JP2023038053A - joint connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a joint connector which enables an option circuit to be easily added to a wire harness.SOLUTION: A joint connector 11 includes: joint terminals 17 each provided with a joint tab part 57 protruding to the outer side relative to one side wall part 63, and a joint slit part 59 which is located at the other side wall part 63 and into which the joint tab part 57 of another joint terminal 17 is inserted; and a housing 13 having multiple terminal housing chambers 25 respectively partitioned by partition walls 37, terminal insertion ports 26 each of which is provided at the front of the terminal housing chamber 25 and into which a male terminal 117 is inserted, tab insertion slits 73 each of which is provided at the partition wall 37 and into which the joint tab part 57 is inserted, and a tab insertion groove 75 provided at one housing side wall 35. The at least pair of joint terminals 17 are housed in the adjacent terminal housing chambers 25.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

The present invention relates to joint connectors.

A wire harness for an automobile contains a plurality of electric wires. A branch circuit is formed by extracting a portion of the electric wire housed in the wire harness. Electric wires branched out from the wire harness are connected to various electronic devices mounted on the vehicle. Various types of connectors are often used to connect electric wires branched from the wire harness to electronic devices mounted on automobiles.
When connecting the wire harness and the connector, standard wiring may be used in the case of standard specifications. However, when changing some specifications, another connector may be fixed on the wire harness in order to form an optional circuit. Therefore, a wire harness in which an optional circuit is formed using a joint connector is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Also known is a joint connector in which a plurality of terminals (joint terminals) are electrically connected by performing a predetermined number of terminal insertion operations (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2019-12671 A JP 2016-31882 A

However, in the wire harness circuit, when an optional circuit is added using a joint connector as in the wire harness of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to separately manufacture a wire harness including the optional circuit. Therefore, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of the wire harness is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a joint connector capable of easily adding an optional circuit to a wire harness.

The above objects of the present invention are achieved by the following configurations.
A box-shaped terminal connecting portion having a bottom wall portion, a pair of side wall portions erected on both sides of the bottom wall portion, and an upper wall portion facing the bottom wall portion and electrically connected to a mating terminal. and a wire connection portion provided behind the terminal connection portion, the joint tab portion projecting outward from one of the side wall portions, and the joint tab portion provided on the other side wall portion of the other joint terminal. A joint terminal provided with a joint slit portion into which the joint tab portion is inserted, and a joint leaf spring portion disposed inside the terminal connection portion and in contact with the joint tab portion inserted into the joint slit portion. a plurality of terminal receiving chambers each partitioned by a partition wall; a terminal insertion opening provided in front of the terminal receiving chamber through which the mating terminal is inserted; and the joint tab portion provided in the partition wall. At least a pair of joint A joint connector, wherein terminals are housed in the plurality of adjacent terminal housing chambers.

According to the joint connector of the present invention, an option circuit can be easily added to the wire harness.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

1 is an exploded perspective view of a joint connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the joint connector viewed obliquely from the upper rear side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the joint terminal shown in FIG. 1 as seen obliquely from the front and above. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the joint terminal shown in FIG. 1 as seen obliquely from below. FIG. 5 is a front view of the joint terminal shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the front. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along line AA in FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 5. FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the mating connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the mating terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 8, viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the mating terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 8, viewed obliquely from below. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the joint connector shown in FIG. 1 and the mating connector shown in FIG. 8 are fitted together. 12 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the main parts of the joint connector and the mating connector shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the main parts of the joint connector and the mating connector shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 14 is a horizontal sectional view of the joint connector and the mating connector shown in FIG. 11. FIG. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the joint connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention, viewed obliquely from the upper rear side. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the joint terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 15, viewed obliquely from above. 17 is a perspective view of the joint terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 15, viewed obliquely from below. 18 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a state in which the joint connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 15 and the mating connector shown in FIG. 8 are fitted together. FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of a joint connector according to a third embodiment of the invention. FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the joint terminal according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 19, viewed diagonally from above. FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the joint terminal according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 19, viewed obliquely from below. 22 is a front view of the joint terminal according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 19, viewed from the front. FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of a mating connector according to a third embodiment of the invention. 24 is a perspective view of the mating terminal according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 23, viewed obliquely from the front and above. 25 is a perspective view of the mating terminal according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 23, viewed obliquely from below. 26 is a front view of the mating terminal according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 23, viewed from the front. 27 is a horizontal sectional view of a state in which the joint connector according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 19 and the mating connector according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 23 are fitted together; FIG. be. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 27. FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a joint connector 11 according to a first embodiment of the invention.
The joint connector 11 according to the first embodiment includes a housing 13 made of insulating resin, a spacer 15 made of insulating resin, a plurality of (for example, six) electric wires 19 with terminals having joint terminals 17 attached to their ends, have

