JP2013025875A - Connector fitting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector fitting structure in which fixing of a male housing to a female housing in an incomplete state is suppressed, and it can be determined whether they are properly fitted or not from appearances.SOLUTION: This connector fitting structure includes a male connector 2 having a male housing 20, a female connector 3 having a female housing 30, and a bolt 4 for restricting movement of the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 in their separating direction. The male housing 20 has a nut member 23, in which a screw hole 23c extending perpendicularly to the fitting direction with the female housing 30 is formed, on the outside surface of a body part 20a, and the bolt 4 has a thread part 41 threadedly engaged with the screw hole 23c and a head part 42 formed at one end of the thread part 41. A through hole 30c in which the thread part 41c of the bolt 4 is inserted in communication with the thread part 23c and the head part 42 cab be housed when the female housing 30 is fitted with the male housing 20 is formed in the female housing.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector fitting structure between a male connector and a female connector, and more particularly to a bolted connector fitting structure.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a bolt-tight connector fitting structure in which a male-side housing on a male connector side and a female-side housing on a female connector are fitted by tightening bolts (see Patent Document 1).

  The bolt-clamped connector fitting structure described in Patent Document 1 includes a male connector and a female connector by screwing a bolt rotatably supported by a female-side housing into a nut portion provided in the male-side housing. And are configured to be fitted. The extending direction of the central axis of this bolt and the nut portion is parallel to the fitting direction of the male connector and the female connector.

JP 2011-86461 A JP 2011-113944 A

  With this bolt-tightened connector mating structure, even if the male connector and female connector are incompletely fitted, that is, even if the bolt is not fully tightened, it is immediately recognized from the appearance of the connector. I can't. Therefore, in order to confirm whether or not the fitting is properly performed, it is necessary to rotate the bolt with a driver or the like to check whether the bolt is loose.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, that is, to solve the problems unique to a bolt-clamped connector fitting structure. The object of the present invention is to avoid a male housing and a female housing. An object of the present invention is to provide a connector fitting structure capable of suppressing the fixation in a completely fitted state and determining from the appearance whether or not the fitting is properly performed.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a male connector in which a male connection terminal is disposed in a male housing, a female connector in which a female connection terminal is disposed in a female housing, and the male housing. A connector fitting that includes a regulating member that regulates movement of the female housing in a direction away from the female housing, wherein the male connection terminal and the female connection terminal are connected by fitting the male housing with the female housing. The male housing has a concave portion extending in a direction intersecting with a fitting direction with the female housing on an outer surface of a main body portion that accommodates the male side connection terminal, and the regulating member is A shaft portion that is inserted into and fixed to the concave portion and a head portion formed at one end of the shaft portion, and the female housing is fitted with the male housing when the female housing is fitted to the male housing, Concave Through hole makes it possible to accommodate the head with inserting the shaft portion of the regulating member in communication are formed as to provide a connector fitting structure.

  The concave portion is a screw hole extending in a direction intersecting a fitting direction of the male housing and the female housing, and a screw thread that is screwed into the screw hole is formed in the shaft portion of the restricting member. It is good to be.

  Moreover, the shape of the engaging part with which the tool for rotating the said limitation member engages the said restriction member is good in the shape which can prevent the rotation by a general purpose tool.

  According to the connector fitting structure according to the present invention, the male housing and the female housing are suppressed from being fixed in an incomplete fitting state, and whether or not the fitting is properly performed is determined from the appearance. It becomes possible.

