JP2012084309A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector in which mis-fitting is prevented without increasing the size of the connector.SOLUTION: An attachment part S for mounting an identification member 8 is formed on a hood part 2 of a connector housing 1. The attachment part S includes: an insertion hole 9 penetrating to the top surface of the hood part 2; and a positioning groove 10 formed on the bottom surface in the hood part 2 so as to have a recess. The identification member 8 is formed into a plate shape, and a locking groove 12 locking a locking projection 11 formed in the attachment part S is formed on first and second surfaces 14 and 15, and an identification groove 16 is formed on the second surface 15 so as to have a groove. A plurality of types of identification patterns can be set by selecting any mounting position in which the up and down or front and back reverse of the identification member 8 is performed with respect to the attachment part S.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector having an erroneous fitting prevention function.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some connectors have a structure for preventing erroneous fitting so that male and female connectors are not fitted with each other in an incorrect pair. As an example, Patent Document 1 below can be cited.

  The following structure is disclosed here. In other words, a plurality of keyways are provided in parallel in the width direction on one side of the connectors to be fitted to each other, and the same number of the same shape are provided on the other side at the corresponding positions. The structure is such that a plurality of identification patterns for preventing misfitting can be set by detachably attaching the mating prevention key and changing the attachment position of the misfitting prevention key in various ways.

JP 2006-302545 A

  However, since the above is a type for selecting the mounting position of the erroneous fitting prevention key, it is necessary to set a plurality of key grooves for mounting. For this reason, it is necessary to secure an area for arranging a plurality of key grooves in the connector, and there is a concern that the connector will be enlarged accordingly.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to avoid an increase in size of a connector due to a structure for preventing erroneous fitting.

<Invention of Claim 1>
As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to a connector housing having a tubular hood portion and capable of fitting with a mating connector housing, and an identification for preventing erroneous fitting assembled in the hood portion. The connector housing is provided with a mounting portion for assembling the identification member, and when the mating connector housing is a regular one for the identification member, both connector housings are fitted. Has a discriminating part that interferes with the connector housing when it is non-regular, and makes it impossible to fit the two connector housings. Thus, the identification unit is characterized in that the position in the hood unit is different for each assembling posture of the identification member.

<Invention of Claim 2>
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the connector housing according to the first aspect, wherein the connector housing is provided with a plurality of mounting portions so that identification members are assembled to each other, and each identification member has the same shape. It is characterized in that it is formed.

<Invention of Claim 3>
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the identification member is formed in a plate shape, and a pair is disposed along both opposing wall surfaces in the hood portion. Is characterized in that a part of the fitting space for the mating connector housing is constructed.

<Invention of Claim 4>
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the identification member is any assembly in which the attachment posture is reversed with respect to the mounting portion and the attachment direction is reversed. Even in the posture, it is characterized in that it can be assembled to the mounting portion.

<Invention of Claim 5>
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the mounting portion has an insertion hole that penetrates through one wall surface of the hood portion, and the two connector housings are fitted to the identification member. The identification member can be inserted from a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which it is inserted, and the identification member is positioned in the fitting direction by engaging the end portion with the hole edge of the insertion hole while being inserted into the insertion hole. In addition, it is characterized in that a locking means is provided between the wall surface where the identification member and the hood portion face each other so that the identification means is locked so as not to come out in the direction opposite to the insertion direction.

<Invention of Claim 1>
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when setting the identification pattern corresponding to each of the mating counterparts having a plurality of types of outer shapes to the connector housing, the assembly posture of the identification member is selected and mounted. Perform the installation work to the part. In that case, no matter which identification pattern is set, the location of the mounting portion for mounting the identification member is the same, so compared to the conventional one in which a plurality of mounting portions are set for each identification pattern Thus, an increase in the size of the connector housing can be avoided.

<Invention of Claim 2>
According to the invention of claim 2, since the identification member is a single type, it is advantageous in terms of management and manufacturing costs by reducing the number of component types.

<Invention of Claim 3>
According to the invention of claim 3, since the pair of identification members are arranged along the opposing wall surfaces of the connector housing, the connector housing can be reinforced by both identification members. Further, since the plate surfaces of the two identification members constitute a fitting space, the identification member can also serve as a fitting guide for the mating connector housing.

<Invention of Claim 4>
According to the invention of claim 4, since the identification member can be mounted on the mounting portion even when the identification member is reversed upside down or the assembly direction is reversed, the range of selection of the arrangement pattern of the identification portion can be expanded. it can.

<Invention of Claim 5>
According to the invention of claim 5, when the identification member is inserted into the insertion hole of the hood portion, a part of the identification member is caught by the hole edge of the insertion hole, and the connector housings are positioned in the fitting direction. The locking means is used to prevent the removal. Thus, since the identification means is immediately fixed by being inserted into the insertion hole, the identification means can be easily attached.

