JP2011129276A - Fixing structure of connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent addition of external force on a solder connection section with an external electronic component by movement of a female terminal at insertion of a male connector into a female connector. <P>SOLUTION: A housing 3 for housing the plurality of female terminals 1 is inserted into an opening 12 arranged in a case for housing an electronic equipment, and is fixed with a rear holder 7 screwed with a plurality of screws. A terminal pressing member 41 for pressing the female terminal 1 by coming in contact with the female terminal 1 and a through-hole 27 wherein a conductor section 11 connected with a rear end of the female terminal 1 is penetrated is formed on the rear holder 7. When a plurality of screw holes 31, 32 are deviatingly formed to a range where the through-hole 27 is formed, the force for the terminal pressing member 41 to press the female terminal 1 varies; therefore, the region 49 where the screw holes 31, 32 are deviatingly formed is reduced in thickness to suppress the variation of the force for the terminal pressing member 41 to press the female terminal 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector fixing structure, and more particularly to a connector fixing structure for inserting and fixing a female connector having a plurality of female terminals into an opening of a case in which an electronic device is accommodated.

  Conventionally, electronic devices mounted on automobiles and the like are generally protected by being housed in a case. Generally, an electronic device in a case and an external electronic component are electrically connected via a connector. For example, a configuration is adopted in which a female connector is attached to an opening provided in a case, and a male connector connected to an internal electronic device is inserted into the female connector. The conductor portion drawn out from the female connector inserted and fixed in the opening of the case is connected to an electronic component or the like provided outside the case by soldering.

  However, when the male terminal connected to the electronic device in the case is inserted into the female terminal, the insertion force of the male terminal is applied to the solder connection portion of the electronic component or the like outside the case via the female terminal, and the electronic component Etc. may be damaged. Therefore, a structure for fixing the female terminal so as not to move by the insertion force of the male terminal is desired.

  In general, in order to fix circuit components so as not to move, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, when a circuit board is accommodated in a case of an AC adapter used in an electronic device, the upper surface in the case It is proposed that the circuit board is sandwiched and fixed by ribs protruding from the lower surface.

JP-A-11-204958

  However, in the prior art described in Patent Document 1 or the like, when a male connector is inserted into a female connector, the female terminal moves due to the insertion force, and an external force is applied to a solder connection portion with an external electronic component or the like. No consideration is given to problems such as damage caused by

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to prevent an external force from being applied to a solder connection portion with an external electronic component or the like due to the insertion force when the male connector is inserted into the female connector. There is.

  First, in a configuration in which a female connector is inserted and fixed in an opening provided in a case in which an electronic device is accommodated, and a male connector connected to the internal electronic device is inserted into the female connector, the case in which the electronic device is accommodated The fixing structure for fixing the female connector was examined.

  Therefore, the inventors of the present invention insert a columnar housing in which terminal housing chambers each housing a plurality of female terminals are arranged, and the housing into an opening formed in a case of an electronic device, and A fixing structure having a rear holder fixed with screws is proposed. Here, the housing has a first opening through which the mating terminal is inserted at the front end of the female terminal and a second opening through which the female terminal can be inserted and the conductor portion connected to the rear end is drawn out. A projecting piece is formed on the outer edge of the end surface portion where the second opening is formed so as to protrude larger than the opening of the case so as to come into contact with the opening edge of the case. The rear holder is provided with a base plate facing the case across the protruding piece of the housing, a plurality of through holes formed in the base plate corresponding to the second opening of the housing, and a female type provided for each through hole. A terminal holding member that abuts the terminal and a plurality of screw holes into which a plurality of screws are inserted are configured.

  By configuring in this way, the base plate of the rear holder is screwed to the case, the protruding piece of the housing is sandwiched between the base plate and the opening edge of the case, and the housing of the female connector is fixed to the opening of the case. The

  By the way, when the female terminal is formed in a straight shape and is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber, the female terminal is inserted from one end of the terminal accommodating chamber and fixed to the terminal accommodating chamber. In this case, a locking step for positioning the insertion tip of the female terminal is formed at the other end of the terminal accommodating chamber on the insertion side of the male terminal connected to the female terminal. On the other hand, a terminal pressing member formed by an elastic member that protrudes from the rear holder and can be inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber is provided. For example, the terminal holding member presses the rear end of the female terminal so that the female terminal is a terminal. Restrict escape from containment.

