JP2012174428A - Joint connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a joint connector which has a small insertion force, does not require terminal coming-off prevention, half-insertion state prevention and an exclusive bus-bar, and has a small number of components.SOLUTION: The joint connector is constituted of: a plurality of terminals (20); a housing (10) which includes a space having size, in which the plurality of terminals can be housed in parallel in a contact state with each other, and a terminal insertion port (10F) which can move the terminals inserted into the space in the lateral direction from a side wall (10L) of one side to a side wall (10R) of the opposite side; and a spring (30) which is inserted between an internal wall surface of the side wall (10L) of one side and the terminals close to the internal wall surface of the side wall (10L) out of the plurality of terminals housed in the space from the terminal insertion port (10F), and presses the plurality of terminals to the internal wall surface of the side wall of the opposite side in a contact state with each other.

Description

  The present invention relates to a joint connector, and relates to a joint connector having a small number of parts and good assembly workability, a small insertion force when a terminal is accommodated in a housing, and a large terminal holding force.

<Dedicated bus bar>
As the joint connector, for example, one using a dedicated bus bar as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C has been proposed. 9A to 9C are conceptual diagrams of a joint connector in which a dedicated bus bar is inserted and electrically connected to each of a plurality of terminals. FIG. 9A shows two terminals, and FIG. FIG. 9C shows an example of five terminals.
9A to 9C, when connecting only the terminals a and b among the terminals a to e of the wirings 1a to 1e, the dedicated bus bar 3A shown in FIG. 9A is connected to the terminals a and b. Connected to each other.
Moreover, in the joint connector which connects terminal ac among each terminal ae of wiring 1a-1e, exclusive bus-bar 3B shown in FIG.9 (B) is inserted and connected to terminal ac.
Furthermore, in the joint connector shown in FIG. 9C, when connecting the terminals ae, the dedicated bus bar 3C is inserted and connected to the terminals ae.

<Known examples of joint connectors with dedicated bus bars>
FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a known joint connector (see Patent Document 1) that commonly connects the three terminals shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, a housing 41 of the female connector 40 is a female connector housing formed of a synthetic resin material, and a waterproof seal 44 and a retainer 45 are accommodated therein. Further, three terminal accommodating chambers are formed side by side from the retainer 45, and female terminal fittings 43 to which the covered electric wires 42 are connected are respectively inserted into these terminal accommodating chambers.
A cap 50 is fitted to the front side end of the housing 41. The cap 50 is also formed of a synthetic resin material. The cap body 51 has a shape that can be fitted into the housing 41, and an engagement frame 51K that can enter the lock arm 41K of the housing 41 is formed on the upper surface portion thereof. .
And in the cap 50, the exclusive bus bar 52 shown to FIG. 9 (B) is integrally provided by insert molding. The dedicated bus bar 52 is formed by pressing a metal plate, and has three horizontal tabs 52T that can be inserted into the terminal fittings 43 in the housing 41. Therefore, when the cap main body 51 and the housing 41 are in a fitted state, the dedicated bus bar 52 is connected to the three terminal fittings 43 and is electrically connected between the terminal fittings.

JP-A-8-250185

<Problem of joint connector of Patent Document 1>
As shown in FIG. 10, the joint connector of Patent Document 1 requires a cap body 51, a dedicated bus bar 52, a waterproof seal 44, and a retainer 45, and has a problem that the number of parts increases.
Further, a structure for preventing the tab portion of the bus bar from being stuck when the cap body and the housing are fitted is necessary.
Furthermore, a strong engagement is required to increase the holding force of the terminal (ie to ensure that the terminal is prevented from coming out of the housing), which requires a large insertion force when the terminal is accommodated in the housing. I made it.
In addition, a structure for preventing terminal half-insertion is required.

<Object of the present invention>
The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks. The number of parts can be reduced, and there is no fear of the tub portion of the bus bar, and the terminal has a large holding force (prevention of disconnection), and the terminal is housed in the housing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a joint connector that has a small insertion force when housed in a terminal and can easily prevent half-insertion of a terminal.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the first invention of the present application is a plurality of terminals, a space that can accommodate the plurality of terminals in a contact state in parallel, and is inserted into the space. A housing provided with a terminal insertion port capable of moving the terminal laterally from one side wall side to the opposite side wall; and a terminal close to the one side wall among the plurality of terminals accommodated in the space; It is characterized by comprising a spring inserted between the one side wall and pressing the plurality of terminals against the opposite side wall in contact with each other.