The structural example of the connector apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is shown with the volt | bolt as a retaining member, (a) is a perspective view which shows the state before fitting, (b) shows the state after fitting. The example of a structure of a male connector is shown, (a) is an upper surface part, (b) is a left view, (c) is a front view, (d) is a right view, (e) is the AA line of (b). It is sectional drawing. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of a nut member. Fig. 3 shows a configuration example of a female connector, (a) is an upper surface portion, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a front view, (d) is a right side view, and (e) is a BB line of (b). It is sectional drawing. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of a volt | bolt. The fitting structure of the connector apparatus of the state which fitted the male connector and the female connector is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is CC sectional view taken on the line of (a), (c) is (b). FIG. The procedure of fitting and retaining work between the male housing and the female housing is shown, (a) shows a state before fitting, (b) shows a state in the middle of fitting, and (c) shows a state where fitting is completed. (D) is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the volt | bolt was fixed to the nut member, respectively. (A) is a top view which shows the shape of the engaging part of the volt | bolt which concerns on embodiment, (b)-(f) is a top view which shows the modification of the shape of an engaging part.

[Embodiment]
The present embodiment of the present invention and its modifications will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a connector device according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a bolt as a regulating member, (a) is a perspective view showing a state before fitting, and (b) is a perspective view showing a state after fitting. It is.

  The connector device 1 is used, for example, for relaying an electric wiring between an electric motor as a drive source of a vehicle and an inverter and supplying a current for generating torque in the electric motor.

  The connector device 1 includes a male connector 2 and a female connector 3. The male connector 2 includes a male housing 20 and male side connection terminals 21 a and 21 b (described later) disposed in the male housing 20. The female connector 3 has a female housing 30 and female-side connection terminals 31 a and 31 b (described later) arranged in the female housing 30. The male housing 20 and the female housing 30 are made of an insulating resin such as PBT (polybutylene terephthalate).

  A part of the outer surface of the male housing 20 is accommodated in the female housing 30 and is fitted to the female housing 30. Further, the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 are prevented from coming off by a bolt 4 as a restricting member. Details of the configuration of the bolt 4 and the retaining mechanism using the bolt 4 will be described later.

(Configuration of male connector 2)
2A and 2B show a configuration example of the male connector 2. FIG. 2A is a top view, FIG. 2B is a left side view, FIG. 2C is a front view, FIG. 2D is a right side view, and FIG. It is an AA sectional view taken on the line.

  The male housing 20 is disposed on the outer surface of the main body portion 20a and the main body portion 20a for accommodating one end portions of the male side connection terminals 21a and 21b and the electric wires 22a and 22b connected to the male side connection terminals 21a and 21b, respectively. The nut member 23 has a holding portion 20 b that is formed integrally with the main body portion 20 a and holds the nut member 23. Further, the male connection terminals 21a and 21b are formed in a flat plate at the tip.

One end of the body portion 20a is closed by closing member 20a _1. Closing member 20a ₁ is wire 22a, 2 two insertion holes for inserting the 22b is formed and holds the wire 22a, a 22b. Inside the closing member 20a _1, sealing member 24 for sealing is disposed between the wires 22a, 22b and the main body portion 20a.

The holding portion 20b is erected on the outer surface of the main body portion 20a so as to face each other, and the fitting direction between the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 (the directions of arrows D ₁ and D ₂ shown in FIG. 1A). A pair of side walls 20b ₁ and 20b ₂ extending in parallel with each other, a bridge portion 20b ₃ connecting one end of each of the pair of side walls 20b ₁ and 20b ₂ , and a pair of side walls 20b ₁ and 20b. ₂ and a bridge portion 20b ₄ connecting the other ends of the _two .

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of the nut member 23. The nut member 23 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape so that the fitting direction is the longitudinal direction. The upper surface 23a of the nut member 23 (the surface on the opposite side of the lower surface 23b that faces the outer surface of the main body 20a of the male housing 20 when held by the holding portion 20b) protrudes in a direction intersecting the fitting direction. projection 23a ₁ are formed. The nut member 23 is made of, for example, aluminum or an iron-based metal material.

  Further, the nut member 23 is formed with a screw hole 23c as a recess extending from the upper surface 23a toward the lower surface 23b. A female screw is formed on the inner surface of the screw hole 23c. In the present embodiment, the screw hole 23c is formed so as to penetrate from the upper surface 23a to the lower surface 23b and extend in a direction intersecting perpendicularly to the fitting direction.

