JP2012216344A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To securely hold a terminal fitting by a lance.SOLUTION: A connector 10 comprises a housing 20 having a cavity 21 in which a terminal fitting 80 can be inserted from a rear side; and a lance 40 which has a form projecting forward from an inner wall of the cavity 21 in the housing 20 in a cantilever state, abuts on the terminal fitting 80 to be bent and deformed in a process for inserting the terminal fitting 80 into the cavity 21, and locks to the terminal fitting 80 from a rear side to hold the terminal fitting 80 while preventing slipping off, in a state that the terminal fitting 80 is regularly inserted in the cavity 21. On the inner wall of the cavity 21 in the housing 20, a regulating portion 29 abutting on the lance 40 to regulate further bending action when the lance 40 is bent and deformed in the opposite direction to the bending/deforming direction in the insertion process of the terminal fitting 80 is formed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  The connector described in Patent Document 1 includes a housing having a cavity, and a lance formed so as to be able to bend on the inner wall of the cavity in the housing. The lance is configured to project in a cantilevered manner from the lower surface of the inner wall of the cavity in the housing. A locking projection protrudes upward from the tip of the lance. A terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity of the housing from the rear. During the insertion process, the lance is bent and deformed when the terminal fitting comes into contact with the locking projection.When the insertion is properly inserted, the lance is displaced upward in the return direction, and the locking projection is engaged with the terminal fitting from the rear. The terminal fitting is held in the cavity so as to be prevented from coming off.

JP 2006-236678 A

  By the way, in the above conventional connector, when the electric wire connected to the terminal fitting is pulled backward, the locking projection is retracted together with the terminal fitting, and the tip of the lance is forcibly lifted upward, which is the worst case. There was a possibility that the root part of the lance would buckle. As a result, the function of holding the terminal fitting may be impaired.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to ensure that the terminal fitting is held.

  As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes a housing having a cavity into which a terminal fitting can be inserted from the rear, and a form protruding in a cantilevered manner from the inner wall of the cavity in the housing. In the process in which the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity, the terminal fitting comes into contact with the terminal fitting to bend and deform, and in the state in which the terminal fitting is normally inserted into the cavity, the terminal fitting is displaced in the return direction and A connector provided with a lance for retaining the terminal fitting from the rear, wherein the lance is bent on the inner wall of the cavity in a direction opposite to the direction in which the lance is bent and deformed in the insertion process of the terminal fitting. It has a feature in that a restricting part is formed to abut against this lance when it tries to deform and restrict further bending movement .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the restriction portion is configured to extend along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting, and the terminal fitting in the insertion process is slidably supported by the restriction portion. It has features in some places.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the one according to the first or second aspect, the restricting portion protrudes from both side surfaces of the inner wall of the cavity in the housing and extends rearward from the front end of the housing. It has the characteristics.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, a pair of abutting portions that abut against the regulating portion are formed on both side edges of the tip portion of the lance so as to protrude. It has the characteristics in the place.

  The invention of claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 4, the abutting portion is disposed in front of a locking portion for locking the terminal fitting in the lance.

<Invention of Claim 1>
If a backward pulling force acts on the terminal fitting, the lance tends to bend and deform in a direction opposite to the direction in which the terminal fitting is bent and deformed, but according to the present invention, the lance is bent and deformed in the opposite direction. The restricting portion comes into contact with the lance, and further bending operation of the lance is restricted. Therefore, the situation where the lance buckles is avoided, and the terminal fitting is securely held in the cavity.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the terminal fitting in the insertion process is slidably supported by the restricting portion, the terminal fitting is surely brought to the proper insertion position. In this case, the overall configuration is simplified as compared with the case where the guide structure of the terminal fitting is formed separately from the restricting portion.

<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the restricting portion protrudes from both sides of the inner wall of the cavity of the housing and extends rearward from the front end of the housing, the terminal fitting is securely slidably supported by the restricting portion, and the rigidity of the restricting portion itself is increased. It is done.

<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the contact portion is formed so as to protrude from both side edges of the tip portion of the lance, the locking structure of the lance is prevented from being restricted by the contact portion.

<Invention of Claim 5>
Since the contact portion is disposed in front of the locking portion for locking the terminal fitting at the lance, the contact portion firmly contacts the restriction portion at a portion where the force moment is large. Therefore, the lance is reliably prevented from being bent and deformed in the reverse direction.

It is sectional drawing of the side view direction of the connector which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the side view direction of the connector before a terminal metal fitting is inserted. It is sectional drawing of the planar view direction of the cavity of a housing. It is sectional drawing of the front view direction of the cavity of the housing in which the terminal metal fitting was inserted. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is an expansion perspective view of a lance, a contact part, and a control part.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector 10 according to this embodiment includes a housing 20, a lance 40, and a terminal fitting 80. The housing 20 can be fitted with a mating housing (not shown). In the following description, in the front-rear direction, the fitting surface side with the mating housing is the front.