A second invention of the present application is the first invention, wherein the terminal includes a concave portion in a lower part in a side view, the locking member is a long body having a convex cross section that enters the concave portion, and the terminal is the terminal. When the terminal is moved laterally while being inserted into the space of the housing from the insertion port and in contact with the regulating surface, the locking member enters the recess and the inner wall surface of the one side wall The locking member is formed at the bottom of the housing so that the terminal can move laterally to the inner wall surface of the opposite side wall.
The third invention of the present application is characterized in that, in the second invention, a groove having a width substantially equal to a lateral width of the terminal is formed along one side wall in the bottom portion of the housing.
A fourth invention of the present application is characterized in that, in the third invention, the restricting surface for restricting the tip position of the terminal is an inner wall surface of the back wall of the terminal accommodating chamber.

(1) According to the above configuration, since the terminal is only passed through the groove having the same width as the lateral width, the insertion force when the terminal is accommodated in the housing is reduced (low insertion force).
(2) Since the locking member is inserted into the recess formed in the lower part of the terminal, the terminal accommodated in the housing does not come out to the terminal insertion port side (prevention of disconnection).
(3) When the terminal is housed in the housing in a half-inserted state, the locking member cannot enter the recess formed in the lower portion of the terminal, so that the terminal cannot move laterally. The half-insertion state can be easily understood (prevention of the half-insertion state).
(4) Multiple types of joint connectors such as a 2-terminal to 4-terminal joint connector can be made with only a housing with a locking member inside and a J-shaped spring, so there is no need for a dedicated bus bar. The number of points is small (reducing the number of parts).
(5) In addition, since there is no dedicated bus bar to be inserted into the terminal, there is no worry about sticking of the tab portion of the dedicated bus bar (preventing stickiness).

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a joint connector according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the joint connector shown by cutting the housing of the joint connector of FIG. 1 at an intermediate height. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a first step of the assembly procedure of the joint connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention in which three terminals are incorporated. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a second step following the first step of FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a third step following the second step of FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a fourth step following the third step in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a fifth step following the fourth step in FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional perspective view of a joint connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention incorporating two terminals, and FIG. 8B is a third embodiment of the present invention incorporating four terminals. It is a section perspective view of the joint connector which concerns. 9A to 9C are conceptual diagrams of a joint connector in which a dedicated bus bar is inserted and electrically connected to each of a plurality of terminals. FIG. 9A shows two terminals, and FIG. FIG. 9C shows an example of five terminals. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the joint connector described in Patent Document 1 using a dedicated bus bar for commonly connecting the three terminals shown in FIG. 9B.

  Below, the number of parts is small, there is no worry about the tabs of the bus bar being stuck, the terminal has a large holding force (prevention of disconnection), and the insertion force when accommodating the terminal in the housing is small. A joint connector according to the present invention that can easily prevent half-insertion will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Components of Joint Connector According to the Present Invention>
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a joint connector according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the joint connector housing of FIG. 1 cut at an intermediate height. The joint connector according to the present invention comprises only a housing 10, a terminal 20, and a spring 30 as shown in FIG. 1, and is characterized by not having a dedicated bus bar as in Patent Document 1.
Below, the housing 10, the terminal 20, and the spring 30 are demonstrated based on FIG. 1 and FIG.

