JP2014035847A - Connector structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector structure that maintains a female connector and a male connector in a normal fitting state even when plastic deformation occurs in a lock arm.SOLUTION: In an extension portion 16b of a lock arm 16, protrusions 20 are formed that project outward from respective side surfaces of the extension portion 16b. In a first connector 12, guides 24 are formed on a leading end by cutting out respective side walls 23c outward from respective inner surfaces thereof nearer to an upper wall 23a. When the first connector 12 and a second connector 11 come to a normal fitting state, the protrusions 20 of the lock arm 16 and the guides 24 of the first connector 12 are engaged with each other so as to guide the lock arm 16 toward the upper wall 23a of the first connector 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector structure including a female connector and a male connector each configured by accommodating a terminal in a connector housing, and more particularly, to a connector structure including a lock arm that maintains a normal fitting state of both connectors. .

  A variety of electronic devices are mounted on automobiles. In addition, a wire harness is arranged in the automobile in order to transmit electric power, a control signal, etc. to an electronic device. The wire harness includes a plurality of electric wires and connectors attached to the terminals of the electric wires. Is provided.

  The connector has been widely used as a means for easily performing mechanical engagement and electrical connection. Many of the connectors are provided with a lock arm for maintaining a normal fitting state with the mating connector.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a conventional general female connector. As shown in FIG. 5, the connector arm 6 of the female connector 1 is provided so that the lock arm 2 is cantilevered by the thick portion 4 and can be bent and deformed in the vertical direction. The lock arm 2 is formed with an engaging projection 3 at substantially the center of the upper surface, and a release operation portion 5 is formed at the free end of the lock arm 2.

  When the female connector 1 is fitted to the mating male connector, the engaging protrusion 3 of the female connector 1 is engaged with the engaging receiving portion of the male connector. As a result, both connectors are locked in a properly fitted state.

JP 2009-211985 JP 09-147799 A JP 2001-217041 A JP 2007-115614 A

  The female connector 1 supports the lock arm 2 in a cantilever manner with a thick portion 4, which sinks when a load is applied to the release operation portion 5, and returns to the normal position by a reaction force when no load is applied. It has a structure.

  However, when a large load is applied to the release operation portion 5, the lock arm 2 comes close to the female connector housing 6, and when this state continues at a high temperature, the reaction force decreases. Therefore, even after the load is removed, the release operation unit 5 does not return to the normal position, and the lock arm 2 remains in the state of approaching the connector housing 6 side.

  This state will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6A shows the female connector 1 in a natural state. When a load is applied to the lock arm 2 due to external factors (for example, other parts) during product transportation, the lock arm 2 bends in the direction approaching the connector housing 6 as shown in FIG. Mu

  When a state where a constant load is applied at a high temperature continues, plastic deformation occurs in the lock arm 2 and the reaction force decreases. Therefore, even after the load is removed, as shown in FIG. 6C, the lock arm 2 remains bent while approaching the connector housing 6 and does not return to its original state.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 6D, when the female connector 1 is fitted to the mating male connector 7, even if the female connector 1 and the male connector 7 reach the normal fitting state, the lock arm 2 Is still bent in the direction of approaching the connector housing 3, the engagement protrusion 3 of the lock arm 2 does not engage with the engagement receiving portion 8 of the male connector 7. Therefore, the female connector 1 and the male connector 7 cannot be locked (maintained) in a properly fitted state.

  As described above, it is an object to provide a connector structure that can maintain the female connector and the male connector in a properly fitted state even when plastic deformation occurs in the lock arm.

  The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described conventional problems, and one aspect thereof includes a base portion in which a plurality of terminals are erected, and an upper wall, a lower wall, and both side walls erected from the outer edge of the base portion. A first connector provided with an engagement receiving portion formed on the upper wall, a connector housing in which terminal housing chambers for housing a plurality of terminal fittings are formed, and a front end side of the connector housing. A lock arm that is cantilevered by the end, and the extending portion is bent along the connector housing while being deformable in the vertical direction; and an engaging protrusion that protrudes outward from the extending portion of the lock arm. And a second connector provided with a structural element, and the first connector is electrically connected to the first connector by fitting the second connector into the first connector. Is the engagement receiving portion of the first connector In the connector structure in which a normal fitting state is maintained by being engaged, a protruding portion that protrudes outward from a side surface of the extending portion is formed on the extending portion of the lock arm. A guide notched outward from the inner surface of the upper wall side of the side wall is formed on the distal end side of the connector, and when the first connector and the second connector are in a properly fitted state, the lock arm The protrusion and the guide of the first connector are engaged, and the lock arm is guided to the upper wall side of the first connector.

  Further, according to one aspect thereof, a protective wall is formed on the distal end side of the connector housing in the second connector, and the protective wall extending to the height position of the lock arm whose upper end portion is in a natural state.

