JP2016058190A - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve compaction of the housing while trying secure retaining of a terminal fitting.SOLUTION: A connector includes a terminal fitting 10, and a housing 20 provided with a cavity 25A into which the terminal fitting 10 can be inserted. A locking part 34 for locking a locked part 14, provided in the terminal fitting 10, is formed to project from one inner wall surface 31A of the cavity 25A, and a wall 32 in the cavity 25A, facing the inner wall surface 31A provided with the locking part 34, is formed to be able to displace elastically in the direction coming into contact with the inner wall surface 31A and separating therefrom.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a connector having a function of retaining a terminal fitting in a cavity of a housing.

  As an example of this type of connector, one described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-23441 (Patent Document 1 below) is known. This is a structure in which a flexible locking arm is provided on the bottom surface of the cavity formed in the housing, and when the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity from the rear, the flexible locking arm is elastically bent. When the flexible locking arm is restored and displaced, the locking projection of the flexible locking arm fits into the engaging portion (hole) provided on the bottom surface of the terminal fitting. The terminal fitting is pressed firmly against the fixed latching protrusion provided on the ceiling surface of the cavity with the restoring elasticity of the flexible locking arm. Is to be housed.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-23441

In the conventional retaining structure described above, since it is necessary to secure a bending allowance space that allows the bending displacement of the flexible locking arm in the cavity, the cavity is likely to be large, which is a problem in reducing the size of the housing. . In addition, since the terminal fitting is pressed against the ceiling surface of the cavity by receiving the restoring elasticity of the flexible locking arm, a fixed locking projection is formed on the ceiling surface in order to ensure rigidity sufficient to withstand the pressing force. Or the ceiling wall itself needs to be thick, which also causes an increase in the size of the housing.
The connector disclosed by this specification was completed based on the above circumstances, and its purpose is to achieve a reduction in the size of the housing while ensuring the terminal metal fitting is securely removed. By the way.

  The technology disclosed in the present specification includes a terminal fitting and a housing provided with a cavity into which the terminal fitting can be inserted, and an inner wall surface of the cavity has a cover provided on the terminal fitting. A locking portion that locks onto the locking portion and prevents the locking portion from protruding is formed, and an opposing wall portion that faces the inner wall surface provided with the locking portion in the cavity is in contact with and separated from the inner wall surface. It is characterized in that it is formed so that it can be elastically displaced in the direction in which it moves.

When the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity, the opposing wall portion is pushed into the opening direction while elastically displacing the opposing wall portion over the locking portion, and when the locked portion is pushed to the position passing through the locking portion, the opposing wall portion Is moved backward and elastically moved to move the terminal fitting toward the inner wall surface, and the locked portion of the terminal fitting is locked to the locking portion, so that the terminal fitting is retained in the cavity and accommodated. Is done.
Since the wall portion facing the locking portion in the cavity is elastically displaced, it is not necessary to secure a displacement allowable space in the cavity, and the cross-sectional area of the cavity can be kept small accordingly. Further, since the opposing wall portion can be kept thin, the housing can be downsized as a result.

The following configuration may also be used.
(1) The said opposing wall part is formed in the cantilever shape extended toward the insertion direction of the said terminal metal fitting.
The terminal fitting is inserted while elastically displacing the opposing wall portion so that the front end side opens.

(2) A front stop portion is formed at the extending end of the opposing wall portion to stop the terminal metal fitting by contacting the front end of the terminal metal fitting when the terminal metal fitting is inserted to a normal position where the terminal metal fitting is locked to the locking portion. ing.
The terminal fitting is inserted while elastically displacing the opposing wall portion. When the terminal fitting is inserted to the normal position, the terminal fitting hits the front stop portion to stop further insertion, that is, positioning at the locking position can be performed.

(3) When the terminal fitting is housed in the cavity, the terminal fitting is sandwiched between the locking portion and the opposing wall portion, and the opposing wall portion opens. A holder is provided to prevent this.
By attaching the holder, the terminal fitting is held between the locking portion and the opposing wall portion, and the terminal fitting is accommodated in the cavity without rattling.

(4) The housing is provided with a tower portion in which the cavity is formed, and the tower portion is divided into two, and one tower portion is fixedly provided on the inner surface of the same tower portion. A locking part is formed, and the other tower part can be elastically displaced in a direction in which the other tower part comes into contact with and separates from the one tower part.
The present invention can also be applied to a type in which cavities are individually provided in the tower section.

  According to the connector disclosed in the present specification, the housing can be reduced in size while the terminal fitting is surely prevented from coming off.

