JP2024041121A - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a connector which can protect a locking part locked to a mating connector, while suppressing an increase in size of a housing.SOLUTION: A connector 1 has a spacer 3 which is assembled to a housing 2, in a housed condition where a terminal 4 is housed in a terminal housing chamber 24. The spacer 3 has: a spacer body 31 which is formed in a manner capable of relative movement between a temporary locking position and a final locking position along a height direction Z; and a second locking part 33 which is located inside a second opening 213a when the spacer body is at the temporary locking position, and which is located to protrude to the outside of the second opening 213a when the spacer body is at the final locking position. When the spacer body 31 of the spacer 3 is located at the final locking position, and also when in a completely fitted condition where the housing 2 is completely fitted to a mating connector 5, the second locking part 33 keeps the completely fitted condition by being locked to a locked part 63 provided on the mating connector 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a connector.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a connector that includes two connectors, such as a female connector and a male connector, that are fitted together and that electrically connects the terminals of the two connectors by completely fitting them together. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector housing, a terminal housed in the connector housing, and a terminal secondary locking member that is temporarily locked or permanently locked to the connector housing and double locks the terminal. A connector is described.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-324049

In conventional connectors, protective ribs are sometimes provided on the outer wall of the housing to protect the locking part that locks with the mating connector, but there is room for improvement as the housing becomes larger. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can protect a locking portion that locks with a mating connector while suppressing an increase in the size of the housing.

In order to achieve the above object, a connector according to the present invention has a terminal connected to an end of an electric wire, a terminal accommodation chamber for accommodating and holding the terminal, and is formed so as to be fitable with a mating connector. and a spacer that is assembled to the housing in a housing state in which the terminal is housed in the terminal housing chamber, the housing facing in a direction perpendicular to a fitting direction of the housing. The spacer has a pair of outer walls disposed therein, and an opening formed in one of the pair of outer walls and opened toward one side in the opposing direction, and the spacer is assembled to the housing. In the assembled state, a temporary locking position where the spacer is temporarily locked to the housing, and a final locking position where movement of the terminal in the removal direction opposite to the fitting direction with respect to the housing is restricted. a main body portion formed to be relatively movable along the opposing direction between the main body portion and a main body portion that is formed to protrude from the main body portion toward one side in the opposing direction, and the main body portion is formed to protrude from the main body portion toward one side in the opposing direction; a locking part located on the inside and protruding outward from the opening in the main locking position, and the locking part is configured such that the main body of the spacer is in the main locking position. position, and in a fully fitted state in which the housing is completely fitted to the mating connector, the housing is locked to a locked portion provided on the mating connector, thereby achieving the complete mating. It is characterized by maintaining the state.

According to the connector according to the present invention, it is possible to protect the locking portion that locks with the mating connector while suppressing the increase in size of the housing.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mating connector. FIG. 3 is a front view of the mating connector viewed from the front side. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the spacer. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the connector with the spacer in the temporary locking position. FIG. 6 is a side view of the connector with the spacer in the temporary locking position. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the connector with the spacer in the final locking position. FIG. 8 is a side view of the connector with the spacer in the final locking position. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the connector before being fitted into a mating connector. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the connector when mated with the mating connector. FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line AA of the connector.

Embodiments of the connector according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. That is, the components in the following embodiments include those that can be easily imagined by those skilled in the art or are substantially the same, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes may be made without departing from the gist of the invention. I can do it.

[Embodiment]
As shown in FIGS. 1, 5, 7, and 9 to 11, the connector 1 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 2, a terminal 4 to which an electric wire W is connected, and a spacer (side spacer) 3. We are prepared. The connector 1 is, for example, a female connector formed to be able to accommodate a plurality of female terminals 4. The terminals 4 and 7 are electrically connected by fitting the connector 1 into a mating connector 5, which is a male connector in which the male terminals 7 are accommodated. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the mating connector 5 includes a housing 6 and a terminal 7 to which an electric wire (not shown) is connected. The mating connector 5 is, for example, a male connector formed to be able to accommodate a plurality of male terminals 7 .

