JP2012048901A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector capable of preventing halfway fitting of a housing to an initiator and damage to a lock arm or a restorative arm.SOLUTION: A connector comprises an initiator and a housing. The housing comprises: a housing body 11 having lock arms 115 which are locked to the initiator; and a connector position assurance (CPA) part which is slidably supported on the housing body 11 in the attaching/detaching direction of the housing body 11 to/from the initiator. The CPA comprises: restorative arms 133 which press the lock arms 115 locked to the initiator toward the initiator side so that locking parts 133a are locked to the initiator; and flexure restricting parts 132a which restrict the flexure of the restorative arms 133 pressing the lock arms 115 toward the initiator side in a direction opposite to the lock arms. The lock arms 115 lock the locking parts so as to restrict the protrusion of CPA from the housing body.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector in which a slider having a lock arm is supported by a housing.

  This type of connector is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. In the electrical connecting device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the central plug portion of the second component (housing main body) is inserted into the socket provided in the first component (initiator), and the electrical terminal provided in the central plug portion is provided. Connect to the pin in the socket. In this electrical connection device, the latching element in which the latching portion of the elastic portion (lock arm) is latched in the latching groove provided in the socket of the first component, and the latching element is arranged inside the elastic portion. By pressing the elastic portion from the inside with the first leg portion (restoring arm) of the (slider), the latching of the latching portion is prevented from being released. The latching element is latched to the first component by the second latching part of the first leg being latched in the latching groove in the socket.

JP 2001-319747 A

  In the conventional connector, when an external force is applied to the latching element protruding above the second component, the second latching part may enter the elastic portion. For this reason, there is a possibility that the elastic part (lock arm) and the first leg part (restoring arm) may be damaged when the central plug part is inserted into the socket. In addition, the first leg (restoring arm) is creep-deformed, so that the latching by the elastic portion is easily released, and the second component (housing main body) is halfway fitted to the first component (initiator). As a result, problems such as connector disconnection may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can prevent the housing from being partially fitted to the initiator, and the lock arm and the restoring arm from being damaged.

In order to achieve such an object, the connector of the present invention is supported by the housing main body having a lock arm that is locked to the initiator, and slidable in the attaching / detaching direction of the housing main body with respect to the initiator. A restoring arm that presses the lock arm latched to the initiator against the initiator side and that latches the latching portion to the initiator, and is opposite to the lock arm of the restoring arm. And a bending restricting portion for restricting the bending to the side, wherein the lock arm engages the engaging portion and restricts the slider from protruding from the housing body.
Further, the present invention is characterized in that the lock arm is composed of a lock arm portion extending from the housing body located on both sides of the restoring arm, and a lock body supported by the lock arm portion. To do.

  According to the present invention, the bending of the restoring arm that presses the lock arm against the initiator side is regulated by the bending regulating portion, and the restoration is performed by regulating the slider that has moved in the detaching direction of the housing body from protruding from the housing body. It is possible to prevent the lock arm from being unlocked due to the deformation of the arm, or the slider receiving the external force from entering the restoration arm inside the lock arm and damaging the lock arm and the restoration arm.

It is the perspective view which looked at the connector of one embodiment of the present invention from the upper part, and shows the state where the housing was assembled to the initiator. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the connector from upper direction. It is a figure which shows a housing, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a right view. It is a figure which shows the assembly | attachment state of CPA with respect to a housing main body, and is AA arrow sectional drawing of FIG.3 (b). It is a figure which shows the procedure which attaches a housing to an initiator in the AA arrow cross section of FIG.3 (b). It is a figure which shows the procedure which makes a housing detach | leave from an initiator by the AA arrow cross section of FIG.3 (b).

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are views showing the connector of the present embodiment, FIG. 1 is a perspective view seen from above, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view. FIG. 3 is a view showing the housing 1. In addition, each direction of the up-down, front-back, left-right used in the following description is shown in each figure used for description. The top, bottom, front, back, left and right are described for explanation, and of course may be different from the actual arrangement.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector includes a housing 1 and an initiator 2. The initiator 2 has a bottomed cylindrical shape with a storage chamber 20, and a pair of pins 21 extend side by side from the bottom toward the front. Locking recesses 22 are respectively provided on the left and right inner surfaces of the storage chamber 20 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Both pins 21 are elastically contacted with a short-circuit bracket (not shown). When the terminal accommodating portion 111 of the housing 1 inserted into the housing chamber 20 contacts the short-circuit bracket, the elastic contact of the short-circuit bracket with respect to both pins 21 is solved. It is burned.