<Housing 10>
<< Shape of housing 10 >>
The housing 10 accommodates a required number of terminals inside and electrically connects all of the terminals. The housing 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped having a large hollow space inside which a plurality of terminals can be accommodated in contact. There is a wide terminal insertion slot into which the front wall is removed and the terminal 20 is inserted, and the other three side walls (that is, the back wall 10Z, the right wall 10R, and the left wall 10L) are the bottom 10B and the ceiling 10H. (FIG. 1) is connected and closed without gaps. In FIG. 2, a part of the back wall 10 </ b> Z is cut out, but this is a cut-out for indicating that the inner wall surface 10 </ b> D of the back wall 10 </ b> Z is vertical, and no cut-out actually exists.
<< Formation of locking member 10T inside >>
On the bottom 10B, a trapezoidal locking member 10T having a trapezoidal cross section is located at a predetermined distance (D1) from the inner wall surface 10D of the back wall 10Z in the direction of the terminal insertion port 10F, and the lateral width of the terminal 20 from the inner wall surface of the left wall 10L. It is formed in parallel with the back wall 10Z from the position where a gap having substantially the same width as (T1) is opened toward the inner wall surface of the right wall 10R.
The locking member 10T includes a locking surface 10K that stands vertically from the bottom 10B on the side facing the back wall 10Z, a horizontal surface 10S that extends parallel to the ceiling 10H on the side facing the ceiling 10H (FIG. 1), and a horizontal surface 10S. The engaging surface 10K has a shape composed of an inclined surface 10C that is inclined downward from the end portion to the bottom portion 10B, and the engaging surface 10K is engaged with an engaging portion 20K of a recess 20Q formed below a connecting portion 20B of the terminal 20 described later. Match. That is, the locking member 10T is a long body having a convex cross section that enters the recess 20Q.
<< Formation of groove 10M inside >>
The bottom portion 10B is formed such that the bottom portion 10B1 on the terminal insertion port 10F side is slightly higher than the bottom portion 10B2 of the back wall 10Z with the locking member 10T as a boundary, and the left wall 10L side of the bottom portion 10B1 is substantially the same as the lateral width (T1) of the terminal 20 A groove 10M having a width is formed.

<Terminal 20>
The terminal 20 is a female terminal manufactured by press-molding a conductive metal plate, and is electrically connected to the core wire of the electric wire at the tip of the electric wire and mechanically with an insulating outer coating surrounding the core wire. To be connected. For example, the terminal 20 has a tapered end at the insertion direction so that it can be easily inserted into the terminal insertion opening 10F of the housing 10, and has a substantially U-shape and a substantially B-shape in a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the insertion direction. As a scale-shaped terminal body, formed in the middle part of the cylinder part 20D, an electrical connection part 20H having a substantially rectangular shape in cross section as the front end part (tip part) in the insertion direction of the cylinder part 20D, and the cylinder part 20D 20C of core wire crimping | compression-bonding parts and outer covering crimping | compression-bonding part 20F formed in the back end vicinity of the insertion direction of cylinder part 20D are provided. In the drawing, the illustration of the electric wire is omitted, and the terminal 20 is shown in a shape before being connected to the electric wire.
The core wire crimping portion 20 </ b> C caulks the core wire of the electric wire to electrically connect the core wire of the electric wire and the terminal 20. A concave portion 20Q is formed in a lower side of the connecting portion 20B that connects the electrical connecting portion 20H and the core wire crimping portion 20C in a side view. In addition, the back side connection part 20G which connects them between the core wire crimping part 20C and the outer covering crimping part 20F is also formed.
The outer covering crimping portion 20F mechanically connects the electric wire and the terminal 20 by crimping an insulating outer covering that surrounds the core wire of the electric wire. A vertical locking portion 20K is formed in the portion of the electrical connection portion 20H that forms the portion on the distal end side in the insertion direction of the recess 20Q. And the length (D2) from the front-end | tip of the insertion direction of cylinder part 20D to the latching | locking part 20K of a rear end, and the distance (D1) from the inner wall surface 10D of the back wall 10Z to the latching surface 10K of the latching member 10T Is almost equal.
D1≈D2 (however, clearance is necessary between the two, so D1> D2)
From this relational expression, only when the terminal 20 is in contact with the inner wall surface 10D of the inner wall 10Z of the housing 10 through the groove 10M, the recess 20Q can be engaged with the locking member 10T, and the locking portion 20K is engaged. The locking member 10T can be locked by the locking surface 10K. Therefore, when the terminal 20 is not in contact with the inner wall surface 10D of the back wall 10Z of the housing 10, the locking portion 20K is not locked to the locking surface 10K.
If the locking portion 20K is locked by the locking surface 10K, the terminal 20 cannot be detached from the housing 10. Further, when the recess 20Q and the locking member 10T are engaged, the terminal 20 can move in the housing 10 in the lateral direction along the locking member 10T.

<Spring 30>
The spring 30 is an elastic metal piece formed in a substantially J shape, and includes a base portion 30B composed of a straight portion, a bent portion 30S, and a pressing contact portion 30P at the tip. When the lateral width T2 from the base 30B to the pressing contact portion 30P is T3, the distance between the inner wall surface of the left wall 10L and the inner wall surface of the right wall 10R is T3, and the lateral width of the terminal 20 is T1,
T2> T3-2 × T1
It is as.