The housing 13 is formed as a flat hexahedron having a rectangular top surface 21 and a bottom surface 23 (see FIGS. 12 and 13) larger than the other surfaces. One end of the housing 13 in the longitudinal direction serves as a front end surface 27 having a terminal insertion opening 26 into which a male terminal 117 as a mating terminal (to be described later) is inserted. The other end of the housing 13 in the longitudinal direction is a rear end face 31 (see FIG. 2) having a terminal insertion opening 29 (see FIG. 2) for inserting the joint terminal 17 into the terminal receiving chamber 25 . A spacer insertion opening 33 for inserting the spacer 15 is formed in the upper surface 21 of the housing 13 .

In the housing 13, substantially rectangular parallelepiped terminal receiving chambers 25 extending forward and backward through the terminal insertion openings 29 are sandwiched between the upper surface 21 and the lower surface 23 and arranged in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (horizontal direction). are formed in plurality (for example, six). The housing 13 has a pair of housing side walls 35 on both sides in the horizontal direction of the terminal accommodating chambers 25 . Each terminal accommodating chamber 25 is partitioned at equal intervals by a plurality of parallel partition walls 37 (see FIG. 2) between a pair of housing side walls 35 . A jig insertion opening 39 for releasing the locking of the joint terminal 17 with a lance is provided on the tip surface 27 of the housing 13 above the openings for forming the respective terminal accommodating chambers 25 .

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the joint connector 11 viewed obliquely from the upper rear side.
The joint terminals 17 are inserted into the respective terminal insertion openings 29 that open side by side in the rear end surface 31 of the housing 13 .

The spacer 15 is locked to the housing 13 from the spacer insertion opening 33 toward the upper surface 21 to the lower surface 23 of the housing 13 in two stages of a temporary locking position and a full locking position. On both sides of the spacer 15, as shown in FIG. 1, a temporary locking projection 41 and a permanent locking projection 43 are formed apart in the inserting direction of the spacer 15. As shown in FIG. Spacer locking projections 34 that engage with the temporary locking projections 41 and the final locking projections 43 protrude from both inner surfaces of the spacer insertion opening 33 (see FIG. 1). The spacer 15 is in the temporary locking position by sandwiching the spacer locking projection 34 between the temporary locking projection 41 and the final locking projection 43 , and the final locking projection 43 is engaged with the lower surface of the spacer locking projection 34 . By being stopped, it becomes the final locking position. At the final locking position, the spacer 15 has a regulating portion 49 arranged in the release space of the flexible lance 45 that locks the joint terminal 17, thereby regulating unlocking of the flexible lance 45 (FIGS. 12 and 13). reference).

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the joint terminal 17 viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the joint terminal 17 viewed obliquely from below.
The joint terminal 17 has a terminal connection portion 51 , a wire connection portion 53 , a joint leaf spring portion 55 , a terminal leaf spring portion 56 , a joint tab portion 57 , and a joint slit portion 59 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the terminal connection portion 51 includes a bottom wall portion 61, a pair of side wall portions 63 erected on both sides of the bottom wall portion 61, and an upper wall portion facing the bottom wall portion 61. 62 to form a box shape. The wire connecting portion 53 is provided continuously behind the terminal connecting portion 51 . The wire connection portion 53 has a conductor crimping portion 69 that is crimped onto the conductor 67 of the wire 65 and a covering crimping portion 71 that crimps the outer circumference of the insulation covering of the wire 65 .