  The housing 1 includes a housing body 11 on which terminals are mounted, and a cover 12 that covers the housing body 11 from above. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing body 11 includes a rectangular block-shaped terminal accommodating portion 111 that extends downward. The terminal accommodating part 111 has the terminal accommodating chamber 111a (refer FIG. 4) which accommodates a terminal opened side by side. Support portions 112 are provided on the left and right sides of the front surface of the housing body 11. Further, locking projections 113 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the rear end portion of the housing body 11. A pair of insertion holes 114 are opened on the upper surface of the housing body 11. Both insertion holes 114 are provided on the left and right sides of the upper surface of the housing body 11 and extend downward through the housing body 11.

  As shown in FIG. 3, housing grooves 116 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the terminal housing portion 111, respectively. The accommodation groove 116 extends in the vertical direction through the left and right side walls of the terminal accommodation portion 111, and communicates with the insertion hole 114 at the upper end.

  Lock arms 115 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the terminal accommodating portion 111, respectively. The lock arm 115 is configured to support the lock body 115c with a total of four lock arm portions 115a arranged vertically on both front and rear edges of the accommodation groove 116. The lock body 115c is disposed on the outer side of the receiving groove 116 so as to face the receiving groove 116, and moves to the left and right sides as the lock arm portion 115a is bent.

  The CPA 13 is fitted into the terminal accommodating portion 111. As shown in FIG. 2, the CPA 13 extends the movement restricting arm 132 and the restoring arm 133 downward from the left and right side portions of the upper plate 131. The restoring arm 133 extends downward from the central portion of the upper plate 131 in the front-rear direction, and a locking portion 133a protrudes from the lower end portion toward the left and right outer sides. The locking portion 133a includes an inclined surface 133c on the inner side of the lower surface of the distal end portion, and an inclined surface 133b on the outer side.

  The movement restricting arm 132 is configured such that the movement restricting portion 132a is bridged between the lower end portions of a pair of restricting arm portions extending downward from the front end portion and the rear end portion of the upper plate 131 with the restoring arm 133 interposed therebetween. . Both restricting arm portions of the movement restricting arm 132 extend from the lower surface of the upper plate 131 located on the left and right inside of the restoring arm 133.

  The cover 12 has a pair of shafts 121 extending left and right from the front end portion supported by the support portion 112 of the housing body 11 and a pair of left and right locking pieces 122 provided at the rear end portion. Locked to the portion 113, the housing body 11 is assembled. A receiving portion 120 that receives the CPA 13 is formed at the front end portion of the cover 12 so that the height of the upper surface is lower than the upper surface of the cover 12. The cover 12 assembled to the housing body 11 has an upper surface flush with the upper surface of the housing body 11.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the CPA 13 has the upper plate 131 placed on the receiving portion 120 of the cover 12 assembled to the housing body 11, and the movement restricting arm 132 and the restoring arm 133 are inserted into the housing body 11 from the insertion hole 114. It is made to enter and is supported by the housing body 11 so as to be slidable vertically. The CPA 13 is covered with the housing body 11 on the left and right sides of the upper plate 131 and with the cover 12 on the front and rear sides. In the CPA 13, the restoring arm 133 is accommodated in the insertion hole 114 and the accommodation groove 116, and only the distal end of the locking portion 133 a is protruded to the outside of the housing body 1.

  The CPA 13 is restricted from moving upward relative to the housing 1 by the locking portion 133a of the restoring arm 133 being locked to the lock body 115c of the lock arm 115, and the upper plate 131 contacts the receiving portion 120 of the cover 12. By contacting, the downward movement relative to the housing 1 is restricted. In the CPA 13, the upper portion of the upper plate 131 is more than the upper surfaces of the housing body 11 and the cover 12 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 because the locking portion 133 a is locked to the lock body 115 c and the upward movement is restricted. Also, it does not protrude upward.

  The restoring arm 133 has the locking portion 133a positioned in the accommodation groove 116, and moves in the accommodation groove 116 in the vertical direction in accordance with the slide of the CPA 13. In addition, the movement restricting arm 132 brings the movement restricting portion 132 a into contact with or close to the left and right inner surfaces of the lower end portion of the restoring arm 133 and causes the movement restricting portion 132 a to come into contact with the left side surface or the right side surface of the terminal accommodating portion 111. ing.

  Next, the connector assembling operation when the housing 1 is attached to the initiator 2 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a procedure for attaching the housing 1 to the initiator 2, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a procedure for removing the housing 1 from the initiator 2.

