JP2013206588A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve reliability for preventing reverse-insertion of a terminal fitting.SOLUTION: A cavity 1 comprises: a first inner face on which a lance 22 is formed; and a second inner face that is crossed with the first inner face and on which a step 36 is formed. The step 36 comprises: a step inclined face 38 on which the terminal fitting 60 during insertion slides for introducing a front part of the terminal fitting 60 to a front portion of the cavity 11 when the terminal fitting 60 takes a normal insertion posture; and an abutting face 39 that is arranged almost against which a stabilizer 71 abuts for restraining a further insertion operation of the terminal fitting 60 when the terminal fitting 60 takes a reverse-insertion posture. A rear end of the lance 22 has a lance inclined face 24 for sliding the terminal fitting 60 and introducing the stabilizer 71 to a position at which the terminal fitting 60 can contact the abutting face 39, when the terminal fitting 60 takes the reverse-insertion posture.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  The connector described in Patent Literature 1 includes a housing having a cavity extending in the front-rear direction, and a terminal fitting inserted from the rear into the cavity. The terminal fitting has a stabilizer that protrudes in a direction crossing the front-rear direction. One inner surface of the cavity of the housing has a lance that protrudes so as to be able to bend, and a recess that is cut out at the rear end of the lance. The front surface of the recess is a step surface substantially along the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction.

  When the terminal fitting is in the correct insertion position, the stabilizer is inserted into the guide groove located on the opposite side of the recess, allowing the insertion of the terminal fitting while the terminal fitting is in the opposite direction When the reverse insertion posture is taken, the stabilizer abuts against the stepped surface of the recess, and further insertion operation of the terminal fitting is restricted. This prevents the terminal fitting from being inserted into the cavity in an incorrect posture.

Japanese Patent No. 3440719

  By the way, in the above case, if the housing and the terminal metal fitting are downsized, there is a possibility that it is not possible to secure a sufficient amount for the stabilizer to catch the stepped surface. For this reason, even if the terminal fitting is in the reverse insertion posture, there is a concern that the stabilizer passes through the stepped surface and the terminal fitting is pushed into the cavity with the reverse insertion posture.

  This invention is completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It aims at improving the reliability of prevention of reverse insertion of a terminal metal fitting.

  As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes a housing having a cavity extending in the front-rear direction, and a stabilizer that is inserted into the cavity from the rear and projects in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction. The cavity includes a first inner surface formed so that a lance can bend, and a step formed in the middle in the front-rear direction. A rear portion with the stepped portion as a boundary in the cavity has a larger opening width than the front portion, and the stepped portion has a proper insertion posture of the terminal fitting. A step slope that guides the front part of the terminal fitting to the front portion of the cavity, and a direction that intersects the front-rear direction in front of the step slope. Along And the abutting surface that restricts the further insertion operation of the terminal fitting when the terminal fitting abuts, and the rear end of the lance is When the terminal fitting is in the reverse insertion posture, the terminal fitting slides to have a lance slope that guides the stabilizer to a position where it can come into contact with the abutting surface.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the step portion is disposed substantially along the front-rear direction between the abutting surface and the stepped portion slope, and the terminal fitting is reversely inserted. In the case of taking, it has a feature in that it has a contact surface that can contact the stabilizer.

<Invention of Claim 1>
When the terminal fitting takes the normal insertion posture, the terminal fitting slides on the slope of the step portion, thereby guiding the insertion operation of the terminal fitting into the cavity. In this case, since the abutting surface is located in front of the stepped slope, it is possible to prevent the terminal fitting taking the normal insertion posture from accidentally hitting the abutting surface, and the stability of the insertion operation of the terminal fitting is improved. Secured. On the other hand, when the terminal fitting is in the reverse insertion posture, the terminal fitting slides on the lance slope, and the stabilizer is guided to a position where it can come into contact with the abutting surface. Since the further insertion operation of the terminal fitting is restricted by abutting, it is surely avoided that the terminal fitting taking the reverse insertion posture is erroneously inserted into the cavity. As a result, the reliability of preventing the reverse insertion of the terminal fitting can be improved. In addition, since the rear portion with the stepped portion in the cavity has a larger opening width than the front portion, the present invention is preferably used for a small terminal fitting whose rear portion is larger than the front portion. The

<Invention of Claim 2>
When the terminal fitting is in the reverse insertion posture, the stabilizer abuts against the abutting surface and abuts against the abutting surface intersecting the abutting surface, so that the stabilizer is substantially positioned within the stepped portion, and the stabilizer pushes against the abutting surface. The contact posture is appropriate. As a result, the reliability of preventing the reverse insertion of the terminal fitting can be further improved.