  The terminal fitting 80 is made of a conductive metal and has a cylindrical box portion 81 and a crimping portion 82 connected to the rear of the box portion 81 as shown in FIG. The crimping portion 82 includes an open barrel-shaped wire barrel 83 that is caulked and connected to the core wire 91 at the terminal portion of the electric wire 90, and an open barrel-shaped insulation barrel 84 that is caulked and connected to the coating 84 of the electric wire 90. As shown in FIG. 4, a flexible elastic contact piece 85 is formed in the box portion 81. When the male tab 101 of the male terminal fitting 100 attached to the mating housing is inserted into the box portion 81 from the front along with the fitting of both housings, the male tab 101 elastically contacts the elastic contact piece 85, Thereby, both terminal fittings 80 and 100 are electrically connected. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a locking projection 86 is formed on the lower surface of the box portion 81.

  The housing 20 is made of a synthetic resin and has a block shape as a whole. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 20 is formed with a cavity 21 extending in the front-rear direction. The cavity 21 is configured to open to the rear surface of the housing 20, and the terminal fitting 80 is inserted from the rear through the opening. Further, a front wall 22 capable of pre-stopping the terminal fitting 80 is formed in front of the cavity 21.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the front wall 22 is formed with a tab insertion hole 23 into which the male tab 101 can be inserted. Further, the front wall 22 is formed with a punching hole 24 that opens as the lance 40 is punched. As shown in FIG. 4, the lance 40 is visible from the front through the die-cutting hole 24. As shown in FIG. 2, the front wall 22 is disposed so as to protrude forward from the opening surface of the die hole 24.

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 2, the lance 40 is integrally formed on the lower surface of the inner wall of the cavity 21 in the housing 20. Specifically, the lance 40 protrudes from the base end portion 41 protruding from the lower surface of the inner wall of the cavity 21, the main body portion 42 protruding in a cantilevered manner from the front end of the base end portion 41, and the upper surface of the main body portion 42. The latching | locking part 43 was made. The base end portion 41 is configured to extend in a rib shape from the rear end portion of the cavity 21 to the substantially central portion. The upper surface of the base end portion 41 is composed of a slope 44 that is inclined upward from the rear end to the front, and a flat surface 45 that extends substantially horizontally from the upper end to the front end of the slope 44. The main body portion 42 is connected to the upper part of the front end of the base end portion 41 and can be bent and deformed in the vertical direction (height direction) with the connecting position as a fulcrum.

  The rear surface of the locking portion 43 is a guide surface 46 that is inclined upward from the front end of the flat surface 45 of the base end portion 41 when the main body portion 42 is in a natural state. Further, the front surface of the locking portion 43 is a reverse tapered locking surface 47 that protrudes forward from the lower end to the upper end when the main body portion 42 is in a natural state. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, both side surfaces of the locking portion 43 are continuously arranged on the both side surfaces of the main body portion 42 without a step in the height direction. The base end portion 41, the main body portion 42, and the locking portion 43 are all formed with substantially the same width over the entire length in the front-rear direction.

  Now, a pair of contact portions 48 are formed to protrude from both side edges of the tip of the lance 40 (main end). Both abutting portions 48 each have a rectangular plate shape and are disposed in front of the locking portion 43. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the rear ends of both contact portions 48 are arranged at substantially the same front and rear positions as the locking surface 47, and the front ends of both contact portions 48 are the front ends (lances 40) of the main body portion 42. It is arranged at the same front and rear position as the entire front end). More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the front surfaces of both contact portions 48 are continuously arranged in the width direction without any step in the front surface of the main body portion 42, and the upper surfaces of both contact portions 48 are the locking surfaces 47. It is arranged one step down from the upper surface of the main body portion 42 located further forward.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of restricting portions 29 are formed on both side surfaces of the inner wall of the cavity 21 in the housing 20 so as to protrude inward. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the two restricting portions 29 are each formed in a rib shape extending in the front-rear direction, and are arranged substantially horizontally from the opening surface of the die punching hole 24 at the front end of the housing 20 to the substantially central portion of the housing 20. Has been. The rear end portions of the restricting portions 29 are arranged at positions where they overlap with the contact portions 48 and above (the direction opposite to the direction in which the lance 40 is bent and deformed in the process of inserting the terminal fitting 80 into the cavity 21). ing. Specifically, the rear end portions of both restricting portions 29 are arranged to face the upper end portions of both abutting portions 48 with a very slight gap when the lance 40 is in a natural state. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, both the restricting portions 29 are arranged on both sides in the width direction across the locking portion 43 of the lance 40 and at a position that divides the cavity 21 and the punching hole 24. .