  When mounting the housing 1 on the initiator 2, first, as shown in FIG. 5A, the housing 1 is moved downward with the upper plate 131 of the CPA 13 placed on the receiving part 120 of the cover 12. Then, the terminal accommodating portion 111 of the housing body 11 is inserted into the accommodating chamber 20. As a result, the pin 21 of the initiator 2 enters the terminal accommodating chamber 111 a of the terminal accommodating portion 111, and the locking portion 133 a included in the restoring arm 133 of the CPA 13 contacts the guide surface 20 a of the accommodating chamber 20 with the inclined surface 133 b. Let

  Since the distal end portion of the restoring arm 133 is restricted from moving leftward and rightward by the movement restricting portion 132a of the movement restricting arm 132, bending of the distal end portion of the restoring arm 133 to the inside is also restricted, and the CPA13 is moved downward. Movement is restricted.

  In this state, when only the housing main body 11 of the housing 1 is moved downward, as shown in FIG. 5B, the lock body 115c of the lock arm 115 comes into contact with the engaging portion 133a of the restoring arm 133, and the housing main body 11 is restricted from moving downward. Further, the receiving portion 120 is separated from the upper plate 131, and only the CPA 13 can be moved downward.

  Thereafter, when the CPA 13 is pushed downward, the inward movement of the restoring arm 133 is restricted by the movement restricting portion 132a at the lower end portion of the restoring arm 133. As shown in FIG. The restoring arm 133 bends to the left and right inside so that the tip of the portion 133a faces upward. When the restoring arm 133 is bent inwardly on the left and right, the inclined surface 133c comes into sliding contact with the movement restricting portion 132a of the movement restricting arm 132, and the locking portion 133a is drawn inward on the left and right.

  Thereby, the movement restriction | limiting of the latching | locking part 133a by the inclined surface 133b of the latching | locking part 133a contact | abutting with the guide surface 20a of the storage chamber 20 is released, and CPA13 moves below. When the CPA 13 is lowered until the upper plate 131 comes into contact with the receiving portion 120, the housing body 11 moves integrally with the CPA 13 downward.

  When the lock body 115c of the lock arm 115 comes into contact with the guide surface 20a of the storage chamber 20 and the lock arm 115 is bent inwardly on the left and right sides, the lock body 115c is sandwiched between the restoring arm 133 and the guide surface 20a, and is inclined. Even after the contact between the surface 133b and the guide surface 20a is released, the restoring arm 133 is kept bent inwardly on the left and right sides. Thereafter, the lower arm of the restoring arm 133 is brought into contact with the locking recess 22 and the downward movement is restricted, and then the lock body 115c gets over the guide surface 20a and is locked to the locking recess 22.

  When the push on the CPA 13 is released, the flexure of the restoring arm 133 is released and the CPA 13 moves upward, and a gap is provided between the upper plate 131 and the receiving portion 120. The lock body 115c of the lock arm 115 is in contact with the left and right outer surfaces of the restoring arm 133 positioned on the upper side of the locking portion 133a and is restricted from moving left and right inside. Further, the locking portion 133a of the restoring arm 133 enters the locking recess 22 together with the lock body 115c, and the upward movement is restricted by the lock body 115c.

  When the housing 1 is detached from the initiator 2, first, as shown in FIG. 6A, the CPA 13 in which the upper plate 131 is separated from the receiving portion 120 of the cover 12 is brought into contact with the receiving portion 120. It is pushed in until it touches. As a result, the restoring arm 133 abuts the lower end portion of the locking recess 22 and bends to the left and right, and the movement restriction of the lock body 115c by the restoring arm 133 is released. Further, the restoring arm 133 is bent inwardly on the left and right sides, so that the inclined surface 133c comes into sliding contact with the movement restricting portion 132a of the movement restricting arm 132, and the locking portion 133a is pulled in on the left and right insides.

  Thereafter, when the housing body 11 is pulled upward, as shown in FIG. 6B, the lock body 115c of the lock arm 115 rides on the guide surface 20a of the storage chamber 20, and the restoring arm 133 and the guide surface 20a The housing body 11 is moved upward together with the CPA 13. Since the lock body 115c is sandwiched between the restoring arm 133 and the guide surface 20a, the restoring arm 133 is bent inwardly on the left and right sides even after the lower end of the restoring arm 133 is separated from the locking recess 22. keep.

  After the lock body 115 c of the lock arm 115 is extracted from the storage chamber 20, the locking portion 133 a of the restoring arm 133 causes the inclined surface 133 b to slidably contact the guide surface 20 a of the storage chamber 20. When the housing body 11 is pulled upward until the locking portion 133a is extracted from the storage chamber 20, the restoring arm 133 can be bent. Thereafter, the housing body 11 is pulled upward until the pin 21 is pulled out from the terminal accommodating chamber 111a.