  According to the present invention, in the connector structure, even if plastic deformation occurs in the lock arm, the female connector and the male connector can be maintained in a properly fitted state.

It is a perspective view which shows the female connector and male connector in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the female connector in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the male connector in embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the fitting process and normal fitting state of the female connector and male connector in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the conventional common female connector. It is the side view and sectional drawing which show the conventional common female connector.

  Hereinafter, the connector structure in the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a female connector 11 and a male connector 12 in the present embodiment. The connector structure in this embodiment has the female connector 11 and the male connector 12 as structural elements, and the female connector 11 and the male connector 12 are fitted into the housing, whereby the terminals of the female connector 11 and the male connector 12 are electrically connected. Is connected. In the following description, when the female connector 11 and the male connector 12 are fitted to the mating connector, the side facing the mating connector is referred to as the distal end side, and the opposite side is referred to as the proximal end side.

  2A and 2B show the female connector 11 according to the present embodiment, in which FIG. 2A is a perspective view, FIG. 2B is a side view, FIG. 2C is a side view seen from the distal end side, and FIG. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the female connector 11 includes a female connector housing 13, a terminal fitting 15 with a wire harness 14 crimped thereon, and a lock arm 16.

  The terminal fitting 15 is formed by bending a conductive sheet metal or the like, and is attached to an end of an electric wire constituting the wire harness 14 or the like.

  The female connector housing 13 has a vertically long and substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 17 are arranged in parallel. A terminal fitting 15 is assembled in each terminal accommodating chamber 17. In addition, the distal end side and the proximal end side of each terminal accommodating chamber 17 are open, and the proximal end opening serves as a terminal assembly port 17a for assembling the terminal fitting 15 to the terminal accommodating chamber 17, and the distal end side opening. Is a terminal insertion port 17b into which a male connector terminal on the other side is inserted.

  The lock arm 16 is supported in a cantilevered manner by a base end portion 16 a with respect to the top end side of the upper surface of the female connector housing 13 (upper left portion in FIG. 2B), and the extending portion 16 b is attached to the connector housing 13. It can be bent and deformed along the vertical direction. Further, an engagement protrusion 18 is provided at a substantially central portion of the upper surface of the lock arm 16, and a release operation portion formed so as to slightly protrude upward at a free end of the lock arm 16. 19 is provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, projecting portions 20, 20 projecting outward from the side surface are formed on the extending portion 16 b of the lock arm 16. In addition, the protrusions 20 and 20 in this embodiment are formed in the column shape.

  Further, protective walls 26, 26 are formed on both sides of the lock arm 16. As shown in FIG. 2, the protective walls 26, 26 are arranged in close contact with both sides of the lock arm 16. The protective walls 26 are formed by extending the base end sides of both side walls of the connector housing 13 as they are. The upper ends of the protective walls 26, 26 extend to the height position of the release operation part 19 of the lock arm 16 in the natural state, and the bending operation area of the lock arm 16 is closed from both sides, and the release operation part 19 is not prepared. It is designed not to be operated.

  3A and 3B show the male connector 12 in the present embodiment, where FIG. 3A is a perspective view and FIG. 3B is a side view as seen from the distal end side.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the male connector 12 includes a male connector housing 21 and terminals 25 and 25 accommodated in the male connector housing 21.

  The male connector housing 21 is formed with a base 22, and an upper wall 23a, a lower wall 23b, and both side walls 23c, 23c that are erected from the outer edge of the base 22. A cutout 23d having a width slightly larger than the width of the engaging protrusion 18 of the female connector 11 is formed in the upper wall 23a, and a female connector is formed on the front end side of the upper wall 23a in the cutout 23d. An engagement receiving portion 23e that engages with the engagement protrusion 18 of the housing 13 is formed. A plurality of the terminals 25 are erected from the base portion 22 of the male connector housing 23.

  The male connector housing 21 is engaged with the protrusions 20 and 20 of the female connector housing 13, and the lock arm 16 is connected to the male connector housing when the male connector 12 and the female connector 11 are brought into a normal fitting state. Guides 24, 24 are formed to guide the upper wall 23 a to the upper wall 23 a side. The guides 24, 24 are formed by cutting outward from the inner surface of the side wall 23 c, 23 c on the upper wall 23 a side on the distal end side of the male connector housing 21. Both guides 24, 24 are designed with a depth that is slightly greater than the height of the protrusion 20. Further, the widths of both guides 24, 24 are formed in a stepped shape, with the distal end side of the male connector housing 21 being wide and the proximal end side being narrow.