In the connector which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention, it is sectional drawing of the side view direction showing the state by which the terminal metal fitting was normally inserted in the cavity of the housing. When a terminal metal fitting takes a regular insertion posture, it is a sectional view in the side view direction showing a state where the terminal metal fitting contacts the lance slope of the lance. When a terminal metal fitting takes a reverse insertion attitude | position, it is sectional drawing of the side view direction showing the state which the stabilizer contact | abutted against the contact surface of the step part, and the further insertion operation | movement of a terminal metal fitting was controlled. When a terminal metal fitting takes a regular insertion posture, it is a sectional view in the direction of plane view showing the state where the front end of the terminal metal fitting has passed the step slope of the step. When a terminal metal fitting takes a reverse insertion attitude | position, it is sectional drawing of the planar view direction showing the state where the stabilizer contact | abutted against the contact surface of the step part and the further insertion operation | movement of the terminal metal fitting was controlled. When a terminal metal fitting takes a regular insertion posture, it is a partially broken rear view showing a state in which a stabilizer is inserted into a guide groove and insertion of the terminal metal fitting is permitted. When a terminal metal fitting takes a reverse insertion attitude | position, it is a partially broken rear view showing the state by which a stabilizer hits the abutting surface of a step part and the insertion operation of a terminal metal fitting is controlled. It is sectional drawing of the planar view direction showing the inside of the cavity of a housing. It is a front view showing the cavity front surface of a housing. It is a front view of a terminal metal fitting. It is a bottom view of a terminal metal fitting.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector according to the first embodiment includes a housing 10 and a terminal fitting 60 accommodated in the housing 10.

  The terminal fitting 60 is integrally formed by bending a metal plate or the like, and has a shape elongated in the front-rear direction as shown in FIG. Specifically, the terminal fitting 60 includes a connection portion 61 located at the front portion, a wire barrel portion 62 located behind the connection portion 61, and an insulation barrel portion 63 located behind the wire barrel portion 62. Become. The wire barrel portion 62 is connected by being crimped to the core wire 91 exposed at the front end portion of the electric wire 90. The insulation barrel portion 63 is connected by being crimped to the insulating coating 92 at the front end portion of the electric wire 90.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the connecting portion 61 has a rectangular tube shape, and an elastic contact piece 64 is disposed therein. The elastic contact piece 64 is configured to protrude from the bottom wall 65 of the connection portion 61 forward in a cantilevered manner. A pair of receiving portions 67 are formed on the ceiling wall 66 of the connecting portion 61 at positions facing the elastic contact piece 64. When the housing 10 is fitted into a mating housing (not shown), a tab of a mating terminal fitting (not shown) is elastically held between the elastic contact piece 64 and the receiving portion 67. As a result, the terminal fitting 60 is electrically connected to the mating terminal fitting.

  A protective wall 68 for protecting the elastic contact piece 64 from the front foreign matter is disposed on the front surface of the connecting portion 61. The protective wall 68 is configured to rise from the front end of the bottom wall 65 of the connection portion 61 and is disposed closer to one side than the center of the bottom wall 65 in the width direction. A stabilizer 71 projects from the side wall 69 on one side in the width direction of the connecting portion 61. The stabilizer 71 is configured to be cut and raised outward at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the side wall 69. The front end surface of the stabilizer 71 is a butted surface 72 that abuts against an abutting surface 39 described later. The abutted surface 72 of the stabilizer 71 has a substantially triangular shape having a curved top when viewed from the front, as shown in FIG. 10, and substantially along the width direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction as shown in FIG. Has been placed. The insulation barrel portion 63 has a larger width dimension than the connection portion 61 (excluding the stabilizer 71).

  The housing 10 is made of a synthetic resin and has a block shape as a whole. As shown in FIG. 8, a cavity 11 is formed in the housing 10 so as to extend in the front-rear direction. A terminal fitting 60 can be inserted into the housing 10 from the rear.

