JP2022026881A - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a connector without needing a re-assembling operation of a front holder even if a state where the front holder is in a middle engagement state to a housing.SOLUTION: A connector 11 comprises: a cylindrical main body part 13 in which a plurality of terminal housing chambers 29 having an engagement lance is arranged in parallel; a cylindrical hood part 15 formed in the main body part 13 and surrounding the main body part 13 through a fitting space 51; a front holder 17 having a release regulation part 95 that is mounted on a front surface 27 side of the main body part 13, and is inserted into an engagement release space of the engagement lance; an engaged projection 19 formed in the front holder 17; and an engagement arm 21 that is arranged in an arm movable space 67 concaved in an outer peripheral surface of the main body part 13 facing the fitting space 51, engages the engaged projection 19 after elastically deforming in the arm movable space 67 with a pressure to the engaged projection 19 of the front holder 17 to be mounted, and holds the front holder 17 to the main body part 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a connector.

Some connectors include a front holder that double-locks terminals inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
As shown in FIG. 14, in this type of connector, the front holder 503 is temporarily locked to the housing 501 when the terminal is inserted. When the terminal 505 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 507 from the rear opposite to the mating direction with the mating connector, the lance 509 protruding from the terminal accommodating chamber 507 is temporarily retracted into the unlocking space 511. After that, when the terminal 505 reaches the normal position, the lance 509 returns to the original position by the elastic restoring force, the terminal 505 is locked, and the terminal 505 is restricted from coming off (primary locking). When the front holder 503 is finally locked to the housing 501 in which the terminal 505 is locked, the release restricting portion 513 of the front holder 503 is inserted into the unlock release space 511, and the movement of the lance 509 in the release direction is restricted. , The rear exit of the terminal 505 is double regulated and becomes a double locking state.

According to the connector having such a double locking structure, the lance 509 does not move to the unlocking space 511 even by vibration or impact, so that the terminal 505 can be easily disengaged by the tension of the electric wire 515 to which the terminal 505 is connected. It is possible to secure high connection reliability with the mating connector.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-185911

In the above-mentioned conventional connector, the front holder 503 temporarily locked to the housing 501 when the terminal is inserted is finally locked by the locking arm 517 after the terminal 505 is attached. In the connector, the locking arm 517 is integrally molded on the surface of the main body 519, and in the process of transitioning the front holder 503 to temporary / main locking, the locking arm 517 is separated from the main body 519 from the main body 519. It is temporarily elastically deformed toward the outside. The locking arm 517 is always exposed, and it is possible to visually confirm the locked state by looking into the fitting space 521.
However, for example, in the halfway main locking state (halfway locking state) in which the operator forgets to visually check and the transition process to the main locking is terminated in the middle, the mating connector or the continuity inspection device is used. As shown in FIG. 14, the locking arm 517 elastically deformed toward the fitting space side interferes with the fitting portion of the mating member such as the mating connector or the continuity inspection device, and the mating member And it becomes impossible to fit. Therefore, it is necessary to reassemble the front holder, and the work is repeated. In addition, the locking arm 517 may be damaged due to interference with the mating member.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector that does not require reassembly of the front holder even when the front holder is halfway locked to the housing. ..

The above object according to the present invention is achieved by the following configuration.
(1) A tubular main body in which a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers having flexible locking pieces are arranged in parallel, and a tubular hood portion formed in the main body and surrounding the main body with a fitting space. A front holder having an unlocking restricting portion mounted on the front surface side of the main body and inserted into the unlocking space of the flexible locking piece, a locked projection formed on the front holder, and the above. The cover is arranged in an arm movable space recessed in the outer peripheral surface of the main body facing the fitting space, and is pressed by the locked projection of the front holder to be mounted and elastically deformed in the arm movable space. A connector comprising a locking arm that locks a locking projection and holds the front holder in the main body portion.

