JP2017054752A - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely prevent unintended separation of a retainer, at a temporary lock position, from the housing, while enhancing reliability of the locking function by reciprocation between a main lock position and the temporary lock position.SOLUTION: A connector includes an inner housing 30 and a retainer 40. The inner housing 30 has a terminal insertion hole 33. The retainer 40 is inserted into the inner housing 30, in an insertion direction shown by an arrow X. The retainer 40 is locked to the inner housing 30 at both temporary lock position and main lock position. The retainer 40 includes a temporary locking arm 42 of cantilever beam shape, and a main locking arm 44. At the tip of the temporary locking arm 42 and main locking arm 44, a temporary locking hook 43 and a main locking hook 45 are provided, respectively. The temporary locking hook 43 is locked to a temporary lock part 34 of the inner housing 30, when it is at the temporary lock position. The main locking hook 45 is locked to a main lock part 35 of the inner housing 30, when it is at the main lock position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for retaining a terminal inserted into a housing with a retainer.

  Conventionally, a connector of a type in which a terminal inserted into a housing is retained by a retainer has been widely used.

  The retainer is inserted into the housing and locked to the housing at both the temporary locking position and the final locking position. The locking at the temporary locking position is a locking for preventing the retainer from being easily detached from the housing. Further, the locking at the main locking position is a locking for stably holding the terminal inserted into the housing by the retainer. This connector is actually used while the retainer is moved to the final locking position.

  Here, when assembling the connector and the terminal, it may be necessary to move the retainer once moved to the final locking position to the temporary locking position. Therefore, even if the retainer is moved several times between the temporary locking position and the main locking position, the retainer does not cause chipping or scraping, and needs a locking structure that functions correctly. Further, it is necessary to lock the retainer at the temporary locking position so as not to be carelessly detached from the housing.

  Here, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector including a retainer. The retainer of this connector is provided with a cantilever-shaped lock piece having a flange formed at the free end. The retainer is locked to the connector housing by the locking piece. This connector has a high operating force for moving the retainer and requires a tool for operation.

JP 2003-229197 A

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention reliably prevents inadvertent detachment of the retainer at the temporary locking position from the housing, and the locking function by reciprocation between the final locking position and the temporary locking position. An object of the present invention is to provide a connector with improved reliability.

The connector of the present invention that achieves the above object provides:
A housing having a terminal insertion hole extending in the insertion direction and into which the terminal is inserted;
It is inserted in the insertion direction intersecting with the insertion direction in the housing, and is movable between a temporary locking position temporarily locked to the housing and a final locking position permanently locked to the housing. The terminal is retracted from the passage of the terminal inserted into the terminal insertion hole at the position, allowing the terminal to be inserted into the terminal insertion hole, and advanced into the terminal passage inserted into the terminal insertion hole at the final locking position. A retainer for retaining the terminal,
The housing has a temporary locking portion for retaining the retainer from the temporary locking position, and a main locking portion for holding the retainer in the final locking position;
The retainer extends in the shape of a cantilever in the insertion direction, and a main locking arm having a main locking hook portion formed at a free end for locking to the main locking portion at the main locking position, and a temporary locking position It has the temporary latching hook part latched to a temporary latching | locking part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  The connector of the present invention has a cantilever-shaped main locking arm. The main locking collar portion formed at the free end of the main locking arm and the main locking portion of the housing bear the locking at the main locking position. Therefore, even if the retainer reciprocates between the main locking position and the temporary locking position using the elastic bending of the main locking arm, the reliability of the locking is ensured. Further, in the temporary locking position, the temporary locking collar portion and the temporary locking portion are engaged with each other regardless of the actual locking arm. Therefore, the lock at the temporary lock position can be a lock having a sufficient strength to prevent inadvertent detachment of the retainer from the housing.

  Here, in the connector of the present invention, the retainer has a temporary locking arm having a cantilever shape extending in the insertion direction and a temporary locking collar portion formed at the free end. It is preferable that the arm is shorter than the temporary locking arm and is provided at a position sandwiched between the locking arm and the housing.

  With this structure, it is possible to save space while satisfying the functions of temporary locking and permanent locking.

  According to the present invention described above, inadvertent detachment of the retainer from the housing at the temporary locking position is surely prevented, and the locking function is reliable by reciprocation between the main locking position and the temporary locking position. Sexuality is enhanced.

