JP2014183003A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To assemble a terminal to a housing from the back and to temporarily fix the terminal while downsizing an entire connector in a longitudinal direction.SOLUTION: A connector comprises a terminal 34, a retainer 20 including an elastic lock piece 23, and a housing 10. When the terminal 34 is inserted to the housing 10 from the back while assembling the retainer 20 at a temporarily lock position, the elastic lock piece 23 is pushed in by the terminal 34, bent forwards and deformed to ride on the terminal 34. When the terminal 34 reaches a regular insertion state, the elastic lock piece 23 is elastically recovered and shallowly enters a lock hole 39. When the retainer 20 is moved from the temporary lock position to a main lock position while the terminal 34 is in the regular insertion state, the elastic lock piece 23 enters the lock hole 39 deeper than the temporary lock position.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  Conventionally, as a connector provided with a terminal connected to an end of an electric wire and a housing for holding the terminal, for example, a connector described in Patent Document 1 is known. The housing of this connector is an assembly of an outer housing and an inner housing, and a housing space bent in a substantially L shape is formed inside the outer housing. The accommodation space is configured to open at both end portions of the outer housing, and terminals are arranged so as to protrude from one side opening of the accommodation space, and electric wires are drawn from the other side opening of the accommodation space.

  On the other hand, the inner housing is obtained by combining an upper member and a lower member vertically, and a guide pin is formed on the upper member so as to protrude downward. As the upper member and the lower member are combined, the guide pin is fitted into the guide hole formed in the terminal from above to be locked with each other, thereby holding the terminal in the inner housing. Is done. Thereafter, the housing is constructed by assembling the inner housing to the outer housing, and the terminals are held in the housing.

JP 2008-98103 A

  However, in the connector described above, when the inner housing is assembled to the outer housing, it is necessary to hold the terminals so that they do not come out of the inner housing. In particular, in a connector in which a plurality of terminals are assembled to the housing, it is difficult to hold the terminals so that they do not come out of the inner housing when the terminals are inserted and assembled one by one. That is, in the conventional connector, after the inner housing and the outer housing are assembled to form the housing, the terminals cannot be assembled and temporarily fixed to the housing later.

  On the other hand, when a lance is used as a conventionally known terminal locking structure, the terminal can be assembled and temporarily fixed to the housing later. However, since the lance generally has a form extending in a cantilevered manner in the front-rear direction, the entire connector becomes longer in the front-rear direction, and may not be adopted depending on the installation environment of the connector.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to allow the terminal to be assembled and temporarily fixed to the housing later while miniaturizing the entire connector in the front-rear direction. .

  In the present invention, a terminal connection portion and a wire connection portion arranged behind the terminal connection portion are provided side by side in the front-rear direction, and an electric wire is connected to the wire connection portion and a locking hole penetrates the terminal connection portion. And an elastic locking piece formed so as to be able to bend in the front-rear direction in a form extending in a cantilever direction toward one of the vertical directions orthogonal to the front-rear direction, and a temporary locking position A retainer that can move between the main locking positions and a receiving portion that prevents the elastic locking pieces from moving backward by locking the elastic locking pieces from the rear to prevent the terminal from coming off. When the terminal is inserted into the housing from the rear in a state where the retainer is assembled at the temporary locking position, the elastic locking piece is pushed into the terminal and deformed forward and rides on the terminal. When the normal insertion state is reached, the elastic locking piece is elastically restored. When the retainer is moved from the temporary locking position to the final locking position when the terminal enters the locking hole shallowly and the terminal is in the normal insertion state, the elastic locking piece moves into the locking hole from the temporary locking position. It is characterized by a structure that goes deeply.

  According to such a configuration, after the retainer is assembled to the housing at the temporary locking position, the terminal is inserted into the housing from the rear. Then, the elastic locking piece is pushed into the terminal and bent forward to be in a state of riding on the terminal. When the terminal is further inserted and the terminal reaches the normal insertion state, the elastic locking piece returns elastically and enters the locking hole shallowly. When the electric wire is pulled in this state, the terminal is pulled rearward and the elastic locking piece is moved backward by the front edge of the locking hole, but the movement of the elastic locking piece is suppressed by the receiving portion. Therefore, the terminal is temporarily fixed. Next, if the retainer is moved from the temporary locking position to the final locking position and the elastic locking piece is inserted into the locking hole deeper than the temporary locking position, even if the electric wire is pulled with a stronger force, it is elastic. The locking piece never leaves the locking hole, and the terminal is permanently fixed. Further, since the elastic locking piece has a form extending in the vertical direction, the entire connector can be reduced in size in the front-rear direction.