According to the connector having the configuration of (1) above, the locking arm is elastically deformed in the arm movable space recessed in the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion without protruding into the fitting space. Since the locking arm is exposed in the fitting space, the operator can visually recognize the locked state of the locked projection and the locking arm through the fitting space. This makes it possible to confirm (visual detection) whether the front holder is properly locked to the housing.
Even if the front holder is halfway locked to the housing, the locking arm is arranged inside the outer peripheral surface of the main body and is elastically deformed in the arm movable space. Therefore, the locking arm does not protrude toward the fitting space side and elastically deform.
Therefore, when an attempt is made to fit a mating member such as a mating connector or a continuity inspection device, the elastically deformed locking arm does not interfere with the mating portion of the mating member, and the mating member can be smoothly fitted. , There is no need to reassemble the front holder, and there is no need to repeat the work.
Further, even if the front holder is in the halfway locked state, the front holder is guided to the main locked state by fitting the connector with the mating member.

(2) A jig insertion space is formed on the opposite side of the fitting space across the arm movable space, and the jig insertion space, the arm movable space, and the fitting space communicate with each other. The connector according to (1) above.

According to the connector having the configuration of (2) above, the arm movable space communicates with the fitting space and the jig insertion space on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion. In particular, regarding the arm movable space and the jig insertion space, since there is no wall separating the jig insertion space and the arm movable space between the flexible locking piece and the locking arm, the inside and outside directions of the main body portion. Can contribute to miniaturization in.

(3) The front holder is orthogonal to the plate-shaped portion, the guide portion formed on the side surface of the plate-shaped portion along the holder mounting direction, and the guide portion to the holder mounting direction and the arrangement direction of the terminal accommodating chamber. It has the locked protrusion that protrudes in the direction in which the holder is mounted, and in the halfway locked state between the locked protrusion and the locking arm, the mounting end portion on the plate-shaped portion opposite to the holder mounting direction. The connector according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the connector projects from the front surface of the main body portion and comes into contact with a mating member that fits into the fitting space.

According to the connector having the configuration of (3) above, in the halfway locked state between the locked projection and the locking arm, the mounting end portion on the plate-shaped portion of the front holder opposite to the holder mounting direction is the main body portion. It protrudes from the front surface and comes into contact with the mating member that fits into the fitting space. Therefore, even if the front holder is in the halfway locked state, the connector is fitted with the mating member such as the mating connector or the continuity inspection device, so that the mating member pushes in the mounting end portion, and the front holder is more reliably performed. Is led to this locked state.

According to the connector according to the present invention, even if the front holder is halfway locked to the housing, it is possible to eliminate the need for reassembling the front holder.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the embodiments described below (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings. ..

It is an exploded perspective view of the connector which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the housing shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the housing shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which looked at the front holder shown in FIG. 1 from the diagonally upper side. It is a perspective view which looked at the front holder shown in FIG. 1 from the diagonally lower side. It is a perspective view of the front holder before the terminal and the front holder are assembled. It is sectional drawing of the housing which showed the process of inserting the release restriction part of a front holder. It is sectional drawing of the housing which showed the process of locking the locked projection of a front holder by a locking arm. It is a front view of the housing which attached the front holder. It is a perspective view of the housing which cut out a part of the hood part. It is an enlarged front view of a main part of a jig insertion space. It is a perspective view of the housing which shows the insertion state of a jig. It is sectional drawing of the main body part which shows the situation that the release protrusion is operated by a jig for unlocking of a locking lance. It is sectional drawing of the conventional connector.

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 an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure with arrows indicating the directions, the X-axis indicates the right-left direction, the Y-axis indicates the front-rear direction, and the Z-axis indicates the vertical direction. The X-axis and Y-axis are orthogonal to each other and are included in the horizontal plane. The Z axis is included in the face-to-face. Further, the middle black dot circle marked at the orthogonal point of any two axes indicates the front surface of the tip of the arrow line, and the middle cross circle indicates the back surface of the rear end of the arrow line.

The connector 11 according to the present embodiment has a main body portion 13, a hood portion 15, a front holder 17, a locked projection 19, and a locking arm 21 as main configurations.