FIG. 5 is a front view of the joint terminal 17 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front. 6 and 7 are sectional views taken along lines AA and BB in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the joint leaf spring portion 55 is arranged inside the terminal connection portion 51 . The joint leaf spring portion 55 is folded back from the front end of the bottom wall portion 61 of the terminal connection portion 51 and formed on the right side of the joint terminal 17 when viewed from the front.
A tab clamping protrusion 77 is provided on the upper wall portion 62 of the terminal connection portion 51 so as to face the joint leaf spring portion 55 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 , the terminal leaf spring portion 56 is arranged inside the terminal connection portion 51 . The terminal leaf spring portion 56 is folded back from the front end of the bottom wall portion 61 of the terminal connection portion 51 and formed on the left side of the joint terminal 17 when viewed from the front (see FIG. 5).
A terminal clamping bead portion 78 is provided on the upper wall portion 62 of the terminal connection portion 51 so as to face the terminal leaf spring portion 56 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the joint tab portion 57 is formed so as to protrude outward from one side wall portion 63 in a horizontal direction (a direction parallel to the lower surface 23). As shown in FIG. 3, the joint slit portion 59 is formed in the other side wall portion 63 so that the front end side is open and the rear end side is closed. A joint tab portion 57 of another joint terminal 17 is inserted into the joint slit portion 59 from the tip end side of the terminal.

In the housing 13, as shown in FIG. 2, tab insertion slits 73 are formed in the respective partition walls 37 to communicate between the adjacent terminal accommodating chambers 25. As shown in FIG. A tab insertion groove 75 into which the joint tab portion 57 is inserted is also formed in one of the housing side walls 35 facing the rightmost partition wall 37 when viewed from the rear end surface 31 side of the housing 13 .

When inserting a plurality of joint terminals 17 into the housing 13, the joint connector 11 is first inserted into the terminal insertion openings 29 of the terminal receiving chambers 25 at the leftmost end when viewed from the rear end surface 31 of the housing 13, as shown in FIG. Insert the joint terminal 17 . The joint terminal 17 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 25 while the joint tab portion 57 is inserted into the tab insertion slit 73 of the partition wall 37 on the right side. The joint terminal 17 inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 25 projects the tip side of the joint tab portion 57 into the adjacent terminal accommodating chamber 25 on the right.

Next, the next joint terminal 17 is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber 25 on the right side of the terminal insertion opening 29 into which the joint terminal 17 is inserted. Then, the joint tab portion 57 of the right joint terminal 17 is inserted into the tab insertion slit 73 of the right partition wall 37, and the joint tab portion 57 of the left joint terminal 17 is inserted into the joint slit portion 59. It is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber 25 .

The joint tab portion 57 inserted into the joint slit portion 59 is inserted while elastically deforming the joint leaf spring portion 55 . At the insertion completion position, the joint tab portion 57 is clamped between the joint leaf spring portion 55 and the tab clamping protrusion 77 (see FIG. 12) by the elastic restoring force of the joint leaf spring portion 55 . Thus, the adjacent joint terminals 17 are electrically connected. A plurality of joint terminals 17 are electrically connected by performing such an operation of inserting joint terminals 17 a predetermined number of times.

In the joint connector 11 of this embodiment, the terminal connection portion 51 of the joint terminal 17 is provided with a guide protrusion 79 (see FIG. 4) that protrudes outward from the bottom wall portion 61 . A guide groove 81 extending in the terminal insertion direction for guiding the insertion of the guide projection 79 is provided at the bottom of the terminal receiving chamber 25 facing the guide projection 79 .

By the way, as shown in FIG. 1, the joint connector 11 has terminal insertion openings 26 through which the male terminals 117 are inserted. 5, the joint terminal 17 has a terminal leaf spring portion 56 provided inside the terminal connection portion 51 to which the male tab 155 of the male terminal 117 inserted from the front is electrically connected. It has the function of a female terminal. Therefore, joint connector 11 is configured as a female connector in which joint terminal 17 is accommodated in housing 13 .

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the mating connector 111 according to the first embodiment of the invention.
The mating connector 111 according to the first embodiment includes a housing 113 made of insulating resin, a spacer 115 made of insulating resin, and a plurality of (for example, six) electric wires 119 with terminals having male terminals 117 attached to their ends. , have The mating connector 111 is an option connector capable of adding an option circuit.

The housing 113 is formed as a flat hexahedron in which an upper surface 121 and a lower surface 123 (see FIGS. 12 and 13) are larger rectangles than the other surfaces. As shown in FIG. 8, one longitudinal end of the housing 113 is a fitting portion 118 having a receptacle 116 to which the joint connector 11 is fitted. The other end of the housing 113 in the longitudinal direction is a rear end face 131 having a terminal insertion opening 129 for inserting the male terminal 117 into the terminal receiving chamber 125 . A spacer insertion opening 133 for inserting the spacer 115 is formed in the upper surface 121 of the housing 113 .

