JP2014056698A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector capable of easily releasing the mutual locked state of connector housings by engagement of a pair of connecting projections and a pair of lock pieces and easily separating the connector housings mutually during maintenance or the like.SOLUTION: A second connector housing 20 having a pair of lock pieces 27 engaging with a pair of connecting projections of a first connector housing 10, comprises a depression part 30 positioned approximately in the middle between a pair of lock pieces 27; and a displacement conversion part 40. The displacement conversion part 40 is provided so as to couple the depression part 30 with the lock piece 27, and a depression displacement of the depression part 30 is converted into a displacement of the lock piece 27 in a direction for releasing the lock piece 27 from the connecting projection 15.

Description

  The present invention locks the connector housings in a fitted state by engaging a pair of connecting projections mounted on the first connector housing and a pair of locking pieces mounted on the second connector housing. Concerning connectors.

FIG. 8 shows a connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.
The connector 100 includes a first connector housing 110 and a second connector housing 120.

  The first connector housing 110 protrudes into a first terminal housing portion 112 having a bottomed cylindrical structure that houses the first terminal fitting 111 and a pair of outer surfaces facing the opposite directions of the first terminal housing portion 112. And a connecting projection 114 provided.

  The second connector housing 120 is fitted in and connected to the first terminal fitting 111 while being held in the second terminal accommodating portion 122 and the second terminal accommodating portion 122 fitted inside the first terminal accommodating portion 112. A second terminal fitting (not shown) and a pair of lock pieces 124.

  The pair of lock pieces 124 are arranged on the outer periphery of the second terminal accommodating portion 122 so as to be engaged with the connecting protrusion 114 when the fitting between the first terminal accommodating portion 112 and the second terminal accommodating portion 122 is completed. Has been. The illustrated connector 100 locks the first connector housing 110 and the second connector housing 120 in a fitted state by engaging the pair of connecting projections 114 and the pair of lock pieces 124.

  The lock piece 124 in the connector 100 shown in the figure is elastic from the base end side (right end side in FIG. 8) of the second terminal accommodating portion 122 toward the tip end, and elastic from the tip end 1242a of the elastic piece 1242. A release operation arm portion 1243 extending to the base end side of the piece 1242. The elastic piece 1242 has an engagement hole 1241 that engages with the connection projection 114 at a position near the tip 1242a.

  In addition, an operation portion 1244 for pressing operation is provided at the tip of the release operation arm portion 1243 that is continuous with the elastic piece 1242. When the operation unit 1244 is pressed in the direction of the arrow F1 in the figure, the release operation arm part 1243 is pivoted and the tip 1242a of the elastic piece 1242 is displaced in the direction of the arrow F2 in the figure. When the displacement of the tip 1242a of the elastic piece 1242 in the direction of the arrow F2 exceeds a certain value, the connection protrusion 114 is detached from the engagement hole 1241 on the elastic piece 1242, and the engagement between the connection protrusion 114 and the lock piece 124 is released. It will be in the state.

  In the connector 100 in a state where the connector housings 110 and 120 are fitted to each other, each of the pair of lock pieces 124 is in a state in which the engagement with the connection protrusion 114 is released, and in this state, the first connector By energizing the housing 110 and the second connector housing 120 in a direction to separate them, the first connector housing 110 and the second connector housing 120 can be separated.

JP 2006-286462 A

  By the way, in the connector 100 of patent document 1, in order to cancel | release the locked state of the 1st connector housing 110 and the 2nd connector housing 120 for maintenance etc., a pair of operation part 1244 shown in FIG. It is necessary to simultaneously release the engagement between the pair of connecting projections and the pair of lock pieces by pressing the same.

  In other words, it took a lot of time to release the locked state, causing a delay in maintenance work.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and can easily release the locked state of the connector housings due to the engagement between the pair of connecting projections and the pair of lock pieces, and during maintenance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector capable of facilitating the separation work between the connector housings and the like.

The above-described object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration.
(1) A first connector comprising: a first terminal accommodating portion that accommodates a first terminal fitting; and a connecting projection that is provided on a pair of outer surfaces facing opposite directions of the first terminal accommodating portion. A housing;
A second terminal accommodating portion that fits into the first terminal accommodating portion, a second terminal fitting that is held in the second terminal accommodating portion and is fitted and connected to the first terminal fitting, and the first terminal A pair of locking pieces arranged on the outer periphery of the second terminal housing portion so as to engage with the connection protrusion when the fitting between the housing portion and the second terminal housing portion is completed. A connector housing,
A connector for locking the first connector housing and the second connector housing by engagement between the pair of connecting protrusions and the pair of lock pieces,
The second connector housing is provided so as to connect one pressing portion provided at a substantially intermediate position between the pair of locking pieces, and the pressing portion and the locking piece, and pressing the pressing portion. A connector comprising: a displacement conversion section that converts displacement into displacement of the lock piece in a direction in which the lock piece is disengaged from the coupling protrusion.