In the connector 11, the main body portion 13, the hood portion 15, and the locking arm 21 are formed in the housing 23. The housing 23 is made of an insulating synthetic resin, and each of these parts is integrally molded. An annular packing 25 is attached to the connector 11 from the front on the outer periphery of the main body 13. Further, the front holder 17 is attached to the main body 13 from the front 27 side. The housing 23 has a terminal insertion port 31 (see FIG. 3) that leads to the terminal accommodating chamber 29 at the rear portion. In the housing 23, the terminal 35 attached to the end of the electric wire 33 from the terminal insertion port 31 is mounted in the terminal accommodating chamber 29.

In the present embodiment, the terminal 35 is a female terminal in which the electric contact spring portion 37 (see FIG. 7) is housed inside the box-shaped portion 39. The sex of the terminal 35 is not limited to this. A ring-shaped rubber stopper 41 is attached to each electric wire 33. The rubber stopper 41 watertightly seals between the electric wire 33 and the terminal insertion port 31.
As described above, the connector 11 provided with the packing 25 and the rubber stopper 41 and to which the female terminal is attached can be referred to as a waterproof female connector.

A cantilever-shaped lock arm 43 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 23. The lock arm 43 engages with a mating member (not shown) such as a mating connector fitted to the housing 23 or a continuity inspection device, and locks the housing 23 from being detached from the mating member.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the housing 23 shown in FIG.
The housing 23 is formed by integrally connecting the main body portion 13 and the hood portion 15. The main body 13 is formed in a flat tubular shape that is long in the left-right direction and short in the up-down direction. The rear end of the main body 13 is connected by the back wall 45 (see FIG. 3) of the housing 23. A plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 29 are formed in the main body 13 in parallel and side by side in the left-right direction. On the front surface 27 of the main body 13, a plurality of insertion openings 47 into which contact portions (not shown) such as male terminals of mating members and probes enter are formed through the respective terminal accommodating chambers 29. The contact portion that has entered through the insertion opening 47 is electrically connected to the terminal 35 mounted in the terminal accommodating chamber 29.

In the main body portion 13, a holder mounting portion 49 into which the front holder 17 enters is formed above the terminal accommodating chamber 29. The front holder 17 is mounted on the holder mounting portion 49 from the front surface 27 side of the main body portion 13 (see FIG. 9). A part of the upper surface of the terminal accommodating chamber 29 is opened from the holder mounting portion 49 in a state where the front holder 17 is not mounted, and the inside can be visually recognized from the front surface 27 side of the main body portion 13.

A hood portion 15 is continuously formed on the main body portion 13 via the back wall portion 45. An annular fitting space 51 closed by the back wall portion 45 is defined between the main body portion 13 and the hood portion 15. That is, the hood portion 15 is formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding the main body portion 13 with the fitting space 51 interposed therebetween. A pair of parallel guide grooves 53 extending in the direction along the Y axis are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 15 on the left and right sides. Guide ribs (not shown) formed on the left and right side portions of the mating member enter the guide groove 53. The guide groove 53 is arranged so that the positions of the right side and the left side are offset in the height direction. As a result, the mating member is prevented from being misfitted in the upside-down direction.

The packing 25 is formed in an annular shape having a cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the axis of the tubular main body 13 on the inner diameter side. The packing 25 mounted from the front of the connector 11 is fitted on the outer periphery of the main body portion 13, and the back surface thereof is closely attached to the back wall portion 45. The packing 25 in close contact with the back wall portion 45 has a pair of locking protrusions 55 (see FIG. 1) protruding toward the back wall portion 45 on both the left and right sides, and a pair of through holes 57 formed in the back wall portion 45. It is inserted and locked (see FIG. 11) and held in the housing 23. The packing 25 watertightly seals between the inner circumference of the tubular fitting portion of the mating member fitted in the fitting space 51 and the outer circumference of the main body portion 13.