In the housing 113, substantially rectangular parallelepiped terminal receiving chambers 125 extending forward and backward through the terminal insertion openings 129 are sandwiched between the upper surface 121 and the lower surface 123 and arranged in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (horizontal direction). are formed in plurality (for example, six). The housing 113 has a pair of housing side walls 135 on both sides of the terminal accommodating chamber 125 in the horizontal direction. Each terminal accommodating chamber 125 is partitioned at equal intervals by a plurality of parallel partition walls 137 (see FIG. 8) between a pair of housing side walls 135 .
The male terminals 117 are inserted into the respective terminal insertion openings 129 opened side by side in the rear end surface 131 of the housing 113 .

The spacer 115 is locked to the housing 113 from the spacer insertion opening 133 toward the upper surface 121 to the lower surface 123 of the housing 113 in two stages, a temporary locking position and a full locking position.
On both sides of the spacer 115, as shown in FIG. 8, a temporary locking projection 141 and a permanent locking projection 143 are formed apart in the inserting direction of the spacer 115. As shown in FIG. Spacer locking projections 134 that engage with the temporary locking projections 141 and the final locking projections 143 protrude from both inner surfaces of the spacer insertion opening 133 . The spacer 115 is in the temporary locking position by sandwiching the spacer locking projection 134 between the temporary locking projection 141 and the final locking projection 143 , and the final locking projection 143 is engaged with the lower surface of the spacer locking projection 134 . By being stopped, it becomes the final locking position. At the final locking position, the spacer 115 has a regulating portion 149 arranged in the release space of the flexible lance 145 that locks the male terminal 117, thereby regulating unlocking of the flexible lance (see FIGS. 12 and 13). ).

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the male terminal 117 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 8 as seen obliquely from the front and above. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the male terminal 117 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 8, viewed obliquely from below.
The male terminal 117 has a terminal connection portion 151 , a wire connection portion 153 and a male tab 155 .

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the terminal connection portion 151 includes a bottom wall portion 161, a pair of side wall portions 163 erected on both sides of the bottom wall portion 161, and an upper wall portion facing the bottom wall portion 161. 162 to form a box shape. The wire connecting portion 153 is provided continuously behind the terminal connecting portion 151 . The wire connecting portion 153 has a conductor crimping portion 169 that is crimped onto the conductor 167 of the wire 165 and a covering crimping portion 171 that crimps the outer circumference of the insulation covering of the wire 165 .
The male tab 155 is provided continuously in front of the terminal connection portion 151 . The male tab 155 is offset to the right when the male terminal 117 is viewed from the front and protrudes from the tip of the terminal connecting portion 151 . The male terminal 117 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 125 of the housing 113 has the male tab 155 projected into the fitting space in the hood portion 116 which is the fitting portion 118 of the mating connector 111 .
Therefore, the mating connector 111 is a male connector in which the male terminals 117 attached to the ends of a plurality of electric wires 119 with terminals are accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers 125 of the housing 113 . An electronic device (not shown) mounted on the automobile is connected to the other end of each terminal-equipped wire 119 .

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the joint connector 11 shown in FIG. 1 and the mating connector 111 shown in FIG. 8 are fitted together. FIG. 12 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the main parts of the joint connector 11 and the mating connector 111 shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the main parts of the joint connector 11 and the mating connector 111 shown in FIG. 14 is a horizontal sectional view of joint connector 11 and mating connector 111 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, when the joint connector 11 and the mating connector 111 are mated, the tip of the housing 13 of the joint connector 11 is inserted into the hood portion 116 of the housing 113 of the mating connector 111. mated.
The male tab 155 of the male terminal 117 inserted into the terminal insertion opening 26 of the housing 13 is inserted while elastically deforming the terminal leaf spring portion 56 of the joint terminal 17 . At the insertion completion position, the male tab 155 is clamped between the terminal leaf spring portion 56 and the terminal clamping bead portion 78 by the elastic restoring force of the terminal leaf spring portion 56 . Thus, the joint terminal 17 and the male terminal 117 facing each other are electrically connected.

As shown in FIG. 14, the joint connector 11 according to the first embodiment has a plurality of joint terminals 17 housed in a housing 13 that are all electrically connected to each other. The plurality of male terminals 117 thus connected are electrically connected to the joint connector 11 respectively.

