JP2015195125A - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector that can suppress backlash between connector housings caused by external vibration and prevent occurrence of abrasion powder or occurrence of deformation caused by the backlash between the connector housings.SOLUTION: A connector has a fitting direction groove portion 513 which is provided to the outer peripheral surface at one side of a terminal accommodating portion 51 in a first connector housing 5 so as to extend along a fitting direction X2 along which connector housings are fitted, on-periphery ribs 86 which are provided at plural places spaced from one another in the peripheral direction on the inner peripheral surface at the root side of the cylinder portion 82 of a second connector housing 8 fitted to the terminal accommodating portion 51 at the outside thereof while projecting from the inner peripheral surface, thereby suppressing backlash between the terminal accommodating portion 51 and the cylinder portion 82, and a fitting-direction rib 87 which is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder portion 82 so as to project from the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder portion and confronts the fitting-direction groove portion 513, and slidably fitted in the fitting-direction groove portion 513.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector in which a cylindrical portion of a second connector housing is fitted to an outer periphery of a terminal accommodating portion of a first connector housing.

8 to 10 show a connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in the connector 100, the cylindrical portion 121 of the second connector housing 120 is fitted to the outer periphery of the terminal accommodating portion 111 of the first connector housing 110.

  The first connector housing 110 includes the terminal housing portion 111 described above, a hood portion 112 formed in a cylindrical structure surrounding the terminal housing portion 111, a lock arm 113 formed integrally with the terminal housing portion 111, It has.

  The terminal accommodating portion 111 has a columnar shape extending in the fitting direction between the connector housings (in the direction of arrow Y1 in FIG. 8), and a terminal accommodating hole 114 for holding the female terminal fitting 130 is formed therein. A front holder 115 shown in FIG. 8 is fitted and attached to the tip of the terminal accommodating portion 111.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the hood portion 112 of the first connector housing 110 defines a gap 116 around which the cylindrical portion 121 of the second connector housing 120 is fitted around the terminal accommodating portion 111. .

  When the fitting length between the first connector housing 110 and the second connector housing 120 reaches a predetermined value, the lock arm 113 is engaged with the lock protrusion 123 on the second connector housing 120 as shown in FIG. Then, the fitting state (connected state) between the first connector housing 110 and the second connector housing 120 is locked.

  The connector 100 in Patent Document 1 is a waterproof connector and includes a cylindrical packing 150 that fits around the outer periphery of the terminal accommodating portion 111. In addition, a waterproof plug 160 that seals the terminal accommodation hole 114 is attached to a connection portion between the female terminal fitting 130 and the electric wire 131 that are attached to the terminal accommodation hole 114 of the terminal accommodation portion 111.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the cylindrical portion 121 of the second connector housing 120 is formed in a cylindrical shape that surrounds the periphery of the terminal arrangement space 122 from which the male tab 141 that is the distal end portion of the male terminal fitting 140 protrudes. The tubular portion 121 is fitted on the terminal accommodating portion 111.

  On the outer periphery of the tubular portion 121, a lock projection 123 is projected. The lock protrusion 123 is first when the fitting length between the tubular portion 121 and the terminal accommodating portion 111 reaches a predetermined length and the fitting between the first connector housing 110 and the second connector housing 120 is completed. By engaging with the lock arm 113 of the connector housing 110, the fitting state (connection state) of these connector housings is locked.

  The distal end side of the cylindrical portion 121 is fitted to the outer periphery of the packing 150 attached to the base end portion of the terminal accommodating portion 111, and the gap between the cylindrical portion 121 and the terminal accommodating portion 111 is sealed by the packing 150.

  The base side of the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 121 is not directly in contact with the packing 150 but is a direct fitting portion 125 that directly covers the outer periphery of the distal end portion of the terminal accommodating portion 111. The inner diameter of the direct fitting portion 125 is set to be smaller than the distal end side of the tubular portion 121 in order to suppress backlash between the connector housings.

