JP2012129077A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a lock arm from being broken.SOLUTION: A cantilevered lock arm 34 for keeping a mating housing in a fitting condition is flexibly formed on a housing 20, and a pair of protection walls 45 are formed to stand on both sides across the lock arm 34, and a support face 33, to which leg parts 35 as fulcrums of a flexion action of the lock arm 34 are connected, is formed. An operation part 37 for releasing a locking condition to the mating housing is formed at a free end of the lock arm 34. A first restraining part 49 contacting the operation part 37 when the lock arm 34 is excessively flexed and deformed in an unlocking direction is formed on the support face 33 of the housing 20. A second restraining part 48 contacting the operation part 37 when the lock arm 34 is excessively flexed and deformed in a direction opposite to the unlocking direction is formed on the protection wall 45.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional connector. This includes a housing that can be fitted to a mating housing, and a cantilevered lock arm that holds the mating housing in a fitted state is formed in the housing so as to be deflectable. Also, a pair of protective walls are formed on the upper surface of the housing on both sides of the lock arm. At the free end of the lock arm, an operation portion that is pressed when the locked state is released is formed.

  A pair of restricting pieces project inwardly on the inner surfaces of both protective walls. If the lock arm is excessively bent and deformed in the direction opposite to the unlocking direction, both end portions in the width direction of the operation unit come into contact with the regulating piece so that further bending operation of the lock arm is regulated. It has become.

JP 2002-329554 A

  By the way, in the case of the conventional connector, if the lock arm is excessively bent and deformed in the unlocking direction, the lock arm may be damaged beyond its elastic limit. In particular, there is a concern that the lock arm may be damaged when the housing is made of a material with low ductility.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent the lock arm from being damaged.

  As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes a housing that can be fitted into a mating housing, and the housing has a cantilevered lock arm that holds the mating housing in a fitted state. Is formed so as to be able to bend, and a pair of protective walls are formed on both sides sandwiching the lock arm, and a support surface is formed to which a leg serving as a fulcrum of the lock arm is connected. An operating portion that is pressed when releasing the locked state with the counterpart housing is formed at the free end of the lock arm, and the lock arm is unlocked on the support surface of the housing. A first restricting portion that comes into contact with the operation portion when it is excessively bent and deformed in a direction is formed to protrude, and the lock arm is formed in the unlocking direction on the protective wall. Second restricting portion in which the contact operation part and those in the case to be excessively bent and deformed in the reverse direction characterized by the place where it is formed to project.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the first aspect, the first restricting portion, the protective wall, and the second restricting portion surround a width direction end portion of the operation portion. Has characteristics.

  A third aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the operating portion is formed with a protruding piece that hangs down in the bending direction of the lock arm.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the housing includes glass fibers.

<Invention of Claim 1>
The support surface of the housing is formed with a first restricting portion that protrudes in contact with the operating portion when the lock arm is excessively bent and deformed in the unlocking direction, and the lock arm is in the unlocking direction on the protective wall. Since the second restricting portion that comes into contact with the operation portion protrudes when attempting to bend excessively in the reverse direction, the lock arm is damaged even if it is bent and deformed in either the unlocking direction or the opposite direction. Is prevented.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the first restricting portion, the protective wall, and the second restricting portion surround the ends of the operation portion in the width direction, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from interfering with both ends of the operation portion in the width direction. Therefore, careless bending and deformation of the lock arm are prevented.

<Invention of Claim 3>
The operating part is formed with a protruding piece that hangs down in the bending direction of the lock arm, so that the protruding part and the length of the leg of the lock arm can be secured, and the movable range of the lock arm is appropriate. Can be adjusted.

<Invention of Claim 4>
If the housing contains glass fiber, the lock arm is more likely to be damaged. However, according to the present invention, the lock arm may be damaged by the bending restricting action of the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion. It is greatly reduced.

It is a rear view of the housing of the connector concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a top view of a housing. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the operation portion of the lock arm is in contact with the first restriction portion, taken along line AA in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the operation portion of the lock arm is in contact with a second restricting portion along the line AA in FIG. 2. It is a front view of a housing. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 5.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector 10 according to the first embodiment includes a housing 20 and terminal fittings (not shown) that are accommodated in the housing 20. The housing 20 can be fitted into a mating housing (not shown).

  The housing 20 is made of synthetic resin and includes glass fiber. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, the housing 20 includes a cavity tower portion 21 that extends approximately in the center and extends in the front-rear direction, and a fitting that extends around the cavity tower portion 21 and extends in the front-rear direction. And a tube 22. A fitting space 23 into which the mating housing can be fitted is formed between the cavity tower portion 21 and the fitting cylinder portion 22 so as to open forward. A connecting wall 24 along the height direction is formed at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the housing 20, and the cavity tower portion 21 and the fitting cylinder portion 22 are connected to each other via the connecting wall 24.

