JP2020053228A - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent backlash between a housing and a contact in a connector equipped with a retainer.SOLUTION: A connector 10 comprises a contact 20, a housing 30, and a retainer 40. The housing 30 has a front housing 31 and a central housing 32. The front housing 31 has a front end housing chamber 301a which houses a front end in a fitting direction of the contact 20. The central housing 32 has a main housing chamber 301b which houses a portion excluding the front end in the fitting direction of the contact 20. The front housing 31 is freely movable in the fitting direction with respect to the central housing 32. When fitted to a mating connector, the front housing 31 moves rearward in the fitting direction with respect to the central housing 32, thereby pressing the contact 20 against the retainer 40. As a result, the contact 20 is disabled from moving in the fitting direction so that backlash may be prevented.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector that suppresses contact sliding.

  Among connectors, there is a connector having a play due to a tolerance of parts constituting the connector and a clearance for assembling the connector. For example, in the case of a connector having a retainer, the detachment of the contact is prevented by inserting the retainer. However, if the dimensions are set such that the retainer can be securely inserted in consideration of the tolerances of the parts and the like, there will be play between the inserted retainer and the contact.

  Here, a case where the connector having such a play is used in an environment affected by vibration, such as in an engine room of an automobile, will be considered. When the connector is affected by external vibration, the contact vibrates relative to the housing. Then, the vibration may cause the contact of this connector and the contact of the mating connector to slide repeatedly, causing abrasion to occur. To prevent this, it is desirable to suppress the relative vibration of the contact with respect to the housing, and to have a structure in which the housing and the contact vibrate only integrally when the connector vibrates.

  Here, Patent Literature 1 discloses a connector that, when a pair of housings is fitted, relatively displaces the two housings in the fitting direction to fill the gap between the two housings and prevent rattling of the two housings. I have.

  However, in the structure of Patent Document 1, rattling between the housings is prevented, but rattling between the housing and the contacts is not prevented.

JP 2006-79994 A

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector with a retainer in which rattling between a housing and a contact is prevented.

The connector of the present invention that achieves the above object,
Contacts and
A housing having an accommodation chamber for accommodating the contacts;
A retainer that is inserted into the housing from a lateral direction that intersects the mating direction with the mating connector to prevent the contact from coming off,
The housing is
A front housing having a front end accommodation chamber for accommodating a front end part of the contact direction in the accommodation chamber;
Having a main housing for accommodating a portion of the accommodation chamber except for a front end portion of the contact in the fitting direction, and a main housing for accommodating a retainer;
The front housing is movable in the fitting direction with respect to the main housing, and is moved rearward in the fitting direction with respect to the main housing at the time of mating with the mating connector, so that the contact is pressed against the retainer and the contact mating direction is formed. It is not possible to move to

  The connector of the present invention has a structure in which the front housing moves rearward in the fitting direction with respect to the main housing when fitting with the mating connector and presses the contact against the retainer. Therefore, rattling between the housing and the contact is prevented, and sliding between the contact of this connector and the contact of the mating connector is suppressed.

  Here, in the connector of the present invention, one of the main housing and the front housing has the first engagement portion, and the other is the first engagement portion when the front housing moves forward with respect to the main housing in the fitting direction. It is preferable to have a second engaging portion that locks to the joint portion to prevent the front housing from coming off from the main housing and to allow the front housing to move rearward in the fitting direction.

  The provision of the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion prevents the front housing from coming off and enables the front housing to move in the fitting direction.

  Further, it is preferable that the front housing has a projection on a fitting surface with the mating connector. With the projection, the projection, that is, a predetermined portion of the fitting surface, can be abutted against the mating connector when mating with the mating connector.

  Further, in the connector of the present invention, it is preferable that the front housing has an arm portion which has a recess and is pressed against the mating connector at the time of mating and is bent rearward in the fitting direction.

  With this arm portion, the fitting surfaces of both connectors can be brought into contact with each other while preventing rattling between the housing and the contact.

  According to the present invention described above, rattling between the housing and the contact is prevented in the connector with the retainer.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention and a mating connector combined with the connector. FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing a characteristic portion of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the behavior of the connector of the present embodiment when mating with a mating connector.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention and a mating connector combined with the connector.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which three connectors 10 are fitted to the mating connector 60. The mating connector 60 is fixed in an environment where vibrations are easily transmitted, for example, in an engine room of an automobile. A male contact (not shown) constituting the mating connector 60 is fixed to the housing 61. That is, the mating connector 60 is a connector that is integrally formed without play between the housing 61 and the contact.

  The three connectors 10 fitted to the mating connector 60 have different shapes, but have the same characteristics as the embodiment of the present invention. These three connectors 10 have levers 11. By rotating the lever 11, the mating connector 60 is fitted, and by rotating in the opposite direction, the fitting is released.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing a characteristic portion of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

  The connector 10 includes a male contact 20 to which an electric wire 50 is connected, a housing 30, and a retainer 40.

  The housing 30 has a housing chamber 301 for housing the contact 20. The housing 30 includes a front housing 31, a center housing 32, and a rear housing 33. The front housing 31 corresponds to an example of the front housing according to the present invention. Further, the central housing 32 or a configuration in which the central housing 32 and the rear housing 33 are combined corresponds to an example of the main housing according to the present invention.

  The front housing 31 has a front end storage chamber 301a that is a part of the storage chamber 301 that stores the contact 20. The front end housing chamber 301a houses a front end portion of the contact 20 in the fitting direction. In addition, the central housing 32 has a main housing chamber 301b that forms a housing chamber 301 that houses the contact 20. The main accommodation chamber 301b accommodates a portion of the contact 20 except for a front end portion in the fitting direction. The front housing 31 is movable with respect to the center housing 32 in the fitting direction. The movement of the front housing 31 will be described later in detail.

