JP2021012777A - Waterproof connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a waterproof connector capable of achieving an increase of a terminal holding force without deteriorating a waterproof function.SOLUTION: Waterproof connectors 10 and 20 comprise: terminal metal fittings 11 and 21; housing parts 12 and 22 having Lances 12b and 22b and deformation space parts 12c and 22c; and front retainers 16 and 25 mounted to the housing parts 12 and 22. The front retainers 16 and 25 include regulation piece parts 16a and 25a that regulate an elastic deformation of the Lances 12b and 22b so as to be interposed between the deformation space parts 12c and 22c, and the regulation piece parts 16a and 25a are structured so that a tip end part reaches a bottom neighbor of the Lances 12b and 22b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a waterproof connector.

For example, since an in-vehicle connector is used in an environment where it can be subjected to vibration, shock, or the like, a terminal holding force of 100 N or more may be required for the terminal fitting housed in the housing portion. As a connector that satisfies such a terminal holding force, a side retainer that is fitted from the side of the housing portion is used, and the side retainer is locked with the terminal fitting to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off. Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 09-320672

By the way, since the in-vehicle connector is expected to be used in a place exposed to rainwater or the like, it is required to have a waterproof function. However, if a side retainer is to be used to increase the terminal holding force, it is necessary to provide a fitting hole for the side retainer on the side of the housing portion, so that the waterproof function is impaired or the waterproof seal structure is complicated. There is a risk of causing a change. That is, when using a side retainer, it is difficult to apply it to a waterproof connector.

An object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof connector that makes it possible to increase the terminal holding force without impairing the waterproof function.

According to one aspect of the invention
A terminal fitting having a fitting portion that fits with the fitting partner on one end side,
Allows elastic deformation of the terminal accommodating portion for accommodating the terminal fitting, the lance for locking the terminal fitting accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion, and the lance when accommodating the terminal fitting in the terminal accommodating portion. A housing part having a space part for deformation for
The front is mounted on the housing portion from the side of the fitting portion of the terminal fitting housed in the terminal accommodating portion, and is configured to be able to transition between a temporarily locked state and a main locked state with respect to the housing portion. With a retainer,
The front retainer has a regulating piece portion that is interposed in the deformation space portion to regulate elastic deformation of the lance in the main locked state.
The regulation piece portion is provided with a waterproof connector configured so that the tip end portion of the regulation piece portion reaches the vicinity of the root of the lance in the deformation space portion when the front retainer is in the main locked state. Will be done.

According to the present invention, in the waterproof connector, it is possible to increase the terminal holding force, and the waterproof function is not impaired.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the connector unit to which this invention is applied, (a) is a plan view, (b) is a side sectional view. It is a side view which shows the structural example of the receptacle terminal which is a terminal metal fitting in one Embodiment of the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the F housing part which is the housing part in one Embodiment of the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention, (a) is the side sectional view, (b) is the enlarged view of the main part seen from the direction of arrow B. is there. It is a side sectional view which shows the structural example of the mounting element to the F housing part in one Embodiment of the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention. It is a side sectional view which shows the structural example of the F retainer which is a front retainer in one Embodiment of the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the mounting state of the F retainer to the F housing part in one Embodiment of the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention, (a) is the B arrow view, (b) is the B'-B'cross-sectional view. is there. It is a side view which shows the structural example of the tab terminal which is a terminal metal fitting in another embodiment of the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the M housing part which is the housing part in another embodiment of the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention, (a) is the side sectional view, (b) is the enlarged view of the main part seen from the direction of arrow C. Is. It is a side sectional view which shows the structural example of the mounting element to the M housing part in another embodiment of the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention. It is a side sectional view which shows the structural example of the M retainer which is a front retainer in another embodiment of the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the mounting state of the M retainer to the M housing part in another embodiment of the waterproof connector which concerns on this invention, (a) is the C arrow view, (b) is the C'-C'cross-sectional view. Is.

Hereinafter, the waterproof connector according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(1) Outline of the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment First, an outline of the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment will be described.

The waterproof connector according to the present embodiment includes at least a terminal fitting and a housing portion. The housing portion is provided with a terminal accommodating portion for accommodating the terminal fitting, a lance for locking the terminal fitting accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion, and a deformation space portion for allowing elastic deformation of the lance. .. Then, the lance is configured to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off by engaging with the terminal fitting. Such a configuration is similar to a general connector.

By the way, the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment is configured to satisfy a high terminal holding force (for example, 100 N or more). However, as described above, when the side retainer is used, it is difficult to apply it to the waterproof connector. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the front retainer mounted on the housing portion from the fitting portion side of the terminal fitting is used, and the regulation piece portion provided on the front retainer is interposed in the deformation space portion to make the lance elastic. By regulating the deformation, the locking force by the lance is reinforced, which is configured to increase the terminal holding force.

In this way, if the terminal holding force is increased by using the front retainer, it is not necessary to provide the fitting hole as in the case of using the side retainer, so that the waterproof function is not impaired. Further, since the general seal structure can be diverted, the waterproof seal structure is not complicated. That is, in the present embodiment, the elastic deflection of the lance is regulated by the front retainer to prevent the lance from being separated from the terminal fitting due to impact, vibration, or the like.

However, simply controlling the elastic deflection of the lance by using the front retainer is not always sufficient to improve the reliability of the retaining function of the lance for the reasons described below. As a result of diligent studies on the factors that cause the lance to separate from the terminal fittings, the inventor of the present application has (i) the occurrence of bending of the lance toward the deformation space, (ii) the buckling deformation of the lance, and (iii). We have come to the conclusion that there are three patterns of shear failure (shaving) of the lance. Of these, (i) can be prevented by regulating the elastic deflection of the lance, but (ii) and (iii) cannot always be prevented by simply regulating the elastic deflection of the lance. ..