That is, by fitting the mating connector 111, which is an optional connector, to the joint connector 11 of the first embodiment and connecting the male terminal 117 and the joint terminal 17, the number of circuits can be easily increased.
Therefore, by using the joint connector 11 according to the first embodiment for a wire harness, optional circuits can be easily added.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the joint connector 11A according to the second embodiment of the present invention, viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the joint terminal 17A according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 15, viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the joint terminal 17A according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 15, viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 18 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a state in which the joint connector 11A according to the second embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 15 and the mating connector 111 shown in FIG. 8 are fitted together.

The joint connector 11A according to the second embodiment has the same structure as the joint according to the first embodiment except that a part of the joint terminals 17 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 25 of the housing 13 is replaced with the joint terminal 17A. It has the same configuration as the connector 11 .

A joint terminal 17A according to the second embodiment has a terminal connection portion 51A, a wire connection portion 53, a joint leaf spring portion 55, a terminal leaf spring portion 56, and a joint slit portion 59.
As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the terminal connection portion 51A includes a bottom wall portion 61, a pair of side wall portions 63 erected on both sides of the bottom wall portion 61, and an upper wall portion facing the bottom wall portion 61. 62 to form a box shape. The wire connecting portion 53 is provided continuously behind the terminal connecting portion 51 .

In the joint connector 11 according to the second embodiment, when inserting the plurality of joint terminals 17 and the joint terminals 17A into the housing 13, first, as shown in FIG. The joint terminal 17A is inserted in order from the terminal insertion opening 29 of the terminal accommodating chamber 25 of FIG. Since the joint terminal 17A inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 25 does not have the joint tab portion 57 of the joint terminal 17, the adjacent joint terminals 17A are not electrically connected.

Next, the joint terminal 17 is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber 25 on the right side of the terminal insertion opening 29 into which the joint terminal 17A is inserted. At this time, the joint tab portion 57 of the right joint terminal 17 is inserted into the tab insertion slit 73 of the right partition wall 37 , and the joint tab portion 57 is not inserted into the joint slit portion 59 . inserted.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18, when the joint connector 11A and the mating connector 111 are mated, the tip of the housing 13 of the joint connector 11A fits into the receptacle 116 of the housing 113 of the mating connector 111. combined.
The male tab 155 of the male terminal 117 inserted into the terminal insertion opening 26 of the housing 13 is inserted while elastically deforming the terminal leaf spring portions 56 of the joint terminal 17 and the joint terminal 17A. At the insertion completion position, the male tab 155 is clamped between the terminal leaf spring portion 56 and the terminal clamping bead portion 78 by the elastic restoring force of the terminal leaf spring portion 56 . Thus, the male terminal 117 and the joint terminal 17 and the joint terminal 17A facing each other are electrically connected.

As shown in FIG. 18, in the joint connector 11A of the second embodiment, a plurality of joint terminals 17 accommodated in the housing 13 are electrically connected, and a plurality of joint terminals 17A are electrically connected. It has not been. Therefore, a portion of the plurality of male terminals 117 accommodated in the housing 113 of the mating connector 111 are all electrically connected to the joint terminals 17 of the joint connector 11A. On the other hand, the other portions of the plurality of male terminals 117 are electrically connected independently to the joint terminals 17A of the joint connector 11A.

That is, the number of circuits can be easily increased by fitting the mating connector 111, which is an optional connector, to the joint connector 11A of the second embodiment and connecting the male terminal 117 to the joint terminal 17 and the joint terminal 17A. In addition, various circuits different from the joint connector 11 of the first embodiment can be added.

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of a joint connector 11B according to the third embodiment of the invention. FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the joint terminal 17B according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 19, viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the joint terminal 17B according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 19, viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 22 is a front view of the joint terminal 17B according to the third embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 19, viewed from the front.

The joint connector 11B according to the third embodiment is similar to the joint connector 11 according to the first embodiment except that the joint terminals 17 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers 25 of the housing 13 are replaced with the joint terminals 17B. It has the same configuration.

The joint terminal 17B according to the third embodiment has a terminal connection portion 51B, a wire connection portion 53, a joint leaf spring portion 55B, a joint tab portion 57, and a joint slit portion 59.
As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the terminal connection portion 51B includes a bottom wall portion 61, a pair of side wall portions 63 erected on both sides of the bottom wall portion 61, and an upper wall portion facing the bottom wall portion 61. 62 to form a box shape. The wire connecting portion 53 is provided continuously behind the terminal connecting portion 51B.

