JP2020126826A - Housing and connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a housing and a connector, capable of eliminating a lance and being simplified in structure.SOLUTION: A housing 23 of a connector 11 includes: a protrusion portion 13, formed in a partition wall 21 of the housing 23 compartmentalizing a terminal housing chamber 19, protruding toward a terminal 31 housed in the terminal housing chamber 19; and a flexible thin wall portion 15, formed on the partition wall 21 having the protrusion 13 protruded therefrom, flexible to be displaceable between an approaching position and a separating position for restricting rearward pullout of the terminal with the projection 13 locking a box-shaped electric contact portion 33 of the terminal 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a housing and a connector.

Conventionally, a resin housing of a connector is integrally provided with a lance (flexible locking arm) in a cavity (terminal accommodating chamber) of the housing, for example (see Patent Document 1). The lance is formed in an inclined shape so as to gradually project into the cavity toward the front end side as a whole, and the projecting portion into the cavity is pressed by the female terminal fitting to be inserted. The projecting base end is a fulcrum, and can be flexibly deformed in a direction intersecting the insertion/extraction direction of the female terminal fitting. During this bending, the lance is retracted into the bending space secured inside or outside the cavity. When the female terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity at a predetermined position, the lance elastically returns to lock the female terminal fitting, thereby restricting the removal (rearward removal) in the direction opposite to the inserting direction of the female terminal fitting. ..

JP, 2004-55233, A

However, since the housing of the conventional connector has a complicated lance shape, it is difficult to manufacture the mold and the cost for manufacturing the mold is high. Further, there is a problem that the die maintenance cost becomes high.
Further, in the housing of the conventional connector, a large space for forming the lance must be secured in the cavity in order to secure a margin for the terminal fitting and the lance. Therefore, there is a problem that it is disadvantageous in downsizing the housing and the structure is complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a housing and a connector that can eliminate the lance and can simplify the structure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a housing and a connector in which the lance can be downsized and the structure can be simplified.

The above object according to the present invention is achieved by the following configurations.
(1) A protrusion formed on a partition wall of a housing that defines a terminal accommodating chamber and protruding toward a terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber, and the protrusion having the protrusion formed on the partition. A flexible thin wall portion that allows the protrusion to be locked between the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal and to be displaced between an approaching position and a separating position for restricting rearward pullout of the terminal. A housing characterized in that

According to the housing having the above configuration (1), the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing is partitioned and formed by the four partition walls, and has, for example, substantially the same shape as the box-shaped electric contact portion of the terminal that is a rectangular parallelepiped elongated in the insertion direction. The partial accommodation space is formed in at least a part. In the terminal inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber, the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the box-shaped electric contact portion are close to the four partitions that define the contact portion accommodating space. One of the four partitions is provided with a projecting portion integrally formed so as to project toward the terminal. The protrusion has a pressing inclined surface that gradually increases in the direction in which the terminal is inserted and in the direction in which the terminal gradually separates from the partition wall. The protruding portion is pressed by the box-shaped electric contact portion of the terminal into which the pressing inclined surface is inserted, so that the thin wall portion formed on the partition wall on which the protruding portion is protruded is bent to move to the outside of the terminal accommodating chamber. Displacement is possible. That is, since the partition wall is provided with the thin wall portion, the projection portion can be displaced between the approaching position and the separating position with respect to the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal. With respect to the terminal, the locking portion provided on the box-shaped electric contact portion is locked to the projection portion provided on the thin wall portion, so that rearward pullout of the terminal is restricted.
Therefore, in the housing of this configuration, it is possible to prevent the terminal from coming out of the terminal accommodating chamber without forming the conventional lance having a complicated shape in the terminal accommodating chamber. In other words, the lance can be omitted in the housing having this configuration. The configuration that replaces the lance is only the protrusion and the thin wall portion formed on the partition wall where the protrusion is provided. The protrusion may have a simple convex shape protruding from the partition wall. The thin wall portion can be formed, for example, as a thin portion that is easily formed by making the wall thickness of the partition wall provided with the protruding portion thinner than other portions. As a result, the housing does not need to secure a space for forming the lance and a space for retracting the lance in the terminal accommodating chamber, and the structure of the terminal accommodating chamber can be greatly simplified as compared with the case where the lance is provided. In particular, in a housing in which a large number of terminal accommodating chambers are arranged side by side in the vertical and horizontal directions, the vertical and horizontal dimensions can be made significantly smaller. And the abolition of the lance leads to simplification of the mold. As a result, according to the housing of the present configuration, it is possible to reduce the mold manufacturing cost and the mold maintenance cost as compared with the conventional housing having the lance.

(2) A protrusion formed on a partition wall of the housing that partitions and forms the terminal accommodating chamber and protruding toward a terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber, and the protrusion having the protrusion formed on the partition wall. A flexible thin wall portion that allows the protrusion to be locked between the box-shaped electric contact portion of the terminal and restricts the rearward removal of the terminal between an approaching position and a separating position; Between a locking position and a non-locking position, which is formed on another partition different from the partition with the projecting portion and locks the box-shaped electric contact portion of the terminal to restrict rearward pullout of the terminal. And a flexible locking arm that is displaceable by the housing.

According to the housing of the above configuration (2), the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing is partitioned and formed by the four partition walls, and has, for example, substantially the same shape as the box-shaped electric contact portion of the rectangular parallelepiped terminal that is long in the insertion direction. The partial accommodation space is formed in at least a part. In the terminal inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber, the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the box-shaped electric contact portion are close to the four partitions that define the contact portion accommodating space.
One of the four partitions is provided with a projecting portion integrally formed so as to project toward the terminal. The protrusion has a pressing inclined surface that gradually increases in the direction in which the terminal is inserted and in the direction in which the terminal gradually separates from the partition wall. The protruding portion is pressed by the box-shaped electric contact portion of the terminal into which the pressing inclined surface is inserted, so that the thin wall portion formed on the partition wall on which the protruding portion is protruded is bent to move to the outside of the terminal accommodating chamber. Displacement is possible. That is, since the partition wall is provided with the thin wall portion, the projection portion can be displaced between the approaching position and the separating position with respect to the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal. Further, a flexible locking arm that locks the terminal is formed on another partition wall that is different from the partition wall on which the protrusions are provided, out of the four partition walls. Therefore, in the terminal, the locking portion provided on the box-shaped electrical contact portion is locked to the protrusion provided on the thin wall portion, and another locking portion provided on the box-shaped electrical contact portion is possible. When the terminal is locked by the flexible locking arm, rearward pullout of the terminal is restricted.
Therefore, in the housing of this configuration, it is possible to regulate the rearward removal of the terminal from the terminal accommodating chamber without molding the conventional large lance into the terminal accommodating chamber. That is, in the housing having this configuration, the flexible locking arm can be downsized. As a result, the housing can reduce the space for forming the flexible locking arm and the retracted space, and can greatly simplify the structure of the terminal accommodating chamber and downsize the housing as compared with the case where a large lance is provided. You can

(3) A locking surface is formed on the protrusion so that the locking portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion abuts in a direction opposite to the terminal insertion direction and restricts rearward pulling of the terminal. The housing according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the locking surface is formed at an angle smaller than a vertical angle with respect to the partition wall parallel to the partition wall.

According to the housing having the above configuration (3), the locking surface is formed at an angle θ (θ<90°) smaller than the vertical angle with respect to the partition wall parallel to the terminal insertion direction. That is, the locking surface is a surface in which the tip end in the protruding direction from the partition wall into the terminal accommodating chamber is inclined toward the insertion direction side with respect to the base end in the protruding direction. When the locking surface is formed at an angle larger than the vertical angle with respect to the partition wall, the tip in the projecting direction is a surface inclined to the side opposite to the terminal inserting direction from the base end in the projecting direction. In this case, the terminal is likely to slip in the direction in which the locking portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion is disengaged from the locking surface when a force in the backward pulling direction is applied. That is, the holding power is reduced.
On the other hand, according to the housing of this configuration, since the tip of the locking surface in the protruding direction is inclined toward the terminal insertion direction side, when a force in the backward pulling direction is applied, the locking part of the box-shaped electrical contact portion is applied. Slides more in the direction of locking the locking surface. As a result, the holding force of the terminal does not decrease.