The following configuration is preferable as an embodiment of the present invention.
If the retainer is moved from the temporary locking position to the final locking position before the terminal reaches the normal insertion state, the elastic locking piece remains on the terminal and enters the locking hole. It is good also as a structure by which the movement of a retainer is blocked | prevented so that it cannot do.
According to such a configuration, half-insertion detection of the terminal can be performed.

The elastic locking piece includes a temporary locking portion that is locked from the rear to the front edge of the locking hole at the temporary locking position, and a main locking portion that is locked from the rear to the front edge of the locking hole at the final locking position. The cross-sectional area obtained by cutting the main locking part in the front-rear direction may be larger than the cross-sectional area obtained by cutting the temporary locking part in the front-rear direction.
According to such a configuration, since the shear area of the main locking portion is larger than that of the temporary locking portion, the locking force at the main fixing position at the main locking position is higher than the temporary fixing at the temporary locking position. Can be high.

The elastic locking piece includes an elastically deformable arm portion, and the arm portion, the main locking portion, and the temporary locking portion may be formed in this order.
According to such a configuration, since the length from the arm portion to the temporary locking portion is longer than the length from the main locking portion, the force that pushes the temporary locking portion with the terminal and elastically deforms the arm portion. Becomes smaller and the terminal can be easily mounted. On the other hand, since the force that elastically deforms the arm portion increases in the main locking portion, the locking force at the main locking position can be further increased.

The elastic locking piece may have a tapered surface that rides on the terminal at the temporary locking position.
According to such a configuration, when the terminal is inserted into the housing from the rear, the tip of the terminal comes into sliding contact with the tapered surface of the elastic locking piece, and the elastic locking piece can easily ride on the terminal.

  According to the present invention, the terminal can be assembled and temporarily fixed to the housing later while downsizing the entire connector in the front-rear direction.

Exploded perspective view of device connector The perspective view which looked at the connector for apparatus with which the terminal was fixed by the elastic locking piece from diagonally forward Front view of device connector with terminal fixed by elastic locking piece AA line sectional view in FIG. A perspective view of the device connector before assembling the retainer as seen obliquely from the front Front view of the connector for the device before the retainer is assembled BB sectional view in FIG. The perspective view which looked at the connector for apparatus which assembled the retainer in the temporary locking position from the slanting front Front view of device connector with retainer assembled in temporary locking position CC sectional view in FIG. Perspective view of device connector with elastic locking piece on terminal Front view of device connector with elastic locking piece on terminal DD sectional view in FIG. The perspective view which looked at the connector for equipment with which the terminal was temporarily fixed by the elastic locking piece from diagonally forward Front view of device connector with terminals temporarily fixed by elastic locking pieces EE sectional view in FIG. Perspective view of housing viewed from diagonally forward Perspective view of housing viewed from diagonally rear Front view of housing Perspective view of retainer seen from diagonally forward Perspective view of retainer viewed from diagonally rear Retainer front view Retainer bottom view Perspective view of the electric wire with terminal as seen from diagonally forward

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. The device connector of the present embodiment is a connector connected to a device such as an inverter, for example, and is held in the housing 10 by the housing 10, the retainer 20, and the retainer 20 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A plurality of electric wires 30 with terminals, a plurality of rubber plugs 40 attached to the electric wires 31 of the electric wires 30 with terminals, a rubber plug retainer 50 that prevents the rubber plugs 40 from being removed, and a shield shell that is attached so as to surround the housing 10 60, and a caulking ring 70 that is crimped to the connecting tube portion 61 of the shield shell 60. This device connector can be fitted into a mounting hole formed through a device case (not shown), and the side that fits into the mounting hole will be described as the front side. Further, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are based on FIG.

  The terminal-attached electric wire 30 is obtained by crimping and connecting a terminal 34 to a core wire 33 exposed by peeling a coating 32 at an end of an electric wire 31. The terminal 34 has a configuration in which a flat terminal connection portion 35 and a wire connection portion 36 arranged behind the terminal connection portion 35 are arranged in the front-rear direction. The electric wire connection portion 36 has a pair of barrel pieces, and is crimped so as to wrap the core wire 33 by these barrel pieces. Further, a bolt hole 37 is formed in the terminal connection portion 35, and a nut 38 is welded to the lower surface of the hole edge portion of the bolt hole 37. In addition, a locking hole 39 is formed between the bolt hole 37 of the terminal connection part 35 and the wire connection part 36.