JP 2012-134104 A

  However, in the case of the connector 100 described in Patent Document 1, the elastic force due to the packing 150 acts only on the front end side of the cylindrical portion 121. Therefore, when external vibration is applied, the diameter of the packing 150 due to external vibration is applied. Owing to the expansion and contraction of the direction, a swinging motion in which the central axes of the connector housings are inclined is likely to occur between the connector housings. Then, due to the swinging movement of the connector housings, the direct fitting portion 125 of the second connector housing 120 and the outer periphery on the front end side of the terminal accommodating portion 111 are likely to be loosely repeatedly contacting and disconnecting. At this time, since the backlash is a frustration in which the direct fitting portion 125 and the front end side outer periphery of the terminal accommodating portion 111 are in strong local contact with each other, the wear powder is generated between the repeated backlashes, There was a risk of causing deformation in the contact area due to looseness.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, suppress rattling between connector housings due to external vibration, and generate or deform wear powder caused by rattling between connector housings. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector capable of preventing the occurrence of the above.

The above-described object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration.
(1) A terminal accommodating portion that accommodates the first terminal fitting and a tubular structure that surrounds the periphery of the terminal accommodating portion, and the tubular portion of the connector housing to be connected is fitted around the terminal accommodating portion. A first connector housing having a hood that defines a gap to be
A terminal arrangement space from which a tip of a second terminal fitting to be fitted to the first terminal fitting projects, and a cylinder formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding the terminal arrangement space and fitted to the terminal accommodating portion A second connector housing having a profile portion;
A connector comprising:
A fitting direction groove extending in the center of the connector width direction along the fitting direction between the connector housings on the outer peripheral surface of one side of the terminal accommodating portion;
A circumferential rib that protrudes along the circumferential direction at a plurality of locations spaced in the circumferential direction on the root-side inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion and suppresses backlash between the terminal accommodating portion and the cylindrical portion. When,
A fitting direction that protrudes at a position facing the fitting direction groove on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and slidably engages with the fitting direction groove when the connector housings are fitted to each other. Ribs,
A connector comprising:

  (2) The connector according to (1), wherein the circumferential rib is in pressure contact with a surface of the terminal accommodating portion.

  (3) The connector according to (1) or (2), wherein the fitting direction rib is tightly fitted to the fitting direction groove portion in a pressure contact state.

  According to the configuration of (1), when the connector receives external vibration, the fitting direction groove extending in the center of the connector width direction along the fitting direction between the connector housings, the fitting direction rib, This suppresses the swinging motion of each connector housing. That is, even when the connectors vibrate due to external vibration, the backlash between the connector housings is suppressed by suppressing the swinging motion of the respective connector housings that causes backlash between the connector housings. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of twisting at the time of rattling between the connector housings. Moreover, the impact which acts by rattling can be disperse | distributed to the several places on a periphery by a some periphery rib. As a result, it is possible to suppress generation of wear powder and deformation due to backlash between the connector housings.

  According to the configuration of (2) above, the relative movement between the connector housings due to external vibration is firmly regulated by the circumferential rib being pressed against the surface of the terminal accommodating portion. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent rattling between the connector housings due to external vibration.

  According to the configuration of (3) above, the fitting direction rib is tightly fitted in the fitting direction groove portion in a pressure contact state, and firmly restricts relative movement between the connector housings due to external vibration. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent rattling between the connector housings due to external vibration.

  According to the connector of the present invention, rattling between connector housings due to external vibration can be suppressed, and generation of wear powder and deformation due to rattling between connector housings can be prevented.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through a mode for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the first connector housing shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the first connector housing shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view of the second connector housing shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view of the connection state between the first connector housing and the second connector housing shown in FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional connector. 9 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the connector assembly shown in FIG. 10 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view of the connector assembly shown in FIG.

  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 an embodiment of the connector according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a first connector housing shown in FIG. 3 is a rear view of the first connector housing shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a front view of the second connector housing shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the first connector housing shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 5, and FIG.

  The connector 4 of this embodiment is a waterproof connector, and as shown in FIG. 1, a cylindrical packing 6 fitted and fitted to a first connector housing 5 and a terminal accommodating portion 51 of the first connector housing 5 described later. And a retainer 7 to be inserted into the first connector housing 5 from one side of the first connector housing 5, and a second connector housing 8 to which the first connector housing 5 is connected.

  The first connector housing 5 is integrally formed of a resin material, and includes a terminal accommodating portion 51 that accommodates a first terminal fitting (not shown), and a hood formed in a cylindrical structure that surrounds the terminal accommodating portion 51. And a lock arm 53 formed integrally with the terminal accommodating portion 51.