In the following description, the illustrated X direction is assumed to be the axial direction of the connector 1 for convenience. For convenience, the illustrated Y direction is the width direction of the connector 1, and is a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. For convenience, the illustrated Z direction is the height direction of the connector 1, and is a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the width direction. In particular, among the X directions, the X1 direction is the first axis direction, and the X2 direction is the second axis direction. Also, among the Z directions, the Z1 direction is the mounting direction, and the Z2 direction is the removal direction. In addition, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, the directions will be described in a state where the connector 1 is connected to the mating connector 5 in an appropriate positional relationship. In addition, each of the above directions is "axial direction X", "first axial direction X1", "second axial direction X2", "width direction Y", "height direction Z", "installation direction Z1", "Removal direction Z2". Further, the axial direction X is a direction along the fitting direction of the connector 1 and the mating connector 5.

First, the mating connector 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and 11.

The housing 6 is injection molded from an insulating synthetic resin using a mold, and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a rectangular cross section in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. The housing 6 includes an insertion space 61 into which the connector 1 is inserted, an opening 62 that opens toward the second axial direction X2 side of the housing 6, and a second locking portion (lock beak) 33 on the connector 1 side, which will be described later. It has a locked part (lock arm) 63 to which is locked. Insertion space 61 communicates with external space via opening 62 . The locked portion 63 is locked by the locking portion (second locking portion 33) on the connector 1 side in a fully fitted state where the connector 1 is completely fitted to the mating connector 5. Maintains fully mated state. The locked portion 63 includes a locking hole 631 and a locking release groove 632.

The locking hole 631 is formed penetrating the upper wall 6a constituting a part of the housing 6 in the height direction Z. When the housing 6 is viewed from the mounting direction Z1, the locking hole 631 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. The locking hole 631 has an inner surface and a flat opposing surface 631a on the second axial direction X2 side of the inner surface. When the connector 1 is in a fully mated state with the mating connector 5, the opposing surface 631a faces the locking protrusion (locking protrusion 332) on the connector 1 side in the axial direction X, and restricts movement of the connector 1 in the second axial direction X2 side relative to the mating connector 5 (see FIG. 11).

The unlocking groove 632 is formed at the end of the upper wall 6a on the second axis direction X2 side. The unlocking groove 632 has a bottom surface inclined from the opening 62 toward the insertion space 61 side in the first axial direction X1. The unlocking groove 632 is formed on the side opposite to the facing surface 631a in the axial direction The tip is inserted.

The terminal 7 is formed by punching or bending a conductive metal plate made of a metal material such as copper or copper alloy, and has a tab 71 . The terminal 7 is arranged such that the tab 71 protrudes toward the insertion space 61 from the end of the housing 6 on the first axial direction X1 side.

Next, the connector 1 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5 to 11.

The housing 2 is injection molded from an insulating synthetic resin using a mold, and includes a housing body 21 and an operating section 22 . The housing main body 21 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a rectangular cross section in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction X. The housing main body 21 has an insertion space 26 in the middle in the axial direction X, into which the spacer 3 is inserted, as shown in FIG. The insertion space 26 communicates with the external space via two openings (a first opening 211a and a second opening 213a, which will be described later) provided in the housing body 21.

As shown in FIG. 5, the housing 2 has a plurality of tab insertion holes 232 on the first axial direction X1 side of the housing body 21. The plurality of tab insertion holes 232 have the same shape. The tab insertion hole 232 penetrates in the second axial direction X2 from the front surface 231 of the front wall 23 located in the first axial direction X1, and the tab 71 of the terminal 7 is inserted therein.