  According to the present embodiment, since the bending of the restoring arm 133 that presses the lock arm 115 against the initiator 2 is restricted by the bending restricting portion 132a, the locking arm 115 is prevented from being unlocked due to the deformation of the restoring arm 133. Thus, it is possible to prevent the mid-term fitting of the housing 1 with respect to the initiator 2. Further, by locking the locking portion 133 a of the restoring arm 133 with the lock body 115 c, it is possible to restrict the upper plate 131 of the CPA 13 from protruding from the housing body 11. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the restoring arm 133 from being damaged due to the CPA 13 receiving an external force on the upper plate 131 and the locking portion 133a entering the insertion hole 114, for example.

  Further, since the bending of the restoring arm 133 is restricted by the bending restricting portion 132a, it is possible to prevent the restoring arm 133 from being bent and unlocking the locking portion 133a by the lock arm 115. For this reason, the upward movement of the CPA 13 can be reliably restricted, and the upper plate 131 of the CPA 13 can be prevented from protruding upward from the upper surface of the cover 12. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the restoring arm 133 from being damaged by receiving the external force and causing the locking portion 133a to enter the insertion hole 114.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the restoring arm 133 is not disposed inside the lock arm portion 115a, it is possible to prevent the restoring arm 133 from entering the lock arm 115 as the CPA 13 moves upward. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the lock arm 115 and the restoring arm 133 from being damaged, for example, when the CPA 13 receives an external force and the locking portion 133a enters inside.

  Further, since a load sufficient to bend the restoring arm 133 is required to push in the CPA 13, the lock body 115 c of the lock arm 115 can surely enter the locking recess 22 with the momentum of pushing the CPA 13. It becomes possible. For this reason, it is prevented that the lock body 115c is not sufficiently engaged with the engagement recess 22, and it is possible to make it difficult to cause a mid-fitting. Also, electrical detection according to the movement position of the CPA 13 is possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, the lock body 115c of the lock arm 115 is in contact with the guide surface 20a of the storage chamber 20, so that the lock arm 115 bends the lock arm portion 115a in the left and right sides. . However, the lock arm 115 is pressed by the restoring arm 133 and elastically deformed left and right. When the restoring arm 133 is bent to the opposite side to the lock arm 115, it is elastically restored and bent to the opposite side to the initiator 2. You may comprise. Specifically, when the restoration arm 133 is sandwiched between the lock arm 115 and the terminal accommodating portion 111, the lock arm 115 is in a state of bending the lock arm portion 115a to the left and right sides, and the restoration arm It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the lock arm 115a is released from bending as the 133 is bent inward on the left and right sides, and the lock body 115c is moved inward on the left and right sides.

  Further, if the restoring arm 133 can prevent the locking body 115c from being unlocked with respect to the locking recess 22, it is necessary to always press the locking body 115c locked to the locking recess 22 to the initiator 2 side. Absent. Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the movement control part 132a of the movement control arm 132 comprised the bending control part, the structure of a bending control part is arbitrary and does not necessarily need to be equipped with the arm.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the lock arm 115 is configured to support the lock body 115c with the four lock arm portions 115a has been described. However, the configuration of the lock arm is arbitrary, and, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which the lock body is provided on one leg portion extending downward similarly to the restoring arm 133. Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the latching | locking part 133a of the decompression | restoration arm 133 was accommodated in the accommodation groove | channel 116, the structure of an accommodation part is arbitrary.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing 11 Housing main body 111 Terminal accommodating part 111a Terminal accommodating chamber 112 Support part 113 Locking convex part 114 Insertion hole 115 Lock arm 115a Lock arm part 115c Locking body 116 Housing groove 12 Cover 120 Receiving part 121 Shaft part 122 Locking piece 13 CPA (slider)
131 Upper plate 132 Movement restriction arm 132a Movement restriction part (bending restriction part)
133 Restoring arm 133a Locking portion 133b Inclined surface 133c Inclined surface 2 Initiator 20 Storage chamber 21 Pin 22 Locking recess

Claims (2)

A housing body having a lock arm to be engaged with the initiator;
A slider supported by the housing main body so as to be slidable in the attaching / detaching direction of the housing main body with respect to the initiator;
The slider presses the lock arm locked to the initiator against the initiator side, and a restoring arm that locks the locking portion to the initiator;
A bending restricting portion for restricting bending of the restoring arm to the side opposite to the lock arm;
The connector is characterized in that the lock arm locks the locking portion to restrict the slider from protruding from the housing body.   The said lock arm is comprised from the lock arm part extended from the said housing main body located in the both sides of the said restoring arm, and the lock body supported by the said lock arm part. Connector.

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