  On the other hand, when fixing a female connector having a plurality of female terminals to a case in which an electronic device is accommodated by a rear holder, the arrangement of the accommodated electronic device in the case, connection design with an electronic component, etc. The shape of the base plate of the rear holder is restricted due to various factors such as manufacturing, installation location restrictions, workability, etc., and the position and number of screw holes for screwing the base plate to the case may be restricted. . For example, the base plate of the rear holder is screwed to the case at a position biased with respect to the region of the group of through holes formed so that the conductor portions connected to the rear ends of the plurality of female terminals can be inserted. Screw holes may have to be formed. In particular, if the straight line connecting each screw hole is biased to the same side with respect to the center of gravity of the region where the through hole group is formed, the following problem may occur.

  That is, since the protruding piece of the female connector housing is sandwiched between the rear holder and the case, a screw hole is formed due to manufacturing tolerances of the housing and the rear holder even if the recessed portion for storing the protruding piece is formed in the rear holder. In some cases, a gap is formed between the periphery of the rear holder and the case. Further, the rigidity of the base plate in the region where the through hole group is formed is reduced, and the rigidity of the other region, that is, the peripheral edge of the base plate is kept high. For this reason, when a screw hole is provided in the peripheral edge of the base plate and tightened with a screw to fix the rear holder to the case, the screw tightening force transmitted to the terminal pressing member formed in the through hole at a position close to the screw is increased. On the other hand, the screw tightening force transmitted to the terminal pressing member formed in the through hole at a position away from the screw becomes smaller as the rigidity of the base plate decreases. In other words, since the terminal pressing member is pressed against the female terminal by the screw tightening force to obtain the terminal pressing force, the terminal pressing force varies depending on the distance from the through hole position to the screw hole position. Therefore, the female terminal provided at the position where the terminal pressing force is reduced has a problem of moving due to the insertion force of the male terminal. In particular, if the straight line connecting each screw hole is biased to the same side with respect to the center of gravity of the region where the through hole group is formed, the width of the difference in distance from the position of the through hole to the position of the screw hole increases. Therefore, the variation of the terminal pressing force becomes large. For this reason, the female terminal may move toward the rear holder (in the axial direction) due to the insertion force of the male terminal, and this may cause damage due to an external force applied to a solder connection portion with an external electronic component or the like.

  Therefore, the present invention is characterized in that the base plate is thinned in a region where a plurality of screw holes of the base plate are formed in an uneven manner, that is, in a region where no through hole is formed. That is, the female connector fixing structure according to the present invention includes a columnar housing in which terminal housing chambers each housing a plurality of female terminals are disposed, and an opening formed in a case in which the housing accommodates an electronic device. The housing has a rear holder that is fixed by a plurality of screws, and the housing is capable of inserting the first opening into which the mating terminal is inserted at the front end of the female terminal and the female terminal, and is connected to the rear end. A second opening for pulling out the provided conductor portion, and a protruding piece provided so as to protrude from the outer edge of the end surface portion where the second opening is formed to be larger than the opening of the case so as to come into contact with the opening edge of the case The rear holder includes a base plate facing the case across the protruding piece of the housing, a plurality of through holes formed in the base plate corresponding to the second opening of the housing, and each through hole On the female terminal A terminal holding member that can be contacted and a plurality of screw holes into which a plurality of screws are inserted, and the plurality of screw holes of the rear holder are straight lines that connect the screw holes to the center of gravity of the region where the through hole is formed Are arranged on the same side, and the base plate is characterized in that a thinned portion is formed in a region where the straight line connecting the screw holes is arranged on the basis.

  According to this, the screw tightening force can be distributed to the region of the through hole group by reducing the rigidity by reducing the thickness of the base plate in the region where the plurality of screw holes are formed to be biased with respect to the region of the through hole group. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the variation in the terminal pressing force with which the terminal pressing member presses the female terminal. As a result, the terminal pressing force applied to each female terminal can be made uniform, so that external electrons caused by the movement of the female terminal by the insertion force of the male terminal when the male connector is inserted into the female connector can be obtained. Damage to parts and the like can be prevented.