Further, a step portion 23 d is formed at one end of the nut member 23 in the longitudinal direction. The nut member 23 is formed such that the length in the longitudinal direction of the portion on the lower surface 23b side from the step portion 23d is longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of the portion on the upper surface 23a side from the step portion 23d. Step surface 23d ₁ of the stepped portion 23d is formed in parallel to the upper surface 23a and lower surface 23b.

As shown in FIG. 2 (e), the nut member 23 is held in the holding portion 20b, the stepped surface 23d ₁ faces the bridges 20b _3, the upper surface 23a is opposed to the bridge portion 20b _4. The bridge portion 20b ₃ is in contact with the step portion 23d and restricts the movement of the nut member 23 to one side in the longitudinal direction (side facing the female housing 30). Further, projections 23a ₁ formed on the upper surface 23a is engaged with the bridge portion 20b _4, movement is regulated by the engaging the other longitudinal side of the nut member 23 (wire 22a, 22b side).

The nut member 23 is inserted between the pair of side walls 20b ₁ and 20b ₂ so that the step portion 23d passes between the main body portion 20a of the male housing 20 and the bridge portion 20b _4, and the protrusion 23a ₁ is inserted into the bridge portion 20b. ₄ is held by the holding portion 20b.

(Configuration of female connector 3)
4A and 4B show a configuration example of the female connector 3. FIG. 4A is a top view, FIG. 4B is a left side view, FIG. 4C is a front view, FIG. 4D is a right side view, and FIG. FIG.

  The female housing 30 houses the female side connection terminals 31a and 31b and the main body part 30a that houses one end of the electric wires 32a and 32b connected to the female side connection terminals 31a and 31b, respectively, and a part of the male housing 20. And a cover 30b. The cover 30b may accommodate the entire male housing 20. The female-side connection terminals 31a and 31b are formed in a cylindrical shape in which the tip portions that come into contact with the male-side connection terminals 21a and 21b accommodate the male-side connection terminals 21a and 21b.

One end of the body portion 30a is closed by closing member 30a _1. Closing member 30a ₁ is wire 32a, 2 two insertion holes for inserting the 32b is formed and holds the wire 32a, a 32b. Inside the closing member 30a _1, sealing member 33 for sealing between the electrical wire 32a, 32b and the main body portion 30a is disposed.

  The cover portion 30b has a through hole 30c that communicates with the screw hole 23c of the nut member 23 when the female housing 30 is fitted to the male housing 20. More specifically, the through hole 30c is formed at a position where the screw hole 23c and the central axis are in communication with each other when the fitting between the female housing 30 and the male housing 20 is completed. Here, the state in which the fitting is completed means a state in which the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 are relatively moved until they face each other in the fitting direction.

  The through hole 30c is formed as a round hole having an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter (valley diameter) of the screw hole 23c. That is, it is possible to face the entire screw hole 23c from the outside of the cover portion 30b in a state where the fitting between the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 is completed.

(Configuration of bolt 4)
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the bolt 4.

  The bolt 4 has a screw portion 41 as a shaft portion that is inserted into the screw hole 23 c and fixed to the nut member 23, and a head portion 42 formed at one end of the screw portion 41. The head portion 42 is formed with an engaging portion 43 with which a tool for rotating the bolt 4 is engaged. The head portion 42 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the screw portion 41. The bolt 4 is made of, for example, aluminum or an iron-based metal material. The outer diameter of the head portion 42 may be equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the screw portion 41.

  On the outer peripheral surface of the screw portion 41, a spiral thread 41a corresponding to the screw pitch and the inner diameter of the screw hole 23c is formed. In the present embodiment, the length of the screw portion 41 in the direction of the central axis C is formed to be equal to the depth of the screw hole 23c, but the length of the screw portion 41 may be shorter than the depth of the screw hole 23c. .