  A single cavity 25 is formed in the cavity tower portion 21 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction. A cantilever lance 26 protruding forward is formed on the inner surface of the cavity 25 so as to be deflectable. A locking projection 27 is formed at the tip of the lance 26 so as to protrude into the cavity 25. A front wall 28 is formed at the front end of the cavity tower 21 to be able to fasten the terminal fitting.

  A substantially gate-shaped surrounding portion 29 that surrounds the cylindrical portion 38 of the cavity tower portion 21 is formed on the substantially rear half portion of the fitting cylinder portion 22 so as to protrude rearward from the connecting wall 24. A pair of opposing walls 30 are formed along the height direction on both sides of the surrounding portion 29 in the width direction. Further, stepped knobs 31 are formed so as to be narrowed rearward on the outer surfaces of both sides of the opposing wall 30 in the width direction. When the housing 20 is fitted, it is possible to easily perform the fitting operation with the mating housing by pinching the knob 31 in the width direction with fingers.

In addition, a support wall 32 is formed at the upper end portion of the surrounding portion 29 and is arranged substantially horizontally while connecting the upper ends of the opposing walls 30. The upper surface of the support wall 32 is a flat support surface 33 to which a leg portion 35 of a lock arm 34 described later is connected.
The lock arm 34 includes a leg portion 35 protruding upward from the support surface 33, an arm main body 36 extending forward from the upper end of the leg portion 35, and an operation portion 37 extending rearward from the upper end of the leg portion 35. Become. The arm main body 36 and the operation unit 37 are configured to be continuous in the front-rear direction and can be interlocked with each other. When the operating portion 37 is pushed downward, the arm body 36 is displaced upward with the leg portion 35 as a fulcrum, and when the operating portion 37 is lifted upward, the arm body 36 is displaced downward with the leg portion 35 as a fulcrum. It has become.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the arm main body 36 has a strip shape extending longer in the front-rear direction than the operation portion 37, and a lock hole 39 is formed through the front end portion thereof. The operation unit 37 is stepped higher than the arm body 36 and has a larger width than the arm body 36. In the case of this embodiment, the width dimension of the operation part 37 is substantially the same as the width dimension of the leg part 35. The leg portion 35 has a thin plate shape along the width direction and has substantially the same width dimension as a distance between first restricting portions 49 described later.

  Specifically, the operation unit 37 includes a substantially rectangular operation main body 41 and a pair of projecting pieces 42 connected to lower ends of both end surfaces in the width direction of the operation main body 41. Both projecting pieces 42 have a substantially rectangular plate shape, and project downward from both ends of the operation body 41 in the width direction (lower side of the first restricting portion 49 to be described later, the bending direction of the lock arm 34). ). The upper end surface that is the upper plate thickness portion of the both overhanging pieces 42 is a flat second restriction receiving portion 43 capable of interfering with a second restriction portion 48 to be described later. The lower end surface as a portion is a flat first restriction receiving portion 44 that can interfere with the first restriction portion 49.

  Here, in the process in which the housing 20 is fitted into the mating housing, the arm body 36 interferes with a lock portion (not shown) formed in the mating housing and is bent upward and deformed with the leg portion 35 as a fulcrum. Thereafter, when the housing 20 is properly fitted to the mating housing, the arm body 36 is displaced in a direction to return elastically, the lock portion is fitted into the lock hole, and both the housings are held in the disengagement restricted state. The

  A pair of protective walls 45 are formed at the upper end of the fitting cylinder portion 22 on both sides in the width direction with the lock arm 34 interposed therebetween, and both protective walls 45 are connected between the front ends of the protective walls 45. A connecting portion 46 that covers the front of the lock arm 34 is formed.

  Both protective walls 45 are configured to widen from the arm main body 36 to the operation portion 37, and are formed over the entire length of the lock arm 34. The upper ends of both the protective walls 45 and the connecting portion 46 are configured to be continuous at the same height, higher than the upper end of the arm main body 36, and the uppermost end of the operation portion 37 (the end of the entire lock arm 34). It is arranged at almost the same height.

  In addition, a pair of standing walls 47 are formed at the rear end portions of the protective walls 45, and the walls rise obliquely from both ends of the support wall 32 in the width direction (see FIG. 1). A pair of second restricting portions 48 are formed at the upper end of the inner surface of the compatibility wall 47 so as to protrude inward. Both the second restricting portions 48 are disposed above the overhanging piece 42 and at a position overlapping the operating portion 37 in the height direction. A pair of first restricting portions 49 are formed on both end portions in the width direction of the support surface 33 of the support wall 32 so as to protrude upward at positions facing both the second restricting portions 48 in the height direction. Both first restricting portions 49 are integrally connected to the standing wall 47 at both ends in the width direction. Between the 1st control part 49 and the 2nd control part 48, it arrange | positions so that the overhang | projection piece 42 may be pinched | interposed into both. The overhanging piece 42 is accommodated in a substantially U-shaped accommodation space 50 surrounded by the first restriction portion 49, the second restriction portion 48, and the standing wall 47. In this case, the gap in the height direction of the overhanging piece 42 in the accommodation space 50 corresponds to the bending range of the lock arm 34.