  The rear housing 33 has a through hole 331 that communicates with the accommodation chamber 301 that accommodates the contact 20 and allows the electric wire 50 to pass through. The rear housing 33 is assembled integrally with the central housing 32.

  The retainer 40 is inserted into the central housing 32 from a lateral direction intersecting with a mating connector 60 (see FIG. 1) in a fitting direction (a direction indicated by an arrow X). The retainer 40 has a role of preventing the contact 20 from coming off rearward in the fitting direction (to the rear housing 33 side). However, the insertion position of the retainer 40 is a position separated from the engagement portion 21 of the contact 20 by the dimension D in consideration of the tolerance of components and the like. Therefore, in this state, when the connector 10 is subjected to vibration, the contacts 20 rattle with respect to the housing 30 within the range of the dimension D.

  As described above, the front housing 31 is movable in the fitting direction with respect to the center housing 32. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the front housing 31 has moved forward with respect to the center housing 32 in the fitting direction.

  The front housing 31 is provided with a locking claw 311. The central housing 32 is provided with a concave portion 321 into which the locking claw 311 enters. The locking claw 311 corresponds to an example of a first engaging portion according to the present invention, and the concave portion 321 corresponds to an example of a second engaging portion according to the present invention. The recess 321 is locked with the locking claw 311 when the front housing 31 is moved forward in the fitting direction, so that the front housing 31 is prevented from falling out of the central housing 32. However, the recess 321 has such a size that the front housing 31 can move rearward in the fitting direction.

  In this embodiment, a locking claw 311 is provided on the front housing 31, and a recess 321 is provided on the central housing 32. However, conversely, the central housing 32 may have a configuration corresponding to the locking claw 311, and the front housing 31 may have a configuration corresponding to the recess 321.

  The front housing 31 has an arm 312. The arm 312 is formed by a protrusion 312a protruding toward the mating connector 60 and a recess 312b provided behind the protrusion 312a. The arm 312 has a structure that bends rearward in the fitting direction when the projection 312a is pressed.

  The front end housing portion 301a of the front housing 31 has an inner wall abutting on the front end of the contact 20 formed in a tapered surface. This absorbs variations in the length of the contact 20 along the fitting direction (the direction indicated by the arrow X).

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the behavior of the connector of the present embodiment when mating with the mating connector.

  Here, the alternate long and short dash line indicates the fitting surface 62 of the fitting concave portion (not shown here) of the mating connector 60.

  FIG. 3A shows a state immediately after the connector 10 has moved toward the mating connector 60 in the fitting direction (the direction of the arrow X) and the projection 312a has come into contact with the mating surface 62 of the mating connector 60. ing. In FIG. 3A, as in FIG. 2, the front housing 31 has moved forward in the fitting direction.

  FIG. 3B shows a state in which the connector 10 has moved in the fitting direction (the direction of the arrow X) by the play dimension D shown in FIG. 2 as compared with FIG. 3A. However, the front housing 31 cannot move in the direction of the arrow X because the projection 312a is in contact with the mating connector 60. Therefore, the front housing 31 moves relative to the center housing 32 rearward in the fitting direction (the direction opposite to the arrow X). At the time of the movement, the contact 20 is also moved, and the contact 20 is pressed against the retainer 40. As a result, the dimension D causing the backlash becomes zero.

  FIG. 3C shows a state where the connector 10 has further moved in the fitting direction (the direction of the arrow X) as compared with FIG. 3B. Here, for the sake of simplicity, the arm portion 312 is shown in an emphasized shape. When the connector 10 is further moved forward (in the direction of arrow X) in the fitting direction from the state shown in FIG. 3B, the arm portion 312 bends, and the gap between the fitting surface 313 and the mating connector 60 disappears. The mating surface 313 of the connector 10, which is the front end surface of the housing 31, and the mating surface of the mating connector correctly contact.

  As described above, according to the connector 10, the mating connector is correctly fitted, and the rattling between the housing 30 and the contact 20 is suppressed.

10 Connector 11 Lever 20 Contact 30 Housing 301 Housing 301a Front end housing 301b Main housing 31 Front housing (front housing)
311 Locking claw (first engaging portion)
312 Arm part 312a Projection 312b Depression 313 Fitting surface 32 Central housing (main housing)
321 recess (second engagement part)
33 rear housing 331 through hole 40 retainer 50 electric wire 60 mating connector 61 housing of mating connector

Claims (4)

Contacts and
A housing having a housing chamber for housing the contact;
A retainer that is inserted into the housing from a lateral direction that intersects the mating direction with the mating connector and that prevents the contact from coming off,
Said housing,
A front housing having a front end housing chamber for housing a front end portion of the contact in the fitting direction of the housing chamber;
Having a main housing chamber for housing a portion of the housing chamber other than the front end portion of the contact in the fitting direction, and a main housing for housing the retainer,
The front housing is movable in the fitting direction with respect to the main housing, and is moved rearward in the fitting direction with respect to the main housing when fitted with a mating connector, thereby pressing the contact against the retainer. A connector in which the contact cannot be moved in a fitting direction.   One of the main housing and the front housing has a first engagement portion, and the other engages with the first engagement portion when the front housing moves forward with respect to the main housing in the fitting direction. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a second engaging portion that stops to prevent the front housing from coming off from the main housing and allows the front housing to move rearward in the fitting direction. 3. connector.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the front housing has a protrusion on a mating surface with a mating connector.   4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the front housing has an arm portion that has a recess and is pressed against the mating connector during fitting to bend backward in the fitting direction. 5.

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