On the other hand, with regard to the lance, in order to facilitate elastic deformation, it is conceivable to form the cross section on the root side, which is the fulcrum of the elastic deformation, smaller than the cross section on the tip side. That is, it is conceivable that the lance has a thick tip shape in which the cross section on the tip side is larger than the cross section on the root side. With respect to a lance having such a shape, the strength on the root side is weaker than that on the tip side, and the load is likely to be concentrated. Therefore, if there is a space near the root side, buckling deformation is likely to occur.

In consideration of these facts, in the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment, the regulation piece portion provided on the front retainer does not merely intervene in the deformation space portion, but the tip portion thereof is a lance in the deformation space portion. It is configured to reach near the base of. In this way, if the tip of the regulating piece of the front retainer reaches the vicinity of the base of the lance, it is possible to prevent the lance from being separated from the terminal fitting due to the occurrence of bending (that is, the separation due to the pattern (i) above). At the same time, it is possible to prevent the lance from detaching from the terminal fitting due to buckling deformation (that is, detaching due to the pattern (ii) above).

That is, in the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment, the tip of the regulation piece of the front retainer reaches the vicinity of the base of the lance to regulate the deflection of the lance and at least prevent the lance from being destroyed by buckling deformation. To do. Therefore, while maintaining the waterproof function, it is possible to increase the terminal holding force as compared with the conventional case and obtain the same performance as when the side retainer is used. In the retaining technology using the side retainer, the only fracture mode that can occur in the lance is shear fracture (shaving), which provides a high terminal holding force. In this respect, also in the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment, since the destruction mode of the lance is limited, the same performance as when the side retainer is used can be obtained.

Regarding the detachment due to the pattern (iii) above, in the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment, the lance is formed wider than the locked portion of the terminal fitting to suppress the occurrence. ..

(2) Specific Configuration of Waterproof Connector Next, the configuration of the waterproof connector according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to specific examples.

(Overall configuration of connector unit)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a connector unit to which the present invention is applied. The illustration shows an example of an 8-pole connector unit 1.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the connector unit 1 given as an example here is also referred to as a female connector (hereinafter, also referred to as “F (female) connector”) 10 and a male connector (hereinafter, “M (male) connector”). It is equipped with 20 and. Then, the F connector 10 and the M connector 20 are configured to be fitted to each other so that the electrical connection between the terminal fittings can be secured and the fitted state between the respective terminal fittings can be released.

Each of the F connector 10 and the M connector 20 corresponds to the embodiment of the "waterproof connector" according to the present invention. That is, the F connector 10 corresponds to one embodiment of the "waterproof connector" according to the present invention, and the M connector 20 corresponds to another embodiment of the "waterproof connector" according to the present invention.

(F connector configuration)
As shown in FIG. 1B, the F connector 10 corresponding to one embodiment includes a receptacle terminal (hereinafter, also referred to as “REC terminal”) 11 which is a kind of terminal fitting, and a housing portion for accommodating the REC terminal 11. (Hereinafter also referred to as "F housing portion") 12, the wire seal 13 attached to the F housing portion 12, the seal cover 14 also attached to the F housing portion 12, and the F housing portion 12 are also attached. It is configured to include a housing seal 15 and a front retainer (hereinafter, also referred to as “F retainer”) 16 that is also attached to the F housing portion 12.

Hereinafter, each element 11 to 16 constituting the F connector 10 will be described in order.

(REC terminal)
FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration example of the REC terminal in one embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the REC terminal 11 is formed by punching and bending a conductive metal plate (for example, a copper plate or a copper alloy plate, or one of which is plated). It is used by being attached to the end edge of the electric wire 2. Therefore, the REC terminal 11 is provided with a crimping portion 11a to the electric wire 2 on one end side. However, it does not necessarily have to be attached by crimping, and may be attached by, for example, pressure welding or soldering. Further, the REC terminal 11 has a fitting portion 11b that fits with a TAB terminal 21 to be fitted, which will be described later, on one end side opposite to the crimping portion 11a. Further, the REC terminal 11 has a locked portion 11c that locks with a lance 12b of the F housing portion 12, which will be described in detail later.

(F housing part)
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the F housing portion in one embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the F housing portion 12 is formed by integrally molding a resin material having an insulating property (for example, polybutylene terephthalate: PBT), and houses the REC terminal 11 inside. It is configured to get.

More specifically, the F housing portion 12 includes at least a terminal accommodating portion 12a accommodating the REC terminal 11, a lance 12b engaging with the locked portion 11c of the REC terminal 11 accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 12a, and a terminal. The accommodating portion 12a has a deformation space portion 12c for allowing elastic deformation of the lance 12b when accommodating the REC terminal 11. These are arranged in a number corresponding to the number of poles of the connector unit 1. That is, for example, in the case of the 8-pole connector unit 1, the F housing portion 12 is provided with terminal accommodating portions 12a, lances 12b, and deformation space portions 12c at eight locations.