  On the front surface of the front wall 12 of the cavity 11, a tab insertion port 13 into which a tab of a mating terminal fitting can be inserted is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a guiding surface 14 for guiding the tab is formed at the opening edge of the tab insertion port 13 on the front surface of the front wall 12. The guiding surface 14 is configured to expand in a tapered shape toward the front. A first notch 16 is recessed in the upper side 15 of the guide surface 14 at a position closer to the other side than the center in the width direction. A probe pin for continuity inspection (not shown) is inserted into the first cutout portion 16 from the front, and the insertion state of the terminal fitting 60 is checked based on whether or not the tip of the probe pin is in electrical contact with the connection portion 61. Is possible.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a punching hole 17 is formed in the front surface of the housing 10. The die punching hole 17 is formed as a mold (not shown) passes when a lance 22 described later is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the punching hole 17 is located below the guiding surface 14, and is inserted into the tab insertion port 13 through the second cutout portion 19 formed at the center in the width direction of the lower side portion 18 of the guiding surface 14. Communicated with.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a lance 22 that can be bent in the vertical direction is formed on the lower wall 21 (first inner surface) of the cavity 11 so as to protrude. The rear portion 23 of the lance 22 is in the form of a thick wall that rises integrally from the lower wall 21 of the cavity 11. The rear end surface of the rear portion 23 of the lance 22 is a tapered lance slope surface 24 that gradually increases in the forward direction. Further, the upper end surface of the rear portion 23 of the lance 22 is a flat surface 25 arranged substantially horizontally.

  The front portion 26 of the lance 22 has a beam shape extending forward from the rear portion 23. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, a locking projection 27 is formed to protrude upward at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the front portion of the lance 22. The locking projection 27 is configured to gradually increase the thickness from the rear 23 side toward the front. The front surface of the locking protrusion 27 is a reverse-tapered locking surface 28 whose upper end side slightly protrudes forward. When the terminal fitting 60 is properly inserted into the cavity 11, the locking surface 28 of the locking projection 27 is disposed so as to be able to contact the rear end edge of the connecting portion 61 of the terminal fitting 60. As a result, the terminal fitting 60 is prevented from coming off into the cavity 11. As shown in FIG. 9, when the housing 10 is in a natural state, when the housing 10 is viewed from the front, the locking projection 27 is disposed in the second cutout portion 19, and the locking projection 27 on the upper surface of the lance 22. It is possible to confirm a state in which the portions on both sides in the width direction across the gap are arranged substantially along the lower side portion 18 of the guide surface 14.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, an extension piece 29 is formed to extend forward on one side in the width direction of the front end of the lance 22. The front end of the extension piece 29 is integrally connected to the front end portion of the one side wall 31 of the cavity 11. As a result, the lance 22 is in the form of a doubly supported front and rear. Of the both sides in the width direction sandwiching the locking projection 27 at the front end of the lance 22, the portion on one side in the width direction is wider than the portion on the other side in the width direction according to the width dimension of the extending piece 29. .

  At the lower end of the front end of the lance 22, as shown in FIG. The protruding piece 32 has a rectangular plate shape narrower than the locking protrusion 27 and is disposed adjacent to the extending piece 29. When the lance 22 is engaged with the terminal fitting 60, the protruding piece 32 is pushed down by a jig so that the locked state of the lance 22 is released.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a guide groove 33 is recessed in the upper part of the one side wall 31 of the cavity 11. The guide groove 33 is configured to extend in the front-rear direction and open at the rear end of the housing 10, and has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the stabilizer 71. The front end of the guide groove 33 is located immediately after the front end connection portion of the extension piece 29. As shown in FIG. 4, when the terminal fitting 60 is inserted into the cavity 11 in the normal insertion posture, the stabilizer 71 is inserted into the guide groove 33. Thereby, the insertion operation of the terminal fitting 60 is smoothly guided.

  Now, as shown in FIG. 8, step portions 35 and 36 are formed on both side walls 31 and 34 of the cavity 11. The step portions 35 and 36 are disposed behind the both side walls 31 and 34 of the cavity 11 and above the lance 22. Of the both side walls 31, 34 of the cavity 11, the rear part with the stepped parts 35, 36 as a boundary has a wider shape than the front part.