  (2) The lock piece is supported so as to be movable in one direction away from the connection protrusion, and includes a lock guide mechanism for restricting the movement of the lock piece in the pressing direction of the pressing portion. The connector according to (1) above.

  According to the configuration of (1) above, in order to separate the first connector housing and the second connector housing in the locked state for maintenance or the like, after releasing the locked state between the two connector housings, Pull the connector housings in the direction of pulling them apart.

  However, the first connector housing and the second connector housing are in a locked state due to the engagement between the pair of connecting projections and the pair of lock pieces, and in the locked state, between the pair of lock pieces. When one pressing portion provided at the intermediate position is pressed, the pair of lock pieces are displaced in the disengagement direction in conjunction with the pressing displacement of the pressing portion, and the lock can be released.

  That is, the locked state can be easily released by a simple operation of pressing one pressing unit. Therefore, it is possible to easily separate the connector housings from each other during maintenance.

  According to the configuration of (1) above, when the pressing displacement direction of the pressing portion is different from the unlocking direction of the lock piece, the force in the pressing direction applied to the pressing portion is changed to the lock piece via the displacement converting portion. If it is transmitted to the lock piece, the lock piece also receives an urging force in a direction different from the unlocking direction, and the operation of the lock piece in the unlocking direction may not be smooth.

  However, according to the configuration of (2) above, the urging force in a direction different from the unlocking direction is absorbed by the lock guide mechanism and is not transmitted to the lock piece. Therefore, the movement of the lock piece in the unlocking direction can be made smooth, and the unlocking operation can be made highly reliable.

  According to the connector of the present invention, the locked state between the first connector housing and the second connector housing can be easily released by a simple operation of pressing one pressing portion. Therefore, it is possible to easily separate the connector housings from each other during maintenance.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the assembled state of the second connector housing shown in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a connector according to an embodiment in which the first connector housing is fitted to the second connector housing shown in FIG. 3 so that the connector housings are locked with each other. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the behavior of a pair of lock pieces when unlocking in the connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a locked state of a conventional connector.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a connector according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 7 show an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a second connector housing shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a state in which the first connector housing is fitted to the second connector housing shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 4, and FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the behavior of a pair of lock piece at the time.

  The connector 1 according to this embodiment is a waterproof connector and includes a first connector housing 10, a second connector housing 20, a pressing portion 30, a displacement converting portion 40, and a lock guide mechanism 50.

  The first connector housing 10 protrudes from a first terminal accommodating portion 13 that accommodates a first terminal fitting (not shown) and a pair of outer side surfaces 13a and 13a that face the opposite directions of the first terminal accommodating portion 13. Connecting projections (locking projections) 15. The first terminal fitting (not shown) is a male terminal fitting having a tongue-like shape.

  The distal end side of the first terminal accommodating portion 13 has a cylindrical structure. The pair of outer side surfaces 13a, 13a of the first terminal accommodating portion 13 are surfaces facing in directions opposite to the width direction of the housing (the direction of arrow Y1 in FIG. 1). The width direction of the housing is orthogonal to the fitting direction between the housings (the direction of the arrow X1 in FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the second connector housing 20 includes a second terminal fitting 21, an inner housing 22, a spring 23, an outer housing 24, a packing 25 that is waterproof means, and a retainer 26. And a pair of lock pieces 27.

  The second terminal fitting 21 is a female terminal fitting in which the electric wire 211 is crimped and connected to the base end. The second terminal fitting 21 is a press-formed product of a metal plate, and has an electric wire crimping piece 21a, an electric wire crimping piece 21b, and a terminal fitting portion 21c in order from the base end side. The electric wire crimping piece 21 a is a part for fixing the electric wire 211 by crimping on the outer sheath of the electric wire 211. The electric wire crimping piece 21 b is a portion that is crimped onto the conductor of the electric wire 211 and is conductively connected to the electric wire 211. The terminal fitting portion 21c is formed in a rectangular tube structure in which a first terminal fitting (not shown) is fitted.

  A waterproof plug 212 is fitted on the electric wire 211 connected to the proximal end of the second terminal fitting 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inner housing 22 includes a terminal accommodating hole 22 a that accommodates the second terminal fitting 21 and a terminal member that prevents the second terminal fitting 21 accommodated in the terminal accommodating hole 22 a from coming off. A stop lance 22b and a spring support 22c are provided. The inner housing 22 accommodates the second terminal fitting 21 and is mounted in the outer housing 24 as a second terminal accommodating portion.