As shown in FIG. 22, the joint leaf spring portion 55B is arranged inside the terminal connection portion 51B. The joint leaf spring portion 55B is formed by folding back the front end of the bottom wall portion 61 of the terminal connection portion 51B. A tab clamping projection 77 is provided on the right side of the upper wall portion 62 of the terminal connection portion 51B when viewed from the front, facing the joint plate spring portion 55B.

These joint terminals 17B are inserted in order from the terminal insertion opening 29 of the leftmost terminal accommodating chamber 25 when viewed from the rear end surface 31 of the housing 13, similarly to the joint terminals 17 in the first embodiment. Then, the joint tab portion 57 of the right joint terminal 17B is inserted into the tab insertion slit 73 of the right partition wall 37, and the joint tab portion 57 of the left joint terminal 17B is inserted into the joint slit portion 59. It is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber 25 .

The joint tab portion 57 inserted into the joint slit portion 59 is inserted while elastically deforming the joint plate spring portion 55B. At the insertion completion position, the joint tab portion 57 is clamped between the joint leaf spring portion 55B and the tab clamping protrusion 77 (see FIG. 22) by the elastic restoring force of the joint leaf spring portion 55B. Thus, the adjacent joint terminals 17B are electrically connected. A plurality of joint terminals 17B are electrically connected by performing such insertion work of the joint terminals 17B by a predetermined number.

FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of the mating connector 111B according to the third embodiment of the invention. FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the male terminal 117B according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 23, viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the male terminal 117B according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 23, viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 26 is a front view of the male terminal 117B according to the third embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 23, viewed from the front. It should be noted that the same components as those of the mating connector 111 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

A mating connector 111B according to the third embodiment includes a housing 113 made of insulating resin, a spacer 115 made of insulating resin, and a plurality of (for example, six) terminals having male terminals 117B as mating terminals attached to their ends. and an attached electric wire 119B. The mating connector 111B is an option connector capable of adding an option circuit.

As shown in FIG. 23, one end of the housing 113 in the longitudinal direction is a fitting portion 118 having a receptacle 116 to which the joint connector 11B is fitted. The other end of the housing 113 in the longitudinal direction is a rear end face 131 having a terminal insertion opening 129 for inserting the male terminal 117B into the terminal receiving chamber 125 . A spacer insertion opening 133 for inserting the spacer 115 is formed in the upper surface 121 of the housing 113 .

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the male terminal 117B according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 23, viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the male terminal 117B according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 23, viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 26 is a front view of the male terminal 117B shown in FIG. 23 as seen from the front.

The male terminal 117B has a terminal connection portion 151B, a wire connection portion 153, and a pair of tip spring pieces 155B.
As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the terminal connection portion 151B includes a bottom wall portion 161, a pair of side wall portions 163 erected on both sides of the bottom wall portion 161, and an upper wall portion facing the bottom wall portion 161. 162 to form a box shape.

The pair of tip spring pieces 155B are provided in a row in front of the pair of side wall portions 163 . The pair of tip spring pieces 155B are formed so that the interval between them is wider than the interval between the pair of side wall portions 63 of the joint terminal 17B. Elastic contact is possible. A pair of tip spring pieces 155B of the male terminal 117B accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 125 of the housing 113 protrudes into the fitting space in the receptacle 116, which is the fitting portion 118 of the mating connector 111B.

Therefore, the mating connector 111B is a male connector in which male terminals 117B attached to the ends of a plurality of electric wires 119B with terminals are accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers 125 of the housing 113, respectively. An electronic device (not shown) mounted on the automobile is connected to the other end of the electric wire with terminal 119B.

FIG. 27 is a horizontal cross section of a state in which the joint connector 11B according to the third embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 19 and the mating connector 111B according to the third embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 23 are fitted together. It is a diagram. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 27. FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, when the joint connector 11B and the mating connector 111B are mated, the tip of the housing 13 of the joint connector 11B is inserted into the hood portion 116 of the housing 113 of the mating connector 111B. mated.
The pair of tip spring pieces 155B of the male terminal 117B inserted through the terminal insertion opening 26 of the housing 13 is inserted between the pair of side wall portions 63 of the joint terminal 17B while being elastically deformed. At the insertion completion position, the pair of tip spring pieces 155B elastically contact the inner surfaces of the pair of side wall portions 63 due to the elastic restoring force of the pair of tip spring pieces 155B. Thus, the joint terminal 17B and the male terminal 117B facing each other are electrically connected.