  The step portion 35 of the one side wall 31 of the cavity 11 has a tapered inclined surface 37 that is inclined inward gradually toward the front. The slope 37 intersects with the guide groove 33 and is cut out by the guide groove 33 at the intersection. The guide groove 33 has a depth equal to or greater than the level difference of the slope 37.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the stepped portion 36 of the other side wall 34 (second inner surface) of the cavity 11 has a stepped portion slope 38, an abutting surface 39, and a contact surface 41. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the stepped slope 38 is disposed at a substantially upper half of the stepped portion 36 and slightly ahead of the slope 37. Further, the step slope 38 extends substantially along the vertical direction and, like the slope 37, has a tapered shape that gradually slopes inward toward the front. The terminal fitting 60 is inserted into the cavity 11 in the normal insertion posture, and the other side surface 73 (the side surface opposite to the side on which the stabilizer 71 is formed) slides on the stepped slope 38 to connect. The part 61 is guided to the front part of the cavity 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the abutting surface 39 is disposed in a substantially lower half portion of the step portion 36 and in front of the step portion slope 38. The abutting surface 39 has an overhanging shape that extends substantially along the vertical direction and gradually recedes as it goes inward as shown in FIG. That is, the abutting surface 39 is an inversely tapered surface that intersects at an acute angle with respect to the width direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the abutting surface 39 is located above the rear portion 23 of the lance 22. When the terminal fitting 60 is inserted into the cavity 11 in the reverse insertion posture, the abutted surface 72 of the stabilizer 71 abuts against the abutting surface 39, and further insertion operation of the terminal fitting 60 is restricted. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the contact surface 41 is disposed at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of the step portion 36 and between the step portion slope 38 and the abutting surface 39. Specifically, the contact surface 41 is connected to the lower end of the stepped slope 38 and the upper end of the abutting surface 39, and is disposed substantially horizontally along the front-rear direction. When the terminal fitting 60 is inserted into the cavity 11 in the reverse insertion posture, the upper end of the stabilizer 71 is arranged so as to be in contact with the contact surface 41. In the step portion 36, an insertion space 43 into which the stabilizer 71 can be inserted in a substantially positioned state is formed to open rearward and downward by the contact surface 41 and the abutting surface 39.

Next, the operation of the connector according to the first embodiment will be described.
When the terminal fitting 60 is inserted into the cavity 11 in the normal insertion posture, as shown in FIG. 4, the stabilizer 71 is inserted into the guide groove 33, and the terminal fitting 60 is inserted along the guide groove 33. Will be guided. In the insertion process, the other side surface 73 of the connecting portion 61 slides on the stepped slope 38, whereby the width direction center of the connecting portion 61 is guided toward the width direction center side of the cavity 11 and is smoothly pushed into the front portion. In this case, since the stepped slope 38 is located behind the abutting surface 39, the other side surface 73 of the connecting portion 61 does not abut against the abutting surface 39 by mistake.

  Further, in the insertion process, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connecting portion 61 sequentially slides on the rear surfaces of the lance slope surface 24 and the locking projection 27, and the lance 22 is bent and deformed downward with the rear portion 23 as a fulcrum. It is done. When the terminal fitting 60 reaches the normal insertion position, as shown in FIG. 1, the lance 22 is elastically restored, and the locking projection 27 is disposed so as to be able to contact the rear end edge of the connecting portion 61. Further, the front end of the connecting portion 61 is disposed so as to be able to contact the front wall 12 of the cavity 11. Thereby, the terminal metal fitting 60 is held in the retaining state at the regular insertion position. At this time, the insulation barrel portion 63 is accommodated in a rear portion of the cavity 11 with the step portions 35 and 36 as a boundary.