A pair of cantilever-shaped locking arms 21 having a base end supported on the back wall portion 45 side and extending to the front side (Y direction side) are formed on the outer peripheral surfaces on both the left and right sides of the main body portion 13. There is. The front end of the locking arm 21 is a free end that can be elastically deformed in the vertical direction. A holder locking claw 59 projecting upward is formed at the free end of the locking arm 21. The free ends of the locking arm 21 are a tip vertical surface 61 parallel to the vertical plane (see FIG. 10) and a guide surface 63 (see FIG. 10) that inclines downward from the base end of the locking arm 21 toward the tip vertical surface 61. ), And a downward inclined surface 65 (see FIG. 10) formed on the side opposite to the guide surface 63 with the tip vertical surface 61 interposed therebetween. Of these, the locked projection 19 of the front holder 17 hits the guide surface 63.

An arm movable space 67 facing the fitting space 51 is recessed on the outer peripheral surfaces on both the left and right sides of the main body 13. The arm movable space 67 recessed in the outer peripheral surface of the main body 13 faces the fitting space 51 with the outer peripheral surface cut out by the rectangular window portion 69 (see also FIG. 10). The rectangular window portion 69 is open on the front side of the main body portion 13. One pair of locking arms 21 is arranged in each of the pair of left and right arm movable spaces 67. Therefore, each locking arm 21 can be easily visually recognized from the front of the connector 11 via the fitting space 51.

In the main body 13, a plurality of (four in this embodiment) terminal accommodating chambers 29, which are sandwiched between the pair of locking arms 21 by the partition walls 71 from the left-right direction, are defined. A pair of parallel partition walls 71 are provided apart from each other between the adjacent terminal accommodating chambers 29. The gap between the pair of separated partition walls 71 serves as a jig insertion space 73 and opens to the front surface 27 of the main body 13.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the housing 23 shown in FIG.
A locking lance 75, which is a flexible locking piece, is formed on the partition wall 71 of the terminal accommodating chamber 29. The partition wall 71 is formed with a slit 77 extending in the front-rear direction and penetrating the thickness direction of the partition wall 71. By forming the slit 77 in the partition wall 71, the upper end edge portion becomes a double-sided beam portion 79. Most of the double-sided beam portion 79 is separated from the partition wall 71 by the slit 77, and only both ends in the extending direction are connected to the partition wall 71, so that elastic deformation in the vertical direction is particularly easy. A locking lance 75 is formed so as to project on the surface of the double-sided beam portion 79 facing the terminal accommodating chamber 29. The locking lance 75 projects from the double-sided beam portion 79 in a direction that horizontally crosses the terminal accommodating chamber 29, so that the tip locking surface 81 has a stepped terminal rear portion 83 (FIG. 7). See) can be locked.

The locking lance 75 has a downward inclined surface 85 formed on the lower surface thereof, which descends downward toward the front side. The terminal 35 inserted from the terminal insertion port 31 abuts on the descending inclined surface 85. In the locking lance 75, the terminal 35 in contact with the descending inclined surface 85 is further pushed forward (in the Y direction) to elastically deform the double-sided beam portion 79 in the direction in which the slit 77 opens, and the locking lance 75 is pushed up. Displace to. The terminal 35 can be further inserted by the locking lance 75 being displaced upward. When the terminal 35 is inserted to a predetermined position in the terminal accommodating chamber 29, the terminal 35 abuts on, for example, the front wall or the like and stops, and at the same time, the locking lance 75 coincides with the terminal rear portion 83. When the locking lance 75 coincides with the terminal rear portion 83, the locking lance 75 moves downward due to the elastic restoring force of the double-sided beam portion 79, and the tip locking surface 81 locks the terminal rear portion 83 to pass through the terminal 35. regulate.

The double-sided beam portion 79 provided with the locking lance 75 has a release projection 87 (FIGS. 11, FIG. 11) that projects from the jig insertion space 73 and extends in the front-rear direction on the surface facing the jig insertion space 73. 13) is formed. The release protrusion 87 is arranged on the opposite side of the terminal accommodating chamber 29 according to each partition wall 71. Therefore, in the partition walls 71 at the left and right ends, one release protrusion 87 is arranged in each of the jig insertion spaces 73. Two release protrusions 87 on the left and right are arranged in the jig insertion space 73 sandwiched between the pair of partition walls 71.