<Assembly Method of Joint Connector According to Embodiment 1 of the Present Invention>
Next, a method for assembling the joint connector according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The first embodiment is a joint connector in which the three terminals 21 to 23 are accommodated in the housing 10 and all the three terminals 21 to 23 are electrically connected. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a first step of the assembly procedure of the joint connector according to the first embodiment.

<< Accommodating the first terminal >>
In FIG. 3, the locking member 10T is not formed in the portion of the groove 10M, and the width of the groove 10M is substantially equal to the lateral width of the terminal 21, so that the terminal 21 passes through the groove 10M to the back of the housing 10. Can be inserted with low insertion force. Therefore, first, when the first terminal 21 is passed through the groove 10M of the housing 10 and hits the inner wall surface 10D of the rear wall 10Z of the housing 10, the insertion does not proceed any further and the insertion stops here.
The trapezoidal cross section of the locking member 10T can enter the recess 20Q formed in the lower part in the side view of the terminal 20, and the length from the front end in the insertion direction of the cylinder 20D to the rear locking part 20K. Since (D2) and the distance (D1) from the rear wall 10Z to the locking surface 10K of the locking member 10T are substantially equal (D1≈D2 (however, D1> D2)), the depth of the housing 10 The terminal 20 accommodated in can be moved laterally along the locking member 10T.
Therefore, the terminal 21 ′ accommodated in contact with the inner wall surface 10D is moved laterally along the locking member 10T, stops in contact with the right wall 10R, and becomes the terminal 21 ″.

<Effect 1 of the present invention>
(1) As described above, according to the present invention, since the terminal 21 ′ is only passed through the groove 10M having a width substantially the same as the lateral width, the conventional engaging portion does not have a configuration over the fitting slope. The insertion force when the terminal is accommodated in the housing is reduced (low insertion force).
(2) Since the locking member 10T is inserted into the recess 20Q formed in the lower portion of the terminal 21 ″, the terminal 21 ″ once accommodated in the housing does not come out to the terminal insertion port 10F (FIG. 2) side. (Preventing omission).
(3) When the terminal 21 is half inserted into the housing 10, the locking member 10 </ b> T is obstructed and cannot move laterally, so that the half inserted state of the terminal 21 can be easily understood.

<< Second terminal accommodation >>
Next, in FIG. 4, the second terminal 22 is passed through the groove 10M of the housing 10 and applied to the inner wall surface 10D of the inner wall 10Z of the housing 10, and then the terminal 22 ′ is laterally moved along the locking member 10T. It is moved in the direction, and abuts against the side surface of the already inserted terminal 21 to stop and becomes a terminal 22 ″.

<< 3rd terminal accommodation >>
Similarly, in FIG. 5, the third terminal 23 is passed through the groove 10M of the housing 10 and applied to the inner wall surface 10D of the inner wall 10Z of the housing 10, and then the terminal 23 ′ is moved along the locking member 10T. It is moved laterally, and its side surface comes into contact with the side surface of the terminal 22 already inserted to stop and becomes a terminal 23 ″.

《Spring housing》
Finally, the spring 30 is accommodated as shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, when the pressing contact portion 30P at the tip of the spring 30 is pressed against the base 30B side and passed through the groove 10M (FIG. 2) of the housing 10, the pressing contact portion 30P at the tip of the spring 30 is in the groove 10M. It is inserted in the back in the state accommodated in. When the pressing contact portion 30P at the tip of the spring 30 passes by the side of the locking member 10T, the groove 10M disappears, so that the pressing contact portion 30P at the tip of the spring 30 expands from the base 30B as shown in FIG. It moves in the housing 10 in the lateral direction and comes into contact with the cylindrical portion 20D of the terminal 23 and stops. In this state, since the terminal 23 is pressed in the direction of the right wall 10R by the spring 30, the terminal 23 presses the terminal 22 and the terminal 21 in the direction of the right wall 10R, and finally the terminals 21, 22, and 23 are in contact with each other. To be electrically connected.

<Completion of joint connector>
Thus, according to the present invention, the housing 10 having the locking member 10T therein can be provided without the dedicated bus bar 3B (FIG. 9B) for connecting the three terminals as in Patent Document 1. A joint connector that electrically connects the three terminals 21, 22, and 23 can be made using only the J-shaped spring 30.