  For example, when the rear holder has two screw holes and a straight line connecting the two screw holes is disposed away from the center of gravity of the through hole group region, the two screw holes of the base plate are formed. The area can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, when a male connector is inserted into a female connector, it is possible to prevent an external force from being applied to a solder connection portion with an external electronic component or the like due to the insertion force moving the female terminal.

It is sectional drawing of the fixing structure of the connector of one Embodiment of this invention. It is an exploded view of the connector of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the rear holder of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the elastic member of the rear holder of FIG. It is a top view of the rear holder which is not reducing the area | region in which the screw hole of the base plate was formed unevenly.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the female connector of the present embodiment includes a columnar housing 3 in which a plurality of female terminals 1 are accommodated, and a case wall of a case in which an electronic device, for example, an automobile transmission is accommodated. 5 has a rear holder 7 fixed by a plurality of screws. The female terminal 1 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape with a rectangular cross section by a metal member, and the male terminal is inserted through the opening at the tip. A chevron-shaped elastic piece 9 that contacts the male terminal is formed in the cylinder. At the rear end of the female terminal 1, for example, a conductor portion 11 connected to a circuit board positioned on the rear surface side of the rear holder 7 with solder or the like is continuously provided.

  The housing 3 is formed of, for example, resin, and each of the female terminals 1 is accommodated therein. For example, the straight terminal accommodating chamber 13 and the male terminal of the counterpart are inserted into the tip of the female terminal 1. A first opening 15, a second opening 17 through which the female terminal 1 can be inserted and the conductor portion 11 connected to the rear end is drawn out; a protruding piece 19 sandwiched between the case wall 5 and the rear holder 7; A protrusion 21 that is locked to the locking member 35 of the rear holder 7 is formed. The terminal accommodating chamber 13 is formed in a straight shape having a rectangular cross section, and has an opening 15 at one end and an opening 17 at the other end. The opening 15 is formed so that a male terminal connected to an electronic device in the case can be inserted from the tip of the female terminal 1 of the terminal accommodating chamber 13. The opening 17 is formed in a rectangular cross section into which the female terminal 1 can be inserted. On the inner surface of the terminal accommodating chamber 13 on the opening 15 side, a locking step portion 16 is formed in which the tip of the female terminal 1 comes into contact with and is positioned. The protruding piece 19 is provided so as to protrude larger than the opening 12 from the outer edge of the end surface portion 18 in which the opening 17 is formed so as to contact the edge of the opening 12 of the case wall 5. The protruding piece 19 is formed flat. In the present embodiment, two projecting pieces 19 are formed symmetrically with the central axis of the housing 3, and a total of three projecting pieces 19 are formed at positions where a line perpendicular to the straight line connecting the two projecting pieces 19 intersects the outer edge of the housing 3. Yes. The protrusion 21 is formed upright from the outer surface of the housing 3 and is engaged with the engagement member 35 of the rear holder 7.

  The rear holder 7 includes a base plate 25 that faces the case wall 5 with the protruding piece 19 of the housing 3 interposed therebetween. The base plate 25 includes a plurality of through holes 27 corresponding to the openings 17 of the housing 3, a terminal holding member 41 provided for each through hole 27, for example, abutting the position of the rear end, and a rear holder. 7 is screwed to the case wall 5, for example, two screw holes 31, 32 into which two screws are respectively inserted, a plurality of recesses 33 into which the protruding pieces 19 of the housing 3 are inserted, and a protrusion of the housing 3 A locking member 35 that locks to the portion 21 and fixes the housing 3 to the rear holder 7 and a protrusion 37 that is inserted into the recess of the case wall 5 and positions the female connector are formed.

  The plurality of through holes 27 protrude from the rear surface side of the rear holder 7 by inserting the conductor portion 11 of the female terminal 1. In each through hole 27, a plurality of terminal pressing members 41 for fixing the female terminal 1 are formed. When the rear holder 7 is screwed, the terminal pressing member 41 comes into contact with the rear end of the female terminal 1 and is elastically deformed so as to press the female terminal 1 toward the locking step portion 16. As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal pressing member 41 is formed in a substantially L shape, and has a leg portion 43 that is cantilevered by the base plate 25, and a rear end of the female terminal 1 that is suspended from the leg portion 43 at a substantially right angle. The arm part 45 which contacts is attached. A plurality of through holes 27 and a terminal pressing member 41 form a through hole group region 30 in the base plate 25.