The release protrusion 87 is operated so as to be pushed up from below by a jig (see FIG. 12) inserted into the jig insertion space 73 from the front surface 27 side of the main body 13 when the locking lance 75 is released. Will be done. When the release projection 87 is pushed up, the terminal 35 raises the double-sided beam portion 79, and at the same time, the locking lance 75 integrally provided on the double-sided beam portion 79 rises, and the locking lance 75 is raised from the terminal rear portion 83. Will come off, and it will be possible to pull out.

4 and 5 are a perspective view of the front holder 17 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from an obliquely upper side and a perspective view as viewed from an obliquely lower side.
The main body of the front holder 17 is a plate-shaped portion 89 having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The plate-shaped portion 89 has guide portions 91 whose left and right side portions in the direction along the Y axis of the front holder 17 are thinner and parallel to the plate-shaped portion 89. That is, the guide portion 91 is formed on the side surface of the plate-shaped portion 89 along the holder mounting direction. When the front holder 17 is inserted into the holder mounting portion 49 of the main body portion 13, the guide portion 91 is arranged along the upper frame of the rectangular window portion 69 in the arm movable space 67 formed in the main body portion 13 (FIG. 10). See).

The front holder 17 has a locked projection 19 on each guide portion 91. The locked projection 19 projects from the guide portion 91 in a direction orthogonal to the holder mounting direction (direction along the Y axis) and the arrangement direction of the terminal accommodating chambers 29 (direction along the X axis) (direction along the Z axis). .. In the present embodiment, the locked projection 19 is formed so as to project downward from the lower surface of the guide portion 91. Further, the locked projection 19 is located at a substantially central position in the direction along the Y axis of the guide portion 91.

The locked projection 19 comes into contact with the holder locking claw 59 of the locking arm 21 arranged in the arm movable space 67 in the process of mounting the front holder 17 on the holder mounting portion 49. That is, the locking arm 21 is pressed by the locked protrusion 19 of the front holder 17 to be mounted, elastically deforms downward in the arm movable space 67, and then locks the locked protrusion 19 (FIG. 10). The state of), the front holder 17 is held in the main body portion 13. At this time, the locking arm 21 is displaced only within the range inside the arm movable space 67 and does not protrude into the fitting space 51.

Here, the front holder 17 has a holder mounting direction in the plate-shaped portion 89 when the locked projection 19 and the locking arm 21 are in the locked state in the middle (state in the middle view of FIG. 8). The mounting end portion 93 on the opposite side projects from the front surface 27 of the main body portion 13. In the front holder 17, when the mating member is fitted into the fitting space 51 in this state, the mounting end portion 93 comes into contact with the mating member. The front holder 17 is in a normal mounting state (lower view of FIG. 8) in which the mounting end portion 93 is pushed by the mating member and the holder locking claw 59 is locked to the locked projection 19 when the mating member is fitted. Will be inserted up to (state).

On the lower surface of the plate-shaped portion 89, a plurality of release restricting portions 95 are formed in the left-right direction. The release control unit 95 is provided in a number (4) corresponding to the terminal accommodating chamber 29. On the lower surface of the plate-shaped portion 89, four parallel ridges extending in the direction along the Y axis are formed. The release restricting portion 95 is provided at the end portion (the end portion on the side opposite to the Y direction) of the front holder 17 on the mounting direction side of the convex strip. The release restricting portion 95 is inserted into the unlocking space 97 of the locking lance 75 by mounting the front holder 17 on the holder mounting portion 49.

As shown in FIG. 2, the connector 11 has a jig insertion space 73 formed on the opposite side of the fitting space 51 with the arm movable space 67 interposed therebetween. The jig insertion space 73, the arm movable space 67, and the fitting space 51 are continuously communicated in the direction along the X axis without being partitioned by a partition wall or the like.