  The terminal accommodating portion 51 is a portion formed in a substantially columnar shape extending along the fitting direction with the second connector housing 8 (the arrow X2 direction in FIG. 1). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the terminal accommodating portion 51 has a plurality (two in the illustrated example) of terminal accommodating holes 511 arranged in a line along the connector width direction Y2. Each terminal accommodating hole 511 is a hole for accommodating a first terminal fitting (female terminal fitting) (not shown), and extends along the fitting direction X <b> 2 with the second connector housing 8.

  Furthermore, the terminal accommodating part 51 of this embodiment is provided with the fitting direction groove part 513 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, when the first connector housing 5 and the second connector housing 8 are fitted, the fitting direction groove 513 slides on a fitting direction rib 87 of the second connector housing 8 to be described later. It is a groove to be fitted. As shown in FIG. 2, the fitting direction groove 513 is provided at the center in the connector width direction Y2 on the outer peripheral surface of one side (the lower side in FIG. 2) of the terminal accommodating portion 51. Further, the fitting direction groove 513 extends along the fitting direction X2 between the connector housings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the hood portion 52 defines a gap 54 around which the cylindrical portion 82 of the second connector housing 8 described later is fitted around the terminal accommodating portion 51. The hood portion 52 is fitted to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 82 of the second connector housing 8 that is fitted into the gap 54. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the hood portion 52 of the present embodiment includes a horizontal guide groove 521 in which a horizontal guide rib 84 of a second connector housing 8 described later is slidably fitted, and a second connector housing described later. Eight vertical guide ribs 85 are slidably fitted into vertical guide grooves 522.

  The horizontal guide groove 521 and the vertical guide groove 522 provided in the hood portion 52 are a horizontal guide rib 84 and a vertical guide rib of the second connector housing 8 which will be described later when the first connector housing 5 and the second connector housing 8 are fitted. By fitting 85, the movement direction of the two is regulated to prevent one connector housing from being tilted, and the occurrence of twisting is prevented.

  In the first connector housing 5 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a retainer insertion port 524 is formed through one side 523 of the hood portion 52. The retainer insertion port 524 is an opening for inserting the retainer 7, and is provided at a position facing a retainer insertion portion (not shown) of the terminal accommodating portion 51. Therefore, the housing locking arm 71, the temporary locking lance 73, and the terminal lock portion (not shown) of the retainer 7 inserted into the retainer insertion port 524 can be inserted into the retainer insertion portion.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the retainer 7 is inserted into the first connector housing 5 along the connector width direction from a retainer insertion port 524 that opens on one side surface of the first connector housing 5. An arrow Y3 in FIG. 1 indicates the insertion direction of the retainer 7.

  When the retainer 7 is inserted into the first connector housing 5, the retainer 7 is positioned at a temporary locking position where the terminal fitting can be inserted and a final locking position where the inserted terminal fitting is prevented from coming off.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the lock arm 53 has a first connector housing 5, a second connector housing 8, and a fitting length between the cylindrical portion 82 of the second connector housing 8 and the terminal accommodating portion 51 reaching a predetermined value. When the fitting of the first connector housing 5 and the second connector housing 8 is completed, the engagement with the lock protrusion 83 on the second connector housing 8 is engaged to lock the fitting state between the first connector housing 5 and the second connector housing 8.

  In the lock arm 53 of the present embodiment, when the tubular portion 82 of the second connector housing 8 is fitted inside the hood portion 52, the free end side is a direction perpendicular to the surface of the tubular portion 82 of the second connector housing 8. It is integrally formed in the terminal accommodating part 51 so that it can be bent and displaced.

  The packing 6 has a cylindrical shape that is externally fitted to the terminal accommodating portion 51 of the first connector housing 5, and is integrally formed of synthetic rubber or natural rubber having appropriate elasticity.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the packing 6 is a smooth surface in which the inner peripheral surface 61 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 51. Further, the packing 6 is provided with two annular protrusions (lip portions) 621 that are in close contact with the inner periphery of the second connector housing 8 tubular portion 82 on the outer peripheral surface 62. As shown in FIG. 7, the packing 6 has an inner peripheral surface 61 in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 51, and an annular protrusion 621 of the outer peripheral surface 62 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 82. Ensure waterproofing inside the housing.

  The second connector housing 8 is a housing fixedly mounted on a housing 9 such as a device. Further, the second connector housing 8 is an integrally molded product of resin, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a terminal array space 81 from which the tip of the second terminal fitting protrudes, a cylindrical portion 82, A lock protrusion 83, a horizontal guide rib 84, a vertical guide rib 85, a circumferential rib 86, and a fitting direction rib 87 are provided.