  The screw holes 31 and 32 are inserted with screws for fixing the rear holder 7 to the case wall 5, and fix the rear holder 7 to the case wall 5 with the inserted screws. The recess 33 is formed corresponding to the protruding piece 19 and is formed shallower than the thickness of the protruding piece 19. The protrusion 37 is adapted to be positioned in the rear holder 7 by fitting into a recess provided in the case wall 5.

  Next, the characteristic configuration of the connector of this embodiment will be described. The screw holes 31 and 32 of the rear holder 7 are screw holes with respect to the center of gravity 47 of the through hole group region 30, that is, the axial center of the through hole group region 30 in the direction in which the terminal pressing member 41 presses the female terminal 1. The straight lines connecting 31 and 32 are spaced apart. Further, a thinned portion 51 in which the base plate 25 is thinned is provided at a part of the outer edge of the region 49 where the screw holes 31 and 32 are formed. The thinned portion 51 is formed at the edge of the base plate 25 on the opposite side of the center of gravity 47 with respect to the straight line connecting the screw holes, and opposed to the approximate center of the straight line connecting the screw holes 31 and 32. .

  A structure for fixing the female connector configured as described above to the case wall 5 of the case in which the electronic apparatus is accommodated will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the rear holder 7 is positioned on the opening 17 side of the housing 3, and the conductor portion 11 is inserted into each through hole 27 of the rear holder 7 so as to protrude from the rear surface side of the rear holder 7. At this time, the locking member 35 of the rear holder 7 is locked to the protrusion 21 of the housing 3 to fix the housing 3 and the rear holder 7. The housing 3 fixed to the rear holder 7 is inserted into the opening 12 of the case wall 5 of the case in which the electronic device is accommodated, and each protruding piece 19 is brought into contact with the edge of the opening 12. In this state, screws are inserted into the screw holes 31 and 32 of the rear holder 7 and screwed into the screw holes formed in the case wall 5 to fix the rear holder 7 to the case wall 5. As a result, the protruding pieces 19 are pressed by the concave portions 33 of the rear holder 7, and the housing 3 is fixed to the opening 12 of the case wall 5. At this time, the arm portion 45 of the terminal pressing member 41 of the base plate 25 is screwed in a state where the arm portion 45 is in contact with the rear end of the female terminal 1. Thereby, the terminal pressing member 41 is elastically deformed, and the female terminal 1 is pressed into the terminal accommodating chamber 13 by the elastic force from the terminal pressing member 41. In consideration of manufacturing tolerances of the protrusions 19 and the recesses 33, the protrusions 19 are formed thicker than the depths of the recesses 33, so that a gap is formed between the case wall 5 and the rear holder 7. ing.

  Next, the characteristic operation of this embodiment will be described. Since the plurality of through holes 27 are formed in the region 30 of the through hole group, the rigidity is lower than that of the region 49 in which the screw holes 31 and 32 are formed. Therefore, when the screw holes 31 and 32 are formed by separating the straight line connecting the screw holes 31 and 32 from the center of gravity 47 of the region 30 of the through hole group, the through hole group is formed according to the distance from the screw holes 31 and 32. The screw tightening force transmitted to the region 30 varies. That is, the screw tightening force transmitted to the terminal pressing member 41 formed in the through hole 27 located at the boundary of the region 30 of the through hole group and facing the screw hole 31 or the screw hole 32 is increased, and the screw hole 31 or As the distance from the screw hole 32 increases, the transmission of the screw tightening force decreases. Thus, when the screw tightening force transmitted to the terminal pressing member 41 varies depending on the position, the force for pressing the female terminal 1 applied to the terminal pressing member 41 varies, and the female terminal 1 is moved by the insertion force of the male terminal. There is a possibility of moving to the rear holder 7 side, and this may cause damage by applying an external force to the solder connection portion with an external electronic component or the like.

  Therefore, the thinned portion 51 is formed by reducing the thickness of the region 49 where the screw holes 31 and 32 of the base plate 25 are formed. As a result, the rigidity of the region 49 in which the screw holes 31 and 32 are formed decreases, so that the screw tightening force transmitted from the region 49 to the region 30 of the through hole group can be dispersed during screwing. As a result, the screw tightening force transmitted to the region 30 of the through hole group can be made uniform, and variations in the terminal pressing force can be reduced, so that the female terminal 1 can be prevented from moving toward the rear holder 7 due to the insertion force of the male terminal. .