Front view of connector housing Same top view III-III sectional view of FIG. Right side view of identification member Same left side view Front view showing the status of attaching the identification member Front view showing a first identification pattern VIII-VIII sectional view of FIG. IX-IX sectional view of FIG. Front view showing a second identification pattern Front view showing a third identification pattern Front view showing a fourth identification pattern Front view showing a fifth identification pattern Front view showing a sixth identification pattern Front view showing a seventh identification pattern Front view showing an eighth identification pattern Front view showing a ninth identification pattern

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes a connector housing of a male connector, which is integrally formed of a synthetic resin material. The connector housing 1 has a rectangular tube-shaped hood portion 2 that opens forward. A terminal insertion hole 17 for mounting the terminal fitting 3 passes through the back wall of the hood portion 2 at a plurality of locations, and the terminal fitting 3 is press-fitted into each of them. In the present embodiment, the terminal fittings 3 are arranged in the hood portion 2 so that seven pieces are arranged in parallel in the upper and lower stages in the width direction.

  A bulging portion 4 is formed at the center in the width direction above the hood portion 2. The bulging portion 4 bulges upward with a predetermined width and is formed over almost the entire length. When the mating connector is fitted into the hood portion 2, the bulging portion 4 accommodates a lock arm (both not shown) provided on the housing of the mating connector. On the ceiling surface of the bulging portion 4, a projecting piece 5 is formed projecting downward along the depth direction at the center in the width direction. In addition, a pair of lock holes 6 are opened in parallel in the width direction at a position near the front end on the upper surface of the bulging portion 4. When the mating connector (not shown) is properly fitted, the lock hole 6 engages a lock arm provided on the mating connector to lock both connectors in the fitted state.

  On the upper surface of the hood portion 2, both sides of the bulging portion 4 are lowered by one step to form step surfaces 7. Both stepped surfaces 7 are provided with insertion holes 9 for mounting identification members 8 to be described later. Both insertion holes 9 have a vertically long slit shape along the fitting direction of both connectors and penetrate into the hood portion 2. On the other hand, a positioning groove 10 is formed in the bottom surface in the hood portion 2 at a portion corresponding to both insertion holes 9 over a length range corresponding to the formation range of the insertion holes 9. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the positioning groove 10 is formed over a length range up to the rear wall of the hood portion 2 while leaving the front wall (the front stop wall 2 </ b> A) at the opening edge of the hood portion 2. . The space defined between the positioning groove 10 and the insertion hole 9 (insertion space for the identification member 8) is the mounting portion S.

  Therefore, a pair of mounting portions S are disposed at both ends in the width direction of the hood portion 2, and each is provided with a lock protrusion 11 for preventing the identification member 8 from coming off (see FIG. 2). That is, the lock protrusions 11 are provided in pairs on the both side walls in the width direction in the hood portion 2 in the front-rear direction. These are provided at a height position near the insertion hole 9 so as to protrude into the mounting portion S. A taper surface 11A is formed on the upper surface of each lock projection 11 so as to incline downward, and a lower surface is a horizontal surface to form a locking surface 11B.

  A pair of identification members 8 are assembled to the connector housing 1 on the left and right sides. Both of the identification members 8 have a common structure on the left and right, that is, a single species that is formed in the same shape is used. The identification member 8 is formed of a synthetic resin material into a flat plate shape and a horizontally long rectangular shape. The identification member 8 has such a length and thickness that it can be inserted into the insertion hole 9 with a slight clearance. Further, the identification member 8 is formed with a height dimension substantially equal to the height dimension from the bottom surface of the positioning groove 10 to almost the surface of the step surface 7.

  In this way, the identification member 8 can be mounted on the mounting portion S in any assembly posture in which the top and bottom or the front and back sides are reversed. The abutting surface and the surface opposite to the abutting surface constitute a part of the fitting space K for the mating connector. Moreover, even if the identification member 8 is assembled in any assembly posture, the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion at that time are fitted into the insertion hole 9 or the positioning groove 10 in a hooked state, so that the entire identification member 8 is It can hold | maintain in the state positioned in the front-back direction (direction along a fitting direction) and the left-right direction (width direction).

  Lock grooves 12 are formed in recesses in a total of four locations near each corner of one plate surface (the first surface 14 shown in FIG. 4) of the identification member 8. These are arranged in the front and rear (left and right in FIG. 4) so as to correspond to the pair of front and rear locking protrusions 11 described above. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the lock grooves 12 positioned on the upper side shown in FIG. 4 are referred to as a first pair P1, and the lock grooves 12 positioned on the lower side are referred to as a second pair P2. Each lock groove 12 is formed such that one end side opens to both short sides of the first surface 14. Each lock groove 12 on the first surface is arranged at a point-symmetrical position, and when the first surface 14 is mounted on the mounting portion S while facing the both wall surfaces in the width direction in the hood portion 2, the identification member 8. In any posture in which the assembly posture is turned upside down, each of the lock protrusions 11 can be engaged with the corresponding lock groove 12 to prevent the identification member 8 from coming off.