As shown in FIG. 1, the housing body 21 includes an outer bottom wall 211, two outer walls 212, and an outer upper wall 213. The outer top wall 213 and the outer bottom wall 211 face each other in the height direction Z (see FIG. 11). The two outer walls 212 connect the outer top wall 213 and the outer bottom wall 211 to each other at both ends in the width direction Y, and are opposed to each other in the width direction Y. The outer bottom wall 211 has a first opening 211a that penetrates the outer bottom wall 211 in the height direction Z (see FIGS. 6, 8, and 11). The outer upper wall 213 has a second opening 213a that penetrates the outer upper wall 213 in the height direction Z (see FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and 11).

The first opening 211a has a rectangular shape when the housing main body 21 is viewed from the removal direction Z2, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape with the long side in the width direction Y. The spacer 3 is inserted into the first opening 211a. The first opening 211a faces a second opening 213a provided in the outer upper wall 213 in the height direction Z.

The second opening 213a has a rectangular shape when the housing main body 21 is viewed from the mounting direction Z1, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape with the long side in the width direction Y. A portion of the spacer 3 (the locking protrusion 332 and the pair of protective ribs 333) is inserted into the second opening 213a in an assembled state in which the spacer 3 is assembled to the housing 2. The second opening 213a is formed at a position opposite to the locking hole 631 of the housing 6 in the height direction Z in a fully fitted state in which the connector 1 is completely fitted to the mating connector 5. . The width (size) of the second opening 213a is formed to be relatively smaller than the width of the first opening 211a.

The housing main body 21 has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers (cavities) 24, as shown in FIG. The plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 24 have the same shape. The terminal accommodating chamber 24 has a rectangular cross section in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction X, and is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The terminal accommodating chamber 24 accommodates and holds the terminal 4 along the axial direction X. The terminal accommodating chamber 24 is formed from a front wall 23 , an upper wall 243 , two opposing walls 242 , and a bottom wall 241 . The top wall 243 and the bottom wall 241 face each other in the height direction Z (see FIG. 11). The two opposing walls 242 face each other in the width direction Y. The bottom wall 241 has an elastically deformable lance (housing lance) 25. The lance 25 protrudes toward the terminal accommodating chamber 24 and locks the terminal 4 in the accommodated state in which the terminal 4 is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 24 . The tab insertion hole 232 and the terminal accommodating chamber 24 are continuous spaces in the axial direction X. The terminal accommodating chamber 24 has an opening 244 on the rear surface 234 on the second axis direction X2 side. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, in the height direction Z, the top wall 243 that partitions the terminal storage chamber 24 on the removal direction Z2 side is the same as the bottom wall 243 that partitions the terminal storage chamber 24 on the mounting direction Z1 side. It also serves as wall 241. A bending space 27 is provided on the removal direction Z2 side of the lance 25 so as to be adjacent to the lance 25. The bending space 27 is formed as a space extending from the lance 25 toward the first axis direction X1, penetrating the front wall 23 and reaching the front surface 231.

As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the operating portion 22 is formed to protrude from the end of the housing body 21 in the second axial direction X2 toward the removal direction Z2 side. The operating portion 22 is formed linearly along the width direction Y of the housing body 21. The operating section 22 is used, for example, by an assembly worker when the connector 1 is fitted into the mating connector 5 or unplugged from the mating connector 5.

The terminal 4 is formed by punching or bending a conductive metal plate made of a metal material such as copper or copper alloy, and has a box portion 41 and a connecting portion 42 . The box portion 41 and the connecting portion 42 are connected in the axial direction X and are integral. The terminal 4 is, for example, a female terminal that connects to the tab 71 of the terminal 7.