(4) On one side of the housing, a back surface of the thin wall portion opposite to the protrusion is exposed, and an external resin wall covering the thin wall portion is formed on the one side portion. The housing according to any one of (1) to (3) above, characterized in that

According to the housing having the above configuration (4), the back surface of the thin wall portion on the side opposite to the protruding portion is exposed on one side portion of the housing in which the terminal accommodating chamber is formed. An external resin wall that covers the back surface of the thin wall portion is formed on one side of the housing. As a result, the housing has a thin wall portion whose strength is reduced by being formed thin and is covered with the external resin wall, and damage to the thin wall portion due to contact with other members is suppressed.

(5) The back surface of the partition wall excluding the back surface of the protruding portion on the back side of the thin wall portion on which the protruding portion is formed and the external resin wall are connected by a resin flow portion. The housing according to 4).

According to the housing having the above configuration (5), the back surface of the partition wall and the external resin wall are connected by the resin flow section. The back surface to which the resin flow portion is connected is the back surface excluding the back surface of the protrusion, which is the back side of the thin wall portion on which the protrusion is formed. This is to prevent the deformation of the thin wall portion from being restricted by the resin flow portion being connected to the rear surface of the protrusion, and the protrusion from being prevented from being displaced.
During injection molding of the housing, for example, the outer surface of the outer resin wall serves as a gate of the injection resin. In this case, in the injection molding of the housing in which the resin flow portion does not exist, the molten resin is less likely to turn to the thin wall portion near the gate (a molding defect such as a short shot tends to occur). Therefore, by providing the housing with a resin flow portion that directly connects the molding space of the external resin wall to the molding space of the thin wall portion in a short distance, the resin fluidity to the thin wall portion during injection molding of the housing is improved. Thus, it is possible to suppress defective molding of the thin wall portion.
In addition to this, in the housing provided with the resin flowing part, the mold can be divided into two parts in front of and behind the terminal inserting direction with the resin flowing part as a boundary. In the case of a mold that is divided into two, the thin wall molding portion that extends in the terminal insertion direction is shorter than the mold that is not divided into two. As a result, the thin wall molding portion of the mold divided into two parts can have increased rigidity. As a result, according to the housing provided with the resin flow portion, it is possible to suppress molding defects such as wall thickness variation due to bending and inclination of the thin wall molding portion due to injection pressure that is likely to occur in a long thin wall molding portion that is not divided into two parts. You can

(6) On one side of the housing, a back surface of the thin wall portion opposite to the protruding portion is exposed, and on the one side portion, at least a part of the thin wall portion is covered with the housing. The housing according to any one of the above (1) to (3), wherein an erroneous fitting prevention rib is formed to prevent erroneous fitting with a mating housing to be fitted.

According to the housing having the above-described configuration (6), the back surface of the thin wall portion opposite to the protruding portion is exposed at one side portion of the housing in which the terminal accommodating chamber is formed. A misfit preventing rib is formed on one side of the housing to cover at least a part of the back surface of the thin wall portion. As a result, at least a part of the thin wall portion of which the strength is reduced by forming the housing with a thin thickness is covered with the mis-fitting prevention rib, and damage to the thin wall portion due to contact with other members is suppressed.
In addition, the housing is prevented from being erroneously mated with the mating housing that mates with the housing by the erroneous mating prevention rib.
Therefore, according to the housing that covers the thin wall portion with the incorrect fitting prevention rib, the effect of suppressing the damage of the thin wall portion can be obtained without forming the exclusive portion while preventing the incorrect fitting with the mating housing. .. Thereby, the mold structure can be simplified.

(7) A rolling prevention rib that abuts a side surface of a contact portion of the box-shaped electric contact portion on a surface of a partition wall on the opposite side opposite to the partition wall on which the protrusion is provided so as to sandwich the box-shaped electric contact portion. The housing according to any one of (1) to (6) above, wherein the housing is formed.

According to the housing having the above configuration (7), the rolling prevention rib is formed on the opposing partition wall surface opposite to the partition wall on which the protrusion is provided so as to sandwich the box-shaped electrical contact portion. The rolling prevention rib comes into contact with the side surface of the contact portion opposite to the side surface of the contact portion facing the protrusion of the terminal mounted in the terminal accommodating chamber. In the terminal accommodating chamber, the contact part accommodating space is formed to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the box-shaped electric contact part of the terminal. For this reason, the box-shaped electric contact portion moves slightly in the contact portion accommodation space. Therefore, when the box-shaped electric contact part rotates (rolls) around the central axis in the terminal insertion direction, the locking part formed on the box-shaped electric contact part of the terminal moves in a direction that disengages from the locking surface of the protrusion. To do. In the terminal, the rolling reduces the engagement area (engagement allowance) between the engagement surface of the protrusion and the engagement portion, which may reduce the terminal holding force.
Therefore, in the housing according to this configuration, rolling prevention ribs are formed on the opposing partition wall surface opposite to the partition wall provided with the protrusions, so that the rolling around the central axis of the box-shaped electrical contact portion is restricted. Has been done. By regulating the rolling of the box-shaped electric contact portion, the terminal can always ensure an appropriate engagement area between the engagement portion and the protrusion. As a result, the holding reliability of the terminal can be improved in the housing of this configuration.

(8) At the rear of the housing, there is provided a band attaching portion for attaching a binding band that attaches the terminal to a terminal and bundles and fixes electric wires drawn out from the terminal accommodating chamber. The housing according to any one of (1) to (7) above.

According to the housing having the above configuration (8), the electric wires drawn out from the terminal accommodating chamber are bundled and fixed by the binding band attached to the band attaching portion. Therefore, when the electric wire is pulled rearward, the pulling force can be prevented from being applied to the terminal attached to the terminal, and the rear pull-out of the terminal can be regulated. In particular, by bundling and fixing multiple wires with a binding band, it is possible to prevent a pulling force from being applied to a single wire when routing the wires, and to prevent the terminals locked by the protrusions of the partition wall from coming off. can do.
In addition, the band mounting portion on which the electric wire is placed has a curved shape in which the center portion is recessed along the binding direction of the binding band on the placement surface having a width narrower than the width of the housing in which the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers are arranged side by side. It is desirable that a support surface be formed. That is, since the curved support surface is formed on the mounting surface having a width narrower than the width of the housing, the bundle of electric wires (a plurality of electric wires) placed on the mounting surface and bound by the binding band has a binding band. As a result, the tightening force acts evenly from the outer peripheral side, so that the wire bundle can be reliably fixed.

(9) The housing according to any one of the above (1) to (8), and a locking portion that locks with the protrusion to restrict rearward pullout of the terminal are provided in the box-shaped electrical contact portion. And a terminal provided with the connector.

According to the connector of the above configuration (9), in the terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing, for example, the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the box-shaped electrical contact portion formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the insertion direction have contact portion accommodation spaces. Is close to the four partition walls of the terminal accommodating chamber. One of the four partition walls is integrally formed with a protruding portion, and the protruding portion is pressed by the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal, so that the protruding portion has a thin wall portion formed on the protruding partition wall. It can be bent and displaced to the outside of the terminal accommodating chamber. With respect to the terminal, the rearward pull-out is restricted by the locking portion of the box-shaped electric contact portion being locked by the projection portion provided on the thin wall portion. Therefore, in the connector of this configuration, rearward pull-out of the terminal from the terminal accommodating chamber is regulated without molding the lance having the conventional complicated shape in the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing.