  The other plate surface (second surface 15 shown in FIG. 5) of the identification member 8 is provided with an identification groove 16 (identification portion) and lock grooves 12 disposed at two locations. The identification groove 16 is arranged at a height position corresponding to the first pair P <b> 1 on the front surface and the back surface of the first surface 14, and is recessed over the entire width of the second surface 15. The identification groove 16 is formed in a substantially rectangular cross section that is open in the plate surface direction over the entire length range, and both ends thereof are formed open at both short sides of the second surface 15. The identification groove 16 detects whether or not the fitting between the connectors is normal depending on whether or not the fitting of the mating connector to be mated with the identification rib (not shown) is allowed. Play a role.

On the other hand, both the lock grooves 12 on the second surface 15 are arranged at positions corresponding to the second pair P <b> 2 on the front and back of the lock grooves 12 on the first surface 14. Hereinafter, the pair of the lock grooves 12 on the second surface 15 is referred to as a third pair P3. Thus, the identification member 8 can select three types of assembling postures for each mounting portion S depending on which of the first to third pairs P1 to P3 is engaged with the pair of lock protrusions 11 and 11. Also,
In the present embodiment, since the mounting portions S are provided at two positions on the left and right sides of the connector housing 1, considering the combination of the mounting postures at each position, the combination patterns of the positions of the identification grooves 16 are a total of nine patterns (FIG. 10 to 17 are obtained.

  First, a case where the first pattern is set will be described (see FIGS. 6 and 7). As shown in FIG. 6, the assembly posture of the identification member 8 arranged on the left side in the drawing is such that the first surface 14 side is directed to the inner surface side of the hood portion 2 and the identification groove 16 is on the upper side. Select and insert directly into the insertion hole 9. As a result, the lower end portion of the identification member 8 on the left side of the drawing is fitted into the positioning groove 10 and the upper end portion is fitted into the insertion hole 9 in a hooked state. Positioning is done. At the same time, since the first pair P1 of the lock groove 12 is engaged with the lock protrusion 11, the identification member 8 is assembled in a state in which upward slipping is restricted.

On the other hand, as the assembly posture of the identification member 8 arranged on the right side in FIG. 6, a posture is selected so that the identification groove 16 is on the lower side while the first surface 14 side is directed toward the inner surface side of the hood portion 2. If it is inserted into the insertion hole 9, the second pair P2 of the lock groove 12 is locked to the lock projection 11 to prevent it from coming off, and positioning is performed in the same state as the identification member 8 on the left side of the figure.
Thus, in the male connector housing 1, a first identification pattern in which the identification grooves 16 are arranged at diagonal positions is set (see FIG. 7).

  FIG. 10 shows the second identification pattern. This identification pattern is obtained by inverting the assembly postures of both identification members 8 in the first identification pattern, and positioning both identification grooves 16 at diagonal positions different from the first identification pattern. It is.

  The third identification pattern shown in FIG. 11 is a pattern in which the identification grooves 16 of both identification members 8 are opposed to each other on the upper side. This identification pattern is set by inserting both identification members 8 into the insertion hole 9 with the first surface 14 side opposed to the inner wall surface of the hood portion 2 and the identification groove 16 on the upper side. .

  The fourth identification pattern shown in FIG. 12 is a pattern in which the identification grooves 16 in both identification members 8 are opposed to each other on the lower side. This identification pattern is set by inserting it into the insertion hole 9 with the assembly posture reversed upside down from the third identification pattern.

  FIG. 13 shows a fifth identification pattern. In this identification pattern, both identification members 8 are inserted into the insertion holes 9 in an assembling posture such that the second surface 15 side faces the inner wall surface of the hood portion 2 and the identification groove 16 is positioned on the lower side. At this time, the identification members 8 are prevented from coming off by the third pair P3 of the lock grooves 12 being engaged with the lock protrusions 11.

  By the way, in the first to fourth identification patterns, both the identification grooves 16 are open to the inner space (fitting space K) of the hood portion 2. Accordingly, ribs for identification are formed on the outer surface of the mating connector so as to be fitted to each other at height positions corresponding to these identification grooves 16, but only the fifth identification pattern is formed. Since the first surface 14 on the side where both the identification grooves 16 are not formed is directed to the fitting space K, the mating connector does not have an identification rib.