  The housing 10 is made of synthetic resin and has a horizontally long elliptical shape as viewed from the front as shown in FIG. Inside the housing 10, a plurality of terminal insertion holes 11 having a form penetrating in the front-rear direction are formed side by side in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper end portion of the front end opening 19A of the terminal insertion hole 11 is substantially the same as the height dimension (vertical dimension) and the width dimension (horizontal dimension) of the terminal connecting portion 35 of the terminal 34. The hole shape is equivalent. On the other hand, the remaining portion of the front end opening 19 </ b> A has a hole shape that is substantially the same as the height and width of a nut 38 that will be described later that is fixed to the lower surface of the terminal connection portion 35. The front end opening 19A of the terminal insertion hole 11 is a horizontally long substantially square shape, while the rear end opening of the terminal insertion hole 11 is substantially circular as shown in FIG. The rear end openings of the adjacent terminal insertion holes 11 are connected to each other without having a partition wall, and one horizontally long opening is formed as a whole.

  The configuration of the terminal insertion hole 11 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4. The inside of the terminal insertion hole 11 is divided into a portion 11 </ b> A that accommodates the wire connection portion 36 of the terminal 34 and a portion 11 </ b> B that accommodates the wire 31. . Among these, in the portion 11 </ b> A that accommodates the wire connection portion 36, each terminal insertion hole 11 is partitioned by the partition wall 12. On the other hand, since the partition wall 12 is not formed in the portion 11B that accommodates the electric wire 31, the adjacent terminal insertion holes 11 communicate with each other. Thereby, in the rear end opening of the terminal insertion hole 11, adjacent terminal insertion holes 11 are connected to each other to form one opening. On the other hand, the front end opening 19 </ b> A of the terminal insertion hole 11 is formed at the lower end portion of the front wall 19 constituting the portion 11 </ b> A that accommodates the wire connection portion 36, and is formed individually corresponding to each terminal insertion hole 11.

  A rubber plug 40 is attached to the front end portion of the portion 11B that accommodates the electric wire 31. A rubber stopper 50 is mounted on the rear side of the rubber stopper 40. A pair of retaining protrusions 51 are formed on both upper and lower sides of the rubber stopper holder 50, and the retaining protrusion 51 is fitted into the peripheral wall constituting the terminal insertion hole 11 and is locked to the retaining protrusion 51 from the rear. A lock hole 11C is formed. The rubber stopper presser 50 is fixed by fitting and locking the retaining protrusion 51 into the lock hole 11C, and the rubber stopper 40 is prevented from being pulled backward. Further, the rubber plug 40 is sandwiched over the entire circumference between the coating 32 of the electric wire 31 and the inner peripheral surface of the terminal insertion hole 11. Thereby, it can prevent that water permeates into part 11A which accommodates electric wire connection part 36 among terminal penetration holes 11 from back.

  A seal ring 13 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the housing 10. When the housing 10 is fitted into a mounting hole (not shown) of the case, the seal ring 13 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the housing 10 and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole, thereby sealing the inside of the case. The

  A support wall 15 is formed on the lower edge portion of the front end opening 19A of the terminal insertion hole 11 so as to project forward. The projecting dimension of the support wall 15 is a dimension corresponding to the tip of the terminal 34 when the electric wire 30 with a terminal is placed in the terminal insertion hole 11 at the normal position. As shown in FIG. 2, the support wall 15 has a groove 15A through which the nut 38 is inserted. The depth of the groove 15A is substantially equal to the height of the nut 38 as shown in FIG. Match. The support wall 15 has a horizontal portion 15B extending in the horizontal direction from the upper edge of the groove portion 15A, and the horizontal portions 15B and the groove portions 15A are alternately arranged. The terminal connection portion 35 is supported by a connecting portion (the upper end of the groove portion 15A and the side end of the horizontal portion 15B) with the groove portion 15A in the horizontal portion 15B. Further, a slight clearance is provided between the bottom surface of the groove portion 15 </ b> A and the lower surface of the nut 38.

  Further, a notch 15 </ b> C is formed in a portion of the groove portion 15 </ b> A corresponding to the screw hole of the nut 38 so as to release the tip of the bolt that penetrates the nut 38. A pair of locked pieces 16 are erected on the rear end sides of the pair of horizontal portions 15B arranged on the left and right sides of the support wall 15. These locked pieces 16 are arranged in parallel so as to be opposed to each other, and can be bent in directions away from each other. A temporary locking protrusion 16 </ b> A that protrudes inward is formed at the tip (upper end) of the opposing surface of the locked piece 16. Similarly, a main locking protrusion 16B protruding inward is formed below the temporary locking protrusion 16A on the opposite surface of the locked piece 16.