Next, the function and effect of the connector 10 according to this embodiment will be described.
If the operation unit 37 is lifted by hooking a loop-shaped electric wire on the operation unit 37, the lock arm 34 tends to bend and deform excessively in the direction opposite to the unlocking direction with the leg portion 35 as a fulcrum. However, in this case, as shown in FIG. 4, before the lock arm 34 exceeds its elastic limit, the rear end portion of the second restriction receiving portion 43 of the overhanging piece 42 comes into contact with the second restriction portion 48, Further upward displacement of the portion 37 is restricted. In this case, the second restricting portion 48 comes into contact with the substantially outer half in the width direction of the second restricting receiving portion 43 of the projecting piece 42 in a line contact state.

  On the other hand, if the operation portion 37 is strongly pressed and pushed down, the lock arm 34 tends to bend and deform excessively in the unlocking direction with the leg portion 35 as a fulcrum. Even in this case, as shown in FIG. 3, before the lock arm 34 exceeds its elastic limit, the rear end portion of the first restriction receiving portion 44 of the overhanging piece 42 contacts the first restriction portion 49, Further downward displacement of the operation unit 37 is restricted. Therefore, the lock arm 34 does not exceed the elastic limit, and the leg portion 35 is prevented from being broken or broken. In this case, the first restricting portion 49 abuts in a line contact state over substantially the entire width of the first restricting receiving portion 44 of the projecting piece 42.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the lock arm 34 is excessively bent and deformed in the unlocking direction on the support surface 33 of the housing 20, the first contact with the protruding piece 42 of the operation portion 37 is performed. A restricting portion 49 is formed so as to protrude, and the protective wall 45 has a second restricting portion that comes into contact with the projecting piece 42 of the operation portion 37 when the lock arm 34 tends to bend excessively in the direction opposite to the unlocking direction. Since the protrusion 48 is formed, the lock arm 34 is prevented from being damaged even if it is bent and deformed in either the unlocking direction or the opposite direction.

  In addition, since the housing space 50 surrounding the projecting pieces 42 of the operation unit 37 is formed by the first restricting portion 49, the protective wall 45, and the second restricting portion 48, a foreign object is formed on the projecting pieces 42. Is prevented from interfering. Therefore, the lock arm 34 is prevented from being bent and deformed carelessly.

  Further, since the overhanging piece 42 hangs down in the bending direction of the lock arm 34, the overhanging portion of the overhanging piece 42 and the length of the leg portion 35 of the lock arm 34 can be secured, and the lock arm 34 can be secured. The movable range (deflection range) can be adjusted appropriately.

  Further, since the housing 20 contains glass fiber, the lock arm 34 is more likely to be damaged. However, according to the present embodiment, due to the bending restricting action of the first restricting portion 49 and the second restricting portion 48. The possibility of breakage of the lock arm 34 is greatly reduced.

<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) The projecting piece may not be formed at both ends in the width direction of the operation unit.
(2) The housing may not contain glass fiber.
(3) The first restricting portion may protrude from the intermediate portion in the width direction of the support surface of the housing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector 20 ... Housing 33 ... Support surface 34 ... Lock arm 35 ... Leg part 37 ... Operation part 42 ... Overhang piece 45 ... Protection wall 48 ... 2nd control part 49 ... 1st control part

Claims (4)

It has a housing that can be fitted to the mating housing,
In the housing, a cantilevered lock arm that holds the mating housing in a fitted state is formed to be able to bend, and a pair of protective walls are formed upright on both sides of the lock arm. And the support surface to which the leg part used as the fulcrum of the bending operation of the lock arm is connected is formed,
On the free end of the lock arm, an operation part is formed that is pressed when releasing the locked state with the counterpart housing,
The support surface of the housing is formed with a protruding first protruding portion that abuts on the operation portion when the lock arm is excessively bent and deformed in the unlocking direction. A connector characterized in that a second restricting portion that abuts on the operation portion when the arm is excessively bent and deformed in a direction opposite to the unlocking direction protrudes.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the first restricting portion, the protective wall, and the second restricting portion surround a width direction end portion of the operation portion.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the operating portion is formed with a projecting piece that hangs down in a bending direction of the lock arm.   The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the housing includes glass fiber.

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