Next, the operation of the connector 11 according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the front holder 17 before the terminal 35 and the front holder 17 are assembled.
In the connector 11, the terminal 35 attached to the end of the electric wire 33 is inserted from the terminal insertion port 31 of the housing 23 in a state where the front holder 17 is not attached. When the terminal 35 inserted from the terminal insertion port 31 enters the terminal accommodating chamber 29, the terminal 35 pushes up the locking lance 75 and then reaches a predetermined position. When the terminal 35 reaches a predetermined position, the locking lance 75 corresponding to the terminal rear portion 83 elastically returns, and the terminal rear portion 83 is locked to restrict the terminal 35 from coming off. With the terminal 35 mounted in the terminal accommodating chamber 29, the electric wire 33 is pulled out from the terminal insertion port 31 to the outside. The electric wire 33 and the terminal insertion port 31 are watertightly sealed by a rubber stopper 41 previously attached to the electric wire 33.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the housing 23 showing the process of inserting the release restricting portion 95 of the front holder 17.
A front holder 17 is attached to the housing 23 in which the terminal 35 is locked by the locking lance 75. The front holder 17 is inserted into a holder mounting portion 49 opened in the front surface 27 of the main body portion 13 of the housing 23. When the front holder 17 is completely mounted on the holder mounting portion 49, the unlocking restricting portion 95 of the front holder 17 is inserted into the unlocking space 97 of the locking lance 75. By inserting the release restricting portion 95 into the unlocking space 97, the locking lance 75 is in a double locking state in which the displacement in the unlocking direction is restricted and the reliability of locking with respect to the terminal 35 is enhanced. ..

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a housing 23 showing a process in which the locking arm 21 locks the locked projection 19 of the front holder 17.
In the process of mounting the front holder 17 on the holder mounting portion 49, the guide portions 91 provided on the left and right sides of the plate-shaped portion 89 enter the arm movable space 67 formed on the left and right sides of the main body portion 13. When the guide portion 91 enters the arm movable space 67, the locked projection 19 protruding from the lower surface hits the holder locking claw 59 of the locking arm 21. When the front holder 17 is further pushed in this state, the locking arm 21 is deformed so as to be pushed downward by the reaction force from the locked projection 19. Further, when the front holder 17 is inserted, the locked projection 19 passes through the holder locking claw 59. When the locked projection 19 passes through the locking arm 21, the reaction force from the locked projection 19 is eliminated, and the locked projection 19 is elastically restored to lock the locked projection 19. As a result, in the front holder 17, the locked projection 19 is locked by the locking arm 21 in a state where the unlocking restricting portion 95 is inserted into the unlocking space 97, and the front holder 17 is prevented from coming off from the holder mounting portion 49. It is held at 23.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the housing 23 to which the front holder 17 is mounted.
The main body 13 of the housing 23 to which the front holder 17 is mounted is in a state in which the holder mounting portion 49 is closed by the front holder 17. In FIG. 9, the locked projection 19 of the front holder 17 is hidden behind the holder locking claw 59 in the left and right locking arms 21.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the housing 23 in which a part of the hood portion 15 is cut out.
In the front holder 17 that closes the holder mounting portion 49, the guide portions 91 on both the left and right sides are arranged inside the rectangular window portion 69 that surrounds the arm movable space 67. In the locked projection 19 of the front holder 17, the vertical locked surface 99 faces the holder locking claw 59, and when moving in the disengagement direction (Y direction), the locked surface 99 has the holder locking claw 59. It is regulated by contacting with. The front holder 17 is removed from the holder mounting portion 49 by pressing the guide surface 63 of the locking arm 21 with a jig (not shown) and removing the holder locking claw 59 from the locked surface 99. Is possible. With the front holder 17 removed, the terminal 35 can be unlocked by the locking lance 75, as will be described later.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged front view of a main part of the jig insertion space 73. In FIG. 11, the packing 25 is omitted and is not shown.
When the front holder 17 is attached to the main body 13, the locking lance 75 is released and restricted by the release restricting portion 95, and the main body portion 13 is in a double locked state. A pair of jig insertion spaces 73 are opened on the front surface 27 of the main body 13 with the insertion openings 47 of the respective terminal accommodating chambers 29 sandwiched from the left and right. In the jig insertion space 73, release protrusions 87 extending in the front-rear direction are arranged according to the respective partition walls 71. Therefore, in the partition walls 71 at the left and right ends, one release protrusion 87 is arranged in each of the jig insertion spaces 73. In the case of the jig insertion space 73 sandwiched between the pair of partition walls 71, two release protrusions 87 on the left and right are arranged.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the housing 23 showing the insertion state of the jig 100.
To unlock the terminal 35, first, the front holder 17 is removed as described above. Next, a pair of parallel release pieces 101 provided in the jig 100 are simultaneously inserted into the pair of adjacent jig insertion spaces 73. The release piece 101 is formed with a working surface 103 that is inclined downward toward the tip.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the main body 13 showing a situation in which the release protrusion 87 is operated by the jig 100 to release the lock of the locking lance 75.
The jig 100 places the release piece 101 on the bottom surface of each jig insertion space 73, and pushes up the working surface 103 from below the release protrusion 87. As a result, the jig 100 elastically deforms the double-sided beam portion 79 above the slit 77 upward by utilizing the principle of leverage. The locking lance 75 is moved to the unlocking space 97 with the upward deformation of the double-sided beam portion 79. As a result, the locking lance 75 is released from the terminal 35. By pulling the electric wire 33 in this state, the terminal 35 is pulled out from the terminal accommodating chamber 29.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.
In the connector 11 according to the present embodiment, the locking arm 21 is elastically deformed in the arm movable space 67 recessed in the outer peripheral surface of the main body 13 without protruding into the fitting space 51. Since the locking arm 21 is exposed in the fitting space 51, the operator can visually recognize the locked state of the locked projection 19 and the locking arm 21 via the fitting space 51. .. This makes it possible to confirm (visual detection) whether the front holder 17 is properly locked to the housing 23.