(10) A housing according to (2) above, and a terminal provided with a box-shaped electric contact portion at which another locking portion for locking the flexible locking arm to prevent the terminal from coming off later is provided. A connector comprising:

According to the connector of the above configuration (10), in the terminal housed in the terminal housing chamber of the housing, for example, the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the box-shaped electrical contact portion that is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the insertion direction have the contact portion accommodation space. Is close to the four partition walls of the terminal accommodating chamber. One of the four partition walls is integrally formed with a protruding portion, and the protruding portion is pressed by the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal, so that the protruding portion has a thin wall portion formed on the protruding partition wall. It can be bent and displaced to the outside of the terminal accommodating chamber. Furthermore, the flexible locking arm formed on another partition of the four partitions that is different from the partition on which the protruding portion is provided is pressed by the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal, so that Can be displaced to. In the terminal, the locking part of the box-shaped electric contact part is locked to the projection part provided on the thin wall part, and the other locking part provided to the box-shaped electric contact part is fixed to the flexible locking arm. The locking prevents the terminal from coming off. Therefore, in the connector of this configuration, it is possible to prevent the terminal from coming out of the terminal accommodating chamber without molding the conventional large lance into the terminal accommodating chamber.

According to the housing and the connector of the present invention, the lance can be eliminated and the structure can be simplified.
Further, according to the housing and the connector of the present invention, the lance can be downsized and the structure can be simplified.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, 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. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a perspective view of the housing shown in FIG. 1 viewed from a terminal insertion side, FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 1A, and FIG. (A) is a rear view of the housing shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the terminal insertion side, and (b) is an enlarged view of a portion B in (a). FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the housing shown in FIG. 1 during insertion of a terminal. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state where terminals are accommodated in an upper terminal accommodating chamber of the housing shown in FIG. 1. (A) is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part of a terminal accommodating chamber in which a terminal is mounted, and (b) is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part of a protrusion in which a standing piece of the terminal is locked to a locking surface. (A) is the perspective view which looked at the housing of the connector concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention from the terminal insertion side, and (b) is an important section enlarged back view near the external resin wall shown in (a). 7A is a rear view of the housing shown in FIG. 7 viewed from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. (A) is the perspective view which looked at the housing of the connector concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention from the terminal insertion side, and (b) is the side view of (a). 9A is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 9, and FIG. 9B is a sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. FIG. 10A is a perspective view of the housing according to the first modification of the housing shown in FIG. 9 as viewed from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 9B is a horizontal sectional view of the housing shown in FIG. FIG. 9A is a perspective view of a housing according to a second modification of the housing shown in FIG. 9 as viewed from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 9B is a rear view of the housing shown in FIG. 9A as viewed from the terminal insertion side. 9A is a perspective view of a housing according to a modified example 3 of the housing shown in FIG. 9 as viewed from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 9B is a rear view of the housing shown in FIG. 9A as viewed from the terminal insertion side. It is FF sectional drawing in FIG. (A) is the perspective view which looked at the housing of the connector concerning a 4th embodiment of the present invention from the terminal insertion side, and (b) is an important section enlarged view of the terminal storage room shown in (a). FIG. 16A is an enlarged rear view of the terminal accommodating chamber shown in FIG. 15 in which terminals are mounted, and FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the connector which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the terminal seen from diagonally upper front, and (a), and the terminal seen from diagonally upper rear in (b). It is the perspective view which looked at the housing shown in FIG. 17 from the terminal insertion side, and a principal part enlarged view. It is the rear view and the principal part enlarged view which looked at the state which attached the terminal to the housing shown in FIG. 17 from the terminal insertion side. FIG. 18 is a horizontal sectional view of the housing shown in FIG. 17 during insertion of a terminal. FIG. 18 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state where the terminals are accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber of the housing shown in FIG. 17. (A) is a perspective view of the connector which concerns on 6th Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a perspective view of the housing shown to (a). 23A is a sectional view taken along line GG in FIG. 23A, and FIG. 24B is a rear view of the housing shown in FIG. FIG. 24 is a vertical sectional view of the connector shown in FIG. 23( a ).

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector 11 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The connector 11 according to the first embodiment includes a protrusion 13 (see FIG. 2) and a thin wall portion 15 formed on a partition wall 21 of a housing 23, and a lock provided on a box-shaped electric contact portion 33 of a terminal 31. The standing piece 17, which is a part, is provided as a main component.

The protrusion 13 is formed on the partition wall 21 of the housing 23 that defines the terminal accommodating chamber 19. The housing 23 is integrally molded of insulating resin. In the first embodiment, the housing 23 has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 arranged vertically and horizontally. In the housing 23 of the connector 11 of the illustrated example, a total of 22 terminal accommodating chambers 19 are formed, including two in the upper and lower stages and 11 in the left and right. The connector 11 may have one terminal accommodating chamber 19 or an arbitrary plurality.

The housing 23 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a flat outer shape. On the upper surface 25 of the housing 23, a lock protrusion 29 having a lock engaging surface 27 with which a locking claw of a mating housing (not shown) is engaged is provided.

In the present specification, for convenience of description, the side on which the lock protrusion 29 of FIG. 1 is provided is the upper side, the opposite side is the lower side, and the side on which the lock engaging surface 27 is provided is the rear side and the opposite side. The side is the front side. The terminal insertion direction of the terminal 31 mounted in the housing 23 (direction of arrow a) is from the rear side to the front side of the housing 23. Therefore, in this specification, the front, rear, up, down, left, and right directions are as shown by the arrows in FIG.

A terminal 31 is mounted in each terminal accommodating chamber 19. The terminal 31 is, for example, a female terminal fitting having a box-shaped electric contact portion 33 at the tip in the insertion direction. The terminal 31 is not limited to the female terminal fitting and may be a male terminal fitting. The box-shaped electric contact portion 33 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape whose appearance is long in the insertion direction. Inside the box-shaped electric contact portion 33, there is provided a leaf spring piece 35 (see FIG. 5) that makes conductive contact with the tab terminal portion of the male terminal fitting housed in the mating housing. In the terminal 31, a conductor crimping portion 39 for crimping the conductor 37 and a cover crimping portion 43 for fixing the electric wire 41 are continuously provided behind the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33. Further, in the terminal 31, a standing piece 17 serving as a locking portion is formed (downright in FIG. 1) at the rear end of one side of the box-shaped electric contact portion 33.

2A is a perspective view of the housing 23 shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the terminal insertion side, FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the portion A in FIG. 2A, and FIG. It is a figure of the terminal mounting state in (b) of FIG.
In the housing 23, for example, a misfit preventing rib 47 is formed on the left outer wall portion 45. The erroneous fitting prevention rib 47 restricts the fitting insertion operation when the housing 23 is fitted to the mating housing in an incorrect posture which is vertically inverted from the regular fitting posture.

Each of the terminal accommodating chambers 19 formed in the housing 23 is defined by four partitions. In the terminal accommodating chamber 19, a contact part accommodating space having a shape substantially similar to the box-shaped electric contact part 33 of the terminal 31 is formed at least in part. The protrusion 13 is formed on one of the four partition walls in the left-right direction so as to project into the terminal accommodating chamber 19. That is, the protrusion 13 projects toward the terminal 31 housed in the terminal housing chamber 19. In the first embodiment, the protrusion 13 is arranged in the partition wall 21 on the right side of each terminal accommodating chamber 19 shown in FIG. The protrusion 13 may be arranged on the left partition wall. However, the protrusions 13 are all arranged on the partition wall 21 on either the right side or the left side, and are not arranged in a mixed manner on the left and right.