  An engaging portion 43 having a shape that can prevent rotation by a general-purpose tool is formed on one end surface 42a of the head portion 42 (the end surface opposite to the screw portion 41). Here, the general-purpose tool is, for example, a Phillips screwdriver (cross screwdriver: refer to JISB4633), a flathead screwdriver (screwdriver for slotted screw: refer to JISB4609), or a hex wrench (hexagon stick spanner: refer to JISB4648). A tool that can be used by inserting a portion into a hole formed in a pivoted member, or a tool that can clamp an object such as a plier, and that can be easily obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the engaging portion 43 is formed in a square hole having a rectangular inner surface in a cross section perpendicular to the central axis C of the bolt 4 and having a predetermined depth in the central axis C direction. The bolt 4 can be rotated by a dedicated tool having a quadrangular columnar tip corresponding to the shape of the engaging portion 43.

(Fitting structure between male connector 2 and female connector 3)
6 shows a fitting structure of the connector device 1 in a state where the male connector 2 and the female connector 3 are fitted, (a) is a top view, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of (a), (C) is the elements on larger scale of the D section of (b).

  The male side connection terminal 21 a and the female side connection terminal 31 a, and the male side connection terminal 21 b and the female side connection terminal 31 b are electrically connected by fitting the male housing 20 and the female housing 30, respectively.

In a state where the male connector 2 and the female connector 3 is fitted, the cover portion 30b of the female housing 30 houses a portion of the stepped portion 23d side of the projection 23a ₁ of the nut member 23. The portion accommodated in the cover portion 30b includes a screw hole 23c.

  The bolt 4 is fixed to the nut member 23 with the screw portion 41 screwed into the screw hole 23 c of the nut member 23. The threaded portion 41 passes through the through hole 30c in the direction intersecting the fitting direction between the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 from the outer surface of the cover portion 30b (in the present embodiment, the direction orthogonal to the fitting direction). It is inserted into the screw hole 23c and screwed into the screw hole 23c by turning with a tool.

As shown in FIG. 6C, the inner diameter of the through hole 30c is formed slightly larger than the outer diameter of the head portion 42 of the bolt 4, and the head portion 42 of the bolt 4 has a part on the threaded portion 41 side. It is accommodated in the through hole 30c. In this state, the outer peripheral surface 42b of the head 42 is in the inner surface 30c ₁ and the opposing through-hole 30c.

When an external force that relatively moves the male connector 2 and the female connector 3 in the anti-fitting direction (in the directions of arrows D ₃ and D ₄ shown in FIG. 1A) in a state where the bolt 4 is fixed to the nut member 23, and the inner surface 30c ₁ of the outer peripheral surface 42b and the through hole 30c of the head 42 abuts to restrict the relative movement in the non-fitting direction of the male housing 20 and the female housing 30. As a result, the movement of the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 in a direction away from each other is restricted, and the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 are prevented from coming off.

Thus, when the female housing 30 is fitted to the male housing 20, the through hole 30 c communicates with the screw hole 23 c of the nut member 23 to insert the shaft portion 41 of the bolt 4, and the inner surface 30 c ₁ thereof. The head 42 can be accommodated facing the outer peripheral surface 42 b of the head 42.

(Procedure for fitting and retaining the male housing 20 and the female housing 30)
Next, an example of procedures for fitting and retaining the male housing 20 (male connector 2) and the female housing 30 (female connector 3) will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 shows a procedure for fitting and retaining work between the male housing 20 and the female housing 30, wherein (a) shows a state before fitting, (b) shows a state in the middle of fitting, (c) shows (D) shows the state in which the bolt 4 is fixed to the nut member 23, respectively. 7B to 7D, the outlines of the nut member 23 and the holding portion 20b in the portion covered by the cover portion 30b of the female housing 30 are indicated by broken lines.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7A, the male housing 20 in which the nut member 23 is held in advance by the holding portion 20 b is opposed to the opening side of the cover portion 30 b of the female housing 30.