  4A and 4B are cross-sectional views showing the female connector 11 and the male connector 12. FIG. 4A is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a fitting process, FIG. 4B is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a normal fitting state, and FIG. It is a cross-sectional view which shows a fitting state. When the female connector 11 is inserted into the male connector housing 21, the lock arm 16 comes into contact with the upper wall 23 a of the male connector housing 21, whereby the lock arm 16 is elastically bent, and the extending portion 16 b of the lock arm 16 is Approaches the female connector housing 13 side. 4A, the protrusions 20 and 20 of the lock arm 16 enter the guides 24 and 24, and the protrusions 20 and 20 are engaged with the lock arm 16 along the guides 24 and 24. The protrusion 18 enters under the engagement receiving portion 23 e of the male connector housing 21, and the female connector 11 is inserted into the male connector housing 21.

  Then, when the female connector 11 is further inserted and the female connector 11 and the male connector 12 reach the normal fitting state, the lock arm 16 is elastically restored as shown in FIG. When the protrusions 20 and 20 reach the locations where the widths of the guides 24 and 24 are narrow, the lock arm 16 is guided to the upper wall 23a side of the male connector housing. As a result, the engagement protrusion 18 of the lock arm 16 engages with the engagement receiving portion 23e of the upper wall 23a, and the female connector 11 and the male connector 12 are locked in a properly fitted state.

  Thus, by fitting the female connector housing 13 into the male connector housing 21, the terminal 25 of the male connector 12 is fitted into the terminal fitting 15 of the female connector 13, and the female connector 11 and the male connector 12 are connected. Electrically connected.

  Further, in order to separate the two connectors 11 and 12 in the normal fitting state, the lock is first released. For this purpose, the connector housings 13 and 21 are slightly pulled apart, the protrusions 20 and 20 of the lock arm 16 are moved to a position where the widths of the guides 24 and 24 are wide, and then the release operation unit 19 is pushed downward with a finger. As a result, the lock arm 16 is bent and deformed against the elastic force of the lock arm 16 itself, and the engagement protrusion 18 is disengaged from the engagement receiving portion 23e. In this state, when the connector housings 13 and 21 are pulled apart, the connectors 11 and 12 are separated.

  As described above, according to the connector structure in the present embodiment, the lock arm 16 is plastically deformed to reduce the reaction force, and the extending portion 16b of the lock arm 16 is bent in a direction approaching the female connector housing 13. If the male connector 12 and the female connector 11 reach the normal fitting state even if they do not return to the normal position, the protrusions 20 and 20 of the lock arm 16 follow the guides 24 and 24 and lock. The arm 16 is guided to the upper wall 23 a side of the male connector housing 21. As a result, when the female connector 11 and the male connector 12 reach the normal fitting state, the engagement protrusion 18 of the lock arm 16 engages with the engagement receiving portion 23e of the male connector housing 21, and the normal fitting is achieved. Can be locked in the combined state. Thereby, it becomes possible to improve the stability in electrical connection between the female connector 11 and the male connector 12.

  Further, since the female connector 11 is provided with protective walls 26 and 26 on both sides thereof, it is possible to suppress the load from being applied to the release operation portion 19, to suppress plastic deformation of the lock arm 16, and to lock the female connector 11. A load is applied to the arm 16, the lock is released, and the female connector 11 and the male connector 12 can be prevented from being separated from the normal fitting state.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail only for the specific examples described above, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Such variations and modifications are naturally within the scope of the claims.

11 ... Female connector (second connector)
12 ... Male connector (first connector)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Female connector housing 15 ... Terminal metal fitting 16 ... Lock arm 16a ... Base end part 16b ... Extension part 17 ... Terminal accommodating chamber 18 ... Engagement protrusion 20 ... Projection part 22 ... Base part 23a ... Upper wall 23b ... Lower wall 23c ... Side wall 23e ... Engagement receiving part 24 ... Guide 25 ... Terminal 26 ... Protective wall

Claims (2)

A first connector comprising: a base portion on which a plurality of terminals are erected; an upper wall, a lower wall, and both side walls erected from an outer edge of the base portion; and an engagement receiving portion formed on the upper wall;
A connector housing formed with a terminal housing chamber for housing each of a plurality of terminal fittings, and cantilevered by a base end portion with respect to the distal end side of the connector housing, and the extending portion is bent and deformed along the connector housing in the vertical direction A second connector including a possible lock arm and an engagement protrusion protruding outward from the extension portion of the lock arm toward the connector housing;
By fitting the second connector into the first connector, the first and second connectors are electrically connected, and the engagement protrusion of the lock arm engages with the engagement receiving portion of the first connector. Is a connector structure in which the normal fitting state is maintained,
The extension portion of the lock arm is formed with a protrusion protruding outward from the side surface of the extension portion,
On the tip side of the first connector, a guide cut out outward from the inner surface on the upper wall side of the side wall is formed,
When the first connector and the second connector are brought into the normal fitting state, the protrusion of the lock arm and the guide of the first connector are engaged, and the lock arm is guided to the upper wall side of the first connector. A connector structure characterized by being made.   2. The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein a protective wall having an upper end portion extending to a height position of the lock arm in a natural state is formed on a distal end side of the connector housing in the second connector.

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