  The terminal arrangement space 81 is a space from which the tip end portion 88 a of the second terminal fitting 88 to be fitted to the first terminal fitting in the terminal accommodating portion 51 protrudes.

  The cylindrical portion 82 has a cylindrical shape surrounding the terminal arrangement space 81, and defines the terminal arrangement space 81. The tubular portion 82 is inserted into the gap 54 of the first connector housing 5 and is fitted to the outer periphery of the terminal accommodating portion 51. At this time, the cylindrical portion 82 is in a state of being fitted to the inner periphery of the hood portion 52. As shown in FIG. 7, the annular protrusion 621 of the packing 6 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 82 that is externally fitted to the terminal accommodating portion 51, and the gap between the cylindrical portion 82 and the terminal accommodating portion 51. Is sealed.

  The lock protrusion 83 is a protrusion protruding from the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 82. When the fitting length between the cylindrical portion 82 and the terminal accommodating portion 51 reaches a predetermined value, the lock protrusion 83 engages with the lock arm 53 as shown in FIG. 5 and the second connector housing 8 are locked together.

  When the first connector housing 5 and the second connector housing 8 are fitted together, the horizontal guide rib 84 is slidably engaged with the horizontal guide groove 521 of the first connector housing 5, as shown in FIG. Prevent tilting between them.

  When the first connector housing 5 and the second connector housing 8 are fitted together, the vertical guide rib 85 slidably engages with the vertical guide groove 522 of the first connector housing 5, as shown in FIG. Prevent tilting between each other.

  That is, the first connector housing 5 and the second connector housing 8 of the present embodiment are perpendicular to the horizontal guide ribs 84 of the second connector housing 8 in the horizontal guide grooves 521 and the vertical guide grooves 522 provided in the first connector housing 5. Engagement of the guide rib 85 restricts the movement direction of the connector housings so that no inclination occurs from the fitting direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the circumferential ribs 86 project along the circumferential direction at a plurality of locations (four locations in the illustrated example) spaced apart in the circumferential direction on the root side inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 82. ing. When the first connector housing 5 and the second connector housing 8 are completely fitted, the circumferential rib 86 is close to the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 51 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The backlash between the terminal accommodating part 51 and the cylindrical part 82 is suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the fitting direction rib 87 protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 82 at a position facing the fitting direction groove 513. When the connector housings are engaged with each other, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the fitting direction rib 87 is engaged with the fitting direction groove portion 513 with a small clearance so as to be slidable. The backlash between the terminal accommodating part 51 and the cylindrical part 82 is suppressed.

  In the case of the configuration of the connector 4 according to the embodiment described above, when the connector 4 is subjected to external vibration, as shown in FIG. 6, it extends in the center in the connector width direction along the fitting direction between the connector housings. The fitting between the fitting direction groove 513 and the fitting direction rib 87 suppresses the swinging motion of each connector housing. That is, even when the connector 4 vibrates due to external vibration, the swinging movement of the connector housings 5 and 8 that cause the backlash between the connector housings is suppressed, thereby suppressing backlash between the connector housings. Is done. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of twisting when the connector housings 5 and 8 are rattled. In addition, the plurality of circumferential ribs 86 can disperse impacts acting with backlash to a plurality of locations on the circumference. As a result, it is possible to suppress generation of wear powder and deformation due to backlash between the connector housings 5 and 8.

  In the present embodiment, on the second connector housing 8, the horizontal guide rib 84 slidably fitted in the horizontal guide groove 521 on the first connector housing 5 when the connector housings are fitted to each other, the first connector. A vertical guide rib 85 slidably fitted in a vertical guide groove 522 on the housing 5 is provided. Since the fitting of the horizontal guide ribs 84 and the vertical guide ribs 85 to the corresponding guide grooves also has the effect of reducing the backlash between the connector housings, the connector housing 5 of the embodiment has a mutual relationship with the connector housings 5 and 8. Generation | occurrence | production of the abrasion powder and generation | occurrence | production of a deformation | transformation resulting from backlash in the meantime can be suppressed effectively.