<Effect 2 of the present invention>
(4) In this way, according to the present invention, a three-terminal joint connector can be made only by the housing 10 having the locking member 10T provided therein and the J-shaped spring 30, so the number of parts is small. I'll do it.
(5) Moreover, since the exclusive bus bar 3B (FIG. 9 (B)) for 3 terminal connection like patent document 1 is not used, there is no worry of the tab part of a bus bar sticking.

<Example 2: Joint connector with two terminals>
In Example 2 of the present invention, a joint connector that electrically connects two terminals can be made without the dedicated bus bar 3A (FIG. 9A) for connecting two terminals disclosed in Patent Document 1. .
FIG. 8A shows an example of a joint connector that electrically connects two terminals.
First, the first terminal 21 is accommodated in the housing 10 as described in FIG. 3, and then the second terminal 22 is accommodated in the housing 10 as described in FIG. When the spring 30 is housed in the housing 10 as described with reference to FIG. 6, the two-terminal housing joint connector shown in FIG. 8A is obtained.

<Example 3: 4-terminal joint connector>
In Embodiment 3 of the present invention, a joint connector that electrically connects four terminals can be made in the same manner. FIG. 8B shows an example of a joint connector that electrically connects four terminals.
First, the first terminal 21 is accommodated in the housing 10 as described in FIG. 3, and then the second terminal 22 is accommodated in the housing 10 as described in FIG. In addition, the third terminal 23 is accommodated in the housing 10 as described in FIG. 5, and the fourth terminal 24 is accommodated in the housing 10 in the same manner as described in FIG. Finally, when the spring 30 is accommodated in the housing 10 as described in FIG. 6, the four-terminal accommodating joint connector of FIG. 8B is obtained.

<Summary>
(1) As described above, according to the present invention, since the terminal is only passed through the groove having the same width as the lateral width, the insertion force when the terminal is accommodated in the housing is reduced (lower insertion force).
(2) Since the locking member is inserted into the recess formed in the lower part of the terminal, the terminal accommodated in the housing does not come out to the terminal insertion port side (prevention of disconnection).
(3) When the terminal is housed in the housing in a half-inserted state, the locking member cannot enter the recess formed in the lower portion of the terminal, so that the terminal cannot move laterally. The half-insertion state can be easily understood (prevention of the half-insertion state).
(4) Multiple types of joint connectors such as a 2-terminal to 4-terminal joint connector can be made with only a housing with a locking member inside and a J-shaped spring, so there is no need for a dedicated bus bar. The number of points is small (reducing the number of parts).
(5) In addition, since there is no dedicated bus bar to be inserted into the terminal, there is no worry about sticking of the tab portion of the dedicated bus bar (preventing stickiness).

10 housing 10B bottom 10B1 first bottom (inlet side)
10B2 2nd bottom part (back side)
10C Inclined surface 10D Internal wall surface 10F Terminal insertion port 10H Ceiling 10K Locking surface 10L One side wall (left wall)
10M Groove 10R The other side wall (right wall)
10S Horizontal plane 10T Locking member 10Z Back wall 20 Terminal 20B Connecting part 20C Core wire crimping part 20D Tube part 20F Outer covering crimping part 20G Rear side connecting part 20H Electrical connection part 20K Locking part 20Q Recess 30 Spring 30B Base 30P Press contact part 30S Bent part

Claims (4)

  A plurality of terminals, a space large enough to accommodate the plurality of terminals in parallel, and the terminal inserted in the space can be moved laterally from one side wall to the opposite side wall. A housing provided with a terminal insertion port, and a plurality of terminals accommodated in the space, the terminals being interposed between the terminal close to the one side wall and the one side wall, the plurality of terminals being in contact with each other A joint connector comprising a spring that presses against the side wall.   The terminal is provided with a concave portion in a lower part in a side view, the locking member is a long body having a convex cross section that enters the concave portion, and the terminal is inserted into the space of the housing from the terminal insertion port. When the terminal is moved laterally while being in contact with the regulating surface, the locking member enters the recess and laterally extends from the inner wall surface of the one side wall to the inner wall surface of the opposite side wall. The joint connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is formed at the bottom of the housing so that the terminal can move.   The joint connector according to claim 2, wherein a groove having a width substantially equal to a lateral width of the terminal is formed along the one side wall in the bottom portion of the housing.   The joint connector according to claim 3, wherein the restricting surface that restricts the tip position of the terminal is an inner wall surface of the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber.

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