The exploded sectional view of the female housing concerning an embodiment Sectional drawing which shows insertion operation of female terminal Front view of female housing with front holder temporarily locked Sectional view showing the terminal metal fitting Sectional view at the end of terminal fitting insertion Sectional view with the front holder fully locked

<Embodiment>
An embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, a two-pole waterproof female connector C is illustrated.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the female connector C includes two female terminals 10 and a synthetic resin female housing 20 provided with a cavity 25 that accommodates the female terminals 10. ing. The female housing 20 further includes a housing body 21 and a front holder 50.

As shown in FIG. 2, the female terminal 10 has a structure in which a wire barrel 12 and an insulation barrel 13 are provided behind a body portion 11 having a rectangular tube shape, and the terminal of the electric wire W made of a covered electric wire. It is fixed together with the rubber plug 17. Specifically, a rubber plug 17 is previously fitted to the end of the electric wire W, and the end of the core wire Wa that is peeled off and exposed at the end of the electric wire W is crimped to the wire barrel 12 and the remaining end of the insulation coating Wb. The mounting cylinder portion 17A of the rubber plug 17 is fitted to and the insulation barrel 13 is fixed by being crimped over both.
Protrusions 14 and 15 that function as stabilizers are formed at the front end position and the rear end position at the center in the width direction on the upper surface of the main body 11, respectively. Among these, the front protrusion 14 is a locked portion that is locked to a locking portion 34 provided in the cavity 25 described later. Hereinafter, the front protrusion 14 is referred to as a “locked portion 14” as necessary.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the housing main body 21 of the female housing 20 has two tower portions 23 protruding from the front surface of the base portion 22 side by side, and surrounds both the tower portions 23. Thus, a hood portion 24 having a front opening is formed. A front holder 50 can be mounted on the outer periphery of both tower portions 23 from the front.
Two cavities 25 are formed from the base portion 22 of the housing main body 21 to the tower portions 23 so that the female terminal 10 fixed to the end of the electric wire W and the rubber plug 17 can be individually inserted from the rear. As will be described later in detail, as shown in FIG. 6, a part of each cavity 25 on the front wall 26 side is supplemented by a front holder 50 mounted at the main assembly position.

  The structure of the cavity 25 will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 6, the cavity 25 has a front half-length region (front cavity 25 </ b> A) having a rectangular cross section in which the main body portion 11 of the female terminal 10 is fitted almost tightly, and a rear region ( The rear cavity 25B) has a circular cross section into which the rubber plug 17 is closely fitted. A terminal insertion port 27 into which a tab (not shown) of a mating male terminal is inserted is formed in the front wall 26 of the cavity 25.

A portion of the tower portion 23 that constitutes the front cavity 25A is divided into an upper tower portion 30U and a lower tower portion 30D. The ceiling wall 31 of the upper tower portion 30U is formed thick, and the bottom wall 32 (corresponding to the “opposing wall portion” of the present invention) of the lower tower portion 30D is formed thin (about 1/6 of the ceiling wall 31). ing.
As shown in FIG. 6, the upper tower portion 30 </ b> U is formed such that the tip of the ceiling wall 31 (including the side wall) is behind the predetermined dimension as compared to the lower tower portion 30 </ b> D. The front end portion of the wall surface 31A is cut off together with the side wall to form a thin wall (thin wall portion 33). The upper tower part 30U functions as a fixed wall that cannot be displaced because the ceiling wall 31 is formed thick as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a locking portion 34 that is locked to the locked portion 14 provided in the female terminal 10 is located immediately after the thin portion 33 on the inner wall surface 31 </ b> A of the ceiling wall 31 of the upper tower portion 30 </ b> U. Protrusions are formed. The locking portion 34 is a locking surface 35A whose front surface is raised and a guide surface 35B whose rear surface side is inclined. A guide groove 37 for inserting and guiding the protrusions 14 and 15 of the female terminal 10 is formed at the position immediately after the locking portion 34 on the inner wall surface 31A so as to face the rear cavity 25B.

The lower tower portion 30D has a shape in which the lower half of the front wall 26 (hereinafter referred to as the lower front wall portion 26D) is provided at the tip of the bottom wall 32 (including the side wall). In other words, the thin bottom wall 32 is a piece. It is formed to extend forward in a holding shape, and can be elastically bent in the vertical direction.
Here, the distance between the bottom wall 32 of the lower tower portion 30D in the natural state and the top surface 35C of the locking portion 34 described above is set to a dimension that allows the main body portion 11 of the female terminal 10 to be clamped from both the upper and lower surfaces. Yes.