The protrusion 13 is formed with a pressing inclined surface 49 that gradually increases in the direction in which the terminal 31 is inserted and that is separated from the partition wall 21 (projects into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 ). The surface of the protrusion 13 opposite to the pressing inclined surface 49 (front surface) serves as a locking surface 51 (see FIG. 6) for locking the standing piece 17 of the terminal 31.

A thin wall portion 15 is formed on the partition wall 21 on which the protrusion 13 is provided. In the first embodiment, the thin wall portion 15 is formed over substantially the entire height of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 of the partition wall 21 provided with the protrusion 13. The thin wall portion 15 may be formed only in the vicinity of the protrusion 13 in the narrower range. The thin wall portion 15 has flexibility because the partition wall 21 has a small thickness, and allows the protrusion portion 13 to be displaced toward and away from the terminal 31. That is, since the partition wall 21 is provided with the flexible thin wall portion 15, the protrusion 13 can be displaced between the approaching position and the separating position with respect to the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31. .. The protruding portion 13 is pressed by the upright piece 17 of the terminal 31 into which the pressing inclined surface 49 is inserted, so that the thin wall portion 15 formed on the partition wall 21 on which the protruding portion 13 is projecting is bent and the approaching position. Can be displaced from the outer side of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 (to the adjacent right side terminal accommodating chamber 19 side) to the separated position.

3A is a rear view of the housing 23 shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of a portion B in FIG. 3A.
The terminal 31 is provided with a standing piece 17 at the rear of the box-shaped electric contact portion 33. The standing piece 17 is
When the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 is formed by sheet metal processing, it can be provided as a part of the developed shape. In the first embodiment, a conventional stabilizer is used as the standing piece 17. The stabilizer regulates the insertion operation when the terminal 31 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 in an illegal posture different from the proper insertion posture. The stand-up piece 17, which is a locking portion, is locked to the protrusion 13 provided on the thin wall portion 15 to regulate the rearward pull-out of the terminal 31. The standing piece 17 is formed by bending it into a U-shape as shown in FIG. 3 in order to increase the contact area of the protrusion 13 with the locking surface 51 and to secure the holding strength of the terminal 31. Is desirable.

In the connector 11 according to the first embodiment, a locking portion that locks the projection 13 of the housing 23 to prevent the terminal 31 from coming off is provided at the rear of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33. Although the standing piece 17 is used, the present invention is not limited to this. As long as the locking portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 is capable of restricting the rear pull-out of the terminal 31 by being locked to the projection portion 13, for example, the rear end edge of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 or Various shapes such as an opening edge of a locking hole formed in the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 can be adopted.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the housing 23 shown in FIG. 1 during terminal insertion.
The terminal 31 is mounted by elastically deforming the thin wall portion 15 formed in the partition wall 21 on the right side on which the protrusion 13 is provided so as to project toward the terminal accommodating chamber 19 on the right side. Therefore, it is a requirement that the terminal 31 is not attached to the terminal accommodating chamber 19 on the right side of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 into which the terminal 31 is inserted. For this reason, in the housing 23 of the first embodiment in which a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, the terminals 31 are sequentially mounted from the left terminal accommodating chamber 19 to the right terminal accommodating chamber 19. When the terminal 31 installed in the left terminal accommodation chamber 19 is installed in the adjacent right terminal accommodation chamber 19, the thin wall portion 15 contacts the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the right terminal 31. It will not bend. As a result, in the connector 11 in which all the terminals 31 are mounted, the displacement of each protrusion 13 is restricted, and the disconnection of the terminals 31 is doubly restricted. However, the terminal 31 mounted in the rightmost terminal housing chamber 19 in which the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is exposed to the one side portion 59 of the housing 23 is excluded.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state where the terminals 31 are housed in the upper terminal housing chamber 19 of the housing 23 shown in FIG.
The standing piece 17 of the terminal 31 is formed in a direction along the vertical direction of the housing 23. The rear end surface of the upright piece 17 contacts the locking surface 51 of the protrusion 13. The locking surface 51 of the protrusion 13 can lock the rear end surface of the upright piece 17 protruding downward from the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33. Therefore, the protrusion 13 is formed closer to the center of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 in the vertical direction than the partition wall 53 in the vertical direction that partitions and forms the terminal accommodating chambers 19 in the upper and lower steps. That is, the protrusion 13 is arranged apart from the vertical partition wall 53. Since the protrusion 13 is arranged apart from the partition wall 53 in the vertical direction, a larger bending deformation of the thin wall portion 15 can be utilized as compared with the case where it is arranged closer to the partition wall 53 in the vertical direction. That is, when the terminal is inserted, the protrusion 13 can be easily displaced, and the workability of inserting the terminal 31 can be improved.

6A is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 in which the terminal 31 is mounted, and FIG. 6B is a projection 13 in which the standing piece 17 of the terminal 31 is locked to the locking surface 51. FIG. 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of a main part of FIG.
In the housing 23 of the connector 11 according to the first embodiment, the protrusion 13 has the locking surface 51. The locking surface 51 restricts the rearward removal of the terminal 31 when the upright piece 17 of the terminal 31 abuts in the direction opposite to the terminal insertion direction a. In the horizontal cross section shown in FIG. 6, the locking surface 51 forms an included angle θ smaller than the vertical angle with respect to the partition wall 21 (the thin wall portion 15 in the first embodiment) parallel to the terminal insertion direction a. Formed (θ<90°).

Next, operations of the housing 23 and the connector 11 according to the first embodiment described above will be described.
In the connector 11 according to the first embodiment, the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are formed in the housing 23. A terminal 31 is mounted in the terminal accommodating chamber 19. The terminal 31 is a female terminal fitting having a box-shaped electric contact portion 33 at the tip in the insertion direction. The box-shaped electric contact portion 33 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape whose appearance is long in the insertion direction. Therefore, in the terminal accommodating chamber 19 that accommodates the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33, a partition wall is defined by four partitions, and a contact portion accommodation space having a shape similar to that of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 is formed in at least a part. ..

In the terminal 31 inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 of the housing 23, the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 partition the contact portion accommodating space into four partition walls (the partition wall 21 in the horizontal direction and the partition wall in the vertical direction). 53). In the terminal accommodating chamber 19, one of the four partition walls 21 is provided with a projection 13 that integrally projects to project toward the terminal 31 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 19. That is, one of the four partitions is a partition with a protrusion.

The protrusion 13 is formed with a pressing inclined surface 49 that gradually rises in the direction in which the terminal 31 is inserted and that is separated from the partition wall 21 (projects into the terminal accommodating chamber 19). The protruding portion 13 is pressed by the upright piece 17 of the terminal 31 into which the pressing inclined surface 49 is inserted, so that the thin wall portion 15 formed in the partition wall 21 on which the protruding portion 13 is protruded is bent to accommodate the terminal. It can be displaced to the outside of the chamber 19.

That is, since the thin wall portion 15 is provided in the partition wall 21, the protruding portion 13 locks the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 to restrict the rearward removal of the terminal, and the protruding portion 13 is the terminal. It is possible to displace between the box-shaped electric contact portion 31 and the separated position where the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 separates. The displacement of the thin wall portion 15 is preferably a deformation within the elastic limit. The protrusion 13 functions as a locking means for the terminal 31. Therefore, by keeping the displacement of the thin wall portion 15 within the elastic limit, it is possible to prevent the thin wall portion 15 from being plastically deformed and reducing the engagement margin with the terminal 31.