As shown in FIG. 27, in the joint connector 11B of the third embodiment, a plurality of joint terminals 17B accommodated in the housing 13 are all electrically connected, and are accommodated in the housing 113 of the mating connector 111B. The plurality of male terminals 117B thus connected are electrically connected to the joint connector 11B.

That is, the number of circuits can be easily increased by fitting the mating connector 111B, which is an optional connector, to the joint connector 11B of this embodiment and connecting the male terminal 117B and the joint terminal 17B.
Therefore, by using the joint connector 11B according to the third embodiment for a wire harness, optional circuits can be easily added.

Here, the features of the embodiments of the joint connector according to the present invention described above are summarized and listed briefly in [1] to [3] below.
[1] A bottom wall (61), a pair of side walls (63) erected on both sides of the bottom wall (61), and an upper wall (62) facing the bottom wall (61) and a box-shaped terminal connection portion (51) electrically connected to a mating terminal (male terminal 117), and a wire connection portion (53) provided behind the terminal connection portion (51). a joint tab portion (57) projecting outward from one of the side wall portions (63); and the joint tab portion (57) of the other joint terminal (17) provided on the other side wall portion (63). ) is inserted into the joint slit portion (59), and the joint tab portion (57) placed inside the terminal connection portion (51) and in contact with the joint tab portion (57) inserted into the joint slit portion (59). a joint terminal (17) provided with a spring portion (55);
A plurality of terminal storage chambers (25) partitioned by partition walls (37), and a terminal insertion opening (26) provided in front of the terminal storage chamber (25) and through which the mating terminal (male terminal 117) is inserted. ), a tab insertion slit (73) provided in the partition wall (37) through which the joint tab portion (57) is inserted, and one housing side wall (35) facing the partition wall (37). a housing (13) having a tab insertion groove (75) provided and into which the joint tab portion (57) is inserted;
A joint connector (11, 11A) in which at least a pair of said joint terminals (17) are accommodated in said plurality of adjacent terminal accommodating chambers (25).
[2] A terminal leaf spring portion (a terminal leaf spring portion ( 56),
The joint connector (11, 11A) according to [1] above.
[3] A pair of tip spring pieces (155B) of the mating terminal (male terminal 117B) are elastically formed on the inner surfaces of the pair of side wall portions (63) on the repulsion direction side of the joint leaf spring portion (55). Contact,
The joint connector (11B) according to [1] above.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Joint connector 13... Housing 17... Joint terminal 25... Terminal accommodating chamber 35... Housing side wall 37... Partition wall 51... Terminal connection part 53... Wire connection part 55... Leaf spring part for joint 56... Leaf spring part for terminal 57... Joint tab portion 59 Joint slit portion 61 Bottom wall portion 62 Upper wall portion 63 Side wall portion 73 Tab insertion slit

Claims (3)

A box-shaped terminal connecting portion having a bottom wall portion, a pair of side wall portions erected on both sides of the bottom wall portion, and an upper wall portion facing the bottom wall portion and electrically connected to a mating terminal. and a wire connection portion provided behind the terminal connection portion, the joint tab portion projecting outward from one of the side wall portions, and the joint tab portion provided on the other side wall portion of the other joint terminal. A joint terminal provided with a joint slit portion into which the joint tab portion is inserted, and a joint leaf spring portion disposed inside the terminal connection portion and in contact with the joint tab portion inserted into the joint slit portion. and,
a plurality of terminal receiving chambers separated by partition walls; a terminal insertion opening provided in front of the terminal receiving chamber and through which the mating terminal is inserted; and a terminal insertion opening provided in the partition wall through which the joint tab portion is inserted. and a tab insertion groove provided in one housing side wall facing the partition wall and into which the joint tab portion is inserted,
A joint connector, wherein at least one pair of said joint terminals is accommodated in said plurality of adjacent terminal accommodating chambers. a terminal leaf spring portion disposed inside the terminal connection portion and in contact with the male tab of the mating terminal inserted into the terminal connection portion;
The joint connector according to claim 1. A pair of tip spring pieces of the mating terminal are in elastic contact with the inner surfaces of the pair of side wall portions on the repulsion direction side of the joint leaf spring portion, respectively.
The joint connector according to claim 1.

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