  The spring support portion 22c of the inner housing 22 is a portion where one end of the spring 23 is seated. In the present embodiment, the spring 23 is a compression coil spring. As shown in FIG. 2, the spring 23 is mounted in a compressed state between the spring receiving portion 24c at the base end portion of the outer housing 24 and the inner housing 22, and the inner housing 22 is moved in the direction of arrow X2 in FIG. Energize.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the base end side of the second terminal fitting 21 inserted into the terminal accommodating hole 22a of the inner housing 22 is waterproofed by the waterproof plug 212 being in close contact with the terminal accommodating hole 22a.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer housing 24 includes an inner receiving hole 24 a into which the inner housing 22 is inserted, an inner locking piece 24 b that prevents the inner housing 22 from coming off, and a spring receiving portion 24 c. Prepare.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the inner locking piece 24 b engages with a retaining protrusion 22 e that protrudes from the outer surface on the proximal end side of the inner housing 22, thereby removing the inner housing 22 (FIG. 3). Movement in the direction of arrow X3).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the spring 23 is mounted in a compressed state between a spring receiving portion 24 c at the base end portion of the outer housing 24 and a spring support portion 22 c (see FIG. 1), and the retaining projection 22 e is provided on the inner side. The inner housing 22 is urged so as to maintain the state in contact with the locking piece 24b.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the packing 25 is fitted and attached to the outer peripheral portion on the front end side of the inner housing 22. As shown in FIG. 4, the packing 25 seals a gap between the first connector housing 10 fitted to the outer housing 24 and the inner housing 22.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the retainer 26 is fitted and attached to the distal end portion of the inner housing 22 to prevent the packing 25 and the second terminal fitting 21 from coming off.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the inner housing 22 is fitted with the first terminal accommodating portion 13 of the first connector housing 10 when the distal end portion of the first connector housing 10 is inserted into the distal end side of the outer housing 24. It functions as the 2nd terminal accommodating part to match.

  The pair of lock pieces 27 are engaged with the connecting protrusions 15 on the outer periphery of the first terminal accommodating portion 13 when the fitting between the first terminal accommodating portion 13 and the inner housing 22 as the second terminal accommodating portion is completed. As shown, the outer surface 24f of the outer housing 24, which is also the outer periphery of the second terminal accommodating portion, is provided.

  The pair of lock pieces 27 has locking holes 27b on the outer surface 24f of the outer housing 24, on the distal end side of the elastic pieces 27a extending from the proximal end side toward the distal end side. This is the structure provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the pair of lock pieces 27 are engaged with the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 by engagement with the pair of connection protrusions 15 of the first connector housing 10. Lock to state.

  The pressing portion 30 is mounted on the second connector housing 20 in a floating state on the front side located at a substantially intermediate position between the pair of lock pieces 27. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pressing portion 30 includes a spring piece 31 extending obliquely from the upper surface wall 24 g of the outer housing 24, and a pressing portion main body 32 provided at the tip of the spring piece 31. I have. The pressing portion main body 32 can be elastically displaced in the arrow Z2 direction in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the displacement converter 40 is provided so as to connect the pressing unit 30 and the lock piece 27. The displacement converting portion 40 is configured to change the pressing displacement of the pressing portion 30 (displacement in the direction of arrow Z3 in FIG. 6) to the displacement of the locking piece 27 in the direction in which the lock piece 27 is disengaged from the connecting projection 15 (arrow Y3 direction in FIG. 6). Convert to

  In the case of the present embodiment, the displacement of the pair of lock pieces 27 in the direction of the arrow Y3 is not due to the spring function of the displacement conversion unit 40 alone, but due to cooperation with the lock guide mechanism 50.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the lock guide mechanism 50 supports the lock piece 27 so as to be movable in one direction (in the direction of arrow Y <b> 3 in FIG. 6) that is disengaged from the coupling protrusion 15, and the pressing direction of the pressing unit 30 (FIG. 6). This is a mechanism for restricting movement of the lock piece 27 in the direction of arrow Z3. Specifically, the lock guide mechanism 50 in the present embodiment is a guide groove in which the pair of lock pieces 27 are slidably engaged.

  In the case of the connector 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 are in a fitted state, and the engagement between the pair of lock pieces 27 and the pair of connecting projections 15 is performed. Accordingly, when the connection between the connector housings is in a locked state, as shown by an arrow Z3 in FIG. 6, when the pressing portion 30 is pressed, the pair of locking pieces 27 are disengaged as the pressing portion 30 is pressed. Displace in the direction. When the pressing amount of the pressing unit 30 reaches a predetermined value, as shown in FIG. 7, the pair of lock pieces 27 are greatly displaced in the disengagement direction, and the locked state is released.

  In a state where the locked state is released, the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 are separated from each other by pulling the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 away from each other. be able to.