  As shown in FIG. 5, an intermediate wall 17 is erected on the rear end side of the horizontal portion 15 </ b> B of the support wall 15 and substantially in the center in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate wall 17 is arranged between adjacent terminal connection portions 35 and extends in the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction of the horizontal portion 15B). The arrangement is orthogonal, and a plurality are provided corresponding to each horizontal portion 15B. Returning to FIG. 5, these intermediate walls 17 are arranged between the pair of locked pieces 16 and arranged so as to be parallel to the locked piece 16. The intermediate wall 17 projects forward from the front edge of the partition wall 12 and is connected to both the upper surface of the horizontal portion 15B of the support wall 15 and the partition wall 12.

  A notch 18 is formed at the upper edge of the intermediate wall 17. The front edge of the notch 18 is arranged behind the front edge of the intermediate wall 17, and the rear edge of the notch 18 is arranged to coincide with the front edge of the partition wall 12. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the notches 18 and elastic locking pieces 23 (described later) provided on the retainer 20 are alternately arranged, and the elastic engagement corresponding to the groove 15 </ b> A located in the center of the support 15. A pair of notches 18 are arranged on the left and right sides of the stop piece 23.

  A shield shell 60 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the housing 10. The shield shell 60 is formed by pressing a metal plate having good conductivity, and has a connecting cylinder portion 61 that is fitted on the rear half of the housing 10. A plurality of anti-slip pieces 14 formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 10 are engaged with the rear end portion of the connecting cylinder portion 61 from the rear. This detachment prevention piece 14 has a cantilever shape extending rearward inside the connection cylinder portion 61, and can be bent and deformed in the vertical direction. For this reason, when the shield shell 60 is assembled to the housing 10 from the rear side, the slip-off preventing piece 14 is bent and deformed toward the terminal insertion hole 11 by slidingly contacting the rear end portion of the connection tube portion 61, so that the connection tube portion 61 is When properly attached, the detachment stopper 14 is elastically restored, and the shield shell 60 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the housing 10 in a state of being prevented from coming off.

  The shield shell 60 is formed with a front wall portion 62 that extends radially outward from the front edge of the connecting tube portion 61. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of left and right attachment pieces 63 are formed on the upper edge of the front wall portion 62 so as to protrude forward in a horizontal posture. A bolt insertion hole 64 through which a bolt (not shown) is inserted is formed in the mounting piece 63, and the shield shell 60 is fixed to the case by inserting the bolt into the bolt insertion hole 64 and tightening it into the screw hole of the case. Is done. At this time, the front wall portion 62 comes into contact with the outer surface of the case, and the distance from the front wall portion 62 to the center of the bolt hole of the terminal connection portion 35 is a counterpart terminal provided in the case. Determined by the connection position.

  A braided wire (not shown) is put on the outer peripheral surface of the connecting tube portion 61, and a caulking ring 70 is caulked from above. As a result, the braided wire is tightly pressed between the connecting tube portion 61 and the caulking ring 70, and the shield shell 60 and the braided wire are connected. The braided wire has a cylindrical shape that collectively covers the conductive paths composed of the plurality of electric wires 31, and can shield the conductive paths collectively.

  The retainer 20 is made of a synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 20, includes a retainer body 21 having a horizontally long and substantially rectangular shape, and a pair of lock pieces 22 disposed on both left and right sides of the retainer body 21. ing. A plurality of elastic locking pieces 23 are formed in the retainer body 21 at regular intervals in the left-right direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the retainer 20 constitutes a front region of the terminal insertion hole 11 when assembled to the housing 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the front end opening 19 </ b> A of the terminal insertion hole 11 is formed so as to penetrate the front wall 19 of the terminal insertion hole 11 in the front-rear direction, and the retainer 20 is assembled to the housing 10 to be elastically engaged. The stop piece 23 is fitted into a locking hole 39 provided in the terminal connection portion 35, and the lower end of the retainer main body 21 is applied from above to the vicinity of the base of the terminal connection portion 35 protruding from the front end opening 19 </ b> A of the terminal insertion hole 11. It comes to touch.