It is an appearance perspective view of a connector as one embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the connector which shows an external appearance in FIG. It is a perspective view of an inner housing and a retainer. It is the top view and front view of a retainer. It is sectional drawing which showed the horizontal cross section of a retainer and an inner housing when a retainer exists in a temporary latching position and this latching position. It is a front view of a front housing, an inner housing, and a retainer. It is sectional drawing which follows the arrow AA shown in FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a connector as one embodiment of the present invention.

  2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector whose appearance is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the connector 1 includes an outer housing 10, a seal member 20, an inner housing 30, a retainer 40, and a front housing 50. A large number of terminals 70 connected to one end of the electric wire 60 are inserted into the connector 1 in the insertion direction indicated by the arrow Z. Here, only three wires 60 and terminals 70 are representatively shown in order to avoid the complexity of illustration. In these FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower side (front housing 50 side) shown in the figure is a fitting side with a mating connector (not shown).

  In this connector 1, the inner housing 30 and the retainer 40 correspond to examples of the housing and the retainer, respectively, according to the present invention.

  The outer housing 10 plays a role of stably holding the seal member 20 between the inner housing 30 and the outer housing 10. The outer housing 10 also plays a role of guiding the inserted terminal 70 and a role of a hood that covers the seal member 31 attached to the inner housing 30.

  The seal member 20 is in close contact with the inner wall surface of the inner housing 30 and is in close contact with the electric wire 60 connected to the inserted terminal 70, thereby waterproofing (sealing) the inner housing 30 and the electric wire 60.

  Further, the seal member 31 attached to the inner housing 30 is in close contact with a mating connector (not shown) that has been fitted, and waterproofs the inner housing 30 and the mating connector. The inner housing 30 has a rear portion 30A and a front portion 30B. The housing 30 is provided with a retainer arrangement portion 32 into which the retainer 40 is inserted between the rear portion 30A and the front portion 30B. A large number of terminal insertion holes 33 extending in the insertion direction of the terminals 70 are formed in the inner housing 30. One terminal 70 is inserted into each of the terminal insertion holes 33 one by one.

  The retainer 40 is inserted into the retainer arrangement portion 32 of the inner housing 30 in the insertion direction (arrow X direction) intersecting with the insertion direction (arrow Z direction) of the terminal 70 into the terminal insertion hole 33.

  The retainer 40 is provided with a large number of terminal passage holes 41 respectively communicating with the large number of terminal insertion holes 33 provided in the inner housing 30.

  The front housing 50 is attached to the inner housing 30 and is first inserted into the mating connector when mated with the mating connector.

  Hereinafter, the features of the present embodiment will be described focusing on the inner housing and the retainer.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the inner housing and the retainer. Here, the inner housing 30 with the seal member 31 (see FIG. 2) removed is shown.

  As described above, the inner housing 30 has the rear portion 30A and the front portion 30B, and the retainer arrangement portion 32 is provided between them.

  The retainer 40 is inserted into the retainer arrangement portion 32 of the inner housing 30. And this retainer 40 is latched by the inner housing 30 in two insertion positions, the temporary latching position mentioned later, and the final latching position inserted further.

  When the retainer 40 is locked at the temporary locking position, the terminal passage hole 41 of the retainer 40 communicates with the terminal insertion hole 33 of the inner housing 30.

  The terminal 70 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 33 when the retainer 40 is in the temporary locking position. The terminal 70 inserted into the terminal insertion hole 33 of the rear portion 30 </ b> A of the inner housing 30 passes through the terminal passage hole 41 of the retainer 40. The terminal 70 is further inserted into the terminal insertion hole 33 of the front portion 30 </ b> B of the inner housing 30.

  The retainer 40 moves from the temporary locking position to the final locking position after the terminals 70 are inserted into all the terminal insertion holes 33. Then, the position of the terminal passage hole 41 of the retainer 40 is slightly shifted from the terminal insertion hole 33 of the inner housing 30, and the retainer 40 advances into the passage of the terminal 70 inserted in the terminal passage hole 41. Thereby, the terminal 70 in the state inserted in the terminal insertion hole 33 is prevented from coming off.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view and a plan view of the retainer. Hereinafter, the retainer structure will be described with reference to FIG. 4 together with FIG. 3.