The box-shaped electric contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 is provided with the standing piece 17. The standing piece 17 is locked to the protrusion 13 provided on the thin wall portion 15 to regulate the rearward removal of the terminal 31.
That is, in the terminal 31, when the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 reaches the contact portion accommodating space, the upright piece 17 contacts the protruding portion 13. When the terminal 31 is further inserted, the standing piece 17 presses the pressing inclined surface 49 of the protrusion 13. When the protrusion 13 is pressed by the standing piece 17 of the terminal 31, the thin wall portion 15 is displaced to the outside of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 and is pushed away to the outside of the traveling path of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33. This pushing-out is performed until the standing piece 17 that is continuously provided behind the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 passes through the protrusion 13. In the terminal 31, when the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 enters the regular position of the contact portion accommodation space, the upright piece 17 passes through the protrusion 13. When the upright piece 17 passes through the protrusion 13, the pressing force from the upright piece 17 is released. The protruding portion 13 from which the pressing force is released projects again inward of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 due to the elastic restoring force of the thin wall portion 15, thereby locking the rear end surface of the standing piece 17. As a result, the upright piece 17 of the terminal 31 is locked to the locking surface 51 of the protrusion 13 to prevent rearward removal, and the mounting in the terminal accommodating chamber 19 is completed.

The terminal 31 locked to the protrusion 13 does not easily separate from the terminal accommodating chamber 19 except for the destruction of the protrusion or the partition wall 21. The terminal 31 cannot be removed in the same manner as the terminal 31 is built into the terminal accommodating chamber 19. That is, the terminal 31 is fixed in the terminal accommodating chamber 19 in a dead fit state.

Therefore, in the housing 23 and the connector 11 according to the first embodiment, it is possible to regulate the rearward removal of the terminal 31 from the terminal accommodating chamber 19 without molding the conventional lance having a complicated shape in the terminal accommodating chamber 19. it can. That is, in the housing 23 and the connector 11 of the first embodiment, the lance can be eliminated. The configuration replacing the lance is only the protrusion 13 and the thin wall portion 15 formed on the partition wall 21 in which the protrusion 13 is provided. The protrusion 13 may have a simple convex shape protruding from the partition wall 21. The thin wall portion 15 can be formed as a thin portion that is easy to form by making the wall thickness of the partition wall 21 on which the protruding portion 13 is provided protruding thinner than other portions.

As a result, it is not necessary to secure a space for forming the lance and a space for retracting the lance in the terminal accommodating chamber 19, and the structure of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 can be greatly simplified as compared with the case where the lance is provided. In particular, in the connector 11 in which a large number of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are arranged side by side vertically and horizontally, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the housing 23 can be made significantly smaller.

And the abolition of the lance leads to simplification of the mold. As a result, in the housing 23 and the connector 11 of the first embodiment, the mold manufacturing cost and the mold maintenance cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional housing and connector having the lance.

Further, in the housing 23 and the connector 11 of the first embodiment, the locking surface 51 is formed at an angle θ (θ<90°) smaller than perpendicular to the partition wall 21 parallel to the terminal insertion direction. That is, the locking surface 51 is a surface in which the front end in the protruding direction from the partition wall 21 into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 is inclined toward the insertion direction side with respect to the base end in the protruding direction. When the locking surface 51 is formed at an angle larger than the vertical angle with respect to the partition wall 21, the tip in the projecting direction is a surface inclined to the side opposite to the terminal inserting direction from the base end in the projecting direction. In this case, when a force is applied to the terminal 31 in the backward pulling direction, the standing piece 17 is likely to slide in the direction in which the upright piece 17 is disengaged from the locking surface 51. That is, the holding power is reduced.

On the other hand, in the housing 23 and the connector 11 of the first embodiment, since the tip of the locking surface 51 in the projecting direction is inclined toward the terminal insertion direction side, when a force in the backward pulling direction is applied, the standing piece 17 is applied. Slides in the direction in which it locks more on the locking surface 51. As a result, the holding force of the terminal 31 does not decrease.

7A is a perspective view of the housing 55 of the connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention seen from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 7B is the external resin wall 57 shown in FIG. 7A. FIG. In addition, about the structure similar to the housing 23 and the connector 11 which concern on the said 1st Embodiment, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected and detailed description is abbreviate|omitted.

In the connector according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, an external resin wall 57 is formed in a resin housing 55 in which the terminal accommodating chamber 19 is provided. In the housing 23 shown in FIG. 1, the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is exposed at one side portion 59. On the other hand, in the housing 55 according to the second embodiment, the outer resin wall 57 is formed on the one side portion 59, and the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is covered with the outer resin wall 57.

Further, in the housing 55 of the connector according to the second embodiment, the resin flowing portion 61 is formed between the partition wall 21 and the external resin wall 57. The resin flow part 61 connects the back surface of the partition wall 21 excluding the back surface of the protruding portion on the back side of the thin wall portion 15 on which the protruding portion 13 is formed, and the external resin wall 57.

8A is a rear view of the housing 55 shown in FIG. 7 as seen from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 8B is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 8A.
As shown in FIG. 8, the resin flow part 61 is arranged in the terminal accommodating chamber 19 at a substantially center in the front-rear direction. Further, the resin flow part 61 is arranged so as to be displaced rearward with respect to the protrusion 13. A lightening portion 63 is formed on the rear side of the resin flow portion 61 in the housing 55 to suppress molding defects due to voids, sink marks and the like during molding.

In the housing 55 of the second embodiment, the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 on the side opposite to the protruding portion 13 is exposed at the one side portion 59 of the housing 55 in which the terminal accommodating chamber 19 is formed. An external resin wall 57 that covers the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is formed in the housing 55 at one side portion 59. As a result, the thin wall portion 15 of which the strength is reduced by forming the housing 55 with a thin thickness is covered with the external resin wall 57, and damage to the thin wall portion 15 due to contact with other members is suppressed.

Further, in the housing 55 of the second embodiment, the back surface of the partition wall 21 and the external resin wall 57 are connected by the resin flowing portion 61. The back surface to which the resin flow part 61 is connected is a back surface excluding the back surface of the protruding portion, which is the back side of the thin wall portion 15 on which the protruding portion 13 is formed. This is to prevent the resin flow part 61 from being connected to the back surface of the protrusion so that the deformation of the thin wall portion 15 is restricted and the protrusion 13 is not displaced.

During injection molding of the housing 55, for example, the outer surface of the outer resin wall 57 shown in FIG. In this case, in the injection molding of the housing in which the resin flowing portion 61 does not exist, the molten resin is less likely to turn to the thin wall portion 15 near the gate 65 (a molding defect such as a short shot is likely to occur). Therefore, in the housing 55, the resin flow part 61 that directly connects the molding space of the external resin wall 57 to the molding space of the thin wall portion 15 in a short distance is provided in the housing 55, so that the thin wall at the time of injection molding of the housing 55. The resin fluidity to the portion 15 is improved, and defective molding of the thin wall portion 15 can be suppressed.

In addition to this, in the housing 55 provided with the resin flowing portion 61, the mold can be divided into two parts in front of and behind the terminal inserting direction with the resin flowing portion 61 as a boundary. In the case of a mold that is divided into two, the thin wall molding portion that extends in the terminal insertion direction is shorter than the mold that is not divided into two. As a result, the thin wall molding portion of the mold divided into two parts can have increased rigidity. As a result, in the housing 55 provided with the resin flow portion 61, it is possible to suppress molding defects such as wall thickness variation due to bending or inclination of the thin wall molding portion due to injection pressure that is likely to occur in a long thin wall molding portion that is not divided into two parts. You can

9A is a perspective view of the housing 67 of the connector according to the third embodiment of the present invention as seen from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 9B is a side view of FIG. 9A.
In the connector according to the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a misfit prevention rib 47 is formed in a resin housing 67 in which the terminal accommodating chamber 19 is provided. In the housing 23 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 on the side opposite to the protruding portion 13 is exposed at the one side portion 59. On the other hand, in the housing 67 according to the third embodiment, the misfit preventing rib 47 that covers at least a part of the thin wall portion 15 is formed on the one side portion 59, and a part of the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is formed. It is covered with a misfit prevention rib 47.

