JP2021009812A - Connector and assembly method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

To securely seat a terminal at the insertion completion position in the housing even when the wire connected to the terminal is a low-strength wire.SOLUTION: The connector 10 includes a housing 20 and a terminal 60 to which an electric wire 70 is connected. The housing 20 includes housing bodies 30 and 50 and a terminal holding member 40. The terminal 60 is inserted into the terminal holding member 40 and locked. The terminal holding member 40 is locked to the housing body at two positions, a first position and a second position closer to the front. The terminal 60 is inserted when the terminal holding member 40 is in the first position. At this time, a part 60a of the terminal 60 is in a state of protruding from the housing body. Therefore, the terminal 60 itself can be gripped and the terminal 60 can be inserted. After the insertion of the terminal, the terminal holding member 40 is moved to the second position. Then, the terminal 60 also moves together, and the terminal 60 is seated at the insertion completion position so as to be housed in the housing over its entire length.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a connector having terminals to which electric wires are connected and a method for assembling the connector.

Conventionally, a connector having a terminal to which an electric wire is connected has been widely known. In assembling this connector, a process of inserting terminals into the housing from a terminal insertion port opened at the rear of the housing has been conventionally adopted. In this step, since the terminal itself is inserted into the housing, the terminal is inserted by grasping the portion of the electric wire near the terminal. However, due to the increasing miniaturization of connectors in recent years, small terminals to which thin electric wires are connected have been used. If you try to insert the terminal into the housing by grasping this thin electric wire, the tip of the electric wire to which the terminal is connected may be bent due to insufficient strength of the electric wire, and the terminal may not be inserted properly.

Here, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector provided with a retainer that slides in the front-rear direction. In this connector, when the terminal is inserted only to a position in front of the insertion completion position in the housing, the terminal is inserted into the insertion completion position by sliding the retainer.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-275334

In the case of the connector of Patent Document 1 described above, the terminal is inserted into the housing when the retainer is in the temporary locking position. However, in the case of this connector, the terminal cannot be inserted to the insertion completion position by the slide of the retainer until after the terminal has been inserted to the position where it has entered the housing over the entire length. Therefore, this connector configuration does not solve the above problems caused by insufficient strength of the electric wire.

An object of the present invention is to provide a connector and an assembling method thereof so that the terminal is surely seated at the insertion completion position in the housing even if the electric wire connected to the terminal is a low-strength electric wire.

The connector of the present invention that achieves the above object is
With the housing
It is provided with a terminal to which an electric wire is connected and inserted into the housing.
The housing is
With the housing body
The total length of the terminal is slid together with the terminal from the first position where the terminal is inserted into the hollow portion and a part of the terminal is exposed from the housing to the second position in front of the first position. Is provided with a terminal holding member for seating the terminal at the insertion completion position housed in the housing.

In the case of the connector of the present invention, the terminal is inserted into the terminal holding member at the first position. When the terminal is inserted into the terminal holding member at the first position, a part of the terminal is exposed from the housing. Therefore, the terminal itself can be gripped and inserted into the terminal holding member at the first position, and insufficient strength of the electric wire does not matter. The terminal holding member slides to the second position after the terminal is inserted. As a result, the terminal is seated at the insertion completion position housed in the housing over its entire length.

Here, in the connector of the present invention
The housing body
A first locking portion that releasably locks the terminal holding member at the first position,
It is preferable to provide a second locking portion for locking the terminal holding member slid to the second position.

In this case, the presence of the first locking portion allows the terminal to be inserted while maintaining the terminal holding member in the first position. Further, due to the presence of the second locking portion, the terminal can be continuously held at the insertion completion position.

Here, when the housing body includes the first locking portion and the second locking portion, the terminal holding member can be locked with both the first locking portion and the second locking portion. A locking arm having a locking portion may be provided.

Further, in the connector of the present invention, it is preferable that the terminal holding member or the terminal is provided with a lance for preventing the terminal inserted into the terminal holding member from coming off.

If a lance is provided, careless removal of the terminal inserted into the terminal holding member is prevented.

Further, the method of assembling the connector of the present invention that achieves the above object is a housing provided with a housing body and a terminal holding member for holding the terminals, and the terminal holding member has a hollow portion in the hollow portion. The entire length of the terminal was accommodated in the housing by sliding together with the terminal from the first position where the terminal is inserted and a part of the terminal is exposed from the housing to the second position in front of the first position. Prepare a housing that is a terminal holding member that seats the terminal at the insertion completion position.
Insert the terminal to which the electric wire is connected into the terminal holding member in the first position,
The terminal holding member is slid to the second position so that the terminal is seated at the insertion completion position.

According to the connector assembly method of the present invention, even if the electric wire has insufficient strength, the entire length of the terminal can be seated at the insertion completion position housed in the housing.