The locking arm 21 is arranged inside the outer peripheral surface of the main body 13 even if the front holder 17 is halfway locked to the housing 23 (see the middle view of FIG. 8), and the arm movable space. It becomes elastic deformation inside. Therefore, the locking arm 21 does not protrude toward the fitting space side and elastically deform.

Therefore, when an attempt is made to fit a mating member such as a mating connector or a continuity inspection device, the elastically deformed locking arm 21 does not interfere with the mating portion of the mating member, and the mating member is smoothly fitted. This can be done, there is no need to reassemble the front holder 17, and there is no need to repeat the work.
Further, even if the front holder 17 is in the halfway locked state, the front holder 17 is guided to the main locked state by fitting the connector 11 with the mating member.

Further, in the connector 11 according to the present embodiment, the arm movable space 67 is formed in communication with the fitting space 51 and the jig insertion space 73 on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 13. In particular, with respect to the arm movable space 67 and the jig insertion space 73, there is no wall separating the jig insertion space 73 and the arm movable space 67 between the locking lance 75 and the locking arm 21. Therefore, the distance of the main body 13 in the inner and outer directions can be suppressed to be small, which can contribute to miniaturization.

Further, in the connector 11 according to the present embodiment, in the state of being locked in the middle between the locked projection and the locking arm (the state shown in the middle of FIG. 8), the direction is opposite to the holder mounting direction in the plate-shaped portion 89 of the front holder 17. The mounting end portion 93 on the side protrudes from the front surface 27 of the main body portion 13. When the mating member fits into the fitting space 51, the protruding mounting end portion 93 comes into contact with the insertion-side tip surface or the like of the mating member. Therefore, even if the front holder 17 is in the halfway locked state, the connector 11 is fitted with the mating member such as the mating connector or the continuity inspection device, so that the mating member makes the mounting end portion 93 into the holder mounting portion 49. Push it in. As a result, the connector 11 can surely put the front holder 17 in the locked state without incurring unnecessary labor.