  On the other hand, when the terminal fitting 60 is in the reverse insertion posture in which the normal fitting posture is inverted up and down, the stabilizer 71 is positioned on the other side wall side of the cavity 11 opposite to the guide groove 33. . In this case, the rear part of the cavity 11 with the stepped portions 35 and 36 as the boundary has a larger opening width in the width direction than the front part. Therefore, as shown in FIG. The stabilizer 71 is allowed to enter. When the insertion operation of the terminal fitting 60 proceeds in this way, the connecting portion 61 slides on the lance slope surface 24, and the stabilizer 71 is displaced upward toward the insertion space 43 accordingly. 3 and 5, when the front end of the connecting portion 61 reaches a position where the front end of the connecting portion 61 rides on the flat surface 25 of the lance 22, the stabilizer 71 is inserted into the insertion space 43, and the abutting surface 72 is pushed. While abutting against the contact surface 39, the upper end abuts against the abutment surface 41. Thereby, the further insertion operation | movement of the terminal metal fitting 60 is blocked | prevented. At this time, since the abutting surface 39 comes into contact with the abutting surface 72 of the stabilizer 71 in the vertical direction, it is reliably prevented that the abutting surface 72 slides on the abutting surface 39. The insertion operation of the terminal fitting 60 is surely stopped at the contact position. At this time, if the lance 22 is bent, the stabilizer 71 receives the reaction force of the lance 22 and is quickly and reliably guided to the insertion space 43.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the terminal fitting 60 takes the normal insertion posture, the connecting portion 61 slides on the stepped slope 38, so that the insertion operation into the cavity 11 is smooth. Be guided to. In this case, since the abutting surface 39 is located in front of the stepped slope 38, the terminal fitting 60 taking the normal insertion posture is prevented from accidentally hitting the abutting surface 39, and the terminal fitting 60 is inserted. Operational stability is ensured. On the other hand, when the terminal fitting 60 takes the reverse insertion posture, the terminal fitting 60 slides on the lance slope 24, and the stabilizer 71 is automatically guided to a position where it can contact the abutting surface 39. From the state, the stabilizer 71 abuts against the abutting surface 39, and further insertion operation of the terminal fitting 60 is restricted. Therefore, it is reliably avoided that the terminal fitting 60 taking the reverse insertion posture is erroneously inserted into the cavity 11. As a result, the reliability of preventing reverse insertion of the terminal fitting 60 can be enhanced.

  Further, when the terminal fitting 60 takes the reverse insertion posture, the stabilizer 71 abuts against the abutting surface 39 and also abuts against the abutting surface 41 intersecting the abutting surface 39, so that the inside of the insertion space 43 of the stepped portion 36. Thus, the stabilizer 71 is substantially positioned, and the abutting posture of the stabilizer 71 against the abutting surface 39 is appropriately corrected. As a result, the reliability of preventing reverse insertion of the terminal fitting 60 can be further improved.

<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 abutted surface of the stabilizer may be an inversely tapered surface that intersects at an acute angle with respect to the width direction. In this way, the locking force between the abutting surface and the abutted surface is further increased.
(2) The abutting surface may be a surface substantially along the width direction.
(3) The lance may have a cantilever shape.
(4) The terminal fitting may be a male terminal fitting having a tab protruding forward.
(5) The present invention can also be applied to a waterproof connector in which a rubber plug is inserted into a rear portion in the cavity.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Housing 11 ... Cavity 22 ... Lance 24 ... Lance slope 33 ... Guide groove 35, 36 ... Step part 38 ... Step part slope 39 ... Abutting surface 41 ... Contact surface 43 ... Insertion space 60 ... Terminal metal fitting 71 ... Stabilizer

Claims (2)

A connector comprising a housing having a cavity extending in the front-rear direction, and a terminal fitting having a stabilizer that is inserted into the cavity from the rear and protrudes in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction,
The cavity has a first inner surface formed so that a lance can bend, and a second inner surface that is arranged to intersect the first inner surface and has a step portion formed in the middle in the front-rear direction.
Of the inside of the cavity, the rear part with the step as a boundary has a larger opening width than the front part,
The stepped portion has a stepped slope that guides the front portion of the terminal fitting to the front portion of the cavity by sliding the terminal fitting in the middle of insertion when the terminal fitting takes a normal insertion posture, It is arranged along the direction intersecting the front-rear direction in front of the stepped slope, and when the terminal fitting assumes a reverse insertion posture, the stabilizer abuts and restricts further insertion operation of the terminal fitting. Abutment surface,
The rear end of the lance has a lance slope that guides the stabilizer to a position where it can come into contact with the abutting surface when the terminal fitting is in a reverse insertion posture. A connector characterized by that.   The stepped portion is disposed substantially along the front-rear direction between the abutting surface and the stepped portion slope, and a contact surface that can contact the stabilizer when the terminal fitting assumes a reverse insertion posture. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is provided.

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