Of these, the lance 12b is formed in a so-called thick tip shape in which the cross section on the tip side is larger than the cross section on the root side, which is the fulcrum of the elastic deformation, so that elastic deformation can be easily performed.
Further, the lance 12b is configured to be locked with the locked portion 11c of the REC terminal 11 at a portion having a large cross section on the tip side (that is, a portion having a thick tip), which is shown in FIG. 3 (b). As described above, it is preferable that the forming width W1 of the locking portion is formed wider than the forming width W2 of the locked portion 11c of the REC terminal 11.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, a wire seal 13 and a seal cover 14 are attached to the F housing portion 12 on the insertion side of the REC terminal 11 into the terminal accommodating portion 12a (see arrow A in the drawing). A space portion 12d for the purpose is provided. On the other hand, the side of the F housing portion 12 facing the space portion 12d (see arrow B in the figure) is the side that fits with the M connector 20. The fitting side with the M connector 20 is configured so that the F retainer 16 described in detail later can be mounted, and a mounting space 12e for the housing seal 15 is secured inside the F retainer 16.

Further, the F housing portion 12 is formed with a lock mechanism portion 12f for maintaining the fitted state when the F housing portion 12 is fitted with the M connector 20. The details of the lock mechanism portion 12f may be configured by using a known technique, and the description thereof will be omitted here.

The F housing portion 12 may have a protruding convex portion (however, not shown in FIG. 3A) that protrudes toward the mounting side of the F retainer 16. However, the protruding convex portion is not an essential configuration and may not be provided in the F housing portion 12.

(Wire seal, seal cover and housing seal)
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a configuration example of a mounting element for the F housing portion in one embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4, the wire seal 13 is made of an elastic material (for example, silicon rubber), is attached to the space portion 12d of the F housing portion 12, and is attached to the F housing portion 12 and the REC terminal 11. This is for sealing between the electric wire 2 to be connected.
The seal cover 14 is formed of an insulating resin material (for example, PBT) and is attached to the space portion 12d of the F housing portion 12 to prevent the wire seal 13 from falling off.
The housing seal 15 is made of an elastic material (for example, silicon rubber), is mounted in the mounting space 12e in the F housing portion 12, and is between the F connector 10 and the M connector 20 when they are fitted to each other. Is for sealing.

(F retainer)
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a configuration example of the F retainer in one embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 5, the F retainer 16 is formed of an insulating resin material (for example, PBT) and is configured to be mounted on the fitting side of the F housing portion 12 with the M connector 20. It was done. That is, the F retainer 16 is mounted on the F housing portion 12 from the side of the fitting portion 11b of the REC terminal 11 housed in the terminal accommodating portion 12a.

The F retainer 16 mounted on the F housing portion 12 reinforces the locking force of the REC terminal 11 by the lance 12b, thereby increasing the terminal holding force in the F housing portion 12. Therefore, the F retainer 16 is configured to have a regulating piece portion 16a that regulates elastic deformation of the lance 12b.

By the way, when the F retainer 16 is attached to the F housing portion 12, it is temporarily locked to the F housing portion 12 as shown in FIG. 4 and is actually locked to the F housing portion 12 as shown in FIG. 1 (b). With respect to the state, each of these states is configured to be transitionable.
The temporarily locked state means a state in which the F retainer 16 is temporarily mounted on the F housing portion 12 (see FIG. 4). In the temporarily locked state, the regulation piece portion 16a of the F retainer 16 does not reach the deformation space portion 12c of the F housing portion 12.
In this locked state, the F retainer 16 is pushed from the temporarily locked state to the side of the F housing portion 12 by a predetermined pushing amount (see FIG. 4), and the F retainer 16 is finally pushed into the F housing portion 12. It means that it is in a proper wearing state. In this locked state, the restricting piece portion 16a of the F retainer 16 is interposed in the deformation space portion 12c of the F housing portion 12, thereby restricting the elastic deformation of the lance 12b (FIG. 1). See (b)).

Then, when the F retainer 16 is in the main locked state, the regulation piece portion 16a not only intervenes in the deformation space portion 12c, but its tip portion reaches the vicinity of the root of the lance 12b in the deformation space portion 12c. It is configured as follows. More specifically, the F housing portion 12 so that the tip portion of the regulation piece portion 16a reaches a portion having a small cross section located near the root of the lance 12b with respect to the lance 12b formed in a thick tip shape. The protrusion length to the side of is set.

In order to make the transition from the temporarily locked state to the main locked state feasible, the F retainer 16 is configured to have an appropriate pushing amount (sliding amount) with respect to the F housing portion 12. There is. Specifically, in the temporarily locked state, the regulation piece 16a does not intervene in the deformation space 12c, and in the main locking state, the tip of the regulation piece 16a reaches the vicinity of the root of the lance 12b. The predetermined pushing amount is configured to have, for example, a slide amount of at least 2 mm or more, preferably about 4 mm.

6A and 6B are views showing an example of a state in which the F retainer is attached to the F housing portion in one embodiment, FIG. 6A is a view corresponding to arrow B in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6B is FIG. It is a figure corresponding to the B'-B'cross section of a).
For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the F housing portion 12 has a protruding convex portion 12g, the F retainer 16 has a through hole 16b into which the protruding convex portion 12g is inserted. It shall be. Further, it is preferable that the pair of the protruding convex portion 12g and the through hole 16b is provided at a plurality of locations. The F retainer 16 does not need to have a through hole 16b unless the protruding convex portion 12g is provided.
When the F housing portion 12 has the protruding convex portion 12g, the protruding convex portion 12g is visible from the through hole 16b at the tip of the protruding convex portion 12g when the F retainer 16 is in the main locked state. It shall have a protruding length that can be exposed. Examples of such a protruding length include a length such that the end surface of the tip end portion of the protruding convex portion 12g is located on the same surface as the outer surface of the F retainer 16, as shown in FIG. 6B. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and if the tip of the protruding convex portion 12g is visible, the end surface of the protruding convex portion 12g may not reach the outer surface of the F retainer 16 or the protruding convex portion 16g. The end face of the portion 12g may protrude from the outer surface of the F retainer 16.
It is assumed that the F housing portion 12 and the F retainer 16 have at least a different color on the tip portion of the protruding convex portion 12g and the F retainer 16. The color attached to each is not particularly limited as long as it can be visually recognized that the colors are different from each other. Further, the coloring method is not particularly limited, and any known method may be appropriately used.