  On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 5, if the region 63 where the screw holes 61, 62 of the rear holder 60 are formed unevenly is not thinned, it is located at the boundary of the region 65 of the through hole group when screwed, In addition, the screw tightening force transmitted to the terminal pressing member formed in the through hole at the position facing the screw hole 31 or the screw hole 32 increases, and the transmission of the screw tightening force decreases as the screw hole 31 or the screw hole 32 moves away. That is, the screw tightening force transmitted to the regions 67 and 69 close to the screw holes 61 and 62 indicated by oblique lines in FIG. 5 is increased, and the screw tightening force transmitted to the region 65 of the other through hole group is decreased. As a result, the terminal holding member at a position away from the screw holes 61 and 62 has insufficient force to hold the female terminal, and the female terminal is moved by the insertion force of the male terminal, so that it can be connected to the electronic component by soldering. External force may be applied to the part and it may be damaged.

  As described above, according to the fixing structure of the female connector of the present embodiment, when the male terminal is inserted into the female terminal 1, the female terminal 1 is moved and soldered to an external electronic component or the like. It is possible to prevent external force from being applied to the part. In particular, even if the straight line connecting the screw holes 31 and 32 is away from the center of gravity 47 of the region 30 of the through hole group, it is possible to suppress variations in the force with which each terminal pressing member 41 presses each female terminal 1. Restrictions such as the positions of 31 and 32 are relaxed, and a fixing structure for a female connector can be easily manufactured.

  In the present embodiment, two screw holes are formed in the rear holder 7, but the position and number of the screw holes are not limited to this. When the number of screw holes exceeds two and a plurality of straight lines connecting the screw holes with respect to the center of gravity of the through hole group are arranged on the same side, the base The thinned portion of the plate can be formed in a region where a plurality of straight lines connecting the respective screw holes are arranged in an eccentric manner.

  In addition, the shape of the base plate 25 is not limited to the present embodiment, and for example, a square, a circle, or the like can be appropriately designed according to the arrangement of the electronic device to be accommodated in the case.

  Although the protrusion 21 of the housing 3 and the locking member 35 of the rear holder 7 can be omitted, the housing 3 and the rear holder 7 are fixed by the protrusion 21 and the locking member 35 and then inserted and fixed to the case wall 5. This facilitates the insertion and fixing work.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Female terminal 3 Housing 5 Case wall 7 Rear holder 11 Conductor part 12 Opening 13 Terminal accommodating chamber 15 Opening 17 Opening 19 Projection piece 25 Base plate 27 Through-hole 30 Area of through-hole group 31 Screw hole 32 Screw hole 41 Terminal pressing member 51 Thinning part

Claims (2)

A columnar housing in which terminal accommodating chambers each accommodating a plurality of female terminals are arranged; and a rear holder for inserting the housing into an opening formed in a case accommodating an electronic device and fixing with a plurality of screws. Have
The housing includes a first opening into which a mating terminal is inserted at a front end of the female terminal, a second opening through which the female terminal can be inserted, and a conductor portion continuously provided at a rear end. A protruding piece provided so as to protrude from the outer edge of the end surface portion where the second opening is formed to be larger than the opening and to be in contact with the opening edge of the case;
The rear holder includes a base plate facing the case across the protruding piece of the housing, a plurality of through holes formed in the base plate corresponding to the second opening of the housing, and the through holes A terminal holding member that is provided for each and capable of contacting the female terminal, and a plurality of screw holes into which the plurality of screws are inserted,
The plurality of screw holes of the rear holder are arranged such that straight lines connecting the screw holes are biased to the same side with respect to the center of gravity of the region where the through hole group is formed, and the base plate connects the screw holes A connector fixing structure in which a thinned portion is formed in a region in which straight lines are unevenly arranged. The female connector fixing structure according to claim 1,
Two screw holes are formed in the rear holder, and a straight line connecting the two screw holes is disposed away from the center of gravity of the region where the through hole group is formed, and the base plate has the screw holes. A connector fixing structure in which the thinned portion is formed in a region where a straight line to be connected is provided.

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