10A is a sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 9, and FIG. 10B is a sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the housing 69 according to the modified example 1 of the housing 67 shown in FIG. 9 as seen from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 11B is the housing 69 shown in FIG. 11A. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, the mis-fitting prevention rib 47 according to the third embodiment covers the thin wall portion 15 on the lower front side of the one side portion 59. The other thin wall portions 15 on the one side portion 59 are exposed. In the third embodiment, a small misfitting prevention rib 47 (a small amount of injection resin material) is effective especially in a usage mode of a connector in which another member has a high probability of interfering with the thin wall portion 15 on the lower front side of the one side portion 59. The thin wall portion 15 can be protected effectively. This suppresses damage to the thin wall portion 15 due to contact with other members.

Therefore, in the housing 67 of the third embodiment that covers the thin wall portion 15 with the misfitting prevention rib 47, the thin wall portion 15 of the third embodiment is formed without forming a dedicated portion while preventing misfitting with the mating housing. The effect of suppressing damage is obtained. Therefore, the mold structure can be simplified.

As shown in FIG. 11, the housing 69 according to the modified example 1 of the connector according to the third embodiment has a misfit preventing rib 47 that covers at least a part of the thin wall portion 15 on one side portion 59. A part of the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is covered with a misfit preventing rib 47. The mis-fitting prevention rib 47 according to the first modification covers the thin wall portion 15 on the front side of the upper and lower stages of the one side portion 59. The other thin wall portions 15 on the one side portion 59 are exposed. In the first modification, a small mis-fitting prevention rib 47 (small injection resin material) is particularly effective in a usage mode of a connector in which another member has a high probability of interfering with the thin wall portion 15 on the front side of the upper and lower stages of the one side portion 59. The thin wall portion 15 can be protected effectively.

12A is a perspective view of the housing 71 according to the second modification of the connector shown in FIG. 9 as seen from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 12B is the housing 71 shown in FIG. It is the rear view seen from the terminal insertion side.
As shown in FIG. 12, the housing 71 according to the second modification has a misfit preventing rib 47 that covers at least a part of the thin wall portion 15 formed on one side portion 59, and one side of the back surface of the thin wall portion 15. The portion is covered with a misfit preventing rib 47. The misfitting prevention rib 47 according to the second modification covers the lower thin wall portion 15 of the one side portion 59. The other thin wall portions 15 on the one side portion 59 are exposed. In the second modification, a small mis-fitting prevention rib 47 (a small amount of injection resin material) is effectively used especially in a usage mode of a connector in which another member has a high probability of interfering with the lower thin wall portion 15 of the one side portion 59. The thin wall portion 15 can be protected.

13A is a perspective view of the housing 73 according to the modified example 3 of the connector shown in FIG. 9 as seen from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 13B is the housing 73 shown in FIG. It is the rear view seen from the terminal insertion side. FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line FF in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the housing 73 according to the third modification has a misfit preventing rib 47 that covers all of the thin wall portion 15 formed on one side portion 59, so that the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is covered. All are covered with the misfit prevention rib 47. The misfitting prevention rib 47 according to the third modification covers all the thin wall portions 15 at the front and rear of the upper and lower steps of the one side portion 59. In addition, the thin wall portion 15 is not exposed on the one side portion 59. In the third modification, the thin wall portion 15 can be reliably protected particularly in a usage mode of the connector in which there is a high probability that another member interferes with the thin wall portion 15 in the entire one side portion 59.

15A is a perspective view of the housing 75 of the connector according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention as seen from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 15B is the terminal accommodating chamber 19 shown in FIG. 15A. FIG. 16A is an enlarged rear view of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 shown in FIG. 15 in which the terminals 31 are mounted, and FIG. 16B is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 16A.

In the housing 75 of the connector according to the fourth embodiment, the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 is provided on the opposite side partition wall surface 77 opposite to the partition wall 21 on which the protrusion 13 is provided so as to sandwich the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33. A rolling prevention rib 81 is formed that abuts on the side surface 80 (see FIG. 16) of the contact portion. The rolling prevention rib 81 can be formed by forming a pair of upper and lower protruding ribs extending in the terminal insertion direction in parallel.

In the housing 75 of the connector according to the present fourth embodiment, the pair of upper and lower rolling prevention ribs 81 has contact portions on the opposite side of the contact portion side surface 79 facing the protrusion 13 of the terminal 31 mounted in the terminal accommodating chamber 19. It abuts the side surface 80. In the terminal accommodating chamber 19, the contact part accommodating space is formed to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the box-shaped electric contact part 33 of the terminal 31. Therefore, the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 moves slightly in the contact portion accommodation space. Therefore, when the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 rotates (rolls) around the central axis in the terminal insertion direction, the upright piece 17 formed on the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 has the locking surface 51 of the protrusion 13. Move away from. Due to this rolling, the terminal 31 has a smaller locking area (engagement allowance) between the locking surface 51 of the protrusion 13 and the standing piece 17, and there is a concern that the terminal holding force may be reduced.

Therefore, in the housing 75 of the connector according to the fourth embodiment, a pair of upper and lower rolling prevention ribs 81 are formed on the opposing partition wall surface 77 opposite to the partition wall 21 on which the protrusion 13 is provided. Rolling around the central axis of the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 is restricted. In the terminal 31, the rolling of the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 is restricted, so that a proper locking area between the standing piece 17 and the protrusion 13 is always secured. As a result, in the connector according to the fourth embodiment, the holding reliability of the terminal 31 can be improved.

In addition, the rolling prevention rib 81 also has a rattling effect of the terminal 31. Since the rolling prevention rib 81 has a sufficiently small cross section orthogonal to the extending direction, it can be plastically deformed to some extent by the force received from the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 when the terminal is inserted. As a result, the clearance between the opposing partition wall surface 77 and the box-shaped electric contact portion 33, which is caused by the dimensional tolerance, can be reduced according to the respective connectors. Thereby, the reliability of the holding structure of the terminal 31 can be improved.

Further, in the housing 75 of the connector according to the fourth embodiment, the terminal 31 is loosened by the rolling prevention rib 81, so that the thin wall portion 15 of each terminal accommodating chamber 19 is in the unlocking direction of the protrusion 13. It becomes difficult to displace. With this, the housing 75 of the connector according to the fourth embodiment can improve the holding reliability of all the terminals 31.

Therefore, according to the housing 75 and the connector 11 according to the fourth embodiment, the lance can be eliminated and the structure can be simplified.

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the connector 11A according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the terminal 31 seen obliquely from above and from the front, and FIG. 18(b) showing the terminal 31 seen from obliquely above and from the rear. FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the housing 91 shown in FIG. 17 as viewed from the terminal insertion side and an enlarged view of essential parts. FIG. 20 is a rear view and an enlarged view of a main part when the terminal 31 is attached to the housing 91 shown in FIG. 17 (the electric wire 41 is not shown) as viewed from the terminal insertion side.
The same members as those of the connector 11 according to the first embodiment described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The connector 11A according to the fifth embodiment is different from the partition wall 21 of the housing 91 (see FIG. 19) and the thin wall portion 15 formed on the partition wall 21 and the partition wall 21 on which the projection portion 13 is projectingly provided. The flexible locking arm 16 formed on the partition wall 53, the standing piece 17 that is a locking portion provided on the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31, and the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 are provided. It has a locking projection 18 which is another locking part as a main component.

As shown in FIG. 17, the housing 91 is formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 arranged vertically and horizontally. In the housing 91 of the connector 11A in the illustrated example, a total of 22 terminal accommodating chambers 19 are formed, including two in the upper and lower stages and 11 in the left and right. On the left and right of the upper surface 25 of the housing 91, guide projections 48 extending in the front-rear direction and standing upright for guiding fitting with a mating connector are provided.