(M connector configuration)
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1B, the M connector 20 corresponding to the other embodiment has a tab terminal (hereinafter, also referred to as “TAB terminal”) 21 which is another kind of terminal fitting, and a TAB terminal 21. A housing portion (hereinafter, also referred to as “M housing portion”) 22 for accommodating the above, a wire seal 23 attached to the M housing portion 22, a seal cover 24 attached to the M housing portion 22, and the same M housing portion. It is configured to include a front retainer (hereinafter, also referred to as “M retainer”) 25 mounted on the 22.

Hereinafter, each element 21 to 25 constituting the M connector 20 will be described in order.

(TAB terminal)
FIG. 7 is a side view showing a configuration example of the TAB terminal in another embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 7, the TAB terminal 21 is formed by punching and bending a conductive metal plate (for example, a copper plate or a copper alloy plate, or one of which is plated). It is used by being attached to the end edge of the electric wire 3. Therefore, the TAB terminal 21 is provided with a crimping portion 21a to the electric wire 3 on one end side. However, it does not necessarily have to be attached by crimping, and may be attached by, for example, pressure welding or soldering. Further, the TAB terminal 21 has a fitting portion 21b that fits with the REC terminal 11 as a fitting partner on one end side opposite to the crimping portion 21a. Further, the TAB terminal 21 has a locked portion 21c that locks with a lance 22b of the M housing portion 22, which will be described in detail later.

(M housing part)
FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a configuration example of the M housing portion in another embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the M housing portion 22 is formed by integrally molding a resin material having an insulating property (for example, PBT), and is configured to accommodate the TAB terminal 21 inside. Has been done.

More specifically, the M housing portion 22 includes at least a terminal accommodating portion 22a accommodating the TAB terminal 21, a lance 22b engaging with the locked portion 21c of the TAB terminal 21 accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 22a, and terminals. The accommodating portion 22a has a deformation space portion 22c for allowing elastic deformation of the lance 22b when accommodating the TAB terminal 21. These are arranged in a number corresponding to the number of poles of the connector unit 1. That is, for example, in the case of the 8-pole connector unit 1, the terminal accommodating portion 22a, the lance 22b, and the deformation space portion 22c are provided in eight places in the M housing portion 22.

Of these, the lance 22b is formed in a thick tip shape in which the cross section on the tip side is larger than the cross section on the root side, which is the fulcrum of the elastic deformation, so that the elastic deformation can be easily performed.
Further, the lance 22b is configured to be locked with the locked portion 21c of the TAB terminal 21 at a portion having a large cross section on the tip side (that is, a portion having a thick tip), which is shown in FIG. 8A. As described above, it is preferable that the forming width W3 of the locking portion is formed wider than the forming width W4 of the locked portion 21c of the TAB terminal 21.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8A, the wire seal 23 and the seal cover 24 are attached to the M housing portion 22 on the insertion side (see arrow C in the drawing) of the TAB terminal 21 into the terminal accommodating portion 22a. A space portion 22d for the purpose is provided. On the other hand, the side of the M housing portion 22 facing the space portion 22d (see arrow D in the figure) is the side that fits with the F connector 10. The mating side with the F connector 10 is configured so that the M retainer 25, which will be described in detail later, can be mounted.

Further, the M housing portion 22 is formed with an engaging piece 22e that engages with the lock mechanism portion 12f of the F connector 10 in order to maintain the fitted state when the F connector 10 is fitted. The details of the engaging piece 22e may be configured by using a known technique, and the description thereof will be omitted here.

It is preferable that the M housing portion 22 has a protruding convex portion (however, not shown in FIG. 8A) that protrudes toward the mounting side of the M retainer 25.

(Wire seal and seal cover)
FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing a configuration example of a mounting element for the M housing portion in another embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 9, the wire seal 23 is made of an elastic material (for example, silicon rubber), is attached to the space portion 22d of the M housing portion 22, and is attached to the M housing portion 22 and the TAB terminal 21. This is for sealing between the electric wire 3 to be connected.
The seal cover 24 is made of an insulating resin material (for example, PBT) and is attached to the space portion 22d of the M housing portion 22 to prevent the wire seal 23 from falling off.

(M retainer)
FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing a configuration example of the M retainer in another embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 10, the M retainer 25 is formed of an insulating resin material (for example, PBT), and is configured to be mounted on the fitting side of the M housing portion 22 with the F connector 10. It was done. That is, the M retainer 25 is mounted on the M housing portion 22 from the side of the fitting portion 21b of the TAB terminal 21 housed in the terminal accommodating portion 22a.

The M retainer 25 mounted on the M housing portion 22 reinforces the locking force of the TAB terminal 21 by the lance 22b, thereby increasing the terminal holding force in the M housing portion 22. Therefore, the M retainer 25 is configured to have a regulating piece portion 25a that regulates elastic deformation of the lance 22b.