  As shown in FIG. 22, a lock protrusion 22 </ b> A that protrudes outward is formed at the lower end of the lock piece 22. In the temporary locking position shown in FIG. 9, the lock protrusion 22A is sandwiched between the temporary locking protrusion 16A and the main locking protrusion 16B from the vertical direction. For this reason, although the lock protrusion 22A gets over the main locking protrusion 16B and allows the retainer 20 to move downward, the lock protrusion 22A locks the temporary locking protrusion 16A from below so that the retainer 20 The upward movement is suppressed. On the other hand, in the main locking position shown in FIG. 3, the lock projection 22A is locked to the main locking projection 16B from below so that the upward movement of the retainer 20 is suppressed. Further, when the lock protrusion 22A gets over the temporary locking protrusion 16A, the lock piece 22 is bent and deformed inward (retainer main body 21 side).

  In the final locking position, as shown in FIG. 3, the lock piece 22 and the locked piece 16 are both arranged on the inner side of the outer peripheral surface of the housing 10 where the seal ring 13 is mounted as viewed from the front of the housing 10. It is installed. Therefore, when the device connector is fitted into the mounting hole of the case, the lock piece 22 and the locked piece 16 do not interfere with the hole edge of the mounting hole. On the other hand, in the temporary locking position, as shown in FIG. 9, the lock piece 22 is disposed so as to protrude beyond the outer peripheral surface of the housing 10 on which the seal ring 13 is mounted as viewed from the front of the housing 10. ing. For this reason, when the device connector is fitted into the mounting hole of the case, the locking operation is interrupted by the lock piece 22 interfering with the hole edge of the mounting hole, and it is detected that the fitting posture is not normal. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the elastic locking pieces 23 are provided at a total of three locations on the left and right sides and the center of the retainer body 21. This elastic locking piece 23 passes through the notch 24 from the back end (the upper wall of the retainer main body 21) of the notch 24 formed by notching the retainer main body 21 from below, and below the retainer main body 21. It is formed in a cantilever shape that protrudes from the top. As shown in FIG. 20, the elastic locking piece 23 includes an arm portion 25, a main locking portion 26, a temporary locking portion 27, and the like in order from the top. The arm portion 25 is formed to be elastically deflectable in the front-rear direction.

  The length from the base end portion of the arm portion 25 to the main locking portion 26 is shorter than the length from the base end portion of the arm portion 25 to the temporary locking portion 27. Accordingly, it is less necessary to bend the arm portion 25 by pushing the temporary locking portion 27 than to bend the arm portion 25 by pushing the main locking portion 26. That is, the rigidity of the arm portion 25 when the main locking portion 26 is locked is larger than the rigidity of the arm portion 25 when the temporary locking portion 27 is locked. Of the force, the portion due to the rigidity of the arm portion 25 is larger than the portion due to the rigidity of the arm portion 25 in the locking force by the temporary locking portion 27.

  The temporary locking portion 27 is a portion that is slightly shallowly fitted (entered) into the locking hole 39 of the terminal connection portion 35 at the temporary locking position shown in FIG. A pair of tapered surfaces are formed on both front and rear sides of the temporary locking portion 27. The front tapered surface 27A is provided for the purpose of the entire elastic locking piece 23 being bent and deformed within the range of the swinging locus drawn by the lower end of the temporary locking portion 27 as the arm portion 25 is elastically deformed. Yes. By setting the front tapered surface 27A in this way, the size of the locking hole 39 is such that the temporary locking portion 27 riding on the upper surface of the terminal connection portion 35 is elastically returned to the locking hole 39 again. It is the smallest dimension among the dimensions that can be fitted.

  On the other hand, the rear tapered surface 27B has a front end that pushes the temporary locking portion 27 forward when the terminal connecting portion 35 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 11 from the rear, as shown in FIG. In addition, a temporary locking portion 27 is provided to facilitate riding on the upper surface of the terminal connection portion 35. The front tapered surface 27A has a gentler slope than the rear tapered surface 27B. The temporary locking portion 27 riding on the upper surface of the terminal connecting portion 35 is elastically returned to the arm portion 25 when the front edge of the locking hole 39 passes through the lower end portion of the temporary locking portion 27, as shown in FIG. Thus, the main locking part 26 is fitted into the locking hole 39.