A terminal 31 is mounted in each terminal accommodating chamber 19. The terminal 31 is, for example, a female terminal fitting having a box-shaped electric contact portion 33 at the tip in the insertion direction. As shown in FIG. 18, the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape whose appearance is long in the insertion direction. Inside the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33, there is provided a leaf spring piece 35 that makes conductive contact with the tab terminal portion of the male terminal fitting housed in the mating housing. In the terminal 31, a conductor crimping portion 39 for crimping the conductor 37 and a cover crimping portion 43 for fixing the electric wire 41 are continuously provided behind the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33. Further, the terminal 31 has a standing piece 17 as a locking portion formed at the rear end of one side portion of the box-shaped electric contact portion 33, and is provided in front of one side portion of the box-shaped electric contact portion 33. A locking protrusion 18, which is another locking portion, is formed.

Each of the terminal accommodating chambers 19 formed in the housing 91 is defined by four partitions. In the terminal accommodating chamber 19, a contact part accommodating space having a shape substantially similar to the box-shaped electric contact part 33 of the terminal 31 is formed at least in part. The protrusion 13 is formed on one of the four partition walls in the left-right direction so as to project into the terminal accommodating chamber 19. That is, the protrusion 13 projects toward the terminal 31 housed in the terminal housing chamber 19. Further, a cantilever-shaped flexible locking arm 16 that is inclined so as to gradually project into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 toward the front end side is formed in one of the four partition walls in the vertical direction. In the fifth embodiment, the flexible locking arm 16 is arranged on the lower partition wall 53 in each terminal accommodating chamber 19 shown in FIG. The flexible locking arm 16 may be arranged on the upper partition wall. However, the flexible locking arms 16 are all arranged on either the upper or lower partition wall 53, and are not arranged on the left and right.

The flexible locking arm 16 can be displaced between a locking position and a non-locking position with respect to the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 of the terminal 31. The flexible locking arm 16 is pressed by the locking protrusion 18 of the terminal 31 into which the free end is inserted, so that the flexible locking arm 16 is bent, and the flexible locking arm 16 is located below the terminal accommodating chamber 19 from the locking position. It can be displaced to a certain unlocked position.

The terminal 31 is provided with a locking protrusion 18 in front of the box-shaped electric contact portion 33. The locking protrusion 18 can be provided by pressing on the ceiling wall when forming the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 by sheet metal working. The locking projections 18, which are the other locking portions, are locked to the flexible locking arms 16 provided on the partition wall 53, thereby restricting the terminal 31 from coming off.

In the connector 11</b>A according to the fifth embodiment, the other locking portion that locks the flexible locking arm 16 of the housing 91 to prevent the terminal 31 from slipping backward is the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The other locking portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 may be, for example, the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33, as long as it can be locked to the flexible locking arm 16 to prevent the terminal 31 from slipping out later. Various forms such as an opening edge of a locking hole formed in the can be adopted.

FIG. 21 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the housing 91 shown in FIG. 17 during the terminal insertion. 22 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state where the terminals 31 are housed in the upper terminal housing chamber 19 of the housing 91 shown in FIG.
The terminal 31 elastically deforms the thin wall portion 15 formed on the right partition wall 21 on which the protrusion 13 is provided so as to project toward the right terminal accommodation chamber 19 side, and is provided on the partition wall 53. The flexible locking arm 16 is flexibly attached to the lower side of the terminal accommodating chamber 19. Therefore, it is a requirement that the terminal 31 is not attached to the terminal accommodating chamber 19 on the right side of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 into which the terminal 31 is inserted. Therefore, also in the housing 91 of the fifth embodiment in which a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, the terminals 31 are separated from the left terminal accommodating chamber 19 similarly to the housing 23 of the first embodiment. The terminal accommodating chamber 19 on the right side is sequentially mounted.

Next, operations of the housing 91 and the connector 11A according to the fifth embodiment described above will be described.
In the connector 11A according to the fifth embodiment, the terminal accommodating chamber 19 of the housing 91 is partitioned and formed by four partition walls, and has a shape substantially similar to the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the insertion direction. The contact part accommodation space is formed in at least a part.

In the terminal 31 inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 of the housing 91, the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 partition the contact portion accommodating space into four partitions (a partition wall 21 in the horizontal direction and a partition wall in the vertical direction). 53). In the terminal accommodating chamber 19, one of the four partition walls 21 is provided with a projection 13 projecting toward the terminal 31 by integral molding.
The protrusion 13 is formed with a pressing inclined surface 49 that gradually increases in the direction in which the terminal 31 is inserted in the insertion direction “a” and away from the partition wall 21. The protruding portion 13 is pressed by the upright piece 17 of the terminal 31 into which the pressing inclined surface 49 is inserted, so that the thin wall portion 15 formed in the partition wall 21 on which the protruding portion 13 is protruded is bent to accommodate the terminal. It can be displaced to the outside of the chamber 19.

That is, since the thin wall portion 15 is provided in the partition wall 21, the protruding portion 13 locks the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 to restrict the terminal from coming off, and the protruding portion 13 has the terminal 31. It is possible to make a displacement between the box-shaped electric contact part 33 and the separated position where the box-shaped electric contact part 33 is separated.
Further, a flexible locking arm 16 that locks the terminal 31 is formed on another partition wall 53, which is different from the partition wall 21 on which the protrusion 13 is projected, of the four partition walls. Therefore, in the terminal 31, the upright piece 17 provided on the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 is locked to the protrusion 13 provided on the thin wall portion 15, and the terminal 31 is locked to the box-shaped electric contact portion 33. When the protrusion 18 is locked to the flexible locking arm 16, the rear pull-out of the terminal 31 is restricted.

Therefore, in the housing 91 of the present configuration, it is possible to prevent the terminal from coming out of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 without forming a conventional large lance in the terminal accommodating chamber 19. That is, in the housing 91 having this configuration, the flexible locking arm 16 can be downsized. As a result, the housing 91 can reduce the space for forming the flexible locking arm 16 and the retreat space, and greatly simplifies the structure of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 as compared with the case where a large lance is provided. It can be miniaturized.

23A is a perspective view of the connector 11B according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 23B is a perspective view of the housing 95 shown in FIG. 23A. 24A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line GG in FIG. 23A, and FIG. 24B is a rear view of the housing 95 shown in FIG. 23A viewed from the terminal insertion side. FIG. 25 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the connector 11B shown in FIG.
The same members as those of the connector 11 according to the first embodiment described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The connector 11B according to the sixth embodiment includes a protrusion 13 (see FIG. 24) and a thin wall portion 15 formed on the partition wall 21 of the housing 95, a band mounting portion provided at the rear of the housing 95, and a terminal 31. The standing piece 17, which is a locking portion provided on the box-shaped electric contact portion 33 of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B, the housing 95 is formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 arranged vertically and horizontally. Further, behind the partition wall 53 in the lower direction of the housing 95, a band mounting portion 97 for mounting the binding band 100 for mounting the terminal 31 on the terminal and bundling and fixing the electric wires 41 drawn out from the terminal accommodating chamber 19. Are integrally formed.

Each of the terminal accommodating chambers 19 formed in the housing 95 is defined by four partitions. The protruding portion 13 is formed so as to project into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 in one of the four partition walls in the left-right direction.
The band mounting portion 97 extending rearward from the partition wall 53 in the lower direction of the housing 95 gradually extends from the wide base having the same width as the housing 95 in which the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are juxtaposed to the tip. It is formed in a substantially trapezoidal plate shape with a narrow width. Then, as shown in FIG. 24A, on the mounting surface 98 having a width narrower than the width of the housing 95 in which the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are juxtaposed, as shown in FIG. A curved support surface having a concave central portion is formed along a direction (perpendicular to the electric wire 41 drawn from 19).