By the way, when the M retainer 25 is attached to the M housing portion 22, it is temporarily locked to the M housing portion 22 as shown in FIG. 9 and is actually locked to the M housing portion 22 as shown in FIG. 1 (b). With respect to states, each of these states can be transitioned.
The temporarily locked state means a state in which the M retainer 25 is temporarily mounted on the M housing portion 22 (see FIG. 9). In the temporarily locked state, the regulation piece portion 25a of the M retainer 25 does not reach the deformation space portion 22c of the M housing portion 22.
In this locked state, the M retainer 25 is pushed from the temporarily locked state to the side of the M housing portion 22 by a predetermined pushing amount (see FIG. 9), and the M retainer 25 is finally pushed into the M housing portion 22. It means that it is in a proper wearing state. In this locked state, the restricting piece portion 25a of the M retainer 25 is interposed in the deformation space portion 22c of the M housing portion 22 to regulate the elastic deformation of the lance 22b (FIG. 1). See (b)).

Then, when the M retainer 25 is in the main locked state, the regulation piece portion 25a not only intervenes in the deformation space portion 22c, but its tip portion reaches the vicinity of the root of the lance 22b in the deformation space portion 22c. It is configured as follows. More specifically, the M housing portion 22 so that the tip portion of the regulation piece portion 25a reaches a portion having a small cross section located near the root of the lance 22b with respect to the lance 22b formed in a thick tip shape. The protrusion length to the side of is set.

The M retainer 25 is configured to have an appropriate pushing amount (sliding amount) with respect to the M housing portion 22 in order to make the transition from the temporarily locked state to the main locked state feasible. There is. Specifically, in the temporarily locked state, the regulation piece 25a does not intervene in the deformation space 22c, and in the main locking state, the tip of the regulation piece 25a reaches the vicinity of the root of the lance 22b. The predetermined pushing amount is configured to have, for example, a slide amount of at least 2 mm or more, preferably about 4 mm.

11A and 11B are views showing an example of a state in which the M retainer is attached to the M housing portion in another embodiment, FIG. 11A is a view corresponding to arrow C in FIG. 9, and FIG. 11B is FIG. It is a figure corresponding to the C'-C'cross section of (a).
For example, as shown in FIG. 11A, when the M housing portion 22 has a protruding convex portion 22f, the M retainer 25 has a through hole 25b into which the protruding convex portion 22f is inserted. Shall be. Further, it is preferable that the pair of the protruding convex portion 22f and the through hole 25b is provided at a plurality of locations.
When the M housing portion 22 has the protruding convex portion 22f, the protruding convex portion 22f is visible from the through hole 25b at the tip of the protruding convex portion 22f when the M retainer 25 is in the main locked state. It shall have a protruding length that can be exposed. Examples of such a protruding length include a length such that the end surface of the tip end portion of the protruding convex portion 22f is located on the same surface as the outer surface of the M retainer 25, as shown in FIG. 11B. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and if the tip of the protruding convex portion 22f is visible, the end surface of the protruding convex portion 22f may not reach the outer surface of the F retainer 25, or the protruding convex portion 22f may not reach the outer surface. The end face of the portion 22f may protrude from the outer surface of the F retainer 25.
It is assumed that the M housing portion 22 and the M retainer 25 have at least the tip portion of the protruding convex portion 22f and the M retainer 25 having different colors. The color attached to each is not particularly limited as long as it can be visually recognized that the colors are different from each other. Further, the coloring method is not particularly limited, and any known method may be appropriately used.

(3) Usage of Waterproof Connector Next, a usage mode of the F connector 10 and the M connector 20 (that is, the connector unit 1) having the above-described configuration will be described.

The connector unit 1 is used by fitting the F connector 10 and the M connector 20 to each other and electrically connecting the REC terminal 11 and the TAB terminal 21 in each. As a result, the continuity between the electric wire 2 to which the REC terminal 11 is attached and the electric wire 3 to which the TAB terminal 21 is attached is ensured.

At this time, it is necessary that the F connector 10 and the M connector 20 are in a state where they can be fitted with the mating partner, specifically, the front retainers 16 and 25 are in the main locked state. Is. Hereinafter, examples of processing operations when transitioning to such a state will be described in order.

(Processing operation on F connector)
In the F connector 10, the wire seal 13, the seal cover 14, and the housing seal 15 are attached to the F housing portion 12. Further, the F housing portion 12 is equipped with an F retainer 16 in a temporarily locked state.
When using such an F connector 10, first, the REC terminal 11 attached to the end edge of the electric wire 2 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 12a of the F housing portion 12. At this time, the F retainer 16 is temporarily locked with respect to the F housing portion 12. Therefore, when the REC terminal 11 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 12a, the lance 12b is elastically deformed toward the deformation space portion 12c accordingly. Then, when the REC terminal 11 reaches a specified position and is appropriately housed in the terminal accommodating portion 12a, the elastic deformation of the lance 12b is recovered, and the lance 12b is locked by the REC terminal 11 c. And lock. For example, in the case of the 8-pole connector unit 1, this is performed for all eight locations.

After that, the F retainer 16 in the temporarily locked state is pushed toward the F housing portion 12 by a predetermined pushing amount to transition to the main locked state. At this time, if the REC terminal 11 is not properly accommodated, the elastic deformation of the lance 12b is not completely recovered, and the deformation space 12c is narrowed, so that the F retainer 16 cannot be pushed in. That is, it is possible to determine whether or not the accommodation state of the REC terminal 11 is appropriate depending on whether or not the F retainer 16 can be pushed in.