The spacer 3 is inserted into the insertion space 26 of the housing body 21 when the terminal 4 is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 24, and locks the terminal 4 in the terminal accommodating chamber 24 (FIG. 1). The spacer 3 is inserted into the insertion space 26 from the removal direction Z2 side of the housing body 21 toward the attachment direction Z1. Here, the state in which the spacer 3 is inserted into the insertion space 26 means the assembled state in which the spacer 3 is assembled to the housing 2. In the assembled state, the spacer 3 is located between the outer top wall 213 and the outer bottom wall 211 of the housing 2, and is held movably along the height direction Z. In the assembled state in which the spacer 3 is assembled to the housing 2, the spacer 3 is in a temporary locking position (see FIG. 5) where the spacer 3 is temporarily locked in the housing 2, and a terminal 4 is connected to the housing 2. The locking position (see Figs. 7 and 11) that restricts movement in the mating direction (first axial direction It is formed to be relatively movable along the horizontal direction (Z).

The spacer 3 is temporarily locked to the housing 2 at the temporary locking position, and the end of the spacer 3 on the removal direction Z2 side protrudes outside from the first opening 211a. On the other hand, the spacer 3 is fully locked to the housing 2 at the fully locked position, and the end of the spacer 3 on the mounting direction Z1 side protrudes outside from the second opening 213a. The spacer 3 is injection molded using an insulating synthetic resin using a metal mold, and includes a spacer body 31, a pair of first locking portions 32, and a second locking portion 33 (FIG. 4).

The spacer main body 31 has a plurality of insertion holes 311 that communicate with the terminal accommodating chamber 24 in the axial direction X in an assembled state in which the spacer 3 is assembled to the housing 2 (see FIG. 4). The insertion hole 311 passes through the spacer body 31 from the front surface 315 located on the first axial direction X1 side toward the rear surface 316 located on the second axial direction X2 side. In the assembled state in which the spacer 3 is assembled to the housing 2, the terminal 4 inserted in the removal direction Z2 side among the plurality of terminals 4 inserted into the housing body 21 is inserted into the insertion hole 311.

The first locking portions 32 are provided at both ends of the spacer body 31 in the width direction Y, and are formed in a plate shape. The first locking portion 32 locks the spacer 3 to the housing 2 in an assembled state in which the spacer 3 is assembled to the housing 2 . The first locking portion 32 is integrally molded with the spacer body 31 and includes a temporary locking portion 321 and a permanent locking portion 322 .

The temporary locking portion 321 is formed at the end of the first locking portion 32 on the mounting direction Z1 side and on the first axial direction X1 side. The temporary locking portion 321 holds the spacer 3 at the temporary locking position by locking the housing 2 . Even when the spacer 3 is held at the temporary locking position by the temporary locking portion 321, it is movable in the mounting direction Z1 or the removal direction Z2 in response to a pressing force in the mounting direction Z1 or the removal direction Z2.

The main locking portion 322 is formed at the end of the first locking portion 32 on the second axial direction X2 side, and is located in the middle in the height direction Z. The final locking portion 322 holds the spacer 3 at the final locking position by locking the housing 2 .

The second locking portion 33 is located in the middle of the spacer body 31 in the width direction Y, and is formed to protrude from the spacer body 31 in the mounting direction Z1 side. The second locking portion 33 is located inside the second opening 213a of the housing 2 when the spacer 3 is in the temporary locking position, and is located inside the second opening 213a when the spacer 3 is in the final locking position. Located protruding outward. The second locking part 33 locks into the locked part 63 provided on the mating connector 5 in a fully fitted state in which the housing 2 is completely fitted to the mating connector 5, thereby completely Maintain the mated state. The second locking portion 33 is integrally molded with the spacer main body 31 and includes a base portion 331, a locking protrusion 332, and a pair of protection ribs 333.

The base portion 331 is formed to protrude from the spacer main body 31 in the mounting direction Z1 side. The base 331 has three insertion holes 311 similarly to the spacer main body 31. An end portion of the base portion 331 on the mounting direction Z1 side includes a locking protrusion 332 and a pair of protection ribs 333.