  FIG. 14 shows a sixth identification pattern. In this identification pattern, the inner and outer surfaces are reversed with the height position of the identification groove 16 as it is from the fifth identification pattern with respect to the identification member 8 on the left side of the figure. That is, as the assembly posture of the identification member 8 on the left side in the drawing, the first surface 14 side is opposed to the inner wall surface of the hood portion 2.

  The seventh identification pattern shown in FIG. 15 is obtained by changing the position of the identification groove 16 of the identification member 8 located on the left side in the drawing from the sixth identification pattern described above to the upper side.

  FIG. 16 shows an eighth identification pattern. In this identification pattern, the inner and outer surfaces are reversed from the fifth identification pattern shown in FIG. 13 while keeping the height position of the identification groove 16 with respect to the identification member 8 on the right side of the figure. That is, as the assembly posture of the identification member 8 on the right side in the drawing, the first surface 14 day side is opposed to the inner wall surface of the hood portion 2.

  The ninth identification pattern shown in FIG. 17 is obtained by changing the position of the identification groove 16 of the identification member 8 located on the right side of the figure from the above-described eighth identification pattern to the upper side.

The effects of the present embodiment configured as described above are as follows.
In the present embodiment, a total of nine identification patterns can be set by variously combining the assembly postures of the identification members 8 with respect to the mounting portion S on the left and right. That is, the mounting portion S itself is shared by any identification pattern, and the required area of the mounting portion S can be reduced because the mounting position of the identification member 8 is not variously changed for each identification pattern as in the prior art. Therefore, an increase in the size of the connector can be avoided.

  Moreover, since both the identification members 8 in this embodiment are the same structure, the manufacturing cost of the whole connector can be reduced by reducing a component kind. This is also advantageous in terms of component management. Furthermore, since both the identification members 8 are formed of a plate material, and the plate surface constitutes a part (side wall surface) of the fitting space K for the mating connector, the identification member 8 also serves as a fitting guide for the mating connector. Can fulfill. In addition, since the identification member 8 faces along both side surfaces in the hood portion 2, the reinforcing effect of the hood portion 2 is also obtained.

  Furthermore, the identification member 8 is positioned in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction only by performing the operation of inserting through the insertion hole 9, and the lock grooves 12 of the first to third pairs P1 to P3 corresponding to the identification pattern. Since either one of these is locked to the lock projection 11 and is prevented from coming off, the assembly workability is excellent.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, the pair of identification members 8 are arranged on the left and right sides with respect to the hood part 2, but may be arranged only on one side.
(2) In the said embodiment, although the assembly direction of the identification member 8 with respect to the hood part 2 was set to the direction orthogonal to the fitting direction of connector housings, in the direction along a fitting direction (front of the hood part 2). It may be set.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, the identification groove 16 having a shape that is recessed from the surface of the identification member 8 is shown as an example of the identification unit. However, a rib-shaped one that protrudes in reverse may be used as the identification unit.

  (4) In the above-described embodiment, the identification groove 16 is formed only on the second surface 15 side. However, the identification groove 16 may be formed at an appropriate height position on the first surface 14 side. Many identification patterns can be set.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Connector housing 2 ... Hood | hood part 8 ... Identification member 9 ... Insertion hole 10 ... Positioning groove (mounting part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Lock protrusion 12 ... Lock groove 16 ... Identification groove S ... Mounting part K ... Fitting space

Claims (5)

A connector housing that has a tubular hood and can be mated with a mating connector housing;
A connector provided with an identification member for preventing erroneous fitting assembled in the hood part,
The connector housing is formed with a mounting portion for assembling the identification member. On the other hand, when the mating connector housing is a regular one for the identification member, the connector housing is allowed to be fitted. In the case of non-genuine one, it has an identification part that interferes and makes it impossible to fit both connector housings,
The mounting portion is formed so that the identification member can be assembled in a plurality of different assembly postures, and the identification portion has a position in the hood portion that is different for each assembly posture of the identification member. Connector characterized by being.   2. The connector housing according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of mounting portions are provided in the connector housing so that the identification members are assembled to the connector housings, and the identification members are formed in the same shape. The connector described.   The identification member is formed in a plate shape, and a pair is disposed along both opposing wall surfaces in the hood portion, and a part of a fitting space for the mating connector housing is configured by the plate surface of the identification member. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein   The identification member can be assembled to the mounting portion in any mounting posture in which the mounting portion is reversed with respect to the mounting portion and in any mounting posture in which the mounting direction is reversed. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The mounting portion has an insertion hole that penetrates through one wall surface of the hood portion, and the identification member can be inserted from a direction substantially orthogonal to a direction in which the two connector housings are fitted, and the identification member is In the state inserted into the insertion hole, the end portion is locked to the hole edge of the insertion hole so that positioning in the fitting direction is performed, and the identification member and the opposing wall surface of the hood portion The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a locking means for locking the identification means so as not to come out in a direction opposite to the insertion direction is provided between the two.

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