When the F retainer 16 is in the main locked state, the regulation piece portion 16a of the F retainer 16 intervenes in the deformation space portion 12c of the F housing portion 12. Therefore, the elastic deformation of the lance 12b is regulated by the intervention of the regulating piece 16a, and the locking force of the lance 12b with the REC terminal 11 is reinforced.

Moreover, when the F retainer 16 is in the main locked state, the tip portion of the regulation piece portion 16a reaches the vicinity of the root of the lance 12b in the deformation space portion 12c. Therefore, for example, even when an external force is applied in the direction of pulling out the REC terminal 11 from the terminal accommodating portion 12a of the F housing portion 12 and a compressive force acts in the extending direction of the lance 12b, it is located near the root of the lance 12b. Buckling deformation is suppressed in the portion where the cross section is small.

That is, when the F retainer 16 is in the main locked state, the lance 12b is detached from the locked portion 11c of the REC terminal 11 due to the occurrence of bending of the lance 12b (that is, the lance 12b is detached according to the pattern (i) described above). In addition to being able to prevent it, it is also possible to prevent the lance 12b from detaching from the locked portion 11c of the REC terminal 11 due to buckling deformation of the lance 12b (that is, detaching according to the pattern (ii) described above). Become.

Further, for example, when an external force is applied in the direction of pulling out the REC terminal 11, in addition to the compressive force on the lance 12b, a shearing force that tries to shear break (shave break) the locking portion of the lance 12b with the REC terminal 11 is generated. It works. Even in that case, if the forming width W1 of the lance 12b is formed wide, the resistance to shear failure can be increased. That is, if the lance 12b is formed wider than the locked portion 11c of the REC terminal 11, the lance 12b is detached from the locked portion 11c of the REC terminal 11 due to shear failure of the lance 12b (that is, already It is possible to suppress the withdrawal due to the pattern (iii) described above.

By the way, in the case of the F retainer 16 configured so that the tip portion of the regulation piece portion 16a reaches the vicinity of the root of the lance 12b, the pushing amount (slide amount) for transitioning from the temporarily locked state to the main locked state is It may be larger than in the case of a general retainer structure (that is, a structure in which the tip does not reach the base of the lance). If the amount of slide is large, artificial work is required, so there is a high possibility that the temporary locking state will not be completely transitioned to the so-called semi-inserted state.

Regarding this point, for example, when the F housing portion 12 has the protruding convex portion 12g and the F retainer 16 has the through hole 16b, the tip portion of the protruding convex portion 12g is from the through hole 16b. Whether or not the F retainer 16 is in the main locked state can be determined depending on whether or not the F retainer 16 is visibly exposed. That is, by gazing at the protruding convex portion 12g in the through hole 16b, it is possible to prevent the operator from finishing the pushing work of the F retainer 16 in the half-inserted state. Therefore, even if the slide amount is large, the F retainer 16 can be reliably transitioned from the temporarily locked state to the main locked state. At this time, if the tip of the protruding convex portion 12g and the F retainer 16 are colored differently, it is easy to determine whether or not the tip of the protruding convex portion 12g is exposed from the through hole 16b. , The F retainer 16 is very suitable for surely transitioning to the main locked state.

Further, for example, if the pair of the protruding convex portion 12g and the through hole 16b is provided at a plurality of locations, the half-inserted state can be suppressed and the F retainer 16 is tilted. It is also possible to prevent the retainer 16 from being attached to the F housing portion 12. Therefore, it is more suitable for surely transitioning the F retainer 16 to the main locked state.

In the F connector 10, when the F retainer 16 transitions to the main locked state, the edge of the F housing portion 12 and the edge of the F retainer 16 are at substantially the same position as shown in FIG. 1 (b). Be distributed. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the F retainer 16 is in the main locked state by visually recognizing the F connector 10 from the side and confirming the edge position of the F retainer 16. That is, in the F connector 10, the pair of the protruding convex portion 12g and the through hole 16b is not an indispensable configuration, and half insertion is suppressed by confirming the end edge positions of the F housing portion 12 and the F retainer 16. It doesn't matter.

When the F retainer 16 is in the main locked state, the F connector 10 is in a usable state, that is, a state in which it can be fitted with the M connector 20 which is a fitting partner.

(Processing operation in M connector)
When using the M connector 20, the same processing operation as in the case of the F connector 10 described above is performed.
Specifically, in the M connector 20, the wire seal 23 and the seal cover 24 are attached to the M housing portion 22. Further, the M housing portion 22 is equipped with an M retainer 25 in a temporarily locked state.
For such an M connector 20, first, when the M retainer 25 is temporarily locked, the TAB terminal 21 attached to the end edge of the electric wire 3 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 22a of the M housing portion 22. Then, when the TAB terminal 21 reaches a predetermined position and is appropriately accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 22a, the lance 22b is locked with the locked portion 21c of the TAB terminal 21. For example, in the case of the 8-pole connector unit 1, this is performed for all eight locations.

After that, the temporarily locked M retainer 25 is pushed toward the M housing portion 22 by a predetermined pushing amount to transition to the main locked state. At this time, it is possible to determine whether or not the accommodation state of the TAB terminal 21 is appropriate depending on whether or not the M retainer 25 can be pushed in.