  The main locking portion 26 is a portion that is fitted (enters) deeper than the temporary locking position in the locking hole 39 of the terminal connection portion 35 in the main locking position shown in FIG. At this time, the elastic locking piece 23 passes through the locking hole 39 in the vertical direction. The cross-sectional area (shear area) obtained by cutting the main locking part 26 in the front-rear direction is larger than the cross-sectional area (shear area) obtained by cutting the temporary locking part 27 in the front-rear direction. For this reason, the part resulting from the shearing area of the locking force by the main locking part 26 is larger than the part resulting from the shearing area of the locking force by the temporary locking part 27. Therefore, when considering both the rigidity of the arm portion 25 and the shearing area of each locking portion 26, 27, the locking force by the main locking portion 26 is much higher than the locking force by the temporary locking portion 27. growing.

  The front-rear direction dimension of the main locking part 26 is slightly smaller than the front-rear direction dimension of the locking hole 39, and the clearance between the main locking part 26 and the inner wall of the locking hole 39 is the terminal connection. It is set so that the portion 35 does not substantially move in the front-rear direction. Further, the elastic locking piece 23 is restrained from being bent backward by the arm portion 25 coming into contact with the front wall 19 of the housing 10 from the front. Therefore, when the terminal 34 is pulled rearward, for example, when the electric wire 31 is pulled rearward, the front edge of the locking hole 39 is locked to the main locking portion 26 from the front, so that the terminal 34 Backward movement is suppressed, and the arm portion 25 is locked to the front wall 19 from the front, whereby the rearward deformation of the arm portion 25 is suppressed. In this way, the terminal 34 is held by the housing 10 in a state of preventing the terminal 34 from coming off. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the locked state of the main locking portion 26 and the locking hole 39 can be directly confirmed visually from the outside. And the front side part from the locking hole 39 in the terminal connection part 35 protrudes ahead, and is arrange | positioned exposed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an auxiliary notch 24 is formed on the opposite edge of the lower edge of the retainer body 21 that faces the intermediate wall 17. The auxiliary cutout 24 is configured to be unevenly fitted to the cutout 18 of the intermediate wall 17. The auxiliary cutout 24 has the same groove width and extends in the vertical direction and opens downward. On the other hand, the notch 18 also has the same groove width and extends vertically and opens upward. The groove width of the auxiliary notch 24 is approximately the same as the plate thickness of the intermediate wall 17, and the groove width of the notch 18 is approximately the same as the plate thickness of the retainer body 21.

  In a state in which the auxiliary notch 24 is engaged with the notch 18, the retainer 20 is held immovably with respect to the housing 10 in both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. That is, the movement of the retainer 20 in the left-right direction is suppressed by the inner wall of the auxiliary notch 24 coming into contact with the intermediate wall 17 from both the left and right sides, and the retainer is brought into contact with the retainer main body 21 from the front and rear sides. The movement of 20 in the front-rear direction is suppressed. Further, the lock protrusion 22 </ b> A of the lock piece 22 contacts the main locking protrusion 16 </ b> B of the locked piece 16 from below so that the upward movement of the retainer 20 is suppressed.

  3, the back end of the auxiliary notch 24 is supported by the back end of the notch 18, and the lower surface of the retainer main body 21 and the support wall are supported in this state. 15 between the upper surface of the horizontal portion 15B of the 15 and the clearance approximately the same as the plate thickness of the terminal connection portion 35, and between the lower surface of the retainer body 21 and the bottom surface of the groove portion 15A of the support wall 15, A clearance substantially the same as the dimension obtained by adding the height dimension of the nut 38 to the plate thickness of the terminal connecting portion 35 is generated.

  The present embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described subsequently. First, the rubber plug 40 is passed through the electric wire 31, and the core wire 33 is exposed by peeling off the coating 32 at the end of the electric wire 31. The terminal-attached electric wire 30 is formed by caulking the barrel piece of the electric wire connecting portion 36 to the core wire 33. Next, the retainer 20 is assembled to the housing 10 at a temporary locking position. When assembled, the pair of left and right lock pieces 22 bend and deform inward, while the lock protrusion 22A gets over the temporary lock protrusion 16A and fits between the temporary lock protrusion 16A and the main lock protrusion 16B. Each lock piece 22 is elastically restored. At this time, the temporary locking portion 27 of the retainer 20 is disposed facing the front end opening 19 </ b> A of the terminal insertion hole 11. Further, the rubber plug 40 is pushed into the terminal insertion hole 11 and the rubber plug retainer 50 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 11 to prevent the rubber plug 40 from coming off.