  In the case of the connector 1 of the embodiment described above, in order to separate the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 in the locked state for maintenance or the like, the locked state between the two connector housings is set. After releasing, each connector 1 housing is pulled in a direction to separate each housing.

  However, the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 are in a locked state by the engagement of the pair of connecting projections 15 and the pair of lock pieces 27, and in the locked state, the pair of locks When one pressing part 30 provided at a substantially intermediate position between the pieces 27 is pressed, the pair of locking pieces 27 are displaced in the disengagement direction in conjunction with the pressing displacement of the pressing part 30 to enter the unlocked state. can do.

  That is, the locked state can be easily released by a simple operation of pressing one pressing unit 30. Therefore, it is possible to easily separate the connector 1 housing from each other during maintenance.

  In the case of the connector 1 according to the embodiment, since the pressing displacement direction of the pressing unit 30 is different from the unlocking direction of the lock piece 27, the force in the pressing direction applied to the pressing unit 30 is the displacement converting unit 40. If the force is transmitted to the lock piece 27 via the lock piece 27, the lock piece 27 also receives a biasing force in a direction different from the unlocking direction, and the lock piece 27 may not smoothly move in the unlocking direction. is there. However, in the case of the connector 1 according to the embodiment, the urging force in a direction different from the unlocking direction is absorbed by the lock guide mechanism 50 and is not transmitted to the lock piece 27. Therefore, the movement of the lock piece 27 in the unlocking direction can be made smooth, and the unlocking operation can be made highly reliable.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, and the like of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

  For example, the specific shape of the displacement conversion unit 40 or the specific structure of the lock guide mechanism 50 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and is changed to an appropriate shape and structure that can obtain the same action. It is possible.

  Here, the features of the embodiment of the connector according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [2], respectively.

[1] A first terminal accommodating portion (13) for accommodating a first terminal fitting, and a connecting protrusion (15) projecting on a pair of outer surfaces facing in opposite directions of the first terminal accommodating portion (13). A first connector housing (10) comprising:
A second terminal housing portion that fits into the first terminal housing portion (13), and a second terminal fitting (21) that is held in the second terminal housing portion and is fitted and connected to the first terminal fitting. And arranged on the outer periphery of the second terminal accommodating portion so as to engage with the connecting projection (15) when the fitting between the first terminal accommodating portion (13) and the second terminal accommodating portion is completed. A second connector housing (20) comprising a pair of locked pieces (27),
The first connector housing (10) and the second connector housing (20) are engaged with each other by engagement between the pair of connecting projections (15) and the pair of lock pieces (27). A connector (1) for locking to
The second connector housing (20) includes one pressing portion (30) provided at a substantially intermediate position between the pair of locking pieces (27), the pressing portion (30), and the locking piece (27). Displacement that converts a pressing displacement of the pressing portion (30) into a displacement of the locking piece (27) in a direction in which the locking piece (27) is disengaged from the connecting projection (15). A connector (1) comprising a conversion unit (40).

  [2] The lock piece (27) is supported so as to be movable in one direction away from the connection protrusion (15), and the movement of the lock piece (27) in the pressing direction of the pressing portion (30) is restricted. The connector (1) according to the above [1], comprising a lock guide mechanism (50) for performing the above operation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 10 1st connector housing 13 1st terminal accommodating part 15 Protrusion for connection 20 2nd connector housing 21 2nd terminal metal fitting 22 Inner housing (2nd terminal accommodating part)
27 Locking piece 30 Pressing part 40 Displacement converting part 50 Lock guide mechanism

Claims (2)

A first connector housing comprising: a first terminal housing portion that houses a first terminal fitting; and a pair of projections that project from a pair of outer surfaces facing in opposite directions of the first terminal housing portion;
A second terminal accommodating portion that fits into the first terminal accommodating portion, a second terminal fitting that is held in the second terminal accommodating portion and is fitted and connected to the first terminal fitting, and the first terminal A pair of locking pieces arranged on the outer periphery of the second terminal housing portion so as to engage with the connection protrusion when the fitting between the housing portion and the second terminal housing portion is completed. A connector housing,
A connector for locking the first connector housing and the second connector housing by engagement between the pair of connecting protrusions and the pair of lock pieces,
The second connector housing is provided so as to connect one pressing portion provided at a substantially intermediate position between the pair of locking pieces, and the pressing portion and the locking piece, and pressing the pressing portion. A connector comprising: a displacement conversion section that converts displacement into displacement of the lock piece in a direction in which the lock piece is disengaged from the coupling protrusion.   2. The lock piece according to claim 1, further comprising a lock guide mechanism that supports the lock piece so as to be movable in one direction away from the connection protrusion and restricts the movement of the lock piece in the pressing direction of the pressing portion. Connector described in.

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