The locking protrusion 332 is formed to protrude to one side in the opposing direction (height direction Z). The locking protrusion 332 projects outward from the second opening 213a and is located on the outside of the outer upper wall 213 when the spacer 3 is in the final locking position. In the fully fitted state, the locking protrusion 332 is located inside the locking hole 631 of the housing 6 and faces the opposing surface 631a in the second axial direction X2. The locking protrusion 332 has a guide surface 332a and an opposing surface 332b. The guide surface 332a is an inclined surface, and is inclined toward the removal direction Z2 side along the first axial direction X1. When the connector 1 is fitted to the mating connector 5, the guide surface 332a comes into contact with the bottom surface of the unlocking groove 632 of the locked portion 63 and slides in the first axial direction X1. The opposing surface 332b is provided on the opposite side from the guide surface 332a in the axial direction X. The opposing surface 332b faces the opposing surface 631a of the locked portion 63 in the axial direction X in the fully fitted state.

The protective ribs 333 are formed at positions facing each other in the width direction Y with the locking protrusion 332 interposed therebetween. The protective rib 333 has a guide surface 333a. The guide surface 333a is an inclined surface, and similarly to the guide surface 332a of the locking protrusion 332, the guide surface 333a is inclined toward the removal direction Z2 side along the first axial direction X1. Each of the protective ribs 333 extends in the axial direction X.

Here, assembly of the connector 1 will be explained. Before the terminal 4 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 24, the spacer 3 is inserted into the insertion space 26 of the housing body 21 and temporarily locked by the temporary locking part 321 (FIGS. 5 and 6). reference). Next, insertion of the terminal 4 is started by inserting the terminal 4 from the opening 244 of the terminal accommodating chamber 24 toward the first axis direction X1. In the process of inserting the terminal 4, the terminal 4 slides on the lance 25 and elastically deforms the lance 25 toward the deflection space 27 on the removal direction Z2 side. When the terminal 4 is housed in a predetermined position in the terminal accommodating chamber 24, the terminal 4 and the lance 25 stop sliding, and the lance 25 returns to its original state with restoring force. When the lance 25 returns to its original state, the lance 25 engages with the terminal 4. Finally, the spacer 3 is moved from the temporary locking position in the mounting direction Z1, and is permanently locked by the final locking portion 322 (see FIGS. 7 and 8). The terminal 4 is engaged at two points by the lance 25 and the spacer 3.

Next, the fitted state between the connector 1 and the mating connector 5 will be explained. The connector 1 is moved toward the mating connector 5 along the first axial direction X1, and the housing 2 is inserted into the insertion space 61 through the opening 62 of the mating connector 5 (see FIG. 9). At this time, in the connector 1, the spacer 3 is in the final locking position, and the second locking portion 33 protrudes outward from the second opening 213a of the housing 2. That is, by the second locking portion 33 protruding outward from the second opening 213a, both the locking protrusion 332 and the pair of protection ribs 333 protrude outward from the second opening 213a. Further, when the connector 1 is inserted into the insertion space 61 of the mating connector 5, the locking protrusion 332 and the pair of protective ribs 333 are inserted into the locking release groove 632. At this time, the guide surface 332a of the locking protrusion 332 and the guide surface 333a of each protective rib 333 come into contact with the bottom surface (sloped surface) of the lock release groove 632. Next, when the connector 1 is pushed toward the mating connector 5 side, the locking protrusion 332 and the pair of protective ribs 333 elastically deform the locked portion 63 upward (in the attachment direction Z1) and It passes through the lower side (removal direction Z2) of the locking part 63 (see FIG. 10). As a result, the opposing surface 332b of the locking protrusion 332 is located opposite the opposing surface 631a of the locked portion 63 in the first axial direction X1, and the second locking portion 33 is locked to the locked portion 63. Therefore, the connector 1 is completely fitted to the mating connector 5, resulting in a fully fitted state, and the completely fitted state is maintained.