  The retainer 40 is provided with temporary locking arms 42 extending in the insertion direction (arrow X direction) on both sides in the width direction (arrow Y direction). These temporary locking arms 42 have a cantilever shape extending forward in the insertion direction (arrow X direction) with the rear end in the insertion direction (arrow X direction) serving as a fixed end. A temporary locking collar portion 43 that protrudes inward is provided on the free end side of the temporary locking arm 42 in the cantilever shape.

  When the retainer 40 is inserted into the inner housing 30 and is in the temporary locking position, the temporary locking hook 43 is locked to the temporary locking portion 34 of the inner housing 30 shown in FIG.

  Further, the retainer 40 is provided with main locking arms 44 extending in the insertion direction (arrow X direction) on both sides in the width direction (arrow Y direction) and inside the temporary locking arm 42 described above. . Like the temporary locking arm 42, these main locking arms 44 have a cantilever shape extending forward in the insertion direction (arrow X direction) with the rear end in the insertion direction (arrow X direction) as a fixed end. Have. However, the main locking arm 44 in the present embodiment is an arm having a shorter length than the temporary locking arm 42.

  On the free end side of the cantilever shape of the main locking arm 44, a main locking collar portion 45 protruding inward is provided. When the retainer 40 is inserted into the inner housing 30 and is in the main locking position, the main locking hook 45 is locked to the main locking portion 35 of the inner housing 30 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a horizontal cross section of the retainer and the inner housing when the retainer is in the temporary locking position and the main locking position.

  Here, FIG. 5A-1 shows the state of locking when the retainer 40 is in the temporary locking position. FIG. 5A-2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the ellipse R1 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5B-1 shows a locked state when the retainer is in the final locking position. FIG. 5B-2 is a partially enlarged view of the ellipse R2 shown in FIG. 5B-1.

  The retainer 40 that is separated from the inner housing 30 is inserted into the retainer arrangement portion 32 of the inner housing 30. Then, the temporary locking collar portion 43 on the tip (free end) side of the temporary locking arm 42 hits the temporary locking portion 34 of the inner housing 30. When the retainer 40 is further inserted, the temporary locking collar portion 43 rides on the temporary locking portion 34, and the temporary locking arm 42 is elastically bent accordingly. When the retainer 40 is further inserted and the temporary locking collar portion 43 gets over the temporary locking portion 34, the temporary locking arm 42 is released from bending and returns to its original shape. Thus, the retainer 40 is inserted to the temporary locking position shown in FIGS. 5 (A-1) and 5 (A-2).

  When the retainer 40 is at the temporary locking position, the temporary locking collar 43 is locked to the temporary locking portion 34 as shown in FIGS. Thereby, this retainer 40 is prevented from coming off (moving in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow X). On the other hand, the main locking collar portion 45 provided on the front end (free end) side of the main locking arm 44 can contact the main locking portion 35 of the inner housing 30, but is not locked. .

  The retainer 40 at the temporary locking position shown in FIGS. 5A-1 and 5A-2 is further pushed in the insertion direction (arrow X direction), and FIGS. ) To the final locking position. Then, the temporary locking hook 43 is separated from the temporary locking portion 34. On the other hand, during this movement, the main locking arm 44 is elastically bent because the main locking collar portion 45 gets over the main locking portion 35. When the main locking collar 45 gets over the main locking portion 35, the main locking arm 44 is released from the bending and returns to its original shape. In this way, the main locking collar portion 45 is locked to the main locking portion 35. Thereby, the retainer 40 is hold | maintained in the full locking position.

  It may be necessary to return the retainer 40 in the final locking position to the temporary locking position. At that time, the retainer 40 at the final locking position shown in FIGS. 5B-1 and 5B-2 is pulled in the pulling direction (the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow X). Then, while the main locking arm 44 is bent, the main locking collar portion 45 gets over the main locking portion 35 in the pulling direction, and the temporary locking position shown in FIGS. 5 (A-1) and (A-2). Move to. At this time, the temporary locking collar portion 43 is locked to the temporary locking portion 34. Due to this locking, the retainer 40 is prevented from being detached from the inner housing 30 with the momentum of moving the retainer 40 from the main locking position to the temporary locking position.

  FIG. 6 is a front view of the front housing, the inner housing, and the retainer.

  FIG. 6 shows a shape viewed from the front in the direction of the arrow X shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 6 by arrows Y, Z, etc., in FIG. 6, the front housing 50, the inner housing 30 and the retainer 40 are shown in a direction in which the left side is the front (fitting side with the mating connector). Has been. Further, FIG. 6 also shows three electric wires 60 representatively shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, since the electric wires 60 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, only one wire appears in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow AA shown in FIG.