  Next, as shown in FIG.7 (b), the end of the male housing 20 is inserted inside the cover part 30b. In the incomplete fitting state, at least a part of the screw hole 23c of the nut member 23 is shielded by the cover portion 30b.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7C, when the fitting between the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 is completed, the screw hole 23c is disposed at the center of the through hole 30c, and the through hole 30c and the screw hole 23c Communicate. That is, the central axis of the through hole 30c and the central axis of the screw hole 23c substantially coincide with each other, and the entire screw hole 23c can be seen from the outside of the female housing 30 through the through hole 30c.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7D, in a state where the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 are completely fitted, the bolt 4 is rotated by a tool to screw the screw portion 41 into the screw hole 23c. Thereby, a part of the head 42 of the bolt 4 is accommodated in the through hole 30c, and the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 are prevented from coming off.

(Operation and effect of the embodiment)
According to the present embodiment described above, the following operations and effects can be obtained.

(1) Since the female housing 30 shields a part of the screw hole 23c with the cover portion 30b in the middle of the mating with the male housing 20, the bolt 4 is fixed to the nut member 23 in this state. Can be prevented. Further, when the centers of the through hole 30c and the screw hole 23c are deviated, an operator who tries to fix the bolt 4 can easily recognize the deviation between the through hole 30c and the screw hole 23c. Measures such as fixing the bolt 4 after completing the fitting with the female housing 30 can be taken. As described above, it is possible to prevent the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 from being fixed by the bolts 4 in a state where the fitting between the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 is insufficient.

(2) If the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 are not properly fitted, the bolt 4 can fix the shaft portion 41 to the nut member 23 and accommodate the head portion 42 in the through hole 30c. Can not. Therefore, if the head portion 42 of the bolt 4 is accommodated and fixed in the through hole 30c of the female housing 30, it can be determined that the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 are fitted. That is, it can be determined from the appearance of the connector device 1 whether or not the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 are sufficiently fitted. In other words, in the present embodiment, the bolt 4 has a function of preventing the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 from moving in a direction in which the male housing 20 and the female housing 30 are separated from each other, and further determines whether or not the fitting is complete. It has an identification function that can be determined from the appearance of the device 1.

(3) Since the male connector 2 and the female connector 3 cannot be separated in a state where the bolt 4 is fixed to the nut member 23, the male connector 2 and the female connector 3 are prevented from being accidentally pulled out. be able to.

(4) Since the screw portion 41 of the bolt 4 is screwed and fixed to the female screw formed in the screw hole 23c, when the male connector 2 and the female connector 3 are separated, the bolt 4 is tightened. The bolt 4 can be removed by rotating in the opposite direction.

(5) Since the engaging portion 43 of the bolt 4 has a shape that can prevent rotation by a general-purpose tool, a user who is not scheduled to perform the separation work of the connector device 1 (for example, the connector device 1 is mounted). It is possible to avoid the separation work performed by the user of the vehicle, and to prevent the occurrence of an electric shock accident, a short-circuit accident or the like.

(6) Since the bolt 4 is fixed to the metal nut member 23, for example, a female screw is formed in the resin material of the male housing 20, and the screw portion 41 of the bolt 4 is screwed into this female screw. The durability of the male housing 20 can be increased.

(7) In the bolt 4, a part of the head portion 42 formed continuously with the screw portion 41 is accommodated in the through hole 30 c, and due to interference between the outer peripheral surface 42 b of the head portion 42 and the inner surface 30 c ₁ of the through hole 30 c. since the retaining of the male housing 20 and the female housing 30, for example, the shaft portion of the cylindrical shape interposed between the threaded portion 41 and a head 42, abut against the shaft portion on the inner surface 30c ₁ of the through hole 30c Thus, compared to the case where the retaining is performed, the amount of protrusion of the bolt 4 can be suppressed, which contributes to the miniaturization of the connector device 1.

[Modification of Embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the engaging portion 43 of the bolt 4 is formed in a square hole having a quadrangular cross section has been described. .

  FIG. 8 is a view showing a modified example of the shape of the engaging portion 43, and (a) is a plan view showing the shape of the engaging portion 43 of the bolt 4 according to the embodiment for comparison, and (b). (F) is a top view which shows the modification of the shape of an engaging part.