According to the above invention, even if the electric wire connected to the terminal is a low-strength electric wire, the terminal can be reliably seated at the insertion completion position in the housing.

It is an exploded perspective view of the connector which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which showed the housing and the contact in the assembled state. It is a perspective view (A) of the housing viewed from diagonally above and forward, and is an enlarged view (B) of the portion of the circle R1 shown by the broken line in FIG. 3 (A). It is a perspective view of the state where one terminal is inserted in a housing. It is sectional drawing which follows the arrow AA shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of a connector in a state where terminals are inserted into all of a plurality of terminal insertion openings. It is a perspective view of the state which the jig is applied to the connector. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow BB of the portion indicated by the broken line circle R2 in FIG. 7. It is a perspective view (A) of the housing in which the locking portion is fitted into the second fitting portion as viewed from diagonally above, and an enlarged view (B) of the portion of the circle R3 shown by the broken line in FIG. 9 (A). .. It is a perspective view of the connector in the state where the locking portion is fitted into the second fitting portion. It is sectional drawing which follows the arrow CC shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Further, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the housing and contacts in the assembled state.

The connector 10 includes a housing 20 made of an insulating resin and a terminal 60 to which an electric wire 70 is connected by crimping. Here, the electric wire 70 is shown only at the front end portion connected to the terminal 60. Further, the housing 20 has a front housing 30, a terminal holding member 40, and a main housing 50. Here, the combination of the front housing 30 and the main housing 50 in the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the housing body referred to in the present invention.

The main housing 50 has a plurality of terminal insertion ports 51. Although only one terminal 60 is shown here, one terminal 60 is inserted into each of the plurality of terminal insertion ports 51.

Further, the terminal holding member 40 is formed with a hollow portion 41 into which the terminal 60 inserted from the terminal insertion port 51 of the main housing 50 enters. Further, the terminal holding member 40 is provided with four locking arms 42 extending backward, up, down, left and right, which are indicated by arrows B. A locking portion 43 for locking to the main housing 50 is provided at the tip of each locking arm 42. Further, a recess 44 into which a jig 80 (see FIG. 8) described later is inserted is formed on the lower surface of the two upper locking arms 42 and the upper surface of the two lower locking arms 42. .. The actions of the recess 44 and the jig 80 will be described later.

Further, the front housing 30 has a receiving portion 31. In assembling the housing 20, first, the terminal holding member 40 is assembled in the main housing 50 to form a subassembly. Then, the subassembly is fitted into the receiving portion 31 of the front housing 30, and the housing 20 shown in FIG. 2 is completed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view (A) of the housing viewed from diagonally above, and an enlarged view (B) of the portion of the circle R1 shown by the broken line in FIG. 3 (A).

The main housing 50 is formed with a first fitting portion 52 into which the locking portion 43 of the locking arm 42 of the terminal holding member 40 is fitted. The housing 20 is assembled in a state where the locking portion 43 is fitted into the first fitting portion 52. A second fitting portion 32 is formed at the rear end of the front housing 30. The second fitting portion 32 is also a fitting portion into which the locking portion 43 of the locking arm 42 of the terminal holding member 40 is fitted. The first fitting portion 52 and the second fitting portion 32 are partitioned from each other by a partition wall 53 provided in the main housing 50. Although FIG. 3 shows the first fitting portion 52 and the second fitting portion 32 on the upper surface side, the same first fitting portion 52 and the second fitting portion 32 are formed on the lower surface side as well. ing. The fitting of the locking portion 43 into the second fitting portion 32 will be described later.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which one terminal is inserted into the housing.

Further, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow AA shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal 60 integrally has a lance 61. On the other hand, the hollow portion 41 of the terminal holding member 40 is formed with a locking wall 41a to which the lance 61 is locked. The terminal 60 inserted from the terminal insertion port 51 enters the hollow portion 41 of the terminal holding member 40, and the lance 61 is locked to the locking wall 41a to prevent it from coming off. In the embodiment shown here, the terminal 60 includes a lance 61, but the terminal holding member 40 may include a lance that locks the terminal 60.

The rear end portion 60a of the terminal 60 is in a position protruding from the housing 20 in a state where the terminal 60 enters the hollow portion 41 of the terminal holding member 40 and the lance 61 is locked to the locking wall 41a. Therefore, the terminal 60 can be inserted by grasping the rear end portion 60a of the terminal 60. That is, it is not necessary to grip the portion of the electric wire 70 protruding from the terminal 60 and insert the terminal 60, and even if the strength of the electric wire 70 is low, there is no problem.