  Next, the terminal-attached electric wire 30 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 11 from the rear of the housing 10. The distal end of the terminal connecting portion 35 abuts on the temporary locking portion 27, and the arm portion 25 is elastically bent and deformed by pushing the temporary locking portion 27 forward. During this time, the terminal 34 is in a half-inserted state, and the tip of the terminal connecting portion 35 is in sliding contact with the tapered surface 27B on the rear side of the temporary locking portion 27 as shown in FIGS. 11, 12, and 13. The temporary locking portion 27 rides on the upper surface of the terminal connection portion 35. Subsequently, when the terminal-attached electric wire 30 is inserted and the terminal 34 reaches the normal insertion state, the elastic locking piece 23 is inserted into the locking hole of the terminal connecting portion 35 as shown in FIGS. 14, 15, and 16. The arm portion 25 is elastically restored and the temporary locking portion 27 is fitted into the locking hole 39.

  When the electric wire 31 is pulled rearward in this state, the front edge of the locking hole 39 is locked to the temporary locking portion 27 from the front, so that the arm portion 25 is moved by the front wall 19 of the housing 10. Backward bending deformation is suppressed. Therefore, the terminal connection portion 35 is temporarily fixed at the temporary locking position, and the terminal connection portion 35 is held in a state of protruding forward from the front end opening 19 </ b> A of the terminal insertion hole 11.

  Here, assuming that the terminal 34 is in a half-inserted state, when the retainer 20 is moved from the temporary locking position to the main locking position, the elastic locking piece 23 rides on the upper surface of the terminal connecting portion 35. The retainer 20 is prevented from moving so as to remain in a state and cannot be fitted into the locking hole 39. Therefore, it can be detected that the terminal 34 is in the half-inserted state.

  Next, the retainer 20 is pushed into the final locking position from the temporary locking position. Then, the elastic locking piece 23 is fitted deeply into the locking hole 39, and the main locking part 26 is fitted into the locking hole 39. When the electric wire 31 is pulled rearward at the final locking position, the front edge of the locking hole 39 is locked from the front with respect to the main locking portion 26 as in the temporary locking position. The arm portion 25 is restrained from being bent backward by the front wall 19 of the housing 10. Therefore, the terminal connection portion 35 is permanently fixed at the final locking position.

  Subsequently, the shield shell 60 is assembled to the housing 10 from the rear. Then, the shield shell 60 is held by the housing 10 by the detachment prevention piece 14. Thereafter, the braided wire is put on the connecting cylinder part 61 and the caulking ring 70 is caulked to the connecting cylinder part 61 to connect the braided wire to the shield shell 60.

  As described above, in this embodiment, after the retainer 20 is assembled to the housing 10 at the temporary locking position, the terminal 34 is inserted into the housing 10 from the rear. Then, the elastic locking piece 23 is pushed into the terminal 34 and is bent forward and deformed, and gets on the terminal 34. When the terminal 34 is further inserted and the terminal 34 reaches the normal insertion state, the elastic locking piece 23 is elastically restored and is shallowly fitted into the locking hole 39. When the electric wire 31 is pulled in this state, the terminal 34 is pulled rearward, and the elastic locking piece 23 tries to move rearward by the front edge of the locking hole 39, but the elastic engagement by the receiving portion (front wall 19). Since the movement of the stop piece 23 is suppressed, the terminal 34 is temporarily fixed. Next, when the retainer 20 is moved from the temporary locking position to the final locking position and the elastic locking piece 23 is fitted into the locking hole 39 deeper than the temporary locking position, the electric wire is pulled with a stronger force. Even if the elastic locking piece 23 does not come off from the locking hole 39, the terminal 34 is permanently fixed. Further, since the elastic locking piece 23 has a cantilever shape extending downward, the entire connector can be reduced in the front-rear direction by a dimension corresponding to the front-rear length of the arm portion 25.

  Further, if the retainer 20 is moved from the temporary locking position to the final locking position when the terminal 34 is in the half-inserted state, the elastic locking piece 23 remains on the terminal 34 and is locked. It is good also as a structure by which the movement of the retainer 20 is blocked | prevented so that it cannot fit in the hole 39. FIG. According to such a configuration, half-insertion detection of the terminal 34 can be performed.

  Further, the elastic locking piece 23 is engaged with the temporary locking portion 27 locked from the rear to the front edge of the locking hole 39 at the temporary locking position, and from the rear to the front edge of the locking hole 39 at the main locking position. The cross-sectional area obtained by cutting the main locking part 26 in the front-rear direction is larger than the cross-sectional area obtained by cutting the temporary locking part 27 in the front-rear direction. Good. According to such a configuration, since the shear area of the main locking portion 26 is larger than that of the temporary locking portion 27, the main fixing at the main locking position is more important than the temporary fixing at the temporary locking position. The stopping power can be increased.