  In addition, the circumferential rib 86 provided in the second connector housing 8 has a structure that suppresses backlash between the terminal ribs 51 in the vicinity of the outer circumferential surface of the terminal accommodating portion 51 in the one embodiment. However, the circumferential rib 86 may be configured to be in pressure contact with the surface of the terminal accommodating portion 51 to firmly restrict backlash between each other.

  If it does in this way, the relative movement between the connector housings resulting from an external vibration will be firmly controlled because the circumferential rib 86 press-contacts the surface of the terminal accommodating part 51. FIG. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent rattling between the connector housings due to external vibration.

  Further, the fitting direction rib 87 of the second connector housing 8 has a structure in which the fitting direction groove 87 of the terminal accommodating portion 51 is slidably engaged with the fitting direction groove portion 513 in the one embodiment. . However, the fitting direction rib 87 may be configured to be in pressure contact with the inner wall surface of the fitting direction groove portion 513 so as to firmly restrict backlash between the fitting direction ribs 513.

  If it does in this way, the fitting direction rib 87 will closely fit in the fitting direction groove part 513 in a press-contact state, and will restrict | limit the relative movement between connector housings resulting from an external vibration firmly. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent rattling between the connector housings due to external vibration.

  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.

  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 [3], respectively.

[1] A terminal accommodating portion (51) for accommodating the first terminal fitting, and a cylindrical structure surrounding the terminal accommodating portion (51), and a connection partner around the terminal accommodating portion (51). A first connector housing (5) having a hood portion (52) defining a gap (54) into which the tubular portion (82) of the connector housing (8) is fitted;
The terminal arrangement space (81) from which the tip of the second terminal fitting (88) to be fitted to the first terminal fitting protrudes, and is formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding the terminal arrangement space (81). A second connector housing (8) having the tubular portion (82) fitted to the terminal accommodating portion (51);
A connector (4) comprising:
A fitting direction groove (513) extending in the center of the connector width direction (Y2) along the fitting direction (X2) between the connector housings on the outer peripheral surface on one side of the terminal accommodating portion (51);
Between the said terminal accommodating part (51) and the said cylindrical part (82), it protrudes along the circumferential direction in the several places spaced apart in the circumferential direction on the root side inner peripheral surface of the said cylindrical part (82). A circumferential rib (86) that suppresses rattling of
Projecting at a position facing the fitting direction groove (513) on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion (82), the connector housing slides into the fitting direction groove (513) when mating with each other. A mating direction rib (87) for movably engaging;
A connector (4) comprising:

  [2] The connector (4) according to [1], wherein the circumferential rib (86) is in pressure contact with the surface of the terminal accommodating portion (51).

  [3] The connector (4) according to [1] or [2], wherein the fitting direction rib (87) is tightly fitted to the fitting direction groove (513) in a pressure contact state.

4 connector 5 first connector housing 6 packing 7 retainer 8 second connector housing 51 terminal accommodating portion 52 hood portion 53 lock arm 54 gap 71 housing locking arm 75 packing holding portion 81, 122 terminal arrangement space 82, 121 cylindrical portion 83 Lock protrusion 86 Circumferential upper rib 87 Fitting direction rib 88 Second terminal fitting 513 Fitting direction groove portion 531 Base end portion 524 Retainer insertion port

Claims (3)

A terminal accommodating portion that accommodates the first terminal fitting, and a gap that is formed in a cylindrical structure that surrounds the periphery of the terminal accommodating portion so that the cylindrical portion of the connector housing to be connected fits around the terminal accommodating portion. A first connector housing having a hood portion defining;
A terminal arrangement space from which a tip of a second terminal fitting to be fitted to the first terminal fitting projects, and a cylinder formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding the terminal arrangement space and fitted to the terminal accommodating portion A second connector housing having a profile portion;
A connector comprising:
A fitting direction groove extending in the center of the connector width direction along the fitting direction between the connector housings on the outer peripheral surface of one side of the terminal accommodating portion;
A circumferential rib that protrudes along the circumferential direction at a plurality of locations spaced in the circumferential direction on the root-side inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion and suppresses backlash between the terminal accommodating portion and the cylindrical portion. When,
A fitting direction that protrudes at a position facing the fitting direction groove on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and slidably engages with the fitting direction groove when the connector housings are fitted to each other. Ribs,
A connector comprising:   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the circumferential rib is in pressure contact with the surface of the terminal accommodating portion.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the fitting direction rib is tightly fitted to the fitting direction groove portion in a pressure contact state.

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