Therefore, according to the connector 11 according to the present embodiment, even if the front holder 17 is halfway locked to the housing 23, the work of reassembling the front holder 17 can be eliminated.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified, improved, and the like. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

For example, in the above embodiment, the locking arms are provided in pairs on the left and right, but the locking arm may be one.
Further, although the locking arms are provided on both the left and right sides of the main body portion, they can be visually observed through the fitting space, and if they do not protrude into the fitting space during elastic deformation, other than the main body portion. May be provided on the portion (for example, the upper surface side).

Here, the features of the above-described connector embodiments according to the present invention are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [3], respectively.
[1] A cylindrical main body portion (13) in which a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers (29) having a flexible locking piece (locking lance 75) are arranged in parallel,
A tubular hood portion (15) formed in the main body portion (13) and surrounding the main body portion (13) with a fitting space (51) interposed therebetween.
A front having a release restricting portion (95) mounted on the front surface (27) side of the main body portion (13) and inserted into the lock release space (97) of the flexible locking piece (locking lance 75). Holder (17) and
The locked projection (19) formed on the front holder (17) and
The locked projection (19) of the front holder (17) arranged and mounted in the arm movable space (67) recessed in the outer peripheral surface of the main body (13) facing the fitting space (51). ) Is pressed to elastically deform in the arm movable space (67), and then the locked projection (19) is locked to hold the front holder (17) in the main body (13). 21) and
A connector (11) comprising.
[2] A jig insertion space (73) is formed on the opposite side of the fitting space (51) with the arm movable space (67) interposed therebetween.
The connector (11) according to the above [1], wherein the jig insertion space (73), the arm movable space (67), and the fitting space (51) communicate with each other.
[3] The front holder (17) has a plate-shaped portion (89), a guide portion (91) formed on a side surface of the plate-shaped portion (89) along the holder mounting direction, and the guide portion (91). It has the locked projection (19) protruding from the holder in the direction orthogonal to the holder mounting direction and the arrangement direction of the terminal accommodating chambers (29).
In the halfway locked state between the locked projection (19) and the locking arm (21), the mounting end portion (93) on the plate-shaped portion (89) opposite to the holder mounting direction is the main body. The connector (11) according to the above [1] or [2], wherein the connector (11) protrudes from the front surface (27) of the portion (13) and comes into contact with a mating member that fits into the fitting space (51).

11 ... Connector 13 ... Main body 15 ... Hood 17 ... Front holder 19 ... Locked protrusion 21 ... Locking arm 27 ... Front 29 ... Terminal storage chamber 51 ... Fitting space 67 ... Arm movable space 73 ... Jig insertion space 75 ... Locking lance (flexible locking piece)
89 ... Plate-shaped part 91 ... Guide part 93 ... Mounting terminal part 95 ... Release control part 97 ... Unlocking release space

Claims (3)

A cylindrical main body in which multiple terminal accommodating chambers with flexible locking pieces are lined up in parallel,
A cylindrical hood portion formed on the main body portion and surrounding the main body portion across a fitting space, and a tubular hood portion.
A front holder having a release restricting portion mounted on the front side of the main body and inserted into the unlocking space of the flexible locking piece, and a front holder.
The locked protrusion formed on the front holder and
The arm movable space is arranged in a concave arm movable space on the outer peripheral surface of the main body facing the fitting space, and is pressed by the locked projection of the front holder to be mounted and elastically deformed in the arm movable space. A locking arm that locks the locked projection and holds the front holder in the main body,
A connector characterized by being equipped with. A jig insertion space is formed on the opposite side of the fitting space across the arm movable space.
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the jig insertion space, the arm movable space, and the fitting space communicate with each other. The front holder has a plate-shaped portion, a guide portion formed on a side surface of the plate-shaped portion along the holder mounting direction, and a direction orthogonal to the holder mounting direction and the arrangement direction of the terminal accommodating chambers from the guide portion. With the projected locked protrusion,
In the halfway locked state between the locked projection and the locking arm, the mounting end portion of the plate-shaped portion on the side opposite to the holder mounting direction protrudes from the front surface of the main body portion and fits into the fitting space. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connector abuts on a matching mating member.

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