  The elastic locking piece 23 includes an elastically deformable arm portion 25, and the arm portion 25, the main locking portion 26, and the temporary locking portion 27 are arranged in this order. It is good. According to such a configuration, since the length from the arm portion 25 to the temporary locking portion 27 is longer than the length from the main locking portion 26, the temporary locking portion 27 is pushed in by the terminal 34 and the arm portion 25 is moved. The force for elastic deformation is reduced, and mounting of the terminal 34 is facilitated. On the other hand, since the force that elastically deforms the arm portion 25 increases in the main locking portion 26, the locking force at the main locking position can be further increased.

  Further, the elastic locking piece 23 may have a tapered surface (rear taper surface 27B) that rides on the terminal at the temporary locking position. According to such a configuration, when the terminal 34 is inserted into the housing 10 from the rear, the tip of the terminal 34 is in sliding contact with the tapered surface (rear taper surface 27B) of the elastic locking piece 23, and the elastic locking piece 23 Can easily get on the terminal 34.

<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) In the above embodiment, the state in which the elastic locking piece 23 of the retainer 20 is fitted into the locking hole 39 can be confirmed directly from the outside. May be provided at a position where it cannot be directly confirmed from the outside.

  (2) In the above embodiment, although the elastic locking piece 23 rides on the terminal 34 and cannot be fitted in the locking hole 39, half-insertion detection is possible. It is not always necessary to detect half insertion.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the shearing area of the main locking part 26 is illustrated as being larger than the shearing area of the temporary locking part 27. The shearing area of the locking portion may be the same.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the elastic locking piece 23 is provided with a taper surface (rear taper surface 27B) to make it easier to ride on the upper surface of the terminal connection portion 35. It is not necessary to provide it.

  (5) Although the device connector attached to the case of the device is illustrated in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, it may be fitted to the mating connector instead of being fitted to the mounting hole of the case.

  (6) Although the lock piece 22 of the retainer 20 is formed so as to be able to bend in the left-right direction in the above embodiment, the lock piece 22 may be bendable in the front-rear direction according to the present invention.

  (7) Although the support wall 15 is formed in the above embodiment, for example, in the case of a connector connected to a device such as a motor, the support wall 15 may be omitted.

10 ... Housing 19 ... Front wall (receiving part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Retainer 23 ... Elastic locking piece 25 ... Arm part 26 ... This locking part 27 ... Temporary locking part 27B ... Tapered surface 31 on the rear side 31 ... Electric wire 34 ... Terminal 35 ... Terminal connection part 36 ... Electric wire connection part 39 ... Locking hole

Claims (5)

A terminal connecting portion and a wire connecting portion arranged behind the terminal connecting portion are provided side by side in the front-rear direction, and a wire is connected to the wire connecting portion and a locking hole is formed through the terminal connecting portion. Connected terminals,
It has an elastic locking piece formed so as to be able to bend in the front-rear direction in a form extending in a cantilever direction toward one of the vertical directions perpendicular to the front-rear direction, A retainer that can move between,
A housing provided with a receiving portion for restraining the elastic locking piece from moving backward by locking the elastic locking piece from the rear and preventing the terminal from coming off;
When the terminal is inserted into the housing from the rear in a state where the retainer is assembled at the temporary locking position, the elastic locking piece is pushed into the terminal to bend forward and be deformed to ride on the terminal, When the terminal reaches the normal insertion state, the elastic locking piece elastically returns and enters the locking hole shallowly, and when the terminal is in the normal insertion state, the retainer is moved to the temporary locking position. When the connector is moved to the main locking position, the elastic locking piece enters the locking hole deeper than the temporary locking position.   If the retainer is moved from the temporary locking position to the final locking position before the terminal reaches the normal insertion state, the elastic locking piece remains on the terminal. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the retainer is prevented from moving so as not to enter the locking hole.   The elastic locking piece is locked to the front edge of the locking hole from the rear at the temporary locking position and from the rear to the front edge of the locking hole at the main locking position. The cross-sectional area obtained by cutting the main locking part in the front-rear direction is larger than the cross-sectional area obtained by cutting the temporary locking part in the front-rear direction. The connector according to claim 1 or 2.   The elastic locking piece includes an elastically deformable arm portion, and the arm portion, the main locking portion, and the temporary locking portion are formed in this order. The connector according to claim 3.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the elastic locking piece has a tapered surface that rides on the terminal at the temporary locking position.

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