  As shown to Fig.8 (a), the engaging part 43 which consists of square-shaped square holes is formed in the end surface 42a of the head 42 of the volt | bolt 4 which concerns on the said embodiment.

  FIG.8 (b) shows the volt | bolt 4A which concerns on a 1st modification. In the bolt 4A, an engagement portion 43A is formed in a triangular hole in a plan view from a direction perpendicular to the one end surface 42a of the head 42.

  FIG.8 (c) shows the volt | bolt 4B which concerns on a 2nd modification. In the bolt 4B, an engagement portion 43B is formed in a pentagonal hole in a plan view from a direction perpendicular to the one end surface 42a of the head 42.

  FIG. 8D shows a bolt 4C according to the third modification. The bolt 4 </ b> C is formed in a star-shaped hole in which the engaging portion 43 </ b> C has six apexes in a plan view from a direction perpendicular to the one end surface 42 a of the head 42.

  FIG. 8E shows a bolt 4D according to a fourth modification. The bolt 4D is formed in a star-shaped hole in which the engaging portion 43D has eight vertices in a plan view from a direction perpendicular to the one end surface 42a of the head 42.

  FIG. 8F shows a bolt 4E according to a fifth modification. The bolt 4E includes a plurality of (three) cutout portions in which an engaging portion 43E is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the head 42 in a plan view from a direction perpendicular to the one end surface 42a of the head 42.

  These bolts 4A to 4E can be rotated by a dedicated tool corresponding to the shape of the engaging portions 43A to 43E.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the screw hole 23c of the nut member 23 was applied as a recessed part, it is not limited to this, You may form a recessed part (screw hole) in the male housing 20 directly. By doing so, the number of parts can be reduced.

  While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments described above do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, it should be noted that not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention.

1 ... connector device, 2 ... male connector, 3 ... female connector, 4,4A～4E ... Bolt (regulating member), 20 ... male housing, 20a ... main body portion, 20a 1 _... closing member, 20b ... holding portion, 20b ₁ , 20b ₂ ... side wall, 20b ₃ , 20b ₄ ... bridge part, 21a, 21b ... male side connection terminal, 22a, 22b ... electric wire, 23 ... nut member, 23a ... upper surface, 23a ₁ ... projection, 23b ... lower surface, 23c ... screw holes (recesses), 23d ... step portion, 23d 1 _... stepped surface, 24 ... seal member 30 ... female housing, 30a ... main body portion, 30a 1 _... closing member, 30b ... cover part, 30c ... through-hole, 30c ₁ ... inner surface, 31a, 31b ... female side connection terminal, 32a, 32b ... electric wire, 33 ... sealing member, 41 ... screw part (shaft part), 41a ... screw thread, 42 ... head, 42a ... one end face, 42b ... outer periphery , 43,43A~43E ... engaging portion

Claims (3)

The male connector in which the male connection terminal is disposed in the male housing, the female connector in which the female connection terminal is disposed in the female housing, and the movement in the direction in which the male housing and the female housing are separated are restricted. A connector fitting structure comprising a regulating member, wherein the male side connection terminal and the female side connection terminal are connected by fitting the male housing and the female housing,
The male housing has a recess extending in a direction intersecting with a fitting direction with the female housing on an outer surface of a main body portion that accommodates the male connection terminal.
The restricting member has a shaft portion that is inserted and fixed in the recess, and a head formed at one end of the shaft portion,
When the female housing is fitted to the male housing, the female housing has a through-hole that communicates with the recess and allows the shaft portion of the restricting member to pass therethrough and accommodate the head. Is formed,
Connector fitting structure. The recess is a screw hole extending in a direction intersecting a fitting direction of the male housing and the female housing;
A thread that is screwed into the screw hole is formed on the shaft portion of the restriction member.
The connector fitting structure according to claim 1. The restriction member has a shape in which the shape of the engaging portion with which the tool for rotating the restriction member engages can prevent the rotation by the general-purpose tool.
The connector fitting structure according to claim 1 or 2.

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