Next, the function and effect of the connector 10 according to this embodiment will be described.
A terminal fitting 80 with an electric wire 90 is inserted into the cavity 21 of the housing 20 from behind. In the process of inserting the terminal fitting 80, the lower end of the box portion 81 slides on the guide surface 46 of the lance 40, and the main body portion 42 of the lance 40 is bent and deformed downward. When the terminal fitting 80 is properly inserted, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the main body portion 42 is displaced upward in the return direction, and the locking portion 43 is moved to the locking protrusion 86 of the terminal fitting 80 from the rear. It is arranged so that it can be locked. As a result, the terminal fitting 80 is held in the cavity 21 so as not to come off. Further, in the process of inserting the terminal fitting 80, both lower edge portions of the box portion 81 are slidably guided to the both regulating portions 29. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the terminal fitting 80 is properly inserted, both edge portions of the lower surface of the box portion 81 are abutted and supported by the restricting portions 29 from below.

  Thereafter, when the electric wire 90 is pulled rearward, the main body portion 42 is rearwardly raised and lifted upward, and the base portion of the main body portion 42 may be buckled. However, according to this embodiment, even if the main body portion 42 is lifted upward due to the pulling of the electric wire 90, both the abutting portions 48 abut on the both restricting portions 29 from below, Further bending operations are restricted. Therefore, a situation where the base portion of the main body 42 is buckled is avoided. As a result, the terminal fitting 80 is securely held at the normal insertion position in the cavity 21 of the housing 20.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the terminal fitting 80 in the insertion process is slidably supported by the restricting portion 29, the terminal fitting 80 is surely brought to the regular insertion position. In this case, the entire structure of the housing 20 is simplified rather than the guide structure of the terminal fitting 80 being formed separately from the restricting portion 29.

  Further, since the restricting portion 29 protrudes from both side surfaces of the inner wall of the cavity 21 in the housing 20 and extends rearward from the front end of the housing 20, the terminal fitting 80 is reliably slidably supported by the restricting portion 29. The rigidity of the restricting portion 29 is increased.

  Further, since the abutment portion 48 is formed so as to protrude from both side edges of the tip portion of the lance 40, the locking structure of the lance 40 is prevented from being restricted by the abutment portion 48. Further, since the contact portion 48 is disposed in front of the locking portion 43 that locks the terminal fitting 80 in the lance 40, the contact portion 48 firmly contacts the restriction portion 29 at a portion where the force moment is large. It will be. Therefore, the lance 40 is reliably prevented from being bent and deformed in the opposite direction.

<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) It is also possible to omit the abutting portion that protrudes laterally from both side edges of the lance. In this case, for example, the restricting portion may be protruded to a position overlapping with the tip portion of the lance in the vertical direction so as to be able to come into contact with the tip portion of the lance.
(2) The contact portion may be disposed at a position overlapping the locking portion in the front-rear direction.
(3) The restriction portion may be formed short only in a portion that interferes with the contact portion.
(4) The terminal fitting may be a male terminal fitting having a male tab.
(5) One restriction part may be formed on the inner wall of the cavity.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector 20 ... Housing 21 ... Cavity 29 ... Restriction part 40 ... Lance 48 ... Contact part 80 ... Terminal metal fitting 86 ... Locking protrusion

Claims (5)

A housing having a cavity into which the terminal fitting can be inserted from behind;
The housing is configured to protrude forward from the inner wall of the cavity in a cantilevered manner, and in the process of inserting the terminal fitting into the cavity, the housing is bent and deformed in contact with the terminal fitting. In a state in which the terminal fitting is properly inserted, the connector is provided with a lance that is displaced in a return direction and holds the terminal fitting from behind.
The inner wall of the cavity in the housing is in contact with the lance when the lance tries to bend and deform in a direction opposite to the direction in which the terminal fitting is deformed during the insertion process, and further bending operation is restricted. A connector characterized in that a regulating portion is formed.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the restricting portion is configured to extend along an insertion direction of the terminal fitting, and the terminal fitting in the insertion process is slidably supported by the restricting portion.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the restricting portion protrudes from both side surfaces of the inner wall of the cavity in the housing and extends rearward from the front end of the housing.   The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a pair of abutting portions that abut against the restricting portion are formed on both side edges of the tip portion of the lance so as to protrude.   The connector according to claim 4, wherein the contact portion is disposed in front of a locking portion that locks the terminal fitting in the lance.

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