When the M retainer 25 is in the main locked state, the regulation piece portion 25a of the M retainer 25 is interposed in the deformation space portion 22c of the M housing portion 22. Therefore, the elastic deformation of the lance 22b is regulated, and the locking force of the lance 22b with the TAB terminal 21 is reinforced.
Moreover, when the M retainer 25 is in the main locked state, the tip portion of the regulation piece portion 25a reaches the vicinity of the root of the lance 22b in the deformation space portion 22c. Therefore, for example, even when an external force is applied in the direction of pulling out the TAB terminal 21 from the inside of the terminal accommodating portion 22a of the M housing portion 22 and a compressive force acts in the extending direction of the lance 22b, it is near the root of the lance 22b. Buckling deformation is suppressed in the portion where the cross section is small.
That is, when the M retainer 25 is in the main locked state, the lance 22b is detached from the locked portion 21c of the TAB terminal 21 due to the occurrence of bending of the lance 22b (that is, the lance 22b is detached according to the pattern (i) described above). In addition to being able to prevent it, it is also possible to prevent the lance 22b from detaching from the locked portion 21c of the TAB terminal 21 due to buckling deformation of the lance 22b (that is, detaching according to the pattern (ii) described above). Become.

Further, for example, when an external force is applied in the direction of pulling out the TAB terminal 21, in addition to the compressive force on the lance 22b, a shearing force for shear fracture (shaving fracture) of the lance 22b acts. Even in that case, if the lance 22b has a wide formation width W3, the resistance to shear failure can be increased. That is, if the lance 22b is formed wider than the locked portion 21c of the TAB terminal 21, the lance 22b is detached from the locked portion 21c of the TAB terminal 21 due to shear failure of the lance 22b (that is, already). It is possible to suppress the withdrawal due to the pattern (iii) described above.

Even in such an M connector 20, the pushing amount (sliding amount) for transitioning the M retainer 25 from the temporarily locked state to the main locked state is larger than that in the case of a general retainer structure, and therefore, it is half. There is a high possibility that it will be in the inserted state.
However, for example, if the M housing portion 22 has the protruding convex portion 22f and the M retainer 25 has the through hole 25b, the tip portion of the protruding convex portion 22f is visibly exposed from the through hole 25b. It can be determined whether or not the M retainer 25 is in the main locked state depending on whether or not the M retainer 25 is in the locked state. That is, by gazing at the protruding convex portion 22f in the through hole 25b, it is possible to prevent the operator from finishing the pushing operation of the M retainer 25 in the half-inserted state. Therefore, even if the slide amount is large, the M retainer 25 can be reliably transitioned from the temporarily locked state to the main locked state. At this time, if the tip of the protruding convex portion 22f and the M retainer 25 are colored differently, it is easy to determine whether or not the tip of the protruding convex portion 22f is exposed from the through hole 25b. , M retainer 25 is very suitable for surely transitioning to the main locked state.
Further, for example, if the pair of the protruding convex portion 22f and the through hole 25b is provided at a plurality of locations, the half-inserted state can be suppressed and the M retainer 25 is tilted. It is also possible to prevent the retainer 25 from being attached to the M housing portion 22. Therefore, it is more suitable for surely transitioning the M retainer 25 to the main locked state.

In particular, it is very useful for the M connector 20 to have a protruding convex portion 22f and a through hole 25b. This is because, as shown in FIG. 9, since the M retainer 25 is mounted so as to be included in the M housing portion 22, whether or not the M retainer 25 is in the main locked state, unlike the case of the F connector 10. This is because it is difficult to determine whether or not the M connector 20 is visually recognized from the side. That is, it is very preferable that the M connector 20 has a protruding convex portion 22f and a through hole 25b in order to reliably transition the M retainer 25 to the main locked state.

When the M retainer 25 is in the main locked state, the M connector 20 is in a usable state, that is, in a state where it can be fitted with the F connector 10 which is a fitting partner.

(4) Effects obtained by the above-described embodiment According to the above-described embodiment, one or more of the following effects can be obtained.

(A) In the above-described embodiment, the F connector 10 and the M connector 20 use the front retainers 16 and 25 to reinforce the locking state force of the lances 12b and 22b with the terminal fittings 11 and 21. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a fitting hole as in the case of using a side retainer, for example, so that the waterproof function is not impaired. Further, since it is possible to divert a general seal structure such as the seal covers 13 and 23 and the housing seal 15, the waterproof seal structure is not complicated.
Moreover, in the F connector 10 and the M connector 20, the restricting pieces 16a and 25a provided on the front retainers 16 and 25 are not only interposed in the deformation space portions 12c and 22c, but the tip portions thereof are for deformation. It is configured to reach the vicinity of the roots of the lances 12b and 22b in the space portions 12c and 22c. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lances 12b and 22b from being separated from the terminal metal fittings 11 and 21 due to the occurrence of bending (that is, the lances 12b and 22b are separated from each other by the pattern (i) described above), and the terminal metal fittings 11 due to buckling deformation of the lances 12b and 22b. , 21 (that is, withdrawal according to the pattern (ii) described above) can also be prevented.
That is, the F connector 10 and the M connector 20 are configured to regulate the bending of the lances 12b and 22b and at least prevent the lances 12b and 22b from being destroyed by buckling deformation. Therefore, while maintaining the waterproof function, it is possible to increase the terminal holding force as compared with the conventional case and obtain the same performance as when the side retainer is used. In the retaining technique using the side retainer, the only fracture mode that can occur in the lances 12b and 22b is shear fracture (shaving), which provides a high terminal holding force. In this respect, also in the F connector 10 and the M connector 20, since the destruction modes of the lances 12b and 22b are limited, the same performance as when the side retainer is used can be obtained.
As described above, the F connector 10 and the M connector 20 described in the above-described embodiment can increase the terminal holding force so as to satisfy a high terminal holding force (for example, 100 N or more), and also have a waterproof function. Is not damaged.