As described above, the front holder 50 can be mounted on the outer periphery of both the tower portions 23 from the front as shown in FIG. The front holder 50 has a shape in which a square tube portion 52 extends from the peripheral edge of the rear surface of the front wall 51.
The front wall 51 is formed with an upper half of the terminal insertion port 27 (hereinafter referred to as an upper insertion port 27U), and behind it, on the inner surface of the thin portion 33 at the front end of the ceiling wall 31 in the upper tower portion 30U. A complementary wall portion 54 that enters and complements the inner wall surface 31 </ b> A with a thick wall is formed. An escape recess 55 is formed in the complementary wall portion 54 so that the locked portion 14 of the female terminal 10 is fitted and released.
Below the upper insertion port 27U, a mounting hole 56 is formed in which a lower front wall portion 26D provided at the tip of the lower tower portion 30D is closely fitted.

  The square tube portion 52 of the front holder 50 has three surfaces, that is, an upper surface and left and right side surfaces, which are closely fitted to the outer surface of the ceiling wall 31 of the tower portion 23 and the outer surfaces of the side walls of the tower portions 23, respectively. The lower surface of the portion 52 can be fitted with a predetermined clearance between the bottom wall 32 of the lower tower portion 30D. As shown in FIG. 2, the above-described clearance forms a bending allowance space 57 that allows a downward displacement of the lower tower portion 30 </ b> D.

As shown in FIG. 1, lock projections 58 are formed on the left and right inner surfaces of the rectangular tube portion 52 of the front holder 50, and lock projections are formed on the outer surfaces of the left and right upper tower portions 30 </ b> U. The primary lock part 41 and the secondary lock part 42 which 58 engages and latches are formed away from each other in the front-rear direction.
When the front holder 50 is fitted to both the tower portions 23 from the front as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1, first, as shown in FIG. 2, the lock protrusion 58 is fitted to the primary lock portion 41. The front holder 50 is primarily locked in the retaining state at the temporary locking position. When the front holder 50 is in the temporary locking position, the front wall 51 of the front holder 50 is in a state of projecting a predetermined dimension from the front edge of the hood portion 24 in the housing body 21, and in particular, the tip of the lower tower portion 30D is It is in the form of staying in front of the mounting hole 56 of the front wall 51. Therefore, the lower tower portion 30D is allowed to bend and be displaced downward.

When the front holder 50 is further pushed in from the temporary locking position and the front wall 51 of the front holder 50 is pushed to a position flush with the front edge of the hood portion 24 as shown in FIG. Is fitted into the secondary lock portion 42, and is secondarily locked in the retaining state at the main locking position.
When the front holder 50 is in the main locking position, the lower front wall portion 26D provided at the tip of the lower tower portion 30D is closely fitted into the mounting hole 56, and the upper and lower insertion ports 27U and 27D are combined to form a single unit. The terminal insertion port 27 is formed. Accordingly, the lower tower portion 30D is prevented from being deflected and displaced. At the same time, the complementary wall portion 54 of the front holder 50 enters the inner surface side of the thin portion 33 of the upper tower portion 30U, and the regular cavity 25 is formed. The locked portion 14 of the female terminal 10 is fitted into the escape recess 55 and released.

The female connector C of the present embodiment has the above structure, and an example of the assembly procedure will be described.
The female terminal 10 and the rubber plug 17 are fixed to the end of the electric wire W in the manner described above (FIG. 2). On the female housing 20 side, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, the front holder 50 is fitted from the front with respect to both tower portions 23 of the housing body 21, and is primary at the temporary locking position as shown in FIG. Locked.

In this manner, the female terminal 10 and the rubber plug 17 provided at the end of the electric wire W are indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2 with respect to the cavity 25 of the housing body 21 in which the front holder 50 is primarily locked at the temporary locking position. Is inserted from behind. After passing through the rear cavity 25B, the female terminal 10 is pushed into the front cavity 25A while the protrusions 14 and 15 are fitted in the guide groove 37 and guided by the guide groove 37.
In the middle of the insertion, as shown in FIG. 4, the locked portion 14 extends from the front end of the main body portion 11 of the female terminal 10 to the locking portion 34 provided on the ceiling wall 31 of the upper tower portion 30U on the guide surface 35B. Along with this, the female terminal 10 is pushed in a downward direction while the lower tower portion 30D is elastically bent and displaced toward the bending allowable space 57 side.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the main body 11 of the female terminal 10 is pushed in until it hits the lower front wall 26 </ b> D provided at the tip of the lower tower 30 </ b> D, the locked portion 14 passes through the locking portion 34. Further, the lower tower portion 30D is displaced to the original posture by the restoring elasticity, and accordingly, the main body portion 11 is also pushed up to the horizontal posture, and the locked portion 14 is fitted to the front surface of the locking surface 35A of the locking portion 34. Locked in the retaining state. In addition, the upper and lower surfaces of the main body portion 11 of the female terminal 10 are sandwiched between the top surface 35C of the locking portion 34 and the bottom wall 32 of the lower tower portion 30D. During this time, the rubber plug 17 is tightly fitted to the inlet of the rear cavity 25B.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 6, the front holder 50 in the temporary locking position is pushed into the main locking position and is secondarily locked. At this time, the complementary wall portion 54 of the front holder 50 is moved to the upper tower portion. The regular cavity 25 is formed by entering the inner surface of the thin portion 33 of 30 U and forming the single terminal insertion port 27, and the female terminal 10 is held in the cavity 25 so as not to come off. It becomes a form.
Thus, the assembly of the female connector C is completed. The female connector C assembled in this way is used by being fitted with a mating male connector (not shown) in which a male terminal is accommodated in the male housing.