  Here, FIG. 7A shows a state when the retainer 40 is in the temporary locking position. FIG. 7B shows a state when the retainer 40 is in the final locking position.

  A terminal 70 with an electric wire 60 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 33 of the inner housing 30. A lance 36 is provided on the front portion 30B of the inner housing 30 (see also FIG. 2). The terminal 70 inserted into the front portion 30 of the inner housing 30 is locked by a lance 36 and is temporarily prevented from coming off.

  At the tip of the front housing 50, a hole 51 for inserting a pin-shaped terminal (not shown) of the mating connector into the terminal 70 of this connector is provided.

  When the retainer 40 is at the temporary locking position shown in FIG. 7A, the retainer 40 is retracted from the passage for inserting the terminal 70 into the terminal insertion hole 33.

  When the retainer 40 is moved to the final locking position shown in FIG. 7B, the retainer 40 advances to a position immediately behind the main locking portion 71 of the terminal inserted in the terminal insertion hole 33. To do. Thereby, the terminal 70 is reliably prevented from coming off.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a temporary locking arm 42 provided with a temporary locking hook 43 at the tip and a final locking arm 44 provided with a main locking hook 45 at the tip are separately provided. Provided, and the main locking and the temporary locking are carried separately. Thereby, it is possible to set an appropriate locking force for temporary locking and main locking.

  In this embodiment, this structure prevents the retainer in the temporary locking position from being inadvertently detached from the housing, and highly reliable with a locking function by reciprocation between the main locking position and the temporary locking position. We realize both sex.

  Further, in this embodiment, the main locking arm 44 has a rear end in the insertion direction (arrow X direction) as a fixed end and a front end as a free end, but the main locking arm 44 extends in the opposite direction. It may be. That is, the main locking arm 44 is fixed to the distal end side of the temporary locking arm 42 and extends in the extraction direction (opposite to the arrow X), and the main locking collar portion 45 is attached to the distal end of the extraction direction. It may be provided. In this case, the main locking portion 35 of the inner housing 30 is provided at a position corresponding to the position in the insertion direction (arrow X direction) of the main locking collar portion 45 provided at the leading end in the extraction direction.

  In the present embodiment, a temporary locking arm once narrowed is provided, and the main locking arm 44 is arranged in a space created by the narrow width. Thereby, in this embodiment, the space is effectively used. However, the width may be substantially the same as that of the portion connecting the left and right arms without being narrow, and the temporary locking collar portion 43 may be provided at the tip thereof. In this case, the main locking arm 44 needs to be provided at a position shifted vertically from the left and right arms, or provided inside the left and right arms with the interval between the left and right arms widened. This arrangement is also possible when there is room in the space.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 10 Outer housing 20 Seal member 30 Inner housing 30A Rear part 30B Front part 31 Seal member 32 Retainer arrangement part 33 Terminal insertion hole 34 Temporary latching part 35 Main latching part 36 Lance 40 Retainer 41 Terminal passage hole 42 Temporary latching Arm 43 Temporary locking collar 44 Main locking arm 45 Main locking collar 50 Front housing 51 Hole 60 Electric wire 70 Terminal 71 Main locking section

Claims (2)

A housing having a terminal insertion hole extending in the insertion direction and into which the terminal is inserted;
It is inserted into the housing in the insertion direction intersecting with the insertion direction, and is movable between a temporary locking position temporarily locked to the housing and a final locking position permanently locked to the housing. The terminal is retracted from the passage of the terminal inserted into the terminal insertion hole at the locking position to allow insertion of the terminal into the terminal insertion hole, and is inserted into the terminal insertion hole at the main locking position. A retainer that advances into the terminal passage and prevents the terminal from coming off;
The housing includes a temporary locking portion that holds the retainer from the temporary locking position and a final locking portion that holds the retainer at the final locking position;
A main locking arm in which the retainer extends in a cantilever shape in the insertion direction, and a main locking collar portion which is locked to the main locking portion at the main locking position is formed at a free end; A connector having a temporary locking hook portion that locks to the temporary locking portion at a temporary locking position. The retainer extends in a cantilever shape in the insertion direction, and the temporary locking arm has a temporary locking arm formed at a free end;
The said permanent latching arm is an arm shorter in length than this temporary latching arm provided in the position pinched | interposed into the said temporary latching arm and the said housing. Connector.

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