(B) In the above-described embodiment, the lances 12b and 22b of the F connector 10 and the M connector 20 have a thick tip shape in which the cross section on the tip side is larger than the cross section on the root side. Therefore, the lances 12b and 22b can be easily elastically deformed when the terminal fittings 11 and 21 are inserted into the housing portions 12 and 22. Moreover, even if the lances 12b and 22b have a thick tip shape in which buckling deformation is likely to occur, the regulation pieces 16a and 25a of the front retainers 16 and 25 reach the vicinity of the roots of the lances 12b and 22b, so that the lances 12b and 22b Buckling deformation can be effectively prevented.

(C) In the above-described embodiment, the lances 12b and 22b of the F connector 10 and the M connector 20 are formed wider than the locked portions 11c and 21c of the terminal fittings 11 and 21. Therefore, the resistance of the lances 12b and 22b to shear failure can be increased, and as a result, the lances 12b and 22b from the locked portions 11c and 21c of the terminal fittings 11 and 21 due to the shear failure of the lances 12b and 22b. (That is, withdrawal according to the pattern (iii) described above) can be suppressed. That is, it is even more suitable for increasing the terminal holding force of the F connector 10 and the M connector 20.

(D) As described in the above embodiment, for example, if the housing portions 12 and 22 have protruding convex portions 12g and 22f, and the front retainers 16 and 25 have through holes 16b and 25b. Whether or not the front retainers 16 and 25 are in the main locked state can be determined by whether or not the tip portions of the protruding convex portions 12g and 22f are visibly exposed from the through holes 16b and 25b. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operator from finishing the pushing work of the front retainers 16 and 25 in the half-inserted state, and even when the slide amount of the front retainers 16 and 25 is large, the front retainers 16 and 25 can be moved. It is possible to reliably transition from the temporarily locked state to the main locked state. At this time, if the tips of the protruding protrusions 12g and 22f and the front retainers 16 and 25 are colored differently, whether or not the tips of the protruding protrusions 12g and 22f are exposed from the through holes 16b and 25b. It is very suitable for surely transitioning the front retainers 16 and 25 to the main locked state because it is easy to discriminate between them. The above is particularly applicable to a configuration in which the front retainer 25 is included in the housing portion 22, such as the M connector 20, that is, a configuration in which it is difficult to determine the main locked state even when visually recognized from the side. And very useful.

(E) As described in the above-described embodiment, for example, if pairs of the protruding protrusions 12g and 22f and the through holes 16b and 25b are provided at a plurality of locations, the half-inserted state can be suppressed. In addition, it is possible to prevent the front retainers 16 and 25 from being mounted on the housing portions 12 and 22 in a state where the front retainers 16 and 25 are tilted. Therefore, it is more suitable for surely transitioning the front retainers 16 and 25 to the main locked state.

(5) Modifications and the like Although the embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist thereof.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the F connector 10 and the M connector 20 constituting the 8-pole connector unit 1 have been described as examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the present invention can be applied to any waterproof connector having a structure in which a lance is locked to a terminal fitting without limiting the number of poles or a specific structure.

1 ... Connector unit, 2, 3 ... Electric wire, 10 ... F connector (waterproof connector), 11 ... REC terminal (terminal fitting), 11c ... Locked part, 12 ... F housing part (housing part), 12a ... Terminal accommodation Part, 12b ... Lance, 12c ... Deformation space part, 12g ... Protruding convex part, 13 ... Wire seal, 14 ... Seal cover, 15 ... Housing seal, 16 ... F retainer (front retainer), 16a ... Regulatory piece part, 16b ... Through hole, 20 ... M connector (waterproof connector), 21 ... TAB terminal (terminal metal fitting), 21c ... Locked part, 22 ... M housing part (housing part), 22a ... Terminal housing part, 22b ... Lance, 22c ... Deformation space, 22f ... Protruding convex, 23 ... Wire seal, 24 ... Seal cover, 25 ... M retainer, 25a ... Regulatory piece, 25b ... Through hole

Claims (5)

A terminal fitting having a fitting portion that fits with the fitting partner on one end side,
Allows elastic deformation of the terminal accommodating portion for accommodating the terminal fitting, the lance for locking the terminal fitting accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion, and the lance when accommodating the terminal fitting in the terminal accommodating portion. A housing part having a space part for deformation for
The front is mounted on the housing portion from the side of the fitting portion of the terminal fitting housed in the terminal accommodating portion, and is configured to be able to transition between a temporarily locked state and a main locked state with respect to the housing portion. With a retainer,
The front retainer has a regulating piece portion that is interposed in the deformation space portion to regulate elastic deformation of the lance in the main locked state.
The restricting piece portion is a waterproof connector configured so that the tip end portion of the restricting piece portion reaches the vicinity of the root of the lance in the deformation space portion when the front retainer is in the main locked state. The waterproof connector according to claim 1, wherein the lance has a thick tip shape in which the cross section on the tip side is larger than the cross section on the root side. The waterproof connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lance is formed wider than the locked portion of the terminal fitting. The housing portion has a protruding convex portion that protrudes toward the mounting side of the front retainer.
The front retainer has a through hole into which the protruding protrusion is inserted.
The protruding convex portion has a protruding length in which the tip end portion of the protruding convex portion is visibly exposed from the through hole when the front retainer is in the main locked state.
The waterproof connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least the tip of the protruding convex portion and the front retainer are colored differently. The waterproof connector according to claim 4, wherein a pair of the protruding convex portion and the through hole is provided at a plurality of places.