accommodating chamber 21, and the ridge line portions 116 on both sides of the front end of the female connection terminal 11. Oppositely arranged so as to sandwich 117.
Therefore, the inclined surfaces 156 and 157 arranged opposite to each other prevent the female connection terminal 11 from rattling in the width direction, and at the same time, the female connection terminal 11 is urged toward the lance 26 and the female connection terminal 11 The play in the insertion / extraction direction can be prevented, and the inclination of the female connection terminal 11 in the width direction can be corrected.

In the above-described embodiment, the pair of inclined surfaces for preventing rattling is disposed so as to face the front end of the female connection terminal 11 from both sides.
However, a pair of inclined surfaces for preventing rattling may be arranged to face each other so as to sandwich the upper and lower ridge lines of the front end of the female connection terminal 11.

  In this way, the upper and lower inclined surfaces arranged oppositely prevent the female connection terminal from rattling up and down, and at the same time, the female connection terminal is biased toward the lance side, so that the female connection terminal is inserted and removed. Can be prevented. In addition, the vertical inclination of the female connection terminal 11 can be corrected.

  Further, in addition to the inclined surfaces arranged to face the upper and lower ridgelines of the front end of the female connection terminal, the opposite arrangement is arranged to sandwich the ridgelines on both sides of the front end of the female connection terminal as in one embodiment. When the inclined surface is also provided, it is possible to prevent the rattling of the female connection terminals 11 in the insertion / extraction direction, the width direction, and the vertical direction.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified and improved. In addition, the material, shape, dimension, numerical value, form, number, arrangement location, and the like of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

  For example, the inclined surfaces 156 and 157 of the above-described embodiment may be curved surfaces obtained by adding an appropriate curve to the flat surface as well as an inclined surface formed by a simple flat surface.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Female connector 3 Male connector 5 Male connection terminal 11 Female connection terminal 13 Female housing 14 Packing 15 Front holder 21 Terminal accommodating chamber 23 Terminal accommodating part 26 Lance 111 Terminal fitting part 114 Engaging recessed part 116,117 Ridge line Part 151 Opening 152 Holder cylinder 153 Guide rib 154 Lock piece 156, 157 Inclined surface 232 Displacement allowance groove 234 Partition part 235 Guide groove

Claims (3)

Fitting connection between the male connection terminal in the mating connector and the female connection terminal by accommodating the female connection terminal and the female connection terminal from the rear end side and fitting the front end side to the mating connector. A female housing to obtain a state,
The female housing is provided with a terminal accommodating portion having a terminal accommodating chamber into which the female connecting terminal can be inserted from the rear end side, and facing the terminal accommodating chamber, and inserting the female connecting terminal A lance that elastically deforms to allow insertion sometimes and returns when the insertion is completed to restrict the female connection terminal from being pulled out in the direction opposite to the insertion direction,
The terminal on the terminal housing chamber side is attached to the front end portion of the terminal housing portion of the female housing so as to be movable along the penetrating direction of the terminal housing chamber, and is pressed by the mating connector when the mating connector is completely fitted. A front holder that moves to a restricted position;
It is formed in the front holder so as to face the front end ridge line portion of the female connection terminal of the terminal accommodating chamber, and when the front holder moves to the terminal restriction position, the front end ridge line portion is pressed, An inclined surface that urges the front end ridge line portion in a pulling-out direction opposite to the terminal insertion direction and in a direction perpendicular to the pulling-out direction;
A female connector characterized by comprising:   2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface of the front holder is disposed so as to sandwich the ridge lines on both sides of the front end of the female connection terminal.   3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface of the front holder is disposed so as to face the upper and lower ridges of the front end of the female connection terminal.

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