  In the present embodiment, the tower portion 23 in which the cavity 25 (front cavity 25A) is formed is divided into two in the vertical direction, the upper tower portion 30U is fixedly provided, and the locking portion 34 is provided on the ceiling wall 31, Since the lower tower portion 30D is configured to be elastically deflectable and displaceable, the lower tower portion 30D constitutes the outer wall of the front cavity 25A, and therefore it is necessary to secure a bending allowable space inside the front cavity 25A. Therefore, the height of the front cavity 25A can be reduced accordingly. Further, since the bottom wall 32 of the lower tower portion 30D can be kept thin, the total height of the tower portion 23 can be kept small, and as a result, a reduction in the height of the female housing 20 can be realized. .

A lower front wall portion 26D is provided at the tip of the lower tower portion 30D. When the female terminal 10 is inserted to the locking position, the lower front wall portion 26D comes into contact with the lower front wall portion 26D and is stopped. Can be reliably positioned at the locking position and inserted.
When the lower tower portion 30D moves backward and the female terminal 10 is locked to the locking portion 34, the main body portion 11 is sandwiched between the bottom wall 32 of the lower tower portion 30D and the top surface 35C of the locking portion 34. The lower tower 30D is prevented from being opened by secondary-locking the front holder 50 at the main locking position, so that the main body 11 of the female terminal 10 is connected to the locking portion 34 and the bottom wall. 32 is held in a state of being sandwiched between. Therefore, the female terminal 10 is accommodated in the cavity 25 without rattling.

<Other embodiments>
The technology disclosed in the present specification is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings, and includes the following embodiments, for example.
(1) The bottom wall (opposing wall portion) may be formed in a cantilever shape from the front end side of the cavity to the rear as long as it can be elastically displaced.
(2) In the above embodiment, a two-piece structure in which the front holder is mounted on the tower portion is illustrated, but a one-piece structure in which a cavity is formed inside the tower portion alone may be used.

(3) The disclosed technology can be similarly applied to a connector of a type in which a cavity is directly formed inside a housing without providing a tower portion.
(4) The number of cavities provided in the housing, that is, the number of poles is not questioned.
(5) The disclosed technique can also be applied to a male connector in which a male terminal is accommodated in a male housing.

10 ... Female terminal (terminal fitting)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Main-body part 14 ... Locked part 20 ... Female housing (housing)
21 ... Housing body 23 ... Tower 25 ... Cavity 25A ... Front cavity 26D ... Lower front wall (front stop)
30D ... Lower tower part 30U ... Upper tower part 31 ... Ceiling wall 31A ... Inner wall surface 32 ... Bottom wall (opposite wall part)
34 ... Locking part

Claims (5)

A terminal fitting and a housing provided with a cavity into which the terminal fitting can be inserted;
The inner wall surface of one of the cavities is formed with a locking portion that is locked to a locked portion that is provided on the terminal fitting and prevents it from coming off,
The connector in which the opposing wall part facing the said inner wall surface in which the said latching | locking part was provided in the said cavity is formed so that elastic displacement is possible in the direction which contacts / separates to the said inner wall surface. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the opposing wall portion is formed in a cantilever shape extending forward in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting. A front stop portion is formed at the extending end of the opposing wall portion to stop the terminal metal fitting against the front end when the terminal metal fitting is inserted to a normal position where the terminal metal fitting is locked to the locking portion. Item 3. The connector according to item 2. When the terminal fitting is accommodated in the cavity, the terminal fitting is sandwiched between the locking portion and the opposing wall portion, and the opposing wall portion is prevented from opening. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a holder is provided. The housing is provided with a tower part in which the cavity is formed, and the tower part is divided into two parts. One tower part is fixedly provided on the inner surface of the same tower part. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the other tower portion is elastically displaceable in a direction in which the other tower portion is in contact with or separated from the one tower portion.

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