Then, the plurality of electric wires 41 drawn out from the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are mounted on the mounting surface 98 of the band mounting portion 97, and then bundled and fixed by the binding band 100 mounted on the band mounting portion 97. It
As shown in (b) of FIG. 24, a curved support surface is formed on the mounting surface 98 having a width smaller than the width of the housing 95, so that the mounting surface 98 is mounted on the mounting surface 98 and bound by the binding band 100. The tightening force is uniformly applied to the bundle of electric wires (the plurality of electric wires 41) from the outer peripheral side by the binding band 100, so that the bundle of electric wires can be reliably fixed.

Next, the operation of the housing 95 according to the sixth embodiment described above will be described.
With the housing 95 according to the sixth embodiment, the plurality of electric wires 41 drawn out from the terminal accommodating chamber 19 are bundled and fixed by the binding band 100 attached to the band attaching portion 97. Therefore, when the electric wire 41 is pulled rearward, the pulling force can be prevented from being applied to the terminal 31 attached to the terminal, and the rear pull-out of the terminal can be regulated. In particular, since the plurality of electric wires 41 are bundled and fixed by the binding band 100, it is possible to prevent a pulling force from being applied to one electric wire when the electric wires 41 are routed, and to prevent the terminal 31 locked to the protrusion 13 of the partition wall 21. It is possible to reliably prevent the terminal from coming off.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. can be appropriately made. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement position, etc. of each constituent element 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 embodiments of the housing and the connector according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [10].
[1] A terminal (21) formed in the partition wall (21) of the housing (23, 55, 67, 69, 71, 75, 91, 95) that defines and defines the terminal accommodating chamber (19) and is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber ( 31) which protrudes toward 31),
The protruding portion is formed on the protruding partition wall, and the protruding portion locks the box-shaped electric contact portion (33) of the terminal to restrict the rearward pulling out of the terminal, and between the approach position and the separated position. A flexible thin wall portion (15) that can be displaced by
The housing (23,55,67,69,71,75,91,95) characterized by including.
[2] A protrusion (13) formed on the partition wall (21) of the housing (91) that defines the terminal accommodating chamber (19) and protruding toward the terminal (31) accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber,
The protruding portion is formed on the protruding partition wall, and the protruding portion locks the box-shaped electric contact portion (33) of the terminal to restrict the rearward pulling out of the terminal, and between the approach position and the separated position. A flexible thin wall portion (15) that can be displaced by
The protrusion is formed on another partition wall (53) different from the partition wall (21) having the protrusion, and locks the box-shaped electrical contact portion (33) of the terminal to restrict the rearward pullout of the terminal. A flexible locking arm (16) displaceable between a locked position and a non-locked position;
A housing (91) characterized by comprising:
[3] The locking portion (standing piece 17) of the box-shaped electric contact portion (33) comes into contact with the protrusion (13) in a direction opposite to the terminal insertion direction (a), and the terminal (31). A locking surface (51) for restricting rearward pullout is formed,
The housing (23, 55) according to the above [1] or [2], wherein the locking surface is formed at an angle smaller than vertical with respect to the partition wall (21) parallel to the terminal insertion direction. , 67, 69, 71, 75, 91, 95).
[4] On one side portion (59) of the housing (55), a back surface of the thin wall portion (15) opposite to the protruding portion (13) is exposed,
The housing (55) according to any one of the above [1] to [3], wherein an outer resin wall (57) covering the thin wall portion is formed on the one side portion.
[5] The back surface of the partition wall (21) excluding the back surface of the protruding portion on the back side of the thin wall portion (15) on which the protruding portion (13) is formed, and the external resin wall (57) are a resin flowing portion. The housing (55) according to the above [4], which is connected by (61).
[6] On one side (59) of the housing (67, 69, 71, 75), a back surface of the thin wall portion (15) opposite to the protrusion (13) is exposed,
An erroneous fitting prevention rib (47) is formed on the one side portion to cover at least a part of the thin wall portion and prevent erroneous fitting with a mating housing fitted with the housing. The housing (67, 69, 71, 75) according to any one of [1] to [3] above.
[7] The box-shaped electrical contact portion (33) is sandwiched between the box-shaped electrical contacts on the opposite side partition wall surface (77) opposite to the partition wall (21 ). The housing (75) according to any one of the above [1] to [6], characterized in that a rolling prevention rib (81) is formed so as to come into contact with the contact portion side surface (79) of the contact portion.
[8] Behind the housing (95), a binding band (100) for fixing the terminal (31) attached to the terminal and bundling and fixing the electric wires (41) drawn out from the terminal accommodating chamber (19). The housing (95) according to any one of the above [1] to [7], which is provided with a band mounting portion (97) for mounting.
[9] The housing (23, 55, 67, 69, 71, 75, 91, 95) according to any one of the above [1] to [8],
A terminal (31) provided with a box-shaped electric contact part (33) having a locking part (standing piece 17) for locking the rear part of the terminal by locking the protruding part (13). Connector (11, 11A, 11B) characterized by.
[10] The housing (91) according to [2] above,
The terminal (31) provided with another locking portion (locking protrusion 18) for restricting the rearward removal of the terminal by being locked by the flexible locking arm (16) in the box-shaped electric contact portion (33). ), and a connector (11A).

11... Connector 13... Projection 15... Thin wall 17... Standing piece (locking part)
19... Terminal accommodation chamber 21... Partition wall 23... Housing 31... Terminal 33... Box-shaped electric contact portion 47... Misfitting prevention rib 51... Locking surface a... Terminal insertion direction

Claims (10)

A protrusion formed on a partition wall of the housing that defines the terminal accommodating chamber and protruding toward the terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber;
The protruding portion is formed on the protruding partition wall, and the protruding portion locks the box-shaped electric contact portion of the terminal and is displaceable between an approaching position and a separating position for restricting rearward pullout of the terminal. And a thin wall portion having flexibility,
A housing comprising: A protrusion formed on a partition wall of the housing that defines the terminal accommodating chamber and protruding toward the terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber
The protruding portion is formed on the protruding partition wall, and the protruding portion locks the box-shaped electric contact portion of the terminal and is displaceable between an approaching position and a separating position for restricting rearward pullout of the terminal. And a thin wall portion having flexibility,
A locking position and a non-locking position that are formed on another partition different from the partition on which the protrusion is provided and that locks the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal to prevent the terminal from coming off A flexible locking arm that is displaceable between
A housing comprising: On the protruding portion, a locking surface of the box-shaped electrical contact portion is formed, which is in contact with the terminal in the direction opposite to the terminal insertion direction to restrict the terminal from coming off.
The housing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the locking surface is formed at an angle smaller than a vertical angle with respect to the partition wall parallel to the terminal insertion direction. On one side of the housing, a back surface of the thin wall portion opposite to the protruding portion is exposed,
The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an external resin wall that covers the thin wall portion is formed on the one side portion. The back surface of the partition wall excluding the back surface of the protruding portion on the back side of the thin wall portion on which the protruding portion is formed and the outer resin wall are connected by a resin flowing portion. Housing. On one side of the housing, a back surface of the thin wall portion opposite to the protruding portion is exposed,
An erroneous fitting prevention rib is formed on the one side portion, and covers at least a part of the thin wall portion to prevent erroneous fitting with a mating housing fitted with the housing. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A rolling prevention rib is formed on the surface of the opposing partition wall opposite to the partition wall on which the protrusion is provided so as to sandwich the box-shaped electrical contact portion, and which comes into contact with the side surface of the contact portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is characterized by being. At the rear of the housing, a band mounting portion for mounting the binding band for mounting the terminal on the terminal and for bundling and fixing the electric wires drawn out from the terminal accommodating chamber is provided. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A housing according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A terminal provided with a box-shaped electric contact portion, and a locking portion that restricts the terminal from coming off by being locked to the projection portion.
A connector comprising: A housing according to claim 2;
A terminal provided with a box-shaped electric contact portion, and another locking portion for restricting rearward removal of the terminal by being locked by the flexible locking arm;
A connector comprising:

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