As described above, the connector 1 according to the present embodiment includes the spacer 3 that is assembled to the housing 2 in the accommodated state in which the terminals 4 are accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 24. The spacer 3 is formed to be relatively movable along the height direction Z between a temporary locking position and a final locking position, and is located inside the second opening 213a at the temporary locking position, It has a second locking part 33 that protrudes outward from the second opening 213a at the main locking position. The second locking portion 33 is a cover provided on the mating connector 5 when the spacer 3 is in the final locking position and the housing 2 is completely fitted to the mating connector 5 in a fully fitted state. By being locked to the locking portion 63, the completely fitted state is maintained.

With the above configuration, in the connector 1, by providing the second locking part 33 in the spacer 3 instead of the housing 2, the second locking part 33 is located inside the second opening 213a at the temporary locking position. , at the final locking position, protrudes outward from the second opening 213a, so there is no need to provide the protective rib 333 on the housing 2 side, and it is possible to suppress the housing 2 from increasing in size. Moreover, since the connector 1 does not need to provide the second locking part 33 on the housing 2 side, it is possible to reduce the height of the housing 2 while ensuring the wall thickness in order to suppress the increase in the size of the housing 2. can.

Furthermore, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, when the spacer 3 is in the final locking position, the second locking portion 33 is located protruding outward from the second opening 213a, so that the assembly worker can visually check the It can be determined whether the spacer 3 is in the final locking position. Furthermore, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, when the spacer 3 is in the temporary locking position, the second locking part 33 is located inside the second opening 213a and protrudes outward from the outer upper wall 213. Therefore, the second locking portion 33 can be protected from shocks that may be applied from the outside, for example, when transporting parts.

Furthermore, since the connector 1 according to the present embodiment has a pair of protective ribs 333 formed at opposing positions with the locking protrusion 332 in between, the second locking portion 33 protrudes outside the second opening 213a. Even if the locking protrusion 332 is located in the opposite position, the locking protrusion 332 can be easily protected against shocks that may be applied from the outside.

In the above embodiment, the female connector 1 accommodates the female terminals 4, but it may be a male connector that accommodates the male terminals. In this case, the male terminal is provided with a box portion between the tab 71 and the connection portion.

Further, in the above embodiment, the mating connector 5 includes the terminal 7 to which an electric wire is connected, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the plurality of terminals 7 may be interconnected by a bus bar or the like in which some of the terminals 7 are conductive metal plates.

1 Connector 2 Housing 211 Outer bottom wall 213 Outer top wall 213a Second opening 24 Terminal accommodating chamber 26 Insertion space 3 Spacer 31 Spacer body 33 Second locking part 332 Locking protrusion 333 Protective rib 4 Terminal 5 Mating connector 6 Housing 63 Locked part 7 Terminal W Electric wire

Claims (2)

A terminal connected to the end of the wire,
a housing having a terminal accommodating chamber for accommodating and holding the terminal, and formed to be able to fit into a mating connector;
a spacer that is assembled to the housing in a housing state in which the terminal is housed in the terminal housing chamber;
The housing includes:
a pair of outer walls facing each other in opposing directions perpendicular to the fitting direction of the housing;
an opening formed in one of the pair of outer walls and opened toward one side in the opposing direction;
The spacer is
In the assembled state in which the spacer is assembled to the housing, a temporary locking position where the spacer is temporarily locked to the housing, and a removal direction of the terminal opposite to the fitting direction with respect to the housing. a main body portion formed to be relatively movable along the opposing direction between a main locking position that restricts side movement;
The main body portion is formed to protrude toward one side in the opposing direction, is located inside the opening in the temporary locking position, and projects outward from the opening in the final locking position. and a locking portion located at the
The locking portion is
In a fully fitted state in which the main body portion of the spacer is located at the main locking position and the housing is completely fitted to the mating connector, the locked portion provided on the mating connector retaining the fully fitted state by locking with the
A connector characterized by: The locking portion is
a locking protrusion formed to protrude on one side in the opposing direction;
a pair of protective ribs formed at opposing positions across the locking protrusion;
The connector according to claim 1.

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