In this way, the terminals 60 are inserted into each of the plurality of terminal insertion ports 51 while grasping the rear end portion 60a of each terminal 60.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a connector in a state where terminals are inserted into all of the plurality of terminal insertion ports.

Further, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a state in which a jig is applied to the connector.

Further, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow BB of the portion indicated by the broken line circle R2 in FIG. 7.

After inserting the terminals 60 into all of the plurality of terminal insertion ports 51 as shown in FIG. 6, the jig 80 is applied to the housing 20 as shown in FIG. The jig 80 has a passage 81 through which the electric wire 70 is passed, and an opening 82 for placing the electric wire 70 on the passage 81. Further, the jig 80 has four operation arms 83, which are vertically and horizontally protruding forward, which are indicated by arrows F. This jig 80 is applied to the housing 20. At this time, the locking portion 43 at the tip of the locking arm 42 of the terminal holding member 40 is fitted into the first fitting portion 52 as shown in FIG. When the jig 80 is applied to the housing 20, as shown in FIG. 8, the tip portion 83a of the operation arm 83 enters the recessed portion 44 at the tip of the locking arm 42 of the terminal holding member 40. Then, as it is, a force is applied in the direction of inserting the jig 80 into the housing 20. The tip 83a of the operating arm 83 has a wedge shape, and when a force is applied to the jig 80, the locking arm 42 bends outward in the vertical direction until it can get over the partition wall 53 (see FIG. 3). Mmm.

In FIG. 8, the tip portion 83a of the operation arm 83 and the recessed portion 44 at the tip of the locking arm 42 of the terminal holding member 40 are partially overlapped and shown. This is because the operation arm 83 is shown in the shape before bending. In reality, the locking arm 42 flexes elastically as the operating arm 83 is inserted into the recess 44.

When the locking arm 42 bends until it can overcome the partition wall 53 (see FIG. 3), slide the terminal holding member 40 forward until the locking portion 43 reaches the position of the second fitting portion 32. Let me. Since the terminal 60 is locked to the terminal holding member 40, when the terminal holding member 40 slides forward, the terminal 60 also moves forward. Then, when the locking portion 43 of the terminal holding member 40 reaches the second fitting portion 32, the locking portion 43 enters the second fitting portion 32.

9A and 9B are a perspective view (A) of the housing in which the locking portion is fitted into the second fitting portion as viewed from diagonally above, and an enlarged view of the portion of the circle R3 shown by the broken line in FIG. 9A (A). B).

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but in FIG. 3, the locking portion 43 is fitted into the first fitting portion 52, whereas in FIG. 9, the locking portion 43 is the second fitting portion. It is fitted in the fitting portion 32.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the connector in a state where the locking portion is fitted into the second fitting portion.

Further, FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow CC shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the locking portion 43 is fitted into the second fitting portion 32, the entire length of the terminal 60 including the rear end portion 60a of the terminal 60 is housed in the housing 20. It is seated at the insertion completion position.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the low strength of the electric wire 70 connected to the terminal 60 does not matter, and the terminal 60 is seated at the insertion completion position whose entire length is housed in the housing 20. Can be made to.

10 Connector 20 Housing 30 Front housing 32 Second fitting part (second locking part)
40 Terminal holding member 41 Hollow part 42 Locking arm 43 Locking part 50 Main housing (housing body)
52 First fitting portion (first locking portion)
60 terminal Rear end of 60a terminal (part of terminal)
61 lance 70 electric wire

Claims (5)

With the housing
It is provided with a terminal to which an electric wire is connected and inserted into the housing.
The housing
With the housing body
The terminal slides together with the terminal from the first position where the terminal is inserted into the hollow portion and a part of the terminal is exposed from the housing to the second position in front of the first position. The connector is provided with a terminal holding member for seating the terminal at an insertion completion position in which the entire length of the terminal is housed in the housing. The housing body
A first locking portion that releasably locks the terminal holding member at the first position,
The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a second locking portion for locking the terminal holding member slid to the second position. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the terminal holding member includes a locking arm having a locking portion that can be locked with both the first locking portion and the second locking portion. .. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the terminal holding member or the terminal includes a lance inserted into the terminal holding member to prevent the terminal from coming off. A housing including a housing body and a terminal holding member for holding terminals. The terminal holding member has a hollow portion, the terminal is inserted into the hollow portion, and a part of the terminal is removed from the housing. By sliding the terminal together with the terminal from the exposed first position to the second position in front of the first position, the terminal is seated at the insertion completion position where the entire length of the terminal is accommodated in the housing. Prepare a housing that is a terminal holding member to be inserted.
Insert the terminal to which the electric wire is connected into the terminal holding member at the first position, and insert the terminal.
A method for assembling a connector, characterized in that the terminal is seated at the insertion completion position by sliding the terminal holding member to the second position.

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